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dreaming-of-brawlstars · 3 years ago

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Credits: to @brawlships for the name Cameron!

Ring a Belle?

Desc:

“To: Belle Starr, a loved one has taken up an incredible job offer at Starr Corp. Please accept this as compensation, and do not contact us, or them.”

Belle had read this message twice. A note with a check for a fair amount of money. She didn’t question it the first time, knowing Byron wasn’t one to talk.

However, the second time, she’s decided to confront this ‘Starr Corp’. There was no way this was a coincidence.

Warnings:

Byron and Belle argue and it gets intense, fridge horror. At the end, there’s some suffocation. Unhappy open ending.

Belle bit her tongue, looking up at the chain link fence. Just on the other side was Starr Park, a theme park filled with rides and wonder and whatever bullcrap came with that shtick. But Belle was sure there was something more beyond the fence and their claims.

She looked at the check she held in her hand, grimacing. She looked at the logo on it, comparing it, and her eyes drifted to the handwritten note on the envelope it was tucked in.

“Everything is fine. Love, Cameron.” She scoffed as she read it aloud. “You lie about as well as your old man. Don’t lie to your Ma.”

Her eyes darted to the chain link fence again, and she huffed, stashing the envelope into her pants pocket. With one arm, she picked up a pair of garden clippers she took along with her, caught one handle in her elbow, and grabbing the other with her hand. She tested it slightly, making sure she could use the clippers comfortably enough, then put the clippers to the fence.

She grinned when she heard it clip through the metal, it always sounded satisfying to her, but she had a job to do. Moving the clippers to a link slightly to the right, she used her body for more leverage to clip it open. After a few more times, she started clipping downwards.

She didn’t notice sweat starting to bead on her forehead, and when she went to wipe it off, she dipped the clippers. She cursed to herself, and cursed her one arm.

“Goddamit.” She pinched the bridge of her nose before looking at her progress, seeing that she could push herself through the gap she made if she just bent the fence slightly. “Good enough.” She mumbled under her breath, pushing her weight forward, getting through the hole. She grit her teeth as she felt the cut metal scratch her cheek and clothing, but she kept going.

She paused, slightly struggling to pry the chain link more open, and reached her arm to grab the fence and pull herself through. She heard clothing rip and the metal cut her exposed skin, but she was fine. She fell through with a thud, and she pushed herself up with a knee.

She had broken in.

A quick glance around showed no one else nearby. Not that she minded; no one else had seen her go in anyway. She wasn’t sure what she had expected - she hadn’t gone too far into the park yet - but the atmosphere felt… off. She shook her head.

She sniffed the air, smelling something off. It wasn’t strong, but it reminded her of air freshener from how it smelled. Vaguely musty, absorbed into something which made it radiate the scent. It seemed absolutely everywhere.

“Focus, Belle.” She grumbled to herself, now reaching for her belt, where she kept a flashlight. “Remember what you’re here for.”

She shook it before turning it on, and held it with her shoulder and head. She pulled out a map she managed to get of the place, looking down at it, and seeing the plan she drew on it earlier. Her eyes skimmed over the notes.

She was to the right of the main entrance, up ahead near the center, she could feasibly have access to all the districts in the park. It wasn’t the best plan, but she didn’t want to waste time trying to get any more in-depth maps. She did call Byron a couple of times for one since he worked here… he didn’t answer. Prick.

He never picked up anyway. She wasn’t sure why she thought her calling him more would change that.

“Thanks a whole fuckin’ lot,” She muttered, walking slowly down the path towards the center of the park. “I’m going to kick your ass.”

She walked ahead, holding the light she brought more securely against her neck, and it flickered as she moved through. As she got closer, she noticed how quiet it was. There were no rides and games, no people. The only sounds coming from the wind blowing through the trees.

She noticed speakers around, but they weren’t playing anything. She wasn’t sure if she’d be more comfortable if they were, though, maybe it was for the best. Maybe it’d make it easier to hear someone approaching. Or maybe it would make it easier for her to be heard. Either way, Belle wasn’t about to take chances.

As she neared the central area of the park, she started hearing something. She stopped, cocking an eyebrow as she listened harder. What it was was hard to tell at first, so she slowed down, taking a couple steps back, and tilted her head, listening intently. It sounded like water running somewhere behind her, she assumed. A waterfall.

Water. She didn’t think this place had a water attraction. Thinking about it now, she would’ve assumed the opposite: there was the faint smell of something burnt in the air. It was old and distant, but as she look a closer glance at things, she noticed light soot and ash everywhere.

He tucked the map into her pocket, and grabbed the flashlight, going to a wall of a building. She scratched it lightly, noticing the ash didn’t leave that easily. It must’ve sat there for some time and settled in, for a while, months, maybe. Something in the back of her mind nagged at her, telling her that this was wrong.

“Ain’t this some health hazard?” She whispered, sniffing it and smelling something musty and burnt, then she shook her head. “I’d hate to be a janitor here.”

She stood up, turning back to the sidewalk and shaking the flashlight again to power it. Then she noticed another source of light, and looking ahead, she noticed a shoppe with its lights on. After a few moments of squinting, she instantly recognized it as Byron’s shop.

She sighed in relief, and started to approach it casually. Getting closer, she could hear a voice talking, which she could easily tell as her brother. She couldn’t quite hear another voice, so she assumed he was on the phone. She tested the door to see if it was locked.

“Yeah, yeah. I get it already!” Byron said sharply after a moment. Belle raised an eyebrow and listened. He groaned loudly and slammed the phone into its receiver. His gaze immediately shifted to Belle at the sound of the door opening with a small jingle.

She froze for a moment at opening the door. Her face scrunched up at various scents, some potent. She coughed, squinting and seeing several bottles and vials on shelves. Presumably for sale. She saw Byron, who stared wide-eyed at her, holding the phone. An angry voice rambled from it.

For a second she thought about saying something or doing something that might be rude, but instead she let herself in, putting up an annoyed grin. Byron remained frozen, then the phone rang again. He quickly picked it up, eyes still fixated on Belle.

“The reptiles are growing restless, I apologize.” He quickly hung up before placing the phone in the receiver, his eye twitched. “Belle-!”

“You seemed to answer that awfully fast.” Her glare narrowed, and approached, placing her flashlight on the counter, “And I’m no reptile.”

“I know, I know,” Byron waved his hand as if to get her to stop, “What are you doing here?”

“Broke in.” As soon as she saw Byron begin to ask why, she took out the envelope and tossed it on the desk Byron leaned on, “What the hell is this?”

Byron looked at the envelope, not picking it up. Belle noticed his face pale slightly as he read the note on it.

“That’s none of your business. Leave.” He snapped, sounding tired.

“It does matter, Byron.” Her voice turned stern, and she rose, staring him down. “I know it ain’t a coincidence that you work here an’ my kid vanishes after some stunt, and I get some check tellin’ me to fuck off.”

“Well,” Byron said calmly, crossing his arms in front of his chest, but clearly still stressed, “What if he’s fine? Like the note says?”

“Then I wouldn’t need to be breaking into your fucking store! Why am I breaking in, Byron?!” She yelled in exasperation. “I was fine with you doin’ that, I know you, y’don’t like to talk much. I also know my kid, and he wouldn’t up and vanish like you.”

“You don’t even call me-“ Byron was about to scoff, then Belle slammed her fist on the desk, knocking over some bottles.

“I’ve called you every hour, every day, this goddamn week!” She raised her voice, hearing it crack, “Every single goddamned day!” She continued, raising her voice higher with each word, “In the beginning, I called you once a week, then once a month, once a year, and you never, ever picked up!”

Byron stared wide-eyed at her outburst, and blinked, looking at the phone he had. He looked like he just realized something as his breath stopped. His jaw tightened, his eyes widening. He looked at her and she glared.

“Don’t act dumb, Byron! I swear if you don’t answer in the next minute, I will break this goddamn phone,” Belle growled. “Now answer the damn question. What happened to Cameron!?”

Byron flinched, attempting to make sense of everything. He stammered, holding his hands up.

“Belle, could you call my phone? I think-“

“I don’t have my phone!” She snapped, “I didn’t bring it in case it pings off of any cellphone towers. You think I want to be caught?”

“Cellphone towers, cell-“ Byron began to to look for something, checking the phone anxiously.

“Answer me!” Belle yelled, making Byron jump. She clenched her fist angrily.

“Alright, alright!” Byron held up his hands defensively. “I won’t answer the question, alright? Can we please talk about this later?” He asked pleadingly. “We can go somewhere else, okay?”

Belle glared, her hand shaking in rage. Wordlessly, she picked up her flashlight and slammed it against the phone on the desk, causing it to crack loudly. Byron winced, but it only made Belle angry more as her breathing quickened.

“You should’a told me when you had the chance.” She shook her head, stepping closer to him, “Why the fuck would you keep somethin’ like this from me?! Where’s my kid!?”

“Belle, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.” Byron tried to keep his voice steady, biting back fear. “You’re going to get us both in trouble.”

“Trouble’s an old friend o’ mine.” She said dryly, “I’m not ‘fraid o’ arrangin’ a meetin’.”

“Belle, please,” Byron breathed heavily, rubbing his eyes roughly. He was obviously exhausted, but he kept himself together. “Just go home now.”

His words were firm yet soft, pleading with her. His expression changed. The fear he showed a moment ago was gone, replaced by desperation. Belle felt anger and hurt flare up within her. She grit her teeth for a moment, wresting with her emotions.

“The hell you’d gotten yourself into, huh?” She asked coldly, stepping forward menacingly and grabbing his shirt in one hand, lifting him up. “If you ain’t gonna tell me where my kid is, I’ll find out myself.”

“Belle, please!” Byron shouted, struggling.

“I will find out.” She stated harshly, “If you want to avoid trouble, you’ll tell me where my son is. If not, well…” She lifted him up another inch, her face inches away from his. “You’re gonna have a pretty bad time.”

“Belle, please,” Byron begged, tears forming in his eyes. “Please, just go home.”

“No.” Belle said firmly, dropping him. He fell to the ground, landing hard on his knees. She stepped back, glaring at him, and sitting on his desk. “I ain’t goin’ home.”

“Belle, please, I beg of you.” Byron pleaded quietly.

“I’m stayin’.” Belle replied bluntly.

“No, you can’t. Please.”

“Yes, I can.” Belle replied simply. “You don’t like it, kick me out yourself.” She dared, smiling angrily.

He stood shakily, moving around the desk to the other side. She stayed there, watching as he moved. He paused and glanced over his shoulder at her, his face paling significantly.

“You’re going to get caught-“

“I. Don’t. CARE.” Belle cut him off, closing her eyes briefly.

“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!” Byron insisted, pointing a finger at her, “Get yourself out of here before it’s too late.”

“Is it too late for you?” She mused, then she noticed that Byron didn’t look… annoyed. Still serious. His words started to sink in. “Byron?”

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair again, “Fine. But I expect you to take this seriously. This is serious. It affects both of our lives. And Colt’s.”

“Cameron.” Belle corrected before sitting up, “Now, enlighten me.” She crossed her legs.

Byron nodded, facing her. His shoulders slumped in defeat, but his gaze never faltered from hers. Belle watched him with curiosity. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“It’s a long story…” He trailed off, “It’s a confusing one too.”

She leaned back, gesturing him to continue, waiting impatiently for him to speak. Byron sat for a moment, considering, before looking back up at Belle. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“So, uh… They hired me a while back because of my passion for chemistry, as you know.” Belle nodded, and Byron continued, “I’ve made a variety of mixes, they have a variety of effects, I do everything from the basics to the big things, all that stuff. So, they got me to work a couple projects, testing chemicals for them, mixing them.” He explained, looking down, sighing deeply.

He took a moment to choose his next words, shying away from Belle’s glare.

“Of course, you have to test that sort of thing. So I got to making contracts.” He looked back up at Belle. “First they were simple disclaimers, but people didn’t want to sign, so I had to get creative. Learned how to play with words.”

“You were always good with that.” Belle muttered, rolling her eyes. “Go on.”

“Well, eventually I got some investors interested, which meant I had more money than I thought possible, so I got a bigger budget. Which meant more resources and equipment needed, as well as more people involved.” He explained quickly. “Starr Corp gave me everything, and in turn I gave them my talents.”

“Everything sounds great for you.” Belle commented sarcastically. “So, when’s the other show going to drop?”

“I believe it already did.” Byron looked at the broken phone on the desk. “When did you try to call me?”

“Pardon?” She blinked, “Ever since you first got the job. Once a week at first. An’ a lot more this week.”

Byron was silent, nodding slightly as he huffed.

“That’s it. That’s the other shoe. Cutting off my contact with you.” He looked around the shop, nervous, “That makes me wonder what else they did without me noticing.”

Suddenly, the world felt a lot less free.

“…that ain’t alarming.” Belle muttered sarcastically, also following his gaze to the broken phone. “Byron?”

“…this is all my fault. If I didn’t accept the job here, if I’d just didn’t agree to write their contracts or make those-“ He put his head in his hands, “…I helped them so much, and in turn they’ve let me continue by work. But recently I haven’t been getting orders or requests.” He looked up, terrified. “I don’t know how much freedom I have left here.”

“Then leave.” Byron looked at Belle incredulously. “Before it’s too late… or did you get yourself in some hot water?”

Byron seemed fixated on a bottle on his desk, knocked over on it’s side, but since it was plugged with a cork, nothing spilled out. Nonetheless, he seemed scared of it. Like he dreaded it. Like he knew something horrific was in it.

“…get out. Now.” It wasn’t above a whisper, but the words sounded like death itself, sending shivers down Belle’s spine. She couldn’t bring herself to move. Instead, she simply looked at Byron, silently, and watched the color drain from his face.

Silence settled over the room once again, heavy and tense. Byron seemed frozen in place, then he moved, grabbing Belle by the arm.

“Hey!” She pulled back, “It’s my job to manhandle you!”

“Belle, you have to get out of here, NOW.” He repeated, pulling her toward the door.

Belle struggled against him, fighting his hold, “What’s the matter with you?” She asked, pushing against him, “Are you outta your mind?”

“No! But you are, you’re being reckless. You’re being targeted!” He swung open the door, attention to shove Belle out. “You said it yourself, it’s not a coincidence!”

“I ain’t leaving!” She protested, trying to push him aside, “I said I ain’t leaving until you tell me!”

“You need to leave!”

“Not without you! You promised me we’d talk about everything, and I’m not leavin’ until we have!”

“Get OUT!!” Byron attempted to jab her waist to catch her off guard, but instead she picked him up by the collar of his jacket. “Belle! Go! Save yourself!”

“I came here for answers! And all I got are more questions and figurin’ out that the two people I have a damn about are in danger!”

“You’re in danger!” Byron retorted, throwing his arms into the air in exasperation, “And you won’t even listen!”

“You’re right! I won’t! Because you’ve been avoiding the question this whole time!!” Belle exclaimed, her voice rising dramatically, “Where’s my kid? The hell have you gotten yourself into!?”

A pause. A tense silence filled their shop, thick as tar. Their breath hitched in unison. Silence, yet another deafening silence between the two people in front of each other, neither willing to break it for fear that they were done arguing, they were done speaking, but their argument still raged on in their minds.

“Trust me.” Byron rasped. “Please, trust me for one last time: go home and hide.”

“Tell me what happened.” Belle demanded quietly, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “I want to know…” She paused, struggling to find the strength to speak, “I want to hear what the fuck’s going on here. From you.”

“I can’t-“

“Tell me.”

“I can’t. I just can’t right now. Please.” He replied quietly.

A tear rolled down Belle’s cheek, dripping onto the floor below. Suddenly, she hugged Byron, holding him tight with her one arm. After a few seconds he returned the hug, his hands finding her back, gripping it tightly, as if afraid she’d disappear if he let go.

After a minute or so they pulled apart, Byron reaching out for her arm, but hesitated after a second, his expression conflicted. Belle seemed conflicted too.

“Please, go.”

“I ain’t leavin’ without my family. Or answers.” Belle noticed Byron’s hesitation. “If you don’t give me those… I guess I’ll just have to figure it out myself.” She stated, her tone firm but calm. “Just… tell me. If nothing else.”

“…Colt’s alive.” Byron answered quietly. “If he’s like anyone else here, he’s fine. In a way.”

“But I haven’t seen anyone here.” Belle paused as Byron wordlessly pointed to an area, and when she turned, she barely recognized it as the Wild West area she saw on the map. “…is he there?”

“If not, it’s the golf ball shaped building.” Byron clarified, gesturing vaguely to what Belle assumed must be the building, but wasn’t sure.

“The ‘ball shaped building’?”

Byron smiled a little bit at her confusion. “Headquarters, in a way. ‘Where dreams are made’, they say.” He seemed to chuckle remorsefully at that. “Dreams.”

“…why are you suddenly an open book now?” Belle suspiciously eyed him, her tone sounding annoyed. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Because of what’s coming.” Byron sighed sadly. “I have a lot of reasons to believe that we’re not getting out of here, in fact, I think they were finished with me and they were…” He paused. “Everything is stacked against us, it’s rigged, so, might as well try to give them hell.”

“That’s a quitter’s attitude,” Belle ruffled his hair, snapping Byron out of his saddened mood, She grinned, “Y’said it yerself, you helped them. They asked you fer whatever you’ve got, so why not give it your all?”

Byron didn’t quite smile, but there was a glint in his eyes. He took Belle’s hand in his own. “…Thank you. For listening.”

“You’re welcome.” Belle gave his hands a gentle squeeze before stepping away from him, turning around. “Now, c’mon. Let’s see where they’ve got Cameron.”

Byron grabbed her sleeve, and Belle glanced back. He didn’t look angry anymore, he seemed pensive. Stressed. However, he blinked himself out of it and focused on the empty sleeve.

“…I hope you know I was waiting for you to call me, I made a gift for you. Two, actually. With Pam, if you remember her.” He smiled weakly. “That was a few years ago, but I think it should fit. And the other… well, I think you’d really like it now.”

“What’re you on about now?” Belle snorted, but she notice Byron genuinely, happily, smile at her for the first time, “You seem awful proud of it already, it better be awesome.”

“Oh, it is. Very much so.” Byron’s smile broadened. “Stay here, I’ll be right back. It should be in the back. And I should probably get something for finding Colt.”

“Col-ton.” Belle corrected, rolling her eyes. She laughed slightly as Byron mocked her, rolling his eyes before turning around to the shop and disappearing into the back.

Even though things seemed to lighten up, she felt a deep pit of dread in her gut. She had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Belle glanced around the park, noticing that she was the only one out. And looking around, she noticed her footprints from earlier from the ash on the ground. Along the sidewalk, to Byron’s shoppe. Just hers - save for Byron’s from his stepping out.

“…Byron? Where’s everyone else that’s supposed to be here? Aren’t there guests?” She called out, hearing her voice slightly echo in the empty area. “I get that it’s nighttime, but ain’t this ash old? Even if people are sleeping, shouldn’t they be walkin’ ‘round at daytime?”

No response, and she felt a lump in her throat. She felt anxiety welling up, and she bit her lip as she thought back on what Byron said. He said he didn’t notice when the other shoe dropped.

She had a feeling that she didn’t either. But she couldn’t let herself think of that. She couldn’t think of anything that could be the reason behind it. Nothing made sense to her.

“Byron?” She called out again, but again there was no answer.

Her eyes wandered around in search for something, anything she could use. Something she could hold onto, to keep her mind off of the possibilities her brain conjured up with every step she took. There weren’t many choices available at all, so she looked down at the ash.

…it was sticky. Ash wasn’t sticky - it clung - but it wasn’t sticky from what she experienced. She knelt down, scratching it off the ground and sniffing it. She reeled her head back, nearly gagging at the potent scent. She wheezed, shaking her hand as she coughed.

‘Well, there’s the smell from before.’ She thought, rubbing it off on her pants. ‘The hell is that?’

Her first thought went to something to clean up the ash, but it didn’t make sense. It didn’t smell like any cleaning detergent or solution she knew. And it was sticky, which seemed to be the opposite of a cleaning solution. Whatever it was, it was everywhere.

Was it pesticide? No, that didn’t make sense. Why would there pesticide sprayed everywhere even without any plants? It didn’t smell good, so it couldn’t be a perfume either. Her mind drifted to what Byron said - he made things for Starr Prk. Chemicals. And this reeked of chemicals. A chemical compound perhaps. A chemical weapon?

‘Or something like that.’ She thought as she rubbed the residue off her clothes again.

As she wiped it off the rest of her pants, her mind raced. Maybe she was on edge about this place, maybe it was a setup to trap them. Maybe she hadn’t been told everything. Well, she knew Byron didn’t tell her everything.

For some reason the smell was stronger, which didn’t make sense. She wasn’t closer to the ground. For some reason, her eyes stung and her lungs burned. For some reason, her vision started to blur as she stood up. For some reason, her knees buckled beneath her and collapsed in the sidewalk. For some reason… her head hurt.

Did she breathe in something?

She forced herself up, pushing herself up on a knee. She staggered to the door, slamming her fist against it before grabbing the knob, falling onto the floor as it swung open under her weight, with the bell jingling. She scrambled for it, pulling herself up by the handle, stumbling inside. The lights, however dim, flickered on as soon as she walked in and she stumbled further into the store, coughing.

She didn’t even know that she was calling out for Byron, the pain from screaming was covered from the burning in her throat. She could barely even hear herself over the ringing in her ears. She slammed the door behind her, screaming again. It echoed loudly in the otherwise silent building.

Her legs gave out underneath her, causing the collapse unceremoniously into a heap. She curled up, hugging herself tightly with her back against the door and groaned.

She was dizzy. Her vision blurred. She could hardly breathe and the pain in her chest was growing unbearable. She could feel a migraine beginning, and she groaned softly. Sounds felt underwater. She groaned loudly, trying to focus on something. Anything, just… something.

Footsteps. Then another footstep. Someone was walking towards her. She reached her arm out, attempting pull herself towards the footsteps. She cleared her throat, trying to speak as loud as manage.

“Byron!” The footsteps paused, and she heard a concerned muffled question. A familiar voice. That voice… “Help…”

She felt a prick in her arm, and heard talking as her shoulder was shook. She tried to lift her eyelids again but struggled, feeling a pressure in her chest. More pressure, and the world began to swirl and darken. The voice grew more concerned.

“Belle,” This time her head snapped up. “Are you alright? Can you speak? Say something.”

Belle managed to raise her heavy lids slowly, blinking several times before trying to clear her vision, trying to see through the growing dark spots. She noticed Byron kneeling down in front of her, looking scared. She felt too tired to think about it, her head was swimming.

“Belle,” The voice seemed to clear up, but it still sounded distant. “Can you hear me? Belle?”

“Byron,” She rasped, and he looked relieved, but still worried, “Byron, I was callin’ you.”

Byron almost spoke, but was interrupted by jingling of the door swinging open. As the bell rang, Byron turned his head quickly toward the entrance. Belle closed her eyes, letting her head drop.

She had a feeling that it was too late.

#[free qwen’s dreams]#brawl stars #belle #Belle Starr #Byron #fic #fanfic #my writing #[dead air]

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sejjouaven · 4 years ago

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Astrology; Heliocentrism: 'The Earth Sign'

In Heliocentric Astrology, the Earth sign is the opposite of the Geocentric zodiac sign of which the Sun falls in. For example, if your Sun is in Virgo, this would make you a 'Pisces Earth'.

The Sun represents our growth, individuality, and personality that shines outward. It is when the Sun falls in whatever zodiac sign that the personality directly inherits these traits, which is why Western astrology has generalized this to be the main zodiac sign. The Earth sign represents the individual's 'Earthly Soul'. Imagine, that the Earth resonates with the Sun as they are gravitationally interlocked, the whole Earth soul, the molecules, plants, animals, all resonating in one particular sign due to directional induction. The Earth sign is also partially compared to the Moon, but of a more 'Humanitarian level'. This Humanitarian energy is correspondent to the debatable exoteric ruler of the Earth as Libra. Earth's esoteric ruler is Sagittarius. The Earth sign articulates the individual’s unconscious in passivity, along with the general human and global mass un/subconscious. As the Sun sign's position affects the direct and active conscious, the Earth falls under its induction as a passivity over time, affecting the subconscious. This effect of Heliocentrism and Geocentricism is polarity. The unconscious, following subconscious, are the roots of the direct and active conscious.

The Earth sign revealed in the Heliocentric chart is just as important as the preliminaries, especially considering that we actually inhabit it.

Sun

Cognitive Personality, Radiance, Individuality

Moon

Subconscious, Emotional Personality, Resonance

Earth

Unconscious, Foundation, Soul

---

DEFINITIONS FROM www.mermaid-uk.net

"Earth Through The Signs"

"Earth In Aries"

This position points to a life that serves to release or birth Active Intelligence into the environment. This is done through awakening oneself, and then others, to the latent possibilities for the creative expression of the Earth’s resources, and of matter in general. This is balanced by the Sun in Libra, indicating that such resources have to be distributed (through Uranus and the 7th Ray) according to the Law of Right Human Relations. This combination blends the energies of Rays One and Seven {Aries} with Ray 3 (the Earth) and is thus very much related to the relationship of Spirit and matter through the focus of Active Intelligence.

"Earth In Taurus"

A most potent position for the dispelling of material glamour and illusions. This placement reveals that one of the most essential tasks the individual has to accomplish is the creation of those forms which will be the proper instrument for the expression of the Will-to-Be. The Third and Fourth Ray combined in this position, providing a potent and challenging life. This soul-centered person would be constantly involved in the process of breaking down those forms and structures which are no longer able to transmit Light. The keyword for this position could be ~I break down and unblock~, as this function characterizes one who is born with the Earth in Taurus and the Sun in Scorpio. It should be remembered that Venus, exoteric ruler of the Bull, is considered the Higher Self of the Earth. The Earth in Taurus helps to reveal the inner truth of the spiritual reality hidden all too often within the context of terrestrial life and material forms.

"Earth In Gemini"

This is a very challenging position as its esoteric significance is more profound. Since the Earth rules Sagittarius, it would be natural to assume that this planet has its detriment in the sign of the Twins. Yet Venus rules Gemini and the connection between the Earth and Venus is a highly positive and beautiful one. One can only speculate and so consider the following conclusions in this light. It is a fact that Gemini, through its association with Venus creates in the minds of humanity an increased awareness of the essential duality which exists between material, sensual desires and the urge to align oneself with the Will-to-Good of the spirit. In effect the basic duality of one on the Fixed Cross is this conflict between the will of the lesser self and the Will of the Creator. This is a collective planetary, and particularly human dilemma. It appears that this duality is increased when the Earth is in Gemini and the Sun is in Sagittarius, thus giving a heightened spiritual opportunity to one with this placement.

On the personality level, this may indicate that the energies of the lower self tend to scatter and become dissipated in the unconscious attempt to integrate egocentric motivations. A Soul-centered individual with this placement in the natal horoscope would tend to be quite aware of the disparity existing between the values and goals of the personality and those of the Higher Self. The house position of the Earth would reveal that area of life in which this duality is most pronounced. In the symbology of the Twins the Ancient Wisdom Teachings tell us that the Earth is related to the Brother ~whose light grows stronger cycle by cycle~. This, of course, refers to the increasing expression of Soul-focused love.

"Earth In Cancer"

Cancer is the ~Gate In~ and anchors the incarnating soul onto the Planet in terms of the personality and the mass consciousness. It is a beginning of the evolutionary arc which first seeks to develop self consciousness in Leo, and then group consciousness (and subsequent world service) in Aquarius. From the Soul centered perspective of one who is born with this position and thus with the Sun in Capricorn, the emphasis on the Third Ray is paramount. Cancer is the primary sign of the expression of this Ray and Capricorn is found here as well. Saturn the ruler of the latter, on both Soul and personality levels, is the primary planetary expression of Active Intelligence and is partnered in this respect by the Earth. This is the purest Third Ray expression possible (although Earth in Capricorn also has a potential Third Ray expression). The dharma of the life is clear; to create those physical structures and thought forms that allow Light to be utilized as a source of strength for others. The house position will reveal this ~well of spiritual waters sunk deeply into the Earth~ so that all may come to drink of the Father (in this case the Father of the Waters, Neptune).

"Earth In Leo"

The mental quality of this combination is very strong, as we have a blending in Rays One and Five (Leo) and Three (Earth). Yet the Sun is of the Second Ray, so the potential for creating those forms of expression of Love/Wisdom is very great. The Sun in Aquarius brings in the polarized energies of yet another Fifth Ray sign, and its Second Ray ruler, Jupiter. The Aquarian will be able to find an Earth based focus (that is, the Earth’s house position) for the urge to network and unite groups of various individuals. The self conscious quality of the Earth’s Leo placement will point to exactly where the Water Bearer has to distribute his ~burden~ of consciousness.

"Earth In Virgo"

This is the position wherein the ~Mother of All Forms~ can do an incredible amount of good to release the potency of the hidden Christ child in the Soul. This combination points to an incarnation in which the individual works hard at healing and making the life on Earth more whole. Spiritually, it is a very strong position given the fact that the Sun is in Pisces, and the energies of Pluto are also manifesting. The Earth-based focus gives Pluto a chance to ~unearth the Underworld~ evoking from the depths of materiality the essential quality of love which lies in dark obscurity for the majority of humanity.

"Earth In Libra" (Exoteric Ruler: Earth)

There are three sets of connections which should be mentioned in regard to this position; it is highly mental in nature, as it is composed of Rays Three (Earth and Libra), Five (Venus) and Seven (Libra and Uranus). It involves the impulse of the Sun in Aries and its focus in the ~Place where the Will of God is Known~ with the linkage of the Higher and lower minds (Third and Fifth Rays, and Venus). This position also indicates the externalization of the Divine Ideas for the unfoldment of the Plan of Creation into the ~minds of men~. This is accomplished through the relationship of Rays One-Three-Five and their synthesized expression through Uranus and Ray Seven. The Mind of the Soul-centered person with the Earth in Libra and the Sun in Aries will act as a tool for the birthing on Earth of those essential Ideas ~whose time has come~.

"Earth In Scorpio"

This position continues to reveal the incredible opportunity for individuals on the Scorpio-Taurus polarity in their quest for the Path. It also reveals the particular type of service one may render while discovering and co-creating the Way. The Earth and Mars enter into an intimate relationship through this combination breaking down all resistance to the reorientation of material values and the release of Spiritual Will. The house position of the Earth in Scorpio is a clear indication of where a tremendous focus of detachment and sacrifice has to be made in order that a greater realization of wholeness and healing can be created. The potential for healing can be very powerful, as this combination is incredibly magnetic, drawing to itself matter of a much finer and Soul-centered nature to replace the destruction of the forms of desire so associated with its signs and planets.

"Earth In Sagittarius" (Esoteric Ruler: Earth)

"Earth In Capricorn"

As we know Capricorn is the ~Gate Out~ of ordinary incarnations, and onto the wheel of initiation and the birthing of the Christ consciousness hidden in the womb of the Virgin. The position the Earth occupies in the natal chart when the Sun is in Cancer reveals the place and function by which the Soul centered individual can most positive release his or her portion of the One Life into manifestation. Both the dharma and the karma of the life conjoin through Saturn’s association with Capricorn, the Earth and the Third Ray. Should Saturn also be found in Capricorn, conjunct the Earth and in actual opposition to the Sun in Cancer, this incarnation points to a great culmination of previous efforts in former lifetimes and a great challenge is revealed in the current one. The challenge involves the proper structuring of the life forces so that they are put under the total Will of the Father. There is no room for duality in this position, and the light of the one-pointed disciple must shine through the illusions of the material life. No-one said it would be easy!

"Earth In Aquarius"

The developed sense of self consciousness found in the life of the Soul-centered Leo individual finds ample opportunity for world service when the Earth is in the sign of the Water Bearer. This combination shows an emphasis on the mental plane, as this is a Third Ray planet acting through a Fifth Ray sign. The effects of Saturn as co-ruler of Aquarius on the personality level, as well as its Third Ray connection to the Earth are also significant. This position points to the need to create those structures of mind which channel and distribute innovative concepts into the collective consciousness. The work to be undertaken in this capacity involves the loving use (Jupiter) of the Concrete Mind for the advancement of those Ideas and Principles that will bring a sense of unified wholeness to human experience.

"Earth In Pisces"

A most potent placement, as there is a strong blending of the three Rays of Aspect through Pluto (First) Earth (Third) and Pisces (Second). The synthesis occurs through the Sixth Ray quality of the Fish and the devotion of the Soul centered individual to humanity, the Christ consciousness, and the Plan. The dharma involves selfless work to release people from those facets of the astral/desire nature which inhibit the flow of the Universal loving matrix (Second Ray). For the individual with the Sun in Virgo, the outer field of service will be indicated by the house position of this Earth in the natal chart. Jupiter and Neptune, the exoteric rulers of this sign, add even more loving idealism to this effort, but the fundamental nature of the Earth itself serves to balance such aspirations within the context of practicality.

#Earth Sign #Astrology #Zodiac #Heliocentrism

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fellhellion · 4 years ago

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can you make a rec list of your favorite fe3h fics? if that's alright?

OF COURSE I WOULD LOVE TO <3 always happy to give my fave works a shoutout <33333

Though mind u this is going to be a LOT so ill pop them under a cut

from the heart in exile

TLDR: platonic hubert edelgard fic that haunts me. It’s extremely good with really well written character voices and focuses on these two characters trying to find out who they are beyond the war with their friends refusing to leave them behind

Summary:

You can’t speak just yet to whether time—and age? experience? not that war or rulership have given you much of the latter, at least in the area of gardening—has made your thumbs any less brown, but the house in the Oghma Mountains is surrounded by so many growing things it hardly seems to matter. It sits at the edge of a forest, on the gentle lower slopes, and the people in the nearest town had all smiled to speak of it when they pointed the way for Hubert, the day you arrived. A number of them were old enough to remember what it had been like, years ago, in the warm and golden before, and to insist that it had not changed in the ways that mattered. It was still full of light. The air still smelled green.

In which Edelgard keeps a garden, Hubert learns to fly, and those they leave behind refuse to be left behind.

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Watchtower

TLDR: platonic fic and amazing sylvain character study. Like genuinely one of the best i’ve ever read. If you’re someone who really wanted a deeper exploration of Sylvain’s feelings about Dimitri this fic is for u.

Summary:

When Sylvain is six and a half and climbs to the top of a tower with no one’s hand in his, he realizes that each and every one of the people he loves has been born as a gift to something else. Dimitri was born for Faerghus, and Felix was born for Dimitri. Glenn was born for the royal family, and Ingrid was born for Galatea and for Glenn. He realizes, too, that what they’re for decides their future. Dimitri will lead them into a better world. Felix will guide his path, and Glenn will protect his life, and Ingrid will bind her future to theirs.

And Sylvain, who was born for the border, will stand in a watchtower. He will see the enemy before it comes, and he will keep Dimitri and Felix and Ingrid and Glenn safe.

Dimitri reappears after five years. Sylvain knows it's his role to fix the mess they're in, but he doesn't know how.

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little light

TLDR: really good exploration of flayn and seteth’s relationship (+ with his wife and flayn’s mother) pre canon (also post canon if i remember right) just a really good if heartbreaking family fic

Summary:

"She is beautiful, and she is perfect. It is foolish to say so, because the goddess herself says perfect beings cannot exist - but Cichol knows now she must have been wrong, because his daughter is perfect. They name her Cethleann. In the old tongue, it means 'light.'"

Cichol, Cethleann, what they lost, and who they became.

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conjure the wind, ease my mind

TLDR: this author in general writes FANTASTIC work so pls check out their whole repertoire. a platonic fic between holst and claude w an exploration of claude’s past that’s just so good....found brotherhood i am WEEPING

Summary:

“I’d like to know what’s wrong. I’d like to help if I can.”

Calculating green eyes lock onto Holst’s own, but this time they’re laced with something a little bit like resignation

Many people call Duke Riegan a liar, but Holst feels like he knows the young man a bit better than that. To call him a liar is wrong, you see, because all Claude has ever really done is master the art of giving up as little of the truth as possible. He keeps truth close, treats it like a valuable commodity.

“I have three brothers,” he says. “Half-brothers.”

***

Claude won’t spar with Holst and Holst wants to know why.

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my fellow passerine

TLDR: same author as before and just...god this fic is so good. a platonic exploration of the relationship between Claude and Cyril. This fic has it all: found brotherhood, worldbuilding about Almyra, Claude character study, CYRIL character study. it’s just fantastic

Summary:

Then the Alliance delegation shows up, and their offering strolls through the gates of the monastery like he already owns the place.

A reminder, for those who need it: Cyril is not an idiot. He has good eyes and he uses them.

An observation, for those who want it: The Golden Deer house leader is Almyran.

Cyril knows a lot more than he lets on, Claude is far less covert than he thinks he is, and messing with the guy your parents told you was a possibly-unkillable demon-prince isn’t usually supposed to earn you a lasting friendship but hey… life is already pretty damn weird.

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Autotomy

TLDR: god this ferdibert fic just fucking...destroys me. i cannot get through it without crying at least twice and usually more. it’s basically a CF canon divergence with a heavy HEAVY exploration of ferdinand and hubert’s perspectives towards usefulness and how abelist thinking affects that in their efforts to find Shambala after Ferdinand loses his sight from one of Hubert’s experimental spells. All while falling in love. this fic is VERY fucking heavy, please mind the tags, it’s amazing but it’s subject matter is something you need to be very aware of. Also i would highly reccomend reading the prequel to this fic as it provides some critical context to Hubert’s actions that you don’t get through Ferdinand’s flawed pov. Basically this author is a master of character perspective.

Summary:

Ferdinand von Aegir's war record ends in 1182. The war does not.

Or, blind man's bluff.

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Coming of Age

TLDR: same author as before and god...just my FAVOURITE ferdinand character study. Takes place within the period Byleth is away. I don’t want to spoil anything but it’s incredible. Mines the fantastic character drama hook between Edelgard and Ferdinand that canon DIDNT rip

Summary:

Ferdinand was a general. In theory. Edelgard had promised him continued command of his battalion, and a general needed a certain measure of wealth to supply his horses, his servants, his armor and rations and lodgings and, she’d promised.

But his father sat rotting in a cell, or worse, and it could be nothing more than a fable they thought him simple enough to believe. What did promises matter?

When the house of Aegir collapses around him, Ferdinand struggles to forge a path forward. He quickly discovers he can't manage it alone -- and neither, perhaps, can Edelgard.

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Another Life

TLDR: same author AGAIN (can u tell theyre my favourite fjsdhfk). Ferdibert fic, a man loving his partner and trying to figure out the best way to support them as they silently wrestle with questions about their gender identity is something that can be so PERSONAL and make u CRY god. also dark flier hubert my beloved.

Summary:

Ferdinand notices things. He cannot say what he notices, precisely, because he has no one to ask, and if he were to ask Hubert it would damn well result in every questioned moment up and vanishing forever behind a new wall of prickly austerity. Ferdinand cannot risk that. The things that he notices stick in his chest, and he thinks only, but.

Hubert wrestles with unasked questions; Ferdinand wrestles with a pegasus.

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Beneath the Sheets of Paper Lies My Truth

TLDR: Dimilix fic in my FAVOURITE fucking format of secondary in game historical sources exploring their relationship in retrospective.

Summary:

It was said that Duke Fraldarius’s grief at King Dimitri’s death was more potent than even the queen’s—but said by whom, and how, and why?

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A Fair Day’s Work

TLDR: Post CF Canon ferdibert where Hubert and Ferdinand’s overworked aides desperately try to get them together so they’ll be too busy being uhhhh AMOUROUS to give them so much work. Very much a romantic comedy with very fun OCs as our protags.

Summary:

“I may have some coffee in the place for you,” said Prime Minister Aegir. “Let me show you how much better I have become at brewing it to your taste.”

“If you insist,” said Minister Vestra but he sounded pleased. To Delarivier, who had literally made it her profession to attune herself to his tone (usually ranging from sort-of-murder-y to extremely-murder-y), Minister Vestra sounded very pleased indeed.

Ferdinand and Hubert's long-suffering aides figure out a way to work fewer hours.

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Roost

TLDR: Dimilix post AM Canon with some pre canon moments. Basically an exploration of the complexity of their relationship with bird symbolism and extra Holy Kingdom lore. Gifting ur lover a vulture is something that can be so personal fksdhfsjkd

Summary:

Dimitri makes an affirmative noise. Then he takes a breath, voice leveling out into what Felix had long ago dubbed his 'future king voice', all steady explanation: “Long ago, the saying fledged right along with the nobles' and royal family's love of hawking, and it has remained a common phrase from one generation to the next. As adviser to the king, the duke is meant to be regal and strong, even deadly when required, from his place at the king's side. To always act as the most piercing, watchful eyes over the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and her sovereign."

He looks over to Felix as soon as his mouth snaps shut on the final word, as always seeking approval on his recitations.

Felix tilts his head, trying to look unimpressed. “I like eagles.”

A hand automatically comes up to cover the lower half of Dimitri's face, muffling the inarticulate sound of a snort of amusement. “That is good, since you are to be mine.”

***

They say an eagle watches over Fhirdiad.

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A faint and faraway sound

TLDR: Ferdibert with an excellent Hubert centric character study....just so good...makes me warm and fuzzy...the mutual pining and ROMANCE of it all

Summary:

Hubert learns to be a person, with a lot of help and complication along the way.

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In golden light

TLDR: A really REALLY good ferdibert fic with ferdinand centric pov that focuses on him reflecting on his life as he prepares the Aegir house to become a boarding school. Ferdinand sibling exploration is ABOUND here and it’s great

Summary:

When his family's summer home at Lake Aegir is set to be converted to a boarding academy, Ferdinand pays it one last visit and contemplates his complicated relationship with family, love, and legacy.

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one three four three four zero

TLDR: the fic that actually got me into dimilix. VERY heavy character study and you NEED to mind both the general fic tags and the content warnings the author lists for each chapter but it’s incredible. Takes a very familiar trope and just. slams you in the face with over 60k words of amazing character study.

Summary:

“How are you going to get the One-Eyed Demon of Garreg Mach, the Boar Prince of Faerghus, smuggled past Dukedom soldiers? What plan could you possibly have to get a creature that incapable of even pretending it isn’t a bloodthirsty beast into Dominic without getting caught?”

The Professor gives him one of their steady, unreadable stares. They definitely do not and could not possibly have answered him, “You’re going to pretend to be married to him.”

or, How to Pretend to be Married When One of You Can't Stop Hallucinating and the Other One Uses Hostility to Cope

#Anonymous #ask games #anon #this is so long SORRY LMAO

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roughrudesea · 4 years ago

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top 5 Shakespeare monologues?

I DESERVE THIS 😤

1. Richard II 3.2

No matter where; of comfort no man speak: Let’s talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs; Make dust our paper and with rainy eyes Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth, Let’s choose executors and talk of wills: And yet not so, for what can we bequeath Save our deposed bodies to the ground? Our lands, our lives and all are Bolingbroke’s, And nothing can we call our own but death And that small model of the barren earth Which serves as paste and cover to our bones. For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings; How some have been deposed; some slain in war, Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed; Some poison’d by their wives: some sleeping kill’d; All murder’d: for within the hollow crown That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits, Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp, Allowing him a breath, a little scene, To monarchize, be fear’d and kill with looks, Infusing him with self and vain conceit, As if this flesh which walls about our life, Were brass impregnable, and humour’d thus Comes at the last and with a little pin Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king! Cover your heads and mock not flesh and blood With solemn reverence: throw away respect, Tradition, form and ceremonious duty, For you have but mistook me all this while: I live with bread like you, feel want, Taste grief, need friends: subjected thus, How can you say to me, I am a king?

WHAT CAN I SAY. I heard a friend do this monologue in an acting class almost a decade ago and even with zero context, I thought about it for years. Finally reading the play only made me love it more.

2. The Tempest 5.1

Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves, And ye that on the sands with printless foot Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him When he comes back; you demi-puppets that By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make, Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid, Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimm'd The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds, And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up The pine and cedar: graves at my command Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth By my so potent art. But this rough magic I here abjure, and, when I have required Some heavenly music, which even now I do, To work mine end upon their senses that This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff, Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, And deeper than did ever plummet sound I'll drown my book.

A solemn air and the best comforter To an unsettled fancy cure thy brains, Now useless, boil'd within thy skull! There stand, For you are spell-stopp'd. Holy Gonzalo, honourable man, Mine eyes, even sociable to the show of thine, Fall fellowly drops. The charm dissolves apace, And as the morning steals upon the night, Melting the darkness, so their rising senses Begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle Their clearer reason. O good Gonzalo, My true preserver, and a loyal sir To him you follow'st! I will pay thy graces Home both in word and deed. Most cruelly Didst thou, Alonso, use me and my daughter: Thy brother was a furtherer in the act. Thou art pinch'd fort now, Sebastian. Flesh and blood, You, brother mine, that entertain'd ambition, Expell'd remorse and nature; who, with Sebastian, Whose inward pinches therefore are most strong, Would here have kill'd your king; I do forgive thee, Unnatural though thou art. Their understanding Begins to swell, and the approaching tide Will shortly fill the reasonable shore That now lies foul and muddy. Not one of them That yet looks on me, or would know me Ariel, Fetch me the hat and rapier in my cell: I will discase me, and myself present As I was sometime Milan: quickly, spirit; Thou shalt ere long be free.

I’m honestly shocking myself slightly by not listing “We are such stuff,” but even thinking about this part of the play gives me chills. I love the journey Prospero goes on in this: watching him give up his magic and decide to forgive his former enemies is so engaging--and the language is completely unmatched.

3. The Tempest 4.1

You do look, my son, in a moved sort, As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir. Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd; Bear with my weakness; my, brain is troubled: Be not disturb'd with my infirmity: If you be pleased, retire into my cell And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk, To still my beating mind.

Okay I lied -- had to include “We are such stuff.” How could I not? I’m a Tempest and a Prospero stan. How could I NOT list this one when it is like *THE* iconic monologue?

4. Hamlet, 3.3

O, my offense is rank it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon't, A brother's murder. Pray can I not, Though inclination be as sharp as will: My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent; And, like a man to double business bound, I stand in pause where I shall first begin, And both neglect. What if this cursed hand Were thicker than itself with brother's blood, Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens To wash it white as snow? Whereto serves mercy But to confront the visage of offense? And what's in prayer but this two-fold force, To be forestalled ere we come to fall, Or pardon'd being down? Then I'll look up; My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer Can serve my turn? 'Forgive me my foul murder'? That cannot be; since I am still possess'd Of those effects for which I did the murder, My crown, mine own ambition and my queen. May one be pardon'd and retain the offense? In the corrupted currents of this world Offense's gilded hand may shove by justice, And oft 'tis seen the wicked prize itself Buys out the law: but 'tis not so above; There is no shuffling, there the action lies In his true nature; and we ourselves compell'd, Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults, To give in evidence. What then? what rests? Try what repentance can: what can it not? Yet what can it when one can not repent? O wretched state! O bosom black as death! O limed soul, that, struggling to be free, Art more engaged! Help, angels! Make assay! Bow, stubborn knees; and, heart with strings of steel, Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe! All may be well.

3.3 is my favorite scene in Hamlet. I LOVE the tableau of Claudius praying, and Hamlet right behind him, ready to strike. Hamlet the character obviously has some incredible speeches, but this Claudius monologue is the one that always stands out to me: it is such a juicy glimpse into his inner psyche that is more carefully guarded for the rest of the play, and I love this moment (however brief) of unraveling.

5. Macbeth 5.5

She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Forgive me for being so basic but I would really be lying to myself if I didn’t list this. Although this one, more than others, really depends on the actor. I have seen some renditions of this monologue I really do not jive with, but when it’s done well, it is top tier.

#shakespeare #richard ii #the tempest #hamlet #macbeth #whereforebase

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sunbird-tells-stories · 4 years ago

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Some dumb Team Spicer OT3 headcanons no one wants to hear but I’m gonna say them anyways:

Jack has a thing with personal space and doesn’t like being touched by pretty much anyone and hates physical contact as a whole, except for maybe hugs from Mom. However, he’s severely touch-starved and the more he falls for Jermaine and Timber, the more he not only allows for physical contact from both of them, but he initiates it too. Sitting closer to them, leaning on their shoulder, that sort of thing.

Eventually when they do become a thing he then becomes this barnacle that is always hugging or leaning or lounging on one of them at all times. They’re his safe space and he shows it by being close to them.

I’m still debating on whether Timber’s short hair becomes a permanent look, but I like to think that if it becomes long again, Jack has a habit of playing with it and petting it because it’s so soft and fluffy. And because it’s Jack, Timber let’s him.

Since one is a martial artist and the other is a wilderness nut,Jermaine and Timber are both pretty physically strong. And Jack 👏 is 👏 here 👏 for 👏 it 👏 He’s into physical strength.

Before Xiaolin training Jack is pretty wimpy and nowhere near as physically fit as he should be because he spends most of his time building robots in a lab. Since he’s so slow and kind of a load in an emergency, Timber often just picks him up and carries him. He pretends to hate it and won’t stop complaining when she does it, but he actually kind of likes being carried around like that. He’s always lowkey impressed by it.

He has tried or will try carrying her just to get back at her and it never ends well.

Jermaine is the strongest of Team Spicer and can carry both of his partners. However since he’s also the shortest member he rarely does it because it’s way too easy to lose balance.

Timber never really played any sport except hockey because...well, because Canada (and also no friends), but I like to think that Jermaine teaches her how to play basketball and she just loves it. She likes playing it and when he finally takes her to a game she likes watching it too. Jermaine loves the way it brings out her competitive spirit and her sense of wonder as a whole.

Jermaine’s favorite things about Timber are her enthusiasm, her curiosity, her creativity, her ability to stand on her own two feet, her outspokenness, her wild nature (pun intended), her wilderness skills, her thirst for adventure and knowledge and her smile.

His favorite things about Jack are his innovative nature, his feistiness, his intelligence, his competitiveness, the cute and silly faces he makes when he’s sketching out new blueprints for one of his inventions, his eyes, his awkward and adorkable moments, his defiant nature and the way he just doesn’t quit no matter what life throws at him.

Jermaine also likes Timber’s laugh and Jack’s smile. Neither of them are prone to laughing or smiling and as they grow closer Jermaine makes a point to try to get each one to do both. He genuinely wants to see these two disasters realize how beautiful and amazing and incredible they really are.

Slight spoilers but Jermaine ends up suffering from nightmares after the events of MW! due to reasons I won’t go into. He’s alright but healing is a slow process and it takes time to get over trauma, and the nightmares are intense and leave him in a cold sweat and make it hard for him to get some rest. The only way he feels safe enough to go back to sleep is if he’s with Jack and Timber. So for a long time after the fic, the three have nightly sleepovers so Jermaine can actually get some sleep. He wakes up, freaks out, talks it out with them, sometimes Timber makes him some tea with her super potent lavender and chamomile flowers and after they just all fall back asleep.

Jack is the first to catch Feelings. Next is Timber. Jermaine, for all his virtues, is incredibly thick and can’t seem to understand that both of the people in his party are crushing on him pretty hard. Sadly it’s because he doesn’t really think he’s good enough for anyone to like him.

In this universe, Jack and Jermaine are both bi, but only Jack is aware of his own orientation. Jermaine is not. At least, not for long.

Jack’s color motif is mostly black, Timber’s color motif is mostly blue and Jermaine’s is mostly red with yellow accents. Why?

They’re the colors of the poly flag :)

Spoiler but once they start dating, everyone’s in a tizzy about it. But hands down the person who is most shocked and/or disturbed by this turn of events is...Chase Young. Despite the fact that he used the boy as a pawn in a scheme, he did get somewhat attached to Jermaine. He was after all a good student and Chase is honorable enough to respect legit talent and effort. The moment he hears that his talented former Apprentice is dating both the student of his oldest rival AND Jack freaking Spicer, he goes through all five stages of grief before running straight to the Xiaolin Temple, finding Jermaine and telling him “I’m sorry for your loss”.

As you can imagine, Jermaine isn’t pleased.

You better believe I have an entire YouTube playlist dedicated to this ship, but this one in particular, and this particular mix made for this AMV, is definitely one of my favorite songs for their ship. https://youtu.be/SYcODDcNSIk

youtube

Timber’s family is dysfunctional and abusive, and Jack’s family is distant and neglectful, if well intentioned. So I like to think they both find a healthy family dynamic in Jermaine’s mom, grandmother and older sister.

They try to keep their relationship a secret from anyone outside the Temple, but eventually their families find out. Jermaine’s family is very supportive, but you better believe Ivory grilled Jack and Timber pretty hard once she realized these two idiots were in a relationship with her baby brother. But eventually they do have a supportive dynamic with each other (with Timber slightly more successful than Jack on the grounds that Jack is a show off and Ivory doesn’t like show offs).

Jack’s Dad is shocked and doesn’t really know how to handle it but since Jack is genuinely happy for once in his life he’s got no beef and just quietly lets them be - with one exception. Jack’s Dad is relatively famous and in the news all the time, so he’s used to being paparazzi fodder and having tabloids spin stuff on him. But the moment they try to belittle Jack for his relationship with his partners, Jason puts an end to it. IMMEDIATELY. Jason may not understand his son, but he will always love him.

Jack’s mom is devastated, but not because he’s poly - it’s because as a hardcore supporter of Jack getting married and giving her lots of grandkids to spoil (she’s that kind of mom), she’s been budgeting his future wedding for years, LITERAL YEARS, so that the moment he finds The One, they can get hitched with no fuss. And now suddenly she has to budget for a whole other person. One and a half decades of planning RUINED.

Timber’s mom and step-dad.....even I’m not sure. But Kallik and Hanta still care about their sister, even if they’re terrible at showing it. And once they get wind of what’s happening, Timber’s brothers get overprotective and overstep their boundaries in an effort to drive off these “playboys” from toying with their sister’s heart. That is, until Timber puts them in their place.

I like to think that Kallik and Hanta eventually do find a way get along with Jack and Jermaine, if only for the fact they can watch over Timber when they can’t....but it’s a slow process. After all, they’re still working on repairing their relationship with their sister.

Poly families exist in real life (and happily so depending on the family) so maybe when the members of Team Spicer are all grownups and are at a good age to start a family, they get married and have kids? I dunno. It’s a hypothetical situation for now since the whole “Xiaolin Dragon” thing is more or less a lifelong deal and that would get in the way of raising kids. But I like to think that if they do have kids, they have a boy named Jake who raises a lot of Hell (like his birth Dad), and a girl named Jazmine who likes to kick evil’s butt (like her birth Dad).

Slightly spoilery but our Team each end up with an army of their own - Jack has his robots, Timber has her plants and Jermaine has loyal jungle cat soldiers. So if they did have kids, those would hands down be the most well protected kids on the face of the earth. Also maybe the most...interesting, since being raised with killer robots, killer plants and dangerous animals might make for some unnaturally fearless kids.

Jermaine is the glue that holds them all together. Jack and Timber come to love each other dearly but Jermaine is so influential to the both of them that neither one can imagine life without him.

Same with Jermaine and both of them. Timber and Jack are both crazy, they’re both stubborn, they’re both unpredictable, they cause trouble and break rules and he never knows what they’re gonna do next - and he loves that about them.

You know that person in the relationship that steals the other person’s hoodies to wear them? That’s Jack. And he doesn’t even say sorry.

Jack likes to flirt and tease Jermaine and Timber but when either of them reciprocate he gets all flustered and tsundere.

Jack and Timber both have jealousy issues but neither of them compare to Jermaine’s. He gets majorly angry when someone flirts with or gets too close to either of them - he just hides it well and is smart enough to know that Jack/Timber weren’t asking for it.

Jermaine is very protective and sometimes even overprotective. It’s an issue he’s gonna need to let go of.

Jermaine is pretty short for a boy and Timber is very tall for a girl. Jermaine doesn’t have issues about it, Timber does...but if anyone insults either of them, Jack throws hands. Like seriously he will fight you if you make a nasty comment about their height.

You see these three often chilling with each other because they are each other’s safe space.

Because they fell in love with each other while traveling the world, their idea of a date together is grabbing the Tiger Claws, warping to a random location and exploring it together. It’s a tradition they keep up even as they get older.

They genuinely love and care for each other very, very much.

That’s all for now but I have more headcanons for these guys. Trust me.

#team spicer ot3 #the good the bad and the wilde #jack x jermaine x timber #Jack x Jermaine #jermaine x timber #Jack x Timber #Youtube

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lothirielswanmarvel · 5 years ago

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The Earthen Goddess

Summary: Long ago, in a time before spidermen and avenging heroes, Loki convinces Thor to undergo a vision to meet his future lover.

Love interest: Thor

~Thor, Asgard, 500 Years Earlier~

“You jest.”

“I can do it. Swear on Freya’s cursed boar.”

I scoffed at my brother. Loki was slim and long-limbed compared to other Asgardians. His face was even more unique; it had potent cheekbones that jut out like his daggers. They always made my brother look refined, and incredibly conniving.

My brother’s emerald eyes lit up with mirth. “I’ve been working on visions with mother.”

“So you are a witch after all?” I teased, raising my draught to my lips.

Loki rolled his eyes. “And you a lumbering oaf—this is a discussion for another time. These visions give me a glimpse into the future. Tell me there aren't things you don't want to know?”

I didn't bother with the maze of words he weaved. I simply tipped my drink back, stealing a glance at him over my mug of ale.

Loki huffed. “Come on—you’ve been with countless men and women. Don't you want to know whom you might end up with?”

My eyebrows furrowed. Loki and I had different opinions on the subject of love. For him, it was a dance. It was a mental game. I thought of romance as more of a sensation; something deep and warm and trusting. It was suspicious for him to bring up the matter.

“I’ll know when I find them,” I told him, setting down my drink with more force than I intended.

“Why not know now?”

“I like surprises—except when they involve you.”

Loki paused, his thin lips pressed together. My eyes widened as I realized what my words had implied.

“I am happy you are my brother. I would replace you with no other, Loki.” My hand clapped on his fragile, bone-thin shoulder. “Although, I prefer when there isn’t a knife in your hand.”

Loki nodded. His face still held that slight distortment. Sometimes that warped expression appeared around Volstagg and Hogan. Our friends. He called them my friends.

“Alright, I’ll agree to this vision.” I surrendered, watching the triumph glint in my brother’s eyes.

“You will not regret this, brother.” Loki stood from the wooden chair of the inn. It was a quiet night, and we had sat together in peace. Sometimes the crowds were smaller in Loki’s presence. “We’ll retreat to my chambers. We shouldn't require anything.”

“And if this is a trick…” I warned as I rose beside him.

“You’ll zap me at meals in the dining hall, or leave that damned hammer of yours around where I can stub my toe—like you usually do.”

“Mjolnir likes you, brother!”

“My knives are better.”

“But mine is more famous.”

“Oh, shut up.”

It was a quiet night. None pursued us in our journey back to the kingdom—perhaps it was Loki’s doing with some deceptive spell. My thoughts were confirmed when we stumbled upon a pair of guards and Loki suddenly cried, “Mmblerg, it's me!”

The stabbed guard was ushered to the infirmary.

The golden halls were easy to navigate. Their grand splendor was a common sight to us. There was an air of formality to our home, a dignification that made it hard sometimes to be at peace. We had to appear strong. Father preferred a projection of grace that Loki took too seriously.

We arrived at Loki’s chambers. The walls were furnished with books and peculiar objects and glaring daggers. Loki placed himself before a basin of what appeared like water, drizzling a few herbs and murmuring words I didn't understand.

“Boys?”

The voice was elegant and poised, and yet it still managed to be warm and loving. Mother peeked in curiously from the open doorway, assessing us. Her eyes were blue, most of the time—other days they were a colder gray, or a darker green. Tonight they were a pale cobalt, like a calm sky before a tempest.

“Hello, mother.”

“Loki, if another guard ends up in the healing rooms…”

��I know, I know!” Loki remained concentrated on the small pool of water.

Mother’s perfectly curved eyebrows dipped slightly. She leaned more into the room. “What are you two scheming?”

“Loki told me that you’ve been instructing him in visions of the future. It sounds exciting,” I said, hoping the enthusiasm for magic sounded real.

“Hmm,” Mother looked me over. The hem of her pink robes billowed at the entrance. “I think you’ll be pleased, Thor. But you must be patient.”

I didn't understand, but I never questioned her. “Of course, mother.”

She nodded, somewhat satisfied. “Well then...I’ll leave you to it.”

“See you in the morning light, mother.”

Mother lingered a few more moments. “What, no kiss?”

“We’re not three hundred years old anymore, mother.” Loki remarked.

I ignored my brother’s words and embraced her at the door. “I love you.”

“And I you, dear. If you could reiterate that to your brother when I leave, I would appreciate it.”

“Anything for the most magnificent woman in the nine realms,” I replied.

Her hand stroked my cheek. “She’s very lucky.”

Mother left without a sound in her wake. I moved towards my brother and stopped a few paces away.

“Stop scowling at me, I spend many hours of the day with her—my love is known.” Loki snapped.

“Did you tell her telepathically? With your witch powers?”

Loki muttered an irritated tsk sound like a provoked snake. His fingers flashed across the surface of the water, and the surface bled crimson.

“Is it...supposed to do that?” I asked warily as the scarlet color possessed the entire basin.

Loki shrugged with little concern. “Mostly. Here,”

His fingers flexed and suddenly a goblet was in his grasp. He filled the goblet with the red mixture and offered it to me. “The future awaits, brother.”

I took the offering tentatively, holding my stare with my brother. There was no hint of mischief in his eyes, but Loki was good at hiding things.

I raised the potion to my lips. It had a sweet taste, but not an enjoyable one. I had a stomach of steel; I would endure, but it didn't make the experience any more glorified.

When I finished the draught, I handed it back. The room began to spin.

Loki’s words floated to my ears. “Your future lover may not show up immediately. Your surroundings will change, sometimes there will be others present, but you will know it's her when you see her.”

“How?” It was hard to frame the question. A sick feeling grew in my stomach. The room was dominated by green. A dark, thirsting green that feasted on every other color.

“You’ll know.”

Loki was gone.

Asgard was gone.

I was now in an empty corridor. The change in scenery was contrasting to the lit golden halls: it was a narrow hallway with dark wood. I noticed a few peculiar stains. I glanced around. A sneer of disapproval began to grow on my lips.

This is my future? This is where the love of my life is supposed to be…?

It had to be a trick. Would I ever learn to stop falling for my brother’s mind games? What act was he avenging this time—?

“Thor.”

I peered down the edge of the hallway. A man appeared. He was blond, hair cut even shorter than Loki’s, but he did not have the appearance of a serf. His appearance didn't match any social ladder on Asgard. Well muscled, like a warrior. The fabric he wore was frail and common-looking.

“Good work out in the field today. Stark says we’re meeting up for a rendezvous at the shawarma place a few blocks off—see you there.” The man clapped me on the back as he passed. I frowned. He didn't appear familiar. I didn't believe he was my future lover—Loki preferred the company of men more than I.

I shook my head and continued walking down the dreary hallway. I was curious now—who was I looking for? Was she Asgardian? Did she like snakes? I hoped she liked rain.

“You don't look like him.”

I turned, shocked that I hadn't heard the newcomer arrive. She was far more intimidating than the last visitor—raven locks, eyelids bruised.

The woman smiled, like she knew a secret that I didn't. “No. You don't look like him at all.”

Like the last one, she turned and vanished into the endless void of the corridor.

I paused for a moment. She did look familiar, but I couldn't place her. Somehow, she reminded me of Mother. Her resemblance to Loki left me uncertain.

I carried on, suddenly curious about what the future implied. Loki said I would run into others—but would I ever find her? I wasn't interested at first. I liked to think that I would decide my own fate, shy away from those cosmic forces and claim my destiny on my own. But now, I was curious. I wanted to know what the universe had in store.

The smell was the first thing I noticed. It was sweet—not like the draught Loki offered, this actually smelled nice. Like the royal kitchens of Asgard when preparing a feast for a celebration. This was a sugary scent, something savory I had never smelled before. It aroused my senses.

There was a window at the end of the hall. Light stretched out and danced across the dark panes of wood. I followed the smell. I heard someone faintly humming.

There was a door at the end of the hall, wide open. I couldn't see inside yet, but it was the only door I had passed that permitted others entrance. The smell intensified, becoming mouthwatering.

“—Mmph, these are good. Cassie’s hooked on these, can I take the ones that you messed up on back to her?” The voice was male. I didn't recognize it.

“Don't be ridiculous, Scott. I’ll whip up a new batch for her.”

“Seriously? No wonder you literally got ‘angel’ in your name. I think I'm in love with you.”

“That love is called cupcakes.” A woman spoke. She spoke in a silvery tone, so light and friendly. It was nice to listen to.

I reached the doorway and peered inside. The room left me in shock. Despite the dreary hallway that led to it, this room was light. Bright colors on the walls, the counters. The windows were open, ushering in the aroma of flowers planted along the edge. It was small, yet radiated more warmth than the bifrost. It was the most cheery atmosphere I had ever entered.

Then my eyes fell upon her. The room suddenly paled in comparison.

She was like an earth goddess—bronze skin, dark hair. The color of her locks fascinated me; it wasn't a dull black, it was a deep brownish hue, rich like soil. Her hair curled into untame forms like tree roots and cascaded down her back. A cloth was wrapped around her head, similar to what servant girls wore, but she made it look like a crown.

I took a step closer, and the nearer I came, I was overwhelmed by every enticing detail. Her hands were tiny, wrapped around a wooden spoon as she stirred something in a bowl. Powder and smears of whatever she was making covered her, yet it did nothing to dampen her beauty.

All of the air in my lungs left when I stared upon her face. Roundish cheeks, full like ripe fruit. Her eyes were big and round and had this hazel-greenish hue to them like a forest, a forest I got lost in the longer I stared. My gaze dipped down to her lips, not too thin, yet not too full.

Her tiny hands paused and her eyes fell upon me. Her smile shone brighter than Asgard. “Hi, sweetie.”

The earthen goddess moved with the bounciness of a fairy or some nymph wandering the wilds. At some points it was almost like her feet left the ground.

She leaned up and pressed her lips to mine. I was unprepared for the intimate gesture. It was a swift kiss, merely a greeting, but a thousand of the kisses I had given and received in my lifetime did not compare to the softness, the pressure, the warmth. Her lips tasted sweet—almost delicious like pastries. From that moment on, I knew any dessert would remind me of her mouth.

The earthen goddess lowered, her heels returning to the ground. Those perfectly balanced lips parted like a blossoming rose to say something, “Are you okay? You seem a little stiff. Did you fight anybody today?”

I racked my mind for an answer. The logical, most common one appeared first. “Uh...my brother?”

“Ah. Did he try world domination again? I think he should aim smaller, like a park or something.”

I heard scuffling. Reluctantly, my gaze left her and rose to the table. A man was there, hands full with pink boxes and a light blue stain around his mouth. His face reminded me of a mouse, with the nose poking out and the beady eyes. “I’ll uh...leave you two alone. Thanks for the cupcakes, and the story.”

“Sure, Scott. See you later.”

The Mouse-Man shuffled off. We were alone.

The earth goddess wiped her hands on an apron tied about her waist and returned to the table with cooking ingredients. I seated myself across from her while she worked.

“What...story?” I asked. I was not used to this feeling in my stomach, a knot of emotions I wasn't used to—wariness? Awe? I was the Prince of Asgard. I did not get rattled so easily.

“Something with my aunt that happened a few years ago,” She shrugged like it was a well-known truth.

“Tell me,” I said.

Her hands froze. She folded them midair and sat her chin upon them. “Okay. It was the summer, and I was still in school. I decided that I wanted to go into political science. I already established tons of relationships with business owners through internships, and Pepper promised me more connections through Stark Industries.

“My aunt said if I was serious about the career choice, she would help me with it. And the first thing she did was force me into all of these gross jobs; cleaning houses, scrubbing toilets. I learned a lot about humanity in that summer, bleck. And so I continue doing all of these crappy jobs, but I have no idea why my aunt insisted this was the best way to prepare me. One day I asked her why I was doing it. And she responded with this,”

The earth goddess leaned close, and I found myself leaning in as well, drawn to her like the force of the earth. She continued, “ ‘Sometimes in the world of diplomacy, you have to get your hands dirty.’ ”

She was wise, but not in a flashy fashion like my brother. She was kind and worked hard and had an independent air about her. She was the strongest woman I had ever met.

Yes. This is the one.

“The cosmos has rewarded me too much,” I murmured, feeling unworthy for the first time in my life.

“Does that include or exclude the cupcakes I saved from Scott for you?” She replied.

I laughed, although I did not know what “cupcakes” were. I was surprised that my future was so small and simple, yet I found myself already longing for the love I had discovered. “I suppose I shouldn't worry about my future. It looks bright to me.”

The earth goddess resumed mixing things in the bowl across from me. “What's all this stuff about the cosmos and the future? Did Loki get in your head with something—do you wanna talk about it?”

I smiled. She was a clever one. “Actually, Loki made this potion that would show me the future.”

“Mmm, see anything good?”

“Yes.” I looked at her. “It was magnificent.”

~*~

Loki’s laughter filled the high golden walls of the dining hall. “Do you hear yourself, brother? She was a baker, a cook, a mere servant girl!”

“Loki,” Mother hushed him a few seats away. My brother’s chuckles did not quiet.

“There was more to her than that!” I argued. “Her wit was as sharp as yours, and she didn't need tricks on her tongue to prove it!”

Loki’s lips pressed firmly together. Father's gaze rose from his plate.

“I do hope that the future Queen of Asgard is more than a baker and a storyteller.” Father remarked. “The qualities of a servant and an entertainer…”

My fist tightened around my goblet. I still did not know much about the earth goddess, but I detested these harsh accusations. What was so wrong about the future love of my life?

“Was she kind?” My mother asked quietly.

I looked up from the feast. I nodded once.

“Perhaps these qualities are a good thing, my husband. Is it not modesty and humbleness that every ruler should have?” My family, and some of my friends, shot me looks I found curious.

“Asgard should not be ruled by pride, or a hunger for power.” Mother’s words were pure reason. “They should be ruled by love.”

Father stared at her for a long time. It seemed as if they were speaking without words, about something I could not determine. Brother noticed it, too.

“Your words ring true, my love.” Father took her hand. “But it is merely a vision, and the future can change. Who is to vouch for a conjured vision’s accuracy?”

Loki flinched, and glared at his food. Mother simply put down her cutlery and shook her head.

“She must be a rare breed of a lady for the Mighty Thor to be rattled,” Whenever women were the topic of conversation, Fandral was not a shy one. “What was the woman’s name?”

I froze. I ran through the earthen goddess’ words in my mind, searching, hoping for an answer.

“Don't tell me you forgot.” Loki remarked beside me.

Volstagg chortled, “She must be some woman for you to forget to ask a simple question such as a name.”

“The Mouse-Man said something about her name,” I said, squinting at the table before me as I focused. “Yes...he said she had ‘angel’ in her name.”

Father stood abruptly from his throne. “Enough. There shall be no more talk of this wench. These halls shall not be disgraced by tales of Midgard.”

I rose from my seat. “Do not forbid the talk of my future love!”

“Ah! Future, but not love yet. Fate may change,” Father said. Mother’s facial expression did not agree with him. “Has she even been born yet?”

“No, my king,” Heimdall said quietly. “I cannot see her. Forgive me, it is not my place, but I would not underestimate Fate. Most men that have done so have paid the price.”

Father’s mouth opened, then his lips sealed together tightly. Heimdall’s wisdom could not be challenged. The meal carried on in silence.

“What else did you see, Thor?” Sif’s voice rose, wary as she cast a glance at the king and queen. “Was there anything else that the future showed you?”

“Before I saw her, I ran into others in the corridor.” I recalled, stroking my beard with one hand. “One man had the build of a warrior, he referred to a ‘Stark.’ There was also this woman…”

I fingered the knife that lay next to my plate. “She had raven hair, like yours, Sif, but it was not you. She wore green and black…”

I glanced at mother and found that both of my parents were staring at me. She leaned forward, “Did she...say anything, Thor?”

“She said, ‘You don't look like him.’ ” I answered.

Mother gave father a warning look. Odin sighed, “No more visions.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Hi Awesome Adventurers and thank you so much for tuning in! I wrote this little drabble as a kind of pre-scene scenario to my new novel out now, Avengers: Love and Lightning, soon to feature a love triangle between the God of Thunder himself and Star-Lord! Yay! Come over and join us to see Thor and this "earthen goddess" get together (also to swoon over tall blond men and join us in denial over Infinity War!) Love, fortune and glory to you, Awesome Adventurers!!

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ahopefuldoubt · 6 years ago

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somehow-you-will had asked: Aw yeah! *rubs hands together* First of all, The Prince of Egypt?

Send me a fandom and I’ll tell you...

the first character i ever fell in love with: Aaron — The well scene did a lot for me in terms of just seeing both his vulnerability and strength: specifically the way he uses himself as a shield to protect a family member, from another family member. Moses is someone Miriam believed in, whose return she’d been looking forward to, and for Aaron to be unsure of it all, and then to watch, rather powerlessly, as this semi-mythical brother-prince throws her to the ground… I have such a love-hate relationship with this scene. It’s emotionally exhausting — the three of them interacting like this — but it’s also the moment Aaron became my favorite character. (And it’s one of the reasons why my feelings towards Moses were ambivalent for a long time. I feel for his confusion, but what he does to Miriam here makes me twitch.) I still identify with Aaron the most: his anxiousness, his reaction and approach to the reunion with Moses, his relationship with God. He’s a compassionate person — so aware of the power structures in place yet still so inclined to protect and do for others — and I admire that about him. I love that he’s the one who takes those first steps into the Red Sea (with that slightly dorky, lopsided little smile). I’ve always found his journey the most powerful.

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: none

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: none

my ultimate favorite character™: Aaron ♥ — I’m not exactly shy about how much I love him :)

prettiest character: Oh, Miriam and Yocheved for sure~!

my most hated character: Seti (shit parent to both sons, shit human being)

my OTP: none

my NOTP: Moses/Rameses, because it’s incest

favorite episode:

saddest death: Well, the movie opens with infanticide, but there’s also Yocheved’s off-screen death… (Everything hurts, nothing’s okay :\)

favorite season:

least favorite season:

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: Rameses — Intellectually, I know the movie wants me to feel sympathy for him, and “hate” might be too vague a word. The film gives him layers, such as the pressure he feels to live up to (to eclipse because he’s the morning star) his father’s legacy, but I feel those layers actually reveal/emphasize the fact that he makes some pretty dang awful decisions. Rameses doesn’t see the Hebrew people as people, which is terrible enough but also implies that he doesn’t see Moses either… doesn’t accept or love him as unconditionally as the fandom seems to think he does. That he is wrong — that his father was wrong — never enters his realm of understanding, and that kind of blindness frightens and angers me.

my ‘you’re piece of trash super disappointing omg why, but you’re still a fave’ fave a complicated character i will endlessly debate about: Tuya — I won’t call her a “piece of trash.” It’s more that I’m frustrated with her for lying to Moses, and that that pain feels sharper because I love her: She’s caring, comforting, and such a(n adoptive) mom, with all her flaws. It’s clear that she loved her son, and that’s why I wanted her to do better. (Seti and) Tuya’s erasure of Moses’ identity/culture/family is neglect. It’s not okay when it happens in real life, and in this story it’s particularly gross due to the massive power imbalance between the Egyptians and Hebrews. I don’t think she’s doing a revolutionary or subversive thing by raising a Hebrew child. [2019 note] At this point, it’s hard for me to say that I love Tuya unequivocally (the operative word being “unequivocally”).

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: (I’m not a fan of the “cinnamon roll" meme, in general.) Anyway, my answer is Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. This is certainly true in a story sense, but the way they’re treated (ignored, misread, to varying extents/depending on the character) by viewers and the fandom is…. weird, too, to say the least. (Also I’m going to write about them not in the (birth) order I just listed them…)

Moses gets cast as Rameses’ bully; it’s rare to find a review that doesn’t say or suggest that Moses betrays Rameses. However, and for one thing, adoptees don’t owe their families their undying loyalty. And Moses’ goal, his desire, is to liberate people from actual slavery/oppression. That’s not ignoble. That’s not something he does to Rameses or to get him into trouble. I imagine it’s upsetting, it’s difficult, for Moses to learn that it’s his brother who’s been working the Hebrews (including his biological siblings) to the bone in order to build “a greater Egypt than that of [his] father,” and to watch that brother repeat the mistakes of the past.

Miriam may receive respect, but she seems to suffer because she’s not an acceptable Strong Female Character (a label that’s limiting and limited in itself). Her admirable qualities of compassion and moral strength only go so far (“It’s lovely that she’s so kind, but she’s too kind to really be ‘strong’”), and that’s incredibly frustrating because these are such amazing, potent, and hard-to-cultivate-and-maintain traits, which she uses to, well, move mountains. Furthermore, any notion that she “ruins” Moses’ carefree life with Rameses/his adoptive family by telling Moses about his identity is just totally off the mark. That information was his adoptive parents’ to tell, and they failed to do that for him.

…I still don’t know what to make of the consensus out there that Aaron is a jerk or a coward, and/or that he doesn’t add anything to the story. (I have far more stuff in my head and heart than I can put into words.) People seem to take the mud pit scene as the sum total of his character, or they characterize him as a misanthrope, to the point of being constantly belligerent, because he represents doubt (it doesn’t work that way, not in Aaron’s case, not to that extreme — and on a related note, Miriam and Aaron’s dynamic doesn’t work that way). His compassion and courage get completely overlooked. It’s… odd… to me that when Moses, Rameses, Tzipporah, Miriam, etc. express things like anger, fear, and doubt, they’re not defined by these emotions, yet when Aaron expresses anger/fear/doubt, he’s often reduced to them, is lifted out of the story and his family. Why do Rameses’ insecurities garner sympathy, while Aaron’s worries get met with indifference? Is Aaron inferior because he doesn’t follow the standards of his gender? Does he need to be more like anyone else, or anything less than himself, in order to be considered valid or valuable?

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: none

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: none

Originally from 2017.

#the prince of egypt #aaron #my stuff #my writing #incest mention #*#ah man i remember the writing process for this and just ahh

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bffhreprise · 6 years ago

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Entry 242

I was going to have nightmares tonight. There would be no avoiding nightmares after seeing one in the flesh. Raine’s other form was the single most terrifying thing I had ever seen, or even imagined. The whole room had warped with her, seeming surreal, and her body… the claws… the teeth… those awful spikes… Hadn’t the others felt like they were going to die just looking at her?

“Look, Raine! good as new. Well, save for the missing paint.” amended Emma, who had just finished touching up the ceiling. She seemed fine. She had seen a demon, but was smiling as she watched James pet Raine, now in her kitten form.

“What happened to our ceiling?” demanded one of the twins as she entered the room and followed where Emma pointed with her gaze.

“Nooothing.” claimed Emma after dropping her arms. She looked exceptionally guilty in a faux-innocence sort of way.

“Don’t worry. We’ll bill you for it.” stated the other twin, entering with Jarod and taking in everything with a glance.

James quickly said, “Don’t bother. I’ll touch up your paint, and I’m quite certain the boards are better than new.”

I couldn’t believe his calm. Even when Raine was transformed, he had seemed calm. Now as he casually petted Raine’s head, no one would believe he had a care in the world. Did nothing ever bother him?

“This is probably the strangest practice I’ve seen.” teased Jarod with one of his huge grins.

“Ha! Sure, man. As if you practice with us.” retorted Brandon with another smile.

My brother was always quick to get over things. I knew he had been scared as well. Color had barely returned to his face.

With an even larger grin and a shrug, Jarod said, “True, but I have seen some and don’t recall any involving James petting a kitten while the rest of you watch.”

“Hey! I was fixing a ceiling here, not staring at the adorableness.” insisted Emma in mock outrage.

Apparently not realizing that Emma was speaking, Portentia said over her, “You wouldn’t believe what you missed if we attempted to tell you.”

Cosette laughed with no hint of worry. “I think he really would, but he’d probably be sad he missed it from only hearing.”

“It’s not funny. He wouldn’t want to see.” I told her, but my voice came out in a whisper. Was I really the only one so shaken by this?

,,,^._.^,,,

I strode back into the gymnasium as Brenna whispered about Jarod not wanting to see what had happened. I understood how shaken she was. I was still shaken. There had been no sign that Raine possessed such devastating power. Worse yet, I broke my tenant agreement. Had I actually managed to injure Raine, I would no longer be alive.

As terrifying as Raine was in her other form, I had to agree with James’ assessment about Death. Aaliyah’s voice could make you feel like some intangible place inside was being caressed by a blade. I had seen her actual blade too often already. I hoped not to see that again. Our conversation had seemed to take a long time, but I was cowed enough by the end that I listened to her ramble on about my chocolate factory for minutes at the end.

“I’ll show them anyway.” I announced, firming my resolve and using my fey-born telepathy to replay what I had seen.

Ai and Mai needed to see this, so they would fully understand their complete inability to fight against Raine.

“The kitten has claws, so don’t you three dare push her.” I warned, staring them down. Then I said, “I still have not begun to heal, and I was only scratched. Imagine if she really wanted to kill me.” I then stepped over to James, knelt, and reached for Raine. “May I?”

James had moved his arms protectively around her at first, but he handed her over seconds later.

I carefully cradled the kitten in my hands and whispered “There, there. I’m sorry that I took things too far. I thought to show James that you were quite capable of defending yourself, but I never even considered there could be a reason for you to restrain. Aaliyah… explained... a few things to me, and I won’t push you so far again. Please consider earnestly training with us. Every strength needs the restraint of discipline, and I am quite certain you can learn to control yourself.”

If Raine was as strong as Aaliyah had suggested, having her aiding James was an enormous boon to his company. I had more power than any Slayer’s spawn on record, but Aaliyah had warned that Raine could brush me away by accident if I got her too worked up. What had made Raine so timid?

Looking at all of the eyes on me, I created a spell to gather Raine’s clothing. Then I said, “Well now. Let’s get back to practice, shall we?” Feeling Raine squirm in my hands, I quickly told her “I obviously don’t mean you, Raine, unless you’re feeling up for it. The rest of us, however, cannot afford to slack.”

Most everyone got back to their exercises without a word. Brenna hadn’t moved, so James walked over to her.

“You can take a break today if you want.” he informed her.

“How can you be so calm? Even w-when Alma was hurt, you seemed… relaxed.” she replied, looking at him as if trying to decide what he was.

“I really have seen Death, and nothing short of her seems frightening these days. Besides, I believe that Raine has a good heart. If she really were a monster, she would have started slaughtering us, but she didn’t even cut Alma very deeply. On some level, Raine still didn’t want to hurt anyone.” he explained with one of his gentle smiles.

“She looked so terrifying. Alma’s version of her was scary but nothing compared to the reality. I couldn’t handle looking at her.” insisted Brenna.

I wasn’t surprised. My mental protections had been bombarded by some sort of magic when Raine had transformed.

“Don’t worry. She’s a good kitten.” stated James as he looked into her eyes. “Why don’t you take a walk to the kitchen? Marco would surely love to hear about the development, and I can assure you that his knowledge of sundaes is very extensive.”

Brenna nodded and walked towards the door with a stiffness that showed her unease. That girl had a reasonable amount of talent, despite her fey magic not being useful for combat. If she worked for me, I’d have her trained for espionage, but James wouldn’t part with any of his employees, as he shouldn’t.

,,,^._.^,,,

Wanting to try something, I walked over to Alma and asked “Mind if I attempt to heal you?”

She looked at me in surprise but nodded, maneuvering Raine into her uninjured arm.

I touched her, sending blood through my palms and sensing the magic infecting the wound. I called to it through my blood, gathering it into me. The feeling was exhilarating, similar to Portentia’s blood, though not nearly as potent.

“That’s working! Cosette, you’re incredible.” insisted Alma in surprise.

James joined us, seeming to marvel at the healed flesh as he caressed Alma’s arm.

“Vampires are protectors after all. Looks like my father was right again.” I asserted.

“About what?” questioned James.

“He said that vampires were given their abilities by a demon, so I thought our magic might work to cure a wound from one.” I explained, allowing myself a smug smile.

“Slayer records claim that vampires were given their abilities by a deity.” argued Alma.

“Slayers believe in deities?” asked James in surprise.

“We all came from somewhere.” she told him.

“Even your own records claim that vampires were given a divine mandate, and you still oppose vampires?” I asked incredulously.

“Didn’t you say that you wanted to avoid the politics of Slayers and vampires? You seem quite bias considering your heritage.” retorted Alma. “Vampires were a flawed plan from the start, since they feed on those whom they’re meant to protect.”

I quickly pointed out “But the feeding doesn’t have to be lethal or even dangerous.”

“Yes, but how often is it from many vampires? Great protectors, casually slaughtering the helpless to slake their thirst.” asserted Alma with a slight frown.

“The Slayers aren’t so perfect either.” I told her. “My parents are both dead.”

“Cosette, I am sorry for your loss, but weren’t your parents associated with some less savory sorts?” she questioned

“What? Of course not. I mean, they knew some. How could they not given their lifespan, but… Hang on. How would you know?” I asked, deciding we should get this out in the open.

Alma sighed, obviously not wanting to admit what she did.

“You killed them?” I suggested in a whisper, taking on a look of shock for effect.

Raine jumped to me from Alma’s arm, so I caught her and hugged her, petting her with my fingertips as I stared Alma down.

“Did I just heal my parents’ murderer?” I goaded.

“Yes, and I’ve felt the guilt every day.” she admitted. “James certainly hasn’t let me forget, not that I could. I witnessed a murder and followed the killer back to your parents. I assumed, however wrongly, that your parents were like him.”

“You knew and didn’t tell me?” I demanded as I looked into James’ eyes. The subject brought up just enough anger that I felt I could look convincing, despite wanting to hug James. I felt his magic working its way through me, despite my nature.

“James is innocent in this. I asked him not to tell you.” insisted Alma in an almost pleading tone.

“No, I’m not innocent. I simply didn’t know how to tell you or even if telling you was the right thing to do.” he argued, looking ashamed.

I giggled, unable to restrain myself any longer. “You two really are the strangest of couples. I’ve known for a while. Aaliyah told me just after I moved here, so you can stop abusing James’ powers, Alma.”

“What? You don’t care?” asked Alma in shock.

“Oh, I had plenty of plots to kill you go through my head. I’m still missing my parents daily. I forgive you. You made a terrible mistake and didn’t even bother attempting to make amends, but I still forgive you. I refuse to be like the Slayers, bent on destroying everything that looks dangerous without thought, and I hope one day you’ll see the error of our family’s ways, but I forgive you for being a slow learner. Now you must forgive me for this, because it’s your own fault. Vive la révolution!” I exclaimed before hugging James with my free arm.

My time here, though brief, had shown me that James was a good person even if he was as fallible as the rest of us. Despite my justly founded misgivings, I felt Alma was at least well-meaning if not entirely good. I could imagine what her family had put her through, training far harsher than my own. My father’s journals had taught me a great deal more of the Slayer family than he ever meant to tell me. Now that this was in the open, I hoped Alma’s guard would drop, so I might get to know her well enough to judge her fairly.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story

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sleepy-and-pretty-blog · 7 years ago

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Omegaverse info for ALL my boys!

Izumi Sena

Omega - pretends to be an alpha

His smell is fresh and transparent, like a stream of water touring through a forest, passing over the smooth rocks and awakening the nature around it, tints of mint and violets noticeable by those with a kin smell. As he feels more trapped and dirtied, with his emotions in decay, his smell would turn a bit more earthy, like a path covered in mud under the rain.

Parents are a classic alpha-omega relation, a bit too traditional. His mother wants him to follow the path of a ‘good omega’ and get married.

He was thought to be an alpha when he was a kid, and was raised as such.

Hates the whole system, and looks down on the thought of ‘fated pairs’ refusing to ever have children and instead focusing on his work.

He’d make a nest in his own closet, since he likes more small spaces. Will have plenty of pillows and blankets, but specially appreciates pieces of clothing with nice smells -when he gets a mate he loves to use the pieces of clothes from said person.

Ritsu Sakuma

Alpha and proud

His smell is like a maze of roses bathed in freezing dew, capturing in its petals the very romance of the night. The smell mixes up with blood whenever he consumes it, giving it a very mysterious and even intimidating scent.

Family is mostly conformed of alphas. His older brother is a perfect image of what an ‘alpha’ should be, and Ritsu, being physically weaker, was always considered inferior by his family.

He is a very forceful alpha, playing around with omegas, sometimes going as far as to actually scare them. Still, he won’t do anything to actually harm them. He is attracted to those alphas stronger than him and will often try to convince them to fuck him instead.

He doesn’t like the idea of someone loving him just because ‘its fate’, and so he struggles to be with someone that won’t be tied with him for that.

Mika Kagehira

Alpha - passes as beta || in certain au he can be an omega

His scent is quite sweet for an alpha, an initial strong feel of rosewood later revealing touches of strawberry and honey, and the gentle feel of the sunlight. Like a picnic outside.

His parents are both betas who find his birth to be both confusing and troublesome. He doesn’t remember much of them, but they never knew what to do about him.

He doesn’t feel like a ‘proper alpha’ since he is so far away from the idea of what alphas should be.

He finds the idea of a fated pair to be romantic, but doesn’t believes he deserve to have one. he also often suppresses both his own scent and his instincts to take over others in fear.

IF OMEGA:His nest would be in a very small space, probably a blanket forth on a corner, hidden under a couch, a box, or under his own bed if there’s enough space there to curl semi-comfortably. He likes to feel surrounded in all directions and his favorite thing to include is plushies and soft pillows, but he appreciates anything from his mate

Ibara Saegusa

Beta -sometimes passes as omega || other aus may include him as an actual omega

Does not have a characteristic smell since he isn’t an alpha/omega.

Lived through the orphanage and the military life. Since he had a pretty face he had to suffer the abuse of those on top of him, and he learnt to pretend to fake being an omega to seduce others and obtain what he wants in this way.

The concept of fated pairs do not affect him so he hardly cares about it. If asked he says its probably true, but its hard to tell if he is being sincere.

Hound

Omega -passes as alpha

Has a very intense -and often off putting- scent. He smells wild, like a hunter more than a prey. Like a cave deep in the middle of nowhere, and silver hitting against the ground. It’s extremely particular and most can easily confuse it with the smell of an alpha if they don’t pay much attention.

Doesn’t knows his parents and has lived in the army his whole life. He was trained to protect himself, but was also never informed of his own nature as an omega. he has never experienced a full heat since he has always used extremely potent suppressants, but was told he weakens around the same time every month because of problems with an experiment he was part of. This was a decision made by the man that raised and trained him, as he thought it’d be easier to protect Shion if he saw this as a weakness to be hidden.

He doesn’t care about fated pairs but might try to make advances on omegas and rivalize with alphas erroneously assuming he is an alpha himself

His nest would occupy a LOT of space. He probably does it in the floor rather than on a bed, and might occupy the whole room. He puts lots and lots of blankets and pillows, making it extra warm and comfy all around so he can easily roll from one side to the other.

Urie

Alpha.

Has an incredibly seducing smell that can easily trigger most omegas around him. It’s sweet and inviting, like the smell of fresh honey and recently cut flowers, never too cloying and always making you want more.

A traditional alpha-omega family. His father is the type of alpha to have multiple omega ‘wives’ under his wing and plenty of children, all oemgas tied to him as ‘mates for life’. Urie does not want to become an alpha like his father, and has decided to never mark anyone as his ‘mate’.

He will always try to help and protect omegas around him. He’ll use his own alpha scent -as strong as it is- to cover omegas that request it of him, and act as their ‘owner’ if need arises. He will intervene if he sees alphas taking advantage of omegas, pretending to be their mate even if he doesn’t know them, and carries plenty of suppressants with him. if he smells a heat in an unusual place he’ll try to find the person in question and take them to a safe place before any other alpha can arrive.

Though he doesn’t do it as often, he is also willing to help ease the suffering of an omega in heat by showing them sweet pleasure without ever getting them pregnant or marking them.

He likes the concept of the fated pairs but he’d have troubles trusting his ‘fated pair’ as he wouldn’t know if they are being truly in love with him or they are just being tangled by fate.

Kyousuke Yaguchi

Beta -omega passing

has no distinctive smell, but will use a fake sweet scent to further enforce the idea that he is an omega

From a beta household, his life in this regard has been pretty much average and he never had to worry much about anything. However, he has always been jealous of the popularity his alpha cousin had between other students. Hence he attempted to act as an alpha. He was found out by his cousin and the whole charade fell down to pieces, so this time he is pretending to be an omega.

Fated pairs have nothing to do with him, but he heavy resents not being able to be part of that.

Rintarou Iida

Alpha -beta passing

His natural smell is like that of grass on a summer night, with the light of the very stars getting tangled in it; a secret path to the milky way. After his parent’s death he started covering up his smell with plenty of others, which now makes it a confusing mix of alpha and omega smells.

His parents and older sister were all betas, but appreciated, loved and supported him. He felt accepted and happy, but with their death he started to question if it was his fault, and hated being an alpha.

Does not believe in fate and can get violent if pushed about it.

Itaru Chigasaki

Beta -alpha passing.

No distinctive smell.

From an alpha-omega family and raised in an environment surrounded by alphas, he was expected to one as well. An elite. He failed to satisfy that expectation as they realized he was an omega, yet continued to pretend being an alpha for the sake of appearances.

Thinks fate is a fun thing to think about, but also thinks it has nothing to do with him.

#fatenet ooc #fatenet musings #(( i have a ton of boys as u can see ))#fatenet au #(( also if you interested in rping any of this hmu ))

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thebigladjake · 4 years ago

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AX3001: TV Show - Cognitivation: Main Characters and Roles in the Story

Alex, the PSI Prodigy

Alex is a young and adventurous boy in his small hometown, a self proclaimed protector, he roams the town with his trusty stick and keeps all evil do-er’s in order! He loves his home, his family and his friends. But, is suddenly forced to put on his big boy shorts and face the world outside of his hometown. The world is a big and scary place, Alex will be tested and his own emotions will come into question as he wonders. Why me? Why am I the ‘PSI Prodigy’.

Alex was the first character designed and is the heart of the whole series. His journey will be one full of self-discovery and self-doubt, I want to capture the pressure of expectations of children and how they can effect kids. The whole prodigy thing may be toned down, since I'm not the biggest fan of prophecy stories. I'm undecided, but right now, I think this will give him the added depth he needs and could be relatable to kids that may have the pressures of expectations, I know I certainly did.

Alex's name was originally Andy because he was actually inspired by a character called Alex, that Alex being from the Indie JRPG game known as YIIK (Y Two K, not Yiik). A game that suffers from several problems such as severe tonal shifts, terrible endings that make the entire game redundant and a character who is insufferable that doesn’t learn to change his ways and is rewarded at the end of the game. Alex is simply an awful character from an awful game and I was going to call my lead Andy, but that name wasn’t really vibing with me. So, I kept Alex since it was more gender neutral too, so boys and girls can reflect their own feelings onto him. It may still be subject to change, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Of course, as our lead character, I gave him a pinkish red and a gold colour combination. The red not being a strong red since red is a very strong colour and I didn’t think that level of passion would be embodied into Alex so soon. So, he’s simply a pinky red. The gold elements are there to reassure his good boy status, with the badges on his bag being a reference to the badges on Hambone’s hat from my first year film. Just a little Easter Egg that puts a smile on my face, like how Pixar or Disney may just throw something in there as a nod.

I chose the shorts as I’ve not drawn a lot of characters that wear shorts and a young kid that likes to run around would probably want the best clothing for the job. So, shorts it was. The cap too was to give him a unique silhouette compared to the rest as he’s the only one with the hat and very rarely will we see him without it. He also carries a gold coloured backpack that he keeps all of his helpful items inside.

Alex’s primary attacks are the most potent PSI abilities that Frank has ever seen and he teaches him how to activate them. Alex’s PSI abilities are both helpful for the team’s defence and offence. While physically, he wields a powerful stick that his Dad found and gave to him to use on his adventures.

For a main character, Alex gets the job done and I’m looking forward to where his character will go over the course of a season and over the course of this project.

Frank, the Frantic Freak

An aimless twenty something year old still living at his parent’s house, Frank is unemployed, never goes outside nor does many people know of his existence and since he doesn’t bother anyone, his parents just kind of let him exist. A member of the Orb.Net forum, he honed his PSI abilities purely from nonstop training with spoons. Bending them with his mind because he saw it in a movie once. Frank knows of the oncoming threat and for the first time in forever, leaves his room to embark on this epic quest with Alex. To save his world, a world he doesn’t even truly know.

Frank was always meant to be an outcast, original concepts were of him to be occupying a house where the kids would prank his house and get him to come out and shout at them. Until he finally catches Alex one day and recognises his psychic powers, taking him inside and telling him everything he knows about the oncoming invasion. Alex would then understand that, even though he’s a crackpot, he means well and is just misunderstood. While I loved this concept, I wanted to make Frank just a little stranger, so I went with the unemployed aimless twenty something who just practises psychic abilities in the comfort of his room.

Design-wise, Hector came first and then Frank was modelled after him. Since the brotherly resemblance was an important part of their design, it was important to nail what a younger brother of a family would look like first. And once I had the traits off of Hector, I used and tweaked a few things to make Frank older and also give him a few new design quirks. The main ‘quirk’ being his hairstyle as hair is always important to my character designs. I took Hector’s hair and instead of having the hair be styled up into a point, it was like an explosion. Symbolising his psychic powers being more volatile and dangerous with his hair all messy where his powers come from.

His facial expressions were important to show that he was a bit nutty, Ghiaccio from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure served as inspiration for that. Just the way his face angrily distorts just gives him a different feel compared to the regular characters.

His outfit was just simple loungewear because since he doesn’t care about who sees him, he’s not going to dress up too nicely and definitely not going to wear clothes that are restrictive and make him uncomfortable like jeans. Compared to the rest of the colourful cast and even his brother, Frank’s colours are incredibly limited and a way to counteract this a little was to give him mismatching socks. Just a little asymmetry to make him stand out more.

Frank’s weapon of choice is spoons, not really as an attack, but a way of calculating how powerful his PSI attack is going to be. He also bends them regularly and spent most of his savings on spoons so he can always stay on top of his psychic abilities.

Frank was a part of the original four, he’s an idea I’ve liked for a long time and is now a character that I will really enjoy working on and writing for.

Hector, the Apathetic Assistant.

Hector is just a kid that’s kind of done with it, just everything that’s going on in the world. What he thought would be a regular friendship, unfortunately turns into a big adventure and he’d just rather have the life of a kid. But, it’s too late for that now as Alex needs him by his side. Hector knows too much and if he’s only going to see his friend if he comes on this epic quest, then so be it. Hector doesn’t have many friends, but those he does have understand his extreme loyalty.

Hector was created as a contrast to his crazy brother, being much more relaxed and apathetic to this whole world ending thing. In the initial concepts, there were going to be four main characters much like Earthbound has, but I decided to increase it when I thought about Alex’s and Frank’s roles and how it might be a little strange if some stranger suddenly shows interest in this young boy. So, I figured a good catalyst would be a little brother to the crazy stranger! Alex has someone to be friend with and gets the plot started too.

I also thought it was quite amusing that it was the little kid that was the cynic and the big brother has much more enthusiasm about the world. Like the strangeness of his brother has no effect on him to the point where Hector is like, “Oh god here we go again.”

Hector and Frank have near identical colour schemes, their primary colours being green and greenish hues. It was all in contrast to Alex’s bright red, white and gold elements that make him look like an adventurous youth. Hector has dirty blonde hair and pale skin, sort of to hint at the fact that he and his brother are a little odd.

His hairstyle was created to be similar to Frank’s, but being styled and maintained because Hector does care about his appearance since he is the one who will be seen by others. It was made to contrast against Frank’s hair explosion, with Hector spiking up his hair to meet all at one point. I also like to think Frank also had hair like this at one point.

Hector and Frank also have weird shapes ears compared to what I usually do because some people do have weird shaped ears or other body parts and it will never be brought up in the show that they look weird. It’s purely visual to normalise these little oddities, that people shouldn’t judge someone for the most trivial things.

Hector’s weapon of choice is his backpack full of spoons, I chose this as I was drawing his pose and thinking about the relationship between him and Frank. Frank’s obsession with spoons to keep his PSI abilities in check requires a lot of spoons and I just had this sudden image of Hector with this great big bag full of spoons on his back. Hunched over a little as he looks annoyed like “I’ve got to carry this around all day...” And since it’s such a heavy bag, I imagined him using it as a weapon whenever in combat because Hector doesn’t have any powers and Frank only taught himself PSI. However, the less spoons he has, the weaker it becomes, effectively making Hector weaponless at certain points.

Hector is a great character in my opinion who I feel turned out really well as he was everything I wanted him to be. He filled a gap in the story nicely and I got a nice character out of it. An absolute win in my book.

Benjamin [Benji], the Anti-Social Armourer

A renowned child genius, famous in the orphanage for his Tools of Destruction. The other kids never interact with him if he doesn’t want you to, having a strange attachment to his box. Hiding under it when he feels threatened or if he just wants you to go away. His only friend is aware of his skills and is a member on the same forums as Frank... Which sets a mission to get him adopted into motion...

Benji was created as representation of shy kids and how hard it can really be to come out of your shell and make friends. Wanting to stay in somewhere that makes you feel safe and secure. Also, as a representation of kids that others may consider weird and outcasts, so we could get a closer look at him and show kids not to judge a book by it’s cover, maybe even give a kid they consider weird in their own life a chance of friendship.

Benji does have one major source of inspiration and may just have to go a few more designs before I’m truly happy with this design. Near from the manga, Death Note. Near was the replacement of the main sort of rival character, L, and is a child genius himself that displays some cases of social awkwardness. While Benji does have a lot of these similarities, the main aspect of Near that attracted me was that whenever he had a scene, he’d often have toys surrounding him and he’d play with them while deducing the whole mystery of the series. I feel one of the reasons that this aspect is my favourite thing about him is because I’m still quite fond of toys and sometimes fiddle about with them.

A specific scene (I can’t find a better screenshot I am sorry) where Near was surrounded by model train tracks with the trains going around him resonated with me, I saw him placed in a safe space where he’s protected by his toys and that imagery immediately gave me an idea of a boy that hides to be protected, but uses his toys to fight rather than help him think.

His weapon being model cars and toy trains with motors in them, creating ticking time bombs, I felt was a nice way of weaponizing Benji for the conflicts they will run into. Carrying a toolbox within his box, never getting to see his operations, only the results of when he converts a plane into a homing missile.

Benji needs a little more work, in my opinion, but so far, I am happy with this character.

Lottie Sweet, the Tough Nut.

The younger sister of Dentist Gloria Sweet, Lottie is a no-nonsense thirteen year old and always has a serious pouty face as she’s out and about. Using a Skipping Rope as a weapon, she has mastered the art and uses it to keep people away from her at a distance. While she remains unfriendly, deep down she has a good heart and a strong sense of justice.

Lottie came to be as a younger sister for Gloria Sweet, she was created to add a little bit of conflict between the main crew. With her not having very high opinions of any of them and then she has to work with them, causing her to try and take the lead. However, things don’t go as she planned with Gloria and Frank often getting her out of trouble.

Since Frank and Hector turned out so nicely, I thought to make the group an even six by giving Gloria a sister. While Frank and Hector were purposely designed to have very similar colour schemes to hint at the fact that they are brothers. The only shared colours between the sisters is the skin tone and hair colour. I chose the orange and purple for Lottie because I felt it was striking and that matched her personality, plus nobody else had those colours on them.

The Skipping Rope as a weapon came to me because I imagined a girl using her imagination to see one as a whip and just like that, it stuck. One of the charming things about Earthbound was that characters had specific weapons, Ness had baseball bats, Lucas had sticks, Jeff had guns and Paula had... A frying pan. Not stereotypical at all... With Lottie not being that kind of girl, I felt a more sporty weapon could work and the Skipping Rope was appropriate as both a sporty weapon and a girly weapon, depending on how you look at it.

I have also never designed a younger girl character, so this was a nice exercise to do. As well as just a nice design, I really enjoy drawing her pout and her wider eyes. Usually I go with the round eyes, so it’s nice to change up the eye shape. Her hair was definitely fun, as it’s usually my favourite part to design on a character, I remember the girls in my school tying their hair back whenever they did activities. Obviously, it’s so their hair doesn’t swish around in their face while they do things and I added the little hair strands on the front of her head to sort of hint to how intense her movements may have been. Since two strands have come loose.

I wanted to create a sporty girl and I feel like I did. Lottie was a successful design that I am really proud of.

Dentist Gloria Sweet, the Healer.

Gloria is a sweet and passionate dentist, that understands not everyone likes her line of work. So, she takes their feelings into consideration and tries to make everyone’s experience comfortable. Born with these PSI abilities, she was just able to do them rather than training to enhance them.

Gloria was one of the characters first characters I thought up back when I had created this series. Inspired by Earthbound, my initial group was made up of four people with three people being PSI users with Gloria filling the healer role that the Earthbound series typically has, the one character that learns the healing moves. Although, more characters have an array of offensive moves to go along with their healing abilities, Gloria was created much more as a support ally rather than an offensive fighter.

Gloria’s PSI abilities had to play a role in her field of work and the first job that jumped to mind was a doctor. A doctor that healed their patients using their PSI abilities, that then evolved into a dentist as a lot of people don’t like the dentist and are scared of going to them. Luckily, the mad dentist I had was long gone at the time and my dentist helped to inspire this idea, since she’s nice and it’s always an easy time for me (Though that’s probably because I care about my dental hygiene.)

Since people viewed it as an unpleasant experience, I thought it’d be nice if she was a really sweet character that makes her business by ensuring her customers shall be fine if they have anything done to their teeth. This also played into her design, I didn’t want to give her blue eyes like Lottie and I didn’t think brown eyes looked all that great. Then, I tried red.

Again, it was a play on the whole scary dentist cliché. People find her incredibly unsettling as she’s staring at their teeth with those red eyes, but are quite comfortable with her personality and painless operations. I really liked how this turned out and I just love how it contrasts with how she is as a person. Very happy with how Gloria turned out from an initial concept.

#AX3001-TVShowProject

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cursewoodrecap · 5 years ago

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Session 4: Heresy

Our cards for this session: The Hunter, The Knight, The Madness, The Heretic.

This week: I took EXCELLENT notes, probably because I was physically incapable of speaking and had to conduct all roleplay via telegram.

Back at Shoshana’s house, we crash for a long rest. Ser Balderich is convinced to take the only bed, because he’s spent the last forty-eight hours in a curse hole. Shoshana is surprised - and a little saddened, in a way - to see that his time in the supernatural darkness has not affected Ser Balderich seemingly at all, unlike her. Beggar Knights are granted strong protection from Rack, the god of suffering and mercy, and likely this is what helped him resist corruption.

Didn’t help him resist breaking his bones, though. He’s gonna stick around in Ovruch to heal and to protect the town. Shoshana warns him that her cats are probably going to stay here and be assholes, and he laughs it off. He’s fought the most terrible monsters known to man - cat-wrangling can be his next adventure! She laughs with him, but warns him that they are affected by the Curse - he may have to put them down, when they get too aggressive to save.

Ser Balderich takes the chance to lay down some wisdom on the young witch: “I’ve seen a lot since I started fighting the Curse. It can turn a man’s hands to claws, it can break his mind, but it cannot make you a monster unless you allow it. I have seen people barely recognizable as humanoid who have the noblest hearts. And I’ve seen men you wouldn’t blink at in the market with the most monstrous hearts of all. Don’t let anyone turn you into something you’re not.”

The man has INCREDIBLE Dad Energy. It’s so potent he almost immediately falls asleep in an armchair in front of the football game.

Meanwhile, Gral rolls a 19 and, in his own words, “wakes up in the morning feelin’ like P. Diddy.”

Shoshana leaves a letter for Herschel the innkeeper, letting him know “I think she’s alive - I’m going to find her,” and then we get on the road to the town of Holzog, Ser Quentin Morozov’s base of operations.

The party is hustling along the road, being Super Quiet and Awkward because we’re all stoic assholes with secrets (not you, Valeria, you’re an angel and we’re glad you’re here). Then, rapid hoofbeats! Coming along a fork in the road, a company of lightly armored riders bearing the crest of a rook upon their shields thunders past us. Despite our absolutely terrible history rolls, the DM can’t resist telling us that these are Condotierri - mercenaries from Ventallus, known for being highly professional, highly skilled, and deeply cautious about any venture too dangerous to be worth their hire price. They seem to be headed to Holzog as well, just much faster.

Holzog is set in a valley, surrounded by huge craggy hills that the Curse has made dark and foreboding. We know it’s a much bigger town than Ovruch, sustained mostly by fishing on the large lake that butts up against it. There’s a strange smell on the breeze - it’s familiar to Gral, but he can’t quite place it, not with a perception check that low.

Awkward road conversation is made (”SO UH I SEE YOU’RE A LARGE LIZARD PERSON. HOW’S THAT GOING FOR YOU. WHERE YA FROM.”) but Valeria’s explanation of how she’s from Aurentium, the Golden City, the shining example of the post-Aquilian Empire!!! is interrupted by the sight of a big ol’ keep on the horizon, flying a flag with the crest of Holzog. Looks like a watchtower that’s been recently expanded. Soldiers are stopping a caravan of merchants and ushering them inside. We head on over.

A halfling woman in fancier armor than the rest of the soldiers introduces herself as Captain Claudia. “Road’s closed ‘till morning,” she tells us. “The mists are out.”

From the tower’s windows we can see a strange, shimmering purple mist has indeed descended on the town, purple and rippling. The hell is that?!

Captin Claudia says hell if she knows, but baroness’s orders are not to fuck with it, and the valley’s shut down until it’s gone. Usually takes 12 hours or so. Comes out of the lake.” The baroness of Holzog has established this roadhouse for travelers who are stuck. Claudia’s in charge, and she’s not above using her musket or kicking us out into the woods in order to keep the peace. She confirms the Condotierri we saw were hired by the baroness as extra muscle to guard the forts around the town - but they only answer to their captain, and they keep avoiding the rough jobs.

So we’re stuck here for the night. We go chat with the merchants - a Demish furrier shows us the weird cursed furs that are all the rage in fashion right now (this one’s purple! with spines!) and Valeria manages to buy some Fortified Demish Healing Wine off him - for discount price, because you’d hardly sell GOOD wine to these beer-swilling Valdian yokels, and Valeria, being a noble AND a dragonborn, rolls pretty darn well on her snob check.

There’s a bookseller, too. Clem makes the practical decision of purchasing some journals published by Sturmhearst University about the latest research into the Curse. Valeria gets a beautifully illustrated heroic tale of the Peacock Knight, founder of the Knights Radiant. Shoshana, who has more money in her pocket than she’s had in maybe ever, giddily buys a dramatic Gallish pirate adventure.

The door slams open, dramatically. “Why, Captain Claudia! I had heard the mists were up in the valley, and I did so hope you would be the one to host us this night!” Two humans stride in. First comes a lean man with a goatee and a big hat with a feather in it, his white leather cape falling over a gleaming sword. Behind him comes a muscular, angry-looking woman, with similar hair and features, lugging a huge lumpy sack and two nasty-looking warhammers. Both prominently wear the symbol of a sword and hammer crossed over a sun - the symbol of the Knights Radiant.

“Ah! Do not fear, huddled citizens of Valdia! You will not need to pass this night in fear of the things that lurk beyond the walls, for the Knights Radiant are here!”

Captain Claudia tells him to can it and go help his sister carry stuff. The gentleman in the majestic hat mourns that sadly, duty keeps us apart, and yet - oh hey, I have an audience.

“Who here would like to hear how my sister and I slew the werewolf of Vanderburg?!” he declares with a flourish to the gawking merchants, and us. “My sister Fiona and were in Vanderburg when we heard the distinctive howl, the locals were terrified of the beast, who had been taking cattle and stalking them for weeks. We laid our trap! Knowing the wolf preferred beautiful long haired women, we obtained a fancy dress! My sister hid in the bushes while I played bait. Then, I drew my silver blade!” It’s all very dramatic. His blade glows as he waves it around dramatically. The descriptions get flowery. The story is very heroic. “So you need not fear anything tonight – oh. There’s already knight-looking people here. Well, you still don’t need to fear anything because I am HERE!”

Thanks, All Might. We continue to awkwardly look like a blatantly obvious adventuring party, which has clearly thrown Mr. Hero off his game a little.

His large, intimidating sister taps him on the shoulder and rapidly motions to him in sign language. “OK fiiiine, I won’t tell the story of how we cleansed the cemetery of ghouls – Fiona, don’t speak for them, I’m working here. Remember, sister, our mission does not end when the beast is slain, but when spirits are lifted!”

The aforementioned Fiona looks at us, pulls out a wineskin, takes a slug of alcohol, and offers it up. Clem identifies it immediately as primo, grade-A trench hooch. Cooked in a dented greathelm, made of spit and armor polish. Clem happily accepts a swig of what most folks would identify as industrial solvent.

Fiona’s theatrical brother notices Valeria’s new Peacock Knight book and decides to come bother miss – uh, Kyr? Kyr Dragonborn, please allow me to introduce myself, I’m SER FLYNN FAIRGOLD OF THE KNIGHTS RADIANT, DEFENDER OF THE PEOPLE, PROTECTOR OF VALDIA. My lovely sister is SER FIONA FAIRGOLD. She has neglected to take any additional titles. THE HUMBLE. I gave her that one.

”What’s he in town for? “My sister and I are here upon a dangerous quest! A noble seeker of truth tasked us to investigate and retrieve a-” He notices Fiona making a cut-throat gesture. “Yes, we are delivering things to a knight of much renown!”

Us: “Is it Ser Quentin Morozov? Because he’s the guy we’re gonna go bother.”

Flynn: “...Why yes! Ser Morozov is a frequent employer of ours! He dispatches us, his most trusted agents, as far as possible! He knows that the further we travel from him, the more evil we defeat and hopes we raise. Honestly, I usually check in on our uncle while our sister talks to him. While you’re in Holzogh, check out the Greencloak Inn, my uncle runs it-”

Shoshana begins to make conversation about knowing guys who run inns named after wars with elves. (Greencloak being a term for Kevan soldiers.) Gral tries to ask Fiona about her travels, but she just points to her throat, which is covered in thick burn scars. We’re all settling in for a night’s conversation when there’s a banging at the doors, and Captain Claudia shouting “nO DON’T OPEN THE...gates, dammit.”

A group of men pour in, uniformed in rough white clothes bound with chains. They bear a banner with the image of bloody chains, and their leader wears a thin blindfold over scarred eyes and carries a wicked-looking thorned whip.

He intones, “REJOICE, CITIZENS. THE GODS HAVE SPOKEN TO ME. WITHIN THIS FORTRESS LIES ONE DEEPLY TOUCHED BY EVIL. A BEING WHO HAS BOUND THEMSELVES TO THE DARKEST POWERS. THEY LURK AMONG YOU! BUT REJOICE, FOR WE HAVE COME, TO MAKE THEM FACE THE JUSTICE OF THE GODS.”

Shoshana immediately rolls for stealth and dives behind the largest available Clem.

These, we know, are the Penitent Knights: militant devotees of Rack that fanatically slay anyone deemed to be sinful, in order to excise the Curse from among the people. They are...not known for remembering the “mercy” part of their god’s whole shtick.

“LET THE EVILDOER OR ANY WHO KNOW OF THEM STEP FORTH, THAT WE MAY BE ABOUT OUR HOLY BUSINESS.”

Valeria immediately uses her Divine Sense to detect whether there are, actually, any Fiends among us. Nobody pings the radar, though our wrapped tapestry is a little suspect, but there’s a slight whiff of...something?...from the Fairgolds, who are beginning to look just a little nervous. Especially emanating from Fiona’s back and shoulder?

We all simultaneously remember that Fiona was carrying a huge mysterious sack earlier, like a buff warrior Santa. HMM. The bag’s nowhere to be seen, though - she put it somewhere in the keep while Flynn was telling stories.

Meanwhile, Valeria is not about to put up with these creeps going all Spanish Inquisition on a bunch of innocent merchants, and stands up to reveal her impressive presence. “None here are any sort of fiend!”

“DO YOU SPEAK TRUE, OR ARE YOU A DECEIVER?”

“I’ve taken my oaths, I am no deceiver!” Valeria rolls an excellent persuasion check and looks Very Knightly and Trustworthy. Everyone in the room is on her side. Well, except the captain of the creeps:

“AND YET I KNOW THAT WITHIN THIS FORTRESS A VILE HERETIC RESIDES. MEN! SEARCH THE PLACE FOR SIGNS OF HERESY.“

Valeria: “There’s no need for any of that.”

“I WILL NOT SEE JUSTICE UNDONE.”

“Whatever you’re looking for isn’t here!”

“AND YET I KNOW THAT IT IS. UPON MY AUTHORITY AS AN AGENT OF THE ARCHCLERIC OF RACK, I DEMAND TO SEARCH THIS FACILITY AND DISPENSE THE JUSTICE OF RACK.”

Valeria, also being an agent of Rack’s justice, thinks this guy is full of crap and tells him in no uncertain terms to get lost. Gral, Clem, and both Fairgolds decide to assist by Looming Intimidatingly. They’re very good at it.

“VERY WELL. GOOD PEOPLE, THIS KNIGHT OF THE ROSE HAS DECLARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR SAFETY THIS NIGHT. LET ANY EVIL THAT BEFALLS THIS PLACE BE UPON HER HEAD.” With that ominous proclamation, the Knights Penitent shuffle back outside the gates. Captain Claudia wastes absolutely zero time making sure everything is locked and barred.

“Yeah, sorry you had to see that. They creep me right the heck out,” she tells us. Out of sight of the merchants, she motions to us surreptitiously. “But there’s something you should see.”

Flynn: “UM, my dearest Claudia-”

Claudia: “Shut it, Flynn, I think the Knight of the Rose has the right to know.”

As she leads us back towards the dungeon-y part of the keep, she berates Flynn further: “Dammit, Fairgold, I’ve got people here who are my responsibility. If you knew they were following you-”

She takes us back to the keep’s single jail cell. Inside is a battered, emaciated elf, thoroughly bound and gagged, and unconscious to boot. He’s covered in tattoos, and even the idiots among us can tell the symbols are fiendish in nature. Clem recognizes what he is on sight. Back during the Ascension war, there were members of Raspult’s cult - who he gave free reign to do all evil, on the reasoning that once he was king of the gods, he would forgive them for everything and anything done in his name - called the Marked. They would tattoo themselves with sacrificial blood and demonic symbols, mad-eyed cultists able to summon demons by making themselves bleed. The worst part of battling them: wounding them could just as easily summon the demons as if the cultist had done it themself.

Clem is not best pleased. “Who brought him here?!”

Flynn: “Welllllll...that would be us. See, Ser Morozov sent us to investigate reports of a demon summoner. We found him, slew some of his imps, and my sister Fiona choked him out. We’ve been tasked to bring him back for interrogation; Ser Morozov believes that followers of Raspult may have information on how the Curse came to be.”

Clem, who has seen combat with these bastards, is incensed. “So you brought him here, to a keep full of innocent people? He has an ARSENAL tattooed onto his skin!” Gral, who has not personally fought a Marked, claims he can access memories of those who fought them through the Orcish Allsoul, and that yes, they are absolutely that bad.

“He’s drugged unconscious, it’s one night-”

“If - WHEN - he gets lucky, just once, everyone here could die!”

“Well, we couldn’t let the Penitents get him! If they found him, they’d drag him out in public and whip him until he bleeds to death with their chains!”

We all pause a moment, to contemplate just how Super Absolutely Not Good that scenario would be.

Clem’s still not having it. “So you brought him INSIDE a stronghold filled with civilians? When he gets free, their blood will be on your hands,” she hisses, filled with contempt.

We all agree that even though it’s one night, someone will stand guard. We can’t all fit into the small jail room, so we’ll take shifts. Whoever is on guard will take our magical horn, so they can sound the alarm the second anything happens.

Flynn and Valeria take first watch, and roll just absolutely terrible on all their perception checks. They hear a noise in the other room, and Flynn goes to investigate. Valeria promptly gets clubbed over the head with a blackjack.

Two Penitents have snuck inside and are making a beeline for the now-awake elf in the jail cell. Roll for initiative, everyone, it’s ON.

Clem is woken up by the magic horn and Nat 20′s on initiative out of sheer rage, and everyone else is woken up by Clem’s vehement cussing. The Penitents get some damn good hits in on Flynn and Valeria, but with Clem and Fiona crashing in as extra tanks and Gral and Shoshana sniping spells from behind, neither one makes it into the cell. The bound elf is struggling and making noise, but hasn’t managed to get free or summon anything.

Clem immediately turns on the Fairgolds, punching Flynn in the face and spitting that this is exactly why the Marked should never have been left alive! I told you, and it’s been what, an hour?! Now Clean. Up. Your. MESS.

Fiona signs to her brother that the rest of the Penitent Knights have been sighted outside, waiting for the prisoner. We all know that we can’t let them have him, they’ll release the demons on his skin. Clem argues that we should do now what we should have done two hours ago: kill him immediately.

Clem Valeria, a hint of the Hunt’s corruption in her expression, concurs.

Gral stalks up to the cell, growling at the Marked for his crimes. “Defiler of our ruined lands, we have killed your god and we will kill you too. If you struggle we will kill you faster.” His Words of Terror ability chillingly cows the tattooed elf into submission.

Shoshana quietly asks if this means we’re interrogating the elf, or if we can get on with it already - because, after all, a sorcerer can kill without ever making their target bleed.

Seeing no objection, she uses the rest of her spell slots to repeatedly Chromatic Orb him to death with cold damage. Clem must roll a will save when seeing a humanoid die - albeit super-rapidly - from the elements, but succeeds with a stony glare of contempt toward the cultist.

Once she’s done, she coldly looks back at the rest of the gathered warriors. “See? This,” she says, gesturing to the dead elf, “is why you should just put things like me DOWN, when you have the chance.” She stalks off into the keep.

Clem stares down the Fairgolds and then similarly storms off in a rage, leaving Gral and Valeria to figure out what to do with the bodies.

Though the tattoos have become inert now that the cultist is dead, the Fairgolds still want to bring the body to Ser Quentin - Speak With Dead can grant the Cursebreakers a limited amount of interrogation, at least. But the Penitents outside aren’t going to leave without proof their quarry is dead.

Gral sends their leader a Message cantrip: “Inquisitor, you have breached our trust and peace by sending your agents here, but we do not want further conflict. We have the corpse of the fiend you seek.”

They meet the Penitents at the gate and show them the body. “I apologize for my men, they were…overeager,” says the Inquisitor. Upon seeing the frozen body: “The god’s justice has been done this night. Justice…can be cold. Thank you for seeing it my way. Do you have my men?”

Well, uh, technically, yes? Gral and the fort’s soldiers give them the bodies. The Inquisitor doesn’t even look particularly bothered by his men’s deaths.

Just as Gral is going back inside the gates, though, he hears something, carried on the mists. A terrible, familiar sound. He immediately dashes inside, calling to Close The Fucking Gates (the guards were already on it, they are barricaded as HECK).

Meanwhile, Valeria tracks down Shoshana, who is curled in a ball in a corner somewhere. She sits down next to her - not quite crowding, but close enough to touch. “That...thing was nothing like you. You know that, right? He chose that, over and over again.”

Shoshana’s not comforted. “Yeah, well, I knew people who wouldn’t have chosen what they did, until the Curse changed ‘em.”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“You think those were the first cats I ever adopted?” Shoshana asks. “I’ve had to put them down, when they got so fucked up and aggressive that they were just little monsters. Eventually the Curse wins, every time.”

She leans on Valeria’s shoulder. “It’s gonna happen to me eventually. Just...minimize the damage, you know?”

“It doesn’t have to happen. You can choose differently. You’ve been choosing differently.”“

“If I’m lucky. If I keep getting lucky. And...I just want you to know. When the time comes and you have to do it, I’m not mad or anything.”

Clem finds her way to the courtyard and drinks alone all night.

On those depressing notes, the morning comes! A troop of Condotierri ride by and declare that the mists have cleared. Captain Claudia shooes everyone out of the roadhouse, thanks for coming, safe travels, BUH-BYE.

We walk with the Fairgolds and make it to Holzog by mid-morning. The Condotierri at the gates give us the hairy eyeball but don’t stop us, probably because we’re with Flynn and Fiona. We head to the old mining office that the Cursebreakers have taken as their headquarters, while Flynn bounces off to arrange rooms at his uncle’s inn and avoid talking to Ser Quentin.

A sly-looking fellow in a long coat, holding a book with an eye on the front, greets us at the door. This is Contractor Darius, a Cursebreaker Knight using the title of a Celestial Warlock of Torme. He has a white bird familiar who we immediately, in reference to a previous campaign, dub Daikon. Darius leads us inside.

Ser Quentin Morozov is a gaunt elf with silver spectacles and a bandolier of knives across his chest, examining a wall of maps covered in pins and strings. “Ah, Fiona,” he says. “Did your brother learn to cast Hold Person?”

She shakes her head.

“Then you have brought me a corpse instead of a prisoner.” His disdain is palpable, but we explain what happened. It takes him a moment to remember who the hell Shoshana is, despite meeting her only a few days ago - he finds the correct journal entry: mild corruption, unlikely to be a threat. Anyway: he’s happy to hear we’ve rescued Ser Balderich (and entirely unsurprised at the other knight’s foolhardiness, and rather intrigued with the gory tapestry we’ve brought him. He’ll certainly have to interview all of us about the Hunt.

Gral inquires about the Mist, implying that he might know something about it. Here’s what the Cursebreakers have: Darius has studied it. It rises out of the lake and seems to spread, wandering irrespective of wind. Living things caught in it get corrupted, maybe with lingering effects. Monsters and beasts seem to roam within it. It originates within the lake, and the fish in the lake have shown signs of corruption. All travel is forbidden when the mist is out, by order of the Baroness - a wise policy, in Ser Quentin’s opinion.

This is unsatisfying to Gral, who anxiously insists he has to have an audience with the Baroness about the Mist.

Meanwhile, Clem inquires with Ser Quentin whether he is familiar with a group of Kevan soldiers known as the Red Hand - she’s a former member. Indeed, he’s worked with them before. One of the more excellent entourages he’s hired. He assures her that he last saw them unharmed, but with a strange twist.

He had taken them on an expedition to Mornheim, the territory ruled by Ser Balderich’s family, known for its apple orchards and its extensive necropolis. Before the Curse, Mornheim had been famous in that its lands spawned no undead, so many wealthy and noble families would send their dead to be buried there, unbothered by magic. And then the Curse hit, and that streak broke, and now there’s a LOT of undead there due to the extensive burial grounds.

When Ser Quentin had taken the Red Hand on an expedition to fight the undead in Mornheim and investigate the catacombs, a member of the party had been separated from the group during an ambush. Ser Quentin would have left the young man for dead, but his comrades insisted on going back for him.

“They returned with their companion the next day, but there was something strange about him. He was very secretive around me. Hid things from me – and you must be very good to be able to hide things from me. Shortly afterward, they announced their intention to leave my service. I did have some of them followed. Some of them left Valdia and headed south to the Crownlands or Keva. Others went different directions throughout the Greatwood. I do not have evidence to say yet, but part of my expedition to Mornheim is to figure out what happened. Rather uncharacteristically unprofessional that they didn’t tell me.”

Ser Quentin gives us a monetary reward for saving Ser Balderich and bringing him the tapestry, and asks us to sign on for his expedition to Mornheim to investigate what caused the undead to rise, and what happened to the Red Hand. Clem is, obviously, interested, but Gral is far more interested in the mists.

Ser Quentin pulls some strings and gets Gral his audience with the Baroness. Gral and Valeria go in - Clem’s not interested, and Shoshana is pretty sure they don’t just let peasants in there. Darius escorts them in, to a small audience room in which the Baroness is working. There are guards and clerks and scribes there, doing their work. The Baroness is a beautiful tiefling woman with royal blue skin, pitch-black eyes, and four horns, one set curling forwards and the others pointing back. She wears a royal purple gown and a simple silver circlet as a symbol of office.

The Baroness Francesca von Holzogh addresses Gral with a posh Ventallan accent. “Is this another entreaty from your Duke to join his forces?”

It is not. Gral instead brings up the mist, and asks her if she is aware of the theory that the Curse has its own agenda. She affirms that Ser Quentin has shared the theory with her.

“The Curse has not only its own agenda but its own Champions,” says Gral. “I heard the cry of its Champion last night in the mist. We need to talk.”

-fade to black-

#session recap #holzog #valeria argent #clem haxan #gral omokk'duu #shoshana bat chaya #flynn fairgold #fiona fairgold #quentin morozov #contractor darius

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lady-alayne · 7 years ago

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Game of Thrones: An Angry Recap

Season 7 Episode 6: Beyond the Wall

Winterfell:

Sigh. Okay. Let's do this.

Arya and Sansa's relationship is all over the place. After a heartfelt reunion where it seems the old tension between the sisters had been set aside, Arya became more and more paranoid of everyone and everything, resulting in the lurking bonanza last episode where it seems Arya got royally littlefingered.

Because just as Petyr planned (presumably), Arya jumped to all the wrong conclusions about the letter Sansa was forced to write to her brother, urging him to bend the knee to Joffrey. “Why didn't you just murder everyone instead, like I would have?” she snaps at her sister. “This is what this show is about! Violence begets violence, and it's awesome! No wonder everyone on reddit hates you.” Ah, sisterly love.

It breaks my heart that GRRM wrote the Stark sisters as polar opposites, but equally strong. Arya is the more traditional Strong Female Character(TM), portraying stereotypically male traits: She wants to learn how to fight, she has a temper, is reckless, and she solves her problems with violence rather than words. Sansa, on the other hand, embraces her femininity. And that's wonderful. She navigates through the snake pit of King's Landing because she is polite, well-trained, and knows when to shut up and swallow her anger and then attack later out of a position of power. Although different, the sisters are both strong, resilient, and grow more and more powerful over the course of the series. GRRM has done a beautiful job portraying women as real people with unique characters.

Enter D&D! While doing some pseudo-research for their characters, biding their time until they ran out of books so they can make up their own shit, they decided to A) dumb Arya and Sansa down to have “invincible killer robot whose trauma made her want to murder everyone” and “stupid girl who is stupid and everyone takes advantage of” and then to B) PIT THESE CHARACTERS AGAINST EACH OTHER IN THE MOST FORCED CONFLICT IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION.

Are we really supposed to believe that single letter poses such a threat??? To make this conflict work, Arya had to be:

stupid enough to think Sansa meant what she wrote

evil enough to blackmail Sansa with it

paranoid enough to think Sansa has ulterior motives and wants to usurp Jon or whatever (can you usurp something that is RIGHTFULLY YOURS?)

Sansa had to be

stupid enough to believe that letter poses a threat—as if the Northern lords wouldn't immediately know Sansa wrote what Cersei told her to write

evil enough to send Brienne away, a woman in the perfect position to mediate and de-escalate

paranoid enough to break into Arya's chambers and try to steal the letter back

And all just so D&D can create random conflict out of thin air because, uh, good television.

Also at Winterfell, we get out weekly dose of two minutes Petyr Baelish screentime. (And it's not enough. It's never enough.) It looks like Sansa and Petyr are friends again and she asks him for his council (after telling him to go away, telling him she's smarter than him, and gloomily talking about what he wants, but who cares about characterization in this show? The plot demands that Sansa and Petyr speak.) Petyr helpfully suggests to have Brienne talk to the girls, as she has an invested interest in those two being on the same side, which makes Sansa send Brienne away. Logic(TM)!

As mentioned above, Sansa then sneaks into Arya's chambers to steal the letter back from her, and finds Arya's work clothes under the bed. To dial up the creepy, Arya then appears and... threatens to kill Sansa so she can know how it feels to wear beautiful dresses??? Arya, YOU COULD HAVE WORN ALL THE BEAUTIFUL DRESSES, but you WANTED TO BE A KNIGHT INSTEAD. Before stabbing her sister, Arya changes her mind/reveals she was bluffing (who can tell with this demon child), and gives Sansa Littlefinger's dagger because... reasons. Oh boy, that dagger is going places! Tune in next week to see Sansa give the dagger to Gilly's four year old baby when Sam and family turn up in Winterfell on their way back to castle black! And stay tuned for season 8, where we find out THE DAGGER IS AZOR AHAI!

Beyond the Wall:

Jon, Tormund, Jorah, Gendry, the Brotherhood Without Banners, and a few nameless extras to be killed off as needed hike through a blizzard during Operation Catch a Wight, and we are immediately treated to a rape joke! This time Tormund jokes about raping Jon because “fucking is best to stay warm.” It's funny, because it's two men! Haha, gay! Like Loras! Lol!

But Jon is not just the butt of the joke (I couldn't resist), we are also reminded once again that he's super nice and honorable, much like his “father,” and so he offers Jorah Longclaw back. But Jorah declines, because he's also super honorable and a good guy(TM). I was rooting for him to take the sword and stab Jon with it while yelling “I'm getting rid of the competition! Khaleesi, here I come!!!” But, oh well, when D&D fanservice they somehow never take my wishes into account. Wait while I send them a raven and complain.

My raven seems to have reach them, because a little later the Hound insists he does not like gingers, and all the SanSan shippers break into crisis mode while I laugh. Heehee. Then we have the incredible honor and privilege to witness a dialogue that includes the words “dick,” “cock,” and “pussy” within what feels like 0.000001 seconds. Finally, proof of GoT's level of sophistication that everyone is talking about. But... Tormund x Brienne, so yay!

The shipping does not last long, because out of nowhere ZOMBIE ICE BEAR ATTACK!!! Run for your lives!!! We watch with bated breath while the bear threatens to kill our beloved heroes and hope he will kill one of the suspiciously random background extras instead, but then we realize we are already dead inside when it comes to this show, so we would not care either way. By the way, is anyone else reminded of Star Wars whenever the Brotherhood Without Banners switch on their fire swords?

But killer zombie bears are not the only threat beyond the wall, and soon the men meet a white walker taking his pack of wights out for a walk. Now I feel safe enough to scream again. THE WIGHTS ARE WEARING HOODS WHILE THE MEN ARE NOT. THE UNDEAD PEOPLE ARE WEARING PROTECTIVE HEADWEAR WHILE THE LIVING PERSONS ARE NOT. THIS SHOW MAKES NO SENSE. NO SENSE. UGH!!!!

Because this is Operation Catch a Wight, the men decide to, you know, catch a wight, and set a trap for some reason. I guess just attacking their enemy without the enemy knowing they were even there would not be sneaky enough! Luckily, the dragonglass proves potent, and Jon successfully makes the white walker burst into a billion pieces AND re-deads the un-dead! DOUBLE KILL! …... except for one wight, who is still undead for practicality and thus immediately captured. Lucky!

The team soon realizes their chances are dire at best, and decide to send Gendry back to Eastwatch so he can send a raven to Daenerys. GENDRY. WITHOUT ANY WEAPONS. ALONE. THROUGH A BLIZZARD. While Gendry runs of to his certain death—who would survive a marathon through a snowstorm?— Jon & Friends also run to their certain death, as they are suddenly attacked by an army of thousands of wights. But—oh joy!—there's a lake there! And the ice on the lake is super special and only breaks AFTER ALL THE IMPORTANT CHARACTERS have already passed! But then it drags all the wights, plus one nameless extra for supposed shock value, down to their icy (re-)deaths, and our heroes manage to escape on a strategically placed isle in the middle of the lake to wait for their rescue.

Dragonstone:

Meanwhile, Dany and Tyrion are having some girl talk because Missandei seems to be MIA. After establishing that Jon is, like, super in love with Dany, you guys, and of course Tyrion knows that because he's SO SMART!!!, Tyrion broaches the topic of succession and SUGGESTS IMPLEMENTING A DEMOCRACY. I mean... yeah, Democracies are nice like 94% of the time, unless you elect someone like Donald Trump Euron Greyjoy. But it just gets SO FUCKING BORING how Tyion is always so super duper good and even his mistakes just make him more human and more lovable, isn't Tyrion just the awesomest, hooray hooray, all hail the best character in the history of the universe.

After what seems like 2 minute flight time, the raven from Eastwatch arrives and delivers Jon's cry for help. The men are trapped in the wilderness, under attack, and in dire need of immediate rescue! Daenerys wastes no time leaping into action. “I have to fly North immediately to rescue the guy I have a lady boner for, the guy who has a sad boner for me, the guy who knows how to turn dragon glass into weapons, the grumpy fan favorite, and their friends... As soon as my seamstress has finished my new winter coat! What fur should I use? This one matches my eyes, but this one goes better with my skin tone!”

Back beyond the wall:

It seems as if Dany's seamstress is really fast, because Dany makes it to the little isle at the perfect moment—Thoros has just died for shock value (and let's face it, nobody cared about Thoros anyway), and the wights have just discovered that the lake has frozen again, and are about to attack, when—DRAGONS!!! Dany swoops in and saves the day. Everyone climbs aboard Drogon, EXCEPT FOR JON, who runs off on a one man “Fighting my way through thousands of wights to kill the Night's King while he's surrounded by his four friends who are all expecting me” mission. Naturally, he does not get far and soon joins nameless extra in the icy depths below. RIP Jon, RIP.

To make matters worse, the Night's King turns out to be an insanely accurate spear thrower, and pierces Viserion's heart. Now that was a death for shock value! The mighty dragon plunges out of the sky, and Dany watches him motionless. I suppose she was just shocked, but maybe that was also Emilia Clarke's inability to act.

Drogon and his human load then get the hell out of there, and—OH GOD!!! JON IS NOT DEAD!!! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT???? HE'S ALIVE!!!!

And then IT'S BENJEN EX MACHINA!!! AND HE SAVES JON!!! AND HE PUTS HIM ON A HORSE!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!! AND JON SNOW IS SAVED!!!

Dany, it turns out, is very relieved about that, and immediately rushes to his side while he's lying in bed naked, recovering from almost freezing to death. Because that's how you get warm—you go to a somewhat warmer room and take off all your clothes. Then, when you freeze, you realize the cold outside was not so bad in comparison, so your body heals itself. Science(TM)!

#game of thrones recap #got an angry recap #got season 7

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switchedatbirthspoilers · 8 years ago

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Switched at Birth Boss Breaks Down the Sentimental Final Episode

Switched at Birth began with a pretty insane premise -- two teenage girls discover they were sent home from the hospital with the wrong parents and attempt to get to know their biological families.

It sounds like a soap opera of epic proportions, but in reality Switched was a simple family drama that explored the difficulty of forming relationships in adolescence and trying to find where you belong. The show forged a unique relationship with the deaf community by making several of its core characters deaf and most of the cast fluent in American Sign Language by the end of the series.

The show told stories about coming of age, family, first loves, trauma and strength over the course of five seasons and over 100 episodes. In the end, after all of the drama and the tribulations, Switched at Birth came back to its core family to show the power of love whether you're related by blood or not.

TVGuide.com talked to Switched at Birth creator Lizzy Weiss about the final episode, the show's legacy and where she sees Switched ending up in the future. See her answers below.

TVGuide.com: You didn't have a lot of notice that this season would be your last. What was the most important thing for you to wrap up and address in the final episodes to give the series proper closure?

Lizzy Weiss: First off, it was important to send Daphne off on the doctor path. I flirted briefly with taking her off that path - simply because people do change their minds in college or soon afterwards - but it just felt like it'd be a huge letdown for Daphne Vasquez not to fulfill that lifelong dream. She really is an inspiring character and I do want a legacy of the show to be a deaf woman who becomes a physician. As for Bay, I also wanted to send her off on a career path that felt right - if not forever, then for now - and tattooing is the perfect mix of art and East Riverside and entrepreneurship. That's nature Bay - not nurture - taking over. That's where she was destined to end up no matter who raised her. And then of course we had to answer the Bay Emmett Travis triangle...

As for the adults, John and Kathryn were always the Eric and Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights) of the show -- the couple who always held it together. They were the central Mom and Dad in a traditional home and Christmas hearth way, and it always felt like we could throw ripples or even tidal waves their way, but they'd never waiver in their long-term love or commitment, and I wanted to reiterate that.

It felt right to point Toby towards a brand new career path that is defined by his child and disability and a path that began in the pilot of the show with meeting his biological deaf sister. And I loved the twist we came up with for Regina - giving her long-term love and commitment but never sacrificing her morals or strength to get that love. We gave her a series of men but Eric is just so solid and sexy and kind, despite his complicated back story, that they always felt right together.

TVGuide,com: I loved the symmetry of Travis and Emmett going to Japan together after Bay and Daphne's life changing trip to China. What inspired that? Do you think that could have spin-off potential?

Lizzy Weiss: Ha! Spin-off, I love that! It was a way to honor the friendship and the brotherhood and the thematic concept of siblings brought together by unique circumstances. It was also a way to send Emmett off into the world on a new adventure. I think photojournalist is an awesome profession for him and I'm excited to imagine him off on that journey. The whole idea of them starting out their careers in a foreign country with each other to lean on just feels open and fresh and fun and difficult and funny and crazy and right.

TVGuide.com: It was really emotional to see Daphne ask Kathryn if she could call her mom for the first time. When do you think that turning point came for Daphne and do you think Bay feels the same way about Regina?

Lizzy Weiss: That was a moment that was in my back pocket for a long time and I always wanted to wait until the end for it. I think Daphne slowly began to think of Kathryn as her other mom enough to call her 'Mom' awhile ago but she held off because she didn't want to upset Regina. And then in that moment, with the nostalgia and the emotions running high, it just felt right and she knew Regina would understand and not be threatened. It just means a lot to Kathryn to hear that - she's that kind of person; being a mom defined her for a long time and the loss of raising Daphne was seriously profound for her. But Regina isn't as traditional and for some reason, I just picture Bay calling Regina 'Regina' forever. It's just a personality thing for them both, plus their initial relationship was always more fraught and more big sister/little sister or aunt/niece.

TVGuide: I am an unapologetic [Bay/Emmett] shipper. If you had more episodes do you think they could have found their way back to each other or does it feel more fitting they accept they were first loves and move on?

Lizzy Weiss: This was the right ending, whether or not we had more episodes. Maybe it's because Bay met (or started dating) Travis later in life, after a lot of the terrible stuff happened to her, and it was just timing - as is so much in life. But the penultimate episode (Travis telling his mom) showed that Bay and Travis are tight. They're strong. They've got the goods to go the distance. Big romantic moves are wonderful but can you go through incredibly hard stuff together and come out stronger? That's an adult relationship.

That being said, the Bay/Emmett montage was really emotional for me. I did it to honor the relationship and its importance to the show and the character and the fans, even though they don't end up together. There are a lot of intense Bemmett fans and I understand the passion because the Bay/Emmett relationship was so specific and unique - I don't think there's ever been a teenage love story between a hearing girl and a deaf boy on TV before so it was in itself romantic and fascinating and delightful. And then of course Vanessa and Sean had such great chemistry; it was undeniably special. But it was a first love and most first loves do not last and that is what makes them so potent and poignant. That first love and first broken heart defines your youth and brings you right back to that time. And when you think about it, it's delirious and erotic and excruciating and wistful all at once. So that final look between them was supposed to be all of that - 'I am remembering all of those moments that no one knows but us - and the power they had in shaping who I am today, and I will always carry you in my heart, even though we go our separate paths'.

TVGuide.com: Is there anyone you wish you could have invited back for the final episodes that you didn't have time to include?

Lizzy Weiss: Yes! We tried to get both Wilke and Ty back, but for scheduling reasons, that wasn't possible. In fact, the creation of Mingo originally came out of a desire to get a ridiculous Wilke energy back for Daphne, and then along the way, Mingo became his own adorable self and, of course, 'the one.'

TVGuide.com: If there's a Switched at Birth reunion in 10 years, where do you see your main characters being?

Lizzy Weiss: That's a great question but one that I will keep to myself for now. I think touching base with this family again would be lovely, but if they go off into the sunset of the fans' imagination, I can live with that too.

TVGuide.com: What has being captain of this show for five years meant for you?

Lizzy Weiss: I talked about Bay and Emmett and first love above, and how intense it is and how fresh and open and present you are, and this feels the same to me. This show was so personal to me. I was there from the first noodle of an idea scratched out on a piece of paper to the last shot of the finale. So sometimes I wonder if any other show will ever mean this much to me or be this magical or intense or bring me this much joy, but that's how you always feel at the end of a relationship, right? No one will ever love you like that again. But then you meet the right person, and they do, and you do, and it's just different.

Which is all to say, it's been transformative, and I'm incredibly grateful to my partners - the writers and actors and the network, and my actual partner on the show Paul Stupin - who was also there every step of the way, as my co-captain. We had a total blast doing it. And we just all feel really, really lucky.

TVGuide.com: Is there any final message you want to give to the Switched viewers and fans?

Lizzy Weiss: Thank you not just for watching and loving it and keeping it on the air for 103 episodes, but for telling me all of the ways in which the show impacted you, both tiny and profound. To all of you who chose a profession from the show, or who spoke to someone at Starbucks for the first time in sign language, or who continued your cable TV package just to watch a show with a deaf protagonist for your deaf daughter, or who said 'my brother has Down Syndrome,' 'I was assaulted in college,' 'I'm black and that is exactly what it feels like to walk across my campus' - I'm so glad you felt heard and seen and validated. The door is open. Keep making your own stories about your own unique perspective on the world. There is so much left to say.

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dinakaplan · 6 years ago

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The Incredible Power of Diet in Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease + 15 Heart Healthy Foods

We now know the importance of lifestyle factors like diet in the prevention and reversal of heart disease. What are the best heart healthy foods? And what other factors contribute to heart disease? Read on to find out!

Do you know anyone, perhaps a friend or family member (or maybe even yourself), who has had a heart attack?

Chances are you do. According to the American Heart Association’s 2018 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, about 92 million American adults are living with cardiovascular disease.

And every 40 seconds, a heart attack occurs in the U.S. alone.

Heart disease has become a global epidemic. It’s the #1 cause of death on the planet.

It’s affected my family, too. I never even got to know my great-uncle, Burt Baskin, because he died of a heart attack six years before I was born.

How Heart Disease Affected My Family

You see, my great-uncle Burt was one half of the ice-cream company, Baskin-Robbins. And the other half was my grandpa, Irvine Robbins.

Can you guess what they ate their fair share of daily?

We’re now pretty clear that ice cream is not a health food. But in the 1950s and 60s, my grandpa and his brother-in-law were pumping out delicious flavors by the dozen.

Eventually, my grandfather began suffering from a host of health problems, including heart disease. His doctor told him he likely only had a few years of life left.

But his cardiologist recommended changing his diet and handed him a copy of my dad’s book, Diet for a New America. And then, Grandpa Irv started to turn his health around.

(My dad had walked away from the family company and ice cream fortune. And he followed his own “rocky road” and became a globally recognized health authority. And now one of his readers was none other than my Grandpa Irv.)

Remarkably, my grandpa started eating fewer processed foods and less meat. He gave up sugar and, amazingly, he even gave up ice cream. He started eating a lot more veggies, fruits, and whole foods.

And he got results.

Before long, Grandpa Irv lost 30 pounds. He ditched all his diabetes and blood-pressure medications. And he enjoyed more energy than he’d had in decades. Despite the grim prognosis, he ended up living 19 more healthy years.

So what did I learn from my great-uncle Burt and Grandpa Irv’s heart disease?

The Standard American Diet leads to the Standard American diseases. And if you want to turn it all around, diet is at the heart of the matter.

What is Heart Disease?

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Heart attacks aren’t the only form of heart disease (or cardiovascular disease).

Heart disease affects not just the heart but the blood vessels and arteries as well.

There are many types of heart disease. Heart disease is a general term used to describe dysfunction of the blood vessels in various parts of the body that lead to organ dysfunction.

The most common are:

Atherosclerosis — the hardening and narrowing of the arteries due to a buildup of fat and cholesterol;

Arrhythmia — abnormal heart rhythm;

Heart attack — when a clot blocks blood flow to the heart;

Heart valve problems — such as stenosis or prolapse;

And heart failure — when the heart isn’t pumping as much blood as it should.

What Factors Contribute to Heart Disease?

Certain lifestyle factors can increase your risk dramatically.

Smoking, type 2 diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, and poor diet can all contribute to the development of heart problems.

That last one is especially important.

What’s Being Done About Heart Disease?

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While genetics are often emphasized as a major risk factor for heart disease, they’re only one possible piece of the puzzle.

In fact, the most common heart disease-related gene called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (basically inherited high cholesterol) only occurs in about one out of 250 people.

But studies have shown that even in these cases, cardiovascular disease can still be prevented through simple lifestyle changes.

As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and a 2012 study found just that.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that preventative measures relating to heart disease were more cost-effective than treatments, especially when it came to high blood pressure.

However, we still have a long way to go.

Doctors prescribe heart disease drugs more often than dietary changes. In 2017, the major drug companies made more than $40 billion just on drugs used to treat cardiovascular disease.

And according to the American Heart Association, from 2013 to 2014, heart disease and stroke made up 14% of all health costs in the United States.

In fact, in the next generation, the costs of heart disease are expected to increase to $749 billion per year. That’s nearly half the GDP of the entire country of Canada!

Any way you slice it, that’s a LOT of money being spent on something that could be remedied simply by changing our diets and making other lifestyle changes.

Why Diet Matters a Great Deal for Heart Health

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A growing and, frankly, overwhelming body of evidence now tells us that diet can be absolutely critical to preventing and even to reversing heart disease.

And not just any diet. Studies by some of our Food Revolution Summit speakers including Dean Ornish, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., MD, and Joel Fuhrman, MD, have shown dramatic results.

These and other studies have shown how eating a plant-based diet, often combined with regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle, can reduce cardiovascular disease:

Dr. Ornish’s 1990 Lifestyle Heart Trial saw an 82% reduction in coronary atherosclerosis after only one year on a plant-based diet, without the use of statins or cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Similarly, Dr. Esselstyn conducted a study at Cleveland Clinic, beginning in 1985. Of the 22 patients in the original study, all of whom suffered from severe heart disease, 17 stuck to the diet and stopped the progression of disease, and four experienced a complete reversal.

And last year, Dr. Fuhrman published a study which found that when participants ate his “Nutritarian” diet, they experienced weight loss, reduction in blood pressure, and lower LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels and triglycerides.

What’s the Best Diet for Heart Health?

Many people are confused by all the different dietary advice we hear about. But here’s the truth: Leading nutritional experts are in general agreement about the most heart-healthy diet for humans.

We now have an overwhelming body of data that makes it pretty clear:

The optimal diet for heart health is one that is low in animal products (and especially processed meats), low in sugar and processed foods, and high in vegetables and other whole plant foods.

This Way of Eating Is Also Best for Preventing Other Diseases

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Millions of lives (and billions of dollars) could be saved every year if we all just ate more plants.

It turns out this same diet is also generally best for preventing cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and many of the other major health ailments of our times.

In fact, in 2017, medical researchers conducted a meta-analysis study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

They found that an estimated six to nine million premature deaths (including heart disease and cancer) worldwide in 2013 may have been associated with low fruit and vegetable intake.

Millions of lives (and billions of dollars) could be saved every year if we all just ate more plants. I’d call that a win-win!

15 Foods for Heart Health (Show Your Heart Some Love!)

Now you know how important diet is for heart health. So what are the specific foods you should be eating if you want to support your heart health?

Heart Healthy Foods #1 — Berries

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Berries, especially the red and blue varieties, are remarkably potent, heart-healthy warriors.

Results of a meta-analysis study from 2016 found that berry consumption contributed to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, blood pressure, and body mass index.

Simply consuming 1 to 2 daily portions of either strawberries, raspberries or blueberries can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Heart Healthy Foods #2 — Leafy Greens

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Famous spinach-lover, Popeye the Sailor, didn’t just get outwardly strong from eating his greens. He was unknowingly strengthening the most important muscle in his body: his heart!

Leafy greens, such as spinach, collards, kale, and arugula, contain an abundance of vitamin K, which helps decalcify blood vessels and protects the arteries.

A meta-analysis study, published in JRSM Cardiovascular Disease, showed a 16% decrease in heart disease from a diet rich in leafy greens.

To put that in context — a 16% reduction in heart disease deaths would save the lives of more than 97,000 people each year in the United States alone. So I say, “Bring on the greens!”

What’s the best way to eat leafy greens?

For best results, enjoy a combination of raw and cooked leafy greens for maximum nutritional benefits.

Heart Healthy Foods #3 — Avocados

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Did you know that avocados have even more potassium than bananas? A single Hass avocado contains 33% of the daily recommended potassium intake.

Potassium increases nitric oxide release, lowering blood pressure and improving the function of your arteries.

Avocados also contain healthy monounsaturated fats, which can reduce LDL cholesterol and overall cardiovascular disease risk.

Heart Healthy Foods #4 and #5 — Nuts and Seeds

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Nut and peanut butter consumption can protect your heart in a number of ways. (Note: peanuts aren’t, botanically-speaking, nuts. They’re legumes. But they’re used like nuts.)

They’ve been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of inflammation, decrease body weight and insulin resistance, and improve endothelial function.

Walnuts, in particular, have been extensively studied for their positive effect on LDL cholesterol. Part of the reason may have to do with their high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Flax and chia seeds are also rich in healthy fats and are two of the best sources of plant-based omega-3’s, namely ALA — an essential fatty acid we can only get from food.

How many nuts and seeds should you eat?

One daily serving of nuts can reduce your risk of cardiovascular death by 39%. But, a little goes a long way with nuts and seeds due to their calorie density.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman recommends 1-2 ounces of nuts and seeds per day (or more if you’re fit).

Heart Healthy Foods #6 — Dark Chocolate

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Discovered over 2,000 years ago in Central and South America, the Latin name of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means “food of the gods.” And it’s easy to see why.

The antioxidants derived from the cacao tree, found in cocoa powder and dark chocolate, are more powerful even than “superfruits” like blueberries, acai, cranberry, and pomegranate.

One study even showed that high levels of dark chocolate consumption reduced cardiovascular disease by 37%, type 2 diabetes by 31%, and stroke by 29%. Those are pretty significant numbers!

How to choose the best chocolate:

But even for all its benefits, keep in mind that most chocolate contains large amounts of sugar and dairy, which can mitigate its benefits.

When it comes to your health, darker is better, so look for varieties that contain at least 72% cocoa. And as with many tropical foods, sourcing matters too. To avoid supporting farmer exploitation and child labor, I always encourage fair-trade-certified cocoa.

Heart Healthy Foods #7 — Beans

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As a child, you may have heard the schoolyard song about beans being good for your heart. Little did you know, there’s actually some truth to that!

Beans are high in a variety of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, making them a top heart-healthy food.

Beans also contain phytochemicals that reduce inflammation and oxidative stress caused by a buildup of plaque and clogging of the arteries.

Darker colored beans, such as adzuki beans and black beans, have the highest levels of phytochemicals. But all kinds of beans are highly nutritious and are excellent foods for heart health.

Add them to soups and salads or prepare them as a main course with steamed veggies.

Just one serving of beans per day can reduce your risk of heart attack by 38%, according to a 2005 study.

Heart Healthy Foods #8 — Tomatoes

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Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, an antioxidant and carotenoid that gives them their red color.

As an antioxidant, lycopene can lower inflammation in your body and prevent oxidative stress that contributes to heart disease.

What’s the best way to eat tomatoes?

Eating raw tomatoes was shown to increase HDL (the good cholesterol) in overweight women. But cooking tomatoes actually increases their nutritional benefits, releasing even more lycopene than what’s available in their raw state.

Try including cooked tomatoes in stews, chilis, and stir-fries or as a topping on zucchini or butternut squash noodles.

Heart Healthy Foods #9 — Apples

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An apple a day may keep the cardiologist away. But why exactly is that?

Apples contain pectin, a soluble fiber that blocks cholesterol absorption in your gut.

Like beans, they also have polyphenols and other antioxidants that fight heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

One study concluded that apples could be almost as effective at preventing heart disease deaths as statins, or cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Apples are a beneficial addition to any heart-healthy diet.

What’s the best way to eat apples?

Eat apples with the skin on. The skin provides most of the fiber and many of the other beneficial nutrients, too.

Many Spices Are Also Heart-Healthy

Low in calories and relatively inexpensive, spices are used around the world in every culture for their flavors and medicinal benefits.

Indian spices, in particular, have been shown to protect against inflammation and damage caused by high cholesterol and blood sugar and to be protective against heart disease.

Heart Healthy Foods #10 — Garlic

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Part of the allium family of vegetables, garlic has been used for centuries in cooking and medicine.

Charaka, the father of Ayurvedic medicine, claimed that garlic maintains blood flow and strengthens the heart.

Evidence exists from the National Health and Medical Research Council that ½ to a whole clove of garlic daily could lower blood cholesterol levels by up to 9%.

Garlic extract has also shown anti-clotting and blood-pressure-lowering properties in studies.

Heart Healthy Foods #11 — Turmeric

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A major ingredient in Indian curries, the health benefits of turmeric are far-reaching due to a powerful polyphenol called curcumin.

Curcumin is what gives turmeric its yellow color. And it also has a protective role against cardiovascular disease.

The antioxidant effects of curcumin can prevent heart-related complications due to diabetes, lower LDL cholesterol levels, protect against atherosclerosis, and prevent heart failure and arrhythmias.

(To find out how turmeric can help you hack your genetics and avoid disease, click here.)

Heart Healthy Foods #12 — Ginger

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A widely used medicinal spice, ginger is useful in treating a variety of chronic conditions, including heart disease.

Ginger’s active component, gingerol, has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

In one study, mice who consumed a high dose of ginger extract for 10 weeks experienced a 76% reduction in cellular cholesterol.

Another study with humans who took a 10 gram, one-time dose of dried ginger, saw a reduction in the formation of blood clots.

Heart Healthy Foods #13 — Black Pepper

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Considered the “king of spices,” black pepper is rich in minerals including potassium, which helps control heart rate and blood pressure ― and zinc, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties.

It’s also a rich source of magnesium, which helps keep blood flow and blood vessels in tip-top shape.

One study found that supplementation of black pepper in a high-fat diet increased HDL (good) and reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and reduced triglyceride levels.

Heart Healthy Foods #14 — Cinnamon

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Although today we associate cinnamon with foods like apple pie, its culinary and medicinal history goes back thousands of years. Arab traders brought it to Europe in limited supplies where the then expensive spice was considered a status symbol during the Middle Ages.

Cinnamon is documented in both Indian Materia Medica and Indian Medicinal Plants – A Compendium of 500 species books, classifying the spice as an herbal drug with cardiovascular benefits.

In recent studies, cinnamon has been shown to help manage obesity-related high cholesterol while also increasing nitric-oxide levels.

Heart Healthy Foods #15 — Coriander

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Coriander has a long and well-documented history as a treatment for cholesterol.

The seeds of coriander are especially good at lowering cholesterol, which has been documented in a few different studies.

One study on rats showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol and triglycerides while HDL (good) cholesterol levels increased. Another study using coriander and curry leaves found they help prevent blood clots caused by heart disease.

Let Food Be Thy Medicine

Many of the foods mentioned here aren’t only good for heart health. They’re also beneficial in fighting other diseases and chronic conditions, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

Want to show your heart, and your whole body, some love? Try loving the foods that will love you back.

Bon appetit!

Tell us in the comments below:

Did you know how important diet was to heart disease prevention and reversal?

Do you know anyone who’s reversed heart disease with a healthy diet (and other lifestyle changes)?

What are your favorite heart healthy foods and spices?

Featured Image: iStock.com/marilyna