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thetorchwoodarchive · 3 years ago

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[Image Description: a banner for the Across the Bay Crossover Fics You Didn’t See Coming fest, featuring beach signs on a tropical island, reading “Cardiff by the Sea”, the name of the fest, “authors”, “torchwood” (partially obscured), and “one shots” (partially obscured), and a warning sign where Myfanwy chases a swimmer]

ACROSS THE BAY: CROSSOVER FICS YOU DIDN’T SEE COMING MASTERPOST

Thank you everyone for submitting your crossover and fusion fic recommendations. Below are all submissions and some of our favorites!

Is it Insensitive for Me to Say by aliciajazmin (EstherJohnTosh | complete | 2441 | T)

Toshiko Sato and Esther Drummond absolutely will make fun of their boyfriend for deciding to attend an audition, while also attending said audition with him.

Crossover With: The Outer Worlds

Golden Apples and Norse Gods (Or How Ianto Got His Groove Back) by blackkat (JackIanto | complete | 1592 | G)

Ianto finds himself back from the dead and, apparently, in the position to double-cross a power-crazed Norse god intent on conquering the Earth by taking out a team of superheroes. Must be a Tuesday.

Crossover With: Avengers/MCU

The Magic of Torchwood by Bella the Strange (JackIanto, IantoJohn, JackOther, Non-Torchwood Ships | wip | 546,512 | T)

The Torchwood team have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Set between Adam and Reset. Rated T because of Jack Harkness, swearing, mature themes, slash etc… it’s Torchwood!

Crossover With: Harry Potter

Welcome to Torchwood by Jackdaw818 (Gen | complete | 1601 | T)

A strange creature behind the Ralphs, a break-in at the Museum of Forbidden Technologies, and visitors in Night Vale. Overall, a slightly unordinary day for Cecil Gershwin Palmer

Crossover With: Welcome to Night Vale

Torchwait for iiiiit by lady-demacabre (Gen | complete | 3k | K+)

When Shawn and Gus are called in on a case for an eccentric collector of alien objects, they get more than what they bargained for. One shot, Psych oriented.

Crossover With: Psych

Theme and Variations by nemo_baker (JackIanto, GwenRhys, OwenKatie | 5817 | T)

Time Agent Jack Harkness is sent back in time to solve the mystery of a mysterious train bombing. The problem is, he only has eight minutes to do it.

Written for Reel Torchwood screening 8 on Livejournal. Movie Prompt: Source Code (2011)

Crossover With: Source Code

Day Tripper by Croquemboucheballpit (Gement) (JackBessie the Third Doctor’s Car, Bessie the Third Doctor’s CarLightening McQueen (past) | complete | 2360 | M)

Bessie’s like any other companion: far from home, more than she appears, and always up for an adventure.

And Jack Harkness really will seduce anything that moves.

Crossover With: Pixar’s Cars

An American Volunteer by That_one_kid (SteveBucky, BuckyJackSteve | Complete | 4395 | T)

What if Captain Jack Harkness met Steve & Bucky during the war? What if he ran into them again, present day?

AKA

Captain Jack Harkness and his mission to seduce the two gorgeous, capable soldiers who keep running into him.

Crossover With: Captain America/MCU

Statement #0041708 - Future Sight by Jackdaw816 (Gen | complete | 1690 | T)

Statement of Lisa Hallett regarding a peculiar mirror found at a car boot sale

Crossover With: The Magnus Archives

(Un)Welcome Aboard by Jaune_Chat (Jack | Complete | 4,154 | T)

To make ends meet, Mal listens to a suggestion from Inara than he rent out the other shuttle. She has the perfect candidate, a charming Companion named Jack…

Crossover With: Firefly

Death and the Definitely-Not-A Maiden by Odsbodkins (JackIanto | Complete | 3,6K | PG-13)

When Jack dies, Death is there to meet him. Every time. Written in 2008 for the Doctor Who Crossover Ficathon. Takes in Torchwood to end S2, Doctor Who to end S3, Discworld to Soul Music.

Crossover With: Discworld

Remarkable by snowwhiteliar ( JackIanto, IantoLisa | Complete | 20.971 | PG-13)

Summary: Once upon a time, in a small village in a distant province of a peaceful kingdom, there lived a boy called Ianto

Crossover With: Fairy Tales

Got That Friday Feeling Again by NancyBrown (OwenOther, JackIanto, GwenRhys, GwenOwen | Complete | 18.3K | R)

HELP HELP HELP HELP

I AM TRAPPED IN A TIME BUBBLE

The magic marker all over the nice chintz wallpaper bled and smeared as Owen wrote in increasingly desperate lettering across the walls. Ls and Ps dragged down, wiggly at the end or drawn out in slashed strokes.

He ignored the pounding on the door frame. He’d shoved the wardrobe in front, which always kept Jack out for twenty three and a half minutes. He ignored the sweat and tears and snot dripping down his face, down his mouth. He ignored the high-pitched singing from his own throat, “If you want my future, forget my past,” chanted over and over.

HELP

Crossover With: Groundhog Day

Back, and Back, and Back a Little More (Future Optional) (JackIanto, JennyVastra | Complete | 32591 | M)

Accidentally shot into the past by a time-travelling car, Ianto has to fix his own mistakes or he won't have a future to go back to.

Crossover With: Back to the Future

Truth, Justice by NancyBrown (SupermanOwen | complete | 414 | M)

The green shit does not work. Warnings: dubcon (AMTDI)

Crossover With: Justice League Unlimited/DCAU/Superman

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodies, or, A Humourous Interlude Between Epics by copperbadge (Gen | complete | 749 | T)

Ianto neglected to introduce himself as he informed the senior staff that Atlantis was now under the jurisdiction of Torchwood, whatever Torchwood is.

Crossover With: Stargate Atlantis

Never Have I Ever by st_aurafina (JackIanto, JackDoctor (past/implied), PepperTony (implied) | complete | 1714 | T)

Written for the prompt Ianto, Donna and Pepper end up at a secretaries'/assistants' conference and have a conversation about their bosses.

Crossover With: Ironman/MCU

Beware the Sparkles by elisi (JackIanto, JackEdwardBella | complete | 4793 | T)

It's terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after. Oh and Jack has sex with sparkly vampires.

Crossover With: Twilight

The Death Note Discovery by KaibaGirl007 (JackIanto | complete | 18,992 | T)

“You’ve clearly just got a notebook belonging to some geek, a rather sick geek I’ll give you that, who likes to keep note of people’s deaths.” - Will the team resist the urge to use the Death Note or will one of them give into temptation?

Crossover With: Death Note

A Confluence of Personalities by galaxysoup (JackIanto | complete | 4839 | T)

Conner Kent’s body might be dead, but his soul has apparently decided to take the scenic route.

Crossover With: DC Comics/Young Justice Comics

Imposters Among Us by gwendolyncooper (JackIanto, GwenRhys | complete | 9117 | M)

The Torchwood team (+Rhys) are out for a night of fun when they end up on a spaceship with no power, no info, and no crew. Known only as THE SKELD, the team tries to fix the ship and figure out what happened to its previous occupants.

But something out there is killing them.

Something that may be someone they know.

Crossover With: Among Us

Traitors (Among Us) by princessoftheworlds (JackIanto | complete | 440 | G)

In a happy future, the team plays Among Us, and Ianto suffers.

Crossover With: Among US

Tagline: I saw the VIDEO. Got the CALL? What Next??? by BricklingGhost (TeamGwenee) (JackIanto, JackSamara | complete | 2424 | Not Rated)

'Tagline: I saw the VIDEO. Got the CALL? What Next???

Bollocks. That’s just a myth. Some git showing off and claiming to be the one person alive who Samara doesn’t bump off. He’ll be boasting that he’s been chosen to kill Voldemort next.'

When another unsuspecting victim falls foul of the cursed tape, he is pointed towards Captain Jack Harkness as his only hope for salvation.

Crossover With: The Ring

(My God, He Just) Came and Went by Brokenpitchpipe (SteveBucky | complete | 1591 | M)

It starts on a cold, snowy September night in 1916, on the day Winifred Barnes walks to Doris Lindow’s house to see her new telephone and catches the eye of a handsome young man on the other side of the street. He tips his hat as she sees him, and she flushes scarlet and nods in return.

And nine months later, a little baby boy screams his way into the world.

But that’s not when it starts. Not really.

Crossover With: Captain America/MCU

Beast Inside by Flamingbluepanda (JackIanto, OwenTosh, GwenRhys | complete | 26934 | M)

"Argue with anything else, but don’t argue with your own nature.” - Phillip Pullman

Inside us all, there is an animal that expresses our soul. How would the world change were those animals outside?

Crossover With: His Dark Materials

Rifts and Robots by Paycheckgurl (JackIanto | complete | 3021 | G)

Jack and Ianto’s date at the movies is interrupted by two robots with no theater etiquette.

Crossover With: Mystery Science Theater 3000

The Jack and Ianto Show by Paycheckgurl (JackIanto | WIP | 7392 | T)

Jack and Ianto are a regular couple, living a quiet life, and trying to fit into the quaint Village of West Castle. Sure they're keeping the secret that Jack is an immortal time traveler from the future, with a fantastical machine called a vortex manipulator that can manipulate time and space around them, but they have much more pressing concerns. Such as strict bosses and nosy neighbors. Everything is perfect, a dream come true.

And Jack is going to keep it that way.

Please Stand By...

Crossover With: WandaVision

Mutually Assured Uncooperation by princessoftheworlds (JackIanto, OwenTosh, MarthaMickey, FitzSimmons, LincolnDaisy (past) | complete | 31547 | T)

Aliens, time-travelling, resurrections. These are all experiences familiar to not just one but two top-secret organizations that have a hard time keeping a low-profile. Figures that they would encounter each other eventually.

Or: the five times that SHIELD and Torchwood had an encounter that neither were pleased with, and the one time they had to work together when two of their own were taken.

Or: There's Kree running amok in Cardiff, including a murdered one, and Torchwood is on the case, but so is SHIELD. Also, don't forget the memory-manipulating aliens there too!

Crossover With: Agents of Shield/MCU

all i know is (infatuations) by princessoftheworlds (JackIanto, JackJohn, OwenTosh, LisaIanto | complete | 439 | T)

Seventh-year Slytherin Ianto Jones handles a break up, getting a boyfriend, terrible emotional misunderstandings with his best friend Jack Harkness, being miserable, and reconciliation. (Not precisely in that order.)

Crossover With: Harry Potter

#torchwood #au:crossover #genre:crossover #event:across the bay crossover fest

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scentedflowersong · 4 years ago

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12 Days of Swan-Mills Saga X-Mas - Day 7

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love Swan-Mills Saga gave to me…

Welcome, dear friends, to the seventh of our twelve holiday meetings, during which we recall some of the best bits of the five Swan-Mills saga stories by the marvellous @swanqueeneverafter (thank you for the artworks used here).

The seventh day belongs to the ghastly gang - the villains of The Story of Us.

!WARNING! Spoilers ahead !WARNING!

ARTHUR PENDRAGON

Status: dead, killed by Emma (TSOU), after ressurection killed by Queen Annis’ champion (TO&FQ) Notable dark deeds: enchanting Guinevere and the whole kingdom into obedience, killing king Fergus, binding Merlin to Excalibur (with Zelena’s help) Evil Rank: 7/10 - literally an evil bastard (*sighs* Pendragons)

BLACK FAIRY/FIONA

Status: dead, killed by Rumplestiltskin Notable dark deeds: creating the Dark Curse, kidnapping children and raising them as her slaves in the Dark World, kidnapping and brainwashing Gideon, casting the Dark Curse (with Gothel and Facilier) in search of the ultimate power Evil Rank: 9/10 - Blue was a bitch to her, but torturing children (especially her own grandson?) can’t be excused

BLUE FAIRY

Status: alive Notable dark deeds: never bloody heping anyone!, not telling Snow and Charming the truth about the wardrobe, baishing Fiona to the Dark World, never helping Rumplestiltskin (and thus causing 90% of evil the Stiltsking family is responsible for), bullying other fairies, prevennting Nova and Grumpy to be together, powerful as hell yet never using her powers Evil Rank: 11/10 - shady bitch

CAPTAIN HOOK/KILLIAN JONES

Status: alive, redeemed Notable dark deeds: killing numerous people (namely his own father and David’s father), trading Bealfire for (ultimately) useless information about Rumplestiltskin, repeatedly choosing revenge over love/family, teaming up wih Cora, locking Snow and Emma in Rumplestiltskin’s cell, shooting Belle and causing her to lose her memories, working with Tamara and Spencer Evil Rank: 9/10 - yo ho ho, the pirate’s life for me

CORA MILLS/THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

Status: dead, killed by Snow White (redeemed/moved on) Notable dark deeds: killing queen Eve, taking Zelena in to heal Regina only to throw her out afterwards, killing Daniel, “selling” Regina to king Leopold, almost being responsible for Regina taking the infertility poition, turning Anastasia into the Red Queen, killing countless people Evil Rank: 10/10 - the queen without a heart

CRUELLA DE VIL

Status: dead, killed by Emma Notable dark deeds: killing her own mother and her husbands, using her animal-controlling skills for evil, kidnapping Henry, probably one of the few actually born evil Evil Rank: 7/10 - if she doesn’t scare you, no evil things will?

DR FACILIER

Status: dead, utimately killed by Emma (WDMC) Notable dark deeds (in TSOU): trying to bring the Dark Ones to our world, teaming up with Black Fairy and Gothel to cast the Dark Curse, posing as Hook and maintaining an abusive relationship with Emma during the curse (the aftermath of which - Emma’s PTSD was already mentioned) Evil Rank: 10/10 - NOPE

GOTHEL

Status: dead, killed by Emma (WDMC) Notable dark deeds (in TSOU): kidnapping Alice and keeping her in the tower, putting the curse of poisoned heart on Alice and Will, teaming up with Facilier and Black Fairy to cast the Dark Curse, making Robyn grow up fast, posing as Robin Hood and being intimate with Zelena during the curse (like, alright, that was sort of a call from karma to Zelena, but still), Evil Rank: 10/10 - try being more like Poison Ivy, sis

HADES

Status: dead, killed by Zelena Notable dark deeds: trying to overthow Zeus, bringing the Underworld to Storybrooke, trapping Storybrooke’s inhabitants in an underground prison, killing Robin Hood Evil Rank: 6/10 - nothing much for the king of Underworld

ISAAC/THE AUTHOR

Status: alive Notable dark deeds: abusing his powers as the Author (leading for example to sending newborn Lily into the world without magic), writing the “Heroes & Villains” storybook Evil Rank: 6/10 - not evil, just a prick, bonus points for disabling Cruella’s powers for murder

JAFAR

Status: dead/turned into a wooden staff Notable dark deeds: mindcontrolling the sultan, trying to get Jasmine to marry him, breaking Aladdin’s spirit and convincing him he’s not a Saviour, shrinking Agrabah into a ring Evil Rank: 6/10 - not bad, but we’ve seen worse

MALEFICENT

Status: alive, redeemed Notable dark deeds: putting Briar Rose and then Aurora under the sleeping curse, turning Prince Phillip into the Yaoguai, helping Regina finding her “inner spark” (mastering dark magic), helping Rumplestiltskin getting the Author out of the book by kidnapping Pinocchio (with Regina) Evil Rank: 6/10 - not really the mistress of all evil, eh?

MERLIN

Status: dead, killed by Morgana (TO&FQ) Notable dark deeds: toying with everyone and never doing anything useful, being resposible for the creation of the Dark One Evil Rank: 6/10 - he’s not evil, just immensely useless, which is eve worse when he’s the “most powerful man”, right?

NIMUE

Status: dead Notable dark deeds: becoming the first Dark One, using Facilier to return to our world and trying to kill most of the ‘heroes’ Evil Rank: 6/10 - victim of Merlin’s selfishness, but extra bad points for working with Facilier

PETER PAN/MALCOLM

Status: dead, killed by Rumplestiltskin Notable dark deeds: abandoning Rumplestiltskin for eternal youth, kidnapping children in his search for Henry, kidnapping the Darling family and keeping Wendy captive, pursuing Henry into giving up his heart, switching bodies with Henry, killing Felix and casting the Dark Curse Evil Rank: 8/10 - the head of the Stiltskins, no wonder they all turned out bad

RUMPLESTILSTKIN

Status: alive, redeemed Notable dark deeds: becoming the Dark One, abandoning Baelfire, responsible for all of the Mills girls turning dark (to some degree), creating the Evil Queen and convincing Regina to cast the Dark Curse, killing countless people, marking Regina for the Wraith, teaming up with the Snow Queen, making deals with Hades, helping Isaac write the “Heroes & Villans” storybook, repeatedly choosing power over love/family, killing both of his parents Evil Rank: 10/10 - Rumple’s fingers are all over the story, rarely in a good way

TAMARA

Status: dead, killed by Rumplestiltskin Notable dark deeds: torturing Regina (with Spencer), shooting Neal, kidnapping Henry and taking him to Neverland Evil Rank: 4/10 - just a bitch who didn’t know she was Pan’s pawn

THE DARK SWAN/EMMA SWAN

Status: alive, redeemed Notable dark deeds: using Violet to break Henry’s heart, killing Arthur, trapping Merlin inside the tree once more, ripping out Merida’s heart and using her as a poppet, speeding up Zelena’s pregnancy, trying to use Zelena as a vessel for darkness Evil Rank: 5/10 - look, half of the things she did as the Dark One were ultimately for the better

THE EVIL QUEEN/REGINA MILLS

Status: alive, redeemed Notable dark deeds: casting the Dark Curse, killing countless people, putting Snow under the sleeping curse, killing her father, manipulating the Genie/Sidney into killing Leopold, framing Snow for Leopold’s murder, hiring Hook to kill Cora, ripping the Huntsman’s heart out and using him as a poppet, killing Owen’s father, killing Graham, teaming up with Cora, teaming up with Hades (after the Split), trapping Regina and Emma in the mirror (after the Split), putting the sleeping curse on Snow and David’s shared heart (after the Split), creating the Wish Realm and sending Emma there (after the Split) Evil Rank: 10/10 - it’s the EVIL Queen for a reason (”yea, she’s a mass murderer BUT you can aknowledge someone’s dark deeds AND still love them uncoditionally” - Emma Swan-Mills, probably)

THE SNOW QUEEN/INGRID

Status: dead, sacrificed herself to stop the curse of the Shattered Sight Notable dark deeds: casting the curse of the Shattered Sight, killing her sister (by accident), freezing Arendelle Evil Rank: 3/10 - Inngrid was more of a victim than a true villain

THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST/ZELENA MILLS

Status: alive, redeemed Notable dark deeds: terrorising Oz, putting Dorothy under the sleeping curse sending Walsh after Emma, killing Neal, kidnapping baby Neal, opening the time portal, killing Marian and posing as her (+ tricking Robin Hood into leaving Storybrooke with her and even using the guise to have a child with him), teaming up with Arthur and binding Merlin to Excalibur, interrupting Emma’s proposal Evil Rank: 8/10 - gloriously wicked, could’ve done worse atricities though

Please, feel free to let me know what you think of the ranking, the picks, the misdeeds listed (the lists are not definitive), or anything else :)

Stay tuned for more…

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one-leaf-grimoire · 4 years ago

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“triad”

Chapter 7: the new advisor

Lisa gets used to her new job and continues developing her strategy to defeat the Spade Devil. She meets someone special.

AO3 link

"Devils.... an attack in six months... it's enough to stress anyone out."

"I know, but at least all the captains have agreed to train hard."

I let out another groan and scratch my head, blinking away the exhaustion in my eyes. Barely a week since I was coronated, and things have gotten severely complicated. Luckily for me, being Wizard King is not much different from being an advisor to the Wizard King, but that's not the hard part. The curse in the Heart Kingdom ended up being one placed on the Heart Queen herself: Lolopechika. It would kill her in a year, and originated from a devil in the Spade Kingdom.

"Megicula...."

Marx looks up from his paperwork, his skin illuminated by the candlelit chandelier above. The word comes as just a whisper, my eyes out of focus as I stare blankly at the paperwork in front of me. Then, I let myself smile.

"I suppose this could be worse... like you said, all the captains agreed to work together at the meeting today," I finally say, my voice piercing the silent office in the night. "And if I can lead this nation through a war... that surely means I'm worthy of this title."

Yes... but only if we can win.

"Yeah, you're right. But all that's going to be six months from now. I suppose you have a plan to get stronger yourself?"

"Yes..." I nod slowly, finally meeting his gaze with my own. The candlelight fails to reflect from my eyes. "Sort of. Defeating a devil could be difficult even for me, even though I'm classified as an arcane mage." I let out a soft groan. "Damn... if only I got to fight the Word Devil before."

Marx nods, his eyes flickering around the room as he considers the options. "Well, why don't you ask someone who was there? Yami, Asta, Yuno... or the Elves!" Marx smiles and holds up a finger. "Some of the Elves might know more about Devils than we do."

"Ooh, good idea!" I sit up in my chair, newfound energy filling me. "I'll go ask right now!"

"What?! No! In fact-" Marx stands up to halt my escape. "You should go to bed! You can go see the elves after your doctor's appointment tomorrow."

"Bed? Marx, you know-"

"You need it! I know you used to not sleep, but... you're not alone in that body anymore-" Marx gulps nervously. "You need to eat and sleep like a normal human for the next nine months, to ensure the baby's health!"

Like a normal human.

Finally, my shoulders slump in defeat. "Fine... I'll be up early, though." I let myself yawn, brushing by Marx on my way out. "I wish I didn't have to stay up so late all the time."

"You and me both. Should I hire another advisor?"

I pause for just a moment. A new advisor hasn't been hired since I was.

"...sure."

"Good. I'll have some applications on your desk tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Marx."

In the whole Kingdom, only four people knew that I'm carrying the child of the late Wizard King. The first, of course, is me. The second was Saida, the elf who resided within my and ended up posessing me during the recent fight. She sensed the baby and told me about it before she was released. Third is Marx, and lastly is Owen, the Royal Doctor.

"Well, everything seems to be progessing normally."

His Qualle Operation spell removes itself from around my body, and I sit up on the examination bed to watch him write down some notes. "So? How far along am I?"

Owen cocks his head slightly as he thinks about it. "Probably about 8 weeks, maybe 10 at most." He shakes his head slightly, still thinking. "It's strange... for years, repeated examinations of your body proved to have the same results: on every level, it operates differently from a regular human's. And it still does... for the most part." His brow furrows. "Your stomach and reproductive organs were somehow reverted back to their normal state before the conception... this examination proved that much. The rest of you is the same."

"8 weeks..." My eyes widen. "Wait... that was back when I fought Vetto! And his curse crippled me-"

"That's right! And the only way you were saved was by the magic blood the Black Bulls obtained from the Witch Queen, I remember that much. The time lines up..." Owen gives me a smile. "Well, that's just a theory. In any case, you might go back to normal after the birth. I'll check up on you often."

"Right!" I swing my legs off the bed to stand up. In any case, speculating about this miracle is useless to me now. It's not like I want to have any more children after this. "I have a busy schedule today."

"I'm sure, your Majesty."

I doubt... I'll ever find a love like Julius again.

"See you later, Owen."

There's just one fact that bothers me: In six months, the baby won't be born.

And I can't fight if I'm pregnant... so will I have to let the others fight the Devil alone?

"It was nice of you to invite us here, Miss Wizard King."

Miss? Mrs., actually! I think, my fingers tightening around my coffee mug. It's a petty matter, but somehow I don't feel all that angry at the tease. In fact... it almost feels familiar. In a way, it's pleasent... because it makes me focus on Rhya instead of the other elf sitting across from me.

"My pleasure. I actually have a few questions for you... you see, I don't remember much about that fight in the Shadow Palace."

"Ah, that's right! You were possessed!" Rhya chuckles a bit to himself. "By Saida, too, my sincerest apologies!"

I shake my head a little. "She wasn't that bad! At least, from what I saw of her life. We have similar taste in men, after all, so I bet we would have gotten along." Maybe, but that's not what I want to talk about! "Anyway... what I do know is that she didn't face that Devil herself. We may be facing a similar threat very soon."

"...what do you mean? Is there another Devil?"

The voice makes me freeze up for just a second.

Remember... it wasn't his fault.

He was manipulated.

He was scared.

He was used.

And yet...

Rhya narrows his eyes, glancing between me and Patri, an icy tension growing even thicker between us.

... I needed to invite him, because he saw the Devil along with Rhya. But- maybe I should have invited just Rhya-

"...yes. In the Spade Kingdom."

I raise my mug to my lips and take a long sip, the hot liquid rushing down into my stomach. The warmth calms me for just a moment. I can't let my feelings get in the way... this is something I have to do.

I squeeze my fist under the table.

"We have six months to get stronger and defeat this devil. Of course, this includes me. I thought, if Saida encountered this Devil and fought it, that I would remember now. But-"

"Yeah, no, she didn't fight it. However, she was close to doing so." Rhya finally speaks up again, sensing the tension relax a little. "You see... for just a minute, she and the Devil were together. That bastard possessed our friend Ronne, and used his body to hide among us. I didn't think much of it at the time... but when Ronne saw you, he became noticiably tense."

Patri nods along. "To be fair... everyone was a bit tense around you. I mean- around Saida." I frown, wondering if I should be offended at all. "Most elves shared similar attributes to their host human, but Saida had an extra one when she awakened... Time. She developed it rapidly, the increased mana giving her powers you didn't have at the time. When she showed up while we were with Ronne, she floated about how she had control over all aspects of time... I fought you before, but I had no idea why you had that mana... the mana that belonged... belonged to-"

The longer he spoke, the tighter my fist became. I stared at him blankly, my eyes only moving as I blinked. The movements of his mouth became fuzzy, the words mushing together. A symphony- no- a cacophony- the sound of a dull, burning rage swelling within me, desperate to be taken out upon him.

Say his name, scum... say the name of the man you killed-

"ANYWAY- When Saida gloated to us, Ronne got real tense."

Unknowingly, Rhya steps between us. The swell relaxes, draining out to leave nothing behind once again.

"Because she was that powerful?" I finally speak again, looking at Rhya again.

"Maybe... and he immediately sent you off to help Fana. Somewhere where you couldn't fight him." Rhya rubs his chin sleepily. "He was a Devil... and yet, he was afraid to fight you."

Afraid... to fight me? So... I posed a threat to a Devil back then. Was it just because of the magic? Or...

"Rhya... Saida, she was Simulcian, wasn't she?"

Patri glances at his friend, who freezes mid-yawn. Then, he looks back at me. "Well, I didn't know about that until recently-"

"I didn't ask you."

I don't snap at him, the words come out calmly. But Patri falls silent immediately.

"Yeah, Saida only told a few people. But yeah, her father was a Simulcian." Rhya glances at Patri, almost like a warning. I can only imagine what's going through his head right now, but he probably wants to avoid escalating any hostility. "I never saw him- no one did. We just assumed he was one of those travelling elves. But Saida never got one of those marks-" He points at my head. "And she only ever had flame magic."

"I see..." I rub my chin as I think about it. "Elves and Simulcians are distinct species, just like Humans and Elves, or Humans and Simulcians. So it makes sense that not all traits would manifest in an elf hybrid, not even traits that manifest in a human hybrid. But when she possessed me, she got those powers... and amplified them with Elvish mana. My body still remembers that mana, and I can use it at the same capacity. So..."

For the first time in this conversation, I smile.

"The Spade Devil might see me, a Simulcian, and feel the same way the Word Devil did."

The power to strike fear into an unearthly creature... I have that power. Because, at the end of the day, I'm not a human, am I?

"But I still need to get stronger." I shake my head, suddenly remembering my pregnancy. "If no one else can defeat the Spade Devil in six months, I need to have the power to do it with ease... even when dealing with a serious handicap. That would be a worst case sceneario."

"Handicap? Like what?" Rhya raises an eyebrow, and I know he's searching for any sign of the truth on my face. Not because he holds any malice towards me; but because he's nosey. I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

I'm not ready to tell anyone... much less these two. I glance at Patri, who knows better than to voice his own curiousity.

"... it's a secret. And none of your business!"

“Fine, keep your secrets!” Rhya scoffs, shooting me a drowsy grin. “Damn, you really are like Saida sometimes… secretive and stubborn.”

“Is that so? Well…” I’m not exactly sure how to take it, so I brush the comment off. It’s true, there’s a lot of shared experiences between me and my elf counterpart; our family, our powers, and even our taste in men. The first Wizard King, huh? He was here, too, but I hardly noticed him before he left. Maybe that’s a missed opportunity, but one too late to dwell on. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

“No problem!” Rhya glances at Patri, who is still silent, sitting a little awkwardly now that he senses this meeting’s end after he’s hardly contributed anything at all. I called him here because he faced the Devil, but ended up ignoring him.

And that’s the best thing I could do right now. Because if I allow myself to think too hard about it…

“One last thing…” I set my empty mug on the table. “The Devils… where do they come from? And what do they want? And-” My brow furrows a bit. “Do they have any history with the Simulcians?”

“Well, I don’t know much. But they come from some sort of underworld, a dimension that exists separately from our own,” Rhya explains, slinging one of his arms over the back of his seat. “That Word Devil’s true name was Zagred. The only reason he managed to get into our world was because we opened a door for him.”

“A door…” I repeat, nodding along, my gaze automatically moving to Patri without thinking about it. “That door was opened with one of the magic stones, right?”

He looks a bit surprised that I’m speaking to him, but Patri recovers quickly to respond. “Right… it seems like they can only travel here with assistance from the overworld.”

“So… as for Megicula… someone in the Spade Kingdom must have opened a door for it as well. But why?”

“Not for any good reason, I imagine,” Rhya answers. “They used it to curse the Heart Queen, and they’ve already used it to conquer much of the Diamond Kingdom.”

“Yeah, I know that much.” I shake my head, the situation seeming darker and darker every minute. “We’re next… but I wonder what Megicula is getting out of this.”

We already know that some devils will work with humans. Asta’s devil seems to be an ally, for now at least, and also the Devils that he possesses. But that’s a whole other can of worms. I suspect we’ll have to call back the spy before much longer. I’m pulled from my thoughts as Patri speaks again.

“As for the Simulcians, not much is known about their history,” he says, keeping his eyes fixed on the table. “I didn’t know about them until recently, in fact. Even now, I admit that I don’t fully understand your powers… but-” He straightens up, strength returning to his voice. And for once, I don’t feel the usual surge of hostility towards him.

Patri isn’t evil… I know that much. In fact… maybe he can be quite useful to me.

“It’s lucky that you’re part Simulcian, and those powers allowed you to gain time magic. Because of that, the Clover Kingdom has a powerful arcane mage at its helm, one who will intimidate even Megicula if you’re lucky.” His shoulders slump slightly, but he doesn’t break eye contact. “I promise… to pay for my sins, I’ll do everything in my power to help you and the magic knights defeat this devil. It’s the least I can do.”

...sins…

...pay…

Patri… don’t worry about that. Your justice will come one day, from my own hands.

“...thank you.”

The words surprise even me. Words that I never expected to say to the one who killed Julius.

“I expect you to do everything I tell you to.”

“Of course, your majesty.”

“... come on, Patri, you can call me by my name.” I give him a little smile. “We used to be friends, right?”

His golden eyes widen slightly, shining with shock, guilt… and respect.

“Of course.”

“Well? So, did that conversation help at all?”

“Yeah, a bit.” I squeeze my clasped hands behind my back as Marx and I walk through the castle on our way back to the office. “I know what to do now… I need to go talk to my relatives. I don’t know why, but I feel like the Simulcians have some sort of history with the Devils. I may be able to tap into that history through synchronization, and unlock some information that could help us defeat Megicula.”

“History?” Marx repeats, looking a bit worried. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… well…” My footsteps slow to a stop, right by a large window. I take a moment to peer down into the city, the Kingdom that doesn’t know the threat that looms over it.

“Every creature has a natural enemy. A sparrow and a hawk. A cheetah and a gazelle. Maybe… maybe it’s wishful thinking-”

The power to strike fear in an unearthly creature…

“Simulcians may be the natural enemy to Devils.”

Marx and I stand there in silence for a few more seconds as my words sink in. Then, I suck in a breath and turn back to him with a smile on my face. “But that would be too good to be true! Natural enemy or not, I’ll defeat the Devil if I have to. But-” I turn to keep walking, my hand coming up to touch my stomach. “I might be handicapped badly at that time, so I’ll need your help to bolster the knights as best we can. Got it?”

I glance back to see him standing there, still thinking about what I said. “...right! And of course, I don’t want you fighting any Devils if you’re pregnant!” he finally answers, jogging a few feet to catch up to me. “Or overworking yourself for that matter…”

“Oh, right!” I grin at the thought. “You found some advisor candidates right?”

“Yep! You probably forgot to look at them this morning.”

“Marx, I’ve been busy! It’s all right, I’ll look at them now-”

Mid-sentence, I turn the corner and run right into someone coming the other way.

“Ouch!”

“Ah!”

I stumble back and look down to see the person I knocked to the ground. “Oh! Are you alright?!” I quickly offer them my hand.

It’s a girl, probably about my age, still dazed from being bumped. She blinks a couple times up at me, her pale yellow eyes slowly filling with a dawning recognition. Then, her mouth drops open.

“Y-Y-Y-”

Uh oh- I gulp, knowing that there’s several things she could be about to say. She probably didn’t expect to run into the Wizard King today… well, I can just tell her it’s alright and move on-

“Y-your eyes…”

Her voice trails off for a moment after those unexpected words leave her lips.

My… eyes?

Out of all my features, my eyes have always been my least favorite. It’s not something I like to think about, but they isolate me as something unusual, even before I manifested the mark on my head. All Simulcians have black eyes, eyes that reflect no light, eyes without pupils, eyes like a black hole that sucks up everything around it. They’re cold, empty eyes, but no one dares to say anything about them.

And yet…

Julius would stare into them for hours. He’d study their depth, not as if it were an oddity, but as if it were some incredible secret he was desperate to understand.

And now, this girl, with her pale eyes the same shade as morning light, let those words pass her lips.

I don’t really know how to react. I don’t know what she’s feeling. I don’t know why that was the first thing she noticed.

But a moment later, her own eyes widen tenfold and she lets out a strangled scream. “AH! WAIT! Y-YOU’RE-” She suddenly drops to the ground, pressing her forehead against it in some kind of weird bow. “You’re the Wizard King! And I just ran into you! Oh god, I’m so so so sorry! This is all my fault, I’m so disrespectful, please execute me!”

She continues to babble on, and both Marx and I stand there, stunned at the barrage of apologies coming from this girl. “Uh… it’s okay, really!” I finally say, and she freezes. “No harm done… it happens to us all, aha-” I don’t know why, but I get real nervous the moment she looks back up at me. “Well… apology accepted? I’m not going to execute you, don’t worry-”

I cut myself off when several things dawn on me at once.

This girl.... She’s pretty. Objectively pretty. She’s curvy in all the right spots, tall, her eyes doe-like and her lips plump. Her face is round, delightfully so. She has a smattering of moles over her face and down her exposed neckline, beauty marks that look pleasant on her skin, which itself is a warm shade of tan. Everything about her is… soft. Her hair is pulled back into a bun on the top of her head, dark blue, almost black. The one imperfection on her whole being is her bangs, which look like they were hacked to pieces by a serial killer. Yet, they still frame her face so well…

But what really makes my blood run cold is her clothes. Well, it’s more of a nightgown, sheer and thin, almost indecent, the plunging neckline hanging dangerously loose over her…. Large figure. It’s an outfit I’ve seen before… and there’s only one reason why she would be wearing it in this part of the castle.

She’s… one of the King’s women…

One of Augustus’s….

“You… where were you heading just now?”

The mere mention makes her eyes fill with a puddle of emotion. Fear, sadness… repulsion. Before she can open her mouth to answer, I hold out my hand again.

“Come on, you’re coming with me.”

The girl blinks, stunned once again. “H-Huh?” Despite her confusion, she immediately reaches up to take my hand. By the time I pull her to her feet, she understands the gravity of the situation. “W-Wait! I-I have to go, or else the King-”

“If the King notices you’re gone, he’ll have to go through me to get you back.” I give her a comforting smile, ignoring the shock on Marx’s face at this impulsive decision. “Now, come on… we have a lot to talk about.”

I tell Marx to go away as soon as we get to my office. The girl nervously sits down in a chair, watching as I walk over to my desk. She gulps once before speaking. “Uh… thank you…”

“Don’t mention it,” I say, picking up my robe, which was draped over the back of my seat, before returning to her side. “Many women have been hurt by that disgusting man… including me.” Her eyes widen a bit as I hand her the robe. “Put this on… you look cold.”

Her eyes linger on me for a moment, but then she smiles. “.... thank you.” She quickly wraps it around her bare shoulders, looking as comfy as can be. The sight strikes a strange… familiarity within me. Julius used to wrap me up in his own robe all the time. Especially on cold mornings… the heat coming from my body always warmed it up in no time for him. That’s probably the reason why this girl looks so cute right now…

“I’m sorry for troubling you,” she finally says, her eyes drifting away from mine. “I look terrible today, too… to tell you the truth…” She points at her messy bangs. “I cut my own bangs on purpose this morning. I hoped he would see them, think I’m ugly, and tell me to leave!” She giggles a bit, but there’s sadness in the sound. “I was so excited to work in the castle… but I never knew this was the job until I got here.”

“That’s… terrible.” I clench my fist at my side, angry flaring up. Damn that Augustus… right when I thought you couldn’t get any worse.

“But! Now I’m here! I don’t know what I’m going to do now, though…” She sighs and suddenly holds her face in her hands. “I’m going to be in so much trouble…”

“Hey! It’s alright. I told you, I won’t let anything happen.” She lowers her hands to see that I knelt down in front of her, giving her a gentle smile. “Tell me… what’s your name?”

She’s transfixed. Hypnotized. For a brief moment, I feel a bit uncomfortable at the way she stares into my eyes. What did she mean before… what is it about my eyes she felt the need to vocalize?

“Adeline. Adeline Lethe.” Her answer is soft, almost timid.

“That’s… a pretty name. Adeline… would you like me to fix your hair?”

Her face lights up. “Yes! Er- I mean, only if you’re not busy-”

The scissors are already in my hand. “It’s fine! I enjoy cutting hair…” Even though I’ve never done it before… I think. Well, Julius was good at it, so I will be, too.

I snip away carefully, and Adeline stays perfectly still. “So… what kind of magic do you have? I assume you’re nobility.”

“Yes, I am!” she responds. “But, I’m sorry to say that I’m not all that powerful or anything… My magic is celestial precognition. But it’s only in flashes… I only see things right before they happen, and there’s never any time to change it.”

“Huh… interesting…” She’s clearly not telling me everything, so I prod a bit more. “Even just a little warning can make a difference, though… but what’s the celestial have to do with it?”

“Well… I see those flashes through nature. The alignment of planets, the pattern of the stars, the position of the moon and sun… I translate those into the future. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain… mostly it’s useless, which is how I ended up in such a bad job…”

“Nonsense! In fact, I think it’s amazing!” Her eyes pop open in shock as I smile down at her once again. “Not many people have that kind of power… and…”

An idea occurs to me.

It could be helpful to have someone who gets flashes of the future by my side…

“Marx?”

“What is it? A problem?” Marx answers through his communicator.

“No, no problem… I was thinking about that new advisor…”

I glance over at Adeline, who’s standing in front of a mirror and admiring her new haircut.

“I think I found one.”

#triad #fic #oc: lisa #black clover

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kinkykinard · 8 years ago

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Eleven Questions Tag Game

Rules

1. Always post these rules

2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you

3. Write 11 questions of your own

4. Tag 11 people

Tagged by @mccoymostly

Anna’s Eleven Questions

1. What’s your absolute favorite scene from any film?

In Legally Blonde, when Elle wins Brooke’s case. I love this scene because it shows everyone that the so-called underdog no one expected to succeed can do whatever she dreams of doing and with an amazing kind of dignity and integrity (by not exposing Brooke’s liposuction alibi). Growing up, I wanted to be Elle Woods. She was made fun of, but she didn’t let it get her down. When obstacles cropped up, she overcame them. When someone told her she couldn’t, well, she just fucking went and did. She inspired me a lot growing up.

2. What’s the most terrible book you’ve ever read?

I guess it’s time to admit that I read Fifty Shades...

I read it so that when people fired the “oh but you haven’t read it” argument at me when I tried to tell them how badly written, badly conceived, and wrong it was I could fire back with “oh, but I have” and dear God. It was so bad it took me about six months to read, a page at a time, and I wanted to set fire to it the whole time.

I was right, though - it’s badly written, it’s poorly conceived, and all kinds of wrong. It’s sexual exploitation, manipulation, and abuse, and you’ll never convince me otherwise. As someone knows how healthy, respectful, loving, mutually consensual BDSM should work, I can now honestly say that Fifty Shades is about as good at portraying BDSM as I would be at portraying a semi truck by sticking paper plates made to look like wheels onto my knees and elbows.

3. Star Trek NoTP, and why?

AOS Spones or McSpirk. I just do not feel the chemistry between Spock and Bones AT ALL in AOS, though I think this is largely because Zachary Quinto’s Spock just isn’t right. I’m a TOS Spock girl all the way.

4. The four most badass humans to ever walk the earth? If you’re feeling it, I’d love to hear your justification. ;)

Oh man, I have to pick only 4?!

Alexander Fleming - he invented penicillin, the world’s first antibiotic. Without it and other beta-lactams (and next-gen antibiotics that followed), most of us wouldn’t be here - someone in our family line would likely have died of some terrible infection, ending us long before we even began. Penicillins have helped save millions, if not billions, of lives over the years.

Lise Meitner - a female nuclear physicist who was instrumental in the discovery and theorization of nuclear fission. She was only allowed to work as a scientist as long as she kept out of the way of the “real scientists” of her time (men), and was not credited with her part in the discovery until a long time after it was presented and widely accepted. She was a champion for women in STEM.

Adam Foss - no one’s heard of him, I’m sure, but he’s a prosecutor in the US criminal justice system. He works with youth, doing his best to reduce or eliminate their sentences so that they have a second chance at a life outside of the system. His goal is to help foster a more caring, compassionate, and fair CJS, especially where PoC are concerned. He recognizes the power dynamic of white people in power versus PoC in the system and wants to shift it more in favor of PoC.

Anna Julia Cooper - The fourth Black woman in US history to receive a PhD. She was an educator, a scholar, an author, a sociologist, and a Black Liberation activist. She was born into slavery and broke out of the system, going on to become hugely successful and to make a difference in the lives of many members of her community. She revolutionized the way sociologists viewed Black rights at the time and was instrumental in the forward movement of the Black Liberation party.

5. The fictional character you identify most with, and why?

Hermione Granger. She was picked on a lot for being bookish and a goody two shoes, even by her own friends sometimes, and that’s my childhood in a nutshell. She overcame a lot of obstacles and stood up for the things that mattered to her, all of which I aspire to do every day of my life. She’s also rocking the craziest curls, and I also have that problem, only instead of Sleekeazy’s hair potion, I have a flat iron.

6. If you could hang out with one person for a day, living or dead, who would you pick, and why?

Chris Hadfield. I met him once, briefly, and in those two minutes he inspired me more than anyone else has ever done to reach for my dreams. He seemed really down to Earth, and I’d just love to hear of all of his adventures on the ISS first hand over coffee.

7. What character, from any source, do you think gives the best kisses, and why?

Bones. The man is a sensualist, and he feeds off of his partner’s responses. He knows how to read a body and he adapts to his partner’s reactions until they reach the perfect equilibrium.

8. Who is your favorite artist (any medium; this can be interpreted broadly), and why?

Leonard Cohen, may he rest in peace. He was an incredible poet with a golden voice, and growing up on his music and anthologies gave me the deep appreciation of the English language and literature that I have today. So many of his works resonate with me. Getting to see him live in concert a few years before his death was the most incredible experience of my life.

9. What’s your favorite theoretical crossover? In other words, what characters, from different fandoms, would you like to see interact, or who would you like to see thrown into a different universe? I hope this question makes sense, guys.

I’d like to see a Star Trek and Torchwood crossover. I think Bones and Owen would either be BFFs for life, or hate the living shit out of each other.

10. Who is your favorite iconic scientist, and which of their contributions do you find most significant?

I’m a sucker for Charles Darwin, without whose foundation on natural selection and evolution we still might not understand how species change, diverge, evolve, and prosper. The entirety of biology might not have advanced without his contributions to the discipline.

11. If you could remake any movie, in any way you want, what movie would you pick, and what would you change?

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I would make it NOT ALIENS because what kind of X-Files bullshit is this? Just no.

Bonus, because Anna lives to break rules

If you could make any contribution to any field (cure any illness, make any discovery, invent any technology, write any book or create any art, be remembered for anything), what would it be, and why?

I would perfect oncolytic viral therapy so that cancer was a lot less of a problem and so those affected wouldn’t have to suffer the horrific side effects of chemo or radiation and disfigurement of major surgery for a mere chance at a cure. It would be effective and targeted with minimal side effects and survival rates would go through the roof.

Jules’ 11 Questions

If you had the power to eliminate any one single form of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, etc), which would it be and why?

If you could live in any one make-believe land or universe, which would it be and why?

If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?

Which of your teachers (in any level of education) had the greatest impact on you - how and why?

If your closest loved one came down with some awful, painful, incurable illness and you could save them in one of two ways, which of these would you pick and why: 1) you can cure them instantly, but the second you do they forget you ever existed and you must live your lives apart, or 2) you can cure them instantly, but you die in their place and they have to live forever without you.

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done to impress someone?

How good are you at facing your fears?

What characteristic do you value the most in friends and why?

If you could wake up tomorrow and suddenly be the world’s best at something, what would it be and why?

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever gotten and how?

Name one random fact that you know that people are always surprised to learn when you tell them.

Tagging - @trekken81 @kilismaiden @dolamrothianlady @littlecarowrites @musingsongbird @storiesfromstarfleet @imamotherfuckingstar-lord @starshiphufflebadger @fandomheadrush @youre-on-a-starship @imaginestartrek @medicatemedrmccoy @imoutofmyvulcanmind @enterprisewriting and anyone else who wants to take part!

#meme #questions #about me

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muirkirkkirk · 5 years ago

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God and Coronavirus

Where is God in this Coronavirus crisis? The answer of liberal Christians, that God is in the midst of our suffering, is not sufficient to assuage our concerns and doubts. God was manifestly not in the midst of Jesus’ suffering on Calvary because He cried out, ‘My God. My God, why have you forsaken me?’ God may well have been present in the foreboding elemental happenings which occurred at the time of Jesus’ death: a darkened sky, an earthquake, the disruption of graves.

It is not the whole story to say that God is accompanying us in our struggles, losses and deprivations. Theologians have wrestled with the issue of evil in the world for millennia. If the Coronavirus is disregarded as a judgement of God on humanity, there is still the issue of why a supposedly good Creator allows humanity to suffer so. We know how the Coronavirus began and how it spread. Bats. A Chinese ‘wet’ seafood market with live and dead animals including marmots and snakes for sale illegally. Transmission of Coronavirus from bats via animals to stallholders. Communist totalitarian denial. Travelling Chinese and hence to humanity.

Who is asking the God question? People in the United Kingdom have largely given up on God, abandoned Christianity and have made Jesus Christ into their second favourite swear word. Political expediency from the Blair years has manufactured a supposed equality of ‘religions’. Christianity is diminished, reduced in status and relegated to second or third reference in television news bulletins behind humanism and Islam.

There is virtually no prophetic Christianity alive in these islands and none that would be regarded with any respect. Stories of some American preachers saying that such pandemics are God’s punishment for human sins are met with contempt and incredulity. According to Christian theology, Jesus is our Saviour. Saviour from what? Our sins. We no longer think of our behaviour as sinful because we do not consider our behaviour in relation to God.

The Bible offers uncompromising insight into the relationship between human wrongdoing and misfortune. In 2 Samuel 24 we read that the Lord was angry with Israel and incited King David (ruled 1010 to 970 BC) to order a census. Joab, the captain of the army disagreed and said the census would bring judgement. David pressed ahead. A plague then broke out among the people. Was it caused by the unnatural gatherings of people? Did they not observe safe distancing? The text says ‘the Lord sent a plague on Israel’. David then realised that he was to blame and set about making public repentance and sacrifice. He uttered one of the greatest truths of the human-God relationship. ‘I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God offerings that cost me nothing’. The text then says, ‘Then the Lord answered his prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped’.

At that time people believed that God was the first cause of everything that happened, both good and bad. This was because they shared in the Covenant with God established on Mount Sinai with Moses. There was immediacy in their relationship. David’s personal relationship with God is perhaps best expressed in Psalm 51, regarded as the greatest penitential Psalm. ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin’.

The New Covenant in Jesus Christ offered immediacy with God to all humanity over the centuries of the Christian dispensation. Beginning in the European middle ages that understanding began to be replaced with distancing. Scientific observation became the interlocutor. This brought about the separation of first and second causes. However, devout and practising Christians still claim to experience God at first hand and relate to God personally and intimately.

One Christian position on the Coronavirus is that it is an evil visited on humanity by primitive unhygienic food practices in the context of the Chinese totalitarian political regime which initially denied its existence. Another Christian interpretation is that this is the work of an intelligent cosmic enemy of God and of humanity, sometimes called Satan. We have lost the immediacy of relationship with God that allows us to cry out collectively and nationally for deliverance. We do not put the blame on the Queen or the Prime Minister for our misfortune and we do not expect either of them to be the means of overcoming this pandemic. We trust in science to suggest a strategy and then find a cure. We are unlikely to re-establish immediate relationship with God. We might take the opportunity to revalue what we live for and ask if our free and easy lifestyles are best practice. We have abandoned Judaeo-Christian teaching on personal ethics, the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount. The Scottish National Party is riven by a debate on whether transgender men identifying as women should be allowed to use female toilets. As Wilfred Owen, the first world war poet asked, ‘Was it for this the clay grew tall?’

Had we in the liberal secular west become over-confident, complacent and far too trusting in many announcements of DNA manipulated solutions to diseases? Were we subconsciously thinking that we were immune from any future global pandemic? It did not even cross our minds. Some scientists warned but politicians did not respond pro-actively. The public knew little of it. We had become obsessed with the planet. We castigated ourselves for its condition and some advocated immediate draconian solutions. It was all about us. We did it. We should sort it. Coronavirus has taught us a severe lesson. We are not as much in charge as we thought. We are not as immune as we thought we were. We have become frightened and insecure. Panic and anxiety abound.

People are dying. Yet the numbers are comparatively small in relation to overall national and global populations; small too, in relation to previous similar pandemics. There is an additional paradox. There were 192,900 abortions for women resident in England and Wales in 2017 and 197,533 abortions including non-residents. This is an increase of 4% since 2016, the highest level since 2008. In Scotland there were 12,212 terminations in 2017, a rise of 1% on the previous year. Not only is there no outcry about such destruction of life but it is the law of the land. Yet for fear of the Coronavirus the country has ground to a halt, the population is under house arrest, the economy has been trashed and people are being impoverished. So far just over 18,100 have died in the UK. This is a very large hypocrisy. [at 2:00 a.m. 23/04/20]

Pity political leaders who have to try to do the right thing, and to be seen to do so else retribution will be visited on them, electorally and historically. Reliance on experts is their fig leaf of respectability. None have any alternative strategy or mode of operation. No political leader has invoked God’s name and help. Christian leaders have been woefully weak and circumspect. There has been no Christian challenge to our values, lifestyles and idolatries. In the face of this menace what many live for is exposed as shallow and absurd; football, entertainment, pub life, buying things in shops and online, holidays, pursuit of money, the illusions of happiness. Debt has been allowed to multiply at macro and micro level and has become an accepted way of life. Poverty relative to visible wealth bounds.

Good neighbourliness is essential to survival and recovery. That we know, whether Christian or not. But may there be more to it than that? Can we appeal to our Maker and Creator for help? Can we imagine taking this all-consuming problem to Jesus Christ, who Christians claim has Lordship over everything seen and unseen? After all, Jesus healed the sick. On earth He had authority in the dimension unseen by the human naked eye where viruses proliferate. The Sacraments of the Christian Church are means of healing for the inner soul and mind and body. They have been thought dispensable. In fact, they are part of our cure.

We are not allowed to congregate in churches to worship and pray. We understand. But this is also a denial of the Christian claim that the primary purpose of our existence is to relate to God. For our own good. So far have we strayed from that defining role, that we think we can relegate God to become only in our estimation a tangential, ghettoised, patronised option. The chilling words of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 59 are relevant. ‘Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear’.

Christians throughout the world are praying for deliverance from this scourge. We are praying for health care workers and front-line staff. We as a nation are not doing so however, and we are making no connection between our collective lifestyles, values, the loss of our Christian inheritance and this pandemic. There is no sense of confession or repentance. These are not secular categories. We expect to carry on as we were until a vaccine is found.

The basic premise of Christianity is resurrection and eternal life. For Christians, physical death is not the end. This is no bedtime fairy story. We are the pioneers of eternal life through Jesus Christ’s resurrection. But His incarnation gives supreme value to our life and living here. His death on Calvary redeems us. We are forgiven. Will Jesus Christ be brought again to the centre of our national life? Will there be services of thanksgiving? Will there be a new moderation of life and living? Will we learn anything? Beyond the scientific scramble for a vaccine and a Nobel prize, everyone needs to do more than self-isolate. Jesus’ answer is, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’. Political leaders of the world, take note.

Rev Dr Robert Anderson

#coronavirus #church #christian #christianity #godsplan

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doctorwhonews · 7 years ago

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Torchwood: The Death of Captain Jack

Latest Review: Writer: David Llewellyn Director: Scott Handcock Featuring: John Barrowman, James Marsters, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Kai Owen, Tom Price, Samuel Barnett, Rowena Cooper Big Finish Release (United Kingdom) Running Time: 1 hour Released by Big Finish Productions - March 2018 Order from Amazon UK After two full seasons of monthly releases set in the lives of Cardiff's least covert secret agents, each entry packed with as much nostalgia as world-building, not to mention a wealth of box-sets taking place in the eponymous organisation's past, present and future, some might reasonably wonder just where Big Finish can take Torchwood next - at least without fulfilling the rule of diminishing returns. To date, we've spent hours in the company of not only every member of the Season One-Two team but also Yvonne Hartman, Suzie Costello, Torchwood America's Charlie's Angels-esque terrific trio, Rhys Williams, Sergeant Andy Davidson and undercover recruits in World War Two. Who else could the studio possibly hope to focus on, then, sans perhaps the elderly woman bemoaning "bloody Torchwood" in the Season Two premiere, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"? The answer, coincidentally enough, lies in that exact same episode, albeit not in the form of Menna Trussler's brilliantly non-plussed Elspeth Morgan, but instead in the form of another oft-forgotten veteran of the show's televised tenure: Captain John Hart. Yes, everyone's other favourite Time Agent has returned for another round on the blood-soaked carousel in The Death of Captain Jack, a disorientating rollercoaster of a season premiere which delivers all of the raunchy setpieces, deliciously macabre humour, Steven Moffat-level time-travel paradoxes and further raunchy setpieces fans could possibly hope for. Every work of fiction has its flaws, of course, and we'll get to Death's blemishes later, but if nothing else, there's never been a Torchwood audio production quite like this one. To quote Amy Pond, okay kids - this is where it gets complicated. Unlike most of these monthly vignettes, Death's place in its source material's continuity starts out sketchy and doesn't become much clearer the further we move through its running time. Suffice to say that any long-running franchise devotees will have their work cut out trying to ascertain quite when the narrative - or at least its framing device, which essentially serves as the crux of proceedings - occurs in relation to John and Jack's fractured romantic / anarchistic relationship across time and space, since there aren't many direct references to on-screen encounters between the pair such as "Kiss Kiss" or Season Two finale "Exit Wounds". What we do know, however, is that the former unashamed megalomaniac decides to finally bring their competition to best one another to an explosive end, causing a wealth of paradoxes destabilising enough to leave Jack on the brink of a permanent demise and John as the King of England. If that sounds like a recipe for a glorious hour of unhinged science-fiction hysteria, then take comfort in the knowledge that your ears are working perfectly. If anything, the play's wright David Llewellyn takes those expectations and extrapolates them tenfold, his script gleefully embracing the explosive carnage that its two Time Agent protagonists bring to anyone caught - figuratively or often literally - between them, with the pair's at times lust-driven, at times hopelessly self-destructive relationship an empowering wildcard that keeps the hour refreshingly unpredictable. Whether he's having John compare Torchwood Three to Scooby Doo "without the cartoon dog or the lesbian" or depicting fan favourite characters like Ianto Jones or Rowena Cooper's Queen Victoria in hilariously risque new lights, Llewellyn takes evident delight in the audio range's producer, James Goss, giving him free reign to steer many of the show's core tenets totally off the rails with a chaotic, constantly expectation-subverting romp that can't fail to keep even the most emotionally apathetic listener entertained. Sure, we're left in almost no doubt that the events depicted here can't come to affect future Torchwood storylines, but who cares when the results are such visceral fun to consume through our earlobes? That wouldn't necessarily have been the case, though, without two such accomplished lead performers at Death's helm. Enter John Barrowman and long overdue returnee James Marsters, both of whom wholeheartedly embrace the opportunity to deliver a psychologically warped comedy-drama where the only rule is that there are no rules. In many ways Barrowman's gifted with the chance to play two roles - the good Captain whom we know and love as well as the aged soul who lies before John on seemingly the final day in their centuries-spanning conflict - and, naturally, does a stellar job on both fronts, as intoxicatingly charismatic and complacent ever in the former guise while the most vulnerable and morally crushed that we've seen him since Miracle Day in the latter. As for Mr. Masters, whereas some of Doctor Who and Torchwood's past cast members needed time to adjust to portraying their characters in audio form, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Marvel's Runaways star takes to Big Finish like a devilishly handsome duck to the Time Vortex's waters, his constant barrage of witty retorts, pop culture references, beguiling pick-up lines and pre-murder zingers voiced with the kind of unsettling enthusiasm that only an actor of his calibre can truly muster. Much as Big Finish are rightly striving to entice series regulars like Eve Myles and Burn Gorman to find time amidst their hectic schedules to record further Torchwood plays, this reviewer would suggest that the studio makes Masters another major priority in this regard whenever the right script and the necessary gap in his own calendar arise. So, with all of these glowing remarks, how could we possibly smell a fault in the framework of this undoubtedly successful new chapter for the only team ready for that key moment when "everything changes"? Well, kindly juxtapose that iconic quote from the show's opening sequence with our comments above and you'll ideally start to notice that despite subverting many of the show's tropes, The Death of Captain Jack does incorporate a heck of a lot of previously explored character dynamics, cameos from familiar faces, What If paradoxes and the like which we've seen done to death - many times over in Jack's eternal case - countless times before on Torchwood and elsewhere in the so-called Whoniverse (though feel free to substitute this term with any other epithets for the wider franchise that you see fit). Indeed, Llewellyn, Goss, and company could easily have gotten away with rebranding this release as Torchwood: Greatest Hits, since rather than taking us into any particularly new territory that no-one could have seen coming, the intention seems to have been to simply spend more time with the admittedly electric Jack-John pairing which only got 2 full episodes in which to shine during 2008's Season Two. That's a noble gesture to fans clamoring for further such antics to be sure but does inevitably result in a storyline which - for all its rib-tickling one-liners - will rarely catch veteran fans off-guard. That, in turn, plays into the matter of continuity which we discussed briefly earlier when summarizing Death's basic premise. On a superficial level, to call out the script for refusing to explicitly confirm whereabouts in Jack and John's timelines these events take place - a tricky business to discuss fully in this review without spoiling the exact nature of certain happenings we see play out here - may seem a prime example of nitpicking, but given that we last witnessed Masters' character wanting to understand Jack's passionate zest for Earthbound life by exploring the planet himself, having his return to his tricksome ways this time around explained by the outcome of those travels might've afforded an additional layer of depth to his character arc as well as fuel for future storylines at Big Finish. Does John's manipulative, self-serving outlook on life inevitably mean that he'll never remain content with a universe out for anyone's gain but his? Is his psyche comparable to Missy's in "Death in Heaven", whereby the pair both "wanted their friends back" no matter how devastating the circumstances? Factoring questions like these into Death just might have made the key difference between the latest Torchwood range outing coming off as a satisfying or game-changing listen. Anyway, enough grimacing for the time being - to do so for longer than necessary would be to stray far from the central fact of the matter. Even if The Death of Captain Jack doesn't necessarily start 'Season Three' of Big Finish's monthly Torchwood releases with quite the same intriguing arc threads as The Conspiracy did in 2015 or never-before-seen crossover hijinks between Jack and Queen Victoria (a total newcomer to the show) as The Victorian Age did the following year, its raw appeal as a tour de force in time-bending, romantically charged and at times unexpectedly violent storytelling can't possibly be denied. Anyone who's long craved a reunion between the only two surviving Time Agents depicted in Doctor Who and its spin-offs will almost certainly have a whale of a time with Death between its jet-black comedy, its protagonists' never-ending duel of wits and sexual prowess and its scribe's dedication to uprooting Torchwood tropes by the dozen at every turn with hilarious results. Everything mightn't change here, then, but everything's at least looking up in terms of the studio's ability to keep producing memorable monthly outings for Harkness and company. http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2018/04/torchwood_the_death_of_captain_jack.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

#{s{BFTheDeathOfCaptainJack}}#Big Finish #Audio #Torchwood

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