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mage-of-black-robes · 1 month

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Verses

V; Main - Takes place on Krynn throughout the course of the musical, when Raistlin is working toward his goal of overthrowing Takhisis, but before he time travels back to Istar.

V; Lord of Nothing - Takes place after the musical, when Raistlin is getting used to the measure of godhood he has attained. He is tortured by visions of Takhisis mocking him, and by the void that the Abyss has become as a result of her death, but desperate to make something new of it and himself. Eventually, he becomes a guide for the ambitious and vengeful, as well as the Mad King of Darkness, drawing demons and chromatic dragons alike into his thrall via a series of trials where he proves his might. He seeks not to conquer the world of Krynn, as he has already attained the throne he so craved, but to manipulate and punish the wicked in equal measure. He has come to a sort of understanding with Paladine and the other gods: as long as they and their followers keep out of his realm, he will refrain from waging war.

V; Change of Heart - Upon realizing that he’s fallen in love with Crysania, Raistlin finally begins having some second thoughts about his plans. Takhisis possesses her as normal, but instead of strengthening his resolve, it forces him to face the fact that he’s throwing away his life along with the lives of countless others, and that combined with the fact that he’s coping with his first real love sends him into an existential crisis. Seeing the perfect opportunity, Takhisis begins torturing him with visions of his past and possible future, from memories of being relentlessly bullied as a child to nightmares of being trapped in the Abyss forever as her servant. He’s tearfully reliving his murder of the illusory Caramon at the end of his Test of High Sorcery when Crysania finally breaks free of her possession and intervenes, with the real Caramon showing up just in time to help her drive Takhisis away. Raistlin is left unconscious and exhausted, but when he awakens, he tells the pair that they need to seal the portal as thoroughly as possible, and that he never should have tried to open it. He and Crysania work together rather excellently to do so. A lengthy confession and apology from Raistlin follows, and after a lecture from Caramon about all the damage caused by the wizard’s machinations, the trio vow to do what they can to provide relief to the war torn lands of Krynn, with Caramon splitting off from Raistlin and Crysania because he needs time away from his brother. Eventually, after years of working with him, Crysania forgives Raistlin enough to confess that she has fallen in love with him, too, and the two get married!

V; isekai - an AU in which Main Verse!Raistlin gets yeeted into any other setting (modern, BG3, Curse of Strahd, DC, Marvel, etc.) via portal shenanigans, a magical mishap of some kind, or a rogue Nautiloid snatching him and a few others up as it bamfs in and out of Krynn. DM me for details if you want a thread like this! I love it a lot, and am happy to talk it out.

Modern Verses

Background - Raistlin and Caramon Majere were born in Detroit, Michigan to a Russian immigrant mother and factory worker. Caramon came out first, and was born healthy and strong, but Raistlin’s birth was far more difficult, resulting in a number of health problems. The doctors gave him a few days. His mother, however, was equally stubborn as she was nurturing, and with her care, he beat the odds. He was a sickly child, and very much an introvert despite his natural charm. Caramon was always the more outgoing of the two, playing with the neighborhood kids and defending his brother from bullies. When they were around five or six, Raistlin began to show both signs of a genius level intellect and interest in his mother’s occult studies. His father wasn’t enthusiastic about it, so she taught the boy spells when he wasn’t home. A few months later, Raistlin’s and Caramon’s father was killed in a work place accident caused by the foreman’s negligence, but their nosy widow neighbor declared that Raistlin was a wicked child, and that it was his fault. Furious and heartbroken, their mother packed up everything, sold the house, and moved them out of Detroit following the funeral. They settled down in a small town in Connecticut. It was an adjustment, for sure, but the family was able to start over again. Eventually, their mother remarried, and they wound up with a cool lawyer for a stepdad. Caramon started playing football in middle school, and Raistlin finally found his voice when he joined the choir, as well as a love for the stage. When they entered high school, he immediately got involved with the theater department, auditioning for the annual musical and getting the lead. Caramon saw how much fun his brother was having, and decided to follow suit in their sophomore year. They became nearly inseparable after that, filming various skits and duets to put on their YouTube channel. It didn’t stop Raistlin from surging ahead in terms of academics, though, and he wound up graduating a year early. He was accepted into multiple universities at seventeen, but ultimately decided on Harvard.

V; Modern 1 - Raistlin is a university student, majoring in Performing Arts and minoring in Occult Studies. He’s well on his way to a Master’s Degree, but is aiming for a Doctorate. He also has a love of Dungeons & Dragons and other improv heavy tabletop games.

V; Modern 2 - With a shrewd strategy, relentless ambition, and cunning mind, Dr. Raistlin Majere has made waves in the spiritual side of the academic world. His numerous essays and journals detailing definitive proof of demons, devils, and ghosts have rocketed him to stardom as one of the world’s foremost occultists, and he now enjoys a tenured position as a professor at Harvard University, teaching Demonology and Occult Studies. Rumors swirl about him practicing black magic, but when his students ask, he always deflects, and time seems to fly by. The few who have dared to meet his gaze directly after such conversations swear that his pupils have an hourglass design, but it’s gone when they look again. He doesn’t hide the fact that he’s a Satanist; that’s something his mother taught him, and he will always be proud of it. He does, however, make a huge effort to debunk a lot of the gruesome myths surrounding Satanism.

AUs/Wishlist

Pokémon - Raistlin is an occultist first and a trainer second, running ghost/dragon/dark type team.

Gilmore Girls - same as the modern verse, but the twins grew up in Stars Hollow. Raistlin, Caramon, and Rory were thick as thieves throughout their childhood, with the boys being the closest things she had to brothers. They taught her a decent bit of Russian, and often dragged her and Lane into their skits and other theatrical shenanigans. Rory joined Caramon in defending Raistlin from bullies, making Lorelei incredibly proud, and this trend continued when they went to Chilton together; in return, Raistlin did the same for her, privately hexing any entitled brat who tried to get under her skin, and publicly embarrassing them with his razor sharp wit. The two stayed close throughout high school, but grew apart after Rory chose to go to Yale instead of Harvard.

V; Regency - compliant with Bridgerton, but not strictly tied to it. Essentially, Raistlin’s mother remarried into a noble family when he and Caramon were both little, after their father died. Adjusting to life in the ton has been difficult, but they’ve managed, and at 25, Raistlin has finally been pushed and prodded enough to find a suitable spouse. He’s not fond of the marriage mart. At all. For many reasons! But his good looks and bookish nature have made him quite the desirable bachelor. Caramon, who’s already been married for five years, assures him that he will find the right person in time, but Raistlin would much rather be holed up in his study, poring over ancient tomes and solving the mysteries of the occult.

V; Fairytale/Fantasy - Once a noble hero, the great wizard Raistlin Majere fell to the temptation of dark magic, though he claimed he only wished to use it for good. After a spell went horribly awry, drastically altering his appearance and degrading his health, he was revealed, put on trial, and sentenced to exile in the Marwood for treason and witchcraft. Bitter and vengeful, Raistlin retaliated by putting a curse on the king and his family. Every heir to that throne would be compelled to try and find him upon their coronation, only to be doomed to wander the Marwood until they met a gruesome end. The curse would only be lifted if one managed to find him and bring him back to the palace. He then disappeared in a puff of smoke, and hasn’t been seen since, though his twin brother, Caramon, has organized many a search party.

V; DC - Raistlin Majere is an occultist living in Gotham. Has the potential to become a villain or antihero, but doesn’t yet have the motivation. He mainly focuses on his studies.

V; Marvel - During the battle of New York, Dr. Majere was giving a guest lecture on demonology at a local university when chaos erupted. The lecture hall was destroyed by Chitauri, and many students were injured or killed. Raistlin tried to save as many as he could, demonstrating his arcane prowess, but it cost him dearly. Only by making a deal with a demon as he lay dying in the wreckage did he manage to make it out alive. Hair bleached white, eyes turned a sickly yellow, and skin rendered golden, he was forever changed, and swore vengeance upon every cretinous wretch that dared to invade his world. He keeps himself hidden away, now, but when a threat arises, the Black Mage always shows up to hex a bitch into next week!

V; Yu-Gi-Oh! - As an occultist, Raistlin has quite a fascination with the spiritual aspect of Duel Monsters, though he’s more of an expert on European demonology and black magic than on Ancient Egypt. He became a duelist at a young age, and upon discovering that he could see and communicate with duel spirits, bonded with a powerful spellcaster known as Chaos Sorcerer. As devoted as he is to his studies, he still makes time to duel in tournaments on occasion, as he finds it entertaining to trounce others with his Spellcaster/Fiend deck, and he has aspirations of defeating all the major duelists in the world (Kaiba, Pegasus, Yugi, etc.) at least once. Just for fun. And perhaps to boost his ego. His twin brother is also a formidable duelist, though Caramon is a professional and takes the tournament circuit far more seriously…when he’s not out drinking his friends and rivals under the table. The two have even competed in tag-team tournaments before.

V; Rockstar - Modern AU in which Raistlin ends up becoming the lead singer of a gothic glam rock band named Lord of Nothing. The group prospers mostly on talent and iconic appearance alone (a mix of goth/punk black leather and dark fantasy, with Raistlin appearing as a silver-haired mage), though a bit of black magic has gone a long way. He just hopes it won’t come back to bite him later. The rest of the band has no idea that he’s been conducting dark rituals here and there to boost their popularity.

V; Wizarding World - Raistlin and Caramon are the orphaned twin heirs of the pureblood Majere family. After their parents were murdered by Death Eaters, the two moved from Russia to Scotland to live with their mother’s sister. They got their Hogwarts letters a couple of years later, and attended in the same year as the Golden Trio. Despite having vowed to protect each other no matter what, Caramon was sorted into Gryffindor, while Raistlin was sorted into Slytherin, and thus marked the beginning of their slow drifting apart. Raistlin excelled in Transfiguration and Defense Against The Dark Arts, but quickly became thirsty for knowledge of the Dark Arts themselves, eager to find a way to avenge his parents and become more powerful than the wizards who’d killed them.

#🎲 above table 🎲 ooc talk #this took forever but it’s finally done!#🎲 the black mage 🎲 v; main #🎲 at what cost? 🎲 v; lord of nothing #🎲 to mend a broken heart 🎲 v; change of heart #🎲 ever the student 🎲 v; modern 1 #🎲 your favorite professor 🎲 v; modern 2 #🎲 a brave new world 🎲 v; isekai #🎲 gotta catch ‘em all! 🎲 v; Pokémon #🎲 back to Stars Hollow 🎲 v; Gilmore girls #🎲 reluctantly eligible bachelor 🎲 v; regency #🎲 outcast in the Marwood 🎲 v; fairytale/fantasy #🎲 eccentric gothamite 🎲 v; DC #🎲 vengeful hero 🎲 v; marvel #🎲 all the world’s a stage 🎲 v; rockstar #🎲 promising dark wizard 🎲 v; Wizarding World

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storiesofwildfire · 5 years

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@thisforgottenlore said: "I... love you. I just wanted to tell you that." ( for faye :3c) -- { this is legit from your old Kratos blog. I have so many old asks from you, I’m so sorry for being such a disappointment but I still wanna answer them all ;-; }

meme: Dragon Age sentence starters ;; status; accepting

♔—- Her time with Kratos had been... interesting, to say the very least. They started off on a bit of a rocky stretch, as Kratos wandered into Laufey’s camp in a manner that suggested he was a threat and very much aware of the fact. It hadn’t taken her long to plant him firmly in the ground and show him why she wasn’t someone worth messing with, lest he wanted to lose what remained of his then-broken body.

Faye, however, was nothing short of a kind creature, a nurturer at heart, and while she had absolutely no hesitation in defending herself, her people, and her weapon, she just as quickly apologized, lowered herself down onto her knees, and offered Kratos her assistance.

At first, he’d seemed... unwilling to accept. She was a stranger, one that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could hold her own against him, and if she wished it, she would be nothing more than a threat to him, his well being, and any goals he may wish to accomplish. After all, he’d been searching for her axe, and she made it very clear that she had no intention of letting him have it.

She had, however, taken care of him. It became obvious quickly that the reason he desired her weapon so dearly was no because of the power it held, but his belief that its magic could be used to heal a wound that would not heal. It proved simple work for her to patch him up, though his recovery stretched on for many days. She’d been forced to make a more permanent camp for them, one with a makeshift shelter that protected them--more important, Kratos--from the elements and proper wards and defenses set in place so the wanderer could heal in peace rather than worry over what lurked in the woods.

Nursing him back to health and protecting him as she did so was something she’d been more than willing to do, especially once he stopped fighting her on it. Once he recovered, he could be on his way, and they would never have to see one another again. His health improved, but he refused to leave her side, insisting instead that he owed her a debt and he would not leave until that debt was paid off. Faye didn’t see it that way. She saw her kindness as just that--kindness. Kratos saw it as a service that he could never repay because she saved him.

Until the day came that he did repay her, defending her from a freak accident that otherwise might have ended in the loss of her life. His debt repaid, he no longer had reason to tie himself to her, and yet... he stayed. At least, when Faye voiced that he didn’t have to go, that if he wished to stay with her, she would enjoy his continued companionship. From there, their relationship seemed to grow more intimate.

While Kratos always seemed to enjoy her stories and took solace in her voice filling the trees, they’d never tipped too far over the edge. She’d admit to a certain attraction... the type that had her yearning, though she hadn’t readily admitted it. She felt that he may very well feel the same, but his emotional range seemed more or less nonexistent. Pushing it might have driven him away or made their travels unnecessarily tense, but from the moment that Kratos decided to stay with her without being bound by a debt he owed?

Considering very little time actually passed between Kratos agreeing to stay and their naked body moving together in harmony, illuminated only by their campfire and the moonlight? It was safe enough to say that their relationship took a very violent shove into something more serious, or at the very least, something more intimate. Faye wasn’t sure Kratos quite knew how to love, though. He’d been deeply wounded by something--or many somethings--in his past that made it difficult to break through the hardened shell he built around himself to protect his core.

Over time, though, despite there never being verbal confirmation, Laufey knew her feelings for Kratos were very real and oh so very intense. Love, she dared to think, but never had the nerve to utter such a thing aloud. More for fear of scaring him off than anything, she decided to firmly keep such a confession to herself. She knew, sooner or later, she would have to admit it. If Kratos was the man she’d seen in her visions, the future father of her child... He would have to know eventually, but waiting for the right time to drop such a thing seemed with how delicate pieces of their relationship seemed. Both so strong and so fiercely determined to make it in this world, one way or another, it seemed almost laughable that parts of their connection still seemed so fragile.

Never, though, did she truly expect Kratos to be the one to say it first, though.

She sat next to their fire late that night. Late enough that they probably should have both been asleep by then, but they’d gotten a late start to dinner due to more... pressing activities that took priority once they made camp and settled in for the night. They did work up quite an appetite, though, so Faye set out to roast a few sizeable pieces of the deer they took down during their hunting adventure.

Wrapped in little more than a blanket, she sat on a log she’d conjured for convenience and comfort, turning the roasting meat over the fire to ensure an even cook on all sides. Kratos finished setting up the last of their perimeter before settling in beside her. He’d grown rather confident in sharing close spaces with her, so he wasted little time in wrapping two strong arms around her midsection as she prepared their late supper.

“I... love you. I just wanted to tell you that.”

Both of her hands paused and her emerald eyes rounded in surprise as the words sank in. Kratos wasn’t much for conversation. He loved listening to her talk and he hung onto every word she said, but he wasn’t always the best when it came to speaking his mind or elaborating on his feelings. She never minded. He spoke enough to satisfy her and if he had something he wished to say, something he felt important, he would say it, but emotions were a difficult enough thing for him to express in action, so to openly confess to them? If she hadn’t already been sitting, she might have fallen over, and even now, with Kratos’ arms around her, she felt like she might still slip off the log she perched herself on.

As shocking as the statement was, though, she knew it must have been weighing on his mind and heart for quite some time, and it was important enough that he felt she needed to know.

“I--” she murmured, stuttering over what she wanted to say in an endearing but almost uncharacteristic fashion. Gods, she’d never imagined what love could truly feel like. She always worried after seeing those visions that the person she met who would eventually have a child with her would never feel organic, that their love wouldn’t be real, or worse, wouldn’t exist at all. What did she know about being in love with someone? She never had been, before now. Infatuation, sure, but love?

Turning enough to face him, she left the deer roasting without proper supervision. If it burned, it burned, plain and simple. “I know,” she finally murmured. “I’ve known for quite some time and I’ve known even longer how I feel about you in turn. I--” Even though it was already out in the open, she found it difficult to say it. Why? It should have been the easiest thing in the world.

“I love you too, Kratos,” she murmured, allowing the blanket to fall away from her naked shoulders so she could easily wrap her arms around his neck without potentially tangling them in the fabric. “I love you too,” she repeated. “I just wasn’t sure when would be the appropriate time to say it, I just never imagined I’d be beaten to the punch.”

#ask laufey #answered prayers #( side muse ) laufey #thisforgottenlore #c; kratos #( main verse ; god of war ) a child born of two worlds #( ship ; laufey x kratos ) in love we stand. in death we conquer. in us we believe.#( ship ) laufey x kratos #( long response ) if it were easy everyone would do it #{ lmao all of my inbox stuff is so old. this is so embarrassing ;-;#but also I love Faye and Kratos and they are??? cute as all fuck }

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solivigantkaiba · 3 years

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Hey, thoughts on horus/seth? Personally, i'm not seeing it so far but there's still season 2. If imma be honest... I kinda thought anubis and horus were the main pairing lmao.

Sorry it took so long to answer this but, I really needed to gather my thoughts.

So, laying it bare, when I first saw the thumbnail, I was like "oh this looks sexy (art-wise)." Like I didn't read the synopsis or anything and went straight for it. When I realized that this was based on mythology, Egyptian mythos, I knew it was going to be some kind of dark. I am not well versed in Egyptian mythos as I am on Greek and Norse but given it had to do with "gods" well, you can't expect there to not be any kinds of f*cked up sh*t.

NOTE!!⚠⚠️⚠

I will be talking about events that occur in ENNEAD a webcomic by Mojito which contains adult themes. If you have not read the comic and wish to avoid spoilers or are uncomfortable with themes such as incest, moral ambiguity or lack thereof, adultery, sexual assault/rape, mass genocide, revenge and violence stop here.

I'mma be real I am not 100% against it but I am definitely not for it.

Like if it ends up being endgame, oh well I wont complain but if I have my way, Horus will stay away from Seth.

I like reading dark stories every once in a while and enjoy the struggles characters go through and overcome but sometimes, a character just does not deserve it.

That said let's discuss.

Horus admires and loves his uncle (I'll touch upon this later), he does not want to see him suffer despite the fact that he himself has suffered due to Seth. Still, he finds it in himself to understand the why and how they got there.

Ok, but the situation as a whole is complicated.

Osiris, elder brother of Seth, husband of Isis, father of Horus, is obsessively in love (by his own definition) with Seth. So much so that he sterlised Seth as he "... was able to tolerate his marriage to Nephthys but, I could not bear to see you have a child with her. To give your seed to Nephthys would have been a waste......which is why.....I took your seed."[ch. 41]

Seth gives in to Osiris after being told that Anubis had been rid of his Ha(physical form) and his Ren(Identity), Ib(heart), Sheut(Shadow), and Ba(character) had been collected in order to be remade as a child of Osiris borne by Seth.[ch. 41]

Isis is witness to this after a confrontation with Nephthys, chapter 43 confirms that she witnessed majority of the interaction, what Osiris wants of Seth, his exchange with Nephthys, the soul at stake and Seth sacrificing his body to save Anubis of the fate Osiris wanted for him.

Now, Seth, uses Osiris's desire for him as bait so as to kill him and thus we continue the tragedy that we know.

Now why do I bring up Osiris and Isis and Nephthys? Because they are major keys as to why I am not of the Horus/Seth ship. Many actions spurred by anger and resentment and humane moral and logic.

Horus is by comparison slightly more preferable to his father but ch. 31-32, despite how it started is my nail on the coffin. Yes, Seth is not blameless, however, I do believe it to be in part his own twisted reasoning of Osiris's action taken against him that he tries to enact on Horus.

Some victim's of abuse fall into the cycle of becoming abuser's themselves if not given the correct help.

[CHAPTERS 60-62 ]

Horus had been young a and very small, he was, by his own words, kidnapped to be offered up as a sacrifice to the supreme ruler of the "gods" in this, ch. 60, Horus states, "I basically went looking for him[Seth] with my own two feet." the next chapters describe how from the moment he came to awareness of the world around him he was told over and over of stories of a specific someone, Seth.

He decides to go meet the "evil god", he does so because he wants to change his life. His mother's dagger in hand he travels to meet Seth and eventually arrives in Kemis, where Seth was.

Kemis devastated by war, Seth lay in the temple amongst the ruins, amongst the broken bottles of liquor, amongst the corpses of young boys.

Horus states that he could not understand why the one who killed his own brother and persecuted his sister for centuries, who mercilessly slaughtered humans and had everything looked to be in such pain and suffering. He could not understand the desperation in his face nor the overwhelming sadness. It all comes down to Seth's love for his son, Anubis, and though he may not be of his seed he is the son of his heart.

Horus is jealous of Anubis for having what he desired, the ability to choose and do for himself, to be loved and cared for by the one who ruled over all and gave his love without expecting anything in return. to be loved unconditionally by Seth, the one who would give it.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Horus, experiencing Seth for the first time is overwhelmed but was hungry for more of that feeling of love, safety, and comfort.

Maybe I am misunderstanding his feeling but, it is still a type of obsession he harbors for Seth.

All in all, Seth, made infertile, made aware of his wife's affection lying with Osiris, told Anubis is not his son, coveted by Osiris and subsequently raped so to spare his 'son'.

Seth loses himself in betrayal, hurt, grief and love. With that he wants to use Isis to hurt Osiris and yet he cannot bring himself to do it. He pushes an ignorant Anubis away, Nephthys isolates herself, and he is left to pick up his pieces into a twisted amalgamation of stained glass in an attempt at repair or damage control.

I do not justify his later actions but I do see how we get there. You would think that "gods" being above mortals and on another plane of "divine existence" would not be so weak as to fall to such human things but it's explained that as time went on the "gods" began to adopt more and more humane traits thus weakening.

And he is not necessarily wrong.

For comparison,

In Greek mythos, Zeus slept with many "goddesses" aside from his wife Hera and mortal women, all because he was having fun. In his persecussion of fun

He turned himself into a ray of golden sunshine (Danae).

Zeus, who had already been perving on her for some time, decided that today would be his lucky day. He used the eagle attack as an excuse to change himself into a swan and fend off the violent eagle. And "swanduced" Leda

Europa came across a beautiful and docile white bull. Unbeknownst to her, the bull was actually Zeus - he had transformed himself into the gentle beast in order to lay with her.

Proving that Zeus cared more about beauty than gender, he transformed himself into an eagle in order to carry Ganymede up to Mount Olympus to become his "cup bearer"

This all pissed off Hera and yeah, she was brutal with her revenge and many suffered and died for it whether they were guilty or innocent.

In her wrath she loses any and all sense of composure and logic and lashes out in hurt. That by definition, this makes her weak as she cannot distinguish between accomplice and victim. And once again is that not humane action in the mind of a "divine" being such as a "goddess"? It is due to the fact that Zeus and many other "gods" do not abide by human ethics of right or wrong that they commit depravity after depravity without guilt or concern for the consequences. And yet they try to apply or keep a certain amount of ethics to justify their actions, but to whom? Are they not "gods"?

To wrap this up, Horus has an intense want and lighter obsession with Seth for what he is and can give. I do believe he wants to protect him and does not want to lose him. I do.

But for Seth, I don't think it would be good mentally.

He loved(loves?) Nephthys whole-heartedly, he loves his son.

To be reminded of the one who hurt him (Osiris)

The one he tried to hurt but couldn't (Horus)

The one who sought a revenge that belonged to another (Isis)

Yeah no, as all pagan mythos I find that there will be no happy ending, at least not in the typical sense.

Anyway, I hope this made sense, lol. I really like the comic but man it hurts and pulls at my heart strings.

#Ennead #Seth #Set #Horus #Anubis #Isis #Nephthys #Osiris #ENNEAD Mjito #tappytoon #ask #this is really long and I'm sorry #I really did need to figure out how I would respond #i tried #It makes sense #I think

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more-than-a-princess · 2 years

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@madamhatter asked: For Vampire Sonia, what were her circumstances in becoming a vampire? Was she from a royal family of vampires (considering her lineage)? Or was she converted? For how long has she been roaming the world, and what are her favorite locations across Europe (as if she'll want to step into the U.S.) to stay at?

Unprompted HC asks - Accepting from mutuals!

For Sonia's Vampire AU, much of her origins and lore can be traced back to a part of Novoselic history that historians always get wrong but the story has had an effect on Novosonian society for centuries. To be honest, the important question isn't "How was Sonia turned into a vampire" but "Why was she turned into a vampire?" It's much less about the vampire who turned her and far more about the events that led to why. And that 'why' affects nearly every Sonia verse I've got: canon, modern AU, historical AUs (after a certain point in history), etc.

Note: There are slight deviations of the outcome of this story depending on the verse. For most canon and AU verses, the main story is how it ended. For Sonia's Diabolik Lovers and Vampire AUs (and yes, they are different verses!), there are two twists on the main story ending that apply to those verses.

And before I get started: I may revise this as time goes on. However, I'm not looking for criticism, constructive or otherwise, on this headcanon. It's just for RP, for fun, and I'm not terribly interested as to if it is heavily inspired by another fandom (tbh, I wasn't even thinking about other fandoms when coming up with this) or alters European history a bit. Where the history is concerned, I was mostly trying to have dates line up and have a fictional nation fit in with a continent's real history, while giving the story some legitimacy to explain one of Novoselic's most prominent prejudices that shows up in quite a few threads.

With all that said, this HC isn't just the circumstances of how Vampire Sonia came to be. Instead it answers the following question: Why is Novoselic so against having a female monarch?

That answer, as well as Sonia's vampiric origins, can be found roughly 500 years ago. Sonia, or members of her family or staff, have mentioned in various threads that the last female monarch reigned 5 centuries ago and almost brought about the destruction of the country. And it is her ancestor's story that I'm going to share here.

Princess Alina Fiorella Sonia de Jamais, born 1494, was considered something of a miracle. Five years of marriage and only several miscarriages to show for it, not only the King and Queen, but the entire country, felt her birth was a blessing. The Royal Council had worried that there was something amiss in the royal bloodline as, if no children had come to pass, it would be the first instance in modern Novoselic history that the crown would pass from king to duke instead of king to prince. If one royal child could be born, certainly more would follow.

Except that never came to pass. The Princess became the only child of the King and Queen and, by royal decree and ordained by God, the heir to the throne. No one had expected or planned for it, but the Royal Family and their Court believed it best to raise the Crown Princess as they would any other Princess. The King was still quite young himself and the court had their hopes pinned on the fact the Princess would follow her father's footsteps, marry young, and birth the male heir they wanted, all before the King passed away. Thus, while the Italian Wars emerged around the Novoselic borders, Princess Alina was raised in relative peace and happiness. Her nation was a neutral party and she had her kingdom at her disposal: to love her and to teach her.

Which they did. While she excelled at all of the accomplishments for a Princess, Alina was far more apt to set her drawings, her musical instruments, and dancing aside to explore the breadth of her country. Life at court gave her little amusement but her visits to Novoselic's various cities and towns brought her the joy and fascination she looked for in life. Whether it was how to spin wool into yarn or draw water out of a well, she wanted to learn how it was done and would converse happily with anyone who wanted to speak with her. Her friendliness posed a problem for the Novoselic Court, though: someone's respectability played no part in her willingness to befriend them, so alongside the upstanding citizens, Alina also befriended the outcasts. Those without families, work, or even a home of their own: she often took to spending plenty an afternoon with an older woman who lived alone in a cottage at the very edge of the capital. Unmarried and considered a spinster, she made her way in the world as a healer and taught the young princess plenty about the various properties of herbs, minerals, and methods of healing the sick and wounded. She often gave her gifts as well: a stone to bring about good dreams, a silk-wrapped poultice meant for protection and wishes. Alina was fascinated, and she trusted and believed in it all.

But it wasn't enough to keep Novoselic out of the wars. When Alina was 17, her father decided to ally with the Holy League against France in the conflict that would be known as The War of the League of Cambrai. Worried about France's growing interest in taking over parts of Italy and how they could easily cast their eye on Novoselic, the King supplied Pope Julius II with 6,000 trained Novoselic soldiers and participated in several battles himself. With court life disrupted by war, royal balls, parties, and marriages were set aside to support the efforts.

Until 1513, with the siege of Dijon. While it had been a successful campaign against the French, after several successes the King had finally been wounded on the battlefield and succumbed to septicemia in September 1513. Upon his death, the relatively sheltered, beloved Princess of Novoselic became its first reigning queen. And while she was an accomplished singer, created beautiful embroidery, and was proficient in the modern languages, she was woefully inexperienced in managing a royal court or leading an army. Nervous, she took her rightful place on the throne and insisted tradition and her father's wishes would both continue in the form of both coronation celebrations and continuing their alliance with the Holy League.

The former she excelled at: Queen Alina of Novoselic invited nobles and allies far and wide, if the war could spare them, for the coronation festivities. It had been years since they'd had much in the way of frivolity and she thought it best to boost morale, cost be damned. And wanting to welcome as many as possible, she took the advice of her Royal Council in devising the welcomed nobles from a variety of families. Even if she didn't know them personally yet, she was eager to meet them and believed that forming a positive relationship would ensure both an end of the war and a successful rule. And one such noble family, from Novosonian lands close to the Italian border, arrived with blessings from the second son of an Earl and his retinue. While he'd likely never get the title, for his brother had married and produced a male heir, he was still very welcome at court: he was charming, he was witty, he was very handsome, and he spoke keenly about Queen Alina's interests in the commoners an a yearning to understand how the world worked. Her dancing and singing were lovely, but he was the only one who saw an interest in her beyond her feminine accomplishments. And Queen Alina, for the entirety of her young life, and yet to feel what she thought to be love. Until she met him, that is.

And fall in love she did: insisting he remain as a mainstay at court unless absolutely needed on the battlefield, much of Queen Alina's time was spent in his company. With a council she trusted, she often deferred to them to make decisions regarding the War: where to send troops and aid, and how much of each. When she did step in, it was to insist that all wounded soldiers, no matter their rank in society, be given equal access to treatment and healing, and that their families be looked after in case the worst should happen. Alina was far more familiar with the peasants taking up arms in her name than she was with the nobles who led them, and her compassion meant taking away resources from the nobility in order to help. She ignored the grumblings of her Council in favor of reassurance and compliments from the man she loved.

Until Novoselic's participation in the War began to fail. With the Queen deferring to the Council for strategy, Novoselic's army had a lack of discipline and an inefficient command structure that led to more injuries and more wasted resources. Turning to her Royal Council for support, they advised the young Queen to continue sending reinforcements to the battlefield and, beyond protecting their borders, to consider expanding into French territory. More conquests in France would surely weaken them and push them back away from Italy and Novoselic while giving Novoselic a rare chance to broaden their borders and become more prosperous. It sounded like the best strategic option, and so for the first time, Novoselic attempted not to only defend their borders and the peace but actively set out to conquer another nation.

And they were struck down. Easily. And with soldiers perishing on the battlefield or succumbing to poison disguised as food and medicine, the once-strong borders of Novoselic were beginning to crumble and the people now lived in fear: of invasion, of death, of a Queen who could not protect them, who seemed to curse them, who still visited that old woman on the fringes of the capital. A woman who was, soon enough accused of witchcraft, was tried, and found guilty before she was burned alive. Rumors spread of the Queen's close friendship with her and, due to how much the country had suffered during her rule, that she was a witch as well.

Alina was swiftly and quickly imprisoned in the underground dungeons of Novoselic Castle by order of the Royal Council, and her guards, superstitious men that they were, wholly believed that their Queen had dabbled in witchcraft. Alina was interrogated, abused, and tortured, out of protection of the nation to free it from her spells. Weak, pained, and grasping onto the last slivers of hope she had, she felt that only her lover and her own family would argue for her innocence and she was grateful, then, when her lover and the closest thing she still had to a father, the Duke of Valais and the late King's brother, finally opened her cell.

Unfortunately, Queen Alina would never leave that cell alive. She'd thought they brought word of her release and instead, they'd brought weapons. Words and blades alike, Alina was dismayed to learn that the man she'd loved all along had allied with her uncle to distract her away from royal duties: if he married a Queen he'd simply be a royal spouse with no real power unless they had a child, and quickly. But if Queen Alina was removed from the throne and her uncle became King, he'd promised him one of his daughters as a wife and to make him a Duke, expanding his lands four times over. It was an opportunity he couldn't refuse. Her inefficiency as a ruler had been coupled with deliberate sabotage by the Royal Council: they intercepted the reinforcements and resources they sent, they purposely gave her unwise advice in strategy. Alina's uncle revealed that there was no real vested interest in taking over France: in fact, much of the Italian Wars would change little in redesigning the map of Europe. But war and all of its casualties presented possibilities: the chance for others to gain power and rise above their stations. And while the Royal Decree insisted the throne was Alina's by birthright, the Royal Council did not agree. She was a woman, inexperienced and enamored with frivolities, love, and narrowing the gap between the rich and poor, the nobility and the commoners. She threatened their entire way of life, and they needed a way to get rid of her that challenged her legitimacy to rule.

And thus, with Novoselic's borders beginning to crumble and French troops beginning to invade, the members of the Royal Council surrounded Queen Alina of Novoselic and killed her. Hanging or burning, they insisted, was too good for a witch of royal blood: their fury of having to be led by a young woman insisted she be beaten and stabbed over and over until, at long last, her head was severed from her body and brought to the people as a sign of freedom. The witch's curse was lifted and her uncle, next in line for the throne, was crowned King. Novoselic's borders were rebuilt stronger and, after the Battle of Marignano, Novoselic signed a treaty to remain neutral in future international conflicts. They never sought to expand their borders again.

But Queen Alina's short rule of Novoselic fueled a fear turned into superstition and tradition. The one time Novoselic was nearly invaded, a woman had sat on the throne and succumbed to her heart over logic in the way, according to the men that composed the Royal Council, only a woman could. History remembers her as simpleton of a queen, unfit to rule and prioritized her own heart over that of her country that nearly led to its destruction who, after welcoming enemy troops in disguise, was murdered before the new King brought victory, wealth, and happiness to the Kingdom of Novoselic.

It leaves out, however, the fact that Queen Alina of Novoselic was maneuvered due to her inexperience and was, ultimately, set up to fail simply due to the fact no one wanted a reigning Queen on the throne.

In most verses and AUs, this is why modern day Novosonians are skeptical of Princess Sonia eventually becoming queen: the last and only reigning queen in their history nearly destroyed the country, they're superstitious, and plenty of the older, male members of the Royal Council are just as misogynistic as their ancestors. Her name, selected for her by her father, is in honor of the first Queen of Novoselic. And they are hoping she does not repeat her mistakes.

Diabolik Lovers AU

In this verse, the young noble Alina falls in love with is Karlheinz in disguise. While he's allied with Alina's uncle for a position of power, his intent all along was to decimate the royal family and to use the country as a place to foster the Adam and Eve project. With the intent of seducing Alina and eventually killing her, the next step of his plan would have been to murder the rest of her family and take the nation for his own, hoping to make an entire country of hybrid human-vampire beings one day.

Alina, who had truly fallen in love with a monster who was incapable of it, was heartbroken as Karlheinz betrayed her. With the rest of the Council (and her uncle) on the way to finish her off, she knew that her life was essentially forfeit but still believed in her nation. Reaching for the silk-covered poultice her old friend, an actual witch, had given to her so long ago, she'd thrown it at the vampire and proclaimed two wishes: one, that he could no longer touch any of her bloodline and two, that no reigning King of Novoselic would ever invite or allow any of his brethren into Novoselic's borders again. Vampires would, in Alina's dying wish, be barred from Novoselic forever.

Karlheinz, to put it lightly, was not amused by being out-maneuvered by witches. The spell had taken effect and no longer was he able to sustain himself inside Novoselic's borders. Alina's uncle became King and since then, he's had to wait for what seemed to be impossible: an eventual reigning Queen, one that would hopefully befriend one of his bloodline and invite them into her nation.

This is why he's instructed his sons not to harm her, to get along with her: he's still holding a grudge lasting hundreds of years. He doesn't want Novoselic just to execute the Adam and Eve program anymore, he simply wants to destroy it.

Vampire AU aka. the one you came here for

Queen Alina, still betrayed, imprisoned, tortured, and abused in a cell beneath Novoselic Castle, was near death when the Council is called away with threat of a breach of the Castle walls. She's left to bleed out and, she assumed, to die slowly and painfully without the truth of the situation coming to light.

It is then that a woman, a member of her lover's retinue, slips into her cell with a look of pity. She'd accompanied the man with the promise of war, of soldiers that wouldn't be missed when she needed to feed, of a lively and changing world that would disrupt her boredom and fill her belly. Sonia had invited the woman in alongside the rest of his party but hadn't known that she was an actual vampire. And she was disgusted by how the young Queen had been controlled by those she was supposed to trust, only to betray and leave her to die because they did not wish to answer to a woman.

So she gave her the choice to not end her life in a cold, dirty cell but with the understanding that she could not return to her throne and the old life she once had. She'd lose her country, but she wouldn't lose her life. And, desperate not to perish that way, Alina agreed and was turned into a vampire herself. Leaving her title, throne, and country behind, she took up the name 'Sonia,' one of the lesser-used names she'd been blessed with at birth, and sought to do the one thing she'd never been able to do before being granted eternal life: explore the world beyond Novoselic's borders.

Which she's now done for centuries: across Europe, to Asia and Africa, and small stints in America (she didn't much care for it). She deeply regrets not being proficient in military combat and strategy, and so she took the years given to her with eternal life to learn, to protect herself, to not be commandeered by anyone ever again. She still has a sociable streak and likes to befriend others, but she's reluctant to open her heart again. After all, doing so led to her being turned into a vampire in the first place. But she has various residences throughout the world, and tends to go wherever her interests take her (and where your muse might be).

This also means that Vampire!Sonia and the Sonia usually featured on this blog can both exist at the same time. Naturally, they look very, very similar, though the former Queen Alina has green eyes while Sonia Nevermind has blue. For the human Sonia, it tends to be awkward whenever she's compared to her failing ancestor: Alina's portraits in the Castle and the National Portrait Gallery have a concerning resemblance, with most disparaging her for her failures to serve the nation well followed by 'at least she was beautiful.'

#more-than-a-princess answered #more-than-a-princess headcanons #madamhatter #Non-Despair AU: Vampire verse #Non-Despair AU: Diabolik Lovers verse #(This took the majority of two days to finally write)#(I've lightly edited it but I'm trying not to overthink it)#(and to reiterate the disclaimer: I'm not looking for critique on this. At all.)#(This is just what I've come up with for now and may edit it later on)

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theasteriae-arc · 4 years

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FINN LAFFERTY.

FULL NAME: Finn Eoin Lafferty

FACE CLAIM: Ben Rosenfield

BIRTHDAY: January 1, 1996

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis male & he / him

ORIENTATION: Homosexual

RESIDENCE: Oxford, England

STATUS: Secondary; Available

BIO & VERSES UNDER THE CUT. Trigger warning for child abandonment.

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, 1996, Antoinette Lafferty stumbled out of The Village Inn in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, after sinking one too many pints in the run up to midnight. She stood outside for a couple of minutes, then decided to take a walk up the lane in an attempt to clear her head. When she reached the gate of the old churchyard, some way down, she paused and stood there with her elbows propped up on the wooden posts. Wind stirred the leaves that made up the hedgerows on either side of the road. The storm of the previous night had abated somewhat, but it was still snowing, small white flakes drifting down from the leaden sky. The bells in the chapel over the hill tolled the hour—2 a.m.—and she imagined the nuns shuffling from their cells, through the draughty halls for Matins. When the sound faded away, the lanes were peaceful for a moment, and then Antoinette was surprised to hear a baby crying close by.

At first, she thought she was imagining it—was it the breeze, had she had simply had too much to drink? But no, there it was again. She’d know that sound anywhere, because she had two boys of her own at home, Daniel, who was four and loved dinosaurs, and Sean, who was not yet nine months old and still got her up two or three times a night. Poor lad was teething. Their grandparents were looking after both of them tonight, God bless and help them.

When the wail came again, she did not hesitate; she fumbled with the latch with numb fingers, then she was hurrying up the path and in between the graves, trying to find the child who was in such evident distress. Suddenly, Antoinette was very, very sober.

Wrapped in a thin blanket that was no match for the elements ( the snow was falling thicker and faster again now ) was a tiny boy whose eyes and nose were scrunched up tight against a mouth that was wide open and lungs that were screaming. How long had he been out here? Antoinette struggled out of her coat and wrapped him gently in it, careful to support his head and neck with his elbow. It couldn’t have been very long; he looked minutes, not even hours, old. There was still blood matted in his downy hair. Where was his mother? If she had had him here, just now, she couldn’t have got very far. She must be in a lot of pain, and very scared.

“Hello?” She shushed the baby, tried to comfort him as she searched. “Hello?” But there was nobody there. Conscious that she needed to get the baby out of the cold, fed, and into bed, she took him back to The Village Inn down the lane.

She called police and the local doctor ( the nearest hospital was more than an hour away and neither she, nor her husband, Adrian, were in any fit state to drive ) from the telephone from behind the bar, and not long later, the latter pronounced the boy healthy, aside from a slight wheeze in his chest that they would need to keep an eye on, but the former were never able to trace his mother.

The Laffertys fostered him while they conducted their investigation, then formally adopted him six months after its conclusion. They had him christened “Finn Eoin” and he fitted right into their family; Antoinette doted on him, Adrian too, and Daniel and Sean loved playing the role of big brother to him.

Finn was a quiet but intelligent child, inquisitive, interested in the way things worked, and always asking, “but why?” He took radio sets apart and rebuilt them, spent hours building complex structures out of Lego and Meccano. In later life, in his late teens, this curiosity takes him to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studies Maths and Physics under the tutelage of Professor James Moriarty (@diabolicaltendencies), who, unbeknownst to Finn, is his biological father. Jim never reveals the extent of their true relationship ( although he has been aware of Finn’s existence for over ten years, and even, on one occasion, visited the Lafferty home when his son was out at school ), but nevertheless, he takes a special interest in the boy’s education. Finn takes a position as his research assistant in his third year at Trinity, and it’s thanks to Jim’s mentorship, not to mention the glowing reference that he provides as part of his application, that Finn is offered a place at Oriel College, Oxford, to study for his MSc in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics.

As of 2021, Finn is a second year PhD student in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics, again at Oriel College, Oxford. He lives in a shared house outside of college with fellow PhD candidates, Jakub, Sunita, and Eleanor, and his two rescue cats, Erwin and Minnie. When he’s not in the lab, the library, or studying at home, Finn enjoys stargazing and watching foreign language films with the aid of subtitles. He is currently learning Italian through a combination of evening classes and Duolingo.

VERSES.

EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD. | ALT. MAIN

( i. ) Kate leaves for England with Jim (@diabolicaltendencies) as planned. Finn is raised by his biological parents. Otherwise, his life follows much the same pattern as above.

( ii. ) Kate leaves for England as planned, but with my Jim, instead of Gold’s. In this iteration of the verse, Finn and Xan are fostered by Tobias Bellamy (@omniishambles). This is only meant to be a temporary arrangement, while Jim and Kate got the network up and running, but one year turned into two, and two into five, and after the Fall, which takes place c. 2012, when the twins are sixteen, it was made official. Unlike Xan, who mourned the loss of their father very openly, Finn, who had been calling Toby “Dad” for years, was privately relieved.

YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN. | FANTASY AU

Finn is born to the King and Queen of Dorchadas in the first year of the war. He is spirited away by agents of King Augustus of Sarahas when he is only a few days old and grows up a ward of the crown in the south. When he returns to Dorchadas, escorted by August (@diabolicaltendencies), Bucky & the Witch Bros (@epiitaphs & @gunmetalgrey), he is in his teens and the war is over. He eschews the castle in favour of the forest dwelling inhabited by his paternal uncle, Richard (@strangerinourmidst). His mother’s people were nomads, druids, healers, who were driven out of Llandyr after the death of Queen Mary and persecuted by King Augustus when they crossed the border into Sarahas on their way to Jiaodao in the east. When Finn reaches adulthood, he founds a new tribe, and despite having no magical abilities of his own, save for being resistant to the magic of others, he leads his followers nobly and benevolently many years, listening to their divinations.

THE SUN WILL COME SHINING THROUGH. | HAPPY VERSE (MUSICIANS)

Finn is the son of Katherine Conway, a lawyer, and her husband, Richard (@strangerinourmidst), a chef and author. They married young, when they were both only twenty, after Kate discovered she was pregnant with Richard’s brother’s child. N.B. In this verse, Finn and Xan are not twins; Finn is born five years later, when the marriage made out of desperation turns to true love. Kate goes into labour in the middle of a trial, but only makes her way to the hospital after she gets the defendant acquitted. Her son arrives six hours later, and is named “Finnegan”, by his father.

#child abandonment / tw #finn. | muse #happy birthday finn!#( ii. finn | visage )#( ii. finn | hc )#( ix. antoinette lafferty )#icon (c) twahsicons

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husheduphistory · 5 years

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Top of the World: Matthew Henson and the First Frozen Steps

By 1887 Matthew Henson thought his days of adventure were behind him. After an unconventional early life he found himself working as a shop clerk until one fateful day when a certain customer came inside the shop. By the time the customer left Henson had a new job and was on his way to the history books.

Henson was born in Charles County, Maryland on August 8th, 1866, one year after the end of the Civil War. His parents were free sharecroppers, but both died when he was very young leaving him in the care of his uncle, who also died within a matter of years. Before the age of ten Henson was orphaned, leaving him to make his way through life relying on his own wits, skills, tenacity, and courage. They served the young boy well and at the age of twelve he walked his way to Washington D.C. and signed up to be a cabin boy on the sailing ship the Katie Hines. The next six years spent on the ship were extremely beneficial for Henson and under the wing of the captain, Captain Childs, he received a thorough education on life at sea becoming a skilled sailor, developing an arsenal of technical skills, and traveling all over the world.

Given his experience, when Captain Childs died in 1887 one would have assumed that Henson would resume his life of exploration and adventure on another ship, but that was not the case. Henson found a job at a Washington D.C. clothing store and probably expected a normal, quiet life. It all changed with one customer, a naval officer named Robert Peary, who was looking to sell pelts he accumulated on his latest expedition to Greenland. The stories sparked an old fire in Henson and undoubtedly the conversation swayed to his previous life at sea. The officer was impressed by Henson’s past and immediately offered him a new job, being his personal assistant and accompanying him on his next excursion to the jungles of Nicaragua.

Robert Peary. Image via Britannica.com.

The trip to Nicaragua was no small undertaking for Henson and Peary, the officer’s task was to map the wilderness to find a way to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with a canal. Henson’s previous experiences were hugely beneficial to the two-year long excursion and his abilities stood out among the forty-five man crew. A friendship was cemented between the two and upon their return from Central America Peary secured Henson a job as a messenger at the League Island Naval Yard in Philadelphia. Their time in Nicaragua was over but it was far from the last time the pair would explore the world together. In 1891 Peary was again heading out and wanted Henson to join him. This time it was not to the jungles of Central America, it was to the frozen expanse of Greenland.

Later photograph of Matthew Henson.

When Henson and Peary set out for the top of the world it marked the beginning of an eighteen-year-long partnership that would include seven trips to the frozen tundra. Time and time again Henson proved that he was the backbone of the excursions. Upon their first trip to Greenland Henson threw himself into the Inuit culture, learning their language, trading with them, and learning their techniques for survival in the harsh atmosphere. In addition to absorbing and learning the Inuit ways of life, Henson honed and expanded his skills as a craftsman building the houses where they lived and maintaining all the sleds and equipment that were critical to their mission.

The second venture to Greenland from 1893 to 1895 barely avoided tragedy when the exploration team hit a string of bad luck that nearly caused them to starve to death. The objective of the trip was to map the entire ice cap but on their way to the northernmost corner snowfall hid their food supplies and suddenly all attempts at hunting went cold. On their return trip the explorers were forced to eat their sled dogs in order to avoid death. On the last leg of their torturous march back to base camp a member of the team, exhausted and starving, laid down in the snow and told Henson and Peary to leave him behind. Henson told them they were all making it back or none of them were making it back. Two weeks later they staggered into base camp with only one of their dogs left alive.

Matthew Henson and Robert Peary.

The harrowing experience did not deter them from going north again and in 1896 and 1897 the pair returned to Greenland, this time returning home with their hands full. On previous expeditions the explorers found three massive meteorite fragments and upon their return home with them they were sold to the American Museum of Natural History in New York for $40,000. The largest fragment, called the Cape York fragment, weighs thirty-one metric tons, is the third largest intact meteor ever discovered, and the largest ever transported by humans. The hefty sum of money would go towards funding their future excursions, and there was one particular trip they had in mind. They wanted to go where no others had gone before, they wanted to be the first to set foot in the North Pole.

The ultimate goal may have been the North Pole, but the road there would be difficult, sometimes bordering on catastrophic. Henson continued to be a vital part of the exploration using his many technical skills to advance and train the most elite members of Peary’s teams and continuing to learn the Inuit culture and language. Over time the Inuit people gave him a nickname, “Matthew the Kind One.” As incredibly skilled and well-versed in the arctic as the team was, there were some things they could not prepare for. During the 1902 expedition the path north was blocked by melting ice and their supplies ran out before they could return to base. Six of their Inuit team members died on the venture.

Matthew Henson.

The 1905-1906 expedition seemed backed with promise for success. Each trip brought them closer to the North Pole and this time they had support from President Theodore Roosevelt and use of a new three-masted steam-powered schooner called the Roosevelt, specifically built to travel through ice. They got within 174 miles of the North Pole, but they were again kept from their goal by melting ice. Forced to turn back Peary knew they were getting closer and wrote in his journal, “When my observations were taken they showed that we had reached 87°6′ north latitude, and had at last beaten the record, for which I thanked God.”

It was two years before Henson and Peary could once again head out to attempt the feat that had alluded them for so long and taken so many lives with it. A team was assembled including Peary, Henson, Dr. John W. Goodsell, Donald B. MacMillion, Ross G. Marvin, George Borup and Robert Bartlett, captain of the Roosevelt. The strategy was made up of many intricate parts. The team would sail to Cape Sheridan on the northern-most part of Ellesmere Island, Canada, spend several months amassing food and supplies, and then travel to Cape Columbia where they would build a base camp for the main objective of getting to the North Pole. Knowing that all of them could not travel the entire way through, the push to the pole was set up as a sort of relay with certain members of the team going as far as a specific point then caching the supplies where the next team could find them and use them to get to the next point along the path. Peary knew he was going the entire distance to the North Pole, and he knew Henson was going with him. He stated before the excursion began, “Henson must go all the way. I can't make it there without him." He was absolutely correct. During the entire endeavor Henson built the sleds, built the shelters, built igloos to cache supplies for members of the “relay” team, worked with the Inuit people, and trained people on how to handle the sled dogs. Donald MacMillon later stated that Henson “was indispensable.”

Matthew Henson.

On September 5th, 1908, the Roosevelt reached Cape Sheridan and the team began the first step of a grueling journey, surviving the winter months. Sleds were built, large numbers of musk ox, rabbit, and deer were hunted, and several Inuit members of the team had their wives and children meet them and work on making clothing that would keep them alive in an environment that could drop to over sixty degrees below zero. In February 1909 Henson and some of the Inuit traveled by sledge to Cape Columbia and began setting up base camp by building igloos and gathering supplies. It was from here that they would officially launch the attempt for the North Pole on March 1st 1909.

The entire ordeal took five weeks with teams traveling ahead of the core group of Henson, Peary, and their Inuit companions, dropping supplies for them, and turning back to all meet at the Roosevelt and hope that they would see their friends again one day. The first team to turn back and return was led by McMillan with Dr. Goodsell, followed by the Borup team, then the Marvin team, and lastly the Bartlett team. Once they all returned to the Roosevelt the captain readied the ship for the anticipated return of “The Pole Team” of Peary, Henson, and their small crew. All they could do was wait.

Diagram of each team and their route. Image via unmuseum.org.

For days Henson, Peary, Inuits Ooqueah, Ootah, Egingwah, Seegloo, and five dogs charged headfirst into the elements, traveling in stretches of twelve and fourteen hours in a desperate, raging attempt to get to the North Pole. Traveling 170 miles, by early April Henson was certain their end goal was near. He later wrote:

“We crawled out of our igloos and found a dense mist hanging over everything. Only at intervals, when the sun’s rays managed to penetrate the mist, could we catch even a glimpse of the sky. Estimating the distance that we had come during the last four days, we figured that, unless something unusual happened to us during the course of this day, we should be at the Pole before its close.”

On April 6th 1909 Henson was leading the pack when Peary, who was approximately fifty yards behind him, called ahead and said they should set up camp. It was misty and impossible to figure exactly where they were standing so the group went about their normal routine of building igloos, eating, and settled in to get some much needed sleep. By the next morning the mist had lifted, and Peary began to calculate their location. He was probably shocked to realize that the precise location of the geographical center of the planet lay just behind the igloos they had been sleeping in all night. The men had officially, and finally, reached the North Pole.

The mood should have been ecstatic. The men were the first to reach the top of the world, but it was the word “first” that quickly soured the astounding victory. Henson was the leader of the group as they traveled so realistically, Henson was the first man to ever walk on the North Pole. When they trekked back Henson’s footprints were clearly marking the site first. When the team turned to return to the Roosevelt there was allegedly a marked difference in the bond between Peary and Henson. As Henson later recalled:

“From the time we knew we were at the Pole, Commander Peary scarcely spoke to me…It nearly broke my heart … that he would rise in the morning and slip away on the homeward trail without rapping on the ice for me, as was the established custom.”

Photograph of members of the Pole Team.

If Peary was harboring bitterness toward Henson he may have secretly enjoyed the reception when the team returned home. The feat of walking on the North Pole was an astronomical, seemingly impossible human achievement, and the victory was not one that people were willing to award to the African American Matthew Henson. The praise and accolades went chiefly to Peary with Henson’s role being greatly downgraded to the important assistant to Peary. The success was not totally easy on Peary though. Amid the praise was a heavy amount of skepticism that the crew had actually reached their destination and he was required to testify before Congress that they had reached the North Pole despite a lack of indisputable proof. Another blow to the story came in the form of a man named Frederick Cook who claimed he reached the North Pole a full year before Henson, Peary, and their crew. His claims were quickly proven to be a hoax, but it still left tarnish on the massive accomplishments of Henson, Peary, and their teammates.

Newspaper featuring Peary telling the story of the expedition.

Peary was promoted to Rear Admiral and lived out the rest of his life as an acclaimed hero. The same could not be said for Henson who took a job as a clerk with the federal customs house in New York City. Unlike his time at the Washington D.C. clothing store, this time Henson was truly finished with exploring and he remained at the customs house for thirty years. He adopted a quiet life but he never forgot his pursuit of the North Pole and in 1912 he published his account of the endeavor, A Negro Explorer at the North Pole: The Autobiography of Matthew Henson.

Henson did not receive any official recognition of his vital role in the first human steps on the North Pole until 1937 when he was made an honorary member of The Explorers Club of New York at the age of seventy years old. He was presented with a Congressional medal in 1944 and in 1954 President Dwight Eisenhower invited him to the White House where he was honored for his work as an early American explorer.

Matthew Henson died in New York City on March 9th, 1955 at eighty-eight years old and he was initially buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. He continued to be honored after his death and on April 6th, 1988 the remains of he and his wife were relocated to Arlington National Cemetery and laid to rest with full military honors on the 79th anniversary of Henson’s first steps on the North Pole. In 2000 the National Geographic Society posthumously honored Henson with their most prestigious award of the Hubbard Medal.

Grave of Matthew Henson in Arlington National Cemetery. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

On March 1st 1909 a team of people set out to accomplish a seemingly insurmountable task, set foot on a frozen corner of the planet where humans had never tread before. While it was a team effort that led to the steps set on the North Pole on April 6th 1909 it is undeniable that Matthew Henson was the main force in the effort. With his multitude of skills constantly accumulated and honed from a young age, his respect and utilization of Inuit culture and practices, and his unswayable courage, Henson was far from being an assistant. He was, and is, the first man to set foot on the North Pole.

********************************************************************

Sources:

The Legacy of Arctic Explorer Matthew Henson, National Geographic.com, James Mills.

Matthew Henson. Biography.com

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole: The Autobiography of Matthew Henson by Matthew Henson, 1912.

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chatoyisou · 5 years

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click here for morrigan ’ s full bio . general history below the cut . please read it this monstrosity of 1769 words took me 2 - 3 hours so fuckin L mobile users

tl ; dr . note that “ first ” coincides with the books , not the years / dates . if it ’ s third autumn then that means the fall during the year of titan ’ s curse . morrigan is raised by loving parents yet she runs away after being attacked by her first monster . she comes to chb in spring & becomes best friends with luke . she grows awfully resentful of percy . luke ’ s betrayal is a stab in the gut . fast forward to second spring , & she manages to contact luke early summer . she joins him then after being claimed in first december , & works as a spy up until fourth autumn . she begins to doubt her allegiance when kronos takes on luke as a host , & that doubt only grows as she battles in chb ’ s woods . by the fifth summer , she is sure , yet she still fights for luke because she misses him . by the time the second titan war starts , she is a top general that joins in the battle of manhattan on numerous occasions . she is never out without kronos , though , & only appears in battle as he does . by the end , she gains the courage to go against kronos ( silena ’ s death is part of the tipping point ) & helps the fight by hanging back when he calls for her & ethan to go to olympus ; though that only drives monsters towards her . she ends up creating a chasm that sinks much of the army . she passes out afterwards , & is brought to a safe place by hades . click here for a synopsis of her heroes of olympus verse ( under co ) .

tw for : death , slight manipulation , brief mention of non - descriptive eye trauma .

* completely optional part that i ’ m still debating in making a part of her main verse : ethan meant a lot to her . the two of them were exceptionally close as luke ’ s right hands , possible delving into romantic tension . he died before anything could be talked about & that seriously hurt her .

born & raised in new york city , she ’ s a bronx kid who grew up loved , albeit a little sheltered . her adoptive mother entered her life when she was around five , & immediately won her over with her kind words & optimistic perspective . though , as lisa likes to remark , eun - hee had rubbed off on her more ( & as was expected . she raised a child through her bitterness , & showed her daughter the truth while teaching her the revolutionary views she held ) . someday , she ’ ll change the world , eun - hee had boasted , over rice & fish . i just know it .

& her childhood had been like that . loved , safe . yet something felt wrong , felt off ; looming shadows & whispering voices that accompanied her throughout the day , the feeling of something that had watched her the moment she stepped foot into middle school . & she was right ; something was wrong , even if it wasn ’ t in the way she had intended . a calculated plan formed by a monster she dares not name , it had driven her away from home & left her cold & numb on a bus out ; does reality dare lose itself when i need it most ?

she doesn ’ t stay alone for long ; & later , a kid her age boards the bus to sit next to her . rows of empty seats , & they had chosen hers in the very back . i promise you that i ’ m offering something that will make sense , they tell her , & she accepts . what has she got to lose now , anyways ? so they switch buses & it ’ s a rather uneventful ride , but along the way she notices more about them . the shoes on their feet fit loosely , they ’ ve got extremely hairy legs , & something about their face seems off . she can ’ t quite grasp it .

she follows them through woods & to a pine tree on a hill , where the words CAMP HALF - BLOOD shines out to them . & there they are , whisked away into a camp where she ’ s promised she ’ ll never feel out of place in . yet she lies when they ask about your parents ; or at least , her mortal ones . she says they kicked her out when she knows they are worried sick about her . chiron looks hesitant to believe her , but she refuses to say anything else on it . so he leaves her be & she returns to her happy bubble , with other kids her age & a story that seems to make sense .

then she meets him . luke castellan , her counselor , & she immediately likes him . spring flies by & she sticks with him , the one friend to count on . even as she grows bitter over not being claimed , even as she shines bright with getting a pegasus to like her , he is there to comfort & applaud her at every second . you are a little sister i am glad to have , he tells her , & she tells him he ’ s being sappy .

( she regrets it , years later . swallows everything she wished she could have told him , the appreciation & gratitude ) .

summer comes & she meets percy . he is easily likable & seems as bitter as her , yet she stays wary . something in her says that he cannot be trusted , that he is a danger to her . she waits , eyes him at dinner , loses track of him during capture the flag ( yet she finds that she is quite the fit for a hermes kid with her speed ) , & enjoys the campfire up until ... he gets claimed . & her bitterness only grows at that , finds herself making a rival she didn ' t expect . especially when he goes out on a quest he seems predestined to have , when he gets all the fame & glory for being a big 3 kid .

( she never apologizes , even years later , yet she swallows words that could have been the start of a tentative friendship ) .

summer passes in excruciating wait , whispers of percy this & percy that ever present in every corner . even luke isn ’ t immune , & she loathes everyone for it . yet by the end , when she is glad for it to be over , she finds herself horrified that she ever wished it ’ s end . for betrayal is never sweet , & when percy announces it with a scorpion stinger ’ s wound to prove it , she runs to hide herself away in her sleeping bag & cries herself to sleep . she dreams of sweet spring days & misses luke more with every passing day .

autumn passes in a blur , yet the start of winter brings her an unwanted gift . right before her birthday she is claimed , marked as a daughter of hades right under everyone ’ s noses . chiron goes pale . mr . d looks troubled . the campers are afraid & whispering . & never before has she hated her never present father more , with roiling anger that threatens to tear her whole . she passes dinner to gather her things , tucks the sleeping back under her arm , & ... remembers there is no hades cabin . there is no hades cabin , no place for her . where is her fame & glory ? she thinks that night , where is her acclaim ?

she ends up living in the big house .

the months before the second summer , she tries contacting luke . even with the bitter taste of a prophecy chiron had told her , of her importance , she yearns for the once person who had been a friend . who she hopes , desperately , will be her friend still . the first month , nothing . but just shy of june , she succeeds . he is surprised , slack jawed in the mist , asks her how , but instead she tells him of her claiming . of hades ’ horrible birthday gift , of the campers ’ treatment , of her struggles . & to her relief , he accepts her . tells her to meet up with him in the city , promises her information .

she gets it . his full involvement , the monster army , kronos , the deal he can ' t back out of . she tells him you can ’ t , he asks her , you have anything better ? she doesn ’ t . & he asks her if camp is better , where they sleight minor & dare to sleight major gods , asks her if they have built a cabin for her yet , & she tells him he doesn ’ t need to play tricks & manipulate her onto his side . she tells him that from the start , she had felt slighted . & so he asks her to be his spy , alongside silena . of all people . she asks him how long . he says not long . she eventually agrees .

the next year passes in more of a blur . it grows eventful as luke starts getting all the pieces he needs , yet she doesn ’ t focus much on the events . she starts to resent silena & her pretty ways , her stellar acting . when she herself can barely keep her own together , where she spends more days hiding & shutting herself in to keep the bitter taste of betrayal out of her mouth . one day she asks her how she does it . silena replies that it ’ s all for charlie , that it ’ s easier knowing that he ’ ll be safe . she grows disgusted . how could you sacrifice one person for them all ? she wants to cry , but she finds herself no better .

by the start of the fourth autumn , she fully joins luke . he only needs one messenger to get his word across , & so she participates in the nitty - gritty aspects of his plan . she gets the monsters , the funding , the demigods he needs . rallies them together under the promise of a better life , where the gods can ’ t ignore them . she knows luke means to get rid of them ; or is that kronos she senses , hiding just beneath the surface of their dreams ? she can feel the titan watching hers , careful . waiting for betrayal , no doubt , because he needs his pawn of the prophecy to tip the tides into his favor . he ’ s waiting for the perfect moment to seize her mind . ( she has already stumbled once , while sparring with luke sometime between second & third fall . she has mistepped once & nearly lost her eye from it ; she cannot risk mistepping again , if not for her sake then for luke ’ s . )

by fourth summer , she start to wonder if she has chosen wrong . the final battle through twisting labyrinth only grates on her as luke - but - not - luke leads through . blue eyes are traded for gold & kronos sneers with luke ’ s face . she misses her friend , her real one . she misses the luke she met back from first spring , where may flowers had bloomed under gentle care of demeter ’ s children . those she now fights against , as she hacks her way through vines & dodges like she ’ s born for the fight . in a way she is , she supposes , but she isn ’ t born to hurt her own . so she takes care to knock them out only , away from other monsters to finish the job . it is her small mercy for those who have hurt her .

by fifth summer , she is tired . she has surely chosen wrong . she is certain as kronos walks with luke ’ s feet , stares at olympus with luke ’ s - eyes - but - not - luke ’ s - eyes . yet she can ’ t do much , bound to serve as his right hand . still , percy ’ s arrival on the andromeda is surprising ; & beckendorf ’ s death even moreso , as she escapes last minute with ethan , in tow with kronos . & she swallows words for silena , i ’ m sorry i ’ m sorry i ’ m sorry i couldn ’ t do anything . she is so tired . she wants to escape this war yet she is in the middle of it . as she prepares for manhattan , as she prepares for more death , she swallows words for luke , i ’ m sorry you had no choice . as she fights on the bridge , as she fights against percy , as she fights against people who could have been family , she swallows words , i ’ m sorry .

so she defies kronos , during his last call for support . she stands still , with all eyes on her ( & her father , to who she wishes him a bitter thank you for his birthday gift all those years ago ) . & kronos is enraged , but she decides that , if he succeeds , she will face his wrath later . instead , she focuses her thoughts on the monsters that threaten to surround her , & she fights with the last of her swallowed words .

for silena . for beckendorf . for ethan . for luke . for all the unclaimed . & she prays that percy succeeds .

mortals wake up around her , & she knows she must act fast . she dives into her well of power , down down down , as much time as she can snatch out to drive the army down . she imagine a pit so deep that those who fall will greet tartarus , & she

the pavement with a fury unmatched , repeating the names & titles in her head . a defeaning crack & rumble & she is falling herself . she wonders if tartarus will greet her .

she wakes & it does not .

she ’ s alive & others are not .

she is alive .

#☞ you wear scars like jewelry & never apologize for it's shine / morrigan.#|| im literally crying please for the love of GOD read this

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becomestorm · 6 years

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DRAGON FAUNUS HC COMPILATION.

previous compilation was written here over two years ago. these headcanons only apply to my specific interpretation of ren, if your muse deals with dragon faunus lore, you’re not obligated to acknowledge them. as another disclaimer, ren’s headcanoned faunus heritage, while is a large part of their portrayal, is not the most vital or a pinnacle element of it. it was something that i added because i thought that it would be interesting, but i want to make it clear that i never intend to detract from canonical or oc faunus muses’ struggles.

the initial reason i wanted to make ren a dragon faunus was because i wanted to somehow include mushu in my portrayal. there were other more complicated reasons i felt inclined to do it, including parts of a thesis i was working on at a time analysing the historical accuracies involving mulan’s confusian oriented belief system and it’s representations on the hun army in the disney movie, but none of them were as profound and simple as this post. the primary reason i choose to keep ren a dragon faunus is because it is heavily implied the spirit of the great stone dragon was imbued into mulan before joining the war.

ren’s faunus trait is a pair of ivory horns. a lot of mistrali based dragons have horns similar to antlers, and ren’s will eventually do that come professional huntsman verse, splinter into antlers i mean. when ren was a child, in an act of violence by faunus poachers, their horns were broken off. because their anatomy is a mixture of antler, soft bone, and keratin, ren’s horns would grow back in time, but it would take a long time especially since up until a year or two before beacon ren was filing them down in order to avoid being harassed. dragon horns, whether eastern or western styled, fetch a hefty price on the black market.

it’s a common thread of dragon faunus mythology that they descended from dragon shifters. of course, words were muddled up along the way, and there are many many variations of these myths. the magically protected remnants of the old world in the brother’s time left some supposed evidence that faunus, the new race, were the descendants of the depicted brother gods who often were portrayed in their bestial forms : dragons. just like the stories of the maidens were lost to time, so too were the remains and beliefs in the brother gods. but one superstition still remains among dragon faunus society, and it is that western dragon faunus are often depicted as terrifying malevolent creatures ( modelled after the god of darkness ), while eastern dragon are regularly depicted as wise and benevolent ( modelled after the god of light. )

because in this house we say “fuck you” to the one trait rule, i headcanon that dragon faunus have one main trait, and then a bunch of sub traits which greatly alter their physiology. main dragon traits are often flashy : horns, wings, tail, and / or an excess of scales. for example an important signature trait of dragon faunus is the ability to breathe fire, which separates them from any other reptile faunus. dragon faunus are born with a special venom reservoir ( what the venom is made of is a mystery, but ren theorises that it is actual liquid aura with some similar attributes to fire dust ) which leaks into the fangs. when the venom leaks out of the fangs and catalyses with oxygen, it becomes a flammable gas / smoke ( not harmful to anyone inhaling it ) meant to react to flint. dragon faunus are born with a gap in their gums specifically to place either flint or a piece of dust in there in order to breath fire. ( because of this, dragon faunus are resistant to the negative effects of dust ingestion. )

the amount of dragon faunus venom produced, and the muscles associated with the reservoir react to adrenaline, an increased heart rate, as well as an instinctive urge to bite. this makes the four major states of increased smoke production anger, nervousness, happiness, and arousal. the smoke itself is a different scent depending on the person, as it is theorised the venom is made from aura, the scent is as unique as the aura itself. ren’s smoke smells like lily incense. ren has a good sense of control over their smoke. not only does their semblance help them with controlling their emotions, but it is ingrained in lie dragon faunus to keep calm and focus so their smoke cannot be used to track them down. it is very rare of ren to lose their composure enough for someone to see the smoke ( especially when they are still hiding the fact that they are fauni. ) the smoke has a slight reflective property when inhaled, making the subject feel the same thing ren is feeling. if it is inhaled when ren is happy, then the subject will become happier too.

a fairly common attribute in some faunus are different genetic make up. ren is capable of processing raw meat in times of extreme desperation, even though their culinary knowledge and ability to breathe fire make this obsolete. they also have powerful lungs that aren’t as susceptible to things like cigarette smoke and harsh airborne chemicals, or at least corrode slower than human lungs. ren also has eyes which dilate and contract depending on exposure to sunlight, tougher nails to build up claws, fangs, etc.

dragon faunus bones are hollow, like a bird’s. to be honest, i have the same physiology headcanon about any faunus that can fly. they’re not completely hollow but there are air pockets within the bones. skeletal pneumaticity allows for a redistribution of mass within the body, and though does not drastically affect ren’s weight ( they’re a little lighter for a male their age ) this part of their physiology allows for better balance of weight within the body to allow for greater balance, agility, and ( with winged dragon faunus ) ease of flight. because of this, dragon faunus are susceptible to calcium deficiencies and bone diseases.

because ren’s horns were broken off when they were young and continuously filed down, they are small for their age. in dragon culture, it would be embarrassing to have horns this small unless you were still a child. dragons in ren’s region used to decorate their horns with intricate carvings, with jewellery, but ren is too afraid of damaging the integrity of them. the most they’ll do is wrap some flower and flower stems around them. because of their trauma concerning their horns, no one but close friends and family are allowed to touch them.

the reason the lie family heads have an extensive reputation for being isolating in regards to protecting their family comes from ancient horror stories of dragon poaching. the reason dragon faunus are so rare is because they are an ancient ancestral line rich with magic in their own physiology. they have been murdered and harvested for their faunus traits before. it’s a common thread of mythology that dragons were once made of pure magic ( originating from old stories of the two brothers ) and there is not one part of the dragon that cannot be sold for a very high price on the black market.

list of dragon part properties below, cut for length.

dragon bones are highly valuable because of their slow decomposition and strength. they are however hollow, which explains the common trait in lie heirs of valuing speed and agility over strength, making them very gifted in acrobatics and free running. dragon bones were often used to craft heat and lava proof tools. they were also used to create strong weaponry which seemed to amplify the strength of dust.

dragon eyes have six optic nerves to see light in different part so the colour spectrum, as opposed to the human’s one optic nerve. dust — aided lenses created using dragon eye could reveal parts of the dragon’s advance eyesight to regular humans and most faunus.

dragon scales are diamond hard, capable of resisting most projectiles unaffected, and are most often made of the minerals used to create their suitable gemstone, ie. an emerald scale to suit ren’s would be made out of beryl, chromium, and vanadium. dragon scales have a lifespan ; where they are fresh and newly grown they are their most beautiful and valuable, the extraction of a fresh scale is the most painful similar to the extraction of a fingernail and leaves scars in the shape of the outline of the scale. a dragon scale extracted stays the same and will not go through it’s lifespan. dragon scales dull over time, and are quicker to dull depending on the age of the dragon. when they are duller they are easier to remove, and it is at this point where they can be shaped into top notch jewellery, or even melted down into weaponry or dust — enhanced / enhancing tools. this cannot be done with fresh scales. the last stage of the scale is when they fall off to make room for a fresh new set of scales, it is at this point when they can be ground into actual dust ( this is where the foundation of ‘ dragons are made from magic ‘ mythology came from ) or turned into a potent drug which temporarily enhances semblance but at the terrifying cost of turning your flesh into crystal, and when it wears off the flesh turned crystal will either stay as is or crumble away. there is also a rumour that dragon scales dissolved into sulphuric acid, and again into 100 parts water can create an invisible ink glowing only under the magnetic conditions pertaining to the shattered moon.

dragon wings are one of the most light and durable materials known to man, primarily used in the age of brutality to aid in the creation of flying machines. they are fireproof, waterproof, and generally indirect damage proof. they will still break under physical pressure and are one of the slowest recovering parts of their body, the most effective outside weak spot. in a way similar to a tongue, most regenerative ability distributes to the wing first and then the rest of the body. the wings are highly important weak spots, in the words of the vikings, a downed dragon is a dead dragon. dragons with wings primarily made of feathers were also targeted; specifically because dragon quills are perfect for creating dust tattoos having no need to dip the quill in dust before applying it to the skin. it is just automatically there, since the feathers when burnt create dust in their ashes.

dragon teeth are commonly used to create dust — amplifying weapons, but the most valuable part of the dragon mouth is most definitely the venom reservoir ( mentioned above ). dragon faunus produce this all their lives, no matter if they use them or not. the smoke produced from combining the spark pouch and the venom reservoir is rumoured to reflect the temperament of the user once inhaled. the material in the venom reservoir is still unknown!! it has very few common traits, though is rumoured to take on characteristics depending on person. ren’s venom is the same colour as their eyes and aura. their venom is deceptively sweet smelling, and though ren hasn’t learnt much through experimentation, knows that the smoke they produce often smells like fading incense.

dragon blood is a slow corrosive. this is one of the most rare dragon faunus traits. in small doses can promote health and regeneration, in the rarest cases able to cure incurable diseases and even regenerate lost limbs ( like a lizard ). it can be used to heal most wounds. ingested dragon’s blood in high doses can corrode the body from the inside out, damaging the brain and language centre first. those that have abused dragon’s blood before are recorded to speak some strange ancient language before dying. the ancient lie clan believed this language was that of the moon men. unbeknownst to her, ren’s mother was a dragon faunus with one such trait. she did not know this for the entirety of her existence, though she did miraculously heal from a terminal illness as she aged. she effectively destroyed her matrilineal history of a special terminal illness that has affected their family for countless generations. she never came to know this, and until ren has children, and their children have children, they might never know.

western origin dragon horns hollowed out produce beautiful music. there is no magical trait about them save for particularly successful results when used in pagan rituals, or high levels of luck in killing enemies when made into a dust — amplifying weapon. horns are considered the least valuable of all dragon parts, and thus are the most common trait.

#hc.#long post.#ask to tag #:') it's done

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cbk1000 · 6 years

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Jenn Recommends: Fantasy

All right, kids; it’s that time again. Time for me to babble on for an obnoxiously long time about books I have read and adored, and time for you to just shut the fuck up and take all my advice, because I have great taste.

Since this recommendation list concerns fantasy, all of the following books are actually part of a series, because it is illegal for fantasy authors to write standalone novels: they will be publicly executed for devoting anything less than 3,000 pages to Timmy’s sword and stones. You know this is true because you just read it on the internet.

If You Like: Political intrigue, really hot people, + everyone and their brother being canonically gay as fuck.

Read: The Kushiel’s Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey.

This series starts with Kushiel’s Dart, and there are actually two trilogies worth reading in this world: Phedre’s (the first trilogy) and Imriel’s (the second, which I may like even better). We do not talk about the third trilogy. In this write-up, I’m just going to talk about the first trilogy, but if you enjoy it, I definitely encourage you to read the next three books.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a courtesan who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye--a mark of the god to let others know that she’s into really kinky shit. You cannot spank this bitch hard enough. As a child she is sold into indentured servitude, and bought by a man who recognizes the mote in her eye for what it is and what it signifies--namely, that people who sexually enjoy having the ever-loving fuck beat out of them are pretty much up for anything, which means she will make a great spy.

So that is what she is trained in--not just the arts of the bedroom, but the arts of overhearing everything meant for non-State-approved ears. Of course because this is a novel and something has to happen in it, she stumbles upon a plot against the throne that gets a lot of people stabbed multiple times and throws her and her hapless goddammit-this-is-my-first-real-assignment bodyguard into a Perilous Journey that spans Many Lands.

Two things I really love about this series: the world building and the casual approach to homosexuality.

The various different countries are obviously based heavily upon European history and lore, but she’s done enough research to really flesh them out. We don’t just have a few generic descriptions here and there of vaguely European geography, but actual religions and languages and histories which are more than just given a hasty, passing mention to conjure the illusion that the world is more tangible than it actually is: you can taste and touch and hear Terre d’Ange.

As for the casual homosexuality: the main pairing is hetero, but Phedre takes several female lovers, because in Terre d’Ange, the one rule by which everyone must abide is ‘Love as thou wilt’. No one is really straight or gay; sexuality isn’t really a thing, labels aren’t a thing; people bone who they bone and nobody bats an eye. Kind of like Ancient Greece, till it came time for you to stop porking Archimedes during oily wrestling sessions and churn out a couple of brats. Sex work in this world is also considered in the service of the goddess, and those engaged in it are bestowing a blessing on their customers; it is an honorable and profitable line of work.

I honestly could not put these books down. I have two copies of the third book in this trilogy because I ordered it online while halfway through the second, then promptly panicked when I realized it wouldn’t arrive in time for me to immediately begin the third as soon as I finished the second novel. I actually drove an hour and a half to the nearest Barnes and Noble just so I didn’t have to wait two agonizing days for the next book to arrive. The writing can be a little heavy-handed (think purple euphemisms for a man’s steely pleasure wand, etc.), but overall it’s gripping and lush and I could barely stop reading long enough to take bathroom breaks.

If You Like: Bleak stories where probably nobody is ever going to get anything more than a brief glimpse of happiness before it’s cruelly torn away from them and legitimately creepy monsters.

Read: The Banned and the Banished series by James Clemens.

This series on the surface is your fairly generic Evil Dark Lord vs. Savior Newly Awakened To Their Powers. Elena is a thirteen-year-old girl who has just been visited for the very first time by the dreaded Aunt Flo. With puberty comes the blossoming of new powers: a red hand that shoots a lot of fire out of it, a power I would’t mind having while trying to navigate a bunch of idiot-inflicted traffic. Over the course of the five books in the series, she picks up her Adventure Party and they sally forth to do battle with the Dark Lord’s minions (of which there are a metric fuck ton, in scientific terms). Some parts begin to feel a little monster-of-the-week, as the protagonists barely have time to take a breath in between waves of tentacly evil.

So why I am I recommending this series? Because Clemens is not content with just scattering some generic tropes around the page and calling it good: he wants you to go, “What the FUCK, dude??”. A lot. This is probably the only book in which you will encounter a woman letting a bunch of spiders crawl into her vagina. Or later giving birth to those spiders, which have, upon the touch of the Dark Lord, transformed into a monster that smells like dead baby and eats people’s faces. I recently came across this series in Russian and have been rereading it as a 31-year-old adult, and there are scenes which even now thoroughly traumatize me; it really explains why I am the way I am, since I first read the beginning books when I was only 11-12.

This series is surprisingly hard to put down; I suppose it’s because you are compelled (or at least I am) to find out what the hell kind of nasty thing is next going to emerge from the forest and inspire you to check under your bed at night even though you’re a goddamn adult. This series is not for the faint of heart, obviously. But if you like dark fantasy, and you’re into the idea of reading something that on the surface seems a pretty standard fantasy tale before it suddenly starts hurling vagina spiders all up your business, check it out. Also, if you’ve read any of my work and you’d like to know just what the fuck is wrong with me, I believe this series can throw a little light on that.

If You Like: A protagonist who won’t take your shit but also is allowed to be emotionally vulnerable, Chinese history, detailed military campaigns.

Read: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang.

Rin, a war orphan raised by shitty foster parents in a backwoods village, is accepted into a prestigious military academy where pretty much everyone, teachers included, hates her because she’s a peasant and this school is for the sons of rich people, goddammit. Rin is talented in the nearly lost art of shamanism because she’s the main character of a fantasy novel, and it is only her newly-found powers that have a chance of halting the advance of the Federation as they march upon the Nikara Empire, intent on conquering (and graphically torture murdering) everything in its path. On the flip side: her powers have also been known to turn literally all their wielders into raging loonies who have to be imprisoned for the good of everyone.

My ignorance of Chinese history is absolute, so I’ve no idea where the author (herself Chinese, and an historian, I believe) is pulling from in order to build the foundations of her world, but it’s obvious she has done a lot of research and painstakingly agonized over every little detail. It’s nice to finally step away from the usual Euro-centric world of much Western fantasy, and into one so fully fleshed-out.

This story actually reminds me in some ways of Mulan: the unlikely protagonist bests nearly everyone in all of her training--but only because she works three times harder than anyone else, and no one particularly admires her for it, saving her from Mary Suedom. She’s intelligent and determined, but nothing comes easily (especially when one of your masters is more than a little unhinged). She has exactly one friend, and spends most of her time trying to read her way to a better martial artist.

This is not, however, a school story; and though the characters are 16-17 when they first enter the academy, it is not a YA story either. It is a story about war, and the author has no interests in presenting war as anything other than it is: revolting, traumatizing, horrific. There are some very graphic depictions of violence, so if you do not have the stomach for that, this is not the book for you. Neither massacres nor first kills are glossed over; everything is presented exactly as it looks, smells, feels.

Because life is never one long angst-ridden slog, however, and there was always something, before war, there are moments of legit humor; I actually laughed out loud at several lines. And that leads me to something else the author does very well: dialogue. Much dialogue is an excuse for the author to sound worldly, wise--poetic. It also often hardly sounds like human speech. Real humans, even articulate, intelligent humans, do not shit a fucking Keats verse every time they open their mouths. In The Poppy War, people, wonder of wonders, actually sound like people; perhaps even more notable: teenagers sound like teenagers.

Stylistically, this book is utilitarian; I won’t be highlighting any phrases because they’ve left me awestruck. But it is not lightweight fantasy; the main characters wield terrifying powers with immense consequences. They are mangled, tortured, killed; some of them are drug addicts because only in opium can they find a momentary release from what they have survived. It’s a hold-onto-your-balls-kids kind of story. This is the first novel in a purported trilogy, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series.

#books #jenn recommends

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swansvng · 6 years

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MUSE FACTS collection from old blogs .

some small jo facts:

she runs away whenever people become too important to her. she fears that she’ll ruin them or hurt them? she’s not above cheating tbh like if she’s upset, she’ll take comfort in anyone’s arms. she’s just a really sensual girl who enjoys intimacy and nsfw things??

Jo as a child was actually really emotionless . She was a perfect little soldier , never questioned her father’s orders . He’d aim a gun , she’d pull the trigger . No remorse , no hesitation was his teachings whenever it took to her job as a hunter . It wasn’t until after she started inheriting her grandmother’s machines that her soul began to fracture under the stress , causing her personality to warp and an almost dual-persona appear . Jo is a very carefree type of girl when her sister is alive . She’s able to be the brat of the family that blows off responsibilities because Ruth takes care of the household ? And all she gotta do is care for the siblings which she’s happy to do . They’re already wealthy so Jo basically works for free at a lot of places because she just ?? loves helping people After Ruth’s death , jo becomes more cautious . She becomes very defensive and a tad overbearing to her sisters ( because they’re all she has left ) . She matures quickly , much like she once was when she was a child . Her emotions are contained and her personal issues are hidden beneath a calm veil . She’s strict with the girls and pushes them to pursue education and every other dream they have .

frankie fun fact . his main chara song that I found would have to be “fools” by troye sivan .

because I can’t remember if I’ve made an official post about Jo’s verses or not , I’ll make one now . For DGM , there are 3 options : exorcist , neutral , noah .

for her exorcist verse , Jo may have the power of innocence , depending on the thread . otherwise , she sides with the exorcists in hopes of saving humanity . if she does inherit innocence , it’s a beastial type . her dragon , Golithe , is her weapon . more details will be developed later . for her neutral verse , Jo fights for all the beings that are thrown by the wayside in the holy war . she tries to find a way to save the lost souls . she fights for the monsters that lurk in the shadows : werewolves , vampires , ghouls , ghosts , && others . for her noah verse , Jo sides with the power of noah . she finds the order to be vile , full of corruption && definitely in need of destruction ( she aims to hunt down the higher ups , such as Lenny && the director Leviere ) . she pities the exorcists , && wants to save them from the order . here’s how she would be applied :

the world , before its creation , was made up of only two beings : light , and darkness . there was no life or death , no souls , no earth , no war . light eventually created the first world , which was later destroyed by the darkness . he tries again , && every time , darkness won .

until light created the world where the DGM universe existed . the light became known as God , a being that brought life to the world . first , he made the archangels ; Michael ( Jo’s father ) , Raphael , && Lucifer ( God’s favorite son ) . then , the darkness is sealed away within Lucifer , putting an end to the destruction of life . the four horsemen are born from Adam && Eve’s first sin , whereas there was no death or pain prior . grigori are born , then become corrupt due to the influx of sin ; around this time is when Big Mama , the creature that watches over Jo’s family , is born . she is a gryphon , regulator of souls && overseer of grim reapers ( who are born under Death’s hand ) . syrandrasti , born from the giants , are created alongside man . giants are beings now called nephiliam , half-human && half-grigori angel .

Big Mama notices the eventual ruin of man following the death of Abel && the damnation of Caine , Lucifer sealed away && hell rising . she chooses a human , who later becomes Josie’s grandmother , to help regulate the evil in the world . they are a chink in the world’s natural process : upon her grandmother’s death ( akin to that of Noah , where another soul inhabits her grandmother’s body while coinciding with her grandmother’s soul ) , her original soul is shattered . this becomes known as innocence .

following the fall of Lucifer , God leaves heaven in dismay . he tries to purify the world through the beginning of the crusade . Noah’s ark , the death of the giants , the first legion of angels are killed && the world is cleansed . but he lost control of the Noah , && over the innocence that won . he disappears , && leaves heaven to his first two sons , Michael && Raphael .

Raphael pushes support toward the crusade , believing that Father made himself to be “the heart” , so once the “heart” is found , then God would return . He cared little about the humans that would die , the souls that would suffer : he would do anything to bring Father home .

Michael is different . He is a soldier that awaits Father’s return , not wanting to become part of the crusades . He later mates with Josie’s mother , bearing children with her . Heaven is enraged , && in an attempt to appease his supporters , he pushes his children to become soldiers as well . To fight && live && die for heaven . To search for a solution to the crusades . To kill humans who become too powerful , to destroy monsters that may hinder the process of the crusades && finding Father .

Jo NSFW trivia that nobody asked for

she’s not a virgin . sorry to break it to you , but she’s a rather promiscuous girl. she had lost her virginity rather early - maybe too early , to a girl a few years older than her . she doesn’t honestly practice safe-sex - normally , no condoms are used . she basically assumes she’s infertile ( on account of several miscarriages ) or unable to carry a child full term . in modern verse , she’s on the pill . she does not have diseases : she’s been lucky thus far to not contract anything and she does not carry anything either she’s very demanding , and sexually adventurous . she has a very high libido that few partners can keep up with . she enjoys ‘ surprise ’ sex – when she’s asleep , if her partner begins rubbing against her , she’ll likely be ready to go right into it . her breasts are her most tender part of her , and most of her stimulation comes orally through pleasing her partner ( oral sex is a m u s t for her or she will ditch her partner ). another soft spot is her shoulder blades , where her wings rest . when she orgasms , her wings will appear and spread out when she cries out her partner’s name she loves mood music , candles , rosepetals - but she’s not afraid to do it basically anywhere ?? and she’ll instigate it , especially if her partner is uptight about their sex life . she’ll honestly hop in bed with people she’s attracted to - she’s the sleep on the first date type . no shame in that , but if her partner is disappointing then she’ll never call back lmao . she’s done anal before ?? didn’t care for it much but if her partner likes it then she’ll be down ?? to please them ?? 99% of the time she’s wearing lingerie under her clothes . another thing she does is go commando every so often - even in dresses . she loves going without a bra or stockings so if anyone saw her then wel p they’re getting a sho w . she’s a sexual performer on the weekends !! she enjoys stripping and just PERFORMING for other people . she loves leading people on , make them quiver for her . in the early stages of relationships , she’ll tease the HELL out of her partner like ?? cuddle her ?? she’s braless ?? spank h e r for being naughty and teasing you so heartlessly . she’ll probably call her partner some sort of nsfw nickname like d.addy or m.om.my. don’t test her - she’ll do it and not feel ashamed honestly Jo is just a sexual creature and there’s ?? no shame in that . she loves performing and pleasing her partners to the MAX . just try to keep up with her sexual needs and she’ll m a r r y you .

Jo has four elder siblings: Theodore (”Teddy”; age 30), Walter (”Wally”; age 28), Charles (”Charlie”; age 25), and Minerva (”Minella”; age 22). Then comes Ruth (”Raci”, in reference to her middle name being Iracebeth; elder twin), Jo (”Mirana”, in reference to her middle name; younger twin). Finally are the two youngest, Hunter (”Honey”; age 6) and Maxine (”Max”; age 3). Teddy, Wally, Charlie, and Minella are all deceased. Teddy died from prolonged illness, Wally and Charlie died from the war, and Minella was murdered by her fiance because she tried to leave him (he was abusive and an alcoholic, believed women were property and didn’t like being the bad guy - Jo later murders him when she was thirteen). Jo and Ruth still struggle from their deaths, as do their mother and father (who are both absent from the girls’ lives). They take care of their younger sisters. Shortly after Minerva’s death, their mother Lucilla leaves the dukedom. Their father never left heaven afterward, only sending projects for Jo to complete through messenger angels. Ruth, as the elder twin, became the successor to the dukedom. She was raised like a flower child - taught how to play piano, sing, write poetry, and embroider. She wasn’t bred for hard work; that was left for Jo. Ruth’s prime weapon would be guns and knives, both of which are strapped to her thighs at all time. She’s also taken most of her power from her mother, a witch. Her voice is enchanted. Jo was later taught how to hunt monsters and kill, learned how to heal bodies, and perfected her soul-capturing abilities. She was discouraged from learning any form of feminine activity, but she still plays violin and practices ballet. Her prime weapon would be archery and swordsmanship, though she can be a talented sharpshooter. Jo later becomes the doctor and hunter for the dukedom, abolishing any pests (like banshees, demons, or ghosts, ect.,) from disturbing the tenants. Because of the constant strain of power spewing from either twin, they get sick very easily; Jo’s heart is very weak and is susceptible to blackouts. Ruth will often get horrible migraines, suffer from muscle weakness, and bruises easily. Jo is losing her memory and her body is dying quickly; Ruth is desperately searching for a way to keep Jo’s body from completely failing her. It is suspected that Jo will not live past her nineteenth birthday.

she has two sets of wings : one large set , and a smaller set underneath the top set . Her wings expand outwards and are quite large in comparison to her body . but they are soft , silky , and sensitive . she never reveals her wings to just anyone : she must really trust the person if they can see them . she’ll let them touch the wings , but it’s a very intimate act for her. she’ll feel the slightest graze of fingertips as if her skin was being touched . her wing pattern is unique to only to arch angels .

Winny’s voice claim will be Troye Sivan , especially whenever he sings .

Frankie’s voice claim is possibly the Lumineer’s lead vocalist , Wesley Shultz .

jo’s sister’s trivia:

her sisters are more human , mainly taking after their mother . they have powers like their sister , Ruth . Hunter’s main power lies in that she can shapeshift into a kitten , later into a full grown cat as she grows up . whenever excited , she’ll shift by accident . she also uses this form to comfort Max whenever she’s upset . Max is known as a “soundproof” , a person who cannot hear the voices of living beings . she can hear music , instrumental versions , and singers who have passed away . but once she hears someone she knows , she will throw a fit . Max is haunted by the voices of the dead , causing her to stay up for days and nights , throwing fits because the voices she can hear aren’t very kind , and they’re very scary Hunter’s other powers lie in her fingertips , her blood enchanted just like Jo’s . her voice is not quite as charmed as Ruth’s , so she can have childish fits where she’ll tell people to go away and they won’t be harmed . Both girls take after Jo as a child , and look very similarly to her as well . Hunter has gotten into fights with other girls in her school before . Hunter likes to protect and watch over Max , who she says she is responsible for .

AT NIGHT , JO WASN’T SUPPOSED to leave the house alone . For the first few years of life , she never could go outside at all . She could only watch the weather from her windows , up high in a tower with ancient sigils marking the walls . Ruth would read to her novels about magical places , about the sky , about mankind and how they will never fully belong . And oh , how she ached for it all .

When Ruth fell asleep , the younger child sneaks outside , quietly creeping through the halls until she reached the door , opening and shutting it behind her . All around was the garden she adored , the flowers blooming in the early spring and the air was still chilly . She wore no shoes , only her night dress . All around her , small orbs began to form , souls drawn to her essence . Some took shape – children with ruddy faces , older men with kind eyes , mothers with gentle smiles .

And she’s drawn away , into the woods , to follow these spirits as her voice began to sing for them . She went missing for a few days , until she was found in town by some demons . Friends’ of her mother had found her , protected her from being stolen away or killed . But she wouldn’t apologize for any of it . Frankie: DEATH . IT WAS SUPPOSED TO mean the end of everything ; however , with his death came life , and a rather happy one at that . Now he had a family , sisters to watch out for , an annoying kid brother ( Winter ) to help train for combat . He had a darling love interest , he had it all .

But Frankie could never shut down the feelings that haunted him , the voices that greeted him upon dying the first time . When he closes his eyes , that comforting sensation washes over him . Death was finalized , it was peaceful and no one but him could understand it .

He’s learned through the years that death meant different things for different people . For some , it was heaven . For others , hell . Purgatory . Limbo . But for him , it meant vast emptiness . Just a cool , black void where there was no pain or thought or sound . Just a vacuum in space . And there were others , like he was in the middle of space and they were all stars , they were a sight for him to focus on , like he was sky gazing .

Clearing his throat , Frankie is unable to meet Alyss’s eyes . Instead , he focuses on the marble flooring of the house , one hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck . “ … No . I don’t want to die , ” he was lying .

A pause .

His lips purse , his head turning to look behind him . When confident that it was only him and her , he turns back to her , his voice lowering . “ Actually … I do . I died once , a long time ago , and I shouldn’t be standing here today if it weren’t for Josie . However , ever since then , I could never shake the feeling I had when I did die . I can wait for it , because its an eternal promise for me , and that’s comforting . When it is the end for me , I will accept it wholeheartedly . Until then , I’m staying alive for my family . ” jo trivia;

she is a cheater. point blank. she will have affairs with other people while in a relationship. often, its because she’s not getting something she craves (attention, love, sex, ect). but its so hard for her to actually /end/ relationships. more often than not, she won’t end the relationship – she’ll just disappear completely. she won’t call back, she’ll change her number. she’ll change her address. she’ll move towns and completely leave them behind. it hurts, but she can’t bring herself to end it completely.

some angelic trivia ;;

before the creation of heaven and hell , there were 3 beings : Light (God), Dark (Amara), and Gray (Mama) Mama helped create both God and Amara . she was there for their creation , watching over them and lovingly helping them form physical beings Mama takes the form of a gryphon , and she primarily stays in the clouds . Mama controls the flow of souls - sending them to heaven , hell , purgatory , or leaving them on earth beneath her are the Four Horsemen , who promote Death beneath Death are the shinigami or grim reapers the rest of this can be found on a different post lma o

fun fact ; when Jo dies , she’ll cease to exist completely . any surviving memory of her will disappear as if she never was born .

if someone prays to Jo , she will hear them and come straight away .

Josie’s powers are very unique. She is one of the few beings (other than reapers and deities, angels, and demons) that can see souls. She can see the approximate length of time that they live or die, but its flexible as fate is flexible as well. One minute, your lifespan is 80 years and the next, its 5 minutes if you piss a guy off in a bar.

For the Kuro verse, I’m still tinkering around. What I have thus far, however, is this: once a reaper loses their “job” or retires, they cannot revive or retrieve souls. Their sythe stops being as effective, allowing them to SEE people’s cinematic record but they’re unable to do anything about it. They can’t collect the soul, revive the soul - nothing.

Currently, my idea is that Undertaker has too much time on his hands. And he loved the Phantomhives so much. . . so he’s trying to mimic Jo’s technique without asking her. What he thinks she does and what she actually does is a mystery to reapers and angels alike; its a secret that has been hidden from public view for thousands of years when her grandmother would perform it.

This is where things get a little graphic, so continue at your own risk.

Alright, so here’s how Jo does it:

First, she finds a dying person. The person has to fear death, and want to continue living either subconsciously or consciously. This could be someone who was recently shot and she’s operating on them, or it’s a human who has died a little while ago but hasn’t been collected yet. Then, she gathers the body and takes it from the scene, using her grace to transport her quickly from point A to point B. She opens the body if there’s no obvious cause of death (like if it was a heart attack) and repairs it using metal. She is calm, emotionless, and diligent. Her eyes are a slate gray, perhaps even bursting to flame. She’s incredibly strong at the moment, so few people want to be near her in this state. She peels away the flesh and muscle, reconnecting the bones with metal parts. She carefully sews it back up, ensuring that the body can begin breathing again. Here is where it gets a little hairy, where she won’t reveal her secrets… but she uses her own blood to replace the blood that was lost. She then retrieves the soul, sewing it back into the flesh and wires via magic. If the soul takes to the body - the person is alive, but both of them are weak now. Jo has now given the sacrifice: a piece of her own soul, a shard if you will. Now, a shred of an angel’s soul is maybe worth a bit more than a human’s soul, but she doesn’t get all of it. She gets pieces of the human soul, putting bits of herself into it to make it whole again. Even then, this isn’t guaranteed to work. It takes hours of work, but if it was successful, the person wakes up. They’re scared, screaming ( its logical because people scream when entering the world when they are born, so they may scream when they’re leaving it - even if it is silent and soft ). It hurts, everywhere. The shock of being dead and suddenly being alive again is immense. She’ll greet them, calmly. She’s exhausted, hurting all over ( like she’s given birth… because she sorta does give life ) and possibly bleeding. However, she’ll clean up for her client, not wanting to scare them. Now that they are connected physically, emotionally, and spiritually, they can sense her pain and her fear. They will know she is exhausted, and she will know how they feel. Memories of their death should not be present after waking up - this is important. Once they wake up, they will act like they hadn’t died. That their death was a nightmare, and Jo is the nurse caring for them. Over time, she will tell them the truth: over time is the key phrase. If she tells them immediately, the shock may rip the soul from the body. They may overreact and become hostile and angry, becoming a monster ( which she will have to later dispose of ). They will have questions, but they will be sleepy. They will be hungry and tired and so, so… everywhere. They’ll have to go to the restroom, will feel minor discomfort as their body adjusts to the new parts. She will bat away the fears, comforting them. There should be a warm connection of safety after a while. The connection is weak. She cannot go more than ten feet from them or else they will start to remember and hurt - over time, they can be farther from each other. This happens over a time period of months or even years. It isn’t immediate. Should the person pass the threshold, their most painful memories will return. The agony of their death, like loss of feeling in their fingertips to feeling cold from blood loss: everything will be ten times more overwhelming because the soul is freshly mended and recreated. The body will feel like it is falling apart, and if the wound is worse enough, then it will fall apart. Loss of humanity comes next. Pain is still present, agony is present: but they stop caring. The things they enjoyed, the people they loved… they will become bitter, and cruel. They will want to kill them, everyone. They will want to kill Jo, too. At this point, if she lets it go this far, Jo will kill them. She does not get those pieces of her soul back, but she will remember their memories more than she will her own. Final stage: death in its cruelest degree. The body will stop responding, the soul will begin to detach itself. The person will feel fear that they are being failed, their bloodlust turning into bittersweet envy. They will damn Jo, cuss her out. They will feel their bodies begin to melt away. They will die, and be fully conscious of it. Old wounds will return ( like if they were stabbed, the wound will open up again ) and they will die a second time. But Jo cannot wake them after this… all she can do is bury them and mourn. Now that Jo has given them a large chunk of herself, if successful, they can see into her. They can feel her when she’s hurting, when she’s scared. She can feel their emotions too, when they are hurting and when they are hungry. It is like a tunnel has connected the two souls because it literally is.

For those who are unruly and violently angry, Jo will do whatever she can to keep them safe. If not careful, the person will become a monster, one that loses their humanity. Loss of humanity means loss of love, gratitude, compassion. They could kill anyone and anything in their path, much like a Bizarre Doll or a Soulless on Supernatural.

Jo does these things because she wants to help them, because she loves them, because she knows she can save a life. She willingly surrenders parts of herself for others, wanting them to live with her. And, after a while, without her. When she finds the next Machanique, she will pass them on before fading to ash. It will take decades, maybe centuries, before she finds the next heir.

Update: if the person hates Jo afterward, it is fine. It is if they initially hate her is when things are concerning. They do not need to love each other - they need to tolerate each other. They should be comfortable with one another, its like having someone to share your deepest feelings with. Its a connection that few will understand but those who do will enjoy it, even if they aren’t on the best of terms.

Jo is actually quite flexible, in her modern verse being a cheerleader. She was a flier, could do tricks mid-air, and complete a full split. Jo sleeps with other people for her comfort, she hates sleeping alone. When she does fall asleep, she’s holding onto their hands and completely cuddles into them. She waits for them to wake up before she leaves, patting their cheeks gently until they rise. Jo often sleeps beside Frankie, actually! The two share a bed quite often. He knows she needs someone to hold onto, so he volunteers. While they snooze, her sisters Max and Hunter crawl into bed with them. Ruth is married: Jo is not. Ruth has been married for about 2-3 years now, after Jo had left for war. There was no ceremony, just vows exchanged. They are waiting to have a real wedding. Ruth later leaves to join the war in search of her sister and is enlisted to document the monstrosities ( she’s a journalist, a published author, and is avid about documentation ). Ruth remembers everything that Jo doesn’t remember, which is a lot. Jo is prone to running away. She will join circuses for a few months, perform with them, and then she’ll run off to do something else. She enjoys being part of the lower class - she finds them less rigid than nobles, more interesting. She also paints on people a lot, on walls, inside of carriages, on animals… she will paint on anything and anyone that she comes across. Its her favorite thing to do when stuck inside. Jo went to a private school while Ruth was tutored at home ( she would come attend small classes, like art classes or journalism, but no core subjects ). She later quits school, much to Ruth’s chagrin. The two argue incessantly about her going back ( she’s already raised to be a doctor and a prothstetician, she doesn’t understand how learning about math will help with it ).

Trivium; Edalina

Eda is a creature known as a Swanette, a species of human that can become birds. She has the ability to turn into - you guessed it - a Swan. Her feathers are completely white, and she looks extremely elegant while in that form. She can manipulate time and create small pockets in between the fabric of time and space - these are called “nests” or “loops”. She was supposed to succeed her mother, a Swan who runs an orphanage of peculiar children, but she rejected that life and ran away. Her parents are both extremely wealthy and never spent time with her, so why should she care for people who loved abandoned children more than their own?

Eda has a severe attitude problem, as many have seen in their interaction with her. I blame this on the idea that Swans are very well guarded and seclusive animals ( this is just my idea of them, not backed by anything legit ). Eda is rather small for her species, and her body is quite soft and smooth. Her hair is soft and feather-like, but full of volume and thick. She doesn’t have thin hair by any means.

Internally, she’s very kind. She used to be a child who was very sickly and kept indoors where she would prepare things for her mother when she came home. These things always were overshadowed by the demands of work and her affair ( yep, that’s right, Eda was born in a broken home paired with two parents who didn’t love each other and argued constantly in front of her ). Eda was raised primarily by her grandmother, who fostered the idea that Eda was a special little girl.

At an early age, Eda loved photographs and ice skating, dancing and the arts. She would write plays to perform for her parents ( who never actually watched her, just patted her head after looking up from their books or phones and said ‘good job honey’ ). She was taught that love doesn’t exist, and if you show that love ( like her Grand Mammy would show affection toward her emotionless daughter and be later mocked for it ) then you’re pretty much asking for abuse.

She’s a very smart and bright girl, raised with the STEM ideals with a heavy focus on math and science. But she didn’t care about either of these things; she wanted to be in the liberal arts field and enjoy life. This… did not go over well with her parents, or her Grand Mammy. After a semester in a highly esteemed college, Eda drops out and bolts, leaving her home completely. She never returns their calls, and keeps using the family bank card to fund her actions.

Her parents don’t know she’s gone, but her Grand Mammy does. She’s sought desperately for her granddaughter until she fell ill one night and passed away. Eda doesn’t know this yet, but she also knows. Its one of those instances where you are aware of a certain outcome without being told about it, and once it is actually said aloud then it will be more painful.

#❝ ﹣♕ 🇪🇩🇦🇱🇮🇳🇦 - 🇹🇭🇪 🇸🇼🇦🇳 .#❝ ﹣ ☆ 🇪🇱🇮🇴🇹🇹 - 🇹🇭🇪 🇨🇴🇸🇲🇮🇨 .#❝ ﹣ ♚ 🇫🇷🇦🇳🇰🇮🇪 - 🇹🇭🇪 🇸🇴🇱🇩🇮🇪🇷 .#❝ ﹣ ℂ 🇯🇴 - 🇹🇭🇪 🇸🇭🇦🇹🇹🇪🇷🇪🇩 .#❝ ﹣ ❅ 🇼🇮🇳🇹🇪🇷 - 🇹🇭🇪 🇫🇮🇬🇭🇹🇪🇷 .#❝ ﹣ ᴛɪᴠɪᴜᴍ .#( group trivia )

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storiesofwildfire · 4 years

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Voices

{ closed GOW starter for @thisforgottenlore }

♔—- Traveling with their father had never been a particularly easy thing. Atreus loved to talk and talk and talk and their father was very much the opposite. Most days, it was a struggle to get Kratos to hold even the briefest of conversations and when they’d been younger, they thought it was a sign of how much their father did not like them or wish to be around them. Now, however, they understood that it wasn’t Kratos’ disdain or annoyance ( okay, sometimes it was annoyance. Atreus could be a lot and they knew it, especially when boredom crept up on them. They could definitely get carried away... ), it just came with their father. He wasn’t one for much idle chitchat and he much preferred listening to his child than trying to entertain them with stories that were, admittedly, awful.

Carting Mimir around helped alleviate the constant quiet, though, and his stories were always engaging. They usually kept Atreus quiet for a little while, at least until the countless questions poured through. Mimir always had such interesting and useful information, but it always made the young Godling more curious, if nothing else.

But as they grew older and they faced more and more trials sent at them by Odin, King of the Aesir, their travels grew more and more stressful. Not only was Atreus growing into a young... adult--they really didn’t want to dive into the whole gender thing right now. While they did believe Kratos had sort of caught onto their shift in preferences for the few times they winced at being called or snapped at by the ever-loved ‘boy’, Atreus hadn’t actually gotten around to admitting to their father that their identity unfolded to be much more complicated.

And, in truth, they were still confused about it themselves, so how could they have a conversation with someone who didn’t really converse much? It seemed silly to be so conscious about something that they knew Kratos likely wouldn’t care about or scold them for, but they worried nevertheless. The pair put so much work into their relationship and actually getting to a healthy spot where they were not only comfortable with one another but happy despite their chaotic way of living and the danger that kept following them no matter where they went.

To have something ruin that... it frightened the poor Godling more than they wanted to admit.

But that only scratched the surface. As Atreus grew older, their magic grew at an alarming rate, quickly proving that its potency mixed with the seemingly endless range they actually possessed were a force of nature, something that most would not want to stand against, if only Atreus could keep such power under control. Sometimes they felt like they were making good progress, but there were always incidents where it ran away from them and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Kratos could help with certain aspects. After all, some of Atreus’ abilities came straight from him, especially their manipulation of fire, but it became evident very quickly that Atreus’ abilities surpassed that of what Kratos could do. Much of Faye’s magic lived on in her child and they were sorely lacking a proper mentor for everything that their father could not touch them. Sometimes, that definitely manifested a serious problem.

And then there were the voices...

Sometimes--most of the time--it was just emotion that they picked up on. Deducing certain situations or dangers purely from the mood of a person or creature became like second nature to them, but other times, it wasn’t just a feeling of great emotional response. Voices manifested in their mind from time-to-time and it was always a terrifying experience. Were they losing their own mind and losing grip on reality? Were the voices their own? Were they even real? Or did they come from an outside source? They’d already experienced Odin and other undesirable voices pushing their way into their mind and a few times, that manipulation was even enough to get them to act out, especially before they realized what was happening or how to combat it.

Putting up mental barriers wasn’t an easy task by any means, but it did... help. Sometimes, but Atreus needed to be focused and on guard at all times for them to be practical and oftentimes, they simply didn’t have the energy to do so. Perhaps they’d learn a better method of protecting their mind in the future, but the maybes always seemed so far away at best and impossible feats at worst.

Besides, some voices, despite not fully understanding where they came from or even if they were real, were good company. They weren’t all malicious and sometimes they even called for help or simply sought a companion.

One voice in particular--or rather, a group of voices--drew Atreus in, making them forget most of their worries about the intrusion in their mind. The Vanir, they knew, like Freya! They heard multiple voices, but a few always came to the forefront. A woman who often commented on how beautiful they were or how beautiful their magic was. Could they see them, Atreus wondered? A few other female voices cropped up frequently enough for Atreus to recognize them, but the one who spoke with them the most was a male, much younger than the others, more appropriately aligned with their own age.

They often offered Atreus guidance or warning to dangers that they had yet to face. Sometimes they even gave tips on magic and how to perform certain spells without the risk of harming themselves or someone else. While that voice was very helpful, there were also times where Atreus would be lying down beside the fire at night and he would just want to... chat with the young godling.

Heimdall, he eventually introduced himself formally. Atreus supposed that after a time of their growing connection, he grew confident enough to trust them with more personal information. Or, alternatively, if they were imagining this person, perhaps they were just projecting a personality and history onto the voice? Gut instinct told them that wasn’t the case, though. Every bit of information, every warning, and every time advice was offered, it turned out to be true. How could Atreus make those things up when they were so far outside of their own knowledge or understanding?

Atreus didn’t tell Kratos about Heimdall, though. For the most part, they were rather transparent with their father about the voices, especially when their delivery wasn’t just evident, but too painful to hide, but Heimdall was different from most of them. Personally attracted to the sound of them and often deeply engaged for hours when Kratos wasn’t awake or around to watch them too closely, Atreus truly felt as if they’d grown close to this person despite never meeting them in a physical sense.

Heimdall seemed particularly chatty tonight. He kept trying to get Atreus’ attention despite Atreus sitting across the fire from his father, cooking dinner over the open flame for them. After about twenty solid minutes of trying to focus on what their father said while Heimdall’s alluring voice bounced around their skull, they sighed and slowly pushed themselves up.

“The stew’s ready,” they announced. “But we’re out of water. I’m going to walk down to the creek to refill our canteens. Be back shortly.”

Before Kratos had time to oppose or invite himself along, Atreus skipped away from their impromptu camp and made quick work of dashing towards the creek which was more of an actual river than a creek.

“That lad is definitely hiding something,” Mimir commented as Atreus disappeared into the settling darkness. “You know that, don’t you? Perhaps you should try talking to them...”

Fortunately, Atreus was far enough away to not overhear that little exchange. All of their attention shifted to Heimdall anyway. Kratos could have followed after them, called out to them, and they likely wouldn’t have heard him.

“I’m sorry,” they whispered, and while they did mutter it aloud, they knew they didn’t actually have to for Heimdall to hear them. They’d had plenty of conversation in the middle of the night when Kratos was asleep right beside them and they had to keep themselves quiet so he wouldn’t wake up and interrupt or, rather... catch them. The idea of catching them in the act almost felt on par with other unmentionable pleasures that a child would never want their parent to see or suspect.

“My father and I settled into camp late tonight. We haven’t wrapped up dinner yet, but I managed to peel myself away, for a bit, anyway. Are you all right? You aren’t normally so eager if I don’t answer straight away.”

Not that Atreus ever really kept Heimdall waiting. They always tried to find an excuse to speak with him and they even went as far as to set up a schedule with Heimdall when he could speak without fear of Kratos or Mimir interfering.

“Did you miss me?” they teased and grinned to themselves.

#thisforgottenlore #c; kratos #c; heimdall #( main verse ; god of war ) a child born of two worlds #( thread ) voices #( ship ) loki x heimdall #( long response ) if it were easy everyone would do it #closed starter

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exxar1 · 4 years

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Chapter 13: Ambassador Kosh, The Smoking Caterpillar, And Six Months Saved

3/16/2021

One of my favorite sci-fi shows from the 1990s is Babylon-5. It takes place on a space station in neutral territory between various warring alien and human empires in the mid twenty-third century. One of the alien characters, Ambassador Kosh, is fond of asking those around him, “Who are you?” Kosh is a Vorlon, a mysterious, cryptic species who’s true physical nature is hidden from others by an elaborate encounter suit. No one has ever been to their homeworld, and the Vorlons rarely interact with other species around them, so when one asks “Who are you?”, it’s a significant question that implies a need for an honest, significant, soul-searching answer.

That is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot these past few months. This week is the six month anniversary of my salvation. Looking back, it feels like I’ve crossed a gulf wider and deeper than the Grand Canyon. September 17th seems like almost a lifetime ago. And yet, it also feels like it was just yesterday. So much has changed in my life, and yet so much is still the same.

The other day I was looking back over my previous log entries from this new journey. The one from October 10th leaped out at me as I reread it:

“I just recently realized how much we change throughout our adult lives as we get older. Those passions and desires and things that interest us and consume our time when we’re in our twenties are not necessarily the same passions, desires, and things that we care about in our forties, or our fifties, or our sixties. We as people are not just flesh and blood. We are conscious, thinking, emotional, intellectual human beings, and the parts of us that make us who we are are those passions, desires, interests, and things that we care about. It’s what makes me me.

Some of those qualities can be defined as hobbies or interests, the things that I do in my spare time or what I’m passionate about in life. The fact that I have always been a science fiction fan, for example, or my writing. Other qualities can be emotional, or intellectual, or parts of me that aren’t necessarily physical. The fact that I’m gay, for example; or that I love to read, or that I’m an introvert, or that I once used to be an Atheist.

In other words, those things that make up who we are as an individual human being, that define us to the world and to other people around us, are not always constant or unchanging. And that’s what I had never realized until now. I have always been happy living my life on my own, by my own terms, and I found peace in being alone. I have never felt the need to have that “special someone” in my life, but now, for reasons I cannot explain, I’m no longer content with that. I think this is why so many people at this point in their mid-lives have a crisis. They buy a new car or get divorced or change careers. Perhaps my loneliness is nothing more than a mid-life crisis?”

At the time, I was attributing all my recent angst and internal unrest to aging, but now I recognize this for what it really was – and still is: sanctification. (or maybe it’s a little of both.) 2 Corinthians 5:17, one of the first verses that I had memorized long, long ago in Sunday school, says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” It’s one thing to know about a process, but quite another thing entirely to actually experience that process firsthand.

Who am I?

My name is Neal Timothy Jones, I was born on June 4, 1978, I currently weigh 205 lbs., stand at a glorious height of 5’5”, have blue eyes, brown hair – which I’m very slowly but surely losing (more than in the back than the front, I’d say), and a goatee that is now more silver than brown. My favorite color is blue. I’m a brother, a son and an uncle, but not a father or a husband. I was born and raised in Twin Falls, Idaho, and I’m an introvert. I’m often shy, quiet, used to have a hard time speaking up for myself and was afraid to be myself for fear of ridicule and shame. I’m a sci-fi fan (Star Trek in particular) and an avid Super Mario Brothers player. (If that was an Olympic sport I would hold a gold medal for most games conquered and exceptional fire flower skill.) I also read a lot, and, lately, I have a very hard time shutting off my brain. I’m always overthinking, overanalyzing, and overly critical of both myself and those around me.

My favorite food is Italian, especially pizza and pasta (hence the 205 pounds), and I despise coconut. I mean, like really, really hate it. Whoever decided that shredded coconut should be a topping on desserts should be strung up by their apron strings and crucified in their kitchen. Coconut – especially shredded coconut – has absolutely no taste for one, and for two, it has all the texture of grass. It’s vile and disgusting.

I have type 2 diabetes, and I’m a good twenty-five pounds overweight. I’ve always hated exercise. Yes, I enjoyed running around the playground and being outdoors in general when I was a kid, but I hated organized sports. I suffered one year of soccer in 7th grade because my parents insisted I needed to get out and do something besides always being alone under a tree with a book in between classes. (I think they were worried about my anti-social behavior far more than they actually let on.) That one year led to a life long revulsion of sports in general. Seriously, I don’t get it. Running up and down a field, chasing a ball or trying to make a goal – *yawn*. So overrated.

Also, for that matter, is competition. I’m probably the least competitive person anyone knows. I really couldn’t care less whether or not my coworkers beat me in upsells and product promotions. I don’t give a damn if my friends or family make more money than I do. I have no desire to rise the corporate ladder and be king of my local branch. I don’t really care what my house looks like on the outside compared to my neighbors. Nor do I give a rat’s ass if my car is the nicest one in the neighborhood. (And, frankly, given the neighborhood I currently live in, I most definitely do not want a super nice car that would attract nearby thieves.) I really do just march to the beat of my own drum, and if you’d like join me, great! If not, oh well. You do your own thing, and you be you. I’m not going to care one way or the other.

Who am I?

I’m gay. Or, rather, I was. Or maybe I still am. I honestly don’t know. And that’s been my problem lately. Clear back in September, right after I was saved, I was sure of two things: one, that I was saved and new child of God, and two, that I was gay. In just six months, though, I’m not so sure of that latter one anymore.

It’s funny how we sometimes take one thing in our lives – our marriage, our job, our sexuality, or maybe that one hobby or spare time interest – and we build our whole self-identity around that. For me, it was being gay. That was who I was, and I centered my entire self-identity around that one thing as soon as I left high school. After I left the Army, after returning home to Twin Falls and enrolling at the College of Southern Idaho, I immediately joined the Gay-Straight Alliance on campus. I spoke up for gay rights, and I even helped organize a petition for a gay float in the local Western Days parade. (I honestly can’t remember if we ever really accomplished that or not. I do remember the city council not being very happy with our little request.)

I watched pretty much anything on TV that had gay stories and/or main characters. Shows like Will & Grace, Queer As Folk, and Six Feet Under were my favorites. Same for the movies. Hollywood was my religion, the local cineplex my church. Celebrities like Ellen Degeneres were my idols, and I did my best to follow their wisdom and lifestyles. Throughout college and my early adult life afterwards, whenever I introduced myself to new friends and co-workers, I was quick to let them know I was gay. I was proud of that, and anyone who disagreed with that or tried to tell me I was wrong for living that way would quickly get shut down by my new, independent spirit and debating skills. I bought t-shirts with slogans like “I don’t even think straight” or which just had the symbol of the rainbow flag on the front.

Everything else was secondary, and when my life moved online to social media, I made sure to put my sexual orientation front and center on all my bios. I connected even more to the greater national gay community by joining Facebook pages that promoted gay rights, and I followed many gay activists and celebrities on Twitter and Instagram. In recent years, especially after moving to Las Vegas, I did quiet down a little with the in-your-face attitude, due more to aging than anything else. It was no longer that important than every single new friend or co-worker know right away that I was gay. Instead of announcing it with the first handshake, I let the subject come up organically in regular conversation. I also purchased Apple watch bands made in rainbow colors or plastic bracelets of the same design to wear as a silent testimony of my proud lifestyle.

Who am I?

One of my favorite scenes in Disney’s Alice In Wonderland is the one where Alice is confronted by the smoking caterpillar. He repeatedly demands of the young, lost and confused heroine, “Who. Are. You?” (Each word is punctuated by a perfectly shaped ring of cartoon smoke.)

In recent weeks and months, there have been days when I have stood in front of the mirror above my bathroom sink, looking at my reflection with puzzlement and curiosity, asking that very same question. Some days, I have felt like a true warrior of God, leaping from bed, excited to rush into the world and live the truth of Christ. Other days, I have felt small and weak, and conflicted, and wondering why I have kept giving in to the old lust of the flesh and breaking my vow of celibacy. (Yes, even just giving in to old desires and lusts in the mind’s eye are a sin in the presence of God. It doesn’t necessarily have to go as far as an actual, physical act with another man.)

One evening, about three weeks ago, as I got ready for bed, I was reflecting on my day. It was one of those mediocre days, not too bad, but not really exciting or exceptional either. I was feeling a little down and discouraged, but I couldn’t say exactly why. I sat on the edge of my bed, lost in thought, and tracing absently with my right index finger the outline of the tattooed cross on my left bicep. Since the tattoo was barely a week old, most of it was still one large scab, and I had been fighting the recent urge to pick at it. I glanced down and saw the plastic rainbow bracelet on my right wrist, right next to the other bracelet with white stars and a blue strip on a black background.

As if by some spiritual instinct, I reached out with my left hand and pulled that rainbow bracelet off. I held it up, examining it for a few moments, and then I opened the drawer of my nightstand. I tossed the bracelet inside and shut the drawer. I sat for a minute or two, thinking about what I had just done, and then I got up and marched across the hall into my office. I opened the bottom left drawer of my desk and rifled through the several dozen Apple watch bands that have accumulated there over the last few years. I pulled out all the ones that were rainbow striped or rainbow colored. I threw them in the trash. I also threw away the bag of rainbow bracelets (they had been 20 for $5 on Amazon). I turned out the light and shut the office door.

I went to bed that night feeling more at peace than when I had first asked Jesus into my heart just a few months before.

The next day, during my lunch break at Walmart, I went through all my social media accounts and removed the word ‘gay’ from my bios, as well as any emoji symbols such as the rainbow flag. That, too, felt right. I was now just ‘Christian’, not ‘gay Christian.’

I’m still honestly not sure what this means. Part of me has felt utterly terrified, as if I’m erasing more than just part of who I’ve been for all my adult life. The one thing that was the core of my self-identity has been essentially wiped away, as if God was one of the workers in the amusement park of Westworld, another of my favorite shows. In that not-so-distant future setting, the human-like androids are often re-programmed by the park’s engineers to change their personalities or even their entire character to match whatever new story is going to be enacted for the park’s biological visitors and tourists. Ever since my salvation, I have often felt that God is reprogramming me in the same way, erasing parts of the old sinful self and rewriting new software, giving me a new core identity. Right now, that process of sanctification has only just begun, and, hence, there are days when I don’t quite know what to call myself. Yes, I’m a Christian. Yes, I am a child of God. But I feel like there should be more than just that. I feel like the loss of my old identity means that that I also have nowhere to belong; there is currently no new community in which I can plug myself in order to have the same sense of friendship and comradery that I once had with my fellow gays.

And yes, I know what you’re already saying to your phone or computer screen as you read this: “Neal,” you say, “just being a child of God is enough. Just calling yourself a Christian is enough. That is the new community that you now belong to.”

Yeah, I know. But, at the same time, I still feel incomplete. Don’t ask me why. I feel like those Lego sets I used to play with as a kid. My favorites were the spaceships, especially the really big ones that came with about two hundred individual pieces. I liked those the best because I had the choice of either building the ship pictured on the front of the box, or I could assemble a different ship entirely using the same pieces but fitting them together in different ways. I feel like God is doing that with me right now. He’s completely disassembled me from the inside out, and his Spirit is slowly and gradually reassembling me into something totally new.

Part of me wishes He would just hurry the hell up and get to the finished product already! Why is He taking so long?? But the other part of me – the part that I am slowly coming to recognizing as the voice of the Holy Spirit is gently, firmly reminding me that this process can take a lifetime; that I need to learn to be patient and wait upon the Lord.

Who am I?

I am ALL of those things that I listed above – yes, even the homosexual. God hasn’t changed that completely. But that particular Lego piece is now on the worktable with all the others. And I no longer feel a need to advertise to anyone and everyone that I am still gay. For now, I am just ‘Christian.’ And I’m looking for a church family where I can truly belong.

I recently finished reading a book that dealt with this exact topic. The author is Greg Coles, someone I’ve mentioned before in these posts. The book is titled No Longer Strangers: Finding Belonging in a World of Alienation. There are many, many lovely and beautiful passages in the book where Greg gives his own testimony of finding his place in his particular part of the world and his church community after coming out as a gay Christian in 2017. But there are two passages, specifically, that I found most inspirational in my own journey of trying to find the church family in which God wants to place me. I’ve already posted them on my social media, but I’m going to quote them again here.

The first is from Chapter 5: Hide and Seek:

“But God—the real God—has only ever been interested in loving us, in redeeming us, in transforming us. He has no interest in an army of clones, a horde of wax figures and cardboard cutouts sent to approach him in bold unanimity while his heterogeneous flesh-and-blood children crouch in the shadows.

Those of us who love Jesus are indeed called to find our paramount identity in him. Every other identity is placed in submission to Christ, upturned and radically reordered by the logic of the kingdom of God. But our particularities are not erased in the process. We are not recycled paper, blended into a pulp and recast as a blank sheet. We are a painted canvas in the hands of a master restorer, painstakingly cleansed and healed and remade until we finally become the irreplicable artwork we were always intended to be.”

That ‘irreplicable artwork’ is what I cannot wait to see! That’s what I’m eagerly waiting for – that finished masterpiece. But I also know from the testimonies of my parents and Pastor Mark, as well as ones that I’ve read online from other Christian authors, is that there is a real possibility that I might never see that completely finished work; that God, in His infinite wisdom and grace, is never entirely finished with us. And that’s okay too. That’s what I need to recognize and reconcile with right now. The old saying really is sometimes true: it’s the journey that matters more than the destination. But, along the way, God does not want me to just melt into His crowd, to be one more clone in the Christian army. Instead, as Greg points out, God wants each of us to stand out, to share our unique gifts and talents with the body of Christ and with the world around us. We need to shine for Him, and we can’t do that if we just hide away, afraid to be more than just another smiling face in the crowd.

The other passage, the one that brought me to tears, was the final paragraphs of the book:

“I am my Beloved’s. He is mine. We belong in one another, with one another, to one another. We always will. We’re not going anywhere.

I’m not the only one making these vows with heaven, to be sure. A symphony of voices joins mine in the air. The song includes married folks as well as celibates like me, straight and gay and everything else. Our choir represents every race, every language, every nation.

But despite the grandeur of the choir, Christ still hears and responds to each individual voice. He isn’t content to declare his affection for us in form letters and megaphone announcements. He whispers to us one by one, into your ear and mine, exchanging promises of love. As long as these promises remain true—as long as our fragile memories can hold them—home will never be further than a whisper in our ears, never further than an ink drop beneath our skin. We are loved. And because we are loved, we belong.”

I have re-read that passage so many times over the last couple weeks, savoring it like piece of gold, a treasure of beauty and real wisdom. Greg’s completely right. Not only does God want us, just as we are, no matter how broken, how lost, or how sinful, but He also wants for us to belong in Him, and Him alone. This small piece of wisdom seems at once so simple and yet so complex. I have had to remind myself almost every day, especially those days when I’m feeling lonely, or a little lost, or discouraged because the church that I had hoped was going to be my new home didn’t work out after all, that I am first and foremost a child of God. I belong only – and solely – in Him. I need to understand that that is all that matters right now. The rest will come in time. Perhaps once I have understood and fully absorbed this first and important truth, then God will begin providing unto me the rest of his desired blessings and, especially, belonging within a new church family.

As a result of these blog posts, I have had the immense blessing and pleasure of reconnecting with old friends who had once taught and reared me when I was that stubborn, contrary, rebellious kid who gave out more sass and disrespect than a Las Vegas drag queen in a nightclub. One of those friends shared a quote by Leonard Ravenhill with me a few days ago that immediately touched my heart. I printed it off and taped it to the bottom frame of one of my computer monitors in my home office.

“Great eagles fly alone; great lions hunt alone; great souls walk alone – alone with God!”

The friend who shared this helped me to see that same truth that Greg pointed out in that second passage that I quoted above. It’s okay for me to stand apart from the crowd – Christian or otherwise. It’s okay for me to continue marching on my own. The only difference between my old life and this new, blessed one is that God is now marching beside me. He has changed the beat of my drum, and He has “…begun a good work” in me, as Paul says Philippians 1:6, and that work will not be completed until “…the day of Jesus Christ.” But, if I’m honest, I will say that, on most days, I don’t feel like the lion or the eagle. Not just yet. I feel more like a church mouse from a Beatrix Potter tale, crouching in the shadow of my Lord and Savior, and letting Him do His thing on my behalf.

One of my other favorite quotes that has had a special significance to me these last few months is by Socrates. He once stated, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I think God would agree, and the best form of self examination should always start with the following question:

Who am I?

#Christian #spirituality #gay #personal growth #sanctification

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sortingoutayoungcontrarian · 7 years

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I recently typed the name Christopher Hitchens into the search bar on WordPress and was very disappointed with the top result. This result was an ignorant evaluation of who Christopher was as well an evaluation of his book “god is not Great. The author of this “evaluation” was clearly a fundamental Christian along with those who commented on the post thus far… Obviously, they hated Christopher and did their best to discredit everything about the man. I could not help but be a contrarian. I shall copy and paste the exchange below. I shall update per reply.

Me:

Hmm I wonder if you would find Hitchens’ points valid if they were made by a compilation of ancient misogynistic people who believed that genocide, dispossession of land, slavery, polyamorous incest, virgin-child-sacrifice-scapegoating, and baby genitalia mutilation was acceptable (all of these acts adamantly encouraged even), and then translated by a committee of megalomaniacs lead by a man who boiled his wife in a bathtub… All of whom believed the universe revolved around them in every sense the phrase entails and murdered those who said differently whilst claiming absolute morality. The reason why atheists do not mind that Hitchens may or may not have plagiarized is that they value what is true and don’t care how they get that truth. Christians, however, claim the bible to be the inerrant word of god despite its countless plagiarisms and contradictions.

If you could respond to those points which Hitchens made rather than the one he obviously did not care about (the validity of Jesus), then maybe your thoughts of critique would hold more water, maybe even have an atheist flicker with doubt . To be quiet honest, I have a very hard time believing you actually read any book by Hitchens’, due to the fact that his main focus was not to refute the overall accuracy of the bible but rather reveal the overall hypocrisy. You chose to give a general evaluation of a man by highlighting an argument he argued carelessly because there was no need at all to even argue it. Or maybe you were just scared to touch on the points he made that would open the eyes of any free thinking rational mind to see the lie they have succumbed to.

His response:

Your first paragraph has a large number of mischaracterizations similar to what is typical of Hitchens. You seem to have learned him well. Unfortunately, upon close examination, it is sophistry through and through, nothing but a hollow shell of an argument. In but one point: Flatly, circumcision is not mutilation, and to phrase it like you have is not making an argument, but merely using hollow emotional rhetoric. I gave cold explanation of a point, and you respond with emotionalism. This is typical of modern atheism, which Hitchens exemplifies. It always amazes me that atheists deal so much in emotionalism. Personally I prefer reason and logic.

Concerning what I have stated, I backed my claims. For example, see the first link in the post above. As to the Canaanites, I have responded to that as well.

Also please take note of my comment policy.

Me:

Thank you, I am proud to have learned Hitchens! I simply could not do nothing about such an inaccurate “evaluation” of a great man. As to baby genitalia mutilation, I was not making an argument but stating the fact of the matter, a beautiful baby is born and on the eighth day take a blade to its genitalia. There is nothing fallacious about that claim. If it is a semantical issue, the greek translation for “mutilate” is from a compound of kata and temno (to cut); a cutting down (off), i.e. Mutilation (ironically) — concision. The greek word used in the bible for mutilation is “katatomé” which translates– to cut. While circumcision is “peritomē” which translates — to cut around. Look for yourself, please. Studying in-depth interlinear commentaries in greek after graduating seminary school is what drove me away from the hypocrisy that is the church. I am not an atheist, as you assumed in your lazily mistaken attempt of ad hominem, but I merely saw the bible for what it was; a perfect business plan to enslave the people in a time where theocracy reigned. What sane person would not respond with emotionalism over this? If you apply James 2:24 to the role christianity has played throughout the narrative of history you will never again be amazed by the emotionalism that apparently surprises you in atheists however. It causes good people to do bad things, when one takes the focus off themselves and the box they locked themselves in due to fear of losing after-life insurance the bigger picture reveals itself. It is a lame excuse for wars birthed from an ancient inherited trait of tribalism.

You back your claims with a text you cannot prove. As to the Canaanites, I am always amazed by how christians separate real-life and their pretend world of faith as if in admittance to it not being real; Freudian slip esque. Like a child does when playing cops and robbers and their mom calls them inside for dinner and they have to break character in order to reply, “coming mom”. For example, I was stepping outside the realm of the bible and into empirical accounts in history books. who said I was talking about genocide mentioned in the bible only? I never brought up the Canaanites, you were mistakenly assuming (again) atop your omniscience tower. I was referring to, as Hitchens was, the rules for dispossession of land and the slavery of the previous land owners outlined in Leviticus 25, specifically verses 44-46. A lame excuse for justifying lust of what their neighbor has. Leviticus is the same book that outlines the pagan tradition of sacrificing life, (e)scapegoating responsibility. Chapter 25 in Leviticus was most cited chapter in the bible within memoirs of protestants during the establishing of the USA… and people wonder why black lives matter is heading a postmodernist movement.

You still avoided addressing the topic of (1) incest, (2) misogyny (which, unfortunately for all the women of the bible, in this context implies polygamy allowed for the man alone), and (3) The irrevocable evil, with a recorded historical background that goes back thousands of years before the bible linked to ancient savage polytheistic religions : scapegoating responsibility of sins through child sacrifice.

These were the main points of Hitchens, yes? I don’t think one could give a fair “General Evaluation of Christopher Hitchens” without addressing his main points. It seems as if you are trying to hide the reader from the points made by a man who had won countless debates with the leading apologists of all the major religions. A man who is now dead and unable to defend himself… If you could respond to those claims rather than attempting to define who I am or what I believe in then your critiques would be much more (logically/reasonably) respectable. I do apologize if I crossed a line defined in your comment policy. If you would prefer to reply privately I would still appreciate hearing your defense. Whether your audience hears you out or not is not upon my conscious. I would hope they follow you in order to hear the truth rather than feed confirmation bias. I have many issues with your past posts as well that I could refute using the bible, if you are interested. I am honestly just curious and value discussions from those that have come to opposing conclusion.

His Response:

As my comment policy states, this is not a discussion board and we do no go down endless rabbit trails here. Humoring you briefly is all I will do.

–You pointed out correctly that the Greek terms for cut around and cut off are two distinct terms. In no sense is circumcision mutilation. You agree the claim is incorrect. –As for horrible things like incest, the Bible accurately portrays history but does not condone these practices. It forbids incest and shows the folly of marrying many wives, for all who do so are shown to inherit the problems these practices create. –As to the Bible’s treatment of women, any claim that the Bible has a low view of women is completely false. –Child sacrifice was practiced by the Canaanites, which is one reason God commanded they be wiped out. Israel did what you and Hitchens seem to want them to do, which is not actually kill all the Canaanites. As I explained, this resulted in Israel starting these practices, which God stopped by sending Babylon to take Israel into captivity. Please portray the whole account or stop criticizing.

I did indeed deal with Hitchens in a fair manner. All signs point to Hitchens copying from earlier atheist writings, then not even doing the research to check out whether the claims were true. He spent the rest of his life traveling around repeating these claims with bluster, yet they are completely, entirely, totally untrue. His claims about virgin birth myths are completely false. Hitchens did not even do a magazine grade level of research on these items, yet repeated them for years.

The claims in this post stand.

Per my comment policy, we will stop here.

... And then he disabled the comments...

#christopher hitchens #atheism

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loverandservantoftheahlulbayt · 4 years

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🕌 The Second Imam, al-Hasan (as) 🕌

📿Born in Madina 15th Ramadan 3rd year of Hijri. Elder son of ‘Ali and Fatima, grandson of the Prophet of Islam. When he was born and the news of the birth of a grandson was conveyed to the Holy Prophet he came to the house of Fatima, took hold of the baby in his arms, said Azan and Iqamah in his ears and said, this is a beautiful child, I name him Hasan.

He will keep Islam and Muslims safe from the hands of its destroyers. Historians note that this child looked like his grandfather the Holy Prophet in looks and in manners.

Under the blessed shadow of the Holy Prophet Hasan was receiving his training from the most blessed parents on earth. Coming to the mosque of the Prophet, listening to the Sermons of his grandfather and seeing Islam prosper was the lesson one can never forget.

Whenever he came to the mosque, the Holy Prophet would pick him up, would let him sit beside him and let the attentive companions see and behold who this boy was. They all loved his presence in the mosque and cared for him.

Time soon passed and Hasan (as) was hardly 8 years old when his grandfather died and soon after his mother also died. The next 25 years of his life in Madina was with his father ‘Ali (as) and with his younger brother Husayn (as).

This was the period in which conquests of many lands took place and the city of Madina and its people prospered. His father or any member of the family of the Prophet did not take any hand in these conquests. They remained aloof but not from the growing Muslim society. Their main aim was to teach and prepare this fledgling into a mature Muslim society for harder times ahead.

Wealth was pouring in from the conquests of Egypt and Persia and many companions of the Prophet did not know what to do with it or how to spend it properly. Many companions built large houses for themselves with stables and servants. What ‘Ali (as) and his family did was to form a Trust and whatever share of prosperity came to them they put all into this Trust.

It is through this Trust those who did not have much to gain from this prosperity were given to have a decent life. Both children of ‘Ali (as) were the Trustees of this holy trust and with the help of many senior companions of the Holy Prophet the workings of this trust prospered and many new converts were helped to settle themselves in this new society.

Every evening food was served to many of those who were not in a position to provide for themselves. While the family of ‘Ali (as) lived in small house and without any pomp or luxury for themselves. This was the example they were setting for all to see and follow that even when you have become rich you share your bounties with other Muslim brothers and sisters to make the society equally prosperous and happy.

In these 25 years Hasan (as) has seen the Islamic State grow into a much larger and more powerful Muslim nation. After the death of the 3rd Caliph Osman his father ‘Ali (as) was elected caliph by a popular vote of the companions of the Holy Prophet. But soon there emerged those who wanted a lot of favor from ‘Ali (as) and when they did not get it they stood against him.

The battle of Jamal was fought and won by ‘Ali (as) and the capital of the Muslim state was removed from Madinah to Kufa. Kufa was established during the reign of the 2nd caliph as a garrison town and was much more central to the vastly growing Muslim Empire than Madinah. This was a very prudent move to give a better control over all corners of this growing Muslim state which stretched from North Africa in the West, to Persia and Azerbaijan in the East.

‘Ali (as) has appointed his own trustworthy Governors of the provinces but none of them from his own family. All his children stayed with him at the center or in Madinah to control the Trust he had formed earlier or to join in the battles of Jamal, Siffin and Nahrwan fought during the life of the Khilafat of ‘Ali (as) Hasan (as) took part with his father in all these battles and shown the customary Hashemite bravery and skill in defeating the enemy.

In these battles the real adversary of ‘Ali (as) and his family was Moawiya ibne Abu Sofian who challenged ‘Ali’s authority and fought with him to remain the governor and later the ruler of the province of Syria.

His atrocities against the rule of ‘Ali (as) continued even after the near defeat at Siffin. After the martyrdom of ‘Ali (as) in the mosque of Kufa in 41 Hijri and the election of Hasan (as) as the next caliph was a thorn in the heart of Moawiya.

His propaganda machine against the House of ‘Ali (as) , in fact against Islam, began its work in earnest. Large sums of money and fraudulent promises of vast properties and governorships of provinces were given to many commanders of Hasan’s (as) army who deserted and left Hasan (as) without much power.

One salient feature one must remember when reading about the lives of these Ma’sumeen that they never waged war for acquisition of worldly power. It was therefore the hallmark of Imam Hasan ‘s (as) life that making peace was his share in the same manner as the Prophet of Islam did in Hodaibiya. Some unfortunate companions of the Prophet doubted even him of his wisdom to make peace to which the Prophet replied," he was the messenger of God and his instructions always come from God."

When people in Madinah disagreed with Imam Hasan’s attitude and questioned his wisdom he replied that his actions were similar to that of Prophet Khidhr who acted to save on three occasions the lives and property of Orphans and many believers of God. Even Prophet Musa was unable to comprehend the wisdom of those actions until this was explained to him.

As the tradition tells us that" in the blood of martyrs lays the ink of history "and often bedazzled by the heroic splendor of their sacrifices, we forget the many occasions when the greater Jihad has lain along the path of peace than war.

His confrontation with Moawiya demanded a treaty rather than blood and Imam’s victory lay in that treaty and in the preservation of those faithful Muslims whose premature death in battle at that time would have extinguished the light of Islam original.

It was the life of Imam Hasan (as) that paved the way for his younger brother’s glorious stand. They were two sides of the same coin, one on living the Jihad of peace and the other the Jihad of martyrdom.

Both acted out their paths fully, bearing the banner of their blessed grandfather, in uncompromising defense of Right and in denial of evil. They joyfully praised their creator in happiness and in adversity, submitting to His Divine laws and leaving for us an example of correct behavior both in peace and in war.

Here were two brothers who from their cradle breathed the air of pure spirit of Islam, nurtured by the love of the Prophet in whose close company they spent their early years. It was the Holy Prophet who said that both “Hasan and Husayn are the chiefs of the youth of paradise”.

Several traditions from his mother and from Umme Salemah, the wife of the Prophet, clearly indicate that Imam Hasan (as) was one of those five who were included in the Verse of purification (33-33)” Certainly Allah wants to keep away all abomination from you, members of the house, to keep you pure and spotless.”

The Prophet then covered them with a garment and said,” these are the members of my house. Allah, keep away abomination from them and keep them pure and spotless.” It was also during the occasion of Mubahela that the Prophet took these five with him to show the world who were the members of his household (Ahlul Bayt).

It is reported on the authority of Anas bin Malik that no one was more like the Prophet of God than Al-Hasan bin ‘Ali. (as)

The Treaty agreed upon between Moawiya and Imam Hasan (as) tells us the following salient points:

1. That Moawiya should rule strictly according to the Holy Qur’an and the Sunna of the Prophet.

2. That Moawiya should not appoint or nominate anyone to the Khilafat after him but that the choice should be left to the Muslims.

3. That the people should be left in peace, wherever they are in the land of God.

4. That the persecution of the companions of Imam ‘Ali (as) should immediately be stopped; their lives and properties and families guaranteed safe conduct and peace.

5. That the cursing of Imam ‘Ali (as) from the pulpit should stop immediately.

6. That no harm should be done secretly or openly against Imam Hasan and his brother Imam Husayn or any of the Ahlul Bayt. (as)

This agreement concluded, Imam Hasan (as) went to Kufa, shortly followed by Moawiya who came there to take the allegiance of the people. In a speech delivered in front of Moawaiya, Imam Hasan (as) explained the situation clearly:

“O’People, Allah has guided you through our elders (Muhammad and ‘Ali) and spared you from bloodshed through those who followed (referring to himself). Indeed this (the Khilafat) is nothing but a passing phase, these worldly possessions keep shifting and changing hands."

For inasmuch as Moawiya desired the sovereignty in this world, so Imam Hasan’s concern was not with worldly leadership for its own sake, but as a tool whereby he might guide the people towards God and His true commandments.

After his abdication he retired to Madinah where he spent the remaining ten years of his life teaching the Qur’an and knowledge of true Deen to all seekers of truth that came to him. Imam Hasan (as) had never relinquished the position of an Imam and guide as appointed by God.

History tells us that from day one Moawiya did not comply with any one of the terms of the treaty agreed upon between him and Imam Hasan (as) He trampled the treaty under his feet saying to the people of Kufa,”do you think I have taken power to teach you about Islam.

No, I have taken power for the sake of it and if any one of you tries to disagree with me shall pay a costly price of losing his head.(Tarikul Kholafa, Jalaluddin Soyuti)

Moawiya carried out his ambition of keeping the power in his family by nominating his son Yazid after him as the ruler of the Kingdom. This demanded that Imam Hasan (as) should predecease him, an unlikely event considering their discrepancy in their ages.

Hence Moawiya bribed Ju’da bint Ash’ath, to poison him in 50 Hijri. Imam died with the effect of poisoning on 28th of the month of Safar. He was 47 years old.

In his last will and testament Imam asked his brother Imam Husayn (as) to take his body to the grave of their grand father the Prophet of Islam and then bury him by the side of the grave of his mother Fatima (sa) in Jannatul Baqii, for he knew that people who are against the family of the Prophet would not let him bury by the side of his grandfather.

Imam knew of the animosity of the Banu Umayya with the Prophet and his family. He did not desire to have any dispute or fight over his burial. But unfortunately when the body of the Imam was taken towards the grave of the Holy Prophet in the mosque, the same enemy about whom Imam had warned, came out and prevented the mourners to reach the grave of the Prophet.

When Imam Husayn (as) realized that if he insists on taking the body of his brother nearer the grave of the Prophet there will be bloodshed, he refrained from it and took him away and buried him in Jannatul Baqii next to the grave of his mother.

Imam Hasan’s (as) 3 sons, Qasim, Abdullah and Hasan-e-Muthanna, were in Karbala’ and took part in the Jihad with their uncle Imam Husayn (as). Qasim and Abdullah died of their wounds but Hasan-e-Muthanna survived. He was among the wounded and was taken out alive by the Banu Asad Tribesmen. They treated his wounds and once he was better he returned back to Madinah.

It appears that he stayed with the Banu Asad for over a year and when the family of the Prophet were released from captivity and returned to Karbala’ he joined the caravan and returned with them to Madinah after the Arabeen in the year 62 Hijri. He was about 17 years old at that time. Later, he married Imam Husayn ‘s (as) daughter Fatima Sughra. It is from this marriage that the descendants oImam Hasan (as) take their line in the family tree.

Hasan-e-Muthanna’s son Abdullah had four sons, Muhammad Nafse Zakiyya, Ibrahim ,Sulaiman and Idris. Nafse Zakiyya rose against Mansur the 2nd Abbasid Caliph and received martyrdom, in the year 142 Hijri, 762 AD. Ibrahim fought Mansur in Baghdad and was martyred. This was in 143 Hijri 763 AD(See Hitti,History of the Arabs) Two other great grandsons of Imam Hasan, Sulaiman and Idris migrated to Iran and Tunisia respectively.

Descendents of Imam Hasan from Idris flourished in North Africa and brought Islam in the Maghrib. From Sulaiman, who settled in Kirman, many of his descendents spread Islam in Persia and some of them later migrated to India. The writer of this book is also one of the descendents of Imam Hasan (as) from the line through Sulaiman.

Imam Hasan’s (as) life was one of hardship and trial. like the lives of his grandfather tProphet of Islam, his father ‘Ali (as) , his mother Fatima (sa) and many members of the Ahlul Bayt after him. Life is a test as Qur’an tells us. For some,the difficulties of life make him arrogant or agnostic but not the people of the household of the Prophet.

They endured all sorts of hardships with thanks to God all the time. He saw his mother brutally injured and died at an early age. He saw his father martyred in the mosque of Kufa. He saw the people who had been given the clear signs from his grandfather, abandon the” Deen” for wealth and power. He saw his own supporters turn against him.

Yet his dying request to his brother was not to have any quarrel over his burial. His life is a sign and a reminder that for the people of the Household of the Prophet there will be adversity but they take all in complete submission to God and His commandments.

A famous saying of Imam Hasan is “In regard to the world be as if you were going to live forever. With respect to the Hereafter, be as if you were going to die tomorrow.”

This is an invitation to action, care and attention and avoidance of negligence and indifference, whether it is in respect of the work of this world or the Hereafter. This further confirms the saying of the Holy Prophet who said, “The Momin is a person who attends the affairs of this world as well as of the Hereafter in the most perfect way,”

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