#and also with her representing the dark side of the moon. new moon and eclipses

[primordialruin]

Despite not outwardly killing people, Lilith's cunning way of working in the shadows (Black Moon / New Moon ref from Zohar) has created the optimal context for certain murders to occur either on her behalf, or influenced by her creating the bridge of events that lead to a couple of necessary deaths and injuries to send a message.

[sihayadunee]

🌘 THE ECLIPSE a UNION of OPPOSITES 🌒

an analysis of the mythic motifs in dune part two through the lens of mythologist joseph campbell, and some predictions for dune messiah

• Divine Couple

• Death and Rebirth

• Redemption Through Divine Union

• House of Atreus

• Lunar-Masculine / Solar-Feminine

• Goddesses

THE ECLIPSE

This motif has been connected to Dune since the first film’s promo, especially with the concluding track of Dark Side of the Moon accompanying the initial trailer. Some fans believed this theme had been dropped as it wasn’t very present in the first film. However the eclipse continued throughout the promo of the second film. This was because Part Two is where the real pay off is, already in the first 10 minutes.

This concept is intrinsic to Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation. Since the first film I have been saying that Dune embraces the Lunar-Masculine (Paul) and Solar-Feminine (Chani). However beyond just that, Dune: Part Two showcases multiple pairings of the lunar-solar dynamic.

But before we jump into that, let’s establish the meaning of an eclipses in general mythology. Typically they are a symbol of death and renewal. Common interpretations have a beast devouring the sun, or a celestial couple evading or pursuing one another. These interpretations are consistent over and again in Dune.

What we will see, is that the greater Imperium holds a Solar-Masculine identity, but when it comes to Arrakis there is a distinct shift to the Solar-Feminine archetype.

PAUL as the MOON

There are an innumerable amount of connections. Bull motifs are reoccurring throughout the first film, where he grew up on a water world. After all, the moon is associated with the tides. He takes the name Muad’Dib, and one of the moons of Arrakis has the icon of a Muad’Dib aka Desert Mouse visible on its surface. And ultimately, Paul experiences rebirth in Part Two.

The bull is a figure of sacrifice which aligns very well with the lineage of House Atreides which can be traced back to the House of Atreus and it’s curse of familial murder, betrayal and symbolic consumption. Sacrifice of the children in each new generation.

IRULAN and the GOLDEN LION THRONE

Starting here is a good place, because it shows the transition of the Solar-Masculine of the wider Imperium toward the Solar-Feminine of Arrakis. Irulan Corrino of House Corrino is the daughter of Emperor Shaddam who sits on the Golden Lion Throne. His reign is coming to a close as Paul rises on Arrakis, and with no male heirs Irulan his eldest is the successor destined for marriage. In this way Irulan becomes the embodiment of the Lion Throne, and her determination in Dune Messiah to produce Paul’s heir becomes clear. That function of the Queen Mother and how that feeds back into the Solar-Masculine as the King becomes tied to the lion and the throne once more.

In particular I would say her story is best reflected in the myth of the goddess Cybele who falls for Attis and when he falls for a mortal girl Cybele plots betrayal. Something for which she later feels guilt and tries to make amends for (Children of Dune).

PAUL and JESSICA

Their dynamic is incredibly complicated, but I think the opening of the film during the eclipse sums it up very well. You follow the path of the moon as it covers the sun, and as it meets its full coverage Paul is the one taking action in the fight against the Harkonnen. However as the moon passes by and the sun takes over again, Jessica emerges to save Paul’s life.

This was intentional by the filmmakers, as is revealed in the Art and Soul of Dune Part Two, DP Greig Fraser identified the exact time, date and location in order to shoot the sun as it appears directly behind Rebecca Ferguson.

Jessica represents the sun on Arrakis, and in this scene we see how the moon dies into the sun to be reborn in their dynamic. It also lines up with motifs of the sun goddess giving birth to the sacrificial bull. Sacrifice toward this death and rebirth.

What we see is the separation of mother and son that brings them back together in the same place. Paul takes the lead and rejects his mother’s influence, but she leads him toward the death and rebirth he must experience, and this brings them back to a common understanding.

This is also why having Jessica sit the Atreides “throne” in the finale instead of Paul (who did so in the book) makes mythic sense. Because again we return to the Solar-Feminine mother as the throne, and her son as king. But in a different context here then what Irulan aspires toward.

A SYMBOLIC UNION aka THE BULL SACRIFICE

The House Harkonnen family seal in the books is the griffin, which makes his introduction in a gladiator arena killing Atreides even more appropriate. Feyd’s birthday is also associated with a solar event. Because ultimately Feyd is the matador and Paul is the bull.

What works so fantastically about the dual, is how it is bathed in the sunlight. After all, the sun figure (day) is facing off against the moon (night) figure in this sequence. Plus the bull was the eventual demise of Paul’s grandfather who was a matador. This takes place at sunrise, and it’s a dual for the throne, where whoever is victorious inherits the Golden Lion Throne. The

Denis specially describes the dual as a symbolic union, and it works on multiple layers. This bull sacrifice, is in essence the quote from part one of “when you take a life you take your own” so Paul killing Feyd is penetration, intimacy, it is rebirth.

It is also reminiscent of how Campbell describes the sun-moon twins of Navajo myth:

The two, Sun-child and Water-child, antagonistic yet cooperative, represent a single cosmic force, polarized, split, and turned against itself in mutual portions. The life-supporting sap-power, mysterious in the lunar rhythm of its tides, growing and decaying at a time, counters and tempers the solar file of the zenith, life- desiccating it its brilliance, yet by whose heat all lives.

— Joseph Campbell's Commentary from "Where the Two Came to Their Father: A Navaho War Ceremonial" by Jeff King and Maud Oakes

DESERT SPRING TEARS and DIVINE UNION

There is a section in the Dune Encyclopedia that talks about the foundation of the Bene Gesserit beliefs. In particular the teachings of a certain ancestral memory personality, called Inanna (yes that is the name of the Sumerian goddess who was also in a divine union caught between life and death glad you asked) about the Kwisatz Haderach. It basically establishes that the entire premise of the Bene Gesserit and the Kwisatz Haderach is in essence the Divine Couple.

It specifies two mirrored dynamics the son saved/resurrected by the mother and the husband saved/resurrected by the wife. Inanna called them Au Set and Au Sar. The Kemet names for Isis and Osiris. The idea of the Bene Gesserit would have this as the mother of the KH, and the Corrino princess he would have married. But with things thrown off course, it represents outside their control.

In Dune, we see it between Paul and Chani. Like Isis who has the solar disc and Osiris who is tied to water and death, her lover has died and she is the one to revive him.

Furthermore the concept of mythical tears can be found in the goddess Freya (who arguably is compatible with sun-goddess motifs) who weeps when her husband Odin is lost to her.

But perhaps most compatible—the healing tears of a phoenix. A bird archetype similar to Isis as bird. This is where the yin-yang dynamic of Chani and Paul becomes most apparent, since the serpent is synonymous with the bull and therefore Paul who “makes peace with Shai-Hulud” encompasses the dragon (yang) as a complement to Chani’s phoenix (yin).

In the behind the scenes of Dune Part Two, the Maker Temple is said to be designed like the infinity symbol with the two circles (one of sand and one of water). Sand being death and water being life, but also the reverse. As the sandworm thrives in the sand but is drowned in the water. And Paul is stuck between life and death, literally laying between both pools, when Chani comes to resurrect him.

This film literally has three kisses. Their first kiss when Chani says she will show him the way of the Fremen, their second kiss on screen when she says he will never lose her before going South, and the third symbolic kiss of life.

This marriage/death is also foreshadowed in Paul’s visions in Part One when Chani kisses him and then stabs him. Which is where we return to Isis and Osiris because Paul’s death state (dying again as we established, after killing Feyd, similar in a way to Set and Osiris) is where we will eventually get the twins Leto II and Ghanima with Leto II being the Horus in this equation.

As the Pink Floyd lyrics say, the sun is eclipsed by the moon and this is captured in the heartbreak Chani feels over losing Paul and losing her people to the Lisan al Gaib. The Fremen way of life has been eclipsed and over taken by the Atreides and the Bene Gesserit. Here we see more of the concept of that beast devouring the sun from the beginning, verses the celestial couple dynamic.

Chani leaving the residency chamber is also reminiscent of certain myths like Amaterasu going into hiding, or the Inuit folktale about the sun goddess fleeing her moon god brother/lover who pursues her.

However the Dune Encyclopedia also talks about the concept of redemption (which is why in the film Mohiam asks Margot if Feyd is capable of redemption) of the “mate savior”. The Kwisatz Haderach. They would bring about a release from bondage through redemption and rebirth.

Which is relevant to the dynamic of Paul and Chani in Dune Messiah for Denis, because he has said Paul is going to be looking to save his soul in part three, and how Paul and Chani come back together won’t just be explained away off screen between films. It will be that continued cycle of rebirth, through redemptive love. Rebirth as a whole in Dune is worth its own discussion, since all the different Jungian descriptions of it can be found within this universe.

CONCLUSION

The eclipse, a lunar-solar dynamic representing the union of opposites, is very significant in Dune Part Two and sheds a lot of light onto what we can anticipate next in Dune Messiah, particularly in regards to the central romance between Paul and Chani and the changes Denis has made from book to screen.

[nightsunecilpse]

The lunar eclipse happens on March 13-14 2025

If solar balls are trying to line up the release date of a new episode with this event then I think I could make a theory out of this. For instance, the Lunar Eclipse represents endings, self-reflection, and emotional release, according to a Google search.

The whole Earth heading away from the Sun arc is crazy. In the current state of the solar system, I would like to predict that everything will fall apart. The planets are leaving, and the Sun looks on the brink of insanity. This won't go down gently but more in a big blowout. I am going on a previous observation here, but the center of this madness will likely come from the Sun, Luna, and Earth.

Both Earth and Luna will likely do some self-reflecting the difference is how they'll do it. Earth is right now going through a spiritual journey, literally, but Luna will probably be more logical. As logical as Luna can be anyway. Theia did say to Earth "Look within, that's where you'll find me". Her and Proto's ghost also had their eyes shut. It could be that their ghosts had been resting inside of Earth, so if he wants answers, he'll need to see who he is through and through. I'm sure whatever self-reflection Luna goes through will be heartbreaking but this arc isn't about him. Still, that doesn't mean to forget his importance. He still has the whole Dark Side of the Moon to explain.

Anyway, that is my insane theory. Hope this was a fun read.

[talonabraxas]

Hekate: Goddess of The Eclipse Talon Abraxas

Eclipses are such a powerful time to explore darkness, so very Hekatean in their essence for they not only either dim the world or occur at night when they are visible, but are also liminal times. As part of my personal studies, I reflect on experiences during the previous eclipses to see how they brought powerful medicine to me.

Eclipses are generally turning points, a type of Nyssa experience (refer to Entering Hekate's Garden if you are unfamiliar with that term). As Hekateans, the MOON will always be highly influential since we are naturally attuned to it's powers: emotions, intuition, magic(k), mystery. They are sacred events when we can behold the majesty of the universe, and Hekate Anima Mundi, with awe and wonder.

Generally, I recommend connecting to the eclipse in a more intuitive manner during the precise times, such as contemplative work of devotion (see prayer below), and reserving spells and rituals for hours before/after. Viewing eclipses in person is deeply spiritual experience, which I have been fortunate enough to have many times.

Understanding Eclipses: Significance and Characteristics

"The metaphor for the violence done to the goddess as a representative of natural order and the balance of the natural world appropriately takes the form in the celestial sphere as an abrupt and frightening change in the heavens: an eclipse. The actions of this goddess as eclipse are not the warrior goddess archetype but the intellectually powerful and disturbed nature of a goddess represented as a raging fury determined to shake the universe, darken the skies, and set the world into a readjustment of its values after experiencing the chaos of the unnatural. Eventually, her power is to astound, frighten, and horrify to create the required and necessary change to the culture of the patriarchy that is out of sync with nature. Therefore, her power dwells in the unmasking of uncertainty and the shocking of mankind to evoke revenge and correct misconduct through a demonstration of cosmic change." From "Goddesses of The Eclipses," by Helen Benigni.

I don't feel the need to say more about their significance, especially to us Hekateans. This quote, and the entire scholarly article linked above, says it all.

2024 Eclipse Cycle

The 2024 Eclipse Cycle begins with the Libra Full Moon in March, and concludes with the Libra New Moon in October. For many of us living in North America, the Spring Eclipse Season brings us a very special total solar eclipse, a rare treat. Keep in mind that solar eclipses happen twice a year, so although this one may be more personally relevant because we can see it, it is in keeping with the natural cycle.

Eclipse seasons happen at the opposite side of the zodiacal calendar, as illustrated in the Covina graphic above. Since our calendar is lunar, twice a year we start a new moon month on an eclipse.

Beyond the full Aries solar eclipse on April 8, another unique astrological event in 2024 is that there are two Capricorn Full Moon's during the summer, which results in an unusual third Libra eclipse.

[yzafre]

Rise Magic Watch - Bullhop, Nothing But Trouble, Turtle-dega Nights, Shadow of Evil

We've got a mixed bag on how much magic there is in these episodes.

Bullhop

Bit of new information about Big Mama! Here is an exact order of events:

We see her eye glow, we see Mikey get webbed, and then we see her transform. So, she can shoot webs even in human form.

Nothing but Truffle

Ooof. This episode is… not a good look for Mikey. But… yeah, very believably self-centered for a kid his age lol. And Karma came for him in the end.

Meat Sweats used the shadow moon trufflle… before getting mutated? Like, it had to be, for this to be his signature dish from his time as Rupert Swaggert. How did he learn about this. How did MIKEY learn about this?

I'd say it's just a sort of boundary-crossing thing that most people don't know is actually magic, but… Mikey called it a MYSTIC ingredient - which is used in the show for things connected to the hidden city.

((also… jupiter eclipsing the moon? …how??? I may not understand how eclipses work entirely, but… this is nonsense, right?))

Got a bit of an answer to like. Meat Sweats absorbing people-people. Some thoughts from this

So I have a SUPER vague memory of something from x-men where like. Rogue got someone's powers permanently by absorbing them to death. You think that's a thing here?

The fact that Meat Sweats ACTUALLY absorbed Todd's niceness is. Interesting. Like it actually is a "super-power" (mystic???). Wild. Does it mean he's not able to NOT be like that, even if he wanted to? Would he even know if that's the case? Was he always like this?

Still not entirely sure what would happen if Meat Sweats absorbed the turtles. Would he just get their like. Shells? The same way he got tree-like features here? What about their mystic powers? Ninpo? ((still not sure how closely those two are related)).

….Todd HEARD mind-Raph??? Like this was not just a memory Mikey was going off-of, but real enough someone else could hear? Realistically, it's a gag, but. What.

Silver… worked? Against this? Is it a joke? Yes. Is it also now in the text? Yes. Silver vs mystic powers - possible solution.

Turtle-dega Nights: Ballad of Rat Man

I just love how many like. Normal-ish things exist in the Hidden City. Also how integrated the mutated villains seem to have become with that side of the world.

You know, I was wondering why this would come before Shadow of Evil on the episode order I'm following , given how hard it pushes into "Splinter is Lou Jitsu" in it's set-up… but then there was one line from Donnie:

"You're the one who introduced us to Lou Jitsu!"

That would be… a bit of an odd thing to say, if you knew your Dad was Lou Jitsu, wouldn't it? And suddenly having it right before Shadow of Evil made sense.

…On the other hand, none of them acknowledge that they're all. Totally chill about the obvious mystic inhabitants of this place. so.

Shadow of Evil

Big reveals! But less new magic than you would think.

Mystic metal is "new", thought technically we've seen it in the gauntlets. Also, it can heal itself.

We see Draxum's portals again - he creates them with a hand gesture - are these natural or artificial, do you think? That is to say, is he using a tool for this?

And then... Shredder, and the Kuroi Yoroi/Dark Armor. Big story moment! I am curious, what are Splinter's "flashback(?)"s at this reveal supposed to represent?

It can't be memories, because the Shredder's in them, and he's not been around for many lifetimes. The story Splinter's grandfather told him, maybe? Curious....

[blu-moon]

Analyzing The Twilight Saga Book Titles

Twilight

Twilight is defined as the time before a sunset, taking place between daylight and darkness. It makes the smooth transition from evening to night.

In the Twilight Saga, I think this title either symbolizes the beginning of night (which I explain later) or it is supposed to represent two worlds coming together. It uses the transition of twilight where night meets day to symbolize two things coming together.

We can easily discern that the night is Edward or better yet the “vampire world”. The day is Bella, or the “human world”. Twilight is supposed to represent the coming together of these two people from different worlds. It the collision of the unusual.

New Moon

New Moon is the Lunar Phase where the moon is not visible in the sky as it’s between the sun and earth and cast in complete shadow on the side we can see.

The New Moon often symbolizes change and new beginnings as it signals the start of a new moon cycle. In the book, this symbolism can be seen by the drastic change that occurs in Bella’s life.

New Moon has a few different ways you can interpret the title. First, we have established that the mystical or “vampire world” is represented by the night. As for Edward, he is specifically symbolized as the moon. In New Moon he leaves Bella, hence the book title being about the absence of the moon.

Second, New Moon can also be related to the introduction of the Quileute wolves. Wolves are often depicted alongside the moon and in general fiction humans who could turn to into wolves mostly did so under the presences of a (usually full) moon.

Eclipse

Eclipse is the rare occasion when the moon will pass between the sun and earth during daytime. The moon will overlap the sun, blocking out the majority of light.

It’s important to know that there are actually two types of Eclipses. A lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse is when the moon is completely visible but has a sort of orange or red tint. The earth, sun, and moon are all aligned. A solar eclipse is the typical image one would find when looking up ‘eclipse’. It is the moon over the sun, creating what looks like a circular ring of light. One occurs during the day, one at night.

In The Twilight Saga, the title Eclipse specifically refers to a solar eclipse. It represents the coming together of these two worlds or even “Bella’s”. In the books, Bella refers to two different versions of herself, “Jacob’s Bella” and “Edward’s Bella”. She’s described trying to force two magnets together, believing them to be Edward and Jacob as she wanted them to get along. She eventually realizes that the magnets she was trying to force together were instead “Jacob’s Bella” and “Edward’s Bella”. This applies to the title because she chose to be with Edward and that choice, her picking Edward (the moon), is shown through the solar eclipse where the moon overshadows the sun.

Throughout New Moon Bella describes and refers to Jacob as her sun, thus making him symbolize the sun in the title Eclipse. He’s overshadowed by Edward as Bella chooses him over Jacob.

Breaking Dawn

We know that dawn refers to the morning, but the term breaking dawn is a bit more specific. It instead refers to the point of morning where the light begins to grow after the night has ended.

The title Breaking Dawn seems like the odd man out when compared to the other book titles in the saga. The book titles so far had all referenced the night or the moon, which breaking dawn doesn’t fit into that category at all. With the title being Breaking Dawn it went in an entirely new direction, steering more toward references to the morning and daylight.

At first, I thought the title was stupid and didn’t make any sense, but the more I analyzed the more I understood why that title may have been chosen. The coming of morning signals the end of night and dawn can symbolize the coming of new things; a sunrise.

The title Breaking Dawn refers to the end of Bella’s journey. Her journey starts at nightfall (Twilight) and she goes through the night (yes, I know Solar eclipses occur during the day, but it still refers to the moon) and emerges a completely changed being by morning. The rising sun, or breaking dawn, symbolizes her change into a new life and the ending of the journey. Over night, her life has completely changed and she has altered her future for the rest of eternity.

I think Breaking Dawn symbolizes the end of Bella’s story and or her human life. It symbolizes the change she went though from human to an immortal being. Although the title would have made more sense if she had chosen Jacob, as he has been symbolized as the sun, the title still has other meanings that can be applied to the overall story.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate Eclipse and Breaking Dawn and think they totally ruined the saga, but their titles are pretty clever! They can be applied to both the story’s plot and the characters with relevant symbolism that makes you think about the deeper meanings nestled in the books.

Hope you enjoyed my little analysis :]

[vindelllas]

the mythology of rahu and ketu 🐉:

i am about to take a deep dive into the lunar and nodal nakshatras so i thought this would be the perfect post to prelude my upcoming explorations of the nakshatras of chandra, rahu, and ketu!

✨rahu depicted above:

🌑 for those who are new to vedic astrology, ketu and rahu are the shadow planets of the moon. they are what many tropical astrologers refer to as the south node (ketu) and north node (rahu). except, in vedic astrology, they have more intricate and prevalent meanings. rahu’s ruling deity is often said to be the goddess durga and ketu’s ruling deity is said to be lord ganesha.

✨ketu depicted above:

🐉 rahu means “to abandon” or “void”. rahu is the prince of the daityas (the offspring of the goddess diti and kasyapa, they are giant spirits who fought against the devas out of jealousy towards their deva half-brothers). rahu was born the son of viprachitta and sinhika. whereas, ketu means a “sign” or “banner” and is the son of viprachitta and sinhika, as rahu and ketu are two sides of the same coin (they are two imaginary planets, of the same origin, that can only be evaluated when both are taken into account).

🌌 the solar system takes approximately 365 days for the earth to orbit the sun and approximately 28 days for the moon to orbit the earth. twice a year, the lunar and solar paths intersect to create solar and lunar eclipses. during these eclipses, the sun/moon is enshrouded by the darkness of one of the nodes. as discussed previously, rahu is the ascending node and ketu is the descending node. they will always be retrograde (as the nodes move backwards) and opposite of each other.

🌠 the story of rahu and ketu’s origin lies in the puranic texts (whose date of origin is said to be of the time before creation). after a deeply strenuous and violent war, the gods and demons decided to work together to churn the galactic material (milk ocean). this material is called amrita, the nectar of immortality, which was created out of the intent for the gods’ use alone. the snake demon, who sat between the thrones of surya and chandra, sneakily took a sip of amrita. lord vishnu, the sustainer of the universe, almost immediately be-headed him. this is why rahu is said to be the head of the serpent demon without a body and ketu is the tail without a head. due to rahu taking a sip of amrita, they are now immortal. lord vishnu placed rahu and ketu in two specific points in the sky. they are now only visible when eclipsing the sun and moon.

here’s a link to another version of the story:

https://www.astrology-prophets.com/rahu-and-ketu-in-astrology.php

✨ you will notice that ketu is depicted as sitting on the crow. the mahavidya correlated to ketu, dhumavati (one of the ten tantric goddesses), is also symbolized by the crow. the crow is said to be symbolized by the tamasic shani too. this is why feeding crows is considered to be a remedy for an afflicted rahu, ketu, or shani! crows are also fed as part of shradh, a hindu ritual, which is an annual ritual conducted on the thithi, anniversary, of a person’s death. after someone dies, annually the deceased person’s family prepares a feast consisting of their relative’s favorite dishes. they then take turns to serve the dishes on a banana leaf, then the leaf is placed outside. the relatives call out to the crows to invite them to participate in the feast. once a crow begins to eat from the leaf, it is assumed that the deceased person (now in the form of the crow) has eaten, and the ritual is successfully finished. as this action indicates that the deceased ancestor’s soul is now appeased. crows can also be fed on amavasya days, as our dead ancestors are said to supposedly visit us on those days.

💫 ketu represents our karma, whether it is both good or bad. he represents spirituality and supernatural influences. ketu signifies the refinement of the spiritual process of materialization into the spirit. ketu is considered to be malefic, but not as malefic as the fierce, strong rahu who drank the nectar of immortality. this is why ketu is said to be submissive and cannot aspect other planets like rahu, because ketu is an uncontrollable and fluid being. he represents sorrow and loss and, therefore, is responsible for our journey to seeking a higher power. he will cause material loss for the purpose of bestowing the native with a more fitting spiritual outlook. ketu is also the karaka intelligence, wisdom, non-attachment, fantasy, insight, and psychic abilities. because ketu is not vain and is spiritually rich, he brings prosperity to the devotee's family and is said to remove the effects of venoms and poisons. if you devote yourself to him, he grants good health, wealth and livestock to his devotees.

⭕️ rahu represents materialism, mischief, fear, dissatisfaction, obsession and confusion. the illusionary and deceitful nature of rahu is also why it is associated with politicians and occult sciences. interestingly enough, rahu is even mentioned in a pair of scriptures from the samyutta nikaya of the pali canon. in the candima sutta and the suriya sutta, rahu attacks surya and chandra. he is then compelled to release them by buddha. buddha instructs rahu to release surya and chandra, the alternative being to have rahu’s head being split into seven pieces. rahu proceeds to release them. the verses spoken by surya, chandra, and buddha in this passage are also recited by monks as prayers of protection. this could be why rahu is said to be friends with buddha, because buddha was one of the few deities who could adequately tame the malefic energies of rahu.

♟each planet is an expression of our own divine consciousness. the nodes are a combination of the earth (body), surya (soul) and chandra (mind). this intense influence is why they are regarded as one of the most influential planets in our creative and illusionary expressions. rahu is insatiable, obsessive and does not know how to take no for an answer. ketu is intelligent, wise, non-attached, and ultimately our spiritual liberation. this is why the rahu/ketu axis tells one what they must do to attain moksha. think of ketu as the defensive king in chess who is limited in the steps he can take but wise in his pursuit. rahu is the offensive queen who has multiple possible routes to take and her power/strength can easily be abused.

you may want to examine the different vibrations and undertones of the songs below to better understand the dichotomy between the nodes:

ketu native: billie eilish

rahu native: ariana grande

xoxo, angel <3

[therealvinelle]

Are the Cullen's and Denali's even close? They sort of remind me of that movie character who has no friends at school but gets along with one (1) person and so consider them their best friend. Also, it's weird that both covens have characters who are basically the same personality trope just a slightly different version. Like Esme and Carmen, Eleazar and Carlisle, even Kate and Rosalie to an extent. And they've known the Cullen's for how many decades? And they were totally cool with letting them die because they weren't allowed to kill the wolves who were protecting Edward's (unmated, looking for love for the past century Edward!) human girlfriend/ proclaimed mate?

No, they’re not.

In Eclipse they had no problem leaving the Cullens to their miserable deaths. Carlisle wouldn’t let them butcher the shapeshifters (their motive for wanting this: the shapeshifters protected Edward’s mate from an attacking vampire. According to the Denali, this makes the vampire the victim, and he should be avenged), and Tanya said “then perish.”

Let it be known, before anyone tries to excuse this, that it wasn’t like Carlisle was asking them to die for him:

“We’re going to need help,” Jasper said. “Do you think Tanya’s family would be willing . . . ? Another five mature vampires would make an enormous difference. And then Kate and Eleazar would be especially advantageous on our side. It would be almost easy, with their aid.” (Eclipse, page 175)

They had two options, nothing to lose either way, and their choice was to leave the Cullens to their sorry fate.

(One can speculate that they in fact had something to gain. The Cullens made it clear they would stand in the way of Irina’s vengeance. Step aside. Let Victoria do her thing. Now there’s nothing in the way of Irina’s vengeance.

Not saying this is why the Denali didn’t help out, I don’t. I think their motivation was a simple, black-and-white “you don’t scratch our back, we won’t scratch yours.” 

But assuming the Cullens did perish, would Irina have left the shapeshifters in peace?)

By comparison, Carlisle’s other friends (some of which he hadn’t seen in generations) came in Breaking Dawn to most likely die by his side. Some had selfish motivations, yes, but Siobhan’s coven, the Amazonian women, Alistair (the guy left his hermit cave for Carlisle, that’s huge. I can’t fault the guy for not wanting to be part of a suicide mission(and he still did more than the Denali in Eclipse!)), Benjamin and Tia, Garrett and Peter and Charlotte, all came because of their friendship to Carlisle/the Cullens. To them, that was enough.

I highlight this because these people appear to value their relation to the Cullens a lot higher than the Denali do. Some of Carlisle’s friends have his back, others don’t. As of Eclipse, the Denali have made it clear they’re in the latter category.

And yes, the Denali were there for the Breaking Dawn confrontation, but they were already involved. Their sister had gone to the Volturi and was the reason for all this, and they were worried crazy about her. This wasn’t situation they could ignore up in those Alaskan mountains. So, yes, they were there, but after Eclipse I just don’t buy that they would have been there otherwise.

Then we have other interesting facts, such as the scene where Eleazar realizes Bella has a gift. Eleazar is surprised to learn Edward can’t read Bella’s thoughts: this is news to him.

The guy was at their fucking wedding.

I’ll give that Eleazar and Carmen do seem to be afterthoughts in that coven. There’s the Denali sisters- and oh, that’s right, there’s those two as well. 

But for no one to have brought up around Eleazar the fact that Edward can’t read Bella’s mind leaves us with two possible explanations. One, the Cullens and the Denali talk all the time, but they never brought up one of the major things about Edward’s new mate. It never came up. Eleazar is the resident gift expert, yet it simply never came up.

Two, the Cullens and the Denali don’t talk.

At some undated point the covens tried living together. I’m guessing in the 30′s or 40′s, since they met in the 30′s. However, they had to leave because there were too many of them, and they called attention to themselves.

Well, I think this was another case of someone in Eleazar’s life telling him their grandma died, so they can’t go to his party.

Which is to say that I think the size of the coven was the excuse, and the real reason was that the Denali are small dosage friends. 

We have Eleazar, who’s insensitive, arrogant, and not very bright (meta for that last claim is in my draft, guys), the Denali sisters who quit the people diet for the worst reason, and the fact that they’re people who would let their so-called family die over the pettiest, most vile motivation I can imagine.

Edward pontificates about how the sisters are sad orphans who cling to the Cullens because they need family, and you know what, I’m sure he’s right. Because those are easy things to want and easy claims to make, but while the sisters may think the Cullens are well and good for playing house with every now and then, that’s apparently not the same as caring for them.

Carlisle also does some pontificating, in the form of “vegetarianism makes emotional ties deeper!” which, sure, Carlisle. There’s a river in Egypt you might want to look into. However, I think that very vegetarianism is what makes these two covens who don’t really get along, and at least on one side don’t care that much about the other, stick it out. It’s a big world out there, not a lot of vegetarian vampires in it, and that means these weird kids have to stick together. Your friendless kid in school analogy is spot on.

So, in that sense, yes vegetarianism deepens emotional ties because without it, these covens would have nothing tying them together.

As it is, they have a comfortable relationship in canon where the other coven represents a refuge, a change of scenery, when it’s needed for whatever reason. The Cullens during a dark period in New Moon, Edward when he had to flee Forks. However, I think the main reason why they’ve become this to one another is because of their similar lifestyles.

And, more damningly, we see countless examples of other vampires that appear much closer to members of the Cullen coven. (Carlisle and Aro, Carlisle and Siobhan, Carlisle and Zafrina (from what I recall of those two), Carlisle and Garrett, Jasper and Peter/Charlotte) These people are actual friends, who get along because of personality reasons, not simply because they were the kids in school who did the Naruto run through hallways and now they have to lunch at the dweeb table.

Edit: Turns out it wasn’t Carlisle who did that “vegetarianism makes emotional ties deeper!” pontificating at all. My due apologies to this fictional character who was in no way affected by my mistake.

[paceyjen]

Okay, but can we talk about how Rory and Jess fit the lunar dichotomy trope perfectly and the way their character arcs complement one another?

First things first, the lunar dichotomy trope basically says one of them represents the moon and the other the sun. With Literati, I’d point Jess out as the Moon, and Rory, the Sun.

When we are first introduced to Jess, he shows characteristics of a Moon character, as in he shares the mystery and darkness usually associated with this element, due to his troubled background we know little to nothing about to this day, but can assume if we read between the lines. But the moon is also a symbol of light in the dark, as Jess was shown to be in the later seasons, when he finds Rory in two of her darkest times (after dropping out of Yale and in the revival) and helps her find her way, serving as a guide, or as I mentioned before, a light, just like the moon.

Rory, on the other hand, with her overall upbeat and sunny personality, embodies the Sun, especially in the earlier seasons. In the later seasons and in the revival, she feels more like an eclipsed sun, although the moon in this case, represents adulthood and the things she went through in those years, from dropping out of school in season 6 to losing her grandfather in AYITL.

The lunar dichotomy trope represents the way these two characters complement each other, and that is exactly how I would describe Rory and Jess’ dynamic. As a matter of fact, Rory herself says something to that effect in the season 3 premiere, when Paris asks her how to know if a guy is right for her, and Rory while inadvertently but clearly talking about Jess, says she should look for someone who “complements her" and if that’s the way Rory herself feels about Jess’ role in her life, who am I to disagree?

Throughout the show, Rory and Jess continue to bring out the best in one another. When Jess first arrives, he is (and rightfully so) guarded and well, rude (again, understandably) but once he meets Rory, he shows her this whole other side of himself and with her encouragement and sometimes tough love, he is kinder and more receptive to this new life he was suddenly thrown into.

I don’t think Jess changed for her, but with her help and words of affirmation, such as her saying he could do more, he lived up to his potential and accomplished something incredible by becoming a published author at 21. This is why him coming to see her in 6x08 is so important to me: he tells her he couldn’t have done it without her, not that he did it for her, but that she played a part in giving him a much needed push to achieve greater things that he may have originally set out to.

Again, since they complement each other, this goes both ways. Jess, by nature, is an instigator, so it’s no surprise that he is the one to show Rory that, as much as she tried to, she didn’t belong in her grandparents’ world and that she needed to get herself out of that situation, which she does. Rory does that by herself, she moves out of her grandparents’ house, makes up with Lorelai and goes back to Yale, but it’s clear that Jess’ visit impacted that decision. He didn’t try to play the hero and save her from the evil grasp of the DAR and tea parties — he just questioned it, forcing her to face what she had been avoiding for months, giving her a nudge in the right direction.

I think the main point I’m trying to make in this rambling and already very long post is that Rory and Jess didn’t exactly “save” each other — their lives were better because they met, and that means so much.

I mean, just imagine how different their lives would’ve been if they never met? Now, that’s something for another post.

Sometime, if I’m feeling this unhinged again, I might try to be coherent enough to write it.

[primordialruin]

Due to Lilith representing the dark side of the moon, new moon and the subconscious and its disowned parts, she represents the innermost, primal, hidden truths that belongs to all of us. These are the parts of us that we do not want to integrate because of the shame it would bring us if we were to admit that those feelings and thoughts belonged to us. Little does anyone know that in order to process them and eliminate/move past them, one has to become completely honest about owning those uncomfortable parts about oneself.

She represents the axiom of the inner self and she will do whatever is in her power to bring it to the surface. Her desire is for you to accept them, own them, and become accountable for them. This also ties with the legend where she is seen as a punisher/whip of God that kills those who give in to her temptation. I will be interpreting her temptation as her bringing out your inner self to the surface (temptation) and giving you the choice to do something about it (punisher). This is you, in your fullness. Darkness and light combined as the earth no longer eclipses the moon.

Monster and divine.

What will you do now?

[twdmusicboxmystery]

10x18 - TTD Clues

Okay, let’s talk TTD. Usually I just have like 4-5 talking points from TTD, but there was a LOT in this episode. And, let’s face it. Given that it’s the Leah episode, there’s lots to discuss anyway. But everything in TTD just backs up what I’ve already said. Namely, that Leah and Daryl are NOT soulmates. And that there’s a lot of Beth symbolism and foreshadow here.

So, let’s just dive right in.

1)    Despite Chris calling it a “powerful relationship” in the intro (thanks a lot, Chris), when Nicole Mirante-Matthews, the writer, starts talking about it, it’s much better. She says this Leah thing will be relevant to a lot of things moving forward, including Connie. Which I take to mean that this affected his mindset and will probably change how he approaches things we’ll see in his story. 

She says that these were two lost souls, who happen to meet at a specific place and time and sort of crash together. That specifically suggests that it’s not a long-term thing. It’s more of a rebound and they were both lonely, and that’s why it happened. Then she says that this will affect things “reverberating forward into his present day story, which we’re rolling out here.” Because we understand the Bethyl template, and that Beth will be returning soonish, that just screams Beth to me.

2)    Chris talks about the grave marker Daryl looks at and how it’s kind of a fake out, as many people (who hadn’t read spoilers) would assume it was Leah’s grave. I talked about this Monday, and how it reminded me of the Beth/Tyreese fake out. I got that from TTD. Because I’d already read spoilers, the idea of that being mistaken for Leah’s grave wouldn’t have occurred to me.

And of course if she’s a hallucination, the grave marker may even be Leah’s. 

3)    Chris also mentioned massive time gaps. Now, he’s talking about the six-year time gap in which Leah happened, but still. I felt like the way he said it is to remind us that there are time gaps that have to be explained at some point, *coughs missing 17 days*

4)    Fun fact: the puppy’s name is Carl. Now, I can’t REALLY point to that as a TD thing, because the puppy’s name really is Carl. But I couldn’t help but wonder if THEY named the dog that. And even if not, they still felt the need to mention it here. I’m side-eyeing a little. Only because there are such strong symbolic ties between Carl’s death and Beth’s return. But hey, take it or leave it. Just my TD brain working overtime.

5)    They mentioned the map in the “in memoriam.” So, you know how I said yesterday that Map = Beth. Yeah, they actually treat Map as a lost character here. I’m just saying.

6)    Denise Huth’s pre-taped interview talks about a “lightening” for Daryl. Uuummmm. I don’t want to go into this in too much detail here, but this is part of the eclipse symbolism. Okay, I’ll just run through it super fast, but I’ll probably do a post in more detail later. Beth = sun. In an eclipse, the sun is hidden by the moon. So it’s the “what is hidden” or “what is not seen” theme. Some of the sun’s light is still seen around the edges of the moon (think of that as the symbolism that seeps out) but the sun itself (Beth) is still hidden. Gimple described Coda using the word “penumbra” which is the darkest part of the shadow thrown during an eclipse, and Maggie told Glennin 5x10, “This is just the dark part.” If things are getting lighter, it’s because the eclipse is almost over. The darkest part of the shadow has passed and things are getting lighter. And that’s actually what we see in the eclipse scene with Daryl and Leah. The eclipse being almost over and the sun starting to peek through. So this is all just another way of saying Beth is about to appear.

7)    There’s a point where Lynn Collins suggests that maybe we would have seen a Daryl/Leah kiss if not for Covid restrictions, but the writer immediately corrects her and says it was a creative choice. She sights reasons such as the fans being protective of Daryl and not trying to piss them off too much, but that seems very significant to me. I think they didn’t want to show Leah and Daryl kissing (even though the sex implication is there) because they’re saving that for someone else.

8)    At one point, talking of Daryl and Carol’s fight, MMB mentioned the scene in S2 where they fought over Sophia. Just seemed significant to me that she brought that up, because that’s basically ground zero for the missing girl theme, and the first person we saw Daryl searching for. Now, this entire episode, he’s searching for Rick, and it’s full of Beth themes.

9)    Back to the map. I said Monday I would go back to the opening scene where Carol picked up the piece of the map and put it in Daryl’s bag. I never did. Lol. Sorry about that. I threw a LOT of info at you and totally forgot to go back to it. Just keep in mind that this was probably a foreshadowing, and Map = Beth. And they specifically brought that scene up on TTD and drew attention to it, though of course they talked about it in the context of Daryl and Carol.

The other thing that several people have brought up is that map seems to be destroyed, and then whole again. I suppose I just thought he got a new map when I first watched the episode. Now, I agree with other that the state of the map is one of many ways they were hinting that parts or all of this is a hallucination. And again, they drew attention to the map on TTD.

10) When Chris asked the writer what the inspiration was for Carol’s “strong right foot” story, she got REALLY flustered. Now, that’s definitely TD symbolism. Related to the “missing foot/shoe” symbolism, in my opinion. In fact, if they’re synonymous (we’re just not entire certain yet) then this would definitely be a reference to both Beth and Ezekiel being missing. But anyway. The writer finally came up with how and why she had Carol tell the story of her grandmother. And I’m not saying it was a lie. The grandmother story is much more incidental than the “strong right foot” bit. But I don’t think Nicole expected that question or was prepared for it.

11) They did talk extensively about parallels between Leah and Carol, and I had to chuckle at what was said. They were just doing a lot of back-pedaling. So, first they said they are two completely different characters. Then they said they share a lot of qualities that Daryl recognizes. Then they say his relationship to Leah in the flashbacks is absolutely nothing like his relationship to Carol, both in the present and as it has been for many years. Did you catch all that? It’s their way of pointing out the parallels between Leah and Carol, but also taking care to make sure people know that Daryl and Carol are NOT romantic the way Daryl and Leah are. Lol. This is why I say its kind of the death knell for that ship. But again, why put parallels between Leah and Carol if the romance angle isn’t there? For the answer, read my very long analysis from yesterday.

12) On the “Inside the Dead” portion, it says that the breed of dog they use for Dog is often used for Military and Police K-9 Unites. Yeah, that’s purposeful. I think they specifically chose that breed of Dog to use on the show as Daryl/Leah’s dog, because it both calls back to Grady (police) and foreshadows the CRM (military).

13) Norma’s interview! Yay! This might have been my favorite part of TTD. Because the way he describes Daryl’s arc here makes it clear that it was one chapter of Daryl’s life that is now over. And what he says about Daryl being unable to allow himself to be happy with Leah says to me that he’s still hung up on someone else.

This probably made me happier back when I thought Leah was real. But the other thing is that he specifically uses a Matrix metaphor (the red pill vs the blue pill.) Umm? The red pill vs the blue pill situation in the Matrix is what brought Neo out of the construct and into reality. This is Norman’s very obvious way of telling us that Leah isn’t real. Daryl is in the Leah Matrix in this episode.

14) When speaking of the arm that Leah throws at Daryl, they said something really interesting. My fellow theorists and are still batting around ideas for what the arm symbolism might mean. But MMB called it “dead weight” that Leah was basically getting rid of. And they all agreed that symbolically that was true. So the arm represented Leah getting rid of the dead weight of her past and working through it. Wow. Where to start with this?

If she were real, that just shows that this is all this relationship was. Once she’d worked through her own losses, she wanted Daryl to commit to her, but he couldn’t. Because he hadn’t worked through his. Plus, a relationship built on this sort of thing, as I’ve already described, is never going to last in the long term. But of course, assuming she’s a hallucination, this is really just Daryl trying to work through his issues and shed his past. It doesn’t really work. 

Dead Weight is literally the name of the episode in 4b where the Governor was a MASSIVE Beth proxy.

Shedding one’s tragic past while in a little cabin in the woods, with DARYL, is pretty much the synopsis of Still. So, it just backs up the symbolic retelling of Bethyl.

All right. That’s what I got for TTD. Anyone see anything I missed?

[theholycovenantrpg]

In the beginning was AZAZEL, a DEMON loyal to the cause of the DEMONS. She is said to be IMMORTAL and uses SHE/HER pronouns. In this New Testament she serves as THE MOON. Blessed be her name.

THE INDELIBLE MARK.

Once the inculpable ingénue of God’s holy servants, the angel Azazel fell from Heaven shortly after Lucifer, pulled down by some impossible enchantment as the underworld’s dusky circles danced below her. In Heaven, she had attracted the tender affection of her kind without ever needing to ask for it, and in Hell she was no different, drawing a new cohort of creatures around her like a shield. Azazel certainly draws the eye in the company of monsters and beasts, her gentle eyes and the faintly silver glow of her body marking her out, but the animals of the night find themselves mysterious fond of her. Even the worst beasts treat her with a sort of unsolvable gentleness—whether this is a mysterious gift from her creator or merely her nature, not even Azazel knows. She fulfils the role of Keeper of Hellhounds, monstrous animals which linger at her side obediently, and since the neutralisation of the Heretics she has also served as the Moon of the Holy Land, an honour bestowed upon her by the de facto leader of the Demons and her doting pseudo-brother, the Antichrist. She is the object of great desire and curiosity, though she keeps the world at arm’s length; nobody quite knows what hides behind her dove-like exterior. At the point of her fall, Azazel had her white feathers singed from her back, and these cauterised wings now stem from between her shoulders in the shape of mulberry smoke.

THE HISTORY.

How she came to be, Azazel barely recalls. Pulled from a cloud, some long-dead star, the shine of the moon which drank up the sun’s brilliance, or perhaps all three at once—it barely mattered. Only that she did. Where her counterparts were forged with purpose, Azazel seemed to have come into existence entirely by accident, betraying no real aptitude for anything in particular. Instead, she glowed. She glowed with a secrecy all those around her failed to unlock; not even herself, not even God. The Creator doted on her, heralding her as one of many of His great treasures, her sweet beauty and gentle demeanour transformed into His shining glory—He would have her do no more than merely sit there, ethereal. She would work for nothing. Azazel, after all, had not been crafted for labour; she had been made in the image of idolatry. The Angels called her the Dove of God, arranging their bodies around her like a divine shield. Perhaps that was why she slipped from their minds as easily as she did, left to uncover the shadowy corners of Heaven, if indeed there were any, alone. Though the light clung to Azazel, it bored her. Light cast itself on everything, and she was interested in the things the eye couldn’t see. She felt like your hands might go straight through her: it was a want from which she couldn’t right herself, a desire that spat itself out from her, following the scent of rot and decay and offal. So, when Hell worked to lure her, it didn’t have to exert itself much. Azazel worshipped its poisonous flowers, its rotting walls, the night. It didn’t need to teach her how to understand the darkness—she always had.

As she leapt from Heaven and draped Hell over her shoulders like a dark shawl, Azazel seemed to both change beyond recognition and remain precisely as she had always been. That was the magic of her. Curious and feeding herself on the shadows, she sank into Hell and felt its cleansing properties wash over her, like dipping into a moonless river. Azazel meandered down this murky nook and the next, slipping into some dark hole and emerging with its wicked secrets, and still the appearance of innocence stuck to her skin. It hardly mattered; Hell suited her. The darkness had sensed something in her up on her ephemeral cloud, called seductively out to her, and she had answered it. That was all. When Judas offered his hand in invitation as she looked down into Hell’s mouth, his mouth curling in recognition, she took it willingly. Azazel went further than he could ever have possibly imagined: she made ancient friends of the shadows, she had her feathery wings cauterised from her back, and all that remained of the heavenly creature she had once been was the ghost of her wings stirring behind her. The Demons yielded themselves to her, offering their wicked guidance—but she never needed it. As she planted her feet firmly in Hell’s soil and watched the twilight grow around them, Azazel purred like a primordial animal, called back to its feeding ground. After all, old things have old hungers, and who could point her to a thing older than the dark?

Azazel befriended all the monsters of the night: a coterie of beasts and hounds who, growling disbelievingly and baring their fangs at her glow, prowled around her before burying themselves obediently at her side. It was an odd sight to behold: this elegant, angelic-looking thing, surrounded by a sea of phantoms and ghouls. Nevertheless, they devotedly swore themselves in as her godless protectors, always anxious to return to her side and linger there. What could have caused it Azazel couldn’t possibly say: it couldn’t be that they felt she needed their chainmail, because when she stared into the beasts’ eyes, and when she watched them blink back at her, she knew they saw the horror in her. Azazel knew they detected the enormous malice she was capable of untying. It made her feel strangely understood. She became something of a marvel in Hell’s noxious halls: some desired her, some despised her, some couldn’t fathom ever coming to understand her—but, in the end, all fell at her feet. With the Antichrist by her side, who had seized something in her and sculpted her into the rotten sister he’d never had the pleasure of having, she made Hell her hearthstone: they misbehaved, wild as animals, and Azazel remained as elegant as she had always been. She leaned into Judas’ paternal-like wisdoms, who was, of course, king in all but name—and what did that make her? An heiress set to inherit his gospel. Hell’s own princess. Cherry-sweet and, in her centuries of existence, never denied anything, the darkness grew from her.

Pulled toward a land poised between the new and the old, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Azazel took to the earth as easily as she did. Was she not the perfect parity between divinity and devils? In Heaven she had been half-starved, and in Hell she gorged herself on slices of the darkness, but the mortal world offered her something new to wrap her hands around. Greedy, she hoped to slip into a crepuscule throne of her own and, grown increasingly petulant over the invisible crown that had settled itself upon the Antichrist’s brow, he had granted her one—indulgent as ever. As she climbed to accept the role of the Moon, promising to represent her kind’s own interests in Sanctus Terra, Azazel’s beasts languished at her feet, her desire sated. If truth be told, she kept little interest in the politics of it all, but she delighted in the many eyes that fell upon her. As the Angels watched on, they supposed she looked little changed by her fall, while the Demons leered up at their wicked princess, knowing her for precisely what she was. Humankind seemed to see her through the crystals of a kaleidoscope: twisting left and right, up and down, seeming soft and dulcet where she was selfish and lotus-eating. They call her Sprite of Darkness as she passes, the Cherub of Hell, and Azazel luxuriates in their strange deference. At her fingers rests all she could possibly want: to have her curiosity sated, to pluck admirers from the crowds, to be blindly worshipped. Yet, she has always looked for more to chew on.

THE CONNECTIONS.

ABADDON, JUDAS & DAMIEN WARD: Dynasty. They’re like family, in a strange, twisted sort of way. They’re a family that has at once nothing and everything to do with each other: they share no blood except the stuff that they steep their hands in—they’re not kin, but still there is a kinship shared between them. There is no such thing as royalty amongst Demons—not now, but all of Infernum bows to them nonetheless. In Abaddon, Azazel finds a hesitant sort of mother, bound to Azazel by something more profound than mere history. She finds herself caught in the child’s web far more often than she cares to be. From Judas, Azazel collects his barrages of wisdom and adoration, gorging herself on slivers of his guidance and affectionate love. To her, he yields a part of himself that few are fortunate enough to witness. Though Azazel doesn’t share his interest in politics, nor his desire to crush the earth in his jaw, she certainly shares his appetite to hold the world in their palms. Damien, however, holds an unparalleled place in her heart; she loves him wickedly. He is a playmate, a co-conspirator, a confidant. He indulges her as much as he criticises her, and though they fight like monsters and argue like beasts, there is perhaps no-one she loves in the world more than her pseudo-brother. The four of them are an utterly indivisible unit—in Azazel’s mind, nothing can rend them apart.

CASSIEL: Rival. They are two creatures that God had carved from exactly the same things: beauty, enchantment, divine thrall. Perhaps it was only natural that they would each see the other as an enemy. Heaven had been filled with the sonorous ring of Cassiel’s heavenly laughter when Azazel had first ebbed down into Hell, for she was a creature who could only revel in the elimination of her most galling adversary. And yet, look how the mighty hath fallen. Not, of course, as Azazel had, slipping into the mouth of Hell, but crushed indifferently beneath the oppressive rule of those who easily eclipsed her. Azazel peers down from her bone-carved throne and can only virulently laugh at the way Cassiel is forced to scrap for a morsel of devotion, all while her many worshippers run their bare feet raw, setting off on pilgrimage, all to fall beneath her. She has always received precisely what she wants without ever having to first think of it, and when she feels the cold iron of Cassiel’s green gaze upon her, Azazel smiles something wicked. Let her dream of knocking the head from her shoulders, of her Hellhounds loosening from her bewitchment and turning their bloodied mouths back on her. Dreams haven’t served the invidious Cassiel for some time now.

JASPER RICHE: Intrigue. Because she has never had to ask for what she wants, Azazel has forgotten how to. He had never been particularly interesting to her in the beginning; his eyes were the same ravenous eyes lodged in the skulls of those who drank her in, and he was, after all, only mortal—but in withholding his reverence, when she can plainly see it delineated on his face, Jasper has drawn her interest. He mocks the way the people fall at her feet, as if she is the altar and they are its worshippers, and thus he has resolved to bridle his fascination—that, after all, would make it exactly the same as all the others. Jasper is mysterious in a way that she has found, in her many centuries of existence, mortals are never mysterious; though he cleverly compels her to tussle for his attention, Azazel finds herself drawn to him by something more than mere rebuffal. There’s something darker that lingers beneath, something powerful and ancient—at times, catching his gaze is like returning to the beginning of the ages. She wonders if that means something.

ORIAS: Companion. When she had first fallen into Hell, Orias had uniquely drawn her interest. Once, they had been nothing more than flesh and bone, but now they sat on a gut-carved throne above them all—almost all of them, at least. So used to being the object of affection, they are perhaps the only person that Azazel doesn’t mind sharing the spotlight with; they are, after all, hewn from the same cloth. In Hell, they kept her attention by plucking creations as beautiful as they were awful from mid-air, and on earth they surround the both of them with a gauzy veil, purging the things Azazel refuses to look at. In turn, she is utterly indulgent; she shows Orias true and genuine tenderness, and when the skies wheel into grey, they each find comfort in the other. They are her most intimate friend, her secret-keeper, her musketeer—for them, Azazel would ruin cities and whole worlds. What remains to be seen, however, is whether she’d be willing to crush her own kingdom. That is the ultimate test of their companionship.

Azazel is portrayed by Ravyanshi Mehta and was written by CAS. She is currently TAKEN by OPEN.

[graigoo]

Jivin’ Bones (Chapter 1)

Summary: The above world isn't what Sans thought it would be, not that he had ever given it much thought. With all his old friends busy living their own lives, even Papyrus away from home more often than not— Sans is left to entertain himself. Bored, he turns back to the Underground. To the broken machine hidden in the back of his workshop. In the process of fixing it, the machine malfunctions and sends Sans into an alternate world.

Thrust into a harsher reality, Sans must survive long enough to find a way back home... while being pursued by a version of himself that's all too interested to know who the new skeleton in town is.

Inspired/Influenced by Sooner or Later You’re Gonna be Mine

Pairing: Bara!Mobfell Sans/Sans

Warnings: Mature, Graphic Violence, Sexual Content

                                              Chapter One

Sans sighed, he huffed, he chuffed.

He lay on the couch, eyes straining as another raunchy comedian sauntered across the TV. The small square box’s glow was bright and the contrast between it and the dark living room was enough to pain his eyes. He rolled over on the couch to face the back of it, both to escape the light and because he was no longer enjoying the comedy special marathon. Raunchy comedians were the worst. Absolute party poopers. Why if Sans were in that crowd, he’d boo the bozo off the stage.

Anyone can spout swear words and point to their nether regions. It takes real comedic talent to get a crowd going with just one’s wit and line delivery. A talent Sans prided himself on, though he admittedly had a preference for puns over everything else.

There had been a time, when the monsters had first come to the surface, bright eyed and full of hope, that Sans had considered a career as a comedian. Touring the world, exploring, teaching the humans what monster comedy was all about. But then he’d really got to thinking about it, talked it over with his brother. And realized it would be… a lot.

He’d be on a schedule, have to actually plan the shows, constantly be moving based on where the crowds are and not where he wanted to be, not to mention having to workout contracts and payment. Too much work so soon after coming up from the Underground and Sans was too tired to be bothered.

Or at least that’s what he had told Papyrus.

He couldn’t have very well told his brother that if he became a professional comedian, then he would have to leave their newly settled home and that they wouldn’t see each other nearly as much. And after spending almost the entirety of his life caring for his younger brother, Sans was reluctant to leave him. For anything. The younger skeleton was a magnet for trouble and danger seemed to follow him wherever he went. Who knew what the hyperactive monster would get up to without Sans around to curb his enthusiasm?

That, and his brother’s dusty remains having slid through his trembling, segmented fingers enough times to be counted on both hands, might have also played a role in his unwillingness to leave his brother behind. Just a small one. Nothing major.

Knowing that Sans’ decision to stay in this little, cozy, do-nothing town was linked entirely to his desire to stay by his brother’s side, would make said brother feel guilty.

Just chalk another mark on the board next to the thousand other ones that represented all the things he couldn’t tell his brother.

Sans groaned as another curse-word laden joke boomed from the TV. Such poor taste, so low brow.

It didn’t suit their new little house, the same as their old, only with more windows. Papyrus, for whatever reason, loved the sun and raved about their home having natural light sources. Sans hadn’t seen the appeal, but was never the argumentative type, least of all over windows. Though he had wanted to mention how easy windows are to break in to. How human children were known to throw rocks through monsters’ windows, graffiti their walls, tee-pee their trees.

Mean spirited pranks that just spoke to how terrible human-surface-world comedy truly was.

Hundreds of channels and somehow the one that used to play in the Underground topped them all.

Tired as he was, lazy as he prided himself on being, the TV would be no distraction tonight. It was late, his brother was out on a patrol, having eagerly and early on joined the human police force. Their version of a guard, a much more boring version. With stricter rules, uniforms, and a harsher schedule. Too much work to join and not enough entertainment value to bother.

Undyne had taken to it immediately, though her more violent tendencies had somehow led to her never making it past the rank of police technician. A dumb name for a rank, because she didn’t actually work on anything technical, like the name suggested. She just helped kids and old humans cross the road, and handed out the occasional parking ticket.

Going from Captain of the honor guard to babysitter, and she wasn’t even bothered by it. Which probably had something to do with the street she regularly patrolled being directly across from the school Alphys taught at. Another step down, from royal scientist to middle school teacher.

The monster kingdom had fallen apart almost immediately after reaching the surface, the integration into human society easier than anyone had thought possible. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a jumbled mess of working parts left behind in the Underground. One no one seemed in any hurry to fix.

Being on the surface didn’t mean they could take it easy. There was more work that needed to be done.

It was just a pain being the only one to remember it needed doing.

The bother of it all didn’t stop him from smiling, even as another horrid joke came from the TV, threatening to put a damper on his already soggy mood. He slid off the couch and picked up the remote, pointing it threateningly at the glowing box.

“Sorry to cut you off early,” he said to the TV comedian. “But you’re not even remotely funny.”

Sans chuckled at his own joke, too tired to give it the proper guffaw it deserved.

“I’d telly you in person,” he continued at the screen. “but I got places TV tonight.”

That got a proper laugh out of him, at the same time the audience started roaring. Sans took a bow then clicked off the television, leaving the white glow from his eye sockets as the only light in the house.

Sans allowed his laughter to carry him out of the living room and to the front of the house. If he couldn’t focus on TV or hang with his brother, then there really was nothing for him to do in the above world, at least not this night. It was too late for anything to be open, and too early to try and get some sleep. That strange in-between that always came after midnight.

So instead he’d do the work no one else remembered needed being done.

Sans closed the door behind him as he stepped outside, only to shiver and shove his hands into his coat pockets. Even after spending so long in Snowdin, Sans still wasn’t a fan of the cold. Not like his brother, who acted like it didn’t affect him at all, the younger skeleton more susceptible to the heat than the cold. To the point that his brother wore crop tops in the winter.

Maybe the cold affected Sans differently because he was already such a chill guy.

Sans snorted, only to cringe as cold air filled his skull. Didn’t stop his smile, or laughter. What would he be if he couldn’t laugh at himself? Sans one funny-bone, is what he’d be.

His snickering was cut short as the first snow of the season began to fall. Looked like it was going to be a white one this winter. He held a hand out as if to catch it, but before a flake could land in his palm, he teleported.

Pop.

Sans landed outside town next to a great big, blue welcome sign.

Welcome to Delta| Population: Growing  

Grinning, he nodded at the sign. “Sorry, didn’t notice you there.”

Without waiting for a rebuttal, he teleported again. This time he landed at the base of Mount Ebott, the soft pop of his teleportation the only sound to be heard for miles. Well, except for the howl of the wind. Looking up he could see a storm coming, the moon slowly being eclipsed by dark clouds. The lack of luminescent light made the forest ahead of him appear even darker. Good thing he wouldn’t be traversing it.

That’d be a real pine in the neck.

With another pop, he teleported to the mountain’s summit.

Being so high up, looking down at the shining city down below the mountain, only made him wonder how a human could possibly fall from such a height and survive. Every time, he questioned it. Flowers weren’t so soft that they could cushion a body. He had theorized that it was actually the barrier that cushioned the human’s fall. It hadn’t parted to let her through, but rather bent forward from the power of her soul, her fall had been slowed by the barrier pushing back against her decent, until the she fallen too far for the barrier’s magic to follow. The little human had pushed through just close enough to the ground to survive.

Or, so Sans theorized.

If he cared enough, which he didn’t, he could always ask Frisk directly what her fall had been like. That was more along Alphys’ line of work, though. Sans had stopped bothering with the barrier years before the human girl had fallen into their lives.

No, his own line of research was much more… theoretical.

With one last look Delta City, sans teleported again.

Pop.

He landed just outside the ruins, his magic enough to get him past the Underground’s entrance, but not all the way to Snowdin. Not that he was in a hurry to arrive or return home. With his brother always patrolling or tired from always patrolling, Alphys and Undyne occupied by their own love lives, and Toriel busy reconnecting with Asgore and raising Frisk—There was no one to miss him.

The corners of his smile twitched, but didn’t drop. Work would distract him from those unwanted and unnecessary thoughts. He had no reason to be anything but content. To have everything every monster in the Underground had ever wanted now possible and only then start to pull a frown…

Well, it wouldn’t be very ice of him.

Sans chuckled just as he teleported to the main entrance of Snowdin.

Pop.

He sighed a contended sigh at the familiar sight. Or, mostly familiar. The town was dark, all the homes and shops empty, abandoned not long after the barrier trapping the residents in the Underground had been lifted. The only light in the town came from its own natural luminescent glow and the decorated tree at the other end of the town. Not even the welcome sign was lit. He’d call it a real ghost town, but he doubts even Napstablook would live here. No one did anymore.

And Sans couldn’t blame them. Even if he would have been perfectly content to spend the rest of his days in the little town, he never expected his brother or the other residents to share his same sense of hopelessness. All from an incident that occurred well before he and his brother had moved to Snowdin.

It had taken Frisk threatening everything in the Underground to snap him out of his funk. Fighting the human over and over- and had he been a more narcissistic skeleton, Sans would have said it had filled with determination.

Then, one random reset, the fighting had stopped.

Sans had thought maybe Frisk had hit her head the last time she fell into the Underground. He hadn’t been, and still wasn’t, willing to ask her too many questions about it, should they reawaken some deeply buried memories. Like every reset prior, he had stayed mostly in the background, watching her choices, and for once the human refused to fight. Even with her life on the line, she hadn’t fought. It was enough to make him cautiously optimistic that Frisk would, at the very least, stop dusting his brother.

Not that he ever really remembered her doing it the first time, or second, third, fifth… But he knew when a reset occurred. The knowledge came to him as a feeling, no concrete evidence, but each time his spine would tingle, and the strongest feeling of déjà vu would strike his skull, feeling almost like a physical blow. It would leave him dazed for only a moment, but it was enough to let him know something wasn’t quite right. Conversations he never remembered the words to would repeat, and he would go through the motions of a normal day. Knowing that everything would reset and nothing anyone did really mattered made it really hard to take anything, anyone, seriously. He’d grown lazier by the day, thinking each one would be the day he stopped trying. But then he’d find his brother’s dusty remains, the pain a fresh wound every time. He never remembered enough to stop the murder from happening, never enough to change the outcome.

Then Frisk had stopped dusting monsters and started befriending them. Each reset that followed, she had come back friendlier and more determined than ever, making something he daren’t called hope build within him. The resets hadn’t stopped until she succeeded in breaking the barrier, at least twice, he thought. Not sure why it took two times, but he never asked.

It wasn’t important and Sans didn’t want to chance another reset.

He breathed out an amused sigh and started his lonely walk through the town. Only slowing as he passed Grilby’s. The place had closed soon after the barrier had broken, and he hadn’t seen the flame monster in a long time because of it. Like with most of Sans’ friends, they’d never been close enough to talk when not physically around each other. Certainly not close enough to share future plans and goals.

Two things Sans never had anyway. Unlike everyone else in the Underground, it seemed. They all had been so excited and hopeful, everyday looking up and thinking about what they would do once the barrier was down. Not that Sans had begrudged them their hopefulness. They just didn’t know what he knew. And Sans had been determined to keep it that way. Anything to keep that hopeful spark in his brother’s bright eyes.

Shaking his head, Sans continued walking. The years he had spent just existing were behind him. Not that he thought anything really mattered, it could still all go away one day. But while there was still some sort of motivation inside him, he would use it.

Gotta make up for lost time, and all.

Sans stopped in front of his and Papyrus’ old home. Looking at it with a wistful kind of longing. It’s interior was exactly the same as the one they lived in now. Save for one thing.

Instead of going in through the front door, Sans walked to left side. He placed a bony hand on the yellow wall and dragged his digits along it. The sound of wood scraping against something hard followed his movements. He didn’t stop until he came to a vertical parting in the wood, unnatural, but so thin as to be unnoticeable. Pulling back from the wall, he reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a silver key.

He opened the door, covered with wood and painted to blend with the rest of the house, and walked inside, closing the door behind him. The entire process made no sound, the door itself was silent, as it had needed to be. He hadn’t wanted to alert his brother to the existence of what lay inside.

Lest his dear brother become curious, lest he learn of Sans’ research. At first it had been to cover for his own lack of knowledge. That he was essentially trying to teach himself theoretical physics would have been too out of character for Papyrus to let go, and Sans would have been left with no choice but to tell him everything. He couldn’t lie to his brother, but he didn’t have to so long as the younger skeleton never asked questions.

The lights, attached to a sensor, clicked on as Sans walked further inside his small workshop. Tiled purple with blue walls, it was too small and sparse to be called a lab. Barely any tools and one piece of broken machinery in the back, covered by a blue tarp. Though, could a machine be called broken if it had never worked to begin with?

He’d built it not long after he and his brother had moved to Snowdin and his secret workshop was completed. He’d pursued the task with a fervor he’d not known himself capable of. That after it was completed, it hadn’t worked, was probably where his slacker attitude had first started. He barely remembered why he was building it, anyway. He had a name and a feeling.

W.D. Gaster and guilt.

Both confusing, where was the guilt coming from and who was W.D. Gaster? Sans still didn’t know, but he knew it had something to do with the blueprints he had found in the Hotland labs during his brief stint as an assistant to the head scientist there. Though, he had never worked for Alphys and she couldn’t recall at all his time there or just where the blueprint had come from. But he had the badge to prove he had, indeed, worked there. Alphys hadn’t been able to explain it and he hadn’t pressed the issue. Though, maybe he should have.

The most Alphys had been able to do at was tell him the strange text written on the blueprint was wing dings. Meaning it was almost impossible to translate accurately. She had then politely told him she wouldn’t be needing his assistance and fired him from a job she didn’t remember him having.

Sans hadn’t thought anything of it until he had gone home and discovered the photo album. Filled with pictures of himself and his brother during their younger years. And one single picture of himself, Alphys, and a skeleton he doesn’t remember knowing. Even now, the face was a blur, and if not for the photo, he would have forgotten it completely.

Whoever this W.D. Gaster was, the blueprints had something to do with his disappearance and... it was probably Sans’ fault he was gone.

It was the only explanation he could think of for the guilt. The guilt that had led to the generally lazy skeleton to teach himself theoretical physics, to create an underground workshop, to build a machine he had no idea the function of. And still didn’t know, because when he’d finished building the thing, it hadn’t worked. It had blinked, blooped, then shuttered off.

He’d given up then, with the intent to maybe, one day go back to the machine once the demoralization that came with failure lessened.

Then a human had fallen into the Underground and the cycle had begun. And how could he focus on fixing the machine when nothing he or anyone else did mattered?

Now that the barrier was down and everyone had started their new lives, the resets had stopped; there was no excuse not to continue his work. What else was he doing with his life? Nothing, and it was hard to enjoy himself with the guilt that W.D. Gaster was lost somewhere, not enjoying the freedom of the above world because of something Sans had done.

W.D. Gaster? More like W.D. Guilt.

Heh.

Sans chuckled to himself and pulled the blue tarp off of his machine. It was gray, cylindrical, nothing fancy. At least, not on the outside. There were different colored nobs and dials, it looked like every other high-tech science machine Sans had ever seen inside of Alphys’ lab. The only difference being the inside. It was just… a mess, a jumble of wires and pieces Sans still wasn’t entirely sure the function of.  

Even though he had no idea what it did, after so many years working on the machine, it was very gear to his soul.

He’d been coming back every few days since moving to the above world. Though, it had taken some time before he actually mustered up the energy to begin working on the busted machine again. It was something to do, at the very least. Kept his mind off how empty home felt with Papyrus at work more often than not.

With that thought, he began his work. Using the few tools he owned, stashed away in cabinets in the wall, to pry open the back of the machine. He needed to see what had caused it to power off mid function. He’d already made the hypothesis that it was wiring related, just going through every single wire in the back of his machine was taking longer than Sans had anticipated.

He took his time, making sure every wire was connected properly, that the right kind of wire had been used. That nothing was crossed or had come undone. He didn’t keep track of time as he worked, not that he was ever one to do so even when timing mattered.

Eventually he came to a green and blue wire he thought had been mistakenly switched around during the building process. It was good a guess as any, and switching them around and trying to turn the machine back on wouldn’t hurt. Not like the thing could work worse than it already did… Well, it could explode, but Sans wouldn’t let the thought burst his optimistic bubble.

Chuckling to himself for what felt like the tenth time that night, Sans switched the wires, stood from his crouched position behind the machine, and turned it on. Time to test his luck. Heh.

At first, nothing happened. The machine sat quiet as it always has. Then he heard the telltale sounds of a machine booting up. The whir of fans and the hum of power going through its cables.

He watched, almost excited, as the machine’s knobs and buttons began to light up. His eye-sockets widened, however, when the machine started to shake violently. It rocked on the floor, scratching the tile and buzzing in a way that definitely sounded dangerous.

Thinking quickly, Sans reached for the machine’s short power plug, intent on pulling it out. But as his digits got close, electricity burst from the outlet, striking him, causing him to hiss and shake his hand. Smoke started to seep from the machine’s seams, dark clouds poured from where the back panel was open. A high-pitched ringing started to emanate from the machine, loud enough to be painful. Sans covered both his ear-holes, not that his bony hands were very effective in keeping the sound out. Seeing sparks come out of the open back panel was what finally convinced Sans he needed to leave. He’d flip a breaker in the house to cut the power, come back with a fire-extinguisher… Something he probably should have already had in the lab.

Oh well, live and learn- or burn, in this situation.

Sans gathered his magic to teleport, but just as he felt the area around him shift, the machine exploded. Heat blew past him, through him, Sans felt as though he was being torn apart. He shouted, clutching around himself as though to hold himself together. Teleportation had never been so painful. His body was being pulled into a thousand different directions. His teeth rattled like they were going to fall out. Just as he could feel the tips of his fingers disintegrating into dust—

Everything went white.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, man. Did anybody get the number of that bus? Because Sans felt like he’d been run over, backed over, a real case of navicular homicide. Only Sans was still alive… probably.

He wiggled his fingers just to see if he could. They moved, then he did the same with his toes. They moved as well as they could inside his socks and slippers. Not really wanting to, but knowing he needed to, Sans forced his eye-sockets open. It took a minute for his magic to flare up and the whites return to his eyes. And when they did, his vision was blurred. All he could see was darkness. He blinked a few times, and slowly his sight returned.

The first thing Sans noticed after regaining his vision was the snow. It was falling hard around him, cold and wet. He shivered, then winced. He felt like he’d been in a fight, or several, but the familiar feeling of a reset was thankfully absent, so likely not.

“Phew,” Sans sat up and rubbed his skull. “That was some guilt-trip.”

Maybe he’d teleported far enough to strain his magic. It was possible, a fight or flight thing after realizing the machine was going to explode. He took in his surroundings, blinking in confusion; they were familiar. Looking around, he could tell he was still in Snowdin, so he hadn’t teleported too far away. What confused him was that the particular view of Snowdin he was looking at could only be seen from inside of his old home, from the front. But he wasn’t in a home. There was no indication that there had ever been a house where he was sitting.

Sans rubbed his skull again, aw crud, had he blown the house up? Not that they were using it anymore, but when Papyrus found out he was definitely going to explode. And Papyrus had such a booming voice when he was mad; might be better for Sans’ developing skull-ache to just wait for his sibling to find out on his own. If he ever did. As far as Sans knew, his brother didn’t have any plans to go back to the Underground anytime soon. Good. Gave Sans time to come up with a banging excuse.

Groaning, Sans pushed himself to his feet. He almost frowned at the realization of what an explosion would really mean.

No more workshop. No more machine. No more blueprint. No more photo album. No more badge.

Without that blueprint, there was nothing for him to go off of to build a new machine. Without the photo album, he was bound to forget why he needed to build it in the first place. Without seeing the wing dings printed on the blueprints, he’d forget what the W.D. stood for. Without his old badge he’d forget that he ever even worked at the Hotland labs…

Eh, there were worse things in life. Sans shrugged the realization off, taking the opportunity to brush fallen snow off his shoulders and the top of his skull. Must have been laying in the snow for some time to get this covered. And besides, maybe with everything else, the guilt would fade too. Not a bad turn of events.

Shivering, Sans shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

Yeah, definitely nothing to lose his cool over.

Snowdin was colder than he ever remembered it being. Darker too, now that he thought about it. The tree at the end of town wasn’t on meaning there was nothing to provide light, what with the faux-clouds up above covering the natural luminescence of the Underground. His explosion must have knocked the power out, blown a fuse or something.

Oh well, a problem for another day. Right now, Sans was cold, and his mood wasn’t doing so hot either.

He was too tired to teleport, so he was forced to walk through the snow. Passing by empty houses that somehow looked more abandoned than when he’d first arrived. The dark will do that sometimes, he supposed. Again, he found himself slowing in front of the old bar he used to frequent. After the night’s disappointments, he could really go for a drink. The ketchup he had back in Delta just didn’t cut it. Even the expensive stuff tasted off, like the humans focused on the tomato and garlic flavor over the vinegar.

Sans looked over at the bar, smile forlorn, only to do a doubletake. The sign wasn’t lit up, but through the windows he could definitely see a light emanating from the back of the bar. And if his theory about the power being out was true, then there was only one monster bright enough to be seen from the outside.

Sans laughed at his good fortune. Looked like Grilby was back in Snowdin. Probably to grab anything he’d left behind, or close up for good, or maybe he, like Sans, had felt the cold call of nostalgia.

Either way, it wouldn’t be very cool of Sans to pass by without at least a hail and farewell.

Chuckling, Sans stepped forward and pushed the front door open.

“Bonejour,” he loudly greeted the flame monster, taking the opportunity to show off how he’d learned to make puns out of other human languages. It had been almost a year since he’d last seen the bar owner, and Sans planned to use the opportunity to fire up some of his favorite flame puns.  

The lack of a reaction was the first sign something wasn’t quite right with the bar owner. Though, it really should have been the second. How could he have missed that the light coming from the back of the bar was purple. The monster at the back, behind the bar counter was purple. Grilby? Was Grilby purple now? The monster on the other side of the bar, paused with one hand in the air, holding a dust cloth over the dirty bottles on the rack.

Looked like the bar owner had been in the middle of cleaning up. The bar itself was covered in cobwebs, there was dust on every surface, and he couldn’t even make out what the bottles in the back on the bar rack were, they were so filthy. Surely so much dust and dirt couldn’t have accumulated in less than a year? Sans had gone an entire year without cleaning his room before, and it hadn’t looked half as bad as Grilby’s bar did now.

“A skeleton? But I thought…” Sans heard the flame monster mutter to himself.

A single eye-socket rose as he looked his friend up and down. Something was up, was off-color with the whole situation. Purple flame, run down looking bar- even Grilby’s attire was different. A long black coat with a white-furred collar, a red tie.

But then, the human world was known to change a monster; hue was Sans to judge?

“They’ll want to know…” The flame monster muttered again, and Sans decided it was time to join in on the conversation.

“Grilby?” He questioned, walking forward until he came to a stop in front of the bar counter, hopping up to sit on a dirty bar stool. It’d be difficult to talk if he didn’t; he was only just as tall as the counter itself.  

“And if I am?” The flame monster snapped in response, as if irritated to be interrupted. “Who are you? What are you doing out past curfew?”

Grilby stared at Sans like he wasn’t glad to see him and the cold reception would have hurt, had Sans let it. Instead he just shook his head, perplexed by his old friend’s odd behavior. He sure sounded like Grilby, well, except for the attitude. But what was that about a curfew?

“Funny,” Sans laughed awkwardly. Grilby had never been one to crack jokes, though Sans supposed he could appreciate the attempt. Because that’s what this had to be.

“I don’t see how,” Grilby said, turning to face him fully. “Some strange skeleton I’ve never met before comes into my bar after hours, after curfew- and you think it’s funny?” There was a suspicion that couldn’t be faked in his old friend’s tone, and it shook Sans to the bone.

“Grilby…” Sans said. “… Don’t you recognize me?” He asked, trying to tone down his confusion.

It was apparently the wrong thing to ask, though, because the monster’s purple flame burned higher in anger. Even a different color, Sans recognized the signs of friendly fire headed his way.

“Don’t play games, skeleton.” Was the flame monster’s response.

Sans started to sweat, and it wasn’t just because Grilby was burning hotter than Sans had ever seen him burn before. “C’mon, I used to come here all the—”

“Are you trying to implicate me?” Grilby accused, cutting Sans off.

Implicate? In what, Sans wanted to ask, but he got the feeling more questions would only add fuel to the fire.

“Woah there pal, don’t go getting all hot under the collar.” Sans said, palms up to indicate he didn’t want any trouble. “You don’t know me, I got it.”

A theory started to form in the back of Sans’ skull, though he didn’t like it. The machine he had built had something to do with time, that much he knew. What if when it had blown up, the force of the explosion had thrown him back in time? Far back enough that it was before he and his brother had moved to Snowdin. Back far enough that Grilby still had trouble controlling his heat, was going through a purple phase, and was terrible at customer service. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing that had ever happened to the skeleton. But he would need more time to think on it. Heh.

Plenty of time for a drink then. After all, when else would he ever have an opportunity like this?

“You got any ketchup in this place?” Sans asked, a blatant attempt to change the topic. “I’m usually more talkative after I’m good and sauced.”

Grilby groaned, but his eyes were no less suspicious than before, and without another word, the bartender turned away from him and back to his dusty bottles. Movements slow, contemplative.

Under his breath Sans muttered “Well, that backfired.”

Grilby’s flaming head snapped around to glare at Sans through impossibly narrow eyes, to which the skeleton only shrugged. If he remembered right, it had taken some time for the fire monster to come around to Sans’ particular char-isma. Maybe even further back in the timeline, Grilby had been an even bigger hot head.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Grilby started. “But since you are here…” Grilby turned back around to face him, seemingly calmer than before. A single bright finger was raised, pointing off to the side of the bar counter, and Sans’ gaze followed that finger. It was pointing to the left, where a small metal container held napkins, salt, pepper, mustard, and—Ketchup!

Grinning, Sans stretched for it, not above placing a knee on the counter top in order to reach his delicious drink. Ha, even years in the past and Grilby knew to keep the good stuff on tap. The bottle was glass, looking a lot fancier than Sans was used to. But it didn’t matter, ketchup was ketchup.

As he reached for it, the flame monster continued talking.

“Drink all you want,” Grilby told him, that suspicious tone ever present. “Just don’t leave until I return.”

That only elicited another shrug from Sans. “Sure thing, pal.”

Where would he go? His home was gone, the town empty save for the bar. It was cold outside, and like always, Grilby’s was the warmest place to be in Snowdin. The ketchup was lukewarm, just how he liked it, and just for a short while Sans could pretend like he wasn’t probably thrown back in time and that everything was still as it once was. Before a small human had come to the Underground, before the resets, before the surface world had brought everyone closer together while simultaneously drifting them apart.

Wow, that almost brought a frown to his face.

And if that wasn’t a sign he needed some ketchup, Sans didn’t know what was. Deciding tonight was one of those nights, he unscrewed the top.

“Maybe when you get back, we can ketch-up.” Sans said with a wink in the flame monster’s direction.

Grilby grunted in disgust then disappeared to the backroom of his bar, the door closing behind him, sign tacked to it, stating employees only, swinging from the momentum.

Once again Sans shrugged, not really getting the fire man’s problem. Maybe he was just embarrassed to have his bar seen in such a dingy state. If this Grilby had known Sans, he would know that the skeleton was the last monster to judge another’s cleanliness. But as Grilby had yet to meet Sans… or had met him, but at the wrong time? And probably won’t remember meeting him once everything was said and done—Sans didn’t really hold the curt behavior against him.

Forgiving skeleton that he was, Sans wouldn’t make a tissue of it.

Ahahahaha-ha-ha-haaaaah…

Without hesitation, Sans knocked back the ketchup bottle and chugged. A comfort drink if there ever was one. Or so he thought. The vinegar taste was stronger than he remembered, the whole taste an almost unfamiliar tang. If not for the distinct texture, he would have questioned what he was drinking. Was this really ketchup? Sans slammed the half-empty bottle back on the table, coughing and glaring at the fancy bottle with mild, amused annoyance. That sure was some strong ketchup. What did Grilby do, drown the tomatoes in vinegar? Heck, if Sans had wanted to get plastered, he would have asked for a shot. Not that he was the type for it.

With one digit, he pushed the bottle further away. His smile never wavered, even as the vinegar burned down his throat, heating his chest in a painful way. He placed a hand over his white shirt, feeling to make sure his ribs weren’t actually melting. Mean as it might be to think, but if all of Grilby’s drinks were like that, it’s no wonder the bar was empty. It had probably taken a while for Grilby to figure out the right tomato past to vinegar ratio. Good thing Sans was here to set him down the right path early.

Though, would anything he did now affect the future? Until he knew more about just what had happened, he would need to be careful not to let too much slip. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about running into himself here. Maybe—

The sound of a door opening pulled Sans from his own theorizing thoughts, and he waited for Grilby to come out of the back room so Sans could give him some well-meaning criticism. He waited, but the fire monster never stepped out. Actually, now that he was looking, the door to the back room had never opened. At the exact time Sans noticed, a breeze blew into the bar from behind him, causing him to shiver. Cold.

Had Grilby gone out the back and come back in the front? Maybe flame monster had needed to cool off.

Sans turned his head, ready to greet Grilby with a joke, only to stiffen at what he saw. Cold sweats rolled down Sans’ face and the chill from the wind sank into his bones. And in that moment, Sans didn’t think he could have moved even if he wanted to.

Even after living in Snowdin for so long, Sans had never been frozen in fear before. And if asked, he would never admit that might be what was happening to him now. And he definitely couldn’t say why.

It definitely couldn’t be because, standing in the bar’s wide doorway, was a massive monster. Tall and wide, the monster nearly took up the whole of the door frame. It blocked out most of the town’s natural luminescent light, creating a shadow that stretched from the entrance of the bar to just where Sans was sitting. He swallowed down nothing, the icy chill of the monster’s red stare having long since put out the burn in his throat.

Outside of King Asgore, Sans had never seen a monster so large. Though, why should it matter? Sans had always been on the short size, so height alone was never enough to intimidate him. In fact, Sans couldn’t remember a time he had ever felt intimidated. The ability to teleport and knowledge of resets had really taken the thrill out of life.

Not content to stand in the doorway, the large monster walked forward, the wooden floor creaking under its weight with every step. It didn’t take long for Sans to get a better look at the monster. The skeleton monster.

He was tall, taller than Papyrus. Wider than him too. Was he bigger than W-w… Gaster had been? The memory of the skeleton was already so vague, he can’t possibly begin to know. What if he was Gaster? Had he been thrown back in time too? Or did he just exist in this time period unrelated to the machine’s capabilities?  

The monster was staring at him like he didn’t believe what he was seeing and Sans couldn’t help but do the same.

The strange skeleton’s clothes did nothing to distract from his impressive size. And they said black was supposed to be slimming! Sans blinked just to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. Because not only was the skeleton the largest Sans had ever seen, he’s also the best dressed out of… well anyone he had ever known. And Sans was good friends with royalty.

A black undershirt, shining like it was made of silk. The sleeves were up to the skeleton’s elbows with the top two buttons undone. A fashion choice, or had the guy left in a hurry? If it was the latter, Sans didn’t want to know the reason why…

Okay, he did, but that was only because it could possibly have something to do with his presence in the bar and Grilby’s disappearance to the backroom.

The only thing covering the undershirt was a dark red vest with thin black pin stripes. It looked tight on the skeleton’s massive body, and Sans doubted it was the most comfortable outfit. What with the dress pants, the belt, and black dress shoes with laces? Didn’t matter that they looked fancy and expensive with their red and gold accents—The monster would have to bend over to tie them. No level of fashion was worth that.

More striking than the clothes was the skeleton’s smile, it was wide as Sans’ own, though much less welcoming. Sharp teeth were clenched together, a single gold tooth glinting in his smile. It was the most threatening smile Sans had ever seen. Did it even count as a smile at that point?

The monster certainly didn’t look like any scientist Sans had ever seen. But then, Sans doubted he looked very scientific at a glance.

Their staring contest was broken first by the stranger, who had come to a full stop directly in front of Sans, the monster’s shadow completely covering his much smaller form.

The stranger chuckled, then asked, “and what have we got here?” The voice was deep, rough, but jovial. Sounding like he stepped straight out of one of those old mobster movies Frisk loved to watch.

The friendly tone gave Sans hope that in spite of the monster’s intimidating appearance, he didn’t want a confrontation. All good then, as Sans wasn’t sure what fighting the strange skeleton would do to the future timeline, if anything he did in this timeline mattered at all.  

Them both being skeletons, Sans went for his tried and true classics when answering the most likely rhetorical question.

“Tibia honest,” Sans responded with a forced chuckle. “I’m not really sure, myself. You pa-tella me.”

Not his finest work, but Sans cut himself a break. It had been a while since he’d had to joke under pressure. His bone-saw was rusty, so to speak.

The large skeleton only continued to stare at Sans; his smile replaced with a look of confusion. What, had the monster never heard a joke before? Sans’ puns weren’t that bad, he’d definitely told worse. He tensed, prepared to teleport if the stranger turned violent. Only for it to be his turn to look at the other skeleton in confusion.

The monster had started to chuckle, a low menacing sound, then he placed his large hands on his stomach and threw his head back, bellowing the most guttural and intense laugh Sans had ever heard. The skeleton laughed, and laughed, and laughed, his large body shaking from the force of it. He showed no signs of stopping and for a moment Sans wondered if the guy had snapped. His jokes tended to do that with the more violence prone monsters.  

Then the stranger wiped an invisible tear from his eye-socket, sucking in a breath and straightening back up. Those red eyes almost looked warm and Sans thought maybe he could make a friend out of this monster. Maybe it would mess with the timeline, but Sans doubted it. He suspected nothing he did in this time would affect the future. Besides, what was the alternative? Ignore the skeleton? That would be a level of rude Sans wasn’t comfortable with, and Papyrus had nagged better manners into him than that.

“Got a real funny-bone, don’t-cha?” The skeleton asked, voice wheezy from how hard he had been laughing.

Sans shrugged and leaned back against the bar; legs spread and posture loose. Intentionally appearing more relaxed than he felt. It never hurt to be underestimated. Literally.

“I’d say yes, but I haven’t got the nerve,” Sans responded casually. The urge to laugh at his own joke was strong, but Sans’ will was stronger. Once he got started it was hard to stop, and laughing too hard would leave him vulnerable. And until he was sure of his situation, he couldn’t afford that luxury.

Something the larger skeleton didn’t seem to worry about, as he laughed once again, shorter than before, but no less unnerving. Heh.

The stranger grinned down at Sans, and it was an unsettling enough look that Sans had to second guess his own ever smiling choice. Not that he could help it, most of the time. There was just too much comedy to be found in the world. Even now, with a six foot something skeleton towering over him, Sans couldn’t help but imagine how hilarious they must look from the outside.

“You’re not from around here, are ya?” The stranger asked, sounding sure of himself.

“What makes you say that?” Sans answered the other skeleton’s question with a question of his own.

Another question he never should have asked, Sans realized too late. The larger skeleton took it as an excuse to place both his hands on the counter behind Sans, caging him in. And had those teeth looked any less sharp, Sans would have snickered at the attempt of intimidation. The tough guy routine was always a funny one to witness. Though, the one usually trying to pull it off was his brother, and not some giant skeleton who looked like he could snap bones with just his jaw strength.

The strange skeleton’s good humor from before was gone, though the smile stayed. It was just too bad for the stranger that Sans’ wasn’t the type to be intimidated. He’d only ever felt threatened during one recurring fight in his life, and big as he was, this skeleton would never measure up to it.

“Now let me make something clear—I’m the one who asks the questions here, capisce? You cooperate, and maybe you’ll get out of here alive.” The stranger threatened with a smile that was too close for comfort.

“Whatever you slay, buddy.” Sans joked.

The other’s eye-sockets narrowed, and he lifted a large hand as if to strike the smaller skeleton. Sans tensed, but the movement toward his face was too slow to slow to be meant for a blow.

“Somethin’ about you seems…” The stranger ran his thick bony fingers over the top of Sans’ skull, the touch light and very unwelcome.

“What—what are you…” Sans was taken off guard and seconds away from teleporting. He’d never been one to shy away from touch, but something about the way this skeleton ran his digits over Sans’ skull really rattled his bones.

“Humerus me,” the skeleton responded, still sounding amused.

Sans laughed nervously; the whole thing was too strange to be funny. Well, almost. Everything was funny in its own odd way. Curfews, giant skeletons- turns out Snowdin was a crazy place before he and his brother had showed up. One day Sans would look back on this and laugh. One far, far away day.

For now, he just stayed still, allowing the stranger to turn his head this way and that, run his large hand over the back of Sans’ skull. Feeling him like he’d never seen one before. What, did the guy never look in a mirror? Sure, he looked a lot more textured than Sans, but still.

“So smooth,” the stranger murmured.

It was the perfect opportunity to interject with a joke. Being called smooth was such a comedic opening that he’d be remiss to let it slip by. But before he could get a word out, his jaw was gripped tightly and tilted upwards, forcing him to look directly into the larger skeleton’s eye sockets. They glowed a menacing red, the light reflecting off the sharp gold tooth that was all too visible.

Was the threatening look intentional? Why would a monster, outside of the royal guard, ever bother to appear a threat? Could… Perhaps…

More credence was being given to his back in time theory. Back far enough that he ended up in a time right after the war with the humans had only just ended? It would explain Grilby’s tense behavior and the lack of patrons in the bar. From what he’d read at the Libraby, Snowdin had taken several decades to really take off, most monsters preferring the warmer temperatures or water areas. Not until overpopulation in the capital had monsters begun venturing out into the colder regions. Even then, Snowdin had never been the most populated of towns. With such a low population, it didn’t even qualify as a village. With a population of less than one-hundred and fifty, it was technically a hamlet.

But then, Sans had never been one for labels. If the citizens of Snowdin wanted to call their home a town, what did he care? It just added to the town’s quirk. A great, interesting, place to live.

Why did they ever leave?

That’s a bad thought and Sans quickly cast it out of his mind. He was usually so careful about what thoughts and emotions he allowed himself to feel. Must be the cold, it was chilling his sense of humor.

The strange touch stopped and Sans didn’t bother trying to stop his sigh of relief. He couldn’t very well let the monster think his touch had been wanted, welcome, or appropriate.

“Definitely not from around here,” the other skeleton whispered to himself. Though, not quite soft enough for Sans not to hear, if that was even the intent.

“You look like you crawled out of a dumpster,” the stranger grinned at him, eyeing the smaller skeleton up and down like he thought the clothes he wore came from a dumpster too.

Sans’ own eye-sockets narrowed. He had a snarky quip ready to go— And you look like you escaped from a balloon factory— but he thought better of it. Not because he was intimidated, but because if a fight did start, Sans only had the one jacket. If it got torn during a fight, the chances of finding another like it in his size were extremely low. And it was cold outside.

So, he shrugged, maintaining his nonchalant façade.

“A skeleton’s gotta sleep where he can.” No joke that time, after the complete disregard for Sans’ personal space and disrespect toward his threads, Sans’ didn’t think the monster deserved his material. Mostly because the stranger seemed to actually enjoy it. Which would have been a welcome change of pace had it been literally anyone else.

“That I hear,” the stranger responded. Like Sans sleeping in a dumpster would be some normal, everyday revelation. “What I’m not hearin’, is why I haven’t ever seen you around before.”

That same deep, menacing timbre from before returned and Sans’ couldn’t stop his flinch at the abrupt shift in tone. What was this monster’s deal? One minute he was laughing at Sans’ jokes, the next he was getting too touchy and acting all threatening, the red in his eye-sockets glowing brighter.

“You know every monster?” Sans asked, a sarcastic edge to his voice.

“From Snowdin- and every skeleton, yeah.” Was the quick rebuttal. “And you’re not from here.”

Sans, not about to argue, simply replied, “I’m from out of town.”

“Way outta town, I take it. What’s a daisy like you doin’ in a place like this?”

“Daisy?” Sans parroted. If there was joke, Sans didn’t get it.

“You’re wearing’pink, ain’t ya?”

“… Yeah?” Sans said, waiting for the punchline.

“So that makes you a daisy.” The other skeleton replied with a nasty grin. Was it an insult, then?

… Sans didn’t get it, but out of respect for the art, he chuckled anyway.

Which was, once again, the wrong thing to do.

The large skeleton growled and Sans almost felt annoyance at the rapid change in attitude. One minute, everything was rosy, the next, he’s pushing up daisies. What in carnation was going on?

“Now listen here, you little daisy— That’s the third time I’ve repeated myself, and I’m not a man who likes repeatin’ himself.” Faster than Sans could follow, the larger skeleton summoned a sharp bone with his magic, and pointed it under Sans’ chin with a level of speed he hadn’t thought someone so big could possess.

“Now I’d hate to cut such a pretty face, but you won’t want me repeatin’ myself a fourth time.” The tip of the bone pricked the underside of Sans’ jaw. “Usually it’s three strikes and you’re out, but I’m lettin’ you take one more swing.”

The larger skeleton’s speed was interesting, the whole situation was interesting. It was something new. Being called pretty was new. But the threats? Sans eyed the stranger with an air of boredom about him and simply responded, “I’m more of a basketball man, myself.”

Then, unperturbed, he placed a bony hand over the one currently holding a knife to his face.

“You first, buddy,” Sans said. He was always one to hold what he knew close to his chest, and if the stranger wanted to know who Sans was, well, all the more reason not to tell. The whites of his own eyes glowed brighter, though the other skeleton didn’t seem to notice. The monster once again barked out a laugh, then looking at Sans like he didn’t believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing.

“… You don’t know?” The stranger asked, like Sans should know.

Some ego on the guy, no wonder he was so big and wore such restricting clothes. He needed them to contain all that hot air.

“You must’ve had that dumpster locked tight if you’ve never heard of me before.” Just as quickly as it’d appeared, the bone dagger was wisped away in a cloud of red smoke.

“No wonder you don’t have any manners, you haven’t a clue who you’re dealin’ with, do ya?” It was said so matter-of-factly that Sans wondered if he had somehow overlooked the large skeleton in the history books.  

“The name’s Sans, Sans the skeleton.” A hand was held out to him. “And you, lil’ daisy?”

Sans soul thudded in his ribcage, the large hand was directly in front of him, but he could no longer see it. Everything was a blur as those words played over and over in his head.

Sans, Sans the skeleton. Sans. The skeleton.

Sans.  

Anything the larger skeleton—Sans said after was drowned out by the buzz in the back of Sans- his, skull. His smile waivered as the answer to his situation rattled around inside his skull. If only it would stop bouncing around, he’d know what to do.

“Take my hand, lil’ daisy.” It was an order said through sharp, clenched teeth. Whatever humor the other Sans had been getting out his lack of knowledge was apparently disappearing.  

Just like he was about to. Haha.

Before his smile could fall, Sans teleported.

Pop.

To the mountain’s summit, completely covered by snow.

Pop.

To Mount Ebott’s base, the forest behind him looking gnarled and dead.

Pop.

He landed heavy in the snow. It was too dark and he was too far from the city’s welcome sign to read it. But he didn’t give himself time to collect his thoughts or to regain his usual cool. And though his smile was still stretched across his face as he stumbled forward, it was painfully forced. A wretched, familiar feeling of hopelessness was filling him. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt since those first few battles in the castle corridor. And given the circumstances, it didn’t make sense.

It was just a name, his name, so why did it fill him with so much dread? Like he was being faced with a problem that had no solution. Just like the resets all over again.

Sans stopped in front of the city’s welcome sign, hands on his knees, out of a breath he didn’t need. The sign was red instead of the familiar blue. Its paint was chipped and the edges rusted. It was obviously old and not well cared for. However, the black words written across it were clear, looking freshly painted. The strength in Sans’ legs gave way as he read the sign, his knees hitting the snow as he looked on with wide eye-sockets.

Welcome to Fell City | Population: Shrinking

 ~ End

 AN: This will likely be the longest chapter of the fic, on account of all the exposition I had to fit in. I want to explore OG Sans' character with this, focusing on his wants, his intelligence, and I think the perfect foil to match up against Sans is Sans himself.

Feedback is welcome and appreciated.

1900s Slang:

Daisy - None too masculine

[carabas]

So I’ve just finished reading the Dragon Age Tevinter Nights anthology, and short reaction: enjoyably hit and miss right up until that final extremely thorough direct hit, thank you Patrick Weekes.

Much, much longer version:

1. I don’t know how reasonable it is to try to extrapolate about what’s going to be in the next game based on a random short story collection, but hey, the novels that came out before DAI were about the mage rebellion, the Orlesian civil war, and eluvians, so.

So things I’m now expecting to see in the next game, aside from the Tevinter-Qunari conflict and Solas of course: Nevarran necromancy, Antivan Crows, Wardens who are struggling with decimated numbers after DAO and DAI (would be the perfect time for Razikale and Lusacan to both wake up at once really), and the Lords of Fortune, a never-before-mentioned Rivaini treasure hunting organization which appeared in I think three different stories here. 

Plus a few stories were very much signalling This Specific New Character Will Be Showing Up Again, whether in the games or elsewhere; I'll be shocked if Lucanis the “Demon,” reluctant heir apparent of the Antivan Crows who just got into a cliffhanger conflict with a Tevinter magister, doesn’t have more to do.

2. THERE IS A MAP, there is a great big fantasy map surrounded by nifty little illustrative details to poke at.

There’s a label reading “White Spire,” not in Val Royeaux, but on a mountain beyond the Arlathan Forest. Is that an error or is there really a White Spire mountain? If not an error, has it always been named that or is that new, possibly a new center for the mages after the war, after the original Spire fell? At no point is either Spire mentioned in this book aside from this map.

Lots of astrological sun and moon patterns prominently featured around the edges. Is that one moon chart depicting moon phases or an eclipse? Is it too conspiracy theory of me to be counting the nine dark moons (or spheres? like in that DA4 idol illustration’s seven slots?) on the dragon’s wing? Probably. Or are those spheres a reference to the second moon that never seems to actually be visible, is that missing moon actually deliberate. 

Most of the astrological charts are fairly straightforwardly showing sun/moon phases but what is the crowned figure in the one on the lower right meant to represent? The Maker? What’s going on with the horizontal lines passing through it/behind it? The two moons beneath it - is that an illustration of the moon in two phases or being separated into two (metaphorical moon in that case, presumably), do those horizontal lines also indicate separation, do I need to move on from the astrological depictions here, definitely.

Love the big horseshoe crab sea monster.

3. Patrick Weekes’s first story in the collection: halla shapeshifting! An elf named Strife who I fully expected to be revealed as an agent of Fen’harel mimicking ancient elven names like Sorrow and Pride, though I was wrong - would it be charming or just annoyingly unsubtle if that became a thing among his agents. An ancient forest guardian with lyrium blades who hunts magic in a way that struck me an awful lot like a forest-themed equivalent of a golem, though I may be wildly off base with that one.

4. Nevarran necromancy story. An odd bit of the chant to highlight for a funeral: “And the Maker, clad in the majesty of the sky, set foot to earth, and at His touch all warring ceased.” I continue to squint suspiciously at overlaps between Maker and elven god imagery. Also, evidently mortalitasi believe that when someone dies, an inhuman spirit is pushed out from the Fade into the physical world, and that’s part of the reason behind their housing spirits in bodies - neat! The existence of Curiosity spirits, also neat!

5. Is Ghilan’nain’s horrible body horror place supposed to be spelled Hormak like in the title and previous canon references, or Hormok like throughout the text here? I know this was just a mistake but maybe I’ll use this to say that in-world there’s multiple ways of transliterating Dwarven.

6. Lukas Kristjanson story #1, the one featuring approximately a million minor Inquisition character cameos and a meditation on Solas’s regrets, introduces a character with the phrase “free mage by special commendation,” and I was briefly thrown by that little signal that we are Not In My Worldstate, that the mages aren’t all free by default - except then the story went on to destroy Solas’s fresco so I wound up quite grateful for that little heads up that this isn’t my worldstate actually.

(Unfortunately I can’t get into this guy’s writing style at all, which is a shame because it’s one of the big Solas stories in the book.)

7. There’s a little plot point in the Wigmaker Job story that demonstrates those elven artifacts Solas had us activate all over Thedas do indeed strengthen the Veil - like, he wasn’t lying to us about what those orbs do, that is how they work, here we see a Crow stab one in order to deactivate it, weaken the Veil and unleash a horde of vengeful demons. Nice confirmation.

8. Genitivi is the Randy Dowager. (Possibly. At least, Philliam wrote a scene in which Genitivi alludes to being the Randy Dowager. I do appreciate an unreliable narrator but after a certain point it does make the lore hard to keep straight.)

9. By the time we got to the story about adventurers stealing an incredibly powerful healing amulet just to donate it to a mysterious contact at a makeshift hospital trying to help people where the Qunari-Tevinter war has spilled over, I knew better than to expect any cameos from DAO/DA2 characters. And with the mention of the squire, I was pretty sure the mysterious contact was going to be Vaea, and it was. Still. Anders would approve. And for a moment I was fantasizing that it would turn out to be him, or connected to him. A new mental setting for him and Hawke post-mage-freedom - makeshift hospitals at the edge of the invasion, secretly sponsored by a certain pair of absurdly overpowered, dungeon-crawling, treasure-hunting fugitives.

Yes, my Dragon Age interpreting is still all about Anders even when he’s not remotely present.

10. You know, I really expected the leaders of the Crows to be a bit more ruthlessly competent than this. Someone is setting up a grand demonstration, recreating infamous historical assassinations carried out by the Crows but now with the leaders of the Crows themselves as the victims, incredibly flashy, incredibly clearly sending a message, and yet not one of the characters trying to figure out whodunit is speculating about the meaning behind that message??? the motive in going to all that trouble??? it’s all, hm, perhaps it’s the qunari invaders. hm, this one was posed with a pearl necklace just like the one in the historical murder it’s recreating, i bet the culprit owns a pearl-fishing business! I know they’re assassins not detectives but at least show the professional courtesy of paying attention to the message in the show your fellow assassin is putting on for you, geez.

Anyway. Interesting Crow details: they talked about neutral ground and territories divided between the Crow households here, does that just apply to Antiva or like, does Arainai have claim to all jobs in Ferelden? 

And the line “Teia's back was bare except for a tattoo marking her as a member of House Cantori” puts Zevran’s tattoos in a slightly different light for me - he’s mentioned that some symbols are sacred to the Crows, and logically it follows that having that symbol tattooed on him would indeed mark him as a Crow to other people in the know, but that his tattoos mark him as belonging to House Arainai is a thing that did not hit me from that.

11. An agent of Fen’harel muttering “Felassan” to activate a rune. In memoriam? Charming. I mean it’s a rune that’s intended to kill an entire city, so possibly the more literal slow arrow is meant, but I’m still charmed.

12. PATRICK WEEKES CLOSING OUT THE BOOK BY JUST DUMPING THE CONTINUING DREAD WOLF HUNT PLOT ON US. 

So much. 

An actual giant wolf in the Fade, I’m so happy for tumblr user corseque. 

A character again raising the possibility that Solas is not an ancient elf but rather a young elf who stumbled onto old magic, a theory I thought debunked by Trespasser but here we are considering it again. 

A minor side note that a lot of Kirkwall’s templars went rogue after the explosion - that’s not relevant to the post-DAI plot really, I’m just noting it for my generally-DA2-focused fanfic purposes. 

The possibility that somniari (presumably) can kill even dwarves who don’t dream in their sleep. Somniari in general or did Solas personally step in here?

A ritual involving the red lyrium idol resulting in the phrase “As if we were the blood and the cavern the body through which it flowed” right before the POV character enters the Fade, which is a rather Titan-esque turn of phrase. 

The Dread Wolf again asserting that all creation is in danger and he’s trying to fix that. A biased POV character recognizing that, huh, funny how those spirits around the Dread Wolf which surely must be demons actually look an awful lot like Justice and Valor. 

And Charter’s notes at the end, so direct, not only spelling out the new details on the idol for us (that the figure represents a crowned figure comforting another) but thoroughly hitting us over the head with Solas’s essential characterization in his own words, as if Weekes is still trying to clear up any possible lingering misinterpretations there. (Prideful, hotheaded, foolish. Doing what he must. Sympathetic to elves. Said that he was sorry.)

And the quiet simplicity of Solas coming to this meeting of spies in person because, pause, “...the Inquisition was involved,” written in such a way that you could read all sorts of things into that pause, whatever the Inquisition and the Inquisitor might mean to him.

The book would have been worth reading for this last story alone, what a note to end on.

[lovehaswonangelnumbers]

New Post has been published on https://lovehaswonangelnumbers.org/second-new-moon-in-cancer-july-2020-20-20-20-healing-harmony-balance/

Second New Moon in Cancer, July 2020 ~ 20 20 20, Healing, Harmony, Balance

Second New Moon in Cancer, July 2020 ~ 20 20 20, Healing, Harmony, Balance

By Tania Gabrielle

It’s a rare event when we experience a lunation twice in the same sign!

Back on June 21st we had the Solstice Cancer New Moon Eclipse at the beginning of Cancer – 0° Cancer.

Now, on July 20th, 2020 we’ll experience the SECOND Cancer New Moon!

This code is extremely powerful.

20 is representative of our decade and 20 itself represents healing and harmony, balance, so bringing the opposites together.

Remember July is that 11 universal month, which also asks us to step into the present moment so that we’re not torn between one side or another — feeling defensive or feeling offensive.

Cancer is a highly sensitive water sign and is ruled by the Moon.

Moon represents the lunar cycles – aligned with the Divine Feminine.

Cancer is aligned with the Mother. It is the sign of nurturing, sweetness and finding inner security.

The shadow side of Cancer is timid and insecure – hiding under the shell of the crab.

In this powerful New Moon Star Codes episode you’ll discover:

The meaning Cancer in the overall storyline for 2020.

The opposition form Sun and Moon to Saturn with all three at exactly 28°.

How Chiron the Sacred Healer is aiding Cancer in the LOVE storyline.

Every New Moon is an opportunity to start fresh.

We have an especially strong activation of Cancer this year.

Discover what this New Moon means to you!

Love and Blessings,

Tania Gabrielle

******

All of Creation Is watching Earth and witnessing its Ascension Process. They are ready, ready for this Planet to be Declared a Light Only Zone. All of Humanity are called upon now to Step Up in fulfillment of their Divine Soul Contract.

The dark has been cleared, fully defeated and New Earth, Nova Terra, is ready to begin. This requires each Being to fully clear the remaining density within their bodies, to awaken to full remembrance of their Galactic Truth, their Soul Essence, their Divine Blueprint.

This is not a Drill, in Real Time, Present Moment of Now Mother of All Creation is on the Planet and she is Our Divine Director, Our Eternal Mother. She hired you for this role and She is here to guide you.

Mother has the entire Galactic Federation of Light and all the Angels with Her in all moments. She also has Her guide/ambassador Robin Williams and Master St. Germain by Her side. There is no session like this available on the planet, or in all of Creation.

LoveHasWon.org is a Non-Profit Charity, Heartfully Associated with the “World Blessing Church Trust” for the Benefit of Mother Earth

Share Our Messages with Love and Gratitude

VISIT OUR LOVEHASWON DIRECTORY… ALL OUR PLATFORMS ACCESSIBLE IN ONE PLACE ~ https://linktr.ee/lovehaswon777

Visit Our Online Store for Higher Consciousness Alternative Medicine, Products and Tools: Gaia’s Whole Healing Essentials

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[yeniayofnymeria]

Arya Stark and Braavos “Moon” and “Water”

Arya Stark and Braavos “Moon” and “Water”

First of all, I apologize for my bad English. I hope you understand what I wrote.Since the beginning of the story, there are many signs about Arya’s Braavos adventure; Needle, Water Dance, Jaqen, Syrio Forell are just a few signs of them.We know that GRRM uses myths. First, I want to give a little information about moon and water.

In myths, the moon is sometimes considered a man and sometimes a woman. For example, the moon has an important place in Turkish myths. Cosmologically, the first dead and resurrecting god in the sky is the Moon; 3 days is not seen in the sky and then reborn. In the first period, people perceived this as ‘the death of the moon.. The narratives of heroes ’in all myths of the world have been constructed over‘ Moon.. Moon eclipses in myths have been associated with the belief that the dragon (the wolf-dragon in the Turks) ate the Moon. In the Viking myths, the eclipse is due to the wolves eating the Moon. The same logic exists in Turkish myths; The wolves eat it by attacking the moon and so the moon is kept. According to Eliade, most of the myths about the flood mention that a single human survived the flood and that the surviving man married a ‘moon’ animal. After all, this animal becomes the ancestor of that nation; In the Turks, this month’s animal is Gökbörü(grey wolf). Gökbörü is also associated with the concept of wolf-dragon. The ancestor of tribes is a moon animal that causes flooding. Turks often envisioned wolves and dragons together. (The information in this paragraph is quoted from Nuray Bilgili’s Turkish Mythology.)

Of course, since the GoT series is inspired by western culture and myths, it is not right to act with a direct reference from Turkish myths, but we can continue by taking elements that are ‘common an from the authors. In fact, Scandinavian myths and Turkish myths have some things in common. The Wolf and Moon section is an example.Those who are interested in astrology know that the ‘moon’ is associated with the water element, and you are all familiar with the wolf-moon relationship in both world myths and legends.A post about the relationship between the moon and the water from Hermetics site.

“Water … Its characteristics are opposite to fire. It contains the female element. In ancient times, life was believed to start from the sea. The sea was seen as the womb of a mother goddess who ruled the moon. Because of the reflection of water, the ancients considered her as a symbol of wisdom, privacy and privacy. The fire element represents the consciousness and the water element the subconscious, the fire contains the sun, the ruler of the day, the moon contains the moon, the water rises to the sky, the water falls to the ground, and melts all kinds of matter within the water. So it can be life-giving, it can be poisonous. It can be clean, it can also be polluting. But it is purely life-giving and purifying. Its astrological features are sensuality, sensitivity and intuition.

Summary: Moon + Water (Ice) + Night + Wolf… all connected. Remember, ice and snow are frozen water.After seeing the relationship between the moon and water and its meaning in myths, let’s start to look for traces of it in the series.The youngest of these cities, Braavos(moon and water) was founded by escaped fleeing the grasp of Valyria the Freehold( sun and fire). According to the histories of Braavos, it was a group of slave women from the lands of Jogos Nhai, the moonsingers, who predicted where shelter could be found. Thus, the slaves travelled to the distant lagoon, hidden away from sight of the dragonlords by the wall of hills covered with pine trees and the fog covering the lagoon. The largest temple in the city is the Moon temple.

"The Moonsingers led us to this place of refuge, where the dragons of Valyria could not find us,” Denyo said. “Theirs is the greatest temple.”

On many sides of Braavos you can find some signs of the moon / crescent; For example the Moon Pool is one of the quite popular spots. Moon Shadow; Moon Goddess, Moon Temple etc.

“Sealords,” said Yorko. “The Isle of the Gods is farther on. See? Six bridges down, on the right bank. That is the Temple of the Moonsingers.”

It was one of those that Arya had spied from the lagoon, a mighty mass of snow-white marble topped by a huge silvered dome whose milk glass windows showed all the phases of the moon. A pair of marble maidens flanked its gates, tall as the Sealords, supporting a crescent-shaped lintel.

The temple of FM’s that attracts my attention the most. What were they doing there for the gift of mercy? They were dying by drinking poisoned ‘sweet’ water. What did say the text about water? “So it can be life-giving or poisoning.”

At the top she found a set of carved wooden doors twelve feet high. The left-hand door was made of weirwood pale as bone, the right of gleaming ebony. In their center was a carved moon face; ebony on the weirwood side, weirwood on the ebony. The look of it reminded her somehow of the heart tree in the godswood at Winterfell. The doors are watching me, she thought. She pushed upon both doors at once with the flat of her gloved hands, but neither one would budge.

Even in the temple’s chairs, there are faces this moon.The apprentices were holding jugs of wine in their hands, but Arya was holding a water jug. If you remember, when she first came to this house, she had someone drink poisonous water with her hands.Since the first book, Arya interacts directly or indirectly with the moon / water and its associated Braavos / FMs.In the first book, Jon gave Arya an assassin sword of Braavos, and then she was trained by a teacher to become a WATER DANCER. Even water dance is a fighting technique used by Braavos warriors. His father also referred to her as “MOON…“ Also, remember that she lives in a cold geography covered by ice / snow.Wolves are a moon animal and she has a direwolf. Also she likes cats and Braavos a good place for cats. (Cats are moon animal too. Cats are associated with the Egyptian goddess Bastet.)

Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women’s secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She protected the home from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children. As with many Egyptian deities, she also played a role in the afterlife as a guide and helper to the dead although this was not one of her primary duties. She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and is associated with the concept of the Eye of Ra (the all-seeing eye) and the Distant Goddess (a female deity who leaves Ra and returns to bring transfromation).  https://www.ancient.eu/Bastet/  

…

"Just so. Now we will begin the dance. Remember, child, this is not the iron dance of Westeros we are learning, the knight’s dance, hacking and hammering, no. This is the bravo’s dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die.” He took a step backward, raised his own wooden blade. “Now you will try to strike me.”

When Arya had to leave her identity behind, she threw all Arya belongings (except the needle) into the water. We can see this action as an attempt to throw the Arya identity into consciousness. Remember, water represented the subconscious.On his journey from KL to Braavos, Arya meets Jaqen, an FM who is also from Braavos, and is directed by him to Braavos / FM. While Arya was serving there, she was sent to a man selling seafood to learn the Braavos language, but also returned from time to time to bring her knowledge to FMs. When’s she coming back? When the darkness falls and the moon comes out. (dark moon)

Cat would always find the kindly man waiting for her when she went creeping back to the temple on the knoll on the night the moon went black. “What do you know that you did not know when you left us?” he would always ask her.

…

“All men must serve.” And so she did, three days of every thirty. When the moon was black she was no one, a servant of the Many-Faced God in a robe of black and white. She walked beside the kindly man through the fragrant darkness, carrying her iron lantern. She washed the dead, went through their clothes, and counted out their coins. Some days she still helped Umma cook, chopping big white mushrooms and boning fish. But only when the moon was black. The rest of the time she was an orphan girl in a pair of battered boots too big for her feet and a brown cloak with a ragged hem, crying “Mussels and cockles and clams” as she wheeled her barrow through the Ragman’s Harbor. (See? When the moon was black for 3 days. ;) )

…

“The moon will be black tonight,” she reminded him.

“Best you pray, then.” Brusco shoved the boots aside and poured out the coins to count them. “Valar dohaeris.”

…

But before the waif could answer, the kindly man stepped into the chamber, smiling. “You have returned to us.”

“The moon is black.”

“It is. What three new things do you know, that you did not know when last you left us?”

If you noticed that they are saying “the moon is going to be black” or moon is called black, we usually say “there is no moon in the sky today". But they call the moon is black. This is remarkable. In addition, Arya often calls himself NIGHT WOLF. And there is moon of course.

She was the night wolf. But only when she dreamed…Not for me. Her nights were bathed in moonlight and filled with the songs of her pack, with the taste of red meat torn off the bone, with the warm familiar smells of her grey cousins. Only during the days was she alone and blind.

…

“How long must I be blind?” she would ask.

“Until darkness is as sweet to you as light,” the waif would say, “or until you ask us for your eyes. Ask and you shall see.”

…

She took a breath to quiet the howling in her heart, trying to remember more of what she’d dreamt, but most of it had gone already. There had been blood in it, though, and a full moon overhead, and a tree that watched her as she ran.

We can give an example of the wolves’ relationship with the moon in Jon’s dream.

The white wolf raced through a black wood, beneath a pale cliff as tall as the sky. The moon ran with him, slipping through a tangle of bare branches overhead, across the starry sky…  In another place, his little sister(Arya-Nymeria) lifted her head to sing to the moon, and a hundred small grey cousins broke off their hunt to sing with her

Wolves always sing to the moon. Why? Because they are moon animal, like dragons are sun animal.The wolves ‘connection with the moon and the wolves’ connection with the Stark children are remarkable. Especially Braavos is the city of the moon and water, this is the symbol. Arya also interacts quite closely with this city. So, what the point? Easy. Remember my theory about “the campions” :)  https://yeniayofnymeria.tumblr.com/post/190156637641/hello-everone-i-want-to-share-my-own-theory-about

Thank you for read.