#Castle Mill

[rabbitcruiser]

National Windmill Day

Drive out to windmill country, or read up about the history of windmills and how they can provide clean, sustainable energy by harnessing Earth’s natural power.

Most people love them because there’s something absolutely bucolic about their squat structures and the gentle creak of their fins as these wooden structures spin in the natural wind currents. Of course, that describes the old fashioned kind of windmill. The newer, modern versions take on some different characteristics, of course.

Windmills have been around for a very long time, since the time when people first realized it was possible to harness the power of the wind to perform work and provide energy. Ever since new innovations have been made with the ability to utilize the never-ending source of power that windmills capture.

National Windmill Day commemorates the origins of the windmill as well as how it has helped to shape technology and industry from the past and into the future. It’s time to learn about and celebrate National Windmill Day!

History of National Windmill Day

The idea of capturing the power of the wind to perform work isn’t new and, in fact, it goes back far further into history than most people would suspect. Since then, its use has sprung up in multiple cultures throughout the world.

Heron of Alexandria, who lived in the first century AD, was the earliest person known to have harnessed the energy of moving air to perform work, using a very primitive device to power, of all things, a musical instrument: the organ. The people of Persia also developed more traditional windmills, though they had a different orientation than the ones most people typically think of when hearing the word ‘windmill’.

Some historians think that the Persian models were the inspiration for the vertical models that were developed later on in the middle ages. The evidence of one of the oldest windmills that remains today can be found in Weedley, Yorkshire, England and is said to have been built in 1185. As is commonly depicted in media, these machines were used primarily to grind grain, and have been for many centuries since that time.

Recently though, at least in the last 150 years or so, there’s been a growing movement to use windmills in another fashion entirely. The power of the wind can be harnessed to turn giant wind turbines which in turn generate clean, and virtually unlimited, renewable energy.

Windmills have been around for a long long time, and while they may seem like primitive tech, they’ve moved into the world as hope for a clean future. Along with solar, bio-fuel, and fuel cells, windmills are working to save the environment.

National Windmill Day Timeline

644 AD First reference to windmills

Beginning as horizontal mills with woven reed blades that radiate from a vertical axis, these first windmills are built in Persia.

11th Century AD Windmills are used for food production

In the Middle East, windmills are used to help produce food and the ideas are then taken to Europe by merchants and crusaders.

1300s Windmills are used to drain water

The Dutch people of the Netherlands realize that the water from their low-lying areas can be drained using windmills.

1600s Windmills are introduced to the New World

When the Dutch colonize New Amsterdam (now called New York City), they bring their windmill designs with them

1887 First large scale power generating wind turbine

Charles F. Brush builds a huge 60-foot windmill with a whopping 144 blades in Cleveland, Ohio.

How to Celebrate National Windmill Day

Learn More About Windmills

Well perhaps to first thing to do is start by reading up on the topic of windmills. One of the best things that can be done to celebrate the day is to get more educated on the history of windmills, to begin learning how they’re helping us today, and even to share that information with others. As one of the fastest growing sources of energy in the world, it’s worth learning more about!

Here are some interesting facts about windmills:

The first modern version of the wind turbine was built in Vermont, USA in the 1940s. Its success was not long lived due to war shortages and the next time a windmill would rival it in size would be in 1979.

Hawaii, USA hosts the world’s largest wind turbine, which is the height of a 20 story building and its blades are the length of a football field.

Offshore wind is particularly effective. In Europe, one offshore wind turbine (located in the water) can power more than 1500 homes.

Read Don Quixote

Famous (or perhaps, infamous) for his mistake in thinking that windmills are giant monsters, Don Quixote bravely rides toward them to do battle and, of course, eventually gets knocked off his horse. This is just one of the many beloved and memorable scenes in this classic novel by Spanish author, Miquel de Cervantes, published in 1606.

Visit Holland for National Windmill Day

While not necessarily the first place to house windmills, Holland (now known as The Netherlands) has a long history with them as they were the first place to use them to move water from low lying lands. In fact, the second Saturday and Sunday in May (because one day just isn’t enough!) are celebrated in Holland as “National Mill Day”, which is called Molendag in Dutch. This is a day when 950 windmills and watermills will open their doors to the public for visitors to see their inner workings first hand and learn more about them. Plus, many of them will also host fun events for the local community and tourists alike.

Whether in Amsterdam or throughout the rest of this country filled with canals and waterways, the windmills are stunning. It’s even possible to go on a bike tour of the mills to visit some of the most beautiful, iconic and picturesque mills in the world!

Those who find other countries in Europe to be more accessible can celebrate National Windmill Day in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and other countries, where it is often referred to as National Mills Day.

Watch Some Windmills

For those who happen to live in an area that has a single windmill or a whole windmill farm, it might be fun and interesting to go out and watch them turn, turn, turn… (Are we the only one hearing that song now?) More and more communities are dotting them about the landscape as a sustainable source of power. As you gaze upon and contemplate just how important these are to a bright, pollution-free future for our children, enjoy watching their soothing motion and consider their history too.

National Windmill Day FAQs

How do windmills work?

Wind turbines use their large blades to collect kinetic energy as the wind flows over the blades to create “lift”.

Do windmills make noise?

Windmills do emit a characteristic noise, mainly generated by the movement of the blades, but the noise is generally weak.

Are windmills renewable energy?

Wind is an emissions-free source of energy that has fewer effects on the environment than many other energy sources.

Do windmills create electricity?

Yes! Wind turns the propellers of the windmill around a rotor that, in turn, spins a generator to create electricity.

How much do windmills cost?

The standard windmill costs around $2-4 million with another $40-50,000 in per year in operation and maintenance.

Source

[historicalreusedcostumes]

This lovely red dress with golden embroidery is worn on Stana Katic as Kate Beckett in Castle: Home Is Where the Heart Stops (2009) and later worn on Lana Parrilla as The Evil Queen in Once Upon a Time: Ariel (2013)

[theladypeartree]

Mdzs x howl's moving castle in the sense that wei wuxian's magic is the same as Sophie's.

Everyone else cultivates magic through sword forms and talismans etc and wwx can do all that ...Bc he thinks that how it works. Wwx losing his magic bc he lost his golden core and obviously you need a golden core to do magic so of course he can't wield his sword. Except he is swordless and coreless in the burial mounds and calls out for help out of sheer desperation and the dead rise up to help him.

Does he convince himself that he and the Wen remnants were doomed from the start, creating wards that will fail if he's not around bc he believes they will fail if he's not around. Does it take until his resurrection for him to realise that he can command people to STOP, doors to OPEN, wen ning to REMEMBER just by saying it, by willing into being. Or does he promise a-yuan that will be safe often enough that the wards become impenetrable to anyone intending them harm? Does he promise wen qing that he can help her grow medicinal herbs and grows ones that never existed before? After all, he told her that he could bring wen ning back and he sure did that!! Not even going into tye success of the transfer which convinced wen qing would work.

At what point do the others notice that wwx makes impossible things happen by insisting they will happen.

How many impossible things need to happen for wwx to notice that it's him doing it.

[oldschoolfrp]

Old school gaming -- Nine Men’s Morris, aka Nine Man Morris, Mill, Merels, etc. The design of the game board is seen commonly in medieval art and it was carved into stone in many places.

[vox-anglosphere]

Scotney Castle in Kent is a rare example of a moated manor house

[briefbestiary]

A 2ft (0.6m) industrious brownie, but one not to be angered.

Her most famous tale involves the death of her son, for when the two lived at Fincastle Mill they protected it from would-be trespassers. However, once upon a night, a girl made her way in to get flour for a cake. Brownie-Clod went to drive her away, but was tricked upon asking for her name, for she said she was "Mi fein" which means herself. When he came close, she threw an entire pot of boiling water she'd made while she worked upon the poor dobie. He ran to his mother, but she could do nothing to save him. When Maggy asked who had done the deed, he repeated "Mi fein" from which Maggy could only believe he had caused the fatal wounds himself.

It would be some time before Maggy would, while merely passing by a window, overhear the girl gloating to friends about how she had outwitted a brownie. Maggy was filled with such righteous fury that she picked up a stool. The stool was thrown with such force that the girl died immediately upon contact.

[foxymacchiato]

Wiispywitch Commission Haul {2024}

.

Support me on Ko-Fi if you'd like to view my full gallery and if you'd like to tip/commission me!🩷

I really popped off with the Astarion art this haul~

🩷Thank you for supporting my art!~

multifandomed25, @monadocookies chiivanna.jpeg, DozenBears, hyacin_crysyal, @myownworlds _musicishere_101, atlasmothra

[grtmnick]

Emma’s lonesome trek through the expansive wilderness of the Enchanted Forest had given her ample time to think over the events proceeding.

What’d made her push Regina aside, take the full brunt of the wraith’s wrath in her stead?

Why had the portal exited near the Evil Queen’s old castle?

The fortress in question was nothing like the storybook’s description. It was instead a decrepit and somber sort of place. Mist hung heavy in the air and surrounded moss covered stonework. Emma smelled only dankness and decay with each step closer to the isolated tower that stood in sentinel over an eerily quiet forest.

Had it been like this when Regina’d lived here?

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1916 – The Pivotal Irish Insurrection against British Rule in Ireland Commences.

The Easter Rising of 1916 had little chance of success (which its leaders knew) and initially had limited support from the Irish population, but a series of major mis-steps by British authorities lit a fuse that ultimately forced Britain to withdraw from 26 counties just six years later. Timeline: At noon, Pádraig Pearse reads the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the General Post Office…

[three-headed-monster]

team canada explores wjc fan fest

[ouatreusedcostumes]

This lovely red dress is worn on Stana Katic as Kate Beckett in Castle: Home Is Where the Heart Stops (2009) and later worn on Lana Parrilla as The Evil Queen in Once Upon a Time: Ariel (2013)

[rabbitcruiser]

National Windmill Day

Drive out to windmill country, or read up about the history of windmills and how they can provide clean, sustainable energy by harnessing Earth’s natural power.

Most people love them because there’s something absolutely bucolic about their squat structures and the gentle creak of their fins as these wooden structures spin in the natural wind currents. Of course, that describes the old fashioned kind of windmill. The newer, modern versions take on some different characteristics, of course.

Windmills have been around for a very long time, since the time when people first realized it was possible to harness the power of the wind to perform work and provide energy. Ever since new innovations have been made with the ability to utilize the never-ending source of power that windmills capture.

National Windmill Day commemorates the origins of the windmill as well as how it has helped to shape technology and industry from the past and into the future. It’s time to learn about and celebrate National Windmill Day!

History of National Windmill Day

The idea of capturing the power of the wind to perform work isn’t new and, in fact, it goes back far further into history than most people would suspect. Since then, its use has sprung up in multiple cultures throughout the world.

Heron of Alexandria, who lived in the first century AD, was the earliest person known to have harnessed the energy of moving air to perform work, using a very primitive device to power, of all things, a musical instrument: the organ. The people of Persia also developed more traditional windmills, though they had a different orientation than the ones most people typically think of when hearing the word ‘windmill’.

Some historians think that the Persian models were the inspiration for the vertical models that were developed later on in the middle ages. The evidence of one of the oldest windmills that remains today can be found in Weedley, Yorkshire, England and is said to have been built in 1185. As is commonly depicted in media, these machines were used primarily to grind grain, and have been for many centuries since that time.

Recently though, at least in the last 150 years or so, there’s been a growing movement to use windmills in another fashion entirely. The power of the wind can be harnessed to turn giant wind turbines which in turn generate clean, and virtually unlimited, renewable energy.

Windmills have been around for a long long time, and while they may seem like primitive tech, they’ve moved into the world as hope for a clean future. Along with solar, bio-fuel, and fuel cells, windmills are working to save the environment.

National Windmill Day Timeline

644 AD

First reference to windmills 

Beginning as horizontal mills with woven reed blades that radiate from a vertical axis, these first windmills are built in Persia.

11th Century AD

Windmills are used for food production 

In the Middle East, windmills are used to help produce food and the ideas are then taken to Europe by merchants and crusaders.

1300s

Windmills are used to drain water 

The Dutch people of the Netherlands realize that the water from their low-lying areas can be drained using windmills.

1600s

Windmills are introduced to the New World 

When the Dutch colonize New Amsterdam (now called New York City), they bring their windmill designs with them

1887

First large scale power generating wind turbine 

Charles F. Brush builds a huge 60-foot windmill with a whopping 144 blades in Cleveland, Ohio.

How to Celebrate National Windmill Day

Learn More About Windmills

Well perhaps to first thing to do is start by reading up on the topic of windmills. One of the best things that can be done to celebrate the day is to get more educated on the history of windmills, to begin learning how they’re helping us today, and even to share that information with others. As one of the fastest growing sources of energy in the world, it’s worth learning more about!

Here are some interesting facts about windmills:

The first modern version of the wind turbine was built in Vermont, USA in the 1940s. Its success was not long lived due to war shortages and the next time a windmill would rival it in size would be in 1979.

Hawaii, USA hosts the world’s largest wind turbine, which is the height of a 20 story building and its blades are the length of a football field.

Offshore wind is particularly effective. In Europe, one offshore wind turbine (located in the water) can power more than 1500 homes.

Read Don Quixote

Famous (or perhaps, infamous) for his mistake in thinking that windmills are giant monsters, Don Quixote bravely rides toward them to do battle and, of course, eventually gets knocked off his horse. This is just one of the many beloved and memorable scenes in this classic novel by Spanish author, Miquel de Cervantes, published in 1606.

Visit Holland for National Windmill Day

While not necessarily the first place to house windmills, Holland (now known as The Netherlands) has a long history with them as they were the first place to use them to move water from low lying lands. In fact, the second Saturday and Sunday in May (because one day just isn’t enough!) are celebrated in Holland as “National Mill Day”, which is called Molendag in Dutch. This is a day when 950 windmills and watermills will open their doors to the public for visitors to see their inner workings first hand and learn more about them. Plus, many of them will also host fun events for the local community and tourists alike.

Whether in Amsterdam or throughout the rest of this country filled with canals and waterways, the windmills are stunning. It’s even possible to go on a bike tour of the mills to visit some of the most beautiful, iconic and picturesque mills in the world!

Those who find other countries in Europe to be more accessible can celebrate National Windmill Day in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and other countries, where it is often referred to as National Mills Day. 

Watch Some Windmills

For those who happen to live in an area that has a single windmill or a whole windmill farm, it might be fun and interesting to go out and watch them turn, turn, turn… (Are we the only one hearing that song now?) More and more communities are dotting them about the landscape as a sustainable source of power. As you gaze upon and contemplate just how important these are to a bright, pollution-free future for our children, enjoy watching their soothing motion and consider their history too.

National Windmill Day FAQs

How do windmills work?

Wind turbines use their large blades to collect kinetic energy as the wind flows over the blades to create “lift”.

Do windmills make noise?

Windmills do emit a characteristic noise, mainly generated by the movement of the blades, but the noise is generally weak.

Are windmills renewable energy?

Wind is an emissions-free source of energy that has fewer effects on the environment than many other energy sources.

Do windmills create electricity?

Yes! Wind turns the propellers of the windmill around a rotor that, in turn, spins a generator to create electricity.

How much do windmills cost? 

The standard windmill costs around $2-4 million with another $40-50,000 in per year in operation and maintenance.

Source

[sentenceme-leni]

Monday. Minimum 1 sentence.

---

Regina laughed at Belle's betrayed expression.

The Evil Queen didn't need friends. She never wanted them!

Belle had been useful, a reliable source of support when Rumple had been in a mood. If Regina had to temper her requests to meet with the girl's approval, well, better to have a bit of help from the Dark One than none at all.

Now that use had come to an end.

Regina needed to cast the Dark Curse, and she wasn't going to accept Rumpelstiltskin's price to learn about the missing ingredient.

The imp wanted something in exchange?

His little maid's heart would do.

"I should have done this ages ago," she hissed, sneering at Belle's helplessness. The girl was even clutching at her throat, fist around her mother's pearl pendant like one of those silly heroines in her ridiculous novels.

She even gasped Rumple's name, as if her mighty protector wasn't reduced to a prisoner in Snow White's dungeons.

Regina savored her triumph.

Her hand reached into Belle's chest, clutching around the panicked beat of her heart and ready to rip it out...

Magic swelled all around them, starting from Belle's necklace.

A protection spell, Regina realized, yanking her hand back before it could be burned off.

Stronger wards snapped around the castle, ready to protect the Dark One's treasures.

Ready to protect Belle.

Magic settled into thick, impenetrable walls around the whole of Rumple's home. Even an army of ogres could beat the doors down and not gain a single inch into the grounds.

There was no way in.

And, Regina realized with a laugh, no way out.

How unfortunate that Rumple's little maid was trapped inside with the Evil Queen!

"Where were we?" she asked gleefully, standing straighter.

A high-pitched voice answered from behind her: "In the wrong place, Your Majesty."

Regina twirled around.

It had to be an illusion. She chastised herself for that moment of fear, and raised her hand to vanish the ugly vision.

A wave of his hand sent her flying to the wall.

Regina rose to her knees in time to watch Belle run into Rumpelstiltskin, arms going around him. She even glimpsed a flash of tenderness as he allowed the embrace, before he turned hard eyes on her.

"You can't be here," she gasped, angrier at the thread of fear in her voice. However, fear was the only rational response at the moment. For the first time, Regina was confronted with the truth: for all these years, the darkest power in the realm had been coddling her. Her magic was a drop compared to his. "You are trapped," she said accusing, refusing to believe her eyes. "You told me so!"

Rumpelstiltskin offered his most malicious smile. "I lied."

His hand lifted, and Regina flinched at the strength of the gathered power.

Belle cried out, "Rumple, don't!"

Reliable to the last, that girl, Regina thought before darkness surrounded her.

What a fool.

The End

06/05/24

[canmom]

brief comints on some comics

need to find energy to write some more Comics Comints but here are some very brief ones on some comics I read of late...

I read a bunch of Shintaro Kago stuff (The Princess of the Neverending Castle, Dementia 21). truly one of the best to ever do it, and I really need to do some kinda deep dive into what makes his stuff kick so much ass. but Kago's stuff has this absolutely ingenious playfulness to it - obvs it's got the 'fucked up body stuff' ero-guro aspect as a central pillar in which Shintaro Kago is uniquely inventive, but it's also constantly playing around with form in a way that like, you see the ideas getting developed from page to page from 'oh here's a fucked up thing' to the basis of an incredibly abstruse storyline that somehow feels fully coherent in its internal logic, even as the entire panel structure disintegrates into castle noodles.

he's also just both plain very funny and an absolute drawing monster. the two Neverending Castle books (Princess and Twelve Sisters - narratively disconnected but playing off the same ideas) are a special treat, gorgeous huge printings that really let you see all the crazy intricate little details, and the high concept is incredibly productive. Dementia 21 is bit more directly like... not so much commentary so much as using existing social tensions (in this case, caring for old people) as a jumping off point for darkly funny vignettes. also the interview at the back is great for Kago just completely no-selling most of the interviewer's attempts to pry.

started in on Oyasumi Punpun by Inio Asano. and guys. the expressions in this manga! honestly, the level of storytelling confidence is off the charts. I think I'm starting to get some idea of what it's doing and what the recurring interests are, but also damn, there is so much going on here. the manner of stylisation is really fascinating - it's like a great example of a sort of effect you can achieve if you understand realism forwards and backwards and then push it.

the eponymous punpun is heavily minimised in his own story - which is part of the premise, that he is so powerless and so completely failed by the adults who are too caught up in their own shit that he might as well be a cartoon bird. we have recurring invocations of the futility of human connection, it's doing a lot of stuff with religion-as-imaginary-friend and mixing sort of deliberately crude 2D graphical elements or really abstract compositions with the hyper detailed style. it's somehow like... moment to moment it looks super melodramatic but it's sort of processed through this dissociative haze which means the actual story ends up quite low-key.

I can see why people rate this one so highly, can't wait to get my hands on more.

I read some of the Sláine series - the Celtic barbarian character written by Pat Mills. in this case I had the Sláine the King arc, and some of the earlier comics, so I got a taste for the druid airships and stuff. Glenn Fabry's art is astonishing, it's as solid as an Otomo drawing but it doesn't feel sterile, it's got this incredibly expressive aspect, like it does so much to sell our sword-and-sorcery protagonist Sláine as a guy.

I'm someone who tends to read a lot more manga than Western comics in general, which is both a different approach to line and tone and also you tend to have the same artist drawing the whole series - in contrast, with 2000AD comic like this it's really striking seeing both how much value can be achieved with pure monotone, no greys, and also getting to see multiple artists tackle the same character in roughly the same idiom to highly varying results. there are approximately ten billion of these, but I haven't yet been able to track down the Horned God arc which is the one that was recced to me. hopefully soon.

comics are great

[lilacmoon83]

Operation Castle

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

The door to the detention block buzzed, as General Shaw swiped his badge and allowed the eye scanner to authenticate his identity. He walked down the dark hallway, his shoes being the only noise in the prison block. He approached his first destination and peered in on a blonde woman inside.

"Good afternoon, General Shaw," she said.

"Ingrid," he greeted in response.

"I trust that my information has garnered my freedom?" she asked.

"If your information on the location where you hid the scroll you used to slip into this world pans out…then yes, a discussion about your freedom may be on the table," he replied. She hissed and came into the light, wrapping her hands around the bars.

"You told me that I was free to go and be with Emma if I gave you the location of that scroll," she growled.

"And we'll discuss that further when I get the scroll and see if it is of any use to us," Shaw said.

"Besides, Ms. Swan has her parents now. I doubt she has any room in her life for you," he added, as he moved onto the next cell.

"Your information was limited to a land that was not part of the Dark Curse. All our real information has come from our wooden friend here," Shaw said, as a figure hobbled up the bars, revealing a completely wooden and adult August W. Booth.

"Without the book, we could have never come to know everything that we do about the other realms. Rumpelstiltskin was never very forthcoming and his tongue was much harder to loosen. But you have been singing like a bird, my puppet friend," Shaw said.

"Because you promised me the cure," August rasped.

"I have given you all the information you've asked for from the book that I can remember. You promised me one of the Dragon's cures," he pleaded.

"Yes…and we still don't know why the trigger reversed the magic that the Blue Fairy used to turn you back into a human child. It's more evidence that the trigger somehow punishes the liars and villains," he mused.

"Yet you jumped at the chance to help a likely enemy of your people for the chance to help yourself again," he added, as he produced a glowing potion from his jacket pocket.

"It would seem you have learned nothing, but the cure is all yours," he said, as he gave it to him. August scrambled for it and popped the cork, before downing the liquid. Shaw watched, as wood turned to flesh and August breathed a sigh of relief. The General opened the cell and let him out. August watched him wearily.

"And just so you know…I have learned. What's the catch for this magic?" he asked. The General smirked.

"You'll need another elixir every two weeks and if you want it, you'll work for me," he said. August sighed. He knew something like that was coming, but he was so desperate to be human again that he was ready to do just about anything.

"I'll be in touch. If you make contact with anyone from your land until I say it is okay, the deal is off and you'll end up in a wood chipper somewhere," Shaw warned, as he handed him a burner phone. August nodded and took the phone, before being led out by security.

"Let me out of here!" Ingrid demanded.

"Sorry…you told me of your powers and I can't risk you figuring out magic and plunging the world into an eternal winter," Shaw said.

~*~

After picking up the baby, they arrived home with everyone following. Emma opted to grab some takeout after getting Henry and soon, they were all gathered in the Charming living room, eating dinner and discussing the harrowing events of the day.

"We have to figure out what they're hiding. They know more than they're telling us," David insisted.

"We agree, mate…but you and I both know we'd never make it past that kind of security," Killian replied.

"He's right…I was their captive for three years. We must consider the possibility that there may be others," Rumple interjected.

"You think so?" Belle asked. He nodded curtly.

"I told them nothing during my time in their captivity, despite promises of freedom. I knew a lie when I heard it. Only when the magical anomalies began occurring did they reveal others had survived. Until I had that piece of information, I never considered cooperating," Rumple said.

"And others might not have that strength of will, especially if they're promised the right thing," David said.

"If we can figure magic out…then nothing they do matters. We can take down any security team and foil any of their attacks," Regina said.

"Magic worked fine in Storybrooke once you learned how to use it," Snow replied.

"What's your point?" she asked.

"She means that it didn't for you at first. What did you do to suddenly get it to work for you?" David asked.

"I…I went to my darkest place with the help of my mother's spell book. That's no longer an option," Regina replied.

"Maybe a magical object is the answer to activating it," Emma suggested.

"Which is great, except that if anything survived, they probably have it under lock and key," Regina replied. Emma deflated a bit at that. She was right…who knew if anything had survived at all and if anything did, they had no way to get to it.

"When you created the trigger, you should have warned me it could do this," Regina hissed.

"Except that I didn't create the trigger, dearie…nor the curse," he revealed.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"We thought you wrote the curse?" David asked.

"No…it was written by a very dark being, who intended to use it much in the same way that Regina did. I am able to tell you everything about the curse, but the trigger is something of a mystery to me. I didn't pay it much mind, because I never thought you'd be foolish enough to use it," he said sternly to his old apprentice. She huffed at that. She was getting tired of being blamed for their predicament, even though she was the reason for it.

"Did you know this dark being?" Snow asked. He gave her a look and there was a long pause.

"Yes…she was called the Black Fairy," he said, offering nothing else at the moment.

"What happened to her?" Henry asked curiously.

"When she became a dark fairy, in pursuit of creating the dark curse, she was banished to a nether realm by the Blue Fairy. Only she knows of her motivations and how she came to be corrupted. Despite my attempts, the blue gnat has never loosened her foul tongue," he answered. He hated fairies and it was for a far deeper reason than they knew, but he wasn't revealing that to anyone anytime soon. He was being truthful about knowing very little about why she had done what she had.

"This is great…once again, we're nowhere," Regina said in frustration, as she watched Henry play with the baby and actually allowed herself a smile. Her son was helping him build a castle with his blocks.

"Yeah…this is a lot like the castle your Mom and Dad lived in," Henry cooed, as Bobby held up a block for him. Henry took it and put it on top. Unfortunately, the blocks toppled and fell to the floor.

"Uh oh…" Bobby said.

"It's okay…we can rebuild it, buddy," he said, as he started gathering the blocks again. With what happened next, time seemed to stand still for those few moments. Bobby giggled and clapped his hands, as several of the colorful blocks floated into the air around him.

"Oh my God…" Regina uttered.

"He…he can't be doing that," David said, equally stunned.

"He is the product of true love, dearie…if anyone has a natural aptitude for magic, it would be your children," Rumple said.

"Then how come Mom can't do it?" Henry asked.

"Theoretically, she can…we all can. Her natural ability gives her far more potential than us. But it may be that our minds and awareness are blocking our ability to harness it. The baby has no such hindrance. He's pure and innocent," Rumpe answered.

"They…they can't find out," Snow fretted, as she quickly swept him up into her arms and the fear in her eyes was palpable.

"If they find out…they'll take him away," she said, as she was almost panicking at this point. David was quick to pull them both close and kissed her hair.

"No…we won't let that happen," he said, as he looked at the others. The worry was palpable in his eyes too.

"We gotta figure out magic and soon," Emma said.

"You can't risk taking him to daycare anymore," Regina said. Snow nodded.

"Well…I don't have a job, so that won't be a problem until we have another creature or calamity pop up," she said.

"Yeah…we can't take the kid with us, but who can we trust?" Emma wondered.

"I can watch him," Henry said.

"I don't know kid…" Emma replied.

"We don't have much choice…" Rumple said. She sighed.

"You think you can handle it, kid?" she asked. He nodded.

"Bobby and I'll be fine," he assured them. They were satisfied with that for now, but Bobby figuring out magic before anyone else was causing serious anxiety. No one wanted to see some clandestine agency rip the baby away from his parents and turn him into a lab rat. But for that night, they agreed to disperse to their own homes and hope tomorrow would yield a solution to them being trapped in a world that soon might hate them.

~*~

"And you saw this?" the Knight asked the squire.

"Yes…I'm sure of it. I overheard them talking and saying that the lake was not quicksand and rather a portal. A portal that is staying open," the squire said.

"That's nonsense," one of the Knights spat, but the other one, who clearly outranked him, held his hand up.

"We do not know that for certain and no man, sane or otherwise, would jump into quicksand unless that's not what it was at all," the Knight reasoned.

"But if it is a portal…of what use would that be?" the other Knight asked.

"I don't know…but it is something that our Lord should be informed of either way," he said, as they mounted their horses and left to see Lake Nostros for themselves.

~*~

Neal had found a dive motel to stay at the night before and first thing that morning, he set out to find the place that Emma supposedly was working. He went inside the small shop on the block that was lined with many other small shops and looked around.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes…I'm looking for someone that works here," he said.

"Oh…do you need a bond for someone?" she asked.

"No actually…she's just an old friend. Emma Swan," he replied.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Emma no longer works here. She left for a new job a week or so ago," the woman said. He frowned and nodded.

"Thanks anyway," he said, as he turned to leave, when he caught the news on the television. He saw Tamara and Greg on screen, making some report from Time Square and he clenched his fist. He would find Emma…but first, he was going to make those two tell him what they had done, for he was sure they had something to do with all of this.

~*~

David peered into their son's room and sided up next to his wife, as she watched him play. He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her hair.

"Has he been floating any toys around?" he asked. She hummed.

"No…so far, it was just that once that we saw. But we know it's going to happen again," she replied.

"And we will protect our son. I know I promised you that after we got married that we'd never have to run again, but if it comes down to it…we will to save him," he said. She squeezed his hand.

"I know…" she replied.

"I don't want to leave you here alone…maybe you and the baby should come to Castle," he said. But she shook her head.

"No…as much as I want to stay close to you, it's too risky. It will look suspicious if we bring him to Castle and not to daycare and if he has another display of magic, then there will be no hiding it from them," she reasoned. He nodded and kissed her tenderly.

"Call me if you feel that something's wrong or even a little uneasy," he pleaded. She nodded and kissed him again.

"I will," she said, as she saw him off and then went back to Bobby's room.

~*~

"Where is that Principal?" Tamara asked impatiently, as they waited on their guest. They planned on interviewing the Principal from the school Mary Margaret Nolan had worked at and expose her identity first, which would easily lead to exposing her husband's identity as well. By the end of it, she'd have the public eating out her hand and turn them against those she would portray as dangerous.

"Are you sure the NSA released him this morning?" Greg asked.

"Yes…he called and said he was being released, because they have nothing to hold him on, unless they want it to go public that the NSA is involved in a cover up operation," Tamara answered.

"Yeah…he's fifteen late. Maybe he made a run for it," Greg suggested. She huffed and dialed his number and immediately got a message that the number was no longer in service.

"Dammit…he's ghosting us," Tamara cursed.

"Are you surprised? The NSA may have let him go, but probably also suggested that he steer clear of any high profile promotions or interviews. They can find someone just by pinging a cell phone. I'm sure he's more scared of them than us. He's probably in another state by now," Greg reasoned.

"What do we do now? We're on the air in five minutes!" she said hotly.

"I don't know…neither of us are real reporters. I liked it better when we were just stalking and eliminating those freaks from that damn town. And he still won't let me at that bitch that killed my father!" he exclaimed back.

"You know why…we're back in prison or worse if we step out of line. Now…we need a story or we're going back there!" she argued.

"You're the one that suggested we do some big story in Time Square! That's kind of the thing you should have a backup for!" he shouted.

"Don't blame this all on me. I'm the one that pulled you off the street and helped you find that damn town. You'd be nowhere closer to getting answers about your father if not for me," she growled.

"And yet…we're both still pawns. First for the Home Office and now for this…psychopath!" Greg said.

"Working for a psychopath…guess that shouldn't surprise me now," a voice said. Tamara froze and her eyes widened, as they turned to find Neal Cassidy standing before the.

"N…Neal?" she stammered. He smirked.

"Yeah…bet you think you're seeing a ghost, you know since you shot me and I fell through a portal," he said, as he came closer.

"How…how did you survive?" Greg questioned. Neal glared at him.

"Some friends found me and I spent the last three years trying to find my way back to my family, no thanks to you two crazy morons," he said.

"Neal…you and I both know how dangerous magic was and if you're back, you now know what it is doing to this world," she pleaded.

"Just shut up…you tried to kill my whole family and steal my son! And you're going to tell me where they are," he growled. She swallowed thickly and knew she had just moments before she was supposed to go on the air with some huge story that she didn't have.

"Wait…if you're here, then you had to come back through a portal. Where was that portal?" she asked. He scoffed.

"Like I'd tell you two anything," he replied. Before she could say more, there was a sudden tremor beneath their feet.

"What was that?" Greg asked, as they felt it again and it was stronger this time. Their eyes widened, as the concrete a few feet away cracked and a horrible shrieking was heard. They watched in disbelief, as a creature emerged from beneath the Earth.

"What is that thing?" Greg shouted, as they dodged the winged thing swooped down on them. It had snakes for hair, bat-like wings, and bleeding red eyes, with sharp fangs and claws as well.

"I think it's a Erinyes!" Neal cried, as he ducked the creature again. It screamed again and they held their ears in pain.

"What the hell is an Erinyes?!" Tamara shouted.

"More commonly known as a furie! They usually come to punish people for crimes and sometimes, even drag them to the Underworld!" he called back.

"What crime is it here to punish!?" Greg cried.

"You really want me to answer that with you two?" Neal cried back, as they ducked it again. Neal rolled away and looked around for something to use as a weapon. He found a discarded two x four near a dumpster and stood up, before swiping at it when it went by. It screeched, as he made contact and sent it flying into a building. It angrily bounced back and pursued them again. "Start filming!" Tamara said, as Greg got the camera and took cover behind a parked car, just as two black SUV's pulled up and screeched to a halt. Several people poured out of it and time seemed to stop for a moment, as shock came to them all.

"Neal?" Emma squeaked.

"Emma…"

[bluenpinkcastle]

20240710: the History of LEGO Castle day 192. 7189 Mill Village Raid (2011, 666 pieces, 169 different parts) Mill Village Raid is a farm scene, consisting of a reddish brown barn with dark bluish gray highlights with a brick-built tan roof on two bright light green 8x16 plates and a small dark tan, reddish brown, white, and light bluish gray windmill build on a dark bluish gray plate. The set includes a variety of farm animals, as well as a light bluish gray horse with dark bluish gray spots pulling a reddish brown wagon with reddish brown wagon wheels. The set has six minifigures. Mill Village Raid is a set that lives in infamy, as it introduced the LEGO community to The Goat. You can read about the story on Brick Fanatics. Parts inventory for this set can be found on BrickLink or Rebrickable and a free download of the instructions is available under the "instructions" tab on Rebrickable.