Tumgik
#some great reward era
imwithmars · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Dave Gahan wearing a crop top in the 80's (part 1)
333 notes · View notes
nicolascageisagoth · 8 months
Text
Tumblr media
Dave Gahan in a shop, Kyoto, Japan, April 1985 ⛓️ Some Great Reward tour
128 notes · View notes
oldfarmerbillswife · 1 year
Text
I feel no guilt over indulgent pleasures, I see no call for any drastic measures.
I don't understand all these cut-throat conventions, I see no point in undo complications.
This would've made such a beautiful sad sounding song. Love the outro in particular!
45 notes · View notes
ravenpuffheadcanons · 5 months
Text
Important personal news: Doctor Who is good again.
Tumblr media
12 notes · View notes
tanuki-kimono · 1 month
Text
Other formal outfits of Heian ancestry - Kariginu, Hoi and Nôshi attires
(as worn by samurai of the Edo period - great charts by Nadeshico Rin). You can find more about samurai ranks and their regulated attires under the tag "samurai kimono".
The Kariginu
Tumblr media
狩衣 Kariginu first appeared during Heian period where they were informal attires worn by kuge (nobibilty) men for activities such as hunting and 蹴鞠 kemari ball games.
Kariginu rose to formal status during Kamakura period when it started being worn by the buke (warrior class). In Edo period, it was worn by upper-ranked samurai (4th rank and above).
Edo-period kariginu designates a patterned clothing (different from the hoi, see below), often decorated with the family 紋 mon (crest). Colors were not regulated.
風折烏帽子 Kazaori-eboshi - black-lacquered hat made of silk, cloth or paper, originally worn by Heian nobility. Many eboshi shapes exist, this one is a upright style (tate-eboshi 立烏帽子) with top folded to the left.
末広 Suehiro - a type of formal folding fan. TN: the fan drawn here ressemble more a 中啓 chûkei, as suehiro have curving ribs which don't seems to be the case here (find more about fan types here)
指貫 sashinuki (or 奴袴 nubakama) - large bouffant pants. Also, note the bare feet! Rin doesn't comment this but this was probably a way to put it below sokutai and ikan (which do have socks)
袖括 Sodekukuri - decorative sleeve ties. Originally appeared on Heian clothings (like kariginu, nôshi, etc) where they were used to tighten sleeve cuffs.
The Hoi
Tumblr media
布衣 Hoi is a variation of 狩衣 kariginu (see above).
During Edo period, it was worn by some hatamoto (6th rank samurai) via explicit permission of the shogunate - setting those rewarded by this honor apart from other vassals of the same rank.
Compared to kariginu, hoi were plain solid color.
It is worn here over a 熨斗目 noshime, a samurai kosode (=ancestor of the kimono) with stripes or lattice pattern at waist area.
As for the kariginu, note the bare feet!
The Nôshi
Tumblr media
直衣 Nôshi was a type of everyday robes which were first worn by males of the imperial family during Heian era. Formality placed it then above kariginu.
Overtime, their use spread among nobility, and by Edo period, they were a "tad-formal" attire worn by Shogun's family for worship celebrations.
立烏帽子 Tate-eboshi - upright lacquered hat
袍 Hô - round-necked robe with large boxy sleeves
檜扇 hiôgi - formal folding fan made of cypress, also of Heian history. Those were unpatterned as painted ones were for women
指貫 Sashinuki (or 奴袴 nubakama) - large bouffant pants
190 notes · View notes
olderthannetfic · 3 months
Note
Genuine question: what's the point of writing fanfic? As in, what's the purpose? No one in the fandom I'm in comments on fics and I even got told off by one person for doing so, as it "encourages bad writers and makes them think they're good". So it seems that it's a lot like book writing, where people work hard and are creative, but instead of getting paid and getting comments on the work, you just sit there silently hoping someone will press the kudos button and make a number go up. I feel like that time and work could be better spent on making something you might get some kind of profit off of. Don't get me wrong, I love doodling fanart, but I don't post it, as I'm aware that there's no point to doing so, and while it's a nice way to fill the time on a commute, it's not something that takes me as much time and effort as fanfic does. So... why do people bother? Sometimes I describe ideas I have and people I know in my fandom will tell me I should write it, but I don't see why. I get more interaction from just saying "imagine if [thing here]" than I would by sitting down, writing for hours, editing and posting [thing here], so what would the point be? I'm not punching down or going "haha women and their fanfic lol!", I genuinely do not get what the point is and this blog feels like it might have someone reading who knows the answer.
--
Do you make art for profit? Genuine question.
There's nothing inherently wrong with being motivated primarily by external factors, but it's not actually why a lot of people create things, whether it's books or recipes or doodles in a notepad.
I enjoy the actual process of writing.
I think many people lose sight of that aspect in an era where tons of <500-word fics that are mostly outlines and "Imagine if..." posts get disproportionate attention for being easy to consume. But the satisfaction of doing a bigger art piece and doing it right is real and motivates a hell of a lot of creation.
I suppose you might be thinking "Okay, but why not just write it alone and never post?", but I like sharing. Showing off my finished creation is part of the joy, and sharing with other people like me is too. But those aren't quite the same thing as worrying about kudos. It's like dressing nicely when you leave the house because you feel great when you know you look good vs. needing another person to tell you you look good.
To be honest, though, this type of feeling has grown in me the better I've gotten at a craft. The closer my finished projects get to the vision in my head, the easier it is to find them fulfilling and to be excited to share them. When I fall short of my own ambitions, it's discouraging no matter how much attention I might get from others.
I feel like it's time for my regular reblog of Adam Westbrook's video essay series The Long Game.
vimeo
vimeo
youtube
The third and least known in the series is all about this idea of who you're making art for if you're not getting material rewards in the short term. It talks a lot about autotelicity—being internally driven instead of externally.
--
But if you really just want clicks, anon, start a blog that accepts anon asks and posts about wanky stuff. Actually tag things, unlike me, so people can find you.
No, writing for attention isn't worth it.
The time investment is too great and your brain will always fixate on the times people didn't respond instead of the times they did.
But that's not actually why most people write.
213 notes · View notes
writeroutoftime · 1 year
Text
the greatest thing you'll ever learn
Tumblr media
pairing: jamie tartt x reader (requested by: anon)
summary: based on the prompt: “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” -Moulin Rouge
words: 0.6k
a/n: ahhh, I'm in my I love jamie tartt era so this was wonderful to write! though I wasn't completely sure how to incorporate this quote in the story, I hope you enjoy!
oOoOo
The whole day Jamie had you stuck in his head. On the drive to the stadium, during practice, and even now as aimlessly wondered the halls of AFC Richmond. It's not like it was completely out of the norm, you were his best friend after all. In the past, his thoughts revolved around you when he needed to ask you something or when the two of you made plans to spend time together. Nowadays, however, you were all he could think about, just wanting to be near you.
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” Jamie heard walking by the staff room, and the words stopped him in his tracks.
“Uh, whatcha say just then, Coach?” he asked, poking his head in the office, head tilted to the side.
Ted looked surprised to see Jamie, but smiled at him nonetheless. “Oh, hi, Jamie. I was just sharing a quote I like from cinematic masterpiece Moulin Rouge with our trusty Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”  he explained happily, while the other coaches in the office nodded solemnly.
Jamie's eyes widened in realization, but he tried to play it cool and mask his expression. "'Suppose that's pretty profound or what not. 'Ya know, if it applied to you." he remarked.
Roy gave Jamie a knowing look before rolling his eyes. No one else spoke a word, so Jamie nodded his head and backed out of the office with a small wave, leaving the coaches to themselves.
"Oooo, do I feel me a good ol' fashion rom-com confession coming from Jamie real soon." Ted laughed, rubbing his hands together, happy the young footballer was finally gaining some sense when it came to you.
"Come what may." Beard quipped, rewarding with a thumbs up from Ted while Roy just grunted and turned back to his computer.
oOoOo
Later that evening, you and Jamie snuggled up on your couch as you watched whatever tv show you landed on - strictly platonic, of course. But the whole night, Jamie had been rather jumpy and seemed to be lost off in space. You finally nudged him and gave him a questioning look, opening the floor for discussion.
"Did you know that, uh, loving is the greatest gift."
"What?" you giggled, unsure as to what Jamie was trying to say.
He flushed at this mistake and tried again, getting closer to what he was trying to say. "No, uh learning to love and all that. It's great innit?"
This time, you bit back your smile and turned your whole body to face Jamie, gently playing with his hands. "What is it that you are trying to say, Jamie?"
Sighing, Jamie took a deep breath and finally spoke in his own words. "I'm trying to tell you that I like you, y/n. No, more than that. I love you." he confessed, sneaking a glance at you. "And I finally realized that being with you all this time as taught me what it's like to love someone. To put someone first and want to be with them all the time." he finished, fighting the urge to pull away from you and run from his feelings.
Before he could do that though, he felt your lips press against his own in a soft, sweet kiss. It was over before it really started, but Jamie had the dopiest grin on his face as he pulled back. You bit your lip playful and leaned into him even more. "I love you too, Jamie. I can't imagine being with anyone else." you promised, intertwining your fingers and sighing in content.
---
The pieces finally came together a few days later when you came with Jamie to practice holding hands, and Ted couldn't help himself but humming 'Come What May' from Moulin Rouge. You chuckled, finally realizing what Jamie meant, and pressing a sweet kiss to his cheek. Loving Jamie really was the greatest thing.
874 notes · View notes
neverchecking · 10 months
Note
That Wild facesitting one was so good omfgjskdkk
It gave me the idea of what if reader thinks the Chain (don’t forget Sage) are just doing so great and wants to give them a reward/gift but doesn’t know what so reader asks what they want.
The Chain ofc are so excited cause THEIR GODDESS WANTS TO GIVE THEM SOMETHING??
As they all think of smt, a couple of them are saying something along the lines of “nothing as long as you’re here we’re happy :)” which ofc reader thinks is so sweet and gives them a hug (cue smug smirks at the other Links bc reader hugged them HA)
As they all mull over their options bc obviously they don’t want to mess up this opportunity, ONE OF THE CHAIN STRAIGHT UP JUST SAYS “Sit on my face” WHETHER INTENTIONALLY OR NOT, EVERYONE IS IN SHOCK AND BEFORE ANYONE CAN SAY ANYTHING— reader agrees red faced bc she loves her boys oh so much ;)
Cue everyone saying they want the same thing bc they would honestly happily die at the opportunity
So sorry if this is a bit much it just came to me
~💚
No-no, don't be sorry, I love requests like these bc the idea of Sage vs. the Chain brings me so much serotonin! Like Mhmmmmm-
Fun fact: someone flagged that post  😭Which you guys can find -> Here!
Sage is TotK Link if you didn't know!
Anyway, smut so MDNI! 18+!
Smut CW: AFAB! reader, face sitting with multiple partners, praise
Tumblr media Tumblr media
・❥・So, we all know that Reader has the entire chain wrapped around their finger. No ifs, ands or buts about it.
・❥・Especially after Sage joins them.
・❥・While there is silent fighting between him and the others, they make an effort to show you a united front because you are who they are all fighting for.
・❥・As far as your concerned, they're all buddies. (that was so far from the truth it was laughable, but it kept you happy, so it was the assumption that would remain.)
・❥・That being said, when they're all together in Wind's Era (The boy was at home with his sister and Grandmother, leaving the adults to fend for themselves) and you're in ear shot, they do their best to be on their best behavior. Even if Wild and Sage are shooting the most passive aggressive insults at the other, since, as we've accomplished, Sage is adamant on knowing exactly where your food comes from.
・❥・He refuses to let that failure cook for you. Not when he can do so. He has a bigger repertoire of recipes and more skills to his name than the other does. That...man can barely get through a fucking swim without blacking out because of a memory let alone stay there long enough to ensure your food is as quality as it should be.
・❥・(AN: For legal reasons, I would never think of Wild like this, I absolutely love him with my whole heart. BUT Sage does think like this because he's an asshole.)
・❥・So, while the two are cooking, the others do their own things around the makeshift camp. Weapon maintenance, gathering firewood, admiring your perfect figure as you do nothing but read under a tree.
・❥・ Sage, of course, finishes your food first, settling beside you close enough your hips are touching his. You thank him, eagerly eating whatever was given you (They had to be sneaky about the fighting between himself and Wild, as you had no idea about the tension between them).
・❥・About mid-way through your meal, you set down your bowl, brows furrowed as a troubled expression muddled your features.
・❥・Which just would not stand. Was the meal not to your liking? Was there something wrong? Would they have to dispose of that blasted bastard who dared to try and impose on their territory that good for nothing pest-
・❥・"I feel like I owe you guys some sort of thanks for all of this."
・❥・Oh.
・❥・So he would get to live another day. Pity.
・❥・"You don't owe us a thing, Angel. We are happy to do it." Wars beamed, sitting on your other side regardless of Sage's snarl pointed at him. "No reward needed." The captain smirked, leaning into your space.
・❥・You didn't seem pleased by the answer, brows pinching further together. "...It doesn't seem right."
・❥・"Songbird, your presence is thanks enough." Sky piped up, eyes so wide and earnest, Sage feared he'd cry over you. Again.
・❥・"Airhead is right, Darlin'," The cowboy added, dropping a stack of logs near the fire. "It's a blessin' in and of itself being able to treat you like 'da Goddess you are."
・❥・Sage prided himself on know you though. He knew you well. And he knew you well enough to know that once an idea like this entered your pretty little head, it wouldn't leave. No, not without a fight in the very least. And that was a fight he didn't want to go through. Not with you.
・❥・He just had to pick something that would benefit you more than him, hiding it under the guise of thanking him.
・❥・"As much as it pains me to say this, they're right." Legend piped up, moving to crouch in front of you, easily redirecting your attention from where you were watching Warriors to look at him with his index hooked under your chin. "As long as your happy, we're happy, sunshine."
・❥・"But I don't wanna take advantage of you guys! That would make me no better than Hylia. I can't just ask these things from you without any form of thanks. That's not right." You cupped Legend's cheeks with your own hands, either not noticing or ignoring the way his cheeks lit up under your touch.
・❥・No, you had too much of a heart of gold to let this go. It was what made you so much better than that fraud that placed this destiny upon them in the first place.
・❥・Like a stroke of genius, it hit him. It was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up. While it would sound like it would benefit him, it really would all be for you. It would be perfect. A way to show his true devotion to you. His fidelity and dedication to you, his glorious deity.
・❥・"Sit on my face."
・❥・He wished he had the foresight to pull out his Purah pad to take a picture of your face, which lit up an absolute ruby red as your whipped around to face him. Sage merely shrugged like it was a reasonable request. In his mind, it was. What wasn't reasonable about it?
・❥・Shocked silence fell around the group, some angrily sputtering at the audacity while others had to question if that was a real option.
・❥・"You mooncalf! Have some class, would you?! Especially in the presence of-"
・❥・"Is that what you want?" Wars tirade was cut off by your meek voice as you pulled your hands away from Legend's face. The vet himself looked seconds away from crashing as he caught onto what you were hinting at.
・❥・Sage smirked, something sharp and devious as he cracked his knuckles in front of him. "Absolutely. I think it would be a pretty damn good way to thank me."
・❥・"You don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, Y/n." Hyrule quickly pipes up, stepping closer as he shot a glare too sharp for his soft features at the newcomer. How dare that filth sully you in such a way and how dare he think of it before he could-
・❥・You were silent for a moment, shuffling for a second before letting out a breath. "If that's what you want." You finally decided, and the group was descended into chaos once more.
・❥・Cries of 'that's an option?!' and 'Hey, wait! I want that too!' erupted as the others scrambled to separate you from that degenerate, but he had latched on. His smirk was wide and knowing as he pulled you from Wars and Legend, closer to himself.
・❥・"It's exactly what I want. Now, are you crawling up or am I gonna have to pull you up here, sun flower?" Sage nipped at your neck as your went from ruby to crimson.
・❥・"Right now?!" You squeaked, eyeing the other males around you.
・❥・"You asked, I answered." Sage didn't care. This was a way of staking a claim. Of showing them all that no matter what, he would win. That he would make you feel so much better than anything they could do.
・❥・Silence fell for a second.
・❥・"Dibs on going second!" Was Wild's sudden call before there was arguing once more.
・❥・"Ya can't call dibs!" Twilight barked. "This isn't some sorta playground game where you can call for turns-"
・❥・"Third." Time spoke solemnly, nodding his head slowly. Sage honestly forgot he was there.
・❥・Twilight looked scandalized at the single word before Four was calling his namesake for the turns. Realizing that he either called or went last (Which wasn't too bad of an option in his books), he quickly rectified his horror and instead went to shove Warrior's by the face to call for fifth.
・❥・ In the time it took for him to recover, Sky and Hyrule had already called sixth and seventh respectively. And, with a shake of his head, Legend smirked. "I'll go ninth then. Pretty boy can go in front of me. Besides, you know what they say about saving the best for last."
・❥・"That it'll be worth nothing since it could never top the first." Sage cheekily called back, pulling off his top throwing it to the side so his torso was bare for the world to see.
・❥・"Why are you stripping?!" Sweet, naive you squeaked, trying to advert your eyes. If only they weren't glancing back at the toned abs and chiseled pecs. Oh great golden Goddesses.
・❥・With a chuckle, Sage pulled you closer with firm hands locked around your calves, pulling them apart to slot himself between your legs. Your hips were pulled up onto his lap before he was leaning down, wrapping an arm around you with his hand resting in the arch of your back. He quickly fell back to you were sitting on his chest, your legs straddling his upper chest as he looked up at you with nothing but pure, devious intentions. "For one simple reason, my light." He chuckled pulling you further up his chest as he licked his lips.
・❥・"I don't plan on letting you go until the only name you can remember is mine."
574 notes · View notes
bonefall · 1 year
Text
Better Bones AU: History Lesson
(A new, updated version of an old history lesson, with some new names and the hopes of being a better summary. Refer to this one over the old one!)
Tumblr media
[ID: Ferncloud from Warrior Cats is lecturing Lionkit, Jaykit, and Hollykit.]
Teaching history in the Clans became an important feature after the defeat of Ripplestar near the beginning of the Chivalric Period. While elders are seen as the chroniclers of history, a dedicated Educator takes on the role of making sure each litter learns everything they need to know.
During the Settlement Era, ThunderClan's educator Ferncloud teaches the kits of ThunderClan about glyphs, the basic tenets of the Warrior Code, and an overview of history.
As of the newest arc, there have been 5 Periods so far, with each period being broken down into 3 Eras and side stories. Those are;
ANCIENT PERIOD Dawn Era, Code Era, Skyfall Era
CHIVALRIC PERIOD Ripple Era, Crusade Era, Campaign Era.
THISTLE PERIOD Broken Era, Tiger Era, Fire Era
HOMING PERIOD Journey Era, Settlement Era, Eclipse Era
MODERN PERIOD Reunion Era, Reckoning Era, Current Day
In addition, there is also a Prehistoric Period, which is only remembered by Clan cats through the tales of LionClan, LeopardClan, and TigerClan. The truth is even stranger than the mythological animals they tell stories about.
See: Hollyleaf's Century.
Ancient Period (1920s - 1970s)
Dawn Era
Moth Flight's Vow
In the Dawn Era, the five ancient founders settled the Forest. From the North came the Clans, lead down from the mountains by Gray Wing the Wise. From the south came Warriors, following a king, Arc of the Park.
Gray Wing died in a fateful accident while saving his right-hand man, Shaded Flower. Clear Sky managed to keep the group together through his sheer strength, settling them into the forest. This all changed when a horrible accident caused the leg of Clear Sky's brother, Jagged Peak, to be permanently twisted.
His own brother and the leader of the Clan at the time, Clear Sky, cast him out. His pregnant mate, Bright Storm, protested this cruelty and tried to care for Jagged Peak all winter long. Her efforts were in vain as he starved to death, and the spirit of Gray Wing responded to this by sending her a hero and a sign;
Bright Storm's litter had one survivor, a ginger tabby named Thunder Storm, missing its leg in the same place where its uncle had lost his. They brought the child back to the group.
Refusing to learn his lesson, Clear Sky rejected the child just like he'd done to Jagged Peak. This time, many families did not abide the cruelty, headed by Tall Shadow. This caused the split between Sky's Clan and Shadow's Clan. Shadow's Clan came into constant conflict with the Wind Coalition, Thunder Storm broke off Thunder's Clan many years later after a great injustice, and he eventually struck up an alliance with the River Kingdom.
Rising political tension culminated in Sky's Clan taking the prince of the River Kingdom, River's Ripple, as a hostage. The First Battle broke out between all five groups at Fivetrees, a bloodbath with so much carnage that the bodies could not be buried in one day.
StarClan broke the battle with a flash of lightning, coming down from the heavens to offer each leader a revelation, and a reward. The reward being that each leader would get 9 lives to lead their Clans, and better understand the cats within them, as long as they gave a proper burial to each cat killed in the pointless fight.
The first two Commandments of the Warrior Code were made on this day-- the Law of the Land establishing borders, and the Law of Honor, which states that a true warrior does not need to kill in order to win their battles.
And thus ended the Dawn Era, and started the Code Era.
Code Era
Because this was before the Clans taught history, most of the Code Era is remembered in parables associated with the creation of Commandments 3 thru 8. It's also MUCH longer than most other Eras, with many of these parables being several generations apart.
The cats in them are so old and so storied that they are seen as deities in StarClan, prayed to and invoked by the living. Examples being Daisytail, Patron of Protection and Parenthood, and Redscar, Patron of Arbitration and Decision-Making.
Eventually, the third commandment, the Law of Loyalty, was made in response to the open love of Ryewhisker and Cloudberry. It banned interclan mateships and closed off the groups in a way unseen since the Dawn Era, and ignited the ancient tradition of Kitten Stealing.
Unknown to the living, in protest of such an evil law, Ryewhisker and Cloudberry willingly joined the Dark Forest. They are two of the oldest spirits there.
An accurate chronicle truly begins with the Skyfall Era.
Skyfall Era
Cars, brand new highways, and suburban expansion started to cut into the Forest as the humans entered a new era... not that the Clans knew why it was happening. Kittypets, associated with these humans, started to be seen more negatively than ever before.
This Era is named for, and defined by, the loss of SkyClan.
Commandment 9, the Law of the Wild, was made in response to SkyClan cats defecting to live as housecats; "A true warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet."
As their territory evaporated below their paws, SkyClan was blamed for everything out of their control. To this day, this era is framed as a cautionary tale to kittens, "What happens to a Clan when they stop living by the Code." In a famous final plea, SkyClan was turned away and exiled.
Their ancestors, 1/5th of StarClan, went with them... except for Skystar who remained in Silverpelt, revered as a Patron of Battle.
The Clerics of the four remaining clans protested the exile ferociously, banding together to go on strike until SkyClan was returned. To break it and bring their medics back under control, the Medicine Cat's Vow was codified into law.
Previously, it had been a personal vow between Clerics, one with no enforcement behind it. Not taking a mate or having kittens was to always keep medicine above Clan loyalty; but the code was enshrined to make a Cleric put Clan loyalty above all else. A corrupted vow. Dalestar of WindClan smeared his Cleric, Larkstripe, as a hypocrite and sent her kitten away.
See: Larkstripe
And thus ended the strike, and the Ancient Period, as the following Chivalric Period began.
Chivalric Period (1970s - Late 1990s)
Ripple Era
Ripplestar's Rot
Larkstripe's kitten was raised at Birdsong's belly in ShadowClan, the adopted brother of Gorseclaw and Spottedpelt. Ripplemoon understood it was a great injustice that SkyClan had been exiled, and vowed to make room for his siblings' father and Clan to return home.
Meanwhile, the 5th Oak at Fivetrees was beginning to rot. The Ripple Era was named for this time of tumult, ending with a crash as Ripplestar's war came to a bloody halt.
After the death of the 5th Oak, Fivetrees becomes Fourtrees, widely considered a sign that a Clan that cannot keep its borders does not deserve to have them. THREE new laws were added to the Warrior Code, all of them related to making cats more loyal.
The Full Moon Truce, ruling that cats were not to fight or argue at gatherings
The First Tasks, a set of pre-existing traditions now codified, that all apprentices had to complete upon becoming warriors
The Leader's Rights... to not be disobeyed.
The Clan Pride Tide that followed ignited war and chaos, considered to be the 'chivalric ideal' of Clan society. The battles were glorious, and never before were cats so honorable and ferocious. Punishments were harsh and severe... such as the one for a certain mother who took a halfclan mate, and was given 3 ill-fated kittens by StarClan.
And this punishment truly ended the Ripple Era, and lead to the Crusade Era.
Crusade Era
Darkstar's Commandment
Pinestar's Crusade
When a false sign from StarClan was misinterpreted by the Cleric of ThunderClan (unknown to all: Birchface was a rogue StarClan warrior who sent it), Oakstar ferociously exiled Mapleshade and her three kittens in the midst of a storm. With nowhere to go, she tried to bring her children across the river to their father's Clan. They did not survive.
Darkstar refused to even allow her to bury the kittens in RiverClan. Mapleshade exacted her revenge, taking out 3 cats before being taken out herself. Furious at the injustice and murder, StarClan damned every cat involved, and gave Darkstar and Oakstar a command; to NEVER let this happen ever again.
Darkstar created Darkstar's Commandment, that all kittens were to be protected regardless of origin, and no one would be compelled to reveal the other parent of their kittens. This is known as the Queen's Rights.
See: Queen's Rights
Oakstar opposed this change at first, until he was beaten by Darkstar and forced to accept this new law. Fearing that StarClan would be furious with him, he attempted to please them by starting crusades against the cats of Chelford.
These Crusades lead to the creation of BloodClan, to defend Chelford cats against Clan invasion. From this point it evolved into a system of governance unique to itself.
See: Brief BloodClan Guide
WindClan and ShadowClan joined in on these raids for several years, with only RiverClan abstaining. Between the cats of the forest there was an era of odd 'peace' as they had new targets to battle for honor... until Heatherstar took power.
The Campaign Era reignited inter-Clan hostility.
Campaign Era
Tallstar's Collapse
Brokenstar's Cataclysm
Stormpaw's Demon
Bluestar's Flowers
Heatherstar of WindClan flexed her ambition by launching a campaign to take the Mothermouth Moorland from ShadowClan, setting off a cascade of renewed inter-Clan hostility. It caused ShadowClan to hold territory from ThunderClan, ThunderClan to re-take Sunningrocks, and RiverClan to assert control over the Gorge, causing periodic four-way fights between them in ways unseen since the Ripple Era.
WindClan lost the tradition of tunneling in this Era; as it isn't useful for the total war that Heatherstar needed to take such a huge chunk of territory.
In the later half of this Era, a group of young cross-Clan friends started to meet in secret. Bluemoon of ThunderClan, Hoprunner and Ashfoot of WindClan, Lizardstripe of ShadowClan, Oakheart of RiverClan, and Barley Senior of BloodClan.
They called themselves the Forget-Me-Nots, and it was the beginning of the ideology known as Fire Alone. Bluemoon's love of her friends, and the loss of her family in pointless battles, made her realize that something needed to change.
And yet, this era gave birth to something much more rotten. As the Clans hardened and started to see the more brutal parts of the code as fundamentally opposed to its softer laws, the tenets that would found Thistle Law began to form.
See: Thistle Law
Named for a painful lesson that Thistleclaw taught his apprentice, Bluestar's rise to power stalled its implementation for a few more safe years. It was the ironic negotiation of a Peace Deal to end the Mothermouth Moorland war which ended the Chivalric Period, and birthed the Thistle Period.
Thistle Period (Late 1990's - 2008)
Broken Era
Spottedleaf's Plague
After generations of fighting, Raggedstar of ShadowClan was old, tired, and wanted only to see peace for his last years of life. He went to end the war and stop fighting for the Mothermouth Moorland which had been contested for so long.
His son and deputy, Brokentail, killed him before he had the chance.
The rise of Brokenstar was the first true implementation of Thistle Law. His followers believed that the only way to truly win a war was to destroy the opposition-- completely. As Heatherstar had done before by sacrificing tunneling, Brokenstar, too, was prepared to make sacrifices.
In just a few short years using brutal tactics like poison claws, traps, and apprentice-targeting, ShadowClan had shredded WindClan's numbers. The final bloody event in this eradication was the WindClan Massacre, a full assault on their camp, and ShadowClan had even broken the code by bringing inexperienced warriors to battle. Casting out a full Clan was considered evil and barbaric.
Rebels formed in this time, but without help, they would have stood no chance against the popular Brokenstar.
It was Bluestar of ThunderClan and her young champion, an ex-kittypet called Firepaw, who agreed to lend their aid. Guided by the words of a prophecy, "Fire Alone Will Save The Clans," Bluestar instilled in her apprentice a new way of seeing the world.
With Brokenstar deposed, Bluestar sent her champion again to fetch WindClan. They gave ShadowClan space to recover, defended the weakened WindClan against River and Shadow, and even accepted a blinded Brokenstar out of mercy. At all turns, Bluestar embodied justice and chivalry...
Or so the ThunderClan history lessons say. Others like to put more emphasis on the growing darkness behind Tigerclaw.
Tiger Era
Tigerstar's Paws
It officially began when Tigerstar took power in ShadowClan. TigerClan lasted for only six horrible moons and defines the shortest era in the history lessons, but its story is told with horror and hushed tones.
Dozens of cats died, in raids and in executions. Prey was stolen from other territories and slaughtered en-mass to build a ridiculous, reeking monument of bones. There wasn't even enough to build a solid hill, so Tigerstar demanded they create a pointless facade over mud just for his ego.
But all of this was still not enough for him, and he contacted BloodClan to negotiate the Impossible Deal. They would have half of the Forest, if they helped him kill his enemies. Scourge did not trust Clan cats, but against his better judgement, as if the heavens were whispering in his ear... he agreed.
The Era came to a crashing halt when Tigerstar attacked his ally and Scourge famously opened him up in two hits. A very special song was made about this moment; Tiger's In A Heap.
Fire Era
Cinderpelt's Solution
Firestar's Quietus
The Tiger in RiverClan
Tigerstar had made a deal, and Scourge intended for it to be upheld. Half of the forest was rightfully his, and he would evict any Clan cats who he found living on it, tired of their dishonorable ways. He gave them three days to clear out.
Firestar was able to convince the four Clans to unite as one to defend against this threat, but he had a revelation. Scourge wasn't wrong. Clan cats had acted dishonorably with him, making promises they didn't intend to keep, attacking him when he didn't obey like a minion. In spite of being Bluestar's champion and successor, Firestar himself had been treated as if he was lesser, just for his birth.
To Scourge, and to Rusty, the Clans HAD been dishonorable. The Code ended at the border and treated outsiders as less-than-cats.
When the battle with BloodClan began, Firestar and Scourge faced off. The battle was legendary. In a fateful move, Firestar slammed the leader of BloodClan to the ground, and ripped his collar clean off. "A true warrior does not need to kill to win their battles."
Calling for a retreat with his life, Scourge left his collar behind on the battlefield. Firestar returned it, and opened up new negotiations with the humbled leader. "We have won our right to the forest, but speak to me; how much of Tigerstar's impossible deal can we honor for you?"
The answer was so simple as to be ridiculous. They wanted materials like wood, nice-smelling flowers, and new kinds of food. Things that they couldn't find in the dumpsters and gray pavement of twolegplace, and BloodClan could offer materials of their own to trade.
The Fire Era allowed the Thistle Period to have a brief, but sweet time of peace. This time of cooperation ended in a horrible ball of chaos, as the forest was destroyed by man and the cats had to go on a long journey.
Homing Period (2007 - 2018)
Journey Era
As the forest was destroyed, the Clans sought guidance from StarClan. The Clerics went to the Mothermouth, as was expected in those days. Cinderpelt, Littlecloud and Cinderpelt's apprentice Leafstripe were slightly late, as usual, taking their time getting there to have their bi-weekly chat.
When they arrived, they found Mothwing frantically digging at a collapsed rockfall. If they hadn't been late, they too would have died. Mudfur and Barkface were dead. The remaining Clerics dug until their claws were bloody, then fell asleep where they stood.
Leafstripe of ThunderClan received a prophecy. Four chosen cats must follow the Brightest Star, and find them a new home. These four cats were sent by each Clan; Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, Feathertail, and Crowfoot. Squirrelpaw and Stormfur joined them, without permission.
As they went on a quest that would come to be known as the Sundrown Patrol, the four Clans suffered through many hardships. ThunderClan was forced out of its camp, WindClan was poisoned and ensnared, RiverClan pushed for Sunningrocks as the river dried up, and ShadowClan's marshland was filled in.
After the patrol returned to free several cats who had been trapped by humans, the Clans left hastily to begin the Great Journey.
Something changed on that trip together. For the first time ever, the four Clans had to rely on each other, and see things the way they could be. The apprentices and kits in particular walked away with a unique mindset about cooperation, summed up with a special dish they created together known as Paw Soup.
But of course, it did not last. On reaching the lake and discovering the Moonpool, Leafstripe received three new prophecies.
"Blood will spill blood and the lake will run red."
"Fire and tiger will clash and burn together into ash"
"The first of the lake will guide WindClan."
Her name was changed to Leafpool, an honor title to reflect her powerful seeing abilities.
After the death of Tallstar and the hasty rise of Onewhisker to power, Mudclaw decided that this prophecy must mean that the first cat to see the lake after the Great Journey would lead WindClan. Since he lead the first patrol here, he was especially convinced that it meant him.
(Unknown to him, it was referring to his child, Kestrelflight, who would be the first kitten born at the lake. Shortly followed by his brothers Harestar and Owlclaw, Hare and Kestrel were given to Mudclaw's brother Torear shortly after their birth while Whitewater kept Owl.)
Mudclaw's Rebellion spiraled into a conflict involving cats of all Clans, lead in by Hawkfrost. After a failed assassination attempt on Onewhisker's life, StarClan was so furious at Mudclaw's insolence that they smote him with a falling tree.
When this failed, Hawkfrost became desperate, getting three Tribe cats temporarily cast out of RiverClan, and attempting to kill Firestar to put Brambleclaw into leadership. When Brambleclaw hesitated, Mothwing sprang out of a bush to rescue the leader, and Brambleclaw fought his brother. But, he was unable to land the fatal blow, and Hawkfrost lunged for his sister... only to impale himself on the stake she was holding.
As the lake ran red with tiger blood, Brambleclaw stepped down from his deputyship, and Brackenfur took power. Mothwing returned with the body of her brother, but her troubles were not yet over. The cats of RiverClan who had participated in WindClan's rebellion didn't believe it was an accident, and Leopardstar did nothing about these accusations.
Mistyfoot realized that something had to be done. Hawkfrost was a victim as much as he was a perpetrator, and these ideas had to be pulled up at the root.
Every Clan has a different moment for where the Journey Era ended. ShadowClan believes it's when they arrived in their new home. WindClan thinks the death of Mudclaw feels right. ThunderClan sees it as the appointment of Brackenfur as deputy. RiverClan marks it at the sudden death of Leopardstar to a rogue, bludgeoned to death on a rock.
Homing Era
An unprecedented time of peace, never seen before, nor since. These days have come to be seen as halcyon, divided up into 'episodes' of conflict and interesting tales.
Some of these episodes are,
The Shinewater Plague
When a twoleg truck veered off a thunderpath and spilled gallons of shining poison into RiverClan territory, Mistystar had to decide what kind of leader she wanted to be. In this instance, she accepted help in spite of what some of the harsher cats of her Clan demanded.
ShadowClan's Lichen Rebog Project
Arriving at the lake was hard for ShadowClan, as the rivers in their territory were deep and their land was largely useless pines. Blackstar commanded an ambitious terraforming project, blocking up the rivers and controlling the flooding to turn their land into a marsh. ThunderClan offered their help, as usual.
Ripwater's Devastation
A giant, monstrous fish lurked in the depths of the lake, sucking down a RiverClan apprentice into the abyss and making fishing dangerous for any cat going for a swim. Ripwater needed to be dealt with, but RiverClan had never killed something as large as a boar, let alone larger.
Salt Patrol
This was the first time that the Clans had regular access to gathering their own salt, an important medicine for treating infection and parasites. There were times that apprentices of all Clans would converge, by coincidence, for a beach episode.
The Tribe's Rogues
Taken aback by the fact the Tribe cats ask for help even when they have a choice, Clan cats grapple with what this says about their own upbringings.
See: The expanded notes on how the Tribe visit has been completely reduxed to fix its problematic elements.
The Three, who would come to be known in story and legend, grew up in this period, exploring themselves, their friends, and the culture around them.
This time of kindness came to a tragic end in the Battle of the False Eclipse, and the Cruel Season that followed it.
Angered by ThunderClan's meddling in their affairs, WindClan and RiverClan attacked them and pulled all the Clans into a lake-wide brawl that was only ended by a flash of darkness. Sol showed them a taste of what was to come just a few years later, when the planes of reality would collide.
The Dark Forest had been making its moves and sewing seeds of discord within disgruntled cats of the Clans, involving them in a plan to snatch godhood from the stars. Their first major move was the 'accidental' killing of Brackenfur in the Battle of the False Eclipse, and the fire in ThunderClan that came later, as cover for killing Firestar.
And so, Bramblestar ascended to power with Squilf as his first deputy, Thornclaw as the second after Hollyleaf spilled a secret, and the young prodigy vanished into the tunnels for many years. A third cat of great prophecy was born to her brother.
See: Hollyleaf, just, this whole post
Eclipse Era
Uniting a group of cats with almost nothing in common, Tigerstar planned to usurp StarClan and become the new deities of the four Clans. He relied heavily on his son, Hawkfrost, to be his diplomat and keep the unstable alliance together just long enough to accomplish his goals.
Lionblaze and Jayfeather learned there was a plot, but didn't know how to infiltrate it. Lionblaze sent his daughter, Ivypool, in to spy on the demons and their schemes. Hawkfrost became her Dark Forest mentor.
The Dark Forest plan: replace every cat in power with a trainee before the night of the True Eclipse, to make their takeover easier. Simple enough. Harder was coordinating a bunch of trainees with completely different motivations.
See: Motivations of Dark Forest trainees
Firestar and Brackenfur were first. Sedgecreek and Mistystar, Ashfoot and Onestar, Russetfur and Blackstar were next.
The Dark Forest succeeded in pitting ThunderClan and ShadowClan against each other, thanks to deputy Thornclaw's influence. After the death of Russetfur, Blackstar was absolutely devastated and prone to Sol's influence. This was ShadowClan's first collapse, but unfortunately, not its last.
Redwillow, Ratscar, and Applefur took power of the Clan in his absence, and leas to bloody infighting as they tried to hold onto it. It was Rowanclaw rallying Blackstar's family to remind him of how loved he was that brought him back around, calling forth enough manpower to overthrow the trainees and take ShadowClan back.
Just before the Eclipse was about to commence, Hollyleaf returned just in time to fight for her family.
Thanks to the information of cats like Ivypool, the Clans were able to prepare for the Night of the True Eclipse. Unfortunately, the days of the Homing Era were gone, and they had a hard time uniting as a front. While ShadowClan and ThunderClan were able to rally and limit their losses, WindClan and RiverClan remained individual targets.
Dovewing lead a coalition of cats to counter the Dark Forest wherever they attacked, her father Lionblaze trailing just behind. Jayfeather used his powers to summon cats from StarClan itself, using a stick stolen from Rock to resurrect a tree and pull down as many angels as could fit on its branches.
Though outnumbered and losing, Tigerstar had vowed to go out in a blaze of glory. Scourge under his left claws and Blackstar bleeding out a life to the right, Firestar himself came in to settle the score with his old foe.
Modern Period (2018 - Today)
Reunion Era
ThunderClan's Tempest
Heartstar's Rise
Following the terrible carnage of the Great Battle, a grand storm blew through the lake and brought flooding unlike anything ever seen before. In the aftermath, many of ShadowClan's carefully managed projects took a beating.
The other Clans were reluctant to lend their aid, in contrast to the peace and cooperation of the Homing Era. Frustrated by ShadowClan's first collapse and the lack of help they were receiving now, the youngest generation was desperate for radical change. Many of the dejected cats around the lake agreed, Dark Forest trainees, halfclan cats and lovers, codebreakers, and so on.
They were co-opted by a terrible actor. Darktail had infiltrated SkyClan, many miles away, and exploited their internal divisions. Sharpclaw, Rockshade, and cats like them joined his cause, and SkyClan had fled in the chaos. He offered his help to the struggling ShadowClan, and any Clan cats seeking a safe haven. Breezepelt and his fellow ex-trainees were some of them.
"Nevermind your borders and your battles and your bloodlines," Darktail announced, "We will all be the Kin." Slowly, each of these things he spoke against became central to his movement.
WindClan, lead by Onestar, reacted severely. He put a complete embargo on any Clan lending aid, even denying them medicine during a terrible outbreak of Yellowcough. When ShadowClan fell apart, the Kin absorbed it completely and became an unstoppable force.
Heathertail couldn't handle the horrible cruelty of her father, and joined them hoping to get her half-brother's side of the story.
This was when The Kin started expanding, targeting their neighbors for territory. It was only through the return of SkyClan that the cult was able to be defeated, and because of their role in the final confrontation, it was agreed they had a claim to the Lake.
In memory of the conflict, and with respect to the destroyed ShadowClan, a new commandment was added to the code. The Law of the Lake demands that in times of stress, no Clan may allow another to falter and disband.
Rowanstar intended to live the last of his days in shame, having watched Dawnpelt die, his Clan disband, and Tigerheart vanish. Tigerheart returned only to die in a horrible accident, and Rowan refused to watch his last child be taken from him.
Drowning away his lives in the Moonpool so Heartstar could rise, the Era ends with the resurrection of ShadowClan.
Reckoning Era
Squirrelflight's Horror
Tawnypelt's Mountain
Ferncloud's Parting
SkyClan joining the lake and ShadowClan reforming caused struggles for territory. It was already a tight squeeze for ShadowClan before they joined, and accommodating an extra Clan would require careful diplomacy.
Unfortunately, Bramblestar had other plans. It got into his head that his deputy, Squirrelflight, was undermining him and he played a pointless game with his power. Joining Heartstar in an ill-fated invasion on a nomadic group, ThunderClan lost the respected senior Cleric and discoverer of the Moonpool, Leafpool.
But in those days, there was nothing that could be done about a bad leader besides violent revolution. Any telling of this era of history starts with these events, to establish why ThunderClan did not quickly realize their leader had been replaced by an Impostor only a few moons later, and why they didn't immediately do anything about it.
This impostor's first action was to announce his plans at a peaceful gathering. While losing a life, StarClan had told him they were disappointed and furious at the lack of a reckoning for the cats who had been disloyal in the previous two eras. HalfClan cats, insurgents, and other Codebreakers must be punished and brought in line, to return the Clans to a better time.
Most leaders agreed with this sentiment, and loosely implemented tests of loyalty. It wasn't enough for the Imposter, who was particularly insulted by Bristlefrost codebreaking within his own Clan to see Rootspring of SkyClan.
So at the next gathering, he called together the five Clans, implored them one more time to truly punish their Codebreakers or else StarClan would never come back, and finished his speech by ripping open Bristlefrost's neck.
Over the screams of the crowd, the full, uncovered moon shined bright. He pointed up with his bloodied paw, citing its light as StarClan's approval.
It wasn't the first time an unblemished moon meant cruelty, and SkyClan refused to be part of this evil game. Conflict escalated into a full-blown civil war, leading to scores of dead cats, and the eventual cornering of the Impostor.
When he escaped into the Dark Forest with the ghosts of the fallen kept hostage, Squirrelflight organized a final push to free those who were trapped. These cats came to be known as Lights in the Mist:
Harelight (then called Harefur) and Mistystar of RiverClan
Ivypool and Ferncloud of ThunderClan
Rootspring and MacGyver of SkyClan
Shadowsight and Flowerscar of ShadowClan
Breezepelt and Leaftail of WindClan... after Breezepelt conked Crowfeather over the noggin to forcefully take his spot.
(Exact cats liable to change, particularly MacGyver, Flowerscar, and Leaftail)
In the final confrontation, Ashfur revealed his special powers, having killed and absorbed the ancient spirit Clear Sky as well as several other demons and angels. He was too powerful to defeat, in spite of the combined efforts of the Dark Forest, StarClan, and the Lights in the Mist. In a final, grand effort, Shadowsight used a lightning bolt coursing through his veins to hold the monster down, and Bristlefrost sacrificed her life and eternity knocking Ashfur out of the sky like a falling star.
They crashed to Earth as a pair of asteroids, leaving a crater that became a small pool on SkyClan's border.
This fight destroyed a region of StarClan, an in-between area known as the Meadow of Young Stars. Now a shattered plain unable to separate the Place of No Stars from Silverpelt, A guard defends the single unstable bridge between the lands.
See: StarClan 101
~Current Day~
Ferncloud died tragically after confronting her brother on that fateful mission, and ThunderClan mourns its educator. In respect and heartbreak, its elders have hesitated in choosing a new cat for this role.
With two Eras behind them, the Clans have been loosely speculating what the new name for this Period will become, what its theme will be. There's no way to know until it happens... and it's not as if all the Clans agree on where exactly the times begin and end.
In the meanwhile, a new commandment has been added to the code. It's called Bristlefrost's Law, and for the first time, there is now an official system for changing Clans to be with a mate or a partner. Not all like this change-- some call these cats 'Turnclaws,' and didn't think there was a problem with the way things were.
Bramblestar has been tired since his ordeal, and ThunderClan is hoping he will step down soon. Mistystar has also been slow and aching, but her son Reedwhisker is a fine deputy, and he will make a fine leader as well.
The Clans have gone through a hard time, but there seems to finally be a light at the end of the- oh hey what's Splashtail up to
746 notes · View notes
dollfaced-erin · 5 months
Text
𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕠𝕟'𝕤 ℂ𝕣𝕒𝕕𝕝𝕖 (Blade x F!Reader x Jing Yuan)
PART 15
PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 , PART 12 , PART 13 , PART 14
A/n :-
Oh lord im so sorry i didnt update. i had a few tests i had to go through ;;-;;. COVID here is rising again so everyone please take care of your health ! exams are finally overrr aksdlksjd now i can write and finish up those requestss Small reminder that a part of Yingxing's name means star, and a part of Dan Jia's name means home !
Taglist : -
@rebeccawinters , @nayukiyukihira , @pix-stuff , @fluffy-koalala , @swivy123 , @starxao , @kaoyamamegami , @kimura-uzuri , @rsvye , @seikouryuu , @just-here-reading , @matsulovesyou, @sincerely-aaronette , @prettyliliy , @chibiduck , @hermosacolibri , @la-diablas-thingz , @farelady-fate , @everi-eve , @shadowfoxey , @helloyuki , @immahuman
Tumblr media
"They're ready to head to the base terminals to start them up. Apparently all three of them shut down after conduction of foreseeing your current and past predicament." Fu Xuan said, looking at (Y/n) after she had returned from giving orders to her assistant.
(Y/n) lifted an eyebrow as if to say, 'is it my fault ? Damn, sorry', but Fu Xuan sighed and put a hand on the forearm of the taller lady next to her.
"No, it's not your fault. The symbols on the Matrix have been dimming for quite a while now, it was expected for it to not be able to recount such memories as distant the Era of Bloodshed." Fu Xuan said, shaking her head.
"Then, if so, would it be able to relinquish Kafka's means ?" (Y/n) asked as she looked at the Master Diviner of the Luofu.
"To reread the recent past written by a mortal to another, is hardly much of a chore." Fu Xuan said with a proud huff, her cute cheeks blushing red with happiness.
"I suppose a lady as capable as yourself shouldn't have any problem in pulling through crises." (Y/n) said with a small smirk.
Fu Xuan flushed and she almost beams at the words of the former High Elder of the Vidyadhara. Then she turns away, trying to keep the ghost of a smile hidden from her face.
"You and that sugar-tongued General...he has really been rubbing off on you, hasn't he ?"
(Y/n) chuckled, shaking her head slightly with dusted cheeks. "As it is, fate is inevitably cruel to those blessed with more time than others. It is only natural to adopt similar instances of speech."
"Ugh..." Qingque grumbled, looking down with tears in her eyes. "I worked so hard in getting transferred to the repository. It was the best place to slack off and be invisible..."
"Now, I actually have career prospects...this is terrible !" She sobbed softly. "If I screw up, they might fire me...but if I get it done right, they'll send me more work !"
But as (Y/n) approached, Welt coughed into his fist, stopping Qingque's rambles.
"Lady (Y/n), will you be joining us ?" Welt asked as the royal lady approached them, her hand fan elegantly resting in the palms of her left hand, the hilt firmly wrapped with her right.
"Yes. I am indebted to the Master Diviner, the General, and those who had expressed concern over my wellbeing." (Y/n) said with a nod. "I shall assist you with whatever power I possess."
"L-Lady (Y/n) herself is accompanying us ?" The librarian, whose name was Qingque, as she recalled, said, looking at the horned woman with admiration in her green eyes. She was just grumbling a moment ago how there was extra work but no extra rewards.
Maybe...
"Does that mean we'll get jobs done faster ?"
"Perhaps ?"
"Oh great ! Then, let's go ! I want to play-- i mean..."
The brunette coughed into her fist for a bit.
"I would like to complete the task provided by the Master Diviner as efficiently as possible. Then, spend my leisure time with some relaxing but mind boggling luck based games." Qingque said, trying to mask her want to get the job done and quickly slack off to go play some Celestial Jade.
(Y/n) chuckled a bit before parting ways with the librarian to meet up with Jing Yuan who was addressing the present events with Stelle and March.
"Fu Xuan's Matrix of Prescience was able to go one step further than Kafka. To maintain the upper hand, I had to keep it a surprise. I hope this hasn't made you doubt my sincerity ?" Jing Yuan said with a smile as he nodded at the approach of (Y/n), his smile turning warmer.
March did NOT look impressed. "Next time, ease off on the surprises ?"
"I promise to be more transparent next time. This time it was sealed tight, not even (Y/n) was aware of my moves."
Jing Yuan looked a little guilty, but not by much.
"At present, Kafka has no intention of speaking and the Stellaron Hunters' motives remain unknown. We must rely on the power of the Divination Commission to unearth the truth." The General said again.
"'Unearth the truth'..." Welt said before looking at Jing Yuan. "You mean, interrogate Kafka using the Matrix of Prescience ?"
"Precisely. The Matrix of Prescience is the Divination Commission's ultimate weapon. It was originally used to calculate navigation routes and predict future events..." Jing Yuan said with a slight nod of his head. "With, special exceptions of course."
"Special exceptions ?" March asked, looking quite invested in the functionality of such a master device.
"Yes. For instance interrogation. The secrets of the Stellaron Hunters' cannot remain hidden for any longer. I have no choice but to move beyond conventional protocol -- we must use divination to ascertain Kafka's intent."
"And for the second means, is to peer into the misty fog that prevents power and past knowledge that is needed to be applied in special circumstances and for health purposes." Jing Yuan said, looking at (Y/n). "Lady (Y/n)'s recurring memories were quite literally dragging her consciousness to the brink of insanity. And as you all know, she possesses timeless and indispensable knowledge."
"Everything hinges on restoring the Matrix of Prescience, which is why I would like you to help Diviner Fu complete the setup. I am eternally grateful for your assistance."
"And as such, I would like you all to look after this little princess for me. She wants to come along with you, and I hope you'll help me keep an eye on her." Jing Yuan said as he gestured to (Y/n) with a cheeky grin.
"Wh-what ?! How rude !"
After repairing the first screen, the group teleported to their first destination. The first of three terminals. The Temporal Terminal which correlates with essence of time. "Observes the potential of the temporal plane" as they say.
After arranging the Mutare Magnus of the Temporal Terminal, the group then moved towards the second gate, where there was a malfunctioning robot, sparking with electricity and buzzing circuits.
"What the heck is this ? It looks like a walking gate !" March said, looking at the automaton in slight fear and awe.
"An Aurumaton. A guard-like robot placed in strategic places. The Matrix is very crucial and information abundant, so it's a...protection measure to make sure only those allowed could activate the terminal." (Y/n) said, looking at the malfunctioning piece of metal suspiciously.
"I feel like it needs a sign saying 'mortals forbidden' or something..." March said, hiding behind (Y/n) while holding onto her arm. Then she looked at Qingque with worried eyes. "Are you sure it wont fly into a rage if we walk past it...?"
"We're here by the order of the master diviner to restart the Matrix of Prescience. We're friends -- not foes !" Qingque declared to the Aurumaton.
The malfunctioning Aurumaton stood up, voice crackling with a broken chip. taking a stance. March yelped and (Y/n) pushed March even more behind her, and standing in front of Stelle.
Qingque looked panicked as she looked at the rising Aurumaton. "Ah...! March, you should join the Divination Commission ! Quick, do something !"
"Get back !" (Y/n) exclaimed, pulling out her fan as she summoned, cloudhymn magic to conjure up surrounding water to slip into the broken cracks of the piece of machinery.
"Before me !" (Y/n) commanded, before stomping her foot onto the ground, leaving a crown of ice circling her foot. Then she swung her fan, using her ice powers to freeze the water that slipped into the Aurumaton, locking it in place.
(Y/n) panted as she set down her fan, the fear from the sudden attack taking her by surprise. Her cheeks were a little dusted even though it was an easy battle for her, but she had to admit.
She was scared for a moment there.
"Hurry. Before the ice melts, you have to either destroy it, or spend time looking for the control panel and cutting the wires." (Y/n) said and Stelle hurriedly rushed forward with March by her side.
"It should be on the back !" Qingque said, still cowering behind (Y/n) as she held the legend's arm.
Without thinking much, March found the control circuit and conjured up an ice knife to cut through the colorful wires.
Then, just as hoped, the Aurumaton fell to the ground, broken. It crackled with sparks, as it serving a warning like it would get up again. But knowing that the circuits were ripped apart, they were sure that it was no longer a need to be afraid...
Then the group entered the second terminal, the Spatial Terminal. It was designed to retrieve information based on space, as Qingque explained. This time, (Y/n) sat by the side as she watched the other girls line up the Mutare Magnus, finding it endearing how they bickered over what way they should put down the pins to achieve the required shape.
And as they walked into the third and final terminal, March looked around with hands on her hips.
"So...let me guess, time, space... I bet the next terminal is energy-related !" March said proudly with a bright smile one her lips.
"Darn..." Qingque groaned as she looked at March with a sorry smile. "The Karma Terminal. They say this terminal is designed to establish casual relationships."
"What ?!"
The three began to move around, arranging the Mutare Magnus, even (Y/n) decided to join in to help them after watching them reset the plane a couple of times.
As she hopped in to help move the pins, she was suddenly reminded of an old memory that flashed in her mind.
"Hey ! Not too far out !" The familiar beloved would call out, chuckling as he followed the tugging of the blanket in his hands. He held the edge of the blanket in his thin but crafty hands, calloused from the harsh work he endured day and night to produce legends.
"But I want the blanket to be straight and tense before setting it down, Yingxing !"
"I understand, but there is no need to pull it so hard, beloved." The older man said, shaking his head as he set down the blanket on the grassy plains beneath the tree.
Wind blew past his hair, causing it to fly all over the place. The white-haired man sighed as he pushed back his long tresses behind his ear. Then he looked at her with a kind and loving gaze, the light of the moon highlighting his features.
"Well ? What are you waiting for ? Come sit down with me, my moon dancer."
Then she saw herself sitting close to the older man, snuggling happily in his arms as the two of them laid under the blanket of stars. The sight of the man staring into her eyes with love as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.
"--dy (Y/n) ?" A voice called out.
"Lady (Y/n) !" A cheerful and bright voice called out, making (Y/n) snap out of her trance-like state. The dragon lady blinked a couple of times, taking in the difference of what seemed to be her memory and the reality in front of her.
All three of the girls were looking quite worried at (Y/n), as she had suddenly stopped after placing the pin in the board.
"Are you alright, Lady (Y/n) ?" March asked, looking quite concerned. "You suddenly spaced out all of a sudden ! We're done here now, and all the terminals have lit up, so let's go back and take a short rest." The pink haired girl advised.
(Y/n) didn't really seem to understand what had just happened, but she nodded and followed the group back to the core using the screens. Although she knew that there were alot of entities roaming around to cause havoc, she couldn't help but shake off the feeling as if there was someone watching her.
The red eyes that observed from afar turned around, once he had determined that his beloved was in safe hands.
"Well done, all of you. I can sense the Matrix of Prescience symbols re-illuminating." Fu Xuan said with a satisfactory smile. "Now, to interrogate Kafka."
The master diviner turned around to face the Matrix before shooting (Y/n) a glace. "Those of you in the core may feel a few...impacts."
March was about to question Stelle what Fu Xuan had said, but then there were two Cloud Knights escorting a young and beautiful woman with red wine hair tied in a messy ponytail and captivating eyes. She wasn't cuffed, yet made no attempt to flee, following the soldiers with a simple gloved hand on her hip.
"Is this really necessary ?" The woman named Kafka asked, her voice as alluring as her features. "I said I'd cooperate with you."
"I have no interest in the words of wanted criminals. Especially those skilled in the art of manipulation." Fu Xuan briskly answered, gaze averted with a frown on her face. Then with a breath, she turned back to face the detained criminal.
"So, say what you will. I'm here to witness the divination of the Matrix of Prescience." Fu Xuan said strongly. "The Divination Commission has ways of extracting the truth, and they're far more effective than a conversation."
The woman with wine red hair chuckled softly, turning to enter the core. That was, before she shot (Y/n) a brief glance with a smirk playing at her lips.
"Then please, Master Diviner."
"Witness my destiny."
With Kafka standing in the middle, hands bound by imaginary power, Fu Xuan stood by the edge, watching her before taking out the power of the matrix. With precise hand gestures and polished expertise, Fu Xuan closed her eyes before she began to extract and activate the power of the three terminals activated by (Y/n) and the group earlier.
The tiles correspondent to their reason and trait glowed, before forming a connection that linked the plates to the Master Diviner. With using the three terminals and herself, a large binding hexagram formed in the air, rotating and calculating the past, present and future.
Kafka levitated in the air, letting her form be suspended and closer to the Matrix' core without a struggle. Symbols and constellations surrounded her as the Master Diviner began to collect data by reading the lines and the meaning of her stars, yet she smiled. Her eyes began to glow a light blue from the power surging through and out of her body, letting it see through her memories and seek out the answers they chased after.
Fu Xuan's own eyes began to glow blue, as she resonated her consciousness with Kafka's and the Matrix itself, focusing and getting a good reading of her own divination.
That was before she saw what she sought after.
Fu Xuan gasped and immediately re-casted the spell, making the Matrix stop its function without the user and Kafka slowly descended to the ground.
"That's...why you're here...?" Fu Xuan asked, full of disbelief as she looked at Kafka.
Kafka smiled slyly and knowingly in return, enjoying the look of betrayal and disbelief painted so evidently on Fu Xuan's face.
"All for that ?!"
Kafka looked down, an unreadable expression in her magenta eyes. "Well ? Not what what you were expecting ?" Kafka asked, tilting her head a little although she had totally expected the reaction.
"I cant believe it..." Fu Xuan said, looking at Kafka in horror, as if the woman before her had told her the most atrocious lie ever known to mankind.
"But the Matrix of Prescience cannot be wrong..."
"What did you see ?" Stelle asked, looking at the Master Diviner worriedly.
"Kafka has nothing to do with the Stellaron." Fu Xuan said before landing her eyes on Stelle. "But you...it's you..."
Stelle looked so confused to what Fu Xuan was talking about, for it wasn't her that had seen the same visions as Fu Xuan did.
"Ha ! Absurd ! I'd never have thought it..."
Then her golden eyes landed on (Y/n), gaze slightly scrutinizing.
"And you...I'd never considered the relation..."
"Talking like this isn't solving anything, Master Diviner..." (Y/n) said, hands crossed over her chest. The other members of the Nameless, and the Amicassador of Sky-Faring Commission looked all confused the same.
Fu Xuan shook her head before nodding in Kafka's direction.
"Ask her yourself. Take as long as you wish."
Fu Xuan left in a hurry after that, saying something about needing to see the General as soon as possible. The remaining party remained unsure of how to proceed. And since it was both (Y/n) and Stelle that were directly regarded by Fu Xuan, it was now known that Kafka knows something about them.
Stelle looked unsure of how to approach the situation, but Welt nodded at her encouragingly. "It's fine...you go ask her. I know you have many questions for Kafka yourself."
Though Stelle looked determined, she was quite unready. "Mr. Yang..." she started. "I think I still need more time to figure out what I want to ask."
"Don't worry." (Y/n) said, putting a tender hand on Stelle's shoulder.
"I'll go first."
"Well...I have heard of you, former Lady High Elder." Kafka said with a little awe in her eyes. "But to see you up-close and personal isn't really the same feeling as he had implied it to be."
"Which do you prefer, Lady High Elder ? Or the Saltator Lunae ? Or even the name you go by with now ?"
"(Y/n) is fine." (Y/n) said, raising up a hand to stop Kafka.
"I had only just woken up from a slumber. So I do not know of your misdeeds to have you scoured by the cosmos itself. But what I do know of is Blade's affiliation with the Stellaron Hunters faction." (Y/n) said with a shake of her head, (h/c) locks swaying elegantly as she did so.
"To know that is more than enough. The Master Diviner wasn't aware of Bladie's intentions of meeting you here. But to see through me consciousness and be aware of it must've been a little surprising to her." Kafka answered simply and honestly, looking straight into (Y/n)'s eyes.
She couldn't be lying. Not that she needed to anyway.
"How was he aware that I was awake in the first place ? Not even the General anticipated my awakening." (Y/n) said with a curious tilt of her head.
"Well...that's because the Destiny's Slave had said so before." Kafka said with a small chuckle, remembering something quite amusing to her.
"You should've seen the look on Bladie's face when he was announced that he stood a chance to meet an intergalactical treasure that had laid dormant for centuries..." Kafka said tenderly.
"It was such...an odd encounter...with emotions so strong. I wonder if I'll ever experience something as intense." The cuffed woman said with a light chuckle.
"For the first time since I met him...he looked alive."
"For the stars had turned against us while we adhered to the laws...perhaps the tide of fate pities us for leading such miserable paths of fate to let us reunite in unfortune events..." Blade said to himself, red eyes clouded with memories, heart beating again with reason.
Unknowing that there was a certain concerned young woman eavesdropping in case his Mara had reacted in him. But oddly, there was no reaction even though Blade was reminiscing about his past.
"Dancer of the moon...shall time and fate allow us..." she heard him gasp softly through a rare soft but broken voice.
For the first time since Kafka had met him, she heard him weep.
'How envious...' Kafka thought to herself.
"With my immortal and life-infested shell, I'd never let you stray away again..."
"My beloved home of stars...(Y/n)..."
172 notes · View notes
cosmicstarlatte · 7 months
Text
Pumpkin Carving (Obey Me!)
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
The guys want to try out pumpkin carving. How does it go?🎃
»Characters: Demon Bros+Dia, brief side characters as judges »Tags: Humor/Fluff, Bulleted Fic »Notes: Part of OM! Flufftober 2023 // reblogs are always loved & appreciated :3 // halloween divider by saradika!
Tumblr media
Lucifer: The Show Off™️
Decided to go for an intricate design for his pumpkin
He worked carefully & put his entire lucifussy in it
It was beautiful watching him work his magic he looked like he was creating a symphony
However his pumpkin looked like mush in the end
Everyone laughed. Everyone. Satan & Belphie the hardest.
Solomon: "...it looks great Lucifer. I can see the hard work you-"
"Don't patronize me."
Mammon: Macaroni Art Vibes™️
Complained saying the whole thing was lame but he got really into it
"Heh, look at the little guy!"
It actually looked really cute for his first pumpkin, it had a simple silly face!
Took photos with it only because "it's the type of thing you're suppose to do!"
The judges liked his very much & he came in 3rd place🙂
"...Ya so where's my reward!?"
Levi: Limited Edition Collector's Item 2023: Akuzon Fall Exclusive™️
Geeked out because he always wanted to carve a pumpkin! JUST LIKE ANIMES!
Of course he had a ruri chan stencil already made, he was waiting for this day
His pumpkin actually looked really good & made with love! He even added glowsticks to it!
However dun dun dun, tragedy struck!
He dropped it before he could show the judges
Poor baby cried his eyes out & you guys had to buy him his favorite milk tea
Satan: The Smashing Pumpkins™️ (please don't sue me, thanks!!!)
A little too good with a knife
Made the best intricate design out of everyone, it wowed the judges (& pissed off Lucifer)
Then he started punching & smashing it, completely obliterating it
Beel tried to eat the flying pieces that flew into the air
Delicately placed a pretty candle on top of the mush as the finishing touch
Solomon: "...You know what I like it."
He came in 2nd place!
Asmo: Bedazzled & Bright™️
"It screams 'I AM the now' you know!?"
I mean, he added jewels & even a mini light up disco ball inside
He carved his face into it & it projected his face onto a wall
some say they saw it reflect on the night sky like a hero signal
Was Luke's favorite because it looked fun & bright!
Note: his pumpkin got stolen off the HOL porch during the night.
Beel: Frankenstein Era™️
I know what you're thinking & no he didn't eat it 😐
(Everyone made sure he was well fed before doing the group activity)
His pumpkin looked the silliest, he added mini pumpkins to it & stacked them
Solomon: "What do you think would happen if we brought that thing to life?"
Barb: "Don't."
He did snack on the few pumpkin pieces that got carved out
...OK yeah he ate it all in the end but that was later!!! Leave him alone! He tried so hard!!!
Belphie: BANKSY™️
Didn't really want to participate but whatever brother Lucifer says, goes.
While everyone carved & decorated their pumpkin, he just napped on his like a pillow
Lucifer scolded him for doing nothing to his pumpkin
Belphie challenged him saying it was a work of art & up to interpretation
The judges 'ooo & ahh'd'
His pumpkin came in 1st place
LuciferGrindingHisTeeth.jpg
It's possible Lucifer chucked the pumpkin into oblivion when no one was looking
Diavolo: THE Pumpkin Face™️
"You can't beat the classics!"
Wanted to do a classic pumpkin face to keep human tradition! He appreciates human culture!
He took his time, stenciling was fun & cutting was a little rough
It got a little messy but he enjoyed it
The pumpkin ended up being a thing of nightmares but no one had the heart to tell him
(Barbatos cringing in the background)
Luke fainted at the sight. Dia naively took it as a sweet compliment
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
⬦You might also like: Costume Shopping Coconut︱Waffle House︱
260 notes · View notes
imwithmars · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Dave Gahan in 1985, photos by Werner Roelen
113 notes · View notes
jointhepartypod · 1 year
Text
Welcome to the World of Verda Stello! 🌱 🏴☠️
Campaign 3 of Join the Party is set in the world of Verda Stello, the great green ringed world. This fantastical land is filled with approximately human-sized plant and bug people (give or take some 2 foot tall fruits and giant vines) called the Greenfolk. The main source of life for Verda Stello is the Cascade, a massive waterfall that pours over the whole inner ring of the world.
Over time, the Cascade dried up, leaving all the Greenfolk scrambling for water. But the waterfall revealed the entire center of Verda Stello was a great salt sea, dotted with countless unknown islands, and a prophecy about an Infinite Lake that can save the world and a Salmon that grants your deepest desire.
This kicked off the Tide, a pirate era that has raged for 50 years. People are still searching for the lake and the salmon, and the Tide shows no sign of stopping now.
Find out more about Verda Stello and Campaign 3 here!
Tumblr media
The Hothouse
Country’s Motto: Why Suffer When We Can Strive
Known for their ingenuity and extensive construction, the Hothouse is the technological hub of Verda Stello. Hothousers believe that finding the best way to do something is its own greatest reward (except for letting everyone know that you did it with a plaque or statue or signature). You might recognize Hothouse architecture with the incorporations of big windows or a solarium, amplifying the sun to do extra work for you. The ruler of the Hothouse is The Builder, someone who is recognized as the best and the smartest through a series of public and brutal competitions of mind and might.
The official Hothouse Flag was designed by the first Builder, Appleton the Original. The triangle represents the hothouse, as you might have guessed, but the doubled triangle is a symbol of so many values that Hothousers hold dear.  Appleton was known for his patience and care when erecting and planning the major monuments of the Hothouse capital, so scholars and politicians say the doubled triangle meant, “measure twice, cut once.” But it can be interpreted as broadly as “quality over quantity” or “do it right the first time,” as double-paneling the triangle is stronger than many triangles in a line. What is most intriguing is the intersection of the symbolic hothouse and the sun itself, putting them in concert, or at least as two parts of the whole. The construct is not subservient to the sun. In fact, they are relatively the same, as a sibling or partner encouraging the other to be better than they could have been alone.
Tumblr media
Open Fields
Country’s Motto: Reap What Is Sown
The people of Open Fields feel the deep connection between themselves and the ground, giving themselves strong perseverance and belief. This allows them to stare at the strangeness of existence in the face, such as how they can harvest produce and greens for sustenance even if it looks exactly like them. Open Field families show this devotion by naming themselves after virtues (in a Puritan sort of way) and both fervently praying and farming.
Unfortunately, there is no definitive account of how the Open Fields’ flag came to be. Many leaders have invoked various legends and parables, usually involving a poor potato farmer, resistance of temptation, and then divine inspiration. One version of the story says the pattern appeared in a bowl of mashed potatoes, when the butter and the mash was swirled together in the bowl. Another version supposes the farmer tried to harvest one of his crop but could not, and only through the collective strength of the entire farmer’s family and friends did they put the largest tuber ever recorded, with the design outlined in the eyes of the potato. The only record of the creation and adoption of the current design comes from the journal of a monk known as Saying-Thank-You-Meaningfully-For-an-Unexpected-Gift-No-Matter-What-It-Is. It seems that Saying’s closest friend at the monastery made woodcuts as a hobby, and created the sun-on-top, shovel-on-bottom image. That night, Saying wrote in their journal, “Saw an interesting image today. Must be the divine.” The colors–especially the deep red, unique in the flags of Verda Stello–and how it became the symbol of the entire country, remains unknown.
Tumblr media
Kingdom of the Crags
Country’s Motto: We Cover All
The Crags is the most Game of Thrones out of all of the countries. They find strength in dealing with adversity and sacrificing comfort for something greater. They explore their land, find the great thing that it does, and work with it (whether obsidian from lava or a fruit that gives you the strength of 10 in a mountain or a glowing mushroom in a crevasse). Over time, many families have formed into houses and territories, which has then led to a revolving door of kings and queens as the houses vie for power. As the Craggish saying goes, “Everyone has their purpose, and the royals are dying.”
The modern version of the Crags flag (say that five times fast) was established over six hundred years ago, at the signing of the Brevi Pax. Short for “brevi pax pugnantibus,” or “short peace between combatants” in middle Folkish, it was supposed to be a document that finally codified the system of governance in the Crags and illustrated all rights for Craggish citizens regardless of ruler. At the time of its signing, it was just Pax Pugnantibus, but the Brevi was added after Queen Opaline V was slain by her three sisters only ten days after the document was signed.
Although the peace did not remain, the rights of citizens stayed, as well as a specific agreed-upon design for the Craggish flag, The purple emphasizes the strength of the ruling families, while the white V and the black background stands in for the hard landscape where the people make their homes. There’s an interesting optical trick too; the sprout is in the dead center, but the crag makes it seem lower; what appears worse to others is exactly where the Crags knows is best.
Many of the sigils of the houses in the Crags use inversions or additions of this flag to bolster their claims for royal legitimacy, but they do not risk changing too much as would alienate themselves from the existence of the state. They are not above the kingdom and the Rocky Seat, as there would be nothing to rule.
Tumblr media
Overstalk
Country’s Motto: Carry Your Roots
The future lives in Overstalk, but it might linger as more of a dream than actually getting it done. Overstalk is the home of the philosophers, a quixotic solarpunkish country. This led to a vibrant merchant culture, so you buy what you need since we’re philosophizing over here. The beating heart of Overstalk is the Stacked City of Skyreach (think the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but a whole city), where radical but sometimes dangerous ideas flourish and fester.
The historians of Overstalk delight in explaining the symbology of their flag to others, as the metaphor of each color and symbol were, if you will pardon the pun, dyed right into it when the Fourth Congress of the Representatives commissioned local textile artist Cablin Pogostemon to create it. On the left side, the yellow represents the warmth and energy of the sun (but modern philosophers would argue that the top band is ascribed to the mercantile success of the region). The cream is the color of a yellowing page of a book, representing study, while the gray is the smoke of incense, representing spiritualism. As the cream and the gray interest each other and the yellow, you cannot forget the mind for the spirit or vice versa, and they are both integral to day-to-day living (or for modern interpretation, business dealings). The right side is the vertical expansion of Overstalk, as high as the stars themselves. 
This is the only flag in Verda Stello to use green, which some suppose signifies Overstalk’s high view of themselves as compared to the other countries.
Maybe Cablin knew this when they designed the flag, as it came with explicit instructions to never be hung up-and-down, with the stars at the top. It is considered a deep political insult to hang the flag in this way… but it has been accidentally turned during some particularly prickly international visits.
544 notes · View notes
theresattrpgforthat · 2 months
Note
Hi! I'm on a regency binge at the moment and while Good Society is on my list, do you have any more regency games/systems to recommend?
THEME: Regency Games
Hello friend, I think I have a nice little selection for you to take a look at!
One thing to note is that some of these games are very gendered, providing roles such as “Matron”, “Nobleman” or “Countess” that is rather unavoidable. Sometimes this is simply part and parcel of playing in a specific era of history, and sometimes it is done purposefully, as games can often be commentary about certain issues that were prevalent at the time.
While I think you could likely make a non-binary character in these games if you really want to, I think that one of the appeals of playing in the Regency era is the strict social structures that created such rigid gender boundaries, and so I’m not surprised to see those boundaries enforced in these games.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Vicious, by Budget Versailles.
Vicious is a game set during the Regency period about scandalous gossip told via letters between three or more players.
Players roll dice to generate scenarios and gossipy twists to pass on to the next player until everyone has been deceived with shocking slander and hearsay.
If you’re a fan of the epistolary phase of Good Society, Vicious is probably worth looking at. Watch a piece of news twist out of your control as your letters get flavoured with gossip. You can roll for inspiration for various scenarios, as well as for juicy gossip to make those scenarios even better - but the game ends with one player sends out an invitation to determine how many of the accusations that have been sent around are true.
I think Vicious is also an excellent add-on to pair with another game of your choice, especially since it could be played in between sessions, cooking up drama for the players to hash out in an in-person confrontation.
Hazelwood Abbey, by stevehatherly.
Downton Abbey meets Hillfolk. Players play an aristocratic family in a player-led dramatic game of emotional needs and wants for 4-5 players.
Hazelwood Abbey uses Pelgrane Press' DramaSystem rules engine to create a story of high-stakes interpersonal conflict. During the session, you will create family members with conflicting needs and goals. And then you will find out what happens.
To play this game you’ll need a good understanding of how the DramaSystem works. The author recommends referencing a copy of Hillfolk, although you can also check out the SRD for free to see how you feel about the system.
The DramaSystem is all about relationships, and give and take. Your characters all need something from each-other, something tied to an emotional reward. When interacting with each-other in a dramatic scene, tokens will be gained or spent by following prompts specific to your playbook. In Hazelwood Abbey, your characters are split between the upstairs and downstairs, just like in Downton Abbey. The upstairs playbooks will wrestle with ties to family, tradition, and duty, while the downstairs playbooks commonly struggle with ambition, social inequality, and precious secrets. If you deny another person what they seek, too many times, they may force an emotional concession from you by spending tokens.
I think this is a great example of dramatic tension, and while I suppose Hazelwood Abbey might be slightly later than regency era, it might give you some of what you’re looking for.
Sense and Sensibility, by Armanda.
YOU ARE A DEAD GUY’S SECOND FAMILY IN 18th CENTURY ENGLAND. Your mission is to get one of your sisters to marry well, since you’re all women and can’t live without the favor of a man. You have no rights other than the right to marry and be a mother. In this game, you’ll explore the terrible vicissitudes of British bucolic countryside life and deal with neighbours and city people coming to visit the various families in the area, where gossip and marriage (and love, in the best of cases) are the order of the day. 
Since this game is built off of Lasers and Feelings, I’d expect it to also be fairly easy to pick up if you’re familiar with other works in the same system. You have two stats and a number somewhere between 2 to 5 that tells you how good you are at one of those things, and how bad you are at the other.
I think this game is more focused on family relationships than some of the other games on this list, because your entire family’s well-being depends on the success of finding a wealthy match. Battle gossip, defend your honour, and possibly even sabotage your rivals in an attempt to find some security for yourself and your loved ones.
The Season, by Rue.
It's London season and you're in for a ball! 
The Season is a GM-less RPG about elevating your status and keeping up your reputation during the fabled Regency Era social season. 
This is a competitive RPG that takes place over the course of 10 rounds. Each characters’ goal is the same: to end the game with the highest Reputation. To chip away at your rivals’ reputation, you’ll have to demonstrate your own social graces, spread rumours, or meet gossip with the perfect amount of composure. You just need 2d6 to play, although you’ll probably want a few roll-tables for inspiration if you don’t consider yourself that good at improv.
This is another game that might benefit from being played alongside something bigger, or perhaps using some established lore from another setting.
Teacup Masquerade, by Sam Scribbler.
A one-page cozy social game about getting revenge on your enemies. Inspired by Regency-era romantic dramas such as Bridgerton with a vengeful twist. Create a character, discover your rival's secret, and become the darling of high society.
This is a simple game meant to fit on one page. You have three basic stats, and a gradient scale of success. You gain a random social advantage and a random personal shame, which you’ll want to try to hide as you go about discovering the secrets of your rivals.
There’s not a lot of guidance for this one, which is pretty common for one-page games. It might be a good fit if you have an idea of the kind of story you want to tell, or if you have your own set of home-brew rules that you want to add onto an existing premise.
The Social Season, by Scott Sexton.
In this single page role playing game inspired by the works of Jane Austen, you and your friends play as high society characters navigating the treacherous London social season.
To save your family from ruin, you must land an advantageous marriage proposal by the end of the season. Will you outwit scheming rivals and jealous suitors to make a fortuitous match, or will you become embroiled in scandal and depart London in disgrace?
This is a Honey Heist hack, pulling you between the two extremes of Composure and Scandal. Since it’s built off of a familiar system (to me), I can expect this game to be rather light-hearted, pushing your characters to vacillate between following social graces or deliberately doing something considered… untoward. This is certainly a chance to put on your stuffiest airs, flutter your fans dramatically, and describe your attempt to kiss your beau on the back of their hand.
The London Season, by Stéphanie Dusablon.
The London season of 1874, a perfect time for the aristocracy to advance the marriage prospects of their offsprings, entertain themselves through various social engagements and, naturally, gossip to their heart's content.
We were also taught that once we attained marital bliss, our husband would take ownership of our wealth, property and body. They probably would have passed a law to ensure our mind became theirs as well, had it occured to them that we might actually have one.
Create your young lady, decide if you hope to secure or avoid an engagement this season and carefully navigate 8 fortnights of glamorous events, social engagements and secret messages. 
As a solo roleplaying game, The London Season is an examination of the social inequities present in the Regency era, as well as a love letter for a time of secret messages and glamorous events. You’ll mostly be drawing cards to answer questions, receive secret messages, and navigate both welcome and unwelcome engagements, journaling each step of the way. At the end of eight fortnights, your young lady will have either achieved or lost her goal. Whether that goal is marriage or something else is up to you.
Games I’ve Recommended In The Past
Le Bon Ton, by RobotFrancis.
Pride and Extreme Prejudice, by Grant Howitt.
Eyes on the Prize, by ira prince.
54 notes · View notes
marielschism · 1 year
Note
Please do talk about the Marquis, all plot bunnies, how an eventual relationship with him would turn out. Any thoughts are most anticipated! 👀
FR?????????????? okay!
so i'm currently working on patron of the arts, a marquis de gramont x artist!reader fic where he is an art patron/cultural sugar daddy who is horrendously down bad for you, an artist in their flop era. i'm making an hc post for it over at my writing sideblog [@marielserif] so if anyone's interested 👀 i'll post it some time next week!
pairing: marquis de gramont x reader note: i think i made him unbearably ooc. whatever warnings: some mature themes/content; unedited; not an entirely healthy relationship (vincent has issues!!!!!!)
general relationship hcs
side note: these hcs operate under the assumption that the reader is unaware of his work.
i am deeply fascinated by yandere stuff, so every time i think of marquis de gramont, i can't help but sprinkle a bit of obsessive yearning on his part (because i honestly think he's the type to do so! he chased john wick all over the world! that should be me!). he is ruthless, ambitious, and determined, and i think this, too, translates into how he deals with his relationships.
i think that he's the type to fall hard for someone, but is also the type to deny the feeling initially, trying to stamp it out of his brain as hard as he can, constantly pretending that he is unaffected by you. he does not need you. he wants you. he has lived through most of his life without your presence, surely he can live through more.
his dedication to denying his feelings leads him into a great number of sticky situations: perhaps he dismisses you a bit too much, and it puts a significant strain on your relationship. he might even end up with you hating him.
he is used to being feared. he is used to being hunted. but he will never get used to the feeling of your hatred, so that could easily force him to act on his feelings before he makes things worse. it is a wake up call for him: he does not want to lose you because of his own pride.
good for you!
when the marquis is in it, good god, he is in it.
i think that marquis de gramont is an incredibly selfish man. if he loves you, you become an extension of himself — and in turn, he will ensure your safety and your joy. you deserve it. you're his.
he's a patron of the arts — he'll get along with you better if you have some appreciation for art and culture. your conversations with him will be longer, too, and sometimes more heated. vincent is very opinionated, and he'll defend his opinions to the death. he'll take you to museums, renting out entire scenic cultural hotspots just for you (and him) to enjoy at your own pace. he is prone to over-explaining when he is excited, so expect that you'll be doing a lot of listening.
if he senses that you're actually listening to him and he's feeling particularly generous, he'll reward you. you know what that entails.
there are times where you're feeling tired, and you're just not in the mood to listen to him ramble about his least favorite painting in the musee d'orsay. he does not fault you for it, but you feel the mild disappointment radiating off him in waves. you'll have to...make it up to him somehow.
he'll appreciate it very much.
anyway, vincent will take you to the ballet, dress you in the finest of things, and take you to the swankiest of establishments. you deserve nothing but the best.
if you inform him that you are uncomfortable with being spoiled like this, he will try to tone it down a little. the code word here is try. he will go back to sending you swarovski-embellished fountain pens in two weeks.
despite this, he's not above accompanying you to places like gas stations or grocery stores. sure, he'll take at least three bodyguards with him to ensure your safety, but he'll be there for you. he's capable of being normal!
(forgot to mention that vincent de gramont is territorial and overprotective at times. what's the use of all of his power if he can't use it protect the one he loves?)
(his brand of protection can feel almost like a prison at times. you'll have to clearly communicate with him about what you want, and you have to be very firm with him if you don't want to feel like you're a bird in a gilded cage. you have to make sure that he knows you won't just take it.)
(you need a backbone to love him. that's the truth of it all.)
vincent is also touch-starved, though he denies this constantly.
he can be an incredibly greedy kisser. he kisses you like he's starving, and he'll hold you like you'll turn into dust if he lets go.
he can be gentle, too — easy does it, and he takes it as slow as you want. languid, lazy, like you have all of the time in the world.
he's also a horrific tease. he's a smug bastard. he'll do everything except kiss you — he'll bite your earlobe, let his lips travel to your pulse, and kiss the corners of your lips. when you whine, he'll pull away with that smirk of his, and leave you to your racing heart. you're flustered as hell, and he looks unaffected by it.
(it's a lot harder for him to keep his composure if you're the one teasing him.)
he reaches out for you in his sleep, even if he is alone. a tired vincent will always reach out for you, no matter what stage of sleep he's in. in his sleep, he'll end up wrapping himself around your entire body like a boa constrictor no matter your size. one time, he fell asleep on top of you, and you had to elbow him awake because he was suffocating you.
(he owns a weighted blanket for when you're not around.)
if you play with vincent's hair, he will complain about you messing up the handiwork of his treasured coiffeur, but he won't say a word. when you pull your hands off his hair, he'll actually whine, and place your hands back. you have to clear your schedule if you want to play with his hair; he will not let you out of his presence until he's dead asleep.
if you really want to see a very stressed vincent, you can deny him your touch for weeks on end. but why would you do that? 😊
he's prone to taking drastic actions to get what he wants. a desperate vincent de gramont is someone you do not want to meet; a desperate vincent de gramont gets results.
so god help those who will try to take you from him.
plot bunnies
i really need to finish this because i have a 7-page paper due in 42 hours
i desperately wanted to write a ballet dancer!reader x patron!marquis de gramont instead of an artist!reader but im going to be completely honest with you i have zero knowledge of the world of ballet and i would NOT be able to do the idea justice.
(your rival dancer goes missing because of your patron. you investigate. things do not go well.)
also another plot bunny: leverage!reader
the marquis keeps an eye on you as leverage over your father, who is under his employ. think caine and his daughter.
he threatens your safety to keep your father in line constantly — but he's grown fond of you, strangely. you have a harmless hobby. it is soothing to watch you work. he is not going to hurt you.
(vincent even has his men protect you from harm. their presence in the area deter would-be muggers. you do not know this.)
at one point, your father grows stubborn, and vincent has to take a very drastic measure to ensure his cooperation.
he kidnaps you. of course he does.
strange things happen.
assistant!reader! you are his faithful assistant, and you get hurt in the line of duty. oh noooo. what happens next??? :OOO
349 notes · View notes
utilitycaster · 4 months
Note
🔥 each member of vox machina
Vax: really the sadboy narrative for Liam has always been stupid but it's egregiously bad that it started with Vax, who is like, sad for maybe a fifth of the episodes and largely because Liam O'Brien's actual mother was dying, like, with all due respect what the actual fuck, fandom.
Vex: I am the founding and probably only member of the "Vex is my favorite character and also I am 100% cool with Colville's depiction of her." The generosity she shows even very early on in C1 is still a generosity borne of some degree of security - they have a keep by then - and I also just don't think you have to like a character to write them fairly. Granted it's been a minute since I read early VMO but nothing stood out to me as out of line with my understanding of Vex.
Pike: repeating myself once again but I like Pike a lot and wish we could have seen more, but because we didn't, people who say she's their favorite in C1 do tend to turn me off in that I feel they're looking for a relatively flat and widely praised character to project onto rather than a character who goes through more messy development.
Grog: I think he's often underestimated and I was guilty of doing so myself, to be honest, until I saw Travis play more and until I personally got better at D&D. Also I still maintain that playing INT 6 sensitively and well is infinitely harder than playing INT 16, all things considered, and this is yet another reason why people should play high INT more often.
Scanlan: Also underestimated; I do understand being turned off by the whole extremely horny playboy thing but as I've said before Bard's Lament is a major litmus test for me: if you think Scanlan is completely at fault here, you are wrong, and if you think he's not partially at fault, you are also wrong.
Tary: I genuinely love him and think he's a great character and one of Sam's best, but while his character arc is strong the Taryon Darrington Arc of the VM Campaign, through no fault of his own (and partly bc I personally think D&D Hell, especially pre-Descent Into Avernus publication, is kind of boring), is one of the weakest parts of the campaign because it's kind of a grab bag of loose ends. With that said I would happily watch more Darrington Brigade-one shots.
Percy: Percy is also generally a litmus test in that it's like. Is he a good person? Eventually I believe he becomes one, and even before that I think he's very sympathetic and deeply traumatized and like, 24, so I get it, but also, who the fuck cares. This ties into the Essek and the Ashton opinions and all kinds of other stuff but why are people so invested in fucking absolving their blorbo of all sins? I want someone who's lived enough of a life to have done some heinous shit because that's fun and interesting and it's pretend and also because then they can have a rewarding character arc by either working towards redemption or coming to terms with who they are or spiraling into tragedy.
Keyleth: I like Keyleth a lot but I am, as this post indicates, far more sympathetic to Vex, and so while I do think Keyleth is a fairly good person she is also extremely sheltered and naive and terrified of doing the wrong thing and I would have, like Vex, wanted to scream at her half the time were I just a random NPC wandering about the campaign. On the other hand C3-era Keyleth? fantastic no notes she has grown up in such an interesting way.
Tiberius: I think we, and by we I mean people capable of separating the art from the artist, can recognize that his concept actually fucking slapped and unfortunately he was played by someone who absolutely sucked in a myriad of ways. I would love to see the alternate universe in which the same general concept (prodigy sorcerer from Draconia who is full of themself) had to face not just the destruction of their civilization but the realization that they were taking advantage of the Ravenites and while they did not deserve to be killed by Vorugal, had done nothing to justify aid from those they had subjugated either. Like, the alternate world in which one of the current cast members or like, a close friend of the main cast (Ashly, Erika, Mary Elizabeth) played this is one I'd love to see.
64 notes · View notes