#John Piper has ruined my life

[awfullybigwardrobe44]

need prayer again, please.

[naoa-ao3]

History Reeks

An ancient man, doomed to live forever was cursed by one of John's ancestors. Four thousand years later he meets John and becomes convinced that at last his story will have an end.

I, Piper Caith. 

I once played my flute for the people I knew but I no longer know them now. Those people are long since dead and their names and faces have been forgotten to all but me. 

I find sometimes it grows harder to recall the faces of the people who have come before. My mother's face is a blank void in my mind. I remember warmth and hair and that she was but not the color of her eyes nor the shape of her nose. My father was tall. I remember that and I remember that I had siblings and a woman I loved but they are all so long ago that now they do not come back to me when I call them. 

Only him. 

Only he comes back.

The laughing magician. The cruel fool I once called friend comes back though I try not to call him. His blue eyes and face. . . His golden hair and lies. . . I can't forget them though he has been long dead also.

When I sleep he returns to me, spinning yarns and telling stories. We once called him legend maker for he could make even the most simple of feats into a tale of adventure but they were lies and stories and nothing more. 

Now when I remember his stories I clench my fists for he made me what I am now. It is because of him that I am still here. Because of his cowardice.

Because of him I could not fulfill my role in life. Because of him I have no role in life but that which he gave to me and I hate him for it. 

Him who stole from the gods. . . Him who died an ugly death. My closest friend and most hated enemy. 

Back when we were friends the world was younger, not young but younger than it is now and we lived in huts and drank from rivers and streams. We danced and made love and I played my flute.

My friend laughed.

People still dance and fuck and listen to music though it has been years since I last put my wooden flute to my lips and he has not laughed in many more years.

My friend was vey clever, Eliud was his name and he was always better with the girls than I was. They liked his yellow hair and his smile. They liked the stories he told, his lies and his half truths. Eliud was not a man of honor. He was wild and he had respect for no one and nothing. Only later would I learn how deep that lack of respect ran. Only when it was too late would I know. 

Eliud and I were inseparable. I would have swam the ocean for him but he would not have done the same for me. I knew it then and I convinced myself that I did not care. 

I played my flute and he seduced woman after woman, his smile bright and their eyes keen. I was a good friend even when he was not and then there came Cuna who was lithe and very beautiful. She was the first woman I ever saw Eliud take seriously. Perhaps that was the first omen for it was so unlike him. 

In this modern age I find it had to reconcile with the past. There are gleaming towers of steel and glass and automobiles that travel faster than any horse I have ever known. The earth has been paved over and yet she is not conquered. Perhaps she never will be. . . I live my life now as any man. I work and toil and then drink and at night I sleep alone. Occasionally a woman will come to bed with me but my heart is in the grave. It has been for along time. . . perhaps since my first love.

Eliud had her as well, the bastard couldn't help himself. He must have seen that we were happy but she is no more and neither is he and he ruined any chance I might have had with her anyway when he did what he did to me.

What woman wants a husband who cannot grow old with her? For a few fleeting years she might enjoy it but when time comes for her and he is not along side, she will feel differently and so it was with my love. I never again tried to play husband. 

No, I keep my head down and I play what part I can, always an outsider and always alone. I have accepted that I am something other. 

When i sit and drink among the mortals I feel it the least for when has a man lived that did not enjoy the fruits of the earth? What man would weep at a glass of bitter set before him?

No, drink warms me though I have not had a true friend to share it with in many years. Because of that I sometimes miss Eliud. 

He was after all my dearest friend and I once loved him. 

I think these thoughts as I sit in the smokey pub that has taken the place of wayside inns and taverns in my life. I like this place and I have come here often.

I think of the past that is always with me and the days and people I have known and across the room I hear a laugh from far off days. 

A laugh I have heard many times before and yet not in many years. 

My heart skips and begins to hammer in my chest and I scan the crowd of drinkers for the mouth that spat it forth. 

There. . . Among a group of friends he sits. 

The laughing magician.

I stare at him and drink him in, the wretched sight of him. . . He is smiling as he always smiles and yet I frown for I can see it is not him. There are differences in his face. In his mouth and manner and he is taller than the man I knew. . . Taller than his ancestor. 

He laughs and smokes and I am taken back to outdoor fires and another laughing man. 

This one is a child compared to his years but just the same. I know this face. I know those eyes and I know his most distant father. It could be no one else. This is Eliud's line I am looking at. Nothing else. 

My blood boils and I hate him as he lifts his glass to his mouth and drinks. I hate him so very deeply and yet he is not the man who has wronged me. 

When I can bare it no longer I drain my glass and leave. My hands are shaking outside and I have to cover my mouth with them. 

I am shaken. 

A child of Eliud in this age. . . To think that he could live on in the blood of the modern world. . . It angers me. It isn't right and I am hurt. I have no offspring to be proud of. . . What good could his have been when they spring from the loins of a liar and a thief? This one that laughs as my Eliud did. . . How I despise him already. 

I know it is not fair to him. I do not know this laughing man. The one inside the tavern. . . I know his hated ancestor and I let my anger direct my feelings. I am only a man. . . Only human despite what he has made me. 

I feel small looking at him. 

Time has forgotten me and I tear my eyes from the window so that I do not have to see what remains of my dearest friend. 

I cannot look and so I run home. I hide in my flat as I once did in my hut. I pull blankets over my head like a scared child and I weep for all of the years that have happened and all that threaten to come next. 

When sleep takes me I dream of shifting waves and a small boat, too little to save me. 

It is him who pulls the prow forward. 

Him and his lies and his magic. 

I am helpless before him. 

His laugher is like thunder in my ears and his eyes are like lighting and they scare me.

Then he is struck down and some great hand scoops up my little boat and rescues me from certain death. I am dried and loved and saved and I can feel only relief.

The gods that HE forsook have spared me. I am connected to them now. We are not friends but we do not hate each other. They know I am not the one who has wronged them.

I warm myself, free from my boat only to open my eyes and see him there. . . The man from the pub. 

He looks at me with cool and merciless eyes. He does not know what he looks at and yet he looks and I hate him for it. I want to put out his eyes with my thumbs. I want to press them back into his head until he quakes and bleeds and bends under me. I want him to suffer as I have suffered. 

Hatred makes my heart hurt and the hands that saved me ferry me away once more, sheltering me from his hateful gaze.

A voice whispers to me, a voice I have heard only a few times before. 

"Kill this man and you will be free. 

It will only take one more death. 

His. 

End his wretched line and free yourself. 

We hate him."

The voice is loud and harsh and I quake as it speaks to me yet it makes sense. Something in my chest unwinds and I understand. Killing him will spare me more pain.

"You must kill him where this began."

Where Cuna died and where Eliud betrayed his makers. . . Where I was changed. 

I seize this information and wrap it around my heart. 

I will do as I have been told. 

It will be like killing Eliud.

I will find this man and I will set right what was made wrong so many years ago. 

I awake with a tune I have not played for many a year between my ears and I let it slip forth on my tongue. It sounds in the world for the first time in a millennia and with it I make my vows. 

I will kill the laughing man who so resembles my dear old friend. I will hurt him for that which his ancestor did to me.

I stalk him after this, as I would have once a deer or some prey beast. The man is no better than his ancestor. 

He smiles and lies and talks his way out of things he's talked his way into. 

I hate him.

He reminds me of Eliud and yet I am comforted by his similarity to my old friend. He is not the same but at times I see poor Eliud in him. In his eyes and the muscles of his face. . . Perhaps I miss my friend though I do not want to. 

The man's name is John Constantine. Perhaps that is fitting. The constant one. The constant problem. I have known many men, both good and bad but I have never known one like Eliud. 

This one is close and yet he is older than Eliud ever was. Back then we did not live so long and thirty was elderly and decrepit. This man is past that and so older than my friend grew to be. 

He gambles the same and lies and flirts and at times I am amused by his antics yet each time I think of it I see Eliud again and my certainty is renewed. 

This man must die.

Chapter two is up!

[nightingaelic]

Fallout 4 companions react to meeting Arcade Gannon?

Ever the curious neighbor, as soon as the sole survivor spotted the blonde, bespectacled man at the bar in the Dugout Inn, they drifted over and struck up a conversation. A drink or two later, the two were swapping tales about wasteland encounters, pointing at various holes in their travel clothes and pairing them up with fantastic backstories. When the sole survivor's companion finally swung open the door, they were given an inviting wave.

"Sit down!" the sole survivor encouraged them. "First round's on me. I'd like you to meet Arcade."

Cait: "Hiya handsome." Cait winked at the man in the lab coat and leaned on the bar. "I'm Cait. Never seen you around before. Where is it you're comin' from?"

"I, uh..." Arcade adjusted his glasses and ran a hand through his wavy hair. "West of here. Nowhere in particular."

"A free spirit, then? Just passin' through?" Cait looked him up and down. "Think the Science! Center might be lookin' for a new egghead, if those clothes aren't just for show."

Arcade tugged on his outfit self-consciously. "I thought it might keep Commonwealth raiders from shooting me on sight, if they thought I was a doctor."

Cait bobbed her head in a noncommittal way. "Or they might see you as an easy target. That is, if they don't spot that plasma pistol you've got in your back pocket."

Codsworth: "Hello to you, sir!" Codsworth exclaimed, bobbing excitedly. "Codsworth, at your service. Might I say, it is a fine occasion to meet someone nowadays who appreciates the importance of good hygience and care for one's appearance."

"Thank you," Arcade said, with a somewhat quizzical glance at the sole survivor. "And you belong to..."

"Well, I belong to him just as much as he belongs to me," the sole survivor jumped in to explain.

Codsworth waved them off. "Not to worry, the conventional assumptions are not unwarranted. I am happy to accompany and assist in wasteland adventures as necessary. When not necessary, I typically clean the house."

Curie: "Monsieur Arcade," Curie purred, with the special enthusiasm she reserved for introductions. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. You can call me Curie. Have you been in Diamond City long?"

"Not long at all," Arcade replied, clearly intrigued by Curie's accent. “Parlez-vous français?"

"Oui, Monsieur!" Curie exclaimed. "Le français est si rare de nos jours. Où avez-vous appris?"

"Oh, um... des... des livres, principalement," Arcade stammered. "Books. It's not as good as my Latin, I'm sorry."

"Latin?" Curie switched gears instantly. "Etiam magis rara."

Arcade laughed. "Well, not where I'm from. Who are you? Linguists are practically unicorns, nowadays."

Curie sighed. "It is a long story. Perhaps we wait until Vadim brings the drinks, and we can compare notes?"

Danse: "Ad victoriam, Arcade." Paladin Danse shook the newcomer's hand with gusto. "Paladin Danse, with the Brotherhood of Steel."

Arcade's eyes narrowed. "Brotherhood of Steel?"

"That's correct, citizen," Danse replied proudly.

"Uh-huh." Arcade looked back to the sole survivor. "I had no idea they were in the area. Are you stationed in Diamond City?"

"Brotherhood operations are a strictly classified matter," Danse answered, furrowing his brow. "But our main base of operations is at the Boston airport, where the Prydwen is docked. You can't miss it."

"Well, that explains it." Arcade examined his drink, avoiding eye contact with the Paladin. "I didn't come in from the north. I'm sure it's a sight to see."

Deacon: "Nice to meet you." Deacon declined the handshake, instead crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side. "Nice tan. Been on the road long?"

"Too long," Arcade replied, retracting his hand and returning the calculated look.

Deacon grinned. "Alright, I won't pry. Welcome to Diamond City. Did Vadim try to poison you yet?"

"You watch it, John Doe!" Vadim shot back from halfway down the bar. "Or I call the guards, see if you actually do work the midnight shift, ya?"

"You can walk down to Danny's sign-up sheet for shifts and check yourself!" Deacon's grin grew wider. "And I'll tend bar. We'll see who can do a better job of it."

Dogmeat: Dogmeat approached the man's open hand, which he gave a good sniff. Soap, hot dust, a whiff of plasma cartridges: Nothing out of the ordinary. Satisfied, the dog opened his mouth to pant, tongue lolling, and accepted the scratch behind the ears.

Hancock: "Arcade, huh?" Hancock gave the man a winning smile and took one of the open stools. "I'm Hancock. First time in Diamond City? You're gonna love it here. Vadim and his brother really know how to knock you on the floor."

As if to demonstrate, Vadim delivered three shots of Bobrov's Best to the little group. "On the house," he offered. "Celebrating Mayor Hancock's newest business deal with yours truly."

Hancock threw his back, and when Arcade hesitated, he threw that shot back too. "Next one, buddy."

"Did he say Mayor Hancock?" Arcade asked. "Mayor of Diamond City?"

"Nah, nah." Hancock laughed. "God, wouldn't that be a riot. Ever hear of a town called Goodneighbor?"

MacCready: "Arcade." MacCready shook the man's hand warily. "Like the pre-war places that have a whole bunch of games inside them?"

"Actually, like the..." Arcade made a face. "You know what, never mind. Like the pre-war arcades, yeah."

"Oh, man." MacCready grinned. "There was this one I found once in the Capital Wasteland, mostly broken down of course, but it had one working machine in it. The Red Menace Whac-a-Commie. Someone took the whackers ages ago, but the little Red Menace guys still popped up and down. Duncan- my son- loved it."

Arcade chuckled. "Yeah, they're... they're fun. I found a Hoop Shot once, but the basketballs were all dried-up and flat."

"Gotta get yourself a Pip-Boy," MacCready replied, nudging the sole survivor's shoulder affectionately. "This one has a collection of mini-games for theirs. Atomic Command, Grognak & the Ruby Ruins, Pipfall... all the greats. Oh, I'm MacCready, by the way."

Valentine: "Nick Valentine. Pleased to meet you." Nick shook the man's extended hand with practiced warmth, giving him time to realize the metal grasp he offered was not a cybernetic, and the scar around his jawline was actually just where his synthetic skin ended.

True to form, the stranger's eyebrows shot up, his grip slackened and his mouth dropped open. "You're a... what are you?"

Nick gave him the standard line. "I'm a detective. But, if you're referring to the plastic and platinum bits, I'm also a synthetic man. All the parts, minus a few red blood cells."

"Whoa." Instead of the typical scramble to put some distance between the two of them, Nick was surprised to find Arcade's handshake tighten again at this explanation. "I've heard of people like you, but never thought I'd actually meet one. Er, well, one that was obviously living as a synth. Though I guess you don't have much of a choice, huh?"

Piper: "Arcade? Piper Wright." The reporter shook the newcomer's hand firmly. "So, what's your story? What brings you to the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth?"

"I uh..." Arcade looked flustered, despite Piper's encouraging smile.

The sole survivor came to his defense. "Leave him be, Piper, he just got into town," they scolded playfully.

"What?" Piper asked innocently. "Can't the town reporter ask questions around here without everyone telling me I'm being too nosy?"

"No."

"Town reporter?" Arcade perked up. "Is that your newspaper, on the way in? Public... something?"

"Publick Occurrences," Piper answered with pride. "Covering anything and everything worth hearing about that happens in the Commonwealth."

Preston: "Welcome to Diamond City, Arcade." Preston shook the man's hand warmly. "I'm Preston Garvey with the Commonwealth Minutemen."

"Minutemen?" Arcade asked, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

"We're citizen soldiers," Preston explained. "The people of the Commonwealth banding together to protect ourselves and decide our own future."

"So sort of like a free state?" Arcade straightened up. "Or do you have some kind of command structure?"

"Command structure." Preston chuckled and glanced at the sole survivor. "You're looking at it."

Strong: "Strong need to get moving," the super mutant replied, rubbing his big hands together. "Milk of human kindness not here."

Arcade took the mutant in with the air of someone who had dealt with somewhat-friendly specimens before. "I can ask the bartender if they have brahmin milk."

The sole survivor waved him off. "No, that's not what he-"

"Puny humans do not have milk!" Strong cut in.

"Wait, milk of human kindness?" Arcade looked confused. "Is that... Macbeth?"

The sole survivor sighed. "It's a long story."

X6-88: "Good afternoon." Rather than sit down, X6-88 adopted a protective stance of the sole survivor, completely ignoring the hand Arcade was offering. "I hope you know that if harm comes to this individual, your life will come to a swift end."

"Uh-huh." Arcade retracted his hand. "Bodyguard?"

"Of a sort."

Arcade turned to the sole survivor instead. "Is he always this much of a stick in the mud?"

They shrugged. "He's protective and slow to trust. Give him a bit and keep your hands where he can see them, you'll be fine."

X6-88 nodded. "Affirmative."

BONUS!

Ada: "Hello sir." Ada nodded her head in greeting. "I am Ada. I hope you are enjoying your stay in Diamond City. Did you experience any trouble getting to the stadium?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Arcade replied. "Sorry, you're an amalgamation I haven't seen before. Sentry bot and protectron parts for sure, but your head is..."

"An assaultron," Ada filled in helpfully. "I take it your region does not have many of these bots?"

"No, they seem to be more of an East Coast thing."

"Just don't get on her bad side," the sole survivor joked. "You don't want to be on the receiving end of an assaultron laser."

Gage: "Well hi there!" Porter shook Arcade's hand forcefully. "Porter Gage. Talked you into trying some of this swill, did they? Brave soul."

"It's not so bad," Arcade replied with a smirk.

"Oh sure, if you're lucky enough to have Scarlett bring it to you." Porter winked at the waitress, who paused in her service to flip him the bird.

"Mmm, not my type," Arcade admitted.

"Not your ty-" Porter blurted before putting two and two together. "Oh, gotcha. Well, there's always Hawthorne."

The raider waved to the adventurer in the corner, who waved back. Arcade sank as deeply into his stool as he could and blushed.

Longfellow: "Mmm." Old Longfellow rejected Arcade's handshake and took the offered seat, swinging around to face the bar. "Storm's comin' soon. Can smell it."

"Then it's a good thing we're inside," Arcade replied, his tone unsure.

Longfellow grunted his agreement and accepted the drink Vadim slid to him, downing it quickly.

The sole survivor scowled at him. "Guess he's not in a talkative mood today."

Maxson: "Elder Arthur Maxson of the East Coast Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel." Maxson shook Arcade's hand confidently.

Arcade, on the other hand, looked like he was being violently pulled between an instinct to flee and an intense curiosity. Curiosity won out. "Maxson? Of the line of Captain Roger Maxson?"

"High Elder Roger Maxson," the Elder corrected him. "You know of him?"

"Well sure, everybody on the West Co-" Arcade stopped himself. "Never mind. What's an Elder doing in a dive like this?"

Maxson studied him intently, clearly sizing him up. "Shore leave," he finally answered, sliding into the offered seat.

Desdemona: Desdemona smiled coolly. "I know."

The answer took Arcade aback, but the sole survivor just rolled their eyes. "Dispense with the power plays for once, Dez. We're just trying to have a drink."

The Railroad leader raised an eyebrow, but she sat down. "Suit yourself. When did you arrive in town, Mr. Gannon?"

"Oh, for the love of..."

Arcade eyed her suspiciously. "I don't remember telling you my full name."

Desdemona lit up a cigarette. "You didn't. But I'm by far the friendliest person in the Commonwealth who's wondering why a Follower of the Apocalypse is all the way out here, across the continent."

[magnusmysteries]

Part 3: The Wheel of Fear

The Magnus Archives was a horror podcast. It is now completed. Many of the show’s mysteries were never explained on the show. I intend to explain them. Spoilers for the show, but also spoilers if you wanna solve these mysteries yourself.

In the Architecture of Fear Smirke talks about a great wheel of fear. He talks of the fourteen powers, each with their opposites and their allies. I think Smirke believed the fourteen fears could be arranged in a circle, and that two fears on opposite sides of the circle are opposites. 

In Old Passages there is a circular room with fourteen corridors leading out of it and a datestone that says “Robert Smirke. 1835. Balance and Fear.” I think each corridor represents a fear, with opposing fears placed opposite each other. The building is supposed to balance and thereby neutralize the fears. I think it works to some extent. In End of the Tunnel there is a similar structure. This one was damaged by a bomb during World War 2. This ruined the balance, and the Dark got out.

In Family Business Gerard says some fears really clash with each other, while others can blend together.

I tried to work out how Smirke arranged his fears on the wheel. I looked for episodes where two fears seemed to blend together and put them next to each other. With some fears it is fairly obvious they are neighbors, if you look for the clues. Others connections are harder to spot. I tried a few versions of the wheel that didn’t feel completely right. But then I found a version where suddenly lots of things clicked. It explained why the web table could trap the Not-Then, why Robert Monthauk’s ritual banished the darkness monster and things like that. I think this is the correct wheel:  

Description of image: A circle with 14 spots similar to a clock. On each spot is a number and the name of a power: 1. Corruption. 2. Desolation. 3. Hunt. 4. Slaughter. 5. End. 6. Lonely. 7. Stranger. 8. Flesh. 9. Spiral. 10. Buried. 11. Dark. 12. Vast. 13. Eye. 14. Web.

Here is how powers overlap:

Corruption and Desolation 

Desolation deals with suffering and loss of loved ones, and disease can cause both of those things.

Asag is a god of both fire and disease.

John Amherst is an avatar of both powers. There is fire in every episode he appears. In Taken Ill the old folks home he managed burns. It appears it was burned by Trevor and Julia, but this is misdirection. Amherst burned it himself. In Pest Control Amherst is burned, yet survives. In the Tale of A Field Hospital Jonathan notices the statement is charred. He speculates this happened when Gertrude burned the book. But I think the book spontaneously combusted. In A Cozy Cabin we learn that Gertrude is very much against burning books in the archives, and would have been more careful and not ruined the statement. And in Rotten Core Adelard says he will sit on Amherst’s throne and burn himself and it. I think that was a very bad idea, more on that in a later post.

In Squirm the protagonist, after being infected by worms, burns his own apartment down. He is influenced by Corruption/Desolation.

Desolation and Hunt 

You can run from a hunter and you can run from fire.

Vampires are Hunt, Desolation and Corruption. In Vampire Killer we learn that vampires burn very easily. Because of the Desolation.

Why do vampires have a long bloodsucking tongue? Because the Corruption deals with mosquitoes.

There is a hint about the vampire-mosquito connection in Dead Horse; “That night the mosquitos were out in force, thick with fever, and hungry for our blood. I did my best to simply ignore them, safe as I was in my net. But over in Raleigh’s tent I kept hearing a sporadic thumping, or clapping sound, as if he were killing them with his bare hands. When I asked him about it the next day, he simply told me he had inside him a strong and enduring hatred of bloodsuckers.”

And then later: “Now, he and his crew were pinning the things that looked like men to trees, with long, iron spikes. They thrashed, and struggled, and a long, bulbous tongue hung from their throats, pinned by the iron of von Toll’s men. “I cannot stand bloodsuckers,” Raleigh said approvingly, as he conversed quietly with Baron von Toll in French.”

Also in Vampire Killer, the vampire offers rotten fruit to Trevor. Her house is dusty, a book Trevor picks up is damp and moldy and the bed is musty. 

Hunt and Slaughter 

The similarities are obvious.

Several of the Slaughter episodes have music that makes people go violent: The Piper, Strange Music, Grifter’s Bone, Civilian Casualties, Nemesis.  Total War had singing corpses. Two hunter episodes also had music connection. First Hunt has the werewolf whistling “A-hunting-we-shall go”. Thrill of the Chase had the protagonist tapping her foot as if to music right before the violence started.

Thrill of The Chase is a Hunt/Slaughter episode. The Man in the mask is like a serial killer from a movie, very Slaughter. But it is a wolf mask, very Hunt.

Slaughter and End

People die in war.

Absent Without Leave covers both fears. Slaughter obviously, but it is also about the inevitableness of death.

Many Slaughter episodes deal with the living dead. And they usually seem to have a horrible existence: The guy getting stabbed in the Smell of Blood. All the soldiers fused together that shot Melanie. The dead people in Grifter’s Bone that had to fight each other. The dead woman in Absent without a leave. The corpses in the tunnel in the same episode. This makes people fear death since they don’t wanna end up like that.

The End also has the skin book which similarly makes people live after death, and it is agony. And Oliver Banks was alive after death.

In Total War, a Slaughter episode, the statement giver says he could believe he was dead and in hell. 

End And Lonely 

You’re all alone when you’re dead I guess.

In the episode Alone, the statement giver is almost drawn into an empty grave. Very End. 

There is also a ghost in that episode. So life after death, like with the End and the Slaughter.

The Lucas family only meet for funerals.

From Boatswain’s call, regard Peter Lukas: “His eyes only moved a fraction of an inch to focus on me, but it felt as though the movement had the weight of a heavy stone door. Like a tomb. Don’t know why that’s what popped into my head, but there you go.”

Lonely and Stranger 

If everyone is a stranger to you, you are lonely.

Lost in the Crowd and Monologue are Lonely/Stranger episodes.

Stranger and Flesh 

Stranger deals with objects that behave like people. Flesh deals with thinking people are just flesh, an object.

Anatomy Class is a Stranger/Flesh episode.

Flesh and Spiral 

Thinking you are just meat is a kind of madness.

In Killing Floor the protagonist is lost in a slaughterhouse maze, very Flesh and Spiral. He also walks a spiral staircase at some point.

I think Jared Hopworth is both Flesh and Spiral. Many reasons for him being Spiral: First: He prays on people with mental problems, body dysmorphia, anorexia etc.

Second: In The Butcher’s Window he twists a bone into a spiral and inserts it in himself.

Third: The book The Boneturner's Tale makes nearby books bleed. I think objects that bleed, that should not have blood, is a sign of the Spiral. The door handle in a Sturdy Lock bled. The tree in Burned Out bled. I think the tree is Spiral, much more on that in another post. Books, door handles and trees that bleed are all impossible, madness. Some might object that blood also fits with the Flesh, but the Flesh is actually fairly into cleanliness. I’ll explain why below.  

Fourth: when Michael Crew is tormented by the Spiral he tries to escape by using the Boneturner’s Tale. “...but when I tried to shift the bits of myself I thought might set me free, the only shapes I could form with them were laced with that horrid, hunting fractal.” You can’t escape from the Spiral by using a book of the Spiral.

Mary Keay seems to think the book that drops bones is of the Flesh “Just a bit of viscera. Poems about dying animals...” The book is part Flesh, hence the dying animals, but is also Spiral. If you see a book producing bones you’d think you’d gone mad right? 

Also in Old Passages, the bone book is stored in the room corresponding to the Spiral. The floor of that room’s corridor apparently bleeds. “I put my hand onto the floor to push myself up, and it came away faintly tinged with red.” There is a mummified hand in the Spiral room, hands are often an element with the Spiral. Think of the Distortion’s hands, or the Worker-in-Clay’s weird hands, or the hands coming out of the pot in Lost and Found. After entering the room, the statement giver gets very confused. He says his memories start to blur, and he ends up apparently taking the wrong door several times. That’s the Spiral messing with his mind and making him lost.

The demon In Confession and Desecrated Host might be of Spiral/Flesh. Or it might be the two Fears working together. More on that in a later post.

Spiral and Buried 

Strong claustrophobia can be irrational, a mental problem. The Spiral includes the fear of getting lost, and you can get lost in a cave.

The Distortion has a yellow door that is a portal to impossible places. The Coffin is yellow and is a portal to an impossible place.

Held in Customs is Buried/Spiral. Time behaved differently for the protagonist, typically Spiral. John says the protagonist got Alzheimer, but it is the Spiral messing with his memories.

Lost Johns’ Cave is Buried/Spiral/Dark. The protagonist's memories are all wrong, the Spiral has changed them. And the cave is a maze. Mazes are spiral. The statement giver is a big fan of darkness.

Buried and Dark 

Caves are dark and cramped. The ocean is dark and choking.

Lights Out is Buried/Dark. Quote: “I was in the Sandman’s sack. (...) The darkness pressed in, and seemed to fill my mouth, my nose.” Also the Sandman spills sand from his mouth, similar to how people chocked on sand in Dust to Dust and how the man spit out mud in We All Ignore The Pit.

Submerged is Buried/Dark. The protagonist is in danger of drowning but there are lots of references to darkness: The lights at the lawyer office don't work because the lightbulb is filled with water. There is thunder but no lightning, that is there are no lights in the sky. There are no street lights or lights on in the other houses. Water is described as dark and murky. The lights of the cars come on, to show dark shapes moving in the water. Quote about the water: "It would wrap itself around me, reach down my throat and fill me with its choking darkness." The water is murky. Dark water is also in several Dark episodes: a Father Love, Nightfall, Tucked In and the Movement of the Heavens. 

Dark and Vast 

The ocean is dark and vast. Space is dark and vast.

High Pressure is a Dark/Vast/Buried episode. The space the protagonist enters seems too dark. The vastness of the underwater space and the size of the creature is Vast. The enormous pressure is Buried.

In Big Picture we learned that Hailey, of the Dark, helped make the diving bell for the Vast ritual.

In Old Passages the first corridor the statement giver is in, is of the Buried. He keeps thinking the corridor is getting narrower. When he gets to the circular room he looks down the other doorways. One makes him feel like he’s gonna fall into it. One is exceptionally dark. It’s the corridors of the Vast and the Dark. They would be the corridors next to the Buried, the first doorways the statement giver would look into.

Vast and Eye 

From The Coming Storm, Mike Crew discussing the Vast and the Eye: “We have a lot in common, really. After all, what, what good’s the height, the terrifying draw of gravity, unless you, unless you really know the scale of what you’re facing?”

In The Architecture of Fear an enormous Eye fills the sky.

In Twice as Bright Jude says of Michael Crew “...he’s closer to your lot than mine.” Meaning the Vast is closer to the Eye than the Desolation.

Quote from Jurgen Leitner: “Imagine, you are an ant, and you have never before seen a human. Then one day, into your colony, a huge fingernail is thrust, scraping and digging. You flee to another entrance, only to be confronted by a staring eye gazing at you. You climb to the top, trying to find escape and, above you, can see the vast dark shadow of a boot falling upon you. Would that ant be able to construct these things into the form of a single human being? Or would it believe itself to be under attack by three different, equally terrible, but very distinct assailants?”

Jurgen is referencing four powers here, the eye is the Eye. The boot is the Vast and the Dark. The digging fingernail is the Buried. And these four powers are next to each other, so in a way they are the same.

When Jurgen said this he was compelled by John. John did not know that he was compelling Jurgen, but Jurgen did know. Jurgen seemed to not want to give too much information. He was perhaps worried John would learn that destroying the archives would kill John. That Leitner, indirectly, was planning to kill John. So Leitner talked in riddles. That way he could give into the compulsion without John getting wiser.

Eye and Web

Both powers can seem passive, waiting and watching. Spiders have eight eyes.

The Book A Guest for Mister Spider is part Eye. Mr. Spider has eight eyes of all shapes and sizes.

Archivists are Eye/Web. First, the way they compel people to speak is very Web. 

Second, the ancient archivist in Alexandria had long spindly fingers. Like spider legs. In Web Development Annabelle Cane is also described as having long spindly fingers. In Thought For The Day Annabelle moves her fingers along the wall, “...like a spider”.

Third, In Doomed Voyage, after John takes Floyd’s statement, Floyd seems confused. John tried to soothe him. Then John says “It’s alright, Floyd. You just need a break.” Floyd says “Yeah. Sure”. I think John was mind controlling Floyd. I think there is a little static when John speaks. Static on the tape often indicates that something magic is happening.  

In Heavy Goods John tells Breekon “Stop”. Breekon is upset. Then John extracts a statement from Breekon’s mind. I think John mind controlled Breekon to stand still. There’s definitely a lot of static.

In Infectious Doubts Gertrude tells Arthur that he can try to leave. It seems he tries but is unable to. I think Gertrude is mind controlling him to stay. 

Web and Corruption 

Insects and spiders are similar. Probably many people afraid of one of them are also afraid of the other.

In Hive Jane Prentiss talks about the song of the hive that affects her. She says webs has a song as well.

Each fear has an opposite:

The Corruption vs. The Flesh 

Because rot harms meat.

The Flesh tends to be very clean. The student in Anatomy Class cleaned up all the blood they spilled. The slaughterhouse maze in killing Floor was very clean. This is to combat the Corruption.

The Man Upstairs was about a Flesh avatar being attacked by the corruption.

I think Blood Bag was also about the Corruption versus the Flesh. More on than in a later post.

The Desolation vs. The Spiral

I’ll explain why they are opposed in a later post, when I get to Hill Top Road.

The Hunt vs. The Buried

The Hunt is a lot about running from a predator. Can’t run in a cramped space.

When Daisy was in the Buried she was freed from the Hunt. It could not reach her there, because it was an opposite force.

The Slaughter vs. The Dark

I’ll explain why they are opposites in the next post.

In The Piper the Slaughter kills Jonathan Rayner of the Dark.

In A Father’s Love the father performs a ritual that involves killing many people. The ritual destroys the darkness monster that is coming for his daughter. I think this worked because it was a ritual of the Slaughter, the opposite of the Dark. The father is chanting as he stabs the human heart. The Slaughter is often associated with music. 

The End vs. The Vast

From Dead Woman Walking, Georgie talking about the End: “The promise of a cold and lonely eternity in the grave would have been a mercy; at least it would be eternal. But everything ends, even the universe, even time. (...) ...the monumental realization of the scale we existed on. Not the meaningless vastness of the universe, but the… the smallness of it.” Sounds like the opposite of the Vast.

I think the Vast also deals with the fear of eternity. First: notice how Georgie said eternity would be a mercy. 

Second: notice how old Simon Fairchild was.

Third: In Submerged we learn that Gertrude threw Jan Kilbride’s body into the pit to disrupt the Buried ritual. John says “But Gertrude also realized that the body need not be alive. Or in one piece. She thought it was a mercy. It wasn’t.” I think this means she chopped up the body, but Jan was still alive. Jan was touched by the Vast. I think this had made him immortal, to make him fear eternity. 

Fourth: In Personal Space a door in password to the door is E109GHT8. Someone on the Magnus subreddit figured out what it means. It refers to the three fears that owned the space station, the Lonely, the Dark and the Vast. For the Lonely, the 10 should be read like lo, and the beginning of the nine as n, giving is elon, sounding like alone. For the Dark, the 9 sounds like ni, making 9GHT sound like night. For the Vast, the 8 sideways is an infinity symbol 

Fifth: in Freefall, when the guy is falling through infinite sky, his watch has stopped and he doesn’t know how long he has fallen. It feels like hours or days. But when he returns it has not been that long. The spiral messes with time to make people doubt their sanity. The Vast does it to make people fear eternity. 

Sixth, quote from A Matter of Perspective: “I don’t know how long I was floating for. I know it was less than a billion years, which is barely a heartbeat in the life of the universe, so how can it really be said to matter? The stars began to wink out, one by one, and I thought – perhaps for a second, perhaps for a hundred years…”

I believe the immortal gamblers from Cheating Death, Section 31 and Burial rites, were not of the End, like John thought, but of the Vast. They didn’t want to die at first, hence they gambled for life. That is the choice they made to embrace the Vast. But later they become afraid not of death, but the opposite, of not dying. The mummy in the pyramid tried to stab itself to death. The gambler in Section 31 tried to shoot himself. There is a symbol of infinity on the pyramid. 

In High Pressure, the statement begins and ends with the statement giver saying she should be dead. She didn’t die because she was touched by the Vast.

The Stranger vs The Web 

The Stranger makes dolls, puppets etc. into living things. The Web does the opposite, makes living people into puppets.

In Heavy Goods Breekon says of the Spider “It knows too much to truly be a stranger.” The Stranger has the Unknowing, a ritual based on not knowing things.  

The Web table trapped a creature of the Stranger. Quote from Jonathan after he smashed the table: “Smash the table, kill the monster, stupid! Lazy, sloppy assumption. Of course the table was binding it. The table is webs and spiders. Spiders are something else. They don’t help each other, they oppose, they… they weaken.”

In Nightfall Officer Musterman tells John he doesn’t know who is listening to the tapes, but that he doesn’t like it. The tapes are Web and Mustermann is Stranger.

In Angler Fish, the Stranger targets smokers. Smokers, like other addicts, are weak to the Web. So the Stranger isn’t just getting victims, it is fighting the Web.

The Eye vs. The Lonely 

Because if you’re watched you’re not alone.

In Personal Space, there is a camera apparently recording the lonely astronaut. But then he finds out the wires of the camera were severed from the start. So it is scary for the astronaut that no-one was watching him, the opposite of the Eye.

But if every fear has an opposite, what about the Extinction? Find out next post.

[snailg0th]

TMA PLAYLIST!

hey party people! i made an absolutely MASSIVE entity playlists and thought i would share!

Here’s the song breakdown by entity if you want to separate it out into different entities!

The Corruption

- i’ll let it burn / kanaya

- first love late spring / mitski

- geyser / mitski

- me and my husband / mitski

- liquid smooth / mitski

- an unhealthy obsession / the blake robinson synthetic orchestra

- like real people do / hozier

- arms tonite / mother mother

- spiral of ants / lemon demon

- always forever / cults

- i wanna be adored / king woman

- in a week / hozier

- lovers are strangers / michelle gurevich

- first six moths of love / michelle gurevich

- where the watermelons rot / madelynne whitt

- loved / fein

- the masochism tango / tom lehrer

- high school sweethearts / melanie martinez

- earthworms / elliot lee

The Lonely

- ghosting / mother mother

- cellophane / fka twigs

- two slow dancers / mitski

- last words of a shooting star / mitski

- you missed my heart / phoebe bridgers

- writer in the dark / lorde

- liability / lorde

- sick of losing soulmates / dodie

- ribs / lorde

- i exist i exist i exist / flatsound

- how to never stop being sad / dandelion hands

- teenage hurt / oscar lang

- feels like we’re dying / johnny goth

- lonesome town / ricky nelson

- the ghost has no home / cocteau twins, harold budd

- heavy heart / you am i

- scott street / phoebe bridgers

- get lonely / the mountain goats

- i’m tired, you’re lonely / liza anne

- emptiness is a closet full of your clothes / wishing

- butterfly’s repose / zabawa

- xanny / billie eilish

The Slaughter

- thermodynamic lawyer esq / will wood and the tapeworms

- bloody nose / jack conte

- hand me my shovel, i’m going in! / will wood and the tapeworms

- problems / mother mother

- molly / mindless self indulgence

- resurrection / gank

- little pistol / mother mother

- my axe / icp

- to catch a predator / icp

- piggie pie / icp

- egirls are ruining my life / corpse

- i cant decide / scissor sisters

- brutus / the buttress

- thank you for the venom / my chemical romance

- you know what they do to guys like us in prison / my chemical romance

- teenagers / my chemical romance

- shitlist / l7

- lose your head / nova twins

- cop car / mitski

- pumped up kicks / foster the people

- mary / the happy fits

- 6 feet / scarlxrd

- war song / imad royal

- twist the knife / that handsome devil

The Spiral

- kitchen fork / jack conte

- stupid horse / 100 gecs

- a crows trial / vane lily

- hidden in the sand / tally hall

- stuff is way / they might be giants

- baby hotline / jack stauber

- for the departed / shatter james

- touch tone telephone / lemon demon

- they’re coming to take me away / sloppy jane

- anytime you smile / jt music

- tic toc / mother mother

- pretty little head / eliza rickman

- happy pills / weathers

- beware the friendly stranger / boards of canada

- dream / the pied pipers

- spiraling shape / they might be giants

- smile / maisie peters

- laughing on the outside / bernadette carroll

The Stranger

- stalkers tango / autoheart

- puppet loosely strung / the correspondents

- a mask of my own face / lemon demon

- sex with a ghost / teddy hyde

- bang! / ajr

- under my skin / jukebox the ghost

- turn the lights off / tally hall

- break my mind / dagames

- community gardens / the scary jokes

- mr capgras encounters a second hand / will wood and the tapeworms

- mama / my chemical romance

- have you seen my sister evelyn? / evelyn evelyn

- a campaign of shock and awe / evelyn evelyn

- my mom / kimya dawson

- who are you, really? / mikky echo

- kalinka / golden ring ensemble

- russian sailors dance / golden ring ensemble

- we’ll meet again / vera lynn

- carousel / melanie martinez

- this is the freakshow! / open minded

- the greatest show unearthed / creature feature

The Flesh

- blood and bones / the blake robinson synthetic orchestra

- the dismemberment song / blue kid

- i love you like an alcoholic / the taxpayers

- body / mother mother

- blood / my chemical romance

- body terror song / ajj

- skin / marriages

- four teeth / true widow

- tongues and teeth / the crane wives

- cannibal / tally hall

- pork soda / the glass animals

- alligator teeth / mother falcon

- animal skin / bryan dunn

- flowers of flesh and blood / nicole dollanganger

The Hunt

- it will come back / hozier

- in the woods somewhere / hozier

- hayloft / mother mother

- trrst / ic3peak

- oblivion / grimes

- i love you like an alcoholic / the taxpayers

- dear dictator / saint motel

- to my enemies / saint motel

- shaking like an animal / crash kings

- dog teeth / nicole dollanganger

- curses / the cranewives

- that unwanted animal / the amazing devil

- animal impulses / iamx

- go get your gun / the dear hunter

- i’m always walking as somebody else / american murder song

- come along / cosmo sheldrake

- the hunter / adam jensen

The Eye

- evil eye / franz ferdinand

- never meant to know / tally hall

- dirty imbecile / the happy fits

- lent / autoheart

- problems / mother mother

- southern eye / marriages

- wisdom / mother mother

- the fine print / the stupendium

- it’s tough to be a god / annapantsu

- ruler of everything / tally hall

- one eye open / lola blanc

- the competition / kimya dawson

- i see you / phoebe bridgers

- somebody’s watching me / rockwell

The Web

- silver platters / les gold

- puppet loosely strung / the correspondents

- the spiders face / emilie autumn

- twisted threads / the mechanisms

- spider in the roses / sonia leigh, daphne willis, rob the man

- lean on me / yerin baek

- shame / mitski

- devils flesh and bones / eliza rickman

The Dark

- there’s a girl in the corner / the twilight sad

- living with the black dog / emma ruth rundle

- i was all over her / sylvia palth

- welcome and goodbye / dream, ivory

- you are the coffin / flatsound

- into the unknown / the blasting company

- salem / fox academy

- i’m a member of the midnight crew / eddie morton

- sleep awake / mother mother

- no light, no light / florence and the machine

- oh ana / mother mother

- queen of darkness / ugress

The End

- for the departed / shayfer james

- achilles come down / gang of youths

- the end / sibyelle baier

- exit music / radiohead

- sex with a ghost / teddy hyde

- 13 angels standing guard round the side of your bed / silver my zion

- zombie / bad wolves

- old black train / the blasting company

- graveyard / lucy schwartz

- hangout at the gallows / father john misty

- holes in your coffin / phildel

- i’ll die anyways / girl in red

The Desolation

- turtleneck / the national

- relay / fiona apple

- a burning hill / mitski

- burn / king woman

- burning pile / mother mother

- lighting myself on fire / jukebox the ghost

- burn him down! / kitsch club

- mouth of the devil / mother mother

- high tide rising / fox

- the fire / griffinilla

- fire with fire / aliceband

- inferno pt 2 / the buttress

- all the good girls go to hell / billie eilish

- burning down the house / talking heads

- arsonists lullaby / hozier

- play with fire / sam tinnesz

- fire / delta rae

The Buried

- my heart is buried in venice / rick montgomery

- dirty night clowns / chris garneau

- hand me my shovel, i’m going in! / will wood and the tapeworms

- the mind electric / miracle musical

- bit by bit / mother mother

- weight of the world / shayfer james

- bury a friend / billie eilish

- my love took me down to the river to silence me / little green cars

- the devil went to georgia / the charlie daniels band

- jesse got trapped in a coal mine / goodnight, texas

- sisyphus / andrew bird

- bottom of the river / delta rae

- you’re dead / norma tanega

- ain’t no rest for the wicked / cage the elephant

- work song / hozier

- bury me / the hunting project

[scotianostra]

On December 28th 1734 Scotland's famous outlaw, Rob Roy MacGregor, died at home in his bed. 

Sir Walter Scott, portrayed Rob Roy as a dashing and chivalrous outlaw.  Of course, the truth was a little less glamorous. Robert acquired the name of ‘Roy’ early in life due to his mop of red curly hair. In the early eighteenth century, Rob Roy MacGregor had established a protection racket, charging farmers an average 5% of their annual rent to ensure that their cattle remained safe. He had complete control over Argyll, Stirling and Perth and could guarantee that any cattle stolen from his customers would be returned to them. Those who did not pay regretted it …as he had them stripped of all they possessed. Rob Roy was not a man to argue with!

He was certainly no Robin Hood character.

Robert MacGregor, was baptized March 7th, 1671, at Buchanan, Stirlingshire. His parents were Donald Glas MacGregor and Margaret Campbell. He was also descended from the Macdonalds of Keppoch through his paternal grandmother. Rob’s father, Donald MacGregor, a younger brother of the chief of the clan MacGregor, received a military commission from the deposed King James II after the Glorious Revolution. 

Rob was a freebooter with uncertain loyalty to James VII and was also engaged in cattle stealing and blackmail. When the penal laws against the MacGregors were reintroduced in 1693, Rob took the name of Campbell. Since his lands lay between those of the rival houses of Argyll and Montrose, for a time he was able to play one off against the other to his own advantage. James Graham, 1st duke of Montrose, succeeded in entangling him in debt, and by 1712 Rob was ruined. So Rob embarked on a career of brigandage, chiefly at the expense of Montrose. During the Jacobite rebellion of 1715, he was distrusted by both sides and plundered each impartially. After the rebellion was put down, he was treated leniently because of the intercession of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll. In his old age Rob became a Roman Catholic. His letters show that he was well educated; the view of him as a mere brutish highwayman seems not to do him justice.

In January 1693, at Corrie Arklet farm near Inversnaid, he married Mary MacGregor of Comar, who was born at Leny Farm, Strathyre. The couple had four sons: James Mor – big Jimmie -MacGregor, Ranald and Robert, violent men in their own right, but that is another story

The most controversial claim concerns Roy’s behaviour during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 when he allegedly betrayed his clan by acting as a paid agent to help the Hanoverian army. Previously, he had been regarded as a staunch supporter of the Jacobite cause and led his clan during the first uprising at the Battle of Killiecrankie. His involvement led to government mercenaries burning down his house.  

The sept of MacGregor claimed a descent from Gregor, or Gregorius, third son, it is said, of Alpin King of Scots, who flourished about 787. Hence their original patronymic is MacAlpine, and they are usually termed the Clan Alpine. They are accounted one of the most ancient clans in the Highlands and it is certain they were of original Celtic descent.

Rob Roy was eventually caught and imprisoned,. thrown into London's Newgate Prison to await transportation to the colonies as a "bonded servant," in other words, little more than a slave. In 1726, whilst still at Newgate he received a full Royal pardon and returned to Scotland there to live out his last few years. This he did and lived the rest of his life as a peaceful, law abiding citizen… apart from the odd duel or two.

Legend has it that when Rob was lying on his death bed awaiting his maker an old foe-man of his came calling upon him. Upon hearing this Rob rose from his death-bed and armed himself to the hilt. 

"Never let it be said that any enemy of MacGregor ever saw him defenceless and unarmed," were purportedly his words. When the offending person had been shown the door, Rob is reported as supposedly saying: "Now it is all over - let the piper play "Ha til mi tulidh (we return no more)," and before the lilt of the tune had drawn to an end, he slipped away............

I know many people see Rob Roy, as I said above, as some sort of Robin Hood, but others see him as a traitor and a spy, the truth is we will never know the full story, the Walter Scott version is in my opinion romantic tosh, but it sold books for the man and gave Rob Roy and  legendary status in Scotland and around the world.

Every telling of Rob Roy's story I read nowadays has a different slant, as the years roll by I try to give a slightly different slant on his life, it is up to the reader to believe their own version and to seek out more about the Legend.

[longitudinalwaveme]

How Not to Write the Flashes and Their Rogues, Part 3 (The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, The Flash: Rebirth 2009, and the New 52)

The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive was written by the writers of the 1990s Flash TV show, who weren’t terribly familiar with the comic at the time. And unfortunately, it shows: 

Bart Allen was aged up four years and turned into a dour, unlikable jerk. 

The original Trickster, and, more importantly, the Pied Piper, were written as apparently willing accessories to murder. (Luckily, Geoff Johns would undo this later). 

A random murder was retconned into Captain Cold’s reformed period for no particularly good reason. 

Captain Cold, Heat Wave, the Weather Wizard, and McCulloch agreed to follow the leadership of Inertia, despite the fact that Inertia was a) a speedster, something Cold despises on principle, and b) about sixteen years old. 

Abra Kadabra was working with the Rogues in spite of the fact that he’s usually a solo operative. 

All of these characters (except Bart, obviously) were involved in the horrible murder of Bart Allen.  

From what I understand, Inertia was also made much more “muhahaha”-style evil than he had been in previous appearances by Mark Waid, so he too was somewhat out-of-character. 

It was followed shortly thereafter by Countdown to Infinite Crisis, which ruined basically everything it touched: 

Most notably as far as Flash characters are concerned, it had Piper and Trickster (James) acting incredibly hostilely towards one another in spite of the fact that they had always been friends before. 

James was made into an idiot (though I did admittedly like his hand puppets). 

James was then murdered in front of Piper, who then had to drag his dead body around the desert and almost died. Poor Piper. About the only good thing this story did for either of them was have the Piper use Queen music to blow up Apocalypse. (The reveal that he can control the Anti-Life Equation was also pretty cool, although nothing much has ever been done with it.) 

That mess was followed by Rogues’ Revenge, which, while a bit violent for my tastes, didn’t have anyone acting excessively out-of-character, and Blackest Night, which I’ve already covered. That being said, there is another problem with Johns’ original Flash run that I forgot to address: namely, the fact that James seems out-of-character. The idea of him working for the FBI at all is odd, and the fact that he’s so serious and so hostile towards, for example, the Pied Piper makes it even worse. Secret Agent JJ could’ve been a fun plot, but as it was handled, it didn’t work for his character. After a brief Waid run that was mostly notable for introducing the older versions of Wally’s twins, Jai and Irey, Johns took over again with the Flash: Rebirth, which introduced a few changes I’m not crazy about: 

First, it gave Barry his new backstory where his mother had been killed by the Reverse-Flash, who subsequently framed his father for it. His father was sent to prison, and Barry became a police scientist to prove his father’s innocence. I actually prefer his original backstory, where he had a happy home life and became a police scientist because it was the right thing to do. The “dead parent” angle is overplayed in comics at this point. 

Second, it started the ball rolling on the idea that Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash was responsible for everything bad in Barry’s life.

Third, it made Barry much more grim than he’d been before his death in COIE. 

Fourth, it retconned in Albert Desmond as Barry’s obnoxious coworker. (Albert has been handled so differently by different writers over the years that he could be a post unto himself, but this was especially egregious since it both made Albert more of a jerk than usual and retconned more problems into Barry’s past.) 

After about 12 more issues without any huge problems, Flashpoint happened and reset the DC Universe, leading to more problems: 

Wally West, Linda, their kids, Max Mercury, and Jesse Quick were erased from existence. So were Evan McCulloch, the Top, and the first Trickster.

Barry’s marriage to Iris was erased. 

Captain Cold, Heat Wave, the Golden Glider, Mirror Master, and the Weather Wizard were given metahuman powers (Golden Glider’s were kind of cool, and Weather Wizard had had metahuman powers at the end of the pre-Flashpoint run, but the others just didn’t work). 

The Golden Glider was now dating the Mirror Master (who was now Sam Scudder again). This is a really random choice, since it’s unlikely that they decided to base this relationship on the one panel where Lisa said that she thought Sam was cute in Captain Cold’s spotlight issue.

Then Wally West was reintroduced, but he was completely different than he had been Pre-Flashpoint. (Eventually, this Wally was revealed to be the original Wally’s cousin, Wallace West. I have nothing against him, as he seems to have become a good character. He just had the bad luck of originally being introduced as a replacement for a preexisting character.) 

The Top was replaced by a guy named Turbine, and then replaced again by a guy who, despite sharing the real name and code name of the Pre-Flashpoint Top, otherwise barely resembled him. 

On the bright side, Sam and Golden Glider were alive again, so yay! 

[tabernacleheart]

Covetousness can destroy the soul in hell forever. The reason I am sure that this destruction is not some temporary financial fiasco, but final destruction in hell, is what Paul says... in 1 Timothy 6:12. He says that covetousness is to be resisted with the fight of faith. Then he adds, “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession.” What’s at stake in fleeing covetousness and fighting for contentment by faith in future grace is eternal life. So, when Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:9 that the desire to be rich plunges people into ruin, he isn’t saying that greed can mess up your marriage or your business (which it certainly can!). He is saying that covetousness can mess up your eternity. Or, as 1 Timothy 6:10 says at the end, “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (literally: “impaled themselves on many pains”). God has gone the extra mile in the Bible to warn us mercifully that the idolatry of covetousness is a no-win situation. It’s a dead-end street in the worst sense of the word. It’s a trick and a deadly trap. So, my word to you is the word of 1 Timothy 6:11: “Flee these things.” When you see it coming (in a television ad or a Christmas catalog or an Internet pop-up or a neighbor’s purchase), run from it the way you would run from a roaring, starving lion escaped from the zoo. “Take hold of the eternal life.”

John Piper

[mythopoeticreality]

For the reader asks: What do you wish more authors in your fandom would write about?, - What reader or write do you think most deserves a high five?, and Tell me a headcanon (and who you wish would write it)?

Ohh! Awesome! Just the questions I wanted to answer too! xD Thank you, you wonderful nonnie for sending me these!^^ I umm…I might get a bit long-winded here so bear with me….>.>

What do you wish more authors in your fandom would write about?

Oh dear…you just gave me free reign here to give you my fannish wish-list anon. Do you realize what you’ve done?!

Okay, no but, these are some of the ideas and characters I’ve most wanted to see more explored for such a long time now, so this might get a bit long as I’ve been thinking about some of these things for so long, so…let’s split this up by fandom:

Silmarillon/Tolkien:

More Tinfang please, definately! Probably my most obscure fav here,but he has so much potential? I mean, he’s this haf-fey pied-piper type figure and I just need like…all of the fic of him outwitting orcs and robin-hooding it up across Beleriand just basically ruining Morgoth’s day in his own small ways xD I love the idea of Tinfang being this folklorish figure amongst the elves, and I’d love to see more of that.

On that note: More Middle Earth Fairy Lore in general. Yeah I know most of this stuff is only half-canonical at best and pretty obscure, coming from the Book of Lost Tales, but still, it’s just fun? Again, I love the idea of elvish folklore, especially pre-Valarin folklore and I’d love to see more of it, and incorporating some of these older Lost Tales era ideas is such a great way to do it? Besides, the addition of fairies answers an age old question in Tolkien Fandom:

“…they were born before the world and are older than its oldest, and are not of it, but laugh at it much, for had they not somewhat to do with its making, so that it is for the most part a play for them…”

TELL ME THAT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE TOM BOMBADIL TO YOU!?! Case closed. Tom Bombadil is a Fairy.

Asside from Tinfang and Fairy lore, however, There are a couple of things I’d love to see more of in this fandom as well.

More Amlach would always be a blessing.I don’t really see why he is so often overlooked as a character either. Here’s this guy, he’s like, ‘Okay, I’m maybe not so cool with these Elves dragging us into this war of theirs that I certainly didn’t  sign on for’  but then Morgoth comes along, and sends one of his servants to impersonate him while he’s away. Amlach finds out is all ‘What?! You stole my face?! Oh it’s personal, now…” and then goes to find Maedhros and becomes one of his vassals to fight against Morgoth. He has to be one of my favorite Men in the Legendarium, and I can’t help but picture his relationship with Maedhros to be just…so full of snark. He’s not awed by these elves after all, he’s just here because Morgoth’s an asshole. Honestly, I can’t help but feel that if Amlach feels like Maedhros is wrong about something he will speak up about it. And..Maedhros actually appreciates that? Amlach’s honesty, I mean, maybe not the snark all the time xD I just want to see more of that relationship, and it’s development, blossoming into some kind of respect and friendship between the two. Basically Amlach is awesome and I want more of him.

Finally, I’d love to see more Eönwë/Mairon stuff? This is my ship! The whole tragic lovers-to-enemies dynamic that they could have going? Those moments where Sauron came begging to Eönwë at the end of the War of Wrath and things almost, almost looked like things could have been reconciled, where everything stood on a knife-blade and a held breath? YES, I am here for that. And yeah, I’m a sucker for redemption fics, so I’m here for AU’s where Sauron actually did turn around and seek the Valar’s forgiveness as well.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell:

*slams fist on table* More JSMN Crossovers! I mean, the King’s Roads literally go everywhere, and I can’t be the only one who sees the potential there! You’ve got all of fiction and reality open to you! For instance: 

Send Childermass off on the King’s Roads exploring Faerie and Looking for a way to read Vinculus, and have him stumble on into the DC Universe to run into John Constantine! They can be Snarky Northern Bastards together and deal with Fairies and Demons and Magic! 

Have John Uskglass wander into Wizarding New York in 1926 and meet Credence Barebone! Can you imagine what that would be like? The Raven King meeting this orphan kid who grew up in pretty much the exact opposite situation to himself, In a world where magic is kept a secret, and who had to spend his life suppressing this magic he had? What would be going through John’s head in that moment? What would be going through Credence’s? Can the Raven King take Credence under his wing, get himself a new apprentice? He should. That would be really cool. 

Oh, or what about Strange and Norrell while they’re trapped in the Pillar of Darkness? Send them to Valinor! Imagine the reactions of the Elves and the Valar at the approach of this huge Tower of Midnight. What New Sorcery of Morgoth’s is this? Is this the arrival of some new evil into their realm, like Ungoliant? Imagine this army of Elven warriors – the very same ones that Durring the War of Wrath fought to take down the source of all evil in Middle Earth – all lining up and preparing for battle…only to discover a pair of fondly squabbling academics

Or you know what? We don’t even need the King’s roads for crossovers! One of the things I’ve been most wanting to see in this fandom is a Sandman/JSMN crossover just…focusing on the relationship between Uskers and Morpheus? Like, I could totally see Oberon’s Favorite Foster Son as having encountered the Lord Shaper over here during his time in Faerie? And just, as a being of Faerie, as a Magician, as a Legend in and of himself, he totally has this connection to Dream? And honestly….why wouldn’t I want to see these two being Melodramatic and Goth and Awesome together? I’d really love to see how they’d interact. (Crossovers involving Daniel would *also* be amazing too of course and I’d really love to see John dealing with the feelings of knowing but not knowing Daniel, of interacting with someone who is at the same time so much older and so much younger than himself. How weird does it have to get to begin to stretch at even the Raven King’s own standards for what is “normal?”) 

Other crossovers I’d like to see: John Segundus and Arthur Weasley hanging out because that would be just…the most adorable thing. And Also Henry Lascelles and Lucius Malfoy, because they just kind of deserve one another really xD

Asside from Crossovers I’d really love to read more things focusing on just the general history and world building in JSMN? I want to see like, the effects of magic on things like the Interregnum and the Restoration! I want to see what sort of History Play Shakespere wrote about John Uskglass and How opening night went! (You Know the Raven King showed up,watching from the shadows. You just know it.) I want to see Isaac Newton as a Magician, dammit! (speaking of that last one I got this lovely fic around Christmas Time about that very thing and I am eternally greatful for it, and y’all should go read it)

And honestly, more fics about the Aurate Magicians and John Uskglass would be amazing? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I want an entire series of novels dedicated to the Aurate era of Magic. I want *all* of the medieval politics and drama. How does John Uskglass interact with say…Emperess Matilda or Henry V? How does magic change things and introduce new issues that have to be delt with? Also…the characters of this time period just *fascinate* me. Yeah, John Uskglass, but also Thomas of Dundale? William of Lanchester? Catherine of Winchester? Donata Torrel and Margaret Ford and their troop of women magicians? Thomas Godbless? Walter De Chepe? Lookit. I just need *all* of the stories about the Aurates.

Oh, and one more thing: No 80′s AU JSMN fandom? I am Dissapoint. I need John Uskglass hanging out in Le Phonographique as is only his natural habitat ;P 

What reader or writer do you think most deserves a high five? 

But there are so many awesome people in both my fandoms? I mean Just going off of the top of my head…

@jordenspuls and @somepallings just seem like all around really cool people and it’s always a delight to see their back-and-forth crossing my dash (even if most of the time I’m too much an awkward nerd to say anything myself) Not only that but they’re also really awesome writers and if you like Johnsquared you should definitely check out both of their work!^^

@ohveda is also super-cool and is also an awesome writer, especially– again – if you like Johnsquared. Also, it always makes me smile when I see a comment on one of my metas, because we’ve always had nice discussion in the past. 

Of course I’ve gotta mention @regshoe here, for loving the Raven King as much I do, for always being an awesome person to talk to and for writing such amazing fic as well as comments in my own stories.

And on that same note, theseatheseatheopensea is another amazing writer in JSMN fandom (seriously, the writing is just georgous. Go read that Isaac Newton story.) and always leaves such lovely comments in my fic as well!^^

Finally, @thearrogantemu and @prackspoor have both written some of my favorite Silm fics.

Tell me a headcanon (and who you wish would write it)? 

Okay, so for most of my headcanons and ideas I don’t actually have an ideal writer in mind for any of them. I’d just really love to see what would happen if anyone took them up and ran with them.

That said, because I cannot provide any actual writers for these headcanons, I will give three each from each fandom to make up for it 8D

The Silmarillion/Tolkien:

  More Fairy Lore from Arda: Before encountering the Valar the elves would often leave out small offerings to appease the fairies and spirits of Middle-Earth. A few berries, a piece of meat from a good hunt, a dish of milk left out on the doorstep. After meeting Oromë and going to Valinor, the offerings became more craft-oriented and were said to be for the Valar, rather than the Fairies. Many – especially amongst the Vanyar – stopped leaving out offerings all together, seeing them as relics of the misunderstandings of the past, too pagan a tradition to continue with. MírielÞerindë, however did continue to leave out small scraps of brightly embroidered fabric as a tribute to Vairë whenever she began a new project. Fëanor continues on in this tradition, leaving a small wire spiral out on his workbench whenever he starts something new – not for the Valar or to keep the Fairies from interfering – but as a tribute to his mother.

Curufin is actually the best rider and horsemen amongst his brothers and taught Celebrimbor to ride 

Arien and Sauron were actually really close before Sauron’s eventual betrayal. Being some of the few Fire-spirits who remained on the side of the valar gave them a particular bond, and  Mairon was someone for Arien to turn to when the feelings of grief and betrayal that her brothers – The Balrogs – left her with grew to heavy. Well that was untill…

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell:

Catherine of Winchester actually didn’t start out as a particularly impressive Magician. Actually, if anything, magic was fairly difficult for her at first. Where she was impressive was in her dedication to her craft, and her shear stubbornness in it’s pursuit was what actually impressed the Raven King enough to take her on as a student (this one is actually a fairly new headcanon for me, but there is something about the idea that I find so appealing…)

Thomas of Dundale is actually a huge nerd when it comes to Arthuriana and tales of Chivalry. He was actually kind of having a bit of a fanboy freakout when he first learned Chrétien de Troyes wrote a song about him. xD More seriously though, tales of Knights and Brave Deeds were what he grew up on before being stolen away to Faerie, and during late nights in the Brugh, when neither of them could sleep, Thomas would keep both himself and John entertained with the old stories his nurse used to tell him. Sometimes he even thinks of himself and John as a kind of reversed Arthur and Merlin. 

William of Lanchester was actually one of the Raven King’s apprentices in his youth. That first week within John Uskglass’s company was one of the most frustrating experiences in William’s life, and by the end of it he well and truely hated John Uskglass and his particular manner of doing things. It was just so much the opposite to William’s own approach? He swallowed it down and pushed on anyway, because he did want to learn, but he ranted to Thomas (who he got on with brilliantly from the start) a lot about John during those early years of their relationship. Thomas helped him stick it out, Thomas gave him space to vent and honestly? Thomas helped smooth things over between William and John when they clashed the most. “He takes growing used to. But he’ll grow on you, if given a chance.” Thomas would say to him. William would just scoff. “Yes. Like a fungus.” Yet by the end of his apprenticeship, William found himself as one of the Raven King’s most trusted advisers and closest friends – and the thing that surprised William the most? When he realized it, he wasn’t surprised at all.

[absolxguardian]

T H E   F E A R S

I mean what I said. These things, these forces, they are our fear. Deep fears. Primordial. Always looking for ways to grow and spread.

I always think it helps to imagine them like colours. The edges bleed together, and you can talk about little differences: “oh, that’s indigo, that’s more lilac”, but they’re both purple. I mean, I guess there are technically infinite colours, but you group them together into a few big ones. A lot of it’s kind of arbitrary. I mean, why are navy blue and sky blue both called blue, when pink’s an entirely different colour from red? Y’know? I don’t know, that’s just how it works.

And like colours, some of these powers, they feed into or balance each other. Some really clash, and you just can’t put them together. I mean, you could see them all as just one thing, I guess, but it would be pretty much meaningless, y’know, like… like trying to describe a… shirt by talking about the concept of colour.

Of course, with these things it’s not a simple spectrum, y’know, it’s more like -

An infinite amorphous blob of terror bleeding out in every direction at once.

Sometimes you impulse buy a kid’s rock painting set from Micheal's of all places and end up using it to make sigils for all of the Fears.

Close ups under the cut (also poetic descriptions drawing from my headcanons about the Fears).

The End. Death. Terminus.

The oldest of all the fears. All other Fears are simply layers separating the fear from it’s source- the fear of death. It was created because of fear, and fear was created because of it. It is the end, the stopping of it all, the force we fight against every day with every breath.

Primary Avatars: The Reapers/Death, The Sybil (Oliver Banks), and The Speaker (”Jane Doe”)

Ritual: It has no need of one, all threads must be cut one day.

Allies: They are all its children.

The Hunt.

The End’s firstborn. It was born in the time before sapience, when fear was simpler. But that was still enough. It is a fear for animals, of being hunted down and killed, of being prey. 

Primary Avatars: The Hunters and predators [mundane].

Ritual: The Everchase

Allies: The Flesh, The Slaughter, The Desolation, and The Eye.

Enemies: The Vast and The Buried.

The Vast. The Falling Titian.

The child of The End and the twin of The Buried. It began as an animal’s fear, of the fall that shatters your bones of the sea you cannot cross for it is not yours. But with sapience, it evolved. It is falling, heights, lighting, and the Not Yours that surrounds Yours. But also a human’s own insignificance and the true emptiness of the world. It is too much space.

Primary Avatars: The Fairchild family and The Lightning’s (Michael Crew).

Ritual: The Awful Deep

Allies: The Lonely, The Flesh, The Eye, and The Dark.

Enemies: The Buried.

The Buried. The Center. Choke. Too Close I Cannot Breathe

The child of The End and the twin of The Vast. It did not evolve as much as its despised sibling. It is suffocation, and the dirt that fills lungs. But with humans, it became more complex, more existential, as it always does. Those brains can find more in caves than suffocation or the dark. While even an animal fears a small space in case they get trapped and fall to a hunter, only humans could create constructs to bind and crush each other with. It is when there is too little space.

Primary Avatars: The Pit and The Gravedigger (Hezekiah Wakely)

Ritual: The Sunken Sky.

Allies: The Lonely, The Dark and the Web.

Enemies: The Vast, The Flesh, The Eye, and The Slaughter.

The Dark. Mister Pitch. The Forever Blind.

A direct child of The End. The fear of the dark- for it is scary because we cannot know. We cannot see the threats that may hid in its embrace. With the life-giver being a star, it has come to oppose all life and heat. It wishes for blind eyes.

Primary Avatars: The Church of the Divine Host, The Rayner, and the Black Star.

Ritual: The Extinguished Sun.

Allies: The Vast, The Buried, The Stranger, The Spiral, and The Dark.

Enemies: The Eye.

The Desolation. The Lightless Flame. The Devastation. Blackened Earth.

The End’s child. While it sure does love the destruction aspects of fire, it is not just fear of burning. It is the fear of pain and the fear of loss- of power, possessions, or loved ones. It lacks the motivation of The Hunt or the Flesh and destroys more than just lives, unlike The Slaughter.

Primary Avatars: The Church of the Lightless Flame, The Flame’s Messiah (Agnes Montague), and natural disasters [mundane]

Ritual: The Scoured Earth.

Allies: The Slaughter, The Hunt, and the Buried.

Enemies: The Flesh and The Corruption.

The Lonely. Forsaken. The One Alone.

The End’s youngest solo child and a fear for humans alone. It is the complex webs of society on top of a simple fact- you need the pack to survive. Not to mention that the simple physical brains of humans abhor isolation as well. Isolation, both emotional and physical, strip away one’s mental and physical wellbeing and often driving them to drugs. And simple physical isolation will strip away one’s connection to reality itself, so The Lonely feasts on that unraveling mind just aware enough to fear the fall.

Primary Avatars: The Luckas family.

Ritual: The Forsaken.

Allies: The Buried, The Vast, and The Spiral.

The Flesh. The Meat.

The child of The Hunt and its successor. It is a fear for animals, but those that never know freedom or a game to try to escape. Their path is set, they are the animals raised and slaughtered by humans for meat, with no risk to themselves. They are to be eaten their flesh in a form unconnected to their own appearance, consumed by those who know not how to prepare them. While humans are not raised like that, their separation from The Hunt makes them quiver at the idea of being consumed in any form. With all their knowledge in this era, humans are coming to understand that they may be no different than animals- just organic molecules animated by electricity. The Flesh also feasts on that philosophizing. 

Primary Avatars: The Eurachist [mundane] and slaughterhouse workers [mundane].

Ritual: The Last Feast.

Allies: The Hunt, The Corruption, The Desolation, The Stranger, and The Spiral.

Enemies: The Slaughter and The Buried.

The Slaughter. Violence. War

The child of The Desolation and The Hunter. It the anticipation of uncertain violence. It is violence that isn’t committed for the direct benefit of the murder and/or specifically because of the victim. It is found in both frenzied killers and in the steely, impersonal murder of armies. It rules over all the fear that comes from war, and eats heartily from all the conflicts humans keep creating all by themselves.

Primary Avatars: War Ghosts, The Piper/War, and soldiers [mundane].

Ritual: The Risen War.

Allies: The Desolation, The Hunter, and The Web.

Enemies: The Flesh and the Buried.

The Eye. The Beholding. Ceaseless Watching.

The Hunter’s least favorite child. An animal fears being watched because it means a predator may be observing, but humans have taken that fear as an end onto itself. It is watching, recording, and servailing. It feasts on the scraps of other Fears, reliving the trauma of their victims.

Primary Avatars: The Archive (The Magnus Institute), The Archivist (Jonathan Sims), and The Heart (Elias Bouchard)

Ritual: The Watcher’s Crown

Allies: The Web and The Hunt.

Enemies: The Dark, The Stranger, and The Spiral.

The Stranger. I Do Not Know You.

The child of The Dark, sapience extending the unknown to the other. It is the fear of what is not quite human. But the fear of the humans that are not quite you? Humans spend so much time creating reasons and convincing others to fear eachother. So much mundane fear of the other exists that The Stranger could survive on that alone.

Primary Avatars: The NotThem/dopplegangers, The Circus of the Other, The Deliverers, and bigots [mundane].

Ritual: The Unknowing.

Allies: The Dark and The Spiral.

Enemies: The Eye.

The Spiral. The Twisting Deceit, Esmentiaras, It Is Not What It Is.  

The Dark’s other child, for one cannot know if one cannot trust their senses. It is the fear of madness, of unreality. It induces this fear by warping reality, leading its victims to believe they are the ones at fault.

Primary Avatars: The Distortion (once Micheal, now Helen Richardson) and The Worker in Clay (”Gabriel”).

Ritual: Our Great Twisting.

Allies: The Dark, The Stranger, The Web and The Flesh.

Enemies: The Eye.

The Corruption. Filth. Crawling Rot.

The child of The Flesh (but born before The Flesh) and The End. It is a collection of things that are unrelated in reality (bugs, rotten food, poison, mold, decay, and disease), but are associated in the mind of humans lacking knowledge- death without a clear cause and corpses. 

Primary Avatars: The Hive (Jane Prentiss) and Pestilence (John Amherst).

Ritual: Unknown.

Allies: The Flesh and The Web.

Enemies: The Desolation.

The Web. The Spider. Mother of Puppets.

The child of The Corruption and The Buried. It is the fear of being restrained, but in a more metaphorical sense than The Buried. It is the fear of manipulation, being controlled, and that your will is not your own. And, from its other parent, spiders.

Primary Avatars: The Binding Table, The Spider Horde, and The Patriarch (Raymond Fielding).

Ritual: This world is almost identical to the Web’s, so why bother?

Allies: The Corruption, The Spiral, The Eye, and The Slaughter, The Lonely, The Buried, and The Dark.

Enemies: The Flesh and The Lonely (their relationship is complicated).

The Extinction. The Terrible Change. The Future-Without-Us.

The child of The Stranger and The End, this Fear is still emerging. It developing as humans confront their old hubris about the end times. It is the end of the world, but with no holy rapture. It is an end that isn’t the end of all life, just the end of them. It is the fear of being replaced by another species. It is the fear of how they will ruin themselves. It is the collapse or radical change of society. It is taking all forms of change from the dominions of the other Fears and bringing it into its own. 

Primary Avatars: The emergence of true AI [mundane], climate change [mundane], and nuclear weapons [mundane].

Ritual: Many theorize that it seeks to end the world as it is known and replace humans with another sapient species to begin the cycle again.

Allies: The Stranger and The Desolation.

Enemies: Many avatars seek to disrupt its emergence as it would shatter the balance between the powers. They also fear the possibility that The Extinction wouldn’t repopulate the world with a new sapience species right away, setting them back eons.

[tothemattresses]

2020 Reading Challenge - E-Book Edition!

According to Amazon, I have exactly 294 e-books currently sitting in my Kindle library. 

Granted, some of these books have been read and are being saved for a second (or third, or fourth) re-read, but when it comes down to it, that number is around 40 books, give or take. 

Which means I still have over 250 books that need to be read. 

And it’s not like I haven’t tried! There are plenty of titles that, when opened up, will go to the last place I left off - that being chapter 5, or maybe chapter 10. But sometimes life gets in the way. Or a sudden interest in another author. Or a new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But whatever the reason may be, it’s over 250 books that haven’t been read. Challenge accepted! 

For 2020, I commit to not buying any new books to add to my Kindle library (checking out books from the library is ok, because you’ve gotta support your local library!), and instead focus on the books I already have. So no addition of 99 cent books, or Kindle Unlimited books, or books that are suddenly 75% off. Only the books that I currently have. 

As the reading commences, and after the book is finished, I’ll update my list to indicate what has been completed, along with the date purchased, and a short review (or a reason I just couldn’t finish it at all). 

Below is the list for future reference - and to clarify my what my favorite genre is. Spoiler: it’s romance novels. 

Here we go!

Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps – Kelly Williams Brown

An Affair with Mr. Kennedy (Gentlemen of Scotland Yard) – Jillian Stone

All About Love (Cynster Book 6) – Stephanie Laurens

All Afternoon with a Scandalous Marquess: A Lords of Vice Novel – Alexandra Hawkins

Almost a Scandal: A Reckless Brides Novel (The Reckless Brides Book 1) – Elizabeth Essex

Alpha – Jasinda Wilder

A Duke’s Guide to Seducing His Bride (Chase Family Series- The Jewels Book 4) – Lauren Royal

The American Heiress: A Novel – Daisy Goodwin

When an Earl Meets a Girl (Chase Family Series- The Jewels Book 1) – Lauren Royal

The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year – Andy Cohen

Angel in a Devil's Arms: The Palace of Rogues – Julie Anne Long

Angel in Scarlet: A Bound and Determined Novel – Lavinia Kent

Anything He Wants & Castaway – Sara Fawkes

The Astronaut Wives Club – Lily Koppel

At Any Price: A Billionaire Virgin Auction Romance (Gaming the System Book 1) – Brenna Aubrey

At Any Turn: A Billionaire Romance (Gaming the System Book 2) – Brenna Aubrey

At Your Pleasure – Meredith Duran

The Awakening of Ivy Leavold (Markham Hall Book 1) – Sierra Simone

Badd Motherf*cker (The Badd Brothers Book 1) – Jasinda Wilder

Bare Ass in Love (Hard, Fast, and Forever Book 1) – Sasha Burke

Because of Miss Bridgerton: A Bridgertons Prequel (Rokesbys Series Book 1) – Julia Quinn

The Bed and the Bachelor (Byrons of Braebourne Book 5) – Tracy Anne Warren

Betrayal (Infidelity Book 1) – Aleatha Romig

Beware That Girl – Teresa Toten

Beyond Scandal and Desire: A Sins for All Seasons Novel – Lorraine Heath

The Big Bad Office Wolf (Kings of the Tower Book 1) – May Sage

Bittersweet (True North Book 1) – Sarina Bowen

Blame It on Bath: The Truth About the Duke – Caroline Linden

Bound by Your Touch – Meredith Duran

The Bride (Lairds' Fiancees Book 1) – Julie Garwood

Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel – Helen Fielding

Burn (The Breathless Trilogy Book 3) – Maya Banks

Burning Offer (Trevor's Harem Book 1) – Aubrey Parker

Captivated by You (Crossfire, Book 4) – Sylvia Day

Captive of Sin – Anna Campbell

Cash: A Power Players Stand-Alone Novel – Cassia Leo

Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson – Peter Ames Carlin

Catching Sin (Las Vegas Sin Book 2) – J. Saman

Catholicism For Dummies – John Trigilio

A Certain Age: A Novel – Beatriz Williams

Chasing Lady Amelia: Keeping Up with the Cavendishes – Maya Rodale

Checkmate: This is War (Travis & Viola, #1) (Checkmate Duet) – Kennedy Fox

Claiming the Courtesan (Avon Romantic Treasures) – Anna Campbell

Collide: Book One in the Collide Series – Gail McHugh

The Controversial Princess (The Smoke & Mirrors Duology Book 1) – Jodi Ellen Malpas

Crave: A Billionaire Bachelors Club Novel (Billionaire Bachelors Club Series Book 1) – Monica Murphy

Dating You / Hating You – Christina Lauren

Deal with the Devil (Forge Trilogy Book 1) – Meghan March

Desperate Duchesses – Eloisa James

Desperate to Touch (Hard to Love Book 2) – W. Winters

Destiny – Sally Beauman

Devil's Daughter: The Ravenels meet The Wallflowers – Lisa Kleypas

Dirty Sexy Inked (A Dirty Sexy Novel Book 2) – Carly Phillips

Dirty Sexy Saint (A Dirty Sexy Novel Book 1) – Carly Phillips

Double Down: Game Change 2012 – Mark Halperin

The Duchess Diaries: The Bridal Pleasures Series – Jillian Hunter

The Duchess Hunt (House of Trent Book 1) – Jennifer Haymore

The Duke and I (Bridgertons Book 1) – Julia Quinn

The Duke Is Mine (Fairy Tales Book 3) – Eloisa James

Duke of Scandal (Moonlight Square, Book 1) – Galen Foley

The Duke of Shadows – Meredith Duran

Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane Book 10) – Elizabeth Hoyt

The Duke's Holiday (The Regency Romp Trilogy Book 1) – Maggie Fenton

Dusk with a Dangerous Duke: A Lords of Vice Novel – Alexandra Hawkins

Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance – Julianne Donaldson

Elite (Elite Doms of Washington Book 1) – Elizabeth SaFleur

Entwined with You (Crossfire, Book 3) – Sylvia Day

Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar – Kelly Oxford

The Fall of Legend (Legend Trilogy Book 1) – Meghan March

The Fight for Forever (Legend Trilogy Book 3) – Meghan March

A Fine Imitation: A Novel – Amber Brock

The Fix Up – Kendall Ryan

Flowers from the Storm – Laura Kinsale

For Everly – Raine Thomas

For the Earl's Pleasure – Anne Mallory

For the Record – K.A. Linde

Gabriel's Inferno (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy Book 1) – Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel's Rapture (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy Book 2) – Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy Book 3) – Sylvain Reynard

Going Down Easy (Billionaire Bad Boys Book 1) – Carly Phillips

A Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin: The Debutante Files (The Debutante Files Series Book 1) – Sophie Jordan

Good Girl: A Rockstar Romance (Wicked Book 1) – Piper Lawson

The Good Luck Charm – Helena Hunting

Grayson's Vow – Mia Sheridan

Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian (Fifty Shades of Grey Series Book 4) – E.L. James

Hard As Stone: Heart of Stone Series #8 – K.M. Scott

Hard to Love – W. Winters

The Hardest Fall – Ella Maise

Hating The Boss – Natalie Wrye

The Heir (Windham Book 1) – Grace Burrowes

Heiress in Love: A Ministry of Marriage Novel (The Ministry of Marriage Book 1) – Christina Brooke

Heiress Without A Cause (Muses of Mayfair Book 1) – Sara Ramsey

Hello Stranger: The Ravenels, Book 4 – Lisa Kleypas

Her Forbidden Love Match (A Willow Cove Novel, #1) – Theresa Paolo

Her Husband's Harlot (Mayhem in Mayfair Book 1) – Grace Callaway

Hidden Gabriel: Formerly Winter Peril (Hidden Alphas Book 1) – Victoria Pinder

Highland Surrender – Tracy Brogan

Highlander Betrayed (Guardians of the Targe Book 1) – Lauren Wittig

His Favorite Mistress: A Novel (The Mistress Trilogy Book 3) – Tracy Anne Warren

His Virgin: A First Time Romance (His and Hers Book 1) – Vivian Wood

Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling – Bret Hart

Hollywood Dirt – Alessandra Torre

Hollywood on Tap (Sweet Salvation Brewery) – Avery Flynn

The Hotel – Lola Darling

House of Scarlett (Legend Trilogy Book 2) – Meghan March

How a Lady Weds a Rogue: A Falcon Club Novel – Katharine Ashe

How to Marry a Duke Vicky Dreiling

How to Ravish a Rake – Vicky Dreiling

How to Seduce a Scoundrel – Vicky Dreiling

If He's Wicked (Wherlocke Book 1) – Hannah Howell

The Imperfectionists: A Novel – Tom Rachman

In the Arms of a Marquess (Rogues of the Sea Book 3) – Katherine Ashe

In the Unlikely Event – L.J. Shen

In Total Surrender – Anne Mallory

An Irresistible Temptation (The Cavallo Brothers Book 2) – Elsa Winckler

It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars Book 1) – Susan Elizabeth Philips

It Happened One Midnight: Pennyroyal Green Series – Julie Anne Long

It Started with a Scandal: Pennyroyal Green Series – Julie Anne Long

It's Not You: 27 (Wrong) Reasons You're Single – Sara Eckel

Just Roll With It (A Perfect Dish Book 4) – Tawdra Kandle

Kaleidoscope Hearts (A brother's best friend romance) – Claire Contreras

The Kingmaker (All the King's Men Duet Book 1) – Kennedy Ryan

Lady of Desire (Knight Miscellany Book 4) – Gaelen Foley

The Last Arrow (The Medieval Trilogy Book 3) – Marsha Canham

The Last Summer – Judith Kinghorn

Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results – John Baldoni

The Legend of Lyon Redmond: Pennyroyal Green Series – Julie Anne Long

Legend (The REAL series Book 6) – Katy Evans

Let's Do It: A Journey's End Novel – Ann Christopher

Life with My Sister Madonna – Christopher Ciccone

Lily and the Duke (Sex and the Season Book 1) – Helen Hardt

Lord of Scoundrels – Loretta Chase

Losing It – Cora Carmack

Lost Without You (The Debt Book 1) – Molly O’Keefe

A Loving Scoundrel: A Malory Novel (Malory-Anderson Family Book 7) – Johanna Lindsey

Luck Is No Lady (Fallen Ladies Book 1) – Amy Sandas

Lucky (Elite Doms of Washington Book 4) – Elizabeth SaFleur

A Mackenzie Clan Gathering (Mackenzies Series) – Jennifer Ashley

Mad About the Earl: A Ministry of Marriage Novel (The Ministry of Marriage Book 2) – Christina Brooker

Maid for the Billionaire (Book 1) (Legacy Collection) – Ruth Cardello

A Man Above Reproach – Evelyn Pryce

Manwhore (The Manwhore Series Book 1) – Katy Evans

Marriage For One – Ella Maise

Masques of Gold (Casablanca Classics Book 0) – Robert Gellis

Melt For Him (Fighting Fire Book 2) – Lauren Blakely

Midnight Angel (Stokehursts Book 1) – Lisa Kleypas

Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel (Scoundrels of St. James Book 4) – Lorraine Heath

Mine (The REAL series Book 2) – Katy Evans

Mine Till Midnight (Hathaways Book 1) – Lisa Kleypas

Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel (Beau Monde Book 1) – Samantha Grace

More Than Charming (Book 3 Dashing Nobles Series) – JoMarie DeGioia

The Most to Lose (The Redeemed series Book 1) – Laura Landon

Mr. Corporate (The Mister Series Book 3) – JA Huss

Mr Imperfect: Lost Boys #1 – Karina Bliss

Mr. Mysterious (The Mister Series Book 4) – JA Huss

Mr. Romantic (The Mister Series Book 2) – JA Huss

My Lady, My Lord: A Twist Series Novel – Katherine Ashe

My Notorious Gentleman (Inferno Club Book 6) – Gaelen Foley

My Reckless Surrender – Anna Campbell

My Ruthless Prince (Inferno Club Book 4) – Gaelen Foley

My Scandalous Viscount (Inferno Club Book 5) – Gaelen Foley

The Nearness of You – Iris Morland

Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid (Kellington Book 1) – Maureen Driscoll

Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished: The Third Rule of Scoundrels (Rules of Scoundrels Book 3) – Sarah MacLean

No Mistress of Mine: An American Heiress in London – Laura Lee Guhrke

A Notorious Countess Confesses: Pennyroyal Green Series – Julie Anne Long

Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane Book 2) – Elizabeth Hoyt

Once a Soldier (Rogues Redeemed Book 1) – Mary Jo Putney

Once More, My Darling Rogue (Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James Book 2) – Lorraine Heath

One Last Time – Corinne Michaels

One Night in London: The Truth About the Duke – Caroline Linden

One Taste (The "One" Series Book 1) – K.A. Berg

One with You (Crossfire Series Book 5) – Sylvia Day

Only With Your Love (Vallerands Book 2) – Lisa Kleypas

The Paris Wife: A Novel – Paula McLain

Party Animals: A Hollywood Tale of Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll Starring the Fabulous Allan Carr – Robert Hofler

Perfect (Elite Doms of Washington Book 3) – Elizabeth SaFleur

The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leroux

The Pleasure of Your Kiss – Teresa Medeiros

Prince of Dreams (Stokehursts Book 2) – Lisa Kleypas

Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII – Deborah Cadbury

The Princess and the Peer (The Princess Brides series Book 1) – Tracy Anne Warren

Princess Charming: A Legendary Lovers Novel – Nicole Jordan

Pulse: Book Two in the Collide Series – Gail McHugh

A Rake's Midnight Kiss (Sons of Sin Book 2) – Anna Campbell

Reason to Wed (The Distinguished Rogues Book 7) – Heather Boyd

The Rebel Queen (The Rebel Queen Duet Book 2) – Jeana E. Mann

Refining Felicity (The School for Manners Series Book 1) – M.C. Beaton

Reflected in You (Crossfire, Book 2) – Sylvia Day

The Revenge of Lord Eberlin (The Secrets of Hadley Green) – Julia London

Ripped (The REAL series Book 5) – Katy Evans

Rock Me (Bodyguard Bad Boys Book 1) – Carly Phillips

Rogue (The REAL series Book 4) – Katy Evans

The Royal Arrangement (The Rebel Queen Duet Book 1) – Jeana E. Mann

Royally Bad (Bad Boy Royals Book 1) – Nora Flite

The Rule Book (Rule Breakers 1) – Jennifer Blackwood

The Scandal in Kissing an Heir: At the Kingsborough Ball – Sophie Barnes

Scandal Wears Satin (The Dressmakers Series Book 2) – Loretta Chase

A Scoundrel by Moonlight (Sons of Sin Book 4) – Anna Campbell

Seduced By A Scoundrel – Olivia Drake

The Seduction of Lady X – Julia London

The Seduction of Lord Stone (Dashing Widows) – Anna Campbell

Shattered With You (Stark Security Book 1) – J. Kenner

The Shoemaker's Wife: A Novel – Adriana Trigiani

Shutdown Player: Game On in Seattle (Seattle Sockeyes Book 7) – Jami Davenport

Signed (The Agency Series) – Marni Mann

A Single Glance (Irresistible Attraction Book 1) W. Winters

A Single Kiss (Irresistible Attraction Book 2) – W. Winters

A Single Touch (Irresistible Attraction Book 3) – W. Winters

The Six Wives of Henry VIII – Alison Weir

The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy (A Sleeping Beauty Novel) – A.N. Roquelaure

The Soldier (Windham Book 2) – Grace Burrowes

The Stolen Mackenzie Bride (Mackenzies Series Book 8) – Jennifer Ashley

The Studying Hours: How to Date a Douchebag – Sara Ney

Suddenly You – Lisa Kleypas

Summer Heat: A Storm Inside Novel (The Wild Pitch Series Book 1) – Alexis Anne

A Summer Seduction (Legend of St. Dwynwen Book 2) – Candace Camp

Tangled Beauty (Tangled, Book 1) – K.L. Middleton

Tank (Blue-Collar Billionaires Book 1) – M. Malone

Tempt the Devil – Anna Campbell

Tempted to Kiss (Hard to Love Book 3) – W. Winters

That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor – Anne Sebba

Thief of Shadows (Maiden Lane Book 4) – Elizabeth Hoyt

This Man (A This Man Novel Book 1) – Jodi Ellen Malpas

This Side of Paradise – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Three Nights of Sin – Anne Mallory

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood – William J. Mann

To Beguile a Beast (Legend of the Four Soldiers series Book 3) – Elizabeth Hoyt

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

To Seduce a Sinner (Legend of the Four Soldiers series Book 2) – Elizabeth Hoyt

To Taste Temptation (Legend of the Four Soldiers series Book 1) – Elizabeth Hoyt

Too Distracting (The Lewis Cousins Book 3) – Bethany Lopez

Too Wicked to Kiss (Scoundrels & Secrets Book 1) – Erica Ridley

The Trouble With Being a Duke: At the Kingsborough Ball – Sophie Barnes

The Trouble with Dukes (Windham Brides Book 1) – Grace Burrowes

Troubles (Beekman Hills) – K.C. Enders

Truth or Beard: Enemies to Lovers Small Town Romantic Comedy (Winston Brothers Book 1) – Penny Reid

Twilight with the Infamous Earl: A Lords of Vice Novel – Alexandra Hawkins

Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps – Chris Jericho

Untouchable (Elite Doms of Washington Book 2) – Elizabeth SaFleur

Untouched – Anna Campbell

Victoria Victorious: The Story of Queen Victoria (Queens of England Book 3) – Jean Plaidy

The Viscount's Wicked Ways – Anne Mallory

Wallbanger (The Cocktail Series Book 1) – Alice Clayton

The Way to a Duke's Heart: The Truth About the Duke – Caroline Linden

We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals – Gillian Gill

Well Hung (Big Rock Book 3) – Lauren Blakely

What a Duke Dares (Sons of Sin Book 3) – Anna Campbell

What Color Is Your Parachute? 2019: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers – Richard N. Bolles

When a Duke Loves a Woman: A Sins for All Seasons Novel – Lorraine Heath

When the Duke Found Love (The Wylder Sisters Book 3) – Isabella Bradford

Where Good Girls Go to Die: A Second Chance Romance (The Good Girls Series Book 1) – Holly Renee

Wicked Becomes You – Meredith Duran

Wicked in Your Arms: Forgotten Princesses – Sophie Jordan

Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane Book 1) – Elizabeth Hoyt

Written on Your Skin – Meredith Duran

[rootlessvegan]

Oban is a beautiful town that is a must visit if you’re travelling through Scotland. This coastal town, known as “The Gateway to Isles”, was my home for two months. It might not be the biggest town, but it comes to life during the summer season and it is the perfect place to visit to take in some local history and then jump on a ferry to explore the Inner Hebrides.

During my time on the Isle of Skye I volunteered at Skye Backpackers, owned by JoJo’s Hostels, I spent a month and a half there and when I was done, I wasn’t ready to leave Scotland. It just so happened that the company was in need of a receptionist at their hostel in Oban, Oban Backpackers. I took the position for a month, and as with Skye, decided that wasn’t enough time and stayed another month. This was my first paid position in the UK so it was nice to start making some money after living off my savings for 6 months. I had a great experience there, and with that company, and I am glad they gave me the chance to work in Scotland.

What to do

Ceilidh Night

Every Thursday night the bag piper would come to the hostel and bring the guests to try out some Scottish dancing. The company that puts on the dance has changed since I was there, it is now called The View Oban, but they still have Ceilidh Nights every Monday, Thursday and Saturday with the place turning into more of a club after the traditional dancing is done on Thursdays and Saturdays. I went with some of the volunteers and guests of the hostel and, as the Scottish would say, the craic was great.

McCaig’s Tower

The uphill climb to reach McCaig’s Tower is a little taxing on a warm day, but it is worth it to see the views over Oban and the bay. This Tower was built by John Stuart McCaig, a local banker, in 1897. It is a beautiful place to take in the scenery and have a relaxing day. I went there many times to sit in the gardens and read.

Dunollie Castle

The ruins left today date from the 15th century. You can walk up to visit the ruins and then visit Dunollie House, which the MacDougall clan built in 1745 after they abandoned the castle. There is also a garden you can explore. You get great views of the castle coming into Oban Port on the ferry.

Dunstaffnage Castles 

This Castle is a far walk from the centre of Oban, but manageable if you like walking; you can also take a bike or car there. It is a beautiful journey if you travel along the coast. It is one of Scotland’s oldest stone castles dating back to the 13th century. You can wander around the grounds and find the ruined 13th century chapel.

Oban War & Peace Museum

This small museum is worth a visit if you’re interested in the local history. The entrance is free, but they do accept donations to help cover costs. It is run by volunteers and is full of local artifacts, memorabilia and photographs.

Oban Distillery

I did not visit the distillery during my time in Oban because I am not a fan of Scotch Whisky. If you are though, then this is a place that you should check out. It is Barnivore certified vegan!

Grab a drink

One of the go to spots to grab a drink and hang out is Markie Dans. This place gets very busy on weekends, some nights they have live music and other nights they have a pub quiz. I went to a pub quiz with one of the volunteers at the hostel and we came in last place. Turns out a German and a Canadian do not know many Scottish facts, but it was a lot of fun. The live music here is always great!

Visit the islands!

I visited some of the islands by myself, and other islands I visited through a tour with Staffa Tours. I’ll get into more detail about the islands later in this post.

Where to eat

While I was working at the hostel I was trying to save money so I was making my own food and I did not eat out very often, Oban might not have the array of vegan options that Edinburgh or Glasgow does, but there are a few places that you can check out.

The Little Potting Shed Cafe

I had researched vegan places before I arrived in Oban and was very excited to try out The Little Potting Shed Cafe. Unfortunately, when I arrived, the cafe was having some construction work done and was closed for my first month there. Thankfully, it opened my second month and it was worth the wait! I ate there quite a few times and everything was always filling and delicious.

Cuan Mor

This is a really nice restaurant with seating on the harbour front. A great place to go if you’re looking for a nice night out and are with non-vegans. I went for a goodbye lunch with some of the volunteers at the hostel and ordered a quinoa salad. Looking at their menu now though, it seems they have added a vegan burger and vegan mushroom risotto to their dinner menu that sounds mouth-watering!

Millstone Wholefoods

This is not a restaurant, but this little health food shop is a good place to find vegan goodies.

Food From Argyll at the Pier

I did not eat here, but they do have a vegan option if you’re looking for a snack before you jump on a ferry!

The Corryvreckan Wetherspoon

This is probably the cheapest food and drinks you’ll find in Oban. The drinks are great, but I haven’t tried the food (I haven’t heard the best things about Wetherspoon’s vegan options) however, it’s good to know all your options when you’re in a small town.

The Islands

It is easy and fairly inexpensive to visit the islands around Oban. The CalMac Ferries run from Oban to the islands and back many times a day so, you can make it a day trip or you may choose to stay the night on some of the islands. You can also take a guided day trip to some of the further islands if you don’t plan to stay overnight.

Here are the islands I visited while in Oban:

Kerrera

This is the closest island to Oban, you can see it from the mainland. It was also my favourite island. I visited this island a few times during my stay in Oban. The ferry for Kerrera does not leave from the main port, you will have to pass the port and walk along the road heading toward Gallanach to get to the boat that will take you to the island. Kerrera is fairly small and there is a hiking path that will take you in a loop around the whole island, which was my favourite walk. If you don’t want to walk for that long, you can go halfway to Gylen Castle (a 16th-century Tower) and Kerrera Tea Garden and Bunkhouse, grab some food and then head back the way you came to get to the boat.

Lismore

Lismore is the perfect island to take a bike ride. The path is paved and smooth so, it is not a difficult ride. The hostel I worked at had a bike which the staff could use. I took it with me on the ferry and followed the route along the island. You can also rent bikes in the city, if this is something you’re interested in. The Isle of Lismore Cafe is a good spot to take a break and get a drink. They did have a vegetable soup with a side of bread which was vegan however, it is always a good idea to pack some snacks because you never know if any of the cafes on these small islands will have vegan options.

Isle of Mull

This island is the second-largest of the Inner Hibrides after Skye. You won’t be hiking around this island in a day like you can some of the others. On this island it is best if you have a car, but if you don’t, there is a bus that can take you from Craignure where the ferry from Oban drops you off, to Tobermory. There are other locations you can visit by bus, but the capital of Mull is a nice place to explore. It is a lovely small town with colourful houses along the water. There are some nice cafes and little shops. The Pier Cafe had a sign indicating vegan options were available, so I stopped in and ordered a lentil soup with a side of bread (a theme in Scotland for vegans). Based on their social media now, it seems like they’ve expanded their vegan options since I was there. My favourite place on Mull was the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, a marine conservation charity, where you can go in and learn about the whales, dolphins and porpoise around the island. Another place I visited on Mull was Duart Castle, I walked from Craignure to the 13th century Castle, it took just over an hour and it was closed when I got there, but it is still a remarkable building with nice views looking over the sea.

Staffa

I visited Staffa on the tour I mentioned previously. This was one of my best experiences in Scotland. While on the tour, you have a certain amount of time which you can do with what you will. You could visit Fingal’s Cave and/or go see the puffins. I headed to the puffins first and they are the most adorable birds you will ever see. They actually will get pretty close to you if you’re sitting still and don’t try to bother them. They are all over the cliff edge and you can watch them swoop down off the cliff and fly around. I spent awhile just watching them. After some time, I did go to check out the cave. It is fairly easy to get to, though some of the rocks might be slippery. The island is made up of basalt columns so parts of it, especially the cave, look a lot like The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Since it is a uninhabited island you should remember to bring food and drinks, if you will be there for awhile. 

Iona

Iona is another island I visited through a tour. This island has a lot of history to it and it is known for Iona Abbey, as a burial spot for Norwegian, Irish and Scottish Kings (including 11th century King Macbeth), and for the remains of the 1203 nunnery. Iona is also known for its marble, The Iona Marble Quarry was opened in the 1700s and was in and out of use over the centuries. It has been closed since the First World War, but you can visit the location if you like. I did not go there, but I did buy myself a beautiful Iona Marble necklace from Iona Pebbles Arts & Crafts. Iona Marble is said to be a lucky stone, which Scottish fishermen would not leave port without. On the tour we could explore the island as we liked so, I went to the Abbey and then I followed a path to a beach.

Oban was not on my list of places I wanted to visit while in Scotland but I am very happy that this job opened up and I had the opportunity to visit this little city. I had some amazing times there, and it will forever be one of my favourite places.

Check out my latest post, why you NEED to visit Oban and the Inner Hebrides while in Scotland! Oban is a beautiful town that is a must visit if you’re travelling through Scotland. This coastal town, known as “The Gateway to Isles”, was my home for two months.

[miamaroo]

Northern Migration- Chapter 25 (Notes+Preview)

Surprise! I’m updating about a week after my last update! Don’t get used to it, though. It’s only because I’ve been on break. I have classes again tomorrow, and finals seasons is about ready to slap me in the face. Hopefully you’ll see me again for the holidays. (Speaking of the holidays, we’re nearing the one year mark for when this fic first started wowza).

Like always, this is brimming with spoilers, so proceed forwards at your own risk.

Spoilers!

I messed around with that Taako scene for ages, trying to make the first distilled look into his character. I have a lot of trouble writing him, especially since I’m always trying to find a happy mixture of what he’s like in the show, what he’s like in the fanon, and what he would be like in the universe of this fic. I did my best. I’m not one-hundred-percent happy with it, but considering I rewrote the entire scene right before posting, I think it’s functional.

Since the next chapter is already written, I know that I’m going to keep mentioning layers of clothing as being a status of wealth. This is a part of what I plan on doing with the future flashback chapter into their history on their home plane. I feel like I have to mention it so that you get an idea of how the cultures are different, but it’s also annoying because it’s hard for me to convey that this is a cultural aspect that supposed to be different from Faerun.

Apparently, eyeballs help keep the structure of your head. I also did not know that.

Everyone in the TAZ fandom is a coward for not giving Taako a beard, and I’m counting Justin in that. Artists who give him stubble can stay, but you’re all on thin ice.

One thing I’m trying to figure out is a balance between people recognizing Avi in his old age because they know him well, and people not recognizing him because, honestly, I see pictures of my own dad as a young man and he’s a completely different person.

When John says “give your hands now,” it’s a purposeful twist of Merle doing the exact same thing in chapter 5.

I know I said this before—but John’s philosophy is so close to being that of some hero that it’s honestly scary.

As a kid, as I started thinking about perspective and morality, I also realized that a lot of what we considered right or wrong can be manipulated by whose point of view we’re viewing it from. And, as a preteen, I used that as justification for a lot of bad things. A lot of how I’m writing John is just thinking about how someone could’ve manipulated me into thinking or doing anything, and just giving him the opportunity to get Stevie to think that way as well. Like John has no way of knowing about Piper repeating all of her dad’s bad political beliefs (remember Piper and Gansey from chapter 3?), but he gets people. And I think he would know that, in her situation, Stevie would be thinking about morality in a way that would be easily manipulated in his favor.

All that being said: you’re a lot of fun to write John, but fuck you.

I don’t know yet if I want John to be aware of the Seven Birds concept, but in case I do eventually decide that he does, Vultures is a very on the nose confession of what he ultimately wants Stevie to believe. If I decide to make it so that he never knows, then it’s just me (the author) making an on the point piece of foreshadowing of what his plans are going to be.

John is a bard. Fight me.

And here’s a thought: this is the first time in the story where Stevie gets to have fun and it’s not interrupted by plot bullshit.

Originally, Lucas was going to have the weird crush on Avi, and it was going to be something that was going to making Johann feel extra sure about never confessing, but Avi already has so many other shit going on that I had to redistribute some things.

That being said, Sloane and Avi having this bitter history together is very important to me. With Griffin wanting TAZ to be about found family, I sort of wanted to take the opportunity to explore the idea of two people who became family before it was ruined. Basically, since Lucretia didn’t destroyed her family (minus Taako being pissed), I had to destroy another family.

Avi being in debt to someone is the reoccurring theme of his life. He was in debt to the Hammerheads, then Sloane, and now Bane and Barry. This guy constantly owes other people things.

Things that are also very important to me: Ren being fiercely protective of all her friends.

I can’t remember if Merle in canon couldn’t remember if he made a sash or a belt, but I’m taking Clint’s endless confusion over the two as an excuse to make it so.

I was going to write a scene where Davenport discovered that he can’t learn sign language, but I didn’t have the space and beyond just filling in a potential loophole, it didn’t really add more to Davenport. Like, he know he’s suffering. I don’t need to remind you that much.

The same goes for the cutting of a scene where Magnus is helping Julia learn how to walk. Again, there was a space issue and the fact that it wasn’t them actually making it up allowed me to feel like I can get around writing it. That being said, it still hurt to not write it. 

Also, hey! Only two relics left to this story! I still have to write like three more interlude chapters before we can even get cracking on that, but now you can see how much progress we’re actually making in this fic!

This is such a minor detail, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out if I want stoves to be a thing in this world or not. I know that I decided a long time ago that everyone was going to have hearths except for the Starblaster, which was going to be technologically advanced enough to have an actual stove, but there’s not enough cooking in this damn fic to convey that idea. And when it does come up, it’s at Lucas’s lab, which would also be advanced enough to have a stove, but not one as advanced as the Starblaster. AND I CAN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO EVEN CONVEY THIS IDEA. One time, I thought I could emphasize how almost scared Julia was of the stove, but then I remembered that she has had a decade to get used to it. SO YEAH. I JUST DON’T KNOW.

I know that I have to acknowledge any reasonable feelings Julia would have involving becoming disabled, but I’m also trying to be careful to make sure it doesn’t come off as condescending or pitying towards disabled folks. I’m trying to strike a balance, and I’m never sure how well I’m doing with.

Julia’s prosthetic leg is based upon prosthetic legs used for runners in the Special Olympics. I am going to add a link to a reference here, but it’s late and I might forget. If you noticed that I forgot, tell me and I’ll add it.

Stevie likes snow because it’s snowing in parley. She likes rainbows because the black scars on John’s face is holographic.

Also, Lucretia is gay. She’s like, super duper gay. Supreme gay.

I feel like I put down what color Taako’s magic is somewhere in this fic, but I don’t feel like looking through the entire thing in search of it, so right now I’m just writing around having to state its color for as long as possible.

The item Taako used to make the hole in the floor is the Hole Thrower. Don’t ask me where he got it.

Originally, I had a scene like two chapters back where Taako saw Angus, thus making his comments about seeing a kid around make a lot more sense. However, I convinced myself to get a little sneakier about Angus being on the ship and then proceeded to forget about it. Considering how much effort I usually put into foreshadowing everything (and this is still without a written outline), I’m going to give myself a pass on the bad writing this time around.

Like I mentioned in the chapter notes, I’m off break now and starting finals, so next update will take a long time. Feel free to talk to me on here and generally strike up a friendship. I’m a very lonely person. Anyway, here’s the preview for the next chapter:

Angus McDonald sits with his hands folded calmly on his lap, fancy clothes unruffled as he looks up at the circle of adults surrounding him. It’s plain from the slight quirk in his brow that nothing about being held up in the Starblaster kitchen is by any means threatening. He sits, mouth in a tight line, as he waits for his turn to speak.

“You’re such a drama queen,” Lucretia says dully, pressing a bag of frozen peas to Taako’s face.

He takes it gladly, practically collapsed against the kitchen counter as he moans. Angus’s hardy kick was just enough to make a single drop of blood creep down from his nose. “I’m dying, Lucy. When I go, tell Merle he could fuck off.”

“Whatever I do to you?” Merle demands, turning from his job of standing by Davenport’s side to shout.

Davenport, all the while, has his arms folded over his chest. His eyes are set in a harsh glare that makes Angus shift in his seat. Every adult in the room Angus is pretty sure he can handle, but Davenport is somewhere on the level of a god. Flanking each of his sides is one of the Burnsides, with Magnus in a pair of paint-splattered work clothes and Julia in a chair, her prosthetic leg still in her daughter’s possession. The kid was ordered to leave the room, but Angus saw her creep back in, armed with the prosthetic leg and a set of paints. She claimed the corner directly across from him. Every now and then, Merle and Taako make gestures grand enough that Angus catches a glimpse of the girl watching him as a curious spectator.

Davenport sighs, then nudges Magnus’s leg. At the cue, Magnus bends down into a squat, perfectly leveled with Angus’s eyes. “Angus. What are you doing here?”

“I—” Angus closes his mouth. He shifts until he’s back to the picture of innocence.

“We’re not mad at you,” Magnus says. “It’s just… we do a lot of dangerous things, and I’m sure your job as a consultant is plenty dangerous enough—”

“Detective.”

Magnus pauses. “What?”

Angus preens. “If case you forgot, my name is Angus McDonald and I am the world’s greatest detective. If you’re trying to interrogate me, I suggest that you do your best to ensure that you’re coming in with the most accurate information.”

[carolap53]

Jesus Keeps His Sheep “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31–32)

Though Peter failed miserably, the prayer of Jesus preserved him from utter ruin. He was brought to bitter weeping and restored to the joy and boldness of Pentecost. So Jesus is interceding for us today that our faith might not fail (Romans 8:34).

Jesus promised that his sheep would be preserved and never perish. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27–28).

The reason for this is that God will work to preserve the faith of the sheep. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

We are not left to ourselves to fight the fight of faith. “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

You have the assurance of God’s Word that, if you are his child, he will “equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:21).

Our endurance in faith and joy is finally and decisively in the hands of God. Yes, we must fight. But this very fight is what God “works in us.” And he most certainly will do it, for “whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:30).

He will lose none of those he has brought to faith and justified.

John Piper

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Moffat Era Rewatch: The Day of the Doctor

On the last day of the Time War, before he made his greatest mistake, the man formally known as the Doctor is given a vision of his future...

Warning: Spoilers Sweetie 

Awww, the classic titles.

Coal Hill School before they ruined it by turning it into an academy. Fuck you, David Cameron and your Big Society, you fat pig fucker. 

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. Marcus Aurelius.” Clara teaching her students about her pinups. Later she teaches them about Jane Austen. Clara just uses her job to bag about all the people she fancies, doesn’t she? 

Most epic TARDIS entrance made by someone not named River Song. 

There goes the Doctor breaking the fourth wall again.  

That book has a little TARDIS on it.

Clara Oswald, so amazing she is able to snap her singers while wearing leather gloves. 

Kate’s ringtone is the TARDIS noise.

Hello, Osgood. 

“Nice scarf.”

You’re terrible at having a job, Doctor. You show up out of the blue, do a few days work and the disappear without even handing in your notice. You only get hired because you never claim a salary. 

“No more.” 

“Time Lord art. Bigger on the inside.”

The Last Day of the Time War... 

The Time War is like the War of Wrath from The Silmarillion, it’s just too big and epic to ever depict on screen in a satisfying way. Which is why it is a good thing that this episode doesn’t show us the actual war. We just get a glimpse of its end, after all the big battles have been fought and lost, the Time Lords are on the their last legs, and Rassilon is hidden away like Hitler in his bunker, ranting and raving and blaming everyone else for his own inept leadership.  

“To hell with the High Council. Their plans have already failed.” So does this take place just after ‘The End of Time’ or at the same time? If it’s the latter that means the Tenth Doctor is simultaneously destroying/saving Gallifrey

“How do you use a weapon of ultimate mass destruction when it can stand in judgment on you?” 

The barn. We thought it was just some random location, but it turned out to be so much more. 

I love the War Doctor. So much so that I wish there had been more secret Doctors played by the type of big name actors you know the show could ever get full time.  

“It's nothing. It's just a wolf.” Welcome back, Billie Piper. 

I wasn’t that keen on Billie coming back because I’m not a fan of Rose, plus I was a little resentful that she was the only former companion being brought back. But I ended up really liking her in this episode, probably because she wasn’t playing Rose. 

Still disappointed that no other companions came back, though. Not that I think this should’ve been a big reunion with companions showing up left right and centre. The last thing this needed to be was another ‘Five Doctors’. Moffat should really be commended for his restraint, because this could’ve easily been a mess if he had gone overboard on the fan services and Easter eggs.  

Still, would’ve been nice if just one classic companion had been there. I bet is Elisabeth Sladen was still alive they would’ve asked her to appear.

“Stuck between a girl and a box. Story of your life, eh, Doctor?” 

No one expects a fez. 

So was that horse Arthur? 

Look, it’s David’s controversial not as spiky as it should be hair. God, I don’t even want to know how many angry Tumblr posts were written about that. 

“I'm not English.” No, David John McDonald, you’re not. 

“You're a Zygon.” He’s probably been waiting his whole life to say that. I bet Moffat didn’t even have to persuade him to be in this, he just had to said “Zygons, David” and he ran back to Wales as fast as his skinny legs could carry him.  

“Whatever you've got planned, forget it. I'm the Doctor. I'm nine hundred and four years old. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I am the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness, and you are basically just a rabbit, aren't you? Okay, carry on. Just a general warning.”

The long awaited return of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors. 

“Now, I want this stone dust analysed. And I want a report in triplicate, with lots of graphs and diagrams and complicated sums on my desk, tomorrow morning, ASAP, pronto, L O L. See? Job. Do I have a desk?”

What was so special about this fez that they needed to lock it away in the Under Gallery?  

The Doctors comparing the size of their, ahem, screwdrivers.

The face(s) of a man who just realised he made out with a Zygon. 

“There's two of us. I'm reversing it, you're reversing it back again. We're confusing the polarity.”

“Why are you pointing your screwdrivers like that? They're scientific instruments, not water pistols.” 

“Brave words, Dick van Dyke.”

“Oh, the pointing again. They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do, assemble a cabinet at them?” Not every day you get scolded by your younger self. 

“Timey-wimey?” "I've no idea where he picks that stuff up.” Rule 1, the Doctor lies. 

I could honestly watch these three bickering all day.  

“Shall we ask for a better quality of door so we can escape?”

The Black Archive, home of all the Easter eggs.  

“Think about it. Americans with the ability to rewrite history? You've seen their movies.” Trump isn’t letting a lack of time travel stop him rewrite history and erase the Obama Administration. 

“Help to pass the timey-wimey.” 

The man who regrets and the man who forgets.

“Hang on. Three of you in one cell, and none of you thought to try the door?” This is Doctor Who in a nutshell. The Doctor is so consumed by how clever he is that, unlike the companion, he fails to notice the bleedin’ obvious.  

Those creatures? Has Osgood not read up on UNIT history? 

And this is why you don’t fuck with a Tudor. 

“Is there a lot of this in the future?” “It does start to happen, yeah.” Wait until you meet your future wife, then there’ll be a lot more than kissing. 

Who doesn’t love the round things?  

“Oh, you've redecorated. I don't like it.” He’s so offended. How dare this stick insect not like his TARDIS. 

Just how dangerous are River’s heels? 

“Somewhere in your memory is a man called Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart. I am his daughter.” And that is the exact point that Zygon Kate knew they were fucked. 

“You tell yourself it's justified, but it's a lie. Because what I did that day was wrong. Just wrong.” And yet a lot of people do try to justify it simply because they don’t like that Moffat undid it. 

“Peace in our time.” And that worked out just as well as when Neville said it. 

There you go, Doctor, a big red button. 

“Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.”

A lot of people really hated the shots of the children playing. I think they preferred it if Time Lords were all just evil people so it made it okay that the Doctor killed them. 

I really did think they were going to push the button and kill them all. I was so relived when they didn’t. Committing genocide would really not have been the best way to celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who.

This here is why the companions are so important and why the Doctor must never travel alone. If the Doctor had been alone he would’ve pushed that button and killed them all. But Clara was there, representing all those who came before her, to remind the Doctor not only of the many innocent lives he about to take, but also who is he. Not a warrior, not a hero, but a Doctor. 

“Then what do I do?” "What you've always done. Be a doctor.”

“Never cruel or cowardly.” "Never give up, never give in.”

“Gentlemen, I have had four hundred years to think about this. I've changed my mind.” This isn’t seven years of character development being wiped away, this is the result of that development. 

“Oh, Bad Wolf girl, I could kiss you.” "Yeah, that's going to happen.” 

“No, sir. All thirteen!” Capaldi intensifies. 

“Geronimo!” "Allons-y!” "Oh, for God's sake. Gallifrey stands!”

“So I won't remember that I tried to save Gallifrey rather than burn it. I'll have to live with that. But for now, for this moment, I am the Doctor again.”  

“I suppose it makes sense. Wearing a bit thin.” Miss you so much, Sir John. 

You fucking smoothie, Ten. 

“I don't want to go.”  If David returns for the 60th will they find another way to make these his final words again? 

Tom!!! My favourite Doctor. Still wonderful after all these years.

Can’t describe how happy it makes me to see my two favourite Doctors together on screen. 

“Oh, it's entirely up to you. Your choice, eh? I can only tell you what I would do if I were you. Oh, if I were you. Oh, perhaps I was you, of course. Or perhaps you are me." 

“Clara sometimes asks me if I dream. Of course I dream, I tell her. Everybody dreams. But what do you dream about, she'll ask. The same thing everybody dreams about, I tell her. I dream about where I'm going. She always laughs at that. But you're not going anywhere, you're just wandering about. That's not true. Not any more. I have a new destination. My journey is the same as yours, the same as anyone’s. It's taken me so many years, so many lifetimes, but at last I know where I'm going. Where I've always been going. Home, the long way round.” 

Yeah, the effect isn’t that great, but this shot still brings a tear to my eye. 

Next Time: The Time of the Doctor

[scotianostra]

On October 26th 1911 the Gaelic poet, Sorley MacLean, was born on the island of Raasay, the same island my own ancestors originated.

Maclean was born at Osgaig on the island into a Gaelic speaking community. He was the second of five sons born to Malcolm and Christina MacLean. His brothers were John Maclean, a schoolteacher and later rector of Oban High School, who was also a piper, Calum Maclean, a noted folklorist and ethnographer; and Alasdair and Norman, who became GP's. His name in Gaelic was Somhairle MacGill-Eain.

At home, he was steeped in Gaelic culture and beul-aithris (the oral tradition), especially old songs. His mother, a Nicolson, had been raised near Portree, although her family was of Lochalsh origin her family had been involved in Highland Land League activism for tenant rights. His father, who owned a small croft and ran a tailoring business,[12]:16 had been raised on Raasay, but his family was originally from North Uist and, before that, Mull. Both sides of the family had been evicted during the Highland Clearances, of which many people in the community still had a clear recollection.

What MacLean learned of the history of the Gaels, especially of the Clearances, had a significant impact on his worldview and politics. Of especial note was MacLean's paternal grandmother, Mary Matheson, whose family had been evicted from the mainland in the 18th century. Until her death in 1923, she lived with the family and taught MacLean many traditional songs from Kintail and Lochalsh. As a child, MacLean enjoyed fishing trips with his aunt Peigi, who taught him other songs.[9] Unlike other members of his family, MacLean could not sing, a fact that he connected with his impetus to write poetry.

Sorley was brought up as a follower of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, now if you think the Wee Free are strict, these guys think that The Wee Free are too lenient, but Sorley says he gave up the religion for socialism at the age of twelve as he refused to accept that a majority of human beings were consigned to eternal damnation. He was educated at Raasay Primary School and Portree Secondary School. In 1929, he left home to attend the University of Edinburgh.

While studying at Edinburgh University he encountered Hugh Macdiarmid who inspired him to write poetry. However, Maclean chose the Gaelic of his childhood rather than Scots.

After fighting in North Africa during World War II he embarked on his life-long career as a school teacher - working in Mull, Edinburgh and Plockton.

Maclean was one of the finest writers of Gaelic in the 20th century. He drew upon its rich oral tradition to create innovative and beautiful poetry about the Scottish landscape and history. He was also an accomplished love poet. However, writing in Gaelic limited his audience so he began to translate his own work into English. In 1977 a bilingual edition of his selected poems appeared - followed by the collected poems in 1989.

His fame as a poet began to spread during the 1970s - helped by the appearance of his work in Gordon Wright's Four Points of a Saltire. Seamus Heaney, who first met Maclean at a poetry reading at the Abbey Theatre Dublin, was one of his greatest admirers and subsequently worked on translations of his work.

One of Maclean's most celebrated poems is Hallaig which concerns the enforced clearance of the inhabitants of the township of Hallaig (Raasay) to Australia. A film, Hallaig, was made in 1984 by Timothy Neat, including a discussion by MacLean of the dominant influences on his poetry, with commentary by Smith and Heaney, and substantial passages from the poem and other work, along with extracts of Gaelic song

In 1990 Maclean received the Queen's Gold Medal for poetry. He died in 1996 at the age of 85.‘.

Tha tìm, am fiadh, an coille Hallaig’

Tha bùird is tàirnean air an uinneig

trom faca mi an Àird Iar

’s tha mo ghaol aig Allt Hallaig

’na craoibh bheithe, ’s bha i riamh

eadar an t-Inbhir ’s Poll a’ Bhainne,

thall ’s a-bhos mu Bhaile Chùirn:

tha i ’na beithe, ’na calltainn,

’na caorann dhìrich sheang ùir.

Ann an Sgreapadal mo chinnidh,

far robh Tarmad ’s Eachann Mòr,

tha ’n nigheanan ’s am mic ’nan coille

a’ gabhail suas ri taobh an lòin.

Uaibreach a-nochd na coilich ghiuthais

a’ gairm air mullach Cnoc an Rà,

dìreach an druim ris a’ ghealaich –

chan iadsan coille mo ghràidh.

Fuirichidh mi ris a’ bheithe

gus an tig i mach an Càrn,

gus am bi am bearradh uile

o Bheinn na Lice fa sgàil.

Mura tig ’s ann theàrnas mi a Hallaig

a dh’ionnsaigh Sàbaid nam marbh,

far a bheil an sluagh a’ tathaich,

gach aon ghinealach a dh’fhalbh.

Tha iad fhathast ann a Hallaig,

Clann Ghill-Eain’s Clann MhicLeòid,

na bh’ ann ri linn Mhic Ghille Chaluim:

chunnacas na mairbh beò.

Na fir ’nan laighe air an lèanaig

aig ceann gach taighe a bh’ ann,

na h-igheanan ’nan coille bheithe,

dìreach an druim, crom an ceann.

Eadar an Leac is na Feàrnaibh

tha ’n rathad mòr fo chòinnich chiùin,

’s na h-igheanan ’nam badan sàmhach

a’ dol a Clachan mar o thus.

Agus a’ tilleadh às a’ Chlachan,

à Suidhisnis ’s à tir nam beò;

a chuile tè òg uallach

gun bhristeadh cridhe an sgeòil.

O Allt na Feàrnaibh gus an fhaoilinn

tha soilleir an dìomhaireachd nam beann

chan eil ach coitheanal nan nighean

a’ cumail na coiseachd gun cheann.

A’ tilleadh a Hallaig anns an fheasgar,

anns a’ chamhanaich bhalbh bheò,

a’ lìonadh nan leathadan casa,

an gàireachdaich ‘nam chluais ’na ceò,

’s am bòidhche ’na sgleò air mo chridhe

mun tig an ciaradh air caoil,

’s nuair theàrnas grian air cùl Dhùn Cana

thig peilear dian à gunna Ghaoil;

’s buailear am fiadh a tha ’na thuaineal

a’ snòtach nan làraichean feòir;

thig reothadh air a shùil sa choille:

chan fhaighear lorg air fhuil rim bheò.

Hallaig

Translator: Sorley MacLean

‘Time, the deer, is in the wood of Hallaig’

The window is nailed and boarded

through which I saw the West

and my love is at the Burn of Hallaig,

a birch tree, and she has always been

between Inver and Milk Hollow,

here and there about Baile-chuirn:

she is a birch, a hazel,

a straight, slender young rowan.

In Screapadal of my people

where Norman and Big Hector were,

their daughters and their sons are a wood

going up beside the stream.

Proud tonight the pine cocks

crowing on the top of Cnoc an Ra,

straight their backs in the moonlight –

they are not the wood I love.

I will wait for the birch wood

until it comes up by the cairn,

until the whole ridge from Beinn na Lice

will be under its shade.

If it does not, I will go down to Hallaig,

to the Sabbath of the dead,

where the people are frequenting,

every single generation gone.

They are still in Hallaig,

MacLeans and MacLeods,

all who were there in the time of Mac Gille Chaluim:

the dead have been seen alive.

The men lying on the green

at the end of every house that was,

the girls a wood of birches,

straight their backs, bent their heads.

Between the Leac and Fearns

the road is under mild moss

and the girls in silent bands

go to Clachan as in the beginning,

and return from Clachan,

from Suisnish and the land of the living;

each one young and light-stepping,

without the heartbreak of the tale.

From the Burn of Fearns to the raised beach

that is clear in the mystery of the hills,

there is only the congregation of the girls

keeping up the endless walk,

coming back to Hallaig in the evening,

in the dumb living twilight,

filling the steep slopes,

their laughter a mist in my ears,

and their beauty a film on my heart

before the dimness comes on the kyles,

and when the sun goes down behind Dun Cana

a vehement bullet will come from the gun of Love;

and will strike the deer that goes dizzily,

sniffing at the grass-grown ruined homes;

his eye will freeze in the wood,

his blood will not be traced while I live.

)