#lucian crow

[astravires]

[thetruescholar]

In Liyue, Natalia and @puppetofverdure meet up with @glimmering-chances and @pyretic-shots to begin their day of research.

Greetings, you two. Let's not waste time and begin studying Guizhong's work.

Sheznevna has some of the cutest braids in her hair. Natalia seems a little unwell, recovering from motion sickness of the Fatui vehicle.

I had one of my current projects moved here for experimentation. We'll be testing it this evening.

[snow-au-love]

I’ve never drawn ten of them!

Fatal Flaws by @ onebizarrekai

[isame-allen]

Anyone in the cast trying to stalk Lucian to figure out his motives and to try to kill him until they see him singing a slow Spanish song to this little tiny kitten and then boom 💥they fall in love. And no one will believe them because to the others, Lucian is still y'know, Lucian. So one by one the one person brings the others to try to catch him singing again and each time 💥💥💥💥 all fall in love(or get weirdly possesive). And by the end it leaves Lucian confused on how the others know he got a cat? That's all he's worried about honestly, protecting the identity of his kitty <3.

Tbh I would too

[ngqueen]

Lolz happy Valentine’s day!

Have this redraw from two years ago! <3

Both characters belong to @onebizarrekai

[snakes-in-mirrors]

Imagine crow Matthias giving magpie Lucian a scrap of ornate cloth (Lucian’s favorite scarf) cause crows give gifts to show affection.

"This is for you"

[mrsmneme]

Beyond the Sunrise

Nyx week 2024 day 5 : Magic/Healing 

Also Glaiveweek 2023 day 1 : hurt/comfort

Warning : Graphic depiction of violence, Major character death

Note: Nyxweek 2024 ended about 1 month ago. This is a belated work due to my tight schedule, but I need to finish this short story with two-page comic. Drawing Nyx is always challenging but enjoyable.

.....

Insomnia : The day after Niffelheim's attack

The evacuation from central Insomnia started shortly before dusk, and it deemed accomplished a few hours before dawn.

Most of Niffelhelm's troops pulled back from Crown City before midnight, only General Glauca and some daemons remained fighting with the Old Walls and a Lucian glaive. When the fight was over, the city turned awfully silent. The Nifflhelm's General lain still. His breastplate was covered in blood. His mask was partially broken, so the face of Titus Darutos was exposed in sunlight. His eyes were fully closed and would never open again.

A few meters away, Nyx Ulric, the general's opponent, was leaning against debris. Though he was still alive but he did not look much better than his ex-commander. His skin turned ash gray from Kings of Lucis' fire. They had allowed him to use their power then their fire would burn him to death, as they had agreed.

Nyx sighed. Darutos had been nearly invincible. He should thank Kings of Lucis for being kind enought to give him some extra time. Now his mission accomplished, he did not only revenge Crowe and King Regis, but also save Lady Lunafreya and the the Kingdom's hope. "Not the worst way to go." He whispered to himself and looked up to the sky with a smirk, choosing the beautiful scenery as the last thing he would see. 

But a nearby footstep distracted him from his thought. Nyx did not bother turning to see. Whoever came, Nifl or not, it did not matter at all because he was about to pass now. But when he heard a female voice calling his name, he could not help turning to face the source of the sound.  

So it made him really startle to witness Lady Lunafreya Nox Ferret rushing toward him.

"I found you! Thank goodness." She said with a smile of relief.

"Why are you here?" He was not sure that was really her or just an illusion, but he still asked. 

"To save your life." Lunafreya answered softly. She sat beside him and started healing him. Her fingers glided over his chest, golden aura glowed between her fingers. And it greatly relieved his pain.

"No, stop it, please, stop." He refused. "This is not what you can heal. Darutos couldn't harm me this badly." He paused, collecting more strenght to continue. "I made a contract with the Kings. They made me a nightlong superhero and in the end they'll take my life."

"They will." Lunafreya nodded. "The price must be paid, the Oracle saw it. But her vision showed some more details that caused her to head back." She looked straight into his blue eyes. "Considering all danger and risks awaited, The Kings of Yore agreed, upon the Oracle's appeal, to give the hero another twenty days to finish a mission for their sake, escorting the Oracle and the ring to Tenebrae's border. But they can only temporarily halt the ongoing process so she must undo what had already occurred herself."

Nyx's eyes widened. Lunafreya's magic shone aggressively as she spoke. "Please consider my healing as my plea to you, Nyx. I need your help, one last time."  

Nyx was blinded by extremely bright aura for a moment. But when he regained his vision, all the wounds were healed. He saw Lunafreya with sweat all over her face. She looked extremely exhausted and was about to fall. Nyx wrapped his arms around her, offering his support. She rest her head on his shoulder. 

"Now rest. We have a long way to go." He said softly. 

"Thank you." The Oracle smiled and closed her eyes, passing out in his arms.

"Another contract to sign, huh?" Nyx whispered, smiling at her. "But, you know? If it's about you, I'll help without thinking twice." Lunafreya did not respond. She looked soundly asleep under the shade of him. He looked up to the brighter sky. The sun shone strongly and would make debris too hot to stay soon. 

Nyx stood up, carrying her in his arms. Thanked to her magic, he regained enough strength to do so. He wished he had some more to take her to a shelter. They needed some good rest after a very long day. Then he would collect supplies and start making an escape plan. He had another journey to begin, it sounded tough yet amazing. 

[lovemyromance]

Why do you think there won't be an Illyrian plotline? There's been a lot of emphasis on Ramiel, the BR, the focus on the political unrest in Illyria and the backwardness of the wing-clipping of Illyrian females

This might get me cancelled but quite frankly I don't think SJM is capable of or even wants to explore that kind of story.

I don't like bringing race into things, but SJM is a white woman. It can't be ignored. While I'm not trying to say that people of a certain race can't write about injustice or about a different oppressed race, especially one that's fictional- I just think SJM specifically doesn't have the right voice... so to speak... to write such a story.

Like I am sure she understands injustice. She understands classism. She understands oppression. But a story like that deserves a full focus, a full detailed account into that narrative of feeling oppressed, feeling like you are inferior, feeling like you are lower than an entire group of people ... all based on something you couldn't even control.

That kind of story doesn't fit into what she has set up for ACOTAR. SJM is not writing a story about social justice. She is writing a romantasy. The focus being on romance, just as much as it is on the fantasy elements of magic and powers and drama and suspense and thrilling action.

The Illyrian world building isn't the focus of her story. It is the backstory to explain the current state. Like the distinction between High Fae vs Lesser fae. It exists to serve as background context, and nothing more in my opinion. It is a plot device. It shows why Rhys/Cassain/Azriel are the way that they are. It adds to the political conflict post ACOWAR. It gives Emerie a backstory.

I see that entire subplot the same way I think SJM uses SA as just a "check the box: trauma ✔️" when she's coming up with her characters backstories. It exists for the sole purpose of character building. SA trauma is used for several of her main and side characters, but it's never really focused on. Rhys talks about it with Feyre, explaining how horrible it was, but nothing beyond that. No focus on Rhys's healing from that, not even a Rhys POV about his thoughts on it. Gwyn also has SA, but beyond sharing her background with Nesta and being in that library, it's literally never brought up again. Lucian's SA with Ianthe is also barely brought up or even talked about.

Emerie feeling anger and self-hatred over her wings being clipped is honestly the most SJM has done with the Illyrian plotline. Azriel has outright claimed he doesn't care if Illyria is blasted off the map. Cassian tries to help, but most of ACOSF was focused on him and Nesta. This would've been the perfect opportunity to have Nesta train in Windhaven and learn more about the Illyrians and help Emerie -> but she didn't want to train there. So back to the HOW we go.

And to be clear - I'm not trying to criticize SJM. She is writing a romantasy. That needs to be kept in mind. People who open her books are expecting romance, drama, action. They are not expecting to read 800 pages on fictional social oppression. They are not expecting to read 800 pages of someone recovering from SA.

Like there are other books for that. There are amazing other books for that. But ACOTAR? That's not what ACOTAR is made for.

SJM has not even set up any main characters to be able to narrate that Illyrian subplot. Emerie is the only one that comes to mind that could actually give a detailed account of what it feels like. But she's not even talked about when it comes to getting one of the next spinoffs.

These kind of stories about social injustice need to be handled with care and grace, but also be truthful enough that it's not sugarcoating the true atrocities people faced. And I know this is about a fictional world, but I see this world building as similar to real life events. Like when early American colonizers drove out the native Americans. Jim Crow laws. Apartheid. Indians that suffered under the rule of the British. Jews during WWII.

Illyria might be fictional but oppression is not. If you're going to write about something like that, it's going to be open to a lot of scrutiny and it will have to be the focus. It will have to be written with careful, yet honest words. And SJM - or at least her editors- know that too.

It doesn't fit the story she has set up with ACOTAR. And if she tried to do it now, I don't think it would even go over well.

[thedansemacabres]

Ares as... rooster?

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

[ID: An image of a brown-gold rooster cawing. The rooster has a large, six-pointed comb and orange-red round eyes. The background is blurry, highlighting the rooster's neck and face.]

ARES IS A WONDERFUL GOD, and there is little academia about him in particular. There is much about the analysis of him in the Iliad and function in myth, but less about his cultus and more obscure traits. While researching, I stumbled upon a very different Ares….as a rooster. So, as a quick post, here is a small bit on Ares and roosters. 

ROOSTERS IN ANCIENT GREECE 

Roosters are funny creatures. They’re very feisty, but also sometimes cowardly—affectionate, but terribly bloodthirsty. I have worked with several roosters in my time, and they’ve either been useless or fiends. Hens are often much better at their jobs. A good rooster though is priceless, and I’ll never forget the white tufted rooster at my job we used to have that would cuddle but also attack dogs if they dared step near his flock. Perhaps due to this, Ares also gained an association with roosters—he’s certainly the good kind, if he is to be compared to a rooster. 

Chickens were originally thought to have arrived in the Archaic era, aided by chickens being termed the “Persian bird.” Sacred roosters may have even appeared in temples, perhaps suggesting to us as modern polytheists to raise birds in devotion to the gods. They were not a common bird, coming in slowly from West Asia—with divine association, appearing on temples and later into Egypt in which they were connected to the pharaoh. Their ability to produce meat and eggs also made them far more convenient than pigs or cattle, along with consuming less resources. When the bird then reached the Minoans, it possibly gained martial connotations and appeared on Minoan seals. 

Chickens in ancient Greece gained many associations—naturally with Helios, but also with childbirth, Selene and her lunar cycles, Apollon and Asklepios, as a chthonian being with Hermes and Persephone, and as a symbol of rebirth and transition. 

THE MYTH OF ARES AND THE ROOSTER

There is also the story of Ares’ soldier and lover Alcetyron, who failed to guard the door to Ares and Aphrodite’s affair, allowing Helios to witness the couple: 

“Mi. Why, to be sure, I have heard something like this before about a cock. It was the story of a young man called Alectryon; he was a lover of Ares,—used to join in his revels and junketings, and give him a hand in his love affairs. Whenever Ares went to pay a sly visit to Aphrodite, he used to take Alectryon with him, and as he was particularly afraid that Helios would see him, and tell Hephaestus, he would always leave Alectryon at the door, so that he might give him warning when the Helios was up. But one day Alectryon fell asleep, and unwittingly betrayed his trust; the consequence was that the Sun got a peep at the lovers, while Ares was having a comfortable nap, relying on Alectryon to tell him if any one came. Hephaestus heard of it, and caught them in that cage of his, which he had long had waiting for them. When Ares was released, he was so angry with Alectryon that he turned him into a cock, armour and all, as is shown by his crest; and that is what makes you cocks in such a hurry to crow at dawn, to let us know that the Sun is coming up presently; it is your way of apologizing to Ares, though crowing will not mend matters now.”

This story is then better explained by An Argument for a Bronze Age Introduction of the Cock in Ancient Greece by Jorrit M. Kelder: 

Perhaps the bird served a double purpose, both as a symbol of ‘transition’ (including the various stages in the cycle of life) and virility. This double connotation may be reflected in the story of Alectryon, a companion of Ares, whose failure to warn his master (who was having an illicit affair with Aphrodite) of the arrival of Helios resulted in his transformation into a cock. The story, first attested in Lucian (Gallus 3), may well be a late one, designed to explain the name and manifold associations of the cock. None of these associations can with certainty be identified in Bronze Age Aegean iconography, though the presence of an altar on the Zakros sealing indicates that the bird could (also) serve some purpose in the religious sphere.

This dialogue continues on and the rooster reveals himself to be Pythagoras after thoroughly roasting the man he was speaking to. 

ARES AS ROOSTER 

Continuing on, paper I was reading explored slightly on the topic of gods as birds or bird-hybrids, such as Athene the owl, Hermes the chicken, and Ares the rooster:

This likely represents Ares the fighting rooster—a symbol of virtuality, and extended to his son Eros with eroticism and ancient Greek homosexuality.  Cockfighting was a common sport in ancient Greece, likened with ‘masculine’ prowess in sports and even appearing on Panathenaic amphorae. 

Admittedly, I found this most comedic and wonderful. I’m not completely sure what to do with this information beyond associating Ares with roosters, but it is a fun tidbit on him indeed. Roosters and chickens overall have a vast lore behind them, whether that is with the sun or as a symbol of death. Today, chickens are such a common aspect of life—we can simply go out and buy some eggs and chicken meat. However, two thousand years ago, I could imagine someone being beyond excited to finally be able to have a chicken in their life. From this small research spree for Ares, I have gained a new appreciation for chickens. Perhaps that is the blessing that he has given us in being a divine cock. 

wordpress link

References 

Allinson, F. G., Fowler, H. W., & Fowler, F. G. (1906). The Works of Lucian of Samosata: Complete with Exceptions Specified in the Preface. American Journal of Philology, 27(4), 455. https://doi.org/10.2307/288891

Eckerman, C. (2012). Cockfighting and the Iconography of Panathenaic Amphorae. Illinois Classical Studies, 37, 39–50. https://doi.org/10.5406/illiclasstud.37.0039

Kelder, J. M. (2021). AN ARGUMENT FOR A BRONZE AGE INTRODUCTION OF THE CHICKEN IN GREECE. Mediterranean Archaeology, 34/35, 1–14. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48691680 Spier, J. (2010). Most fowl: athena, ares, and hermes depicted as birds on engraved gems. Pallas. https://doi.org/10.4000/pallas.11101

[thearchmanofgreenfield]

TWHUTH SKETCH: Caroline Dawton, the Crow of Anatoli

Managed to sketch this while sketching the King and his Children Part II and I gotta say I really love the way the figured turned out. Unfortunately I COMPLETELY BOTCHED the gun but Imma choke it up to lack of practice cause this is like the second time I've tried to sketch a gun.

Anyways, what do you think? Feel free to let me know! Thanks and Cheerio! :D

They Who Hide Under Top Hats (TWHUTH)- on tumblr

The 'They Who Hide Under Top Hats' Community- on tumblr (invite)

TWHUTH Sketches: Chaotic Cast Picture, The Morrow Siblings, The Hatly Sisters, Lucian/Benjamin, The Morning Siblings, The Venshire Siblings, The Dawton Sisters

tagline for community members: @harleyacoincidence, @autism-purgatory, @rivenantiqnerd, @sm-writes-chaos, @hellothere2009, @drvonchickenstein

[help-an-alter]

Hi, hi! hello :3!! Could I maybe get some names, pronouns (including emojiself if you want - literally any type of neos are good), and xenogenders for myself?

With themes of dogs (specifically Huskies!!), kemonomimi culture/people with animal ears and tails, emo/scene/similar alt cultures + music, love for animals, and black/dark colors :3? thank you :3!!! oh and masc/neu names, pronouns, and xenos please :3

I think I'm new? and I don't really have a name yet- or too many pronouns yet lol. but I don't think I'm a fragment (or at least not that fragmented)? but I don't have much of an identity either lol.

hi! hopefully this helps!

names: aspen, apollo, blue, lupo, balto, shepard, dane, akita, cane, leon, carbon, eerie, jett, midnight, ebony, anubis, charon, pluto, maveth, nocturne, doyle, erebus, cygnus, lucian, nero, oberon, obsidian, cross, (k)night, lux, moon, shadow, rhapsody, tarot, thorn(e), vale/veil, vesper, whisper, crow, seth, heath, wolfgang, soren, kervyn, logan, jagged, dagger, saga, rhett, raven, omen

pronouns: husk/husky/huskyself, ae/aer/aerself, ca/ni/caniself, lup/lupus/lupuself, fur/furs/furself, hou/hound/houndself, ba/bark/barkself, howl/howls/howlself, sce/scene/sceneself, spi/spike/spikeself, dark/darks/darkself, si/sin/sinself, fi/fitti/grafittiself, re/rei/reiself, saw/zaer/zaerself, thon/thons/thonself, ve/vair/vairself

xenogenders: wolfgender, canisgender, huskygender, plushfluffgender, emocoric, emopupboyic/emopupic, sodapup, lycantrans, these, emowolfic, scenemoic

[astravires]

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[imagineee-123]

⟡₊⊹Introduction Post⊹₊⟡

Hello! I never do posts like this on any of my socials even though I mean to, so I'm gonna finally give this a shot! This might be really long Imao

About my blog:

This blog is currently mostly about my practices as a newer hellenic polytheist and a Hades devotee. But I also post about visual kei and whatever else on this account. (Although I am thinking about separating this content to different blogs)

About me:

I'm Imagineee, but you can call me Lucian (Lu-see-in) or Ciel. Or even Luci for short. My pronouns are he/they! I turned 17 this summer.

I'm on the aroace spectrum (demiromantic and demisexual) as well as being pansexual and a gender non-conforming transmasc. I don't really identify as anything specific when it comes to gender, but I'm definitely not a girl! (Don't she/her me... Pls. ╥﹏╥)

I'm really into vkei and, as stated earlier, a newer hellenic polytheist. I've only been practicing for about a year (when I have the energy), so I still have a lot to learn.

My interests/hobbies:

visual kei and j-fashion

reading up about bandmen I like

Japanese music

music in general

anime

Genshin Impact*

Project Sekai*

Honkai: Star Rail

Twisted Wonderland*

Wuthering Waves

Stardew Valley

art and painting

vocaloid

photography

storing things in my memory boxes

Howl's Moving Castle (book and movie)

collecting manga/figures of things I like

reading about dieties and others' practices

going to graveyards

watching YouTube

(* means I've lost a lot of interest over time but still enjoy these things)

Favorite vkei bands:

It's so hard to pick... I think Plastic Tree, Ninth in Pluto, Fukuro, and Madmans Esprit are some of my favorites.

Favorite music (not vkei):

I listen to pretty much everything. But some of my favorite musicians/groups outside of vkei are Eve, Re:nG, takayan, Gesu No Kiwami Otome, Linkin Park, kikuo, MCR, Cage the Elephant, and Eyedress. I have too many favorites, but it's so hard to cut down because I listen to such a variety of music, and I love it all. Ahhhh

Favorite song atm:

Likes:

Rain

The beach

Fire

Graveyards

The moon

Sweets

Hades ofc

Sleeping in

Renaissance oil paintings

Bees

Crows (birds in general tbh)

Laying in the grass

Other:

My MBTI is INFP-T. My star sign is leo. I use emoticons sometimes. I use :3 and >:3 unironically whenever I'm really happy or excited about something. I own four budgies and two dogs. I also have PTSD and really bad social anxiety. I really want to go to Japan and see a vkei band live one day.

݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ And that is (finally) my intro! I hope we can be friends! ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁

[snow-au-love]

Change!!

Dreamswap/Fatal Flaws by@ onebizarrekai

[isame-allen]

Siblings au: why they would be in the nurse's office

They got their own problems

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Here’s a silly question: how would Galahdan’s react to an outsider who had somehow stumbled into interacting with galahdan myth? Like a person who’d befriended crows and is clearly a but magic because of it, or someone who can talk to snakes? Would they be mad at them even though it just happened? Would they be determined to ignore it? Or would they be curious and want to solve why this happened, or wonder if they were originally from galahd? (Not the kids taken by lucis, who they know are. But maybe someone who was just lost or orphaned by the war.) related: has anyone become galahdan that galahd forgot was an outsider, or who they refuse to acknowledge was because they became important to their history?

Hi there!

Not a silly question at all, my friend. You might just get a bit of a longer answer. XD

No, the Galahkari wouldn't be mad should this happen. Though it should be said that it's not exactly easy to find these magical phenomena on either continent because Bahamut upset the magical balance so much by binding almost all of the black magic to the Lucis Caelum line.

(Side tangent: I came to the conclusion a bit ago that the Fleuret line doesn't exactly use white magic, but more of a holy magic. Though I don't like that name and am trying to come up with a better one. Cleansing magic is too narrow, I feel. If someone has a good idea, please tell me.)

All that to say that the outsider must have most likely been on Galahd for some magic shenanigans to have happened. Which also means that the Galahkari must have at least tolerated the outlander enough to have them on their lands. So no, not mad. Even if it had happened outside Galahd, they wouldn't have been mad. Magic is often unpredictable and can have a will of its own, which is very much no ones fault.

The Galahkari would treat the person who got out of their Magic Incident with whatever talents/changes lake any other person this happend to. Like a normal person. Might make fun of them though for being reckless enough to have had it happen. And then educate them to make sure something like that happens again. Because magic attracts magic.

I don't think they'd really wonder if the person has Galahkari ancestry. Because magic can happen to anyone. It's just more likely to happen to someone who already has a bit of magic, because - like I said - magic attracts magic. And Lucians can have a bit of magic. Or the Tenebrabi, or Nifasi, or the Accordanse. (New name for people from Accordo! I feel like this one might actually stick. XD)

To your last question:

No, not exactly. It hasn't really come up yet, but the Galahkari do have stories about Ardyn. Because there were still Galahkari roaming about the continent when he and his brother were (properly) alive.

Ardyn was an ally to the Galahkari and helped them out. In the stories he's in, he has a lot of epithets, like all important people in their stories do.

Flame-Hair.

Sun-Eyed. Blessed by the sun.

Healing-Hands.

The Blessed-Cursed.

Most people who show up in Galahkari stories and aren't Galahkari, are declared as such. Ardyn isn't. Though he also isn't declared a Galahkari.

Which means you could lawyer your way into saying the Galahkari are trying to redact history into saying Ardyn was a Galahkar. I could see that discussion happen in the Blinded History AU at some later point in the story. (Should I ever get so far into writing it.)

But no. The Galahkari never declare someone as theirs when they aren't. Cases like Ardyn's are the closest they ever get to it.

It's a question of mentality anf pride, mostly. The Galahkari don't exactly like outsiders. And never enough to just... steal their identity for their own.

I hope that makes sense?