#promotions [her royal highness invites you to court]

[liroyalty]

『𝐼𝓃 𝒶 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓎』 『𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓊𝓃𝒻𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒷𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓂𝑒𝒹』 『𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒞𝒶𝓈𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝑜 𝒽𝒾𝑔𝒽, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓏𝑜𝓃𝓈』

Independent Roleplaying blog, for a pair of divine, polar opposite, sister princess OCs.

Multiple minor muses & special muses available.

Hosted in a open & expansive fantasy world. 14 countries total. Mostly English/French/Asian based cultures.

Semi-Selective, multi-verse & multi-ship. Adores AUs!

Sensitive & NSFW Topics are Present

21+ Mun: Run Erratically by Chaos Fingers. 10+ Years of RP experience

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『𝒲𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓎 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒾𝓉?』 『𝒯𝑜 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃'𝓈 𝒿𝑒𝓌𝑒𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒸𝓇𝑜𝓌𝓃?』 『𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒾𝓉 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓁𝑒𝑔𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑒?』

[siderealscribblings]

99 years, 11 months, 27 days The Palais Mermonia

“Good moooooooooooooooorning ladies!” 

Furina was usually in a chipper mood when she swanned out of her suite, but as her mistress left her Palais apartments, Eponine could have sworn she was beaming… and only partially because of the glowing blue jewel around her throat. 

Is that the jewel? Fantine mouthed behind Furina’s back, eyes widening as Eponine nodded furiously. It had been smaller when Eponine last laid eyes on it, but there was no mistaking the distinct shimmer and hue of the gem she had seen in Neuvillette’s hands. The one she had been asked to keep a secret from Furina. 

“Good morning, ma’am,” Sana said, blinking owlishly at the jewel as Furina’s guards trailed after her. “You’re in high spirits today.” 

“Well why shouldn’t I be?” Furina laughed. “It’s a holiday, my dear demoiselles; everyone is entitled to an extra slice of joy!” 

“I’m glad to see you more optimistic than you were yesterday, ma’am,” Sana chuckled. “Something must’ve lifted your spirits.” 

Or some one , Eponine thought, sharing a knowing look with her friend. Perhaps it was just the promotion to the Royal Guard that put her in closer contact with the Archon’s household, but Eponine could have sworn the Iudex and the Archon were becoming less and less secretive about their affections for one another. She had seen nothing concrete of course, but Eponine had seen Neuvillette carry a sleeping Archon to her chambers enough times to question whose bed she would be sleeping in. 

“Unfortunately, my birthday party can’t be all fun and games,” Furina sighed, snatching a danish from a melusine pushing a cart topped with food. “Has the Liyue delegation arrived yet?” 

“The Honorable Madam Cloud Retainer is awaiting Your Eminence in the western drawing room,” Sana said. 

“So early? My my, someone is eager to make my acquaintance, aren’t they?” Furina laughed, covering a thoughtful frown with a bite of food. It’s barely nine; did they take a speedboat from Liyue? 

“If I were invited to an Archon’s birthday party, I would be eager as well,” Sana said. “She has not been waiting long; her party arrived at Romaritime Harbor a few hours ago and made straight for the Court.” 

“No other adepti are with her?” Furina asked. 

“No recognizable figures were with Madam Cloud Retainer when she presented herself to the Palais staff,” Fantine reported. “She arrived with twenty or so bureaucrats and representatives of Liyuen merchant families; they’re currently settling into the Liffey Wing of the Palais as per your instructions.” 

“Good, good…w-were any of these dignitaries tall, golden-eyed young men with long brown hair?” Furina asked. “...by any chance?”

“Not that I could see,” Eponine said. “Someone we should be concerned about, ma’am?” 

“No no, just a…doctor of the adepti that aided M. Neuvillette some years ago,” Furina said, waving her hand dismissively. A doctor and the foremost god killer in Teyvat. 

Rex Lapis’ absence brought Furina no comfort; the last time the adepti visited Fontaine, they had come unexpectedly armed and had roughed her Iudex up. Granted, even Neuvillette admitted that he started it, but Furina still didn't like random demigods traipsing into her city unnoticed. Only one adeptus had been recorded entering the city, but all that told her was that there could be more that weren’t recorded. The Court of Fontaine was jammed to the gills with tourists and visitors from all over the world; if anyone wanted to enter the city undetected, today would have been the perfect day. 

“Has M. Neuvillette been informed of this?” Furina asked. 

“He is informed, but he’s dealing with the delegation from Inazuma at the moment,” Sana said. “They passed through Romaritime Harbor shortly after the delegation from Liyue; M. Neuvillette asked that they be received at the Opera before they were brought to the Palais.” 

I wonder if he wants to meet that Minamoto no Makoto character…or perhaps he just wants an opportunity to size up Miss Miko before she sinks her teeth into me, Furina thought. Little was known about Inazuma’s high priestess other than that she was crafty, well connected, and (distressingly) beautiful. Furina had no real rival for Neuvillette’s affections; the women who flirted with him all failed to pierce his somewhat stuffy facade like Furina had...but none of them had been beautiful spirits either. Miko had more power in her fingernail clippings than Furina had in her entire body and everyone knew dragons lusted for power. 

Oh stop it; you have too much on your plate to worry about boy troubles , Furina chided herself, shaking her head. Or rather man troubles...or rather dragon man troubles...

Read More...

Chapter 1

[reverend-dog]

Friday at The Local

Fridays at The Local were usually crazy, but tonight promised to be something extra.

First, it was a blood moon. The eclipse started just after happy hour, which was not planned but surprised nobody, at least not the staff or regulars. Significant astronomical events always seemed to start, end, or reach their peak during happy hour. Once, a major conjunction coincided with a solar flare, just as the first rounds were being poured. The kraken’s beak hangs above the bar, the harpoon tip still lodged in it.

The bell above the door jingled. “Ty!” the other regulars shouted in greeting. They always stretch it out so it sounds like “Tiiiiieeeee!”

Any other night, Ty would return a jaunty salute before tossing her Royal Star Marine beret expertly onto the hat rack and sauntering to her favorite stool. Tonight, the beret stayed on Ty’s head until trudging steps brought her to her stool, then it collapsed unceremoniously onto the bar. Ty herself did a credible imitation of the beret as she slumped onto her stool.

“A pitcher,” she grumbled.

Momo gazed up at Ty with her usual Zen Master look. “Ask again,” she invited.

Ty scowled. “Not tonight, Momo. I’m not in the mood.”

Conversation had already become muted at Ty’s uncharacteristic entrance. At her rebuke of Momo, the only sound in the entire bar was a faint metallic ting of a pin against the floor. Dr. von Drake was delighted to finally test that idiom.

“That,” Momo replied, unruffled, “is why you need to ask again.”

The quiet words might as well have been cold water in Ty’s face. She blinked, and her scowl melted into contrition. “Sorry, Momo,” she offered. “My usual, please.”

Momo smiled, nodded, picked up Ty’s beret and sailed it across the room to its usual peg. “Better,” she judged, and signaled to Lilith to fill Ty’s order, “and tell Myke to send out a platter,” she added. “Now,” Momo prefaced as she turned her attention back to Ty, “what could have made you forget your manners?”

“Yes,” Acatl hissed as he sidled next to Ty, his desiccated features a rictus of concern. He adjusted his ornate golden collar, embossed with stylized snakes, as he leaned one elbow on the bar. “It must be something dire indeed, Sergeant, to dampen your irrepressible spirit. Let us help!”

Ty sighed. “Guess I knew I couldn’t come in here and keep it to myself,” she admitted. She swiveled her stool to face the room full of expectant, eager faces. “Let me have my usual,” she negotiated, “and I’ll spill it.”

“My cue,” Lilith sang, and shoved a flagon from her position at the far end of the bar. Everybody in between grabbed their drinks or plates to clear the vessel’s path, then replaced them once it passed.

Ty turned back to the bar in time to stop the flagon’s journey with her hand. She lifted it to her lips and, with a quick breath, drained the contents in one draught. “Apologies,” she offered to Lilith. “Figured it best to not keep folk waiting.”

Momo emerged from the kitchen carrying an oval platter piled high and steaming. “It’ll keep,” she promised, “while you spill your tea.”

Ty favored Momo with a grateful smile, then turned to the room once more. “I’ve been offered a promotion,” she announced. “A captaincy.”

A few patrons offered uncertain congratulations, but most of the tavern held their silence in anticipation of the other shoe’s descent. “The catch,” Ty obliged, “is that I have to get married.”

“How is that a problem?” queried XB7, a question mark on its faceplate. “You have a romantic unit. Does she not wish to be wed?”

“Oh,” Ty shook her head, “she’d love to! We’ve been planning on it for months!” Sadness weighed her features. “But she won’t do. Royal Star Marine officers have to wed nobility or royalty, and Mila’s as common-blood as, well, as me.”

“Ze solution is obvious,” Dr. von Drake stated. “Refuse ze commission.”

Frustration twisted Ty’s face. “I can’t!” she countered, voice near a shout. “Without an acceptable reason, refusing a commission merits a court martial!”

“What,” Acatl hissed, “would be an acceptable reason?”

Ty shrugged. “A lack of proper suitors,” she conjectured. “I really don’t know. I don’t think anybody does. The decision is up to the Legion Council. Nobody’s ever refused a commission before, at least there’s no record of it.”

“No sweat, dude,” Deke spoke up. “Do the wedding thing, and keep Mila too!” He grinned and nodded as his squad of surf ninjas clapped and cheered his ingenuity.

“I don’t want to marry anybody else!” Ty protested. “I just want Mila!”

“And your career,” Lilith amended.

“A conundrum,” analyzed Dr. von Drake, one finger tapping his bill.

Momo looked thoughtful. “Ty,” she spoke softly, “does your intended have to be of Federal nobility or royalty?”

“I… don’t think so,” Ty considered. “I read through the regulations, and they just state nobility or royalty.”

Dr. von Drake waddled over to Ty. “Do you haff a copy of zose regulations vith you?”

“Yes,” added Acatl. “I would like to peruse them as well, if I may.”

Ty produced an electronic tablet and held it out. The avian scientist and Aztec lich bent their heads over the screen in scrutiny.

Momo nodded. “Your Excellency!” she called, as she turned to a rear corner of the room. “Are you still with us?”

From the corner booth emerged a man of average height, with thick, dark hair and a heavy moustache and goatee. He wore a blue coat and slacks of vaguely military cut, with shiny buttons and fringed epaulets. On his head perched a top hat with a plume, but he doffed his headgear with a flourish as he approached the bar. “At your service, Momo!” he responded. “How may the Empire be of assistance?”

“We need a commission,” Momo told him. “The grander, the better. What can you offer?”

His Excellency harrumphed. “Why, whatever is needed!” he declared. “If the young lady is without kin, I can even declare her my adoptive daughter!” He turned to Ty. “Is she?”

Ty stared, mouth slightly ajar. “Um, I guess,” she replied. “Her parents died a couple years ago, in the war.”

“A war orphan!” His Excellency clapped a hand over his heart. “I would be honored to add her to my line!”

“Vell,” announced Dr. von Drake, “dere does not appear to be any restriction on vat sort of noble or royal title your spouse must claim.”

“And should it come to a question,” Acatl promised, “I will gladly offer my counsel to argue the point.”

Momo tapped Ty’s arm, and Ty jumped as if shocked. “Call Mila,” Momo directed. “We can even hold the ceremony here, if you like. Lilith can officiate.”

Lilith smiled and waved from the far end of the bar.

Ty looked as if she had just dismounted from a high-speed carnival ride. She offered no resistance as Momo plucked her phone from her pocket, found the proper listing, and tapped the screen before returning the device. The tavern held its collective breath as she lifted the phone to her ear.

“Hi, sweetness,” she spoke into the mic. “Can you come by The Local? There’s, um, there’s something we need to discuss. No, no, nothing bad.” She nodded. “Okay, good. See you soon.” Call ended, she looked at Momo. “She’s on her way.”

Momo nodded, then turned to the tavern. “You heard her,” she commanded. “Volunteers! We have a royal wedding to arrange!”

[music-observer]

Blue Ivy Carter Impresses Fans with Talents and Poise in Performance with Beyoncé at Dubai’s Atlantis Royal Hotel

In an invitation-only performance on Saturday night in Dubai to mark the opening of the city’s opulent new hotel, The Atlantis Royal, Beyoncé made an incredible comeback to the stage.

Fans were treated to an unforgettable experience at Beyoncé’s first live performance in four years at the occasion.

The evening’s high point was a special rendition of “Brown Skin Girl” by Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé’s daughter. Her mother introduced the 11-year-old and welcomed her to the stage as her “Brown Skin Girl.”

Together, the two sang the song, with Blue Ivy playing a prominent part. The track is from Beyoncé’s 2019 companion album to the live-action Lion King film.

Fans were ecstatic to see the mother-daughter duo perform together, and the performance was greeted with thunderous applause and cheers.

Moreover, fans have praised the young Blue Ivy for her abilities and poise on stage after watching the performance’s video on social media.

“Where are all my brown skin girls? Give it up for my baby, my brown skin girl, Miss Blue Ivy Carter,” Beyoncé stated. “If you love a brown-skinned woman, I want you to help us sing this.”

Read also: Madonna Announces “Celebration” Tour to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of ‘Holiday’

A Star Too

At her mother’s recent concert in Dubai, Blue Ivy, the eldest child of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, made a chic stage appearance.

Dressed in a red ensemble, she complemented Beyoncé’s regal yellow gown. The young star has already made a name for herself in the music industry, with writing credits on the song “Brown Skin Girl” and a Grammy Award for her contributions to the song in 2021.

The concert in Dubai was Beyoncé’s first live performance since the release of her seventh studio album, “Renaissance,” last summer. 

She did not perform any songs from this Grammy-nominated project, but instead sang some of her greatest hits, including “Crazy in Love,” “Naughty Girl,” “Beautiful Liar,” and “Be Alive.” The latter song was written for the soundtrack of the film King Richard.

Blue Ivy also joined her mother at last year’s Academy Awards, performing “Be Alive” on a tennis court in Compton, California. She was one of a group of young backup dancers dressed in yellow, as seen in the photograph.

Beyonce

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, known simply as Beyoncé, is a multi-talented artist who has become one of the most successful and influential musicians of the 21st century. 

Born in Houston, Texas in 1981, Beyoncé began her career as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child before launching her solo career in 2003. Since then, she has become one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 100 million records sold worldwide.

One of the things that sets Beyoncé apart from other artists is her versatility. She is known for her powerful and soulful voice, but she is also a skilled dancer, actress, and businesswoman. 

She has released seven studio albums, all of which have been critically acclaimed and commercially successful. 

Her most recent album, “Lemonade,” was released in 2016 and was a revolutionary concept album that explored themes of black womanhood, love, and betrayal. It was met with widespread critical acclaim and received nine Grammy nominations, winning two.

Queen Bee

Beyoncé is also known for her live performances, which are always visually stunning and feature elaborate choreography. 

She has toured extensively and has performed at some of the biggest music festivals and venues around the world. Her “Formation World Tour” in 2016 was one of the highest-grossing tours of all time, earning over $250 million.

In addition to her music career, the Queen Bee is also an active philanthropist and advocate for social justice. 

She has worked with various organizations to promote education and empowerment for young women and girls, and has also been an advocate for various political and social causes, such as LGBT rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Despite her busy schedule, Beyoncé has managed to maintain a relatively private personal life. She is married to rapper Jay-Z and they have three children together. 

Beyoncé is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and influential women in the world and continues to inspire and influence countless people with her music and activism...Read More

Read also: Mastodon and Gojira Announces 2023 Joint Headline Concert

Source: Music Observer

[gayahithwen]

There’s a decent watch order guide on the d20 wiki for anyone who gets overwhelmed by all the content they’ve put out and wondering where to start. Each season is its own self-contained story, so technically it’s fine to start anywhere you want. But yeah, there are a few seasons that belong together because they’re set in the same world. And we also distinguish between full-length campaigns and shorter side-quests. So, we have roughly three categories (I’m defining side-quest as “less than 10 episodes”):

1. Campaign worlds with more than one campaign in them

Fantasy High; Fantasy High: Sophomore Year; Pirates of Leviathan; The Seven - Set in the world of Spyre, high fantasy meets modern high school. Pirates of Leviathan is a side-quest set in a floating pirate city, the other three are longer and focused around students of Aguefort Adventuring Academy.

The Unsleeping City; The Unsleeping City Chapter 2 - Set in a magical version of New York City, they fight everything from Titania queen of the fairies, to the embodiment of the American Dream, to the concept of apathy, to fucking Robert Moses.

A Crown of Candy; The Ravening War - Set in the world of Calorum, the starting premise being “Game of Thrones meets Candyland”, these ones get a bit dark. The Ravening War is a side-quest prequel to the big campaign, but you probably want to watch these ones in the filming order, not in-universe chronology.

2. Worlds that have a single full-length campaign

Mice and Murder - talking animals meet Sherlock Holmes. (But more Robin Hood style than The Great Mouse Detective, if that makes sense). Ridiculous, filthy, and a genuinely interesting murder mystery.

A Starstruck Odyssey - set in a world originally created by Brennan’s mom back in the 80s, this one deals with everything from hypercapitalism (such as what happens when your cyborg body is on a payment plan), to completely insane royal slugs, to that animated paperclip that wants to help you write a letter.

A Court of Fey and Flowers - A social-focused campaign dealing with various intrigue in the fey courts. The Regency romance tropes are out in full force. If stuff like “their hands are touching!” has been known to get to you, you should one hundred percent watch this one.

Neverafter - Horror meets fairy tale. This one gets very Grimm (ha ha, but seriously, there’s some real body horror, be prepared). The cosmic horror of knowing you’re a story, and fighting for the right to make it your own story.

3. Worlds that only have a side-quest

Escape From the Bloodkeep - Very affectionate Lord of the Rings parody. Starts from the basic premise that the bad guys should’ve won, we follow the misadventures of the Mother of Spiders who was passed over for promotion BECAUSE of her choice to be a mom, the gayest catastrophe of a Witch-King you can imagine, Evil Arwen, and MORE.

Tiny Heist - it’s an Ocean’s 11 style heist! ...amongst the miniscule people. We have a little fairy, an off-brand lego man, a transformers-style robot. They’re looking to break into an attic and steal a roll of quarters. McElroys guest star.

Misfits and Magic - in a world in which Harry Potter is very much a thing, four American teenagers get an invitation to attend a magical British boarding school. We have a complete jock, a budding influencer, a broody fangirl, and the most cursed sad boy ever. Brutal and hilarious deconstruction and reconstruction of all the tropes, not afraid to say Fuck TERFs, and just... it’s so delicious.

Shriek Week - set at a college for humans and monsters. To be honest, I personally wasn’t able to get into it, but don’t let that hold you back.

Coffin Run - Dracula is returning home, and all his most beloved minions must help him get there. A lot of delighting in horror tropes.

Dungeons and Drag Queens - four ladies must descend into the underworld/afterlife to fight for the things they hold most dear. Four real life drag queens who mostly haven’t played much TTRPGs before, but who quickly come to delight in the storytelling. And Brennan gets to look super fabulously Puck-ish.

Mentopolis - Inside Out meets Film Noir. This one is currently ongoing, so I shan’t give away too much. They’re all aspects of the same person’s mind, and trying to solve a mystery both within the world of the mind and the outside world that the “Big Guy” lives in.

For me, this way of dividing them makes most sense, rather than focusing on the main cast or who is GM-ing. That information is easily enough available elsewhere.

If you’re just looking to dip your toe into Dimension 20, I’d recommend starting with Escape From the Bloodkeep (which is available in full on Dimension 20′s Youtube, meaning you don’t even have to sign up for Dropout dot tv). But yeah, anything in category 2 or 3 is completely stand-alone, so go wild on watch order.

Saw your tags about dimension 20, and coincidentally I also just started it! I've had a dropout subscription for a while and finally decided to push through my mild discomfort with the concept of tabletop roleplaying to watch. I did start at the beginning though (I'm a couple episodes in and enjoying it), in your opinion is it worth skipping to get to the current season?

I've only watched the current season and i don't think i missed anything by starting here. i'm not that into roleplaying games but i got the subscription just to watch mentopolis because hank green (the first ep is available for free on youtube and then i liked it enough to continue).

Mentopolis is self contained so its fine to skip to it, i don't know if all of the seasons are. it's also not actually D&D whereas i think previous seasons are? And i don't know how previous seasons compare in terms of how fun they are to watch. 4th episode released today and there's gonna be 6 total i think, releasing weekly, so whether you want to wait for it to complete and binge or watch as it comes out is also a factor.

[esamastation]

Xerxes au snippet

The first official political overture the small desert nation of Xerxes makes towards Amestris in over fifty years is a year after the end of the Ishvalan Civil War. Though it is expected to concern the war, and the border between Amestris and Xerxes, or perhaps even Amestrian use of Alchemy in the war, is has nothing to do with the bloody conflict, or it's relation to Xerxes' famously pacifistic view on alchemy.

It is a simple, polite appeal to the Amestrian Government – an invitation for an Amestrian automail mechanic to join the Xerxesian court.

"Bit odd," Havoc mutters, after a copy of the letter has gone around the office a few times. "What do they need an automail mechanic for – isn't Xerxesian medical alchemy, like… world famous?"

"For given the value of fame, yes," Roy agrees, fingers crossed together and a thoughtful look on his face. "They say early Amestrian alchemists learned from Xerxesians. We still use a lot of their symbols in our alchemy – but if Xerxesian alchemists are world famous about anything these days, it's their reticence. No outsider has seen much about the way they go about things these days, if they even practice alchemy anymore."

Of course there are rumours, there are always rumours, and there's history – the great and wealthy kingdom of Xerxes, alchemically on top of the world and widely known for their wisdom and knowledge and the miracles they achieved… who reached too far, tried to achieve the power of gods, and got struck down by said gods for it. How accurate that is, no one knows, but it's known that some disaster hundreds of years ago devastated the kingdom, killed most of its people, and it never fully recovered. Now it's people can only barely scrape by, living in huts and caves and underground, and they don't treat with outsiders much beyond the absolutely necessary.

Beyond trade routes established to get Amestrian goods through Xerxes to Xing, there's never been much interest for Xerxes, except maybe for it's grand history and it's many ruins. It doesn't help that Xerxes, as far as anyone knows, has never really reached outside, keeping to its isolationist values – and since it has little to offer to other nations… no one reached back, either. As far as anyone knows, Xerxes hasn't advanced at all scientifically or technologically in the last hundred years.

Which makes the fact that they want specifically an automail mechanic, an craftsman of one of Amestris' most advanced technology, rather interesting, doesn't it?

"I hear they took a lot of Ishvalan refugees during the war," Fuery says – he's the one holding the letter, reading it through.

Roy hums grimly. There's that, though took in might be stretching it a bit. Xerxes didn't do much to protect its borders – there was no need, with a desert all around their kingdom. So, when Ishvalan refugees sought to escape the conflict and set out to the desert, there was nothing but the terrain itself to stop them. Who knows how many Ishvalans made it through the desert, on foot and probably hurt…

"Why'd they send this to our office?" Breda asks, casting a look at Roy.

"They sent it to Grumman who sent it to us," Roy sighs and leans back in his chair. "The Lieutenant General wants us to find a suitable mechanic and then escort them – along with the Fürher's greetings – to Xerxes. The mission isn't exactly time sensitive, but since we're in the East…"

There's probably many reasons it was thrown their way, really. Way to keep those uppity brats from East busy, easily justified with them being closest to the matter at hand. It also wasn't exactly vital as diplomatic missions go – but it was still a diplomatic mission to a foreign nation, which means that Roy would want to handle it himself instead of leaving it to any of his subordinates. Especially since it's to Xerxes – what Alchemist wouldn't give an arm and a leg for a glimpse at how Xerxesian alchemy is these days? So, it was expected that he'd go himself. Which would get him out of people's way for a while, and maybe open up a slot for someone else to be promoted to his place, depending how long it would take.

How annoying. Grumman can be one clever son of a bitch when he wants to be.

"Right," Roy says while his team exchanges looks. "I want a list of all automail mechanics of East on my desk by the end of the day – if you can figure out their feelings about Ishval and if they have any history with the Ishvalan Civil War, that'd be a plus. Get to work."

"Sir!" his team answers, and immediately get to it, Fuery and Fallman both heading out to probably check records, while Havoc fishes out a phone book and Breda gets the phone. Beside Roy, Hawkeye gives him a look.

"Should I start preparing for travel?" she asks mildly.

"If you please," Roy says, turning to his paperwork. "We'll take Breda with us."

"Understood."

-

Over the course of next two days, they list and investigate various automail shops in the east, Roy privately wincing at how many there are, and how many of them are less than a decade old. The Ishvalan Civil War had been a boon to the business, and a lot of mechanics from the south moved in to take advantage of the situation. Lots of new up and coming mechanics, cutting their teeth in on a lot of freshly traumatised soldiers.

It left a lot of them… unsuitable for a mission likely to involve Ishvalan refugees.

"Known for his Anti-Ishvalan sentiments," Breda says, crossing out another potential automail shop. "This one has a No Refugees sign on his shop front, which probably means the same thing. This one has a pretty high record of automail rejection syndrome. This one has had two patients die on the operation table…"

Roy rubs a hand over his forehead, already imagining having to reach for the Southern District to find someone sensible in Rush Valley, when Breda offers him a potential. "Rockbell Automail, in business for decades before the Ishvalan Conflict even began."

"Rockbell," Roy says, lifting his head. "Any relation to the two late Doctors Rockbell?"

"Yep. Son and daughter in law of Doctor Pinako Rockbell, the head mechanic of the shop," Breda says and lays the file on his desk. "Their daughter is currently an apprentice mechanic in the shop, too."

Roy grimaces at that, but accepts the file, leafing quickly through it. Old, well established shop, known for their skill and efficiency, with very high praise from a lot of former customers and no known record of either deaths on operation table, auto mail rejections, or any anti-Ishvalan sentiments. There is a slight issue of the head mechanic being an old woman and the only other mechanic being a young girl, but…

It's promising.

"Phone," Roy says, and Hawkeye quickly lifts it on his desk, turning it toward him so that he can dial easily.

"Rockbell Automail, Pinako Rockbell speaking," a woman's voice answers the phone promptly, her tone brisk.

"Doctor Rockbell, my name is Roy Mustang, I'm a Lieutenant Colonel from the East Area Headquarters – may I have a moment of your time?"

"Certainly," Doctor Rockbell answers, no noticeable change in her tone. "What can do for you, Lieutenant Colonel? Aside from automail, presumably."

"I am currently looking for a skilled automail mechanic to take part in a diplomatic mission, likely to involve Ishvalan refugees," Roy says. "Your shop came up as highly recommended."

"Hrm. What kind of diplomatic mission? Don't the military have their own automail mechanics?"

"There are some, but none in the Eastern Headquarters," Roy admits – probably because the East has such surplus of civilian mechanics these days. "And I'll be frank, the likely length of this mission makes it difficult to use any of our military mechanics. The mission is to Xerxes, and will likely take weeks, if not months."

"… Xerxes?" now the old woman's voice changes, growing a little incredulous.

"Yes, the Xerxes Royal Family sent the Amestrian government an appeal for a skilled automail mechanic to join their court, and I was tasked with the mission of finding one," Roy explains and leans back, turning to look out of the window while he talks. "You would be well compensated for your trouble, however long it would last."

"Is this… a permanent position? In Xerxes?" Still incredulous.

"We don't know as of yet, the treaties are yet to be drawn. You would naturally be part of the negotiations and your wishes and needs would be taken into account," Roy assures her. "I understand this is a bit much so suddenly, and I will hold it in no way against you if you refuse outright – though I am hoping that if that is the case, then perhaps you, as a well established mechanic, might be able to point me in the way of more suitable candidates…"

Honestly, with a shop as old and as well established as hers, Roy doubts very much she would take him up on the mission – she probably has a whole lot of regular clients and steady stream of income, and no need to move. But, it never hurts to ask.

The phone line is quiet for a moment as the old mechanic thinks. "I need to talk with my apprentice for a moment, can I call you back in, say, two hours?"

"Certainly," Roy agrees, and gives her his office number. "We'll be looking forward to your call."

"Right – one more thing. You said it's likely to involve Ishvalan refugees," Doctor Rockbell says. "How'd you mean?"

"We don't know for sure, the appeal didn't explain the need for a mechanic. But during the Ishvalan Civil War, many Ishvalan refugees fled to Xerxes. So we thought it safe to assume the two are connected."

"Ah," the mechanic says knowingly. "And they put a State Alchemist in charge of finding a solution."

Roy swallows. Ah. She knows about him. It's not entirely surprising, but… "They did indeed," is all he says. There's no real explanation he can give, no excuse. It is what it is."

"Hm," Doctor Rockbell answers, noncommittal. "I will call back in two hours."

And she does, accepting the mission with two conditions. The military would help her pack up her entire shop and all the materials and tools would be transported with them – which was understandable, even if it tripled the estimated convoy size. The other condition was that she was taking her eleven year old apprentice with her. Both conditions Roy readily agreed to, tasking Havoc and Fallman with her packing while the rest of the team arranged the convoy.

"Guess we're going to Xerxes then. We're going to need a lot of camels," Breda muses.

"Yes," Roy agrees and sighs. It would be a hard journey and probably a hard mission, and likely one for very little gain in the end. Still. Xerxes. His alchemy master would've killed for the opportunity. Might as well take full advantage of it, and learn whatever he can, even if it's only from broken murals on ancient ruins.

-

Hmm... not sure I’m getting Mustang’s voice right.

Edit: Also tumblr eats italics for breakfast apparently.

[josefavomjaaga]

Helfert, Joachim Murat, Chapter 6, Part 6

The prisoners were dragged to the castle, and there they were kept in dark cells until the general Nunziante, commanding in Calabria, arrived from Tropea. The intendant Alcalà took pity on Murat and sent him clothes and linen; one or two others were also active in providing the unfortunates with some assistance and refreshments. The overwhelming majority, however, remained rough and obdurate, above all the captain of the gendarmerie, who incited rather than restrained the wild mob that surrounded the prison. It was not until the evening that Captain Stratti marched into the castle with 40 men of infantry, which Nunziante had sent ahead of him, occupied it and turned the unruly thugs out. Soon the general also appeared, who ordered Murat and his officers to more respectable premises. He called the ex-king only "General" and declared that he was faithful to his rightful prince, but knew how to respect misfortune. The other prisoners, too, who had been placed in some detention in the city, now received more humane treatment; surgeons came to dress their wounds, which had hitherto not been attended to at all. Nunziate telegraphed to Naples and asked for specific instructions.

In the meantime, the news that the former king Joachim had been seized and imprisoned in the castle of Pizzo while attempting to insurgent the country had spread like wildfire in the surrounding area, and threatening mobs poured into the city on the 9th, so that Nunziante had to summon all his military severity to maintain order and send the unwelcome guests home again. The poor prisoner, who heard something of these gatherings, lulled himself into the belief that his loyal subjects would come to free him, and some of those around him, such as Franceschetti, encouraged him in this, while the others recognised only too well that their "king" had no friends or supporters willing to make sacrifices among the Calabrese.

Nunziante showed the "General Murat" every consideration permitted. He invited him to his house for breakfast and dinner, and the King's companions did not miss the fact that the Sicilian soldiers, without being told to do so, held up their rifles as often as he passed them. Nunziante allowed him to read books, including Metastasio's poetry, which Murat occasionally had read to him. The prisoner was allowed to write to his wife, to the Austrian commander in Naples, to the British envoy, and Nunziante offered to send the letters to Naples so that they could reach their addresses.

On the 12th, Colonel Robinson anchored in the Bay of Pizzo with some craft from the Sicilian flotilla. Murat expressed the wish to be taken to Tropea, but Robinson was unwilling to do so.

The first news of the events in Pizzo reached Naples on the evening of the 9th through the medium of the optical telegraph: it read vaguely that "a French general" had been arrested. It was immediately assumed that it could be none other than Joachim Murat; but when our envoy appeared before him the next day, King Ferdinand declared that he was not yet sure of his case. The news spread like lightning through the city, which was thrown into an enormous uproar. On the part of the Austrian garrison, the necessary precautions were taken in all haste but also without any commotion, which in the meantime proved to be quite unnecessary: not the slightest disorder occurred, no attempt was made at a putsch or uprising. At first it was thought at court to take the most well-known supporters of the ex-king into custody, but in the end the realisation prevailed that this could only cause a dangerous stir and make the situation more critical than it actually was. But in order not to give Murat's men time to undertake anything more serious, an express messenger was sent to deliver to General Nunziante the order concerning the treatment under martial law of him who had been seized with arms in his hand. Two days later, Ferdinand, who was neither at rest nor at ease because of the uncertainty, sent the Prince of Canosa to Calabria to bring reliable news.

The royal courier arrived in Pizzo late in the evening of the 12th and immediately arrangements were made for the composition of the court martial. It consisted of eight officers, the procurator-general of the Calabrian region beyond, Giovanni la Camera, and a secretary; the officers, with the exception of one who had come with Ferdinand IV from Sicily, had all served under Murat and had been promoted by him.

On the 13th in the morning they awaited Joachim's awakening - only the day before he had spoken of being given a custody of honour on Austrian territory! - whereupon General Nunziante entered his room and gently announced to him what awaited him. "Woe is me," exclaimed the prisoner painfully, "then I am lost: the court-martial is death!" His officers, even his valet Armand, had to leave him, they were led away into a narrow, dark dungeon; in their place Captain Stratti appeared with four Sicilian officers to announce to him that he would have to answer to the military commission. At this point, all his pride awoke: "Men like me are only accountable to God and their conscience for their actions. Not even King Ferdinand could sit in judgement over me, for I myself am a king, I have not relinquished my right and title by any act. Sovereigns have no one to judge but God and their peoples!" Thus he also spoke to Captain Starace, whom the commission appointed to defend him, and who announced it to him with the words: "I am to defend Your Majesty, and before what judges!" "They are not my judges, they are my subjects!" And then again: "They are not my judges, they are my henchmen: I forbid you to speak a word in my defence". The most insistent pleas of Stratti and Starace, who were themselves both deeply moved, that he should at least put something in writing in his defence, were to no avail. The Commission's rapporteur, Lieutenant Froio, entered and wanted to begin the interrogation with the usual questions about name, country, age, etc., but Murat cut him off: "I am Joachim Napoleon, King of the Two Sicilies. Remove yourself!"

Froio, Starace, Stratti left the room where Murat remained in the company of the four Sicilian officers. The overflow of emotions that rushed upon him made him talkative. "I would have thought Ferdinand more humane and a greater man," he said sadly; " I would not have proceeded thus with my adversary in his place!" And now he began to explain to them the failure of his last campaign, which he continually attributed only to external circumstances, and came back again and again to the fact that he had never renounced his rights as King of Naples. Then he spoke of his earlier deeds in Italy, in Egypt, in Austria, on the German, on the Spanish, on the Russian theatre of war, of his elevation to the throne of Naples and all that he had done for the country: "I came to Naples with twelve millions of my own fortune; after seven years' rule I left it with 250,000 fr. as all my possessions! I have made every conceivable sacrifice to the country; I have neglected my own interests for the good of Naples!" The emotion overwhelmed him, he burst into tears; then he regained his composure and, after a deep sigh, spoke: "I am reproached for my court management, my army; but even then I had only the prosperity of the country in mind. I have used the revenues of Naples only for its benefit, I have kept nothing for myself, I take no other riches with me when I die than my deeds. That is my glory and my consolation!" He also spoke of the darkest point in his life, the night-time scene of horror in the moat at Vincennes, and claimed that his memory was unfairly burdened with it: "King Ferdinand wants to make up for the tragedy of the Duke of Enghien, it seems, with another tragedy! I had no part in it, God is my witness before whom I shall soon stand !" Then he threw himself into his breast again: "To descend to those before whom I am to answer, too many pages would have to be wiped from the history of Europe!"

At 5 o'clock in the afternoon the sentence was passed: it was death according to Article 87 (assassination against the existing constitution and government) and 91 (incitement to civil war and armed insurrection); these were the laws of former "King Joachim" on the basis of which and according to the wording of which "General Murat" was sentenced! He still had half an hour to live. The Canonicus Masdea, high in his seventies, set himself to administer to him the last consolations of religion ; at the request of the venerable old man, Murat made the written declaration "to die as a good Christian". He then wrote to his wife: "Ma chère Caroline", commended himself to her memory, "ne m'oublie jamais!", took leave of his four children, inscribing each one by name: "I leave you behind, without kingdom and goods, in the midst of my numerous enemies. Always remain united, show yourselves greater than your misfortunes!" He gave them his fatherly blessing, his kisses, his tears: "Always remember your unhappy father!" He cut off a lock of his hair and enclosed it with the letter, which he presented to Captain Stratti unsealed: "the seal would be found in his right hand after his death". He wanted to say goodbye to his officers, the faithful comrades of his fateful journey, but was refused: "Well then, do not hesitate any longer, I am ready to suffer death!"

He only had to cross the threshold of his room and found himself in a small courtyard where twelve men were standing by. He did not suffer to be blindfolded. "Soldiers," he cried, "do not make me suffer long, the narrowness of the room itself compels you to place the muzzles of your rifles on my breast!" He stretched out his right arm with a closed fist, to which he kept his eyes fixed as the shots fell. He was dead in an instant; when his right hand was opened, a carnelian with the image of Caroline's head was found in it ... At the same time that the death sentence was carried out in the fort, General Nunziante, in full uniform, was seen leaning against the wall of an adjoining house, his face covered by his sackcloth.

Murat's body, almost torn apart by the nearby decharge, was placed in a simple coffin and quietly buried in the local church.

[fatefulfaerie]

Wish

I’ve been working too hard on a big multi-chapter fic and too little on school work so you can imagine why writing one shots was pushed to the side a bit. Nonetheless, I have one for you all today. I hope you like it!

Incarnation: Breath of the Wild

“Hey,” Zelda heard in her ear.

She didn’t move her head but she knew it was him. Zelda restrained a smile but her blush spread like wildfire.

“You came,” she said.

She wished she could turn her head, but reasoned he knew very well why she couldn’t. Princess Zelda was like a trophy, sitting on the throne for the image of it all. She looked down at the ball below her with nothing but boredom.

“I was invited,” Link argued.

Zelda looked to her shoulder slightly, starting to actually address him.

“You told me the formality wasn’t worth the trouble,” Zelda said. “I envied your ability to make that choice.”

In the corner of her eye she saw him kneel beside the throne.

“Had to throw you off the scent,” Link said. “Surprise you.”

She looked to him fully now, down at where he was kneeling. She doubted anyone would actually notice.

“You hate wearing the royal guard attire,” Zelda said. “If you don’t have to be here, then why would you waste your night off?”

Link shrugged.

“I have my reasons.”

Zelda shook her head, them both now looking below them.

“Not for my sake, I’m sure,” she said. “There must be some ulterior motive, some potential promotion from the General, some political maneuver, maybe even some Lady in the court you fancy.”

She heard Link let out a small laugh.

“Have you ever considered that I’m actually starting to like you?” Link asked. “You don’t yell at me anymore. It’s more than a possibility that we become civil, maybe even friends.”

Zelda looked to him with parted lips. He had a small smile, like he was offering the cordiality he was suggesting.

She had apologized last week for her previous infantile behavior, but she didn’t expect him to forgive her like he had, nor did she expect what he was doing now.

“You want to be my friend?” She asked.

“I don’t see why not,” said Link.

“You realize there’s no advantage to that, right?” Zelda asked rhetorically. “I can’t promote you.”

Link leaned closer, placing his crossed arms on an arm of the throne.

“I’ll let you have the final word on the matter, of course, but keep in mind that I’m starting to like you, not your title.”

Zelda leaned her elbow on the same arm of the throne. Her head leaned into her hand so that her face was inches from Link’s. In fact, her torso had slumped over completely from its previous strict straightness. If anyone had looked at the Princess, they would have started their whispering rumors right then and there, her face so close to her knight attendant.

“I don’t believe you.”

Link smiled, studying her face and ignoring the heat that rose up within him.

“Then I’ll just have to convince you, then,” Link said. “Until you make your decision, of course. I’ll have to convince you that there’s a person behind that Princess, a person I’d like to know with no ulterior motive.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck,” Zelda said. “I’m pretty stubborn.”

“Oh, I know,” Link said, his smile continuing.

He leaned back and away, standing up. Zelda thought he was going to leave until he offered his bent arm.

“Until then,” he continued with a cheeky grin. “As your knight attendant, I’ve decided to rescue you from your prison.”

Zelda’s head released from her head, going from Link, to the ballroom floor, then back to Link.

“I...I can’t just leave.”

“You’ve stayed long enough,” Link argued. “You danced with your suitors, you stood at your father’s side, you forced smiles and laughter. You can step away.”

Zelda but her lip in thought, finding that daring adventure in Link’s blue eyes and imagining it reflected in her own.

No formal words could consent to it so none did, Zelda standing up and locking her arm with Link’s. A twinge in his eyebrows showed his surprise.

“Thank you,” Zelda said as they walked out on the balcony. “Your armor isn’t exactly shining, but it is to me. I must admit that room was getting stuffy.”

She took in an inhale with closed eyes and a smile, feeling the gentle night breeze filter through her lungs, as if cleaning them out. She dislatched her arm from Link’s, running to the edge of the balcony and placing her hands on its’ fence.

Link, in contrast, didn’t move, a warm smile contradicting his cold, ice blue eyes. He adored her, that feeling in his heart told him so, but his station, of course, forced him to yet again bury his feelings.

“Isn’t Hyrule just beautiful at night?” She asked with a slight sigh. Link could tell she was smiling.

“Yeah…” he said. “Beautiful.”

He stepped forward, meeting her where she stood. They fell silent as they looked at the kingdom before them, the Dueling Peaks, the Great Plateau, the mountains to the West. Yet a sparkle in the sky shifted their glances upwards, a shooting star reflecting in their bright eyes.

“A shooting star!” She said excitedly, beaming a large smile. “People used to say that if you catch its fragment before the sun rises, a declared wish would come true. Now, of course the superstition has been reduced to wishing upon it after you see it fly through the sky, but I still would love to catch one someday.”

“Did you make a wish?” Link asked.

Zelda nodded.

“You?” she asked, turning her head.

“Yep,” he said. “Now I suppose the superstition will be put to the test. And, if it doesn’t work, we’ll track down a fragment.”

Zelda smiled, a genuine smile, no force, no formality.

Maybe her wish would come true.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And then the memory faded,” Link said. “Like the others.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zelda asked.

“Well,” Link said with a chuckle. “You were asleep. I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up.”

They were in each other’s arms, an innocent hold sitting on their bed. It was like most mornings in Hateno, the sunrise streaming through the window, the morning birds chirping and greeting each other, the village in the distance waking up and starting to converse, to go about their day.

“I guess I can forgive you,” Zelda said before sighing. “It’s so strange to think about those times, about how much has changed.”

“Did your wish come true?” Link asked.

“Yes,” Zelda smiled before looking up at him. “Did yours? If you remember what it was.”

Link nodded.

“Yeah, it did, at least I think so.”

Zelda took a pause to consider her words.

“Can I ask you something?” she started.

“Yes, we can still look for the fragment,” Link said, assuming her approaching question.

“No, no, that wasn’t my question,” Zelda said before considering. “I mean, yes, but...can I ask what you wished for? Now that they’ve come true, superstition grants us the liberty to say them out loud.”

“Only if you tell me what you wished for.”

“Deal.”

They moved to sit up completely, facing the other on the bed, legs bent and crossed.

“You first,” Link prompted.

Zelda’s smile grew.

“I wished that you were telling the truth...that you really wanted to be my friend...that you liked me and not my title.”

Link felt his heart melt, at her desires then, at her desires now. He almost lost himself in his warm feelings that he just about forgot to say his own wish until Zelda’s expression prompted him.

“I wished that you would find your freedom...somehow,” he said. “That in some small part of your predetermined life...you maybe didn’t have to live it.”

Zelda leaned forward, her elbows going to her knees.

“I guess both our wishes came true,” she said. “After a hundred years or so.”

“I guess so,” Link said before he slowly closed the distance between them, their lips meeting and locking and changing with their breath.

Link started to smile as they continued.

“Have I convinced you yet?” He asked jokingly. “What’s your final word on the matter, Your Highness?”

“A few days after the ball,” Zelda started. “I referred to you as my friend. You smiled at the victory and I thought my final word was spent. Now...it seems my final word continued to change, from best friend to boyfriend to lover. Maybe it will continue to change, but for now I prefer the latter two.”

“So do I,” Link agreed, smiling at her bright green eyes.

[ashleyswrittenwords]

Subtleties of a Suitor (Part 2 of 2)

Summary: Pre-calamity AU where Zelda’s powers awaken in time, but not everything is back to normal after Calamity Ganon is defeated.

Note: This has NSFW themes (such as sex and really disgustingly sappy fluff), tread carefully!

------------

Later in the day, the Labrynna royalty retired to their chambers early. Understandably, due to their long travels and eventful day. Prince Tyrion had been among them, apologizing vehemently for cutting her explanation of Guardian mechanics off and bidding goodnight from Princess Zelda’s study. It was more of a workshop with all the gears and equipment lying about. The sun almost entirely over the horizon through the tall windows.

Zelda sighed when he was far down the hallway and allowed her shoulders to relax. The disadvantage to entertaining royalty were the constant expectations. The Princess was consistently on her guard with speech and posture that talking turned into an exhaustive sport. She absently stared at the detached Guardian sensor she had been showing him, although she wasn’t ignorant to his straying eyes and his bored gaze.

The door to her study made her jump as it opened loudly and her immediate thought was that Prince Tyrion had left something, but it wasn’t him.

“I’m surprised to see you alone,” Link said, genuinity in his tone.

She shrugged, a tad put off by his presence. “His Highness was tired before I dragged him here. My interests seem to put him to sleep.”

“I’m sure you showed no mercy,” he jested.

“Oh, surely not. He did yield to his bed.”

He matched her grin, but she let it devolve into a cough quickly after. She was all too aware of his footsteps crossing the room where he sat in the stool Tyrion had left vacant.

“Did you need something?” Zelda asked, defaulting into formality out of nervousness.

“Actually,” he started, weighing his words as he spoke. “His Majesty wanted me to see if Prince Tyrion was willing to join him for dinner since his family retired.”

“Oh. Seems that won’t be the case.”

“No,” he reached to scratch the back of his neck. Link’s eyes drew to the sensor on the table and his brow furrowed. “When did you get that?”

Tension in Zelda’s face relaxed and an involuntary smile graced her, “A month ago. I recovered it from Hyrule Field. Do you remember when Ganon’s malice began extending across the ground and the Divine Beasts began to act oddly?”

He nodded astutely, “I do. It was when that Guardian attacked us.”

“Well, I want to know how the malice infiltrated it’s mechanics. Since the sensor is where it operates from, I might be able to find something.”

Unabashedly, she began to ramble on about circuits and Sheikah technology. Topics that Link has heard hundreds of times, but he spurred her on. Most times he nodded at her points, smiling as she did, other times he asked questions that launched her into an entirely different science.

“I don’t get it,” he said, leaning on his hand.

“What?” she followed up with the full intention of explaining her points better.

“How he could get tired of you. I don’t understand that.”

Zelda blinked owlishly.

He shrugged and straightened at a realization. “I forgot that your father is waiting on me.”

“Unless that’s an excuse and you’ve gotten tired of me.”

His eyes widened when he stood, “That’s not the case at all, Zelda, I swear to Hylia.”

“I know,” she laughed, “Can you tell him I’m heading to bed, too?”

“Of course,” he said, sobering from her laughter. “Goodnight.”

When he left, she felt a warmth that hadn’t filled her in awhile. She found that she missed that feeling desperately. Zelda wondered if he felt that too. Her legs straightened as she stood and she allowed herself a long moment to stretch. A large sigh filled her until her eyes spied something that hadn’t been on the stool before.

Link must have left it.

It was a small paperback book that looked worn with use. The pages were rounded from being carried around often and she picked it up.

The title was “The Conduct of Courting” and everything made sense. His behavior must be off recently because he’s involved with someone else. I would have realized it faster if I had thought about it. Why else would he suddenly have the gall to be so preformative during court?

Then I realized it must be someone important. The visit a couple days ago is evident that he’s courting, and possibly betrothed to, Princess Aurra. This entire time must have been a show of sparing my feelings. It makes sense why he acted so casually around her. At the duel, he could have easily been looking at Aurra and not me.

Thus why Father invited him to dine with us for supper. Since that night, it’s become a regular event. From a political standpoint, it makes sense. Their marriage would be incredibly advantageous and agreeable. Princess Aurra wouldn’t be inheriting the throne and it’s typical that royal siblings marry nobility and now Link has a proper title. Sure, he’s in the army, but he’s elevated enough to attend our court. Why not a princess too?

Zelda paused, feeling anger rising in her. No, it wasn’t anger, but it hurt just the same. Sorrow built up from the pit of her stomach. She was tired, too, as this was the last day before the Labrynna royal family left for their home country. Maybe if she marries Tyrion, Link would be her brother-in-law.

No, wait, that made her feel sick to the stomach and exponentially worse. In a series of flurried words, she ended her diary entry.

Andthat’sfantasticforhimandIshouldbethrilledforhisfuture.

KindestRegards,

Zelda

She didn’t include a heart this time.

A knock at the door caused her to slam her journal shut with a jolt. She groaned. The ink hadn’t dried yet. With perhaps too much force, she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. That’s it, she was simply tired and will attempt to seem presentable.

Unceremoniously, she rose from her seat and opened the door a crack. The sight through the doorway made her want to scream.

Link opened his mouth before an odd look crossed him. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine,” she said, not fine and positive that red rimmed her eyes. Zelda allowed the door to open enough to fit her frame. Hopefully it politely communicated her desire for his goodnight wishes to end swiftly.

“You don’t act like you’re perfectly fine,” he deadpanned.

The mixture of annoyance, anger, and sorrow built up around her throat and beat down her previous inhibitions. She crinkled her nose and spoke curtly, “It would have been nice if you had told me about your courtship.”

He stayed silent under her searing gaze until, “I… thought you would be happy about it.”

So she was right.

The Princess swallowed dryly. That wasn’t the response she was expecting, but maybe he assumed she had recovered fully from their affair. After all, it had been months since. Three months where it was now apparent no progress had been made. Zelda straightened.

“You misunderstand me. I’m thrilled.”

Link tilted his head in the way he did when he was confused. “You don’t seem thrilled.”

Then, he paled and watched his feet.

“I mean, we can call it off if you’re opposed. I just assumed…” he said with pain tinged words.

Zelda winced. She hadn’t thought her opinion had that much impact. It was obvious he was happy with Aurra and here she was, angry at his good fortune.

“No, Link, I,” she faltered and placed a hand on his arm. “I didn’t mean it that way. I apologize. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

Slowly, he shook his head, “Uh… are you sure about that? I must have misread something or misinterpreted. I want you to be happy for yourself, not just because I was.” He was miffed for reasons that escaped Zelda altogether.

Now, she was just as vexed. “No, no what I think doesn’t matter. I’m only happy that you managed to rebound  from what we had. In a solid relationship there are only two people that have meaningful input: you and her.”

“Wait, what?”

“I said, in a solid relationship-”

He shook his head, “No, Zelda, who do you think I’m courting?”

Her mouth fell closed and she looked at him as if he had two heads. “Princess Aurra.”

“Oh, Hylia,” he breathed out, putting a hand on his chest.

Zelda’s brows knitted together. “Am I wrong? Oh gods, I’m wrong. Who is it? Is it… the maid you always get along with?”

“No.”

“The woman who hit on you at court?”

“Gods no. Zelda-”

“Are you sure it isn’t Princess Aurra? She’s very pretty.”

“Yes,” he was laughing now. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Her shoulders slacked, “Stop laughing, Link. This is serious. I don’t know why you’re mocking me.”

“I understand and I’m sorry,” Link reasoned, attempting to bite down on his lingering smile. The grip on his arm tightened. “I thought about what you told me when you wanted… us… to end.”

Zelda watched his boyish smile upturn at the thought. So, her rejection was what caused him to look elsewhere.

“Of course, it made sense. Though I was beyond heart broken, I knew you were right. You always are,” Link pried her hand off his arm to hold it. “I took your father’s promotion. In that time, I felt worse than I ever had being away from you. You had told me the King would never approve, but I asked anyway.”

His fingers traced over her knuckles as he spoke. Green eyes widened and she could barely whisper out, “You did?”

He nodded with a short smile, “I did. And I was terrified. I told him about how I felt about you and he went so quiet that I thought he’d hang me. Then he asked if you loved me and I told him you’ve said so many times.”

Tears she had been holding back surfaced for an entirely new reason. Zelda’s face scrunched up and she held a hand under her nose. With a trembling lip, she bubbled out, “What did he say?”

“He said that as long as you still held those feelings, I have his blessing.”

She retched her hand from his grasp and flung them around his neck, bursting into a sob. Link buried his head in the crook of his neck and hugged her tightly as she cried.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “I should have told you.”

“So… So…” she sniffed between her attempted words, falling into a sob and back. “So you’ve been courting me this whole time?”

She felt him nod into her.

“You love solving mysteries and I know you like surprises. I’m so sorry.”

“Are you kidding me?” she pulled back, a wide and watery smile met him. His princess was a mess. “This is the best surprise I’ve ever gotten.”

They sank into an embrace once more as reality fell onto her. Never was she so happy to be so wrong. Together, they stood like that in the hallway for a long moment. Zelda breathed him in all over again, her subconscious somewhat hesitant to dive headfirst back into the bucket of emotions that had been pooling for months.

“Zelda.” She heard him say, feeling his voice against her ear.

Full of reluctance, he pulled her away for a moment. His eyes met hers and his movements were small, but they were all too familiar. Link’s hand moved from her waist to her jaw and looked at her like she was the last thing he would ever see. It was so intensely reminiscent of their first kiss that her throat threatened to close up for the second time.

“There’s no Calamity,” she said with a sweet smile.

His thumb drew circles on her skin and he looked down at her with an emotion like no other.

“No,” he finally whispered. “There isn’t.”

Without intention, they drew closer. Her mouth tugged further upwards, “I can be with you.”

Link’s response was pressing his lips to hers and she fell into them easily. His hands cradled her head and pulled her impossibly closer. A whimper from deep within came from her and he swallowed the noise without care. The sound of someone approaching down the hall gave a jumpstart to her heart, but she was too intoxicated with him to respond with reason.

Awfully, his lips pulled away and in her ear, “Someone’s coming.”

His voice, gods his voice, was thick and almost raspy.

“Let them.”

All he did was let out a low laugh and let the heat of his fingers sear through her nightgown. The echoing footsteps were growing louder now.

“Can I spend the night with you?”

It could be her guard. It could be a servant. It could be the Prince.

“Please.”

Just like that, he heaved her into his arms with arm around her shoulders and the back of her knees. She yelped, falling into laughter as he hurried into the room and shut the door behind him. The closing hinges signified their safety and he peered down at her with pure adoration.

“I love your laugh.”

Zelda already had her hands in his hair, bracing herself for a bruising kiss. For a moment, his arms faltered and she thought she’d fall, but they tightened around her instead. When she parted her lips, he invaded her senses so greatly that she moaned in the ecstasy of feeling something she thought she’d never get the chance to feel again. Disbelief, overwhelming amazement, inexplicable happiness.

A groan against her lips sparked a deep burning in her stomach that made her sigh. Link’s tongue was gentle against her mouth. He wasn’t hesitant, but savoring and it made her want to cry from the simple fact that they were here.

She fell onto the bed with a light bounce and watched him remove his tunic, seeing skin tanner than when she last saw it. Emotion welled in her chest and a dry sob made her heave.

“I missed you,” she nearly whined. Her brows drew together as he dipped down to capture her lips again.

He parted shortly, “I missed you.”

Zelda’s hands felt down his shoulders, feeling everything from the smooth skin to rough scars and loved it all. She wasn’t blind to know that she was hopelessly attracted to him. The day where he sparred held a night where she held that memory while pretending her fingers were his, trying to resurrect the moment where they truly were and he whispered small encouragements in the nights where she doubted herself too much for his ears.

“I thought about you every night.” She gasped a gasp as smooth as the sheets she laid upon when his hands felt up her thighs.

His mouth laid claim to the side of her cheek and breathed hot breath over her ear. Link’s grip increased when she shivered. “In what way?”

Her nightgown had long hiked up to her hips. As he laid flush against her, standing between her parted knees, she wrapped him in an embrace that coaxed him to melt into her.

“Sometimes like this.” She smiled softly, sweetly enjoying his warmth and the fact that - yes - this was okay and he was hers.

Then she rolled her hips against his clothed crotch, the sudden friction making Link groan against her neck. Breath hitched in her lungs, the sensation so much better than she remembered.

Zelda sighed from the pleasure, “Sometimes like this.”

Link rose to swiftly catch her in a slow kiss that clouded her mind. His lips moved against her in slow waves, giving hints of what she knew he was capable of. Carefully, slowly, he took her hips and ground down against her heat. Zelda moaned and Link pulled away to watch her face. The warmth in her sparked and she tried to fill the space he left with her hips, and much to her frustration, he held them down.

Then, he looked upon her with reverence in his eyes. His kiss-swollen lips upturned to whisper hints of his mischief. Wheat blond locks were coming undone around his face and he was perfectly kissable if he were to let her.

Barely audible, she frowned and voiced her grievances. “Why’d you stop?”

The hints turned to undeniable devilment. “Can a man not watch his…” then his brow furrowed and he looked above her head. “It’s not suitor, right? Suitress?”

Her nose wrinkled at the word. “I don’t recall vying for your hand.”

“You don’t?” he gasped, extending his arms so that her view of his disbelief was clear. “Because I distinctly remember your many tears over how it was impossible for me to be with you.”

“Link!” she fumbled to the back of his neck, but there was no avail to her tugging. “I had the purest intentions!”

“Oh yes,” he sighed. “To turn me away so you could accept Prince Tyrion’s proposal.”

“Link! I wouldn’t have done that when I still loved you!”

“I can’t help but notice you’re using past tense, Princess.”

Zelda squirmed out of his grip and further onto the bed. Curiosity danced in blue eyes as she felt along the hem of her nightgown. Innocently, she tilted her head and let her long hair pool to one side. The change in tone was immediate.

“You know, Hero,” she leered, pulling her gown to her hips. His gaze followed it, searing up her thighs with his amusement. “I could have you arrested for spreading such slander about me.”

The fabric balled up between her fingers, inching to reveal her lacy white panties. Despite herself, she smiled when he placed his knee on the bed to follow her. It was hard to ignore the way his hard stomach flexed with his movements. Her gown tightened further in her fists and her innocent smile widened; his attention rapt to her suddenly revealed curves. Link’s mouth formed her name.

“Or perhaps…” Zelda bit her lip as his hands tried to coax hers to move faster. He was close enough for her to kiss his neck and breath out, “You would like me to show you my love?”

She couldn’t help the bout of giggles when he pushed her against the pillow and explored her exposed stomach. His smile was hidden from view, but it was in his words.

“Gods, I adore you.”

Zelda lifted her arms as he yanked the gown off, careful to avoid snagging her hair because he had done it before. She had always been somewhat self-conscious of her body. And now as her nipples hardened to the chill that tended to eternally linger in her room, she could only be reminded that there wasn’t the need to visit holy springs that required a certain amount of labor and that she didn’t feel the incessant want to leave the castle when there would be a man who wasn’t Link alongside her.

Surely, she had her fair share of sweets after Calamity Ganon.

The insecurity brought her hands to rest on top of her tummy and a thick blush to sweep up her neck. Link, however, didn’t pause for one second and planted a firm kiss to her collar bone.

“Is this okay?” he asked, enveloping her hands in his and enticing them from her body.

Zelda nodded, but followed up with an audible, “Yes.”

The way he touched her was both cautious and bold, kneading the flesh of her hips in a way that made her shiver. His fingertips surfed up her skin to her breasts and he tasted the heartbeat at her throat.

A million sweet nothings vaguely reached her ear as he felt the skin before the waistband of her underwear. Link didn’t allow breath to stay long in her lungs and she lifted her lips in the hopes he would be merciful. It should’ve been expected when he drew away.

“Please,” she breathed, reaching for the buckle of his trousers only for him to pull in back against the pillow above her head. “It’s been so long.”

Love was in his eyes when he came up from her neck. Link worried his bottom lip between his teeth and the sight turned her stomach in the best way. He searched her face and seemed to consider her words before deciding on a, “No.”

There was no time for her to respond because he wasn’t done with that special spot on her neck. He laved his tongue over the places he nipped at and she had no problem leaning her head away to make more room for him to work. Zelda bit down on her back molars to swallow a moan when she realized his intentions; he had never dared to do this to her before.

“You’re- you’re going to leave a mark.”

All he did was hum against her throat while her breath hitched as he palmed over her clothed folds. The hint of the pressure she so desperately needed was applied. Link paused his sucking, groaning at her wetness. The sound burned the need brighter at her navel. His movements grew hesitant, as if at war with himself before disappearing down her all at once and wrestling her panties from her body - a struggle due to how entangled her long legs were with his.

Cheeks already flushed grew darker as she watched him watch her. Link sunk low with eyes of blue fire, any signs of mischief dashed for determination. Anticipation burned with a fire she hasn’t felt for months and the way his hot breath smoothed over her navel.

The back of hers knees rested on his shoulders and he licked slowly up her cunt, making her head hit the pillow and a low moan dredged from her throat. Instinct brought her hands to his hair, but she refrained from pulling by using what was left of her sanity. The flat of his tongue made her fingertips tremble, further threading to graze his scalp.

Her chest heaved his name with the vulgar sounds and she could dimly hear the sound of his trousers falling off the bed. Impressions of his fingers pressed deeply into her upper thighs. Her Hero worked her like he did most things, with purposeful motions that made her lose all reason and allowed short gasps to escape her as he hummed a smile against her.

“Link,” she repeated, need and warning in her voice. Blue, blue, blue gazed at her. She hadn’t even noticed the absence of his dominant hand that had long left her thigh for what was between his own legs; his shoulder and arm making suggestive movements. It was as if Link did this for his own pleasure rather than her own. The thought snapping the coil that had been building with his tongue.

This gasp was different, sharper, mixed with his name and words even she couldn’t decipher as she shortly visited the heaven he took her to. Even enduring her climax, Link held her tighter. When she fell slack against the cushions and he finally released her, a well of emotion surged in her breast.

In a slight daze, she sat up and pressed a languished kiss to his lips, already wet. His arms securely circled her and she parted with knitted brows. Zelda’s lip trembled when concern crossed him.

“What’s wrong?”

Zelda held his face in her hands. A rosy glow was on her cheeks and warmth filled her breath as his eyes tried to decipher her thoughts.

“I love you.”

It barely registered to her that they were both naked. If anything, there was rightness in his soft azure gaze and the way their bodies touched beyond the intent of seeking pleasure. There was a slight lift to Zelda’s shoulders and his forearms fell on either side of her torso so Link could bear more of his weight. “That’s all,” she said. “I love you; I missed you.”

With a grin, he snaked his arms around her and buried his head within the crook of her shoulder. Strands of hair tickled her ear and his soft breaths pulled a series of giggles from her. Link’s embrace strained her laughter, only to cause more to burst from her chest.

He echoed her with murmured words, drawing soft circles on her shoulder blades. Zelda sighed into his arms and simply enjoyed his voice. As lovers entangled, every movement was languished. Time didn’t exist.

But she didn’t oppose the kisses that were now peppering her cheek. The fervent compliments from his lips conjuring a deep blush across her face that he tried to kiss away. It was a fruitless endeavor, of course, as it only permeating further on her skin as they touched one another in the way only familiar lovers could.

Their love was made in soundless motions. Learning one another as if three months were three years. It had been an affair that was born of fleeting touches and an impending expiration. It was a haunting kind of love that tended to plague more than pleasure. Now they had so much longer than months, a whole lifetime if they wished.

That was the fact they reassured  one another in breathy laughter and loving embraces.

Time drew on with or without them and as she peered at him over the pillows of the morning dawn, she saw him looking back with a happiness she could only pinpoint in her heart.

“I’ve spent all this time convincing I would go on without you,” she said, almost mournfully.

He spoke unabashedly, because nothing was left to hide in the state they were in. “You could have,” he smiled a smile that mirrored her tone. “And I was fully prepared to walk away at the door.”

He gathered her loose hand in his. “I don’t have much to offer,” he spoke with a languished grin, “I have a modest home and will inherit my family’s farm.”

Zelda watched him with an indescribable softness. A sleepless night brought a misty haze over her, but it couldn’t stop the thrumming of her heart. She didn’t need to voice her answer if he had been asking because the simple picture of them living modestly was one that made her curl into his side.

Eventually, he would need to leave before anyone would find out he was in the Princess’s chambers. They would need to arrange a formal announcement and the idea of a public wedding was another beast that needed to be slain.

But for now, Zelda let the morning bring its own subtleties of what subsequent mornings promised.

[swanlake1998]

Article: Why I Left My Classical Ballet Job to Explore My Roots in Javanese Dance

Date: February 6, 2021

By: Cat Woods

At the peak of her career, dancer Juliet Burnett left the Australian Ballet to explore her Javanese roots. Now, the Indonesian-Australian ballerina is drawing on her heritage to expand the often narrow world of performing arts.

When Juliet Burnett smiles, the full gloriousness of her high-cheekbones and angular face are both feline and balletic, not dissimilar to the finely boned, regal faces of Javanese dancers. Her facial expressions, like her body — sculpted by almost two decades of professional dance — are deliberate and refined.

It's been five years since Burnett left The Australian Ballet at the peak of her career, having been steadily promoted, over 13 years, to the role of senior artist within the Melbourne-based company.

From her family home in Sydney, where she is temporarily living while borders are closed for travel due to COVID-19, Burnett is fired up about the attitudes of classical dance. She has memories of feeling like an outsider amongst a largely middle-class, white company that espoused creative adventurism but failed to appeal to — or recruit — more than a couple of Indigenous dancers, nor to make the Asian-Australian dancers in the company feel that their cultural heritage was encouraged in the imperial values of classical ballet. "Black dancers, Asian dancers, and dancers of color aren't made to feel like their cultural provenance is celebrated," she tells Allure.

"I felt like the role of women in classical ballet is to be subservient," she says now, reflective and thoughtful in her wording, though not cautious. Burnett is not one for tip-toeing about. "Not just the roles for women, but the very system of classical ballet.”

The Australian Ballet encountered backlash in June this year after it published a black square on social media. The national ballet company was accused by its Instagram followers of being "lazy," doing the bare minimum in its response to Black Lives Matter.

In 2019, in a review of the Australian Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker for Australian arts publication Limelight Magazine, the critic viewed the production as perpetuating "racialised stereotypes of Chinese characters." The lack of diversity in the ballet industry as a whole has been brought to public conversation by numerous dancers over recent years, including Misty Copeland, who, via a  2019 Instagram post, called out dancers who were in blackface during a rehearsal for a performance for the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. (Following the post and media coverage, the New York Times reported that the general director for the Bolshoi said in a statement at the time that the ballet company "will not comment on the absurd allegation" of racism.)

A statement provided to Allure from The Australian Ballet says: "The Australian Ballet aims to reflect the diverse Australian community that we operate in and foster an inclusive environment for all. We’re continuing to learn and we are working on longer-term strategies to increase participation in dance across all communities, and provide more access to The Australian Ballet for all Australians, it may take time, but we are committed to working on the bigger picture."

The statement continues: "The Australian Ballet recruited its first Indigenous dancer [Ella Havelka] in 2012, and since then has recruited a second First Nations dancer."

While Burnett would eventually become an outspoken advocate for diversity in ballet, her experience with dance began without an agenda towards a career, nor even the intention to practice classical ballet.

"My grandmother, Raden Ayu Catherine Ismadillah Brataatmaja, was a professional Javanese dancer," she says. "As soon as I was five, my mother was curious about whether dance was in my blood too, so she enrolled me in ballet with the idea that I could follow in her footsteps. She was totally not a pushy dance mum."

Brataatmaja was the star palace dancer of the Surakarta Sultanate (Javanese monarchy in Indonesia), performing the royal court dance Bedhaya Ketawang for Indonesian royalty. Widyas Burnett, while also fully encouraging her daughter to embrace classical ballet, endeavored to make the costume for 14-year-old Juliet's first school choreographic effort, "Campursari." The final number combined classical ballet moves with Javanese dance positions, set to the soundtrack of traditional gamelan music.

Like many young dancers who are recruited to train endless hours through their pre-teen and teenage years to be auditioned for international ballet schools, her talent was spotted by her dance teachers, Valerie Jenkins and Christine Keith. Her graduation from The Australian Ballet School led to the beginnings of her career in 2003. As a dancer with The Australian Ballet, she embodied Odette in Swan Lake, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, and La Sylphide.

In 2011, Burnett was awarded the Khitercs Hirai International Scholarship, intended to allow members of The Australian Ballet companies to travel internationally. She used the scholarship to visit Indonesia to study her grandmother's art of Javanese dance and to initiate workshops for Indonesian kids — particularly those in underprivileged "slums" along the Ciliwung riverbank in Java. Burnett also trained in the theatrical, dance, and meditation techniques as pioneered by her uncle, the actor, poet, and activist, W.S. Rendra.

"When visiting my Mum's side of the family in Indonesia, we'd arrive in Jakarta and there's this big fly road that was built during Suharto's time, and you go across this modern freeway and you peer down the side and there are all these shanty towns," she recalls. At a young age, Burnett was struck by the financial inequity in such a big, prosperous city. Her parents were very open about the fact that many children didn’t have access to clean drinking water, but "then I'd go to my aunt's place and have a beautiful home-cooked meal and watch their big screen TV and everything’s clean and they’ve got their maid cooking for us." Once her dance career started taking off, she "wanted to go back and try and reconnect and bring something back to [those children]."

"Ballet dancers can live in a bubble," she says. "The level of training, rehearsal and performance becomes more than work, it's a lifestyle. I knew, from early on, that I would have to work to maintain my curiosity for other cultures, other forms of dance, to ensure I was not losing my own spirit."

There was no sudden event that resulted in Burnett's choice to leave The Australian Ballet. In fact, Burnett says she had been open with the Ballet from the beginning of her tenure about the fact that she found the hierarchical structure to be outdated and felt that it clashed with her values, and saw the system of promoting dancers destroy careers. Since leaving The Australian Ballet, Burnett has been more creative and vocal in demonstrating how dance can be a political and social statement, and provocation to limited perspectives on culture, poverty, justice, and gender. She created and shared “Injustice: a short film” on her website last year. To get the clips seen in the film, Burnett made a call out on Instagram, inviting people to submit videos of themselves following her choreographic instructions.

In pre-pandemic times, Burnett resided in Belgium, where she is a dancer for The Royal Ballet of Flanders. Burnett has also just launched her own company, A-Part. "It's purely online for now," she explains, "but obviously, once the travel restrictions allow and it is safe to do so, it will be a real-world dance company that travels and performs."

For Burnett, working with the Pina Bausch Company and alongside Akram Khan as a first soloist dancer with The Royal Ballet of Flanders allowed her to shake off the shackles of rigid, classical training and methodology in favor of the liberation, the sometimes feral and primitive nature of contemporary dance and to finally indulge her need to journey into her own Indonesian roots.

"What's wonderful about the Royal Ballet of Flanders is that it's enabled me to dance the choreography of Pina Bausch, Akram Khan, and Édouard Lock, all these contemporary choreographers who I'd never have had access to in Australia," she says. "After I left The Australian Ballet, I wanted to delve into my artistic identity."

Burnett's activism has been creative, positive, and aligned with her belief that education and collaboration are the only ways to provide inclusive, safe environments for those in the dance world. She has presented master classes in collaboration with Ballet.id (Yayasan Bina Ballet Indonesia), which is a non-profit foundation enabling partnerships between Indonesian and international dancers and academics.

In an essay for Pointe in August, writer and educator Shaté L. Hayes writes that the only meaningful response to racial insensitivity within ballet is to genuinely commit to change within ballet schools through major companies. Posting PR-approved hashtags isn’t enough.

David McAllister left his role as artistic director of the Australian Ballet last year. In the statement provided to Allure, the new artistic director, David Hallberg, says, "The future of The Australian Ballet will continue to uphold the rich repertoire of classical ballet but as well, search for new ways to communicate the spirit of dance in this country. I am absorbing the diversity that makes Australia the great country it is, full of varied voices in dance, music, and art, that will be a part of building the repertoire at The Australian Ballet."

That can't happen too soon. Burnett's bravery in speaking of her own experience of working within the ballet world as an Asian-Australian also echoes the experiences of Black, Latinx, and multiracial dancers internationally. “For those of us who were mixed race or fully Asian, Black, or a dancer of color, the ballet world can feel really homogenous, and difficult to find your place and to find a way to celebrate your cultural identity with truth and authenticity,” Burnett says. “It’s important not to be afraid to question the systems that we work in, to say things to your directors. I really hope for a day when the structures we work in don't ask dancers to be mute, subservient, and to comply all the time."

[liroyalty]

General Tags

ooc [so speakth the queen of queens]

musings [lore and ideas]

promotions [her royal highness invites you to court]

psa [thank you for coming to my ted talk]

queue [a queen is never late; everyone else is simply early!]

memes and prompts [court invitations]

dash commentary [it's the latest gossip!]

drabbles [another chapter in the history books]

starter call [hear ye; hear ye!]

headcanons [a royal decree!]

games and quzzies [roll the dice and hope of snake eyes!]

[minmotl]

Chapter 54: How Sui Zhou Ends Up Managing Tang Fan’s Salary (& How Tang Fan Lets Him)

Context: After the events of the case in the previous chapter, the case is wrapped up properly. While the White Lotus Sect is still in the wind, it was revealed that the Nan Cheng Bang’s case is connected to Wan Tong (Royal Consort Wan’s brother and Sui Zhou’s superior) and the man is punished (lightly). Wang Zhi is praised by the emperor for handling this well, but Consort Wan chides him for not protecting/helping Wan Tong.

On the other hand, even though Tang Fan contributed the most to this case, he does not get rewarded (because the emperor is not fond of him), while Sui Zhou is promoted for his part in solving the case.

Embarrassed, Tang-daren says, “We’re not even halfway through the month yet, but my salary is almost gone.”

So that’s what it is. Sui Zhou is a little speechless, and the tension on his cold face is palpable.

“… where did your money go?”

Introduction Post | Masterpost

—

Highlights under the cut

Originally, Deng Xiu Cai would have had to go through a ‘waist cut’ penalty, but because he was frank and honest, an exception was made for him to first die by ingesting poison. A suicide void of pain, and they would behead him after. A waist cut is incomparably excruciating, so in order to die comfortably, Deng Xiu Cai spared no effort in spilling everything he knew.

Before Ah Dong and the children, who knew how many other children landed in their hands? Even that puppet Ding Yi Mu was also heavily involved. No one knows how much fresh blood stains their hands, so it is hardly a travesty that these people are put to death.

Everyone’s efforts as they busied themselves working through most of the night were not in vain, and the case finally came to a close. They can almost call this a perfect ending.

Throughout this whole case, aside from those injured in the battle against the members of the Nan Cheng Bang, the person who was injured the most is definitely Tang Fan.

He was first knocked out with a wooden stick to the head and it was verified after, that he did bleed from that. Then, when his hands were restrained back in the cellar, he bled then too, and after that, Xin Shi Tou shoved him once. His hands were still tied then and he was unable to move, so his knees immediately suffered from abrasions as they bruised and bled, and then he was cut by the porcelain piece on his neck and more…

Although not severe, Tang Fan can be considered as marred with injuries all over his whole body. Thankfully, he was injured on the job and thus, Tang-daren is able to request for half a month’s worth of medical leave with a peace of mind, and also help Sui Zhou to celebrate in this time.

Yes, Sui Zhou has been promoted yet again.

This time, however, is purely an accident.

After heading to Jiang Xi previously to deal with the Huang Jing Long case, Sui Zhou was already promoted to fu-qianhu and technically would not be eligible for any promotions in the short term, but due to the missing children’s case and with the Emperor upset at Wan Tong for colluding with the bandits, he invited Yuan Bin back to lead the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

And Yuan Bin’s background - His meritorious contributions include saving the Emperor, and the person he saved was the previous Emperor.

That year of Tu Mu’s Rebellion, Yuan Bin accompanied the Emperor, protecting Ying Zong. He was even caught hostage together with Ying Zong and took care of him. The both of them went through so much hardship and thus, their relationship was not like that of the relationship between the Emperor and other officials. Afterwards, Yuan Bin helped the previous Emperor to regain the throne, and thus, can be considered to have made major contributions.

Due to this history, when today’s Emperor ascended to the throne, he too, treats Yuan Bin with immense respect. The only thing is that as Yuan Bin grows older, he no longer handles any actual tasks and was the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards in name only. This time however, the Emperor intends to teach Wan Tong a lesson, and thus invited Yuan Bin to return to his former post.

With Yuan Bin’s accolades and reputation, even the Emperor of today needs to show him some respect. This is something that Wan Tong, this cheap relative, will never be able to amount to no matter how much he tries to flatter his way into the Emperor’s good graces.

These years, because of Wan Tong, the Embroidered Uniform Guards is now a place rife with corruption where despicable men can do as they like. Those who pander to Wan Tong will be able to become the Wan family’s important and esteemed guests, while those who oppose him, Wan Tong uses the power he has in the Embroidered Uniform Guards to pressure and attack. For example, the supervisor that Sui Zhou spoke of previously tried to impeach both Royal Consort Wan and her brother, and this led to his family’s demise.

Once Yuan Bin arrived, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

Although Yuan Bin is old, he is still in good shape and is firm in handling things. The moment he arrives, he gets rid of the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ Southern and Northern Administrative Courts leaders, who are also Wan Tong’s trusted men. Wan Tong grits his teeth in resentment, but is unable to do anything to him. He is unable to complain in front of the Emperor as well, all because Yuan Bin was sent by the Emperor precisely to reform the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

With this, no one dares to say anything when they see Wan Tong now. All those troublemakers naturally have to back off and turn over a new leaf obediently, lest they be implicated and dragged into more trouble.

Although it seems as if these happenings have no direct relevance to Sui Zhou, due to his position and how competent he is, he quickly loses the ‘fu’ in his title, and rises to become a real qianhu.

Qianhu is a Rank 5 title, but don’t look down on the rank or his role as a military official, as a qianhu from the Embroidered Uniform Guards has no small amount of power. There are five official posts under both the Northern and Southern Adminstrative Courts, and qianhu commands one of them.

More importantly, because Yuan Bin recently removed the previous Northern Administrative Court in-charge, the position currently sits empty, so Yuan Bin let Sui Zhou take over the role temporarily. This is also out of consideration of Sui Zhou’s sudden promotion as Yuan Bin is afraid that the other men in the Embroidered Uniform Guards would not acknowledge or recognize Sui Zhou’s authority, so the man did not directly push him into the position. Instead, Yuan Bin is giving him the role as a deputy.

Things are indeed different once a veteran like Yuan Bin steps forth, and even on matters such as these, he is meticulous - if Sui Zhou performs well, he can expect to formally transition into his new position in the near future, but if he does not, Yuan Bin can remove him at any time. There are no lack of people eyeing his position, and this inadvertently serves as motivation for Sui Zhou to work his hardest.

So Sui Zhou is now receiving that of a Rank 5 qianhu’s salary but sitting in that of a Rank 4 position. The speed at which is he progressing at is met with the red eyes of jealousy by others, but what Sui Zhou is about to face are multiple obstacles and pressure that comes with thinking about how to win the loyalty and hearts of others, how to convince others and get them to acknowledge him, and how to ensure that people working under him will listen to his orders.

Regardless, this is still something worthy of celebration. In order to celebrate for Sui Zhou, Tang Fan and Xue Ling, together with some of Sui Zhou’s long-time subordinates, decided to host a meal. Not in Xian Ke Lou as it is too expensive there. Since everyone is familiar with each other and there are a lot of restaurants in the city, they do not have to head to an expensive one.

Tang Fan chose a time-honoured food stall called Yang Ji Mutton. The mutton here is most famous and he reserved a room in advance, called a few of his colleagues from Shun Tian Prefecture, and along with Sui Zhou, Xue Ling and some others from the guards, they gather around a table to have hot pot mutton.

There are four pots on the table and four large plates of tender and fat mutton slices on the side. In addition to that, there are green vegetables, mushrooms, noodles and assorted side dishes, garlic, soy sauce, spring onion, sesame oil, pepper and other condiments. Everyone can personally customize and do it themselves as they get into the food.

This time it is not just Sui Zhou, but Xue Ling and the others, because of Yuan Bin, were promoted as well, and this is naturally cause for joy.

On the other hand, Tang Fan, who solved two consecutive cases and made two meritorious contributions - firstly helping Royal Consort Wan to prove her innocence and secondly finding the children of those officials, heading into the bandit’s cave and battling the Nan Cheng Bang with both courage and wit - as he spared no effort and even putting his own life on the line, did not get even the slightest bit of a reward. His rank remains unchanged. Tang Fan does not think much of this personally, but close friends of his find this unfair for him.

After indulging well in both food and alcohol, Xue Ling stands up from his seat, walks over and pats at Tang Fan’s shoulder with great force, assuring him, “Run Qing, I don’t think that you are this unlucky. I’m sure you’ll definitely be able to become a high ranking, major official in the future, do not be discouraged!”

“That’s right!” Pang Qi adds, “It’s just your time has yet to come, don’t be upset.”

Both Xue Ling and him are still working under Sui Zhou at present, but they have already been promoted to baihu rank, going further in their careers as officials. Not just the both of them, but also Sui Zhou’s long-time subordinates, they have all risen up the ranks. With this, everyone knows that if they follow the big boss, they will be taken care of, and thus are now even more loyal to Sui Zhou.

Sui Zhou sees that Xue Ling has drank too much, and is now leaning unsteadily on Tang Fan. He cannot help but reach out and pull him away, and chides lightly, “Stand properly!”

They are not currently on duty and everyone has indulged in some alcohol, so Xue Ling is unafraid of him. Instead, he giggles and jokes, “Da-ge is really so good to Run Qing-xiong, even us brothers who have accompanied you for a long time cannot compare to him!”

A chorus of ‘that’s right’ rings out amongst everyone else.

Sui Zhou says, “I still have some empty space at my place, how about you move over and stay with me, and I’ll be good to you everyday?”

Xue Ling laughs sheepishly, and immediately shuts up.

What a joke; although he has not yet married a wife, he has concubines at home too, not to mention his frequent visits to brothels. If he has to face Sui Zhou’s stoic face every day, it will probably be more miserable than death itself.

Tang Fan laughs, “Everyone wants to be promoted, but I would not want that.”

Xue Ling yells, “You obviously do not mean that, who would not be happy at a promotion?”

“That’s right!” they chorus.

Tang Fan pretends to be pained, “Just think about it. I’m only Rank Six right now, and already I have to infiltrate a bandit’s nest, be struck with a wooden stick and almost died. If I inch even further upwards, wouldn’t I have to confront the White Lotus Sect leader myself? If that happens, by this time next year, none of you will be able to sit with me and have a drink!”

His explanation is indeed interesting and everyone bursts out in laughter. They intended to reassure him initially, but seeing that he is so open-minded about this, everyone does not say anything more.

After the banquet and celebration, everyone heads home and goes on to do what they are supposed to do.

On the way home, Sui Zhou sees that Tang Fan’s brows are tight and troubled, and thinks that while Tang Fan presented himself as rather nonchalant earlier, he must still be bothered by it on the inside, and says, “Sometimes good things can come out of bad things, and in the same way, bad events can lead to good things. You may not have been promoted this time, but it may not be a bad thing, and who knows, better opportunities are lying ahead of you.”

“I’m not worried about this…” Tang Fan says.

Sui Zhou asks, uncomprehending, “Then what is it?”

Embarrassed, Tang-daren says, “We’re not even halfway through the month yet, but my salary is almost gone.”

So that’s what it is. Sui Zhou is a little speechless, and the tension on his cold face is palpable, “… where did your money go? You guys treated me to a meal today, and the portion you contributed was only a few hundred coins?”

Helplessly, Tang Fan replies, “Yesterday, Pan-daren looked me up and the both of us had a meal outside, and who knew that when it was almost time to pay, my shixiong said he was having a stomachache and ran to the toilet, and so I ended up paying for it all first. He wanted to pay for his portion when he returned, but how could I have taken his money?”

“You guys couldn’t have gone to Xian Ke Lou to eat, could you?”

“Of course not. It was at a dumpling stall near Shun Tian Prefecture’s court, we had fish dumplings and pork and cabbage dumplings. Speaking of which, that stall’s skills is comparable to those located in the north of the city, and now that the weather is getting colder, when spring comes, there will be dumplings with chicken fillings, that is truly a delicacy…”

“… you have gone off-topic.”

Tang Fan goes ‘oh’, and continues, “This meal came up to a 100 coins or so as well.”

Upset, he adds, “But a few days ago, when I visited a colleague’s house, I realized that he was so poor that he couldn’t come up with his next meal, and so I treated him to one. I spent 50 coins on this… it is not as if I used a lot at one go, why does it feel like I spent everything at once?”

The more Sui Zhou hears, the more suspicious he gets, “Didn’t you receive 500 taels from that White Lotus Sect lady? Even if you gave me half of it, you couldn’t have used up 250 taels that quickly?!”

This is something that made Tang Fan feel happy for at least half the day. He didn’t tell anyone else about this, only Sui Zhou, and he ended up splitting the money up with him, the both of them each getting a portion.

Sui Zhou refused to take it, but Tang Fan insisted and shoved it into the other’s hands, forcing him to accept it.

Speaking of this, Tang-daren becomes even more embarrassed, “I saw how terrible the conditions were at my colleague’s. He has four children along with elders waiting to be fed, and the rent on the house he is living in is due very soon, but he is unable to come up with the money, so I ended up giving him all 250 taels.

Sui Zhou, expressionless, says, “You’re really generous.”

Thinking that Sui Zhou is praising him, he says humbly, thick-skinned, “Not at all, not at all. Helping the poor is the duty of people my age, and anyway, the money came easy, so it doesn’t pain me to spend it.”

Still expressionless, Sui Zhou continues, “How did this money come easy, did you go steal it or rob someone?”

“…”

“Did you forget that you almost lost your life in the bandits’ cave? No matter how difficult your friend’s situation is, giving him 100 taels would have been more than enough. How are you so intelligent at everything else but on your own matters? You do things without planning and spend money too easily!”

Tang-daren, being lectured as a child would be, does not dare to raise his head. Ashamed, he says, “Yes yes yes, I’ll get Ah Dong to supervise me when I go back!”

Seriously, since Sui fu-baihu became Sui-qianhu, and also gaining power over the Northern Administrative Court, his authority grows increasingly day by day. Before this, Sui Zhou was already rather adept at lecturing others, and now when he gets this fierce, Tang Fan does not dare to make a sound.

Sui Zhou says, “How will Ah Dong be able to restrict you? From now on, after you exchange your salary for cash, submit half of it to me, I will keep it for you. Next time, after you finish spending the money you have and need more, you will have to tell me, and only after I agree can you use it.”

He has never liked to put his nose into someone else’s business, and the only unrelated things that Sui Zhou interferes in are mostly Tang Fan’s. And fortunately they are this close in their relationship, otherwise if outsiders heard him, they would definitely find him hard to understand and may even get into an argument with Sui Zhou.

However, for an eccentric person like Tang-daren, he instead nods gleefully, “That’s great! With you watching me, I will no longer be such a spendthrift!”

And since then, aside from dealing with the tasks of the Northern Administrative Court, Sui-qianhu now has to handle Tang-daren’s finances when he gets home. He commands power both at home and in public, and also the envy of others.

===

Notes:

*副千户 fu qianhu

Qianhu is the rank that Sui Zhou officially bears, while fu 副 means vice.

*仙客楼 xian ke lou

This is the very expensive restaurant that Wang Zhi brought Tang Fan to in previous chapters.

*万通 Wan Tong 

As Royal Consort Wan’s brother, he is head of the Northern Administrative Courts, but is demoted due to his involvement in the missing children’s case.

[hms-chill]

RWRB Study Guide, Chapter 8

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

James I (203): James I/VI (First of England, Sixth of Scotland) is known for both translating the Bible and being just... so, so incredibly gay. The book mentions that he promoted a dumb jock to gentleman of the bedchamber, but it leaves out that 13-year-old James would just make out with dudes in public, and that the dumb jock (George Villers) was James’s third serious adult relationship. His friends introduced him to George because his last boyfriend was bad for the kingdom. 

George Eliot (205): Mary Anne Evans wrote under the pen name George Eliot to escape the stereotype that women could only write romances. She wrote seven novels, of which Middlemarch is the most famous, known for their realism and psychological insight.

Daniel Defoe (205): A pioneer of the English novel, Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe as well as a series of divisive political pamphlets and tracts.

Jonathan Swift (205): Irish political writer most famous for A Modest Proposal, a satirical piece that suggests cannibalism of infants as a more humane response to the British treatment of Ireland than letting them grow to starve in adulthood.

Dickens... “woman who languishes away in a crumbling mansion wearing her wedding gown” (205): Charles Dickens wrote stories concerned with the lower classes. This quote in particular refers to Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, who was left at the altar and refused to take off her wedding dress or even put away the food set out for the wedding.

Sense and Sensibility (205): This is probably Austen’s second most popular novel (after Pride and Prejudice); it follows the four Dashwood women in their move to a new home following the death of Mr. Dashwood. Like most of Austen’s novels, the opinionated narrator follows the women through a series of romantic mishaps, culminating in a happy ending.

Green American Money (206): Fun fact, British money is blue and orange and purple and all sorts of fun colors! It also all looks different, because (at least in Scotland) four banks are allowed to print pound notes, so there are four different designs all in circulation.

Sean Hannity (206): A conservative American political commentator.

Harvard rowing (206): Rowing is like... the bougiest of sports.

Pleiad (206): In Greek mythology, the pleiades were the daughters of the titan Atlas who became stars following his entrapment under the earth. They are remembered for their beauty and loyalty. Myths of the missing pleiad explain why only six of the seven stars are visible to the naked eye. According to some sources, the missing pleiad is Merope, who was shamed out of the sky for her relationship with a mortal.

Minute Maid Park (206): The baseball stadium associated with the Houston Astros baseball team; it seats just over 41,000.

Politico (207): An American political opinion news source.

Drop-kick Murphys (208): An American Celtic punk band. (listen here and here)

The Klan (209): The Ku Klux Klan, an incredibly racist organization that has been responsible for the lynching of thousands of people of color.

Kim Nam-June (210): Kim Nam-Joon, known as RM or Rap Monster, is the leader and rapper of the K-pop group BTS.

Milwaukee (211): The largest city in and main cultural center of Wisconsin, which is a “swing state”, meaning that it could go either way politically in a national election.

Seth Meyers (211): An American talk show host and comedian whose creatively titled show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, is liberal-leaning. He hosts celebrities and often chats about politics or the news.

Clear Crystal Quartz (211): Apparently the most “iconic” crystal, it is believed to be able to help with clarity and the achievement of goals.

Wimbledon (213): The oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious.

Royal Box (213): The royal box at Wimbledon is a section of the best seats, reserved for royalty and specially invited celebrity/politically powerful guests.

David Beckham (213): A former professional soccer player and current fashion icon known for being hot and wearing nice suits.

McQueen (214): Alexander McQueen was an openly gay British fashion designer who rose from a lower class background to become one of the most famous designers in the world. Though he died in 2010, his brand continues to be known for unconventional fashion shows and theatrical imagery. 

Dashikis (215): A colorful, ornate piece of clothing somewhere between a shirt and a tunic originally from West Africa.

Orangery (218): A very large greenhouse or conservatory designed for growing orange trees.

Woman at her Toilet (218): This painting shows a woman in her bedroom putting on her socks with a little dog next to her; you can see it here.

Baroque bed* (218): Baroque art was designed to show off a monarch’s power; it is incredibly extravagant (Versailles is pretty much the iconic Baroque thing; you can see more about it here).

The Killers (219): An American rock band formed in the early 2000s and known for having donated over $1 million to charity (they did “Mr. Brightside”). (listen here and here). According to McQuinston’s twitter, the song Henry plays is “When You Were Young”, which you can listen to here.

Dred Scott (219): In the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford case, the US supreme court ruled that the constitution did not extend to or protect Black folks. 

Nina Simone (219): An American singer/songwriter/political activist whose music spanned a variety of genres and whose activism focused largely on the civil rights movement and was largely influenced by her “friend” Lorraine Hansberry, a Black lesbian playwright. (You know Hozier’s “Nina Cried Power”? She’s Nina) (listen here and here)

Otis Redding (219): Considered one of the greatest singers in American pop music and was one of the foundational soul artists in the US. (listen here and here)

Brahms (219): A German composer known for sticking to more classical forms of music while his contemporaries often leaned toward more dramatic or opulent styles. (listen here and here)

Wagner** (219): A German composer who wrote both the music and the librettos for his operas; his works tend to be very complex, and he has been credited with beginning modern music. (listen here and here)

Romantic (219): Artistically, the Romantic movement was a direct response to industrialization that called for a return to and celebration of nature. Queerness was very much a part of this movement, as it was seen as a return to or celebration of one’s natural state (think Byron).

War of the Romantics (219): A music history term used to describe the split between conservative composers like Brahms who wanted to stick with the Baroque, opulent styles of the past century and radical progressive composers like Liszt, who favored newer styles that blended music with narrative and morals.

Liszt (219): A Hungarian composer known for a diverse body of work and his position as the leader of the radical progressive group in the War of the Romantics. (listen here and here)

Alexander Scriabin (219): Russian composer known for his atonal or dissonant music. (listen to the piece Henry mentions here)

Elton John’s “Your Song” (219): A song written before Elton John came out, but with his queerness in mind. In a 2013 interview, John referred to it as “a perfect song”, and that the lyrics (written by Bernie Taupin) got even better as he got older and sang it more. (listen here)

Consecrated (220): made holy.

DNC (221): The Democratic national conference, when members of the Democratic (liberal) party get together to prepare for a presidential race.

College Republicans of Vanderbilt University (221): Vanderbilt University is a private (and therefore more expensive) school in Nashville, Tennessee. Its location in the South and its price tag would both mark it as being more conservative.

Cage match (221): A type of wrestling match that takes place inside a steel cage; the most common way of winning is by escaping the cage, usually by climbing over the top.

Paul Ryan (222): A conservative retired politician and former Speaker of the House.

The Second Amendment (222): The second amendment grants Americans the right to bear arms (have guns).

Salon (222): An American news and opinion website with a politically liberal editorial stance.

Air Force One (222): the president’s plane

“My Canadian girlfriend” (223): A running joke that someone (often a high schooler) whose partner goes to another school or lives somewhere else is made up.

Five Guys (225): Five Guys Burger and Fries is a popular fast food burger chain across the US.

Vampire Weekend (225): An American indie rock band.

The general (226): the general election in November, when Americans would vote for their president

Plainclothes (226): out of uniform

The Beekman (226): A very fancy hotel in Lower Manhattan, near the Brooklyn Bridge.

NATO (233): the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries.

----

*every time I read this, I flinch just a little bit. Baroque architecture is just... so much, and the concept of a Baroque bed when beds/bedrooms are supposed to be simple to help you rest... It’s just so much and I hate it with all of my being. I’m sorry if you like Baroque furniture, but especially for Henry, who dreams of a simple life where he can just write and be anonymous... It’s a big yikes.

** Literally no one asked, but his stuff is just... it’s so boring? Like I’m sure it’s great to fall asleep to or calm down to, but I tried to listen to it while I wrote this and I just couldn’t. Liszt is better, but he’s no Mozart. Also? Mozart wrote BOPS. ONLY. “The Birdcatcher’s Song” slaps and no one can change my mind on that.

----

If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it!

—–-

Chapter 1 // Chapter 7 // Chapter 9

[harryp22h]

[FGO Fan Servant Redux] King Sejong the Great (Genderbent)

안녕하세요!   

This is a remake of last year’s attempt at making a fan Servant, intended for Hangeul Day to celebrate his legacy. (2 days late...) Probably the only Korean with an actual chance of making it into FGO, if DW ever allows that.   

Introducing, King Sejong the Great! Genderbent, of course. Because this is Fate, what were you expecting? (I know it’s not completely historical, but it makes for a fun story.) 

Name: King Sejong the Great 

Class: Caster 

Origin: Korea – Joseon Dynasty (1400s) 

Alignment: Lawful-Good 

Type: Man 

Bio: Curiosity. Generosity. Spite. The 4th King of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty.   

An insatiable thirst for knowledge, both scientific and magical, and knack for inventing that led to the kingdom’s first royal research institute. An all-giving kindness for her downtrodden people that weakened her status and health. A pure spite for the nobility, inheritance from her father and reinforced by tragedy. She sought to bring meritocracy onto an already stagnant society. Welfare for the poor. Knowledge to all. For in her eyes, all were genuinely equal.   

She who utterly shattered the status quo and changed the course of a nation with just one invention, personally handmade by the King herself. Hangeul, a written alphabet for her people that even a peasant could learn in a week. An invention that may have saved them centuries in the future. 

She truly earned the title of ‘The Great.’

[Skills, Additional Sprites, and Lore]

Class Skills 

Territory Creation Rank A-: The Hall of Worthies, her kingdom’s first Royal Research Institute, which contained the King’s personal workshop and gave birth to many creations. 

Item Creation Rank B: Was personally involved in the creation of Hangeul and many other projects at the Hall of Worthies in the fields of agriculture, astronomy, warfare etc. 

Personal Skills 

Patronage B: Served as patron to the Hall of Worthies, when she wasn’t busying herself there already. Heavily believed in meritocracy and held the belief that anyone, regardless of status or lineage, could succeed if given the chance. Personally, she handpicked a peasant for the position of Royal Engineer, a true embodiment of her beliefs. 

Charisma C: Wildly popular amongst the populous, and able to persuade the fickle Royal Court, regardless of how many times she pissed them off. 

Humanitarianism A: Improved literacy nation-wide. Supported paternity leave for both mothers and fathers. Introduced tax reform to reduce burden on famine-stricken areas. Funded many inventions to help improve citizens’ livelihood. She truly loved her people, no matter the costs. 

Rapid Words of Casting EX: Invented an entire alphabet for the express purpose of easier and faster reading and writing. Duh? 

Entertainment Revision EX:  Gains access to skills she does not normally possess. Stronger the more dramatic and flashier the skill is. Similar to Imperial Privilege. (Blame K-Drama.)

Quotes 

Edison: Anyone can learn my alphabet in a week. But moving pictures need no introduction. This would have been so useful for so many reasons! Show me more films, Mr Haechi! 

Nobunaga: ...For both our sakes, that ‘monkey’ of yours better not show his face to me.   

Shakespeare: This is the epitome of western entertainment? Fascinating. You know, I too dabbled in poetry a bit. Perhaps we can share notes?   

Touta: The people are the roots of a nation, and those roots should be well-fed so as to create a peaceful nation. That rice bowl of yours is truly beautiful. May I look inside..?   

Archer Gil: How could a king who should rule over all people and all things in the country with impartiality treat those of low birth any differently from the way he treats others? I am willing to bow my head towards my people if needed. What say you? 

Babbage: ...I want that! To the Hall! 

Bond 1: The third child of the third King Taejong (태종), three generations separated from their dynasty’s founder Taejo (태조). Ido was the apple of her father’s eye, her curiosity and (properly timed) rebellious spirit catching his eye, but was initially ignored regarding inheriting the throne. However, her two older brothers abdicated the throne to separate themselves from their father’s bloody legacy of murdering all his relatives and many more to maintain his power. With that, the path was cleared and Ido took to the throne upon her father’s surprisingly peaceful death, taking the name Sejong for herself. Contrast to the previous king’s blood-soaked reign, Sejong devoted herself to her people and to improving quality of life throughout the nation, even establishing the Hall of Worthies to advance the field of agriculture, astronomy, warfare etc. with her patronage and personal participation. She did inherit her father’s dislike for the nobility, and for good reason.   

Bond 2: She did not care for social norms and promoted meritocracy, holding the belief that if anyone, regardless of status or bloodline, could accomplish anything if they were giving a chance to prove themselves. Her embodiment of this belief would be Jang Yeong-sil (장영실), a former peasant-turned-Royal Engineer and close confidant. Having heard rumours of his cleverness, she personally invited the son of an escort to the palace, where he managed to impress the King. Excited, she took him under her wing, despite the protests of the nobility. Nevertheless, he would prove himself a worthy ally, helping to create independent advancements in the fields of astronomy and meteorology using his knack for inventing. Bonding over their love of the pursuit of knowledge, he and the King shared a very close friendship, one plagued with hijinks, ‘SCIENCE!’, and ink-soaked robes. Her trust in him was absolute, even willing to forgive him immediately when one of his inventions proved faulty and injured the test subject… who just so happened to be the King herself. Unfortunately, the nobility, jealous of the inventor and fearful for their own positions, seized upon this opportunity, having him tried and imprisoned in spite of the King’s protests. 

A betrayal unlike no other. A reminder of the callousness of the Royal Court and of her fragile power. 

Bond 3: Noble Phantasm: [훈민정음 – 한글] 

The Proper Words for the Instruction of the People. 

Rank: EX 

King Sejong’s most influential creation. The one that would forever earn her the title of ‘The Great’. Developed in secret at the Hall of Worthies, its very existence alone had the potential to put even a king’s life in danger. Penned by the King personally, it was a scientifically-designed featural alphabet with 17 constants and 11 vowels, created to replace the ill-fitting Chinese characters that had been in use up to this point, in spite of Korea having had a separate spoken language for centuries. Designed for ease of reading and writing, even a peasant could learn in a busy week, an afternoon for a noble. Upon its completion, it was initially announced to the Royal Court, who opposed its very existence. Even those loyal to the crown protested, fearful that a literate populous would prove unruly and rebellious. In spite of, or perhaps because of the protests of the nobility, it was released on October 9, 1495, immediate adopted by the public. 

Bond 4: Literacy reached an all-time high. It would kickstart a literary Renaissance that would last for generations, as even the peasants, now literate, could participate, partaking in others’ adventures while sharing their own experiences. Even the nobility, initially disdainful, would later adopt it, both in private and public affairs. But their warnings were right, in a way. An educated populace with ease of communication and plenty of grievances (for future kings) meant many rebellions to come. But it also united a nation. There were no true boundaries between the rich and poor, city and rural. All could communicate to one another, and thus all were made equal. Whether they wanted to be or not.   

It may have even saved Korea completely. During a time of both China and Japan pushing and pulling the nation apart, especially during Japan’s forced occupation and colonization, Hanguel allowed the culture and history of Korea to be safely preserved, when it might otherwise have been lost to history, losing them their future as a nation. They prevailed, all thanks to an alphabet anyone could learn, and were restored their heritage.   

Bond 5: She claimed to have lived a sheltered life in the palace, but her love for her people far exceeded that of someone who only saw them from above and beyond stone and wooden walls. Nevertheless, she truly saw all as equal, never dismissing a complaint just because it came from a peasant or allowing people with power to abuse those who were underneath them. Sadly a quality lacking even to this day... She is one of only 2 Kings of Korea to have earned the title ‘The Great’ and for good reason. Wise beyond her years and even her society, she devoted everything for her people.   

“The people are the roots of a nation, and the roots should be strong so as to create a peaceful nation.”

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

“Sun Myung Moon actually crowned himself and Hak Ja Han Moon as Emperor and Empress of the Universe.”

(This is a later coronation photo. One of the 1985 “Emperor” coronation was not available.)

Book extract from Nansook Hong In The Shadow Of The Moons: My Life In The Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s Family (1998) pages 148-150

“Reverend Moon was freed [from jail] on August 20, 1985. …

At East Garden it was as though Father had returned from a world speaking tour and not from a prison term. The old rhythms returned. The meetings around his breakfast table resumed. But something was different. There was a perceptible shift in the Reverend Moon’s Sunday-morning sermons at Belvedere after his release from the penitentiary. He talked less and less about God and more and more about himself. He seemed obsessed with his vision of himself as some kind of historical figure, not merely as an emissary of God. Where once I had listened intently to his sermons in search of spiritual insight, I now found myself more uneasy and less engaged.

The Reverend Moon’s hubris culminated later that year in a secret ceremony in which he actually crowned himself and Hak Ja Han Moon as Emperor and Empress of the Universe. Preparations for the lavish, clandestine event at Belvedere took months and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Church women were assigned to research the regal robes of the five-hundred-year Yi dynasty that ended in the nineteenth century. Others were ordered to design solid-gold-and-jade crowns modeled on the ones worn by tribal kings. My mother was in charge of buying yards and yards of silk and satin and brocade material and finding seamstresses in Korea to turn these expensive raw materials into the costumes of a royal court. All twelve of Sun Myung Moon’s children, all of his in-laws, all of his grandchildren, were to be outfitted as princes and princesses.

In the end Sun Myung Moon’s crowning ceremony looked less like a historical reconstruction than like a popular Korean television soap opera set during the Yi dynasty. I felt silly, as though I were dressed for a period comedy rather than a sacred religious service. The Reverend Moon was aware enough of how an act of such monumental egotism would be received by the world that he banned photographs from being taken at the actual ceremony. Invited guests, all high-level church officials, who arrived with cameras had them confiscated by security guards, who blocked the entrances to gate-crashers.

In his gold crown and elaborate robes, Sun Myung Moon looked to me for all the world like a modern-day Charlemagne. The difference was that this emperor bowed to no pope. Since there was no authority higher than the Reverend Moon, the Messiah had to crown himself Emperor of the Universe.

The coronation was a turning point for me and my parents. For the first time we voiced our doubts to one another about Sun Myung Moon. It was not an easy thing to do. Much has been written about the coercion and brainwashing that takes place in the Unification Church. What I experienced was conditioning. You are isolated among like-minded people. You are bombarded with messages elevating obedience above critical thinking. Your belief system is reinforced at every turn. You become invested in those beliefs the longer you are associated with the church. After ten years, after twenty years, who would want to admit, even to herself, that her beliefs were built on sand?

I didn’t, surely. I was part of the inner circle. I had seen enough kindness in the Reverend Moon to excuse his blatant lapses — his toleration of his son’s behavior, his hitting his children, his verbal abuse of me. Not to excuse him was to open my whole life up to question. Not just my life. My parents had spent thirty years pushing aside their own doubts. My father tolerated the arbitrary way in which Sun Myung Moon ran his businesses, inserting unqualified friends and relatives into positions of authority, promoting those who curried favor and firing those who displayed any independence. My father survived at the top of Il Hwa pharmaceuticals by accepting the Reverend Moon’s frequent public humiliations. For his part, the Reverend Moon left my father in place because Il Hwa continued to make money for him.

If the deification of Heung Jin and the crowning ceremony tested my faith, the emergence of the Black Heung Jin nearly destroyed it. …”

____________________________________

Nansook Hong In The Shadow Of The Moons

‘A la Sombra de los Moon’ por Nansook Hong (Spanish)

« L’ombre de Moon » par Nansook Hong (French)

Nansook Hong – Ich schaue nicht zurück (German)

わが父文鮮明の正体 – 洪蘭淑

文鮮明「聖家族」の仮面を剥ぐ – 洪蘭淑

これが『統一教会』の秘部だ

Black Heung Jin Moon – Violence in the FFWPU

Cheongpyeong symbols reveal an obsession with sex in the religion of Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han.

[illkickyourbass]

henlo. have an expanded Shining Quest AU.

to release some steam from my kettle of stress, have some noodling about a Shining Quest AU that’s less April Fool’s, more high-stakes high-fantasy, but still every bit as tropey, stuffed with otome trappings, and Yay Music as we’ve come to expect from Utapri 

As with the last venture into this AU: not explicitly romantic, non-gendered MC, SFW, and mild CW for arranged marriages. I don’t know HEAVENS (plus they didn’t get canon classes for Shining Quest), so we’ll just be covering STARISH and Quartet Night! 

It’s a fairly typical setup -- there’s a fantasy kingdom, there’s a useless king, there’s a princess (Haruka) known for her talent for music composition, there’s a court of nobles and royals, all that usual hey. Magic is cast by mastery of the arts, whether that be visual, performing, musical, written, you name it. 

There’s a looming threat of some sort of demon king or similar fantasy anime bullshit that the royals and nobles of the kingdom are tasked with keeping at bay. We’re also gonna shamelessly borrow a detail from the pinnacle of wasted potential, the movie Rock and Rule -- there’s a plot point about how a demon can only be forced back with “the magic of one voice, one heart, one song....but there is no one.” Here in this ‘verse, that’s a longstanding prophecy the status quo has taken to mean there’s no-one who’ll ever be able to defeat the demon king. 

The solution that’s been in place for as long as anyone can remember is a royal or noble family offers one of their heirs as a sacrifice to be married off and sate the demon king for that generation-- the “devil’s bride” or “devil’s groom” or “devil’s betrothed.” This goes pretty badly for the heirs, of course, but it offers great prestige to the house that does it. 

You, the player, would get to pick what RPG class you fill (which would affect some dialogue trees and the expertise you demonstrate) and what art you use to cast magic. You are a member of the royal guard tasked with Haruka’s protection, but you’ve stumbled into the knowledge before it goes public: she’s the next devil’s bride! You go to Tomochika, a hired hand to the royals who’s been dating Haru in secret, and you begin to hatch a plan to bust Haruka out of the arrangement. 

Your route’s then determined by which of the boys you seek out as your other co-conspirator. 

Otoya is a fellow member the Royal Guard on Haruka protection detail. He’s equally resented and well-liked for his dauntless optimism and natural talent with swordsmanship, but it’s no secret that he’s not someone you’ll be trusting for expert strategy. He’s had the chance to become friendly with Haruka, and he’s ready to fight tooth and nail for her freedom! He’s classed as a warrior, who casts light-element attacks and healing spells with his music. 

Masato was raised from birth to become an ideal Devil’s Groom, since the Hijirikawa nobles are falling out of favor in the courts (spurred in part from their takedown of the Kurosakis backfiring on them). But Masato has rejected that he (or Mai) will ever go along with that plan, instead intently training in swordsmanship and fusing music and fiber arts to make enchanted fabrics that work like armor. Quietly, he has kept a very ambitious goal in mind: outright defeat the demon king and end the legacy of the devil’s betrothed. 

Natsuki is a natural genius at using both his voice and viola to communicate with creatures and summoning the cutest ones to absolutely wreck house. Though a humble farmboy who’s kind of out-of-touch with the political goings-on of his land, his talent was too great to go unnoticed forever, and he was invited to live among the high court as an entertainer and summoner. He got to make so many new friends (like the princess and you!) and better provide for his family, so he’s thankful every day for the change, even if he misses his animal friends at home! 

Tokiya came from a humble family that wanted to lead a quiet life, but Tokiya himself had ambitions that far outpace that. Though not a natural talent, he put unimaginable sweat into a field that creates potent spells and tools by the power of song. Eventually becoming estranged from his whole family, Tokiya finds it all worthwhile after struggling his way into being hired by the royals. Much of the court thinks of him as a weird mad scientist who sings to his books, but he’s found fast friends he’d go to the ends of the earth for, like Masato, the princess, and you! 

Ren is the inverse of Masato in his circumstance. Like the Hijirikawa noble family, the Jinguujis helped orchestrate the fall of the Kurosaki nobles, but the blowback had them falling out of favor instead of rising in power. Ren was planned to be offered as a Devil’s Groom to restore some clout, but instead of being intently groomed, he was left to do whatever he wanted since he’s got such a foregone future. So Ren becomes a carefree playboy, eventually taking his talent for alchemy and becoming a for-hire adventurer to sate his boredom. He tells everyone his saxophone is his secret to brewing his one-of-a-kind love potions, but he’s actually devised some uniquely remarkable revival and buffing potions.

Syo comes from the same backwoods as Natsuki, but took less interest in working for the courts and instead trying to find a career emulating his childhood hero that kept his body’s limits in mind. But his twin left to pursue medical schooling, and eventually, between loneliness, worry, and the promise that the musical magic and medicine in the courts could help him safely push his limits, he follows Natsuki into the belly of the royals and nobles. His small stature and commitment to the movement arts made him a natural rogue, and he’s technically part of the Royal Guard’s special ops. But Syo’s brashness and burning spirit tends to best serve motivating the people around him -- what few spells he prefers to cast with his violin-playing are all buffs that lift the spirit and energize the body.  

Cecil came to this land on essentially a study abroad program and came to love the friends he made so much he stuck around! A wildly talented sorcerer able to cast even without playing his flute, Cecil is held in high esteem by the whole kingdom for the knowledge and skill he has to offer. Prone to disappearing, however, since a curse has him transforming into a cat as an occasional side effect of casting magic. He’s found this useful, though -- something injust he won’t stand for is afoot in this kingdom, and nobody suspects a little black cat of eavesdropping! 

Reiji is a court jester who loves, loves, loves nothing more than to make you smile! Much of the court takes his good cheer for granted, and even more underestimate his prowess in tough/delicate situations, but the most powerful folks know he’s just as sharp as he is goofy. When he’s not doing his job making people smile, he’s often helping or promoting his family’s pub or bugging his friends from outside the royal court. His flashy performances and maraca-shaking have been shaped into a great conduit for spells of transmutation, though he tends to use them to put on a great show more than beat ass.

Ranmaru is the eldest son of the disgraced Kurosaki nobles (whose power and legacy were ruined by the Jinguujis and Hijirikawas as per usual) but he decided to bear the brunt of the damage in wake of his father’s passing to spare the rest of his family. Shouldering massive debt, Ranmaru disappeared and re-emerged as the gambler prince of the underground, now incredibly powerful in his own right. Not-so-secretly a big softie, he’ll swindle and ruin the lives of those who take advantage of the helpless, even operating out of a pub owned by an old couple that needed some protecting from loan sharks. Ranmaru wears special runed gloves that store mana when he plays his bass, letting him cast a set number of fire evocation spells before his next recharge. 

Ai lives in woods on the outskirts of the city. Most regard him as a hermit, but a couple know that Ai is actually a homunculus that has been refining his understanding and performance of humanity and needs frequent breaks to “recharge.” Nominally a ranger, Ai’s skills lie in his powerful patience and observation moreso than his bow and arrow, though he and Reiji have an arrangement where he helps hunt and forage ingredients for the Kotobuki pub. Ai is beginning to grasp his own unique sense of humanity and is ready to take grander action to realize it. He fights with arrows of a special alloy that react to an instrument at home; they are tempered by the sound and blessed by the wind to never miss their target should the wielder be skilled enough. 

Camus is an assassin that lives in shadow. Nobody’s quite sure of his intentions or allegiances, but the few times someone does see him in the open, he’s as haughty and demanding as ever. Rumor has it that he lives in the royal castle -- certainly, their enormously increased sweets output would imply such, and it’s well-known in the castle that unexplained cello music is usually his doing -- but he’s such an evanescent and terrifying presence nobody’s quite sure (and is too scared to ask). His assassinations are almost impossible to track, as his blades of ice melt, disappear, and leave no trail to follow. 

Typical route stuff goes as you’d expect -- you progress the plot, you get closer to your chosen boy, some political intrigue things probably happen, some heart-racing events etc. etc., and before you know it the two of you are very close and realize that your arts cast wildly powerful magic when put together. Slowly, you gather more friends (a selection of the other boys + Haru and Tomo) and find that together, your work amplifies in power to unprecedented degrees. It’ll vary from route to route how you get there, but eventually, you all come to the same conclusion: it’s time to kick some demon king ass. And you do! 

The ends vary from angsty (like the player or the chosen boy is mortally wounded or dies) or fairytale fluffy (go off and spend a happy life together) or something more power fantasy-feeling (like you and chosen boy revolutionize the whole kingdom for the better in wake of the demon king’s defeat), etc. -- but no matter what you know that your art + your boy + the power of friendship kicked more ass than anything Shining Kingdom has ever seen!