#Mt Desolation

[aurpiment]

Stephen: It must have been hard to see the woman you loved courting all those other men

Herapath: oh yes but I was able to deal with it. I started doing opium.

Stephen: In my experience—WHICH IS TO SAY from books OF COURSE—that’s not very good for you. It can cause dependence and lessen the appetites.

Herapath: Well I did eat less but I didn’t have any virility problems if that’s what you mean.

Stephen: (making desperate eye contact with Patrick O’Brian and doing the ‘get me out of here’ scuba gesture)

Edit:

@july-19th-club you got me there. He is most certainly doing the wrong sign.

[findasongblog]

Find A Song about starting over

Mt. Desolation - Sunrise

Added to FAS Spotify playlists indie folk/country/americana and hope/perseverance/self-empowerment.

[leggerefiore]

Ghost

cw: long, not overly romantic, Volo being himself, platonic cynthia, unrequited love at first

pairings: Volo/Reader,

summary: Volo disappears after you defeat him. Your unrequited love for him leads to you leaving Hisui for modern times where you make a friend who reminds you of him.

----

Volo was a beautiful man.

It was hard not to notice such an obvious trait when he first introduced himself to you not long after your forced landing in the lands of the past. His golden strands caught the light beautifully, while those stormy eyes held such a variety of emotions. To say you got a small crush on him from his looks was embarrassing, but it was the truth. When he acted kindly towards you, no matter how much of a farce you came to know it as, you fell deeper and deeper in love with him. It was why his sudden shift into the man who stood opposed to you at the Temple of Sinnoh caused heavy tears to escape your eyes.

His disappearance completely wrecked you, naturally.

Your confession of love to him during your battle staggered him a bit, but he shook his head and chose to declare your affections untrue unless you gave him the plates. Even your pleas for him to stay after your battle only led to a terrifying glare from Volo. Your hand reaching for his own desperately went entirely ignored. He left you desolate on the freezing top of Mt. Coronet.

Everything that happened to you in Hisui, led to a change to the modern day when the Alpha pokemon returned you to your own era. Your final attempt to find Volo saw you before Cogita, convinced she knew exactly where he was. No matter your pleas, she continued her carefully feigned ignorance. It hurt enough to simply see your returning home. Bidding all your newly made friends farewell stung. Their deaths would come without your knowing and leave you unable to speak to any of them in your modern days. That, naturally, included the man who left you.

Readjustment was not as difficult as you thought it might have been. Returning to previously understood rules versus learning something new was always going to see a victory from the former. A trip to Sinnoh was in order after you felt settled back in. Your friends may have questioned your sudden trip, but you needed to see the region you left through a modern lens. At least, if not to pay respects to your departed friends, too.

It was during these travels throughout the cool region that you found an eerily familiar face. Her long, blonde hair that fell over her left eye and a pendant heavy on her chest made you swallow. Volo had certainly lived on to have a child, it seemed. You nearly jumped when the woman approached you with a curious expression. “Are you curious about the ruins, too?” she asked with a friendly smile, “You are eyeing them up pretty intensely.” You realised she had noticed you staring at her.

“… I had a, er, friend who used to love these sorts of things,” you lied, “He was a bit mad about them.” Volo's descendant having an interest in the very thing that sent him into his madness was a bit unsurprising, honestly. She gazed back to the walls covered in the language of the Unown.

“... Were you curious about my pendant?” she continued. Your cheeks flushed at the realisation that she had caught you staring at her. While you were, it was not like you were ignorant to its meaning. It was more than obvious when both Cogita and Volo had worn their own in the past.

“It means you are descended from the ancient people of this region, doesn't it?” you replied with a question. Her eye went wide as her attention returned to you. The smile on her lips was strikingly familiar. Perhaps, it was the nature of the Celestica people to carry the history of Sinnoh.

“Correct, actually,” she stood before you, her tall height almost as staggering as her ancestor's own, “I'm Cynthia, an archaeologist and a trainer.” You nodded along at her words. “Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee? I feel like we have a lot we could talk about.”

You were not going to turn her down.

~

Cynthia was a fast friend, admittedly. She was kind and genuinely caring, while a powerful and strong person. In many ways, she was the best of what Volo had to offer. Even challenging you to a battle and being amused when you beat her. The team she chose… All except one pokemon was the same as a Volo's choices. It was obvious how much she enjoyed your company, too. Endless conversations about history and random little things.

The blonde trainer worried about her image a bit. Everyone was always so nervous to approach her and made her feel the need to act a certain way, so your presence was entirely welcome in her life. You would admit it was nice to be around her, as well, but the lingering feeling that you were using her to replace Volo always remained heavy. Their similarities were completely undeniable. She was not him, however. Your heart clenched at the thought of his eyes and the madness mixed with pain they held. What led him to such a horrible fate?

Your attention returned to Cynthia's words as she finally ended a phone call she took. She had asked you out to a café again. It was not long after your meeting that you moved to Sinnoh, so these meetings were quite commonplace in your day to day. She took a sip of her coffee and looked over some notes.

“So, there are these ruins I plan to investigate these ruins between Sinnoh and Johto,” she explained and moved the paper before you to show an old map, “The old verses my grandmother had mentioned this area, Sinjoh, as being similar to 'Hisui,' the old name for the Sinnoh region.” You stared at the map curiously. The old verses, as you recalled, were handed off to Cogita by you after collecting them all. Something about them felt as if they belonged to her.

“Do you think your ancestors may have settled there as well?” you asked her, wondering about whether Volo knew of this place. She nodded.

“Both the people of Sinnoh and the people of Johto are said to have met and blended their cultures here,” Cynthia explained, “I find myself fascinated with the information it may hold and how it could reveal more about the nature of certain features in Sinnoh.” It had caught your attention, too, admittedly. From how the Kantonian Galaxy Team had spoken, it almost felt as if the Hisuian people had little connection with them before their settlement. Cynthia gave a chuckle at your expression. “Would you like to join me then?” she offered, “You almost look more interested in this than I do.”

You gazed at her with big eyes.

“I'd love to,” you agreed, “I actually find the Johto region's history just as interesting.”

~

Sinjoh was isolated.

The ruins themselves laid at the top of a snow covered mountain top, with little reprieve from the chilly weather. The moment your eyes landed on the structure, you felt your hand reach toward the illusion of Arceus that you had captured after accepting the deity's challenge. Something told you bringing it was needed. Cynthia found herself immersed in the information she had gathered, while you felt an ominous call.

Thinking back on it, Cogita had said she had been waiting an eternity for you. What was she? You wondered if these were things you should have discussed with your friend instead of hiding it in fear. The old wooden pokeball almost sweetly whispered your name to release the pokemon. Your sudden change had not gone unnoticed by the champion, either. She gazed at you as you sat on the cushion nervously.

“... You seem like you are in a situation,” she said while placing a cup of tea in front of you, “What's wrong?” Your nervous demeanour strengthened. Would she hate you? You knew she would not, but the thought of telling her it made your mouth dry. It was needed, however. It was currently just you and her in the cabin. Her hand even softly rubbed at your back.

“I – I was brought to Hisui by…” you felt it impossible to say the word Arceus, “… By a strange portal. I knew your ancestors. I had to stop one of them!” It all came pouring out into the poor woman's chest as you recalled everything you had been through in Sinnoh of the past. Even your feelings towards Volo were spoken of in your desperation to finally share the event with someone who could understand. Cynthia was stunned at first, but slowly shifted into quiet understanding. By the time your tale came to an end, you held the wooden pokeball out nervously to her with tears stinging your eyes.

Her expression was gentle and sympathetic. There was no judgement anywhere to be found, just simple curiosity and concern. “… I see,” she finally said, “I feel the need to apologise for his actions.” Cynthia took the pokeball away from you to place it on the table. Her hands held yours tightly, warming the now chilled skin. “Thank you for telling me all of this,” the blonde's soft smile calmed you down, “I am completely apologetic you experienced such things at the hand of my ancestor.” You shook your head.

“It's not your fault, Cyn,” the nickname just came out naturally, “… I miss him, actually…” She shook her head. The hug she pulled you into came completely unexpected. It was warm and the scent of old parchment stung your nose. “I think I need to bring my piece of Arceus into the ruins,” you told her. She nodded.

“According to an ancient document, time, space, and antimatter, or what combined we call the world, shall be born when Arceus stands on the Mystri Stage,” Cynthia spoke with a strange eagerness, “That is, if Arceus stands alone in the stage inside the ruins, perhaps another legendary pokemon of Sinnoh could be created.” You swallowed.

“… Well, let's go, then,” you were confident as long as she was at your side, “I'm sure we both want to see what this brings.” Both of you readied yourselves as you took the pokeball alone into the ruins. A mysterious, yet powerful air ruminate in the ancient room.

The triangular stage stood in the middle of the room, with runes engraved into its dark stone flooring. Snow dusted the room, having blown in from outside. Cynthia watched in amazement as the runes glowed with ominous colour. A deep blue, a vibrant magenta and a frightening crimson all apparent. Statues of ancient guardian pokemon stood in line as you approached the stage. You felt energy coming from the pokeball as you called out the power of the deity inside. Even just a small portion of the Alpha pokemon could be terrifying with its staggering height.

Cynthia gazed at the stage curiously. “All my study of ruins and Pokémon mythology in Sinnoh may have been to bring you up on this stage here today…” She murmured to herself. Easily, she explained what each pattern represented before standing behind you. “Which will you choose?” The champion asked. Your eyes could certainly stare a hole in the stone where Giratina's symbol lied. You took a step towards it. Cynthia cocked a brow curiously at your choice. As you stood in the middle of Giratina's pattern, a light broke out and darkness overcame your mind. Dancing visage played past your eyes of many things.

At the end of it all, the ruins came back into view and a bright light hovered above your head. It floated down to lay in your hands as a singular egg. No difference laid between it and any other pokemon egg you had observed, yet what laid inside was like no other thing that would hatch. “An egg?” Cynthia was at a loss for words, “I see… An Egg is the cradle of every being. The planet itself is an Egg in a sense…” Before her mumbling could continue, footsteps echoed into the ruins.

“… It has been a century since I last had anything catch my attention,” your blood ran cold at the voice. It was impossible. The egg still flush to your chest, you turned around with lightning speed. Through the wash wintery winds heavy with snow stood a single man with a large pack on his back and a heavy winter coat. A hat laid on his head. Cynthia immediately took to stand on guard against the strange man. “Finally, I have my curiosity quelled,” those stormy eyes and a familiar pendant left you completely at a loss, “To think, it would be you again.”

“Stop right there,” Cynthia ordered him, “Who are you?” She demanded of him. Her expression may have been stiff, but you could read her confusion towards the man with ease. Having your long dead ancestor stand before you would make anyone tense, after all. Volo paid little attention to her, instead having his gaze remain on you.

“… That is not the real being a seek standing behind you yet, however,” Volo stopped just before you and Cynthia. You nearly ran towards the man. Tears poured from your eyes, unrequited feelings of love and an odd feeling of camaraderie bubbled in your chest. “You still haven't changed I see,” he said with little emotion, “Will you confess your undying love to me once more as I attempt to kill you again?”

“Who are you?” Cynthia demanded, clearly unhappy with everything he was causing, “You are no one in my family that I am aware of.”

“I am Volo,” he answered her, if only to quiet her, “I am your ancestor. May I speak with my old friend?” Cynthia stood back at his words. You gave up on pushing back your feelings and rushed towards him. The minute your hands made contact with his body, you felt more feelings pour out. He was real; Volo truly stood before you alive. The grin on his lips should have terrified you, but you grasped on to him desperately. Unexpectedly, he allowed an arm to embrace you, too.

“How is that possible?” Cynthia demanded, before rushing to pull you away, “Records show your death in the early 1900s.” She held you behind her, clearly not trusting anything lying before her.

“Mistress Cogita still lives if you can believe that as well,” his words were directed at you, “… Her reasons are different from mine, naturally.” Cynthia called out her Garchomp as Volo dared to take another step towards you both. He easily responded by pulling out his pokemon. Togekiss fluttered her wings high above him. “… She told me how desperately you sought me out,” he continued, “I was foolish then. I realise that now. I rejected you in my jealous that Arceus had chosen you over me.”

Your heart clenched as your thoughts were confirmed. Before everything had gone down at the Temple of Sinnoh, you felt at least some minor sense of friendship from him. At least, an understanding of not belonging. He and Cynthia fell into a battle, but Volo quickly emerged victorious. Age and who knows what else would win in the end. “Even when I found another, I still failed to find what I was searching for,” he remained still despite having won against her, “… I cannot be deigned worthy by Arceus, no matter how I try. I am cursed to walk this earth for an eternity to repent for my actions.”

You gasped while Cynthia finally seemed to accept that her ancestor stood before you both. “Why are you here?” she asked. Volo shrugged.

“I heard that the champion of Sinnoh and a friend of hers were going to investigate ruins related to Arceus,” Volo replied, “When I saw who that friend was, I figured something would happen.” Cynthia nodded. You wondered many things as you gazed at the man. Cursed to walk the earth for an eternity… How lonely must he have been? He was already a loner in Hisui, you could not imagine how he handled the changing ages and his time and people being truly forgotten.

“Volo,” you finally spoke, “I…” It was honestly difficult to speak with him. Clinging to him, pretending he was the same man who left you on Mt. Coronet alone, that was wrong. “Cynthia, can I be alone with him?” you asked her desperately. She gazed at you carefully before turning to the other blond. Her eyes closed for a moment.

“Yell if you need help,” she said simply, “I still do not trust him.” The champion walked out of the ruins, leaving you alone with the impossible man. You took a step towards him again, still in partial denial he was truly there before you.

“I… I still love you,” what had been a century for him had only been a year for you. You could not even meet his gaze during your confession. Volo made his way towards you, grabbing your chin, forcing your gaze to meet his. Those eyes which many emotions still had yet to change. Gloves covered his hands and his attire may have been changed, but Volo still remained. The kiss that followed knocked the air out from your lungs. It was long and staggering; it was something that had clearly echoed in his mind many times.

When he pulled away, your heart raced more. “I will not pretend to be a better man,” he said simply, “I still envy and despise how Arceus chose you, but I also have come to realise there's more to my feelings than simply that.” His hand moved to cup your cheek, his eyes stared down at you. “I love you,” he said easier than you expected, “I have made a terrible mistake once, please allow me to amend that now.” You nodded and buried your face into his chest. His slow heartbeat calmed your racing one.

Finally, you and Volo had come together, and neither of you planned to let the other slip away.

[buffshipper8490]

Rating Mature

Chapter Summary

Led by Finn, the oppressed citizens of Coruscant revolt against the First Order. In an effort to put an end to the rebellion before it spreads, Chancellor Hux deploys the fearsome bloodtroopers, his elite Red Army. Meanwhile, Poe, Chewie, and BB-8 return to the Skywalker— the Eclipse class Star Destroyer the Resistance stole from the Kuat Drive Yards— where Poe must convince a downtrodden Leia to set a course for Coruscant to help Finn and his People's Resistance fight...

Excerpt

We’re doing this, we’re really doing this, Finn thought as he crouched in an abandoned building. There were hundreds of the people from the underground with him here, placed all over the street, watching and waiting for the First Order to spring the trap they’d set for them. They from all over the galaxy, from every walk of life. Some humanoid and others decidedly not. They had come to Coruscant in hope of a better life and ended up living in the sewers. But they were all here for the same reason, the same cause. Everything he and Rose had talked about was coming true. This was the revolution, this "People's Resistance", and he was leading it. Well, maybe it wasn’t exactly what they’d talked about. Rose was supposed to be here with him. But there was no time for him to fall apart, not when he noticed movement down below. Two small figures emerged from a side street, swallowed up by the desolate urban landscape. As they got closer, Finn could make out a familiar golden protocol droid and a blue and silver astromech by his side. Finn sighed to himself. “Come on, Threepio. Not now.” On the ground, the two droids went on, completely unaware of the trap they were walking into.  Artoo beeped nervously. “I agree,” said Threepio, looking at the charred tank Finn and the rest of the People's Resistance members had placed at the far end, practically right in front of them. “This certainly isn’t the Coruscant I remember.” Just then, a shadow fell over them both. A towering AT-MT walker entered the from one end of the boulevard, dwarfing the droids as they watched it pass. Threepio’s photoreceptors glowed in the gloom. “Oh dear.” Finn held his breath. Everything hinged on this moment, and of course the exact moment when the First Order found their bait, Artoo and Threepio would somehow find their way directly into the thick of it. It was almost pathological. The walker paused directly beneath their hideout, and Finn exhaled. It was working. Even with the droids in the mix, they had it exactly where they wanted it. Now he just needed Threepio to stay quiet for once. The comm he’d stolen crackled to life, set to the same frequency as the walker pilots. <Any life forms?> asked the walker pilot. <Nope.> replied his co-pilot. Finn tensed. It was now or never.  “Now!” he shouted, his crew firing grappling guns into the building opposite. The lines criss-crossed over top the walker, the two pilots too busy focusing on the droids and the burned out tank to notice what was going on overhead. Maybe Leia had a point. You should never underestimate a droid. “On my mark.” Finn checked to make sure everyone was ready. “Three... two ... one… go!”

New fanfic link! Likes ❤️ and Reblogs 🔁 are much appreciated!

[dichromaniac]

Ok I've had a minute and some dives into the lore. And here is the MOST coherent version of what I'm calling the "Unified Tree Theory" that I've been pondering since Calamity:

So according to Encyclopedia Exandria, the Luxon created the Primordials/Titans and also devoted itself into the cycle of rebirth/reincarnation in a very Buddhist sense of repeating life to reach a state of "perfection."

How absolutely tragic that a hubristic wizard lit some candles and said some words and not only "deleted" a god of death, but took over the MOMENT when the strings of mortality are cut and deciding to be the arbiter of what happens next. What a slap in the face to the Luxon's intentions for mortal life.

Atrophy and Blight are close enough words connotatively to definitely link Laerryn's spell to the name Atrophy, especially considering we're already on board playing cultural meme narrative telephone with language.

I don't think Evandrin ever chose to come "back" to the tree. I think a piece of him was caught in the runic net and never left, even if most of him was able to travel amongst the stars. We know Zerxus was not a paladin of a Prime Deity, but *of the people.* So assuming that Zerxus and Evandrin were both tapping into the same power source, i.e. the Luxon, it would be even more reasonable that the Luxon allowed for different aspects, versions, or pieces of Evandrin to exist in multiple places simultaneously.

(Probably useful info is that I firmly believe Evontra'vir is a language shift of Evandrin Alterra of Avalir in the vein of Gau Drashari -> Ashari -> Hishari; Avalir -> Savalir; Mt. Ygora -> Cathmoira)

(Ex. Otohan's Dunamancy backpack is the explanation for her Echo Knight abilities. Multiple versions, different place, Same time. But that's diluted, distilled, *stolen* instead of granted straight from the source. I don't currently see a reason why the Luxon itself would not grant more bespoke power directly.)

Also, I have a mighty need to rant about the fucking Trees

The Sun Tree: "Planted" by Pelor/Dawnfather, at the site of the battle between Ioun and Tharizdun, at Whitestone. Lvl 20 Oaths of Ancients Paladins can manipulate their physical form to be more "plant like." Additionally, we KNOW God's can change their champions into other forms/shapes but maintain the personality of the humanoid transformed. (Mace of the Black Crown, specifically, but it does seem all the Arms of the Betrayers used to be sentient creatures - and we have no reason to assume, other than alignment - that a Prime would not have this same power.)

Arbor Exemplar: planted by Melora/Wildmother at the "most desolate location in Exandria at the time" (according to Encyclopedia Exandria) and is *the sister tree* of...

The Seed of Rebirth: planted at the heart of the Abundant Terrace in Vasselheim. Described as the "sister" to the Arbor Exemplar...

Who can say these three trees are not champions? Whose to say the gods are not "reverse engineering" the deep, wordless magic of the Luxon and these three (if not more!!!) Trees are recreating a weaker version of the protection the Tree of Names offered.

And, to the point I set out to make originally, who is to say the Matron of Ravens did not, had not, or would not, manipulate the Tree of Names/Tree of Atrophy to bolster her own defenses, domains and sources of power? Ludinus did it with distilled dunamancy and otohan, why would the Matron, know Wizard, with all the power and perspective of a god, not do the same to this Tree?

[melonthesprigatito]

Is anyone else still mad at the Pokémon Square townsfolk?

That whole "Pikachu is actually a human and the Ninetales legend says that when the human wakes up as a Pokémon, the world's balance will be upset and the apocalypse will happen. So we should """"get rid of""" Pikachu and the world will be saved, right?" thing.

Like, they take what Gengar, leader of Team Meanies, (and THE ACTUAL HUMAN TURNED POKÉMON FROM THE ACTUAL LEGEND) says at face value and immediately decide that murdering Pikachu is the only way to solve their problems.

They turn on the poor little Sugar the Pikachu and Sprinkles the Eevee who have been peacefully going about their lives doing their rescue work and have been nothing but friendly and conversing with everyone.

Rescue Team Sweetheart becomes public enemy number one and the townsfolk and every Rescue Team in existence chase two innocent Pokémon to the literal end of the continent, and Sugar and Sprinkles suffer from exhaustion, constant threat of attack, possible starvation, possible hypothermia, SPRINKLES DOES CATCH A COLD AT SOME POINT ("Eww, my nose is running!") for a period that is implied to last weeks or months. They also nearly get killed by TWO Legendary Birds!

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON TEAM A.C.T. Alakazam, the Gold Rank explorer with the IQ of 5000 gives into peer pressure and decides to join the lynch mob. Alakazam who is already aware of the Ninetales legend. How come Mr Big Shot Smart Explorer didn't try to diffuse the situation and find another solution?

Everyone trusts Alakazam enough that him being an eyewitness to Ninetales confirming that Sugar ain't evil in her past life and telling everyone she has nothing to do with the disasters is enough to clear her name. He could have said "Hey, how about we DON'T kill the supposed human who's causing the disasters? She has no motive, she lost her memories, we have no guarantee she's even the same human from the Ninetales legend that's causing the natural disasters, we should look into this and come up with a better solution."

But NOOOOO, Alakazam's all like "We came to a consensus, we must get rid of you." Charizard taunts Sprinkles before their battle on Mt Freeze like "I don't know how to show mercy" and all three of them would have killed Sugar and Sprinkles if Ninetales intervene.

Gengar receives no punishment for starting an international manhunt. All the townsfolk except for Caterpie, Metapod, Diglett, Jumpluff, Pelipper and Kangaskhan basically say "Sorry for suspecting you, I was 100% sure you were guilty, I had no faith in you at all."

Fucking Shiftry over there is like "I joined the chase with a heavy heart but only stopped going after them once they ran into Doomed Desolation Mt Blaze (actual way Mt Blaze is described in game) because I'm a Grass Type and fire doesn't agree with me." BITCH, I RISKED MY LIFE TO SAVE YOU FROM ZAPDOS. Why would you go along with the "Let's Kill Sugar" plan???

The townsfolk go back to acting like everything is normal and the rest of the rescue teams gather in the Square when Team A.C.T goes missing and I'm supposed to be courteous to the people who subjected me and Sprinkles to months of horrors based on the words of one individual who's famously untrustworthy.

I know it's a video game, but holy shit. If I were actually Sugar, I would never trust any of these people again. I would have left Alakazam's ass to melt in the Magma Cavern.

Behold the Beast of The Apocalypse and her sympathisers

[wandering-jana]

Mt. Hayden, as seen from Point Imperial, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Explore:

[bracketsoffear]

Shabriri (Elden Ring) ""The most reviled man in all history" of the Lands Between, who has been serving the Frenzied Flame by preaching chaos and destruction long enough that "It is said that the sickness of the flame of frenzy began with [him]." According to the Talisman called Shabriri’s Woe, “It is said that […] Shabriri, had his eyes gouged out as punishment for the crime of slander, and, with time, the blight of the flame of frenzy came to dwell in the empty sockets.” He encourages the Tarnished to shirk the role of Elden Lord and instead become the Lord of Frenzied Flame. While at first he paints it as a more "noble" means of attaining Lordship (since it doesn’t require killing your companion Melina), he makes no effort to lie about the fact that becoming the Lord of Frenzied Flame will burn the world and everything within it--in fact, he's rather vocal about his excitement at the idea of Chaos taking the world. The Frenzied Flame is an outer god associated of madness, destruction, flame, chaos, and the end of life, which seeks to create a Lord of Chaos through the Three Fingers. It is drawn to people who succumb to despair and grief--it was summoned into the Lands Between by the dying wish of the genocided nomads, it infects Edgar after his daughter Irina dies, and soldiers on Mt. Gelmir (site of the most horrific battle of the Shattering) use Frenzied Flame Incantations. Hyetta (who might be Irina) set out to become a Finger Maiden to the Three Fingers by consuming “Shabriri Grapes”--shriveled, oozing eyeballs apparently infected with the Frenzied Flame. She claims that the Frenzied Flame despises the Greater Will for fragmenting an ancient source of life, the "One Great," to create the lesser forms of life that populate the Lands Between; the Frenzied Flame would see the One Great restored, which necessitates the eradication of all forms of life and the scorching of the entire world by the fires of the Frenzied Flame. So feared and reviled is the Frenzied Flame and its goal of universal destruction that even the adherents of other gods, themselves mortal enemies, teamed up to curb its influence. If the Tarnished follows Shabriri’s advice and inherits the Frenzied Flame, they'll become the Lord of Chaos who will burn the Elden Ring, the Erdtree and likely all life, which is basically a successful Desolation Ritual à la “The Scoured Earth”."

Ashes O'Reilly (The Mechanisms) "Ashes became a Mechanisms after being betrayed a left locked in a burning building to die. Their Mechanisms is their lungs, which were replaced after the fire and smoke inhalation destroyed them. Ashes came back for revenge and burned down their entire homeworld. Burning whole inhibited planets is not a one-time thing, as they do so again in Ulysses Dies At Dawn and presumably has a habit of doing so with other planets as well. Their death is being sent to the end of time, where they set themselves ablaze as the last point light in a dying universe."

Origin Song!

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tuesday, February 20, 2024

february 20_february 7

VENERABLE LUKE OF Mt STEIRION, MONK (953)

(Also known as Luke from Hellas or Luke the Younger)

Saint Luke of Hellas was a native of the Greek village of Kastorion. The son of poor farmers, the saint from childhood had toiled much, working in the fields and shepherding the sheep. He was very obedient to his parents and very temperate in eating. He often gave his own food and clothing to the poor, for which he suffered reproach from his parents. He once gave away almost all the seed which was needed for planting in the fields. The Lord rewarded him for his charity, and the harvest gathered was greater than ever before.

As a child, he prayed fervently and often. His mother saw him more than once standing not on the ground, but in the air while he prayed.

After the death of his father, he left his mother and went to Athens, where he entered a monastery. But through the prayers of his mother, who was very concerned about him, the Lord returned him to his parental home in a miraculous manner. He spent four months there, then with his mother’s blessing he went to a solitary place on a mountain called Ioannou (or Ioannitsa). Here there was a church dedicated to the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, where he lived an ascetical life in constant prayer and fasting. He was tonsured there by some Elders who were on pilgrimage. After this, Saint Luke redoubled his ascetic efforts, for which the Lord granted him the gift of foresight.

After a seven years on Ioannou, the saint moved to Corinth because of an invasion of the Bulgarian armies. Hearing about the exploits of a certain stylite at Patras, he went to see him, and remained for ten years to serve the ascetic with humility and obedience. Afterwards, the saint returned again to his native land and again began to pursue asceticism on Mount Ioannou.

The throngs of people flocking there disturbed his quietude, so with the blessing of his Elder Theophylactus, Saint Luke went with his disciple to a still more remote place at Kalamion. After three years, he settled on the desolate and arid island of Ampelon because of an invasion of the Turks. Steiris was another place of his ascetic efforts. Here brethren gathered to the monk, and a small monastery grew up, the church of which was dedicated to the Great Martyr Barbara. Dwelling in the monastery, the saint performed many miracles, healing sicknesses of soul and of body.

Foreseeing his end, the saint confined himself in a cell and for three months prepared for his departure. When asked where he was to be buried, the monk replied, “Throw my body into a ravine to be eaten by wild beasts.” When the brethren begged him to change these instructions, he commanded them to bury his body on the spot where he lay. Raising his eyes to heaven, he said, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit!”

Saint Luke fell asleep in the Lord on February 7, 946. Later, a church was built over his tomb. Myrrh flowed from his holy relics, and many healings occurred.

VENERABLE MASTRIDIA OF JERUSALEM , WOMAN ASCETIC of THE DESERT (ca. 580)

On February 7, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of a wonderful ascetic named Mastridia. She lived in Jerusalem, and very little is known about her life. In asceticism,

Mastridia desired to be united with our Lord Jesus Christ, , and spent many years attempting to achieve her goal. But before she started asceticism, she was courted by a certain impudent young man in Jerusalem who simply wouldn’t leave her alone. He kept harrassing her. He kept wanting to be with her. And she really didn’t want to.

At the same time, she also had great love for everyone and didn’t want to embarrass this young man. So she decided to go into the desert. She took a bowl of beans and put them in some water and carried it out into the desert. During the following years in this dry land, which was very rugged and very difficult, she reached incredible spiritual heights through her strict asceticism according to the will of the Lord. During that time, her beans never ran out. They were the only thing that she would eat. And the clothing, the garments, that she was wearing when she left, also never decayed.

She died in absolute divine radiance in the year 580 AD. She is not known to a lot of people, and there are probably many like her that are known only to the Lord. But yet the Lord has also given us but a brief glance into the life of this marvelous woman who loved Him so much she was convinced she could do all things in Him.

Source: Ancient Faith Ministries, Inc.

1 PETER 3:10-22

10 For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." 13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us-baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

MARK 12:18-27

18 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: 19 Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. 22 So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. 23 Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife. 24 Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.

[snow-toast]

Well That Took a Tern

Birds-Eye View: A Prologue

TW/CW: Blood and injury, unintentional bodily harm, mentioned panic attack and existential dread.

If there is anything I should add, do not hesitate to remind notify me.

I have this cross posted on AO3 as well.

WTTaT Masterpost

Dead Man Dale.

What a name for a place like this.

Then again, you supposed it was only natural for this strange little grassland valley to be given such a name. The nearest town was some gold-rush era community that looked like the weathered remains of a Western movie set, painted wooden facades and all. The only difference of course, was that that town had become desolate, seeing as there was no gold and whatever coal the people of the time found proved to be a short lived resource. So everyone left, leaving nothing but a husk of civilization behind, all for you to explore and ponder upon.

Dead Man Dale.

It stood only a few dozen kilometres away from the badlands, the remains of a forgotten community being reclaimed by the grassland biome that had thrived before humans came, uprooting the native grasses and pillaging the earth of its resources.

Not that your family had any hand in that, some distant relatives just happened to have bought the territory that ghost town sat upon. What it was going to be used for was anyone’s guess, you just inherited the plot and everything that came on it as a result.

The odd little valley formation you resided in however, was not the result of human activity, the basin shape the land seemed to take could not have been an artifact of the time, or you didn’t think so at least.

If you recalled, the province you lived in had once been an in-land sea, hence the badlands, and the large amount of fossil discoveries in this particular region. You suspected the dale was a result of that long vanished sea, your theory only being proven when bits of prehistoric life protruded from the soil. You practically tripped over theropod bones every other week, but you couldn’t find it in you to complain.

Your accidental discoveries meant you had become something of a favourite of the scientists and other staff at the paleontology museum in the city further south. It was funny to think that finding what you had thought were the remains of a strange bird had led you to making so many new friends.

(You were an ornithologist, how you had managed to convince yourself the fossil of a small dromaeosaurid were the remains of a messed up bird was beyond you.)

What lovely discoveries this land had exposed you to.

But back to the topic at hand; the name.

Dead Man Dale.

You were starting to think there was a reason behind the name, especially if the name was given by anyone in any way affiliated with your family. Your family always seemed to have strange tales to tell, some passed down generation to generation, a seemingly sourceless story that would follow you and your kin until people tired of repeating them.

At first you thought nothing of the tales from your childhood, thinking the fables about monsters, mages, and spirits were nothing more than stories. Somehow however, life always managed to find a way to challenge your ideals, for better or for worse; though not even the stories your family had been handing down for generations could have prepared you for the emergence of monsters from Mt. Ebott. Not that you were complaining, it just made you question how many more of those fairy tales floating in your brain were true.

That was three or four years ago now, and monsters had been successfully integrated, society adapting to them fairly well despite everything.

But back to the name; Dead Man Dale.

A rather prominent story you remember from your younger days, legends that next to nobody outside your family had ever heard of, were the tales of Corpsefolk, or Corpse People. The names spoke for themselves in many ways, but in essence they were immortal humans who had stopped aging physically some time around early adulthood, and who’s bodies decomposed while they were still alive.

At the time, you had simply ignored the story. You were more interested in birds at the time, and you still were. Now, after a good 30 more years of experience, you were able to recognize how grizzly that legend really was

“I should’ve known.” You grumbled, glaring at the water in your sink, which was now tinted a horrifying shade of pink.

Many of your friends had changes over the years, but you looked the same as you did when you had first turned 23. An entire decade with no veritable change wasn’t exactly entirely alarming, but considering most members of your family had at least grown a little taller by time they were 25, it was a little odd. When your hair and nails started growing twice as fast as usual over the week, you thought nothing of it, too engrossed in your job at the Dead Man Dale Bird Observatory to think of much else.

...Until you had accidentally cut yourself slicing cucumbers with your mandolin.

You weren’t even sure how you cut your palm, considering your fingers had been far closer to the blades than the rest of your hand.

At the time, you panicked. Predictably so, since being injured in any sense of the word usually had you spiralling. Your irrational fear of being hurt by any means had taken hold until you were able to get yourself together and patch yourself up with the plentiful resources your first-aid kits offered.

While it wasn’t immediately nearby, the Drumheller Health Centre was always a 10 kilometre drive (give or take) when you needed it, but you didn’t want to call the ambulance for something non-essential, and in your panic ridden state there was no way you should be allowed to drive. So, shaky with anxiety you held the cut under water and wrapped your hand up until you couldn’t see red anymore.

You ended up replacing the bandages multiple times, and drove to the health centre later for stitches. The doctors were at least glad to see the bleeding had stopped, even if the wound hadn’t really healed as much as it should have.

That was a week or two now.

With a birds-eye view of all the possible red flags, part of you felt as though you should have foreseen this rather grim future. Riding on fumes, your very justified fear about the nature of your future had turned into a sort of frustrated numbness.

Currently, you had your hand — or what was left of it — doused in freezing water from your sink. Somehow, despite most of the tissue having fallen off, you were able to articulate your fingers.

The pain was at least numbed, and you planned to take pain killers later, but that wasn’t really the point.

The source of your dread, for once was not the injury itself, but what it implied. You had lost most of an entire hand, and lived on without much consequence. Your body saw no changes in the last decade. Hair and nails growing faster than normal, ‘maybe even my bigger appetite could have been a symptom’.

All signs pointed towards a lack of humanity where you were concerned. You were probably Corpsefolk, just like those characters from all those stories of your youth. The very idea that you were maybe not as human as you had originally thought terrified you to no end. You lived alone most days of the year, but other Ornithologists often came to the observatory, and you still had to drive into town to pick up supplies every once in a while. You had friends too, entirely normal people who didn’t grow up the way you did, who you think wouldn’t be ready to know that you would be actively decomposing over the next months, years even.

Despite the emergence of monsters, you knew even this would be too much for most people.

Was this seriously the fate

“What am I going to do.” You sighed, staring at your left hand, still submerged in your bathroom sink. You pulled it out of the murky water, and emptied the basin, watching as the tinted liquid ran down the drain.

For all the panic you had, you were too emotionally exhausted to deal with the existential breakdown you knew would be coming for you.

‘I’ll deal with it when I have to, I guess.’ You thought, pulling some gauze from the cabinet in front of you to wrap your more skeletal hand with.

You paused and stared out the open window when you caught sight of a ruby-throated hummingbird stopping at the hummingbird feeder you had outside your house.

You watched the little avian drink from the feeder, before zipping off somewhere out of sight. You looked back down at your mostly decomposed hand, which had dried while you had been looking outside. With short sound of resignation, you began to wrap what remained of your limb.

‘Maybe there’s a reason this place was called “Dead Man Dale”.’

[aurpiment]

The Americans are in the right here 100% but you do have to laugh at the line “My advice to you, old Boston Bean, is to go right back to Sodom, Massachusetts, by foot, and try to find a real sailorman or two”

[findasongblog]

Find A Song about trying to help someone who doesn't want help

Mt. Desolation - Too Hard A Stone

Added to FAS Spotify playlist indie folk/country/americana.

[aro-geo-turtle]

whoever was in charge of the Buried’s ritual attempt was fucking stupid. A big sinkhole? Really? When you’re already in Washington? The Pacific Northwest is a massive geological hotspot!

like, I get that 1) Gertrude was always going to stop it and 2) it wouldn’t have worked as a solo ritual anyways but still!

we’ve got a shit ton of volcanoes and everyone remembers the horrors of Mt St Helens (bunch of native names for her, not sure which I should use), use that pre-existing fear to Choke the region in suffocating ash!

if using a volcano is a bit too Desolation for you, move a couple states down and tap into the immense potential energy of the San Andreas fault line that already causes California’s frequent earthquakes!

Both good options, a sinkhole in one little town is just pathetic. Try having a little flare.

[the-halcyon-effect]

copying @jackfromthefairytale again but it's the imminence album this time

come hell or high water: this was honestly my least favorite of the singles, it's good but it's kinda repetitive. i think it's good as an opening song tho

desolation: first song i heard by this band! it's good, and a VERY good description of their sound, but there's not much more new i have to say.

heaven shall burn: 2nd favorite of the singles, behind the title track. eddie is pissed off and i am in danger 👍

beyond the pale: first new track! i have high hopes

ooh that's an architectsy riff. i like it

OOH THOSE VOCAL LAYERS IN THE CHORUS ARE SO GOOD GJEKIDJDOSKEKDPLSKSKDLSK

their architects influence is SHOWING and i am PERFECTLY okay with that

oh it's breakdown time. obliterate me pls

YUP I'M GETTING OBLITERATED

i call these "train breakdowns" because they feel like getting run over by a train OH WE'RE STILL GOING WAIT WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS DEATHCORE NOW‽‽‽‽ and now it's just the chorus again. holy shit

eddie berg how do you do that. just how.

death by a thousand cuts: VERY good track! this is the song i use to describe imminence's sound. wasn't my favorite of the singles but it's still one i put on often bc it's still SO GOOD

come what may: WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT INTRO THIS IS HEAVIER THAN CONTINUUM

OH FUCK THAT STACATTO (? forgot the word) VIOLIN IS SO GOOD

GENUINELY WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS HOLY SHIT IT'S LONGER THAN THE TITLE TRACK

THIS IS ALREADY BETTER THAN ALL THE SINGLES WHAT oh and now the chugs are broken jesus christ

genuinely how the fuck is this the same band as songs like erase. this is fucking brutal i love it

this one might beat the new mts song as my fav song this year so far

oh no it's breakdown time. i am about to die

oh? maybe not? are we getting a violin solo?? yeah i'm ABSOLUTELY down for that

OH THE DRUMS COMING IN TOO WITH THE GLITCHY SNARE oooouuuughhh (nonsexual)

this is their best song ever. like there's no contest WHAT'S THIS OH THE GUITARS ARE BACK THIS IS SOME SYMPHONIC METAL SHIT

and you're telling me this ISN'T the closing song. wtf

welp that's gonna be on repeat for a while

cul-de-sac: gonna guess this one is an intermission, it's pretty short and also following up whatever that was

yup sounds like it. it's cool tho. kinda reminds me of the intro of viking by stp in a weird way

this album is wild so far. like i'm trying to also level up my d&d character but i can't because i have too much to say

the call of the void: ok the intermission built up at the end so this is gonna hit hard i'm ready

I WAS NOT READY WHAT IS THIS

that's not a guitar. those are bombs.

man. when heaven shall burn came out i thought it was gonna be the heavy one. then continuum came out and i thought it was this one. now eddie is just screaming "RAGE" at me and i am happy

also. very good chorus. i enjoy

it takes some skill to make an album where this ISN'T the best song. like holy shit

breakdown???? i'm in danger

oh we got the low cleans. this is ABSOLUTELY gonna be a breakdown

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

eddie berg is not human. that was a banshee. with bombs.

continuum: while this one was a great single i kinda wish it wasn't released as one. it would have been great to have to process this while still recovering from the previous song. plus there were too many singles for this album imo

l'apelle du vide: tbh i have no idea what to expect here but if i had to guess i think it's gonna be acoustic (like the arabic one on heaven in hiding)

ok yup i was right

this acoustic guitar is beautiful

oh this is GOOD!! this is kinda some ghost atlas shit

are we gonna get vocals on this? it doesn't sound like it but i don't mind that tbh

why is there a boat horn what's happening

oh i guess there are vocals (technically)

OH THE DRUMS

OH THIS IS AMAZING

god i love this band so much

the black: best of the singles, easily. would be best of this album if not for come what may. to be honest, though, i don't think it should have been a single. l'apelle du vide gives a really nice chance to rest and recover from the pure brutality of the previous tracks, and having something new afterwards would have been nice. to be clear, though, this is not a huge problem at ALL and it's frankly the only complaint i have about this song.

le noir: idk much french but i think "le noir" is french for "the black", so i'm guessing this is gonna be an alternate version of the title track but in french (kinda like the spanish version of temptation they did). the only reason i have to doubt that is that that's typically the sort of thing that would be a standalone release or on a deluxe version, but here they have it as the closing track of the album, so idk. we'll see!

oh it's only 3 minutes? maybe i was wrong. this violin is beautiful tho

ok this is interesting. i have no clue where this is going

oh this is fucking beautiful

it's kinda expanding on the melody of the title track, i like it a lot

okay yeah i'm crying now. this is amazing

okay that was an incredible album. final thoughts time!

first, i know this is kinda nitpicky, but there were way too many singles for this one. if it were me, i would have kept continuum and the black unreleased before this. the only new parts in the last part of the album were the acoustic instrumental tracks, which were good, but i would have wanted it to be a fully new experience, especially for the title track itself.

as for the good stuff, where the FUCK do i even begin??? this is somehow simultaneously the heaviest and most emotional this band has ever been, and in my opinion it's also the best. this album really is an emotional rollercoaster, with tracks like heaven shall burn and the call of the void being absolutely brutal, while songs like dbatc and all the acoustic stuff being super emotional, and then there's ALSO songs like come what may that are just both at once. besides the nitpick i had earlier, i never knew even remotely what to expect, and that was fantastic of them. i really wish i could forget every song and listen to the whole thing with fresh ears, because i can only imagine how hard it would hit having not heard any of the singles.

i do also wanna talk about the acoustic stuff specifically, because imminence has always done that SO WELL. i do wish we got a proper acoi track with vocals, though, because that kinda felt like it was missing here. not only did we get one both on turn the light on (love & grace) and heaven in hiding (the arabic one), but they had 3 whole fully acoustic songs, and i feel like it would have been nice if one of them had vocals as well, especially the last one. le noir felt to me more like an intermission than a closing track, and i wish it either had vocals, was longer and had more melody, or was moved to before the title track.

to be clear: this is an AMAZING album. it's gonna have to take something absolutely MASSIVE to beat this for my aoty. the complaints i have don't even come CLOSE to outweighing how masterfully done the album as a whole is, and they're also quite literally the only things i can complain about.

also, i'm not gonna do a full ranking of the tracks from worst to best until i listen to the album more, but come what may is the best track. like there's no contest.

[newyorkkiss]

probably should have posted this last week but forgot. but here is everything i listened to last month. very fruitful! i haven't taken in so much new stuff in years. alas, everything in red was a new listen for me and under thee cut is a rough outline on what i enjoyed and thought was mid. if anybody has any suggestions for this month i am pretty much down for anything :)

thee really, really good:

every wand album. especially golem, ganglion reef, plum and perfume. i'm still going fucking mad on listening to those even now – they're just so good. scratches such a deep itch i didn't know i had laying dormant. haven't spent enough time with 1000 days or laughing stock, unfortunately but they're great too! nearly 400 scrobbles since 16th of march, for what its worth. also help desk is great... literally NO misses from them wtf.

same goes for the one cory hanson album i listened to (the unborn capitalist from limbo) which felt like a dream. i'll get to his other two at some point during this month at least.

a silver mt zion's he has left us alone but shafts of light sometimes graces the corner of our rooms... was definitely something. like a long winded dreaded cold nightmare of desolation and isolation. it's fucking beautiful. easily an all time fave now but not something i would routinely come back to, that's for sure, for better or for worse.

otherwise great:

white reaper is pretty neat, i really enjoyed the roughness of white aura the most of the select things i listened to. what's really funny to me and important that i note is their spoon-adjacency and how they're elektra signees now. spoon walked and got dropped so white reaper could run. they paved that way. impactful icons much... but yeah i'll get to their two elektra albums at some point too. their new single is neat though!

finally getting to cola after having them in my mental back-burner for the last 2 years was good, too. i was a HUUUUUUGE fan of ought back in 2019 and deep in view does pick up nicely from where they ended with room inside the world. tim's vocals have refined so nicely over the years. it's a good listen. again, new single also great!

along with cola, thee oh sees has been on my mental back-burner for awhile too. floating coffin was the best of the three i listened to (can anybody guide me on where to go with their discog because it is so dense.) hammered/ing the everliving fuck out of minotaur, too.

goon was great! need to spend more time on them. but they're similar to wand and vibey as fuck. heaven is humming is the one, though. same goes for meatbodies, i see they have a new album so i'll get to that eventually too.

the mid:

the post-expo 86 wolf parade albums are sooooooo ugh. cry cry cry being the worst of the two, and worst of their discog overall. contains nothing that makes wolf parade, like you know, wolf parade? depressing and so boring... thin mind was more-or-less the same but it had at least some distinct wp elements.

lala lala's the lamb is so disjointed and quite messy. i didn't hate it, but i didn't enjoy it either. at times it reminds me of chastity belt (not a negative) but i don't see me returning to them any time soon.

menomena's i am the fun blame monster was nothing to write home about and i didn't even finish it lol. just think it's funny that two members have projects with members of the national – really didn't expect that.

the i forgot about this one:

kelela's cut 4 me... i put this on while extremely high and fell asleep shortly after. only put it on after trying to listen to thin mind which i got two tracks into and thought was one of the worst things i'd ever heard and had to turn it off before i ruined it for myself.

if u read my wall of text umm thank uuu ??? here is a cat pic as reward

[tired-reader-writer]

I'm screencapping it for a mention of Shapur.

Yeah he's loyal alright, stop giving me feels!

Gieve is a troublemaker, but he's a calculating troublemaker. He put thought into how to go about philandering with women without causing any diplomatic trouble at least, lol. And huh, Sistan was a principality...

One has to wonder why he knows things like this, maybe because he's a traveller? Gieve immortal prince of Sistan theory activate

In all seriousness though, what a little shit. He's a handful and a half.

So I went and found an alternative translation for this song/poem because it was way too clunky a read (taken from this post: HA I knew I wasn't hallucinating that one!)

“When o'er the barren plains of Māzandarān Kaykhusraw's banners wave, Flee the fiendish forces of Zahhak, Serpent-King, Frightened like sheep at the strike of spring-lightning. The treasure-sword Rukhnabad that sunders steel, Out of shards of the Sun 'twas forged. His steed Rakhshna has wings unseen, A mount that befits the Jahāngīr, world-seizer. Upon high-heaven two suns there cannot be, On this earth the Shah is but one! Peerless the hero Kaykhusraw, Who now takes up the sword, heir to mandate divine?”

And I zeroed in on the name Mazandaran and decided to do a little digging to see if it has any mythological significance or such and...

It's a northern province, at least irl, who knows what Tanaka did with it, he could've relocated it to the far south or something for all we know.

Geographically though, I think this makes sense— the Alborz mountain ranges are located near the north, and it was under Mt. Damavand that Zahhak was ultimately sealed. Hm.

“The diverse natural habitats of the province include plains, prairies, forests and rainforest stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz sierra, including Mount Damavand, one of the highest peaks and volcanoes in Asia.”

That... doesn't sound very desolate to me, but okay. Maybe it was during Zahhak's reign, or maybe it's located entirely somewhere else (Tanaka I'm going to scream)

And oh! Look what I found!

“Literally "the gate or the valley of the giants" from مازن‎ (mâzan) + در‎ (dar) + ـان‎ (ân), from Avesta (Avestan: 𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬀‎, romanized: mazainiia, lit. 'giant'). The name has been used in Shahnameh to refer to a land inhabited by divs or (daevas) and sorcerers and is difficult to conquer.”

In-teres-ting!! I wonder what it could mean in the context of Wolfpack. Could've been Team Zahhak, could've been the clan even, esp since the province is ethnically diverse w the locals having their own language(s) and all 👀👀👀 Could the haunted Temple of Truth be up there perhaps???

Geographically it has the sea on one side and a mountain range on the other. No wonder it's so difficult to conquer.

...it's a mercy that we the audience weren't shown Shapur's head.

Look in the bottom right corner, you can see the damage from the flaming arrows loosed from the outside.

I have nothing to say, I just found this neat.

Man this moment still gets me after all this time. In the translation I first read Saam said, “You may have killed ten rebels, but a thousand more have risen to take their place.” I have no preference between the two, I find them both equally striking.

Arslan in Wolfpack ends up borrowing Saam's words during the resistance after the capital fell, kinda like a rallying call. We won't stay down.

Okay now for some... theorizing? Maybe that's too generous a word. It's just something I noticed.

I noticed the enslaved folk wearing these anklet things? I don't know if all of them do— I can't see all their feet in any given panel, but enough to make me raise my eyebrow. Maybe it's something that signifies them as slaves? I'm not sure but it's something to think about.