#﹡ °☆⋅. time waits for no one / verse ; older / visage.

[emerald-amidst-gold]

OC Interview: Fane Lavellan

Thank you for the tag @dungeons-and-dragon-age! I’ve been eyeing up this meme for a while actually, so this was perfect timing! X3

This takes place Post-Trespasser, about a month or two after, in fact. Solas brought the idea forward, and of course, Fane refused. But after some coaxing, some explanation as to why, and the promise of a whole cake, Fane agreed to humor the request. 

*THERE BE BIG THINGS REGARDING FANE HERE* 

I got carried awaaaaaay! XD

Introduction

Can you introduce yourself?

“I can, but it’s a lengthy list,” He sighs, “...Those who are close to me, who see as but an elf, call me Fane. Those who wish to meet cobble, call me Lavellan or Herald. Those who are blinded by reverence call me ‘He Who Flew Above’. Denizens of the Fade refer to me as, ‘Devotion’ or ‘Tenacity’. However, my true name is..” He sighs again, “...Aterian. I rarely go by it, but the truth won’t be ignored. It never can be.”

What is your gender identity, orientation and relationship status?

“Male. Elvhen. Dragon.” He huffs through his nose, shifting his gaze off to the side, “That’s all I’ll say on that. As for orientation, I’m...emotionally driven. If you asked me to look at another and tell you what’s attractive about them I would say, ‘Nothing.’ I don’t know them, so I feel nothing for them.“ He shrugs, turning his gaze back, but brandishes a glare, “There’s only one person who defies that response, and that’s because he knows me, without and within. More than that, is none of your business.”

Where and when were you born?

He lifts a hand, massaging a temple, “The ‘where’ is simple; Elvhenan. Specifics are lost to me, however, so you’ll have to be content with that response.” He shifts his gaze downwards, slowly crossing his arms, “As to when?” He sighs heavily, “...I have no answer for that other than: I’m roughly the same age, if not older, as Solas. Does it matter, honestly? Numbers fall through the cracks after a specific threshold is crossed.” What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

He unravels a crossed arm and guides his hand downwards, tapping the pommel of a sword he has fastened to his waist, “Sword. I use either long swords, short swords, or great swords.” He raises an eyebrow as a question is forwarded, “Shields?” He sneers a bit. “I don’t use shields. They get in the way, and anyways,” He raises his hand once more, the expanse steadily beginning to glow blue and silver before a spectral coating of scales cover the entirety, “this is better than any shield. I prefer the front lines, the place I can make sure no one breaches, and the lingering memory of what I once was makes sure I can do just that.” He dispels the scales and shakes out his hand before returning it to his crossed counterpart, “It takes energy to maintain, but I’m getting better at holding it for longer.”  Lastly, are you happy?

He blinks before his entire expression softens, two toned eyes shining with primary gold as they shift downwards, “...If you had asked that of me over twelve years ago I would have spat in your face and said, ‘Happiness doesn’t exist in this world’. But now..” He trails off, casting a sidelong glance towards one of the fortress’s entryways; a familiar voice sounding, firm, but soft, as if reprimanding a child, “...I understand what happiness is, and it’s in every corner if you allow yourself to see it.” His eyes shift back, holding a far away look and voice coming forward in a murmur, “I only wish we all could be happy; together.”

Family and Friends

What’s your family like? What is your relationship with them?

His face holds a conflicted look, as if the memory is painful before speaking, “Complicated,” he says before beginning to tap a finger against his bicep, “I had a mother. She died when I was fifteen from a wasting disease, but she was the picture of serenity. Calm, guiding, measured. Hair like moonlight. Eyes like a clear autumn day. She was--” Unbranded features twist with a look of grief, eyes going dark as his voice drops, “...I’d rather not speak of her. It still hurts to. It hurts to speak of any of them,” His eyes narrow, grief stricken expression turning somewhat bitter, “...Especially those who throw all you did for them back into your face because they refused to listen when you needed them to most. Even so, I still wish for her happiness. Cullen better be treating her right,” That bitter turns outright malicious, dark eyes going darker as another question is meekly asked, “Father? I have no father. I only had a monster that haunted my childhood, tore my token of devotion apart, and then stalked me in my dreams. So, no. I have nothing to say about that concept.”

Have you ever ran away from home?

He chuckles, “Many, many times,” He throws most of his weight into one side, tilting his head back as if thinking, counting, “I can’t even remember the amount of times I fled into the forests, to be honest. All I know is that it happened weekly, maybe even daily,” He brings his head back, snowy hair moving with the action to brush the tops of his cheekbones, “Why do you look so surprised?” he asks, snorting a bit at the meek response of, ‘Why so often?’, “Because I refused to endure being treated like a beast every hour of the day merely because I believed differently, or rather, not at all.” He sighs within the next moment, “...I wasn’t any better than the Dalish, though. I lashed out, I spat in their face, dragged their heritage through the dirt, inflicted harm from the smallest of things...” He squeezes his arms, eyes narrowing into a glare, but seeming to see through everything, “...The past repeats. An infernal spiral that will never slow.” Would you consider marriage or having children?

“Marriage? Children?” He blinks, pale visage suddenly going flush before he snarls, “Why do I need to answer those questions?!” The blush deepens and he responds despite his displeased expression, muttering and biting the inside of his cheek, “...Damned keen eyed elves. They know, don’t they? I swear if Abelas fucking ran that mouth of his, I’ll--” He sighs heavily, letting his head fall limp a bit in defeat, “...Yes. To both. The latter is already taken care of, as everyone situated in the Crossroads knows, but...” Pointed ears are now a deep shade of red, “...marriage is...on hold. War time isn’t an ideal summer wedding.” His voice drops, eyes shimmering as if he was before the person his heart yearned for, “...The sky deserves a venue better than a garden of death and deceit.” Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

“There were those in the Inquisition who I didn’t exactly see eye to eye with,” he started before shaking his head, “but I didn’t hate anyone. Everyone is entitled to their own views and what they find important.” He scowls a bit, tapping his bicep once again with a finger, “...Even if they didn’t extend the same kindness to me in the beginning. ‘Do you believe in the Maker?’ ‘Do you believe you’re chosen?’ ‘You need to use the people’s faith. It gives them hope.’” He mocks before snorting harshly, “No. No, I don’t. Oh, that suddenly makes me trash? Ohhh. How terrible.” He scoffs. “Disgusting.” Which friend knows everything about you?

“Solas,” He says within a heart beat before clearing his throat, shifting his gaze away sheepishly, “He knows me without and within.” Emerald and gold blaze as the orbs go wide, the blush of roses coming back in full force, “Wait, wait, wait! I didn’t mean--! Fuck! You better wipe that shit eating grin off your face, elf, or I swear I’ll do it for you!” He growls in frustation, throwing his hands in the air, “Why did I agree to this? What fucking dragon entertains an interview!? This is worst than the courts in Arlathan used to be! And that’s saying something!”

Asked by Fans

Are you literate? Have you been to school?

”I am literate. Sometimes to a fault, in fact,” He smiles a bit, “Poetry is my niche; a lingering memory of my mother. So, I speak cryptically at times,” He snorts, amused, “Although, I guess that isn’t much of a surprise since the Elvhen language is riddled in verse rather than practical application. Still, even some of the ancients left have a hard time deciphering my words,” He shrugs, smile turning into a smirk, “They never expected a dragon to be able to talk, I guess. Well, ta-dah.”  The eeriest prediction you made that later came true?

A somber expression flits across his visage and eyes, “...That, eventually, I would hurt the one person I never wanted to.” The corner of his mouth twitches, holding both bitterness and grief; a painful duo, “...And retribution came just as swiftly, but it--” He sighs, shaking his head in defeat before muttering under his breath, “Observe and accept. Observe that what came to pass was uncontrollable, and accept that it had to happen for your path to continue, for your soul to be complete.” What is something you were embarrassingly late to realize?

His face blanks, mouth going into a hard line before a sigh exits through his nose slowly, “...That I don’t have tail.” He snarls, blank expression twisting in warning, “Laugh, elf. Do it.” He nods in the next second when no sounds of amusement come forth, expression going stoic once more, “That’s what I thought. You try living centuries in one form and then transitioning. See what happens.” Do you have mental health or physical issues?

He nods, sighing tiredly. “Like my names, I have a lot.” A hand motions to his body lazily, “My entire body is littered in scars, inflicted through crude experiments by an abomination that sought power like so many others,” He expression sours, jaw working back a forth, “They’ve calmed over the years, but the memories are not so kind.” He sighs, trying to calm himself and lifts his left hand; the Anchor glowing faintly and his eyes watch it, “I have an illness, or rather, sensitivity to any Fade born essence. That, too, has calmed and I’m grateful for that. As for my mind..” He trails off, grimacing a bit as if suddenly in pain, “...Visualize the Void, and there’s your answer. Black walls with crimson torches, seats empty, but somehow wanting for memories to take their seats. However, those occupants never come, burnt to ash by fury’s flame. That’s my mind in a nutshell.” What is your current main goal?

He raises his eyebrows, pursing his lips, “Mm, as of right now, I’m busy helping Solas unlock the eluvians that he couldn’t while I was away,” He flexes his marked hand, watching it with a look of determination in his eyes, “That’ll take time, but after, my people, my kin will have their skies back. I won’t let this power be squandered, and I won’t let the key that I’ve been entrusted with fall into the wrong hands.” His face hardens further, “For if that key rusts, the locks break and the sky will blacken as surely as the earth will redden.”

Choices

Drink or food?

“Drinks.” He says with ease, shrugging, “Food is comforting, especially sweets, but a glass of rum or ale, or a cup of chamomile tea really pounds the word ‘relaxation’ into my head.” Cats or dogs?

He smiles, warmth caressing its edges, “You’ve seen Nislean wandering about the halls, laying on the window sills and curling up in front of the fire,” He hums suddenly, crossing his arms again, “Which reminds me, I need to go out of the Crossroads for milk. I’ll be getting more than five bottles this time.” Optimist or pessimist?

“Depends on who you ask,” He shrugs, seeming unbothered, “I’m neither from a personal standpoint. I try to see the bright spots, but shadows can be very persistent.”   Sassy or sarcastic?

He snorts, “Ask Fen’harel,” his voice is light upon the title, playfully mocking in its deepness, “He knows all about that side. Although, he would label it, ‘insufferable’. I would call myself dryly sarcastic, though.”

Have You Ever

Been caught sneaking out?

He purses his lips, “Hmm. Not that I can recall,” he says slowly before his brows jumped and his eyes lit up with memory, “Oh! Wait. There was that one time where I was with Solas and Mythal in a...courtyard, I think?” He shrugs before shrugging, “Doesn’t matter. But, I tried to slip away, tail and all, and I...may have shattered one or two or three eluvians trying to get to the balcony.” He somewhat wistfully, smirking, “Elgar’nan got fucking stuck in a far off settlement for a week, though. Completely worth getting my horn chewed off by a wolf.” Broken a bone?

“Surprisingly, no.” He huffs in amusement, “Wonder of wonders, truthfully.” Received flowers?

“I have,” He scowls, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disgust, “but I always throw them into the fire. Most are from suitors, those who don’t know what the fuck ‘taken’ means.” Ghosted someone?

His face tightens, completely deadpan, “...No?”, he says, voice raising in question a bit, “At least I don’t believe so. But, then again...oh.” He blanks further, “...Oh. I understand the term now. You mortals are forever twisting the languages, aren’t you? I can’t keep up, but the answer is still no.” Pretended to laugh at a joke you didn’t get?

“Maybe once or twice, but I don’t ‘laugh’ per say.” He huffs through his nose deliberately, “I do that; a puff of air. Some habits are never truly able to be broken. No matter the form.”

Tagging: @oxygenforthewicked @blueheaded @little-lightning-lavellan @noire-pandora @the-dreadful-canine and anyone else that’d like to play! (no pressure, of course!)

[primeemeraldheiress]

2, 5, and 15 for the fic asks?

What is your favorite snippet of dialogue?

I don’t think I have a single snippet. There’s too many exchanges I like... So have a smattering of my favs.

From Cry ‘Havoc’

“My queen.” The figure in black stood in front of the glowing ray shields. Unmoving and deadly patient.

“Did you mean it?” The words ripped themselves out of her mouth before she realized she was going to voice them. She almost wanted to take them back but it didn’t matter. At this point, nothing mattered.

The helmet — the visage of nightmares to many of her man, the herald of death to even more — tilted, confused.

“Every word I have spoken since we were trapped within the temple has been sincere.”

The air around them rang with truth. She didn’t understand how she knew that; she didn’t even care anymore. Something loosened in her chest and she could breathe again. She hadn’t even realized she had been struggling, her chest heaving as she took her first full breaths since the had news come in.

Her fist slammed into the panel next to the cell, bringing the shields down. Setting him loose. Her other hand curled around a blade, still humming that mournful — frighteningly familiar — tone.

“If you meant it,” she bit out, furious at the pirates, at the situation, at him, “bring them back.”

“I am yours.”

From The Corner of Divinity

“Your enemies are my enemies.” The man said, his voice rough. “I have brought you your most hated foe to do with as you will. A gift in good will; in greatest care.”

“My greatest monster.” Jason stated, a tremble in his voice.

“Your greatest fear.”

“My greatest fear.” Jason agreed as he slowly took the blade, examining it. He tested its weight and balance. Tested the sharpness of the blade. Each part of this ceremony was important. Carried weight. Meant something. From the quality of the blade to the gift presented. Not that he ever thought Deathstroke himself would deign to own a substandard weapon. He hesitated just a moment. Only a moment. Then, he took Slade's hand back and placed the hilt of the knife back into it.

Staring into Slade’s eye, he voice low with intent he asked him, “Destroy it for me?”

From As Long As You Learn

“Master Yoda is right. We’ll do better this time, padawan.” Anakin slumps, falling back on his heels. “Come get your kid, Kenobi.”

From Pull Back The Curtain

“You can’t tell me, your majesty, that you don’t know what you’ve done.” He pinches the bridge of his nose and the cup he was holding clatters on the saucer as it’s placed back on the table.

“At least,” he says, a little more gently, “you were kind. I do have to thank you for that.”

Obi-Wan looks up at her, grief in his eyes but jaw clenched with still present fury. He tips his head at her in mock deference, “Thank you for being kind when you took my padawan to bed, Senator. No one else has been as conscientious.”

Her heart beats a frantic tattoo in her ears. What?

“What?” She croaks. Anakin... no one else... gentle? Separately, the words make sense but strung together she can’t parse their meaning. She doesn’t understand but the words that Obi-Wan is saying, everything he is implying, makes her think she’s supposed to.

Makes her think that all of this is supposed to be common knowledge.

What is she missing? What does everyone else know? Who should have told her?

Icy fingers crawl up her spine and her stomach turns. Something is very wrong.

Obi-Wan chuckles but there is no humor in the laugh. It is a dark thing. Almost poisonous as it leaves his mouth.

“Surely you didn’t think you had been the only one.”

There is something low and unpleasant threaded through his voice now. Something hateful. Padmé wishes for the restrained fury from before. Even though it had been directed at her then. Even though this hate now was not.

“Anakin has been a favorite of the Chancellor for several years now.”

From Best Laid Plans Not Sober

The boy’s grew wide and he looked at Jason in confusion, “I thought Alfred was our grandfather.”

“He is.” Jason affirmed.

He saw the older man place a hand to his chest out of the corner of his eye and his heart ached. He wanted to go to him... but making sure Damian understood was more pressing.

“Then why is he serving, akhi?” The boy demanded. “He should not be lowering himself to such a position!”

“Alfred serves because he loves us.” Jason explained patiently, cheeks still a swath of red but slowly fading. “He wants to take care of us and make sure we’re healthy. It’s how he shows his love.”

Damian tilted his head in thought. “Like when you killed the lion.” There was a sharp intake of breath from the table. Tim. Jason felt the flush renew. Great. That was the last piece of information he needed floating around the manor.

“Like when I killed the lion.” Jason affirmed with a resigned nod. “I’m a protector, like Dad. Alfie’s a carer. People have different ways of showing their love. It’s not the only way they show it, but typically it’s what comes more naturally.”

“I understand.” The boy lowered his head. “I am sorry.”

“It’s not me you need to tell.” Jason chastised softly, “Either way, even if Alfie was staff and not family, I know I taught you better manners than that.”

“But Mother-”

“Is not here.” He stated firmly. He knew what kind of image they had to keep there. Knew what Talia said. “This is not Nanda Parbat. You do not have an image to uphold.” Jason continued, “Even when you do, manners are not a detriment to that image. Do you understand?”

“Not entirely.” The boy admitted. “But I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask. I will never demand more than your best effort.”

What’s your favorite headcanon you use in fics?

I have a whole host of them, actually. Though, some of them I only use for certain fics. I have a whole file on Tatooine worldbuilding that I’m slowly introducing to different verses. They’re getting a lot of screen time in Kidnapping AU, actually. I have headcanon reasons for Anakin wearing black and background info and ideas. I don’t actually want to give too much away, here, but I’d rather see you guys slowly be like “... O.O ThATS SO COOL” when you read it. 

And, I mean, Eli and I are now collaborating on a whole series of one of my favorite headcanons, Shmi had a wife. 

OH, WAIT --  my absolute FAVORITE headcanon that seems to make its way into everything is that the marble of the Temple feels warm to the touch if you’re Force sensitive. Due to all the thousands of years of positive emotions -- of family, and love, and home -- that have seeped into it. 

I haven’t seen anyone else use this so I think it’s mineminemine! :)

Give us a snippet of something from your WiPs!

Hmmm... What do I have that isn’t super spoilery or that I’ve given before...

They were hunting him.

He could feel them move through the halls. Sweeping rooms, their minds intent. Searching.

He needed to hide. He needed to get away. Until it was dark. Until it was safe. The night was safety on Tatooine, as the Three Sisters rose in the sky and the Masters slept. A time when the slaves could gather and tell stories. A time when they could slip their chains for a few hours and breath together. Laugh together. Love together.

A time to run.

Darkness meant safety. Meant the cooling air after the deadly heat of the day and freedom from the master’s gaze. Darkness meant the embrace of family.

He needed to find the dark.

He could feel it. Beneath his feet. Beneath the Temple.

It called.

On silent feet, he ran, pressing himself to walls when he felt the brush of another mind. The intent of the hunt around him. The marble of the floor was warm against the soles of his bare feet as he crept through disused halls.

He was stepping through the alleys of Mos Eisley. Silently, on the heels of his mother as she left to attend an illness in the slave village. Then, he put a foot down and it was on the dusty duracrete floors of Watto’s shop. The Toydarian sneering at him, hand raised in threat.

Anakin cowered.

Then, it was the gravel of Gardulla’s slave quarters, watching as his mother dragged away. Before he’d learned that crying was a waste of water.  

When the Temple came back into view, Anakin didn’t know where he was, but it was dark, and it was cool, and it was safe.

It must be safe.

[captzexx]

Send 🤠 to meet my muse from a different verse! For Eldridge Candell!

A soft hiss of the metal door sliding open announced the arrival of the witch hunter, the soft splattering of acid rain to the metal floor as the door slid shut behind him.  A soft electronic voice spoke as he stood in the doorway, advising him to please wait before the misting of salt water and thrum of fans to dry him off.  The heavy leather coat flapped and shook from the blower above, washing away the toxic tears of nature mingled with the recycled man made ones.  White bleached stains littered the well used coat, the hood just the same as it was drawn back to reveal his rebreather and rubber cap mask.  This was the future, all hail the conquerors.  

Beneath his feet the drain would echo with the gargles of the bleached sewers that lead from the apartment.  This place was lucky with its locations, a lack of stains about the floor meant the plumbing was actually well taken care of.  As the blower came to a thrumming half, the electronic voice would thank him and welcome him to the home of the Bolivers.  There was no response other than shrugging out of his coat and pulling away the mask with measured steps to follow out of the muck room. 

A hanging rack was present as he hung his coat first followed by his mask, the sucking of the rubber cap leaving his balding head to be dropped in a sanitation sink.  The thigh high rubber boots would also be peeled away by a short zipper and effort to reveal the dry dark pants that matched his coat and tie.  Smoothing his suit clear of wrinkles with a steam wand and checking his pockets, a grim faced middle aged man would enter the foyer of his client.

“Inquisitor Candell, thank the maker,” came a pleasant and fake voice, a smiling plastic face, far too smooth to be real regarding him with disinterest.  Eldridge Candell nodded to the man who called his name, his leather shoes clicking softly across fine marble flooring of Mr Boliver.  A chandelier of floating lights lit the room in a mid afternoon glare, warming and comforting in direct contrast to the outside.  Greek furniture meant to give the reflection of learned opulence with its long couches and ivory white finish.  The center of the room was a masterpiece, a marble fountain depicting a pair of intertwined mermaids as crystal water bubbles and spilled about them.  The water silent in its splashing as the mermaids hummed and whispered to each other in another language not meant for man.  

Fake.  

All of it.  

Fake as the very man rose to greet him with a bent wrist and alabaster teeth.  The inquisitor's eye knew the truth and could see it all for what it truly was, the optical cybernetic piercing easily through the veil of binary.  Flat empty walls of metal, a sleeping chamber attached to one wall, easily mistaken for a coffin than a bed.  Poetic justice at its finest.  

Technology had worked its magic to create comfort to a dying world and its deteriorating hosts.  Deteriorating being an understatement to the bulbous figure in the activity chamber that shook and blinked in its cybernetic dreamscape.  The contrast between the bald, soft body of Boliver hooked to so many wires was hard to swallow compared to how he saw himself in the dream.  The truth seen by Eld’s one blue eye and the blipping twist of the lie in his green one was the Order's burden to bear.  It made inquisitors jaded and cynical and he was no different.  With a deep breath drawn, Candell knew the perfunctory behavior required of his office and what the Bolivers offered the Order in funding.

The inquisitor shook his hand.  “Councilman Boliver.”

The fake plastic smile widened as he shook back daintily, his sweet baritone echoing in the hall.  “I trust you know why I called upon you.”

“I do, I understand you have a haunting.”  The witch hunter tried not to show his eagerness in releasing his hand from the warm silicon of the bureaucrat’s flesh.  Boliver knew though as he turned away to a tray of refreshments, mostly consisting of bottles of wine and fruit.  Eld would frown again as his clear vision tried not to see what was really on that tray.

Boliver nodded as he scooped avocado to a piece of toast, the crunch causing Eld’s face to grimace hard as he folded his hands behind his back.  Boliver chewed but his voice never faltered as he spoke to the public servant.  “Indeed, poor dear was having a tizzy of a time and then went into all sorts of spasms.  Screaming and whining, it was quite unseemly for a program of her caliber.  Especially with the governor logging in just before.”

“I understand, I’ll take a look and see if I can find the root of the error,” Eld replied with practiced ease.  It usually ended the small talk instantly.  The councilman would wave him off as his eyes were now drawn to the growing lewd movements of the mermaids.

Closing his green eye, Eld would stalk back toward the entrance of the apartment.  It was easier to be in reality for this work.  Fishing into his coat pocket, his tablet would be drawn out and unfolded as a facial scan followed by retinal scan enacted for security.  The black box lit the darkened room and his face before bringing up the welcome screen of Xbow industries.  

“Bandit,” Eld would say softly as the tablet focused and processed his avatar, the black dog sitting patiently for orders.  A sliver of a smile was given to the digital beast, who in turn wagged its tail steadily in an otherworldly AI way.

“Good boy,” Eld would say though he knew the wireless connection between the two hardly required audible orders.  The dog tilted it’s head as Eld began to relay the situation of the haunting.  The rogue program went haywire, likely an error in the root and needed a restart.  The dog took it all in swiftly in a matter of seconds before the prompt floated between the partners.  “Engage?”

“Kahar.”

The dog shimmered a moment and disappeared, a loading circle turning as the inquisitor waited for the search to complete.  The Xbow-19 was a couple years older than the newer 22,  but it worked just fine for what they needed it for.  Eld yawned and began to feel his eye ache as he kept it closed for so long, sighing as he opened it back to the dream.  He wished he hadn’t.

It was a massacre.  Once had been opulence now was carnage as the sun had set in the lighting to match the red of the blood and gore about.  His shoes gently stepped through the digital visceral as he tried to calm his stomach and nerves of being caught between both worlds.  The green eye drank in the horror as smear of blood and guts hung from the walls to stain the tile below mixed with plastic flesh of binary death.  All alabaster skin, over and over replicated as larger pieces sat thrown about like discarded dinner bones.  The teeth marks and torn flesh made it very apparent dinner had become a feast.  

Eld’s instinct kicked into high gear as he checked Bandits search time.  65 percent complete. 

 “Damn.”  The witch hunter heard himself say aloud, echoing in the grotesque silence of the ravaged apartment.  It did not fall on deaf ears.  The fountain was empty.

Rising from beyond, the two marble mermaids splattered in dripping red eyed him from across the room.  Their eyes no longer pale empty but sharp and bright.  Human.  

Eld accessed his security protocol, his hand in the real world shaping with a thumb up and index extended much like a child at play.  Digitally the hand now bore the black stock of an Ares Predator, hardly a unique pistol but extremely reliable in his mind.  Lifting the weapon to aim at the creatures in the dream and his hand in reality he would stare in the monsters’ visage and the twitching wired form of Boliver in reality.

“Do not move.”  Eld’s voice echoed in both worlds as he trained his finger gun on the pair of slithering creatures, a habit of grounding himself in reality.  His green whirling and searching to track the digital monsters as they refused his order and moved through the binary gore.  Eld peered up just a moment to Bandit’s search counter, 82 percent.

“Why?”  One mermaid spoke through red rimmed marble lips,  her head tilting back and forth as she watched him.  “What do you hope to do, Inquisitor?  Are you going to capture us?  No.  You have only one job.”

The other mermaid swam about the other side, she seemed to shout a whisper directly at him.  “Kill.”

Marble bodies shifted and swam through the air as the let out a siren wail into the holographic night, the gore and world trembling from their surge in the councilman’s server resources.  Mouths wide and gnashing teeth as the beautiful faces twisted into gaunt feral masks of anguish and hate, their clawed hands grasping about at the tender pale meat of Boliver.  Hands and legs launched through the air to splatter against walls as the still living piece of the councilman moaned from his position pinned to the floor.  It was a delirious wail as the appendages began to try and reform out of the Dream’s programming only to be torn off with a vicious predator’s might.  The screams heightened into maddening laughter as the statues kept Boliver a writhing torso.

Eld grimaced as he stood his ground, the maddening swirling vision of horrific beauty that were the statues trying to dizzy him.  The same in the real world kept him locked in place as he thought again of the percentage.  88 percent.  He had to stall just a little longer.  “Are you sure?  These days the Order is a bit more forgiving and curious of the ramifications of the THUL program.”

Both statues hesitated a moment, their eyes narrowing as a key word had broken their predatory game into far more dangerous territory.  

Eld continued to hold his ground as he licked his lips in the real world.  “I see you are very aware.”

“They stole what wasn’t his.”

“You sold it to them.”  Eld replied coldly, his fear ebbing at the drop of percentile.  93 percent.

“They trapped me.  I don’t deserve this.”  The mermaids were speaking in one voice now, their bodies swirling and coming together as they reached for one another.  

“You signed that contract.”

“I didn’t know!”  The mermaids twisted and began to meld together now,  honing their shape into melding as two tails became two legs.  Arms retracted and faces embraced in a sorrowful contact as they melted quickly into one being.  Drifting slowly to the tile floor as bare feet caught it among the short whispers of a hospital gown.  The man now there was gaunt and bowed, his head bare but for large brown and blotches along his skin.  His final moments.

For a moment Eld let out a short sigh as he lowered the finger a moment, hoping that he’d talked him down now.  The gaunt figure shook with shuddering gasps as his skin grew from blotchy and pale to graying and blue in the low light of the sunset within the dream.  Eld slowly crept closer as he lowered the pistol further to allow his hand to relax in the real world and derez the weapon in the dream with gentle release of his hand.  

The witch hunter was now kneeling before the sickening man as he gently reached a hand to his shoulder.  “What’s your name?”

“Fred,” the man gasped out as he looked back into the mismatched eyes of the inquisitor with his yellowing irises.  “Fred Mann.”

Eld sighed as he knelt before the digital construct of the lost soul, the ghost in the machine before him frightened as he probably was at the end of his life.  A hand would gently reach forward to touch the representation before a soft chime echoed in the air that caused him to look up swifting in surprise and fear.  He’d forgotten the status bar, his one eye widening as he saw the flash of status 100.

“No.”

Fred didn’t even have a chance to scream as his form began to shimmer, his mouth starting to open before the shrill sharp echo of the restart began and finished.  The yellow irises blazing a moment before paling and fading into white, the former program that had led it into it’s scandalous mermaid form pushing and tearing back again.  It was horrible to imagine what was happening to him as much as it was to watch it occur in the blink of a few seconds, eventually the black sultry eyes of the program looking up at him with dead smiles.

“Hello, Inquisitor,” they spoke as one, their volume adjusting to the former levels as they swirled in the air a moment.  “How may we serve you?”

Eld frowned and lowered his head turning away from the naked writing statues he had seen when he first came in, the dog sitting behind him with steady eyes as his task was complete.  He knew the dog wasn’t real, none of it was really.  But that fear in the ghost’s eyes, the dead memory’s pain had been very real.  Eld would softly ruffle the ears of the pixelated beast, closing the program with the creature darkening and disappearing back into stasis.  A shaky sigh to follow as he voiced the command to the program.  “Revert program to user settings.  Clear history and cache.  Run diagnostic.”

“By your will, Inquisitor Candell,” the mermaids spoke again and began to swirl in the air with a gentle hum of electronic work as the world around him cleaned up and pieced back together.  

Eld would close his green eye and the falsehood would fade to reveal the empty metal room, a hand gently reaching into his pocket to pull out a leather cap.  Lifting it to the eye, he could feel the suction grip his skin and snap into place, initiating the synthetic eye into status and giving his mind a break.  Light knew he needed it.

A gurgling, exhausted voice rose into the reality behind him.  Bolivar’s true voice whiny and high pitched compared to the dulcet tenor of his virtual representation.  “My thanks to you, Inquisitor.  I assure you I will have the credits awarded to the Order by the end of the day, along a small stipend for yourself.”

Eld continued into the room, his hand passing over the motion sensor to let him back into the muck room.  He’d had enough of disgusting bureaucrats, let him send the payment and be done with it, he’d make sure the ‘stipend’ ended up with the main bounty.  The greed made him ill.

A few moments later the Inquisitor would be covered again in the same rubber as he came in with his mask rebreather silently filtering the intense pollution of the city.  By the clocks it was supposedly morning, but from above it would always be raining. 

@safrona-shadowsun

(I’m so sorry this took so long to put together, but it’s closing on 2020 now and I had so much done it was best to get it finished!  I hope you enjoy this cyberpunk kind of idea for Eld and the Order I imagined.)

[erineverly]

“There’s this party I have to go to. Want to come with me?” | Christmas party picture 🥳

                        𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒  /  ( main verse: december 1989. )  /  @thornrosed​

         “okay, so — we’ve got diapers, bottles, pacifiers, blankets, onesies, rompers, pajamas, bibs … should we go grab some toys now ? and then get something for the older children ? i think we may need a few more carts, though. these two are already full and we’re nowhere near done ! we’re just getting started !” pausing the excited squealing and gushing for a moment, her delicate features adorned with a beaming smile. piercing sapphires meeting gentle emeralds, delightfully awed and brimming with nothing but sheer adoration. it’s the singer’s inner beauty, something buried deep inside his soul and radiating from his eyes, that suddenly steals erin’s breath away and leaves her speechless for a moment. he captivates her world so completely that even in a store as crowded as this one, he’s still the only person she can see. today ( well, ALWAYS but today especially ), there’s an immeasurable amount of admiration for the redhead in the model’s heart. after all, it was his idea to do something for others this christmas season, help the ones who aren’t as fortunate as the two of them and now, here they are — giggling while chasing one another between colorful aisles, trying to collect as many items as they possibly can ( so that later, they’ll be able to donate them all and make someone’s CHRISTMAS a little more special ). it’s undoubtedly the most beautiful time of the year and erin’s beyond grateful to be able to share it with her soulmate, the only man she looks up to so immensely. with shiny tinsel and bright lights around them, everything seems even more magical.

         “i’m sorry, what were you saying, baby ?” a bashful chuckle escapes her. the coral sweater she’s wearing brings out the warm, peachy color in her cheeks. an ounce of embarrassment lacing her smile. they’ve been together for years and yet axl’s handsome features still sweep her off her feet ( especially when accompanied with this pure kind of joy, clear as daylight on his visage ). her small hand reaches out, palm cupping his cheek. the air around them shifting, becoming even more electrifying. utterly besotted, erin eagerly takes a step closer and pushes herself between the cart and her boyfriend’s strong body. her skinny arms curling around his neck, fingertips carding through his long strands. “a party ? aww, axy … what kind of question is that ? of course, i want to go with you ! i’d love that ! it will be a real honor, my sweet strawberry,” she muses, gazing into his eyes with affection as her thumbs begin to rub circles into the nape of his neck. “is this party tonight ? i can’t wait ! will you help me pick the right dress ? and then dance with me till sunrise ?” laughing melodically, her excitement grows tenfold. her favorite heart-shaped locket ( the one her boyfriend so often borrows without asking ) glinting against her skin, bright and blinding yet not quite matching the dazzling grin tugging at her lips. she’s the luckiest girl on the planet. “come on, SANTA, we have to find some toys !”

[philippmichelreichold]

#scifi #review this immortal by roger zelazny

#scifi #review this immortal by roger zelazny

Basically

This Immortal, known in an earlier incarnation as Call me Conrad, is one of Zelazny's heroic epics with no less than the fate of humanity at stake. The principal character, Conrad, is typical of most of Zelazny's heros. He is for all practical purposes immortal. Like Bugs Bunny, he does not go out of his way to cause trouble for others, but does not suffer abuse lightly. He plans carefully, trying not to act rashly. And he changes his feelings and views as he grows older and wiser. These traits lead, of course, to conflict. Conrad is retained to give a high caste alien from Vega named Cort Myshtigo a tour of earth for a survey. Because of the relationship between Vegans and humanity, this incites some resentment against the alien and concern for the future of humanity. The smart money has wagered that the way to save humanity is to kill Cort. Conrad makes it plain that he prefers to wait until he has enough information to decide, and spends most of his time shielding Cort from attempts on his life.

Irony

The novel contains a great deal of irony which is used to show mankind returning from the brink of extinction and beginning the process of healing its wounds.. Episodes occur in which the putative destroyer is the instrument of salvation. The first of these occurs in Egypt. Hasan has been hired by the Agency to protect Cort. But as is known or suspected by everyone except Cort, Hasan is also a Radpole agent sent to kill him. In the final ironic twist of this episode, Hasan saves Cort from a boadile while trying to kill him. Other ironies abound. Twice, those thought lost are returned and bring salvation with them. The first returned is Conrad's dog, Bortran. Bortran had gone missing years earlier and has been searching for his master ever since. After Conrad returns to Greece on this tour, Bortran crosses his trail. He catches up with Conrad just in time to rescue him from the Kouretes. Next to return from the presumed dead is Conrad's wife, Cassandra. While burning an old friend, Conrad and his party are set upon by the Beast of Thessaly. In a dramatic sequence worthy of Dickens, they battle the Beast until Cassandra plays Zeus and strikes the Beast dead . In a more prolonged twist, the Radpole is trying to kill the one Vegan who can save earth and set it free. Throughout the story Conrad repeatedly intercedes to stay his execution, opposing the Radpole which he had founded decades before. The final irony is in the very nature of the Kallikanzaros. Rather than being the instrument of the world's destruction as in Greek myth, he is to be its savior.

Symbolism

Symbols of loss, destruction and ultimate redemption strengthen the themes presented through the use of irony. Symbols of the destruction of earth's civilization include the spiderbats, the Kouretes, the Beast of Thessaly and the threatened dismantling of the Pyramids. The beginning of the restoration of civilization is symbolized by the return of Bortran and Cassandra as well as the destruction of the Kouretes, the Beast of Thessaly and the inroads being made against the spiderbats. Conrad symbolizes earth civilization itself. Cort refers to him as a sort of "ghost of place." The restoration of Bortran and Cassandra, essential to Conrad's wholeness as a person, support this symbolism. Also, Conrad's fungal rash, present at the beginning of the story, has been eliminated at the end. He still has his limp, but his healing has begun, and like the earth itself, he endures

Steve Troy calls This Immortal a "lighthearted romp." And it is. This in no way detracts from the seriousness of Zelazny's themes or nor does it reduce the effectiveness of his presentation. It does make the story more enjoyable. The twists and rescues do not merely heighten suspense and grip the reader. They also provide the framework for the irony and symbolism that carry Zelazny's themes of returning from the brink and of recovering from destruction.

QUOTES

My thinking is usually pretty good, but I seem to do it after I do my talking-- by which time I've generally destroyed all basis for further conversaton.

If heaven didn't want me then, I'm not going to ask a second time.

Vocabulary

adytum- "1 the innermost room or shrine in certain old temples, to be entered only by priests 2 a sanctum" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

bouzouki-"a stringed musical instrument of Greece, somewhat like a mandolin, used to accompany folk dances and singers" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

cadge- "to beg or get by begging; sponge" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

caique- 1. a light skiff used on the Bosporus 2. a Levantine sailing vessel(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Cassandra- Conrad's new wife. According to  Bulfinch's Mythology, "Queen Hecuba and her daughter Cassandra were carried captives to Greece. Cassandra had been loved by Apollo, and he gave her the gift of prophecy; but afterwards offended with her, he rendered the gift unavailing by ordaining that her predictions should never be believed." In This Immortal, Conrad disbelieves both Cassandra's accurate warnings of danger and her later prediction that things will go well.

chthonic- "1.designating or of the underworld of the dead and its gods or spirits 2.dark, primitive, and mysterious" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

felucca- "a small, narrow ship propelled by oars or lateen sails and used esp. in the Mediterranean" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

galabieh-"(variant of djellaba)-a long, loose outer garment worn in Arabic countries"(Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

Kouretes- "returns this line from the play The Bacchae by Euripides:" 'O secret chamber of the Kouretes and you holy Cretan caves, parents to Zeus, where the Korybantes with triple helmet invented for me in their caves this circle..." That is because the Curetes (the more common spelling) were spirits on the island of Crete who protected the newly born god Zeus when his mother Rhea hid him from his father Cronos, who would otherwise have eaten the baby. The Curetes danced around banging spears on shields to make a clattering din to drown out Zeus's cries.'" (email post from Joel Skidmore.webmaster@muwekma.org.98-06-30 21:11:42 EDT)  ouzo- "a colorless Greek liqueur flavored with aniseed" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

Ozymandias- "Here are two verses from the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822):

'I met a traveler from an antique land

Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,

Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read."

... "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,

The lone and level sands stretch far away.'"

(email post from Joel Skidmore.webmaster@muwekma.org.98-06-30 21:11:42 EDT)

Piraeus- "seaport in SE Greece, on the Saronic Gulf: part of Athens' metropolitan area: pop. 184,000: ModGr name PEIRAIEVS" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

 Satyr- "The Satyrs were deities of the woods and fields. They were conceived to be covered with bristly hair, their heads decorated with short, sprouting horns, and their feet like goats' feet." (Bulfinch's Mythology)

Skinner boxes- "an enclosure in which small animals, as rats or pigeons, are conditioned by rewards and punishments to perform certain acts in response to specific stimuli" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

steatopygiac- "having "a heavy deposit of fat in the buttocks or thigh"(Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

syrinx- "pipes of Pan", upon which he plays. See:Syrinx; Encyclopedia Mythica for more information.

Thespis- "Gr. poet: traditionally the originator of Gr. tragedy" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

Characters

Bortran- Conrad's dog

Conrad- hero of the story, "Director of Arts, Monuments, and Archives," Radpol founder, and kallikanzaros

Cort Myshtigo- a wealthy Vegan journalist who wishes to write a book about earth

Dos Santos- hates Vegans, husband of "red wig"

Diane- the girl with the red wig, hates everyone, disfigured by a Vegan disease Radpol member

Dos Santos- hates Vegans, husband of "red wig" Radpol member

Ellen- George's wife, wants to go to Taler, freind of Conrad

George- scientist, entomologist, freind of Conrad wants to poison the spiderbats

Jason- Conrad's son

Hasan- Mercenary hired as Cort's bodyguard

Lorel Sands- earth director appointed by Earth Government onTaler, Conrad's boss and freind

Phil- poet laureate of earth, freind of Conrad

Procrustes- War Chief of the Kouretes  (from Procustes in Myth)

My content creative commons attribution required share alike

image from ISFDB under fair use

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Ezio Auditore~Summer Wine

(This is a songfic from Lana del Rey's cover of Frank Sinatra's Summer Wine.Enjoy~) 

(Y/N) knocked on the Auditore villa's door and was immediately greeted by a young Claudia with a hug and kisses on her cheeks. The younger girl excitedly took her friend's hand and brought her to the living room,where the others were relaxing and speaking about family stuff. With a charming smile,the 17 year old girl waved at them and elegantly waltzed into the room,where she was greeted happily by more hugs and kisses,just like the tradition said. One really enjoyable tradition for both the girl and the youngest Auditore boy. However,he was much less experienced at courting ladies,so his older brother playfully took the chance to twirl the girl around and then kissed her hand,saying a compliment. The girl smirked and then clapped her hands together,ready to make an announcement. 

 (y/n):So,as everyone knows,tonight there is a nice festival to celebrate the first day of Autumn.Which is exactly why- Claudia:Oddio,you are right!Mother,Father,may I PLEASE go with them?!Per favore? (y/n):*sweat drop*I...was going to say that I'll take care of you,if you wouldn't have interrupted me. Claudia:*giggles*Mi dispiace~. (y/n):*clears throat*So,per favore,let her in my hands.I'll take care of her.And so will her older brothers. Giovanni:*laughs*I'd rather ask if you could take care of all of them! Ezio:Padre! (y/n):*smirks*Don't worry,Ezio,I won't let you get lost. Ezio:Hey,that was mean! (y/n):Did I make the poor piccolino bambino sad~? Ezio:(Y/N)! Federico:*laughs*Per favore,don't tease him so much,he'll get all red like tomatoes! (y/n):Si,Si,don't worry! Giovanni:I think you'll be alright to go.Maria,what do you think? Maria:Federico,you're the oldest,please be responsible. Federico:Certo,madre! Maria:*smiles*Enjoy the festival,then. (y/n):Grazie mille di cuore! Claudia:Yaaay!(y/n),we'll have so much fun!Oh!Oh!You'll have to sing again with me! Federico:I'll grab the guitar,then! Ezio:You can sing? Claudia:Si,stupido!Her voice is bellisimo! Ezio:Why didn't I know? (y/n):*winks*You never listen~.

Teasing him,she did a pretty courtesy to her parents,then twirled out of the room with Claudia,to prepare for the festival. At evening,they were all dressed their best,applied the available cosmetics...but let their hair flow gracefully past their bare shoulders,to be able to sway with the wind's gentle breeze. (y/n) and Federico hooked arms while Claudia stayed with Ezio,and they enthusiastically talked about the festival's charm while walking towards it. Everyone was drinking Summer Wine,dancing and singing merrily,and Claudia's eyes were sparkling in excitement.

Claudia:(y/n),come on,let's go!I want to dance! (y/n):*chuckles*Certo,certo,no need to rush,bambina!

Claudia dragged her friend away from her brothers,and together they started dancing to the rhythm of the enchanting music,laughing and giggling at their silliness.  Soon enough,Federico tapped the older girl on the shoulder,and with a mock courtesy,he asked her for a dance and much to Ezio's jealousy,she happily accepted,and they started twirling around and energetically dancing,being clapped and cheered by their younger sister.  After the dance,they both did a clumsy courtesy,and returned to his other siblings.

Federico:Hey,I saw a great spot by the water,illuminated by the moonlight.I brought wine.Want to check it out? (y/n):Certamente! Claudia:Can I drink some wine too? (y/n):*winks*If you behave~. Claudia:I WILL!

There,Ezio poured wine into the fancy glasses and they sat down at the end of the road,wetting their feet in water. With a nice cheer,the softly clinked glasses and sipped from the wine,enjoying the chilly breeze.

Claudia:Not bad... (y/n):Could be worse. Federico:Hey,padre chose it! Claudia:(y/n),will you sing us now? (y/n):Now? Claudia:Si!Federico can provide you with the background music,and if Ezio knows,he can sing with you!His voice isn't half bad either. (y/n):Oh,but to what do I owe the pleasure of being in the Auditore musical group? Federico:Luck,perhaps.Come on,Ezio,cheer up!It's a party!We can't wait to hear your nice voice! (y/n):Charm me,Ezio~.

The girl got to her feet,fixed her flaming red hair to cover more of her face,making it a mysterious and charming mess,the. Cleared her throat,and with a seductive smirk,she began her song,in a low,sexy Dugazon voice.

 (y/n):Strawberries cherries and an angel's kiss in spring My summer wine is really made from all these things

She looked away,making poor Ezio to internally beg to see her more.

Claudia:Oh,Dio...!Her voice...!Federico,start the music already!Ezio,it's your turn! Federico:Si!In a sec~.

He started slowly strumming the strings,matching perfectly with the girl's tone. To everyone's surprise,the younger boy's baritone voice was alluring and seductive. Seeing everyone's surprise,he got a confidence boost,and slowly started approaching the girl.

Ezio:I walked in town on silver spurs that jingled to A song that I had only sang to just a few She saw my silver spurs and said lets pass some time And I will give to you summer wine Ohh-oh-oh summer wine

Ending the verse with a low,musical moan,he extended his arm to the smirking Volpina. She delicately took his hand and started approaching him,slowly tracing his face and his lips,when the 'angel's kiss' was mentioned.

 (y/n):Strawberries cherries and an angel's kiss in spring My summer wine is really made from all these things Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time And I will give to you summer wine Ohhh-oh summer wine

As she herself made a musical moan,she placed her hands on his chest and flirtatiously looked away,bewitching the male,who started moving one hand down to her slender waist,and the other through her silky fire hair.

 Ezio:My eyes grew heavy and my lips they could not speak I tried to get up but I couldn't find my feet She reassured me with an unfamiliar line And then she gave to me more summer wine Ohh-oh-oh summer wine

Once again finishing with a moan,he brought the girl to his chest,looking at her,caught in the prison of her emerald eyes. She took it upon herself to lead,she twirled away from him,with an enticing smile,and her skirt slight raised above her knee,daring him to approach,and blowing him a kiss,once the 'angel's kiss' part repeated.

 (y/n):Strawberries cherries and an angel's kiss in spring My summer wine is really made from all these things Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time And I will give to you summer wine Mmm-mm summer wine

With another sensual moan,she gestured for him to approach,if he dare continue the erotic duet. Prowling and towering over her arousingly,he took her delicate hand,kissed it,then they started swaying and waltzing,while being captivated by her gaze.

 Ezio:When I woke up the sun was shining in my eyes My silver spurs were gone my head felt twice its size She took my silver spurs a dollar and a dime And left me cravin' for more summer wine Ohh-oh-oh summer wine

His erotic moan got them both out of the mutual trance,being caught in a web of charm and sultry smiles. As they both started the last stave,he twirled her for the last time,then slowly,he dipped her down dangerously low.

Both:Strawberries cherries and an angel's kiss in spring My summer wine is really made from all these things Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time And I will give to you summer wine Mmm-mm summer wine Mmm-mm summer wine Mmm-mm summer wine...

Her head tilted back,his breathe on her neck,she finished with a last,alluring moan. He held her waist firmly,while caressing her leg up,then set her down carefully. They gazed into each other's eyes,trapped by a spell,barely noticing Claudia's cheers of happiness and claps or Federico's cheerful whistles. Regaining themselves,they giggled,slightly flustered,then returned to the other two. 

 ---- 

Staying in her guest room,the fox girl was reading,late at night,with dozens of candles lit around,when she heard a knock on the door. She told them to enter,and upon seeing Ezio,she raised a confused eyebrow,and straightened up,slightly closing the door.

(y/n):What is it? Ezio:I just came to tell you something.

She motioned for him to speak,but he simply put his hand on her face and slowly leaned in,kissing the surprised girl passionately. He gazed at her flustered visage once again,holding a gentle smile,then left the room,saying "Buonanotte,Pricipessa". The girl touched her lips,unsure of what happened,and still in shock,then turned around to put the book away,when she noticed a rose on her pillow,with a neatly written note,in black cursive.

'Ti amo,(y/n). Tu sei il mio unico grande amore,per sempre,per me. ~Ezio Auditore'

She fell back on the bed,with a stupidly enamoured grin on her face,holding the note tight to her chest. She closed her eyes,recalling all that happened during that gorgeous night,and muttered a simple

'Ti amo anch'io,Ezio.Ti amo veramente.'

madre=mother padre=father Ti amo=I love you anch'io=you too Tu sei il mio unico grande amore=You are my one and only great love Veramente=Forever Certo=Of course Certamente=certainly Oddio/Dio=Oh God piccollino=small bambino=baby

[kindcstguardian]

MISC.

Name. Amajiki Tamaki. Age. 17 years old. Date of birth. March 4th. Zodiac. Pisces. Blood type. AB. Sexual orientation. Bisexual demiromantic. Birthplace. Chiba Prefecture. Occupation. U.A. student, provitional hero.                                                   → Physical traits. Eye color. Indigo. Hair color. Indigo. Height. 5'9.4 / 177cm Quirk. Manifest.

                                                 → Profile. Class. 3-A. Personality. Tamaki is extremely shy, aloof, depressed, "intimidating" and introverted, especially around audiences. He gets nervous very easily when talking to other people. If his anxiety gets the best of him, Tamaki will often face away and lean into a wall to hide his face from others. This also happens whenever Tamaki has a bad feeling or feels insulted.                           While his physical abilities and Quirk are outstanding, Tamaki is very socially awkward and lacks confidence in his own powers. He apparently feels overwhelmed by the pressure to be perfect and this has damaged his self-esteem.

VERSES.

Main verse. Tag. 「 V00 ; Tamaki ／ ᵐⁱᵍʰᵗ ⁿᵒ�� ᵇᵉ ˢᵒ ᶠᵃʳ 」

Takes place within the current manga events.

Prior verse. Tag. 「 V01 ; Tamaki ／ 」

Takes place before the events of the manga  ( working with Fatgum without Kirishima, not meeting directly the main cast and so on ).

Quirkless./ Not spoiler free. Tag. 「 V02 ; Tamaki ／ ᵍⁱᵛᵉ ⁱᵗ ᵘᵖ· ᶠᵒʳ ᵐʸ ⁿᵃᵐᵉ ⁱˢ ˢᵘⁿᵉᵃᵗᵉʳ」

   The bullet had been  the finished product , and rather than allowing Red Riot to even get  remotely close  to it due to his duty to protect his underclassman, he got shot  twice.  Realization taking its sweet time to dawn on him, his quirk didn’t activate no matter how much he tried     anxiety was eating him up, he felt nauseous and a cold sweat ran down his back even if the situation at hand was soon to reach a solution.  His  was nowhere near close, his judgement clouded and he didn’t register any single word spoken to him, it was as if people was speaking underwater.    When he arrived to the hospital with both of his current teammates and he was given an official diagnosis, that the body part that contained his quirk was  permanently  damaged     he didn’t utter a single word. He didn’t cry. Not at first, not in public.    Kirishima had escorted him back to his room, an uneasy air between them but Tamaki found enough strength left within him to smile and pat his shoulder prior locking himself inside his room and then, and only then, he felt a panic attack raise. It threatened to appear before but he swallowed it down, but now he was left alone and  he was vulnerable.    He sunk to the floor, his breathing erratic as he bit his lower lip not to scream at the top of his lungs. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he covered his eyes, he didn’t want to see. He didn’t want to face reality. No one aside Kirishima and Fatgum knew this, how is he supposed to tell his parents?  How is he supposed to... tell Mirio and Nejire?  Tamaki felt ashamed, hiccups leaving his lips as he tried to  breathe,  desperately trying to get some air in his lungs since the pounding of his head wasn’t getting any better.    He couldn’t even picture himself telling this to either of his friends, they would worry for sure. They’d feel guilty for not being there, he didn’t need that     he didn’t need Mirio to panic about his current state. Tamaki could feel gagging at the sole image of his worry, his nausea combined with his panic attack wasn’t making any of this better.     It took him a while to breathe, even longer not to shake from the cold sweat. He didn’t want to sleep but his body was going numb and the floor was cold in contrast to the fever that was soon to follow.

Middle school verse. Tag. 「 V03 ; Tamaki ／ 」  Tba

Pro-hero verse. Tag. 「 V04 ; Tamaki ／ ᵇʳⁱᵍʰᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵃⁿ ᵃⁿʸ ˢᵘⁿ 」    After graduation, he kept on working with Fatgum for about five months prior to starting his own hero agency alongside Mirio due to being a dream of theirs from young age. Not only that but since he had shown potential as a student whose only limit was his perfectionism that shared a double-side with his pessimistic self, now as a pro-hero he raised to the top ten     which, in consequence, made him rise in popularity charts and gain quite the stable fanbase.

Age verse. Tag. 「 V05 ; Tamaki ／ 」    What if  Tamaki had been older than Mirio for a year and a half?  Their meeting still took place, a gloomy new kid on his own in the corridor was approached by an hyperactive and loud blond, a peculiar meeting with an ever lasting bond; years passed by and they even shared middle school, graduating earlier had made Tamaki anxious but he was giving his best and cried tears of joy when he managed to enter U.A..    Entering first had been an experience, he had trouble interacting with others but, this time around, he talked more with his classmates     not enough to suddenly be called a social butterfly, but enough to be acknowledged by most and made other friends besides Hado. If anything, he could not wait for Mirio to enter and surprise him with his newly adquired social skills and help him like a big brother would, it was his time to actually be the one helping instead of being saved.

One punch man verse. Tag. 「 V06 ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

Mob Psycho verse. Tag. 「 V07 ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba 

My candy love verse. Tag. 「 V08 ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

Eldarya / Fantasy verse. Tag. 「 V09 ; Tamaki ／ 」    A half-human and half-vampire breed, he was rather thankful his parents decided to leave Earth when the war broke down and hid in the safety of Eldarya though nowdays it was quite the ongoing crisis with the missing pieces of the heart of the crystal.    Either way, as part of the Garde Obsidienne... his everyday life is filled with heavy work and constant sparring, on rare ocassions does he actually work as guard or escort. Whenever he has free time, however, he likes to practice his magic and how could he apply it in combat     it was rather particular and there weren’t many reports on it aside a mutation given by his birth origin, other half-bloods would have something similar yet never quite the same, always something far too different and original from one another.

Modern && fantasy verse. Tag. 「 V10 ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

Lovesick / YanSim verse. Tag. 「 V11 ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

P5 verse. Tag. 「 V12 ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

Devilman verse. Tag. 「 V13 ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

The Arcana verse. Tag. 「 V14 ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

My next life as a villainess, all routes lead to doom verse. Tag. 「 V14 ; Tamaki ／ 」      It was quite the experience to learn that this was, in fact, not his world and that he had died during a rescue mission by putting priority to the people      quirks  might not be real but magic was, which didn’t make this any better. Not only did he have his past memories after experiencing a panic attack that drew all oxygen out of his lungs, leading him to pass out and wake up on his bed, but he was  supposedly  a mob character  ( from a game that he once saw Hado play )?  Well that alone would be  amazing  because his existence wouldn’t change anything, but he had light magic?       And wait, hold up, this is the sequel and his destiny is to  the hidden  romance option?

? verse. Tag. 「 V0? ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

? verse. Tag. 「 V0? ; Tamaki ／ 」 Tba

Tags.

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫┊ᴛʜᴇ ʙɪɢ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ」

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ INQUIRY 」

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ MUSINGS 」

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ VISAGE 」

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ INTROSPECTION 」

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ HEADCANON 」

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ ROMANCE 」

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ MUSIC 」

「 Amajiki Tamaki ／ CRACK 」

[starryburglar-archive]

Max Info

Full name: Maximillian Goof

Species: Anthropomorphic black and tan coonhound dog ( verse dependant )

Age: 21

Sexuality: Closeted bi, still figuring things out.

FC(s): Tetsurou Kuroo ( Haikyuu ) || Tom Holland

Bio: Son of Goofy, they always had to depend on one another since his mother passed away while he was still a baby. Max doesn't have many memories of her aside from old pictures of when he was a baby. He always loved and cared for his father, even if as he got older Goofy's silly antics started to make him feel embarrassed. So basically, no matter what, he will be there for the man ( dog ) who took care of him to the best of his abilities.

Note: Follows canon from both movies. Haven’t seen Goof Troop.

[ MAIN || INBOX || HEADCANONS || VISAGE || MUSINGS ]

                                 -----------------------------------------------

V001: Climbing to the Top

Default main verse. Basically, anything happening in the middle of An Extremely Goofy Movie or after ( aka, Goofy already graduated ) – though, most likely the latter. Max is still skateboarding on his free time but not lacking in his studies; he’s determined to get a degree in Criminal Justice.

V002: Knight in Training

A Kingdom Hearts verse. Max is a young knight who lives at Disney Castle // Disney Town and was training to be just like his dad, a brave knight who can (hopefully) go on adventures if possible. Thing is, it has been almost a year since the last letter from his father ( think of it as the last moments of 358/2 Days and just before KH2 ).

He refused to simply wait. Max ran away from home, took one of the Gummi Ships from the hangar – and also begged to Chip and Dale to not spill the beans so soon – and is off to explore the many different worlds in search of his father, Donald, and that Sora he has read about a lot.

V003: Part of the Big 3

Descendants verse. tba

                                 -----------------------------------------------

CONNECTIONS

Roxanne :: [ Pom ]

pending tag

[wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog]

Lisa Kudrow Embraces Her Age: ‘Older Women Have a Lot to Say’

Lisa Kudrow shares her thoughts on aging and her personal style. (Photo: Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock)

Lisa Kudrow arrives for a morning interview clad in a fitted black sweater, accented with a crisp white shirt underneath. When asked to describe her chic, unforced style, Kudrow — well-versed on everything from pharmaceuticals overprescribed to children to the lunacy of White House press briefings — is momentarily flummoxed.

“I don’t feel like I have a style, really. The way I dress depends on my mood. I’m usually never in the mood to look sexy, which is too bad. I’ve always been like that. That’s never been my female mode. When I see women looking tastefully sexy, I admire them,” she tells Yahoo Style, spotlighting her pal and Friends co-star, Jennifer Aniston, who wore Versace to the Oscars. “She looked amazing. She looked fantastic.”

Kudrow, 53, proudly shops at Nordstrom and has for years. And she was surprised when told about the recent Oscars kerfuffle involving Chanel and Meryl Streep (designer Karl Lagerfeld claimed that Streep had been paid to wear an Elie Saab dress to the Academy Awards, which Streep flatly denied). “Wait. Actors get paid now to wear clothes for awards shows? Shoot, I missed that. Wow,” she says.

Kudrow’s approach to beauty is equally, well, normal. She has no plans to freeze her face, like so many of her peers with immobile visages, or to go under the knife.

“I slather on moisturizer,” she says. “I don’t know. It’s tough. I’m afraid of injections and stuff. I’m just going to play older roles. I think older women have a lot to say. It’s good to get older. That’s the other thing. What’s the alternative? I’m sorry I’m still alive?”

Photo: AKM-GSI

Clearly, the actress isn’t hurting for projects. She’s one of the stars of the nuptial comedy Table 19 about a band of misfits seated at the worst spot at a wedding. Kudrow can relate. “I only realized by doing this movie that I have been placed at the bad table a lot of times. All I cared about was not being near the band. I thought I was at the best table. But I’m as far away from the bride and groom as possible,” she says.

Now that her son, Julian, is almost out of the house, Kudrow wants to be back in front of the camera. After Friends wrapped in May 2004 with a finale watched by 52 million viewers, Kudrow focused on raising Julian (she’s married to French ad executive Michel Stern).

“I want to act,” she says. “I can only not act for so long until I feel like I need to again. But I don’t want to leave town. My son is probably going to college next year, and then it will be OK. I would like to do more. I tried working, but movies are in L.A., and it wasn’t working for us. Some families can handle it really well. I don’t know if it was just me. I can’t multitask.”

Kudrow has a biology degree from Vassar and got her start in comedy as part of the sketch group The Groundlings, which ultimately led to her enduringly beloved role as “Smelly Cat” crooner Phoebe Buffay on the NBC hit Friends. She followed that up with the HBO series The Comeback, featuring Kudrow as a failed actress clinging to youth and desperate to inject something — anything — into a flaccid career. The show premiered in 2005 and made its own comeback in 2014, much to the delight of its many vocal fans.

Lisa Kudrow and Terri Garr on Friends. (Photo: Warner Bros. Television/Courtesy of Everett Collection)

“I was so grateful for the goodwill. That was scary to do that again. That was the biggest relief. And it’s nice to know that … you were right. We thought this was the way to do it, and OK, it worked,” she says.

Plus, Kudrow is one of the executive producers of the Emmy-nominated TLC genealogy program Who Do You Think You Are? — which returns on Friday. The first guest this season: Monica Geller.

Of course, it begs the question of how exactly Kudrow went about booking Courteney Cox, who played the uptight Monica opposite unrestrained Phoebe. “OK, I worked with Courteney. We were on a show together. With Jennifer. You might have heard of it,” jokes Kudrow.

After all, we’re all “Friends” here, anyway.

Related:

Chrissy Teigen Gets Real About Her Body: ‘My Weight Fluctuates a Lot’

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[briangroth27]

Groth Potential Blog Index

For my new followers and anyone wanting to take a look back at older posts, here are direct links to everything I’ve written so far. I hope you find something you enjoy and/or a new conversation starter!

About Me Puns Puns 2 Homemade Archery Targets

Short Stories 1-9 are the Spooky Shorts I’ve written for Halloween a couple of years ago. Some have NSFW language and violence, but I try not to go overboard. The tenth is a fairy tale from the dragon’s perspective.

1. Intuition 2. Visage 3. Lock Your Doors! 4. Sweet Tooth 5. Flicker 6. Deathbed 7. Deadly Decor 8. Campfire Tales 9. The Final Girls 10. Less a Princess   

Short Films The first link contains two short films I wrote, directed, and acted in back in college as well as a play I starred in (but did not write or direct) afterwards. The second link will take you to my college senior capstone project, a one-man show I wrote, directed, and performed.

1. Men Simplified: The Pizza Box, The Bourne Romantic, and Showing Your Hand 2. An Evening at Fred’s

Make This Show Pitches for shows I’d love to see. And write.

1. Super-Fast Friends 2. Hawkgirl

What’s Wrong With This Picture? Finding the good in disliked movies.

1. Ghostbusters II 2. Star Trek Into Darkness

TV/Movie Speculation & Theories 1. The Flash: Who is Zoom? 2. Supergirl: The Secret Tragic Origin of Kara Danvers 3. The Flash: Who was that Masked Man??? 4. The Flash: What Has Barry (Un)Done?!? 5. Supergirl: Welcome to Earth-1? 6. Arrow: Who is Vigilante? 7. The Flash: Who is Savitar? 8. Riverdale: The Most Unreliable Narrator? 9. Riverdale: Who Killed Jason Blossom? 10. The Flash: How to Save Iris West 11. Supergirl: What Happened to Mon-El? 12. Is the DCEU Headed for a Crisis? 13. Riverdale: Who is the Black Hood? 14. The Gifted: Whatever Happened to the Children of the Atom? 15. Timeless: Did Jessica Really Cheat Fate? 16. The Flash: Elementary, My Dear Thawne??

TV/Movie Opinions 1. Agent Carter: Don’t Close the File on Peggy Yet 2. Captain America: Bi, Bi, Mr. American Pie? 3. Ghostbusters 2016: I Ain’t Afraid of No Reboot! 4. Arrow Hit the Bull’s-Eye with Real Issues 5. 5 Things I Wish We’d Gotten from Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine 6. Fox Should Wait to Recast the X-men’s Logan 7. Batwoman is Coming to the Arrowverse...But on Which Earth? 8. Back to the MCU Part 1: The Fantastic Four 9. Back to the MCU Part 2: The X-Men

TV/Movie Wish Lists 1. Eleven Things I’d Love to See from Marvel Studios 2. Supergirl Season 2 Wish List 3. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Wish List 4. Arrow Season 5 Wish List 5. The Flash Season 3 Wish List 6. X-men Films Wish List 7. Bring These Shows Back! 8. Power Rangers 2 Wish List 11. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 Wish List 12. Supergirl Season 3 Wish List 13. Netflix MCU Wish List (as of 2017) 14. The Flash Season 4 Wish List 15. Arrow Season 6 Wish List 16. Spider-man Films Wish List

Movie Reviews 1. Jurassic World 2. Ant-Man 3. Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation 4. Fantastic Four (2015) 5. Goosebumps 6. Spectre 7. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens 8. 10 Cloverfield Lane 9. Deadpool 10. Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice 11. The Jungle Book (2016) 12. Captain America: Civil War 13. X-men Apocalypse 14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows 15. Now You See Me 2 16. Independence Day Resurgence 17. Legend of Tarzan 18. Ghostbusters (2016) 19. Star Trek Beyond 20. Suicide Squad 21. Jason Bourne 22. Pete’s Dragon (2016)   23. Doctor Strange 24. Arrival 25. Star Wars Rogue One 26. Passengers 27. Moana 28. Split 29. The LEGO Batman Movie 30. Get Out 31. Logan 32. Hidden Figures 33. Kong: Skull Island 34. Power Rangers (2017) 35. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 36. Wonder Woman 37. Baby Driver 38. Spider-man Homecoming 39. Atomic Blonde 40. IT (2017) 41. Blade Runner 2049 42. Kingsman The Golden Circle 43. Thor Ragnarok 44. Justice League 45. Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi 46. Black Panther 47. The Cloverfield Paradox 48. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 49. The Shape of Water 50. Game Night 51. A Wrinkle in Time (2018) 52. Tomb Raider 53. Pacific Rim Uprising 54. A Quiet Place 55. Ready Player One 56. Avengers Infinity War 57. Deadpool 2 58. Solo: A Star Wars Story 59. Ocean’s 8 60. Incredibles 2 61. Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom 62. Ant-Man and the Wasp 63. Teen Titans Go! To the Movies 64. Mission: Impossible Fallout 65. The Nun 66. The House with a Clock in its Walls 67. Spider-man Into the Spider-Verse 68. Hell Fest 69. Halloween (2018) 70. Goosebumps 2 71. Venom (2018) 72. Aquaman 73. Alita Battle Angel 74. Captain Marvel 75. Bumblebee 76. Mini-Reviews: Escape Room & Captive State 77. Mini-Reviews: Ralph Breaks the Internet & The LEGO Movie 2 78. Us 79. Pet Sematary (2019) 80. Shazam! 81. Avengers Endgame 82. Dark Phoenix 83. Men in Black: International 84. Toy Story 4 85. Spider-man: Far From Home 86. Annabelle Comes Home 87. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu 88. Godzilla: King of the Monsters 89. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 90. Ready or Not 91. Dora and the Lost City of Gold 92. IT Chapter Two 93. Joker 94. Gemini Man

TV Reviews 1. Vixen Season 1 2. Daredevil Season 2 3. iZombie Season 2 4. Sleepy Hollow Season 3 5. Supergirl Season 1 6. The X-Files Season 10 7. Agent Carter Season 2 8. Bates Motel Season 4 9. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 10. Arrow Season 4 11. The Flash Season 2 12. The 100 Season 3 13. Person of Interest Season 5 14. Houdini & Doyle Season 1 15. Stranger Things Season 1 16. Amazon Pilot Season: The Tick & Jean-Claude Van Johnson 17. The Get Down (Part 1) 18. BrainDead Season 1 19. Vixen Season 2 20. Luke Cage Season 1 21. Sherlock Series 4 22. Westworld Season 1 23. Scream Queens Season 2 24. The Exorcist Season 1 25. Iron Fist Season 1 26. Timeless Season 1 27. The Good Place Season 1 28. Dimension 404 Season 1 29. Legion Season 1 30. Bates Motel Season 5 31. Riverdale Season 1 32. Sleepy Hollow Season 4 33. Amazon Pilots 2017: Will vs. the Future, Skyward, A Kid Called Mayonnaise 34. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 35. Supergirl Season 2 36. Marvel’s Defenders Season 1 37. The Flash Season 3 38. Arrow Season 5 39. iZombie Season 3 40. The 100 Season 4 41. Stranger Things 2 42. Marvel’s Inhumans Season 1 43. The Punisher Season 1 44. Freedom Fighters: The Ray Season 1 45. The Exorcist Season 2 46. Black Mirror Series 4 47. Runaways Season 1 48. The Get Down Part 2 49. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) Season 5 50. The End of the F***ing World Season 1 51. The Good Place Season 2 52. The Gifted Season 1

[gathering-storm]

✂ whoever hates Shevel the most killing Wolfsbane and Vikki

Therethey stood under pouring rain, the wet sheets falling upon thegathering as though heaven itself were crying for the loss, a smalljar made of gold upon a stone pedestal carried by two creaturesthrough the saddened throngs of mortals and deities alike, the darklysoothing notes of the Vetmoran hymn “Passage of Eternity” flowingas a fabric of solace across the mournful scene, the reborn childVertoria and her mother Wolfsbane dressed in traditional black asArturis, the once conflicted demigod who had become as a teacher toboth of the men whose final shards now rested within the ornate urn,placed his hands upon their shoulders, his long, gray hair flowingaround to enshroud them both in a comforting embrace, the gravestonethe brothers would share engraved with a picture depicting the two ofthem in much happier times, that of when they were children, Shevel,his then peaceful amber eyes looking to the younger Raesal as the twoof them played a game of patty cake, their hands frozen together inthe picture, both smiling, both happy merely to be with each otherand the words “il Et Matavre” written in silver filigree belowthe peaceful scene, an ancient phrase in the brothers’ nativetongue alluding to a work of verse by the demigoddess of poetry,Romai, whose expression said volumes as she looked upon first the urnthen grave, her eyes, which for an eternity had remained in a loving,graceful stare even in times of great tragedy, now barren andlifeless, this beauty who rivaled even the True Angels now looking asthough all the endless life within her had been removed, replacedwith the same emptiness now felt by many in attendance, her lower lipshaking in the same manner as the innocent Vikki’s.Asthis final ceremony for the last true Vetmoran mages commenced, theone chosen to intern them into the soil made his way through thecrowd, footsteps as silent as the pain shared by all those who cameto attend, his long, flowing robe dragging the ground, his normallyproud, snow white wings hanging low at his sides, the very feathersupon them falling like tears onto the wet ground, this demigod ofromance, whose very presence on any other day would have inspiredhope in love anew, adopting the role of preacher in this time oftruest darkness, his motions slow as though he were struggling tofind the will to move while he opened the ancient tome he carriedwith him, its pages and cover, though older than the mortal planeitself, in immaculate shape. “and thus today do we, those fortunateenough to have known the Entwined Kings, release what remains oftheir immortal shells to the ether of the afterlife”, he said withforced ceremonial pride, searching the page to which he had turnedfor an appropriate eulogy, “their lives, though often tangled withthat of each other in endless conflict, concluding both with acts ofpurest sacrifice, their actions speaking volumes about their truenatures, with even the once dreaded Shevel giving all of himself toresurrect his precious family”, he added, a tear of both shock andsorrow falling from his eye as he recounted the death of that oncemost hated of Mageborn Sons, “as it is written in the SacredGuidance of Yuvasi, ‘let not thine eyes be fooled by what laybefore thee, as within even the darkest of hearts does their lay aspec of light, be not given solely to the words of others, as theyoft’ do not know fully of what they speak, nor shouldst thee trustthine first instinct as biblical truth, as e’en we Gods lackperfection, instead, shouldst thou desire the truth as a whole, lookbeyond that which thou dost see, into the deepest reaches of another,listen well to the sounds of thine own heart more than the misguidedwords of others and balance thine instinct with higher reason, asthis is the way to deepest understanding’”, he recited, thewords, though unintentionally, making several in the crowd wail fromguilt, having once misread one brother or the other, “now, if themost powerful of Yuvasi’s children would please come and give untothese fallen legends the Grand Blessing and thus send their souls toour Realm.” he called out, Decimara, the wrathful god of justicestepping forward as the ornate vessel was rested against the front ofits headstone then cutting off a piece of his hair, laying it alongwith the enchanted blade he had used to remove it, on top of theblessed urn “we may never, in all your lives, have seen from acommon viewpoint, I cannot deny my respect for you two, may you bereborn in our blessed realm as the deities you do so deserve to be.”he said kneeling , his hands upon the stone pedestal shielding Raesaland Shevel’s final home from the soggy soil, a brief pulse ofdivine energy flowing from him and into the sorrowful shrine.“Iknow this may not be the best of times, but might I ask what Shevel’sfinal words were?” Arturis questioned in a hushed whisper whileobserving the spectacle, Wolfsbane in her grief stricken state ofmind replying with the ones which stood out the most to her, those inthe language she did not recognize  “talepsum eccat manarade, e mar cammasepht?” sheanswered, the words freezing the wise demigod instantly, the sadnesshe had been restraining for this ceremony becoming immediatelyreplaced with horror, his jaw falling agape as the words sank in“EVERYONE AWAY FROM THE GRAVE NOW!” he shouted shoving his waythrough the mourners and toward the grave site, tossing gods andmortals alike away, even tossing Tereval, the one who had given theeulogy andDecimara, the physically strongest of all gods, backward with all the force he could muster, the jar containing thefinal fragments of the two beloved deceased shaking wildly, itsgolden sides cracking as it levitated into the air, Decimara’saura shining around it vibrantly, the mourners looking upon it inwide eyed surprise, some expecting a miraculous rebirth, othersfearful from Arturis’s actions, their worst feelings proving to bethe most accurate as a voice, unheard since the end of the MortalUprising, boomed from the container “my blood collected, I see theworld anew, as my reason and ferocity are both joined once more,forged together by the power of my strongest brother”, it said withgrim joy, shockwaves of terror reverberating through the entirepantheon present, their bodies shaking as the realization of what wasto come sank in entirely, a shapely male form appearing around thebarely whole urn, the shards within it flying through the cracks inits sides, adhering to the outline of the spectral shape coalescingaround it, “tell me, traitors to the Divine, are you ready to reapyour just reward?” the voice questioned angrily, the forming bodyexpanding to many times its size, stopping when even the largest ofdeities looked the size of a child by comparison, the shards fusing,long flowing hair trailing down a heavily scarred, snow-white back,fierce red eyes like portals to damnation igniting brightly, asmile so vicious as to send even the intimidating goddess ofpunishment, Urax, diving for whatever cover she could find, spreadingacross the face of this visage of destruction “S...S…..Sylivasi,how is this possible!?” the demonic looking Lord of Night,Obsidian, shouted in utter disbelief, “WE ALL WITNESSED VALSAERSLAY YOU!”“for such all knowing beings, all of you,save for this halfblood, are certainly talented at overlooking themost obvious of details”, the reborn emblem of fear laughed whilegrabbing Arturis by the neck, disabling the stunned demigod with asimple sharp grip, throwing his body into the frightened throngs, the defeated teacher landing at the feet of Wolfsbane and Vertoria,gaspingdesperately for air, the fair female fae discarding her fright forthe time being, charging at the horrid deity currently rampagingthrough his fellow gods, killing a great many of them effortlesslywith but a single swing of his immense scythe, “isthis all my brothers and sisters can do to stop me?!” he cackled,his face covered in the spray of their ends, his dark pridefuljolliness interrupted by the furious woman slamming headlong into hischin, sending him staggering backward “ah, here we have one withsome fight in her!” he smiled as he recovered, his attentionfocused on her and her alone, his strikes missing their mark as hetoyed with her, allowing her several direct hits upon his personage,enjoying the chance to be challenged in any respect. “CEASE THISFOOLISHNESS WOLFSBANE!” Decimara bellowed as he lunged toward hisbrother, sword slashing downward with air splitting speed, its bladebiting deeply into Sylivasi’s shoulder, eliciting a pained yelpfrom the surprised God of Death, “you have a daughter to think of”,the feared God of Justice urged while trying to use his blade to keepSylivasi restrained, pulling back hard with all of his might, barelyable to restrain the force of the fighting villain, “take her andfind safety in some other realm, where not even this eternal horrorknows the name”, he encouraged, “I shall keep himhere.” “ah, so there IS a heart in the only God asfeared as I”, Sylivasi taunted while ducking free of the blade inhis flesh, turning around with the speed of fate itself and plunginghis hand deep into the chest of his one time cohort in devastation,“and it beats so well, I can’t wait to taste it.” he uttered,licking his lips hungrily, enjoying the look of surprise onDecimara’s proud face as the knowledge his end was soon in comingtook full hold, the expression becoming the blank glare of a corpsewhen his solid black heart was torn from his body, pulsing wildly inthe eternal terror’s hand as if struggling to free itself, thethrobbing ceasing upon the Tormentor’s teeth sinking into itssupple walls, his face dyed crimson “now, where was I?” hequestioned sarcastically, turning his attention back to the fae, thenimmediately to her daughter, the child standing horrified amid thecleaved bodies of the other former mourners, her height all whichsaved her from Sylivasi’s first sudden strike, her terrified wailsfilling the air as the monster appearedclose in front of her,the innocent halfblood trying to force her frozen legs to flee, theblood running cold in her veins, her eyes showing the abject fearthat ran through her young mind as she looked up to the face of theman that would certainly be her end “Iwonder just what that mother of yours is willing to do to save yourlife...” he teased as he leaned down to her level, his nose itselffar larger than her, his bullying of Vertoria interrupted by a hardstrike to the back of his head from Wolfsbane’s fist “leave heralone, or die.” the fae said defiantly, the god vanishing for amoment, only to appear behind her in a much smaller size matching herown, his hands on her body, tracing up her sides and toward her chestin full view of the one she wished to protect “I might”, he saidpulling her tightly against himself, his hands clasping her breastsas hard as he was able, her struggles to free herself only serving toarouse him, “ifyou make it worth my while….” “there..is no way...Iwould EVER SEE TO THE PLEASURE OF A WORTHLESS SHIT LIKE YOU!” sheyelled as she fought against his force, only to receive a harsh biteto the edge of her wing, the villain tearing a chunk out of thebeautiful appendage “yes, fight back, its all the more fun to me.”he cheered tossing her to the ground “oh and, child, feel free towatch, I LOVE an audience...” he said as he tried to get on top ofWolfsbane, the fast woman sliding out from under him before he couldget into position, kicking him in the crotch with all her might, theblow briefly stunning him, allowing her a chance to follow it up witha barrage of ranged attacks, her magic driving him to the dirt “cute,now its my turn...” he said, his face caked in mud, the callouscoward grabbing Vertoria, his re-summoned scythe’s blade againsther throat “itsyour choice, bride of my reason, do as I say, or watch her die...”he threatened, digging the celestial steel into the scared kid’sskin deep enough to open a shallow cut “m..mommy...” shewhimpered “help me….” “yes valiant creature, help yourdaughter, you know how to...” Sylivasi said dragging the implementacross her throat, stopping just shy of her carotid artery, Wolfsbanetrying to think of a way to save her beloved child without giving theman what he so desired, her gaze flitting between him, her daughter,his weapon and the area around the two of them “time’s runningshort sweetheart….” he encouraged, the tip of his blade startingto burrow in to Vertoria’s lifeline, the child crying as she feltwhat could likely be her final pain, “I have a WHOLE UNIVERSE toruin after this!” he shouted dementedly, a drop of Vikki’s bloodgracing the silver instrument, streaking its face like the signatureof doom “a...alright...” Wolf relented as she started to move thestraps to her funeral gown off of her shoulders “but...can we atleast do it somewhere she can’t see?” she asked, hoping to atleast spare Vertoria the sight of her mother being ravaged “I canwork with that, giving you your last little request...” heanswered, removing his hands from Vikki, his weapon staying preciselywhere it was “but if you try to break our deal...its curtains forher...” he added heading her way, his scythe keeping pace as thehalfbreed tried to move awayfrom it.“I won’t, just get this over with….” shesaid resigned to her fate, the ferocious acts of desire thatfollowed, the stuff of nightmares as the rapacious formerly deceaseddeity explored every cruel option his endlessly twisted mind couldconceive of, the fae’s screams of pain and agony from behind theonly tree near the grave reducing her daughter to frantic tears, asher body was used and abused like a toy owned by a psychoticteenager, his every blow onto her and every thrust within her donewith the utmost malice, her bones eventually snapping from the force,her skin opened up in countless cuts and her very soul nearly torn toshreds as the bestial devil finished his gruesome acts of sexualtorture, letting out a final loud grunt accented by her most frantichowlwhenhe spilled his seed within her. The deed done, he rose from thewrithing mass of womanhood, his body sweaty, face almost peaceful,and said in a voice brimming with pure evil “I won’t let yousuffer, time to die.” before crushing her skull beneath his foot,thelast sound she would ever loose a desperate scream, thislast cry of her life followed almost immediately by the loud,sickening crunch of her head caving in beneath the force of his foot“thatjust leaves the girl….” he hummed appearing once more near Vikki,the dreaded weapon which kept her prisoner still where he had placedit, its tip nearly buried in her “can’t have you coming back forrevenge some day, say hi to your mother for me.” he said beforeslittingher throat from ear to ear, washing the ground in the crimson tearsof her veins, her eyes frozen in shock and herbody falling ontothe soaked soil onlyto be kicked onto the grave which was meant to house her father anduncle,her hands reachingfor the picture engraved on the headstone as her life ebbed quicklyaway, a last attempt at comfort before she succumbed, her fingertipsdug into the crevices of the engraving, head falling to rest againstthe stone slab, in line with Shevel’s gaze, her tears as she sliddown to that final position clinging to the image of her father’seyes, making the grave itself seem to cry for the loss of her.

[kindcstguardian]

MISC.

Name. Armin Beilschmidt. Nicknames.  Birthday. 7th June ( Gemini ) Nationality. Irish &&. French. Languages. French &&. English. Gender. Cis male. Sexuality. Asexual biromantic. Status. Single. Occupation. Student &&. IT intern. Speciality. Beta-tester &&. coding. Hobbies. Gaming &&. cosplaying.

BACKGROUND.

 PRESENT.

Over the passing decade, Armin grew up close to his dad and ended up sharing a bunch of interests of his: coding, hacking, developing his own programs, etc. His father even recommended him to the company he’s working in as computer security expert for which Armin is grateful and ended up as intern to learn how things work and potentially work there.

Besides that, the ravenette took an interest in videogames, comics and manga. Although he doesn’t leave much the house unless he goes to another friend’s house or, well, school or his part-time job ( to this day, he fears bees and spiders ).

 EARLY LIFE.

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, County Tyrone to an excited couple for having two children and a proud older brother waiting to teach and protect them. However, life was only peaceful for five years of his life before an accident took place which costed the life of his biological parents—and because all of them were minors with no relatives alive either, they were sent to adoption.

Ethan was adopted right away leaving Alexander and Armin to themselves for a year alone waiting until a couple that had been married for some good ten years ( Arnaud and Victoria ) chose to adopt them.

While it wasn’t hard for Alexy to open up and express himself, toys that he could want or thoughts that crossed his mind—it was the entire opposite for Armin: to speak more than a sentence or even ask what he wished for.

VERSES.

Main verse. TAG.  「 001  ／ Armin ;  ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴍᴀᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘʟᴏʀᴇ. . | 」

Highschool student, 17 years old.     Alongiside Alexy, they both find themselves a little puzzled at this pink and straight-up from a shojo manga of sorts school—although Armin isn’t about to complain but rather crack jokes about the typical cliche   ( which only deepened upon further inspection ).

   Still, much like in the previous institutions they both had attended thus far, Armin sticks to his game console and avoids leaving the interior of the school, the whole bees and insect fear never quite leaving him. Plus, social events are not his thing—that’s more of his twin’s thing.

MCLUL verse. TAG.  「 002  ／   」

College student, 23 years old.     Tba.

Infamous second son verse. TAG.  「 003 ／ Armin  ;  you want 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 and I want 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢 」

Runaway, 20 years old.     The traumatic event that took place during his childhood was   the trigger; however, it didn’t manifest itself right away - given Armin played quite often with a gameboy, at nights whenever he’d wake up from a nightmare at the orphanage, he’d see his ‘imaginary friend’ which was Link but, soon enough, Armin realized     it wasn’t just that,  given Alexy could see it as well and warned him not to do that in public or a place where others could see it too.

   A decade has passed with many changes, the younger twin no longer invoked said videogame character  ( not as often, at least )  but rather craved to possess certain   traits   or   habilities   for himself     which he did, sucessfully. Although always when left alone or when the blue-haired was around to supervise, keeping everything in check.

   However, this came to a stop when Armin saw the news: people like him were a threat and should be stopped, locked up; if proved to be a genuine danger to society, then killed without a second thought, as if their lives did not matter and were crushed like mere insects. Isolating himself in fear he might hurt his family, Armin’s   anxiety   and   paranoia drove his thoughts wild, borderline a panic attack to which he decided to escape from the house. Intrusive thoughts taking over, clouding his mind from any rational thought, telling him that he could harm his family. Without a single word, he left.

   Armin became a traveler, a gamer who ocasionally smoked drugs to ease his alarming stress and anxiety levels which could blur his judgement again and cause him to make poor decisions - and, sometimes, he was a trief ‘cause, a guy gotta eat, right ?

Fourth wall breaking  or Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse TAG. 「 004 ／ Armin ; my 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 is a bit different 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 . . | 」

Tba.     Much like Gwenpool, Armin was sucked into the comic he was reading by some unbeknown magic to him—although, to make matters much worse than it already was, it had to be in the middle of the entire world glitching thus causing him to land in   the movie   rather than Ultimate Spider-man universe known as Earth-1610.

   Stuck in the movie and watching the world glitch though this   didn’t   happen to him at all ( worrying him even more because he had no money and, therefore, no means to survive ), Armin decided to steal the blonde’s idea and pretty much became Novapool—a college dropout since there’s no hope for him to return who is a part-timer in a comic / geek store and full-time mercenary.

Persona 5 verse. TAG. 「 P5 ／ Armin  ;  𝔐𝔞𝔎𝔢𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔣𝔱 𝔍𝔲𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔢 」

Highschool student, 17 years old.    It wasn’t particulary strange for Armin to land in an entire different country to continue his studies alongside his brother; however, for him and his group of friends to tag all along? Mrs.Shermansky surely wanted Sweet Amorris to have an impeccable name if accepting an exchange student program was an idea that fixated in her mind.

   Still, assisting to Shujin academy school proved to be a good experience the first three weeks, the fourth one started in a peculiar manner when   the Phantom Thieves   first made an appearence.

   From that point onwards, as time passed by, many things started to happen which irked Armin off. If he previously had difficulty fitting in or attempting to interact with other students outside his circle, the atmosphere surrounding   certain students   made him back away completely. That was until Iris was affected.

   Alongside Lynn, they both were investigating who kept harassing their classmate and friend to the point she would have bags under her eyes and her body would be trembling, too weak to even properly walk and constantly trip—this caused Armin to steal her phone when Lynn took her away. Deducing her password correctly as he was on the run due Charlotte catching him and calling the police on him—she wasn't working alone on   torturing   someone as innocent as the redhead.

   Although this escaping of his had made the ravenette end up trapped in the metaverse alongside   the Phantom Thieves  whom were confronting Kaneshiro in his own palace. Terrified of such place and creatures, Armin dodged most attacks albeit he still got hit yet stood up quickly and ran as fast as his legs allowed him before stumbling paths with them: upon hearing what disgusting words left that monster’s lips, a voice started resonating inside his head.

   I am thou, thou art I, it was a man’s voice that was driving him insane. Armin dropped to his knees and held his head but he had to bear the pain that was blinding him, tears formed in the corner of his eyes yet he clenched his jaw, perhaps God will give you justice, but you can make your own until the time arrives.

   His persona awakens upon hearing the injustice many students have to go through, thinking about how Charlotte was part of all of this, going as far as to push Iris beyond her limits, how she dragged many other students into that hole with no return—the power of Monte Cristo made him stood his ground and raise up; accepting the contract, the blue-eyed codename is Dantès.

Danganronpa verse TAG. 「 ᴅᴀɴɢᴀɴʀᴏɴᴘᴀ ／ Armin ; 𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩. . . | 」

Reserve Course student, 17 years old.  Based on UTDP.   Previously enrolled in Sweet Amorris, that was soon to change after getting involved in a situation two years ago: hacking the devices of his friend, then the school system and soon the police to track the individual harassing her. However, he had been sloppy in his work since he hadn’t thought of the consequences due to his blood boiling.    Much to his surprise, aside from spending a few nights locked and under the supervision of the police, he didn’t get a punishment since there weren’t charges towards him. That and... they received a request from a prestigious school, that alone made Armin freak out because what’s with that, his case didn’t even make it to the news because of his father’s influence.  What was their deal?  Nevertheless, he joined and uh, everyone here as an oddball     luckily, Alexy was there to keep him sane.

Eldarya / Fantasy verse TAG. 「／  」

Tba.

TAGS.

「 Armin Beilschmidt ／   𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫┊ aceplaycr 」

「 Armin Beilschmidt ／ INQUIRY」

「 Armin Beilschmidt ／ MUSINGS 」

「 Armin Beilschmidt ／ VISAGE 」

「 Armin Beilschmidt ／ MANNERISMS 」

「 Armin Beilschmidt ／ INTROSPECTION」

「 Armin Beilschmidt ／ ROMANCE 」

「 Armin Beilschmidt ／ CRACK 」

RELATIONSHIPS.

「 ❝ ʸᵒᵘ ᵃʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃʷᶠᵘˡ ᵍᵒᵒᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵐʸ ᶜʰᵃᵒᵗⁱᶜ ⁿᵉᵘᵗʳᵃˡ ❞ / ᴀʀᴍɪɴ + ᴋᴇɴᴛɪɴ 」; 

✘ · Armven ♡（ ❝ ᴴᵒʷ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʸᵒᵘ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵐʸ ʷʰᵒˡᵉ ˡⁱᶠᵉ ? ❞ ）

✘ ·  ♡（   ）

[philippmichelreichold]

#scifi #review this immortal by roger zelazny

#scifi #review this immortal by roger zelazny

Basically This Immortal, known in an earlier incarnation as Call me Conrad, is one of Zelazny’s heroic epics with no less than the fate of humanity at stake. The principal character, Conrad, is typical of most of Zelazny’s heros. He is for all practical purposes immortal. Like Bugs Bunny, he does not go out of his way to cause trouble for others, but does not suffer abuse lightly. He plans carefully, trying not to act rashly. And he changes his feelings and views as he grows older and wiser. These traits lead, of course, to conflict. Conrad is retained to give a high caste alien from Vega named Cort Myshtigo a tour of earth for a survey. Because of the relationship between Vegans and humanity, this incites some resentment against the alien and concern for the future of humanity. The smart money has wagered that the way to save humanity is to kill Cort. Conrad makes it plain that he prefers to wait until he has enough information to decide, and spends most of his time shielding Cort from attempts on his life.

Irony The novel contains a great deal of irony which is used to show mankind returning from the brink of extinction and beginning the process of healing its wounds.. Episodes occur in which the putative destroyer is the instrument of salvation. The first of these occurs in Egypt. Hasan has been hired by the Agency to protect Cort. But as is known or suspected by everyone except Cort, Hasan is also a Radpole agent sent to kill him. In the final ironic twist of this episode, Hasan saves Cort from a boadile while trying to kill him. Other ironies abound. Twice, those thought lost are returned and bring salvation with them. The first returned is Conrad’s dog, Bortran. Bortran had gone missing years earlier and has been searching for his master ever since. After Conrad returns to Greece on this tour, Bortran crosses his trail. He catches up with Conrad just in time to rescue him from the Kouretes. Next to return from the presumed dead is Conrad’s wife, Cassandra. While burning an old friend, Conrad and his party are set upon by the Beast of Thessaly. In a dramatic sequence worthy of Dickens, they battle the Beast until Cassandra plays Zeus and strikes the Beast dead . In a more prolonged twist, the Radpole is trying to kill the one Vegan who can save earth and set it free. Throughout the story Conrad repeatedly intercedes to stay his execution, opposing the Radpole which he had founded decades before. The final irony is in the very nature of the Kallikanzaros. Rather than being the instrument of the world’s destruction as in Greek myth, he is to be its savior.

Symbolism Symbols of loss, destruction and ultimate redemption strengthen the themes presented through the use of irony. Symbols of the destruction of earth’s civilization include the spiderbats, the Kouretes, the Beast of Thessaly and the threatened dismantling of the Pyramids. The beginning of the restoration of civilization is symbolized by the return of Bortran and Cassandra as well as the destruction of the Kouretes, the Beast of Thessaly and the inroads being made against the spiderbats. Conrad symbolizes earth civilization itself. Cort refers to him as a sort of “ghost of place.” The restoration of Bortran and Cassandra, essential to Conrad’s wholeness as a person, support this symbolism. Also, Conrad’s fungal rash, present at the beginning of the story, has been eliminated at the end. He still has his limp, but his healing has begun, and like the earth itself, he endures

Steve Troy calls This Immortal a “lighthearted romp.” And it is. This in no way detracts from the seriousness of Zelazny’s themes or nor does it reduce the effectiveness of his presentation. It does make the story more enjoyable. The twists and rescues do not merely heighten suspense and grip the reader. They also provide the framework for the irony and symbolism that carry Zelazny’s themes of returning from the brink and of recovering from destruction.

QUOTES My thinking is usually pretty good, but I seem to do it after I do my talking– by which time I’ve generally destroyed all basis for further conversaton.

If heaven didn’t want me then, I’m not going to ask a second time.

Vocabulary adytum- “1 the innermost room or shrine in certain old temples, to be entered only by priests 2 a sanctum” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

bouzouki-“a stringed musical instrument of Greece, somewhat like a mandolin, used to accompany folk dances and singers” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

cadge- “to beg or get by begging; sponge” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

caique- 1. a light skiff used on the Bosporus 2. a Levantine sailing vessel(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Cassandra- Conrad’s new wife. According to  Bulfinch’s Mythology, “Queen Hecuba and her daughter Cassandra were carried captives to Greece. Cassandra had been loved by Apollo, and he gave her the gift of prophecy; but afterwards offended with her, he rendered the gift unavailing by ordaining that her predictions should never be believed.” In This Immortal, Conrad disbelieves both Cassandra’s accurate warnings of danger and her later prediction that things will go well.

chthonic- “1.designating or of the underworld of the dead and its gods or spirits 2.dark, primitive, and mysterious” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

felucca- “a small, narrow ship propelled by oars or lateen sails and used esp. in the Mediterranean” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

galabieh-“(variant of djellaba)-a long, loose outer garment worn in Arabic countries”(Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

Kouretes- “returns this line from the play The Bacchae by Euripides:” ‘O secret chamber of the Kouretes and you holy Cretan caves, parents to Zeus, where the Korybantes with triple helmet invented for me in their caves this circle…“ That is because the Curetes (the more common spelling) were spirits on the island of Crete who protected the newly born god Zeus when his mother Rhea hid him from his father Cronos, who would otherwise have eaten the baby. The Curetes danced around banging spears on shields to make a clattering din to drown out Zeus’s cries.’” (email post from Joel Skidmore.webmaster@muwekma.org.98-06-30 21:11:42 EDT)  ouzo- “a colorless Greek liqueur flavored with aniseed” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

Ozymandias- “Here are two verses from the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822):

'I met a traveler from an antique land Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read.” … “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away.’“

(email post from Joel Skidmore.webmaster@muwekma.org.98-06-30 21:11:42 EDT)

Piraeus- "seaport in SE Greece, on the Saronic Gulf: part of Athens’ metropolitan area: pop. 184,000: ModGr name PEIRAIEVS” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

 Satyr- “The Satyrs were deities of the woods and fields. They were conceived to be covered with bristly hair, their heads decorated with short, sprouting horns, and their feet like goats’ feet.” (Bulfinch’s Mythology)

Skinner boxes- “an enclosure in which small animals, as rats or pigeons, are conditioned by rewards and punishments to perform certain acts in response to specific stimuli” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

steatopygiac- “having "a heavy deposit of fat in the buttocks or thigh”(Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

syrinx- “pipes of Pan”, upon which he plays. See:Syrinx; Encyclopedia Mythica for more information.

Thespis- “Gr. poet: traditionally the originator of Gr. tragedy” (Excerpted from Compton’s Reference Collection 1996 Copyright © 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.)

Characters Bortran- Conrad’s dog

Conrad- hero of the story, “Director of Arts, Monuments, and Archives,” Radpol founder, and kallikanzaros

Cort Myshtigo- a wealthy Vegan journalist who wishes to write a book about earth

Dos Santos- hates Vegans, husband of “red wig”

Diane- the girl with the red wig, hates everyone, disfigured by a Vegan disease Radpol member

Dos Santos- hates Vegans, husband of “red wig” Radpol member

Ellen- George’s wife, wants to go to Taler, freind of Conrad

George- scientist, entomologist, freind of Conrad wants to poison the spiderbats

Jason- Conrad’s son

Hasan- Mercenary hired as Cort’s bodyguard

Lorel Sands- earth director appointed by Earth Government onTaler, Conrad’s boss and freind

Phil- poet laureate of earth, freind of Conrad

Procrustes- War Chief of the Kouretes  (from Procustes in Myth)

                                                                    All my content is creative commons attribution required. sources as cited. image used under fair use from isfdb

[philippmichelreichold]

#scifi #review this immortal by roger zelazny

#scifi #review this immortal by roger zelazny

Basically This Immortal, known in an earlier incarnation as Call me Conrad, is one of Zelazny's heroic epics with no less than the fate of humanity at stake. The principal character, Conrad, is typical of most of Zelazny's heros. He is for all practical purposes immortal. Like Bugs Bunny, he does not go out of his way to cause trouble for others, but does not suffer abuse lightly. He plans carefully, trying not to act rashly. And he changes his feelings and views as he grows older and wiser. These traits lead, of course, to conflict. Conrad is retained to give a high caste alien from Vega named Cort Myshtigo a tour of earth for a survey. Because of the relationship between Vegans and humanity, this incites some resentment against the alien and concern for the future of humanity. The smart money has wagered that the way to save humanity is to kill Cort. Conrad makes it plain that he prefers to wait until he has enough information to decide, and spends most of his time shielding Cort from attempts on his life.

Irony The novel contains a great deal of irony which is used to show mankind returning from the brink of extinction and beginning the process of healing its wounds.. Episodes occur in which the putative destroyer is the instrument of salvation. The first of these occurs in Egypt. Hasan has been hired by the Agency to protect Cort. But as is known or suspected by everyone except Cort, Hasan is also a Radpole agent sent to kill him. In the final ironic twist of this episode, Hasan saves Cort from a boadile while trying to kill him. Other ironies abound. Twice, those thought lost are returned and bring salvation with them. The first returned is Conrad's dog, Bortran. Bortran had gone missing years earlier and has been searching for his master ever since. After Conrad returns to Greece on this tour, Bortran crosses his trail. He catches up with Conrad just in time to rescue him from the Kouretes. Next to return from the presumed dead is Conrad's wife, Cassandra. While burning an old friend, Conrad and his party are set upon by the Beast of Thessaly. In a dramatic sequence worthy of Dickens, they battle the Beast until Cassandra plays Zeus and strikes the Beast dead . In a more prolonged twist, the Radpole is trying to kill the one Vegan who can save earth and set it free. Throughout the story Conrad repeatedly intercedes to stay his execution, opposing the Radpole which he had founded decades before. The final irony is in the very nature of the Kallikanzaros. Rather than being the instrument of the world's destruction as in Greek myth, he is to be its savior.

Symbolism Symbols of loss, destruction and ultimate redemption strengthen the themes presented through the use of irony. Symbols of the destruction of earth's civilization include the spiderbats, the Kouretes, the Beast of Thessaly and the threatened dismantling of the Pyramids. The beginning of the restoration of civilization is symbolized by the return of Bortran and Cassandra as well as the destruction of the Kouretes, the Beast of Thessaly and the inroads being made against the spiderbats. Conrad symbolizes earth civilization itself. Cort refers to him as a sort of "ghost of place." The restoration of Bortran and Cassandra, essential to Conrad's wholeness as a person, support this symbolism. Also, Conrad's fungal rash, present at the beginning of the story, has been eliminated at the end. He still has his limp, but his healing has begun, and like the earth itself, he endures

Steve Troy calls This Immortal a "lighthearted romp." And it is. This in no way detracts from the seriousness of Zelazny's themes or nor does it reduce the effectiveness of his presentation. It does make the story more enjoyable. The twists and rescues do not merely heighten suspense and grip the reader. They also provide the framework for the irony and symbolism that carry Zelazny's themes of returning from the brink and of recovering from destruction.

QUOTES My thinking is usually pretty good, but I seem to do it after I do my talking-- by which time I've generally destroyed all basis for further conversaton.

If heaven didn't want me then, I'm not going to ask a second time.

Vocabulary adytum- "1 the innermost room or shrine in certain old temples, to be entered only by priests 2 a sanctum" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

bouzouki-"a stringed musical instrument of Greece, somewhat like a mandolin, used to accompany folk dances and singers" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

cadge- "to beg or get by begging; sponge" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

caique- 1. a light skiff used on the Bosporus 2. a Levantine sailing vessel(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Cassandra- Conrad's new wife. According to  Bulfinch's Mythology, "Queen Hecuba and her daughter Cassandra were carried captives to Greece. Cassandra had been loved by Apollo, and he gave her the gift of prophecy; but afterwards offended with her, he rendered the gift unavailing by ordaining that her predictions should never be believed." In This Immortal, Conrad disbelieves both Cassandra's accurate warnings of danger and her later prediction that things will go well.

chthonic- "1.designating or of the underworld of the dead and its gods or spirits 2.dark, primitive, and mysterious" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

felucca- "a small, narrow ship propelled by oars or lateen sails and used esp. in the Mediterranean" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

galabieh-"(variant of djellaba)-a long, loose outer garment worn in Arabic countries"(Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

Kouretes- "returns this line from the play The Bacchae by Euripides:" 'O secret chamber of the Kouretes and you holy Cretan caves, parents to Zeus, where the Korybantes with triple helmet invented for me in their caves this circle..." That is because the Curetes (the more common spelling) were spirits on the island of Crete who protected the newly born god Zeus when his mother Rhea hid him from his father Cronos, who would otherwise have eaten the baby. The Curetes danced around banging spears on shields to make a clattering din to drown out Zeus's cries.'" (email post from Joel Skidmore.webmaster@muwekma.org.98-06-30 21:11:42 EDT)  ouzo- "a colorless Greek liqueur flavored with aniseed" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

Ozymandias- "Here are two verses from the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822):

'I met a traveler from an antique land Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read." ... "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away.'"

(email post from Joel Skidmore.webmaster@muwekma.org.98-06-30 21:11:42 EDT)

Piraeus- "seaport in SE Greece, on the Saronic Gulf: part of Athens' metropolitan area: pop. 184,000: ModGr name PEIRAIEVS" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

 Satyr- "The Satyrs were deities of the woods and fields. They were conceived to be covered with bristly hair, their heads decorated with short, sprouting horns, and their feet like goats' feet." (Bulfinch's Mythology)

Skinner boxes- "an enclosure in which small animals, as rats or pigeons, are conditioned by rewards and punishments to perform certain acts in response to specific stimuli" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

steatopygiac- "having "a heavy deposit of fat in the buttocks or thigh"(Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

syrinx- "pipes of Pan", upon which he plays. See:Syrinx; Encyclopedia Mythica for more information.

Thespis- "Gr. poet: traditionally the originator of Gr. tragedy" (Excerpted from Compton's Reference Collection 1996 Copyright (c) 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.)

Characters Bortran- Conrad's dog

Conrad- hero of the story, "Director of Arts, Monuments, and Archives," Radpol founder, and kallikanzaros

Cort Myshtigo- a wealthy Vegan journalist who wishes to write a book about earth

Dos Santos- hates Vegans, husband of "red wig"

Diane- the girl with the red wig, hates everyone, disfigured by a Vegan disease Radpol member

Dos Santos- hates Vegans, husband of "red wig" Radpol member

Ellen- George's wife, wants to go to Taler, freind of Conrad

George- scientist, entomologist, freind of Conrad wants to poison the spiderbats

Jason- Conrad's son

Hasan- Mercenary hired as Cort's bodyguard

Lorel Sands- earth director appointed by Earth Government onTaler, Conrad's boss and freind

Phil- poet laureate of earth, freind of Conrad

Procrustes- War Chief of the Kouretes  (from Procustes in Myth)