#i am that which shall rebuild it

[venusaur-propaganda]

Drawing Venusaur with every Pokemon pt. Xerneas

[vilevenom]

This idea has been sitting in my drafts forever, and I finally wrote it today because a fan animatic made me sad.

(If you wanna see an amazing animatic you should go watch it here. It has nothing to do with the fic, it's just good)

There'll be Good Times Again

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog (video games)

Pairing: Sonic/Lancelot, implied Sonic/Shadow

Summary: Everyone else thought it was just a dream, but it had all felt so real. The way Sonic's heart felt like it was going to break in two certainly was.

Sonic sighed happily as he leaned into his companions side as they sat on the grassy hilltop, closing his eyes as the soft, warm spring breeze swept through his quills. The enticing scent of freshly bloomed flowers danced around them on the wind as his companions fingers slid between his own, pulling a quiet, pleased hum from Sonic.

"My lord…"

"How many times do I gotta tell you, Lance," Sonic chuckled, sitting up to shoot the knight an amused grin, "It's just Sonic."

"Ah," Lancelot let his gaze slip away from the blue hedgehog's face, his muzzle betraying his embarrassment with a soft pink flush, "Sonic."

"Yes, Lance?"

"I just…wanted to tell you. Should anything happen-"

"Hey! It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, birds are singing, and Camelot is rebuilding! I don't wanna hear any doom and gloom out of you, mister!"

"Sonic, please," Lancelot tightened his hold minutely on Sonic's hand, shifting his position to fully face the other hedgehog, "allow me this one moment? It will set my heart at ease to say it."

Sonic let a long, slow breath out his nose before giving a short nod, a crooked little smile on his face as he reached out to pluck a stray piece of grass from Lancelot's quills. "Fine. But only one, so you better make it good."

Lance returned the smile with a soft one of his own, bringing Sonic's hand up to press a gentle kiss to his knuckles. "A challenge I am more than willing to take on," he chuckled. He then took a deep breath, crimson meeting emerald as he began to speak. "I simply need you to know…should anything happen to tear us apart from each other, whether that be an attack on the kingdom, or the force which brought you to this world sweeping you away again, I shall forever be your most loyal knight, and I will aways love you. No matter what form I may take, in any world you may find yourself in, your soul and mine are most surely intertwined and meant to be together."

"Lance, that's-" Sonic puffed out a breath, quickly wiping at his eyes and shaking his head with a light laugh, "That's beautiful, but we both heard Merlina. She figured out how to summon me here, but she has no idea how to send me back. And! There's nothing that could attack Camelot that we can't handle. You really don't need to be so dramatic. Even if it is incredibly sweet." He lifted his free hand to cup the side of Lancelot's muzzle, smile turning soft as Lance tilted his cheek into the hold.

"Even if that may be the case," the knight sighed, turning his head to press a brief kiss to the palm of Sonic's hand, "I just wanted you to know."

"Hmm…moment well spent," Sonic chuckled, drawing Lance in close to sweep a feather light kiss over his lips, "I love you, too."

~

Sonic woke with a start, his arms and legs flailing, only serving to tangle himself further in the blankets already wrapped around him like a cocoon. He gasped as his squirming nudged him over the edge of his bed, letting out a loud yelp as he hit the floor, the tangle of blankets falling over him gently to bury him in bedding. He thrashed as footsteps approach the door, loath to allow any of the knights to find him in such an embarrassing situation as being trapped by his own blankets.

"Sonic? I heard a loud noise! Are you okay?" The bedroom door opened just as Sonic managed to free his upper body from the tangle, shooting a reassuring grin at the door, only to falter at being confronted with the decor of a bedroom he didn't think he'd see again and Tails' worried face.

"Uh…ah, yeah!" Sonic forced a laugh, waving his little brother off as he used his now free hands to pull the blankets free from his legs, "Just had a weird dream and fell off the bed! Nothing to worry about, keed!"

Tails looked skeptical, eyeing Sonic for a moment, before shrugging, obviously assessing that nothing in the room had been damaged and Sonic wasn't grievously injured in some way. "Alright. Well, Amy said she'd come by a bit later this morning, so get up soon, okay?"

"Sure, bud! No problem!"

With that Tails slipped back out of the room, closing the door with a soft click as he went. Sonic rubbed at his head, confused and off kilter as his brain tried to catch up with the fact that he was apparently back home, without any rhyme or reason. He then noticed a book that had obviously fallen when he was flailing around, pages bent at odd angles from the way it had landed on the floor. He gently picked it up, his heart giving a painful lurch in his chest as his eyes scanned over the title; 'The Once and Future King'. Had it all been nothing but a dream?

~

Sonic tilted his head as he heard footsteps approaching the spot where he sat on the grassy hillside, knees to his chest, watching the world below go idly by, fully expecting Tails or Amy. It had been a week since he'd woken up from his 'dream', and the two had been a bit overbearing the past few days, constantly checking in on him, siting his uncharacteristic melancholy mood as the source for their worry. He supposed it couldn't be helped, really. As much as he'd wanted to come home, and as much as he loved his friends and his life on Mobius, he'd just gotten used to the idea of living in Camelot for the foreseeable future. With Lancelot.

No conceivable time had passed while he'd been in Camelot, so even when he'd told his friends of his adventure they'd been skeptical of him, at best. He'd quickly laughed it off with them when he realized that as much love and support his friends would always give him, there was just no convincing them of his time spent away. He'd begun avoiding them to try and get his thoughts together, hoping that a little bit of solitude would help make the unsettled, twisting feeling in his chest go away. All it had done was afford him time to reread through his book of legends and lament unintentionally leaving Lancelot behind without a word.

The blue hero did not expect to find Shadow walking towards him with a nearly unreadable expression on his face when he fully turned to see who was approaching. He blinked a couple of times in surprise, before plastering a smile on his face, hoping it was convincing. He'd been hoping to put off seeing Shadow for as long as possible, given the rather unfortunate fact that the hybrid shared a face with his knight. But, unfortunately, not his heart.

"Ah! Hey, Shads! What brings you out here?" Sonic asked, uncurling his legs and leaning back on his hands casually as Shadow came to a stop next to him.

"Rose has been messaging Rouge nearly non-stop since you disappeared, and so I was sent out to find you," Shadow grunted, arms folded across his chest as he stared out across the town beneath the hill.

"Oh. Uh, sorry about that," the hero laughed, running absent fingers through his quills, "I just needed some time to think."

"You? Think? That's laughable," Shadow snorted, earning a bitten off laugh of surprise from Sonic. The hybrid seemed to dither for a moment, before gracefully settling himself next to Sonic in the grass. He sighed heavily, crossing his legs while folding his hands in his lap. They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "What's been bothering you?"

"Bothering me? C'mon, Shads. You know nothing bothers me," Sonic snorted, playfully shoving at the hybrid's shoulder to little avail, as he did little more than shoot a glare at the hero. He tried to keep up the grin he'd plastered on his face, only to finally wilt at Shadows unrelenting stare. "…It's nothing. Honest," he finally offered, turning back to look at the town, "It was…just a dream."

"A dream?" Shadow echoed, tone curious.

"Yeah. A really vivid dream," Sonic shrugged, tucking a knee against his chest to lean his chin on, "It just…it messed me up a bit, is all. I'll be okay in a little while. Nothing to worry about."

A grunt was his only response for a long time, the two sitting in companionable silence as the world continued to turn around them.

"…Rose told Rouge that you think it was real," Shadow finally murmured, plucking at the grass. Sonic simply snorted, turning his face away from Shadow. This whole scene felt far too familiar and raw, but also wrong. It made Sonic's skin itch.

"Yeah, well," the hero shrugged, "I said it was vivid, didn't I?"

"Tell me about it."

Sonic turned sharply towards Shadow, who was simply watching him with a neutral expression."…What?"

"Your dream. Tell me about it," Shadow reiterated, tossing a piece of grass into the wind, "I've been told it helps."

Sonic contemplated Shadow for a long beat, before he let out a breath and slowly began to talk. He spoke of the knights, misguided by a dark hearted king, and magic tainted and corrupt. He weaved a tale of heroism, with just a dash of lightheartedness sprinkled in, where good ultimately triumphed over evil, and the heroes got their just rewards in a happy ending. He carefully avoided speaking directly of Lancelot.

When Sonic was done, he almost felt winded, a smile on his face as he trailed off, before letting his hands fall into his lap, a sudden and harsh pang in his chest as he recalled the last night he'd spent in Camelot, curled together with Lancelot, happily discussing their plans for the future; both for themselves and the kingdom. He sucked in a sharp breath to try and ground himself, offering Shadow a strained smile. "And that's it."

The sharp stare he received in return was only somewhat off putting, given that it held no malice, but it still felt to Sonic like Shadow was staring into his very soul. He swallowed thickly, his smile wobbling at the corners. "What?"

"That's not 'it'," Shadow stated bluntly, scrunching his nose and narrowing his eyes at Sonic, "What aren't you telling me?"

The hero opened his mouth to weave another tale, only to deflate as Shadow continued to stare him down, his mouth closing with a quiet click of his teeth. He cast his gaze out towards the horizon, chewing on the inside of his cheek for a moment before finally relenting. "…There was a knight," he began, flicking his gaze to the hybrid briefly, only receiving a flick of Shadow's wrist as if telling him to continue. "He-we…He was the most loyal knight. First to the black king, and then to me. He was steadfast by my side, and we got close. Really close. Uhm," he cleared his throat, feeling a flush creep up his neck for speaking to Shadow about this, of all people, "Once the king was defeated, he confessed his feelings to me, and…yeah."

"So, you're not sad about leaving Camelot. You're sad about leaving him," Shadow rather astutely observed, arching a brow at the hero, who could feel his cheeks burn.

"I mean-!" Sonic started off sounding offended, only to click his tongue and nod slightly, his shoulders slumping, "Yeah. It feels like I abandoned him, y'know? Like I abandoned all of them, after promising I would help them. I know Tails and Amy are fully convinced it was just a dream, and I probably sound crazy, but I was starting to plan a life for myself there! It was…it was going to be good."

"Even if it was just a dream, it still meant something to you," Shadow murmured, his head tilted back to watch the clouds as the floated across the sky, "Your brain can't always tell what's real and what's not in dreams. Even if everything you told me was some fantasy your mind conjured up, it still made you feel something. That's irrefutably true." He tipped his head to regard Sonic from the corner of his eye. "Tell me about him. Your knight."

"Are you sure? It's…well, it's sappy, mostly. Doesn't really seem like something you'd want to hear."

"Just tell me, hedgehog. Before I change my mind."

"Alright, alright," Sonic chuckled, curling his arms around his knees and resting his chin on them again. "Well…he was brave, obviously. And strong. I think I already said it, but he was the strongest knight in the entire kingdom. He was smart as a whip, too. Called me on my bullshit and kept everyone in line. But he was also kind, and sweet. He had a big heart. He was handsome, too…"

"…you loved him."

Sonic contemplated skirting the question or outright lying, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. "With my whole heart."

Silence hung between the two hedgehogs after that simple statement, though it wasn't uncomfortable or strained. The gentle spring wind swirled around them, carrying the smell of freshly bloomed flowers. Sonic's heart gave a hard thump in his chest as tears threatened to gather in his eyes. He buried his face in his knees, taking a deep, shuddering breath to try and keep them at bay. With a shaky voice, he murmured into quietly into his knees, "His name was Lancelot."

"I'm sorry."

Sonic sniffed, wiping at his face as he lifted it from his knees. "What for?"

Shadow tilted his head this way and that, before lying back in the grass to properly stare up at the clouds, hands folded over his belly. "Isn't that what you say to someone when they've lost someone they love?"

Sonic flopped back into the grass next to Shadow, finally allowing a couple of tears to escape from his eyes, "I suppose so, yeah." He startled when he felt fingers intertwine with his own in the grass, turning his head to find Shadow still staring up at the clouds. He let a tiny, lopsided smile curl his lips, before turning back to the sky, Lance's words speaking of souls intertwined echoing in his mind.

Maybe, just maybe, the future he had been planning with Lancelot wasn't completely lost. That thought lifted at least a little bit of the weight from his grieving heart as he shifted a bit closer to Shadow in the grass. His smile grew as the hybrid lifted a hand to point out a cloud.

"That one looks like a rabbit."

"Yeah. It kinda does."

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello lovely fandom! It’s tiiimmeeeee. I’m so ready for this premiere. This hiatus felt like the longest one yet. Probably cause they weren’t allowed to share literally anything for months and months. While I might still gripe we’re only getting 18 and 20 would’ve been better….I am psyched to be analyzing a new season ❤️

Changing these up to First impressions cause mini and I don’t get along in terms of brevity. Now imma try and be briefer since I’ll be doing a deep dive next summer. Hopefully in our next hiatus. *fingers crossed* The library still a turd for new gifs. So had to make all mine. Also I must have a new angle at my new place. So they came out not how I wanted lol But after a full day of work I was too tired to re-do them all. It's a miracle this is coming out with how tired I am haha Anyways bear with me and hopefully next weeks gifs are better ha Off we go!

7x01 The Shot.

Cool thanks recap. Not like we forgot the breakup that ruined us all…Would like to say someday that won't ruin me to watch, but that's a lie...Love that to leave the lineup for recaps now. Thanks.

It's the little things like them sitting next to each other in the swat car that make me so happy. Not gonna lie I was grinning like a damn fool just seeing them seated together. God I missed them. Straight giddy them working together in the field. It’s where they originated. It’s where they’re going to heal.

I love her directing him in the field. That snap of her fingers and he knows instantly what she needs and follows. That beautiful rhythm only they can achieve. Silent communication at it's finest folks. Mmm loving this. Lucy taking down a dude double her size and Tim coming in to help finish him off. Hot damn I love them in the field. Legit ship crack to me everyone. Look at those beautiful humans in motion above. I can't get enough.

Oooh lord T.O Tim *fans self* Mmm Can’t say haven’t missed him. I'll be real honest. Yum. Thank you Nolan for not undermining him while he sized them up. We would've had words sir. It probably shouldn't delight me watching him tear them apart, and yet here we are with me drooling over him. With zero regrets. Just nice to see him in his element after being knocked out of it last year. I shall enjoy this year for him I can already tell.

Ha! Bingo card hit. That's one square down. ‘Grey guides Lucy with her career.’ Yasss I’m a dork I know but you all knew this ha Grey pulling strings to get her to T.O. "Temp." I’m sure it’ll stick. He see’s what a good teacher and leader she is. Look at him jumping starting this for her. Nudging her in the right direction.

Lucy not being sure....Still battling with that UC identity and detective path. Some left over S6 bleh hanging around. I think Grey is setting her path and she has no idea how ‘not temporary’ this will be. At least IMO. I see her excelling at this and wanting to stay at it. Plus like Grey said it’ll strengthen her position should detective come back up. Also like to list the reasons why I think this will be good for her.

One it'll rebuild her confidence. Something we all know was shattered and then run over by s6. Second it'll give her a new purpose and clarity for her career. (Which is also a bingo square for me. Yes I'll be tallying mine all year lol) Now she has to accept being a FT one for it to apply but I think it will. Lastly it'll get rid of the pesky 'Chain of Command' issue for them later on. Because we don't want that again.

Tim enters the chat and he is a most welcome addition. The mini banter about her training. I'm here for it and I love love love it. Look at the flirty smirks on these idiots. Like breathing fresh air once again. The small smirks have me reeling. Gimme. Grey although has no time for this LOL Ushering their asses out. Just happy they can breathe the same air again and not have it be nuclear.

Then the real banter begins. I’ve missed them so much. I wanna cry. Tim instantly offering to give her tips. Is this one of his small doses? Possibly I think he would’ve offered this as an olive branch either way tbh. But I love seeing how eager he is to bond with her over this. Lucy’s so cute with her ‘ My rookie.’ Girl you’re gonna wanna stay a T.O. I already see it.

Lucy of course has her sassy answer locked and loaded for him. He answers right back. Goodness their banter is top tier. And woo another bingo card for me. Well this was not in my official bingo card. BUT I did say how if she ended up as a T.O. this season this would happen. In my 6x08 review said they would end up doing a bet over who trains a better rookie. And here we are. I'm enjoying my spoils and grinning like a happy fool. Which is nice after spending the second half of s6 being emotionally spent and destroyed.

Oh Lucy, like you could ever walk way from your man about a competitive bet of all things. This is how they’re gonna heal my friends. Going back to the beginning. To their roots. Where this rock solid bond was started. In the field. Along with some banter and fiery competition thrown in. This new dynamic has me so giddy I can’t even contain myself.

You can see how excited Tim is she’s going to be a T.O. With him. Flirting with her by offering this up. Moth to a flame with her in general. But this? Man is raring to go. Being a T.O and competition with his girl? He is beaming with excitement. Also probably knows this is a good way to further his cause of mending fences.

The goading of her oh my lord. It’s s4 all over again and I’m here for it. Except Tim is far more aware he’s in love with this woman. The straight teasing and flirting in front of the entire station. Welcome back. Oh my word I love sfm. His telling smirk is amazing. Reeling her back in slowly LOL

Nolan actually ignites more flirty flirts for them when he tells them about the ringer. Because classic John can't shut his yapper. I’ve truly missed this high grade goodness though. Lucy accusing him of hustling her haha Tim deescalates her like only he can with his strong logic. Saying it's actually harder that he has previous experience. He’s not wrong. First thing I thought about him when they said he had experience…Poor Seth called a virgin lmao

The rookies get assigned and we get jealous/protective Tim. Welcome back to our screens. You've been missed. *grabs ice water* This premiere is trying to kill me in the best way. I was here for the show. You tell that cocky little boy babe. I think someone else had one of the rookies flirts with Lucy in their bingo card. So you get that square ha The balls to do that in front of Tim. This kid has a death wish on wheels.

Ovary explosion at the way he barked at him though. Man is making me thirsty af. Also this kid is not a ringer in the least. I know what it’s like to de-program someone. It’s not easy. When I would get someone from another team (and terrible manager btw) I would spend the first 30 days just getting rid of the bad habits before I could begin to mold them. So ringer he is not....Lucy has a better shot with fresh meat tbh. Seth is far more impressionable. Hence her finishing line above.

Tim TEARS Texas a new one. Was kind of hoping he would. Nothing like a solid Tim T.O. rant. This kid needed it holy cow. Too damn cocky for a rookie even with experience. Makes it worse. Get em Tim! I’m enjoying this far too much. Haha Mmm. Sidelines his ass as he should. Maybe he can rejoin when his ego is in check.

This scene had me cackling. First off look at them both with crossed arms. I'm dying. Also Lying liars who lie LOL Both struggling a little bit with their rookies. It’s hilarious. Can’t ever admit fault of course. Very s4 vibes going on here I love it sfm.

Friggin Nolan has to be include himself...Listen John they checked the guest list for this work flirt convo. You're not on it sir. So needy this one. He actually didn't bug me much at all in this one. Probably the lack of Bailey....

Tim’s final T.O scene has me drooling holy hell. The jacket, the stern taking to, and telling them to suck less? I’m dying hahaha I loved how this was shot. Seeing the faces as Tim grills them both. Putting them in place. I love it sfm I'm so VERY excited for this season for him. If this was our look into it I am ready for more.

Oh my word, this final scene of theirs. If you don’t feel giddy, and a sense of promise for reconciliation from this interaction, I can't help you. LOL. I mean that in the nicest way haha I really do. The subtext running through this scene like a bullet train of hope. The moment begins with puppy dog Tim. Let’s take a second to contrast how he just was with the rookies earlier. To seeing his girl in the parking lot. That's the Lucy Chen effect.

That man is walking on air, and beaming his best ‘Lucy’ smile as he approaches her car, looking like a damn snack I wanna devour. I adore the swapping of stories. Giving each other shit but staying confident in their abilities to right their rookies ships as it were. Lucy saying ‘Tomorrow is another day.’ With Tim’s hopeful ‘Yes it is.’ Got me all in my damn feels. To me it’s a positive setup for the entire season. The low key flirty vibes here are glorious first and foremost. Second the flirting inside the promise with those two lines has me reeling.

The smiles they both convey just shows our babies are healing. Lucy is healing. She isn’t holding back with the positivity and flirting right back. There is this underlying UST too. But the most beautiful part is their talk about 'Tomorrow'. Tomorrow is another day for them to get one step closer to being who they once were. Only stronger. Tim’s 'Yes it is.' Is everything. His tone of voice, how he’s looking at her, and that determination to make something out of every day he gets with her. Driven to make tomorrow a day he inches one step closer to the promise he made in the elevator in 6x10. Oooh lord I’m excited for this season.

I said couple days ago how amped I was for this new dynamic. Them being T.O’s together and finding their way back in this fashion. It’s a fantastic and true to them way to do it. Couldn’t be more excited. The LOOKS everyone my god. The way he is pining after her. Doesn’t tear eyes away for a second as she pulls off. And our girl checks the mirror not once but TWICE.

Making eyes right back at him. This scene should excite the hell out of you. I’m scaling the walls right now haha This is as a very very promising opening episode for them. Little more proof they're going to make their way back. Won't be right away but it's coming. This is what I was longing for when we left off all those months ago.

For them to be in a better place to even start this healing. I’m so ready for this journey. I really am. Trusting the writers to do this at the right pace. So when it does happen and it will. We’re gonna be on cloud 9 x1000 Ooof lord that was good. They know how to close out an ep our ship. Watched promo for next ep. I’m vibrating with excitement.

The UST I feel from that little clip is the beauty of Eric and Melissa. This season gonna be incredible i feel it deep in my soul baha Now I’m excited we don’t have a break now that we’re here. As always thank you thank you thank you. To any and all who comments(love me to chat don’t be shy wanna theorize with you all) , like or reblog these. You have no idea how much it means to me. Also proud of myself for keeping this brief ish for me lol Below is my side notes feel free to comment on anything said in this or below till next week my lovely fandom :)

~~

Side notes non Chenford

No Bailey in a the premiere was already staring off with a win for me. Sorry Jenna but ya know lol sorta not….really…

Lieutenant Grey! So happy for him. Solid reasoning why he got it. Sucks he feels bad but I'm glad for him.

Lots of action off the bat hot damn. They said we'd have more and I loved it

Oooh loving Wes being assumed to the station. Welcome sir. Happy to have you and more Wopez moments to come.

Aaron went to north Hollywood someone had to lol Makes sense he would leave due to Blair. Also leaves the door open for him to return someday. Which makes my heart happy.

Poor Wes has to hear the recording of a man wanting to do things to his wife lol oh my lord. He’s legit having a meltdown about it hahah I sense some trouble for Wopez. Should be interesting season for them.

[shukraastro]

BTS Jungkook's D9 Navamsa Ascendant - Ashlesha Nakshatra

Since there is an ongoing dicussion in the community about his accurate birth time because he has mentioned his birth time on two occasions and in different ways, many people are confused about his D1 Ascendant which is very crucial for finding his D9 Ascendant. Therefore I have worked on this topic with my Army friend who helped me in getting to know Jungkook a bit more, since I myself am not really familiar with the personality traits of the BTS members. Big Thanks to my dear friend, for doing her best in understanding this Nakshatra and watching videos and researching about the Ashlesha Nakshatra with me together and comparing the traits with those of Jungkook.

So without further ado I will jump right into it. There is two birth times given, the first case is 3:23 PM which makes him a Mula Lagna in his Rasi chart and the second 3:25-30 PM which makes him a Purva Ashadha Lagna in his Rasi chart. In the case of Mula Rasi he becomes an Ashlesha Ascendant in his Navamsa and in the case of Purva Ashadha Rasi he becomes a Magha Ascendant, for 3:30 PM even a Purva Phalguni Ascendant. Yes, every 5 minutes gap can make such differences.

I have taken his traits and mannerizms under the scope with my friend and compared all those with the traits which are seen in Ashlesha Nakshatra natives. Now here is the thing, these will be the traits of him which he displays when he is with his loved ones, close friends, family, partner and when he is in his home environment because it is the Navamsa Ascendant. The Navamsa Ascendant shows how a person is deep down at their core and how they present this outwardly. And of course we can't see this part of his life completely. But as my friend told me, that he is someone who has shown this side of himself quite frequently in videos with his members and in his live streams, so this analysis is purely based on that.

Ashlesha Nakshatra Symbol: A coiled Serpent

Ashlesha Nakshatra Lord: Mercury

Ashlesha Nakshatra Deity: The Nagas

Anything Serpent related also holds Rahuvian energy, because Rahu itself is known as the Serpent's head and the Nagas as well as Rahu are linked to the Patala Lok which is the Underworld.

Common themes/traits seen in Ashlesha individuals:

1. They hug their loved ones very tighly like a snake coiling around someone, even when sleeping they coil themselves around their person. Very commonly seen in Jungkook's interaction with his members.

2. They are revengeful if someone does them wrong or harms their loved ones, just like a mother (cancerian trait) snake. Apparently he shall be very protective over his members.

3. They move their body in a very seductive way. Watching them move from point A to point B is very hynotizing, just like watching a snake moving forward. Their movements are very fluid and smooth. I guess this must be very self-explanatory.

4. They either take good care of their spine and their joints or they will deal with some sort of issues regarding the spine and joints. I was told to mention this one very specifically: Jungkook's roller cushion and his habit of cracking his joints and knuckles.

5. They have advanced sense of smell. Which again, this is supposed to be a well-known fact about him.

6. These people have some habits with their tongue, like sticking out or biting on their tongue or their tongue getting in the way when they're speaking, resulting in lisping, they also tend to stutter and stumble upon their words. There can sometimes be issues with the speaking ability which results from the Serpentine and Mercurian influence. These themes are commonly seen in Jungkook, lisping and stuttering as well as especially sticking out his tongue in a playful manner very often.

7. Moving homes frequently, as well as demolishing and rebuilding their home. This is a theme which results from the influences of the Cancer sign, which is the natural sign of the 4th house - the home - and the nature of the snake to shed its skin. Sometimes you'll see these people also not even living in an own house for some time, just the way how snakes seek shelters in other houses until they find themselves their very own shelter under some rock. There are articles published that Jungkook demolished a house to rebuild it again from scratch, so this theme shows itself here as well.

Which leads to to next point, when we're talking about the home...

8. Seeking privacy in the darkness. This is a very interesting one. Privacy and spending time in darkness or dimly lit spaces is a common theme in Ashlesha natives. Snakes seek shelter in cool, dark and secure places to digest their meal and rest. This typical behavior of snakes gives us further insight into the private life style of Ashlesha natives. Apparently it is also well known, by Jungkook's live streams that he enjoys to spend plenty of time at home in his privacy where he keeps his lights dimly litten and cooks, eats and rests.

9. Ashlesha natives are also very prone to jealousy and posessiveness. Now this does not have to be in a negative way also from individual to individual the intensity of this can differ. Nevertheless Jungkook has shown this side of himself in moments of interactions with his members as well as made it quite clear that he is the jealous type of partner - in the perilla leaf debate to be specific.

10. Ashlesha native's have a fascination with the other realms. This is an influence which results from the connection of the Nagas to the Underworld. This fascination leads them often to practicing rituals or anything of that kind. In another live stream Jungkook has openly spoken about his attempt to contact spirits in his house by using tools. There is the Mercurian theme of contacting/communication/using tools and the Cancer rising lord Moon in the 12th house of private/isolated place his home.

This was the last point, I'm sure he might also have more themes of Ashlesha which resonate with him but as far as publically shown these were the ones which we could discover in him.

He already carries traits of Magha and Purva Phalguni in him because of his other placements but the reason behind these Ashlesha traits in him must be the influence of his very possible Ashlesha Ascendant. He has no other Ashlesha placement in his other charts, so he must have an Ashlesha Lagna in his Navamsa. This would also explain why his clock tattoo points specifically at 3:23 o'clock which makes him an Ashlesha Ascendant in D9.

Again this was only for research and education purposes only. Also some of these observations are from Dr. Arjun Pai and his Team on Youtube and some of them are my own observations.

The above mentioned Ashlesha traits can also be applied in spouse analysis, if some of you happen to have Darakaraka/7th Lord/Venus/Jupiter/Mars in this Nakshatra.

I was not intending to make any Jungkook related posts for the upcoming weeks, but since I was working on this one with my friend for a while and we got done with it already I wanted to post it quickly and have this topic off the table.

I hope this was informative for y'all.

See you soon.🌺

[fatecantstopme]

Hi!!! Can I plzz request a Morpheus and y/n are married and reader just wants alone time with her husband but he's always busy so unsatisfied reader has some alone time and Morpheus hears and goes to help her (smut included plz) 🤧🤧

Need

Pairing: Morpheus x wife!reader

Summary: Morpheus has been extremely busy since returning from captivity. He never intended to, but he'd left you without his touch for far too long.

Warnings: Fluff. SMUT, oral (F receiving), unprotected sex (P in V)

A/N: I love this idea. Hope you enjoy! 🥰

It felt like it had been ages since you'd had any alone time with your husband. He'd been incredibly busy, so much so that you barely saw him these days. It wasn't that he was ignoring you, he was simply overwhelmed with work and he had the tendency to get completely lost in it.

As the Lord of Dreams, Morpheus was constantly busy managing his kingdom, creating new dreams and nightmares, and ensuring the comfort of his creations and the dreamers who entered his realm. Given his recent absence from the realm, his work had quadrupled. As such, he had been spending a lot of time in his study or out in the Dreaming.

You had to admit you missed him terribly. When he'd first returned from his captivity, you hadn't left each other's sides for weeks, but once he began to rebuild The Dreaming, he became more distant.

This evening in particular, you were feeling extra lonely--and perhaps a bit needy. You decided to take a walk through the palace, searching for your husband. Eventually, you wandered into his study and found him hunched over his desk, several books open in front of him.

He looked up as you entered, an expression of surprise on his beautiful face. "My love? Is everything alright?" he asked gently.

You smiled as you moved across the room. "I'm alright, darling. I just haven't seen much of you in a while."

Morpheus frowned. "I am sorry, beloved. I did not intend to ignore you."

"Oh, no, not at all. I didn't think you were ignoring me. You're just very busy and I completely understand. Your work is very important."

He stood up and stepped in front of his desk, arms reaching out to pull you towards him. "Nothing is more important than you," he said solemnly.

You smiled and leaned in to kiss him gently. "I appreciate that," you paused. "Do you think you'll be coming to bed tonight?"

Morpheus looked a little sad--perhaps even regretful. "I have much to do this evening, my darling. I shall endeavor to finish it in a timely manner, but I do not think it will be tonight."

You couldn't help the frown that graced your face, but you tried to hide the intensity of your sadness from your husband. "That's alright, Morpheus."

He could tell you were sad, but before he could say a word, one of his creations knocked on the open door. "Sire?"

Morpheus stepped away from you and turned his attention to the newcomer. "Yes?"

"There is a--situation that requires your assistance, my lord."

Morpheus sighed.

"It's alright, darling," you said softly. "Go take care of it."

He nodded. "I will be quick, my love."

You smiled at him before he rushed out of the room, after which you allowed your smile to fall. You sighed softly. You didn't want to be annoyed--it wasn't his fault he was so busy--but you were just so lonely.

You made your way slowly back to your bedroom. You took a hot bath before crawling into your bed. The bed was quite large, and so painfully empty.

You tossed back and forth for at least an hour, but you couldn't fall asleep. Eventually, you rolled onto your back with a dramatic sigh. Your body felt like it was on fire, your nerve endings alight with need.

You knew what you needed, but you didn't often have to take matters into your own hands--Morpheus was always ready and willing to satisfy your needs. Tonight, however, you needed a release and your husband was much too busy to help you.

You sighed as you sat up, tugging your nightgown off over your head. You laid back down and closed your eyes, trying desperately to imagine Morpheus's hands instead of your own. Your hands slid down your body towards where you needed them most.

The moment they settled between your legs, you released a soft sigh. As you began to move, your breathing became heavy and your soft moans filled the room. You sped up your ministrations, the volume of your moans increasing with the speed.

"Morpheus," you whispered softly, your imagination filling your mind with images of your husband.

On the other side of The Dreaming, Morpheus was finishing up his business when he suddenly heard your voice breaking through his concentration.

"(Y/N)?" he said as he looked up.

Soft moans carried across the breeze--your moans.

Morpheus froze, his body immediately wanting to respond to you, despite the fact he was not alone. He knew he likely wasn't going to be able to finish working, especially when he heard you call his name.

"I must go," he said abruptly.

"My lord?"

"My wife requires my immediate attention. I shall not be returning until tomorrow."

His creation simply nodded, but Morpheus didn't stay long enough to see it. He disappeared, instantly reappearing in his bedchamber. What he saw was enough for him to stop breathing.

You were completely naked on top of your shared bed, hands between your legs, body writhing as you pleasured yourself. Pretty moans floated across the room, turning Morpheus almost completely feral.

"Beloved," he said lowly, voice rough with desire.

Your eyes shot open and your hands instinctively flew to cover yourself as much as you could. When you saw Morpheus standing at the end of the bed looking at you like he was about to eat you alive, your hands lowered to your sides and you bit your lip.

"What do you think you are doing, my love?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Morpheus--I just--I needed--I need you."

His eyes impossibly darkened, turning into a starless night sky. "You could have come to me, darling."

"You were busy...I didn't wanna bother you."

"Sweetheart," he whispered as he lowered himself onto the bed, body hovering above yours possessively. "You could never bother me."

Your lips parted and your breathing became heavy. "Morpheus..."

"Yes, my love?"

"Please..." you whimpered.

"Tell me what you need, my darling."

"I need you to touch me," you begged.

Morpheus smiled wolfishly. "Anything for you," he whispered as his clothing magically disappeared. His lips met yours in a hungry, possessive kiss, which you responded to instantly. You tangled your fingers into his thick, dark hair and moaned against his lips.

His soft hands caressed your skin and his lips began to trail down your neck, focusing on your most sensitive spot. His fingers glided down your body, stopping to collect the moisture pooling in your core.

He separated from you, bringing his fingers to his lips to taste you, a soft groan of satisfaction leaving his mouth.

"Please," you whispered. "Don't tease me."

Morpheus smiled. "As you wish, my darling."

He wasted no time in lowering himself between your legs, lips immediately attaching themselves to your core. When his tongue snaked out to caress you, a broken moan slipped past your lips.

Every time with Morpheus was incredible. It was to be expected from an Endless, but you couldn't deny his sheer talent. You weren't sure if he used magic or if he was simply that good; either way, you were thankful.

"Morpheus," you murmured, his name both a prayer and a plea.

Somehow he always seemed to know exactly what you wanted and needed, and this moment was no different. His tongue danced across you, fingers gently coaxing you towards your climax.

You moaned loudly enough for all The Dreaming to hear when your orgasm washed over you, but those moans were practically whispers in comparison to the sounds the Dream Lord would tear from your throat this night.

Morpheus did not stop his actions, did not allow you even a moment to catch your breath. He brought you to climax again and again and again, before he finally acquiesced to your pleas for a pause.

"I have left you alone for far too long, my love," he murmured into your ear. His soft hands caressed your form, gently massaging your skin, the touch a comforting gesture. "It is my honor to make it up to you."

"I think..." you gasped out breathlessly, "...you have."

Morpheus chuckled darkly. "Oh no, beloved. I have only just begun."

Your eyes widened as you gazed into his handsome face. "You can't...be serious."

He offered you a pleased smirk. "Oh, but I am, my darling. I fully intend to have you writhing beneath me for the rest of the night. I wish to hear nothing but the sweet sounds coming from your lips. All the mortals visiting The Dreaming this night will have the most pleasant dreams indeed."

You stared up at him, completely breathless, utterly spent, and yet so entirely his. His fiery gaze and his passionate words lit a spark inside of you only his touch could put out.

You touched his face almost reverently as you whispered, "Please, Morpheus." Your meaning was quite clear: you wanted nothing more than the promise of endless pleasure, pleasure only he could give you.

His fingers intertwined with yours and he pulled your hands above your head, holding them in place with one arm. He entered you swiftly, giving you no time to prepare or adjust, before setting a brutal pace. There was nothing cruel about his actions...it was pure passion in its rawest and truest form.

Morpheus was true to his word, as he always was. He pleasured your body all throughout the night, bringing you a pleasure so intense it would have incapacitated a lesser being. His own pleasure was derived from seeing you like this, from hearing you scream his name, feeling you clench around him so tightly he couldn't breathe.

He whispered sweet nothings against your skin, marking the supple flesh with his deep, endless love. His body was never apart from yours for more than an instant all throughout the night.

When the sun began to rise, Morpheus finally allowed you to rest. He held your spent body against him, the warmth of your skin a comfort to him. You had long since fallen asleep, but he did not dare move. He couldn't bear the thought of waking you or leaving your side, duties be damned.

So there he lay, the King of Dreams, holding his lover tightly in his arms, protecting her and loving her with all he had to give from his Endless soul.

[qqueenofhades]

What are some things back in medieval times they'd actually smash with axes and rebuild every time they needed to

Aha. I assume this is in reference to this post, which I recently reblogged with grumpy tags about how the fact that people think this way (even in jest) is in fact a major issue with how medieval history is commonly thought about, taught, and disseminated. I personally blame Game of Thrones for like, so much of this, but now with its legions of imitators, we have a wider problem. So honestly... there's a whole rant here (which I have given many, many times, but yes) about why WOULD we expect that medieval people would just mindlessly smash things with axes all the time? But I recognize that you're trying to be tongue-in-cheek and lighthearted and therefore I shall restrain. I am being very good. Ahem.

Because you have come in search of a fun tidbit, and I do not wish to send you away empty-handed, I will note that they were quite good at smashing down and then rebuilding city walls when the occasion called for it -- albeit not usually with axes, but with big-ass siege weapons such as Edward I's Warwolf (1304) and Mehmed II's cannons during the siege of Constantinople (1453). You can in fact still see the actual cannons in Istanbul, at the Rumelian Fortress. The Dardanelles Gun, a 15th-century cannon of the same type, is also on display on the UK, in Fort Nelson, Portsmouth (part of the Royal Armouries), along with many other examples of early modern and modern arms and artillery. So yes. That should admirably satisfy your knocking-down-and-rebuilding-things needs, I would say.

[intotyun]

Analysis on aizen's goals and motivations + why he actually lost

Since bleach cour 3 is coming out so much later, I thought I should do an analysis on aizen, mainly focusing on his goals and motivations.

So one thing that is made abundantly clear is that aizen's whole reason for going to war with the gotei 13:

1. Change the world that is built on treachery and lies

2. By overthrowing the soul King and become God itself so he can rebuilt it in his image.

“That's an argument only a loser would make! A victor should speak on how the world should be, rather than how it currently operates. I refuse to accept the world ruled by that thing! I am a victor, I shall decide how the world should be! ”

Don't think I have to do a word for word analysis on what Aizen meant here. But what's interesting is how aizen referred to the “soul king” as THAT thing, as if his disgusted and we all know from cfyow how the soul king was betrayed and mutilated by the 5 nobles and used as some linchpin because they were terrified of his power. The 5 nobles then went on the rebuild the world in their image. And when they “rebuild it in their image”, they were actually rebuilding a world that would benefit ONLY them.

And we see how this image they built turned out: the current soul society.

Soul Society is a very shitty place to live in if I'm being honest, and I'm pretty sure someone as smart as Aizen would have noticed this. I always headcanon him as someone who lived in the Rukongai District, so he would naturally see first hand on how the world operates.

Aizen does not have a backstory, but I'm certain that something tragic must have happened in his past for him to be SO motivated to change this world. I'm sure Aizen did not suddenly want to become a God when he was first born (as funny that would be). He took on that role because

1. He had the power to do so and

2. No one wanted to

Aizen's "loser" speech was directed to Kisuke telling him how he despised him for not taking action despite his intellect. Which is why I think Aizen isn't really a egotistical man per say who wants to overthrow God because he believes he is superior. If God was doing his job and making life after death a “true paradise” instead of “a hell hole”, Aizen would have never tried overthrowing him.

And this is also why I don't think Aizen would have mind if someone else such as Kisuke became the soul king. Just as long, they had the intellect and power to change this horrible world. But since no one could see what he can see, Aizen took on the manter to change the world as he had the power and intellect to do so.

Now we all know what aizen's main goal and motivation was: to change this stagnant and shitty world that only existed to benefit the 5 nobles.

Now we move into another goal and desire that is a bit personal. Something that was locked away in Aizen's heart. Something that can only be found if you are on equal footing with him and can feel his sword.

the goal to find an equal.

this was stated clearly by Ichigo when he said, “perhaps he has been searching all this time for someone to regard as his equal” now I don't think kubo would dedicate 2 pages of Ichigo talking about Aizen's loneliness just for it to be simply “Ichigo assumption” I think this was Kubo's way of telling us readers this was how Aizen was truely feeling deep down.

Now, what exactly did Ichigo meant by equal? Did he mean in terms of strength? Well, we have yamamoto for that. How about in terms of intellect? Kisuke has the same kind of knowledge Aizen has. How about a combination? Is there actually anyone who is both smart and strong? nope it's just Aizen.

Then why do people say Ichigo was the only one who Aizen regarded as an equal? Ichigo definitely does not see eye to eye with Aizen's idealogy. Ichigo is strong yes, but that can't be the only thing considered to be “Aizen's equal”.

What is considered being “Aizen's equal” is the ability to understand him as a person and also understand the burden of his strength (really reminds me of gojo)

But you see, at the end of the day, Aizen has not find that equal. Ichigo is not that equal, he can never understand Aizen. He has no idea of his past and had no idea of what exactly pushed him to the edge. He can only understand more aspects of him than the other soul repears. And that is just very.... depressing. I truly think the only reason why Ichigo prolonged that battle, was so he could understand Aizen more. But he gave up when Aizen kept evolving and remembered why he came here.

Why did Aizen actually lose?

First let's mention about the traitor trio relationship.

First we have Tosen, the one Aizen killed.

Toswn served Aizen even before he became a shinigami. He saw the corruption of the Soul Society and believed that Aizen is the only one who can remake it to a better world. But where is he now? Oh that's right, gone.

In cfyow vol 3, page 370-375, the author described aizen and tosen relationship as “close” very bold choice of words given the fact we barely see Aizen being “close” to anyone. But this is backup with evidence:

1. Aizen able to sense the soul of Kaname vanishing, and then the author went on to say, "the soul of the man with whom he shared a destined relationship with; the man who was his confident"

2. Aizen respecting Tosen's wish to be killed if he ever started to accept the world of the shinigamis

3. Aizen telling himself, “sometimes, fear is necessary for evolution” when Tosen asked aizen to kill him.

I think Aizen truly did care for Kaname in his own way and not just use him as a means/tool. He formed a genuine bond with him though I wouldn't go to an extend and say he was an equal. As the only thing he saw eye to eye with Aizen was the state of the world.

And next, we have Gin the one who betrayed him. I believe Aizen knew deep down Gin was going to betray him but kept him around out of curiosity, and he wasn't bullshiting his way. But what I want to talk about is this panel of aizen after killing Gin and seeing everyone around him suffering. He looks... sad???

But why? Does that mean deep down in his heart, Aizen cared for Gin? I mean looking back Gin was a child prodigy something Aizen could probably relate to (as Aizen was also born with exceptional talent and strength)

I think this is the moment where Aizen was slowly beginning to have the desire to lose. He lost thr espada and the only 2 confidents he somewhat cared for. He truely has to stand above the heavens alone. But Ichigo pulled up and obviously Aizen has to put on the facade of “i'm stronger than you”

now, let's move on to the fight

“Let's do this Aizen real quick. It will be over”

But then, when they clash swords, he feels Aizen's sword and the loneliness coming out from it, it probably made Ichigo curious. This was not the Aizen he faced before, the Aizen he faced was confident and showed no signs of "loneliness".

Ichigo says this but goes on to prolongs the battle and keeps asking Aizen a bunch of questions. You can see it as Ichigo flexing on Aizen but I think Ichigo truely wanted to end this battle quick by all means necessary.

This isn't Ichigo flexing, this is Ichigo trying to understand Aizen. But I guess since he spend so much time in the dangai, he probably cannot properly ask aizen like how he would normally do in his battles.

Asking him questions that Aizen asked him before as he thinks this Aizen would be feeling the same thing ichigo did when he first faced aizen. Trying to relate to him and overpower him to tell Aizen, “hey i'm stronger than you, you arent the only one with overwhelming strength in this world”. Trying to relate to Aizen.

Obviously, this doesn't work, and Aizen gets angry and transforms into monster aizen.

Ichigo is confused and looks so sad, his probably thinking, "I don't get it. Why is he doing this? Doesn't he hate his strength? Shouldn't he feel better knowing that there is someone else as strong as him? Dosent he want to lose?"

“I see, so you cannot allow it, hogyoku. You can't forgive me...”

this was the beginning of Aizen's downfall: relying too much on the hogyoku. Aizen talks to the hogyoku as if a shinigami talks to its zanpakuto. The more he bonded with it, the more the hogyoku forged a relationship with him and read deeper into his heart.

Monster Aizen managed to damage Ichigo and I guess since he realised that lives were at stake here, he gives up trying to understand Aizen and ends it. You can see the look Ichigo gives to Aizen's “dead” body and his reaction when he found out he was still alive.

“Hogyoku has determined I no longer need a Zanpakuto!”

Once again, Aizen relies on the Hogyoku rather than his own zanpakuto. His zanpakuto is not disappearing because he has become more powerful. it's because he himself has replaced it with a new weapon.

And once that was done, the Hogyoku managed to bond with Aizen more, and it read deeper into his heart and ultimately saw what his true desire was. The desire to be normal so he can relate to others. So the Hogyoku granted Aizen his wish.

In the end, Aizen lost because he himself does not understand what he truely wants: to be a god or to connect with others. In contrast to Ichigo who has fully accepted himself.

*btw I believe aizen did lose his zanpakuto here, but during the events before tybw, well he did alot of reflection with himself and his zanpakuto spirit and thus, he got back his powers which is probably why he didn't know who yhwach was seeing when he was fighting him

TYBW

In tybw we see Aizen back again, even more stronger than before as stated by urahara and it also seems he has kyoka suigetsu's power back again.

And from what we can tell, Aizen is back to his normal "arrogant" self with a little twist. Starting with his interaction with yhwach.

Aizen pokes fun at yhwach for “having more trouble with kurosaki Ichigo” then he had forseen. But Yhwach refutes back at him and tells Aizen, “not to project his insecurities onto me” (lmao yhwach) but funny enough, Aizen dosen't even try and talk back. He instead ignores him and tells yhwach he plans to stop him.

“so you see me as Ichigo Kurosaki? Fascinating...”

another moment where the old aizen wouldn't have done: using himself as a shield/sacrifice to help to defeat the enemy. I guess yhwach was right, “to join forces when confronted by a common enemy, is this not the actions of those cowards you detest so much?”

Not only that, aizen was trusting the fact that ichigo could figure out that he activated kyoka suigetsu to deliver the blow to Ichigo. A complete contradiction on his statement on “trust is the same thing as reliance”

People always see that moment as a badass moment, but personally this was when I knew tybw aizen was not the same aizen as before.

This is probably why Aizen was getting stronger, he is not scheming anything anymore, and thus has no choice but to do a reflection on himself and has to come to terms with his conflicting desires. The more he understands himself, the more stronger he would become.

And lastly, we have iconic panel of Aizen speech on courage.

There is nobody in bleach that embodies the word "courage" more then Ichigo. He experienced all kind of defeats which shaped him as a person. Even when he was faced with a stronger opponent, never once did he back out and instead he pushed forward and conquered his fear.

Something Aizen was not capable of. Aizen was afraid of his own conflicting desires that lies within deep in his heart. Because he thinks that part of him wont help accomplish what he set out to do and thus, refused to acknowledge that other part of him.

But Ichigo instead accepted both the quicy and Hollow parts as Zangestu. Both who are also conflicting parts of him.

Aizen is definitely returning in the hell arc, szyal stating that the reason why the gates of hell were shut was because of the immense spitrual pressure of aizen. The gotei 13 will have to come to terms that despite how shitty aizen is, they can not deny he is STRONG. And will have no choice but to ask him for his strength. I would really be vv interesting to see how aizen would play out and his role.

[whirligig-girl]

a thought occurred to me (that i shall now tell to you, my friend Callisto, who i am currently writing to in my discord DMs) If Henry's a 4-6-0, i think it makes a lot more thermodynamic sense than if he's a 4-6-2.

imagine if you wanted to make a more powerful Atlantic. (without sacrificing speed) ultimately you're going to need either more cylinders, or larger cylinders or both. but more tractive effort means less factor of adhesion. no use getting more tractive effort if you're slipping. So you add the extra drive wheel in place of the trailing wheel. this design now has three, larger cylinders. More tractive effort, and a relatively similar footprint. You will need a conjugated valve gear or at the very least three sets of walschearts valve gears, rather than internal stephenson valve gear. But the frames and boiler can be nearly unmodified. unfortunately after some analysis you, Sir Nigel Gresley, realize it's never going to work. There's just not enough fire grate area and you use steam faster than you can build it. You're going to need to start from scratch with a new boiler. That second plan is the first version of the A0 prototype, Gordon, which as we know is thought to have been refined into more or less mechanically identical to the production A1 class. but the first plans, discarded, were built as Henry. Henry should have same tractive effort and top speed, or nearly so, as Gordon, but without the boiler volume or fire grate area to match.

in theory running him as if he had indeed been an Atlantic--just as fast but with a shorter, lighter train--should have worked. But that's when we get into the other mechanical issues that resulted from being a… "bastard." I wouldn't be surprised if, at least before repairs were undertaken, Henry's boiler had to be de-rated to a lower pressure to avoid leaks (or worse). Lower pressure means not just less power, but less efficiency too. the Ivatt Atlantics and the Gresley A1 Pacifics had similar boiler pressures of 170 and 180 PSI respectively. (the A3s were uprated to 220 PSI; but Gordon probably never was since i believe his post rebuild boiler is his original boiler.)

Cylinders Two, outside (Majority), Four (2 outside + 2 inside) on No. 3292 Compound & 3279

WHAT

a C1 Atlantic was fitted with four cylinders????

No. 292, built at Doncaster in 1904 (but not entering service until 1905), was a four-cylinder compound. The high-pressure cylinders, having a diameter of 13 in (330 mm) and a stroke of 20 in (510 mm), were outside the frames, driving the rear coupled wheels; and the low-pressure cylinders, 16 by 26 in (410 by 660 mm) were inside, driving the front coupled axle. The valves were arranged so that the locomotive could work either as a compound or as a four-cylinder simple. The boiler pressure was 200 lbf/in2 (1,400 kPa), but whilst the boiler was under repair, the locomotive used a 175 lbf/in2 (1,210 kPa) boiler from 1910 to 1912. This locomotive was withdrawn in 1927 and scrapped in 1928.[9]

No. 1300, another four-cylinder compound, was an experimental locomotive which differed greatly from all of the others. It was built by Vulcan Foundry in 1905, largely to their own design although to Ivatt's specifications. The boiler had a narrow firebox, a diameter of 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) and a pressure of 200 lbf/in2 (1,400 kPa). As with No. 292, the high-pressure cylinders were outside, driving the rear coupled wheels, whilst the low-pressure cylinders were inside, driving the front coupled axle; but their dimensions were 14 by 26 in (360 by 660 mm) and 23 by 26 in (580 by 660 mm) respectively. The engine worked as a two-cylinder simple on starting, changing over to compound expansion automatically. A superheater was fitted in 1914, and the engine was rebuilt as a two-cylinder simple in 1917; the new cylinders were outside, 20 by 26 in (510 by 660 mm) of the type used on class H3, driving the leading coupled wheels. It was withdrawn in 1924.[10] the cylinder diameters varied wildly on the C1s too

a compound loco would have superior efficiency. a simple loco with four cylinders on the other hand would chew through steam twice as fast. idk… idk… a 4-6-0 Henry with an atlantic boiler might not be possible

i mean the whole point of an atlantic is it's a 4-4-0 with a bigger firebox there were small boiler atlantics like this that could accomodate a third driver

but the outline of this engine is definitely more like James than Henry god and like. even this engine, with a much smaller firebox and boiler than the large boiler C1s, still has the same cylinder dimensions as them and only slightly smaller than the pacifics. giving Henry a big wide firebox matches the illustrations, it matches the tvs model, but… it's also explicitly the problem with Henry. so like. it's difficult to really figure out a realistic answer to what's wrong with Henry's design that would be fixed by better coal.

[frogblast-the-ventcore]

Guess who, and ive got my go-to 'mech with me.

The Centurion. no matter the era, this stubborn bastard will come plodding along ready to slug it out til either it or its opponent kicks the bucket. but i am not here with a CN9, instead i bring my take on the CN11-O, the 3111 Omnimech version of the old classic, as promised earlier

the CN11-O-NI (yes those are my accounts initials, im not good at creative mech designations) is designed to follow the originals general intention of being a reasonable and reliable all-rounder.

First up, the fundamentals of a 'mech. the -NI keeps the XL fusion engine and Compact Gyro of the base variant. a slightly explodely engine isnt ideal, but the gyro would actually end up being useful so that works. I replaced the IS double heat sinks with clan models, not that the space saving really matters as this variant sticks with the 10 engine mounted sinks. It sticks with standard armour, but it does carry an extra half ton over the base variant, 10 tons instead of 9.5. the most notable change is the 5 jumpjets i added, not many centurions variants have them but my second favourite 'mech the Enforcer spoiled me slightly so i like to have them.

Weapons, a few notable changes here. Ive exchanged the LRM 10 for an MML 9, allowing for some close range punch without entirely sacrificing range and indirect fire. 3 tons of ammo means there space to play around with specialty ammo, but ive gone with 1 ton SRM and 2 tons LRM (which is about what the base model had for its LRM).

The big one (or not so big one) is exchanging the LB-10X for a clan Large Pulse Laser, because i like my lasers and it saves 5 tons.

While 3 of those tons go to the jumpjets and armour mentioned above, the other two go to a pair of small pulse lasers, one in the right arm ala the CN9-AL, and the other facing rear in the centre torso for making sure infantry dont feel safe no matter where they are (i said the compact gyro would be useful). Having the small pulse laser facing backwards means i can turn both ER medium lasers, the only holdover from the base model, to the front arc for no reason other than being able to punch thing in the face harder.

Ive only just realised writing this up that i havent played with the quirks at all, so all its got is the easy to pilot of the base model, but hey it was never meant to be that fancy so it works.

Amidst clantech ATM boats or 3153 rebuilds of crazy super weapons, this mech is simply meant to be mine, what id picture myself actually piloting, a reasonable 50 ton trooper for later time periods without being stuffed to the gills with the most advanced tech the setting has to offer. perhaps the sort of thing that might be piloted by some poor davion that got claimed a bondsman by some crazy old clanner in a Highlander and dragged into the reborn SLDF, as an example

Anyway, i can only resist the urges for so long so imma go and stuff it with clantech now, or maybe come up with a really mixedtech version

Well, this looks quite good to my eye. I shall seek additional commentary.

[crookedorel]

fire aches in the back of his spine. once again he is confronted with a violence beyond what he can reasonably hold back; there exists something here that should not, can not, and it is inexorably linked to him by his own boiling blood.

this man that he sees across campus is the man that sold his heart to the furnace.

he can remember those eyes. yes, he can remember how they lit orange and blood-red with the lash of the firelight; howling with laughter, teeth grit in fury, mind struck with loss and confusion, yes, duma can remember how he spoke to him that day, hissed promises drug from the bones of his lover fair, give her to me and i shall grant you power, and he had. her soul had been uniquely marinated in love. it burned so very nicely in his palm.

thinking about it makes his jaw twitch. he remembers that woman whose flowers melted in the pyres of madness, but more importantly, he remembers the man who held the torch. berkut. child only distantly relevant, only distantly needed, consumed with need for immediate power, immediate results, immediate answers, and duma had been benevolent enough to provide.

and now he is here, yet the smell of ash still lingers upon him. duma's teeth gnash behind stiff lips. he eyes him with a uniquely piercing gaze ( perhaps not so foreign to a man like him ) though he fights whatever thoughts are storming in his mind.

instead, he approaches him, mimicking those outstretched hands of the humans he has met.

" i am uriel, " he states with words carrying old flame, " and i will be an instructor here. tell me your name. "

The din of the monastery in its silence was incredible. It rose raucous and heavy and viscous from the moment he turned his head to the rising sun in the mountains, surrounded his heart like amber and froze, a capture into the moment that he was certain his memory recognized as his last. He Berkut felt it with each clip of bootheel to stone, each calamitous strike of war drum in time with the gentle breaths in, then out, then in, until a frantic rhythm emerged and he found himself winded, small.

It surrounded him in its enormity, muffled against his nose and mouth, leaving him to see stars, flames.

The buzz of rebuilding had been everywhere for weeks, every eager beaver amongst the town and of the knights rallying for help, but Berkut still yet held himself apart. For all that his heart had begun to mingle, to settle within the gentle bed of fallen autumn leaves, he had not yet finished what he set out for.

The stink of miasma, its burn, caught within his vision, blurred out in his periphery, painful and dragging and burning, the ever crackle and smoulder of a flame which had not been snuffed out, no matter how many times the wick had been cut.

Berkut felt the eyes on him, stiffened, resisted that primal urge to look around as might a prey animal, forced the leash of his racing mind to heel and took in another long, painful, disgusting breath.

The harmony of footsteps pierced the veil that muffled his senses, rose above the drumbeat of his own steps, of his own heart, and Berkut turned at their approach, watched that hand raise, heard that rumbled voice, and stilled for a long beat.

He did not take the hand. "I am no student nor knight, your orders fall short of ears too far above you to heed. If it's a guide you want, you can beg from another, you'll find no assistance from me."

[anonymousonlyanonymoud]

The Lost de Rolo Chapter Two

Scries and Answers

Previous Chp Next

After that morning's revelations and decisions, Vox Machina began preparing for their next journey.

Grog, Scanlan, Vex, and Trinket had all gone to the shopping district of Emon to stock up on healing potions, weapons, and whatever else they thought they would need before setting off. But what surprised everyone, was when Vax had declined to go with them.

They may tease him about the flirting between himself and Gilmore, but there was a genuine friendship between the rogue and sorcerer.

So, it felt a bit worrying that Vax was not jumping at the chance to see Gilmore and only gave a half-hearted reason to go to the temple.

Vex had eyed her brother, giving him a look that said 'We will talk about this later,'

Vax responded with one of his own that told her, 'I know,' as he trailed after Percy and Pike.

The three of them walked in silence, Pike's armor being the main sound as they made their way toward the Temple.

The rogue hung back at the end of their little train, his feet feeling like lead as they drew closer to the temple.

He was happy that Percy would get answers for his sister, Vax truly was. What worried the half-elf was the question he needed to ask, and the answer he may receive.

When they entered the temple, there were the usual groups of worshippers praying to Sarenrae and speaking with the clerics mingling around.

Pike weaved her way through the worshippers, stopping before the familiar elderly man dressed in the robes of Sarenrae and thinning hair on the top of his head,

"Father Tristan,"

"Pike Trickfoot. We welcome you and your friends here," The man said while giving the gnome a slight nod,

"Thank you, Father. We need your assistance on a private matter,"

Father Tristan looked between Pike and the two behind her, his eyes squinting a bit at Vax and Percy before nodding and leading them away from the main hall of the temple.

When they were separated from the rest of the groups, Father Tristan asked what they needed,

"I'm sure you've heard of the latest escapade that we went on," Percy said to which the cleric nodded,

"Yes. The tale has spread about your victory against those unholy creatures that subsequently freed our Sovereign and an entire city from their control," He said, "Many have come to pray for those recently freed. For the Everlight to assist Lady Cassandra as she leads your people through the rebuilding of Whitestone, My Lord,"

At first glance, it would seem like hearing himself being referred to as 'Lord' had little effect on Percy. But both Pike and Vax saw him make a small, jerking flinch that went unnoticed by those around them.

Percy managed to clear his throat,

"I... thank you, Father. I will be sure to inform my sister of the support we have here with the Everlight's followers," He straightened his shoulders and began their business as to why they had come.

The older Cleric listened to why they were seeking his help, a frown forming as Percy came to the end of their tale,

"We are aware that the source we got the information from is possibly the most unreliable out there," Vax said, 

"That is true," Replied the Cleric, "Though, I can understand the need for truth in this matter,"

Father Tristan went silent for a long moment, deep in visible thought as he pondered the situation before saying, "I shall do what I can to assist you, My Lord. But, am I correct in assuming you have nothing that connects to your sister? No objects or clothing that would have belonged to her?"

Percy shook his head, "No. Everything that belonged to my family was destroyed years ago,"

"I see," Father Tristan hummed, "That will make scrying difficult,"

"But not impossible?" Questioned Pike, a hopeful tone lighting her voice,

"No. Not impossible," He replied.

Father Tristan continued his conversation with Pike and Percy, but Vax had distanced himself from the trio. 

The rogue found himself standing before the main altar of Sarenrae and stared up at the image of the Everlight. 

He was never one for prayer, especially since he and Vex'ahlia had returned to Byroden and were told that their mother had been killed. But recently... Vax has been unsure as to where to turn for answers.

Ever since the feast, since Sylas Briarwood had used him as a blood bag, Vax had been having...

Dreams? Visions?

It always happened when he was asleep, but they never felt like dreams.

Vax, when he went to sleep, would fall. However, it wasn't like falling from a cliff. It was more like... Sinking into a pit of honey.

But instead of honey, it was soft feathers that gently lowered him toward into a dark, endless void that was filled with shadows. Shadows that were illuminated by streaks of gold that flew illuminated the darkness.

There would be a gold streak circling around him, weaving up from the ground before becoming level with his chest and branching out in two directions.

The first found its way around a group of people Vax recognized easily as Vox Machina, illuminating their faces with its gold light while a small section branched off to circle tightly around Vex'ahlia.

Vax would always try to walk towards his friends, but the second streak would always pull him back, tugging him further into the darkness until his friends, his family, were no more than a small, golden light in the distance.

He would then be faced with who was on the other end, but could never make out who it was.

This figure would be clouded in a black energy with an electric purple hue that reminded Vax of Delilah Briarwoods' magic. 

Vax would stare at the figure, unable to make out anything other than emerald green eyes that peered at the half-elf through the magic surrounding them. 

The rogue would try to catch a glimpse of the face behind the haze, but his concentration would be broken by the croaking call of ravens as a pale, masked face loomed over the both of them.

Vax would jolt awake in a cold sweat after meeting the dark holes of the mask were eyes were supposed to reside.

He'd been unable to make sense of, whatever these things were. But, Vax needed to be sure this was nothing in relation to the Briarwoods. 

Delilah Briarwoods had been a damned necromancer, it didn't seem beyond the realm of reason for her to be able to reach out to the living. And if she were trying to make some kind of connection with the living world through Vax, the half-elf needed to find out how to severe it before she succeeded,

"Hey, Stringbean?" Vax tore his gaze off of the Everlights image and looked down at Pike who returned his gaze with worry, "You okay?"

He glanced back up at the altar before responding,

"Yeah, Pickle, I'm okay. Just thinking things over,"

His friend looked unconvinced, but temporarily dropped the subject and pointed to where Father Tristan and Percy stood,

"If you're sure. We're ready to start,"

The room Father Tristan led them to was dimly lit with candles as a bowl of what Vax assumed was Holy Water sat on a small table.

The older Cleric stood at one side of the table while the members of Vox Machina stood at the other,

"This may take a moment," He murmured while focusing on the water, "And as I said before, Lord de Rolo, this may not work,"

"I understand," 

Vax could see Percy's fists clench at his sides.

Father Tristan began speaking down toward the Holy Water, casting a spell that made it glow as the surface shimmered.

There was a blurred image shown that began to fade as soon as it appeared, prompting the Cleric to renew his spell with vigor. His eyes scrunched in concentration as Percy grasped the edges of the table with shaking hands.

Pike rested her hand against Percy's, and the Lord glanced down at her. The gnome offered an encouraging smile then turned toward the water, prompting Percy to the same as Vax came to stand beside them.

The water's surface was still blurred, but it slowly began to clear after a few excruciating minutes to show them the image of a young woman with striking white hair that was pulled back into a loose braid,

"Is that her, Percy?"

Percy didn't answer Pike as his gaze was fixated on the image before them.

Vax stared at the image from over his friend's shoulder, studying what was shown in the water.

The woman was walking down a crowded street that looked familiar to Vax.

He'd walked that street before, looking for the people who were after his sister. 

Vax had followed a dwarf with a staff made of tongues into that building.

Vax had walked down that street, away from that building with a threat looming over his head, while the new brand on his back burned under his cloak. 

The group watched the image in the water as the woman, whom Vax assumed was Percy's sister, entered a tavern that the rogue recognized.

But as Ciara stepped inside, the image flickered and blurred before fading completely, showing only their reflections in the water,

"No! No!" Percy's head shot up and his eyes landed on Father Tristan, "Bring it back! The image! That was her! Bring it back!"

The Cleric shook his head with a weary sigh, "There is something blocking my sight, My Lord. I'm afraid that I am unable to-"

"Try! Please just-"

"Percy!" Pike was now between Percy and the table. The gnome grasped his hands tightly as she said, 

"Percy, for an image to be disrupted like that- Something had to have disrupted it,"

"But we didn't see anything, Pike!" He exclaimed, "We only saw her walk into a damned building! And we don't even know what or where that is!"

"I know where that is," Everyone turned toward Vax who had slunk back into the shadows of the room, "I know that place,"

Percy reached Vax in two steps and grasped the rogue's arms, "Where is she, Vax?"

The half-elf remained silent for a long time before carefully peeling Percy's fingers from his arms,

"Westruun,"

"Westruun? Are you sure?" Pike questioned, "I don't recognize where-"

"Pike," The serious tone of his voice had her cutting off, "I know that area. It's in Westruun,"

Percy stepped away from Vax, his shoulders dropping in relief, "Westruun is only a day's journey from here. Ciara is closer than I could have ever imagined,"

"There is a darkness about her, My Lord. Even through the scrying I could see it," Father Tristan added, "I'm unable to discern what caused it, but don't imagine your sister has had a good life,"

The members of Vox Machina all tensed as each of them remembered a smoking demon made of shadows that had made itself known underneath the Castle of Whitestone.

A harsh sigh left Percy as he began pacing the room while violently tugging at his hair,

"But she is alive! And we know where she is!" He whipped his gaze toward the older cleric, "And right now, that's all that matters to me!"

With those last words, Percy stormed out of the room, the door slamming against the wall as he left.

Pike sighed while gently clasping her symbol of Sarenrae before apologizing to Father Tristan,

"We do appreciate the help, Father, truly," The Cleric waved his hand in a slight dismissal,

"I can understand his frustration, Pike Trickfoot. Though I do not appreciate it being thrown at me,"

Pike apologized a second time and made to leave the room, but stopped when she saw that Vax hadn't moved,

"You go on a head, Pickle," He said, flashing her a tight smile, "I'll catch up,"

Worry was still visible on her face as she nodded and exited, leaving Vax and Father Tristan.

The Cleric tilted his head, "Is there more assistance required of me?"

Vax sighed, pushing off of the wall to stand more in the center of the room,

"Yes. I am, worried that the Briarwoods have, left some kind of mark, or, connection to me," He said, then began explaining the dreams, or visions, he'd been having.

Father Tristan listened carefully to what Vax told him and thought for a long while before agreeing to check for any dark arcane energy that maybe clinging to him.

He placed his hands on either side of Vax's head and murmured a few words as the symbol around his neck began to glow. 

A divine energy began to pulse through Vax and he felt a warmth fall over him. It wasn't invasive like Sylas' charms had been, but it was more like a friend welcoming him home, a secure embrace that made him feel safe. But, despite the warm feeling, it still felt uncomfortable having someone else in his head so soon after the Briarwoods.

It lasted about five minutes, then Father Tristan let his hands fall to his side as Vax released a breath he had been unconsciously holding.

He blinked a few times and looked at the Cleric, fearing the worst as Tristan began to speak,

"I can say with absolute certainty that there is no dark magic left by those unholy creatures," The weight on Vax's shoulders immediately lifted.

But it came back crashing down on him with Father Tristan's next words,

"There is, however, someone watching you," Vax stiffened, "But there is no darkness within this gaze. I cannot say who, but there gaze is, divine, in nature,"

Feeling more confused and uneasy than before, Vax questioned,

"Why would something like that be watching me?"

"I cannot answer that, Vax'ildan. I have a feeling, that the answer will be one you must decipher for yourself,"

---

The small tavern was quiet when Ciara de Rolo entered. But what surprised her was the fact that it was empty. Even though it was about midday, there would be some signs of life roaming about.

But at first glance, it seemed like Ciara was the only one there.

However, there was a man sitting in a darkened corner, the red glass of his monocle glinting at her through the low light,

"You were almost late," He tsked, "You know how dangerous it can be, to be late,"

Ciara said nothing as Spireling Shenn stood and began making his way toward her.

The man towered over Ciara as he stepped directly before her,

"Oh, why so quiet? I do love our chats,"

She dared not move and carefully forced out,

"You called me. That means you have a job,"

Shenn's face twisted into a smile, "Down to business as usual, Little Bird. Very well, very well,"

The Spireling straightened up and motioned for her toward the table,

"Sit. Have a drink and we'll discuss what I need from you,"

Ciara pursed her lips, closed her eyes, counted to ten, then sat across from the Spireling and braced herself for the long, drawn out meeting she would be forced to sit through.

[blackjackkent]

All right, time to check in with all the companions!

Starting off with Halsin. Rakha and Halsin, to be honest, barely talked at ALL; Halsin never even dropped his chat about having a crush on her, which Hector got despite not really being close at all with him either. So frankly this conversation ends up feeling a little weird for Rakha no matter how you slice it, but we'll do our best.

More than anything, Halsin just comes across as being INCREDIBLY sentimental, which is fine honestly, as long as he isn't hoping Rakha will ALSO be. XD

"You would think someone of my vintage would be inured to the passage of time, yet these past six months have seemed endless without your company. But now our paths cross once more..."

(Hector also had the option for this next line, but he was less blunt than Rakha and didn't take it.)

"You sound almost sentimental, considering we didn't really get along," Rakha says wryly.

"Our differences are insignificant compared to our shared experiences and achievements. We are a rare breed; we should let bygones be bygones."

Well, that's big of you, Halsin. XD

The truth is, Rakha didn't really dislike Halsin particularly. She actually trusted his judgment quite a bit in the early part of the game, given he was the one that helped send them to Moonrise Towers originally. They just never really talked or bonded over anything in particular, and I assume once he saw her getting friendly with Minthara, he lost much interest in really getting to know her himself.

(In this context, I tend to interpret that first line in the conversation with "your company" being a more general reference to the group at large; that he's missed traveling with them all and having their big goal and purpose in mind.)

Rakha relaxes a little and nods cautiously. "Very well then," she says. "How are you?" She has been learning about small talk, a little, in her time in the city.

Halsin laughs. "I was just about to ask the same of you. I'll admit I am curious to hear how you have been occupying your days."

(A/N: The two ways to agree to talk about yourself here are "I could listen to you talk all day, but if you insist," and "Finally, yes, let's talk about me," both of which are decidedly un-Rakha-ish. XD We'll tweak that first one a bit.)

Even after the past six months and all the previous support of her friends, Rakha is still not quite accustomed to the idea of people expressing direct interest in her, excitement about what she might have to say. But it draws a cautious little smile to her face, and she nods. "If you insist."

Halsin relaxes, and she realizes suddenly that he has been nervous. Perhaps, after their limited contact during their earlier adventures, he was worried that she might not be pleased to see him, or perhaps even would greet him with hostility. He has seen her very capable of it, over the months, after all.

But she is done with the days of hostility, or hopes she is, at least.

"Please, spare no details," he says eagerly. "I shall not lie - I have an ulterior motive in wishing to hear all. It is the children, you see. My charges. Their appetite for bedtime tales is greater than I could ever have anticipated. 'Another story, Daddy Halsin, another!' is the chorus that greets me each nightfall." He grins ruefully. "They have all but exhausted my repertoire in but a few short months - no mean feat, given the lifetime I have lived. I desperately need new material please. My reputation is at stake."

(A/N: It amuses me when the writers unconsciously tell on themselves that they expect players to make particular choices. This digression makes very little sense if you didn't already insist Halsin talk about himself first, so that he explains his time helping to rebuild Reithwin and the children he's taking care of. And there's no option to ask him wtf children he's talking about if you take this route. XD

Also bless Dave Jones for managing the phrase 'Daddy Halsin' without sounding like he's cracking a grin. XD)

Rakha listens with mild puzzlement as he speaks. She didn't know he was taking care of children, and she has a certain amount of doubt that she has anything useful to provide in terms of stories that Halsin wouldn't already know. But she narrows her eyes thoughtrfully. "All right," she says slowly. "Let me see what I have."

"I am all ears," Halsin says gravely. His eyes narrow pensively. "Though I never cared for that phrase. A rather unsettling image."

(A/N: XD Rakha and Halsin should have bonded over being perplexed by figurative language.

Oddly, two of the options here are Regale Halsin with tales of your past six months and Recount some of your recent exploits, sparing no detail. Looking at the dialogue, they both get basically the same response from Halsin and lead to the same place, so I'm not sure why they're two different options.)

Recount some of your recent exploits, sparing no detail.

She is no storyteller, not like Wyll was to her, and she doesn't really feel her exploits are particularly dramatic, but she does her best to be thorough. She tells him about her work in the city - the devastation in the harbor and market areas that she helped to clear, the process of rebuilding High Hall and the Counting House. She tells him how she slept in an attic room in Elerrathin's Home at Jaheira's insistence for a few weeks, and eventually deciding that she needed a place of her own. She tells him about the small, run-down but serviceable building by the docks that she has begun to make her own, filling it with magical items dug out of the wreckage of the city.

She tells him about how she has not killed nor fought nor even thought of doing so, in all the time since they last spoke.

He smiles. "I am glad you have kept yourself occupied," he murmurs. "No doubt I will be able to spin a few yarns for the children from this. Thank you." He hesitates, then looks around. "Now, it would be cruel of me to hoard you all to myself for the evening, as much as I would like to. I shall leave you to the others for now... unless there was anything else?"

Rakha almost turns and walks away; it would be easy to simply take him at his word that he is done with the conversation. But something gives her pause, just for a moment - a slight hint of a plea behind the words.

And then she realizes something else. Halsin has been lonely. Perhaps he will be having this same conversation with everyone here tonight, perhaps it is not something unique to her - he simply wants to talk. He mentioned children; perhaps he has been starved for adult company altogether.

So she settles back on her heels for a moment rather than turning away. "Tell me how you've been faring," she says gruffly. "You wanted to form a new settlement, didn't you?"

Halsin's eyes brighten eagerly at the question. "Our community grows rapidly," he tells her. "In six months, we have turned what was once a shadowy wasteland into a true home for all. In another six months, I would wager the scars of the past will be entirely invisible, even to those who remember them. The old masonry of Moonrise Towers and Reithwin have been repurposed into new homes, and the land is rich with harvests and bountiful trees. Nature and civilization are in harmony, stronger together."

Rakha smiles slightly. She herself feels like living proof of the difference six months can make to something once shrouded in shadow. The story Halsin tells feels like an echo of her own - though she has her doubts that it will be only another six months before her own scars are as invisible as Reithwin's.

"Sounds wonderful," she murmurs.

"It is, truly," Halsin says. "Though a more complex, evolving beast than I could ever have anticipated. I spoke often of balance before. Only now do I realize that balance is no simple, fixed thing." He watches her thoughtfully for a moment before going on, more gently. "We welcome folk from all walks of life - anyone who wishes for a new start. Naturally, it can be chaotic at times, but it is a thrilling sort of chaos. It thrives in ways I could never have dreamed of."

Rakha considers this quietly for a few moments. She may have no particular bond with Halsin, but the place he describes does sound... appealing. One day, perhaps soon, Baldur's Gate will be back on its feet again in full; it will be all bustle and noise, and the work there to atone for her past will be finished, to the extent that it ever can be. She will need to determine where to go next, what to do - and she could, perhaps, do worse than a place that welcomes those in search of a fresh start.

"I'll need to see this place for myself," she says pensively.

Halsin blinks, his eyebrows lifting, and then his face splits in a wide, pleased smile. "You are welcome whenever you like, and for however long you please," he says.

Rakha turns to wander away, having been given something to chew over, but Halsin's voice stops her before she can leave.

"Before you go - I have something for you. Just a little keepsake really." He reaches into the pack on his hip. "Do you remember how I told you I like to whittle? I made this..."

He pulls out a small wooden duck, about the size of his palm, which he holds out to her almost shyly. "Ducks are my favorite, but I thought they were particularly fitting in this case," he explains earnestly. "They are migratory birds, of course, traveling far and wide with the turn of the seasons. Yet they always find their way back to where they belong, just like old friends find themselves back in each other's company."

Rakha takes the duck and looks at it for a little while in deep surprise. She can count the number of gifts she has received on one hand, and Halsin would be the last person she would have expected to receive one from. But the meaning and thought behind it, entirely unprompted, bring an odd tightness to her throat.

"Does it... do anything?" she asks cautiously, turning it over in her hands. There's a faint sheen of magic along its surface, but she can't discern its source, or if it has any function in the inert block of wood.

Halsin grins bemusedly at her. "No. It's wooden. I suppose it burns if you find yourself in dire need of kindling, but I hope it does not come to that." He chuckles softly. "Just a token to remember me by. Now, I've taken up enough of your time. Go on - enjoy the festivities. We can speak again later."

[solidrockistand]

Praise of God's Law pt 14

105. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (The spirit of lamp of the Lord, searching its innermost parts. Proverbs 20:27 ESV)

(All the ways of man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Proverbs 16:2 ESV)

(Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. 1st Samuel 2:3 ESV)

106. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, and I will follow your righteous laws. (Join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes. Nehemiah 10:29 ESV)

(Then let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse and say to the woman the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell. Numbers 5:21 ESV)

(Joshua laid an oath on them at the time saying, "cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates." Joshua 6:26 ESV)

107. I have suffered much; preserve my life; O Lord according to your word. (I am laid low in the dust preserve my life according to your word. Psalms 119:25 NIV)

(For our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly clings to the ground. Psalms 44:25 ESV)

108. Accept O Lord, the willing praise of my mouth and teach me your laws (O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. Psalms 51:15 ESV)

(You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. Exodus 4:15 ESV)

(I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. Deuteronomy 18:18 ESV)

109. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, i will not forget your law. (And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the Ammonites and the Lord gave them into my hands. why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me? Judges 12:3 ESV)

In Reference to Judges 12:3

The book of Judges tells of Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king Saul.

Failed to follow God's command to purge the wicked out of Canaan resulted in the centuries long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies.

God would send civil military leader to Israel after each oppression the leader was labeled a Hebrew word which loosely translated to English as Judge.

These appointed leaders would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After the death of each Judge the cycle of sin and oppression begins again.

Jephthah was a Judge and warrior who led the Israelites in the battle against the Ammonites

110. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. (My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Psalms 25:15 ESV)

(O our God, will you not execute judgement on them? for we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us we do not know what to do but our eyes are on you. 2nd Chronicles 20:12 ESV)

(I Therefor have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon. Judges 11:27 ESV)

111. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. (I rejoice in following your statues as one rejoices in great riches. Psalms 19:14 NIV)

112. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end. (I will sing and make melody with all my being! Psalms 108:1 ESV)

(He is not afraid of bad news his heart is firm trusting in the Lord. Psalms 112:7 ESV)

(My heart is steadfast, O God my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody. Psalms 57:7 ESV)

Psalms 119:105-112 NIV

[csuitebitches]

Hello there. I find you blog extremely inspiring.

I myself am something of a "former gifted kid". Back in school I was at the top of the grade, best skin, many skills etc etc. And though I'm still *extremely* young (~20) I've descended into a hellish level where I look disgusting, can't study properly or am performing poorly, my hobbies are all well and good but I can't spare time to do some actual intense projects like I used to, I couldn't get into med school this year and yeah. I just feel like shit. I'm trying my best to rebuild my life. Sorry for the rambling.

Everyone has their up and down cycles. This too shall pass.

Whenever you’re struggling/ having a hard time sticking to a routine, there is only one solution. Break your goals down to not more than 3, which can be achieved in a year.

One. your most important goal seems to be med school. What are the two-three habits that you need in order to achieve that?

two. Unless your school counsellor or advisor has recommended you take on intense projects, I think it would be a better use of your time to focus primarily on med school. Eliminate distractions and things that do not directly contribute to your main goal of getting into college.

if med school is not in the books anymore, talk to counsellors, advisors, alumni, teachers, and most importantly - figure out what it is you truly want to do in your career.

three. If med school is still your top choice, and you want to try again…. If you can’t study properly, stop studying the way you have been your whole life. There’s no one single way of studying properly. You can create a schedule that’s a mix of flash cards, videos, Quizlet, tv shows that are directly related to your career choice, podcasts, magazines, books, tv interviews… If any of my followers have any more suggestions for OP, shoot below!

and lastly. It’s okay to not look like a beauty pageant 24/7. Like I said, make your routine simple. A 20 minute run, a weekly face mask, focusing on skincare (face wash, toner, sunscreen and moisturiser is more than enough at your age), showering regularly, eating loads of veggies and fruits, drinking water - what goes inside your body is more important than how you look outside. The second you fix your inside, your outside gets fixed.

[dearophelia]

best of sara's fic, according to her

Because I’m feeling some kind of way about my cancer lately and wanted to put together a Sara’s Greatest Fic Hits while I’m still around to do it (which is a morbid thing to type, but see the intro: been feeling some kind of way lately).

These range from my most popular fics, to the ones lost to weird posting hours, and everything in between. If I counted correctly, there are 14 fandoms on this list: from Mass Effect and Dragon Age, to Grey’s Anatomy and Stargate SG-1, to The West Wing and Calvin & Hobbes.

I’d appreciate reblogs on this (I am not ashamed to pull the stage iv cancer card here) so it can reach as many people as possible.

I have been writing fic for over 15 years; this is not a short list.

All are rated T or lower unless otherwise indicated. All stories are at or under the 3k mark unless otherwise indicated.

Stargate SG-1:

waves are universal (the heaven in hiding remix) (Sam/Jack; I’m very Normal about this fic; time travel and alternate realities, a host of OCs (and some familiar faces from Norafic if you look closely), oh and the Sam/Jack kid from the alternate reality! Only she’s an adult and working on a way to save the world! This has it all, folks: humor, romance, angst, action! I told you I’m Normal about it; 40k)

strange is the night where black stars rise (Sam; horror! A low creeping sense of doom! The King in Yellow! No, seriously, fuck that planet; 10k)

#sg1wedding (Sam/Jack; their wedding turned into An Event against their will; bets are going down about who would win in a fight: Bra’tac or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; also Jack loses his socks; twitterfic from 2012 and technology has definitely Marched On, just read it like an unhinged group chat fic)

phoenix (Sam/Daniel/Teal’c, Sam/Jack, Sam/Jack/Daniel/Teal’c; apocalypse (that I consulted a real live geologist on!); rebuilding in the wake of said apocalypse; team family feelings, kids, and some really shitty neighbors; 38k)

Dragon Age:

joy cometh in the morning (Ariadne; rated M; a host of OCs; mind the warnings; friendship; worldbuilding galore; friendships and mentors and first loves; did I mention friendship and worldbuilding?; 56k)

through the rude wind’s wild lament, and the bitter weather (Ari+Cullen; quiet magic, kind magic, good magic is still new to Cullen)

as the sun kissed the horizon (Ari/Josephine; a relationship in ten moments)

‘til we meet again (Ari+Cullen; platonic sleeping together!)

so hold my hand, consign me not to darkness (Ari; her faith is the core of who she is and, for the first time, Andraste isn’t there; post-Trespasser)

raise your fists up to the sky (Kylie/Krem; it’s Krem’s first day with the Chargers and there’s a naked elf in the middle of camp)

every demon wants his pound of flesh (Krem+Bull; Krem was in the Fade with the Inquisitor and the fear demon had some Things To Say To Him)

black dove (Anaya) & strange little girl (Anaya+Dagna) & dissolving clouds (Anaya+Cullen) (because neurodivergent Inquisitor, friendship, blossoming romance, and three very different takes on blood magic)

skeletons (Zahara+Bull; she is saarebas, he is Ben-Hassrath, and language is important)

children shouldn’t play with dead things (Juliette Amell; she’s always had an easier time with the dead than the living; cw for bugs)

a sorta fairytale (Josephine/Cassandra; flower shop & tattoo parlor AU; 8k)

Mass Effect Trilogy:

gonna set your flag on fire (Nora Vakarian, Liv/Garrus, James/Liara, Liv+Liara, Livfam; action! Humor! Angst! Worldbuilding! OCs!; I am Super Normal about this fic too; I promise everything’s okay in the end, promise, even though it isn’t written yet; Nora is an N3 and has an inactive control chip in her head. She and her team are ordered to investigate a Cerberus facility. It goes, shall we say, awry; 40k)

anthem (Liv/Garrus, Hannah/Zaeed, Liv+Liara; eight months is a long time without each other; angst with a happy ending (I promise); post-Destroy; 13k)

holy ground & dress (Liv/Garrus; ficlets from the night he gets sworn in as Councilor)

brightly shone the moon at night (Liv, Liv+Liara, Liv/Garrus, Livfam; five Christmases in Olivia Shepard’s life; 5k)

the pieces of gold, they light up your eyes & now we’re alone, now we’re alive (Liv/Garrus; the evolution of a relationship)

fighting is said to have reached palaven (Liv/Garrus; please, please let him be alive)

and some things you just can’t speak about (Quentus+Nico; the war)

‘cause i know that it’s delicate (Liv/Garrus; pre-wedding!)

nosce te ipsum (Nico; he likes boys and fanfiction and he didn’t think he’d get his little italicized oh moment)

i will write you love letters if you tell me to (Liv/Garrus; Hannah gives him one of Liv’s notebooks before he goes off to Omega; Garrus does the only thing he can think of with it)

i really need you (Liv/Garrus; James POV during the reunion scene in Priority: Palaven)

you look really tired (Liv/Garrus, Liv+Liara; post-Thessia, Olivia’s not doing well)

hey, so, ground rules (Liv+Zaeed; it’s a lot weird now that he’s dating her mom)

and all the scars you bear are from a previous war (Liv+Quentus; Mom!Liv)

you can hear it in the silence (Liv/Garrus; just a moment, post-war)

this all started because of a bad day (Liv/Garrus; from first meetings to matching rings)

combat, i’m ready for combat & turn on your favorite nightlight (Hannah; she’s a civilian and her daughter isn’t, and she’s bound and determined to know what Liv goes through when her boots hit the ground; Hannah, Zaeed, Liv, and Garrus hit up Armax)

four quarians who never made it back to the fleet (and one who did) (kinda what it says on the tin, honestly. Oh, Tali’s in this!)

everyone’s lost, the battle is won (Evangeline; somewhat predictably, my experiment in getting as many of my team killed as possible resulted in Feelings About It)

across the sky (Susan/Liara; how to make the Control ending feel good)

and yours is in red underlined (Vanessa; The Illusive Man has pissed her off for the last time)

i’m headed straight for the castle (Vanessa; renegade control ending; kneel before your queen)

Mass Effect Andromeda:

for saviours (Tori; ten scenes from a pre-Andromeda life; 10k)

ringing joyful and triumphant (Tori/Liam/Jaal; just some morning fluff)

the thing with the baby angara (Tori/Liam/Jaal; thinking about the future)

the undone and the divine (Tori/Liam/Jaal; the lone single solitary explicit fic on here, give it props for that alone; Liam gets absolutely railed by his partners. That’s it. That’s the fic.)

you’re like the thing that makes the universe explode (Sara Ryder/Suvi, Drack; kid, the only people who don’t know that you like Suvi are people who haven’t met you and Suvi)

this one’s for the torn down, the experts at the fall (Tori+Garrus; one night in the intersection of Victoria Ryder and Archangel; maybe they’re better friends than they both thought)

The West Wing:

a great revelation sigh (CJ; she’s Chief of Staff; ten steps to the apocalypse; the apocalypse source probably didn’t age well, heads up)

it’s in my blood and i won’t give up ‘cause it’s running through my veins (Amy+Andi; it’s Election Day in the future and Amy has nothing to do)

Grey’s Anatomy:

dropsonde (the singers in a lower choir remix) (Addison/Alex, Derek/Meredith, Addison+Derek, Addison+Mark, Mark+Derek; the one that kicked off all the remixes; absolutely off the rails from canon somewhere in S3; budding romances and kidfic and my theory about people being storms and lighthouses; 40k)

scarlet city (Mark/Addison, Burke/Cristina; film noir gangster and detective AU; Addison’s the gangster, Burke’s the detective; literally everyone I could fit into this fic shows up; also Denny is comic relief; 18k)

Misc:

access records (Star Trek Voyager; Naomi Wildman’s holodeck access for the past week; worldbuilding!)

in this twilight our choices seal our fate (the song in the house of night remix) (SVU; Olivia/Elliot; rated M; on the rise and fall of partnership; probably a little too much religious imagery but what the hell else am I gonna do with a minor in religious studies?; 4k)

the end of days job (Leverage; Parker+Eliot+Hardison; the apocalypse job, basically; this one ages well!)

let the only sound be the overflow (D&D; Calia/Kelpie/Edal, aka ot3: fathoms below; the ocean is big and they are not)

we are golden stars above silver seas (we hear echoes from another galaxy) (Calvin & Hobbes; Calvin+Susie; throughout all those years, she never gave up on him; this one went viral on tumblr [LINK] and I cleaned it up for the AO3 version)

lift her, pull her, from the orchids (Grace and Frankie; Grace/Frankie; the one where I invoke the spelling bee)

rocket queens (Babylon 5/Pacific Rim; Susan Ivanova/Talia Winters; look, they’re jaeger pilots, I really don’t know what else to tell you)

the great gig in the sky (Battlestar Galactica; Six; rebirth is painful, she forgets this sometimes)

[nautiscarader]

What the hecking heck has happened? - a post-not-really-mortem

What the hecking heck has happened?

So you might have noticed I have been absent for the past 2.5 months. So, where have I been? What has happened to me?

Well, you see, I got this magical music box, and when I opened it, I was transported into a different world full of talking frogs, toads and newts! I've had wonderful adventures, made lots of friends and-

Yeah, nope. I've been in a hospital.

WITH NO INTERNET

I feel you, Anne.

But let's start…

Serious warning: I will be describing my stay at the hospital, and it may get touchy for some of you. Proceed with caution.

Chapter 1: "Not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards."

So in mid-November I fell from my bed. I have multiple sclerosis and for the life of me I couldn't lift up. I had lots of bruises, so I had to be taken to hospital to clean them and then do something more with my illness… But that is just the beginning…

Chapter 2: The ballad of lemon cocaine

So here I am, lying in bed, getting meds, and around day 3 the nurse brought me a small cup full of white powder. I looked at her and blurted out "What am I supposed to do with it, snort it?" and she replied "No, sir, you're supposed to mix it in your tea or soup… " and she went away. That powder was some protein to help my wounds rebuild, btw.

But a few weeks down the line there was a twist: they gave me another powdered drink, and this one was lemon-flavoured! So I was mixing them up and called it "lemon cocaine". And it was delicious.

Chapter 3: And then shit happened

There is this nasty thing called Clostridium which gives you diarrhoea. And I caught it. So for the next ten days… well, I was busy, shall we say.

Yeah.

Chapter 4: "we got robbed!"

Imagine my surprise when one day I get a call… from Police. Turns out someone broke into my and my neighbour's basements.

So I've had another thing to worry about.

For exactly two days.

Because the thief took my neighbour's power cutting tools… AND PUT THEM ON AN AUCTION SITE.

WITH LOTS OF PICS [READ: EVIDENCE]

So that went smoothly, we both recovered everything stolen.

chapter 5: Then I was robbed.

Of some shirts. Because I was putting my used shirts and shorts in a special, red garbage bag. What I did not know is that red garbage bags are used for hazardous materials.. you can guess what happened.

RIP to my original Wakfu kickstarter shirt.

Well, it had a rip, so…

Chapter 6: Return of the shit.

So… one day my doctor came and said straight to me.

Another 10 days…

Chapter 7: I am thick skinned

And that is a problem for applying cannulas (cannuli?). Those things they insert into veins to make drips work. Apparent;y my skin is thick and locating blood vessels was incredibly difficult sometimes. The record was 6.Six times they stabbed me until it worked.

And even when they worked,the band-aids they used just wouldn't stick to my skin.

Chapter 8: Hot potato, cold potato.

So here is a thing: I don't like lying next to a heater, especially at night. I have troubles with breathing, get sweaty, etc. So naturally, they've put me right next to one. But it was okay,cos I could just turn the knob to 0, right?

No,I couldn't.

One nurse couldn't.

Second one couldn't.

A PLUMBER couldn't.

So they had to move my bed to the opposite side of the room, with the plumber telling me he'd fix it.

That was the last time I have seen him.

But after a week they moved me from neurology to neurology rehab ward, where…

They've put me in a bed next to another heater!

But this time, there was a twist… or rather,there wasn't. COS THERE WAS NO KNOB.

It took them three weeks to find one.

Chapter 9: Rehab

So I was moved to a rehab ward, where every day I was being stretched, twisted and reassembled so I can move a bit better.And honestly, all the workers they were flipping fantastic - so compassionate, so understanding with patience of saints. I will cherish time I spent with them forever.

Chapter 10: Christmas on closed ward

Time moved on, and, well, Christmas has arrived. And we've had a really neat Christmas eve celebrations! I even got an unexpected present - the mother of another patient in our room (of 4) got each of us a Gilette razor - kinda useless for me,since I was using electric one, but it was so neat, wrapped in red ribbon and all! And she baked us all cakes! And brought a small Christmas tree. Luckily, I had some sweets of my own, I gave them in return. I know it may sound silly or insignificant, but it really was a heartwarming moment.

Chapter 11: In which I became Mr. House

So, no joke, all this time as I have been lying and doing nothing, I was composing this post in my head, with gifs. And one joke would have been that I looked like this:

but I felt like this:

Well.

WELL, WELL, WELL.

Imagine my surprise when one day my rehab guy put me onto THIS COCKING MEDIEVAL TORTURE RACK.

I mean, I have always suspected that irony is another force in our universe, but that has to be a definite proof, right?

I was actually feeling pretty down that day, but when I saw this, I started laughing like a maniac. I explained the joke, since he never played FNV, but he laughed too. We started calling it "mr House treatment".

Chapter 12: The wheelchair.

Around week before Christmas, I was put for the first time on a wheelchair.And after a month of being immobile… it was exhilarating,to finally be able to do SOMETHING on my own.

And then mid-January I got my own! For free! Something something government funding, something something disability insurance, yadda yadda, who cares? I now had a wheelchair!

So for the next two weeks I have been training to make my body adjusted to my new permanent part.

And then… I was out.

AND THEN I NEARLY THOUGHT THE THIEF STOLE MY ROUTER. But no, it was simply hidden for cleaning.

So all this time I have been thinking, which character should I try to identify with?

Maybe Oracle?

Or that kid from that one ATLA episode?

But then I realised there is only choice…

I AM NOW COCKING DAVROS!

So, what now?

As of right now, I am officially disabled.

I take tons of meds, have nurses to help me, and I have to learn to live anew.

It is tough, sometimes really tough.

So I ask you all to be a bit more patient with me.

I will be slower with updates, fics, etc. because I am slower now IRL.

But know that if you are reading this, then you are my friend and I love you.

Oh, and speaking of fics.... Nah, I'll leave it as a surprise ;)

Oh and here is an unnecessary sequel!