#Of Optical Illusions and Cloud Formations

[zamjd]

Of Optical Illusions and Cloud Formations

DWASDJHWAJSHD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA💕💕💖

Love, me love the fanfic so much :))) by @perpetual-stardust

Apologies the qual is horrible, I should have used a bigger sized canvas ;-;-;-;;-;-

Anyways yippe! I'm done, please go read the fic- the writing is really good and it's so-sososososso AA

smaller shots undercut w/ image text typed + Explanation

These are some personal headcannons for Y/N :DD I like to think they have the equivalent nerd love for clouds as much as I do ^^

(Texts: Daycare Assistant Y/N (Except they really like Clouds)

I call it the Alto Collarus *Full name is actually: Undulatus Alto Collarus, It got shortened bcs it sounds better

If a child gets curios on what the clouds are, Y/N will not hesitate to squat down and explain each in a way that children finds entertaining

(Both are kept in the security desk))

One of the first interactions in the story :) Jazz haaands~!!

(Text: Y/N: Which is why we'd only be six feet away from the opening as opposed to standing in the debris of construction

Moon: Hmm, I think you are forgetting one part that has yet to be mentioned...

You said we, last time I checked, you do not have a wire of which you can use

Plan failed)

This was a funny interaction, I wanted to play with the expressions here and my own interpretation for both isabella ad Dominic- Though I should have took my time on their colors ^^; hehe

(Text: Isabella: Mr. Sun! Do you love the color of the sky?

Sun: Hmm! I don't know! I think it'd depond on... which one.

He knows (Does he know I have a Tumblr??, Do they have Tumblr accounts??? DO THEY KNOW SANS?????))

DWASKHD AUGHH MMMM AAAAAAAAAA💖💖💕💕💐💐💐💕💖💖💕✨

THIS FUCKING- STARDUST- AAAAAAAAAAAA- WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD AT WRITING IM GONNA BITE YOU(/j) CRYING DURING THIS PART I- THIS WAS SO GOOD- PULLING ALL MY HEART STRINGS AND I WAS SUPRESSING MY SCREAMS WHY ARE YOU RAAAAAH!!!💕💕 (IDK IF YOU CAN SEE IT BUT THERE'S THE SOOT TRAIL UNDER Y/NS EYE AAAAAAAAA UDHAUSHDJH RAAGHH!!!! HE SO CARE AAAAAA)

[hocuspocusbabyy]

Love Grows: Eloise x Cressida. (18+) 🦢🕊️

Description: A continuation of Must Be A Dream

Pairing: Eloise Bridgerton x Cressida Cowper

Warnings: It’s smut babe, it’s smut.

“Last one darling, I promise.” The brunette whispered her presence unyielding, as though imbibing the essence of her very soul. Her legs trembled, weak and unrequited spasms of sorrow her body spent as her heart could only search for more. “Shh Cress I’ve got you.”

Eloise promised, her perfectly kept nails curls against the height of the blondes hip as her tongue pressed flat against her again. So close yet so far, the brunette resembled that of an echo - tangible, unobtainable.

Cressida’s inner voice grew thick, taunting, peeling at the very edges of her mind as Eloise continued her devotion. Reiterate swarms of warmth against the seems of her flesh, opening her into yet another bloom. An evolution Cressida had never aspired to attain, how could one surpass the heavens and expect another gate? Eloise’s tongue flush against her skin, repeated, nauseating motions that curled and whipped upon the pits of her stomach. She could not moderate her hunger for much longer, a fist striking down, hand against her lover's head as she ascended.

Those who have wings do not require keys nor gates.

Her back lay flat against the compost heap, the seams of her trousers wet askew beside them. Her blonde hair tainted with clumps of abrasion and mire.

Eloise laced her tongue along the crevice of Cressida’s knee, in silent disbelief, praise to whatever gods allowed her this moment. Stark beneath the Cowper thousands count sheets, her flesh hot as she dove forward again.

Give me my sin, and I shall worship the devil as though he were my friend, she thought.

Gazing up at her lover, the flat of her chest, the extensive span of her torso littered and bloodied with the presence of her. As though a map, formations of union, imperfections of diligence, smear of sin - the most welcome, becoming and sort after cardinal.

Till death gives up on them, through every circle of hell and inch of eternity. Realms and continents, cosmos and dirt. Eloise and Cressida would chase each other till the edge of reality warped beneath them. A solace found between them, that others could only aspire to.

Eloise pressed a final kiss against her lover's heated, worn flesh.

Crawling up against the grain to lay against her. The blonde left to simply mewl and gasp beneath her. The brunette mouth latched upon her skin, as though pray, irrevocable truths carved upon her being, that would last long beyond her body.

"Are you enjoying yourself down there?" Cressida whispered, sardonic, finally regaining her bonds as the brunette rose to her neck and snuggled closer with a lilt.

"I've never enjoyed anyone more," Eloise said, shockingly candid, nuzzling her nose against the blonde's jaw. Her eyes drifted closed, a mere second after they were snapped back open vision clouded over as Eloise bit into the soft flesh of her cheek.

“You made a mess.” The brunette shrugged, her damp fingers tracing up across the blondes lips.

Cressida took the fingers willingly, sucking them between her lips, cleaning every inch of herself from the other woman’s skin. Her holy communion, if she were the cup, Eloise were the wine.

Eloise smiled gently, her hair dishevelled littering her eyesight hundreds of hair pins scattered around as Cressida reached to stroke her face. Her eyes softened as she studied the blondes flushed face, the smudge of a nose, rosy pink cheeks, perfect swollen lips.

An unfathomable beauty, the optical illusion that was Cressida Cowper. In all her years following or prior, Eloise doubted she would ever come across such a wonder.

"I—" Cressida started finally opening her eyes fully to look at the brunette, "you're bleeding" she whispered quickly moving to sit up, pushing the brunette back to straddle her. Perfectly pale flesh now covered and darkened by their location. The mulch, cold and welcoming upon their burning flesh. Cressida knees sunk deeper as she grasped the other woman’s face within her her hands, "I'm sorry," she whispered, licking the blood from her cupid's bow.

Eloise laughed lightly, her tongue gently flicking against the witch's own. The pair indulged in a few shared kitten licks mixed with light brushing kisses across their faces.

"It's okay my Swan," the brunette reassured her left hand pressed into her lower back massaging the bottom of her spine, comfortingly, grounding. Her other sunk into the blondes' silky curls stroke lightly at her scalp - not dissimilar to the attention one would done a cat.

"Hell. I love it when you call me that." The blonde giggled gently, her thumbs running firmly across the brunettes shoulder blades pulling them flush to another.

They sat there silently rocking, few notes of Cressida's perfume were still in the air, pomegranate and incense, mixed with the iron bite of fresh blood, completion and the delightful musk of their mingled sweat. Eloise pressed a kiss to her hair, the blonde now resting gently against her shoulder nose pressed into her neck humming gently.

"If someone cut me into pieces," Cressida whispered, her chin firm upon the brunettes shoulder as she meticulously rolled a strand of hair between her fingers, "and all that was left of me was my hands, would you know that they were mine?"

"Yes," the brunette said, without hesitation, her eyes closed and neck flushed as the other woman snuggled against it. "Why'd you ask?"

Cressida shrugged, "I read a penny dreadful, with Ben.” she clarified. “Well more he read it to me, but I am grateful to him, and I honour our time together, as I do with your entire family. I find your existence within them all. Especially your mother.” Cressida claimed tilting to kiss the underside of her lovers jaw.

"Ah" the brunette mumbled, holding the older woman against her as if for warmth; making a mental note to yell at ben again about filling her Swans head with nonsense.

"How?" The blonde continued, her lips loving against Eloise’s flesh as she spoke. Every syllable scribed to her skin, "how would you know?"

Eloise opened one eye then leaning back to look at the blonde, "Well I'd start by looking for a trail of garden soil." She joked, taking the blonde's hand within her own, playing with her fingers gently.

Cressida tsked, her free hand tugging at her hair until she flinched, the blonde. Eloise brushing her knuckles over the soft curve of Cressida’s breast as best she could in their position. "There's a scar on your left index finger. Across your knuckle."

Cressida glanced at it, a weak silver thread buried in the furrows of her skin beneath one of her many rings. "Hardly," she said. "And if my blood had already drained by then, it would be the same colour as the rest of me. You'd never see it."

Eloise huffed. "Then I'd look for a torn thumbnail, chipped nail polish" she tried, pressing the pad of her thumb against the blondes as if to play war. "Your left hand, that you pick when you're agitated –“

"I do not – "

"Yes, you do," Eloise said.

The blonde said nothing. As Eloise wrapped her hand around her wrist; Their eyes met while she brought her hand to her lips and sucked each of her fingers in turn, her tongue curling around her knuckles, her smooth painted nails, the faint whorls of her fingertips.

"Or perhaps I'd use muscle memory," she said, giving her thumb a firm bite before letting her go.

"You'd suck my cold, dead fingers, would you?"

"If that is what it took to find you."

She seemed pleased by that. Cressida moved to kiss her, one hand sliding into her hair while she shifted them across the dirt beneath them. Her head lay against Eloise’s chest as their fingers danced together.

Then Eloise reached and twisted at her wedding ring, the bitter gold pulling on her eyelid. "Or I'd look for this, I suppose."

"One would presume that anyone to dismember me would strip me of my jewellery first."

"I'd look for the tan line then," Eloise shrugged. "Given how you refuse to take the damn thing off, it would be there."

Cressida sighed lightly at the, rolling off the brunette not far enough away that their shoulders were no longer touching - but enough to convey her hate for the conversation's turn. They lay side by side upon the dirt, surrounded by the beauty of her doing, as though relics buried beneath the world together for generations to come.

"I don't think Alfred would be able to identify me" the blonde mumbled, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. "He's not as attentive, I couldn't even tell you the last time he held my hand."

Eloise made a noise of recognition, too busy thinking about the man who was stupid enough not to hold such hands that belonged to thee Cressida Cowper. Goddess.

The brunette pushed the hair back from her face and scratched lightly at her crown, before rolling over to rest her body upon the blondes again. It seemed they could last few moment without each other, as though marbles upon sand, sinking, seeking and soothing other another.

She perched above her, studying the way her pupils had become frantic and pleading, begging her to pull the wool over both their eyes. For a moment longer, here in their garden, that green house, the only home they’d ever been granted.

"Then he is a fool, more so than I already thought" the brunette commented as she bent down to press kisses along the brunette's jaw until her lips reached the warm shell of her ear. "I promise to you, my Swan, if you see to ever leave my sight for so long. I would seek you out and bring you here," she said, after a beat, "Always.”

"Even if I were just a hand?" The older woman asked, a wave of vulnerability gripped her. Crawling at her cheats as the brunette lips travelled there as though aware of her internal pressure.

"Even then" Eloise confirmed with a smile, kissing the blonde’s nose careful not to lay too much of her weight on to her. Urging her to breathe, her hand slowing bending up across her elbow, deft fingers drawing across her skin till it bumped and twisted towards her. Their hands fell together, grasped above their heads, the brunettes motions working to remove the offending object. Pulling until the ring finally popped off her finger, into her palm.

“I fear I have grown to resent the thing.” Cressida whispered, it had been a wedding gift of her father’s. The only thing he had ever granted them, in ode of their shared name.

Eloise sat up then, much to the blondes confusion as she reached back unclapsing the chain from around her neck. Sliding an all too familiar circle from upon it, Cressida had seen the ring a million times, Eloise refused to ever be without it.

“Then we shall trade. This—-was my fathers, my mother gave it to him before their wedding. It was handed to me at a young age and I was promised to keep it, until—-.”

“Until?”

“Until a hand was found worthy of it.” Eloise whispered, sliding the blondes ring upon her chain and sliding her own upon her finger. “We shall keep these as a reminder, and I will always find you.” The brunette promised, placing a gentle kiss upon the other woman’s lips.

The green house a heaven against the winter chill and their harsh reality.

[jcmarchi]

Weekly News for Designers № 732 - JavaScript Bloat in 2024, Figma for Developers, New CSS UI Kit

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/weekly-news-for-designers-%e2%84%96-732-javascript-bloat-in-2024-figma-for-developers-new-css-ui-kit/

Weekly News for Designers № 732 - JavaScript Bloat in 2024, Figma for Developers, New CSS UI Kit

A Web Designer’s Accessibility Advocacy Toolkit A toolkit for web designers to advocate for accessibility and offer strategies and tips to improve web interfaces for all users.

JavaScript Bloat in 2024 Nikita Prokopov discusses the excessive use of JavaScript on websites and calls for a focus on leaner, performance-oriented web development.

Mastering Figma for Developers This guide highlights Figma’s advantages for developers, such as its collaborative, cloud-based platform, and tools that streamline design-to-development workflows.

Tailframes CSS UI Kit A new UI kit for Tailwind CSS, offering pre-designed components to speed up web development with easy customization and a focus on productivity.

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A Deep Dive into Aptos An insightful exploration of Microsoft’s new default font, Aptos, detailing its commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, and adaptability in design.

Winduum CSS Component Framework A new modular CSS component framework built on top of TailwindCSS, emphasizing modern CSS features for building accessible, customizable, and lightweight web components.

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Create & Manage Block Patterns in WordPress WordPress now has a way to create, manage, and share block patterns – all from within the Block Editor. Learn how it all works.

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Free Responsive Icons A collection 0f 266 icons for UI design. In Figma and Skecth formats.

Exploring 3D Effects with 2D Optical Illusions Learn how to create 3D effects with 2D optical illusions using CSS, JavaScript, and GSAP, focusing on perspective manipulation and staggered animations for realism.

[karina01]

Heinz Mack

 Born March 8, 1931, is a German artist. Together with Otto Piene he founded the ZERO movement in 1957. He exhibited works at documenta in 1964 and 1977 and he represented Germany at the 1970 Venice Biennale. He is best known for his contributions to op art, light art and kinetic art.

Biography

Heinz Mack was born in 1931 in the small town of Lollar in Germany. Between 1950 and 1956 he studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. In 1957 together with Otto Piene he started a series of what were called Abendausstellungen (evening exhibitions) at their studio in Düsseldorf. This series was the initial event for the formation of the group ZERO (with Mack, Piene and Günther Uecker as its nucleus) and the international ZERO movement. Among the participants of the ZERO movement were Yves Klein, Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni and Jean Tinguely.

In the early 1960s, Mack worked, with Gotthard Graubner, as an art teacher at the Lessing Gymnasium, Düsseldorf. In 1964 Mack, Piene and Uecker arranged the "ZERO Lichtraum (Hommage á Lucio Fontana)" at the 1964 documenta in Kassel. From 1964 to 1966 Mack lived and worked in New York where the Howard Wise Gallery presented a solo exhibition in 1966.

Although known for his minimalist outdoor sculptures, Mack also produced smaller works, both static and kinetic. Light Dynamo #2' from 1966, in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art, is an example of his rotating disc kinetic sculptures. Since 1991, he has been producing brightly colored, abstract, paintings in acrylic.

1970 Mack was invited as visiting professor to Osaka, Japan. In the same year he represented Germany at the 1970 Venice Biennale (together with Günther Uecker, Georg Karl Pfahler and Thomas Lenk). For the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich he created an illuminated "Wasserwolke" (Water cloud). In 1972 he was asked to create a 230 ft tall sculpture for the United Nations headquarters in New York (not realized).

Light Dynamo 1963

Mack founded the Zero group with Otto Piene in 1957 in Dusseldorf, Germany. Zero felt their approach to art making, which used light and motion, opened up new forms of perception. In this relief, an aluminium disc decorated with a reed pattern rotates under glass that has been moulded with a similar pattern. The movement itself cannot be perceived, but the disc appears to dissolve into a rippling light. Through optical illusion, this seems to be continuously reforming itself as an oval while, at the same time, remaining a circle.

Transparency and Radiance, 2009

o. T., 1960

[qudachuk]

The rare cloud formation creates an optical illusion that tricks viewers into thinking it looks like a UFO.

[gamegill]

UFO-like cloud forms in Turkey

A rare cloud formation, that creates an optical illusion tricking viewers into thinking it looks like a UFO, has been seen in Turkey. The wave-like pattern is known as a lenticular cloud. Bursa lies at the base of a mountain range, which makes the phenomenon more likely. #UFOlike #cloud #forms #Turkey

[williamchasterson]

UFO-like cloud forms in Turkey

The rare cloud formation creates an optical illusion that tricks viewers into thinking it looks like a UFO. from BBC News – World https://ift.tt/ILzpQWJ via IFTTT

[fahimfoysal21]

Top 10 Places of Mystery

Open your mind to new travel experiences by trading your usual fun-in-the sun vacation for 1 of these strange phenomena, unexplainable events or mysterious murder locations. Crystal Skulls Southern Mexico and Central America Search ancient Mayan ruins throughout the jungles of southern Mexico and Central America for magical skulls. The legend claims that 13 crystal skulls, thought to be containers of great wisdom and mankind's destiny, were left behind by Mayan elders to be discovered by future generations. Five of the skulls have already been found -- 1 in Belize's Lost City of Lubaantun. Nazca Lines Nazca, Peru https://www.tumblr.com/fahimfoysal21 Fly over enormous land figures -- including a dog, a monkey and a 900-foot bird -- along the southern coast of Peru. Although the lines are believed to have been created by the Nazca Indians some 2,000 years ago, no one is certain why or how they managed to produce such massive, complex forms. Some believe aliens created them as landing strips for their spacecraft. Bermuda Triangle Atlantic Ocean Visit the 3 apexes -- Miami, San Juan and Bermuda -- of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. The triangle earned its deadly reputation due to the unexplained disappearances of 80 aircraft and 60 boats since 1975. Intense electrical forces and a tunnel-like cloud have been reported, but other theories include rapidly changing weather patterns and alien abduction. Ark of the Covenant Ethiopia https://www.tumblr.com/fahimfoysal21 Join the greatest religious quest of our time. The search for the Ark of the Covenant, the golden container thought to hold the Ten Commandments, dates back to 586 B.C., when it vanished from King Solomon's temple. Some scholars have speculated that the ark was brought to Ethiopia, while others believe the ark could be located in the Judean desert. Oregon Vortex Gold Hill, Oregon Experience an unexplainable force field just off Interstate 5 in southern Oregon. Native Americans called it the The Forbidden Ground, and in the early 1900s, scientists speculated that the land contained crossed magnetic lines that produced a strange force field. It's been reported that the vortex can make things spin, create the illusion of a dramatic change in height, and other optical illusions. The Boston Strangler Boston, Massachusetts Investigate and catch the real Boston Strangler. Between 1962 and 1964, 11 women were found strangled to death in their Boston homes. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the killings, but discrepancies in his story and advances in DNA testing led authorities to re-open the case in 2001. The Loch Ness Monster Inverness, Scotland Spot Nessie in the Highlands of Scotland. After thousands of reported sightings and investigations, the Loch Ness Monster has been described as 15 - 40 feet long with 1 or several humps. Scientists speculate that it (if it truly exists) could be a prehistoric marine reptile with a long neck and flippers, while others believe it could be part of the eel family. Crop Circles Avebury, England Decipher gigantic, intricate patterns found in the wheat fields of a small farming community. Crop circles have appeared around the world, but over 100 have been reported in Avebury within the last 12 years. Explanations for these frequent formations include hoaxes, the wind, the military, lasers and the ever popular extraterrestrial messages. Easter Island Statues Easter Island Witness Polynesian giants 2,300 miles west of Chile and 2,500 miles southeast of Tahiti. When discovered in 1722, this 15-mile island was completely isolated and uninhabited except for 800 enormous statues. Their huge size and weight -- some standing 30 feet tall and weighing over 75 tons -- would have made them almost impossible to build and move. Jack the Ripper London, England Retrace the steps of the world's most notorious serial killer. More than a century after the butchering of 5 prostitutes, the identity of Jack the Ripper remains a mystery. Visitors to London's East End can still experience that autumn of terror on the original Jack the Ripper Walk.

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[endeavorsreward]

The Soldier and the Dragon (Pt 1)

[In honor of FFVIIR, a tale of Cloud and Ivalice; excerpted from the adaptation project as always. To be released in parts as they’re completed.]

The Felmarian Highlands stretched from the Limberry border to just south of Lesalia and as far west as Mount Bervenia; it was believed that Mesa, the Hero King, established his great city in the shadow of those mountains for their protection in the wake of the great Cataclysm, and as Lesalia grew, the range served always as a protective bulwark for Ivalice’s royal seat. It was from these mountains that the Zeirchele found its origin, and it was said that they offered some of the richest, most beautiful views in all the continent. But the weather at their altitude could be quite perilous—indeed, the southeastern end of the range suffered nearly year-’round snowstorms, which funneled most travelers of the Highlands through the low, bowl-cut valley pass that fed towards Dorter, a circuitous path wide enough for heavy caravans but one which added days to the journey, hemmed in by tall rock faces until they were desposited out nearly in the Zeklaus.

There was, however, a second path. More precarious and thus less traveled, some ways north from Germonique’s Crossing there was a steep slope cut into the mountains that wound halfway up one of the lower peaks before smoothing into a plateau where the rock had been cracked open to allow passage. It was recommended that one only travel the path on birdback, and even then on a greenfeather if you could find one, due to the uneven traversal, and only during calmer weather.

There were four chocobo on that path now, three with paired riders and a fourth laden with gear. They were not greens, however, but pure blackfeather birds, though surprisingly docile; despite their usual station as warbirds, these four seemed to navigate the narrow ridgeline as though they were well-practiced, keeping sure footing the whole climb. The six hume travelers were all in hooded cloaks, layered tunics, and other accoutrement for the cold, but thus far the break in the storms had held.

When the path leveled out, and the rock provided a windbreak, the riders disembarked; the shortest of them opened their cloak slightly to reveal an infant grasping for her collar, well and warm. Another, who moved at a hunch, brushed down the birds as they got some needed rest after the climb.

The band’s leader and his passenger lowered their hoods to reveal Ramza Beoulve and Mustadio Bunansa, their breaths visible and clouding about their faces.

“I told you.” Ramza offered his friend a wry grin.

“When you’re right, you’re right.” Mustadio shook his head. “I owe you five gil. A gentleman always pays his wagers.”

Ramza scrunched up his face. “Am I now to take you for a gentleman?”

“I like to think that the Bunansa name carries with it a certain charm and gentility, yes.” Mustadio grinned, flipping the gilcoin at his friend, who had to throw up his hands to catch it.

“You have that fusil oil you use on the end of your nose.”

Mustadio ignored him, instead walking over to slap the back of the man who was tending to the birds. “Credit where it’s due, my friend, I didn’t think Boco’s unruly progeny could be tamed, yet here we are, freezing to death as we ought.”

Cloud Strife turned to regard Mustadio, his unearthly blue eyes all but glowing from within the shadowed hood. “They just seem to listen to me.”

Mustadio pointed to an errant spike of hair protruding from Cloud’s hood. “I dare say they mistake your plumage for one of their own.”

“Don’t tease him.” Rem Tokimiya sneezed and rubbed at her face with her sleeve. “He’s done ever so well today, he has.”

“Indeed.” Ramza walked over to where Cuthbert and Nicholina were bobbing their child. “How does the little one fare?”

“Just fine.” Cuthbert grinned. “He’s stronger than all of us together.”

Ramza’s face softened. “I’ve no doubt.” He stretched his arms, and then his back, working the kinks out from the day’s ride. The chocobo had held up far better than even he had expected, but even a smooth ride up a mountain face was still just that. “Shall we break for lunch, or travel on?”

Nicholina’s wide-brimmed wizard hat shook back and forth. “From here, the journey is no more than two hours, perhaps three.”

“I know I’d as soon have tables and chairs,” offered Mustadio.

“Mayhap you are of the nobility after all,” Ramza said, to be rewarded with his friend attempting a playful open-handed jab at his ribs.

Cuthbert cleared his throat. “As well, I’d sooner not continue gazing at the miracle.”

“Ah.” And Ramza turned back towards their destination, where the plateau met the mountainside, and a fissure lay open, as though the peak itself had been rent in twain by a blade even larger than Cloud’s gigantic materia blade.

It was said that in the time of the Zodiac Braves, they did travel this mountain pass and come upon the mountain peak as an obstacle; loyal Balias, truest of the Braves, was empowered in his love for Ajora Glabados and split the peak with his bare hand so that they might cross. Ever after, it was said no door or bar could stand before him. The story was apocryphal; not a one of them could ever remember an abuna or confessor citing the tale, and it was not in the scriptures. But after they things they’d already seen, the event now felt less implausible.

“A point well-considered,” Mustadio muttered, pulling his hood back up.

To pass between the riven stone of Splitcrag Pass, they walked their birds. Though in truth they could pass three at a time shoulder-to-shoulder without touching, it felt claustrophobic—once they were between the jutting formations, a sort of optical illusion left them feeling like they tipped instead towards each other, threatening to collapse on top of them. It was perhaps thirty minutes before they were completely clear of the pass, and mounted again; Ramza let Cuthbert and Nicholina take the lead, as she knew the path from here the best.

On the opposite side of Splitcrag Pass, the road was far more traversible; the stone—and later, dirt—had been well worn-down by travelers, and so the birds felt comfortable increasing their pace. Blackbirds loved to run, so they let them kick up some snow as the sloping pathway led into the first clusters of trees they’d seen since ascending from Araguay and the Falls. They were leafless, but they were signs of life, and spirits were buoyed as their path met at last the road from the valley.

It had been safer to take the steep route; Agrias had taken her own contingent west, and Osric’s  was to split from her before Dorter; all of them were trying to stay off the main roads. Ramza had volunteered to take the northern route for the child’s sake; Nicholina and Cuthbert would not be swayed  from her first trip home since the day she’d been taken to the Akademy.

They’d come once more to the Mining Town of Gollund.

***

As they rode down to archway at the town’s entrance, formed from iron rods and piping, where the road gained cobbles and smoothed, Mustadio shivered.

“Do you have need of further heat?” Nicholina’s hand was alight with a soft magick torchfire; she’d been casting intermittently, keeping her hands warm for her child.

“If I wanted to catch flame, I’d experiment with my powders again.” Mustadio shook his head, looking back to where Rem had a similar light dancing in the mountain air—her head was turned away as she let out a damp cough. “Thank goodness you no longer wear the clothes in which we found you!”

“Those are a unifo--” she was brought up short as Cloud suddenly halted their chocobo midstride. “Whoa!” He evidenced no sign of having heard her, swinging one leg over the bird’s lowered neck and hopping to the ground—his eyes fixed on the town before them.

“...I am home,” Nicholina whispered with a strange mix of awe and sadness.

Cloud walked off without a word.

“Cloud!” Ramza hissed. “Don’t wander off!”

“So much for good behavior,” Mustadio sighed as he also climbed free and followed.

Ramza spurred his chocobo forward at a gentle lope. It had been a long while since he’d last come to Gollund; it had been after Lionel, after the group had reformed, when he’d met Orran Durai on the way to Lesalia. It seemed like a lifetime ago, now. He’d not had much chance to explore the town, then.

The Highlands have been the primary source of coal for all of Ivalice for as long as anyone could recall; while oil was becoming a more popular source for heating—for non-magickal heating—in recent years, the kingdom certainly still went through enough of it that Gollund, the largest mining town west of Zelmonia, was a vibrant place, and populous enough as well, given the harsh clime. But it was not a wealthy one. Most of the homes here were “modest” and “humble,” which were words that Ramza had once been taught to use in place of “poor.” The town center was only a spare few buildings—an inn, a market, a couple of homes—in a loose ring around a wooden structure that held the town’s sole water reservoir, which put him in mind of nothing so much as tales of Ajora’s well. It was there that Ramza found Cloud, staring at the water tower with one hand over his shoulder, on the hilt of his blade.

Mustadio had caught up to him, and was attempting to reason with the mysterious swordsman from another world... and attempt which seemed to fail, as Cloud turned and stalked off. “What has happened?”

“He’s in a state.” Mustadio shrugged. “I’m not certain what prompted—hey!” Ramza turned to follow Mustadio’s gaze only to see Cloud throw open the door of one of the houses and enter it.

Cuthbert came up alongside him. “What is he doing?”

“I don’t know.” Ramza waved him off. “We needn’t cause more of a scene than we are already. Take Rem and your family and rent us some rooms, we’ll corral him.” And he followed behind Mustadio into the house.

It was a small cottage, smaller even than the one where they’d holed up during the lost year; there was a wooden table meant to seat four in the center of the space, and he could see a trio of beds off to one far side, an old kettle on the coal stove, a few sprigs of flowers hung on one wall. The only resident, an old woman, was backing away from Cloud in terror, shaking her head.

“I lived in this house until I was fourteen,” he mumbled. “But it all burned down.”

“How could you say such things?” She cowered. “Are you sick?”

“Cloud!” Ramza used his battle voice, the commander voice, the shout that drove their company, and Cloud stiffened to attention.

“Sorry grandmother,” Mustadio whispered as he slowly, gently placed his hands on Cloud’s shoulders. “It was the war, you know?”

Her face softened, though her scowl remained. “Leave my home.”

Cloud let himself be eased back out of the house. Ramza took some gil from his purse and left it on the table, not even looking to see if she accepted.

Outside, Mustadio leaning in, trying to meet him eye to eye. “You can’t just enter someone’s home, yeah?”

“Cloud, you came to us through the orrery.” Ramza endeavored to keep his voice even. If they attracted that sort of attention for long, someone would recognize him for a heretic. “How could you have lived in that cottage as a boy?”

“The Zeno Gias...” Cloud rubbed at his eyes. “I do remember. North of here, the Promised Land.”

Mustadio frowned. “You mean Lesalia?” He looked to Ramza. “Now he thinks he’s King Mesa.”

“Let’s go, Cloud.” He led the man gently towards the inn.

***

The midday meal consisted of a hearty beef stew, and the first fresh bread they’d had in at least a week. Mustadio had a single tankard of warm mead; the rest had water.

When they’d rejoined the group at the inn, they’d rented two rooms, settled in, and had begun to ask Rem why she’d grown so quiet. Ramza had guided Cloud into a chair; he’d looked to the stairs leading to their rooms and pulled Ramza close.

“They’re missing a bed,” he hissed. Ramza gave his shoulder a pat and sat down beside him.

“I suppose it reminds me of my own hometown...” Rem dragged her spoon idly around her bowl. “Machina and I grew up there together.”

“That’s the boy you’ve talked about, right?” Cuthbert dabbed at his mouth. “I hadn’t realized you’d known him for that long.”

“Oh, yes.” Rem smiled sadly. “One day, the army of the White Tiger came... he and I hid together...” She closed her eyes. “He always promised to protect me, he did, even then...” She opened them. “They burnt it all down... there was nothing left.”

Cloud’s face twitched.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like.” Cuthbert looked at his child, dozing in Nicholina’s arms. “No doubt it was the same for Dorothea... you’re strong, to keep going, with those memories.”

“Oh...” She laughed bitterly. “I don’t remember any of them, from back then... just Machina.” She shrugged. “I can’t remember them. At times, it’s like it... it never happened.”

Cloud sucked in on his teeth.

“So,” Mustadio offered after a suitably respectful pause, in which everyone focused on their meal, “what transpires next? We drop off the happy family?”

“I shall be pleased to introduce you,” Nicholina nodded. “Did you see the larger manor towards the back of town? That is my home.”

Cloud began to sweat.

“I shall not be joining you.” Ramza pushed his empty bowl forward. “With the greatest of respects, Nicholina, it is better I keep my distance from your family.”

“Ramza, you are our family.” Cuthbert scowled.

“And that means more than I can say, Cuthbert, truly, but you understand my perspective.” Ramza sighed. “Nicholina’s father need not know of a heretic, lest he be accused of harboring one. It’s quite all right. I shall take this opportunity to visit the tavern; it would be to our benefit to know what word is traveling northward.”

Rem leaned in towards Nicholina. “Are you nervous?”

“No.” She bobbed her child. “Whatever transpires, I am not the child that lived here any longer. I am what was made of me.”

[zamjd]

@daycarefriendpickup magma doodle >:)

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE :DD

[caimofnoceur]

The list of science branches from my friend

Branches of Science:

1. Astronomy - study of celestial objects 2. Astrology - study of celestial functions 3. Anatomy - study of body structure 4. Bacteriology - study of bacteria 5. Biology - study of life 6. Bibliology - study of books 7. Chemistry - study of substance properties 8. Chaology - study of chaos 9. Cosmology - study of universe 10. Criminology - study of crime 11. Demography - study of population 12. Demology - study of human behavior 13. Demonology - study of demons 14. Diabology - study of devils 15. Diplomatics -science of ancient writings 16. Dysteleology - study of useless organs 17. Ecclesiology - study of church affairs 18. Ecology - study of environment 19. Economics - study of material wealth 20. Egyptology - study of ancient egypt 21. Entomology - study of insects 22. Entozoology - study of parasites 23. Epidemiology - study of diseases 24. Epistemology - study of knowledge 25. Eschatology - study of final matters 26. Ethnology - study of culture 27. Ethnomethodology - communication 28. Ethology - study of natural character 29. Etymology - study of word's origin 30. Euthenics - science of living conditions 31. Exobiology - study of extraterrestrials 32. Folkloristics - study of folklore 33. Garbology - study of garbage 34. Gemmology - study of gems 35. Genesiology - study of heredity 36. Geogony - study of earth's formation 37. Geography - study of earth's surface 38. Geology - study of earth's crust 39. Geomorphogeny-landform origin studies 40. Geratology - study of decay 41. Gerocomy - study of old age 42. Gigantology - study of giants 43. Glaciology - study of ice age 44. Gloosology - study of language 45. Gnosiology - study of knowledge 46. Hagiology - study of saints 47. Hamartiology - study of sin 48. Heliology - study of the sun 49. Helmintology - study of worms 50. Hematology - study of blood 51. Heortology - study of religious feasts 52. Heresiology - study of heresies 53. Herpetology - reptiles and amphibians 54. Hierology - science of sacred matters 55. Historiology - study of history 56. Hydrobiology - study of aquatic life 57. Hydrology - study of water resources 58. Iconography - study of drawing symbols 59. Iconology - study of symbols 60. Ideology - science of ideas 61. Immunology - study of immunity 62. Irenology - study of peace 63. Kalology - study of beauty 64. Ktenology - science of killing 65. Lexicology -study of words and meaning 66. Lexigraphy - art of defintion of words 67. Linguistics - study of language 68. Liturgiology - study of church rituals 69. Mariology - study of Virgin Mary 70. Mathematics - study of numbers 71. Metaphysics - principles of nature 72. Metaphsycology - nature of the mind 73. Meteoritics - study of meteors 74. Microbiology - study of microscopics 75. Micropaleontology - micro fossil studies 76. Mineralogy - study of minerals 77. Musicology - study of music 78. Mythology - study of myths 79. Naology - study of church architecture 80. Nephology - study of clouds 81. Neurypnology - study of hypnotism 82. Neutrosophy - study of origins 83. Noology - science of intellect 84. Nymphology - study of nymphs 85. Oceanography - study of oceans 86. Ombrology - study of rains 87. Oneirology - study of dreams 88. Onomastics - study of proper names 89. Ontology - study of pure beings 90. Optics - study of light 91. Orthoepy-study of correct pronunciation 92. Orthography - study of spelling 93. Paleoanthropology-study of early human 94. Paraphsycology-bizarre phenomena 95. Pataphysics -study of imaginary solution 96. Patrology - study of early christianity 97. Pedagogics - study of teaching 98. Phenomenology - study of phenomena 99. Philology - study of ancient texts 100. Philosophy - science of wisdom 101. Planetology - study of planets 102. Polemology - study of war 103. Praxeology - study of efficient actions 104. Pseudology - art of lying 105. Pseudoptics - study of optical illusions 106. Psychognosy - study of mentality 107. Pyrgology - study of towers 108. Rheology - study of deformation 109. Scatology - study of obscene literature 110. Seismology - study of earthquakes 111. Semantolography - study of meanings 112. Semantology-science of word meaning 113. Semiotics - study of signs and symbols 114. Sexology - study of sexual behavior 115. Significs - science of meanings 116. Sindinology - study of shroud of Turin 117. Sitology - dietetics 118. Sociology - study of society 119. Soteriology - theological salvation 120. Spectrology - study of ghosts 121. Storiology - study of folk tales 122. Stratography - art in leading in army 123. Suicidology - study of suicide 124. Symbology - study of symbols 125. Synectics - processes of invention 126. Systematology - study of systems 127. Teratology - study of malformation 128. Thanatology - study of death 129. Thaumatology - study of miracles 130. Theology - study of religious doctrine 131. Toxicology - study of poisons 132. Uranography - descriptive astronomy 133. Uranology - study of the heavens 134. Vexillology - study of flags 135. Virology - study of virus 136. Volcanology - study of volcanoes 137. Zoochemistry - chemistry of animals 138. Zoology - study of animals 139. Zoosemiotics - animal communication 140. Zootaxy - science of classifying animals.

-GOOGLEDFACTS

[zoraiya]

[A/N: I posted this on mobile I’m so sorry there’s no break. I wrote this when I was hospitalized and have been wanting to share it for a while. I tried formatting this so that it fits with any platform but it didn’t work. I’m sorry if it’s an eyesore. I might move to wattpad soon. I hope you enjoy.]

“Zoraiya, I swear on Otep, I will tear off your wings!”

With a squeal of laughter and one final loop de loop before landing gracefully in the center of the courtyard, Zoraiya inhaled deeply before flashing her niece a devilish grin. “As if that has ever been enough to stop me.”

Zoraiya tucked in her wings, the feathers rustling as she walked to the gazebo overlooking the emerald oceans. The azure skies were crystal clear. The winds carried with them the sound of music and laughter from the palace behind her. The sun was just beginning to set, a golden hue tinting her caramel skin.

Pepponi, a fair young woman with golden silver hair that framed a lithe body, walked up behind Zoraiya with a soft smirk.

“Oh, Pep,” Zoraiya sighed. “This…it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

Pepponi glanced up at the elder woman, noting the tenseness of her jaw and the strained expression in her eyes. “What are you thinking about, Auntie?”

Zoraiya slowly reached for a curl of her hair, twirling it around her thumb and forefinger as she lost herself to thought.

Everything Zoraiya fought for and protected was just as it should be. At long last she was surrounded by everyone she loved more than the air she breathed. Her planets, her cities, her people; all were safe, happy, and grateful beyond comprehension.

Yet, as Zoraiya watched wave after wave crash against the rocky barrier that separated nature from the palace grounds, she couldn’t shake away the feeling that something was off. Unsure of the emotions that sparked within her, Zoraiya turned to Pepponi, gently cupping the girls face. “You have truly grown in to a magnificent creature.”

“Auntie?”

“Pepponi, tell me…”

The younger lady paused, biting her lip in worry.

Zoraiya sighed, her ebony eyes beginning to sparkle with silver threads. Pepponi took an involuntary step backwards, instinct taking over. It was never a good sign when Zoraiya’s eyes revealed color.

“Do you think I made the wrong choice?” Asked Zoraiya.

Pepponi balked at the question. She who stood toe to toe with warring Gods. She who destroyed and absorbed said Gods for callously destroying the life they created. The very woman that had lead the Great Armies against the Void and began the Primordial War of the Sources.

Nexus Zoraiya was asking little Pepponi if she made the right choice?

“I don’t understand, Auntie…”

Zoraiya sighed as she willed her wings back in to her body. A handful of silver gossamer feathers slowly floated to rest around her feet. Unable to stop herself, Pepponi picked one up without a thought. As she brought the feather up to the sunlight, threads of gold lifted from the fiber and extended towards the sun.

Without warning, Zoraiya breathed gently on the feather, the gold flying away on the wind like dandelion seed. As they flew upwards the golden threads stretched out farther than Pepponi thought possible. The gold stretched and snapped once it reached its capacity, each snap producing a small golden ball of light. Soon, Zoraiya and Pepponi were surrounded by hundreds of small spheres.

Holding a hand out to gently capture a sphere, Zoraiya cupped the light and kneeled in front of Pepponi, waving her fingers at her to follow suit.

“Should I have continued Nathaniel’s legacy?”

Zoraiya tapped at the ball of light. A soft jingle emanated from it before it burst in a cloud of shimmering dust to reveal a radiant little pixie. Its tiny body was dappled with every color of the sunset. The pixie began humming a lighthearted tune as it danced amongst its sleeping brethren.

“Or,” Zoraiya continued. “Should I have continued on my own? A rogue source of life gifting its abilities wherever they stepped foot.”

Zoraiya waved a hand over the remainder spheres of light. A low hum reverberated the air before the courtyard suddenly burst with iridescent dust. A chorus of cheers and giggles surrounded them as the dust formed a small cyclone around them. As the pixies danced around the women, their lights illuminating their smiles, Zoraiya glanced down at Pepponi.

For so long, anger and spite had fueled Zoraiya. At times it felt like she hurt herself more than she did good by trying to save her people. But at long last she had secured the safety and protection of her realm. It came at a hefty price. A price that Zoraiya would take with her to her grave.

“I don’t think it really mattered what choice you made, Auntie.” Said Pepponi as she smiled at a cheeky pixie that had landed on her shoulder, using her hair as a fur coat. “Nathaniel simply maintained the balance of the Auriniyan realms, but you?”

Zoraiya cocked a brow, wondering what unintentional insult the girl was about to say. Pepponi looked up at her aunt, Pep’s large black eyes trapping Zoraiya in place.

No matter the being, creator or Source, no one was immune to the gateway of the Void whenever they set their eyes on you.

“Zoraiya, you ARE Auriniya. You may not be the Source, but the Source gave you the body you needed and gifted you the ability to traverse the realms you have always given life to.”

Zoraiya swallowed thickly as she listened. It wasn’t just Pepponi speaking right now. Underneath the girl’s voice was a power Zoraiya recognized all too well. One that made her ache for home even though she was right on it.

“Nathaniel was always just a placeholder. You should know by now that all great positions are always chosen and given with absolute care.” Pepponi kissed the pixie on her shoulder before facing her aunt and grabbing hold of her hand. “You are the first Nexus; the only Nexus in which its people unanimously chose to be with you. Nobody is perfect. But the life you share and the gifts you freely give leave us wanting for nothing.”

Zoraiya squeezed Pepponi’s hand and tried to smile. But a lump in her throat kept her quiet.

Pepponi continued without skipping a beat. “Nathaniel chose his position and knew it would be temporary. The Nexus of this realm had been missing for millennia.”

Shame bloomed in Zoraiya’s gut. Those memories were still missing and no matter what she tried to retrieve them, she was still a blank slate. They weren’t stolen, or her essence would still have the stain of the thief that dared venture in to her System. The memories Zoraiya sought were just…. not there. It was as if she had ceased to exist during the timeframe Nathaniel had temporarily played as Nexus.

“You found your way back to us, Auntie.” Pepponi blinked and Zoraiya was free from the hold of her gaze. “And the difference is indescribable.”

Zoraiya flipped her hair back and flashed a toothy grin, winking at Pepponi with a false air of superiority.

“Well, duh! It’s cuz I’m like, totally better than that emo twig.”

“Auntie!” Laughed Pepponi.

Zoraiya rolled her eyes and laughed, but she felt hollow. It seemed Pepponi was feeling the same. She sidled up to Zoraiya’s side and rested her head on the elder woman’s shoulder. Pepponi trembled before a tear slid out and dropped on Zoraiya’s wrist.

Zoraiya tilted her head to observe the girl’s somber expression. She knew that look all too well, hugging Pepponi closer to her side.

“Your father will be just fine.” Zoraiya whispered in her ear.

Pepponi scrunched her face up in a sour look but said nothing. With a sigh, Zoraiya stared at the setting sun, the pixies whooping and cheering as their glow began to grow and illuminate the courtyard.

“Love can make us blind and do extremely foolish things.” Muttered Zoraiya.

Suddenly, Pepponi turned on her with a wail.

“Then why does he hurt mother?!”

Pepponi’s eyes welled up with tears, creating an unsettling optical illusion where her eyes looked bulbous and larger than her face could hold.

“Why won’t papa let her come back to us? I know he said it was to protect us, but how?! How are we protected when everything he does to mother, all his children can see and feel as well?”

Zoraiya snapped her head back, her stomach lurching at the news. “What are you talking about? He promised he severed those connections.”

“Oh, that’s what you’re worried about?!”

Pepponi sniffled as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She took a deep breath and nodded as if giving herself permission to tell Zoraiya the truth.

“Papa never had that power or authority. Maybe he did when he was in Realm 6, but here?”

Pepponi shook her head, her shoulders drooping. “Mother always made sure we were safe and happy. She made sure that while we were connected, it was a line of love and communication. Nothing more.”

With a ragged breath Pepponi continued. “Maybe once or twice the connection would slip and Arcadian would pick up on distress signals. But it was never for us. The one time Arcadian tried to respond to it, Mother disappeared for months.”

With a jolt to the stomach, Zoraiya immediately knew what incident Pepponi was speaking of.

“When Papa told us he would be leaving us to you, he said it was because he was afraid that his sister, Sara, would come back and take us all the moment she could.”

Pepponi shook her head in disgust, her lip curling in to a snarl. “He said he was taking Mother to a new realm. One that Sara would never find and never be welcome to. Then, once things had settled, either we could go live with Mother and Papa, or they would come back to us.”

Zoraiya squeezed her eyes shut but did not turn away from the girl. She had a very sick feeling of what had happened.

“She is his slave, Auntie,” cried Pepponi. “He robbed her of all her abilities, all of her memories. Now she is his slave to do as he sees fit.”

Pepponi scoffed and flung her arms out as if to challenge the universe for her observations. “And it’s just with Mother, y’know? Papa is gone. We don’t feel him. But we know what he’s doing because of how much mother suffers.”

Pepponi glared at Zoraiya as if it were all her fault.

Truth be told, Zoraiya felt she was at fault. She bit her lower lip as she tried to remember the last time she spoke to the couple. Anxiety began to unfurl as she realized she couldn’t remember. Not just that, she could feel that it was missing.

And with that realization the air around Zoraiya began to crackle with the energy of her emotions.

“Auntie?”

Pepponi wiped at her eyes and reached out. The pixies clamored around her, tugging at her clothes and hair in an attempt to pull her back from the oncoming explosion.

A wave of energy blasted from Zoraiya, knocking Pepponi off her feet and sending the pixies flying over the garden walls. Zoraiya’s eyes flashed a vibrant silver lined with red, her jaw clenched and her teeth bared. Her waist length ebony hair whipped around her body, a low growl creeping from her gut and escaping her lips in a ferocious roar that scared away the remaining birds.

The party in the palace came to a screeching halt. Everyone that had been inside now rushed towards the women in worry.

“SARA!”

Pepponi flinched and scurried hastily back to her feet before running in to her sister, Alessana’s, outstretched arms. All of her siblings rushed forward to surround her, Skudrianka barking for her Hellhounds to take her younger siblings back indoors and stand guard.

Zoraiya’s energy unleashed gales of wind that whipped across the courtyard. It ripped flowers from bushes, causing trees to slightly uproot, and clothes whipping so hard they left welts on everyone’s open skin.

Peztilenz turned to Pepponi before she was rushed indoors, her horns piercing through her shaggy purple hair as she summoned forth her own abilities. “What happened?” She demanded as she blasted a bench that was flying straight to them.

Zoraiya let out another roar of fury, her body trembling as she struggled to contain herself.

“I don’t know!” Cried Pepponi. “I told her about Mother. She yelled Sara’s name and now she’s like this!”

Pez swore and tapped at Skudi’s chest as she nodded to her brother, Arcadian. “You know the drill.”

In unison they unfurled their wings, the appendages blocking the winds and protecting their siblings as they rushed back indoors. As the tips of their wings touched each other a low hum emanated from them as they vibrated with power. One by one, 13 eyes opened on each wing. They zeroed in on Zoraiya as she began to lift off the ground and suspend in midair.

“Dai’Ut!”

The three shouted in unison, their wings flapping once with a thunderous sound. Beams of light shot from each eye to tie themselves around Zoraiya’s wrists and ankles.

With a shriek of rage Zoraiya yanked her arms and legs to her side, violently pulling the three towards her. Before they could react she spun in midair, swinging them around the garden in an attempt to fling them off.

Unfortunately for her, the siblings had trained diligently for such an event. As Zoraiya reached for Skudi, Arcadian tugged at his beams of light, forcing her arm back to her side. Skudi rushed at Zoraiya and lassoed her light around her, cinching her arms to her sides. Zoraiya gnashed her teeth, her eyes now a glowing red.

Arcadian quickly flew in front of her, Pez lassoing Zoraiya a second time before she and Skudi pulled their light tightly behind her. The light from Arcadian’s wings slithered up Zoraiya’s body to wrap around her mouth and hold her head still from the angry thrashing she resorted to.

With a deep breath, Arcadian’s golden eyes bore into hers as he chanted the binding spell. His short black hair whipped at his cheeks. A muscular arm slowly raised, a finger outstretched and pointed right at her heart.

Before Arcadian could touch her, Zoraiya managed to snap her head back, pulling Arcadian close enough that they bumped chests. With a crack that echoed throughout the courtyard, Zoraiya head butted Arcadian hard enough to send him flying over the garden walls.

Skudrianka cried out to her brother before she tackled Zoraiya. Her wings closed in around them both, encasing them before a bright light shot through Skudi’s feathers followed by a deafening boom.

A cloud of dust and debris enveloped the courtyard.

Still stunned, Arcadian flew back to Pez’s side, a trickle of blood sliding from his forehead down the side of his cheek.

“Are you alright?” Asked Pez.

Arcadian nodded but groaned, instantly regretting the action. “Damn, the bitch actually hit me with a lightning bolt.” He growled as he rubbed his head.

“At least she didn’t transfer you to a different body this time,” said Pez. “C’mon, help me with this.”

She waved a hand at the debris, only a fraction of the dust dissipating. “Dammit, she drained me!” Pez looked at her brother with incredulity. “I don’t feel a difference, though. What about you?”

Arcadian didn’t answer, his piercing gaze trying to pinpoint where his sister and aunt had landed.

A high pitched whistle pierced their ears. In an instant, both of them found themselves face first on the ground, gravity seemingly increasing and keeping them pinned. A blast of wind cleared the courtyard of all debris.

Arcadian struggled to lift his head up. All he could do was turn his head to the side to see a pair of bare feet walking towards him. Skudi’s unconscious body was being dragged alongside them.

“The day I let you whelps actually subdue, the skies will rain blood and the seas will burn dry.”

Zoraiya dumped Skudi between Pez and Arcadian. Without warning, she lifted their heads up with a single finger, glaring down at them murderously. Skudi remained still. So Still, Arcadian began to fear the worst.

“Otep may have given you the job of keeping me in line, but my job far surpasses yours.” Growled Zoraiya.

Her scarlet eyes bore in to their skulls. Arcadian could feel her essence crawling up his spine, slowly reaching the recesses of his consciousness. He grit his teeth as he fought valiantly for his freedom, Pez whimpering next to him as Zoraiya took control of her body as well.

Suddenly, his blood ran cold. His vision began to fade around the edges and his muscles went slack.

“Listen carefully, lirshna.”

Zoraiya’s voice was barely above a whisper but it felt thunderous nonetheless. He met her eyes and felt his heart drop at the single tear that slid down her cheek.

“Look to the stars, for we ride to their light.”

A rip appeared behind her, tendrils of space and time weeping out and reaching towards Zoraiya.

Arcadian struggled to reach out to her. He knew without a shadow of a doubt this wasn’t supposed to happen. The rip grew large enough to fit her whole body. As she began to turn, a black blur tackled her to the ground with a vicious snarl.

Beside him, Skudi was up on all four limbs. Her lips peeled back to reveal enlarged canines that sliced her bottom lip. Her eyes flashed an ominous yellow-orange. Her pupils dilated until they were mere slits. Her honey braids slapped her cheeks and back as she unleashed her energy. Skudi’s clothes began to rip apart from her sheer power.

In front of them, Zoraiya fought with Skudi’s Chief Hellhound. His jaw was clamped on tightly to her left arm, a paw the size of a dinner plate pinning her to the ground by the throat. Every time Zoraiya attempted to move, Titan shook his massive head, drawing blood and tearing her arm to shreds.

Zoraiya’s free hand began to glow, the grass beneath it singeing from the heat in her palm.

Despite Titan’s attempt at diverting her attention, Arcadian and Peztilenz were still paralyzed in place. And as much as Arcadian willed himself to move, he couldn’t stop Skudi from leaping at Zoraiya.

Time seemed to slow to a halt while Arcadian watched in horror as Skudi exploded out of her carbon body and transformed fully in to her Darkmoon form.

20 wings sprung from her back as her body stretched in height by a couple of feet. Each pair of wings were from a different animal and began to vibrate with power. Her hands turned in to talons, her eyes now diamonds. A fissure of gold stretched from under her right eye to her navel. Her skin was now a marble effect of turquoise and indigo.

Titan moved a split second before Skudi made contact. The moment she collided with Zoraiya, the Nexus slapped her undamaged hand on to Skudi’s abdomen. The Darkmoon scooped Zoraiya in to her arms and rolled in to the rip of space and time as she used her wings to cocoon them.

A blinding flash of blue white light exploded from the rip, soon followed by a sonic boom that shattered every window of the palace. There was nothing but splinters left of the gazebo.

As suddenly as it had begun, the battle was over.

Arcadian and Pez fell slack, their bodies trembling from all the effort they put in unsuccessfully regaining control.

Their siblings came rushing for them once they realized Zoraiya had disappeared.

“Where’s Skudi?” Asked the twins, Eizyn and Craemoran. They were the first to reach their eldest brother.

Pepponi, Aeslin, and Odette were helping Pez back to her feet. Seigun, Rune, and Alessana tried their best to help heal their brother and sister.

Rheanon, the second eldest, stood still in the center of the courtyard. All she needed to do was allow the emotional remnants of the battle seep in to her. Her shoulders dropped as she used her ability to replay the events in her minds eye.

“Skudrianka,” coughed Arcadian. His voice croaked with unshed tears. “She’s alive, but mother…”

A hoarse sob escaped his throat.

Pez stumbled toward her brother, her forehead touching his as she leaned in to him.

Their siblings clamored around them, desperate to hear what Arcadian was trying to say. But try as he might, he couldn’t get a single word out. He just didn’t want it to be true…

Rheanon slowly turned towards her family. Her golden eyes studied each of their faces carefully. When she met Arcadian’s gaze there was a momentary pause. Then he nodded, giving her permission to explain.

Rheanon took a deep breath.

“Momma and Papa are trapped in the Leibz Aurni system. Sara’s system laws are embedded in it.”

Rhea waited until her siblings stopped talking over one another before she continued.

“Sara has been patiently waiting for millennia. Papa knew, but he trusted his mother when she offered sanctuary.”

“How can he go from hating that system to suddenly entrusting their lives to it?!” Seigun exclaimed. His emerald eyes glared at Rheanon as if she had anything to do with her father’s choice.

Rheanon slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. You know how private Papa can be.”

“What does that have to do with what just happened?” Asked Odette. Her large black eyes brimmed with tears. “Why did Auntie blow up?”

Before Rhea could respond Pez finally spoke up.

“Arcadian, Skudi, and I were given an assignment by the Sources.”

Pez met everyone’s gaze with her chin raised defiantly before she continued. “We were tasked to take out a memory from Zoraiya without her knowing.”

The backlash that ensued would have made Zoraiya proud.

“You did WHAT?!” Barked Seigun and the twins. The girls hissed their disappointment causing Arcadian to hang his head in shame.

“You know how personal she takes these things!”

“Why would you betray Auntie?”

“What could possibly be so important that you’d steal from a Nexus?”

Rheanon put two fingers to her lips and let out a piercing whistle that got everyone’s immediate attention.

“All of you, shut the hell up!” She glared at all of them. When she was sure they wouldn’t interrupt she nodded at Pez and Arcadian to continue.

The two exchanged wary glances before taking deep breaths.

“Sara is under investigation by the Judges.” Said Pez.

“Only this time, Otep is barred from any part of it.” Added Arcadian.

“Because Arkadiy is our father, we were the first to be called in the the Grand Council’s chambers.” Pez cleared her throat before continuing. “Mama…she stayed away from us to keep us untainted.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Demanded Craemoran, his shoulders tensed as if he was about to swing at her if she gave an unsatisfactory answer.

“It means we are considered unbiased in the trial against Sara and Rella.” Pez finished through clenched teeth, her hand balling in to a fist at her side.

“I don’t understand,” muttered Alessana. “What is this trial even about?”

Arcadian places a hand on Pez’s shoulder to stop her from snapping an answer. He looked at everyone and explained it all.

“Sara has accused mother of breach of System Treatise, stealing people, altering their essence, and outright destruction of souls. She also accused Papa of leaking secrets of her realm to Rella. Mother knew Sara would eventually try this. But because of her keen insight, the Grand Council finds it hard to believe that Papa and Mama hadn’t planned any of this in advance.

“Specifically with Papa. He has a rap sheet that could wrap around this planet tenfold. So, our job was to find evidence that proved their innocence.

“Unfortunately, that’s been damn near impossible. The farther we dug, the more evidence we found against them. Then, one day, Skudi noticed a strange glitch during one of our searches through Papa’s memory archives. His essence was everywhere, but there was an underlying taint to it. One we never would have found without Skudi and her dogs.”

Arcadian scratched the back of his head and let out a deep sigh.

“When Skudi investigated further, we realized what we felt was Zoraiya’s essence camouflaged perfectly with Papa and Mama’s memory archives.”

Pez held a hand up as everyone began to ask questions all at once again.

“No,” she said. “It doesn’t mean Zoraiya tampered with their memories.”

“If anything, it proved to us that we were looking for a Master Manipulator. Zoraiya’s essence that was laced with our parents was really, really old. It predated me.” Explained Arcadian. “The timeline the Grand Council was speaking of had also been tampered with. We checked it out and…we found Nathaniel’s essence. Except his essence had definitely been altered. We realized his essence was mixed with Zeig’s.”

“Oh, damn.” Breathed Eizyn as realization dawned on them. One by one the rest began to understand what Arcadian was insinuating.

Arcadian ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he let everyone digest the news.

Pez stepped forward.

“Someone is framing Mama and Papa. And in Leibz Aurni, you’re guilty until proven innocent.” She said. “We’re almost positive that Sara is involved, but we needed the memory of our Nexus.”

Arcadian nodded. “It’s impossible for a Nexus to be altered without unanimous approval of all Sources.

The courtyard fell silent as the information registered with everyone. Unspoken questions still hung in the air. But the most important question of them all: Why didn’t Mother go to the Grand Council herself?

They all understood why Arcadian, Pez, and Skudi stole Zoraiya’s memory. She never would have willingly given it up. She despised the Grand Council and firmly believed they were a corrupted and self serving lot. And since a Nexus was considered ranks above them, they could not force her to comply unless all existing Sources demanded it.

The twins were the first to recover, voicing their optimism that the Sources hadn’t forced Zoraiya because they believed in their parents innocence.

“Don’t be naïve. You know Sources never go by emotion. They go by facts.” Said Arcadian.

“To them, there isn’t enough evidence on either end for them to make any kind of demands.” Added Pez. “Which is why the three of us came up with a plan.”

Arcadian bit his lower lip and hesitated in explaining any further. Rheanon came up between him and Pez. She placed a comforting hand on Arcadian’s shoulder, her free hand reaching for Pez’s. She squeezed them gently in reassurance.

“Tell them.” She whispered encouragingly.

Arcadian let his breath out slowly before nodding. “You know how Skudi’s ability is to 100% erase any traces of an unwanted essence? Well, I, uh…I used my ability to ‘borrow’ the memory we needed. Skudi was behind me and erased my tracks….then she implanted the tainted essence we found in dad’s Memory Archives.”

“Oh, Gods, you didn’t.” Hissed Pepponi.

Arcadian straightened himself, showing no remorse.

“Zoraiya is the only being we know that is capable of deconstructing anyone’s essence, no matter how tainted or camouflaged.” He said. “In fact, it’s impossible to hide from her. Which is why Zanbato gave us the idea in the first place.”

The stunned silence that followed was palpable. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes and their mouths open in shock. Even Pez slowly turned her gaze upon him, her violet eyes flashing with fury.

“Not once did you ever mention that all this was HIS plan.” Growled Pez.

Arcadian shrugged a shoulder. “Because you never would have believed that he was doing this to help. Trust me when I say he knew what he was doing when he made the suggestion to the Grand Council.”

Pez took a threatening step toward him, Rheanon quickly grabbing her around the waist and keeping her from lunging at their brother.

“Are you working for HIM now?!” Snarled Pez as she angrily shoved Rhea off of her.

Arcadian rolled his eyes and snorted.

“This is exactly why they called me in first.” He muttered. “No, Pez, I’m not working for a Source. You forget that Zanbato and Zoraiya were actually close in the Primordial Era.”

Pez snapped her mouth shut, a fang slicing her bottom lip. Her face pinked with embarrassment as she nodded her agreement. She licked at the droplet of blood on her lip and gently told him to continue.

“Yeah. Exactly. Just because a splinter of him is out to get her does not in and of itself mean that Zanbato himself is against her. If anything…” Arcadian trailed off.

While he may understand the stoic Source, he knew his siblings would never believe that the Source—

“He still loves Zoraiya.”

Everyone turned to look at Pepponi as if she sprouted a second head. Odette broke away from Alessana’s grasp and stood by Pepponi. She interlaced her fingers with her sister and looked up at her encouragingly.

“Trust us if you don’t believe Arcadian. You all know Dotty and I are directly connected to the Void.” Said Pepponi.

“All throughout time and known history, Zanbato would search for Zoraiya within the Void. He risked losing himself, his very existence, to make sure Zoraiya wasn’t lost to the Void.”

Odette faced everyone with a defiant glare. “The centuries that Zoraiya was missing, Zanbato searched every corner of every universe that he could reach. His suggestion isn’t meant as a trap.”

“If Zoraiya, Mama, and Papa are truly guilty, Zanbato will do nothing to stop judgement and execution. But if there’s even an inkling that they’re innocent, Zanbato WILL make sure that justice prevails.” Finished Pepponi.

Arcadian nodded his approval, grateful he had some form of backup. “Exactly. Now we know who and what was behind the tampering. I just…didn’t expect Zoraiya to blow up the way she did.”

Pez slapped him upside the head and stared at him drolly. “You idiot, the Grand Council themselves were hesitant of the plan BECAUSE she’s so volatile and unpredictable!”

Rubbing his head and giving her a sour look, Arcadian growled his annoyance.

“Ok, but it’s literally been over a millennia since the Trials. You would think Sara wasn’t such a triggering factor anymore.”

Alessana stared at him in disbelief. “No matter the species, men are dumb.”

“Hey!” Snapped all the males.

Alessana rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s true. When women love, we love with every facet of our existence.”

The girls muttered their agreement.

Emboldened, Alessana continued.

“Zoraiya loved Zanbato in return. Just imagine the love she had for Sara. Yes, Sara is a splinter of Zanbato, but that’s not the reason why she loved her. Zoraiya loved Sara for her individuality. Her uniqueness, her intelligence. Sara was loved for her bravery and unwavering confidence. All Zoraiya ever did was support Sara to keep growing.”

Alessana laid a hand where her heart would be, her chest glowing softly as her Life Source reacted to her own emotions. “Then Sara stabbed Zoraiya in the back and robbed her blind. Zoraiya loved Sara only to become victim to her jealousy. Sara projected her self hatred on to the Nexus and did everything she could to destroy her from the inside out. That pain never disappears. It’s a permanent scar on the soul that is always at risk of being flayed open again.”

“So, then, what does this all mean?” Asked Seigun.

“It means we need to find Zoraiya before she does something insanely stupid and gets herself executed.” Craemoran bluntly said.

“But what about Mama and Papa?” Questioned Odette. “We’ve all seen what he’s doing to mama. Shouldn’t we at least try to figure out how to relay a message to them?”

A strained silence fell upon them. All of them had their own opinion of the situation. But as they exchanged furtive glances with each other, they all agreed upon one thing:

The Nexus had to be stopped or else she and the realms she gave life to would face complete destruction at the hands of the Sources and Grand Council.

[nativemystery23]

Top 10 Places of Mystery

Open your mind to new travel experiences by trading your usual fun-in-the sun vacation for 1 of these strange phenomena, unexplainable events or mysterious murder locations. Crystal Skulls Southern Mexico and Central America Search ancient Mayan ruins throughout the jungles of southern Mexico and Central America for magical skulls. The legend claims that 13 crystal skulls, thought to be containers of great wisdom and mankind's destiny, were left behind by Mayan elders to be discovered by future generations. Five of the skulls have already been found -- 1 in Belize's Lost City of Lubaantun. Nazca Lines Nazca, Peru Fly over enormous land figures -- including a dog, a monkey and a 900-foot bird -- along the southern coast of Peru. Although the lines are believed to have been created by the Nazca Indians some 2,000 years ago, no one is certain why or how they managed to produce such massive, complex forms. Some believe aliens created them as landing strips for their spacecraft. Bermuda Triangle Atlantic Ocean Visit the 3 apexes -- Miami, San Juan and Bermuda -- of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. The triangle earned its deadly reputation due to the unexplained disappearances of 80 aircraft and 60 boats since 1975. Intense electrical forces and a tunnel-like cloud have been reported, but other theories include rapidly changing weather patterns and alien abduction. Ark of the Covenant Ethiopia Join the greatest religious quest of our time. The search for the Ark of the Covenant, the golden container thought to hold the Ten Commandments, dates back to 586 B.C., when it vanished from King Solomon's temple. Some scholars have speculated that the ark was brought to Ethiopia, while others believe the ark could be located in the Judean desert. Oregon Vortex Gold Hill, Oregon Experience an unexplainable force field just off Interstate 5 in southern Oregon. Native Americans called it the The Forbidden Ground, and in the early 1900s, scientists speculated that the land contained crossed magnetic lines that produced a strange force field. It's been reported that the vortex can make things spin, create the illusion of a dramatic change in height, and other optical illusions. The Boston Strangler Boston, Massachusetts Investigate and catch the real Boston Strangler. Between 1962 and 1964, 11 women were found strangled to death in their Boston homes. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the killings, but discrepancies in his story and advances in DNA testing led authorities to re-open the case in 2001. The Loch Ness Monster Inverness, Scotland Spot Nessie in the Highlands of Scotland. After thousands of reported sightings and investigations, the Loch Ness Monster has been described as 15 - 40 feet long with 1 or several humps. Scientists speculate that it (if it truly exists) could be a prehistoric marine reptile with a long neck and flippers, while others believe it could be part of the eel family. Crop Circles Avebury, England Decipher gigantic, intricate patterns found in the wheat fields of a small farming community. Crop circles have appeared around the world, but over 100 have been reported in Avebury within the last 12 years. Explanations for these frequent formations include hoaxes, the wind, the military, lasers and the ever popular extraterrestrial messages. Easter Island Statues Easter Island Witness Polynesian giants 2,300 miles west of Chile and 2,500 miles southeast of Tahiti. When discovered in 1722, this 15-mile island was completely isolated and uninhabited except for 800 enormous statues. Their huge size and weight -- some standing 30 feet tall and weighing over 75 tons -- would have made them almost impossible to build and move. Jack the Ripper London, England Retrace the steps of the world's most notorious serial killer. More than a century after the butchering of 5 prostitutes, the identity of Jack the Ripper remains a mystery. Visitors to London's East End can still experience that autumn of terror on the original Jack the Ripper Walk.

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[thorne93]

The Right Path (Part 5)

Prompt: (From request) Hi! I was wondering, would you it be okay to request a Charles Xavier x telepath!reader? Where they have a mind link since their ability first showed up and so they already know each other even before theyve actually met and then he finds her when he first uses Cerebo and he and Erik go to her first?? Its an idea ive had for a while, but im not nearly an amazing writer like you!

Word Count: 1900

Warning: language (maybe??), child abuse, mental and physical abuse, depression…

Note: I LOVED this request. Thank you for sending it in. I am so sorry it took so long to write. I hope I did it justice dear. Plus, thank you for the super sweet note ; ) Beta’d by none other than @like-a-bag-of-potatoes

Forever Tags: @capsmuscles @cocosierra94 @essie1876 @magpiegirl80 @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @harleyquinnandscarletwitch @iamwarrenspeace @marvel-imagines-yes-please @superwholocked527 @myparadise1982sand @missinstantgratification @thejemersoninferno @rda1989 @marvelloushamilton @munlis @thefridgeismybestie @bubblyanarocks3 @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @hardcollectionworldtrash @igiveupicantthinkofausername @kaliforniacoastalteens @feelmyroarrrr​ @kaeling

James McAvoy:  @bohemianrhapsody86 @lenawiinchester

Charles Xavier: @bohemianrhapsody86 @lenawiinchester

Right Path: @polkadottedpillowcase

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had gone to Russia with Erik, Charles, and Moira. Charles thought your telepathy would come in handy, and on a handful of occasions it did, making you feel proud.  Charles made sure you were safe and taken care of the entire time, constantly stealing glances at you, giving you encouraging smiles, squeezing your hand for support and a reminder that he was there.

Once plans were made that you all would stay with Charles and train to fight Shaw and his new army, you arrived at his estate, and it was beyond any of your wildest dreams.

“This...this is where you live?” you breathed, standing next to Charles, staring at the expansive and impressive home.

“This is where we all will live,” he informed, looking over at you, a gentle smile on his ridiculously gorgeous face, making your stomach do flips. The lot of you walked inside, Charles working with everyone to find a living space. All of you would stay on the same hall.

“And here’s your room,” Charles informed, gesturing to the stunning bedroom. “It’s...uh..right next to mine. I just thought that...well..you’d feel better if you were closer to me. The other’s haven’t exactly had the same sort of upbringing you have,” he noted, a tiny bit nervous it seemed. The fact that this compassionate, handsome, caring, warm man was even the slightest bit intimidated by you made you soften a bit, and put you a bit at ease as well.

You smiled gently. “Thank you, for everything you’ve done for me. It means the world, Charles. No one's been as kind to me as you have been.”

“Think nothing of it. We’re practically childhood friends,” he said with a chuckle, which you returned, the feeling of comfort surrounding you again.

“That’s true.”

“Seeing as it’s only the afternoon, we could start training, if you’d like,” he offered.

“Uh, yes, sure, let’s do it,” you stuttered.

“Great, step on in here,” he instructed, gesturing his hand inside. You followed his command and went in to sit on one of the chairs in the small seating arrangement, just one of the ostentatious furniture pieces accentuating the room. Once he sat across from you he put his fingers in a pyramid formation against his chin. Meanwhile, your eyes traced him, trying to commit him to memory. He and you were alone, finally, for the first time and you wanted to take this moment to try and etch everything about him into your head. You didn’t even care if he could hear every thought you were having. You liked Charles, and you didn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed of him knowing it.

“Hmm,” he hummed, trying to determine how best to start. “What would you like to work on first?”

“Stopping the voices,” you quickly stated. “At least...like you can. You don’t constantly hear the chatter...I want the noise to stop.”

“That’s actually rather easy. You’re so focused on getting them to stop that it’s just enhancing your ability,” he explained.

You frowned slightly. “I don’t think I follow.”

He thought of a different way to explain it, a light coming into his eyes when he finally thought of one. He was probably proud and excited to stretch his teaching skills for the first time since graduation. “Have you ever been in a room, and there’s an incessant noise like a grinding or squeaking. At first, it’s all you notice, but then after an hour and you’re watching your favorite TV show or reading or what have you, you don’t notice the noise any more.”

You thought about it a moment. “Yeah.”

“And sometimes, maybe you suddenly think ‘Wait, where did the noise go?’ and then it’s all you can hear again.”

You laughed a little. “Uh, yeah, I’ve done that.”

“But without fail, if something comes in that claims your attention, the annoying noise is gone again, correct.”

You nodded, understanding his analogy. “Yeah. You’re saying I need a distraction, something to focus on.”

“Precisely,” he stated as he pointed you.

“But how am I going to find something to keep me focused and distracted all the time?” you wondered.

“I find pretending I don’t even have the power helps,” he informed nonchalantly as he shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

“Seems easier said than done. How do you just pretend you can’t hear it all the time?”

“Same thought as before. If you start to notice small things, think like you used to before the powers, it’ll be easy. Notice how your pencil has a million bite marks. Notice the girl’s hair down the hall that you like. Notice the boy’s shoes that seem shiny and new. Notice a dog biting at a bee. I promise you, Y/N, if you focus less on stopping the voices and focus more on other things, the voices will simply melt away. You can’t let the focus be on getting rid of the voices though, it has to be about focusing on everything else -- pretending you have no power to ignore.”

You nodded slowly. “I can do that. I can certainly try.”

“Okay, now, in order to really harness your energy, I’d like us to try and get you to get inside someone’s mind and make them see something. For instance, make me see a glass of orange juice on the table over there,” he offered.

You turned to see which table before spinning back to him.

“Uh, I’m not sure I can do that,” you stated.

“Doubt will get you no further in your training, will it?” he asked.

You shook your head.

“Does it hurt to try?” he wondered kindly, his voice as soft as ever.

“No, but…”

“You won’t disappoint me, Y/N,” he assured softly, reading your mind. “As long as you truly try, you could never disappoint me,” he breathed, sincerity and kindness in his voice and eyes. With his encouragement, you tried to put the image he wanted in his mind, but all you could get was repeating “orange juice” in his head.

After three minutes, you sat back and stopped trying. You wanted to pout, to give up, to get upset, but you knew that wouldn’t be the mature thing to do.

“Okay, so what am I doing wrong? What can I do better?” you asked and you knew these were the sort of things Charles preferred to hear. He didn’t want doubt, hesitation, trepidation. He wanted confidence, willing to fail, and willing to improve. And you wanted to give him anything he wanted. You wanted to give him the world, for that’s what he had given you.

“When trying to fool someone’s mind, it’s important to fool yourself. First, you must make sure you nearly believe what you’re trying to show them. The more you believe, the stronger the image. Second, you just need to trick the mind. All we’re giving it is an optical illusion. Not uncommon. The mind sees things all the time that it’s trying to force into it’s reality. When the mind sees something that doesn’t make sense, it forces it to fit there, because the brain can not comprehend with something not making sense.”

“So what do I do?” you questioned.

“You, my dear,” he started, those two little words sending your heart and soul soaring, “are to imagine the scene, and make it fit. The mind will have no choice but to accept it.”

You nodded as you stared at him and he repeated the instructions in a lower voice, slower.

“See the image,” he commanded slowly, and you did. You closed your eyes, seeing the glass of orange juice as if it’d been there all afternoon. “Now get inside my mind, keep your focus on that glass,” he instructed. Your mind on the glass, still seeing it, you reached out to his mind which was as easy as breathing. Now, you were in his mind, hearing his thoughts, seeing your face in his mind, the glass still in your head. “Now,” he continued, “put the image in my head. Almost as if you wanted to show me a photograph. Put it in my mind. Force me to see it. Make me see the image in your head and only the image,” he ordered, his tone a little firmer.

So you did. You put the image in his mind as if you were shoving a photograph from a vacation into his view, clouding all of it. Making sure all he saw was all you wanted him to see. You saw his eyes flutter to the table, your eyes still closed, just watching him. He saw it. He saw the juice, the glass you’d chosen, how full it was.

“I can see it,” he breathed with amazement. “I can see the glass.”

You let out a breath of air, the sound of surprise escaping you as your eyes opened. “I did it?” you asked.

His eyes went back to you from the table, so much power in them, it made your knees weak.

“You did! You did it! I told you were powerful. You’ll be able to do what I can and probably more in no time.”

“Thank you!” you exclaimed, thrilled beyond belief, happy that finally you could do something with these powers.

“Think nothing of it,” he assured, his eyes on yours. He was practically captivated with you, and you with him, utterly.

“I’m so glad I can learn how to use this gift,” you explained, still reeling from the high.

“Powerful indeed. Y/N, you reached out to me from miles and miles away, while you’re unconscious. If you can do all that in your sleep, you can do so much more awake, we just have to unlock it,” he stated, leaning forward, his face getting close to yours.

“I’d love to be able to do that.”

“And we will.” He looked at you a moment longer before saying, “I can’t believe I finally met you. I’ve been wondering about you for so long. Wondering if you were actually real. Wondering what your name was. Wondering what you liked...disliked...Wondering if you ever noticed me in your dreams…”

“I noticed you every time,” you confirmed in a quiet voice, your eyes on his, conviction flowing through your eyes and voice.

His eyes traced all over your face, your body. He was doing what you were earlier-- committing you to memory. You wondered if he was afraid too. Afraid this would all suddenly end, that one of you would just vanish…

“I never thought I would get this chance, this moment…”

“Well...you have it now,” you said. “Maybe we could get to know each other some more?”

“I’d love that,” he said quietly.

The two of you talked all afternoon, well into the late evening. Discussing everything from politics, to school, to movies. You touched on your past a little more and you on his. He had a surprisingly tragic childhood, and you felt kindred to him when he told you. Just because Charles lived in luxury didn’t mean he was happy as a child, but instead of resent thing the world, resenting those who caused him pain, he chose to reach out to others in need. And that made you fall even more deeply in love with him, if that was even possible at this point.

[android-for-life]

"Ask a Techspert: How do satellite images work?"

When flying, I am firmly a window seat person. (And I can’t wait to start flying again… or at least get out of my apartment.) Not because I’m annoyed by the beverage cart hitting my elbows (though I am), or because I like to blankly stare out at the endless sky (which I do), but because I enjoy looking down at the streets, buildings and skyline of my destination as we land. It’s thrilling to watch cars move, see skyscrapers cast shadows on the street or check out the reflection of the sun in a body of water. For most of human history, it was impossible to even imagine what Earth looked like from above, and only in the past century have we been able to capture it. 

Today, satellite imagery is one of the most popular features on Google Maps. Capturing the world from above is a huge undertaking, matching millions of images to precise locations. But how does satellite imagery actually work? How often are images updated? What are some of the biggest challenges to bringing satellite imagery to more than 1 billion users?

To answer these questions, I reached out to our satellite imagery techspert, Matt Manolides. Matt is Google’s Geo Data Strategist. He’s worked at Google for over 14 years and he gave me an aerial view (pun intended) of how satellite imagery works.

How do we accumulate the images used in Google Maps? Do we actually use satellites? 

The mosaic of satellite and aerial photographs you can see in Google Maps and Google Earth is sourced from many different providers, including state agencies, geological survey organizations and commercial imagery providers. These images are taken on different dates and under different lighting and weather conditions.

In fact, there’s an entire industry around doing aerial surveys. Companies cut holes in the bottom of planes, and cameras take pictures as they fly overhead. In many areas around the world, this is happening constantly. In parts of the world where there isn’t an established aerial survey market, we rely on satellites. With aerial surveys, we get very high-quality images that are sharp enough to create detailed maps. Satellites produce lower-quality imagery, but are still helpful because they provide global coverage. 

Today, you can explore 36 million square miles of high-resolution satellite images in Google Maps and Google Earth, which covers more than 98 percent of the entire population.

When do the images meet the map? 

“Google obtains commercially-available satellite imagery from a range of third parties, and our team stitches the images together to create a seamless map,” Matt tells me. This is a process called photogrammetry and, according to Matt, we’re increasingly able to automate our photogrammetry process using machine learning to help accurately place images and improve resolution. 

For aerial data, the images are delivered on hard disks and we upload them into Google Cloud. For satellite imagery, the data is uploaded directly from our providers to Google Cloud. The imagery is delivered in a raw format, meaning it’s not yet positioned on the ground and is separated into red, blue and green photos, as well as panchromatic images, which includes finer details. We then combine the jumble of images so they all line up and have an accurate placement in the real world, and generally look beautiful.  

Rooms full of hard drives, each one jam-packed with aerial images.

How often do you update satellite images? 

“We aim to update satellite imagery of the places that are changing the most,” Matt says. For instance, because big cities are always evolving, we try to update our satellite images every year. For medium-sized cities, we try to update images every two years, and it goes up to every three years for smaller cities. Overall our goal is to keep densely populated places refreshed on a regular basis and to keep up with a changing world, so we will refresh areas more frequently when we think there’s lots of building or road construction going on.

Why do we sometimes see mysterious objects on Maps? What are they? 

Matt explains that sometimes the way the images are collected can create optical illusions. One of the most common instances of this are “sunken ships,” which are actually regular, operating ships that might appear underwater due to the way the satellite imagery gets layered together. Other times, sunlight can reflect off something shiny, and it will look like a strange white object that some believe are haunted houses or other such spookiness.

A spooky "sunken ship" illusion in London. 

Because the satellite cameras take multiple pictures at the same time, but in different color spectrums, a fast-moving object, like a plane, can look strange, like several identical but differently-colored planes flying over each other. 

As for Matt, his favorite part is finding public events that are happening when the images are captured. From hydroplane races to car shows, it’s fascinating to see events in the overhead imagery. 

“When I was a kid growing up in Seattle, I always loved the hydroplane races that would happen each summer. It was a thrill to realize that we captured one from the air back in 2010,” Matt says. “The imagery isn’t visible in Google Maps anymore, but you can still see it using Google Earth Pro’s Historic Imagery feature, which lets you browse our full catalog of imagery.”

A hydroplane race on Lake Sammamish, Washington, on June 10, 2010. 

Source : The Official Google Blog via Source information