#aeon caldera

[heiressofdoodles]

Perhaps, the glow of the First Star can heal a broken heart.

My June OC Marathon has begun! Mwahahahaha!

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic for Aeon's first interaction with other characters, and even if I haven't finished it, I still really like Snow and Reflections, and I have learned a lot from then. It's also been a long time since I had done a snowy scene, or a somber scene, and Aeon was just perfect for this.

1/30 complete! [Next]

[lostsoulau-ask]

Lil' Sprites :D

These past few days i have been playing Stardew Valley with @heiressofdoodles. And i had been inspired to make two lil sprites of my boy Lucid and her OC named Aeon :D

[den-of-the-blue-dragon]

oc-tober day 16: with a friend's oc

aeon belongs to @heiressofdoodles!

[unremarkable-comic]

Orimosa

★ Gender: Female (she/her) ★ Species: Cygnereid ★ Starbinder: Aeon ★ Alignment: Lawful neutral ★ Traits: Quiet, elegant, empathic, loves music ★ Appearance A swan-like creature with four legs and long, delicately webbed feet. Her feathers are iridescent and she has 3 eyes on her face, as well as 2 on each shoulder. Orimosa does not have any wings.

Cygnereids are a mountain species who live in cold lakes/calderas and often make their nests in the hollows that form behind waterfalls. They're highly emotional creatures who are known to mate for life and have intricate mourning rituals when a loved one passes away. In warmer regions, they have cousin species that are similar to ducks, geese, and loons.

★ Magic Orimosa’s tears can turn any surface of water into a scrying surface. She is also able to make her body glow at varying intensities. 

[charcherry-weekly]

Charcherry Weekly - Issue 70

Hello! Aeons Edgeworth here. I got a ton of berries planted in the new greenhouse expansion! It's been a lot of work keeping track of those plants while keeping up with local news.

Return of the Heirs

Heir of Time Thoren Emit, Heir of Hope Hazel Careon, her 9 foot tall catgirl robot girlfriend QWERTY, and Heir of Breath June Egbert have been summoned back to our universe for December. Unfortunately, Thoren's house is still infested with at very least a chandelure and the left beef crew has been given a few pokemon to borrow for a while. Hazel has received a staravia called Starstruck and Thoren a murkrow called Midnight. Thoren has also visited their hospital-bound wife, Lord of Rage Raine Emit. She has yet to show any signs of recovery. Reportedly, the group spent the rest of the day getting to know their pokemon with a few others, before retiring for the day.

Local Restaurant Reveals Concerning Trends

On monday night, Page of Rage Jovin Castle visited a restaurant on the edge of town, near lake river rose. Apparently, they had begun serving fried magikarp, which had been met with disapproval. Thankfully, they still had the old menu available, but the prices had been inflated due to lower supply of non-pokemon fish. Reportedly, Jovin compensated them quite well for their service, which may make a difference in some manner. It seems that the waiter is one of the few in town that tries to treat their pokemon well, though the topic of willingness to kill pokemon for food is still a hotly contested one. Personally, I'm one of those types that see it similar to your average animal meat. As long as they were treated well in life, given a humane end, and their remains were put to good use (and not wasted), I figure it should be alright, but then again that's probably just me. I do wonder how many of the group would be revolted if they found out How Sausage Is Made even with more familiar livestock. I will say however that magikarp probably isn't the easiest to get good meat off of, considering the large amount of bones and hard scales. Also, I figure Mr. Fish's opinion had higher priority in the moment, considering they were literally a magikarp before. What worries me the most however, is what this visit had likely revealed about the animals that were once more widespread in the area. Like, when was the last time anyone saw a rideable pink spider? Or a gigantic magenta mountain ape? What has the relatively recent appearance of pokemon done to impact the native ecosystem? Details to be researched.

Coleman's Field Research

Warlock of Time Coleman has been continuing work on studying pokemon out in the wild, with his trusty growlithe Fenris by his side. Recently, he's managed to do some exploring in a jungle, in a still mostly unknown location on starter planet. He has also started recording video in addition to still images. It seems there is quite a bit of diversity in the kinds of pokemon that he's caught on film. Purity Caldera seems to be a common research location, which I can sorta see why. Its rather close to town, and is very accommodating to fire-type pokemon, which can be rare in colder locations. Reportedly, he has been given permission to air his footage on DSPAN, though I haven't been watching that channel lately, so I'm not sure if its been edited and aired yet. That should do it for now. I do wonder when Thoren and co. are gonna storm the house on the mountain, or how redistro stuff will go down with how much things have changed in the past year. Right now tho, I just wanna sleeep. https://letssosl.boards.net/thread/293/charcherry-weekly-issue-70

[fredpheiffer]

What extraordinary pictures by Polish photographer Karol Nienartowicz. Corvo Island (Crow Island) is the northernmost member of the Portuguese Azores Archipelago. Its remarkable shape is that of a caldera, a marine volcano that collapsed many aeons ago. The rectangles are patches of tilled land. The island's inhabitants are mainly crop and dairy farmers.

Corvo Island

karolnienartowicz

[ericfruits]

Taal volcano is a reminder of Asia’s vulnerability to natural forces

Banyan Taal volcano is a reminder of Asia’s vulnerability to natural forces

And of the constant temptation to ignore the risks

Feb 1st 2020

NEARLY TWO weeks after Taal volcano’s first eruption in over 40 years, the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has lowered its threat assessment a notch, and local residents have begun to stream back to their homes in jeepneys, pickups and on the backs of motorcycles. When Taal roared to life on January 12th, the plume of steam and ash it sent 32,000 feet into the air was so vast it generated its own weather system, with thunder and lightning. As the falling cinders turned day to night, tens of thousands of evacuees fled for hastily created evacuation centres a safe distance from Taal’s spite.

Usually, Taal is a draw. The volcano has made its own island in the middle of Taal lake, which occupies the caldera of a much bigger volcano which exploded aeons ago. The surrounding slopes are forested. Papayas and vegetables thrive on village plots by the shore. The lake itself provides livelihoods to those farming tilapia fish. More jobs come from catering to visitors from Manila who flock to the lake, or to the resort town of Tagatay on an overlooking ridge, for the fresh air, sweeping views and grilled fish. The country’s capital is just two hours’ drive to the north.

Yet these times are hardly usual. The eruption seems to have caused a lot of the lake’s water to evaporate. One part of the lake, though, is now a metre deeper, since the whole caldera has tilted sharply. Taal’s ash has turned a vast area a monotone grey. Rain following the eruption has hardened the ash to concrete. The tin roofs of villagers’ houses have buckled, trees have lost their main branches and the tomatoes and aubergines in Rosa’s garden have shrivelled to nothing. But life is nothing if not, well, pigheaded. Rosa says she and her husband, a retired soldier, had no choice but to stay, despite the loss of electricity and water: Biggie, their sow, was about to farrow. Fourteen piglets now snuffle around their mother. Girlie, from one of the worst-hit villages on the west side of the lake, cries with joy to find that the food she left out for her family’s dog and kitten have sustained them.

The repair teams from the electricity board, villagers chipping the ash off roofs and even young scientists returning to their lakeside observatory in Talisay to get the solar panels for their sensors working again—life has a yen for normality, too. Not the volcano, however. The earthquakes following the eruption have fallen in number and severity, and an alarming build-up of magma appears to have diminished. But that, says Paolo Reniva, a geologist, says little about how the volcano will behave in future. He expects Taal’s current cycle of activity to last months or years. At the back of all the geologists’ minds is the eruption of 1754. That blast had the force of a nuclear bomb, and the jargon they use to describe it is similar: “ballistic projectiles” fell over seven kilometres away; the “base surge”, a mixture of gas and fragments moving at up to 100m a second, reached up to 20km away. No one died from the direct effects of the eruption on January 12th; a 1754-style explosion, in contrast, would be catastrophic.

This is not what those trying to resume their lives want to hear. The current threat assessment of 3 on a scale of 0 to 5 risks being viewed as normal by locals. And just as President Donald Trump downplays climate change, so populist Filipino politicians downplay nature’s forces. President Rodrigo Duterte promised evacuees he would “pee on that damned volcano”. The vice-mayor of Talisay, Charlie Natanauan, a local businessman who is campaigning to unseat the mayor (his brother, as it happens), goes further by urging locals not to believe the “idiot” scientists. Taal is not going to explode again, he insists, because he knows its history; if he’s wrong, he adds, then throw him into the crater. What’s more, the scientists’ warnings about poisoned tilapia are off-the-mark too, and he will eat as many fish as needed to prove it. It goes down a storm with locals.

Sitting on a veranda by the lake, next to a gold-painted statue of himself toting a rifle and pistol, Mr Natanauan lays out his plans. They include a canal cutting through to the sea so that luxury yachts can travel up it; modernist glass resorts; and firework shows to put any eruption to shame. How, Banyan asks, do his ideas fit with the volcano’s even more sweeping and whimsical plans? Pah, Mr Natanauan says dismissively, the next time Taal causes trouble, we’ll all be dead. Behind him, dozens of dead tilapia float upside down, slapping against his jetty. Just beyond, the volcano gently steams.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Taal volcano is a reminder of Asia’s vulnerability to natural forces"

https://ift.tt/2O9iP3x

[heiressofdoodles]

SHIT I MISSED AEON'S BIRTHDAY-

AEON HAS EXISTED FOR FOUR YEARS NOW OKAY GOOD NIGHT

[calderamusic]

TRANCE IN HEART #178 CalDerA (Birthday Party) - ILLOGIC EVENTS _ 06-04-19_ROUTE77_ Exclusively for AVIV Media_ (16 Tracks 129/138 Bpm)

1 X (Extended Mix) Mark Sixma 2 Originem (FYH 150 Anthem) (Edit CalDerA) Andrew Rayel 3 Beijing (Edit CalDerA) Shogun 4 Lifting You Higher (A State Of Trance 900 Anthem) (Andrew Rayel Extended Remix) Armin Van Buuren 5 Aeon (Extended Mix) Artento Divini 6 Thumper (Extended Mix) MaRLo 7 Abandoned (Extended Mix) MaRLo 8 Spotlight (Radion6 Extended Remix) Jorn van Deynhoven 9 Electric Pirates (Extended Mix) Gareth Emery & Ashley Wallbridge 10 Keep Your Dreams Alive (Extended Mix) Giuseppe Ottaviani 11 Superfly (Heatbeat Extended Remix) Jorn Van Deynhoven 12 Goldeneye ( Edit CalDerA) James Dymond 13 Trust In Trance (Vini Vici) Vs. Turn It Up (Armin Van Buuren) MASH-UP CalDerA CalDerA/Armin van Buuren/Vini Vici 14 The Calling (Marco V Remix) Edit CalDerA Ram, Darren Porter 15 Game of Thrones Theme (Armin van Buuren Remix) Ramin Djawadi 16 About the Future (Edit CalDerA) Zyrus 7

[den-of-the-blue-dragon]

OC Reference Compilation (part 1)

Celesta Knight

See here (and here)

Tenebra Knight

Disma Knight

Arcta Knight

Tintreach

Jackie

Casey

Frost Wolf

Malva Knight

Victor

Renna & Aurea

Crysta Knight

Cereza

Vierade

[heiressofdoodles]

"And all the stars align to lead you to this place to Find Me waiting."

Finally, after so long of thinking of making even one art piece of this concept, I've finally done it. I've made a drawing based on Find Me by Aviators, which is the most beautiful love song I've ever heard in my life.

A textless version is under the cut.

[lotuscodex]

“I’m not sure you follow, Ms. Maurise, he’s a Double-S class villain. Until today I didn’t think any of those were even alive.

“See, I thought the classification system started at C and went to S, with C being threats local to a neighborhood, B being region level hazards, A for being a problem for a national government and S class being international threats. Double-S is reserved for S-classes with a known disregard for life- world-killers. Kryltron the Death Planet? Ate Nebraska? That’s a Double-S, if inactive since Power of 5000 threw him into Alpha Centauri. Doctor Mytar is a Double-S ever since he started trying to erupt the Yellowstone Caldera. Aeon-Crush is Double-S. He’s a notorious hero-killer. He has oceans of blood on his hands. And yesterday he walked in, surrendered, and asked us to take care of the B-tier Heroine that was F.O.S. for the Cadence situation.

“Trouble is, we don’t know what to do with him. Double-A containment is unique, apex-maximum security, with power dampeners, intellect quieters, violence inhibitors. We can contain an A-class villain with S-class complexity. But an S-class?

“If he made up his mind to, he could peel the cell he’s in open like a tin can and come give me a visit. The only thing keeping him here is him. And it has most of the heroes on site absolute bibbledy with fear. We’ve recalled everyone we can spare, every S-tier hero, and we’re still not sure this isn’t some kind of trap.”

You were once the most powerful villain. You retired early and are engaged to a minor super hero who isn’t aware of your past. They are about to be killed right before your eyes..but you step in.

[charcherry-weekly]

Charcherry Weekly - Issue 65

Hello, Aeons Edgeworth here. I feel like I should be doing more than this but it isn't working out this week. Early this week, Page of Mind Samm caught a goldeen. Reportedly, the encounter was entirely non-violent, with only granola having been offered to the goldeen before she convinced the goldeen to join her party. It is unknown where they will go from here, as Samm is very adamant about abstaining from violence. I wonder what she thinks of those who throw all caution to the wind and choose violence anyways. Quote Rightbracket has become unresponsive in their cell. This is very troubling, as they're supposed to go on trial eventually. To tell the truth, I feel like if I tried to check on them, they'd just wind up un-dormanting and escaping or something like that. In other news, apparently Sylph of Life Eden is back in contact with the group, as well as Mage of Life Blaze. (I assume the symbolic giant rock blocking the endgame door is still there, and Blaze's core mission is still in progress.) The courthouse has been successfully relocated and rebuilt within the dome of desertia town. It is now open for visitors, apparently. A frequent visitor as of late is legendary pokemon Mewtwo, who is reportedly visiting the legal library quite frequently in order to study desertian law. Apparently, Mewtwo had been declared study rivals with Goldie the gold dragon, but Mewtwo took the competition far more seriously than Goldie. One must wonder if Mewtwo is overdoing it...? Regardless, Mewtwo appears to be the prime candidate for the open position of public defender, and I await when they will make contact about the position. There has been an amount of discussion regarding the new village to eventually be built at the edge of charcherry forest. A possible location, Endroad bridge, just east of Purity Caldera, appears to be the potential location for the village. While it is somewhat rocky, and has access to a floodplain area, it is along a presently-used main road and is within close range of the stargate, giving it a prime advantage in terms of trade, travel, and infrastructure. There may need to be some landscaping and terraforming done in order to shape the land for sufficient farming. So far, no ground has been broke yet, as plans are still being drafted. Rogue of Heart Charles has reportedly moved out of his house on desertia, for the sake of accommodating for Lil' B not being very little anymore. Out of respect, I will not divulge any further details. I will say, this street's going to be a lot quieter without him. I won't be moving until the village stuff pans out, so its likely to be a few months with no rain nor chaos. I can't believe I'm getting sentimental over charles, of all people, and he isn't even dead! I guess I just sort of miss him. I still remember that time when they thought they were going to lose their trial and summoned me on the morning of their court date, just so they could say goodbye and share a hug. Of course, he was found not guilty, and upon being assassinated he wound up reviving, though I think he botched it by doing weird heart shit during the judgement and didn't return to his body for a while, but he eventually returned home. And like, the fact that charles wanted to see me... it really meant a lot to me. Halloween is coming up and I only just recently got my costume figured out. I wonder how the occason is gonna turn out. Last year... I think I zoned out through last halloween or something. I hope things become clearer soon. https://letssosl.boards.net/thread/288/charcherry-weekly-issue-65

[heiressofdoodles]

Stranger in a strange land...

Howdy doo, it’s a mystery lady on an ice lake! I sure hope nothing bad happens!

All joking aside, I’ve been having a lot of fun with this comic, and it’s only page one! This one should be relatively easy to figure out when it happens, especially when later pages get finished. Prisma is a blast to write and draw, and Aeon is always enjoyable. I’ve wanted to find a way to make her interact with the living characters I enjoy, and I’ve found that way. Finally, this is not Aeon’s permanent design now; it’s just her design for these circumstances she’s in. I hope you enjoy!

Page two

Prisma Knight belongs to @startistdoodles​

Aeon belongs to me

If you want to hear me rant about my current thoughts on both this comic and my previous comic, Cherry Blossoms, then just click the button!

So, when I was working on Cherry Blossoms, my first comic, the one thing that I sort of skimmed over were the backgrounds. They were lovely and fun, sure, but the first half, I just wanted to get to the second half, honestly. Cherry Blossoms was more so an exercise in characters and storytelling in a visual format. I had to learn what their own voices are and how they communicate with each other.

This comic, however, I’m treating it as an experience and practice in background constancy. I actually made the backgrounds before I drew in the characters with the exception of one, and I think the effect really works. Lots of things to learn, and it’s just more practice with characters and who they are.

As Prisma is not my character, I’m doing everything I can to respect her source material, while also making sure that my ideas and headcanons don’t outright contradict what has already been established. Some things, I might explore. Some, I’ll leave for StarArtist to potentially fill in. I do not intend to tell others this is the only way to interpret and write Prisma Knight. I just intend on telling a small story that I’ve been thinking of for about three weeks now.

[heiressofdoodles]

Yeah she’s not that type of ghost.

Finally got the second page of this comic done! College has been pesky so it’s been a slow while for my poor nerd brain, at least the break is coming up soon, so I’ll have a bit more time to do my things.

Page three

Page one

Prisma Knight belongs to @startistdoodles

Aeon belongs to me

[lostsoulau-ask]

DRTHSKIRT HSKHI ITS AMAZING !!! i just finished reading and its so good !! Poor little Mouse got separated from his world and love, and when he went to the castle asking for help, he traped by the Card Queen and hes goons. Now i wonder what happened to the lil Shard, mh ? ;]

Journal of the Last Prophet (Part One)

April 16, 1611 - Dear diary,

Hello! This is the first time I'm writing in you, so I'm going to introduce myself! I am Aeon Caldera, I live in Tarot Town with my Mama, and I'm now five years old! Mama got me this for my birthday! She said "writing down your thoughts and feelings every day is a good habit to start early!" I’m so happy to start being like Mama now.

June 1, 1613 - Dear diary,

Mama and I left home to go to Underland today. I don't remember going there before, so I'm super excited for this! We left a bit later than the others, but maybe if we hurry we can catch up with the others before the Queen notices. We'll be going to the festival tomorrow! Wish us luck!

June 2, 1613

We got to Underland a bit late. The Queen seemed a bit upset, but not too upset, I guess. We were just enjoying the festival, and… Mama grabbed me and ran. I saw it. The Jabberwocky. I saw fire all around, and he seemed so angry. I wanted to help, but Mama didn’t let me go. She said that if you make the Jabberwocky angry, you won’t be able to see your friends or your family anymore. I was so scared, but we hid before the Jabberwocky got us. We hid for a long time, but when we came out, there was fire everywhere. Mama tried to hide it from me, but I think some of them aren’t okay. I hope they wake up soon. There were others that were okay, but when everyone got back to the gateway, someone came to us. He was huge and scary, and he was angry and sad. He said “you Wonderlanders left us behind! I won’t let you back here!” I think he was the King. Was one of his friends sleeping as well? We left to go home shortly after. I don’t think anyone knows what’s going to happen next year. I hope he’s going to be okay, though.

June 4, 1613.

We’re all still at the Queen’s Court. Apparently, she wants us to talk about what happened in Underland, and what it means for the Kingdom, or something like that. I didn’t hear a lot of it. Just boring people talking about boring things. Mama said to pay attention, but I couldn’t keep focused. It felt like hours before something actually happened. Someone had opened the doors. He seemed scared and hurt. He just ignored the guards trying to ask him to stay calm. But he didn’t. He was just more scared, asking for help. The Queen was angry at him when he got close to the throne. I didn’t see all of it; Mama covered my eyes. I think the Queen hurt him more, though. She started screaming at him things my mom said were bad to repeat. How could she be so mean to him? She’s an adult like Mama; she should know better than to hurt someone like that!

The Queen ordered her guards to “take him away from me”. If there weren’t so many people, I would’ve followed them. Why didn’t anyone try to stop her? Yeah, she’s scary, but I’ve had bullies before! And can’t we just help him anyways? If the Queen really is like this all the time, why hasn’t someone tried to stop her?

Mama said to stop writing things like this.

I’m scared.

June 5, 1613.

I snuck down to the basement in the middle of the night. It was dark and cold, but I don’t think anyone saw me. The Jailer had walked past while I was sneaking around, so I think I’m okay. I heard a few things in other rooms, but Mama said that there are things even she’s not allowed to see in the castle. Things she doesn’t want to see. I eventually found that boy. He looked like a boy, at least, but when I started talking to him, he was… sad. Much sadder than any kids I’ve talked to before, at least. He was confused why I was here, and I just wanted to cheer him up somehow. I asked his name, and he just said “my name is Shard. I’m the Bishop in Underland.” It… was weird. Why would an Underlander be here in Wonderland? And why would the Queen be so angry at him? I asked him, but he just said he didn’t know either. “The Jabberwocky grabbed me, and it brought me through the portal here. I was scared, but it dropped me, and we both fell to the ground. I’m lucky to have been okay,” he said to me. I still don’t understand why she would be so mean to him.

Mama told me to hide my journal. She said “If the Queen found this, you’ll be like the Underlander.”

June 10th. 1613.

We still haven’t gone home to Tarot Town yet. Mama said we were going to go home last week, but we’re still here. I’ve noticed a few people in the Court had gone missing since earlier this week. I think some of the people are the pretty dragon lady, the grey and blue rabbit girl, and the plum mouse lady. I tried asking what happened, but all the adults were scared of answering. And the Queen didn’t answer when I asked her either, even though I did everything Mama told me I should do when I go to ask the Queen for something. It was weird.

But I’ve been going to see Shard every night. He seemed hungry and thirsty, so I snuck to the basement with something for him. No one else ate it, and it was just left out in the open. Does the Queen not care that much? It’s all going to go to waste if someone doesn’t have it. I would’ve given him my blanket as well because it’s really cold down here, but he said it was too risky. He didn’t want me to get hurt. “You’ve already been so kind to me, even though I told you it was dangerous for you. But taking something like that would be a step too far.” I don’t know what he meant by that. This morning, Shard said something to me. “I don’t want you to come looking for me again. The Queen has been getting more angry the longer I’m here, and I think she’s going to kill me.” He told me to not try to reason with the Queen, and to not follow him if anything happens… I gave him a hug, or at least the best hug I could manage through the cell bars, and left and hid before the Jailer found me.

Shard was taken to the Court today. He looked even worse than when I last saw him. He had bruises, his clothes were ruined, and it looked like he was bleeding. What happened to him in such a small amount of time…? The Queen seemed calm; I was hoping Shard would be able to go home. But he didn’t. She said he was dangerous to her people, and that the sooner he was gone, the sooner Wonderland would be able to heal. That was wrong though! It was all wrong! Not even Shard wasn’t even trying to argue against it! She was lying to everyone, and no one tried to tell her that she was wrong! But who would listen to a little kid, anyways…

I followed Shard and the guards. I know I promised I wouldn’t, but I had to make sure he was okay. It seemed so weird, though. If she was this angry, why didn’t she do what Mama said she did to people that made her angry? I didn’t think that wall or that forest was there earlier, but there it was. The castle was really far away, but Tarot Town was closer. I could get myself and Shard there if something happened. But something did happen. I tried to follow them and stop them from hurting Shard, but the guards caught me at the gate. He seemed surprised that I followed, but when he came over to me, he… he didn’t try to run. He just told me to go, and that he’d be okay. He’d be okay with whatever happened as long as I was okay… I tried to tell him to not go, but one of the guards grabbed me and took me away. We just sat at the gate, waiting for something, anything. But Shard never came back. The group of guards came back, but… I hope my friend is okay.

The guards said they wouldn’t tell the Queen I stowed away, but they’d tell my Mama. I asked why they’d do that, and they just said “we’re afraid of what the Queen would do to us if we didn’t.” Why would they serve her if she made them scared? They didn’t answer me when I asked what they did to Shard. I hope he wasn’t hurt more. Mama was terrified that I’d come back to the castle with the guards. She said we’re going home tomorrow. I could hear her thank the guards before we left for our room.

Shard, please be okay in there.

June 2, 1614.

There wasn’t a celebration this year. Not even an invitation from Underland. I hope the King is okay. Still no word if Shard is okay, either. The blueberry looking man, Chaos as some of the adults call him, has also gone missing from Somnia’s court. I tried to go to the forest for what might be the millionth time again to see if Shard is okay, but there’s still no way to get inside. I hope he and everyone else that’s gone missing are okay…

March 7th, 1619.

I’ve been talking with some of the other townsfolk. It feels like Tarot Town isn’t as safe as it was when I was younger. Some of the other kids are going to school in groups, or asking their parents to go with them. The teachers and the Mayor said they’re doing the best they can to protect the town, but they aren’t doing enough. We’re stuck in a town that is slowly dying, while the Queen and her goons do nothing to help us. The Suits can’t save us, not like they’re trying. There’s been no word of the Diamond, the Club or the Spade. They’ve abandoned us to suffer Queen Somnia’s reign. Well… At least we have each other right now. Galacta, Kamenshi, Kaseki and I have been close before, but I think this is pulling us together. I enjoy their company, and even though we’re forced to live in such a lonely place, it’s something we’re going to live through together.

April 16, 1623.

It’s my sixteenth birthday today. I’m not too sure how I want to celebrate, honestly, other than having some cake and spending some time with my partners. Mom doesn’t seem to mind that Seki, G, Kam and I are actually together as a group, which is more than a relief. She even seems cheerful when I talk about them. I wish that was true of everyone here. But, since this is for writing down my thoughts, I guess I’d better start with something. I’ve never really left Tarot Town after the Jabberwocky incident in Underland. Any time I did, it was mainly to see if there was any way to meet the other Suits… Or get into that forest Queen Somnia had her guards drag that Underlander, Shard, to what was certainly his death. But there was just no getting over or under the wall, and the only gate keeping them in and myself out was locked up tight.

Another thing that I've had on my mind a bit more lately was… well, where I came from. I don't really know who my Dad was, and I thought today, I'd finally have some answers. Nope. Mama said he was an Underlander, but that was almost it, just like always. I asked her why he wasn't with us, or why we weren't with him, and she finally said something more, and told me that he wasn't ready for a family. That and their relationship was "a secret from the monarchs, both of whom would've been extremely displeased upon hearing there was an affair between them at all." Her words, not mine. The subject seemed way too touchy, so I just sorta dropped it after that. I'm curious about him, but if he really didn't care enough about me and my Mama, he probably isn't worth my speculation… I’m still curious about him anyway. I mostly wonder if he even survived the attack from the Jabberwocky. But with so many dead on both sides, I doubt it. 

June Seventh, 1629

Today was the happiest day of my life. I’m now the wife of my three wonderful spouses. Kaseki was worried and stressed about it, but I knew that it was going to be more than just decent. The only thing I wish we did was make it a more private event. Oh well. Galacta wore a long, feathered cape to hide his wings, but I believe all of us were beautiful today. Mama had several pictures taken, and she certainly cried the entire time. I’m certain that she’s overjoyed that I’m going to be with such loving and caring partners. I just wish that Kamenshi and Kaseki’s parents could’ve been here… It feels lonely for them to not be here, but… I suppose they’ll be here in memory. Oh, I’m sorry for turning this so negative. I just don’t really know how to describe how I feel, other than pure bliss and joy that this day has finally come.

We’re going to be so happy together, I can feel it.

May Second, 1631.

I’ve officially been sworn into office today. The other candidates are all more experienced than myself, but they say I can learn as I go. My spouses said that they were so happy for me. I’ve been writing in my journal more frequently, as there have been more and more on my mind. I just hope that I can do my best to serve and protect Tarot Town. From those who wish us harm, and from the wrath of the Queen. I haven’t forgotten what she did to that poor Underlander. And all the others that had somehow incurred her wrath. It’s strange. Today is one of the happiest days of my life, and yet, I’m dreading what might come of today.

May Third, 1631.

The Queen arrived in the town today. I was caught off guard, but when I tried to apologize to her, she… This is going to sound crazy, but she said there was nothing for her to get angry about, because she had arrived without warning. It was purposeful, even… I’m not sure how to think of her anymore. She seems so calm. Too calm, even… Her several royal guards, on the other hand… They seemed tense… Anxious, even. I tried to ask one of her guards, Ava I believe, but… The Queen had strictly ordered both of us to stop. And… That was when I really remembered again what she did. What she has the ability to do to anyone that crosses her. The two of us walked through the town, just quietly talking to each other. When we got to my new office, she just… asked me to sit.

We went over the different terms and agreements that came with me now being in office, and she seemed rather transparent about what she wanted of me and my town. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting such transparency. It was… in a way… very disturbing… Was she this transparent with all of the other mayors? Or is this just a facade? I can’t tell. Regardless, she… she gave me a written contract. It glowed softly, and I could read over the terms and conditions they laid out. Of course, I read the contract over repeatedly, almost tuning her out. Every word, every letter, every single asterisk. But there was nothing. Not as far as I could see. So… I signed. Hoping those stories from my childhood to have been false. She left me a copy of the contract, and she left Tarot Town shortly after, but… I can’t help but dread the idea of what I might have missed on that contract.

December Twenty Third, 1631.

I've noticed that my powers seem to wax and wane with the sun and moon. I get stronger during winter, and they get weaker during summer. I think even my visions are at their most immersive and more accurate during the Winter Solstice. So much so that it becomes hard for me to distinguish what's actually happening around me. It's strange, but that's just how powerful this magic is. I've been preparing for today though, for quite some time. It's the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, and the strongest my powers will get this year.

Mama said this power is something she's lived through similarly to myself, and it had given her wisdom and experience that was deeply needed by the historians and the Suits. The Club before they disappeared, the Heart before Somnia, the Spade before they were attacked by the Jabberwocky, and the Diamond before their banishment. Apparently, this power is genetic in some capacity. If I were to have a child of my own, this power will become theirs. I’m not sure if I’ll stop having visions if they were to start having them, but I don’t imagine so. Mama said the power might even follow the women better than the men of our family. I’m… sort of curious now, but not curious enough yet. The four of us will have a child when we’re ready for it.

I’ll just leave this here, and write any visions that I may have.

July Thirty First, 1632.

I’m writing this in between my tears, so if something looks wrong, that’s why. The Queen paid Tarot Town a surprise visit, and she seemed to be calm, even a little bit cheerful. I invited her to my office, and offered her a cup of hot chocolate. The conversation was civil and calm, even if her guards seemed a bit on edge… But today was just confirmation that I should never have trusted her. I… I asked too many questions. About her supposed kindness. About why her guards seem so afraid. About the Underlander that I saw when I was a child. She’d tried to deflect the answers, but Shard… Asking her about what she’d done to him was apparently a step too far.

She was furious, demanding to know how I knew where he was. She quickly calmed herself, but… I know it was false. I tried to change the subject, but I shouldn't have. Her guards tried to approach to passively separate us, but just a glare was all it took from her to force them away again. She said to me “You have lied to my face for decades on your true loyalties. You swore loyalty to me, all the while you conspired with them.” I tried to calm her, tried to make her think rationally, but nothing I did worked. She revealed the contract that the two of us had signed when I started my job as the Mayor. It was all the same but… it was terrifying what she had done.

With just a snap of her fingers, lines of invisible ink had become visible. She had hidden terms and conditions in that contract. She lied to me, and I was either going to tell her everything I had neglected to inform her of- things that vary from important to the town's health to deeply personal information that could endanger the Kingdom if it fell into her hands -or… I would be cursed. I'd heard several stories as a child of what she'd be able to do to people that angered her; the curses and fates worse than death she could inflict without a second thought. But, despite my fear, I put my foot down. I refused to bow down to her, refused to tell her anything that she demanded to know. She made it clear that it was the worst choice I could’ve made in my entire life. Just as worse as even thinking of helping Shard.

It felt horrible, being dragged outside like I was a criminal, and thrown to the dirt in front of the entire town. I saw Galacta and Kaseki try to run to my side, but when the guards approached me, their weapons at the ready, they just stopped. No one wanted to cross the Queen, and now that I’m writing this, I sincerely don’t blame them. I wouldn’t wish any of this upon anyone else. The Queen stood at the top of the stairs, trying to make herself intimidating and powerful compared to those she thought below her, including myself. She unraveled that golden contract again, holding it out to show to my people.

“Let this be a lesson to those who dare stand against me! In my hand, I hold the contract your Mayor has willfully signed when she took office! The contract she had intentionally violated!” I think she was stalling slightly to decide what to do with me. I prayed that she would have mercy, but I knew that there was nothing I could do anymore. None of us could do anything. Not even her own guards could stop her.

A pair of ghostly hands of pitch and scarlet appeared, and… the next moments, even now, are a complete blur. I don’t know what happened, but I knew that I… In that pain, that feeling of being lost and abandoned, that agony… I thought of my family, I thought of what would happen to me, and what lives we could’ve had if this never happened. And I thought of Shard… Did he go through something like this? This pain, this agony that I was living through at that moment? I… was unconscious for a moment. Again, what happened, I had no idea. It must’ve been so terrifying, so painful if I completely blocked it out, even now. The guards seemed deeply shaken, and the people seemed horrified, but the Queen… Kamenshi tried to help me up, and I saw that… that look on her face… She was so… so… How could she be so happy about this? She wasn’t just happy, she was fucking revelling in this horror show. She walked over to me, and just said to me, “This is just the start, prophet. So long as I hold the throne, you will never know a moment of peace.” She… left soon after…

The curse she placed on me, I don’t quite know how to describe it. I thought, at first, that she had stolen my voice, like the witch from one of those old stories. But she must’ve thought that was too cliche, because she didn’t steal my voice. Rather, she completely distorted my ability to speak normally ever again. Only speaking in riddles and confusing phrases. I.. still don’t know what I’m saying, compared to what I’m thinking of saying. I can’t even say “hello” or “I love you” without getting confused myself. While I so deeply wish I could make her take back this curse… I know that I did the right thing. What I know, the visions I’ve had, the lives I’ve helped, it could all be stolen away at just a moment’s notice if she had gotten her hands on my journals, and especially if I had told her everything she wanted to know.

Galacta is standing guard outside the room. I don’t think he’s going to sleep, and I don’t blame him. He blames himself for letting her even lay a hand on me. I think this is going to be the first in a long line of sleepless nights, with pillows soaked in tears.

January Fifth, 1634.

I was making my daily rounds through the town today, checking in on how everyone was (to the best of my ability with my spouses busy) when I had seen a pair of men wandering around. I hadn't seen them very often as a child, but I believe that they have been here before I was born… Actually, not even Mama is sure of how long they’ve been here. She said they were here before she moved here. Something interesting that she mentioned, however, was that they always took caution to hide themselves from the Queen during her surprise visits, and despite their mockery and joking, they usually keep to themselves. I don’t even think anyone knows their names.

When I greeted them, they said to not worry about apologising immediately about not having a translator or writing out my sentences on a piece of paper instead. “We can understand you even if others can’t,” they said to me. One of the twins walked heavily on the one side, and had to use a cane to relieve the pressure, but the other, despite looking in just as frail of a condition, was walking fine. It was odd to see them walking and moving; despite their movements being completely fluid, there were… moments in which it looked like they were fighting their own bodies in a way. Like they were moving slightly too far or slightly too little than they wanted to.

I didn’t want to be rude through my conversation, but… it was a bit difficult to properly phrase my questions and my answers to their own questions. They didn’t answer a lot of them, though. That was understandable; I was still a complete stranger to them, and if they thought I was still working with the Queen, it… would be more than understandable for them to ignore me. I won’t break my vow to protect my people, however. There is nothing she could do to make that happen. I hope that I can keep this courage I have at the time of writing this.

-

Fylass in Wonderland belongs to @george228732

Aeon and Cresunsa belong to me

Queen Somnia belongs to @stardustshimmer

Tenebra and Celesta Knight belongs to @lucent-nargacuga

Shard/Lucid and Buddy belongs to @lostsoulau-ask

Kurabe and Fettuccine belong to @kachikirby

Dero belongs to @monsterhatdoodles

Chaos belongs to @galakianexplosion

Ava belongs to @avathestarwarrior