#warrior librarians

[serendip8y]

"Volodymyr Zelenskiy countered Putin’s history with his speech to the European parliament, an act of rhetoric so powerful that it changed the course of a war, insisting, not only that Ukrainian identity existed, but that it was European in nature. Most wars are fought over who will define the future. The Ukrainian war is a struggle over who will define the past. Is Ukrainian identity real or a fiction? That is the fundamental question of the conflict. The Ukrainians have given their answer.

In the war over meaning, the Russians lost on the first day. Their contention that Ukrainian identity doesn’t exist has been proven wrong no matter what happens now. The question that remains is not whether Ukrainian identity exists, but whether Russia can annihilate the Ukrainian identity it claims is nothing more than a distortion. Their assault on Ukrainian libraries has only increased as the war has developed into an act of the mass terrorisation of civilian populations.

No one has done more for the development of Ukrainian culture than Vladimir Putin. He has proven, more than any other figure, that Ukrainian culture is distinct and vital."

There's so much more in the full article if you have time to read it. Amazing people doing their best to save Ukrainian written culture against terrible odds.

[sadiegirl2021]

Of course I love Gwynriel, I grew up with these two!

[ammyam]

My opposite version of my Wally Aus✨️

[molagboop]

Mawkin children undergo several maturity rites before they're granted full tribal citizenship. The first occurs around eight years old, involving a basic academic evaluation and the child's choice between a physical fitness test or a dream-walk.

The evals are simple: how much has the child learned, what do they know, where can we supplement their education, etc. How can we stimulate their curiosity and foster a lifelong love of learning? Have they displayed any skills or passion for any particular subject? How can we encourage their hobbies and interests? Those are the kinds of questions the adults involved in carrying out the evaluation are asking themselves.

The evaluations help parents figure out (or reaffirm what they already know) ways to engage their childrens' interests in a fun or productive way, and how to help their child along the path to success, academic or otherwise. Every child is different: they have their own needs, and while 8 years old isn't old enough for anyone to ascertain exactly what they wanna be when they grow up, the evaluation is a good starting point for the rest of their academic track until their next formative rites.

The next part of the rites is a branching path. The fitness test is typically favored by more outdoorsy or athletic types, as well as children who are afraid of specters or arent very interested in the old ways. That's fine: old people stuff can be boring! The priests go on and on about the ancestors during holidays, but you're eight years-old and you've never seen the ancestors show up before, so big whoop. You've got toys to play and things to learn.

Another general assumption is that children who are likely to grow into steadfast warriors or athletes may pick the fitness test enthusiastically and without thinking about it, but again, this is an evaluation, and the kids are like, eight. Nothing is set in stone. Eight year olds also typically love playing outside.

A number of kids, hearing about all the cool things their elders know and are capable of, or just being curious about what their ancestors might have to teach them, opt for the dream-walk.

The dream-walk involves exposure to psychoactive fumes, but is nonetheless completely safe: the kid is monitored and made as comfortable as possible.

The dream-walk is overseen by priests and doctors. The burners are lit and the trial-goer falls asleep, entering a state similar to lucid dreaming.

Everyone's experience is different. Some kids have profound surreal experiences: others spend the entire time sitting at a table with a long-dead ancestor having a meal. Some kids are shown events from the past by an old ghost: some even experience said event from the perspective of someone who was there when it happened.

For others, the dream is of an old-fashioned hunt, typically guided by a departed grandparent or neighbor. It's not unusual for Mawkin kids to have experienced the act of hunting for food or sport by this point in their lives: many who hunt take their babies out with them on their backs. The quarry during the dream-walk, however, is typically more than your mundane game beast.

Tribal scholars and doctors of psychology have posited that the dream walk largely reflects the experiences of those involved. Formative memories and strong feelings, they believe, greatly affect the appearance of conjured apparitions in the dream. If a kid is fighting any demons at eight years old or harbor any powerful fears, they may very well be forced to face them head-on during this trial.

Therein lies the value of the dream-walk: it's not just a curiosity to get the kids to engage with cultural practices of yore, it has utility in teaching children valuable lessons through experience without actually making them fight the six-eyed serpent of a hundred and seventeen mouths. And they're usually not facing it alone: the ancestors quite literally walk with plenty of kids during these trials.

There are some truths a given child must face alone, and plenty do. But when they wake, they will find themselves among familiar company, the sweet smell of wood smoke permeating the air and a feast awaiting back home to celebrate their first milestone towards becoming an adult.

Some kids don't fight any major bosses or experience the heat death of the universe through the eyes of a slug, instead deriving value from the dream-walk in the form of sensory-guided introspection. The lesson they learn may not even be apparent to them until six years down the line. It doesn't have to be deep: it can just be an experience that gives then a new perspective on the world.

The senses are heightened supremely during the dream-walk, allowing the dreamer to experience the world in a whole new way. Tasting color, feeling the vibration of every sound beneath one's skin, perceiving the shape of every smell. Even if the kid walks away thinking "huh, I've never experienced the world that way before", the trial will have been a success. In the very least, a child should come out of that dark room with a unique memory for them to examine later on.

Several minor rituals and evaluations occur around twelve and fifteen years, but the foremost citizenship rites occur around seventeen, when an individual's stomach is strong enough to handle sap wine in greater quantities without suffering catastrophic liver failure. The dream-walk is a requirement this time around, as well as a combat test. The combat test is the actual rite that determines one's status as an adult: the mandatory dream-walk occurs beforehand as a way to shed all doubts about the strength of one's resolve if they have any insecurities, and perhaps gain some personal insight in the process. Introspection assisted by psychoactive substances.

You may be wondering how those with varying degrees of disability come of age if they can't engage in the rite of combat. There are alternatives to the combat test if the participant doesn't feel able enough to fight, or otherwise can't exert themselves without experiencing undue pain and discomfort.

There are alternative rites for individuals of every combination of physical and cognitive impairment, and all are treated with the same gravity and dignity afforded to the typical rites. Poetry recitals, music, research projects, an oath of maturity: these are a few examples of things disabled Mawkin have done to establish their claim to adulthood in place of the rite of combat. An individual doesn't have to be "good" at something: they just have to show that they accept the responsibility that comes with being an adult, or are otherwise committed to their community and the tribe at large.

For some people, that commitment comes in the form of thriving to the best of their ability. Surviving to the next day, striving for tomorrow to hurt a little less than yesterday. It doesn't matter whether they can "contribute" or be a "productive member of society": all are one, and one serves all. The Mawkin take community very seriously. There's an age-old adage that says something to the effect of "if one is suffering, all are injured", and "when one is deprived of dignity, we are all cast naked face-down into the mud".

Anyways, that's how juvenile Mawkin are granted all the rights, responsibilities and privileges that come saddled with being an adult. It's worth noting that most of these rites line up with a typical Chozo's molting cycle, with the final rites occurring just as young warriors are shaking off the last loose feathers of their old coat and displaying their first (clear) adult patterns.

[kirwell]

Me planning to write up another longwinded warrior cats analysis post or a spontaneously thought-up AU concept, and madly shuffling over to my weathered bookcase of 80+ cat books for much needed references like it's some revered library of ancient scripture like,,,

[havenshereagain]

Warrior cats people, please help me understand the order of the series. Why are there so many subseries? How do i shelve them in a way that makes sense?

[kpopandbookschild]

i promise theres not very many left i can only put 12 on a poll at a time ;-;

this is round 1 #8 btw, it deleted the title ;-;

[threemoonwatchers]

Almost added vanilla extract Ngl

[silver-cleo-fanfiction]

My Masterlist:

Fandom's to be added as fic is written for them

Motherland: Fort Salem

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Warrior Nun (TV)

Willow (TV, 2022)

Leverage (TV, 2008)

NCIS

The Librarians (TV, 2014)

The Orville (TV)

The Hunger Games Series - All Media Types

Lost Girl (TV)

Mean Girls (2024)

Supergirl (TV, 2015)

The Rookie (Tv, 2018)

StarGate SG-1

[moregraceful]

WARRIORS BRANDED LIBRARY CARDS!!

I FORGOT TO RESPOND TO THIS BUT I WAS DIGGING THROUGH MY ASKS AND THIS TICKLED ME ALL OVER AGAIN WHEN YOU FIRST SENT IT!!! WARRIORS BRANDED LIBRARY CARDS!! I NEVER MISS!!!!!!!!

[mothmanwarble]

Does anyone know if there’s any concept art of the Warrior Librarians floating around on the internet? It doesn’t matter if it’s artwork done for Trap Team 3DS or simply any artwork of Pomfrey made for SuperChargers. I’d be happy with anything, really. I’ve seen these pieces of concept art of the Eternal Archives done for Trap Team 3DS, but nothing for the Warrior Librarians themselves.

[smallest-turtle]

The A plot of my Arenvald fic: he meets the warrior of light and she spends two days wordlessly making him better armor so ifrit doesn't roast him alive

The B plot of my Arenvald fic: Carvallain and a librarian keep having divorced-parents disputes over the life choices of a 16 year old

[wandererorion]

Auraugust Day 4: Primal

Someone once posted a WoL QotD asking, if your WoL was the Dominant for a Primal (a la FFXVI) what Primal would it be. For Orion, it's gotta be the Phoenix. Along with a general reverence for life and drive to preserve and heal that came along with his profession, Orion has also developed a bit of an obsession with resurrection.

Though he has yet to find an ethical way to resurrect Ardbert, he still hasn't given up hope. This drive is one of the reasons his interactions with Emet Selch are so fraught. Orion understands the desperate drive to bring back the people he loves. He gets why Emet Selch would sacrifice everything, even his own soul, to reverse the Sundering. However, Orion can't justify the continued sacrifice of millions, possibly billions of lives in order to restore ancient Elpis.

A short fic about Orion's time on the First is under the cut!

Prompt List | Yesterday's Post

“Orion?” Moren’s voice felt artificially loud in the silent corner of the library where he found the lanky Au Ra folded up at a reading table, covered in leather bound tomes and scrolls of parchment. “What are you doing in the library at this hour?”

“Mmm?” Orion muttered, golden eyes not even twitching up from the page he was studying. “What time is it? It’s hard to tell how much time passes when the light never changes around here.” 

“Closer to breakfast than dinner, that’s for certain,” Moren said as he stepped forward to start placing bookmarks in open books and neatly stacking them at the end of the table. He tried not to pry, but he noticed many of the texts related to aether’s effect on the soul, theories of reincarnation and resurrection, and Novrandt legends of various heroes who had borne the moniker of Warrior of Light. Esoteric topics of study, even for the Crystarium’s resident dimension hopping scholar. 

“Wait, really?” Orion’s head finally popped up to actually look Moren in the face. “What are you doing up and around this late then?” 

Moren smirked. Leave it to Orion to be more concerned for Moren’s sleeping habits than his own. “My own sleep cycle is a bit delayed, compared to the rest of the Crystarium. We tend to get more visitors in the second half of the waking hours, so it suits my workload to have my mid-day when we’re at peak traffic.” He gently pulled the weighty book from Orion’s hands, marking his place and adding it to the stack. “But even I was wrapping up things for the evening. So it is more than time for you to get some rest, my friend. The books aren’t going anywhere. I’ll keep your reading list in reserve behind my desk and you can retrieve them at a more reasonable hour.”

Orion blinked owlishly, and then took his glasses off to rub at his eyes. “I suppose I do feel a bit foggy,” he said. “And famished! Twelve, when did I last eat? Kendra is going to kill me.” He slid his chair back and stood to his full height, arms stretched above his head. Even after months of his quiet presence in the library, Moren was still struck by how Orion towered above everyone, including himself. 

“Darkness forfend! Best not give that fierce fiance of yours reason to come after you!” Moren laughed. He hefted the stack of books up against his chest. 

“Wait! Let me help,” Orion reached out to grab the stack from Moren’s arms. “It’s my mess. You can take the scrolls.”

“Thank you, Orion, that is very thoughtful,” Moren said. 

“You said you were wrapping up for the evening as well, yes?” Orion asked as he followed Moren up the stairs to his bird's nest of a desk. “I can walk you back to the Pendants.” 

“Oh, you don’t have to wait for me,” Moren said. “It’s not like I’ll be accosted by sin eaters at the Crystal Plaza.” 

“Fair,” Orion scoffed. “Think of it as making sure I don’t get distracted and actually get my ass to bed.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Moren said. “It’s the least I can do to make sure our heroes actually get some rest between catastrophes.” 

Twenty minutes of shuffling books and double-checking a few more corners of the library for any additional strays, Moren and Orion began their walk towards the Pendants. They strolled in comfortable silence until they reached the sparsely populated late night markets. The murmuring of the few night workers and insomniacs at The Wandering Stairs wafted through the still air. Moren didn’t wish to break the peace, but curiosity still picked at the edges of his mind. 

“I don’t mean to pry,” Moren finally said, “but I was wondering what research has you up at all hours the very night after you return from your adventures in the field. I would think both you and Kendra would do nothing but sleep and eat for the next two days.”

Orion sighed and scratched at the patch of scales on the back of his neck, “I’ll be honest. I’m physically exhausted, but I can’t turn my mind off. I’ve been preoccupied with this problem since shortly after arriving at the Crystarium. It’s hard to explain succinctly, but suffice to say that I have been wondering at the feasibility of resurrecting a person outside the normal few minutes just after death, some battle healers can do. I’ve seen conjurers and scholars perform true miracles on the recently deceased, but common wisdom stipulates that resurrection must take place within a handful of minutes after death and with direct access to the corpse of the deceased. Outside those parameters, it is generally agreed that resurrection is impossible and even if it was possible, there are questions on whether or not it would be ethical. Could you resurrect a body, but miss the soul all together? What if you tried to resurrect someone who’s soul had already passed through the life stream and on to their next reincarnation? There is a tribe among my race back in the Source that believe that reincarnation isn’t instantaneous but will generally happen within a year of a person’s death. But now I have reason to believe that sometimes the soul could linger, conscious, but incorporeal for years after! And if the soul is still intact that long after death, could it be transplanted into a new body? Could reincarnation be forced? What kind of effect would that have on the bonds of mind, body, and soul? What kind of power would that require? If manifesting the artificial soul of a primal wreaks havoc on the surrounding aether, what would reincarnating a full soul do? It’s just a morass of unknowns and the more I learn, the more I understand why no one has tried it but I - I can’t let it rest because…. Because we’ve already lost so many and if I could bring back just one, I -”

Orion paused on the path through the gardens around the pendants and stared up at the cursed sky beyond the crystalline panels of the roof overhead. His face was pinched in distress and fatigue. He had just spoken more words all strung together than Moren thought he had ever heard the taciturn man say in the entire time he had known him.

Offering what little comfort he could, Moren stretched a hand up to rest on Orion’s shoulder. He could feel plates of scales shift against the soft linen of his shirt as Orion reached up to rub both hands against his face, knocking his glasses slightly askew. Letting out a wry scoff, Orion straightened his glasses and gently patted Moren’s hand.

“I am no aetherologist, and certainly no expert on what happens to a soul after death,” Moren said. “But I do know that anyone who you cared that deeply for you, would be the kind of person that would not wish you to work yourself to the bone for their sake. You’re a good man, Orion, and I know you care deeply and feel a duty to take care of those you love. However, I’ve heard the chirurgeon's say time and again that you can’t heal others if you’re not taking care of yourself as well.” 

Orion looked a bit abashed as he nodded, “Nymian scholars had a saying like that as well, ‘The first job of a scholar is to stay alive. The second is to keep your marines alive.’”

“Sounds like timeless wisdom.” Moren gave Orion’s shoulder one more gentle squeeze before setting off towards the pendants again. “And with that in mind, let’s get you to your chambers before you keel over.” 

“Thank you, Moren,” Orion said as he followed him. “I’m not much of a talker, but sometimes it feels good to get all the pent up thoughts outside of my mind for a moment. 

“Any time, friend,” Moren said. “Your intellectual ventures are almost as rousing as your physical ones!”

“Generally a little less violent, thank Nhaama,” Orion said.

[ammyam]

[capesandshapes]

love is me remembering the calvin and hobbes snowmen comics and downloading a hundred of them in an attempt to get my nine year old brother interested enough to read something so he doesn't fail english class

[ratsreading]

On the other hand, I'm rather enjoying The Librarian's Coven (also by Kathryn Moon, 4 book series). Written words as magic, we get to see the coven beyond meeting and getting together, by book 4 ancient personifications of concepts (Warfare, Illness, Health, Anger, etc) stalking around... It's a pretty good time