Back at it again with my annual Pride anthology! This time, the theme is the symbolism of the number 4, since this year is 2024. So tell me, readers, are you ready four it?
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"The Four Symbols are mythological creatures appearing in the Chinese constellations. They are also referred to by a variety of other names including the "Four Guardians", "Four Gods", and "Four Auspicious Beasts". They are comprised of the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise (also called "Black Warrior") of the North. Each of them are associated with a cardinal direction, season, and color," Nevermore recited, sounding like a sentient Wikipedia page.
"NNEEEERRDDDD!" Reaper shouted mockingly.
"Reaper! Shut up!" Sonorhc hissed beside her. They were in the Sleeping Citadel Local Library, after all.
"Whaaaat? We're far back enough in the stacks!" Reaper scoffed, reclining in her seat, resting her combat boots on the table.
"R-R-Reaper!" Nevermore bit her lip, dark eyes flashing in concern behind large, round, black glasses. Reaper only scoffed again, unrepentant. Sonorhc had already returned to studying. Each of the Four Symbols had a name. In Chinese mythology, the Azure Dragon was Meng Zhang, the Vermilion Bird was Ling Guang, the White Tiger was Jian Bing, and the Black Tortoise was Zhi Ming.
"Maybe this'll interest you," the Necromage deadpanned, shoving her book at her devil-may-care childhood best friend.
"Yo, they got Japanese names!" Reaper gasped, finally fixing her posture as she sat up and leaned over the book. "Seiryū, Suzaku, Byakko, Genbu!"
"In Korean, they are Cheongryong, Jujak, Baekho, and Hyeon-mu!" Nevermore chirped, nodding excitedly again. "Also! Did you know the colors of the creatures come from the colors of the soil in their corresponding regions of China?" she asked breathlessly.
Soil of the east was blue-gray, waterlogged. Soil of the south was red, iron-rich. Soil of the western desert was white, saline, salty. Soil of the north was black, rich and organic.
"And!" Nevermore continued to ramble. "The four elements that they represent are Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water!" The Azure Dragon, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise/Warrior!"
"Well, I don't know about you, but I get dibs on the Dragon!" Reaper declared.
"Dibs?" Sonorhc echoed with a scoff, raising a dark eyebrow.
"Yeah, I guess you can be the Vermillion Bird, since some interpretations make it a phoenix, and as a Necromage, you're all about that resurrection stuff!" Reaper continued. "Nev! You're the Black Tortoise, I guess, since you're all about that shadow stuff," she added.
"Well... you aren't entirely wrong..." Nevermore bit her lip again. Even though it was called a Tortoise, it was often depicted intertwined with a snake, hence why it was sometimes called "The Warrior" rather than an animal. Tortoises and snakes were known to hibernate in the winter, which was also the season with the longest darkness and darkest shadows.
If anything, "Black, Dark, and/or Mysterious Warrior" is a better translation, Nevermore thought. And it's theorized the snake symbolizes inner struggle... Nevermore identified as a woman, hence why she wore her yellow school uniform, but especially after using her shadow magic for an extended period of time, her very gender would blur into the darkness. It wasn't a perfect 1:1 ratio, as her gender didn't always change with her power use, but she noticed a correlation. For someone like Nevermore, the "Black Warrior" being comprised of two creatures fit all too well.
"Only problem is... Who is the White Tiger?" Reaper rubbed her chin. Unfortunately, their aro-ace queerplatonic polycule (affectionately nicknamed the Dark Triad) was comprised of three. "Guess you could have it, Sonorhc. Nev said the western soil was salty, after all!"
While Reaper snickered and Sonorhc went deadpan, Nevermore chuckled nervously. "Why don't we go back to the Zodiacs, huh?"
"LOL, true dat," Reaper nodded, then after a moment of silence, her dark eyes lit up behind her sunglasses. "Wait! I just thought of something else!"
"Oh great, now what?" Sonorhc drawled.
"I was born on the very last day of 1999, and you on the very first of 2000, right?!" the Destructionist asked the Necromage excitedly.
"Oh, good, you do know your birthday! I'm more impressed you know mine!"
"... Sonorhc," Reaper sighed. Sonorhc didn't reply. After a moment of silence, the taller, slimmer girl continued. "That means, on the Chinese Zodiac, we were born in a Year of the Rabbit, which is the fourth animal of the Zodiac!" she said. It was especially fitting for the Dark Triad, because in the Sinosphere, the number 4 sounded like the word death ("shi").
I mean, yeah, it's a cool connection and all... Sonorhc thought. But it's all BS! The Zodiac says Rabbits and Dragons should never be together! And yet... Her eyes drifted to Nevermore, the Umbramage born smack in the middle of 2000. Then again, maybe it IS fitting. The Zodiac speaks against romantic relations, so... thank whatever deity you believe in that we're all aro-ace! Though she would never admit it out loud, Sonorhc would've died on the hill that the love she and her queerplatonic polycule felt for each other was just as strong as any romance.
Nevermore's face suddenly fell. Reaper had eagerly switched to the Western Zodiac, and they all realized the fourth sign at the same time.
"Cancer." While Reaper cracked up (the symbol was a sideways 69!), Sonorhc smirked dryly at the dark humor of it all.
Aren't Dragons supposed to be lucky? Or have the Rabbit feet won out? I suppose we DID beat her in the race, as per the legend...!
At first, Nevermore seemed to be thinking the same thing, but her embarrassed expression slowly changed into a smile. She was mostly unlucky, that was true, but then again, she somehow landed found Sonorhc and Reaper!
And in this very library! Nevermore came into Sonorhc's life a decade after she met Reaper. They were paired up for a high school project, and Reaper came by to pick Sonorhc up. It was the start of a most beautiful friendship, not that Nevermore knew it at the time.
"Yo, you know the moon has four phases, right? I mean I know they usually break it down into eight, but technically...!" Reaper was still going. And they said the Umbramage was chatty! "Also, lunar months have 28 days in them, four weeks, and that happens in February once every four—"
"Ok, Reaper, we get it," Sonorhc finally cut the other girl off. "It's not some giant conspiracy theory!"
"I don't know, I just thought it was cool!" Reaper shrugged. Nevermore only chuckled to herself.
AN: I don't believe in Zodiacs or horoscopes, but I'm a Sagittarius born in a Year of the Rabbit, if anyone is curious/cares, LOL!
