#high school junior diver

[bracketsoffear]

Stranger Leitner Reading List

The full list of submissions for the Stranger Leitner bracket. Bold titles are ones which were accepted to appear in the bracket. Synopses and propaganda can be found below the cut. Be warned, however, that these may contain spoilers!

Ames, Alison: It Looks Like Us

Benton, Jim: The Frandidate Berger, Terry: The Haunted Dollhouse Blish, James & Robert Lowndes: The Duplicated Man Bradbury, Ray: Marionettes, Inc. Brooks, Mike: Alpharius: Head of the Hydra

Calvino, Italo: If On A Winter's Night A Traveller Campbell, John W.: Who Goes There? Christie, Agatha: Dead Man's Folly Crowley, Nate: The Twice-Dead King

Dahl, Roald: The Witches Damico, Gina: Wax Dick, Philip K.: A Scanner Darkly Dick, Philip K.: Upon the Dull Earth Dostoevsky, Fyodor: The Double

French, Tana: The Likeness

Gaiman, Neil: Coraline

Hendrix, Grady: How to Sell a Haunted House

Ito, Junji: The Enigma of Amigara Fault Ito, Junji: Uzumaki

Jensen, Ruby Jean: MaMa

King, Stephen: Battleground King, Stephen: The Outsider Krulik, Nancy E.: Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo (series)

Lovecraft, H.P.: The Outsider

Martin, Ann M. & Laura Godwin: The Meanest Doll in the World Miles, Lawrence: This Town Will Never Let Us Go

Nettel, Guadalupe: El huésped (The host) Nix, Garth: The Ragwitch

Peck, Richard: Secrets of the Shopping Mall Poe, Edgar Allen: William Wilson Pratchett, Terry: Maskerade

Rayner, Jacqueline: EarthWorld Robinson, Justin: Everyman Ross, Louise: Collective Imagination: Goncharov (1973) (2022) as a Model for Communal Filmmaking

Schwartz, Alvin: Harold Scroggs, Kirk: Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet Sleator, William: Among the Dolls Sleator, William: The Duplicate Spark, Muriel: The Only Problem Spatola, Mike: The Monstrous Makeup Manual Springer, Nancy: Possessing Jessie Starling, Caitlin: Last to Leave the Room Stevenson, Robert Louis: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Stine, R.L.: The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight Stine, R.L.: Night of the Living Dummy

Topping, Keith & Martin Day: The Hollow Men

Vida, Vendela: The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty

Wells, H.G.: The Invisible Man

Ames, Alison: It Looks Like Us

Shy high school junior Riley Kowalski is spending her winter break on a research trip to Antarctica, sponsored by one of the world’s biggest tech companies. She joins five student volunteers, a company-approved chaperone, and an impartial scientist to prove that environmental plastic pollution has reached all the way to Antarctica, but what they find is something much worse… something that looks human.

Riley has anxiety--ostracized by the kids at school because of panic attacks--so when she starts to feel like something’s wrong with their expedition leader, Greta, she writes it off. But when Greta snaps and tries to kill Riley, she can’t chalk it up to an overactive imagination anymore. Worse, after watching Greta disintegrate, only to find another student with the same affliction, she realizes they haven’t been infected, they’ve been infiltrated--by something that can change its shape. And if the group isn’t careful, that something could quickly replace any of them.

Benton, Jim: The Frandidate

Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, has always had her eye on world domination, and she has to start somewhere...like her class elections! If people vote for her, they’ll be giving her all the control she wants.

But Franny’s platform doesn’t have the same appeal as her competitors who are offering new playground equipment, so she creates The Frandidate. Made of DNA samples from a dog, a chameleon and a parrot, along with a scrap of carpet (so she’ll know where people stand), Franny’s special suit helps her say and do exactly what people want! But when The Frandidate starts making promises she knows she can’t keep, Franny realizes she might have gone too far…

Berger, Terry: The Haunted Dollhouse

On her thirteenth birthday, Sarah wishes that she would wake up inside of her dollhouse -- and her wish comes true. The book follows her throughout her day, with pictures that show the increasingly disturbing nature of the world in which she now exists.

Blish, James and Robert Lowndes: The Duplicated Man

The central premise of this novel concerns a cloning device that requires six different people, one for each duplicate to be created, to be hooked into the machine. Turns out while the memories are copied the personalities and appearances are affected by the subjective views of the various individuals. E.g., one copy is actually a bit shorter and more cowardly than the original because that's how its creator perceived the original while another due to her hero worship was a physically and mentally perfected version of the original.

Bradbury, Ray: Marionettes, Inc.

A man acquires a robot to stand in for him at home while he goes away. (A very sophisticated robot that eventually develops sentience, but still one that, if you place your head to the chest, you can hear a clock ticking instead of a heart beating.) However, the robot decides that he likes the original man's life and doesn't want to be stored away in a box in the basement. The solution? He betrays his owner by locking HIM in the box forever while he (the robot) lives the life of the owner, his family completely unaware of the switch. Meanwhile, another man considers doing the same, only to discover that his wife has already replaced herself.

Brooks, Mike: Alpharius: Head of the Hydra

As this post--https://www.tumblr.com/bracketsoffear/718600953914327040/wasnt-here-in-time-for-the-stranger-poll-but--says, "Alpharius is the Primarch of the [...] Alpha Legion, and aside from the ones that have been fully expunged from all Imperial records, he's the primarch we know the least about. We're fairly confident he's actually two twin brothers pretending to be the same guy, Alpharius and Omegon, and that he specializes in infiltration. Beyond that, all bets are off. Literally every event in his life has at least two versions that have been printed in official books and directly contradict each other. The book that compiles his backstory in a neat and sensible manner that doesn't have any internal or external contradictions opens with the blatant admission that all of it is a complete fucking lie. Supposedly, he died at the battle for Pluto, but then he is reported to have been killed several centuries later somewhere else by a completely different guy. Only complicating matters is that pretty much every member of his legion undergoes extensive plastic surgery to look exactly like him. Most of them introduce themselves as Alpharius. It might very well be that both of the times he supposedly died, it was actually just a body double and he's still out there, pretending to be a normal legionary. Every single member of the Alpha Legion is Alpharius, and an alarming number of them actually believe themselves to be him." Anyway, this is the backstory book in question.

Calvino, Italo: If On A Winter's Night A Traveller

The book is a story about reading the first chapters of multiple books that appear to be If On A Winter's Night A Traveller, but are not.

Campbell, John W.: Who Goes There?

A group of American researchers, isolated in their scientific station in Antarctica towards the end of winter, discover an alien spaceship buried in the ice, where it crashed twenty million years before. They recover an alien creature from the ancient ice. Thawing revives the alien, a being which can assume the appearance, memories, and personality of a living thing it devours, while maintaining its body mass for further reproduction. Unknown to them, the alien immediately kills and then imitates the crew's physicist, a man named Connant; with some 90 pounds of its matter left over, it tries to become a sled dog.

The crew discovers the dog-Thing and kills it midway through the transformation process. Pathologist Blair, who had lobbied for thawing the Thing, goes insane with paranoia and guilt, vowing to kill everyone at the base to save mankind; he is isolated within a locked cabin at their outpost. Connant is also isolated as a precaution, and a "rule-of-four" is initiated in which all personnel must remain under the close scrutiny of three others. The crew realizes that they must isolate their base and therefore disable their airplanes and vehicles, yet they pretend that everything is normal during radio transmissions, to prevent any rescue attempts. The researchers try to figure out who may have been replaced by the alien (simply referred to as the Thing), to destroy the imitations before they can escape and take over the world. The task is found to be almost impossibly difficult when they realize that the Thing is shapeshifting and telepathic, reading minds and projecting thoughts. A sled dog is conditioned by human blood injections (from Copper and Garry) to provide a human-immunity serum test, as in rabbits. The initial test of Connant is inconclusive, as they realize that the test animal received both human and alien blood, meaning that either Doctor Copper or expedition Commander Garry is an alien. Assistant commander McReady takes over and deduces that all the other animals at the station, save the test dog, have already become imitations; all are killed by electrocution and their corpses burned.

Everyone suspects each other by now but must stay together for safety, deciding who will take turns sleeping and standing watch. Tensions mount and some men begin to go mad, thinking that they are already the last human, or wondering if they could know if they were not human any longer. Ultimately, Kinner, the cook, is murdered and accidentally revealed to be a Thing. McReady realizes that even small pieces of the creature will behave as independent organisms. He then uses this fact to test which men have been "converted" by taking blood samples from everyone and dipping a heated wire in the vial of blood. Each man's blood is tested, one at a time, and the donor is immediately killed if his blood recoils from the wire. Fourteen men, including Connant and Garry, are revealed to be Things. The remaining men go to test the isolated Blair, and on the way, see the first albatross of the Antarctic spring flying overhead; they shoot the bird to prevent a Thing from infecting it and flying to civilization.

When they reach Blair's cabin, they discover that he is a Thing. They realize that it has been left to its own devices for a week, coming and going as it pleased, as it is able to squeeze under doors by transforming itself. With the creatures inside the base destroyed, McReady and two others enter the cabin to kill the Thing that was once Blair. McReady forces it out into the snow and destroys it with a blowtorch. Afterwards, the trio discover that the Thing was dangerously close to finishing the construction of a nuclear-powered anti-gravity device that would have allowed it to escape to the outside world.

Christie, Agatha: Dead Man's Folly

So, the entire propaganda section for this one will be a spoiler because to explain why this book works as a stranger Leitner is to reveal a major plot twist. So as a start here is the book's description from goodreads:

Whilst organising a mock murder hunt for the village fete hosted by Sir George and Lady Stubbs, a feeling of dread settles on the famous crime novelist Adriane Oliver. Call it instinct, but it's a feeling she just can't explain...or get away from. In desperation she summons her old friend, Hercule Poirot -- and her instincts are soon proved correct when the 'pretend' murder victim is discovered playing the scene for real, a rope wrapped tightly around her neck. But it's the great detective who first discovers that in murder hunts, whether mock or real, everyone is playing a part.

In this novel a young girl Marlene is killed during a village fete at Nasse House, a home owned by Sir George Stubbs and his wife Hattie. After the murder, Lady Stubbs goes missing just in time for a visit from her cousin, whom she hasn't seen in years. At the end of the novel, it transpired that both Sir George and Hattie were not who they seemed. Sir George being a fake identity of James Folliat, son of the family that owned the Nasse House for centuries, who was thought to be dead. His mother, Amy Folliat, introduced him to the original Hattie, a wealthy but naive girl. James stole Hattie's money and had her killed and replaced by his actual wife, who later spent years pretending to be Hattie with only Amy Folliat aware of the replacement. Due to the news that real Hattie's cousin, who could uncover the ruse, was going to visit. Fake Hattie again transformed to blend among the tourists that came to the fete. To me, this works great as a stranger Leitner due to the book antagonist both pretending to be somebody else and the strong element of kill and replace.

Crowley, Nate: The Twice-Dead King

Fundamentally about alienation from one's own sense of self and how in order to become yourself you have to become someone else; the main character goes through a major identity crisis and it involves flaying people and wearing their skin

Dahl, Roald: The Witches

A dark fantasy, the story is set partly in Norway and partly in England, and features the experiences of a young English boy and his Norwegian grandmother in a world where child-hating societies of witches secretly exist in every country.

Damico, Gina: Wax

Wax is a young adult mystery novel by Gina Damico (author of Croak). It was published in 2016.

It takes place in the fictional town of Paraffin, Vermont. Our hero is Poppy Palladino, a teenage girl who wants to be an actor, but is haunted by memories of being humiliated multiple times in the past, especially by a bully named Blake Bursaw. Paraffin is home to the Grosholtz Candle Factory, a popular tourist site. While taking a tour in the factory, Poppy wanders off into a secret workroom where she meets Madame Grosholtz, an eccentric maker of wax sculptures. Soon after, the factory mysteriously burns down, but not before Poppy is given a living wax sculpture, who she names Dud, and a candle engraved with a strange message.

Things just get stranger from there, and Poppy must save the entire town from a sinister conspiracy that stems from hundreds of years ago. She becomes unsure of who she can trust, but with the help of Dud, her best friend Jill, and her school theater club, she must make a plan.

***

Paraffin, Vermont, is known the world over as home to the Grosholtz Candle Factory. But behind the sunny retail space bursting with overwhelming scents and homemade fudge, seventeen-year-old Poppy Palladino discovers something dark and unsettling: a back room filled with dozens of startlingly life-like wax sculptures, crafted by one very strange old lady. Poppy hightails it home, only to be shocked when one of the figures—a teenage boy who doesn’t seem to know what he is—jumps naked and screaming out of the trunk of her car. She tries to return him to the candle factory, but before she can, a fire destroys the mysterious workshop—and the old woman is nowhere to be seen.

With the help of the wax boy, who answers to the name Dud, Poppy resolves to find out who was behind the fire. But in the course of her investigation, she discovers that things in Paraffin aren’t always as they seem, that the Grosholtz Candle Factory isn’t as pure as its reputation—and that some of the townspeople she’s known her entire life may not be as human as they once were. In fact, they’re starting to look a little . . . waxy. Can Poppy and Dud extinguish the evil that’s taking hold of their town before it’s too late?

Dick, Philip K.: A Scanner Darkly

"The main character, Bob Arctor, leads a double life as an undercover police agent infiltrating a drug dealing ring. As a part of his cover he starts taking the drug and becomes addicted, and the drug causes the hemispheres of his brain to function separately leading to the emergence of two separate personalities - 'Bob' when he is a drug dealer, and 'Fred' when he is a police agent. both of these personalities do not recognize each other, so for example when he is reviewing footage of him as Bob, he thinks he is spying on some other man. Also, in this world there are 'scramble suits' - special coats that make it impossible to distinguish anything about the wearer's appearance or their voice, and the protagonist is required to wear one of these when he is not undercover. That worsens his split personality, as he has no one who remembers his appearance as 'Fred', and he forgets he was undercover at all and just starts acting as a genuine drug dealer. The distortion of memories, erasure of appearance and the personality swap from Fred to Bob reminds me strongly of not!them. Fred not!themmed himself."

Dick, Philip K.: Upon the Dull Earth

Short story in which a woman dies, and her boyfriend makes a deal to bring her back. Trouble is, he brings her back... too much. It'd be a funny old world if we were all the same, wouldn't it? Link

Dostoevsky, Fyodor: The Double

In Saint Petersburg, Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin works as a titular councillor (rank 9 in the Table of Ranks established by Peter the Great[3]), a low-level bureaucrat struggling to succeed.

Golyadkin has a formative discussion with his physician, Doctor Rutenspitz, who fears for his sanity and tells him that his behaviour is dangerously antisocial. He prescribes "cheerful company" as the remedy. Golyadkin resolves to try this, and leaves the office. He proceeds to a birthday party for Klara Olsufyevna, the daughter of his office manager. He was uninvited, and a series of faux pas lead to his expulsion from the party. On his way home through a snowstorm, he encounters a man who looks exactly like him, his double. The following two thirds of the novel then deals with their evolving relationship.

At first, Golyadkin and his double are friends, but Golyadkin Jr. proceeds to attempt to take over Sr.'s life, and they become bitter enemies. Because Golyadkin Jr. has all the charm, unctuousness and social skills that Golyadkin Sr. lacks, he is very well-liked among the office colleagues. At the story's conclusion, Golyadkin Sr. begins to see many replicas of himself, has a psychotic break, and is dragged off to an asylum by Doctor Rutenspitz.

***

Constantly rebuffed from the social circles he aspires to frequent, the timid clerk Golyadkin is confronted by the sudden appearance of his double, a more brazen, confident and socially succesful version of himself, who abuses and victimizes the original. As he is increasingly persecuted, Golyadkin finds his social, romantic and professional life unravelling, in a spiral that leads to a catastrophic denouement.

French, Tana: The Likeness

A detective assumes a dead woman’s identity and moves into her shared house, believing one of the housemates to be her killer. She is accepted as the victim (!!!) and becomes obsessed with her doppelgänger, trying to stay in character and live the life that she would have lived. She ends up getting psychologically consumed by the part she’s playing, losing track of her own identity. Once she’s completely confused, only person knows for sure who she is—the killer.

Gaiman, Neil: Coraline

The presence of another world that resemble the one you know but different, the Other Mother whole deal and the fact that she spies on people using dolls and sews buttons in place of her victim's eyes.

***

A short novella that focuses on 9-year-old Coraline Jones as she fights to restore her family from the clutches of the evil Other Mother.

Hendrix, Grady: How to Sell a Haunted House

Synopsis: "When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…"

Ito, Junji: The Enigma of Amigara Fault

You see the hole which perfectly matched you. It haunts you. You can’t resist the urge to climb inside.

It’s your hole, it was made for you.

Once you enter, you keep going, and your limbs begin to lengthen and contort. At the other side of the mountain, you emerge. Miserable, in pain, and spaghetti’s to the point you barely look human.

It’s your hole, it was made for you. But you have to be changed to fit inside. And you will.

(People have been memeing this story but it’s actually excellent body horror. Highly recommend!)

Ito, Junji: Uzumaki

It’s about a town cursed by spirals that corrupt you and drive you mad, but can’t be ignored forever

Jensen, Ruby Jean: MaMa

Once upon a time there lived a sweet little dolly. Her porcelain like face was so smooth, just like a baby. Her mouth even had a tiny hole so she could eat and breathe. But her one beaded glass eye gleamed with mischief and evil. She had waited a long time in the attic for someone to set her free...

Once upon a time there lived a sweet little girl. The only place she was happy was in the attic with her dolly. If she could have seen her little doll's legs kick, she would have been frightened. If she could have felt her little doll's arms squeeze, she would have been shocked. But if she could have read her little doll's thoughts she would have run from the attic forever--for her sweet little dolly only had killing her on her mind...

King, Stephen: Battleground

A toymaker gets his revenge on his killer with a battalion of toy soldiers that invade his apartment.

King, Stephen: The Outsider

An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.

As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.

Krulik, Nancy E.: Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo (series)

Katie is an ordinary third-grader-except for one very extraordinary problem! She accidentally wished on a shooting star to be anyone but herself. But what Katie soon learns is that wishes really do come true-and in the strangest ways... When the magic wind blows, watch out! Katie switches bodies with someone or something else and hilarity and havoc ensues.

Lovecraft, H.P.: The Outsider

There's nothing I can say here that won't ruin the twist. Link: https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/o.aspx

Martin, Ann M. and Laura Godwin: The Meanest Doll in the World

Annabelle Doll and Tiffany Funcraft are two dolls who have been best friends since they met in Kate Palmer's house at 26 Wetherby Lane. In this sequel to The Doll Peopl e, they hitch a ride in Kate's backpack and find themselves in the biggest adventure of their lives, a day at school! But when an attempt to return home lands them in the wrong house, they're in far deeper trouble than they imagined. Along with a host of new doll friends, they also encounter Mean Mimi, the wickedest doll of all. Mean Mimi is mean-really mean-and she's determined to rule all of Dollkind or else destroy it. Will the world ever be safe for dolls again?

The main horror aspect of this series is the threat of 'Permanent Doll State' -- a divine punishment that will transform violaters permanently into nonliving dolls, though possibly with their sentience still intact.

Miles, Lawrence: This Town Will Never Let Us Go

This is the source material of Tiffany Korta: ""Pop star. Her image was carefully maintained and groomed by her bosses, the skull-masked Executive/Faction Paradox. She became haunted by the concept of her uber-self, the variety of ways in which her image was used -- officially and otherwise -- and the impassible divide between her identity and the perceptions that other people had of her. She began to see her image on screens moving out of sync with her, or saying things that she could not remember saying, as the image she presented to the world evolved beyond her comprehension and control. Eventually, when she confronted the Executive about their plans for her, they destroyed her and replaced her with a different version of herself that went on to destroy her credibility, Not!Them-style. Meanwhile, other versions of her went on homicidal rampages around the world."

Nettel, Guadalupe: El huésped (The host)

A story about a girl who feels she has a "sister" that lives within her. She haunts her constantly and devastates her life. We never know whether that sister is real or not, but the mere thought of her drives the girl to paranoia and madness. Her main goal is to destroy her, and to do that, she must become just like her.

Nix, Garth: The Ragwitch

Ten-year-old Paul and his sister Julia are on vacation at the beach one day when they find a shell midden on the shore. When they climb it, they find a crow's nest with a creepy little ragdoll in it. Paul distrusts it immediately, but Julia is entranced, and brings it home, where their parents don't seem to be able to see it. The next morning, Paul hears someone moving around, and follows the sound out to find his sister, possessed by the doll, building a strange blue fire on top of the midden. She freezes him helplessly in place, then jumps into the fire and disappears. Paul rebuilds it and follows Her through, determined to rescue his sister.

So begins a quest to stop the Ragwitch and save his sister (and maybe the world he finds himself in on the side). Throughout, the narrative switches between Paul's journey and Julia Fighting from the Inside despite the Ragwitch's attempts to control her mind.

Peck, Richard: Secrets of the Shopping Mall

Trying to escape the vicious King Kobra gang and troubled life at home, eighth graders Barnie and Teresa flee the city. With only four dollars between them, they hop a bus, hoping to find a new life at the end of the line. Destination: Paradise Park. But Paradise Park turns out to be a cement-covered suburban shopping mall--not quite the paradise they had hoped for.

With no money and no home to retum to, they are forced to stay. And paradise park takes them in--in more ways than one. Barnie and Teresa spend their days and nights in the climate-controlled consumer paradise of a large department store. And just when they think they can live there unnoticed forever, Teresa and Barnie find that even Paradise Park has its secrets. Even in the dead of night, they are far from alone...."

(Spoilers: It's not actually living mannequins, but dispossessed and mildly insane teens who dress as mannequins and stand perfectly still all day to avoid detection! Which... I'm not sure is much better.)

Poe, Edgar Allen: William Williamson or William Wilson

The story of a doppelganger. A man with William Wilson's same name and face. A man who begins to act and sound more like him over the years. A man who becomes hostile. A man who haunts him.

***

William Wilson is about a man named William Wilson (or something similar to it) who meets a man with the exact name as him. Gradually, the double begins to resemble him more and more. The double keeps being a general nuisance to him until eventually he kills his double. Only to look in the mirror to see “ mine own image, but with features all pale and dabbled in blood”.

"In me didst thou exist—and in my death, see ... how utterly thou hast murdered thyself.”

To me, William Wilson is a perfect example of a Stranger Leitner because it conceptualizes the fear of the other through fear of the self. There is no stranger more unknowable than the stranger in the mirror, staring back at you.

***

The story follows a man "of noble descent" who goes by William Williamson because, although denouncing his profligate past, he does not accept full blame for his actions. William meets another boy in his school who has the same name and roughly the same appearance, and who was even born on the same date. William's name embarrasses him because it sounds "plebeian" or common, and he is irked that he must hear the name twice as much on account of the other William. The boy also dresses like William, walks like him, but can only speak in a whisper. He begins to give advice to William of an unspecified nature, which he refuses to obey, resenting the boy's "arrogance". One night he steals into the other William's bedroom and recoils in horror at the boy's face—which now resembles his own. William then immediately leaves the academy and, in the same week, the other boy follows suit. William eventually goes to university, gradually becoming more debauched and performing what he terms "mischief". For example, he steals from a man by cheating at cards. The other William appears, his face covered, and whispers a few words sufficient to alert others to William's behavior, and then leaves with no others seeing his face. William is haunted by his double in subsequent years, who thwarts plans described by William as driven by ambition, anger and lust. In his latest caper, he attempts to seduce a married noblewoman at Carnival in Rome, but the other William stops him. The enraged protagonist drags his "unresisting" double—who wears identical clothes— into an antechamber, and, after a brief sword fight in which the double participates only reluctantly, stabs him fatally. After William does this, a large mirror suddenly seems to appear. Reflected at him, he sees "mine own image, but with features all pale and dabbled in blood": apparently the dead double, "but he spoke no longer in a whisper". The narrator feels as if he is pronouncing the words: "In me didst thou exist—and in my death, see ... how utterly thou hast murdered thyself."

Pratchett, Terry: Maskerade

‘There’s a kind of magic in masks. Masks conceal one face, but they reveal another. The one that only comes out in darkness …’

The Opera House in Ankh-Morpork is home to music, theatrics and a harmless masked Ghost who lurks behind the scenes. But now a set of mysterious backstage murders may just stop the show.

Agnes Nitt has left her rural home of Lancre in the hopes of launching a successful singing career in the big city. The only problem is, she doesn’t quite look the part. And there are two witches who would much rather she return home to join their coven.

Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg have travelled to Ankh-Morpork to convince Agnes that life as a witch is much better than one on the stage. Only now they’re caught up in a murder mystery featuring masks and maniacal laughter.

And the show MUST go on . . .

Rayner, Jacqueline: EarthWorld

Synopsis: "Anji Kapoor has just had the worst week of her entire life, and things aren't getting any better. She should be back at her desk, not travelling through time and space in a police box with a couple of strange men.

The Doctor (Strange Man No. 1) is supposed to be returning her to Soho 2001 AD. So quite why there are dinosaurs outside, Anji isn't sure. Sad sixties refugee Fitz (Strange Man No. 2) seems to think they're either in prehistoric times or on a parallel Earth. And the Doctor is probably only pretending to know what's going on — because if he really knew, surely he would have mentioned the homicidal triplet princesses, the teen terrorists, the deadly android doubles (and triples) and the hosts of mad robots?

Anji's never going to complain about Monday mornings in the office again... "

Why it's Stranger: The setting alone is uncannily bizarre -- a theme park on one of Jupiter's moons devoted to Earth history, with research drawn from mistranslations, myths, and popular fiction. Sinister androids populate the place, and everyone is hiding the most terrible secrets. Meanwhile, Fitz Kreiner is having an identity crisis about being a clone, which is only made worse when he has to battle an Elvis impersonator to the death.

Robinson, Justin: Everyman

Ian Covey is a doppelganger. A mimic. A shapeshifter. He can replace anyone he wants by becoming a perfect copy; taking the victim’s face, his home, his family. His life. No longer a man, but a hungry void, Ian Covey is a monster.

David Tirado is a massive, hideous colony organism, a gestalt entity. The sum of Covey’s discarded parts. A roiling, chaotic patchwork of vast and varied personalities, memories, and physical forms that used to be a man − many men − David Tirado is a monster.

Sophie Tirado’s identity has been eroded by the tides of a long relationship, and now the man she gave herself up for has been stolen away and replaced by a mimic. Caught between the Doppelganger and the Gestalt Entity, she will try to save her husband, but there might be nothing left of him.

Virtue has a veil, vice a mask, and evil a thousand faces.

Ross, Louise: Collective Imagination: Goncharov (1973) (2022) as a Model for Communal Filmmaking

Schwartz, Alvin: "Harold," Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill your Bones

Two cow farmers, Thomas and Alfred, were bored with their monotonous work one day, so they decided to make a scarecrow out of old sacs stuffed with straw. They based its appearance after another farmer they both hated, even giving it the name: Harold. They tied it to a pole and made fun of it, doing impressions of what his crazy voice might sound like or even just taking their cruelty out on him by kicking or punching him, or smearing food over the sac that was its face. One day they heard a grunt that could only have come from Harold. Thomas suggested throwing him in the fire, but Alfred insisted it was nothing to worry about. Then, Alfred noticed that Harold was growing bigger, but again told themselves it was just their imagination from being in the mountains too long.

Then one day, Harold stands up, walks out of the hut in front of Thomas and Alfred, then climbs up onto the roof and starts stomping around on it like a horse on its hind legs. Terrified and wanting to get away from Harold, they leave with their cows that same day, but halfway there they realize they forgot their milking stools and have to go back. The farmers convince each other that there really is nothing to be afraid of and draw straws to see who will go back. It is Thomas who drew the shorter straw, and now has to go back to to the hut, telling Alfred that he will catch up with him later. When Thomas does not return, Alfred returns to look for him, and sees Harold on the roof of the hut laying out Thomas' skinned corpse to dry in the sun.

Scroggs, Kirk: Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet

It's a series where a boy turns into a Muppet, and things only get wilder from there. It only really hits proper mind and body horror by book 4, as the entire world begins to undergo MUPPETMORPHOSIS!

Sleator, William: Among the Dolls

When her parents give her a gloomy old dollhouse for her birthday instead of the ten speed bike she's expecting, Vicky is disappointed. But she soon becomes fascinated by the small shadowy world and its inhabitants. The hours she spends playing with the dolls is a good way to escape from her parents's arguments. As Vicky's life becomes more troubled, she starts to take out her frustration on the dolls, making their lives as unhappy as hers. Then one day, Vicky wakes up inside the dollhouse, trapped among the monsters she's created. Bewildered, Vicky is sure she's dreaming. Can she find her way out of this nightmare world?

Sleator, William: The Duplicate

When David finds a mysterious machine that can copy living things, he thinks his problems are over. Now he can be in two places at once: at his grandmother's and out on a date. While the other David is in school, the real one can spend the day at the beach. The possibilities are endless. And they turn terrifying. David's duplicate has a mind, ideas, and desires of his own--and one of them is to see the real David dead.

Spark, Muriel: The Only Problem

So, in this novel, the main character, Harvey Gotham's estranged wife, Effie, apparently joins a terrorist organisation, which causes no end of problems for him. One of the problems being that Harvey refuses to believe that the person in the organisation really is Effie. When shown photographic evidence and even when shown her corpse he remains doubtful that it's her. Nobody else, with the sole exception of his semi-crazy aunt, has any doubts that Effie really is terrorizing Europe. This could be explained by Harvey lying to himself for various reasons or maybe... maybe Effie was replaced by the Stranger and only Harvey can tell. I propose that The Only Problem is really a Stranger's Leitner describing the torment Harvey suffered at the hand of the Stranger.

Spatola, Mike: The Monstrous Makeup Manual

Springer, Nancy: Possessing Jessie

Quiet, cautious Jessie had always lived in the shadow of her dynamic younger brother--her mother's clear favorite. His recent death leaves Jessie and her mother numb with grief. That is, until the morning Jessie cuts her hair and dresses in Jason's clothes, swaggering out of the house in an uncanny imitation of her brother. Her mother is visibly cheered, and for once Jessie is the center of attention at school. But each day Jason takes over Jessie more and more. Can she escape his power?

Starling, Caitlin: Last to Leave the Room

The city of San Siroco is sinking. The basement of Dr. Tamsin Rivers, the arrogant, selfish head of the research team assigned to find the source of the subsidence, is sinking faster. As Tamsin grows obsessed with the distorting dimensions of the room at the bottom of the stairs, she finds a door that didn’t exist before - and one night, it opens to reveal an exact physical copy of her. This doppelgänger is sweet and biddable where Tamsin is calculating and cruel. It appears fully, terribly human, passing every test Tamsin can devise. But the longer the double exists, the more Tamsin begins to forget pieces of her life, to lose track of time, to grow terrified of the outside world. As her employer grows increasingly suspicious, Tamsin must try to hold herself together long enough to figure out what her double wants from her, and just where the mysterious door leads…

Stevenson, Robert Louis: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson's masterpiece of the duality of good and evil in man's nature sprang from the darkest recesses of his own unconscious—during a nightmare from which his wife awakened him, alerted by his screams. More than a hundred years later, this tale of the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll and the drug that unleashes his evil, inner persona—the loathsome, twisted Mr. Hyde—has lost none of its ability to shock. Its realistic police-style narrative chillingly relates Jekyll's desperation as Hyde gains control of his soul—and gives voice to our own fears of the violence and evil within us. Written before Freud's naming of the ego and the id, Stevenson's enduring classic demonstrates a remarkable understanding of the personality's inner conflicts—and remains the irresistibly terrifying stuff of our worst nightmares.

Stine, R.L.: The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight

Evil scarecrows terrorize a small farm.

Stine, R.L.: Night of the Living Dummy

Lindy Powell finds a mysterious ventriloquist's dummy and Lindy decides to call him Slappy. Lindy uses her dummy to gain popularity, and her sister Kris quickly becomes jealous. Lindy and Kris's parents ask the two girls to share the dummy. However, when Kris tries to take Slappy from Lindy, Slappy hits Kris in the face. The next morning, Mr. Powell reveals that he has bought a ventriloquist dummy for Kris from a pawn shop. She decides to call him Mr. Wood. Various strange incidents of Mr. Wood apparently doing horrible things happen, which are eventually revealed as a prank by Lindy. She was tired of Kris being a copycat, so she decided to pull this big prank on Kris. Kris finds a small card in Mr. Wood's pocket that reads, "KARRU MARRI ODONNA LOMA MOLONU KARRANO,". After reading the card out loud, Kris thinks she sees Mr. Wood blink. That night, the Powell's elderly neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Miller, come to visit them. Lindy and Kris's parents ask that their daughters perform a ventriloquist act for their neighbors. Lindy decides to go first, and hers is a success. Before Kris can perform her act, Mr. Wood begins to insult the elderly couple, making fun of their appearances and their breath. Because of this, Kris is grounded but still allowed to attend the school's spring concert the following day. At the concert, while Mrs. Berman is adjusting a microphone for Kris, Mr. Wood begins to insult the teacher for being overweight. Mrs. Berman demands an apology, but Mr. Wood responds by spewing a green substance on the teacher and the audience. Mrs. Bergman tells Kris that she will be suspended from school for this, possibly for life. Mr. Powell announces he will return the dummy to the pawn shop on Monday. Kris locks Mr. Wood in a closet and goes to sleep. Kris is awakened by the sound of footsteps. When Kris decides to investigate, she discovers that Mr. Wood is alive. Mr. Wood tells her that she and Lindy are now his slaves and that the magic words brought him to life. Kris tries to fight the dummy, but Mr. Wood hits her fiercely in the stomach. Kris crawls away from Mr. Wood and screams for help. Lindy hears her sister and goes downstairs to find out what has happened. While Kris tells her sister that the dummy is alive, Mr. Wood surprises the girls. Lindy manages to pin the dummy to the ground and keep him from fleeing. When the girls' parents arrive, Mr. Wood stops moving. Lindy and Kris try to explain what has happened, but their parents refuse to believe the girls. Mr. and Mrs. Powell begin to question Kris's mental well-being, suggesting that they should take her to a doctor. As soon as the parents leave, Mr. Wood comes back to life, insisting that Lindy and Kris are his slaves. The girls try to decapitate the dummy, but they are unable to harm him. Next, the girls trap Mr. Wood in a suitcase and bury him in the backyard. Since they are exhausted, Lindy and Kris go to sleep. When the girls wake up the next morning, they discover that Mr. Wood has freed himself and is waiting for them. Lindy and Kris seek help, but their parents have gone out. To show how serious he is, Mr. Wood begins to choke Barky, the family dog. In an attempt to separate the two, the girls drag Mr. Wood and Barky outside. When Mr. Wood releases Barky, the girls chase the dummy into the path of a nearby steamroller being used for construction at the house next door. Mr. Wood dodges the first steamroller and tells them that both will be his slaves forever. He doesn't notice the second steamroller, however, and it crushes Mr. Wood. A mysterious green mist rises from the smashed dummy's body. The alarmed driver of the steamroller rushes out, thinking it was a kid he ran over, but the kids assure him it was nothing more than a dummy. Lindy, Kris, and Barky return home. When the girls get to their room, they find Slappy waiting for them. Slappy asks if the other dummy is gone.

Topping, Keith & Martin Day: The Hollow Men

Well to start with, doctor who aside, doesn't the title just sound like a stranger leitner? And getting into the plot, it heavily features animate scarecrows made from people. And the main reason I'm submitting this is because it fucked me up real bad. It's thematically way darker and more mature in content than I was expecting from a doctor who novel when I read it at the tender age of 14.

Vida, Vendela: The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty

The whole plot is about a woman who goes on vacation, loses her documents and decides to roll with it, acquiring new identities through a series of questionable decisions. She gets someone else's passport and credit cards, moves into a different hotel, gets hired as a double of a famous actress, introduces herself with false names, and is very paranoid about being found out. We never learn her actual name, but we do learn that she has always disliked her face and has always tried to choose activities that would draw attention away from her face, so she can pretend it's not even there.

Wells, H.G.: The Invisible Man

The opening of "The Invisible Man" focuses on outside perspectives of the titular character, and the narrative itself refers to him simply as "the stranger". His looks are unusual: he wears large clothes and covers his eyes with tinted glasses, and underneath those, he's covered in bandages, as if he's had some sort of horrible accident. His behavior is strange, too. He's rude and reclusive, holed up in his at an inn and working with bizzare chemical concotions, causing accidents and damage constantly.

Throughout the story, the man, Griffin, becomes increasingly erratic. His attempts to reverse his condition all fail, but the things he can do when he goes unnoticed are increasingly violent and cruel.

When he finally becomes fed up with everything, he reveals himself to the proprietors and patrons of the inn, who are prepared to see anything under the bandages, any manner of injury or disfigurement, but instead, run screaming from the establishment, when he reveals nothing at all.

***

The way other characters interact with Griffin the Invisible Man really reminds me of The Stranger. Throughout the plot he's treated as some sort of impostor/invader/not human anymore. Doubly interesting since we see the uncanny-valley-assigned person's POV, meaning it could work even better as a Leitner that makes a statement giver experience something similar

[witheringscreations]

Drew Pinto for @jonquilyst's Total Drama Sims: Season 2!

Look, Drew never expected to sign up for Total Drama Sims.

When her cousin, Rachel, mentioned that TDS would be holding casting calls, Drew had no idea what she was talking about. While Rach loved reality tv, Drew could hardly remember the last time she watched tv, let alone some dumb reality tv competition. No, Drew was more concerned about a different competition - her upcoming race for Del Sol's Regional Track Team, because Regional was just her stepping stone to Nationals, then Internationals, and one day? The Simlympics.

Then she sprained her knee practicing the day before the meet, and suddenly her plan was out the window.

Now that Drew has to wait another year to enact her grand plan, Rachel's been driving her up the wall, telling her she should apply. Drew probably would have dismissed it without a second thought, if not for the fact that having a summer around other teens sounds.... really nice, actually. Having been homeschooled all her life, with her only real interactions with kids her age being during track, Drew's never really gotten to meet other kids that she wasn't training with. So well Rachel pulled out the puppy dog eyes and managed to sweet talk her parents into allowing her to go?

Well, might as well give it a shot. And if she manages to make friends along the way? It might just prove miracles exist.

bisexual, she/her pronouns atm but is open to they/them

only child

was homeschooled on a ranch just outside of Del Sol all her life - her parents are rich preppers and her mom is a retired Simplympian High Diver who wants her daughter to make it to the Simlympics too

hates the feeling of metal on her skin with a passion, so she never wears jewelry. and since she's always training, she's never bothered to learn how to do make-up

loves the stars and, after she makes it to the Simplypics, would like to study astronomy, but is afraid she isn't smart enough to make it.

being homeschooled with a focus on athletics means her studies fell behind a lot and even though she's technically a junior, if she was in public school, she definitely would have been held back a grade

honestly, the only reason she is where she is intelligence-wise is bc she spends her free time attempting to catch up, since most of her day is dedicated to training

rarely watches tv/movies and has zero pop culture knowledge. occasionally watches simstube videos, but strictly educational things (except for the rare fashion vid)

best friend is her older cousin Rachel, who definitely would have applied if she wasn't already a young adult. really looks up to Rach and wishes she could have had the normal childhood Rach had

has no idea how to dress. tends to wear casual clothes most of the time because of that, but likes the idea of branching out

is often made fun of by the other teens on her track team due to being socially awkward

the only real hobbies she has are is guitar, singing, and dancing - her dad is a retired rock star and insisted they make time in her intense schedule to teach her his songs. she ended up really liking them and branching out to learning more than just his favorites

only friend she ever had was the daughter of a ranch-hand that worked for them, Amira, but she ended up moving away two years ago due to a disagreement the ranch-hand had with Drew's mom. her relationship with her mom is still very tense due to it

[yurimother]

Yuri Series 'Lilies' Adapted For English Audiences in New Webcomics Service Tatesc Comics

Kadokawa announced at Anime NYC the launch of a new comics label, Tatesc Comics, on its ebook platform BookWalker Global. The label, which focuses on verticle scrolling webcomics (also commonly known as webtoons) launched 24 English series, among them Lilies by Yuto Komiya.

Lilies is a Yuri series following Suzuka Yamada, a second-year high school student and discipline monitor her the school committee. She has a particular loathing for one of her juniors, rulebreaker Rima Sasaki. One day, Rima comes to the cross-dressing cafe where Ryoka works part-time, dressing as a cute boy, Kazu. Rima falls head over heels for Kazu, and while she knows that Kazu is really a cross-dressing girl, she is unaware that it is really her rival, Suzuka, underneath the costume.

There are currently 20 chapters of Lilies available to read on BookWalker Global, with the first five chapters available for free and subsequent chapters available for purchase. The series' English edition is provided by Yen Press, with translation for Eleanor Summers, lettering by Dietrich Premier, and editing by Emily Gikas and Won Young Seo.

According to a press release made before the announcement of Tatesc Comics (stylized as TATESC COMICS), it represents Kadokawa's recognition of the global expansion of the webcomic market. It is the response to fans' requests for more access to such content from English-speaking countries. Kadokawa plans on releasing diver works from various genres, including isekai, fantasy, romance, comedy, and action, including original titles and adaptations of existing works to engage readers. The initial lineup for Tatesc Comics includes 24 titles, including works from other publishers.

This announcement follows Kadokawa's acceleration into more English markets. Back in January, the group established Kadokawa World Entertainment INC to pursue aggressive activation of more of its content through publishing and digital distribution.

Tatesc Comics is similar to Kadokawa's other verticle comic service, "Tatesuku Comic," which launched on the Japanese version of BookWalker last year and includes many of the same series, such as Bungo Stray Dogs and Lilies. Tatesuku also included a recolored rerelease of Bloom Into You in its initial launch, although the adaptation of the Yuri series has not yet made it to English markets.

Lilies has been published on Book Walker's Tatesuku line by Kadokawa since early 2022. 36 chapters are available in Japanese.

Source: Press Release

[rubbersoles19]

I’ve always wondered. What is the age gap between Drake and Diver?

Oh, good question! I don't think I've ever given them an exact age difference or exact ages. It's somewhere between one year and three. They were separated by two years in school, so when Diver started high school Drake was starting his junior year, and Diver had two years left when Drake graduated. They weren't separated by a lot, but just enough to count.

I'm pretty sure, anyway.

I've played a lot with exact numbers in the series, and I'm starting to move away from that. It can be too hard to keep track of sometimes!

[michaelgruberfan]

A first person story from Michael for the Broadway Buzz! about his experience with A Chorus Line! (X) Published Feb 19, 2008

Michael Gruber: My Twice-in-a-Lifetime Experience in A Chorus Line

---

About the author: Through a combination of talent and timing, Michael Gruber is making theatrical history as the only actor who appeared in both the original Broadway company of A Chorus Line including the legendary final performance, no less! and in the current Broadway revival of the show. In a career spanning almost 20 years, Gruber has amassed a resume that includes yet another record-breaking Broadway show Cats, in which he played Munkustrap, plus Kiss Me, Kate, Swing, Miss Saigon, My Favorite Year, The Wizard of Oz and the Encores! production of Stairway to Paradise. His regional credits include starring roles in Singin' in the Rain, Easter Parade, White Christmas, Godspell and many more. A former all-American diver who trained for the Olympics, Gruber has also composed three musicals himself. He recently shared memories of his unique experience of appearing in A Chorus Line then…and now.

---

A Chorus Line was my first Broadway show. I was only 24 years old when I got the role of Mike Costa, the cheerful young dancer who sings "I Can Do That," and I was so stagestruck about being in the show. It's the typical story: I had seen A Chorus Line in Cincinnati when I was a junior in high school and said, 'This is what I want to do.'"

What I remember most vividly about the final Broadway performance on April 28, 1990, is that it was out of control! It was a Saturday, so the matinee that day was really the last time we as a company felt we were doing the show itself. The final performance that night was more about the audience, which included a lot of original cast members and others who loved the show and had come back to say good-bye. I remember the wonderful neon sign that flew in to center stage with the number of performances—6,137—lit up.

For me, the most startling thing was having to stand there after my number for what seemed like a full minute. They just wouldn't stop applauding. I've never experienced anything like that, even when I was in Cats on the night it passed A Chorus Line as the longest-running Broadway show. I realize now that the applause was not really about me; it was about the show itself. It was the end of an era.

I met the original Mike, Wayne Cilento, at the closing night party, which was held at the old Mamma Leone's. He was charming, but the original cast didn't socialize with us much; they were all on one side of the room and we were on the other. It hurt our feelings at the time, but now that I'm over 40, working with kids in their 20s, I understand. They were all friends, and they had their own nostalgic bond.

Since then, I've auditioned for several companies of A Chorus Line, but I'd never done the show again until I was offered the opportunity to replace Michael Paternostro as Gregory Gardner in the Broadway revival. It's been such a fantastic gift to work with Baayork Lee, the original Connie, who was at the epicenter of the creation of the show and has restaged it all over the world. Director Michael Bennett had passed away by the time I joined the cast, but Baayork remembers everything: Anything you want to ask, even after all these years, she can tell you.

I was fascinated to hear about the original Greg, Michel Stuart, who reinvented himself as a cultured, artistic personality. Playing a Jew from the Bronx is far from me, a Midwestern Catholic, but I can understand someone who creates a character from his own life and aspires to taste and sophistication. The fact that Greg is gay should be somewhat of a surprise to the audience; the character has a superiority and a confidence because he's been around. Baayork and Michel were very good friends, so my character's relationship with Connie is strong, and also with Cassie because they're the older dancers. That's why Cassie stands between Sheila and Greg onstage. The audience may not get all that, but knowing the background of the show anchors and orients me.

As I look at the show now, I'm struck by how contemporary it feels. It was ahead of its time back then; that's what made it revolutionary. Michael Bennett embraced the idea of presenting the real-life stories of ordinary people, knowing that audiences would be interested. It's a testament to Nicholas Dante and Ed Kleban, who wrote the book, that A Chorus Line doesn't feel dated. It's timeless because it's so truthful and not based in pop culture. The show is as perfect as it can be, which means that as an actor, I don't need to reinvent the wheel. When you muck about with it, it loses its crispness. My task is to take my ego out of it and serve the show so that its truthfulness comes through. Keep it simple. Keep it real.

I went into the revival last summer with nine other actors, and during rehearsals, we skipped the numbers that didn't involve the replacement cast. So it wasn't until our first performance that I had the great thrill of watching Jeffrey Schecter's brilliant performance of "I Can Do That." Feelings of nostalgia washed over me as the realization of how lucky I was to be standing on that white line again after all these years came vividly into focus. Later, Jeffrey and I shared another "full circle" moment: He remembered seeing a tape of "I Can Do That" on Nightline during a story about the original production just before it closed. "You were in that last company," he said to me. "Did you do a standing back somersault at the end of the number?" When I said yes, he replied, "I saw you on TV when I was 14. And I said to myself, 'I want to do that.'"

[karizard-ao3]

My reactions to Evangelion episode 10: Magma Diver

I do really like this opening song.

I wonder is Asuka knows Misato and Kaji are a thing/not thing.

Aw, I was hoping to hear more about the second impact.

I wasc literally just thinking, "I'm surprised they're allowed to go on the school trip" lol

Shinji looks so scared lol.

Oh, so Asuka is like smart smart.

Fifteen years ago was the failed fight with the angel that caused the second impact, right? Also, that angel they scanned kind of looked like an embryo.

Oh, because it's a pupae.

Asuka really can't stand being overshadowed.

Is Kaji some kind of a double agent? What is he up to?

Of course it's your dad, Shinji.

She sure likes to show off for Shinji, doesn't she?

Something is definitely going to go wrong.

And there it is. It's hatching! Oh no!

Ah! Asuka!

No, don't die!

Oh, thank god.

Shinji was just in the nick of time.

Lol Shinji's so funny. Poor kid.

I don't know about your past, though, Asuka. Telll meeeeee.

In Closing

I was wondering if Asuka's past had anything to do with the second impact, but if she's in junior high and the 2nd impact was 15 years ago, I think that's probably not the case? Unless her parents were somehow involved in it. I still want to know more about Rei, too.

I'm still waiting for more info on the Children, too. Is it possible that having them together like this in such close vicinity could be what's attracting the Angels and making them attack with such unusual frequency? If they were kept divided before, maybe the psychic energy concentration or whatever was low enough that it didn't draw their attention?

Also, it's interesting that they seem to lay dormant in a pupal state. Does that mean every Angel they encounter is freshly hatched? If not, what do they do in the meantime? Just wander around?

Anyway, the girls seem to have dark and mysterious histories but Shinji seems to be a pretty normal kid, although I guess we also really don't know anything about his past, either. I just assume it was pretty standard because he seems so regular, and also I would imagine that being the commander's son bought him a little normalcy in his everyday life compared to the other Children.

I don't know.

Also, if they are trying to get an Angel to study, perhaps NERV is not the cause of the Angels? Unless they've evolved since back then and that's what they're curious about.

Hmmmm. I'll have to keep watching.

[ultimateoptimus]

The Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club

A Gravity Falls SCUBA AU

By UltimateOptimus

Nutshell: What if Dipper, Pacifica, Mabel, .GIFfany, Wendy, Mermando and the young kids and teens of Gravity Falls were a school club SCUBA diving adventurer kids and teens?

The mysterious, sleepy town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Only in Gravity Falls, Oregon can you find the big and deep ol' Lake Gravity Falls, home of The Gobblewonker, Gravity Falls' Nessie.

Only in Gravity Falls, Oregon can you find the Gravity Falls Pool, haunt of Mabel Pines' merboy crush Mermando.

And only in Gravity Falls, Oregon can you find the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club, a school club of adventurous SCUBA diving youths headquartered at the Mystery Shack, Gravity Falls Elementary and High School and primarily the Gravity Falls Pool dedicated to SCUBA diving, exploring, discovering and solving the weird, be it cryptid or mystery, having underwater adventures and fighting the forces of darkness in the Weird Underwater Wonderland beneath the weird waters of Gravity Falls.

The Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club Membership:

- Dipper Pines

One of the two Main Junior Divers and Founders of the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club. The boy of the Twins Pines.

Intelligent, compassionate, self-conscious and rational - and sometimes overly judgmental and can't wait to grow up. The adventurer at heart and extremely genre-savvy, Dipper can't sit still and is always looking for the next riddle or mystery to solve. His scrupulous attention to detail is useful when he is attempting to solve mysteries but sometimes his over-zealousness can leave others questioning his credibility.

Junior Diver Dipper Pines' swimwear and wetsuit is a reddish-orange/navy blue Boys' One-Piece Beachbody Swimwear, a reddish-orange/navy blue Boys' Longsleeve Shorty Wetsuit and white with dark moderate blue pine tree Silicone Swim Cap and SCUBA gear is a reddish-orange/navy blue ABC Kit (Mask, Snorkel, Fins), Boys' US Divers Calypso-Style Buoyancy Compensator Dive Jacket, Air Tank and Mouthpiece Regulator.

He is the dive buddy of his SCUBA crush Junior Diver Pacifica Northwest and his twin sister Junior Diver Mabel Pines.

- Pacifica Northwest

One of the two Main Junior Divers and Founders of the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club.

Up until the Northwest Mansion Mystery, a stuck-up, egotistical, arrogant, snotty, rude and mean girl who was also a stereotypical blonde popular girl as she had money, style and talent - revealed in said Mystery in truth a tragically misguided soul who only acted the way she did because her parents keep her in line with their tight standards on what being a Northwest entails. Now she set herself aside from the other Northwests, display altruistic traits when her parents tried to dissuade her otherwise, had a complete change of heart towards everyone and became a friend to the common folk of the town, including the Pines family.

Junior Diver Pacifica Northwest's swimwear and wetsuit is a purple/periwinkle/lavender Girls' One-Piece Racing Swimsuit, a purple/periwinkle/lavender Girls' Longsleeve French Cut Wetsuit and purple Silicone Swim Cap and SCUBA gear is a purple/periwinkle/lavender ABC Kit (Mask, Snorkel, Fins), Girls' Aqualung Spiro Lady-Style Buoyancy Compensator Dive Jacket, Air Tank and Mouthpiece Regulator.

She is the dive buddy of her SCUBA crush Junior Diver Dipper Pines and his twin sister Junior Diver Mabel Pines.

- .GIFfany

The Hi-Tech Digital Teenage Japanese High School Junior SCUBA Girl of the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club.

The Model Sentient AI Anime/Manga Japanese High School Girl and Textbook CyberYandere Heroine of Romance Academy 8 who is a living breathing Yandere Traits Checklist with all the boxes pre-checked, .GIFfany is the survivor of the destruction of her cursed game she hails from who ended up in the nearby arcade version of Fight Fighters, where she set her sights on wooing her Ideal Arcade Fighter Hero Rumble McSkirmish - the Ryu to her Sakura.

Junior Diver .GIFfany's swimwear and wetsuit is a white/pink/blue/yellow Girls' Japanese One-Piece School Swimsuit (AKA Sukumizu), white/pink/blue/yellow Girls' Sukumizu-Style Longsleeve French Cut Wetsuit and white/pink/blue/yellow School Swim Cap and SCUBA gear is a white/pink/blue/yellow Girls' Metal Fighter Miku-Style Buoyancy Compensator Dive Jacket, Air Tank and Mouthpiece Regulator.

- Mabel Pines

One of the Main Junior Divers of the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club. The girl of the Twins Pines. Despite all the weirdness in Gravity Falls, Mabel is always a "glass-half-full" kind of girl, rarely angry or upset and generally keeps a positive outlook.

An energetic, fun, bouncy, hyperactive, enthusiastic and free-spirited girl, Mabel is an optimist who skips through life with a braces-filled smile and an assortment of extremely colorful knit sweaters.

Junior Diver Mabel Pines' swimwear and wetsuit is a pink/fuschia shooting star Girls' One-Piece Racing Swimsuit, a pink/fuschia shooting star Girls' Longsleeve French Cut Wetsuit and Pink Silicone Swim Cap and SCUBA gear is a pink/fuschia ABC Kit (Mask, Snorkel, Fins), Girls' US Divers Mistral-Style Buoyancy Compensator Dive Jacket, Air Tank and Mouthpiece Regulator.

She is the dive buddy of her ultimate SCUBA MerDiver Boy crush Mermando and his twin brother Junior Diver Dipper Pines.

"I trained to become a Junior SCUBA Diver just to dive and swim underwater together with you again, my sweet Mermando!"

- Mabel Pines

Gravity Falls Junior Diver

- Wendy Corduroy

The Teenage Junior SCUBA Diver and Junior Instructor Diver of the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club. A teen of Gravity Falls and therefore the eldest of the Mystery Shack Gang, Wendy makes just the perfect Junior SCUBA Instructor Diver for Dipper and Mabel Pines and Pacifica Northwest to train their SCUBA skills as Junior Divers to a keen mirror finished edge with.

A mellow, down-to-earth, fun-loving and slightly lethargic teen who is a part-time worker at the Mystery Shack, Wendy generally maintains a positive outlook, is almost always friendly, and is rarely seen being moody or cranky, her cool attitude being largely a cover for the stress her family causes her - stress her role as Junior Diver and Dive Instructor of the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club can hopefully provide much-needed relief from. Ultimately, Wendy is just like any other ordinary teenager who wants to be an adult.

Junior Instructor Diver Wendy Corduroy's swimwear and wetsuit is an emerald green/dark blue Speedo-Style Hexagonal Tech Girls' One-Piece Racing Swimsuit, an emerald green/dark blue Speedo-Style Hexagonal Tech Girls' Longsleeve French Cut Wetsuit and Emerald Green Silicone Swim Cap and SCUBA gear is a an emerald green/dark blue ABC Kit (Mask, Snorkel, Fins), Girls' SeaQuest Explorer-Style Buoyancy Compensator Dive Jacket, Air Tank and Mouthpiece Regulator.

As previously established, she is the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club Junior Instructor Diver and as such is the teacher of Junior Divers Dipper and Mabel Pines and Pacifica Northwest.

- Mermando

The Emergency Rescue SCUBA MerDiver Boy of the Gravity Falls Junior Diver Club. The mysterious loner of the Junior Diver Club due to not wanting others to know of his nature as a merman, he none the less enjoys having fun with those who know of his true form. An extremely polite and respectful individual with an easy sense of humor. (Told you these waters be weird.)

MerDiver Mermando wears a sleek, sporty front-zipper swimwear/wetsuit designed for merboys like him being the Emergency Rescue Diver carrying fresh full air tanks main and emergency sizes and backup copies of the airbreather Junior Divers' SCUBA gear just in case.

In the event of underwater emergencies, whether from out-of-air emergency to monster attack, Mermando swims to his airbreather dive buddies' rescue, especially Mabel Pines, grabbing from the surface and bringing them new full air tanks in both main and lightweight system sizes for the former. And Mermando also brings backup copies of Dipper's, Pacifica's, Mabel's and Wendy's SCUBA rigs in case they have ditched them in forementioned emergencies.

He is the dive buddy of his SCUBA crush Junior Diver Mabel Pines.

Diving with the native aquacryptids and AquaGreys of the Lake, exploring the Lake's underwater dungeons natural and extraterrestrial - like USOs, discovering treasure troves of weird artifacts, training yourself in out-of-air emergency simulations to prepare for the real thing... name it, the Gravity Falls SCUBA Club under the waters of Lake Gravity Falls can give you all.

Be ye warned: Here Be In These Waters The Weird.

@aae-demon-zone333

@creepie-treattricker

[buxberg]

Elle a attiré l'attention internationale en 1992 avec la comédie My Cousin Vinny, pour laquelle elle a remporté l'Oscar de la meilleure actrice dans un second rôle

Elle a également reçu divers autres prix.

Marisa Tomei est née le 4 décembre 1964 à Brooklyn, New York.  Elle est une actrice américaine et a reçu de nombreux prix, dont des nominations aux Oscars pour un BAFTA, deux Golden Globe Awards et trois Screen Actors Guild Awards.

 Elle s'est fait connaître en tant qu'actrice dans l'émission dérivée de Cosby Underworld en 1987 après son travail sur la série télévisée As the World Turns.

Elle est née à Brooklyn, New York, États-Unis, le 4 décembre 1964 et est âgée de 58 ans en 2022.  Elle est américaine, italienne, ethnie blanche.  De plus, son signe du zodiaque est le Sagittaire.

Marisa Tomei est née à Brooklyn de Patricia Addie Tomei (mère), professeur d'anglais, et de Gary A. Tomei (père), avocat.  Elle a un frère cadet, l'acteur Adam Tomei, qui a été en partie élevé par ses grands-parents paternels.  Ses parents sont tous deux d'origine italienne.  Elle est diplômée du lycée Edouard R. Murrow en 1982.

Tomei a grandi dans le quartier Midwood de Brooklyn.  Là-bas, elle a été fascinée par les spectacles de Broadway que ses parents amateurs de théâtre l'ont emmenée voir, et elle a été attirée par une carrière d'actrice.

 Elle a fréquenté le Andris Hadde Junior High School où elle a joué Hedy La Rue dans la production de l'école de How to Succeed in Business Without Trying Too Hard.  Après avoir obtenu son diplôme du lycée Edouard R. Murrow en 1982, elle a fréquenté l'Université de Boston pendant un an.

[diveisland]

"Born and raised in Kii Oshima, passing on the splendor of the sea to the next generation"

In June 1994, I opened the scuba diving service Nanki Oshima DIVE ISLAND on my hometown of Kii Oshima.

With a calm diving style in mind, we dived together with everyone in the local Oshima sea with safety first. Since I am from the local area and have a thorough knowledge of the area, I have absolute confidence in choosing points according to my diving skills and how to make Kii Oshima unique.

Based on my experience as a diver who has witnessed the harsh environment of the sea, I share information on safety and the natural environment beyond the boundaries of the genre of "sea, mountain, river" with the theme of "connecting anglers and divers". We are seriously working on activities to make waterside play safer and more enjoyable.

Everything is to connect this impression to the next generation.

"Thank you for meeting me"

History

1994〜

・Join CMAS

・Nanki Oshima Dive Island Open

・Started whale watching business

・Year-end and New Year tradition, start countdown diving

・Exploring underwater caves on Kii Oshima. Later aired on terrestrial TV

・Held a lecture on the ocean at Susanmi Junior High School

1997〜

・Built the Kihomaru

・Discover the Pacific floaterfish. Later aired on terrestrial TV

・Start of bluefin tuna farming experience guide

2011〜

・Maruha Nichiro Marine Co., Ltd. started safety training for work diving at the Kushimoto office.

2019〜

・Opened Dive Island Store

・Secondhand dealer license acquired (secondhand dealer license No. 6501110000277 issued on May 16, 2019)

・Started selling various marine products

・Develop DIVE ISLAND original brand

・Collaboration with original brand "JOESTYLE" by SHIMANO instructor Masataka Yukawa has been decided.

・Responsible for JOESTYLE official logo design

・Started team logo and illustration design business

2023

・Exhibited at The Keepcast 2023 for the first time

・Released "BUDDY FLASH"

・Masataka Yukawa, Sayuri Sorana, World Dive Co., Ltd. and DIVE ISLAND Jointly Developed Fishing Vest “CONSENT GEAR” Released

[theoracleofgiana]

First Loves

(Town: Twinehollow, Country: Cleca)

You won't ever forget your first love. I can't remember who told me that, but I do know they were right. 

I met or, more accurately, saw Lauren when we were in high school. At the start of freshman year, Lauren got transferred to my biology class. The whole classroom went quiet when she walked in. Her uniform fit her flawlessly and she walked with such elegance. She was the most graceful person I had ever seen. I knew I admired her. 

We didn't start talking until we were paired to do a project together. We ended up having a lot of fun with it and wanted to hang out more. We became something akin to friends. She began sitting next to me in class and at lunch. It was only natural that I developed a crush on her. However, I was content with just being friends with the angel. Besides, there was no way she'd like an elf who was a disgrace to other elves. 

It was our junior year when I realized. Mine and Lauren's friendship was still strong. One night, a friend of mine invited me to a party. The legal age to drink was thirteen and all the guests were above it. So with the promise of being her designated diver, I drove the two of us to the party. It was in full swing when we arrived. I let my friend, Ruth, head off alone. I figured I'd find her when it was time to go. While I walked around the house, I found someone I never expected to see at a party. 

Lauren was sitting on the back steps nodding along to something the guy next to her was saying. I couldn't help myself and walked out to greet her. She responded happily and the two of us moved to a couple of chairs in the yard. She explained to me that the guy wouldn't stop talking or leave her alone so she was grateful for my rescue. We talked about random things for a bit before getting refills on our drinks. It was then I noticed Lauren had just been drinking water. I asked her about it and she told me she'd never drunk alcohol before. She was nervous about it and wanted to drink with someone she trust. I had a bright idea to tell her she could trust me and that I was staying sober to drive my friend home. After a bit of convincing, she agreed and I poured her first drink of alcohol. 

I learned quickly that drunk Lauren was a lot more upbeat than regular Lauren. She was dragging me to dance with her a lot. She'd giggle and laugh at almost everything. At some point, Ruth got a ride with some other kids (the one driving was completely sober). I let her go and watched over Lauren. When the night was heading to a close, I figured I'd drive Lauren home. I knew where she lived thanks to our study sessions. It was surprisingly easy to get her in the car and head off. While in the car, I learned drunk Lauren was a lot more open than the regular Lauren. 

It had started off simple enough. "Do you remember Jason?" Lauren had her legs on the dash staring at the ceiling when she asked. I racked my brain to remember a Jason only to realize it was a pretty common name. "You're gonna have to be more specific," I told her with a small chuckle. "Jason Carter, the demon with black horns and a dark red tail," She clarifies. I nod. "Didn't he move away?" I say remembering something I had overheard. Lauren shook her head. "No...Dad chased his family out of town," Her voice is small and on the edge of breaking. "I promised myself I'd never fall for anyone after what happened." I glance over at her with pity. I never knew she liked him or that that was the reason he left town. Unfortunately, it made sense a lot of sense. Mr. Aarin was on the council and was super rich. He was also very protective of his daughter. Lauren's sniffs had brought me back from my thoughts. I placed one hand on her knee, making small circles with my thumb, hoping it'd be somewhat comforting. She had just sighed loudly. "The worst part is he's supportive of me being pansexual but doesn't want me to like anyone," She huffs and all I can offer her is a light squeeze on her knee. She smiled and the rest of the trip was in silence. After helping her out and getting her inside to her parents, I went back to my car. 

I just sat there for a little before driving off. As I headed back home, I thought of the day's events. I thought about all Lauren had told me and her laughter from all the dancing she did. After thinking a lot about it I came to one major conclusion. I was without a doubt completely in love with Lauren. 

And now here I am, about to watch my first love marry someone she met only a few days ago. I keep my tears in as she walks down the aisle holding her dad's arm. She's smiling and giggling before she's even had a drop of alcohol. The biggest thing was how happy she looked. For Lauren, she was marrying the love of her life. For me, I was losing mine. I only ever want her happy so I stand back. I say nothing when the priest asks if there are any objections. I wish the newlyweds happiness and stand in the back away from others. 

"Hey," The voice startles me into looking up from my drink. A cute guy with brown hair stands in front of me. "Hello?" I say, unsure if I was supposed to know this man or not. He gives a small chuckle at my reaction. "I'm a friend of the groom," He explains gesturing to Lauren's new husband.  "I figured I should say hi to another kindred soul." I raise an eyebrow at that. "You love the bride, right? Or at the very least you liked her," I can feel my face fall at his words. How did he know? "I've been with Anthony since we were young. At some point, I stopped liking him as a friend," His words bring a sense of comfort and familiarity. We were both watching our beloveds marry someone else. "I'm Laura," I tell him holding out my hand. He hums and takes my hand in his. "Clint," His smile is bright as we shake hands. Even in this sad situation, here we are smiling. 

You may never forget your first love, but you can move on and live happily. 

(A/n: This was an idea I had that was supposed to be short but ended up longer. The funny part is I want to make it longer or expand on some things. I might later on. This is canon to the Giana world but not the main storylines. This is more of a side story I wanted to write. I wanted to write about Lauren and Laura's friendship but then it became a one-sided crush. So, I rewrote what I had in my brain and thus this was born. I hope you enjoyed and have a good day or night!) 

[ta-ether]

Something I’ve been thinking about lately is Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship. Not in how it’s presented in any particular property – this isn’t an analysis of how they appear in The Song of Achilles, or Hades – but more how their relationship is in the Iliad.

I guess the thing that’s been in the back of my mind ever since I read the Iliad (god, was it the summer before junior year of high school?) seven or so years ago, is that while Achilles and Patroclus are held up as this wonderfully romantic couple, this often comes at people glossing over certain aspects of their relationship that are complex or ask questions that have hard answers. Namely, the one that’s been niggling at me is the question that if Achilles is supposed to have loved Patroclus so much, why did he let him go out to fight?

The wonderful thing about Homer, the thing I so desperately love about Homer, is that there is such ambiguity to things. Homer seems to deliberately sidestep giving us concrete answers. The Iliad is a poem that thrives on nuance, and that extends to the exact nature of the relationship between these characters.

While Achilles swears early in the Iliad he won’t fight until his dignity is restored, Patroclus has a much softer heart (in addition to not having been wronged by Agamemnon). Patroclus’ arc from Book 1 to the beginning of 16 is watching the effect Achilles’ absence has on the rest of the Acheans. Achilles himself retreats into his ship and sends Patroclus out for news of how the battles are going, meaning it is Patroclus who is privy to the pain being wrought, and it is also Patroclus who Nestor eventually asks to intercede on the Argives’ behalf.

After the Trojans start seizing the Achean’s ships in Book 15, Patroclus finally goes and asks Achilles if he’ll return to the battle, or failing that, if he can go in his place and armor. He runs up and Achilles asks him why he’s crying like a little girl. Patroclus starts by saying “don’t be angry with me,” but then quickly himself becomes angry at Achilles after explaining how all of their friends and allies are wounded and suffering on the battlefield:

“But it’s impossible to deal with you, Achilles. I hope anger like this rage you’re nursing never seizes me. It’s disastrous! How will you be of use to anyone in later generations, if you won’t keep shameful ruin from the Argives? You’re pitiless. Perhaps horseman Peleus was not your father, nor Thetis your mother— the grey sea delivered you, some tall cliff, for you’ve an unyielding heart.”

He finishes by putting forth Nestor’s suggestion that if Achilles won’t rejoin the fight, he should. “I could be a saving light for the Danaans,” he says. Achilles responds that since the Trojans have come to the ships, he will allow Patroclus to go out in his armor. Now, this is where, famously, Achilles tells him not to go press past the ships:

“Now, pay attention to what I tell you about the goal I have in mind for you, so you’ll win me great honour and rewards, so all Danaans will send back to me that lovely girl and give fine gifts as well. Once you push Trojans from the ships, come back. If Zeus, Hera’s mate, who loves his thunder, gives you the glory, don’t keep on battling those war-loving Trojans with me absent. You would decrease my honours.”

While Achilles is undoubtedly worried about Patroclus’ safety, he mentions his desire for the honor and rewards that his “returning” to battle would bring him. He also brings up (before he says Apollo might make an attempt on Patroclus’ life) that the reason he wants Patroclus to retreat is that it would decrease his own honors. You can chalk this focus on the honor he may or may not receive to many different things, the most charitable of which is that Achilles isn’t taking this very seriously, and perhaps neither is Patroclus. This is backed up by Patroclus’ flippant approach on the battlefield:

“Well now, there’s an agile man! What a graceful diver! […] I suppose these Trojans must have acrobats as well.”

The point still remains that for all the love that Achilles has for Patroclus, his first instinct – like it has been for the entirety of the Iliad to this point – is concern about his own pride and honor, not the safety of his closest friend or fellow Argives. War takes, but Achilles was more focused on what it gives, and then it took his closest companion.

While Patroclus has more of an idea of the horrors of what the Achaeans have been going through in recent books – specifically Book 11 – he still hasn’t been on the field of battle since before the Iliad started. Patroclus pushes on beyond the ships because of his desire to fight and his own refusal to stop, and it is for this reason he is killed by Hector and Apollo. The narrative remarks:

“How blind he was, poor fool! If he’d done what the son of Peleus had told him, he’d have missed his evil fate, his own dark death.”

We learn later from Patroclus’ ghost in Book 23 that one of his flaws, perhaps his greatest and deadliest, is that he can become blinded by passion and lose reason.

“I killed Amphidamas’ son, in my foolishness. I didn’t mean to, but I was enraged over some game of dice.”

The narrative and Patroclus himself admits that if he’d taken a moment to consider, to think rationally, he wouldn’t have felt the need to continue fighting the Trojans, or to kill Amphidames’ son. The thrill of war and perhaps his own desire for honors hid this from him, and this in effect kills him.

As I alluded to earlier, this isn’t something I think many people touch on when thinking about Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship: the idea that ultimately, it was perhaps Achilles who killed Patroclus – or at the very least, lead to his death. The Iliad does start like this, after all:

“Sing, Goddess, sing the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus— that murderous anger which condemned Achaeans to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies carrion food for dogs and birds— all in fulfilment of the will of Zeus.”

One of those souls sent to Hades was Patroclus. Achilles even acknowledges this in Book 18.

“Then let me die, since I could not prevent the death of my companion. He’s fallen far from his homeland. He needed me there to protect him from destruction.”

Patroclus’ death isn’t tragic merely because he died, but because the man who loved him could’ve protected him but didn’t, and he knows it. I don’t want to downplay Patroclus’ own hubris’ role in his death or place all the blame on Achilles – merely point out that for all the love Achilles had for Patroclus, he still didn’t go out to fight when asked: first by his friends and allies, and then by his closest companion. He instead lets Patroclus go out in his place. Achilles’ love ultimately wasn’t stronger than his own pride.

This isn’t to say there’s not a deep, meaningful relationship between these two characters. There clearly, textually is. These two people love each other, however that love is interpreted. But they are also deeply flawed people. And, for all his faults, Patroclus knows that about Achilles. He knew that Achilles might put his own pride over the lives of all the Argives, including him, and so he asked if he could go instead. Even Hector knows this, as before he kills him he says:

“You poor wretch, even Achilles, for all his courage, was no use to you. Though he stayed behind, he must have given you strict orders as you left.”

And, for what it’s worth, Patroclus doesn’t say that he blames Achilles, either here in front of Hector, or when he comes to Achilles as a shade in Book 23 (and characters in the Iliad are decently prone to blaming people for their deaths). Ultimately, he seems to accept Achilles, flaws and all, and desires for them to be reunited in death, as does Achilles.

Their relationship isn’t simple and it’s not straightforward, because these characters aren’t simple or straightforward. Achilles both loves Patroclus more than any other Argive including himself, and also loves his own honor and pride over Patroclus. The incapability of these loves directly leads to Patroclus’ death. Patroclus is also more measured and rational than Achilles, and also is clouded to reason, and this incompatibility leads to his death. If the point of the Odyssey is (in part) that the Trojan War caused unnecessary death, then perhaps Patroclus’ death is that in microcosm.

Still, I can’t help but read Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship as one that – to be blunt – failed. They couldn’t make it work, in life at least. If you read it as a sexual-romantic relationship, maybe that’s its own tragedy. I don’t say this to make people angry or even because I necessarily wholly believe it, but more because their relationship is imperfect and should be recognized as such. Personally, I think this relationship, broken but full of love and affection and flaws, is much more compelling than a perfect or unexamined one.

It goes back to why I love the Iliad in the first place: the characters are messy and rather than this detracting from their ability to impact the reader, it only heightens their ability to speak to us. Homer doesn’t provide concrete answers for things, but he doesn’t have to. Everything we need is on the page. Every time you return to the book, the characters show you something new. I noticed a ton of new things about Achilles and Patroclus while writing this, which really only strengthened my belief in the points I made here. The tragedy of Patroclus’ death is, in part, one of how pride hurts those you love the most. The idea that Achilles caused Patroclus’ death is one that shouldn’t go unexamined because it’s perhaps unsavory, because it is in examining it that the true depths of their relationship are brought to light.

There are so many more things I could’ve mentioned: Achilles and Patrolcus’ status as equals, the role the idea of “fate” plays in Patroclus’ death, how the role the gods play in Patroclus’ death effects all this – but I felt that I would let those be for perhaps another time. As it stands now, I feel as though I have (at least personally) answered my initial question. It’s not a simple answer, but it wasn’t a simple question about simple characters in a simple work. And that is both fine and also, in its own way, beautiful.

[ask-the-arisato-twins]

Dear Twins Arisato: do you attend SCUBA diving classes in the Gekkoukan High school pool? If so, how good Junior SCUBA Divers are you as you are Swim Team Aces?

Minako: Neither of us are on the swim team, I play Tennis and Minato runs Track, but I actually know how to scuba-dive! It’s very fun. I got Akihiko and Junpei to join me, but I can never get Mina to do it.

[morimallow]

Dive With Me

⚠ : slight (?) NSFW in the beginning.

pairing: Hoshiumi Korai x reader because he be second to my Morisuke.

HOLY SHIT, I FORGOT. THIS CONTAINS SLIGHT SPOILERS ABOUT THE HAIKYUU MANGA.

“K-Korai..!” you called out his name as you tightened around his dick. “Slow down.. a-ahh..” You grabbed the edge of the headboard to gather some strength because he was pounding into you real good. He was filling you to the brim, hitting the exact same spot over and over again.

He leaned closer to you with his mouth dangerously near your ear. Hearing his soft grunts and heavy breathing just turns you on even more than before. “If you want me to slow down, you have to beg,” he pulls out his thick cock until only the tip is in, he continued, “louder, for my name,” he thrusts in you in one swift harsh move, “and harder, my darling.” You clenched your dripping pussy upon hearing that endearment he only uses in bed.

You moaned and screamed his name as he thrusted in and out of you harder and faster. “Fuck, baby. Are you trying to milk me, huh? You feel so fucking good.” Without a word, you squeezed him inside you as you ride out your orgasm prolonged by your boyfriend's hot groans and marks by sucking your neck. Korai followed you and came inside, his thick cum filling up the condom haha u thought practice safe sex.

After resting for a bit, he stood up in all his crowning glory I mean dude he's seriously hot threw the condom in the trash bin and went back to the bed spooning you.

He placed soft open-mouthed kisses on your shoulder and nape, secretly trying to look at your phone screen.

“Korai, love,” you started and he hummed in response, his all attention on you. “Can we adopt?”

He moved his hand from your waist down and started drawing soothing circles on your stomach. “Why? Is one of us infertile or something? We can just make one. You should've told me to stop using con—” You cut him of by your hysterical laughter.

“Fuck!” You continued laughing, grabbing his hand tightly around your stomach as it starts to hurt. Then finally, you said, “But we can't make a whale, babe. I want a whale.”

Right then, you were now laying on your back and you see in your peripheral vision that your boyfriend is staring at you— blankly. After a while, he said breathlessly, “Are you serious right now? You're unbelievable.”

“But I really want a whale. Midnight is so cute!” you tried to reason out to him. You had your obsession with whales when you were in junior high. These large mammals roam in vast and calm oceans that you just wanna swim with them forever. You were a professional diver even before you started college and graduated from a prestigious school, earning your bachelor's degree in Marine Biology and now you're taking up Cetology for further studies.

Seeing that your boyfriend is still not convinced, you straddled his stomach, completely forgetting that you're butt-naked. Placing one of your gentle hands on his hard and toned chest, you gave him your puppy eyes, “Just look at him!” you exclaimed as you held out your phone to him, picture of Midnight's tail above the water.

And with that, Korai almost gave in to your charms like he always does. He placed his rough and calloused hands on your hips, “Baby, we can't possibly home a huge ass whale here—” and you snapped. You know Korai doesn't share the same love for whales as you do but he should at least know it's illegal to take whales from their natural habitat.

You got up and stood by the bed and said with such disappointment, “Home a whale? That's what's impossible. It's an adoption! It's just a certificate but the staff would take care of him. They'd just send us pictures and videos of our baby and that's it.” You stomped towards the bathroom, with your back facing him, you said, “You should've at least known that I'd never adopt a whale to live in our house but to help them,” entered the room and slammed the door at his gaping face.

Feeling irritated at your actions, Korai decided to share this to his team and get their opinions.

“Even you, Kageyama? Seriously,” he scoffed and went out for his early morning run. You usually go together but you're both irritated so Korai decided to just ignore you.

Walking out of the bathroom, you saw that Korai was no where to be found. Maybe I hurt him..? You tend to not think of someone's feelings when it comes to whales. Guessing that he won't be back until lunch or probably until dinner, you went to your university to continue your lab research. If he'll ignore you then might as well ignore him too.

You couldn't concentrate on your research and your professor suggested you go home early and come back when you feel better. You agreed, thinking that your boyfriend was waiting for you to come home and you'd make your dinner together but when you got home, it was empty. It was cold and just.. dull. He's not here. It's just a house.

Trying to be optimistic, you started to make dinner. Since your boyfriend is an athlete, you made him something which is low in carbs and high in protein. You were always thoughtful and observant — keeping tabs on every little detail about him. Like how he crunches his nose when he blushes, how he kisses your forehead when he has early morning practice, the way he moves making the smallest sounds possible because he doesn't want to wake you up..

An hour passed. Two, three, four..

You lost count and fell asleep in the dining room.

You've had enough. Alright, Y/N, you're going to the university, finish Chapter 4, pass it to professor, continue your experimentation, go for an evening jog and don't think of Korai. Who cares if you're getting busy the day before your birthday? Not like your boyfriend will throw an unexpected party or at least come home, right? You're pathetic. And you did just that.

Sun shining through the window, you slowly opened your eyes. You looked at the clock and it was already 11AM. Maybe he's home. You ran towards the door, with the biggest smile on your face, to see if his shoes are there. And they weren't.

You came home at around 21:32 and you're beat, so, you took a quick shower and went to bed, not bothered by the fact that he didn't come back.

The soft mattress of the bed left your back and was replaced by two strong and muscled arms. It was warm. It was home. It was Korai. You didn't believe that he was here carrying you to who-knows-where. But even so, guilt was eating you up and you said to the dream Korai, “I'm so sorry, love,” and you sniffled a cry. The dream Korai kissed your forehead and then a peck to your lips. “I'm sorry too, my love, but I need you to go back to sleep, okay?” He's not real but you muttered an okay back anyway.

When you dream, you always end up waking up on the floor not unless Korai is holding you in your sleep but you didn't expect that you'd wake up in a different.. soft bed. You slowly sat up because you were kinda dizzy. Maybe you did fall off the bed but the small window inside the room said otherwise. It was still dark out, probably dawn. Your boyfriend's Adlers jacket caught your eyes. It was hung beside the window with a pair track pants and your favorite shirt from Korai's closet. Feeling a little chilly, you wore the given clothes and tucked your hands inside the pocket of the jacket. You felt a paper and took it out. It read: Come to the upper deck, baby. There are signs so you won't get lost. I'll be waiting.

You saw him leaning slightly over the railings. With the strong wind and waves crashing against the ship, he couldn't hear you walking towards him. You placed your arms around his torso, placing your hands against his rock-hard abs to keep it warm. “You weren't a dream after all,” you whispered more to yourself as you tightened your grip around him.

“I'm always real,” he replied as he took one of your hands and putting it up to his lips to kiss it. It was warm. It was real. Clenching your hand to a fist, you pressed your forehead against his back and held back the tears. “You're here. You came back..”

He turned around and held your chin with his thumb and index finger to look into your eyes. His features softened even more as he saw your tears. He cupped your cheek and held you by your waist, pulling you closer to him and pressed his lips against yours. You missed this. You missed him. The kiss was slow and passionate. You pulled for a brief moment to tilt your heads and came back to each other's lips. Eyes closed, bodies in one big bubble, and hearts connected. He pulled away and you chased his lips and slowly opened your eyes. He has this mischievous glint in his eyes. You know he saw you wanting for more and you blushed looking down.

“Fuck this,” you muttered. You wrapped your arms around his neck, standing on your tip-toes, and kissed him again. This time, longer.

He snaked his arms around your waist and backed you up against the railing. He bit and nibbled on your plump lower lip as he pulled away, out of breath. He placed an open-mouthed kiss on your exposed neck and you moaned at the warmth.

“Let's go back to our room, yeah? It's quite cold,” he stated as he ran his hands through your hair.

“Carry me? You're warm,” you showed him your puppy eyes and super pouty lips, result of your intense kiss.

He shook his head and smiled at your cuteness. He spread his arms and said, “Jump,” and you did. He immediately supported your body as your wrapped your arms and legs around him, burying your head in the crook of his neck and dozed off.

You woke up again in a moving vehicle but this time, you were blindfolded.

“Korai! Are you fucking serious?!” you shouted because you have no idea where your boyfriend is seated or whether he is in the vehicle.

Series of laughters and uh-oh's erupted as someone chuckled beside you and kissed your cheek. “Don't worry, love. We're close. I just hope you're ready for this.” You scoffed, said fine, and squeezed his hand.

After a while, the vehicle stopped. The door was opened and Korai tugged your hand. As soon as you were outside, you asked, “The ocean..?”

Korai guided you to an office. You heard him say, “Mr. Hoshiumi. Yes.. yes. Thank you.”

“Ko-chaaaaaan, tell me what's happening. Take of—” And he really did take off your blindfold. He handed you a paper bag and instructed, “Go change into that. The changing room is up ahead to the right. I'll wait for you here.”

In less than 3 minutes, you came back to the spot and screamed, “I'M GOING DIVING?!” with so much excitement that the staff started to laugh quietly. You eyed your boyfriend. The wetsuit hugging his toned body and it occurred to you.. “YOU'RE DIVING WITH ME?”

Double-checking whether your gears are properly secured, your eyes caught a whale, leaping out of the water. You're frozen in the spot. “Korai..”

“Hmm?” he replied, busy with the equipment.

“I saw Midnight,” you said to him. Then, you turned to the staff who was with you and asked, “The whale who just leapt. That was Midnight, right? Tell me I'm right.”

As she was about to answer, the sound of a whale diving back into the water entered your ears. You whipped your head and just saw the tail. Your eyes widened. “Holy fucking shit, Korai! It really is Midnight!” you whisper-shouted to him.

His eyebrows furrowed and confusion was clear on his handsome features, “How do you know? You just saw it's tail.”

“Exactly!”

“What? Don't whales all look the same?”

You can't help but roll your eyes at his question. “Of course not. Whales are identified and and named by their tails. His name is Midnight because his whole tail is a dark shade of blue.”

“Oh, good. Now I can identify my son as well,” he said to you smiling. You melted at the sight but then you realized..

“Son?! You adopted Midnight?!” you whisper-shouted at him again.

“Yes, and why are you whisper-shouting? You can just voice out your excitement, you know?”

You glared at him, “Excuse me, Hoshiumi Korai. You must know that whales could be gravely affected by noise pollution.”

After diving into the water with Korai and the staff, who is holding a camera, maybe for documentation of something, you quickly searched for Midnight.

With your keen eye, you spotted him and quickly swam towards him, Korai and the staff followed behind, so you could bond with him.

While swimming with the adopted whale with so much joy, Korai grabbed your hand and made you face him.

You gave him a questioning look and it was answered the time he pulled out a small box and opened it. You were shocked.

You pulled the him upwards, heads now above the water. You quickly took off his mouthpiece and goggles. As you locked eyes with him, he knew the answer.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close, he held the box tightly in his hand and you wrapped yours around his neck.

Your lips met. The saltwater or probably tears joining in your mouth. He pulled away, pressed his forehead against yours and held your left hand. As he slipped the ring and kissed you once again, Midnight leapt just behind you. And the staff captured this perfect moments.

After getting the certificate of adoption and the whale brochure, you were now in the upper deck with Korai by your side, enjoying the full-blown formal engagement party planned by your fiance's rivals and now friends back in his highschool days.

With a drink in his hand, a light brown-haired man approached you. You recognized him as one of Korai's teammates in the Japanese National Team.

“Congrats, man. I was gonna let you pay double for the rent if Y/N-san here didn't accept your marriage proposal,” Yaku-san said and laughed lightly. He acknowledged you by bringing his cup of wine lightly towards you and you did the same.

“Thanks and as if I'd pay double. Go away. Shoo!”

“Oh, you're dissing the owner of the ship now? How bold, Hoshiumi-san,” then Yaku started to walk away. When he was near the door, he shouted, “Pay triple, you fucktard!”

As Korai was babbling incoherent words, probably insults, you grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the side of the deck where no one can see you. Looking down and pinching his blazer, “Give it me.”

“Give to you what?”

“Your coat! Let me wear it.. ”

He hugged you tight and placed his chin on top of your head, “Why, my fiancee? Want to show your possessio—”

“My nipples are hard, goddamn it, Korai!” you said it directly at his chest. He pulled away looked at your body. You looked extra ravishing tonight as you wore a red silk dress—low cut to show enough cleavage, a slit up just below your hip, spaghetti straps and your lower back fully exposed.

“You're so perfect I want to pound into you until you can't attend university for your degree but I'll deal with you later,” he said as he took of his coat and draped it over your shoulders.

“Let's go greet some more guests,” he said and started to walk towards the crowd.

Feeling a little bolder, you grabbed his tie and pulled him towards you, nose touching.

Maintaining eye contact, you licked his upper lip and said seductively, “Can later be now, darling?”

He groaned into the crook of your neck and replied, “I'm gonna give you the best birthday present yet.”

M. List

[sciencespies]

School kids in New Zealand discovered a giant penguin fossil with long legs

https://sciencespies.com/nature/school-kids-in-new-zealand-discovered-a-giant-penguin-fossil-with-long-legs/

School kids in New Zealand discovered a giant penguin fossil with long legs

Ancient New Zealand has been home to an incredible array of absurdly large birds. This has included a waist-high parrot, nicknamed Squawk-zilla (Heracles inexpectatus) – the largest parrot ever known on Earth, possibly hunting for flesh around 20 million years ago.

Two-meter-high flightless Moa also made their home there, along with their predator, Haast’s Eagles (Hieraaetus moorei), with a monstrous 3-meter wingspan, around 2 million years ago.

Now researchers have added a new giant penguin to this gloriously super-sized menagerie – one discovered by a lucky group of school kids back in 2006.

“It’s sort of surreal to know that a discovery we made as kids so many years ago is contributing to academia today. And it’s a new species, even!” said Steffan Safey, who was one of the children on the Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club’s field trip at the time. “Clearly the day spent cutting it out of the sandstone was well spent!”

Within a now solidified layer of what once was muddy siltstone, the students discovered the fossilized remains of the towering penguin’s torso, leg, and arm bones.

Massey University paleontologist Simone Giovanardi and colleagues have now examined and formally described the find, found in rock from around 30 million years ago, in Kawhia Harbour on the North Island of New Zealand.

“The penguin is similar to the Kairuku giant penguins first described from Otago but has much longer legs, which the researchers used to name the penguin waewaeroa – Te reo Māori for ‘long legs’,” explained zoologist Daniel Thomas from Massey University.

“These longer legs would have made the penguin much taller than other Kairuku while it was walking on land, perhaps around 1.4 meters tall, and may have influenced how fast it could swim or how deep it could dive.”

An analysis of living and extinct members of the penguin’s family trees suggests these species reached their large proportions independently from each other. Natural selection seems to have an interesting habit of shaping birds into giants when they’re isolated in a habitat free of predators.

Somehow, when Zealandia split from Gondwana 80 million years ago, it was (or soon became) free of predatory mammals, making it an ideal melting pot for such evolutionary experiments.

At least 10 known ancient giant penguins have been found on this continent, including the 60-million-year-old, 1.6-meter-tall Crossvallia waiparensis discovered in 2019, and 30-million-year-old Kairuku waitaki, that’s related to the new find.

Some researchers suspect after having survived the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago, penguins were able to take advantage of the lack of giant marine predators.

Left with plentiful resources needed to support bigger bodies, they were able to expand into new ecological niches – an ecological phenomenon called mesopredator release. 

This roughly coincided with their shift into becoming flightless divers – flight would also have constrained their size. And without predatory land mammals around, the giant penguins had a safer place to breed in Zealandia.

Comparing the fossil to other species, Giovanardi and team note that following K. waewaeroa there was a trend towards shorter legs in this group of penguins. The change in body length may decrease the bird’s surface/volume ratio and the surface area for parasites, both of which would reduce drag for their underwater flight.

Once other marine predators like sharks and marine mammals got big during the Eocene and Oligocene, any edge provided by swimming faster would have become a vital advantage again for these birds.

“Kairuku waewaeroa is emblematic for so many reasons,” explained Thomas. “The fossil penguin reminds us that we share Zealandia with incredible animal lineages that reach deep into time, and this sharing gives us an important guardianship role.

“The way the fossil penguin was discovered, by children out discovering nature, reminds us of the importance of encouraging future generations to become kaitiaki [guardians].”

This research was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

#Nature

[kin-of-the-sea]

are you still doing that character ask game? if so, ruka!

(So sorry about the late reply)

Ruka Azumi 

First impression: She had a rough start at the beginning of the story(the 1st chapter of vol. 1 specifically), but I eventually grew to love her and wanted to see how her journey was going to turn out.

Current opinion: I love her so much, she’s my baby and I want her to be happy!!!

Headcanon(s): 

She’s neurodivergent, but she’s undiagnosed which is why nobody knew how to deal with her and why she had trouble connecting with other children her age until she met Umi & Sora. 

She got a whale shark keychain from the aquarium her father works at.

Some of what she’s learned from being around Umi & Sora started to rub off on her a bit; some days she’s able to sense if a storm’s coming & how strong it’ll be.

After graduating from her junior high school, she either ends up being homeschooled by her mother or she starts going to a school that’s more accommodating to her needs. She’s more comfortable around people now, but she still prefers her own solitude & the company of nature. 

Part of her wants to become a sailor or a diver. Or both.  

Sometimes, especially in great stormy weather(sometimes during typhoons), she puts a chair on the beach in a spot where no one else will find it. Once the storm quells, she goes back to get the chair. Most of the time, there’s usually something on the chair when she goes to get it back. ;)

Something I would have liked to see them do(in either the anime or manga):  There’s a lot of things that I would’ve like to have seen her do in both the anime film & the manga, but I’m gonna go with the anime film for this one--mainly I wanted to see her & the boys have more quiet moments together(not saying the film didn’t already do that, I just wanted more). I also wanted her to hear her mom tell her the origin of her name(Iruka- ‘dolphin’), which is something that happened in the manga.

Things that remind me of them: Whale sharks, footprints in the sand, falling stars, the smell of rain after a storm has passed, the happy feeling of sharing a warm meal with people you love.

‘Cinnamon roll/Looks like they could kill you’ ranking: Cinnamon roll, but would not hesitate to kick your ass if you mess with her or her friends.  

Feel free to send me more of these!!

[alto-march-of-death]

Two concussions😳😳 what are you doinggg?!

OKAY LISTEN—

1. junior year of high school, conference prelims for swimming; coach put me in the 100 backstroke which i had never swam in a competition before, and i miscounted my strokes and smacked the back of my skull on the wall, giving me a mild concussion. 4 months healing time ✊🏻😔

2. senior year of high school, saturday morning swim practice: a lane line was out so our diver could practice, and someone drifted from their lane into mine. as i pushed off the wall (full speed, mind you, we were doing sprint sets), he comes in and our heads hit. i get a black eye, almost fractured my orbital socket, and a severe concussion with 7 months healing time. also damaged the vestibulocochlear nerve in my left ear, and so now i have shitty balance