#MAGICIANS' PURE LOVE IS THE GOAT

[the-himawari]

A3! Usui Masumi - Translation [SR] Bright Star of Blooming (1/2)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

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Sakuya: Tomorrow’s the screening party for “Magicians’ Pure Love”, right? That’s exciting, Masumi-kun!

Masumi: You’re not appearing though.

Chikage: Haha. I feel like we had a similar conversation before the last screening party.

Citron: I am looking forward to it too~. At tomorrow’s talk show, Masumi will have everyone exploding in laughter!

Masumi: That’s not going to happen.

Tsuzuru: But you did put some thought into the conversation topics, right?

Masumi: Not really.

Tsuzuru: Uh huh, not really… Well then, Itaru-san, Chikage-san. Have you two thought about it?

Itaru: A little. He's got a big storm coming tomorrow.

Chikage: I’m sure Masumi will do his best regardless.

Tsuzuru: Well, I can’t deny Masumi will make it work somehow. Just like last time…

*door opens*

Masumi: …! Director…

Izumi: Oh. Everyone from Spring troupe is here. Were you guys having a meeting about tomorrow?

Citron: That is right! But Tsuzuru is a little worried~.

Tsuzuru: Nah, I’m not that pressed about it. I just remember how I felt a bit nervous during the screening party for “Alice”.

Izumi: Right, that rings a bell. I’m sure this time will be fine though. Right, Masumi-kun?

Masumi: Yeah. I’m going to work hard tomorrow, so make sure you watch me.

Izumi: Fufu. I can’t wait to see your magic tricks. Tomorrow is sure to be jam-packed, so remember to head to bed early tonight.

Masumi: You got it.

Chikage: I look forward to working with you as well, Director-san.

Izumi: Thanks, same here. Alright, see you guys tomorrow!

Sakuya: Oh, Masumi-kun was planning to do magic tricks at his talk show tomorrow!

Citron: It will definitely be exciting if he does~!

Tsuzuru: Why didn't you tell us you decided to do magic tricks?

Masumi: You only asked me about the conversation topics.

Tsuzuru: *Sigh*, I walked into that one. Well, in any case, do your best tomorrow.

Masumi: I was going to even if you didn’t tell me to.

-pause-

Masumi: Like this, and then… Lead their gaze over here, and…

Chikage: Spot on. Well done. Now we just have to wait for Director-san to come over.

*door opens*

Izumi: The screening is almost finished. Is everyone ready?

Chikage: Speak of the devil.

Izumi: Huh? Me…?

Masumi: …Thank you for waiting. You're our very first guest of honour for today's magic show. First, please, keep your eye on this rose here.

Izumi: (Masumi-kun is plucking the petals off the red rose in his hand…)

Masumi: 3, 2, 1…

Izumi: Woah, it turned into a bouquet of white roses!

Masumi: Here you go. This bouquet is a present for you.

Izumi: Fufu, thank you. It looks like your magic rehearsal went perfectly. I’m sure the guests are going to love it.

Masumi: I’m glad if you say so…

Itaru: …I thought Masumi was cramming ‘til the last minute to practice his magic tricks, but he was actually preparing that?

Chikage: Indeed, he was. Moreover, that was a special new trick just for Director-san. It’s completely different from the one he’ll be performing in the talk show.

Itaru: Masumi will be Masumi, alright.

-pause-

Itaru: …Alrighty, please give a huge round of applause to Masumi and his wonderful magic show!

*applause*

Guest A: Incredible! So many cards were flying from his hands!

Guest B: Masumi-kun’s just like a pro magician!

Masumi: That magic trick just now wasn’t that hard.

Chikage: It might not have been that difficult, but I think that’s the result of all your efforts practicing it over and over again until you mastered it.

Itaru: I felt this back when we were doing “Magicians’ Pure Love”, but Masumi actually has mad skills when it comes to magic, huh?

Chikage: He picks it up fast since he’s good with his hands.

Masumi: …But there was one time I almost messed up my trick during the play.

Chikage: Ah, right. That happened. However, I doubt the audience members noticed. Masumi brushed over it well with his improvisation.

Masumi: You and Itaru backed me up too.

Itaru: It’s really rare for you to mess up during a show though.

Masumi: True. I don’t think I’ve made that many mistakes up to this point.

Chikage: That just goes to how show you put your utmost effort into that performance, wouldn't you say?

Masumi: …I guess so.

Chikage: That reminds me… back then, all of us in Spring troupe were discussing how we’d support Masumi so he could go all out.

Itaru: Riiight, we did talk about that.

Masumi: It’s not like I asked you to or anything.

Itaru: Haha. Aww, Masumi’s just too cute when he can’t be honest. Isn’t that right, everyone?

Audience: THE CUTEST!

Masumi: Stop talking…

---

| next

[scarlet-cookie]

Got to LOTM Volume 3!!!!!! Yippee!!! Oh, man, the story just keeps getting better and better. Miss Ctrl+alt+delete really saved Klein’s ass back there in the Vol 2 end fight (RIP Old Kohler I liked him noooooooooooo why Cuttlefishhhh). Will halt the LOTM art every time I finish a volume thing for now. I wanna do a thing when I finish all the volumes and make a collage or something.

Vol 2 thoughts :

-man I want that quill burnt along with Zangwill

-AZIK OUR GOAT, OUR TEACHER, OUR SAVIOR

-Emlyn is just living the life fr. Beyonder powers since birth, cool (and alive) family, lawful, honest jobs, hobby that doesn’t hurt anyone. Dude is just chilling and doing his own thing here.

-Xio : works to death, risks her life multiple times due to the Fool

Klein : mhm.

Fors : ow curse oh no losing control

Klein : yea you’re in

Klein I have no issues against that but- please don’t forget our girl Xio… (I love Xio. She’s just kicking ass and living with pride right now.)

-Why is Trissy suddenly pathetic…..

-There was a period of time that I got so paranoid of Brody that I ended up googling if Brody was some secret enemy. Glad to know he’s just a cat. Glad to know we can still enjoy cat doing cat things here without freaking out if it’s some secretly horrific entity.

-Klein agrees to help catch an affair and gets tangled in ten other matters at once. Purely through. Coincidence. Sure. Sure sure. Yeah. Haha. Coincidence. Right..

Vol 3 thoughts so far :

-Danitz is hilairous. I absolutely adore his character and his chaotic energy when combined with Gehrmann. It’s a weird variant of stupid and smart except it’s stupid by circumstance and smart outside, panicking inside. Anyways it’s a great combo of flavors.

-I love, love the Gehrmann Sparrow persona and Klein’s occasional contradictory thoughts and internal panic. That said, the latter makes me sad reading them sometimes. Like he’s just. On high alert. Dude is like “o yea this is nothing I’ve seen/heard/encountered worse :D” like it’s a good thing… the only way it’s a good thing is that if you’re Klein and Klein specifically.

-on that note, WHY CAN’T KLEIN JUST GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP COME ON

-“this is madness” I felt something there and it’s a bad feeling

-Klein’s list of jobs so far : secret police, detective, cult leader, professional schemer, dropshipper, seer, clown, magician, Batman, assassin, food enthusiast, adventurer, bounty hunter, and also, babysitter

-Klein’s list of crimes grows in adjacent to his list of occupations

-Forget horrifying entities, The Fool’s real weakness is food and money

[thelesbstrosity]

MY GOOD OMENS 2 LIVE REACTIONS FOR EVERY EPISODE

So ofc spoilers

Good Omens 2

Episode 1:

- THEY KNEW EACH OTHER AS ANGELS

- Crowley is so proud of his universe and nebulas

- STILL NOT GETTING HIS PRE-FALL NAME

- the reverse wing cover in comparison to season 1

- maggie is a gay disaster

- gabriel walking naked through town to the bookshop had me cry laughing

- crowley living in his car? the plants in the back seat

- myself vs ourselves 😩

- the husbands™️ are fighting 😭

- FORCED PROXIMITY LESBIANS?!

- DISABLED ANGEL I LOVE IT

- the apology dance

- them treating Gabriel like a pet you’re hiding from your parents

Episode 2

- HIS CHILDREN?!

- MORE MURIEL

- Gabriel’s hair in the past 😂

- Heaven takes part in the bystander effect fr fr

- Crowley sleeping in his Bentley

- A JUKEBOX THAT BUDDY HOLLY’S RECORDS LIKE THE BENTLEY

- Greetings “I’m Jim”

- THE FLY

- Plan “Get the lesbians together”

- STANDING IN THE RAIN LIKE IN SEASON 1, EPISODE 1

- A CLUE

- my head can’t hold all that

- “Bildad the shuhite” “sure”

- “i know you” “You don’t know me”

- HE COULDNT KILL THE GOATS

- Ennon’s a little fruity

- “I’m a demon. I lied”

- “He has a permit”

- CROWLEY IS WHY HE LIKES HUMAN FOOD

- THE LET ME TEMPT YOU vs “ARE YOU TRYING TO TEMPT ME”

- shoemaking and obstetrics

- “our car/ our bookshop”

- GOOD OMENS THE BOOK IN GOOD OMENS

- “I’m a demon. I lied” pt 2 😭😭

Episode 3:

- Jim’s mug”

- MURIEL POLICE OUTFIT

- I love her 🫶🏻😭

- HIM BRINGING HIS PLANTS INTO THE BOOKSHOP

- “For like 200 years”

- LAZURI MIRACLE SCALE FOR LAZURUS

- AZIRAPHALE DRIVING

- HIM WRITING ABOUT CROWLEY IN HIS DIARY

- David getting to be really Scottish but like pretending to be bad at it

- Crowley can feel his Bentley

- ITS YELLOW

- them fighting over the car/ Book selling threat

- gravity

- he gets drunk on poison skshsksj

- HE TURNED SMALL

- KAIJU CROWLEY

- “stunning view”

- crowley tossing books

- “we probably don’t have what you’re looking for and we wouldn’t sell it to you if we did”

- AND GRINDR

- “you have no idea”

- ARMAGEDDON 2???

- Shax must be invited in

- SHAX HAS HIS OLD APARTMENT

Episode 4

- FLASHBACK TO THE WW2 SCENE

- OMG LADIES OF CAMELOT FROM THE OPENING CREDITS

- THEY’RE BACK 😂 AND IN HELL

- “I’m fu -*piano*”

- MAGICIAN AZIRAPHALE AGAIN

- ZOMBIES

- SPIDER PUNISHMENT 😳

- that’s what…friends…do

- “Wow me with your miracles”

- the way crowley supports his little magic act

- AZIRAPHALE OWNS A GUN

- “someone you can really trust” *immediately looks to crowley*

- Same legion 😂

- HE SLIGHT OF HANDED HIM

- “you said trust me” “and you did”

- Crowley’s pet

- THE CAR FOLLOWS AZIRA

Episode 5

- Good omens is Anti-HOA

- THE FEZ

- okay shax we see your war fit

- the french

- HE DIDNT TELL HIM ABOUT SHUT YOUR STUPID MOUTH AND DIE ALREADY

- Muriel is so pure i love her istg

- you’re weird

- JIM’S SUIT

- THE DEMON LEGION IN MASKS

- a seamstress

- the dancing

- ELEVATOR TO HEAVEN AND HELL

- THE ANGLE

- ALSO NOT THE BOOKSHOP

- THE COAT

- him lining them up with the buddy system

- nina and maggie staying

- RESCUING ME MAKES HIM SO HAPPY

- Arrest me

- ah shit here we go

Episode 6

- Badass Azira has entered the chat

- Crowley’s fit change and little run

- MAGGIE NO

- Shax really said “leave and i’ll smite you”

- A THRONE OR A DOMINION OR ABOVE

- They never change their passwords

- HE WAS IN THE HIGHEST RANKS?!

- gabriel was on trial

- THE CANDLES! THE EXTINGUISHERS! HE HAS TRAUMA FROM THE FIRE

- EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANGEL

- HE WAS REMOVED FROM OFFICE

- FOR ONE PRINCE OF HEAVEN TO BE CAST OUT…THATS DEFINITELY HIM SAYING CROWLEY WAS AN ARCHANGEL HOLY FUCK

- That’s why he showed up naked..holy shit

- OMG HIS HALO

- “I MAY HAVE JUST STARTED A WAR”

- the awkward elevator

- HIS MEMORIES

- MICHEAL AND BEELZEBUB CHATTING

- THEY LIKE EVERYDAY SO HE MADE SURE THE RECORD IS ALWAYS EVERYDAY 😩

- THEY GAVE HIM A FLY

- NEIL DELIVERED THE SHIP

- “No one’s ever given me anything before” 😭😭

- “You. Thank you”

- “I FOUND SOMETHING THAT MEANT MORE TO ME THAN CHOOSING SIDES”

- THEY SANG TOGETHER SKSJSK

- METATRON THE VOICE OF GOD

- Crowley putting the bookshop back together

- Nina saying she’d hope Maggie will be there when she’s ready

- “YOURE NOT HELPING, ANGEL” Nina pls the parallel

- “Nothing lasts forever” 😭😭😭😭

- him crying as he puts on his glasses

- “NO NIGHTINGALES “

- “WE COULD’VE BEEN US”

- THE KISS

- “I forgive you” “don’t bother”

- Muriel getting the bookshop

- THE SECOND COMING

- NOT “A NIGHTINGALE IN BERKLEY SQUARE”

- they’re both so clearly unhappy and heartbroken

[alina-catness]

I sometimes wonder why Crowley was so very scared of shooting Aziraphale. Even though their miracles didn't work, it would never have killed him, only disembodied. He just could have shoot with good hopes or refuse to do it. So why was he so anxious?

I have several theories about his resons.

1. Why didn't he just shoot carelessly?

We all know Crowley has a kind heart, even though he reuses zu show it. I think he couldn't take watching his best friend (aka his body) die. Humanity doesn't know for sure where souls go after ones death (or if they exist in the first place) and we cry over the loss of a beloved one. I strongly believe that Crowley feels this kind of pain too, even if he does know where Aziraphale would go. He would never accept his best friend being hurt, even in this only formal matter. And more importantly, he doesn't want to be the reason behind it. Remember, the demon didn't even bear to kill goats.

2. Why didn't he refuse to shoot?

First of all, it's so pure to look back at his behavior before and after them realizing that miracles were blocked. Crowley barely skimmed the pages of the instruction but behind the curtains on stage he panicked and read it all again carefully. He didn't refuse to shoot because everyone would have made fun of Aziraphale for being a bad magician. He knows how much the angel loves magic tricks so he wanted to help him make it perfect, even though he complains about it. (David Tennant confirmed in an interview that Crowley loves for Aziraphale to make plans so he can complain but enjoy it in the end.) Also, when Aziraphale looked at him so determined, I think Crowley didn't even recall that there's the possibility to refuse.

[soulsanitarium]

HISTORICAL MOVIES ABOUT WITCH PROCESSES

🇩🇰/🇳🇴🇨🇿🇫🇮🇺🇸🇪🇸🇮🇸🇫🇷🇵🇱 From the best known to the least known.

The Crucible (1996) - based on the play of Arthur Miller. Miller likened the situation with the House Un-American Activities Committee to the witch hunt in Salem in 1692 (the love story is purely fiction). Other American films & series that are based more or less in to Salem trials are: The Maid of Salem (1937) & Salem Witch Trials (2002) with Kirstie Alley, Shirley MacLaine, Alan Bates, Rebecca De Mornay.

Witchfinder General - see my previous post.

🇬🇧The Devils (1971) based on the book of Aldous Huxley, loosely based on the historical events in France. The Loudun possessions, known in French as the Possessed of Loudun Affair (Affaire des possédées de Loudun), was a notorious witchcraft trial that took place in Loudun, Kingdom of France, in 1634. A convent of Ursuline nuns said they had been visited and possessed by demons. Following an investigation by the Catholic Church, a local priest named Urbain Grandier was accused of summoning the evil spirits. Polish 🇵🇱Matka Joanna od Aniołów, also known as The Devil and the Nun (1961) is an art Film based on the same book.

Kladivo na čarodějnice (Witchhammer) Dir. Otakar Vávra (1969), adaptation of Kaplický's novel of the same name about the Northern Moravia trials. It is drawing from original historical documents.

🧹This film is very provocative, but it also offers a bit of a view of the layers of society and political motives. Indeed, the film is considered an allegory for the Stalin’s political show trials. What was quite exceptional in this historical case was that lawyer Jindřich František Boblig z Edelstadtu sought mainly the Conviction of local wealthy burghers.💰

🇩🇪Mark of the Devil (1970) - only the location is real. Schloss Moosham (moosham castle) is in Salzburg , Austria 🇦🇹 The Zaubererjackl trials or Salzburg witch trials, also known in history as the Magician Jackls process, which took place in the city of Salzburg in 1675–1690, was one of the largest and most famous witch trials in Austria but the movie has nothing to do with this it is basically torture porn.

🇩🇰Vredens Dag (1943) - Day of Wrath is a 1943 Danish drama film directed by C.T.Dreyer. It is an adaptation of the 1909 Norwegian play AnnePedersdotter by Hans Wiers-Jenssen, based on a 16th century Norwegian witchtrial case. It might reflect also the Nazi occupation in Denmark.

The Basque word AKELARRE means 'the field of the he-goat' as well as 'witches sabbath'. 🎥Akelarre (2020) centers on the relationship between a judge called Rostegui and a group of teens suspected of witchcraft. In an attempt to evade execution, the six teenage girls decide to tell the judge what he wants to hear. Their leader, Ana, realizes that the judge is desperate to prove the reality of the sabbath.

Pierre de Rosteguy de Lancre or Pierre de l'Ancre (1553–1631), was the (56 yo) French judge of Bordeaux who conducted the massive Pays de Labourd witch-hunt in 1609. In 1582 he was named judge in Bordeaux, and in 1608 King Henry IV commanded him to put an end to the practice of witchcraft. However before that 2 noblemen from Labourd asked help from the King.👑

Total of suspects in the area was 5000 but there are no clear records how many was killed in local trials. In famous Logroño trials 6 people were burned alive, 4 women & 2 men, 13 died in prison.🔥 five burned in effigy. (and many toads 🐸 were hanged too)

Finnish film Tulen morsian (2016) Devil’s Bride, is partly based on research but the plot (love story) is fiction. Influenced by the Feminist-movement.

Did you know that before the famous Swedish witch trials ( in Dalarna - Mora) they started from Finland? 🔥In the 17th century Finland was part of Sweden 🇸🇪🇫🇮and at that time (in 1655) man called Nils Psilander was appointed to be an Åland island 🇦🇽district judge.⚖️ District judge Psilander was the man behind the only linked trials in Finland (a snowball effect that led to multiple death sentences). Demonological ideas such as the demonic pact, the sabbat, and the Devil’s mark come to the fore. Psilander’s university studies in Tartu, with its German teachers, help to explain his knowledge of these ideas. 😈 7 women (+1) were beheaded and burned in these trials.

🇮🇸 Myrkrahöfðinginn (1999) Dir.Gunnlaugsson

⛪️This witchtrial film is loosely based on the historical events in Iceland. The trial & the burning in Easter week 1656 in Skutulsfjörður, Ísafjarðarsýsla, of the two Jón Jónssons, father and son, from Kirkjuból for witchcraft against their parish priest Jón Magnússon. (Ellison 1994-97)

[wilddarkchocolate]

Shadows in Paradise

Spoilers for Asra's reversed ending and just general spoilers for the arcana and his lore

Prompt:Asra and MC has forgotten but the ghost has not.

The "they" refers to a gender neutral mc

"Asra, I think there's someone here" they called out to Asra. They haven't had anyone come by before, it was always Faust and Asra and them yet there was a figure standing in the far distant. They were wary and rather confused. But then again nothing here could hurt them. So they were safe. Right?

Asra hummed and came out of their little home to see. His eyes widen at the figure. Their figure was distorted yet they had some distinctive features that made Asra shudder.

Their eyes were red and their skin a ghostly white. Too white. They walked over calmly yet each step seem to make Asra's gate quake underneath it.

"Stand back" Asra said to his lover urgently yet something about this stranger was familiar. Their aura albeit twisted by something seemed so familiar, so nostalgic, so frightening.

The creature came into view and spoke in his lover's tone "Did you really forget already? The renowned Magician already forgetting his roots? Let me put you in your place shall I?" Their tone was sweet. Sickeningly sweet and the face was his love's but no. No something was not right. Before Asra could even react his whole world was plunged into darkness. He couldn't feel Faust wrapped around him and he couldn't feel himself holding his lover's hand just seconds ago.

He was overwhelmed by grief and sorrow and so so much regret. Kneeling in the ash covered sand as he looked in utter horror at the pieces of bone and ash. The faint aura of his love still there but barely. They were dead. His love was dead and it was all his fault. His scream died in his throat as his tears mixed with the sand.

"Wait how did I get here?" His thoughts were cut off by an insistent voice in his head. Maybe it was his intuition or if it wasn't he couldn't tell. "Look. Look. Look. Remember"

"Remember what?"

Darkness seized him and he was back at a familiar looking home. The smell of tea in the air as he waited by the door. Siting down and waiting, waiting, waiting. He was hungry by the time it was night. His parents had yet to return so he decided to make his own food. Making a sandwich and tea before going back to waiting. He waited a few days before realising his parents weren't returning. He was confused and lost at first before the food ran out. Once he did he packed up everything important and left. He couldn't believe it, his parents were missing , leaving their only child to fend for himself. He desperately hoped it was a dream. That he would wake up. "Wake up" that voice nagged again

The next time when he came to it seemed easier. To observe and experience what was going on. He was by the docks. There was a child not much older than him in his little sanctuary where he kept stuff from his home. It was past midnight but they could not sleep at any costs. Their stuff had been stolen the other night and they had lost some food. It wasn't safe. They were not safe, they had no home. Asra felt tears well up but wiped them away before Muriel.......Muriel..... "How did your forget him?" That voiced asked and before he could respond it was gone again

"Do we have a deal?" The demonic goat with the wide evil grin asked. Asra shook his outstretched hand and nodded "Yes. Whatever it takes to bring them back" and then the pain started. Bright white shooting pain that bloomed in his chest and knocked the breath out of him. If he wasn't holding onto the devil's hand he would be falling to his knees. A scream was ripped from him as the deal was sealed. There was something glowing in the Devil's chains and he knew what it was. Part of his soul. Asra panted, his vision swimming but the Devil was pleased. "Pleasure doing business with you, Asra. They will be returned to you" he said simply and something warm was handed to him. A warm and familiar presence in his palm. He felt the familiar feeling washed over him, welcome it as tears well up in his eyes. He was finally reunited, reunited with his love.

Darkness and then warmth once again. A warm hug he shared with three people. One was his love and the other two.......His parents. He was sharing a hug with his parents and his love. There were tears again, but good ones. Emotional ones. He was happy to be reunited. With......Salim and Aisha.

He sitting on a lush bed, braiding a woman's hair back into two lines. The woman with pink and blue hair huffed as she ranted on and on about her family. And there was a pale man on his side. The man laid on his back with red hair in his eye. Making a joke that Asra rolled his eyes at. He gave a snarky comment in return to Ilya. And the woman is Nadia, Countess of Vesuvia. And they were in a sleepover at her room.

He was arguing. "Leave. Leave with me. Please it's not safe" he pleaded but the person. His true lover, the one who he had forgotten. They didn't budge. "I need to stay,Asra. I need to help the people here overcome the plague. Vesuvia is my home. Running isn't an option" they said softly and looked to him. "I'm not coming with you" they turned away from him and he said "Suit yourself then. Just don't regret it" then he left. He left and didn't turn back. Didn't come back until it was too late. He lost them.

He was by a stream. Focusing hard on his magic in front of someone much older and wiser. His teacher. His mentor. The magician. The fox smiled at Asra as he managed to make the water into the vague shape of the said Arcana. "Water is a gateway to anywhere you want to go. As long as there's water you can travel in between and across" the magician said and he tilted his head "what does that mean?" The magician merely smiled knowingly.

The red dining room. The smell of the wine burning in his throat as he watched his lover get surrounded by the Valdemar, Vulgora and Vlastomil. "Get away from them!" Asra yelled but drank all the same. His limbs moved like he was a puppet as he passed the chalice. His lover taking the deal, leaving everyone behind. Leaving Vesuvia behind. The wrong choice. He could see now. His lover made the wrong choice.

Then the darkness faded and he was back at his....no not his. His oasis was filled with pools of water not sand. He looked up at the figure. "You...." His lover. The one he met nine years ago. They had a bitter expression but a hint of fondness behind it. And maybe relief as well. "Don't forget" they said simply and asked "who are you?" It was a test and Asra knew that.

"I am Asra Alnazar. Child of Aisha and Salim. They were taken from me when I was a child so I left home to live on the docks with Muriel. The Magician thought me magic. I met you nine years ago. You died three years ago to the plague but I brought you back at the cost of part of my soul....so how are you here?" He asked the figure who merely said "it's not relevant. Continue" Asra blinked and continued "I was reunited with my parents and we saved them from their own gate. My lover made a deal with the devil for us to be sent to my Oasis as long as they finished the ritual. I am a Magician, a friend of Muriel, Nadia and Julian. A child of Aisha and Salim. A lover to you and...the one I brought back to life" he looked them in the eye. "This is the real you isn't it? The one with your real memories." The pale ghost nodded. "I am nothing more but memories" they sighed before saying "the world is chaos. That's how I managed to come here. You and the one you brought back can change everything yet you stay here. Pretending everything is okay." They scoffed at him. Looking unimpressed and a tad disgusted "I thought you wouldn't succumb. Wouldn't fall for this. And yet you did. Because everything that matters to you is here, isn't it?" Taunting. They were taunting him but he smiled at them. "And it isn't. Not everything that matters is here" the figure gave him a nod. They turned away and Asra said before the figure vanished

"I miss you"

He swore he heard "me too" before the figure vanished and he awoke on the ground. Looking up at his lover and Faust's concerned face. "You fainted when that ghost appeared. You scared me so much, Asra. Are you okay?" They asked in concern but Asra's wide bright smile surprised them.

"I have never felt better" he got up and placed both hands on the ground. Focusing on his magic. The oasis refused. The water bubbling up was dark purple but he pushed and the pure blue water that he was so familiar came bubbling up to the surface. He pushed some more and watched as it surrounded his "home" it was a large vast sea. He stood up and took his lover's hand. "Let's go home" he said and leapt in. To the chaos waiting. To the ones that matter waiting.

How could he forget them?

I enjoyed writing this. I had it in the back of my mind ever since I learned about the reversed ending. What if MC's ghost brought Asra to his sense? I'm sure they are other ways Asra can become lucid but I also like to write angst. And reliving the worst moments of your life is probably the fastest wake up call you can get.

[the-working-class-guide-to-films]

Tenet-No Spoilers

I am a massive Christopher Nolan fan. I’m a fanboy, I’ll admit. Nolan, for me, is the goat. I don’t think there’s a director out there today that can create movies like he does, the way he does it. The mix of pure spectacle, blockbuster action using real effects, combined with interesting characters and personal, real stories is something that is rarely achieved in the film industry today. 

John David Washington is The Protagonist, who after a mission goes wrong is recruited by a secret organisation, Tenet, to prevent the end of the world. He learns that there is a technology in the future that allows objects to be reversed through time and that people are buying these and selling them on the black market. Objects such as inverted bullets that cause much more damage than regular ones.

There has been criticism of Tenet that it is too complicated and confusing. And yes, this is definitely the most complex Nolan film to date. The inverted/reverse time business is quite bizarre and takes a while to get your head round but towards the end it certainly becomes a little easier to understand. The plot itself however is more complicated. All Nolan films are complex and there are always clues throughout that you won’t notice on the first watch that you will on the second. But the plots aren’t as difficult to understand than Tenet. With Tenet, I think the second watch will be to understand what you didn’t from the first one, and then on the third viewing it will click. Maybe, maybe some people got it straightaway, maybe some people won’t get it on the third. I think the film, and this isn’t just a criticism of Tenet, but of most films, is that the dialogue at times was difficult to understand. It’s hard to get your head round this in the first place, never mind when you can’t make out what they are saying. During the more exposition scenes it was hard to make out what was going on, and Tenet needed these scenes to be clear in order for the viewers to maybe get a better understanding of the plot. My biggest criticism of Tenet however is that it lacks the human side of his films, especially in comparison to his other films. Not that I went in over-hyped because I never think that is a good idea. And maybe the film was his homage to the spy genre where it wasn’t intending us to care as much about the characters. But in all his films, and however epic the scenes we always care about the character, that I feel is the main part of the film, it is what we are drawn to. Whether that be magicians in the Victorian era, a caped crusader, three layers deep in a dream or floating through space; it is the human element that always keeps the film grounded. I felt that Tenet didn’t strike that balance. And that’s not to say that John David Washington wasn’t good, because he was fantastic, but I didn’t necessarily care about his character because he didn’t have anything personal for us to relate to. In Inception and Interstellar, the two main characters are fighting to see their children again. It’s personal, it shows the human side. Washington’s character didn’t have that, it was him saving the world, and yes that’s brave and courageous, but why, why did he care? What was HE fighting for? And that was what disappointed me the most about Tenet because that side of Nolan is I think the most under appreciated. I LOVE the set pieces, the action, the mind-boggling plot, but the human side is what brings it all home. I was blown away during Interstellar with the visual side of it, the black hole, the waves, all of that. But it is when Matthew McConaughey’s character breaks down seeing his grown up daughter via a TV or reuniting with her at the end of the movie that overshadows everything else. Tenet didn’t have these personal moments and that was a real shame.

No doubt about it, Tenet is the biggest Nolan film to date. It is honestly huge. No matter how confused you may, or may not get, you won’t be bored. It’s a lot of fun. In most action films you’d expect to see maybe 2 or 3 small action sequences followed by the big kick ass action sequence at the end. Tenet has 4 or 5 big kick ass action sequences. The opening of previous Nolan films, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises really set the standard for opening sequences in action movies, Tenet follows suit and kicks off from there without skipping a beat. A lot of the scenes involve the inverted time structure, where the object is going backwards in time (I think that’s how it works), it’s incredible to watch.

It’s absolute madness. I don’t think I’ve seen something like it before. If I have, not to this extent. It’s barmy, but it is fantastic. Technically it’s a delight. The whole plane scene has been talked about, how Nolan bought a real plane to crash instead of just using visual effects. That’s the standard that action films should be aiming for. Yes, visual effects are a work of art, there is no denying it and I certainly won’t be shitting on it that some people do. I am incredibly envious of the skill. But there is something magical about watching real effects, and it’s become part of Nolan’s signature. 

Away from the jaw-dropping action scenes and the incredible technical ability on show the acting is fantastic. John David Washington is superb in this and should hopefully cement his name as an A-list. His character has it all, cool, scary, witty, he captures all of this. And it isn’t just his acting that is top notch but it is a very physically demanding role which as you might expect from a former American Football player, you might expect. I don’t think there are many actors who could have struck the balance quite like JDW did. Sure, an actor like Daniel Day-Lewis could do the acting, but he couldn’t do the physical side. Dwayne Johnson could do the physical side, but he can’t act. Washington achieves both terrifically. There is a huge, and brilliant supporting cast in Tenet, most notably Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh who each bring something different and exciting. Nolan comes under criticism for portrayals of women in his films which is something I don’t necessarily agree with but in this Debicki’s character is the one who we probably care about the most and it is her character that brings the humanity to the story. 

4/5 Now I’ve had a day to digest it, and now I have written this review, I’m really excited to watch it again. If it wasn’t for COVID I would probably watch it about 4 times. Maybe on subsequent showings I could give it slightly lower (although I’ve tried to be impartial) maybe I’ll think it is better once I understand it more. Yes it is a shame that the human side of the film is lacking slightly, but the technical ability on showing will blow you away. No matter how confused you are, you won’t be bored.

p.s There has been criticisms from some corners of the film industry saying that Nolan, and the studios, are irresponsible for releasing Tenet as the film to bring cinema-goers back, especially when the film is complex. Why would the audience want to watch a film they can’t understand? Now I have an issue with this. Critics slam the Fast and Furious franchise because it is over the top, silly, action fuelled, spectacle garbage. Critics will also jizz over films such as Midsommar, The Shining, The Lighthouse for their complex and interesting storylines. Now I love these films, but what exactly are those films about, and would you know directly coming out of the cinema. Would the link between Greek Mythology, Prometheus and giving knowledge to civilisation be known to you when you came out of The Lighthouse? Probably not. Isn’t there like a whole documentary on The Shining because there are so many fan theories? That film is weird af. I’ve always found an issue of classism within the film industry, especially when reviewing certain films. Action films are seen as dumb, lowest common denominator garbage, and yet odd artsy stuff is seen as the pinnacle of film. Nolan somehow manages to get these both together and yet now they criticism him when this complex stuff is the shit they love. Now critics want a film like Fast and Furious to bring people back, but you know they’d shit on it at any other point. Maybe Nolan can do no right, people have called his films obnoxious because they are too smart. Well maybe these people mistake the intelligence of the general viewer? Who knows, I’m just mad the Nolan hasn’t won a Best Director award, or hasn’t even got a knighthood when people like Ed Sheeran or Phillip Green have?

[errthel]

I have risen up from the dead for the holidays to give this gift (Route Two : Part 6)

Hey man, wassup, how's life? I dunno what to say, I'm a terrible Santa. I put in more time into this chapter than the other chapters (in the spirit of preholiday break procrastination) so I hope you like this gift. This is derived for the amazing @tri3tri 's SW AU and I just thank her for creating such vivid and lovely AUs which I can immerse myself in, I loved the recent AU, Dead MC, a very nice one indeed. So I guess I will leave now so you can enjoy your reading time in peace ♡♡♡♡♡♡

Lucien’s mind was a maze. Every twist and turn, every dead end taunted him, like a defenseless child taunted by their cruel relatives. His frustration knew no bounds when he failed to exit the maze, but that anger was soon replaced by something far more sinister.

The numbing sear on his body felt as if his body was suffocated when he slept. His appendages were like cooked pasta, limp and unruly. Breaths that were like that of an athlete who had run a marathon filled the room at lightning speed. The degradation of his vision forced the boy to squint but even that proved to be ineffective when blobs of different colors was all that filled his vision. Lucien could no longer feel the beat of his heart, his lungs wouldn’t budge and supply him with air. He felt his eyelids droop lower and lower in an agonizingly slow pace until they finally reached their destination. The room fell into a hushed silence, like the prior noise never happened, it was peaceful like a field of flowers on a cliff.

~

For her, time wasn’t a constriction, she had lived long enough to no longer fear the obnoxious concept of time. She lives alongside time. She is time. As long as time exists, she will live and be indifferent to time. Her hourglass will forever be reversed again and again when the sand trickled to the bottom.

But her long life no longer gave her any thrill, she lives in a kingdom where war no longer ensues in its borders and she has been reduced to a routine of nothingness. Until the woman with flowing (h/c) hair and blazing (e/c) eyes came years ago. The woman who was her granddaughter-in-law was an untameable dog who very much was the one who her dear grandson loved with all his heart. 

The sour taste in her mouth left her itching to tame the woman until she was the perfect lover for her grandson.

The sour taste in her mouth was satiated when the woman was on her knees along with her daughters, her confidence was cracking.

She was almost perfect.

Maleficent looked back to those recent memories and scoffed, what was she thinking? (MC) hadn’t changed even with a decade of taming, she truly was an untamable dog. She  sat on a chair that was as black as the abyss of space. In her unlit room, she was like a viper ready to strike at anything that disturbed her.

Her peace however is disrupted by a wave of magic. Her eyes quickly focused on the magic and tried to discern what kind of magic dared to make its way into the Valley of Thorns. Once she figured out what magic it was, her cackling reached the throne room as her bright green flames engulfed her room. She called in a meeting with all the high ranking nobles of The Valley of Thorns.

~

Her room was as gloomy as it was large, floor to ceiling window panes let in as much natural light as the rainy day allowed. She sighed, he was having another tantrum from their one-sided conversation in the morning. 

Her black dress was almost as beautiful as the woman who wore it. The dress was a two piece dress consisting of a bodice and a skirt. The woman's bodice was luxurious, even if it was done in a black fabric, delicate embroidery in black thread was littered across the bodice, while her two layered scalloped bertha collar was created with a sheer black fabric. A large skirt supported by a steel crinoline accentuated her waist as the corset helped to hold up her large skirt. She also wore a black veil, as if she was mourning for someone.

“Mother, long time no see.” Sherry’s somewhat cheery voice announced her presence

“How are you Sherry?” hearing her mother’s question brought the teenager joy as she happily sat on the sofa and talked about how she was feeling

“Hello Mother.” a stoic voice called out to the woman as she walked into the room

Sherry’s green eyes flicked over to Renata who seemed like she walked to the depths of hell and back.

“Yo Renata! You look like you're about to drop.”

“I do very much feel like that.” Renata sighs as she plops herself down to the sofa next to Sherry

“When you’re tired, sleep my dear.” 

“Mhm”

“Renata, did you?” (M/c) asked the black haired teen who nodded in agreement

“Mhm, I already did.” Renata said, referring to a magic spell which allows nobody to eavesdrop on their conversations

“I can feel that something will happen.” 

Sherry and Renata looked at their mother with confused looks, “What will happen?” Sherry said breaking the confusion

“Lucien is here in Twisted Wonderland.” 

“You’re joking!” Renata said looking at her

“The kid’s finally here huh.”

“We still aren’t ready.”

“Don’t worry, where do you think we live? Even if the Valley of Thorns continues to invade countries near it, this kingdom will always be isolated.” 

But her statement was disputed with the wave of magic that engulfed the room and brought the three ladies to panic. The magic was like a hurricane that knocked the breath out of their lungs and gave them excruciating pain by doing so.

“This magic! How is it so strong!” Sherry said trying to breath 

“No way. This is a finishing stage of transformation magic!” Renata said making (M/c) look at the window with surprised eyes

“Lucien…”

~

His face was like an unkempt garden and cottage, bellflowers and catmint littered the ground, sullen from the cold atmosphere. The yellow straw of the cottage roof looked disheveled as if it barely survived a violent snowstorm. That was the appearance of Briar Rome as he sat on the intolerably cold and hard stool that seemed jutt into his tailbone. His purple eyes that seemed to always give the person staring into them the warm feeling of spring, instead looked dejected, regretful, downcast, miserable, and just plain sad. Briar’s wheat colored hair was like sad damp straw, a victim of the recent and sudden storm that glazed Royal Sword Academy for a few hours. 

His pale hands held a hand larger than his own, the nails were a menacing black that glossed under the light of the infirmary. His eyes trailed up to the person’s pale face, the person had (h/c) hair that was like the clouds in the great big sky and his horns were two skyscrapers that disrupted the beautiful view. His silk-like fringe was brushed to the side to reveal a threatening yet alluring pattern of black scales that started in between his forehead and hairline. The ornate design strangely complemented the boy. He looked at the white robe his friend wore and grimaced, he should have known that he was sick or hurting earlier, when he heard that Lucien was the one who had unconsciously casted the tragic storm while also suffering from his transformation, he felt like a thousand needles had pricked him at the same time.

A light groan felt like the bang of a sudden firework to Briar, it felt like seeing the light at the end of a dark and long tunnel. His breath hitched as if his mind stopped working for a moment and he stood up and shouted for a nurse when he finally had a grasp on what was happening. Like swifts, a pair of nurses entered the room, one ushering Briar out, to his dismay, while the other tended to the now semi-conscious Lucien. 

~

The room was like Antarctica to (M/c), frigid and deathly silent. Her eyes trailed to the imposing figure that sat upon a throne of thorns. Like a paperweight weighing down everyone with a rule of silence, Maleficent observed the court, everybody was here, save for the Crown Prince, he wasn't necessary.

She sat on a throne on the right of her husband while Bellatrix sat beside Maleficent on her left. Her children were separated from their mother as they sat on their respective chairs as the High Court Magician and Supreme General.

"I hope I wasn't the only one who felt it, I'd be disappointed if I was." she haughtily said looking at the court of high ranking nobles

Words of confirmation echoed in the large hall and Maleficent steadily raised her staff and pointed to Renata.

"High Court Magician, elaborate further." 

Renata stood up and explained, "The magic that came across the Valley of Thorns is quite unique." 

Some chatter was heard among the nobles, they weren't really surprised, if anything, they probably weren't listening. Why should they listen to a half-human princess? It was probably through pure luck that she was able to get that position, probably by asking the vile queen.

Renata silently clenched her teeth and sucked it in and continued, "The magic is transforming magic, more specifically, dark fae transformation magic."

Gasps were heard in the court while a noble stood up to object the sayings of the High Court Magician.

"Your Highnesses! How can we be so sure about what she says!"

Renata looked at the man and clicked her tongue, Muave Heighgroove. What a joke, she sat down, deeming it unnecessary to stand up 

"What do you mean?" Malleus said in a hoarse voice 

"Your Highness! We don't know for sure if she is lying."

"Faes can't lie." Malleus says passively 

The fact that the king didn't respond aggressively blew Muave up like a puffer fish with pride. 

"Well, with the princesses being half-"

His claim was cut short by Maleficent who just laughed, no cackled, like a dying goat. She was beyond amused. Maleficent looked Muave straight in the eyes.

"That girl is plenty capable in discerning what magic it was. Honestly, I wonder how you all are part of the royal court."

Clean and swift.

Renata stood up and displayed her utmost gratitude and explained the magic even more.

"The circumstances are very unique when we consider this case, in case you happened to forget, transformation potions and anything regarding transformation is illegal in most kingdoms unless it is their Unique Magic, not in the Valley of Thorns though. But even then, transformation magic, especially for a dark fae transformation, is still hard to obtain here as it's distribution is under the jurisdiction of the Former Queen. So Your Highness, were you the one who gave some without the court's knowledge."

Renata was as cruel as she was realistic, her eyes were gleaming as they stared at the great-grandmother's dragon eyes. She was only stating facts and asking the correct questions to the correct people. A perfect smile was displayed on her face, whether or not the smile had other motives was unknown.

"I see, no I didn't."

"Thank you for answering Your Highness. To be honest that was just a formality, I can say with the nature of the magic, the transformation wasn't necessarily done by a spell or a potion."

"Was it a Unique Magic?" Bellatrix said looking at the magician

"Not necessarily, you can say it was a late metamorphosis. Even so, the nature of this transformation is very unique, it may take months of research before a solid reason is formulated. Of course that's if I don't go there myself."

"!!!" Malleus looked at his daughter, her black hair was perfectly sculpted showing off her scaly pattern on her forehead

"The magic came from the north-west, very likely from the Royal Sword Academy region. So My King, My Queen, allow me to go."

"I will have to decline this request, Head Court Magician." Malleus said exasperated while (M/c) looked at Renata, her dark veil shadowing her features

"I will give my permission." 

Malleus shot a look at (M/c), who only scoffed and said, "It will be beneficial to the Valley of Thorns, if we nurture the transformed, they can do our bidding as a payback for teaching them how to control their powers as a dark fae."

"How will you know that they will be beneficial."

His only answer was a chuckle.

[americangodstalk]

American Gods fan-made RPG: Old Gods (the tale of Mad Sweeney)

Once, there was in old Ireland powerful gods - the Tuatha Dé Danann, the pantheon ruling over the land. One of them was named Lugh - a large king warrior, a beautiful master craftsman wielding magic artefacts, a youthful god of harvests and oaths, of truth and law, Their land was threatened by the Fomorians, monstrous giants coming from under the sea and under the earth, born of everything harmful and destructive the nature had to offer. Their leader was the dreaded one-eyed Balor, whose mere gaze could cause death. But Lugh revealed himself the savior of his tribe, as he killed by himself Balor, who was his own grandfather. He was the glorious victory of the gods of Ireland, and he was celebrated all throughout the land and the legends.

Until the Christians came to the land and imposed their sole and unique God. 

Lugh found himself - or rather a fragment of himself - living another life, under a different shape and a different name. He was now Buile Shuibhne, mortal king, and the new invaders he had to fight were the Grey Monks. He tried to prevent them from building their churches and celebrating their masses, but the violence that had once made him hero only brought to him a curse, madness and shame. He was a mocked, tragic, pitiful figure whose wandering and broken mind were sung through tales and poems. 

And then, suddenly Buile found himself someone else - unless it was another fragment of Lugh that took over. He was now one of the people of the Sidhe, one of the fair folk, a leprechaun, guardian of a magical stone in a magical grove, so small - he who once belonged to the tallest tribe of the island. And he saw back all the others that like him had changed throughout the years, gods now buried kings under mounds, spirits and monsters now fairies and bogeymen, or others like Brigid, the Tuatha dé Danann who once ruled over wisdom and poetry, healing and blacksmithing, who was now one of the saints of the Christian, Brigid of Kildare, mythical abbess whose feast had overthrown the pagan Imbolc. 

It was as Mad Sweeney, the leprechaun, that he arrived in America, after the Great Famine of the mid-19th century. He came with all the Irishmen and Irishwomen, and for a while he survived on the old tales and the bowl of milk left outside. But all things came to an end, and soon no one believe in the folk of the mounds or the fairy wrath. Leprechauns were but a silly joke, a pretty children picture. Mad Sweeney fought, drank, pissed and then fought and drank some more - but as faith waned, as rituals stopped, he found himself bitten by his own pleasures. Brawls left him hurt, alcohol made him sick, and at the turn of the millenium, as he wandered (unprotected and much too drunk) in the wilderness, at the coldest of wnter, he ended up dying in the snow. 

This was the tragic tale of Mad Sweeney, once an almighty god, but in America the frozen corpse of an Irish drunk. 

The Old Gods are shaped by belief and religion. They are what people want them and think them to be. Not all the Old Gods came to America in the shape they used to have. Among the Ancient Ones are many small creatures such as fairies, werewolves and trolls, beings you would not think of as “gods”. And yet they were all gods once. They were all subjects of rituals, of worship, of adoration and fear. They are simply humbler, weaker shapes of gods.

Just like Mad Sweeney, the Daoine Sidhe of Ireland (fairies, elves, leprechauns, cluricauns, banshees and other sprites) used to be gods - the powerful Tuatha dé Danann, the pantheon ruling over Ireland, but who fled down under the earth and under the hills when Christianity became dominant, and thus were only remembered as gods, magicians and legendary kings instead of glorious deities. Most people think of the Japanese kitsune as simply a folkloric creature, a magical fox, a trickster spirit of nature, ignoring that they were originally servants and messengers of the god, celestial entities tied to Inari, the kami of fertility, rice, sake and tea. Satyrs were not just funny goat-men getting drunk and dancing in the woods - they were originally minor gods of the countryside, companions and children of gods such as Dionysus, Pan and Silenus. 

Mad Sweeney is but one exemple of those “diluted gods”, but there are many others. If we turn towards the Biblical religion, two exemples can be mentionned (sample characters to, that you can use in your sessions if you desire):

# The Ifrit. You might believe him to be another Arabian taxi driver roaming the streets of New York City. Until he takes off his sunglasses and reveal that his eyes are made of fire. He is an Ifrit, a subtype of Jinn. The Jinns are not as people believe wish-granting genies. Jinns were the first mortal beings created by Allah before humankind was shaped, exceptional beings of strange appearances and powerful magic haunting the desert and build out of a smokeless fire. This is what the Muslim folklore tells through its legends and tales - but before Islam arose, the Jinns were gods too, deities revered and worshipped as the rulers of the world. This Ifrit in particular was worshipped in what is now known as the Lost City of Ubar. But as with all the other Jinns, he fell when monotheism became the major religion of the area, and was reduced to a wandering spirit, a magical monster, an unusual being of fairytales. 

# Bilquis. This is the name she wears as she walks down the streets of Los Angeles, though when she feels threatened she uses Ayesha. She is a prostitute. Not a cheap hooker, no. She is a high-class lady of the night. To sleep with her, you need to have the means. And you won’t truly “sleep” with her. What you have with her is not just sex. It is an intense experience. A discovery of unknown pleasures. A moment of pure ectasy. As you receive her gifts, you will thank her, pray her, worship her. Worship her as she was once worshipped as the Queen of Sheba, daughter of a human and a jinn. Love her as once king Solomon loved her through the Song of Songs. Abandon yourself body and soul to her as her priests abandonned themselves to her, goddess of love and beauty, whose throne rose up in Saba and on which she sat with Almaqah, the god of the moon. 

And once she is done with you, you won’t be here anymore. For the divine delights she offered you, you will sacrifice yourself to her. You will be one with her, lost forever in the heavenly bliss that she contains in her infinite-self. 

But soon she will feel hungry, tired and old again, and return to Sunset or Hollywood Boulevard, searching for her new worshipper, for a new offering, for a new sacrifice. 

[tothesolarium]

Ven’s Family Tree - Not Finished My hand is still busted. Can’t do handwriting stuff well and I wanted to make Ven’s human side as cool as the other side.  Humans are cooler than divine beings 60% of the time. I just had clearer I’d for what they’d look like.

Ven is the grand child of The Earth, and the Sky* on one side of his family. These two forces loved each other deeply, but were never meant to be. Think of Earth and Sky as the embodiments of the ideas and energy which withstain themselves. Those who live on this earth all have an idea of what the Sky is, and what Earth or Gaia is. These Archetypes are alive, living both in reality and purely as a fairy tale. When they met the Earth heaved herself to the heavens, and the Sky came thundering down. They lived far apart and often their love could only meet in the horizons. Where the Sky could lay across the earth. Meeting towering mountains and distant seas. Their love was passionate but destructive, distant and overbearing. The love of Earth and Sky created the spirits of the Mountains , Spirit of Storms, and Constellations. These Spirits are numerous and can create themselves at this point. 

Ven was born of a human girl who fell in Love with a Storm Spirit. Ven’s mother was too young to be a mother, and simply wanted freedom. The Storm Spirit was new to touch and didn’t know how to gently love a human. 

Ven’s human mother put him up for adoption hoping someone who could be ready to love him would do so. Ven mother was 16 when she met the Storm spirit. Her family was built of confident folk who acted as if they owned the world. She fell in love with the spirit of thunder because they were the unknowable. Did not demand perfection from her, and laughed when she thought too highly of herself. It was refreshing in the beginning, but when she no longer needed confidence through attention. She realized how possessive and demeaning the storm was. She left soon after. Ven does not know her name, but now she is known as Hazel. Hazel lives on a cliff side house raising sheep. Everything was either made by herself or with the help of her community. The village knows her for her excellent goat cheese and crass sense of humor. Both the baker and blacksmith are madly in love with her, and are trying to get her attention. She is more focused on trying to map the night sky. As more constellations are being born each day. So This is an ever evolving task. The sheep also need lots of love, and make great company. 

The thunder spirit also moved on and now has found love in a whirlpool goddess deep in the ocean. There is the complication that an air spirit cannot go underwater, but they’re making it work. 

Ven’s Mother: Hazel         Hazel’s Father: Madrik - A Farmer, has a Big Stubborn heart.  Hazel’s Mom: Leta - Youngest of Four, and Loves animals. Hazel also has an older brother who she doesn’t speak with. 

Madrik’s Parent: Uta - Local healer and story Teller. Madrik’s Mother: Rene - Farmer

Leta’s Father: Merchant who sold cloth goods. Leta’s Mother: A shy weaver who couldn’t sell her own stuff, but made beautiful work. Leta has three sisters. The elder became a “sailor”. Writes home occasionally and is definitely not a pirate. The second child died at war. Third is learning to take over the family business. Though she doesn’t have an artist partner so she is making artist friends. 

Ven does not know either of his parents or their history, but the fates can see the legacy with in him. Ven and Argo are currently building their new family. A tree of many different branches and fruit. 

*Note: All sorts of divine beings live in this world. If it is believed in, it exists. The world the Caravan travels through does not follow the rules of logic, but that of a dream. It is literally made up of maps, and how you make or don’t make a map effects reality. The heavens are infinite. As many divine and magical things you imagine can exist. 

Maps are woven together. Where their edges meet reality can be wobbly. Which is why it’s good to have magicians around while you travel. especially If you plan to leave your worlds map, and into another.

[daddysfangirls-marvel]

Salem Witch

Request

Warning: fluff

Summary: May I request a Loki x (witch) reader. Where the avengers find out that Loki has been sneaking out of the tower frequently and when they follow him they find him entering an old-time magic shop and when they find him he is kissing a woman they never saw before. ( y/n is a survivor from the Salem witch trials)

As Loki was under the secure and watchful eye on the Avengers it was their job to know where he was all times of the day 24/7 no matter what. Now imagine their surprise when they realized that Loki had been regularly sneaking out for the past 8 months and no one noticed. They didn’t even figure it out it was Director Fury who had to point it out to them. Instead of confronting him and punishing him for it  Fury demanded they find out where he was going and discovering if he was a threat once again or not.

Now instead of spending their Saturday doing something productive they were trailing after Loki to where ever he was going. Nobody was happy, no bout but Loki who seemed to walk with a pep in his step.

“Where ever he’s going he really wants to get there. Guys, he’s picking up the pace.” Sam said into his earpiece. Everyone was in casual clothes scattered around the street blending into the crowd. 

“Woah, guys he stopped. He’s going into a ... magic shop?”  

“He is a wizard,” Peter said as he and Clint bought their hotdogs. He was excited this was his first undercover.

The shop was sort of dark and creepy the window display had cauldrons, books and little bottles of strange liquids. The shop was called The Witch’s Cauldron and it didn't look to have any customers at the moment.

“I’m going in”

“What?!” before anyone could say anything else Tony was moving across the street and towards the shop, the others quickly followed him. All of them quickly and quietly slipped into the shop. Wanda used her magic to make sure the bell wouldn’t ring as they opened the door. There was no one at the register the shop seemed completely empty of people. The shop itself looked like one of those stores found in the Harry Potter movies. The team quickly forgot about their mission and began to wander around the store looking at the strange things that lined the wall.

Peter and Wanda were looking at the books towards the back of the store they seemed to be triggering her magic and his spidey sense. Wanda was in some type of daze as her fingers trace the spines of the books she slowly pulled one off the shelves. She was suddenly brought out of it as Peter started rapidly hitting her shoulders she looked up and swatted him away. He pointed to an open door at the other end of the shop she looked and found Loki gently holding and kissing a woman. Tony stepped out from between aisle and saw Peter pointing he followed his finger and-

“Well, I’ll be damned”

The two Pulled apart and Loki pulled her behind him before any of them could see her face.

“What are you doing here” Although Loki’s voice was low and somewhat controlled they could obviously hear the anger and feel the pure hate he was giving off.  It scared Peter so much that he stepped behind a shelve and pulled Wanda along for safety.

“You weren’t at the tower we got worried about you,” Natasha said in a sickly sweet voice as she rounded the corner. The others came to the back as well. “ But you seem to be having fun.” Clint joined her in teasing him.

“Brother, you didn’t tell me you were seeing a lady. I beautiful one at that.” Thor said grinning at said beauty.

The woman behind Loki took it upon herself to introduce herself. “ Hello, I’m (Y/n)” she said peaking over his shoulder and waving.

“Don’t waste your night with them, love, they aren’t worth it.” Loki all but growled. but reached back and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. 

“But that’s the spider-boy you were talking about and mini witch. I want to meet them.”She whined behind him. Peter and Wanda peaked their heads out from around the corner. They both smiled. Peter gave a small wave. She waved back. Loki rolled his eyes and grabbed both of her hands pinning them to his back.

“Alright, let’s get straight to the point,” Bucky said rubbing his hands then pointing at the two “ are you two planning some evil scheme?” 

“no”

“yes”  Loki turned around looking back at (y/n) she just smiled “ We planned to turn my disgusting pervy next-door neighbor into a goat.”

“...How pervy is he?” 

“eyes your boobs, Pictures up your skirt, into teenagers pervy.”

“Then a goat he shall be. I think we’re done here. I’m going back to the tower my show is on.” Bucky tried to walk away but Steve stopped him pulling him back.

“Brother, why don’t you invite your lady to dinner with us?”

“No. You shouldn’t even be here. Why did you come- you know what, it doesn’t matter just leave.”

Next thing she knew everyone was in a huge argument. The voices in the store were getting louder and louder. Some were siding with Loki say leave him again it was obvious he wasn’t doing bad just making-out with his girlfriend, who they would definitely question him on later, and the others were saying that Loki and his girlfriend needed to go back to the tower with them where they both would be integrated further. (Y/n) was scared of their argument not because they were arguing and being super loud but because they were in a very small space filled with very valuable and irreplaceable items.

And her fears became true when Thor turned his shoulder hit one of the shelves successfully knocking over several items. (Y/n) squealed as she pushed Loki out of the way and thrust her hands forward stopping the bottles and books from hitting the floor. All conversation stopped as everyone watched (y/n) wave her hands and everything placed itself back on the shelve.

“If you all don’t mind can we take this outside, please.”

Everyone was speechless they all just nodded and slowly filed out of the store and into the coffee shop next door. She told the owner, her friend, that she needed the shop for a while and he nodded simply left. Only telling her to close up.

“You’re enchanted,” Steve said finally breaking the silences he watched as she waved her hands and all the blinds closed and locked the door.

“A witch actually. Coffee, tea?” she said waving her hand again teas and coffee began to float in from the kitchen. 

“You’re a witch” Peter gasped as a cup of tea floated and found its way to him. He squealed as he took hold of it right out of the air. The others did the same picking strange teas and coffee straight from the air.

“Since the Salem trails. One of the originals.” (Y/n) said snapping her fingers pastries flew in plating the table.

“The Salem trail. Woah you’re old ...but young” Peter said looking astonished (Y/n) laughed nodding. To make him even Happier she made sparks come out of her hands. He gasped and squealed some more.

“So, you two are together. How did that happen?” Tony asked 

“How are you still alive?” Sam asked “ you have to be at least three hundred years old”

“346 to be exact. And I met Loki a year ago he came into my shop. He thought it was one of those fake magicians shops. He was very shocked to find out I was the real thing. At first, we were just friends talking and hanging out then we were dating and kissing...friends don’t do that” (Y/n) says as she slowly leaned into Loki he leaned down into her.

“No they don’t” he chuckled before giving her a gentle kiss “ But we’re not friends anymore” he whispered against her lips pulling her another kiss.

“Is Hogwarts real?” Peter asked in a shy whispering voice as if he was scared to ask.

Loki rolled his eyes, the little spider boy had told him about the Harry Potter series and Hogwarts even pestered him to see if there was a magical school as such in Asgard. There was but Peter didn’t need to know. 

(Y/n) smiled pushing away from Loki “ I’m sorry Peter there is no Hogwarts, no big castle, no Dumbledor. Witch and wizards are usual homeschooled, tutored, or taught in small schoolhouses on the outskirts or hidden away.”

“so no brooms, no quidditch?”

“yes, brooms but they’re not used as much as before too many planes and drones. And Quidditch it’s an official witch and wizards sport as of 2010 they hold the champions cup once a year. People really liked what Rowling did so they rolled with it.” Everyone watched as Peter began to vibrate with excitement at this new information. “ Maybe I can take you to the next game” Peter couldn’t even use words he just nodded his head rapidly as his tears filled with tears from the excitement.

“I like your girlfriend,” Wanda said she too was excited.

“ Lady (Y/n), you should join us for dinner. We’d like to get to know you “ Thor said smiling sweetly

“I’d like that, I’d like that very much”

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[franstastic-ideas]

Master List Oct Edition (1/2)

It was as I predicted: bigger; so big in fact that it had to be split into two else the tags won’t work.

This half contains AU-centric headcanons (excluding Classic Undertale)

The second half contains Classic Undertale, Multiple AU posts, other headcanons (mostly of dif AUs) and Franstastic-Idea's more personal posts

More Than Frans - October Content

Wraithtale————————————————

Oct 1

WT? confession? proposal? marriage? gasp! babehs????

Some WT gang headcanons

beach episode hc for wt papara? or frans?

Oct 4 - can we take a peek in wtPapara/Frans dates?

Oct 6 - Granpa Gaster and Fatherhood hyjinks for the brothers?

Oct 7 - I’m interested in more “beach episode” headcanons for WT

Oct 9 - How would gaster react to seeing Sans's wraith gf????

Oct 11 - what of pregnant WT Frans and Papara?

Oct 20 - A ‘Thorny’ Situation…

Oct 21 - Wraithtale laws of magic and are there humans magicians?

Oct 23

So, Rosalyn's "rivalry" with Frisk is PURELY one-sided 

I would love to for Rosalyn to meet Chara

Mettaton’s confrontation with Rosalyn

I'd like to know what Wraithtale AU is?

I'm okay with tsunderes... if they don't punch every 5 minutes... 

Is Roselyn also the person who nearly killed wraith Frisk

What's Kris’ role?

Rosalyn would need the perfect plan on how to get WT Frisk to leave 

Would WT Kris ever meet WT Susie or WT Ralsei?

Would the Wrathtale characters ever get Kris to come out of hiding?

Oct 27

Would WT Chara be instantly alerted to WT Frisk's sudden absence

"Sans and Papyrus are kind of jealous over Kris, but it isn’t serious."

Oct 28

Frisk snapping back in defense of Sans and calling Rosalyn out on it

Is it because Kris uses magic to eat without gaining weight

Did Frisk and Chara even know what "cosplay" was?

Cryptozoologist Frisk———————————

Oct 1

Cryptozoologist Frisk and Sans confessions?

Cryptozoologist au love triangle proposals

We for CryptoFrans but what about CryptoFrister?

Oct 2 - what if she chose ... j e r r y ?

Oct 5 - If Frisk confessed romantic interest in Papyrus?

Oct 12 - Sans stumbles upon a section of how cute the Sans is

Oct 22 - Frisk gets injured. How would Sans or Gaster react?

Oct 30

Can we have some cryptozoologist au hcs?

Any Sans centric Sans centric cryptozoologist au hc?

Pure Convergence AU——————————

Oct 5

Sans Reacts to Red Moving Into the House Across the Street

The skeletons share one braincell amongst each other

Oct 9 - The Convergence AU Cast as Gravity Falls Gifs

Oct 13

What is Sans' pet chickens relationship with the other Frisks?

How would Sans feel about someone who cooked his pet chicken?

how does Sans feel to rival against the cool one(G)?

what time of space time shenanagins would happen with the chicken

Oct 14 - What breed of chicken would Henri be?

Oct 22

Do the other skeletons have any pets of their own?

I forgot Gaster in that ‘which birds would the other boys have’ ask

What is the convergence au?

Oct 23

what about convergence au cuddles?

More convergence Au please! Thank you!

Reverse harem trope of the Convergence AU specifics

The first rule of the Skeleton Harem is:

I don't hate reverse harems

Oct 26

What costumes would Frisk and the skeleton harem wear

What a halloween stuff would the sanses and frisk do?

Oct 28

Frisk and the skeleton boys are going to anime convention 

Pure Children of the Ruins————————

Oct 1

pssst how about Children of the Ruins hcs

Would Flowey be jealous over Chara and Papyrus?

Oct 2

more child of the ruins headcanon please!

everybody in the keepers of the ruins looks like?

Oct 10 - First kisses? for Frans/Papara Ruin Kids?

Oct 12 - More children of the ruins please!

Witch AU————————————————

Oct 4 - Witch Au! Witch AU!!! UfSans vs UsSans vs UtSans please!

Oct 5 - whats the thing they like the most in their witches?

Oct 8 - but what do the witches like about their skele?

Oct 29 - Witch Au. How did Frisk meet Black and G?

Pure Underfell——————————————

Oct 2 - How did Frans and Papara tell the Goats about their bfs?

Oct 3 - any tsundere Fell Papyrus and Chara?

Oct 8 - What are UF Papyrus' go-to "compliments" 

Oct 9 

What were UF Papara's first impressions of each other?

Say UF Papyrus found a book of pickup lines in the dump.

What happened to UF Chara to make her so terrified of many things?

Oct 11

How does UF Papyrus respond to being flirted with?

How would UF Chara respond to being flirted with?

After the person leaves Chara alone when Papyrus intervenes…

Oct 12

When UF Chara compliments UF Papyrus, what would he do?

UF Papara pregnancy?

Underfell frans/papara angst?

Oct 21 - If someone else comments about chara’s sensitivity…

Oct 22

Wow would Papyrus react to UF Asriel's closeness to UF Chara?

can we get some underfell papara/frans cuddle scenarios?

I demand more Underfell Fluffiness

Oct 23

To what degree do you dislike Tsundere? How about Fell Papyrus?

When Undyne finds out about Pap’s interest in a human 

Oct 24 - When Pap tries to kiss/cuddle her without telling Chara first

Oct 28 - Does Pap’s hatred for the Goat Family apply to UF Asriel

Pure Underswap—————————————

Oct 4 - Im gon a say it before anyone ask. Underswap papara ♡

Oct 12

US Papara pregnancy if anyone hasn't asked yet..

US Frisk's initial feelings about US Sans' hyperactive personality?

Oct 22 - Swap Papara cuddles?

Oct 27

Do you think that US Frisk has a particular taste for anything?

US Papara fluff! I demand it!

Pure G!Skelebros—————————————

Oct 1 - More gpapara headcanons please! child of the ruins hcs too?

Oct 3 - Does Gaster Sans or Gaster Papyrus have a cuisine specialty

Oct 4 - G!Frans please! 

Oct 5 - Discovering your S/O has a secret hobby, and being caught!

Oct 6

dude dude dude GSans reaction to a pregnant Momm Frisk ?

we absolutely need to have a g!papara version of pregnancy

Oct 7 - Have you heard of the gfrans don x kitten?

Oct 9 - G!Papara/frans First kisses?

Oct 11

Gpapara is so sweet and fluffy! can we have more of them?

G!Frans next!

Storyshift-related————————————

Oct 1 - Storyshift Papara

Oct 11 - KingSans x Ambassador Frisk first kiss? i miss this ship

Oct 12 - King Sans x Ambassador Frisk pregnancy?

Oct 21 - story shift king x ambassador please? fell version

Dancetale-related————————————

Oct 4

Dancetale sans and frisk headcanons?

More dancetale please! can we have some papara with that too?

oh gosh dancetale can we have some danceswap frans ???

Welp danceswap papara time

Oct 12

if the person is flirting with frisk, how does he cope with it

what are your thoughts with Dancetale!Gfrans?

Oct 21 - some more dancetale frans?

Oct 22 - how does sans even express his love for frisk?

Oct 23 - DanceTale AU where instead of ballet, Frisk ice dances

Mafia/Mobtale-related——————————

Oct 4 - what about mafiafell hc?

Oct 5 - Runaway bride Frisk! Sans is tasked to retrieve her ...

Oct 6 - Mafia Frans is so cute… like how slow is the slowburn?

Oct 12

mmmmmmmmmmmafia donna frisk x rival don G?

yknow the drill. Lets see some MobPapara but oddly enough.

Oct 14 - more mobtaleGfrans please!

Oct 21 - More MafiaGfrans or Gpapara

Oct 27 - Can we have some more Frans/Papara cuddles?

Wraithtale Swap—————————————

Oct 12 - WT swap what do you think the boys would be like?

Oct 13 - How would wraith Sans meet Frisk?

Oct 14 - How would WT Swap Sans attempt to rectify the situation?

Oct 21

WT swap, how do Papyrus and Chara meet?

How would Chara and Papyrus react to each other?

Oct 23 - When did Sans start wooing her?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Merry Early Christmas and Happy Hannukah! (1/2)

[happyhearthooligan]

Master List Oct Edition 2019

(1/2)

This list is bigger, so big in fact that it had to be split into two else the links won’t work.

This half contains AU-centric headcanons (excluding Classic Undertale)

The second half contains the Yandere Month Special, Classic Undertale, Multiple AU headcanons, other headcanons (mostly of different AUs), and franstastic-idea's other posts

@franstastic-ideas - October Content

------------------------------------------------------

Wraithtale

Oct 1

Confession? Proposal? Marriage? Babehs????

Some WT gang headcanons

Beach episode hc for WT Papara? Or Frans?

Oct 4 - A peek in wtPapara/Frans dates?

Oct 6 - Grandpa Gaster and Fatherhood hijinks

Oct 7 - More “beach episode” headcanons

Oct 9 - Gaster's reaction to seeing Sans's gf?

Oct 11 - What of pregnant Frans and Papara?

Oct 20 - A ‘Thorny’ Situation…

Oct 21 - Laws of magic and human magicians

Oct 23

Rosalyn's "rivalry" w/ Frisk is PURELY one-sided

I would love to for Rosalyn to meet Chara

Mettaton’s confrontation with Rosalyn

I'd like to know what Wraithtale AU is?

I'm okay with tsunderes…

Is Rosalyn the person who nearly killed Frisk

What's Kris’ role?

Rosalyn's perfect plan on getting Frisk to leave

Would Kris ever meet Susie or Ralsei?

Would they get Kris to come out of hiding?

Oct 27

Would Chara swiftly notice Frisk's absence

"Sans and Papy are kind of jealous over Kris…"

Oct 28

Frisk calling Rosalyn out

Does Kris use magic to eat w/o gaining weight

Did Frisk&Chara know what "cosplay" was?

Cryptolozoologist Frisk

Oct 1

Cryptozoologist Frisk and Sans confessions?

Cryptozoologist au love triangle proposals

What about CryptoFrister?

Oct 2 - What if she chose … j e r r y ?

Oct 5 - If Frisk was interested in Papyrus?

Oct 12 - Sans finds a section on how cute he is

Oct 22 - Frisk is injured. Sans/Gaster's reaction

Oct 30

Can we have some Cryptozoologist AU hcs?

Any Sans-centric Cryptozoologist AU hc?

Convergence

Oct 5

Sans Reacts to Red Moving Across the Street

The skeletons share one braincell

Oct 9 - Convergence Cast as Gravity Falls Gifs

If someone who cooked Sans' pet chicken

Sans' thoughts on the cool one(G)?

Henri's shenanigans

Oct 14 - What breed of chicken would Henri be?

Oct 22

Do the other skeletons have their own pets too?

The bird Gaster would have

What is the Convergence au?

Oct 23

What about Convergence au cuddles?

More Convergence Au please! Thank you!

Convergence's reverse harem specifics

The first rule of the Skeleton Harem:

I don't hate reverse harems

Oct 26

What costumes would they all wear

What halloween stuff would they do?

Oct 28 - Frisk&skellies going to an anime convention

Keepers of the Ruins

Oct 1

Pssst how about Children of the Ruins hcs

Would Flowey be jealous over Papyrus?

Oct 2

More Child of the Ruins headcanon please!

How everyone looks like

Oct 10 - First kisses?

Oct 12 - More Children of the Ruins please!

Wraithtale Swap

Oct 12 - What would the boys be like?

Oct 13 - How would wraith Sans meet Frisk?

Oct 14 - How'd Sans try to rectify the situation?

Oct 21

WT swap, how do Papyrus and Chara meet?

Chara and Papyrus' reaction to each other

Oct 23 - When did Sans start wooing her?

The Witches’ Tea Party

Oct 4 - UfSans vs UsSans vs UtSans please!

Oct 5 - What do they like most in their witches?

Oct 8 - What do the witches like about their skele?

Oct 29 - How did Frisk meet Black and G?

Pure Underfell

Oct 2 - Frisk&Chara tell the Goats about their bfs?

Oct 3 - Any tsundere Fell Papyrus and Chara?

Oct 8 - What are Papyrus' go-to "compliments"

Oct 9

Papara's first impressions of each other

Say Pap found a book of pickup lines in the dump.

Why is Chara so terrified of many things?

Oct 11

How does Pap respond to being flirted with?

How does Chara respond to being flirted with?

After the person leaves Chara alone…

Oct 12

When UF Chara compliments UF Papyrus

UF Papara pregnancy?

Underfell frans/papara angst?

Oct 21 - When commenting on Chara’s sensitivity

Oct 22

Pap's reaction to Asriel's relation to Chara?

Underfell Papara/Frans cuddle scenarios

I demand more Underfell Fluffiness

Oct 23

How about tsundere Fell Papyrus?

Undyne uncovers Pap’s interest in a human

Oct 24 - When Pap kiss/cuddle Chara w/o telling

Oct 28 - Does Pap’s hatred apply to Asriel?

Pure Underswap

Oct 4 - Underswap Papara ♡

Oct 12

Papara pregnancy if anyone hasn't asked yet…

Frisk's initial feelings on Sans' hyperactivity?

Oct 22 - Swap Papara cuddles?

Oct 27

Does Frisk have a particular taste for anything?

US Papara fluff! I demand it!

Pure G!Skelebros

Oct 3 - Do G!Sans or G!Papyrus have a cuisine specialty

Oct 4 - G!Frans please!

Oct 5 - Discovering your S/O's secret hobby

Oct 6

G!Sans reaction to a pregnant Mom Frisk?

G!papara version of pregnancy

Oct 7 - Have you heard of the Ffrans Don x Kitten?

Oct 9 - G!Papara/frans First kisses?

Oct 11

More sweet and fluffy Gpapara

G!Frans next!

Storyshift-related

Oct 1 - Storyshift Papara

Oct 11 - KingSans x Ambassador Frisk first kiss? I miss this ship

Oct 12 - King Sans x Ambassador Frisk pregnancy?

Oct 21 - Story Shift King x Ambassador please? Fell version

Dancetale-related

Oct 4

Dancetale Sans and Frisk headcanons?

More Dancetale please! can we have some Papara with that too?

oh gosh Dancetale can we have some Danceswap Frans???

Welp Danceswap Papara time

Oct 12

If the person is flirting with frisk, how does Sans cope with it

What are your thoughts with Dancetale!Gfrans?

Oct 21 - Some more Dancetale Frans?

Oct 22 - How does sans even express his love for Frisk?

Oct 23 - DanceTale AU where instead of ballet, Frisk ice dances

Mafia/Mobtale-related

Oct 4 - What about Mafiafell hc?

Oct 5 - Runaway bride Frisk! Sans is tasked to retrieve her…

Oct 6 - Mafia Frans is so cute… like how slow is the slowburn?

Oct 12

Mmmmmmmmmmmafia Donna Frisk x rival Don G?

Y’know the drill. Lets see some MobPapara but oddly enough.

Oct 14 - More MobtaleGfrans please!

Oct 21 - More MafiaGfrans or Gpapara

Oct 27 - Can we have some more Frans/Papara cuddles?

------------------------------------------------------

And that's the end of part one of two

[holy-mountaineering]

This Tarot Spread is for @kristennotchristian Thank you for donating!

Here’s the full Qabalistic Tree of Life Spread that I do. What I’m going to do is go through and briefly explain each card, its position on the Tree, and then I’ll give you a summary/synopsis of the spread as a whole. 

Think of this spread as a sort of quantum map, or even the land of a regular map, everything is happening at once, in each place. It’s important to think of yourself as moving “through” the map but you are also simultaneously everywhere at once. For the sake of this specific experiment, think of this as a map. Maybe as a person, the Qabalistic Adam Kadmon.

Where we’re starting the journey from is Kether, the monad, the first sign of creation. We’ll call this your hometown, since it is where you’re from originally. Here we have the  Ace of Swords, the root power of Air or the mind.

This is the sword of the Magus and the magician’s Sword is the physical representation of our mind and it’s ability in its rawest state of being. Thelema is inscribed on the blade of the Sword in Greek because the Magus uses their mind to the end of their True Will. The Crown of light at the tip of the Sword is the illuminated mind, because in its singleness and sharpness it is the foundation of the mind, intellect, and communication powers.

Use your mind for what you need it to do. Remember that a sword is useless at best and dangerous at worst when it isn’t handled correctly. You can cut down an army with a sword, but you can also cut your whole-ass leg or arm off too with one too. Knowledge is dangerous and scary, be prepared.

In Chokmah, which is like your freeway getting you out onto the road out of  your hometown is VI The Lovers. 

These Lovers aren’t about romantic love as much as it is the ‘Love unites the divided.’ This is the ceremony part of the alchemical wedding or the announcement of the intention to dissolve duality. Coagula.

All inverse and adverse elements of the card are brought together under the blessing of the Initiator who is giving the sign of the enterer. This is to say he is blessing your entering into this union of your shadow and conscious self.

You have some work to do on making a more unified you. There are issues that once brought together and balanced make more sense. Bring opposites or aspects of yourself you’re not familiar with/comfortable with together in your life to make a more complete whole. Set intention to do this, maybe even formally.

In Binah, which is ruled by Saturn and for the sake of this reading we will call the first stop on your roadtrip. You haven’t really arrived anywhere but you’re stopping and getting a chance to repack your car in a more efficient way. Sitting in Binah is the Ace of Disks, the root power of Earth or the material. 

This is the foundation which all your solid structures are and will be built on. This is the very root of your real world/material life situation. While this doesn’t mean you must tear everything down or that there is nothing in your material world that you've built, it does mean you must look at the source from which you've built your material and everyday world. If you have no foundation you can have no structure. If you have a shoddy foundation, you'll have a shoddy structure. Look to what things were like  before you began building. Is there sand beneath you? Are you in a swamp, building castles of stone that will bind to the mud and be pulled down much sooner than later? Did you account for the raise in elevation when you laid your foundation? Look down to the base of what you've made and what you've made it upon.

This is an engineering job, you’ll need tools to measure and level everything out. The occult might not be the best place to find these tools and it is possible that you have issues much more base than you're willing to cop to. There are many tools you can use to look at your foundation provided in psychology and meditation from other sources. The Universe throws us extreme situations and more often than not, this is the only way people see their basest of instincts and behaviors really act out. If you can, take a look at what connects you and what you’re building to the Earth before an earthquake, tornado, volcano, or other act of G-D forces you to pray everything was fine. Check the strength of your foundations before the strength of your foundations are checked.

Get down to the base fundamentals of what is going on in your material (things, money, living situation, literal stuff) and build from the ground up if you must.

In Chesed which is ruled by Jupiter and again for the sake of this experiment we’ll say involves your influence and benevolence in your current trip is the 2 of Cups, Love. 

Like all the 2s the deuces of Water is building towards completion. This is the ever becomingness of love. Love never dies, it is simply transformed like any other energy. Love isn’t a competition or something you can measure. You never stop loving someone/thing because you have “reached maximum love levels”, shake hands and walk away from it. There is no end-game to love and that’s why it’s scary and makes people act like idiots sometimes. Astrologically,   Venus in Cancer can be interpreted as nurturing your emotional growth.

Build on what you’re feeling and don’t try to think about anything too concretely emotionally or intuitively. This is a building process so try not to focus on the final outcome but work with what you have now.

Across the Tree in Geburah, which is Mars Town, where you find your drive and what you’re trying to accomplish/conquer is the 7 of Swords, Futility.

This is the main thrust of the Will through the mind being thwarted by in helpful organization of ideas. Each sword with a planetary sigil are like the spikes in a parking garage, one way. It isn’t that the ideas or aspects represented by these swords are “bad” just that their placement and yours are not lined up in the best way right now. 

Mentally and communication wise pull back from what you’re going at and work on how you’re organizing the information in your head.

In Tiphareth, the Sun and center of gravity holding all this in place, the heart pumping the blood through this, your heart is the 5 of Cups Disappointment. 

Like all 5s this is the microcosmic and human part of its suit, in this case the human aspect of water, which is emotion, intuition and connectedness to life. Astrologically, this is Mars in Scorpio or emotional uncertainty making acting on your feelings difficult or at least obscured.

Everyone you’re in contact with, and everyone else is just a human with human limitations. Don’t overreach other people’s boundaries and be aware when they cross yours.  

There is also a frustration emotionally that you’re “stuck in the middle” of where you started and where you’d like to be feeling. That sucks, but, hey, like, we’re all just human. Just yourself and everyone else as much slack as you can for not being where you want them to be.

Don’t focus on your or others emotional limitations. Try to recognize why you are where/who you are emotionally and keep those waters flowing. You might not be quite where you want to be emotionally and in your relationships, but you’re making progress, in your way and time.

In Netzach, Venus town, where you have the realization about how this is going to change you as a person with a personality is X Fortune, Jupiter, Kaph. 

The “wheel of” Fortune is the rotating of things from confusing and/or destructive to beneficial. The gods Hanuman and Sobek to Crowley represented these ideas and the spinning ‘Wheel of Fortune, ol’ Fortuna is the constant motion of life and our experience stuck in it.. The Sphinx on top has waited through the turns patiently and meditatively and now It is on top again. 

Expand your influence through patience. It’s getting better just you wait.

In Mercury Town Hod-ville, where all the Universities are and everyone has real intellectual shit going on is (friend of the blog) XV The Devil OR The Lord of the Gates of Matter, Ayin, Capricorn. 

The Goat-Fish who is half in the mountains and half in the deeps of the oceans, high places and the deep. This guy gets a REALLY bad rap that is very unwarranted. All The Devil is trying to do is Incarnate or materialize by Higher methods.

The card is a giant cock with faceless little white people in the balls looking like they want out, again, possibility is trying to take hold and become a physical thing. The Devil IS a trickster (“you little devil” and assorted shit sayings like that) so that worries some people. Those people are squares and probably have bad taste in music.

Manifest your potential and figure it out when it’s “real” and not just a passing thought or whim.

On the Moon in Yesod, the receptive and reflective place that is alot about the feelings that you’re picking up from all this is the 3 of Swords, Sorrow. 

This is the first shape the suit of Air takes in 2 dimensions and it can be a bit disappointing. Your structure and order (Saturn) needs balancing (Libra) to be blunt. You must let go of your ideas of how things were going to be because now they are the way they are. Just because what you have isn’t what you thought you wanted doesn’t mean it’s not good.

Try to get your mind around what you’ve learned and and how to form it into a useful basis to move on from. Do not continue to focus on how you thought it “should be”, nothing is ever as pure or awesome as we idealize it. Sorting out your mind means actualizing some of the things you’ve been thinking about instead of not doing it because it isn’t perfect in the way we thought it would be.

Down here in Malkuth-istan, the everyday life mundane, waking up pooping, and going to work world is the 3 of Disks, Works or Work or Working.

Like all the 3s, this is the first formulation of the suit,  Earth or material world things. The 3 sided pyramid pictured on this Tarot card sits on water propelled by Dharma Wheels, spinning and causing waves. The drive and energy of the warrior Mars has become stubborn and resolute in the goat-fish Capricorn.

This idea of work is not mindless toil. This is doing the very necessary things in your life so you don’t fuck yourself over on the basic things everyone needs to survive. This is formulating the most simple workable “shape of things” that gets your at least basic needs met so you can expand and become more than basic.

Put together a simple way of dealing with the material world, something that can be expanded on. Keep your wheels turning even if they feel like they’re just spinning. Make waves, they’ll go further and affect more than you think!

So, to summarize, we’re going to need to start to rethink where we’re coming from, we can do that by bringing together those aspects of ourselves that we don’t like or don’t want to deal with but nonetheless ARE us! We cannot escape our shadow and here it will actually serve your purposes, seek to make yourself whole by allowing all of yourself to be present. This process will bring us to a grounding that will show us our foundation we have built upon. Getting back to the very basics of how we exist in this Earth World and interact with it will allow radical self-acceptance and self-love that is the very best foundation to build on!

Speaking of Love, Love is a process, a never ending moving toward, reconciling even. Acting from the love of connecting, the love of being alive and interacting with every other living thing will bring those things you wish to influence into focus. Like a wise man once said (my dearly departed roommate and very good friend Evan aka SPESH 1) “Love is a lot like farting. If you have to force it, it’s probably shit.” If you feel like the things in your life that you need to use to your advantage are pushing back and blocking your progress, it’s time to back off and find a new way to engage with them. This is finding the path of least resistance that allows your mind to flow, not get caught in the mire of details and fuckery that hold you back. And in your heart, know that you and every other person is just that, a person. A human with flaws, limitations, and boundaries. These are what make us human and to acknowledge that is to deal with it realistically and not get disappointed because of them.

Your personal growth, your process of growing into yourself is about to hit that upswing where your patience will pay off and Fortune will smile on you and say, “Here you go” and off you will go, indeed in the direction you wish and need to go. This will allow you to make manifest those ideas that have existed inside of you, desperately trying to get out and into the world! While those ideas may seem different “on paper” than they did in your head, they are out there and in the world, helping you formulate them and use them to accomplish the Work you need to be doing! 

I won’t try to fool you and you shouldn’t try to fool yourself either, this WILL be WORK. It is good and worthwhile Work though. It is formulating those things we talked about above into real things that will get the “job done” and allow you to then complete the tasks at hand! 

Ta Da! Hit me up with any questions, comments, concerns, clarifications, or Qabalistic inquiries!

-Frater N0vght

[anistarrose]

This is Your Last Ride Ever, Forever (TAZ Amnesty x Balance)

Summary: Ned meets the Grim Reaper, who’s surprisingly encouraging of breaking the laws of life and death to stop the apocalypse.

Word Count: ~2100

Warnings: (canonical) major character death, character undeath, canon-typical violence

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19192672

A little Amnesty/Balance crossover to help cope. (Title is from Lifetime Achievement Award by Lemon Demon!)

***

The stars are beautiful, and then they’re gone…

And then, they’re replaced by a million spiraling lights, dancing above a serene blue sea.

Ned doesn’t join them, though. He feels anything but serene — no, he’s the roaring ocean that’s torn up and whirled around by a cyclone. He’s the weight that turns the storm deadly as it batters away at the harbor, as it rushes in to drown anyone who thought they could trust the sea.

But even now, he refuses to accept it as the end of the story.

Where’s Dani? Where’s the gate?

Am I dead? I can’t die yet, I still haven’t warned anyone that the shapeshifter was after the goat…

I still haven’t finished cleaning up the mess I made…

It’s ironic, perhaps, how close he came to leaving them just a few hours ago when now he’s so desperate to return — but really, there’s no excuse for him not to have seen this coming. Every time Ned thinks he’s lost it all, thinks he’s hit rock bottom, he’s proven wrong and finds himself sinking lower and lower — so why should this time have been any different?

A jagged rift slices through the air just a few feet in front of him, and he dives towards it without thinking. He’ll do anything to get back to them even for the briefest of moments, anything to warn them —

Appearing out of nowhere, a scythe swings in a broad arc, binding the rift shut before coming to a stop just inches away from Ned. He can feel the power emanating from it with a instinctive certainty he’s never before had about magical objects, and he knows in the back of his mind that one touch of that blade will banish him to the furthest depths of the afterlife, from which he might never see Kepler again even if he spent a whole century struggling to climb back out.

The figure holding the scythe is cloaked in black robes, their face obscured, and something tells Ned that missing him with the scythe was a calculated choice, an intentional choice. That if they’d meant to strike him, they would have, and that would have been the end of that.

But the scythe-wielder — a humanoid, somewhat stout figure with sparks of red electricity dancing all across their sleeves like static electricity — doesn’t make any further move to attack, and instead procures a book from within the folds of their robe. It floats in the air alongside their head, flipping through pages all on its own as if assigned to search for a particular entry.

“Look, bud, I don’t really want to send you to the Eternal Stockade,” the figure addresses him, voice masculine and tone surprisingly casual. “You look pretty disoriented, and I can’t really blame you — but you did just try to make a break for it, and if it turns out you’re a repeat offender, I can’t in good conscience let you keep hanging around in the low-security sector.”

He says all of this in such a matter-of-fact tone that Ned is left at a complete loss for words. Of all the visions of the afterlife he’d ever entertained, none of them had been so full of… bureaucracy.

The pages of the book come to a standstill, and the figure raises a skeletal hand up towards his shadow-obscured face, allowing Ned to catch a glimpse of something reflective — adjusted glasses?

“Let’s see here… Edmund ‘Ned’ Chicane, human, only one death — good for you! — at age sixty-three. You’re good to go, then — just don’t try anything like this again, or I’ll have to lock you up.”

Ned finally manages to collect himself, and choke out a few words. “You’re the Grim Reaper, aren’t you?”

The specter approximates a shrug. “Well, not the Grim Reaper. There’s three of us, for one thing, but… well, I guess it’s a pretty accurate description aside from that.”

Another thing Ned had never imagined was that death incarnate would be so willing to make casual conversation, but the realization gives him all kinds of hope. Escaping prison — and supernatural prison, at that — would be a daunting task, but just talking his way out of a bad situation? That, he could do.

“Well, you know, Mr. Reaper, if I may call you that — I’m a huge fan of yours, loved you in ‘The Masque of the Red Death!’ And I would really hate to throw a wrench in the operation you have set up here, but…”

The reaper’s book vanishes in a plume of smoke, and his grip on his scythe tightens. “Okay, I think we both know what you’re playing at here, and let me just warn you now — even if I did want to let you go, it’s not my decision to make. I already told you I wasn’t the only reaper, and even if we all agreed to let back into the world of the living, the Raven Queen would never sign off on it. Flattering me isn’t gonna get you anywhere.”

“But I need to get back!” Ned blurts out. “I made a mistake, a whole pile of mistakes, and I need to fix them — there is an entire planet, an entire world in danger because of me! The apocalypse is impending for a whole world of innocent, sapient creatures, and hardly anyone knows the truth of it! Hardly anyone can stop it, except me and —”

The reaper flinches at the mention of a world in danger, but Ned doesn’t notice because the words, the confessions, the pleas are now pouring out of his mouth too fast to contain. “Except me and the rest of the Pine Guard, but I left them without doing nearly enough to help, to make it up to them — so I need to get back, just for a few hours! Just to make sure they’ll be alright! To warn them, and — and to say goodbye, because they and Kirby were still the closest thing I ever had to a family…”

He’s oblivious to the enchantment the reaper has cast, compelling him to speak the truth — because if telling the truth meant getting back to Kepler, meant saving the world and in particular the Pine Guard… then not even Ned Chicane would dare to lie.

“Just a big, weird, dumb family of cryptids and magicians and park rangers and crazy old men trying to stave off the apocalypse together! I can’t abandon them now, I can’t —”

“Shh.” The reaper holds up a hand. “Shh, it’s alright. I just need to check something, okay?”

With his scythe, he cuts a small tear in the dimension, edges of the rift glowing a vibrant green. Yet the inside of the gash shows nothing but a churning storm of dark purple clouds that cover the night sky, blotting out the stars as the wind roars and howls like chained beast straining to be free.

“Yikes. It really does look apocalyptic in there. Tell you what, Ned…”

In the shadowy void beneath the cowl of his robe, a devious smile lights up. “Legally, there’s nothing I can do to help you. But if it just so happened that Edmund Chicane was an unnaturally skilled necromancer, who overpowered me and stole my scythe to slip back into his own plane of existence… well, he’d need a corporeal form to be much of a help to anyone, but surely someone of his skill level could reanimate his body without any help from me whatsoever… I’m sure he’d be in a good position to avert the apocalypse, in that case.”

“Thank you,” Ned whispers, but the reaper quickly raises a finger to his lips.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he replies. “Really, you should know… a stunt like that, it’s gonna earn you a lot of prison time. I’m gonna have to bring you back here eventually, and when that happens, a bunch of folks are going to want you locked up in the Eternal Stockade. I can try my best to get your sentence mitigated, but… the Stockade’s not a nice place, even if you’re only in for a few decades.”

“I don’t care. I’ve done prison time before.”

The reaper nods slowly, and with a flick of his scythe, he tears a longer gash in the air, widening the small rift he’d opened before.

Before he steps through, though, he waves a hand across his robes, and stands still for a moment as they melt away into… a plain white shirt, battered denim jacket, and faded pair of blue jeans, worn by possibly the most mundane-looking middle-aged man Ned has ever laid eyes upon.

“Now, Mr. Reaper, I realize that I’m deeply indebted to you,” Ned says, “but that said, what on Earth are you wearing?”

“Can’t walk around looking like a skeleton if I’m gonna sneak over to your dead body and resurrect it,” the reaper answers. “And just call me Barry, by the way.”

***

Kirby is speeding across Kepler in a stolen car with a screaming goatman buckled up in the back seat, and none of it feels real. Street signs and traffic lights pass by in unidentifiable blurs, but he doesn’t dare take a hand off the steering wheel to wipe his tears away. His knuckles are white, and the old station wagon’s engine is groaning from the exertion —

The four-armed figure of pure white light springs down onto the car, and a spiderweb of cracks spreads across the windshield. Kirby slams the brakes on instinct, and Billy lets out an anguished bleat as his head collides with the back of the driver seat.

“Fuck!” Kirby shouts as two of the figure’s arms jab in through the windshield, grasping at thin air at first but stretching ever closer to him, and he fumbles with his seatbelt and flings the door open. “C’mon, goat, we gotta run!”

“Duuuuuck!” Billy bleats, flailing his arms nowhere near his buckle as Kirby opens his door. Somehow, the seatbelt has gotten twisted all around his horns, and he won’t stop jerking his head around long enough for Kirby to untangle him.

“Stay still, please stay still, we don’t have any time —”

Billy’s head abruptly jerks up, and his slitted eyes fixate on something just past Kirby. “Nedddddd!”

“Ned’s not gonna be able to help us anymore,” Kirby chokes out. “Please —”

A firm hand lands on Kirby’s shoulder, and his blood runs cold as he realizes he can make out a white glow in his peripheral vision. The figure squeezes tighter and tighter, dragging him back from the car and away from Billy —

He hears the satisfying swish of a blade swinging through the air, and the figure’s grip goes limp. He collapses to his knees, and around him, tiny particles of light drift through the air, winking out one at a time like lightning bugs.

Behind him, a familiar voice remarks: “Got here just in the nick of time, didn’t I?”

Immediately, Kirby staggers to his feet and whirls around. “You — you died! I saw it on the drones! How —”

His voice cuts off, as his brain begins to process what his eyes are seeing.

Ned is smiling slightly, but it’s not that fake showman’s smile that he always wears at the Cryptonomica. No, today his smile is confident and determined — and just a little bit melancholic, too, in a way that someone who doesn’t know Ned as well as Kirby does could easily miss.

But then again, maybe Kirby doesn’t know Ned as well as he thinks, because Ned is currently wielding a giant ebony scythe with a long silver blade, and standing above the glowing, bisected body of the four-armed figure. Even as it disintegrates, it’s clear that it was sliced in half at the waist by a single clean cut.

And perhaps most damning of all is Ned’s shirt — ripped and bloodied just above the stomach even though the bare skin shows no sign of a wound, and the body as a whole shows no signs of being dead as an injury like that should surely mean.

“What happened to you?”

Ned’s smile widens, and the melancholy immediately drains right out of his expression as he launches into his familiar “storyteller” mode.

“To put it succinctly, my friend, I met Death and we struck a deal! He’s a surprisingly helpful fellow, you know — he did wear a truly unconscionable amount of denim, but there’s no accounting for taste.”

***

(Thanks for reading, feedback/reblogs are welcomed as always!)

[miladylocksley]

Carry On | Pride and Prejudice

Ok so I may be completely way off or too slow not to have realized this before, but Carry On and Pride and Prejudice parallels???

Let’s start with enemies to lovers.

“We were enemies.” “You were the centre of my universe,” I say. “Everything else spun around you.” 

(Carry On, 506)

“Lizzie,” said he, “what are you doing? Are you out of your senses, to be accepting this man? Have you not always hated him?” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 272)

Baz and Simon are already on opposite sides before they even meet on account of magical politics. The Old Families vs. the Mage.

Magicians don’t have kings and queens, but the Pitches are the nearest thing we have to a royal family—they probably would have crowned themselves at some point if they’d ever expected anyone to challenge their authority. 

(Carry On, 82)

They want Watford to go back to the way it used to be—a place for only the most rich and the most powerful. 

(Carry On, 83)

Which then grew into a difference of status on account of Baz’s ability to excel at magic and Simon’s struggle to catch up.

What did he say to Agatha? What did he promise? Maybe he didn’t have to say anything. Maybe he just had to be himself. Smarter than I am. Better looking. Wealthier. Fucking horsier—he could go to all her events and wear the right suit and the right shoes. He’d know which necktie went with which month of the year. If he weren’t a vampire, Baz’d be bloody perfect. 

(Carry On, 145)

Lizzie and Darcy were again established as opposites purely based on social class. 

but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 8)

And later on, on their snap judgment of each other solely based on their first impressions.

His character was decided. He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and everybody hoped that he would never come there again. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 8)

She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 9)

Similarly, Baz rejects Simon when they first meet.

I stumbled forward and looked around, and Baz was walking towards me. Looking so cool. Like he was coming my way because he wanted to, not because there was a mystical magnet in his gut. The magic doesn’t stop until you and your new roommate shake hands—I held my hand out to Baz immediately. But he just stood there for as long as he could stand it. 

(Carry On, 167)

From then on, they are kept apart by external forces bigger than themselves.

“What if,” he says, stepping closer, “ I help you find out who killed your mum, then you help me fight the Humdrum, and we just forget about the rest?” “ ‘The rest,’ ” I say, turning around. “Way to oversimplify a decade of corruption and abuse of power.” “Are you talking about the Mage?” “Yes.” He looks pained. “I wish you wouldn’t.” “How can I not talk about the Mage when I’m talking to the Mage’s Heir?” “Is that how you think of me?” “Isn’t that how you think of yourself? Oh, right. I forgot—you don’t think at all.” Simon groans and rakes his hair. “Jesus Christ. Do you ever not go for the lowest blow? Like, do you ever think, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t say the most cruel thing just now’?” “I’m trying to be efficient.” He leans against the shelf where I’ve set the whiteboard. “It’s vicious.” “You should talk, Snow. You always go for the kill shot.” “When I’m fighting. We’re not fighting.” “We’re always fighting,” I say, going back to the board.

(Carry On, 362)

“It’s not that I don’t prefer this. It’s that . . .” I sigh. “I can’t even imagine it. My family objects to everything the Mage stands for.” 

(Carry On, 364)

In the case of Lizzie and Darcy, it is the latter’s lack of tact that causes the most trouble but, much like Baz in the example above, Darcy is portraying—though clumsily—just what and whom stands in their way. They come from different worlds.

His sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 138)

“I might as well inquire,” replied she, “why with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character?” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 139)

We’re now moving on to one half of the couple and their secret crush.

And when I felt myself slipping too far, I held on to the one thing I’m always sure of— Blue eyes. Bronze curls. The fact that Simon Snow is the most powerful magician alive. That nothing can hurt him, not even me. That Simon Snow is alive. And I’m hopelessly in love with him. 

(Carry On, 176)

Occupied in observing Mr Bingley’s attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of interest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this was she perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 17-18)

A crush which not only becomes much more, unbeknownst to the other party, but which is left unspoken for so long it becomes unbearable.

“For a long time,” I say. “Hmmm?” he opens one eye. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. Almost since we met . . .” Snow closes his eyes again and smiles like he’s trying not to. I smile, too, only because he isn’t watching. “I thought it was going to kill me.” 

(Carry On, 356)

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 138)

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 275)

Though both Baz and Darcy start by trying their utmost to completely deny having any romantic inclination.

“If I’d known it was this easy to get rid of you,” Baz called after me, “I would’ve let you catch up with me weeks ago!” 

(Carry On, 106)

I hated the sight of him—I hated what the sight of him did to me. 

(Carry On, 180)

He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 43)

The whole situation does not look to be improving anytime soon for Baz and Darcy when it comes to any hope of reciprocation because Simon and Lizzie—at least in the beginning—never forgive, never forget.

Ebb nods and pets the goat. “To think you used to be at each other’s throats.” “We’re still at each other’s throats.” She looks up at me doubtfully. She has narrow blue eyes, bright blue--brighter somehow because her face is so dirty. “Ebb,” I insist, “he tried to kill me.” “Not successfully.” She shrugs. “Not recently.” “He’s tried to kill me three times! That I know of! It doesn’t actually matter whether it worked.” “It matters a bit,” she says. “‘Sides, how old was he the first time, eleven? Twelve? That hardly counts.” “It counts with me,” I say. “Does it.” I huff. “Yes. Ebb. It does. He hated me before he even met me.” “Exactly,” she says. “Exactly!” “I’m just saying--been a long time since I had to spell you two apart.” 

(Carry On, 90-91)

“Another time, Lizzie,” said her mother, “I would not dance with him, if I were you.” “I believe, ma’am, I may safely promise you never to dance with him.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 15)

I mean duh, ‘cause they keep being dicks. 

I cannot put down the numerous examples of Baz trying to hurt Simon over the years, whether physically through a monster or a magical recording device or with his unforgiving tongue (yes, the double entendre was on purpose), which has understandably rendered Simon paranoid. 

I step out of Niall’s way. “If he’s planning something, I’ll find out,” I say. “I always do.” 

(Carry On, 84)

Darcy keeps being rude or just legit ignoring Lizzie (’cause denial), so how he ever thought she might welcome his addresses is beyond me. Lizzie only meets any attempt at civility with suspicion.

Mr. Darcy, with grave propriety, requested to be allowed the honour of her hand, but in vain. Elizabeth was determined; nor did Sir William at all shake her purpose by his attempt at persuasion. “You excel so much in the dance, Miss Eliza, that it is cruel to deny me the happiness of seeing you; and though this gentleman dislikes the amusement in general, he can have no objection, I am sure, to oblige us for one half-hour.” “Mr. Darcy is all politeness,” said Elizabeth, smiling. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 20)

Thankfully, Simon and Lizzie begin to see their respective love interests in a whole new light. 

Baz’s mouth is colder than Agatha’s. Because he’s a boy, I think, and then: No, because he’s a monster. He’s not a monster. He’s just a villain. He’s not a villain. He’s just a boy. I’m kissing a boy. I’m kissing Baz. 

(Carry On, 343)

There was certainly at this moment, in Elizabeth’s mind, a more gentle sensation towards the original than she had ever felt in the height of their acquaintance. The commendation bestowed on him by Mrs Reynolds was of no trifling nature. What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant? As a brother, a landlord, a master, she considered how many people’s happiness were in his guardianship!—how much of pleasure or pain it was in his power to bestow!—how much of good or evil must be done by him! Every idea that had been brought forward by the housekeeper was favourable to his character, and as she stood before the canvas on which he was represented, and fixed his eyes upon herself, she thought of his regard with a deeper sentiment of gratitude than it had ever raised before; she remembered its warmth, and softened its impropriety of expression. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 180)

But they still do not know when their feelings began to change. 

The looking at Baz and thinking about the way his hair falls in a lazy wave over his forehead . . . Yeah, nope. I’ve thought about that before. 

(Carry On, 351)

“Why did I kiss you?” “Yeah.” “I guess I wanted to,” I say, shrugging. “Since when?” I shrug again, and it pisses him off. 

(Carry On, 353)

“Will you tell me how long you have loved him?” “It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 270)

But there is not doubt; they are each other’s perfect match. 

“I’m not the Humdrum,” I repeat, when I get the chance. “I’d know if I were.” “What you are is a fucking tragedy, Simon Snow. You literally couldn’t be a bigger mess.” He tries to kiss me, but I hold back—“And you like that?” “I love it,” he says. “Why?” “Because we match.” 

(Carry On, 420)

“What do I not owe you? You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 267)

“It is settled between us already that we are to be the happiest couple in the world.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 270)

“Well, my dear,” said he, when he ceased speaking, “I have no more to say. If this be the case, he deserves you. I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to any one less worthy.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 273)

BONUS

How did it take you so long to figure it out?

“Baz,” I say. “My roommate.” “The dead one? With the pretty eyes?” “Yes.” 

(Carry On, 99)

“And do not you think him a very handsome gentleman, ma’am?” “Yes, very handsome.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 177)

I’m a mess, but I’m the mess that you wanted™

“His hair is a mess, and his face is flushed, and he looks like he might go off right there, without any provocation. 

[…] 

All the blood I’ve got in me rises to my ears and cheeks.” 

(Carry On, 290-291)

Mr. Darcy said very little, and Mr. Hurst nothing at all. The former was divided between admiration of the brilliancy, which exercise had given to her complexion, and doubt as to the occasion’s justifying her coming so far alone. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 25)

Trying—and failing—to be subtle

“It was just flirting,” Baz says. “It’s not like I tried to feed her to a chimera.” 

(Carry On, 277)

Mr. Darcy drew his chair a little towards her, and said, “You cannot have a right to such very strong local attachment. You cannot have been always at Longbourn.” 

(Pride and Prejudice, 131)

They’re all such disasters  

When the figure steps forward, I recognize him at once. Tall. Black hair swept back from his forehead. Lips curled up in a sneer . . . I know that face as well as my own. Baz. 

(Carry On, 150)

They were within twenty yards of each other, and so abrupt was his appearance that it was impossible to avoid his sight. Their eyes instantly met, and the cheeks of each were overspread with the deepest blush. He absolutely started, and for a moment seemed immovable from surprise; but shortly recovering himself, advanced towards the party, and spoke to Elizabeth, if not in terms of perfect composure, at least of perfect civility. 

(Pride and Prejudice, 180)

Carry On : St Martin’s Griffin (Paperback)  Pride and Prejudice : The Modern Library Classics (Paperback)