#middle chamber

[blueiscoool]

4,000-Year-Old Tomb Discovered in Egypt

Archaeologists have discovered the 4,000-year-old ancient Egyptian tomb of "Idi," a local governor's daughter who lived during Egypt's Middle Kingdom (circa 2030 to 1640 B.C.). She was buried within two coffins, one inside the other, representatives of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities wrote in a statement on Facebook.

"Finding two intact Middle Kingdom coffins is extraordinary," Kathlyn Cooney, a professor of ancient Egyptian art and architecture at UCLA who was not involved with the excavation, said in an email. These coffins "not only seem well preserved but [are] covered with intricate coffin texts that helped the deceased find their way in the realm of the Underworld," Cooney said.

Studying the new coffin texts may provide more information on how the Egyptians viewed the afterlife, said Caroline Arbuckle, an assistant professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan who was not involved with the excavation. "It is always possible that Egyptologists will find new variations, and these help us to better understand what the ancient Egyptians were afraid might stop them from reaching their eternal paradise, or what they felt they might need in the underworld."

Idi lived during the reign of Senwosret I (circa 1961 to 1917 B.C.) and was the daughter of Djefaihapi, the governor of Asyut, one of the richest provinces at the time.

Her tomb was robbed in ancient times, but parts of the skeleton remained. Analysis of those skeletal remains revealed the woman likely died before age 40 and had a congenital defect in one foot.

The larger of the two coffins was 8.6 feet (2.6 meters) long, while the smaller one was 7.5 feet long (2.3 m), according to the statement. Archaeologists also found the remains of a coffin lid and wooden figurines.

One of the wooden figurines shows a standing woman who may be Idi. If it is, it would "add to a very limited data set of funerary objects that presumably depict the deceased," Cooney said.

In fact, two figurines may depict Idi, Francesco Tiradritti, an Egyptology professor at the Kore University of Enna in Italy who is not part of the excavation. A second figure may show a woman marching. "I am wondering if that statue does not depict the soul of Idy that is coming out from the tomb," Tiradritti said.

Wolfram Grajetzki, an Egyptologist and honorary senior research fellow at University College London who was not involved in the research, said that the coffin's hieroglyphs call Idi the "lady of the house."

Many tombs and burials have been discovered at Asyut over the past 130 years, and some were found in excavations of dubious legality, he added. Artifacts from those excavations are now in museums around the world.

By Owen Jarus.

[kingslionheart]

alfred x uhtred + 3x09

[lazybakerart]

keefe's rocking chair being the roots for kelvin's tree

[actualhumancryptid]

Hey. Pssst. I hear you like that show from 20 years ago. Well good news! How would you like us to dig up and reanimate its corpse, parading it around Weekend At Bernie’s style for 10 more episodes?

Why are you crying?

[gold-rhine]

very easy abyss this time, cleared first try even on my f2p without having to adjust teams. they are so evil for making us fight actual babies tho.

[wolfsong-the-bloody-beast]

Do you regret that?

[to-proudly-go]

Like puzzle pieces

(We used to fit so well)

Drew for this thread give it a read 🥹

[specialagentartemis]

the becky chambers discussion/roasting is reminding me that i read several of the wayfarers novels, and liked them all alright, but i can't think of a single one where i found the ending satisfying. and in retrospect, you're right, it's a lot of the same thing over and over again

the one that's sticking in my brain at the moment is whichever one had that alien with the human boyfriend, which was a big taboo i think, who was on her way to see him when she hit a stage of fertility that's really rare in her alien biology, and would culturally normally involve going off and having some alien eggs or whatever before this brief period ended

and this was portrayed as like, a positive and fulfilling experience, not a coercive one or anything, but it was culturally Expected, and in the end she decided to go hang out with her human boyfriend instead even if that meant missing the fertility cycle and forgoing this big cultural expectation

and idk i think the point it was trying to make was about bodily autonomy, which is great, but i found the way it was written deeply unsatisfying, and looking at it now it feels like that same Dex and Mosscap attitude where Simply Not Feeling Like It is a reason to ignore all social obligations. like not that it was a bad decision for the character, but i simply did not feel like I was emotionally sold on why she didn't want to. "i just don't feel like it" doesn't seem like a big enough reason to ignore this big milestone in your culture you know

god this ask is so long and should probably have been a reblog of one of your posts or something. sorry lol

Hah no this is interesting, and I enjoy the book discussions!

Hmm I remember this character, but I don’t remember this plot point… was it in the most recent Wayfarers book? I never actually read it.

But, yeah, I see what you mean. There is power in exerting your autonomy, but making big life decisions mostly just because [shrug] you want to can feel… weak. From this description of this plot thread, it also feels like it reinforces what I felt about Chambers writing all her characters, alien or robot or spacefuture human, like suburban Californians—that is, with logic, values, and decisions that feel like they belong to a liberal, middle-class, urban-but-not-in-the-middle-of-a-city, white woman. None of those are meant as pejoratives, I want to be clear—by liberal I don’t mean it as an insult, I mean, with values of open-mindedness and progressive ideals, and in this case in a particularly suburban American way. This feels like a story about reproductive autonomy from such a perspective, with the values of someone who is a middle-class white woman in a liberal area of the US and this is what reproductive/bodily autonomy looks like—as opposed to getting in the head of an alien in the spacefuture and imagining what different cultural values might look like and how they might influence that character’s feelings and way of conceptualizing such a decision, even if that’s the choice she ultimately does make for herself. Y’know?

[oldschoolfrp]

BALIN SON OF FUNDIN LORD OF MORIA

(Liz Danforth, Moria, Middle Earth Citadel supplement for MERP, Rolemaster, and the Lord of the Rings Adventure Game, Iron Crown Enterprises, 2nd ed, 1994)

[itsmistyeyedbi]

the man in the mirror, the woman in the mask

Pairing: F!Detective and Rebecca Word Count: 5,1k Warnings: Angst, slightly suggestive comments and hints at child neglect. Tags: @agentnatesewell, I probably should've asked in anyone wants to be tagged but hey. Let me know if you want to be in future though! Authors Note: This is basically Zuri's stream of consciousness throughout her morning in the office. About herself and her parents, but it mostly explores her relationship with Rebecca. This takes place in book 3. Also on a03!

-

She’s like her father. She knows she is. Everyone who knew him made sure to point it out and with him being the former detective of Wayhaven, damn near every resident of this tiny town did.

The colour of her eyes, the shape of her brows, the curve of her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. The warm undertone of her dark brown skin, the small mole on her jaw and the even smaller beauty marks sprinkled on her face and body - one of them sits on her bottom lip.

Your smile lights up the room, you know? As much as your fathers did.

It does. It shines so bright that her mother couldn't bear it. She would wince and look away, turn her head, try not to be blinded by it. By the memories. A young Zuri decided to put a hand to her mouth whenever a smile made its way onto her face or her laughter filled the air, covering the mark and dimming the light that pained her. It seemed to help. She wouldn't look away anymore. But she didn’t stay long enough for her to see if it made her any less sad.

Her appearance isn't where the resemblance stops. Some things were harder to spare Rebecca from.

That's so sweet of you. Though I really shouldn’t be surprised, you are your father’s daughter.

I should’ve expected Rook’s baby girl to be as persuasive as he is. 

You have some of his personality too. He could charm anyone into doing anything he needed.

She was a daddy’s girl from the moment she set eyes on him. At least, that was what Rebecca told her - a million years ago when she had to convince her daughter to put on a bonnet before bed. Back when they would all sit around the table after the sun rose for however long they could, eating whatever Rook cooked up for breakfast before having to spend hours away from each other. Work. School. Morning or evening practice for gymnastics.

The comparisons were something Zuri has grown used to. Something she was almost proud of. Despite her time with him being short, that's still so much of him in her. But sometimes…sometimes his shadow would loom so large that it became all anyone ever saw.

The pieces of him in her.

Even Zuri herself did. Every once in a while she'd find herself following in his footsteps, trying to make her feet fit into the prints of his own and feeling a little part of her grimace when they didn't. And if she strayed too far, that little part of her would crush her with guilt and shame. She's his daughter. She should be as good as him, kind and generous and honest.

Until she remembers that that isn't all she is.

No one is immune to the effects of the marks he left behind.

But he wasn’t the only parent she had.

Has.

Whether she likes it or not, Rebecca is her mother. Even if it’s just by blood now. It's the bare minimum. But she's her mother nonetheless.

Somehow she managed to leave her marks too, and she isn't immune to them either.

-

This man is shameless in the most obvious way possible. Oblivious too.

He had to have seen the change in her body language, the way she painted a pretty smile on her face as if his presence was a pleasant surprise rather than an inconvenience. Is Mayor Friedman really so arrogant to think Rebecca enjoys his company? She doesn't spend enough time with anyone to remember what it's like to enjoy company. 

Not anyone outside of the Agency anyway.

Zuri looks on as they exchange air kisses and-

God, did he just try to give her a hug? A kiss!? 

She glances to her left and meets Captain Sung’s eyes. He looks like a soldier with how stiff his stance is and the stony expression on his face. But there’s a dead giveaway to his discomfort, to her anyway. The slight downturn of his lips. How much closer his eyebrows have knit together.

He has the courtesy to try not to look disturbed by the mayor’s eagerness to see her mother. Zuri doesn't. His focus is solely on Rebecca, so she's going to shudder and gag to her heart's content. Hopefully it distracts her from the tension that built up in her shoulders when Rebecca entered the station.

Her dramatics earn her a glare from the Captain as if he wants to scold her, and maybe part of him does, but the amusement in his eyes say otherwise. With a brow raised, she tilts her head and gives him a knowing smile - because can he really blame her? He's being a creep, at best. There's no way he doesn't want to cringe as much as she is right now.

They turn their attention to the scene playing out in front of them just in time to watch Rebecca steer her way out of that sad attempt at affection. She does it like a woman who's had to do it for years - effortlessly. Not that it's an experience unique to her, she doesn't know a woman who hasn't had to deal with overly familiar men. But it looks like she has had to deal with it from him specifically.

She pulls off looking oblivious to his sad attempt at…extending that greeting, and makes her way over to her audience. The Mayor, well, he's tugging at his jacket, running a hand through his hair, clearing his throat. Flustered, maybe even embarrassed while composing himself.

At least he's taking the rejection well.

But he doesn't know that it was a rejection.

Nevermind. Not surprising at all.

Rebecca stops in front of them with the professional demeanour she usually has, the sparkling eyes and bright smile has been tempered into a more pragmatic expression. Zuri’s had changed just as quickly, schooling her features into something more neutral the moment her mother looked in their direction. 

“It's been some time, Captain,” her tone is nowhere near as enthusiastic as they shake hands.

“It has,” his response isn't either, but it rarely ever is.

This interaction is weird to watch too. Such short and monotone responses. She knows they don't talk much, but damn. They aren't strangers greeting each other before a business meeting. 

The Captain and Rook were close. She saw it whenever he had to work on a weekend - something that seemed absurd to her back then - and he let her tag along. Mostly because of her puppy dog eyes and the vice grip she had on his legs. She remembered the laughter they shared, the jokes that didn't seem all that funny to her when she abandoned the book she was reading to listen in on their conversations. The back pats, the hands on the other's shoulders, the hugs the Captain bashfully accepted but never returned. At some point, Rebecca walked in and joined in their banter before doing what she intended to do when she arrived - drag her daughter back home.

Why the distance now? Was Rook their only tether to each other? Was Rebecca actually as closed off then as she is now?

Is it because he just watched his late friend’s widowed wife flirt with the Mayor - a married man?

That's a fair reason for this to be awkward, but that's more the mayor’s fault than hers.

“What brings you here?”

Ugh, he's talking again. The three of them look at him and-

What the hell is he doing?

He really doesn't know when to quit, does he? He's now leaning against the front desk with his elbow on its surface and his head in his hand. And that smile of his is far past friendly. He might as well find something to recline on and ask her to paint him wearing only-

Ew, nonono. She shouldn't taint her brain or The Titanic by conjuring up that image. But still…

The person manning that very desk, a volunteer, is staring at him with wide eyes and furrowed brows, mouth agape. Then they proceed to slowly slide away from him.

A snicker makes its way past her lips.

All their eyes lock onto her but her hand is already in front of her mouth. She splutters and coughs to mask the laughter that threatens to expose her - shit, don't make eye contact - then clears her throat.

“Excuse me, I just choked a little,” on the sheer audacity Mayor Friedman had and the poor volunteer who is still eying him. But they don't need to know that. Her eyes briefly meet Rebecca's and she reduces her urge to laugh into a small smirk before lightly swatting at the air. “But do tell.”

She could guess why she's here. Some new mission she needs to know about, a supernatural that's being too obvious about their powers. Whatever it is, it's nowhere near as interesting as witnessing the effect she has on this guy. He unironically tried to display himself on the front desk and didn't spare a thought for who was there.

At least Douglas isn't here to see this. He wouldn't have even acknowledged him if he was.

Her amusement fades away and she almost frowns, but catches herself. It's probably best for her to focus on Rebecca for now.

Speaking of, her eyes are still trained on her. She gestures towards her with a manicured hand as if her stare isn’t answer enough. Maybe it isn't for her not so secret admirer.

“I came to see Zuri.”

“Oh,” he's visibly deflating, shoulders slumping and all, wow.

“Aren't I popular today,” she sighs with a wry smile. It's tinged with exasperation.

She's functioning on a few hours of sleep, with no one to curl up to in bed with but anxiety after the late night diplomatic mission went south. Finding out the reason it did wasn't helpful either: she has a bounty on her head. Something she spent the entire night trying not to think about. But her day job doesn't know or care about that. In the first few minutes of getting to work she had to deflect Verda from his concern for her (with Tina’s help, because she was apparently too out of it to tell a convincing white lie) and mediate an argument between two grown men who can't tolerate each other enough to make decisions without puffing their chests and yelling. Over a simple blood drive.

In another life, she would happily donate. But her blood is a hot commodity now and needles…

A chill runs down her spine, her hand wrapping around her right wrist before her brain can register the action. The deep breath she takes is much more intentional.

That's not happening-

“I guess I was just fortunate enough to arrive while you were here, Mayor,” Rebecca laughs, something as close to a giggle as she might allow herself to do, and it's like a melody being played on a piano. Easy on the ears, enchanting…but practiced. The cadence consistent, perfect.

Fake.

She's a good actor. She can wear whatever face is needed to guide an interaction to wherever she wants it to go. She is the tide and everyone else is a little boat bobbing along, blissfully unaware of the ride they are on. The direction they're going in.

Zuri crosses her arms, her fingers twitching when she stops herself from digging them into her arm. She doesn't have much room to judge.

You could make this so much easier for me, Zee.

Fine, I’ll bite. How exactly could I do that? I’m just a name and a face she hears about.

Exactly. She has her guard up with me and it’s making her overreact. But she doesn’t know you, how reliable a friend you are.

So you want me to befriend her just to get into this alleged club of hers? What if it’s not as interesting as you think it is?

I don’t think it, I know it. All you need to do is be your charming self and we’re golden. You’re almost as irresistible as I am.

Very funny…but fine. 

You’re an angel.

She's a good actor too.

Rebecca says her farewells with a gentle wave before leading her back to her office. Doing what she intended to do when she arrived. The click-clack of their heels on the tile floor are in sync, only accompanied by the mayor’s overzealous reply and the grimace she spies on Captain’s face.

She would’ve done the same if it weren't for the window in front of her; in it's reflection,  she could see how similar the build of their bodies are. Their height, the length of their legs, the way their blazers sit on their shoulders. And despite the difference in their hairstyles - Rebecca with her cornrows tied into a low bun with a hair tie, Zuri with her twists tied into a high ponytail with a headwrap - they both had to care for the same thick, deep brown hair.

It's nothing she didn't already know, but the reminder never fails to be jarring.

She is her mother’s daughter.

-

“That was…interesting to watch.”

“What was?”

Zuri leans against the front of her desk with a smirk and raised brow. She might be able to play dumb with people like the mayor, but come on. She can't expect her to not ask about her little performance out there.

But she isn't going to spell it out for her. She jerks her head in his direction, watching him through the glass that gives them a view of the station as he leaves. That's as much as she's willing to elaborate.

“Oh,” Rebecca sighs, and Zuri can't tell if it's because it happened or because she asked. Her voice is tinged with disdain when she decides to give her an actual response. “It's part of my job to establish and maintain a good relationship with those who are in charge of this town. Staying in Mayor Friedman's good graces allows us access to many things that would be denied otherwise.”

“I never would’ve guessed that those methods would get the Agency's stamp of approval. I thought they'd go for something closer to their,” she wiggles her fingers in the air, “meetings and treaties.”

“The Agency doesn't directly involve themselves in these matters and prefer to have this done through their agents. They don't specify how we should keep people like the mayor on our side, just that we get the job done.”

She's making it less personal, addressing her as if she asked about agents in general and not about her. Funny. 

Zuri tilts her head and watches her mother with feigned curiosity. “So do you flirt with everyone who has some kind of power in Wayhaven, or just him?”

An eyebrow twitches, but that's the only sign that she pressed a button somewhere. That, and the way Rebecca shifts her weight to adjust how she's resting against the chair she drifted to when they entered her office. “I do what gets the job done.”

“Hm,” she turns her head, taking interest in the pot plants sitting on she shelf against the wall-

Pfft. Not really. She's more focused on pressing her lips together, trying not to grin in her face.

Rebecca hasn't moved an inch since they started talking. After slipping off her blazer and draping it across the chair she's assigned herself to, she's been as cool and calm as ever. As if this - her visiting and them chatting- is the norm for them. As if anything about their relationship could be considered normal. It hasn't been anywhere close, not after Rook died.

That and their similarities, that damned reflection she saw, makes her feel…wrong. In her mind, in her body, in the feelings she has whenever her mother is around. Her bones feel like they're out of place. She wants to roll her shoulders and wrists, crack her knuckles, massage her neck, as if that would fix it. Rid her of the unease creeping along her skin.

It isn't going to. But she doesn't want to linger on why she feels this way, not now. Too much has happened already, she doesn't want to deal with Rebecca’s lacklustre attempt at comfort too. 

There isn't much else to do but poke the bear. Just a little. Just enough to see how long she can keep up this stoicism. If she can affect her in the same way. 

“Well, you certainly have the mayor wrapped around your finger. Nice dodge, by the way. Very smooth.” She chuckles, and it gets a little louder when she receives a deadpan look on her face. Zuri turns and opts to lean on the desk with the palms of her hands. “But the fact that he thought he could get a hug out of you tells me he's looking to get access to some things too.”

“Yes,” she sighs, and - aha - there's a crack in her mask for a split second when her lips curl into a subtle snarling frown. “Letting him think that that's a possibility grants us a lot of leeway.”

“Oh, I'm sure he's hoping you'll be just as…flexible.”

“Aht aht!”

Zuri burst into laughter, a hand in front of her mouth as she cackles and keels over. When was the last time she's heard her do that? She really got to her enough to bring out the Nigerian mother in her.

Rebecca crosses her arms and sucks her teeth before inhaling deeply, as if she's trying to be all stoic again.

“That's tactless, Zuri.”

“You're the one flirting to gain ‘access’, not me,” her laughter tapers off into an airy giggle as she moves to sit down behind the desk. With a long exhale, she crosses her legs and gently swivels the office chair left and right with a playful shrug. Maybe it's wrong to find some kind of amusement and relief in getting under her skin, but she rarely ever shows emotion.

The last time she saw Rebecca have range in her emotions and actually express them was when her father was still in their lives. Everything changed. She didn't expect things to be the same, there would always be a gaping hole in their family, but nothing could reach her beyond the grief she has been drowning in. The work she buries herself in. The mask she wore day in, day out.

This is the first time in years that she's caught a glimpse of the mom she had. The woman she was. The one that died with her husband.

Her heart is squirming in her chest, with yearning and bitterness and wistfulness. Maybe she missed that. Missed her. Moments like this felt more…real. Better than the moments they have when she's in a hospital bed in the facility or preparing for a mission. It's easy for her to care - and to show it - when she's close to death or danger. But what about the person she is day to day? The person beyond that?

Beyond an echo of the past and the fear of history repeating itself?

…Would she even like that person?

Would he? If he was still here?

Zuri glances away from Rebecca and leans forward to turn on the desktop. She can feel her gaze burning into her as she types in the password and she couldn't help the way her eyes flickered between her mother and the screen. That gaze burned, then simmered, then softened into something warm in seconds. She could never stay mad at her for long, though she would easily outlast Rook. This seems different though.

The warmth within her light brown eyes was holding something else as well. The same wistfulness she was feeling. That, and a spark of hope.

It gives her pause.

Did she actually get under her skin or did she decide to play along? For the two of them to act out the mother-daughter relationship they don't have?

…Whatever gets the job done she said.

Her other performance was much more entertaining. But uncomfortable too considering the territory it's heading towards.

Zuri can't say she's never thought that though. She did, and acted on it more times than she can count. Back when her days were spent balancing partying, getting a degree… and pleasing Bobby. Being his angel, swooping in when he needed her and doing whatever she could to help him get his next scoop. Whatever got the job done.

But at some point, it caught up to her. It always does. People are more than what they have or what they keep secret. Manipulation, lies, gaslighting… anything of the sort are weapons as sharp as a knife, play with it too much and you yourself will be cut. But the cuts she has are nothing compared to the scars she left in her wake. The people who were in her life - from the ones she cared about to the strangers who believed they were friends and were nothing but kind to her - couldn’t look her in the eye anymore. Some of them hoped they never would.

The consequences of her actions resulted in a fractured reputation and loneliness; and that was just University. Rebecca’s playing in an entirely different league, and the stakes are…

Something in her stomach twists. 

Okay, enough. She's a grown woman. This isn't her first rodeo. She'll be fine.

“That isn’t what I came here to discuss.”

“I figured. I won't take up anymore of your time with that.” Zuri frowns. The password is still staring back at her. Whatever this is is distracting her and not addressing it isn't working. “But it's…”

She meets her eye for a second before fixing her gaze onto the screen. “Just be careful. Jokes aside, games like that can be dangerous.”

“You're worried about me?” 

She looks up again and what was supposed to be a quick scan of her mother’s face turns into a lingering gaze. The question hangs in the air. It was asked softly, as if her breath was stolen from her lungs, with her eyes wide and mouth agape.

Is she worried?

Zuri’s eyes go back to the desktop, the screen dark from inactivity. Great, she has to type in the password again. And she does, leaving the question at just that.

“You don't have to be,” there's fondness in Rebecca’s voice that makes her fingers slip past the required letters on the keyboard. “The mayor’s not even on the board, let alone playing in the same league as I am.”

She hears her smile before she sees it. Zuri swallows and nods and finally gets the password right. It's silly, really. She should be more worried about why she's here; that's more concerning than anything.

“So, why the sudden appearance?”

Rebecca decides to sit on the chair now instead of leaning against it, and crosses her legs. She's getting comfortable for someone who won't be here long.

“I merely came to check on you.”

She opens an email, does not look up from the screen. “Why?”

“Because no matter how you feel about me, I care about you.” 

“Hm.”

“I do.” There's more conviction in her words now and concern that almost sounds frantic, like she has something to prove. Zuri supposes she does.

“Very much so,” she continues. “And you're having to handle more than most people could manage: your job here at the station, being a liaison for the Agency, the life you have outside of work… how are you coping with it all?”

“Oh, you know. Coping.”

“I'm sure it's been a great comfort to have support from others.”

Zuri almost raises a brow in apprehension. Something about the way she said that feels like she's looking to confirm something. Like she knows something…

It can't be about Tina, can it? She might be eager to find out about the supernatural world but she wouldn't blab about something this important. She knows how to keep a secret.

She looks up at her, keeping her eyes trained on her as she nods, “Yeah, having Unit Bravo around has been really helpful. Especially with it feeling like I'm part of the team.”

“Yes,” the word is drawn out and Rebecca’s focus shifts to the window, where there's a clear view of Tina working at her desk. “I'm sure Unit Bravo has been supporting you as well.”

Shit.

Zuri frowns and leans back in her seat, putting an elbow on the armrest and holding her head up with her thumb, index and middle finger. “So that's why you're here. Great. Can we discuss that later? I have work to do and I'm sure you do too.”

“I'm not here to reprimand you. That's something that isn't important right now.”

“Okay, is this supposed to be a check up then?”

Rebecca tenses before frowning and shifting in her seat. “I'm not here to check up on you, but to check on you. To see if there's anything I can do to help you.”

Silence. She doesn't know what to say to that, so she just looks at her. She's wringing her hands together - another similarity they have, except Zuri tries to hide it when she has company. It's easy when she's in company she doesn't trust or care for, but when she does? Not so much.

“I am trying…I want to be better at this,” she almost sounds timid. But she can't bring herself to take it any easier than her. There's still that feeling of wrongness in her skin. She's tired and agitated and the memories of the past aren't helping.

“At this?” 

“At us.”

She really doesn't want to do this. Not now. 

“I know things have always been tense between us,” she continues, and the first thought that comes to mind is that she's wrong. It hasn't. And it wouldn't be if she was there. “But I want to be one of the people you can turn to for comfort too, to be someone to support you throughout all of this.”

She wishes she wouldn't do this. She can't right now, she can't-

It's too much. Her chest is heavy with an amalgamation of emotions; longing, sorrow, anger, whatever else she's feeling is something she can't pinpoint and name.

This is what it takes? Forced proximity through the Agency and danger at every turn, that's what she needed to want to support her? This is the most she's seen of her mother in almost two decades, and it's only happening because the Agency was surprised that she didn't die after dealing with Murphy and her blood makes her opium to every supernatural walking the planet.

Yes, working for the Agency can be consuming. She knows that now. But Rebecca's been doing this for longer than she has and managed to balance it well enough when Rook was here. And Zuri, despite everything she has gone through, hasn't neglected her relationship or vanished from their lives.

Which means she chose this. She was capable of being there for her, of being her mom, and she chose not to. She chose her work and her grief over her daughter. But now that they see each other so often, it's more convenient for her to be her mother rather than a stranger she occasionally talks to over the phone.

Rebecca is slouching in her chair, still wringing her hands with worry and hope tugging on her features. Zuri holds her gaze for as long as she can before shaking her head and putting her face in her hands.

The way she's looking at her…she needed that before all this. When it wasn't easy or convenient. When it meant facing the pain she has to be there for her daughter after she lost her dad or holding her hand when she destroyed almost every relationship she had and the loneliness settled in. 

Don't cry don't cry don't cry-

She took a deep breath, then another and another until her eyes no longer stung and the lump in her throat shrank. The ache in her heart eases, her mind goes quiet.

She doesn't need this. Not now. Not anymore.

“I can't think about this right now.”

“Why not?” 

Zuri thinks back to every missed phone call, every birthday and holiday and anniversary that she wasn't there for. And the main excuse she would get when she did manage to reach her, when she lit up at the sound of her voice.

I'm sorry, Zuri. Things have been so busy, I just…don't have the time for it right now. But I'll make it up to you another time. I promise.

She only ever fulfilled a promise once. The hundreds of others fell to the wayside.

“There's too much going on. Like you said, I'm dealing with more than most people could manage,” she leans forward and rests her elbows on the desk, clasping her hands together before meeting her gaze. Her eyes and voice are hollow when she continues. “I don't have the time or energy for this right now.”

Rebecca stiffens and gives a small nod, pressing her lips together and staring at a spot on the wall behind her. 

“...Another time maybe,” she eventually responds, her voice quiet but thick with disappointment, with a hope that's been squashed.

“Mhm.”

She gets up and the disappointment is more obvious now; her posture lacks the professionalism and confidence she usually has. She looks smaller, her body having folded into itself. She grabs her blazer, slips it on and just like that, the mask falls into place. Back straight, shoulders relaxed, hands clasped in front of her. The only evidence of their conversation is in her eyes. Emotions are at home in the eyes, they're always difficult to control.

“If you need me, I'm just a phone call away.”

“Are you?”

Palpable silence. The air is heavy with tension. Rebecca is the one to fill it, but even then it's softly, as if she's trying not to break it - doesn't have the right to.

“I will be.”

The ‘I promise’ is absent, but implied. Maybe she thinks it's better not to say it out loud, maybe she remembers how many of them she has broken.

Zuri shifts her focus to the desktop, moving the mouse so the screen lights up again. The click clack of heels and the office doors opening and closing is all she needs to know that she left. She finally allows herself to let out a long sigh, feeling lighter already. 

There's a bitter satisfaction in throwing the words she heard for years back at her. It's not unwarranted. She's busy. Now isn't the time to deal with their issues.

But she isn't sure there ever will be.

She is her mother’s daughter, after all.

[swallowtail-ageha]

I love the shaded castle sooo much holy shit

[aperiodofhistory]

Basilisk

Crawling through the twisted tunnels

under the watchful eye of the servant,

a beast with the tail of one,

and with a look of a cruel nature.

The one who some call king,

it will hunt you down the dark

and turn your body to stone with a sting.

[lazybakerart]

Very Important Moments Part 2 in The Righteous Gemstones, I Will Take You By The Hand And Keep You

[sugarspikesart]

When Rebecca and Billy reunited, things were a bit awkward between them.

They were happy. But after 25 years since that summer night, they felt like strangers again. They decided to break the ice. Talk.

And they talked.

She discovered Billy went now by Dave Williams. A smart way to keep his old name in a way. He managed to get a job in a school. Despite not having proper studies, they needed a PE teacher for a small school and he accepted the offer. Somehow, seeing people learn and grow gave him hope after seeing the horrors he saw back at that train.

He discovered she stepped down as a S.T.A.R.S. member and decided to focus more on the scientific field. Creating vaccines and helping people.

---

At some point they started becoming closer and closer. Billy started to feel things he thought he would never feel again. He never managed to get too attached to anyone anyway. He always felt like he was lying, that people would never be able to truly know him.

Rebecca was the exception to that reality. She knew Billy Coen.

And Rebecca... Rebecca never forgot about him. She always carried that dogtag. Even if it was inside her purse. It was like her lucky charm. He did bring her luck that night after all.

He was the living proof that giving up wasn't a solution for anything. That relying on others was worth it. That not everything was as it seemed.

---

Feelings bloomed between them. And one night they just decided to let their actions do the talking.

---

---

Neither of them really knew what to expect from what they were doing. Billy was sure of what he was feeling for her. Rebecca knew what her heart wanted but wasn't really paying attention to what those feelings meant. Part of her didn't wanna face losing him again. This time would really sting.

But she had a right to just be selfish for one night and not think about what would happen the next day.

She wasn't sure if Billy loved her or if it was just attraction. But as soon as she heard his voice and that sweet tone in his voice, she knew he felt the same way she felt about him

---

---

---

I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM!! This is not a fanfic btw, it's just a little text i made to give context to these drawings and my AU

[layalu]

oh btw Alder Update, he can shift again! 🎉 but at what cost.. (the cost is the horrors getting Worse)

[lazuliquetzal]

thanks @bobafett for the tag i love tag games SO much

How many works do you have on AO3? 38! Huh! I don't know what I expected? (If you wanna be exact, it's actually 41 because I have 3 joke fics posted anonymously.)

What’s your total AO3 word count? 653,468

What fandoms do you write for? Whatever I'm into at the moment? Right now it's God of War. Earlier it was Linked Universe. Before that it was Daiya no Ace. But I'm not particularly loyal, it's literally just whatever idea that manages to stick.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Reflection -- a classic AA Batteries -- my beloved Dawn of the Fourth -- *evil cackling* ain't no rest for the wicked -- oh my god do people still click on this Denial and Deterioration -- I SWEAR I'M STILL WORKING ON IT I ACTUALLY ADDED TO THE DOC LIKE 3 DAYS AGO

Do you respond to comments? I try to! I try to catch every comment, but if a fic is on the older side and the comment isn't super long, I sometimes don't reply. Not because I don't like the comment (i love all comments i love you all) but because if a fic is not fresh in my brain I don't have much to say

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? DO NOT READ IT, but it's the shadows we cast. I was fifteen. I'm not linking it on here. It's still on my AO3 because I'm not a coward, but I'm also not very brave, so like, don't read my high school fic, you've been warned.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Candid? That one is SUPER fluffy, which is not normally my style, but you know, sometimes you just gotta flex your fluff muscles,

Do you get hate on fics? Eh, not really. I've gotten a few negative comments, but mostly from FFN, and I honestly don't even count those lol.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? No. I genuinely wouldn't even know where to begin.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Nah, crossovers aren't my thing.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I have seen a fic that was very blatantly referencing one of mine, but I don't really consider that stealing.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Does the absolutely insane crack fic written on the tail end of a 29-hour voice call count?

What’s your all time favorite ship? Hmm. I read a lot of Merthur, but that's mostly because the Merlin fandom tends to be really good, and therefore there's a lot of good Merthur (although I do like Merthur a lot, super Shakespearean, only valid soulmate pairing I've ever seen).

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? If I abandon a fic, I'm going to make an announcement. If I haven't officially abandoned it, it's still fair game. That said, Replication is like, on the lowest of low priorities.

What are your writing strengths? It comes with absorbing plot structure into your personality, but yeah, I'm a kick ass plotter. Also comedy. That also comes with the plot structure.

What are your writing weaknesses? Atmosphere/description. Worldbuilding. Also to a lesser extent, character voice -- I feel like I eventually default to everyone just sounding like me

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Depends on context, but it's always through the lens of "how does this effect the experience for the reader?"

First fandom you wrote for? I wrote a Star Wars fanfic when I was like, 9. First fanfiction on PURPOSE was for PJO.

Favorite fic you’ve written? I think the best thing I've written so far is DotF, but my favorite is probably The Disappearance of Narumiya Mei. WHICH I'M ALSO STILL WORKING ON, life just got REALLY WEIRD and I had to take a step back from it RIP

Tagging @tavina-writes, @ellie-tarts, @lieutenantbiscute, @aoryuucchi, @bytebun, @mimbotomy (no pressure if you don't want to!) and of course anyone who feels like doing this