#i've been trying so tentatively to find some sort of Upgrade and I think I've got it down now

[peridots-pixiwolf]

so I experimented a little

[zombiiesque]

(photo: Clearwater, Florida)

NA Mood Lifting Scents

Originally published 2/11/2018

Hey y'all! I've actually been working on this idea for a while, and it's a little unusual, but I figured I can't be the only one who goes through struggles, and so for this I've asked for a few contributions from my fellow Nocturne Alchemy fans in the House of Nocturne Alchemy Tent (also affectionately known as the Tent, and my family!). I want to say straight away, I'm not a doctor of any kind, and I'm not here to tell you what will definitively make you feel better, but merely make some suggestions for you to try, if you struggle with similar issues. Also, I offer big, gentle, e-hugs.

I struggle. I struggle a lot with mental issues - they even keep me from writing, which is my joy, truly. Y'all probably noticed it took me quite a while to get back to this blog after dear Laura passed. And it wasn't just that, although I did have a hard time moving past it, and I'm still not fully over it. I miss her dearly. But shortly after that, I started spiraling into a rather deep depression, which combined with my anxiety and PTSD, and all the junk life was throwing at me, seemed to go on for quite a while. I'm slowly climbing my way out of the pit now, but it's not easy.

And honestly, when I'm struggling with these issues, there's not much that gives me ease. Scent is truly one of those things, and for me, music. It gives me the ability to take some deep breaths and get out of my own head, and tell myself, I'm OKAY. It's going to be okay.

So, all that said, I thought I might offer up some ideas, and I asked others what soothes them.

The biggest point to make, though, I think, is that scent, and what makes us feel better in scent, is intensely personal, and varies so widely from person to person. My aromatherapist friend, Rain, says that a lot of folks associate pine with Christmas (or Yule), and for her pine is death - she's literally severely allergic to it, and so for her Christmas is scotch tape and paper and MINT. So that's a great example of how personal scent actually is. Therefore, I'm going to reiterate that these are merely suggestions.

Now that I've beleaguered that point, I'll give you a list of notes that I love and then some particular suggestions, both from me, and my NA Tent family!

What started all of this, for me, was in the fall of 2015, Nocturne Alchemy had their Halloween Part 1 release, and sent out samples of Bastet Halloween 2016. This was actually part of the permanent catalogue (PC), at that time in the VA section under the All Hallows' Eve heading. Every year they put out a Halloween perfume in the PC for the following year, so it's always available, and that year they put out a matching pair, so both Bastet and Anubis were released, and the sample I got was instantly loved, and upgraded to a full bottle. It's become such a comfort scent to me, and has pulled me through some very dark days. I realized that I found myself reaching for it constantly when I was at my lowest points.

Notes that I really love when I'm down or anxious are sandalwood, frankincense, copal. So resins, they feel like a nice warm hug. I find the NA oudh absolutely sublime for this, too. And there's something very comforting about Nocturne Alchemy's ambers, too. That kind of falls in between two categories for me, as I also like fresh, clean scents, or herbal scents, and the ambers can be very fresh, and also resinous. I love sage, chamomile, patchouli, citrus, and occasionally lavender from the fresh/herbal/medicinal/clean category. Citrus can be such an uplifting note (or notes!) when you need your day brightened. I also find NA nag champa,or incense heavy blends, soothing.

But a lot of times it's sort of a gut instinct/strong scent memory that makes you feel like you're wearing scent armor. Rain mentioned that she loves her Eternal Ankh Anniversary during such times.

So a little list of possible scent suggestions.

From the SLs, Hessonite, Ember, Santal Ombre, Patchouli Ombre, Santalum, Pyramid Santalum, Frankincense Ombre, and even the new Oud Ombre. Eternal Ankh Anniversary, Eternal Egypt Anniversary are others to consider, if you find vanillas to be your "blanket" you might like Crystal, Crystalline, Kobalt, etcetera from that line. I really love the OP line, it gives me a boost of confidence and the incense is incredibly settling for me, particularly OP Baba, because of the nag champa and black musk - musks are a power scent type for me. I forgot to mention I like myrrh also as a comforting resin, so definitely Myrrh Ombre, one of my first purchases!

From the PCs, I cannot recommend the OM NAs enough. Temple NA, Eternity, and Balance in particular, although I should really try Khet, as it sounds lovely. Gabriel from the 7 section has both frankincense and myrrh. I like to layer Raphael, as I find it clean and fresh, with Santalum. The Royal Amber section is a veritable treasure trove of comfort scents, particularly Bastet Amber, Sekhmet Amber, Thoth Amber, Temple Amber, and Sky Amber. I'm wanting to add Priestess Amber to my collection, as all of the sandalwoods and amber sound like an amazing combination and I've been lucky enough to smell Rain's bottle and fallen in love. I have a full bottle of Black Frankincense from the Desecrated Tomb section that I find absolutely heavenly, and it layers well with so many SLs - and the Prehistoric collection, too, for that matter, but that's for my LC suggestion list. There's also a veritable treasure trove in the Eternals, but I will say for me the biggest one is Eternal Egypt. It's become just such a signature scent for me. I

Another set of oils to consider are the NA Purpose Oils, which can be found offsite at The Blackest Rose. I have Protection, and I find it absolutely fantastic, but I really want to get Strength and Guidance.

Now, there's also several LC (limited, seasonal collections) perfumes that I absolutely adore for these purposes, which have been occasionally brought back as Resurgence, but you could put out an "ISO" (in search of) in the NAVA Marketplace or Indie Perfume Lovers groups on Facebook. For me Horus Haven 2 is a warm hug of a scent. I also really love Polter-Guests, it's got that herbal/clean thing going on. And I always, always reach for my Holiday Egyptian Frankincense for layering. There's a whole treasure trove in the Prehistorics, Pteranodon is fantastic for adding sandalwood to any perfume, and of course I love Cryolophosaurus for the patch and amber. Camarasaurus from last year has become a huge favorite of mine, because copal just makes me feel like myself again. I'm going to go ahead and mention NA oudh, the Icons. I find their oudh to be so gloriously beautiful, and the ones I own are Egyptian Temple Oudh, Labyrinth, and of course my beloved Copal Oudh. Phantasm Kiss from the 2016 Halloween release is so good, I bought 2 bottles of it, and I wear it alone and layered with other perfumes to boost my spirits. There was a series of Dream Bottles that came out with the winter collection the year I started collecting NA, and it taught me that I could, indeed, wear and love lavender, so I'll mention the Blue Egypt and Dead Can Sleep Dream Bottles. There was a sandalwood as well, which I totally regret not nabbing! But although those were pretty exclusive and hard to find, you can still find the original Dead Can Sleep and Blue Egypt in the PC section.

I'm going to close this by giving you various suggestions from my Tent family. But I also wrote and asked if the NA crew had any suggestions for you, and Freja said she would recommend OM NA: Balance, Crystalline, and the Purpose Oil: Inner Love (which is also one of my friend Rain's favorites!). Suggestions from fans include Lavender Santalum, Pink Grapefruit Frankincense, Moonstone, Holiday Egyptian Sandalwood, Myrrh and White Amber from the LC Holiday 2017 Collection, OP Set (huuuuge fan of OP Set so I second this motion!), Santalum, OM NA Eternity, Orange and Sandalwood Vanilla which is an LC Holiday scent and SO comforting!...from my lovely friend Heather - Santal Ombre, Ember, Pteranodon, Protection, Speaking with Spirits! So, some great suggestions there, and definitely worth hunting down, I particularly had forgotten about Speaking With Spirits, and would add from that same LC Halloween 2017 collection, when I'm really struggling with sleeping, Sleep Elixir is absolutely divine. I can't wear it without falling asleep in minutes.

So, really there's a wide range of possibilities here, but just know, whatever makes you feel most comforted in a scent will really help you when you feel down. I forgot something that I should have mentioned, I also like peppermint for uplifting, and two LCs I absolutely adore are Victorian Candy Cane Crystalline and Bastet's Pink Snow. I'll close with a quote from the Eagles:

I wish you peace when times are hard

A light to guide you through the dark

And when storms are high and your, your dreams are low

I wish you the strength to let love grow,

Oh I wish you the strength to let love flow.

[twilight-deviant]

How do you think the writers will handle Flynn in Season 2? From what I've read it seems like they plan to use his arrest to push him back in a villain role, but that wouldn't really work in S2 since he doesn't have a time machine. Unless he steals it.. again? Unlikely. Too repetitive. The Garcy-shipping optimist in me wants to see him work with the team, but that wouldn't make sense either if they want him to stay a villain. Plus the 3 person max in the Lifeboat. So where does Flynn fall in S2?

You’re right, yeah. The best we really have to go on right now is the interview with the creators when they said that one of the reasons for Flynn’s arrest is because they want to keep the dynamics between the characters the same for season two as well as delve in a little deeper with what’s there. And all we can do is speculate what that means. Although, honestly, you can’t convince me that Lucy will feel the same way towards Flynn as she did in season one. She feels intense guilt and pity towards the man right now. She’s on his side. To the point where she gave him a list of people to kill. She wants him to succeed. Just as you can’t say Flynn will feel the same way towards Lucy. He is very angry with her– either for deception or carelessness, however he chooses to see it. So in season two, Flynn will also be looking at Lucy differently, most closely resembling his attitude towards her in 1.11, if anything. So when they say they want to keep the dynamic the same in season two………. how? You can’t. Sure Wyatt and Rufus and all other characters will treat Flynn the same (and he them), but his most important relationship (the one with Lucy) is very changed. You can’t reset that to their season one relationship. Unless by season one you mean Flynn in 1.11 and Lucy in 1.16. Do you?

Flynn in season two though, let’s think on that. Like I said, all we can do is speculate. But speculating is fun, yeah?

Futher S2 Flynn ramblings under a cut.

There are, most likely, only four options for Flynn escaping his imprisonment. Well, four big options. Lots of little variables.

The team breaks him out.

Flynn breaks himself out.

Some third party breaks him out.

He is given immunity/a deal if he helps the team, government, and Mason Industries take down Rittenhouse. Since he knows more about fighting them than anyone. (I’ve pondered this possibility before.)

I think whichever option they go with will really set the tone for his character in season two. And I have watched enough television to guess that it… probably… won’t happen in the first episode. Not if they break him out anyway. They will show Flynn in the premiere, of course, but he won’t actually be free until a few episodes in. The writers will leave him there for a little while. If I had to guess.

So for ¾ options, Flynn is still a fugitive. The first one, he would be working with the team but still against the government. …I’ll take it. The second one, he is his own team again, fighting against both our team and Rittenhouse, same as season one. There’s no way to predict what someone else breaking him out means. They need his skill sets. Probably not for good reasons. This one most likely leads to the darkest outcome for him in a “deal with the devil” sort of way. He’ll help these people if they help him. When up until now, he has worked according to his own set of rules and plans. And then the last option for his release is self-explanatory. It is also the nicest possibility, so of course the show won’t do it. Hahaha. But you never know. In the interview, Kripke said, “…he’s going to be really f–king pissed at Lucy. And yet, he is going to be one of the few people suited to being able to fight whatever threats they face in Season 2. So it’ll be uneasy and uncertain.” Sounds like a tentative partnership, yes?

Like you said, Flynn continuing as a villain in a time travel show doesn’t make a lot of sense. There are (that we currently know of?) two time machines. One is under the control of the government. The other has been stolen by Rittenhouse. And while Flynn did sort of like Emma before, there is no way he goes along with her now and furthers Rittenhouse’s goals. No way. I just can’t imagine him working with her. (Unless she promises to help save his family? Would he forsake the rest of the world for that, a world that has continuously wronged him? Hmm… Hopefully not?) So the Mothership isn’t an option for Flynn anymore. Because even if he killed Emma and stole it again, he can’t drive the thing. We have two-and-a-half pilots right now. (Jiya is our inexperienced half. lol.) Flynn has to be chauffeured by one of them. I’m still saying he… probably… won’t work with Emma. Jiya can’t even pilot the Lifeboat by herself and would be useless to him. So Flynn’s best bet would be kidnapping Rufus, a man he has tried to kill and who would not want to cooperate with him. Rufus has some real strength of character now. I don’t think he would respond to Flynn’s threats. Also, if Flynn has control of the Mothership, let’s just assume Emma is dead. So Rufus knows Flynn can’t take out the one remaining competent pilot. The only way it could really work is if Flynn threatened someone else (like Jiya maybe… or Rufus’s family) to force his cooperation. But even then, again, he would be using up the last capable pilot. Our team wouldn’t be able to follow Flynn around. From a storytelling standpoint, you hit a dead end. Unless Jiya really takes to her lessons so she can pilot the team. (…I’m not opposed. That sounds fun.)

But with the Lifeboat only being able to carry three people, I maintain that they can make some modifications. I’m not going to pretend to know the science of it all, but I do know they upgraded the system between creating their initial prototype and perfecting it in the newest model. Because the Mothership can hold at least eight. Though probably exactly eight. (Flynn brought six guys with him in the Pilot. Then add in Anthony. He would have filled every available seat, taking as many men as possible. So eight total. Also there were five of them in 1.03. And four of them in 1.11.) Mason Industries did find a way to increase the number of passengers. It will just require some maintenance. But also, yeah, don’t forget Mason’s line in the Pilot. He calls the Lifeboat “our earliest prototype.” Which means there were others between it and the Mothership. Those have surely been decommissioned, possibly recycled, but there may be a mostly completed model in their facility that’s halfway between the capabilities of the Lifeboat and the Mothership. The Lifeboat is just the only one they kept operational. And while it would take, as they say, a few years to make a machine from scratch, they might be able to fix and complete an already engineered model more quickly. Yes? New time machine in season two? Updated Lifeboat? Yes please.

Anyway, nothing would make me happier than Flynn working with the team. But it does seem the show is intent on keeping him a villain. And with his fury over the arrest in the finale, he may lose a lot of the morals he still had in season one. He will become even more desperate in season two, more uncaring of anything but his goal, more irate with anyone who stands in his way. There was also his final conversation with Jesse James in 1.12 where Jesse implied Flynn will lose his way. Maybe he’s wrong about Flynn. Maybe this is foreshadowing. While I really love watching Flynn struggle with himself in season one, if they want to make him a little more evil, I guess I can be okay with that too. Just never deprive him of understandable motivations and that three-dimensional personality. He can be evil so long as it isn’t a two-dimensional evil. No matter how angry Flynn gets, he is still a good man. I’m with him ‘til the end of the line. Just write him well. You can make him do anything but use good conclusions getting there. He’s very precious to me.

And there’s always our forever ace in the hole we can’t forget: the journal. I know there are differences between the original timeline it was written in and the timeline playing out in the series, but… Flynn and Lucy are still fated to work together. I know she will fall from grace a little. I know that has already begun. But if Flynn does go the full evil, I don’t think Lucy would work with him. Also, even if he is mad at her right now, he will overlook it or forgive her. There’s a finish line we will always end up at. So even if we start season two a little hostile, we know where we’re going, yeah?

It’s weird, but even though Flynn is always citing his and Lucy’s partnership in the journal, he never mentions a third person. If they work together by traveling through time, they need a pilot, right? It clearly isn’t Rufus or else Flynn wouldn’t try to kill him all the time. (After Lucy joins Flynn, there seems to be no mention of Wyatt and Rufus. And he generally has no interest in them, as if he doesn’t consider them future assets. I’ve always wondered what happens to Wyatt and Rufus in the future.) Was Anthony their pilot? In the future. Was he… in the future? Will he? Would he have will be their pilot? (What is the proper grammar for something that happened in the past but hasn’t happened yet?) Is Anthony their pilot? Or is it Emma? The journal did lead Flynn to her cabin. Or… is there a new form of time travel they will develop which does not require a pilot? Jiya seems to be onto something here.

So… they still want Flynn to be an antagonist in season two, but I have to ask: how? How can he remain a superpower in this time travel series without stealing a time machine and kidnapping a pilot? How can Lucy show him anything except mercy and… cooperation(?) whenever they meet up? (She reeeeeeally doesn’t like Rittenhouse right now.) What’s his plan? Will he forge his own or will he continue using what he remembers from the journal he gave away? They surely confiscated the flash drive Lucy gave him that had his family’s murderers on it. Even if he gets that back or Lucy gets him another copy, what can he do with it? Can’t go back in time. Though killing them in the present for fun might feel good.

@Season Two Flynn, what ya gonna do? Asking for a friend.