#( — filed under: babylon. )

[therighthandofvengeance]

Lochley: What’s your password?

Zach: “Password.”

Lochley: No, what is your password?

Zack: “Password,” spelled out.

Lochley: You’re the head of security, and your password is “password”?

Zack: I don’t feel good about it, either.

[ghosts-of-ikarra]

G'kar is kinda Dr. Werdegast coded. in a way.

[galateaknife]

Supernatural Wincest Reclist:

All stories here are over (roughly) 30k words, written before 2020, not frequently recommended these days (as far as I can tell), unearthed from various storage areas on my computer, and end with Sam and Dean together.

Please mind any tags and author-written descriptions.

If a story says (podfic available) underneath it, that means that I have a copy of the podfic. Feel free to dm me for a file.

I hope you find something new to enjoy here!

Under my skin by yourkidney. ~31k words. Post-S1. Ghost-induced mind meld.

https://yourkidney.livejournal.com/27595.html

(podfic available)

Chains of Babylon by poisontaster. ~43k words. Post-S1 futurefic. Dean is trapped in an evil mental institution.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5721952

(podfic available)

Turn of the Wheel series by gekizetsu. ~111k words. Vague S2. There’s a war between the elements, and Sam and Dean get caught in the crossfire.

https://amalthia.mediawood.org/ebooks/viewstory.php?sid=127

This is Ourselves (Under Pressure) by clex_monkie89. ~30k words. Post 2x12. On the run from the FBI.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/230040

(podfic available)

The Things We Carry With Us by lovesrain44. ~48k words. Late S2. Dean thinks that Sam needs to get laid.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/267862

(if anyone has a copy of this podfic lmk, I lost mine a couple laptops ago.)

Black Velocities and Shining Movements by dimeliora. ~40k words. Late S2 AU. Sam is seriously injured, and something is seriously wrong.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19454164

Swear By All Flowers by sweetestdrain. ~37k words. Post-S2. Sam’s out of the game, and Dean is cursed.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18507

(podfic available)

Crush by sonofabiscuit77. ~61k words. AU from mid S3. Partially outsider POV. Dean owns a mechanic shop and Sam teaches.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/826173

(if anyone has a copy of this podfic, I’ve lost mine)

Threefold Path series by rei_c. ~182k words. Alternate end to S3. Sam gets Dean out of his deal. It changes everything.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1581844

I’d Gladly Lose Me To Find You by flawedamythyst. ~36k words. Post S3. Sam makes a vow of silence to save his brother.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2215497

(podfic available)

And So Awakens Devils by concernedlily. ~59k words. Alternate S4. Sam ends the world.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/190731

Not Time’s Fool by FayJay. ~58k words. Mid S4. Dean gets turned into a girl.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4720

(I’ve also lost my copy of this podfic and would appreciate another copy)

The incestuous courtship of the antichrist’s bride by fleshflutter. ~48k words. Post-S4 AU. A classic.

https://fleshflutter.livejournal.com/102268.html

(podfic available)

As Through a Glass and Darkly by lexicale. ~118k words. Preseries and S1-5 AU with Hindu mythology instead of Christian.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/524025/chapters/927238

Hidden by AxeMeAboutAxinomancy. ~79k words. S6 Daemon!AU. Sam’s back from hell but daemon is missing.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9488537

(podfic available)

Tornado Warning by dear_tiger. ~28k words. Early S6. Sam is walking around without a soul, and a man with no memory gets a job at a butcher shop.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/475602

Choir of Furies by Atanih88. ~32k words. Late S6. Sam’s wall has sprung a leak.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/221544

(podfic available)

Another Brick in the Wall by road_rhythm. ~170k words. Late S6. Sam disappears. Dean searches for him. Sam tries to survive.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3207755

The Allegory of the Cave by Jay Tryfanstone. ~36k words. Post-S6. Memories and emotions and a hunt in New York City.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/488058

(podfic available)

Absolute Zero by pixymisa and selecasharp. ~61k words. Post-S8 AU. Sam closed the gates of Hell, and now he can’t die and can’t wake up.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4156011

Sam Winchester’s Guide to Blood Magic, or How the Rockies Were Made by badbastion, thursdaysisters. ~46k words. S9AU. The apocalypse everyone forgot.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4147914

(podfic available)

The Partisan by nigeltde. ~39k words. Mid S9. Post-Gadreel claustrophobia and restlessness.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2049891

The Babel Fish Has Forsaken Us by orphan_account (indiachick). ~34k words. Late S9 AU. Phantasmagoria.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2146206

a long hard day, a long hard night by deadlybride. ~39k words. Post-S9. Dean’s body disappeared. Sam gets him back.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16475585

Apophenia by MeltinSkelton. ~149k words. S10 or thereabouts. There’s a hunt and human evil in a town by Austin. Mutual pining and fever dreams, with a side of pining Cas.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17274647/chapters/40624721

Baba O’Riley and Eleanor Rigby walk into a bar by thecapn. ~33k words. The only non-hunting AU I’m likely to ever recommend.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27906127

Captured by the Game by rivkat. ~54k words. Raised apart AU. Azazel sends Sam to gain the confidence of Dean Winchester.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1389

(podfic available)

[yamayuandadu]

do you have any sources on the worship of the goddess inanna/Ishtar during the Seleucid/Hellenistic period to the Parthian period? i dont recall stumbling upon anything talking about her.

even though from what I've been reading mesopotamian deities were still popular (like bel-marduk in Palmyra and nabu in Edessa or shamash in hatra and mardin or sin in harran etc etc.. ) i dont recall reading anything about her or anything mention her worship (other than theories of the alabaster reclining figurines being depictions of her)

A good start when it comes to late developments in Mesopotamian religion is Religious Continuity and Change in Parthian Mesopotamia. A Note on the survival of Babylonian Traditions by Lucinda Dirven.

Hellenistic Uruk, and by extension the cult of Ishtar, is incredibly well documented and the most extensive monograph on this topic, Julia Krul’s The Revival of the Anu Cult and the Nocturnal Fire Ceremony at Late Babylonian Uruk, is pretty much open access (and I link it regularly here, and it's one of my to-go wiki editing points of reference as well); it has an extensive bibliography and the author discusses the history of research of the development of specific cults in Uruk in detail. The gist of it is fairly straightforward: her status declined because with the fall of Babylon to the Persians the priestly elites of Uruk decided it’s time for a reform and for the first time in history Anu’s primacy moved past the nominal level, into the cultic sphere, at the expense of Ishtar and Nanaya. Even the Eanna declined, though a new temple, the Irigal, was built essentially as a replacement; we know relatively a lot about its day to day operations. An akitu festival of Ishtar is also well documented, and Krul goes into its details. All around, I don’t think the linked book will disappoint you.

An important earlier work about the changes in Uruk in Paul-Alain Beaulieu’s Antiquarian Theology in Seleucid Uruk. There’s also Of Priests and Kings: The Babylonian New Year Festival in the Last Age of Cuneiform Culture by Céline Debourse which covers Uruk and Babylon, but there is less material relevant to this ask there. Evidence from Upper Mesopotamia and beyond is more fragmented so I’ll discuss it in more detail under the cut. My criticism of this take on the reclining figures is there as well.

The matter is briefly discussed in Personal Names in the Aramaic Inscriptions of Hatra by Enrico Marcato (p. 168; search for “Iššar” within the file for theophoric name attestations). References to a deity named ʻIššarbēl might indicate Ishtar of Arbela fared relatively well (for her earlier history see here and here) in the first centuries CE. The evidence is not unambiguous, though. This issue is discussed in detail in Lutz Greisiger’s Šarbēl: Göttin, Priester, Märtyrer – einige Probleme der spätantiken Religionsgeschichte Nordmesopotamiens. Theophoric names and the dubious case of ʻIššarbēl aside, there are basically no meaningful attestations of Ishtar from Hatra, but curiously “Ishtar of Hatra” does appear in a Mandaic scroll known as the “Great Mandaic Demon Roll”. According to Marcato this evidence should not be taken out of context, and additionally it cannot be ruled that we’re dealing with a case of ishtar as a generic noun for a goddess (An Aramaic Incantation Bowl and the Fall of Hatra, pages 139-140; accessible via De Gruyter). If this is correct, most likely Marten (the enigmatic main female deity of the local pantheon), Nanaya or Allat (brought to Upper Mesopotamia by Arabs settling there in the first centuries CE) are actually meant as opposed to Ishtar. 

Joan Goodnick Westenholz suggested that Mandaic sources might also contain references to Ishtar of Babylon: the theonym Bablīta (“the Babylonian”) attested in them according to her might reflect the emergence of a new deity derived from Bēlet-Bābili (ie. Ishtar of Babylon) in late antiquity (Goddesses in Context, p. 133)

In addition to Marcato’s article listed above, another good starting point for looking into Mesopotamian religious “fossils” in Mandaic sources is Spätbabylonische Gottheiten in spätantiken mandäischen Texten by Christa Müller-Kessler and Karlheinz Kessler; Ishtar is covered on pages 72-73 and 83-84 though i’d recommend reading the full article for context. The topic is further explored here.

In his old-ish monograph The Pantheon of Palmyra, Javier Teixidor proposed that the sparsely attested local Palmyrene goddess Herta (I’ve also seen her name romanized as Ḥirta; it’s agreed that it’s derived from Akkadian ḫīrtu, “wife”) was a form of Ishtar, based on the fact she appears in multiple inscriptions alongside Nanaya (p. 111). She is best known from a dedication formula where she forms a triad with Nanaya and Resheph (Greek version replaces them with Hera and Artemis, but curiously keeps Resheph as himself). However, ultimately little can be said about her cult beyond the fact it existed, since a priest in her service is mentioned at least once.

I need to stress here that I didn’t find any other authors arguing in favor of the existence of a supposed Palmyrene Ishtar. Joan Goodnick Westenholz mentioned Herta in her seminal Nanaya: Lady of Mystery, but she only concluded that the name was an Akkadian loanword and that she, Resheph and Nanaya indeed formed a triad (p. 79; published in Sumerian Gods and their Representations, which as far as I know can only be accessed through certain totally legit means). Maciej M. Münnich in his monograph The God Resheph in the Ancient Near East doesn’t seem to be convinced by Teixidor’s arguments, and notes that it’s most sensible to assume Herta seems to be Nanaya’s mother in local tradition. He similarly criticizes Teixidor for asserting Resheph has to be identical with Nergal in Palmyrene context (pages 259-260); I’m inclined to agree with his reasoning, interchangeability of deities cannot be presumed without strong evidence and that is lacking here.

I’m not aware of any attestations from Dura Europos. Nanaya had that market cornered on her own. Last but not least: I'm pretty sure the number of authors identifying the statuettes you’ve mentioned this way is in the low single digits. The similar standing one from the Louvre is conventionally identified as Nanaya (see ex. Westenholz's Trading the Symbols of the Goddess Nanaya), who has a much stronger claim to crescent as an attribute (compare later Kushan and Sogdian depictions, plus note the official Seleucid interpretatio as Artemis for dynastic politics purposes), so I see little reason to doubt reclining figures so similar they even tend to have the same sort of gem navel decoration are also her, personally.

A great example of the Nanaya-ish statuette from the Louvre (wikimedia commons). To sum everything up: while evidence is available from both the south and the north, the last centuries BCE and first centuries CE were generally a time of decline for Ishtar(s); for the first time Nanaya was a clear winner instead, but that's another story...

[the-blue-eyed-firebender]

Here's another Royai fic rec.

June means @royaiweek is almost upon us! Here's a few recs to get the inspiration churning.

If you know any of these authors are on tumblr, please tag them!

holy water cannot help you now by starsinherblood

Rating: T

Word count: 4.5K

Summary: Colonel Mustang recovers his Lieutenant.

Excerpt: "And in the midst of it all, the eye of the storm, Mustang stood with his gloves still trailing wisps of smoke."

My thoughts: We love a good rescue mission, and this one has it all. The masterful starsinherblood strikes every chord: angst, action, a clever Riza and an unhinged protective Roy. Perfectly in-character, and the details are VIVID. If you love the "touch her and die" trope, this one's for you. I think about this story a lot.

in the mess it's made of us by plalligator

Rating: E (if you're not into that, just skip the last chapter; the rest of the story is a solid T and will still feel complete)

Word count: 24K

Summary: Roy and Riza break the rules, keep their vows, and fall in love.

Excerpt: “If we’re going to be married, you better call me Roy,” he said.

“Riza,” she said, and laid her hand in his with a smile. It was the kind of smile that snuck up on you, not dazzling but so obviously warm and genuine Roy could feel his own tentative smile widen and become real. He marvelled at how successfully she had managed to hide herself away with her plain cropped hair and downcast eyes.

“Riza, then,” he said. I’m going to do right by you, Riza.

My thoughts: This plot is brilliant: Roy and Riza are married by her father's arrangement just before Roy leaves for Ishval. The events of FMAB unfold as in canon, but Roy and Riza are platonically, secretly married the entire time, and they are slowly falling for each other. This story's pacing, the slow burn, is to DIE for. I honestly wish this was canon. It fits so freaking well. And be sure to follow it up with the short sequel, life between contractions (rated T, word count 3K), where Team Mustang finally learns the truth about Roy and Riza's relationship.

how many miles to babylon by spiraetspera

Rating: T

Word count: 1.6K

Summary/Excerpt: "That Hawkeye" Hughes asks Roy much later, as they pick the remains of their gruel at the fire. "Is she a friend or something more?"

My thoughts: I've seen this one on a lot of rec lists, but it truly deserves to be there. I'm a sucker for quick reads that deliver a gut punch, and this is one of those. In less than two thousand words, spiraetspera paints a beautifully tragic picture of Roy and Riza's shared past: his mentorship by her father, and their time in Ishval.

R. Hawkeye: K.I.A by sevendeadlyseas

Rating: M

Word count: 3.3K

Summary: It will be easy paperwork. A simple note under her file, a red stamp marked K.I.A; killed in action, protecting her superior officer.

Roy copes with the aftermath of Riza’s death.

Excerpt: He wants to be angry, to shoot back and kill the person who did this. But that would defeat the entire point of everything they’d worked for already. Riza would hate him for it.

Instead he screams at the medic until his voice is coarse, and begs her lifeless body to wake. 

He cries himself to sleep that night. While he wakes up in the morning, Riza never will again.

My thoughts: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. This one will curb-stomp your soul. But its so amazingly written, beautiful and tragic, the pain is well worth it.

[may--hawk]

Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (ineffable remix)

XXIV. Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd - Lana Del Ray

When’s it gonna be my turn? / Open me up, tell me you like me

One of the first things Aziraphale does when he gets up to Heaven is request access to the Earth observation files. It’s terrifying how expansive they are. He can see back through time, all the way to Eden. He can see the Flood, which he’d hoped to never see again. Can see inside a palace in the sixteenth century with lovely dark tapestries and lurking shadows. Can see altogether too much of a park in the late nineteenth century where he and Crowley argue. Can see the bombed-out remains of a church, and an angel standing in its ruins like a stunned statue. From up in Heaven, Aziraphale can look at all the wonders of the world, even those long lost to time and buried. He can see inside the pyramids, can see the gardens of Babylon. He can see all the way down to the bottom of the oceans, littered with skeletal shipwrecks haunted by the strangest of Her creatures, unsettling fish and beasts flickering through the waters, and Aziraphale wonders, do they know fear? Do they want? Do they love?

Aziraphale can see everything from his vantage point in Heaven, and it terrifies him. He’d been right all along. They’d been watched constantly, or could have been, or could still be. He’d been right to be afraid, or perhaps, he thinks, raising a hand to his lips, a hand that is now almost entirely steady, perhaps he’d been wrong, too. Because if the files are this expansive, then he and Crowley had been doomed from the start. They should’ve done it anyway. They could’ve done anything they wanted. They always were going to be seen, always going to be parted.

Aziraphale looks, and he sees vast paddies of rice, sees rolling green mountains, sees arid deserts. He’s looking for Crowley, of course. Except in every place he looks, every place he thinks Crowley might be - sprawled out on the sofa in the bookshop, or terrorizing the plants in Kew Gardens, or drinking at the little bar he’d loved just down the street and pretended not to - Crowley’s not there. He knows Crowley’s still down on Earth somewhere, knows that for all his talk, he won’t leave Earth, not now. Not without Aziraphale. So Aziraphale keeps looking, and looking. From up here, everywhere he looks he seems to see humans in love: sees them walking down the street and holding hands, sees them making love, sees them doing small little things for each other or weeping over a grave or…

When he finally finds Crowley, he’s in the Garden. Aziraphale’s not wholly surprised. Of course Crowley had found a way through the walls Aziraphale had sealed up at God’s direction. Crowley had always known how to get through Aziraphale’s walls. Goats turned into crows. A long draught of laudanum. A bagful of rescued books. Crowley’s slumped against the Tree of Knowledge, his long legs bent, his head in this hands. A dark streak on the bright grass, a snake in Paradise. And Aziraphale watches, and something aches in his chest, something that has started only recently, something he knows will not stop, perhaps not ever, not now that it has been released.

Aziraphale is very, very good at walls. He had built the first wall. She had tasked him with it, and he had built the walls of Eden much like Crowley had built his nebula. Aziraphale had completed it according to her instructions, and then stepped back, confused, because it wasn’t complete, not yet.

The strongest walls are finished over time, She had said to him.

And oh, he learned how right She was. He had watched humans love for millennia, from the very first, and he had wanted. Oh, that was his failing, what made him a bad angel, what profaned his very soul. It wasn’t the disobedience, wasn’t the forsaken sword, wasn’t the fraternizing with the enemy. It was the want, the need, the suggestion that She wasn’t enough, that there was something else he lacked. Over hundreds of years, thousands, even, he had penned up his longing, terrified at what it might suggest, terrified at its enormity. And Crowley spent just as long slowly chipping at it, testing it with a chisel all over, lightly, for faults. And for a terribly long time he hadn’t found any. Aziraphale had enjoyed it, perversely, had rejoiced in the unfailing strength of his walls, thinking them infallible, strong enough to withstand anything. And inside those walls his want, his longing, his love, had festered like a disease, something awful and ruinous, and Aziraphale had not known it himself, because his walls were so high, and so strong, that even he could not see in.

And then Crowley had found the weak spot after all, had crossed the bookshop in one long desperate movement and had struck out, his mouth on Aziraphale’s, his shoulders, under Aziraphale’s hands, trembling very slightly, and Aziraphale’s walls had come tumbling down in one blow, the entire thing structurally unsound all this time, a danger to all standing around it. And now here Aziraphale is, expose in his wants, his desire a raw wound, and what can he do with it now? It bleeds from him, seeping, like an ocean. Limitless, vast, full of terrible, unknown things. And always, all this time, there.

Also on Ao3 at:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52878844/chapters/139815103

[santoschristos]

The Mysterious Goddess.

Isis wears a veil, a symbol of the mysteries of life.

Under The Veil : The Wings of Isis and its Power Isis is the Manifestation of Cosmic Magic.

Lunar Goddess and Mother of All Gods, who was Ishtar in Babylon and was adored by all peoples of Earth under a myriad of names that explain her nicknames Myrionmya and Panthea.

She is “She to whom all Gods obey” : this is how it is described in an inscription from the temple of File.

It is the Universal Feminine Principle, the Egyptian version of the Great Mother, the Great Orderer of the Universe, with a reassuring and protective face, bright and beautiful like the face of the Moon.

One of its distinctive attributes is the multicolored, rainbow-like winged arms that send back an ancestral esoteric message that we will try to reconstruct.

Isis is the central figure of the myth of Osiris, divine wife and sister who thanks to her love, dedication and magic manages to reassemble the body of Osiris killed and dismantled by Seth, and then bring it back to life.

The Holy Family, which is the most important Divine Triad of all of the Egyptian Pantheon, Osirides-Iside-Horo, had to go through very painful events, as do us mortals: betrayal, fear and death, pain and despair.

This is why they are still the most loved Gods in Egypt.

When desperate Isis finds the 14 (7×2) pieces of his beloved, he dedicates himself with care and love to reassemble Osiris’ body.

Protecting and enveloping him with his large and magical wings of 7-colored, he embals him and covers him with bandages, and from that moment on he will also become a funeral deity ready to protect with his wings all the bodies of the embalmed deceased.

Then as a Maga transforms into a mist and with a beat of her multicolored wings she breathes into the mummy of Osiris a breath of life, and with this God manages to conceive with her a Son, the God Horus.

Her wings are her healing power that comes from soul and aura.

When she envelops and protects her beloved brother and groom with her wings she goes to activate her life fluid, shining with a multicolored aura that envelops her.

It is a beat of this multicolored aura that has the power to even bring Osirides back to life for some infinite moments.

From now on she will be the Goddess of Magic, Fertility, Motherhood and Resurrection. ...

In Myth we often find the number 7 and its multiples, and this 7 is the 7 of Protagora:

The 7, by its hidden virtues, keeps in being all things, It is the Dispenser of Life, of Movement, and is decisive in influencing every being". ...

Under the veil Isis hides all the mysteries and the Occult Knowledge of the past.

To be able to reveal Isis is to reveal under the black cloak the True Light that gives Immortality.

Once again Pure Light that men can only perceive split in the 7 colors that represent all the Manifestation of Nature.

Through Creation We Intake God's Greatness. ...

Iside is also the Promordial Goddess who managed to survive millennials of patriarchy, with her conscious and sweet femininity, at peace with herself, endowed with immense power that administers with an even more immense Love.

He refuses to kill and even the evil he does is for Good. Il Grimorio route - Cagliari

[jeannereames]

As Alexander conquered more territories, he seems to have widened his list of royal titles. So, aside from being king of Macedon, he also became pharaoh of Egypt and king/emperor of Persia (king of kings? King of Asia?). Did Alexander actually invest himself with these titles in any official capacity?

Also, based on his adoption of titles (or not), should we see Alexander's vast dominions as one articulated empire, as in, everything was kingdom of Macedon, or should we understand his domains more in the basis of a “personal union” of many countries united under the same monarch?

How Alexander understood his new empire is unclear, in part because he seemed to be figuring it out as he went. Also, because he’d made a second round of changes in the spring/summer of 324 BCE, after he’d returned from India, but these may not have been entirely done before Hephaistion died—then Alexander himself. (The first set of changes were the summer/fall of 330.)

I think it safe to say he saw it all as far beyond “Greater Macedon,” based on his modifications, starting with the spring Susa weddings (top Macedonian officers to Persian noblewomen). Then in the summer, while he was in Opis, he reorganized the army (again), including the introduction of a Persian unit of Companion Cavalry, as well as the 30,000 “Epigoni,” the young Persian (aristocratic) boys who’d been trained in the use of the Macedonian sarissa. This SO incensed the rank-and-file, it caused the infamous mutiny (together with the dismissal of older and disabled veterans). His formal court appearances also began to feature not only Macedonian guards (Hypaspists), but also Persian, albeit in separate units. This general period may also be when he formally appointed Hephaistion Chilliarch.

As for titles, as far back as 330, he began styling himself “King of Asia”—which wasn’t the title traditionally employed by Achaemenids: Kshayathia Kshayathiyanam (Xšāyaθiya Xšāyaθiyānām), “Great King” or “King of Kings,” Shahanshah in Middle Persian. He knew the title perfectly well, so it was a clear choice not to use it, and nothing in our sources suggest he went through the traditional enthronement for Persians kings … nor for the Egyptian pharaoh, either. There’s been some debate about the latter, but these days, I believe the majority opinion is that he simply wasn’t in Memphis long enough. He was in a hurry to chase Darius.

IMO, too much significance is given to his time in Egypt, his claim to Ammon’s sonship notwithstanding. It’s not that Egypt wasn’t important, but it later gained a disproportionate prominence due to hindsight. I do think he had high goals for Egyptian Alexandria, especially for trade (he knew a good port when he saw one), but I’d say he had an equal intention to elevate Babylon. One was a completely new city, the other, the heart of old Mesopotamia … but long enough outside the seat of power that he could return it to that status without appearing to sit in the shadow of the Achaemenids.

So he was trying to create something new, but with enough ties to prior kingships that it wouldn’t offend. Recall that in the ancient world, “new” was not a virtue. Today, the “fresh, new” approach is sought after, but back then, tried and proved and traditional was preferred.

[rastronomicals]

7:44 AM EDT July 10, 2024:

The Misfits - "Hollywood Babylon" From the album Misfits (July 1, 1986)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

★★★★

Exhibit # 9 for "Why 1986 was the best year in music since 1969"

File under: Horrorpunk

[classicsapphicships]

The first round of preparations are finally complete, and that means the first round of the Classic Sapphic Ships bracket is almost ready to go! I'll be preparing the polls today and tomorrow to hopefully go live on Friday, and voting time for at least the first two rounds will run for a week. Check out the FAQ in the meantime, and feel free to send over any additional questions as well!

The full list of Round 1 Match Ups is under the cut!

Right side:

Franky/Bridget (Wentworth) vs Regina/Emma (Once Upon a Time)

Watson/Moriarity (Elementary) vs Lucy/Amy (DEBS)

Gina/Rosa (Brooklyn 99) vs Debbie/Lou (Ocean's 8)

Jo/Blair (The Facts of Life) vs Peyton/Brooke (One Tree Hill)

Piper/Alex (Orange is the New Black) vs Bering/Wells (Warehouse 13)

Xena/Gabrielle (Xena: Warrior Princess) vs Trini/Kimberly (Power Rangers 2017)

Ripley/Annalee (Alien) vs Annalise/Tegan (How to Get Away With Murder)

Susan/Talia (Babylon 5) vs Chessy/Meredith (The Parent Trap)

Ann/Anne (Gentleman Jack) vs Scully/Reyes (X-Files)

Cat/Kara (Supergirl) vs Olivia/Natalia (Guiding Light)

Nikki/Helen (Bad Girls) vs Ola/Lily (Sex Education)

13/Cameron (House MD) vs Sara/Catherine (CSI)

Delphine/Cosima (Orphan Black) vs Emily/JJ (Criminal Minds)

B'elanna/Seven (Star Trek) vs Rachel/Quinn (UnReal)

Emily/Alison (Pretty Little Liars) vs Beca/Chloe (Pitch Perfect)

Carol/Maria (Captain Marvel) vs Raven/Abby (The 100)

Left side:

Grace/Frankie (Grace & Frankie) vs Shaw/Root (Person of Interest)

Callie/Arizona (Grey's Anatomy) vs Stef/Lena (The Fosters)

Eve/Mazikeen (Lucifer) vs Luce/Rachel (Imagine Me & You)

Tara/Pam (True Blood) vs Ally/Ling (Ally McBeal)

Alex/Olivia (Law and Order SVU) vs Miranda/Andy (The Devil Wears Prada)

Samantha/Janet (Stargate SG-1) vs Nomi/Amanita/Sense8)

Willow/Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) vs 13/Yasmin (Doctor Who)

Sharon/Brenda (The Closer) vs Kalinda/Alicia (The Good Wife)

Max/Anne (Black Flag) vs Petra/Jane (Jane the Virgin)

Eleanor/Tahani (The Good Place) vs Kelly/Yorkie (Black Mirror)

Rory/Paris (Gilmore Girls) vs Aneela/Kendry (Killjoys)

Quinn/Rachel (Glee) vs Jane/Maura (Rizzoli & Isles)

Nico/Karolina (Runaways) vs Serena/Bernie (Holby City)

Laura/Danny (Carmilla) vs Peggy/Angie (Agent Carter)

Hecate/Pippa (The Worst Witch) vs Bobbie/Chrisjen (The Expanse)

Bo/Lauren (Lost Girl) vs Bette/Tina (The L Word)

[beatricebidelaire]

“Let's try to think,” Klaus said. “What did Hal say about the file? We know it has to do with Jacques Snicket, and with fire.”

“Prem!” Sunny said, which meant “But we looked under Snicket, Jacques, and Fire already.”

“There must be something else,” Violet said. “We have to find this file. It has crucial information about Jacques Snicket and V.F.D.”

“And about us,” Klaus said. “Don't forget that.”

The three children looked at one another.

“Baudelaire!” Sunny whispered.

Without another word, the orphans ran to the B aisle, and hurried past Babbitt to Babylon, Bacteria to Ballet, and Bamboo to Baskerville, stopping at Bat Mitzvah to Bavarian Cream. As the door continued to fissle behind them, Klaus tried nine keys in a row before finally opening the cabinet, and there, between the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony for young women, and the delicious filling of certain doughnuts, the children found a folder marked “Baudelaire.”

“It's here,” Klaus said, taking it out of the drawer with trembling hands.

“What does it say? What does it say?” Violet asked in excitement.

“Look,” Klaus said. “There's a note on the front.”

“Read it!” Sunny said in a frantic whisper, as the door began to shake violently on its hinges.

Whoever was on the other side of the door was obviously getting frustrated with trying to pick the lock.

Klaus held up the file so he could see what the note said in the dim light of the room. “'All thirteen pages of the Snicket file,'” he read, '“have been removed from the Library of Records for the official investigation.'” He looked up at his sisters, and they could see that, behind his glasses, his eyes were filling with tears. “That must be when Hal saw our picture,” he said. “When he removed the file and gave it to the official investigators.” He dropped the file on the floor and then sat down beside it in despair. “There's nothing here.”

“Yes there is!” Violet said. “Look!”

The Baudelaires looked at the file where Klaus had dropped it on the ground. There, behind the note, was a single sheet of paper. “It's page thirteen,” Violet said, looking at a number typed in a corner of the paper. “The investigators must have left it behind by mistake.”

“That's why you should keep paper clips on papers that belong together,” Klaus said, “even when you file them. But what does the page say?”

With a long crackle!and a loud bang,the door to the Library of Records was knocked off its hinges, and fell to the floor of the enormous room as if it had fainted. But the children paid no attention. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny all sat and looked at page thirteen of the file, too amazed to even listen to the odd, teetering footsteps as the intruder entered the room and began to walk along the aisles of file cabinets.

Page thirteen of the Baudelaire file was not a crowded sheet of paper-there was just one photograph stapled into place, below one sentence of type. But sometimes it takes only a photograph and a sentence to make an author cry himself to sleep even years after the photograph was taken, or to make three siblings sit and stare at a page for a long time, as if an entire book were printed on one sheet of paper.

There were four people in the photograph, standing together outside a building the Baudelaires recognized immediately. It was 667 Dark Avenue , where the orphans had lived with Jerome and Esmé Squalor for a brief time, until it became another place too treacherous for the children to stay.

The first person in the photograph was Jacques Snicket, who was looking at the photographer and smiling. Standing next to Jacques was a man who was turned away from the camera, so the children could not see his face, only one of his hands, which was clutching a notebook and pen, as if the obscured man were a writer of some sort.

The children had not seen Jacques Snicket since he was murdered, of course, and the writer appeared to be someone they had never seen at all. But standing next to these two people were another two people the Baudelaire children thought they would never see again.

Bundled up in long coats, looking cold but happy, were the Baudelaire parents.

-- the hostile hospital

[therighthandofvengeance]

Delenn: what’s something you can’t get enough of?

Sheridan: time with you.

Sheridan: or were you thinking more like dinosaur chicken nuggets?

Delenn: …

Sheridan: I’d chose you over the nuggets, though. just to be clear.

[clairelsonao3]

Happy STS, Claire!

At which point of the writing process do you decide on a title? How do you find one? Does it just come to you, or do you spend a long time looking for the right one? Do you keep projects under a WIP title before that point? If so, what's the biggest change between WIP and final title you've had so far?

Happy ST(F)! Thanks for the ask, Elli! Yes, it does sometimes "just come to me," but sometimes it takes a while to "just come to me."

My first novel, which I don't really talk about much because it's over a decade old now and I'm over it, went through two different titles. The first one was awful and I'm not going to mention it out of embarrassment. I retitled it when I decided to "publish" it as an ebook under a different name I thought was better, although I'm also not going to mention that because it's technically still up somewhere and findable (shudder). Moving on! 😅

The Adored went through a few different titles, but then again, it also started out as an adult literary fiction book rather than a YA romantic thriller, so that's to be expected. Originally it was Prodigy in Babylon, which to this day is my favorite title that I've ever come up with, and I still regret not being able to use it. Luckily, The Adored is my second favorite title that I've ever come up with. That book has a good track record with titles!

Good Slaves Never Break the Rules, not so much. I didn't actually decide on that title until basically the moment I posted Chapter 1 on A03, despite having started writing it 6 years earlier. I had originally thought the title would be something with the word "chains" in it, because, makes sense, right? But I had never really settled on what that would be, exactly. And that was also the name of the WIP file/document for a long time -- actually, funny story, I reversed some of the letters on purpose so it actually read "Chasin," which means nothing, but sometimes I'll write somewhere with other people around and I didn't want anyone to see it and start asking awkward questions.

I've said before that I was never really 100% on board with the GSNBTR title, mainly because it is SO on the nose, but I'm pretty much stuck with it now (considering I already have the cover design). And on the bright side, it made the name for the sequel really easy to come up with. But the problem there is that I may end up breaking up GSNBTR into a 3 book series for publishing purposes, in which case I'll have to steal the title I had intended for the sequel and use it for the second book in the series (and then come up with a third one).😅

[bombingqueen]

Season 2 and 3: The Winchester's and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Demon Deals

Season 2 rating: 9/10

Best episodes from S2: Simon Said, RoadKill, and AHBL I & II

Worst episode: Hollywood Babylon (Just boring)

Season 3 rating 6/10

Best Episodes from S3: No Rest for the Wicked and The Kids Are Alright

Worst episode: Red Sky at Morning (just boring)

Sterling K. Brown is amazing his role as Gordon Walker is great.

I wish the special children plot line lasted longer. I believe so much more could have been done with them.

Ellen and Jo are not the best written characters on a re-watch. I liked them first time but not anymore.

Love episodes with 'human' monsters

Law enforcement episodes are some of my favorites

Dean doesn't have the best mental health in season 1 but in season 2 and 3 he has really started to derail. Couldn't keep his father save and he might lose his brother to an undetermined future.

Sam does stupid shit when he is emotional especially when Dean is involved.

Bella Talbot is a Boss Bitch. I like her more this time around.

Ava is adorable even if she turns into a little serial killer. "I just helped steal some dead guy's confidential files! I'm awesome"

I want to know the story behind 'funky town' Did happen before Sam went to Stanford or when he started hunting with Dean again?

Honestly, Gordon acting like Dean wasn't gonna hunt his ass down for murdering Sam is hilarious

Sam always blames himself for situations out of his control. Makes me sad.

I'm pretty sure that the hotel in Playthings is an Antebellum home.

2.12 Everytime I watch Nightshifter, I can only think of this:

2.12 Dean is such a simple man :" I like him. He says okey-dokey." What a fuckin dork. I love him.

2.12 Sam is so exasperated and bitchy this episode

2.12 Victor Henriksen was short-lived. Would've have been nice for the boys to have an ally in the feds.

2.12 The ending is amazing

Sam continues to believed that he can't be saved

Jared Padalecki is amazing and terrifying in 2.14 Born Under a Bad Sign

2.14 Demons really be trying to make the boys divorce

2.14 The Jo scene is so uncomfortable and the actors did amazing job of portraying it

2.14 I literally read a fanfic where Dean was in the place of Jo. It was some good shit not gonna lie

2.14 I'm pretty sure Meg was shocked that Dean would literally help his brother get away with murder. What's one more crime?

2.14 I have to give it to Meg. She was really trying to get Dean to turn against Sam and kill him. Hell, if she stopped possessing Sam after using his body to kill Dean, Sam would have embraced his dark destiny

Poor Sam. Dean knows what Madison meant to him in more ways than one

Wish we saw more of the lawyer and Deacon from 2.19 Folsom Prison Blues

2.19 Dean having fun in prison and fitting is so well is such a vibe. Sam's being disturbed by it was amusing.

2.20 Even in a world where they were never hunters, Dean still becomes an alcoholic

2.20 Wincest fics having DJINN are my favorite. Good shit right there

2.20 Dean wants Sam to be happy but not at the expense of losing their relationship with one another. Bruh, that shit is depressing.

Aww! Sam is Azazel's favorite

Andy is me in AHBL

Sam flexing his leadership skills in cold oak. Feel like a proud momma

Sam's first death hits hard. The relief on his face when he sees Dean coming for him. The last thing before death he sees is Dean allowing him to let go safely. And Dean just holding onto his world with desperation as his soul dies along with Sam.

Sam finding out about Dean's deal is heartbreaking. He was taken from his brother by a demon, finds out about his demon, he was killed violently, and then he is resurrected only to find out his brother sold his soul. Poor Sammy.

I forgot how shocking Sam's descent into savagery is. Blood thirsty little giant. Don't blame him though. I would be pissed off to if I was stabbed in the back literally and metaphorically

John really climbed out of the bowels of hell, saved his boys, and yeeted to Heaven

Dean becoming catatonic after Sam's death is so sad; his entire world just ended. Family may not end in blood but he is sole survivor of his own blood

Jensen Ackles flexing his acting chops with his emotional scenes begging for his brother to be okay and then having a monologue over his corpse is so fuckin good. Makes me cry everytime.

Demons calling Sam the Boy King or any alternative will never not be cool but it will continue to be funny

I like episodes involving their childhood and baby Dean tried so hard for Sammy

I actually didn't care for blond Ruby the first time I watch the series but I like her more during the re-watch. She is awesome and snarky

As much as I like Bella, she is fuckin dumb for stealing the colt like what the hell man. She reaped what she sowed right there

I used to find mystery spot funny but is more depressing than anything. Sam was barely holding on to his sanity and his moral compass was derailing fast

The way Dean begins to become more unhinged as his deal grows closer made my heart hurt

Lilith poked a goddam bear torturing and killing Dean in front of Sam's face. Gotta give her props; she had fuckin balls considering Sam's future. Guess Lucy didn't give her the memo or just didn't care since he was stuck in the cage. Having Sam Winchester on your ass is probably worse than facing Dean. Unhinged Sammy is somethin else

[konstantintreplev]

tagged by @malcolm-f-tucker for a first lines of fic meme. thanks!

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway!

uhhh, it's mostly gonna be endeavour.

"a cottage on the channel," Endeavour/Morseverse, <1k

Morse will find himself, from time to time, in the spaces colloquially known as cottages among the homosexual population, just to listen.

2. "hades and orpheus," Endeavour, <2k

“You should pick one out for yourself, Fred,” Charlie chuckles, clapping a hand on his back, pointing with his half-empty glass at the assorted young men and women who crowd the room already filled with smoke from cigarettes, “Although, don’t let it be a copper, this time.” Charlie moves towards a looker of a girl, far too young, and Thursday scoffs a little at his brother’s rather flagrant flouting of good taste. 

3. "playing with your food," Endeavour, >1k

“Look at the sight of you,” Morse hisses between his teeth, both admiring the sheer amount of blood Thursday has gotten splattered with in this last fight and wincing at the multiple open slash wounds he also seems to have acquired in his latest (unnecessary) defense of Morse.

4. "come along home," For All Mankind, <5k

Karen breaks off all contact after she moves to Williamsburg and starts her business program at William and Mary. Ed’s not exactly surprised—maybe she’s just embarrassed by the whole thing or maybe she really doesn’t want to ever see him again or maybe he just reminds her of Tracy — but it still hurts.

5. "all alone in the night," Endeavour/Babylon 5, 4k

The year was 2268.

There’s a telepath coming on board the Cowley.

Shok-nali Fred Thursday had very nearly filed a formal complaint with the ISA when he heard, until Shok-na Regnald had gently reminded him that the order to house and integrate former members of the Psi Corps into both the Rangers and Earthforce came from the top itself: Sheridan.

6. "the hands of the statesman," The West Wing, just under 4k

It’s 2002, and Bruno finds himself in his library, picking through the books on his shelves. He’s nervous. Bartlet is in the thick of both an investigation by Congress and a challenging election for a second term, and as campaign manager, he is personally trying his damndest to keep the campaign from falling apart. Bartlet’s team is nervous, almost frantic. That doesn’t make for great campaigning.

7. "I can rebuild you in my brain," Endeavour, just under 4k

After being shot, after slamming up against the wall, and falling onto the floor, Thursday drifts in and out of consciousness. He hears Morse angrily yelling “Bastard!” He feels the rocky driving of the ambulance. He thinks he hears Win sobbing in the distance, before everything fades to a dull hum and after that, silence…it’s at that point he truly believes, for a moment, that’s it done, I’m gone.

8. "i've grown accustomed to his face," Ted Lasso/My Fair Lady, <8k

Professor Trent Crimm, esteemed linguist, grammarian, elocutionist, and writer is exhausted. His friend Mrs. Rebecca Mannion dragged him along to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, being held in London due to a volcano eruption in Italy, and the cheering of the crowd, with its mixture of both common and high accents, is just frustrating him. He keeps trying to excuse himself, but Rebecca keeps pulling him down back into his seat.

9. "message sent 11:42 PM," Law and Order: SVU, 358 words

Detective Dominick Carisi, Jr.

you didn’t say goodbye?

10. "dead," Heat, 467 words

You know why you did it.

I'm gonna go ahead and tag @terribleoldwhitemen, @reserve, @lemonistas, @kigiom, @naturaliseme, and @tiltedsyllogism! (If you see this and you weren't tagged and really want to do it, you should!! This was off the top of my head...)

[lgcmanager]

MODEL MISSION 015

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER ( PART 1 OUT OF 1 ) SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: Cannot be paired with another trimester schedule, unless stated otherwise. for reference as to whether your muse is eligible for this event, please click over HERE.

all of the models expect their quarterly meetings to be with AECHA in the same meeting room, but this time it’s different because in front of all of them are their managers — NAM JINHO, CHOI INYOUNG, and KANG DONGHA.

“AECHA has taken a break for a few months so she has requested all of us to tell you the details and your upcoming schedule.” INYOUNG begins the meeting as she glances down at her files to see what is first up on their agenda.

DORMS

“in the past terms, we’ve allowed everyone who has joined legacy agency the option to stay in dorms or find their own place. however, due to the incident that happened a few months ago and how our bosses have been telling us to be ever so more watchful towards all of you, we’ve changed our rules. similar to last term, every person who joins the subsidiary will stay in the dorms for one term. if you have been under probation before, then that will last two terms — one for the term where you were under probation and another to follow every new person that joins us.” INYOUNG pauses to look at JINHO, who then continues on with the explanation.

“for the ones that have gone through one term in this path without any warnings, punishments, or scandals during that time, they will be given the option to live offsite. those of you confirmed to stay will be able to move into your new dorms starting from today. otherwise, for those of you who have chosen to stay in your own place, you will need to pack up and leave your current dorms starting from today as well. and just like AECHA has said in the past, just because you aren’t under our watch 24/7 anymore does not mean that you can go crazy. if we hear of any inappropriate behavior, you will be immediately brought back to the dorms.” JINHO looks at each one of the models, making sure that they know and are aware of the new dorm changes.

SNS

INYOUNG transitions to the next topic on their agenda, “for all of the individuals who joined the modeling path, it’s a necessity for them to have sns presence especially with the projects and opportunities presented to you. but this is a privilege we only give to so many people. so for some of the lucky individuals, you are permitted to have a PUBLIC INDIVIDUAL INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT. if you fail to abide by the rules or cause trouble, you account will immediately be terminated, no questions asked.”

DEBUT CONTRACT

“now we’re almost done with the basics, but there’s one legal matter that we have to cover right now.” INYOUNG turns to look at DONGHA, who is giving the contracts to some of the models. “please read and review through the new terms and conditions. once you are done, sign and return the contract to me or JINHO as soon as possible. it doesn’t have to be done right now, but the sooner the better because your modeling career will be starting soon and we want to make sure this is done in a seamless manner.”

( this is just an ic note, there is no need to submit this ooc )

FANSITE ( OPEN EVENT 6 )

for the ones that have joined the path, they will be eligible to participate in OPEN EVENT 6, where they can post content for the fansites! more information about this can be found over HERE.

MODEL BRANDS COLLECTIONS

for ooc reference, here are the list of dates as to when each of the brands released their latest collections:

ELYSIUM ( KIM JINSEO ): JULY 13

BABYLON ( KIM JINYOUNG ): JULY 21

SOLA ( OKADA TAIYOU ): JULY 31

AURORA ( HAN JISOO ): AUGUST 5

TIMEBOX ( LIM SANGHYUN ): AUGUST 11

MODEL BRANDS: LGC FAMILY CON 2K23

“with the campaigns launching this month and the next, we can reveal one of the other assignments that the brand owners will have to work on in the meantime.” JINHO starts off as DONGHA hands out the files. “in the previous years, JINSEO and SANGHYUN have been given a chance to sell some of their products during legacy’s family concert. for this year, since we now have multiple brand owners, they have elevated this and suggested that all of you present your creative ideas for a pop-up store or booth. for TAIYOU, JISOO, and JINYOUNG you will have a pop-up booth, so the dimensions are a bit smaller but they will have all of the products that you’ve released thus far including the current collection. as for JINSEO and SANGHYUN, since you’ve had your brands for well over a year now, you will each be having your own pop-up store so it will be bigger and have all of the products too. for all five of you, there will be an autograph signing session as well, which will be for all of the customers who have purchased at least a certain amount of money.”

more details about the pop-up store and booth event will be mentioned in the lgc family concert 2k23 post.

for this requirement, JISOO, JINSEO, JINYOUNG, SANGHYUN, and TAIYOU will be given a chance to pitch in their thoughts about how the store/booth should look like. you can link visual references to this if you want to, but ic wise the brand owners will be presenting their ideas to their brand’s creative team, where they will modify and submit the final design to lgc agency and create a store/booth similar to it. but to earn the points for this requirement, you will need to write a 250+ word solo of your muse describing their ideas to their team. completing this solo will reward you +5 MODELING and +5 NOTORIETY !

when you’re done writing the solo, please tag it using the hashtag lgc:modelmission and submit the form below to the lgcpoints blog before AUGUST 5, 2023 11:59PM EDT:

MUSE NAME ∙ MODEL BRANDS ( POP-UP STORE/BOOTH ) - POP-UP STORE/BOOTH: +5 modeling, +5 notoriety [ SOLO LINK ]

if you have any questions regarding this specifically, you can contact admin a ( sanghyun mun ).

MODELING CASTING CALL RESULTS

“ah, this is probably something many of you are interested in…” JINHO chuckled, aware of the casting calls that some of the models attended and in his hands were the results.

based on the brands selection, solos, notoriety, modeling portfolio, and modeling contract slots here are the results:

AYUTTHAYA MAYA - VIVO

KIM JINSEO - KOOKMIN BANK

KIM JINYOUNG - LOTTE WORLD WATER PARK

LIM SANGHYUN - SAMSONITE

OKADA TAIYOU - CUCKOO RICE COOKER

SATO MINAMI - POPLENS ( SUBSIDIARY TO OLENS )

congratulations! for JINSEO, JINYOUNG, SANGHYUN, and MINAMI, since they have written a solo for the brands they will be awarded an additional +5 MODELING. the reward will be added in the points form. all of the ones chosen will have another modeling contract slot filled, which will be updated on the master sheet at a later time.

later on JINHO continues to explain each model’s assigned role and contract in relation to the brand that they have been chosen for. all of that information can be found below:

AYUTTHAYA MAYA: will be traveling to shanghai to film the cfs for the latest vivo phone. in addition to that, she will be present during the opening of the newest vivo store. MAYA will be in shanghai from JULY 26 to JULY 31.

KIM JINSEO: will be participating in the photoshoot for kookmin bank’s endorsement ( specifically for their app called KB wallet ). he’ll also be filming a video where he introduces the basic functions with the app and what one can do with it. afterwards, he’ll be participating in a charity project affiliated with kookmin bank where he will be sent to the philippines and assist other kookmin bank volunteers with language education for children and hold training sessions for disabled youths. due to JINSEO’s schedules, he will be doing the charity project from JULY 24 to AUGUST 18.

KIM JINYOUNG: will be traveling to gimhae ( where lotte world water park is ) and spend a few weeks there to film the cfs and have a tour of the water park. once the filming is done, he will be helping the other lotte world water park employees and join a beach clean up with the beaches around gimhae. JINYOUNG will be in gimhae from AUGUST 16 to AUGUST 27.

LIM SANGHYUN: will be given a chance to collaborate with samsonite for their upcoming campaign ( for q4 2023 ) and help design a luggage/bag that reflects his image and the brand. all of the purchases made for the collection will be donated to a travel-related charity. in addition to that, he will be participating in the photoshoot for the endorsement.

OKADA TAIYOU: will be filming the cf for cuckoo rice cooker. on AUGUST 7 and 14, TAIYOU will be invited to assist the korea food bank and help carry various food to people in need ( usually the elderly ), especially rice. since TAIYOU will be busy filming for ‘cheer up’ during this time, the days he’s scheduled to help will take up all day and as a result, be exempted from drama filming.

SATO MINAMI: will be traveling to shibuya to film the cfs for the latest collection of poplens. in addition to that, she will be present during the opening of the newest poplens store. MINAMI will be in shibuya from AUGUST 18 to AUGUST 22.

do note that for the muses that have volunteer projects involved ( JINSEO, JINYOUNG, TAIYOU ), they will not be filmed doing the deed. they will simply be doing it to support the brand and its message.

FUTURE DREAMS ( SANGHYUN )

“one more thing,” JINHO and DONGHA looked at SANGHYUN knowing that what was about to be revealed was pertaining to him. “as you may have noticed in your schedule, you’ve been exempted from doing charity work for samsonite. this is done because it’s been confirmed that you will be a part of the seventh season of future dreams. personally, i was rather surprised that they extended the invitation to a few in lgc agency, but..” JINHO stopped momentarily to figure out how he was going to explain the situation.

DONGHA chimed in instead, “...i’m not sure if the other models are aware of it, but ever since lgc agency was formed, we’ve sort of had a friendly rivalry against legacy entertainment. they’re usually the ones getting the most attention and money thanks to the idols, so why aren’t we getting that treatment too?”

letting out a defeated sigh, JINHO’s voice softened, “we do get some of that treatment too… look at what they did with lgc spring boys…” INYOUNG cleared her throat as a subtle indication that the other two had to focus on the meeting. understanding the signal, JINHO quickly returned to the topic at hand, “anyway, since you are the sole representative of lgc agency most of the managers are putting all of our bets on you to win this season! after all, the winner’s manager gets to use the company card for 24 hours… and that card has no limit so we can purchase a lot of items that can help improve lgc agency.” as the most experienced manager in the subsidiary, JINHO felt the responsibility of doing what was best for lgc agency but deep down, he also wanted lgc agency to win because it meant the managers would get a raise too.

LGC BOYS ( JISOO )

JINHO turned his attention towards JISOO and explained briefly, “as for you, you’ve been sent on another project. while it isn’t modeling related, it is lgc boys related so make sure you’re working hard too. it seems like there is something going on with the idols so we’ve been told at the last minute that they need you over there.” he then looks back at JINYOUNG and adds, “unfortunately, you won’t be joining JISOO because of your lotte world water park gig. but like we’ve discussed before, we want you to prioritize your modeling at the moment.”

for more information about this, please refer to the LGC BOYS post!

CASTING CALL 014

INYOUNG introduces another opportunity that may interest others, “for the rest of you, we found an acting casting call that all of you might be interested in.”

for this gig, HOU MINGHAO, JO SUNHWA, PAK JIHAN, and ZHENG AMELIA will be given a chance to audition for a small acting gig. nothing much is disclosed to them before the day of the audition, but when they arrive there, they will be told to introduce themselves by a casting director and a hypothetical scenario to react to.

HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO: you are a university student and as you were about to head to your first class for the day, you see that there’s an envelope placed on top of your desk. you’re certain that you didn’t put the envelope there, but for whatever reason you open the envelope ( it’s up to you how that happened ) and you find out that inside was an anonymous love letter addressed to you. what do you do with the love letter and the mysterious sender?

around the 10 minute mark, the casting director will tell them to stop and to please look forward to the results.

for this requirement, since the deadline will be earlier than usual, you would need to write a 300+ word solo about the audition ( it must include the hypothetical scenario portion ) to get +6 ACTING, +3 NOTORIETY ! please tag this solo as lgc:castingcall014. when you’re done, please submit the point form below to the lgcpoints blog before AUGUST 5, 2023 11:59PM EST:

MUSE NAME ∙ CASTING CALL 014 - YTSF AUDITION: +6 ACTING, +3 NOTORIETY [ SOLO LINK ]

INSTAGRAM FEED

with many of the models having their own instagram account, there are some that have specific vibes and themes associated with it. for this term, you will create a post showcasing the LAST 6 POSTS that the muse has posted on their instagram for that month. you could have one of the 6 posts be one that they would have posted for the monthly sns requirement, but the remaining should reflect other posts that they would have made during that time.

for suggestions, you could post photos of brands they might be modeling for ( if the latest campaign has been released during that particular month ), what they do in their daily lives, personal channel content, etc. they CANNOT post anything related to their drama projects ( including acting gigs from notoriety tiers ) UNLESS it’s already been announced in that month that they are a part of the project.

the most of the rules that we have for the open event 002 ( monthly sns ) applies to this task, specifically the content of the posts. also if you do pick a photo with another faceclaim of a muse that is in lgc, it can only be done once overall and it has to be someone in the same path as them. this means that if you decide to have one of the six photos for JULY be with another model, they cannot do that again if they decide to do this for AUGUST and SEPTEMBER. this is to encourage the models to show more of themselves rather than the connections that the muse has.

furthermore, for every time you do this task you must write a 250+ word headcanon post explaining the details related to their feed. things to consider are possible captions that they might have chosen for each of the posts, any special events that may have happened to the muse during that time, specific vibe/theme the model was going for, etc. in short, take this time to be creative and show how your muse’s instagram would look like!

this can be done up to THREE TIMES ( one for each month; july, august, september ).

REQUIREMENTS

make sure to use the hashtag lgc:modelmission for everything related to this mission. you have until SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 11:59 EDT, to complete the following requirements:

MODELING GIGS (PART 2): write a 300+ word solo about anything related to what your muse will be doing with the brand for +5 MODELING and +8 NOTORIETY ! ** only applicable to MAYA, JINSEO, JINYOUNG, SANGHYUN, TAIYOU, and MINAMI **

INSTAGRAM FEED: create a post that showcases the last 6 photos posted in one month and write a 250+ word headcanon post associated with it for +6 ( MODELING OR PERFORMANCE ) and +4 NOTORIETY ! more information about this can be found in the “INSTAGRAM FEED” section. ** can be done up to three times, one for each month ( july, august, september ) **

once you are done, please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ MODELING MISSION 015 - MODELING GIGS (PART 2): +5 modeling, +8 notoriety [ LINK ] ** only for maya, jinseo, jinyoung, sanghyun, taiyou, and minami ** – INSTAGRAM FEED: +6 ( modeling OR performance ), +4 notoriety [ LINK ] ** can be done up to three times, one for each month ( july, august, september ) ** – BONUS REWARDS: +5 modeling ** only for jinseo, jinyoung, sanghyun, and minami **