emissary of the azran people ; aurora.

[azranmartyr]

‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎   the azranmartyr ; an indie, private portrayal of aurora from professor layton and the azran legacy.

thawed by annie, 23, gmt/bst. blog will contain untagged spoilers for almost every professor layton game, so proceed with caution!

[azranmartyr]

i'm still kicking! just recovering from sickness and work fatigue, but hopefully i'll be around sooner rather than later

[azranmartyr]

imagine wanting to write but life decides your car doesn't need front tyres a week after you just got them replaced. i will be around at some point soon.

[eviefyres]

PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP MEME 0.2

over a year ago, i made this meme & since then, it’s blown up. so, over a year later — i thought i would make a new one. so here it is, after several requests & a pile of brains,  THE PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP MEME 0.2 send me a  ✿  and i’ll fill out the template below. bold for things i could definitely see or want, italics for things i could see or am unsure of and striked out for things i don’t want or cannot see.

FRIENDSHIP.     childhood friends  /  work buddies or coworkers  /  family friends  /  friends with benefits  /  smoking buddies  /  adventure buddies  /  fake friends  /  recently friends  /  party buddies  /  friendship of need  /  dying friendship  /  circumstantial friendship  /  partners in crime  /  old friendship  /  [ your muse ] is the good influence  /  [ your muse ] is the bad influence  /  [ my muse ] is the good influence  /  [ my muse ] is the bad influence  /  opposites attract  /  ride or die  /  frenemies  /  roommates or flatmates  /  penpals  /  exes to friends  /  enemies to friends  /  other

ROMANCE.     childhood sweethearts  /  [ your muse is mines ] childhood crush  /  [ my muse is yours ] childhood crush  /  exes  /  exes to lovers  /  forbidden lovers  /  highschool sweethearts  /  secret relationship  /  opposites attract  /  long distance  /  unrequited [ from your muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from my muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from both sides ]  /  skinny love  /  friends to lovers  /  enemies to lovers  /  spurious relationship  /  power couple  /  newly entered  /  soulmates [ metaphorical ]  /  soulmates  [ literal ]  /  awkward  /  turning toxic  /  toxic love  /  cheating [ on your muse ]  /  cheating [ with your muse ]  /  other 

FAMILIAL.     siblings [ half ]  /  siblings [ step ]  /  [ my muse ] is an older sibling figure to your younger sibling figure  /  [ my muse ] is a younger sibling figure to your older sibling figure muse  /  [ my muse ] is a parental figure to yours  /  [ my muse ] is a child figure to your muse  /  guardian figure  /  legal guardian  /  adoptive child  /  foster child  /  [ your muse ] is taken under mines wing  /  [ my muse ] is taken under yours wing  /  other

ANTAGONISTIC.     dangerous to each other  /  dangerous to others  /  unpredictable  /  rivals  /  petty  /  developing into sexual or romantic tension  /  based off family matters  /  based of off circumstance  /  based of professional matters  /  based off misunderstanding or lies  /  conflict of ideology  /  betrayal  /  hero - villain dynamic  /  enemies  /  fight club  /  friends turned enemies  /  lovers turned enemies  /  exes turned enemies  /  other 

[azranmartyr]

it has hit me that some of you may wanna see the art of aurora on her carrd in its fullest, so here it is for your viewing pleasure! this was commissioned on vgen by this lovely artist here!

[porpomuses-a]

A TWITCH OF THE FACE, A BRIEF FALTER of that gentle smile. For a moment she might look into his eyes and see sadness, something vaguely bittersweet, like how he felt in this very moment. Aurora is more perceptive than she realizes, or perhaps, they have told her more about him than they have let on.

What must be like, be made and not born? To be brought into the world with near adult-level perception and knowledge yet an infantile understanding of emotion and nuance? In the early days of the golems, Vidar scorned the creations, not for being lesser, but of being unnatural. They were a product of the Azran's hubris, and a result of his own failures. Before the days of the rebellion, he saw them, and all he saw in them were the sins that the Azran had committed.

. . . And yet, he looks at her, and he feels remorse that he had ever felt such a way.

The air is filled with a thoughtful pause, before Aurora interjects again, 'You don't need to answer that,' and a flicker of a genuine smile returns. She was curious, and curiosity, as insatiable as it was, was something he eagerly humored. He listens to her, the vestiges of his smile fading, considerate and calm, unlike the councilmen and the politicians that sneered.

"We are the remainders of two separate worlds, young one," He begins. Drifting away from the pedestal where which he had read his tomes, Seer Vidar makes towards the trio of shallow sand pools, that which he used to scribe and dictate to his chroniclers.

A hoofed talon kisses the sand, then draws across it. "Time is a finite line, ever changing. The present is at the center of it, and whatever which way we go, the further we drift from the middle, the less recognizable things become." He then draws intersecting lines across the first, closer and closer together as he draws further from the middle.

"To survive this change, one must adapt. However, it is natural for us to want to stay in the present. Even as the rest of the world moves forwards, we desire for things to remain unchanged. The present . . . which eventually becomes the past."

A pause. "The Shrine of Malaza, devout as they were, were a people rooted in the past. Yours is a people of the distant future, a time that our kindred will never live to see. Either side is too distant to be recognizable . . . therefore unknown."

"That is how some see us. It has and it has always been, well before your time. Well before even mine." He assures, before smiling bittersweetly. "Still, we continue as we are."

[azranmartyr]

She sees the look in his eyes... and there's already parts of her system that have delegated themselves to further thought on it. She will never truly know that the things she has such knowledge on are supposed to be naturally learned over time, over experiences. What she does know well is that her kind were the last to break the chain of long-lasting accomplishments. They're careful to not use certain words in earshot of her, but other people outside the circle are not. She has heard how the rebellious golems are referred as; mistakes. Failures. And yet they all operate under the same systems as every other golem.

Why were those ones designated as mistakes when it could theoretically happen to any, and all, golems?

...For a moment, even as the other drifts away, she simply stays where she is. But once it becomes apparent that she was supposed to follow, she quickly does so as the brief look of realisation vanishes from her face once more. Coming up close as she watches and listens. Previously, her listening expression had been of complete neutrality. Around officials, it still is. But when it is just the two of them... there is the beginnings of a smile that remain on her face. Just small enough for her systems to not recognise.

Aurora doesn't know she's doing it herself, either.

Her hands have remained clasped, it feels unnatural for them to be doing anything else. It allows her to ground herself as she thinks. And the more she does, the more her expression changes to one of indifference. Contradiction. " That doesn't make sense. " She starts, before clarifying. " The Azran have prided themselves on making changes that none could have imagined in times of the past, or even in this moment. Yet they don't seem to have carried that same pride their chronicles speak of into today. " Sure, they were still a prideful race, but there was that apprehensiveness that Aurora had mentioned earlier. As if they weren't sure if any changes they made now would make a difference in the long run.

" They seem... worried. About the future, about what comes next. Is that because of... " She pauses. There is only one reason why there would be such worry. But even now, she isn't entirely sure if it's fair to not count herself amongst them. After all, she was also one of... " ...the golems? The ones that have rebelled? " ...Her question seemed to have originally ended earlier. Her continuation was only added a split second after. More clarification.

She was a golem, but she wasn't a rebellious one. Surely.

[songsofthe]

No one across the planet could deny that Ambrosia was one of the more reserved sanctions of the Azran's reach. It collaborated frequently with all other parts of the world, but that was true for all of them. In order to keep the collective whole, communication was a necessity. Still, Ambrosia's placement was far unlike most, with the kingdom being surrounded by nothing but the sea. The connections to the rest of the world were there, but they lacked in influence. For all intents and purposes, Ambrosia acted as one of, if not, the most independent of the Azran kingdoms. Little word was brought in and brought out of Ambrosia. Golems still resided and existed in the castaway society, but their numbers were lacking and thus, unfortunately, so was their influence and rebuttal against the authority residing in other parts of the empire. In fact, one would like to believe that they were, to quote some of Ambrosia's officials, better off here than elsewhere. Those words didn't deny the work put onto them; their identities continued to be stripped like the parts that built them. The Queen had her own, reserved feelings about the happenstance of the Golems. She was fully aware of the ongoing riots that had broken out across the empire, but until one were to happen here, she could not provide her people with guidance. She considered the Golems to be of the same people, but had yet to ensure a system that would otherwise condemn all of Ambrosia for allowing autonomy for the Golems, as their right. Her officials wouldn't agree with her; who knows what would happen if she were to rise with them. It was partly why she wished to have Aurora here. The Queen of Ambrosia wished to hear the words of a Golem who had access to all reaches of the world to give her opinions. Did it put both of them at risk? Yes, but things were kept in private, this risk would be well worth it. She didn't belittle Aurora when she, based on a structuralist definition, spoke out of turn. It was only a small gesture, until they found themselves out of earshot.

"There's nothing to fret with me, my dear." The Queen's voice was gentle and welcoming, but based on her own merit and not the merit of what was viewed a queen should sound like. This was simply how she was, and that, for now, could not be dictated. Her hands were pressed together elegantly in front of her as they walked down the main hallway of her castle. She turned her head behind her, blonde locks tussling to look back at a now-empty pathway. The Queen faced Aurora besides her again, and nodded slowly towards her. "In fact, I myself find relief that you do with my kingdom. With the tension brewing within the rest of our regions, the last thing you need is more distress." It must've impacted Aurora on a much different level than both the Azran and the Golems. She was stuck in the middle, a Golem created solely to be placed right in the middle. The Queen's expression deadpanned as she rose one of her hands to place itself gently on Aurora's shoulder; she did not look at her now. "Do you wish to make any special requests with your stay? My kingdom is not off limits to you."

[azranmartyr]

The emissary was well-aware of her standing amongst both the Azran and the other golems. Both had a tendency to look at her differently. She didn't quite fit into either category perfectly... there was always something preventing her from being seen as one or the other. Part of her wonders what that must be like. Many have mistaken her for being human until they realise what she is, and many golems have tried communicating with her until they also realise who she is.

She wasn't fully trusted by either side. Her restrictions only eased said distrust slightly.

Yet even now, she was finding workarounds. Had she tried to speak out of turn mere months ago, she'd have found little success. But to admit such faults would be to seal her fate as yet another failure. These facts were ones that she chose to keep to herself, murmuring to herself about the risks any time she had a moment alone. Technology was always evolving and she was a part of that. But she wasn't made to evolve. She was made for one singular purpose. One she wasn't supposed to grow out of.

It was almost eerie how quick Aurora was to fall back into silence. Even after reassurances, she had thought it easier to not engage with the current topic unless specifically asked of her. And she never walked beside the queen either. Always slightly behind. But never slightly in front. It would be a sign of disrespect, a disregard for the role of the one beside her. One that outranked her own.

She was in her own thoughts again when she felt contact on her shoulder, it raising slightly in return as her head turned to look at the other.

" Special... requests? " She asked like those words were foreign to her. They were not. But it was the first she had heard the two of them combined in a saying like that. Logically, she easily deduced the meaning behind them. Her programming had already come up with a predetermined answer to give, to politely decline on the basis that special requests should not be given to her. However... " ...Such as? "

It wasn't a direct answer. That was her workaround. Interest being shown in a topic did not trigger abrupt interruptions to her thoughts or speech like what an acceptance would have done. They had taken into account that to accomplish her role, she would need to show apparent interest in words being spoken to her. They simply hadn't accounted for that interest to be genuine.

So now she was staring. Waiting. Like a child waiting for their guardian to guide them. One could make the argument that that was what she was on a glorified scale.

[azranmartyr]

hi hi! everything is in drafts to be worked on over today and tomorrow, i'm going to use the rest of my writing energy to also tackle stuff on other platforms before coming back here! please poke me for replies for any messages i've left unanswered!

[azranmartyr]

@bosstonius inquired ; “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” - from Des (Descole or Desmond, your pick) :]

Her observations were quick to halt, her face falling to neutrality once more. She had listened to the tales, of course. It was hard not to when there were claims of someone running around seeking to claim Azran landmarks for themselves. She looks at the one before her... and struggles to make much distinction between Descole and Targent. The one fallback she could've made being one she was uncertain was true.

After all, anyone would act nice to the last surviving member of the Azran if it meant getting what they wanted from her.

Her face falls further at that. Sadder. A good moment of silence passes before she speaks, contemplating how she wanted to articulate her thoughts. " I am not sure who I am looking at anymore. You make it difficult to tell. Are you just tormenting me with another lie, or are you showing me the truth? " She starts simple. It had always been hard for her to draw the line at where one person stops and another begins... but this was even worse. " I regret... I regret that the Azran have taken lives even after extinction. And for what? Understanding? Accomplishment? To be something greater than the wonderful existence you already have? "

She wanted answers. She needed answers. Many questions she could answer in return, but any that crossed over into emotional responses more than logical ones... were where she fell flat. Aurora feels so much. And she doesn't know what to do with it all. It doesn't feel right to lash out. Yet it doesn't feel right to let it build up.

" You are not a ghost, despite your proclamations otherwise. Ghosts are content to observe rather than actively chase. You've lived in spite of it all. In spite of Targent. In spite of the Azran. In spite of me. " Because that's what she is, at the end of the day. She is still a part of the Azran. And maybe, in some way, she's felt the resentment.

" So why are you still here? There is nothing I have left to offer. My use has run out. "

[azranmartyr]

@wandrling inquired ; “I think you dropped this.” (from first meeting sentence starters. 👀)

It was very easy to not realise she had lost her "bracelet". She was more used to the weight of it being on her head, not her wrist. Would she have noticed later on? Perhaps. But by that point, she would have moved too far along, resulting in her not being able to retrace her steps from the day...

The girl actually appears confused at first when she's addressed. Then her eyes zero in on the familiar headpiece and her confusion turns into muted appreciation.

" Oh. I didn't even notice it was gone. " A spoken observation as she reaches to grab it, attaching it back around her wrist and double checking that it was tight enough. Once satisfied, she gave a small smile. A bit awkwardly, she didn't seem like the type to smile the way she was trying to. " Thank you. Most would have just kept walking. "

She had done something similar to this in the past. No one helped her then.

[azranmartyr]

hello again! i'm hoping to get into more of a writing mood starting from tomorrow, i've just been so tired the past couple days.

[wylkstone]

AS HE DISMOUNTS HIS SEIKRET to trek deeper into the tunnel, the familiar sound of wylk pooling under his boots meets his ears. This close to Wyveria's ruins, it leaked out of the earth in small but natural springs, likely sustenance for the pale growths of plants that somehow grew inbetween the cracks and crevices here.

Brushing past the weeping limbs of roots and vines that drape down over the ancient, decrepit facade of a doorway, Nata ducks, and takes cautious steps down the dark and echoing corridor.

. . . Until, he ultimately finds the source of the noise that had drawn him here. Shuffling footsteps make the youth freeze in alert, and for a beat, he silently regretted coming here, fearful that he had trekked right in the den of a guardian seikret pack. But, between the long shadows cast on the floor, the bright glow of a milk-white coccoon illuminates the space, and casts a rim light over a human silhouette stumbling about like a newborn calf.

Nata gasps audibly. It was a girl—no older than a young adult from the looks of it. The fabric of her clothes seemed of pale silk and satin, but not of the robes his people wore. The cadence of her voice . . . was awkward, and soft, like a child trying to speak its first words.

The youth swallows down his astonishment, but remains where he stands. " . . . Hello." He awkwardly returns the greeting, following it with a long pause. It isn't until after his shock fades that he remembers his manners. " . . . Are you lost?"

[azranmartyr]

For being human in appearance, she seemed quite... drenched. Like she had been here for quite some time, stumbling around on the ground. Even if that didn't explain the sheen her hair seemed to share with her garments as well. More odd was the fact that it didn't seem to bother her, whether she had yet to notice or not was another question. She had a weird calmness to her that most would not have if they found themselves in this space.

The girl seemed more relieved about the fact she was understood.

It's only when the silence breaks again that she seems to go into thought. Properly looking at her surroundings. Lost? But this was all familiar to her... she remembers it a bit differently, but it's still the same place. So she turned back towards the stranger, giving a small shake of her head.

" ...No. I'm not. I believe I'm meant to be here? " She hesitates with her words again. Her initial greeting was simply one word, hard to mess up. But these were several words. Another moment of silence. Then she settles on something that should, hopefully, not have changed throughout the ages. " Wyveria...? It was... "

Her mind was drawing blanks on specifics. Really, she only had a sense of nostalgia to fall back on. This felt right to her. So it must be the correct topic. Logically, she knows what would have happened. The point of no return. Her face falls with a slight frown.

She mourns for a moment. Then she remembers.

" I'm here to... watch. "

[porpomuses-a]

AS FOR THE DENIZENS OF THE TEMPLE OF THE SEER, work is often very restful. These walls are filled with the soft sound of bells rung on the hour, of gently trickling streams and mournful windchimes that blew idly in the mountain wind. The Azran sought to shift the walls of their structures to contain shifting runes and plates of ancient scripture, yet in here the unmovable murals and stone buttresses spoke to the temple's seemingly boundless age.

It was though it in itself as an anachronism. The delta-shaped structure which rose in the air was once a pinnacle of ancient achievement, but both Azran progress and the elements had caused its glory to wither with time. Yet, the monks who lived here held fast to its ways, and so stubbornly the temple remained unchanged, perhaps one of the few things the Council was willing to respect.

. . . Or perhaps, they simply didn't care to change it. In a time of turning tide, the gods had been abandoned by most since before Vidar's time. What few that still devote themselves to piety remain among this temple, scarce, but diligent.

And he, the Seer of All Other Things, has become less of a bridge between his people and his gods, and more of a dignified historian, sought out to recite from the annals of the Azran's many ages. Yet still, Vidar was devout to his role. When he dipped his beak into an elevated bowl to wash his face, he did so with elegance, and he spoke with the tone and accent that the Council had taught him.

. . . At this point, he knows their tongue far better than he remembers that of pious Malaza. Thus, when the Emissary, his newly instated pupil, addresses him, he speaks with soft eyes and a softer smile, displaying the visage of unwavering patience.

"Apprehensive, child?" When he addresses her, he addresses her as he does the rest of his students. More her than with anyone else he must be delicate, or so the Council has warned. Do not let it fall amongst them, as well, for with it, our legacy goes.

Yet, the people made no more effort to welcome her than they did the others. Vidar must dance between pleasant lies, and sugar-coated truths.

He loathed that. "They will warm with time. Turn your ear away from those who scorn and listen to those who are eager to welcome. For every ally, there are a hundred enemies, but a single ally is worth a thousand men."

[azranmartyr]

Despite her lack of societal experiences, she's not as naive as the council may have hoped for. A being made solely for the purpose of taking on logical tasks is much quicker at putting two and two together than human minds troubled with everything else that comes with it. She doesn't even associate emotions with herself... so when asked if she's apprehensive? It's met with little to no response.

Aurora takes it into consideration, however.

Much of their interactions consist of her silently thinking to herself before yet another question arises. The emissary hardly makes small talk. Many that try end up finding their conversations abruptly halted the moment the topic has passed. But her line of thinking this time is much broader. Requiring more input.

" Were they the same with yourself? In your starting days? " Of course a golem with little experience would seek knowledge with those that have shared interactions. Such a simple question, really. Aurora has had a tendency to surprise people with how blunt she can be. But as an intended diplomat, sometimes it's the simpler things that are looked for in negotiations.

...Something in her seems to recognise what she has just asked, however. She had been told these kinds of questions were irrelevant. " ...You don't need to answer that. I was just... " Curious. It goes unspoken, still unable to be identified by herself. Anyone that has ever asked a question just because they can would know. She tells herself that she's asking out of necessity. And not because she just wanted to know. So instead, she tries again. Pondering her words more closely this time.

" I had been told that you were a being of vast knowledge. One of the last to be granted that honour as the times change, should they continue this way. Yet there's not many that I see outside these grounds that treat you in a way that would indicate such. Why is that? " Try as they all might, the emissary was well-aware of the discrepancies being shown both around her and without her presence. And much like her kin before her, she's asking questions.

" Why do they treat us differently? "

[azranmartyr]

good morning! work is a bit chaotic still with the snow, but i have a day off tomorrow, so hopefully i'll be around for writing then!

[azranmartyr]

i'll be back to do more writing at some point after work! we've had heavy snowfall the past couple days so i gotta start leaving earlier to account for that, but i'll be around sporadically on mobile!

[azranmartyr]

@songsofthe inquired ; “You might want to keep your voice down.”

She hadn't even realised she had begun to vocalise her own thoughts. When had she started doing that as a whole? Golems had been known for keeping their inner thoughts quiet at the best of times... and yet here she was, speaking them aloud like a human would. Her back had been turned towards the entrance ever since she brought herself here, admiring her surroundings as she turmoiled with herself.

This place was calm. Much calmer than her confinement more in-land. The conflicts at hand had yet to touch this space. She felt... something off about bringing those conflicts to light here. This wasn't the place for it. For her. Her vocalisations had been reasoning to halt this line of thinking, only to be pushed back by her own voice recalling her purpose. She was meant to think about this. To criticise. To worry about what could come next for the entire civilisation as a whole, including Ambrosia, should these smaller rebellions continue.

What had started as mere mumblings had grown in volume the more she found conflict with herself. A volume that seemed to have gotten the attention of the monarch.

Her speech didn't get much further when she registered the familiar voice, one she especially didn't want to have heard this. The emissary is quick to turn to meet the presence. " O'Grace. " The brief shock on her face vanishes, her stoic expression looking akin to one of shame. Her hands clasp together as she dips her back into a deep bow, internal systems not allowing her to meet the other's eyes without express permission. One she hadn't been granted yet in this encounter.

" Forgive me, my words disgrace the tranquility this kingdom has granted me. They should have remained unspoken. " To admit that they weren't meant to be spoken in the first place would make a more pressing issue regarding her highlighted. She ignores the parts of her telling her to admit it either way.

[azranmartyr]

@salem-drake inquired ; 🌀 "Do they have a recurring dream or nightmare?"

aurora doesn't quite dream, as she doesn't sleep. she imitates slumber. her dreams are, at best, recollections of what has happened. sometimes she doesn't even see anything. pitch black until it's time to "wake up". but the more knowledge she recalls, the more those recollections go back in time... to the active era of the azran.

she's thankful she didn't get a chance to "rest" after finding out the truth. she did not want to recall the final moments. the war had already taken so much from her, having to relive through it again may have destroyed her more than she already was.