#methuselah's gift

[hlh-shortcuts]

[unlimitedhearts]

RIP Tumblr you would have loved Psych 😭

[cata613]

Guys shut up and look at the shirt my BF got me from Nice Shirt Thanks.

[thegeminisage]

janeway/seven: spirk if it were messy dyke drama. thoughts

HAPPY SEVEN OF NINE DAY! i didn't wait so long to answer this just for seven of nine day on purpose, but i love the happy little accident.

i've given this a lot of thought and as though i agreed with you initially because janeway reminds me SO MUCH of a female kirk it's uncanny sometimes i actually detect notes of spones in this vintage.

consider that seven accuses janeway of wanting her to become an individual, but balking when she decides she doesn't like the kind of individual seven is becoming. this REEKS of spones because bones often goads spock into admitting he is having a feeling...or giving him shit because he is not having a feeling, or not having the correct one. kirk basically NEVER does this - he accepts spock's feelings or lack thereof at face value. he sometimes tugs spock's pigtails (happy 10k to this post!) and alludes to the fact that he knows that deep down, spock is having a feeling, but he never tries to catch spock in a lie or force him to admit to said feelings.

the tholian web, the menagerie, the empath, requiem for methuselah, journey to babel, all our yesterdays, and the paradise syndrome (even though i hate this one, it's racist af) all arguably contain examples of spock doing things bones disagrees with with the primary factor behind him doing those things BEING his emotions. consider also their iconic scene in bread and circuses in which bones yells at him while they're stuck in a cell together and compare it to the scene where janeway is basically spooning seven in the brig while she goes through the painful transition from borg to an individual and they're both shouting their way through it. (i think this was during the gift? but memory is hazy.)

now i have a plot twist for you. even though tuvok is the vulcan on this ship, i think his relationship with seven is closer to what kirk and spock have, even though tuvok and seven care about each other platonically and kirk and spock are a romantic couple. (nobody come to this post and try and dispute me. they are.)

seven is the spock in both situations: standoffish, unable or unwilling to show emotions like affection or concern, trapped between being human and being Other and unsure of where they fit. but much like bones, janeway wants seven to be more like her ideal idea of a person: a human being and an individual. she tries to teach her to socialize, to exercise her agency (even though it backfires at times), and even suggests seven go back to using her birthname, annika. seven reacts to this with predictable confusion and frustration, the sparks fly, and the romance just writes itself.

tuvok, on the other hand, behaves more like kirk: he meets seven exactly where she's at. he accepts whatever emotions she has, but he also isn't troubled when she doesn't have them. he's just as satisfied to speak to the human part of her or the Other part of her. he steadily helps her through the emotional crises she does have in the raven without judgment (vaguely similar to kirk prying that vulcan biology speech out of spock by being absolutely 100% nonjudgmental about it), as a result seven feels very comfortable with him and trusts him a great deal - even going so far to ask him if janeway still doesn't trust her, which is a pretty vulnerable thing to do, since it lets him know she's very concerned about it, and even seems to believe his answer! and even though she's bad at feelings, she also supports HIM when he's vulnerable - offering to help him shave and walking him around the ship during year of hell.

anyway, i don't have an eloquent conclusion, but these are my thoughts ✌

[milk-crafting]

As fun as it would be to get both of my active vtm characters involved with cults, I can't help but think Laz would think most of the canon cults are full of shit. Like trying to manipulate him into joining by removing any religious aspect of it and only playing to what he wants? Good. Sure. The second someone starts talking about sacred orgies or how beauty is a gift and he should honor an old ass Toreador and his descendents and ohhh just blood bond with this methuselah (also a torrie) it'll be fine (all gag inducing, to him):

[a-dragons-journal]

For Roshan: How does your religion view their connection with your god? Like does your belief system involve your god giving signs, or communicating somewhat regularly? Maybe less tangible things? Or is it a sort of "they can't or don't interfere" sort of thing? Not quite sure how to word this question I just really enjoy hearing different experiences as to how people view their connection with their gods and I'd love to hear yours.

>< Hmm. Well - I think the degree is probably a subject of debate, but I do think of Mithras as a god that can be communicated with and send signs (hell, I've asked for and received a sign even since arriving here, which was more than I was honestly expecting).

There's this kind of weird dynamic where Mithras is objectively a god that has turned away from vampirekind, cursed us even, and yet... he must still be watching us to some degree, because of that. And, after all, Mithraics have the Discipline of Helios as his gift to us, which allows us to partially shrug off his sun-curse, which means we must still have some favor from him. Maybe that's just a holdover from the version of the story where we were the only ones of his childer who remained loyal, instead of being the ones who returned after turning away, but I don't think so.

(For any VtM players in the background wondering what the hell I'm talking about when it comes to Helios, it's not a Discipline that appears in VtM canon; in the fictional sense, it was originally homebrewed at our table for the VtM canon Mithras (a Ventrue methuselah).)

Anyway. Got distracted waxing philosophical there, sorry. But yeah, Mithras absolutely does grant signs and sometimes even powers - even outside of Helios, there's magic associated with certain religious rites that is very, very real. (The skeptical would probably say it's "just" blood sorcery. The skeptical Mithraic would probably respond that the fact that this power is in the blood to be unlocked in the first place is itself the gift from Mithras. Etc. etc. You can get real deep in the weeds with this stuff.)

Hopefully that answers the question?

--Roshan (fae/faer)

[gorbalsvampire]

𝖃𝕴𝕴𝕴 𝕿𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖘 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝕱𝖊𝖚𝖉𝖆𝖑 𝕭𝖔𝖍𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖆

𝔄𝔠𝔱 ℑ, 𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔢 𝔦𝔦i

Our story concludes - at least, this part of our story concludes - at the court of Prince Brandl, in a hidden half-forgotten hall nestled within the Castle grounds. In attendance, the Prince himself, his warlock and his necromancer; the veiled, masked, Ecaterina the Wise; Garinol Cappadocius, Abbot of St. Lawrence's; and our player characters, making their reports or ensuring that their messages were delivered.

And our session began with a flashback, because Brother Marsillius and Sister Alzbeta had met before! I encouraged @gwenynen-bach to take the Semblance of the Methuselah flaw, for my own reasons (tee hee!) that started to unfold with Alzbeta mistaking him for her own absentee sire. Dead ringer. 'Tis the beard. (I am also very impressed with @viatrixobscura's description of the sensations of finding oneself undead, excellent work there.) The Weave suggested that Alzbeta could trust this monk, that she would need him before her task was done, and thus she asked Marsillius to join her on her quest for holiness, insight and God's love. He consented, and we return thus to the present night...

Theodericus, desperate to make friends, overlooked Mariam's indirect sassing of Prince Brandl, and reached out to the Prince, taking his magnanimous hand to comfort Brandl for having not visited London and not stood in the presence of Mithras Himself. This was not a strategy designed to endear him to the Prince, but that boy is incapable of telling a lie, or even withholding an inconvenient truth. (Theodericus simps so hard for Mithras. It's unbelievable. There were real tears. Mariam is concerned about his well-being.)

In any case, Theodericus attempted to convince Prince Brandl that all this tension with the Nosferatu was a misunderstanding, that his previous emissary had an accident, or was rude, and that a higher power had decreed the Jewish elder could keep his own domain. Prince Brandl gave a short speech on the significance of the First Tradition, that of Covenant, regarding his own authority being derived from Caine and thus from God.

While this was going on, Marsillius was struck with a vision; a sensation as of something great and cold and dead moving through and beneath the earth, of great citrine eyes watching from behind the torchlight, blinking, blinking.

Another flashback: this time to Alzbeta and Theodericus discussing the ill-formed vibes within Josefov, as though something unfortunate was on the horizon, and should Alzbeta trust the Weave's warning? Theodericus, adamant that the gift of foresight is a gift of Caine, advised her yes - and inadvertently outed himself as a Cainite Heretic into the bargain. Whoopsie-doodles.

Alzbeta thus explained her forebodings to the Prince's party, and Ardan the warlock opined this was no unusual matter; it was nearly midsummer, Kupala Night was fast approaching, and if there was devilry to be done it would be done then. Marsillius, racking his brain to the tune of seven successes, not only identified Kupala Night as a celebration but pinpointed where it would be celebrated and by whom, and whom was coincidentally not represented at this court. Tzimisce, then.

One more flashback, to Alzbeta's first court, when she was taken before the Prince to account for her existence, and he displayed his knowledge of Blood Sorcery, identifying her as "of the Clan of the Moon" and electing to preserve her life and her insight for the good of the city.

Alzbeta and Marsillius compared visions, and perspectives on divinity. It was a lovely heartwarming moment in which Marsillius was deeply awkward and both these Kindred of the cloth were clearly compromising their vows about each other, fnar fnar.

As Prince Brandl and Ecaterna argued about the significance of this happening and the peril in which the Old Town might be placed and the recent struggle for control of the Kingdom, Ardan took the opportunity to scry some souls - specifically that of Mariam, the unexpected guest from Josefov. She did not like this! @friends-of-beetlejuice is powerful and courageous and decided to initiate a social conflict despite not in fact playing a character with any of the really useful Skills for this practice; to be fair, rounds one and two went one for one, but the Warlock absolutely nailed her on the question "and do you think your message has been understood?"

Her only option: Success at a Cost. Mariam has bullied Ardan into silence in front of his fellow courtiers, but has gained the Adversary Flaw: the warlock will have his revenge. Tee hee. Tee hee.

At the end of our prologue, we have Ambitions set for the next story:

Mariam is concerned about the "something dark" that's coming for her people, but still mostly focused on what happened to Zachary the rabbi (which I've now determined: I was keeping my options open, depending on which way the players leaned during these early sessions)

Alzbeta is ready to learn more about Malkavians, and has been advised to begin her search in the Old Town (where we haven't been yet, but I'm hype to start the next session there)

Marsillius wants to cook the books, exploring the mysteries of Clan Tzimisce ("one does not simply walk into Vysherad")

Theodericus wants to visit the Mithraeum - he's feeling very rattled by all this religious disputation and wants to reconfirm exactly where he stands vis-a-vis gods and mystics and his Prince.

We thank you for reading, and hope you'll continue following these reports into Act II!

[crownedinmarigolds]

For Parvati

🍑: What sort of traits does your OC look for in a Significant Other?

🎂: Has your OC have any contradictory interests or traits to the first preception people have of the? How do they surprise people?

🍪: What is something that's sentimental to you OC?

🍩: What's a crime your OC is most likely to commit? What's a crime they're most likely to get arrested for?

GASP! A few questions about our lady, Parvati... thank you!! :0 XXX

🍑: What sort of traits does your OC look for in a Significant Other? Parvati's interest is like the wind - fickle and always changing, and she simply enjoys whatever or whoever tickles her fancy in the moment. Beauty is occasionally a factor in her decision-making, but she is so old now and has seen so many different shapes and looks for people that one would have to REALLY physically stand out to catch her interest in that way. She would NOT be above bedding a comely Tzimisce or an interesting Nosferatu. A bold personality is charming as well, but only to an extent. Many "lovers" she takes briefly are merely brief pings on her radar before she grows bored and moves on. Her husband is the Hierophant of the Followers of Set, and he's the only one who truly keeps her forever piqued. It's hard to follow up a grand act like Harrakhty Hamdi, and they both know this. Displays of power are probably the fastest way to get her attention, and to keep if you so want to. She's a mind reader, so duplicity and secrecy against her and her own is probably the number one way to get iced.

🎂: Has your OC have any contradictory interests or traits to the first preception people have of the? How do they surprise people? Parvati is a very very old vampire, and has lived in the jungles away from people for a long time. She doesn't speak much, and radiates "I am a predator and will eat you if you remain here" energy... but Parvati is also very tender. Her tenderness is reserved for her husband and child and perhaps a lucky enough one-night stand, but it's very interesting to witness someone you imagine to be feral caress your face softly and treat you kindly. She's a very devoted mother to her child as well, another thing you may not expect from a Methuselah Ravnos/Follower of Set.

🍪: What is something that's sentimental to you OC? Nothing physical is sentimental to Parvati, she is simply too old. However, her husband's physical heart - a wedding gift - is probably the one object she would fight to the death over.

🍩: What's a crime your OC is most likely to commit? What's a crime they're most likely to get arrested for? Aside from the NORMAL vampire problems - murder and etc... Parvati would most likely be arrested for public indecency. She doesn't like clothing really and wouldn't be dressed if not for her husband treating her like a Barbie doll.

[sylph-o-life]

Introducing

Her

(both the sprite and the card were made on farragofiction's dollsim)

She's 8 sweeps old (17.33 years), loud, and annoying.

She collects guns. Not to use, per se, but to... have? She doesn't know either. Otherwise, she spends a lot of her time either playing the latest games, or making them. She desperately wishes she could live by the sea - or in the sea, but she'll take what she can get. She has a love-hate relationship with Violet-Bloods. She's psionically gifted, and she uses her Ghost Communion often.

She is named after stars in the Libra constellation; Delta Librae (called Mulu-izi in Akkadian), and HD 140283 (the Methuselah star, one of the oldest known stars). Prince of Doom, Derse sway.

Online, she goes by gaminesqueGal, and ( SHE SPEAKS W1TH A PRETTY L0UD AND 0BN0X10US T0NE )

[adm-starblitzsteel-4305]

For Astra:

What do you plan to do or change when you become Queen of the Monsters? And which Titans do you like and get along well?

Mothra Astra:

"I'd never thought about being the only heir to the throne. Being a future Queen means guidance and struggle. As a future Queen of the Monsters, I shall continue my role just like my parents: maintaining the Order and Natural Balance of the Earth at any risks and responsibilities, and defending the humanity against any threats that shall come forth. Even at means of being the Star Goddess' avatar and the Bridge of the Celestial Law and Order. The Angel of Stars will once keeping the celestial bodies in check and keeping the spiritual vow to those deceased ones. That two important roles are my main responsibility."

"And as for the Titans, well, I like Anguirus and Rodan a lot as if they were my uncles/godfathers. I met Methuselah, the oldest and wisest Titan who says that he knew much about my Dad and Mom, and a good teacher too. Then there's Scylla, who seems piqued my appearance and is happy about me being the future heir to my parents. Then Behemoth, who always there to watch me when my Mom and Dad are away and I like him growing rarest plants and flowers that his humanity's tribe gave me their gifts about special herbs. Also, I met Na Kika and Tiamat; Na Kika seems really shy of our first meeting and is friendly, she loves talking about me; and as for Tiamat, well...she's somewhat jealous about my beauty, sheeesh, even Dad told her to piss off somewhere else. I haven't met the others, mostly because of Dad and Mom being around and feared about fighting, some won't submit while others do."

"And yes, Na Kika is not the only Titan whom I like the most. An aviary Titan whose name was Minokawa. She's a giant feathery Titan who knew my parents very much; we both shared the island we currently resided for (the Philippines in the present day). She's extremely territorial yet she is very kind for the good and needy ones. She is worshipped by her people who is known for her title as " The Solar Angel ". She says that it is because she harness the power of the Sun and all, but only for her purpose to defend and she can control the climate as well."

"I hope Minokawa is okay, I haven't seen her since my metamorphosis stage. Probably laid dormant from her volcanic home..."

"Anyway, thanks for the question!"

"One more thing. If you are curious about Minokawa, you can try asking her a question too!"

[leebrontide]

Got tagged by @dotr-rose-love to say what each of my OCs names mean so here we go! In order of age. Some of these are potential names because either the character can't pick a name (yay trans stuff) or I can't pick a name for them, because WIP.

Some of these are characters you might know from Secondhand Origin Stories, some will join the cast in Names in Their Blood, and some won't appear till Scrapped Gods.

Opal: after the pretty stone. Her parents were inspired by her colorful bio-lights under her dark skin.

Issac: a deliberately weird spelling of the name Isaac. His mom thought it'd help him with search engine discoverability. It supposedly means "One who laughs or rejoices" but of course most people know it either as a famous scientist, a famous science fiction author, or a kid who nearly got ritually sacrificed.

Yael: means Ibiex (a kind of mountain goat). Taken from a queen in the old testament who kills an enemy general by driving a tent peg into his head.

Jamie: Shortened version of James, which means "supplanter". I actually hadn't know that. That is a hilarious name for a younger sibling.

Hope: Means hope.

Enoch: means dedicated, and/or trained. Biblically, the father of Methuselah and the great grandfather of Noah.

Avishai: Means either and “gift of god” or “my father is a gift”. One of king David’s sons, and considered to be one of his heroes.

Funnily enough, Yael is the only one with a middle name, and it's a very minor plot point/character arc point. Also two of them have no surname. Well, one of them has a legal surname but won't use it. The other has no legal surname.

Do people still sometimes not give middle names to kids with hyphenated last names? Is that still a thing, or was that just in the 80s?

I also don't assign deadnames.

Tagging: @purlturtle, @zmwritesrites, @doriangravesftw and @seeingteacupsindragons

[evita-shelby]

@thegreatdragonfruta

(No title yet)

Cw: infidelity, mentions of child sexual abuse and enabling said abuse

That night she spent with Jimmy had been a mistake.

A mistake that will never go away.

Infidelity was something they had agreed on, Nucky would have his whores and Eva would have whatever man or woman caught her eye.

Of course, Jimmy Darmody had been off limits, but there had been drinking and talking and then one kiss turned into something more.

They should’ve stopped, both at some point had said so and then proceeded to fuck on a persian rug anyways.

As far as Jimmy knows, Elliot Methuselah Thompson isn’t his.

As far as Nucky knows, the boy is his and conceived right before she discovered he had on more than one occasion procured little girls for the Commodore to rape and one of those little girls had been Jimmy's mother, Gillian.

“Margaret sent a gift.” Nucky said offering her the modest and well-meaning gift from a modest and well-meaning woman.

Eva looks at the crochet bunny with suspicion before he had Eddie throw it away. “The wife and the mistress are not friends. Please remind her that when you see her again.”

Lucy Kizinger had been tossed out for her insolence and in her place was sweet Margaret who was so desperate for love and security she agreed to be his whore.

Too nice, wanted to be friends and genuinely cared about Nucky.

But that was not the what they agreed on.

Margaret Schroeder would be his dirty secret; Eva Thompson would pretend to be wholly ignorant of it in case shit hits the fan like it did with Lucy at his birthday party.

The Mistress cannot and should not ever contact The Wife unless Nucky is dying or halfway there.

That was the singularly most important rule Eva had in place.

[soniahdavis]

“Bless her heart, if she hasn’t just sent Grandpa a beauteous gift, in the form of a copy of Shaw’s new play, “Back to Methuselah”!” H.P. Lovecraft to Rheinhart Kleiner, August 30, 1921.

The new acquisition arrived today! Although this is not Lovecraft’s copy, it is nevertheless the same edition Sonia gave to him. Being the fourth printed edition, it was released on August 1921. Given its age (102 years old!!), its main issue is a slight skew which I plan to fix 💚

[cjb-160]

I am

I am Marylin Manson and Julia Jacklin I am Tolstoy and T.S. Elliot

I am tanned leather, brass, and lucite I am hotel suites, vip parking, and charges to the room I am white gloves, table cloths, and fine china I am reservations, and plane tickets I am the resort, and the last resort I am lamb skin, and alpaca. I am 3000-thread-count sheets

I am first dates, milkshakes, wedding cakes, and roller skates I am the beauty and the beast

I am the warning light on your dashboard I am the water in your gas tank I am the squad car tailgating your for 3-miles I am the window you roll-up when driving through that neighborhood I am the longest red light you've ever stopped at I am the new coffee shop, bar, boutique hotel I am the {insert local hangout spot here}

I am the crack in the houses foundation I am the crack, the house, and the Foundation

I am the day before World War 3

I am Doo-Wop and Hip-Hop I am baby Jesus and methuselah

I am the bottle of urine beside your bed I am the pistol.

I am the addict in the attic.

I am the needle and I am the thread I am the pawn shop you gave grandmas ring to I am the long pull on your vape between shifts.

I am the 9-5 and the 6-10. I am the check in the mail I am the pit and I am the bull

I am the artificial flavor in your chewing gum I am the friend that was too young to die I am the fellow and I am the ship I am Othello and Hans Christian-Andersen

I am the side effect worse than the symptom I am tea parties and vineyards I am the used condom on the sidewalk I am the heat death of our quantum existence

I am…too abstract?

I am too black but not black enough I am queer but not gay enough. I am qualified but not good enough. I am big-nosed, bald-headed, unwashed, and unbothered. I am untethered.

I am the creation and I am the demiurge I am the igneous and I am the firmament

I am the Borg

I am the paper your suicide note was written on I am the last time you saw your father I am the last thing he said to you I am the couch you let him crash on for a few months I am the new security code you created when he left

I am the storage unit you change clothes in before and after work I am the blanket you’re wrapped up in while asleep in your car

I am the gift that I never see you wear I am the pot calling the kettle… I am the "come get me," text at 3am I am the "you up," text you left on read I am the unsaved number in your phone

I am the abomination and the salvation of creation I am the mustard and I am the seed

I am the last ps5 at Walmart on Black Friday

I am Mozart and Chopin I am rock, roll, and Rachmaninoff I am Coltrane and Gillespie

I am the kidnap and I am the torture I am the human and I am the traffic I am the sex and I am the worker I am the murder and I am the manhunt

I am Samson’s dreadlocks

I am the dog bark that wakes you from that fever dream

I am the fever dream

I am the con and I am the science I am the jack and all of his trades I am the Coke and I am the cane

I am the stop sign behind that big ass fuckin tree. I am the cop. I am the ticket.

I am the vegan recipe book you haven’t opened yet I am the first parallel park in that city you moved to I am the popping sound in your kneecap

I am the fake number she gave you

I am the burning cross on your front lawn I am the white hood I am the "whites-only" section I am the assailant and I am the victim

I am the rotten avocado on your kitchen counter I am the clown and I am the circus I am bibles and black holes

I am holding your sweater I am the first kiss I am the divorce papers

I am the Sailor and I am the Siren I am the solitary onion ring in your order of French fries I am the diet that starts tomorrow

[theplanetcafe]

jesus christ I just got to requiem for methuselah in my tos rewatch and snakes are manifesting in my home

I am chewing glass I am unwell! they really gave bones a whole monologue about how spock won’t ever experience the joys or heartbreak of love because he just isn’t programmed that way and then spock does the most mushy gushy I love you action since amok time!! and gives kirk the gift of ignorance for no other reason than he loves him!!! I am running into the ocean!!!

[raxtusvtm]

[I started drawing all our Vtm characters as gifts for birthdays when I had the spoons for it. This is Abby shes a toreador neonate whose talent is ballet. She unfortunately has the childlike flaw but shes young so she can hide it a little better and still attend night classes at college trying to be as normal as possible.

Her sire plucked her from her hospital bed a few years ago unable to let a young prima ballerina die of cancer. But now she can no longer be in the limelight as much as she once dreamed.]

Raxtus on Abby:

Abby is a flighty child who often looks to me for insight on situations. Being so young is difficult but she has the unpleasant naivety of someone who has just seen a puppy for the first time. I do not want to forcibly stamp out such views, the cruelty of the world will do that in due time but it can be rather frustrating to try and pull her out of difficult to explain social faux pas.

She’s not incompetent though. She has assisted in investigations and has provided sufficient distractions when dealing with various non supernatural opponents. So it is very hard for me to write her off completely. Such is the fate of a toreador, always causing trouble but inevitably being too useful in their talents to justify ignoring.

Most recently she almost got me in trouble with a Methuselah by asking, whether or not she would be in trouble because she was seen speaking to someone who broke the rules of using powers in Elysium. 

Said Methuselah was there at the convention of Thorn and wrote several of the rules the Camarilla is supposed to follow 

I made the mistake of saying she should as the Keeper as it was his domain. And got a lecture that it was mine as well as the sheriff. I’d argue it was not considering Cecil our Keeper had infact not said anything as of yet. But you don’t argue with a centuries old monster who only feeds on cainites and kindred you shut up and bitch about it later to your fiance.

Though I will say her sense of fashion is pleasing to the eye. I quite enjoy japanese street fashions.

Cecil, the Methuselah(Stephen), and Bernadette are all characters of @bernadettevtm