#the constellation imagery as well i love--

[silverskye13]

Were there drugs in that cliffhanger?

Holy shit you work fast dude, oh my goshhh

[khaire-traveler]

🌠 Subtle Nyx Worship 🌌

Go star-gazing, especially out in nature where you can see the stars more clearly

Learn about the different constellations as well as any Greek myths associated with them

Pay attention to the phases of the moon; learn what their meanings are

Try veiling

Get a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Wear silver jewelry

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Have a stuffed animal horse or owl; have a stuffed animal of any nocturnal animal

Have imagery of the night sky, stars, space, horses (especially in a chariot), owls, nocturnal animals, or foggy nights around

Meditate at night; try to relax at night; sit in darkness silently for a bit

Get a telescope; use it to observe the stars

Leave a glass of water/salt water on your windowsill at night

Take a bath/shower with only the light of candles/dim lighting (SAFELY!!!!)

Support space-related organizations such as NASA

Learn more about space, stars, planets, etc.

Engage in relaxing activities or ones that you're passionate about

Have a bedtime/nighttime routine

Keep a dream journal; write down your dreams; try to interpret them

Drink black tea or coffee (or anything that relaxes you); add honey if you want

Drink red wine or red sparkling grape juice; raise a glass to her

Pick and save flowers still wet with evening dew; dry or press them; great if the colors are ones you personally associate with her

Feed neighborhood cats, dogs, birds, etc., especially at night (please make sure it's safe to leave food out in your area; do not attract predators!!!!)

Burn a relaxing incense at night; lavender, jasmine, patchouli, etc.

Write poetry about the night, stars, space, etc.; it doesn't have to explicitly name her

Try to practice meditation; practice mindfulness

Ground yourself regularly, especially at night

Make your space comfortable and relaxing for yourself; sleep with cozy blankets, decorate with dim fairy lights for nighttime, sleep with stuffed animals, etc.

Learn getting comfortable with change; go outside your comfort zone, do something spontaneous, cope with stress during an unpredictable situation, etc.

Let go of things that no longer serve you

Dance or sing at night; enjoy yourself at the end of your day

Play with pets before bed to tire them out so that they can sleep better c:

Watch movies or shows at night with loved ones; something you'd all enjoy

Light a bonfire or small fire at night; enjoy the peace of the night around you

Go camping; sleep under the stars

Keep a personal diary; write down positives and negatives; make it your own

Make a list of things you enjoyed and disliked about your day at the end of your day

Feel your feelings; cry if you need to, etc.

Practice listening and observing your surroundings/people around you; don't make yourself paranoid, just passively observe

Practice patience and compassion, especially towards yourself

Spend your evenings decompressing, whatever you need to do to unwind; drink a warm drink, eat something comforting for dinner, read a book, etc.

Try to cut down your screentime before bed

-

I'll likely add more later, but for now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Nyx. I hope it's helpful, and take care! 💜

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[exactlycleverpirate]

(Over) Analyzing the Love and Deepspace Theme Song

“Some long for longevity

Before fading to dust

Some long for eternal sleep

And eulogy chanted by stars

Into that serenity

Their lost time forever buried

She rambled a thousand times

And million miles

Searching for her light

Free from the rule of death

Now seem so dull

Time goes by but memories rewind

Here she prays again

Back when things began

Where to go

Where they meet and grow old

Where no rivers would flow

No woods would grow

No life would never be ceased

Or somewhere they could start again

Where they would never be the same

Where rains everyday

Fain they would stay

Some forsake longevity

Then fading to dust

Some fall for eternal sleep

Their eulogies turn into gleaming stars

Will they meet in stars again

Or gone with the wind”

Spoilers under the cut.

Some long for longevity

Before fading to dust

I think this line could be a reference to the people of Philos, especially the ones on Earth. The Backtrackers are trying to find a way to prolong Philos and their lives with it. When Xavier cuts down the man in the alley, he dissolves into dust. The planet is dying and has no oceans. The whole planet is described as being dustier than Earth was. The imagery during the video for these lines is of the galaxy. 

The Wanderers also fade to dust when they are cut down. In fact, the first scene we see of Xavier in the game is him cutting down Wanderers and them dispersing into light.

Additionally, there are people on Earth who are trying to achieve immortality, particularly those who are using Lemurian blood to prolong their lives. Meanwhile, in Fragrant Dream, Rafayel dissolves into sea foam to save MC. (But this could be a bit of a stretch.)

Some long for eternal sleep

And eulogy chanted by stars

Eternal sleep is a common theme throughout this game. Zanye falls into eternal sleep in his myth. Rafayel will also fall into eternal sleep in his myth if something doesn't change. Meanwhile, Xavier is suspiciously tired all the time. 

Particularly telling is that these lines coincide with a silhouette of Xavier in the video, as well as a starry expanse. The implication seems to be that Xavier is longing for that eternal sleep. Which wouldn't be terribly surprising. He has been living and fighting and losing the person he loves over and over for a very long time.

A eulogy is something written or spoken to remember those who have died. In this case, the stars themselves are the ones speaking the memories. It makes me think of old mythology where great heroes and demi-gods would be immortalized in constellations when they died.

I think this segment is also connected to Wanderers, and Xavier's story is particularly tied to Wanderers. I think it is very possible that whatever humanity remains in the Wanderers wants to be at rest, finally. I think there is likely relief when Xavier (and Zayne in his 3rd Anecdote), set them free to finally rest in peace.

Into that serenity

Their lost time forever buried

Here, the video shows us a silhouette of Zayne, and behind him is Mt. Eternal. At the end of his myth, Zayne has slipped into the serenity of eternal sleep, buried under a snowy blizzard. Additionally, at the end of the Main Story chapter 8, we see Zayne interacting with something buried under ice.

Even before this, in Zayne's Myth, they lose time again and again as their memories are erased, and they are reset. Additionally, there is some time weirdness going on between Doctor Zayne and Dawnbreaker Zayne. 

She rambled a thousand times

And million miles

Searching for her light

The video shows planet Earth rotating and a sun rising over the horizon. This is clearly about MC, traveling worlds and times, resurrecting again and again, searching for her love(s), her freedom, her memories. Particularly poignant is Queen MC at the end of Xavier’s Myth, thinking about how her star is gone.

Free from the rule of death

Now seem so dull

Time goes by but memories rewind

This section is paired with Rafayel's silhouette in the video. It is hard to make out the background, but I think it is an underwater city, presumably Lemuria. Lemurians are naturally eternal/immortal. As far as we have seen so far, they are the only people in the game who come by this naturally (unless this is a result of that ancient Lemurian technology, but either way, immortality is literally in their blood).

Rafayel may die, but the implication through his content seems to be that when he does die, he will merge into the waters of the ocean and one day be reincarnated. He is free from the rule of death, but over and over in his stories and behavior, we see that he is bored. Life has become dull (particularly without MC). He talks of death as a blessing for Lemurians in Whalefall Lament.

Something that is an important reoccurring theme throughout Rafayel's content is memories. MC has forgotten him, which he is very frustrated about. In Fragrant Dream, she has forgotten him as well, and restoring her memories and humanity costs Rafayel his life. In his myth, Rafayel tries to erase her memories to protect her, but she remembers anyway, and tells him she is not someone who easily forgets (which seems a little ironic, given how much she has forgotten across times and tales). 

Rafayel also seems to have the potential to have the oldest memories with her. Where Xavier’s memories are primarily in the future, I think it likely that many of Rafayel's are in the past (though not the myth). If I were to have each man represent an aspect of time, I would say Xavier is future, Zayne is present, and Rafayel is past. And I think we see that connection here with memories rewinding.

I will add that MC has lost memories of all 3 men throughout her various stories, though I would argue that current day MC has primarily lost memories of Rafayel, as she only met Zayne after the Chronorift Catastrophe, and most of her story with Xavier is set in the future, but present day MC has only just met him (aside from a brief encounter during the Chronorift Catastrophe).

Here she prays again

Back when things began

The video at this part once more shows a galaxy/starry expanse. 

I'm inclined to say this is also connected to Rafayel's story, though I'm not sure. There are two different gods we see mentioned in Love and Deepspace, the God of the Sea (Rafayel) and Astra. Though this could refer to praying at the shrines and things of that nature just in general, praying for luck, well being, help, etc. 

But I do think it is interesting that in Rafayel’s myth, there is a suggestion that she is/was a follower/devotee/worshiper of the Sea God. Adding to that my thoughts that Rafayel has the oldest connection, and the “back when things began” is a good fit too. However, Xavier’s Anecdote 3 can also be seen as a beginning, particularly of the time-loop they seem to be trapped in now.

Where to go

On this line, the video flashes through the locations of each of the myths. First the city in the Golden Sands of Rafayel's myth, then the castle in Philos where Xavier is, and finally the Tower of Thorns where Zayne is trapped.

Where they meet and grow old

Where no rivers would flow

Here, we again see Rafayel in the video. Of my experience going through the content, Rafayel is the most blatant and consistent about wanting to spend his life with MC, and even refers to her as his bride in the myth. Thus we have connected with him the longing to grow old with MC. To have her beside him throughout his life. Indeed, I think he gave her his heart because he knew otherwise they would one day be separated by her truly dying, and he wanted to make her immortal like himself, so she could live on with him, over the course of their lives.

Rivers flowing is a plain reference to the city in the Golden Sands that is the source for 64 rivers, yet the land has no ocean. All water, at least in that area, flows from the city, which happens to be where MC is essentially imprisoned in order to protect the immortality of the people of Philos. The people of Philos, at least in the Golden Sands, hoard the water, MC, and immortality, all of which they have essentially stolen from Rafayel.

No woods would grow

No life would never be ceased

Here we go to Zayne. Honestly, I would have expected “no woods would grow” to be connected to Xavier and Starfall Forest. And while that may be a part of it, the video seems to make a direct link to the thorns in the Tower of Thorns instead.

“No life would never be ceased” is particularly interesting for Zayne. It works well as a connecting theme between Doctor Zayne, Dawnbreaker Zayne, and Myth Zayne. 

Doctor Zayne is haunted by every patient he loses, keeping a tally of them to remember. He is particularly haunted by the death of William on Mt. Eternal. And he is frantically researching to find a way to prevent MC’s life from ceasing as well. Additionally, Zayne has an underlying anxiety of protecting MC from himself, and he seems to be a ticking time bomb with whatever is going on with his Evol.

Dawnbreaker Zayne ends life after life rather than allowing these people to devolve into monsters. However, he longs for Doctor Zayne's life, where he could save others instead of simply putting them out of their misery.

Meanwhile, Myth Zayne has watched MC die again and again and again, failing to save her each time, until he finally breaks the loop, sacrificing his life for hers.

Or somewhere they could start again

Where they would never be the same

Here we come to Xavier. He and MC fell in love when they were young (comparatively), but it quickly ended in tragedy. When he is reunited with her in his myth, it looks at first like they might have a chance of being together this time. But then he learns the truth behind Philos, Wanderers, and MC’s connection to it all, and all his focus and energy goes into saving her, rather than their relationship. Indeed, even in Anecdote 3, Xavier sacrifices his precious remaining time with her in a desperate bid to find a way to save her life. 

This appears to be true in the Main Story as well. Rather than prioritizing a relationship with you, he is trying to find a way to save you, both current you and the Queen he left behind on Philos. If only there were a way to break from this cycle. To start from the beginning, without the fighting, heartache, and loss, and just be together. Where he didn't have to say goodbye to her in a desperate bid to keep her alive.

Where rains everyday

Fain they would stay

This takes us back to Rafayel. Rafayel loves the rain, forgoing umbrellas to enjoy being soaked. And deserts, such as the Golden Sands, desperately need rain. So where is a place where the rains would be glad to stay? Where water is abundant, life giving, and free, rather than hoarded, trapped, and closely guarded? Somewhere the Lemurians can live freely without being hunted or enslaved? Where MC is not trapped in a fancy cage to be used as a battery for a whole planet?

“Fain they would stay” also goes back to Zayne in the video. Where is somewhere that he and MC can stay together, where he doesn't feel the need to pull away to keep her safe? Where they aren't pulled apart by divine or cosmic forces?

Following this is an instrumental section where we see the Deepspace Tunnel, then Mt. Eternal (Zayne), the coast of Hat Island (Rafayel), and Tracback II (Xavier).

Some forsake longevity

Then fading to dust

Some fall for eternal sleep

Their eulogies turn into gleaming stars

During this segment, there is a galaxy in the background that slowly grows into the distinct shape of an eye. (Such as the eye MC sees outside her window, the eyes of the drones around the city, the red eyes of the raven in the forest, the eye of Astra given to Zayne so he could see through time.)

And now we come full circle. We started with those wanting longevity rather than becoming dust, but here we come to those willing to give up their longevity to fade to dust. Similarly, we started with those longing for eternal sleep and eulogies in the stars, and here we have those who fall into that eternal sleep, and their eulogies are in fact etched into the stars.

I think all of this is an indication of how all three of these men, Rafayel, Zayne, and Xavier, are willing to give to their lives, their longevity, their immortality, for MC. And their heroic sacrifices are of the sort that are etched into the very stars, like those mythological heroes of ancient times.

Will they meet in stars again

Or gone with the wind

We see Xavier interacting with what appears to be a wrecked Traceback II or similar machinery. We see Zayne at Mt. Eternal under an aurora, either freezing or excavating something (a protocore?) buried in the ice there. And we see Rafayel working on his painting that seems to depict a mermaid tale in an underwater city, then he vanishes, leaving the painting covered in a bloody red.

These are the final scenes for these characters at the end of chapter 8.

Meeting in the stars seems particularly connected to Xavier, as he has a consistent star theme throughout his stories. Connecting to the earlier idea of constellations and mythological heroes, there are a number of versions of loved ones who could not meet/reunite on Earth, but were able to find each other as stars (i.e. Gemini, Vega and Altair, Andromeda and Perseus (less tragic), and some others too, I think.)

What I find particularly interesting is the reference to the wind. In the prologue of the Main Story, the voice on the radio tells us the winds are at 5 km/hr. In the epilogue of Chapter 8, the radio voice says the winds are at 7 k/m. In both the epilogue and the song, the mention of wind coincides with wind blowing through Rafayel's house as he works on his painting and then vanishes. Gone with the wind. Leaving a bloody sea behind.

Give me your thoughts, corrections, additions, what-have-you in the comments or PM me!

[hehearse]

Man i just keep coming back to look at your art. I love alllll the little details and meaning you put in them, especially the composition of your pieces! Oh and also seeing your latest works i was wondering how the latest chapters of orv have been going for you? It has been fun seeing your interpretations of different scenes :]

AWW i'm so flattered!! it's always so incredible to know people spend time looking at them huh!!! sure feels nice leaving a handprint on your wa- hm.

and a live worm reaction from the last time i sat down to read. all is well as you can see ^^

(i have a lot of feelings about the outer gods and the small constellation. my poor heart.... augh)

black and white illustrations also going well..... if only orv wasn't as rich in imagery as to trick me intro drawing almost every chapter u_u truly unfortunate! (lie)

[ithaquakisser]

Salvatore

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

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

MINORS DNI. (18+)

WC; ≈2.4K

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…

"Understood.”

[jedineedlove]

Legend VS LMK Characters:

Kui Mulang (LMK):

[Kaui Mulang, Guard of the Celestial Court, Mansion of the White Tiger, Devourer of Earthly Souls]

Korean: Gyumokrang Mandarin: The Wood Wolf of Legs

Former Celestial Guard turned Yellow-Robed Demon.

After Falling in Love with Jade Maiden and having their love rejected by the Celestial Realm. He gave up their immortality and he awaited for her to reincarnate. As he waits to make sure he will be there to see her he consumes mortal lives to longavit his own.

The 28 Mansions mentioned by him are part of the Chinese constellation system as to why there is so much star imagery is in his castle.

Kui Mulang (Ledgend):

Kui Mulang originated from the ancient Chinese worship of the constellations, a spiritual practice that combines Chinese mythology and astronomy. He is considered to be one of the 28 Mansions, which are Chinese constellations. These are the same as those studied in Western astrology. He appears in Chinese mythology literate notably the JTTW & Fengshen Yanyi.

He is linked to a historical figure called Ma Wu, a general who hailed from the town of Huyang in Tanghe, located in the Henan province.

Kui Mulang is associated with the constellation Andromeda, which appears in the sky in the middle of November. In this constellation is Kui Xiu, described as the "four-legged fish palace" of Heshansu (和善宿) because its shape is similar to a fish. Another constellation, the White Tiger, is also associated with this cluster of stars.

According to the novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi), Kui Mulang was originally named Li Xiong. After he died in the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals, Jiang Ziya deified him as the Wood Wolf of Legs, one of the twenty-eight stars.

In JTTW

Kui Mulang appears as a demon named Yellow Robe Demon . He lives the Moon Waves Cave on Bowl Mountain in the Kingdom of Baoxiang. In his past, the Yellow Robe Demon falls in love with the Jade Maiden in Heaven and decides to elope with her. He becomes a demon lord and the maiden is reincarnated from a goddess to a human who is named Baihuaxiu . She is the third princess of the Kingdom of Baoxiang. The demon then kidnaps the princess, though she has no memory of her existence as a Jade Maiden. He marries her and the couple has two children. Sun Wukong manages to defeat the demon, which mysteriously vanishes after his defeat. Wukong then seeks help from Heaven to track down the demon and learn his true identity. The Jade Emperor discovers that one of the 28 Mansions is missing, so he orders the remaining 27 to subdue the demon. The demon is revealed to be a disguised as Revatī, the Wood Wolf of Legs, a star deity in the heavenly court, and one of the 28 Mansions. The Wood Wolf is then subdued and brought back to Heaven. As punishment, he is ordered to become a furnace keeper under Taishang Laojun.

Jade Maiden:

Considering she is a huge part of Kui Mulang's life I thought maybe also some info about her as well.

[ Yunü / Jade Girl or Jade Maiden]

Yunü is a common designation for a beautiful woman or, in Daoism, for a fairy or immortal

A Taoist deity or goddess in Chinese mythology and Chinese traditional religion who, along with her male counterpart Jintong (Golden Boy), are favored servants of the Jade Emperor and Zhenwudadi. 

They are also believed to serve as guides in the underworld and the protectors of houses and temples. Some of the Golden Boy and Jade Girl pair could be found on some graves at Bukit Brown Cemetery as they are believed to serve as guides in the Spirit World or the Underworld.

During the spring festival, pictures featuring the two can be found on the doors of many households.

This couple helps virtuous souls over a golden bridge to paradise and helps souls whose good deeds outweighed the bad, over a silver bridge to paradise. Therefore by erecting the Golden Boy and Jade Maiden by the grave of the deceased, living family members hope that the deceased will not venture into the courts of hell but instead lead their afterlife in paradise. Yunü and Jintong have appeared in several stories since the Song and Yuan dynasties and have become important figures in Chinese mythology.

There are several mountain peaks bearing her name.

In Journey to the West, Yunü is a servant maid of the Jade Emperor in Heaven. She falls in love with a star god called Kui Mulang and decides to elope with him. However, she doesn't want to ruin Heaven's pureness, so she decides to reincarnate as a human. She enters the human world as Baihuaxiu, the third princess of the Kingdom of Baoxiang.

In Other Literature:

Specific examples are the southern opera version of the legend, Jintong and Yunü, In this context, Yunü is called Longnü and Jintong is called Shancai Tongzi. According to the Shenyijing, Yunü and her companions loved to play touhu, a Chinese game in which arrows or darts are thrown into a vase. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, she and Jintong seek enlightenment and are acolytes of Guan Yin. In this context, Yunü is called Longnü and Jintong is called Shancai Tongzi. Some folktales say that Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua were originally the Golden Boy and Jade Girl. The Jade Emperor was furious with them and wanted to punish them for breaking the celestial utensils. Fortunately, the Old Man of the South Pole begged for their mercy and was demoted to the mortal world. In the Hanyi ji play, the protagonists Qi Liang and Meng Jiang are reincarnations of Jintong and Yunü. In most popular versions of The Butterfly Lovers, the protagonists Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are human reincarnations of Jintong and Yunü who are expelled from Heaven Court by Guanyin or the Jade Emperor for their sin and forced to live as a thwarted couple for three or seven generations before being reunited and restored to their original status.

Thoughts:

Yunü has a lot of love and being kicked/leaving heaven tales.

But did love she was more than just known for this story alone.

The JTTW and LMK versions of Kui Mulang are not too different. However, in the retelling of their love tale he only mentioned himself ridding them of their immortality it almost sounded like in that tale she might have had second thoughts and he did it by force. But I hope not but we can never know because the LMK changed a lot of the characters and tweaked some backstories.

I think the real change in the LMK is that Kui Mulang captured Ao Lie before the JTTW. From the way he talked about the Jade Maiden, she had not been reincarnated or at least he had not captured her yet. For Ao Lie It had to be after his banishment of course because he talked about his powers causing damage he felt bad for aka when he burned his dad's stuff.

Well, I hope you, readers enjoyed:)

[blood-orange-juice]

I started searching for one-eyed beings in mythology and got reminded of Graeae from the Perseus myth. The three lovely ladies who shared one eye and one tooth, taking turns in using those.

They were daughters of Phorcys (a primordial sea god) and Ceto (better known as Cetus). The Chinese name for Cetus constellation is the same as the one used for Childe's Narwhal constellation, 鯨天座 (but not for the Narwhal itself, 吞星之鯨).

The moon sisters don't seem to be connected to the The Primordial One's four shades, so they have some other origin. A tryst with an interstellar whale sounds about right.

The Welkin Moon Blessing seems to be referring to one of the sisters, and primogems are coloured in the same way as everything related to memories/dreams in Hoyo games, including HSR Fuli followers/Garden of Recollection (people whose goal description match a certain interstellar whale's loot drop a little too well)

Also a ritual mentioned in Perinheri leads to title character seeing this:

Perhaps it was the fear brought on by the darkness combined with hunger and exhaustion, but Perinheri did indeed see an illusion. The crimson moon, hanging high in the pitch-dark night sky, suddenly turned around, revealing itself to be a titanic, horrified eye.

Perhaps moon sisters taking turns in the sky is not that different from sisters taking turns in using a single eye.

Oh, and Ceto's cult loved sacrificing maidens to sea monsters apparently (Andromeda says hi).

Also both Childe's TCG cards have moon imagery.

Also you know what the concept of three one-eyed sisters reminds me of? This painting in Inazuma (a land where they also befriended whales).

Crack/tinfoil addition:

Graeae are usually depicted as old women, however, in "Prometeus Bound" Aeschylus described them as siren-shaped monsters with the head and arms of old women and the bodies of swans.

Do you remember who also has both moon and swan symbolism? Our dear Arle. Also they dropped that book on us the patch before Arle for a reason.

I'm not saying she is one of the Moon Sisters but surely if Khaenri'ahns found one of their corpses they would absolutely use it for nefarious purposes. I know they would.

[disastrousfeline]

i'm your man

(frames + notes under cut)

title card!

some credits. the constellations triangulum (representing TRIPLE-POINT) in circuit purple, canis major (representing CAUSTIC) in circuit green, lynx (representing alsciaukat, aka sou spacius lynk) in their particular shade of purple, as well as circuitry in the circuit's green-purple gradient

enjoy :)

a mirror (representing TRIPLE-POINT) displaying [dog teeth? cracks?] on its glass on the left; lynk with angelic imagery on the right. lyric displayed: you're an angel / i'm a dog

additional note: as implied, the lyrics are sung by an aspect of TRIPLE-POINT, one that speaks in lowercase and developed a reverse savior complex towards lynk. everyone else does not matter to them, including themselves, hence the crossouts

the mirror is now displaying a silhouette of a person holding a leash connected to lynk's prosocollar, now without angelic imagery. lyric displayed: or you're a dog / and i'm your man

SCHRODINGER'S LYNX, lynk's persona while in the Circuit, stands with some other Circuit members: T|GHTL||SH, Operamandible, Conductive Noose, Synaptic_Static, AVERSION COMPLEX, END.repeat(end);. lyric displayed: you believe me like a god

SCHRODINGER'S LYNX, now alone. its projected lynx head displays more glitches, and its X-eye melts, as if crying. the Spire can faintly be seen in the background. lyric displayed: i destroy you like i am

lynk kneeling on the ground, tearfully reaching out to TRIPLE-POINT's broken casket post Event Horizon. lyric displayed: i'm sorry i'm the one you love / no one will ever love me like you again

some glass shards in circuit purple. lyric displayed: so when you leave me, i should die

the Spire. lyric displayed: i deserve it, don't i?

BEAKS AND BEAKS AND BEAKS AND BEAKS AND BEAKS AND BEAKS AND okay i'll stop. it's her! the namesake of the campaign! lyric displayed: i can feel it getting near

WINGS AND WINGS AND WINGS AND okay yeah you get the point. more of her (simulated self in the CRYPT OF STARS) :] lyric displayed: like flashlights coming down the way

featureless door in the VORSEHUNGSMOTOR. lyric displayed: one day you'll figure me out

Event Horizon time. CAUSTIC looks at the viewer. TRIPLE-POINT, eidolized, is visible in the background. lyric displayed: i'll meet judgement by the hounds

some Circuit embers from before, smiling. less of them because i was getting tired. for what it's worth, these are the three who are the most fond of TRIPLE-POINT and CAUSTIC, not counting SCHRODINGER'S LYNX: Operamandible, AVERSION COMPLEX, Conductive Noose. lyric displayed: people always gave me love

blurrr. lyric displayed: others were never to blame after all

lynk reaches out to TRIPLE-POINT, like adam in michelangelo's the creation of adam. lyric displayed: you believe me like a god

TRIPLE-POINT vanishes, leaving lynk alone. i should note that TRIPLE-POINT did not die in our playthrough — this segment moreso represents the several times lynk abruptly woke up from the dreams in which they speak to TRIPLE-POINT. lyric displayed: i betray you like a man

the following segment is just lynk and TRIPLE-POINT's conversation after Event Horizon. this was honestly just a last-minute decision to fill in the ending instrumentals. also they were quickly patched by the team members with Patch beforehand dw

[activatebutterflyshield]

Time to be long-winded about music again featuring the Four Winds albums by the Oh Hellos. I desperately hope this one will be shorter given how bloody long the thing about Coyote Stories ended up being so to somewhat ensure that this will be split up into four separate posts, one for each album. I’m going in chronological order of release. Come one, come all, but especially @writer-of-random-things, to see me put more effort into tumblr posts than my english essays.

Part 1: Notos (you are here!)

Part 2: Eurus

Part 3: Boreas

Part 4: Zephyrus

Before even getting into the songs, let’s look at the album art. A cicada, the hallmark of summer, buzzing in chorus for a few days before dying. They are a horde, second only to their cousins the bees, wasps, and locusts, but a horde nonetheless. The cicada blindly sits underground for most of its life, growing in solitude and waiting for its cue to escape to the sunlit world, mate, and die. A cicada does not question it’s place in the universe. A cicada harbors no thoughts of doubt in its mission, and holds no grudge when it dies under the sky. But humans are not cicadas.

The first song of the album is “On the Mountain Tall”, a relatively quiet start. It’s very biblical in its symbolism and imagery, but perhaps the most important lines are when the singer calls out, “Still the wild wind blows / Up our of the grave of an angry ghost / Firing bricks from broken canon and prose / To build a wall so high it reaches the heavens in the sky”. The spelling of “canon” is not that of the instrument of warfare on the high seas, but that of generally accepted truth when it comes to creative works, as well as religions. But it is used to describe an action much more befitting the weapon, as the “wild wind” is “Firing bricks from broken canon and prose”, a metaphor for using hypocritical or untrue logic and facts to defend itself. Whomever the singer is singing to, they want the singer to fear them and love them in equal measure, but the singer doesn’t. This nebulous thing is described as being “Quiet as a candle and bright as the / morning sun”, not unlike some angelic thing from on high, and yet whoever they are, they are not “He”, who is “not within them, the clatter of / brass and drums”.

“Torches” soon follows, a quicker paced tune of a back-and-forth between two singers. Each alludes to the other, “Father Ignorance” and “Mother Fortuna”, matching up with the leading male and female vocals. Both figures are referred to by the others as making either “Brothers of us all” or “Sisters of us all” through their actions, though neither seem to be very virtuous people. “Father Ignorance” seems to feed people’s anger and fear, setting “our torch aflame” and burning someone at the stake, no matter their innocence. “Mother Fortuna” turns “shadows into shapes”, stoking paranoia and encouraging violence despite the fact that “the faces in her wake / Look more like our own than the / effigies we immolate”. Neither singer seems to be the one from “On the Mountain Tall”, as the previous song was about someone resisting the carrots and sticks offered by someone quite similar to both Ignorance and Fortuna. And yet these two beings still have power, as they sing together, “We keep that old wheel turning / Over and over, again”, maintaining the endless cycle of fear, paranoia, anger, and destruction.

The next song is an instrumental interlude, “Planetarium Stickers on a Bedroom Ceiling”. It’s a gentle tune that slowly builds into the next song, “Constellations”, but the name alone indicates that whatever stars exist far above are not real things, but rather facsimiles. Pretty things, sure, but nothing like the real, burning, blazing balls of gas that dot the night sky.

“Constellations” begins slowly, as the singer describes the sensation of speaking something that takes their voice away and feels upon their tongue like “Brick and mortar, thick as scripture / Drawing lines in the sand and laying / borders as tall as towers / I babble on until my voice is gone”. The clear and more cloudy references to the Tower of Babel and the Empire of Babylon show how the singer has been confounded and confused by that thick and choking scripture. Everything good in their life, everything good done by them and to them are “like constellations, a million years away”, no more real than those “Planetarium Stickers on a Bedroom Ceiling”. What few pieces of joy they have are no more real than the lines drawn to create “Constellations”. But by the end of the song, those good stars are “imploding in the night / Everything is turning, everything is turning / The shapes that you drew may change beneath a different light / Everything you thought you knew / Will fall apart, but you’ll be alright”. The singer has realized how much they have been smothered by thick scripture, how little they know about the world, how much they want to be free, and how they have been denied their freedom by the world they grew up with, by Father Ignorance and Mother Fortuna.

The titular “Notos” is next, starting with the singer describing the world in the moments before the clouds break and a storm crashes down. The world is holding its breath, waiting for “A thunderous disturbance”, the inevitable response to what the singer has done to those “Planetarium Stickers on a Bedroom Ceiling”. But whatever the world is expecting is not what happens, as the rush that comes “will take you away / Like you’re caught in the undertow / And you will drown in the wake / Of the things you lost to the winds of Notos”. Everything the singer has lost to the thick scripture, all that the spent in hopes that the “Constellations” of good intentions would become real, is now being repaid tenfold over. Their realization is as strong as a hurricane, as untamable as the sea, and more furious than a thunderstorm in this moment. They’re drowning Fortuna and Ignorance in “the wake / Of the things you said that you can’t take back”. It’s a beautifully poetic description of the pure, flaming anger felt by someone in the moment they realized their betrayal, but as the final line of the song says, “You gotta let go”.

The second instrumental interlude of the album is “Mandatory Evac / Counting Cars”. Finishing the wordless cry that began in “Notos”, the song is a slow, gradual build up from gentle guitar strums to the beautiful melody that has haunted the background of the rest of the album, a promising echo that reminds the listener that they’ve come quite far since the beginning of this 20-minute journey, and that they’ve still got plenty of road left to travel.

The final song of Notos is “New River”. The singer’s tune is one of gradual change, of how “though the eons may pass as slow as the sands of an hour glass / Every grain that we’ve counted / Claims that even the mountains can change”. This promise that even the most permanent parts of the landscape can slowly but surely change, that the very land itself can bend to the power of a “New River”, is a powerful metaphor for the prospective journey of the singer. They yearn to carve out a new path, to rise with the tide and bask in the “rain for forty days and nights”, to embrace the change so abhorred by the “Planetarium Stickers on a Bedroom Ceiling”, to erode away where they had once stood “On the Mountain Tall”, to extinguish the “Torches” and prove the “Constellations” to be naught but lines drawn in the sky. Within this wind of “Notos” will they rise and remake themselves anew, casting off the thick scripture and ignoring the roaring fire and wind. The fiery Southern Wind of Summer has risen and raged, tearing apart the walls of “broken canon and prose”, and as stormy Notos leaves, Eurus of Autumn and the Eastern Wind will blow in from the horizon where the sun rises, bringing cooler times and heralding yet more change as migrations begin and more questions are asked.

[knightofhylia]

After getting the energy reading from pearlescent-princess I decided to pull some cards to figure out what the symbolism meant. Since the spirit they contacted was very clearly Hylia, I asked her! Particularly I was interested in what the constellations were meant to represent. Very image and text heavy!

The Rearing Equine

The Gleaming Shortsword

The Apple

Application to IRL, Time frame?

Next Step

At first I thought that the constellations meant that something was going to happen (looking to the stars to predict the future) but I think it may be more focused on historical constellations, mainly that they are figures of myth who were ascended to the heavens after a specific deed the gods deemed worthy. With this in mind I looked at cards thinking of prior accomplishments. The Rearing Equine: The Tower being ultimate upheavel and Strength being inner strength paired with the imagery of a rearing horse brought me to the conclusion that this symbolizes my recovery from BPD. Trying to tame my BPD was like taming a wild horse. I was thrown off so many times in the beginning I didn't want to continue. If I wanted to go one way my BPD pulled the other way. Any stability was short lived and often had a catastrophic breakdown when I couldn't hold onto the reigns anymore. None of this came easy or without support, but in the end I was able to pull myself out have been in recovery for over a year! The Gleaming Shortsword: Two of Swords in this deck is a lot more positive than it's usual RWS companion. Instead of being at a standstill and stalemate, this is about cutting through the obstacles by working together. Paired with the Death card, there's a lot of duality and change represneted here. I believe this symbolizes my loyalty and boundaries. I grew up convinced I was unlovable because I was a transgender freak and I would die a unmarried virgin and never date anyone. I've been married for 5 years now so obviously that didn't go as planned, I wasn't counting on other transgender freaks being out there LOL. I gave a large knife to my husband as part of our vows which is why I believe the two of swords is a reference to our marriage. Our wedding was truly a test of who was on our side and who was not. The sword I swear my loyalty to my husband with is the same that cuts away the family and friends who wanted to see us crash and burn. The marriage was the catalyst for us to get our names changed which was a huge goal in my gender transition. I am both the princess and the warrior, perpetually dying and changing. I am not longer the miserable cisgender monogamous sex repulsed unstable person I was in my youth but I have not forgotton what I learned from her. The Apple: Temperance is probably one of my most pulled cards lol. I believe the apple symbolizes my kind,nurturing qualities as well as enjoying the fruits of my labours. Although all my life I have loved animals and nature, only within the last few years have I actually stepped up and learned what I need to make a difference. I'm now the main animal caretaker at my store and also have been working on gardening and growing our own food and taking care of the enviourment. Beforehand I was honestly afraid of most animals and felt everything I touched plant or animal wise I would kill. It took a lot of patience and learning to see that we all have the capability to nurture and grow something. The Timeframe and NExt Step card were just kind of as wrap up cards but i feel they reiterate the points. Ten of Wands being a cycle I will always be in, there will always be ups and downs, always mental hoops to jump through. There is no timeframe as it's always happening! Queen of Bottles to me is a reminder to keep doing what I'm doing. I am deeply connected with the animals and plants that I steward and despite feeling like the only person who cares sometimes, it is always worth it to care! I have worked very hard to be where I am now and the Divine is familiar and supports me!

[khaire-traveler]

🦚 Subtle Hera Worship 🐄

Star-gazing and cloud-watching

Making flower crowns

Wearing outfits that make you feel confident

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Keeping a picture of her in your wallet

Wearing jewelry that reminds you of her

Wearing perfumes with bold yet sweet scents

Have a cow, peacock, or lioness stuffed animal

Having imagery of stars or lotus flowers around

Giving yourself compliments each day; pointing out one thing you like or love about yourself

Support women's rights or domestic abuse survivor organizations

Spend time with loved ones

Be kind to children; play them if offered

If you have a partner, send them a kind message or do something romantic together

Practice standing up for yourself; speak your mind and assert your personal boundaries

Do household chores; upkeep your living space

Take care of yourself emotionally and physically

Show support for any mothers in your life, especially new ones; help out when/if you can

Keep a self-love/self-care journal

Make yourself feel pretty/handsome/attractive; wear makeup, paint your nails, style your hair, wear your favorite outfits, etc.

Take a self-care bath or shower

Learn about astronomy; learn about the different myths behind constellations

Show compassion towards others, especially those who are hurting or in need

Showing compassion towards yourself, the same as you do for others

Prioritize your own well-being

Feed the local birds with bird seeds; bird-watching

Keep framed photos of loved ones; put photos of them on your wall, etc.

Eat pomegranate seeds

Have cow print items; own peacock feathers (been told these can be really cheap, actually!)

Give a kind gesture to a loved one; buying a gift, cooking a meal, baking pastries, etc.

Collect gold-colored items; golden ram horns are also a great symbol (maybe draw or paint this, since it's pretty niche)

Buy a bouquet of white flowers, whether for yourself or a loved one

Add honey to your tea, coffee, or other drink; a good drink to try is warm milk with honey and cinnamon mixed in (better than it sounds)

Start a skin/body care routine

-

I may add more down the line! For now, here's my list of discreet ways to worship Hera. Hope it helps, and take care! 🩵

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[itselriel]

orpheus and eurydice anon, i asked my friend to send me her theory and she said she copied and pasted the plot from wiki and added her thoughts to how it pertains to acotar in the parentheses so this is what she sent me-

Apollo (Helion has similar imagery to Apollo and put the wards on the Harp) gave Orpheus a lyre and taught him how to play. It had been said that "nothing could resist Orpheus's beautiful melodies, neither enemies nor beasts." (Bryaxis hasn’t been caught) Orpheus fell in love with Eurydice, a woman of beauty and grace, whom he married and lived with happily for a short time. (Az carried Elain bridal style into the townhouse) However, when Hymen was called to bless the marriage, he predicted that their perfection was not meant to last. (Elain could predict that about her and Az in the next book) A short time after this prophecy, Eurydice was wandering in the forest with the Nymphs. (Elain hasn’t met Gwyn) In some versions of the story, the shepherd Aristaeus saw her, (Could be Lucien because Arstaeus is considered a “pastoral Apollo”) and beguiled by her beauty, made advances towards her and began to chase her. Other versions of the story relate that Eurydice was merely dancing with the Nymphs. While fleeing or dancing, she was bitten by a snake and died instantly. (Koschei might be able to shapeshift into a snake and bite Elain or shift someone else) Orpheus sang his grief with his lyre and managed to move everything, living or not, in the world; both humans and gods learnt about his sorrow and grief. At some point, Orpheus decided to descend to Hades by music to see his wife. Any other mortal would have died, but Orpheus, being protected by the gods, went to Hades and arrived at the Stygian realm. He also managed to attract Cerberus with a liking for his music. He presented himself in front of the god of the Greek underworld, Hades and his wife. Orpheus played with his lyre a song so heartbreaking that even Hades himself was moved to compassion. The god told Orpheus that he could take Eurydice back with him, but under one condition: she would have to follow behind him while walking out from the caves of the underworld, and he could not turn back to look at her as they walked. (Bryce thinks Prythian is Hel and we were introduced to the cave system under/in the night court) Thinking it a simple task for a patient man like himself, Orpheus was delighted; he thanked Hades and left to ascend back into the living world. Unable to hear Eurydice's footsteps, however, he began to fear the gods had fooled him. Eurydice might have been behind him, but as a shade, having to come back into the light to become a full woman again. Only a few feet away from the exit, Orpheus lost his faith and turned to see Eurydice behind him, sending her back to be trapped in Hades' reign forever. (Let’s say Sarah lets Az get Elain back or maybe he fails getting her back and that sets up the three sisters taking down Koschei in the final book I also ignored the real ending the myth because Orpheus dies but Nesta did find the harp in a room with constellations like what happened to the lyre after Orpheus’s death)

This is really well thought out. However, we have to remember that SJM doesn’t do full retellings. She will take some / a little inspiration here and there from different retellings, but it won’t be a carbon copy of the full thing. There definitely could be some inspiration here for Elain, Azriel and Koschei though.

[forestshadow-wolf]

Blossoms of Love (Chapter 9)

(not so) campfire stories

Pairing: soap/ghost

Tags: hurt/comfort, angst, hanahaki

A03 link || Chapter 1 || Chapter 8

Progress was… slow, sluggish, stagnant; soap was sure there was a better word for it but he’s an artist not a poet. The sun creeped closer and closer towards the tree line, an image he’d have loved to sketch had he not had a job to be doing. It quickly became apparent that they would not be finishing before night hit, confirmed by price’s command to set up camp in the mostly intact body of the plane.

Ghost had been scarce since the initial crash, the night was beginning to set in and he wasn’t with the others yet. Soap found him a few paces into the trees. Why would Ghost be all the way out here, there was no reason to be, at least not as far as he could tell. He was crouched down, back to him, he seemed… off. Well more off than he had been lately.

He called out to the man, who straightened up and whirled around quickly, as if caught off guard. Odd, he wasn’t being particularly quiet, and even if he was Ghost ordinarily would have picked up on it anyways. He worked to hide an interrogative look, not wanting to push any boundaries, not today at least.

“Sergeant.” he cleared his throat.

“Uh Price set up watch. Ah said ah could take first, but he said you wouldnae mind. So…” he trailed off at the end, not sure where he was going with that sentence.

“Aye, I don’t mind.” they set off back toward their makeshift camp.

Everyone was already mostly settled and were heading towards the edge of sleep by the time they were back. Ghost settled on his bedding and soap grabbed his sketchbook before sitting beside Ghost. To which he got a shoulder nudge and an inquisitive look.

“What?”

“What’re you doin’, Johnny?”

“Wha’d’ya mean ‘wha mah doin?’ ah thought it was pretty obvious am sittin’ doon.”

“I know that, ya ass. I mean shouldn’t you be goin’ to sleep, not doodlein’ in your book?” ghost rolled his eyes.

“Eh, not tired, ‘Sides ah w’s g’nna come take yer place anyway. ‘Ts easier to j’st stay up fer a few more hoors.” that truth was easier to say than the ones that lay beneath it. The one that said that Ghost was acting just a little bit too off. the one that said he knew exactly what kind of thing grew in loveless areas. The one that said that something about Ghost made him want to both run away and get even closer at the same time. Ghost hummed roughly with what Soap could only describe as skepticism, as if he knew Soap hadn’t told him the real reason, granted he hadn’t but Ghost didn’t know that.

It was maybe half an hour later, they hadn’t said anything to each other since they settled down, instead opting for a… something silence. He couldn’t really explain how it felt. Soap still had yet to actually draw, he’d just been slowly filing his pencil down into a sharp point on the paper, watching it darken with each pass of graphite. It’s not like he was even going to do anything with the blackened paper, he’d never been good at negative drawings, it was really just something to keep him occupied. Ghost shifted beside him, but he didn’t really pay much attention to it, he didn’t mind being watched. Not if it was Ghost anyway.

“There’s Orion's belt, just over there.” soap startled slightly at the quiet voice beside him. He looked over to see the man pointing to something in the sky. He followed the finger, but he’ll admit he never had a knack for picking out stars and constellations. He offered up an interested hum, Ghost took that as his cue to continue.

“That cluster over there I’ve heard goes by many names, only know some of the stories though. My favorite is Aphrodite's carriage.” soap nodded, pretending to follow along as Ghost launched into whatever tale stars he had queued up in his brain. Soap couldn’t tell if Ghost was doing it for his benefit or if that was just how he told stories, but his imagery gave Soap intense urges to sketch it out.

That’s how they spent the next hour, with Ghost telling stories and Soap quietly sketching them out, it was an odd sort of role reversal. Soap would be lying if he tried to claim to have learned any of Ghost’s constellations, but he did listen to them.

“How’d’ya ken so much aboot th’ stars, L.T.?” soap garnered his curiosity between a lapse in Ghost's storytelling.

“I don’t.” he said it so simply, so matter-of-factly that it took soap a moment to process what he said.

“Bu- wha’d’ya mean? You were literally just telling me about- er what’d ya call it? ‘Jupiter’s Bowl’?”

“I made it up. The only constellation I know is Orion’s belt. Hell, I don't even know if I pointed to the right stars on that one.” again it was that matter-of-fact tone, as if it was obvious. It confused Soap to no end, he’d spoken with such… confidence? Self-assuredness? That soap didn’t even question him.

“So.. ye just got thoose stories locked and loaded? Or do ya improv ‘em?”

“Had some of ‘em for a while, other’s I made up.” There was a slight inflection in his voice that gave soap the feeling that they were creeping up on uncomfortable territory, so he flipped aspects.

“Tell meh ‘nother?” a smile quirked at the edges of his lips.

“Depends, it gonna put you to sleep?” the tone was light again, if not a tiny bit scratchy.

“Me? Nah, ah’d neve’” Ghost took it with a nod and launched them into another story. It was something flashy and eye-catching, but not memorable, simply for entertainment. At some point Ghost scooched over to watch soap draw, who leaned back just slightly to give a better view. That’s how they spent the rest of Ghost’s and the first half of Soap’s watch, with Ghost taking them on mini adventures, and soap documenting them. Eventually though soap nudged Ghost over to his bedroll next to Nik, knowing the man hadn’t gotten much sleep lately. Ghost rolled his eyes and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like ‘mother hen’, but complied nonetheless.

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

@checkerscharlie @halb-nichts @heyitsropi @trekkie-in-space @lavenderstem

[neversetyoufree]

do you think it’s possible vanitas could somehow mark noé one day? cuz i was going through a few pics (vampire vanitas art and chapter 11) and i was wondering if you think this is a coincidence or not

[Image Description: Two images of Noé Archiviste's hand and wrist. The first is a cropped section of the cover illustration for the Winter 2022 issue of エス Magazine. Noé is holding bright red rose petals, and blood is running from the petals down his wrist. The second image is a cropped section of a page from the Case Study of Vanitas manga. It shows Noé's hand below a text box reading "The regrets of that day..." Noé's hand and arm are spattered with blood. End ID.]

Oh interesting idea! I'm assuming by "wondering if this is a coincidence," you mean the double occurrence of blood on Noé's wrist?

If so, then as of right now, I don't think I'm inclined to read that as foreshadowing for a mark. In particular, in the chapter 11 example, both Noé and Vanitas's hands are pretty blood-covered in the full version of the image, so I don't think we can read into the blood on Noé in particular.

[Image Description: A full version of the above Case Study of Vanitas page. It shows Noé reaching down toward Vanitas's hand. Both of their hands, as well as some of the surrounding space, are covered in spatters of blood].

If one specific bit of blood was meant to be significant, then why let it blend in with all the rest of the splatter, y'know?

As for the magazine cover image, then, I don't think you can make much of it without support. If there were other specific images of blood on Noé's (and only Noé's) wrist/hand, then that might be something, but since I don't think we have that, I'm inclined to read the blood in the vamp vanitas pic more as standard-issue bloody flower imagery.

However, I noticed that the version of the chapter 11 panel that you used (and the one that I used) has some funky white lines on Noé's wrist. I originally thought those were a quirk of the scan, since I couldn't find them in other versions, but @torterrachampion says they're actually a detail mochijun added for the volume reprint only. And that's really interesting! The fact that she went out of her way to add them suggests that they're important, but I couldn't begin to say what they are. They remind me a bit of both the Book's constellation motif and Vanitas and Misha's Mark cracks, so I suppose it's not out of the question that they could be a Mark from Vanitas.

So overall, Vanitas marking Noé is a neat idea, but I don't think the images you've provided work as evidence to prove it for sure (provided I've understood your meaning correctly, at least). It's possible those white lines could be something, but it's hard to say for sure what. I'd love to hear others' thoughts on the subject!

(Also, note that I did just rewrite a chunk of this post since Torterra pointed that out for me, so if you saw the older, more negative version. whoops).

[plushie-sentai]

My Playlists // Jeramie Brasieri

More about each song below the cut bc I'm a music nerd and I love talking about the meanings behind a piece and how the songs are tied to a character to me :)

The Silence by Bastille

"Tell me a piece of your history that you're proud to call your own // Speak in words you picked up as you walked through life alone // we used to swim in your stories and be pulled down by their tide"

I think this song really speaks to Jeramie's relationship with storytelling, how he was alone for so long and his only connection to the people around him was their own relationship with his writings, specifically the legend of King Ohger. He was just writing the story as he saw it, a piece of his history, and it left a wake of destruction behind him that he didn't see until now.

Two by Sleeping at Last

"I will love you without a single string attached"

I just really love this album by Sleeping at Last, at least one song from Enneagram is on almost all of my character playlists. The album is nine songs written one about each enneagram personality type, so the idea is there kinda is one song that will really speak to each different personality type. I also love the imagery of "strings attached" in this song for Jeramie with the theme of webbing and being metaphorically and literally attached to the people he cares about. Jeramie is a force to be reckoned with emotionally, he cares deeply and intensely, and this song really encapsulates that vibe to me.

Poet by Bastille

"Now you'll live through the ages // I can feel your pulse in the pages // I have written you down // Now you will live forever"

I feel like... do I really need to explain this one? Its just about the idea of immortalizing a love, a story, a feeling in words that will last forever. Jeramie is all about this lol

Heirloom by Sleeping at Last

"This crooked posture is all you've ever known // It is the consequence of living in between // The weight of family and the pull of gravity"

"When you inhereted a fight that you were born to lose // It's not your fault"

Two lines from this one!! I had to include the line where they literally say "living in between" for the king of the in-between of course, but to me this song is all about Jeramie and his parents. He inherited a life riddled with prejudice that he should never have had to face, something his parents never would have wanted for him, but as opposed to the lyrics, it's a fight he's winning. He inherited so much more love and wisdom from his parents than anything else, and it's something he's very proud of.

Constellations by The Oh Hellos

"'Cause like constellations a million years away // Every good intention, every good intention // Is interpolation, a line we drew in the array"

This song is directly about the misinterpretation of scripture, of words lost in translation from hundreds of years ago. In general I cannot recommend The Oh Hellos' four seasons albums enough (Notos, Eurus, Boreas, Zephyrus), especially if you're like me and have some... extensive religious trauma lmao. The Oh Hellos write many many songs unraveling the religion they were raised in with respect and heart, and their works are truly beautiful poetically and musically. ANYWAYS. Constellations being about the misinterpretation of words written with intentions far gone from their current use really sticks to the whole "Jeramie writing the legend of King Ohger" thing well. Every good intention, or bad in the case of the people of Chikyuu, was simply an interpolation taken from the base writings Jeramie left for people to interpret.

Rounds by The Oh Hellos

"Be the Sun as my witness // Better prophets could pen // A thousand words for every chord // I could ever begin"

Welcome back to I love these albums by The Oh Hellos. Once again this has to do with Jeramie's storytelling, but I think on a deeper level this one is less about the misinterpretation and more about Jeramie's confidence in his own works, if what he's doing is right given what's happened, him being more aware of the effects his words have on people. Jeramie has been around for a long time, and in this time he's been through a lot and seen a lot, relived the cyclical history over and over. His writings are his life, his everything, and yet he always feels he could be doing more. Honestly, this one is kinda hard for me to articulate well on because it's just... the vibes are so right for him lol. The emotion is there.

I'm sure over time I'll add more songs to this playlist, but I hope you enjoy my silly analytical response to the songs I have for my beloved Mr. Jeramie Spiders who I think about a bit too often <3

[green-and-grey-kenaz]

In Noctem - A song for Regulus?

Carry my soul into the night May the stars light my way I glory in the sight As darkness takes the day Ferte in noctem animam meam Illustrent stellae viam meam Aspectu illo glorior Dum capit nox diem Cantate vitae canticum Sine dolore actae Dicite eis quos amabam (sing a song) Me nunquam obliturum (a song of life) Lived without regret Tell the ones, the ones I loved I never will forget Never will forget

This song, composed by Nicholas Hooper, appears in Half Blood Prince and plays in a deleted scene indicating the approaching Death Eaters (storm coming, Snape watching, Draco making his move). The time of this is roughly in line with Dumbledore and Harry visiting the cave.

Within the film, the links with Snape and Draco can provide ties with Regulus - a turn coat when someone they loved was threatened (Snape/Regulus) and Rowling has connected Draco and Regulus as similar characters (young death Eaters who got in a little too deep). By these characters being connected with the song, Regulus is pulled along with them.

A greater Regulus connection can be found in the imagery, which uses stars and night/dark. The night/dark makes a good connection with the Death Eaters (i.e., Snape and Draco, the two we see) but the star imagery ties very well with the Black family and their constellation/star names. Regulus fits very well within this, but so does Draco, son of Narcissa Malfoy, but nee Black, and likewise with a celestial name. Latin also gives me noble family vibes but again, this works equally well between Draco and Regulus.

But I shall not stop there. The first verse, to me, suggests death. Draco survives the series. Snape will die as a consequence of the upcoming actions (leading Voldemort to believe Snape is the holder of the Elder Wand) although that's a book (or two movies) away. Dumbledore is going to die, although so far has not had as strong associations. Regulus Black has the thematic Death Eater link, the night/dark and star imagery associations and can tie in with the visit to the cave, where Regulus canonically died. Not only this, he died achieving a victory (believing the Horcrux to be safely taken away for destruction), i.e., 'glorying in the sight'.

The final verse is interesting. Firstly, a life without regret? Snape and Draco can both present more regretful characters. The level of regret we have from Regulus is ambiguous. We know he changed his mind about Voldemort. We know less about the Death Eater ideology, which he may have continued to support. One could even hypothesis that he did not regret joining Voldemort, since it lead to his discovery of the Horcrux (and the letter is defiant rather than regretful, with an aim that Voldemort knows who brought him down). The life lived without regret may fit Regulus more. The song ends, with the singer beseeching the audience to tell the ones they loved that they never will forget. The singer is unable to do this (perhaps because they are already dead - see the past tense of 'loved'). I never will forget? The betrayal of Voldemort, perhaps? An undying loyalty to the family?