#the archer expansion

[hqmillioncorn]

hell have no wrath like a girl trying to get her brother together with someone

Sofia tugged her arrow off from the target and turned to Babycorn. "Miss Babycorn? How can I become as strong as you?!" That question caught Babycorn completely off guard, partially because it had come out of nowhere. The other reason being that Babycorn hadn't hit any single target in the hour and a half they had been training. "Well uh..." Babycorn nervously looked around, wringing her hands. "I wouldn't say I'm that strong." Not strong enough of a level to aspire to at least. "Of course you're strong!" Sofia exclaimed, "Because no matter how often you get it wrong or get yelled at someone for hitting them with an arrow-You keep trying again and again!" Babycorn let out a quiet "Huh..." She never really thought about that. "I think they call that being stubborn...?" The word sounded familiar. "And that's why you're my teacher!" Sofia pointed right at Babycorn with determination in her eyes. "Cause I'm never gonna give up either! No matter how annoying I get!"

with @ windupnamazu 's linnet and pancake

lalapril 18: allied

cherrypit decides to introduce sofia to some of his other friends!! yay!

If you walked up to Sofia and asked her directly how many friends she had she would probably tell you first, buzz off and second, that sort of stuff didn't matter.

Truthfully Sofia didn't have many friends. Not around her age anyway. As a future hero of the realm she already knew she was bound to make a million friends on her adventures.

So who cared if her only friend for now was an eternal two-year-old with freaky eyes?

She supposed that Babycorn counted too but that was more of a mentorly relationship than a friendship. That’s what Sofia kept telling herself anyway. Though it was far from how she really felt about her bond with Babycorn.  

Even so, when Cherrypit told her he wanted Sofia to meet some of his friends she was surprised, shocked and doubtful at the same time. “You have friends beside me!?” It was hard to believe at first but the more Sofia thought about it, the more it made sense. 

Cherrypit happily nodded, the same happy smile on his face that he took with him everywhere. 

“Incredible. The toddler has more friends than me.” 

Sofia fell back dramatically on the steps of the Adder’s nest, blocking some people from entering but that wasn’t important. What was important is that Cherrypit thought it was funny to clap and laugh for her.

“Hehe. Easy.” Toddlers had such a simple sense of humor. 

It was probably a weird sight, a teenager and a baby just hanging out (while the baby’s sister finished up some deliveries for their grand company.) One would probably assume she was babysitting him or something but that was far from the actual truth. 

She and Cherrypit had actually become friends back when he was in his sister’s body, so of course she just assumed they were around the same age. How was she ever supposed to know he was just two-years old?!

Especially with the archery skills he showed at the time?! It all drove Sofia absolutely crazy that he was somehow better than her. It did take a bit but she eventually came to accept Cherrypit as an equal. Even if he was better at hitting targets than her. 

Then it all came crashing down when the truth just happened to come out. 

Of course Sofia would be upset after being lied to, even if Cherrypit didn't mean to. It was their first fight besides the one before that. 

It wasn’t until her actual hero, Babycorn Corn, talked to her about her little brother’s unique circumstances that Sofia started to actually forgive him. It probably couldn’t be easy staying the same age while the rest of your friends grew up. Leaving you behind in the shadows…

She herself knew she would hate being five-years-old for the rest of her life. 

‘You can’t reach things on the top shelf AND everyone treats you like a baby?! No thanks!’ 

And as a monarch she couldn’t just abandon one of her subjects in their time of need like this. Even if they hadn’t been entirely truthful. That and it was kind of cool having a transforming overpowered and potentially evil but heroic baby on her side. 

“You didn’t trick your other friends into thinking you were bigger than you were, did you?” It didn’t hurt to ask. That would just mean she and Cherrypit’s other friends had something in common. 

Cherrypit shook his head. “Knew fior-!  Big!” That meant that he had been friends with them for a long time. “Like thiiiiiis!” Cherrypit put his hand up in the air, trying to tell Sofia that he had known his friends since they were just a little bit taller than him.   

By now Sofia had been friends with Cherrypit long enough that she understood some of his unique baby explanations. Though his baby babble that went on for at least five minutes was still out of reach for her. “So you knew them ever since they were really young?” That was just like her!  

Though judging from Cherrypit’s little explanation they might have been even younger than Sofia had been when she first met him. 

“So what are they like now?”

Cherrypit pointed right at Sofia. 

“T-They’re like me??” 

Cherrypit nodded. He first had the idea of shapeshifting into his besties but Babycorn had practically begged him to stop doing that in places that had a lot of people.

Or else they would end up sending a whole crowd of people to the hospital again. 

Meanwhile Sofia was daydreaming about the possibility of meeting people that were just like her. “Wow…” Maybe they were even princesses too?! Anything was possible. 

By now Babycorn had finished her turn-ins and come back with a new spring in her step. “Back! Okay Sofia? Did you still wanna have that practice fight?” It wouldn’t be too serious but Babycorn knew Sofia could tell when she was holding back. Not that Babycorn still didn’t try 

Sofia almost looked surprised to see Babycorn back. “Y-Yeah-! I wanted to but first can I ask you something?” Surely Babycorn would know about Cherrypit’s friends too if she was his older sister. It would also be just a little easier to understand what she was saying too. 

Though this was not always the case. 

“Sure! Go right ahead!” 

“Does Cherrypit really have friends that are like me?” Sofia looked up at Babycorn with the biggest pleading eyes she could muster. Though she wasn’t doing it on purpose. It was just something that happened naturally. Like the seasons changing or anteaters eating ants. 

Babycorn thought about it for a second. “Oh yeah, I would say they’re around your age. Little older but…” Sofia had just had her 17th nameday just two months ago so that would put her around the same age as both girls, if not a little older. Possibly.

“Really?!” Sofia must have jumped up at least three malms into the air. “Can you introduce me to them?!” She just had to meet them!!

“Please Bebe?!” Even Cherrypit was excited. If his friends became friends with his other friend then that would mean that he would have way more friends to do friend things with and they could all be together and have fun!! Being friends!!!!

Cherrypit turned to Sofia and excitedly started to bounce around. “See Pankaa! And Leemeet!” 

“Ooooh! Are those their names?!”  

“Mhmm!!”

Well they were close enough. Babycorn figured Pancake and Linnet would correctly introduce themselves when they got there. “I mean I don’t see why not…” As far as Babycorn remembered there wasn’t anything going on at the mansion. And both Pancake and Linnet were probably going to be home too, unless something else came up. 

“Then what are we waiting for?!” Sofia just went for it, grabbing Babycorn’s hand and pulling her forward and towards the serpent gate. 

“Woah-! Woah! Hold on! Don’t we have to ask someone if you can go first?!” 

As Sofia continued to drag Babycorn through Gridania she took the time to look back. “Don’t worry! They already said yes!” Though to be accurate, Sofia’s caretaker for the day had told her she could go anywhere she wanted to today as long as it was in Gridania. 

Which worked out because she knew Babycorn and Cherrypit lived in the Lavender Beds!

Which was…SORT OF in Gridania. If you really thought about it.

That was good enough for Babycorn! “Yeah okay!” She never was one to consider if someone was bending the truth to her. Even just a little. 

As the trio began to exit Gridania, deciding to take the long way to the Lavender Beds by the way, Sofia began to talk Cherrypit’s big ears off about what they could do when they get there. 

“We could talk about all sorts of things! Like favorite food and favorite colors! Oh-! And we could also compare our heights to each other! I guess I’d probably be the shortest. Unless they’re also around my size! And-! And-! We can go shopping for cute clothes too! It’s gonna be so much fuuuun!!” 

Cherrypit was resting on top of Sofia’s head, nodding as she kept talking. “Yeah! Yeah!” It was gonna be so much fun. Think of all the fun games they could all play together too!

Babycorn couldn’t help smiling. Something about this was just so familiar to her.  

It turns out taking the long way to the Lavender Beds meant it took a longer time to get there. Who knew? On the bright side, Sofia had the smart idea of asking Cherrypit more about his friends. It always helped to be prepared after all. 

“Sooooo~ What are your friends like Cherry?” 

“Nyah?” Cherrypit broke his concentration from levitating a stick off the ground, letting it drop. It got him thinking, how was he gonna answer this? There were lots of things he could tell Sofia about Pancake and Linnet.

Like all the games they played together or how when they were smaller they used to sneak into Lunya’s room and hide under her bed. 

But wait-! Cherrypit thought of the perfect thing to tell Sofia. Besides that Pancake wanted to be a delivery moogle when she grew up and Linnet would write letters to herself that Pancake would deliver back to her. 

“Curse! Pankaa and Leemeet curse!”

Curse? “Like they say bad words?” Sure she wasn’t allowed to curse when she was at home but outside it was all fair game. 

Cherrypit shook his head and picked up another stick from the ground. “Cuuuuuurse!” He waved it around like a magic wand. Then after a bit of him building up momentum he pointed it right at a pile of leaves, as it EXPLODED into flames!!

Sofia screamed and jumped back. “Cherry-!!?” She was pretty sure he wasn’t allowed to do that. 

And she was right because as soon as he did Babycorn turned around and called him out directly on it. “Cherry! Remember we don’t set stuff on fire when we’re not at home!!” A very simple rule that Cherrypit sort of always just remembered being a part of his life. 

“Sowry…” The truth was he wasn’t really that sorry.

But Babycorn let him off easy every time. “Okay~! Just don’t do it again!” 

Sofia wasn’t going to let him get off that easy though, especially since this was supposed to be the answer of how his friends cursed. Once Babycorn had walked far enough Sofia grabbed Cherrypit from the ground, holding him up in front of her. “What the hells was that?!” 

It came as more of a shock that the elementals just sort of let him get away with it too.

“Curse!” Cherrypit cheered. “Pankaa and Leemeet curse!” Thankfully the stick was no longer in his hand so Sofia guessed that there would be no more sudden fires anytime soon. Sadly, she couldn’t be more wrong but Cherrypit learned his lesson for now.

Sofia furrowed her brow, a sense of panic rising in her chest. “W-Wait so your friends-they explode stuff like you too?” 

Cherrypit nodded. 

It made sense, he had to get it from somewhere. And last Sofia checked Babycorn hadn’t blown anything up since they first met. 

“Magiiiks! Cuwse!” Cherrypit continued to explain. 

Sofia’s eyes widened, “A…Magic Curse???” She nervously adjusted the tiara on her head. Clearly she couldn’t have heard right. “L-Like the kind of curses that make princesses sleep forever or turn prince’s into frogs?!” Those were the worst kind! Only truly evil blackhearted people would even dare think of casting those!

To Sofia’s dread, Cherrypit nodded. 

“You’re joking right?!” What kind of company did Cherrypit keep?! “Aren’t you afraid they’re going to curse you or bake you into a pie or something!” 

The mention of pie sent Cherrypit squealing and running in circles. “Pie! Cherry! I pie! Cherry pie!” Of course he was referring to the game they once played where they stacked blankets on top of each other. With so many layers on top of him Pancake and Linnet referred to him as being a ‘Cherry pie.’ 

Of course Sofia hadn't been there. So the context was entirely lost on her. “What?!?!? They baked you into a pie?! How did you get better?! Did your sister break the curse with the power of love?” Sofia stopped to think for a moment. “Or did she have to eat you out?” 

Cherrypit failed to answer her question and instead just gave Sofia a whole other question to deal with. “Cuwaaaaaaaaaaa! Boowahboom!” Not that Sofia realized it at first. 

“...W-What…?” 

Babycorn looked back and provided a quick translation. “Cherrypit means that he saw them trying to cast a spell from a book once!” Right after that she turned right back and continued playing with her cat’s cradle completely wrong. 

“Reallyyyyy?” Things just got ten times scarier. 

And they were about to get horrifying. 

Cherrypit smiled wide, swaying side to side. “Cuwse! Perpon!” Then he took his little finger and moved it across his neck. “Cuwse like this!” He would have added the extra effect of actually having his head fall off but he didn’t want to make Sofia scared. 

But it was already far too late for that because Sofia was about to start crying because what was Cherrypit SAYING?!

“Then…gone! All gone!” 

(Cherrypit whispered that last little tidbit.) 

“You don’t mean they…” Sofia lowered her voice to be as quiet as she could, looking around for anyone that could be listening. Other than Babycorn. “...did they manage to kill someone?” 

Cherrypit nodded. “Yupe!” he answered. 

Oooooh…This was a really bad idea. 

Well it was too late to back down now.

Here they were, standing in front of the mansion’s gate.

In retrospect maybe Sofia should have told someone she was coming here so one of them could come pick up her dead body after she dies at the hand of a curse. 

Cherrypit took hold of one of Sofia’s fingers and looked around at the front lawn. It didn’t take long for him to spot where Pancake and Linnet were. “There! There!” He jumped up and down, pointing at them. “It’s Pankaa and Leemeet!” 

The two of them were sitting down on the deck, eating snacks and talking with each other. 

“Well you two better go and say hi before I go and eat all the food!” Babycorn joked while also being completely serious. She was ten seconds away from losing all restraint and just chowing down on them. 

At least she would have been if she hadn’t been distracted by a caterpillar crawling on the fence.

Sofia tried to think of any excuse she could make that would let her turn around and go back home but before even a single idea could cross her mind, Cherrypit was already pulling her forward. “AHH-! Waitwaitwaitwait!!!” She knew Cherrypit was strong but why did he have to be this strong!!!

No matter how much she tried to dig her princess-y shoes into the dirt she very unfortunately kept moving forward. Until she was right in front of Cherrypit’s friends.

Who of course, quickly noticed the presence of their friend. “Good morning Cherry!” Linnet waved at him, throwing a chocolate-chip cookie into his mouth at the same time. She let out a little clap and cheer when he caught it, first try just like always. 

Pancake threw her own cookie at Cherrypit, this time a little higher than Linnet had thrown it. “Hi Cherry! Morning!” Of course he jumped up to catch it right in mid-air. “Awesome!” Both girls said in unison. 

Now that their usual greeting was done, it was time to ask the important question. “Who’s your friend? Are you going to introduce us?” Linnet asked. Neither her or Pancake had ever seen her around so either she must have just moved in or Cherrypit brought her here from across the continent. 

Wouldn’t have been too surprising.

Now was the time! “This my friend!” Cherrypit excitedly gestured towards Sofia, a strange curtain of sparkles rained down from the sky. Not the weirdest thing he’d ever done, by far,  so no one really batted an eye. “Soapie!” 

Not the strangest sounding name Pancake and Linnet had ever heard, that’s for sure. 

“Nice to meet you Soapie! I’m Pancake!”

“And I’m Linnet! It’s nice to meet you too!”

“I-uh. It’s actually Sofia…Or you could also call me Sofie. No one could really figure out how to spell it on my birth certificate and uh…Well i-it’s a whole thing…” Sofie quickly shut her mouth, afraid of what would happen next. “...That um, doesn’t really matter. I guess I do like the nickname Soapie but just in case you want to know……..” 

Sofia was getting a bit of mixed messages here. These girls seemed…nice?!

Not at all the kind of people who would just go around cursing princesses, let alone killing people with curses. They just seemed like regular people. The kind that Sofia wouldn’t mind having a tea party with. Or even just hanging out together…

“Do you want some snacks?” Pancake extended a small plate towards Sofia. “My brother made them for us! So if we run out we can ask him for more!” 

“I….” Sofia wasn’t sure. 

Was she just being shy? A part of her was still really scared of the curses but…

As if that mattered-! Her best friend right now was someone who liked to roll around in graves and quite possibly killed someone by popping them like a balloon!

Who cared if someone she knew liked to cast curses on people! Not to mention, if she was their friend then maybe they could curse someone for her! 

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer sort of thing!

Linnet spoke up again. “Since you’re Cherry’s friend, do you also have a toy that helps you with chores and homework?” She pulled up a stuffed rabbit and placed it on her lap. “This is Lupyon! Lunya and Cherry gave her to me when I was younger as a nameday present!” 

“They gave me one too!!” Pancake held up her own stuffed animal. “Sometimes when we’re not looking they clean up and sometimes they’ll even leave us little candies too!” 

Neither girl had ever seen their stuffed animal moving with their own two eyes but they had a strong suspicion that was only reaffirmed by Cherrypit’s toys walking around the house by themselves. 

That all sounded pretty unbelievable. 

To someone who probably didn’t know who Cherrypit was. But to Sofia, it made perfect sense. For the worse. “WhAt?!” Sofia crossed her arms and looked straight at Cherrypit. “You mean you can just do that?! And you didn’t give me one?!” 

To think she could have been able to skip out on cleaning the chocobo tables for YEARS now.

Cherrypit answered simply with a smile and a cute little, “Sowrryyy~”

He wasn't sorry at all.

[saeraas]

gege saying in an interview that he was inspired by nasu for the worldbuilding for jjk and now looking at some story choices and some parts of characters just clicks now plus he's real for his favorite being lancer. now here's an unrelated picture of gen urobuchi

[comradecowplant]

Good Luck, Babe but it's about T'pol rejecting her feelings for a human man

[poyo-shooty-art]

Art fight is COMING, so I'm posting refs here too

Starting with Splatoon 🫶

[cardiaccadillac]

Josephus Miller & @biblichor’s OC Clotho Archer — final colour version.

[doolallymagpie]

I did say “last episode of ‘doolallymagpie pours his thoughts on the new episode of The Expanse out’ for now” back when Babylon’s Ashes aired, didn’t I?

Thoughts on Archer’s Paradox, The Expanse: A Telltale Series, Episode One below the cut

First things first, amazing, beautiful, very fun, and my best pals’ first major impression of The Expanse, so that’s fun

Drummer feels in-character and yet still younger and unfinished, she’s not yet the hard-edged badass we know, but the foundation’s there

They didn’t even try to make Cox’s betrayal a twist

Gameplay was pretty solid

Entering that ship was pretty grim, I’m surprised they went there

I’m very intrigued by this MK Drive business and this pirate queen

Seems I was pretty close to most people’s choices, but I picked a few different ones, of which I’m quite proud

I’m 95% sure Maya’s going to be a potential love interest and it’ll end badly

SPACE COX! SPACE HIM! Entirely for the number of times he said “skinnies” while pleading for his life

[puzzlenation]

PuzzCulture 2024 Holiday Puzzly Gift Guide: By Price

Welcome to the PuzzCulture 2024 Holiday Puzzly Gift Guide! We’re so excited to be bringing you our biggest ever gift guide! There are so many tremendously fun and puzzly products to share with you this year. We just might be your one-stop shop for all things puzzly! In this edition of the Holiday Puzzly Gift Guide, we have endeavored to strike a balance between the most affordable price we…

[figr8]

is this not the sickest shit known to man?

[venussaidso]

Venus Dominant Themes — 𝐍𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 (part 1) 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟒

warnings: mentions of sexual assault, rape and murder.

Finally, I am exploring Venus as a nakshatra lord but, more importantly, the significance of the nakshatra Purva Ashada through medias I've collected. The nakshatras within the Sagittarius section seem to all connect through the theme of purification, especially with the start of Mula who destroys the falsehood through the hunter/huntress archetype and purifies the untamable. As Mula is the cycle of conquering the wild things and seeking truth, Purva Ashada is now a stage above that.

It is already evident in that Purva Ashada literally means "the undefeated" or "the unconquered", now dealing with themes of justice, honour and battle. This nakshatra is known as the Invincible Star. This victorious warrior-like essence stretches towards Uttara Ashada, as Uttara Ashada means "later victory" or "final victory", closing off this journey in Sagittarius. Other Venus nakshatras will be mentioned, as expected, since trine nakshatras all literally have the same outlining experiences.

Purva Ashada is associated with invincibility and triumph over adversity. It possesses the Varchagrahan Shakti, which is the power to invigorate or energise, meaning to be relentless and driven in its pursuit of ideals. Its desire is said to be “gaining the sea upon wishing for it”, being supported by its Jupiter rulership. As Jupiter is idealistic, Purva Ashada will be more set in its way through action and fixed determination as it is, first and foremost, a fire sign. As this is Sagittarius, it comes as no surprise that fictional archers in the media can be often played by these natives, signifying their grit and focused determination ♐︎.

Mula Suns Kathryn Winnick in Vikings and Anna Popplewell in Narnia.

Purva Ashada Moon Hailee Stainfield and Purva Ashada Sun Jeremy Renner in Hawkeye.

Purva Ashada Sun Jonas Armstrong in Robin Hood.

Archery is especially perfect for this nakshatra's lord as it requires a flowing adaptability and accuracy as Venus would obsess over perfecting and executing it, unyielding a level of concentration and precision through burning passion and drive.

Bharani Sun Stephen Amell in Green Arrow.

The star of Purva Ashada is very fierce and severe by nature, being Ugra, and with its Venus rulership, it will always always find a way to achieve its goals. Venus allows for creativity, craftiness, and even strategy (especially within diplomacy); the fire element making it fierce and quick-thinking for battle and war. The fire signs in the Venus section are specifically suited for overpowering societal norms in a way that their combined fire element and Venusian qualities know how to. The best character that exemplifies this is literally Mulan.

The themes of fighting for honour, family, one's country and being part of a larger purpose are just knocking on the 9H, and Sagittarius, as a whole. Purva Ashada cannot be victorious without overcoming hardships and obstacles that sharpen their skills and instincts. Her obstacle is what supports her journey to independence and truth, as she disguises herself as a man to join the army when women are not meant to fight for their country. Jupiter, being expansive in nature, shows in her decision to break free from the confines of being a traditional woman. Her character immediately signifies Sagittarius' need for freedom in pursuit of truth and expansion. When she is told no, she goes the other way to march to the beat of her own drum, her determination unwavering and her creativity helping her remain disguised while she acquires skills and knowledge that she wouldn't have as a woman (now her Jupiterian nature is able to flourish).

Purva Ashada Moon Ming-Na Wen voices Mulan. Purva Ashadha is formed by the stars Kaus Borealis and Kaus Australis in the Archer’s bow.

Purva Ashada signifies perseverance and moral duty which we see in Mulan who carries a deep responsibility to her family & country, choosing to prioritize duty and honour over societal norms or even personal desire.

She grows stronger, more skillful, after every challenge; influence of Venus sharpening and refining her, as she is on her way to become an invincible, victorious force.

Jupiter rashis (Sagittarius and Pisces) all have a theme of transcendence; Mulan's arc having more to do with family and patriotism, transcending limitations and becoming a hero who saves China. The message of the story has a lot to do with self-worth, making your mark no matter the restrictions of society; the philosophy of Mulan being that real honour and strength come from within and not from conforming.

The whole Sagittarius section deals with issues of conformity, such as Mula who doesn't fit in society or doesn't feel free within it due to its raw nature. Mula, being Ketu, tends to find ways to escape or its power can be intense. While Purva Ashada, being Venus, is more creative in maneuvering restrictions in order to overcome them.

Both Lea Salonga and Christina Aguilera sing the popular soundtrack song Reflection.

In the kdrama The King's Affection, Purva Phalguni Sun Park Eun-bin plays a character who disguises herself as a man to survive in such a patriarchal society.

Much like Mulan, she breaks societal expectations. Both characters have to prove their worth even while they're men, and these two Venusians excel in their roles despite all challenges and danger. While Mulan sacrifices her personal safety to protect her father and to fight for her country, the character Dam-i (in The King's Affection) sacrifices her identity and freedom to maintain her family's honour and stability in the kingdom.

Purva Phalguni Moon Yifei Liu in Mulan (2020)

Venus is connected to the idea of sacrifice in the willingness to endure for love, beauty, and unity. This willingness to transcend one's own personhood for the greater good or a higher ideal​ perfectly captures the Jupiter & Venus rulership of this nakshatra.

The film Wonder Woman (2017) begins by telling a similar arc to Mulan. Before being known as the hero named Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, who trained rigorously to be an unconquerable warrior.

Raised on a sheltered island paradise, she meets a stranded war pilot who tells her about the massive conflict happening in the outside world. Convinced that she can help stop the threat, Diana desires to leave Themyscira for the first time ever. Much like Mulan's desire to join the army was protested against, the Amazons tried to stop Diana from leaving, as they feared for her safety. As the rashi rulership here is Mars, there are no barriers to overcome to expand oneself from clear oppressive forces (which would be a Jupiterian storyline), instead, this portrayal of Wonder Woman goes head first into battle (very Aries of her).

Her Aries nature shows as we follow her in her journey of self-discovery when she joins the pilot to fight the wars. This Aries version of Wonder Woman is seen as she explores this new world like a newborn baby, as Aries is the baby of the zodiac. Her identity (following 1H themes) is slowly uncovered as she comes to realize that she is the Godkiller, meaning that she has always been a goddess. And that there is a potential confrontation awaiting her with Ares, the God of War. This discovery is picked up when she is fighting alongside men in a war to end all wars.

Bharani is ruled by the Lord Yama who is the god of justice. He oversees the transition of souls after death, ensuring that they face the consequences of their actions as he acts as a guardian of moral order and spiritual integrity.

Bharani ASC Cate Blanchett plays Hela, the Goddess of Death. Yama is the God of Death and the Lord of the Afterlife.

Purva Ashada nakshatra generally carries this sense of justice as well, as it stands for truth and high morality. This can be seen in the film North Country, which is directed by Purva Ashada Moon native Niki Caro (who also directed 2020's live-action Mulan).

Purva Phalguni ASC Charlize Theron portrays one of the members of the first group of women working at a local iron mine in Minnesota. Male workers become offended that they have to work with women, and they express this by lashing out at them, subjecting them to sexual harassment. Appalled by the physical abuse and violent misogyny, Charlize Theron's character files a historic sexual harassment lawsuit, despite being cautioned against it by family and friends.

The reality of femicide tends to be bravely explored through the media by Venusians the most, I've noticed. Acts that harm women, such as physical or sexual violence, can be seen as affronts to Venus itself, violating the sacred feminine.

A lot of revenge stories led by women start with the woman being sexually violated or physically oppressed, justifying her rage and her violence against those who have harmed her.

Lord Yama is also known as Dharma Raja, which translates to "King of Righteousness". Being associated with his punishment for sinners, retribution and justice are synonymous in this cycle; seen in popular revenge movies where one is given this divine right to properly, and quickly, execute justice for themselves and, or their loved ones. As if Lord Yama is acting through them, they are protected on their path of vengeance and restoration.

Purva Phalguni ASC Charlize Theron as Furiosa.

In the film Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is driven by a desire to restore freedom, dignity, and hope to the oppressed class of society. Through her actions, she opposes the extreme patriarchy, her character signifying collective salvation. Furiosa carries a relentless drive to overthrow Immortan Joe’s tyrannical rule and rescue the few women in the society, who are treated as his property. Her unbreakable spirit in the face of extreme challenges mirrors the invincibility found within Purva Ashada (and its trine nakshatras). Purva Ashada's link to water, as it is ruled by the deity Apah, highlights purification, healing, and renewal. Furiosa’s quest to find the Green Place, a sanctuary of life and hope, reflects this thirst for a pure, life-sustaining environment. (As everywhere else is a post-apocalyptic wasteland).

Being that she is played by a Venus-nakshatra native, we see just how self-sacrificing she is for a greater purpose, being protective over the Wives and willing to risk everything for their safety and make it to the Green Place in order to establish a new foundation of harmony (Purva Phalguni is associated with comfort and happiness, and this version of Furiosa carries hope for such a future for her and the Wives).

Bharani ASC Anya Taylor Joy portrays a younger Furiosa who disguises herself as a man for survival and avenges the brutal death of her mother who was murdered in front of her as a child (much like O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill.)

Bharani Moon Quentin Tarantino has written and directed popular revenge movies, such as Kill Bill & Django Unchained.

Both films star Bharani natives who execute retribution to people who did them wrong.

In Kill Bill, there's another Bharani storyline in which a little girl, O-Ren Ishii, witnesses the brutal death of her parents. She grows up to be trained and lethal, and kills the culprit that she's sworn revenge on.

O-Ren Ishii is portrayed by Bharani Moon Lucy Liu.

Bharani Moon Han So-Hee portrays Ji-woo, a woman driven by a thirst for vengeance, infiltrating a drug cartel to uncover the truth behind her father's murder.

In the Korean film Night in Paradise, Bharani Moon Jeon Yeo-Been portrays a character who goes on a murder spree in the ending, ambushing the gangsters who murdered her uncle and a friend of hers and being the one to successfully kill off the antagonist.

In Last Night in Soho, Bharani ASC Anya Taylor Joy kills all the men who have sexually violated her, and more importantly, avenges herself by murdering the man who lured her into the abusive underworld.

Claire Nakti touches on Bharani women being erotic dancers and finding themselves in the underworld. This further validated Anya Taylor Joy's Bharani placement for me, in this movie she's been sex trafficked and forced to be a dancer and prostitute in an underworld of sorts.

Purva Phalguni Sun& ASC Salma Hayek as an erotic dancer in an underworld in From Dusk Till Dawn.

It is interesting as trine nakshatras are also seen associated with the Goddess Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.

In The Matrix franchise, Persephone is married to the Merovingian, a program often described as a ruler or trafficker of information in the Matrix's underworld.

The Goddess Persephone is mostly associated with Bharani nakshatra. Initially being a victim of Hades' abduction, Persephone's evolution into a strong ruler of the underworld represents resilience and empowerment which perfectly encapsulates the journey of Venus nakshatras. She literally grows into a powerful queen, presiding over the dead and representing justice and the necessary order within the underworld. Bharani signifies the womb, representing creation, struggle, and the emergence of new life. Persephone’s cyclic movement between the underworld and the earth (as she is also the personification of vegetation, also being the goddess of spring) mirrors this cycle of life, embodying death (winter) and rebirth (spring). Purva Ashada represents the regenerative power of life, also signifying its association with Persephone’s role in seasonal changes. (Also, Furiosa's abduction from the Green Place perfectly parallels Persephone's abduction, as explained above).

In conclusion, there lies a higher purpose within the Venus nakshatras, especially Purva Ashada nakshatra, which possesses an ability to harmonize life's dualities—victory and loss, pleasure and pain, creation and destruction, love and retribution—into a transformative journey of growth, empowerment, and universal balance. Venus emphasizes how resilience and renewal can lead to profound evolution, with Purva Ashada's process of purification being removing impurities and starting anew. The character Mulan going through army training highlighted her inadequacies and shortcomings; her initiation of purification being the stage where she breaks free from traditional expectations. And so the process of purification is seen in her discovering ways to make up for her lack of physical strength, this being a mark of her transformation while being disguised as a man. Rediscovering her inner strength is all the cleansing of self-doubt that she needs to go through to finally be in her final triumph. Reconciling her inner self with her external role, Mulan symbolizes the renewal and balance within Purva Ashada.

[antoniosvivaldi]

Astrology + music: Taylor Swift ♐️ Sun in Sagittarius

Sagittarius is symbolised by by the Archer. This symbolises higher purpose and abundance. People born under this sign are optimistic, philosophical, and fun-loving. The companion playlist contains a collection of upbeat and soaring songs that portray the expansive nature of Sagittarius.

{Listen on Spotify}

[innerfare]

Filthy - Luffy 

Summary: Luffy's changed a lot in the past two years. Reader is a Straw Hat who is an archer and has spent the past two years training on Amazon Lily with the Kuja Pirates. Text below the cut.

Pairing: Monkey D. Luffy x Afab!Reader

Genre: smut

CW: oral sex (reader receiving), dirty talk, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, a little bit of a silly ending

Word Count: 2,110

———

Undaunted by the dark of night, you followed the smoke on the horizon to your captain’s camp. You felt eyes on your person the entire way, but by now, you felt confident nothing would attack you. After all, your captain had tamed the entire island, from every hulking beast to each little mouse. And when you had stepped foot on it for the first time in almost two years a month ago, he had tamed you, too, had sucked all that Kuja Pirate independence out of you and fucked an addiction to his sex right into you. 

Despite the chilly night, your cheeks flushed with warmth. They only grew hotter as you reached your destination, your heart racing in your chest. 

You lingered at the tree line for a moment, your bow in one hand, a large platter of freshly made dorayaki in the other, watching your captain as he laid in front of the blazing fire he’d made, the flames casting a warm glow over his lean figure, illuminating the scar that now stretched the expanse of his chest. 

Though his straw hat was over his eyes and he laid perfectly still, you could tell he wasn’t asleep. Not just that, you knew he had sensed you approach, had picked up on your presence the second you landed on the beach. Your time training on Amazon Lily with the Kuja Pirates had made you more agile, more stealthy, than ever, but he picked up on your presence in an instant. 

You recalled that first night like it was yesterday. Knowing Rayleigh would be upset if he found out, as would Hancock, but overcome by the desire to see your beloved captain as soon as you heard Rayleigh had returned to Sabaody early, you had snuck out of the village and stolen a small boat. And when you had wandered into the jungle in search of your captain, you had found him. Or rather, you had found someone who looked a bit like him. 

Filthy as if he hadn’t bathed in weeks, with stubble on his cheeks- something you’d never seen on Luffy’s face before, and a sort of animalistic gleam in his eye, you had been unsettled. 

Then, you had been aroused, the two of you sizing each other up like strangers. 

You didn’t know how long it took- a few minutes, maybe just a couple of seconds- for him to have you pinned against a tree with his face between your legs, lapping at your folds like he’d been wandering the desert for months and you were the only thing he had to drink. Once he had his fill, he’d pinned you to the jungle floor and rutted into you like a wild beast. And you had begged him for more, cumming more times than you could count. 

The happy go lucky kid you had met was still in there, somewhere, but he’d been forced to make room for a man, a man with a voracious appetite and sexual prowess, a man with rough hands but a soft tongue, a man whose fearsome reputation was known the world over, a man you would risk absolutely anything to be tangled naked with. 

“You’re late,” he said in that gruff voice of his, a little raspy, a little husky. And so much deeper than you recalled. 

You stepped into the firelight and stood over him, willing your heart to stop fluttering in your chest. “I wasn’t aware we had an appointment, Captain.” 

“You always get here just after sunset.” 

“It’s only been four weeks since I started coming,” you told him, setting the platter of dorayaki down on a log; you knew Luffy could hunt and cook his own meat, but you also knew he was hopeless at baking, a problem for someone with a sweet tooth like his. And though you knew he needed to train, not be spoiled, you just couldn’t help yourself. 

“Only four weeks, huh? Could’ve sworn it’s been longer.” Finally, he sat up, his straw hat falling back off his head and hanging from his neck, a bit thicker than it had been two years ago. His black hair was a complete mess, sticking up in all directions, and while you used to think it made him look like a little boy, you now saw him as a disheveled man who was too busy fighting to worry about his appearance. The muscle he had put on certainly helped, his once-lanky limbs now corded with it, his scarred abdomen thick with it. “I guess I’ve gotten used to having you.” 

Having. Luffy never would have used that language in the past. 

You tried to swallow the lump in your throat. Just when you got it down, a hand wrapped around your leg, just above your knee. A gasp spilled from your lips at the feel of his calloused palm against your bare skin. 

“Missed you,” he muttered, rubbing his cheek against your bare thigh. You had taken to wearing fewer clothes while on Amazon Lily, and that was the first thing he had clocked when you appeared on his little island. The second thing he had noticed was your chest. Had you been hiding your breasts this whole time, or had he simply not noticed? Nearly two years mostly alone in the jungle had opened his eyes to many things, including that he had not been indulging in all that life had to offer, particularly not life as a pirate captain with a beautiful woman on his crew.  

“I missed you too, Luffy,” you muttered. You looked down at him and pulled your bottom lip into your mouth. You’d spent the entire journey with a dull ache between your legs that, if you were being honest, had begun building the moment you sailed away last time, but now that you were with him, now that you felt him touching you, you wondered how you had waited a full week to come crawling back. 

“Come ‘ere.” 

You put up no resistance as he laid back down, bringing you with him. You knew exactly what he wanted, knew exactly how starved he was for the sensitive folds between your legs. 

Luffy’s mouth had started watering the second he sensed your presence. He didn’t think twice about pulling you onto the ground with him and pushing your legs apart. The only thing that gave him pause were the panties you wore, an annoying piece of fabric he was convinced you wore just to inconvenience him. 

“Why?” He wanted to ask, but the words were stuck in his throat. He didn’t have time to waste on questions. He was hungry.  

He ripped your panties with ease. He thought he heard you gasp; you might have even complained. He barely heard, his ears ringing. The only thing that mattered was the sight of your pussy right in front of him, already leaking cream, glistening with his dessert. After a long week of hard training, he thought, this was exactly what he needed. 

“That’s my girl,” he said in a low voice. “Nice and ready.” He grabbed your thighs and pulled you down, burying his face in your needy cunt and inhaling the scent. Some sort of low sound, either a growl or a groan, spilled from his lips. 

He lapped at your wet folds, your flavor exploding on his tongue. His efforts earned him more of that wonderful wetness, and the taste of it only made him greedier. He thumbed your clit to draw more out of you and pushed his tongue into your tight little hole, eager to feel you clench around it as you came. 

He was vaguely aware of you gasping and saying his name, but he was more focused on the growing bulge between his legs, the rock hard erection that he had every intention of burying inside you- no condom, no protection, not a single layer between you as you fucked like wild animals in the jungle. 

He pulled his tongue out of your cunt long enough to say, “Take your clothes off.” 

You obliged, pulling your top off and tossing it aside. The chilly air made sure your nipples were nice and erect. You tweaked them as your captain shoved his tongue back into your hole, his thumb still tormenting your clit. It wasn’t a moment later that your first orgasm came over you, a pleasure that had you collapsing forward. 

Luffy tightened his grip on your thighs to keep your cunt on his face. 

“Sweet pussy,” he muttered, licking up all that cream. “Gonna cum again.” 

“Luffy.” You screwed your eyes shut, jarred by the overstimulation. 

He didn’t relent, humming in contentment as you gave him more and more sweet liquid to drink up, clenched harder and harder around his greedy tongue. He held you in place despite your body jerking around, and the result was another orgasm. He lapped at your cunt a few more times, savoring the way you bucked your hips against his face. 

Luffy’s appetite hadn’t been sated, not in the slightest, but he had no choice but to stop. His balls were aching between his legs, his cock rock hard and in desperate need of you. The way you clenched around his tongue was the way you’d clench around his cock, and he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. 

He supposed he could always lick your cunt some more after he fucked you. And then he could fuck you again, if he so desired. You had the entire night. 

With that in mind, he pushed you off his face, only to pin you under him, wrapping his strong arms around you and holding you beneath him. 

You struggled a little, but it was more out of habit than anything else, unaccustomed to being mounted, particularly not by your captain. But the way he wound his arms around you and pinned you beneath his body made your cunt ache. You needed to feel him inside you, needed to feel that delicious stretch, needed to feel full. 

Luffy nuzzled his cheek against yours, relishing the softness of your skin. He placed a few warm kisses against your cheek, and another few in the crook of your neck. 

“I’ve got so much cum in these balls,” he groaned. “You’re gonna take all of it. Can you do that for me? Can you take all my cum?” 

Pressing your lips together to keep the bottom one from quivering, you nodded your head with a sniffle. 

“Need to hear you say it, babe.” He reached between your bodies and undid the zipper of his shorts, pulling out his veiny cock. He pressed it into your ass, exhilarated by the sensation of your soft skin and supple flesh against his erection. He rutted against you a few times, unable to stop himself. 

You took a few breaths to find your voice. “I can do it. I can take all of it.” 

“That’s my girl.” 

God, when did Luffy get like this? You thought you were going to explode. And then, to make matters worse, he pushed the head of his cock into you. 

“Oh, fuck.” Tears pricked at your eyes. 

“You said you could take it,” he told you, pushing deeper inside you. 

You cried out. 

“Are you crying?” He gathered a fistful of your hair in his hand and pulled your head back. “After you promised you could take it?” 

“It’s just so good.” 

“I know it is.” With that, he bottomed out inside you. 

You barely had time to grow accustomed to the feel of his cock inside you before he began thrusting into you, dragging his hips against your ass and pounding your weepy little cunt like he owned it. And he did own it. 

The lewd clapping sound filtered through the forest, drowning out the crackle of the fire. Your moans followed as Luffy reached beneath you to pinch one of your nipples, his other hand finding your clit and thumbing it.  

The feeling of his warm balls slapping against you only made it worse. Soon enough, you felt yourself clenching around him, and it was that clench that drew Luffy’s orgasm out of him. 

“Oh, it’s coming. I’m cumming. Fuck.” He grunted and groaned, snapping his his against yours as he pumped you full of hot cum, thrusting a few more times for good measure to be sure it was nice and deep inside you.  

“Don’t worry,” he said, pressing a warm kiss into your cheek, covered in dirty and tears. “There’s more where that came from.” With that, he hopped to his feet, a smile stretching across his face. “You brought me dorayaki? Thanks!” 

———

Hope you enjoyed it! If you want more, you can check out my masterlist here!

[dreamcubed]

the archer | lorenzo berkshire x reader

song; the archer [taylor swift] pairing; lorenzo berkshire x fem!non-slytherin!reader genre; s2l, comedy, fluff word count; 5,8k timeline; half-blood prince warnings; swearing, alcohol, drunkenness, suggestive comments, blood and injury (bc of his cat) summary; lorenzo's cat hates everybody but you

masterlist

"who could ever leave me, darling? but who could stay?"

——————————————

Lorenzo Berkshire had no idea why his cat was such a hateful being, but she had always been that way, ever since she was a kitten. He would have understood if she had been a rescue from the streets or something, but, alas, she wasn't. She had always been feisty, and only docile with him, which was why his aunt (who owned the mother) had just sent her his way. Not that he minded, he often joked how his cat, who he had fondly named Midnight, was just like him: very selective with who he let close to him.

He had brought her with him to Hogwarts, naturally, and she had secluded herself exclusively within his dorm room— she hated being at the castle, but he knew that she would hate being at home without him even more. And, when he had graduated into sixth year, he had been blessed with his own dorm room, allowing her to finally settle down.

Only, the current problem was that she was missing. Lorenzo had returned from Saturday breakfast in hopes of a bit of downtime with his feline friend, but he instead found a frown forming on his face as he frantically searched his entire bedroom and then down the corridors and all the other Slytherin dormitories. She was definitely gone, he realised, beginning to feel an itching sense of worry as he loved that cat more than anything. Why would she have left? Did the privacy of a solitary bedroom meant she finally felt comfortable enough to explore the rest of the castle? He didn't know, and it didn't matter, he just knew that he had to find her.

"Have you seen Midnight?" he asked, hurrying up to Mattheo in the common room.

"No."

"She's missing."

"She's a cat, she's probably just wandering," his friend shrugged, "They do that, y'know."

"Not Midnight," he ran his hand through his hair, "Never Midnight."

Mattheo observed his friend carefully, "Relax, mate, she'll come back."

"I can't relax," he cursed under his breath, "I'm going to look for her."

What if she attacked someone who tried to pet her? Dumbledore might ban Midnight from the castle and send her home. Or, even worse, she would get put down. He couldn't bear that thought, but after searching all the rooms down in the dungeons, he quickly realised that he had no idea where to look from there.

***

Meanwhile, you had been enjoying a perfectly pleasant afternoon in the courtyard with a book, the last rays of Summer shining down on you before the chilliness of Autumn struck. You went to turn the page, when you noticed a commotion going on across the expanse of flagstones. With furrowed eyebrows, you let curiosity get the better of you and shut your book.

Upon arriving at the scene, you quickly realised that the centre of attention was a pitch-black cat who was hissing ferociously. Some second year boys were tormenting the poor thing who was clearly terrified— reaching their hands out to get a reaction, and then pulling away before it could swipe them with its claws.

"What are you doing?" you asked disapprovingly, normally willing to let younger years have their mischievous fun, but not at the expense of a poor innocent animal.

"It attacked Gareth out of nowhere," one of the boys gestured towards his friend, who was nursing a bleeding arm, "We're just getting our revenge."

You shook your head, "I can't allow that, I'm afraid, it's obviously terrified."

Crouching down, you placed your book on the floor and delicately held a hand out a safe distance from the cat. You made cooing noises to attract it over, hoping that it wouldn't see you as a threat.

"I wouldn't do that," the boy who had been scratched said, "A seventh year girl tried already, and now she's in the hospital wing."

"I'm not scared of a little blood," you replied, before saying to the cat, "I'm not gonna hurt you, baby, I'll get you away from these scary boys, yeah?"

Maybe it sensed your gentle nature, or maybe you simply seemed like the lesser evil next to the boys, but it ceased its hissing and started cautiously padding towards you. Eventually, its soft face rubbed against your palm, and you began soft pets until you could feel purring.

"There we are, you're safe," you murmured, delicately positioning yourself to pick it up, hoping it wouldn't freak out too much. Thankfully, it didn't, and settled into one of your arms as you picked up your book and stood up. "Your owner is probably looking for you."

A soft mewl came in response. You decided that it would be easier for the owner to find their cat if you stayed in the same place, so you returned to your reading spot and sat the cat down on your lap. It curled up instantly, closing its eyes as it entered a light slumber, while you reopened your book and continued where you left off.

***

Rumours spread like wildfire within the walls of Hogwarts, so it wasn't long before Lorenzo heard that a girl had been attacked so badly by a cat that she had ended up in the hospital wing. He immediately sprinted in that direction, ignoring scoldings from teachers and prefects, until he burst into the polished white room.

"Whatever do you think you're doing, young man?" Madam Pomfrey snapped.

"The girl. Cat attack," he panted out, "Where is she?"

The nurse pointed towards the end bed of the ward, "Just there— although I must ask you to-"

Lorenzo didn't listen to the rest of her words, running over to the girl's bed. She had a bandage on her cheek and right arm, and she didn't seem all that pleased.

"What colour was the cat?" he asked quickly.

The girl frowned, "I'm guessing that beast is yours then."

He nodded.

She rolled her eyes, "Black. You ought to get it put down."

Lorenzo let out a sound that bordered on a growl.

"It scratched me so deep it hit an important artery. There was blood everywhere— my favourite shirt is ruined."

"I don't care," he bit off, "Where did it happen?"

She scowled at him, "The courtyard. Go deal with it before someone else gets hurt."

He didn't even give her a response before he was running off again, praying to all the Hogwarts founders that Midnight was still in the courtyard and completely unharmed.

***

Approximately twenty minutes had passed by with the adorable feline curled up in your lap when the sound of a door bursting open echoed throughout the courtyard. You watched as an angry Lorenzo Berkshire, a Slytherin boy in your year, made a beeline towards the group of second year boys that were still gathered. He must have seen the blood on one of the boys' arms, because he went to him first. You observed curiously as Berkshire spoke angrily, and then the evidently now scared boy pointed in your direction.

Berkshire looked over, and then his eyes locked on to yours. He was storming over to you with a fury that could destroy nations.

You raised an eyebrow at him, "Can I help you?"

He didn't reply, the anger not leaving his face, but he seemed to be contemplating something.

"Hello? Berkshire?"

"That can't be her," you heard him mutter. At the sound of his voice, the cat perked up, and instantly meowed at him. "It is you," he said disbelievingly.

"Your cat, I presume?"

"Uh, yeah," he said, holding out his hand to beckon it over.

"What's its name?" you realised that this was the first conversation that you were having with the boy despite sharing classes for over five years.

"Midnight," he said, his voice sounding oddly strained, "She's called Midnight."

You smiled, scratching her neck in a way that made her mewl. "It's very fitting."

Lorenzo stared at you interacting with his cat, having never before seen Midnight so friendly with anyone except him. "She hates people," he said without thinking.

You hummed, "Yeah, I heard about the girl in the hospital wing."

He grimaced.

"She's quite sweet with me though."

"I've never seen her like that with anyone but me."

"Guess I'm special," you beamed, continuing to stroke Midnight.

"Uh, can I have her back now?" he asked, seeming almost unsure of himself. While Lorenzo was generally considered one of the nicer Slytherin boys, he still held himself with a terrifying confidence, and didn't have a completely scot-free track record either— refer to his behaviour when it comes to his cat going missing. However, now, stood before you as said cat had elected you as the second likeable person she had met, the confidence had been knocked out of him.

"Oh, of course," you said easily, picking Midnight up and handing her over. "Bye, cutie," you cooed, as the black cat reluctantly accepted her fate in Lorenzo's arms.

"Thanks," he said stiffly, turning on his heel and walking away. You couldn't help but watch his behaviour with an air of amusement.

***

"Fuckin' Azkaban," Lorenzo cursed, so loudly that Mattheo popped his head through the door.

"What are you shouting about?"

"Midnight's missing. Again."

Mattheo chuckled, "Maybe that girl who took a liking to your cat took her."

Lorenzo looked at him disbelievingly, "I highly doubt that. L/N isn't the type to sneak into another house."

With a shrug, his friend fully entered the room. "I'd say maybe don't freak out as much this time. We lost a lot of points for you being a dick to that girl in the hospital."

Lorenzo scowled, "You're one to talk. You've lost ten times as many points as me."

"Do you want to go look for her? It's almost curfew."

"I have to. Can't have another hospital case."

"Put a tracking charm on her when you find her."

Lorenzo agreed that it was a good idea.

***

Whenever there was a cacophony of meows coming from outside a common room door, it was customary to open it. Often times a cat would be returning to its owner, and it wouldn't do to leave it stranded out there. Today was no exception.

You were, as usual, curled up on a sofa doing some homework when you heard faint meows from the other side. Perking your head up, you watched as the boy nearest to the door went to open it, letting in a black cat. It didn't seem like anything strange: you knew a couple black cats who belonged to your house members. Only, they were sweet and friendly, and you watched as the cat tried to scratch the poor boy. Thankfully, he dodged it, and you quickly ran over as you suspected whose cat it might be.

Immediately, it meowed softly at you and went to rub against your legs— and that's when you knew that it was definitely Midnight.

"Get your cat under control," the boy said.

"Oh, she's not mi-" but he had already walked away.

With a sigh, you picked up the feline and moved back to the sofa, knowing that it was just past curfew so you couldn't return her right at that second. Unless she elected to leave herself, she would have to stay with you for the night. Not that you were complaining, but you could only imagine how worried Lorenzo must be. Those thoughts quickly slipped away, however, when she curled up in your lap and began purring.

***

Walking down the darkened corridor with nothing but his wand as light, Lorenzo found his feet leading in one particular direction. He had already checked the Great Hall, and the kitchens, and peeked out the window into the courtyard, but to no avail. Only one more idea of where she might have wandered off to lingered in his mind: he knew what house you were in, and that was where he was headed. He just hoped to Salazar that he wouldn't run into a professor.

"Mr Berkshire."

Fuck.

"Yes, professor?" he said slowly, turning around to face Professor Snape.

"It's past curfew."

"I know, professor."

"How disappointing to see one of my own Slytherins disregarding the rules of Hogwarts."

"It's my cat," he said, hoping Snape would show some amount of heart, "She's missing."

Snape quirked an eyebrow, "Cats are prone to wandering. This is hardly a cause for concern."

"Yes, but not Midnight."

"Regardless of the nature of your cat, do you really think you will find her considering the size of this castle?"

Lorenzo said nothing.

"I understand she was responsible for the attack the other day. However, that is hardly a risk as it is night time, when students should be in bed," he drawled the last part, his arms firmly crossed.

"Yes, professor."

"Five points from Slytherin." Lorenzo knew the punishment would have been harsher if he wasn't of the house he was.

"I know where she is, though."

"How is she considered missing, then?"

Lorenzo didn't have an answer for that.

"If you know where she is, you will have no trouble finding her in the morning. I will escort you back to the dungeons."

The boy let out a sigh.

***

Having not slept a wink that night, Lorenzo was up bright and early just after sunrise, ready to resume his journey to your house. He walked up to where he had heard that the door was— having never seen it in person— and thought about how he was going to enter. To his luck, it swung open, to reveal a prefect from your house. She immediately gave him a sceptical look.

"What do you want, Berkshire?"

"I need to see L/N."

"At this hour?" she sighed.

"She has my cat. I think."

"The black one?"

He nodded.

"Okay, fine— you can go in," she said, stepping out the way, "But don't tell anyone I let you in."

"Of course, thank you."

Mattheo had always told him that she was one of the softer prefects, having had a lot of experience with them on his late night antics.

He entered the common room to find that it was empty, and he didn't waste anytime heading up the girls' dormitory stairs. Thankfully, the layout was quite simple: each year had their own floor, and it went upwards chronologically. The first few floors had rooms that were shared, but when he reached the sixth floor, he found a number of doors that seemed to align with the number of sixth year girls in your house.

Only, which one was yours? He couldn't very well walk in on an unsuspecting sleeping girl: Salazar knows how she would react.

So, he decided to knock on the first door, waiting patiently as he heard a groggy, "What?" in response. He felt a little bad for waking someone up, but Midnight was more important to him than anything.

"Uh, which room is L/N's?"

"Berkshire?" the voice replied. He was surprised at how calm she seemed to be taking the news that a Slytherin boy had invaded the girls' dormitories.

"Uh, yes."

"Last room on the left. Your cat is fine."

He concluded that you must be friends with her, and informed her that the cat you were in possession of belonged to him.

"Thank you," he said, adding a, "Sorry for waking you," to which he heard no response.

Choosing to leave her be, he made his way to your room and once again knocked. Only, this time, he didn't get a response. He knocked again, and he still received no human response, but he did hear a familiar meow sound out. Praying that you would forgive him, he opened the door and peeked in carefully, to see that you were curled up within your pillows with Midnight lying down beside your head.

He entered the room fully and quietly closed the door behind him. His cat meowed again, louder this time, which caused you to stir in your sleep. When your eyes finally peeled open and caught sight of Lorenzo through your blurry vision, you jumped out of bed.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" you whisper-yelled.

"My cat," he said simply.

"Is perfectly safe and healthy as you can see— that's no reason to break into girls' dormitories!"

Once again, Lorenzo found himself speechless. All you were wearing was a skimpy pair of shorts and a cropped top which had your nipples peeking through. Not much was left to the imagination.

"Berkshire! What if I'd been naked?"

That's when a smirk crept on to his face, as he felt his usual level of confidence oozing through his veins. "What if, hm?"

"Keep it in your pants," you grumbled, grabbing a jumper from the floor and pulling it over your head. You tried to ignore the way his gaze made you feel.

He shrugged, changing the subject, "I had to make sure Midnight was safe."

"Well, you clearly knew where she was."

He couldn't argue that point, causing an awkward silence to fall upon the room. Awkward until he involuntarily let out a yawn.

"That's what you get for being up so early," you mumbled, climbing back into your bed and under the sheets. Midnight immediately began cosying up to you.

"I couldn't sleep."

You regarded him carefully: it was strange to see a Slytherin boy so evidently worried about another living being.

"Here she is, then," you said, gesturing towards the feline, "Take her and go sleep before people see you were here."

"Embarrassed of me?" he chuckled, moving to pick up Midnight.

"I'd rather not get called a slut," you snapped.

He didn't reply to that comment, wrapping his hands around his cat who did not take kindly to the action: not that she tried to scratch him or anything, but she immediately wriggled out of his arms to return to you.

"Midnight, you're my cat, you can't stay here," he grumbled, trying to pick her up again. You watched the scene play out through half-shut eyes, feeling quite amused by the whole ordeal.

Once again, she escaped his grasp.

"This is unbelievable."

"What? Unbelievable that she likes me so much?" you chuckled sleepily.

Lorenzo scowled, "I'm not leaving until she comes with me."

You sighed, realising that you may not be able to escape any slut rumours at this rate. "Fine. But I'm going back to sleep."

Lorenzo watched as your breathing became slower and more laboured, unable to process the absurdity of the situation that he was in. However, he could process how peaceful and adorable you looked while sleeping, all while his furry feline cuddled up next to you with deep purrs. Eventually, he felt his lack of sleep catch up to him, his body finally allowing itself to relax now that he knew Midnight was definitely safe and sound. He sat down on your bed, reaching his hand out to stroke his cat. She mewled at the action, making him feel relieved that she hadn't started to hate him all of a sudden.

"Am I not enough for you, hm?" he murmured softly, sitting up against the headboard. His head began to lull back as he felt sleep overcome him.

***

You woke up properly at around nine o'clock, safe in the knowledge that you didn't have a lesson until eleven that day. With a soft yawn and a stretch of your limbs, you only remembered the events of earlier when you rolled over to see a sleeping Lorenzo slouched against your headboard, and Midnight sprawled across his lap.

Merlin, your usually mundane and repetitive life had really taken a turn. Unfortunately, despite the insanity of everything he had done, you didn't have the heart to wake him. You couldn't help but think that you would have done the same if Midnight was your cat. Plus, Lorenzo was very physically attractive— you knew that, everyone knew that. Yet, it was your bed that he was asleep on.

Sighing, you sat up, reaching over to scratch Midnight's head affectionally, causing her to wake up and start stretching. The action made Lorenzo stir in his sleep, and once his cat let out a soft mewl, he finally woke up fully. Immediately, you quirked an eyebrow at him, and he looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Comfortable?"

He grumbled, "No."

You chuckled softly, "Your friends will be wondering where you are."

The proximity between the two of you was quite close: you were sat cross-legged with a mere inch between your limbs. It didn't feel strange, though, in fact it felt quite natural.

"Anyway," you tried to ignore the closeness, "As much as this has been fun, you can't come in here every time Midnight does."

"Why not?"

"I told you earlier. I don't need people making assumptions about me."

His eyes met yours, and you felt your stomach flip. "What if we made the assumptions true?"

You froze, then relaxed, "You don't mean that."

He shrugged.

***

Despite your hopes and dreams, people saw Lorenzo Berkshire leaving your dormitory, and the rumours spread throughout Hogwarts at a rapid speed. And, of course, as he was one of the Slytherin boys who were notorious for sleeping around— albeit less so than the others— you had been dubbed as his next conquest. It was a nuisance, but you weren't insecure, and knew that it would pass before long.

"If you didn't fuck, why was he in your dorm?" Iris, your friend from another house, asked. You were sat at a table in the library together, doing homework. Well, you were doing homework, Iris was borderline interrogating you instead.

"I had his cat," you replied simply.

"You stole his cat?"

You rolled your eyes, "No, Iris, his cat came to me."

"Isn't his cat the really vicious one who hates everyone?"

You hummed absent-mindedly, running your finger down the contents page of a book you were using for your essay.

"Why did it go to you then?"

"She likes me," you murmured, finding the page that you wanted and turning to it.

"That doesn't explain why he was in your dorm so long though."

"No, it doesn't."

Iris huffed, clearly irritated that you were giving her little to no information. You loved her dearly, but she was a bit of a gossip. Suddenly, she gasped. "Are you courting?"

"Who even uses that word anymore?" you scrunched up your nose, "And, no, we're not." Although, you couldn't help but think back to his suggestive comments.

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want to believe."

"You're no fun," she pouted.

"Meow."

You looked down to your side in surprise, to see that the familiar black feline was stood by your chair with her tail raised indignantly. "Speak of the devil," you muttered, leaning down to pick her up.

"Midnight!" you heard a yell as the library doors swung upon. You watched as Lorenzo was quickly shushed by the librarian. He apologised to her whilst scanning the room, soon spotting you with his cat sat on your lap. He hurried over.

"You need to stop freaking out whenever she goes wandering," you chastised when he was within a few feet of your table.

He scoffed, "You try not to freak out when you have an incredibly hostile cat who could be banned from Hogwarts."

"I think I do, in a way," you raised Midnight up into the air above you, examining her carefully.

"She's still my cat."

"Relax," you said, "I was just joking."

He glared at you, but there was no real threat in it.

"At least this means you get to see me so much," you grinned cheekily, making him shake his head with a sigh.

"How unfortunate for me."

"Wow, that hurts, Lorenzo." Since when did you feel like you could call him by his first name?"

"Well, Y/N, sorry for not enjoying running like a madman after my little terror."

"Then start thinking of it as running like a madman straight towards me."

He seemed surprised at that comment, and went silent for a few moments. These few moments were when Iris decided to cut in, having been observing silently until then.

"Seems like flirting to me."

You scowled at her.

"I'm just saying, would it not make sense to date the one other person who your cat likes?" she said this more towards Lorenzo than you.

He stared blankly at your friend, a finger on his right hand twitching ever so slightly. You didn't know what to make of that reaction, but decided that you wanted to learn more about what Lorenzo's body language said.

"Can I have my cat back?" he finally spoke.

"Can I please just keep her for a little bit?" you pleaded, "I can't have a cat because my mum's allergic."

Lorenzo surveyed you carefully: your half-hearted attempt at puppy dog eyes and the way Midnight nuzzled her head into your chest. He felt a pang of jealousy: strange and twisting. Weirdly, he didn't think he felt that envious of his cat's affections for you, so he didn't know why he felt jealous. A flashback of the skimpy pyjamas you had been wearing the other night crossed through his mind.

Shit.

"Yeah, uh, sure," he said all too quickly, "Only an hour though."

You hadn't expected him to agree so easily. Nonetheless, you beamed, and said, "Thank you, Enzo."

Enzo. He only let his friends use that nickname. Scratch that: he generally only tolerated when his friends used that nickname. But from you, it sounded sweet, and soft. He knew that he was a more civil and selfless person than the rest of the Slytherin boys, but he doubted many people would go as far as to say his name with such gentleness.

Gulping, he turned and walked away without another word.

***

A little over an hour later, you found Lorenzo in the Great Hall with his friends. They appeared to be enjoying a late lunch, as the tables were sparsely populated and only a few dishes remained. Just the sight of food made your stomach grumble, so you made your way over to him with Midnight curled up in your arms.

"Hello," you smiled, standing next to Lorenzo.

"Hi," he replied, before cooing at his cat who mewled happily.

Your stomach grumbled again, louder this time, and you shrugged sheepishly. "Haven't eaten yet."

"Then eat," Mattheo Riddle said from across the table, gesturing to the food.

You handed the cat over to her owner, and questioned, "Here?" You had never sat at the Slytherin table before.

Riddle shrugged, "Why not?"

You couldn't argue with that, and took a seat beside Lorenzo, dishing food on to your plate in a hurry.

"Where's Arachwood?" Enzo asked, referring to Iris.

"Got distracted by the boy she likes."

"Who does she like?" Riddle asked, clearly a lover of gossip and rumours— much like Iris.

You quirked an eyebrow, "Why should I divulge my friend's secrets?"

"She doesn't seem to have much regard for yours," Lorenzo piped in.

"Yeah, she does run her mouth a bit, but she's my friend," you scooped a large mouthful on to your fork, "I just take care not to tell her my most personal secrets." You then finally allowed yourself to taste the mouth-watering nourishment.

"So? Who does she like?" Riddle asked.

You stared at him incredulously as your mouth was full.

"I think the bigger question is who does L/N like," Theodore Nott added, smirking as he watched the eyes of you and Enzo widen.

Swallowing your food, you turned the topic back to Iris, "She likes Boot."

"Terry Boot?" Riddle clarified, and you nodded.

"I'm only saying that because she makes no effort to keep it private."

"But what about you?" Nott pushed again.

You paused, as in truth, you hadn't really fancied anyone for a while— that was, until, you remembered how gorgeous Lorenzo had looked sleeping on your bed. You felt your face burn.

"No one," you murmured, but your tone was anything but believable. You scooped more food into your mouth so you couldn't answer any further questions, but none were asked.

"We're having a party tonight," Riddle said, "You should come."

You were unable to reply as you chewed.

"It's really just Slytherins," he continued, "But we're all allowed a plus one. You can be Enzo's."

Cautiously, you looked at Lorenzo to gauge his reaction to that suggestion, but he didn't seem to have one as he mindlessly stroked Midnight.

"Yeah, if you want," he said, clearing his throat.

Finally, you swallowed, "That sounds fun. Should I bring alcohol?"

"I would recommend it," Riddle replied.

You were a mix of nervous and excited.

***

When you arrived at the Slytherin dungeons that evening, you were greeted by two fourth years at the door who seemed to be taking the job of security guard very seriously.

"Name?" one of them asked.

"Y/N L/N."

"And who are you here with?"

"Lorenzo Berkshire."

One of them wandered off into the party as the other turned to you, "We just have to validate this. Standard procedure."

You suppressed a giggle.

Not too long later, the other fourth year returned with Lorenzo by his side. With a nod to his friend, you were beckoned in and went over to Enzo.

"Very formal," you finally let out the giggle as the two of you began walking into the main party.

He shrugged, "Riddle insists on it. Salazar knows why."

You gazed around the Slytherin common room, taking in the green and black decor that you had never had the chance to lay eyes on before. There was music playing quite loudly, but you hadn't been able to hear it from outside— likely thanks to a sound-proofing charm.

"Have you started drinking yet?" he asked you.

"I had one while I was getting ready, you?"

"I've had a couple," he shrugged, stopping in his tracks for a few moments to properly look at you, "You look very pretty."

A blush crept on to your cheeks, "Thank you."

You could have sworn a small smirk graced his lips.

"L/N! You made it," the booming voice of Riddle thundered from nearby, and you turned to see him approaching with a bottle in his hand.

"Yeah," you chuckled, "Don't know how I'm gonna make it back without getting caught though."

"Just stay in Enzo's room," he said, clearly already too drunk to think over his words.

Before you could respond to his statement, he had spotted someone else and hurried over to them.

"You can if you want," Lorenzo said quietly, "I've crashed your room before."

You chuckled at the strangely fond memory, "Scared the shit out of me."

He grimaced, "Sorry about that."

"It's okay, just give me a little more warning next time."

"Next time?" he repeated, a suggestive lilt to his tone.

"Where's Midnight?" you changed the subject.

"Up in my room, probably."

You hummed, "Right, I need to get more alcohol in me." And with that comment, you wandered off, not wanting Lorenzo to feel like you were following him around like a lost puppy— despite how much you had realised you wanted to be around him. It was a strange realisation: it was the first time a crush had snuck up on you rather than you more or less picking someone you found attractive to fancy.

And with that thought lingering, you poured yourself a shot, downed it, and then made a mixed drink to join the party with.

***

The increasing amount of alcohol danced through your bloodstream as the night went on and you found yourself dancing with some Slytherin girls, and having a full blown debate with a Ravenclaw guy who was there with his Slytherin girlfriend. You were having a lot of fun, but you found your drunken self wanting to go search for Lorenzo. So, you did just that, scanning the large room for any sight of him. Finally, your eyes locked on to the familiar tuft of brown hair sat on a sofa, with his friends all sat around him.

You walked over, somewhat clumsily, and immediately beamed widely, "Hi, Enzo," you said.

His gaze flicked to you and a small smile crept on to his face, "How are you doing?"

"I missed you," you said without thinking, sitting down next to him and bringing your legs up on to the sofa to curl into his side. His arm was spread out, resting behind you on the back of the settee.

"Did you?" he chuckled, taking a sip of his drink, which he held in his other hand.

You nodded, "Did you miss me? Wait, don't answer that."

His lips stretched into a full grin, "I might have missed you."

You narrowed your eyes at him, "Don't play with my feelings, Berkshire. I know you're not as much of a player as the others, but I'm still suspicious."

"Never," he said, leaning closer to you so he could say in a husky quiet voice, "Call me Berkshire."

You raised an eyebrow, "Don't think I won't leave if you show signs of leading me on." How had this turned into a full blown confession? Wasn't it a bit premature for that?

"Who could ever leave me, darling?" The alcohol had clearly inflated his already radiant confidence.

"But who could stay?" you whispered in his ear, before stumbling to your feet, only to feel his hand grasp around your wrist. You turned back, to see that he was looking at you with his mouth folded in a thin line.

"You could," he eventually muttered, "Midnight would miss you too much."

"Just Midnight?" you teased, finding that your drunkenness was filling you with reckless abandon.

He sighed, "I would, too."

You grinned, sitting back down next to him.

"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade next weekend?" he asked.

"I thought you'd never ask."

And, when you woke up the next morning cuddled up with Lorenzo and Midnight in his bed, you smiled despite your pounding headache— and slight urge to throw up. Scratch that: huge urge to throw up. But when you stumbled to the bathroom, waking up Lorenzo in the process, he followed you and held back your hair, talking you through it.

It was peculiar, really, how everything was still so new, but you didn't feel the least bit embarrassed about him seeing you in such an ugly state.

—————————————————

masterlist

written; 26/04/2024 —> 09/05/2024 published; 12/05/2024 edited; —/—/——

[bad-system]

battle of nicopolis, 1396.

ever wondered what that notorious battle of nicopolis was within the context of KCD2? well, look no further as i try to summarize it in a (not so) few key paragraphs.

____

the battle of nicopolis was significant because it was one of the last crusades in europe (alongside the battle of varna in 1444). at the time, sigismund, hungarian-croatian king, set his sights on the bulgarian region because he believed that re-establishing christian rule in that region would sufficiently serve as a future buffer to his kingdom against the ottoman expansion. this would mark the first part of his crusade likely towards constantinopole, which was besieged by the sultan bayezid i.

this campagin began by sigismund gathering western european forces, which had arrived all the way from france, spain, burgundy, poland, german states, hungary, croatia, wallachia, venice, genoa and others. (even both of the popes agreed on the necessity of this 'holy war' at the time of the western schism). these armies would later split into two, with venetian and genoan naval forces cutting off bayezid's forces from anatolian supplies at bospor passage.

in the north of bulgaria, sigismund and his troops arrived at vidin, where they were welcomed by the locals even though they were ottoman vassals. the crusaders slaughtered the ottoman garrison at vidin to provoke bayezid, and moved onwards towards nicopolis. sigismund believed that conquering and re-establishing nicopolis, the brief ex capital of the bulgarian region, was vital to establishing order.

on their way to nicopolis, the crusaders would pass through another place—oryahovo. the residents of oryahovo surrendered to sigismund, who had spared the inhabitants, but the franco-burgundian forces decided to disregard this and slaughter the inhabitants of oryahovo. thus, the local ottoman garrison along with the muslim and orthodox populace were slaughtered, much to sigismund's horror and frustration.

sigismund's continental advances along with the naval provocation forced sultan bayezid into action and to recuperate his forces and advance north.

the execution of the prisoners in nicopolis, in retaliation for the earlier oryahovo massacre of the ottoman prisoners by the crusaders.

what followed next was nothing short of a foolish, imature defeat.

there have been many internal clashes within the crusader army, but the franco-burgundian knights, young and overconfident, were perhaps the biggest contributors to this battle's ultimate failure.

sigismund had orchestrated a solid plan of attack with wallachian and bulgarian leaders who already had prior experience with battling ottomans along with sigismund's own experience. however, the french knights, seeking glory, accused sigismund of trying to take all the glory for himself and insisted on placing their own cavalry at the frontlines.

to prevent further inner conflict, sigismund was eventually forced to agree with the new plan of attack.

on the day of the battle, the ottoman army had cleverly set up atop a hill with deadly spikes at the bottom. restless, the french knights set out ahead of sigismund's own forces and began their own attack at the archers atop the spiked hill, lost their horses and were forced into submission by bayezid's forces.

by the time sigismund's reinforcements arrived, the ottomans had cut the french knights off from sigismund, and bayezid launched another attack on sigismund's flank via his serbian vassals, stefan lazarević, cavalry. this was the final push which forced sigismund and all his forces into retreat.

their retreat was messy and hurried, with many drowning in danube in the process. there are several recounts on how sigismund escaped, be it via fishing boat or venetian/genoan ships, but he had managed to escape via river with few of his forces remaining.

sultan bayezid, outraged by the crusaders treatment of the inhabitants of oryahovo, had almost the entire french crusaders executed in retaliation, with a rare few being ransomed for a very high price (such as john of nevers).

this battle was one of the main catalysts for western europe's creation of the image of ottomans according to its own christian standards—the west's subsequent poetic mourning of nicopolis was largely a religious and political tool for reuniting the rapidly dissolving christian ideals of unity.

a large number of chronicles on the threat of ottoman expansion were produced because the west wanted to propose a normative discursive order to legitimize the state building process led by the princes and their officials.

this defeat at nicopolis would go on and echo for decades in the european collective consciousness as it dampened the appetite for future crusades and revealed how fragile and divided christian europe had become in the face of a rising power.

on the other hand, the battle of nicopolis was hardly a footnote in ottoman chronicles, and even then it was written down decades later. the infighting within the ottoman empire and the turkish dynasties, along with the battle for constantinopole were far more important in this period of the ottoman empire and western european battles were barely noted in ottoman chronicles. this, combined with the looming threat of the timurid dynasty would prove as far bigger enemies to the ottoman empire than the dying european crusaders.

you could say that battle of nicopolis was 'business as usual' for the ottomans—and that, perhaps, was the most unsettling part for the defeated.

european chroniclers even recounted this defeat as a moral failing of the christian armies, the lack of faith the main 'insurgent' among crusaders, in the attempt to lessen the victory of the enemy.

___

this is a pretty bare bones explanation of the events, but i wanted to size it down into something more manageable and consumable for the average person on here. i leave some useful sources in my wake, as some people had shown interest in them. i hope you find it useful!

- https://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_2013_num_91_4_8474#rbph_0035-0818_2013_num_91_4_T2_0931_0000 (personal favourite)

- https://historyofcroatia.com/2022/03/21/battle-of-nicopolis-1396/

- https://www.historico.blog/post/battle-of-nicopolis

- https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/crusader-disaster-at-nicopolis/

- https://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?524449-DISCUSSION-The-forgotten-battles-of-the-DotS-timeline!&p=11077885#post11077885

videos:

- kings and generals: battle of nicopolis part 1,

- part 2 (improved)

___

now, all that's left is inserting istvan toth into this mess. can you imagine? should be fun (:<

[cardiaccadillac]

@biblichor comes up with the OC x canon pairs and I feel compelled to draw them. Joe Miller from The Expanse with her OC Clotho Archer.

[blackstarlineage]

The Mali Empire: An In-Depth Analysis of Africa’s Great Economic and Cultural Powerhouse

Introduction: Mali – The Wealthiest Empire in African History

The Mali Empire (1235-1600 CE) was one of the most powerful, wealthy, and influential civilizations in African history. Located in West Africa, Mali was a centre of trade, scholarship, military strength, and cultural excellence. It controlled vast resources, including gold, salt, and ivory, making it one of the richest empires in history.

From a Garveyite perspective, the Mali Empire is a critical study for Black people today because it proves that:

Africa was the centre of world wealth and innovation long before European colonization.

Black leadership and governance flourished through advanced trade networks, military strength, and education.

Self-sufficient Black nations can thrive when they control their own resources and institutions.

The story of Mali is one of African excellence, Pan-African unity, and Black self-determination.

1. The Origins of the Mali Empire

A. The Rise of Mali from the Ghana Empire

Before Mali, the Ghana Empire (300-1200 CE) was the dominant power in West Africa, controlling gold and salt trade.

After Ghana declined due to internal strife and invasions by the Almoravids (a North African Muslim group), Mali emerged as its successor.

The Mandinka people of Mali, led by Sundiata Keita, overthrew the Sosso kingdom in 1235 CE and established Mali as the new dominant force.

Example: The Battle of Kirina (1235 CE) saw Sundiata Keita defeat King Sumanguru of Sosso, marking the birth of the Mali Empire.

Key Takeaway: African empires rose and fell, but Black leadership continued to evolve and adapt to new challenges.

2. The Golden Age of Mali: Wealth, Trade, and Expansion

A. Mali’s Control Over Gold and Salt Trade

Mali controlled the richest gold mines in the world, located in Bambuk, Bure, and Galam.

The empire became the world’s leading supplier of gold, making it one of the wealthiest states of its time.

It also controlled the salt trade, which was just as valuable as gold because salt was necessary for food preservation.

Example: Two-thirds of the world’s gold supply in the 14th century came from Mali.

Key Takeaway: Africa was the centre of world wealth—colonialism only reversed this by stealing African resources.

B. Expansion Under Sundiata Keita and His Successors

Sundiata Keita expanded Mali’s territory to include modern-day Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Niger, and parts of Mauritania.

Mali’s military was powerful, using cavalry, archers, and well-organized infantry units.

The empire established a federal system of governance, allowing local leaders to maintain control as long as they pledged loyalty to Mali.

Example: Mali was twice the size of modern France, proving Africa’s historical dominance in governance and territory.

Key Takeaway: African leadership was highly organized and politically advanced, contradicting Western lies about African governance.

3. Mansa Musa: The Richest Man in History

A. Who Was Mansa Musa?

Mansa Musa (1312-1337 CE) is considered the wealthiest individual in world history, with a fortune estimated at over $400 billion in today’s value.

He ruled during Mali’s Golden Age, expanding trade, culture, and Islamic scholarship.

He built mosques, libraries, universities, and urban centres, making Mali the intellectual hub of Africa.

Example: The Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, built under Mansa Musa’s reign, still stands today as a symbol of African architectural brilliance.

Key Takeaway: Black rulers were some of the wealthiest and most powerful figures in global history—yet their legacies are deliberately erased.

B. Mansa Musa’s Legendary Pilgrimage to Mecca (1324 CE)

Mansa Musa made a famous Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, travelling with 60,000 men, 80 camels carrying gold, and a vast caravan of scholars and officials.

He spent so much gold in Cairo that he collapsed the local economy for years.

His pilgrimage put Mali on the map, leading European cartographers to include Mali on world maps for the first time.

Example: The Catalan Atlas (1375), a European map, depicted Mansa Musa holding a gold nugget, symbolizing Africa’s immense wealth.

Key Takeaway: Africa’s economic power was globally recognized before European colonization, proving that Africa was not “discovered” by Europeans—it was already thriving.

4. The Intellectual and Cultural Power of Mali

A. Timbuktu: The Centre of African Scholarship

Timbuktu was home to the University of Sankore, one of the world’s first universities.

Scholars from Mali studied astronomy, mathematics, medicine, law, and philosophy, making Mali a centre of knowledge.

Over one million manuscripts were housed in Timbuktu’s libraries, proving Africa’s literary and intellectual traditions.

Example: Many of the Timbuktu manuscripts are older than European universities, proving that Africa had a scholarly tradition independent of European influence.

Key Takeaway: Black history is more than just slavery—Africa was the home of some of the world’s greatest scholars and universities.

5. The Decline of the Mali Empire: Lessons for Today

A. Why Did Mali Collapse?

Over time, Mali weakened due to:

Civil wars and internal conflicts among ruling families.

Invasions from rival West African kingdoms (e.g., Songhai Empire).

The shift of global trade routes to the Atlantic, bypassing Mali’s economy.

By the 1600s, the once-great empire had fragmented into smaller states, paving the way for European colonization centuries later.

Example: The Songhai Empire replaced Mali as the dominant power in West Africa, proving that African civilizations evolved and adapted over time.

Key Takeaway: No Black nation can survive without unity, economic control, and military strength.

6. The Garveyite Vision: How to Rebuild Mali’s Legacy Today

Africa must control its own resources, just as Mali controlled its gold trade.

Black education must be prioritized, reviving Africa’s tradition of intellectual excellence.

Pan-African unity is necessary—African nations must stop competing and start working together.

Wealth must be reinvested in Black communities, not given away to foreign interests.

Final Thought: Will We Rebuild the Greatness of Mali?

Marcus Garvey taught that:

“The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness.”

Will Black people continue to be economically dependent, or will we control our own wealth like Mansa Musa?

Will we rebuild centres of Black knowledge like Timbuktu, or will we continue to let others define our history?

Will we unite as Africans and members of the diaspora, or remain divided by colonial borders and foreign religions?

The Choice is Ours. The Time is Now.

[l1ve-l4ugh-lov3craft]

HI, CAN I TELL YOU ABOUT THE AKKALA CITADEL?????

Yes? Wonderful. Come, friend, have a seat. I have...a lot to say lol

Eight years later and I am STILL not over how absolutely genius this fortress is, like are you kidding me????? Everything from location to design to its inside defenses is just *chef's kiss* PHENOMINAL, and so because I have no filter, I am going to barf all my thoughts I've had on it in the past many many years.

Before we begin, shoutout to the WONDERFUL video by Zeltik that touches on this a bit and gave me a wonderful basis for my brainrot in the first place. Definitely go and watch it it's fabulous NOW! Let's get into the madness shall we? First let's talk about the location cos OHHHH MY GOSH. This was, hands down, THE best place they could have possibly put a fortress of this magnitude in Hyrule and I am going to tell you why. First of all, allllllll along the northern and northwestern border of Hyrule, there's those massive canyons

Passing over that in a way that would be effective military-wise is kind of impossible, so it provides a natural defense from invaders from those directions.

If you were to come from the South, you would hit the Gerudo desert and not only have to face the might of the Gerudo military, but also cross this EXPANSIVE, scorching desert before you can even make it to Hyrule field, and by that time, the royal leader could have very easily sent an army to intercept anyone trying to attack, so that's right out.

Which leaves coming from the Faron region next which is okay??? I guess??? but that's a LOT of swamp and forest you have to cross through, AND you go right past the Great Plateau where any army would have been seen and intercepted eventually. This takes us closer to the eastern coast of Hyrule, and you would be hard pressed to try and travel through Necluda, cos just l o o k at all these mountains you'd have to cross:

Horrible. And you probably don't want to go through Zora's Domain cos that's yet another heavily fortified and well prepared city in and of itself (please ask me about this one too I beg of you I love talking about Zora's Domain)

Any military leader with a brain isn't going to go through Death Mountain for obvious reasons, so really, all that leaves is this tiiiiiinnnyyy vulnerable spot in Akkala

And where did they put the citadel??? Right at the heart of that vulnerable spot >:D Like a boss.

AND SO! if invaders came in from that coastline, they have three options: They can take the path through the Akkala Highlands, they can go through the Torin Wetlands and up to the pass it connects to, or they can take the trail up to the Sokkala Bridges. All of these are TERRIBLE OPTIONS Akkala Highlands path: If they come up this way at the start

this will work allll the way until they get about here:

once they get here though, you are now not only bottlenecking an entire army meant to invade a kingdom (so probably roughly 1,000-1,300 people), but you're also directly under the shadow of the Akkala Citadel. There are archers there to fire on you, and they had a canon post on that side to potentially fire either at the incoming soldiers or fire at the opposite canyon wall to rain debris and rocks on them.

TERRIBLE for the other army.

And even if some did manage to survive, it would be painfully easy for the infantry at Akkala Citadel to send foot soldiers down below to cut them off.

SO THERE GOES THAT OPTION (and admittedly, I think it's probably the worst of the three)

Next option is to go through the Torin Wetlands and up into that same pass by the Citadel

this is ALSO a bad idea because the Torin Wetlands are a DELIGHTFUL tactical advantage for Hyrule. Once you get to that pass, you have the same problems as option one, but now you first have to pass through this wide marshland to get there. This will immediately slow down your army, and if that wasn't bad enough it's also in clear freakin view of the citadel and so they would be able to send their entire militia of archers and potentially even cannoneers to fire on the advancing army and take a bunch of them out before they could even make it to that pass.

So a smart general may say the best option is to go around the long way.

now this eliminates the pass and also slowing down at the marsh, and you could even make it almost all the way to the citadel without hardly any losses probably BUT! The first hurdle is those bridges. Wonderful for Hyrule, terrible for the opposing army. The three Sokkala bridges are SMALL, even smaller than the pass an army would have to go through with the other two options. This military leader would basically have to send their soldiers single file unless they have a way to expand the bridges to make them wider (which, admittedly, could be possible with a bit of foresight, but for now for simplicity's sake let's just assume they didn't think that far ahead).

This brings in an EXTREMELY slowly advancing army right to the heart of the Akkala Citadel's battery.

There are three locations with canons we see in BOTW that cover pretty much the entire open area the opposing army would come in on. And when you look at the amount of space each post covered

There is not a SINGLE spot in that valley a cannoneer couldn't easily reach. And, of course they would continue to have archers to pick off individual soldiers as well.

And if SOMEHOW

BY SOME MIRACLE

enough soldiers make it through that hell to be enough of a problem, there are plenty more soldiers in the citadel to cut them off as they come up the hill AND IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! there was this:

by the time we get to botw, it has been destroyed, but that is ANOTHER smaller stronghold that was probably pretty well manned in and of itself.

AND WHAT'S MORE

There's even this long cliff road with very little room to operate, so it would be extremely easy for the citadel to send over some soldiers to post up there and cut off anyone who tried to make it past. And with so little room to operate, it would not go well.

Ain't NOTHING getting past the Akkala Citadel, guys.

And that isn't even touching on the fact that the whole thing is build of solid stone??? And carved into a mountain??? The entire reason it fell in the first place was because the Guardians had enough of fire power to destroy the citadel that they had never seen before (also they could climb walls but that's a side note). This implies that no one in Hyrule or the neighbouring kingdoms had even CLOSE to that level of destructive power, so to try and raze it to the ground would have been impossible.

AND!! it was the most heavily fortified fortress in Hyrule second to the castle itself, and to most likely their military personnel would have been equal too, if not slightly more than even Hyrule Castle. That's A LOT of people!! With most likely endless support and resources from the castle and villages nearby as well.

It was placed geniously, it had impenetrable defense, it had a potentially endless supply of resources and people to use said resources, it was just

argjfbdkjgbks You guys don't understand how much I THINK about this place aghhhhhhhhhh