#verse : withered rose

[yorprincess]

Desperation || @twiloid

There was a small etching on one of the walls of the cottage, dashes and slashes the size of a few centimeters. Each one denotes a day of hiding. There were only seventy-two...but those had been impossibly long days. Many were spent in silence, worrying for news, hoping and praying to go home.

Yor Forger had left without a word. Seventy three days ago she had gone to work and wasn't permitted to go home. Her Director, Matthew McMahon had pulled her into his office and...

She didn't want to ponder it anymore. This time as she scratched the day marker with the rising sun, she tried to push the growing sense of familiarity with the action away. Maybe this was going to be her life from now on. Hiding away, wasting away because someone had put a hit on her. The ridiculousness of it all (an assassin with a bounty) had stopped being funny after day ten. Whoever this person was, they were serious.

Yor was still recovering from injuries sustained in that encounter, which had led McMahon to take her from Shopkeeper's villa to this location. At first, she had been barely conscious, pain medication keeping her down while her body healed, but now she realized that that state had been a mercy. There were days when she was tempted to leave the cottage and explore the surrounding wood. She wasn't a prisoner, after all, something McMahon had emphasized several times. But, every time she tried, fear would hold her back. Maybe someone was watching at a distance? At times she could swear she felt the hair-rising sensation of eyes on her. Monsters in the closet. The hot breath of an enemy in the dark corners. She had carried a flashlight in her hand at all times even when she spent most of her time sitting on the cot or using the pottery wheel and clay she had found.

That had helped pass the time in the oppressive silence - at least until a few days ago...or had it been a fortnight?

She couldn't recall.

Her Director would come to visit once a week as he couldn't risk coming more frequently. Today would be one of those days, but Yor just felt exhausted. She only had enough strength to scratch the day marker before lying back down.

Wait...When had she last eaten?

She couldn't recall. Her stomach had stopped growling. What was the point if she would just be told she couldn't go home?

Knock...knock knock...knock...

The code reverberates through the empty walls and she let out a soft sigh, barely louder than breath. Slowly she pushed herself upright once more and forced her feet to hold her upright. Weakly, she hobbles in the direction of the entrance, towards the knock that has begun again in earnest in case she hadn't heard it the first time. Something that had happened a frightening number of times.

Her thin fingers flicked open the locks and slowly pulled open the door. Sunlight streamed in through the door, blocked only by the tall form of her director. His long face hidden mostly in shadow was turned towards her, his glasses hiding his eyes from her... but she didn't look at him long. Spinning quietly on her heel, she walked over to the kitchen to brew some tea. No words press harshly on her lips, begging for release. She knows the answer now without even saying anything.

No. I can't go home.

McMahon closed the door and crosses quietly to the table. He doesn't sit down yet, waiting patiently for her to return with the brew before giving her the updates she desires.

Though she doubts anything has changed.

As she places the teacup before her mentor, he smiles at her. It's small and filled with exhaustion, but it's nice. Especially when he reaches over and pats her arm in a fatherly manner. Who knew human touch could be so...

She doesn't have a word to describe it.

Maybe the girls would? Or Yuri? Or Loid and Anya?

Maybe not.

When she sits down, he takes a sip of the tea and clears his throat. "Mrs. Forger," He begins.

Please just call me Yor, She silently begs, knowing it will fall on deaf ears if it escapes her lips like the hundred times it had during the first days of her hiding.

"I've found a safe haven for you."

Yor nearly dropped her teacup. "Wh-what?" She croaked, her voice withered from disuse.

"The person who has put this bounty on you has a very wide reach, but I managed to find a place where they haven't touched. I have a few...distant contacts there whom I've been able to reach and they have agreed to take you in."

She blinked at the older man, partially not comprehending the words coming from his mouth, but hearing one thing very clear: she was leaving Ostania...without her family.

Before she can protest, he set down his cup and continued. "My contact recommended someone specific to help us bring you there. Tell me, dear, have you heard of Agent Twilight?"

[causalitylinked]

TAG DUMP FOR FIORITO FROM GRANBLUE FANTASY.

┕━ ❛ 🏋. muse »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡some people specialize in punches or kicks... but i’m good with both.

┕━ ❛ 🏋. wardrobe »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡my muscles and i both look very cute‚ don’t they?

┕━ ❛ 🏋. aesthetics »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡likes.

┕━ ❛ 🏋. musings »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡muscles don’t lie... but people do. that’s my approach in training myself to be stronger.

┕━ ❛ 🏋. music »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡i could see myself working out to this tune!

┕━ ❛ 🏋. in character »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡interactions.

┕━ ❛ 🏋. main »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡i’m going to bloom... i’ll be a single rose in full bloom. so wait for me‚ dad!

┕━ ❛ 🏋. modern »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡stay fit and get ripped... that’s the name of the game!

┕━ ❛ 🏋. headcanons »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡well‚ i love muscles in general‚ of course. but to put it in a nutshell‚ i just wanna get stronger.

┕━ ❛ 🏋. about »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡muscles are a lifetime’s work‚ you know! if i gave in that easily‚ rosa would wither in no time.

┕━ ❛ 🏋. answered »» 𝗙𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗢〡if you need help with numbers‚ i’m your gal!

[gay-dorito-dust]

Hey um if it's cool could I request, Welt, Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, Gallager and Aventurine reacting to reader to questioning their interest in them?

An example: The confession

Them: I have feelings for you Reader: ... Um *shocked*.. I feel the same but.. *trails off* Them: but? Reader: *squints* you sure? About me? Please reconsider your choice. Them: ...

thank you if you decide to do this! No pressure though!

Jing yuan would raise a brow before vaguely asking you to come with him somewhere he had been meaning to show you for a while and thought that now was the perfect time.

The place where he takes you was just like any other flower garden you’ve been to before but from the way the light glinted off of the waters surface, to the way the flowers blossomed in a variety of unique colours, and other small things like that made the flower garden look ethereal.

Jing yuan chuckled at your expression.

‘You see why I brought you here?’ He asks.

‘…no, not really, why?’ You replied, looking at him in confusion.

‘I’m trying to show you that while you may not think yourself as anything special, much like this flower garden, there are a multitude of unique things tailored to you that make you shine in the eyes of the ones who views you highly.’ He responded as he lends his hand out for a bird to perch on and softly smiled as it moved up to his shoulder where it sat comfortably, trying its hardest not to fall asleep.

‘For every flower is a beauty to behold regardless of their shapes, their size or their colour that even a daffodil can be considered of equal beauty of a roses in someone’s eyes.’ Jing Yuan continues, looking at you from the corner of his eye to see whether his words were sinking in. ‘And my flower believes themself to be a withering daffodil but to me, they’re a rose unlike any other. Stubborn, strong willed, but.’

‘But?’ You echoed, nervousness creeping through your veins as Jing Yuan moved in front of you and leant forward so that he was right next to your ear.

‘But they refuse to accept words of their worth and beauty from someone who cares about them very much, but I hope to change that soon enough, if they let me.’ He whispers as he presses a kiss to your cheek and pulling away to plant a kiss to your forehead.

Dan heng

While he’s happy that you felt the same way towards him, but felt his heart sink when you told him to reconsider his feelings for you.

‘If you are not ready for a relationship, then I understand, but I wish that you wouldn’t look down upon yourself when you’re anything but what your mind is telling you that you are.’ He says as he holds your face, thumbs caressing your cheeks as his eyes shone with concern. ‘Just know that I’ll always be by your side to resolve any issue you may have, for I do not wish for you to be burdened by this alone when I can help lessen it’s impact on you.’ He adds.

Dan Heng would do anything and everything in his power to make you see just how much you meant to him, even if it meant asking March to pull up pictures where his infatuation with you was glaringly obvious.

He would bring you poetry books and read out verses that perfectly describe his innermost thoughts and feelings towards you and how he views you on a daily basis. Dan Heng feels as though he could never convey just how truly unique and magnificent you were on his own. He’s tried but compared to the works of acclaimed poets, it just lacked fluidity in terms of the flow of words.

Everything else fades away when you entered his peripheral vision, almost as though he was made to notice your presence no matter where you were, only to just stare at you with a look that could only be akin to someone who had just found their other half after so long.

Welt would sit you down somewhere and want to talk about it because he truly didn’t think that these were your own words coming from your mouth.

He believes they were someone else’s and he hated that you had started believing this person’s words as reality, when they were the furthest thing from the truth in his eyes.

He wants to help you unlearn what everybody else has thought of you in the past because it doesn’t matter, their words hold no weight until you allow it to. No one’s perception of you was in any way shape or form a reflection of the real you, for every person you’ve ever had a positive effect on posses a different perceptions of you.

The only person who knew the real you was you but it was obvious to Welt that you might’ve forgotten who that version of you was by worrying yourself to death about the thoughts and opinions of everyone else. So Welt was more then happy to help you see that you were so much more then what you think.

He doesn’t know who wronged you in the past but they’ve left everlasting damage on your tender soul, but he was going to do everything he could in his power to show you the you that he sees every time upon seeing you.

Gallagher

‘I’ve got nothing to reconsider when it comes to you sweetheart.’ Gallagher was quick to tell you as he grabbed one of your hands, squeezing it. ‘Nothing at all.’

‘But-‘ you started.

‘No ifs, ands or buts.’ He interrupts you. ‘You’re prefect the way you are and I won’t hear otherwise because I’ll always go out of my way to remind you as to why i care about you, okay?’ He says as he lifted your hand to press a kiss to the back of it. ‘Just let me take care of you and get rid of those pesky thoughts residing in your head by telling them to fuck off.’

You couldn’t help but chuckle at this as you allowed yourself to find comfort in Gallagher’s side as you were greeted by his bodily warmth that made you into melting further against him. ‘I just don’t want to be a bother to you that’s all.’ You murmured, insecurity making your throat tightened, rendering it hard to swallow.

Gallagher felt his heart break for you as he brought his arms to your waist to rub soothing patterns into your side as he presses his face to the side of your head, pressed reassuring kisses there as he whispered sweet nothings as to why you were perfect, beautiful, sweet and caring of all whom you come across, whether they were deserving of it or not.

Aventurine

He understands more then you knew because the moment you admitted to liking him in the same breath as berating yourself, he was about to ask what was it about him that you liked exactly.

You were both in the same boat that was about to capsize from your shared self hatred for yourselves, but Aventurine would be damned if he let you think of yourself in any negative light when you’ve been nothing but a beacon of pure, genuine light for him since first introductions.

He’d much rather be the one drowning in self doubt than you.

He’d have you stand in front of a mirror and asks what you see.

‘Someone who’s lost themselves along the way,’ you answered solemnly, ‘someone who’s lost sight of who they once were because they were too caught up in the opinions of others and waiting on them hand and foot, only to revive nothing but scraps.’ You added and Aventurine couldn’t help but feel himself becoming infuriated, not at you but at the people who have made you feel as though you were lesser than, who made you feel as though you should be outcasted because you didn’t fit into their narrative.

However the sound of your sniffling brought him out of his need to get back at these people for you and saw that you were beginning to tear up and was quick to wipe them away before they fell. ‘Don’t weep for people who don’t have a heart, for they’ll always think themselves superior by materialistic means that they will inevitably loose to time and bad decisions.’ He tells you as he rests his head on your shoulder, looking at you through the mirrors reflective surface. ‘You on the other hand have something that they could never hope to obtain via money.’ He adds.

‘And what’s that?’ You asked, looking into his eyes and noting that despite their dullness, they were still the most beautiful and expressive pair of eyes you have ever seen.

‘Empathy, humility, compassion, kindness and an appreciation for the simple things that many overlook and possess the ability to see the beauty in broken things.’ Aventurine replies, his voice becoming soft towards the end, clearly referring to himself, as he held onto you tighter as though you’d slip from his grasp much like everyone else had. ‘So don’t compare yourself to others who should be looking towards you as an example instead.’

You moved your head to properly look at him, not use to seeing this side of him, so serious and determined to make you see reason. ‘You really mean that?’

Aventurine smiles as he kisses you on the nose, chuckling. ‘Of course! You’re my good luck charm, I’d be hopeless and in a whole lot of trouble without you.’ He says as he presses another kiss to your nose, adoring your expression as you scrunched up your face, muttering under his breath. ‘Cute.’

[thatgirlwbraids]

at your command by neville goddard highlights

the awareness of being is the door through which the manifestations of life pass into the world of form.

This is the truth that makes man free, for man is always self-im- prisoned or self-freed.

If you are dissatisfied with your present expression of life the only way to change it, is to take your attention away from that which seems so real to you and rise in consciousness to that which you desire to be. You cannot serve two masters, therefore to take your attention from one state of consciousness and place it upon another is to die to one and life to the other.

The second, as we are told in the story of Mary, is to “Magnify the Lord.” We have identified the Lord as your awareness of being. Therefore, to 'magnify the Lord' is to revalue or expand one's present conception of one's self to the point where this revaluation becomes natural. When this naturalness is attained you give birth by becoming that which you areone with in consciousness. The story of creation is given us in digest form in the first chapter of John. “In the beginning was the word.” Now, this very second, is the 'beginning' spoken of. It is the beginning of an urge – a desire. 'The word' is the de- sire swimming around in your consciousness – seeking embodiment. The urge of itself has no reality, for, “I AM” or the awareness of being is the only reality. Things live only as long as I am aware of being them; so to realize one's desire, the second line of this first verse of John must be ap- plied. That is, “And the word was with God.” The word, or desire, must be fixed or united with consciousness to give it reality. The awareness be- comes aware of being the thing desired, thereby nailing itself upon the form or conception – and giving life unto its conception – or resurrecting that which was heretofore a dead or unfulfilled desire. “Two shall agree as touching anything and it shall be established on earth.”

You are ever sent into expres- sion by your awareness and your expression is ever that which you are aware of being.

To do this you take your attention away from all that is now your problem or limitation and dwell upon just being. That is; you say silently but feelingly to yourself, “I AM.” Do not condition this 'awareness' as yet. Just declare yourself to be, and continue to do so, until you are lost in the feeling of just being – faceless and form- less. When this expansion of consciousness is attained, then, within this formless deep of yourself give form to the new conception by FEELING yourself to be THAT which you desire to be.

The only way to change your expressions of life is to change your con- sciousness. For consciousness is the reality that eternally solidifies itselfin the things round about you. Man's world in its every detail is his con- sciousness out-pictured. You can no more change your environment, or world, by destroying things than you can your reflection by destroying the mirror. Your environment, and all within it, reflects that which you are in consciousness. As long as you continue to be that in consciousness so long will you continue to out-picture it in your world.

you can only be to others what you are first to yourself.

but as your true self, a faceless, formless awareness, and free yourself from your self- imprisoned prison.

That is why it is constantly recorded that Jesus left the world of manifes- tation and ascended unto his father. Jesus, as you and I, found all tings impossible to Jesus, as man. But having discovered his father to be the state of consciousness of the thing desired, he but left behind him the “Jesus consciousness” and rose in consciousness to that state desired and stood upon it until he became one with it. As he made himself one with that, he became that in expression.

Just as a branch has no life except it be rooted in the vine, so likewise things have no life except you be conscious of them. Just as a branch withers and dies if the sap of the vine ceases to flow towards it, so do things in your world pass away if you take your attention from them, be- cause your attention is as the sap of life that keeps alive and sustainsthe things of your world. To dissolve a problem that now seems so real to you all that you do is re- move your attention from it. In spite of it seeming reality, turn from it in consciousness.

Become indifferent and begin to feel yourself to be that which would be the solution of the problem.

For instance; if you were imprisoned, no man would have to tell you that you should desire freedom. Freedom, or rather the desire of freedom would be automatic. So why look behind the four walls of your prison bars? Take your attention from being imprisoned and begin to feel your- self to be free. FEEL it to the point where it is natural – the very second you do so, those prison bars will dissolve. Apply this same principle toany problem.

I have seen people who were in debt up to their ears apply this principle and in the twinkling of an eye debts that were mountainous were re- moved. I have seen those whom doctors had given up as incurable take their attention away from their problem of disease and being to feel themselves to be well in spite of the evidence of their senses to the con-trary. In no time at all this so-called “incurable disease” vanished and left no scar.

“I am” is he that will save you. If you are hungry, your savior is food. If you are poor, your savior is riches. If you are imprisoned, your savior is freedom. If you are diseased, it will not be a man called Jesus who will save you, but health will become your savior. Therefore, claim “I am health,” in other words, claim yourself to be the thing desired. Claim it in consciousness – not in words – and consciousness will reward you with your claim. You are told, “You shall find me when you FEEL after me.” Well, FEEL after that quality in consciousness until you FEEL yourself to be it. When you lose yourself in the feeling of being it, the quality will em- body itself in your world.

“For I am not a God afar off. I am nearer than your hands and feet – nearer than your very breathing.” I am your awareness of being. I am that in which all that I shall ever be aware of being shall begin andend. “For before the world was I AM; and when the world shall cease to be, I AM; before Abraham was, I AM.” This I AM is your awareness.

“Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.” 'The Lord,' being your consciousness, except that which you seek is first estab- lished in your consciousness, you will labor in vain to find it. All things must being and end in consciousness.

Put not your trust in men for men but reflect the being that you are, and can only bring to you or do unto you that which you have first done unto yourself.

Man has always blamed others for that which he is and will continue todo so until he finds himself as the cause of all. “I AM” comes not to destroy but to fulfill. “I AM,” the awareness within you, destroys bother but ever fills full the molds or conceptions one has of one's self.

Life does not care whether you call yourself rich or poor; strong or weak. It will eternally reward you with that which you claim as true of yourself .

Such acceptance of your desire is like dropping seed – fertile seed – into prepared soil. For when you can drop the thing desired in consciousness, confident that it shall appear, you have done all that is expected of you. But, to be worried or concerned about the HOW of your desire maturing is to hold these fertile seeds in a mental grasp, and, therefore, never to have dropped them in the soil of confidence.

If you would catch that which is beyond your present capacity you must launch out into deeper waters, for, within your present consciousness such fish or desires cannot swim. To launch out into deeper waters, you leave behind you all that is now your present problem, or limitation, by taking your ATTENTION AWAY from it.

Another story is told us; of the widow and the three drops of oil. The prophet asked the widow, “What have ye in your house?” And shereplied, “Three drops of oil.” He then said to her, “Go borrow vessels. Close the door after ye have returned into your house and begin to pour.” And she poured from three drops of oil into all the borrowed vessels, filling them to capacity with oil remaining.

You, the reader, are this widow. You have not a husband to impregnate you or make you fruitful, for a 'widow' is a barren state. Your awareness is now the Lord – or the prophet that has become your husband. Follow the example of the widow, who instead of recognizing an emptiness or noth- ingness, recognized the something – three drops of oil.

Then the command to her, “Go within and close the door,” that is shut the door of the senses that tell you of the empty measures, the debts, the problems.

Recognition is the power that conjures in the world. Every state that you have ever recognized, you have embodied. That which you are recogniz- ing as true of yourself today is that which you are experiencing. So be as the widow and recognize joy, no matter how little the beginnings of recog- nition, and you will be generously rewarded – for the world is a magnified mirror, magnifying everything that you are conscious of being.

“I AM the Lord the God, which has brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; thou shalt have not her gods before me.” What a glorious revelation, your awareness now revealed as the Lord thy God! Come, awake from your dream of being imprisoned. Realize thatthe earth is yours, “and the fullness thereof; the world, and all that dwells therein.”

You have become so enmeshed in the belief that you are man that you have forgotten the glorious being that you are. Now with your memory re- stored DECREE the unseen to appear and it SHALL appear, for all things are compelled to respond to the Voice of God, Your Awareness of Being – the world is AT YOUR COMMAND!

[undertale-fic-librarby]

I found the AO3's filtering confusing, so I hope you can help!

Could you find any Killer x Reader fics that focus on him exclusively? Thanks, librarian for all you do! <3

Howdy, thanks for asking! Here are some fics that might fit what you're looking for!

Poor Little Meow Meow by Mystique, TallDumbass (Explicit, Incomplete)

Wow, this skeleton monster who came into the clinic you work at sure does keep adopting stray cats. He's kind of an idiot too, and his jokes are really inappropriate, and he may be a little excessively stabby... You maybe might possibly be falling for him though? But good luck getting him to express a single genuine emotion lol. AKA, two idiots who are bad at emotions bond over cats. A lot of cats.

SAVE | LOAD | RELOAD by Mystique, raven_bones (Explicit, Incomplete)

You fall down a hole in a mountain. We've all heard this one by now... But the vast underground civilization you find yourself in is empty and seems long abandoned, or at least you think it is at first. There is someone stalking you along the way, and he seems very, very interested in you. But you have more Determination than him, so maybe you can turn this game of cat and mouse around in your favor?

Élan Vital by Breadeagle (Mature, Incomplete)

“Something Slithers within the Fog, Something Scurries within the Mist. Something Found whilst on a Jog, Something Killed without Resist. One has come from beyond this Verse, Serpentine venom coursing through the Heart. One shall rise, in the name of Just Deserts. A Mouse Poisoned shall tear them both Apart. Obsession grows, one mind shall Break. Metamorphosis in fracture of angel’s Wings. Is it worth it for the Snake? For if the Mouse is poisoned, neither truly Wins. Thus is the Fate of Mutual Destruction.” A Story of Change, of the Descension from Heaven and the Path to Hell. You are an Agent tasked with finding answers for recent murders that have befallen your city. You wanted only the best, and you could never have foreseen the future that would befall you following this case. While categorized as Enemies to Lovers romance, please be mindful of the tags.

Bitty Bites by resurge (Explicit, Complete)

He’s the bane of your existence. Until that night.

withered rose. by paradiseblues (Mature, Incomplete)

in a small town on the further outskirts of Ebott lies a sweet and cosy flower shop. which you just happen to work at. a skeleton walks in, what's he looking for? a heart? no dumbass, he's looking for a 53 inch rose bouquet! get back to work! there's no punchline here. ... Where you, a hopeless romantic who sits in their lonely flower shop, encounters your favourite customer who apparently needs the largest roses in stock. Can you handle the idea of him possibly having a lover already? Or will you tumble down like a house of cards?

[mehreenkhan]

Hey. Can you please elaborate the meaning of your bio "bawajud e dil .... "

In the workplace of existence, the asset of the tulip is its scar;

The lightning of the harvest of comfort is the hot blood of the farmer

From bud to full bloom, it appears as the petal of contentment

Despite its collected heart, the dream of the rose is scattered.

How would the sorrow of impatience be endured by us?

The wound shows weakness in earnest and the flame has a straw in its teeth.

Bawajud-e-dil-jami khawab-e-gul pareshan hai

Is taken from the second verse of Colossus of Urdu literature — Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib’s Persian poem “کارگاہ ہستی میں ” where he describes the fate of the bud. [The following explanation is taken from various sources and none of it is mine.]

There are different explanations for the second verse and it is critical to read all of these to develop your own understanding of the verse.

Sarfraz K. Niazi from Ghalib.org explicates the verse as

The bud seems composed. Despite this composure, the rose is destined to a disturbed dream as it eventually withers away.

Syed Noman-ul-Haq from Dawn describes it like this:

A bud has all its petals closed up, held tight together, fully collected. Naturally, its dream is to bloom, to become a flower. But then, there is a cosmic paradox waiting to manifest itself: as soon as the bud opens up to bloom, it loses its collectedness; now its petals have lost the firm embrace of one another, thrown thereby into disconcert. What was togetherness has, in the fulfilment of the dream, turned into a scatter. Winds will further scatter the split-open bud — now a flower — by blowing away its petals, and bees and worms will invade its integrity to destruction. Recall ‘The Sick Rose’ of William Blake here: “O Rose, thou art sick ...”

As Francis Pritchett brings to our knowledge:

That is, as long as the bud openly shows its attainment of the 'provision of contentment'-- that is, its remaining happy through contentment-- how can this be known to happen? When this is the case, then the rose has, instead of 'heart-composure', 'anxiety'. And thus the bud has been used as a simile, and from that the aspect of 'heart-collectedness' is manifest. In the same way, the scattering of the petals of the opened rose makes manifest the aspect of 'disturbed'. And the rose's silence and prostration in fatigue show the state of sleep/dream. In short, since all these three states befall the rose, then despite its 'heart-collectedness', the sleep/dream of the rose remains disordered/scattered. And the cause of this disorder is that it broods, 'let's see whether in this realm of disaster the 'provision of contentment' is possible or not'.

Josh:

In barg there is an īhām . The reason is that it means 'leaf', and also 'wealth, treasure' [toshah]. In connection with the rose, barg meaning 'leaf' is the most obvious meaning. But here he has taken the remote meaning.

“What I really love about this verse is the second line. It stuck in my mind the first time I ever heard it. It has that great sense of 'mood', and so much flowingness and resonance! You don't even need the first line, in order to enjoy the second one very fully. In fact it's almost better without the first line, for then you're left to imagine for yourself the nature of the rose's restlessness in its sleep/dream. Then it's a line full of mystery, with a powerful ominousness that evokes for us our own similar fate.”

It is impossible to explicate Ghalib's poetry in a single post as he enjoys setting up fine, lucid metaphorical equations, and then subvert them or tangle them up. You can read a more detailed analysis here.

[camille-lachenille]

I was researching something completely unrelated but I passingly saw that hemlock means mortality in Victorian and modern flower language. And my brain immediately thought of the ‘Song of Beren and Lúthien’ in FotR, specifically the first stanza:

The leaves were long, the grass was green,

The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,

And in the glade a light was seen

Of stars in shadow shimmering.

Tinúviel was dancing there

To music of a pipe unseen,

And light of stars was in her hair,

And in her raiment glimmering.

Hemlock is the third element im the description of the glade Lúthien is dancing in, even before we learn her name. We have the long leaves, the green grass and the tall hemlock; two elements traditionally associated with spring and youth, and one heavily associated with death. In two verses we know everything there is to know about Lúthien: she’s youthful and she’s going to die.

The hemlock appears again in the second stanza:

There Beren came from mountains cold,

And lost he wandered under leaves,

And where the Elven-river rolled

He walked alone and sorrowing.

He peered between the hemlock-leaves

And saw in wonder flowers of gold

Upon her mantle and her sleeves,

And her hair like shadow following.

This stanza is from Beren’s point of view, looking at Lúthien. And fact he looks at her through the hemlock leaves tells us he is mortal. Beren looks at Lúthien through the lens of a mortal gaze, and thinks her otherworldly. There is an added layer to it because, in Victorian flower language, hemlock not only means mortality but also more specifically ‘you will be my death’. And, indeed, Beren dies in his quest to obtain Lúthien’s hand.

The last occurrence of hemlock in this song is in the fourth stanza:

He heard there oft the flying sound

Of feet as light as linden-leaves,

Or music welling underground,

In hidden hollows quavering.

Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,

And one by one with sighing sound

Whispering fell the beechen leaves

In the wintry woodland wavering.

I find this stanza more difficult to analyse from a symbolic point of view since it’s mostly a description of autumn and winter coming, but it certainly puts emphasis on the importance of this plant in Beren and Lúthien’s story. As I interpret it, and this is my personal reading, it is an allusion to Beren and Lúthien growing old together and Lúthien choosing to die along Beren.

In The Tale of Tinúviel, the hemlock is also extremely important in the introduction of Tinúviel, and it is more or less a description in much more details of what is hinted at in the Song of Beren and Lúthien from FotR. I can’t put the quote because it’s in French but, very roughly, it says that the hemlock is so tall and dense it looks like Tinúviel is dancing on a white cloud. Then, when Tinúviel sees Beren, she hides under a very tall hemlock and her white dress makes her disappear in the hemlock, looking like moonlight on the flowers. The imagery used in this scene is absolutely beautiful and I can’t make it justice, but what is important is that, upon their first meeting, Tinúviel is metaphorically surrounded by mortality. She is an Elf yet she will die. And Beren, who is an elf too in this version (a Gnome, the proto-Noldor, and I struggle not to picture him as a garden gnome), is doomed to die too from the moment he walks amongst the hemlock in search of Tinúviel.

Last but not least is the Lay of Leithian. Sadly, I don’t have the full Lay of Leithian so I can’t look at the meeting scene but, in an extract given in the French translation of Beren and Lúthien (Christian Bourgois, 2017) it is said that Lúthien wears white roses in her hair (Canto VI, verses 116-117) and there are a few other mentions of unspecified white flowers. White roses mean ‘I am worthy of you’, withered white roses mean ‘transient impressions’, white rosebuds mean ‘girlhood’ and a crown of roses ‘reward of virtue’. I don’t really know what to do with these informations since I don’t have the original text so I can’t say how accurate the translation is, but all of this enhance Lúthien’s ethereal, eternally youthful appearance. It also shows the association of Lúthien with white and light in opposition to Morgoth’s black darkness, I think. But I don’t doubt for a second that the hemlock is an important part of the place where Beren and Lúthien’s meeting.

Anyways, I just love digging this kind of rabbit holes in Tolkien’s poetry, because it gives us so much insight on the characters, and I am almost sure that Tolkien, who grew up in late Victorian England and loved nature, knew of the meaning of hemlock or he wouldn’t have insisted so much on it. I’d love to see if there is a paper out there about flower language/symbolism in Tolkien’s work because I am sure there is so much more of it than what I looked at today.

Sources:

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Song_of_Beren_and_L%C3%BAthien

https://www.gardeningchannel.com/flower-meanings-dictionary-from-a-to-z-the-secret-victorian-era-language-of-flowers/

J. R. R. Tolkien, Beren et Lúthien, Christian Bourgois, 2017

And as a bonus, the Song of Beren and Lúthien in music by Clamavi de Profundis: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=11_aneHVaz8&list=PLR5qYNG5Nf7WFbZ6wr-rr7gDnALA4C8mQ&index=19&pp=iAQB8AUB

[tomorrowxtogether]

In the name of youth! TXT dreams of tomorrow

TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s teasers that were released prior to dropping their new album entitled minisode 3: TOMORROW traces along the team’s past.

The first one, “TXT minisode 3: TOMORROW Concept Trailer Teaser” in which the members appear donning crowns is a nod to their debut song “CROWN”, while the photos and concept clips of the other three versions “Light”, “Ethereal”, and “Romantic” overlap with the many moments since their debut up till the present. “Light” in which the members look like young princes amid nature that they have all to themselves reminds us of the group’s early years, when they landed on the music scene as fresh, mysterious young boys up to their “Blue Hour” period. The members look like fallen angel-turn-rockers in “Ethereal” which reminds us of the rock number “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. Seori” where the members emulated young boys who got lost along the way. In “Romantic” the rose from the music video of “Good Boy Gone Bad,” which is a song about a boy’s overwhelming emotions over breaking up with his lover, makes another appearance except it has now withered and dried up. It’s indeed a “Deja Vu” much like the lead single off minisode 3: TOMORROW. The same events are repeated, but they’re not quite the same. TOMORROW X TOGETHER dance in the “minisode 3: TOMORROW Concept Trailer” just like they did in the “Blue Hour” music video. But instead of in a beautiful plain in “Blue Hour” they dance in a wasted forest with overpasses running through, trees strewn about. Things in the present have gone miserably wrong, unlike in the past. They are in the real world; the members jumped in willingly in the last album The Name Chapter: FREEFALL. Here, nobody believes that they were once young princes. 

“I’ve fun away countless times” in “Deja Vu” recalls the lyrics that asks us to run away with them in “Run Away,” that they want to run away in “CROWN,” and that they are running away in a gray car in “LO$ER=LO♡ER.” “Before our dusty crown” is reminiscent of “CROWN” and “A big crown on my, they aren’t hideous horns anymore,” and of the relationship between horns and a crown. “Deja Vu” is a culmination of TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s past. All of their pasts made TOMORROW X TOGETHER who they are here, in the real world. Just like in the opening of “CROWN,” there’s a Morse Code in the second track of the album that comes before “Deja Vu”: ‘- --- -- --- .-. .-. --- .—’. This signal that marked the team's appearance is still being sent out today. However, the signals in “Deja Vu” are “Morse Codes from the ruins” The boys have come to the present from the past, from fantasy to reality, but their present, right here is in ruins. The brutal reality of the present demolishes all the good times, just like the waves erode the sand. The beat and melody of “Deja Vu” continue, like Morse Codes sent from the past reaching us in the present. However, just like TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s past that is reflected in “Deja Vu”, the past that remains in their memories stops them from accepting reality just as it is. They want to keep believing that they were young princes, even if nobody would believe them. And reality is here to aggressively eliminate this wish. This is how they become overcome with an emotion that is neither just sadness nor rage. While “Deja Vu” is a mix of lazy trap and emo-rock, it is more of a combination of complex feelings than a simple mash up of genres. The slow buildup of pent-up emotions along with the beat erupts in the latter half of the second verse in an emo-rock sound with guitars and drums at the fore. It seems like we are severed from our past, but the past can also be the driver that awakens our emotions that have been suppressed by reality. It can create the miracle of tomorrow like in “Miracle,” the track that follows “Deja Vu.” The emotions that are repressed in “Deja Vu” climaxes in the second half of the second verse, then transforms into a bright explosive rock sound in “Miracle” - “tomorrow is visible when your eyes are closed.” We’re not sure if this miracle of tomorrow will ever come true. But like in the last track “Quarter Life,” save for the acoustic rendition of “Deja Vu,” “Deja Vu (Anemoia Remix),” they are in fact stumbling through a dark time, just “a quarter way into a long, long tunnel,” which is quite a far way from nine and three quarters. The adults say, “you only get these beautiful days of youth now,” failing to understand the younger generation, but the boys want to shout out “which way do we go”?! TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s past journey that has been compiled into minisode 3: TOMORROW flips the young people’s relationship with the past and the present, their dreams and reality. Adults in the real world say that young princes don’t exist, that we need to live in the real world. But minisode 3: TOMORROW tells us that all our dreams and love of the past is the way to a “tomorrow” that transcends reality. Young boys who are born in the age of hip hop meets rock to leap into tomorrow. 

Once you’ve listened to the whole album, go back to the first track “I'll See You There Tomorrow” and give it another listen. While you may not know which way to go and things may feel bleak, “Quarter Life” tells you to tells you to wander a little, work your way through it, then “I'll See You There Tomorrow” tells the young child who told me “see you again tomorrow” when “I wanted to run away,” and says “I believe that we are meant to be, it’s okay if you’re late, I will always wait for you tomorrow.”  In this moment, “I'll See You There Tomorrow” becomes the last moment when TOMORROW X TOGETHER passes through the dark reality and reaches “tomorrow” together, while showing us a glimpse into TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s future as the first track of the album. Reality is depressing, miserable. But future TOMORROW X TOGETHER invites themselves in the present, and the child that says “see you again tomorrow” to the beyond. The explosive voice from "Deja Vu” expresses the overwhelming emotion of tomorrow’s arrival without too much strain, accompanied by electronic sounds. 

TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s journey has been moving through the dreamy past and the present reality, and towards the future. minisode 3: TOMORROW encompasses the past, present and future all in one album to show us that the young boys are about to embark on a new journey. It seems like they have made it through a quarter of their lives in reality, but in the far future, they may be completely different luminous people. Like the message of the fourth concept trailer “Promise,” reaching what is “beyond” together is all a part of the youthful days shared by TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s generation. 

[no-shxme]

my eyes hurt too much to look at google docs so instead i made a maybe controversial tier list of talon skins using @lcathia 's list.

extra opinions below, just cause:

high noon and enduring blade are so smooth to use in game (enduring especially, even if the model's a bit crusty) but most of all i love how thematically it gives talon so much room to breathe. like the amount of kicking off points and extra headcanons both these skins spawn for me is soooo good and there's so much story potential. i like high noon a little more (cowboy bias) but enduring screams autism to me so i love them both. (also enduring sword talon can be mashed together with obsidian dragon sett so)

withered rose talon is a smooth skin but his splash looks way too much like kayn for me. and his thematic is a little shallow. in game he's cute though and he's got that one chroma with the collar. dragonblade talon is underrated and (most) of his chinese chroma splashes are sooo cute.

talon blackwood is cute in and out of game but i don't like fantasy/dnd much. (scream)

ssw talon is just a stand-in until talon gets an actual modern verse skinline.

i dont even know what this next skin is called i always call him homeless talon. he's ugly but if im jungling then its the one i use. ugly ass.

i think this is controversial but i dont like blood moon. snow moon is cooler and i think talon would be there instead if he didnt already have one, but i dont like bm much as a thematic. and i think this skin is ugly, he looks like a frog. (??? how? i dont know.) something about prestige high noon's pose fucks with me, though the quality of the splash is insane. i dont like his head and i miss when he had the undershirt. prestige icon is cute tho. and then crimson guard.... crimson elite(??) talon... idk, what is there even to say.

dude the primal ambush icon is soooo cute to me and i looove the idea that he gets to be in the catboy spotlight but man this was such a miss for me. thematically SO shallow, and the splashart looks a lil funky imo. his hair being the same color as the fluff on his cape implies that he used his own hair to make it and his hair is so fucked the way it sticks up like that. armblade design was cool i guess but i dont like the colors of the whole thing and it was such a letdown for me. idc im a hater, if you liked it then im happy for you.

oh and i know this isn't a Real skin or anything but..

THIS SKIN IS SO CUTE and i would LOVE IT IN SR IM NOT IMMUNE. it would be wrong to put it in top tier due to it not being a real skin/having a bio but the amount of hc/words this has spawned already deserves it tbh. please i beg you

thanks if you read this. feel free to disagree, s just my opinion.

[raointean]

Sindar Week Day 2: Folklore

I learned about alliterative verse poetry last semester and fell in LOVE with it, and it turned out Tolkien did to, as a small chunk of his poetry is in that style. He mostly used it for the Rohirrim, but I decided "screw it, this is fanfiction. The Sindar can do it too." I also like thinking about what the Sindar thought of the first sunrise, since they didn't have the context of the Darkening of Valinor, Morgoth's rampage, and the making of the sun and moon.

This is the folk story I think they would have come up with, complete with a drawing!

Dŷlfôf ignited you outside Dear Doriath.

Made for Warmth While he Worshiped,

Singing to Sparks in the Sky,

You Waited, Withering, Wordless.

Never turning, Dŷlfôf Neglected you.

Fury Fanned your Flickering embers

And a Vow of Vengeance was Voiced.

“Splendid Stars above Sparkle indeed,

But they do not Blaze with the same Brio.

Great, shall I Grow. Gargantuan, to kill

Those Little Lights so Lofty.

Then, you will Venerate my Vivid Visage.”

With your Violent Vow now Voiced,

You Bound Beyond the Borders of kindling

Onto the Open plains Afore you.

You Burned the many-Bladed Brush,

Consumed every Corner of that Country

Until your Aurora Extinguished the Eyes Above.

Only then did Dŷlfôf Divert his gaze

From the Hallowed Heavens’ Heights

To your Wroth, Radiating, Resplendence.

Instead of the Adoration you Expected,

Fear Filled Dŷlfôf’s Face

And he Fled your Fierce Flames.

He Called to the Constellations, the Coward,

For Protection from his own Progeny’s Power.

Furious, you Flooded the Flat plains,

Set your Sights on the Stars,

And Howled your Hurts to the Heavens.

“My Maker has Mistreated Me!

For Your sake, he Used me Wretchedly!

Now, I Come to Kill you Constellations,

Drown you in your Dark Domain.”

But, the Breadth of air was too far to Bound

So you Set out, Searching for a Summit

Leaving Wounds of Woe in your Wake.

By the Sea, you reached Such a Spire

And Hurled yourself into the Hateful Heights.

Elbereth’s Eyes Extinguished.

The Sky Spread, Cerulean, before you.

Far you Flew to vanquish your Foes,

Whooping as you Whirled across the Wilds.

Below the Blue you Brought

Kingdoms Cowered in Confusion

And Grief for their Goddess’ lost Gaze.

For Awhile, your Anger was Appeased;

The Stars were Sequestered behind the Sky

And you Subjugated the Ceaseless Space

Until, in the Outlying East,

You Started to Sink.

Eventually, you Alighted on an Eminent peak:

Sapped, Spent, Subdued.

Weary, but not Willing to Withdraw,

You Gathered your Grit to Go

And Flung yourself up to Fly Forth again.

For Awhile, your Anger was Appeased;

The Stars were Sequestered behind the Sky

And you Subjugated the Ceaseless Space.

You Soared over the Summit you had Seen,

Whisked West across the Waves,

Glid across Glens in the Gods’ lands,

And, at last, to the Edge of Evening.

Startled at the Sudden Scarp

The Treacherous sea failed to Check your Charge

And you Fell to the Foundations Forgotten.

Again, Arda’s skies Alight with stars.

Again, Fire Forgone in their Favor.

Again, Fury, Flight, but this time Furtive.

Under Arda, you crept East

Your Scraped Soffit Stained the Sky

From Indigo to Amaranth with Ichor,

But you Rose again, Robust and Ready.

And, for Awhile, your Anger was Appeased;

The Stars were Sequestered behind the Sky

And you Subjugated the Ceaseless Space.

You Soared over the Summit you had Seen,

Whisked West across the Waves,

Glid across Glens in the Gods’ lands,

And, at last, to the Edge of Evening…

I kinda tried to base this drawing on petroglyphs, to get that ancient feel. Also, I think "the eyes of Elbereth" is one of the coolest things I've ever come up with!

@sindarweek

[yorprincess]

If this is the closest I - a sinner with too much blood on my hands - can get to Heaven... To true happiness, to feel needed, wanted, cherished, and desired... I want this memory to be sealed away in my mind forever. If there is only one memory, one moment I can take with me when I inevitably pass into the abyss, I want it to be this.

To know and remember that, even for a moment, someone wanted me. Not just what I could give them, but in spite of that.

To know that my existence mattered to someone besides my dearest brother.

To remember that to Anya and to Loid, my brute strength was a source of comfort rather than fear.

To remember that in a moment when I could have been replaced, I wasn't.

To remember that I didn't want to leave them, that they matter too much for me to just let them go... though it maybe something I would need to do in the future.

But for now, in the basking light of the streetlight and sitting on a bench besides Loid, I'll keep soaking in this memory. Basking in it, memorizing it.

So when things inevitably come crashing down...

~~~~~~~~🥀~~~~~~~~

The lights of the cottage are dimmed, almost the same shade of color as that street lamp. Yor was curled on the cot, left shoulder aching as she tried to wrap her arms around her knees, her face pressed against her legs, tears streaming down her face.

She can't go home.

She can never go home.

Not after what happened to Garden. Her cover blown to smithereens, though Loid and Anya were safe as long as she stayed away.

I'll remember and understand.

What it means to love and lost...

And dare to hope that my family will forgive me.

[rosewaterandivy]

a fool without a cause | track 1: the plan (fuck jobs)

🎶 My body is a temple, how much d’ya think I could get for it? 🎶

summary: a meet ugly

word count: <700 words

warnings: 18 + for eventual smut, empire records AU | The gang are in their early twenties, college-aged, cursing, name calling, vague mentions of crime

a/n: ah yes, this brainrot sees the light of day. here we go!

Series masterlist | Playlist | Currently spinning: 

Eddie Munson was decidedly not a morning person.

So his presence at the old opera house of Recycled Books & Records before his usual shift was startling, to say the least. Even more so was the fact that he seemed to be awake.

Smoking a cigarette by the service entrance of the building as the sleepy town of Hawkins rose to greet a new day. Leaning against the wall like he could not be bothered to hold himself upright in his usual spot near the graffiti’d red devil. Just minding his own business, enjoying the last drag from his cigarette when a Prius careened around the corner like a bat out of hell.

He stubbed out his cigarette in an abandoned planter that had long ago been sacrificed for the cause. RIP Audrey II. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the wall waiting to see who emerged from the car. It was well-maintained, from what he could tell, a ding or two on the bumper with a sticker that proclaimed ‘Ask me about my lobotomy!’

It also had an above-average stereo system, based on the volume and reverb of the baseline thumping from the car. Eddie could just make out the driver in the front seat singing to themselves as they flipped the visor down to mess with their hair. He can faintly hear the impassioned exclamation of “There will be feasting and dancing in Jerusalem next year!”

The driver bopped in their seat to the rest of the song and donned a pair of wayfarers that would give Harrington a run for his money. The engine was finally cut, and the door opened and you stepped out, still singing the final verse of the song you made your way to the sidewalk in front of the store.

Eddie straightened up a bit at that. Around his age, if he had to guess, give or take. Sporting denim cut-offs, Converse that had been beat to hell, and a flannel tied into some sort of cropped thing which he very much approved of. Now, it wasn’t that this mystery girl hadn’t intrigued him, just a rather unfortunate case of foot-in-mouth-syndrome.

Case in point:

“What the hell were you listening to?”

And yeah, that was on him. His tone could’ve been more genial and less frustration laced with exhaustion. He scrubs a hand down his face, mortified at his implication.

A slow turn accompanied by a withering stare. “Excuse me?”

“Sounded like some indie shit.” He leans against the wall again, “Weird choice of hype song s’all I’m saying.”

“Huh,” You scoff. “Well, I don’t recall asking for your opinion, dickbag.”

“Woah there, sweetheart! Wouldn’t wanna give a guy the wrong idea there.” He shoves his bands in his pockets, “I mean, at least it wasn’t Fall Out Boy or something.”

“Fall Out Boy is pop-punk, first of all.” Followed by a huff, an arched brow and crossed arms. “My apologies for not rolling through with Between the Buried and Me or some other prog-metal bullshit, I didn’t realize I’d be in the presence of the arbiter of taste this morning.”

Oh.

Eddie likes the scathing bite to your retort more than he should. He appreciates a good banter, thinks you can give as good as you can take.

He shrugs, benevolently. “S’not your fault you don’t have good taste. Can’t win ‘em all.”

“Isn’t it time you drop dead from emphysema or something?”

And before he can reply and dig himself in deeper, Hopper unlocks the front doors of the store. Without so much as a goodbye, you turn on your heel and leave.

Great job Munson, another successful human interaction!

Eddie yanks open the service door and stomps into the employee lounge. And makes himself comfortable on the couch, mentally replaying the interaction and highlighting everywhere he’d gone wrong.

On the bright side, at least he’d never have to see you again.

Famous last words.

[seasonalflowerr]

This little bug says trick or treat to u what do u do

sorry, i'm a little late! omg... bug... i love this little thang.. bumblebee... anyway. here you go, my friend. :)

THESEUS Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace. Four happy days bring in Another moon. But, O, methinks how slow This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires Like to a stepdame or a dowager Long withering out a young man’s revenue. HIPPOLYTA  Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow New-bent in heaven, shall behold the night Of our solemnities. THESEUS  Go, Philostrate, Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments. Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth. Turn melancholy forth to funerals; The pale companion is not for our pomp. [Philostrate exits.] Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword And won thy love doing thee injuries, But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling.

[Enter Egeus and his daughter Hermia, and Lysander   and Demetrius.] EGEUS  Happy be Theseus, our renownèd duke!

THESEUS  Thanks, good Egeus. What’s the news with thee? EGEUS  Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia.— Stand forth, Demetrius.—My noble lord, This man hath my consent to marry her.— Stand forth, Lysander.—And, my gracious duke, This man hath bewitched the bosom of my child.— Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her rhymes And interchanged love tokens with my child. Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung With feigning voice verses of feigning love And stol’n the impression of her fantasy With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gauds, conceits, Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats—messengers Of strong prevailment in unhardened youth. With cunning hast thou filched my daughter’s heart, Turned her obedience (which is due to me) To stubborn harshness.—And, my gracious duke, Be it so she will not here before your Grace Consent to marry with Demetrius, I beg the ancient privilege of Athens: As she is mine, I may dispose of her, Which shall be either to this gentleman Or to her death, according to our law Immediately provided in that case. THESEUS  What say you, Hermia? Be advised, fair maid. To you, your father should be as a god, One that composed your beauties, yea, and one To whom you are but as a form in wax By him imprinted, and within his power To leave the figure or disfigure it. Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.

HERMIA  So is Lysander.

THESEUS  In himself he is, But in this kind, wanting your father’s voice, The other must be held the worthier. HERMIA  I would my father looked but with my eyes. THESEUS  Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.

HERMIA  I do entreat your Grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold, Nor how it may concern my modesty In such a presence here to plead my thoughts; But I beseech your Grace that I may know The worst that may befall me in this case If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

THESEUS  Either to die the death or to abjure Forever the society of men. Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires, Know of your youth, examine well your blood, Whether (if you yield not to your father’s choice) You can endure the livery of a nun, For aye to be in shady cloister mewed, To live a barren sister all your life, Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon. Thrice-blessèd they that master so their blood To undergo such maiden pilgrimage, But earthlier happy is the rose distilled Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn, Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness.

HERMIA  So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, Ere I will yield my virgin patent up Unto his Lordship whose unwishèd yoke My soul consents not to give sovereignty.

THESEUS  Take time to pause, and by the next new moon (The sealing day betwixt my love and me For everlasting bond of fellowship), Upon that day either prepare to die For disobedience to your father’s will, Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would, Or on Diana’s altar to protest For aye austerity and single life. DEMETRIUS  Relent, sweet Hermia, and, Lysander, yield Thy crazèd title to my certain right.

LYSANDER  You have her father’s love, Demetrius. Let me have Hermia’s. Do you marry him.

EGEUS  Scornful Lysander, true, he hath my love; And what is mine my love shall render him. And she is mine, and all my right of her I do estate unto Demetrius.

LYSANDER, to Theseus  I am, my lord, as well derived as he, As well possessed. My love is more than his; My fortunes every way as fairly ranked (If not with vantage) as Demetrius’; And (which is more than all these boasts can be) I am beloved of beauteous Hermia. Why should not I then prosecute my right? Demetrius, I’ll avouch it to his head, Made love to Nedar’s daughter, Helena, And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes, Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry, Upon this spotted and inconstant man. THESEUS  I must confess that I have heard so much, And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof; But, being overfull of self-affairs, My mind did lose it.—But, Demetrius, come, And come, Egeus; you shall go with me. I have some private schooling for you both.— For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself To fit your fancies to your father’s will, Or else the law of Athens yields you up (Which by no means we may extenuate) To death or to a vow of single life.— Come, my Hippolyta. What cheer, my love?— Demetrius and Egeus, go along. I must employ you in some business Against our nuptial and confer with you Of something nearly that concerns yourselves.

EGEUS  With duty and desire we follow you. [All but Lysander and Hermia exit]

LYSANDER  How now, my love? Why is your cheek so pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast?

HERMIA  Belike for want of rain, which I could well Beteem them from the tempest of my eyes.

LYSANDER  Ay me! For aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth. But either it was different in blood— HERMIA  O cross! Too high to be enthralled to low. LYSANDER  Or else misgraffèd in respect of years— HERMIA  O spite! Too old to be engaged to young. LYSANDER  Or else it stood upon the choice of friends— HERMIA  O hell, to choose love by another’s eyes! LYSANDER  Or, if there were a sympathy in choice, War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it, Making it momentany as a sound, Swift as a shadow, short as any dream, Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and Earth, And, ere a man hath power to say “Behold!” The jaws of darkness do devour it up. So quick bright things come to confusion. HERMIA  If then true lovers have been ever crossed, It stands as an edict in destiny. Then let us teach our trial patience Because it is a customary cross, As due to love as thoughts and dreams and sighs, Wishes and tears, poor fancy’s followers. LYSANDER  A good persuasion. Therefore, hear me, Hermia: I have a widow aunt, a dowager Of great revenue, and she hath no child. From Athens is her house remote seven leagues, And she respects me as her only son. There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee; And to that place the sharp Athenian law Cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me, then Steal forth thy father’s house tomorrow night, And in the wood a league without the town (Where I did meet thee once with Helena To do observance to a morn of May), There will I stay for thee. HERMIA  My good Lysander, I swear to thee by Cupid’s strongest bow, By his best arrow with the golden head, By the simplicity of Venus’ doves, By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves, And by that fire which burned the Carthage queen When the false Trojan under sail was seen, By all the vows that ever men have broke (In number more than ever women spoke), In that same place thou hast appointed me, Tomorrow truly will I meet with thee. LYSANDER  Keep promise, love. Look, here comes Helena. [Enter Helena] HERMIA  Godspeed, fair Helena. Whither away? HELENA  Call you me “fair”? That “fair” again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair. O happy fair! Your eyes are lodestars and your tongue’s sweet air More tunable than lark to shepherd’s ear When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. Sickness is catching. O, were favor so! Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go. My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye; My tongue should catch your tongue’s sweet melody. Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated, The rest I’d give to be to you translated. O, teach me how you look and with what art You sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart! HERMIA  I frown upon him, yet he loves me still. HELENA  O, that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill!

HERMIA  I give him curses, yet he gives me love. HELENA  O, that my prayers could such affection move! HERMIA  The more I hate, the more he follows me. HELENA  The more I love, the more he hateth me. HERMIA  His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine. HELENA  None but your beauty. Would that fault were mine! HERMIA  Take comfort: he no more shall see my face. Lysander and myself will fly this place. Before the time I did Lysander see Seemed Athens as a paradise to me. O, then, what graces in my love do dwell That he hath turned a heaven unto a hell! LYSANDER  Helen, to you our minds we will unfold. Tomorrow night when Phoebe doth behold Her silver visage in the wat’ry glass, Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass (A time that lovers’ flights doth still conceal), Through Athens’ gates have we devised to steal. HERMIA  And in the wood where often you and I Upon faint primrose beds were wont to lie, Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet, There my Lysander and myself shall meet And thence from Athens turn away our eyes To seek new friends and stranger companies. Farewell, sweet playfellow. Pray thou for us, And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius.— Keep word, Lysander. We must starve our sight From lovers’ food till morrow deep midnight.

LYSANDER  I will, my Hermia.

[Hermia exits.] Helena, adieu. As you on him, Demetrius dote on you!

[Lysander exits.]

HELENA  How happy some o’er other some can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so. He will not know what all but he do know. And, as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes, So I, admiring of his qualities. Things base and vile, holding no quantity, Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind; And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. Nor hath Love’s mind of any judgment taste. Wings, and no eyes, figure unheedy haste. And therefore is Love said to be a child Because in choice he is so oft beguiled. As waggish boys in game themselves forswear, So the boy Love is perjured everywhere. For, ere Demetrius looked on Hermia’s eyne, He hailed down oaths that he was only mine; And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt, So he dissolved, and show’rs of oaths did melt. I will go tell him of fair Hermia’s flight. Then to the wood will he tomorrow night Pursue her. And, for this intelligence If I have thanks, it is a dear expense. But herein mean I to enrich my pain, To have his sight thither and back again. [She exits]

[alexanderwesker]

hiii!! :D i was wondering more about the religion in your world so i figured i might as well pop in here with my questions ^^

so like, are there any holy symbols (like how we have crosses and things like that) for prime (or any other religions)? and if so, what's the story behind them? and does just any follower carry them around, or are they only used by specific people/in specific situations?

are there any animals that are considered sacred to any gods, or on the flipside, are there any animals considered unholy or evil? i feel like there's an association with enál and rams in some way but i'm not sure of the specifics of that, just that his champions get horns. but is that because rams are sacred to him, or for another reason?

also, i don't remember for the life of me rn where or when, so correct me if i'm wrong, but i feel like you've talked about holy water from the church of prime in your writings before, but i'd love to hear more about whether or not you actually have that in your world or if i just made that up, and if you do, i'd be really curious about how one acquires it and what all it helps with.

are there any other things of note that any of your religions do, like sacraments, fastings, confessions, etc etc.

i was also curious about just how common demigods are in your universe, like, i know drista is one, but is there anyone else? how are the demigods generally treated by the mortals, and do they have any powers or blessings or anything like that?

and are there any named characters that Do follow the gods (im pretty sure tommy likes prime, but i don't know much beyond that) and if so, what all do they do to practice their religion? and were they always followers of that religion or did something make them want to join? and feel free to also share anything else related to this question (or any other concept related to religion, for that matter) that you think i would like to know

i think that's all for now, and as always, thank you so much for writing !!!! ^_^

Hi ^^ To answer your questions: 1. Yes, each of the Gods has their own holy symbol (though for Nether Gods and Sky Gods, share symbols between their major and minor gods excluding a few of them) As for which are these symbols:

Prime: A glowing circle, meant to represent the halo of his Angels.

Lady Death: A crow skull circled in wither roses and marigolds, the crow skull is in reference to Her Angel, while the wither roses and marigolds are to show how intertwined life and death are.

The Guardian of the Void: Their symbol is the Eye of Ender, ever since their champion had it bestowed to show their favour.

The Sky Gods: An half circle skewered by rays (kind of similar to the Iron Crown of Darkest Dungeon), usually painted in light blue. It is used as a physical representation of the Madness their favour inflicts. (Eternal Day also has a full crown, similar to a sun to represent him)

The Nether Gods: It's usually a wither skull in blood red or white and red. Because of their connections with the Wither.

Blood God: Techno doesn't really have a symbol, as he does not really care much for the formalities of worship mortals have for him. But people usually represent him with a sword going through a crown, both painted in Blood.

The Immortal One: While Foolish doesn't have an active following anymore in the times he did, his symbol was, well, himself, drawn in a simplified version (think of the sprite of the Totems of Undying in MC)

They are usually used only in specific occasions, though the followers of the Guardian, the Blood God and the Sky Gods tend to wear their holy symbols more commonly than the ones of other Gods.

2. No God in the Shattered!Verse as a particular connection/has animals that are considered holy or particularly unholy to them. Though Foolish's believers used to consider sharks their Godling's favoured animal. As for Enál and rams, is not that they have any connection to him specifically. But his favourite mortal(favourite in the way he loves to Torment him), does so Enál uses it to bring him more pain.

3. I can't remember writing about Prime's holy water in any fics but I do remember mentioning it so it was probably either a comment or an ask. It can be obtained either in a church of Prime or by getting pure water blessed by a Clerk of Prime, because of its holiness it gives some protection against the undead monsters as a sort of ward against them, and it can be used to cure those that get cursed by a witch.

4. They do have them. Prime's are the most familiar to our world as they are very similar to the Christian ones (though Baptism has do be chose and cannot be given to an infant). For Lady Death the only sacrament bestowed in his name is the anointment for the sick and the rites of passage for the souls of the deceased; Though people often confess to Her hoping in Her forgiveness to receive a kinder afterlife. The Guardian does not have conventional rites, but some are followed and bestowed in their name. The Sky Gods and the Nether Gods(specifically Techno) have a lot of specifics in how their religion is followed, and its difficult to summarise it in an answer that is already as long as this one is, so I will probably make a post for it, once I have a bit more time. (Sorry ^^")

5. Demigods are really rare in the Shattered!Verse, they do have some special 'powers' coming from the God or Goddess they are connected to. They are usually considered above humans and treated as such from mortals.

6. There are named characters that follow the Gods. Tommy, Tubbo and Niki are followers of Prime, though Tubbo and Niki are less evident in their belief than Tommy. There aren't really followers of Lady Death, but technically Foolish and Luzu are in a certain way. The Sovereign follows the Guardian Though not of his own volition, Wilbur technically is a follower of the Sky Gods, if anything because he still respects their rites and because he is considered their Prophet by the sects worshipping them. Jack, Eret, Sapnap and BBH are followers of the Nether Gods. Sparkles follows the Blood God(though he almost believes more in his General than the God he is a warrior for) and Niki also was once a warrior of the Blood God. As for Schlatt, he believes in the Sylvan Gods, that are the Gods revered by a particular group of hybrids that believes that they are superior to humans. And also Enál.

Thank You for your ask!!! I'm sorry if it is too long or confused. Feel free to ask more if you want or have any more questions. Thank you again ^^

[targaryenofrph]

Unapologetically by Kelsea Ballerini Sentence Starters

Change the pronouns and tense as needed for your verses.

"I don't wanna be another skeleton in your closet"

"I was falling fast, now I'm just a dash between two dates"

"I don't wanna be another heart in your graveyard"

"I don't wanna watch you drive away in a black car to a new bar"

"So you can find another hopeless, broken girl in a little black dress"

"Maybe I was naive to believe you would never hurt me"

"Now I know why you hide in your darkest suit and shades"

"You put on a show, so nobody knows your hands and your shoes are dirty"

"I guess you don't need a shovel to dig a grave"

"The ghost of a broken heart doesn't stay six feet down"

"I retired my red lipstick because you said you didn't like it"

"I didn't wear my high heel shoes because I couldn't be taller than you"

"I didn't wanna lose my friends, but now it's hard to even find them"

"I thought I'd miss you"

"I thought it hurt me"

"I miss me more"

"I forgot I had dreams, I forgot I had wings, forgot who I was before I ever kissed you"

"I found my independence, can't believe I ever lost it"

"You saw me drive by your place last Friday"

"It’s just on my way home"

"I didn’t see the picture that you posted in this bar"

"When I pulled into the parking lot I didn't see your car"

"You can tell your friends it’s all on purpose"

"I’m the crazy ex that wrecks your life"

"Don’t go reading anything between the lines"

"I’m over you and everything that we used to do together"

"I didn’t miss a beat when I heard you were seeing somebody else"

"I’m over you thinking that every move that I’m making is just a game that I’m playing because my heart is still breaking"

"You think all I do is talk about us"

"Took all your pictures down off of my shelf"

"I don’t care enough to hate you so I even wish you well"

"I thought I needed you like air"

"We burned hot, burned out, like a flame"

"In my head, you’ll never fade"

"We were classic, my dress, your leather jacket"

"We didn’t know how good we had it"

"We danced in the middle of nowhere"

"My lips were red, your eyes were blue"

"I thought I saw forever in you"

"Like flowers we bloomed and withered away"

"I forgot to cry when I was sad"

"I don't have a machine heart"

"You'll see it break, you'll see it fall apart"

"I won't always get it right but, hey, ain't that just life?"

"At least you're getting something real"

"Sometimes I play grown up and sometimes I play pretend"

"I'm dumb enough to think I know it all but smart enough to know I don't"

"I'm young enough to think I'll live forever but old enough to know I won't"

"I'm half head up in the clouds half feet down on the ground"

"The world gets cruel when you're still living in high school"

"She traded in prom queen for a big city dream"

"Your heart just doesn't get it and that's why you can't forget it"

"Because you're living like you're seventeen"

"I hates that I said goodbye, and you went on with your life"

"Love gave up, so I stop believing"

"I don’t know how to get through feelings"

"I thought it was the end of the world but it kept spinning"

"I thought the stars in the sky and in my eyes had lost their shine"

"I met you at the end of the world"

"The sky kept falling, but we danced in it"

"You cleared the smoke and picked up the wreckage"

"Got to go through Hell to get to Heaven"

"I thought the cold would last forever"

"I didn’t know that there was something better waiting at the end of the world"

"I think cupid is stupid and violets are purple not blue"

"Your eyes can't hold stars and you'd die if your heart really skipped"

"I hate love songs but I love you"

"Roses just die in a week"

"We were drunk when we met so we don't know our anniversary"

"I'm far too vain to kiss in the rain"

"You make me feel something but it sure as hell isn't butterflies"

""For worse or for better" don't rhyme"

"They're gonna say I fell too fast"

"They're gonna say it's never gonna last"

"Before it's too late, I should just back away"

"They've got it all wrong, I've got it all right"

"I'm unapologetically in love and that's unapologetically enough"

"I could care less if I'm being careless"

"It might wreck me to be reckless"

"I'm so sorry for not being sorry"

"It all starts when it's me and you going out on Friday night"

"It's a symphony when you sweet talk"

"It's feeling something like music"

"My whole heart's listening to your music"

"We had it made in the middle of the madness"

"We were neon in a grey crowd"

"We didn’t do it for the fame or the glory"

"Loving you, baby, it was Heaven"

"We were crazy, tragic, and epic, and so amazing"

"I’ll always wear the crown that you gave me"

"It was always me and you either way"

"We just did it for you and me"

"It's all fun and it's all games 'til someone doesn't wanna play"

"We're no good at goodbye and that's why we're stuck in the in-between"

"Who cares, anyway, about a label?"

"I think I fell in love today"

"I guess when you know, you know"

[avesomnia-inhoramortis]

... He couldn't believe it even when he saw it with his own eye. And yet there she was. Though her skin was cold, her smile, even in death, carried a certain warmth to it. And o, how his heart ached as he beheld her... His heart ached, whether she was privy to Miquella's plans or not. His heart ached whether she was in full support. His heart ached whether she stood in opposition of his plans. But regardless, his heart ached.

He had followed the crosses. Until at last he came to the point where Miquella had abandoned his love. And he could only weep as he looked upon her sleeping face, ever serene.

Radahn, who's soul yet lingered, stayed his voice and remained silent as Mohg settled, lying down beside the flower-girl, leaving but a single bloodied rose in her hair, a clawed finger coming to gently caress her cheek. [luminaryofblood][verse: revival]

No thoughts to give a voice, no fire to flush her cheek- at last, stillness. At last, peace. All are born in blood, and all return to blood.

So it was with her, smiling even with purple gore dried against her cheek and mingling with the ghost of tears. She had not expected to survive what was necessary. She was grateful, nonetheless.

Purple locks twined around the rose with the base instinct of a gentle flytrap, adding this small rootless thing to the greater whole. Never to wither, never to fade- for love freely given was love greatly treasured, and she always had loved his roses.