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M E D U S A
"Beauty died inside of me."
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She'd been beautiful yet humble, well aware of the fact that kings would flock for miles just to catch a glimpse of her but never one to flaunt her own appearance. She never had to, after all. She bathed in the attention, basked in the glory that came naturally with the admiration of others, and she loved every moment of it. Not every king was kind to her, nor did every king treat her with the respect she deserved, but she forgave even the cruelest of kings for their wrongdoings towards her. Even the gods themselves sought to find her and share even just a moment of her time, so enthralled by the tales of her grace that they insisted upon seeing it for themselves. She had everything she could have possibly wanted, and the few that held no love for her envied her.
Then one night she was greeted by a god whose name she never caught. She took a stroll with him, down to the sea which she had come to love and cherish for the privacy it offered during her moonlit adventures. He had seemed kind enough, interested only in her appearance but wise enough to pretend to pay attention to her lonely confessions. So blinded by a desperation for genuine love, she hoped that perhaps this god would take pity on her and allow her to be his mate, even if she was simply one of many. She longed for a true relationship, one that remained far longer than a single night, and the god accompanying her led her to believe she would find her desires with him. She did not.
He pinned her down by the sea she had once loved, torturing her mercilessly for his own pleasure until he eventually disappeared into the very ocean which he had come from, leaving her alone and broken on the empty beach. It was a long while before she was able to rise from the bloody sand, but when she did, she was no longer the same beautiful mortal she once had been. She had been cursed by the goddess whose beach she had been traumatized on, screaming as scars imprinted across her face and embedded into her flesh permanently, stripping her of the appearance she had valued above all else. She was forced to wear a mask to conceal her wounds from the world and protect herself from further harm, wielding her headwear as a shield against all lions eager to approach her. Never again would she trust a king, nor a god.
She fled her home, bringing with her the hideous blood-stained mask as she sought an escape from all that had been done to her. She stumbled upon a small, unknown pride with a struggling king one morning and decided to claim it for herself, overthrowing the adolescent patriarch with ease and driving out the sub-male soon after. She would establish the pride as a safe haven for all lionesses wronged by another, be it god or king, where they could find solace in the company of others like them. And she would lead them, serving as their king in defiance of the god that had hurt her and the goddess who had cursed her. She did not need beauty to lead a pride. She would protect her family, laying down her life for them if necessary, and she would love them as though they were related by blood. No god would ever steal her heart again.
She had never been a monster, even after the goddess stripped her of her beauty. She had been a victim, blamed for an attack she was not at fault for, treated as an outcast for the actions of another. She would make sure to never fall into the trap of vulnerability again. Her mask serves as a symbol of hope despite its appearance, inspiring those that follow her with proof that anyone can recover even if it seems all odds are stacked against them.
She was disgraced by those she had trusted, but she was not destroyed. She will rise again to reclaim the throne of adoration that had been stolen from her, and kings will once again flock for miles just to catch a glimpse of the mortal that defied all odds and spat in the face of the gods.
Look up to her if you are innocent. Fear her if you are not. She will take care of you as you deserve.
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Kinged 3/22/19
1,000 Karma 3/26/19
Most Lions Sent Away (#7) 3/28/19
5,000 Karma 3/28/19
1,000 Lions Sent Away 3/29/19
10,000 Karma 4/1/19
2,000 Lions Sent Away 4/3/19
15,000 Karma 4/7/19
3,000 Lions Sent Away 4/7/19
20,000 Karma 4/10/19
Most Good (#9) 4/11/19
4,000 Lions Sent Away 4/11/19
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