#this is about daughter of the moon goddess btw

[jurassicpark1990]

reading an insanely fast paced book after reading a western sci fi novel like

[rainingincale]

love when you read a popular book with a gorgeous cover and its actually good

[makimahinalno]

I mostly avoid watching Veilguard gameplay reveals because I want to play the game without spoilers, so this rant might be wrong, but after reading this post I can't stop thinking about Evanuris, especially Andruil and Ghilan'nain.

So my question is, is this JUST Ghilan'nain?? What if it is BOTH Ghilan'nain and Andruil?? Did they merge together in some sort of a ritual? It looks like two bodies!

We know how Solas painted them on a mural while Varric was chasing him in Dragon Age: The Missing:

When this was released, I can say that most people had agreed that Andruil is the one in green, while Ghilan'nain is the one in pinkish-red.

1. Ghilan'nain has white hair in legends which is shown on a mural. Her head-piece is horned and it shows her status as a Mother of the Halla, after all she created them. I also find the positions in which they are drawn to be interesting. She is shown under Andruil, her hands are reaching up towards the Huntress with adoration and reverence in her eyes. Andruil approached Ghilan'nain to offer her apotheosis, she is looking down at her and her position looks like she is "lifting up" the new goddess. (Solas could be romanticising it, I doubt it was like that in real life lol)

2. Now about Andruil. Andruil's head piece looks like a bow as she is the Goddess of the Hunt. But it also looks like a crescent moon. She is described as a "sister of a moon", but also daughter of Mythal (Moon) and Elgar'nan (Sun). Oral legends can be mixed (no writing to back it up, written elvish is extremely rare), but we can agree for certain that there was some kind of kinship between Mythal and Adruil. Both are black of hair, maybe there were mother and daughter, or maybe they're sisters (perhaps blood-sisters even?).

And yet Ghilan'nain looks like she is the one wearing Andruil's head piece in Solas' flashback. And I keep wondering why? There is no way that writers suddenly decided to change the lore (Solas' mural about the two goddesses is canon btw, it's not fanmade) and their design for no reason. This convo definately takes place after Mythal and Andruil's fight. We know Andruil grew corrupted by the Blight, she put on the armour of the Void and many forgot how she looked like. Mythal managed to defeat her, but how? What if she killed her, but they refused to announce it to their subjects because it would look TERRIBLE that a "god" can be killed.

My theory is that Ghilan'nain went crazy because of Andruil's death and she tried to bring her back to life somehow. She took her head piece in memory of her slain lover, so she can be always with her. (Solas was shocked btw at Ghilan'nain's change, after all she was the most sensitive). And we can tell that Ghilan'nain loves body horror, what is she merged the lower half of Andruil into her? So they are forever together omg.

Andruil has a GOLDEN SPEAR.

This is Ghilan'nain wielding some kind of a weapon, it looks like a spear (I don't think it's a staff). Is it Andruil's spear? I think soo!!!

I need the game out ASAP, I need the loreeee, I need answers. I really hope that they are attached to each others bodies cause it's just some crazy body horror. Did Ghilan'nain really attach her girlfriends corpse onto her own? God I hope so 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

[aikoiya]

LoZ - Goddess of the Sand

The Goddess of the Sand's true name is Geladïna.

The Gerudo only know her as Gela, while Hyruleans call her Din, the Golden Goddess of Power. No mortal is aware that they are the same entity.

In Gerudo, her titles would be the Goddess of the Sand (al'Geru'è Vàllah). Or, in the case of using her name, Vah Gela.

She is also sometimes referred to as Our Holy Mother (Vah'maween) by the especially religious & devout as she is said to have created the Gerudo in her Holy Garden (Devï'fōrzabzï) in the Oasis of the Gods (al'Vehlïen'è Wahē) when she infused her power into a flower having wished to bless it with her fire & passion. She infused it with too much, causing it to grow large & bloom almost immediately & from it came the 1st Gerudo. The flower from which they came bears great resemblance to a Flame Lily & which I'm calling a Passion Lily (Fashïna'dàrra). Which has become a sacred flower among the Gerudo.

(She actually has no true power over plants. Gardening is just something she very much enjoys.)

This is why the Gerudo are referred to as the "Flowers of the Desert" (al'Geràsht'è Fōrzuen).

Aside from being the Goddess of Sand, she is also associated with benevolence, power, battle, fire, lightning, sand, earth, hardship, the forge, gemstones, treasure, jewelry, the seasons, passion, & dance.

She is the daughter of Vah Sāqmàla, the Gerudo Goddess of Life's Bountiful Pleasures, her domains being life, vivifatility (pertaining to both fertility & virility; this is a word I made up), flowers, fruits, springtime, sex & promiscuity, passion, pleasure, childbirth, & Vaen. Geladïna is also the younger sister of Vah Amàhrta, the Gerudo Goddess of the Moon, her domains being the moon, mirrors, dreams, illusions, & prophecy.

Gela was once married to Voh Jawàrik, who himself is the Gerudo god of war, conquest, strife, responsibility, &, eventually, hardwon wisdom.

Geladïna & Jawàrik's marriage, unfortunately, fell through having become sexless as he is a war god in one of the pantheons of the home continent of the Gerudo. And the Gerudo's home country became cursed to be in eternal conflict with its neighbors, thus he was always away & always in battle, very rarely able to be together with his wife. It wasn't that he didn't care, but he had responsibilities as the god of war to protect the Gerudo homeland & there was nothing he could do about it.

As such, they annulled their marriage before anyone could do anything unfaithful. It was only after which that Geladïna began to gather her Vo'màzren.

Gela is known to have many mortal concubini (plural of concubinus), a.k.a. male concubines (Vo'màzren) with which she had daughters. Her concubini were known as the al'Shôsi'úl Vo'màzren or the Blessed Concubini. Not gods themselves, rather born mortal Gerudo men, they were granted unaging life, but without power, so that they could serve their beloved goddess for as long as she willed it. It was an offer, BTW, which they chose to accept. There were others that she'd asked, but they'd all turned her down. Consent is key, ya'll.

However, keep in mind that they were never whores or escorts. In fact, most came from before the female-only curse as a result of the Division War (al'Manfàsï Wàru; also called the Great Castration, not in a literal sense, more so metaphorically) & were Priests of the Sand (Gàl'è Vo'eshônïen), while others were a couple of the Centennial Kings (Mafzīnàla Voe'attàren) from after & were simply devoted worshipers of hers who never married.

Moving on, one of many names the Gerudo's home continent has been given is the Far-Off Wasteland (Baydaan Qàfra), a continent of mostly desert countries interspersed with oases, savannas, & jungles. Baydaan had once been entirely separate from the continent of Hyland back in the time of Demise's sealing.

Anyway, the 2 continents have since become connected by what was once known as the Lanayru Sea, now the Gerudo Desert. (Much like how North America is connected to South America via Mexico.)

(Just for reference, Baydaan is also populated by other tribes of humans, Zuna, & other races.)

The little country that the Gerudo hail from is known as Jïasïd within the Ûjïa Desert (known in the games as the Desert of Mystery). At the heart of Jïasïd lays a large oasis, really more of a small jungle. At the center of this jungle is a sheer, unscalable mountain & floating high above the peak is an island suspended purely through magical means without technological aid. This island is known as the Oasis of the Gods (al'Vehlïen'è Wahē) & is said to be where the gods of the Gerudo pantheon dwell. It is also said to be a verdant paradise. However, very rarely are mortals allowed to enter. The ones that are tend to be the exception that proves the rule. And are always devout worshipers, demi-deities, the greatest of Gerudo heroes, or in rare cases, theives wishing to steal from the gods. From the edge of the island is a waterfall which is what allows the surrounding jungle to flourish in such a parched land.

The Gerudo here are much like what the Hylians are to Hyrule, being Geladïna's chosen people well-known. Which is why Baydaan is also often referred to as Gerudaan, as they were once the most prosperous, most advanced, & the richest of all the races in Baydaan.

Anyway, as mentioned above, their small country had been cursed to be in eternal strife against its neighbors. As a result, Voh Jawàrik is constantly in battle with the other countries' gods of war. These countries are often referred to as al'Wàru'shorq Vōttàrilàkaen (the Wartorn Kingdoms), which is used to refer to Jïasïd & its surrounding countries.

But, before the war struck out, Jawàrik & Geladïna managed to have 1 son, Gàlondo, who Jawàrik later took with him to train for war once they discovered that he had inherited his father's war domain at the godly equivalent to 13.

Voh Gàlondo eventually became a god of war, power, conquest, fire, lightning, especially dry lightning storms, virility, sex, abheroticism (a form of ambivalence in which one lusts after someone they hate), dominance, pride, destruction, bloodlust, black magic, the burning desert sun, & the solar eclipse. Often associated with Gàl'gáron, or the Gerudo hells.

In fact, one of his many titles was al'Vashorqubé'è Mumùsïfa or "the Perfect Storm of Destruction." There are also a number of others, but this one is the most wellknown.

Gàlondo later came back as an adult & was tasked with being the patron deity of the newly created &, as of then, unnamed country of Hyrule. After that, things get fuzzy as far as myth. As far as any mortal at the time knows, Gàlondo was the patron of the land, then suddenly, there was the Bringer of Demise. No mortal knows what happened to the old patron afterwards.

(Not even a handful of the lesser gods know this, but Gàlondo grew drunk with the power that came with being the essential king of the gods of an entire pantheon & the control that such a position comes with, with no former training. He had always been under the strict rule of his father before then, but he had not been properly prepared via emotional disciplining for the position as it was given at sudden notice. He had always been cocky, arrogant, snobbish, & lusted for power much like his father tended to. However, Jawàrik had such tendencies firmly under lock & key. Yes, he is bloodthirsty & power hungry, but he is also dedicated to those who worship him.)

(This, when paired with the fact that Gàlondo had grown to see things like personal responsibility, duty, & compassion as things that held his father back from his full potential as a god of war, as well as the trauma from constant war through a formidable & malleable age, resulted in a deep & abiding desire for power & control as well as a terrifying, insatiable bloodlust. This, plus having only ever known war & conflict with only vague memories of peace as well as having developed a general distain for mortals in-general, messed the kid up. Resulting in him abusing his power & eventually, after stealing one of the fruit from the Mother Tree of Life & eating it in an attempt to gain even more power which resulted in him losing his godhood, being cast out of the Hyrulean pantheon, & becoming an arch-akuma called al'Ântri’è Balïj, meaning "the Bringer of the End." However, it can also translate to "the Bringer of Demise." The desert sun was eclipsed & darkness reigned inside his heart, his mind, & his very soul. He very quickly exterted himself in the Gàl'gáron as a Sûlattàr, which is similar to the concept of a Daimaō.)

—

Jïasïd was actually one small corner of a vast sandy plain more than double the size of Hyrule at the time of BotW & TotK, that the ancient Gerudo tribe traveled.

Back then, they were warlike & nomadic, journeying across their desert home conquering other tribes that dwelled within its boundaries as well as a few just beyond their border. The reason being because of the eternal war in their old home making it nearly uninhabitable.

They regularly did this to take slaves & other important resources.

It is from Jawàrik, & was further reinforced by Gàlondo later, that the ancient Gerudo belief of Nīkôzeto'reqra came to be. The word loosely translates to conquest, but means something more along the lines of the "Right to Victory." Nīkôzeto'reqra was sort of the Gerudo's equivalent to the real world concept of "Might Makes Right" or the Chinese philosophy of the "Mandate of Heaven."

The idea being that the one who is strong, who is victorious, is right & righteous. That those who win have a divine right to rule & a right to do whatever they please to those they conquer.

Since losing his son to the ideal, Jawàrik had innitially lost his youthful passion for such a belief system & after the Gerudo, his worshipers, were so severely cursed for their arrogance as a result of such a belief, he has forsaken the philosophy entirely.

As such, he has recently become a figure of hard-won wisdom to the Gerudo still living in Baydaan, as he now decries senseless battle even as he continues on in his senseless war that he wishes would just. STOP!!

In some ways, he's even begun to resent his role as he sees it as having taken his family from him.

He is... just a very sad figure in Gerudàn mythos.

---

Interestingly, as a child, Gàlondo had been best friends with the Hyrulean goddess, Karina; he even had a crush on her for a very long time. She was the eldest daughter of Farore. Katrina has been since embraced by the Gerudo culture, being named Vah Kàvtrïna, the goddess of love & passion, who now also rules over tender sexual relations (specifically between those who are in love), femininity, fidelity/pudicity & faithfulness, righteous retribution, as well as healthy relationships, bravery, music, the hearth, beauty, the moon, the truth, balance, nature (especially flowers, fruit, the seashore, & the waves that pound against it) & the hunt, the home, hospitality, food/cooking, soulmates (specifically, the bond between soulmates), & is known to be a defender/protector of children & abuse/rape victims regardless of their sex. She has since also discovered power over the domains of weddings, marriage, vivifatility, childbirth, & motherhood.

Back then, Geladïna & Farore often talked excitedly about the possibility of becoming real sisters through their children.

However, since coming back from the endless war, Gàlondo had become a being of overbearing misapplied Machismo in all the worst ways & Karina did not appreciate it.

Then, after becoming the Bringer of Demise & being poisoned by his own On'nen (resentment, grudge, hatred, ect), his genuine affection for her that was masked by pride was turned into a toxic, yandere-esque lust & obsession. The sort that cared not for love, rather wanting to possess her like a trophy. However, Karina scorned his attempts at tempting her into his bed & even defeated him in battle once using strategy. Which just made him want to possess her ever more & desire to punish her for the humiliation.

However, he never got the chance to make her his before he was sealed.

---

Interestingly, before the curse of the Wartorn Kingdoms, the Gerudo were actually a well-established & very prosperous people who's kingdom was comparable to that of Hyrule's in a great number of ways. (Not culturally or aesthetically or even in beliefs, just in that they were both very prosperous & greatly blessed by their deific pantheons.)

They were also known to have either conquered or allied with most of east Baydaan & even a bit of west Baydaan. Though, keep in mind that those many conquests took place over the course of several hundred years with large stretches of time between. Possibly even thousands. (Though the records don't go that far back.)

As such, these conquests weren't an active attempt at "world domination." However, at the same time, they weren't just a kingdom, they were an empire. Many dynasties were very peaceful, while others were quite violent. And this was largely due to the individual Kings & Queens in charge at these times, who all very strongly influenced the course of their people's history.

It wasn't until the curse was placed upon Jïasïd & its neighboring countries that the Gerudo's empire collapsed & they became nomads.

It was specifically during an unusually long stretch of bellicistic rulers who actually were attempting world domination, starting with Baydaan, that said curse was placed. In a lot of ways, it was much like the hundred year war of AtLA.

However, in such a case, imagine if Aang weren't the Avatar &, rather, just some Air Nomad kid. Imagine that the Fire Nation didn't attack the Air Nomads to find & kill him, but rather they saw them as a threat due to just how easily they could absolutely demolish the Fire Nation if they abandoned their peaceful ways.

Imagine that Aang was forced to watch as his people were slowly exterminated. Then, imagine that he did exactly what the Fire Nation in this case had been trying to prevent by doing this: he chose violence.

This is, in essence, what happened. Or it's a brief description.

Though, contain that more to a singular continent rather than the whole world.

Imagine, if you will, an old, beleaguered, scarred man hobbles into the banquet apadna (Hypostyle hall) of the per-hay (Egyptian palace, lit. “house of rejoicing).

---

Gàlondo's fall from grace had broken Geladïna's heart, but his sealing & eventual death had nearly killed her. The moment that the Hero of the Skies killed the Bringer of Demise, there was a great, cocaphonous, heartrending wail that sounded from the Oasis of the Gods, followed swiftly by grievous sobbing that did not cease until years after.

She never gets over the guilt she feels at having created Din's Fire, but she'd also felt responsible for having not raised him to be better prepared for his role.

Which is something that she & her ex often commiserate mournfully over.

They both believe deep in their souls that they failed their boy & that they are entirely to blame for how he turned out.

Despite having annulled their marriage, it wasn't done out of any sort of hate or disagreement or even due to a lack of love. As such, they actually get along very well.

However, because they never grew out of love with each other, they both often find themselves missing their marriage & especially each other. They still believe that annulment was the correct decision for their family, but they hate the circumstances that called for it. And both despised the curse upon the land that had caused Jawàrik to stay away. And both hate it for twisting their boy so.

Jawàrik especially feels responsible as it'd been his job to teach the boy all those years & his personal failure resulted in losing his son.

He may never forgive himself.

LoZ Cultural Masterlist

[sizhui]

HI ANGIE ive been meanign to ask whos ur pfp apologies if i asked this before btw! also im thinking of trying to read this chinese novel (well an eng translation cuz its an old classic text) this year n im so excited!!! :) it was adapted into a drama before but i want to read the text first!! :D

are u reading anything rn ? or looking forward to any books?

HIIII LAB it's so nice to receive an ask from you again, i missed uuuuu 😊💕!

My pfp is Nikotama Sara from Ai no shintairiku/Brave new world of love! It's a short romance manga about a trans girl moving to a new school. It's very cute to me how whenever Sara is happy, she's drawn with a kitty cat face, so I used it as my icon! Here's what Sara usually looks like...

Moving on.... OHO! I hope you'll have a good and quality time reading the novel ^_^ what's the name of it?

I'm currently reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan! I've been wanting to read Chinese fantasy books that aren't danmei so I gave it a try! It's a pretty nice book so far, although I feel like it's leaning more towards YA despite being labeled as adult fantasy, but oh well I'm still in the first half of book one so I feel like there's still time for it to get more serious...! It was labeled with "lovers to enemies" and I'm still in the lovers part so I'm looking forward to seeing where the enemies part will take the main couple ahehehehehee. These days I will also need to read Breton's Nadja and write an essay about it for class! I'm sort of curious about it as I've never read a surrealist novel before and I'm guessing it'll be quite different from anything I've read before...

My plan this year is to read 40 books! I've been slacking off with reading lately, so I really need motivation. Some more I'm planning to read are Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang and the rest of N. K. Jemisin's Broken Earth series... I would ideally like to read 40 books this year, which I haven't done in a long time. Keep your fingers crossed for me, let's both enjoy reading!

[skyler1290]

Right, I'm bored.

Due to this, I'm gonna match the ancients to the gods I find most likely to be their parent.

Btw, PJO spoilers if you count mentioning a few of the characters godly parents as a spoiler.

I also mention a goddess who faded here in the PJO books.

-

Pure Vanilla Cookie:

APOLLO, GOD OF HEALING, MUSIC, LIGHT, THE SUN, AND A BILLION OTHER THINGS. NO QUESTIONS ASKED, JUST APOLLO. With his status as a healer and being associated with light, Apollo is just the perfect god to call his godly parent. It's the first thing that comes to mind. He gives Will Solace vibes in certain situations.

I feel like he could also be a demi-titan. A son of Koios (titan of intellect), probably. He'd also fit as a son of Eirene (goddess of peace).

Dark Cacao Cookie

Hades, lord of the dead and king of the underworld. It's totally not because of his darker color pallete that matches Nico di Angelo. What're you talking about? Dark Cacao with shadow and necromancy powers would be even more intimidating than he already is. Imagine his sword as a stygian one instead.

That would be fun.

Other than that, I feel like there's a lot of gods that could fit him. Ares (god of war), Athena (goddess of wisdom and war strategy), and Phobos (god of fear) are a few. Straying to his son, Dark Choco would make a good legacy of any of them, in my opinion.

White Lily Cookie

She's a bit of a hard one. But maybe Zeus (god of the skies and King of Olympus). This is mainly because I think she'd be a champion of Hera (goddess of marriage and Queen of Olympus). I think she'd make a great Hunter of Artemis (goddess of the moon and the hunt). If you're reading this without PJO knowledge, Hunters of Artemis are demigods or demititans (I think humans are also allowed to join) who follow Artemis and join her on her hunts. You must be female to join, and you must swear off marriage and love forever. You also gain semi-immortality once you become one as a blessing from Artemis.

If Selene (former titan of the moon) hadn't already faded, I think she'd be her daughter.

Hollyberry Cookie

She gives legacy of Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty) vibes. As for her actual godly parent, I'd say Dionysus. Is this this because of her obsession with berry juice? Absolutely. Her extroverted personality also screams daughter of Dionysus to me.

Another good option for her godly parent in my opinion would maybe be Psyche (goddess of human souls)? And I say that due to her bravery in her story (I'm referring to Psyche, not Hollyberry). Maybe she'd also make a good daughter of Heracles.

Golden Cheese Cookie

Last, but definitely not the least. Golden Cheese Cookie. I feel like her godly parent would be Apollo (like Pure Vanilla), or Hades (like Dark Cacao). Apollo, due to her personality and talent with archery, and Hades due to him being the god of wealth.

Theia, goddess of divine light, would fit, too, considering her association with gold.

-

Anyways, I'm not going to bother rereading this and fixing any typos because my hands are freezing, and therefore, they're moving slower than usual. If you see a typo, no you don't /j.

And also, regarding asks... I don't know why you'd want to do such a thing. It's not like I own any AUs (unless you count this as an AU). But if you wanna ask me something, go ahead, I guess. Just keep it PJO or CRK related.

[kingovharts]

Reblogs are highly appreciated, thank you!

‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅ DEMO ‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅ FAQs‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅

In the eye of a hurricane and bloodstains, A child of Earth and Moon shall break the chains. In their hands the fate of the world shall rest, A heart both mortal and divine, put to the test. Be careful of whom thou trust, Or the world will be reduced to naught but dust.

You lived quite a normal life. An overprotective father and an absent mother— quite normal. 

Enjoying your last year in university, falling in love with or befriending someone who will never notice you, dwelling on your mommy (or daddy) issues, that’s how your life was supposed to be.

One step after another, you were suddenly thrust into a world you’re unaware of.

“Welcome to the Pantheon, O chosen one.”

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

The Pantheon is rated 18+ for its explicit use of language, portrayal of sexual themes, violence, immoral behaviours, and more. This will be mainly written using the UK spelling. Author is not a native English speaker.

Story will revolve around religion. If that makes you uncomfortable, this is not the story for you.

Fully customisable MC (appearance and personality-wise). Are you dramatic? Indifferent? Or just tired of all the shit? It's all up to you.

You’re a rich kiddo! Choose how your family acquired its wealth. It will heavily impact other people’s perception on you.

Choose how you feel about the new responsibility posed on you.

Rebel against the Pantheon’s ideology or follow its doctrines.

Prepare yourself to put a stop to the ongoing [redacted]

Fall in love with one of the six hot romance-able characters!

Own a very cute (or strong) familiar!

Mummy (or daddy) issues or not? Your choice.

You're a demigod/goddess btw... (Your mum's the goddess of moon)

𓆩☾𓆪 Yudai Sakaguchi (25) | Romanceable by Female and Nonbinary MCs only [Portrait]

Yudai is a senior you bonded with during University Week when you were a wide-eyed freshman. With his charming smile, unshakeable confidence, and a playful glint in his eye, Yudai is the epitome of effortless cool. He always sports a smug look, as if he's in on a joke the rest of the world hasn't heard yet. But really, a guy like him couldn't possibly have any secrets... could he?

𓆩☾𓆪 Vivienne Ramos (26) | Romanceable by Female and Nonbinary MCs only

Vivienne is the daughter of your father's friend, and you've known each other since you were a kid—well, since she was a teen. Her confidence is unmatched, and you can count the number of times you've seen her smile on one hand. Even then, it’s more of a slight lift of her lips. Despite her reserved demeanour, you know she's always on your side. No matter what.

𓆩☾𓆪 Héctor Alonso (23) | Romanceable by Male and Nonbinary MCs only

Héctor is the recently hired right-hand man of your father. He excels at his job, almost to the point of perfection, and his annoyingly divine face doesn’t hurt either. He seemed to appear out of nowhere, so you can't quite figure him out. At least, not yet.

𓆩☾𓆪 Matyáš Dvořák (30) | Romanceable by all MCs

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𓆩☾𓆪 Genevieve [REDACTED] (27) | Romanceable by all MCs

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𓆩☾𓆪 Amala/Amrit Wadia (29) | Romanceable by all MCs

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Link(s): 🌕 Character Portraits (Artbreeder)

[zombidotcom]

Oc lore

First a time line,

2BC 

(Lilith is born)     

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 3 BC

 (Lilith's technical 16 birthday which is where the Battle Of The Eclipse, (battle of the eclipse is a annual war that lasted about 100 or so years with the Tais, Gods Of Hell and Memdall, gods of the moons. But as you can tell it only happens during an eclipse which is where the Memdalls and Phodos, god of the sun technically battle for about a year and another set of gods join in due to one side losing, in this case it was the Phodos.the war went on longer due to a lot of other where having children being born along with having to make sure people didn’t fucking die) /

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3.12 BC 

(Lilith meets her biological father which is Var'anoch the all mighty Tais. The whole thing was her mother, Qodhiho Thorzu, and her other dad where fighting and yknow Qodhiho had a reason to cheat (basically he cheated on her) and so to get revenge she had an affair with his brother, Var’anoch, got pregnant and had Lilith

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4BC(btw BC in her realm means before Chedite, which is like their jesus) (The Battle Of The Broken Love which is a battle between the Zitphine, Goddess Of Life & Death and the Tais, which the Zitphine are what Qodhiho is. Anyways, BOTBL is basically a war Qobhiho started (duh 🙄)  because basically Var’anoch wouldn’t pay child support.)

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4.30BC (btw the . so like 4.35 bc is like, 435 year)

(War ends ANOTHER ONE STARTS i love wars, Siege Of Last Resorts, this is like the final year of BOTE ends which is where Lilith join (disgused as a MAN.) which is where she uses Enchanted Sun Extracting Mime, which literally wiped out the memdalls and Phodos, creating Oros the only god of night and day.)

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4.31BC 

(Lilithis finally crowned a hero of her planet (Narth 9Y5L) her mother not liking that planned to kill her 👿. Awfully failing and it killed her daughter getting one of the maids killed. /which why didn’t she just blame it on lilith SHTEWPID./

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5BC 

(Battle Of Impending Doom, the battle the obliterated Planet Narth 9Y5L, causing everyone having to migrate to planet Beon 4Y6, planet of pixies, ogers, goblins, and the oaklans(tree people) the population of the Narth 9Y5L (The Anahel people) dropped from a population of 14.6 trillion people to only 4.9 trillion people. The civilization on planet Beon 4Y6 raised from 12.9 trillion all the way to 17.8 trillion, causing fighting over space and food.)

/

/

/

5BC 

(still during this time lilith was the one who brought everyone to Beon, got stranded on Narth 9Y5L almost dying before she found the final escape pod. When she got inside it immediately went into cryosleep until it landed on earth.) /

/

/

Uh whats next in lore?

[wutheringmights]

Okay, let's talk craft. CTB stuff comes up in this, btw.

As you know, it's important to study how other books are written. You know this. I'm too tired to go into detail.

Anyway, while good prose gives me ways to improve my style, I find that reading bad prose is a surprisingly fast way for me to find faults in my own writing. Every time I read a sentence I hate, I can easily cringe and ask myself if I have ever done the same things. You'll be amazed how frequently that answer is a resounding yes.

As mentioned somewhere in the word vomit above, one of my biggest issues with Daughter of the Moon Goddess's prose is the way it TELLS instead of SHOWS. Tann disguises the telling under a lot of pretty imagery, but that doesn't change the fact that you are still telling the audience what is happening.

This inevitably forced me to start thinking about the way that I write CTB.

While CTB is not written from the first person perspective, it's still from Warriors's point of view. A lot of the story sits the readers so deep into Warriors's head that you can see what his thought process is steo by agonizing step. I write paragraphs on paragraphs about what this guy is feeling. A part of me has always known that I was choosing to TELL instead of SHOW, but I had reasoned that as long as I kept the imagery pretty, readers wouldn't notice.

And see? Now you understand my quagmire.

So is my writing as bad as DOTGM? I certainly hope not, but if someone told me it was, I could see why. DOTMG is written from the first person perspective, which goes a long way to justify why the prose chooses to TELL-- the main character is telling us the story. She can say how she feels. However, DOTMG also has the main character tell us that a character is angry or jealousy. Nuanced character writing would allow space for the Xingyin's perspective of other characters to be wrong. But the prose never shows us she is. The characters are too flat to enable that.

At the very least, I try to make Warriors wrong about other people. While he may realize what a character is feeling, I attempt to convey information about them indirectly. This is where his unreliable perspective can come in handy. He's not always right. At least I try to show that.

I also try to convey that Warriors is not always right about himself. He can declare all he wants what his his feelings and intentions are, but there are times when he gets it wrong-- whether on purpose or intentionally. Everything with his relationship with Spirit falls under this category (there's a comment someone left on this past chapter about how they were confused about whether Warriors considers Spirit his brother or if he has a less-than-platonic crush, and I still need to reply to them to let them know that even Warriors doesn't know the answer to that).

I do think moving forward that it might be better to cut back on the TELLING when it comes to Warriors. I'm worried that if I do so now of all times readers might immediately assume that he's hiding something through his vagueness. But I'm more concerned about breaking this writing habit sooner rather than later. Again, I don't think I have done anything too egregious, but it's still an area that I could improve in.

So, yup. That's what I learned from this book. If you're looking to improve your writing, I suggest you also take the time to study the craft in books you love and hate. It's an essential skill.

If a book has a pretty cover, it's not allowed to be bad. Yet, that's exactly what I got from "Daughter of the Moon Goddess" by Sue Lynn Tan. It's a 1/5 for me, folks.

This was a really infuriating book to read because I didn't need it to be good. I just wanted it to be fun, and yet no element of it worked for me.

The plot was episodic at best and unfocused at worst. Plot points that could have been books within their own right were introduced and solved within the span of a couple of chapters. Think everything from adapting to court life to going on magical quests to seek out legendary dragons.

Not only that, but many plot points were solved by the biggest contrivances in the world. For example, our main character was able to spike another's drink with the petals of a flower she found in their garden WHILE on the way to trick them. This was premeditated. She did not know the flowers were there, but there would have been no way her plan could have happened without them.

Don't even get me started on how the villain's entire scheme only worked out for them by pure chance. They were about to give up when it turns out by sheer coincidence that the main character was going to get her hands on the magical plot device they had been seeking for hundreds of years.

Speaking of which, the characters were flat beyond belief. I don't mind characters being simplistic or even archetypes, but they have to at least be entertaining. None of them were. The love rivals were infuriating in how similar they were. Our main character could not stop narrating about how much she hates lying and how she was deceiving everyone, while at the same time never once thinking anything through.

How bad is she at thinking things through? Imagine it's 2010 and President Barack Obama killed your mom. You have sworn revenge. Then you meet Sasha Obama at Martha's Vineyard, and she invites you to her home: the White House. So you go to the White House, only to remember that's where Obama lives when you see him sitting in the Oval Office.

Not only is our main character dumb enough to do that, but she did do that. All of that actually happened in the story, sans two-term president Barack Obama.

The rest of the characters? Not worth mentioning. They were nothing.

The genre of the story was also very confused. There were times that the world seemed to operate on fairy tale logic and others were it was trying to be realistic. For example, the main character was immediately good at archery because her dad is a legendary archer. Alright, sure. I can get behind that. But then the villain's plot involved tricking the enemy kingdom into violating a treaty of nonaggression so that they could justifiably wage a war against them without their allies lending aid. Huh? That's their scheme? To avoid an international incident?

I'm not even getting into how the rushed plot points pushes the characters from a fairy tale to a court drama to a war story to an adventure quest without succeeding at any of them.

I guess I could call this novel a romance, but none of the romances work either because the author merely assumes you want these characters to end up together and, therefore, does not even attempt to show the characters falling in love. In general, so much character development is hidden behind strange time jumps of anywhere from a few weeks to whole years passing.

Most of all, the way this story was written drove me nuts. Yes, there is some pretty, flowery language that more or less passes as feeling old and magical. But no amount of metaphors can cover up that the story just TELLS the readers what every character is feeling. At no point does the prose SHOW.

(I have some extended thoughts about how this novel's prose made me contemplate my own craft, but it's late and I want to go to bed soon. I'll come back tomorrow with some musings, so look forward to that).

So, yeah. This is a no from me. I really tried to like it, but I mainly felt like I was wasting my time. I'll probably dump this book the next time I de-clutter my bookshelf. I'm just glad that I didn't buy the sequel when I saw it on sale.

[samireads]

When your book matches the colour theme of your house 😌👌🏻

[aevyk-ing]

I’ve finished Maya and the Three and whoa, that was great! Now that I’ve let it sit, I can talk about what I liked and what I’d have done differently. Overall, it’s a good series with a really interesting story, great storybuilding and... I guess the characters where okay. Let’s go (SPOILERS):

First of all, I have to say I didn’t like The Book of Life. It reminded me of The Corpse Bride, I found the characters boring and the design differences between female and male characters are too jarring. As I’ve said before, Maya has a good story, way better than The Book. There’s some pacing issues here and there but don’t distract much. And the world is incredible. Each one of the lands is beautiful and they have a lot of detail and work put on them. My main issue...

Character design. This gif summarizes it: male characters are mostly big, hulky, with grotesque features if they’re gods. And the female characters are tiny, thin, with big eyes and thick lips. 

Maya felt the weirdest for me because... sorry for this, but she looks like a Bratz doll. Also, she’s supposed to be the daughter of this big, muscled man with small eyes and broad nose. But nope, she still looks a lot like a woman that is not her real mother AND has exactly the same body shape as her when she was younger. That doesn’t make any sense. What are you afraid of? Give us female characters with broad shoulders, small eyes and big noses! BTW, I also didn’t like her character much. I get she’s a teenager, but something was off with her.

Zatz doesn’t look like his father either, but his design is so cool I can forgive that. He’s also a great character. I really wanted to see how they told his love story with Maya and they really needed one episode more for just the two of them spending time together, because they had like two interactions, then kissed, then are lovey-dovey during the battle (which reminded me a lot of Eep and Guy). 

Rico was good. Always love a good wizard story, even more if they’re struggling with their powers, and the Peasant Magic was such an interesting idea. I get he had to be the comedic relief but sometimes he, and other male characters, seemed dumbed down to make the female look smarter. Anyway, there’s also a lot of kids and babies designs that looked straight out of TOA but at least they spent more time making them different enough.

Chimi was... okay. She had a lot of potential, but they only let her make animal noises and made both Rico and Pichu fell in love with her. Speaking of...

...yet another underused character. He’s one of the lots and lots of characters who are big, strong and dumb. Like everyone else, he has a good backstory, but he gets killed too soon and doesn’t apport much to the rest of the story. And I get he was a Barbarian, but why did he have to talk like that? 

I liked the rulers of the other kingdoms and the gods had interesting designs, still with that big problem of the gods being animal-like and almost monsters and the goddesses looking like normal humans.

The final battle was great. I already knew Zatz was going to die, but Maya’s sacrifice was a surprise. Lots of great scenes here. I love the idea of Maya and Zatz getting another chance in life and love in The Book. Didn’t like the Queen having twins out of nowhere and then Chimi and Rico having four kids in a couple of years after the events (aren’t they supposed to be teenagers?). The Sun and Moon thing is neat, maybe I’m used to that kind of legends. If only they had spent more time on Maya and Zatz’s relationship, it would have been even better. 

Anyway, a good series, should have watched them sooner.

[shattered-glass-system]

Lost in Wonderland - System

Very Me - System

(& The Mirror System)

Our backup Blog

Our headspace (April 2022)

(Host/what remains of the OG, they/them) I'm Li/Min. I'm the newest host, since around 2018. I'm 17,19 & 180 years old. (I don't understand it either, dw). Pan/Poly/Aro/Ace/Trans. My fav colours are turquoise, lavender & mint. I love to listen to NDH (a form of rock). My fav musicians are Oomph!, Lord of the Lost, Hell Boulevard, Blackbriar, Lady Gaga, Melanie Martinez. I'm kinda old-school and known to live in the early 90's. DID/OSDD, AN, PTSD, BPD & RD. Also I'm autistic. My special interest, if you want to call it that, is Sims 3 and Wonderland themed stuff (Alice Madness Returns, Fran Bow etc). I love documentaries, especially about dinosaurs. And reborn dolls. (also sum collector dolls like rainbow high etc 💚) I'm an human/alien hybrid btw, so the body looks nothing like me. I know a lot of our history but would prefer not to. My interests are pretty simple: art, music, psychology, bunnies, gaming, linguistic and probably other things. I'm a trained child caretaker. Stoner/loves not to be sober. I have two different bdsm relationships to Yume & Satan as well as a girlfriend. 🌕🛸🧡

Li's nsfw Tumblr: WitchPlease-ItsMin

(Former Little, now co Host of the LiW System, she/her) Mi/Melody/Elody/Eli, ageslider/24, pica, heavy American (?) accent, I enjoy playing harvest moon, going for walks and look around for clothes I like. I'm still figuring this out. AN/D/A

My tumblr

My YouTube channel

More info on me

Melody's Instagram

[Picture below was drawn by Li and myself]

Ally, LiW System, ageslider, 13-17, she/her, girlie stuff is cuteeee <3 brown hair 💗 has a pink tentacle skirt, one eye. Either sister and/or daughter to Li.

(Protector/Traumaholder/Caretaker, She/Her) Laurel, VM System, 29, mom of the system, hetero. Loves Jazz and Rockabilly. One of the first 3 alters. Very sweet, loves the colour red. Picture of her, and sum more info here.

(Physical Protector, she/her) Xena, VM System, 28/31, lesbian, very strong, extreme feminist. She's not good with words tho.

(Main teenage protector, she/her) Clara/Claire/C, VM System, 14-17, bi, stoner/smoker/drinker. What C looks like

(Teenage protector/Trauma Holder, she/her) Nia, VM System, 14, AN/PTSD

Cecilia, VM, mute, writer

(Trauma Alter?/Copy of Abus3r) der Schläfer (the Sleeper), narcissistic, LiW System

(Inner manager?) Harmony, ghost/angel/goddess(?) LiW System

Eve & Loreley LiW System (?)

Mimi, Mushroom Alter, she is tiny, Melody's "Sidekick"/Innerworld helper. Picture will follow here LiW System

Tiffany, inner protector to Melody(?), blue ghost, split from Melody. LiW System

Our Littles:

-S. & L. 4 & 7, twins. Traumaholders. VM System

-L. A copy of the hosts younger self. LiW System

Host? The evil Queen. M System

Vicky, she/her, M System

Isa it/it's, Black Slime with tentacles, VM System

(Co Host?) Liana, human, she/her, ginger hair, green eyes. AN, SH, RD, M System

Lia, Co Host, more will follow, VM System

Markus the Hydra (just a nick), 38, VM System

Louna, poc, night/moon, VM System

Zac, introject (?), 17, LiW System

Mom/Mother, inner manager (?), VM System

The Shadow, 4buser part, M System, apparently doesn't communicate verbally with others, threatens sue/hom1c1de, exentric in his own ways (??), apparently enjoys playing harvest moon as well, will "play games"

Protector "The Psychopath"

(aka Marc)

Marc's Tumblr

Marc's Instagram

Snow/Snowy, Little (~4-8), likes birds, plants and the color white. Views Min's best friend as her caretaker/mom.

Judas/Mr J, he/him, Su1c/de Squad Joker introject

Belladonna, Witch, royalty like behavior, "humans are servants", Black hair

Atropa, sister to Belladonna

Selina, she/her Sirene, 16, dancing/quirky, adhd

Tommy, she/her, 5

Gesa, 30, long black hair, black dresses

[peaceisadirtyword]

Heathen V (Ivar/Edlynn)

A/N: Hello! I might have gotten a bit carried away with this(?) Sorry😅 I hope it’s not too boring though🥺 I was just going to rewrite the ending and suddenly... I had 1000 more words💀 anyway, I hope you like it!♥️ In this chapter I talk about norse mythology and christianity, and even if I’ve read about it (norse mythology, at least) I’m by no means an expert, so I had to consult some friends and people I know that are professionals. In any case, I’m sorry if I wrote anything wrong, please tell and forgive me.

Btw, thank you so much for your messages! I’m feeling better now🥰 I watched some videos of Alex and Marco and I calmed down a bit! I suppose I just need to relax a bit, it’s okay, but seriously thank you for your messages and for always being so understanding with me💞🙏🏻

Warnings: talk about religion, mentions of violence, war and all that sh1t... Ivar is too perfect I’d like to marry him but, unfortunately, I can't 

Words: don’t hate me but there’s 5492 words under this... I hope it’s worth it (?)

Heathen Masterlist

gif belongs to @therealcalicali​

For Edlynn, it was both scary and hypnotizing to see Ivar learning how to read. He seemed to understand things quickly and even if they didn't really have any materials for him to practice writing, Edlynn saw him carving letters on wood more than once, like he did with the runes. In a few days, Ivar could understand some parts of the books, even if he still needed help, and Edlynn remembered bitterly how much time it took for her to learn basic words and how many times the priest that taught her and her siblings scolded her.

In return, Ivar agreed to tell her a bit more about his culture. He talked about the Gods, even showed some runes to her, she asked him to show her their longships, and was amazed by the carvings and the designs. Sometimes, she'd ask him to translate some words from English to Norse, and soon became obsessed with his language, trying to memorize everything she could for when she went back home. Mildrith would love it. 

"Can we go back to reading?" Ivar sighed, raising an eyebrow when Edlynn asked him to translate a few words more. He had spent the entire day with Hvitserk and was on a good mood, but he was also tired. 

"Yes, sorry" she blushed a bit, realizing her eagerness was probably improper "Just one more, please" 

Ivar nodded slowly. He found her excitement adorable, and he had to hold back a smile more than once when she tried to repeat some words with a soft voice. 

"How do you say sun and moon?" she tilted her head, curiously "It's true that they are Gods for you?" 

Mildrith had told her once that the northman she had been with had told her that they worshipped the sun and the moon, as if they were Saints or Gods. And, for some reason, Edlynn became obsessed with it. 

"Those are two words" Ivar smirked "But they are Sól and Máni, and they are Gods, yes, but slightly different from the Aesir and the Vanir" he shrugged "It's a long story"

Edlynn waited a few more seconds, maybe expecting for him to keep telling the story. 

"So the moon is a Goddess?"

Ivar hummed, nodding. 

"She's a woman, sister to Sól, the sun" he shrugged.

"That makes sense" Edlynn bit her lip, interested "But, how can you say they are a man and a woman? They're not humans" she smiled softly, amused "They can't be man and woman" 

"But they are" Ivar frowned "It's like that story of yours about the Virgin, I've heard that one before, how can you tell she was a virgin?" he shrugged. 

"Because God chose her to carry his son, the one who would bring His word to us"

"You christians are too obsessed with virginity" Ivar rolled his eyes. Edlynn felt her cheeks burn, and cleared her throat. 

"It's a sin not to be a virgin when you get married"

"Yes, I've heard a lot about those sins" Ivar nodded "And I still think it's ridiculous, why would your God demand that you deny the pleasure of having sex to yourselves?"

"It's an act of purity, of faith" Edlynn narrowed her eyes. She knew the northmen were much less... Traditional, with these things, and sometimes she felt somehow curious. It wasn't a topic that was very discussed at the court, and much less at home with her father... Once, Edlynn and Mildrith saw a couple on the stables and asked Hilda about it. The nun was so angry at them that she made them pray for hours, and then made them promise they wouldn't go around talking about it.

"It's stupid" Ivar shrugged "You would be much happier if you forgot about that"

The girl pressed her lips together, a bit bothered. Ivar's smirk showed he was trying to get a reaction from her, but Edlynn wouldn't start arguing. 

"I didn't expect a heathen to understand it" she shrugged.

Ivar chuckled, shaking his head. 

"I've spent maybe too much time around christians to understand many things, but I still believe your God is weak" he licked his lips "Compared to Odin and Thor, he's weak and demanding"

She ignored him, looking back at the books and parchments they were studying. Finally, Ivar stood up, making Edlynn raise her head as he walked over to the bed, and sat down to take his braces off. She watched as his fingers worked quickly on them, freeing his legs. When Ivar started taking his clothes, she stiffened, blushing again, and stood up to tidy the books and avoid looking at him. If she had looked, she would have seen Ivar's amused smile. 

"The day and the night are also man and a woman" he continued, startling Edlynn. She turned to look at him, curious, but turned around when she realized he was shirtless "What? Are you also not allowed to look at me?"

"It's not proper" she muttered, looking down. During the nights she had been sharing his tent, she always slept with her back turned to him, and usually she would already be asleep when he went to bed. 

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?" 

Edlynn hesitated, but finally turned around. He was doing it to bother her, and wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing it was working. The sight left her breathless. Ivar was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen, but not only his face was beautiful; he was strong, she had already noticed it when he grabbed her for the first time. Edlynn tried her best to avoid staring at his beautiful hair, collected in braids and tied that fell down his back and shoulder. 

"Dagr is the day, and he's the son of Nótt, the night, Odin gave each of them a chariot that they can ride on the sky... And two horses, Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi" his own finger pointed at his chest, which was crossed by dark lines. Those strange drawings on his skin were normal among the northmen; she had seen those on their arms, necks, faces... It was weird but she had to bite her tongue more than once to avoid asking about them. 

Ivar had also another one on his back. Edlynn couldn't see much, but from the few glimpses she had caught, it looked like a snake. The ones he showed now had an intricate pattern, and she frowned softly while looking at them. 

"They don't look like horses" 

That made Ivar chuckle, but he didn't say anything else as she approached him, her eyes still fixed on his chest. When she was close enough, she raised her hand slowly. 

"Can I?" 

Ivar tensed, but finally nodded softly. Edlynn didn't know what to expect when her fingers touched the dark ink, but was somewhat surprised by the feeling of his skin. It was warm and his muscles tensed under her touch when her finger roamed around his chest following the lines. It was hypnotizing, and she couldn't feel anything else that wasn't Ivar. 

She found his necklace. It was always hidden under his clothes, so it caught her attention. The question was written all over her face when she looked at his eyes again. 

"Mjölnir" he answered quietly "Thor's hammer" 

Edlynn nodded. She had heard about that, and thought it would be something like the cross that hang from her own neck. 

Finally, she moved her hand backwards, almost like she just realized what she was doing and was suddenly too shy to keep touching him. Ivar's eyes were still fixed on Edlynn as she turned around, getting away from him faster than he would have liked, and soon she was laying on her side of the bed, with her back turned to him and her body tense and stiff, not bothering to cover herself. 

______________________________

Edlynn was amazed by the shieldmaidens. She had heard about them more than once, since she was a kid, and sometimes imagined herself with a sword when she watched her brother, Edward, train with their father. But when she said it once, during dinner, everyone turned to look at her with widened eyes. Both her father and her sister reprimanded her; the battlefield is no place for women, you're needed at home, praying and taking care of the children. 

Since then, the thought hadn't crossed her mind again. 

She also saw the two viking women training when they were staying with King Alfred. They moved gracefully, and easily defeated male warriors, it was entertaining and interesting to see, and Mildrith and her would always sit and watch her, but always under the stern gaze of their fathers. Once, the blonde woman she had often seen with Bishop Heahmund offered them to try. Edlynn remembered the soft smile and how she approached them. She was sure her face lightened up, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Lord Eldred was behind her, he gripped her shoulder with maybe too much force. His daughter wouldn't go near a sword, he had said sternly. And the viking woman sighed, shooting her a sad smile before leaving. 

But in that camp, even with her wrists tied and three northmen around her, she was free to watch as much as she wanted. 

There was a group of many women, training with her swords, axes and shields. They fought fiercely, but laughing and hugging each other, and Edlynn was amazed. She barely blinked and didn't know how much time she had been there watching them. The women didn't seem to care, and she felt more at ease around them than around the men. 

But when she turned her head, startled by some other sounds coming from her right, something else caught her attention. The first thing she saw was Hvitserk dodging a dagger as he trained with another viking. She knew that dagger, and soon her eyes fixed on Ivar, who was leant on a tree and smirked softly. He had a horn on his hand, and his eyes shone as they only did when he was around his brother. Next to him, Edlynn saw some arrows and a wooden bow, an axe and another sword.

He hadn't seen her, and she stayed silent and still, watching. He was relaxed, laughing and had a playful smirk on his lips. In some way, he was even more handsome. Soon, he got tired of just watching and grabbed the bow and arrows, tensing it slowly. His gaze was fixed on the tree in front of him, and Edlynn couldn't help but stare at him as his whole body tensed. She remembered when her brother learnt archery, when his arms were always shaking. Ivar didn't move a single muscle until he shoot the arrow. 

"Don't miss, brother, you have an audience" Hvitserk's voice startled both Ivar and Edlynn, and when his eyes finally landed on her, his expression changed. She wasn't able to point exactly what changed, but Ivar barely looked at her. 

"See something you like, princess?" 

Edlynn felt her cheeks burn, and pressed her lips together when she heard the guards and some other men chuckling behind her, refusing to let them see her. Ivar also smirked, leaning to grab another arrow. 

"I was just watching" she muttered. Ivar looked amused when he turned his head to look at her. 

"Want to try?" he pointed at the tree. Edlynn hesitated, knowing that grabbing a bow and shooting arrows wasn't proper. But then again... There was no one there to scold her, right? And probably, if King Alfred reached an agreement with them, she wouldn't have to see any of them again. 

She nodded softly, feeling a strange rush of excitement like the ones she used to feel when she was little and did something that was strictly forbidden. Ivar nodded at the guards and they let her go after untying her wrists. 

"I don't think you have done this before, am I right?"

Edlynn narrowed her eyes at him and snatched the bow from his hands, making him laugh. It was heavier than she ever thought, and nearly let it fall to the ground. But she could already imagine how much the men would laugh if she dropped the bow. 

"Turn around" Ivar ordered, and Edlynn obeyed slowly, still hesitating and nervous because of all those pairs of eyes fixed on her, studying her every move. She wasn't a warrior, but a noble lady that lived  in a castle, so her movements were clumsy and not graceful at all. 

She startled and nearly jumped when Ivar's hands touched her waist. 

"What are you doing?" she whispered, widening her eyes. 

"Don't you want to learn?" Ivar shrugged, an innocent tone on his voice that Edlynn didn't believe. 

His strong hands moved her effortlessly, and she tried not to blush even more when she felt Ivar's body closer to hers. She could even feel his breathing behind her neck. 

Ivar worked in silence, making sure she was on the right position before taking a new arrow. Edlynn frowned when she tensed the bow and her arms started shaking, even if Ivar was the one that practically held it behind her. 

"Stop shaking" he scolded her, and Edlynn could hear some chuckles around her. Some of the shieldmaidens had stopped training and came to watch. The saxon girl making a fool of herself, how amusing. 

Ivar's closeness, his scent and his body practically wrapped around her weren't helping. Edlynn felt her heart beating faster and faster as his fingers touched hers to position them around the arrow. 

"Now" he muttered into her ear when he was finally satisfied "Loose"

Edlynn tried her best to point at the tree, but the arrow flew next to it and got lost into one of the bushes. 

Everyone laughed. She could even hear Ivar chuckling next to her ear, and her cheeks reddened again. She glared at them and scoffed. 

"It's fine, you'll get better if you practice" Ivar had a smile on his lips, but Edlynn couldn't say if he was mocking her or actually being nice. 

One of the northmen said something loudly in their language, making everyone laugh even harder. Ivar sighed and shook his head, but had that small smirk on his face. 

Narrowing her eyes, Edlynn reached for another arrow, making everyone stop laughing and look at her with an eyebrow raised. Ivar had an even bigger smile on his face when she turned to look at him. 

"I want to try again"

_______________________________

Mildrith was furious. She couldn't understand why they kept discussing God knows what in that tent when Edlynn was held as a prisoner in the enemies' camp. It was true that she was more calmed now that the scout came back and assured she was well and unharmed. Mildrith always knew her friend would survive; Edlynn was strong and smart, but she also knew they could have hurt her in many ways. Especially Ivar the Boneless. 

She almost shivered when she thought about him. Mildrith had always wanted to see Ivar at least once, to see if what they said was true, but to be captured by him? Her mind had replayed every single story she had heard about that heathen from the women of York. 

Even that young viking she had had a quick affair with had talked about him; he was the most letal of the sons of Ragnar, a monster. 

And King Alfred knew it! He had met him more than once, he had been fighting in York after the Great Heathen Army killed both his grandfathers. How he had allowed them to keep Edlynn for so long was a mystery to her. 

Hilda kept praying, kneeled at the feet of what one day was Edlynn's bed with a cross between her hands. Mildrith didn't understand what praying would do, God didn't help her before and it seemed he wouldn't help her now. She was also angry at Him. 

More than once, she had wished she could use a sword so she could enter the northmen's camp and free her. 

"Mildrith" the nun sighed. She had dark circles under her eyes and her voice sounded weak. Hilda had barely slept or ate since Edlynn, the little girl she had raised almost as if she was her own, had been taken. She prayed day and night, hoping she would be well and no one would hurt her in any way "Please, stop pacing around the tent, sit here with me and let's pray"

"I don't want to pray" the young, raven-haired girl, clenched her fists, glaring at her "I want them to get out of that tent and go find Edlynn"

"They can't do that" Hilda sighed, her trembling hands rubbing her own face "The king is doing everything he can, Mildrith, and you know it, he appreciates Edlynn a lot, but they're asking for a high price, and he must think about the rest of the country too"

Mildrith scoffed. She hated it, she hated politics, war and negotiations. She couldn't understand it. They were in their own country! They were stronger! Why couldn't they just raise a bigger army to go and free her?

"We have do something" 

"We can't" the nun shook her head "You know we can't, we can only have faith and hope she will be returned to us soon"

The young girl sighed, sitting down on the bed. She didn't want to have faith nor pray, she wanted her friend back. Her only comfort was to know that Edlynn would have many stories to tell, when she came back. 

___________________________________

"They're asking for all of that, for a young woman?" 

Alfred raised his head, narrowing his eyes at the man who just spoke. 

"They're not asking anything, my lord, they demand all of this" he explained, slowly "And Edlynn isn't just a young woman, she is a dear friend, the daughter of one of my most trusted advisors and the sister to one of the men that I trust with my life every day"

"They want gold" Lord Eldred sighed. He was pale and had lost weight, Alfred hadn't seen him sleep nor eat for days "A lot of gold... And land, more land?" he sounded desperate. 

"Yes, but separated from the land I gave to Björn and Ubbe Ragnarsson" the king rubbed his face "They also want a truce, some time to settle on our lands" 

"That's the part that worries me" Lord Eldred shook his head "Why do they want time to settle? Do I have to choose between my daughter's death and a possible invasion?"

"We don't know if they plan an invasion, my lord" Alfred shrugged "For now, I am trying to save your daughter's life before anything else" 

"She must be so scared" her father rubbed his eyes "All alone, surrounded by barbarians, God knows what they are doing to her"

"Our scout assured she was unharmed, Lord Eldred, I believe him" the king softened his tone "Ivar won't hurt her for as long as we don't anger him" 

"I will pay as much as I can" Lord Edmund spoke for the first time since the reunion started "To ensure my lady's safe return"

Her father looked at her with a sad smile. 

"Thank you, my lord" Alfred nodded "The messenger is out there, ready to leave for their camp to give them our reply"

"What do you say, my king?" Queen Elsewith put a hand on his shoulder. Alfred took her hand softly and sighed, looking down at the table. For days, he had been thinking about his decision, trying to find the best solution for all of them. If he agreed, there would be consequences, Ivar would know he had an advantage, many of his lords wouldn't agree with him. If he refused, Edlynn would suffer things worse than death before her head was sent to them, he was nearly sure of that. 

Edlynn was a good girl. Responsible, obedient and polite. They had played together when they were children, and he couldn't stop thinking that it was Elsewith whom they wanted. Would they have so many doubts about saving her or not if it had been his queen?

He sighed. 

"I say we agree" he nodded "And that we will meet them in the forest to give them what they want in exchange for Lady Edlynn"

____________________________________

Ivar's arms hurt. It had been a while since he practiced so much archery, and the muscles of his back and arms were already sore when he retired to the tent. His face also hurt from laughing so much, and he didn't remember when was the last time he had laughed so much, probably it was when he was still with Igor. He couldn't help but smile softly remembering the kid he had learnt to love as if he was his own son. 

Before entering the tent, he could hear Edlynn whispering some words in English. He supposed she'd be reading, as she used to do since he let her read the books freely. He had to wait outside to force himself to stop smiling like an idiot before entering. 

Edlynn raised her head and smiled softly when he entered the tent. In part, it was because of her he had had so much fun that day, he never guessed that teaching archery to a saxon girl could be that entertaining.

She was also tired. Her arms hurt and she only wanted to get into bed and sleep, but at the same time every time she closed her eyes, with her head leant on the soft pillows and inhaled Ivar's scent her mind went back to his hands around her waist, his breath on her neck and the soft whispers with which he had guided her. She even remembered the small smile she had seen on his face when she had finally managed to struck the tree and her cheeks would redden. Now, seeing him entering the tent leant onto his crutch with clouded eyes from drinking so much mead, laughing with his brother and even letting himself take a nap next to the fire, made her heart beat faster again. 

"How are you, princess?" the playful tone made her nearly sigh in relief. He was still in a good mood.

"Tired" she muttered "But fine, it was... Interesting, to use a bow" 

Ivar hummed softly, sitting down on the bed as Edlynn closed the huge book she had on the bed, leaning to leave it on the floor, next to the bed, she kneeled behind him and watching him as he fiddled with the braces. She bit her lip, not knowing what to say but wanting to keep talking to him. 

"The men were quite impressed with you" he said, not looking at her "A shame we don't have time, I'm sure we could turn you into a fine shieldmaiden" 

Edlynn tried to hide her excited smile. 

"Really?" 

This time Ivar turned around a bit. His amazing eyes fixed on her curving lips before landing on her eyes. 

"Yes, I think you have potential, it would be though, we'd have to work a lot with those little arms and small hands, but we could do something" he shrugged "But we can't, you're too eager to go back to your castle, your husband and your dresses"

Her smiled faded slowly as he turned away once again. It was true she really wanted to see and hug Mildrith, Hilda, Edward and her father, but at the same time, she didn't want to say goodbye to Ivar. 

At first, she had been scared, even tried to run thinking those heathens would torture and kill her, remembering all those stories she had heard about the ruthless Ivar the Boneless. But that playful, blue-eyed northman that she had seen giggling with his brother, telling stories about his Gods and who had guided her until she had finally succeeded with the bow didn't look like the monster they described on their stories. It was almost human; a human with his own beliefs and ambitions that wasn't so different from all those men she had met in England. 

"Lord Edmund is not..."

"Not your husband yet, I know, princess" he chuckled "But he will be soon, right? Even if I would advise you to reconsider that marriage, taking in consideration that he didn't came to this camp to cut my head off for taking his woman" 

Edlynn chuckled. She knew Lord Edmund couldn't really make that decision, besides, she didn't expect him to risk his life for a woman he just met. 

"I can't reconsider anything, actually" she smiled sadly "It wasn't my decision" 

Ivar raised his eyebrows, nodding slowly. Then he moved to take off his clothes, and Edlynn looked away with her cheeks flushed. 

"If I was your father, then, I wouldn't give my daughter to a man that wouldn't die for her" 

"I can't ask him that" she smiled, his words warmed her heart "He barely knows me" 

"Wouldn't you prefer to marry someone you loved?" Ivar got rid of his shirt, and Edlynn couldn't help but take a look of the dark lines of his back, shaped like a snake. 

"I..." she frowned "I will learn to love him, he's... He's good, a good man, he's nice and handsome and... I'm lucky that he chose me, I know many women that had to marry old men that didn't treat them well... Also, I don't know anyone who married for love" she chuckled. With time, she convinced herself that love was built, not found. All those tales Hilda had told her when she was little were fantasy. 

"I married for love" Ivar muttered, almost like he didn't mean for Edlynn to hear "I did love the woman I married"

She felt as if someone had kicked her chest. Suddenly, she stopped looking at him and felt stupid for even feeling sad about the fact that he had a wife. Of course he had a wife. 

Ivar groaned as he laid on the bed, covering his legs with the furs and closing his eyes as he relaxed against the pillows. 

"I didn't know you were married"

Ivar opened his eyes, looking up with what she could describe as a heartbroken expression. 

"I was" he muttered "Some time ago" 

Edlynn tilted her head with curiosity. 

"What happened to her?" she almost felt bad for asking, but Ivar didn't seem to mind. 

"She died" his jaw clenched "She betrayed me and she died"

"And... how was she?" 

"She was... Beautiful" he almost smiled, and Edlynn bit her lip, looking down "She looked like Freyja, she was blonde and had blue eyes" 

The opposite of me, she thought, and immediately felt stupid for even thinking it. 

"She sounds pretty" she smiled softly, hating that sad look on his eyes. Ivar then turned his head to look at her, and blinked slowly, almost like he was realizing something. 

"I've only loved three women in my life" he shrugged "And one of them was my mother" 

His face contorted again, almost like it pained him to think about her. 

"And who was the other one?" 

Ivar's lips curved on a smile. 

"The mother of my child" he muttered "She was a princess, like you, but she was mysterious while you are not" he chuckled. Edlynn glared at him, but ignored his comment once again. 

"I'm not a princess, though" 

"Because you don't want to" he shrugged "You could be a princess, even a queen, if you wanted to, you are pretty enough to conquer a king" 

"Me?" Edlynn giggled, blushing softly "No, I don't think so" 

"You would be a good queen" he insisted "You're strong and smart, you respect people" Ivar nodded.

"I still need to find a king" she shrugged "Still pretty impossible" 

"Lord Edmund could be your king" Ivar pronounced her betrothed's name mockingly, as always. 

"No" Edlynn shook her head "He's handsome, brave and good, but he couldn't be my king, nor my prince, I'd have to find another" 

The intensity of Ivar's gaze burned her skin. Edlynn looked away, and moved to lay down and rest her head on the pillows, sticking to her side of the bed as she always did. 

"I never knew my mother" she muttered, changing the topic before the tension on the tent escalated too much "She died not long after I was born... She was from Ireland, from a place called Dubh Linn, have you heard about it?" 

Ivar nodded slowly. His people had raided that place more than once.

"So she wasn't a saxon?" 

Edlynn shook her head. 

"Her father brought her here when his lands were taken from him, trying to procure a good future for her and marry her to a lord, my father asked for her hand... At least, that's what they always told me" she shrugged "Father always said I have her hair, and that I look like her... I think that's why he didn't want to raise me when she died, I think it was painful for him... But I can't complain, Hilda is great" Edlynn groaned and rubbed her eyes when she realized she was talking a lot "Please, forgive me, I talk too much" 

"No, it's fine" Ivar shook his head with a soft voice, he had turned to look at her, and he felt like he was looking at a goddess. Maybe it was the mead, maybe the exhaustion, but he couldn't help but move a bit closer to her. 

"My mother died too" he added "She was killed" he clenched his fists in rage "She always cared for me, she always protected me, even when my father wasn't there" he had a small, sad smile on his lips as he remembered the, sometimes suffocating, love his mother had showed him "And I miss her everyday" 

Edlynn nodded. Even if she didn't remember her mother, she also missed her. And in some way she wished she could have had such a relationship with her, maybe she would have been able to explain to her what was that thing she felt, laying down on a northmen's bed and looking at him closely. 

"You and I aren't so different, then" she pointed out, smiling softly. Was it her or they were closer now?

"I suppose we are not" the thought seemed to amuse him "Even if we worship different Gods and speak different languages" 

When Ivar turned his head again, Edlynn was so close he could feel her quick breathing on his lips. It was nearly as intoxicating as the mead he had drank. 

Ivar's hand reached to caress her hair, making Edlynn shudder and gasp, almost like she realized what she was doing. 

"Is it not... Inappropriate to be so close to a heathen, princess?" he teased a bit, enjoying the way her cheeks turned red once again. 

"At this point..." she sighed, barely able to think about anything that wasn't Ivar "I don't really care" 

That made him laugh and his grip on her hair tightened. Edlynn wasn't lying, she couldn't think about God or anything that weren't his blue eyes and his lips parted. Without even thinking about it, she leant in while closing her eyes, and didn't stop until she felt his warm lips against hers. 

Edlynn had never kissed anyone, unlike Mildrith and some of the girls at the court, that were stolen a kiss or two in the stables or in a hidden corner of the castle. She never looked at the boys, too occupied with her books, her prayers and other important things. But she could understand now what the priests meant when they talked about temptation. Ivar's lips were addictive, better than anything she had ever tasted, and ignited something inside her that she couldn't recognize. 

The kiss was slow, passionate but also shy. They stopped kissing for a moment, but she had barely opened her eyes when Ivar's hand cupped her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek softly before he leant in again. And Edlynn had to put her hand on his warm chest to balance herself, moving her lips against his and leaning more and more into him, feeling like she would die if she wasn’t as close to him as possible. 

When they finally broke the kiss, none of them opened their eyes. Ivar was panting, one hand secured against her neck, to keep her lips close to his, and the other one had landed on her waist when she had leant into him almost straddling his waist, and his heart was beating so fast it was almost scary. Her forehead leant into his and Ivar sighed. It had been a long time since he had felt that warmth inside him. 

________________________________________

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[swanimagines]

🇫🇮 - I'm not too educated on Finnish mythology actually so if it's not too much, can you maybe give us a small overview? 🌼 (sorry if im spamming your inbox gfkwl)

Haha no problem! Nice that you found so much to ask about 😄

I don't know how to tell this as a small overview, and you can ask for clarifications if you want to because there's so much. So in Finnish mythology, we have multiple Gods and creatures for different things, just like in e.g. Greek of Roman mythology (almost nobody believes in them anymore, some people still believed in them in 1800's but those beliefs died off during last century, but the Gods are seen in names we give to our children). I'll list some below and I'll also tell the Finnish version of how the world began because it's hilarious in my opinion 😂

Also Kalevala is a collection of Finnish mythology stories, so if someone is familiar with it, they might recognize some of these names and stories.

(Googles a bit so I don't say anything wrong)

FIVE GODS (There are more but too many to put here)

Ukko - the "Supreme God", god of weather and the sky. Ukkonen means thunder btw. Ukko's name was originally "Jumala" which nowadays means Christian God.

Tapio - the god of forests, my dad's name was Marko Tapio btw 😄 Tapio's wife was Mielikki, she was the goddess of the forest and their son Nyyrikki was the god of hunting and their daughter Tellervo was also a goddess of the forest, like her mother.

Pellervo - the god of harvest.

Ahti - god of fishing.

Tursas - God of war, nowadays tursas means the most well known type of octopuses, the ones with eight tentacles.

CREATURES

Tuoni - Death, Tuoni came to take you away when it was your time to die. His wife was Tuonetar, and also their daughter was named Tuonetar.

Hiisi - a mean goblin

Näkki - a mean spirit of wells, bridges and ponds. If you looked at your reflection at a pond, Näkki could have taken you and drowned you, which was used to scare children from going too near to the water.

Perkele - the infamous Finnish swear word I also use often, but it actually might have meant Ukko at some point. In Baltic mythology, Perkūnas is Ukko's counterpart as Supreme God, also god of thunder. Later, after Crusades, Perkele was demonized and it was a synonym for the Devil and similarly to Christianity, Perkele was said to be the god of thunder but falling to sins and becoming the Devil. Nowadays the Bible has translated the Devil as "Saatana".

Also

Kullervo was a human and his story is so sad. You can read his story here, it's way too complex to put simply. Saying this because if someone has read Tolkien's Silmarillon, Túrin Turambar is his version of Kullervo and I think that's so cool 🤩

HOW WORLD BEGAN

Väinämöinen was an old, wise man who rode on a blue stag, some guy from Lapland shoots him because they hate him and Väinämöinen falls from his stag to a sea and he's sailing around in that sea for seven years, but he uses that time well and plows the bottom of the sea. When he finally gets up and lifts his knee from the sea, a pochard comes over and nests six eggs on his knee. When the pochard is hatching its eggs, Väinämöinen's knee starts to feel hot and he shifts it. The eggs fall off and break as they hit the sea.

That egg that had a lower half, became the earth. That egg with an upper half, became the sky. The brown egg became the day, the white egg became the moon. The shards of bones inside one egg became the stars.

[writerfae]

In light of me relistening to the Percy Jackson audio book here are my headcanons for what Greek God would be my ocs‘ godly parent in a halfgod au.

(It’s not much but I thought I share it anyway because I spend way too much time on coming up with all this)

Aiden: Son of Artemis

This is actually the perfect choice for him and you can’t convince me otherwise. I mean obviously the goddess of the hunt fits him well. Yes I know Artemis is technically a virgin goddess but let’s be real we talk about gods here I’m sure it is possible for her to have a son somehow…

Henry: Son of Persephone

Now hear me out: this is literally perfect because they are actually quite similar in many ways and they basically have the same story (as my friend @thegirlwithnonickname pointed out). Also Persephone is a vegetation goddess and that is also pretty fitting in my opinion.

Callan: Son of Selene

I mean… Selene is the moon goddess… and Callan has a canon connection to the moon… and the moon goddess literally saved his life by giving him some of her own life energy. So it just had to be Selene.

Talon: Son of Athena

This was actually the easiest decision to make because I honestly can’t imagine Talon having any other godly parent but her and I can’t even explain why. Let’s say the stars told me so. No really I think he’s just a lot like I imagine a child of the goddess of wisdom and war would be like idk.

Halea: Daughter of Nike

I thought the goddess of victory would fit her well because of her competitiveness and because she’s a warrior and all. And because she’s simply too much of a sweetheart to be a child of Ares. I definitely like Nike as her mom more. I like Nike more than Ares in general.

Maya: Daughter of Demeter

You know because Demeter is the goddess of grain and harvest and Maya is a farm girl at heart (I don’t know if I ever said that but she grew up on a farm). Also personality wise it’s a match, I think. Fun fact, she has the same godly parent as Ranva in this au what technically makes her sorta related to Henry and Aiden.

(Btw if you wonder how Henry and Aiden can both have godly moms but still be Ranva‘s sons, I have a story for that, too.)

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[theseerasures]

Do you think elsa and anna’s parents realize just how royally they fucked over their little girls or nah

i mean i feel like with the new Revelations the easy answer is probably that Agnar was always like, clenching his fists against a backdrop of forked lightning going “i must sequester my daughters for the Greater Good™” while Iduna was being Subversive Indigenous Mom by shaking her head and going “ohhhhh boy,” sneaking Elsa chocolates, and i dunno, letting her out to frolic every new moon

while the richer but more pessimistic answer is probably that they were each other’s perfect complements. she was the praxis to his theory; Agnar told Elsa “conceal it, don’t feel it, don’t let it show,” Iduna showed her exactly how to do that.

she didn’t tell Elsa that was what she was doing, obviously, but she didn’t need to. children notice these things, and what Elsa learned from her mother was how to be a queen: dignified, quiet, slowly fading under the weight of the crown.

as to if they knew: i think Iduna did. how could she not? she knew, and she bit her tongue, like with so much else.

Agnar…didn’t know until very near the end, because he didn’t know ANYTHING until very near the end. i don’t think about him very much, but i do wonder how he wrestled with it all: realizing that the goddess who saved him was his wife, that his wife was the people who killed his father, that the strange and alien magic in his daughter was also in the person he’d shared a bed with for twenty years.

i wonder, too, when he told his daughter you’ll be fine, Elsa on the morning they left, what kind of promise he thought he was making.

that’s where Elsa gets it from, i think: the tendency to make outlandish promises–wishes, really–that miraculously end up coming true.

with Anna, i think no one–not even Anna–thought she was ever that deeply affected by what her parents were doing. i think when (if) they talked about Anna it was to say how spirited she was, how resilient, how at least Anna, and neither of them considered the possibility that Anna was internalizing everything they were saying and doing too, and the pattern of her scars matched those of her sister.

in the end i don’t think it matters that much if they realized how royally (nice punwork, btw) they fucked up their kids. the deepest tragedy of Agnar and Iduna is that even in the moments when they did realize they still couldn’t ever leave their own head. every good and bad thing they did in the name of their children, from locking them away to dying for them, can be traced back to this one flaw. that their daughters could one day not only grow into independent adults but grow beyond them–eclipse them–is something they could never fully grasp.