#romana project

[stopmyhearts]

Tegan’s experience of travelling with the Doctor had convinced her that (a) he didn’t know what was going on most of the time, and (b) when he did get things right it was more by luck than judgement.

She gets it

[samwisethewitch]

Pagan Wedding Flowers (and other plants) Cheat Sheet

Flowers have been associated with weddings for almost as long as humans have been getting married. In fact, the use of flowers in ritual may actually be older than humans! Neanderthal graves in Iraq suggest that Neanderthals buried their dead with flowers. There are mentions of flowers in our earliest recorded accounts of weddings, such as in Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Historically, couples would have used whatever flowers were available to them. While some cultures had flowers they preferred for weddings because of their symbolism, couples would have been limited by what grew in their area and by what was in bloom at the time of their ceremony. To be truly as historically accurate as possible, consider using flowers you grew or foraged yourself. Bonus points for native blooms!

For those who aren't into growing or gathering your own wedding flowers, modern florists and greenhouses allow us to choose from a wide range of flowers, many of which aren't native to our homes. This makes it much easier to choose flowers based on their symbolism, history, or cultural meaning.

Historic Wedding Flowers + Plants

Roses have been the flower of choice for Western weddings pretty much forever, and with good reason. The rose is associated with several ancient goddesses of sex, fertility, and/or romance, such as Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Venus. (Later, medieval Christians would also associate this flower with the Virgin Mary.) Including the goddess's flowers in a wedding may have been a way of invoking her blessing on the union. Sappho called rose "Queen of the Flowers."

Roses are held in a high regard in pretty much every culture with access to them. They're strongly associated not only with love, but also with beauty, wholeness, blessings, and even spirituality.

Rose was included in wedding celebrations in Ancient Hellos (Greece) and Rome. It is associated with the planet Venus and the water element.

Wheat was also a popular inclusion in weddings in ancient Greece and Rome. Hellenic brides would carry sheaths of wheat or another grain to invoke fertility and good fortune. Wheat was strongly associated with agrarian goddesses like Demeter, Persephone, Ceres, and Proserpina. Carrying wheat may also have been a way of expressing a wish for the marriage to produce many children. Pliny the Elder explicitly says in his Natural History that wheat was included in weddings to honor Ceres.

In modern occult systems, wheat is associated with fertility, the conception of children, and wealth. It is associated with the planet Venus and the element of earth.

Olive branches also featured in Hellenic weddings. Olive was an important crop in the ancient Mediterranean, and olive branches were a symbol of peace and friendship. Olive was also used in the victors' crowns in the Olympic Games. In Athens, the olive tree was a symbol of Athena. It was also carried by worshipers of Apollo when they visited the Oracle at Delphi. Olive was also important to the Romans, who associated it with Mars in his aspect as a protector of peace.

In modern magic traditions, olive is associated with beauty, healing, stamina, wealth, fertility, protection and of course, peace. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Orange blossoms were included in Hellenic weddings as a sign of happiness. These strongly scented white flowers also sometimes appeared in Roman weddings. Thousands of years later, Queen Victoria wore a crown of orange blossoms at her wedding, but for her they were a symbol of chastity.

In modern systems, orange is associated with joy, partnership, sweetness, and good luck. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Hawthorn appeared in weddings in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder said that Roman bridal processions included a hawthorn torch dedicated to the goddess Ceres. In Rome, hawthorn was more generally associated with love and good luck.

In Celtic cultures, especially Ireland, hawthorn was believed to be a fairy tree. For this reason, cutting a hawthorn tree or bringing hawthorn branches inside was considered bad luck.

The blooming of hawthorn trees was used to determine the date of Bealtaine, and hawthorn boughs were often decorated with flowers, ribbons, and egg shells to make a May bush, which was placed by the front door for good luck. In Britain, hawthorn wood was used to carve maypoles. Hawthorn flowers may be especially appropriate for a May wedding or handfasting.

In modern occultism, hawthorn is associated with protection, healing (especially healing the heart), romantic love, fertility, granting wishes, and happiness. It is still strongly associated with weddings and marriage. It is associated with the planet Mars and the fire element.

Lotus may have featured in ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) weddings. The lotus was an important symbol in Kemetic religion, and was associated with the sun, rebirth, and the creation of the world. Lotus flowers featured in festivals to honor Hapi, the androgynous god of the Nile. The lotus is used in art to represent Upper Egypt. An Egyptian poem from 1100 BCE connects the lotus to marriage.

Lotus flowers were also popular in ancient Chinese weddings, and they're still used by some Chinese couples today. In Chinese culture, lotus represents purity, honor, and long life.

In modern traditions, lotus is associated with protection, spirituality, and blessings. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Yellow flowers were used in pre-Christian Ireland for blessings and protection. The exact flower used for these rituals is not specified, so it seems like the color was what mattered. Modern pagans looking to carry on this tradition have lots of yellow flowers to choose from. Some popular choices include yellow roses (see above), yellow amaryllis (associated with creativity, playfulness, and joy), chrysanthemum (associated with long life, optimism, and protection), marigold (associated with happiness, rebirth, and vitality), and/or daffodils (associated with love, fertility, and luck).

Modern Wedding Flowers

We've gone over some of the flowers that were popular in historic pagan weddings, but it's also easy to pagan-ify the flowers that are most popular in modern weddings. Here's a quick rundown of some popular wedding blooms and their neopagan and occult symbolism:

Peony is associated with purification, healing, prosperity, and success. In ancient Rome, peony was believed to be sacred to Mars. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Dahlia is associated with mystery, occult wisdom, and transformation. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Lilac is associated with balance, peace, romance, protection from evil, and attracting friendly spirits. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Sweet Pea is associated with comfort, charm, and sweetness. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Hydrangea is associated with healthy boundaries, breaking negative patterns, hex breaking, and protection. It is associated with water and with both the moon and Neptune.

Tulip is associated with beauty, desire, gratitude, love, prosperity, and simplicity. It is associated with Venus and the earth element.

Orchid is associated with beauty, elegance, sexuality, fertility, and romance. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Lily is associated with spirituality, beauty, harmony, and protection from the evil eye. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Carnation is associated with beauty, love, rebirth, strength, and healing. Carnations are associated with same-gender love and especially love between men because of Oscar Wilde's fondness for them. They are associated with the sun and the fire element.

Gardenia is associated with love, peace, healing, and spirituality. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Resources:

"New Neanderthal remains associated with the ‘flower burial’ at Shanidar Cave," Cambridge University Press

"History of Wedding Flowers" by Benna Crawford

The Roman Wedding by Karen K. Hersch

"The Olive in the Ancient Mediterranean" by Mark Cartwright

"The History, Mythology, and Offerings of Hawthorn" by Meghan Pivarnik

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler

The Magic of Flowers by Tess Whitehurst

The Magic of Trees by Tess Whitehurst (see my disclaimer about Whitehurst's books, but these are some of her better ones)

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

[triple1st]

underrated romana/leela moment to me is that despite leela swearing that blood will have blood & that her last purpose on gallifrey will be to avenge her husband by killing his murderer before joining him in death, she doesn't, when she learns it was romana (under pandora's control) who struck andred through his hearts she laments that she cannot kill romana & therefore she will leave gallifrey without her vengeance. like that is devotion baby, that's the unhealthy dependency that romana inspires in her friends, unflinching loyalty to the office of lord president as long as romanadvoratrelundar holds it & if she is no longer in power her closest friends will stay by her side until she regains her right as heir of dvora to rule gallifrey

[idobebeinggay]

Not seen this one before!!!!

Welcome back Romana

[loudlylovingreview]

Liz Theoharis & Shailly Gupta Barnes: The Christian Nationalist Vision for America

Project 2025: A New Pax Romana. Roman poet Juvenal coined the phrase “bread and circuses” nearly 2,000 years ago for the extravagant entertainment the Roman Empire used to distract attention from imperial policies that caused widespread discontent. Imagine the lavish banquets, gladiatorial bouts, use and abuse of young men and women for the pleasure of the rich, and so much more that…

[anghraine]

I've had an unfathomably stressful weekend among my right-wing maternal relatives. Naturally, I'm celebrating my escape with a poll!

I like to headcanon a bunch of my faves as ace or grey-ace, sometimes with reasons that make sense to other people, sometimes out of pure projection (I'm a grey-ace lesbian myself, and this bleeds out into my fandom tastes!).

REMINDER that this isn't (necessarily) a vote for your favorite character, or even your personal favorite-of-all-time ace headcanon. Vote for the character on this list that you would most enjoy imagining as asexual or grey-ace. Feel free to add details about your headcanons for your choice, though!

Details for mine specifically:

Luke Skywalker - aro-ace, misunderstands his natural rapport+psychic bond with Leia as attraction in part because he's never actually experienced real attraction and never will.

Charlotte Lucas - ace lesbian.

Men in Tolkien - grey-ace or ace, depending on the instance (I was tempted to exclude a very few specific individuals like Finwë, Samwise Gamgee, and Eöl, but it was inconvenient, and honestly, I still feel the Tolkien default for dudes is grey-ace).

Spock - gay grey-ace outside of pon farr scenarios (he hates the prospect of pon farr with T'Pring for multiple reasons! he's also aggressively disinterested in Mudd's women, the lady sexbots in "Shore Leave," etc, for ... uh, also multiple reasons).

Romana I - grey-ace.

Athena - very aggressively 100% aro-ace, can and will strike down anyone who doubts this.

Anakin Skywalker - Padmésexual.

Fitzwilliam Darcy - grey-ace, has been slightly attracted to people before, but rarely and not very strongly, until Elizabeth upends his entire experience of sexuality in the space of about 2 weeks. His own feelings only get (far) more intense and foreign to him from there.

Emelye - aro-ace. Rarely have I more strongly wished I could free someone from the story they're trapped in.

Tar-Telperiën - aro-ace, will bring the full weight of royal power to bear on anyone who has a problem with it (following the example of her lesbian great-grandmother Tar-Ancalimë, but refusing to marry at all. goodforher.jpeg)

Moiraine - grey-ace & lesbian. Yes, I know Jordan wants me to believe she's into Thom. je refuse

Cassian Andor - grey-ace, and near the "fully ace" boundary. He's mostly into Jyn and very surprised (and initially dismayed) about it.

[religio-iapygiorum]

oh hey this got popular while i was asleep! there's already more interest than i expected tbh, which is super exciting!

i do want to clarify bc i'm worried i'm getting people's hopes up that this is Reconstructionism Hard Mode™. we've got a fair bit of material evidence, several short-ish inscriptions, a bit of description from outsiders, but no narratives from the emic (i.e., ingroup) perspective. there will be deities we know only by name & practices we know only by the offerings that failed to burn completely. there is nothing resembling a complete picture here, especially not by the standards of hellenic polytheism-but when we find similarities to hellenic polytheism, we can guess at the gaps. sometimes.

i think this sort of exercise is worthwhile, personally. i yearn to know more about deities long forgotten, the evidences they've left behind, their echoes in a landscape long buried. but while there may be a treasure trove of individual pieces here, it's difficult to form an overall narrative. so. be warned, ig

right, so: what is this project & why am i doing it?

a quick intro first—i’m e (any pronouns) & i’m a history student of a completely different time period. that’s your first indication not to take my word as fact! i’ll be drawing on & quoting from established scholarship, which i’ll always cite. they’re the real experts, not me, so please do go back and read them if you’re curious & have the language. (you can always message/ask if you’re having trouble accessing papers.)

in general & on a personal note, i’m super interested in life on the peripheries. we’ve got a billion million sources for the polytheisms of rome and athens and a few other greek poleis—awesome, but what about everywhere else?

(why this particular periphery? my ancestors, both very recent & presumably more distant, are from this location. that’s where my interest stems from, but it doesn’t have to be yours—i will not tolerate folkist attitudes in this space.)

ok, so, what is this blog?: a place for me to aggregate research, in english, on the religious practices of pre-Roman Iapygia. this is not my own research—what i’m doing here is not-strictly-academic synthesis of existing research, primarily for a polytheist reconstructionist audience.

the evidence my sources discuss are almost entirely drawn from archaeological research, and most of this research is written in italian. i am not an archaeologist and italian is not my first language (though i can get by), so there’s another handful of reasons to take anything written here with a grain of salt—though of course i’ll always strive to be as accurate of a transmitter & translator as i possibly can.

why am i doing this?: because i wanted something like this to exist, and it didn’t. at the very least, this blog will be a place for me to sort out my own thoughts, organize my notes, and speculate on possible historical practices. at the very most, it’ll be interesting to other people as well.

if you’re interested in learning a bit about pre-roman religion in one region of the italic peninsula, then i’d love to have you along for the trip!

[romana-after-dark]

Our Gentle Sins: Bonus Chapter; Scott's POV

Thank you so so so much to @plasticbabies for making this beautiful header!!!! we finally have a good one!

Dark!Logan Howlett x fem!reader

Series Masterlist : Main Masterlist : Logan Masterlist

Spotify Playlist

Follow @romana-updates and click follow, join my tumblr community or ask to join the tag list to keep up!

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Chapter summary: Scott is watching

1.1k words

*******************

Before

“Something is going on between those two…”

 Scott murmurs, staring at Logan and you while dancing with Jean. He knew he should be paying attention to Jean, not Logan, given how much he fought for the former over the latter, but he couldn’t stop. Around them, students danced and giggled and whispered, and Scott was aware much was about the two couples. Students weren’t stupid, especially in high school, and they have their own “ships” as they call them between the teachers. Scott was also aware that he was very much liked by the students, second only, probably, to you, and he had a group that liked to come and eat lunch with him as a group. He didn’t mind, and if he had work to do he’d simply let them know, so it was a great way for him to really get to know his students. The other upside is that he gets an inside view of the students goings on.

Much to his annoyance, lots of students “shipped” him and Logan. They started to say something about “enemies to lovers” but Scott told them not to talk like that with him. There was an all out shipping war in the middle of class one day while the kids were supposed to be working on a group project, and he was flabbergasted to find the teenagers extremely invested in whether Jean chose Logan or him last year. Insane. Of course, Logan lost Jean, leading to him running off once again. This time, in the middle of the semester. Luckily, replacing the gym teacher wasn’t too hard, but it was an annoyance.

Now, however, tides have turned with the introduction of Judith Palmer to the school. She was liked immediately by the kids, even if the teachers found her a bit odd to start. Remy and her had gotten along quickly, but that's no shock to anyone; Remy could charm the pants off anyone. Luckily, she didn’t wear pants, and it didn’t seem like he was trying to get into them if she did. The rumors flew like wildfire that she and Logan were together as soon as he came back, tail tucked between his legs to the school.

“Scott.”

She was sweet, quiet and shy while Logan was brash, sarcastic, rough. But were lonely in a way that attracted one to the other, a feeling that only they could understand one another. Pretty soon everyone “shipped” them together, thankfully leaving Scott alone with his wife.

Unfortunately, the relationship just didn’t sit right with Scott.

“Scott!” Jean’s voice broke him out of his thoughts, he turned to find her watching him in concern. “Hey, what’s going on?”

He sighs. “Sorry honey… I just don’t like it.”

Jean cocks her head to the side, frowning a bit at him. “What? Seeing Logan happy?”

“No! It’s just-” He looks at the dancing couple again. “There’s something going on between them!”

A soft hand touches his face, coaxing him back to the woman in his arms. The one he should be paying attention to. “Something is going on. They’re falling in love, Scott.”

“But he’s not good for her! He’s gonna hurt her, somehow, he’s going to-”

Jean let go of him, stopping their dance. “This is ridiculous. You’ve gotta let it go. You won, Scott. That doesn’t mean he can’t have a happy ending too.” She looked frustrated with him, and he knew, he fucking knew he should take her back, wrap her up in his arms and have a nice night together, but when he glanced back, Logan spun her around, and thats when he saw it…

Her dress, it brushed to the side just enough for him to see 3 claw marks on her back. 

“Fine.” She huffs, turning on her heel, probably hoping he’d follow after her. “Stay bitter, if you want. But it’s not a good look.”

And he should've. He should’ve went after her, either danced with her or taken her back to their room and fucked her until they both forgot about Logan like they’d been trying to do since she first cheated on him… but Judith was falling into Logan’s trap just like Jean had, and by the way they were dancing, it’s clear she wasn’t phased by him hurting her. With her head resting on his shoulder, a soft smile… She was just the type of girl to fall into abuse, primed for it by her upbringing and the abuse she suffered. Charles had told him what happened to her, some of the basics without violating her privacy, and maybe he told Logan too. Maybe that’s why Logan chose her.

But Scott, Scott wasn’t going to let this stand.

So he didn’t follow his wife. Instead, he waited until Logan and her stopped dancing, until she’d had a chance to mingle with her students a bit.

Then, Scott asked her for a dance.

After

“She’s pregnant.”

Scott spit out his mouthwash. “Who?”

“Judith.” Jean washed her face, uninterested in the conversation she started. “She’s pregnant. Willing to bet her and Logan finally made it official. Are you gonna throw a fit over that now too? Or do you just want to go back to fighting him.”

Jean had not been happy that he and Logan had gotten into a fight again, especially the fact that Scott hadn’t even asked you what happened, simply accusing Logan of hurting you. Scott knew Jean still held a soft spot for Logan, that they still talked and it killed him knowing they were around each other sometimes. She’d said he was acting like a child, but she didn’t get it. 

Jean was blinded by her affection for Logan, and it was getting in the way of seeing what was happening. A few months ago, you changed. You were quieter, smiled far less. Bags under your eyes that had always been there worsened and he watched your appearance slip. You were still put together, but not the same pristine woman he’d seen even on holiday weekends. You also had been noticeably strained from Logan, something the students had noticed too. The only thing normal with you was your friendship with Remy, which did comfort Scott some.

Jean had become distant, but if Scott was honest, it wasn’t her fault. Scott was becoming obsessed with figuring out what was happening between the two, and he knew he was neglecting his wife for it. Still, he couldn’t stop.

“Come on, let’s go to bed.” He coaxed Jean back to the bedroom where he tried, really tried to show her he wasn’t interested in Judith being pregnant, even with Logan’s baby. He tried to show her he loved her, to make love to his wife. But the chasm between them was growing as your condition worsened. 

Now, he had another piece to why.

****************

I was trying to figure out some joke with the song "Scotty doesn't know" but with Scott knows.... idk i havn't figured it out XD

Anyway! a little snippet of Scotts side of things.

love yuh!

@multiversed-daydreamer @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @del-ightfulling @miraclesabound @hindi-si-ikay @samsamsantos @madamerubrum @shybluebirdninja a @hornystan @rogueinmymind @accountforreading123 @yawnetu @princessanglophile @and-claudia @new-genesis1000 @teaganthemorningstar @oldloganslittleslut @zaggprincess2 @bugsinmyeyez @groundclueless @cosmolight

[far-too-many-words]

"But that's not how regeneration works!"

I completely get people being confused or frustrated by "bi-generation". It seems to mess with a familiar formula, and looks like a way of handling a casting transition in a way that fits an episode but isn't consistent with what's come before...

Well, yeah! That's how the majority of regenerations have worked: weirdly different from what's come before, to suit the story in which it occurs.

Let's start by acknowledging a crucial fact: the entire concept of regeneration from One to Two was invented to get around a rather awkward recast. Not because the show wanted to explore the themes of rebirth, loss, and self-improvement, or anything like that; the message grew from the medium, but it was an out-of-nowhere casting necessity.

Then Two to Three changes it up by having it be induced (rather than a seemingly-natural response to "wearing a bit thin"). And not merely induced, but customisable!

Three to Four introduces the concept of- wait, non-linear regenerations? K'anpo Rimpoche and Cho-Je* depict a Time Lord manifesting his future regeneration prematurely, the elderly K'anpo being assisted by the young Cho-Je. And let's be clear, here: this isn't Cho-Je travelling back in time to help his previous incarnation, but (as shown by Cho-Je flickering out of existence when K'anpo is disturbed) a projection of a future regeneration that is somehow manifesting before it's time.

Speaking of non-linear regeneration, we've got the classic example: the Watcher! The weird puffy pale guy stalking the Fourth Doctor. When the Fourth Doctor eventually fell down and died (literally), he assured his companions that "the moment has been prepared for" as the Watcher... just walked into his chest and became the Fifth Doctor!

So, personally, I would say Five to Six following the formula of "irreparable damage, lie down, glow, hangover, back to business" is arguably more weird simply by not inventing some new mechanic out of nowhere!

Even the notion that the Doctor regenerates as a survival mechanic was only hinted to with One, absent in Two, made explicit but needed aided by a whole other Time Lord with Three, and repeated with Four but needed a whole pre-generation "Watcher".

Six to Seven kept that going, as did Seven to Eight. Eight to [REDACTED] arguably remained consistent by having a return to Two's "Pick-A-Face" system. [REDACTED] to Nine appears to be random, as that was the most common and most recent pattern, but literally half of them had either avoided that formula - or flat out changed stuff about it!

And this isn't even getting into Romana! Romana "you can't wear that body" "I thought it looked nice on the princess" the Face-Stealer! Self-induced regeneration out of a desire for something new!

So yeah, bi-generation is weird. Old faces reappearing is weird. Non-linear self-care is weird.

But you know what? Pre-generation was weird. Pick-(or Steal-)A-Face was weird. Being stalked by an incomplete version of your future self was weird.

Time Lords are weird. And thank goodness someone remembered that.

* - By the way, with talk of the Toymaker going around, let's acknowledge the Orientalism surrounding these two characters, please. Fucking hell.

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 19: Gallifrey at War Part 3

TW: more gruesome Time War/Civil War shit, lots of death, disturbing stuff

The Last Great Time War had several simultaneous origins for both the Time Lords and Daleks. For example, tensions have been rising from the very beginning for the Daleks since the Time Lords tried to avert their creation.

During the War in Heaven, the Army of One project saw the regen-inf soldier Chris Cwej multiplied into an entire Cwejen army.

The Neverweres are creatures that should never have existed. They were built from pieces of evolution that never actually happened.

The Time Lords allied themselves with the Technomancers during the Last Great Time War. The Technomancers used their magic to resurrect dead Time Lords, providing Gallifrey with soldiers that were eternally renewable and disposable.

In reality, the Time Lords were nothing more than pawns in the eyes of the Technomancers. The Technomancers worship the Horned Ones, and the reanimated Time Lords carried pieces of the Horned Ones in them. Once enough pieces of the Horned Ones were inside Time Lords, the Horned Ones would have been able to rule over all life.

Because of this, the War Doctor used the Annihilator to erase the Technomancers from the timeline. The only thing of them that remained were the memories of people who had met them before, memories of people who now never were.

There have been at least two Gallifreyan Civil Wars. The Time Lady Pandora was involved with both.

After the First Gallifreyan Civil War, Pandora was dispersed so thoroughly she never existed, but a copy of her consciousness remained in the Matrix.

From here, Pandora manipulated Time Lord genetics to produce a host she could use. This is what led to Romana's creation. When the Shadow's torture awoke Pandora's influence in her, Romana I regenerated into Romana II to suppress her.

Once freed by Darkel, Pandora latched on to Castellan Wynter. This made the Castellan consume the Dogma Virus in order to fight back.

The Dogma Virus was created by the Free Time organization under direction of the Daleks. The virus laid dormant in Time Lords until their regeneration. Then, it would hijack the Time Lord’s symbiotic nuclei and basically turn them into zombies (was Time Lord zombie plague on anyone's bingo cards?).

During the War in Heaven, Lady President Romana at one point had an epileptic fit resulting in the release of 300 Shada prisoners, including Grandfather Paradox.

When Darkel tried to remove Romana from presidency during the Second Gallifreyan Civil War, Romana declared herself Imperiatrix, basically the Gallifreyan dictatorial leader.

Pandora used the Dogma Virus and force-regeneration of other Time Lords to increase the size of her army. Romana relied on destroying infrastructure and the Rassilon Imprimaturs to stop this civil war from becoming a time war.

Even after the Second Gallifreyan Civil War, there was still an outbreak of Dogma Virus. A biodata archive was eventually used to restore the Time Lords from a backup (their last save point), but the reset left Gallifrey vulnerable to Dalek attack.

In the early days of the War in Heaven, the "jungle children" experiment was conducted by House Arpexia. The intent was to see how Homeworlder biodata was changed if they were raised by humans. When Kaspar Hauser was placed in 1828 Nuremburg, he remained relatively unchanged, but the timeline around him began to reshape. When the experiment concluded, Hauser was killed.

The anima device was a psychic weapon in the Omega Arsenal that took away its victim's free will and allowed the user to control the victim's mind. During the Last Great Time War, the Doctor used it to try to create a peace where Daleks and Time Lords were farmers.

The War Doctor forced Dorium Maldovar to come with him to Villengard to destroy a bunch of weapons factories before they could be taken by the Dalek Fleet. The Doctor turned the factories into palm trees with a molecular fruit bomb.

During the Battle of Rodan's Wedding in the Last Great Time War, years were used as ammunition. In the one battle, shrapnel aged the Eighth Doctor to be five million years old. The next shrapnel hit de-aged him to a whimpering infant.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

[stopmyhearts]

"I'm afraid I can't think in billions,' said Romana. 'I can only think of Adric - alone and a prisoner in this Tower. You go to the TARDIS, I'll join you as soon as I can.'

This is something really interesting about Romana because I don't think she ever really stops thinking like this. Even as a president in the civil war, with the fate of an entire planet on her shoulders, she still counts, to the best of her ability, the lives lost and she takes each as her personal responsibility

[samwisethewitch]

On Lughnasa (August 1st), 2023, under a full moon in Aquarius, my partner and I got married in a handfasting ceremony.

We designed this ceremony from scratch ourselves, incorporating elements from our own faiths. My personal practice is a mix of Heathenry and Reclaiming (and, ngl, is heavily influenced by Wicca) and my now-husband is Roman pagan. We also both have Irish American heritage that is important to our families, which is why we chose to incorporate historic Irish elements.

And our boyfriend was our officiant!

[presidentdisastraofgallifrey]

I am President of Gallifrey

Day 1

“I am President of Gallifrey,” Romana smoothed her wrinkled and dusty robes and stared down the dalek’s gun. “Exterminate me at your own peril, because once the Time Lords find you they will leave only a crater where you stood.”

She almost stumbled over the last word, distracted for a moment by the fact that daleks didn’t really stand, exactly. But she was used to pushing away distracting thoughts, and the sentence ended up every bit as regal as she had intended. The delegates from the other powers, who had come to bargain about minerals, seemed happy enough to huddle behind her as she did the talking, put off their extermination a little longer…

Not that she had any control over that, and it was frankly odd that they weren’t all dead yet. Romana decided to push her luck. She took a firm step forward. “What do you want with this moon?”

She saw the blow coming from the ogron to her left. She raised her hand to block it. But there was only so much she could do unarmed, and they’d even taken her metal mantles away.

Day 3

“I am President of Gallifrey,” Romana did her best to sneer at the dalek looming into her field of vision. This one was purple. “Do you think I’m not trained in psychic resistance—ah!”

Think of K-9. Picture his little antennae-tail twirling frantically as they searched for her. Not even searched—everyone knew where she was. They should have been here by now, actually. Maybe they were hovering in orbit now, debating whether it was worth the trouble to break through Dalek shields and fight in to rescue her, or if they should just bomb the whole place.

Most of her hoped they would bother to get her out.

[wannab-urs]

The Spreadsheet Digest - Vol 23

Howdy y'all!

If you're new here this is every new (to me) fic I read this week and some of my silly lil thoughts about them.

I did some catching up on series this week and also did some writing so I've only got 12 fics for you this week! I read a lot of dark shit this week, but that's October for ya. There's still some sweetness in here somewhere if you aren't into dark stuff and I've made sure to mark everything appropriately (I think).

As always you can find all my previous fic recs here.

Recs below the Pedros!

Apple - a Frankie/Santi/Will one shot by @romana-after-dark

You are married to Santi and you have a CNC kink he very happily obliges. You set up a thing where Santi, Will, and Frankie pretend to be home invaders and they gangbang you. Stuff goes a lil sideways and it ends up being NC/DC. This was wonderfully unsettling. I love how there's this strand of believability that they don't intentionally overstep her boundaries. It's dark and scary and feels very real.

sam and diane, eat your heart out a Marcus Pike one shot by @chronically-ghosted

You've been working with Marcus for a while and finally wrapped up the case you were on. You've almost given up ever getting what you want with him when finally!! You both admit your feelings for each other. Cue steamy office make out sesh with thigh riding. I loved the will they won't they shit in the beginning. The frustration makes the pay off so good.

i am touchin', i am grabbin', everything I can't be havin' - a Dieter one shot by @chronically-ghosted

You show up at the doorstep of your long time but estranged family friend Dieter Bravo, soaking wet and with nowhere else to go. You've known him so long you call him Uncle Dee, no I'm not kidding. I almost didn't click on this bc like UNCLE?? But he's not really your uncle and I cannot express enough how fucking hot this was. Like Dieter is just so fucking good this OH MY GOD. If you love Dieter, read this. You'll love it.

Recovery Road - a Dieter series by @chronically-ghosted

Dieter finally gets his shit together, he's clean and married and working on a new project. His costar (you) is a cunt fr. You're on drugs, you're a brat, and you're a mess. And Dieter can't stay away from you. When his wife gets fed up with him and humiliates him in public, you're there to catch him... and ruin his sobriety, his marriage, and maybe everything else. I have a couple chapters left of this but OH MY GOD. I was so MAD at Dieter, but also so sad for him. Don't take that as me saying I didn't love this because I did. I do. It's so beautifully written. The pain and angst and desperation and everything is so powerful, this hurts to read. And the smut? Mind altering actually.

a revolting development - a Joel series by @chloeangelic

Your new step dad is really hot... and that's gonna be a problem. I've been reading so many step dad fics lately (not just Joel!) and I'm so into it and what is wrong with me?

The Rogue Who Coaxed You - a Joel series by @atticrissfinch

You're Joel's secretary and you suck him off while he fields a phone call from his wife! We love an infidelity fic round these parts, we really do. Reader is filthy, Joel is mean, there's a lot of degradation, the works. I'm so obsessed with this dynamic I can't wait to read more.

When the Gallow-Grass Gives - a Silva one shot by @gasolinerainbowpuddles

Silva rescues you (m!reader) from the gallows, walks you home by the rope you were supposed to hang by, and then tells you that you remind him of someone he used to know. I love a good gay cowboy fic and this is a GREAT one. The historically accurate lube made me cackle. This was so well written and so HOT and managed to maintain that wistful sadness Silva seems to have hanging like a cloud around him.

Desires and Complications - a Marcus Pike/Dave York series by @ezrasbirdie

Sweet little Marcus Pike wants to please you better in bed so he calls up your ex, Dave York, to show him how to be a dom. It goes a little differently than any of you imagined when Marcus turns submissive for Dave. This fic is so hot. I read up through "plead" and it looks like maybe there's some throuple dynamics forming!!! I'm so excited to finish this AHHHGHGHG

Ripping Sunrise - a frankie one shot by @idolatrybarbie

You accidentally take an edible and Frankie takes care of your high ass. And then once the high wears off he really takes care of you... This is so sweet and hot, I love it so much.

I Might Kill My Ex - a Joel one shot by @beskarandblasters

Joel leaves you for Tess and that... well that's just unacceptable. We got dark!reader, asshole!Joel, murder, dub con for Joel, the works. This fic is so good. It's dark and gives you a fascinating look into reader's crumbling psyche. I love the ending so much also

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I wrote Ouroboros and Eat You Whole. Dave York x f!reader fics set in the same universe, canon divergent but some canon stuff still happens in the background. Love as consumption/Love as violence type thing. Basically you and Dave are two touch starved, miserable people with nothing left in this world and you have crazy sex about it. There’s some softness in there too.

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Here's some series I've been reading (not a comprehensive list): Hot and Heavy (Joel), Muddy Waters (Joel/Ez), Stepdad!Joel, Exile (Javi P), New York or Nowhere (Joel), Feral Woman (Joel), Yearling (Joel), a lover's pinch (joel), the world tipped on it's side (Frankie), and Pretend Alleyways (Marcus/Dieter)

(In order: @tieronecrush @bonezone44 @toxicanonymity @jksprincess10 @beskarandblasters @gasolinerainbowpuddles @justagalwhowrites @hier--soir @idolatrybarbie @radiowallet)

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Happy Reading!

[thethirdromana]

Kerr Avon's costumes, rated

The sequel to Romana II's costumes, rated, here by popular* request! (*maybe not very popular.)

Screengrabs from here (copied rather than linked per their FAQs). Invaluable record of what Avon actually wears in which episode from here. I haven't included overcoats, spacesuits, or anything Avon doesn't actively choose to wear, like prison clothes. Which means that rating this monstrosity

is left as an exercise for the reader.

I've also not done every single variation on black jackets with studded panels, even when they are technically different black jackets with studded panels, because otherwise we'd be here all night.

As seen in Space Fall and Cygnus Alpha.

Ugh. It's fine. The heights of bonkersness that Blake's 7 costume design would reach are not even really hinted at here. It's a perfectly reasonable outfit - grey shirt, grey trousers, grey tabard-thing. Add a name badge and Avon could be stocking shelves in a fancy supermarket. I'll allow that it does look comfortable, which will not be a theme of much else on this list. 5/10.

As seen in Time Squad.

I don't hate the brown patchwork thing (though brown is rightly Blake's colour), but what's going on with the larger square over his stomach? I feel like he's about to do some welding or something and it's there to protect his clothes, but it is his clothes. Avon only wore this outfit once, and who can blame him? 2/10.

As seen in The Web, Seek-Locate-Destroy, Mission to Destiny, Duel, Project Avalon, Breakdown, and Deliverance.

I think this one may have suffered from the passage of time. Because I look at it and think, why has Avon chosen to dress like an old-fashioned stereo system? But from the vantage point of 1978, I guess Avon had chosen to dress like a decidedly modern stereo system. Look at those rounded corners, he could be a first-gen iPod. And the matching grey of collar and cuffs is a nice touch. None of this answers the question of why he has buttons across his tits, but there are some things that are not for us to know. 8/10.

As seen in Bounty and Orac.

Oooh, green. Green is a nice change. And if you're watching Blake's 7 and you're enjoying those green sleeves, you'd better make the most of them, because other than one very notable exception, this is the last time that Avon wears an outfit that isn't brown, white, black or shades of grey for the entire rest of the series. The rest of it looks a bit like someone's Star Trek Discovery uniform cosplay got out of hand. 6/10, because green.

As seen in Redemption and Killer.

Obviously, this is a classic. And full marks to Paul Darrow for wearing a costume that was literally bought from a sex shop and making it look like something that anyone might wear to their normal day of fighting oppression and engaging in homoerotic tension. 10/10.

As seen in Shadow, Horizon, Gambit, and Children of Auron.

OK fine I threw away the term "classic" too soon, this is the true classic, the time Avon decided to dress as a thermal blanket and then pair that with thigh-high boots. ICONIC. What I love about this is aside from being batshit, it's actually kind of a nice outfit? I imagine that shiny fabric was absolute hell to work with but the gathering at the shoulders means it hangs surprisingly well.

It also gains at least 5 bonus points for featuring in this, one of my all-time favourite Blake's 7 moments:

I wish I could find it as a gif, but you'll just have to join me in pretending these images are moving instead. And in heaving a nostalgic sigh for the era when men were allowed to have normal bodies on TV. 15/10.

As seen in Shadow.

I've tried to go for just one main outfit per episode, because this is already very long and we're only about halfway through. But I had to make an exception for matching! outfits! And all the better for being an outfit that looks great on all three of them. I only wish that Avon could have had some silver boots like Jenna is wearing, I think it would really have completed the look. 9/10.

As seen in Weapon, Pressure Point, Countdown, and Dawn of the Gods.

In some ways, this costume is quite practical. Avon is wearing something not a million miles from bikers' leathers here, and the quilted part of the chest and back would presumably offer him a bit of protection if he got into a fight. But also, it's the colour and style of a brothel sofa, and there's no way in hell he could wear this and retain the ability to lift his arms above his head.

God, I love this show. 10/10.

As seen in Trial, Hostage, Voice From the Past, The Keeper, Star One, Aftermath, and Powerplay.

I have less to say about this because - and I mean this in full tribute to the Blake's 7 costume designers - it's just a nice jacket! It stays in keeping with the design trends we see throughout the series, with panels of different fabrics, and spacewear shiny silver bits, but ultimately you could wear this on the street today and no one would give you a second look. I quite like that about it. 8/10.

As seen Aftermath. (And the loose black shirt in Voice From the Past is similar too).

Maybe this is just my mid-00s goth-adjacent phase showing through, but I am, and always will be, a sucker for a man in this kind of shirt. 8/10, please don't make me justify this further.

As seen in Volcano and Rumours of Death.

The first of many similar black outfits, where I'm going to be selective or this will get tedious very quickly. I think this is the best of them; after this, the 80s started up in earnest, and Avon's shoulders were never allowed to be their natural width again. 9/10.

As seen in The Harvest of Kairos.

My parents haven't been camping in years, but somewhere in the attic they still have an old tent, which lives in a bag that looks a lot like this outfit. As if I needed any more reasons to dislike The Harvest of Kairos. 1/10.

As seen in Ultraworld.

Avon what are you doing. Brown is not your colour. I think I might headcanon that this is Blake's jacket, because aside from the brownness it also seems to be a fair bit too big for Avon. After a couple of seasons of squeezing him into the lobster outfit and other tight leather things, the costume designers seem to have swerved hard into boxy shapes from this point onwards. I disapprove. Honestly, I was going to skip this one except that I love what Dayna is wearing. Wish Avon could have some of that energy. 2/10.

As seen in Death-Watch.

Let's pause for a second, look to the left, and appreciate that Dayna is wearing another fabulous outfit. Now let's take a deep breath, and look at the utter monstrosity that Avon is wearing. Like a matador crossed with a bumper car. 0/10.

As seen in Rescue, Power, Traitor, Stardrive, Animals, Headhunter, Orbit, Warlord, and Blake.

Avon wears some kind of black jacket with studs for nearly all of season D, but I've picked this as the definitive one. I don't know if there's some kind of clever character development thing going on here with how big this costume is, like Avon is expanding into his leadership role, but weighed down by the responsibility too. It could be deliberate, it could just be what fashion was like in the early 80s.

What I do know is that however meaningful this costuming might be, it's not flattering. 5/10, and Avon finishes the series, sadly, no better dressed than he began it.

[natequarter]

thing is with romana ii it's not even like i'm projecting. she SHOULD be in so much pain it would legit knock out any other time lord stone could. she SHOULD be screaming crying throwing up every other day. she SHOULD be waking up screaming from nightmares with alarming regularity. she was tortured and starved for 20 years. of course she's barely conscious on the bad days and in low-level pain on the good days and on most days just kind of bogged down by creeping brain fog