#in tenebris veritas

[sablegear0]

Chapter 2 of "In Tenebris Veritas" is up! Rushing these out a little bit because I have stuff to do this week and don't want to have spacing them out on the brain.

See end notes for a fun little bonus game you can play here too! I make reference to two irl books in chapter 1, and a dialogue reference to another piece of media in chapter 2. Comment or leave an Ask if you think you know them!

[writing-reference-redux]

I felt like sharing my collection of Latin phrases that may make good fanfic or fanart titles or inspiration. Some of the translations may be off, so you might want to double-check them before use. Also, I used capitalization liberally so you might also want to check where capitalization is actually indicated.

Ab Intra (From Within)

Acta Est Fabula (The play has been performed)

Acta Sancti ___ (The Deeds of Saint ___)

Ad Undas (to the waves / to hell)

Advocatus Diaboli (Devil's advocate)

Aegri Somnia (a sick man's dreams / troubled dreams)

Alea Iacta Est (the die has been cast / point of no return)

Apologia Pro Vita Sua (defense of one's life)

Caetera Desunt (the rest is missing)

Cedere Nescio (I know not how to yield)

Damnatio Memoriae (damnation of memory / denying someone ever lived)

De Nobis Fabula Narratur (their story is our story)

Decessit Vita Patris (died before their father)

Diem Perdidi (I have lost the day)

Dies Tenebrosa Sicut Nox (a day as dark as night)

Dolor Hic Tibi Proderit Olim (some day this pain will be useful to you)

Dulce Est Desipere In Loco (It is sweet on occasion to play the fool)

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus (while we live, let us live)

Dux Bellorum (war leader)

Ex Umbra In Solem (from the shadow into the light)

Festina Lente (hurry slowly)

Fortis Cadere, Cedere Non Potest (the brave may fall, but can not yield)

Fui Quod Es, Eris Quod Sum (I once was what you are, you will be what I am)

Graviora Manent (heavier things remain / the worst is yet to come)

Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit (one day, this will be pleasing to remember)

Hic Mortui Vivunt (here the dead speak)

Hinc Illae Lacrimae (hence those tears)

Hodie Mihi, Cras Tibi (Today it's me, tomorrow it will be you - of death)

In Ictu Oculi (in the blink of an eye)

In Somnis Veritas (in dreams there is truth)

Inter Spem Et Metum (between hope and fear)

Lapsus Memoriae (slip of memory)

Luctor, Non Mergor (I struggle, but am not overwhelmed)

Lux Ex Tenebris (light from darkness)

Media Vita In Morte Sumus (In the midst of our lives we die)

Memento Mori (remember that you will die)

Memento Vivere (remember to live)

Morior Invictus (I die unvanquished / death before defeat)

Mundus Senescit (the world grows old)

Nemini Parco (I spare no one - death)

Nitimur In Vetitum (we strive for the forbidden)

Non Ducor, Duco (I am not led; I lead)

Non Omnis Moriar (I shall not all die / part of me will survive beyond death)

Nunc Scio Quid Sit Amor (now I know what love is)

Oderint Dum Metuant (let them hate, so long as they fear)

Omnia Mutantur (everything changes)

Onus Probandi (burden of proof)

Opera Posthuma (posthumous works)

Ophidia In Herba (a snake in the grass)

Pax Aeterna (eternal peace - a common epitaph)

Primum Non Nocere (first do no harm)

Pulvis Et Umbra Sumus (we are dust and shadow)

Quis Leget Haec? (who will read this?)

Quod Periit, Periit (what Is gone is gone)

Res, Non Verba (deeds, not words)

Respice Finem (consider the end)

Scientia Et Sapientia (knowledge and wisdom)

Seculo Seculorum (forever and ever)

Sed Terrae Graviora Manent (but on earth, worse things await)

Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (if you want peace, prepare for war)

Sic Infit (so it begins)

Sic Vita Est (such is life)

Silentium Est Aureum (silence is golden)

Sine Nomine (without a name / author unknown)

Sola Dosis Facit Venemum (the dose makes the poison)

Solvitur Ambulando (it is solved by walking / simple tests find solutions)

Stamus Contra Malum (we stand against evil)

Succisa Virescit (cut down, we grow back stronger)

Sum Quod Eris (I am what you will be - of death)

Summum Bonum (the supreme good)

Summum Malum (the supreme evil)

Sunt Lacrimae Rerum (there are tears for things)

Sunt Omnes Unum (they are all one)

Tabula Rasa (blank slate)

Transire Benefaciendo (to travel along while doing good)

Tu Fui Ego Eris (I was you; you will be me - of death)

Ubi Amor, Ibi Dolor (where there is love, there is pain)

Ultima Forsan (perhaps the last / sundial quote "perhaps your last hour")

Usque Ad Finem (until the end / fight to the death)

Vacate Et Scire (Be still and know)

Vi Et Animo (with heart and soul)

Victoria Aut Mors (victory or death)

Vincit Qui Patitur (he conquers who endures)

Vita Ante Acta (a life done before - of reincarnation)

Vivere Militare Est (to live is to fight)

Vox Clamantis In Deserto (the voice of one crying in the wilderness)

There are also some longer ones that may not make good titles because of their length, but are still worth inclusion:

Aut Simul Stabunt Aut Simul Cadent (they will either stand together or fall together)

Flectere Si Nequeo Superos, Acheronta Movebo (if I can not reach Heaven I will raise Hell)

Forsan Et Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit (perhaps even these things will be good to remember one day)

Igitur Qui Desiderat Pacem, Praeparet Bellum (therefore whoever desires peace, let him prepare for war)

In Regione Caecorum Rex Est Luscus (in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king)

Minus Malum Toleratur Ut Maius Tollat (choose the lesser evil so a greater evil may be averted)

Quem Deus Vult Perdere, Dementat Prius (whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad)

Ubi Sunt, Qui Ante Nos Fuerunt? (Where are they, those who have gone before us?)

Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit (that which virtue unites, let not death separate)

[yukirayu]

Lyrics: “Denshō no Uta -Verum-”

While the opening theme of the VN got an English translation, the same couldn’t be said for its good ending theme, “Verum”. 

As such, I tried to see what the lyrics could possibly mean by getting both the Latin and the Japanese lyrics from the soundtrack booklet and crossreferencing the translations of the lyrics in both languages. 

So know that this is just an edited MTL of the lyrics. Take the (attempt at a) translation with a grain of salt. Still, I hope you enjoy knowing how you can possibly read the lyrics and what the song intended to convey, since Lamento has one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a visual novel. 

......

“Denshō no Uta -Verum-” “伝承の詩 -Verum-” (Note: The word verum is Latin for “truth”.)

Performed by: Kanako Itou

Lyrics

Let me tell you something important now: the truth is hidden Dicam rem gravem, nunc: veritas est celata 螺旋 翔け昇り 届け･言葉･想い

It continues to exist, unravaged by the flow of time sed tempus eam possit perdere et violare が、時の流れに決して揺るがず、在り続けるのだ

He stood in the midst of disaster, death, defamation, and damnation In calamitate, morte, fama, in maledictio, erat ibi hic 災害、死、噂、呪いの渦中に、彼は佇んでいた

In ruthlessness, conflict and darkness, he stood as an evil omen In misericorde, bello, tenebris, ut ipsus malus stabat hic 非情､争い、闇、その中で禍々しさの象徴として彼は立っていた

In blasphemy and impiety, there he stood as a form that inspired fear In blasphemia, impietate, in terribli forma est hic 冒涜、邪悪の中、恐ろしい姿で、彼はそこにいた

The screams resounded from the void, “Is that form real? Is it not an illusion? Is it real or not?” In clamore, vanitate: Estne vera forma, non vera? Non vera? 叫び、空虚の中:真実の姿なのか? 真実ではないのか? 真実では･･･ない?

Open your eyes, open your eyes and behold! Oculos tuos aperite occulusos, ecce! ごらん! 閉じた瞼あけて

He brought a red flower to an ashen world Rubem florem in canam terram tulit 灰色の世界に、彼は赤い花をもたらした

Hope, that is our only hope Spes, ea spes, sola 希望・・・それは唯一の希望

I’ll share with you the memories and truth of a distant past Memoriam antiquam et veritatem te donam 遠い記憶 そして真理を君に贈ろう

The truth is hidden from sight, but it remains there for eternity Veritas invisibilis est, sed manet, manet in perpetua 真実は見えない しかし失われず 永遠に留まるのだ

Days of peace, laughter and tranquility, of life, fertility and joy Diem pacis, risum, placidem... Vitam, fructum, felicem… 平和な日々、笑い、穏やかさ… 人生、 実り、幸福・・・

Of benevolence and order, of unity, virtue and light Bonitatem, ordinem... Consensum, asquum, lucem… 充足、秩序･･･心の一致、正しきこと 光・・・

Everyone desired them all, and his wounds pained and ached Omnis eos petunt, ergo hujus dolebat vulnus 誰もが、それらを求め 彼の傷は痛んでいた

Quietly, yet certainly Quiete, sed certe 静かに、しかし確実に・・・ 

Does he seek love? Or does he not seek love? Vultne amorem, vel non vult? Vel non vult? O! 彼は愛を求めていたか? あるいは求めていなかったか? ・・･求めていなかった?

My heart and thoughts reach beyond the boundaries of time Trans finem temporis, cor mei, vola 届け 僕の想い 悠久を越えて

He breathes life into the earth In terram hic donat spiritum 彼は大地に息吹を贈る

This is something that I, and only I know Solus ego, solus ego id scio 僕だけが僕だけがそれを知っている

He stood in the midst of damnation In maledictio, erat ibi hic 呪いの渦中に、彼は佇んでいた

He stood as an evil omen Ut ipsus malus stabat hic 禍々しさの象徴として彼は立っていた

He stood as a form that inspired fear In terribli forma est hic 恐ろしい姿で、彼はそこにいた

Is that form real or an illusion? Estne vera, non vera? 真実なのか?真実ではないのか?

Does he seek love or not? Vultne amorem, vel non vult? 彼は愛を求めていたか? あるいは求めていなかったか?

Does anyone know the answer? Quisne id scit? 誰が知っているというのか?

Open your eyes, open your eyes and behold! Oculos tuos aperite occulusos, ecce! ごらん! 閉じた瞼あけて

He brought a red flower to an ashen world Rubem florem in canam terram tulit 灰色の世界に、彼は赤い花をもたらした

Hope, that is our hope Spes, ea spes 希望・・・それは希望

My heart and thoughts reach beyond the boundaries of time Trans finem temporis, cor mei, vola 届け 僕の想い 悠久を越えて

He breathes life into the earth In terram hic donat spiritum 彼は大地に息吹を贈る

This is something that I, and only I know Solus ego, solus ego id scio 僕だけが僕だけがそれを知っている

[zmediaoutlet]

writing asks: 10, 11, 19 and 30, please and thank you :)

yayyy thanks bud

10. Top three favourite fic tropes & 11. Three tropes that are fine but overrated.

Combining this answer into one with the help of handy-dandy meme:

Top three remains true; overrated would probably be the... B tier? I definitely think sharing a bed is wildly overrated. But, of course, all of this depends on execution. I won't click on anything just because of a 'mutual pining' tag -- tropes are helpful tools but you have to be a decent builder to use them properly.

19. Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

Something about the flick of the woman's long fingers, the reference. Sam's face heats and Dean sees, of course, and gives him a narrow-eyed look, but apparently he's reading it as embarrassment because he breaks out in a grin. New expression on this new face: this woman's got a slightly crooked canine and a smile that gives her slanting fox-eyes, charming and wicked. "Sammy," Dean says, sing-song and high, and Sam drags a hand over his face. "Shouldn't do it if you can't talk about it."

"Any-way," Sam says, while Dean sniggers. Figures, Dean chills out while Sam gets more flustered. Jerk. "We've got approximately squat to go on. We've got random details but we have no idea why, for any of it. We've got to figure out why it happened if we're gonna have any chance of fixing it."

The smile dims, although there's still a sorta-twinkle in Dean's borrowed eye. "We know how to fix it," he says, oddly neutral.

Sam stands up, flipping his legal pad into his bag and packing up, though with no clear idea of where they'll go. "Let's aim for a fix that's more long-term."

30. Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn’t.

Oh, tough one. I have a bunch of fics that are still allegedly waiting to be written, on the long long long to-do list. A slightly different answer, a fic that was intended to go one way and went entirely another? I wrote a s2 fic a while back called in tenebris veritas (stupid title, but oh well), and the actual first idea for the fic was pretty different. What I ended up writing was a Dean POV fic where he and Sam had had blackout, unexpectedly violent sex, and Sam was deeply embarrassed and ashamed, and Dean ended up making Sam feel better because it turns out he’ll take whatever Sam will dish out. Which, okay. Fine.

What I wanted to write was a Sam POV story with the same inciting premise, but one in which he woke up and went, wow, we were pretty crazy last night, and it’s a slow dawning horror that he (it turns out) was fairly rough and violent and Dean’s actually quite hurt, this morning. He was going to be ashamed and, particularly, ashamedly turned on, because we know that Sammy is an animal in the sack and I think it’s very interesting to peek into the ways he wants to want things, in particular the ways he wants not to want things. We got a bit of that in the fic that was published. But what I really wanted to do was have Dean be a mystery -- that Sam would look into his face and not know, not for sure, whether Dean liked it or not -- whether Dean was lying about being fine or whether he was actually fine -- whether Dean were just trying to make Sam feel better -- whether he was, and this is key, afraid of what Sam might be or do. All of that tied into the larger s2 story of Dean keeping secrets + “is something wrong with Sam?”  Somehow, though, when I went to write it, I just... couldn’t. (And it was a bad depression day and my brain was lying to me about how I was a terrible writer, because it’s a dick.) So I flipped it, and went for the more boring but easier version.

I sometimes think about doing the exercise of rewriting it. A diptych, or something. But there’s always the next story, so -- it may just be lost to the ether.

[bamon4bamily]

TVD 10x05 - The Devil You Know. Enjoy! =)

Stonehenge, England. Sometime around the first century; an ancient Druid ceremony. A triad of the most powerful witches at the time are standing outside the structure, forming a perfect triangle. In the middle, stands Veritas Dracul. As the blood moon rises to a full splendor, the witches begin to chant.

WITCHES CHANT:

O dea tenebris

mater immortalibus

puer tuus fac me sicut renascentur

mea lux vestra absorbere

 Liceat mihi locus ad tenebras

sicut ex utero immortales

filios tuos in ulnis

quibus invocaverit te frater

 O lunae lumen

puer tuus fac me sicut renascentur

me duce tenebris sunt

i ita erit renatu

 Veritas takes a chalice filled with the witches’ blood, raises it in offering and drinks from it. His eyes turn completely black, blood tears dripping from his cheeks. The witches chant louder and louder. At the most cathartic moment of the ceremony, he takes a dagger and stabs himself in the heart, instantly falling to the ground. He lies there, lifeless, covered in blood. A herd of crows begin to circle his body, the numbers increasing by the second, until his body is completely hidden with their presence. The witches, now levitating, are in a trance-like state, chanting franticly as the crows cawing overshadows their incantation. A dense fog covers the creatures, as if protecting them from any disturbance. Suddenly, absolute silence. The fog slowly dissipates, revealing the presence of a breathtaking woman wearing a crown with a crescent moon.

The witches, still levitating, seem to be in deep sleep; the crows now standing peacefully on the stone structures. The woman approaches the lifeless body and gently takes it in her arms. She begins to hum, emitting a hypnotic sound, like a siren call. Soon after, another woman appears and walks towards them, spellbound. The woman kisses Veritas’s lips; moments later, he abruptly opens his eyes, his veins irradiating from the blood flow. 

He’s agitated and scared, she caresses his cheek to sooth him into the transition. She then withdraws, and offers the dazed woman’s neck for his taking. The blood pumping from her jugular is an irresistible sight to him. He hasn’t even touched her, and he can already savor her blood. He moistens his lips with his tongue, and without further hesitation, sinks his fangs into her neck, draining every drop of blood within seconds. His transition, now complete. 

The woman smiles, kisses his forehead, and with a second breeze of heavy fog, disappears along with the crows. 

The witches wake, and slowly descend to their original position. Veritas bows and kneels upon them, in utter respect and gratitude for the gift they have granted him.

 Whether a blessing or a curse, it had been done. A new supernatural species had been created, and a new unnatural species of its own, vampirism. Veritas Dracul, once one of the most powerful psychics in the world, was now the first psychic vampire in existence.

Cut to – Present day, the Bamon home master bathroom. Damon and Bonnie are taking a bath.

 DAMON: I have to admit, I thought our little rendezvous would inevitably end up in a blood bath, or at least with some casualties. We did good!

BONNIE: Guess a common purpose helps keep the ego in place. I’m worried though…

DAMON: I know many of them are not the most trustworthy, but I really think we’re all on the same page.

BONNIE: It’s not that, it’s Elena. Care and I have been trying to reach her for a while now, and nothing. It’s not like her to keep out of contact for so long.

DAMON: She’s probably busy with school.

BONNIE: Still, something doesn’t feel right, and knowing where this is heading, I don’t think it’s a good sign. Maybe we should go check on her…

DAMON: It’s not like she’s a drive away, and we have our hands full here. Are you sure?

BONNIE: I could try to teleport. Test how far I can take this power.

DAMON: That could be dangerous, Bon. You don’t know how it works yet. I think it’s best to take it one jump at a time, and this is a big one.

BONNIE: I’ll never know if I don’t try it. I mean, I did it in Vegas.

DAMON: You were plastered and incredibly lucky that nothing happened. With everything that’s going on, it might not be a good time to experiment. If we’re gonna do this, let’s do it the old fashion way.

BONNIE: They’ll track us for sure if we do. I don’t think there’s another option.

DAMON: In that case, I’m coming with you.

BONNIE: You said it yourself, I still don’t know how this works for long distances. I don’t think taking anyone along with me is a good idea.

DAMON: If anything goes wrong I rather we’re together, than risk you being stuck somewhere alone.

BONNIE: And I rather not be responsible for something happening to you, if it does go wrong.

DAMON: I’ll take the risk. Sorry, Bon, but I’m not backing down on this.

BONNIE: Neither am I…

DAMON: Are we having our first lover’s quarrel?

BONNIE: Seems like it.

DAMON: We’re both very hard-headed; we’ll see who gets their way.

BONNIE: Want to put some money on that?

DAMON: Bon, come on. Let’s not do this. Ride or die, remember? You jump, I jump.

BONNIE: Okay; let’s conciliate. We’ll leave it up to chance. One game of Monopoly, whoever wins decides.

DAMON: You got yourself a deal (they shake hands).

BONNIE: Huh, not bad for a first fight.

DAMON: (Proud) Not bad at all.

BONNIE: Make up sex?

DAMON: (Mischievous smirk) I love the way you think… (they kiss, and you know… 😉)

Cut to – The Powell mansion. Edward and Tamara are in the study.

 TAMARA: I think it’s best you don’t return. Augustus said something could go wrong if you two were in the same place.

EDWARD: It was so uncanny…

TAMARA: I can only imagine. Seeing your child-self, and knowing it’s not really you, must be rather confusing.  

EDWARD: More like disturbing. But not going back is not an option. It’s much worse than I thought. They need to be shut down, and those things destroyed.

TAMARA: “Those things”? You speak of them as if they had no thoughts or feelings of their own. If they are anything like me, I can assure you, they do.

EDWARD: They are nothing like you, trust me.

TAMARA: Would you destroy me?

EDWARD: If you had asked me that a few months ago, my answer would’ve been yes. But now,  after everything we’ve been through, I couldn’t hurt you.

TAMARA: Do you really mean that? You know I come with a lie detector.

EDWARD: Then you should know I mean it. But I can’t say the same thing for mini-me.

TAMARA: (Smiles) I never really liked him. Augustus might have thought he did an impeccable job programming him, but I always knew he was not you.

EDWARD: He could have fooled me for a second there. The way he looked at me… as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

TAMARA: We might be able to process information at incredible speeds, but we can’t read minds.

EDWARD: Wouldn’t be surprised if those things can.

TAMARA: I insist, it’s not safe for you to go back. We need a change of plan. Release Darius, have him do the dirty work for us.

EDWARD: I would need to have something on him to make sure he does exactly what I tell him.

TAMARA: You’re the only one that can kill him for good; that should be enough to ensure he does.

EDWARD: It’s not that simple. I can’t always control my thoughts when I get like that. I didn’t even know I could do that until The Madame broke the block and I started remembering.

TAMARA: You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. The more I get to know you, the more I’m convinced you are your own worst enemy.

EDWARD: I suppose that’s what makes me human.

TAMARA: I suppose it is…

EDWARD: Maybe it’s time I came out of my cave. We could use Mayor Donovan’s help on this.

TAMARA: How can he help?

EDWARD: The prosthetic eye my father implanted in him. I am not sure what it can do, but you can figure it out.

TAMARA: Even if I can, how would that serve our purpose?

EDWARD: I have a feeling my father was testing something when he did that. What if he encrypted information in the prothesis code?

TAMARA: It’s unlikely. Knowing your father, he would never intentionally program a loophole into something he could not control.

EDWARD: You are evidence that he would.

TAMARA: I outsmarted him, which was an obvious outcome, but Matthew Donovan is a human. The probabilities of your father encoding valuable information into an unsecure source are 0.009%.      

EDWARD: And it’s because of that that it’s genius. Think about it, it would be the perfect place to hide information.

TAMARA: Your assumption may be assertive. However, I don’t trust anyone besides you to execute the plan accordingly.

EDWARD: You are willing to trust Darius.

TAMARA: No; I’m willing for him to take the fall, should anything go wrong.    

Cut to – Munich, Germany. Veritas’s mansion underground vault. He’s holding a black box, very similar to the one Elena found with the original serum. He places it in a safe which is equipped with a freezer system. Soon after, Lucinda walks in, holding a glass of wine.

 VERITAS: Love, how many times have I told you not to come in here, unless I invite you to.

LUCINDA: Forgive me, my dear. I was feeling rather lonely. It won’t happen again.

VERITAS: Well, now that you are here, I’d like to show you something. Come with me… (he leads her into a room filled with ancient artifacts).

LUCINDA: (Amazed with the grandiosity of the place) Darling, this is breathtaking! She approaches one of the showcases, which holds a very ancient chalice). My god… is this it?

VERITAS: It is. I like to come here from time to time and admire it. Be reminded of the gift I was granted, and worship the kind souls that thought me worthy of such.

LUCINDA: As I worship you for sharing it with me.

VERITAS: Your loyalty deserved rewarding.

LUCINDA: And you, a devoted life companion.

VERITAS: That will no longer suffice.

LUCINDA: What do you mean, love?

VERITAS: However strong, we are not unassailable.

LUCINDA: We are immortal, of course we are.

VERITAS: How many vampires have we killed? We may be less vulnerable to death, but we are by no means immortals.

LUCINDA: Still, we are Gods among men. Perhaps having a way out of this world is not such a bad thing. Who knows, one day we may grow tired, or feel utterly alone…  

VERITAS: You speak nonsense. True power only comes with immortality. That is what makes a God.

LUCINDA: We can only be grateful for what we have, and resign to the desire of what we don’t.

VERITAS: The woman I fell in love with used to be much more ambitious than that. The worst sign of weakness is resignation.

LUCINDA: Or the best sign of wisdom.

VERITAS: (Laughs) I think that wine has gotten to your head, love. Maybe you should take to rest. I have some matters to attend to. I need my privacy.

LUCINDA: You promised me we would make love tonight. You haven’t touched me in days.

VERITAS: Desire is not a thing to be forced. If you grow impatient, satisfy yourself, my dear. Have a good night (kisses her, she walks away).

Cut to – Munich, Germany; the Faculty lab. Elena has been locked down for days now. The military medical staff have her under close observation.

 MILITARY DOCTOR: (Through an intercom) Miss. Gilbert, are you presenting any symptoms today?

ELENA: Same as the days before, nothing! I’m telling you, I’m fine! Can you please get my father here?

MILITARY DOCTOR: As we have told you before, that is not possible. Only authorized personnel is allowed.

ELENA: Can you at least contact him, let him know what’s happening!?

MILITARY DOCTOR: We’re not authorized to do that.

ELENA: This has to be illegal! What the hell is wrong with you people! You can’t keep me locked up in here like some lab rat!

MILITARY DOCTOR: I assure you, we can (slides a tray of food and water through a door hatch). Push the panic button if you present any type of symptoms, or feel strange (he leaves).  

ELENA: (Banging on the glass door) Let me out of here! Let me out of here! I swear I’ll sue the shit out of this school, this lab; the whole country if I have to!

Cut to – One of the operating theatres in the school. Sam and Alex are performing a practice autopsy.

 ALEX: Isn’t your sweetheart supposed to be in this class? Or did she completely change her schedule to avoid us.  

SAM: I doubt it; she loves this class. She wasn’t in Biotech either. Something feels off. All these strange things that are happening can’t be a coincidence, right?

ALEX: Who knows, but that thing with the search results sure was suspicious as fuck.

SAM: You’re the conspiracy theorist, any theories?

ALEX: (Teasing) Well, I’m not saying it’s aliens… but it’s aliens.  

SAM: Come on, man, I’m serious! This shit is not normal. Also, I’ve been having some brain fog, struggling to remember simple things. I feel like everything before New Year’s is somewhat of a blur...

ALEX:  You too, huh?

SAM: And I’ve been having these weird dreams about being with Elena, before I even met her. It’s messed up…

ALEX: (Teasing again) Maybe you two met in another life.

SAM: Can you drop the bullshit for once?

ALEX: Sorry, just playin’ around. But listen, if there is something going on, this is definitely not the place to talk about it. Let’s get some drinks tonight, outside campus, we’ll brainstorm.

Cut to – The Salvatore School, Alaric’s office. Radka, Ric, Iker, and Katherine are talking.

 RIC: I don’t know about you guys, but between the school and our “team-up” the other night; I’m a bit overwhelmed. That had to be the most bizarre meeting, ever.

KATHERINE: I for one, was more than entertained knowing that the so called “Originals” story, was a load of crap. Watching their ego shatter into pieces made it all worth it. Talk about karma!

IKER: Yeah, that was insane. All this time I’ve been freakin’ out about my sireline. For all I know, it’s none of them.

KATHERINE: Unfortunately for me, I’m stuck with Klaus.

RIC: If you think about it, it does make sense that the story was bullshit. Just one spell, from one witch, to create a whole new species? Pisses me off I didn’t even question it, or dug deeper.

RADKA: Didn’t the mother make you like some super original vampire? I’m so confused!

RIC: One of her ancestors was involved in the original spell, that’s probably why she could.

KATHERINE: Who cares! The point is that the Mikaelson’s were not the first ones. Ha-ha, bitches!

RADKA: Judging from this Veritas guy; it might have been better if they were.

KATHERINE: Not likely.

IKER: The thing that still ain’t very clear to me, is how we’re supposed to stop what Bonnie saw. Too many ideas were thrown around all over the place.

RIC: I’m not quite sure either. The only thing I know is that I agree with my future-self. Kai’s plan to shut it all off and practically go back to the stone age, is absolutely insane.  

RADKA: Would it really be that bad? We are overly dependent on technology, might do us some good.

IKER: Hell no! I love me my Fortnite!

KATHERINE: I had a perfectly good life before it, so all the same to me. But I’ll do anything to avoid being stuck in some bizarre 20’s memory with my archenemies. (Margo walks in, visibly upset).

MARGO: I’m glad you are enjoying a time out, but we have a problem.

RIC: What’s going on?

MARGO: My Magic-101 students are dead.

RIC: What?!!

MARGO: The classroom is a slotter house. Wonder who could be responsible for that?  

RIC: Margo, don’t jump to conclusions. It could’ve been a vampire student that lost control.

MARGO: And that’s comforting to you? Twelve students are dead!

RIC: I’m only asking that we don’t make assumptions until we know what happened.

MARGO: The blood bags, the dead rabbits, the “accident”… How long are your girls and Hope going to cover for him? Either he goes, or Sergei and I go. We tried, he’s a lost cause.  

RADKA: He’s a three year old child, how can you say that?!

MARGO: He’s no child. Who knows how long he’s been around. He’s killed more than twelve people, that we know of. How can you be fine with that!?

RADKA: I’m not; but if it was him; what he needs is help, not condemnation.

KATHERINE: (To Margo) I can understand you being clueless as to how vampirism works, but Sergei? Shame on him. All that kid needs is guidance, and with people like you around, clearly some survival skills.

MARGO: Don’t you dare talk to me about shame. You are the worst of them all.  

KATHERINE: Them, honestly? With your age and experience, it blows my mind that someone whose ancestors were burned at the stake would think like that. Let alone someone who is supposedly in love with one of us. I truly am intrigued as to what Sergei sees in you.

RIC: Guys, please, let’s calm down and figure this out. We’ve dealt with much worse. The whole purpose of this school lies on the hope that we can find a way for all of us to coexist as peacefully as possible.

MARGO: Well, it clearly failed. Sergei and I will be gone by the end of the day.

Cut to – The Mikaelson’s mansion living room.

 REBEKAH: Everything we believed to be real, turned out to be one of mother’s lies. I feel like such a fool.

KLAUS: Such a pity she is dead; I would have loved the pleasure of killing her all over again.

ELIJAH: Why deceive us? To what purpose?

KOL: You know mother, always had a direful sense of humor.

ABBY: Maybe she didn’t want you to know you came from such evil, and that’s why she rooted your story on her love for you. A mother can do just about anything to protect her children.

REBEKAH: That’s ironic, coming from you. Also, ridiculous.

FREYA: I’m actually not bothered by her lying. I’m more intrigued as to how our ancestors did it.

DANAE: Knowing the Bannion’s, we can be sure dark magic was involved.

KOL: It’s a Mikaelson witch signature mark as well, so I’m certain.  

ABBY: Bennett witches are known for earth magic; I’m genuinely surprised they would’ve been involved in something like this.

KLAUS: They have been tempted before, love.

MARCEL: Why do it, though? And why him?

ELIJAH: You of all people should know just how far the thirst of power can take us. It is in our nature to test the limits of what we can do.  

FREYA: I wonder which spell they used, and if there were more witches involved.

KOL: A triad of the right witches is more powerful than a hundred. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did it on their own.

MARCEL: And isn’t Veritas one of the most powerful psychics? I’m sure that helped too.

DANAE: Undoubtedly. He was probably one of their energy sources. My guess is that they used a triquetra. In ancient Celtic traditions it was used during rituals to represent the three stages of being: life, death, and rebirth. An extremely powerful symbol.

FREYA: Wasn’t it also used to summon Brigid, the Goddess of Healers? They may have taken a different approach and used it to summoned Selene. After all, she is known as the mother of all vampires…

REBEKAH: Isn’t she the moon goddess?

KLAUS: She is, love. (Turns to Freya)Your imagination is as vivid as mother’s, sister. But it’s nice to know you know your mythology.

DANAE: Our kind was thought to be a myth; some still do to this day. It’s not outside the realms of possibility.

KOL: We can spend all night theorizing about it. Fact is, we’ll never know; unless he tells us himself. 

 ELIJAH: I doubt he ever would. But judging from Bonnie’s vision, we know someone that could be forced to tell us…  

KLAUS: (Smirks) And that is why you are my favorite, brother.

REBEKAH: Emphasis on brother. Anyway, what makes you think Pietro knows what really happened? He could’ve made the whole thing up. Wouldn’t make a difference if we compelled it out of him.

KOL: He knows more than we do, that’s for sure. I say we give it a shot.

ABBY: I know this is important to you, but don’t you think we have other things to focus on right now? Like a pending apocalypse…

REBEKAH: Don’t be such a fatalist. You heard Bonnie, many of us survive.

ABBY: What she saw was only the beginning. Nobody knows who, or if, anyone makes it to the end.

REBEKAH: And if I don’t, I’d like to know exactly how we came to be, before it’s my time to go.

ABBY: All I’m saying is, let’s not lose our focus.

KLAUS: And we won’t, love. But we don’t have a defined plan yet. There is no harm in using this time for something of value. Doesn’t it bother you knowing that what you believed to be real was nothing but a farce?

ABBY: To be honest, no. But if it bothers you that much, and you think compelling Pietro to tell you what he knows will bring you closure, I’ll support you. Just as long as we stay on track.

KLAUS: We will. Who knows, maybe Pietro can give us more insight into Veritas, and his role  in all of this.

ELIJAH: Looks like we have ourselves a lovely plan. May the truth set us free (holds up a glass of bourbon) Cheers.

Cut to – The Powell’s mansion dungeon.

 DARIUS: I gave you everything you asked for; why am I still here?

EDWARD: There’s been a change of plans.

DARIUS: You gave me your word.

EDWARD: And I intend to keep it. But it’s going to take longer than I thought.  

DARIUS: Time is not in our favor. This goes way beyond those prototypes.

EDWARD: Care to elaborate? You keep saying things without saying anything.

DARIUS: I’ve been having visions, and you are right about something. Matt Donovan is a key component, but you’ll need someone as tech savvy as your father to crack the code.  

EDWARD: Do you know what it does?

DARIUS: From what I saw, your father encrypted the fountain code within the prosthesis.

EDWARD: What the hell is a fountain code?

DARIUS: Do I look like someone who would know? I’m just repeating what I saw. Whatever it is, it’s important. I’m sure Tamara knows, ask her.

EDWARD: As much as I trust her, she’s still one of them. If it’s something that can potentially imply a risk to her, she’ll make sure to destroy it.

DARIUS: Then I suggest you recruit Kai Parker. If anyone, he understands this tech, maybe even better than your father did. It was thanks to him that I was able to take the project to another level. Something I now deeply regret.

EDWARD: Anything else I should know about; from these visions of yours?

DARIUS: I made another terrible mistake.

EDWARD: Tell me something I don’t know.

DARIUS: Dr. Greyson’s original formula, I modified it; more like enhanced it. And I ended up making something much worse…

EDWARD: How worse, exactly?

DARIUS: I still don’t know the full spectrum of the potential affections. From my preliminary tests, I can say that reactions vary according to the species.

EDWARD: Go on…

DARIUS: In humans, the test subjects presented a severe autoimmune reaction, leading to antibody suppression, making them contract disease very easily, resulting in their death. On witches, it seemed to have affected their psyche. Some went insane, to a point of power overuse, also resulting in their death. Werewolves presented an inability to control their transformation, turned involuntary, regardless of the full moon. They had to be put down. As for vampires, it was not pretty. The serum put their immune system into overdrive, making them extremely bloodthirsty and violent. With higher doses, some went into such a frenzy that, in isolation, they ended up eating themselves.

EDWARD: Stop… This is heinous. Even for you. How could you?!

DARIUS: It wasn’t my intent for that to happen. I only wanted to make the formula stronger so we could have the ultimate weapon, should we ever need it one day.

EDWARD: I’ve heard that story before, it never ends well.

DARIUS: I know. That is why I will do anything in my power to revert what I have done.

EDWARD: There is no turning back from that.

DARIUS: There is. I know a way to fix everything.

EDWARD: And you think I would trust you after everything you’ve done?!

DARIUS: I’m not asking you to trust me; I’m asking you to trust Bonnie.

EDWARD: What does Bonnie have to do with this?

DARIUS: She’s the only one that can change what is to come, but she can’t do it alone.

EDWARD: You’ve done enough damage. Leave her out of this. Take responsibility for once, and find a way to fix this on your own.

DARIUS: Trust me, if I could, I would. But there is no other way.

EDWARD: We can destroy my father’s facility, the prototypes, your serum, everything. That would put a stop to this.

DARIUS: You are speaking as if you had never been part of the Liberatus. You know well that the order’s operations expand much further than that.

EDWARD: We’ll destroy them all.

DARIUS: (Laughs) You are being rather naive. I’m on the board, and not even I know how many there are. You used to be on the board as well, remember?

EDWARD: That’s a part of my life I wish to forget. Anyway, figure out a way to put an end to this; one that doesn’t involve Bonnie, and maybe I will trust you enough to help you. In the meantime, you are not going anywhere.

Cut to – Pietro’s mansion. He’s indulging in lust with some unknown woman. At the peak of the moment, the doorbell rings. At the insistence, he finally stops, clearly frustrated with the interruption.

 WOMAN: Don’t you have people to attend to that? Let’s finish what we started…

PIETRO: It’s their day off, and it’s also very late. I don’t overwork my employees.

WOMAN: (Frustrated as well) Fine… go. I’ll wait, but I can’t promise I won’t finish on my own if you take too long.

PIETRO: (Smirks) Then I will be ready for a second round, and make you feel why I’m worth the wait. 

(He puts on a robe, goes downstairs, and opens the door).

KLAUS: Hello, old friend…

PIETRO: Niklaus Mikaelson, as I live and breathe. This is an unexpected surprise. I’m sure you can understand why my landlord won’t be inviting you inside.

KLAUS: I think that’s what they call, déjà vu…

PIETRO: You might want to freshen up on your French.

KLAUS: Mon français est parfaitement bien.

PIETRO: Impeccable accent, I’m impressed. So, what brings you here? More importantly, how do you know who I am? You are not supposed to remember me…

KLAUS: Who could ever forget a Salvatore.

PIETRO: Consider me intrigued. What is it that you want?

KLAUS: I was asked to bring someone to you… (The Madame steps out of the shadows).

THE MADAME: Hello, love.

PIETRO: Aletheia, it has been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure?

THE MADAME: I’ve gotten myself into some trouble, and you are the only one that can help. Please, dear, I need you to come with me.

PIETRO: (Smirks) Aw, Aletheia. Your trickery might have worked on me some years ago, but I know better now than to trust you. 

Have a lovely night (shuts the door, as soon as he turns around, he sees Freya).

FREYA: You should have trusted her, she’s much nicer than I am...

(she uses her power to weaken him, opens the door, and propels him out. Klaus then snaps his neck, he drops unconscious).

KLAUS: Too easy, every single time.

FREYA: Now what?

KLAUS: We take him for a lovely night in the woods; all gathered by the bonfire while he tells us his bedtime stories. (The woman, probably hearing some disturbance, comes running downstairs, catching them in the act).

WOMAN: (Freaking out) Oh, my god! We’re being kidnapped! Help! (As she tries to make a run for it, Klaus grabs her and compels her to forget. She calmly walks back inside and shuts the door).

KLAUS: (To The Madame) Thank you for your help.

THE MADAME: I always expect something in return, dear. (Flirtatious) When the time is right,  you can buy me a drink.

KLAUS: (Staring at her in intrigue) I must insist, I feel like I know you from years ago… Certainly before we met.

THE MADAME: (Smirks) Maybe from another lifetime, dear. 

Now, I suggest we get going before he wakes up. He can get rather violent. You can drop me off on the way to wherever it is you are going to.

Cut to – Augustus’s underground facility. Little Edward, who has been increasing his erratic behavior, is in the tech maintenance ward. SA Connelly and the tech team are running a system check to try and figure out what is happening to him.

 TECH TEAM MEMBER: I’ve updated his system, ran all antivirus programs, he should be fine…

SA CONNELLY: He still thinks he saw Edward; clearly, he’s not.

TECH TEAM MEMBER: Software and hardware-wise, there are no issues. We’ve inspected it multiple times. Maybe we should ask Darius to run some Bio tests; that’s in his court.

SA CONNELLY: He’s not here right now, so keep trying.

TECH TEAM MEMBER: He’s been gone a lot lately. Does he have a girlfriend or something?

SA CONNELLY: That’s none of our business, but unless it’s Bonnie Bennett, I doubt it. That man is obsessed with her.

TECH TEAM MEMBER: Am I sensing some jealousy in that tone?

SA CONNELLY: That’s ridiculous. I couldn’t care less who he dates. Now, get back to work. 

Cut to – The Lockwood mansion. Tyler and Matt are in the living room having a late-night snack and a couple of beers.

 TYLER: This shit is insane, man. I feel like we’re in an action movie.

MATT: Tell me about it. Has Mad Max vibes written all over it.

TYLER: I know! Did K and Anthony make it to the cabin okay?

MATT: Yeah, she called me a couple of hours ago. They’re fine, her mother is with them too.

TYLER: Good, she’ll need that.

MATT: Did I make the wrong decision? Not going with them?

TYLER: I’ll be honest, it would’ve been the safest choice. But the Matt I know would never forgive himself for not fighting for what he believes in. Plus, you’re the Mayor now! This town needs you.

MATT: As long as we’re being honest, I’m not sure it’s for me. Too much political correctness and pretension. I like to keep things real, get my hands dirty.  

TYLER: It figures; you’ve never been one to put up with bullshit.

MATT: I thought that with that kind of power I could actually make a difference, bring some actual change. But it’s all a chess game to them, no one is in it for the good of the people, they all have their own agendas.

TYLER: I know that world, all too well, bro. Trust me, it’s all a farce. Real change comes from the common man, not from the elite. They couldn’t give a shit about anyone but themselves.

MATT: Well, there’s always time to go back to basics.

TYLER: What about Sheriff Jackson?

MATT: She’s one of the best Sheriffs this town has ever had! I’m not talking about going back to that. What I’m saying is that, if we succeed at this, I’m moving back to Peru. The humanitarian work K and I did down there has been one of my life’s best accomplishments. It’s the happiest I’ve ever been.

TYLER: I’ll only allow it if you guarantee I have a room for myself when I go visit.

MATT: (Smiles) I’ll even decorate it myself!

TYLER: Please don’t! I’m already having nightmares about the puppy theme!

MATT: It’s crazy to think that not so long ago we were just a couple of dorks whose biggest problem was who would play center field. Look at us now…

TYLER: We sure have come a long way. For better or worse.

MATT: I’ve never been the religious type, but I have faith that whatever comes, it will lead to good things for all. Humans, witches, werewolves, vampires alike.

TYLER: Matt Donovan, embracing the supernatural… Now I’ve seen it all. I think I’m ‘bout to cry!

MATT: (Teasing) You’re a dick…

TYLER: Hey! You’re gonna be a father soon. Better watch your language!

MATT: I love you, man.

TYLER: I love you too. And whatever does happen, I’mma be with you till the end.

MATT: That makes two of us (they hug).

TYLER: (Looks at his watch) Shit! I’m running late.

MATT: It’s midnight, where are you going at this time?

TYLER: Okay, grandpa, if you must know, I’m going stargazing with my lady. Gonna give me a curfew too?

MATT: (Smirks) Fuck off.

TYLER: Yeah, that’s the plan, if  I get lucky (winks).

MATT: I’m gonna forget I heard that. Have a good night, bro. I’ll see you in the morning (as he is walking upstairs, his cellphone rings. Much to his surprise, it’s Edward).

Cut to – The Bamon home. Bonnie and Damon are playing Monopoly. Kai is in charge of being the bank.

 KAI: I’m starting to think you only invited me so I could be the bank! Smart move, Bonster; Damon always steals from the bank; but still...

DAMON: Not at all, pal! We love having you around! And for the record, I don’t steal!

KAI: Come on, I saw you do it multiple times in the prison world! You really need to learn how to lie better, Damon. But why go through the trouble? Couldn’t Caroline, Stefan, or that hot chick that is staying with you do it instead?

BONNIE: Sage is doing research on the serum. Stefan and Caroline are in the distillery, it’s their date night.

KAI: That’s a thing? You people are so weird. Have to say though, the three of us together again, it’s nice! Without the murdery stuff, of course. We have to treasure every moment; in case we don’t pull this off.

BONNIE: True (awkward silence for a bit).

KAI: Okay, I’ll be the first to address the elephant in the room. What’s up with you two? I’m sensing some tension, and I don’t think it has anything to do with our Stranger Things team-up.

DAMON: I’m glad you asked, buddy! Bon, care to tell Kai what’s really going on here?

BONNIE: Damon, we had a deal… You’re just feeling threatened ‘cause I’m whooping your ass.

DAMON: I have the two blue ones, so…

BONNIE: And no money to do any real harm with them, so...

DAMON: Don’t underestimate the pink ones, Bon. They’ll get me there, slowly but surely.

BONNIE: One land on my block, and you’re bankrupt.

DAMON: Good thing I’m feeling lucky today…

KAI: Uhm, are we still talking about Monopoly? I’m totally lost with this conversation.

BONNIE: And I have to go to the lady’s room. (Turns to Kai) Make sure he doesn’t cheat! (She walks away. As soon as she is out of sight, Damon leans in to talk to Kai).

DAMON: Listen, Kai. Bonnie is attempting to teleport to Germany to check on Elena.

KAI: That’s insane, and potentially dangerous. She doesn’t know how it works yet.

DAMON: My point exactly! But you know how she is. We made a deal, whoever wins this game gets to make the decision. So, I’m gonna need your help to change my luck…

KAI: She’ll know we’re cheating if you miraculously pull money out of “nowhere”.

DAMON: I know! But she won’t know if the odds turn in my favor… You know what I mean?

KAI: If you’re referring to magic, I think you’re forgetting she bound my powers. I’m all dry.  

DAMON: Shit! Forgot about that! Well, my plan is clearly screwed!

KAI: You lack ingenuity, Damon. Monopoly might be a game of luck, but it’s also about patience and making wise investment decisions. You’re too greedy, always going for the high-end properties. Procure the second block, and the tables will turn.

DAMON: How the hell am I supposed to do that!

KAI: With patience, and yes, a little cheating. I’ll make sure to slip a small amount of cash flow from time to time, so she doesn’t get suspicious. 

DAMON: That’s it? That’s your master plan?! Might as well end the game now!

KAI: Patience, Damon. You really need to work on that. Now, if you let me finish. I might not have magic, but I’m a wizard with rapid hand movements and distractors, so I’ll make sure the dice rolls in your favor. And when I blink you buy, or put in a house if you have the set; understood?

DAMON: I’m trusting you with this, Kai. If I lose, I swear I’ll tell Bon-Bon about your Vega’s Whitney Houston bride.

KAI: I knew you would use that as leverage against me someday!

DAMON: (Smirks, sarcastically) See how well we know each other? That’s some bro love, my brother!

KAI: Ooh, yeah; no. Let’s not do that.

DAMON: I knew it the minute it came out of my mouth…

Cut to – Stefan and Caroline in the distillery. He’s cooked a delicious dinner for them, and set a romantic picnic setting for their date night.

 CAROLINE: As always, you never cease to amaze me. This is beautiful… 

STEFAN: Who would have thought a distillery could be so romantic?!

CAROLINE: Don’t know about others, but this one surely is. At least when it’s not the meeting spot for a bunch of crazies (they laugh).

STEFAN: Can’t say we lack imagination…

CAROLINE: Not in the slightest. Are you really okay, though? After seeing Silas?

STEFAN: I’m fine. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I know he did some terrible things to all of us, but he seemed genuinely willing to right his wrongs. Guess everyone deserves a chance to at least try.

CAROLINE: And that is why I love you so much. You never give up on anyone.

STEFAN: I will admit, though, I couldn’t help but feel a little pleasure at Klaus’s reaction to the true original story… Man, was he pissed!

CAROLINE: (Grins) I know, right?! That was epic! And Rebekah’s reaction, I think was even better!

STEFAN: Have to say, out of all the awkward moments I’ve lived through, that was definitely in the top five. The whole thing was so strange…

CAROLINE: I know… Okay, just between us, do you really think we can do this? This is above and beyond what we’ve ever done.

STEFAN: Just between us, I don’t know. What I do know is that if we don’t, and if what’s to come is inevitable, I’ll be thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to have you in my life.

CAROLINE: Me too… And I always find comfort in knowing that, wherever and however, we’ll always find a way to each other.    

STEFAN: You, me, and the girls; that’s how we roll.

CAROLINE: About that… I’ve been thinking. As much as we love them, I don’t think it’s the healthiest thing for their parents and their respective others to live under the same roof. I know we get along great, but as couples I think we need our own space.

STEFAN: Are you talking about moving out of the mansion?

CAROLINE: If this all works out, yes. Unless you don’t want to… I know how important that house is to you.

STEFAN: It is, which is why I left it to you. But it has its own purpose now.

CAROLINE: My thoughts exactly. I think it’s time we had a home of our own...

STEFAN: What about the girls?

CAROLINE: We don’t have to move far; they can stay with us whenever they want. I was actually thinking we could remodel the cabin…

STEFAN: I do love that cabin…

CAROLINE: So, what do say?

STEFAN: I say we do it!

CAROLINE: (Giddy) Really?

STEFAN: I do have one minor condition…

CAROLINE: Whatever you want!

STEFAN: We get the girls the exact same model bicycle you had.

CAROLINE: (Touched) How did I ever get so lucky to have hitched you?

STEFAN: I ask myself that same question in reverse, every single day…(they kiss). 

Now, I have one last surprise… 

But I swear, Caroline Elizabeth Forbes, if you tell anyone about this, I’ll file for divorce! 

(He takes out a karaoke machine, and sings to Selena Gomez’s, “Love You Like A Love Song”).

Cut to – Bamon’s bedroom.

 BONNIE: I can’t believe you won! You swear you didn’t cheat?

DAMON: You heard Kai, he said fair game.

BONNIE: But I was kicking your ass!

DAMON: You got too greedy, Bon. Told you, slowly but surely wins the game. Now, a deal is a deal, so I guess it’s a no on the jump.

BONNIE: But that wasn’t our deal. The jump was never in question. Only thing that changes is that we’ll be doing it together.

DAMON: Bon, come on… Can’t Ric or Matt go? They’re not looking for them, they’ll be safe to fly.

BONNIE: Do you trust me?

DAMON: Of course I do. Why would you ask me that?

BONNIE: I need to be the one that goes. I can feel it in my gut.

DAMON: (Hesitant) Just promise me that if anything happens, and we lose each other for some reason, we’ll find our way back to one another.

BONNIE: I promise… (kisses him).

DAMON: So, what should I pack?

BONNIE: (Smirks) I don’t think we’ll need any luggage.

DAMON: Then I’m ready when you are…

BONNIE: Okay, for this to work, I think I need to see the place where we’re going to first. Elena mentioned she found out that her father did some research at the university a while back. She sent me a pic of him in front of the main gate with one of her post cards. Should have it somewhere around here… (she starts looking around in one of  her drawers). Ah, here it is! We’re good to go.

DAMON: We’re doing this now?!! I thought we’d wait till morning?

BONNIE: The sooner the better. Ready? (Holds her hand out).

DAMON: Wait, no… I need to get something (he vamps into his walk-in closet, opens his safe, puts the ring box in his pocket and vamps back). Now I’m ready (takes her hand, looks into her eyes and teases…) 

Do you think it'll hurt?

BONNIE: (Smirks) I don’t know… (she opens a portal, and off they go…)

  TVD 10x06 - Blast to the Past. Hope you stop by, read, and enjoy! =)

[cyberneticlagomorph]

Which sounds better:

lux in tenebris lucet (The light that shines in the darkness)

lux, veritas, virtus (light, truth, courage)

[absentiaitalianfanpage]

Titoli degli episodi della terza stagione di #Absentia 3x01 Tabula Rasa

3x02 Capta Est

3x03 Nosce Inimicum

3x04 Alea Iacta Est

3x05 Quid Pro Quo

3x06 In Quo Ego Vado Vos

3x07 Liberavit3x08 Veritas Aequitas

3x09 Tenebris

3x10 Iterum Nata Via @sandraxf https://twitter.com/Sandraxf/status/1282965887331504128/photo/1

[kurokoros]

In Tenebris || Northside Magicians (1/3) ↳ “Lux, veritas, virtus.”

Supernatural!AU where the North and Southsides of Riverdale are at odds due to the magic users in town. The Northside believes in the usage of white magic above all else, whereas the Southside is filled with primarily black magic users and “lower class” magicians. The sides have been at odds for years, though tensions have begun to increase.

(AKA the AU I’ve spent like a week bothering @southsidewrites​ about and definitely shouldn’t be working on right before finals)

[sablegear0]

"In Darkness, Truth" Satoru Gojo follows a suspicious lead to a ruined temple deep in the mountains, where he crosses paths with Suguru Geto, “The Worst Curse User”; a former friend long since turned enemy, and a foe he has avoided facing for ten long years. Before their battle can even begin, the roof of the temple collapses, plunging the two sorcerers into darkness and silence. Trapped in the pitch-black undertemple, their techniques suppressed by mysterious wards, Satoru and Suguru must cooperate to find a way to escape. Or risk losing themselves in the dark.

New JJK Fic! This is the mystery not-a-oneshot I've been griping about lately. It was originally supposed to be short but it got away on me as I realized I had more to say with it. So, enjoy this modest multichapter angst/character exploration piece.

[anoncowardfic]

Reading the Latin: Part 2

S01E05

“Heart Clencher” An unnamed and silent spell cast with a lot of blood in one hand. Renee casts this heart stopping spell on Prof Hemmings as part of her meet'n'greet with the Order. He probably deserved it.

Anaplerosi: “Let this be filled” This is not Latin, it’s Greek. The Latin anapleroticus comes close but given what this word sounds like when spoken out loud the Greek is a better choice. The caster bites his thumb to get blood, then places his thumb against a container to cast. The container then fills with a target liquid such as beer.

The Elemental Transference: A rare spell and not recorded in any of the standard books available to acolytes. The Order has done this spell before, for Kieth Richards. It takes a LOT of physical setup and preparation:

The chanting is based on the audio in this scene. Netflix captions show it as “Chanting In Latin”. But that means I’m relying on my shoddy hearing so this translation will be far looser than the rest. There’s talk of golden splendor, a home of burning exhaustion, and a creeping worm of death. I think. So it seems to be describing the lung cancer. If I can get better ears on this, that would be helpful. Only the last line is rendered in captions.

Ex tenebris lux: “From darkness, light” Preposition ‘ex’, used with the ablative case. Ablative singular of tenebra Nominative singular of lux The casting area needs to be etched with the right symbols and a pentagram using something that looks like a magnesium torch.

The transference chains are made of quicksilver. The name and the low temperature containers, since Jack is able to touch one of the bowls bare handed, implies this is some sort of mercury alloy.

And five willing sacrifices are needed to take the disease from the target. The Order offers this to people who are already facing terminal illnesses and offers compensation to their families as well. These sacrifices must then die of the extracted disease.

After casting, the disease exits the target, crawls along the transference chains, and transfers to the sacrifices who must then die naturally of the disease.

One of the sacrifices complains of pain to Hamish while waiting to die and that seems inconsistent with the terms of the ritual, the care in selecting these sacrifices, and the amount of medical monitoring equipment on hand. The IV lines seem to have infusion pumps that would be used for providing medication.

Based on this, I would suggest Jonas was supposed to be providing palliative care to address their pain. But he was too busy trying to get his dick wet while texting with Gabby to do his job. Good. Riddance.

S01E06

The Necromancer’s Remote Possession: We don’t see this cast on screen. But wow is she OP. There seems to be no limit implied, though likely human sacrifice is involved.

Oculus Veritatis: “The eye of truth” Nominative singular of oculus Genitive singular of veritas Or as Kyle calls it, “True Sight”. A potion! The creation of this potion is not shown. It’s green, opaque, and shimmery and reveals the true nature of a creature when you see it’s form. Costumes and concealment will hide the creature.

Magical Wound Healing Potion Another potion! This one doesn’t seem to have any chanting to create it just mixing the ingredients in the right order. The bubbling means it’s working. The potion is applied with a banana leaf. Healing is painful but almost instant on contact with the wound. It is specifically used on wounds created by a magical knife.

S01E07

Veritas: “The Goddess of Truth” A potion created from scrapings of a statue of Veritas. Truth serum mimosas. The target drinks a drink that has been dosed with scrapings from the statue, and then is compelled to be truthful for as long as the drink is in their system. The statue will glow for the duration of the effect. The potion can be subverted by wearing a charm that allows you to tell someone what they want to hear.

[tinyshe]

Psalm 91: Qui habitat in adiutorio Altissimi : Ancient Roman chant (Lyric video) 

About the chant:

Qui habitat in adiutorio altissimi  translated to English as 'Whoso dwelleth under the defence of the Most High' is an ancient Roman chant (Canto antico Romano) presumably from VIII-th - IX-th century, based on Psalm 91 (Greek number: Psalm 90) , is known as the Psalm of Protection. As a religious song, this Psalm is commonly invoked in times of hardship. The author of this psalm is unknown. Though the author of this Psalm is unknown and no author is mentioned in the Hebrew text of this Psalm, the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament attributes the Psalm to David

This chant is performed by CIRMA/ Ensemble Organum lead by Mr. Marcel Pérès Website: https://organumcirma.com/

  Chant Text:

Qui habitat in adiutorio

Altissimi, in protectione

Dei caeli commorabitur.

Dicet Domino: Susceptor meus es, et refugium meum,

Deus meus: sperabo in eum.

Quoniam ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium, et a verbo aspero.

Scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi, et sub pennis eius sperabis.

Scuto circumdabit te veritas eius: non timebis a timore nocturno.

A sagitta volante per diem, a negotio perambulante in tenebris, a ruina et daemonio meridiano.

Cadent a latere tuo mille, et decem millia a dextris tuis: tibi autem non appropinquabit.

Quoniam Angelis suis mandavit de te, ut custodiant te in omnibus viis tuis.

In manibus portabunt te, ne unquam offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum.

Super aspidem et basiliscum ambulabis, et conculcabis leonem et draconem.

Quoniam in me speravit, liberabo eum: protegam eum, quoniam cognovit nomen meum.

Invocabit me, et ego exaudiam eum: cum ipso sum in tribulatione.

Eripiam eum, et glorificabo eum: longitudine dierum adimplebo eum, et ostendam illi salutare meum.

   Adoration of the Cross     Please help us keep our channel alive by donating as little as 1$ https://patreon.com/AOTC

[NOTE has cc button for English/French]

[zmediaoutlet]

twenty first lines

I was tagged by @marrieddorks -- she who is happily petting her sweet doggie <3 -- to do this little meme and, hey, I haven’t done a tumblrmeme in a long time, and the first fic will be hers, so!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors! 

1. family reunion, J3, E, 6000 words: Jared's connecting flight gets delayed in Atlanta.

2. reparations, Sam/Deanna, E, 9500 words: In the week after they get back from St. Louis, dealing with James and the witches and the familiars and everything that got dragged up along with them, Deanna throws herself into the bunker.

3. glory days, Sam/Dean, E, 4700 words: Sam sleeps through Nevada. 

4. asceticism, Sam/Dean, E, 12,500 words.When Sam was fifteen he went on this whole kick of weird trivia. 

5. timshel, Sam/Dean, M, 4200 words. Dean pushes Sam into the bathroom, after what feels like a day of questioning and caution and Dean being withholding—he's so bad at it, Sam doesn't know why he even tries—and Bobby avoiding Sam's eyes—and Sam'll figure that out, eventually—but it's really only four in the afternoon, and he's got food in his belly for the first time in what feels like a week but he's assured is a year, and he's had a beer and a cup of coffee and Dean's squeezed his arm, on his bicep just above the bend of his elbow, and looked into his eyes for a full heart-rich moment when Bobby was on the phone in the kitchen and couldn't see—and they didn't do anything, of course they didn't, not in Bobby's house, but Sam closed the door behind himself with that look thick in his head, the knowing that Dean was safe and okay and that Lucifer didn't hurt him—that everyone was okay, that what he'd done by jumping into the cage had worked when he hadn't been sure, not at all, that it would—and he still doesn't really know how he got out but he'll get that out of Dean eventually—and he turns on the shower and smiles at the rickety jump of the hot water because, holy shit, he's alive to suffer Bobby's godawful shower—and he pulls the shirt off over his head, and unbuttons his jeans, and fishes in his pocket for his phone and his wallet like he always does—and finds a new phone that he doesn't recognize, which makes him frown, a wallet that he does, and—the amulet.

6. teambuilding, Cordell/Micki/Trey, E, 4700 words: Sunday afternoons are Micki's favorite time of the week.

7. for a long and happy life, Sam/Dean, E, 3700 words: It's only eleven o'clock when they get back to the bunker after leaving Oak Park.

8. check hook, Sam/Dean, E, 4000 words: Dean's quiet as they leave Fall River. 

9. bulldogger, Liam Walker, M, 9900 words: One of Liam's earliest memories is the time Cordell dropped him on his head. 

10. hazard, Mick Davies/Sam, M, 2600 words: This hotel really is a tip.

11. eiderdown, Sam/Dean, E, 4800 words: When the snow starts coming down, Dean's not yet worried.

12. the ivory of tooth and eye, Sam/Dean, E, 5900 words: It starts as dreams, the night after they lose Ava.

13. the calm before, Sam/Dean & Sam/Dean/Cas, E, 2800 words: Cas is different.

14. should i stay or should i go, Sam/Dean, E, 5300: For a hundred and fifty miles of midmorning blacktop outside of Kearney, Missouri, Dean won’t look at Sam.

15. in tenebris veritas, Sam/Dean, E, 3700 words: Dean wakes up feeling like he's been hit by a truck.

16. a leaden anchor, Sam/Dean, E, 2700 words: Sam’s cast comes off in Youngstown, Ohio.

17. there will be better days, Sam/Dean, E, 9400 words: They stand on the bridge, in quiet, for…

18. negotiation tactics, Homelander/Soldier Boy, E, 5100 words: The showers in Vought Tower are perfect. 

19. the beams of our house are cedar, Sam/Dean, E, 7900 words: When Dean leaves the store he's almost jittery.

20. won’t let you let me down so easily, Sam/Brady & Sam/various, E, 5400 words: First it's the rush. 

***

Wow, that felt like it took a long time. So these are the fics I’ve written since October 2020. Looking for patterns... I vary the length (from ridiculous in #5 to ultra-terse in #13), but it looks like I usually just... set the scene, right away, settling us in time/place so we can just get out of the way and go. That’s kind of interesting, I guess (?).

So, other people! Do it!

@wetsammywinchester, @nigeltde-fic, @mumble--bee, @silver9mm, @hellhoundsprey, @watermelonlipstick, @stillwaterseas ... and idk, whoever else wants to.

[stephanealfonsi]

. ○○● SOL VERITAS LUX ○●● . @chrisleg_c @chrisleg_bnw . #lemullerthal #mullerthal #trees #andalsothetrees #greenplanet #mysteriummagnum #stones #mineral #caverne #cavern #grotte #tenebres #tenebris #dark #darkness #lumiere #lux #faille #geobiologie #geobiology #vertige #vertigo #petitesuisseluxembourgeoise #luxembourg (à Mullerthal Trail) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsXMh21D1xM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=21ztdpazaxq8

[marykgrace-blog]

1 (90-1)qui habitat in abscondito Excelsi in umbraculo Domini commorabitur 2 (90-2) dicens Domino spes mea et fortitudo mea Deus meus confidam in eum 3 (90-3) quia ipse liberabit te de laqueo venantium de morte insidiarum 4 (90-4) in scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi et sub alis eius sperabis 5 (90-5) scutum et protectio veritas eius non timebis a timore nocturno 6 (90-6) a sagitta volante per diem a peste in tenebris ambulante a morsu insanientis meridie 7 (90-7) cadent a latere tuo mille et decem milia a dextris tuis ad te autem non adpropinquabit 8 (90-8) verumtamen oculis tuis videbis et ultionem impiorum cernes 9 (90-9) tu enim es Domine spes mea Excelsum posuisti habitaculum tuum 10 (90-10) non accedet ad te malum et lepra non adpropinquabit tabernaculo tuo 11 (90-11) quia angelis suis mandabit de te ut custodiant te in omnibus viis tuis 12 (90-12) in manibus portabunt te ne forte offendat ad lapidem pes tuus 13 (90-13) super aspidem et basiliscum calcabis conculcabis leonem et draconem 14 (90-14) quoniam mihi adhesit et liberabo eum exaltabo eum quoniam cognovit nomen meum 15 (90-15) invocabit me et exaudiam eum cum ipso ero in tribulatione eruam eum et glorificabo 16 (90-16) longitudine dierum implebo illum et ostendam ei salutare meum

Psalmi 91

[sablegear0]

Just used the parenthetical "(pet the cat)" in a note to myself for a scene about two characters carefully re-negotiating their history of physical intimacy. So yeah, it's been a pretty good writing day.

[sablegear0]

The Final Chapter of "In Tenebris Veritas" is up! Plus notes on some of the more interesting research I had to do for this one to get my terminology and numbers right.