#who’s gained so much wisdom through wandering the universe and is able to see the good of everything

[ohfugecannada]

Of all the characters I could possibly hyperfixate on once getting back into guardians of the galaxy after watching vol.3, I had to go and choose the character who has been canonically dead in universe for at least over a decade!

[rcksmith]

Spring breeze — Spencer Reid

Sumarry: Spencer never thought about falling in love with someone, but he certainly didn't expect that he would fall in love with Gideon's daughter. — season 3 —

Part.2 Part.3 Part.4

A/N: I am marathoning Criminal Minds again and I can not express how much I loved the interaction of Gideon and Spencer!! So this idea came as an epiphany, and I love the conception of love at first sight. Maybe this becomes a serie...

English is not my first language, so I so sorry if have a mistake.

Requests are open. Love you ❤️

Couple:Spencer Reid/Gideon's daughter!reader.

Warnings: nothing, just very fluff.

— — — — —

Something was different. Maybe it was the way the sun's rays cascaded down in an atypical way, maybe it was the breeze that carried a more lyrical intonation on its back, or maybe it was just the Earth that was adorned by an ethereal veil. Spencer didn't know how to point out what was really different, but he felt in his soul that something in the hemisphere had changed.

At first, when he took the subway to work, Spencer thought it was just an ephemeral sensation, just like those seconds when you feel the breath of the breeze more cold. But it didn't. The sensation accompanied him to work, to the plane, to the case, it stuck to him like a tattoo and Reid found himself looking around for answers that did not exist physically.

He considered all the theories that were possible to explain that destabilization in his subtly balanced world. But he found none.

“Are you feeling anything different today?” That's what he asked Morgan.

Derek shrugged, finishing packing up at the police station so they could go back to Quantico.

“No.” Then he looked Reid whit his obsidian eyes “Is something bothering you? Is the Genie feeling any peturbation in the Force? ”

Spencer chuckled through his nose at the Star Wars joke, but just shook his head in a 'No'. And the conversation died there. How could he explain something that even he didn't understand?

Trying to ignore the way his heart was beating fast, for no reason, in anticipation of something Spencer himself was unaware of, he wondered how long he was going to have that sensation. The feeling of euphoria, the taste of something, there was something exciting in the air, almost angelic.

But how long was that going to accompany him? One day? One week? Whole life? For the first time, Spencer didn't have the answer. And that was disconcerting.

When BAU's glass doors opened for agents to settle on their desks and Hotch and Gideon go to their respective offeces, a wave of icy breeze from the DC air reverberated through the enclosure. Spencer can see that Morgan shrugged in the wind, Emily looke for a coat in the black suitcase, but his own body didn't seem to be hit by the same breeze. For Reid, it had been a caustic, lyrical, almost spring, wave that carried the promise of something extraordinary on back. Almost divine.

In that split second, in a time as short as a blink, the feeling that his life would never be the same made him losing his breath. Spencer does not know what attracted his gaze to the BAU door, nor what made his whole body turn in that direction, like a magnet, like a wanderer in the desert who finds his Oasis. But he had been attracted, and as soon as a female hand pushed through the glass door and her figure came into view, Spencer understood the extraordinary thing that him heart was beating for in anticipation.

You.

It was as if the universe had been preparing him all day for that moment. As if the body itself tried to prepare it. Because if Spencer hadn't fell those feelings of euphoria all day, he would have drowned in his own reactions to seeing you.

In a burst, like a violin string popping, Reid understood what was different about the hemisphere, because why the air was ethereal, because why the night felt like poetry, and why the moon whispered swears of love. In that moment, Spencer understood the mysteries of the world, unraveled the riddles of life, drank from the wisdom of The Oracle of ancient Greece. In an instant, watching you enter, Spencer understood the reason for his life.

In an instant.

The world shuddered in slow motion, capturing all your movements, all your graceful gait, all your glory. An elegant black dress with thin straps modeled your body in an arcane, almost divine way, your legs were supported on black high heels, making your walk seem like a glide of honey.

You were not beautiful. You are gorgeous. You shone. Sparkled.

And, like an atrocious wave that broke over Reid and pulled him into the sea, that whole feeling that stuck with him all day came to accompany the female figure. Following in your footsteps like the tail of a long dress.

Spencer was sure that his life would never be the same.

They hadn't even sat at their tables when you showed up. Like the muse that came out of an action movie. And when you got close enough to attract the attention of Emily and Morgan, whose Derek opened his mouth when he noticed the female figure that was the personification of Female Fatal, Spencer felt himself letting out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. He knew that anyone with eyes and a little common sense would notice how overwhelmingly beautiful you were, so when Morgan turned his body fully towards you, Reid was not surprised.

“Hi." Your voice, to Reid, had a floral intonation “Do you guys know where I can find Jason?”

When his eyes met yours, Spencer felt his breath being stolen from him once again. Usually, girls like you didn't look twice at guys like him, Spencer knew that. Girls like you liked men like Morgan. Athletes, strong, Alpha Male. And because of that, it was an explosion in Reid's system when you took a few seconds longer in that eye contact and a delightful smile appeared on yours lips. As if you appreciate what you were seeing.

That was a shock. Was it true or was he misinterpreting the signs? Was him mind playing tricks on him, like the flickering shadows of furniture under the darkness and the flame of a candle? Spencer would not be able to say a word without stuttering at that moment even that him life depended on it. In fact, he was already starting to feel cheeks heating up. So he thanked any deities that might exist when Morgan and Emily responded to you and broke the eye contact between the two of you.

“Jason Gideon?” Morgan frowned slightly.

“He's in the office but...” But Emily couldn't finish the sentence before Gideon's voice came out over everyone's:

“Y/n?” It was in a tone that no one there had ever heard in Gideon. A sweet, loving intonation... paternal.

None of the three agents present there had time to express their thoughts in facial expressions before you said:

“Dad!”

Then the whole world took a turn and seemed to be terrified, making them feel as if they had been thrown out of the tenth-floor window. This time, Reid's eyes widened at the two friends, who also had puzzled expressions. Everyone knew that Gideon had a past, probably with divorces and children, a life he had left behind, but no one expected...that.

Perhaps Gideon's vision of a family was something that was only in the imagination, never something tangible. Until that moment. Until the most beautiful girl Reid had ever seen was the daughter of one of the men he respected most. Until him heart soared at alarming levels for him boss's daughter. Spencer had been in trouble before when it came to matters of the heart, but the trouble gained a position in the top 3.

“What are you doing here?” A rare smile appeared on Gideon's face, his brow slightly furrowed.

“We were going to dinner today, remember? In that new Japanese restaurant.” Your tone of voice was not resentful or hurt by the situation that was explicit there.

The life of a BAU agent take many things, some with a more atrocious force than others, and one of them was the availability of hours. commitments that count on presence.

“I totally forgot, I'm sorry.” Gideon's voice was always calm and controlled, he managed to speak from the most tender emotions to the most heinous crimes with a peaceful intonation. But to perceive traces of parental love was new. “The case was very complicated, my cell phone died and...”

“It's okay, Dad.” You smiled, making a casual gesture with your hand “I thought this happened, but I thinking it best to come here to see if everything was okay instead of waiting until tomorrow.”

Your smile, despite being the simple one, was the brightest for Spencer.

Gideon still had a fatherly look and a chaste and grateful smile when he turned to the other agents who were still puzzled.

“Y/n, these are agents Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss and Dr. Spencer Reid.” Jason introduced them to you “Guys, this is my daughter, Y/n.”

“Is a pleasure.” You smiled genuinely at them.

“I had no idea that you had a daughter!” Emily gave a low, slightly bewildered laugh that also made you laugh.

“Everybody says that.” You looked at your father again, having fun.

“I'm just going to go over some reports with Hotcher before I leave.” Gideon kept a chaste smile. “Why don't you wait here and then let's go get something to eat?”

“Of course, no problem, Dad.” You agreed, adjusting the thin shoulder bag that was on your shoulder.

As Jason went up to Hotcher's office, you turned to the agents again, with a gentle smile on your face.

“My dad said great things about you.” Emily smiled at your statement.

"I'm still chocked ." She laughed, and Morgan added:

“ I really need to know...” he looked around, in a playful suspense “Is Gideon really that serious outside the FBI?”

You laughed “Oh no! Definitely not.”

So you reached for your phone in the litlle bag, hunting for a photo on it and showing it to the three agents. It was a recent photograph where you and Gideon had their faces painted in easy ink. You had a skeleton mouth made with white and black paint, and Jason had a pink glitter butterfly covering his left cheek. You two were laughing in the photo.

Morgan was the one who let out a loud, dripping laugh, with a few tears accumulating in the corners of his eyes.

“How is this possible?” Morgan was trying to catch the air.

“It was at the last Halloween, he and I bet that whoever lost in the snooker that day would have to paint a butterfly on their face.” You laughed.

“And did he lose?” Spencer found a voice for it, his mind failing to process the image of Gideon losing any game.

“I have my suspicions that he let me win” You joked “But I enjoyed the victory just the same.”

The conversation was light after that, Spencer refrained from much of the dialogue, a little fearful that you could hear him heart beating loudly whenever you smile in his direction. As the minutes passed, Derek and Emily had to go back to their duties and finish their reports, while you were sitting in one of the chairs at an empty table.

It was one of those moments when Reid tried to focus on the files in front of him to exorcise what was going on around him. Paperwork had always brought the lull needed to make Spencer meditate. It was almost like relaxation. But in moments like this, when something in the environment around him pulled his attention so much, he stayed on the same page for long minutes.

That must be why he didn't hear the wheels on your chair approach, and he didn't even notice that you were so close until you said:

“Are you really a doctor?” Your voice was low, soft, as if you didn't want to disturb the other agents who were working.

Spencer turned his head towards you, only to find the modern personification of what would be the Athena de Troia. You were close, not close enough to touch, but close enough that he could smell your perfume. You smelled like the night, the excitement of nights and the brightness of the stars. And if Spencer looked deeper into yours eyes, he would sure they contained shine moonlight.

He swallowed, the mania for blinking compulsively returning a little.

“A-ahm yes. Not really a doctor, but m-my 3 Phd’s make me a doctor.”

He might be mistaken, but the smile that spread across your face was not just friendly, it wasn't curious, it was… delighted. As if the roles were reversed and he was the most fascinating thing in that room, not you.

The glow that was adorned in yours eyes had something lyrical, ethereal, wonderful. As if the brightness of all the galaxies were inhabiting your irises, moving in your orbit. At that moment, Spencer was deeply grateful to have eidetic memory, because 10 years from now he could still remember how you looked like a muse over there. DC night came in through the big glass windows, and if Reid had to describe that moment with the five senses, he would say that the world had turned the light down to a rose tone, the smell was heaven and your smile promised to contain wonders of the world.

Holy Mother of God, you are so, so beautiful!

“My dad said there was a genius on the team.” You said, your attention on him is always tender, adoreble. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

Your perfume invaded him sense of smell once again, and he felt his heart beat faster once more. Spencer would have told you all the secrets in the world if you asked. He would have told all own secrets.

“No way.” He sat back in his chair to look at you better, oblivious to the exchange of looks that Emily and Morgan gave.

You rested your arms on Spencer's table, the chair next to his.

“You never thought of being like... the wizard Doctor Strange?” You hoped that Spencer knew Marvel “Before he was a magician, of course. But why didn't you want to be a surgeon or something?” You laughed “There is a phrase him says: I have a photographic memory and this is what made me ..."

“ ‘Get my diploma and doctorate at the same time’ " Spencer completed you, laughing softly “I know the HQs. Did you know that the Doctor Strange character was created during the Silver Age of American comics to bring a different type of character and mystical themes to Marvel Comics? It him has an intellectual coefficient close to 177 points and I have… ”

The more he rambled, the more a stunning smile spread across your face. As if you were enchanted with him. And you were. Everyone was noticing the way Spencer seemed to have you curled up on his finger, your eyes sparkling and a silly smile twinkling on your face, paying attention to every word he said. It was an overwhelmingly lovely sight to behold.

But just as everything had a time, an hourglass, your time had reached the last grain of sand.

“All right, Y/n.” Gideon went down the stairs, cutting the end of Reid's sentence “Ready?”

You stood up, agreeing with your father and smoothing the dress. When you put your hands on the chair, ready to take it back to place, you turned to Spencer once again:

“I'm going to bring my dad to BAU tomorrow, do you think me and you can meting and you give me the answer to the question tomorrow?” Your smile was able to light up the whole of Washington.

“S-sure!” Spencer's voice went up more high notes than he would like to admit.

And, even when you left, even when Morgan and Emily jokes him about it, and even when he finally lay down on his own bed, you were still the only thing that occupied Spencer's mind.

[mika-13]

So, with the help of the wonderful @wandering-horizon, I came up with a Legend of Zelda / Linked Universe AU where every Link is a Zelda species that isn’t Hylian So here’s what I came up with and how it influenced their respective stories

Sky - Rito

When Skyloft was raised above the clouds by Hylia, the Rito were already there

The Rito helped the Hylians get accustomed to life above the clouds and the two species quickly came to rely upon each other

Link is born a Rito and grows up on Skyloft, where things are pretty similar to the original story, he is best friends with Zelda and studies at the academy to become a knight

When Zelda disappears beneath the clouds, he draws the goddess sword and follows her

Things continue on quite the same way as in the game, just with Link wielding the sword with both his "hands" and foot claws, because him flying around and cutting down enemies at the same time is just really neat

He also pecks out one of Ghirahim's eyes at one point because he can

Four - Minish

I've had this headcanon, that the Hero of Men, the one before Four who made the picori blade, was actually a Minish who came through the Minish door (which transformed him into a Hylian for the time) to protect Hyrule

So yeah, basically that

Link is Ezlo's grandson who is also an apprentice with Melari and when Vaati goes rogue he helps his grandfather in defeating him

I imagine him being really confused by being so tall at first and that he still retains some Minish like traits

Time - Kokiri

Link is an actual Kokiri in this, with Navi as his fairy

His life in the Kokiri forrest is pretty peaceful, though Mido still bullies him, because he's best friends with Saria and Mido is jealous, until the Deku Tree calls for him

The Kokiri Emerald allows him to leave the forrest unharmed and so he goes to help Zelda

The rest of the story is pretty much the same, except that he doesn't age when he goes into the future, because he really is an immortal forrest child this time around

Let's just say that Ganondorf is pretty angry about being beaten by a 9 year old

At the start of Majora's Mask when Skullkid steals the ocarina and Epona, he also imprisons Navi in a bottle

Tatl is kind of shocked about that and that plus the fact that she can sense his Kokiri nature result in her trusting and liking Link much sooner

Link manages to free Navi when he gets back his ocarina and from then on it's another adventure, this time not just with his mom but also with his newly acquired older sister Tatl

Twi - Twili

His story is quite different from the one in the game

With him growing up in a completely different world and such

In the beginning he lived a relatively simple life, getting by by doing odd jobs for other people

When Zant staged his coup and started turning helpless Twili into Shadow beasts, Link tried his best to help people escape in time

Zant really didn't like this and sent the beasts after him

Not wanting to fight his people, he ran, stumbling onto the portal to Hyrule

Eventually, Zant caught up to him and tossed him out into the light in the hopes of killing him

Instead of dying, Link is saved by the triforce, which transforms him into a wolf which let's him survive in the world of light

He knows he needs to defeat Zant before the usurper can destroy both Hyrule and the Twilight realm and so he sets out to free Hyrule from the Twilight

The light spirits give him their protection and with the master sword he gains the ability to keep his Twili form even in the light

Of course he also travels with Midna, though he meets her later in the story

Also he obviously knows who Midna is, since the name and the vast amount of magic she possesses is kind of a giveaway

Legend - Zora

He's a sea Zora, so he's different from the rather mean ones in his Hyrule, since their tribes lost contact a long long time ago and he looks more like an ocarina of time Zora

A pink one

He washes up at the beach one day when he's still a tiny little kid and a Hylian man (his uncle in the game) takes him in and raises him

He has to deal with a lot of crap from people because he's Zora and most Zora in his Hyrule just really like spitting fire balls at people

It's also why people don't believe him when he goes out to help Zelda and say he's kidnapped her instead

As for Kohilint, the storm hits him when he's out looking for his family and Marin is also a Zora

He ends up being afraid of storms at sea after that whole debacle and just kind of avoids the ocean after it

Hyrule - Fairy

What can I say, he's the original fairy boy after all

He's not just a regular fairy though, but a very young great fairy, young enough that his usual form isn't that different from a regular fairy

However, he possesses a lot more magic and even has the ability to grow to Hylian size for a time, enabling him to wield sword and shield and fight the various monsters and Ganon

One of the reasons he travels so much is the fear of being bound to a single place once he's grown up, being a great fairy and all and he wants to see all much of the world as possible before that

Wind - Korok

He lives in the forest on outset island and is best friends with Aryll

Once Tetra shows up and Aryll gets kidnapped, he decides he needs to go out and save her

So he asks Aryll's grandma for the sword and shield (grandma is kind of surprised since it's the first time she's ever seen a Korok and she wasn't quite sure Aryll didn't just have an imaginary friend) and sneaks onto Tetra's ship

She discovers him, being able to see him even when he doesn't want to be seen, triforce of wisdom and such, but she's so impressed by him being able to sneak onto her ship that she lets him stay

He has fun with the crew, flying over Nico's obstacle course with Korok magics, and infiltrates the forbidden fortress

From there on it's much like in the original stories though everyone is really surprised and shocked that a usually peaceful forest fairy can wield a sword with such devastation

Needles to say, Ganondorf is even more surprised when he's stabbed in the face this time around

Wars - Gerudo

He's Gerudo, he's trans and he's here to end Ganon's whole career

He isn't a Hylian soldier in this but a Gerudo warrior and the first part of the war takes part without him

Which also means that it isn't going too well for the Hylian forces and Ganon revives way faster

The Gerudo haven't dealt much with the rest of Hyrule for many decades, but they take the return of Ganon in the form of a Gerudo as a personal insult and immediately join the war, turning the tide, especially with War's proving himself to be an unrivaled warrior as well as the hero

Wild - Sheikah

With all the Sheikah tech in his game it only makes sense

Before the calamity, he was Zelda's personal bodyguard, the way Sheikah often are for the royal family

Him and Zelda got along pretty well, having known each other for a long time, but they sort of drift apart once he draws the master sword, as Zelda envies him for his easy his destiny came to him, and he kind of struggles with the burden of the whole world, as his life was kind of all laid out for him before the master sword

Once the calamity strikes everything goes pretty much the same way, but his interactive with the yiga clan are way more intense this time around, because he's a Sheikah as well as the hero

So yeah, there you have it, my personal Zelda AU

I hope you like it

[rjhpandapaws]

I Will Always Know You

Prologue: Lord of Lost Things and Travelers: You Keep the Things the World Forgets

There will be translations at the end.

They weren’t The Beginning, but they were close to it. She had made the four of them, guardians of the human condition. Of the four of them he was the youngest. The Keeper of Lost Things and Travelers. Protector of those who wandered. Small in comparison to Wisdom, Curiosity, and Balance, but somehow just as important.

The Beginning had warned them of humans, “Don’t get attached.” She had said, “They live short lives, but many times. They will not soothe your loneliness.”

In the early years of humanity there was no loneliness to try and stave off. Humanity had not gathered itself enough to need them yet. He still had the company of his brothers. There had been nothing lost, he had nothing to keep. For nearly a millennia they merely watched. Observed humanity at its simplest.

Curiosity was the first of them to drift. He wanted to observe them closer. He thought he could help them by giving them a hunger for the unknown. He grew attached to humanity as a whole after that, but more specifically a man with bold posture and fathomless deep blue eyes.

Curiosity had adored him. Hunger for the unknown had sent him out into the world, and one day those blue eyes did not come back. Curiosity had been the first of them to experience the shortness of a human life. The loss that was humanity. They helped him through it the best they could, but none of them had experienced that kind of loss. Not yet at least.

Wisdom was next. Curiosity had sent humans out into the world, they had gained knowledge, now they needed a way to keep it. Wisdom was the first of them to be worshipped. The first of them to be known. He was still faceless and formless, but known and adored. He was the second of them to fall in love. A man with an abundance of kindness and curiosity, a desire to know everything there was to learn about the world. He had wavy blonde hair and a name The Keeper had not bothered to learn.

Wisdom had lost his human to illness. Something even his vast knowledge couldn’t find the cure to. He had been powerless to help and after that something in Wisdom had changed. He grew colder in some ways and became more distant. He still granted knowledge, but much more sparingly now. He was convinced that his love had been taken because he had known too much. Because wisdom had spent one too many nights whispering the secrets of the universe to him. Wisdom was still worshipped, but there was fear underneath. Gods were not meant to break.

Balance met his human in the early era of the Ancient Greeks. A man who firmly believed that their actions had repercussions. That the universe had a way of righting wrongs. Balance had been drawn to him because he had been the first human to actively acknowledge him. To notice the work he put in to keep humanity safe, to keep the secrets of the universe. He showed faith despite being unable to show the world that Balance existed. He did not wish to betray the secrets of the universe to the rest of the world.

Distant blue eyes and a name that Balance had not shared with them. He had learned from Curiosity and Wisdom. The mistakes that they had made, and kept his true form from his human. It didn’t change much. Balance had lost his human to war. He had witnessed the worst of humanity and it had shaken him to the core. Humanity had changed slowly over a great many years. None of them had been ready for how easily humans had grown to be able to tear each other apart.

The days of gentle peace had been lost to them. The Keeper finally had something to guard. The peace that humanity had once known. The time of a world without conflict. The first thing humanity had lost. A precious thing in The Keeper’s opinion.

He first observed his human in the late years of the Ancient Greeks. A man who always seemed displaced. Sea green eyes that always seemed to be in search of something better. He was not called The Keeper in this era, he was called Hermes. He was worshipped in passing. When humans needed safe passage or seeking something they missed. He helped as many of them as he could.

He saw his green eyed stranger often. The man spoke to him as one might an old friend, though he never named himself.  In his travels he would stop at temples if he could, he gave offerings of trinkets and things he found interesting. If he couldn’t make it to a temple he would pray and burn an offering, it almost seemed like he was checking in. He was travelling, so he was The Keeper’s constant companion. He had grown attached after a few years, though it had only felt like a blink of an eye.

It wasn’t until his companion had asked for safe passage through a war torn land that he made himself known. This was his first time showing himself, he was still taking in his own form when his companion woke. He took a few moments to come to himself and once he had, he pulled a weapon and pointed at The Keeper.

“Who are you?” The familiarly gruff voice asked, “How did you find this place?”

“Your kind call me Hermes. I am called O Katochos in your language.” He responded, “The Keeper of Lost Things and Travelers. You asked me to accompany you.”

“You expect me to believe that?” His companion spat and raised his weapon closer to The Keeper’s throat, “If you are the god of my travels prove it. Show me one of the things I offered you. One of the things I have lost.”

He narrowed his eyes and watched his companion’s resolve waver some. He concentrated a moment and summoned a small ash stained figure, an offering from one of the first temples his companion had called to him. He opened his hand and offered it back to his companion, “I have proven myself to you have I not? Please tell me your name.”

“I do not remember it, but I am often called Periplanomenos because of my travels.” He clarified, “I am looking for the temple of The Beginning. That way I might find what I have lost. To put a stop to what is calling me out into the world in the pursuit of something I do not know.”

“But you have lost nothing.” He found himself saying, “You may be missing something, but there is nothing you have lost.”

Periplanomenos simply stared at him. “How would you know what I have lost?” He spat, “You have only been with me for a few moments.”

“I am The Keeper of Lost Things, everything that is lost finds its way to me.” He repeated as Periplanomenos began packing up his camp, “Nothing of yours has come to me.”

“What about lost souls? I suppose those seek you out as well?” He looked over his shoulder at the keeper, “Is that why you are here? Because I have lost myself.”

He was silent for a long moment as he thought it over. Was that why he was here, because his companion was so untethered from himself? Is that why he had kept such a close eye on him over the years? It was easy enough to believe.

“If that is the case Periplanomenos, then I will stay with you until you have found what you are in search of. If not in a physical form, then I will be watching from a distance.” He offered, “You will not face this alone.”

“Might I give you a different name then? It wouldn’t be wise to be seen traveling along side a god.” Periplanomenos reasoned, “I do not wish you to be harmed.”

“You may call me whatever you would like.” He conceded. They would both be more safe if he concealed his nature. To do that he needed a name.

“How about Ennea, that number has brought me much luck in my travels.” Periplanomenos offered, “Now that you are with me that luck is sure to be better.”

“Ennea.” He echoed as his companion stood up again, “I like that.”

He followed Periplanomenos up the path and into a journey that would last a good portion of the wanderer’s life. Ennea couldn’t always be with him, but he was always watching. Doing what he could to keep his friend safe.

Over the years things had begun to change and friend and companion no longer seemed to be words that fit what he had with Periplanomenos. He was happiest by his side and worried for him when he couldn’t be by his side. They shared moments that he understood most friends and companions tended not to. His wanderer looked at him with softer eyes than he tended to look at the rest of the world. Ennea was sure he did the same.

He referred to himself by the name Periplanomenos had given him, even when introducing himself in divine form. He didn’t know when that had started, but it felt natural. It was the name given to him by someone he cared dearly for. As far as he was concerned it was his name. He was Ennea, the keeper of lost things and travelers.

He wouldn’t get to tell Periplanomenos this. He hadn’t known their previous meeting would be their last. In his age Periplanomenos had grown travel weary and settled in a small village. He had built a small shrine for Ennea and they spoke often that way, but they had both grown too busy for visits. Periplanomenos had taken up carving, he made beautiful things and was paid well for them.

He was Ennea, lord of lost things and travelers. He would keep what the world forgot, and from a distance he would watch humanity blossom under the influence of his brothers. He would wait for his wanderer to get lost again, and this time he would leave nothing unsaid.

He had planned to surprise Periplanomenos in the evening, but when he arrived something was wrong. The house was quiet and every room he checked came away empty. Until he got to the shop. Periplanomenos was sprawled on the floor, ocean green eyes wide and looking around, but seeing nothing. Ennea fell to his knees beside him and caught the shallow rise and fall of his chest. His companion was dying and there was nothing he could do but witness it.

He took one of Periplanomenos’s hands in his and intertwined their fingers. “I am here now old friend.” He said despite knowing that he wouldn’t get a response, “You can rest now. May your gods treat you well when you meet them.”

Though he showed no signs of acknowledging him, Periplanomenos seemed to relax. Shortly after the room went still and silent as his staggered breathing faded into nothing, Periplanomenos was lost to him. Gone somewhere that he could not follow. Ennea, a once prideful god, crumbled. Alone in the workshop of the man he had loved, he broke. He cried, begged, and wished to have him back. Just for a few moments he had pleaded, enough to say that he had loved him, but even that was denied to him.

He had fallen into the same snare as his brothers and lost who he had come to love. Humans were fragile and he had foolishly thought that protecting Periplanomenos personally would buy him more time. That was not how things worked. Humans lived short lives, but they lived them many times. He would get to meet Periplanomenos again, but even that comfort rang hollow in the wake of his grief.

-

Translation time!

Periplanomenos -> Wanderer. It’s Gavin’s name in this chapter.

O Katochos -> The Keeper

Ennea -> Nines.

both are referring to Nines

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Prep work

Uta made his way through the human embassy to the ambassadors office, his sheer size not proving as big of a detriment as he had thought it would.  His species, known as the Draul, had a rather odd appearance compared to the rest of the galaxies species. His upper body was rather humanoid in shape only larger and with thicker muscles, featuring the general two arms, eyes, and single head policy. his lower half however was a long segmented body with a two dozen legs that stretched behind him like a draping cape for at least two and a half meters. Each leg appeared as a talon with the tips covered in finely crafted gold caps that clacked against the floor like rain drops as he strode across hard surfaces. Unlike other half “humanoid” species such as snake people that had a smooth transition from tail to upper body, Draul appeared as if someone had removed the legs from an action figure and then glues it to the top of an centipede. He had once been described as an insect “centaur”, but as of yet he still had no idea what a centaur was and what planet they hailed from.  The Draul held a marginally democratic style of government on their home world which opened them up considerably to trade. Their planet was a rocky world with little to no vegetation outside of the temperate zones at the north and south poles. What it did have was vast quantities of natural resources that were key components in manufacturing hyper drives, universal communication relays, synthetic brains, and so on. Some had tried conquering the world by force but orbital attacks were ruled out of the question as even the slightest trace of radiation or plasma energy used in orbital weapons could contaminate the precious minerals leaving only ground invasions. Draul were able to repulse every invasion as conventional proved all but useless as the native populations ability to regenerate almost instantly made each Draul soldier nearly immortal. Trade came the next step in attempts to gain access to the materials and that was the reason Uta now found himself in the human embassy. They were the latest in a long line of species who were attempting to form some sort of agreement to their world.  Uta finally reached the door to the human ambassador’s office. Standing before it were two humans dressed in some form of battle dress their people wore and holding strange stick like weapons. In perfect unison they opened the door to the office then resume their post to each side of the door.  The room was lined with shelves filled with oddly leafy wrappings stacked in them. Opposite the door was a carved piece of tree with more leafy things on it and an oddly clump of metal that Uta had been told was a “Puter”. Behind the carved tree was the human he was to meet with.  They showed their teeth and extended a limb towards Uta. “Cri’y’tec Uta, a pleasure to finally meet you.” Uta was surprised at the human greeting him in the Draul language, let alone his title. As he stood in the doorway the human cocked their head to the side and nervously withdrew their hand. “I’m terribly sorry, did I pronounce that incorrectly? No offense was intended, I just find myself having trouble pronouncing some of your words.”  Uta shook his head and entered the room, the doors gently closing behind him with a soft “click”. “It was a a good attempt. The “Cri” needs some more work though.”  The human made to sit down but stopped himself part way as if he just noticed something. He pulled a strange device sitting atop the carved tree and put it next to their ear. “Yes, can we have the seat brought in for my guest.” Uta was going to politely decline when the doors opened again and in came a group of six humans carrying a large stone plate between them. Though not thick, it was large enough to need all six of the men carrying it to move it. They set it down just in front of the carved tree and then left.  Uta looked down at the plate. “What is this?” “It’s a sandstone seat. I’m told the Draul sit upon warm stones for comfort when they have discussions. I had this one imported and had several heating lamps set on it for most of the morning.” He gestured for Uta to try it and the Draul circled it for a moment before coiling his body atop it and then sat. The stone was indeed warm and comfortable and Uta was much more at ease.  The human then sat down in his chair and leaned back slightly. “Before we begin our talks would you care for something to drink?” Uta shook his head. “I doubt you would have what I eat. My species have a very specific diet and do not wish to trouble you.” As he spoke the doors opened once again and a human pushing a cart of covered trays appeared. He placed one on the carved tree and removed the lid showing a strange arrangement of food stacked atop each other. The same human then removed a small table and set it in front of Uta without prompting and laid a second tray on it. Removing the lid Uta saw a large silver bowl filled with tiny creatures moving around inside of it in a large pile.  “What are these things?”  “We call them sand crabs. Tiny creatures my people find and sometimes keep as pets.” “And you think that I would eat something you consider a pet?” the human chuckled at Uta’s remark. “When pushed to our limits there is very little my people will not eat to survive, even each other when push comes to shove.” Uta sat in silence at the remark and contemplated the meaning of his words. As he was thinking he carefully reached into the bowl and grabbed one of the tiny creatures and held it before his face. The tiny things legs flailed about and he could feel as if it was trying to gnaw its way free of his pinching fingers.  “ I assure you they are harmless.” The human said as he took a bite of his own food. “It would hardly do my people any favors to poison you and kill you. Our trade talks would fall apart instantly and we’d gain nothing from it.”  Uta opened his mouth and tossed the tiny creature in. There was little meat of the crab to speak of, but something else was present that made it so tempting a morsel that Uta couldn’t help but grab a handful and devour them again.  “That flavor you are enjoying is no doubt the rich minerals of my world.” the human took a bite from his stacked food and took a moment to swallow before continuing. “The oceans of my world grind rocks to tiny grains and wash them ashore and we call it sand. These creatures borrow through the sand and are exposed to thousands of different types of minerals each day.”  Uta looked up from his feast. “How did you know my people savor the taste of the earth?” The human showed their teeth again and moved their shoulders in what Uta believed was a shrug. “We like to know who we will be dealing with.”  The concept that humans had researched the Draul was refreshing. Most species didn’t even bother to learn his peoples tastes, let alone try to speak his native tongue.  “It was most kind of you to provide such a delicacy.”  “When one wishes to begin trade negotiations, we humans have found it’s rather important to have something each of us wants.”  “I’ve been here little under ten of your chrono ticks and already you have shown more wisdom than the dozen species that have come before you.”  “You flatter me too much. These treats are just a humble treat for you to see what we have to offer. You may ask for as many as you like. I had several dozen pounds of them brought in for yourself and your kindred as a gift.” “You know I have kindred?” The human smiled. “Like I said; we like to know who we’re dealing with.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Within the week the Draul and Humanity entered into an extensive trade treaty which ensured exclusive rights to the minerals of the Draul homeworld to humans.  This came as a shock to the wider galaxy and several more attempts were made to open new negotiations with the Draul, yet each in turn was met with failure as the shortly after having the Draul delegate invited to their embassy they would leave without saying a word. They would listen to the opening discussions but their eyes would always be wandering the room as if waiting for something to happen and when nothing did they turned and left.   Many remain unaware of how the primitive humans were able to strike a deal and when they inquired the delegations would leave feeling unnerved at how much the humans knew of them despite never meeting before.  

[readingsbylibramc]

birth chart reading for @baggable

hello! welcome to your reading. I’m gonna give you a quick overview of what I’m going to analyze about your natal chart. feel free to ask me anything if something isn’t clear, of course. you’ll find out your dominants’ influence on your persona, your physical appearance, impression on others and the way you approach the world; your ego, identity, the real you; your reactions, your desires, inner emotions; your way of expressing your feelings, your mind and ideas; your desires and approach to love; your energy tank, instincts and temperament; in-depth analysis of each house with their rulers and analysis of heavy aspects; love life + soulmates/karmic partners interpretation; your relationship with your friends; your family life; your approach to career and work in general + possible jobs suggestion; your style, fashion sense analysis; life purpose and past life description; basic transits’ analysis to describe your current mood and, last but not least, your secret skills, how to make the most out of your soul and manifest what you desire based on your birth chart.

🦋 chart shape, dominants

your chart is a seesaw shape. your life focuses on different ideals and interests, often constrasting between each other. from one side, this gives you the ability to be adaptable and find solutions easily. on the other hand, you may struggle with balance; for example, you might find yourself dedicating your life to your relationships, neglecting your ego or viceversa. you need to learn how to harmonize these energies.

your dominant planets are the moon, mercury and jupiter. you are a very genuine person, you always have good intentions and you're very altruistic, you always try to do good for others. you're very sensitive and empathetic, even though you could sometimes be quite moody and impulsive. you are also very intelligent, and you most likely have a great sense of humor.

your dominant sign is cancer. you seek emotional security in life. you need to feel grounded, you're most likely extremely cautious about the decisions you make. you're also very sensitive and compassionate of others, even though you could get slightly passive from time to time.

your dominant element is fire. you have a warm heart, even though it may be covered by your confidence and independence. in fact, you always strive for the first place. people may be intimidated by your presence, as you're a serious competitor. thanks to this competitive nature of yours you may be very positive and optimistic, making you a good and supportive friend/partner.

🌎 ascendant in virgo, 11° / 2nd decan ruled by mercury and saturn

you have a practical approach to the world. you’re kind of logical, it’s hard for you to improvize. you always want to keep everything neat and organized, at least in your mind. you could have a natural coldness to your face. you may seem a bit older than you are, or at least very mature and responsible, even though you may be more outgoing than you look due to your sagittarius and cancer placements. with your attentive eyes, you pay attention to every single detail you see. you’re a perfectionist, and you always want and try to be at your best state. I would say you’re quite competitive when it comes to your goals, but you don’t really do it to be above others. you do it because your obsession for details kind of stresses you out. improving and proving yourself is a way to boost your self-esteem, you feel fulfilled when you can achieve your goals. you are extremely intelligent and logical, you’re always up for a deep talk or simply for an occasion to gain more knowledge. you like being smart, you always want to know about everything. even the latest, trendy meme counts for you. your nature is very cautious; you’re rarely impulsive, you always think deeply about your decisions, as you don’t want to commit any mistakes. because of that, you can be particularly picky. not only with material things such as movies, books, food etc. but even with people. it’s hard for you to open up to someone you don’t know at all. you take things slow, both in friendships and in relationships, just to preserve yourself. you may come off as kind of snobby, but you’re just misunderstood. you don’t like flaky bonds, you need security in your life. physically, as I’ve already mentioned before, you have this kind of strict look on your face. your eyes may be almond-shaped, and you could have a natural feline gaze. overall, you have something smaller about your features; you could have thin lips, a small nose, small eyes… you could have a smaller frame with thin bones, and you don’t gain weight easily. you may be of average height, and I’ve noticed that most virgos tend to have pretty long legs? no matter if they’re tall or not, their legs will still be longer than their bust. you could also have some rounder features to your face or body, such as an apple body shape, plump lips or round, watery eyes

virgo ascendant square sagittarius moon: you may have troubles understanding others’ real feelings for you. you may feel as if everyone hates you, like everyone is talking behind your back when it’s the opposite. the sun being in cancer doens’t help either, as this aspect enhances its trust issues even more. you’re particularly sensitive about others’ view and opinion of you, you may get deeply hurt when people criticize you. you could have the tendency to act differently than you usually do, in order to preserve your feelings. this is obviously a toxic behaviour, that fills you up with your own stress and doubles it. due to that, you may become very moody and nervous, ending up hurting others yourself. or maybe, it’s the other way around; your feelings are so overwhelming that you can’t hide them, and that could put you in embarrassing, unpleasant situations. you may show all of your emotions on your face, ready to be read. the way to cope with this placement is finding someone similiar to you; someone who’s trust-worthy, and very sensitive and empathetic too. someone who’d never judge you for you think or say, and that would always help you becoming the best version of yourself. someone that understands you, without having to explain all of your behaviours and habits.

virgo ascendant square sagittarius pluto: you're aware that the world is too nasty for your honesty, hence you may have trust issues. even though you are friendly, you're very picky about who you decide to actually call your friend. you may constantly feel lonely, as if no one were willing to listen and understand you. you live with the fear that others may take advantage of you, hence you end up doing it yourself, unconsciously. you may be controlling, but your chart hints that it's not too much of a big deal. you may have the tendency to do it sometimes, but it's mostly a bad trait of your past life. the universe is testing you to see if you've learned your lesson or not. you have all the skills to avoid this type of behaviour now that you're aware of it.

🌞 sun in cancer, 4° / 1st decan ruled by the moon

this is the darkest, most intense cancer decan. even though you may not show it due to your heavy sagittarius and virgo influence, you’re actually very vulnerable and sensitive. you may be a crybaby, as crying is a way to vent your emotions. you may even overreact, and be considered too dramatic. you’re extremely moody; you could be all happy and relaxed with your friends, then suddenly you get sad, or even angry. it’s hard to deal with this, especially because your emotions are quite intense. this could make you argue a lot with your peers. even though it takes you a while to find someone willing to stay, when that moment finally comes you’ll embody cancer’s best trait: that is, you’ll become a ‘mother’ to your friends, lover etc. you have a very nurturing soul, you have a knack for affection and care, and you could even get kind of clingy, even though you may feel limitated to give your love to someone else. cancer is a cardinal sign, hence you may be the one to take initiative, yet you do it undirectly. you’re probably the passive-aggressive type, even though this may be mitigated by your dramatic and impulsive sagittarius moon. you most likely try to be patient, even though you could struggle with that due to your fire dominance. you may also hold a grudge easily; once someone tries to take advantage of you, it’s over for them.

🌙 moon in sagittarius, 9° / 1st decan ruled by jupiter

you're an outgoing and warm person, who always tries to make others feel at ease. I assume you try to be nice to everyone, but you can't help but be a little awkward around people you don't know. with your sagittarius moon, you go with the flow and don't shy away from challenges. they're moments to prove your potential and abilities. you are an extremely open-minded person, you rarely judge a book by its cover. you probably despise racism, homophobia, misogyny etc. with a passion (as you should tbh). you may also be into poetry, philosophy, and just anything that can stimulate both your mind and feelings. in fact, your mind is constantly wandering somewhere else, allowing you to travel with your fantasy. you're also probably attracted to foreign things, like people, music, fashion, languages, movies etc. you love learning about anything, and you may also have a good memory. in fact, it’s common for you to be the one who explains things and possibly even leads a group, and this could unluckily make you seem as a know-it-all. you do take pride in your wisdom, indeed. your deep way of thinking is also where your desire for freedom comes from, as you wish to be able to expand yourself through travelling and new experiences. when you get angry, you can actually get very rude and offensive, even towards authorities. you’re short-tempered, and you despise being told what to do. you’re also a good, loyal friend, and you’re the type to stand up for them and defend them during a fight. you’re friendly, especially with people you feel comfortable with, and you probably love talking. you’re able to put a smile on others’ face just by telling your stories, even though you never truly go in-depth. you're quite optimistic, as you see good in everyone. yet, while this is a good trait that allows you to be more at ease in relationships, you may also be fooled easily due to your blind optimism.

sagittarius moon conjunct sagittarius pluto: you’re way more secretive and cautious than most sagittarius moon people. you tend to preserve yourself, even though it’s hard for you to repress your emotions, as they’re too to intense to bottle them up. you absorb people’s feelings like a sponge, there’s no way that you won’t instantly understand their real emotions. overall, you tend to overreact a lot; you have cancer's sensitive energy on one side and pluto’s mysterious, almost scary vibe on the other. dealing with these emotional burnouts may be stressing to you, as you totally get caught up in them. even if it looks like you get to know other people often, you actually don’t let others know you. you’re the type of person to talk and socialize, but you never reveal your deepest fears and thoughts to strangers. you only open up to people you’re sure you can trust. when you’re angry, you can literally go as far as using violence; you need to let out your emotions by screaming, swearing… anything that can make you feel better. there’s a secret, sensitive side in you that needs passionate and romantic partners in love. yet, you can’t help but feel more attracted to the ones that may hurt you badly. you’re possibly quite sensitive to higher entities too, like ghosts, spirits and so on.

🗣 mercury in cancer, 29° / 3rd decan ruled by the moon and neptune

you don't really rely on logic. you're very emotionally intelligent, and you take in consideration others' feelings when you speak. even though you may be impulsive and blunt sometimes, you don't do it with malice at all. you may actually feel guilty after you realize that you've hurt someone. you may be sort of manipulative, as you're very observant of others' behaviours. because of that, you may be extremely good at interacting with others, since you know how to speak to people when you don't let your impulsiveness get over you. you know how to persuade others, even though you may not even realize it. if you manage to balance your moon and your mercury, I think it would give you great social skills. you'd be able to stand up for yourself, while also being mindful and conscious of the effect of your words on others. you may get defensive quite easily, and because of that you may become a bit secretive. that's because, deep down, you feel the need to be understood to fully convey and express your emotions. you want to feel at home with your interlocutor, otherwise you'll just be awkward. on the other hand, you have a nice sense of humor, you're able to light up the room with your jokes. your voice may be nasal, but pretty much very gentle and feminine as well.

cancer mercury square libra mars: this placement makes you slightly more aggressive with your words. as a result, it makes you look more assertive and almost bossy. you could often attack people with words when you get angry, and you can get quite provocative too, even though it may happen in a more passive way. you still have your cancer energy's kindness and diplomacy in you, after all. even though you’re quite controversial for the way you speak, you’re still very sensitive to others’ words. your self-esteem tends to find its base mostly on others’ opinion about you, and you always look for reassurance from your loved ones. to deal with this hard aspect, you need to think before you speak. if you have troubles understanding others’ feelings, just think about how you’d love to be treated. patience will just come naturally to you.

cancer mercury square aries saturn: this placement gives you limitations and lessons regarding the way you think and talk. it may be that you’re too shy to approach others and to say what you think, so you just don’t try. otherwise, if you actually take action and try to overcome this problem, you could get into troubles. that’s probably caused by the fact that you don’t really pay attention to your words. you’re quite straight-forward, and due to your mars energy you always seem as if you’re up for a fight. you may be particularly pessimistic, or maybe you lack confidence in social interactions due to these problems, which could be possibly caused by your parents, or perhaps interfer in your relationship with your family. in fact, you may argue quite often with others, and misunderstandings are also common. this is something that gets naturally better with time, but in order for it to happen you need to take action. you may for example start speaking with others more at work, anything that allows you to challenge your mind and voice, in order to make you gain experiences and become a master at it. many celebrities, once they mastered this hard aspect, got loads of success. you can do that too, you just need to work on it.

❤️ venus in leo, 18° / 2nd decan ruled by the sun and jupiter

with leo venus you're very picky, as you have high expectations for your future partner. you always try to be at your best state, and you want those who surround you to be perfect too. it's hard for you to fall for someone, as you take everything in consideration: personality, physical appearance, fashion sense... it may look like it is too much, but once you find the right one that truly satisfies your standards, you're in for a long ride. you'll want to travel, live your life in the best way possible with the person you love. you look at them as if they were the brighest star in the sky, and you want to be seen like this as well. you may even be a bit clingy, but your partner needs to be aware of that. they can't repress your need for affection. you see love as a way to revive your inner child, you feel younger when you're in love. even though you want someone fun and outgoing, you also need someone ambitious, hard-working and generally serious when it comes to committing. there's no room in your life for flaky people.

leo venus square taurus saturn: you feel unable to love someone. this placement usually brings fear of committing, causing the individual to be flaky. there are two possibilities; I assume you directly avoid to get into relationships. your mind may unconsciously repress any thought about an eventual crush or love interest. it is caused by your insecurity, especially regarding your looks. or perhaps, it’s the other way around: you literally jump into relationships, resulting in you getting hurt from time to time. you could feel pressured to be in a relationship, even though it’s not your priority. generally, when saturn affects venus, it indicates that you're only going to get into satisfying relationships in your 30s, so it's recommended to get married after your saturn return, which happens around your 27/28 years.

☄️ mars in libra, 27° / 3rd decan ruled by venus and mercury

there’s this stereotype that libra mars people are passive-aggressive. it may be true, but only partially. in fact, you try to avoid conflicts exclusively when you’re in public, or maybe with someone you don’t know well. in that case, you can eventually try to avoid the problem. with people you’re close to, you’re pretty much the opposite. you may say the worst of things that you probably don’t even feel, you may even have the istinct to throw hands. you’re driven by a strong sense of justice, and you probably were the class’ snitch during daycare/primary school. you also strive for equality, hence you may get very defensive when it comes to proving your innocence, or just really anyone’s. overall, you’re a fair person with strong morals, who acts based on the situation you’re in.

libra mars opposite aries jupiter: you easily come off as more assertive and arrogant than you actually are. you say things impulsively, and sometimes you’re too blunt and hurt people’s feelings. you don’t do it on purpose, though, there’s no malice behind your acts; it’s just your natural way to express your opinions. you’re also very competitive, and this may make you look selfish. on a positive side, you probably have a naturally nice body (or maybe you react fast to diet/workout). you’re a risk-taker, and if you’re not you should try breaking the rules sometimes (obviously not doing illegal stuff lol). in fact, it’s when you’re both physically and mentally active that you’re able to come up with even better ideas, as you’re full of creativity. to cope with this placement, you can try doing something fun to challenge your mind, basically get out of your comfort-zone. of course you don’t have to overdo it, but it would be beneficial.

🏡 houses

your 1st house is in virgo. you appear as someone intelligent, possibly judgmental and critical. in fact, you’re a perfectionist, and most of the time you appreciate it when someone takes care of themselves just as much as you do. you’re also particularly pessimistic, and this could be annoying for those around you. you’re very logical, even though you probably don't lack intuition thanks to all the water energy in your chart. you’re very pragmatic, and you may even be judgmental, but this energy is probably mitigated by your cancer and sagittarius dominance, which makes you more open-minded and sensitive. the ruler of the 1st house is in the 4th house: you come off as a very private, yet mature person. you may be quite secretive, or at least you only prefer to share your persona with those around you. you probably love your family, and you also want to build your own family in the future.

your 2nd house is in libra, with also your mars placed therr. you find beauty and aesthetic in material things; you most probably love clothes, art, music… anything that isn’t exactly a priority in life, but that allows you to express your personal taste, which is very refined. with this placement I’d suggest that you should pursue a career that allows you to express your creativity, as arts and beauty allow you not only to make money, but also to increase your security and confidence. you could also spend money in venusian things like clothes, make-up, decorations and anything that involves beauty and aesthetic. with mars placed in this house, I feel like you may be very fond of money. you could do something just to earn material things from it, like money or any other good that satisfies your wants. you may be quite materialistic, you enjoy the finer things in life, or at least you want to be financially stable. you like the idea of saving money, but ironically you may be too impulsive when it comes to finances and spend money in random things you may not need.

your 3rd house in scorpio. you probably love witty jokes and sarcasm. you’re extremely honest when you think and speak, and most of the times you have no problems expressing your opinions. you could possibly be very good with words and be good at convincing and manipulating others. usually this placement makes someone kind of mischievous when it comes to words, but I think that with all the jupiter influence in your chart, you’re able to control this in order not to hurt others. your mind is very deep, you’re probably not really into small talks. you may also love anything that is considered taboo, like astrology, horror, nudity, death… you’re also quite secretive, you’re seen as an enigma. you don’t want to share much about you. last but not least, you value honesty above all. you only speak the truth, and hence you also want it back. you may as well be into conspiracy theories, science and anything that can expose what’s behind the universe, the government etc.

your 4th house is in sagittarius, with also the moon and pluto placed in this house. you could come from a foreign place, or perhaps you moved houses a lot during your childhood. perhaps, you have someone in your family that is from a different culture or religion from yours, or perhaps they’re able to speak more than one language. your parents could have been very successful at school, they could actually be professors. you might’ve always been a smart kid, you could’ve grown up learning more languages and you were most likely good at school too. you also got to make lots of experiences during your childhood, you might have travelled a lot. your relationship with your family is most likely very good. it could be that there might have been a few misunderstandings between you and your parents, but nothing too serious. maybe, they could have been a bit distant, it could be that they had to travel a lot for work and hence you felt lonely; or maybe, it's the opposite, they were a bit too affectionate and overwhelming, possibly possessive too, and you may have been babied or spoiled a bit too much. yet, this didn't really affect your growth and mentality, so it's probably nothing important. in fact, you also have the moon placed in this house, which indicates that your family is your comfort-zone. you feel comfortable with them, you're allowed to express yourself the way you want without being judged or repressed.

your 5th house is in the sign of capricorn, with also your neptune placed there. capricorn usually brings a feeling of seriousness to the house it’s in. I don’t think it’s your case, though. in fact, neptune, is also placed in this house. you could be a bit more introverted, probably you’re not the type to frequent clubs, parties, etc. you’re more serious from that point of view. your hobbies could actually drain your energy for you; let’s suppose you’re into videogames. you could literally spend the whole day playing videogames, as you take your hobbies very seriously. you’re not the type to start a project and then leave it, and it could be helpful considering that your sagittarius moon gets bored very easily, you’re very resolute. also, you most likely have 'mature’ hobbies; you could be into politics, economy, history… you could be into slower types of music, for example, or perhaps you like reading about world issues. with your children you may be quite strict, as you see them as a responsibility. also, you may often be attracted or attract older or more mature partners. you’re most likely a very romantic and artistic person, you may be fond of music, dancing, singing, acting… anything creative that stimulates your senses. yet, you may be a bit picky when it comes to hobbies; you probably only like reading specific types of books, you only listen to a certain music style, and so on. you may also be into spirituality such as psychology, astrology, law of attraction, yoga, mediation, etc.

your 6th house is in aquarius, uranus is also sitting there. people with aquarius in their 6th house need to change their routine throughout your life. probably, when you were you younger they taught you things that aren’t healthy for your body and health. you may have to change your diet, your medicines… also, you may sometimes procrastinate in your day-to-day life. I don’t think you do it too often, but it may still happen due to your virgo and mars dominance in your chart, but for example you wouldn’t mind skipping a day of school or work to play videogames. this placement also indicates that you may often come across unpredictable events in your daily life. you may often see strange, unordinary things, or perhaps it’s your routine that is like that. you may lack consistency when it comes to diets and health, for example; you may start a diet and keep it for a month, then you get tired and drop it all of a sudden. you could also develop unexpected diseases. you may pursue a career that looks unexpected for you at first, something that you never thought you'd do. it will most likely be a creative, artistic job. it will be a very pleasant job, it won’t even feel like a duty to you as you’ll choose a job that you like and that you’re passionate about. regarding your health, throughout your life you may often come across sudden health problems, illnesses may come out of nowhere.

your 7th house is in pisces. with this pisces descendant, you attract people that are pretty much very intuitive and soft; they could have pisces placements, or at least they’ll be extremely artistic and emotional. yet, you may as well surround yourself with 'broken’ people. that is, people that aren’t exactly in the best state of their health, whether physically or mentally. neptune, the ruler of this house, is in the 5th house. you could meet them in a fun situation, like a party, a vacation, a night out… any situation where you’re supposed to be chilling and having fun, you may meet your future spouse there. also, in a relationship you probably hate feeling suffocated. while your pisces descendant may make you enjoy skinship, you may sometimes also need your space, you still need your freedom, especially since your moon sign is sagittarius. also, pisces makes you idealize your crushes/partners way too much, to the point that you create an image of someone in your head that turns out to be the opposite at the end. you ignore your partner’s flaws, as they seem perfect to you.

your 8th house is in aries, with also jupiter placed there. generally, people with aries in their 8th house are very confident when it comes to taboo topics; they have no problems showing their interest in them, especially with people they're intimate with. thanks to jupiter's presence in this house, you're not afraid of darker topics and embracing them. for example, you could have lots of sex drive. you constantly try to improve yourself by coming up with new projects, you love challenges. they help you growing up into the person you want to become. you may come across some hardships regarding yourself, your identity. but, when you face those fears and start loving yourself, you’ll naturally become more mature and 'transform’. last but not least, this placement can also indicate that you're going to have a peaceful death, you're going to die later in life.

your 9th house is in taurus, with also saturn sitting there. with this placement, I feel like you may use your intellect to gain financial security and material possessions. while this is a good thing, as it helps increasing your confidence, don’t forget that your intellect is more important than money or any other thing. don’t underestimate it. you’re totally capable of learning and understanding things by yourself, hence don’t wait for others for help. you should start dealing with your own experiences alone, without anybody else’s help. this placement can also be someone a little close-minded; in fact, you're probably very stubborn and firm about your beliefs. you hardly ever allow others to change your mind. saturn here could make it hard for you to step out of your comfort-zone, you may be shy and therefore you could often miss out on important opportunities in your life. luckily, you're going to get more assertive as time goes by, and you will feel free, you just need to grow more mature.

your 10th house is in gemini, with also your sun there. you may actually pursue more than one career throughout your life! you’re very flexible and skilled at multi-tasking, so you probably wouldn’t feel stressed about it. perhaps, you could alternate a creative profession with a more logical career, like working in an office for example. also, your suitable jobs should include communication and creativity at the same time; you could be a writer, for example. or perhaps, you could keep these two things in two separate jobs. what matters is that you use words in both of them, and hence you could even be a judge, a singer, a translator, etc. you may also have to interact with other people in your job, I don't see you working from home for example. you could even work as a teacher, or even professor since your jupiter is strongly placed in your chart. you may also be very popular on your work place, and you may even be in the public eye for your job.

your 11th house is in cancer, with also mercury placed there. this placement indicates that your friends, they’re your comfort-zone. you feel understood when you’re with them, they’re pretty much like a family to you. you can tell them anything, you put all of your trust in them. or at least, if you haven’t met anyone like this yet, you’ll surely meet a friend that is like a soulmate to you. they’ll also be very important for your growth. in addition, it could also be that you’re still friends with someone from your childhood or even high school days, and hence you could literally grow up together. you could also have some step-siblings. you have a very distinctive way of thinking and speaking. you don't like being like others, you don't follow trends. you're probably the trendsetter, and you may find confidence and pride in your ideas and opinions. some may even define you weird, but you have very strong beliefs that could actually be helpful for the world. you're quite 'ahead' of others from this point of view, you're able to find beauty in things without being influenced by others. for example, you may follow a fashion trend before it gets viral. you are able to come up with very innovative ways of solving problems, you're extremely creative. you may even be the type to invent your own words, or perhaps you love learning and reading new words, you have a wide vocabulary. you're also probably interested in science and any darker or logical topic, you want to use your words and theories to change something in the world. you want to leave an impact, maybe even help others through your mind. you have a very witty sense of humor, you most likely speak fluent sarcasm and you're also very astute.

lastly, your 12th house is in leo. this is kind of a tricky placement, as leo rules the self, the ego, and the 12th house rules fears. you could be afriad of being too confident, of feeling worth it, or even just by being in the spotlight. perhaps, you have stage fright. this fear of embracing your persona makes you very insecure, even though you probably don’t show it. also, since your 12th house is the house of dreams, you could often make dreams that involve yourself. you hardly ever dream of someone else, and if you they’re probably your lovers, possibly your friends. you may also make daydreams or sleeping dreams of creative, utopic scenarios. venus is also sitting there; you most likely have lots of dreams, that could even predict the future, and generally they're not too violent or turbulent. you’re hopelessly romantic, to the point that you almost look naive. you’re not simply looking for a partner or spouse, you’re looking for a soulmate; someone you can literally communicate with just using your eyes, someone that knows how to make you feel even messier on the inside. you like to nurture and feel nurtured in a relationship. your ideal lover would be sensitive and empathetic, yet still with a sort of rebel vibe to them.

❤️ love life, soulmates

in love, you attract pisces, sagittarius, aquarius and scorpio placements. your future spouse will most likely have some of their planets in scorpio or aquarius; they’ll be well-balanced, with a stable job and finances. yet, they won’t be too much of a workaholic, as they’re also most probably a chill individual who loves relax and vacation as well. they could also be foreign and very open-minded. yet, they could be quite impulsive and chilidish at times. your chart points out that this relationship will be kind of unordinary; you may meet them abroad, most likely at work, or even during a simple trip. they’ll also be very spiritual, perhaps religious, or even psychic. your children will have aquarius placements: they’ll be extremely open-minded and intelligent; they could be a bit rebellious, but in a very woke and revolutionary way. they'll be very creative and quite sensitive too. also, this placement indicates that you may get pregnant unexpectedly, so be careful to that.

👶🏻 family life

your mother was probably very outgoing, sociable and open-minded. she was probably very intelligent too, and she could have been a successful student. she was basically the perfect, nurturing mother. yet, she probably was too emotional, she could have even been quite possessive or moody. she probably has sagittarius, scorpio, gemini, leo and / or cancer placements in her chart, as well as 9th, 8th and 4th house placements. your father, on the other hand, was probably less strict than your mother. he had a complex personality, he most likely used to act different based on the situation he was in. but you most likely used to play a lot with him, you had fun together. he could have been very sociable and intelligent too. he may have gemini, sagittarius or virgo placements in his chart, as well as 3rd and 6th house placements, perhaps even 9th. if you have siblings, they have scorpio, libra or aries placements in their chart, as well as 1st / 7th / 8th house placements. you might have fought a lot when you were young, there were many control issues and your bond is very intense. yet, you're still very affectionate, and your bond will probably get better as time goes by.

📊 career

as I've already mentioned above, your future career will most likely involve communication of any kind; you could have to interact with other people, and hence you may work in a place that allows you to communicate with others and that can get quite crowded, like a shop for example. you'll most likely start from these small jobs, like working in a cafe for example. yet, your gemini midheaven indicates that you can handle way stronger careers; above all, communication and creativity are the most indicated fields for you to be successful. you would do amazing as a writer for example, or perhaps you could even become an amazing teacher / professor. yet, you may even choose to pursue a more complex career, like a career in the med field. you could become a nurse for example, as it allows you to both help and communicate with other people. you will start from simple things, but as time goes by, you'll be able to become more independent, maybe even a leader. you probably won't have to depend too much on other people.

👚 fashion sense, style analysis

keyword for your wardrobe: black. every leo venus loves black, it's probably my favorite love story. after all, it's such a versatile color! it can be both badass and classy, how can I blame you. you may also have a thing for anything that looks luxury and high quality; you probably enjoy wearing designer brands, especially in your belts and bags. you may also like wearing fitted clothes, even just simple skinny jeans or tight tops. aside from black, you could as well use white and bold colours like gold, hot pink etc. also, you may as well be into pastel colors, and you could like following fashion trends.

👁 past life, life purpose

in your past lifetime, you used to put your spirituality aside for a while to focus on finding out your identity here on the earth. you learned how to be responsible, healthy and stable on the earth. you know your values, and they’re already very grounded, you’re very mature from this point of view. in this lifetime, you now need to get more in touch with your spirituality. you need to get close to your higher self, and you may actually be quite skilled at it; probably you may interpret your dreams, you could be interested in religion, what’s beyond the world, and you’re most likely also interested in astrology and other occult matters. you’ll finally be able to reach happiness and fulfill your soul when you start having awareness of your soul’s purpose. since you’ve booked a reading, I’m sure you’re already on the right path, so keep going this way.

🤔 major transits analysis / june 18th

a few unpredictable, possibly painful events may occur in this period of time, as transit saturn is in your 5th house conjunct your natal uranus. there could be an unexpected loss of money for example, a sudden breakup or argument or even death. something will happen that will surely change your view of things and will help you have a major transformation, in order to leave toxicity behind.

🧿 manifest what you want, secret skills

the best way for you to manifest is idealizing and acting at the same time. you have both energies combined in your chart, which is great actually! I’d suggest you to first picture what you want in your life, and then do something concrete to manifest it. for example, let’s suppose you want this gucci bag; first, think about it deeply. then, you could try going into a gucci shop and just walk around, maybe even touch that bag. you’ll get results if you believe it! it’s also great to write and read/listen your own positive affirmations, such as 'I love my gucci bag’, 'the gucci bag my mom gave me is amazing’ and so on.

and this is it! thank you again for booking a reading, hope it resonated with you :)

[elgringo300]

The Magic of the World

The world is without color. Everything is Black and White.

Man is just another creature, who sleeps on the ground in the open, hunts animals with their bare hands, and picks berries to eat. They can talk though, which makes them different from the animals.

There are three magical creatures, who are the only things in the world who have color.

One is Unicorn, a magical horse with a horn on the top of her forehead. She is the child of the moon, and the sibling of the stars. The horn contains magic and creativity, so every 4,000 years, when her horn runs out of magic, she sheds it and grows a new one. Unicorn’s favorite activity is to sit and ponder the mysteries of life on top of a high mountain.

Then there is Dragon, a fierce flying monster in the sky. He is the child of the sun, and can breathe fire just as hot. He enjoys flying around and doing stunts in the air, while breathing fire the whole time. Dragon loves to show off his splendor.

Finally, there is the mysterious Turtle, who is larger than anything in existence, even the dragon. He stays under the water and observes the world above him, content to live in simplicity. Unicorn and Dragon both know he has something important to do, but they don't know what it is. They only know he is happy to wait until he has to do it.

One day, Dragon notices the humans, and sees that they can talk, even though they are like animals in every other respect. He figures that this probably means that they should be better than animals somehow. But since he doesn't know about this kind of thing, he goes and tells Unicorn.

Unicorn, as usual, isn't paying attention to the world, preferring to imagine strange situations and possibilities and what-ifs instead. But when Dragon comes and tells her about the humans, she gets an idea. She causes her horn to shed 2,000 years too early, so that it still contains magic and Creativity. Then she tells Dragon to choose a human to give the horn, so that he might show the rest of the humans.

Dragon figures that he should give it to the chieftain of the humans, since he would be able to lead the rest. But on the way, he gets that urge again to fly around and show off his fire and stunts. As he is doing a triple loop-de-loop, the horn slips from his grasp, and falls to the earth below. It is found by a young man named Dekko, who happens to be the son of the chieftain. He is very independent and capable of taking care of himself, so his father doesn't worry very much when he wanders off. 

When Dekko picks up the horn, he is suddenly transformed. His eyes are granted magical sensors that can see color, an aspect of Creation he didn't even know existed. His skin gains magic too, so every creature that saw him could also see the color of his skin. Nobody remembers what color it was, only that it was so scary and different from anything they had seen before, that they ran away as fast as they could. His mind gains magic too, and

for the first time, he starts having ideas, and admiring the world around him.

Dragon sees what has happened from high in the sky. He sees that even though Dekko is so infatuated with the world around him, he's not doing anything with the new ideas he's having. So Dragon gives the boy a small flame on a stick, the first candle, although since this one was magical, it would burn forever. Dekko touches the fire, and gains the magic that Dragon had left in it: Motivation. He settles on a project to do, and starts breaking branches in order to make the first shelter.

Finally, the boy's father, Roka, is starting to worry. So he goes in search of his son and finds him glowing with color. He is very frightened since he has never seen color before. But Dekko quickly gives him the Unicorn horn and Dragon fire, so that his father has creativity and motivation too. They then go and show the rest of the tribe what they have found. Within weeks, the whole tribe also has Creativity and Motivation.

They begin cutting down trees to make houses, and killing creatures to make clothes. After a while, they have enough houses and clothes for the whole tribe. Roka, the chieftain, begins to feel a little melancholy. Every day, he seems to have less time for his family. And every day, there are less trees and animals. Roka begins to worry that their way of life might not last forever. Dekko doesn't notice anything wrong though. He's thoroughly enjoying himself. 

Dragon notices the humans beginning to destroy their environment and the family unit, but again, he doesn't know what to do. So he goes to Unicorn and explains the situation. Unicorn scoffs at first, but then takes a look and sees that Dragon spoke candidly. Unsure what to do, since her horn hasn't grown back yet, she suggests talking with Turtle.

So Dragon grabs Unicorn in his large claw and they fly miles away to the ocean in the west, where they land on the beach. Little do they know that this is the event that Turtle has been waiting for his whole life. He rises from the depths of the ocean, and without showing his head above the surface, he tells Dragon and Unicorn to find the Chieftain and his son and tell them to visit him on the beach. He takes special care to mention that both of them must go, Dragon and Unicorn, or the humans wouldn't come.

So the duo flies back to the forest, which is starting to look more like a plain, and quickly find Roka and Dekko. First Unicorn walks in and finds Roka and Dekko, and tells them that the mighty Turtle has called them, so they should travel west to the beach. Roka has been thinking that some action needed to be taken, so he immediately agrees. But Dekko thinks he is smarter than his father, and so figures he doesn't need to listen to Unicorn.

Then Dragon flies in, and roars in a mighty voice, "Roka, Dekko, you must travel to the beach to the west, to visit the great Turtle, or your tribe will not survive!" Then Dekko listens to the advice, and he and his father travel west for many days, with Unicorn leading the way while Dragon protects them from danger. First through the forest, then the desert, then the

plains, and finally they arrive at the beach. Turtle rises up from the depths, and without breaking the surface, rumbles in a large voice, "Dekko, Roka, your tribe has been doing bad things by cutting down all the trees and killing all the animals. It is not bad in itself to do these things, but you are doing them too much. So I have a gift to give you. I call it Wisdom. It is a new kind of magic, and it can help you know when to stop changing things and be happy with what you have done."

Then he asks them a very important question. "Do you want it?" Roka immediately nods and says yes, but Dekko is more stubborn. "What do I need Wisdom for?" he says. "My people are happy cutting down trees and killing animals. We are happy staying away from our parents. Why should we stop?"

Then Turtle tells Roka to step into the water. Turtle pokes his head above the surface, revealing it is larger than ten men. The large beast opens his mouth and breathes on Roka, giving him the magic of Wisdom and Self-Control.

Roka turns around, but Dekko has already started on his journey back home, leaving his father behind. When Roka gets back, he finds that the forest has been almost completely destroyed. The tribe, not possessing the new magic, had kept going and cut down all the trees and killed all the animals. Then Roka tells them to come with him, because he had found a new magic that could save them from themselves. But the new magic of Wisdom had Roka tell them one more thing: Only those who were sorry could come with him to the new land.

A lot of them are happy, because they all know that their demise was their own fault, but hadn't known how to stop. But a lot of them are also angry, among them Dekko, because they feel like they should be better than Roka for some reason. They choose to remain in the barren wasteland and live in squalor, where they eventually die of starvation.

Roka and his people leave for the beach, where they are all bathed in the breath of Turtle. Unicorn and Dragon come with them. Together they invent farming and fishing and cities and cars and all sorts of things. Unicorn decides to give up her physical form and plant herself in the mind of man, where she whispers all sorts of ideas about life and the universe. Dragon gives his physical form up too, and plants himself in man’s heart, where his roaring fire still gives us strength to make our dreams come true. But Turtle remains in the ocean, waiting for those who come to seek his gift. This is why Creativity and Motivation are essential parts of every human being, while Wisdom only offers itself to those who ask for it.

[thedyingmoon]

~ A V X Reader set in an Alternate Universe wherein Nero supposedly beats Urizen that 16th of May. 🖤

~ This chapter is dedicated to the 49 people who liked the first chapter, especially @acieoj and @heaven-on-a-landslide . Thank you so much! 🖤

~ Cover made by yours, truly. 🖤

***

II

"Break this heavy chain

That does freeze my bones around!

Selfish, vain,

Eternal bane,

That free love of bondage bound."

The female tourist guide, who had been anxiously glancing at V from a distance, finally mustered up enough courage to approach him with a nervous smile. She cleared her throat, hoping to get immediately noticed without ever having to call his attention in a not - so civilized way.

Fortunately for her, her heavy and noisy footsteps against the rocky pathway proved to be very efficient for gaining attention.

V looked up from the wonderful world of William Blake's book of poetic sketches and smiled at her, adding to the poor woman's already escalating discomfort.

"Ahh, I,..." the lady stuttered, not sure how to address the dire situation to V.

He graciously decided to end her conversational torture. "You do look like something has been bothering you. How can I be of service?" he said, his low, raspy voice not helping with the lady's nerves.

"Yes, well." she began, then inhaled sharply through her nose. She then pointed at the bird on V's left shoulder, and the huge cat lying on his feet. "The other guests are getting anxious of your,... ahh,... pets."

Immediately picking up on the woman's concern, V nodded and actually laughed. The first time in about three weeks since that day. "I see. Don't worry." He stood up from the comfort of the wooden bench near the ruins of the temple, making his "pets" move away from him. He strode towards the woman, lips curled up in a devilish yet adorable smirk. "These are my loyal,... companions. They would bring no harm to any of the innocent people here. That,..." the tone of his voice suddenly became lower as he twirled his metal cane playfully. "I can assure you."

The lady let out a helpless laugh, then nodded. "Okay. Whatever you say." She hastily moved away from him to give herself a safe distance from V's famliars and clumsily pointed at the breathtaking horizon. "Well, now, enjoy your stay here at Delphi!"

As Griffon watched the retreating form of the tourist guide with laughter in its devilishly yellow eyes, V's green ones scanned the beautiful place. Delphi really was a marvel, an ancient beauty that must've took even the most vile of the Demons' breath away.

He closed his book, put it away for a while, and proceeded to explore the place, particularly the ruins of Apollo's temple, where the tourist bus dropped him.

"So, V,..." Griffon said, catching up to his master. "Are we going to look for that thing there?"

"Not this time." V answered. "For now, I need to take a rest and reflect upon our journey, so far."

It's true. V, and the rest of his familiars, have been on a vagabond tour around the world, visiting places like Delphi. First, he visited Egypt's infamous pyramids, then he proceeded to China's mysterious terracotta tombs. He also went to the Himalayas ( he didn't stay there for long, considering the weather ), then Norway. He had been to such places in just three weeks that he had to keep a separate journal where he logs in about the details of his journey.

It's not like he just wanted to or anything.

The truth was - he failed in his initial mission to merge with Urizen that fifteenth of May. Who knew that boy Nero had enough power within him to beat his demonic half? So, thanks to the boy, he could no longer regain his full self.

But, it wasn't entirely the boy's fault. As a matter of fact, it all rooted from one foolish decision that changed his life forever.

It was all because of his desire to gain more power in order to defeat his twin brother.

And now, he had no choice but to search for a different kind of power - any kind - this time, to save himself.

To prevent his human flesh from crumbling.

Thus, started his vagabond ways alongside Griffon, Shadow, Nightmare, and -

"The Yamato really does wonders, huh?" Griffon said, then chuckled, ruffling his own feathers in delight with tiny shakes. "Who knew it would go directly to you and not to that kid Nero?"

"For one thing, I' am the rightful owner of the Yamato, not the boy Nero." V answered as he skipped some rocks along the pathway that led to the ruins of the temple. "I think it was fitting that it answered to me. But, as grateful as I' am that it was returned to me," he said, stopping at what looked like the remains of an altar. "I must not abuse my fragile body by using it over and over to transport us. You see," he began tracing the remains with the tip of his cane. "It consumes way too much of my,... demonic power. I must be wary of that fact."

"Aha, so that's why we had to hitch that stinkin' bus ride with that awful bitch! Didn't know how to keep her mouth shut!" Of course, Griffon was refering to the tourist guide who called him a pet earlier.

"Now, be nice to our little human." V reprimanded the demonic bird. "We will 'hitch' on the same vehicle on the way back."

"Ugh! Not again,..."

As Griffon threw tantrums for every tourist in the remains of Apollo's temple to see, V's eyes wandered at the altar and thought of that beloved story his mother read to him a very long time ago. He closed his eyes and searched through his tired mind for the right words, finally arriving at some that gave his heart a little ache of nostalgia.

"As she comes to the city, hollow hands empty,

Eyes open to what lies in wait for her,"

As V recited the very few lines he could remember of that beloved poem from his childhood, Shadow started purring, rubbing his legs with her huge form like she was a normal house cat. V smiled, knowing that he had, at least, one interested audience. Then, he went on.

"She does not weep nor wail,

In her eyes, home has always been burning."

All of a sudden, Shadow stopped purring. In fact, she stopped moving. She has become rigid, looking like a statue in front of V. He and Griffon noticed this and took note of her glowing red eyes that slowly turned bright blue.

V's eyes widened in surprise.

"Curious." He muttered under his breath.

Griffon flew towards him and whispered, "She's acting hella weird. What do we do to her?"

V smiled and took a sideways glance at Griffon.

"Then, we'll have the perfect opportunity to put your new skill on display for the audience."

"What?! Right here?!"

"Right here." V answered, not once losing his resolve. "Right now."

"And what's in it for me, huh, Shakespeare?"

"I will,... forever be,... in your debt." V said, holding up his right arm and using his cane to point towards the bright, sunny, sky.

"Okay! As if I could refuse."

"I' am truly grateful."

"Yeah, yeah." Griffon huffed, then flew towards the sky, high above the ruins of Apollo's temple.

As V watched the demonic bird flew around the air, he could not help but regret his decision. He yearned to see this place. It was, after all, the place from that precious story, as told to him by his beloved mother. Of course, he wanted to stay, to bask in the warm, sunny weather, to learn the ways of the locals, to be able to speak their native tongue, to know the rich history of the land, to dive into the hidden knowledge and wisdom Apollo has to offer,...

But, as the situation called, they, he, must act immediately.

And as V glanced back at his dark, petrified familiar, he noticed that the atmosphere was slowly turning heavy. Griffon was beginning to work his new magic.

"Alright, you weird folks!" The bird said as he flapped his wings, summoning all the power he had. "Party's over! Go home!"

Griffon spread his wings, letting power in the form of electricity run through them, and folded them once more. As he let out a guttural sound, he spread his beautiful blue wings once more, releasing a different kind of power that made his eyes white. But, this time, the electricity didn't land on the ground like what always happens when they're fighting against other Demons. The almost unnoticeable currents reached the clouds and crawled throughout the sky, instantly enveloping the immediate vicinity with darkness.

As the people looked up, they realized that it was going to rain. But, another flap of Griffon's wings summoned numerous lightning bolts from the sky that crashed to the ground, narrowly missing everyone by mere inches.

After a minute of his stormy display, Griffon flew down back beside V, knowing that his mission was a success, which was an understatement, considering the fact that none of the tourists were hurt.

"Okay, Shakespeare, coast is clear." He said to the man, feeling proud of his new skill.

"Thank you." V smiled at the bird, then turned back to Shadow, who was literally melting. "And now, for the task at hand,..."

V closed his eyes, then held out his left hand in front of Shadow. The action instantly triggered a reaction from the rigid Demon, making its form disintegrate and fall to the ground like shattered glass. With a different gesture of his hand, V made the shattered glass rise up once more from the ground, letting it take shape, forming jet black vines that grew and grew until they were as tall as the pillars of the temple. One last hand movement from V made the vines grew equally dark roses of all sizes.

As Shadow morphed into multiple vines, V took a step back, waiting and waiting, until the largest rose sprout out from one of the vines. He and Griffon watched in awe as the black rose opened, revealing something inside. He took a step forward and pulled it out of the flower. It was the Yamato, and it was glowing in a very unusual way.

"What is wrong with that thing?" Griffon asked as he looked at the Yamato and its radiance. "Did that thing go like that before?"

"If memory serves me right," V began, unsheathing the sword and letting the blinding blue light from the blade splash around his surroundings. "It did so, just one time when,..."

All of a sudden, the light became even more blinding as the sword became warmer and warmer in V's hands.

"Whoah! No wonder that cat's acting weird!" Griffon shrieked, hiding behind V. "You made her eat a laser sword!"

"Hush." V said, seemingly unaffected by the light of the Yamato. "It beckons me. It seems that it wanted me,... someplace else."

"Will you go, V? You still haven't recovered from your last journey!"

"I know." V answered as he positioned the sword high above the air. "But, I also know not to ignore the Yamato's call."

And with two clean swipes, V managed to create a portal that led to some place that seemed to softly glow, like a warm sunset. Or sunrise.

"Let's go." V said, calling both Griffon and Shadow back to him and entering the portal.

***

🖤🖤🖤

[relatablemormonmoments]

Saturday Morning and Afternoon Session Talks

(Note, I listen to Conference rather than watch it, names are probably butchered.)

Ulysses S. Suarez

We need the help of a faithful and inspired teacher, but we also need to teach

Teach your sons and their sons in the ways of the Lord

We need to raise our families in the Lord

Emerse yourself in Scriptures

How do we put principles in the gospel into the actions of our lives?

Actions speak louder than words

Most of our critical spiritual decisions relate to family. (story of a single divorced mother rearing her children)

Mother should guide her children

God wants us back in his presence

Pros: Encourages closeness within our families and with the lord, Encourages us to consider our actions of faith

Cons: The Family A Proclamation to the World, Seemingly excludes those with a poor connection to their families or who converted without their families or whose families have fallen away

Becky Craven

"Happiness, $15" -> cheap trinkets and souvenirs

We as a church are blessed to know how to find true happiness

Car stuck on train tracks-> conductor pulls on emergency break + whistle -> people are able to escape but car is destroyed -> woman watching claims that conductor didn't even try to stop, didn't try to swerve out of the way.

Keep our wheels on the track no matter what obstacles are in our path

Casualness can lead us from the path

World is laiden with distractions, decieving even the elect

We may drown if we aren't careful.

Actions in the "grey" (the "howevers, buts, and althoughs") = "That council does not apply to me"

"If ye love me, keep my commandments"

Doesn't mean being formal or stuffy, but being appropiate

Be more engaged & careful & modest

For the Strength of the Youth applies to each of us (no matter our age, position, or gender)

We need to seek the guidance of the holy ghost

How can we mark ourselves in the Image of Christ?

The world calls us a "peculiar people" which is a large compliment.

We need to widen the distance between ourselves and our worldly influence

Gift of repentance

When you are worthy to recieve personal revelation, you will be blessed and happy

Pros: Gospel is guide to happiness, Doesn't claim that the only way to happiness is through temple marriage, Discusses what leads us from true happiness

Cons: The analogy to a train is nice but doesn't make sense with the rest of her story and implies that there is only one path to happiness, insinuates that temple marriage is part of the path to true happiness, doesn't offer any solutions to avoiding distraction.

Brook P. Hales

God blesses us according to our desires and to his infite wisdom

Scriptures teach us

Lord carefully leads us even if we can't see the results

Lord prepares ways to overcome obstacles before they can occur (Lost Plates and Nephi)

How can God answer us? ->1. Son recieved coat too small, gave it away to another missionary who had been praying for one because he could not afford it (through other people) 2. Joseph (and his coat od many colors) 's brothers sold him rather than killing him, leading to blessings for Egypt and eventual redemption of their family (through.. better circumstances?) 3. Son not hired for dream job, but would have missed a life changing opportunity had he been hired. (Through denying us our wants for eternal perspective)

Patricia Parkinson -> Began going blind at 7 years old, had to go away to boarding school (very home sick) -> Went fully blind at 15, returned home and went to regular highschool-> Eventually gained success at university and in life -> Had a procedure, but came out saying "I'm going to be blind for the rest of my life, I know it, you know it, God knows it." -> Nephew tells her to ask Heavenly Father because Heavenly father grants all of our wishes -> She explains that HF doesn't give us everything when we want it. -> Hales remarks that she's always positive and happy in public but struggles with herself, her disability, and God in private -> she sees that God's hand is in everything

If we keep our commandments, we are blessed by God, even if its not how we expect or want to be blessed.

Pros: Nice approach on how we can struggle with our faith when God doesn't answer us how we want, Good examples of how God does answer us and why he may answer us like that

Cons: Some Ableism in his story about Patricia, simply claims that God will bless us for following commandments

UCHTDORF!!!!!!

Airplanes take 3 hours between Rome and Jerusalem in the present (would take 40 days to travel that distance in Jesus' time)

Even though the church faces persecution, we continue to grow

Put growth into perspective ( A very small flock indeed)

GERMAN SHEPHERD

In some places, the church is shrinking

We must share the good news of the gospel!

How can we fill that great commision in our daily lives?

Share the gospel with friends and acquaintances

Some go out and declare it boldly, others are more hesitant and hide behind the pew when daily missionary work is mentioned, why?

Lord doesn't require expert efforts, but he does require a willing heart and mind

We can draw close to Heavenly Father, Fill our Hearts wirh love for others, and read our scriptures

By doing this we will become better, happier, more authentic

Pros: It's Uchtdorf, Airplanes mentioned, Even small efforts matter

Cons: Airplanes mentioned only once, Encourages a lot of proselytizing in day to day life, Many members are leaving church or going inactive, Really short talk :(

W. Christopher Weidell

His (nonmember) brother (Mike) had Pancreatic cancer, could see the temple from his hospital bed.

Mike became friends with the priesthood leaders, kept askin hc about the church

Mike joined the church and gained strength

Had no pulse when on day gaining Melchezidek priesthood, has pulse as soon as Weidell enters room, he lives to gain the priesthood, but dies 5 hours later.

It takes remarkable efforts to minister

Don't give up on a "Not Interested"-hearts change

Desire tonhelp others achieve deeper conversion

Serving others

Want others to reach divine potential

Sensitive to trials and struggles

We are encouraged to follow the guidings of the Holy Spirit

Trust the Lord

Focus on what's important

It's never too late, you'll never wander too far from the path

Never too soon to extend an invitation

There is always hope

Pros: Heartwarming story about brother, hope if you are inactive and want to come back, hope if yiy have friends or family who have left the church for various reasons

Cons: Influences those really aggressive ministerers to keep going at it, which can weaken someones already weak bond with the church, ITS REALLY SAD, I CRIED OK?

Henry B. Eyring

United as one is the feeling we want in our homes

Families

No contention due to love for God (4th Nephi)

Symptoms of Spiritual Decline TM - How can we protect and increase feelings of love to combat them

Underlying cause=Satan

Reverse spiritual decline in family and in home

Remember the savior as you remember thine sins

Praying as a family brings you closer together

Family who prays together is together, even when far apart

Offer the gospel to your enemies

Examples of Parents

Worry about Celestial Kingdom and the Family Arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine

Pros: Talks about strengthening family bonds, NOT ABOUT THE PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD!!!, strengthen love for God=strengthen family, FOUND FAMILIES? NON NUCLEAR/TRADITIONAL FAMILIES? ?!?!, All you need is love, Love is all you need

Cons: May encourage abusive/extremist parents to shove gospel down childrens throats to "strengthen family" therefore pushing children away

M. Russel Ballard

Can't control what impacts our life, we can control how it impacts our happiness

Do the best we can each day

Heavenly Father loves you

Love God, Love Neighbors

Find peace and happiness in your life

We minister because we love others

Preform Temple ordinances

Keep it simple

Pros: Don't worry be happy, If you follow the commandments you will find happiness, Keep it simple (KonMarie LDS edition)

Cons: The whole we can control how it impacts our happiness doesn't include neurodivergent people, especially those with depression.

Mathias Held

Found a church (ours) where he felt at home

Personal growth, education, humanitarian efforts, self-reliance

Wanted to know everything about the church before joining

Mosiah 1:18

Confident that Heavenly Father would guide him

Through the power of the Holy Ghost we may know all things

Pros: Short and sweet, lists what attracts people to the church

Cons: May make some people in process of conversion feel left out or like they aren't on track/moving fast enough

Neil Anderson

God has given us a way to learn essential truths

See truths of God through the Eye of Faith

Spirit sons and daughters (AND CHILDREN, ELDER ANDERSON! AND CHILDREN!) lived with and worshipped god

We all knew God's plan for us

Prophets see ahead, not only the dangers, but the privileges and blessings

Faith, patience, and diligence

We are all part of a larger family

God will shine his approval on you

Pros: Its about the Plan of Salvation, Eye of Faith, We are all part of a larger family and should strive to help each other, I like the notion that the prophets are also seeing Good things because the world has been very much the bad place as of late..

Cons: I'm pretty sure this is the one where he mentions his LGBTQIA friend who was all like "we need to abandon the ways of the world and thus I be celibate" so... Slight homophobia maybe? I don't know I didn't write it down but a lot of people are bothered by this

Takashi Wada

Overcome darts of the Adversart

True feasting is an experience of joy and thanksgiving

Feasting on scriptures should build our relationship with God

Hearts filled with Gratitude

1. words of Christ increase spiritual capacity for revelation

2. when we struggle with our identity and self esteem, turn to the scriptures

3. live lives of others through the scriptures

A little boy handed Wada's mother a hymn book even though she coukd have easily accessed it herself, an innocent act of kindness he learned through the church and his parents

Hearts burn within us when we read the scriptures

Ye shall have eternity

Pro: This man??? so Sweet??? Hi I love him?, Very innocent stories, very funny.

Con: There is none. Perfect talk.

David P. Homer

"I'm sorry I didn't bear my testimony today, I love you"

1. Critical moments, multiple voices with competing directions, 2. Vital that we listen to the right one

We often focus on what's convenient

Popular =/= best

Mountain climbers' death zone= Spiritual too much time in bad places

Korihor

Impressions given by the Holy Ghost

Seek God's voice

Be doers of the word, not just hearers

Answers can be slow to come

Heavenly Father makes it possible to hear and follow his commandments.

Pro: His opening quote is really cute, Wow this is a call out talk

Con: You may feel called out if you don't follow commandments

Jeffery R. Holland

Adam and Eve closed door to immortality

Help comes from the Lamp of God

Offer broken heart and contrite spirit

Reduce clamor in our buildings

Be mindful of broken hearts and sad spirits around us

No shortage of suffering in the world

Lift load from those who are burdened

Bring tears to the Lord's Sacrificial Altar

Pros: calls people to acknowledge those who are hurt around us, calls people to stop using church for socialization

Cons: What is a Lamp of God?, How can we focus on broken hearts and contrite spirits without hurting them?

[zodiac-queens]

Goddesses that represent Creativity and Manifestation for the Zodiac Signs

Aries - Saraswati

origin: Hindu

Call on Saraswati when you need intellectual enlightenment and an extra blessing in creative pursuits.

A personification of one of the most important rivers in India, Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and arts. Legendary for her beauty and grace, she’s known for her brilliant white skin, which represents the light of knowledge. She’s celebrated during a festival in the spring, Vasant Panchami, where people worship her to achieve enlightement through knowledge. Her companion is a white swan (hamsa), who in myth is believed to be able to separate milk from water - a representation of Saraswati’s ability to separate good from evil. She travels on the swan, an animal that’s a symbol of spiritual perfection and transcendence, so she’s also called Hamsavahini, meaning “she who has a hamsa as her vehicle.”

Taurus - Tyche

origin: Greek/ Roman:Fortuna

Call on Tyche when you want good luck and fortune on your side. Make her traditional offerings with honey, milk, and cakes in the shape of a wheel.  

Goddess of fortune and luck, Tyche is a blind goddess who is often portrayed with a blindfold over her eyes. This is a nod to fortune not discriminating upon whom it bestows luck; and it also refers to Tyche following her intuition rather than her sight to better determine the wind of fate. The daughter of Titan gods Oceanus and Tethys, Tyche gained immortality and was elevated to a goddess by Zeus after she helped him save Olympus from Gaia’s schemes during a battle with the Titans. She’s often portrayed with a wheel of destiny and a cornucopia, as she oversees both the direction of one’s luck and the abundance of life. A fickle goddess,Tyche can turn one’s fortunes quickly. Since soldiers adored her and often carried her symbols into battle, her legend spread across many continents.

Gemini, Virgo - Benten

origin: Japanese

Call on Benten when you need an extra boost of luck on your side - especially when it comes to creative endeavors.

Benten is the Japanese sea goddess of eloquence and beauty. Talent, wealth, wisdom, romance, and music all fall under her domain. She was the only goddess among the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, a group of gods who traveled together on a treasure ship, and the only one who grants good luck and happiness. She’s also the patron goddess of geishas and lovers of art. Daughter of a dragon king, Benten married another dragon who was terrorizing the island of Enoshima. His love for her transformed him into a perfect gentleman. Together, they live in Lake Biwa which is shaped like and named after her favorite instrument, a short-necked lute. Benten is often depicted with white snakes as her messengers - so it’s goodd luck in Japanese culture to see a white snake.

Cancer - Chang-O

origin: Chinese

Call on Chang-o when you’re seeking the answer to your secret wish or question, especially during a full moon.

Chang-o is the Chinese goddess of the moon, where she resides with a rabbit and a three-legged toad. Before her current residency, Chang-o lived on Earth with her husband Yi, and archer, and was an attendant of the goddess Hsi Wang Mu. When Yi shot nine of the ten suns out of the sky, the couple was stripped of their deity status as punishment. Chang-o begged Hsi Wang Mu to help them out of their mortal sentence with her magic peaches, and Hsi Wang Mu took pity on them by making two elixirs from her fruit to make them immortal, though not gods, again. Chang-o decided to drink both potions, hoping to become a goddess with the extra dose of magic  but instead become so light she floated up to the moon. She did indeed become a goddess again, but she is now forever tied to the moon. The annual Moon Festival, also known as the Autumn Harvest Festival, is held in celebration of Chang-o and the power of the divine feminine force of yin in yin and yang.  

Leo - Aditi 

origin: Hindu 

Call on Aditi when you want to create your own world of happiness. 

Mother of the endless universe, Aditi is one of the earliest sky goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. Her name translates to “limitless”, just like her reach and powers. She existed before time and is said to be the goddess of the past and the future, controlling all of time. Aditi is also the source of the stars, suns, planets, and moons and then gave birth to twelve Adityas, who were spirits that became the twelve Zodiac signs. They take turns ruling the cosmos by month and created all the gods and goddesses. 

Libra, Pisces - The Muses

origin: Greek 

Call on the Muses when you’re looking for inspiration and a boost in your talent; especially the one who oversees your specific area. 

Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, the nine goddesses overseeing arts and sciences are also known as the Muses. Each of the Muses oversees a different aspect of creativity; Calliope is poetry; Clio, history; Euterpe ,lyrical poetry; Melpomene, tragedy; Thalia, comedy; Terpsichore, dance; Polyhymnia, music and storytelling; Urania, astronomy; and Erato, erotic poetry and mime. However, if one Muse is present, anyone can petition them for their inspiration in any aspect. Gifting mortal endeavors with their divine spirit, Muses are loving and joyfull, often singing songs of praise. They also bestow mortals with talent and skill. Often they’re worshipped with milk, honey and wine. 

Scorpio - Ran 

origin: Norse

Call on Ran’s strength and persistence in pursuing all that you desire in manifesting a paradise of your own. 

Goddess of the sea, Ran is a beautiful mermaid who lives in a golden paradise under the waves. Ran has a magical fishing net that she uses to capture ships and sailors, bringing permanent guests into her home. Known as a dangerous goddess, ran was blamed for shipwrecks, men overboard, and disappearances at sea. Because of her reputed love for gold and finer things, sailors would tuck coins into their pockets for protection - so that she could take those instead of their souls. With her husband, Aegir, Ran had nine beautiful daughters, known as the spirits of the waves. 

Sagittarius, Aquarius - Athena

origin: Greek/ Roman:Minerva

Call on Athena when you need to access your inner intuition and wisdom.

Daughter of Zeus, Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, arts, and war, making her a triple threat and a central figure of feminine and intellectual strength. Although known as the goddess of war, Athena represents the reason and strategy aspect of battle. She’s often portrayed with an owl on her right shoulder, representing wisdom, and Medusa on her shield, representing Athena’s ties to earlier mythologies from pre-Greek cultures. Athena is also credited with gifting the world with art, and teaching humans weaving, pottery, and architecture.

Capricorn - Nüwa

origin: Chinese

Call on Nüwa when you want to create something beautiful out of the raw material of your life.

Half human and half dragon, Nüwa is an ancient Chinese goddess of creation. She wandered the Earth alone until she saw her own reflection in the Yellow River and molded the first human out of the clay on the riverbanks. Much to her delight, the figure, which had legs instead of a dragon tail, came alive and called her “Mother”; so she made many more. Nüwa made males and females so that they could reproduce and granted them mortality. After growing tired of making so many people,she dipped a rope into clay and spattered drops around the ground. This is the legend of how nobles (the molded clay) and peadants (the droppings) were made.

source: Ann Shen - Legendary Ladies

[eweniversal]

Erai'hym Character and Race Guide

Kotaphira Havanne - Derhanish (half Elfirrin)

Named after the founder of the city Maerise in the country Derhan. From the hold called Whitepeak, she is on a quest to establish herself as an important member of the Derhanish knights based on her own merit and not inheritance. Nicknames include Phira, Grapes, and Twobits.

Ayler Havanne - Derhanish (human)

Half brother to Kotaphira Havanne, intent on proving himself through his own means, no matter the cost. Also from Whitepeak, served in the same squadron as his half sister Kotaphira. Nicknames include Lyre, Clouds, and Threebits.

Laranen Relt - Jenyae

A wandering merchant and showman, she is native to the volcanic jungles of Firastrous. Having met many and important people, she has picked up many valuable pieces of artifacts- and information.

Sir Bicroy - Derhanish (human)

From Whitepeak, he leads the squadron called Ninebits. From this squadron come Kotaphira and Ayler Havanne.

Kotaphira Arculum - Derhanish (half Elfirrin)

Founder of the free city Maerise in the wartorn country of Derhan, Kotaphira is perhaps the oldest member of their society. Still sitting on the council, she advises most of the important ongoings and oversees the military higher-ups. Through her influence, she has conducted many peace treaties, talks, and negotiations- even if half of them were for her own gain.

Mind riddled with constant anxiety and chatter from an unknown relic's influence, she struggles with making sound decisions and formulated opinions based on self interest instead of as seeing the larger picture. Despite having many children over the years (Taskell, Samund, Perine, Baloren, Aress, Jaesin, and Maeldrid) she is not known for her close knit familial ties. Titles include Lady Doe, Madame Kota, and Dragon Queller.

Rinlear Moban - Derhanish (human undead)

Once called brother to Kotaphira Arculum, the two were raised together in the small logging town Daelen, west of Derhan in the mountains. Dreaming of a peaceful and academic future, he established a university called “The College” nearby to encourage magical teachings to all, as a safe haven for whoever was fleeing any sort of persecution.

In the Battle of Laves, he almost lost his life protecting his best friends. A wicked and strange necromancer from the country Arc'hilde captured him and did extensive experimentation on him, attempting to create a sort of vial to hold magical essences of others. It backfired, and Rinlear became a consumer of magical essences instead- which caused his body to rot but still be held together.

Echertai Omos - Derhanish (human)

Lover to Kotaphira Arculum in her younger years and best friend to Rinlear, the three had worked together to bring their dream of a free and welcoming country to fruition. He established trade routes, invitations from other countries at the threat of war, and set up holds around the country of Derhan to ensure safety to the civilians. During the Battle of Laves, he sacrificed himself to save Kotaphira, having followed her own self serving orders at the risk of destroying the newly founded city of Maerise at the hands of Arc’hilde.

Taskell Omos - Derhanish (quarter Elfirrin)

Son to Kotaphira Arculum and Echertai Omos, Taskell is 200 years old and has long since grown past a serious and ‘old’ demeanor, despite his reputation for having once been a sour a cynical man. Having taken up parkour in the past 50 years, he is well adept at scaling, climbing, and leaping. Having served in the military and tried his hand at sitting on the council, he’s given that up to be more of a snoop; sneaking around and learning everyone’s secrets to spread rumors for fun. An all around easy going guy and jokester/prankster, he enjoys his time learning and messing with others. Titles and nicknames include: Sir Brightsword, Kellman, and Quidnunc.

Samund Miras - Derhanish (quarter Elfirrin)

Younger half-brother (Kotaphira Arculum being his mother as well) to Taskell by about 70 years, Samund is studious and somber. Having recently been assigned to the city council for public finance, he takes his job seriously, though gives the other council members a hard time in reminding them the costs of things.

He and Taskell aren’t on the best of terms, but they tolerate each other at dinner functions and other public meetings. After the death of their younger half-sister Perine, the two brothers drifted apart and never fully healed the chasm between them. Titles and nicknames include: Sir Hardoc, Miramira (by Taskell only), and Councilman Miras.

Kemryn Sebuho - Derhanish (half Elfirrin)

One of the youngest and brightest of her magical class, Kemryn is in her 8th year at the College. Studying to hone her magical ability of creating wards and channeling magics like water, she has become quite adept in her studying and has caught the eye of Kotaphira Arculum to work directly under her. Kemryn and her sisters (Ia’wori and Sadinah) can use their magical abilities together to create vessels to trap newly released souls (golems basically, but refined). Level headed and quirky, she is still a bit naive but very much open about her ideas on others. Titles and nicknames include: Lady Wardsmith, Lady Pink, and Bunny.

Steirtorim Brighteyes - Derhanish (Trocblood)

A mix of Derhanish human and trocoblin, Steirtorim has a muddled skin color the blend of green and brown. Short tusks protrude from his lower teeth out of his mouth, and his nose is shorter than the average human’s. Because of the commonality of trocbloods now in Maerise (within the past seventy years or so) he’s just now adjusting fully to feeling on more equal grounds to others such as furmen and the Derhanish natives. After the Treaty of Ulpustur, he was assigned to the royal Maerisian Knights, and over the years became captain, serving directly under Kotaphira Arculum. His loyalty and honesty knows no bounds, but this serves as a weakness. Titles and nicknames include: Captain, Sir Changorim, and Steir.

Verusk Alondale - Arc’hildean (Night Elfirrin)

Advisor and brother-in-law to King Selreth of Maerise, Verusk has been working over the past several decades to keep his personal sanity in tact. Lady Kotaphira has irritated him to no end, but he still respects her due to her abilities and serving on the council under him. Verusk is not clueless when it comes to most other’s ongoings and tries to be steps ahead at all times, but he’s not perfect in his attempts. His nephew (Prince Jonvis) is the only one who has caught on to his secret intentions, and seems to be the only one able to keep up or even be steps ahead of him, despite the boy’s much younger age. Titles include: Advisor Alondale, Sir Husk, and Verdant Shadow.

King Selreth - Derhanish (human)

After the Treaty of Ulpustur, Selreth returned with Verusk, Verusk’s sister (Aneela), Steirtorim, and Kotaphira Arculum where he was crowned king by the previous one. Since then, he married (Aneela), and has run the city- and country- to the best of his abilities. A family oriented man, he places his family above the city, much to Kotaphira Arculum’s frustration (and advantage). He is hard headed and logic driven, but he still listens to Kotaphira’s advice given her age, wisdom, and experience with the city. Titles include: Sire, Sir Trell, and Stonenose (by Steirtorim only).

Princess Mylla - Derhanish (half Elfirrin)

Younger sister to (prince Jonvis), she is stubborn and loud. Allowed to do as she pleases, she never had proper restrictions in her upbringing and was quite spoiled. Still, she was loved by all for her beauty and gracefulness, revered almost as a mascot by the Maerisian populace. Her magical ability allows her to absorb any magic aimed at her and return it to the spellcaster, making her ideal to fight in a mage’s battle. However, she has no desire to join the military or College, much more comfortable at parties and balls so she may receive more praise by others. Titles and nicknames include: Princess, Madame Frou, and Sponge (by Jonvis only).

The Boar's Head - (unknown)

Leader of the Thieves’ Guild, The Boar’s Head keeps hidden from everyone, including the guild’s own members. No one knows the age or race of The Boar’s Head, except that they might be a woman. Rumors state ‘she’ is older than the city itself, having lived in caves with ‘her’ pet boar that used to exist underground, and has infiltrated the city after it’s construction to steal from those who had killed her boar. Kotaphira Arculum is the only person from aboveground The Boar’s Head chooses to interact with.

---

Races:

Human: Derhanish human 'natives’ are dark skinned- they migrated many generations ago from the low deserts of Lutria. Light skinned humans are typically from the country of Arc'hilde. The native humans to the country Firastrous resemble real world Native Americans and South Americans.

Edirthean: From the magical forest called Edirthe (ee dirth ee) come 12 magical tribes of Edite (ee die tee), their powers granted by the love elemental, Loffine. Protectors of the magical well in the center, they keep a precious balance within the forest, but are constantly at war with the trocoblins. They resemble real world mix of Pacific Islanders and Pakistani.

Elfirrin: From Lutria, descendents of the light elemental Leada, natural magic wielders. Elfirrin blood cannot mix with Vessifer or Trocbloods. Lifespan is typically 800 years. Tall, limber, and sharp features set them apart from typical humanoids. Pointed ears make them easily recognizable as Elfirrin.

Sun Elfirrin: Born during the day, they have skin tones that range from yellow/tan to black, hair colors that range from pastels to white, and they cannot venture out at night for long periods of time.

Night Elfirrin: Born at night, they have dark colored hair, and pale skin. They are not restricted to the day time, making them ideal assassins.

Moon Elfirrin: Previously Sun Elves that were transformed by exposure to the light of the moon called Herac'ine (hee rak ine).

Half Elifirrin: Still magically inclined, but their hair color is typically vibrant in hue. Lifespan is halved.

Quarter Elfirrin: Softer hue color for hair, and only slight magical abilities. Lifespan is about 250 years.

Furmen/scalemen/feathermen: From the northern reaches of Ai'ltiem down to the hot sandy deserts of Lutria, to northwest of Derhan, they are tribal and territorial. Bipedal and larger than the average human, each tribe imbues physical traits of animals. They are unable to breed with any other humanoid or race but their own. They are not magically inclined.

Trocoblin: Descendents of the dark elemental Derdia's nightbeasts, these creatures resemble a mix of trolls, orcs, and goblins. Not altogether intelligent, they do have a verbal form of communication. Any magics a troc or Trocblood might have is crude and raw, but not strong.

Trocblood/ trocmutt: A trocblood is any person of trocoblin ancestry. “Trocmutt” is a racial slur. Their skin is tougher than a typical humanoid’s, their intelligence much higher than a trocoblin’s, and they seem to be much more susceptible to magics than any other race or race blend.

Jenyae: Though descendents of the fire elemental Firastra, they are also bound by earthen magics. Limbs are typically transparent, while skin color ranges from yellow to red to green. They are magically inclined and have wish granting abilities (based on the laws of equality), though are known to be clever tricksters who put on colorful, entertaining shows.

Vessifer: From the frozen reaches of Ironmarsh, they are the descendents of the dark elemental Derdia, they were created as a natural enemy to Elfirrin. The Vessifer curse does not dilute if one has a non-Vessifer parent. You either have the curse or you don't (if you don't, then neither parent was Vessifer). The curse activates when under extreme mental or emotional strain, and the Vessifer are very emotional creatures. Normal form is similar to humans, but severely attractive, while their cursed form is of hellish nightmares and individualized based on the person.

Heraghine: From the Vessifer and the love elemental Loffine come a line of special healers that balance the Vessifer's emotional states out. Called the Heraghine (hee ra ine), one is born to a generation. She is always wise, insightful, and has the ability to enter in to the minds of her patients to help quell their suffering. Her method of healing is by encouraging the mind to work on it's own instead of as an invasive force. Some Heraghine are granted a special ability of foresight, though this can greatly affect her mental stability depending on how strong the foresight is.

Aethestian: Descendents of the wind elemental Aerie, these people carry an avian gene, though most lay dormant. In those that are active, they have what resemble wings but they are usually small and pathetic, though greatly revered and decorated. Aethestians resemble real world Asians.

Phaerie: Short creatures that resemble a mix of human and moth or human and plant. Native to the jungles around Arc'hilde, they are simple minded but have a high magical inclination.

Piksie: Tiny beings that emit a magical glow, they are native to the magical forest called Edirthe. Historically they are known for being the cause of wars and the ends of them.

Ulpustur Dragon: From the Ulpustur mountain range in the far Western region of Ironmarsh, the Ulpustur dragons are very large, old, and intelligent beings who study magic, philosophy, and the arts. Despite their cultured ways, they still rely heavily on instincts and the laws of nature. Through extensive magical studies, elder dragons are able to take on crude humanoid forms, but none are perfect.

Cave Dragon: Much smaller than the Ulpustur Dragon, Cave Dragons are seen typically as annoying pests, dwelling within the cave homes of the Ulpustur Dragons.

Akooakae: From the ocean that surround the Eastern parts of the country Arc'hilde come the Akooakae, half humanoid, half sea creatures who emerged in recent times. Worshipping the water elemental Akooa, these beings rely on each other and a female leader to act on their behalf. Matriarchal and vindictive, they are sly creatures but ever curious. 

[glassy-star]

Eighth house;

Once we have learned, in the 7th house, how to build alliances, how to be aware of other people’s universe and how to discover traits of ourselves we didn’t know existed, it’s time to gather all of these precious lessons and dive into the 8th house: a dark, humid and fertile place, where all things are destroyed and given a purpose anew.

The 8th house is a treasure box, locked and sealed with our most deadly secrets. Unlike those of the 4th and the 12th, which are fellow water houses, 8th house matters are more easily available to conscious access, and its contents are there, floating on the water’s cold surface like a trunk after a shipwreck. The energies of this house are kept away by us from the reach of other people, but we know exactly what is actually going on. And it is when we have an intimate relationship with somebody that the secrets of this house break free and become harder and harder to conceal.

The 8th house, then, is where people actually begin to know who we truly are and where our sincerest intentions towards our close relationships are finally revealed to our partner. At the same time, we use this house to discover our partner’s secrets too and, as intimacy grows, digging deeper and deeper into their self, we become able to see past their beautiful mask, learning that they are not so perfect or divine as we might once have thought. These investigative works towards discovering the ugly truth are the consolidation of Scorpio’s energy, and this is also behind this house’s association to sex and mysticism: the profound movements of the soul towards communion with another being.

The opposition to the 2nd house also describes this house’s association to other people’s values, so this is where we’ll find matters regarding inheritance, financial gains through others, genetic heritage, psychic skills unique to a family or even personal values that are acquired from relationships of any kind. The trine to the 4th house, in turn, depicts the origins of this house’s traumas and secrets, which are often found in the first interactions between the child and its environment and family, with an especial focus on the maternal figure. It is in the 8th house that these “bad” feelings, secrets, traumas and coping mechanisms can be transformed by the individual, which then learns, through the 12th house, how to let go of them to be finally reborn to something new.

Sun in the 8th house: in slow autumn day, a long sheet of clouds covers the heavens; light is grey, cloudy and dispersed. Private and concealed, the Sun in the 8th house shines rather discreetly. He doesn’t feel comfortable shining in full, in fear that he might reveal the secrets of his watery mind. People born under a star like this understand the sentimental complexity of their own selves, because they’re in constant contact with their deepest secrets and their ugliest emotions, too. They have become so used to this, that they are often masters of all mysteries; interpreting people and discovering facts is easy, rather intuitive. And because of this they hold the sunny power to transform all things into their purer forms for a price. Because the Sun here is veiled, the individual might find difficult to keep having a positive outlook on life.

Moon in the 8th house: like scythe, a yellow Moon cuts the sky, alluring and distant. The clouds make way for her light, dancing around in a longstanding waltz. There’s something graceful, but terribly powerful about this Moon. The river of emotions runs deep and troubled, disturbed by the desires of the soul to fuse with something else. People with this Moon have an intuitive understanding of what it takes to build an intimate and true relationship, and they can also interpret symbols of any kind with ease, even though the understanding is not completely clear, as if they spoke directly with their soul. This Moon also suggests a strong family inheritance of some sort, depending on the sign she’s in. Because there is so much going on in the emotional realm, the individual can be extremely private of their own feelings, looking at their own intensity from a distance.

Mercury in the 8th house: a curious wanderer reads a witch’s book; the absorption of ancient knowledge feels thrilling and strangely powerful. Smart and intuitive, Mercury in the 8th house is a trickster with a very dark humour. Here, he excels at putting the darkest and purest feelings of humanity into words. People with this placement are usually very aware of what lies beneath all things, and they can easily tell when something’s being hidden. They’re usually quite curious about the world’s nature and people’s functioning, and this Mercury guides them, decoding their otherworldly experiences with accuracy.

Venus in the 8th house: Juliet, having found her lord, kisses his warm, dead lips, then stabs herself to join him. Venus in the 8th weaves strong, powerful ties between her and the objects of her affection. People with this placement are constantly contemplating their love, and their soul burns with a striking wish to merge with the outside world. Relationships with people and objects are intense, sincere and never shallow, and this attitude towards others often stirs the secrets that lurk within. Venus here will run miles to find her star-crossed lover, or die trying, and be inevitably transformed a thousand times in this painful, but divine process. Moreover, Venus in the 8th people are often attracted to dark and mystical auras and themes, because they love this reflection of themselves.

Mars in the 8th house: an ancient knight lifts up their torch, illuminating the black, endless pool in front of them. A lover of danger, Mars is excited to unveil secrets and plunges himself courageously into darkness itself. People with this placement are passionate towards their supernatural interests, and their desire often transcends the physical plane. The 8th house lake, here, is agitated and stirred, so secrets of the emotional realm are constantly revealing themselves and disturbing the personality’s surface. When getting what they want, individuals with this placement are often strategical, making their way in silence.

Jupiter in the 8th house: a mysterious wizard blesses a wanderer with a dark spell, muttering words of death and betrayal. The world may seem like very dark place with this placement, but people with Jupiter in the 8th are exceptional survivors. There’s usually a wise understanding of darkness here, and the individual accepts the transformations they suffer rather naturally. The intimate life with others can be rich and fulfilling, protecting the individual from the monsters they see passing by at night. This may also be a symbol for the inheritance of large amounts of money, values or knowledge of some sort after marriage or from a family member.

Saturn in the 8th house: a figure stands firmly on top of a lonely tower, contemplating the night that surrounds them from all sides. Saturn here is a symbol for a fear of abandonment and letting go of this life’s conditions. The individual knows that something else beyond the life they know exists, but is fearful to approach it, thus becoming attached to either a physical or spiritual perspective on life. The lesson is often understanding that abandonment and the transformation that follows are inherent aspects of a natural cycle, and this understanding can unlock an enormous pool of magical wisdom. This fear might be reflected on the individual’s issues with intimacy, money and psychic powers.

Uranus in the 8th house: a young traveler is seen in the distance, crying and praying at the foot of a dead, leafless tree. Here, Uranus infuses his unorthodox methods into the supernatural, emotional realm. The individual with this placement usually has an unconventional approach to the concepts of mysticism, life and death, and deals very uniquely with their own religion. People with this placement can receive striking, sudden visions from a world unseen, and may often catch spiritual messages in the everyday world. There seems to be this inexplicable expectation that they life is going to change radically in a second, and so they are always prepared for the worst. Uranus in this house teaches how to let go of material attachments, pointing with a smile to that which is most essential.

Neptune in the 8th house: as mermaids sing and emerge beautifully from between the waves, a ship collapses against a cemetery of black rocks. Neptune, here, is about the idealization of the 8th house concepts of loss, transformation and death. People with this placement often present themselves with a distant longing for stepping into another world, far more beautiful and deadly than this one, and this is Neptune’s deception. They can be fairly detached from this world’s matters, and there’s usually a lack of discipline or boundary when dealing with mystical affairs as well as other people’s money and values.

Pluto in the 8th house: comfortable and warm, a child lays on her bed, listening carefully to the night’s terrors .People with this placement have a lot to hide and a lot to discover. Pluto’s the natural ruler of this house, and so relationships here are strong and intense, because of how much is at stake. Those born with this placement have usually been through a lot, and they know just how ugly and dark this world can get behind the curtains, through which they now see so clearly. A lot depends, of course, on the individual deals with this fact; a lot goes on between self-destructing or self-sabotaging and self-transforming or self-healing. But here it’s as if the soul, or the unconscious, is very close to the surface, and the consciousness is able see right through the veil of reality.

Detail: Gustave Doré, “Andromède”; 1869.

[ben-j-man]

Secret War: Upon Blood Sands- Chapter 2

A sequel to my 40k fanfiction Secret War.

Link to chapter 1- http://ben-j-man.tumblr.com/post/180097372453/secret-war-chapter-1

After his organization is hired to hunt down an influential ganger on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse, forever more.

‘I am not a partier; I am an assassin who kills people for a living. And being the dangerous job it is and that I would quite like to live past my twenties, I spend every waking hour for training. Making sure I have the necessary skills to live to see the next day.’ -Attelus Kaltos Bursting from the seams with action, intrigue, suspense and full of twists and turns. With a character driven narrative which delves deep into the mind torn asunder by war as he tries to find purpose in the grim-dark universe of 40k where there is only war.

A Sanction for Sanity: Chapter 1 link a prequel

http://ben-j-man.tumblr.com/post/181441697383/secret-war-a-sanction-for-sanity-chapter-1

Link to Upon Blood Sands Chapter 1:

http://ben-j-man.tumblr.com/post/183400509673/secret-war-upon-blood-sands-chapter-1

"I think she's on to us," said Attelus as he paced across the sand, hands clasped behind his back. "I think she has an idea at least."

Faleaseen's large, almond-shaped eyes narrowed as she towered over him. The Farseer like most of her race was very tall, inhumanly thin and long limbed. Her features deceptively soft, beautiful, benign, but her gaze was filled with melancholic wisdom, wisdom earned through great toil and burden. Showing her surely ancient age. A long time ago, Attelus had noticed there were what seemed to be shimmering green crystals, crawling up the nape of her. He hadn't managed to gain the courage to ask why.

For this dream meeting, the Eldar had conjured up a beach Attelus had lived near to in his youth in northern Velrosia. Salteera bay was replicated in almost insane detail, the beautiful, rocky tree covered coastline, the clear blue water, the island that jutted out in the small harbour. All of it was exactly how he remembered it. Salteera bay was just one of the countless beaches which littered the coast of the huge Vandeeran river. A river which cut through the continent until it met with the Lake of Varander. A river which at points could be as wide as five kilometres and the source of thousands of runoff rivers that provided the continent with much needed, life-giving water.

Velrosia was set almost right in the continent's epicentre but may well have been an island nation, riddled with numerous lakes and set where the Vandeeran river was at its widest. Seafood was a huge export for the country along with timbre and livestock.

"I am sure she does have an idea, Attelus Kaltos," said Faleassen, her attention wandered with the pacing Attelus as she stood deathly still in her esoteric, form-fitting armour.

"We've completed missions far faster than initially thought," said Attelus. "Reaching the planets faster than warp travel would normally allow."

"Yes," said Faleaseen, patiently. "You have only done so on four separate occasions but I can see why that would arouse suspicion from the Inquisitor."

"She gave me this mission because she knew this," said Attelus. "She also knows that we can bypass the warp storm."

"Many of her kind would have you executed even for the suspicion," said Faleaseen.

Attelus sniggered and paused in his pacing, "well, that won't stop me for long, would it? Do you think she knows of the webway's existence?"

Faleaseen shook her head with what seemed almost wry amusement, "I doubt that, not many Mon..."

She trailed off in her sentence as she noticed Attelus' glare, "humans know of the webway."

"I wouldn't underestimate Inquisitor Enandra," said Attelus. "If anyone knows, it's her and she isn't even Ordo Xenos."

"So," said Faleaseen, scratching her sharp, slender chin with a thumb, an oddly human gesture. "We are at an impasse if you do use the webway it will impose more suspicion upon you. If you do not you will miss out on another lead to stop Etuarq, assuming this is not yet another trap."

"It has to be another trap," said Attelus.

"I do not know," said Faleaseen. "I do not understand why Etuarq would lay such a trap. He has a plan for you that much is certain."

"He knows I'm perpetual, that I'll come back from whatever he throws at me, perhaps he wants to kill my allies? My friends?" said Attelus while continuing with his pacing. "Perhaps they are interfering with whatever fate he has in store for me?"

Faleaseen nodded, "that does seem a logical assumption."

"Perhaps," said Attelus, but trailed off.

"Perhaps what?" said Faleaseen, although Attelus' suspected she already knew.

"Perhaps I could come clean, tell Jelcine of our alliance?"

Faleaseen pouted her full, ruby red lips and looked to the sky in thought.

"Or you know, you could, you know, zap it from her mind like you did back on the Audacious Edge three years ago," said Attelus.

Faleaseen sighed, "neither course of action is wise, Attelus Kaltos. I have already performed mind manipulation once on her from this long range, I would not risk it again, too imprecise. I may cause her irreparable damage, especially because of her strong mind block. Confessing could lead to your termination and while I will bring you back you will be separated by the allies and power of being in her employment. I would rather you complete this important mission then confess when confronted. Either way, it would set us back considerably, but one more than the other."

Attelus sighed, "so what will we do, then?"

"You will take the webway to this Sarkeath and investigate," said Faleaseen. "You must know once you have entered that system I will not be able to assist you. I have already attempted to see the planet but the warp storm is too powerful for me to pass through."

"Of course it is," Attelus sighed, stopping and stamping his foot into the sand like a petulant child. "Does Scintilla have access into the Webway?"

"Yes it does," said Faleaseen. "But would that not arouse more suspicion? You leaving for Scintilla and just disappearing from there? I have an idea, there is a small planet to galactic east which you can use and naturally you will require a guide once you enter."

Attelus fought back a frown and nodded, the last few times they'd been forced to ride in Eldar spacecraft through the webway, piloted by Eldar Rangers, or outcasts. Each time it'd been awkward, to say the least, all of their Eldar hosts were aloof, contemptuous toward them. Attelus and Adelana were forced to live off dry rations for the weeks of transit because the Eldar wouldn't share their food. But what had to be done, had to be done.

"Alright!" Attelus sighed, rapidly scratching the back of his skull. "Alright, Just give me the name and coordinates."

Faleaseens smiled a rare smile and tilted her head, her insanely long red hair tied into a top knot flowing gracefully with the movement.

"This time it will be different," she said. "I am sending someone special to meet you, someone, who has wished to meet you for quite a while now."

Attelus pouted and tilted his head. Well, that didn't sound ominous at all.

Not ominous at all.

Faleaseen, still smiling said, "the planet is what you humans call, Iocanthos."

It would be a weeks warp travel to Iocanthos and they'd decided on a day of prep before leaving Darrance didn't seem too impressed (along with everyone else, he was just the most vocal about it) That they might have to permanently transfer to the Gothic sector.

Adelana didn't mind, though. There was pretty much nothing here left for her in the Calixis sector and the mission sounded important. Also, she knew of the 'shortcut' Attelus had access to that the others didn't. She wasn't sure what the others would make of this revelation, she knew the Imperium's attitude toward Xenos and humans who work with them.

Incredible importance.

Adelana sat in the large brightly lit, white-walled mess hall, poking absently at her food with a fork. She was so lost in her thoughts she almost missed her friend's approach.

"Adelana?" said a familiar, friendly voice and Adelana turned to her friend, well there was one thing.

Seleen Gorret was another survivor of the Omnartus but not a native, in fact, she was from the very same world as Attelus Kaltos, Elbyra.

'Unattractive' would be a word to describe her if one was being polite, very polite. But Seleen was one of the kindest, sweetest people Adelana had ever met. She'd helped her more than anyone else during the dark days. They'd once worked together in the mail delivery room in Taryst's tower and had for two years before the incident. During that time they'd become friends as well as colleagues. After Adelana had lost her parents she'd been like a surrogate mother to her.

Seleen was once quite fat but had lost a lot of weight over the past three years, and due to some rejuvenant treatment looked younger. But even at her peak Adelana doubted men would look at her often.

"You wanted to talk?" said Seleen as she sat at the table across from Adelana, placing her food in front of her.

Adelana nodded, "how's things going at the library?"

Seleen smiled and shuffled in her seat, "same old boring same. My job isn't quite so exciting and interesting as yours. The place is stuffy, cramped and my colleagues old, boring once-administratum clerks and all male. I really miss you when you leave with him on your many...excursions."

Seleen emphasised 'him' and 'excursions' pointedly, causing Adelana to frown she knew where this conversation was going to go, so she quickly, deftly changed the subject.

"Speaking of my 'excursions' I have bad news..."

"You're on yet another, right?" said Seleen as she stuffed fork full of food into her mouth. "How long will you be away for this time?"

Adelana pursed her lips and swallowed, glancing at the ceiling, "I don't know," she croaked. "It could be months, it could be..."

"Years?" said Seleen after Adelana trailed off, her eyes wide.

Adelana bit her lip or centuries.

"Oh honey," said Seleen looking at Adelana with tears in her eyes. "I'm guessing you can't tell me where you're going?"

"Nope," said Adelana with a shake of her head, causing her ponytail to weave with the movement. "I'm sorry."

It was Seleen's turn to shake her head, "no need to apologise, honey. It's all part of the job, isn't it? You're in the service of...No, the highest service to the Emperor if I were younger."

She paused and smiled, "and even a little bit physically capable I'd be there with you, fighting mankind's enemies. I must say I do envy you at times, Adelana."

Adelana bit her lip as she fought to contain the anger suddenly flaring through her.

"You know one other reason why I envy you," said on Seleen.

"Don't start this again," said Adelana, shaking her head.

Seleen shrugged, "he obviously likes you and you like him so I don't understand..."

"We're colleagues, Seleen," Adelana sighed. "Besides he's my master..."

"But he respects you enough to insist you never call him that, and he never calls you apprentice," Seleen interrupted. "Most men would kill to have a woman call them master constantly."

"Maybe it's because he isn't that much older than me," said Adelana with a shrug. "Besides if we become more it might get in the way of our work and..."

"Oh don't give me that!" snapped Seleen, but with good humour and a dismissive wave. "It won't make a lick of difference, you two have feelings for each other whether or not you get together. It's going to get in the way, anyway. In fact, I think it'll help and not to mention bring you and him much needed happiness."

"But the other girls..."

"Who cares what the other girls will do," said Seleen. "Besides, you and he are leaving for years aren't you?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Yeah, but what?" said Seleen.

"He scares me, Seleen," said Adelana, this was the first time she'd told anyone this and it felt like she was getting a weight off her chest. "He really freaks me out, he's got a dark side. I've fought with him for years and when he fights, I see his dark side. He enjoys it, he enjoys it way too much. He has issues, Seleen and I fear with one push..."

Seleen nodded but didn't say anything.

"I think I want to," Adelana paused and shook her head. "I think I need to ask for a transfer and..."

"And if you start up a relationship with him, you fear it will be too hard," Seleen finished.

"And also, Karmen..."

Seleen nodded yet again, "I understand, what are you going to do?"

"After this mission, I'll talk to with him," said Adelana.

"That might be the 'push' you had mentioned," warned Seleen.

"I have to," said Adelana.

Seleen sighed and leaned back in her chair, "it has been three years. It's weird he hasn't made a move yet."

"And thank the Emperor he hasn't," said Adelana. "It'd be, awkward. I think he has issues with women, he's very quiet shy about that sort of thing. Maybe he knows deep down that he'll be rejected."

"I still think you should reconsider," said Seleen, but Adelana silenced her with an outreached hand.

"Seleen, can we please talk about something else?" she said. "I might never see you ever again. I've only got one day before we're scheduled to leave."

"Don't say that," said Seleen. "Just have faith in the God-Emperor and he will see you through."

Adelana bit her lip, "yes, of course."

Seleen smiled, "alright let's talk about something else. We could talk about yet another of your many suitors. How about Jharn Omis, the crewman he's quite handsome..."

Adelana's furrowed brow and pursed lips caused Seleen to trail off in her sentence. Then a huge grin split the older woman's face.

"I'm joking! Joking! God-Emperor, if looks could kill not even the Emperor himself could have saved me then!"

Adelana couldn't help but laugh, laugh the hardest and longest she'd laughed in a long time.

"How's the sword training going?" asked Seleen. "How's Helma? You two getting on?"

With Arlathan and Kollath at her flanks. Inquisitor Jelcine Enandra stood in the large, bustling hangar bay. Waiting at the base of the boarding ramp of Attelus and company's assigned Guncutter. It was a Salvani class VIII Guncutter, the very same Salvani class VIII Guncutter they'd escaped Omnartus three years ago. It'd proven a reliable and capable void-class ship over the years.

Arlathan, on her left, eyed the inquisitor side-long, she wore her master worked, black lined with gold power armour and she just seemed to radiate authority and charisma with such strength it was almost palpable. Her piercing blue eyes fixed forwards, her attractive features, unreadable.

Jelcine's healthy, chocolate brown skin shown in the bright light and her very long, thin white hair was tied up in a top knot and a pointed, wide-brimmed hat customary for the Ordo Hereticus, tucked into her armpit.

To say the symbolism was obvious would've been the biggest understatement of the millennia, as Attelus would say.

Kollath stood on her right, his helmet was held under his arm, revealing his ridiculous to the point of being cartoonish, masculine, handsome features, the tip of his ceremonial power sword on the floor

Arlathan grimaced slightly and turned to young Vex Carpompter.

The slightly built young hacker stood straight as an arrow, trying his hardest to look tough and failing miserably.

"Relax, kid," said Arlathan and he couldn't help but smile, "you look like someone's stuck a Lascannon up your proverbial rectum."

After Jeurat Garrakson had died on Omnartus, Arlathan had taken up teaching Vex how to fight, in the very rare times, they could both get the time. Arlathan over the past three years had grown to think of Vex as a little brother of sorts. He reminded Arlathan of himself when he was young, arrogant, talented and about as coordinated as a drunken Grox.

Arlathan though had worked through that and became the top hand to hand combatant in his Magistratum precinct. It'd taken him a few years of constant training but he got there, Vex still had a while yet, even after so long.

Or maybe Arlathan was just a terrible teacher? He quickly dismissed the thought, as a low life Marshall he'd taught his fair share of recruits and they'd all done pretty well.

Vex visibly relaxed, "sorry," the kid stammered.

Arlathan smiled and shook his head.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" asked Kollath gruffly. "Shouldn't you be at your little Cogitator typing away, with your skinny, girly little fingers? That's where you belong, isn't it?"

Arlathan glared at the Stormtrooper sergeant, "shut it, Kollath," he growled.

"Or you'll what, pube face?" said Kollath. "Shoot me? My arse has a better beard than you by the way."

"I outrank you, remember, sergeant," said Arlathan. "So shut up."

"Well, I outrank the both of you," said Enandra, her voice was soft but cut over the din like a powered blade through paper. "So both of you shut up. Oh, and Kollath. Vex has every right to be here, he might not be seeing his friends for a long time, so of course, he'll see them off."

Kollath grimaced and muttered, "he even has friends? News to me."

This elicited another glare from Arlathan and he wondered for the thousandth time what Inquisitor saw in him.

Jelcine placed the wide-brimmed hat on her head and asked, "Arlathan, how do I look?"

Arlathan opened his mouth to answer but quickly stopped himself, knowing he'd just gush. To Enandra it'd just come off as arse kissing and if the Inquisitor truly hated anything it was sycophants. Them and Amalathians and the Ecclesiarchy and Chaos and mindless fanatics, the list was long.

"You look like the embodiment of all the Ordo Hereticus stands for, ma'am," said Arlathan, after some thought, and it was the truth.

A small smile slowly crossed her full lips, "I hope you are aware of the irony of your words, Arlathan."

"I am," said Arlathan. "But it doesn't make it any less true, ma'am."

It was then that Attelus and his team walked into the hanger

In the lead was the young man himself, he walked with his usual confident, casual graceful gait, indicative of his status as an extremely skilled swordsman and martial artist. This despite carrying three big, bulky equipment bags. One on his back and one in each hand. It was very easy to forget just how strong Attelus was due to his slight height and slender build. He was the only one smiling.

Next was Adelana and Halsin. The young, very attractive red head's face was as unreadable as always. She wore a grey syn-skin bodyglove, and a pack on her back almost as large as one of the three Attelus carried. Slung on her left shoulder was her signature weapon, a silenced bolter with a wire stock attachment, she too was far stronger than she looked being of similar height and build to Attelus. The irony wasn't lost on Arlathan that an agent with a more subtle skill set would use such an unsubtle weapon.

Halsin looked not quite as calm, he carried not just one pack but many pouches of medical equipment that hung awkwardly from his webbing. They would've added a lot more weight on the poor young man's thin frame, this on top of an auto gun. Even many hardened Imperial guard veterans would suffer under such weight, which made the young medicae's level of physical fitness all the more impressive.

After them was Karmen Kons and Vark. Karmen carried just as much as Attelus and just as easily, but this was because she was wearing power armour of similar form-fitting design to the Inquisitor. It was coloured a dull grey and withheld much of the more fanciful decoration of the Inquisitor's but that didn't detract from the aura of power and intimidation the armour gave off. A psychic hood hung over her head. Karmen Kons was easily the most powerful and skilled psyker the organisation possessed. There was a rivalry between her and Enandra's personal psyker, Helva but it was mostly one-sided. She'd been gifted the power armour because of that extreme power and strength, it would also to protect her during the many times Karmen would leave her body in her incorporeal form.

Vark was in full Stormtrooper carapace, his rebreather mask hung from his helmet, He carried his Hell gun with the casual calm only the truly professional was capable of, his small blue eyes darting anywhere and everywhere, soaking every detail. He was already in full on bodyguard mode despite still being on a ship full of friendlies. As much as Arlathan had his misgivings of the ex-mercenary's personality and believes he couldn't deny he was skilled and experienced beyond belief.

Following was Hayden and Jelket. The reason why Jelket had been assigned as Hayden's guard and spotter instead of the sniper's apprentice was that Serlia had been called back by their cult. She had been deemed, at Hayden's and Enandra's recommendation, good enough to have finished her apprenticeship. Once she'd completed her trials she would be re-assigned under Enandra again.

That was if she completed the trials, apparently, they were as hard as hell. Just after the destruction of Omnartus, Attelus had to take them too and even he had struggled to pass. Although he'd never supplied Arlathan with any detailed summary.

Hayden was weighed down even more than Attelus and Karmen, although he was struggling noticeably. The huge man wore a black bodyglove, equipment bristled off his webbing and he carried two bags in each hand and had his Long-las and a knapsack slung on his broad back.

Jelket, like Vark, wore his full Stormtrooper carapace but carried a Long Las, yet on top of that, he also carried a Hell gun and charge pack. To anyone else carrying both weapons without power armour would've been awkward, to say the least, but the ex-guardsman somehow could manage it, easily in fact, being able to change from one weapon to the other in the blink of an eye. It made him a very adaptable soldier, perhaps even more so than Hayden. But this also made him incapable of carrying much else. (hence why Hayden was carrying five bags)

Just after was Torris and Verenth. Torris had stubbornly refused to wear Inquisitorial carapace, foregoing it for the lighter but not as strong, dark blue Arbites carapace. He carried his Melta gun and had his shotgun slung under his left arm. On his back was surely the largest backpack of all one that contained the drums of igniter fluid for the high powered tank killing weapon he carried. Torris, as usual, looked angry, his brow furrowed, brown eyes fixed forward. His lantern jaw so strong that he rivalled Kollath in manliness.

Verenth was a complete contrast to Torris, both had opposite backgrounds and he wore no armour at all. Still electing to wear the leathers of his gang back on Omnartus, the insignia on his back. The tall, lanky young man was also laden with equipment, her face a mask of intense concentration.

Last it was Delathasi and Helma.

Delathasi wore a black bodyglove, like Hayden. Her twin mono-blades sheathed on her back. The tall, long-limbed apprentice walked with an easy grace belying her lankiness despite carrying another large bag and struggling to keep it from dragging on the floor. Delathasi's attention was set downward, her soft features contorted with strain. It was a shame to Arlathan, she would've been truly attractive if it wasn't for her pugilist's nose and very noticeable acne.

With that thought, Arlathan glanced at Vex, who stood entranced by the girl. Arlathan didn't know if the young assassin felt the same but he couldn't help feel sorry for Vex.

Helma, again, wore full Stormtrooper carapace and walked with so much confidence it almost became haughtiness, she easily carried two very large bags and had her Hell gun slung casually over her left shoulder. She was strong, easily one of the strongest women in the organisation, Arlathan had decided a long time ago to never mess with her.

Following them were seven servitors, carrying the bulk of their equipment.

The crewmen and other servitors moving throughout the hanger stopped and stepped aside, allowing them a way through. Such was the respect they commanded.

Attelus approached and stopped, not even having to drop his huge bags to bring his hands together and make the sign of the Aquila at his chest. Behind him, everyone else halted and there was a collective sigh as Delathasi, Halsin, Verenth and Jelket dropped their bags.

"Mamzel Enandra, Interrogator Arlathan, Sergeant Kollath, Vex," he said. "It's good to see you."

Enandra smiled, "you do know we have more Servitors to carry your equipment right, Attelus?

Attelus shrugged, "a bit of strength training has never hurt anyone," he said.

"Yes it has," said Helma.

Attelus just pouted and furrowed his brow.

"Well," said Enandra. "This will be your first mission leading such a large team, you nervous?"

He shrugged, "well if you hadn't assigned me so many people who hated me, I'd be a bit less nervous."

"That's understandable," said Enandra. "Just don't let that nervousness overtake you and you'll do fine. I have great faith in you, Attelus. I wouldn't have made you mission leader if I did not."

"I won't," he said with admirable conviction. "There's too much as stake here, mamzel, and thank you."

"Good," said Enandra with a nod, "good to hear that."

She pulled her gaze away from the assassin and looked over his compatriots, meeting each pair of eyes in turn. Arlathan followed her gaze as did Attelus.

What she saw caused Enandra to sigh, "I can see that many of you are not happy to be assigned this mission and I'll be honest, I sympathise. There are surely varying reasons why you feel like this, and again, I'm sure they are good reasons."

She paused and began to pace, Arlathan watched her, enraptured, her skill as an orator wasn't rivalled. Well, except for one, Inquisitor Brutis Bones, also of the Ordo Hereticus, was almost as good.

"Some might feel that I am exiling you, getting rid of you, that is not true," she said, her armour joints whirring with every step. "Some of you might feel that I send you away because I think you incompetent or expendable, that as well is not true. In fact, that is the complete opposite reason."

Enandra paused again, meeting the eyes of everyone once more, "I send you because all of you, bar none have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are among the best. Not just the best in my organisation, but amongst the best of the Ordo Calixis. Time and time again you have proven your skill and ability and reliability and excelled in your field of expertise."

She stopped her pacing, "individually all of you have made great achievements. Attelus! You have killed Space Marines! Not just one, not just two but three! Three! I couldn't even claim such a feat! Adelana! You managed to infiltrate a Slaaneshi cult and kill their leader and slip away hours before the cultists even had a clue what happened! Verenth! You have headshot an enemy from two hundred metres on the draw! Torris! You managed to single-handedly hold off dozens and dozens of attacking cultists for hours, allowing for Imperial Guard reinforcements to drop in and finish it!"

Enandra trailed off and smiled, "if I stood here and listed all of your achievements, I would be here for hours, but I think you get my point. If you could perform such feats alone, imagine how many you could achieve together. I believe, no I know that you will take down Etuarq and do much much much more!"

"Maybe even conquer a world?" she said eventually and many laughed at such an absurdity.

She shrugged, "you never know. Now I will not hold you up any longer. I wish all of you the best of luck and may the Emperor be with you."

With that, she stepped aside and they began to file into the Guncutter saying their farewells as they went.

"Thank you for that," said Attelus as he too allowed the others to pass. "Amazing, awe-inspiring speeches like that aren't exactly my forte, in all honesty."

"Everyone has their own style of leadership," said Enandra. "You'll find yours sooner rather than later. I know it."

Attelus smiled and held out his hand which Enandra took and shook, "well, I hope we'll see you again, and sooner rather than later."

Then he started up the ramp after the others.

"Oh! And Attelus!" she called, causing him to stop and look over his shoulder at her.

"Remember, anything and everything to win, right?"

Attelus stared at her blankly before saying, "as you wish."

Then he started up the ramp again, muttering, "as you wish, indeed," with an unseen smile.

The week of warp travel to Iocanthos was uneventful.

Enandra had organised them a ride on the trading frigate The Calamandastron and needless to say the shipmaster, a haughty, aristocratic character named Durpount (who also had a moustache very much worthy of his name) Was not happy they wanted to stop off at Iocanthos. The initial plan being they would travel all the way to his destination the hive world of Canopus where they would organise another ride to, hopefully, straight to the Ixaniad sector.

Having to transition out and back into warp space at Iocanthos would delay him by an extra four days.

It'd taken Karmen and Attelus a good hour of negotiation with the very irate Durpount to come up with a solution (which meant their funds took a bit of a hit)

As much as Attelus dreaded having to travel with Eldar again and the potentially far-reaching consequences, he was frigging glad they didn't have to exit and enter the warp over and over and negotiating with shipmaster after shipmaster for transport for months on end.

Luckily, Karmen was a seasoned negotiator (even when not using her mind control powers, which Attelus insisted she didn't)

As the came closer and closer to Iocanthos, the cold, clammy feeling of anxiety in Attelus' chest became all the stronger.

How the hell was he going to explain them travelling with the Eldar? He'd asked Faleaseen in one of their dream conversations and she wasn't very helpful at all.

"I am afraid that you will have to figure out the answer to this conundrum yourself, Attelus Kaltos," she'd said. "I cannot hold your hand for everything."

Attelus had frowned at that, she'd helped him over the years without a doubt but he'd managed to achieve much by himself and out of all the times he could've truly used her help. It would've been now.

With the others, he'd wiled away the hours training, in team building exercises he'd researched on the cogitators back on The Audacious Edge. They were doing well, not as well as he hoped but not as badly as he'd expected. The one who'd proven the most stubborn toward it was Hayden. He was old, the oldest of the group but how old exactly Attelus didn't know, he looked in his late forties but that didn't mean much in the Imperium of man, with rejuvanent treatments and such. He'd worked alone or in pairs for so long now he was set in his ways, he seemed to passive-aggressively resist it at every turn, much to Attelus choler.

Two days before they were scheduled to transition into real space Attelus, Karmen and Adelana met in the Guncutter's common room to discuss how to handle having to travel with the Eldar.

Strangely it'd been Adelana who'd suggested that Karmen use her powers to influence their minds, hide it from them.

Karmen was quick to shoot that down, citing that it would be impractical, due to the length of the voyage, the complicated nature of such manipulation on so many minds and the psychic blocks protecting them had been made by Helva which would complicate it even further.

In the end, they'd decided there was no choice, they had to come clean. Then Adelana and Karmen agreed it was Attelus who was to do it.

"Why me?" Attelus had whined, despite already knowing the answer.

Karmen smiled, "you are our fearless leader, aren't you? Besides it's because of your connection with the Eldar that we're doing this, is it not?"

Attelus had glared at her and clenched his jaw, remembering that Karmen had a 'connection' to the Eldar as well, but chose to keep that quiet.

"They won't like this," Attelus had said. "They've got enough to be pissed off about and Verenth and Torris have enough reason to hate me already. And now they're going to learn I'm collaborating with Xenos?"

"I don't know if Verenth and Torris should be the people you worry about, Attelus," Adelana said. "Vark's a true believer in the Imperial Creed, he'll probably take the News the worst."

"The Emperor hates me, doesn't he?" Attelus had sighed.

"Well," said Adelana. "If he does, who could blame him? Really?"

Even Karmen laughed at that and Attelus couldn't help but smile.

So here he was, a day later, standing in the Guncutter's common room, every one of his squad (and Darrance) scattered around and staring at him intently.

He took a long inhale before starting, "thank you for coming."

Attelus paused and scratched the back of his head vigorously, public speaking had never been his forte. He couldn't help remember back at his scholam at twelve years old, having to perform a speech in front of the class and how terrified he'd been. It was funny, the bullies had long ago learnt not to mess with the quiet, pale, skinny little freak in class 11/5. He'd never been scared to face down five children twice his size and intent on beating the shit out of him, but having to tell the past of his idol the legendary prince Royd Antares of Velrosia, to an audience of twenty-four or more. Almost made him shit his pants.

Now, obviously he'd long got over such fear, but in a situation like this, not so much. A brief image popped in his head of Verenth just abruptly drawing his auto pistol and blowing his brains out the moment he finished. He imagined Vark screaming and shouting so strongly spittle sprayed all over him like torrential rain. Attelus always had an overly active imagination, which had proven to be a curse after he'd decided to join this line of work.

He looked over his audience and saw them watching on with a mixture of bemusement, impatience and annoyance. Eventually, he met the gaze of Adelana who gave him a small smile and a slight nod of encouragement.

That was all he needed.

"The reason why I have called you here today, is," he paused again, trying to figure out exactly how to carry on. "This mission comes with another twist."

There were some mumbles and glances of bemusement exchanged.

"I have arranged a shortcut," he said. "A faster way to travel to Sarkeath."

"Alright," said Helma. "That is...certainly a twist."

Torris' eyes narrowed sceptically, "I don't understand," he said.

Attelus sniggered and shrugged, "I don't quite understand, either. In all honesty."

He stopped again, expecting some sort of ridicule, but they just looked at him with almost enraptured interest.

"As all of you know, now, we're making a stop off at the agri world..." he trailed off, even calling Iocanthos an agri world was a bit of a stretch as it's first and only export was Ghost Fire pollen, the main ingredient for a combat enhancement used by the penal legions of the Imperial Guard. "Of Iocanthos, and there is a very good reason for that."

"And that reason being?" said Darrance with a raised eyebrow.

"That is where we'll be meeting...them," said Attelus.

"Them, who?" asked Torris when Attelus didn't continue.

"Them," he stopped and shuffled nervously, may as well just tell. "Them meaning, the Eldar."

There was a very long pause as everyone stared at Attelus blankly.

"The...what?" said Vark.

"The Eldar," Attelus said, straightening and placing his hands behind his back, there, the secret was finally out and it actually felt good. "They are our allies in this endeavour and they are going to help us reach Sarkeath far faster than normal."

"But, I don't understand," said Jelket. "When I was in the guard I fought against the Eldar once, they were psychotic, cruel and used horrific weapons, that caused...that caused...Oh, God-Emperor!"

He trailed off as a slow look of dawning horror crossed his ruddy face.

Attelus sighed, "please calm down, it's not that kind of Eldar, Jelket. These are a different kind. Those ones are known as the Dark Eldar, we are being helped by the Craftworld Eldar. There's a difference."

"Which means?" said Helma. "That they're just going to kill us?"

"Which means, we won't suffer horrific, horrific torment at their hands," he sighed yet again. "and no, they're not going to kill us. I hope all you have heard the saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend?' Right?"

There were a few hesitant nods.

"Well this to the empth degree, they want to stop Etuarq almost as much as we do," Attelus said. "They have something they call the Webway, it's like a sub-dimension between the material universe and the warp. It allows for faster and safer travel than the Immaterium."

"I've never heard of this, webway, before," said Darrance.

"Of course you haven't, not many humans have," said Attelus.

"Except you," said Vark, darkly and Attelus had to fight back the urge to flinch as the cold anxiety in his chest abruptly got worse.

"Well, I," he stammered, losing his bluster that was when Adelana got to her feet and walked to his right.

"I know as well," she said. I've known for a long time now."

"As have I," said Estella then she too stood up and walked to stand on his left.

Attelus had to fight back a smile.

"So you two are Xenos collaborators as well?" growled Vark.

"We are," said Estella. "You are aware of the circumstances aren't you, Vark?"

Vark said nothing, just sneered. It was an ugly expression.

"How?" said Hayden, his deep voice reverberating through the silence and seemingly the entire ship.

"That!" said Attelus. "Is a long and sordid story, Hayden. One which I cannot and will not tell you."

There was a collective bellow of anger and frustration that caused Attelus to flinch with fright.

"I'm not telling you and that is that!" Attelus roared so strongly it caused the others to fall into silence. "I have my reasons and you will respect that!"

"We deserve to know!" snarled Vark. "This is heresy! Against all that the God-Emperor teaches! Collaboration with Xenos is an affront to mankind."

"Yes," said Attelus. "Perhaps it is."

There was a weighted moment of silence.

"If only this galaxy was actually in reality as black and white as you seem to believe, Vark," Attelus growled.

Vark was suddenly on his feet and face to face with Attelus, "and what the hell does that mean?"

Attelus smiled, "it means, Vark that your belief, your whole worldview doesn't coincide with reality."

"Oh? And what? Your's does? What the hell makes you so qualified, huh?" Vark demanded.

"I'd say I'm more qualified than you," Attelus said without a hint of hesitation. "I never let myself be brainwashed by Imperial dogma and a whole world is dead because of my actions. If that doesn't lend perspective, I don't know what does. And that's why I'm in charge of this mission, not you. So stand down before I put you down."

Vark didn't move, "is that why you can do all that shit you can do? Is it the Xenos who made you like that?"

Attelus didn't say anything, just clenched his jaw.

Vark turned away, "you hear that? He all but admits his guilt! He isn't just collaborating with the Xenos! He is one of them! How can we trust him knowing they are influencing him? Corrupting the rest of us with his role as our leader? He is their pawn-"

"I was once meant to be their pawn," Attelus interrupted. "But after everything I earned their respect and trust, I earned her respect and trust. I'd hoped I'd earned yours as well."

"You did!" Vark snapped. "But after learning this..."

"After learning this, you now know just how far I'm willing to go to stop Etuarq!" Attelus said. "I know this is hard for you to swallow, hard for all of you to swallow but please, just hear me out."

Everyone was silent, even Vark and all attention, back on Attelus.

"I am, a student of Imperial history and throughout the millennia there are countless times that humanity has corroborated with Xenos breeds, there are as we speak Rogue Traders today that are trading with Xenos on their homeworlds for important materials..."

"But that's different," said Vark.

"Yes it is," said Attelus quickly. "I'm not denying that it is different, Vark you're right. But, how many times have the Ultramarines, supposedly the exemplar of all the Imperium of Mankind and the Astartes in general stand for, corroborated with the Tau, against the Tyranid menace? How many times have the Eldar and humanity fought together to defeat the forces of the Ruinous Powers? It is pragmatism, simple pragmatism. What I have learned over the years is the Eldar, aren't that much different to us. Sure, they live a hell of a lot longer but they live and love and fight for their existence just like us. They aren't interested in destroying us, they don't want to corrupt us, they just want to be left alone and survive and Etuarq is a threat to that. He is their enemy as much as ours and thanks to them, we have a way to reach Sarkeath early enough to maybe make a difference!"

Attelus paused, close to being overwhelmed with emotion, he briefly shut his eyes and took a long breath before continuing on, "in the end, all it comes down to is this, I ask you, all of you. Do you want to have to stand by and have to watch another world burn?"

There was no answer and he didn't expect one.

"Do you want to stand by and watch it with the knowledge you could've prevented it? That you let your prejudice get in the way of saving billions more innocent souls," said Attelus. "Because that's what will happen if you abandon me now. I can't do this alone, I need you! All of you!"

"If that's true, why don't you just work with the Xenos, then?" snarked Vark.

"Believe it or not, Vark, I'm still human," said Attelus with a smile. "And In all honesty, I'd rather the twelve of you watching my back than a thousand Eldar! Once we reach Iocanthos you may leave. I will find go to Sarkeath by my myself. But once I fail, which I surely will. I'll be the only one with a clear conscience because I was the only one who at least tried, so are you with me? If you are, please raise your hand!"

Adelana and Karmen both raised their hands without a second's hesitation.

For what must've been less than half a minute, but to Attelus felt like a lifetime when the third person finally raised their hand and that person was Hayden Tresch a few seconds later it was Darrance, followed quickly by Helma, Delathasi, then Jelket, Halsin, Torris and eventually, Verenth.

Attelus had to fight back the tears welling in his eyes.

When Vark saw all of this, he let out a growl of frustration and he too reluctantly raised his hand.

"Alright! You win frig you!" he snarled. "But once we get back I'm telling the Inquisitor everything, you got that?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less," said Attelus. "And thank you, thank you...All of you."

He sniffed and rubbed his eyes with a forearm.

"Are you crying, Attelus?" said Helma.

"No," he whined. "It's just the recycled oxygen getting in my eyes, is all."

There were a few laughs at the feeble lie.

"And thank you for already agreeing to come because, I'm sorry to say it only gets worse, I'm sorry."

Then he told them the rest.

[rjhpandapaws]

I Will Always Be With You

Prologue: Keeper of Balance and Revenge: You are the Consequence to Their Action.

Translations at the end

//Tw: Several deaths

Balance was the third of them to be created. He was cosmic punishment for lack of a better term. It was up to him to keep humans on the right track. Similarly to Wisdom, his second purpose was a little less rosy. He also embodied Revenge, the righting of personal wrongs. The result of human action was left up to him. He would find there were some things even he lacked the power to change. He, Wisdom, and Curiosity watched with rapt fascination as The Beginning as she created the humans. Loss hadn’t seemed all that interested, but Balance supposed it was because they didn’t have anything worth losing yet, Balance couldn’t wait to walk among them and change them for the better in ways that Wisdom and Curiosity could not. Though those hopes were quickly dashed by The Beginning. “Don’t get attached.” She had said, and one look at Curiosity had Balance thinking it was a little too late for that, “They live short lives, but many times. They will not soothe your loneliness.” Curiosity was the first of them to get close, though it seemed to be more out of fascination than loneliness. He spent a few years there before attachment found him and he opened a trap that all of them would fall into. Curiosity’s actions had given Balance his first task and he hated it. Curiosity saved the man he loved from the poison that had been meant to end his life. He had stolen more time, and Balance had let him by directing Death to someone else. He saw how Hennek would meet his end next, but he didn’t have the courage to tell his brother. He had only been doing his job.

When Curiosity came back enraged and heartbroken Balance felt guilt curl in his chest. The feeling only grew every time Curiosity tried to follow Hennek into the Beyond. He had driven his brother to this. It was his fault. He was only done what he was made to do. It wasn’t supposed to hurt like this. Wisdom was next. His human, Saymun, was eager to learn anything he could get his hands on and called on Wisdom often. Wisdom came to him when he was called and even when he wasn’t, he would be the next of them to fall in love Balance could see it already. He started to spend more and more time with Saymun until he eventually stopped coming back. Wisdom had told Saymun things that no human was meant to know. Saymun never shared those secrets with anyone else, so Balance waited as long as he could to act. When he had no other choice he started with Saymun’s memories, He wouldn’t let death have this one until he had no remaining options. His options ran out in the months about a year after Balance started on him and with an unheard apology, Balance let death into the room. Just like with Curiosity; Balance was only doing what he had been made to do and had caused another of his siblings immense pain. Wisdom grieved by pushing them all away. By abandoning humanity until they had nearly destroyed themselves. While Wisdom returned to guide them, he wasn’t the same. Something was missing and Balance knew it was his fault.

It was an ironic twist of fate, that he would be the next of them to fall in love. He had been walking among the Ancient Greeks for a few years by the time he came across his human. At first, because of the striking similarity, he feared he was Saymun’s second life. That would cause a number of problems, the risk of breaking Wisdom’s heart again was the biggest of them. He didn’t he didn’t want to be the reason Wisdom’s heart was crushed yet again. He told himself that he was only making sure he wasn’t Saymun. That was why he wandered into the shop, not the pull in his chest from those bright blue eyes. He was aware on some level that this man wasn’t Saymun, Wisdom would have been beating this man’s door down if he had been. “Good afternoon.” The blonde greeted as he stepped inside, “Can I help you find anything?” “I am new to this place.” Balance lied as he stepped further into the shop, “What do you have to offer?” “Scented oils and healing remedies mostly.” The stranger said as he approached, “The occasional tour to someone who might need it. I am called Ntaniel. What is your name?” “Isorropia.” He answered with a smile. This was not Saymun, he had no reason to feel regret and it was refreshing, “It is a pleasure to meet you.” “Same to you.” Ntaniel held his arms held him arms out gesturing to the shop as the whole, “Is there anything that might interest you?”

Balance’s first answer would have been a blunt yes, but he wouldn’t have known what to say after that. He collected his thoughts a little more and tried again, “The tour sounds nice. I’m still leaning my way around.” Ntaniel gave a smile Balance was certain he would follow into the depths of hell, “I would be glad to give you a tour then.” He lead the way out and back into the small city. They made idle conversation as they walked. Ntaniel asked about Balance, and Balance lied to him. His brothers had revealed their divine forms, even accidentally, and had wound up losing their loved ones. Balance was not going to take that risk. As far as Ntaniel needed to know he was human. Balance asked about Ntaniel in turn and received honesty in turn. He had the opportunity to become a merchant because he was the youngest of three siblings and his family’s role had been filled by the older two. He ran an apothecary because he wanted those around him to be well. Ntaniel held the belief that if he did enough good he would be rewarded. He had known others that had been blessed by good fortune and he hoped to earn some for himself. Balance found himself wanting that for Ntaniel as well, he wanted to be the one to make it so. He would try his best, though changing too much could be dangerous. 

Balance fell into his charade and created a life for Isorropia. He started to work on pottery and sell that. On the days he was able to he would visit Ntaniel and they would talk for hours on end. Balance felt guilt for hiding his true form from Ntaniel, but as long as he be with him he would carry it. There were rules he would bend for Ntaniel’s sake, but that was not one of them. They crossed the line from friends to lovers on a night when mulled wine had gotten the better of them both. Morning came with many apologies and the agreement that things were better like this. Balance had fallen in love, just like his brothers that had come before him, and much like his brothers it would be something that left him angry and bitter. Unlike them though, he knew that going in, but all he wanted was to see Ntaniel happy for as long as he would be allowed to have him. War found them in the summer. Wisdom had whispered revolution in someone’s ear and it had grown from a war of reason to a mission of conquest. It had changed so quickly that Wisdom had been unable to stop it and the absence of Balance had allowed it to grow unchecked. Something that he and Ntaniel both would come to pay for. Good fortune only seemed to last so long. Even if you had earned it yourself.

Balance’s luck seemed to have run its course as well, because Ntaniel was the first of them that was called to fight. Their goodbye was a painful one. Balance had the unshakable feeling this would be his last chance to hold Ntaniel this close, and because of that he was reluctant to let him go. Now that he was aware that his time was running out, he knew he was foolish to have believed any time he had with Ntaniel would have been enough. That was the whole reason this war had grown so far out of control, because Balance had been absent. In the arm of a human instead of where he was needed most. No one had been there to punish the unneeded actions that were taken, they were allowed to continue unchecked, and now it was time to pay for that. All he could do was hope that Isorropia was called in time to protect Ntaniel. That he was able to be there when Ntaniel would need him most. He waited three months until he decided to go find Ntaniel himself. He wasn’t about to let Ntaniel go through this alone and there was no force out there that was going to stop him. He dressed himself in the form of Isorropia once again and stood beside Ntaniel in battle. He helped the man he love gain the upper hand. The moments they got to steal between battles drew his attention away from the silent footfalls of Death. She would get the last word, as she always did.

She came dressed in an ambush. Silent as the night itself and stole Ntaniel while Balance had been unable to protect him. He had been fighting for the life he had created. The life he had built with Ntaniel. Too buried in enemies to see his love fall, but close enough to be stained with what was left of his life. Yet more blood on his hands as a result of the universe righting itself. Balance only found him once the chaos had settled, bleeding out on the ground and fading fast. He fell to his knees in the growing pool of red, and took one of Ntaniel’s hands in his. There was nothing he could do except be with him. “Rest my love.” He said, his voice wavering against the tears that were threatening to spill over, “I will be with you every step of the way. There will be no place you go that I will not be able to reach you.” His lie had made Ntaniel smile one last time as he drifted into the Beyond. That was all Balance could ask for, that he be at peace. He would stay long enough to paint this place red. He didn’t know who had taken Ntaniel from him so they would all pay; enemy and ally alike. He was divine punishment, there would be no one that escaped until his rage was soothed. Regret would come for him later, but he wasn’t thinking that far ahead. If Death wanted the life of his love, she was not getting it without consequence. Crimes against Balance would not go unpunished.

Somewhere beneath all of his anger; he knew Ntaniel’s death was on his hands. He had gotten attached despite all of the warnings, and as punishment he had been hurt. He turned away from the world in time to hear someone calling out for Loss. He was tired of having to do this, but at least he wouldn’t be the one getting hurt this time. He hated causing pain like this, but it was what he had been tasked with. He would keep things in check just enough until he got the chance to be with Ntaniel again. A chance he would always take, but this time he would be honest and more vigilant. Death would not take him again, not until they were both ready.

-

Names and translations! Sixty: Balance Isorropia = Balance

Daniel: Ntaniel = Daniel

[aquarad-a]

Tempest’s Really Cool Magical/Mystical Powers

hey what’s up it’s ya girl, here to rant obsessively about a new atlantean topic: magic!!! mostly about garth’s magic (and his other abilities) but with some general aqua-magic as well in order to set the scene!!

so let’s begin with a disclaimer  that I’m speaking almost entirely about pre-boot canon here. Because I am way more familiar with that canon, it has way more material to work with, and a lot of that material explains the magic. I will probably add to this post once we have learned more about reboot magic, but at the moment I have no idea how much of the original canon the dc writers are using in rebirth. Overall, it doesn’t seem to be similar to the older stuff.

In regards to Tempest’s powers, those will all be only in regards to preboot. His current backstory has gone through some major changes and, as you’ll read later on, this significantly affects his abilities.

another disclaimer: I probably didn’t proofread a lot of this/was drinking at times so I probably forgot stuff and will add things later.

so...an overview:

magic exists. this is an established fact. Atlantis makes use of technology and magic for their defenses. But Atlantis actually relies mostly on science than magic, unless the threat against them is also magical in nature. There are also religious groups -- Religion and magic, however, are not necessarily related concepts to Atlanteans. It’s important to note that magic users in Atlantis aren’t all that common.

Magic is hereditary, but it's not guaranteed

According to Tempest #3, the reason Garth is magical is because his “magic energies of his sorcerous ancestors” mixes directly with his genetic makeup. Unlike his forebearers, this means Garth is born with the ability to “manifest” some of his magical abilities. His abilities beyond “normal Atlantean abilities” (eg: underwater breathing, enhanced vision/hearing, etc) are caused by his genetic makeup.

Why is this interesting? Because essentially Garth hit the genetic lottery and managed to unlock some magical/mystical abilities before unlocking his birthright. This is weird. Nobody else in his family could do this.

Garth comes from a line of sorcerers-- both his father and uncle can use magic, and use it well. Atlan states that the abilities are already in Garth, however he cannot access all his powers without completing his training as well as performing a special ritual.

Additionally, his powers did not manifest until he was grown (as established by "Oceanus" in Brave and the Bold #10) which implies that the training had to come at a certain time to “unlock” those powers, even if he was “born with them.”

So this isn't like Harry Potter, where without Atlan's help Garth could have made glass disappear on Shamu's tank all willy-nilly. It takes a deliberate attempt to be trained in the art of magic at a specific age (it's unclear if it's always 18 years of age as it was with Garth) in order to gain magical abilities. Garth showed absolutely no signs of being magic when Atlan rescued him and whisked him away to train.

Had Garth not completed his birthright, he would not have been able to unlock all his magical abilities (I’ll talk more about those in a bit) This is an established canon fact. So while he had the potential, Garth may not have developed any control over his “natural” powers or even developed them at all!

This is also why everyone was so put off by Garth’s eyes -- it implied he had the potential to be a great sorcerer (and...other stuff. we’ll get to that in a bit) which is why the Idylists spread rumors that babies born with purple eyes were genetically inferior and should be put to death. Because Atlantis loves killing babies, they were all on board.

Additionally, this might explain why Arthur does not/cannot use magic-- assuming he does possess the potential for magical abilities (also assuming Atlan is his father-- obviously in other canons he is only Atlantean/Human and therefore nothing suggests he would be magical) then he may have missed the training threshold and lost his potential powers. He does gain a magical hand later on, but it was given to him by another magical entity and therefore doesn’t count in for this discussion.

The Idlyists had a magical king, but the kingdom of Atlantis has never claimed that their royalty can use magic. So royal blood is not an indication of magical abilities.

Back to training...there was an secretive Atlantean school city B’Miria (destroyed in the Black Baptism storyline) and its location was nowhere near Atlantis. B’Miria was the home of many powerful magic users, but it also appears tht their families live in the city as well. Yet another piece of evidence supporting the idea that you must start your training at a specific time in order to gain powers. Plus, almost every magic user seems to be an adult...it is possible that most magic users begin training upon reaching adulthood.

B’Miria was destroyed as were all its inhabitants. However, Garth is visited by every magical spirit who ever lived in the magical city so they could pass on their wisdom and knowledge to him and it could live on.

Now birthright rituals are probably all different. Garth’s birthright involved him stabbing himself in the heart, but that was only added because his people thought nobody would actually fucking do that (they were pacifists, so violence was not in their nature...unfortunately they didn’t take Garth’s self loathing and willingness to stab himself into account here) Presumably most others aren’t as intense and they just involve spells and reciting readings off scrolls and such. No idea. We literally only ever see Garth’s.

Some magic is based on spells, some on “energies” and others aren’t as clearly defined. But powers are defined by your genetic makeup -- someone not related to Garth or his ancestral line couldn’t shoot energy blasts for their eyes, for example.

Just because an Atlantean has unique abilities, does not mean those abilities are magical.

So this is where it’s a little weird, because there are characters who have abilities that are out of the norm, but don’t have magical origins. Again, it’s been established that magic is based on bloodlines and being lucky in your roll of the genetics dice.

Mera is not a magic user. The ability to manipulate water the way Mera and others from Xebel (Dimension Aqua for us die-hard Silver Age fans) do is actually an incredibly common ability in that dimension. Mera happens to be way more powerful than most people in Xebel, but because everyone there can do it, it’s not considered magic. You could call it hydokinisis.

Hard water constructs made by someone with connections to Xebel would not be considered magical powers. This is why Aquababy/Arthur Jr. can use hard water, but he possessed no magical abilities as far as we know.

This is also why Jackson Hyde can use hard water. He, too, possesses no magical abilities, but was given the powers of hard water.

Koryak does have the ability to control water, but has no connection to Xebel. This would be an example of water manipulation that is potentially magical. It may also be due to a really lucky genetic lottery like Garth, since he has the magical ancestry of Atlan.

Garth does not have the ability to use hard water, but he can manipulate water due to psychic powers he possesses. More on that later.

Telepathy is another ability that some Atlanteans possess that is not magical. Only certain characters display the ability and they are not connected by bloodlines or familial relation. Their telepathy also varies in power without explanation. It is most likely a dormant trait that expresses itself in some rare cases.

Aquaman has the most powerful telepathy. He is able to command sea life and even cause seizures with telepathy.

Garth has similar telepathy, but is nowhere near as powerful when he’s Aqualad. He also loses his abilities briefly (due to a mental block/mental illness) and is able to communicate with sea life but cannot command them. This does change later, but due to an increase in his mental abilities later on.

Tula has what is described as "limited telepathic abilities" and seems to be he only telepath with no royal blood which would eliminate the theory of telepathy being a royal trait (Tula was adopted by a royal family before Arthur took the throne, but has no royal blood)

Mera seems to also have a limited ability to communicate with sea life. As Mera is from Xebel (and generally considered an alternate dimension and not Atlantean) I don’t want to make any assumptions on her abilities in this case.

Additionally, neither Garth's nor Arthur's parents are shown to have telepathy. Again, proof against a "royal telepathy" theory. It's honestly probably just an ability that some Atlanteans are lucky enough to possess.

Garth && his really neat powers

Garth is an incredibly powerful wizard. He is often described as having incredibly potential, so everything he is shown doing in canon is implied to be only part of what he is truly capable of. He is also considered the most powerful sorcerer in Atlantis (and imo is one of the strongest magic users in the entire dc universe) In fact, Garth is said to be more powerful than his ancestors in terms of magic due to his powerful genetic makeup and the power of his ancestors. Basically he got a super lucky break. Although he had the potential for greatness, the reason he became so skilled as due to training. His mentor was Atlan, the Wanderer.

His training with Atlan lasted an undetermined amount of time in an alternate dimension where time passes differently -- Garth returns to his home dimension having aged years without more than a few minutes going by. We know it took several months for him to master is optic blasts alone (Tempest #1, 1996)

His training began shortly before Garth turned 18 -- we know this because it takes Slizzath 18 years to return to his home dimension, and Slizzath was killed when Berra, Garth’s mother, was with child. Since it’s later implied that Atlan has been monitoring Garth throughout his life, it’s safe to say Atlan picked the opportune moment to start training Garth. More evidence for powers manifesting only at certain ages.

Now, Garth had to perform a magical ritual in order to fulfill his birthright and receive the “energies of his ancestral energy pool” (Tempest #2) It involved plunging a dagger into his (pure) heart. This also happened to free his evil uncle, Slizzath who stole Garth’s powers. Garth had to defeat his uncle in order to rightfully gain access to all his abilities.

It should be noted that Garth is so much stronger than any of his ancestors. He literally just got lucky and became the most powerful Atlantean. Go figure.

All of these power descriptions are based on Tempest #3 and #4

What’s interesting is Tempest’s magical powers are specifically defined as non-Atlantean. Contextually, it means these are powers other Atlanteans do no possess (the issue before featured his “Atlantean powers” thus the distinction)

However, we know the following abilities were unlocked before claiming his birthright. As I said before, these are just his “you’re really fucking lucky” powers that he got before doing the ritual.

Optic Beams, which are powerful enough to stun something the size of about a grey whale (50 feet, 36 tons) or kill an average human. He can, however, adjust how powerful the blasts are. They are approximately one inch wide at the source, and can span up to 4 feet wide. Their max range is 320 feet. He cannot control the width (yikes!) and he cannot change their path (meaning they literally only go in a straight line, and only move if he moves his head)

Spells. Tempest claims that an invisibility spell was one of the first things Atlan taught him. He also claims to be able to turn people into other objects/animals, and can perform spells found in spell books. He can also “will things” to happen, as shown with his creation of his costume. It was a magical event that Garth didn’t actually seem to consciously attempt to do.

Abilities that came after he claimed his birthright fall into several categories:

Water Control:

Current Manipulation: Garth’s power over water is based on psionic (psychic) abilities. He can create and manipulate three different types of currents: drifts (slow moving and broad); streams (quick and narrow); and upwelling (bringing cold water from the bottom of the ocean upward). He can change the direction and temperature of currents, which also can affect the weather/create rough seas. He can also ride the currents, which allows him to move faster than he would be able to on his own (and why he’s faster than any Atlantean ships) or send objects along the currents.

Whirlpools: Tempest can essentially force two tides or currents together to create whirlpool that can reach about 12 feet wide. He can also create rapidly-moving funnels of water for various purposes. The example given in Tempest #2 is a battering ram.

Heat Generation via his left hand. This is also a psionic power, but it’s why his left hand is usually draw glowing yellow/orange. He can heat bodies or water or areas with a lot of moisture present. He can boil water approximately 5ftx9ft in area (and 12 ft below sea level) to about 320°F. His range is about 60 feet on this one...anything farther away and he doesn’t have much affect.

Cold Generation via his right hand. Same as his heat powers as they are psionic, but Garth is better at using cold than heat. He basically can remove heat from water until it freezes. He can create shapes such as spikes or walls and has way more control over his ice creations. His “signature creation” is an ice prison made of bars that can hold an average Atlantean captive. Again, his range is about 60 feet on this power. Basically Garth was the original Elsa, complete with anxiety issue and depression!!

Mystical Powers:

Mythical Detection of changes in the mythical fields around him. Garth can sense other magical uses, other magical events happening, or events that are going to happen. Sort of a “sixth sense” that he doesn’t have direct control over.

Occultism - this is referring more to Garth knowing the inner workings of secretive societies/cultures. Specifically, Atlantean magic (especially the information gained from B’Miria) and the knowledge of Atlan the Wanderer.

Postcognition. You know, the opposite of precognition. Garth is able to “see”/sense magical entities or even spells that have been cast nearby up to seven hours prior. This is useful in finding ways to reverse or counteract spells, or to track other magic users.

Telepathy. Talked a little about this before, but specifically after he completes his birthright Garth’s telepathy gets a huge power surge. He can use interpersonal as well as broadcast telepathy. They’re not technically considered magical, but maybe mystical? It’s still unclear why some Atlanteans can do this at all.

Telekinesis. His powers in this respect are limited, but Garth has been shown to be able to use his mind to draw poison out of somebody’s bloodstream and through their pores. So, like, that’s pretty badass.

Astral Projection. Super badass imo. Garth is able to not only astral project himself but can do it to others as well. Basically transferring consciousness to another body or form. Garth does this to himself and Arthur and then they swim through Arthur’s water hand. Super underused power imo.

Dimensional Travel/Portal Generation. Basically Garth can create or maintain portals to different dimensions. He can move himself through these portals, or move other people (or objects. like.........Atlantis, for example) They are incredibly difficult to keep open for long periods of time, especially if Garth himself didn’t create the portal. Tends to be a “if you ask me to do this thing, don’t ask me to do anything else for a while” type of power.

Demonic Summoning: For all your demonic summoning needs. Presumably needs a summoning spell. I guess in theory Garth knows how to do necromancy because his uncle learned that and Garth learned all his family secrets. But using necromancy turns you into a gross demon thingy and it’s Bad so Garth wouldn’t do that. He might summon a demon tho. That’s different.

Other Spells In theory, Garth should be able to perform nearly any spell given to him, and create his own. He does this several times (sometimes better than others) and obviously prefers more structured spell casting.

Communication with the “spiritual essence” of the planet itself -- the energies of all the seas, oceans, rivers, any body of water. As well as the protector of those energies, the Naiad.

AND MORE! We know Garth continues training even after Atlan, and he has access to spell books from all over. Even the writers acknowledge that the powers he possesses are just a sampling of what he is truly capable of.

Thanks for reading through (or skimming!) and I’m always open to discussions if you have any questions or feel I’ve missed anything!!

And again, this is only discussing pre-boot. Because Garth has a completely different backstory in rebirth, I have no idea if he can use any of those powers, or how powerful he can become. @ dc comics give garth his curly hair and his origin story back you fucking COWARDS.

[celestiaphia]

Book Review Pt 1

The Wisdom of the Myths: How Greek Mythology Can Change Your Life (2014) by Luc Ferry

I discovered Hellenic Polytheism around this time or earlier last year and this book was one of the first I picked up to learn more detail about the myths. It was simply convenience that led me to it - it was available at my local library and sounded interesting. It has ended up being an important part of my understanding of Hellenic Polytheism, even though that is not the original intent of the book. I’ve been meaning to write about it and review it, and now that I’ve purchased a copy and I’m re-reading it, there’s no better time.

I originally wanted to review it as a whole but after starting the prologue I realized it’d be better to break up my reviews into parts. This won’t be entirely just a review, but also a break down of key points I pulled from the section. If any of this interests you, I highly recommend reading the whole book! 

Before I start in on the review/break down I want to make the focus and intent of this book clear. This book is not about contemporary Hellenic Polytheism, the religion of ancient Greece, or a simple compendium of the myths. It is a study of the myths and what we can gain from them today; their philosophical meanings as interpreted by Luc Ferry. There are definitely some parts I disagree with (and we’ll get there in due time) but overall I think he gets a lot of things right. It may not be 100% right with regards to how the Greeks themselves intended the myths but I think it’s rather close and either way, extremely beneficial. 

With that said, onto the actual review!

Prologue - Greek Mythology: For Whom? For What?

Review: While I said this book is not about Hellenic Polytheism or Greek religion, I think it is an extremely valuable book for Hellenic Polytheists or polytheists in general to read. A question often asked is: how should we view the myths? and I think this book gives a good approach to them, acknowledging them not as biblical fact, but stories to teach us how to live and to entertain us. He does not muddle the myths into one single story, and acknowledges where myths have multiple versions including contradictions. The book is dense, and some sentences wander off - but as a whole the content is easy to follow and to the point. His ideas with regards to the meaning behind Greek mythology is enlightening, almost Buddhist in some ways (as far as accepting your mortality and living in the present moment - this is my own interpretation) but stays true to Greek Mythology. Overall I enjoyed the book on my last read, but I’ll be able to give a more detailed review of each section once I’ve fully reread it. 

After the cut follows a more detailed breakdown of the prologue as well as some excerpts. 

If reading this book, the prologue is not optional. Ferry uses this section to break down his key ideas of this book. The main question he seeks to answer is - What is the Good Life? How does one live a Good Life? He’s answering this through the lens of Greek Mythology - an attempt to try and form what he himself calls “a doctrine without god,” a “secular spirituality,” or a “wisdom for mortals.” When he says “without god” - he does not mean atheistic. He specifically differentiates the idea of a monotheistic god - including ideas of salvation from death - from the idea of polytheistic gods of ancient Greece. The specific difference being in that salvation: 

“...they [the gods] leave mankind alone to resolve, in lay terms, the question of “how to live” - in stark contrast to the Immortals themselves, and with no hope of joining their ranks, [note: meaning salvation/immortal afterlife as is offered in other religions] but with full knowledge of the limits to their own mortal condition, which they must try to make sense of as best they can.” (P. 18 - 19)

As far as  his use of the work secular:

“The adjective “secular” may seem surprising, given the quantity of gods and goddesses is classical mythology. It is nonetheless justified by the fact that Greek wisdom, as embodied by the major myths, accepts death as a nonnegotiable fact of the human condition, so that these gods have none of the consolatory and salvation that they represent in the great monotheistic religions: with very rare exception, the Greek gods leave the mortals to get on with their mortality.” (footnote on P. 17)

I love this distinction and appreciate his understanding of mortality in Greek mythology. Like most human beings, I suffer from existential dread - but mine is a bit more intense than for others, perhaps. My fear of death/existential dread has at times even led to panic attacks - it’s an unfortunate topic my anxiety disorder likes to latch on to. Usually for me - anything to do with death causes severe anxiety because of this. Any acknowledgement of my mortality is terrifying for me. Having picked up this book as my first for learning about Greek mythology and religion, the bluntness with which is approached mortality was oddly refreshing. It was the first time something about my mortality was not terrifying but, simply accepting of it. And it was this about the book, and the religion of Hellenic Polytheism, that pulled me in more than anything else. 

He goes on to break down what most would say the Greek myths/culture has presented as an alternative to salvation from mortality: progeny (descendants/children) and heroism (earthly renown). However, he argues that this cannot truly be. Our children cause is similar anxiety, about their own death. And the myths themselves say that heroism is no salvation - Achilles would rather be a living slave, than a hero among the dead. Ferry instead argues that the “good life” as presented in Greek mythology is a life lived in harmony with the cosmos. He talks about this in great detail in the book and there are multiple excerpts I could cite - but the easiest way to explain it is that our place in the cosmos is as mortals so accepting that place and doing with it what we will is our path. Again, he goes into much greater detail and without just copying paragraphs into this post, that’s the most basic way I can present it. 

He lists five questions that he intends to answer throughout the course of the book - these are direct quotes that are interspersed in the prologue: 

1. What is the origin of the world and humankind? 2. How are men going to insert themselves into this universe of gods that does not seem, in any a priori sense, to have been made for man kind?  3. Once mortals appears on earth and are thereby integrated into the universe, what then happens to those individuals who, contrary to Odysseus, do not tune themselves to this harmony and, through pride or arrogance or immoderation - hubris, in other words - revolt against the cosmic settlement established through the wars of the gods? [He uses Odysseus as an example of striving for the good life, in order with the cosmos.] 4. Between these two possible trajectories, that of Odyssean wisdom and that which yields to the folly of hubris, how do we situate those out-of-the-ordinary heroes or demigods who populate nearly all of the major Greek myths?  5. How do we explain to ourselves that a supposedly harmonious world, a cosmos that we are told is just and good, established and maintenance by the all-beautiful and blemish-free Olympians, can allow misfortune to strike the good and the evil indifferently? 

There’s so much more I could pull from the prologue alone to quote, but all I can really say is - read it for yourself! I’d love to have someone else to discuss it with an see if other Hellenic Polytheists find it as valuable a book as I have.