#( verse ❀ deus ex machina )

[smileflowcr]

Tener contacto íntimo con Sooan aún era algo nuevo, podía notar que ambos deseaban ir más allá que una simple sesión de besos en el sofá o afuera en el jardín que dieron vida juntos. Bulyeong cumplió la promesa de encontrar el paraíso del sueño compartido, estableciéndose junto a su ahora esposo después de años de lucha contra un sistema corrupto y cruel, brindándole un mejor futuro a los humanos, a los amigos que hizo durante la odisea, su querido hijo y a la pequeña que este cargaba en sus brazos durante la última visita. Los tan ansiados días de paz al fin llegaron, construyendo un bonito hogar para que su dulce María se sintiese cómodo, rodeado de flores y animales, cerca de una laguna donde compartieron noches mirando las estrellas. El amor incondicional por Sooan dio fruto a un sentimiento nuevo, algo en su interior pedía sujetarlo de la cintura con mayor fuerza o acorralarlo contra una pared, pero José estaba inseguro, temía lastimarlo con su fuerza sobrehumana y romper al delicado y gentil ángel que duerme a su lado. Por eso fueron lento, iniciando roces con poca o nula luz sobre las ropas, brindándole al otro tiempo para poder cambiarse antes de dormir, respetando siempre la intimidad y lo que parecía ser algo suave se convirtió en un deseo más fuerte, llegando a soñar con poseer al más bajo la luna, despertándose con los latidos acelerados y regañándose a sí mismo porque no puede hacerle eso a su esposo, debe ser paciente.

Bulyeong ingresa a la habitación por una toalla, su cuerpo sudaba por cortar leña hace unos instantes por lo que se quita la camisa jurando estar a solas, sin embargo la imagen de Sooan cambiándose antes de la cena lo paraliza, soltando la prenda, balbuceando cosas sin sentido hasta que puede conectar las palabras “Disculpa… no sabía que estabas aquí.” Comenta avergonzado, las mejillas se tiñen sutilmente de rojo pero es incapaz de mirar a otro lado. Es la primera vez que logra apreciar algo de piel del contrario y puede sentir cómo el corazón alocado deseando salir de su desnudo pecho. “Yo— debería irme.”

[eliza-makepeace]

funny when, in inheritance, there’s a moment when saphira tries to help eragon by lending him her power, and he says she can’t help him because it’s “his mountain to climb”. she tries to argue but he replies with “besides, if i were flying, it would be on borrowed wings, and i would gain nothing by it other than the cheap thrill of an unearned victory”

i totally agree with the sentiment and i’d think it’s great of him to say so, if it wasn’t for the fact that that’s exactly what the blood oath celebration has done for him. i understand that, narratively speaking, the main reason for making eragon into an elf is because, otherwise, it would’ve been insanely hard for him to acquire the abilities necessary to defeat galbatorix, but i sitll think it’s a very cheap way of making him get the upper hand, or, if not that, a chance to win. i mean, in the end, paolini makes his own villain so impossible to defeat that he needs to fundamentally alter his main character in order to allow the story’s climax to take place. 

and then the fact that having eragon say this now makes him into a bit of a hypocrite. like, he has such a problem with saphira helping him now, “because it just wouldn’t be an earned victory” but he didn’t seem to mind when the elves made him look like them and have their abilities, even though he obviously hadn’t worked to achieve them by himself in the first place. i’m the first one that finds the whole “eragon gets a few months of learning x and suddenly he’s really good at it” a bit annoying, but i’d rather have that than him being an elf for all intents and purposes.

[blacksvans]

Yojeong, ¿qué es lo que piensas honestamente de tu hermano Yohan?

❝ ¿Qué pienso de Hannie? Que es un tonto ❞ Nadie en sus cinco sentidos podría pensar eso de uno de los creadores del cerebro del Adán, pero ella, su hermana mayor y por ende persona con más experiencia en la vida, lo creía. ❝ Tuvo un berrinche y abandonó su trono solo para bajar a una tierra perdida y prontamente controlada, creo que no puedo sentir otra cosa más que lastima por él y su querido amigo… ❞ Los Ji tenían controlado y observado al doctor, sabiendo que vivía ahora con una chica rescatada de un laboratorio, su conejo experimentado y que su mejor amigo no era más que un orgánico cualquiera. ❝ Pero a él le gusta maldecir a Dios y jugar contra la corriente, será interesante cuando los días del apocalipsis lleguen. ❞

[divinesorciere]

@viikingwitch | continued from here.

              That's a thought Davina's been avoiding. Their loved ones, while the list is relatively small for them both ( as well as she knows ), do have a few overlaps. It's what she has always hated about fighting Mikaelsons. Until she broke that damned sireline, the lives of most of the people she loved were connected to that of her enemy.

              Even after it was broken, she was presented with a new problem. Kol's plans for Klaus had never once been to put him down permanently, not like how Davina always wanted to. For better or worse, no matter how much he used him and abandoned him when he was done, Klaus was Kol's brother, and he did love him. Even Marcel loved him. They all did, and she never understood why.

              She faces a similar dilemma, even now. What if she had wanted another fight? One to end things once and for all? With such a close circle of loved ones, lines would have to be drawn in the sand, and she was only truly confident about one person being on her side.

              And she never, ever wanted to force them to face Freya. As much as Davina isn't afraid ( will never admit to being afraid ) of them anymore, a part of her holds a healthy wariness around them all. They are old and powerful and cruel in a way that she probably isn't hopes she isn't.

              If she has to put down old grudges to keep herself, and her people safe, she will. From the surety with which Freya declared herself a protector, she would have to.

              There is still one thing that bothers her. “I don't get you. Why are you so willing to throw away your life, and everyone else's, to protect them?” Even still, there's a more personal question at the forefront of her mind, and has been for a while. “Are you gonna give up your magic to be a vampire and protect them for the rest of your life?”

[mikrokosmcs]

you didn’t think i’d just let you get away with all this teasing, right ?  + [VIBRATION]

Noah  siente  el  primer  pinchazo  de  placer  en  el  centro  de  su  ser,  es  una  descarga  que  le  corre  desde  dentro  hacia  afuera  y  no  puede  evitar  reírse  a  pesar  de  que  la  vulnerabilidad  del  momento,  le  tenía  en  completa  desventaja  ante  el  pelirrojo.  Había  sido  un  juego  divertido  que  iniciaba  como  todo  lo  que  ellos  hacían,  de  forma  salvaje  y  descontrolada,  decidiendo  agregar  pequeñas  cosas  a  sus  encuentros  que,  aunque  dispersos,  para  Noah  significaban  que  seguía  teniendo  valor  y  que  Taekyung  seguía  gustando  de  su  persona.  El  juguete  descansaba  perfectamente  bien  dentro  de  su  ser,  seguramente  tibio  y  probablemente  completamente  humedecido  por  la  preparación  que  sus  propios  dedos  hicieron  en  su  persona.  Envió  un  enlace  entre  la  conexión  personal  del  hacker  y  él,  junto  con  un  mensaje  escrito  desde  “m3l1ss4”  que  como  su  nombre  código  indicaba,  era  un  mensaje  sugerente  y  que  abriese  el  adjunto  cuando  creyera  que  estaba  listo  para  usarlo.  Noah  era  un  mocoso,  uno  que  gustaba  de  la  atención  y  no  era  para  menos  que  luego  de  su  actuación  sobre  el  escenario,  decidiera  probar  su  suerte  y  tentar  su  valía  yéndose  a  otra  mesa  con  un  cliente  que  no  era  ni  por  asomo,  Taekyung.  Lo  provocó,  se  ganó  que  le  castigue  y,  aun  así,  se  sentía  emocionado  por  el  vibrar  del  juguete  que  podía  ir  de  cero  a  cien  en  cualquier  momento.  Su  lado  masoquista  quería  saber  que  tan  cruel  podía  ser  Taek  con  él.  -  —¿No  lo  has  pasado  bien?  —  -cuestiona,  apretando  sus  brazos  en  torno  a  los  hombros  del  otro,  pegándose  aun  más  a  su  espalda  y  besando  su  oreja.  La  diestra  baja  por  su  pecho,  acariciando  su  torso,  las  uñas  pintadas  de  negro  y  sutilmente  más  largas  arañan  un  poco  el  camino.  -  —Me  has  dejado  entre  chatarra  y  putas  baratas  que  se  creen  costosas,  me  he  sentido  solo.  

[lsunstreakerl]

Sunny, depending on the analogy you want to use, you are either a mafia boss (haha) or a high priest(ess)

you decide what approximately 100 people (based on your ask box and the recurring usernames I see) hyper fixate on for a time.

Because I had this thought while brushing my teeth, Crow is your right hand, there in your ear reminding you to remove your precious commas.

This is literally due to tti and dark rb happening in a weeks time and the only difference is you and the amount of info we gained from you vs the community ( as someone who sold my soul for tti, im not upset with where we are right now in the new verse) (adds dark rb to tti somehow)

hijacking your ask. demographics time!!

- as of this post, there are 192 people following this blog

- as of this post, I have 92 asks in my inbox

- most posts range from 9-20 likes

- most ficlets range from 40-80 likes

- most of my 24 hour polls range from 50-70 votes by the end, so that's a lot of you that check my blog frequently (I see you, lurkers)

- a few of you might have my post notifications on, most notably @burningallofmybridges and @thebrokenellevator who are usually the first people to like literally anything I post (I don't have confirmation that my post notifs are on for you two, but unless you are on tumblr 24/7 there's no other way for you to be that fast.)

- most serial reblogger of my posts is @max-verstappens-boy-car, who reblogs I believe every ficlet, as well as my more comprehensive ask responses.

- @farvres is entirely responsible for darkbull/dark redbull, and a few other brainworms here and there. they're also partially responsible for 1+1+1, along with @coldplums

- @decidedly33 is a complete saint for putting up with me complaining about school or work or quite literally anything. they're also the artist of any of the art you see floating around for my fics!

- calling @ahappycrow my right hand is certainly a choice. I think they were put on this earth to humble me, actually. (the historical definition of a jester maybe?)

- tti is still happening, I just also have to get dark redbull wrangled into a fic or something, because it's completely invaded my head.

- tti verse, max multiverse, whatever you want to call it. you guys are ridiculous, making me Deus Ex Machina the rookies. how am I even supposed to write that it's going to be so hard to keep track of

Anyways, potentially more yapping than you intended but I thought your ask was an interesting opportunity to point out some of the fun numbers stuff I've noticed on my blog :)

[klm-zoflorr]

Agnes Montague, the villain Phoenix :33

I used a stained glass filter on this one, looove how it looks. Also here are a few versions without as much editing so you can see the details.

Agnes is one of my favorites in this AU. And in general too I guess lol. So I made her entirely too overpowered! She's obviously based off Dark Phoenix/Jean Grey/The Phoenix from Xmen. Without as much of the hero-turned-villain vibes Jean has, Agnes can be nice but she's mostly a wrong-doer.

I'd probably say she's the most powerful super-human in the 'verse, or at least where the story takes place. Her and Magnus are buddy-buddies because. Um. I just want them to be.

So, her powers, right. She can control and

produce fire, lots of it. She can fly. The wings only appear when she wants them to btw. I think she has some form of telekinesis, sure why not plus I don't have a lot of people like that in the verse (and I'm quickly running out of canon characters anyways loool). I don't think I'll give her too many psychic powers? Maybe just some ability to block psychic attacks. Oh well nevermind lets just make her cooler let's say she can attack people psychically, as in not quite read their thoughts (even if I think she could grasp on some of the things you're thinking while she's there) but like, cause intense pain to her victim and maybe even kill them by hitting them with her mind.

Her hands are more like talons or claws, with tough nails and strong, too. She can rip someone's face off or hold herself up with them.

The nature of her powers make them somewhat incontrollable and ill-suited for precision work or limiting damage/casualties.

Despite all of that, Agnes is very tired and looks as such. Her abnormal body warmth makes her sleep poorly and not very much, if she isn't setting the room on fire or throwing objects around when she's having nightmares. She holds off from getting intoxicated in any way because she might level off the whole island if she did.

And the cherry on the cake... She can ressurect herself. AND others. Let the holy cleansing fire engulf you and be reborn anew with your sins scrubbed clean yadda yadda you know the deal. It resets people to a younger age and cures any ailment they have, so that's a rather extreme form of healing too if you will.

Naturally, with that sort of powers the Cult Of The Lightless Flame (named like that because Agnes hoggs all the light) treats her as a goddess. Which isn't that far from the truth actually.

Suffice to say in the story she is not the big bad our heroes have to take down because that would be straight-up impossible.

Design notes and misc:

-I usually imagine her with dark hair, but for this AU she really just had to be a redhead I feel.

-Yes, in the art she doesn't have feet but that's just because I got lazy.

-She wears practical gloves, a guilded shiny supersuit, impractical shoulder pads and a white flowy skirt and shoulder sash that both get set on fire very frequently. This is meant to evoke how she mostly doesn't care or need to be dressing appropriately for fighting, she's too powerful to need to.

-She doesn't carry anything on herself either, no pockets no bags no nothing, she has goons for that. She's just there to look impressive and deus ex machina everyone's asses to the ground if they get too annoying.

-She's lived a long life, done a lot, was in the military at some point which influenced a lot of how she thinks. Again, she CAN be unfrivolous and practical, she just doesn't want to and has to remain a symbol. She can shoot a gun pretty well.

-Her "crown" (it's a paper crown) is something children that admired her gave her. She's very very careful not to burn it, but can't wear it everywhere either

-She's not much of a strategizer or a long-term planner unlike Magnus, she just doesn't see the point in that and she already has everything she could ever want. She could have the potential to rule the city instead of having everyone vaguely follow her lead, but she's just not much of a tyrant.

Oh, yeah, and Jude. Jude Perry is Agnes' right hand woman and closest friend, her villain name is Lampadarius and she can make anything that isn't organic matter melt/heat up (like those cans in MAG012: First Aid). One of her favorite tricks is heating up her gloves and burning people like that. It pisses her off when you call her Agnes' guard dog. She's been ressurected a few times by the Phoenix, so been around for a while too.

[nana-glass-chillhop-radio-hour]

Look rationally I know that in the world to the Silt Verses, the evidence suggests that gods are primordial forces of chaos without conscious thought (or at least not conscious thought that's intelligible to human beings) but that's only half the equation. That's the in-universe Watsonian reading of the text.

From a Doylist perspective, though, the actions of the gods frequently serve as plot devices (though post modern audiences generally scoff at deus ex machina, I don't intend that as a criticism fwiw - beautifully told, deeply meaningful stories can feature divine intervention at regular intervals, eg: the works of Homer).

So while it's debatable if the Trawlerman is capable of loving humans or picking favorites, one fact is abundantly clear: Carpenter is quite transparently Jon Ware's blorbo. Anyway. Who said that.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

SGE Characters as Literary Things

(Not all of these are actual literary or rhetorical devices; some are just writing techniques, forms, genres, mediums, etc.)

This is a bit abstract, so I’m curious about how subjective these might be. Does anyone agree or disagree? And feel free to make additions if you think I left anything out, or request another character that isn’t here.

Hopefully this makes (intuitive?) sense. As always, I'm willing to explain my thought process behind any of the things I've listed.

Also, anyone can treat this like a “Tag Yourself” meme, if you want. Whose list do you most relate to, use, or encounter?

⸻

LANCELOT (I know—how odd that I’m starting with a minor character and not Rafal, but wait. There’s a method to my madness. Also, watch out for overlap!):

Metonymy, synecdoche (no, literally, to me, these are him.)

Zeugma

Analogy

Figures of speech

Slang, argot

Colloquialisms

Idioms

TEDROS:

Simile

Metaphor

Rhyming couplets

Rhyme schemes

Sonnets

Commercial fiction

Coming-of-age genre

Line enjambment

Overuse of commas

Cadence, prose speech

Waxing poetic, verse (not prose)

Alliteration

Kinesthetic imagery

Phallic imagery/sword sexual innuendos (sorry)

The chivalric romance genre

AGATHA:

Anaphora, repetition

Semicolon, periods

Line breaks

Terse, dry prose

Semantics (not syntax)

Elegy

Resonance

Consonance, alliteration

Pseudonym

Narrative parallels

Realism

Satire

SOPHIE:

Sophistry (yes, there is a word for it!)

Imagery

Italics, emphasis

Em dash

Aphrodisiac imagery

Unreliable narrator, bias

Rashomon effect

Syntax (not semantics)

Diction

Chiasmus (think: “Fair is foul and foul is fair.”)

Rhetorical purpose

Provocation, calls to action

Voice, writing style

Rhetorical modes: pathos, logos, ethos

Metaphor

Hyperbole, exaggeration

Sensationalism, journalism

Surrealism

Verisimilitude

Egocentrism

Callbacks (but not foreshadowing or call-forwards)

Narrative parallels

Paralepsis, occultatio, apophasis, denial

Hypothetical dialogue

Monologue

JAPETH:

Sibilance

Lacuna

Villanelle (an obsessive, repetitive form of poetry)

Soliloquy

ARIC:

Sentence fragments

RHIAN (TCY):

Unreliable narrator

Setup, payoff

Chekhov’s gun

Epistolary novel

RHIAN (prequels):

Multiple povs

Perspective

Dramatic irony

Situational irony

Chiaroscuro (in imagery)

Endpapers

Frontispiece

Deckled edges

Narrative parallels

Foreshadowing

Call-forwards

Foil

Death of the author

RAFAL:

Omniscient narrator

Perspective

Surrealism

Etymology

Word families or 'linguistic ecosystems'

Latin

Verbal irony

Gallows humor

Narrative parallels

Call-forwards

Circular endings

Parallel sentences or balanced sentence structure

Narrative parallels

Foil

Juxtaposition

Authorial intent (“return of the author”)

HESTER:

Protagonist

Allusions

Gothic imagery

ANADIL:

Defamiliarization

Deuteragonist (second most important character in relation to the protagonist)

Psychic distance

Sterile prose

Forewords, prologues

Works cited pages

DOT:

Tone

Gustatory imagery

Tritagonist (third most important character in relation to the protagonist)

KIKO:

Sidekick

Falling action

Dedications, author's notes, epigraph, acknowledgements

Epitaph (Tristan)

BEATRIX:

Pacing

Rising Action

Climax

HORT:

Unrequited love

Falling resolution

Anticlimax

Malapropism

Innuendo

Asides

Brackets, parentheses

Cliché

EVELYN SADER:

Synesthetic imagery

Villanelle

Foreshadowing

AUGUST SADER:

Stream of consciousness style

Imagery

Foreshadowing

Coming-of-age genre

Elegy

Omniscience

Rhetorical questions

Time skips, non-linear narratives

Epilogues

MARIALENA:

Diabolus ex machina

Malapropism

Malaphors, mixed metaphors

Slant rhyme

Caveat

Parentheses

Footnotes

MERLIN:

Deus ex machina

Iambic pentameter

Filler words

BETTINA:

Screenwriting

Shock value

[sterlingarcher23]

Max's memories are forshadowing: ElMax & Lumax

Inventive foreshadowing creates a sense of unity in a story even when the audience may not be consciously aware of the foreshadowing and payoff., David Trottier

Sort of. The happy memories actually give us the basic structure of Max's character arc in regards to relationships in Season 5. (As far as there is scene material because I think there's something else.)

Now the first thing is Lucas & Max from S4, but then they start to show us several scenes but completely out of order.

Lucas "I'm right here" (at her bedside - S4 or 5?), Swallowing the red Skittle/the ghost like Pac-Man mid flight ("You were wearing that yellow benny's burgers t-shirt and it was so big it almost swallowed you whole")=consumption of a ghost, followed by the linking sequence, going back to S2 apso out of order, the boys meeting the killer & Lucas and Dustin teaming with Max, the ghost trap, photos of ElMax, like frozen in time (Doctor Who=single moment in time). Lucas and Max when he calls her Madmax (like Mad Max Rockatansky), again ElMax together ....

...even Mike appears (a talk between him & Max like Kota and Lucy having a conversation?), foreshadowing the movie date, ElMax hugging, Lumax not unhappy and, Highfive! Winners.

Lover in the mind - lover in the physical world.

Lucas speaks to the dying (physical), El speaks to the going (mind).

Both have patterns that need another verse in order to rhyme bc of a tiny change midway through (similar to a certain D&D bridge puzzle😉)

Elumax Endgame.

Byler on the left, ElMax on the right, both when Will or Max respectively, have their possession phase.

Oh, and the movie date scene is a basic story writing technique: a promise. And this needs a payoff. The question isn't IF but HOW. (And how you get abilities is been established in Season 4.)

It's you and me won't be unhappy.... Promise, progress, payoff.

So, they made a promise, are now (with the revival) in the process of a progress which will be added through the way how Max will wake up....

...and this will get a payoff. Simple. Right now, most can't imagine how, given the circumstances even though the writers gave us the rules for doing it and every foreshadowing possible that will lead to a payoff. Max can't feel nor see - both! So, either both will be mended or none. Excluding one is bad writing. - So, its both. We learned how, therefore it's not a Deus ex machina, and we will learn why. Max only needs to take his, I mean her medicine. Darn pronouns.

That payoff is only possible through ElMax and note how they use sequences with them in which they are physically close to one another after the mall scene in which they link, like they are...inseparable.

Here separated...

...after this they are combined. Linked. "Love goes through the stomach"

It's all One and One for all = 11

A bit dated (admittedly)

[smileflowcr]

Ir de distrito en distrito es algo normal para él, tomando diversos trabajos sin importar qué tan arriesgados sean, tal vez porque en el fondo desea encontrar la muerte -sin importarle si es dolorosa o no- y así, detener los latidos de su corazón. Encuentra calma al caminar por las diferentes ciudades bajo las luces que decoran tiendas clandestinas, donde se puede encontrar des locales de comidas hasta prótesis robadas. Cada humano sobrevive a su manera, tomando trabajos que podían acabar con la poca humanidad que les queda, mientras otros esperan pacientemente cerrar los ojos para siempre entre la basura o escombros de edificios abandonados. Bulyeong ha encontrado tantos cuerpos que dejó de contarlos hace tiempo, al principio sentía incomodidad al tocar la fría piel de los cadáveres, teniendo malos recuerdos de quienes fueron su familia hace cientos de años y debió despedir para siempre, guardando en una pequeña cajita bajo su cama el juguete favorito de cada uno, siendo el único objeto que se llevó consigo cuando decidió huir con Haneul y Sooan.

Los colores neón del Distrito 5 parpadeaban, dando un aspecto más terrorífico a las calles y podía jurar escuchar gritos entre los callejones. Quizás eran pandillas enfrentándose por el territorio, o los soldados de la luz de Ciudad Luminosa buscando nuevos sujetos de pruebas, sea quién sea no iba a recibir ayuda, porque Bulyeong mantiene la vista en un cuerpo que yace en un montón de chatarra, con sangre y heridas a su alrededor. Se inclina hacia adelante para tocar la piel y comprobar si sigue respirando, sin embargo una extraña pero familiar sensación recorre por su espalda y está seguro que su rostro palidece. ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué ese chico le recuerda a Sooan? No se parecen en nada físicamente, pero la calidez que transmite es la misma a la de su amado a pesar que hay un agujero en su pecho. No tiene mucho tiempo para dudar pues percibe pasos a la distancia y en su dirección, así que carga al joven en sus brazos y se dirige corriendo al único lugar y persona en quién confía. Conoce cada distrito como la palma de su mano, por lo que trazar una ruta hacia el 1 no es tarea difícil, logrando camuflarse entre las sombras y asustando con la mirada a cualquier intruso que se sienta atraído. “¿Quién eres…?” pregunta en vano, el muchacho estaba al borde de la muerte y lo sabe por la forma que respira. Bulyeong se muerde el labio de la angustia, apresurando la marcha hasta llegar a unos suburbios que no conoce pero que su amigo describió con lujo de detalles en las cartas. Nunca creyó que volvería a él y si lo hacía, es porque fue capaz de enterar el amor para siempre. Se para frente a la puerta, dudando si habla, podía tocar, dejar al chico e irse antes que lo descubriera, no obstante su cuerpo se rehúsa a marcharse, diciéndole a gritos que hay algo especial en el humano que carga, algo que los conecta. “Sooan, soy yo, abre la puerta, es urgente.” Sus manos tiemblan y un dolor nace en su pecho, acompañado del mismo miedo que no ha experimentado desde que escaparon del laboratorio y su única preocupación era proteger a Sooan. “Alguien te necesita— yo te necesito, María, por favor.” La desesperación le obliga alzar la voz,  sujetando con fuerza el cuerpo del humano y sintiendo cómo va perdiendo su calor.

[wayward-travelers]

I still think Dawntrail could have benefited from a time skip of a few years. First so the twins could grow up but also in a way to 'solve' off screen some stuff to give them more leeway with the story.

I'm pretty sure they couldn't because they were working on the graphical update and that would have asked them to actualize so many NPC dialogues, etc. that they just couldn't be everywhere all at once.

But still, I'm tempted to have a time skip in my WoL verse regardless.

This way, the twins would be done with Garlemald and that's why they're looking for a change of path; Y'shtola wrote the book she said she wanted to write and kept studying shard travel so that when she inevitably finds the solution to what took one century in the Doomed Timeline, she doesn't find it in three months top, etc. (I know, there's the deus ex machina Azem's key, but still.); the Scions would have actually disbanded at least for a few years, etc.

And that'd also mean Aïcha's daughter would be older and this way I can use the children models to pose her (priorities).

[kom-poetry-channel]

This triumphalist shout of anticipated Puritan victory - by literal deus ex machina - sure looks like it ought to stem from the English Civil War, and is sometimes claimed to do so indeed, but the earliest written source I can track down is a Shaker hymnal published in 1813, "Millennial Praises". The "rod of iron" seems to me a little bloodthirsty for the pacifist Shakers, so I prefer to headcanon that it was a survival from the songs the Roundhead pikemen sang as they marched on Oxford to make at least one king and his nobles lament, "Alas! Alas!"

Comments on the text:

"da freden kom" - I don't really understand the English "full release" here, it seems likely to refer to some theological concept well known two (or four) hundred years ago. I chose to ignore it completely and tie this line and the third thematically together on "peace".

"fredsfyrstens vide rike" - again "Shiloh" is rather difficult; in modern American usage the main association is probably the church named Shiloh, site of an important Civil War battle. The Bible speaks several times of a city called Shiloh, now "Kirbet Seilun", but as a metaphor, "our Shiloh", it seems rather to be speaking of Genesis 49:10, in the KJV "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come" - which seems to refer to a person, not a city. The NIV translates the term as "he to whom it belongs"; various Norwegian translations have "den rette kongen", "han som eier den", and "fredsfyrsten". I chose the last of these for the connection with "freden kom" in the first line. Many Christian traditions identify Shiloh-the-person with Jesus, and I have an impression that Norwegian Lutheranism puts more emphasis on Jesus as prince of peace, as opposed to saviour of the soul, than English praxis does.

"lamslått vorden" - this is perhaps not strictly grammatical, as the merchants are plural it should be "vordne", but I'm willing to cheat very slightly for the rhyme with "torden". There are not very many rhymes for torden in Norwegian.

"prest og verdslig, rik og arm" - I had to rearrange this verse to rhyme "arm" with "alarm" and "som nå skjer" with "reiser seg ei mer", but I'm rather pleased with the phrasing.

"blod og jern" - if anything this is even more bloodthirsty than the "rod of iron", but it seems to fit.

"ut av hennes drakt" - the image here is "The Babylonian Marriage Market", by Edwin Long, depicting Herodotus's allegation that the Babylonians auctioned off young women for marriage. It's not clear to me whether the woman on stage is about to be fully unveiled, stepping out of Babel's garments as it were, but either way the Puritans would surely reject the whole scene as one of the evil customs that will end with the Second Coming.

Norwegian text: Hill den dag så lenge ventet Hill det år da freden kom: Zions mur fra Himlen hentet Zions vakt gir råd og dom. I fredsfyrstens vide rike hør trompeten hvor den ler: Babylon er fallen! Er fallen! Er fallen! Babylon er fallen, og reiser seg ei mer!

Hennes kjøpmenn, lamslått vorden, prest og verdslig, rik og arm, mumler som den fjerne torden, roper ut: "Alarm! Alarm!" Og fra keiser, konge, adel: "Hva er dette som nå skjer?" Babylon er fallen! Er fallen! Er fallen! Babylon er fallen, og reiser seg ei mer!

Blås, trompet, fra Zions mure: Kristus kommer hit på ny! I blod og jern han grundig skure de som fiendskap ham by. Babels felleskap er over, ut av hennes drakt vi trer: Babylon er fallen! Er fallen! Er fallen! Babylon er fallen, og reiser seg ei mer!

[the-haunted-office]

🌙 Doomsday

(Ghost Doomsday pictured above - artwork commissioned from @potato-lord-but-not; Living Doomsday pictured below)

Name: Doomsday (the first Thursday; also formerly Charlotte V. Salvatore, Employee 217)

Role: Narrator/Protagonist/Deus Ex Machina

Office of Origin: Office Zero

Age: 30 

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Bi, Demisexual, Demiromantic, Polyamorous

Species: Human/Ghost/Benign Reaper

Personality: A straight up troublemaker, although she doesn’t usually mean actual, physical harm. Mischievous. Destructive. Loves to pull pranks and scare people for fun. Has no issue with engaging in criminal behavior. Hedonistic. Depressed, but tries to hide it. Quick to anger. Will speak her mind and will tell people exactly what she thinks of them. Incredibly loyal and will straight up kill to protect friends and loved ones or even to avenge them. Doomsday typically likes to be in charge and doesn’t back down easily from a challenge. She will fight to the death, and will fight dirty if need be. She’s crass, sarcastic, caustic, vengeful, and sometimes downright shitty and doesn’t particularly care who knows it, and she doesn’t particularly care whether or not people like her - at least, she likes to say as much. Deep down, she actually is a very sensitive person who hurts easily, and so a lot of her devil-may-care attitude is actually flamboyant posturing to divert away from that fact. Unfortunately, this very same attribute of hers is what ends up leaving her even more alone than she was before, thus feeding the cycle.

Physical Appearance: In her Ghost Verse, Doomsday has ghostly skin that gives off the appearance of semi-transparent wet copy paper and is a dead giveaway that Doomsday is, well, dead - as is the fact that she has no eyeballs. Instead, her empty eye sockets are filled with an eerie yellow glow emanating from somewhere in the back of her skull. She has shark-like teeth simply because she thinks they look cool. And her long brown hair fades away into a silver-blue color towards the tips. Most often she is seen wearing a black three-piece suit with silver pinstripes and big black boots. She always has her sunglasses either perched atop her head or down over her eyes, and if she’s feeling particularly playful, she might have her black bunny ears on.

In her Living Verse, Doomsday appears as a cis caucasian woman with long, messy brown hair that has a sort of unbrushed look to it; bespectacled blue-gray eyes; and she has a sort of natural pinkish flush in her cheeks. Her glasses have a small button on them that cause them to glow bright yellow in the dark, customized this way to make up for the fact that she has her eyeballs back and no longer has empty glowing sockets anymore. She is a bit thinner than her living alternate Thursday, as Doomsday has a tendency to be a lot more active and works out to keep in shape, but I wouldn’t say she is a “thin” lady either. She is still often seen in her favorite pinstripe suit, although sometimes she does switch it up and wear leather jackets and jeans, among other things, although she is always wearing her big black shit-stomping boots. Her bunny ears are still something she puts on on occasion.

Abilities: As a ghost, Doomsday comes packaged with a variety of abilities and is remarkably overpowered. I made her this way intentionally. The story behind this is because when I first started roleplaying on Tumblr, the roleplaying community I joined had a bunch of really powerful muses in it while mine were ordinary. As a result, my muses routinely got beaten up and victimized. So when I made Doomsday, to balance things out, I decided to give her all the powers. And there you have it! As you’ll see below, she has a little bit of everything. I’m very much aware that she’s an overpowered muse, and with this in mind I take great care not to abuse this fact and I am perfectly willing to dial back her abilities in threads and plots.

Doomsday is comprised of Dampening energy - a byproduct created by the Dampening mist after the process of digesting a soul. She can open portals to get around to almost anywhere; move freely and easily into, out of, and within the In-Between; spawn almost any object (with certain limitations); transform into almost anything (also with certain limitations, although most often she uses this ability to become the Black Rabbit of Death [yes, this is a direct reference to the Black Rabbit of Inle from Watership Down]); and can be incredibly fast and strong. She also has an affinity for making fire, usually from her hands.

Doomsday also can use her scythe to pull a soul out of a body - this includes the soul that belongs in the body, and souls that are possessing a body. Alongside this ability, she can also see the presence of souls.

Finally, what is perhaps her most powerful ability, she can break the fourth wall, although she will not do so in RP unless you’re okay with it. This is usually only a thing that takes place in threads strictly in The Stanley Parable universe, and not in crossovers. Yes, she knows the difference.

Brief History: Doomsday was the very first Thursday to exist. She shares mostly the same history as the Thursday most everyone knows, the one from the Haunted Office.

The first major difference between Doomsday and Thursday is that Doomsday’s Office never connected with other Offices. She was unable to meet others outside of her own Office. Therefore, when her Stanley died, that left just her and her Cyrus.

They took turns narrating Stories for each other for a period of time, until suddenly they both became very ill. Over the course of a month their conditions gradually deteriorated towards an obvious end. Doomsday didn’t know it at the time, but Cyrus was going to survive, for he had created a plan with his twin sister Aurora to ensure his survival after the defeat of the Dampening mist. Doomsday was a contingency that had never been planned for, and so when the end came she died alone and in total misery.

The mist killed her body, consumed her soul, digested it, and an extraordinarily rare mutation occurred, leaving her soul partially destroyed and otherwise badly damaged and mixed together with the byproduct of the Dampening, called Dampening energy. This formed a kind of soul soup, her remains and the Dampening energy, and turned her into what is essentially a perpetual energy machine.

Her remains wandered about her dead Office for many years, alone, trying to find someone to help her, trying to find somewhere to go, and then she found her way into the In-Between and eventually into other dimensions and timelines, where she eventually learned about what had happened to her, about the mist, and how to defeat it. Determined not the let the same thing happen to any of her alternate selves, Doom began a cycle of traveling into other timelines, warning herself of what was to come, teaching her other selves how to take down the mist, and then taking her other souls at the end of it in order to save them from being destroyed in the process. She called this entire process “The Cycle” and repeated it 999 times before coming to Thursday’s timeline to repeat it with her.

Thursday broke The Cycle, and in doing so caused Doom to break it as well.

It took Doom a long time to figure out what to do after that, after having grown so used to reliving the same month over and over and over for over 999 times (as there had been times she had failed in saving herself). She’s still trying to find her place and over a year later she’s beginning to doubt she ever will. She does whatever she wants, which often means getting into trouble, many times by committing crimes and destroying things.

What Doom wants more than anything is to matter and to belong… but she supposes fucking up everyone else’s shit will have to do for now.

Voiceclaim: Maya Hawke

Links:

Open Starters - #doomsday open starter Headcanons - #🌙 office memos Musings - #doomposting

Verses: Doom does have two separate verses now! One where she is still a ghost, and one where she has been brought back to life. The one where she is alive again is considered her main verse. She has maintained most of her abilities, however she has lost some of them. 

Playlist:

[smileflowcr]

Sabe que no es bueno quedándose callado cuando algo no le gusta, con permiso irá a comprar algo dulce para relajarse(?)

Como  su  esposo  su  debes  es  evitar  que  le  rompan  la  cabeza  por  bocón,  debería  aprender  a  elegir  bien  sus  batallas.

[littlesparklight]

I am curious is Aphrodite the origin of all love and can people fall in love without the influence of Aphrodite because these verses

May pure Artemis look upon this band in compassion, and may marriage never come through Cytherea's (Aphrodite's) compulsion. -Aeschylus: The Suppliant, 1030ff.

May sovereign Zeus spare me cruel marriage with a man I hate, that very Zeus who mercifully freed lo from pain, restoring her with healing hand by kindly force. - Aeschylus: The Suppliant, 1062ff.

Seem to imply that you can fall in love without the influence of Aphrodite, In one verse it is asked that the band of women find marriage without Aphrodite's compulsion, and then a few verses later they are asking Zeus that they not be stuck in a marriage with someone they hate… which seems to imply that Aphrodite can force people to but she is not the origin of love itself

Hmm, I don't think that's what this speech of the Danaides implies or even outright says.

I am not (really, really not lol) going to claim I know/have read enough to say anything at all authoritative here! The question, especially, of the... degrees? of Aphrodite's possible direct influence is still very murky and confusing to me.

But.

For the Suppliant Women specifically, the situation for the play is that the Danaides are fleeing marriage with their cousins because they don't want to marry them. And, even their father doesn't want them to marry their cousins. Some scholia (to the Iliad and Prometheus Desmotes) say that Danaos was given an oracle that said he'd be killed by one of his brother's sons, though in addition there's also a quarrel with Aigyptos himself.

Throughout the play, the Danaides are appealing to Zeus as Zeus Xenios (they are suppliants and guests in Argos), and to Artemis, noted sworn virgin, so they can avoid marriage with their cousins specifically, but, given Artemis' involvement, also marriage entirely. Marriage is as much part of Aphrodite's domain (through, well, sex) as plain desire. "The pleasurable works of marriage" as Zeus says in the Iliad.

However, even with their rejection of marriage, there's also this bit in the middle of the speech you've quoted parts of:

"Yet there is no disdain of Cypris in this our friendly hymn; [1035] for she, together with Hera, holds power nearest to Zeus, and for her solemn rites the goddess of varied wiles is held in honor.

And in the train of their mother are Desire and she to whom nothing is denied, [1040] winning Persuasion; and to Harmonia has been given a share of Aphrodite, and to the whispering touches of the Loves."

Aphrodite also is in the single fragment we have of the Danaides play, arguing for marriage as a cosmic principle, and Gantz in his Early Greek myth suggests Aphrodite might have had part as the deus ex machina in the resolution of the footrace that will see the Danaides married to various Argive youths.

Then we have the fifth Homeric Hymn, too, the "big" one to Aphrodite. This hymn isn't straightforward, since Aphrodite is shamed as well as exalted, her power extolled as well as circumscribed (and once, by Zeus in this one instance, usurped). But aside from Hestia, Athena and Artemis, mortals, gods and animals are all tamed/broken/yoked by Aphrodite (damazo), like a husband tames/breaks/yokes a wife; there is no other (source of) power in love/desire but Aphrodite.

So no, I don't think there's an idea that Aphrodite isn't actually the source of all attraction, whether she literally "forces" someone into it or not.

That "force"/compulsion, too, is part of how Ancient Greek culture conceived of love/desire at all; the lover is "compelled" into love/desire, and the source is Aphrodite (or Eros, but that, again, means Aphrodite). You see it a lot in lyric poetry about desire/love, whether for a boy or a girl/woman.