#Not the urge to create not the urge to destroy but a secret third thing

[sacrificialarrow]

Tbh my goals for my second Rook are to make someone who puts the fear of GOD into Elgar'nan, and I cannot stress enough how not normal any of the means by which they do this are

[amberwild420]

one step back, two steps forward. (pt. 22)

masterlist

the secrets came to light 2

Marinette woke up to her alarm. Her sleep schedule was returning somewhat normal and she wasn’t running on pure caffeine.

 Good morning, Marinette!

 Another good morning, Tikki.

 I’m glad you are getting some rest if not complete.

 Marinette chuckled awkwardly remember how not too long ago she had fallen in the horrible schedule and was running on fumes. Just thinking about how her life balanced with the addition of just one person in her life, made her sigh in delight.

 Marinette! Kaylan is here!

 Coming Maman!

 Feeling warm inside, she had a really good feeling about today. Like something good and big was going to happen.

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Do you really think it was a good idea?

 …….

 Pup we did that without ladybug’s consent. You know that right.

The wolf Kwami was nervous. She and her chosen did something behind ladybug’s back and she wasn’t able to shake the feeling that something might turn out wrong. Her pup was bolder that she thought.

 We’ll discuss it today. Don’t worry.

 Her answer was short and to the point like always. Nova sighed before nibbling on the jerky while sinking in her pocket. Marinette skipped out and greeted her like always and offered her chocolate chip cookies she loved while giggling her squirrel like stuffed face.

 Just as they were near the class, a high pitched scream made them stop. Marinette looked a little scared but Kaylan looked away while hiding a smile with another cookie.

 The first thing they noticed was glitter. Lots of glitter. And some of it was still settling down. The second think was glittered covered face and familiar sausage hair. And the third thing was a white box right in front of her.

 Both girls couldn’t help but choke before laughing trying to cover it but their trembling shoulders were so obvious. Alya looked at Italian with wide eyes before glaring at the two ostracized girls of the class.

 That’s it! You two are going too far! I’ll report it to principle!

 Jeez. What else do you know anyway except for complaining?

Kaylan smirked while looking at the Italian liar.

 Liking the new looks Lila.

 This time there were actual tears in her eyes.

 I’ll tell the principle!

 On what proof? Have you seen Kaylan putting the box on Lila’s table? It’s not possible that she did it before you all came since she picked me up from bakery before we came here.

 Marinette pointed out making Kaylan snicker. She had a slighted doubt over the statement how it was not Kaylan and a strong urge to believe that it was definitely her doing.

 Like hell she will say that. Payback’s a bitch.

 Now, now, Marinette.       Kaylan smoothly interjected.    You know how they are, they just simply love to point us out over every problem they face. Like we have the time of life to just create problems in their lives.

 Another sinker passed her lips before they made way towards their seats. Marinette watched as Lila ran out of the class, probably to get rid of the glitter.

Told ya!       Kaylan whispered so only Marinette heard her.        I know how to retaliate. Beside it’s a cheap glitter…………. The one that sticks longer than normal.

 Marinette hid her face as she giggled, to see misfortune falling on Lila was simply too good.

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Just as bell rang, signaling the end of the boring lecture, everyone ran out to get lunch. Taking the hand of the designer, Kaylan ran out of the school to get to the bakery, looking more excited than the girl herself.

 Slow down, Kaylan!

 No way! Luka and Kagami needs to hear this!

 A loud laugh slip past her lips. Only she know how much she was holding back in front of the class.

 Soon enough they saw their friends in front of the bakery and waved. Just like she thought, Kagami had a big smirk on her face enjoying the story while Luka smiled at their collective happiness.

 The lunch ended and they waved at each other promising to get together at patrol. Just as the pair sat in their seats someone stopped in front of them. Kaylan looked at the blonde girl who fidget nervously not seeing how shocked Marinette looked. Giving out a poor excuse, she left them. It was luck that there was no one else in the class yet.

 Chloe looked up in determination and put an envelope in front of her. Marinette raised an eyebrow but before she could say anything, Chloe stopped her.

 Look, Du- I mean Marinette. I don’t have enough courage to repeat myself but I wanted to say it to you first and foremost. I’m sorry.

 Chloe bowed her head a little making Marinette jump.

 I was rude to you, I bullied you and I destroyed so many things. I’m sorry. You probably won’t forgive me and you shouldn’t, like ……….. I was so horrible to you. You have always so nice to me…..

 A few tears spilled out of her eyes making Marinette stand in shock but Chloe didn’t raised her head.

 I kept thinking after miracle queen I started thinking often and when ladybug took my miraculous away I realized how much of a brat I was. Then Lila came and I lost Sabrina. I knew we both had been the friends with benefits but still it hurts when I was all alone.

 Wiping her tears she looked up, seeing Marinette in tears, she grits her teeth. She didn’t deserve it. She didn’t deserve her tears for her.

When you helped me connect my mother I was so happy. Now that I’m seeing the therapist and they ask me to recount my memories, I just realized you never gave up on me, with all the banter and my tantrum you still didn’t give up on me. So I decided that I would prove to everyone that I will be someone better. So when the future me looks back, I would be proud of me even if I don’t have much to offer.

 A loud explosion sounded but before they can move, Kaylan stumbled in the classroom, looking at the crying pair she sighed. She gave a thumbs up with a deadpan.

 Please drown in your sorrows, I made sure you had more than enough time.

 With that she strutted out closing the door. The pair looked at the door before at each other and a choked giggle left their lips. The tension that was heavy on their shoulder, was gone.

 Wiping her tears, Chloe looked at the envelope.

 I……. want to pay you for all the things that I had destroyed. Including your time and effort. It won’t be much but still…….

 Taking a shaky breath, she looked at Marinette one more time.

 I want ladybug to be proud of me. And I want to be proud of myself as well. I was jealous when all you had was your own achievement and all I had was earned by throwing tantrum. So from now on, I will have everything through my efforts.

 She looked like she wanted to say anything but all she did was wipe her tears and turn to leave.

 You know………               Marinette smiled widely making her turn back.       …..I always thought you were a pure softy under all that threatening attitude…….and I know ladybug would be proud of you.

   Looking at the designer she felt another wave of tears coming.

 And I forgive you Chloe. At the very least you realized your mistake and apologized. Some people didn’t even do that.

 You’re ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

 Chloe said before hugging the bluenette. She cried soaking her shoulder.

To think her therapist was right about her.

  “All you have to do is apologize sincerely. With what you think is right. Considering what you told me about this girl, I say she is very much likely to forgive you. Beside, I’m sure there is no way she didn’t noticed your behaviors. Even if it is unconsciously, she would have noticed how you already changed.”

 A familiar figure sat in front of her. A soft smile looked like she descended from heaven. The name board with a bold name, “Dr. Fox”.

 Looking at the homely interior of the office, she pondered before sighing.

 “I’ll see about that.”

 Smiling, the doctor let her think in quite, before her eyes flashed.

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[alxefevre]

[ SAVANNAH SMITH, SHE/HER/HERS, (CIS) FEMALE]  —  [ ALPHONSINE LEFERVE ]  is a child of  [ HEPHAESTUS ]  with the power of  [ METAL MANIPULATION & TECHOKINESIS ] .  they were born in  [ 2000 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2017 ] .  with the change, they  [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ]  the  [ TECHNOLOGY  ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ SLEEPING OR WORKING ON A NEW CREATION ] .  if you’d like to meet them try the  [ MOON ]  building

tasks && connections page && about && pinterest

name: alphonsine leferve

age: 21

pronouns: she/her/hers

birthday: august 9th

track/job: technology && tinker

sexuality: bisexual

The daughter of Hephaestus and the beautiful Ann Marie Leferve, she was a child who shouldn’t have been here. Her mother was someone who wanted nothing more than to live her best life, doing whatever she wanted, having fun, being young. And she was young when she had her daughter, just barely twenty, and the idea of having a child sounded amazing. Thoughts of life when the child was older, about six or so, and how the two would dress up or go on trips together. There was never a single thought about actually raising a child, just the fun stuff that she would do with said child.

And when her child, a little girl, was born, Ann Marie finally realized the true struggles of raising a baby. Hephaestus wasn’t at her side, of course, because it was merely a one night stand. There was no love and she was fine with it but boy, was it hard being a single parent! Oh, well, at least she had her own father at her side, Gabriel Leferve. He raised Ann Marie on his own since he had her when he was a teen himself. A never ending cycle he realized, they both did in that very moment. And they prayed to God that the cycle would never reach this newborn child.

She was given the name Alphonsine Leferve, a perfect name for a perfect child. Alphosine, while beautiful, was a lot of work. She kept Ann Marie up at late hours, cried a lot, and constantly pulled on her mother’s hair! It was downright frustrating and humiliating! But even so... the sound of her daughters laughter that made her heart flutter and smile. Ann Marie could do this!

A true struggle at first before she got the hang of it. When Alphonsine turned five, that was when Ann Marie went to college for a degree in business while Gabriel took over watching his grandchild. He owned a tinker shop in Paris, small and cute but still fairly popular especially with the rise of people needing more help with their own electronic. He was a man who’s fingers just knew how things worked, easily able to fix whatever was given to him. Alphonsine used to watch him work and fell in love with all of it, urging her grandfather to teach her as well.

To the surprise of everyone in the household, Alphonsine was a pro at work. Fixing was no brainer for her and creating, something that she comes to love at the age of nine, was easy as breathing. Gabriel was impressed and Ann Marie found it adorable. Her little tinker fairy, the young woman called her daughter that for years upon years. To them, it was to be expected of her grandfather’s line of work when in reality it had to do with her birth father.

She was ten when her powers made an appearance. Accidentally controlling the shaping of metal and being able to control machines, it was sudden and felt unreal. Was it just a dream or perhaps her mind playing tricks on her? She wasn’t sure until she tested it out for a second, third, and fourth time. Then she realized how real this was. It was a secret that she kept from Ann Marie and Gabriel, not wanting to spring this up on the duo. But her secret was only kept hidden for a few years before it was destroyed.

A monster attack when she was on a trip to Italy with her family. It came out of nowhere as the trio wanted nothing more than to have fun. Gabriel got hurt protecting the two, his leg wounded in battle. Only the help of heroes from nemean lion were able to stop the monsters. ‘ you’re a demigod , ‘ they said. ‘ that’s why that monster attacked you. ‘ A cruel joke, how she wanted to laugh at it so terribly, but nothing left her lips. How terrible, how true, why her of all people?

They offered to take her away, to place that was safe and hidden but she refused. Still in denial, she refused to leave with them, wanting to stay with her family. It was a long argument of whether she would go with them or not before the heroes gave up, giving her their contact information. ‘ for when you’re ready. ‘ As if she’ll ever be.

Only they were right, Alphonsine showed up to nemean lion the summer of 2017, with a suitcase and two bags filled to the brim with her own tools and inventions. She never said what changed her mind and if you asked, the girl would use one of her inventions on you. She’s here now and that’s the only thing that matters.

At NL, she’s usually cooped up inside her own apartment fixing and building stuff there. She has services up to create personal weapons for anyone who wants one. Weapons are fit to work with the person’s ability and act as another mean to make things easier for an individual ( very much like seven deadly sins type of things with their weapons that the king gave them individually ).

wanted connections : :

stuff with her siblings! - she’s a brat and is def that annoying sister with anger problems. so if H-Dawg’s child, hmu

friends - she can be,,,,, friendly when she wants to be but i have no idea yet with her. maybe they like her all the time or perhaps they can only tolerate her in small dosages

people she has problems with - either because of something she said or even because of an issue they had with alphonsine trying to repair or make something for them

customers - anyone who she has either repaired stuff for or has created weapons for OR shes currently in the middle of making them something

im literally open for everything

[virlath]

Reading into the red lyrium idol and Solas’ end-game

The lyrium idol seems to be a major plot device in DA4.

The story recounts a group of spies sharing information on Solas and his plans, detailing all the information they know so far with a few lies and/or embellishments interwoven throughout. 

There is one thing everyone at the table seems to agree on though and that is: the importance of the red lyrium idol to Solas’ plans. 

But is it the same lyrium idol we know of?

In all the spies’ stories, they describe the idol as specifically depicting two figures.

Carta dwarf: ...It’s not much to look at—a couple hugging, too thin to be dwarves—but it’s sitting there, glowing softly like a ruby lit by the grace of the Maker himself. Mortalitasi: When he opened the thick chest marked with the Carta’s protective runes and drew it forth, we saw it clearly—an idol crafted from red lyrium, which seemed to show two lovers, or a god mourning her sacrifice, depending upon how it caught your fancy. Bard (disguised Solas): ...He whispered something as he picked it up, tracing his gloved fingers gently along the crowned figure who comforted the other,

For those of us who have been obsessively squinting at every little detail on the idol from all angles, it’s now quite clear there are in fact three figures on the idol, not two.

The fact that Bioware cleaned up the model from DA2, made the idol the centrepiece of the teaser, and outlined the shape of it in the corresponding mural, indicates that the description of the idol showing two figures in the book is not an accident.

The difficulty in verifying the authenticity of the idol itself is actually one of the biggest questions I have raised since reading the book, and makes me wonder if the lyrium idol in TN is the same as the one Hawke found in DA2.

We already know the Carta assassin was briefed by Varric:

“I’m only here because Viscount Tethras called in a few favors,” he said, smiling broadly, “but I didn’t expect to be the best-informed person in the room. You don’t even know what he wants, and I can tell you that!”

If anyone in Thedas could describe and spot the original idol it would be Varric. He did after all find it with Hawke, and his brother went crazy from it. 

How then could his hired spy get the description of the idol wrong, unless he was lying? And even if he was lying, why did the Mortalitasi and Bard (Solas) back him up by also describing the idol as portraying exactly two figures?

They are all spies in the room- they are supposed to pay attention to detail. How could they miss an important detail such as that? 

So, after reading this story, I have a lot of questions.

Who is the mysterious third figure in the idol and why did no spy notice it on the idol they described?

Are there multiple idols floating around that we don’t yet know of?

Did Solas plant a decoy, hoping to throw everyone off the real idol? Meaning, is he also still looking for the real idol?

Can he or the idol itself affect how it’s perceived by people in reality?

Did a chunk break off when it was smelted into Meredith’s/Samson’s sword, and is a piece still lying around somewhere in Thedas?

===

The idol’s purpose

It seems that the idol is extremely important to Solas and his plans. He claims it belongs to him, and it is clear he intends to reclaim ownership of it no matter the cost. In fact, he claims to already be in possession of it (though I am doubtful of that).

The Bard (Solas): Slowly, he lifted the red lyrium idol from the pillow where it rested. He whispered something as he picked it up, tracing his gloved fingers gently along the crowned figure who comforted the other, but I could not make out the words, for I fear they were elven... The idol’s journey is now complete, and it has found its master. He will destroy anyone in his way without regret or hesitation, and whatever he intends, I do not believe we can stop it.

According to the Mortalitasi’s story, the idol is in fact a ritual blade:

When our power, plus the power of our arcane possessions, plus the power of his slaves’ lives, had all come to him, the Tevinter mage raised the idol before him, and I saw a spike of lyrium spring from the base of the idol, so that all at once, it was not merely an idol, but a ritual blade. He slashed his own hand, and a wave of power pulsed through the cavern. It was as though we were the blood, and the cavern was the body through which it flowed, and we fell, all of us, to the ground, our minds pulled into the raw chaos of the Fade by the power of his ritual.

It turns out the Mortalitasi actually intended on using the idol as part of a blood magic ritual to bind spirits to their will so they could repel the Antaam invasion.

...every dream, every demon, every half-interested spirit would urge them back to the north, away from humanity. Their resolve would weaken, their invasion would crumble, and all would go back to the way it should be.

Now remember in DA2, Merrill tells us a story of a blade to end the elven civil war when she recounts the story of the Dread Wolf:

“Fen’Harel was clever. He could walk among both clans of gods without fear, and both believed he was one of them.”

“He went to each side, and told them the other had forged a terrible weapon, a blade that would end the war.”

“He told the Creators it was forged in the heavens, and the Forgotten Ones, that it was hidden in the abyss.”

In TN, Solas seems very sentimental towards the idol. This makes me wonder if he made it into a ritual blade, and took the gambit the evanuris would seek it out and unwittingly use their own power to seal themselves away.

It would be so ironic and totally Solas’ MO if that were the case, that the idol which bears Mythal’s resemblance was the key to their own prisons.

===

Why is the idol so important?

We know of the elven upstart. He is a mage named Solas, and his ritual has already started to affect the Fade. We cannot risk him acquiring this idol and finishing what he has begun.

It seems like the idol is at the centre of everything, anchoring the imprisoned evanuris and the Black City in place.

If the Mortalitasi’s blood magic ritual were to succeed, I could imagine mages becoming possessed by a a demon or even one of the evanuris by becoming a willing host. After all, the point of their ritual was to obtain power to defeat their enemies.

In fact, the Mortalitasi’s ritual reminds me a lot of the ritual described in Solas’ secret room in Trespasser which is also reiterated in the Forbidden Oasis. In both instances, a demon is summoned using blood magic to defeat their enemies.

Mythal seemingly used blood magic to win the war against the titans. What if the ritual the Mortalitasi used was in a similar vein?

“YOU MEDDLE PAST YOUR UNDERSTANDING, FOOLISH MORTAL MAGES, AND IN DOING SO, YOU THREATEN ALL CREATION.” “YOU USE MY IDOL CARELESSLY TO VANDALIZE THE SEA OF DREAMS. NOW FEEL THE PAIN OF WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED.”

I am convinced the idol/blade could be used as part of a blood magic ritual to summon a demon, either summoning the evanuris (who I believe are “demons” like Imshael and the like) or a demon from the void.

===

Solas’ end-game

We are led to believe at the end of Trespasser he simply wants to restore the world of his time. Imo that’s only partly true.

I think Solas tearing down the veil is simply the necessary first step for him to destroy the Black City and the false gods for good. This is where I think the idol would come into play. 

The veil is also a fabrication created by Solas, and there have been signs throughout the series from DA:O to DA:I that the veil is tearing apart, irreparably.

Demons seize every opportunity, every tear in the Veil, to enter our world. Once the Veil is torn, it is extremely difficult to mend, some say impossible. 

What does it mean to pierce the Veil, that which separates our world from the realm of dreams and demons? For the average man and woman, it is a frightening thought to consider just how fragile this separation actually is.

The Veil is not a physical curtain, not a structure limited to a particular place—it is everywhere. It is in their home, in the streets where they walk, in farmers' fields as well as remote mountain vales. At any moment it could be torn to shreds, allowing demons and other horrors to flood into our world like water through a burst dam.

Apart from the Inquisitor, no person in Thedas has successfully been able to seal rifts.

This means over time, with more veil tears and death, the more fragile the veil will be. Eventually, it will break entirely. I think this would be inevitable, whether or not Solas destroys it. 

Cole calls the Veil wonderful in Trespasser, because it was created to forbid. And we know the veil forbids all the demons and false gods from entering the physical world. With the idol now floating around in Thedas and with a weakened veil, I think there is a possibility using the idol could summon or release the evanuris from their prisons.

His measurements of the veil and testing of its strength indicates to me he is still trying to see how he can fix the veil or work it into a new plan. With the loss of his orb, the idol may be the last piece of security he has.

This is why I don’t buy the fact that he simply wants to tear down the veil and restore ancient Elvhenan like he wishes he was in the past. There has to be more than that- there is no way he hasn’t accounted for the Redcliffe possibility.

Since Solas is the actual creator of the veil, he alone has a chance at preserving what remains while fixing/amending whatever plans he had for the false gods.

It actually makes a lot of sense that Solas would not want to tell anyone too much about his plans, even the Inquisitor. Not only does he not trust people, I think his actions in TN prove he is worried about the idol falling into the wrong hands and the temptation to use it. 

Maybe his actions and letting Charter go free is even an indication that he is manipulating the Inquisition to continue ‘working against him’ when in fact they are a part of his grander plans.

[fourteendaysinaweek]

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Grimm

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My overview: Portland detective Nick Burkhardt thinks he's going insane when he randomly starts seeing monsters at the time his aunt goes into a coma. Turns out he's not, in fact, going crazy. He deals with shit trying to kill him and his girlfriend and friends CONSTANTLY and in reality all he wants to do his keep his city safe, and he accidentally saves the world in the process.

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My overview: imagine the TARDIS except it's a warehouse and not a police box (bigger on the inside) and it's full of cursed objects to be kept there so it doesn't destroy the world.

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Being Human (USA version)

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The Librarians

Platform: Hulu I do so believe

Official overview: Cued by TNT's popular 'The Librarian' trilogy, this series introduces new members of an ancient group protecting mystical artefacts. Hidden below the Metropolitan Public Library, the secret society's longtime leader is Flynn Carsen, whose job has become very complicated. To help, the Library recruits Eve, a counterterrorism agent responsible for organizational security; Jacob, who has encyclopedic knowledge of art, architecture and history; Cassandra, who links auditory/sensory hallucinations to memory; and Ezekiel, a skilled thief and master technician. Overseeing them is Jenkins, the reclusive caretaker of the Library's sleepy little outpost in Oregon. Noah Wyle executive produces and recurs as Flynn, the role he played in the movie series.

My overview: very similar to W13. This time imagine the Bunker, and the Warehouse, and boom, you've got the Library.

Thoughts on the show: good! I love it, I just found out it was on Hulu and am going to be binging it as soon as I finish Grimm and Warehouse. I'd love to see a crossover between W13 and The Librarians I feel like they'd have a feud.

Thoughts on the fandom: probably the same size as W13 if not bigger as the series came from movies. Again, haven't finished the series so I haven't interacted with the fandom.

Eureka

Platform: Amazon Prime

Official overview: In the years since World War II, the U.S. government has been relocating the world's geniuses (and their families) to the Pacific Northwest town of Eureka. Daily life there shifts between amazing innovation and total chaos. U.S. Marshal Jack Carter learns this first-hand when his car breaks down in Eureka, stranding him among the town's eccentric citizens. When they unleash a scientific creation still unknown to the outside world, it's up to Carter to restore order. Subsequently, he's let in on one of America's best-kept secrets.

My overview: a small town but make every person a genius. Has some crossover with Warehouse 13, they exist in the same universe.

Thoughts on the show: I love it so far. Just the kind of weird shit I enjoy.

Thoughts on the fandom: I'd imagine about the size of Warehouse 13's but I've yet to interact considering I'm still in season 1.

[ohwereusingourmadeupnames]

starker=> “What if they find us?”and “They’re not looking anyway.”

I’ll Keep You (Dirty Secrets)

Pairing: Peter Parker/Tony Stark Rating: Mature (M) Word Count: 4.8K Notes: I made up a totally different canon universe and that was a lot of fun - thanks for the fun prompt, nonnie! Warning: NSFW things, crazy canon divergence Summary: 

Peter is the most surprised to see Tony Stark on his couch not because it’s Tony Stark, but because they hadn’t agreed to see each other when he left the older man’s house a few hours ago. 

Or: What if Peter Parker is college age and dating Tony Stark during the events of Civil War? 

do the thing, send in all the prompts 

The last thing Peter expected to walk in and find after his 3PM Thermodynamics class was Tony Stark sitting on his couch with May.

The surprise didn’t come from Tony himself – he left Tony’s place a few hours ago to make sure he got to class on time. When he walked him to the door, Tony never mentioned anything about coming over and choking down his aunt’s fig-nut bread and smiling innocently at him like they’d never even seen each other before. Shaking his head, Peter walked into the kitchen to collect himself.

When he turned back around, there was a surprised look on his face. “May, what’s going on?” Peter asked, his eyes wide. Turning to look at Tony, Peter did his best not to smile – “Hi, hi – I’m Peter, Peter Parker.” He did a ridiculous little wave, then looked back and forth between the two “adults” in the room.

Finally getting behind the protection of his thin bedroom door, Peter slapped a hand to his mouth and let out the laugh he’d been holding in since he walked through the door. Tony looked at him affectionately, his plump lips slipping into a beaming smile. “That went much better than I expected,” Tony admitted. He closed the gap between them and pulled Peter into a brief kiss. “I needed you to be surprised. We’ve got to head to Germany – it’s about to get real, Pete.”

Wrapping his arms tightly around Tony’s hips, Peter kept him close. For the past couple of weeks, Peter walked into the penthouse to a very irate Tony. Though he hadn’t wanted to get himself or Spider-Man involved just yet, Peter knew he wouldn’t be kept away for long. Steve Rogers was at odds with Tony and the conflict was slowly coming to a head. The crazy suit Tony put together for him a few months ago would finally get to see some action worthy of its excellence.

Tony’s well-crafted plan to get him away from Queens for however long it took to finish things, worked like a charm – May kissed his cheek and bought him a celebratory dinner before Happy came to whisk him away the next day. Getting to the hotel and finding his suit upgraded and waiting for him made his heart race.

Peter still felt pretty nervous about joining in business he still wasn’t sure was meant for him, but he’d do anything for Tony. Even if that meant finally putting himself in a world he’d been tiptoeing around for the entire year he’d known Tony and the Avenger’s business he dealt with.

He got through high school without exposing himself or his loved ones – that’s all that really mattered to him. If this entire ordeal led to Tony offering him induction onto the team, Peter would take it. Being with Tony meant exposure to this world; why not take it by the reins and make his own home on the team, hopefully under his own conditions.

There wasn’t much time to marvel at each of the heroes he’d been reading about for years – the concept of the fight was simple; stop Steve and Bucky from leaving. Peter did his best to keep up with the most revered superheroes and felt pretty good about the fact that he’d managed to stay in step and outsmart a few of them. Maybe Tony’s urges weren’t entirely selfish on the older man’s part – Peter had plenty of things to contribute to the disorganized chaos of the people around him. When they were working cohesively, Peter knew they’d be pretty unstoppable.

It was pure luck, finding Tony before he took off after Steve and Bucky. Peter stopped him in his tracks when Tony tried to push past him. The idea of Tony taking on something that felt so personal by himself didn’t even register – Peter wouldn’t take no for an answer; he jumped into the ship before Tony could really argue. The entire flight was silent – Tony hell bent on keeping up the silent treatment. Peter took the opportunity to try and put together the pieces of what was really happening.

Someone was out to split the group up – someone that had information that would force certain people to take sides. Peter didn’t have enough information to know what the root of all of this was, but whatever they were dealing with couldn’t tear them apart; that would be the ultimate win for the person orchestrating.

The swift realization that Steve kept something so raw and personal from Tony almost had him swinging across the building with every intention of attacking “America’s Ass”. The look on Tony’s face stopped him, however – there were real traces of hurt evident on his already strained face. Tony’s parents were something they hadn’t talked much about – Peter knew he resented Howard and missed Maria wholeheartedly. Much like Peter, Tony lost his parents long before resolution or satisfaction could come from their relationship. The shock of having them ripped away by people he knew wasn’t surprising or unfounded – Tony would need to reevaluate some of the decisions people he considered close to him made and the reasons behind them.

But, it wasn’t the time for that. Tony looked two seconds away from spontaneously combusting – the only thing Peter could do was stop him when Steve and Bucky took off. Tony looked at him with murder in his eye – the betrayal he read on his face made Peter’s stomach clench. “Think about it, Tony. Just stop and think. Zemo did this to create a divide. Something isn’t right and you know that.” Peter shouted the words at him – his heart racing with each one he threw from his chest. “Let them go.”

Tony went slack against him – whether it was realization or simply surrender, Peter wasn’t sure. He kept Tony in his arms until he heard the jet Steve and Bucky took take off. The resolute silence a few minutes after that had him pulling away, his hand reaching up to pull the mask off of his face.

The brown eyes that met his when he could see Tony again were much softer, the instant anger of the situation giving way to a more guttural feeling. “He killed my mom,” Tony babbled, his face falling. Peter was only strong enough to pull him in before tears of his own were falling.

Silence surrounded the flight back to the Avenger’s compound, only this time, Peter kept his arms around Tony’s middle and didn’t move a single bit the entire way. It took them two days to get the needed medical attention and track Steve down – the cell phone he left for Tony was the exact thing they needed to narrow down their whereabouts and catch them before they were untraceable.

The conversation that followed managed to satisfy Tony enough to not want to rip Bucky’s head off anymore. In the end, he was the one to suggest seeking out Shuri in Wakanda. Despite not having direct access to the country, Tony knew all about the genius being produced there – it was hard not to take notice of the smart people of the world. He told Peter that line time and time again.

It took a few months, but Steve finally returned to the compound. Between him and Tony, they managed to strike up a deal (which really meant intimidate) with Senator Ross. Saving the world wasn’t political business – at least that much everyone could agree to.

----

Thanos’s threat became a reality for the group at the compound when Thor’s distress signal reached them. They couldn’t pinpoint his location, but his cryptic message was enough to kick start them into action. It was clear to see that protecting, collecting, and destroying the stones was the only possible option.

Now a full-time member of the Avenger’s, Peter had a good time pointing that out to everyone in one of the many meetings they had about what to do about the fucked-up situation they were heading into. After the third time suggesting that they split up, Tony finally heard him and started to formulate a plan.

Steve, Wanda, and Vision headed out to Wakanda to get back in touch with Bucky and get Shuri to work her incredible magic. Tony and Peter wandered off in hopes of finding the time stone. Nat was tasked with the daunting task of pinpointing where Thor was. It seemed like each of them had a mountain to climb – but the world depended on it.

Happening open Doctor Strange when hunting down the time stone became an apparent advantage when he drew a portal and magicked them directly to Wakanda to join the others. The mind stone’s presence drew Thanos’s troops and they needed all of the manpower they could get.

News of Nat finding and heading out towards Thor’s location came to them when they got to Wakanda and met up with Steve and a fresh-faced Bucky. The first two seconds of the interaction were weird – Tony stood stock still. Then, he let the mask drop and pulled the man into a hug. Just the sight of it was cathartic – Peter could only imagine how both of the tortured men felt in that moment.

Meeting Shuri and T’Challa was a little rushed as they were all equipped with some of the Wakandan technology and weapons. Tony’s eyes widened and his jaw went slack when he saw all of the things that Shuri got to work on and with – some of it was replicated in his own workshop, and some of it was brand new and calling his name. Peter watched with silent amusement as the nerd in Tony tried to fight its way to the surface. There wasn’t time for that now – Shuri was in the final stages of separating Vision from the mind stone.

Standing in the middle of the battlefield a little while later, completely surrounded by Wakandan soldiers and the crew he’d been slowly making himself comfortable in, Peter felt himself smiling. They were about to fight for their lives, but he felt confident and ready with all of the strong characters flanking him. Tony gave his hand a quick squeeze before his face plate settled into place – at least they were taking on the fight together.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he swung from one place to the next, taking out as many enemies as he could along the way. Peter and Tony played off each other frequently, the boost of Tony’s ability to fly gave Peter a distinct advantage. He’d have to mention that to his boyfriend when all the craziness was over. 

The back and forth seemed to go on forever – their retreat was leading them closer to the city with every minute that passed. Finally, there was a loud blast of a horn in the air, the richness of it sounding like victory.

Shuri managing to save Vision and destroy the stone sent them down a road that made the triumph over Thanos more and more likely. Nat found Thor and Loki with Rocket, Gamora, Peter Quill, and Groot.

She quickly found out that Gamora lied to her father and had the soul stone the entire time and Thor and his newly reformed brother Loki were in possession of the space stone. It didn’t take any prodding for either party to give up the infinity stone in their possession – Gamora regaled them with the many stories of Thanos murdering half of the many planets he managed to conquer. Not a single piece of the threat was a joke.

After destroying them, they were half of the way there. The time stone was safe with Stephen until the rest of them were collected. Peter Quill knew that the reality stone was with The Collector – he’d heard the man brag about its presence more than a few times. Knowing that Thanos only had one in his possession made settling for a plan of action much easier – the ability to include everyone in the flight gave them the upper hand.

Gamora offered herself up as bait – she knew her presence would draw her father out. He took the power stone by force, decimating Xandar without blinking an eye. Thanos was smart enough to know the fight was coming – Peter just hoped he didn’t know how big their team actually was.

In the end, it came down to Peter yanking the glove that Thanos wore so arrogantly on his hand, off and into the hands of Tony. There was a second when everyone looked around – the idea of winning never actually crossed their minds. They were all brought back to the reality of the situation when Gamora shrieked and took Thanos’s head straight off.

The collective sigh of relief that settled over the group didn’t really latch on until all 6 of the stones were destroyed. It took a little more convincing than Peter would have liked to have Stephen actually give up the time stone – but he saw reason eventually. It might have been imagined, but Peter thought something shifted in the universe when the final stone was destroyed. In this universe, the stones couldn’t cohesively exist without someone challenging them for the power they contained. The timeline was finally set right.

----

Celebrating the ultimate win took a few weeks to actually make a thing. Peter and Tony were content enough to be wrapped up in each other in the free moments they were gifted. Without the threat of Thanos, Peter decided to go back to school – Tony stayed in the city with him under the guise of getting back into the swing of things with Stark Industries.

It wouldn’t matter a single bit that they were together, but Tony was hell bent on keeping their relationship a secret. It made sense – things got to stay between the two of them for as long as they desired. Being open meant inviting people into their relationship and neither Peter nor Tony was particularly looking to do something like that.

Peter was right in the middle of his fall semester when Tony called him on his way back from class. Seeing Tony’s name flash across the screen, Peter picked it up instantly – the three-ring rule didn’t apply in situations like this.

“Hey Tony,” Peter said in answer, his voice a little breathy from the excitement that he couldn’t stop from coursing through him. Since Thanos, it was a lot more important to grab on to every single ounce of happiness.

His time with Tony would forever be too short. He learned the reality of that each time he stressed about losing Tony when they so selflessly put their lives at risk for the sake of everyone’s freedom, not just their own. The involvement in that wasn’t changing, so the risk would forever be there.

Shaking himself of the thought, Peter smiled when he heard Tony’s voice on the other side of the phone, the obvious scratch of disuse giving away his many hours straight in the lab. “Hey Pete. I got word from Steve today that they finally want to throw that fancy celebration shindig. Of course, they want to use our house to do the entertaining, but I couldn’t say no. You know how much I like a good party.” Tony actually sounded excited about the whole thing, so Peter paid close attention. The sound of Tony saying ‘our house’ was hard not to fixate on, but he tried his best.

By the time Peter got home, Tony was in the kitchen without his shoes on. The normal lab garb made him look half his age and never failed to pull at Peter���s heart a little. Tony’s carefree nature came out when he got to flex his brain – Peter loved getting to see his boyfriend that way. He managed to get behind Tony before the man even realized he was there – his muscled body tensed for a second when Peter’s arms wrapped around him.

“Hey, you,” Peter said against his ear, his lips trailing the words with a kiss. Peter let his face pressed against the side of Tony’s head, his boyfriend relaxing against him after a second.

“You scared the shit out of me. I was running through the latest specs in my head and got distracted. Nice surprise, though,” Tony remarked, his hand reaching back to grip Peter’s neck. Adjusting a little, Peter pressed their lips together, the weird angle making him chuckle.

“I might have put on the web shooters and swung the rest of the way back,” Peter admitted, his cheeks reddening when Tony’s hand tightening against him. “You seemed so excited on the phone; I couldn’t wait for the subway.”

Tony turned around in his arms, his own hands coming to tangle in the hair at the back of Peter’s neck. Leaning forward, Peter gave Tony another kiss, the softness of it a direct contrast to the hands in his hair. “I am excited. I get to put you in a suit and watch Thor get delightfully drunk. That’s always a party, Pete,” Tony muttered breathlessly. Their foreheads were pressed together, and Peter found himself going in for kisses every few seconds.

“He’ll bring the mead, I bet,” Peter said with a laugh, Tony’s breath tickling his nose as he too snorted out a breathy chuckle.

“One can only hope.”

The rest of the evening and all the ones for the next two weeks were filled with planning and getting ready for the first big gathering of everyone since the big win against Thanos. 

Steve and Bucky went back to Brooklyn to see what living together would look like. Nat and Bruce were regulars to Stark Industries and the Stark household – out of everyone, they were the only two to know the true nature of his and Tony’s relationship. Loki, despite his initial misdeeds, was helping Thor run New Asguard – and they were actually getting along.

All the effort seemed worth it when they were all in one room together. It was like no time passed at all – the easy camaraderie that came with saving the planet couldn’t be lost in just a few months’ time. Peter mingled with everyone, his eyes wide and cheeks sore from reminiscing and catching up with the people that he considered family, despite the reservations he initially had about the saviors of the world when his journey with them first began.

He found himself wanting to pick Tony out of the crowed whenever he moved around and got caught up in the same conversation with someone else. Peter found himself able to withstand from the pull of Tony’s presence for a couple of hours. Eventually, when he noticed him over Bruce’s shoulder during their riveting discussion on the different types of sod, Peter excused himself and trailed after Tony. He was heading towards the back part of the penthouse where their bedroom was – it was the perfect place to grab a second or two of alone time with him. With all of the excitement surrounding them, it’d be nice to feel the grounding effect that Tony had on him.

A soft sigh left his lips when he found himself being pushed back against the door of their bedroom. He heard the creak of the floorboard by Tony’s side of the bed and went to investigate – Tony pining him against the wood was a very excellent end to his hunt. Tony gripped his hips tight, the older man’s hips rolling forward to pin him completely to the hard surface of the door.

“You’ve been catching my eye all night and it’s so hard to concentrate. I talked to Thor about his struggles with a preteen online twice before I realized it. I need you, Pete,” Tony got out before pressing his lips to Peter’s, kissing him soundly. The words were enough to make him harder than a rock, and the kiss set him on edge.

“What if they catch us?” Peter mumbled, his head turning to break the kiss in a desperate attempt to pull him oxygen into his lungs. His skin was plastered to the fancy shirt and jacket he let Tony talk him into wearing – everything felt tight against him. The arousal pumping through his veins woke up the hypersensitivity of his Peter-tingle and doubled the intensity of the feeling.

Tony didn’t respond to him right away – he methodically went about getting Peter out of his suit jacket and the tie around his neck. Peter’s fingers fumbled to pull Tony’s clothes from him, but the older man simply slapped his hands away and did it for him He didn’t care where the clothes landed, the rumpled look they’d return to the party with would be obvious – but at the moment, Peter didn’t give a shit, either.

When his bare back hit the mattress, Tony finally framed his face with his hands, his black eyes staring down at Peter intently. “I don’t care if they catch us. Not anymore. Hiding what we have hasn’t been worth the moments we miss out on. I should have had you on my arm tonight.” Tony said the worlds simply, the look on his face recognizably genuine. “They’re not looking, anyway. Everyone is in their own little world celebrating how badass we actually are.”

Laughing, Peter surged up and caught Tony’s lips – his legs wrapped around trim hips to bring them closer. It didn’t take much to get lost in the kiss and the not-so-subtle way they were grinding against each other. Peter didn’t try to hold back the overwhelming sensations – he bit into Tony’s neck when his orgasm washed through him. Tony pulled back enough to kiss him through it, their tongues tangling until Peter was too overcome to continue.

The boneless way Peter pressed into the mattress made it easy for Tony to spread his legs a little wider and start prepping his hole. Peter brought his bottom lip between his teeth, the tangibility of Tony’s touch still washing over him in the most overwhelming way. Tony must have recognized that, because he continued to tease his finger around Peter’s rim and pepper kisses to the inside of his thighs. It was just distracting enough to turn too much into not enough.

Peter looked down at Tony and nodded, the non-verbal communication just as important between them – especially in times like this. Tony abandoned his position between Peter’s legs for a second before returning, a bottle of lube in his hands. He willingly went when he felt Tony’s hands on his hips prod him into turning over. A moan left his lips when the coolness of the sheets pressed against his cock that was already starting to harden again.

The thickness of Tony’s fingers always surprised him upon first entry – they were a bit on the shorter side, but wide and filling from the get-go. Peter did his best to relax, Tony didn’t wait long before thrusting forward impatiently. The tip of his finger brushed against Peter’s prostate repeatedly – his cock going from somewhat interested to leaking within a few presses. “Another, Tony. More – “ Peter gasped out breathlessly, his skin pebbling from the collection of sensations.

1 finger quickly became 2 that gave way to 3 without Peter really noticing. Tony was peppering his shoulders and upper back with kisses and running his free hand down his perineum, the tickle on his skin there just enough to keep him from jumping off the cliff. He did notice the absence of them, however, his head turning quickly to take in Tony curiously.

“It’s okay, Pete – I’m going to fill you up. Just a second,” Tony muttered, his eyes finding Peter’s for a brief moment. He could see the tremor of Tony’s hand when they broke eye contact, his shaky fingers having a hard time getting the cap off the lube again to spread some of the slick along his weepy length. Peter dropped his head between his shoulders when Tony closed his eyes, the hand on himself obviously just a bit too much. Chewing on his cheek, Peter relaxed as much as he could and pressed back when Tony started to push in.

Hearing Tony groan when he was finally seated completely inside of Peter had him reaching down to grasp the base of his cock. It never stopped being sexy, how much Tony lost control when they were wrapped up in a position like this. For whatever reason, Peter held a key to another part of Tony that not a lot of people got to see. It drove him absolutely insane. Everything about Tony did that, though.

Their pace started out slow and specific. Every one of Tony’s thrusts was long and targeted, the head of his cock pressing deliciously against Peter’s prostate with each one. As Peter started to get closer to his orgasm, his ass clenched more and more tightly around Tony’s cock. His boyfriend slowly started to lose the battle between measured strokes and desperate thrusts – his hips stuttered and started to chase a deep spot in Peter randomly. Tony’s panting breaths were loud, the only other sound in the room the squeaking of the mattress under them and the slap of skin against skin.

Peter only had to stroke over himself once to finally succumb to the brain melting goodness of his second orgasm of the night. He called out Tony’s name and pressed his hips back into the ruthless slamming of his boyfriend’s hips. He clenched the walls of his ass even tight around Tony and felt the liquid heat of his spend start to spread within him a couple of seconds later. Groaning when he felt teeth in his neck, Peter felt all of the energy drain out of him as the noise left him – his chest hit the bed unceremoniously.

Tony pulled out and shuffled them until he was pressed against Peter’s back, his sweaty arm warm across his stomach. “Holy fuck,” Tony mumbled, his lips finding the side of Peter’s neck.

Grinning, Peter snuggled into Tony’s touch, a soft ‘mmmm’ coming out of his mouth the only source of agreement. The gust of Tony’s laugh made him grin a little wider, the floaty feeling so much better with Tony’s arms around him.

----

They went back to the party a little while later – Tony had FRIDAY set an alarm for 15 minutes and slipped into a deep sleep almost immediately. Peter relaxed against him and enjoyed the cadence of his boyfriend’s snores – most people hated the sound, but it meant that Tony was getting the rest he needed, and that’s all he wanted for him. FRIDAY’s voice brought him out of the little trance he fell into – he shook Tony awake as gently as he could so they could get up and try to slip back into the flow without being noticed.

It should’ve been easy, slipping back into the party. Everyone seemed pretty drunk when Peter walked into the open area of what was usually their living room. Most of his comrades were broken up into small groups talking and laughing – Thor and Loki were regaling Rhodey with some sort of heroic tale, Peter could tell by the shit eating grin on the God of thunder’s face. He walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge and was stopped by Steve – the man’s eyes wide.

“Are you wearing Tony’s shirt?” Steve asked without hesitation. He walked over to Peter and went for the collar, his fingers pulling it back. Everyone knew that Tony was narcissistic enough to label his clothes with a TS on the collar. The black of the stitching contrasted the red shirt he hadn’t been wearing when he first walked into the party a few hours ago. Glancing up, Peter caught Tony looking down at his own shirt – the maroon shirt Peter started the night with buttoned up over the gleam of his arc reactor.

Peter got out of Steve’s grasp easily and walked over to Tony, his arm wrapping around his boyfriend’s shoulder. He gave him a kiss on the cheek and just about lost it when Tony raised the hand not wrapped around Peter’s waist and uttered “surprise”. The collective gasp in the room had him laughing, his head resting on Tony’s shoulder without a single care in the world.

[thetrashywritingwitch]

“You’re in danger” or “It’s not safe here” for red drago with a female s/o who her quirk is that as long as she’s prepared for something it won’t happen but as soon as she doesn’t expect it it happens which can get pretty dangerous

so i think i remember that “red drago” meant Kirishima but you mentioned quirks so i assume this isn’t in the Fantasy AU so imma put this in canon universe hope that’s OK!

Your whole life you were basically forced to live in a protective bubble, feeling as though you had to predict your own future to avoid tragedy. It was impossible to expect the unexpected, but you tried your damnest, anyway.

If you prepared to trip and fall over that uneven crack in the sidewalk you managed to walk right over it without a problem but at as soon as you let your guard down you’d land right on your face. All it took was one moment of distraction for something to happen.

Usually, the incidents were minor and you could brush them off since they happened so often, but sometimes things got out of hand because it was impossible for you to predict every possible outcome. You could only do so much to protect yourself.

…which was why Kirishima felt like he needed to work extra hard at making sure nothing bad happened to you.

Whenever the two of you were together he kept a vigilant eye out for anything that might bring you harm but tried to play it off.

Someone on a bicycle coming at you a little too quickly? He’d put himself between you and the cyclist citing an urge to be closer to you.

Someone tossed a ball too high and fast in the park and it was about to knock you in the head? Kirishima caught it but knocked over a trashcan in the process.

A relationship gone sour caused someone to toss a toaster out of the third story window of a nearby apartment? Kirishima shoved you out of the way and activated his quirk in time for it to knock him straight into the ground.

You always checked on his safety, though, despite being so worried about your own. As long as you were alright it was all worth it.

“C’mon, don’t be so slow!” you urged, dragging Kirishima behind you by the hand as you led him towards a mysterious date location that you adamantly kept secret.

“Just a hint?”

“Nope!”

“How far away is it?!”

“Not much! Stop whining!”

What you didn’t realize, however, was that a construction crew had set up overnight right on the path towards your destination. Kirishima saw it before you did, distracted by the directions on your phone screen.

“Uh, it’s not safe here, we should probably goooOO WATCH OUT!” Before the words even left his mouth several construction workers shouted ahead and Krishima immediately knew something tragic was about to happen if he didn’t act quickly.

The chain on the crane high above the street had snapped and, now barreling down towards the ground were several deadly beams of heavy metal.

Kirishima grabbed you up in his arms, activated his quirk, and ran back the way the two of you came before the beams hit the ground. They destroyed the street and sidewalk, their impacts creating craters of dust and cement and dirt. Kirishima dove out of the way with you still in his arms right as one of the beams landed straight up and started to fall right towards you. 

“Ohhhh my god are you OK?! Eijirou!” You smacked his face a bit with your hand until his eyes blinked open. His eyelashes were covered in dust like old spiderwebs.

“Eh...huh? Yeah, what about you? You OK?” he asked. Always concerned with your safety first. You were far from oblivious to his acts of herocism. You knew your quirk was dangerous but there was nothing you could do about it, but he stuck by you anyway.

“Yeah,” you said with a teary smile. “I’m perfect.”

[glentheapprentice-arcanawriter]

Been Busy, Here’s The Masterpost

So, I’ve been reblogging some ask ideas, and I will leave them up so the original posters and rebloggers are credited, but here is the masterpost so you can just look through them. I might do them in order if I have an idea for them, and I am open for asks. Just put them in, and what characters you want them to be centered on. 

For future reference, the characters of the Slime Rancher AU have been affected by an age-old concept that addresses the fact that no human can pass another without impacting the other’s life in some way. The characters in the AU are different in personality (only somewhat in some situations) than the ones in canon. 

And with that, let’s make the masterpost. 

Masterpost under the bar. 

Emoji Prompts

🎂 : A birthday headcanon.

💩 : An embarrassing headcanon

💀 : An injury headcanon

👄 : A kiss headcanon

💔 : A breakup headcanon

🌟 : A secret wish headcanon

💍 : A marriage headcanon

👶 : A family headcanon

💧 : A sad headcanon

🛁 : A bathing headcanon

🛏 : A sleeping headcanon

��� : A fighting headcanon

😳 : A confessing headcanon

👔 : A clothing headcanon

❤ : A romantic headcanon

☁️ : A soft headcanon

🌑 : A dark headcanon

😜 : A random headcanon

🎃 : A halloween headcanon

😤 : A jealousy headcanon

⌛ : A final headcanon

🌡: A sick headcanon

🍺 : A drunk headcanon

🧨 : An unexpected headcanon

Beautiful Words Prompts

Waldeinsamkeit (German) - the feeling of being alone in the woods, solitude, and a connectedness to nature

Iktsuarpok (Inuit) - refers to the feeling of anticipation when you’re expecting someone that leads you to constantly check to see if they’re coming

Komorebi (Japanese) - sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees.

Kilig (Tagalog) - the thrilling feeling of butterflies in your stomach when something romantic happens.

Hiraeth (Welsh) - homesickness mixed with grief and sadness over the lost or departed, or a type of longing for the homeland or the romanticized past.

Hyggelig (Danish) - warm, friendly, cozy, delightfully intimate moment or thing.

Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan, Tierra del Fuego) - the wordless, meaningful look shared by two people who both want to initiate something, but are reluctant to do so.

Utepils (Norwegian) - to sit outside enjoying a beer on a sunny day.

Tidsoptimist (Swedish) - a person who is always late because they think they have more time than they do; a time optimist.

Bhava (Sanskrit) - when you’re in a mental state of bliss or peace, a oneness that flits into you, especially when you’re listening to music.

Samar (Arabic) - staying up late and having conversations with friends or family.

Cafuné (Portuguese) - the act of tenderly running one’s fingers through a loved one’s hair.

Retrouvailles (French) - a reunion (e.g., with loved ones after a long time apart).

Naz (Urdu) - assurance/pride in knowing that the other’s love is unconditional and unshakable.

Fargin (Yiddish) - ungrudging and overt (expressed) pride and happiness at other’s successes.

Apnapan (Hindi) - having a quality where you accept people, think of them as your own, take care of the ones you love, not for anything in return.

Meriggiare (Italian) - to rest at midday in a shady spot.

One Word Ideas

A aeipathy (n.) - an enduring and consuming passion aleatory (n.) - relying on chance or an uncontrolled element in the details of life or in the creation of art alharaca (spanish, n.) - an extraordinary or violent emotional reaction to a small issue anacampserote (n.) - something that can bring back a lost love antiscians (n.) - people who live on opposite sides the world, “whose shadows at noon are cast in opposite directions” áoyè // 熬夜 (chinese, n.) - to pull an all-nighter   appetence (n.) - an eager desire, an instinctive inclination; an attraction or a natural bond aranyhíd (hungarian, n) - “the golden bridge”; the reflection of the sun as it shines on water aspectabund (adj.) - letting or being able to let expressive emotion show easily through one’s face and eyes asterismos (n.) - “marking with stars”; a word that gives weight or draws attention to the words that follow aswium // 아쉬움 (korean, n.) - the mingled feeling of disappointment, frustration, and regret that results from an unsatisfactory situation atermoiements (french, n.) - distractions or hesitations leading to procrastination avos’ // авось (russian, n.) - blind trust in sheer luck

B balter (v.) - to dance artlessly, without particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment basorexia (n.) - the overwhelming desire to kiss bilita mpash (bantu, n.) - the opposite of a nightmare; not merely a good dream, but a blissful state where all is forgiven and forgotten brontide (n.) - the low rumble of distant thunder brumous (adj.) - of grey skies and winter days; filled with heavy clouds or fog b’shirt // באשַערט (yiddish, n.) - “destiny”; referring to the seeking of a person who will complement you and whom you will complement perfectly

C cafuné (portuguese, n.) - the act of tenderly running one’s fingers through someone’s hair caim (scottish, n.) - an invisible circle of protection, drawn around the body with the hand, that reminds you that you are safe and loved, even in the darkest times casuistry (n.) - deceptive or excessively subtle reasoning chéngquán // 成全 (chinese, v.) - “to become whole”; to selflessly help someone achieve their aim chimerical (adj.) - created by unchecked imagination; fantastically visionary or highly improbable commuovere (italian, v.) - to stir, to touch, to move to tears consenescere (latin, v.) - to grow old and grey together; to stay too long in an occupation; to decay, to lose respect, to fade convivencia (spanish, n.) - living together, in the sense of living or working closely with other people with whom you share feelings, desires, or a common purpose

D defenestrate (n.) - to throw someone or something out of a window dépaysement (n.) - the feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country   dérive (french, n.) - a spontaneous journey where the traveler leaves their life behind for a time to let the spirit of the landscape and architecture attract and move them desenrascanço (portuguese, n.) - the improvisation of haphazard but completely sound solutions or plans at the last minute   dormiveglia (italian, n.) - the space that stretches between sleeping and waking dustsceawung (n.) - reflection on people, and on the knowledge that all things will turn to dust

E eigengrau (german, n.) - “intrinsic grey”; the color seen by the eye in perfect darkness erlebnisse (german, n.) - the experiences, positive or negative, that we feel most deeply, and through which we truly live estivate (v.) - to be inactive or asleep through the summer’s heat and then come awake and alive in the winter eudaimonia (n.) - a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous

F fanaa // فناء (urdu, n.) - destruction of the self; “destroyed in love” fernweh (german, n.) - feeling homesick for a place you have never been to finifugal (adj.) - hating endings; of someone who tries to avoid or prolong the final moments of a story, relationship, or some other journey firgun // פירגון (hebrew, n.) - the act of sharing in or even contributing to someone else’s pleasure or fortune, with a purely generous heart and without jealousy fisselig (german, n.) - being flustered to the point of incompetence; a temporary state of inexactitude and sloppiness that is elicited by another person’s nagging fuubutsushi // 風物詩 (japanese, n.) - the feelings, scents, or images that evoke memories or anticipation of a particular season

G gezellig (dutch, adj.) - cozy, nice, inviting, pleasant, comfortable; connoting time spent with loved ones or togetherness after a long separation gibel // гибель (russian, n.) - not death, not suicide, but simply ceasing to exist; deteriorating in a way that is painful for others gibigianna (italian, n.) - the play of light reflected from water or a mirror; a sunlit area gigil (tagalog, v.) - to grit the teeth in order to resist the urge to pinch or squeeze something extremely cute gökotta (swedish, n.) - dawn picnic to hear the first birdsong; the act of rising in the early morning to watch the birds or to go outside to appreciate nature guanxi // 關係 (chinese, n.) - a network of social connections based on mutual trust and the balancing of debts by returning favors so that the relationship’s benefits are shared by all

H hanyauku (kwangali, n.) - the act of walking on tiptoes across warm sand hifistelyä (finnish, n.) - something sophisticated, luxurious, and expensive, which is however a very minor improvement and is not needed hiraeth (welsh, n.) - a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past honne // 本音 (japanese, n.) - what a person truly believes; the behavior and opinions which are often kept hidden and only displayed with one’s closest confidants hüzün (turkish, n.) - a melancholy resulting from inadequacy or failure and weighing so heavily that it becomes communal, resigned, and even curiously poetic

I ichariba chode // 行逢りば兄弟 (japanese, phr.) - “though we meet but once, even by chance, we are friends for life”   iktsuarpok (inuit, n.) - the frustration of waiting for someone to turn up ilunga (tshiluba, n.) - a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time incalescent (adj.) - growing hotter or more ardent; set ablaze induratize (v.) - to make one’s own heart hardened or resistant to someone’s pleas or advances, or to the idea of love

J jaaneman // जानेमन  // جان ِ من (persian, n.) - “soul of me”; gender-neutral word for sweetheart or darling jiāoqiǎnyánshēn // 交浅言深 (chinese, v.) - to have a deep and intimate conversation with a stranger jīlè // 雞肋 (chinese, n.) - things that you have no use for, yet still don’t want to throw away

K kairos καιρός (greek, n.) - the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement kalopsia (n.) - the delusion of things being more beautiful than they really are kalsarikännit (finnish, v.) - to get drunk alone at home in your underwear karōshi // 過労死 (japanese, n.) - death from being overworked katzenjammer (german, n.) - a bad hangover or a general state of depression or bewilderment kawaakari // 川明かり (japanese, n.) - the gleam of last light on a river’s surface at dusk; the glow of a river in the darkness       kilig (tagalog, n.) - the feeling of butterflies in your stomach, usually when something romantic takes place kintsukuroi // 金繕い (japanese, n.) - “to repair with gold”; the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken koyaanisqatsi (hopi, n.) - nature out of balance; a way of life so unbalanced that you need a new way kruschteln (german, v.) - to look for an item in a disorganized pile of stuff

L la douleur exquise (french, n.) - the heart-wrenching pain of wanting the affection of someone unattainable l’appel du vide (french, n.) - “the call of the void”; the instinctive urge to jump from high places latibule (n.) - a hiding place; a place of safety and comfort lethe (n.) - oblivion or something to make you enter oblivion and forget lítost (czech, n.) - regret and remorse and repentance; a state of agony and torment; sorrow said to be created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery livsnjutare (swedish, n.) - one who loves life deeply and lives it to the extreme

M mamihlapinatapei (yagán, n.) - the wordless, meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to do so matutine (adj.) - just before the dawn mbuki-mvuki (bantu, v.) - to shed one’s clothing spontaneously and dance naked in joy meliorism (n.) - the belief that the world gets better; the belief that humans can improve the world mellandagarna (swedish, n.) - “the middle days”; the days between christmas and the new year meraki // μεράκι (greek, n.) - the soul, creativity, or love put into something; the essence of yourself that is put into your work metanoia (n.) - the journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self, or way of life mono no aware // 物の哀れ (japanese, n.) - the gentle wistfulness at the transience of things, and the awareness of the sadness of existence mudita // मुदित (sanskrit, n.) - sympathetic, vicarious joy; happiness rather than resentment at someone else’s well-being or good fortune mutterseelenallein (german, adj.) - utterly alone, as of refugees torn from their home country

N nakhes (yiddish, n.) - the satisfaction gained from life’s gifts; proud pleasure, especially in one’s children or grandchildren and their successes, however small ñáñaras (spanish, n.) - the free-falling sensation in the body caused by an unpleasant situation, fear, anxiety, insecurity, or other intense emotions   natsukashii // 懐かしい (japanese, adj.) - of some small thing that brings you suddenly and joyously back to fond memories, not with a wistful longing for what’s past, but with an appreciation of the good times nazlanmak (turkish, v.) - pretending reluctance or indifference when you are actually willing or eager; saying no and meaning yes nefelibata (spanish, n.) - “cloud-walker”; one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination or dreams, or one who does not obey the conventions of society, literature, or art nemesism (greek, n.) - frustration, anger, or aggression directed inward, toward oneself and one’s way of living nemophilist (n.) - a haunter of the woods; one who loves the forest and its beauty and solitude nepenthe (n.) - something that can make you forget grief or suffering noceur (french, n.) - one who sleeps late or not at all; one who stays out late to revel or party noctuary (n.) - the record of a single night’s events, thoughts, or dreams novaturient (adj.) - desiring or seeking powerful change in one’s life, behavior, or situation numinous (adj.) - describing an experience that makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted; the powerful, personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired

O offing (n.) - the deep, distant stretch of the ocean that is still visible from the land orenda (iroquoian, n.) - a mystical force present in all people that empowers them to affect the world, or to effect change in their own lives ostranenie // остранение (russian, n.) - encouraging people to see common things as strange, wild, or unfamiliar; defamiliarizing what is known in order to know it differently or more deeply oubliette (n.) - a dungeon with a door only in the ceiling; a place you put people to forget about them

P palinoia (n.) - the obsessive repetition of an act until it is perfect or mastered pareidolia (n.) - the instinct to seek familiar forms in disordered images like clouds or constellations; the perception of random stimuli as significant peripeteia // περιπέτεια (greek, n.) - a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances; the point of no return pretoogjes (dutch, n.) - the eyes of a chuckling person who is up to benign mischief

Q quaquaversal (adj.) - moving or happening in every direction instantaneously querencia (spanish, n.) - a place from which one’s strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self

R ranço (portuguese, n.) - the inexplicable feeling of disliking someone without a proper reason   rantipole (v.) - to be wild and reckless rasasvada // रसास्वाद  (sanskrit, n.) - the taste of bliss in the absence of all thoughts recumbentibus (n.) - the knockout or ending blow, physical or verbal; the final, winning argument redamancy (n.) - the act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full resfeber (swedish, n.) - the restless race of the traveler’s heart before the journey begins, when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together retrouvaille (french, n.) - the joy of meeting or finding someone again after a long separation; rediscovery

S sankofa (akan, n.) - “go back and fetch it”; to look back on the past in order to understand how we became what we are, and move forward to a better future     sarang // 사랑 (korean, n.) - “i wish to be with you until death”     saudade (portuguese, n.) - a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant, or that has been loved and then lost sciamachy (n.) - a battle against imaginary enemies; fighting your shadow scintilla (n.) - a tiny, brilliant flash or spark; a small thing; a barely-visible trace sehnsucht (german, n.) - a yearning for a far, familiar, non-earthly land one can identify as one’s home serein (french, n.) - the fine, light rain that falls from a clear sky at sunset or in the early hours of night setsunai // 切ない (japanese, n) - the feeling between bittersweet, painful, and wistful sillage (french, n.) - the scent that lingers in air, the trail left in water, the impression made in space after something or someone has been and gone smultronställe (swedish, n.) - a special place discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation; a personal idyll free from stress or sadness   soigné (french, adj.) - possessing an aura of sophistication in dress, manner, or design; presented or prepared with an elegance attained through care for the finer details sophrosyne // σωφροσύνη (greek, n.) - a healthy state of mind, characterized by self-control, moderation, and a deep awareness of one’s true self, and resulting in true happiness sturmfrei (german, adj.) - the freedom of not being watched by a parent or superior; being alone at a place and having the ability to do what you want susurrus (n.) - a low, soft sound, as of whispering or muttering or a quiet wind súton (croatian, n.) - the approach of death or the end of something

T tacenda (n.) - things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence tatemae // 建前 (japanese, n.) - what a person pretends to believe; the behavior and opinions one must display to satisfy society’s demandsv. temerate (v.) - to break a bond or binding promise toska // тоск�� (russian, n.) - ache of soul, longing with nothing to long for tsundoku // 積ん読 (japanese, n.) - buying books and not reading them; letting books pile up unread on shelves or floors or nightstands

U uitwaaien (dutch, v.) - to take a break to clear one’s head

V vagary (n.) - an unpredictable instance, a wandering journey; a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action velleitie (n.) - a wish or powerful desire for something that nonetheless is not or cannot be followed by actions meant to pursue it venters (scots, n.) - what the wind or tide drives in from the ocean upon a wave vernorexia (n.) - a romantic mood inspired by spring videnda (n.) - the things that should be seen or visited, especially if because they mark the character of a person or place volta // βόλτα (greek, n.) - a leisurely stroll along the main street or the seashore as the sun is setting, to meet and talk with friends and neighbors vorfreude (german, n.) - the joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures

W wabi-sabi // 侘寂 (japanese, n) - accepting the natural cycle of growth and decay wēijī // 危機  (chinese, n.) - crisis or critical moment; from risk 危 and opportunity 機, the idea that there can be a positive result in a wisely handled risk

X xibipíío (pirahã, adj.) - of experiential liminality; of a being in the boundaries of experience and the act of entering or leaving perception xuānxiè // 宣泄 (chinese, v.) - “to let accumulated water flow”; to emotionally unburden oneself

Y ya’aburnee // يقبرني (arabic, phr.) - “you bury me”; wishing for a loved one to outlive you because of how unbearable life would be without them yakamoz (turkish, n.) - the reflection of the moon as it shines upon the water

Z zugzwang (german, n.) - a situation where every possible move or decision is a bad one, or one that will result in damage or loss

Sensory Prompts

cold, smooth slate

smell of smoke in icy air

a shimmer of water droplets in the sun

mint leaves

cold mud

the squeak of an old wooden staircase

paper tearing

light on the bottom of a clear pool

radio static

wind chimes

light reflected on puddles

the green iridescence of a beetle’s wing

slipping into warm water

a glow stick being snapped

night wind carrying the scent of freshly baked bread

wet, rotting leaves

dice against a table

the taste left in your mouth after a dentist’s appointment

a bite of an apple

people talking a room away

walking barefoot on sidewalk

dark, bitter chocolate

dryer lint

plucking a peach off the tree

calloused palm

pine needles

aloe being slathered on a sunburn

eggshells cracking

a dog’s cold nose

porch light in the distance

pouring something into a glass

soft cat feet

scraping at a scab

a deer darting away under the trees

jumping into a cold pool

a paper cut

a too-rich dessert

putting on clean underwear

an unpleasantly damp handshake

sweaty socks

the soft fur behind a dog’s ears

crunching ice at the bottom of the glass

licking your fingers while eating Cheetos

fighting against the urge to cry

floating on your back in water

soreness after exercise

the smell of an elderly relative’s house

bowling alley carpet

fresh paint

fireworks close enough to feel in your chest

the radio playing in the background at a restaurant

watching aquarium fish

a toilet flushing in a public restroom

your breath coming out in clouds in the cold

putting accidentally way too much salt on your food

poking at a bruise

rain on a metal roof

scent of a damp basement

the weird green afterimage after coming in from the snow

getting scratched by briars

a popsicle stick against your tongue

opening a window

walking on gravel

cold pizza

blowing out a candle

a swallow of a carbonated drink

packing peanuts

a bleeding mosquito bite

trying to fall asleep in a too-warm room

loud laughter somewhere else in the neighborhood

a round rock in the palm of your hand

putting your hair in a tight ponytail

steam rising from a bowl of soup

gum with all the flavor chewed out of it

the feel of banana peel

heavy boots

latex gloves

cold coins

an earthworm squirming in your palm

someone pulling away from a hug you wish would last longer

cloudless summer sky

ripping up a tuft of grass

getting water in your eyes

clean sheets

the packaging of snack food you’re eating late at night

cold water down your neck

nasty-tasting medicine

cleaning dirt from under your nails

holding your breath underwater

flies buzzing

thick fog

aluminum foil

the smell of stagnant water

the light of a full moon

bending a green twig in your hands

another person touching your skin with cold hands

motion sickness

tufts of shed fur

hard candy dissolving in your mouth

a feeling of acceleration in your chest

Enjoy! Ask away!

If you want a certain character, don’t be afraid to ask, and if you don’t know what character could fit, but you want to see it anyhow, I’ll use a character I think might fit for you. 😊

[kingdomheartsfaq]

KH3 Secret Reports

By completing Battle Portals 1-13 in KH3, you can obtain thirteen secret reports!  I couldn’t find a transcript of those reports online so they are listed below.

~~~SPOILERS~~~

Secret Report #1:

Recollections—

Am I alive?

I awoke in a cell, alone until the researchers came with their tests and their prodding to uncover my identity.

I had no answer to offer them.  Four friends, and a key… that is the sum total of my memory.  I could not even recall my name.  I was simply called “X” there.  My only solace was the time I spent talking with the two boys who would visit from time to time.

One day, A man came to take me from the prison.  I could not see him for the darkness, save that he wore an eyepatch.  Even now, years on, I feel no closer to understanding who or what I am.

May my heart be my guiding key.

—Unknown

Secret Report #2:

Mark of Mastery Journal—

Some days have passed since I set off on my journey to prepare for the Mark of Mastery examination.  Eraqus asked for leave to undertake the same pilgrimage, but apparently I am to be first to tour the worlds written of in the old fairy tales.

Until a few short years ago, I’d known only my own world, a spec of land surrounded by sea.  But how I’d dreamed of, reared for the World beyond… And, granted guidance from the future, I left that nest behind.  As I treaded the path to my master’s side, I came in contact with darkness in many forms.  I knew even then, as by instinct: terrifying as its power was, it could be harnessed.  Mastered.

Eraqus is a blue blood, descended from the very first masters in the age of fairy tales.  But I did not come this far to indulge in adulation.  I will be his peer.  His equal.  And to do that, I must learn to wield the power born from both darkness and light in proper balance.

—Xehanort

Secret Report #3:

Experiments of the Heart

Notes on Subject X, Excerpt 1—

Subject was found in the central square shortly after dawn.  Female, approximately fifteen years old.  After seven days’ observation, she spoke her first words, but could not provide a name.  Subject exhibits signs of profound amnesia, and displays concern about which world this is.  Her words suggest that she departed her home world with others, though she cannot recall the names of her erstwhile companions.  All efforts to explore those memories have been met with a rejection response.

After his initial experiments on me, Ansem the Wise ceased his research into the heart, his hand stayed by some fear I cannot fathom.  Yet this new subject is like me: devoid of memories.  She is the perfect sample upon which to continue my master’s work.  She, too, could benefit from it; by traversing the heart, we have a direct path into memory.  I myself have begun to reclaim my lost past thanks to these very experiments.

Who is she?  Whence has she come?  These are questions no scientist could ignore.  And the words she muttered, “May your heart be your guiding key”…

—Xehanort

Secret Report #4:

Experiments of the Heart

Notes on Subject X, Excerpt 2—

Subject’s memories have not returned, and our conversations remain less than lucid.  What fragments can be gleaned evoke a bygone world, like one out of fairy tales.  As improbable as it seems, the question may not be where she has come from, but when.  If she truly has crossed through time, the prospects of probing her heart is all the more compelling.

My pilot studies used a handful of subjects, but none possessed the fortitude to endure them.  Ultimately, all suffered mental collapse.  I knew it would be a heavy blow to lose a subject as unique as she.

Upon discovering the tests I’ve been conducting, my master demand that I cease my work immediately and destroy what research I have compiled.  Worse still, he ordered the release of my remaining subjects.  She is gone.

Where is Subject X now?  Has “wise” Master Ansem hidden her away?  Whatever the case, I will not be deterred.  I will take her place as the first subject in the grand experiment to come.

—Xehanort

Secret Report #5:

Memoirs, Excerpt 1—

That castle was a wonderland to us children.  Within its walls, Ansem the Wise conducted his research, and the fruits it bore allowed everyone outside to live in peace and happiness.  That alone was enough to stoke our interest, though not all of the rumors that escaped its walls were so benevolent.  By night, the muffled sounds of human wails emerged.  There was talk of dangerous human experimentation.  Lea and I couldn’t help but hatch a plot to steal inside and sate our curiosity.

The two who stood guard at the gates were researchers themselves, though you wouldn’t think it to see them, massive and barrel-chested as they were.  And slipping past that duo was only the first hurdle.  It proved one not easily cleared; we were found and tossed out on our ears, time and again.

On the day we finally secured our entry, we descended the long spiral stair at the heart of the castle to find a dark space below it, lined with cages.  There wasn’t light enough to see if they were inhabited, and we were in no position to call out to any occupants within.  Yet we could feel it.  A definite presence, there in the black.  Terror washed over us, and we immediately regretted coming.  But just as we turned to flee, we heard the faintest of voices.  The urge to run was nigh overpowering, but someone or something beckoned us on.

There, framed by a tenuous sliver of light, we found her.

—Saïx

Secret Report #6:

Memoirs, Excerpt 2—

It was too dim to make out her features.  We spoke to her in hushed whispers.  Who was she?  Why was she imprisoned here?  She had no answers for us.  Had no memories at all.  She was an enigma, but I knew I wanted to help her.

And so we continued our infiltrations, most of them stopped short at the castle gates.  When we did manage our way inside, we spoke with her.  That was all the comfort two children like us could offer.  But Lea had other ideas.  He was determined to free her.  We slipped into the castle that day knowing only that we wanted, with all our hearts, to save her.

But we did not find her inside on that day or the next, or any of our subsequent visits.  Had she been moved?  Had we simply imagined her?  Lea and I knew there was only one way to be certain.  And so we stand before the castle gates today, not as trespassing children but in order to become Ansem the Wise’s newest apprentices.

—Saïx

Secret Report #7:

On the Replica Program and Reanimation—

Following my erasure and my recompilation as a human, I did not awaken right away.  Perhaps the damage was exceptionally grave.  Even after waking, I remained in bed, pondering my next course of action.

In my work on the Replica Program for the Organization, I produced some twenty vessels.  Most of the early results were failures, not one of them granted a number.  The first success to emerge from that early lot was the Riku replica.  Subsequently, Xion (No. i) was essentially indistinguishable from a natural human, though she became unstable due to the influence of others.  Using those two as my foundation, I worked to construct a number of nigh-perfect replicas, but just as they neared completion, my efforts were cut short.  I suspect Xehanort aims to use both the initial lot as well as the unused replicas from my later work.

I arose today and decided to walk out to the square, my first outing in some time.  Yet my stroll was interrupted when a surprising visitor appeared with an unexpected offer.  Though younger than me, he’d risen to become Xemnas’s right hand.  I accepted his terms and became a Nobody once more—easier to gain access to the old Replica Program that way.

Whatever it takes to atone.

—Vexen

Secret Report #8:

The “Real” Organization—

Xehanort seeks to gather twelve vessels, which—together with his true, actual self—he considers the “real” Organization XIII.  Now that he has the numbers he needs, Demyx and I are being treated as reserves.

Several others who served Xemnas in the old Organization have followed the same course as mine, electing to abandon their newly restored humanity and rejoin the “real” Organization as Nobodies.  But not Xemnas.  Xemnas cannot exist in the present because there is already a Xehanort here: the old man in charge.  The old man’s humanity prevents his Heartless and Nobody, others vanquished in the past, and his younger self from being denizens of this time.

To circumvent this, Xehanort is using the prototype replicas I created in the past as containers, plucking his other selves’ hearts from the time they existed.  Xehanort ordered me to refine the prototypes, to make them closer still to the real thing.  Perfecting my creations so they my house true, flesh-and-blood humans suits my own purposes as well.  All that remains for my atonement is to devise a way to pass on as many of the vessels as I can to those who truly deserve them.  

—Vexen

Secret Report #9:

Ansem Code Conspectus, Excerpt 1—

I have pored over the data my master entrusted to Riku.  Here, I offer my preliminary conclusions.

Within Sora’s Heart are three compartmentalized “boxes,” each containing the heart of another.  One box holds Roxas.  Another holds a second heart that has been with Sora nearly as long.  The third has held its heart for much longer.  These hearts have melded with Sora’s and no longer have voices of their own.  Any attempt to mechanically extract them could prove as dire for Sora as what caused him to become a Heartless in the first place.

First, a vessel for each heart must be readied.  Then, a spark of some sort is required to induce its waking.  Obviously, the ideal solution is to restore each heart to its own body, but (whatever the case for the two unknown individuals) Roxas possesses no such thing.  The same is true for Naminé, who we believe resides in Kairi’s heart.  Still, if alternate bodies can be secured for them, all their hearts require to be awakened is that “spark”—people they cared for and who care for them, who can show them the way home.

Complete and perfect digitalization of the heart is impossible.  We can only hope to partially reconstruct it.  Thus, I see no way forward but to extract the hearts we so desperately need directly from within Sora.  Fortunately, the data stored in Twilight Town contains a near-perfect record of the memories of those who lived there—and for Roxas and Naminé especially, this is crucial.

—Ienzo

Secret Report #10:

Ansem Code Conspectus, Excerpt 2—

As for how to contain their hearts, the only conceivable option is the replicas.  If we transfer in the digital memories from the Twilight Town archive, the replicas should be able to reconstruct each individual’s human appearance with near-perfect results.  Then, their hearts need only the right spark to wake them, so they may find their way out of Sora and Kairi and into those newly made bodies.

The Replica Program was truly revolutionary, but it was incomplete at the time of the old Organization’s Dissolution.  Without Even, how are we to further the research?  We need at least three replicas: one for Roxas, one for Naminé, and one for the unknown stowaway within Sora’s heart.

These are difficult quandaries, but as I work through my master’s data, I find myself remembering the taste of ice cream.  When I was a boy, he would bring me some when we took walks together.  There will be time to regret my betrayal later.  For now, my focus must be on restoring Roxas and Naminé and proving my master had good intentions.

—Ienzo

Secret Report #11:

Observations, Excerpt 1—

I have seen it through; the Keyblade War unfolded exactly as written on the Lost Page.  Now, the Keyblade the Master enticed to me must be bequeathed to another.  Five Union leaders have been chosen from the surviving Dandelions.  I will pass the Keyblade to one of them, and then continue watching the future unfold.

Yet it seems that someone has pulled the old switcheroo.  One of the Five is an imposter, someone the Master did not choose.  They represent a virus in the program he so carefully wrote.

The virus has begun a strange undertaking: a reckless plot to allow the Five to escape into another worldlines.  Surely such a thing can’t be possible?  We’re talking about the same trick that allowed the Dandelions to transfer to other worldlines after the Keyblade War.  But these children are no Masters.  They haven’t the means… unless, of course, a certain lady of magic summoned here from the future knows more than I do.

The whole Union leader thing was supposed to be by the books.  Are these new events just another phase in the Master’s grand plan?

—Unknown

Secret Report #12:

Observations, Excerpt 2—

Even on a worldline with no Keyblade War, peace is but a dream.  In the absence of us and our Master, a “darkness” arrived—one that shall surely lead the World to yet another demise.

Amid the chaos, I bequeathed my Keyblade to one of the Union leaders, just as the Master instructed.  I watched as the Five were sent to another worldline—at no small cost—ensuring the line of Keyblade wielders will live on.  And now, Keybladeless, I must depart this land to fulfill my final task.  This means casting my own body aside and sojourning my heart in vessel after vessel—as many as it takes.

But I will continue gazing upon each passing era, one unto the next.  In time, be it years or decades, centuries or millennia, I will meet the Five once more.

Somewhere in this cyclical history of bequeathings, a chosen one will appear and reenact the Keyblade War.  

When this scapegoat arrives and takes my Keyblade in hand, that will be the time to take the stage and finish my role.

The Lost Masters will awaken.

—Unknown

Secret Report #13:

Observations, Excerpt 3—

It seems this body, this name will be my last.  The lives I have lived over the ages could fill volumes, but for now I must focus on what matters most.

The Keyblade has been successfully passed down, generation to generation, and it seems a Keyblade Master devoted to the darkness may finally arise.  Until now, I have watched over the course of events from a distance.  Perhaps the time has come to intervene.  I need only play the role of a fool desirous of the Keyblade’s power.  I will don the mask of his ally in order to keep watch over my Keyblade from close by.

The Gazing Eye: A Keyblade forged from the eye of the Master of Masters.  He passed it to me, as I have to others, and through it he can see the future—all that will ever come to pass.  Spanning the ages in body after body, life after life, my task has been to keep vigil over the Eye as it passes from hand to hand.  It has been a long time.  Longer than I can express.

But now at last the Keyblade War has begun, and Kingdom Hearts will open—a true and complete Kingdom Hearts, born of the clash between darkness and light.  I will soon be reunited with my old companions, and in that moment my long vigil will reach its end.  He will return…

—Unknown

[alj4890]

Angst/Love Prompt

(Thomas x Amanda) with a request from @krsnlove to write out my final idea for An alternate version of I Was On My Way angst short.

(Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda) I refuse to let this angst storyline become a part of my AU's.

A/N Okay. Can the angst stop? Please?!? This is my third and final alternate version of I Was On My Way. I mean it. No more. My heart and eyes have worked overtime crying. Especially over alternate version 2. We might pretend that one doesn't exist. Anyway...Like Choices you can choose any of these three endings you want for the initial Say Goodbye short. I think though that this version will be the one picked.

Part 1: Say Goodbye

Part 2 I Was On My Way

Part 2 alternate She’s Gone

Song: Clarity

Masterlist

@lxaah11 @alleksa16 @penguininapinktuxedo @blackcoffee85 @stopforamoment   @krsnlove @cora-nova @bella-ca  @hopelessromantic1352 . @sunflowergirl05 @desiree-0816 @greywitchyshots @lilyofchoices @emceesynonymroll @dr-nancy-house @aworldoffandoms @pixieferry @lolablackwrites @i-bloody-love-drake-walker

Remedy (3rd and final alternate ending for Say Goodbye)

Thomas clutched the tumbler filled with whatever alcohol he had in this particular decanter. He had forgotten what it was once he had finished the previous one. He took a gulp and welcomed the burn that began to numb his heart. His thoughts though, nothing was touching them. His only hope was that it would keep the dreams at bay.

He stared at the massive television screen and watched Amanda walk down the aisle toward Liam. He hated that he knew every glance, twitch of her lips, and facial expression. Knowing these only made his shattered heart break even more. She was not a happy bride.

Yes, she was smiling. Her unshed tears were typical of any woman on her wedding day. Her elegant silk gown draped over her figure perfectly. The slight tremble of her hands as she clutched the bouquet of red roses and white star lilies was normal with the cathedral filled with representatives from around the world.

He knew the truth though. She was devastated. He shouldn't have made the visit to Cordonia a year ago. Seeing her again...feeling her lips under his...hearing her voice say his name...it had hurt them both more than if he had remained away. Telling her he loved her...had it hurt her more than if he had kept it secret? Would he have admitted it if he had known beforehand that she was promised to Liam?

He took another sip as she took Liam's hand. Thomas watched them kneel as the archbishop expressed what a joyous occasion it was that brought these two individuals together. The couple at the altar stared straight ahead, each absorbed with thoughts of wishing the other was someone else, someone they truly loved with their entire heart.

He sneered at the hypocrisy. Their promises to love and cherish each other were spoken while avoiding eye contact. It was killing him to see the woman he loved be tied for eternity to a man that didn't love her nowhere near as he did. Liam couldn't begin to comprehend the depth of love Thomas held for her.

His guilt gnawed at his insides as he realized that it was his decision to break up with her that had set off the chain of events. It had ended in this wedding ceremony that should not have even been considered. He was sorry Liam had been denied the love of his life, but that didn't mean Amanda should be forced in a loveless marriage because of it.

Thomas set his glass down and noticed his phone vibrating. He didn't want to pick it up. He didn't know why he had set it up to be notified on any Cordonian news. He never intended to go back there, but a part of him couldn't let go of a way to see how Amanda was doing as Queen of Cordonia.

He ran a hand over his face as he started the wedding over yet again. Thomas had canceled this week's shooting schedule, knowing he needed time alone. Time to wallow in misery. It was Liam and Amanda's one year wedding anniversary. According to the press, the people of Cordonia were anxiously awaiting news of a possible pregnancy.

The royal couple had been seen traveling more so than usual these last two months which caused speculation that they were having another honeymoon for...he grimaced and downed the contents in his glass. The very image of her and Liam together in that fashion turned his stomach. He couldn't stand the thought of the king kissing her much less touching her body the way he once had.

Thomas knew he should turn the notifications off once and for all. He didn't want to see Liam telling everyone that Amanda was pregnant. That had to be what the big press conference was about. He had received the notifications this morning about Liam's sudden State of the Kingdom address. He was most likely going to announce the joyous event.

A baby. No matter what happened, a baby would keep her permanently tied to Liam, to Cordonia. Every last shred of ridiculous hope Thomas possessed turned to ash. There was nothing left but his tormented memories of when she was his, the televised wedding, and the knowledge that it was his fault.

He staggered to the kitchen to find something else to drink and paused when he heard his phone vibrate continuously.

Thomas clutched his head and slid down the wall. "I can't do it." He muttered into the darkness, cursing his own cowardice. "I can't look at it."

He closed his eyes, wishing he could take it all back. He imagined what he would do differently. Telling Amanda how much he loved her topped that fantasy. Thomas would get down on his knees to ask her to be his forever. He would tell her that he would move to Cordonia. Move wherever she wanted to live. He just wanted, needed, to be with her.

He leaned his head back against the wall as he pleaded silently for release from this hellish prison he had created for himself. His ghostlike existence was destroying him. The images of what he once had haunted him continuously.

He felt a brush of air and heard the soft sound of steps cautiously approaching. He didn't want Holly or Addison to try and cheer him up again. They had known about the anniversary and had argued against him withdrawing from those that cared about him during this time. He decided to ignore their prescence. They had learned to give him a wide berth if he was silent.

He grit his teeth when he felt someone quietly sit down beside him on the floor. He didn't want comfort. He didn't want anything but numbness and to be left alone. He ran his hands through his hair and bent his head forward.

He felt the gentle touch of a hand rubbing his back. He flinched and jerked his head up. He scooted away from what had to be the results of his mind finally snapping.

Amanda's concerned eyes flickered over his haggard appearance. A day's growth of stubble covered his jaw. Dark smudges were under his sleep deprived eyes. His hair was mussed and his clothes were wrinkled.

She started to reach out toward him but paused in uncertainty. "I'm sorry." She said in a soft tone. "I tried calling a little while ago. I shouldn't have come unannounnced, but I needed to see you." Her eyes filled with tears when he simply stared at her. "I...you said you loved me and I know it was long ago..."

She swallowed against the lump in her throat as she began to cry. "I knew there was a chance you moved on, but I had to come tell you. We cleared Riley's name. Liam, myself, and the others finally convinced Tariq to come forward. I'm free. My marriage has been quickly annulled. Liam and Riley are planning on marrying within the next couple of days."

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "I had to tell you, in case there was a chance you... Oh Thomas, I love you. I've missed being able to--"

She buried her face against his neck when he yanked her into his arms. Her body was wracked with sobs as she clutched him close to her. Thomas closed his eyes and prayed this was real. He pressed his lips to her head, causing her to cry harder. He rubbed her back and tried to soothe her.

He cradled her face between his hands. His lips brushed her damp cheeks before landing on her mouth.

Amanda wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss with all the pent up passion she had held for him. Thomas broke away for a moment and stood up. He kept her hand in a tight grip, afraid she would disappear. He turned the lamp on to see her properly...see that she was real.

She wiped her cheeks with her free hand while she looked at him. He took a shaky breath before pulling her into a hug. "You're here to stay?" He asked.

She nodded. "If you still want me." She lowered her eyes in embarrassment. "I can go to a hotel or leave the city if you don't want me here. You shouldn't be made to feel obligated to--"

"I love you." He interrupted. "So much. I tried to stop, but I can't. " His hands moved along her shoulders and back, unsure how to touch her, but needing to. "I need to be with you. I need forever with you."

Her face crumbled with tears. He felt panic set in that he had said something to drive her away. She moved into his embrace and tried to explain how much she had hoped for this while he held her tight.

"I wanted to call you so many times and tell you that Liam and I were still trying to make things right for everyone. Yet, he was so frightened of it getting out and spooking Tariq further away." She met his steady gaze and sighed. "Knowing there was a chance I could one day be with you, have happiness again...it kept me going whenever a roadblock popped up."

"No one else could bring me the type of happiness you have." He ran his fingers through her hair as his other hand urged her even closer to him. "I've been miserable without you."

She glanced at the tv and her eyes widened at what was paused on the screen. "Is that my--why are you watching this?"

Thomas grabbed the remote and turned it off. He didn't know how to answer her. How did he explain that it was both a penance and a blessing? He was able to see her. Hear her voice. Imagine it ending differently. Then it revealed his greatest mistake that cost him everything.

She saw the torment on his face and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She nudged his head on her shoulder, gently smoothing his hair in a slow, repetitive fashion. His muscles relaxed at her touch. He placed his arms around her waist, closing his eyes when she kissed his forehead.

"Don't leave." He choked out. "Don't leave me again."

She pressed her lips against his head. "I won't. I promise."

Her tender touch and warmth caused his body to succumb to the exhaustion he had been fighting.

Amanda was able to scoot down on the couch beside him and smiled when he tightened his arms around her. Her hair was caught under his head and he was snoring in her ear. Her joy at being back in his arms made her thankful that she couldn't turn over or get comfortable. She was where she had wished to be every moment of the past year.

The next day, she sat up with a start. Thomas was gone. She looked around and relaxed when she realized she was in his house and not in her lonely bedroom in the palace. Her lips curved at the blanket that had been tucked around her. She could hear water running upstairs and decided to check her appearance.

She stepped into his hall bathroom and grimaced. Her eyes were swollen with eye makeup smeared from her tears. She searched for a rag and began to scrub her face. She bent over the sink to splash water over it when she felt someone come up behind her. She quickly wiped her face and looked in the mirror.

Thomas had showered and shaved. He pulled her back against his chest and placed his lips on her neck. She bit her lip, thinking how ugly she looked right now, before he turned her head to meet his lips. She slowly ran her hand along his smooth jaw before slipping it into his damp hair.

He lifted his head for a moment and looked into her eyes. "Marry me." He said softly. He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. "Please." He pleaded in a hoarse whisper while tracing the shell of her ear with his lips.

She nodded, afraid she would start crying again if she spoke. He smiled at her before his lips landed on hers in a sudden burst of passion. He guided her out of the bathroom without letting her go. She laughed against his lips when they bumped into the back of the couch. He glanced at the stairs and reluctantly released her.

"I should go." She said.

His eyes widened. "What? Why?"

She wrapped her arms around him. "So I can change my clothes and try to not be so hideous looking." She kissed his neck and breathed in his aftershave. "I left my bags at a hotel in case you weren't here or didn't want me to stay."

Thomas lifted her face. His thumbs brushed over her soft skin. He shook his head. "I will always want you with me."

Amanda grinned and kissed him again. "I won't be long."

He pulled her back into his arms. "Don't go." He rested his forehead against hers. "Borrow some of my clothes and stay here. I can find someone to pick your bags up for you and bring them here." He ran his hands up and down her arms. "Stay with me. Please."

"Why do you make it so impossible to leave?" She muttered kissing him.

He smiled at her before pulling her upstairs. He found an old t-shirt that had been a favorite of hers to steal along with some pajama pants. She set the clothes down and started his shower. He leaned against the counter, watching her remember where he kept everything. She paused and held up a bottle in surprise.

"You still have my shampoo?" She blushed as she realized that this might be another woman's.

Thomas took the bottle and opened it up. He sniffed the coconut aroma and set it in the shower for her. "I love that smell because it reminds me of you."

"So it's not--never mind. It isn't any of my business." She went to his closet for a washcloth and towel.

Thomas stopped her. "I haven't been with anyone since you."

Her lips parted in surprise. "Neither have I."

Now it was his turn to stare in surprise. "You and Liam didn't..." Did he really want to know that answer?

"Never." She stated emphatically. "We viewed our marriage as a means of extra time to spend on fixing what Liam's father had broken. Liam is my best friend. He listened to me and encouraged me about you and I did the same for him when he talked about Riley. That is the only kind of love we had."

Thomas shook his head in wonder while pulling her close. "I keep waiting to wake up and discover this is nothing but a dream."

Amanda rested her head against his shoulder. "Stop trying. I don't want to wake up back in Cordonia." She sighed into his kiss before playfully pushing him out. "Let me try and look a little better."

He smiled and asked her where her bags were. After taking down the information, he left her to make the necessary calls. While making some coffee and trying to find something edible for breakfast, he watched Liam's speech.

He had never seen Liam so happy, so at peace, as he held Riley's hand and explained everything. He thanked Amanda for her being his partner in helping him obtain his true happiness. His smile turned tender as he told the press that she had left to check on her own happy ending and that he hoped it wasn't too late.

"Lady Amanda will have my eternal gratitude for sacrificing so much to help me in what seemed an impossible situation. Her steadfastness and unwavering optimism is what kept my hope alive." Liam explained.

Thomas braced his hands on the counter with the realization that all was turning out like he wanted. He had made it through a year of hopelessness. His love was here in his very home. Upstairs. Back in his life for good.

He looked down at her arms that came around him. He turned and smiled at seeing her in his clothes. She brushed her damp hair back behind her ear and laughed at her appearance. He told her she never looked lovelier than she did in his kitchen, in his clothes. He leaned down and kissed her when she said his name.

There lips met again and again as they pressed against each other. Thomas leaned down and picked her up. Ignoring her squeals of protest to be put down, he managed to carry her upstairs and put her down carefully in his bed. He stretched out next to her and began to show her how much he had missed her, how grateful he was to have her back.

Tears came to her eyes with every tender, reverent touch. He continually told her she would never understand how much he loved her as he pressed his lips to every part of her body. His eyes met hers as he reached that bliss filled moment of hearing his name in her breathless voice.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest in the aftermath, his steady heartbeat lulling her in a light sleep. Thomas continued to run his fingers along her skin in slow caresses. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head when she made a contented sound.

She turned her head to look at him. "Thank you for letting me stay here with you." She said softly. “I have needed to be near you.”

He paused in his caress and stared into her eyes. "You have to stay. I can't live without my heart."

[coldalbion]

I’ve reblogged this classic Ramsey Dukes essay before. It’s an important one, not just if you’re a pagan/polytheist/magical type, but also  for understanding the idea that perception is more than 9 tenths of the law. Suspend your disbelief, read the whole thing at the link, and maybe, just maybe understand why so-called “Tricksters” are often important cultural figures.

“As a schoolboy I discovered Hodson's lovely book on The Kingdom of the Gods. Enjoying the luscious pictures of tree spirits and landscape gods, I wanted to share the fun, but never managed to see them. Through the sixties I sometimes experimented with various techniques for increasing sensitivity and developing auric vision, but with no notable success. I suppose I was always more or less consciously haunted by the danger of self deception: at what point do you begin to kid yourself, become uncritical? I was fleeing from the charlatan.

A Tree Nature Spirit as depicted in Hodson's 'The Kingdom of the Gods'.Around 1981 I rediscovered the book and, being in a desperate frame of mind, tried again. But, as with someone who has attained Zen, a tree remained obstinately a tree, however I squinted at it. Then one day I stood by my favourite hawthorn and thought as follows: "What a pity I cannot see trees' auras. If I could, I wonder what sort of aura this one would have? Hmm. I feel it ought to be a fairly vivid red, from crimson to scarlet, but shot through with a network of gold strands. Yes, that would suit it. Then what about that tree over there? Oh no, definitely yellowy green in wispy hanging folds."What was I doing? I was seeing auras, but not REALLY seeing them, only imagining them in the sort of way you might imagine how a bare room of a new house might look when it is furnished, how it would look after being decorated. How odd to think that this sort of pseudo-seeing was just the sort of deception that I had so long steered clear of, in my early attempts to REALLY see REAL auras. And yet an interior designer's whole income depends upon these 'unreal' imagined images. Just as the writers of those fake psychic books were people whose livelihood depended upon what they were doing: desperados more akin to Rico the Razor than to Professor Wiesenstein My new-found game flourished: every tree has a different aura, yet similar species have similar styles. I have resisted the temptation to try to test this discovery, to try to prove that I am not just responding to visual clues as to the type of tree, because it is a growing and delightful diversion. I no more want to dissect it than I want to dissect a pet kitten. I want to enjoy it. If another person describes the aura differently, it would not bother me, because I find this type of perception is more akin to the perception of character than of outer form. In the sense that two people might begin by describing a third person's personality in totally differing terms; yet when they collaborate they arrive at some sort of common description.tricksterIf you can catch the spirit of this approach, you will catch another glimpse of that charlatan. The approach is blatantly unscrupulous and amoral, the very stuff of deception, yet it is also paradoxically down to earth and elementary: you just do it, you don't stop to theorise about WHAT you are doing. Just like the trickster whose every action is suspect, but who so clearly knows his way around, and makes a living where others simply panic.I cannot claim that the gift has any practical use, but it was very refreshing to note how quickly it developed once I had got over the initial hurdle of accepting it on its own terms. ?This essay is developing a wave formation: a series of forward steps, between which I rush back to defend the rear. Here goes again. I will describe another of the forces that deflect one's mind in the vicinity of a black hole.You may have labelled me as an anti-rationalist. Labelling is another technique for handling the unfamiliar. It does not depend upon dismantling and rebuilding the unfamiliar, in the way of rationalisation, nor does it just allow it to slip away, like ignoring. It is more akin to casting a net to catch the unfamiliar, then leaving it hanging in the net on some corner of your structure. Unlike rationalisation, this does not destroy the original object; unlike ignoring it does not let it go free. It hangs suspended in its net and is no part of your structure, and it is left, because it is no longer a threat.So to label this essay as anti-rationalist, is to once more be deflected from the central mystery. I must cut myself out of this net.Far from being anti-rationalist, I sometimes feel that I am the one person left on earth who knows the real value of reason, of science, of the academic approach. It is a wonderful Sword of Banishment, yet so many seem to confuse it with a Cup of Plenty!The essential value of reason, or the scientific approach, is that it stops things happening. This is an utterly vital function in a world where most people would agree that too much is happening too fast. The remedy lies right under our noses, yet we create the problem by asking science to do the one thing it has never been able to do, that is to make things happen. As a result a million charlatans have stepped into science's shoes and we never give them their due. As was argued in Thundersqueak, it is ludicrous to describe the aeroplane as a wonder of science. The Wright brothers were not scientists, they were bicycle makers. On the day of their historic first flight they invited the American Scientific establishment to attend, and the Establishment quite rightly refused to waste time with cranks who were attempting the blatantly impossible. As a consequence, the plane flew. If only scientists had left Uri Geller alone.As someone who has worked in the aircraft industry, I can assure you that a plane flies despite science, not because of it. Yet I am not belittling science, merely seeing its true contribution. To be utterly precise, it is magic that makes the plane fly, and what science does is to STOP IT FROM CRASHING. Indeed the nearest approach made by strict scientific rigour into the "real" world, is via the safety industry.As reason is the great destroyer - in order to pull you clear of that dreaded Good-Bad whirlpool I will rephrase that remark - as reason is the excellent and much needed destroyer, we should direct it with the care it deserves.safaris What a pity that man's hunting instincts are driving impressive and exciting creatures like tigers into oblivion. If only the big-game hunters could redirect their urges into hair-raising safaris across the London skyline, in pursuit of starlings and pigeons. Then we would not only be able to keep our tigers; we could also suffer less bird shit.And what a pity that the scientist insists on chasing the paranormal to its doom, and the historian cannot redirect the urge to shatter myths. They do it too well. Our very own Ellic Howe has delighted us with his skill in stalking the OTO, to the point where there was only one place of safety left for it - namely non-existence.Such skills must not be wasted, for there is real work for the sword in this world. Several billion pounds are being spent on a cruise missile deterrent, might not some of that money go towards an undercover operation with the collaboration of the secret service? I suggest taking the psychologists out of the parascience field and dropping them behind the Iron Curtain in order to discover the value of Cruise. How deterred by it does your typical Russian military officer feel? Knowing how emotional Russians can be, I want figures of how many soldiers burst into tears, how many resigned from the army, how many committed suicide when Cruise was announced. There is much to do, for I also want some accurate quantitative index of deterrence: I want to know the exact deterrent-value of every million pounds spent. I want to know which is the greater deterrent to world war three: a multi-billion pound satellite warfare program, or a late, wet and rather cold spring in Moscow.

And Ellic, your talents are being wasted on an endangered species. The world is crying out for skills like yours, and a far greater challenge awaits you. Instead of chasing the OTO into oblivion, how about directing your attention towards the communist conspiracy within the Labour Party, or the National Front conspiracy behind the Tories? Or why not go for the Big One, and prove once and for all that the CIA is a myth? And please, can I have my OTO back? It was fun.I would like to be seen as reason's champion, not its detractor. Am I yet free of that net?I did warn that, in order to write about the Trickster, it might be necessary to assume his mantle: now the time has come to pack up my box of tricks. That would usually signify that a hasty retreat was in the offing: for when people return to reality at the end of his illusions, an angry reaction is liable to set in. But in this case it is the nature of illusion itself that is being studied, so I'll stick around.The trick that has been played on you is the old trick of presenting a world in black and white: the white light of Truth, of Good, of Hygiene, against the blackness of Illusion, of Bad, and of Fertility. The subject was far too tricky to be tackled without such a trick. But now we awake from the dream, this essay's wave-form accelerates to a frenzied rippling of light and dark, and all outlines are lost until they re-form in the world's true colours. What might almost have seemed clear at times, now passes through chaos.”

[snugglyporos]

So I can’t help but think that the Persona games are trying as hard as they possibly can to get away from the thing they’re a spinoff of. Which may explain why the nonsense in each game gets further and further away. Like, it feels like it was made by two different people putting it together. Example:

Persona 1: Guy #1: what if demons invaded an people had to fight them using things called personas? Guy #2: and then they fight god, right? 

Persona 2: Guy #1: what if rumors changed reality?  Guy #2: and then they fight god, right?

Persona 3:  Guy #1: what if there was an extra secret hour that only some people could see? Guy #2: and then they fight god, right?

Persona 4: Guy #1: what if there was a secret world inside the tv and the heroes had to solve a serial murder case? Guy #2: and then they fight god, right?

Persona 5: Guy #1: What if a group of heroes changed the hearts of bad people who the law couldn’t or wouldn’t touch to right wrongs? Guy #2: And then they fight god, right?

If none of the divine stuff makes any sense, it’s because it’s a holdover from the SMT games, which are themselves a spinoff of the Megami Tensei games, which are themselves based on a book series in the 1980′s. A very, very weird book series. A book series whose plot is... uh... this:

In Jusho High School, there is a divide among the student body; those of the gifted side and those of the normal side. Students in the gifted class are normally exceedingly intelligent, while those in the normal class tend to be academic under-achievers.

Akemi Nakajima, of the school's gifted class and a computer genius, is assaulted by Hiroyuki Kondo of the normal class under the orders of Kyoko Takamizawa, who had been angered by Nakajima rejecting her romantic advances. Kyoko had told Kondo that Nakajima had been flirting with her rather than the other way around, prompting the attack.

The normal students were rarely punished for their actions against other students out of fear and pity on the part of faculty. Battered and bloody, Nakajima comes home and decides to finish his Demon Summoning Program, a work in progress of his, to exact revenge. He discovers that his computer is not powerful enough to use the program, so he must use the school's Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) room's host computer.

Sneaking into the school at night, Nakajima draws a pentagram in the computer room and attempts to run the program, but is found by Professor Iida. Nakajima has a tense conversation with the professor, who becomes afraid of him, but he is able to run the program regardless. Nakajima commands the program to kill Kondo and Kyoko, which causes a tremor in the school but otherwise appears to not work.

A week later while Professor Iida is teaching a computer class in the CAI room with Nakajima and Kyoko present. Suddenly a voice resounds from the host computer. A demon, Loki, trapped inside the host computer, uses the monitors in the CAI room to hypnotize the entire class except Nakajima, Kyoko and Professor Iida. The demon follows Nakajima's request and commands the hypnotized students to kill Kyoko. They then lure Hiroyuki Kondo,into the room and kill him as well. Professor Iida is also killed in the chaos, which upsets Nakajima somewhat: Loki had followed the program's command, but Nakajima had not specified any restrictions.

Drunk with power, Nakajima at first begins to comply with Loki's request for female sacrifices, offering him his female professor, Ohara, who proceeds to be metaphysically assaulted by Loki through the use of a helmet-like contraption connected to the summoning program. Permanently damaged by the encounter, Ohara eventually becomes Loki's loyal servant and helps Loki assume physical form in the human world through Nakajima's program as well as her own connection to the demon.

Nakajima meets Yumiko Shirasagi during this time, a newly-transferred student with whom he feels a strange connection to. Unbeknownst to him, she had witnessed the bizarre encounter with Ohara and Loki, but had dismissed it as illusion and trickery. Eventually, the demon demands that Nakajima offer him Yumiko, which Nakajima refuses to do. He then advises Yumiko to stay away from the school in an attempt to save her. That night, Yumiko ignores Nakajima's advice and returns to the school, prompting the attention of Loki. Nakajima attempts to regain control of Loki, but the demon mocks Nakajima's attempts to command him.

Loki summons himself into the physical world through the CAI room computer and goes on a killing spree, free from Nakajima's control. Jealous of Yumiko, Ohara attacks and wounds her. Nakajima summons a benign, loyal demon, Cerberus, to help him battle Loki, to no avail. During the battle, Yumiko is possessed by Izanami, of whom Yumiko is a reincarnation, and burns Loki with her powers. In addition to dealing with Cerberus, Loki is distracted enough so that Yumiko and Nakajima can escape through a dimensional warp to Asuka created by Izanami, although Loki succeeds in fatally wounding Yumiko as she flees.

Still influenced by Izanami, Yumiko tells Nakajima that she will die, but could be revived if her body is brought to Izanami's tomb. Yumiko dies, but with the help of Cerberus, Nakajima complies with her dying request and travels to the Shirasagi Mount, where he meets Yomotsu-Shikome, a loyal servant of Izanami's.

Yomotsu-Shikome provides Nakajima with two mystical spheres, and guides him onward. With Ohara's help, Loki is able to follow them to Asuka and Shirasagi Mount, where he kills Yomotsu-Shikome. Izanami meets Nakajima and Yumiko in the tomb, but she is attacked by Loki before the resurrection can take place. Nakajima summons Cerberus to help, but his companion is also no match for Loki, and is defeated. Desperate, Nakajima uses the two spheres that Yomotu-Shikome gave him, which ignite the pomade-covered floor of the tomb, summoning Hinokagutsuchi, who in turn transforms into a powerful, mystical fire sword, with which Nakajima is at last able to kill Loki. Izanami succeeds in reviving Yumiko, but keeps her with her, stating that Yumiko has great hidden powers within her with which they could battle evil.

Meanwhile, Ohara, impregnated by Loki, attempts to communicate with him, not knowing that he has perished. This makes her accidentally contact the demon Seth.

Basically, it’s a bunch of insane nonsense that makes no god damned sense. But someone took a look at this, and went ‘you know, this looks like a good thing to make into a game series!’ Also, that’s the plot of book one. There are many others. 

But in case you thought I was exaggerating how nonsensical and weird the SMT series started, here’s a brief synopsis of the first SMT’s first chapter: 

The news of demonic invasion soon gets out, however, and the American military, led by Ambassador Thorman, declares martial law in Tokyo as they try to get rid of the demons. A reactionary Japanese militia force, led by Gotou, rallies against the cordoning imposed by the Americans and they begin working with the demons, whom they see as the ancient spirits of the land sent to create a utopia, to prevent the Americans from destroying Tokyo. A third resistance faction, led by the Heroine, seeks to keep the Americans and the reactionary Japanese forces from clashing and getting Tokyo caught in the middle. The party meets the Heroine, whom turns out to be the sacrificial woman from their collective dream. Despite their efforts, she is captured by Gotou's forces and Yuriko appears to personally oversee her public execution, claiming that once she is gone, Yuriko can be with the Protagonist eternally.

The Protagonist can choose to align himself with any of the three factions, but no matter what, the Heroine will be rescued and join his side, the two forces will clash, and Ambassador Thorman - the deity/demon Thor in disguise - will launch nuclear missiles on Tokyo, destroying nearly everything. The Protagonist, the Law Hero, and the Chaos Hero only survive thanks to the sacrifice of the Heroine, who sends them to the Diamond Realm, another plane of reality, with her magic.

So for those of you keeping track, the plot is that Thor, impersonating an american ambassador, nukes tokyo, while one of our protagonists is executed by a woman claiming she wants to own our main protagonist, because that woman is actually Lilith. It’s nonsense. 

Anyway, it ends like this: 

After defeating Asura Lord at the behest of Law, Michael at the request of Chaos, or both to restore the balance, the Protagonist is teleported to the roof of the Cathedral above the clouds. A Chaos-aligned Protagonist is congratulated by Louis Cyphre, who reveals his true form as Lucifer and vows to lead the world into a golden age of freedom. On the Law path a messenger of God welcomes the Protagonist, and tasks him with preaching God's word so that all mankind may be welcomed into the Thousand-Year Kingdom. A Neutral Protagonist is greeted by the figure of Taishang Laojun, a being of balance, who thanks him for his efforts on behalf of the universe, and urges that the hero build a new future for mankind, "built by neither reliance on God nor demons, but by the hands of people themselves."

For those keeping track, it turns out that this was all a fight between god and lucifer over the world. So if you’re wondering why at the end of Persona 5, the protagonist becomes Lucifer and fights God, it’s because they’re referencing the chaos ending of SMT1. 

Something that does not at all fit with the rest of the game, nor does it fit with anything else. It just sorta comes out of nowhere. Honestly, you’d never understand that ending unless you bothered to play games from 1992. Which I imagine most people haven’t. 

Honestly, I keep thinking that the persona games are written by sane people and then there’s a room with the original creators and they just keep having to appease them by putting their insane nonsense in the game. 

[daemonusdea]

Zero and Her Sisters { meta }

  This is something I don’t think I’ve ever talked much about, maybe individually with some people or just vaguely, but with Zero’s sisters being an important key to Zero herself as a character and their roles as a concept in the games I really wanted to lay all of it out!

I guess this is technically??? Spoilers for the game…So uuuuh just be aware of that I supposefnjg. Other than that here we hecking go, under the cut! It’s long, so strap in!

  The first to get out of the way, is to know that her sisters are, put blankly, not actually her sisters– the sisters are more like corpse copies of Zero. In an attempt to preserve itself when she tried to dig the Flower out of her own chest ( which would kill her and the offshoot Flower, as well as any chance to destroy the world like it intended ), it spat out five copies, five little girls each with their own Flower. Along with that, they were given false memories, though each girl differed in what they believed to be their past, how their ‘parents’ were, and how they lived. To make these girls, the Flower used resources from Zero such as a chunk of her magic, split off between the five of them. But most importantly, it took the faces of girls Zero knew or killed when she was alive, and took fragments of Zero’s own psyche to base their personalities off of. Now onto the sisters individually!

Five. Five is the youngest of all the sisters. Five, being extremely promiscuous, gluttonous and greedy, got her appearance from a nun Zero killed while trying to steal food. Lovely irony. Five is materialistic, and has a lust for finding and conquering the ‘next best thing’. Her desires reach out into sex, exotic foods, and clothing, but once she obtains what she desires, she immediately loses interest and moves on to her next conquest. She believes to have a longing for her father who died before she met him. Five is the part of Zero that could never truly grasp her desire for happiness. She turns to meaningless instant gratification, but it fades in an instant to leave her empty and finding the next thing to strive for. It’s shown as well in her final moments before Zero kills her that she has an intense desire to live, even if she loses sight of who she is. When Zero was alive, her sense of self and life quickly dwindled down to nothing as she suffered more and more, to where she shut off all of herself just in hopes of surviving. There was a distinct dream to pursue a life where she was happy, but with how twisted and vacant she’d become over the years, she had no real way to achieve that– she didn’t know how. Life had stripped her of everything, and she wandered and killed and stole until she no longer could. It was an empty way to slowly die, but it was almost a hope that if she kept living, kept surviving, perhaps she’d finally get what she desired. Five continues this and amplifies it, so desperate to live and obtain more she forcefully regenerates herself into a zombie-like monstrosity.

Four. The second youngest, self-righteous and always seeming the morally straight one, her innocence and loathe of fighting are all a mask for a vindictive, cruel, and paranoid truth. Four is plagued with a pride of higher-than-thou, trying to hide a hideous inferiority complex, though if pushed on it is easy to crack that good girl exterior, suddenly switching to insulting your character with any flaw she feels she can expose and twist to make you seem the villain. She holds a secret disdain as well, mostly for anything non-human, going as far as degrading what she thinks as inferior, even going past orders and common mercy to slaughter retreating elven sky pirates, gleefully so. She has memories of Zero being a sweet and caring sister that she looked up to, and hated her parents. Four is a particularly irking one, as Zero sees her just as she was as a young girl while in the brothel; the fighting urge to cling to the last bits of pride she had. This becomes even more irritating with the knowledge that Four, out of her own pride and repressed attitude, is a virgin out of all of the Intoners, who all harbour high sex drives. Four is a culmination of repressed anger, jealousy, and self-hatred. A high paranoia of trusting the people around her, really an image of Zero and her outlook on the world, mostly while she was still alive. A girl trying to hold onto nothing, lashing out whenever she feels threatened.

Three. The third youngest, and the most strange. Lethargic most of the time, she falls asleep in any spot, and seems to fall to laziness whenever things don’t interest her. Which is most of the time. She speaks in riddles that hold no meaning or make any practical sense to anyone but her. When her interest is sparked however, her personality seems to switch. She obsesses over ‘dolls’, creations she makes by her own hand, often monsters operated on to create soldiers she wants in often horrific experiments. When asked about them, she sparks into excited, fast-paced speech and acts quite animatedly. Unfortunately, her experiments have delved into human territory, using them to make mishmashed monstrosities with other creatures, killing many in her attempts to successfully create a doll, others falling victim to tests she’d created to find the core of a human’s strength. She enjoys making toys so much, there’s no regard for the lives she’s brutalized, only interested in why strange things are the way they are. She comes off very childish, an unending curiosity, simple-minded likes, tantrums, and even a juvenile humour. A broken Intoner. She disliked her parents. Even Zero finds difficulty in understanding just where Three even came from, but knows without a doubt that she’s a very dark, twisted facet of herself. The child in her questioning why humans are the way they are, why humanity behaves the way it does, and a dangerous, empathy-lacking disregard for lives she takes the more she goes on. A complete dissolution of her own humanity, the numb carelessness she developed while she was still alive, murdering more and more not even out of necessity.

Two. The fourth youngest, and another oddity Zero finds quite bizarre due to how wildly different they are. Two is bright and bubbly, effortlessly trusting, and endlessly caring ( even continuing to treat Zero kindly, and like a normal big sister NOT trying to kill her ). She runs an orphanage, taking care of the children who were left behind in the previous wars alongside her disciple Cent, and considers them a giant family. Out of all the Intoners, she was the only one to actually form a romantic relationship with her disciple. She enjoys cooking, and takes to carefully watching over all of her people. She is, in essence, very happy. Until her power outgrew her, and her mind buckled under the weight of it as well as the trauma she suffered from having to kill her soldiers and the orphaned children she cared for, turned into zombie-like undead and a monstrous conglomeration homonculus respectively. Two loved her parents immensely, who she noted were very loving. Zero finds however, that Two makes more sense than originally thought. Two is the culmination of everything Zero wished her life could be– who she could have become, if her life hadn’t been so horrid. A girl with everything; a girl who could be happy, who could trust and find love and have a family. Two is what could have been, dead dreams Zero could never reach.

One. The second oldest under Zero, with the face and voice of the rebel Zero briefly knew for the time she was chained up with her outside the Bastille in Cathedral City. With the rebel having been tortured ( her eyes being gouged out ), One’s eye colour defaulted to red, in essence of the blood Zero saw in it’s place. One is intelligent, tactful, and has a strong sense of justice. She is the one who lead her sisters to defeat the corrupt Lords of all the lands and freed the people from the endless warring. She’s the strongest of her five sisters, a formidable match for Zero, not even needing a disciple to help control her power of Song. With this, she is one of the only ones to discover something amiss with their power and place within the world ( the other being Two ), and decides to delve further to find an answer as to why the Intoners exist. One remembers having no parents, only all six of the Intoners living together. With how opposite Zero and One are, they constantly butt heads, and Zero questions once again just where One came from. She speculates for a while that maybe One is a product of the Flower trying to go against her; giving a powerful rival that would keep her from killing them all off. It takes the final battle for Zero to finally understand– One is a true part of herself. A facet that could never be satisfied with given answers, with a so-called truth of her own fate. The pure confusion and anger over the injustices of the world; how she could never accept such a cruel life where she was constantly betrayed, used, and tossed aside. Where the good were constantly stepped on like cockroaches and suffered, where the evil were rewarded and won out in the end. In Zero’s last moments, tried as a murderer and sentenced to death, she hated the world, yet still tried to grasp for an answer. How could she accept something so unfair, how could she ever be satisfied? One is in her entirety the burning dissatisfaction of cruelty and those who perpetuated it.

[alxefevre]

[ SAVANNAH SMITH, SHE/HER/HERS, (CIS) FEMALE]  —  [ ALPHONSINE LEFERVE ]  is a child of  [ HEPHAESTUS ]  with the power of  [ METAL MANIPULATION & TECHOKINESIS ] .  they were born in  [ 2000 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2017 ] .  with the change, they  [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ]  the  [ TECHNOLOGY  ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ SLEEPING OR WORKING ON A NEW CREATION ] .  if you’d like to meet them try the  [ MOON ]  building .  —  kashia/ she/her / est / 18+ / none

my third and LAST!!!! I MEAN IT!!!! child bc i simply adore and love china 

The daughter of Hephaestus and the beautiful Ann Marie Leferve, she was a child who shouldn’t have been here. Her mother was someone who wanted nothing more than to live her best life, doing whatever she wanted, having fun, being young. And she was young when she had her daughter, just barely twenty, and the idea of having a child sounded amazing. Thoughts of life when the child was older, about six or so, and how the two would dress up or go on trips together. There was never a single thought about actually raising a child, just the fun stuff that she would do with said child. 

And when her child, a little girl, was born, Ann Marie finally realized the true struggles of raising a baby. Hephaestus wasn’t at her side, of course, because it was merely a one night stand. There was no love and she was fine with it but boy, was it hard being a single parent! Oh, well, at least she had her own father at her side, Gabriel Leferve. He raised Ann Marie on his own since he had her when he was a teen himself. A never ending cycle he realized, they both did in that very moment. And they prayed to God that the cycle would never reach this newborn child. 

She was given the name Alphonsine Leferve, a perfect name for a perfect child. Alphosine, while beautiful, was a lot of work. She kept Ann Marie up at late hours, cried a lot, and constantly pulled on her mother’s hair! It was downright frustrating and humiliating! But even so... the sound of her daughters laughter that made her heart flutter and smile. Ann Marie could do this! 

A true struggle at first before she got the hang of it. When Alphonsine turned five, that was when Ann Marie went to college for a degree in business while Gabriel took over watching his grandchild. He owned a tinker shop in Paris, small and cute but still fairly popular especially with the rise of people needing more help with their own electronic. He was a man who’s fingers just knew how things worked, easily able to fix whatever was given to him. Alphonsine used to watch him work and fell in love with all of it, urging her grandfather to teach her as well. 

To the surprise of everyone in the household, Alphonsine was a pro at work. Fixing was no brainer for her and creating, something that she comes to love at the age of nine, was easy as breathing. Gabriel was impressed and Ann Marie found it adorable. Her little tinker fairy, the young woman called her daughter that for years upon years. To them, it was to be expected of her grandfather’s line of work when in reality it had to do with her birth father. 

She was ten when her powers made an appearance. Accidentally controlling the shaping of metal and being able to control machines, it was sudden and felt unreal. Was it just a dream or perhaps her mind playing tricks on her? She wasn’t sure until she tested it out for a second, third, and fourth time. Then she realized how real this was. It was a secret that she kept from Ann Marie and Gabriel, not wanting to spring this up on the duo. But her secret was only kept hidden for a few years before it was destroyed. 

A monster attack when she was on a trip to Italy with her family. It came out of nowhere as the trio wanted nothing more than to have fun. Gabriel got hurt protecting the two, his leg wounded in battle. Only the help of heroes from nemean lion were able to stop the monsters. ‘ you’re a demigod , ‘ they said. ‘ that’s why that monster attacked you. ‘ A cruel joke, how she wanted to laugh at it so terribly, but nothing left her lips. How terrible, how true, why her of all people? 

They offered to take her away, to place that was safe and hidden but she refused. Still in denial, she refused to leave with them, wanting to stay with her family. It was a long argument of whether she would go with them or not before the heroes gave up, giving her their contact information. ‘ for when you’re ready. ‘ As if she’ll ever be. 

Only they were right, Alphonsine showed up to nemean lion the summer of 2017, with a suitcase and two bags filled to the brim with her own tools and inventions. She never said what changed her mind and if you asked, the girl would use one of her inventions on you. She’s here now and that’s the only thing that matters. 

At NL, she’s usually cooped up inside her own apartment fixing and building stuff there. She has services up to create personal weapons for anyone who wants one. Weapons are fit to work with the person’s ability and act as another mean to make things easier for an individual ( very much like seven deadly sins type of things with their weapons that the king gave them individually ). 

wanted connections : : 

stuff with her siblings! - she’s a brat and is def that annoying sister with anger problems. so if H-Dawg’s child, hmu 

friends - she can be,,,,, friendly when she wants to be but i have no idea yet with her. maybe they like her all the time or perhaps they can only tolerate her in small dosages 

people she has problems with - either because of something she said or even because of an issue they had with alphonsine trying to repair or make something for them

customers - anyone who she has either repaired stuff for or has created weapons for OR shes currently in the middle of making them something 

im literally open for everything

[geek-patient-zero]

Prologue (Part 1)

Or: My Dinner with Reuben

Blood War: Masquerade of the Red Dead Trilogy Volume 1

I always loved the cover art. It was done by an artist called BROM. Here’s his website.

Robert Weinberg dedicates the book to Edgar Allan Poe “for obvious reasons” and Bram Stoker “who started it all”, though Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu might disagree with that. On Poe, peppered throughout the book, between the three parts and on the back cover are short quotes from his works, mostly “The Masque of the Red Death”. Obviously. It’s a little BS though. Any elements inspired by Poe are shallow, at least in this book.

Underneath the dedication is a little disclaimer:

While the locations and history of this trilogy may seem familiar, it is not our reality. The setting of Vampire: The Masquerade of the Red Death is a harsher, crueler version of our world. It is a stark, desolate landscape where nothing is what it seems. It is truly a World of Darkness.

For in the grim dark 1990′s there is only war. And vampires.

Going into the book I thought this disclaimer was a little wanky. I expected that “a harsher, crueler version of our world” would translate to “our world but with more rats, goths, and supernatural creatures.” Similarly, the book’s spine labels the genre as “Dark Fantasy” which in my experience usually translates to “regular fantasy but with more rape.” Turns out the World of Darkness setting is a little more complicated than that, but most of the time Weinberg isn’t too subtle on the whole “darker version of our world” thing.

I just want to let you know, before we get started, that I’m not the biggest expert when it comes to V:TM lore. I’ve never played the tabletops, or read their source books. My knowledge comes from Bloodlines, wiki binges, and lore dumps on Reddit and the Something Awful Bloodlines 2 thread. Please bear with my dumb ass if I get something wrong.

Alright, enough preamble, let’s get to the actual story.

We start in Rome, June 15, 1992, at an outdoor restaurant near the Coliseum. A meeting there was set up the night before through an anonymous phone call to the “heart of the Vatican.” For a suitcase full of money, they’d talk about vampires, or as the book dramatically puts it:

“We will talk,” declared the mysterious voice in somber, cold tones, “of The Kindred.”

The first to arrive is Father Naples, named so because it’s a word you’d find on a map of Italy. He’s a member of the Society of Leopold, who only get one more brief mention after this prologue so all you need to know is that they’re Catholic vampire hunters. He’s a big buff guy, described like a cross between a priest and a high ranking CIA agent. He came unarmed.

His faith served as his shield.  Along with the five other agents of the Society of Leopold in the restaurant, including two women disguised as streetwalkers.

The Society of Leopold is the “the devil was behind this” kind of religious, so it’s weird they’d jump straight to hookers when thinking of disguises for their agents, or that said agents would agree to it. But this is the World of Darkness, a harsher, crueler version of our own, and that means there’s hookers everywhere, so put on the hot pants and think of Italy.

So Father Florence here’s got his disguised agents, who “carried enough firepower on them to start a minor war.” He’s also something of a badass.

And, though he had retired years before as a field operative, Father Naples still maintained his training in the martial arts. An expert at both kendo and karate, he could kill an attacker a dozen different ways.

He’s also got some agents in a nearby hotel room with a directional microphone aimed at his table to record the conversation. Soon, the target of all this seeming overkill arrives; a blonde mid-twenties guy in a white suit. His voice was different than the one who made the phone call, implying to Naples, and us, that there’s at least two people involved on the other side of this setup. It’s a neat bit of foreshadowing. After a firm handshake and no-selling Father Naples’s patented death glare, the stranger introduces himself as Reuben, “like the sandwich.” They banter a bit about the biblical Reuben before he decides to troll the Father a bit. First by saying he’s older than he looks, then by passing on the Father’s offer of wine.

“No thank you,” said Reuben. “I do not drink wine.”

He waits a beat for a reaction, then orders a Coke and a menu. I think I like Reuben.

Since vampires can’t eat or drink (unless they have high Humanity and a good dice roll) Father Naples is thus satisfied that the guy is not a vampire trying to trick him, deciding he’s “definitely human. And not very clever.” Reuben had made an obligatory knock at airline food, so now Naples believed the agents recording the conversation could use this clue to track down his real name and where he came from through airline records.

They get to the You Got the Cash/You Got the Stuff part of negotiations, with Reuben showing off the twenty million US dollars in his briefcase (Not euro because we’re the only country whose currency matters fuck you Italy) in exchange for a monologue from Naples about the history of the Kindred, starting from the beginning. Reuben says Father Naples can summarize if need be.

“Summarize?... How does one summarize ten thousand years of absolute evil? An impossible task, but let me try.”

The rest of the prologue until the end is Naples’ exposition on vampires while he drinks a shit ton of vino. Since it’s Vampire: The Masquerade Lore 101, I’ll summarize like our pal Naples.

Vampires secretly control the world. There are thirteen vampire clans descended from Caine, of Cain and Abel fame only spelled with an e for some reason. Ye olde Caine killed his brother, though I once read that in this setting it wasn’t so much just committing the first murder as introducing the very concepts of murder and killing to reality and basically ruining everyone’s lives, including demons. God punished Caine by giving him vampirism, forcing him to kill to survive for inventing killing. The vampirism also gave him superpowers, so he’s like a little bloodsucking demigod. I’ve seen jokes about God punishing Caine by giving him cool superpowers, but according to Father Naples Caine needed them because everyone knew what happened and were pissed at him for inventing murder and eating them. When everyone and everything wants to kill you on sight you need to be OP to survive and then feel sad about it.

(He also didn't learn most of those powers until later, when he met Lilith.)

Caine discovered that he could make more vampires through the classic “drain their blood to the point of near death and then feeding them your own blood” method. He sired three new vampires, who weren’t as powerful as him but still quite capable of ruining your day, a trend that continues through twelve or thirteen vampiric generations, although the latest generations are puny compared to Caine and his kids.

Caine and the Second Generation founded Enoch, the First City, and were worshiped there as gods, I’m guessing because of a mixture of fear and the hope of getting some sweet vampire powers if you suck up to the first murderer. The Second Generation then sired the Third Generation, thirteen vampires that became known as the Antediluvians. They’re the ones the modern thirteen vampire clans descend from. 

Then everything goes to shit for Caine. Again. The Antediluvians, ambitious dicks, rose up and killed the Second Generation, destroying Enoch in the process. This could be thought of as Caine’s true curse: being forced to watch his childer, and their childer, and so on plot against and murder each other as he had done to his brother, and generally being a plague on mankind. See, Vampire: The Masquerade can be a bit too try-hard edgy and horny at times, but then you also get neat bits of writing and lore like that. As for Caine, he disappeared after the fall of Enoch. He’s now a cab driver in Los Angeles. Or a hermit in Greece, messing with traveling scholar vampires. Or both. Depends on who you ask. No, really. I’m being serious.

I should mention that, religious guy that he is, Father Naples likes to pepper his monologue with casual mentions of the devil. He says things like...

“It was then, in his darkest despair, that Caine learned from Satan a monsterous secret.”

“Encouraged by Satan, Caine created three such monsters.”

“And, in time, urged by Lucifer, they, too, bestowed the gift of eternal life on a select group of their victims.”

“They knew not the Lord God, but Lucifer, the Dark Angel.”

...and generally blaming the big guy below for getting the vampires to do vampire things. While most of what Father Naples says about the setting’s history is correct, the Satan stuff isn’t. Lucifer is a character in the World of Darkness, specifically Demon: The Fallen, but he has nothing to do with V:TM. This adds a neat bit of characterization and unreliability to Naples’ narrative; something Reuben will point out at the end of the prologue.

The Great Flood happened, but Father Naples doesn’t mention it. He skips to the Antediluvians founding the Second City, which didn’t get a name like Enoch because in its two thousand years of existence apparently no one could think of one. With the support of their childer, the fourth generation, they ruled over the Second City and, according to Naples, enslaved humanity. But eventually humanity rose up against the vampires, killing some of them with sunlight, fire, and beheading. The Second City fell and the surviving vampires fled. The Antediluvians disappeared. Some modern day vampires believe the Antediluvians were all dead, while others (the correct ones, turns out) believe they’re hiding, resting in torpor (a kind of vampire coma) this whole time and one day, they’d wake up and, as Father Naples says, “...the world of the Undead shall tremble.” This is our first mention in this book of Gehenna, the end of the wold according to the Kindred. He also says their return was predicted in Revelations, but I’m no biblical expert so I can’t tell you what bits of Revelations that might be referring too.

Reuben asks what happened to the fourth generation, or the Methuselahs as they’re now known because they’re old as balls but not “lived before the Biblical Flood” old. Father Naples tells him, then goes on to explain the titular Masquerade, vampire factions, and the thirteen clans.

[beyondthestarsandplanets]

Turmoil Current Info

Turmoil (Transformer OC)

{ made by @the-smol-bot}

{Note} Her frame is very unique and recognizable.

Holoform face claim: Ronda Rousey

{Note} Her outfit is just like above.

Cargo/War ship: Nightside.

{Important Notice} Ship upgrades, Weapons, and Firearms will varied depending on the thread. They are default to Cybertron technology unless stated otherwise in thread.

{Note} She is the same size as Overlord/ Fortress Maximus. Approximately 40 ft tall give or take, depends on witch verse she is in.

{Note} She is very stubborn when angry and she doesn’t realized this.

{Note} She has to keep an eye on her injuries because as a forge, some can’t be repairs or replaced easily as one would with a cold constructed.

{Very Important Note} She is actually an intelligent Cybertronian, among the top intelligent Cybertronian if she shows it. But she rather be average Cybertronian and be seen as very smart. She kept this as a secret for a long time and always kept it hidden. If she accidentally let it show, she will say or do something stupid on purpose.

{Very Important Note} She is Claustrophobic. Her limit on how small the space is that if she can still transform, she will work with it. Though she will complain about it. But if one can keep her company and her mind occupied, she will actually calm down. But if she is in a space that keep her from transforming, one will have to keep her calm or she will panic and harm someone. To her, it would feel like the room is crushing her, very slowly.  She is a bit more tolerable in both panther and winged panther alt-mode due to size difference but it would still bother her.

{Important Note} She is attracted to small mech that range from minicons to mech that are below average in height. The reason is because she can easily scoop them up and hold them close. She can be a massive shield for the smaller mech and is a giant climbing tree. In her panther alt-mode, she would be the same size or a bit bigger.

Alt-forms:

Robot Panther: Most used alt-mode; favorite alt-mode.

Idea for Robot mode: Claws extends over fingers, has fangs as teeth which becomes more notable when claws are engage.

Armored Helicopter: Apache: Second used alt-mode.

Idea for Robot mode: Both front landing gear are on back of shoulders. Rear landing gear are on lower back, just above hip. Main rotors blades are her wings in a v shape, parallel to her back. The blade is mounted in the same spot as the door wing, above and below. Tail rotor blades are like spikes on her shoulders, 2 on each side. The machine gun is a weapon that pops out from her right shoulder.

Missile Truck: US Army Hemtt: Third used alt-mode.

Idea for Robot mode: Both rear tires are on her lower leg, just above her heals. Both front steering tires are on her upper and lower arms, in the middle. The truck chassis is her chest. The truck door are also her wings, mounted between her rotor blades.

Winged Panther: Robot Panther with the wing of Toothless: Forth used alt-mode

Idea for Robot mode: The wing is the skirt from her hovercraft mode. If she is carrying someone or something, this wing will activate between her back and her permanent wing.

Hovercraft Tank: Russian Zubr: Fifth used alt-mode.

Idea for Robot mode: 3 rotors blades from this alt-mode provides additional spikes to her arms, 6 on the outside of each arms. They can be used as weapons or shield when she fights. The skirt is her wing in her winged panther mode and a temporary wing in her robot mode.

Blaster: SIG 552: sixth used alt-mode

Ability:

Force field: can shrink or compact a bot or use as a shield

Can prevent her opponent from healing after she wounds a bot

Has rockets and missiles in her stomach

Can be a one-robot army

Teleportation: has limited range unless she knows the location outside the range and it changed very little. Further outside the range she teleport, the more energy she burns up. But when she teleport withing her range, it doesn’t burn up any energy. But is limited on how often she can travel within the 24 hour cycle. This ability works a lot like the ground or space bridge, she would need coordinate for accuracy. If she doesn’t have the coordinate, she would aim for any big space and hope for the best.

Can replenish Energon supply: Limited and requires 2 to 3 weeks to refill Energon canister. If the canister suffer any cracks of any kind, the canister will purge for repairs visa self-repair system. If the canister explodes; which can only happen if she flies into the punch to her left side; she will suffer a sudden pressure build up. There is no emergency pressure relief in place for this scenario. She would simply become stiff and vulnerable until the pressure is relieved, some how.

Holograms of her, her alt-modes, or an objects: doesn’t use this ability very much, is limited on how she use it. If she create a realistic hologram, it will drain her energy level and she can only use one. If she create a basic hologram, it will mot drain her energy level and she can have up to 15 to 20 at a time.

Invisibility: Doesn’t use this ability very much, limited. She can be invisible for up to 12 hours. She must wait 4 to 6 hours before she can be invisible again.

Her right hand can shifts into a blaster and her left hand can shift into a machine gun.

Her hands can also shifts into claws over her fingers

{Log One}

Identification: Alpha Bravo of Iacon

Colors: Light Purple and White, Purple eyes.

Affiliation: Autobot.

Rank: Former Rookie Cop of Rodin; Security Captain of Iacon.

Duty: Keep all Cybertronian safe in her city while maintaining order; Keep all data in the vault safe and secured. Keep out any threats that may come for the data.

Personality: Very smart and Stoic when busy. Kind and caring towards other Autobots. Can and will lose temper when things does not go to plans. But can quickly come up with a plan to fix the problems.

Background: She started out working as a Cop after she completed the acadamy until the war began. At the start of the war, she was demoted and sent to work as a security at the Vault of Iacon. The sudden change was not easy for her but she adapted rather quickly and climbed the rank until she became captain. She once enjoyed her job but then grew sick of her job and wanted to see action. She didn’t truly pick a side since she rather stay out of it but did want the action, to be part of the fighting. Despite this, she kept the vault secure from the Decepicons. Up until the day she went missing after one of the Decepicon’s last attack.

Status: Missing, presumed killed during a Decepicon’s attack on the Vault.

{Note} During her days as a cop, her superior was Caption Orion Pax, worked with him a few times and got to know him a bit. Though her job as a cop was short lived.

{Note} During this time,She was young and inexperience. She actually thought she could stay neutral and still fight in the war. she would soon find out how wrong she would be.

{Note} She was always curious of what secrets lie within Iacon’s archives and records despite not like her new job so much. So during her free time, she would do many research within the vault. She also grew found of the word Bullshit after listening to a transmission from Earth. She rarely use the word but She is known to use it when things goes wrong. She even has a way of saying it when thing did go wrong.

       {Log Two}

Identification: Blitzkerieg

Colors: Dark Purple and Grey, Red eyes.

Affiliation: Decepticon

Rank: Phase Sixer

Duty: Put fear in the autobots. Obey Megatron orders.

Personality: Very smart and Stoic. But unlike her old self, Alpha Bravo, she is anything but kind. Very cruel to all except those that are very close to her. When her rage bubbles up, the urge to attack arises, or when she loses her temper, she will act without thinking. Only after, does she thinks.

Background: Her ‘death’ was a set up so she could join the Decepicons. She had been aiding them while under Alpha Bravo. She even planned her death to truly join them. She started low but despite the overwhelming odds, she climbs the rank to warrior elite and became Phase Sixer. She understood Overlord way of thinking despite his unstable nature. Because of this, she doesn’t mind working with him while many would flat out refuse. She is very loyal to Megatron and would never betray him. That was until Megatron was destroyed. She was willing to be loyal to the new leader but was banished by Starscream.

Status: Banished by Starscream, long live Starscream.

{Note} She uses the word Bullshit more here. She says it when she doesn’t believe a bot or she wish to call out any bullshit she sees or hear. She would even use the word when she losses her temper. She even have a way of saying Bullshit depending on her mood.

{Note} She joined the Decepicon only because it was beneficial to her at the time. She had not intention to stay for long. It was suppose to be temporary until she was chosen by Megatron to become a ‘superwarrior’.

{Note} Like overlord, she was infected with an Achilles virus. Her strong loyalty to Megatron was due to the said virus and this was to prevent her from leaving the Decepicon. Megatron knew her reasoning for joining the Decepicon.

{Note} Blitzkerieg was banished because Starscream feared that she would be overly loyal to Megatron, not to him.

{Note} Starscream only said that be banish her, when he actually tried to kill her. He had lure her to a abandoned plant. The function of the plant is unknown, it can only be guessed that it was where the frames for the Cybertranians was made or where Cyber weapons was mass produced. Once he had where he wanted Blitzerieg to be at, he used the machinery to kill her. He then left, thinking he had killed her.

        {Log Three}

Identification: Turmoil

Colors: Violet and black, purple eye.

Affiliation: N/A

Rank: Bounty hunter

Duty: Hunt down the wanted bots on the bounty list.

Personality: Very smart and Stoic. Unlike both of her old self, Blitzkerieg and Alpha Bravo, She is more calmer and much more patient. She even has more control over her temper but can still lose it. but when she lose it, she goes back to her old self, Alpha Bravo, and comes up with a plan. That if she haven’t been drinking. If she had been drinking, she would go back to her old self, Blitzkerieg.

Background: Her ‘banishment’ was a failed attempt in killing her. Starscream had failed to realize she is a Phase sixer, Killing her would be stupidly hard. All he did was put her in stasis until she replenish her energon supply. Once she reactivated, she scratch off her decepticon symbol before assessing the damages and made the needed repairs. She then got herself to a medical bot and was fully repaired. From there, she went out and became a bounty hunter. She kept her title of a lowly bounty hunter, as no one know that she, Turmoil, is a Phase sixer.

{Note} She stopped saying Bullshit because it would expose her to the Autobots or the Decepticons. She taught herself not to say bullshit out in public. She only says it when she is alone and on her ship.

{Note} Turmoil realized she found where she wanted to be, in the neutral but still get the action by being a bounty hunter. And she learn to enjoy the very little recognition she has as she doesn’t want her real truth to be discovered by either side.

{Note} Turmoil doesn’t just seek and destroy the bot on the bounty she taken. instead, she would invite the wanted bot to a pub for a drink. She is found already drinking as she waits but she takes it nice and slow. If the bot shows up, She will buy him a drink and challenge to a fight. the fight will take the next day on at an abandon location. She would place money, expensive weapon, or item on the table to make a deal. She use the fact that she is seen as a lowly bounty hunter to her advantage. All to make the wanted bot to accept her deal and challenge. If the bot doesn’t show up by the time the said pub closes, she would lose her temper. She would leave the pub, hunt down the wanted bot and kill him on the spot. She would then claim her bounty.

{Note} Turmoil only goes for a high paying, wanted dead or alive, worthy to fight bounty. She doesn’t become a well known bounty because it would means she, Alpha Bravo, would be discovered alive by the Autobot or she, Blitzerieg, would be discovred alive by Starscream or any other Decepticons that he may have told that he killed her.

{Note} There have been some bounty she had taken require investigation in order for her to track down the wanted bot. For this, she simple fall back to her cop days to gather information she needs. Since she is secretly rich, she would even pay for information if she has to. for those that was paid to keep quiet, she would pay them double for the information and sometime she would pay a bit more then double.

{Note} Turmoil has a hideout but it location is unknown. All because she had found a small cargo ship that was abandoned and made some major upgrade to it. Not only is it a cargo ship, but it also a battle ship. She named the ship Nightside. She would store all of her money from the bounty and any loots she may have gotten in her ship. She would even get her hands on some very powerful weapons she can find. She might have paid for some of them or killed the seller and stole some of them, no one knows. She even has a ground bridge on board.

{Note} She is mentally linked to her ship and can control Nightside from wherever she is at. If she slips into stasis, Nightside will shut down and block all of the areas off. If she is in her stasis pod on Nightside, the only path found is to her medic bay. But she is limited to what she can do while away from Nightside. If she is outside of the communication range, her link is temporary lost until she she is back in communication range.

{Note} She dose’t always know where Nightside is located. There have been many times where she had lost Nightside and was forced to finds ways in locating her ship. She lose her ship by parking it somewhere in space and Nightside drift off for whatever reason or being on a rotating planet and her landing location is not in line with Nightside. Depending on how she lost Nightside will determines on how she will have to look for her. There have been times she would sneak on another ship while invisible, in hopes that the ship would fly close enough to Nightside so she can teleport without anyone realizing she was on their ship.

{Note} Majority of her firearms have the name Death on them because she max out on the upgrade and made them deadly. But she has some standard firearm, showing fairness in conflict.

{Note} She normally avoid any bots that are law enforcers of any kind. Because of her frame, she fears that one would make a connection and discover that she is both Alpha Bravo and Blitzkerieg. If she is spotted, she would try to lie her way out.

       {Log: Nightmare}

Background: One month into her job as a Cop in Rodion, Alpha Bravo noticed how deep corruption run in the police force. All from reading the protocol and code of conduct and noticing how much was broken during her free time. This discovery lead her to investigate on her own time and she discovered that the senator are behind the corruption. Her investigation caught the attention of Sentinel Prime, head security of the senate.

Her and her Training officer, Venture, revived a call from the area known as Dead end. Venture notice how unusual the call is and told the young cop to be on guard. In response, she created her own recording of the event which impressed Venture. The 2 went int to investigate as it lead them to an isolated dead end. Alpha Bravo took the lead and investigate the mounds of bodies before she heard something. She turns to see what she thought was 3 of Sentinel’s goons. 2 held Venture by his arm while the 3rd held a blaster to his head. Venture last words was telling the young cop to save herself before his head was blasted off. But before she could transform and take off, she was knocked out cold from behind.

When she wakes up, she found herself in a cell but not in the police station. She was in a cell, somewhere else. She stood up and looks around before realizing that she was wrong. She was not attacked by Sentinel’s goons, she was attacked by the members of Cybertronian underground. She was confuse but she couldn’t think as the image of Venture death was heavily imprinted in her head. It took her a few days before she was finally able to think and looks for a way out. Luckily, the power had gone out long enough for the force field to her cell to shut down. She took the chance and made her escape.

As she quietly made her way though, she found herself having to fight back a few times. All want to kill her but she was able to neutralized them without killing anyone. After fighting for almost eternity, she found her way out and discovered it leads to where she was first ambushed. And Venture body was still there, among the other bodies. She approached his body and fell to her knees, the event had left her traumatized. Shaken, she wonders around before being found by her superior, Caption Orion Pax. She was taken to Ratchet’s free clinic for evaluation and to recover.

After being cleared by Ratchet, Alpha Bravo returned to duty. This time, She would spend her free time taking in more patrol. She never told anyone what had happen but told herself that she would not allow that to happen ever again. She also stopped her personal investigation she was doing which satisfied Sentinel enough to allow her to remain in the force.

{Note} Sentinel had the hand in Alpha Bravo’s traumatic even as he was the one who paid the Cybertronian underground to kill both Alpha Bravo and Venture. The instruction was to kill Venture in front of the rookie cop then imprison her. Allow her to escape on purpose and kill her during her escape attempt. Everything went according to plan until she escaped and fought back. Her quick thinking allowed her to evade her death unknowingly, causing Sentinel to be angered. But once he realized that the event had traumatized and changed the rookie cop, he considered this clean up a success.

{Note} Orion Pax learned of this event and was even more angered by the amount of corruption how much Alpha Bravo had changed since her near death experience.