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dreamfyre03 · 9 months ago

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A Dragon's Love

Trigger Warnings: Some violence, injuries, blood

Dividers by: @zaldritzosrose

Header by: @zaldritzosrose

Chapter 8: Tourneys and Unheard Taunts

The day of the tourney came, and the grounds were richly decorated with Targaryen colours and the sigil of the three headed dragon. Daenys sat alone in her tent, truly not up to spending the day watching men attempt to prove their worth through acts of unnecessary violence. After the emotions that ran high from the day before, and Aemond’s worths ringing in her head, she wanted nothing more than to run off and spend the day on Meraxa. She knew it would upset Alicent, who wished for them all to be front and centre, but she couldn’t face Aemond after what happened yesterday.

Giving in to her thoughts, she quickly shed her dress her maid worked so hard to put her in, and changed into her riding leathers that were in her belongings brought to her tent. As she was about the slip out of her tent, she was intercepted by her brother Aegon, a smug look on his face.

“Running off, sister?” He asked as he blocked her path.

She sighed. “Let me be, brother. I don’t often run from my obligations, but indulge me today, please.”

He clicked his tongue and put his hand around her shoulder, walking her back into her tent. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. It’s vital that you don’t miss this event.” “Since when are you so enlightened by tourneys? They last for hours, and the heat only makes it worse.” She sighed.

“I’ve a feeling this tourney will be particularly interesting.” He said knowingly. She could see her brother knew something she didn’t, but her frustrations couldn’t bring her to pester him to find out what it was. She just needed to escape, to get a moment of her own. “Whatever scheme you’ve cooked up, I don’t care. I wish to be alone.” She attempted to push past him and walk out, only to be hauled over Aegon’s shoulder. “Put me down!” She gasped, hitting at his back with her fists. For a drunkard he was surprisingly strong. “If I do, will you change and come with me to our box?” He asked. She groaned and hit him again, and was satisfied by his small hiss of pain. “Come now, you two, mother will be livid if we’re late.” Helaena’s voice came from the entrance of her tent. “Sister, good you can help Daenys back into her dress, and we can be on our way.” Aegon said cheerily, his sister still hanging over his shoulder. “Very well then, come on we must be quick.” She said briskly, thoroughly used to her siblings’ antics by now. Aegon placed her back on her feet and she glared at him, and he gifted her his signature wicked smile, before walking out to wait for them outside. Helaena helped her out of her leathers and was soon lacing up the back of her red and white gown, tailored in the style as an homage to her dragon’s scales and colouring. The fabric was more sheer and lightweight to battle the heat of the day. “Are you alright?” Helaena asked gently. Daenys nodded. “I just- I’m in no mood to endure a tourney, is all.” Helaena nodded understandingly. “When the two hearts are melded as one, the dawn of a new age hails with the sun.” Her sister whispered. Daenys nodded, in no mood to decipher Helaena’s strange riddles, and met Aegon outside her tent, a bored expression on his face until they appeared. He looped each of his harms with Helaena and Daenys, and they walked together to the royal box. “Where is Aemond? He ought to be here, this tourney is in his honour after all.” Helaena wondered aloud.

“He’ll be here, I can guarantee it,” Aegon said in a knowing tone that was beginning to annoy Daenys. They took their seats and as they passed Rhaenyra and Daemon, along with their younger ones, Lucerys and Joffery, and Daemon’s daughter Rhaena, she noticed the harsh stare from Rhaenyra, and the almost interested gaze of Daemon. She greeted her father, who surprisingly remembered her name, and she went to sit next to Aegon, Helaena on his other side. She tried to ignore the empty seat on the other side of her; Aemond’s seat. Alicent turned around to look at them, and whispered in a tone of irritation, “Where is your brother? It’s about to begin!” Helaena shrugged her shoulders and Daenys shook her head, while Aegon replied, “Worry not, mother, Aemond shall appear front and centre soon enough.” Alicent eyed him suspiciously before turning back around.

Daenys couldn’t help but notice Jace wasn’t sitting with his siblings, and figured he would in fact be competing, and she found herself silently wishing him good luck, knowing it would be challenging going up against the older, more vicious and experienced men.

“You look entirely too excited for this, brother. Perhaps you should have entered.” Daenys said. Aegon chuckled, “We both know I’m no great swordsman.”

“I know, but seeing you get knocked off a horse would be satisfaction enough.”She grumbled, her sour mood taking hold. He laughed loudly and drank from his wine, earning a glare from Alicent, and after she turned back around he said teasingly, “I always enjoy when your Targaryen fire comes to the forefront sister. Reminds me ever so often you aren’t all pretty eyes and kind words.”

She rolled her eyes. As the tourney began, and the Hand stood to address the nobles and common folk present, she saw Aegon lean in to Helaena, and whisper something that made her eyes go wide, then look and Daenys. “What?” She asked, as Aegon joined Helaena in looking at her. “What is it?” She asked, annoyed. “Helaena what did he say?” Daenys demanded.

Helaena looked back and forth between them, unsure if to speak. “This is fucking ridic-“ She stopped mid-sentence as she received a frown from Alicent. She lowered her voice, asking, “What is it?” As Helaena opened her mouth to speak, the first pairing was announced. “Our first joust, Ser Jason Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, going against the man of the hour, Prince Aemond Targaryen, the Young Dragon!” Daenys’ head whipped forward to see her brother, dressed head to toe in shining black armour, his helmet moulded into a dragon’s head. His long sliver white hair peaked out from under his helmet. He was mounted on a horse of darkest black. He looked regal, and fearsome. Daenys and Alicent turned to look at Aegon, who was grinning at Daenys’ reaction. “You knew about this?” Alicent hissed, looking as though she were resisting the urge to hit her son.

Aegon shrugged, but kept his grin on his face. When Alicent turned around, Daenys whispered, “Aemond despises tourneys. How did you get him to do this?”

“I didn’t get him to do anything sister. You’ll see. Just enjoy the show.” He said, watching as the jousting started. Daenys watched uneasily as her brother quickly unseated Jason Lannister, and the crowd went wild for the Targaryen Prince.

Alicent watched on nervously, picking at her cuticles as she worried for her beloved son’s safety.

Aemond made his way up the ranks, nearly being unseated by a Lord of House Tarley, and Daenys felt as though her patience and peace of mind were hanging by a thread. He was becoming a crowed favourite, and when Jace entered his first match, against a Lord from House Bracken, Daenys realised what was going on. She prayed her brother and nephew would not have to duel each other.

But Jace proved himself skilled, and by the time the final joust came, her prayer had gone unanswered.

“Final match! Prince Aemond Targaryen, son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent, the Young Dragon, against Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, son of Ser Laenor Velaryon and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne!” “If he’s the son of Ser Laenor, I’m a Silk Street whore.” Aegon snickered, and Daenys pinched him.

She saw her brother and Jace exchanging words no one could hear, but whatever they were seemed to aggravate them both. Aemond approached the royal box, extending his lance forward and said loudly for the onlookers to hear, “Would my beautiful sister, Princess Daenys, honour me with her favour?”

She kept a smile on her face for appearances’ sake and took her favour that she made with Helaena yesterday, red roses and black ribbons, with white jasmine flowers, colours of both her house and her dragon. She leaned forward and slid the favour onto his lance, and said, “I bid you good luck, brother, I trust you shall return my favour safely.” He nodded, and his wicked smile sending heatwaves through her body. He trotted back off his position, and Jace glared at him, before going to ask his mother’s favour.

The joust began, and Aemond landed a harsh blow, which thankfully did not inflict too much damage due to Jace’s shield. Daenys gripped the arm of her chair in anxiety. They charged again, Jace nearly knocking Aemond off his horse, causing the crowed to erupt into murmurs. “Gods above,” Daenys muttered. Aemond quickly secured his position on the horse, and when they went again, he was fully knocked off his horse. Daenys cried out, along with Alicent, and she felt sick to her stomach. She knew he wouldn’t stay down, and was right when she saw him stumble back to his feet and draw his sword. Jace dismounted his horse and drew his, and the two began to fight with their blades. She knew there wasn’t anyone that could best Aemond in one on one combat, his skill with the sword had become a legend in itself. She gasped when his sword nicked Jace’s arm, and she saw red running down it, but he persisted. Aemond sustained another harsh blow, as did Jace, but neither of them would stand down. The fight was clearly becoming personal, as they shouted taunts at each other.

Soon enough, however, as both men stumbled struggled to stay on their feet, Aemond finally had Jace on the ground, and her nephew finally yielded. Aemond had won. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was over, and Jace was helped up by his squires, and Aemond clearly snuck in one last taunt, which clearly provoked him, and Aemond, already with his back turned, got knocked on the side of the head with the hilt of the sword, sending him to the ground. Daenys felt her heart drop, and without realising, she scrambled to her feet, without thinking, as Alicent too was running to her son, along with the Hand. Daenys ran, Aegon on her heels, and when they got close, Aegon grabbed her hand and said, “Wait, sister, let them take him back to his tent. Don’t overcrowd them.” She tried to pull out of his grasp, watching as they placed Aemond’s limp body on a stretcher, as the maesters carried him off the grounds. “Let me go to him, let me go,” She fought against Aegon, who kept a surprisingly strong hold on her. “He’s already injured. He needs to be attended too. You don’t need to see him like that.” She didn’t realise tears were running down her face until one of Aegon’s hands reached around her and wiped them gently from her face. When she finally stopped fighting him, he released her, and Helaena had made her way to them. Her face was furrowed with worry, and she took Daenys’s hand reassuringly. She glanced over her shoulder to see Jace being attended to by maesters, his mother had already made her way down to see if he was seriously hurt. She calmed her breathing, and walked with her siblings to her brother’s tent, unsure if to let her worry or her anger take precedent.

Aemond slowly came back to consciousness, to a throbbing pain in his head, and a stabbing pain on his side. He slowly opened his eye to see his siblings sitting in his tent, Aegon drinking wine, Helaena gazing at seemingly nothing, and Daenys, who sat by his side, her eyebrows furrowed with worry. He groaned as he sat up, and they all snapped to attention at the noise, Daenys breathing a sigh of relief, and Helaena smiling as though she knew he would awake.

“How do you feel?” Daenys asked quietly as she took his hand. “My head hurts, as does to cut on my side, but fine otherwise.” He replied.

“Good.” She smacked him upside the head. He groaned again, rubbing the spot. “What on earth would possess you to enter the tourney and act so recklessly? Your mother was utterly distraught, she’s currently arguing with Rhaenyra, demanding that some retribution be given to Jace for going back to attack you after he yielded.” She shouted angrily. “Concerned for your suitor, sister?” He grumbled.

She growled in frustration. “You are truly something. I stand here, worried for your health, praying that the knock to the head didn’t permanently damage you, and you speak of Jace? Clearly all it has done is make you an utter fool.”

She stormed out, Helaena following her, not before giving her brother a kind, pitying look. “She’s gone back and forth between being worried out of her mind for you, and wanting to hit you.” Aegon said, putting down the glass and walking over to where Aemond laid. “So I gather.” Aemond replied. “He may have attacked you, but he yielded. You were crowned winner of the tourney, brother.” Aegon said, as if that was supposed to make him feel better.

Aegon, in a surprising moment of perceptiveness, seemed to read his thoughts and said, “She will come around. She won’t stay angry at your forever.”

Aemond nodded. He knew his brother was right, but he actually began to feel guilty for worrying her, upsetting her like that. But he didn’t regret putting their nephew in his place. Not one bit.

#aemond fanfiction #aemond smut #aemond targaryen #aemond x oc #alicent hightower #helaena targaryen #hotd #house of the dragon #aegon ii targaryen #aemond fic #a dragon's love

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lindsay00000008 · 7 months ago

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Some of my fav whumpsthetics

CW: includes Smump (smut+whump, implied noncon)

Clothes becoming soaked / torn / bloodied

Bonus if they’re white, drapey, or lavish. Double bonus if they’ve been provided by Whumper for this express purpose.

I love that this necessitates a change of clothes also, it’s another thing out of Whumpee’s control.

Thinking of that scene in Prince of Egypt where Tzipporah is pulling against her restraints and falls into the pool… *mwah*

When Whumpee’s bindings are pretty.

Think bejeweled collars and bracelet cuffs, thick gold chains with charms and pearls keeping their hands from wandering. Or perhaps it’s a leash? Whether at home of paraded in public, it’s nice to know Whumpee is so well provided for :)

Even ropes and gags can be beautiful. Dyed in beautiful colors, made of the finest materials. They press into Whumpee’s skin so nicely and make the prettiest little indentations when they’re finally removed.

Or what about tight leather straps, carved in designs bearing Whumper’s sigils and emblems? Their signature? When they’re removed it’ll take an hour for the marks to disappear from sensitive Whumpee skin. Good for loaning out Whumpee to friends and lovers for a short time.

When Whumper makes Whumpee their own.

They paint them for an event, claiming them with each symbol. Maybe there’s even a binding contract on those brush strokes, a magic that sinks under Whumpee’s skin. If they don’t sit still, Whumper will simply have to put them to sleep.

Tattoos work as well, if a Whumper wants to claim a Whumpee without maiming. It can be large, in a noticeable place, making it hard for Whumpee to hide. A slash of color across their throat, a spider web of claiming words on each hand, a symbol between their brows. Or it can be more intimate, something only Whumpee knows of, only sees in their mind’s eye as they go about their day. They feel it itching, even after it’s healed — on their sternum, splitting their chest in half — the very top of their thigh, circling all the way around like a ribbon — the bottom of their feet, with every step — the inside of their lip, every time they go to speak.

Piercings too, to match Whumper, or to simply enhance their beauty. Places Whumpee would never dream of putting cold metal rods and shimmering gemstones. When Whumpee gets used to the feel of one, Whumper will add another, or change it out for something more audacious. They add chains and loops, connecting the gaudy ornaments. A bonus, Whumper finds, is that the more they decorate Whumpee’s skin, the less they need to ornament them in clothes.

A brand is the ultimate decoration. It must be well thought through — the location, the size, the symbol. It must heal well, to preserve the shape of the scar. It must be placed with a firm hand, and Whumpee must be properly subdued as to leave a clean mark — but far be it from Whumper to take away the intimate connection of branding one’s Whumpee by dulling their senses. It’ll be a challenge, finding he proper binding method, the proper concoction.

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sacredsanguine · 1 year ago

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Just what it says on the tin. 18+ interaction under the cut. <3

So I feel like most of the characters could have lots of different presentations, but Some of them are just. They're very strongly coded, alright.

Andrey is an omega. He likes sniffing his love interests, he's like perpetually comforting himself with Nikolai's scent (okay and the cinnamon roll thing??? guys. it's right there.) Also the blanket nests all the time, etc. etc. He's super super physically affectionate with his partners and wants to be held/snuggled all the time - can I make it more obvious?

Taran is a beta. AND instead of those magic siphons he has sucking off his artisans, he's got some kind of meds that make him smell/seem like an alpha. I was actually thinking of a whole backstory like how instead of going to Aixois with his friend to buy a horse he was actually going to get a refill or something. Also beta!Taran definitely still has special artisans on his patronage to make him colognes designed to mimic alpha scents by amplifying certain aspects of his own pheromones.

Ariel is a beta that everyone thinks is an alpha. They have a quietly commanding presence and a way of arranging pieces to fall into place that gives off Big Alpha Energy. It also helps that they're such an enigma - major mysterious alpha vibes.

Esme is an omega on heat suppressants. She's like the POSTER GIRL for them (it's a secret still, but like c'mon). She's such a girlboss and definitely covers up her presentation to make everyone in Pheles believe she's an alpha, just like she has her whole "My name is and always has been Esme and I'm a fire mage" thing in canon. She loves being wrapped up (look at her wardrobe. homegirl does not own anything that doesn't FLAUNT THE FIGURE, and it's because she craves touch), she's literally whimpered and clung to alpha-coded people on-screen and immediately performed panic responses to cover it up, she's got similar responses to Andrey to certain magical signatures....don't EVEN get me started on how her body language around love interests changes DRAMATICALLY in public vs private.

Enoch and Nicholas are both alphas. But this one fic I read had their ruts trigger each other's instead of being on a regular cycle or triggered by an omega's heat, and honestly it was kind of genius. I think they'd keep a running count of whose rut induced the other person's (and by they, I mean Nicholas) and it'd be a competitive thing for no reason.

So magical signatures are pretty much equivalent to what I think everyone's specific blend of pheromones would smell like, but I think blockers would come in two kinds:

Mufflers - more socially accepted/common, used as a courtesy when appearing in public during a heat/rut or when you know you'll be around a lot of people and don't want to accidentally flood anyone's brain who might be close to/in their own. Don't remove or replace a scent completely, just dampen it down. Negligible side effects, even if used long-term, applied topically (rich people have sigil patches instead of a cream). Over time, your body might develop a resistance to a particular formulation, which would make the muffler less effective.

Banners - very taboo and/or illegal when used outside specific "approved" ceremonial contexts (ex. religious figures who are mandatorily celibate, deep spy missions, etc.). Completely neutralize a person's scent; some kinds also replace the scent with a blend of pheromones from a different presentation, so you could use a banner to pose as a different presentation. Betas posing as alphas or omegas aren't usually made as big of a deal out of, but an alpha posing as an omega or vice versa definitely would be a big scandal.

"Scenting" as a form of greeting is only done within Pheles and the court - like the message bubble spell, it's a ridiculous custom rooted in the archaic "alpha superiority" posturing culture (and also because exposing your neck/scent glands to a stranger used to be equivalent to "you show me yours, I'll show you mine" since two alphas meeting would have to ease their instinctual threat response to each other).

I'm gonna talk about ruts too but the alliteration was really cute <3

Even outside of heats, Andrey just builds nests. Constantly. Lowkey his actual heat nests are massive fire hazards bc of how many flammable, fluffy blankets and pillows he piles together.

Whenever he has to deal with his ruts/heats himself (I flip-flop on his presentation lol), Joel recites Farfallan verses - if it's reallly hard to get through, he does them backwards.

Joel is also the type of person to always try getting himself through without help because he doesn't want to burden anyone with taking care of him.

Esme's been coasting because she has enough girlboss alpha energy to make people placebo believe her Alpha Command Voice, but she gets found out either by her "fake" Omega Suggestion Voice working a little too well OR suddenly developing an intolerance to her suppressants and well...the fandom doesn't call her soggy for nothing. <3 First heat in what, seven years? Bitey bruises are the least of the issue.

Taran has a huge and unexplored presentation-play kink. He'll likely never get into it with a partner for fear of exposing himself.

Nicholas once had to be put into a medically-induced coma during his rut because he kept wanting to draw blood off Enoch and then the smell of another alpha's blood sent him into a raging frenzy.

Enoch tends to hide away during his rut, emerging only for necessary business or to work out (usually very destructive). He also gets more omega-like symptoms during his rut (feverish, very flushed, damp).

Plot Headcanons

Esme never realized it until way too late, but the periods where her heat would have been happening were also the times she craved playing bitey the most.

Nicholas would have put it together if he hadn't been so disgusted/busy playing bitey with her. Taran does put the pieces together because he's never seen Esme brat out like that.

Nikolai also figures it out and tells Andrey. Andrey is too busy building a nest to care (for now). Depending on divorcee solidarity status later, Esme might get an unwanted and unasked-for safe mating talk. Nikolai does the hand puppetry.

At some point, Andrey's and Esme's heats sync up and their altered behavior prompts the tabloids to theorize that Aurora is their biokid again

Alt. headcanon for how Esme gets exposed: when she's sick after ice skating and Enoch goes to check on her at her apartment....that wasn't an alpha command voice, that was a really bossy omega suggestion. And it worked. We leave it to the fanfics to decide if Enoch realizes or not!

Taran's post-sex cigarettes are for pleasure and for enhancing the dominant alpha notes in his scent.

Nesting Habits

Andrey likes soft fleecy fabrics best for nesting, decorated with silk tassels or pillowcases. He likes more blankets or his partners' clothes to wrap up in than pillows and likes burying his face in them while being "rolled up"

Esme likes the feeling of silk, but her favorite nesting material is cotton because it's softer and more breathable with the fur of her ears/tail. She doesn't like being too warm, she would rather steal a partner's clothes to wear than wrap up with lots of blankets

Joel keeps multiple rosaries on hand to decorate nests, whether for himself or a partner

Taran once jokingly called Esme a pillow princess. The scratches on his back took a month to heal

#odette in the butterfly garden #i don't know what the hell to tag this lmao

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anotherghoul666 · 2 years ago

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I’m glad that my love and adoration for knives was conveyed in my last message. I assure you I would keep my eyes shut tight, I want to loose myself in the feeling, the pure helplessness of being at your mercy and yet trusting you to not make a fatal error. And trust you I do, despite having just met your words truley put me at ease despite the precarious situation.

So to answer your question, yes. It would be an honor to have a lasting tangible memento of such a night. I trust you will create something beautiful on my body, art I will admire for a long time to come and remember fondly.

-🗡

(obvious disclaimers for knives and blood)

To recieve such an amount of trust from you, dear knife anon, is an honor that I will carefully treasure and craddle. I do so hope that I will rise to the occasion for you and maintain said trust as we go, and I will work in this direction.

I'm glad to hear my own trust I placed in you to not open your eyes has been rewarded. You're obedient, and I mean, who wouldn't be when faced with a knife really, but you have obedience at your core, it's natural to you and I value that highly. You'll stay sat, immobile, careful when you move, eyes closed, by the sheer weight of my word and my command. No need for external force with you. You understand the value of the gift I bestow, you wouldn't want to risk missing out on it in any way.

Then if drawing blood has been agreed upon, let's see what I can come up. When you'll feel the sharpened delicate point of my blade scrape your skin, like a scratch at first, only the surface, no cuts yet, you'll wonder, what am I crafting? What is the image I want to permanently etch in your flesh? I'd say, since this is Ghost blog we met on after all, I'd assume an interest for the occult, if only in aesthetics? Now, to draw is not my main talent, I leave drawings to the visual artists of this works, I paint with words, so the designs I so lovingly want to carve into you won't be intricated or super detailed, but! I can efficiently transfer basic shapes and symbols into flesh. Would a pentagram be too on the nose? A lucifer's cross, somewhere intimate so it won't interfere with your daily life and risk impacting it negatively (aside from the pain and healing process of course ;) ) but you'll be able to look at it and remember me? I could craft a sigil for you, for us, for this, I make those, put intent into them, for your growth maybe, for you to attract the beautiful suffering and rapture you so crave more into your life. I do have a signature scar I make, that only very special people get to wear, and it requires care and maintenance for multiple sessions to set in just right. We've just met, but stand by my side for a long time and do good by me? We may discuss it later.

Yes for now, let's go with a sigil. I'll put it on the top of your thigh, the upper section close to the junction with your hip. Not hidden by underwear, but hidden by most clothes you would wear on the daily. You'll see it, and any future partner or people you so choose to undress for will see it, see the depth of our shared experience. I will start to lightly scrape your skin in the shape of my design. A sketching phase, if you will. So if it's not to my liking, this will heal and fade into nothingness and I can change for your other leg to have a fresh canvas. But I won't miss. You'll feel the scrape of the blade repeatedly, like a cat scratch, but over again on the same spots. Would you hold your breath? Would you, instead, force yourself to breathe deeply to process? What about when I'll line up my blade straight on the lingest of the sketch, and start to press in? Trace my line deliberately slow to ensure my sigil is clean edged when your skin splits lightly on either side of the knife, just a small cut for now, just the hint of small droplets of blood beading, because I don't go deep on a first pass. How will you breathe now? Now that I let adrenaline flood your nervous system finally, flood gates cut open with my knife. Now that I let endorphines start to build slowly, knowing full well the first 15-20 minutes of this will be the roughest part for you until your body's natural pain killer sets in. Will you shake? Will you quiver? Will you sit still? Will you clutch something? How do act under a knife, dear knife anon?

#asks #AnotherGhoul's confessional booth

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apollotarot · 28 days ago

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What Are Voodoo Veves? Unlock the Power and Meaning of Vodou Symbols

Voodoo Veve symbols are sacred representations of the Lwa (Loa), the spiritual entities in the Vodou (Voodoo) tradition. These intricate and beautifully designed sigils hold immense spiritual significance, functioning as portals to divine energies.

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A veve is a sacred symbol used in the Vodou (Voodoo) religion to represent a specific Lwa (Loa), which are the spiritual entities that serve as intermediaries between humans and the divine. Each veve is a unique, intricate design that serves as a kind of spiritual “signature” for a particular Lwa. These symbols are traditionally drawn on the ground using substances like cornmeal, flour, or ashes during Vodou rituals.

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Veves play a central role in Vodou rituals and offerings, and their symbolic meanings are key to understanding the energy and blessings that different Lwa provide.

Where Is Voodoo Normally Practiced?

Vodou is primarily practiced in Haiti, where it plays a significant role in the cultural and spiritual life of the nation. It is also prevalent in the Caribbean, particularly in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, where it has mixed with other African, indigenous, and European traditions. In the United States, New Orleans, Louisiana, is well known for its rich Vodou culture, where African and French colonial influences converged to create a unique blend of spiritual practice.

Vodou is practiced by millions worldwide, particularly within African and African-descended communities. Beyond the Caribbean and North America, it can also be found in parts of Central and South America, such as Brazil, and in West African countries like Benin, where the religion has ancient origins.

The Myth of Voodoo Dolls vs. the Reality of Vodou Practice

One of the most common misconceptions about Vodou, popularized by Hollywood and sensationalized media, is the use of Voodoo dolls for harmful magic. In movies and television, Voodoo dolls are often depicted as tools to cause pain or control others, where pins are inserted into dolls to harm specific individuals. However, this portrayal is far from the truth and does a great disservice to the actual spiritual practices of Vodou.

In real Vodou, the focus is on healing, protection, and maintaining harmony between the spiritual and physical worlds. If dolls are ever used in Vodou rituals, they serve as symbols for healing, guidance, or protection, not harm. These dolls, similar to figures used in many folk traditions around the world, may be filled with personal items or offerings to help the person they represent. Their purpose is to invoke blessings and positive energy, not to cause harm.

The harmful stereotype of the “Voodoo doll” emerged largely from the misunderstanding and fear of Vodou by outsiders, particularly during the colonial period. European colonizers and later Western media demonized the religion, associating it with witchcraft and evil due to its African roots. This narrative was amplified in movies and horror fiction, turning Vodou into a sinister force in the popular imagination.

It is important to understand that Vodou is a religion centered on community, healing, and connecting with the divine. By dispelling myths like the Voodoo doll, we can better appreciate the depth and beauty of Vodou traditions.

The Power of Veve Symbols in Vodou

Now that we’ve explored the broader context of Vodou, let’s return to the topic of veve symbols and their significance. Each veve represents a powerful connection to the Lwa, offering unique blessings, protection, and guidance to the wearer.

1. Ogoun Badagri: Strength and Power

Ogoun is a fierce warrior spirit, revered for his embodiment of strength, courage, and victory. Associated with iron, fire, and metalwork, his veve symbolizes resilience in the face of challenges. Wearing Ogoun’s veve invites his protection, empowering you to conquer obstacles and achieve personal triumphs.

Unleash the warrior within – Shop the Ogoun Badagri Veve Necklace and embrace strength and victory!

2. Erzulie Dantor: Protector of Women and Children

Erzulie Dantor is the fierce mother spirit, a protector of women and children, symbolizing independence, passion, and fierce love. Her veve is ideal for those seeking inner strength, emotional healing, or protection during difficult times. Erzulie Dantor is a source of fierce maternal love and unyielding support.

3. Marasa Dosou: Balance and Duality

Marasa Dosou represents the divine twins, embodying the balance of opposites—life and death, male and female, and the spiritual and physical realms. Their veve reflects harmony and unity, making it perfect for those seeking equilibrium in their lives and relationships.

4. Papa Legba: Gatekeeper of Opportunity

Papa Legba is the Lwa who opens the gates between the spiritual and earthly worlds. His veve symbolizes new beginnings, pathways, and communication with the divine. When seeking guidance or protection at life’s crossroads, wearing Papa Legba’s veve can offer clarity and direction.

5. Damballa: Wisdom and Purity

Damballa, the serpent spirit, is one of the oldest and most revered Lwa, symbolizing wisdom, healing, and the purity of life. His veve carries powerful energy for spiritual awakening, mental clarity, and protection from negative influences.

6. Erzulie Freda: Love and Beauty

Erzulie Freda is the embodiment of love, beauty, and luxury. Her veve is associated with matters of the heart, attraction, and relationships. Ideal for those seeking romance or enhancing emotional connections, Erzulie Freda’s sigil attracts love and harmonious energy.

7. Ayizan Velekete: Prosperity and Growth

Ayizan, the spirit of initiation and commerce, represents prosperity and success in business and personal ventures. Her veve is perfect for those seeking financial growth, career advancement, or stability in their entrepreneurial pursuits.

8. Baron Samedi: Death and Rebirth

Baron Samedi rules over death, the afterlife, and the transition between worlds. His veve is powerful during times of transformation, offering protection during significant life changes. Whether dealing with loss or new beginnings, Baron Samedi’s energy provides resilience and guidance.

9. Maman Brigitte: Guardian of the Graves

Maman Brigitte, the wife of Baron Samedi, is a powerful protector of life and death. Her veve is invoked for strength during adversity and protection from harmful energies. She watches over those who face challenges and honors the cycle of life and death.

10. Kalfu: Chaos and Transformation

Kalfu is the darker counterpart to Papa Legba, ruling over the night and the crossroads of chaos and opportunity. His veve symbolizes powerful transformations, often through challenging or tumultuous experiences. Invoke Kalfu’s guidance when seeking to navigate difficult transitions.

11. Gran Bwa: Spirit of Nature

Gran Bwa is the spirit of the forest, embodying the mysteries of nature and the earth. His veve connects the wearer to the natural world, encouraging personal growth, wisdom, and alignment with the cycles of the earth.

12. Simbi: Water and Magic

Simbi is the Lwa of water, magic, and communication. His veve symbolizes adaptability and spiritual insight. Wearing Simbi’s veve is perfect for those looking to enhance their intuitive abilities or seek guidance through life’s fluid, changing currents.

13. Kouzen Azaka: Diligence and Hard Work

Kouzen Azaka is the spirit of agriculture and a hardworking farmer. His veve encourages diligence, perseverance, and a strong connection to the land. Those seeking prosperity through effort and hard work will find his symbol especially empowering.

14. Hogou Ferraille: Protection in Battle

A manifestation of Ogoun, Hogou Ferraille focuses on protection, leadership, and strength during conflict. His veve is ideal for those facing intense personal or professional challenges, providing the fortitude needed to lead and protect.

15. Ti Jan Danto: Youth and Passion

Ti Jan Danto represents the spirit of youthful energy, passion, and fearlessness. His veve inspires action, drive, and the courage to pursue one’s desires without hesitation.

16. Brav Gede: Humor and Resilience

Brav Gede, a protector of life and death, embodies humor, fertility, and resilience. His veve reminds us to embrace life’s joys and sorrows with humor and grace, understanding the inevitable cycle of mortality.

17. Bossou: Strength and Stability

Bossou, associated with the bull, symbolizes strength, endurance, and stability. His veve is a source of steadfast energy, perfect for situations requiring persistence and resilience.

18. Klemezine: Spiritual Protection

Klemezine is a powerful veve used for protection, especially against negative energies. Invoking Klemezine’s symbol creates a spiritual shield, offering safety during difficult or dangerous times.

19. Damballa Wedo: Heavenly fertility

Damballa Wedo is a revered aspect of Damballa, the serpent spirit, and is often depicted as a twin serpent. He is associated with the heavens, rain, and fertility, and is frequently connected with his partner, Ayida Wedo, who represents the rainbow and cosmic balance. Together, they symbolize the unity of opposites and the flow of life from the heavens to the earth. Wearing Damballa Wedo’s veve invites protection, wisdom, and harmony, aligning the wearer with the cosmic forces of nature and balance.

Harmonize with the cosmos – Shop the Damballa Wedo Veve Necklace and invoke the power of divine balance and fertility!

Why Wear a Voodoo Veve Necklace?

Wearing a veve necklace connects you to the divine energy of the Lwa, offering blessings, guidance, and protection specific to the Lwa represented. Whether drawn to Ogoun’s strength, Erzulie Freda’s love, or Damballa’s wisdom, each veve holds its own powerful spiritual force, providing not only a connection to the divine but also a stylish and meaningful symbol of your spiritual path.

Find Your Veve Necklace

Looking for a meaningful connection to the powerful Lwa? Our Voodoo Veve Symbols Necklace Collection features finely engraved, stainless steel pendants showcasing the intricate designs of these sacred symbols. Whether seeking spiritual protection, guidance, or simply a stylish reminder of the forces around you, each necklace is a gateway to profound spiritual energy.

Explore our collection today and discover the veve that resonates with your soul!

#voodoo #magick #witchcraft #spiritual growth #spirituality

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blzzrdstryr · 3 years ago

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Generous offering

Yandere!Zhongli x gn!Fatui Harbinger!reader

Wordcount:1843

CW:Yandere themes

There are several simple things one should know before dealing with the archons - be respectful and polite, speak only when you’re allowed to and most importantly - never forget that archons aren’t humans.

The first two rules are instinctive - it’s natural for humans to simper and bow before the forces far greater than them, while the latter is not; on the contrary it’s counterintuitive and unexpected. People tend to project, tend to humanize - they see kindness when there’s none and make a huge mistake of assuming that archons see things the way they see it.

Tsaritsa, for example, lacks humanity, despite holding the title of Goddess of Love. The love that she holds for you is different from love mothers and fathers give to their children, or love that young sweethearts share at night, it’s cold and impersonal and undeniably cruel.

Tsaritsa says that she loves all of you and she loves Snezhnaya, yet she lashes out a harsh and gruelling punishments at every perceived failure and rules her land with an iron fist, one would think that the cryo archon is a liar and a hypocrite, who uses pretty, flowery words to hide the atrocities she commits, but this perspective is flawed. Tsaritsa loves all of you and she loves Snezhnaya, she’s just not human enough to properly express this.

That’s why it’s a bit jarring to see the ancient lord of these lands in his mortal form - he lacks the same otherworldly terror and grandiose that every of Tsaritsa’s move and word carry, yet he also possesses the air of wisdom and elegance so refined that rare person can reach it. It’s easy to assume that he’s human.

Rex Lapis, or “Zhongli” as he calls himself now invites you to the Liuli pavillion the second day after your arrival, for tea and local cuisine as he says, and who are you to decline a God?

Liuli staff hurries and dashes around, preparing their best room for you - Fatui are known for their seemingly endless finances, no wonder they’re in haste. “Please make yourself comfortable, dear guests”, the waiter curtsies and leads you to the dining room, which happens to be richly furnished and decorated with high-quality darkwood furniture and the hand painted wall panels further accentuating the luxury of the restaurant.

One of these panels illustrate different scenes from the Liyuen mythos - a battle of mighty and wise adepti against the horde of demons, Rex Lapis aiding his people in building the Harbour and the most spectacular one - a majestic dark brown dragon with golden fur and feathers descending to the devoted worshippers, who in turn present him with their offerings and gratitude.

He orders tea and meals for both of you, as you start to converse about the plan that he is determined to bring into life - the so-called test of Liyue, and the guarantee of you obtaining his gnosis.

“And what about your colleague?”, he sips a bit of his tea, intense amber eyes piercing right through you. He looks both human and non-human in this moment, both undeniably mortal softness and frailty seen in his figure and the barely concealed divinity, the sense of awe slowly seeping into air mixing in one person.

“And what about him? Tsaritsa and you have negotiated everything beforehand, I will make sure that he plays his part properly”, he hums at your answer, lowering his gaze deep in thought. You start on your own tea.

Ah, Childe, if only he knew why exactly he’s here - a distraction and a scapegoat. You even feel bad for him - it’s truly unfair to be lied to by your own Goddess. However, it’s also not a big surprise - Childe is the loudest out of all Harbingers in all senses. Infamous for his skills and battle obsession, his name is enough to have people both shivering in fear and cursing him.

“What do you think of your archon? Was serving her of any use to you?”Rex Lapis unexpectedly asks.

You lean back in your seat, thinking what to say.

“Tsaritsa is a gentle soul, she declared war only to protect us, her subjects and I am ready to aid her in whatever undertaking she starts”.

“Will you continue to serve Tsaritsa, if her action might put you in danger, make you suffer and bring unnecessary grief?”, he leans closer to you, his human features distorting enough to reveal the ancient dragon sleeping inside. His eyes shine a cold golden glow and accurate fingernails morph into sharp, dark claws.

“Yes”, you breathe out, mesmerized and terrified by the sudden change: “Her love knows no bounds, yet she always puts the needs of the nation before anyone else. If my suffering can help Snezhnaya, then I will accept it with open arms”, he moves back at your answer, all draconic traces gone in an instance, upper corner of his lips subtly rising - whatever you said must’ve pleased him immensely.

The conversation flows back into the territory of plans to be realized, yet the cold sensation of dread still clings to you, your gut feeling yelling at you to get up and run. You remain seated to the end of your meeting, politely conversing with the God that terrifies you.

***

Days slowly grow into weeks and Childe acts just as you have expected - the Eleventh Harbinger might be smart, yet even he wouldn’t be able to see what two of you are scheming. Still, you request Ekaterine, a spy you planted in Northland bank, to keep you updated on the Tartaglia’s actions - extra caution never hurts.

You continue to meet up with geo archon, as you two discuss your next actions. Tartaglia has started cooperating with that blonde foreigner Signora has warned you about, and while this union doesn’t pose any threat to your plans, it’s always good to have a plan B, just in case something happens.

Sometimes your conversation develops into a more unexpected direction, as you find the archaic lord more chatty and tending to ramble, than any of Liyuen historians would dare to picture him as. One on such occasion he talks with you about dragons - benevolent deities who protect and bless their people in an exchange of generous offerings.

His eyes devour you, as he retells you ancient folktales and you suppress your discomfort, preferring to attribute his honestly unnerving behaviour down to his lack of humanity - he was never human in the first place.

That’s why you also prohibit yourself from viewing him as anything but God - Rex Lapis in his “Zhongli” persona is genuinely attractive, he’s well-mannered and obviously handsome and far more knowledgeable than any mortal should be. If you didn’t know of his true nature you would have fallen for him by now - it’s hard not to.

Life, how strange that wouldn’t sound, goes as usual - you get Ekaterine’s report on what Childe’s up to and if it’s something unexpected you book a Liuli pavilion room and send an invitation to the funeral parlour consultant. You only need to wait until Childe gets desperate enough and decides to use the sigils of permission to unleash the well-awaited chaos.

This routine however is soon broken by the appearance of familiar ashy-white hair in the distance. She doesn’t wear her signature mask or dress, nor are there agents at both of her sides, yet you can still clearly recognize her. Signora leaves the Wangsheng building in haste, cape with the hood concealing most of her face and figure, except the long locks of hair, peeking from inside.

What is she doing here?

You thought that Tsaritsa sent two of her servants - Tartaglia and you, him to “test” Liyue, you to oversee the former’s actions and obtain gnosis, there’s no need to send her too.

Your mind races, as you search for a logical explanation of Signora’s presence as your memory supplies the piece of first conversation you had with “Zhongli” - could it be that Tsaritsa also sent you to play a role you have no idea of?

Cryo archon is a goddess of love and her love is cruel and unforgiving, she has sacrificed countless chess pieces before, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she did that again - you are nothing but a pawn after all, one of the tools she uses to exact her will and force her vision, all of the Harbingers are.

You want to believe that you can accept and resign to whatever hardship and fate your Goddess might subject you to. You can’t.

***

Adepti and Qixing converse at the pier of the seaport, as you hurry to the Northland Bank, a slight smile playing on your lips - Childe has finally done it - he summoned an ancient god to lure out Rex Lapis, ultimately proving that Liyue can stand without him.

There are sounds of heated argument heard when you open the building’s door and then you see it - Signora and Tartaglia exchanging barely concealed insults and “Zhongli” standing nearby.

“[Harbinger]? What are you doing here?”, the ginger shifts his gaze onto you, a rare emotion of hurt and disbelief flickering in his dead fish eyes. “Of course, Tsaritsa sent you too”, he smiles, angry and disappointed. “Seems that whole world wants to make a bad guy out of me”, he stomps out of the room, leaving you with Signora and “Zhongli”

“[Harbinger]”

“Signora'', you acknowledge each other, after she trails exiting Childe with her eyes.

“I am here to take the gnosis of Rex Lapis”, she says and you nod, accepting that your Goddess lied to you too: “Tsaritsa also asked me to give you this letter”, she extends her arm, a thick envelope with the familiar seal catching your attention.

With the trembling hands you snatch it out of her hold and almost rip the envelope - for what reason did Tsaritsa send you here?

She writes that you need to stay in Liyue for an undetermined period of time to upkeep “the agreement” made between her and Rex Lapis. You read her message silently, yet when your eyes trace over these words, the sensation of “ “Zhongli’s” eyes on you becomes ten times sharper and stifling. You don’t know what to do.

The other Harbinger leaves too, taking the gnosis with her, as “Zhongli” takes a couple of steps to you, touching your shoulder in a somewhat reassuring gesture. “[First]”, he starts, tone sympathetic and soothing. You don’t fall for it.

“You had your hand in it, didn't you?”, you hiss and accuse, throwing an angry glance at him, momentarily forgetting about the first two rules of dealing with archons.

He smiles, revealing two sharp fangs, his surprisingly scaly hands snaking around yours. “Yes”, Rex Lapis admits, and looks nothing like gentle and knowledgeable “Zhongli”. How could you forget? Archons aren’t humans, humanity is just a fancy dress they don to toy with mortals. He is the dragon, not the benevolent deity that is painted on the wall panels of Liuli pavillion, but a greedy and ancient creature, hungry for gifts and gratitude.

You are his generous offering.

#yandere genshin impact #Yandere genshin #Yandere Zhongli #Yandere Zhongli x reader #Yandere genshin impact x reader #Yandere genshin x reader #Male yandere #my writing #Yandere x reader #Male yandere x reader

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khalixascorner · 3 years ago

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The Key to Me

Tony hides something special inside of a custom puzzle box for Peter.

AO3 Here

In the years Tony had been with Peter, he had always loved him most for his heart. Becoming superior had taken away Tony’s ability to experience emotions the way he once had. Which was great because panic attacks, nightmares, and guilt complexes were a thing of the past. But so were moments of overwhelming joy, crying from happiness, and for a while, he had even thought that love was gone. There was fondness for his family but it was muted.

Until Peter.

Peter had somehow gotten under his skin and made him feel again. It still wasn’t the same as before but there was a connection there that he could not find anywhere else. So through Peter’s vivacity and life, Tony rediscovered his own heart.

If you asked Tony what the second thing he loved most about Peter was, it would definitely be his mind. Peter was one of the few people who stood a chance at keeping up with him, who made intuitive leaps and jumps just like Tony did.

It was that love that led Tony to crafting the masterpiece in front of him. A challenge for his love, one with the greatest of prizes at the end.

Peter was mildly perplexed when his lover placed a metal contraption the size of a large shoebox in front of him. He looked to Tony, and tilted his head, waiting for the older man to explain.

“You have to open it,” Tony said, giving Peter his signature smirk.

“And do I get instructions on that?” Peter asked with a huff, already reaching for the box. “Looks a bit more complicated than your usual gift wrapping.”

“I thought I’d give you a real challenge,” Tony replied. The older man dropped a kiss on Peter’s head and then left, leaving Peter to focus.

“We’ll see about that,” Peter muttered, popping the first set of locks easily to open a lid on the outermost layer. Tony knew he loved puzzles but they rarely truly challenged him.

A few minutes later, he had the next step solved. This time, there was a note waiting inside.

If we were to live forever it would still not be enough.

“As if we won’t live ridiculously long with extremis and my spider DNA,” Peter said with a snort. “You’re being too greedy, wanting more instead of just making the most of what we have.”

Peter set the message aside and continued, opening another hidden compartment to find the second note.

Greedy, I know, but I want every moment with you.

Peter smiled and set it aside with the first note.

The next compartment was a bit trickier, but Peter finally cracked the code only for a set of cufflinks to fall out. They were vibranium if he had to guess, and his spider sigil sat nestled inside the frame of an arc reactor.

“You’re such a softie,” Peter murmured, running his finger gently over the design. “I can’t believe anyone believes that tough guy act.”

With a smile, Peter set them aside and continued, finding another note in the next two compartments.

There are so many things I want us to do together

We’ll travel the world and try every type of cuisine at least twice.

Peter snorted at that one. It was their running joke that everything had to be tried twice to know for sure if you liked it or not. Though that was generally applied to things in the bedroom and not their food.

The next two were easy and took Peter no time to get open. Again he found more notes from Tony.

And the entire time, I know I won’t be able to take my eyes off of you

Because your face will light up brighter than any celestial body in the sky

Peter had to stop for a moment, wiping his eyes and taking a few deep breaths.

“You know I’m a total sap and cry at puppies and you still write stuff like this,” Peter groused. “And you don’t even have the decency to be here when you give it to me. Jerk.”

He knew Tony was probably resting, as he had seemed confident this would take Peter awhile, but still, the older man could take some responsibility for the bubbling emotions he was creating.

When he finally had the water works under control, Peter started again, though the next step was much harder than any of the previous ones. After some creative use of webbing, Peter finally opened another compartment to reveal a set of matching ties. They were a deep red with gold webbing inked delicately across it.

Peter was starting to think this wasn’t just a puzzle box after all.

“A date of some sort, clearly,” Peter muttered, curiosity motivating him to solve it faster. “Something fancy, if there’s ties and cufflinks.”

Another compartment revealed yet another note.

Then again, I can never keep my eyes off of you anyway.

“Not that I want you to,” Peter said, wishing his lover had stayed so he could say it to him directly. He’d have to make sure the older man knew how he felt after he finished taking apart his gift.

The next note made Peter wonder if he’d missed a compartment, because the tone of the note suddenly changed.

I’ve said it before, but I love your intelligence because it challenges me, and keeps things interesting.

A quick inspection had him pretty sure he hadn’t missed anything, so he continued on, finding one more compartment that opened the whole box. Nestled inside was a note sitting on top of an arc reactor core.

But the thing I love most is your heart, because it’s my heart too.

Peter felt like his heart would burst, and was trying to wipe away a few stray tears when his hand was tugged gently away.

Tony knelt in front of him and Peter wasn’t even sure when he got there. A strand of nanites wiped away the tears even as Tony tugged Peter’s arms so that he was facing the older man.

“You’ve always been my heart and the very best of me,” Tony said, his hands holding both of Peter's. Peter’s heart stopped when he saw the small box Tony drew out with another tendril of nanites. “And I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of making it official. Be mine, forever and for always?”

Peter croaked out a yes and flung himself into Tony’s arms. Later, he would admire the beautifully crafted ring, made of shrapnel, nanites, and vibranium. Later he would truly appreciate the thought and effort Tony put into the proposal. But for now, Peter could only cry from the all consuming love he felt for his beloved, and the love his beloved made him feel back.

#tony stark/peter parker #Starker #fluff #sim!tony #Khalixa Writes #Mads didn't make me do it this time #puzzle box

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witchmd13 · 3 years ago

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An analysis of the De Bois and the Pendragon’s family crests (and a few other interesting things):

So first, I’m gonna clear up some terms:

(I realize some of these might be common knowledge, but I’m not European, so most of these were totally new to me and since I’m making this post for everyone, I’m including the stuff I didn’t know in case anyone else didn’t as well. For obvious reasons, I’m going to focus on English crests).

A crest is a part of the coat of arms for noble families, it’s the part that’s placed on the helm, the top part of the helmet (like in this picture I found on reddit. I have very little understanding of the rest of the stuff on it and since Merlin didn’t go into it, I didn’t bother doing detailed research on them).

The crest is generally used to tell people apart. We see Geoffrey use it to identify the Black Knight as Tristan De Bois because no other person used the same crest as him (more on that in a moment). It is usually used in tournaments to identify the knights participating, and in wars... etc. It’s passed down in families to the eldest son.

In wars, it makes more sense for people to wear the crest of their leader, which is why the knights of Camelot, for example, all from known noble families (at least in Uther’s time) wore the Pendragon crest.

Having a coat of arms is a Big Deal. It marks nobility, like we’ve seen in Lancelot’s episode, and is documented in official records to ensure no resemblance exists between it and any others.

A sigil is a seal or a signature that carries the crest for people to use on letters and documents.

Heraldry is the science of the design and display of coat of arms and armory. It has rules to what can be and what can’t be put in a coat of arms and how to put it, from colors to animals to backgrounds. Everything has a meaning too and that’s what I’m going to be talking about here, even the position of an animal has its own rules as well. Words used in this science are mostly French, but I’m going to simplify it in English here because I can do whatever I want (akbvpajbvpai it’s a tumblr post, guys, not an article on heraldry. I’m gonna butcher a few things, sue me).

Now, for the Pendragon crest analysis:

The red background is supposed to signify magnanimity, military strength, warrior and martyr.

The yellow in the dragon is meant to be gold in heraldry and that means wisdom, generosity, glory, constancy, and faith.

Now, here’s something interesting someone’s noticed, the dragon's front legs here are not showing, and a dragon with only two legs in heraldry is a wyvern.

A Wyvern is “a creature of valor and protection, and, as most dragons in the past, also believed to have great eyesight... [It] is also a symbol of vengeance or may have been acquired through a family member's slaying of a dragon.” So even if it was a lapse on the show makers part, I think it’s perfect for Uther.

Whereas a dragon “is supposed to have a keen sight, which enables it to guard treasures well. It is also said to be the most valiant of creatures; therefore, the dragon is a symbol of a most valiant defender of treasure. Dragons were perceived as powerful [and] protective.” which I think is perfect for Arthur, if you substitute treasure with Camelot.

The castle is shown to have so many crests distributed throughout hallways and especially Uther’s council chambers and throne room, which are supposed to be the crests of the families that are loyal to him and the ones whose sons are a part of the knights of Camelot. It’s meant to show off his power, meant to basically say “look how many noble families are on my side if you dare defy me”.

The De Bois family crest:

The black background signifies wisdom, grief, constancy, and prudence.

The phoenix is white which is meant to be silver in heraldry. It signifies truth, sincerity, peace, innocence, and purity.

The phoenix generally symbolizes resurrection, and is also a symbol of love (the sigil scene 😌 this is shameless merthur shipping at this point).

Some stuff I find interesting:

I still think it’s a dove on Ygraine’s sigil? Idk, according to the rules of heraldry, sigils and seals are supposed to carry family crests, so I’m going with that, it’s a phoenix until proven otherwise, I guess. Although, there are rules for women’s crests and they change based on the woman’s marital status. In general, married women usually incorporate their husbands crests into their own.

As a rule, women don’t pass down their crests to their children (only in Canadian heraldry they do, I think). So that sigil was literally the last thing Arthur had that carried some kind of trace to Ygraine and the De Bois in general.

Tristan De Bois is said to be the only person to still be using the crest. Based on my research, and correct me if I’m wrong, crests are inherited by the firstborn male in a noble family and so it makes sense that it would end with him. Other sons were to use a slightly modified version of the crest, which is what I think Agravaine must’ve did, even though we don’t get to see it since as a knight he wears the Pendragon crest.

The De Bois crest is still shown to be displayed in that hallway in the castle all throughout S4 and S5 after Agravaine’s death. So does that mean the De Bois family still exist somehow even with the death of its eldest son? Maybe Tristan had children before his death? Maybe Agravaine did and this was his version of the crest since it’s changed from the one we see on Tristan’s armor? Although I don’t think Arthur would display Agravaine’s crest after his betrayal, which brings me to my next point.

The way the crest is displayed in this hallway is interesting, because according to the rules of heraldry, this display is incorrect and it’s not the De Bois crest per say, but it’s a phoenix and it’s displayed in the same attitude (position) that it appears in on Tristan’s shield, so maybe the show took artistic liberties? Anyway, I like to think that it’s an incorporation of the Pendragon and the De Bois crests; the Phoenix with a head of gold over a red background; the resurrection of the phoenix with its golden glory, wisdom and faith, over the strength and martyrdom of the red.

Gwaine and Leon definitely have a family crest of their own, so I would’ve been very interested in seeing even a glimpse of them.

**All Sources are in the replies :)

#I might make another one on more crests and more stuff I find interesting #i loved doing the research for these #there are other crests that are amazing too #Morgana's high priestess one is so interesting #so is catrina #and bayard and the saxons #so let me know if you want more #merlin crests #merlin bbc #tristan de bois #agravaine de bois #uther pendragon #ygraine de bois #arthur pendragon #merthur #?#pendragon crest #de bois crest #long post

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yostresswritinggirl · 4 years ago

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Exiled States the Obvious Pt. 1

Warning: May contain spoilers, may not be 100% accurate, sick ramblings, may break your heart upon debunking common theories

Some canon notes I've noticed and analyzed, this will be placed here not just for safekeeping but for other writers to be known of them too :DD

From Venti's story I; it is said that as a loophole to being refused to be served alcohol because of his appearance, he 'drinks on the job', performing while drinking alcohol the audience gives him instead of Mora (his own suggestion)

Story IV offers some interesting details from Venti's story quest: First, Decarabian truly loved his people and believed that he had done good for them. Second is that Venti was supposed to gift his friend an eagle's feather but wasn't able to do so because he died.

Venti knows how to forge Rex Lapis' signature. Venti knows how to FORGE REX LAPIS' SIGNATURE.

It confuses me how Venti and Diluc doesn't have some kind of estranged relationship knowing how aristocracy/monarchy damaged freedom in Mondstadt.

Venti has been to Celestia and it apparently fucking sucks. That or Venessa told him about it, but it still SUCKS.

The Anemo Archon can and will strip you just to protect his identity/secrets/past. Ask Mona.

Albedo and Klee in his trailer, we can consider this canon: Babysitting Klee includes fucking battles. Best big brother.

The way Venti talks about Albedo speaks of [How Earth is a thing in Space] [Creation of Human Life through Earth] which are direct points to God's (biblical) creation of the universe and humans. With the dialogue, Venti recognizes Albedo has Godly powers that can create such miracles, take this line with a pinch of salt tho.

A connection: The real reason Zhongli does not carry nor care about prices is because of his trailer, THE FUNERAL PARLOR LITERALLY CARRIES ALL HIS EXPENSES

Hu Tao's existence proves that Xiao has a sense of humor and it is MORE THAN LIKELY that the adepti knows and can casually smile or laugh.

This piece of work exists: "Sigils of Permission were once created by Rex Lapis and infused with adeptal power. During the Archon War, such talismans were used by mortals to channel divine power. Now, most of its power has worn off, but adepti will still refrain from harming its holder."

Xiao is actually less hostile/asshole-y in the Chinese version than the English one and should be taken as canon since, well, Mihoyo is a Chinese company. Lots of dialogues or voiceline connotations are lost in translation.

Zhongli's retirement scenario does NOT mean that the adepti will not be needed or will also retire (looking at you Keqing) because as proven by the fight, the adepti are still in need of protecting mankind.

The Qixing and Adepti all know he is not dead, stating he gave hints that he hasn't really died to them.

A huge possibility that Zhongli recites this line whenever he finishes or fulfills a contract: "The contract is fulfilled. That which thou seeketh is now bestowed unto thee, for my promise is solid as stone."

If his words from the cool trailer is to be taken into heart, then Zhongli had long since cared for and protected humans, during the archon war.

Zhongli is not a MORTAL FUNERAL man, he is an ADEPTI FUNERAL man.

This broke God has the AUDACITY to go to operas, and not just any operas no no, "operas by the most celebrated performers."

He does not know shit about poverty because he doesn't know what it's like to be poor. He doesn't need to eat.

Besides the usual, he has more titles, some which are pretty funny: God of History, God of Stove. Liyueans(?) call him Rex Lapis, outside of his nation everyone calls him Morax. And in operas and children, he's more known as the War God.

Zhongli is very likely to cause divine intervention or sightings because a lot of stories and tales in Liyue about him are actually first-hand experience of accounts seeing the God himself.

Wrath of the Rock does not only mean Zhongli smacking asses with a laddle: Qixing of Liyue are officially responsible of punishing contract breakers.

Ningguang's role holds the big bad book of laws, with a whooping page count of 279.

This infomation is mostly for me to clarify Rex Lapis standing in the Seven: He is the first to ascend into Archon-hood, the one out of two remaining of the original Seven (Barbatos is second longest) and that besides him and Venti, the original Seven would also gather for wine in Liyue until they all left Archon-hood.

Zhongli really fuckin did a pest termination arc.

I repeat, ZHONGLI DOES NOT HATE SEAFOOD. To clarify, he hates TENTACLED seafood/cuisines. He can eat seafood tofu, happily.

It's so funny how the concept of "equivalent exchange" exists and is exercised in contracts, but not in a more dangerous aspect such as a l c h e m y.

The reason Jean is working as an Acting Grand Master is because the actual Grand Master is out on an expedition.

It is not normal for the Harbingers to be like Childe.

While battles and sparring is one of Childe's most usual traits, a lot of his character lines point to the fact that he's not outright looking for beating people up 24/7 and that his thirst can also be quenched by thrill or excitement.

General ones:

The other five archons do not uphold/focus on the duty of leading humanity, which was the prior responsibility of the original Seven.

I just realized the Archon War was literally about fighting to get a seat on the Seven. The way Archons are chosen are a mystery, just look at how Venti got his Archon-hood smh.

A pattern that we should consider but may be debunked in the future: A playable character MUST posses a visible Vision. So bye Scaramouche banner :')) pls debunk this Mihoyo

With Morax being unable to make Mora, economy is gonna be wack in Teyvat. In essence, every piece of Mora is valuable and will need to be circulated. Nations may fight to hold the most Mora and the one leading and already found a work around on this is actually the Tsaritsa, who has long since focused on economic power. This may not be coincidence.

Characters who are CANONICALLY good with children, to an extent: Ningguang, Beidou, Xiangling, Baizhu, Albedo, Jean, Childe, Ganyu, Xiao, Lisa. Italicized ones are the to an extent ones.

The Fatui has connections with Mondstadt, mainly the Ordo Favonius.

200 years ago sure is an oddly specific duration in Lisa's story and this might be expanded in the Sumeru chapter.

A clarification to a subtly known fact : It is the combined power of all the adepti that revived Qiqi, not just Xiao.

WILD CARD

Almond Tofu is NOT made of tofu. And in original Chinese recipes, it's not even fuckin Almond, it's goddamn Apricot seeds. But in Genshin it is canon Almond.

Tag lists for my homies that I want to share this with. Tagging other authors or lore enthusiasts are also greatly appreciated:

@heiayen @dandelion-dreams @karemelle @jrnightingale @galassyalex @boxofteenageideas @chels-void @starconch @worldsfool

PS I'm sorry for suddenly tagging you guys, I just thought it would be nice to share these with some authors that I know or have seen me, please tell me if you want to be removed, s-sorry in advance 👉👈

#genshin impact #exile.feather #exile.Circlet #author is sick but not dying #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact headcanons #May not be 100% accurate #will gladly indulge requests for sources #did this while bedridden #spread the word #let authors run amok #with more with writing material #author is a busy idiot #she doesn't have a lot of time as she makes it out to be

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rsmrymnt-tea · 3 years ago

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Obey Me! Tag game from @/hyper-super-clover

Introduce your MC/ OC in an Obey Me! kind of way Rules: Answer as many questions as you like to introduce your MC/ OC/ yourself! Then tag people you'd like to get to know better/ see their answers.

~ !!! I got tagged by @baalism asfhsdkf thank you ;w; this was so fun to do and think about

Gonna tag @ashxrsbeloveds and @minteyeddevil hope y'all don't mind >.>;;

Also open tag to anyone else who wants to join!

Name: Dolasach

Sin(s) they're most guilty of: Wrath, Pride, and Envy (in that order, though they’re all pretty lowkey in how she expresses them)

Sin(s) they're least guilty of: Sloth

Favourite subject at RAD: Three-way tie between Magical Theory, Potions, and Runes & Sigils. They're entry points for magic for her; she immediately jumped into learning as much as she could in her first year at RAD despite being told she had no magical capabilities. Those three don't require any advanced spellcasting ability*.

Honorable mention: Devildom Botany. She loves her plants.

*As far as my imagination is concerned because I just made some of these up lmao

Least favourite subject at RAD: Devildom Law. Somehow I think it's a lot less convoluted than human world law, but it's still a lot to take in because there's no way any constitution is ever straightforward.

Honorable mention: Mathematics. Not that she had to take it**, but there's an 'I'm an art major' joke here somewhere.

**personal headcanon is that exchange students pick their classes, and Devildom Law and Devildom History are the only non-optional ones. Why force them to go through Math if they're there to learn about culture no I'm not upset I had to take Math several times in uni because I'm bad at it

Their favourite surprise guest food:

Human World Berry Parfait (idk if we're supposed to pick from the existing ones because it's fun making one up, but if we had to pick from there it'd be RedxRed Apple Pie)

Description: "Devilishly delicious despite the human world ingredients."

Also likes: Barbatos's Signature Cake, Paradise Blue

A surprise guest item they like:

Ball of Yarn (or from existing items, the Flower)

Description: "Useful for knitting and entertaining cats."

Also likes: Game, Book

What would their Devilgram name be?

Dolasaaaaa

Their favourite place(s) to work at :D Jobs?

Majolish, Hocus Pocus, The Royal Library

A connection error message about them:

It seems that Dolasach used the router cable for one of her projects again. Don't worry, she'll replace it soon!

#asdhfjkdg this was so fun to think about???#except for the devilgram name bc man am i always bad at that #squints at my url #and how my username everywhere else is just my name spelled weird #now to just... post her face......#familiar strangers #also blurbs for objects are so challenging to think of????#how tf does the sims team do it with theirs?? they have the best ones

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malachitelibrary · 4 years ago

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Writing a Practical Spirit Contract

Wordpress Version

Spirit contracts are formal agreements between a practitioner and spirits to get certain results in exchange for offerings. Contracts are best when something has multiple components that should play out a certain way to meet the goal the best, succeed in succession, or where there are multiple highly related requests. They're unnecessary for simple goals, or to successfully complete just one part of a process.

For an example of a type of situation that warrants a good contract: let's say you want to get a boyfriend/girlfriend. Well first you have to put yourself out there, if you aren't already. And you have to make sure that you're getting out at the right places: you're more likely to score a date at a bar or classes than a grocery store! Then you must attract or meet the right people, and dissuade those you aren't compatible with. After that you have to succeed on several dates. So in this process, there are several components that must go right in succession.

On the other hand, if your goal is simply to "attract love", then a spell or a simple offering to a spirit would be best. It is too broad and unfocused for a contract; there are many ways that attracting love can manifest.

Writing Spirit Contracts

Writing spirit contracts is timely, but relatively simple. Like a real contract, a spirit contract should have these basic components:

Who

Terms

Reward

Timelines

Signature

Writing a contract is beneficial to both the practitioner and spirit. For the practitioner, it can help you to solidify and focus on what, and how many things, should go right, and in what way is "right", for you to manifest a long-term goal. For the spirit, it helps to clarify exactly where they should come in. It tells them what factors are out of the practitioner's direct control, or where the practitioner has weak control.

Contracts should only be with spirits you trust: to not to harm you, and to actually manifest results.

There is no point in going through the effort of making such a lengthy and specific deal if you cannot trust the other spirit to not twist your words, and to actually bring the goals to fruition. If you have never been able to manifest a goal with clear communication of deadlines and ability limitations with the spirit you have in mind, then look to another. It's better to hear "that is beyond my capabilities" than "wait" and "wait..."...but the goal never happens, or happens several years later when that length of time isn't warranted. This should be a spirit that you have a practical working partnership with, not simply friendship.

Additionally this needs to be a spirit you can communicate with, clearly, directly, and truthfully. This should not be a spirit that:

You hesitate to question, such as a god or goddess

You cannot contact frequently

You struggle to communicate with clearly, whether it be through clairaudience or some form of divination

This should be a spirit that you can call up frequently to ask questions, check on progress, or provide information on what you have done on your side to bring the goal to fruition.

The contracts can be as formal or informal as you wish them, as long as the above components are included. Therefore, using first or third person to refer to yourself is up to you. But if you really want to be particular or formal, go with third.

Now, for more detail on each component of the contract:

I. Who?

A contract needs to list who both sides are. List yourself first. Whether you use your magical name or real name, or any other name or nickname to identify yourself is up to you.

My name is X, I am the requestor of this contract.

Then list your spirit(s). It is best to be as specific as possible, including their ranking or title if they have any.

For this contract, I am asking for the assistance of Librarian Spirit Y, who resides in the Library of Woah.

II. Terms

List your goals, ideal or possible methods of achieving them, and actions, events, or methods that should be avoided. It should be clear where the spirit should interfere, boost, or otherwise aid with their magical abilities. It may help to say where the spirit can use their own best judgement, though that's not always necessary to include. It is beneficial to also include what you are doing on your side to try and bring the goal to fruition.

This can be in paragraph form, List form, or a mixture. Whatever you are comfortable with.

Example of Paragraph Form:

I am trying to study well to pass my Biological exam with an A. However, I struggle to focus due to the noise level of the library, and I am not certain what to study. Straight memorization is also not a strong suit of mine. I ask that you kindly aid in controlling the noise level in the library, whether it be by quieting other students or helping me to find a quiet study location, or other means. Please guide me to figure out what to study, by helping me figure out who I should talk to (How should I approach the teacher/TA? What classmates of mine know what they're doing? Which tutors would be best for me?). And please use your magical abilities to boost my capacities for memorization as well.

List Form:

Goal: Study well to pass Biological exam with an A

Issues/Where Aid is Needed:

Control level of noise in the library, particularly where I study

Guidance on what to study; and who to ask about that

Boost my memorization capabilities

What I am doing on my side:

Studying for 1 hour daily, from 7-8 PM

Exploring the library more to see if there are other, less-popular areas I'm not aware of

Asking my older friends who've taken this class before what the exam was like

III.Rewards

The purpose of rewards is to motivate the spirit to complete the task(s) successfully, of course. The reward should be an offering of some sort; whether it be at traditional offerings such as food or incense, or a service such as picking up litter.

For multi-part tasks, or tasks where partial completion is possible, I suggest having partial rewards. As the name states, it won't be the same as a full reward; it will only be part of the reward, or an offering that is not as valuable to the spirit.

Example:

Bio is my weakest subject, so I usually get C's on them. So rewards are as thus:

Full Reward: I receive an A on my bio exam

I will clean up some of the grafitti in the bathrooms I can access (ones made with permanent marker, pen, or pencil)

I will leave offerings of coffee and tea in my dorm room, daily, for one week

Partial Reward: I receive a B on my bio exam

I will clean up some of the grafitti in the bathrooms I can access (ones made with permanent marker, pen, or pencil)

No Reward: I receive a C or lower on my bio exam

IV. Timelines

All contracts need to have a timeline. This lets both sides know how long they are bound by the terms.

Consider the following:

Is there a specific deadline to your goal? "The exam is on March 31st."

Is there a timeframe? "If you qualify for an interview, we will call you within the next two weeks."

Or will it be a renewing, long-term service? "I seek your protection for a full year. This contract will renew each year on the Spring Equinox."

V. Signature

First you must confirm with the spirit if they agree to the terms of the contract. This can be done by simply speaking with the spirit via clairaudience, or may be confirmed via divination.

Once both parties agree to the terms, both will sign it. On the practitioner's side that's easy, simply sign your name on the contract, or with a seal that represents you. For the spirit to sign is a bit trickier. If the spirits have their own seals or sigils, such as the demons from the Ars Goetia, then place that on the contract. If not, then ask the spirit if they have a signature of their own to use; whether it be a sigil or an actual signed name, and use that. Or, do automatic writing, with your hand guided by the spirit, to sign the contract on their behalf.

The Final Compontent: Starting and Working the Contract

The above was just writing the contract, here is how it'll play out

You write your side of the contract, as much as possible

Summon the spirit, present the contract and discuss it. Ask if there are any changes it would like

Confirm and agree the contract with the spirit, and sign it.

Once the contract has begun, communicate with the spirit on the regular. Progress checks and informing of issues should be done on both sides. For example, if you have a yearly contract for protection, check in on a regular basis to ask if there has been any suspicious activity that has gone unnoticed by you.

When the contract has been completed, partially completed, or the deadline has passed, discuss the contract once more. What went wrong/right, and what rewards are justified?

Contracts are a useful tool that can help spirit workers to list and achieve what they aim in life, while building a practical and fulfilling relationship with the spirits they work with.

#spirit work #spiritwork #spirit companionship #practical spirit work #spirit contracts #alistairs resources

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skekheck · 4 years ago

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All About the Seven Clans: the Stonewood

THIS POST CONTAINS EVERYTHING I COULD FIND ABOUT THE STONEWOOD. SOME INFORMATION WRITTEN HERE ARE FROM OLDER MATERIAL AND MAY EITHER CONTRADICT STATEMENTS OR IS NO LONGER RELEVANT. I WILL DO MY BEST TO STRING IT ALL TOGETHER AS COHERENTLY AS POSSIBLE. IF THERE IS INFORMATION THAT I AM MISSING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I’LL ADD IT!

Clan Index: Dousan Drenchen Grottan Sifa Spriton Stonewood Vapra

The Stonewood, once known as the Woodland Folk in ancient times, lived in the Endless Forest (or in other versions called the Dark Wood). Made strong and resilient from their environment, they were the perfect soldiers and constituted the majority of the skeksis army. While they were a warrior clan, the Stonewood were peaceful who valued gelfling culture and songs. Their hometown, Stone-in-the-Wood, was the site of major historical events throughout Thra’s history.

The Stonewood totem animal was the Fizzgig and their core elements were fire, the hearth, and keeping of the song and essence of gelfling culture. Their clan color was red, their sigil was beige and green with earthy tones, and their pennant color was red with green and yellow detail.

Characteristics

The Stonewood were some of the strongest and hardiest of all gelfling. They had an olive complexion with green or greenish-blue tinting. Like gelfling from other clans, Stonewood tints were visible on the face but were restricted to the forehead, temples, and around the the eyes. Hair was black, brown, or a mix of both with highlighted sections of blue and/or green. Styling was very minimal with some braiding and styled up in ribbons or clips, but were mostly kept loose. Eye color tended to be blue or various shades of brown. In the J.M. Lee book series, Stonewood wings came in a variety of colors. Shoni, Rian’s mother, had brown and red wings with two large black eyespots accented by other dapples of orange, gold, tan. Maudra Fara in this version had dark burgundy and gold wings.

Stonewood clothing was described to have browns and other natural foresty shades like greens and grays. They preferred to wear leathered armor over regular civilian clothes regardless of their profession. They were also known to carry light weapons on them at all times.

Lifestyle

Strength, courage, and hardiness were traits the Stonewood valued and emphasized, especially towards other clans. The Stonewood way was to remain put and endure so they grew strong and prospered. All of these values made them perfect warriors. But despite this, the Stonewood were very peaceful. Much like the Fizzgig, their totem animal, they only fought to defend themselves. There was a heavier focus on the community as well as culture and song.

The Stonewood had great respect for nature, but were also aware that they lived in one of the most dangerous regions on Thra. They understood that no gelfling was on top of the food chain and had to adapt to an eat or be eaten world. They favored a hunter-defender archetype: to understand the cycle of life and have the knowledge to protect oneself as well as their loved ones. But they chose to abide by the laws of nature and frowned upon things like hunting for sport.

The Stonewood Clan had the second largest population of all seven clans, only succeeded by the Vapra. Thanks to an abundance of resources provided by the forest as well as by other clans and the skeksis, their population flourished during the Age of Division. There were smaller Stonewood villages spread out all over the forest to compensate for the clan’s size. This process was difficult for them to accept as it went against some of their traditional values. The Stonewood were known to be slightly more advanced than other gelfling clans as they had sophisticated weaponry and armament to protect their homes with.

Daily Routine

A Stonewood’s day started off with the sound of clangs of blacksmith hammers early in the morning. The maudra and her elder council assigned daily tasks to all adult gelfling. Those whose jobs took them outside of the village said their good byes and departed early. The others that stayed met with their groups to discuss the day’s plan. Work continued until sunset when the clan’s hearth is lit for the communal supper with the accompaniment of a song or two. Lanterns full of firebugs were kept alighted for gelfling working nightshifts.

Aside from nightly songtelling, the Stonewood had other pastimes. The most notable of them were sports and competitions. Regardless of whoever won, all Stonewood showed great sportsmanship and encouraged one another. A popular pastime among childlings were Ipsy battles. During mating seasons, the otherwise peaceful male Ipsy would fight other males for the affection of the female. Childlings would collect Ipsy males and staged battles between them. When the battles concluded the childlings would return the unscathed Ipsy males back to the forest.

As a large industrious community, the Stonewood Clan had a variety of jobs. There were blacksmiths, woodcrafters, stoneworkers, firekeepers, gardeners, hunters, and a dozen other specialists. Unlike in most clans, songtellers were seen as integral to the Stonewood as other occupations. The clan had unique professions as well. One were wayfinders: they were responsible for helping travelers on their journey and kept them from getting lost within the Endless Forest. Sometimes, a wayfinder would spend days aiding a gelfling. Another was staba-senta or “wood watchers”. They were more keenly aware of the balance of creatures within the wood and were charged with maintaining and upholding it.

Stone-and-Wood Crafting

Inspired by their environment’s requirements for resilience, the Stonewood turned the trade of stone-and-wood crafting into an art. It was a highly sought out skill for its high difficulty and importance in fortifying the village. Stone-and-wood crafters were able to weave wood, trees, and stone together to create many homes for the clan. It took many trine to learn the skills and even more to execute them. A woodcrafter would spend their entire life growing wood into specific shapes. For stone cravers it took generations to shape a single rock.

Although some Stonewood used metal swords and the like, hunters and trappers preferred stone tipped spears and finely crafted stone daggers. Stonewood spears, their preferred weapon, were renowned for their durability and perfect balance.

Stone-in-the-Wood’s Famous Instrument Makers

Among Stonewood’s crafters lived one family who were famous for their instruments. They were often away from the village collecting materials from all over Thra. They built their instruments from ordinary materials like wood and stone, but also mixed unusual ones. Some items included melted crystal sand, Sifan driftwood, fine shards of bone, and hollow feathers. It was said that the materials used in these instruments invoked the voice of Thra itself. Among their instruments, their lyres were the most popular. Even the All-Maudra’s musicians sought them out for their unique sound. Despite being busy, the family took up apprentices so they too could create unique instruments.

Stonewood Legends: Jarra-Jen

Songtelling and folklore were an important part of Stonewood culture and they had plenty of songs about famous characters and legends to tell every night around the hearth. One of these popular characters was Jarra-Jen the Lightning Born who came from Stone-in-the-Wood. As his epitaph suggested, his birth was heralded by lightning. He was characterized as fearless, charming, and curious with an intensity only rivaled by the forces of nature. Whenever he returned home, he’d always brought treasure and mouth-full of stories from his adventures. Many of his stories were told around campfires and memorialized on the stone slabs found on top of Bolentor’s rise.

Some songs were created to explain the origins of things such as him being the one to plant all seven Great Trees. Others were meant to entertain or teach lessons, whether they were true or not. One favorite epic was called Jarra-Jen and the Horn of Thunder. After passing a series of tasks, Jarra-Jen defeated the tyrant Creghel and freed the gelfling he enslaved. Another song, which was more popular with younglings, was called Jarra-Jen and the Fizzgig King. It taught younglings from digging and accidentally disturbing hibernating fizzgigs during the colder seasons. Jarra-Jen accidentally steps on the Fizzgig King’s tail and was swallowed hole. In order to free himself, the hero tickled the inside of the king’s throat which expelled him. The sound effect of the king’s flatulence was left up to the songtellers to put their own unique signature on the song.

While Jarra-Jen was a Stonewood legendary figure, his tales were told and celebrated by other clans and regarded as a hero of Thra.

Stonewood Legends: The Hunter

For every hero there was also a villain and no Stonewood villain was as popular as the Hunter. He went by other names like Bone-Mask and Four-Arms, but many agreed that he was a bloodthirsty one-of-a-kind monster who loved hunting for sport and ate his prey whole. Stories about the Hunter were told to older childlings to keep them from wondering the forest at night, like the short song “Beware the Hunter”. Legends of the Hunter were found all over the Endless Forest and surrounding regions, even finding their way in Spriton and Podling stories. “The Hunter’s Knife” was a notable non-Stonewood myth sourcing the Mystic Valley as the Hunter’s birth place and the noises that came from it was his heart (which he carved out to continue his evil deed unrestrained) who desired to return to his body. Some songtellers, like Kylan, told stories featuring the Hunter and Jarra-Jen together.

Not many Gelfling believed the Hunter existed, but the legends were based on skekMal the Hunter. He was an outcast skeksis whose main hunting grounds were the Endless Forest and its surrounding regions. He was as bloodthristy and fearsome as the songs described him. So skilled was he in his profession that he remained undetected by most Gelfling, with the exception being the Dousan who guided him through the Crystal Desert. SkekMal’s prey didn’t usually include Gelfling unless under certain conditions as he, in his own words, considered weak and preferred stronger creatures. This was different in the book series as he hunted indiscriminately. He bathed in gelfling essence to mask his scent which made it easier for him to catch prey. He also prevented podlings from expanding outside of the forest and Spriton plains as he hunted them down and delivered some as slaves for the other Skeksis. Regardless, skekMal was always a terrifying force and feared by many even by his own kind.

SkekMal’s reign of terror finally ended at the Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood which was his (at least seemingly) first and last public appearance. Before killing Rian, his latest target, his other half urVa the Archer sacrificed his life in order to stop him. As the two were spiritually connected, skekMal died as well.

Diet

A Stonewood diet was varied which included meats from game caught by hunters and the many fruits, vegetables, and other edible plants growing in the dense forest. They would also purchase foods that couldn’t be grown or produced in the Endless Forest. Stonewood dishes were prepared near the clan’s hearth and were commonly roasted, baked, and seared. Food was served in groups and were noted to be jolly, hearty, and unforgettable.

Peachberries were one of the well known native fruits found in the Endless Forest. It had a sweet and sour flavor that was easy to pick. More dangerous to obtain fruits were that of the bluemouth. The bluemouth was a carnivorous plant that lures prey in with its sweet smelling nectar and were dangerous to Gelfling. The fruit of the Bluemouth Tree was considered a delicacy for that reason. The fruit of the arara (or screaming) tree was less dangerous. As a defense mechanism, it produced poison by screaming. It was deadly to smaller animals, but for Gelfling, it put them in a dreamlike daze. Other foods included merkeeps, a delicious tuber found in traditional Stonewood foods.

Stonewoods usually washed down their foods with a cup of cold water from the Black River. Other noteworthy beverages was the Stonewood Brew, a type of alcohol that trickled down from trees into a giant trough called the Brew Trough. Both natives and outsiders alike served themselves or each other with the cups stacked near by.

Stonewood Apothecary and Recreational Poisons

The Endless Forest had the most diverse flora and fauna, including ones that were venomous and poisonous. Stonewood apothecaries had an important role of supplying treatments and antidotes for a variety of inflictions gelfling received. And on the flip side, they found ways to use harmful substances for more benign ones. Even usually fatal poisons could be altered (through fire, water, or soil) and distilled into potable liquids. Plenty of these recreational poisons were traded among themselves and other clans.

One of the more involved distilling methods were from the poisons created by the arara tree. When produced in smaller quantities, it had a relaxing effect. Apothecaries got the help of experienced harvesters who stealthily picked the fruits off the tree before it had time to produce its signature scream. When given to the apothecaries, the berries were placed into bowls of water and the apothecary would scream in the perfect tone of the screaming tree. The berries would react and produced its slime which dissipated. It was later reduced into a measurable substance and bottled.

Stone-in-the-Wood, Hometown of the Stonewood

Stone-in-the-Wood was the main village of the Stonewood Clan. Like their namesake, they lived in shell and stone homes interwoven into trees. It was surrounded by mounds of rock and a lake that sat next to the Black River. It had sections for tourists and traders as well as private ones exclusive to Stonewoods only. The Crucible, the clan’s hearth, lied at its center with the Stonewood Great Hall beyond it.

The Great Hall was the home of the Stonewood Maudra. It had a large chamber where they held court. When a gelfling, or sometimes podling, misbehaved guards would send them into the Rascal Hole. It was a small jail held down beneath the floor of the Stonewood Great Hall and not too far from the maudra’s throne.

The village was the second largest gelfling settlement. It became a popular tourist and trading site as the village was a necessary stop to go anywhere in the Skarith region. Beyond that, Stone-in-the-Wood was believed to be the original home of the gelfling, making it one of the oldest gelfling civilizations. It was also the location of important historical events in Thra’s history.

The Historic Battles of Stone-in-the-Wood

Two historical battles took place in Stone-in-the-Wood. The first battle was also the conclusion of the Arathim Wars. When the Arathim were kicked out of their ancestral home by the skeksis for refusing to join the Alliance of the Crystal, they rebelled. The rebellion was a series of attacks throughout the Age of Division until thirty trine before where Age of Resistance series began. The First Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood began while Ordon and Fara searched for the dual glaive which was rumored to help end the war. The village was evacuated when the Arathim arrived with Maudra Vala and her warriors there to defend it. At first the Arathim had the upper hand, decimating the gelfling forces and inflicting a fatal wound against the maudra. She survived long enough to see Ordon arriving with the dual glaive. After killing several Arathim, he plunged his sword into an Ascendancy of Silk Spitters and drained them of its essence. Ordon promised to let the Arathim live if they stopped their assault on the gelfling. The weakened Ascendancy gave in and retreated from the village but promised this wasn’t the end. This event officially ended the Arathim Wars.

The Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood was the first major battle of the Gelfling Resistance. Stone-in-the-Wood previously had a failed assault on the skeksis in both the TV and book series where the Stonewood were thwarted by the skeksis or the Arathim. The survivors of that failed assault returned to join Rian and his small rebellion ready to fight the skeksis. There were casualties on both sides, including three skeksis and Maudra Fara who sacrificed her life protecting All-Maudra Seladon. But it also brought the return of Mother Aughra and unity of all inhabitants of Thra when the other six gelfling clans and their former enemies the Arathim proclaimed their support of the resistance. This was the gelfling’s first major victory fighting the skeksis.

Bolentor, the Pride of Stone-in-the-Wood

Also known as the Stone Tower, it was a large mount of rocks weaved together by vines, roots, and trees. The stone’s rise was where Stone-in-the-Wood was positioned. Its top was covered in talking stones featuring the dream-etched legends and folklore of the Stonewood Clan. It told of Jarra-Jen’s adventures, stories of Gyr the Songteller, and Aughra’s teachings. Strangely, many of the rocks that constructed the mound originated from other regions of of Thra like the Claw and Grottan Mountains. Speculation were all over the place from a giant moving the rocks there to being petrified droppings of an enormous bird.

A favorite theory came from the song called Maudra Melyff the Rock Singer. Though the gelfling in the tale was actually unnamed, many agreed that she fit the description. According to the song, the maudra was so lonely that when she sang the mountains were moved and offered their boulders to keep her company. A different version of this tale was found in the book series and the maudra was named Maudra Ynid the Tree Singer. Similarly alone, she wept at the heart of the Endless Forest and with the Cradle Tree’s blessing, stones multipled from the Earth and became Stone-in-the-Wood. She was also said to be the sister of Mesabi-Nara, one of the Drenchen’s first maudras.

The Stonewood had a name-day tradition that revolved around Bolentor and was considered a rite of passage. Younglings whose sixth name-day anniversary landed within the same season were sent to climb Bolentor without the guidance of adults with a chisel in hand. Once they reached the top, they found a stone and carved a sigil into it. That sigil became the sign of their name which was memorialized among hundreds of others before them.

The Crucible

At the center of Stone-in-the-Wood was the Crucible, both a monument and hearth. Like other gelfling hearths, it was the gathering place of the Stonewood during important occasions. It was where the maudra made her announcements and conducted ceremonies. Traders from other regions would come to the Crucible to be welcomed by the village.

Within the Crucible were dozens of swords and other weapons. It tied with a Stonewood tradition: whenever the clan returned from a battle, their warriors placed their weapons within the Crucible to be melted until there’s nothing left. It was the Stonewood’s way of leaving their aggressive acts and memories behind and go back to their normal lives. In some cases, the melted remains were used as other symbols. After Maudra Vala died, her sword was melted and forged into a crown. Her daughter and successor Fara wore it as a reminder of the battles that were fought, the cost of peace, and to never forget those who lost their lives.

It was one of many examples of the Stonewood’s relationship with their patron element fire. Gelfling from this clan were described to have “fire in their hearts and whose embers never died”. It’s no wonder that the Stonewood gelfling Rian was the one who lit the fires of resistance and sent out his message of rebellion through the Crucible.

The Wall of Destiny

The Wall of Destiny was a giant prophecy that foretold the end of skeksis rule. It was discovered by Jen and Kira when they stumbled upon ruins of a gelfling settlement. At least in the book series, its location resided within Stone-in-the-Wood. In that book’s version of the Second Battle, the gelfling defeated the skeksis through song and their combined singing formed the creation of the Wall of Destiny.

Another version of its creation happened when both Gelfling and Podling were taken as slaves by the skeksis. Dismayed, they looked into the fires of prophecy. Seven circles of seven Gelfling, (which totaled 49 Gelfling), laid on the hilltops at night. With magic their dreams were made into stone and the Wall of Destiny was created.

It told the Gelfling their quest: to find the lost Shard and heal the Crystal by the next Great Conjunction. However, the skeksis saw the prophecy too and feared the Gelfling would succeed. To stop them, the skeksis sent their Garthim and Crystal Bats to find and kill all gelfling. However, at least two survived: Jen of the Stonewood and Kira of the Vapra. Jen ultimately became the Gelfling foretold in prophecy that reunited the shard with the Crystal and ended skeksis rule.

Olyeka-Staba the Cradle Tree

The Cradle Tree was the Stonewood’s patron tree. It towered over all the others within the Endless Forest whose trunk was as wide as the Black River. It was the originator of all other trees and what the forest felt and heard was also heard and felt by the Cradle Tree. It was only a short distance from Stone-in-the-Wood and many gelfling visited it often. Stonewoods sat underneath the tree and hoped to hear its wisdom while others came to inspect it for illness as it determined the health of the entire forest. When one lied beneath it, they would experience a soothing sensation described as being cradled by one’s mother. “The Cradle Tree’s Lullaby” was a popular song sun by Stonewood mothers while rocking their childlings to sleep.

Like the other Great Trees, the Cradle Tree struggled to keep the darkening at bay. In the book series, the Cradle Tree was so sick with it that it displayed vivid hallucinations which preyed on the fears of the individual. Both Naia and Kylan went through this ordeal with Naia being haunted by apparitions of her brother and Tavra. It also attacked her with vines and roots until she was helped by Kylan. Naia was able to dreamfast with it and healed it of the darkening.

Relationship With the Skeksis And Other Clans

The Stonewood benefited from the influx of traders and visitors, but it reinforced clan-first mentalities. To preserve a sense of safety, stability, and culture, the Stonewood created public and private sections of the village. The clan was kind and friendly to any outsiders but would treat them coldly if they trespassed on private property, on accident or not. Besides that, they seemed the most susceptible to clan stereotypes, seeing how some were highly suspicious of the Dousan and ignorant of the Grottan. While the Stonewood believed they were tougher and sturdier than other gelfling, outsiders viewed them as aggressive and arrogant.

Being geographically the closest to the skeksis, the Stonewood were frequently called upon to be guards at the castle of the Crystal. In fact, they made up the majority of the skeksis’ army up until the late Age of Division. Plenty of Stonewood were elated to get their recruitment letters as it was seen as one of the biggest honors a gelfling received. Because of this, the Stonewood believed they had a more intimate relationship with the skeksis than other clans.

That ultimately created some resentment towards the Vapra. Many Stonewoods believed the skeksis were in error by choosing the Vapra as the ambassadors and leaders of the gelfling clans. It wasn’t a secret either as the Stonewood had passionate conversations about the topic. Even Stonewood Maudras would make mention of it while in the presence of Vapran representatives. These vents never went too far as they knew disagreeing with the Vapra was also a disagreement towards the skeksis. Such comments risked their reputation as well as access to resources and valuable supplies. Despite it being a well-known secret, the Stonewoods kept it to themselves.

Of all the clan relationships, none were more well known than the rivalry between the Stonewood and the Spriton. The severity of the rivalry were different between the TV and book series. In the timeline established by the Age of Resistance, the rivalry was seen more in childlings and didn’t go as far as name-calling and rumormongering. With a mix of the skeksis’ meddling and Stonewood’s overall competitiveness kept this rivalry alive. In contrast to the book series, however, was more serious. The Spriton were a warrior clan in this version and fought over territory with the Stonewood over the trine.

Legacy of Stonewood: Jen

Although most gelfling were wiped out during the Garthim Wars, their legacies were kept alive by their survivors. Jen was the son of at least one Stonewood parent and seemingly the only surviving member of his clan. He was rescued by urSu the Master who took him to the Valley of the Mystics and raised him in safety. On his death bed, urSu cryptically explained to Jen about his destiny. He was able to succeed in his quest with the help of Kira.

Jen seemed to know some small things about his heritage. He wore the Stonewood sigil on his clothing and was taught how to play the firca. urMaj the Cook attempted to make him gelfling food, but Jen noted it never tasted right It was possible that what Jen learned he passed it onto future gelfling civilizations and preserved what was left of gelfling culture.

Notable Stonewood Members

Rian: Son of Ordon and Shoni who lived during the late Age of Division. He was a castle guard who witnessed his girlfriend Mira be drained by the skeksis. Taking the only proof of the skeksis’ betrayal, he was marked as a traitor and wanted by the lords to keep their secret hidden. Rian started as well became the unofficial leader of the Gelfling Resistance. Like his father, Rian ended up wielding the Dual Glaive.

Ordon: A veteran of the Arathim Wars and the first wielder of the Dual Glaive. He was promoted to be a captain of the castle guards after his victory in the First Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood. Not knowing that the skeksis were the true perpetrators, Ordon personally requested to seek out Rian in the hopes of curing the supposed sickness that caused his “treachery”.

Maudra Fara the Rock Singer: The Stonewood Maudra who succeeded her mother Vala during the late Age of Division. She believed in strength and loyalty and did whatever she believed was necessary for her clan. She played a big part in the Arathim Wars as well as being the first maudra who challenged the skeksis when she learned about the truth.

Shoni: Rian’s mother and husband of Ordon who lived during the late Age of Division.

Jen: The seemingly last surviving member of the Stonewood Clan nearing the end of the Age of Division. Saved by urSu the Master, Jen was raised by the mystics so that he would fulfill his destiny of ending skeksis rule and save Thra.

Maudra Vala: A Stonewood maudra and mother of Fara. She lived during the late Age of Division and took part in the First Battle in Stone-in-the-Wood where she was fatally wounded.

Thriya: A songteller who lived during an unknown time in the Age of Division. She spent her entire life traveling all over Thra to learn about the cultures and songs of each gelfling clan.

Mythra: A book series exclusive character. She was the younger sister of Rian who supported him while he was branded as a traitor. She also took part in and survived the Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood.

Timtri: Rian’s younger brother who only exists in the book series.

Maudra Melyff the Rock Singer: Believed to be one of Stonewood’s first maudras. She was credited with the creation of Bolentor which would become the home place of the Stonewood. In some iterations she’s known as Maudra Ynid the Tree Singer and was sisters with the Drenchen’s first maudra.

Old Ari: An old songteller who lived during an unknown time within the Age of Division.

[Sources: Song of the Seven Gelfling Clans, the official Dark Crystal website, Shadows of the Dark Crystal, Song of the Dark Crystal, Flames of the Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, the Dark Crystal Film, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance: An Epic Return To Thra, The Quest for the Dual Glaive, Creation Myths, Author Quest: The Gelfling Gathering, Heroes of the Resistance, the Dark Crystal Bestiary]

#the dark crystal #stonewood #gelfling #all about the seven clans #my posts

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takonei · 4 years ago

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Beta AU - Main story, Chapter 6, Investigation (Part 3)

Note of the author: jfc this investigation is long. But that’s to expect from chapter 6. Also: Updated the warning list. Please check before reading.

Also I apologize for the terrible formatting at a certain point in the chapter. Tumblr is a bitch. If it really bothers you, I suggest reading on AO3.

Chapter 6: My killing game, our killing game

...

Miu and Shuichi stared at each other.

"So... What is even left to investigate in this room?" Shuichi looked around.

The wall with Motherkuma was covered, Kokichi and Kirumi were taking care of the computer, and all that was left was, well, a kitchen. A simple trashcan, a fridge, and several cupboards.

Miu shrugged. "Well, I would hate myself if some clues were hidden in this section and we ignored them because we said 'who would hide major clues in the fridge?', if you know what I mean."

She started making her way there. Shuichi blinked, a bit confused by her statement. Who would even hide evidence in a fridge?!

But perhaps she was right. He could try to look up in those strange places.

He opened a cupboard to see packs of coffee and different types of food: Almonds, dry nuts, and other non-sugary snacks. Whoever owned this place clearly didn't have a sweet tooth.

"Why the hell are there hard drugs in the fridge??"

Shuichi immediately turned around to see Miu holding what looked like a blister of tablets. "What do you mean 'hard drugs'?!"

She looked just as confused. "I don't know, there are dozens of them in the fridge, that's the last thing I expected to see here."

He approached the fridge to see what she was talking about. And true to her words, dozens of blisters were placed there. He could only stare wide-eyed at the questionable sight.

Miu sighed. "I am seriously wondering what the hell is going on in the mastermind's head."

"For now let's just... Put it back where it was." Shuichi said.

Obtained truth bullet! Drugs in the fridge

He closed the fridge, then turned back to his friend.

Miu shook her head. "Anyway, let's just- let's just investigate somewhere else!"

It was clear she was asking herself as many questions as him.

Why would the mastermind need drugs…?

Shuichi eyed the trashcan on the side. It was ridiculous, but judging by what they found in the fridge, he wouldn't be surprised if something important was in there.

He lifted and shook the bin to empty it on the ground. And just as he thought, two items fell off. It was... a book and a USB key?

The book was heavy and old-looking, although that aspect looked like it was done on purpose. It didn't have anything written on the cover nor on the back, but instead, he could feel his eyes staring at the odd and mysterious decorations on the front. If anything, it looked like a dark magic grimoire.

He opened it and saw the title on the first page.

"'Necronomicon'...?"

Shuichi flipped through the pages. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw a resurrection ritual being mentioned, but his hopes were cut short when he noticed that all the pages had tacky doodles of Monokuma everywhere. It was very hard to take this book seriously, and it probably didn't have any real value. No wonder it was thrown in a trashcan.

But where did it come from? That was another mystery...

He set the book down and took the USB key. Black and white with Monokuma's signature eye on it. But on a closer look, it didn't seem to be a USB key. Perhaps another storage system that didn't fit a normal computer.

Whatever these were for, they had a reason to be here. And he would have to find it.

Obtained truth bullet! Book and key

He took them both to show them to Miu. Perhaps she will know more about their uses than him.

"Hey... Did you find anything yet?" he asked.

The blonde woman closed the cupboard she was searching in. "Nope. What are these?" she pointed at the two objects.

He handed the book to her.

"I found them in the trashcan. It looks like Monokuma wrote the book, but... I don't really get it. What is it even for?"

Miu inspected the cover and back of the book. She opened it and looked at the inside cover.

"... I've seen this pattern before. I don't know where, but I've seen it."

Shuichi raised an eyebrow and his friend showed him.

However, it was a simple abstract mix of black and dark grey hues. There wasn't anything concrete, just monochrome splashes.

"Are you sure that's not just... a random pattern?"

"Hey! Don't doubt my-

She abruptly stopped herself. Shuichi felt guilty seeing her fierce expression deteriorate into sorrow. "Nevermind... Maybe I'm hallucinating as you say."

Miu gave back the book. "As for the key, I don't have a clue. Never seen anything like that before."

He glanced away. It wasn't his intention to make her doubt her abilities as an artist, but he did. But before he could apologize, she walked away to the next cupboard to inspect, clearly wanting this conversation to end.

… Perhaps he should do the same.

After putting the book and the key on the table next to the sink, the blue-eyed teen opened the next cupboard.

But just as he tried to reach inside, something heavy fell from the top of the shelf directly on his head. He heard the object hitting the ground as he rubbed the spot.

Of course, he would get karma for that with Kokichi a few meters away from him.

But what had hit him?

He looked on the ground to see a... hacking gun?

Shuichi inspected it. It was remarkably similar to the ones Ryoma had created, if not the same. But this one was painted differently and had started accumulating dust. It was black and white, and the symbol on the side was Monokuma's red eye instead of Ryoma's sigil.

With the dust, it looked like it was created before the actual hacking guns, but Ryoma hadn't built this one for sure.

Upon turning it on, his eyes widened as he looked at the number of shots left in the gun.

49.

It had been used once before, but... By whom?

Obtained truth bullet! Hacking gun

Shuichi set the gun on the table and sighed.

None of these ‘clues’ led to anything other than more questions. It was frustrating.

He turned to Miu, perhaps she would-

...

She was staring at a document with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Miu...?"

Her eyes shot up to his, and he instantly felt a chill down his spine.

She was filled with pure terror.

She swallowed and walked up to him, clenching the paper tightly.

"Shuichi, what the hell is this?!"

The blonde shoved the paper in his face.

He stumbled on his feet and took the paper, confused.

...

What...

What the hell was this?!

"Saihara... family contract...?"

Miu was silent as he was reading, the dread slowly settling on his face.

It was a contract between his family and an organization known as ‘Team Danganronpa’ to finance and advertise a killing game with himself as the ‘protagonist’.

"Did you or did you not sign that shit?!"

Her voice became louder, and his heart started racing in his chest.

"I-I don't remember any of this! I've never seen this paper in my life!!"

"Then whose signature is at the bottom?!"

...

He froze.

His gaze drifted right next to the scarlet red stamp that had the form of Monokuma's eye, on the three signatures written in dark blue ink.

Respectively his father, his mother... and himself.

He felt his throat tighten at the sight of his own handwriting.

Shuichi Saihara.

His hands were trembling as he kept staring at the paper.

Shuichi Saihara.

It was the truth, wasn't it?

His family was responsible for the killing game.

He was responsible for the killing game.

…

Everything became white noise. He could feel his senses leaving him.

All he could see was his own handwriting. Blue stains from a past he could not remember, taunting him endlessly. All he could hear were muffled voices clashing together, drowned in a constant dissonant ringing that didn’t want to stop. All he could feel between his fingers was the paper stained with his own mistakes, now wet with the warm, fat tears he didn't even feel falling.

...

What...

What had he done?

What kind of monster was he?!

The noise became louder and louder, until...

Shuichi felt the paper being taken from his hands, and everything instantly became clearer in his mind.

He raised his head to look at Kokichi and Kirumi, who had joined them supposedly because of the ruckus. The latter was reading the paper with an unreadable expression.

Her intense green eyes suddenly met his. The cold wave was another hit to the chest.

There was a long silence in the room.

"This is your signature, isn't it?"

Unable to mutter a word, he closed his eyes, breaking the painful eye contact. "... It is."

For some reason, he couldn't feel her judgmental gaze on him. What was she thinking about?

They had all the reasons to hate him, and he deserved it. He agreed to make them suffer, to let them die and decay miserably, away from their loved ones.

Rantaro's words kept playing in his head.

He may not remember it, but the evidence was here. He did sign this. He agreed to let them rot.

And he doesn't even remember it.

"I'm... I'm sorry I... I don’t…"

The three pairs of eyes were surely locked on him, but the words never came out of their mouths.

...

"Kirumi... What do you think of all of this?"

He couldn't bear looking at her.

"... Something about this contract doesn’t sit right with me."

Shuichi felt his heart skip a bit.

"I do not know what, though.” She brushed the paper with her fingers.

“I do not think this is the original but rather a copy. However, correct me if I’m wrong, Miu…” Kirumi gave the paper to the other girl. “… But the writing does give me the impression that this was not edited in any way.”

“I don't have any reason to think that this contract was faked, but... It's too easy."

He heard Kokichi shifting his feet to turn to her. "What do you mean?"

"Miu, you find this in a cupboard of all places." she said. "Not a safe, not in a drawer, but a cupboard anyone could open, in the middle of glasses and plates. Why would a contract that important be here, and not in a secured place, or at least a real drawer?"

Shuichi lifted his head.

"From what I remember, I have spent countless hours in mansions either stealing important documents, taking care of evidence that could expose me as the culprit, and sometimes placing fake evidence to incriminate another maid or worker."

"And never have I ever found a document that important in a cupboard nor have I ever placed fake evidence here."

Miu seemed to ponder for a moment. "And... What do you think that means?"

She sighed. "To me, there are no logical explanations. The mastermind is just making a fool out of us."

The blonde's eyes widened. "You're the one who said this thing couldn't have been faked! It has to come from somewhere!"

"It's… exactly like the Sanzu garden."

The three turned to Kokichi.

"Kiyo... He had made his plan because the mastermind knew Tsumugi's attitude was suspicious to him! They manipulated the academy for days to separate us! Maybe they're doing the same here to throw us off!"

Shuichi's eyes widened. "You... You think so? But-

"You might be right. That's the most plausible theory in my eyes." Kirumi interrupted him.

"With the proof that our memories could have been altered, I decided to only trust the memories we made in this killing game, and nothing else."

"And perhaps you guys should do too."

"So you think... Shuichi doesn't have anything to do with the creation of the killing game?" Miu hesitantly asked.

...

Silence.

"Maybe, maybe not. Because our memories may have been altered doesn't ultimately prove his innocence. This contract looks real, after all." she said.

"But Kokichi is right. Letting our emotions get the best of us would be our greatest mistake, and that's exactly what the mastermind wants right now."

His other two friends nodded in understanding.

... But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to feel relieved by her words.

After all, he might be more of a monster than he remembers.

And that terrified him.

Obtained truth bullet! Saihara family contract

Shuichi still had trouble looking at any of his friends.

"Should we... go back to the computer?" Kokichi broke the silence.

"Of course."

Miu, Kokichi, and Kirumi started walking towards the engine. But Shuichi still had a word to say.

"Kirumi..." he muttered.

She stopped in her tracks.

"Why did you defend me?"

The young woman said nothing, then side-eyed him.

“First of all, learn when it is appropriate to start conflicts between us.”

He winced at the remark.

"I don't know what you did before we all met. I don't know why you supposedly agreed to finance this killing game.”

“You could even be faking your emotions and try to create unnecessary conflicts to make sure we don’t find enough hints to end this killing game for all I know."

"You may have signed this contract, but I could be worse than you in every way imaginable, rotten to the core and deserving hell more than anyone else on this wretched planet. I remember being a mercenary, I might as well be the devil."

"To blame you for everything that happened to me, knowing there is a possibility that I am a monster viler and more vicious than you could ever be... would make me a hypocrite."

Shuichi pondered to himself, eyes low.

"Kirumi! You coming?" Miu's voice took them out of their thoughts.

"I'm here."

The sound of her heels resonated in his ears. He followed them, and his eyes landed on the computer screen.

The long-haired girl started typing again. "I don't know what I can do at this point. As I said, I'm not an expert hack-

Kirumi was interrupted by a sudden explosion that blew up the door that was right next to them, scattering debris and... burned books?

He had forgotten about the door leading to the library. And standing there, a cannon pointed at the room, was Monoshi.

"SECRET-ENTRANCE-UNLOCKED: LIBRARY. NO-SECRET-ENTRANCES-REMAINING."

The modified bear left as suddenly as he came, leaving a gaping hole replacing the sealed door between the two rooms.

"Guys! Look!"

Shuichi suddenly turned to Miu.

"We finally got access to the computer!"

Kirumi raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "How...? I didn't even enter anything."

Shuichi hummed. "Maybe... Karma did the job?"

"Whatever happened, it worked. We shouldn't waste time wondering about that right now." Miu scanned the screen with her eyes.

There were several applications and files, it was hard to choose what to click first.

"Look, there's a file called 'flashback light list', maybe we should start with that?" Shuichi suggested.

Miu clicked on the file.

Sixteen files, all named with... Two letters.

"Okay... What are we choosing first?" the blue-eyed teen asked.

"The first, duh."

The blonde clicked on the file named "AY".

Anterior_AY.cmr Chapter_2_AY.cmr Chapter_3_AY.cmr Chapter_4_AY.cmr Chapter_5_AY.cmr Character_AY.ccr Motive_05_AY.ccr Motive_05_END_AY.cmr Talent_AY.cpr

Miu frowned. "... I have several questions."

"The ‘character’ file matches what we saw in the flashback lights guide." Kirumi noted.

"But what about the 'chapter' ones?" Shuichi asked.

Kokichi blinked. "I don't even know what I'm looking at."

He couldn’t deny things were very confusing, whether they knew what was in the guide or not.

"Maybe we should check the others...?" the other boy suggested.

Miu went back and clicked on the second file: "GG". It was the exact same list, with the 'AY' replaced by 'GG' except...

The 'Motive_05' files were missing.

"Could you go back for a second, Miu?" Kirumi frowned.

The girl did as told.

The other stared at the screen for a moment. "... Those are our initials. Each of those files is about us."

Shuichi's eyes widened. But just as she said, he noticed the file named 'SS'. And indeed, the list was about them.

AY, GG, HY, KA, KM, KT, KO, KS, MH, MI, RA, RH, SS, TC, TI and TS.

Miu immediately clicked on her file. It had all the same files as the others, without the 'Motive_05' ones.

"What the hell...?" she muttered.

They checked each of the files to spot the differences.

Angie had the 'Motive_05_AY.ccr' and the 'Motive_05_END_AY.cmr' files.

Ryoma had 'Motive_05_RH.ccr' and 'Motive_05_END_HR.cmr'.

Tsumugi had 'Motive_05_TS.cmr' and 'Motive_05_END_TS.cmr'.

However...

Kokichi was missing the 'Talent' file.

Shuichi was missing the 'Character' file.

Kirumi was missing the 'Anterior' file.

And Tatsuya was missing those exact three files.

Shuichi swallowed. Should he be happy that he didn't have a 'character' file? Should he be mad? Worried?

He didn't know.

All those files were the same for everyone, except the initials at the end of each of them, unique to each participant.

But Kirumi, Kokichi and Tatsuya... Why were they missing files?

Especially Tatsuya. He would understand if he was a robot like they all thought until tonight, but Tatsuya was a human just like them before being transferred into K1-B0.

...

When were those flashback lights even created?

Obtained truth bullet! Flashback light list

Miu turned to the others- those with the missing files.

"I don't get it... I know I should be mad that I have those flashback light files but what about you guys? Why are you missing some of those files?"

Shuichi nervously looked away. "I wish I knew..."

Kokichi was still staring at the screen. "I think we skipped a file..."

Miu froze. "I-I don't know what you're talking about?"

She was clearly lying.

Shuichi scanned the screen, until...

"... It's Rantaro's file, isn't it?"

Her shoulders dropped, her hands clenching into fists.

"I... I don't know what it's gonna be and I'm scared."

Kirumi crossed her arms. "Unfortunately, he could be like us, missing a file. We have to know if there is a difference.”

She swallowed and clicked.

And indeed, his file was different. But not in the way they expected.

Anterior_RA.cmr Chapter_2_RA.cmr Chapter_3_RA.cmr Chapter_4_RA.cmr Chapter_5_RA.cmr Character_RA.ccr EmergencyTherapyRantaro.ccr Talent_RA.cpr

Shuichi's eyes widened.

What the hell was this new file?!

Miu jumped from her seat. "Emergency therapy...?"

She didn't think and immediately clicked on the odd file to open it. But...

... An error message popped up, indicating that the file was corrupted and thus impossible to recover.

They stared at it, defeated. They didn't even do anything, but it still felt like they failed at keeping one person safe.

Seeing a file named 'Emergency Therapy' exclusively for Rantaro corrupted and beyond repair gave him a sick feeling in his stomach.

If there was one file that they had needed, it was this one. And yet, it was completely ruined.

This message reeked irony, and Shuichi hated it.

Obtained truth bullet! Corrupted file

Miu slammed her hands on the table. "Why?! This isn't fucking fair! Why is this file even here if it's just to stand there and taunt us?!"

...

No response.

Indeed, why did this file even exist? Why would the mastermind even create this?

The more they searched through this room, the less he understood their intentions. It was getting harder and harder to look at the hints and clues that were ‘offered’ to them.

But was there really something to understand?

The mastermind was a monster. Someone who would make them suffer for their own amusement no matter what. But...

'The 'mastermind' is only a pawn in the greater scheme that this killing game is.'

If they were merely a pawn, then how disgusting were the people above them...?

... This was terrifying to think about.

Kirumi leaned forward and closed the error window. At least they wouldn't have to look at it anymore.

The girl next to her stared at the file's name. She seemed to ponder to herself.

"Hey, is it me or..." she trailed off. "... Nevermind."

She closed the tab. No one wanted to see those files anymore- this grotesque mockery of their despair.

Shuichi couldn't find the courage to look at the screen anymore.

Kokichi broke the silence. "Was this icon here before?"

He pointed at a logo that looked like Monokuma's eye. Titled 'FLIBD - SRD subjects'.

Kirumi frowned. "No... It definitely wasn't there."

Miu got the message and clicked on it.

What appeared before them looked like an information sheet. A picture of a young girl their age, and some data about her.

She had incredibly beautiful traits, the bright blue eyes of a doll, and voluminous blond hair attached in two pigtails. She wore a thin black necklace that contrasted a lot with her fair skin.

But something caught his attention. His heart skipped a beat when his eyes landed on the hairpins.

Two Monokuma heads, one fully white on the left and one fully black on the right.

"W-Who the hell is she?!"

"She's wearing Monokuma like a fucking trophy. Whoever she is, I already don't trust her." Miu hissed.

Only an ally of Monokuma would wear such a gross accessory.

"Her name is Junko Enoshima, according to the info on the profile." Kirumi noted.

Junko Enoshima...

He has never heard this name before in his life.

At least, from what he remembers.

Was she part of those behind the killing game as a whole?

Obtained truth bullet! Junko Enoshima

They decided to look into the written details about her.

Junko Enoshima - #01-006 Ultimate analytical prowess - Type primary: O Type secondary: M Intensity: A- High Beginning: / Conflict status: Tame Keyword: Despair Status: Dead - 6M - 1/26

"Wait, she's dead?" Miu raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently so." Kirumi said. "Although I do not know what the '6M' means."

Shuichi neither. But what did those 'types' even mean? And all the other info given here?

"Wait, look at the keyword!" Kokichi said. "Isn't Monokuma always babbling about despair?"

"So you do think she has some kind of relationship with Monokuma, right?" Shuichi asked.

"She has Monokuma hairpins, so there's no questioning that." Miu turned to her friends. "She does give me the impression that she’s like… The creator or something."

The creator of Monokuma...?

"But she's dead! Does that mean the mastermind was her, but she was actually dead all along?" Shuichi exclaimed.

"I don't think the mastermind is dead. Someone has to take care of Monokuma and the killing game somehow." Kirumi pondered. "Though I don't deny she must have a connection with him."

Shuichi stared at the screen. "Wait, there's a '1/26' at the bottom of the screen... Are there other people like her?"

Miu span around to face the screen. "That's what we'll find out."

She tapped the right arrow on the keyboard, and another information sheet appeared. But the person on the screen looked... Completely unrelated.

It was a boy this time. His face gave Shuichi chills. He looked like he was a ghost. Messy hair white as snow with weak scarlet ends, and skin almost as pale as a corpse. His grey eyes looked empty, devoid of life. He seemed to be wearing a green hoodie, but he could only guess. However...

... He did not wear a single accessory related to Monokuma.

Nagito Komaeda - #02-028 Ultimate lucky student - Type primary: O Type secondary: / Intensity: A- High Beginning: / Conflict status: Tame Keyword: Hope Status: Dead - 5V/S – Terminated - 2/26

"Dead too?!" Miu yelled. "Are all of these people dead?!"

"This one indicates 'terminated'. That was not on the first one." Kirumi pointed out.

Whatever that meant, it was not a good sign.

"But look... The keyword..." Kokichi said.

Hope.

The exact opposite of Junko Enoshima.

"Do they or do they not work for Monokuma?" Miu raised an eyebrow. "It's confusing as hell."

"I don't think we were right when we assumed this was a list of those who worked for the game." Kirumi explained. "This is something else. The icon said 'subjects' with two acronyms. But if we don't know what the acronyms mean, we are not going to get far."

Subjects...?

It sounded like an experiment. This was... worrying, to say the least.

"So what? Do we look at the other info sheets to see what is actually going on?" Miu suggested.

"We can only try."

And so, they did. Each of those info sheets contained the same kind of info, although the parameters changed.

There didn't seem to be a pattern in the talents- they were at random, from art, to knowledge, and sometimes even murder related. Ultimate vocalist, assassin, poet, anthropologist, psychiatrist… How many ultimate students even existed in the world?

The ‘types’ changed letters. Some had both primary and secondary filled, some had only the primary.

The intensity part was generally either low or moderate. Sometimes it was marked as 'high', but only on rare occasions. The letter 'A' also seemed to have turned to an 'N' around the 5th person.

But he also noticed that for some, unlike the two first, the 'beginning' part was filled. Sometimes it was a person's death, a day, a random event, and sometimes... A trial? They did wonder if other ultimates had been in a killing game just like them.

The fact that they were probably not the first victims made Shuichi want to puke.

They then noted that the 'beginning' part was only filled for those with the letter N in the ‘intensity’ part.

The 'conflict status' part was completely random, with no apparent pattern. This was probably the part he understood the less.

On the keyword part was often noted notions or concepts, but he had seen a name or two on these info sheets.

As the status...

All dead.

Not a single one was noted 'alive'. One or two had the 'terminated' note, but all of them were dead, for some reason or another.

It was painful to look at, even though none of them recognized any of the people in the pictures, or even the names.

On the 25th info sheet, Miu clicked on the keyboard to see the last person, and...

It was like time had stopped.

They recognized this face all too well.

Messy green hair, an intense emerald gaze powerful enough to petrify someone, and young, slightly feminine traits on a male teenager they had all known as...

"R-Rantaro...?" Miu muttered, her voice shaking.

This was him. There was no doubt about it. But... Why...?

Rantaro Amami - #53-844 Ultimate medic - Type primary: T Type secondary: P Intensity: N- High Beginning: Tsumugi Shirogane's death ~ Ch4 trial ~ Night 16 Conflict status: Very aggressive Keyword: Save Status: Dead - 5E - 26/26

"W-What does Rantaro have to do with these people?!" Kokichi exclaimed with his feeble voice.

Kirumi approached the screen and narrowed her eyes at the picture that was in front of them. "As much as I hate to say this, we will probably get a better understanding of this list with him there."

Unfortunately, she was right.

However, something immediately bugged him. "Hey, is it me or are those '53' everywhere? This is the third time in a row I've seen the number written.”

Kokichi turned to him. "Wasn't it also written on Keebo's plans?"

Shuichi's eyes widened. "It was! I don't get what it means, though."

"Can we talk about like, everything else?" Miu frowned with a mix of both confusion and annoyance.

Perhaps it was nervousness that made him focus on the less important details. Whatever the reason, he hated it. The rest of the information was much more primordial to their investigation and understanding of the situation, after all.

"'Tsumugi's death’, ‘Ch4 trial’, and a certain night…“ Shuichi muttered to himself, low enough so he wouldn’t be heard by anyone.

He did have an idea of what had happened during that time, but… He didn’t have the courage to say it out loud.

Kirumi was reading the info sheet. She seemed to be focused on trying to get a clue out of this.

“Did you… figure out anything?”

She only narrowed her eyes. “I do have a theory, but it lacks evidence, so I suggest you take what I say with a grain of salt.”

“I do believe this has something to do with his mental state.”

Bingo.

“What do you mean?” Miu raised an eyebrow. “I mean… We all figured out something wasn’t right, but… What does this have to do with that?” she gestured to the info sheet.

Kirumi seemed to be choosing her words, then sighed.

“It’s after Tsumugi’s death that he… started acting strange, to put it lightly. And as much as I tried to talk to him about it during the last few days, it was useless.”

Shuichi felt his heart sting as those moments started invading his mind again. The fourth trial was a nightmare. Four hours of figuring out who had orchestrated Tsumugi’s execution, and a quarter of it was spent deciding if it was Rantaro’s most trusted friend or the beloved therapist who was the culprit.

And the fifth trial… He didn’t even want to think about it.

“Hold on, you knew he was in this state and you didn’t say anything?” Miu frowned.

… He didn’t like where this was going.

“Look, some things happened that you probably don’t want to know. This group was already fragile to begin with. To tell you the truth would have been like smashing an already collapsing vase with a baseball bat.”

“And you just left him alone thinking telling us would have made things worse than they already were?!” she yelled.

“I severely fucked up, I know that already!! Don’t you think I realized by now?!” Kirumi’s voice was growing louder, filled with rage.

Her eyes, bright green, and a glare as powerful as…

Shuichi instinctively took a step back.

“Why didn’t you tell us?!” the other girl stood up. “What did you have to gain by doing your little thing alone on your side?!”

“Miu-“ he approached her.

“Shut it! It’s between me and her!”

“No! I’m just as much at fault for this if not more!”

She stopped. Everyone turned to him.

Oh no.

“You… What?”

He turned away. “I… I knew about this as much as Kirumi. I’m the one who told her in the first place. I tried to investigate with her but… We were never successful. He always turned us away.”

Kirumi looked at him, silently.

“And what’s your excuse? Why did you decide to hide all of this from m- from us?”

He could tell Miu was mad. But her anger was not his biggest concern.

Why was this moment still intact in his mind, replaying itself over and over again?

The cold blade against his throat, steady and ready to slice through it like a vulgar piece of meat.

A gaze… His gaze…

“I-I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Please.”

He felt his voice cracking at the last word. He probably looked miserable, which was something that happened way too often for his liking.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. He couldn’t blame Miu for wanting to know, but that was not something he wanted to even think about right now.

Kirumi sighed. “Look, Miu. I know we messed up. You have every right to be mad. But this-“ she vaguely gestured at the group. “-is exactly what I wanted to avoid at a time like this. If you want, you can take a small break while we continue to investigate.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. It’s just… a lot to take in. All of this.”

While he knew she could not even begin to understand how he felt back there, to learn that two of your friends hid such important things about the person you cared about the most…

Miu rubbed her eyes. “I’m fine. Let’s just- let’s just keep going. Sorry for the outburst.”

Kirumi put a hand on her shoulder. “Listen. I might have been too harsh and I’m sorry. When I say take a break, I mean it.”

She lowered her gaze. “… Alright, I’ll- I’ll be right back.”

Miu walked to the back of the room. She needed time for herself, and Shuichi respected that.

Kokichi glanced at them both. He looked like he wanted to ask about what had happened but didn’t dare to.

“It’s… It’s complicated.” Shuichi muttered.

“I wasn’t going to ask… I’m just wondering if you at least talked about it properly to someone.” He replied. “When I talked to Miu, I felt a bit more… refreshed, I don’t know how to explain it.”

Shuichi weakly smiled. “Thanks. I talked a bit to Kirumi about this already, but it- it’s still not something I want to share. At least not now.”

The white-haired boy turned to the picture of Rantaro. “Save…”

An obsession he developed, to the point of ending his own life in some twisted plan.

“I don’t think I will ever understand him…” the boy muttered.

Shuichi swallowed. “Maybe we could have been true friends… If only we met differently, then things would have been better.”

Kirumi had her eyes on him. “… That’s nothing but a distant dream, now.”

She looked at Miu, then back at the computer, deciding to close the haunting file.

They would have to figure out what it all meant, but right now they were drained. Whenever Rantaro was mentioned, things did not end up well.

Obtained truth bullet! Subject list

Shuichi glanced at the ground for a moment. He was the one to start the meaningless investigation, despite himself.

He thought it had been completely useless in the end, since Rantaro ended up achieving his wretched goals, but perhaps... Not all of it was for nothing. There was still more to this, and this list was the proof.

Miu came back to them. “Alright, we done with this file?”

It was obvious she was still shaken.

Kokichi hummed. “We… figured we could go onto something else.”

She went back to the chair and thought for a moment. "… What are we checking next?"

Shuichi approached her to look at what could be useful, pushing his thoughts to the back of his head. "Hey, doesn't this look like a chat device?" he pointed at an icon. "Maybe the mastermind was talking to an ally, or someone they're working with."

The girl cracked her fingers. "Let's see what this bitch was up to."

After clicking the icon, one single conversation appeared on the screen.

"We might need to read all of this, maybe try to scroll up to see where it starts?" Shuichi suggested.

And so she did. Unfortunately, they didn't seem very talkative, and they did not know when those conversations really happened.

But now, they could read actual conversations from the mastermind and their accomplices, and that was more than enough.

Or superiors, if Rantaro was right.

=====

I request an alternate motive. This is urgent. <

> Which one?

Number 05. <

> Understood. Please give me the details in a voice call.

(Voice call lasted 19 min 47 sec)

=====

"Alternate motive...?" Kokichi tilted his head. "We were supposed to have another motive at some point?"

Shuichi slammed his hands on the table. "Wait! Motive 05! It's the flashback lights file!"

"The flashback lights for Ryoma, Angie, and Tsumugi only." Kirumi noted.

Miu frowned. "Wait, if this is about the despair disease, why didn’t Kokichi have a file? You had the disease, right?"

He stiffened. "Y-yes? I had the disease!!"

And yet... Nothing was proving it. Neither the files, nor the attitude back then.

"That's... odd, don't you think?" Shuichi raised an eyebrow. "Kokichi did not change attitude and did not have his memories of that period erased..."

The young boy looked panicked, to say the least. "I don't know! But I... I had the disease, Monokuma said it and I know I had it..." he trailed off.

The three looked at each other. After what had just happened with the contract and the file, preying on it would only make things worse.

Instead, Rantaro's words ringed in his head.

'No existing disease infects people that differently.'

And he was right. This was no disease, but instead flashback lights. Which made a lot more sense than whatever explanation the bears came up with.

... And with how much Angie changed because of 'the disease', he started wondering what the flashback lights were truly capable of.

Pure terror, and nothing else. he thought to himself.

Miu scrolled down to look at the next conversation.

=====

The next motive will be an alternate one as well. This is an important demand.<

> I expected that. Which one?

Number 13. <

> Are you sure? This is not an easy motive to handle.

Yes. I believe it is the best way to continue the game. <

> Understood. Shall we make a voice call for the details?

Yes. <

(Voice call lasted 1h 49 min 04 sec)

=====

"Wait, the Sanzu garden was not planned from the start either?" Shuichi raised an eyebrow.

"Forget about that, look at the voice call!" Miu exclaimed. "Two hours of babbling about how to make us suffer?!"

"No, Shuichi is right." Kirumi frowned. "The motive was planned after the despair disease to an extent. This means that the mastermind somehow managed to put all of that into place in a few days at most."

He didn't think about that. "That's... how?!"

"Shuichi, I think at this point we should stop asking 'how is this possible' and more 'what is going on’. This entire bullshit sounds like science fiction, but here we are." Miu sighed.

And she was right, unfortunately. He didn't expect science to be able to transfer a human soul into a robotic body nor to be able to mess with memories in such a way, but he had to accept that this was real.

"Still... They planned and prepared all of this way too quickly..." Kokichi muttered.

If the mastermind worked alone, that would have been impossible. But as Rantaro said, they don't know how many people are behind the scenes.

It was terrifying.

They kept scrolling to see what happened after that.

=====

> This trial was a wonderful success. You have made an excellent job handling this motive.

> Rare are those who can make it work correctly.

Thank you. <

> However, we will once again need you to keep an eye on someone for tonight. You might already know who I'm talking about.

Yes, I do. And understood. <

=====

"Wonderful success my ass." Miu hissed. "As long as we get hurt, they’re happy. Fucking bastards."

"I think we should talk about the 'Rare are those who can make it work correctly.'" Kirumi noted. "Did other people have to do this in the past?"

That was more of a rhetorical question. This conversation was just blatant proof that...

... This was not the first killing game. And enough of them had the Sanzu garden as a motive for this to be said. How many had to be trapped in those chambers, or were hurt by the countless traps placed to terrorize them?

It was sickening.

"Um... Why are they talking about 'keeping an eye on someone' though?" Kokichi asked. "And 'once again'? Did the mastermind already have to do that?"

"It does seem normal that they are tasked to keep an eye on us, but that message seems to hold more importance." Kirumi said.

But for what, though...? What is so important that the mastermind needed to be reminded to do that?

Whatever the reason, he already hated it.

He glanced at the screen and saw that Miu had scrolled down a bit.

=====

We need to talk. Right now. <

> What is it about?

Don't feign ignorance. <

> We are already working on this. You do not need to intervene.

Understood. <

=====

"What the hell?" Miu raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

It was odd to see the mastermind be mad at whoever their colleague was. Whatever they did must not have pleased them.

But was it a good or a bad sign?

"It must have happened after the fourth trial, but not on the same day as the other conversation." Kirumi pondered. "Although I doubt this has anything to do with the fifth trial."

He nodded. Judging by how they talked, the chances were low.

But unfortunately, there wasn't much they could deduce from this conversation.

Miu scrolled down and they realized this would be the last conversation the mastermind and their accomplice had.

======

> This entire trial was a full-blown disaster. How did you mess up that badly?

> Do you realize we might have executed Mr. Amami for nothing? We don't even know if he was indeed guilty.

I didn't ask for him to be executed, as far as I know. You did. <

Also, don't act like you didn't want him to die. I do have a part of responsibility < in this, but do not put 100% of the blame on me.

There are things and people I simply cannot control, you should know that.<

> You do know executing someone without concrete proof of the crime is not something we can do out of the blue.

> Someone like you shouldn't be in this position. You knew him better than everyone else and there is no excuse for your failure.

Once again, you are also to blame. I warned you about him. I specifically told < you he was a force to be reckoned with, someone to never underestimate.

Why do you think I chose him of all people? <

> You could have made the job easier for yourself and for us, and you didn't.

What is done is done. This game will come to an end very soon, and I have < no choice but to take another route for the finale.

> You know we cannot afford to end the killing game like this.

It is too late for that. We underestimated him, and we must pay the price. <

I'll let you handle the preparations. You might need to hurry up, though. I have < a feeling he prepared more than we first expected.

> Understood.

======

The four of them stared at the screen with wide eyes.

Shuichi had his eyes locked on one single sentence.

'I didn't ask for him to be executed.'

Rantaro...

"Rantaro was supposed to live?!" he yelled.

"Hold the fuck up! If the mastermind didn't want him dead, then why was he executed?!" Miu turned back, panicked.

Shuichi paused, then glanced at her. "W-

"He was right."

He suddenly turned to Kirumi.

"Rantaro mentioned Monokuma possibly getting new orders during the trial, when he suddenly turned against him and gave us a very explicit reason to vote for him."

"So that wasn't the mastermind?!" Kokichi exclaimed.

Then... The mastermind was actually not in total control of the trial...?

What on earth had happened back there?!

"So they fucked up, the mastermind wanted to let him go but whoever the fuck was actually behind the scenes wanted him dead?!"

This was almost exactly what Rantaro had predicted.

His foresight was one of the greatest qualities he had, to their dismay.

But...

"Who are we even calling the mastermind if they don't even have full power over the game?!"

"A pawn." Kirumi bluntly said. "The 'mastermind' has a certain amount of power, but they’re at the lowest level of the hierarchy."

He swallowed. "Still... The fact that the one we considered our greatest enemy for so long might be nothing next to whoever was behind them..."

A graveyard silence settled among them.

He couldn't even bring himself to fear the mastermind anymore.

Rantaro had told them. He had told them that there were more people behind this horror, but... He never imagined anything like that.

"But... Look at this..." Kokichi pointed at the screen. "The other person says they can't kill us out of the blue... Are they still bound by the rules? I thought the mastermind was doing this game for them?"

"Then there must be more layers to this." Kirumi crossed her arms. She raised a finger, pointing at nothing in particular, then raised it up as she talked. "The 'mastermind' is at the bottom, then it's the second layer- this person, whatever their role is, and finally someone else at the top, who has given them the instructions and is only watching."

"That's my understanding of the situation."

Shuichi pondered. This looked like a decent explanation.

But still, whoever is at the top...

... What kind of power did they even possess for multiple killing games to be organized?

Miu stared at the screen, still reading the messages. "The mastermind knows Rantaro more than anyone else... What does that mean? Do they know us as well?"

"That does seem logical. They have 'chosen’ Rantaro, whatever that means, so they probably ‘chose’ us as well. Though I don't know how they could know us enough to the point of creating the Sanzu Garden." Kirumi said.

"That doesn't surprise me at this point, to be honest. What I'm worried about is the last message the mastermind sent. They seemed to know Rantaro had prepared something, so Monoshi must have not been that much of a surprise for them."

If they knew something was going to happen, then... Why didn't they do anything? Was it because the game was already supposed to end?

Was the game successfully ended by Rantaro, or was it already supposed to end, making his sacrifice utterly useless?

"Does that mean they knew we were going to end up in this room?" Kokichi asked.

That... was actually a good question. They didn't seem to have tried to hide major clues like the flashback light guide and the computer, but at the same time, the contract with his family was here. And they were actually able to go past the computer security.

"Maybe... I wouldn't be surprised if they did, but here we are, looking at their conversation with their boss, so who knows." Miu sighed.

Obtained truth bullet! Conversation with the mastermind

The group stopped talking for a moment. They needed to process this. Not just this part of the conversation, but the rest of the investigation. From Tatsuya Idabashi and his corpse, Keebo, the contract with his own family, the subject list to this...

What did he get himself into?!

Kirumi let her shoulders drop. "We should go back to investigating the academy while we still can. I think we’ve seen enough from this computer."

Shuichi turned to her. "Wait, there might still be info on this…"

As much as he hated it, he knew he was right. This computer was a gold mine, despite all the nuggets being coated in poison.

Miu pondered. "But she's right on one thing. We’ve all been on this computer for a while instead of the usual two-by-two. We should get back to that strategy."

Just as she finished her sentence, the sound of another explosion from the outside was heard.

"I... I think I'll stay here…" Shuichi nervously said.

"Fine. I'll go outside." Kirumi took a step back. "I'll try to investigate alone."

"I might also need some time to process all of this bullshit or I think I'll have an aneurysm." She muttered to herself, although Shuichi did hear her.

The sound of her heels faded away as she passed through the destroyed entrance in the library.

Miu crossed her arms, gaze to the ground. "I'll go to the surface too. Can I leave you two with the computer?" she asked.

"C-Count on us."

Shuichi muttered this unconsciously, but he didn't even know if he was ready to see more.

Miu gave him a weak smile and walked away, leaving him with Kokichi.

Once she was out of sight, Shuichi sighed, putting his face in his hands. “What are we even doing…?”

Kokichi put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

It was impossible to keep calm.

“I’m sorry, I- I just don’t know what to think anymore…” he mumbled.

The other boy let his hand drop. “It’s fine… I know this is dumb coming from me, but… Please talk if you need to.”

He paused.

“I just… I feel guilty about Rantaro. I should have said something to Miu… I know I shouldn’t have stayed silent but h- he…”

His throat tightened.

“I don’t know what happened to you exactly, but… He did something bad to you, didn’t he?”

His silence provided him the answer.

“I can’t blame you for reacting the way you did… I know I shouldn’t talk behind people’s backs, but I know Miu is biased, and I can’t blame her either.”

“What I’m trying to say is, you shouldn’t feel bad about keeping it a secret. Maybe things would have gone differently if you talked about your worry, but… You are not the one who is responsible for his death.”

Shuichi stayed silent, a bit surprised by his words.

“Kokichi…”

“If anyone is at fault, it’s whoever organized the killing game, right? So the only thing we can do is to stop them.”

He felt a smile form on his lips, despite the tears threatening to fall at any moment.

“… Thank you.”

“No problem, that’s the least I can do now.”

Shuichi glanced back at the conversation.

"Do you think we should try communicating with them?" he asked. "I don't even know what we'll get out of it, but we could try."

Kokichi frowned. "It feels weird talking to the people who did all of this to us... But we don't have anything to lose, right?"

"I don't think so..."

Shuichi approached the keyboard and took a deep breath.

I managed to get back to the room. What's the next step of the plan? <

"Wait... Aren't they watching us with the cameras?" Kokichi asked. "Don't they know it's us?"

Shit.

Shuichi slowly turned to him. "W-What do we do now?"

They stared at the screen for what felt like an eternity.

"I don't think they'll answer..." Shuichi mumbled.

He reduced the window size to look at what was available on the computer. Unfortunately, there weren't many icons, but one stood out to him.

"Mastermind rules...?"

He clicked on the icon. It looked like a set of rules they had to follow.

Overall, nothing was alarming or too out of place. Check the room and give updates as often as possible, always keep an eye on the participants, interact as little as possible with the environment not to disturb the game...

... But then, his eyes landed on one specific rule.

#10. Prevent suicides

There is always a possibility a participant will try to end their life at some point in the game, and at a time it is not welcome (i.e.: less than 24 hours after a trial, a participant's death -unless chapter 3- or at any moment the death will be too obvious for a proper trial to be done). In that case, make sure the participant stays alive for the sake of the game by whatever means necessary. Keep an eye on them until the situation is suitable enough for them to do so, or if they simply don't want to commit the act anymore.

Shuichi's eyes widened.

"That's... That's what we're worth to them?" Kokichi's voice was shaking.

The blue-eyed teen swallowed, taking a step back. "This… This is..."

…

If he had truly wished to end it all... The mastermind themselves would have come to his rescue, for the sole purpose of continuing the game...?

How was he supposed to feel about this?!

Obtained truth bullet! Mastermind's rules

He instinctively closed the window.

Thankfully, there wasn't much they could search in this computer anymore, aside from one icon Kokichi pointed out.

"Hey, look at this, maybe... Maybe this is about the cameras?"

Shuichi clicked on it, and to their surprise, all the screens lit up, showing different cameras around the academy. But the cameras looked like they were... flying? They were at the very least not attached to a wall, the ground, or a ceiling, and they were moving.

He spotted Kaito's exisal and Monoshi still hardly fighting against the other bears, Miu running around the main building and Kirumi walking towards the dorms' building.

Another screen showed their faces, staring at the camera. And yet, there was nothing in their field of vision aside from the screen of the computer.

Very disturbing, to say the least.

On the main laptop was a gigantic list of... 'nanokumas'?

There seemed to be hundreds of them, each marked as active, aside from a small portion of them, marked as destroyed.

Were they the cameras? Cameras small enough not to be noticed by anyone?

Rantaro was right on many more guesses than he thought.

Obtained truth bullet! Nanokumas

Since there wasn't much to see here, he closed the window.

"So... What do we do now?" Kokichi asked before glancing at the table. “Hm?”

Shuichi turned to him. “What is it?”

“Kirumi and I found a key next to the computer, that she guessed was a master key, something that could unlock all rooms. But it’s gone now, she might have taken it.”

A very useful item that he despised the existence of.

He looked at the entrance in the library. "There is nothing left to check in this room, so we might as well get out. I hate this place."

His friend nodded. "Yeah…”

And so they did. Once they were out, they decided to split up to check places they might have missed.

There was one place Shuichi needed to go to.

He glanced at the dorms building where Kirumi had supposedly gone to.

He needed to get there. He ran as fast as he could to avoid any possible damage.

Shuichi immediately closed the door behind him, and the ruckus outside became less loud. But the silence of the dorms was not that much more reassuring.

His eyes drifted to the different rooms, now all empty, as their owners were either dead or investigating. However...

... He noticed one door was slightly opened.

Rantaro's.

He swallowed and approached the room.

...

After what felt like an eternity, he found the courage to quietly open the door.

He felt himself gag right after stepping into his room.

There was a strange mix of unpleasant smells- nothing like Tatsuya's lab, though. A mix of sweat, chemicals and medicine drowned in a sea of heavy enclosed air. The room itself was incredibly messy and disorganized. He noticed a needle on the bedside table with a bottle of liquid medicine, a half-emptied bottle of water, and pills.

The bed was not even made. The pillow was thrown away and the blanket had fallen on the floor next to the bed.

His eyes glanced towards the wardrobe. It was supposed to have a mirror, but... The shattered shiny pieces of aluminum on the ground told enough for him to understand what had happened.

Looking at this scene made his heart ache. Everything he had seen in the mastermind's room had been messed up, but...

Seeing the madness in the most intimate place they had for themselves was something else. It felt like he wasn't entering a simple room, but rather getting a glimpse of the fragmented mind of his former friend. The one who laid down his life for them- for their safety and out of spite.

His head turned to the bathroom, and that's when he noticed the other person in the room- who hadn't noticed him yet.

Kirumi was staring in front of her, an unreadable expression on her face.

She placed a hand on the mirror, gently brushing it with her long, thin fingers.

After swallowing, he stepped forward.

Kirumi suddenly turned around, just noticing him.

"... It's you."

Shuichi looked down for a moment. "Sorry if I surprised you."

Her shoulders dropped as she turned back to her reflection. "It's fine."

It’s only then that he noticed the state of the mirror, which had been out of his sight until now.

Shattered.

Three strikes that left crackles all over the piece of furniture. The mirror was barely keeping it together. One move too brutal and everything would fall apart, breaking into a million more pieces. Their reflections were distorted by the splits, one of the strikes ironically placed around Shuichi's head.

He could only stare, a hand clenching his heart and his mind drowning in never-ending dread.

(BGM)

They stared at themselves, not even daring to look at the other’s reflection, in a silence that he would have enjoyed at any other moment, but right now, he couldn’t describe it as anything other than suffocating.

His eyes drifted to the glass shards in the sink and the opened tubes of painkillers. The unpleasant smell was stronger, it was impossible to ignore it.

"..."

"Kirumi..."

She glanced at his reflection. "Yes?"

"Can we even stop them?"

She stayed silent for a moment, looking at herself.

"I don't know."

"The mastermind and their allies are powerful, and they seem to have total control over us."

"I would be lying if I said I truly believed everyone would get a happy ending."

Shuichi looked down.

"What even is a happy ending? One where we at least survive? Do we escape the academy? Will we able to go home?"

"What's... What's your happy ending, Kirumi?"

Her eyes widened a bit. Was she… caught off guard?

"..."

"... My happy ending, huh?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"It’s not like I can choose my destiny. The moment this game started, the possibilities for my future narrowed down to very few thin lines.”

“I do not care what happens to me in the end. I know my purpose was to stay alive at all costs, but… There’s no point believing in that anymore.”

“Perhaps I will die, perhaps I will live, and it doesn’t matter. What I truly wish for is to stay true to my morals.”

She paused.

“I know this might sound nonsensical, but I despise cruelty. I’ve seen many flaunting its greatness, but I always believed those people were the weakest humans to ever live.”

“Being cruel is admitting you are unable to suppress a mere urge, that you are nothing but an animal.”

“A simple proof of inhumanity.”

Her eyes hadn’t moved from her own reflection.

“I don’t want to die as a beast, a slave taking orders without second thought, nor as a killer.”

“My happy ending… is to die as Kirumi Tojo.”

…

Shuichi looked down.

“And you?”

His eyes darted up.

“What is yours?”

He looked back at himself.

... What was his happy ending?

"You don't have to answer me. All that matters is that you know what you want and what you believe in."

"Believe me, it takes a lot of mental strength to bring yourself to question all of this, but once you do, it's a new path that opens to you."

"One that you won't regret, even if things may not go exactly as you wanted."

She walked out of the bathroom.

"This killing game changed us all. It's our job to gather the misery and despair we felt for so long and throw it back in the faces of the wretched monsters who ruined our lives."

The sound of her heels faded away.

He stared at where she was standing for a minute before turning to the mirror again.

He wished to say his happy ending is one where they all escape and go home, but…

That was dream out of his reach, and he had to accept it.

Perhaps they would never stop those behind the scenes. Perhaps they would never find peace.

Perhaps they were all going to die.

But…

He couldn’t wallow in what-if’s.

He was going to fight until the end, for those who died, and those by his side.

He may never achieve a true happy ending, but to die trying to get it would be better than to let everyone’s sacrifices be in vain.

And he had just the right idea for a way to end this game.

After sharing one last glance with his shattered reflection, he left Rantaro's room.

He opened the door of the dorms building to see the long-haired woman standing there.

Kaito's exisal was down, surrounded by the four others.

The mecha opened to reveal their friend coughing. He lifted his head to look at them both. He was...

Defeated.

"Kaito!!"

Miu's voice echoed in the courtyard as she sprinted with Kokichi towards them.

"Puhuhu! My, my! You put up quite a fight! I'm impressed!"

Monokuma's laughter ringed in their ears.

"Unfortunately for you, it looks like your little temper tantrum is over!"

Kaito tried to get himself out of the exisal but was struggling to do so with only one functioning leg. Miu ran up to help him, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"So... How was your little period of free time without your beloved headmaster? Did you have fun running around? Going into my super-ultra-mega private rooms?"

"Fuck you." Kaito spat.

"I will take that as a yes!~" the robot laughed. "Now, now. Since this unwanted chaos is finally over, shall we-

"I demand a trial!!"

Everyone turned to the source of the voice.

Shuichi had taken a step forward. That might be the dumbest idea ever, but if this game had to end, it had to be like this.

He stared at the bear in the eyes.

“I want one last trial to end all of this.”

Kaito looked at him with eyes that screamed ‘what are you doing?’. But… That was the only way.

“Rantaro said it himself, this game is over. We have seen what was behind the scenes and we will not partake in this madness anymore!"

He pointed a finger at him. "This is your trial! Your trial as the culprit of everyone's murders in this killing game! And if you don’t want to accept this reason…”

“… Then think of this trial as the one for Keebo’s murderer, since you lied about Kaito being the culprit of the case.”

...

Monokuma looked surprised, although it was hard to read his mechanical face.

"Puhuhu... You do have some guts! Can’t say the same about my sweet monokubs… and myself, but that’s not the point.”

His glare did not falter.

“Very well! I accept the deal!”

"Everyone, please gather at the shrine of judgment!"

The bear and his cubs jumped away to their destination.

Once alone, everyone turned to him.

"Shuichi... Do you really think this is a good idea?"

He wanted to say he wasn't sure, but now wasn't the time to doubt.

"This is our only choice if we want to end the game. I don’t think Monokuma would have accepted to do anything else."

Kirumi crossed her arms. “Monokuma has already accepted the deal. I can’t say I had better ideas, though.”

Kokichi nodded in agreement.

Shuichi looked at his friends with a weak smile. "Let's end this, everyone."

Miu put a hand on his shoulder. "Then let's go. Together."

"You guys are going to have to sum up the situation for me, because I have zero clue how your investigation went." Kaito sighed.

The four others glanced at each other. He was lucky not to have seen the horrors of the mastermind’s room, but they would have to tell him at some point.

"We'll... We'll do that in due time, don't worry." Miu mumbled.

Kaito sensed her worry and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I know you guys did well. We'll talk about it during the trial, alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

They arrived at the shrine, which had been slightly damaged by the exisals. The elevator opened, and the five survivors stepped in.

This was it.

The final trial where everything would end.

He could feel his heart racing in his chest as they got closer and closer to the courtroom.

He glanced at each of his friends, the ones who were still alive with him.

Kokichi, who, despite the hardships he went through before and during the game, gathered the strength to surpass them all, with the help of the kind hearts of the group.

Kaito, who, despite his disability as well as the false accusations thrown against him during the third trial, was someone one could count on, a great friend who wouldn’t let you down.

Miu, who, despite her willingness to kill for her cherished son at the beginning of the game, turned her sorrow into determination to end the game and to fight against their captor, and used her compassion to help whoever needed her.

Kirumi, who, despite her title, was one of his greatest allies, helped him through the hardest times, as well as the rest of them with a great strength, intelligence, as well as the double-edged sword that her condition is.

Friends that he would never, ever forget.

…

The elevator ride was even longer than last time- were they in yet another room?

His question was quickly answered when the door opened.

The courtroom did not even look like one anymore. The decoration was as futuristic looking as the podiums, with bright neon colors vibrating in the dark. And yet, the room was illuminated well enough for them to be able to see each other clearly.

They went to their podiums. And now, eleven of them were occupied by portraits stained by pink crosses.

They looked at each other, all uncertain about the outcome.

But they had to do this.

This killing game was going to end, right here and there, at last.

#ndrv3 #danganronpa v3 #ndrv3 au #beta au #main story

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