#The Lightning Bearer's Secret

[my-head-is-an-animal]

The Lightning Bearer’s Secret

Find the story here.

Find extra content including character profiles, histories and lore here.

Summary:

'The North is no place for anyone, but the people of the North.'

The Five Kingdoms remember the war, they still feel it's effects. The extinction of the Lightning Bearers meant peace could form between the southern kingdoms, but the question still remains: why did a once wise and peaceful people attack those considered friends? And where did they go?

Alice Marino is the newly appointed High Commander of Wayne, a woman with no remarkable ability and considered by many as an inferior replacement for the great Nathan Duke. The newfound peace of the Five Kingdoms, has been disrupted and with every secret uncovered, war is on the horizon once again.

A fast paced fantasy novel, exploring political unrest and warring nations. A new world awaits.

If you liked this, please consider supporting me ☕ thanks for reading!

[lizbethborden]

I'm thinking rn about how women function as the bearers of meaning culturally, that women are lightning rods for cultural messages attributed to them externally. I think you could argue for a line to be drawn from the Whore of Babylon in the book of Revelations, meant to represent the decadence and vile excess of Rome (a purely male supremacist, male dominated culture where women didn't even have their own names, but were named after their fathers--so Julius would have a daughter named Julia, then her younger sisters Julia 2 and Julia 3, I'm quite serious), down to the "welfare queen" fantasy which today also has the intense cultural freight of meaning of Black womanhood, motherhood, poverty--and was, just like the Whore of Babylon, a complete invention designed for male-serving (and in this case white supremacist) political and cultural purposes... but not even just these massive messages but smaller ones, for example the "puzzle" women present to the outside, the large bodies of literature and other cultural output designed to "figure out" the secret messages women send but don't explicitly say, all the way down to the meme format, poached from just these outputs, of "What she says: I'm fine / what she means: (long exposition)", etc... and beyond the purely cultural, the mystification of women's bodies, the ignorance and failure to study women's health issues, the demand that women obfuscate any unacceptable part of their physical bodies to the point of surgically removing healthy and harmless flesh, painting a new face over their own face to be considered acceptable to be seen in public, etc. Even here on the female website you can state something in plain language and be accused of concealing a thousand dog whistles, of hiding the secret message that you are an unacceptable woman. There's no point at which you hit bottom on this crap, it just keeps going.

[lithi]

The unspoken importance given to Farosh is driving me insane lol

The Hyrule compendium says Farosh is the “spirit of lightning” and that it “serves the Spring of Courage since ancient times”, it’s body being able to “cause lightning storms”.

Farosh can be found in both the surface and the depths, circling the Faron grasslands and the Gerudo desert.

There is the Dracozu lake, that gives into the spring of Courage and where you can find a piece of the charged outfit, that Rauru wears and that gives lightning powers to its wearer during thunderstorms, being obviously inspired by Farosh and “used in ancient rituals”. Link can also get the two other dragon outfits, but the charged outfit is the only that is given that much importance, through the quest with Tauro.

In the depths, behind the Wellspring of Courage’s waterfall, there is the Dracozu altar (the other two wellsprings don’t have altars), and just above, in the skies, you can find the Dragonhead island, which was hidden by a huge thunderstorm.

Then, there is the courage island, also shaped like a dragon, right above the Thundra plateau, where there is almost always a thunderstorm.

The two other challenge islands are the valor island and the bravery island, still dragon shaped and not wisdom and power themed at all (?).

The Zonai seemed to have their own equivalent of the triforce, kinda, with the imagery of the boar (power), the owl (wisdom), and the dragon (courage), and they seemed to give Farosh/courage/the figure of the dragon a great deal of importance as well (in the Typhlo ruins, the Thundra plateau etc etc).

The Zonai are also very obviously dragon people (most likely inspired by the Kirin, a chimerical creature from Chinese and Japanese mythology), and they’re the bearers of the secret stones, that can transform their wearers into, well, legit dragons.

So a part of me wonders if there is a link between Urbosa and Riju’s lightning powers and Farosh’s… And well, maybe the low-key Gerudo looking Ancient hero (eight heroine?) has something to do with it.

The south-west corner of the map, in the Gerudo desert, is also called the “dragon’s exile”, and right underneath, in the depths, you can find the huge dark skeleton.

[beba-780]

Emperor of Ninjago

• The land of Ninjago has been at peace after being under the reign of the First Master of Spinjitzu, thanks to his legendary battle against the Overlord and his stone army, Ninjago has been at peace since then and became a great Emperor to all the kingdoms that were established in their land. Now that he knew that the time for his departure was approaching he knew that he must prepare his two sons, Garmadon and Wu, to be able to continue with the task of protecting the land of Ninjago.

• The first task of his two sons was to find all the elemental masters who settled in the various kingdoms of Ninjago, so that all of them could form the elemental alliance that would protect the kingdoms. Furthermore, thus the First Master would choose the four main elements that would become the main protectors of the kingdom and its precious Four Golden Weapons, powerful tools that the First Master used to defeat the Overlord.

• The Four Golden Weapons are: The Sword of Fire, The Sickle of Earthquakes, The Shurikens of Ice, and The Nunchakus of Lightning. After his children returned with some of the elemental masters, the First Master chose the masters of fire, lightning, earth and ice, as those chosen to be the protectors of the kingdom of Ninjago and to be the bearers of the Golden Weapons. The four masters even went on to become leading generals of the royal guard of Ninjago.

• The Four Weapons falling into the wrong hands could mean the end of Ninjago since weapons are the key to maintaining balance throughout Ninjago and revealing the new successor who will possess the golden power of the First Master.

• Reaching an advanced age, the First Master chose his eldest son, Garmadon, as the new emperor of Ninjago, who also possessed the power of destruction thanks to his Oni offspring. The First Master trained Garmadon to be a great Emperor, while his youngest son, Wu, was trained to be the Master of the Elemental Alliance, even Garmadon appointed his brother as his main advisor and second in command.

• Before dying, the First Master bequeathed to his children a prophecy that he saw in his last visions, the prophecy spoke of how the legendary Green Ninja, his true heir, would come to the world by being chosen by the four Golden Weapons and definitively defeating the Supreme Lord, who was sealed by the First Master on the Dark Island after failing to be completely defeated by the First Master during their battle long ago. The First Master left much information about the prophecy and Wu took it upon himself to discover its meaning.

• When Garmadon became Emperor after the death of the First Master, Wu took charge of the training of the Elemental Masters and their heirs, and following in his father's footsteps Garmadon became a good emperor, while Garmadon was in charge of the politics and order in the kingdom, Wu was in charge of the training of his army and the defenses of the kingdom. Since then Ninjago has been at peace.

• Garmadon even married Misako, who has been his great love for a long time, other elemental masters also married and started their own families, some even lived entirely in the palace with Garmadon and Wu. Only Ray and Maya, masters of Fire and Water, became the main personal guards of the royal family, Ray, Master of Fire, became Garmadon's personal guard, and Maya, master of water, became the Misako's personal guard.

• After a while, Misako became pregnant, news that Garmadon and Misako decided to keep secret so they could reveal it in due time. Only Wu also knew about Misako's pregnancy but decided to support his brother and Misako's decision to reveal the surprise to them in due time. Garmadon had already decided on the appropriate names for her future baby.

• But problems began after the death of the serpentine king Mambo V, Ouroboros and Ninjago coexisted in peace and had a great stable trading system, but after the death of Mambo V, his protégé, Pythor P. Chumsworth, occupied the throne, but he decided to cut friendly ties with Ninjago since he hated humans, a hatred he hid in order to maintain his place as the next ruler of Ouroboros.

• One of the most important legends of the Serpentine was that of the Golden Master, that is, the Overlord, where it was mentioned that one day he would come to Ninjago to spread destruction throughout Ninjago. Pythor was obsessed with the legend and his investigations led him to discover the precise place where the Dark Island where the Overlord was located.

• Unbeknownst to the other Serpentine generals, Pythor undertook a solo quest across the dangerous ocean of Ninjago to reach the Dark Island. As soon as he arrived, the spirit of the Overlord presented himself to Pythor, who happily agreed to be his servant as long as he promised him that his kingdom would obtain great riches from the kingdom of Ninjago. The Overlord promised to give Pythor power, especially if he helped him get off the island.

• The Dark Island despite being active, the First Master created dangerous storms that would make it almost impossible to find the true location of the island. The Overlord also told Pythor on the return trip about how the First Master imprisoned his Stone Army in the soil of the kingdom of Ninjago and the only way to awaken them is by using a special snake that only the Overlord can create, the which he calls “The Great Devourer”.

• Even the Overlord mentions that a long time ago he and the First Master had the task of maintaining the balance in Ninjago so that everything would work in harmony, but the Overlord mentions that he did not wish to continue with maintaining the balance and only wished that there was only one, he believed that darkness would be the only one capable of establishing true peace by maintaining absolute power, annihilating almost all the Onis in order to steal their power of destruction.

• The First Master managed to save the surviving Onis and also hid the Dragons to be able to confront the Overlord, he used the Golden Weapons to be able to take away most of his destructive power but since he could not defeat him alone, the First Master had no choice but to sealing it on the Dark Island, but he knew that the Overlord could return, that is why his vision showed him that one day his heir, the Green Ninja, would defeat him definitively.

• The Overlord possessed Pythor's body temporarily as he needed to reach the island of Ninjago without having to attract the attention of the First Master's children. Pythor brought the Overlord to his kingdom and began preparations to prepare his army for the final conquest of the kingdom of Ninjago.

• But the Overlord needed to possess Garmadon's body since he inherited the destructive power of the Onis. That is why Pythor had a false letter of alliance made to Emperor Garmadon so that he would come to the kingdom to sign a peace treaty.

• Garmadon received Pythor's invitation and thought about accepting the meeting if it meant being at peace with the kingdom of the Serpentine, Wu found it strange so he decided to accompany his brother to Ouroboros, while the kingdom would be led by Misako and the elemental masters.

• Before Garmadon arrived in Ouroboros, Pythor and the Overlord managed to create the first species of the Great Devourer, its poison would inject pure evil into Garmadon's body and it would be much easier to possess the emperor's body.

• When Garmadon and Wu arrived at Ouroboros, Pythor received them and took them to a special room to sign the new peace treaty, but soon the two brothers realized that it was a trap, the Great Devourer bit Garmadon and then was possessed by the Overlord, before Garmadon lost control of his body he used his destructive power to give Wu a way out so he could return to the kingdom to warn everyone, Wu did not want to leave his brother alone but he knew he had to protect kingdom, so he summoned his elemental dragon and flew towards the kingdom of Ninjago.

• When the Overlord managed to take control of Garmadon, he led the Serpentine army towards the city of Ninjago, he even managed to transform Garmadon into his Oni version, that was due to the poison of the Great Devourer. Wu managed to reach the kingdom first where he put everyone on alert, the serpentines and Garmadon, being possessed by the Overlord, arrived at the kingdom and began to destroy Wu's defenses.

• Even Garmadon used the poison of the Great Devourer to awaken his Stone Army, chaos reached all of Ninjago, and Wu knew that they could not win this battle, he managed to get the elemental masters, their familys and several guards out of the city loyals to Wu, Misako could not escape since when recovering information for Wu she was captured by some serpentine and confined to her room, Wu took all her followers to a mountain far away from the kingdom to create her base.

• Using his power of creation, Wu manages to create a hiding place to install his rebel camp, even Wu and the rebels changed places very often to avoid being discovered by Garmadon's soldiers. But Wu knew that they couldn't keep changing locations for long, in fact, several of the rebels had different facilities in various parts of Ninjago.

• In order to further increase his army Garmadon even traveled to the underworld to recruit the Skeletons, who accepted and began to live on the surface. After taking the city, Pythor returned to his kingdom to enjoy his victory, also leaving several of his serpentine soldiers in the kingdom under the command of Garmadon.

• The Overlord created a dark crystal where he could regain his power over time, but so that Garmadon would not get out of his control, he made the Devourer's poison manage to bring him back to his dark control. Garmadon could no longer help but be a ruthless emperor to his kingdom, but at least without the Overlord's influence, Garmadon could have some quiet moments, but he had to prevent the Overlord from discovering his plans in order to defeat him.

• Garmadon managed to convince the Overlord to keep Misako alive, as he used the excuse that she would know where Wu and the rebels might be. Misako was taken prisoner but at least she was confined to her room and was always watched by the castle guards, when the Overlord was not controlling Garmadon he always went to see her and they both collected data to be able to defeat the Overlord and decipher better the prophecy. So that this would not fall on the Overlord's servants, Garmadon hid all the information in a secret room that was similar to a library, only Misako and he had the key to open the room, and Garmadon was glad that the Overlord never saw his memories every time the Overlord possessed him.

• The months passed and Misako's pregnancy progressed, when she gave birth to her son Garmadon named him Lloyd, the future emperor of Ninjago, but unfortunately Misako lost her life after giving birth to Lloyd, Garmadon fell into deep sadness, that made the poison have more effect on him, but at least now his only motivation for hope was his son, whom he swore to protect, furthermore, so that the Overlord would not harm him, Garmadon proposed that Lloyd could be a quite useful vessel for the Overlord. Overlord could possess him whenever he wanted once he reached a suitable age, the Overlord accepted Garmadon's deal and left the baby alone.

• While in the rebellion, Wu was responsible for both the training of the new rebels and the new elemental masters. Many people joined his cause and all of them settled in the different rebel bases.

• Garmadon turned the capital of Ninjago into his maximum fortress, the citizens were treated harshly but would live in peace as long as they showed their loyalty to Garmadon and did not get involved with the rebels, even to have a better life, several people decided to join the ranks of Garmadon's army, many citizens were turned into slaves in order to work in the work areas that were responsible for food, weapons, and defense equipment for Garmadon's army.

• Several kingdoms even joined Garmadon and their citizens likewise became slaves so they could better serve the emperor. Only some kingdoms opposed the rule of Garmadon and the Overlord, they even helped the rebels in secret, but when they revealed themselves to Garmadon, his army did not hesitate to invade their cities, towns and capitals in order to obtain more power. Sometimes the rebels lost and won battles, but they were still far from winning the real war.

• Wu was still trying to decipher the prophecy left by his father, it was the only hope of the rebellion, until now the Golden Weapons did not shine before any of the descendants of the elemental masters. They didn't even shine when the protectors went on missions in different parts of the kingdom, Ray, the fire master, was the main person in charge of finding the chosen one, whether he went on missions or not, Wu needed to quickly bring the chosen one in order to save the Ninjago land.

[totkdaily]

Day 83: Gerudo Desert, and Riju

From here, the desert looks foggy. Perhaps a sand storm? I hope it clears before I need to head to Gerudo Town. I spot two other things of note: the tower in the Highlands, and a geoglyph. It looks like a figure of some kind. Could I glide all the way there? It looks far… 

No. But I at least get on the right level of the Highlands. It's even colder up here. I find the geoglyph. 

A vision. I see...

Ganondorf swears loyalty to the King of Hyrule. The conversation is tense.

This vision is different - as they talk, I feel I'm following Ganondorf's eyes specifically. Examining each secret stone on display, ignoring their bearers. Resting again on Sonia's. I have already seen the Queen's fate. 

Zelda is concerned. Even his name… I understand her hesitancy, and I share it. Rauru is foolish to reassure her. Everything could have been prevented if Ganondorf had been stopped here. Rauru was right. He was an arrogant king. So sure none could unseat him. 

It's so cold. I have to keep moving. I consider leaving the tower for another day, but I'm halfway there now. 

I glide over what must be the old Yiga Clan hideout - I wonder if they still use it? That map in Robbie's lab suggested yes. 

I reach the tower. There's a little tent - the journal belongs to Billson. The tower is snowed in… fortunately, it sounds like there's a cave somewhere below. 

Meadella's Mantle Cave. I wonder if this is it? Billson's records suggest the cave does go under the tower - but also that it's massive. There's a river flowing through it - I chuck a wooden board into it and climb on. 

Bubbulfrog! By complete chance, I manage to land its gem on my rudimentary raft as it lands at the bottom of the waterfall. 

The raft takes me perfectly under the tower. And launch!

I try to glide to a southerly sky island to hop over to Gerudo Town - but it turns out to be inhabited by a three-headed dragon, so we won't go there. I redirect to the plateaus around the old Sheikah Tower site, which is now a chasm to the Depths. The desert is engulfed by a sand storm. Can I make it to Gerudo Town from here? I feel like I should try. 

I barely get as far as the ruins before I completely lose visibility. I can hear these huge impacts, like explosions. There's a trio of… guards? No, training dummies. And the impacts flash like lightning. I know who's here - I rush to find her.

Riju. 

She recognises me still - it's good to find a friend. She says this sand shroud appeared when Hyrule Castle rose - that tracks. And there are new monsters - gibdos. We work out a technique which might be useful against them - I aim, and Riju shoots lightning. 

And then golden light fills the air… the Gerudo sage is watching us. 

Another Gerudo, Faundi, arrives. She says gibdos are attacking Kara Kara Bazaar. We have to go there. But… how can I find my way in this?? 

I climb a piece of ruin, intending to guess and glide - but it's high enough that I can see across the sand shroud, thank goodness. Aiming for the bazaar is still a guess, but it's slightly more informed. 

I almost lose my way once I glide back below the horizon, but I make it to Kara Kara Bazaar and help Riju fight off the gibdos. Awful creatures, long-limbed and half-rotten, with insectoid faces and gill-like necks.

I think I saw some through the sand storm on my way here. I'm glad I didn't have to fight them without Riju. There's some kind of weird mushroom that glows, seemingly the source of the gibdos or their power. 

Suddenly, through the sand - Zelda!

No, it can't be. It must be the imposter. Coincidentally, right at that moment, tornadoes head for Gerudo Town.

Riju heads back that way. I want to see if anyone I know is in the Bazaar before I join her. 

Also, I need to stop at the shrine here.

[lostwoodstarryskies]

Epithets of Hyrule

The Golden Goddesses

Epithets are “an adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.”

(Thank you Oxford Languages for the definition!)

Epithets are used in multiple religions, including christianity, hellenic paganism, norse paganism, kemetic paganism, and even in celtic paganism. People have used Epithets to denote the specific aspect of a deity they want to invoke.

However, I have not seen many people discus the epithets that could appear in pop culture paganism, and in this case specifically, Hyrulean Paganism.

So here are my current ideas for epithets of the Goddesses.

(Note, epithets that are most closely related to a specific race/species is denoted by a color or symbol. Goron, Gerudo, Rito, Zora, Hylian, Sheikah)

Din

Lady of the Red Earth, Earthbreaker, Earthmaker, Foundation of the World, Lady of Power, The Gerudo Mother, The Desert Mother, Din of the Forge, Kingmaker, King Mother, The Sandstorm, Of the Wastes, Of the Burning Hearth, Torch in the Night, Sister of Courage, Sister of Wisdom, Brother, Fire of Gorondia, She who is cradled in Death’s Maw, The Desert Wind, of the Fury, Autumn Harvester

Din, for me, is associated with Fire and Earth, Gerudo and Goron, and thus some epithets are more species specific.

Din of the Forge is also common with smiths of all species.

Nayru

Lady of Wisdom, Lady of Justice, Mother of Law, The Arbiter, of the Sea, of the Rain, She Who Watches, of the Deep, of the Storm, of the Fury, of the Cascading Falls, of the Hidden Waters, Queen Maker, of the Burning Cold, Knowledge Keeper, All-Knowing, the Teacher, the Shield, of the Gentle Snow, Owl-eyed, Sister of Power, Sister of Courage, Winter Keeper

Nayru is associated with water, ice, justice and knowledge. She is most closely associated with the Zora, and Hylians, but some other races have epithets for her as well.

Farore

Lady of Courage, Lady of Life and Death, Sword Keeper, Hero Guide, Mother of Life, Mother of Monsters, Secret Keeper, Lightning Rider, of the Storm, of the Fury, the Whispering Wind, of the Roaring Wind, the Verdant, Dragon Chaser, the the Joyous One, the Dancing Wind, Spring Bringer, the Huntress, Protector of Children, Will O’ Wisp, of the Cutting Wind, of Lost Things, of the Lost*, Path Walker, of the Wind, Sister of Power, Sister of Wisdom

*while this is the only epithet the Goron use, it is not Goron Specific.

Farore is my matron. I tried to keep things equal, but I will naturally favor her. I do actually ise quite a few of these epithets when I write prayers or blessings, and occasionally I will feel the urge to write a blessing invoking one.

Hylia

Guardian of the Triforce, Light bearer, of True Aim, the Winged One, Queen-mother, Queen-makerMother of Hylians, Bane of Demise, the Great Vanquisher, She who Carries Summer, of the Burning Light, the Arbiter, She Who Watches Over Time, Hero Maker, the Song Writer, the Hearth Light, Torch Against the Night, Scourge of the Undead, She Who Favors Wisdom, the Sacred Dragon, the Gentle Healer, She Who Seals the Darkness

Hylia is the last one I created epithets for at this time. She is dear to Hylians, and thus has many Hylian epithets.

I will eventually write all of this in zonai, ancient hylian, and common hylian (or I will at least try) and thus ends this post!

Merry met, and blessedly go!

[the-chronicle-of-holy-days]

Day 4

Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli

Adumbratio Kabbalae Aegyptiorum sub figurâ VII

VI

1. Thou wast a priestess, O my God, among the Druids; and we knew the powers of the oak.

2. We made us a temple of stones in the shape of the Universe, even as thou didst wear openly and I concealed.

3. There we performed many wonderful things by midnight.

4. By the waning moon did we work.

5. Over the plain came the atrocious cry of wolves.

6. We answered; we hunted with the pack.

7. We came even unto the new Chapel and Thou didst bear away the Holy Graal beneath Thy Druid vestments.

8. Secretly and by stealth did we drink of the informing sacrament.

9. Then a terrible disease seized upon the folk of the grey land; and we rejoiced.

10. O my God, disguise Thy glory!

11. Come as a thief, and let us steal away the Sacraments!

12. In our groves, in our cloistral cells, in our honeycomb of happiness, let us drink, let us drink!

13. It is the wine that tinges everything with the true tincture of infallible gold.

14. There are deep secrets in these songs. It is not enough to hear the bird; to enjoy song he must be the bird.

15. I am the bird, and Thou art my song, O my glorious galloping God!

16. Thou reinest in the stars; thou drivest the constellations seven abreast through the circus of Nothingness.

17. Thou Gladiator God!

18. I play upon mine harp; Thou fightest the beasts and the flames.

19. Thou takest Thy joy in the music, and I in the fighting.

20. Thou and I are beloved of the Emperor.

21. See! he has summoned us to the Imperial dais.

The night falls; it is a great orgy of worship and bliss.

22. The night falls like a spangled cloak from the shoulders of a prince upon a slave.

23. He rises a free man!

24. Cast thou, O prophet, the cloak upon these slaves!

25. A great night, and scarce fires therein; but freedom for the slave that its glory shall encompass.

26. So also I went down into the great sad city.

27. There dead Messalina bartered her crown for poison from the dead Locusta; there stood Caligula, and smote the seas of forgetfulness.

28. Who wast Thou, O Caesar, that Thou knewest God in an horse?

29. For lo! we beheld the White Horse of the Saxon engraven upon the earth; and we beheld the Horses of the Sea that flame about the old grey land, and the foam from their nostrils enlightens us!

30. Ah! but I love thee, God!

31. Thou art like a moon upon the ice-world.

32. Thou art like the dawn of the utmost snows upon the burnt-up flats of the tiger’s land.

33. By silence and by speech do I worship Thee.

34. But all is in vain.

35. Only Thy silence and Thy speech that worship me avail.

36. Wail, O ye folk of the grey land, for we have drunk your wine, and left ye but the bitter dregs.

37. Yet from these we will distil ye a liquor beyond the nectar of the Gods.

38. There is value in our tincture for a world of Spice and gold.

39. For our red powder of projection is beyond all possibilities.

40. There are few men; there are enough.

41. We shall be full of cup-bearers, and the wine is not stinted.

42. O dear my God! what a feast Thou hast provided.

43. Behold the lights and the flowers and the maidens!

44. Taste of the wines and the cates and the splendid meats!

45. Breathe in the perfumes and the clouds of little gods like wood-nymphs that inhabit the nostrils!

46. Feel with your whole body the glorious smoothness of the marble coolth and the generous warmth of the sun and the slaves!

47. Let the Invisible inform all the devouring Light of its disruptive vigour!

48. Yea! all the world is split apart, as an old grey tree by the lightning!

49. Come, O ye gods, and let us feast.

50. Thou, O my darling, O my ceaseless Sparrow-God, my delight, my desire, my deceiver, come Thou and chirp at my right hand!

51. This was the tale of the memory of Al A’in the priest; yea, of Al A’in the priest

(Years favorite is with bold as always) and I can’t even explain this days choice haha

[ofspark]

SHOTGUN VERSION / FFXVI VERSE: Branded, hailing from Sanbreque. Since absconded from the Imperial forces due to the deeply rooted systemic corruption and an emperor straying from the regard of his people. Once a decorated knight, now an integral part of the Hideaway's reach and influence on a combative front. From hunts to dispatching severe threats that draw too close to settlements where connections are located.

DEFECTION: During the battle between Sanbreque and Waloed, she is cornered by Waloed forces. Her existence as a bearer had been kept secret since birth until this particular moment where magics are employed to survive and see another day. She is therein ousted and stripped of both mantle and status wherefore she defects before enslavement after being branded. Taking on the moniker of Lightning.

[bloodandthunderrp]

Nashchadok, the Descendants

The people of Zinovia wield a variety of supernatural abilities based on their heritage. Most commonly found within the seven noble houses and their associated relations, the closer one is genetically to one's ancestors, the more powerful one's abilities will be. Generally. The field of genetics is a burgeoning science in Zinovia, and while the mysteries of one's blood and how it is connected to one's abilities are slowly becoming demystified, surprises happen. A son of a noble house and noble parents may be born with little to no powers at all, while a child with a single noble grandparent may wield powers unprecedented in their ancestry.

The majority of commonfolk do not have Seven Figures ancestry and therefore do not have the same abilities that the members of the noble houses do. However, there are rare instances of descendants of bastards as well as historically dissolved houses that result in laymen with abilities.

Available abilities are not limited to those listed below, and members are encouraged to determine their own unique talents for their characters as long as they fall within the realm of the associated Figure. Please note that the staff team will have final say on the extent of your character's abilities in order to keep the environment balanced. You may be asked to edit or expand upon your character's abilities prior to acceptance.

Perunov, the Axebearers

Descendants of Perun, the Axe, God the sky, lightning, and the realm of the living

Children of the God of Gods, most often members of the Imperial Dynasty. In their most potent form, they are wielders of lightning. Lesser abilities include electricity manipulation and ion manipulation. Considered the rarest and most powerful of the Nashchadok, their signature abilities are so closely tied with the Imperial family that their illegitimate children throughout history have been painfully obvious.

Electricity Generation Electricity Manipulation Electricity Infusion Electricity Absorption Electricity Negation

Mokoshova, the Healers

Descendants of Mokosh, the Mother, Goddess of the earth, families, the hearth and home

Most often integral members of the medical community. Influencers of healing factors, manipulators of flesh and blood, killers--and sometimes creators--of disease. The only Nashchadok required to register with the Ministry of Medicine due to their potential danger to society at large. Unregistered Mokoshova risk imprisonment and execution, while registered Mokoshova often receive government-funded educations in medicine.

Life Manipulation Disease Manipulation Cell Manipulation Health Manipulation Blood Manipulation

Moranova, the Harvesters

Descendants of Morana, the Harvest, Goddess of winter, agriculture, death and rebirth

Pioneers of agriculture. The most prominent Moranova have been the Ministers of Science for generations. Capable of manipulating organic matter to varying degrees. Most commonly dark-skinned and dark-eyed, and reknown for their outwardly gentle, elegant beauty, the Moranova have a long history of participating in academia, and were prominent among the founders of the University of Nebekiv.

Botanical Communication Botanical Manipulation Phytochemistry Manipulation Plant Empathy Plant Generation/Growth

Velesov, the Dragon-riders

Descendants of Veles, the Dragon, God of the mountains, magic, and the underworld

Reclusive but noble, more likely to keep to themselves and the mountainous east, where they protect the secrets of breeding, rearing, and commanding dragons. Notable for their white hair and oftentimes pale eyes, it is said that the longer they live the more draconic in appearance they become. Unlike other descendants, their abilities rely heavily upon their relationships with their dragons, with whom they share sight, feeling, and senses.

Draconic Empathy Draconic Vision Draconic Communication Draconic Command Draconic Senses

Dazhbogov, the Sun-bearers

Descendants of Dazhbog, the Sun, God of the sun, charity, good fortune and benevolence

Ministers of War and historical allies of the Imperial family, Dazhbogov are notoriously robust, supernaturally skilled warriors of various kinds. Known for their discipline and, for ill or good, their obedience. Sometimes distinguished by their large builds and above-average heights, Dazhbogov are often considered the peak of physical beauty and prowess--for obvious reasons.

Augmented Strength Augmented Healing Augmented Speed Augmented Conditioning Augmented Durability

Devanova, the Forest-walkers

Descendants of Devana, the Arrow, Goddess of the forests, wild animals, the hunt and archers

Rejecters of modern life, most Devanova inhabit insular communities within the deep forests of Zinovia. Sometimes still referred to as "elves" or "fairies" by commonfolk, their abilities are tied closely to survival in the wild, and they are often confused with Elementals like Spriggans and Sylvans--partially due to the features that accompany their abilities. Some have pointed ears for better hearing, others have large eyes for better sight, etc.

Darkvision Augmented Senses Augmented Agility Sound Manipulation Hunting Mastery

Zoyasova, the Star-readers

Descendants of the Zoyas, the Stars, Goddesses of the night, astronomy, precognition and liminal spaces

Precognitive readers of the stars most commonly found in a settlement surrounding a convent to the south, where their potentially triggering environments and powerful abilities are easier to manage. Notoriously the most difficult of abilities to control. Zoyas are highly sought after as advisors, but historically cling to neutrality even at the cost of their lives. Curiously, most Zoya identify as women and live in or around the convent in Zievonya.

Divination Precognition Prescience Psychometry Clairvoyance

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Atlas (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Heaven Bearer by the people of Olympius

Blue Eyes by Dione

Age- 39 (immortal)

Location- Corinth, Olympius

Personality- Atlas is cold, detached, brooding, and depressed. He's also incredibly intelligent & extremely well versed on philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. He's in a relationship.

He has been recently pardoned by Zeus (god of the sky, thunder, & lightning) after much convincing by Athena (goddess of wisdom), thus ending his eternal punishment of holding up the heavens.

As the Titan god of strength, endurance, and astronomy, he has several abilities like having exceptional battle prowess- especially in spearmanship, aerokinesis, ferrokinesis, terrakinesis (being able to hurl boulders the size of mountains as well as causing earthquakes, though not to the extent of Gaia and Poseidon). He's also credited with the invention of the first celestial sphere!

Atlas now lives on a cliffside mansion, on his own private beach. His mother Clymene (Titaness of fame & renown) bought it for him. The interior is in colors of  black, gray, white, and dark blue. The inside of his house looks like a giant planetarium, with a huge dome shaped skylight. There are the depictions of maps and constellations all over the walls. The front door is made out of a celestial meteor and there's a grand chandelier in the shape of a globe. He has three pet siberian huskies- two boys and a girl named Cosmo, Astra, & Jericho.

He recently opened up a school, dedicated to aerospace engineering. He has been approached by both Athena and Neféloma (goddess of space & dark matter) to be a part in developing the country’s space travel, but has turned them down.

Atlas prefers solitude more and more than being around people (when it doesn't involve him teaching). He suffers from PTSD, the after effects of his punishment and he's depressed, still grieving over the loss of his young son Hyas. His mother stops by every once in a while and he talks with his dad Iapetus (Titan god of mortality, pain, & death) on the phone every week. His heart goes out to his younger brother Prometheus (Titan god of forethought), who's now going through his own hell. He used to be good friends with the Astraeus (Titan god of dusk), but has fallen out of contact with him as well as The Ourea (mountain gods); sons of Gaia. Presently, Atlas has been enjoying the conversations he's had with Anytos (Titan god of anonymity & secrets).

His oldest daughter Calypso is not on speaking terms with him. Atlas thinks that she's a "mindless fool" pining over a mortal guy named Odysseus.

Atlas used to be married to Aethra, an oceanic nymph. They divorced a century after Hyas’ passing. The daughters he has with her are collectively known as The Hyades (Cleea, Coronis, Eudora, Phaeo, & Phaesyle). They often check up on him, bringing food.

His go-to drink is a martini. He also likes early grey tea, water, and black tea. His usual from The Roasted Bean is an olympian sized dark roast coffee.

He's currently in a relationship with Hesperis (goddess of the evening & sunset).

He almost hooked up with Dione, but burst into tears right after she took his pants off.

Atlas really enjoys mushroom cream soup, especially when Cleea makes it. He also likes his daughters' bandeja paisa, mondongo, & patacones con hogao. He also likes his father's spanokopita.

Out of The Hyades, his eldest daughter Coronis stops by the most frequently where he asks her for water healing treatments, when he has nightmares about his young son.

In his free time, Atlas loves spending time in the water, taking in the weightless freedom of it whether it's through swimming or sailing on his boat, The Blue Comet. He also enjoys meditation, working out, surfing, reading, & charting the stars and constellations.

"Endure and Survive. In spite of it, endure and survive."

[moroaicaa]

Pauper壁コンボ小ネタ

Creature 35 4 《サルーリの世話人/Saluri Caretaker》 4 《クウィリーオン・レインジャー/Quirion Ranger》 4 《草茂る胸壁/Overgrown Battlement》 4 《斧折りの守護者/Axebane Guardian》 4 《幻の漂い/Drift of Phantasms》 3 《盾壁の歩哨/Shield-Wall Sentinel》 2 《大蛇の葉読み/Orochi Leafcaller》 2 《アヴァシンの巡礼者/Avacyn's Pilgrim》 2 《ヤスペラの歩哨/Jaspera Sentinel》 1 《電位式錬金術師/Galvanic Alchemist》 1 《ヴァラクートの発動者/Valakut Invoker》 1 《タクタクの瓦礫砦/Tuktuk Rubblefort》 1 《裂け目を蒔く者/Rift Sower》 1 《ビビアンの灰色熊/Vivien's Grizzly》 1 《記憶の壁/Mnemonic Wall》

Spell 11 4 《紆余曲折/Winding Way》 4 《暴走の先導/Lead the Stampede》 1 《現実からの遊離/Freed from the Real》 1 《墓の刈り取り/Reaping the Grave》 1 《ムラーサの胎動/Pulse of Murasa》

Land 14 1 《抵抗者の居住地/Holdout Settlement》 13 《森/Forest》

Sideboard 15 《林間の癒し手/Healer of the Glade》 《真紅の見習い僧/Crimson Acolyte》 《黒曜石の見習い僧/Obsidian Acolyte》 《ゴリラのシャーマン/Gorilla Shaman》 《散弾の射手/Scattershot Archer》

一般的なリストは概ねこんな感じ。 《ビビアンの灰色熊》と《第三の道の学者/Third Path Savant》の選択、《記憶の壁》と《貯蔵スカーブ/Repository Skaab》の選択、《隠し扉/Secret Door》の有無あたりが好みとかで変わってるところ？

僕が使ってるリストも大して違いないけど今こんな感じ→Goldfish

《草茂る胸壁》《斧折りの守護者》

どっちもキーカードだけどクリック数では《胸壁》に軍配。《斧折り》は出すマナを一つずつ色指定しなければならないので面倒くさい。時間が無いときは《胸壁》+《葉読み》+《遊離》の無限マナがクリック数的にはよい。

《胸壁》+《葉読み》+《遊離》で無限マナするときは、《胸壁》に《遊離》貼ってから《葉読み》を出すと《稲妻/Lightning Bolt》ケアできる。

《幻の漂い》

《漂い》→《漂い》→《墓の刈り取り》とサーチして、ストーム1以上で《刈り取り》を唱えれば手札の《漂い》が増える。このギミックを使えば1枚の《漂い》からでも《遊離》と《発動者》を揃えることができる。

例：《盾壁の歩哨》→《漂い》→《漂い》→《刈り取り》(《漂い》2枚回収)→《漂い》→《遊離》(無限マナ)→《漂い》→《発動者》

《漂い》1枚始動は無限マナ成立までに17マナほどかかる。

内訳：ストーム1稼ぎ最低1マナ→変成3マナ→変成3マナ→刈り取り3マナ→変成3マナ→遊離3マナ→遊離起動1マナ

次のターン死ぬことが無さそうなら《漂い》数枚回収したところでターンを終えてもよい。ターン跨ぎのときストームカウントは相手の呪文で稼いでもよい。

《漂い》→《漂い》→《漂い》→《刈り取り》(《漂い》3枚回収)までできれば、余った3枚目の《漂い》で相手の除去や打ち消しに備えることができる。《漂い》変成から《刈り取り》までの流れ自体が《対抗呪文/Counterspell》に強くて打ち消しでは流れが止まりづらい。むしろ事前に何かを打ち消させてストームカウントとして利用したい。

《盾壁の歩哨》

《歩哨》で《歩哨》をサーチすることで防衛の頭数を増やすことができる。チャンプブロッカーが欲しいときや《電位式錬金術師》でのコンボを狙っているとき(防衛4体必要)に役立つ。

コンボ中は《歩哨》→《歩哨》→ 《歩哨》→《漂い》と経由することでクリック数低減にもなる。

《ほくちの壁/Tinder Wall》1枚いれておけば対親和で《ゴリラのシャーマン/Gorilla Shaman》を出すためのマナフィルターになる。

相手のサイドカードについて

相手目線だとパワー1とか2の地上クリーチャーは0/3にふんわりキャッチされるだけなので全部サイドアウト候補になる。

キーカードが実は青いカードと赤いカードだから《紅蓮破/Pyroblast》《水流破/Hydroblast》が刺さる。このへん1枚で止まるような余裕のない状況では仕掛けたくない。

《漂い》1枚始動では墓地経由するから墓地対策も刺さる。除去多いミッドレンジ相手はそもそも《墓の刈り取り》が生命線だったりする。

《遊離》は《軍旗の旗手/Standard Bearer》に吸われたり《否認/Nagete》されたりと相手のサイドカードに引っ掛かりやすい。《ムラーサの胎動》でも拾えないので《紅蓮破》されたとき止まってしまう。サイド後は使いまわしやすい《電位式錬金術師》から何度も仕掛けるのがよい。

[my-head-is-an-animal]

The Lightning Bearer’s Secret⚡

Character Profile: Denya Duke

Ability

Earth Mover 🗻

Job

Runs an orphanage.

Family

Nathan ‘Nelly’ Duke🗻, husband.

Personality

Family orientated.

Brave and caring. 

The Story

The Lore

If you liked this, please consider supporting me ☕ thanks for reading!

[flame-nova]

Chapter 8: Approaching Threat

While my secret crush for Vox had been resolved, the problem with the Testament remained pending. Time was running short, and her majesty looked paler day by day. We as the Templars of course felt worried for the future of Granadia, but we were hopeless as we were unsure of what to do.

"We gotta think of something. Isn't there other books on stuff like that Berwick?" After pacing to and fro in the lobby of the headquarter, Riviera had finally stopped and turned to me for help. I gave her a helpless look. I've been going through the whole entire library in the past two days, staying up late and reading every single book I could find on the topic "Cursed Blood". But I had reaped nothing.

Vox came over and placed a gentle hand over my cheek. "You didn't even sleep in the past two days? No wonder why you seemed out of it lately.... You need to take care of yourself, Berwick.... You even got bags under your eyes."

He looked distressed. I smiled tiredly at him and placed a hand over his. "Don't worry. I'm usually a night owl. It's not like you don't know that. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm not the current top priority. At least I'm not on the verge of dying. Her majesty is the one we really should focus on. Time's running out."

Duke, who had been standing next to the book shelf and leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest spoke. "If our mage can't even find a single solution to this, we may have to be realistic and accept the possibility that there may not be hopes for Queen Juno. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but someone have to break it to you."

"Don't you have some kind of gratitude toward her majesty?! How dare you say such a thing!" Riviera said, charging up to him angrily and was about to land a hard punch to his dark face if Thetis didn't step in on time.

"Riviera, calm down. Getting mad isn't going to get us anywhere. I'm sure there are other way out. We just need to think harder. C'mon, let's go to the library to see if we can cover anything Berwick missed. He needed a break after all."

With that, Thetis escorted Riviera out of the headquarter. I smiled gratefully at him as I watched the two of them disappear behind the door. It was just me, Vox and a very silent Duke left.

"I think you should go for a nap." Vox said as he took a seat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder to pull me in his warm chest. I closed my eyes, thankful for the gesture but I was not quite ready to hit the hay like that. "We can explain the reason of your absence."

I shook my head. "No. I can work more. I'm not that tired."

It was a lie. I was indeed very tired. But of course I didn't want to worry Vox and had wished that I get to spend some time with him before I call it a day. Surprisingly, Duke seemed to know what I was thinking about as he urged Vox to take the day off to be with me.

Vox started to object, but Duke reminded him how much I needed his support right now as a boyfriend consider how the research in the past had been series of dead ends. He figured that I may need some encouragement from Vox. I marveled at Duke's high EQ. In the same time, I wondered why he chose to stay single.

While I was in my own thoughts, I heard Vox calling my name. I responded absentmindedly only to hear a small sigh from him. "You're out of it again. Are you sure you're not tired?"

"Vox," I begin. The lack of sleep had finally caught up to me as I snapped at him crabbily. "Stop worrying over something small like this. I'm not a baby, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need assistance but thank you for the thought."

The minute the words came out of my mouth, I saw hurt flashed across Vox's face like a lightning, but it soon disappeared and he had changed to his signature calm smile. "Sorry about that. What would you like to do then?"

"Just leave me alone."

Feeling disappointed in myself and the thought that I had hurt Vox clouded my better judgement. I left a emotionless farewell before leaving the headquarter, ignoring Vox's attempt to stop me.

I wandered around, letting my feet take me to whenever I end up. Before I knew it, I was at the spot where Vox first confessed to me. The hill stood over a high place, overlooking the whole entire kingdom of Granadia. My eyes were wide with surprise and marvel as I never expected the place to be so beautiful during day time as it was during night time. I found a good shady spot and sat down with my knees pulled close to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my legs as I kept my eyes nailed to the scenery in front of me. But I wasn't there for long until I heard a voice behind me. One that I was way too familiar with.

"Care if I join you?"

I made no reply. The demon still made his way over to me, sat behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I know you wanted to be left alone. But I just wanted you to know that I care about you. And yes, there's that fear of losing you again. But I'll try better and not treat you like a baby. Will you forgive me?"

His voice soft against my ear, instantly calming me down. My shoulders relaxed as I let go of my knees and leaned backwards, against his shoulder. "And I have to apologize for snapping at you like that. I was exhausted and I couldn't think straight. I'm sorry."

He only wrapped his arms tighter around me as he buried his nose in my neck, breathing in my scent. "Don't worry. I'm not angry. I know."

I smiled softly and closed my eyes. Sleep finally caught up to me as my eyelids felt heavy. "I'm going to take a nap like this if you don't mind."

Vox responded with a muffled sound. I snuggled against him, tossed and turned my body until I found a comfortable spot in his arms before letting myself drift away into Dreamland.

It was late afternoon when I woke up. First thing I saw was a pair of strong arms around me. I smiled and looked up to see Vox sleeping peacefully leaned against the tree behind him. A few strands of his cerulean hair was in his face. I reached out a hand and brushed it away as I admired his handsome features. I was told that I had always looked feminine with my waist length hair and my delicate face. I didn't mind that. I was never offended by their comments. I took pride in being "beautiful", as they called it. I giggled, I remembered a time where demons mistakening me for a girl. I was 10 at the time.

"What's so funny?"

I pulled myself back from memory lane to see a very amused Vox looking at me with a teasing smile on his face. I blushed. "Oh, I was just looking at you and remembered a time where demons thought I was a girl. It was a long time ago of course."

Vox reached out a hand to play with my long hair before bringing a strand to his lips and kissed it. "Not going to lie, you are good-looking, and you do possess features like that of a young demon in her early 20s."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not the first one who told me that. Surprisingly, I don't take offense to being called 'beautiful'. I just got used to the teasing I suppose....."

I trailed off. Suddenly became aware with the fact that my family will probably not accept this relationship and will most likely not give their blessing if we do get married someday. Subconsciously, I felt a hand on my cheek. I pulled my train of memories back to the man in front of me.

"What's wrong, Berwick? You seemed troubled all of a sudden."

"What if my family don't agree with this relationship?" I begin, sounding separate. "I love you, and I cannot feel the same way toward any other demons. I had always and will always love you. It's impossible for me to deny my feelings of you...."

Vox gently kissed my forehead. "Berwick, my beloved. Don't worry about the future. Let's enjoy the present and let life do its thing. Life is like a current. If you swim upstream, you'll soon be tired and out of stamina. But if you learned to go with the flow, you'll be fine."

I nodded and closed my eyes, thankful that I had found such a caring and thoughtful boyfriend. Sure, he may not be romantic, but his love is silent. Only reserved for me. It made me feel special.

I smiled only to feel a pair of lips against mine. I returned the kiss and felt Vox's arms around me tighten. I moved a hand to his cheek and caressed it. He pulled away and held my hand to his. His amber eyes locked in gaze with mine. All of a sudden I felt emotional.

"Vox..... " I begin, but I had nothing to say. He only smiled and assured me with his own tender, gentle ways.

"Mhm. I'm here."

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

It was dinner time when we made our way back to the castle. Thetis had cooked us quite a feast. Vox and I were the last to arrive as Duke was sitting at his usual seat waiting for Thetis to serve him while Riviera had already digged away at her own portion. Queen Juno was there as well, but she seemed lost in thought as she stared at the white tablecloth. I took a seat next to Vox and waited for Thetis to come to us with our plates of food.

Dinner was very good thanks to Thetis' hobby of culinary. However, Queen Juno didn't touch her food. Not even one bite. We all looked at each other wondering if she was okay until Vox gathered up his courage to speak. He was a dear friend to Queen Juno and she trusted him so it only made sense that he would be the one to pop the question.

"Ahem," he coughed. "Your highness, you seemed like you had lost an appetite today. Was Thetis' cooking not good enough to satisfy you?"

"Oh no!" She looked up and waved her hands in a frantic motion. "It's not him. In fact, it's very delicious. Thank you for the meal Thetis."

Thetis nodded but Vox didn't seemed happy that she had redirected his question. He didn't give up and tried again.

"You seemed troubled your highness. We are your knights and I believe you do owe us an explanation. Why do you seem so down?"

The Queen pushed away her food and stood up. Looking at all of us in the eyes, her crimson orbs dimmed in sadness. "I found out that all of you are trying to search for a way to cure me of the Cursed Blood. I am thankful, really. But I don't want to work you guys further and put the duty of protecting Granadia behind. I was just told by one of our soldiers patrolling the borders that someone in Granadia was trying to plot treason against us."

Then, her majesty's gaze turned to me. I had a sinking feeling inside. I kept telling myself that it was going to be fine, but reality proved me wrong.

"And apparently, the traitor is closer to your family, Berwick. I know it's hard to deal with old trauma with your own flesh and blood, but may I ask your hand in assisting us by acting as a double agent and infiltrate the enemy's database as a spy?" Her eyes pleading as they were filled with desperation. "I know I'm asking a lot. But it's the smallest way you can help me feel better aside of your effort to find a cure for the Cursed Blood."

Despite my own feelings, I placed my right hand over my heart. My eyes aflame with determination. "I swore on my heart that I will protect Granadia with all my life. If you need me, I will be right by your side without hesitation."

Her majesty smiled. Turning to Vox, she warned him solemnly. "And during this time, Vox. I need you to stay away from Berwick publicly as much as you possibly can. We don't want the plan being spoiled by letting Berwick being spotted with the captain of the Juno Templars. It will be very disadvantageous to our side."

Vox was about to object, but I squeezed his hand from under the table and mentioned for him to stay quiet. He nodded with a gravely expression. We were soon dismissed from the table. Riviera and Thetis went to take a walk in the woods. Duke hurried away to fill in for the night shift. Her majesty was called to deal with an important matter of the court. It was just me and Vox left sitting in the room. Servants were coming in to clean and collect the dirty dishes.

Vox still seemed to be stuck in his own train of thoughts. I didn't want to bother him so I told him that I'll be in my room if he needed me before leaving for my bed chamber.

I changed into my night clothes and was brushing out my tangled hair until I heard a knock on the door. I opened it to see a distraunt Vox standing outside. I let him in and as soon as I locked the door behind me, he wrapped me up in a tight hug. I hugged him back.

"What's wrong?" I asked, voice muffled in his chest. "You seemed awfully insecure tonight."

"I just don't want to lose you again." He replied. "Especially this time. Who knows how powerful our enemy is? Besides, if anything were to happen to you, I won't be there on time to save you like the last time."

I smiled and squeezed him in reassurance. "Don't worry. Consider my family is close to the traitor, he won't lay a hand on me unless he wanted to be burned to ashes. I think you forgot that your boyfriend here is the most powerful mage in all of Granadia."

I pulled back and grinned at him. My efforts of comforting him was not in vain as I saw a small smile escaping the corners of his mouth. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" He asked.

"Of course."

He left and came back shortly after a while with his own night clothes. Picking me up bridal styled, he laid me on the bed, switched out the light and snuggled me close to his chest.

My bed was facing the window and outside, the sky was clear and I could see Ursa Minor smiling brightly over us, its tail pointing at the north. I turned to see Vox sound asleep. I smiled. He forgot to say good night before he passed out. Maybe the day had been long, but I was thankful that I had someone so loving and protective like him as a boyfriend. I just hoped I could stay with him forever like this and never leave his side.

I gave his lips a small peck, tucked the blanket under his chin and snuggled into his chest. Smiling, I drifted off to sleep.

"Good night Vox, my beloved. See you in Dreamland."

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Author's Note

Done!!! Sorry for the late chapter update. I had fights with my own boyfriend and we almost came to a point of breaking up. So yeah, in the midst of my sadness, I didn't feel like writing so that's why I haven't been updating in the past two days. Sorry about that.

I decided to write my own experience into this because again, not all relationship are perfect and just because the partner don't say they love you doesn't mean they don't love you. You just haven't realized how they love you from your own point of view. That's all.

I don't want to rant on more on the topic of love because I could write a novel on such matter so yeah, let's move on lol. Hope you guys liked the little plot twist I added in this chapter. And next chapter will go back to the main plot, which is the canon side of the story. I hope you all are excited for that. I know I'm excited to write it!

I'm so thankful that you guys are still reading this up to this point. Really encouraged me to write more contents on this matter. Thank you all for your supports.

Special shout out to my good friend Flare-chan. I won't mention who she is for the sake of her confidentiality since I don't have her permission to reveal her identity. If you're reading this Flare-chan, thank you for being there supporting me through my pain and simp Berwick with me. It was fun and I dedicate this chapter for you. Thank you for everything and hugs to you!

Next chapter is on the way!

[willowthephotographer]

THE 13TH HOROSCOPE

Presenting our next Horoscope Collection, OPHIUCHUS.

THE MOVEMENT OF THE HOROSCOPE COLLECTION IS ABOUT USING THE MODERN MEDIUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY TO TELL THE STORIES OF THE ORIGINAL MYTHOLOGIES. THE CONSTELLATIONS WERE STUDIED AND VIEWED AS MYTHOLOGICAL STORIES. DIFFERENT CULTURES, COUNTRIES, AND REGIONS HAD THEIR OWN DEPICTIONS AS WELL. GETTING TO LEARN ABOUT EACH ONE HAS BEEN COMPLETELY RIVETING. WHILE EDUCATING MYSELF, I GOT TO LEARN HOW IN-DEPTH THESE ZODIACS REALLY ARE.

THE DEPICTION OF OPHIUCHUS IS A SNAKE BEARER, THE SNAKE CHARMER.

FOR MY PHOTOGRAPHY CHOICES, I DECIDED IN PURSUING THE SNAKE CHARMER. I WANTED TO CREATE AN INTENSITY FOR THE FIRE SIGN. I ALSO WANTED TO HAVE A LIVING SNAKE FOR IMPACT AS WELL AS A NOD TO ITS SURROUNDING ZODIACS SAGITTARIUS AND SCORPIO. I ALSO WANTED SOMEONE CHARMING AND CAPTIVATING TO MODEL FOR THIS SIGN. SILVIA AND COMPANY SIR HISS, DID THIS SPENDIDLY. VERY EDGY AND COMPLIMENTARY LOOKS. THE HOROSCOPE COLOUR REPRESENTATION IS LIKE THAT OF SAGITTARIUS, PURPLE. HOWEVER, FOR SAGITTARIUS, I USED SOMETHING SOFTER. TO CONTINUE THE INTENSITY, I WANTED DARK ROYAL PURPLE FOR OPHIUCHUS. MIRRORING COMPLECTIONS. THE NETTING, SIMILAR TO THE SCALES, COLOURS, SLEEK AND MINIMALISTIC LOOK. NATURAL YET IMPACTFUL. QUITE THE BITE. WITH ONLY HER PURPLE SETS HER APART FROM THE SNAKE. EVERYTHING TOGETHER, SHE TRULY DRAWS YOU IN. THE HEALER, THE CHARMER, THE SNAKE BEARER.

OPHIUCHUS SYMBOLISM ABOUT THE OPHIUCHUS... ”The depiction of Ophiuchus, “the 13th horoscope”, is the serpent bearer. If we use a celestial planisphere, we will see that between November 30 and December 18, the Sun occupies one of those less famous constellations: Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer or snake charmer. Those born between these dates are, of necessity, the zodiac sign Ophiuchus.

There is no evidence of the constellation preceding the classical era, and in Babylonian astronomy, a “Sitting Gods” constellation seems to have been located in the general area of Ophiuchus. However, Gavin White proposes that Ophiuchus may in fact be remotely descended from this Babylonian constellation, representing Nirah, a serpent-god who was sometimes depicted with his upper half human but with serpents for legs.

To the ancient Greeks, the constellation represented the god Apollo struggling with a huge snake that guarded the Oracle of Delphi. Later myths identified Ophiuchus with Laocoön, the Trojan priest of Poseidon, who warned his fellow Trojans about the Trojan Horse and was later slain by a pair of sea serpents sent by the gods to punish him.

According to Roman-era mythography, the figure represents the healer Asclepius, who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay after observing one serpent bringing another healing herbs. To prevent the entire human race from becoming immortal under Asclepius’ care, Jupiter killed him with a bolt of lightning. Later placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works.

In medieval Islamic astronomy (Azophi’s Uranometry, 10th century), the constellation was known as Al-Ḥawwaʾ, “the snake-charmer”. Aratus describes Ophiuchus as trampling on Scorpius with his feet. This is depicted in Renaissance to Early Modern star charts, beginning with Albrecht Dürer in 1515; in some depictions (such as that of Johannes Kepler in De Stella Nova, 1606), Scorpius also seems to threaten to sting Serpentarius in the foot.

This is consistent with Azophi, who already included ψ Oph and ω Oph as the snake-charmer’s “left foot”, and θ Oph and ο Oph as his “right foot”, making Ophiuchus a zodiacal constellation at least as regards his feet. This arrangement has been taken as symbolic in later literature, and placed in relation to the words spoken by God to the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15).”

CONNECTING LINKS

Ophiuchus by Sjur Cappelen Papazian

space.com

thank you to everyone who went to the Exhibition on JANUARY 27th, 2022. It was a day to remember!

IT was SO INCREDIBLY FULFILLING TO have done ANOTHER ARTIST PROJECT. EVERY MODEL IS OF THE ACTUAL HOROSCOPE AND I had ALSO WORKed WITH AMAZING ARTISTS, MUAS, JEWELLERS, DESIGNERS, AND MORE. CHECK OUT THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA BELOW. HELP SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES.

SUCH AN AMAZING COLLABORATION. a model, who’s never done a photoshoot before, and working with another live creature. knocked it out of the park! The model, Silvia, WAS very brave to take on this photoshoot. something out of her comfort zone, with a python!

thank you to our outstanding team: SARAH MOHSN, JORDAN STEWART, AND TYANNA CELLUCHI!

FEBRUARY 27TH THERE’LL BE A BLOG POST ABOUT THE EXHIBITION IN DETAIL, SHOWCASING BOTH EXHIBITION VIDEOS, THE EXPERIENCE, MERCH DROP, *NEW* PHOTOSHOOT PACKAGES, AND THE DOOR PRIZE WINNERS!

[artbyblastweave]

The thing about Morbius is that executed properly, he could very easily be a Tumblr Darling. I’ve written before about how Taskmaster is a character who really heavily banks on the greater context of the superhero world he exists in to be fun and interesting, and Morbius is very, very similar; he fills a niche adjacent to Moon Knight where he’s the superhero that life just sort of happens to.

 He drifts from research job to research job where he can get a steady supply of donated blood in exchange for working on whatever weird science problem the government currently needs worked on. Zombies are invading from the zombie dimension? Figure out which dumpster Morbius is currently in and get him to do science on the zombie corpses until we’ve got a cure. The Secret Monster Metropolis in New York needs a live-in physician? Someone go see if Morbius is busy. 

And when he doesn’t have some weird tenured science position, he’s living on the streets, eating racoons out of dumpsters and fistfighting mad scientists who surgically remove the brains of cancer patients to see if the cancer itself is capable of developing sentience and controlling the body, or he’s pulling pieces of Frank Castle out of the river in order to assemble a Frankencastle to fight Green Goblin’s fascist regime. 

And he is tired! All the time! He has been kidnapped and drugged by his own zombie doppleganger as part of a plot to turn all the superheroes in America into zombies! His best friend is a werewolf who got turned into a zombie in his not-wolf state! He has been cured and uncured and cured and uncured about fifty times! One time he got hit by lightning and that temporarily cured him somehow? He keeps getting jumped by actual honest-to-god answer-to-dracula vampires who’re miffed that he’s edging in on their branding! His life is a cosmic joke and it’s gone on long enough that he’s learned to tune out the laughing!

And just like- on a personality level- he’s the standard-bearer for poor little meow meows! He pontificates like the protagonist of an Anne Rice Novel just because, he’s got the funny kind of self-loathing where he rolls with every fucked up thing that happens to him because he figures it’s what such a loathsome creature of the night deserves! 

If you’re just doing one movie about Morbius, with nothing else in the mix, you’re doing Morbius wrong. Morbius needs a TV show. Morbius needs cold opens. Morbius needs roommates and cutaway gags and a narrator who immediately contradicts whatever Morbius just said, Arrested Development style!

[gusu-emilu]

Top 5 Wen Ning Scenes

1. Golden core reveal

There are so many things I love about this scene. We've seen Wen Ning physically protect others many times before, but this is him forging his own path with emotional and verbal assertiveness. It's not a clear-cut right or wrong choice either: Wen Ning stands up for Wei Wuxian at the same time he is breaking his promise to keep the secret. (interesting that his biggest moments in the narrative involve some form of treachery - betraying his clan, harming Wei Wuxian's family, breaking a promise. a bit of a stretch to add, but even his existence as a fierce corpse goes against against the nature of life)

In this scene he is also standing up for himself as much as for Wei Wuxian--Jiang Cheng hits him with Zidian three times, and each time he stands up and returns with staggered but determined steps. He's normally so soft-spoken, but here we get to hear him raise his voice (and even kinda growl. god i love the growls). I also enjoy that Wen Qing is finally mentioned by name post-timeskip.

Although throughout the scene Wen Ning is visibly angry, he also seems very sad, especially once everyone has left. He carried this secret for so long, helped the core transfer happen and saw its consequences, and now he's seen Jiang Cheng's visceral reaction to the knowledge. Being the bearer of the truth isn't necessarily a pleasant thing.

2. Committing treason with a smile

Here's a gif of the smiley tap tap which is my favorite thing in the world

Wen Ning using his strengths! He has knowledge of medicine, so he drugs the wine. He knows his status isn't taken very seriously, so his excuse of just stopping by because he wanted to see what happened does the job.

I also love that he has this very brief nervous gesture when the guards approach (do I hold the jar with one hand? two hands? aaaghh how do i make this seem casual??) and then by the time the guards reach him, he's 100% in the zone and lies with such confidence and cheerfulness

3. Dramatic entrance at Guanyin Temple

A good portion of my reasoning for this one is head empty only Ghost General. The lightning?? The mean glare?? Dragging Baxia behind him??? This moment is too good!

I also enjoy that initially, everyone thinks it's Nie Mingjue. And Jin Guangyao, who is already having the worst last-farewell-date-with-erge-turned-dysfunctional-family-reunion ever, and is running on dangerously high levels of paranoia, and has already gotten jumpscared by Nie Mingjue's body replacing his mom's corpse, now thinks Da-ge is back and coming for him. But that's just some added spice.

I'll also lump this scene with Wen Ning saving Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng from Baxia. In the past, Wen Ning killed under the control of resentful energy. Here, he's able to fight Baxia's possession and save the son of the man he never meant to kill. About as chill-inducing as the novel version of Guanyin Temple where Wen Ning is pierced through the chest the same way Jin Zixuan was.

4. Bonding with A-Yuan

Reunited with his last living relative! Wen Ning has someone to tell all his stories too :) Their relationship is so gentle, and I love how Sizhui actively reaches out to Wen Ning before he even knows the truth of his identity.

Also, I adore the giant stiff hand gestures Wen Ning makes while talking.

5. Chef A-Ning

One of the first things Wen Ning does once getting his consciousness back is to cook all the dishes for Wei Wuxian's dinner party. And also apparently get charcoal all over his face while doing it. He is the sweetest. He makes another great appearance later looking so cute by literally just holding a tray.

I love how once his consciousness is restored, he is welcomed back so lovingly by his family and is integrated into their daily lives right away--shopping in town, farming, selling turnips, etc.

In this scene, Wen Qing proudly tells Wei Wuxian that "A-Ning" did the cooking, and Wei Wuxian repeats the name "A-Ning" which is one of the few times (that I know of) that he refers to Wen Ning by this term of endearment...Burial Mounds family really does something to me.

Bonus:

(ask me my top 5 anything)