#VERSE: ANCIENT EGYPT.//

[ofthepuzzle]

Cont. [x] // @xpharaohsaiboux

Midway, Atem realizes that if both he and Mana tag Yuugi it’s likely that they will push him over. He outstretches his arm as fast as he can before they all reach the ground to position his hand right behind Yuugi’s head. That way so the impact isn’t that bad. And he also makes sure to fall on his side while keeping his head safe. Mana seems to be all fine while she’s fully on top of them both. Atem’s hand lightly maintains Yuugi’s head above the ground before he gently sets it down and withdraws.

“Sorry…. Sorry,” Atem whispers.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Mana adds.

Atem squints at her, knowing exactly what she’s doing. It’s like that game of words they play. Who can voice a word many times the fastest. This time they didn't think about the 'fast' part, though. Both of their apologies were genuine, judging by how flustered they both are.

Mahad walks right behind them with his arms crossed. “Mana. Retreat to your studies.” He is having none of this. To which Mana pouts.

“Okay. For the record, you hit the bullseye twice,” Mana manages to tell Atem as she gets up and playfully gestures a ‘bye’ at him and Yuugi.

[mahoushojoumonster]

What kind of mom would Mana be? Which verse yes

Random Question time -- anonymous

Oooh, this is fun to think about, so let's go verse by verse.

#girl of khemet - Mana knows what it is to feel alone, to be hungry, to have no shelter when cold. She would rather die than let her child go through anything like that. Her child will have everything she can give them, even if that means she has to do things she'd rather not for coin or safety. Perhaps that also means she will need to pass on her knowledge from when she was a child of the streets, sleight of hand and how to fight like a wildcat.

Of course, in the best case scenario, safety is assured, and she can focus on being a parent as well as a provider. Her main sources for parental and familial love? Those she spent time with in the palace. Perhaps she will emulate the way Siamun gives his life lessons, with stories and sneaking honeyed figs for a well-earned treat. She knows that she would like to be calm and collected like Isis and Mahaad, soft spoken and affectionate in the little ways. She hopes that she has less of a temper than Set, but she's picked up a few of his ways of subtly getting what she wants with silky words, perhaps she might use that too. She definitely wants to be a source of fun, like Shada and Karim were to her at times, swinging her around playfully.

Most of all, she will make sure her children know they are loved and wanted. She knows what it is like to grow up wondering and she will be damned if she ever lets her own blood feel the same way.

#bound in spirit - As a spirit, Mana is unlikely (read: very impossible*) to carry her own children. She isn't human or living enough to do so, and the immortality factor may just ensure that any mortal child she has... They will grow old and disappear long before she is ready. It's not something she likes to think about.

But there are plenty of spirit children, or child-like at least, and humans that she does find herself around... So she does find herself babysitting here and there. She remembers all the old lullabies and songs, and she sings them all for her charges, tirelessly rocking and playing with all the patience for a darling child. She also makes use of her illusions incredibly liberally, creating lights and shapes for the little ones, and playing whatever games asked of her.

She may struggle a little with the longing, but she often looks the happiest when cuddling with a sweet little one and telling them stories.

#once upon a dream - This Mana spent her entire childhood and a lot of her young adult life working towards a singular goal, and not necessarily one that she chose for herself. So if and when she becomes a mother, her only concern is that her kid will know that they can change their mind. They can try new things, and step outside of their comfort zones. She wants them to do well, just like any other parent. But she is never going to force them into a career or a hobby, and she'll likely want to try to get involved in whatever they choose to do so she can better support them.

She would be retired from her sport or more active jobs and have settled into something a little less body-intensive by the time she has a child so she would have a lot of time to go to games or tournaments and be that almost-embarrassing cheer mum that makes sure to remember birthdays for classmates and and informally adopt all of her child's friends too. Everyone is welcome, and everyone is loved.

...

*Exceptions only in pre-plotted specific story verses

[ofthepuzzle]

He tries to understand where she’s coming from. Things did seem pretty calm in the palace and it’s mainly because the king and queen have exceptional security but also they have been keeping dark truths from the prince. They wouldn’t want to burden him at a young age so that he grows stress-free and healthy. There are some things even Atem questions and never receives an answer to. But it isn't like he is completely ignorant of it all. For instance, he knows that some priests were actually raised here. The only one from the top of his head that appeared later on would be Seth. Mana doesn’t hold royal blood too but she is allowed in because she’s Mahad’s apprentice. Atem doesn’t expect everyone to be strictly born on royal grounds. And this actually piques his curiosity. He hasn’t been told much about the priests’ backstories, aside from Mahad’s.

“… There is some truth in your words.” And he may have to dig in archives or just ask for information in a way that wouldn’t give away his intentions. It is a tad bit annoying to be lacking the knowledge in order to be argumentative. His father knows the members of the court personally. Maybe if he turns to him it would be easier. In all fairness, as the heir he does wish to become a little more aware of things.

“As I don’t have much to work with, I’ll look into the matter. If he was willing to sacrifice his own safety for yours then I am pretty sure he would remember you.”

In the dark? Hardly.

It was a widely known, if dark truth. True there were the black markets where the illegal sales happened but there were plenty of legal sales and slave markets.

Now it was her turn, did he really not know? Had he really led such a sheltered life.

"I'm sure the Pharoah knows, where do you think some of your servents came from?"

Oh certainly many were well educated and learned, working under their own skill but it wasn't the same for everyone. Especially for those who were not of egypt.

"Not all of us live so blessed lives,"

She did not blame him for his ignorance nor hate him, in a way it pained her to see the prince being forced to face the unkind truth of the land, that the kingdom wasn't near so perfect as he must have imagined.

Find him? She'd never thought to look and through out her travels had never once met him, although one of the Priest's came close to how he must have looked now,

She shookcher head "I don't know several years ," It was hard to say how much time had passed "If he is alive I do not wish to cause more trouble, and I'm sure he's long forgotten me,"

It would been nice to see him one last time, to apologize for the tragedy which befell his home and properly thank him.

[imprvdente]

Nonchalantly, Rick would play it cool as he put an arm around Fish's shoulders. Only to tuck a card in between her arm and the side of her body. His arm slid away suddenly. "D-Don't drop that card until I'm gone, but y-yeah, anyway, see you later."

He could've made that exit weirder, but nonetheless, he basically sprinted away.

If the card were to fall onto the ground, it would shoot out a beam of blue light, creating a holographic invitation. The words written in white being read out by Rick's voice, repeating in three second intervals.

{ Obligatory Mun note: time means nothing as the event goes on for the entire month of October, the party goes on from October 21st to October 31st. Also, please tag anything concerning the event with 'Rick's Halloween Bash' }

from: Rick's Halloween Bash invitation!!! status: closed event 🎃

"What-??"

Before Fish could ask anything about the card he had shoved under her arm, Rick was already gone. More exactly, Rick had already sprinted away at full speed. Frowning a little bit in surprise, she looked at the card.

Had he said to drop it to the ground?

With a little shrug, she did just that. After all, Fish was a curious woman, and this entire ordeal was intriguing enough that she'd do as she was told (for once). As the card fell to the ground, a beam of blue light sprung from it, creating a large holographic invitation to what looked like a Halloween party.

And if that wasn't clear enough, Rick's voice resonated all around her as well. As far as invitations went, this was certainly one of the most creative she'd seen in her long life. A little bit awkward too, but that was really just because of Rick's weird little run.

She happily stuffed the card back into her pocket, and the voice and light went silent. A Halloween party sounded really fun, actually. And she wasn't going to say no to an opportunity to see Rick. She was already thinking of costume options! Of course, she could easily travel back in time and buy an outfit for an extra realistic effect.

[httpsoftbunni]

Ancient Babylonian Cosmology

Welcome back to Bible Study! We’re still taking a look at the surrounding cosmologies, but this time, we’re discussing Babylon, which is also one of the most ancient empires whose life is also sustained by two rivers, the Tigress and the Euphrates, that empty into the Persian Gulf.

This is a story that both is an account of the cosmos and how it comes into existence, but the culmination of the entire story is the building of the empire of Babylon. Similar to Genesis 1, the climax is with humans as the image of God. Their version climaxes in the arrival of their kingdom on Earth.

The ancient Babylonians and Egyptians both believed that everything was in a chaotic, water state before the ordering of the universe. As in Israelite cosmology, creation is about creating order out of chaos. The ancient Babylonians also had a view of a multitiered universe, much like Israel. One of the most significant differences between Israel and Babylon is that in the biblical view, Yahweh is the God over all. In the Egyptian and Babylonian views, everything is god. (A form of pantheism).

A key text within ancient Babylonian cosmology is the Enuma Elish (the Babylonian Genesis or “the combat myth”). The Enuma Elish is an ancient cuneiform tablet text that adopted the Egyptian and Sumerian traditions of the primeval waters generating the pantheon of old deities. These deities are then to be taken over by a young upstart god named Marduk, patron god of Babylon. The narrative begins with the uncreated state.

“When on high no name was given to heaven, nor below was the netherworld called by name, Primeval Apsu (deep abyss) was their progenitor, and creator Tiamat (salty ocean) was she who bore them all, they were mingling their waters together, when no gods at all had been brought forth, none called by names, none destinies ordained, then were the gods formed within these two…” Excerpt from Enuma Elish

So, we have Apsu, which is a deity here. Then we have the Tiamat. It’s as if there’s the abysmal waters and then there’s the upper waters, two concepts of lthe waters that you see and interact with on the surface, and then the deep, dark waters. Apsu is the deep, Tiamat is the upper part. The account goes on that these two deities mix together and generate all these different other classes of deities: the sky gods, the land gods, time, light, etc.

Eventually, the gods all develop with Ea and his son Marduk at the head of the pantheon. Tiamat threatens to take over with her chaos waters, and she becomes a giant sea dragon. Marduk battles and destroys her, using half her body to make the waters above and the waters below. What happens is Marduk wants to build a kingdom on the land and Tiamat, the waters, starts beating on the shore wanting to take out the kingdom. He wants to build on the dry land so Marduk declares war on Tiamat in this iconic battle scene.

This is an Assyrian version of it. Sometimes Tiamat (on the left) is depicted as this griffin-like creature, sometimes as a multi-headed dragon like a hydra, or sometimes as a huge snake. Marduk summons the wind and makes this huge wind blast blow at Tiamat and catch her in the mouth and the wind gust blows her throat open. He then throws spears and arrows down her throat and it makes Tiamat’s belly explode. Then Marduk rips Tiamat in half to form the dome, the waters above, and the waters below to make a firm place for the dry land. 

Notice the difference from Egypt: it’s self-generating, it explains its own existence. Whereas this is…you just have those waters again. You always begin with those waters and then the waters are an obstacle to the emergence of order. So you need God to bring order. That’s very similar to the Hebrew Bible, isn’t it? But, how does the God bring order? Well, here, it’s through violent aggressive conflict. The kingdom is founded on the violent overcoming of chaos.

Now, Babylon isn’t the only place that has this cosmology story. There are variations of this story in several cultures and regions. But, I’m not going to get into a whole lot about cross comparative cosmologies here, but there are certain motifs that are universal, and typically its the creation out of conflict of primal forces of chaos. You could even argue that these are all symbolic modes of talking about what we observe, which is darkness and waters and death: things that thwart health and life and flourishing of a community on the dry land in the daytime. So there is this coexistence and that the earth is an inherently violent place. It’s easy to see a world creation story that emerges from violence to explain all the death and violence of nature and humanity. We have a tendency to explain our own origins based on our experience. The violence that we’re living in, we kind of look back and go, “Oh, that’s how we came to be because that’s what we did to get the Babylonian empire built.”

Now all of this kind of forces us to come back to Genesis 1 with some new questions and observations. Notice the absence of violent conflict.

Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology

“Reading Genesis 1 as ancient cosmology requires that the cognitive environment, that is, how people thought about themselves and their world, be taken into account within the broad spectrum of ancient Near Eastern cosmological texts. This opens the question of whether the biblical authors used any other ancient texts as ‘sources,’ whether as templates, patterns, or foils …. However, many attempts to trace the trail from other ANE texts to Genesis have been too simplistic …. They come from separate centuries and very different geographical locations. Rather, our efforts should be to use all the literature at our disposal to reconstruct the variety of cosmological pictures within the ancient cognitive environment, which can serve as a backdrop for understanding each literary work.” - Walter, John H. (2011) Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology. Eisenbrauns. 2.

In his book Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology, John Walter shares examples from a spectrum of explanations for how different cosmology texts relate to one another. Walton proposes the following spectrum of interaction.

At times the biblical text ignores a dominant ancient Near Eastern tradition by wholly excluding such ideas as theogony (creation as “birthed” by God). The biblical text shows familiarity with a traditional idea but rejects it, as when the concept that creation is the result of rival gods is rejected because Yahweh is shown to have no rival.  The biblical text shares one part of a traditional idea but rejects other parts by giving an alternative perspective. The biblical account shares with other cosmology the idea of humans made of clay, but it rejects the idea that humans are created to be slaves of the gods.  The biblical text sometimes shows awareness of a tradition and adapts/transforms it in light of biblical monotheism. In the biblical account, creation is not the result of a battle with the chaos monster, and the water dragon is not a true rival to Yahweh but a rebel creature. Finally, the biblical text sometimes shares and subconsciously reflects a traditional conception with its neighbors, such as creation taking the form of a macro-temple.

Visualization of Biblical Cosmos

“This common creation model suggests that the Israelite shared a similar conception of reality, rooted in basic experiences of the human body and the earth, as their ancient Near Eastern neighbors. Indeed, the Israelites were part of the larger ancient Near Eastern cultural environment in that they shared similar understandings of the world … The differences between the Bible and other Near Eastern literature can only be understood from within the context of their similarities. These differences reflect the cultural particularities of each people, not extensively and unrelated cultures.” - Adapted from Simkins, Ronald A (1994). Creator and Creation: Nature in the Worldview of Ancient Israel. Hendrickson Pub. 89

“It should be evident that within the worldview of the ancient Near East, including the Hebrew Bible, their physical-technical and poetic-mythical statements and conceptions are not susceptible to consistent separation. To people in the ancient Near East, the empirical world, as manifestation and symbol, points beyond its superficial reality. A blurring occurs between the actual and the symbolic, and conversely between the symbolic and the actual. This openness of the everyday, earthly world to the spheres of divine life and bottomless, devastating lostness is probably the chief difference between ancient Near Eastern conception of the world and our own, which views the world as a virtually closed mechanical system. The principal error of conventional representations of the ANE view of the world lies in their profanity and lifelessness. In the biblical and ANE conception, the world is open and transparent to things above and beneath the earth. It is not a lifeless stage. The universe is thoroughly alive, and, therefore, the more capable of sympathy with humans and of response to the rule of its creator, on whom both humanity and the universe directly depend. Certainly we have here more than a poetical personification of the cosmos, when it is invited to shout for joy!” - Keel, Othmar (1997). Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms. Eisenbrauns. 56.

[ofthepuzzle]

A ghost of the past. That’s what he’s seeing. The dream he had with the white canine and the same ashen hair that shimmered under the platinum moonlight. But there always was something eerie about this man regardless of how much the light made him stand out. The darkness seemed to embrace him much stronger. And the moonshine doesn’t illuminate their faces as brightly as it did in the prince’s room in the past from their current position, however.

The way the other flaunted how he deliberately stole the mantle from Akhenamkhanen’s tomb without a care in the world causes a seed of anger to sprout in the pit of Atem’s stomach. The tomb was secured. Then how did this man end up going inside?? And how did no one else notice? Atem puts those questions aside when the latter mentions ‘my people’ in his speech. What is he talking about? ‘In their death?’ Revenge… ? For a moment the memory of his father begging only for his son to be spared from the Gods wrath and that he would take the consequences on his shoulders. Atem never thought about what these consequences are. He never saw his father to do anything cruel. He was a hard-working noble man in his eyes.

As Bakhura reveals his name, it all makes sense how he was able to stealthily rob a tomb and somehow pass the security and enter the palace. How naïve Atem was… To think he believed he was Wepwawet. This man resents his father, the former pharaoh, which contradicts Wepwawet’s role in symbolizing and protecting the royal’s rise to power. And most importantly in the pharaoh's ascent to the Duat, to which the thief made a mockery of by plundering the sacred tomb. And to add to the anger fuel, he underestimates Atem. Like is incapable of defending himself.

“You made a mistake by venturing into my business.” Into his father’s business.  The anger from his eyes shows the child within, the boy who was taught to endure, to raise himself on his feet when he fell, and then was deprived of the love and protection he once had. The child is not the same anymore.

"Lay a hand on me and see what happens. The consequences will hunt you down if I am still missing before dawn.” The Gods are unforgiving. And Atem knows very well that the heavier one’s heart is from committing crimes the more likely it will get rejected and swallowed by Ammit. But that isn’t the only reason why he is not showing signs of being afraid. The only thing he is appalled by is the fact that this man happened to get away with a couple of things. Atem judges these acts as irreconcilable. The smoldering magenta hue in his narrowed eyes burns with disdain.

"You dare to creep your way into my father’s burial chamber and steal away Gods know what and casually mention your name to me like you’ve achieved glory from your foul acts?” Atem spat. “… I raised the bar too high for you back then. But thanks for letting me know who you really are.”

Bakhura was getting closer to the other one, who seemed to be confused, maybe a little lost. He didn't display a confident stride, it was more of a speedy, frantic and weirdly without destination struggle.

He wasn't surprised when the secretively hidden person stopped, arching their whole body into the cool nocturnal breeze, like it was a delight to feel it waft over them... and non-surprisingly they turned around just them, seeing him, about two arm lengths away, on the same path, facing them.

He saw a recognition swirl weakly through those magenta eyes, something he had truly not expected in a lifetime and the next... but after realizing the face wasn't unknown to him, the young princes eyes trailed down his body and seemed to freeze.

Something grim gripped his heart right then and only cold prevailed in his gaze. Coldness and determination.

"Fancy meeting you here as well, prince." He said, ominously. It filled him with some joy that the breeze made the wonderfully red mantle around his shoulders flutter... like he wore a lions pelt around his body - like he slaughtered a wild beast. Something that clearly told everybody else that he was not to be messed with. "Oh... this old thing?" He asked lamely and a small smile spread over his lips, asking himself how the younger one would react.

"I think its former holder... late holder - I should maybe add - wouldn't care much about keeping it. I didn't even have to take it off him, really. It was neatly folded beside his very enriched sarcophagus... more of a honor than he bestowed upon my people in their death."

"Not a pretty story... but here we are. He sew and reaped the spoils. This small revenge isn't even comparable, really, to what all of us had to endure." He huffed lowly.

"How quickly you forgot." His lips twitched lightly. "Upon your first veiled glance... let me introduce myself to you as I should have done around five years ago. 'Bakhura King of Thieves' ... at your service."

He added the offer in a tone that would make it clear how he really thought about serving the future god king.

"What brings you here so late at night? There are thieves, murderers even, who would view you as a great raise to their pocket money. You should be very... VERY careful running through the city at night. Your precious little guards aren't the peak of soft behavior either."

He poked his cheek, where the proud scar rested that the palace guards had left him as a little present, when his Ka wasn't as strong years ago.

[ofthepuzzle]

Cont. [x] // @bloodbetwixtgold

Heaven's black night, the light of the stars and the moon illuminate through the single window opening in the room. Sleep arrives as a magical rest, the prince is curled in a ball as though to help him maintain warmth through the cold night. His hand is gripping into a blanket in the same manner he used to hold onto his parents’ garbs. It brings him a sense of security. He’s dreaming of an oasis, his blanket floating in clear waters and his hand scoops a few lilies. Dreams don’t make sense at times. Like how it doesn’t make any sense that he can stay afloat on a thin blanket. Almost like some powerful force is protecting him from sinking. In the dream, Atem crawls out of the water and into the shore. He then notices paw prints on the golden sand. In his peripheral vision, he could spot a grey pelt and dark nose sniffing at him. A jackal? It has unique features. A  bark breaks the silence and it almost feels like he heard it in reality. It wakes him up.

Atem shifts, motioning a hand to rub away the sleep from his eyes. Why would the jackal wake him up? That was a strange dream. He sits up from his sanctuary within a cocoon of cotton sheets. His body completely freezes when he comes to meet a figure in the shadows. And when the moon shines upon his hair, it’s remarkably ashen-grey. Like the fur of the canine in his dream. Was he the one who woke him from his slumber or was it a coincidence?

The prince’s first instinct was to extend a hand out, pointing in the direction of the figure in front, before blurting out, “Wepwawet.” On normal occasions, when there’s an intruder it would be expected for him to shout so that the guards could hear him. But he’s staring at the other and mistaking him for the deity that seemed to have appeared in his dream. The deity has ties with royalty, protecting their rise to power, and accompanying them on hunts. It's also associated with funerary rites and war, carrying sharp arrows more powerful than the gods alone. Stuck in the delusion that he’s likely safe with “Wepwawet”, Atem scoots over to the edge of the bed and continues looking up at the stranger. His unique eye color and hair make him stand out, looking supernal.

“Did you come from my dream?” He asks.

[hclyfvckcd]

— ✿ TAG DUMP. › JILLIAN NAKAMURA.

Put these under a read more, because this got long.

— ✿ i'll bring you to life i'm a holy fuck. › default verse.

— ✿ she’s dropping out of school ‘cause she don’t need the grades the colors in her hair don’t seem to fade. › high school verse.

— ✿ and all you wanted was somebody who cared. › yugioh gx verse.

— ✿ you say i'm complicated that i must be out my mind. › yugioh 5ds verse.

— ✿ i’m your biggest fan i’ll follow you until you love me. › rockstar verse.

— ✿ step right up to watch the freak go crazy. › naruto verse.

— ✿ she's a novice a beginner i'm the sexorcist the sinner. › noragami verse.

— ✿ i don't know your fucking name so what let's fuck. › succubus verse.

— ✿ oh please let me warn them don't you come here don't bring anyone here. › ancient egypt verse.

— ✿ jillian nakamura. › in character.

— ✿ came from the trauma stayed for the drama. › aesthetics.

— ✿ i can guide you i can teach you honey this is just a preview. › headcanons.

— ✿ try to be sexy but don't be too sexual. › appearance.

[dragontamer05]

So having more thoughts again with AE Kisara,

being how young she was when they died in truth any stories she might tell about her parents are things she simply chooses to believe or wants to believe. The accuracy to how true they are is unknown.

A part of her does fear/ know there's a real possibility that perhaps her folks didn't want her and saw her as just as much a curse as everyone else. As bad luck

But would rather imagine they may have actually loved and wanted her

[lil-kissy]

I do, sort of, have like a case worker/adoption agency/orphanage worker what have you npc if you ever just like want to direct questions to them about Kisara.

Whether just wanting to get to know her pre-adoption or bonus for ic if anyone wants to adopt this kiddo, heh

[mahoushojoumonster]

Is there anyone you want to have kids with right now or in the future?

anon or not… ask me anything

“… Babies? I… I don’t know, I haven’t given much thought to it, I’m busy!”

“No. It’s not something I can do easily, in any case. I am a duel spirit, I don’t generally… I’m not able to-“ she pauses and sighs. “I don’t. I know there are people who want that of me, but as I am, in this form… it’s not a possibility. And I don’t like to think about it. The time for me to have children was when I was still human.”

“… That’s a rather loaded question. Between work and training, it’s more than just ‘do I want it and go’. I have to plan it incredibly carefully around competition seasons, or wait until I age out anyway.” She sighs. “In any case, I’m not really sure anyone wants to have kids with me. So it’s a moot point.”

[hclyfvckcdaa]

Green eyes stare coldly ahead, the city of the pharaoh before her. Long, wavy, fire-y red, hair blows in the wind, wisps of it framing her face. "Why should this city flourish, while ours lay in ruins?" she asks. Hues of green look to the left where he stands. Her hands ball into fists. "They took everything from us and they live their lives like nothing happened at all. It makes me sick."

@raforsake :: liked for a starter!! // sorry for how late this is!

[amischiefofmuses]

Steven's gaze follows Marc's movements as he sits himself on the edge of the desk (dismissing the urge to comment on his notes getting crumpled), he nods quietly at the very apt description of the pain it seems both of them are sharing, hands settling together in his lap - one tightly grasping the other in some attempt at self soothing. They're safe, that's what matters. It's all that SHOULD matter- yet. His mind is still racing. What does this mean? How will they navigate all of this? Are there dangers they need to worry about? God, if only he could turn it off. Other than the momentary distant look in his eyes, his expression betrays none of his concern and he's pulled from it quickly by Marc's comment about his first aid. It's enough to earn a soft huffed laugh, half-hearted but honest at the very least. -- ❝You're right, might be the first time in a while I've missed having the old bird around, we'd have this sorted in seconds with the suits..❞ He's-.. half joking. The weight of their obligations to the God may not be worth alleviating a bit of pain, even if he would have very little leverage over them at this point. Staring down at his hands, his brows furrow intently, fixated at the blanching of his knuckles as one hand grips and moves over the other as though he's trying to warm them. Restless. Uncertain. With a thick swallow, he grimaces slightly at that spilling thought, the reminder making his stomach twist. He's real. Nose scrunching, he turns his head and is about to ask Marc to please stop saying that- But that thought is cut short with the more pertinent question. Where is the artifact..? The last thing they need is to somehow touch it again and make this whole situation WORSE. (Plus, despite what it's done, he can't help but quietly hope it didn't shatter all over the floor while they were pried apart.) -- ❝I don't know, we were over by-❞ The fish tank. His words die to confusion as he looks over and sees not only the figure set in the bottom, Hathor and Sekhmet facing eachother upon the bust- but the fish. Plural. There'd only been one left in that tank. Surely it hadn't-

-- ❝..Oh my god.❞ Aches be damned, he's up on his feet and crossing the room, eyes fixated on the two fish seemingly swimming laps around the figure that's neatly settled among the stones. Crouching, he stares into the tank, then throws a look over at Marc and back. It's hard to formulate a thought, much less find the words but- ❝The water is probably REALLY bad for something that old..❞ Not that he's feeling particularly inclined to reach in and grab it, even if that is the case. He's learned his lesson. -- ❝Hopefully the process didn't hurt them half as much as it hurt us, poor little guys..❞

Marc can basically feel Steven's reply, quite literally, in a way that's not really happening and yet he gets it.

The way Steven moves, being so slow and tentative, reaching for a chair to fall onto - as if all strength has left him in an instant - is saying more than he lets on. The man feels equally as shit as Marc himself does and perhaps there's no need to deny anything, causing Marc to sigh out a slow breath as his own attention is now focused back on his body.

"---I feel as if I've been run over, chewed up, spit back out and going through four hangovers at the same time.", is the reply he gives, and for some odd reason he can feel the corner of his mouth twitch briefly. It stops, however, and now that his hands are free - fuck, he wants to touch Steven so badly, it's almost embarrassing, that longing he feels - he brings one back to his face, presses the pad of his thumb and forefinger against his eyes that have fallen closed just before, massaging the lids, pinching the bridge of his nose.

It does not give him the relief he'd hoped for, so he groans out a small sound as his hand drops back down and his gaze focuses back on Steven, taking in the sight of him.

---Sitting down actually sounds like a super good idea, so he himself takes a slightly unsure step - and decides to sit on the desk next to the other, possibly scrunching up some papers, but really, he could care less.

"Don't think any kind of first-aid could make that kind of feeling any better, though; Putting a plaster on me won't change things." There's... a hint of humor clinging to his words, as if being a follow-up to that twitching corner of his mouth from before; Marc takes another breath, then looks down at his hands now hanging loosely between semi-stretched out legs, fingers starting to pick on each other, the skin around his nails.

One of his many bad habits, whenever he's nervous or dealing with shit.

Now that the initially overwhelming response of his own emotions is gone, has washed out and disappeared, he's... kind of lost. Doesn't know where he's at, when talking about an emotion-scale of things.

---He folds his arms, shoves those stupid hands into his armpits, keeping them still this way.

Part of him wonders about Steven's emotions. He'd reacted so... collected, as opposed to Marc, and somehow it does not feel like it's a good sign; Marc knows Steven, he knows the man better than Steven perhaps believes he does, so... part of him wonders if, and when, the true emotional response to all of this will happen for him.

Marc swallows, shaking his head again, breathing through before his gaze trails back to the tired man next to him.

"---You're so fucking real, I can't believe it.", he says, unfiltered, quiet - like it's meant for himself, not necessarily for Steven to listen to.

...What now?

"...Where's that stupid artifact, anyways? Did it just... disappear?"

Marc doesn't know what now, so he just... says something. Anything.

[lcnnypooh]

It's a rarity for Lenny to spend time outside of the palace, but today was a special occasion. After relentless begging, she was allowed to have a few hours of break time so she could go pick some wildflowers. She'd heard tales of some pretty ones that grew near the outskirts of the city and was itching to use them to make flower crowns with. Granted, the stories were true.

The walk to the area was long and grueling in the desert heat, but eventually the blonde made it to her destination. She's grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the small clusters of flowers. "They're beautiful." she whispers.

Sandaled feet walk over to the clustered flowers. Kneeling down she places her small, hand woven basket onto the desert sand. She reaches down a hand to pick a flower when she hears foot steps coming from behind her.

Lenny tenses, turning her head to look in the direction of the noise. She spots the Thief King almost immediately. Her hand is frozen in place, while her mouth hangs agape. She's struggling to find the words.

After a few moments of awkward silence she's able to force out the words. "What are you doing here?"

@darknesskng :: liked for a starter! // sorry for the wait friend! :)

[lil-kissy]

Kisara wants to introduce you to the spirits of her home... what do you do

[mahoushojoumonster]

If it’s a hot day, how do they keep themselves cool?

If it’s a cold day, how do they keep themselves warm?

For Modern verse…

• On a hot day, Mana often makes use of the little instant cold packets one can get, or a portable fan. She gets very irritable if it runs out of battery too early (or if someone steals it). The instant cold packets will usually live inside areas in her costume when she has to work. Honestly though, less clothes the better when she’s in the privacy of her own home, but she (for some reason) still chooses longer sleeves and coverage even in summer if she’s not working.

• On a cold day, however… much the opposite. More layers, blankets, you will not see her face unless you are pulling her scarf off of her… or you’re insane enough to not wear enough layers and she’s forced to sacrifice her heat to warm you up. If you’re a space-heater type, she’s going to get incredibly cuddly.

For her main verses…

• The cold and warm don’t quite affect her the same way with magic involved, but she has developed spells that act as a ‘second skin’ to keep her warm or cool as needed. That does not mean she won’t cuddle someone or invest in blankets for the vibe.

Minor Details About The Muse