#sun!everlasting orbit

[everlastingorbit]

oughhhhhhhh Wip Wednesday

We trying but oughhhhh

[everlastingorbit]

My computer hated me the entire time but I did it!

Everlasting orbit sun be upon ye

Today is the 21st and you know what that means? It's the Reveal-versary/Birthday of Sun and Moon! But this also means it marks the opening day of the DCA Reveal-versary magma collab!

Two boards will be open for artists from now until Tuesday the 26th so long as there's space to cram stuff in at the time (though this is depending how fast it gets filled up.)

The Reveal-versary collab is split into two boards here's a rundown of each:

The Party room: The main board where you can join Sun and Moon to celebrate their birthday! Remember to grab a party hat, party poppers or a slice of cake if you wish!

The Snack table: A secondary board where you can grab a snack of your choice or/and add one of your own! The table is catered by a pair of little guys that seem oddly familiar.

Before jumping in here's the rules:

No NSFW

Only 1 character per board - (For now. You can also add a snack of your choice alongside your character to add to the snack table board! Make sure to finish your character on one board before starting in the other though!)

Keep your character a reasonable size - (We shouldn't fill the space too fast so other artists can join after all, so no huge or gigantic characters taking most of the space.)

Finish your art of your character! / Merge layers when finished - (No uncoloured pieces please, characters included are to be coloured in someway. This is a multi-day event so don't feel pressured to do it all in one go!)

Try to interact with the scene - (If you can, try to have your character add to the scene, one of the best parts of a collab is seeing how characters interact!)

Inform me when you've finished your character and which board it's on. (Either in the chat there, ask box or reply to this post. I will be taking notes on who has participated on what boards and will include the names on the post when the final collab images are unveiled!)

Magma side note: There's a layer limit with the free plan, artists will have to make sure merge their layers when they're finished so new ones can be made for others. There is a limit of 30 people on a canvas/board at one time so if it'll be busy wait a little while.

Without further here's the boards, enjoy the party! And most of all Happy second reveal-versary to the beloved skrunkly jesters.

Collab boards:

Magma casual Birthday-themed doodles for if you want to do your own thing (Mostly for the first day):

[cookiiemancer]

Here's my Secret Santa for @tinyfairart , I hope you like it! :)

[shookethdev]

Hey @tinyfairart!! I was your Secret Skeleton for the DCAH2023 event! I had a lot of fun drawing these guys, and I love the concept of your AU Everlasting Orbit!!

Below the cut is just the uncolored and flats/unedited version

[thecourtjester12]

Happy birthday to @fairstival these beans belong to him! and are from their EverlastingOrbit Au

Maybe go bother him a bit with some birthday wishes! :3

[journeytothewestresearch]

Fun JTTW Text Reference for Artists

I've written at length about Sun Wukong's golden headband (here, here, here, and here). Anyone who has read the novel will know that it is used to rein in Monkey's unruly behavior through the application of pain. Such events have been portrayed by artists like Chen Huiguan in his Newly Illustrated and Complete Journey to the West (Chen Huiguan Xinhui Quanben Xiyouji, 陈惠冠新绘全本西游记, 2001) and Tianwaitang in his piece Tripitaka's Curse (2010).

But I've never seen someone depict the instance with the greatest potential for an everlasting visual impact. In chapter 27, Tripitaka angrily recites the tightening spell 20 times to punish Monkey for killing what he thought was an innocent woman (it wasn't). This causes our hero's head to deform like a cartoon character!

The sight so frightened the Tang Monk that he fell from his horse. Lying on the road, he did not speak another word except to recite the Tight-Fillet Spell back and forth exactly twenty times. Alas, poor Pilgrim's head was reduced to an hourglass-shaped gourd! As the pain was truly unbearable, he had to roll up to the Tang Monk and plead, "Master, please don't recite anymore. Say what you have to say" (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 2, p. 23) 唐僧一見，驚下馬來，睡在路傍，更無二話，只是把緊箍兒咒顛倒足足念了二十遍。可憐把個行者頭勒得似個亞腰兒葫蘆，十分疼痛難忍，滾將來哀告道：「師父莫念了，有甚話說了罷。」

The original Chinese lists the "double-waisted" calabash gourd (yayao'er hulu, 亞腰兒葫蘆). I hope this gives artists an idea of what Wukong's head would look like.

I've previously noted how the novel describes Sun Wukong as an actual monkey, and it's because of this that the headband would likely rest on his eye orbits. I imagine his head being squeezed into the shape of a calabash gourd would make his eyes comically (or grotesquely) bulge, too.

[larkaen]

—❝ you taught me the courage of stars before you left ❞

His love was light incarnate, and the realms shroud in darkness with the shatter of sleeping stars and the golden blood of sun-flesh the day everything soft and pure bled in the temple of murder. This was the yarn that bound pages would spin with the ink of scholars: the death of two with a single wound.

brief gore descriptions, death, dark urge tav (no use of the name), gender neutral!

They had never understood desire until Astarions touch fell upon ruined flesh. They burned hot as if hellfire, no remedy to kiss the lick of flames and craving for sweet ruby rivers gliding smooth down their gullet. Their belly, the very core of their damned soul quenched with the hands of light: of pale skin and carmine gaze.

Have me, the cursed one cries within themselves, devour me whole as though I weep with god-nector, poisoned ambrosia. Take me whole, as I am. Please, I beg of you, love my darkness as though it is holy.

They hunger for the pull and stretch of taut tendons, the split of flesh and tongue lapping sweet juices as Astarion buries himself deep within their ribs. Held ever close to their heart. The everlasting cure to the hunger of father’s bloodlust. It was almost comical; the darkest of urges quenched with the mere existence of one with a dripping ledger.

Visceral, howling, beastly, was their love. Ever willing to welcome a torn jugular if it meant their love would be left with a full belly. They did not know the path of undying devotion in a light such as this. Horrid and bloody, it was. It was their way of life.

Yet, they were the one to cleanse the blood from snowy curls and hold trembling shoulders over the bath rim on the eve of Cazadors death. From their lips left comfort and everything sweet and pure. From Astarions very existence, came the birth of new beginnings. The death of wretched and everything horrid.

They wonder now, basked in putrid death as their sacred life-blood flowed and lapped at stone, if they had done it right. If they loved truly, purely. If Astarion was loved as he deserved. He deserved light incarnate.

His lips speak frantic now. Words fall on deafened ears. They wish to reach, tuck unfurled white lock back behind pointed ear. They bleed, and they wish for him to feed and regain the strength seeping through small cuts and gash. They wish for one moment more, a single one, to look upon salvation.

But fate, its ever lasting cruelty, had other plans.

Perhaps in another life, I'll have done it right. I will love the way one should, I will cherish the very chance of being within your orbit. Oh, my love, how very sorry I am.

Within the temple of murder, comes a shattering bellow of agony. Strands of white fall upon their chest, Astarions fingers claw at the very base of his skull. Rocks on his knees, screams a roar of a broken man. Blood smears upon pallid skin and seeps between armor crevices upon the desperate cradle of his love's limp bod.

His love was light incarnate, and the realms shroud in darkness with the shatter of sleeping stars and the golden blood of sun-flesh the day everything soft and pure bled in the temple of murder. This was the yarn that bound pages would spin with the ink of scholars: the death of two with a single wound.

The world became silent in the wake of the flood. Except, it was not so, but it was him. The earthen soil did not quake with the roar of rushing water, but that of a man who plummets to the very depths of his true living hell.

[ithaquakisser]

Salvatore

Synopsis; You and Ithaqua have come to an agreement. In turn, you are to be the cure to his everlasting solitude.

CW; Explicit themes, obsession, unhealthy relationship, degradation, vague religious imagery

MINORS DNI. (18+)

WC; ≈2.4K

Note; I've been meaning to experiment with a completely different take on Ithaqua, so I decided to mess around with my take on Morningstar. I have not written NSFW in eons, so spare me! Most of this was written at like... 3AM with no proper proofreading whatsoever. So, in another words—not my proudest work yet! This piece also doesn't quite have a plot either, I just wrote whatever came to mind. Enjoy! 🙈 (I'm so embarrassed.)

You were the sun, his sun. The sun who orbits around the Earth, breathing life into those around you. You brought about warmth with your light. If he could, he would bask in your presence from dusk till dawn. You had never seen the moon, or its stars, nor the night. Yet you heard its voice once or twice through the roaring winds.

He yearned to preserve your light. Claim it as his own. How he longed to maintain it for his own wants. Your beaming smile, your eyes that glistened like the stars, your soft h/c locks that waltzed with the wind. Without you, the moon could not shine without your light. Without you, could he ever beam again?

Faint rays of moonlight illuminated the dim candlelit room. You rested upon a king-sized bed, the cool breeze brushing against your naked body. Your hands lie above your head, cold slender hands interlaced with yours. He traced constellations onto your bare skin. His hips straddled on top of yours, his cloak discarded onto the marble floor. Ithaqua drew the stars upon your waist, soft lips brushing against your neck. He was desperate, his actions expressed his longing for your touch.

Words were unspoken between the two of you, a contract unknown. Shall you be spared under all circumstances, and in turn, you become the cure to his eternal solitude. Godlike he was, each touch was a blessing. You were a mere sinner under his presence, and here you lie before him, confessing your sins. Letting all your secrets spill from each breath you take, he is who shall listen. He is who shall cleanse you of your sins. He who is your salvatore.

His warm tongue ran along your neck, sending shivers down your spine. He grazed his teeth upon your soft skin, his hot breath was enough to make you melt under his touch. “Relax, dear.” Ithaqua cooed, trailing his hand down to your pelvis. You couldn’t help but buck your hips up in anticipation, letting out a sharp exhale. “Needy are you, love?”

He pulled away from your neck and pressed his lips against yours, emitting a low moan as a hand began to rub your thigh gently. He mercilessly bit your lip, causing you to yelp in surprise. The hunter smiled into the kiss as he forced his way through your mouth. He softly stroked your plush thighs, occasionally squeezing them. His tongue explored your wet cavern whilst you held onto his hand, his free hand outlining the stars on your inner thigh. You whined, your hips squirming beneath him in desperation.

The young male pulled away, a thin trail of saliva connecting the two of you. “Is there something wrong, love?” Ithaqua whispered. “Don’t you tease me any longer…” You protested, Ithaqua couldn’t help but let out a chuckle in response. “Patience, Y/N.” He sighed and placed a hand on your bare chest, pressing you down against the mattress. His golden necklace dangling from his chest, hovering over you as his eyes fixed on yours.

“You think I’d willingly satisfy you without earning it? Don’t make me laugh, love.” Ithaqua rebuked. “How’s this? Please me first. If you do a good job, I’ll fuck you to your heart’s content. Sounds good?” He spoke, his lips curling into a smirk. You nodded your head eagerly. With a complacent expression, the two of you proceeded to switch positions. He laid back onto the array of pillows by the bedframe, his legs spread wide open. “Well? What’re you waiting for? You know what to do.”

“Talk about patience…” You muttered under your breath. “What’s that, darling?” Instigated the hunter as he leisurely removed his mask, his ebony-colored eyes meeting yours. “Nothing, dear…” You uttered as you lowered your gaze from his. With a scowl, he grabbed hold of your face, forcing you to look at him. “Don’t you forget who is in control here. I can delightfully revoke my conditions anytime. I wouldn’t be opposed to watching you squirm in desperation in hopes I’d touch you while I pleasure myself. Now, obey my orders won’t you?”

You swallowed before speaking breathily. “Yes, sir…” With a satisfied smile, he let you go. Without another word; you loosened his garters and unbuttoned his pants. He emitted a sigh of relief once his cock was freed from the confines of his pants, twitching upon release as droplets of precum dripped down the shaft. You spat onto your palm before taking him into your hands, beginning to pump him up and down.

The hunter threw his head back with a breathy moan as you stroked his dick, occasionally rubbing your thumb against his tip and causing him to twitch in response. You picked up the pace over time, observing his facial expressions as his chest heaved. You observed how desperately he attempted to restrain his moans behind the heavy breaths taken. His eyes were half-lidded as he huffed, his lips slightly parted as his face was tinted with a scarlet hue.

Ithaqua has never felt this way before. Such pleasure, such desire, a fire ignited within him the moment you laid your hands on him. He gazed upon your naked body as you eagerly stroked his cock with such a lustful expression on your face. You observed how his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, how his hands clasped the bedsheets and the way his thighs threatened to clamp shut on you as they trembled under your touch. You brought your lips close and ran your tongue alongside his shaft, causing him to shudder in response.

Ithaqua took hold of your h/c locks into his trembling hands as you took him into your warm mouth. You swirled your tongue upon his tip, tasting the bitterness in his precum as he twitched inside your mouth. You were relatively slow with your pace, causing the hunter to buck his hips up out of impatience. Caught off-guard, you gagged for a brief moment. “Don’t be a tease,” Ithaqua spoke, tightening his grip on your hair.

He began to thrust into your mouth slowly as he held onto you. You were taken aback by his sudden movements, groaning onto his cock as he screwed your mouth. You gripped his thighs, lightly squeezing them as tears formed at the corners of your eyes. “Hah… You’re taking me so well, dear…” Ithaqua cooed. His light eyes fixed on your every expression as he thrusts into you, his dick brutally assaulting the back of your throat.

“I’m close…” He whispered between breaths, his thrusts becoming sloppier by the second. Within moments, he reached his high and released his hot seed into your mouth. He threw his head back with a rather loud moan, his eyes practically rolling to the back of his skull as you proceeded to pull away. Cum dripping from the corners of your mouth, the young man raised his head and tenderly wiped the droplets dripping down your chin with the pad of his thumb.

“Swallow all of it,” Ithaqua demanded, pressing his thumb against your lower lip. Reluctantly, you swallowed the bitter liquid and licked away the excess from his thumb. “You did so well for me, love…” He purred as he gently wiped away the tears forming at the corners of your eyes.

Half-lidded almond eyes met yours, his lips curling into a cheeky grin as he palmed your chest. With a quick and sudden push, he pinned you down against the cushioned mattress like a predator catching its prey. You had let out a squeak upon impact whilst he hovered over you, a slender finger placed over your lips as he hushed you. You swallowed anxiously, a hand running down your bare waist as he carefully observed your expressions.

Oh, how he adored your expressions. The lovely face you’d make whenever he’d caress your bare skin. He adored your smile, and how the corners of your eyes wrinkled out of pure joy. He especially admired the look on your face when you’d beg on your knees for mercy as he readied his axe to strike. The way your e/c eyes widened in apprehension never ceased to send shivers down his spine and make him weak in the knees.

Loose strands of his silver hair tickled your ruby-tinted cheeks as he planted his lips against yours, prodding his tongue past your lips into your mouth. You elicited a moan as his tongue danced with yours, his icy hands trailing down your body. They traced miscellaneous symbols as he ravaged your mouth. His fingertips stopped at your sex, lightly brushing against it and causing you to shudder.

He pulled away from the kiss, his light-colored eyes meeting yours. “May I?” “Yes… Please.” Without another word, he inserted his fingers delicately into your heat. He was rather careful with his touch, being mindful of his sharp nails as he slowly rubbed your sensitive spot. You had let out a breathy moan, watching as he moved his fingers in and out of you with such precision.

Ithaqua was quite deft with his fingers, moving them at a steady pace whilst stroking your soft spot. You observed him, unnoticeably moving your hips as he stroked. “My, eager, aren’t you?” Ithaqua remarked. “Don’t be such a tease…” He could only chuckle in response, his eyes fixed on your sex as he pumped his fingers into your core.

Your breathing became labored as he continued to assault your sweet spot, uttering words of praise in between moans. You breathily spoke his name like an incantation, your hands clutching the bed sheets in ecstasy. “Look at you… You’re such a mess already…” He teased, witnessing your face flush a shade of crimson.

With a smirk, he curled his fingers and ruthlessly began to pump them inside of you at a brisk pace. You tensed around his fingers, becoming a moaning mess beneath him. Huffing and puffing upon his touch, you called out his name like a broken record. You gazed upon him with tears forming at the corners of your eyes. “Ithaqua… I’m…”

“Hold it,” Ithaqua demanded. “You can do that, can you not?” “Ithaqua… I… Please…” “Please what?” “Please… Let me come…” You pleaded, his eyes fixed on yours as he continued to strike at your sensitive spot. “Please, Ithaqua… just let me…” You bucked your hips forward, a complete mess you were.

You harshly bit down on your lower lip as your back arched slightly. The hunter purposely slowed his pace, occasionally coming to a halt with a sadistic grin on his face. You had let out a groan of desperation, hot tears streaming down your flushed face. With his opposite hand, he shoved his thumb into your mouth, his thumb lightly brushing against your warm tongue as you panted. You looked at him with half-lidded eyes as your chest began to heave, moaning into his hand as he ravaged your insides.

The young man had a grin on his face as you began to tremble beneath him, your walls tensing around his fingers. “Mmh…” You whimpered, as you began to feel a tight coil building up in your stomach. Your thighs trembling as you closed your eyes as you thrust your hips into his fingers, arching your back as the coil grew tighter with each passing moment. Ithaqua leaned forward, his hot breath against your ear as he whispered. “You’re doing so well… Just a bit longer, dear.”

You whined, your breathing became labored as you neared your high. You felt the coil threaten to burst with each stroke, your toes curling as droplets of tears rolled down your scarlet cheeks. You dug your nails into the mattress as you mewled. You let out a muffled gasp as you tensed once more, an overwhelming wave of pleasure washing over you as you arched your back. You could’ve sworn you had seen the stars as you moaned uncontrollably into his hand which muffled your sounds, your hot liquid spilling onto his fingers.

Hot tears spilled down your scarlet-tinted cheeks as you exhaled, your body quivering beneath him. With a sigh, he pulled his hands away from you. Examining your warm essence on his fingers as he spoke. “How disappointing… You did not last even a minute.” Running his tongue over his slender fingers, tasting the past minutes of your involvement. “Open.”

You opened your mouth agape, the young man leaning in and shoving his tongue past your lips. He explored your mouth once more, the bittersweet taste of your essence against your tongue. You closed your eyes, placing a hand on his warm cheek whilst his tongue ventured alongside yours. His hands were all over your bare skin, palming in circular motions. He invaded your mouth until he was done with you, saliva connecting both your moist lips.

“You taste terrible…” Ithaqua spoke, venom laced within his words. He knew he was speaking falsehoods, yet he could not bring himself to speak with sincerity. You could only mutter a pitiful apology under your breath as tears poured from your e/c eyes, he had a piercing gaze that made your heart skip a beat. “Spare the crocodile tears, love. We have no need for them. After all, you’ve got what you wanted. Did you not?”

The hunter rose from the bed, readjusting himself into his clothes. He retrieved his cloak from the marble floor, a miffed expression on his pale face. “Yes, but I…” “What is it?” You sighed, lowering your gaze. You couldn’t dare speak another word. The young man fetched your clothes which were scattered along the bedroom floor, tossing them by your side. “Get dressed. There’s a match at dusk. I cannot risk being reprimanded once again by the baron.”

“You’ll… stick to your word, correct?” You inquired, raising the bedsheets to your chest to sheathe your naked body. “Why would I not?” Said the hunter as he picked up his mask. Seemingly fixated on the broken mirror in front of him, he had a noticeable scowl on his face upon seeing his reflection. “A deal’s a deal, is it not? Don’t you fret, I’ll spare you and your friends the trouble. However…” Ithaqua turned on his heels to face you as he placed on his mask. “Do not expect me to be merciful this time around, understood?”

…

"Understood.”

[p1nkcomet]

you are the sun and each morning i wait for you. like a starving man i yearn for your glance in my direction, praying for you to come and save me. when night falls, the bright stars almost recreate the lovely twinkle im your eye, yet you still outshine them. the moon is jealous i pay no attention to her; instead i count down the seconds until you rise again. in the midst of darkness, i reach for you, for even a blind man could see your beauty. as i wait for your beams to break the surface of the sky, i hear the birds flying in the distance, the sound of their flapping wings matching that of my heartbeat. you are the sun, a ball of fire and energy, you radiate warmth, and in the cold winter days people pray for you to come out for a chance to be purely grazed by your flames. i beg that you nourish me, feed me, save me. the universe orbits you, i spin around you, i trace your every move, i go where you go, like an obedient dog, i follow you. without you, the moon itself ceases to exist, a sliver of your reflection guides us even through the still hours of solitude; if you don’t see something, is its existence denied? you are the sun, and each time i hear the clock’s rhythmic tiks and taks i feel my pulse syncing with them. why do you stay away for so long? why do you make me wait? your presence lingers in the air, making it thick, unbearable, depriving me of oxygen, and ultimately suffocating me until your next appearance. why do you drag out each beat of a second, making us monumentally separate? when you rise, its a cue to the end of my heart’s famine, the very same heart that strains and tenses and twists into a feeling of hatred when you leave me to fend for myself. but even god himself knows i could never hate you, as he watches over me, he sends the wind to kiss my cheeks when you can’t. but i won’t be deceived, for you are the sun, the eternal smoldering, the everlasting blaze cast upon my soul. you are the sun, and when my wait is finally over, i ascent like i do each morning, ready to obey your trajectory. aristotle’s view states that all the heavenly bodies move in circular orbits in which each circumgyration is an exact repetition of every one that has preceded it, and even though my destiny of your trails serves a tragic end to it, and i know another will come to take the celestial place in which i stand, i will live out and devote my abiding loyalty to you, and only you, until it can burn into your skin the way your rays sink into mine.  

[frogsndogs]

A love letter to Scooby Doo, the characters, the show and everyone whose kept it alive for the past 54 years!

Velma is the sun. She is intense, talking a mile a minute, she seems as though she knows all the knowledge in the universe. She seems like she’s been around for all of it. You shouldn’t stare at her, no, for she will stare back and blind you. She is hot, a ball of fiery passion, anger bubbling to the surface, ready to erupt in a solar flare should you not choose your words wisely. Velma is the sun, hot but not warm, intense and burning, everlasting. 

Shaggy is the moon. He is silent and cautious, an unearthly aura one cannot explain. He waxes and wanes, flowing with the tide, moving with the sky. He’s fast, one minute he’s there the next he’s gone - but that’s not true, he is always there, never truly leaving. He is locked in his own orbit, inside of a bigger path and he knows it. But it is his orbit and he would not be himself without it. He glows and he grins and he takes the weight.  Shaggy is the moon, as loyal as he is magical.

Daphne is the stars. Twinkling and shining, she fills up the room. She’s everywhere. She’s underestimated, just a spot in the sky, just a little girl. But she’s a force to be reckoned with. You can’t see her if you’re not looking at her right and very few people look at her right. She’s getting bigger, passing through phases in the blink of an eye. She is everything she wants to be and she wants to be everything. Daphne is the stars, a thousand things, each one better than the last.

Fred is the earth. Grounded and grounding, he tries to lead the chaos. And when he can’t, he settles for understanding it. Spinning around in what some may find the same routine, and maybe the routine won’t change, but he will change from it. Reaching for things that he can’t understand, but he wants to. And he’s willing to do the work to do so. He chases the unknown and revels in the night, shining like he himself is a star. Fred is the earth, solid and steadfast.

Scooby is dark matter. You don’t really know what he is, only that he is there - holding everything together. He is the centre and the edge. The beginning and the end. He shouldn’t be but he is, and the universe adjusts. And it is better for it.

[everlastingorbit]

I want to apologize for chapter one taking so long. It's currently 3000 words in the revisioning process but as I reread it I'm realizing it needs a lot more detail.

It's means there's going to be a lot of world building and plenty to read for the first chapter but its going to take longer than I hoped.

Thank you to everyone interested in the project and for the patience as I try my best lol

[perlen-gold]

A Fenris x Hawke story

(Chapter 7)

Another step. More insecure than the last. Yet another step.

The days rose and fell like cataracts of frothing light, shaping and reshaping themselves.

There was no incandescent sun, its rising and falling to tell the tale. Only the everlasting, unending blackish prongs and turrets of the city in the churning sky, slashed against the tireless whirling of poisoned, ash-floating light. 

Sometimes, it appeared indeed, that light was creeping into the wakening sky. Sometimes there was night. Sometimes there was day. And sometimes there was none.

Eyes, aloft and afloat, peered at Fenris gaunt outlines from under dark, shaded corners. Watching. Gazing. Staring. Approach him they did not. Spirits and demons alike. They merely observed him as the gray-faced wolves in the dark-green forests, ripe with wonder, had done.

After a while, an indefinite weariness clung to Fenris’ limbs as if he was dragging a cracked shell behind them.

And on walked Fenris, on the fissures of his being.

Over dried lakes, gaping with choking thirst. Through dells and dales dense with crumbling stone temples and wafting statues. Through vast caves went Fenris, lush with blazing torches and orbits of light. Forests there were, cold and abundant with stone stems and rock barks. Across a desert he wandered, twisters of sand spiraling into the sky and sucking pools of rimless waters. Chiseled balustrades and coned pavilions, hovering above the ground, their pieces scattered around. Bone-clattered cliffs and spirit-roamed ruins.

At times the sky was lustrous with burning flames, and otherwiles mere sparks streaked across it as glimpsed comets on the night sky.

And all the while, the airy, thinning nothingness and thickening wind were whisking around him, whip-lean and kingfisher-swift they flapped his limbs and lashed strands of Fenris’ pearl-dulled hair.

Through doors of flaming fire and up stairways of rippling water he went. Through doors next to the nodding of bushes crowned with iron-tipped flowers.

An old, forlorn battlefield brushing his ankles as if they remembered a long-lost brother returned, one of their own. They murmured to him. From afar, spirits and demons watched alike.

Did spirits battle their own kind? Some scholars said yes. Others no.

Was he becoming one of them?

A demon of rage?, some seemed to ask from the lurking shadows. A spirit of vengeance?

Of grief, Fenris thought.

He dragged his toes over the stone-shard ground.

Another step. More insecure than the last. Yet another step.

He called Hawke’s name no more into the hum-filled, smoking silence.

Keep reading on AO3

[sasoxichomoshi]

lately i have been chewing in my mind this specific question as to why did godslayer choose the sun sword

cause think with me, he could choose between the bow and sword, but he sought the sword, specifically

then i remembered the reverse au drawings my moot Ads (omg, my moot, what an honor) did a while back that partially answered it but after pondering a bit more i think i can develop the idea with a reference i have been orbiting around lately: the book Goddesses, a compilation of works from Joseph Campbell (damn him again)

so first let's put the cards in the table

tho the bow and the sword are what we see, they are here just as symbols of what they represent - the bow as the half moon and the sword as a sun ray, they are a part of the whole

diving more into the symbolic aspect, the (sun) sword is straight forward, its purpose is just to kill, while the (moon) bow on the other hand exists in duality - it's there, be it to war or hunting (and here, hunting means the extension/perpetuation of life)

both Godslayer and Hunter embodies these qualities in different levels

now addressing the celestial side of the weapons, i believe there's a reason (tho i cannot say it was the creators intention) as to why Godslayer is represented by the sun and Hunter, by the moon

in short, the sun and moon (the celestial bodies in real life, to make it clear), as explained in the book Goddesses, received throughout history religious and spiritual meaning tied with life and death (or eternity and time)

it's explained that the sun, initially, was a female symbol, and the moon a male one, but when the male centric religions started to gain dominance the roles inversed

"[...]It was from the period of his reign that the Babylonian epic of the sun god Marduk dates, whose victory over Tiamat, the old goddess of the primeval sea, marks the moment of a decisive transfer of loyalty in that quarter of the world from the universal goddess of nature to an assortment of politically established tribal gods."

here we can already trace a parallel with the game events, tho a bit shy - the main cult in the island is towards mother eagle and as time passes, her cult shrinks due to Godslayer overtaking

the parallels deepens when you take in consideration what the sun and moon are symbols for

"[...]The moon dies into the sun: the bull is pounced upon by the lion. The moon is the celestial sign of the sacrifice.[...]" "[...]What the moon, the bull, and the serpent represent is the power to throw off death and be born again." "[...]The sun always represents the killing, drying, desiccating principle and so the killer is always associated with the solar power.[...]"

Godslayer passed through the golden sun-door to eternity; and by lying his curse right in Sauro's plateau, not only he cursed the world but also took over the sun - now all his actions are holy, as it's all purified in the everlasting flames

Hunter then embodies the cyclical flow of sacrifice, hunter after hunter came to the island and all failed in stopping the curse - as the moon dies into the sun, it is also ready to rebirth

Austin in one of his videos talks about how Hunter is there for the ultimate sacrifice

"one of the narrative threads i had lashed onto early in the project was the idea that the Hunter doesnt initially know why she's being delivered to this island, why she has been sent there, and to me it always felt like a sacrifice. her civilization, wherever she comes from send her there hoping she might oppose the darkness, but they've sent countless hunters for time eternal and with no results to speak of: the darkness had continued to spread in the world, and so it had become almost a form of ritual sacrifice, like throwing... the young maiden into the volcano so to speak. and i thought i like the idea that she manages to do what none have done before her, but not just in actually defeating the darkness but even in learning what was going on there and even understanding her purpose, in that way the game, to me, feels very much like a metaphor for life itself. and so the song had to reflect all that, wrap all that together, and the specific idea that i liked the best was that her goal is to basically give her life in full, unhesitant service to others"

then, in the extended credits, Hunter is saved by the eagle - throwing off death to be reborn (this is one of the qualities of the hero), and this also happens with the Tall Ones since they are pretty much made up of moon-like qualities

"Selene, the moon, is associated with the art of Clio, the muse of history and historical writing. The moon is the planet that moves the tides of life, the tides of the ocean, and the tides of the menstrual cycle and is consequently the power that informs history. The arrow held by Selene in the sphere of the moon is held down, pointing us to the Earth and its history[...]"

the moon in the pathless takes a more human scale - it's gentler, but still conscious of the natural cycle, a natural path that repeats itself over and over and over again

for me it seems that Godslayer pursued the sword (and therefore the sun) as a form of bringing himself closer to the position of a god above the gods; the moon represented exactly what he rejects, the pathless land

hence Hunter's affinity with the moon, and its image ever so present in her presence - she's the moon that dies and resurrects, moving like the river among the realm of the humans

Godslayer in the end would never choose the moon, or the bow, cause he had only one objective

but here comes a small surprise: both the bow and the sword are described as sisters

sun and moon are both female symbols, and are sisters (a bit like Apolo and Artemis), and even if Godslayer denies, they come from a single origin, a single truth

in the end, he also abandons his sword, cause she is unfit, tainted

[unrittenn]

Love me

Love me so unabashedly so unashamedly that you drown in that adoration you hold for me

Look at me and let your pupils dilate and eyes widen like you’re looking at god itself

I want to have your attention so much so that the room goes quiet and everything blurs once you even think I might speak

Smother me

Suffocate me

Surround me

With your undying unwilting everlasting love

Love me hard and love me soft

Let your cheeks redden when I throw a glance

Chest tighten with every laugh

Smile brighten with every clasp of hands

Let me be what graces your eyelids when no one else’s around

Let me steal the air from your lungs as the world goes white

And let me be the one who breathes the life back into them

Let your love burn for me the way the stars burn in the sky

But the way they never outshine the sun

Orbit me for I am your everything

Like I am what anchors you to the ground itself

Like I am gravity

I’d never ever love you less than this

- Trash

[bleucoffin]

“Upon yon velvet canvas of the night, / doth Phoebe cast her tender, silv’ry glow. / A beacon in the dusk, an inmost light; / her splendor in this darkness all will know.

With borrowed flames of sun, she owns her place — / a mistress to the stars, in regal grace. / In tranquil orbit, she doth weave her lace, / an everlasting dance, a warm embrace.

Her faces wax and wane in endless rhyme, / a lover’s whisper at the sultry air. / She watches over all, a silent chime, / in dreams and tides, the sea remains an heir.”

— Yuri Marques, “Phoebe”

[im-always-trying]

I was the moon and you were my earth, the galaxy and her wildflower.

We found each other in darkness and gave each other light.

We helped each other grow and thrive. I fell into your orbit and we became one. Bits of the same star, soulmates.

Our push and pull kept us together through thick and thin, our emotions bouncing off each other like tides, giving us both highs and lows throughout our beautiful life.

Suddenly we found the sun. A new light to help us grow, to help us feel warm and happy inside.

The earth was drawn to the sun and fell into its orbit while the moon followed along.

The sun gave the earth energy and love and motivation to grow while the moon began to fade into the background, hoping for a lunar eclipse, a way to get closer to the sun, even just for a moment. A way for the earth to see, to remember that the moon is still around, too.

The earth and sun became too hot for the moon to survive, so they turned their backs. The moon kept orbiting the earth, but dimmer than before, unable to break away from the everlasting bond.

- I'm a new moon trying to search the stars for answers

I hope global warming doesn't get the best of you