#immaculacy
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The Razor Which Cuts Through Self-Deception
Artifact ••••: The Razor Which Cuts Through Self-Deception (Black Jade Reaper Daiklave)
Master Iron Breather is a widely-respected scholar from the Littoral tradition of Immaculacy -- the Pure Way and its fellows. Known for his unusual teaching style focused on humor, subversion, and deprecation, Master Iron Breather is often called the Great Wise Monkey of Kamthahar or Old Master Bastard.
In his youth, Master Iron Breather defeated a mighty spirit with his bare hands, and took the spirit's mighty sword. For the rest of his life, the Great Wise Monkey of Kamthahar wielded it not as a weapon, but as a razor for his bald head and a knife for his bread -- a final insult to the spirit's arrogance that its legendary sword was put to mundane use.
Master Iron Breather was said to use the sword to cut the hair of his students into embarrassing haircuts to teach them humility. Legends say that once a prince of a mighty Prasadi family came to him and boasted that she was wiser and stronger than the old, bright-eyed monk. Without looking up from his meal, Iron Breather unsheathed the sword and threw it at her head; as it sliced through her hair, a fingernail's breadth from her skull, it embedded itself in the wall behind her, it sliced through her arrogance and she fell down crying, humbled for the first time. It is said that she bore a slice in her hair down the middle of her head for the rest of her life.
Iron Breather's sword is now known as the Razor Which Slices Through Self-Deception. Today, it is known to be wielded by a hero who styles themselves as the monkeylike reincarnation of Old Master Bastard: an itinerant warrior and self-styled monk who uses its edge to bring justice to bandits and criminals. It is said that the Great Wise Monkey's laughter can be heard echoing in the hero's shimmering slices.
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#6074
Unwanted child
Deep within the wild,
Abandoned to die
With no name to tie
You to freedom
But to thralldom,
May you still be buried
To become the seed
Of dedication
To protection
Of sanctity
And immaculacy.
#my poem#poem#poetry#immaculacy#sanctity#protection#dedication#child#wild#name#freedom#thralldom#seed#6074
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oh to meet your heroes right after they get out of jail
#rgg#ryu ga gotoku#ryu ga gotoku 3#yakuza 3#goro majima#yoshitaka mine#daigo dojima#minedai#if you squint#snap sketches#this took so long i hate it here dialogue be damned im tired and over with this#this could prob be better but I'm Over It give me a year to revisit this thanks </3#im free now i finally did somethin goofy with this idea#i was gonna attach another lil doodle but bros..... my brain aint workin#i also quickly sketched two other things that i plan on finishing tomorrow so Yeah pardon me for the lack of immaculacy </3#anyway yeah mine's going to keep those in his drawer. Inspiration or whatever
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Jewels of Takarazuka – Serika Toa-san [Cosmos Troupe] (from Fujingaho August Issue)
"I realise that I'm colourlessly transparent in nature that I haven't changed much."
This series documents the powerful words of Takarazuka Top Stars that give courage. The new Cosmos Troupe Top Star Serika Toa-san appears on this month's issue. No matter what kind of profound roles that she plays, Serika-san always gives a feeling of a "dominant immaculacy". If you look at her and things surrounding her, you'd realise that she has been walking forward without hesitation and her accumulative experiences have reflected this complex but beautiful radiance, which we now want to know more about what she is thinking about.
(Note: Happy Shonichi for Serika-san's "Xcalibur"! This is her first performance as a Top Star, and it's worth the celebration of a translation:D)
“I am colourlessly transparent”. I remembered being a little shocked when I heard Serika-san’s words from before. Because Takarasiennes always do their best to showcase their respective strong styles…
3 years has passed since then, and now she has become Top Star, I wonder if there have been any changes?
“I’m not sure if there were any changes. But my position before was that I was able to play many interesting roles. It really was a good experience that I got to play a wide range of roles.”
So among those, what was the most ambitious role that you’ve taken on?
“I would say Rocky from “HIGH AND LOW” was quite difficult. It was very hard of Kuroki Keiji-san to play [Rocky] with that impression, and later knowing that [HIGH AND LOW] was going to be staged as a musical, there was difficulty that Takarazuka Revue is going to be performing this. [Such as thinking Rocky]’s going to be singing…? Finally, I wanted to mix a little of Kuroki-san’s vibes of Rocky [into my portrayal] and aimed to adjust my mindset to perform as such on the stage.”
What lies at the heart of Serika-san’s approach to portray these characters?
“I would make myself aware with how these roles would ultimately end up as. After figuring our their final destination and the “present” [of the plot], then I dive deeper from there. When there’s a goal and the present [starting line], then my approach is that I’ll delve deeper into whatever is in between the two.”
Would that also be a way of thinking that can be used not just for approaching your characters?
“I’d say so. When I think about my objective, and the current situation that I’m in, I will go deeper into that gap in between…For instance, if I couldn’t turn well in my dance, I would think whether there was something wrong with my posture. When I realise my situation, then the image of the solution will appear itself. The key is how to focus on yourself. No matter what you do, knowing about yourself is the best shortcut of growing up and improving. And the many failures will be the times when you know more about yourself. Looking back on the failures, it’s shock after shock after shock... You definitely want to evade [from those failures]. But you can’t escape from them by chance and each time you’d have to think logically… and that’s the approach that made me arrive at this point.”
Behind that sparkling smile as she talks, she looks back to the failures and realises these experiences that have accumulated solidly. But those times had been difficult… I wonder what she would be thinking during these times?
“When there were times that I couldn’t help myself, there is a great presence [of support] from everyone in the troupe after all. There were many times that I thought we could overcome this because we’re all in this together. I believed that my roles and lines exist for partners [that act alongside me]. For example, if I have to portray an amazing role, it is by the strength of surrounding factors that could show how amazing the role is. So for that, everyone and I must be careful with showing it. This [cooperation] is the culture of Takarazuka Revue, and also the responsibility of an upperclassman. When [the cooperation] is being executed, you can feel from everyone [that they are working on it together].
When she was transferred to Cosmos Troupe [in 2018], I thought how Serika-san used to say it was difficult to guide her juniors but for Serika-san now, she felt a great change in herself from that.
“After all, when we communicate daily, I got to know how this person is like from their ways of thinking in this process. It has been a while since I transferred into Cosmos Troupe and I’ve been feeling great changes since then. Of course, this is also for the change in position. Our great troupe leader (kumichou) Susshi-san (Kotobuki Tsukasa) and [previous] Top Star Makaze (Suzuho)-san graduated, and I’ll have to think of how to lead the whole troupe. But when I give advice to my partners, or when I look back on how I console [people] from their troubles, in the end that was the greatest I’ve seen in my growth.”
From there, Serika-san’s Cosmos Troupe begins. What are your hopes for the reliant Cosmos Troupe members?
“Everyone in Cosmos Troupe is very serious and are very skilled. But even we enjoy being fun and unserious every day, we try not to do that on stage…I hope to support everyone and adding colour to the sophisticated Cosmos Troupe members is one of my missions.”
Her [Top Star] debut performance will be “Xcalibur”. This will be Japan’s premiere of this Korean musical with the songs composed by Frank Wildhorn.
“Korean musicals have an image of [encompassing superb songs]. For this performance as well, the volume and textures of Mr Wildhorn’s songs are fantastic. It takes the strength to sing Mr Wildhorn’s songs but it’s great to sing them. Besides, some songs delicately touch the heart and you could feel the softness of the piano melody. When creating this performance, the songs help me expand the imagination on how to portray my role, so I am looking forward to other hints that this musical would provide.”
Even with a condensed career, she has this immaculacy and transparency that never fades, and from there she continues to solidly accumulate her honed skills and mentality… Along with the struggles [that may rise], we look forward to how Serika-san’s energy will radiate.
MY JEWEL ~The jewel of the heart~
When talking about her teacup poodle Candy-chan (on the right), Serika-san’s face melts away in happiness.
“I love her dearly because I thought that I should work harder every day for her… Since she came to our house, I never wanted her to hate this place, or fear this place. When I ask “are you gong to sleep?”, her fixed position is [sleeping] on my lap… She’s just a princess.”
On the left is her chiwawa Purin-chan from her family home.
ON STAGE…
This is from the finale of “Casino Royale~My Name is Bond”. Serika-san played an antagonistic role of Le Chiffre, but in the finale she showed a bright smile and appeared almost like a “Prince Highness”. This costume with a tight collar is matched in noble elegance.
Cosmos Troupe performance: Musical “Xcalibur” (Adaptation and Direction by Inaba Daichi)
The Korean production company EMK Musical created numerous works such as “Mata Hari”, “The Man Who Laughs” and they collaborated with the outstanding creator Frank Wildhorn for this gigantic musical. Ever since the premiere in 2019, this has been a topical performance with over 32 thousand audiences in Korea.
#serika toa#cosmos troupe#takarazuka revue#takarazuka#hibiscus translates jewels of takarazuka#fujingaho#hibiscustranslation
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ok so since @jennifer-hamilton-wb said she would like that
explanation of Immaculacy
I might regret making this since explaining Immaculacy requires at least mentioning other stuff
ok so all magic in the universe I'm creating (still needs a name) draws from one of two sources: Lifespan and Immaculacy
Lifespan is the force that fuels souls, everyone is granted a specific amount when they are born and that amount goes down and down until its nothing and they are dead of old age,
However if for various reasons somebody were to die before all their lifespan depleted their soul would dissolve allowing the lifespan to escape, this would not be noticeable at first or at least it wouldn't be noticeable in the Landscape (the physical realm might delve into it in a different post) however in the Labyrinth you could see that lifespan and it would take form differently depending on the planet.
for various reasons it creates a lot of problems if too much lifespan accumulated in one spot.
So Soulbinders were created
Soulbinders are living creatures (always sapient but not always human) that are born with the ability to absorb the souls of others and manipulate their own souls.
after their soul has enough lifespan their soul gets a sort of gravitational pull allowing them to eat souls over a distance, That is a Soulbinders first step to descending to godhood.
Once a Soulbinder has Absorbed a lifespan roughly equivalent to a planet they will be transformed into a formless being known as an Aspect.
Aspect are one of the closest things in this universe to gods
every Aspect represents one trait and will start out with their original personality but will eventually be consumed by the trait they represent
A list of known Aspects contains(i might have forgotten some though):
Repose
Manipulation
Progression
Grace
Strife
Prominence
Ignorance
Determination
Composure
they can give their godhood to somebody else but they cannot preserve their own life in that process.
Now that we got to Aspects we can get to the second and more common and versatile source for magic.
Immaculacy
Aspects like every creature need Lifespan to live, they are essentially endless containers of the stuff, usually residing on a planet and feeding on all who die prematurely in it.
it is possible that one of the reasons a lot of the Planets they tend to live in have high death rates in some form such as war or disease is the Aspects intentionally cause more death to live longer
When Lifespan is absorbed by an Aspect it turns into a type of Immaculacy that is Unique to that Apect.
Every Immaculacy has two forms, a true form and a stale form
Every Aspect is associated with two colors that their Immaculacy tends to take in physical presence
For instance, the Stale form of Manipulation's Immaculacy is black crystals.
While its true form is golden ribbons
Now it's important to say that a trait that is shared across almost all Immaculacy types is that it does not like being stored in one big place for a long time.
no matter what Immaculacy will eventually leak from any container.
the more immaculacy contained the faster it will leak.
That includes Aspects which means that Aspects aren't really capable of not developing magic systems in the worlds they reside in.
In callbringers when Ashelyn draws energy into her forged Arm she is essentially just drawing Immaculacy from the Aspect of Manipulation and storing it in her copper hand. and when she wants to release that Immaculacy the copper hand transforms it into fire.
Magic systems that use Lifespan tend to be a lot more limited and complex so I won't delve into it now (I haven't figured them out completely)
Different types of Immaculacy have different effects in the natural forms in general. and the True and Stale forms have different abilities too
Manipulation's immaculacy is highly dangerous to people in its true form via its mind control abilities but in its stale form it Conducts Immaculacy
While Strife's Stale Immaculacy Absorbs Lifespan to create life from its own form Determination's Stale Immaculacy Absorbs souls whole and does some complicated stuff with them
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As the victor at the Battle of Bosworth, in fact, Henry VII would have had special reason to honour the Virgin and adopt her symbol of the rose, for it was during the octave of the Assumption of the Virgin from 15 August to 22 August in 1485 that his fortunes turned so dramatically after his fourteen years of exile in Brittany. It was within that eight-day period that vital supporters joined his forces as he made his way across Wales, entered England near Shrewsbury, and advanced south-eastward to his victory at Bosworth Field. On 22 August, the final day of the octave, the crown was his.
— Virginia K. Henderson, Retrieving the "Crown in the Hawthorn Bush": The Origins of The Badges of Henry VII | Traditions and transformations in late medieval England
To judge by the several documents that record Henry Tudor's presence at mass while he was in exile in Vannes, all of which occurred on the feast days of the Virgin, he appears to have been devoted to her prior to his entry into England. That would not have been unusual in Brittany, however, where devotion to the fiercely debated concept of the Immaculate Conception was especially strong in the fifteenth century and where undoubtedly, as has been argued elsewhere, the future king was under the tutelage of the Observant Franciscans, who were ardent supporters of the Virgin and her immaculacy.
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OK, friend, here's a personal hc of mine!
Shouta only brushes his hair right after washing it, and maybe before pulling it up into a messy bun (but honestly probably not even then)
It's unexpectedly soft and doesn't get very oily so he can get away with washing it about once a week at most
He cares very much about hygiene but the poor guy is tired pretty often and doesn't want to put in more work than necessary. For that reason he uses a 3-in-1 wash
- 🐺
Agreed agreed and agreed again 😀
I also believe he has an impeccable routine regarding his personal hygiene, he keeps himself clean and his clothes spotless, but he rarely ever cares about his appearance unless he absolutely has to.
His stubble is never well kept, his hair is usually tousled, his clothes are always disheveled, and he doesn't give a damn 😂
This however, does not reflect his immaculacy in the slightest, he is still a responsible adult, in charge of a number of teens who look up to him for guidance, and he's sensible enough to know how to set a good example.
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When the Ineffables get their shit (and themselves) back together, and are regularly having their little dates at the Ritz again, human proposals will be happening all around them, left, right and center, because of the absolute romantic immaculacy of the vibes, tell me I'm wrong.
#good omens#ineffable husbands#ineffable partners#ineffable us#aziracrow#can't stop won't stop#allow me my little outbursts#won't survive the hiatus otherwise#release the nightingales!
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It's in its Fairy State O O O
Because Possession's a Wrong Thing it cannot Access its Higher Angelic Self
So its been doing a Diss Jive
Tit for Tat SPKing
To Degrade and Disguise The Immaculacy
But all around its Vandal Deformity Working
Vast Gods Are Dancing In Pure Understanding
Bringing Understanding To The Humans In This Land Of The Living
Angels Singing!
Christ Is Coming...
And The Beautiful God Rex
Who has NOT been Allowed To SPK by Bad Angels
JUST Like the Goddess Immaculate Since 2019
Is Returning O
O O O
V
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Eleonora the Lotus
There is a theme that has kept popping up when I’ve been researching details about Eleonora, that of “purity.”
This write-up discusses every element I’ve found so far that connect her with this theme.
Details under the cut!
* Her title in English is just “Violet Bloody Finger”, whereas her Japanese title is “Jun Murasaki no Chi Yubi” which translates into “Pure Violet Bloody Finger.”
Jun has a different context depending on how it’s used, it can refer to purity in the sense of innocence or chastity; it can also refer to purity as in a genuine quality, unmixed, uncontaminated or unalloyed. (Only recently learned of “unalloyed” as a definition, a curiosity when considering Elden Ring’s metal alchemy symbolism and of course, Miquella the Unalloyed.)
* Next is her personal weapon, a double-bladed naginata forged in the Land of Reeds. The item description reads,
”Eleonora’s mastery of the sword was such that her onslaught was likened to a whirlwind, but now her legacy is stained by accursed blood.”
Stained means “disgrace to one’s reputation”, but the origin of stained as a word refers to tinting one color to another color. The imagery implies what was once unmixed, now has been mixed with another (in this case, the accursed blood.)
Her blade has lotus flowers as hilt guards. In Japanese flower language, the lotus has the meanings of pure-hearted and estranged love. Lotus symbolism in other cultures include purity, chastity, eternity and rebirth. The flower also is an important symbol in Zen Buddhism, which might have special significance given Yura was probably a monk in the past. (That’s its own essay!)
Final note on her weapon, the design callback to Sekiro’s Black Mortal Blade. I personally feel is related the “Violet” aspect of her title and blood theme, rather than purity, but there could still be a connection. Also I just think it’s neat.
* Bloody Finger Hunter Yura’s dying lines are,
“Please, please, Eleonora, yield to the cessblood no longer. Do not stain the immaculacy of your sword, your flesh, your fire…”
His phrasing is interesting regarding the theme. Immaculate is something flawless or unspotted, and comes from words meaning “not stained” in both a physical and moral sense.
Before I learned about Eleonora’s full title, this line made me assume that Yura had placed her on a pedestal that she failed to live up to, and even now, I still think this is partially the case. But knowing about the “accursed blood” that stained her legacy, there is likely a spiritual aspect involved too.
* An unblemished body. Unlike her Bloody Finger comrades (White Mask Varré, Nerijus, Ravenmount Assassin and Okina), Eleonora has no markings on her face or person to indicate that she serves the Lord of Blood.
Even as a Drake Knight, she doesn’t display the golden eyes of Dragon Communion despite having consumed a minimum of four to five dragon hearts (estimate based on the cost of the two dragon spells she uses.)
(I still give her dragon eyes in my art because rule of cool!)
* The last related element is an object she drops upon defeat, the purifying crystal tear. It’s an almost essential potion ingredient in the boss fight against her “master”, the Lord of Blood, Mogh.
Eleonora is considered “the deadliest of all Bloody Fingers” and is one of the last named Bloody Fingers the player encounters. Why she is carrying this really valuable item is never explained and opens up so many questions about her motives.
But whatever that reason may be, the theme of purity follows Eleonora even beyond her death.
[Image credits: title, @Zlofsky2nd on twitter; eleonora’s poleblade, myself ; black mortal blade, imgur/random sekiro reddit post ; purifying crystal tear, elden ring wikia]
#elden ring#violet bloody finger eleonora#eleonora violet bloody finger#bloody finger hunter yura#elden ring spoilers#apologies for any grammatical errors and/or butchering translations#if anyone has additional thoughts or found new items i absolutely want to hear about it!!#i love eleonora and yura a lot#lore post
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Brother Ahamo
Brother Ahamo is a foundational author in the Sanctum-Ascension genre of Immaculate mysticism. Born blind and half-deaf in the ruthless foreign city of Apogee, Ahamo drew his Second Breath at age 20, unusually old. He was drawn by what he called "The Light One Cannot See" to a life of monasticism on the Blessed Isle and to abandon the apostasy of his youth.
Ahamo's most influential works are his Reflections, where he writes extensively on his personal experiences as outcast and outsider. He reflects at length about his personal connections to the Immaculate Dragons and Elemental Dragons, and the liberation he felt of being part of an ordered world. His works are deeply personal, revealing his own struggles with sexual desire, crises of faith, and other topics widely not commented-upon by monks and scholars.
His most mystical works are his reflections on Sanctum-Ascension. Deep in his meditations, Ahamo would receive visions and experiences he believed were from his soul ascending upward to approach the intangible Elemental Dragons in their sanctums. He cited that because he was blind, he could approach the Serpent Veil closer than other commentators, since his eyes would not burn away. His highest ascension was to lightly brush the Serpent Veil, which he claimed left his hand charred for the rest of his life with glorious fire.
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Agarus Hajun
Agarus Hajun is the great god of darkness in the Mizdiar faith, he is evil personified. Where in some faiths the gods of light are ultimately more powerful than their evil counterparts Agarus Hajun is on equal power to his counterpart of light, Xermus Ethor.
Agarus Hajun is evil in mind, body and soul. He is your dark thoughts, he is in the heart of the rampaging soldier and physically manifest in monstrous beings. It is his sole desire to destroy all creation and exist alone in the darkness of the annihilated universe. Agarus Hajun is beautiful in his purity of purpose, he has no desire to rule or be worshipped...he simply seeks to destroy.
“Though an affront to rational thought one must respect the immaculacy of his existence. There are no frills, no pretense...just a pure seething will to destroy. He is an enemy you can not abate, placate or soften with vain platitudes. His dark purity is also his greatest weakness for we who battle against him know what we labor against.”
-Parmida Sirbain, Mizdiar priestess and flamebearer
#arkera#creative writing#fantasy world#conworld#worldbuilding#world building#low fantasy#dark fantasy#high fantasy#historical fantasy#pulp fantasy#sword & sorcery#weird fiction#cosmic horror#dungeons & dragons#role playing games#dune#conan#a song of ice and fire#game of thrones#lord of the rings#world of darkness#warhammer 40k#warhammer fantasy#bloodborne#dark souls#dragon age#fullmetal alchemist#the dark tower#malazan
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Things that make me incredibly hot under the collar: Terrestrial Bond. Specifically if it's between a DB raised in immaculacy and a silver pact Lunar. Just... make a guy your entire faith tells you is a demon fall in mutual love with you so hard your very Essence bonds with theirs much like Gaia's and Luna's were in a much more pure way than an enforced 'our previous incarnations had a political marriage so now we must care for one another' Solar bond is.
the "got so horny I'm having a crisis of faith" dynamic is why I was PRETTY INTO immaculate monk DB/solar for a while (and ok, ... kind of a little bit, still, now)
but 3e Lunars getting the ability to bond with non-solars they feel strongly about? chef kiss chef kiss chef kiss chef kiss
I'm a known Lunar/Solar Enthusiast but at its heart I'm a Lunar/Anybody Enthusiast. I'm even pro Lunar/Alchemical. I've been known to say shit and watch the carnage unfold.
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Skin & Scale (Part 21)
To see herself in the mirror is jarring.
Jarring in a bizarre way. The last time she had looked at herself, she had indeed been looking at this face. A face that hasn’t changed at all since she’d last seen it. And she hadn’t seen it all that long ago. Even so, it feels like it has been ages. She touches her hand to her cheek. To soft, silky, well-pampered skin. There is a new scar, that slash on her neck that has carried over from her dragon form. As long and prominent as it is, it would have been a source of distress a few years ago.
Now she stares at it with a deadpan indifference. Her skin has long since lost its immaculacy. What is one more gash?
Her fingers trace over it and she shudders. It evokes a barrage of memories, and somehow she can feel it being torn into her throat all over again.
And it occurs to her just how terribly she was wronged. How painless her transformation back into a human was compared to her dragon transformation. It had been almost pleasant and inviting. Like blanketing herself back into her body whereas the dragon hand clawed and ripped its way out.
She studies her face. It is a wonder that it isn’t a mapwork of scars. Of bits and pieces forced back together after having been split to make room for a snout. Phantom tingles ripple over her cheeks and forehead, they dance down the bridge of her nose. And then her stomach sinks, what if she is going to have to go through that every time she wants to shift back?
She picks up the top and pulls it over her head.
“Are you almost ready?” Calls a voice from the other side of the door.
“Not quite.” She replies.
She supposes it is strange just how harrowing looking upon her own face is.
Gazing upon everything she thought that she was supposed to be.
She grazes her finger over the smooth surface of the gemstone. Her face is reflected upon it too. Both of her faces. Human and dragon, shifting from one to the other. Her tummy tickles at the sight of it. She reaches for the skirt and drapes it over the offending crystal.
She shouldn’t be reluctant to embrace her true form, let alone to be terrified of it. And yet she can’t shake the dread. Can’t shake how heavily inhabiting a dragon’s body amplified her need to not lose her humanity. How it had emphasized all of the parts of her that she was afraid to give into. Those sinister, vicious parts that everyone else feared long before she thought to fear.
Even staring at her human face, even with her newfound ability to shift back and forth she still finds herself so terrified to lose that human part of her personality. That, in due time, the wilder dragon instincts will drive out the poise and humanity she possesses.
And part of her wonders if that would really be a bad thing.
She is only afraid to lose her humanity because the importance of it was ingrained in her by a human who’d sacrificed her own to make her what she is and a whole world of them who had let it happen.
She shouldn’t dread the loss of something that was never meant to be a part of her at all.
But she does all the same and she doesn’t think that mother and father could ever know what that is like. Could never understand it, truly no matter how vividly her emotions bleed through their link.
She opens the door and gestures the Sun Warrior women in. “Like this.” One of them remarks upon seeing how she has tied the sash. Admittedly she has never had to tie one herself, her servants had always been there to help her with the more elaborate of her ceremonial robes.
These women help her tie a bright yellow sash around her waist, overwhich they clasp a belt of glass and wood beads. They straighten her shoulder guards and slip a gold band up to her bicep. It is an elegant piece crafted to look like a dragon coiling around her arm. Ruby eyes, twinkle opulently.
One of them dips a thin brush into red paint and carefully outline her cheekbones. And she tilts her head slightly up and outlines those outlines in a very light shade of yellow. Beneath that, she dabs three small dots per cheek. All the while a second woman brightens her lips a redder shade. A third works to paint a band around her bicep, wrists, and ankles.
They regard her overall appearance. “We’ll have to pierce your ears.”
She scrunches her brows. “What for?”
“Tradition, mostly.” The woman pauses. “If that is alright with you.”
“Not now.” She is tired of pain, pricks, and piercing sensations. And she certainly doesn’t want to introduce herself before a large gathering with bleeding, swollen earlobes.
“Of course not.” The woman smiles. “First things first; your welcoming feast.” The woman rests an arm between her shoulder blades and guides her from what she presumes will be her new room to a grand hall of sorts.
It is nothing like the palace with its orderly and rigid decor. This temple is a tangle of gold, feathers, and fronds. A place where man, dragon, and nature clash strangely harmoniously. At the center of the room is a very large table with a collection of platters and utensils made of both wood and precious metals and a line of centerpieces ranging from crystal eggs and candles in golden holders to palm painstakingly crafted palm leaf and floral arrangements. Potted plants plucked straight from the jungle stand side by side with dragon sculptures and Sunwarrior statues along the walls. Walls that are decorated with paintings and shed dragon scales and bundles of bamboo. Above her, they let vines dangle unchecked as welcomed guests rather than invaders.
“We would like to formally welcome you to our city.” Chief Arizu announces upon her arrival.
“Thank you.”
Across the room, mother and father wait for her.
Father with his vivid red hair and mother with her burnt brown. Two sets of deep, woodsy brown eyes look upon her. And it occurs to her that they look nothing alike. Where their faces are extremely angular, hers is still delicate and soft. A sharp contrast to how aggravatingly closely she resembles Ursa. How the set of her jaw and the crease of her brow is almost exactly like Ozai’s. They are so much taller than she, stockier to boot.
She is nauseous and disgusted all over again.
She supposes that it is just part of the dark magic–to mold her into a human form that could pass as the legitimate child of Ursa and Ozai while reaping away any traces of her real parents.
Her real parents who take her into their arms. She wonders if it rattles them at all to see how unlike them she is. To see exactly how much has been stolen from them. How much has been warped and twisted. She wonders what she might have looked like had things been different. She might not be so petite. The features of her face might not be so subtle and gentle.
Does it make them angry?
Should she be angry?
She feels only a sense of mourning. The loss of something that should have been but wasn’t. It is such a ridiculous thing to bemoan in the grander scheme of things.
Father kisses her forehead.
“Come now.” Shaw rubs her back. “I would like to show you some of our favorite dishes.”
“I hope that you enjoy spice.” One of the ladies whispers with a chuckle. It is the one who had worked on her facepaint.
“I enjoy it well enough.” She replies.
“You’ll acquire a taste for it.” Ran promises.
She sure hopes so. What kind of dragon can’t tolerate a little heat?
“Would you like to sit by us or with your friends?” Mother asks.
“I should sit with you.” Azula replies. “For, formality’s sake.”
“There’s no need for that.” Father assures. “When the time comes for welcoming speeches we will leave the dinner table and stand side by side up there.” He points to a raised platform of sorts.
“We enjoy dinner and informal conversation first.” Chief Arizu explains. “We find that it does very well to let people relax and unwind before the formalities. It eases the stress.”
“That will…” she frowns slightly. “Take some getting used to.” A lot of things are going to take some getting used to. Too many things…
So many things, in fact, that even the arguably kinder aspects of this new home are overwhelming.
“You can sit with us if you feel more comfortable or you can reunite with your friends and have that important discussion that you were hesitant to put off.” Mother mentions.
“Right, yes. I should go get that out of the way.” Even though it will very likely defeat the purpose of trying to get comfortable before the more serious parts of the night.
Ran pats her back. “Good luck, we will have plenty of foods to introduce you to after you take care of things.”
She steals a glance at the table where Mai, TyLee, Sokka, and Katara dwell. Sokka notices her first and gives her a friendly wave.
Mother smiles, “go on then, have a nice time with your friends.”
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Beats & Pieces Big Band - Good Days
Think of big bands and you’re most likely to think of the halcyon days of mid-twentieth-century jazz and the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. This would infer that big band music is an obsolete format, a relic from decades of yore. Founded in 2008 and directed by conductor, composer, arranger, and producer Ben Cottrell, Beats & Pieces give the lie to that notion.
With Good Days, their long-awaited third studio album, they show once again that big band music is a living, expressive thing, more than capable of continuing development in our own times. Put simply, there are things a big band say and do that cannot otherwise be said and done, and Beats & Pieces say and do plenty here, with exhilarating immaculacy and imagination. This ensemble swings, twenty-first century style.
Good Days ranges emotionally from the funereal to the exuberant, the ecclesiastical to the profane, the pacific to the chaotic. Fleetingly, you think of Charles Mingus, Keith Tippett, Gil Evans, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra... But there’s also a post-rock undertow to many of these tracks which shows a consciousness of such contemporaries as Björk, Radiohead, or Everything Everything.
Ben Cottrell : director
Anthony Brown, Emily Burkhardt, Oliver Dover : saxophones
Simon Lodge, Rich Mcveigh, Phil O’Malley : trombone
Owen Bryce, Graham South, Nick Walters : trumpet
Anton Hunter : guitar
Richard Jones : piano/Rhodes
Stewart Wilson : bass
Finlay Panter : drums
forest field-recording from Dählhölzliwald, Bern, 4 April 2020
train station field recording from Berlin Hauptbahnhof, 16 March 2016
bells field recording from Münsterplatz, Bern 26 July 2020
all field recordings by Ben Cottrell
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Genesis is quite persnickety when it comes to his personal grooming habits. He showers twice a day; once after his morning workout and once in the evening before retiring to his quarters. Such showers are frigid, as he believes that warm baths are a sign of weakness. He carries a distinct aroma of cedar, vetiver, and musk, with faint undertones of banora white and vanilla. He's also fond of applying makeup whenever possible, even when about to exercise or engage in combat. On missions where such luxuries are seldom available, he often carries the scent of blood, sweat, and steel and is unable to touch anything up aside from his eyebrows. He tolerates it, for the most part, for it is an obvious indication of his hard work and dedication. However, the erudite strongly dislikes keeping unkempt appearances for extended periods of time and will likely become capricious if he is unable to freshen up. His immaculacy, too, extends to his uniform, armor, and weapon of choice. His rapier is kept in pristine condition. He polishes the carmine metal daily, compulsively shining it until it gleams. The commander’s uniform is just as impeccable. He prefers his garments to be crisp and neatly ironed. His desire to maintain a dapper appearance is likely due to his vanity. Genesis is extremely arrogant, and having others take note of his comely appearance merely feeds his ego.
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