This is a bit of Flash fiction I did a while ago. But I'm finally posting it and will hopefully be posting other flash fiction works here.
The artist watched the sky come alight with washes of pastel pinks and fire oranges. A swirling tapestry that was impossible to look away from. Painted watercolor clouds stark against the background of a sky aflame. Vibrant sunlight glowed as it breached the horizon, blinding. The artist saw the wind caressing the rolling green hills and the pine tree’s branches. The crystalline blue water of the river that ran past glimmered and reflected the sky like the stained-glass windows in the church from their childhood. Tall trees dotted the ground just beyond the ridges of the hills. Little fluffy yellow bees buzzed from colorful flower to colorful flower.
Multi-colored butterflies and monochrome birds flew through the air, dancing freely and without care. The cry of an eagle sounded in the distance, sharp and echoing. A soft brown rabbit hopped from under a bush, ears twitching around at every sound. The wind pulled stray leaves and petals from the ground and tossed them skywards like confetti. Rolling mountains scraped the sky and stained their rock faces a mirage of warm colors. The sun reflected off the snow-white peaks, glaringly bright.
They watched as the brilliant sun rose higher and higher, the sky’s colors bleeding away into an intense and rich blue. The clouds bathed in the rising sunlight and became awash with pinks and purples. The sky was impossible to look at for longer than a few seconds. They blinked rapidly before looking back at their paints and blank canvas. They would never be able to capture the true beauty of the sunrise, the spring fields, the clouds, none of it. They felt like they were but a blemish on a perfect picture. A mote of dust in an infinite field of color, an ink stain to be cleaned away.
Far above the open fields and the lone artist, an eagle drifted through the sky. The eagle’s sharp, golden eyes spotted the human far below as they stood in the flowering fields of color. The world of color the eagle knew was unlike what the human could see. But the eagle had no concept of art or color theory. The world around them was all they knew. Hunting, surviving, and thriving were everything to the bird of prey.
Though finite, the artist could enjoy the colors of the world around them. They couldn’t capture the world's truth, so they would let it run free. After all, it wasn’t their place when a mortal was surrounded by immortal beauty. It was easier to live in the moment, to observe the sliver of time they lived in. Time to enjoy the smell of the earth, the pollen in the air, the gift of life.
The artist set their palette of paints down on their stool and wandered across the grassy fields. They wanted a closer look at the field of wildflowers around them. The light around them shifted the hues and shades of the flower petals. The trees went from a near-pitch green to a rich evergreen. The sunlight rippled and scattered across the running water of the river, the blue never the same shade. The transition was impossible to paint correctly and capture. They looked over the field, the river, the trees, the mountains, the sky, and the clouds. The colors were vibrant and ever-shifting. No two flowers had the same hue, and no two clouds had the same shape.
Everything was unique, much like human fingerprints. The artist could see the world in more colors than what was considered normal, and that gave them both an advantage and a disadvantage in the world of creation. It allowed them to see more, but made it harder to capture what they saw.
The eagle circled lazily on a breeze that swept down from the mountains it called home. Its sharp gaze looking for any possible meal hidden in the shining river or twisting trees. It dipped and rose with the flow of the wind, an invisible river all its own.
As the human walked through the lush grass below, a rabbit darted out from the brush, and the eagle moved. It dove with practiced precision, its talons stretched wide before it. With a startled squeak, the rabbit was quickly captured within its sharp claws, and its life was snuffed out like a candle.
The artist watched, frozen, as the eagle descended and caught its prey. The large bird’s brown feathers stood against the green grass and colorful flowers. As the bird of prey raised its head, the artist could see the grass slowly darkening as the rabbit’s blood stained the ground. The smell of iron mixed with the floral scent of pollen. Bits of fur floated away in the soft breeze that flowed through the area. This was life, a cycle of living and dying. Even in the immortal beauty of the world, there is a need for survival. The eagle feasted on its meal as the artist made their way back to their supplies, finally knowing what to paint. The truth of the world, life.
Slowly, I remember why I cannot pretend
That I never think of you in all this screaming silence
(Oh God, I wish you were here)
I could be stuck here alone
When even my future is threatening
Do you ever believe
That we can turn into different people?
It's getting harder to be (Myself)
Something is lifting the bones
I can tell you won't remember my cracking bones
The trauma we can't regrow
Something is dancing in revelry
And I don't know what's got its teeth in me
But I'm about to bite back in anger
Wider than oceans below
Taller than titans on box springs
Beneath the stormy seas
Above the mountain peaks
It's all the same to me
It makes no difference
And the waters are warm
Where they used to run freezing
Where there used to be storms
In a city of ice, there are burning cathedrals
Turning the skies into glass
And through echoing futures, over buckling sutures
That hold shut the wounds of the past
My horizon is fleeting
If my fate is a bad collision
And if my mind is an open highway
Give me the twilight two-way vision
Give me one last ride on a sunset sky lane
I'm so tired inside
I could sleep through a landslide
So flood me like Atlantic, bandage up the trenches
Anything to get me to sleep
Don't wake me up
But I'm finally here
I will travel far beyond the path of reason
Take me back to Eden
And I'm not leaving this time
My redemption, eternal ascension
Setting me free
So I'll take what I want then leave
You make me wish I could disappear
“Get help,” Palpatine said. “You’re no match for him. He’s a Sith Lord.”
Obi-Wan turned to look at the Chancellor. “...yes?” he said. “But he’s also something else – something I’m surprised you’ve forgotten.”
“What?” Palpatine asked.
“A politician,” Obi-Wan replied, turning back to Dooku.
Anakin groaned, then sat down.
“Here we go,” he said.
Palpatine blinked, looking from Anakin to Obi-Wan.
“...what do you mean, Anakin?” he asked.
“This happens sometimes,” Anakin replied. “How do you think he got his nickname?”
“Count,” Obi-Wan said, at about the same time. “It’s occurred to me that I never actually found out what the Confederacy wants.”
“Isn’t it a little late for this?” Dooku asked. “We have been at war for several years.”
“True,” Obi-Wan conceded, readily. “The war having started on Geonosis, because of tracing back your clone army which we… appear to have appropriated, mostly because you did it in our name. But that’s how the war started – not your objectives.”
Dooku was silent for a moment.
“I assume some semblance of a point will be emerging,” he said, eventually. “If you could be so kind as to provide it?”
“Wars begin for all sorts of reasons,” Obi-Wan replied. “But how they end… they end because a mutual settlement has been reached. And it’s occurred to me that I don’t know what you’d want out of a victory.”
He spread his hand, the one not holding the – unlit – saber. “It’s not the conquest of the Republic, I can tell that much. If the CIS annexed the Republic, what you’d have would still be the Republic, just under a different name… it’s not the Republic without the corruption that’s been causing it problems, because most of the corruption in the Republic was – was – the big industrial concerns like the Techno Union, Commerce Guild, Trade Federation. But you seem to have taken all of those off our hands, and they provide essentially your entire military so I don’t think anyone else could honestly believe that either.”
“I wouldn’t expect a Jedi to understand,” Dooku replied. “The Confederacy’s member systems have concerns relating to over-centralization.”
Obi-Wan stared at him for a long moment.
“...no they don’t,” he said.
“I hardly think you can have earned your reputation as a negotiator, Kenobi, if you are so willing to be insulting,” Dooku said, archly.
“That’s not what I mean,” Obi-Wan replied. “I mean… yes, now the Republic has an army, though really it’s actually the Jedi’s army and we’re simply letting them borrow it, but four years ago the Galactic Republic was proverbially incapable of doing anything. It took emergency powers for the Chancellor to get the Republic to authorize having any kind of military whatsoever – and the only one available was the one you ordered. That’s not over-centralization.”
He drummed his fingers on his ‘saber. “And I note that I overheard Nute Gunray insisting on the head of Senator Amidala – literally, in those words – as his price for signing a treaty. But I still haven’t heard an actual answer. What does the Galaxy look like if the Confederacy wins?”
Dooku frowned, and after about three seconds Obi-Wan glanced at the Chancellor.
“Didn’t you discuss this at any point, your excellency?” he asked. “Count Dooku doesn’t seem to have thought about this.”
Palpatine blinked.
“...he’s a Sith Lord,” he repeated. “Shouldn’t you be fighting him?”
“It’s called diplomacy, Chancellor,” Obi-Wan replied, before returning his attention to Dooku. “Grandmaster, are you seriously telling me that you never thought about what you would do if you won?”
Anakin checked his comlink, for the time, then the ship trembled slightly.
“Artoo?” he asked. “Can you tell those ships outside to stop shooting at us and give us a wide berth? This could take hours and I don’t want to find out if my name’s literal.”
“Hours?” Palpatine repeated.
“He’s rolling,” Anakin replied, rolling his eyes. “Like I say, I’m used to this.”
He rummaged in a pocket of his robes, taking out a miniature toolkit, and began disassembling his lightsaber. “I’m pretty sure I can retune these crystals to give two stable configurations which it’ll snap between, that should give me a length toggle instead of a single adjustable length…”
“Are you taking your lightsaber apart?” Palpatine hissed. “What if you need to fight?”
“It’s okay, Chancellor, I’ll get about five minutes’ warning if the negotiations are going downhill,” Anakin replied. “That should be time to put it back together again…”
Palpatine looked up to Obi-Wan, who – sure enough – was still going.
“...of course, a separate but related issue is what it’s going to be like afterwards,” Obi-Wan said. “In principle the Republic and the Jedi Order could probably accept the existence of Sith so long as we actually knew who they were and they weren’t trying to destroy us. It’s the fact that the first Sith we met in a thousand years tried to run Anakin over and cut Qui-Gon’s head off as an opening move that’s soured us towards them a bit… but are you really going to be content as someone whose whole job is to die for Sidious?”
Dooku stared at Obi-Wan, baffled, then glanced at Palpatine and Anakin.
“What do you mean?” he asked, forcing his gaze back to Obi-Wan.
“Sidious is your Master, we know that much,” Obi-Wan replied. “Partly because you told me yourself. But has he ever put himself in danger? Or has it all been you dealing with Jedi like myself and my apprentice? Putting yourself out there, in danger, while you do exactly what he says?”
He smiled slightly. “A Jedi would accept that, but you’re a Sith – you’ve said so yourself. Sith are self-interested. What do you think your new master is getting out of the situation? Because if you don’t know, it’s got to be something and it’s probably something he doesn’t want to tell you.”
“My master is quite willing to put himself in danger,” Dooku said, then clamped his lips shut at a frantic mouthed shut up from Palpatine.
“Real or feigned?” Obi-Wan asked. “Do you think he wouldn’t manipulate you? He’s been doing it to everyone else – you’ve said it.”
Dooku’s brow furrowed.
“But we’re getting off topic,” Obi-Wan said, turning to look at Palpatine. “Chancellor, what about this as a starting point? Your emergency powers were granted to resolve the crisis, and I’m sure you want to abandon them as soon as possible… so why not take away the whole reason why the individual systems in the Confederacy had problems with the Republic to begin with? Freely allow the departure of any system which wishes to do so, under the emergency powers legislation; enact a progressive tax, one which hits the Core worlds harder owing to their greater ability to pay, to sustain a carrier based navy able to hunt pirates more effectively than conduct occupations or orbital bombardment, and have the navy established on a sector-federal two-level model?”
Palpatine stared at Obi-Wan for at least ten seconds.
“...he’s a Sith Lord,” he said, yet again.
“Oh, shut up,” Dooku replied. “You’re a Sith Lord and I don’t see you doing anything constructive.”
Obi-Wan glanced at Palpatine.
“...you know,” he began. “I’m quite sure you’d need to note that on your financial disclosure forms, your Excellency.”
He turned sideways, so he could see both Dooku and Palpatine at the same time. “What was the point of this whole abduction, anyway?”
“As it happens, I was supposed to kill you,” Dooku said. “It’s the only way to turn Anakin to the Dark Side, if you’re out of the way.”
“Huh?” Anakin asked. “Is something up? I’ve almost got the crystals realigned.”
“This plan looked a lot better this morning,” Palpatine muttered.
I have so many thoughts about the ghouls and the ministry.
So this is my take on what the abbey/ministry looks like + a lot of my own worldbuilding. (I made this in Inkarnate, which is meant for dnd maps and stuff.)
Be warned that this is like 2000+ words of what my head has come up with. So under the cut it goes.
I based it on actual abbeys. I've been to like two monk ones and a few convents where I live and abroad and this is what I came up with. I also attended a catholic nun school for a good while, so many of the things here are actually from my memories...
From what I've seen, abbeys are usually isolated and at least partially self-sufficient. Even when they happen to be in the middle of cities. The smaller ones are like a square corridor surrounding a courtyard and the bigger ones have many buildings with that pattern.
I'm not sure where this would be located, maybe Sweden, maybe the US. But since I Imagine the ministry being so old, it wouldn't fit in the US, since there aren't buildings this old or with this architecture.
I also read up on how abbeys work to bulk up the lore in this map and what goes on in the buildings.
So strap in because this will be long.
The biggest building in the abbey is the Grand Church (Ghurch), I headcannon that they have this very big beautiful sorta gothic style cathedral in the abbey grounds, since religious live does kinda go around services and all that. Them having this pretty church would also mean that there's no need for a chapel?
I also think ghouls are not summoned in the church proper but rather from a permanent circle/well. So there's the Summoning Well beside the church. They probably made it that way because it would be dangerous to have any sibling walking in there.
To the other side, there's a sacristy and a Papal Office. The sacristy is where Papa would have his ceremonial robes with his mitre and stuff. I also think it works as storage for service supplies. Things like incense, books, all the plates, cups, and things they would use.
Then the papal office would be the actual workplace for the current papa. Big ol wooden desk with lots of bookshelves, a sofa, probably one of those fancy liquor carts?
There's also a mausoleum close to the church. I mean, I needed a place to keep Nihil's corpse… But it'd be pretty useful to keep the memory of siblings that pass away in the abbey.
Under that are the Clerical buildings. I imagine that when people say “the ministry” it's the Clergy Offices they're talking about. Since most siblings/clergy spend their time within the abbey, it only seems logical to separate living spaces from working spaces to keep people moving and changing environments.
Since I also believe these buildings are super old then the most sought after and fancy offices and quarters would be on the ground floor (no elevator and all that). Which means Imperator probably has her office on the ground floor here along the past Papas and older clergy members.
The living quarters would be much the same in that Imperator, the Papas and now Copia have their rooms here. This building probably has a common room but most have their own kitchenette. Since it's such an old building, the interiors of the rooms have probably been remodelled many times. But it being built out of stone also means it's cold inside all the time.
Both buildings are inside a walled garden. I head cannon that way back, like a couple hundred years back the ministry didn't have a very good grasp of ghoul summoning, and they were sometimes more aggressive or feral than what they are now. (It's probably more of a case that in the olden times, clergy treated ghouls like shit, so they had more reasons to lash out and or kill someone) So they kept some of the abbey's buildings behind tall rock walls and wrought iron gates to add a little more protection. Since it's hardly necessary today, the gates stay open, but the walls are still there.
Then down the path there's the chapter house. What is a chapter house I hear you ask. It's the place where the people that live in the abbey talk and manage non religious things related to abbey life. So this would probably be where poor Aether get's relocated to do taxes and where other mundane office tasks are done. So accounting, admin work, grounds keeping and “housekeeping” are all located here.
Across from it is the Seminary. A seminary proper is like priest school, they go and study for a few years I think, and then they come out priests. But I imagine that in this case it's like a college/university thing, where siblings have Latin classes, horticulture, demonology etc... There's probably some teachers offices here and several classrooms raging in size from auditorium to 3 chairs and a letter sized whiteboard. It for sure has a pretty foyer thing. Imagine groups of siblings sitting around before or after classes, complaining how they thought Terzo's basic Latin class would be a breeze, but it's actual hell. This building has one of those pretty inner courtyards, fountain and all. I'd like to think some classes can be held there, like outside but not outside, you know?
Beside the Seminary, there's a school/nursery. I think couples that have children within the ministry can have the option to move into a bigger space together within the siblings quarters and their children will have a regular secular education until they are old enough to choose satanism or something else. The nursery part takes care of the babies and ghoul kits during the day or while the parents are busy.
I think joining the ministry and becoming a sibling is not something that happens easily or quickly. The same way, nuns spend a few years being novices before actually dressing and having the same responsibilities as their elders. Hence, the Novices Quarters. They are still part of the abbey's daily life, but they have to attend more classes at the seminary and are just a bit more separated from ghouls than regular siblings. Since they probably want to make sure they are really devout and prepared before seeing and interacting with an actual demon. Out of all the siblings and clergy, Novices would probably be closer to being actually “recluse” since in my head there's no way they can freely explore the abbey without accidentally running into a ghoul or walking in to a ritual or seeing things that shouldn't just yet.
In front of it are the workshops. I've seen some people headcannon that the ghouls not only have “jobs” in their downtime and retirement but also hobbies. Like fire, ghouls probably frequent the forge in the workshops or blow glass. Earth ghouls can maybe take the prettiest wood here to be turned into furniture. Ghouls and siblings would work together here to repair and maintain the abbey's physical structure.
Down the path there's the main storehouse. Pretty central in relation to the other buldings. It has 2 floors and a basement. That way they can keep everything, from ageing cheeses and wines to office supplies and staples.
Across the path there's the sibling's Infirmary. I definitely wanted to keep the ghouls and siblings apart in this case. Mainly, because if the building are so old, and they were protected by walls and gates, ghouls would most likely not be trusted to be left in the same building as sick and defenseless siblings. But I think that nowadays ghoul medical staff like Omega, Aether and Phantom work in between the “sibling” infirmary and the “ghoul” infirmary with no trouble. But ghouls do prefer to stay in their own infirmary, since it's closer to the dens.
The siblings quarters surround “Mother's garden” or “Lilith's garden”, both wings share a common room but since the buildings are so old they were built to segregate women from men. Hence, the two quarters wings, two office building and two distinct baths. This separation is ignored nowadays. One, people can have other genders. Two, the “sisters” side has been remodelled to accommodate families.
Like I mentioned when describing the siblings infirmary, there's also a ghoul infirmary. Much smaller and closer to the dens, this infirmary does not have much regarding sophisticated equipment. But it's rather used for minor injuries and easy to fix things. Although the second floor does have Omega's office and private rooms for ghouls. Like Dew (not me making a whole building to be able to imagine @littlemoon-beam fics and headcannons about Dewdrop) who's a frequent flyer of the infirmary.
Of course there has to be an outdoor space of recreation, so I made a “central” plaza with benches and a fountain in the middle (Is this where a high, zooted of his ass Rain has been seen naked? naaaah. Surely not). I called it “All hedonist's fountain” because I can and because it's a nice mirror to things called “All saints whatever”.
Behind the ghoul's infirmary, there's a huge stone wall and gate. That would be the dens. Since I headcannon that there are more ghouls than just the band ghouls, they also need a place to live. Hence, the “General quarters” of the dens, there's also the “band quarters” separated from it. They both share a common room, but they're not directly connected to it, and both buildings have their own little common room. I think the band quarters was the first building made to house ghouls and that's why it has it's own kitchen.
There's also the ghouls workrooms. I think this is where they would have a rehearsal room and other offices.
“Father's gardens”, “Lucifer's gardens” or more recently “Primo's gardens” are within the den's stone walls. (I like to think Primo keeps them all pretty for the ghouls). It has a little pond in it too, no fish though. Blame hungry water ghouls for that.
Across the dens there's the Library. When I was in school, that was the biggest, grandest, most secular place there was and I loved it. So I made this library huge. I separated it into two wings connected by a hall. The only difference between both wings is that the east wing houses all the older books, and it probably has a “restricted” section that only higher clergy members have access to. Maybe for the better, since they wouldn't want a curious sibling trying to summon lord Leviathan and pissing him off.
In the middle of the wings there's the scribes hall. I'd like to think that when people write ghouls working in the library this would be the place. They would probably have book binding equipment, scribes tables, the whole thing. All to maintain the old books in a usable state and register new information the clergy learns from hell.
By the library's east wing, there's "The observatory". Again included because my head needed a scenario and location for the quints to watch the stars. I'd say its a fairly tall tower with a glass dome, some furniture, some books, maybe a desk and telescopes.
There is of course a mess hall. I imagne a big kitchen on one side and a cafeteria like thing where most have their meals, or at least they can go get them to take to another place in the abbey.
Beside it there's a pretty herb garden, animal pastures, some crops, a barn, granary , mill and the greenhouses. I think it was @mac-and-thefox who came up with the idea of there being a farm like think within the abbey and my mind just ran with it. (Do correct me if I'm worng there).
Now there's only one more man made bulding in the map and that would be "Mountain's greenhouse". A true staple for ghost fanfics. It probably was a run down space abandoned by groundskeeping but Mountain wanted privacy + plants and everyone agreed he could do whatever with the little building. Not that Imperator needs to know that Mountain grows weed and hellish plants inside...
The whole eastern side of the abbey is flaked by a forest (ghouls need to have hunting grounds people.) In it there's Mountain's greenhouse, a small rocky hill "Starry hill" and under it a small grotto. More like a hole the water made within the stone, so it's now a tiny cave.
Of course I had to have "The Lake", or else this map would not fit any fanfic involving Rain and Dew. There's a small stream that crosses the abbey and ends up at the lake. Most siblings know to stay away.
The "Southern Clearing". A little clearing full of clover and flowers, a nice place for siblings to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes.
Finally, just beside the Summoning well there's a rocky hill with an old wrought iron door closing it off. I headcannon there are indeed tunnels and crypts running under the abbey but they're closed off now since they're dangerous. Doesn't mean the ghouls don't have a way to go in and out but it's still dangerous for humans. I think the more elusive ghouls, like Special and Cowbell stay here because they want the isolation. There absolutely are old abbandoned torture and sacrifice rooms down here. But modern siblings don't need to know that. (Also, I very much think old ghouls before Nihil and way back were not only not treated nicely or fairly but straight up chained or tortured sometimes. (I'm still in the air on the fact that Imperator knows this and threatens misbehaving ghouls with that along with banishment.)
AND FOR FUCK’S SAKE, IT’S NOT “SIKE”; IT’S “PSYCH”. AS IN “I PSYCHED YOU OUT”; BECAUSE YOU MOMENTARILY MADE SOMEONE BELIEVE SOMETHING THAT WASN’T TRUE.
Two here that are debatable - first, “sike” is a pretty commonly used slang bastardization of “psych” and is arguably correct in its own right at this point.
Second, effect can be used as a verb, though the usage is different:
hey netizens! i'm not sure how many people are aware, but youtube's been slowly rolling out a new anti-adblock policy that can't be bypassed with the usual software like uBlock Origin and Pi-Hole out of the gate
BUT, if you're a uBlock Origin user (or use an adblocker with a similar cosmetics modifier), you can add these commands in the uBlock dashboard (under My Filters) to get rid of it!
These five are the first in a series of animals in space. The rat was the first animal I ever did. The frog was for fun and gave it a little hat. The panda is my favorite one and then I did the bunny and snow fox for some friends. Well, all of the animals are for friends.
I started a series of things in space. I started with the tree then made a branch version of it. The little chibi is a helper of my tree and then my view from space.
I’m the space tree. I’m a space tree of knowledge and just sort of chill in space.
Lucifer would want you to take pride in yourself, you're amazing and you deserve to feel that way
Mammon would want you to be greedy, it's not wrong to want nice things for yourself
Levi would want you to enjoy your passions, regardless of what others think
Satan would want you to allow yourself to feel your emotions, the good ones, the bad ones, and even the ugly ones
Asmo would want you to wear what you want, look the way you'd like, and love who you want to love
Beel would want you to eat, your body needs fuel
Belphie would want you to get some actual sleep, being tired all the time sucks
Diavolo would want you to take charge of your own destiny, you don't have to follow the path that people tell you to
Barbatos would want you to take a break, you can't spend all of your valuable time working
Luke would want you to stand up for yourself, you shouldn't have to be treated poorly
Simeon would want you to take the time to recharge when you need it, your mental health is worth more than the feelings of others
Solomon would want you to accept guidance when needed, its ok to ask for help, he wouldn't be where he is now without the guidance he received
overall, you deserve to be taken care of, not only by others but also by yourself. you're allowed to feel good about yourself and do what you like and just live and love and exist in the way you want to and you shouldn't let anyone give you shit for it
This comment made me shift my perspective on Zelda, no joke. I’ve always been annoyed (and still am) that there isn’t a game where you actually play as Zelda, but this does a nice job of showing WHY she’s always getting attacked first, and why Ganon/Demise are always defeated not long after Link reunites with her: she’s the true source of power to defeat them.
