#the way their stories are both tied together and the cycle of death and rebirth…. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

vivacia-18 · 1 year ago

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This was getting to long for the tags, hope you don't mind me commenting directly!

asdlkjaada The freaking Dondon quest - I totally did that one by accident, and all of the reveal was totally overshadowed by the fact that I felt equal parts bad and annoyed finding out that they were unkillable NPCs when I just spent the last 10 minutes trying to murder the herd for meat X'D

But yeah, overall while I don't look for much depth in a video game (if I want it I'm cool to come with a shovel myself later) totk really lacked cohesion overall. Certain parts of the story and characters were enjoyable, but it definitely didn't pull itself together very well.

One thing I wanted to see way back in botw, and that I think could have tied in well to this game - and maybe even the Dondon quest! - was having the monsters actually be part of Hyrule. As in like, people that are meant to be there. Its stated multiple times that the blood moon summons lost spirits who are cursed to wander the land and fight and die in eternal cycles of damnation. We also know that dead/undead and transformation into other species is a thing in Zelda (the Stals in OOT anyone?) completely unrelated to Ganondorfs whole deal. What I wanted SO BAD was for post game after getting rid of the blood moon, the curse would be lifted and the monsters would be normal again. So you could barter for stuff (bokoblins, etc), or battle for prestige but not to the death (Lynels), or like sneakily harvest things (Hynox, Talus) but you wouldn't be killing them anymore - because they're among the people you were trying to save, they're a part of Hyrule too. And now the warrior dead can rest in peace once more.

Until we accidentally bring the blood back in totk and they're summoned/cursed again, whoops! But anyways, I felt like that would have been both good gameplay and good depth, and now I kinda like the tie in of the Dondons only being known as they were cursed under the blood moon, and it's only recently that they've shown to be naturally pretty docile, or something along those lines.

I also think that could have tied in well with explaining Gan too, and how the fuck he was still around when the Calamity was supposed to be banished and they made an explicit point of saying he had chosen to forgo the chance of reincarnation, so shouldn't he have been gone forever? Finally broken free of the cycle and allowed to rest?

I haven't thought this part through quite as much, so bear with me. The blood moon reads as a curse to me, but not so much one cast BY Ganondorf, so much as it is the manifestation of the curse UPON him. It truly seems like in this game duo especially Gan is destined to fall to madness, and one headcanon I've gotten rather fond of that ties into the Light and Darkness thing is that its because the power of Light is incompatible with him long term, just as the power of Dark is incompatible to Zelda (if we really want to reach we can link it back to the schism between Hylia and Demise in SS, but that's optional).

Any long term exposure to their opposite will have detrimental mental effects - basically a magical autoimmune reaction. I think he can interact with certain aspects - note that both he and Zelda seem compatible with Sheikah tech/magic, which is fun conceptually as they are a people/Sages of Shadow - but not pure Light. I think Zelda would go equally mad should she ever try to use Dark magics long term.

Fortunately for her and unfortunately for Gan, Light being the magic of the main ruling family makes it much more prominent and easy to find for someone who is naturally driven to seek Power. And when he does his magic becomes... sick, for a lack of better terms. This culminated into terminal illness upon bonding with the soul stone - cruel in the way of tuberculosis, granting a flush of power and vibrancy before death, this created the blood moon - a warped representation of death and rebirth, light and dark, twisted into something foul. And contaminated magic is what we see manifested as the blight/gloom in later years. The Calamity was his spirit, broken free of Rauru's seal, yearning to be reunited with its body. And in totk we see his flesh revived, though his spirit was thought slain and the curse of the blood moon broken. It wasn't though, just briefly contained once more, because the source of the blight - the soul stone - was still bonded to him, and he couldn't rest until it was removed.

...Wow, this got far longer than I was intending, guess I really brought that shovel afterall X'D

tldr; I agree with OP that totk had the potential to be much deeper and more narratively satisfying than it was, even within the realm of what one would generally expect from a mainstream video game (which is not too much). And a big part of that for me would be a tweak to the monster mechanics post-game, and a little more actual backstory to Ganondorfs backstory to they actually make narrative sense.

The Dondon Post (or: the bizarre TotK's side content counterpoints to its main quest's immuable binary morality)

Speaking of strange TotK Choices, I think I have one singe post left in me about this game; and it's about the Dondon quest, "The Beast and the Princess".

(and about other stuff too, you'll see, we'll get to them)

More specifically: about how... strange of a thematic point it feebly attemps to make in the larger context of the storyline, and how it seems to be yet another mark of a world that, perhaps, once tried to be more morally complex that it ended up becoming.

Buckle up: it's a long one, and it gets pretty conceptual.

(good gem boys notwhistanding)

The Princess and the Beast

So, a couple of things about the setup. We are investigating potential Princess sightings; but at this point, either because we have already completed a bunch and know the general gib, because we have met a couple of wild Fake Zelda shenanigans, or through the simple fact that we are completing a side quest, we know there's a good chance it won't lead to an actual Zelda information. So when we ask Penn about what is going on and he replies with the ominous "we saw the Princess riding some kind of beast --a frightening one with huge, brutal tusks-- that the princess seemed to control", we get Ideas. Then the sidequest is registered: "The Princess and the Beast".

So. You know me. And if you don't know me, here's what you should know: my brain immediately flared up with the thought there was no way in hell this wasn't some kind of wink towards Ganondorf's renowned boarish beast form, especially given tusks were given so much focus.

My first assumption was: that's a miniboss right? I will get to fight some small boar-like thing that Fake Zelda rides sometimes. Cool! I didn't hold too hard onto my hope that the relationship of Zelda and/or Ganondorf to the natural world, or to each other would be expanded upon, since I had already been burned before, but my interest was piqued.

You have to understand how starved I was for any hint of complexity or mystery or ambiguity at this point. I was extremely eager for the game to throw anything at me that would surprise me, enlighten something pre-established, make the exploration lead to a meaningful discovery or deepening of characters, world or themes (and not just slightly cooler loot, or a bossfight, or a puzzle devoid of emotional context --cohesion and depth is what motivates my play sessions, especially in an open world game that I want to believe is worth losing oneself into). This was about the most intriguing task on my to do list at the moment, and so I plunged in immediately.

After really REALLY misunderstanding what I was supposed to do (I stalked every corner of every forest surrounding the tropical area at night or during blood moons in hope to see something --which was very much the wrong call), I arrived to the other stable, then was guided to the other side of the river where Cima awaits and explains that these creatures are actually a new species discovered by Zelda; that they are gentle and kind and not at all scary ("Dondons aren't beastly, they're adorable!"), and even somehow digest luminous stones into gemstones. They like the company of people and liked Zelda in particular.

I was... I felt two different ways about this conclusion, and I think it's worth to explore both: disappointment and some sort of... "huh!" Hard to describe this emotion otherwise.

I'll get the disappointment out of the way first, because it's the least interesting of the two. While I think the little emotional arc I was taken on was not devoid of interest --I was indeed taken on by the rumor and intrigued by its implications-- I wanted, well. A little bit more. And if the creatures were to be Zelda's pet project, I would have loved for them to be actually terrifying and feisty, and for her to develop an interest for these creatures in particular regardless. It could have been very interesting characterization that veered out of the perfect princess loving the perfect world floundering around her, always bringing her clear, practical benefits from the interaction.

(I have made another post that speaks of my discomfort that Zelda does everything everywhere and everyone loves her for it --I get what they were trying to go for, but it either lacks conflict for me to buy into that dynamic at the scale of several regions, or they went on too hard for my taste, as she is, at once and in the span of a couple of years at most: a schoolteacher, a gardener, an animal researcher, a scholar, a traveler, a military expert, a knower of landscape, a painter, a horse rider, an infrastructure planner, a [...] princess --at some point it begins to sound made up, "Little Father of the people"-esque to rattle the hornet's nest a little bit, especially if it's not shown as either a clearly godly characteristic or, even more necessary imo, a negative trait; another expression of her killing herself at work to compensate for a perceived flaw she's trying to earn forgiveness for, like she did in BotW. But that's another topic, and the clumsiness of her character arc has been well threaded by basically everybody disappointed in the story already.)

But, if I decide to be a little graceful, I'd like to explore my "huh!" emotion, and take it apart a little bit.

I think there's something interesting to have such strong parallels to setting up a story about the relationship between Zelda and Ganondorf ("The Princess and the Beast", like come on guys that's the conflict of over half the series), or at least Zelda and the concept of Evil since Ganondorf pretty much represents it in this game, and then have it go: actually, there was a horrible monster that everyone was afraid of, but Zelda was wise and patient enough to approach it and realize its potential beyond the tusks, what beauty can be brought upon the world if one makes the effort to look for what exists underneath. It says something a bit deeper about the world and about Zelda in particular. It intrigues, at the very least.

Is it a reach? Probably! Is my first interpretation that the quest is actually about "eww you thought Zelda would be interested in *disgusting vile monsters* and not sweet and gentle and human-loving animals that literally shit jewlery when cared for? jokes on you, she never would feel any ounce of sympathy for anything that isn't Good and Deserving" uhhh definitively truer? Probably! But I also don't want to dismiss that the quest made me think about it. If I had completed it earlier, I might have even felt like it was (very clumsy, not gonna lie) setup about the main conflict.

But that's also a good segway into my next section: the arbitrary limitations between the animal and the creature, the monstrous and the human.

And the fact that TotK points directly at it.

A Monstrous Collection

(these two guys are just. doing So Much and being So Valid despite being massive weirdos the game wants us to be slightly repelled by. I, for one, respect the Monster kinning grind and their general Twilight Princess energy.)

So. These two guys. There is so much to say about these two guys. I don't think I have seen the Trans Perspective on Kolton on tumblr, and I would love to get it because. I feel like it's a worthwhile discussion (just, how gender and identity is handled in TotK overall, I feel like it's a very complicated conversation and I have not seen super deep dives and I'd be very interested in hearing more).

Beyond the throughline of voluntary consumption of magical objects to turn into less human creatures being a weirdly prevalent plot point in TotK (Zelda, Kolton and Ganondorf casually transing their entire species for funsies --Ganondorf being particularly relentless with Fake Zelda, mummy/phantom shenanigans, Demon King and then literal dragon), I want to focus on Kilton a little bit.

Kilton is genuinely the only NPC in the game willing to acknowledge the inherent personhood that monsters have (the game does showcase them picking up fruits, mourning their boss if you kill them, being cutesy and happy to identify you as one of their own if you wear the appropriate mask --and that's not even getting into creatures like the Lynels, who seem to really edge on the limit of being a conscious creature with a system of honor and property and many other things). He does encourage us to think of monsters as more than a species whose only worth lie in how fun it is to eradicate them; even more, gameplay-wise, he does give us a reason to interact with them in other ways than just our sword with his museum. He does encourage us to see that beauty for ourselves and then select what we think is coolest/most intimidating/cutest/eight billion ganondorfs in every pose imaginable

The fact that Ganondorf is considered a monster was a great win for this feature in particular, and is very funny, but it's also... A lot, if we dig at it a little more than warranted. Beyond all of the Implications and all of the things of representation and political conflict and values already discussed ad nauseum: when did he stop being considered a human? What does that mean about the flimsiness of what is a monster and what is a creature and what is an animal and what is a person and what is even a hylian, as sheikahs got absorbed into the definition in this game? Especially with the stones taken into account, how profound changes in nature are a huge part of the plot (even when reversed and ultimately pretty meaningless): how easy it is, to make that slip? Who decides when that slip has been made? What is acceptable to hurt without remorse? What is beautiful and worth preserving? What is both at once? What is neither?

And again, in a classic Zelda conundrum (appreciative(?)): who the fuck gets to decide that, when, and why?

The Bargainers and the Horned God

(major shoutout to these big guys for being the sole and only providers of actual depth to the Depths, and for looking cool as heck)

So. Let's move the conversation to the Depths.

Conceptually: what an interesting idea!! And so well executed (initially)!! A mirror world to the surface, dark and hushed and full of unknown creatures; haunted by gloom and sickness and the unknown. Not a first in the series, far from it: from ALTTP to ALBW, and even taking the Twilight world of TP into account, this idea of a Dark World acting as a deforming mirror to Hyrule and revealing many interesting aspects as we get to explore both is always a very interesting take on corruption and envy and fear/weakness and/or some sense of darkness looming under the perfect exterior. I'd argue even the Lens of Truth of both OoT and MM's serve a similar function, both gameplay-wise, but also in terms of theme: not everything is as it seems. In the world of Light, darkness must hide itself; but darkness also possess its own beauty, its own hardships, and will stare back at you without blinking if you go seek for it. It's, in my opinion, one of the series' most compelling conversation about the cyclical nature of fate, the coldness of godhood, and how small one feels in the face of a universe that is more complicated than it initially appears --which is why Courage must be invoked to push forward regardless.

The Depth's otherworldly ambiance is truy wonderful, whether in the plays of light and shadows, the creatures native to the environment we meet there (wish we met more!), the soundtrack, the strange aquatic/primordial plants, the fact that the dragons visit this place and connect them to the outside --invoking ideas of balance and interconnectivity, that the tree branches look like veins. The coliseums, the mines, the zonai facilities and the prisons do seem to poke at many things about what the relationship to the past was to this place; was it ever truly a place? Did it look like this back then? Why was it buried? Why did it come back? But in spite of it all, I think the Depths struggle overall to question or reveal anything about the surface that we couldn't already assume going in (that the only thing congealing there is Ganondorf's gloom, his lonely domain of Wrongness, only shared by Kohga and the yiga --the only naysayers of Goodness and Light, contemptful and blinded by self-importance and rage). The zonite is mined by gloomy monsters --why, what for?-- so any notion of greed and over-expansion that could have been associated to the zonai is now reabsorbed into Ganondorf's general evilness, since it needs to be reminded he is everything and anything bad with the world: darkness and conquest and greed and capitalism and pollution and bad weather and sickness and darkness and violence and war and death and betrayal and fakeness and lies and patriarchy and exploitation. No matter that he never does a single thing with zonite in the game; rather set up elements of conflict that never go anywhere than, for a second, let the foundations of absolute goodness and absolute evil risk becoming shaky --and you coming to this unwelcoming dark place that hates you, killing the miners and taking their resources for yourself is, on the other holy, royal fur-covered hand, utterly legitimate. The resources were once Rauru's after all, were they not?

And this is what I would say, except... except for the dead. The fallen warriors, the poes, and, most important of all: the Bargainer statues.

The Bargainers are, in-universe, godly creatures guiding the fallen to a place of final respite, regardless of moral alignment. The poes are all, fundamentally, cleansed of judgement: they are lost souls whose past reality does not matter anymore, and all deserve that peace regardless. In spite of the heavy paradise/hell parallels drawn in that game, with Rauru/Zelda/Sonia as the guardians of Light where Ganondorf gets to become a Devil-like figure, it is confirmed here that no such thing exists when you actually die in this universe.

It almost feels as if the fabric of Hyrule itself, in a brief moment that refuses to elaborate on its own point, goes: "yeah, whatever is happening here between Light and Darkness, it doesn't actually matter. This conflict is futile and doesn't understand the real nature of being alive, dead, a god, a person, a monster, an animal. The truth lies elsewhere --but you will never be told what it is."

It's: wild.

One of the game's most striking traits of narrative brilliance in my opinion --to the point where I'm wondering whether it's there on purpose or was effectively an oversight since every other aspect of reality breaks its own back trying to reassure us that everything is at its correct place, receiving the appropriate treatment by the universe in a way that is never to be questioned.

Another case of that ambiguity being allowed to exist without being immediately crushed and repressed is the case of the Horned God (interesting parallel to Ganon's actual horns that he develops in this game in case the hellish parallels weren't clear enough already): a demon Hylia sealed into stone and pushed far from humans in a clear case of questionable behavior since, while the Horned God isn't exactly nice, does propose a different philosophy you are not punished for exploring; and yet, a proposal that has seen itself persecuted in a very real sense by the goddess of absolute goodness, patron of hylians, Zelda, and many more. Pushed away from view.

Interesting.

And Yet, Light Must Prevail

Okay, so, after all of this, we're left to ask... What the fuck is up with morality in Tears of the Kingdom?!

What do we trust? These half-breaths in the occasional sidequests that Light and Darkness is just the wrong frame of reference, that nature cannot be this simple, is ever-shifting and can be recalled or reaffirmed by arbitrary forces, and might even not matter at all in the universe's fabric, despite having so much of its lore soaking in the dychotomy? Or... everything else about the game, this insistence that Good must not only be assumed as whatever tradition the kingdom has passed down for thousands upon thousands of years, but remain utterly unquestioned the entire time? That Bad is without cause, graceless and unworthy of investment?

Are the Bargainer's statues the only thing worth listening to, that morality is a fable the living tells themselves --or should we be moved when Darkness destroys Light, when Light suffers to preserve itself and the world --but not when the Other is rightfully slain?

Was Kilton correct to see beauty in the monstrous? Was Kolton onto something when he let go of his previous form because there is no clear distinction between what should receive an arrow to the face and what shouldn't? Or should we rather focus on Zelda losing her human form as a beautiful and tragic sacrifice --but something that never actually altered her nature as a hylian, the descendant of a lineage of Good Kings meant to rule forever?

Is the Dondon good because it always was, or was it worth Zelda's love in spite of the fear it initially provoked?

Either way, at the end of the game, evil is slain. Ganondorf is, not killed, but --like his angry BotW boar counterpart-- destroyed, as monsters tend to be. He explodes over the lands of Hyrule, freed from Darkness; freed from everything wrong, since the foreign menace that embodied it all was wiped out in one fateful sweep of a holy blade cradled in sacrificial love. Nothing wrong remains. The Sages reaffirm their vows to protect the kingdom forward, and a very human --hylian-- Zelda smiles: Hyrule now forever and ever basked in eternal Light.

#loz #meta #totk #man I really got into that #forgot how much thought and longing I've actually put into this #thats not even getting into how I would have liked the zonai thing to be handled #its so left field for us y'know?#considering all zelda could talk about before was the sheikah and now apparently she's always been into the zonai?#anyways I would have loved a couple moments where she paused and looked a bit confused talking about the zonai #and then later during her jaunt to the past it was revealed that she basically made them a Thing in the present #by dicking around with history or whatever #leaving it at that would be fine to tie the games togetehr #but bringing in the shovel again - to my own sandbox X'D #we could have her mourning that she basically erased an entire cultures history in order to pull off her plan #becuase that is exactly what she did to the sheikah and I think she's mourn it both on a personal level and as a scholar #but I also think she's be ruthless enought o do it #also I like to think that her bias against gan in the past is due to being stuck with the Calamity for a century #you don't just breeze past that kind of trauma #and that was defintiely Gan at his maddest #anyways wow I really need to get to bed

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theotherace · 4 years ago

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Fic Recs: Taang

I’ve made two or three rec lists over the past few months, but I thought I’d make a proper, comprehensive one that’s easy to add to in the future. Not all of these are exclusively Taang, but they all feature the ship to some degree. I will only recommend one or two stories per author, but some profiles are definitely worth checking out further. So! Here goes.

Multi-Chapter, Complete

Whisper Into the Sky by damagectrl – Toph has two choices: Go home and get married or have the family fortune and her inheritance given to a stranger. Her problem: She wants to keep her ties to her family, but is quite content traveling with Aang. Her solution: Fight her way through suitors for her freedom. Literally. | General

The Slow Path by Tazmainian Devil – Eight years after the fall of Ozai, Aang returns to the friends he left behind. | T

A Matter of Honor by Adridere – Almost 4 years after the war. Aang is engaged to Katara and is up to Zuko to teach him the facts of life. Yep, the bees and the birds. Crazy kings, bananas and the ultimate contest for the hand of a reluctant maiden. | M

Roommates by breeeliss – An unlikely tale of two unlikely people being forced to live together under unlikely circumstances.| Modern AU | T

Fall of the White Lotus by Boo-82 – Three years after the war Zuko is living a life of duty while Katara reluctantly travels the world with Aang. So, when General Iroh orders them to find Zuko’s mother and save his Order they seize the opportunity with both hands. It’s the beginning of an adventurous journey of discovery, but as time runs out a rising threat puts their bond to the test. | T

Half Asleep by The Crushinator – Five years after the Hundred-Year War, Fire Lord Zuko is hit with an assassin’s dart, and falls into a coma from which he cannot wake. A week passes, and his prognosis is grim. But Katara could swear she hears him in her dreams… | T

Yaaburnee by aviatordame – Avatars aren't meant to belong – that's as much as Aang can fathom. | M

Getting Lucky by roca-dos – Crazy things happen in college every day. | Modern AU | T

All Fall Down by DJNS – Aang copes with a tragic loss and finds renewed hope in an unexpected place. | M | Warning for Major Character Death

The Princess & the Badger-Cat by panaili – In a land never torn apart by the Hundred Year War, the sixteen-year-old Avatar Aang is trying his best to keep the balance between the four nations, including the increasingly antagonistic Fire Nation, which, despite his friendship with the Crown Prince Zuko, refuses to acknowledge him. Elsewhere, Sokka and Katara have been separated on their quest to find their missing father, and Sokka, pursued by the same bandits who kidnapped his sister, finds himself on the balcony of some rich girl’s house in Gaoling. Oh, and a sorcerer has turned him into a badger-cat. It’s just one of those days. | Teen and Up

Reborn by Jakia – Life. Death. Rebirth. This is the cycle that all spirits must abide to, even the Avatar. Aang and Toph face death and the reincarnation cycle. | T

New Girl by tiffaniesblews – After coming home early from a business trip, all Katara wanted to do was surprise her boyfriend, Jet. Imagine her surprise when she got home and Jet was in bed with another woman. Not wanting to live with her ex, and unable to live with her best friend, Suki, Katara takes her brother Sokka's offer to move into his loft with his two roommates. Aang is perky and sweet, the owner of a st. Bernard and a cat, who's often confused about his direction in life. Zuko, on the other hand, is a closed-off bartender, who takes some time opening up to others.The four could not be more different, and yet? They work out perfectly. Even if Katara's feelings for Zuko get a bit more complicated as time goes on. | Modern AU | Mature

The Ties That Bind series by LdyKirin – An exploration of the ties that bind for good and ill. Toph and Zuko are both shaped by the family they were born to and the family they choose. Lots of found family feels. | T

What Happens In Kyoshi by BlackVelvetBand – Prince Zuko, and the GAang take a vacation on Kyoshi Island. Flirting, fighting, and embarrasment ensue as Sokka takes it upon himself to defend Katara's virtue...in a dress? A short,chaptered fic featuring Zutara, Sokki, and Taang. | T

Under the Night Sky by mycomfortblanket – Aang hears the chattering of teeth during a cold night. Was an AU that I found on tumblr that I made fit into this story. Orginal prompt: "We have to go camping together and share a sleeping bag even though we are complete strangers | General

On The Precipice by JoyDragon – They’re just best friends. Or maybe they’re teetering on the edge of being something more. | General

Oneshots, Complete

Air and Stone by Wolvenfire86 – A few Taang stories munched together. My first submissions. I hope everyone likes them. Please review, it makes me feel special. | K+

Taang Week 2020 series by teabagginses | Teen and Up & Mature

Our Little Secret by IrisPlumeria – Toph and Aang, sat next to one another dressed in their finest under paper lanterns and surrounded by copious amounts of food and friends, cringed at the disgusting noises coming out of Sokka’s nostrils as he blew his nose into Suki’s handkerchief. “I can’t believe two of my best friends are finally married!” Sokka sobbed, earning a supportive pat on the back from Suki, who didn’t flinch at the snot coming out of his nose. “I’m so happy for you guys!” Toph and Aang's family are happy for their nuptials, but will they be able to survive their wedding party without letting slip a big secret?Written for Taang Week 2020 - Tradition. | General

All Roads Lead To Ba Sing Se by irisbleufic – "I was thinking," [Mai] said, tucking her last remaining dagger into her belt as she strode to meet him, "that it's about time I let Fire Lord Zuko know that I quit." When Kuei smiled at her, she could see the sunshine at which she once cringed."Notice that's six years overdue is better than none at all." "Indeed," said the Earth Queen, and grinned at him. | Teen And Up

Lady Fu’s Fortune Telling by Lady Cleo – Katara and Toph visit the local fortuneteller to get their fortunes told. Added a part two with Zuko and Aang. | T

The Perfect Companion by Morna – Aang seeks comfort outside of the arms of his wife, Katara. Taang, slightly lemony. | T

Box by JoeMerl – Written for Taang Week, one-shot. Toph ticks off Bumi, but Aang is willing to fight his old friend tooth and nail to get her out of trouble. Humor, light romance. | K+

2 am by shmulia – Whoever set off the fire alarm at 2 in the morning is on Katara's shit list. Even if he is hot and shirtless. | Modern AU | K

And its sequel, 11:45 – House parties aren't Katara's thing. Sokka's drunk, Suki's on a mission to set her up, and Toph is... well, Toph. But for every cloud there's a silver lining, and for Katara it comes in the form of a second chance with her neighbour... | Modern AU | T

Treat by PsychEmpress – She felt the corners of her own lips quirk as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Consider this my treat,” he said and Toph allowed a smile to break out. OR In which Toph is a stressed architecture student who gets a free cup of coffee from the handsome waiter after she helps his friend. Taang. Mentions of Sukka. | Modern AU | T

Sawaru by metacognitive – This love is simple. Non-Korra compliant. | K+

Newlyweds (and basically everything else) by PandaCookie – Everyone’s a bit hopeless right after they’ve been married. | K+

Rhythms by xcgirl08– For now, though, her child’s heartbeat was hers to contemplate. | K

Tenderness by Adridere – He wanted to keep her, even though he was not supposed to. He promised her freedom, and she promised him sanity in his own household. She kept her part of the bargain, but he found a way not to keep his. | M

Holy Matrimony by Loopy – After their marriage, Zuko and Katara deal with conflicting religious beliefs, and look to the friends for advice. Between the Zutara and the religious satire, every single person who reads this should feel offended. | General

Blind Maiden’s Grace by Adara_Rose – You can learn a lot of things from a flower… | Not Rated (I’d say General)

Etched in the Earth by Dance_Elle_Dance – She knows the feel of Aang’s footprints better than her own, and that reality scares her. | Teen and Up

No One Asks About The Scars by voleuse – Write about how you learned to curse in order not to be cursed. | General

When in Rome by dtmars – She wasn’t stupid. She knew what she was doing and what she was getting herself into. They both did. | Modern AU. | Explicit

Like Real People Do by DerAndere – The moon is full and bright when he falls out of bed, awake, asleep, inside a dream, and starts walking, driven by the feeling he does not understand, tugging on him relentlessly, and he is Aang, and he is not, and the world is cold. | General | Full Disclosure: This is my story.

Meet Me Under The Table by avatarfan16 – A story of how Toph and Aang find love, in the most unusual of places. TAANG | K+

Aftermath by Zaram'delar – In any celebration, there's always one or two people with a habit of disappearing. Taang drabbleish series. | T

I Choose Dare by for_darkness_shows_the_stars – An ode to how Aang, under the power of a mighty temptress, was forced to grow a beard. Oh, and the birth of his first child, too, he supposes. | General Audiences

Multi-Chapter, In Progress

Heartbeat by AngelicBee – Avatar Aang's soulmate probably died 100 years before, but he can't help but feel she's closer than he thinks. | Teen and Up

a mighty ocean (or a gentle kiss) by poweradequeen – no, the title doesn’t make sense but i don’t care. i couldn’t think of one so now you’re stuck with a cheesy line from two by sleeping at last.it’s a taang fine arts university au. because i said so. | Teen and Up

Neither is Love a Cage by cali-chan – Love is the freedom of flying accompanied. It is letting be without possessing. PG-13 (possibly M later on), drama/romance/angst, Zuko/Katara + Aang/Toph, post-finale but diverges before LoK canon.

Operation: Zutara (REVAMPED) by dtmars – Everyone could see that those two were in love with each other. Everyone except for them. So Toph takes the initiative and fills in for Cupid to give them a little push, while Aang just tags along for the ride. | Teen and Up

Taang One Shots by stitch1830 – A collection of short stories about Toph and Aang that I've had saved in my notes for a few months. Stories are in the ATLA/LOK universe (not canon compliant), and typically revolve around their relationship and family. | Teen and Up

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sunshades · 3 years ago

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Hey! Tell me about your favorite dnd character please :]

OH ANON... thank u for objectively one of the best questions to receive & sorry because this means u saw me rambling on ur dash way too often 🤐 lets go

I HAVE A COUPLE from games i've been playing... both around 2yrs now! i also keep little tags for aesthetic for em so honey, tiare!

miss honeywort..... lvl 5 wildfire druid aasimar! i'd love to share more cleaner art but! i have this lil old art and more recent doodle of her as well as beloved dm iggy's art they made for my bday 🥰💞💞!!!

conceptualized while i was listening to six the musical too often, then vibe wise she went more on a victorian novel side-- i went with the (YEAH ITS CLICHE I KNOW) memory loss plot but tried making up for it by giving a lot of Vibes about this... murky past, i thought a lot about stuff like bronte novels and frankenstein... betrayed by her bethroted and separated from divinity and the memories of her past, POSSIBLY DROWNED AND KILLED, ready to do Anything to get revenge and all of her life back, and then... SHE ACTUALLY BECAME REALLY NICE AND CARING JUST KIND OF A #WEIRDWOMAN? not really the reasonable one of the party but... well sometimes she has to be EJDKKS she also became the team healer since she's the only spellcaster, and she's not very good at it but >:) i think thematically it's very nice as it leans in the fire druid vibe of like... the cycle of death and rebirth 🤔 we still get by okay since it's a homebrew rp heavy campaign, we solve lots of mysteries and fun sidequests so i get to use a lot of spells which is (chefs kiss) especially since druid is one of my favorite classes..! the main plot is super fun as well it plays with the party starting off as like. VARIOUS PETTY LITTLE CRIMINALS and then discovering they're prophetized heroes, and slowly learning how to be good people... starting with trying to save a little girl. which is still a work in progress but. dm immediately got me very attached to all npcs involved both in and out of character SO we gotta make it now. no way around it!!

THEN ME BOY tiare.... lvl 6 elf (half eladrin half... miscellaneous) blood hunter (lycan)!! double whammy, messy older and messy more recent art GDHBNJKFS

w them i started like... i wanna do the tough guy with a heart of gold trope, and itd show with GYHDSF dyeing naturally pink hair from a fey bloodline into black. was in the middle of watching the witcher and fresh off an fma reread so it was already taking a certain direction... then my friends went and made em some family drama WHILE I SLEPT which ended up making em more of an ed elric and gerome firedemblem kinnie than previously planned complete with "parent dead b4 the start of the game wont stop haunting your narrative" and "depressed father is such a miserable little man"- the fall out w said father ended up being part of why they started hiding being half eladrin, cut any ties with their family and changing their hair and name (from mithra and its GDHJFG kind of a pun cuz thats close to the roman miter and tiarella flowers are called false miterworts... 😐) as well as hm kinda their whole personality like he used to be a populargirl cheerleader and now acts like he hates friendship so JDJDKSK the camp he's in is another hb one where we're working as adventures trying to become heroes so theres hm... a lot of the theme of being true to urself which 🥺 makes interactions w other pcs and npcs get very interesting and cute... im looking forward to getting em to open up more and get pink and appreciative of their heritage especially since i myself am very fond of their story since it was done together w some of my dearest friends 🫂

i do make a bunch of new guys all the time for oneshots or just for fun but these are my blorbos..... im glad they ended up in the campaigns and with the dms they did because rly nothing makes u get attached and ready to write lots like other lovly people who want to join u and do the same so i'm really thankful for them... anyway!! ty for the ask and for reading this far if u did it's always fun to share this kinda stuff!! 😊💕

#anonymous #ask the bell #dnd #WHEN I SEE POPULAR DND BLOGGERS ALWAYS TALK BACK AND FORTH W THEIR MUTUALS ABT CHARAS THEY DONT EVEN PLAY TOGETHER IM LIKE OOOO I WANT THAT #and like IDK WHO OF MY MUTUALS EVEN PLAYS OR WANTS TO SHARE STUFF so thank u anon with this im starting to throw my kids out into the world #anyway..... AH yeah the rumors are true i cant stop naming people after flowers. its mostly just vibes i dont necessarily associate em w*#the specific flower. (motions around in a hippie way) its the vibes dude......#dnd:citron #dnd:tyriniam

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theowlandthekey · 5 years ago

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Embracing Hel

Three roots standon three ways under Yggdrasil’s ash: Hel under one abides, under the second the Hrimthursar, under the third mankind. -Poetic Edda, Grímnismál, Stanza 31

Who is Hel? In the vastness of Norse mythology, she is rarely given much due. She does not go on adventures for glory and fame as many of the other gods do. She does not seem to bother overmuch about the future of the world like Odin, nor does she stir up trouble like her father, Loki. She’s content in her dominion of the death, Niflheim, and seems well placed out of the troubles of men and gods. So much so that it often feels she is neglected when compared to the rest of the pantheon.

Hel is featured as a character only once in the Prose Edda, when the god Hermoor rides to Hel on behalf of Frigg and offers her a ransom for the return of the god Baldr. Hel agrees, stating: “If all things in the world, alive or dead, weep for him, then he will be allowed to return to the Æsir. If anyone speaks against him or refuses to cry, then he will remain with Hel.” Baldr was well loved and so it was thought this would be easy to accomplish. But when the jotunn Þökk refuses to weep, Baldr is consigned to remain in Niflheim in service of Hel.

In nearly all other mythos, Hel is mentioned only in passing, referenced rather than focused on. Every other god gets a myth where they are the protagonist of their own story. So why is Hel overlooked? Because of the fear she inspires at the prospect of a life lived without note or valor? Because her appearance was considered so repulsive that, while acknowledged as a goddess, she was put as far away from Asgard as physically possible so as to avoid offending the others with the sight of her?

As much as I love Norse paganism and link myself to it, I find plenty of people who speak with Odin and Frigg, Loki and Thor. Never once have I met someone who says with a smile that they speak to Hel. That’s fair. How many people do you know talk to Hades or Osiris or Mictlantecuhtli on a regular basis, even among the gothiest of pagans? Why even bring this up at all? Last December (2019), I was doing a Krampus Walk with a bunch of women from the International Wenches Guild. (That’s a whole other story.) At the end of the walk we gathered up in a local alternative religion shop to warm up and grab a few things for the pre-Yule rush. Up on the shelf, something naughty my attention. It was something I'd never seen before in all my years of goblin-like hoarding of witchy stuff. A statue of Hel looked back at me, sitting on a throne with a knife in one hand and a bowl in the other. By her side was a wolf, and her skull seemed to be grinning at me with interest. I went back to that statue three times, telling myself I didn't have the money to be spending on things right now. But when I picked her up to examine her, I knew I wasn't walking out of the store without this statue. I brought her home, placed her on my altar, put a few coins in her bowl, and there she stayed.

And then Covid-19 hit.

I've never been one to rely on religion in times of trouble. It's never done much for me one way or the other. I've long held the belief that witchcraft involves handling your own shit before calling on anything else to help out. But this? This is one of those things that is well beyond the control of most humans to handle alone. It's emotionally exhausting, mentally taxing, and physically dangerous. We're all doing the best we can, wearing masks, sanitizing, washing, distancing, doing all we can to prevent things getting worse despite the best efforts of the world to remind us that we are inevitably only human and the risks are infinite. It's humbling to say the least. So, it's in this time of stress and disorientation that I find myself drawn to Hel.

Family Ties

“The following night the goddess of death appeared to him in a dream standing at his side, and declared that in three days’ time she would clasp him in her arms. It was no idle vision, for after three days the acute pain of his injury brought his end.”

-Gesta Danorum, Saxo Grammaticus (12th century)

Hel's name means 'to hide/to conceal', giving it a cruel humor. She was, after all, respectfully banished from Asgard due to her physical appearance, or perhaps because Odin foresaw her part in future events. She is described as being half blue and half flesh colored, though the depiction has altered over the years to mean half flesh and half corpse. Hel is said to be gloomy, dour, and even fierce looking, which suggests a woman with little time for nonsense within her realm. Despite all this, she is said to have a vast hall called Éljúðnir and many servants as befits her station. Everything that surrounds her seems to speak to the fears of the people who believed in her. She has a bowl called 'Hunger,' a knife called 'Famine,' curtains called 'Misfortune,' and a bed named 'Disease'.

On the plus side, she does have a dog named Garmr, said to be the 'goodest of boys'.

The best of trees | must Yggdrasil be, Skíðblaðnir best of boats; Of all the gods | is Óðinn the greatest, And Sleipnir the best of steeds; Bifröst of bridges, | Bragi of skalds, Hábrók of hawks, | and Garm of hounds.

-Poetic Edda, Grímnismál

Her father, Loki, is well known for his mischief and chaos. But her mother, Angrboda, remains largely overlooked beyond being acknowledged as the mother of Loki's three 'darling' offpsring. Angrboda, being a jotunn, is not well looked upon as the Aesir seemed to find themselves constantly at odds with the jötnar. The Aesir and the Vanir form the two principal tribes of gods within the Norse pantheon, the forces which held the world together and brought forth order in which life could thrive. While the Jotunn were more elemental, primordial beings who were born from chaos and presented challenges to the structured order of the world.

It's important to note that Hel is not the only goddess who fits within the overlap of Norse mythos complex Venn diagram between the Aesir, Vanir, and Jotunn. Loki himself is Jotunn as is Skaði, while Freyr and Frejya are Vanir. However, Hel's connection to Angrboda as her mother and Loki as her father seem to be enough to condemn her in the eyes of the ruling Aesir, as well as make her a subject of fearful respect.

Her brother, Jormungandr, is the infamous Midgard Serpent. The middle child of the brood, Jormungandr was tossed from Asgard by Odinn into the ocean where he was said to grow so large he encircled the earth and bit his own tail. If you're familiar with gnosticism (or Full Metal Alchemist) you would recognize the ouroboros symbolism inherent in the mythos as connecting Jormungandr to the cycle of life, death and rebirth, another primordial concept. At Ragnarok, the serpent will be said to release its own tail and fight Thor, both of them doomed from inception. Thus, the old world will end, and a new cycle will begin.

Fenrir, Hel's younger brother, is likewise doom driven, foretold to devour Odinn at the end of the world only to be killed in turn by Odinn's son Víðarr. The theme of the bound monster, I believe, is connected to the concept of man trying and failing to forestall his own fate. Another primordial concept of change as an inevitability.

And yet there is Hel. Out of all her family she seems to stand alone as the most consistent of her bloodline. The black sheep in a family of black sheep. No sagas recounting her heroic adventures, no epics building to the rise and fall of greatness. Only a goddess fulfilling her function to take in those who died of sickness or old age. It is not known for certain whether she survives or dies during the events of Ragnarok, only that Loki will have 'all Hel's people with him' during the final confrontation.

Symbolism

Throughout my research into Hel's mythos, it's clear she was viewed with begrudging respect by her own people. As a goddess, one couldn't afford to be less than deferential when dealing with her (assuming of course that they dealt with her at all). But how they felt about her can be discerned from the associations given to her through her items and surroundings. I began to collect a series of symbols associated with her. Each one tells us something about how she was perceived among the Norse people, and gives us some interesting modern-day interpretations when applied.

50/50 – In all the descriptions of Hel, she is said to be half flesh and half either discolored or corpse-like. Like most cthonic deities, she has a liminal quality to her, being representative of a transitional state of being. Balancing neatly between life and death, Hel is a crossroads deity, guarding over the boundary lines (though not traditionally associated as such). She has the ability to release those sheltered under her threshold, although she demands a price as is her right. This also puts her squarely in the category of a liminal being, one whose mere existence challenges the social classifications of the time. Liminal beings are often described as both immensely powerful and dangerous, depending upon the situation and perception of society. They are undeniably eerie, and yet inspire awe for the way in which they transcend limitations of the self.

Hel's Hall – Éljúðnir is the hall of Hel, located within Niflheim and aptly named as her realm is said to be barren and cold. It's said to be a mansion, and it would have to be considering that she is responsible for sheltering everyone who didn't die gloriously in battle. Her hall then becomes a symbol of her status, a recognition of her as a goddess with her own realm and duties. With hospitality being such an important social factor to the Norse people, I find myself hard pressed to believe Hel is needlessly cruel to her guests. Like any mead hall, it is a center for social activity as well as her residence, if a somewhat foreboding one.

Hunger, Famine, Misfortune, Disease – It seems Hel is often deemed responsible for all of the troubles that plague humanity. A rather dire proposition, but isn't it better for someone to oversee these things rather than letting them run amok? Given her connection to the primordial forces of chaos, it seems fitting that Hel, the stable one in her family, is relied upon to control the disorder that society faces from time to time. The objects deemed as a part of her entourage are significant to her personality. Even in the modern times, these troubles are never far from humanity’s mind, with much of the world facing them on a daily basis. *A bowl (Hunger) is often symbolic of receptiveness, or of fertility, neither of which seem to fit Hel herself. For many the bowl represents a scrying tool, portending to the future. It's not unusual for cthonic deities to be connected to omens and portends. So, it may well be that the 'Hunger' her bowl represents has less to do with wanting food and more to do with our hunger to know our own fates. An empty bowl representing the unknown fate of humanity as a whole may present as a bit nihilistic, but it does seem to fit. *The knife (Famine) as a tool which represents the ability to defend or attack. A knife can help fix a meal or it can protect a family. In this case, 'Famine' represents not only the absence of plenty, but the seeming inability to provide for one another, thus weakening everyone as a result. Famine is not just about food, it's about the failure to provide. For a society that was heavily reliant upon all of its people to survive day to day, this would have been a terrifying concept.

*The curtains (Misfortune) are used to draw over the windows and shut out the light. This is what 'Misfortune' does. It clouds reason and empathy and makes it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Curtains can also be symbolic of one’s desire to hide from the world, to shelter themselves or to keep others from finding out something they find shameful. It may feel safe, as if we are only protecting ourselves. But Hel's curtains are, I believe, named Misfortune for the sake of choosing whether or not we draw them closed or open them up.

*The bed (Disease) is often used as a symbol of intimacy or rest. A bed named Disease could also easily be a colorful metaphor for STIs, though in this case I believe it was meant to represent the fear of dying in ones bed of old age or disease, thus missing out on Valhalla. For Hel to have a bed named Disease suggests an unexpected nurturing aspect to the goddess, as the sickbed is often where we find ourselves the recipient of the most care from others.

In this way, I believe Hel's tools exist as a reminder to society that these things will always exist, and that in order to combat them, people must constantly struggle against them to better survive together.

Garmr – Another in the long list of ferocious subterranean hounds associated with cthonic deities, Garmr was said to be her guard dog, standing bloodstained by her side. He is her faithful protector, as well as the guardian to the underworld. The hound is often a symbol of loyalty and ferocity, but in this aspect I believe it relates more to the black dog associations with death and ill omens. Again, I've yet to see anything relating to Hel being a seeress or an oracle of any sort, but there always seems to be some connection between death gods and omens of the future.

Hel in Practice

Change is uncomfortable. Humans have always preferred stability, even if it's inequitable, because we'd rather function in practice than succeed in theory. Hel is a paragon of balance within chaos, affording the opportunity to change and progress through the inherent suffering of life as it is. And yes, I'm aware of how nihilistic that comes off. But here within the instability of our current world, I find a kind of comfort in that rational. Change is eternal. Tomorrow is an unknown. Control what you can and stay by the people you care about. Keep moving. You are not dead yet.

Rune: Hagalaz “Hail”

- The rune of Hagalaz is practically unanimous with misery. Which makes it's appearance less than desirable during a reading or when found in the day to day. That being said, some degree of unfortunate occurrence is unavoidable in life. It is unalterable. However I find it's distinction kind of like finding a crack in a dam. You now know there is a problem. Maybe you can't 'fix' the problem, but you can stem the damage and keep the outcome from being worse than it absolutely has to be. Hagalaz is about weathering the storm and coming out the other side of it knowing the work that must be done.

Realm: Niflheim

- Niflheim is one of the nine realms of Norse Mythology. A world of coldness, fog, and the primordial darkness. Ymir was born here. Hvergelmir, the source from which many rivers flow, begins here. Níðhöggr the dragon/serpent dwells here, gnawing at the roots of the World tree Yggdrasil. So it would seem Niflheim is a a place of beginnings, endings, and ultimately change. According to the mythology this is where those who died too old, too young, or on the sickbed end up. And yet for all it's forbidding geography and weather, Hel is said to be put in charge of caring for those who arrive. Hall: Éljúðnir

- If Hel is meant to care for those who did not die in the glory of battle. Many times we see this as crowds of dead souls wandering endlessly in the freezing mists. But when I think of Hel's hall of Éljúðnir, I think of a place which is a respite from the cold. It is said to be sprayed with snowstorms, meaning that it stands against the raging storms of the realm, providing shelter to those who dwell within. What if her hall stands alongside Valhalla and Fólkvangr? What if she is the world-weary and cunning inn-keeper who offers bread and mead to those brave enough to find their way to her doors?

Appearance: Dour and fierce looking in expression. Half flesh and half dead.

Tools: knife (Famine) bowl (hunger) curtains (Misfortune) bed (Disease)

Color: black white grey/silver blue dark purple

Animals: wolves/hounds serpents ravens worms

Plants: yew/ash wormwood rosemary mistletoe mustard seed blackthorn

Offerings: tobacco garlic figs mushrooms rye bread black cherries dark chocolate mead coffee, black espresso

#hel #norse paganism #norse mythology #norse gods #worship #orrferings #plants #witchcraft #witch #Éljúðnir #runes #Hagalaz #niflheim #world tree #yggdrasil

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phrear · 7 months ago

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i need to eat the top comment on this video, i need to gently chew on it first:

"my analysis of the mv to try to explain some of the symbols ️ first off, the mv establishes that lexie and her friend died at the end of fortuna since we see them standing together at the crash and the memorial covers both of their desks (0:24). while fortuna is all about the wheel of fortune tarot card, magician is about the magician tarot card. this card represents manifestation - the ability/power to make your wishes come true. in fortuna, lexie’s character seemed like she was being controlled by fate until the end when she decides to go against it. now, she realized that she can control fate herself and everything else too. this is reflected in her confident lyrics like about creating the sun/moon or “it’s my creation all the time”. the magician card is closely tied to the concept of transformation, and we see lexie transform into several different beings. i think it’s supposed to mirror the lion (2:01), angel (1:27), eagle (1:51), and bull (1:43) in the lyrics. these four creatures are found in the corners of the wheel of fortune card from 'fortuna' and they also represent the four elements of fire, earth, air, and water. these elements also correspond to the wand, cup, pentacle (coin), and sword in the lyrics. they match up perfectly with the creatures. so for example the lion version of lexie which corresponds to fire has the wand (3:13) which corresponds to fire too, and so on. these four items/tools are found on the card of the magician. anyways going back to the four creatures - they all combine to form a sphinx, which is depicted on the wheel of fortune card holding a sword. and we see student lexie holding a sword 3:15. and it may sound crazy but these four creatures are also commonly depicted surrounding jesus, which kind of makes sense considering the way that rebirth ties into the story and the lyrics about “holy breath”. so yes lexie is a magical holy being lmaoo i’m not exactly sure how the guy ties into all this but some people have pointed out that the death tarot card in fortuna has death wearing a knight suit like him. the card also shows him carrying a flag with a flower which we see attached to his knight suit (3:08). so it’s possible that maybe he represents what led to the friend dying in the first place? another interpretation of the magician card is the importance to share the insights with others so maybe lexie is helping the guy to break out of the cycle too or something and join her on her journey of transformation/creation - like jesus appearing to his disciples post resurrection lol. i think it’ll be more clear in the next mv random other details: there are 6 swords in the background (2:38) which is reminiscent of the six of swords tarot card. the card represents a state of transition. maybe the last mv will feature the ten of swords card which represents finality with no chance of revival :0 or it's just a cool set with no relevance the wand used here appears to be a crux ansata, which is related to the ankh egyption symbol tied to eternal life. it has a circular loop instead of oval, and it has its roots in coptic christianity the title card 0:37 features the infinity symbol which is in the tarot card too. it also has a heart and the power of love seems to be a common underlying theme through fortuna and magician"

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inktheblot · 5 years ago

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I wanna talk about this look

There are a number of things that you could say this look, this wordless exchange, represents. And I’m sure that there are a good number of layers to it — how could there not be, after all that they’ve been through, all that’s culminated here?

But the number one thing that this seems to be to me is a look of understanding. Of recognition.

In this moment, these two couldn’t appear more different from their younger selves, way back when they were partners, companions, confidants (”brothers”, you might say, though of course I don’t buy that particular interpretation for a second [cough]). Eager little archivist Orion Pax is now an old, tired Prime, has undergone drastic physical changes multiple times that have morphed him from a humble data cataloguer to a hulking warframe, bearing both the Matrix of Leadership and the AllSpark itself within his chest. Freedom-fighter Megatronus, meanwhile, has become exactly the sort of oppressive tyrant he once wished to destroy, only to be shoved back into his place in the worst possible way: as vessel and servant to Unicron, cruelest of all masters.

Said younger selves certainly wouldn’t recognize them; indeed, I think they’d be horrified to know what they’d become (in fact, just a second or two prior to this capture, we see Megatron get his first actual look at his most recent transformation, and he doesn’t seem too pleased).

For millennia upon millennia, Optimus Prime and Megatron have fought, for their home planet, for other planets, for scraps of energon, for ideals that they refuse to compromise on. To the outsider’s optic, it would seem that they hate each other, that they are nemeses, eternal rivals.

And on some level, of course, they do hate each other. Ever since that fateful meeting with the High Council, wherein Orion Pax was handed the title of Prime, and Megatronus in turn severed ties with him (we all know how that story goes), each has hated the other, or at least, what the other became, or was forced to become. Each felt equally betrayed, felt equally as if the person they once trusted the most had abandoned them. Each watched as the other shifted into the archetype they feared and detested the most, Prime and warlord. Each vowed to destroy the other where he stood.

But they never did, did they? And that, of course, is because the hate was only the outer layer of the turmoil plaguing their aching, heavy sparks. Megatron has always hated Optimus Prime, but he trusted Orion Pax. Optimus Prime has always hated Megatron, but he misses Megatronus. And so even as the centuries drag on and on, as war rages and energon spills, as their former companion becomes more and more unrecognizable, they are each not so much seeking for his end as for the return of who he used to be, the one they once loved. And still love, despite everything.

Both of them have had ample opportunities to off the other (as Ratchet, insober and over his head though he might have been, rightly pointed out). But instead of doing so, instead of fulfilling what one might think to be the greatest triumph of vanquishing their enemy and ending the war, they seem to be locked in this endless cycle, a dance of death and near-death. Even as their parallel stars grow further and further apart — further from convincing, further from saving, light-years from their original hopes and goals — they search for each other. And at the same time, even as they are reminded on more than one occasion that they are stronger together, more powerful and righteous as a team than they ever were apart, still they refuse to concede, refuse to admit defeat. And so the battles continue to rage, and the cycle goes on.

They don’t recognize each other anymore. But they cannot ever fully let go of the hope that someday, they might see each other again. Optimus releasing the Matrix, and his memory of his time as Prime with it, to subdue Unicron was perhaps the closest they had come to the realization of said hope. But of course it was not to last, for obvious reasons, and Megatron had surely known so at the time, even if he may not have admitted it to himself right away.

Now back to the moment at hand. Unicron is defeated, contained for real this time. Cybertron stands on the crux of its rebirth. Optimus Prime, the Matrix of Leadership, and the AllSpark itself are one. Megatron declares that the Decepticons are no more.

These longtime enemies turn to each other. For the first time in cycles beyond counting, they have a moment to look each other in the eyes without war or gods or the undead hard on their heels. They look at each other and see all that they are and all that they once were. They see everything that has transpired, every hardship and change they’ve endured. They each see a physical form that is unrecognizable from the days before the war, the days before Autobots and Decepticons, before the Matrix and Dark Energon, before exodus and retribution.

And yet, they are able to look beyond frame and function and fate to the spark within, just as Orion Pax and Megatronus had once hoped every Cybertronian would be able to. Two mechs who seemed the greatest of enemies, on the most opposite of sides, look at each other and see reflected their old common goals. Even if their intended actions are different now, in a far different time and context — one willing to sacrifice his life to give Cybertron a future, the other willing to leave altogether to ensure the safety of that future — the meaning has remained the same: shaping their homeworld to be the best it can be, moving a suffering past aside to focus on what greater future could be born from it.

After all the time they’d spent wishing that some glimmer of that old spark they loved remained, here it is before them at last. They understand each other; each understands what the other has been through and where he intends to go from here. For the first time in cycles beyond counting, with all memories and free will intact, they recognize each other.

Perhaps they know, in this moment, that they may never see each other again. But perhaps they are content with that, for they got to see each other — really see each other — one last time.

#megop #megaop #maccadam #tfp #transformers prime #predacons rising #tfp spoilers #optimus prime #megatron #transformers #CRIES FOR A MILLION BILLION YEARS #MY SAD SAD BOYS #JOURNEYS END IN LOVERS MEETING…#i can't write fic but i sure as hell can try to whip up some emo meta

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nadziejastar · 6 years ago

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Isa’s TRUE Personality: Pisces

Pisces Personality Traits

“Cool, collected, and mature beyond his age. He’s good friends with Lea.”

Saïx has a weapon called Twilight, which is shaped like a trident, the symbol of Neptune. Neptune is the ruling planet of the zodiac sign of Pisces. Pisces is the 12th, and last astrological sign in the zodiac. This means, it is one of the oldest and most wise signs. Pisces tend to be considered “old souls” and act much older than their age. The typical Pisces is an an extraordinary creature whose ideas and philosophies are wise beyond their years. Yet on the surface, like water in a lake, you'd never suspect how deep those waters run.

Driven by its strong connection to the spiritual world, this sign knows how to balance cold, hard reality with the warmth of love and understanding. Pisces feel a great deal, and they also feel misunderstood much of the time. They’re not quite pushovers, but they’re certainly sensitive. They are compassionate, easily feeling another’s pain.

Joshua: “Imagine my surprise when I realized dreams take bodily form in this world. It struck me--by linking their dream pieces back together, maybe I could make them exist again. Maybe I could give them another chance.”

Riku: “It can't be that simple.”

Joshua: “Well, why can't it? By ourselves, we're no one. It's when other people look at us and see someone--that's the moment we each start to exist. All they needed was for someone to see them, connect with them.”

At times, however, Pisceans can have difficulty distinguishing fact from fantasy; they tend to get caught up in their ideals of how things should be. Pisces see the world through rose-tinted glasses. This perspective casts a dreamy gauziness on their words and actions that can be quite attractive to others. They place great weight on what they are feeling. Emotions define the Pisces zodiac sign, and it’s not uncommon for them to feel their own burdens (and joys) as well as those of others. The intuition of the Pisces-born is highly evolved. Many people associate Pisces with dreams and secrets, and it’s a fair association, since those born under this sign feel comfortable in an illusory world.

Pisces: Twilight

“As the seasons converge and change, the last dregs of winter mix with the first blush of spring. Breath still curdles in the air, but pale green shoots start to unfold from the soil. This sense of “in-betweenness” is the essence of the Pisces star sign.

It’s the time of day when both the sun and moon are visible, the magic of twilight, and an unwavering trust in the Universe. As the last sign of the zodiac, you’re born with an innate sense of wisdom that takes the rest of us a lifetime—or lifetimes—to accumulate.”

Twilight is the time of day that Pisces is associated with symbolically. It's the last sign of the zodiac. It implies the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. Hence it has been said that it signifies ‘rebirth of matter after death’. It carries the same meaning as the waning crescent moon on Isa’s jacket, and the sunset of Twilight Town. Pisces denotes the final moment which contains within itself the beginning of the new cycle. It’s the time of being in-between.

Isa---“A quiet and cool-headed youth. Though he does come out of his shell when talking to his best friend Lea, toward others he is distant and untalkative.”

Pisces are generally gentle, easy-going folk, who are on the shy and reticent side. They are filled with so much compassion and empathy, they often put others’ needs before their own. The willingness of personal sacrifice is one of their major characteristics. They are remarkably wise and self-sacrificing when it comes to helping the vulnerable or those down on their luck. Hands down, they are the most selfless sign in the Zodiac. Ruled by Neptune, Pisces is intuitive and incredibly creative by nature. With a soul as deep and vast as the oceans, Pisces thrives in a world of fantasy, where its imagination can flow freely.

Axel: “Go on, you just keep running. But I'll always be there to bring you back!”

On the down side, they get hurt and demoralized very easily. While it's very true that Pisces' can count kindness as one of their greatest assets, their desire to escape becomes prevalent when the going gets rough. Water, like any other element, is filled with power. Further, water can be calm and placid, or stormy and destructive. Pisces often embodies both these characteristics. Neptune also rules all forms of escapism. If Pisces can steer clear of the pull of escapism while embracing their inner truths, they'll be quite successful in life.

Even with all the talent and resources they possess, their low self-esteem becomes a hindrance in their path. Pisces tend to be oversensitive. They take everything to heart and become emotional in the extremes. They tend to look at the negative side more than the positive side of things. Cancer and Pisces are considered the top two most emotional zodiac signs. I think this capacity for such emotional extremes is why Isa was considered such a good potential vessel for one of the 13 Seekers of Darkness.

Pisces’ Color: Light Green

Naminé: “Some people think pain is something you can just wipe away--and sometimes, maybe, you can. But not all pain can be erased. The only way to deal with it is to accept it head-on. And if the hurt is too great for you to bear it alone--well, then you turn to a friend close to your heart.”

Sora: “Because the hurt will bring us closer together, and make us stronger.”

Unlike Saïx, Isa’s natural eye color is light green. The mystical and magical nature of Pisces is enhanced by the lightest tints of green. As the color of life, light green represents renewal and inspiration, encouraging the healing and rejuvenating energies that Pisces is known for. The softer the green, the more Piscean it becomes.

♆ is the symbol of the trident of Neptune, or Poseidon. Ψ is the Greek letter psi, which is used as a symbol for psychology, psychiatry and pharmacology. It’s also where the name Poseidon comes from. Our word “psyche” is derived from the Greek word “psuche”, a word beginning with the letter psi. Translated, it means “a person’s heart and/or soul”. And this weapon has a prominent Recusant’s Sigil on it. Isa definitely needed healing.

Pisces’ Symbol: The Fish

Axel: “Well, I think you can be inseparable, even if you’re apart. It’s like, if you feel really close to each other. Like best friends.”

The zodiac sign Pisces is embodied by two Fish, and its glyph represents an image of these Fish, linked together for eternity. It’s important to know that it is not just one Fish, but two. They are a representation of Pisces’ ability to exist simultaneously in both a conscious and subconscious world. As the last sign of the zodiac, Pisces is also connected to the idea of cycles – that every ending is a new beginning – which is represented by the two Fish swimming in opposite directions.

There's a persistent rumor among astrologers that you can always spot Pisces' by their crossed legs, even if they're standing. Like many clichés this one has a grain of truth in it. Perhaps this is because Pisces' symbol, two fish tied by an invisible cord as they swim in opposite directions, is being expressed.

Isa---“Often scolds Lea, who has an opposite (though complementary) personality.”

The fact that two fish (as opposed to one) represent the members of this sign also speaks to the duality of Pisces, and their yin and yang sensibility. The last sign of the zodiac embodies the idea that the world is created by opposite energies that complement and balance one another. Pisces is the living embodiment of yin and yang.

The story behind the fish is that one day, Typhon happened to see Venus, the goddess of beauty and her son Cupid, the god of love on the banks of a river. To escape from his clutches, Venus and Cupid turned into fish and swam into the depths of the river. They had tied their tails together so they would not be separated. In the river, they were saved by other fish, who were later hung in the sky as a token of gratitude. This was done to commemorate the day when the goddess of beauty and god of love were saved from being destroyed.

Pisces’ Ruling Planet: Neptune

Yen Sid: “In the Sleeping Worlds, real time does not flow. Unless one restores the world by waking it from its slumber, it will stay locked in a dream forever.”

The Third Eye chakra, located on the forehead, is ruled by Neptune. Fantastical and dreamy Neptune rules over the zodiac sign Pisces. It is the planet of our subconscious minds, influencing our dreams and fantasies, our imaginations, hopes, beliefs and our connection to spirituality. Those of the Pisces horoscope sign alternate between reality and non-reality in keeping with their introspective natures; their voyage between consciousness and an unconscious dream state says much about their intuitive, almost psychic natures.

In Roman mythology Neptune is the God of the Sea, and the planet Neptune’s influence is just like the vast, flowing, nebulousness of the ocean. The currents of Neptune allow Pisces to swim through a neverending world of dreams, imagination and spirituality where anything is possible. Neptune represents the invisible web that supports us when we let go of control and trust that we cannot fall out of the universe. It’s like falling asleep or floating in water.

Among the 12 Zodiac signs, there is one specific sign in which a planet functions at its optimum. This is called its sign of “Exaltation.” Venus exalted in Pisces. Venus signifies our aspiration to beauty and truth through which we can realize the power of infinite love beyond our senses and pleasure that is the love of God, or realization of the God within ourselves.

The Rabbit’s Personality

Mystery Gear: "A weapon that draws forth its wielder's personality."

Pisces is a sign of self-sacrifice, giving oneself over to the larger whole. The Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac is the equivalent to Pisces in the Western Zodiac. The Rabbit is associated with new beginnings, and symbolizes character traits such as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity. Their sensitive nature makes them shy away from aggressive or competitive situations. They keep a modest attitude and maintain a pleasant relationship to people around. Rabbits are introverts and emotional.

While they enjoy the quiet life and artistic pursuits, they are also very cunning. You'd never guess that they were strong willed. They tend to get their way through kindness. They are friendly and easy to get along with. They rarely get into serious trouble. They are discreet and usually land on their feet. Rabbits may appear detached, but it is their way of protecting themselves from harm. They can be rather moody at times. They can be rather opportunistic, but are easy to take advantage of.

The Chinese Rabbit is popular and shy. Rabbits are compassionate and protective of their inner circle of family and friends. They are rather delicate, and in order to thrive they need a supportive base behind them. Without sufficient support, they tend to fall apart during times of conflict. Emotional disruptions can actually cause them to become physically ill. They don't like arguments and conflict. They may become pessimistic and depressed. The desire for remaining in safe, comfortable environments keeps Rabbits from taking risks which sometimes causes them to miss out on good opportunities.

Isa---“A serene and self-possessed boy who always has time for a quick quip at his best friend Lea's expense.”

Rabbits usually have soft and tender personality traits, and their serene nature keeps them from becoming visibly upset. They will not be irritated easily, and they also avoid quarrels and conflict as much as possible. The Rabbit is intelligent and compassionate, but also can be timid and afraid of change. Everywhere they go they create peace for others, but compromise their own inner harmony with sudden mood changes and fear. Rabbits are full of heart and love to take care of the wounded body, heart and soul -- they are gentle and kind. Rabbits can speak eloquently and knowledgably about many things. Their interests are wide-ranging and global. They can be generous to a fault -- a Rabbit would give away his or her last penny to someone in need. Rabbits can be very successful as long as they keep their fears in check.

They love everything and everyone, but self-love is a challenge for them. You may think you know a Rabbit, but it’s very hard to find out how they really feel, as they are so discreet about their true thoughts and feelings. They feel vulnerable when others know too much about their private life. If you have a Rabbit friend, make sure you honor his or her heart. Chinese Rabbits tend to move through life at their own pace, no matter what anyone else thinks. They are lucky and have long lives. They are very gracious and are natural diplomats.

Those born in the year of the Chinese Rabbit tend to stifle their feelings inside. They are very loving and giving in relationships. Rabbits may have unrealistic views of how a relationship should be, and when one ends they can be devastated. It takes them a long time to recover. The need a partner who won't take advantage of them. When they find the right partner, the relationship is very strong. They love company and love having someone special even more. They are romantic, and prefer to act in more indirect methods.

Pisces’ Tarot Card: The Moon

Luna Diviner---“Second in command who longs for the heart he does not have. Only the moon breaks his icy calm.”

The Moon, in all its mystical and idealistic wonder, is the Tarot card of Pisces. The Moon card represents our ability to rely on our instincts and intuitions, while Pisces is known as the most intuitive sign of the zodiac. Just as we live by the cycles of the Moon, The Moon Tarot card encourages Pisces to go with the flow of nature, instead of swimming against its currents.

A sensitive Water sign, Pisces is represented by two Fish, earning the nickname, “the Fishes with wishes” because of their powerful imagination and creative spirit. If you’re looking for kindness and empathy, Pisces is THE most compassionate sign of the zodiac. Pisces rules the 12th House of Privacy, Escape, and Secrets. In addition to being a Water sign, Pisces is ruled by the planet Neptune, also known as the God of the Sea. The dreamy little fish are spiritual and intuitive, with Pisces being the most psychic sign of all.

The Moon is a symbol of dreams, intuition, higher consciousness, and spiritual wisdom. The dews represent human thoughts and also stand for peace and calmness. While the crayfish reflects emotional needs and desires, the pond symbolizes unconscious mind. The towers refer to the two sides of the brain, and the path in the middle with its twists and turns shows that the mind prefers being controlled by instincts rather than intellect. The wolf and the dog represent fear of the mind when facing an unknown situation.

Pisces and the Moon

Fairy Godmother: “Strong rays of sun create dark shadows. Light and dark go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other.”

Like Pisces, The Moon card is associated with the subconscious and often highlights idealism – suggesting that things are not as they may appear. The Moon card also represents our secretive side or “shadow self”. The dog and the wolf in this card represent how our wild side blends with our tame side. This recurring theme of unity can also be found in the towers. They symbolize the practical life that most of us lead, while the path between them reminds us of the more meaningful life that we desire.

This is very true to the nature of Pisces, who are always dreaming of something more fantastic than what is actually in front of them. The water on The Moon card symbolizes the subconscious. The crustacean emerging from the water represents “coming into consciousness” and the possession of psychic abilities, which is often true of those born under Pisces.

Neptune’s Tarot Card: The Hanged Man

Ansem: “So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep. Even me...and even you.”

Many decks associate The Hanged Man with the zodiac sign Pisces (a mutable Water sign), ruled by Neptune (planet of mystery, illusion, imagination, and mysticism). The card in Tarot symbolizes trial or meditation, selflessness, and sacrifice. When the Hanged Man card is upright in a Tarot reading, it symbolizes suspension, change, reversal, sacrifice, readjustment, improvement, and rebirth. The card means it is time to stop resisting and gain illumination. It is the time for reflection before moving on. No matter what's going on in your life, you can right the ship and keep moving forward.

Pisces is the 12th sign of the zodiac, and is known for being sensitive, compassionate, spiritual, and non-materialistic -- but also prone to confusion, alcohol and drug addiction, mental illness or breakdown, self-delusion, self-escapism through drugs, fantasy, and illusion. In The Hanged Man, unconditional love is needed to balance out intuition and sensitivity with discipline and logic.

Axel: “Hey, Roxas. Bet you don't know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.”

Pisces represents "loss to the outer world, solution, and handing over the results of one cycle to the following one.” Here we face "the things which we have not yet mastered and those whom we have failed to understand or who have failed to understand us.” The card is seen to represent "sacrifice, release, acceptance, temporary abeyance or pause, emotional losses, and ending attachments to worldly, material goods." When ill-dignified, The Hanged Man can suggest "meaningless sacrifice, rejection of spiritual values, and confusion caused by mental illness, especially severe depression."

Through the process of suspension the Hanged Man turns his focus towards the unconscious and experiences Neptune rising out of his watery kingdom. Neptune reminds us that remaining attached to old patterns, habits, or addictions perpetuates the endless cycle of martyrdom and victimization.

Pisces’ Ruling House: 12th House of Subconscious

Sora: “The light in the darkness. It was you. You’re the one who kept me from fading away.”

Kairi: “All I did was believe that you wouldn’t.”

The 12th House of Subconscious is ruled by Pisces, the 12th sign of the zodiac. The 12th house represents your connection to spirituality, the deep and personal emotions you feel, and the openness of your heart. It is the reposit of humanity's deepest fears and governs the primordial waters it swims in before the first breath of life. It is also the house of secrets. Pisces’ understanding of quiet contemplation and emotional speculation is heavily reflected in the 12th House of Subconscious. This house is all about taking time for healing and rejuvenation before beginning anew.

Pisces’ Element: Water

Yen Sid: “He needs you to believe. You see, Ventus's heart hangs in the balance. It sleeps in the place between light and darkness. From all I can perceive, that means he will be looking for a friend--one who believes in him, to show him the way home. Just as long as you love him...then Ventus will be able to find you when he wakes. He can follow that love back to where he belongs-- the realm of light.”

The element of Water flows through Pisces as a wave of devoted empathy and intuition. The Water element is all about our emotions, and Pisces is known for its deeply sensitive and spiritual connection to its own feelings, and the feelings of others. As large as the ocean, Pisces' heart is capable of expressing infinite compassion and love toward all beings. Without a doubt, the Water element is the most sensitive and intuitive.

This element is capable of nourishing our soul through a deep, psychic understanding of what makes us operate. The element of Water is in touch with the source of creation and can sense that we, too, are a part of this divine birthplace. Water signs are incredibly empathic and can feel the emotions of others. Water can also drown in another person’s emotional abyss if not careful because water has no boundaries. It soaks into us. The element of Water can conform to the elements around it. When mixed with fire it creates steam, with earth it creates mud and with air it creates rain.

#kingdom hearts #kh #kh meta #kh isa #kh leaisa #akusai #leaisa #isalea

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jflashandclash · 6 years ago

Text

Traitors of Olympus IV: The Fall of the Sun

Twenty-Eight: Calex

If All Your Friends Jump Off a Cliff…

Calex wanted nothing to do with this. He wanted to be back at home, at his flat in St. Albans. There, he would be sipping a cup of tea, eating some of Winston’s terrible attempts at supper that he made when Tiwa was running late at the hospital, and hearing Gretchen complain about boys and Tom tease her.

He wished he’d never learned who his biological father was, never read about the adventures of Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus, and never stepped foot in America.

He didn’t know what he was to do.

Then again, both Reyna and Axel had directed him to the same task: go to Euna. Just what to do when he got there eluded him.

Before he could mutter something about how Axel may have bollixed his chances with Reyna, he stumbled away from their fight.

The two warriors clashed into each other, a scrambling mess of golden armor blackened by dried blood to a dull mustard, like they’d decided to have a good ol’ scrum in a pool of black pudding.

He didn’t know which one of them to help and doubted he could help regardless. Their movements were so fast, so brutal that he knew he would just get in the way. Besides, especially with his Eros gifts, he knew their fight was a tad personal and not something he’d want to interrupt.

He walked towards Euna, careful to step around the vines linked back to her. He edged around Thalia’s swearing, shifting, angry cocoon. He didn’t want to know what kind of butterfly he’d emerge if these vines captured him.

Euna pocketed Persephone’s box and held a hand out towards him.

The updraft was violent. His scarf fluttered up and smacked him in the face as he approached. The roar was deafening, though he thought he heard a crackled hum alongside it.

Despite their surroundings, or maybe enhanced by the bleakness of their surroundings, Euna’s loveliness was distracting. She looked older, colder. Her skin glowed faintly. Red, spiky flowers, trumpeted purple ones, and tiny, white bell ones dangled from her hair and clothes, tenderly brushing against her skin. Dark purple berries, and clustered brilliant red ones formed a crown along her head. From what Calex vaguely remembered from the Alnwick Gardens, all of those were toxic. Vines were the only thing keeping her tattered outfit together, and Calex had an uncomfortable moment of wondering whether Euna was puppetting the vines or they were puppetting her.

“Right, Euna. Hey,” he said lamely, taking her hand, hoping he wouldn’t immediately pass out from the poisons. How his journey would end, unconscious by the pit of Kaos: There and Not Back Again: a Story about a Dumb Prick by Calex Rupin McKenzie.

Her hand was rough.

He remembered her distant gaze when he’d given Euna her first kiss and how taken aback she was with their godly audience. (And, how he’d been more than a bit mortified that she’d taken a fancy to a woman right after, though Calex knew it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with Thalia.)

Before, her dark eyes were always distant, bored. Now, they were focused, radiating hatred.

He’d been more than a bit worried about her since Santiago killed Joey. But he never knew how to help.

Now he could.

“We’re going to jump,” she said.

Calex swallowed. “I don’t follow.”

Her gaze shifted over the cliff.

Calex looked down. “Vertigo” was too weak a word to describe the rushing sensation he felt, the loss of self when confronted with the reality below him. This was like comparing a glance down a faucet to a glance over a cliff off Mount Everest. Except, in this case, Mount Everest was the faucet.

It was like the world just ended. When Calex thought about what he learned in Camp Half-Blood’s mythology classes, the world did end here, like those silly old illustrations of ships finding the edge of the ocean and tumbling into nothing.

At first, Calex thought the thing beneath him was black and dark. Upon blinking, slowing his breathing, and tapping into his demigod focus, he knew it was all colors, swirling and colliding so violently and rapidly as to blur and appear a swirling vortex of nothing: a cycle of existence and destruction. A creature that—with each exhale—created and eviscerated with the same attention as Calex paid to blinking.

The updraft and abrupt suction of air wasn’t any wind. Kaos itself was spawning new particles.

No wonder Hera had screamed when Zeus hung her over Kaos. Nothing like forcing an immortal to face its own unimportance.

“We’re going over the edge,” Euna reiterated.

Calex squeezed her hand. He was glad she had offered hers to him. Had he not been holding her, he was scared he’d slip over the edge, gawking and forgetting, by comparison of the gargantuan thing beneath him, that he even existed or mattered. If he did at all.

“Did you have to put it to words?” he whispered. Cold sweat broke out on his brow. Calex swallowed again. He forced his eyes away from the eminent evisceration and rebirth, glancing at Euna, who seemed unaffected by the gravity of Kaos. “Wait,” he said, “Euna, before we get ripped to pieces by that… thing beneath us, can you promise me something?”

Her cold eyes examined him curiously. Unlike the others, it was clear she wasn’t on a time schedule. He guessed a godly killing spree didn’t need a special date or RSVP.

Calex felt like he was supposed to say this isn’t what Joey would have wanted, but this was EXACTLY what the overdramatic girl would have wanted. Except, maybe, with a musical number with the pit of Kaos as a DJ scratch booth. Not—as Calex finally identified—the hum of a decapitated head dangling off Euna’s belt.

He shook his head. “Assuming we live through this and all that unlikeness, we’re going topside to save the camp, slog Phobetor in his stupid piggy face, make sure Kally, Merry, and the others are okay, and then we’re going to get some pizza afterwards and have a long chat before you decide to jump off any other cliffs,” he said, “There are other ways to mourn.”

Euna’s sternness broke at the mention of lunch. Although it had to be his imagination with the roar of Kaos, he could have sworn he heard Euna’s stomach growl. She pulled his hand in, so she could touch her belly. She frowned. “I really should have eaten more before this. And taken a nap. Add napping to the end of that list.”

If Euna threw fists when members of Cabin Four tried to wake her from training, he’d be terrified for the poor bloke that tried to wake Euna after a plotting-the-destruction-of-the-gods nap.

“We’ll have to get you another shirt along the way, least you kill Axel and Thalia with embarrassment.”

“My shirt?” Euna asked, confused.

“Is torn,” he said.

Euna glanced down. “Ah.” She shrugged. “So it is. I don’t know why that would bother either of them.”

Calex shook his head, almost smiling from her aloofness. This was still their Euna. “Shall we then? Lovely day for a dive. Or night. I have no real concept of what time it is.”

Something slithered up along his legs to his hips. For a horrified moment, he thought he’d miss-stepped onto one of Euna’s traps. Then the vines pushed him against Euna.

“If we get separated, you die,” she said as the vines laced their legs together. He was grossed out that Jack’s humming head bumped his thigh.

Not that there aren’t 50 other things that will make me die here, he thought.

Calex was already scared of tripping over the edge. Now he frantically struggled to keep his footing. For an absurd moment, he wanted to protest that he was covered in blood and would get Euna dirty, since that was clearly high on her priority list. Euna was shorter than him, and their proximity brought the poison berries to his chin height. Her hair tickled his throat and he got lightheaded when he inhaled the sickly sweet scent from one of the white flowers. Angel’s Trumpet, a devil of a flower, he remembered an Alnwick tour guide warning.

She released his hand to hold up the rosewood box from her pocket. “Calex, I need you to make a tiny portion of Kaos fall madly in love with this box. Jack—” She glanced down, her face brushing Calex’s chest. “I need you to keep the rest of Kaos from getting near the box. Or us.”

Jack had been humming Poison by Alice Cooper. A real oldie Calex knew from Winston. “Aye, aye, Captain Euna! That sounds like something I might be able to do.”

“That’s it then? Make the primordial god of creation fall in love with a small, wooden box?” Calex asked, trembling. He swallowed a third time. His head already felt like it was spinning, though he couldn’t tell if that was from the toxic fumes, the terror, the continued vertigo, or the annoyance of remembering Jack was a real person and not a Halloween decoration. “I’ll need use of my bow, then.”

He was too close to Euna, and he didn’t think he could wrap his arms around her and shoot behind her back. The scythe might also get in the way once they were falling. He unslung Soul Pain from his back and awkwardly held it to the side.

“I’ll make us tied back-to-back once we’ve fallen and we know the vines are secure. You’re going to want these.” She placed something gooey in his free hand, then tapped her ear.

When he stared down, he could see something that resembled plant goop.

“I’ve got some lungs on me. Well, I don’t anymore, but I’m still a loud Jackie-boy,” Jack explained, and Calex could hear him grinning.

Earplugs? Calex hoped these earplugs weren’t also poisonous, though at this point, he more hoped that Thanatos would still collect his soul here before it got turned to particle rubbish and that the god of Death wouldn’t chicken out since Calex would die so close to Kaos.

When Calex pressed some of the goop to his left ear, the liquid seemed sentient, sliding in and clinging to his eardrum. The roar of Kaos, Jack’s humming, and the shouts and clang from Axel and Reyna’s fight dulled to a muffle. He pressed the remaining gunk onto his other earlobe, on standby. He wasn’t quite ready to lose all hearing.

“Ready?” Euna asked, her dark eyes burning.

Calex knew he was missing something vital. Euna had said mad love. Calex didn’t know mad love. He knew the fan-boy love he had for Percy and Annabeth, but there were healthy limits to that, despite Pax’s claims. Dare he call his feelings for Merry love? If it was, it wasn’t mad. He’d been careful not to let his feelings for her get out of control, out of respect that she didn’t fancy him quite the same way or at least wasn’t at a point in her life where she’d want the kind of love he had to offer.

He’d accidentally imbued Thanatos with mad love, but that was a whim of survival. Maybe he could do it again, or maybe he’d flop and be screaming, “Bollix!!” as Kaos shredded them.

No, Calex needed a solid example to pull this off.

Another shout and clang came from the darkness near them, and Calex understood why Reyna and Axel were necessary for this quest.

“I need to borrow something from you! Sorry, mates!” he said.

Calex closed his eyes and expanded his senses. Everyone turned to colors and he glanced past Euna’s fury, Thalia’s irritation, and Jack’s excitement.

A tugging hit his gut when he felt it: the irrational combination of respect, frustration, anger, passion, insecurity, wistfulness, benevolence, and desperation. Like a chemist listing off ingredients, Calex knew the missing element that kept the combination so volatile: trust. The perfect instability for what he needed.

Calex mentally reached out and grabbed.

Although he couldn’t hear them or see them, he could feel Axel and Reyna crumble as he robbed them, concentrating what was theirs into the palm of his hand.

The emotion burned there, along the tips of his fingers. When he opened his eyes, he could see his fingers glowed a violent shade of red.

“He’s got blood in his eyes,” Jack sang and Calex knew his eyes were the same shade.

Calex nudged his palm against his ear, shoving the rest of the goop into his ear canal. The noises around them faded to murmurs. All he could hear was his own heartbeat and feel the thudding of Euna’s against his chest. Calex clenched his fists, one around the volatile emotions, one around Soul Pain.

“Let’s go take part of Kaos,” he whispered.

Euna stared at him steadily.

Then she lifted Kronos’ scythe. The weapon was the only thing balancing them. They tumbled over the edge of the cliff, towards the swirling gap underneath the world, to steal a sliver of a primordial god, or get shredded in the process.

Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed :D Tune in next week for Calex: When Your Spell Works Too Well.

#Traitors of Olympus #Heroes of Olympus #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #fanfiction #Calex #Axel #Reyna #Thalia #Euna #Kaos

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littlemisssquiggles · 6 years ago

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AU Where Oscar only went to Mistral cause his uncle Ozpin had written a letter that was delivered to the farm boy should Ozpin die, thus Oscar never has Ozpin in his head and he can happily bond with the others without Ozpin taking over. (Also so my one issue with Rosegarden is gone lol)

Ihear you anon-chan.To be honest, there are one or two other ways the CRWBY Writers could’vehandled Ozpin’s reincarnation cycle that didn’t required him pairing off withOscar.

Little CuteBoy Ozpin

Theycould have kept the whole ‘Ozpin returning as a teenaged boy’ idea but make it so that he’s still the same personwithout having to create an entirely new character. They could have written itso that each time Ozpin died, he returns as a teenaged boy at 14 years old —theprimary age of adolescence in most young adult stories—with no memory of whohe is. This would’ve made the existence of Ozpin’s generals, the headmasters ofthe huntsman academies and the members of his inner circle more importantbecause part of their purpose would’ve been to find aid and train the amnesiac rebornOzpin—providing us all with insight on how Ozpin came to form special bondswith each of these characters.

Itwould’ve costed us Oscar but at least this way the writers would have only hadto continue to develop Ozpin instead of juggling developing two characters.

Son of Oz

Theycould have had Oscaractually related to Ozpin as yousuggested. Though instead of a nephew, what if it was a closer relationship. Theyoung farm boy could have been Ozpin’s estranged son from a past marriage tornapart by Ozpin’s duties to protecting Remnant. Oscar would’ve still been raised in Mistral never learning the truth of his ties to Ozpin. But he would’vesoon learnt of his legacy when the Oz-cane, the magical weapon that’s tied toOzpin’s soul, would have instinctively gone to Oscar.

After all, if Oscar was Ozpin’sson then that would have made him his heir by blood. With this idea you could stillretain the notion of Oscar being reluctant to follow in Ozpin’s footsteps buthe would’ve eventually been motivated to do so in order to learn more about thekind of man his father was. The kind of man he was meant to be as hissuccessor.

PoorUnfortunate Souls

Theycould have even had it so that Ozpin’s soul was trapped in the Oz-cane as part of his curse.Instead of Ozpin’s soul being attached to his next successor, each time hedies, his soul returns to its prison within the Oz-cane to be discovered by anindividual who will essentially become its next wielder and thus Ozpin’s replacement.

The good thing about this idea is that, as an alternative to Ozpin being a partof Oscar, it presents a case where Ozpin mostly communicates to Oscar throughthe Oz-cane and the only time Ozpin can possess Oscar is if the young farm boymakes physical contact with the Oz-cane. That way, Oscar is still his own personand Ozpin is still an immortal spirit whose soul is trapped forever inside hiscane.

Thereis a darker twist to this idea though. The twist is that eachtime Ozpin dies and chose another successor, if his heirs are unsuccessful instopping Salem then their souls will also become trapped within the cane upon theirdeaths to be used as ‘fuel’ that keepsthe magic of the Oz-cane strong while Ozpin’s spirit remains as the dominantsoul that goes onto claim another heir.

Thatway, with every rebirth, there is the inkling of a chance that this new person couldpotentially be the key to freeing Oz and the others or another fellow prisonerof the Oz-cane.

Ikind of wish the third idea was canon because it would have ben cool to see playout.

Canyou imagine how twisted it wouldbe for poor young Oscar to soon learn ofthe lingering threat of losing his soul for all eternity to the Curse of theOz-cane if he failed to stop Salemlike the other ‘Ozpins’ that came before him?

Bybecoming Ozpin’s heir, Oscar’s soul is therefore binded tothe Oz-cane. Henceforth, if Oscar were to perish before Salem was stopped thenhis soul will be trapped for eternity within the cane with all of Ozpin’s otherheirs, his power added to the magic of the Oz-cane while Ozpin goes onto toclaim another unsuspecting heir.

Addingonto this idea is the trepidation thateven if Oscar tried to get rid of the cane, it would always come back to himregardless. It would’ve even work if Oscar tried to destroy the cane since thecane is indestructible so long as Oscar is alive. Since the cane and Oscar arelinked, each time the weapon takes damage, Oscar would feel the pain vibratingthrough his own body.

Theonly way Oscar could escape if he died and even if he were to commit suicide,his soul would still be added to the Oz-cane. So by choosing to follow Ozpin,Oscar would become just as cursed as the old wizard was.

Theseare just a few ways the CRWBY Writers could’ve done the Oscar-Ozpin dynamicwhile achieving the same kind of story in a sense.

Thatbeing said, admittedly I actually like the set-up they have now for Oscar andOzpin’s connection. It certainly presents for a compelling story involvingthese two characters. One that I’m interested in following along to see whereit goes. My only concern is that the writers actually have a set plan for thisside of the story. The writing for the past two seasons has left me a little apprehensive for what’s in store going forward. Not to putpressure, but V6is sort of the writers’ chance to redeem themselves in the eyes ofthe FNDM.

Atthe RTX, the writers promised working towards improving themselves and doing amuch better job with the new season of RWBY as opposed to V5. I’m holding themto that.

Iwant the story for V6 to be very good. More importantly I want the writers toshow us fans that they haven’t lost their drive. You don’t have to tell me thatMiles and Kerry are good writers since they’ve already proven that with the BeaconTrilogy. They lost a bit of their bearings (and fan integrity) with the recenttwo chapters of the Mistral Arc. Now it’s time for them to return to form andbring us a season that’s more than just good ideas sloshed together. You canadd a lot of cool ideas to a plot but none of it will hit its mark if it’s notexecuted properly.

Inregards to Ozpin and Oscar, whatever Miles and Kerry have planned for their stories;both individually and in conjunction with each other, I just pray it’s written well and handled properly.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2018)

#squiggles answers: rwby #rwby #oscar pine #professor ozpin #oscar and ozpin #rwby v6 #Anonymous

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aquilathephoenix · 6 years ago

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Ancient dichotomy

Eagle/Phoenix vs Serpent/Dragon: sacred vs unholy

I wanna talk about something that is central to my lore and story, and one of my favorite themes to work with: duality, in this case a very specific one.

In mythology around the world, the eagle and the snake represent the conflict of opposites. Predator and prey, interchangeable, locked in eternal dance.

They are the precursors to my whole concept of phoenix and dragon. In most cultures, eagles are seen as visionaries and messengers of the gods, while snakes represent transformation, death and rebirth (growth). This dichotomy is very commonly found in imagery around the world and mirrors my own stuff with the whole rivalry between the primeval gods, the eternal dance of the cosmos and ultimately avians and draconians.

The meaning of the battling serpent and eagle found in western imagery ties directly with the symbolism of both animals.

The eagle is a logical choice for representing a group, or the power of god. It stands for admirable, intimidating power, which is why it appears in connection with so many political entities.

The serpent represents many things, including healing, fertility, poison and medicine.. whoever in the west its often associated with evil, vengefulness and vindictiveness because of the Bible story in which the snake offers Eve the fruit from the forbidden tree, “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

However, as we’ll see next, the relation between both entities isn't fixed.

Egyptian falcon and snake:

Serpents weren't regarded as symbols of evil in Ancient Egypt, however, there’s still some animosity between the falcon god Horus and them.

Seth, the enemy of Horus is sometimes refereed as “the serpent”. Horus role as the opponent of Seth is assumed as the most sacred bird of the Egyptians, the falcon, attacking Seth whom takes refuge in a hole in the ground, like a snake. However they’re shown to cooperate at times and the primeval antagonism is clouded by the joining of Nekhebet the vulture goddess of upper Egypt and the Wadjet serpent of lower Egypt on royal diadems.

During the late period when Horus became a popular god he was sometimes represented as a naked child standing above a crocodile holding in his hands snakes, scorpions and lions. Therefore Horus became known as an entity that interceded to heal and soothe snake bites and scorpion stings.

Even more interesting is the role of the primordial Egyptian serpent, Apep:

Ra was the solar deity, bringer of light, and thus the upholder of Ma'at. Apep was viewed as the greatest enemy of Ra, and so was given the title Enemy of Ra, and also "the Lord of Chaos". In later Egyptian dynastic times, Ra was merged with the god Horus, he was associated with the falcon or hawk.

As the personification of all that was evil, Apep was seen as a giant snake or serpent leading to such titles as Serpent from the Nile and Evil Lizard.

The Roman eagle also eats snakes:

Eagles killing snakes were popular subjects in Roman art. The sculpture was probably chosen to please the god Jupiter and depict the triumph of good over death and evil, but it was also a way for wealthy families to show off and commemorate their deceased loved ones.

Some other classical examples:

Mosaic floor from the Imperial Palace in Constantinople, showing eagle and serpent in battle:

A Homeric omen: A Greek wine cup with a scene of an eagle battling a snake. Homer’s description of a high-flying bird carrying a snake in its talons was an omen the Trojans saw as they attacked the Greek forces. Homer's snake was still alive and was dropped by the eagle before it could be eaten.

In the Persian mythology we have the Zahhāk (Avestan word for "serpent" or "dragon."), generally an evil figure, sometimes seen as enemy of the Simurgh (phoenix), adopted from a common source of cosmological knowledge.

The founding of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City:

The Mexican emblem shows an eagle devouring a serpent, which actually is in conflict with Mesoamerican belief. The original meanings of the symbols were different in numerous aspects, being the eagle a representation of the sun god Huitzilopochtli, who was very important to the ‘people of the sun’; and the snake a symbol of wisdom, with strong connotations to the god Quetzalcoatl.

The story of the eagle and snake was derived from an incorrect translation in which "the snake hisses", was mistranslated as "the snake is torn". Based on this error, the legend was misinterpreted and as a result the eagle represents all that is good and right, while the snake represents evil and sin, being used as an element of evangelism by the first missionaries to convert native people, as it conformed with European heraldic tradition and Christian lore.

Zodiac:

The eagle and the serpent are both variant symbols for the astrological sign of Scorpio, whose basic level, that of the scorpion was depicted by the ancient zodiac as the serpent. Both are poisonous creatures that hide under rocks, always ready to attack, representing negativity and resentment, yet strongly related to initiation into the sacred mysteries.

The eagle is another, higher level of the sign, regarding strength and wisdom, incidentally, the highest level is the phoenix, a ‘transformed eagle’ whom soared as a higher expression of the nature of this sign: transcendence from the crawling scorpion/snake to the soaring eagle/phoenix, tying together the theme of destruction and renewal.

Garuda and Nagas:

Now, going back a bit in time... The great nemesis of the nagas in the Mahabharata is the gigantic eagle-king Garuda.

According to Hindu and Buddhist stories, the giant, birdlike Garuda spends eternity killing snakelike Nagas. The feud started when both Garuda's mother and the Nagas' mother married the same husband. The husband then gave each wife one wish. The Nagas' mother asked for a thousand children. Garuda's mother wished for just two children who were superior to all of the Nagas. Their rivalry continued until Garuda's mother lost a bet and became the servant and prisoner of the Nagas' mother. Garuda was able to free his mother by stealing the nectar of immortality from the gods. But he swore vengeance for his mother's treatment and has been fighting Nagas ever since.

The Japanese version of the myth, called Karura, is said to be enormous, fire-breathing, and to feed on dragons/serpents, just as Garuda is the bane of Nagas. Only a dragon who possesses a special talisman, or one who has converted to the Buddhist teaching, can escape unharmed from the Karura.

Once more we witness the eternal rivalry between the eagle and the serpent.

Allegorical conclusion of the Christological cycle. The bird and the snake:

Early Christian writers used the phoenix bird as a symbol not only of resurrection in general but also of Christ himself. Here is an example of the Incarnation or a symbolic portrait of Christ overcoming the devil, depicted allegorically in the form of a bird fighting a serpent.

The Dragon:

As we've been able to witness, the serpent symbol is decidedly more ambiguous than the eagle, so I’d like to focus a bit on it:

With a few allegories one is able to establish the dragon as an entity derived from the snake, and the phoenix as an entity derived from the eagle. Now, going from the root symbol of serpent to its representation as the dragon:

A serpent and a dragon are often interchangeable in some proses, including the Bible and Old Norse poetry. The poem Beowulf describes a dragon also as wyrm (worm, or serpent) indicating a snake-like form and movement rather than with a lizard-like or dinosaur-like body. In the Far East, few distinctions are made between them.

Having established the dragon as the synonym of serpent, with similar meaning in the duality theme I’m working here... its noteworthy that the dragon usually carries negative connotations, especially in its more popular form, just as the phoenix usually carries positive connotations.

The medieval dragon. In medieval symbolism, dragons were often symbolic of apostasy and treachery, but also of anger and envy, and eventfully symbolized great calamity. Several heads were symbolic of decadence and oppression, and also of heresy. An evil dragon is often associated with a great hero who tries to slay it.

But dragons aren't always related to evil in traditional representation, just as their prototype, the serpent. In some countries, it was said a good dragon would give wise advice to those who seek it.

In ancient Greece, the snake figure was associated with Asclepios, the god of medicine, and possessed benevolent properties, believed to be able to cure a patient or a wounded person just by touch.

Also, a serpent biting its tail symbolized eternity and the soul of the world, being sometimes described as part dragon.. it surrounds the world. The alchemical symbol of the Ouroborus often carries positive connotations.

Fenghuang and Dragon, a more balanced view:

The fenghuang is a mythological bird of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The males were originally called feng and the females huang but such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and they are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which is traditionally deemed male.

Fenghuang ,the "Sovereign of Birds" came to symbolize the empress when paired with a dragon as a dragon represented the emperor.

In ancient and modern Chinese culture, the fenghuang can often be found in the decorations for weddings or royalty, along with dragons. This is because the Chinese considered the dragon and phoenix symbolic of blissful relations between husband and wife, another common yang and yin metaphor.

Ancient & modern interpretations

Looking back its easy to see why those two archetypal symbols carry such antagonist interpretations... the eagle is easily a ‘good animal’. The eagle does not impact negatively human life (or it rarely does), quite the contrary. Birds of prey, including eagles, have been trained and used to our benefit, serving as companions and valuable hunting assets during our early history.

The eagle obviously has an impressive figure, and its always sky high.. human’s natural curiosity to see more of the world and have freedom has led us to naturally admire and envy animals able to fly. They are often carrying spiritual/divine connotations, on top of that, we’re both diurnal animals. An eagle is often seen or glimpsed under situations that are ‘positive’ to our primeval brains: its visage is often accompanied of imagery of large, open spaces, bright blue skies and sunlight, more or less comfortable scenarios that inspire feelings of freedom, awe and perhaps even religious reverence.

The soaring eagle rises above earthly limitations.

The serpent otherwise carries strong negative connotation to primitive humans, it is visually connected with the underworld and darker places, the unknown, the unseen... not only because it crawls on the ground, but because it can bring death, its easily a dangerous creature and its rather easy to see why it served as inspiration to so many mythological creatures as it inspired a lot of fear in our ancestors. Its almost like a primeval fear, imprinted in our brains...

However, as the lines between light and darkness become blurred and the definitions of symbolism gains new interpretations in our modern era, the ancient meanings still carry a lot of weight, still... in the recent history, the eagle, a supreme symbol of divine light has gained a certain negative connotation: imperialism and supremacy: claws grasping for power, wings outstretched, its shadow covering the world... while its counterpart, the serpent, has also emerged from the underworld and has been adopted as the symbol of the modern medical profession and the image of these animals has strongly improved with the knowledge of biology and of their nature.

Converging meaning

The eagle and the snake are some of the symbols with the strongest presence in the history of mankind. Separately they have their presence widespread, while together we have a more interesting conflict.

In the modern view of most myths, these two symbols clearly express fundamental opposites: height/depth, heaven/earth, etc... however it wasn't always the case, and sometimes these symbols cooperate, or act as halves of the same whole. Specially regarding the serpent half, if you dig just a little its easy to start finding more sensible or sympathetic incarnations of this animal through the world mythology, with more benign variations such as the eastern dragon. It becomes clear that the dichotomy isn't so simple as ‘life against death’ or ‘good against evil’.

Together they are a pair of opposites: the soaring and the creeping.

I think that, concerning those aspects.. the far eastern mythologies offer the best incarnation of the primeval duo or eagle and serpent, the phoenix and the dragon.

I want to work my phoenixes and dragons for something in between, they’re capable of great destruction as much as they’re capable of great good.

The Eagle and the Serpent as One Entity

In my world, the phoenix and dragon have superficial and deep meanings. Its easy to overlook their more common representation as opposites, and delegate the phoenix with positive meaning while the dragon is surrounded by negative energy, and its easy to simply do the opposite.. I mean to find a balance between the two.

When the eagle and serpent are perfectly paired as opposites, and equals... as phoenix and dragon, the superlative form of these creatures... they represent not victory and defeat, not light and darkness nor good and evil, but dynamic cosmic completion, the union of spirit and matter, as shown in the common emblem of their cosmic dance:

United they are stronger, they are whole. This is the force that drives the universe as the celestial bird and the serpent wheel around each other forever, in perfect balance of opposite energies, or ideally it should be like this..

It is such an interesting and very ancient symbol.. like yin yang..or the masculine and the feminine.. it shows two powerful people combining forces to create something very dynamic or shape shifting.. being able to shape a new reality..

It’s left for the characters to find common ground and forge a better future.

#fantasy #world building #eagle #serpent #dragon #phoenix #dragon and phoenix #mythology #symbolism

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wearepoisonivyleague · 7 years ago

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The importance of Poison Ivy in Birds of Prey.

“To discuss Poison Ivy is to discuss environmentalism. To discuss patriarchy. To discuss collective archetypes, and evolving narratives. To discuss Golden Age femmes fatale and black widows. To discuss thrill killers and team ups. To discuss redemption, and defiance, and friendship. To discuss narrative polemics, women in the sciences, the rush of urbanisation, and the male gaze. In short to discuss Ivy is to discuss multitudes.” (1)

Since August it appears that poison Ivy will be a member (official or unofficial) of “Batgirl and the Birds of Prey”. This is a huge step forward for the character. The reason? For the first time in her 50+ year history as a comic book character, she appears to have an actual, coherent timeline and character progression tied to DC’s canon continuity. It has been attempted before with Greg Rucka during and after No Mans Land in which she gets trapped by Clayface (2), Batman comes to rescue her (3) and she fights with Clayface, beating him and promising to not only keep Gotham’s orphans safe but also feed the starving city (4). The story continues with Poison ivy avenging the brutal murder of one of her children by corrupt cops (5), her and her children violent eviction from Robinson Park (6)(7), as well as a story in “Gotham Knights” where we learn the future of the children which took under her protection. Greg Rucka portrayed her as a symbol of ecofeminism, pushing her as a heroic, activist character. Some writers drew inspiration from this mini arc but DC pushed Ivy back as a stereotypical villain. The problem with her post Rucka appearances was that she appeared to not have a coherent timeline, depiction or character progression. She was literally thrown into books as villain that existed outside of continuity. But with New 52 Things started to change. She was introduced by Duane Swierczynski as a member of Birds of Prey (8). This version of Poison Ivy appears to be reformed and heroic. Unfortunately she appears to betray the team and gets kicked out. Unfortunately mr Swierczynski planned to explain her actions and show her real motive behind this but he was replaced in the book. But this is the point where things get interesting. John Layman uses her as a hero in his run of Detective Comics, especially in Gothtopia (9) continuing the theme of a modern Activist. This is another huge step in Poison Ivy’s evolution. John Layman makes it cannon that Poison Ivy is not a threat to Gotham and its citizens and that she doesn’t belong in Arkham. The romantic tension between Ivy and Batman is strong. He respects her. Batman finally understands that instead of constantly beating her up, having her as an ally is a better choice. Perhaps she is “misguided” (10) but she wants to save the city and cares for the citizens. But the important part here is that Poison Ivy is not considered a threat by Batman and he lets her go after helping him save the city. A timeline begins to develop. Her time in Birds of prey is often mentioned and Poison Ivy evolves further from an antihero, to a hero. During New52 two also important things happen. During Scott Snyders Swamp Thing run, her connection with the Green is established, hinting that she is destined to become the next Champion of the Green after Alec (11) and Gail Simone writes what is probably the most important moment in New52 Poison Ivy with Batgirl Annual 2. Gail Simone’s Batgirl Annual 2 tries to explain the reasons behind the betrayal of the Birds of Prey. She was blackmailed by the owner of an evil corporation in an emotionally stressful period of her life. Simone not only gives huge depth into her character but also named her mental disorder for the first time in 50 years. Until now she was simply “crazy”. Simone explains that her violent outbursts are a result of “seasonal affective disorder” which in combination of her deep connection to the Green can trigger her depression. This book is important to me on a personal level for another reason. Not only Batgirl agrees that Poison Ivy could be the one that saves the world but Ivy also confessed her love for Batgirl in an very emotional moment. Poison Ivy says that she needs more friends and not just Harley Quinn but also that “perhaps in another world” she and Batgirl could be together again (12). She is sent in Arkham

And then Rebirth happens. Another world. Before that she made an appearance in JLU and a few other books but we will look at these in detail in another article. I consider Amy Chu’s Poison Ivy, Cycle of Life and Death 6 issue mini to be the bridge between New52 and Rebirth. Ivy has a job as a scientist (it is implied that the Bat family had something to do with cleaning up her records). She is cleaning up Gotham, and working on important scientific research. Ivy finally has her own cast of characters, has three daughters and her connection to the Green’s mythology is once more established and strengthened. Amy Chu in six issues reminds us Poison Ivy’s rich backstory and reintroduces her to new audiences (13). This Poison Ivy appears to be reformed and she mentions that this is going to be a new start for her. Francis Manapuls Trinity (14) expands elements introduced in Amy Chu’s mini and further establishes the fact that the trinity doesn’t see her as an enemy or a villain, letting her free after the arc ends. Her motives are human and has some deeply emotional moments. Manapul had planned to evolve Ivy by making her know the identities of the Trinity and deciding to keep them secret to protect the heroes but editorial opposed to this idea (15).

But, Poison Ivy does learn the identity of Batgirl in Hope Larson’s Batgirl run where she teams up with Barbara to save an airplane and it's passengers from a plant that's growing uncontrollably in the cargo bay. Here it is revealed that she knows Batgirl's true identiy and decides to keep it a secret (16). In Scott Snyders All Star Batman, Batman is asking for Poison Ivy's help as a scientist so he can stop a deadly virus that's threatening to destroy the planet. After helping him and manufacturing a cure, Batman makes a promise to clear her name saying that he was wrong on many things about her and that he has misjudged her, her motives and actions in the past. Once more she saves the planet and humanity. Not because she’s forced to, not because she is threatened but because she wants to (17). Which leads to Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. Here Julie and Shawna Benson present a heroic Poison Ivy who not only knows the identities of the Birds of Prey but Barbara Gordon trusts her so much that buys a whole company for her and puts Pamela in charge (18). And according to future solicits it appears that Poison Ivy will stick with the team. Before I make a recap I’d like to point that it appears that Batgirl is the driving force behind Poison Ivy turning a new leaf. And it makes sense. Since New52 Poison Ivy is described as a misguided person. Gail Simone believes that "Poison Ivy is the ultimate in rebellion, the last honest person in some ways". Batgirl believes in her. And if rebirth is about hope, then the perfect way to prove this is to give her a chance.

What we have here is a slow but steady character progression. Poison ivy tries to be a hero in BoP but things turn bad, she tries again and again, she helps batman, saves people, saves Gotham, saves the Planet. She asks Batgirls help. She asks her to trust her, to believe in her. She makes a genuine, heartfelt effort to become a better person. Batman trusts her, even makes a fund for young scientists to honor her. She tries to clean Gotham from pollution, creates patents, technology. Batgirl trusts her, Dinah trusts her, Helena trusts her. Not just as an ally but as a friend. She knows their identities. She spends her free time with them. So far she has saved both Gotham and the planet more times than a lot of other heroes. She is trying to become a better person. This is a huge chance for the Birds of Prey team to write history. This is a chance for the DC writers to prove that Rebirth is about hope. I think, I hope that Shawna and Julie Benson will keep Poison Ivy in the team. The problem with Poison Ivy is that a lot of writers force her to be a sidekick/friend/girlfriend to Harley Quinn. She’s not allowed to grow independently or interact with other characters. I understand that DC is putting a huge effort to push Harley but Ivy deserves some time on her own, meeting and interacting with other people, having her own stories. Selina is currently appearing in almost every issue of Batman as well as in other books, Harley has 6-10 books every month. Ivy… Well unless she’s with Harley, she rarely appears on her own or with other characters. I contacted mr DiDio through his facebook profile and told me that there are no present or future plans for Ivy and that fans should look at Harley for more appearances or the Batman family.

For the first time in her history she has a canon story that makes sense. Her journey towards heroism makes sense and is more deeply rooted (pun intended) than ie. Clayface or Killer Frost, Lobo or Lex Luthor who are currently being pushed as heroes. Unfortunately some editors and writers are negative towards Poison Ivy’s evolution and force “gatekeeping stories” that try to force her to go back into a villain. Stories that make little to no sense in the timeline I presented.

So, in conclusion, dear Benson sisters we love you, we trust you. Please keep Ivy in Birds of Prey. Dear DC writers please respect the work of your colleagues and don’t try to forcibly distort the positive work they are doing with Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy is a woman in STEM, an activist, a feminist, an environmentalist. She is everything you say you want to see in comics. This is your chance to prove that these are not just words, tweets, posts. She is a character that represents the ideas that we need to see grow in these dark times. In Cast Shadows, Ann Nocenti writes Poison Ivy as a woman of science, a person determined to abolish hunger and poverty, stop wars, and bring world peace. To bring light and hope. Let her shine.

Sources: 1. POISON IVY – A CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH, Mackenzie and Walter www.nerdspan.com/poison-ivy-a-cycle-of-life-and-death/ 2. Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 88 3. Batman Vol 1 568 4. Detective Comics Vol 1 735 5. Gotham Central #32 6. Detective Comics Vol 1 751 7. Detective Comics Vol 1 752 8. Birds of Prey Vol. 1: Trouble in Mind 9. Batman: Detective Comics, Volume 5: Gothtopia 10. Detective Comics Vol 2 14 11. Swamp Thing Vol. 3: Rotworld: The Green Kingdom 12. Batgirl Annual Vol 4 2 "When Pamela Gets Blue" 13. Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death Vol 1 14. Trinity, Volume 1: Better Together 15. https://twitter.com/FrancisManapul/status/836676127611568128 16. Batgirl, Volume 1: Beyond Burnside 17. All Star Batman #7 18. Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #13

#poison ivy #poisonivyleague

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tipsycad147 · 5 years ago

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SPIDERS AS SPIRITUAL GUIDES

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

I know many are saying “Ewww”. Autumn is a great time to learn about spiders as many are attempting to come inside before the weather becomes too cold for them to survive.

Last night my daughter and I had flashlight’s in hand searching around our house and the apartment complex we manage looking for the many types of arachnid that dwell among our corners, eaves and under a rock. To say the least our neighbours and tenants think we are beyond crazy! My favourite as long as I can remember is the cat spiders.

Here is a unique aspect of our eight-legged friends.

Spiders in Druidry:

As we all know, Druidry is a spiritual path based on Nature. The knowledge we have can be found everywhere. In Druidry, the Spider represents The Bard, the Ovate and the Druid. As a Bard it produces works of art as depicted in the many kinds of webs it can produce; as an Ovate seer, to determine the best spot for the web or hideout for the hunt, and the lessons the animal teaches us shows us the Druid side of Spider lore, or as some call it, Spider Medicine.

The Spider is the guardian of the ancient languages and alphabets. Every society has had myths about how the different languages and alphabets were formed. One example is the Ogham. The Ogham can be found in the Web of a Spider. This is why the Spider is considered the teacher of language and the magic of writing. Those who weave magic with the written word probably have a Spider as a guide.

I have found that we can learn much more from the webs and their makers, the Spider. According to Scottish Legend, King Robert the Bruce of Scotland hid in a cave where he saw a persistent Spider weaving her web.The story about Robert the Bruce, the cave and the Spider is well known to all English or Scottish school pupils. However, outside the Isles it may not be this well known, so here is the story.

King Robert the Bruce I was born at Lochmaben Castle in 1274. He was Knight and Overlord of Annandale. In 1306 he was crowned King of Scotland and henceforth tried to free Scotland from the English enemy.

After being defeated at a battle, Bruce escaped and found a hideout in a cave. Hiding in a cave for three months, Bruce was at the lowest point of his life. He thought about leaving the country and never coming back. While waiting, he watched a Spider building a web in the cave’s entrance. The Spider fell down time after time, but finally he succeeded with his web. So Bruce decided also to retry his fight and told his men: ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again’.

Old legend as told

The lesson the spider is teaching here is persistence. King Robert the Bruce of Scotland and his army had this strong persistence and determination until they finally beat the English at the Battle of Bannockburn. And this is an important yet simple thing a Spider can teach us.

The Spider as an animal is a spiritual teacher in its own right. For example, the Spider’s web is a constant reminder of the eight festivals. This is easily seen in the wheel webs some Spiders weave. The strands of the web, like the spokes of a wheel, are straight from the edge to the middle and do form the eight fold wheel. That same web also shows the pentagram and the levels of spirituality known in Druidry as Annwn, Abred, Gwynvyd, and Keugant.

The Spider is The Bard, the Ovate and the Druid rolled into one. Let’s take a look at the lessons from the Druid Spider by contemplating its web.

Seeing the Spider weaving the web, it signals to us that we must weave our own lives. The Spider as a guide (or totem, familiar, etc…) serves as a reminder that our choices construct our lives. When the Spider appears to us, it is a message to be mindful of the choices we are making. Then ask yourself:

How are my choices affecting my life?

How can my choices improve my life?

How are my choices affecting others in my life?

Spiders and their webs draw attention to our life choices, but that is not all. They also show us how we can manipulate our thinking so we can construct the life we want to live.

Spiders make us aware of the amazing construction of their webs. They are fully functional, practical, and perfect in design. Spider webs serve as homes, food storage, egg incubators and are almost limitless in their functionality. When we take a good look at this diversity, we can also look at the web-like construct of our own lives. How do we get the most effective life?

We can derive even more Spider symbol meaning when we consider certain subtle characteristics that represent ancient symbols of infinity. When we take a look at the Spider itself and consider most Spiders have eight eyes and all have eight legs, we can see that the Spider also shows the meaning of the number eight, which involves cycles, the passage of time, evolution and, as mentioned before, the eight fold path of the year.

Spiders are also found to be connected to Halloween or Samhain. This is because Spiders are related to death because of the venom they carry. This venom is of course also used as a basis for the antidote, connecting the Spider both to death and rebirth and thus she stands for the completion of the circle.

The Spider teaches us to maintain a balance – between past and future, physical and spiritual, male and female. The Spider also teaches us that everything we now do is weaving what we will encounter in the future. In the tarot deck is a card – The Wheel of Fortune. This is a card that has to do with rhythms – the rise and fall, the flow and flux. It is linked to the energies of honor and fame, and the sensitivities necessary to place ourselves within the rhythm of Nature. Meditation upon this card would be beneficial for anyone with the Spider as a guide.

The Spider, because of its characteristics, has come to be associated with magic and the energy of creation. It is a symbol of creative power, reflected in its ability to spin a silken web. It is also associated with keeping the feminine energies of creation alive and strong. This has ties to the characteristics of some Spiders, i.e. the female black widow, which will kill and eat the male after mating has exhausted it.

The Spider is also associated with its spiral energy, the links with the past and the future. The spiral of the web, converging at a central point, is something to be meditated upon by those with Spiders as a guide. Are you moving toward a central goal or are you scattered and going in multiple directions? Is everything staying focused? Are you becoming too involved and/or self-absorbed? Are you focusing on others’ accomplishments and not on your own? Are you developing resentment because of it – for yourself or them?

If a Spider is a guide in your life, ask yourself some important questions. Are you weaving your dreams and imaginings into reality? Are you using your creative opportunities? Are you feeling closed in or stuck, as if in a web? Do you need to pay attention to your balance and where you are walking in life? Are others out of balance around you? Do you need to write? Are you inspired to write or draw and not following through? Remember that the Spider is the keeper of knowledge and of the primordial alphabet. The Spider can teach how to use the written language with power and creativity so that your words weave the web around those who would read them.

Spiders in Druidry are linked with the Goddess, some Gods, the wheel of the year, spinning, weaving, each individual human, the world, creations, and creation.

Spiders in other cultures:

Spiders are very delicate creatures that play an important role in the myths and lore of many peoples as the teacher of balance between the past and future, the physical and spiritual. To the Native Americans, Spider is Grandmother, the link to the past and future. In India, it’s associated with Maya, the weaver of illusions. With its gentle strength, Spider spins together the threads of life with intricate webs. Spider knows the past affects the future and visa versa. It calls us to make use of our creativity and weave our dreams into our destiny. If you want to make a deeper connection with your Animal Totem, fill your environment with images of the animal to let the animal know it is welcome in your space.

Among the various Native American traditions, spider medicine has been known to represent creativity. Her eight legs represent the four winds of change and the four directions on the medicine wheel, while her body is in the shape of the infinity symbol, which represents infinite possibilities. Spider was said to have woven the alphabet, creating the means for people to communicate and record their history through language. Just like the Greek myth of the Fates, three women who weave the tapestry of life, spiders are said to weave the creative forces that bring forth the intricately symmetrical patterns of our lives.

Of course, I must not forget the Greek myth of the maiden Arachne and the Goddess Athena. In the myth, Arachne claimed that she was a better weaver than the Goddess Athena. After winning from Athena, she was turned into a Spider and she and her offspring became the best weavers in existence. Nor must I forget to mention the West African and Caribbean trickster spirit Anansi, also known as Ananse, Kwaku Ananse, and Anancy whose story is like the tricksters Coyote, Raven or Iktomi found in many Native American cultures and Loki found in Norse mythology. Anansi literally means spider. These tales show spider teaching skill and wisdom in speech, slave resistance, and survival as well as teaching mankind the techniques of agriculture and so we see again a kinship in spider’s lessons reaching many cultures in a profound way.

Practicum

This practicum is designed to get to know the spider a little better.

Perform this while in your Sacred Grove after performing your Light Body exercise or in a state of meditation or visualisation.

In your mind, you see an open place with one exit. From that exit, you see a small garden Spider approaching. You follow the Spider and you see that she walks to a tree. In that tree, she starts to weave a web blocking the exit. The spider weaves her web so steadily that fascinates you and soon you realise that the weaving itself is a meditation. With that weaving, you imagine her as a creator weaving the whole universe and you also imagine her as a dream catcher weaving the net to manifest our deepest desires. When the Spider is finished weaving, she sits in the middle of the web and she starts her teaching to you. She ends her teachings by telling you that she weaves a new web every day. She tells you that she takes down the web when it is ruined and begins again every day and she never has to think about it, she just spins her web with great care.

After giving her lessons to you, she takes down her web blocking the exit and leaves. By doing so she is signalling that it is time to end your meditation or visualisation.

Eisteddfod Grandmother Spider Steals the Fire. A Mississippi Choctaw Legend

The Choctaw People say that when the People first came up out of the ground, People were encased in cocoons, their eyes closed, their limbs folded tightly to their bodies. And this was true of all People, the Bird People, the Animal People, the Insect People, and the Human People. The Great Spirit took pity on them and sent down someone to unfold their limbs, dry them off, and open their eyes. But the opened eyes saw nothing because the world was dark, no sun, no moon, not even any stars. All the People moved around by touch, and if they found something that didn’t eat them first, they ate it raw, for they had no fire to cook it.

All the People met in a great powwow, with the Animal and Bird People taking the lead, and the Human People hanging back. The Animal and Bird People decided that life was not good, but cold and miserable. A solution must be found! Someone spoke from the dark,

‘I have heard that the people in the East have the fire.’ This caused a stir of wonder, ‘What could fire be?’ There was a general discussion, and it was decided that if, as rumour had it, the fire was warm and gave light, they should have it too. Another voice said, ‘But the people of the East are too greedy to share with us.’ So it was decided that the Bird and Animal People should steal what they needed, the fire!

But, who should have the honour? Grandmother Spider volunteered, ‘I can do it! Let me try!’ But at the same time, Opossum began to speak. ‘I, Opossum, am a great chief of the animals. I will go to the East and since I am a great hunter, I will take the fire and hide it in the bushy hair on my tail.’ It was well known that Opossum had the furriest tail of all the animals, so he was selected.

When Opossum came to the East, he soon found the beautiful, red fire, jealously guarded by the people of the East. But Opossum got closer and closer until he picked up a small piece of burning wood, and stuck it in the hair of his tail, which promptly began to smoke, then flame. The people of the East said, ‘Look, that Opossum has stolen our fire!’ They took it and put it back where it came from and drove Opossum away. Poor Opossum! Every bit of hair had burned from his tail, and to this day, opossums have no hair at all on their tails.

Once again, the powwow had to find a volunteer chief. Grandmother Spider again said, ‘Let em go! I can do it!’ But this time a bird was elected, Buzzard. Buzzard was very proud. ‘I can succeed where Opossum has failed. I will fly to the East on my great wings, then hide the stolen fire in the beautiful long feathers on my head.’ The birds and animals still did not understand the nature of fire. So Buzzard flew to the East on his powerful wings, swooped past those defending the fire, picked up a small piece of burning ember, and hid it in his head feathers. Buzzard’s head began to smoke and flame even faster! The people of the East said, ‘Look! Buzzard has stolen the fire!’ And they took it and put it back where it came from.

Poor Buzzard! His head was now bare of feathers, red and blistered looking. And to this day, buzzards have naked heads that are bright red and blistered.

The powwow now sent Crow to look the situation over, for Crow was very clever. Crow at that time was pure white and had the sweetest singing voice of all the birds. But he took so long standing over the fire, trying to find the perfect piece to steal that his white feathers were smoked black. And he breathed so much smoke that when he tried to sing, out came to a harsh, ‘Caw! Caw!’

The Council said, ‘Opossum has failed. Buzzard and Crow have failed. Who shall we send?’

Tiny Grandmother Spider shouted with all her might, ‘LET ME TRY IT PLEASE!’ Though the council members thought Grandmother Spider had little chance of success, it was agreed that she should have her turn. Grandmother Spider looked then like she looks now, she had a small torso suspended by two sets of legs that turned the other way. She walked on all of her wonderful legs toward a stream where she had found clay. With those legs, she made a tiny clay container and a lid that fit perfectly with a tiny notch for air in the corner of the lid. Then she put the container on her back, spun a web all the way to the East, and walked tiptoe until she came to the fire. She was so small, the people from the East took no notice. She took a tiny piece of fire, put it in the container, and covered it with the lid. Then she walked back on tiptoe along the web until she came to the People. Since they couldn’t see any fire, they said, ‘Grandmother Spider has failed.’

‘Oh no,’ she said, ‘I have the fire!’ She lifted the pot from her back, and the lid from the pot and the fire flamed up into its friend, the air. All the Birds and Animal People began to decide who would get this wonderful warmth. Bear said, ‘I’ll take it!’ but then he burned his paws on it and decided fire was not for animals, for look what happened to Opossum!

The Birds wanted no part of it, as Buzzard and Crow were still nursing their wounds. The insects thought it was pretty, but they, too, stayed far away from the fire.

Then a small voice said, ‘We will take it if Grandmother Spider will help.’ The timid humans, whom none of the animals or birds thought much of, were volunteering!

So Grandmother Spider taught the Human People how to feed the fire sticks and wood to keep it from dying, how to keep the fire safe in a circle of stone so it couldn’t escape and hurt them or their homes. While she was at it, she taught the humans about pottery made of clay and fire, and about weaving and spinning, at which Grandmother Spider was an expert.

The Choctaw remember. They made a beautiful design to decorate their homes, a picture of Grandmother Spider, two sets of legs up, two down, with a fire symbol on her back. This is so their children never forget to honour Grandmother Spider, Fire bringer!

https://goodwitcheshomestead.com/2017/09/11/spiders-as-spiritual-guides/

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palepinkimpulses · 8 years ago

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symbolism, theories, my thoughts on spring day

overall, i loved, loved, loved this repackaged album. for spring day, it’s such a sad song, a song of nostalgia, pain, loneliness, moving on, and hope. this song makes me cry, but happy tears you know? when i listen to it and i’m on my way home and i stare out at the bleak snow-covered sidewalks and roads, i still feel warm and happy. i think it’s because “spring day” is a very truthful, emotional song that is very relatable. i really also love how this song isn’t explicitly for romantic relationships; it can be any sort of loving relationship.

these are my favorite lines from spring day:

it’s all winter here even in August my heart is running on the time alone on the snowpiercer i wanna get to the other side of the earth holding your hand wanna put an end to this winter how much longing should we see snowing down to have the days of spring, friend

I think this means that without this person, the narrator feels extremely lonely and wants the happiness of that connection again, to feel the warmth instead of experiencing the bitter, cold winter

you know it all, youre ma best friend the morning will come again no darkness, no season can last forever

here, i think both parties acknowledge the depth of the love in their relationship in the past, but they’ve grown apart while still cherishing those memories. while it’s painful things can’t go back to the way they were, this sadness can’t last forever

maybe its cherry blossoms and this winter will be over i miss you i miss you wait a little bit, just a few more nights ill be there to see you, ill come for you

passing by the edge of the cold winter until the days of the spring until the flowers blossom please stay, please stay there a little longer

overall in these two sections, the narrator is beginning to move on, recover from the bitter loneliness as time passes; after all, it can’t be permanent. while it is inevitable, the narrator wants to prolong the time between now and in the future where they have moved on and find happiness again just so they can hold on to that person they so dearly miss, one more time.

for the spring day music video:

overall, the mv itself was absolutely impeccable. the coloring, the cinematography with the various camera angles (from the slow motion of the party scene to the paradoxical stairs to the zooming out of the camera as they walk outside in the field), the fashion design, the set design. all of it was incredible

okay symbolism and theory time!!

some people have said that all the members (who would have fun times together of course) all boarded trains separately, but by the end, find each other and continue on together. this could make sense with how jungkook saw himself go by in that train; now with the members, he looks back on his past self, who was alone. i think the train simply symbolizes a journey, a moving-on to a new part of life, just like the song talking about transitions into new times, from the cold winter scenery in the beginning to a hint of warmer sunshine at the very end when they’re outside (loneliness to happiness).

omelas was about how a child’s happiness was forever sacrificed for the happiness of the rest of the town, in essence, so many who cannot handle this truth leave the town, always separately and are never to be heard from again (i’ve never read it so i’m not sure?) this can relate to the lyrics with how maybe these people were once happy in the town (happy in their relationship), but something happened that made them aware of things that weren’t good about life (distancing in relationship). but, stuck in that town, they could never do anything more, could never move on from this terrible truth (move on from loneliness) so they finally leave the town for a better, more freeing life. only, in this case for bangtan, they find each other as friends (you never walk alone!!) as they move on, so they won’t be lonely in their journey towards a new chapter in their life. this storyline can also be followed with the snowpiercer movie, which is something about how a society has to live on a perpetually running train to protect themselves from the dangerous world outside, but the trains run at the exploitaiton of innocent children, and the poor are kept in horrendous conditions while the rich are pampered; the train is derailed by people who stand up against this inequality but must then venture out into the unknown world outside to live and survive.

(side note: i’ve seen people make connections to how the child in omelas could be taehyung, with how in his stigma wings short film he was happy and playing with the puppy, but he was caged and the symbol of happiness, the puppy, left him)

OKAY back to the mv. with rapmon wearing the crown it reminded me of where the wild things are and how max felt lonely even though he was ruler. also, with the shots with all the members sleeping, this might symbolize how close they are, but how these moments are fleeting and they must wake up and push forward in life. this can connect to how sad they looked when they stared at the birthday cake. it’s possible they were realizing how quickly time was flying by, nostalgia setting in for happy days that are behind them.

for the piles of clothes: most people say the clothes represent people, perhaps even the sewol ferry accident because of how bts donated to their charity. this is possible in order to honor the victims and also show how people’s lives are precious and fragile, but perhaps can even be renewed through such things that honor their memory. the fact that the piles of clothes are supposed to represent a laundry machine, tossing them in a cycle represents renewal and beginning anew. this ties back to the theme of moving on, as well as the accumulation of all the people you may meet and possibly grow apart from in life, so the remainder is their clothes, your memories of them.

for the motif with the fingers making the shape of a camera or a frame (jin and tae), it seems that it is supposed to represent how they want to capture these moments. for jin, the members walking around him in that paradoxical staircase that doesn’t really end (so they won’t leave his side), for tae, the soft warmth as the members sleep soundly together on the bed. however, these moments can’t be kept forever, which is why the fingers are used instead of an actual camera because they show how their desires are in vain; nothing can be kept forever.

the swing set/carousel thing is abandoned, and can represent the abandonment of childhood (links back to demian/wings!!). jungkook is the last to really leave because he is the youngest, so he is still there, stationary. the members are moving quickly around and from this symbol of innocence. soon, however, jungkook leaves it as well to move on.

okay one more motif!! the shoes hanging on the tree, which represents the death of someone who used to live there (or maybe also how that person has left their hometown for good). of course, this relates to the theme of moving on once again. death could also, again, represent rebirth. but if we consider if any members actually died, that’s another story. from the mv, it seems that the most likely candidates are tae, jimin, or jin (or all). for tae, it seemed like he was committing suicide on the railroad and he wasn’t in a few shots (the slow-mo cake throwing), so they could be honoring his memory. this could also be continuity bc he may have decided to do this after killing his father (see previous mvs!). for jin, based on continuity from past mvs and theories that explain how jin is dead (he isn’t in the photo with them next to the car, not in that selfie with yoongi). it could also be jimin; hobi has to shake jimin awake, and jimin leads them towards the tree where he hangs the shoes, so this could be his spirit getting ready to finally say goodbye and leave the world. jimin is also the one holding them before, next to the ocean. he has been in water in past mvs since i need u, and it’s implied that he may have drowned himself (next to ocean in spring day!!). finally, all of them could be dead, following justally’s theory about how jin is dead and the members are people he created in his head. maybe all of them are finally departing, if jin is accepting what is happening and finally decides to move on.

in essence, spring day has me wrecked and writing analyses longer than essays i write for school.

#bangtan #bts #ynwa #you never walk alone #bts theory #bwi's bumbling

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omgconstellauniverseme · 5 years ago

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THE STORY OF ‘ON’

The battle raged on for days but at last both sides drew back in defeat. Men and women collapsed, dead on the battlefield. Spears and arrows still held in the bodies of the fallen soldiers. The ones who survived limp back home, observing the damage and wonder why they’re still alive.

The God, Ares emerges and walks unnoticed towards an omen sent by the gods. A single arrow pierced a white dove, a symbol of peace but now a symbol of misery. Ares wonders what the other Gods mean of this sign and what more there is to come.

A runaway managed to escape the walls that kept him and others inside for so long. Inside where there are barely any trees or life. Where the gods have kept them isolated from the land where tales tell about rebirth and a calling to the truth.

The drums from the battle piled up as junk as there was no more use for them. The drums were used to motivate soldiers in battle, to motivate them to fight and kill. Artemis stands by the pile as he still feels something holding on to him.

His twin, Apollo lies wondering what happened to all of them. What happened to the youth and humanity of the world, as he lies next to the weapons and instruments he and his brother have made once before. The girl, blindfolded as her life can’t be used here. Forever bound by the Gods as a mystery to why they are all abandoned in the first place. Apollo smirks at the Gods as he plays it off like a game.

Dionysus appears, making himself Noah of the arc from a story. Surrounded by animals, he represents the human sacrifice that everyone must live with. Whenever it’s just one person or a whole population, they all lost someone or something from the war and it made a huge impact on how the mortals act or behave. This isn’t Dionysus’s first war and isn’t his last. Just like life, death is a cycle and there is a much greater darkness on it’s way.

Ares comes back home with another cage. Another hope to show the Gods mercy in exchange for freedom. Artemis reaching out to the Gods in forgiveness as well. Noticing the boy with the drum, Artemis reaches out to Caerus, the God of opportunity. And as always, Caerus is perfect at timing and shows Ares the time has finally come as the cage bounces to show the bird’s awakening to a new beginning.

All the other Gods feel the presence of the awakening and answering and move together as one. While in the lands where the tales flourished, the runaway is determined to discover what he was dreaming about all along. Collapsing, he feels another awakening, one more powerful than he ever felt before. Where he sleeps was once before another man’s land. A land called the Devil's horns where it symbolised the barrier between what’s good and bad.

Hermes appears in the runaway’s dreams, showing him a vision about the war and how it’s only the beginning. Hermes shows the runaway a small lake, where he will find the call to all Gods. Hermes warns that this won’t only be a call to the Gods in Mount Olympus but also to the Gods who live in the Underworld. He must be prepared to choose a side and face trials he never had before. Hermes teases the runaway, showing his body getting eaten by birds over and over again because of his crimes. Threatening for his soul to be brought to the underworld to Hades.

Hestia stands with the mortals as their wishes are starting to come true. Hestia has stayed with the mortals after leaving Mount Olympus by choice to help them have food and warmth during the cold long nights every year. The mortals relied on Hestia for keeping peace under the roof and for the fire that never stopped burning with them.

The girl stands up first facing the wall, knowing what’s about to happen. Apollo, who didn’t feel the Gods awakening, is confused about the girl’s sudden movement. Not far, Artemis feels his twin’s realization and feels their powers come back to him. Caerus drums to the rhythm of the Gods, finally opening the wall that kept them all prisoners. Apollo, after following the girl’s line of sight to where the two walls meet, he takes off the blindfold revealing life once again.

The runaway finally discovers the lake Hermes told him about in his vision. Knowing what he must do, he doesn’t hesitate to enter the lake to do what has to be done. He glances at his chains which were thorns tied around his wrists by the other Gods. Thorns representing sin and pain, for something the runaway did. At the lake, it was symbolized through the vision as a rebirth to give the runaway a second chance. To be rebirthed as someone with more power and importance and not just another symbol such as a bird or flower.

The others gather at the gates with all the mortals, awaiting what they’ve been waiting for, for so long. While the runaway dips his hands in the lake of rebirth, Ares releases the bird as a gift from the Gods. It flies away towards the gates of Mount Olympus as their message to the Gods that they are here and ready to come home.

At the lake, the runaway pulls out a conch from the lake as an exchange for another life. This isn’t just an ordinary conch but the God of the Sea’s conch. With a loud enough blow, the conch would mimic a call for help or scare the titans awake as it sounded like the roar of a dark beast.

What Hermes envisioned was right. The conch was not only a symbol for a new beginning but also a new enemy, as the conch awakened the Gods biggest foe, the underworld Gods. The Gods awaken, showing all the souls that freedom is here. As a single light peers through the darkness, opening a portal to Earth above, the Gods dance and bang their drums to motivate a new coming and war. As all 7 unknown underworld Gods come together, they hold the conch on a string representing their freedom. Hell breaks loose as the underworld fills with fire and darkness. Now it’s their chance to come out from hiding and take what was once theirs.

Life finally awakens, giving what once was a dry land, now the land the Gods have promised them once before. The land where Life and Apollo first met before everything was abandoned and lost. The runaway joins the others as one of them. His identity, Prometheus being hidden so the Gods would accept him once again and to avoid punishment as what Hermes had shown him in his dream.

Dionysus taking the lead as the immortal and powerful god he is, raises his fist to symbolize the joining of the Gods with Mount Olympus once again for their land is theirs, too. They climb the rock, towards the gates of Mount Olympus admiring what they all have accomplished. 7 white doves fly over the 7 Gods, showing them peace and that they’re free to pass. The runaway pleased and finally relieved with the offer, couldn’t hold his excitement anymore and ran towards the sun rays guiding them.

A dream came true…...

#BTS #btson #namjoon #jin #yoongi #jhope #jimin #taehyung #jungkook #map of the soul 7 #story #original character #greek mythology #tiktok #onchallenge

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