#send us asks and we might answer it in the same century

[guzhuangheaven]

I'm rewatching Ruyi, and all I'm thinking is, "Why is Yanwan such a stupid person?"

She is surviving and thriving because of luck most of the time. How is it that her mother murders his child and Hongli thinks that maybe she is not evil because her mother didn't confess Yanwan's part but he spend over a decade hating on Yuyan because of an accessory and her ambitious son.

I feel the writer faltered and could have made her a more subtle and clever villain. Her only becoming a Consort because Hongli wanted to piss of Zhen Huan, I think sucked the most.

See, here’s where I think the writing is genius in terms of human psychology, because it shows just how utterly narcissistic both Qianlong and Yanwan and how much they see themselves in each other. Yanwan panders to Qianlong’s narcissism, so he literally willfully tells himself that a woman he favours can’t be that bad, to the point that he actually believes it. He wants to always forgive Yanwan whenever she pisses him off, because he can’t admit that he likes or gets turned on or whatever by someone so despicable, because what does that say about himself?

In the situation with Yongjing, he would rather believe astrology nonsense that Ruyi’s vibes killed Yongjing than consider there was foul play. He gets so hyped up with the idea of Yongjing being a good omen that when Yongjing dies he feels like he's losing face to ever have hoped so much. Face is a huge deal to a person like Qianlong, he can't deal with losing face like that so he turns it on Ruyi instead. Later he would rather deceive himself that yes somehow Yanwan’s mother can miraculously pull all off this huge feat of paying off midwives and people both inside and outside the palace to endanger Yongjing and frame Hailan in the process, than admit the obvious that she couldn’t possibly have done all of this without Yanwan’s will or involvement. And some people really are just so narcissistic that they would believe these excuses they tell themselves rather than think that they might be wrong.

Yanwan says it very succinctly in the end, he chose her, he raised her up, if she’s horrible, then what is he? That’s why he can’t ever admit to Yanwan’s worst actions until he can’t be in denial anymore, when it’s all shoved into his face in the end.

Yanwan basically spends her entire time as consort failing up because her benefactor (Qianlong) is too narcissistic to admit he was ever wrong and has the ultimate privilege to get away with that mindset. This happens in real life…

Anyway, I think while Qianlong is aware of Yanwan’s ambition from the beginning from the way she approaches him, and he nurtures that ambition to use her as a weapon against the empress dowager and Ruyi at times, he doesn’t see Yuyan (or do you actually mean Luyun and her hairpin?) in the same way. We see the Yuyan’s scheming private moments but I think for Qianlong, she’s just this plaything gift from a tributary state with a sharp tongue, and she is the equivalent of a sexy lamp to him. So he is blindsided when that toy dares have her own goals and uses her son to push her own gains.

If you mean Luyun, I always thought it was a perfect concoction of coincidences that sets up Qianlong’s suspicion of Luyun, from Langhua suddenly recommending Luyun as the next empress on her death bed even though she hasn’t shown any preference for Luyun before, after Qianlong just learnt that Langhua had supposedly done all these evil things, and then Luyun’s hairpin being found at the wrong place, then suddenly Luyun showing desire to compete to be empress that she didn’t have before and both Yongzhang and Yonghuang who were raised by Luyun acting up at Langhua’s funeral. With his tendency for paranoia of course he would be suspicious of her and he can continue to hold a grudge because Luyun isn’t a mirror to him the way Yanwan is.  

[teecupangel]

Normally, Desmond is sent back in time to mess with things.

But what if it wasn't him?

Like, maybe Desmond couldn't go back in time himself but he could, in the split second he touched the apple, send someone else.

What if one of his ancestors went back in time? (Upon their deaths or something.)

I imagine a young Altair (who might be using a fake name) running around Italy with a tired Ezio following like a worried mother hen. (No, Claudia, he is not hovering he is just concerned) He ends up taking Altair under his wing (No, Claudia, it is not adoption.)

Or maybe Altair ends up in Bayek's time, Oh! Or Connor in Ezio's time. (Edward and Ezio would either get along badly or be too powerful if they were together in the same time period.)

These boys ruin the timeline and somehow save the world/future by simply stumbling through everything with no clue what's going on. and of course the power of friendship and really sharp blades.

Desmond and Clay are laughing their asses off in the afterlife as their ancestors destroy centuries worth of carefully calculated plans. (They might also manipulate things a little to help.)

And the time traveling ancestors for the most part, are doing the best they can in their current situation.

They are freaking the fuck out the whole time but are excellent at hiding it.

Poor Ezio.

(No, Altair, you can't kill that person because that have information we need, yes, I'm sure, Claudia don't encourage him.)

Well… How about we add some… ‘order’ to the chaos?

Desmond only had a fraction of a second to send his ancestor back in time.

And he hesitated.

He didn’t know which one to send.

Should it be Altaïr? Altaïr always felt like he would find out what to do even if he was given only minimal clues.

But Ezio was his prophet, the one he had been with the longest…

Ratonhnhaké:ton though… he deserves answers. He deserves the truth.

And when he woke up…

In that endless sea of gray…

The first word he heard were…

“’Morning. Which fucked up timeline do you want to hear first?”

Desmond sat and blinked as Clay stood before him, arms crossed with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Uuuhh…”

“Do you want to hear about how Edward Kenway managed to save his grandson and his grandson’s mother from the fires that should have killed her?” Clay asked before adding, “Oh… and he’s learned that his son’s a Templar by the way. At least, one of his old friends believe he’s actually Edward Kenway. If you think the Kenway Family Drama is bad when you were reliving Connor’s memories, then you gotta see the top tier drama that’s happening with Edward and Haytham right now.”

“Or maybe you want to hear about how Connor got kicked into Ezio’s time? He has no idea what’s happening but he got appointed as Federico’s combat instructor. He knows jackshit, by the way, about the tragedy that’s about to happen but, hey, at least Giovanni believes he’s an Assassin from another country or something. Oh.” Clay rubbed his chin as he added, “Connor doesn’t like how close Giovanni is with the Medici by the way. Lorenzo reminds him a bit of Washington or maybe he’s projecting, who knows?”

“Maybe you’ll like to know how your dear prophet is doing? Well, he’s doing badly in preserving the damn timeline that’s for sure. Let’s see… he got in touch with Alamut and managed to bluff his way into making them believe he’s the mentor of a destroyed Assassin branch from the crusader lands, he got the mentor’s permission to make his own branch in Levant, made a deal with said mentor to become a thorn in Al Mualim’s side and find out what he’s hiding, adopted Altaïr and even went as far as adopt Abbas because he believed he could ‘change’ things.” Clay was quiet for a moment before he added, “Oh and his branch is in the underground temple in Jerusalem so he has the Apple with him already.”

“Then there’s Altaïr.” Clay said with such… annoyance Desmond was actually afraid of what Altaïr had done. Clay rubbed the side of his forehead as he started, “See, they can only be transported into what counts as their past so we can’t have something like Altaïr being pushed into his future in Ezio’s time or something. And, since your only instruction to the Moraes was to ‘change the past’, they had to improvise with Altaïr considering he’s more or less the starting point. They had to pick another one of your ancestors who was important to your past and this world’s future so…”

“Altaïr’s been sent to the time of the Isu-Human war and his knowledge of the POEs and getting unconstrained access to the POEs at their full power… well… let’s just say…” Clay’s tone was drier than the desert as he said, “The Isus didn’t know what hit them.”

Desmond could only stare at Clay as he said.

“Soooo… which one do you want to contact first as their ‘patron’?”

[lostbetweenvampiresandmusic]

Could I request #16 and #22 with all of the boys or just Dwayne?

16. Time becomes meaningless after a while...

22. I know, it's stupid, crying alone in the dark in a cemetery.

--------------------------------------

I sat down in the gravel, crossing my legs. Wrapped in brown paper were some roses lying next to me, the paper wet from the ground it was laying on. In front of me was a headstone, made out of grey marble. On it was my name, my birthday and my supposed death day. I sighed, not knowing what to feel. It had been so long since it happened, so long since that night, since I left my human family behind without even realising it.

Before I knew it, the tears were rolling down my cheek. I couldn't stop myself. For the first time in decades, I allowed myself to cry, to mourn the life I'd lost that night. To mourn the family I'd lost.

I'd closed my eyes, only opening them when I felt the presence of someone standing behind me. I looked up and noticed it was an old friend. In all honesty, he was more than just an old friend. But when i had last seen him, he hadn't been ready to accept it yet. So here he was, as an old friend. An old friend I hadn't seen in ages.

"I know," I sighed with a sad smile, "its stupid, crying alone in the dark in a cemetery."

Dwayne smiled, sitting down next to me. "It's not."

"It's been a while, since I've last seen you."

He nodded. "Max hast kept us busy."

"Not that I mind, but why are you here?"

"David noticed that another vampire had entered the territory. I was send to check it out."

"Ah, you're just the welcome comity?"

"Just this once, just for you."

I smiled shyly, looking back at my headstone. "I'm honoured, Dwayne."

"You never answered my question from the last time we met," he said after a moment, as he looked at my headstone. "Don't tell me you were ashamed to admit you were older than me?"

"Oh no!" I smiled a genuine smile at him. "I'm not, and it's not by that many years."

"Good." He nodded. "Because it would be a shame if you were."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"I've been told in not so many words that if I found my mate I shouldn't be an idiot about it."

"And?"

"I've been very idiotic around you."

"Previous times, maybe. Now I do quite enjoy your company."

"I'm glad to hear it." He looked at me.

I looked back, studying his face. I sensed a certain nervousness. "You don't have to be worried. I never rejected the mating bond, nor did I ever have the intention to."

Dwayne couldn't help but chuckle. The way he had dragged his mate into the Emerson mess in the eighties would have been enough reason to reject the bond. He supposed he was lucky, with a mate like his.

"We're going to have to figure out how to make this work, though, " I said with a soft tone. "As much as I tried back then, I am not one for nightly parties and playing human."

"That doesn't matter. I am not a big fan of human interaction either. We'll find a way to make it work."

I stood up, taking his hand in mine. I looked him in the eyes and found myself smiling. "We better do."

"Why?" Dwayne asked. "We will work, we were made for each other."

"Yes we were," I nodded. "But we mustn't forget that-"

"What?"

"Time becomes meaningless after a while..."

Dwayne shook his head, looking at me. "It doesn't," he said firmly. "You lived the past three decades alone. You didn't have a family to talk to, or to hang out with. All you had was you."

I nodded.

"Now you won't. You'll have me, and we'll have centuries to explore who we are together and what we're going to be. And you'll have the boys, keeping you on your toes and making sure your life won't be boring. As long as eternity might be, it won't lose its meaning. I promise."

I nodded, a tearful smile on my face. "I'd love for you to be by my side." I said softly, caressing his face. "I'd love for you to show me what immortality means to you, and I'll try to do the same in return."

He kissed me softly, after quietly asking if he could. He held me in his arms, and it didn't take long before I realised he was right. I had him. Eternity wouldn't be something I would spend alone, I would spend it with my mate and his family. I would get new ways to fill this life and share it with him. I smiled at him, as he stood up and took me along to his bike.

"Thank you for finding me tonight," I said as I climbed behind him, causing him to smile. He drove off, taking me home. Home. What a wonderful feeling was that.

[amournoir]

hello! how are you? I hope you're fine<3

can I ask #11a & #11b of fluff scenarios for Elijah Mikaelson?

thank you🫶🏻

Fluff Prompt | E.M {request}

℘ prompt — late night texts (11a) & phone calls (11b)

℘ warning — fluff

℘ pairing — elijah mikaelson x f!reader

℘ count — 0.9k

The moon cast a soft, silvery glow through my bedroom window as I settled into my pillows, clutching my phone. It had become a comforting ritual—a late-night text or call with him, the man who had captured my heart in a way that felt both surreal and entirely right.

My fingers danced across the screen as I typed out a simple message: Can't sleep?

I pressed send and held my breath, waiting for his reply. It didn't take long for his name to appear on my screen.

Elijah: Indeed. The night often finds me contemplating the mysteries of life.

I chuckled softly, imagining him in his distinguished attire, sat on his grand office chair in his study with his brows furrowed.

Me: Sounds deep. But don't let it keep you up too late.

A few moments passed, and I saw the three dots indicating he was typing.

Elijah: I promise, I'll try not to lose myself in the labyrinth of my thoughts tonight.

His reply came, accompanied by a playful emoji. My heart warmed at his words. Despite his centuries of existence, Elijah had a way of being both dignified and charmingly human.

As our conversation flowed, it felt like we were creating a world of our own, separate from the demands of the daylight hours. We discussed everything from literature to our favorite constellations, sharing pieces of ourselves that we might never have revealed otherwise.

Elijah: Tell me, my dear, have you ever considered that the stars might be the echoes of forgotten wishes?

His words painted a vivid image in my mind. I smiled, my heart fluttering.

Me: I've never thought of it that way, but now I can't help but imagine the night sky filled with whispered hopes.

The conversation continued, moving from dreams to laughter to the occasional playful tease. And as the night wore on, it was clear that neither of us wanted it to end. I started to feel my eyelids growing heavier with each passing minute so I thought I’d rest them for a moment. Before I was fully asleep, my phone loudly rang and jolted me awake. In a rush to pick it up, I accidentally pushed it and it fell but the ringing stopped. I figured it was probably one of my late alarms so I decided on looking for it in the morning, I couldn’t be bothered to search for it now in the dark.

Not seconds had passed when it rang again, the echo underneath my bed made it louder than before. With a frustrated groan and whine, I blindly searched the floor for it. My eyes were still shut all the while. Once I felt it, I pressed the answer button without a glance, clearly this wasn’t my first time.

“Hello? Y/N are you alright?” his voice dripped with worry.

“Eli? What’s wrong?” I asked instead.

“You didn’t respond to my texts nor did you answer your phone. I grew worried.”

I smiled in the dark to myself and calmly replied, “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

“Oh.”

“Aren’t you tired yet?" I could feel the sleep heavy behind my eyelids.

“Not quite,” he replied. “I just find myself drawn to the sound of your voice. It's as if the night becomes a little less lonely.”

I hummed in approval at his words and let out a soft chuckle, I couldn't help but feel a rush of affection for the man on the other end of the line.

“I feel the same way," I confessed. "Talking to you makes everything feel a little brighter.”

We talked for a few more minutes, at times we’d pause and the quiet intimacy of our conversation soothed my soul. Eventually, I yawned, unable to suppress the exhaustion any longer. I propped my phone up against my nightstand lamp so he could fully see me and pressed the speaker button. With a few turns, I was now comfortable and ready for bed. I heard noise in the background from his side and soon the view changed from his study to his bedroom. He placed his phone down then seconds later retrieved it and it was clear that he had changed into his nightwear.

“Elijah, I think it's time for me to get some sleep,” I admitted, pulling the cool pillow closer to me.

“Of course, my dear,” He replied. “Rest well, and know that I'll be here, watching, until you fall asleep.”

I felt a sense of warmth and security in his words, and I knew that I could close my eyes with a peaceful heart. I was almost sure that all the peaceful sleep I had gotten in the recent months had been due to him. He had a way of making me feel protected and safe even if we were apart.

“Goodnight Eli,” I whispered softly into the phone, letting the darkness and Elijah’s digital presence lull me to sleep.

“Sweet dreams, my love,” He responded with a smile as he made himself comfortable against the bed’s headboard.

With a contented sigh, I set my phone aside, feeling grateful for the unique connection that bound us. As I drifted into sleep, I could almost hear his voice in my mind, like a soothing melody, promising to be there whenever the night grew too quiet. And so, with the moon as our witness, our late-night conversations and calls would continue to stitch together the tapestry of our love— one text, one call at a time.

🏷�� taglist:

⤷ @mrs-maximoff-kenner @thatfanficstuff @elijahmikaelsontrash @mxacegrey @thatfictionalwh0re @catmikaelson20 @loverswillowed @sweetwrathoflilith @panic-at-the-fiction @iiskittles16ii @original-siphon @hellotvshowtrash @onlyfreds @onlyfredslibrary @imgoingtofreakoutnow @slinthoex @i-love-nora @multiversediaries @decoffinated-vamps @hopester08 @aloneatpeace @hopes-wife @softcoremaybank @klaustopia @dreamingwithrafe @sweetestdesire @cottontears @cottonreads @buckyysdoll @spnandtvdudeservedbetter @impossibleheartflower @madetragic @spike-and-angels-gf

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[happyk44]

Ya know what I find really weird in PJO but I can't find an alternate explanation for/scene for and so it must stay in my brain as a "I can't find the solution for this and it's making be rage" thought?

The whole "Greek and Roman Deities Fighting Each Other" for the same brain/body. Like, I somewhat get it from the author's standpoint but as someone who knows both of their myths, I'm like??? They literally both have their own gods without "counterparts" like Bellona, which Rick acknowledges within the series and each deity literally has different values within somewhat same domains. Like, Juno? Entirely different epithets from Hera, although they share the same "place" within their pantheons. And, yes, there are some overlaps which come from the fact that Rome came after Greece and has a lot of influence from the Greeks, just like our books and literature has a lot of overlap with ancient cultures and, very specifically, America with European roots. That's just how humans work! Look at literally any fictional book with its own "world" and see all the things it took inspiration from! Even Tolkien! Especially Tolkien! And now look at the things we took from Tolkien.

It's just. I don't know what to do about this and I'm mad about it. Do I like, make the whole scene change when the gods change. Do I replace their entire beings with the other culture's. Do I make them coexist and just pop up everywhere? Answers, brain, answers.

[Coming from an author who's especially enraged bc he's trying to write a Mortal!Big Three AU after the series with a lot of roman influence but a majority of the series is based on Greek Influence--even Camp Jupiter, who has child soldiers??? Dude, they should be adults-. "Oh what about Jason and Reyna?" Make a funny little plot thing where literal adults are tasked by one of their Patron Goddess to take care of a Small Child which they literally did not ask for and raise him/it to be a functioning soldier. Make it so when we're introduced to The Camp via Percy, the soldiers groan because they're literally being run over by children, wtf man. Anyway, if someone writes this into something or finds a fic with an idea similar to this, send it to me <3--and so now he has to do a lot of research based in roman culture with very little Referenced Points.

{The author's starting to but it's gonna take a while and they wanna write this fic now-}]

<3

Fair warning it's like 4:30ish in the morning as I write this and I haven't slept yet so this might be all over the place but, yeah, Risk doesn't do enough to differentiate between the two sides within canon. So I think a lot of people come out of the series assuming that there's little to no difference between Greek and Roman gods and culture, aside from the change of their names. And since there's no perceived difference, they don't really do their own research.

Plus adding in details that aren't accurate to ancient culture/ideology (re: Neptune being hated because Romans weren't seafaring. Like. They were. They had a navy. And they didn't hate Nepetune) and then not elaborating any further on those details (we never see Neptune so we don't get to be exposed to how terrifying or different from Poseidon he is, we have no active child of Neptune to give us a reason why the modern day campers would be fearful other than a story about an earthquake, which I still find ridiculous because really? None of your siblings have ever made a devastating fuckup?)

It definitely could've been more well thought out. I mean I wrote a book featuring different gods, and a key player is Kali. In some text, Kali is an aspect of the goddess Durga. Durga has other aspects as well, such as Parvati. It's sort of similar to how the gods are presented in PJO/HoO. However, I wanted to clarify that Kali is a separate entity, so over the course of the last few centuries and as a result of colonization, she and the other aspects separated out from the principal goddess to be their own. She was the last to sever out. While she is worshipped as an aspect of Durga, she's still a goddess in her own right! But the aspect wording caught my attention and I wanted it to be obvious

With PJO/HoO canon, it could be the opposite. They started as separate entities but public perception caused them to merge. We know through TKC that public perception affects the gods - gods that have been forgotten become senile. Why can't public perception affect them in other ways? In my book, less known mythologies and gods become weaker and weaker, especially as colonization has erased knowledge and artifacts, which is why I had them centralize their power into a collective that equalizes belief among the whole of them (with a little boost for the well-known and worshipped), because hey, if it can happen to them, it can happen to you.

Anyway, a fun way to go about this is maybe making a joke that Hermes and Anubis can't interact because otherwise they start to combine and separating them takes time and energy and other people's help because of Hermanubis. The Greek and Roman gods want to be separate but because public perception tends to conflate them way more than they're already conflated, they're stuck battling it out. Greek gods tend to win more because, again, public perception tends to prioritize Greek mythology (at least I think so anyway) which is one of the reason legacies are so commonplace in Camp Jupiter in a way they aren't at CHB.

By this you can have "designer" legacies - kids with more than one godly ancestor (like Frank) in order to continue on the powers or strengths of multiple gods rather than just the one. With the way New Rome is structured, I can't imagine why demigods wouldn't hook up with one another. With CHB, you can leave so relationships between demigods may fizzle out after the summer or when demigods choose to stop coming back to camp for whatever reason. They also don't have to send their kids to camp, and can train their kids on their own, so less interaction with legacies is had with CHB, and thus godly influence slowly dies out as the legacies don't hook up with one another or other demigods. There's also the ever present risk of monsters, so Greek legacies may survive less.

With CJ, everyone tends to migrate into New Rome when their service is done. Between school, work, and homing options, there's less reason to leave, less likelihood of relationships fizzling out, higher likelihood of multiple godly ancestors among legacies.

One of the things that I've complained about with the Greek vs Roman battling it out thing before and what I wanna reiterate again is that Frank should not have been the one to deal with both aspects of his dad arguing in his head. It should've been Jason!! The one who actually was unsure of his standing as a Roman or Greek demigod.

But there's no differentiation. Even the arguing in Frank's head is just "kill everyone!" and "war is great!" There's no line between Mars as war god and Ares as a war god, despite the reality that there was - Mars being more disciplined and Ares being more bloodlust.

And attempts at describing a difference are either unclear or delivered through secondhand information, like when Thalia claims that Jupiter seemed different to her when he came in that aspect of himself but in text, the actual exposure we get of him feels no different to what we've experienced of Zeus in PJO. Neptune vs Poseidon.

Why does Athena have kids but Minerva doesn't when both are virgin goddesses born from their father's head? Why does Minerva's status as a virgin goddess bear more significance than Athena's to the point she doesn't simply replicate the actions of her other self to have her own kids?

The only line of clarity I can really see is Pluto vs Hades, and even then, the characterization between the two of them is essentially the same, the only weight is in the importance of their godly priorities shown both through their kids (Hazel vs Nico) and described in text (wealth vs dead). But we get little to no other exposure or line of thought from other characters with the same godly parent, just different aspects. How does Frank differ from Clarisse, or Jason from Thalia? How does the chosen aspect of their godly parent affect their personality, their powers, the way they interact with the world or how others see them?

I do like that idea of random adults at camp being given a kid by various gods who are just "take care of this thing for me, thanks" and bouncing off. That's funny. But also lol, Jason being CJ's only child soldier. He's Jupiter's child, and a champion of Juno so he's special and must be treated as such, even if that's by being attacked by wolves nonstop as a toddler and then raised in barracks from ages 3 to 15. And when people go "what about Reyna" or "what about Frank", like, idk how commonplace it is in most places but I know the US has those like junior army clubs or whatever it's called, so why couldn't they just be part of CJ's equivalent to that and then run off to do their own thing with the others because they're teens with ADHD and impulsivity is a thing, especially when you care about your friends.

But, like, also the soldier aspect isn't really key. "What about Reyna?" She was gonna end up at Camp Jupiter either way. "What about Frank?" He needed to be trained because it'd been 16 years and the fact that he hadn't experienced any monsters up to 'til then can be written away as his mom and grandmother defeated them before he could be hurt, and then his mom died and his grandmother realized she won't always be here to defend him so fuck it, let's tell him the truth about his father and send him off to learn how to defend himself.

And again! It's as you said - epithets differ even between similar gods. Their priorities differ - both in ancient culture and with the god themselves. Principal gods differ. Mars was held to higher esteem than Ares - Frank's status as his son should've been exemplified. Mars was second to Jupiter in importance - Jason could've subconsciously adopted Frank as his second in command, which would've been neat because we know Frank struggles with anxiety and confidence and we know he wasn't all that thrilled with being Mars's son at the start, and him getting a bump up in status/importance could've been an interesting arc to navigate, as well as further cement the key moment in HoH when he takes over for Jason as praetor and leads the ghostly army.

[panda-writes-kpop]

Sour Banana Slushie - Kazuha

a/n: I'm going to be completely honest with you, folks, I really wasn't going to post anything this week because I had exams last week and was too burnout to focus on anything else. however, I had a boring shift at work today and had some extra time on my hands so I have this lovely little draft for you. And yes, our beloved hunters in this fic will make their returns at a later date. :)

tw: kidnapping, demons, deception, there's an exorcism without saying there's an exorcism, some mentions of violence, one shotgun is seen and loaded but it unused, reader is vengeful AF, supernatural spoilers if you aren't caught up to season 3, oddly sad ending

summary: a lovely vacation with your beloved Kazuha goes wrong when you run into two demon hunters. which would be absolutely no problem... if you two weren't centuries-old demons.

♡ Masterlist ♡ ▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎ ☆ Prompt List ☆

"Next time, I'm choosing the motel." Kazuha sighs as you struggle against the bindings on your arms. "It's no use, trust me, I already tried."

"Where are we?" You slowly raise your head as the dizziness starts to fade - you must've been drugged while you weren't looking.

You remember the bright lights of the bar. The pretty women passing you by - but none would ever compare to Kazuha.

It didn't matter what form she took. You still loved her years and years later.

You were talking to two women - hunters, you were sure, and you tried to warn your beloved, but it was too late. The needle in your arm had already done you in.

Your eyes lock with the same two women, one who nervously checks the closed blinds and the other who holds a shotgun with one hand.

"Did you two think that you'd get away from us? After all of the shit you've done?" The girl with the shotgun scoffs before loading it up with... salt?

"We're just a couple of vacationers, please, let us go!" Kazuha tries to reason with them, but neither of your captors are swayed.

You look down at your feet, only to notice an odd looking pentagon that's been drawn at your feet. Once the realization hits you, you thrash around until your hands and feet are loose.

"Let us go. You don't know who you're messing with." You hiss as you pace around the circle.

Kazuha's tied up, away from your reach, but the pentagram above her head traps her in.

"Who would that be?" The girl at the window asks as you stop pacing.

"Siyeon-ah, you know they're not going to answer truthfully. They're demons-" The girl with the shotgun starts to reason with the other, but you interrupt their conversation.

"-Lilith." You stand still as her name passes through your lips. "She might tear me to bits for saying that, but you might not send me back to Hell if I'm honest with you."

"Darling-" Kazuha calls out to you as you sigh.

"If it counts for anything, SuA, I would've followed Siyeon if things had worked out between her and that other demon." You shrug as SuA scoffs before loading the shotgun.

"Siyeon, do the ritual." SuA looks over to Siyeon.

"What if they're telling the truth? We have a lead, a name of a very dangerous demon. We can finally do something to prevent the apocalypse."

"It's already come," Kazuha mumbles, "and we're not even the worst parts of it."

"SuA-"

"Say the damn words before I find the book that contains the ritual." SuA shuts Siyeon down, and the latter reluctantly begins to recite a chorus of Latin words.

Pain immediately covers your whole body as you fall to the floor. You hear Kazuha's screams echo around you, but you can't find the strength or energy to look at her.

You wouldn't harm any humans, at least, not any that didn't deserve it or muddle in your business. But upon hearing Kazuha's screams and cries for mercy, something within you broke.

You're going to rip those two hunters to fucking shreds when you're back above the surface.

"I love you, Kazuha." You grit your teeth as you feel yourself succumb to the pain.

It won't kill you, but you'll be sent back to hell until another doorway opens or some idiotic human summons you.

You swear that you can hear Kazuha whisper back to you, but you can't make out what she has said. Maybe it's the regrets of your mind speaking her words instead.

Either way, you just hope that Kazuha will be with you when you end up back in Hell. And when you do, the first thing you're doing to do is figure a way out of Hell.

Just so you can put an end to those fucking Winchesters.

[snowdice]

Creased Hoodies (Chapter 12: The End (For Now)) [Folds in Time Universe]

Fandom: Sander Sides

Relationships: Logan/Virgil, Janus/Patton (background), Remus & Roman  (background)

Characters:

Main: Logan, Virgil

Appear: Patton, Roman

Mentioned: Janus, Remus

Summary: Virgil just wanted to go on his planned summer research trip to do an anthropological study in 2005 America. However, when he is taken off course by an unknown enemy, he ends up stranded in the summer of 2018 with no way to get back the the 44rd century. Luckily, 2018 happens to be where a certain illegal time agency is based, and he might have an in with one of its agents.

This is the intermission for the story Folds in Paper. It takes place between Folds in Paper Book 1 and Book 2. It also takes place after the first 5 chapter of “Messages for a Hacker” which are side stories in the universe. Check all of this and more out on my Folds in Time Master Post.

Chapter Summary: It's finally time for Virgil to return home.

Notes: Time travel AU

This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

It took Logan a few days to ensure the timepiece and the distortion device were not at risk of blowing up the fabric of time itself. It took about a week more for him to properly study the distortion device Patton had brought home.

“It’s similar to what little we’ve seen of TPI technology,” Logan concluded. He debriefed them all while sitting on the couch with a notebook in hand. “It’s derived from the same technology unlike our time travel devices, which explains why it can block TPI timepieces but not ours. However, it has its differences, and this model in particular is rather shoddily made. While it was meant to create disorder, I doubt almost ripping time apart was its intended purpose, though that is almost what it did.”

“So, you’re thinking whoever made that is from my time then?” Virgil asked.

“Most likely,” Logan agreed. “Though it could always be a Roman and Remus type situation where the culprit was originally from another time period and ended up in your time accidently. However, the origins of this device were certainly the 4500s.”

Virgil glanced at the device set on the coffee table in front of them. It looked more like a 21st century light switch than something with the power to almost destroy time. Even though Logan had been able to study it, there were still many questions Virgil doubted he had an answer to. They didn’t even know why it had been made.

“Do you think whoever made this trapped me here on purpose?” Virgil asked.

“It is a possibility,” Logan mused. “You do work with the TPI and with Janus, a time agent who both is often caught in the chaos these devices create and who runs into Patton frequently. Plus, you know Remus, Roman’s brother, though we didn’t know of the connection before you came to be here. Also, we had a correspondence before this situation. It’s all quite a coincidence if it was not by design.”

“But why?” Virgil asked. “Sure, I’m connected to all of this, but I’m no time agent. All I am to the TPI is a walking history book. I’m not actually involved.”

“Well,” Logan said. “Perhaps someone knows something we do not. Or at least something we do not know yet.”

“Or maybe it’s just a happy accident!” Patton said, though Virgil felt it was more to break the sudden tension that had befallen the room.

“Accident or not,” Logan continued, “we do now have a solution to you being stuck here. I’ve managed to use this device to recalibrate my calculations and pin down its sister device’s current location in this time with much more accuracy. We now just need to get it and turn it off to allow Virgil to leave with his own timepiece.”

“Where is it?” Roman asked.

“A local trash dump,” Logan replied.

“Well, that should be easy enough to get,” Patton said. “Give Roman and I the exact coordinates and we can go and get it now.”

“Wait,” Roman protested. “Why are we the only ones who have to dig through a garbage dump?”

Patton gave him a meaningful look.

“Oh!” Roman said, eyes lighting up. “Oh right!” Then he scowled, remembering the detail that he’d be digging through garbage. “Fine,” he sighed. “The things I do in the name of…”

“Adventure!” Patton cut him off. “It’s an adventure!”

“We’re time travelers. There are so many more exciting adventuring opportunities than dumpster diving, Pat-Pat,” he whined, but he still got up. “I’ll go get changed.”

Patton stood up then and handed Logan his phone, so Logan could download the location of the distortion device onto it.

“We’ll text you when we’re heading back!” Patton said after changing and getting his phone back. “I’ll make sure to give you a 15- and 5-minute warning.” Patton said this with a wink. Virgil immediately hid his face in his hands.

“Do you think the TPI is hiring,” Logan asked as the door closed behind Patton and Roman. “I’d love to move to a different century without those two.”

“Time agents don’t usually live in 4500s,” Virgil said, face still hidden behind his hands. “They’d probably still place you in this century, especially since you’re comfortable here.”

“No escaping them then,” Logan sighed.

“Mmm,” was Virgil’s response.

He felt Logan shift on the couch next to him and a warm palm touched his wrist, gently tugging his hand away from his face. Virgil chose not to resist and let the hand fall away with a sigh. Logan smiled at him when his face was revealed, and Virgil smiled back despite how he could still feel heat in his cheeks.

“You will be going home this evening, I imagine,” Logan said.

“Yeah,” Virgil agreed. It hadn’t fully dawned on him yet. He’d grown used to living here in the past few weeks. He was used to briefly living in other places and times, but here had been different. He hadn’t felt like the observer he usually was. Because Logan, Patton, and Roman knew about time travel and what he really did, he’d had a chance to almost fit in with them. It would be weird to be back in his own time.

“I would like to give you a gift before you go,” Logan said, “If you’ll allow it.”

“Oh,” Virgil said, “uh, okay.”

Logan nodded and reached into his hoodie pocket. He glanced over at Virgil once he’d pulled his closed fist back out. “It is a ring, by the way, but this is not a marriage proposal.”

“Well, I’d certainly hope not,” said Virgil dryly. “An impulse elopement would be off brand for both of us.”

Logan grinned. “Very true,” he agreed. Then, he opened his palm revealing a small, plain ring as promised.

“What is it?” Virgil asked.

“This is an emergency time travel device,” Logan explained. “It’s not particularly complex. It can only take you here to this room between 2 weeks and one year from now, but if you ever find yourself in need, you can use it.”

He offered the ring and Virgil opened his palm. He studied the ring once it was placed in his hand. It was warm, though if that was from Logan’s touch or the technology running in it, Virgil did not know. It was surprisingly light and a rose gold color.

“It also has some security measures,” Logan continued. “It wouldn’t do to make an emergency time travel device that someone else might easily take from you. So, it’s designed to disappear when you put it on. You’ll still be able to feel it and take it off whenever you wish. It will become visible again once it leaves your finger.”

“An invisible ring?” Virgil asked, studying it even more curiously now.

“Yes,” Logan said with a smile. “Full disclosure, it is designed to store your space-time coordinates for up to 48 hours, but as I said, you can take it off whenever you wish and… I promise not to use it against you.”

Virgil looked away from the ring and back up at him. “Okay,” he agreed, surprising himself with the ease at which he accepted this. “Can I put it on?”

Logan nodded, and Virgil slipped the band on his finger. As promised, it disappeared as soon as it passed his first knuckle. He could still feel its unfamiliar weight on his finger.

“You must turn it three times counterclockwise to activate the time travel,” Logan said, making Virgil look up from the seemingly empty space on his finger. “It would drop you pretty much exactly where you are sitting now if you did.”

“Thank you,” Virgil said. He did not feel those words were enough to say when gifted something as impressive as this, but he hoped his tone said enough.

“Don’t use it against me?” Logan asked with a half-smile, and only then did Virgil realize just how much trust was being put onto him. He’d just been given a device that was linked directly to their base of operations despite Virgil working with the TPI.

Virgil shook his head. “I won’t,” he swore.

Deciding to throw his nervousness and embarrassment over last time to the wind, he shot forward to kiss Logan quickly on the lips.

They bumped noses and Logan’s glasses ended up askew in the process, but Logan didn’t seem to mind judging by his delighted laugh when they parted.

“Thank you,” Virgil said again because he still didn’t know what else to say.

“You’re welcome,” Logan replied.

~

The ring continued to sit on Virgil’s finger, invisible but heavy even after Patton and Roman returned from the dump with the device that had caused this whole mess. It was still there when Logan turned off the distortion device and Virgil’s timepiece reactivated. The knowledge of its existence was always in the back of his mind even once he’d made it home and gave the TPI and university an excuse as to why he’d left his trip early. It would stay there even when he received an email from an “unknown sender” making sure he got home okay.

Want to read more? Click below!

Folds in Time Universe Master Post

My Main Masterpost

[marvelmusing]

Have Faith

Pairing: Sun Summoner!Aleksander x The Darkling!Reader

Summary: Inspired by this moodboard. Aleksander has a tiring first day at the Little Palace and as it draws to a close he wants nothing more than to hide away in his room. Then the Darkling sends for him.

My Masterlist

“Thank you, Ivan. You may leave us.”

The Heartrender nods politely, giving Aleksander one last scrutinising look before he leaves, closing the door behind him.

Aleksander hesitates near the doorway, watching you almost warily. You have to remind yourself that this man isn’t the same one you knew all those centuries ago.

“Aleksander,” you say softly, discarding your papers down onto the desk to give him your full attention. “Please sit.”

He hesitates briefly, before he crosses the room in a few smooth strides to sit in the seat beside you at the war table.

“How was your first day?”

His eyes look over you, as if he’s waiting for some sort of catch.

“It was fine,” he says slowly.

The corner of your mouth twitches at his tone.

“Really? Even Baghra?”

His shoulder slump slightly, as if a piece of his facade had been loosened. You wonder what he had told the rest of the summoners about his first day.

“She’s a bit of a trial,” he admits.

You laugh softly.

“Just a bit,” you concede teasingly. He blinks at you for a moment before his expression softens. The two of you are quiet for a moment before you speak again, “I know you’ve heard all sorts of stories about me, but I want you to know that I’m not a monster Aleksander.”

He frowns slightly.

“Why do you care about what I think of you?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“You’re the Darkling? I’m sure you have more important things to think about than my feelings.”

At that you stand up, pacing towards the fireplace. Staring into the flames as they flicker in the hearth, logs crumbling to ash, you admit quietly in a low tone,

“You’d be surprised at how much I think about you.”

Turning back to face him, you realise you might have come off a little too strong. As he studies your expression, trying to figure out what your meaning is, you take the opportunity to admire his features.

He looks exactly like your Aleksander. The same dark hair and eyes, the same nose and mouth and chin. He’s a little smaller but hopefully, with training and eating full meals here at the Little Palace, he should begin to look healthier.

At the thought of him suffering through the wasting sickness for so many years, your heart aches in your chest. The dark shadows under his eyes look heavier than when he first arrived in the war room. Genya’s tailoring must be wearing off.

“Are you tired?” you ask him softly.

He nods.

“A little.”

The corner of your mouth twitches slightly. Even if he was bone-dead exhausted, you feel as though his answer would remain the same.

“Homesick?”

He shrugs lightly, looking down at your boots.

“I suppose.” He lifts his gaze when you don’t respond. Once he sees the questioning look on your face he adds, “Not much of a home to be sick for.”

You nod faintly, trying to gather the right words to say to him.

“I hope you know that the Little Palace is your home now. You’re one of us, Aleksander.”

He nods, a small frown creasing at his brows and a distance in his eyes. You can still remember the shock on his face, when you had first unleashed his power. It appears to be taking some time to fully sink in.

“It will get better,” you assure him.

His eyes meet yours and the hope filling them has your breath catching in your throat. The silence feels heavy, forcing you to throw out some casual conversation.

“Grisha usually train in pairs. Inferni work together, whilst Tidemakers and Squallers often team up.”

“Does that mean…?” Looking over at him, you lift a brow when his voice fades away. He shakes his head, “It’s nothing.”

“What is?”

“I thought that, since we’re both different from the other summoners, that we might train together.”

The thought of training with Aleksander has you freezing in place. You hadn’t thought of that. When he sees your stunned expression, he’s quick to add,

“I understand that you’re busy. You have better things to do than help me learn the basics.”

You shake your head, sitting down in the chair beside him.

“Everyone needs practice.” You glance down at the space between you both. “I haven’t trained with someone else in quite some time.”

Lifting your eyes up to meet his, you can see a calculating edge in his gaze as he thinks over your words. To pull him away from such thoughts, you ask suddenly,

“Can you summon for me?”

He blinks in surprise.

“Now?”

“I know you’re tired, but I just wanted to see.”

He shakes his head, his gaze dropping down almost shamefully.

“I can’t summon on my own.”

You place a hand on his arm, curling your fingers around his bare wrist. The feeling of his power meeting yours has a shiver running down your spine, and you hear him inhale sharply as he feels the impact of your amplification.

“What about now?” you ask.

He looks down at your hand, hesitating for a moment. Then he cups his hands together, resting his forearms on the table as his palms face the ceiling.

Then he brings his power to the surface.

A bright blossom of sunlight bursts into life, twinkling in the palm of his hands. Emotion gathers in his eyes and you smile in understanding. After such a tiring day, there’s nothing better than summoning.

If you reach a little further, you might be able to open up the tether between you both. But it’s too soon for that. This Aleksander barely even knows you. You will have to ease him in slowly.

As Aleksander continues to summon, illuminating your faces far better than the fire that now looks incredibly dull compared to his light, you explain a few of the basic Grisha theories to him. He listens intently, asking questions when he doesn’t understand something.

All the while, you slowly loosen your grip on his wrist. His eyes flutter quickly when he feels your fingers stroking over his skin, but his light remains as strong as ever. The two of you continue to talk, and as time goes by you slow down the motion of your thumb brushing against his skin.

“Aleksander?”

He hums softly and your heart warms at the sight of him looking so peaceful. Part of you wants to keep him here for tonight, allowing him to sleep in your bed. Instead you smile at him and say,

“You’re summoning on your own.”

His eyes widen as he looks down to where your hand had been. There’s a distance of around two inches between his wrist and your hand as they sit beside one another on the table.

His light splutters lightly and he loses his focus. The sunlight fades, but it’s warmth still lingers in your chest as you smile at him.

“It will take time,” you say softly. “But I have faith in your abilities. You should too.”

He tilts his head slightly as he looks at you, swallowing hard before he all but whispers,

“Thank you.”

You nod in acknowledgement, holding his gaze for a long moment before you stand.

“Come with me.”

He follows you to one of the doorways in the war room. Opening the door, you gesture down the corridor and explain to him,

“If you take a right at the end of this corridor, the dormitories will be at the end of the next hallway.”

He frowns a little, as he takes in this information, before he nods.

“Good night.”

“Good night, Aleksander.”

Even when he’s turned down the end of the corridor, you linger at the doorway with a small smile on your face. Then you close the door behind you and return to your work.

»»---------------------►

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch

Aleksander M Tag List: @nyctophiliiiiaaa @jazmin2211

BB Characters Tag List: @rachlovesactors @noortsshift @aikeia @weallhaveadestiny

[nkjemisin]

"How easy/hard is it for cities to be born, and what cities do you think will be born next?"

Got this set of questions from a reader, but I can't post the actual ask due to spoilers. I've paraphrased the questions, and here are the answers, sans spoilers. This post is long, so first a cut:

Hi there! I'm afraid I have to answer this privately because of the spoilers in your ask. But since my reply contains info that might be interesting to other readers of my books, I'm going to publicly post a redacted version of my answer, paraphrasing your q without the spoilers. I'll leave your name out of it, unless you prefer otherwise.

Re cities being born -- it's not an "easy/hard" thing, it's a "critical mass" thing. Basically as more and more minds focus on that city and imbue it with their beliefs and imaginings, these become the metaphysical building blocks of city life, which build up and interact. Let's call them, uh, "citimino acids," lol. Many things can disrupt this buildup -- the city's character changing drastically and quickly, natural or societal disasters, a hit TV show a la "Miami Vice" from back in the day. These changes introduce fresh citimino acids, and some of the new ones are incompatible with some of the old ones, so the primordial soup stops churning for a while as the city develops a new character or reputation. But if the soup is allowed to churn up again, for a period that varies per city, then the acids eventually spark into life. At this point, the process changes to something more like human pregnancy, because humans are driving it. The physical city starts to "gestate" a metaphysical self: a mind, free will, whatever you want to call it. (I'll call it a soul.) At this point city avatars start being able to sense the developing meta-city; that's how the Summit knows to send someone when the "due date" draws close. Proto-avatars of that city can sense it, too, as Neek did in the short story/prologue of TCWB.

This process eventually happens in most new cities that develop any kind of distinctive culture. It also happens in old cities that have been through a period of upheaval, like a conquest or a major disaster. Complete destruction of a city (see: Pompeii) would obviously kill its soul. But for cities that only get partially destroyed, the city's soul (and avatar) survives on the sufferance of belief. If a city gets conquered or its population killed by a disaster or something equally horrific, every human being who hears about it is going to have a thought about that city. If enough of those people think, "Well, that's just life in [City], its citizens ought to be used to this kind of thing," then the city retains its character, stays alive, and the avatar lives. (See: Istanbul.) But if enough people think, "Oh no, the [City] that I knew is gone! It's never going to be the same, what a shame, we went there on our honeymoon," then the physical city might be rebuilt, but the city's soul (and avatar) wil die. A new soul might eventually be reborn, but it will be a different soul. Roman Empire-era Rome is very different from the Rome of today. That city has had several avatars down the ages.

Anyway, tl;dr, colonialism is why there's so much city birth happening in the Western Hemisphere. And all the technological and cultural revolutions the world has had in the past few centuries have created other clusters; consider all the new "planned cities" in Africa and Asia, for example. So because of all this global upheaval, the Summit is going to be very busy for a while.

(This is stuff I sketched out a few years back, when I was figuring out how "city magic" worked. I tried not to put too much of it in the books, however. Just because I suffer for my art doesn't mean everybody else has to.)

Off the top of my head, US cities that will definitely (eventually) get born include, in addition to the ones mentioned in the books: Los Angeles (per the original short story), New Orleans again, the Bay Area, and Boston. But feel free to imagine more, because I haven't exactly visited every city in America so my impressions of them are naturally going to be biased.

Outside the US, I honestly don't know enough about other countries to tell. I would guess most of the 10 largest cities in Central and South America, but it won't be in order of size, it'll be in order of culture/renown/public opinion.

Whew, long answer. Hope that answers your questions. And thanks!

[guzhuangheaven]

Hello! I read somewhere (I think from your blog perhaps) about a promo photo of Consort Ying and the 7th princess but I've searched everywhere and haven't seen it. Do you (or maybe one of your followers) know where I could find it? Thanks :)

I think you're refering to this still?

[acorpsecalledcorva]

What's something you've been enjoying thinking about recently? Could be DID/system-related or not, whatever sounds fun to answer.

I made a post about it before but was talking to wife about it again last night. The fact that in the 18th and 19th century the study of dissociation, or auto-hypnotic ability, was this huge broad category of medicine, psychology, physics, and spirituality that branched off and began to specialise. Mesmerism, hysteria, Spiritism, and Psychoanalysis were all knocking on different doors to the same house and in Europe, Freud won with his bullshit fantasy model, but in Brazil, Spiritism really took hold.

To the point where there are Spiritist Hospitals that along with psychiatrists and nurses employ mediums that tell you if your mental health ailment could be due to spirits hanging around from past life trauma and help you to release them. Like the "symptoms are not explained by cultural practices such as mediumship" in the DSM for psychiatric disorders is there in part because mediumship is so prevalent and largely harmless (if not actually beneficial) in Brazilian culture.

Like, if you wanna get all purely scientific then you can explain it as traumatic events getting warped by the autohypnotic brain into something that seems like it happened to someone else in a past life which makes it easier to process in a similar way to how IFS asks you to distance yourself from your parts so that you may be your most helpful self in resolving internal conflict, but I do wonder what the world would have been like if Freud hadn't abandoned dissociation as a model and instead developed it to incorporate the strange way in which traumatic memory can present in some patients.

Would we have have explored the dissociative ability of the healthy mind? Understood how hysteria and the placebo effect really worked? Discovered endogenic plurality as a genuine psychological model? Or even developed more accepted spiritual models of Psychotherapy? I mean like half of my therapists have had spiritual beliefs but it's always discussed in a hushed tone like "oh you're a friend of Glenda Goodwitch too?" We know that culture can have a strong influence on how a mental health condition can present, and I don't think it's very helpful to try and view those presentations through a western lens, they're their own thing, but we can imagine how our own lens might have been different.

I dunno, I guess I just wonder if we're denying some core aspect of human nature when we try to be completely scientific sans spiritual, if we have been wholly rejecting techniques that have worked for centuries or millennia on the basis of being spiritual instead of being curious about their real world practical uses.

What was that scene in Contact? Where Matthew Mchorbalorba asked Jodie Forrester if she believed in God because 96% of the population believes in one God or another so it would be very misrepresentative to send an atheist to go meet sky daddy

[finnlongman]

Hello, I'm the anon that asked about the Diarmuid and Grainne tale before and you gave such a great answer that I felt like it was safe to maybe send you an ask again? I've read more into the Ulster and Fenian tales and also came across the comparison between Diarmuid/ Grainne and Tristan/Isolde (a lot actually). Does that hold any evidence? Did the Tristan take evolve from Diarmuids story? I was thinking about maybe it up on JSTOR but you're definitely the less intimidating option. Have a great day

So, with the huge caveat that I am not a specialist in fíanaigecht material and also not an expert on Tristan material, this question did come at the only time when I might be able to answer it, because I literally read an article today about this topic. Having said that, I am still extremely not an expert!

First of all, I will say that this has definitely been a topic of discussion in academic scholarship on these texts. What the current consensus is on whether one text is drawing on the other, I can be less confident asserting, because I haven't read a lot of the scholarship on this topic. Although I'm not working on this topic directly, I'm currently looking substantially at the relationship between Arthurian romances and Early Modern* Irish texts (a category to which Diarmait & Gráinne belongs, although I'm working on the Ulster Cycle, so it's not in my corpus), so it's probably something I'll find myself coming back to. It's a very muddy area though -- although Arthurian scholars are often very ready to attribute details to the "Celtic" origins of a story and therefore imply that any similarities mean an Irish or Welsh text is the original blueprint, in this case, the surviving texts are late enough that you get a lot of influence coming back in from French and English sources via the Anglo-Normans and Ireland's general literary contact with the outside world.

When looking for articles on this kind of topic, JSTOR may be able to help, but I tend to find it's a bit limited for Irish material because so many articles and chapters in our field haven't been digitised. Which is a huge disadvantage. However, there are a few ways around this, at least in terms of identifying material (not so much getting access to it). I ran a search for tristan on BILL, the Bibliography of Irish Language & Literature, to see what had been published on the topic recently (but not super recently because BILL tends to be a few years behind with recent publications).

From there, I found Marie-Luise Theuerkauf's 2017 article in The Matter of Britain in Medieval Ireland: reassessments (Irish Texts Society Subsidiary Series 29, ed. John Carey): 'Tristan and early modern Irish romances: James Carney’s Ur-Tristan revisited.' This is a useful place to start. At least, it's where I started while reading today!

In this article, she discusses James Carney's controversial attempts (in the 1950s) to reconstruct an insular "ur-text" of the Tristan story that would have served as the source for later texts. In this study, Carney identifies a number of Irish texts that share motifs with Tristan stories, among them Tóruigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne. TDG probably dates to the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries, although the earliest manuscript of the text is from the seventeenth century. However, Carney believed that the original story underlying it dated to around 900, and therefore he can count it among his early, pre-Tristan texts.

It's true that there were definitely earlier versions of the story, since the (descriptive) title of one is found in tale lists: "The Elopement of Gráinne with Diarmaid". The text itself is lost, though, so we only have the title. Theuerkauf notes that "this proves that the love triangle story of Diarmaid, Gráinne and Fionn was known at a date anterior to the earliest Continental Tristan texts, we cannot automatically assume that the Aithed Gráinne story in exactly the same way as the Tóruigheacht does." In other words, a lot of the very specific motifs and similarities that the two texts share might be later, so which direction the influence is in becomes very muddy -- does Tristan get it from Diarmaid, or the other way around? Or do they both draw on a shared source? Or are they coincidental/more general folklore motifs from a common stock?

Theuerkauf cautions: "While it may be tempting to focus on the similarities which exist between the Tóruigheacht and Tristan, this focus has tended to lead to an over-simplification of the nature of the source material" and comments that although they're "very much alike in theme, they are often very different in execution or intent". She finishes by concluding that Carney is wrong about most things, if not everything, and introduces for consideration another 15th-century Irish text with close correspondences to the Tristan stories.

Another scholar who has worked on the relationship between the Tristan stories and the Irish material is Raymond J. Cormier. His article "Open Contrast: Tristan and Diarmaid" in Speculum 51/4 is available on JSTOR. I haven't read this one myself yet, but it looks based on Theuerkauf's citations that he tends to be quite critical of the connections between the two; among his criticisms is the fact that the late date of the surviving Irish texts means influences can enter directly from the French material, so shared motifs don't necessarily mean shared sources or Irish origins for those details.

He's also written about connections between Tristan narratives and the Naoise/Deirdre story, so looking at the love triangle motif in another Irish text. I haven't read this article yet, but it's here, if it's of interest (not sure if paywalled or not, sorry, I'm on institutional WiFi right now so it's bypassing all of that!)

Another article that looks valuable on this topic is Joseph Falaky Nagy, "Tristanic, Fenian, and lovers’ leaps" in Diasa díograise: aistí i gcuimhne ar Mháirtín Ó Briain (2009). Unfortunately, I can tell you nothing about this article because this book is not available to me. I have actually just requested that my library buy it because a couple of the other articles in there are relevant to me, but that means I can't advise on its contents yet!

Nagy has another article on the topic, 'The Celtic "Love Triangle" Revisited', in An XIV Comhdháil Idirnáisiúnta sa Léann Ceilteach, Maigh Nuad 2011: Imeachtaí (Dublin, 2015). Again, I have not read this one (although it looks like my library does actually have it), but it's also cited in Theuerkauf's article and sounds like it could be helpful.

I don't know if this answered your question at all, as I feel like the general vibe of what I just gave you was "ehh well they're definitely similar but the question is Why they're similar and that's more complicated" (ain't that always the way). But hopefully it might give you some sources to follow up on. I'm sorry I can't provide direct links to more of these -- the lack of open access and digitised scholarship in this field is a challenge.

*A point of terminology just to clarify in case anyone was confused: 13th-14th century may not sound "Early Modern" if you're used to thinking in purely historical terms, but linguistically, when it comes to Irish material this label tends to start from about 1300 (and obviously, being found in 17th century manuscripts positions this tale more solidly in the early modern period anyway).

[pokemon-researcher-alexander]

@koffing-time getting down into the weeds on Houndoom burns here instead of clogging the other post. or as much as i can before some other researchers start yelling at me to just write a paper already. buckle up folks.

to start with i'm gonna paraphrase a Xander rant on why they're so vilified. in the eastern regions (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh) most fire types fall into at least one of three categories. they've either been domesticated for centuries (Torchic/Numel), live somewhere remote or inhospitable to humans (Magby/Slugma), or were once revered as a near-Legendary Pokémon (Arcanine/Ninetails).

Houndoom are an obvious outlier and justified or not are often blamed for livestock going missing. with the most potential for human conflict this makes them the most likely Pokémon in these regions to badly burn someone.

let's get something straight. third-degree burns are a nightmare to treat now with all of the options available. in olden times? if you could live without whatever was burned amputation was the simple answer. lot easier to keep a cut disinfected.

so while we now know that a Houndoom burn actually does have more lingering effects than other sources at least some of the reputation is a mythos. chopping off your own fingers to avoid the pain sounds better than saying "i'd rather not get sick and die".

that out of the way let's get into how it actually works.

i'll use the Charmander line as a basis of comparison since they're so well known. they also have a gland that they use to spray fire. they let some of the flammable liquid (essentially crude oil) pool in their mouths then ignite it with a spark tooth (won't be getting into the details but it's piezoelectric). with this pilot light burning they expel a larger amount of oil that ignites immediately (giving their attacks a characteristic explosive start).

aside from having a gland in the same position Houndoom are completely different. they (as well as Houndour) have no sparking mechanism and need some other way to kickstart the process at body temperature.

(Tix i'll send you the actual chemical names later. to stop people's eyes from glazing over any more i'm just gonna call 'em by letters.)

in the gland is primarily chemical A. A being extremely unstable and fairly volatile it's stored under pressure and mixed with an inhibitor (chemical B) to stop it from breaking down or evaporating.

when released from the gland the mixture travels through a channel during which most of B is reabsorbed for future use. meaning that nearly pure A enters the mouth where it undergoes a rapid decomposition reaction into chemicals C and D as well as a fair amount of heat.

out of the mouth C and D react further with oxygen to produce chemicals E, F, and G. the exact ratio depends on available oxygen and heat. more specifically there's a consistent starting ratio but G can further react with oxygen to make trace amounts of E and F but mostly water.

E is extremely flammable and ignites as it is formed using energy from the previous exotherms. F has a significantly higher flash point but actually burns at a lower temperature and this is what's actually burning when a ranged attack hits the target. with something like fire fang E is still going strong which is why those burns are usually worse (for the amount of time that the fire's actually in contact).

i'm familiar with the case that you mentioned and that's a bit of a weird one. i won't mention the patient's name (though you can find it fairly easily) but they were hit by a fire fang in a low-oxygen environment. so E burned up entirely but F was left behind and got in through the open wound.

their situation was atypical in that it left them with a source of chronic pain. hadn't thought of the tattoo analogy before since i don't have one but that's a pretty accurate summation of what happened to that patient.

but wait you might ask. if that's unusual then what actually causes the typical hypersensitization to pain in the afflicted area. it's actually our old friend G. as mentioned earlier it mainly decomposes to water so the body can process it but it takes time. and in that time it acts as a mutagen. affected cells (and their daughter cells since the DNA itself is affected) together release certain classes of prostaglandins in much higher concentrations than they should.

the net positive of this are that further wounds in the area clot faster are less likely to become infected and heal at a marginally better rate. the far more prevalent downside is that the tissues will experience a disproportionate amount of inflammation and pain at the slightest disturbance.

NSAIDs like Aleevee can help temporarily as they specifically reduce the rate of prostaglandin release. they should not be taken constantly without a physician's approval though as they work on the entire body rather than a targeted area and there is potential for long term side effects.

all this being said it's not something that most people need to worry about. Houndour end up producing G at lower concentrations so it's almost unheard of with them and even with Houndoom it shouldn't be a problem unless they were aiming for a third-degree burn (meaning that they were legitimately trying to kill you or your Pokémon). unless they're horribly trained this should never happen in a league battle but best to leave the wild ones alone in case they fear for their lives.

fuck.

i just thought of something this could actually be used for. now i've gotta write a damn paper and cite this post so it doesn't get flagged for plagiarism. how you gonna tell me i'm copying my own work. i wrote it dumbasses.

[amournoir]

hi! can I please request a fluff scenario, #11a and #11b for Elijah Mikaelson? (can you write them together? if you can't, don't worry, do it separately)

Fluff Prompt | E.M {request}

℘ prompt — (11a) late night texts & (11b) phone calls

℘ warning — none, only fluff

℘ pairing — elijah mikaelson x f!reader

℘ count — 0.9k

Midnight Whispers

The moon cast a soft, silvery glow through my bedroom window as I settled into my pillows, clutching my phone. It had become a comforting ritual—a late-night text or call with him, the man who had captured my heart in a way that felt both surreal and entirely right.

My fingers danced across the screen as I typed out a simple message: Can't sleep?

I pressed send and held my breath, waiting for his reply. It didn't take long for his name to appear on my screen.

Elijah: Indeed. The night often finds me contemplating the mysteries of life.

I chuckled softly, imagining him in his distinguished attire, sat on his grand office chair in his study with his brows furrowed.

Me: Sounds deep. But don't let it keep you up too late.

A few moments passed, and I saw the three dots indicating he was typing.

Elijah: I promise, I'll try not to lose myself in the labyrinth of my thoughts tonight.

His reply came, accompanied by a playful emoji. My heart warmed at his words. Despite his centuries of existence, Elijah had a way of being both dignified and charmingly human.

As our conversation flowed, it felt like we were creating a world of our own, separate from the demands of the daylight hours. We discussed everything from literature to our favorite constellations, sharing pieces of ourselves that we might never have revealed otherwise.

Elijah: Tell me, my dear, have you ever considered that the stars might be the echoes of forgotten wishes?

His words painted a vivid image in my mind. I smiled, my heart fluttering.

Me: I've never thought of it that way, but now I can't help but imagine the night sky filled with whispered hopes.

The conversation continued, moving from dreams to laughter to the occasional playful tease. And as the night wore on, it was clear that neither of us wanted it to end. I started to feel my eyelids growing heavier with each passing minute so I thought I’d rest them for a moment. Before I was fully asleep, my phone loudly rang and jolted me awake. In a rush to pick it up, I accidentally pushed it and it fell but the ringing stopped. I figured it was probably one of my late alarms so I decided on looking for it in the morning, I couldn’t be bothered to search for it now in the dark.

Not seconds had passed when it rang again, the echo underneath my bed made it louder than before. With a frustrated groan and whine, I blindly searched the floor for it. My eyes were still shut all the while. Once I felt it, I pressed the answer button without a glance, clearly this wasn’t my first time.

“Hello? Y/N are you alright?” his voice dripped with worry.

“Eli? What’s wrong?” I asked instead.

“You didn’t respond to my texts nor did you answer your phone. I grew worried.”

I smiled in the dark to myself and calmly replied, “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

“Oh.”

“Aren’t you tired yet?" I could feel the sleep heavy behind my eyelids.

“Not quite,” he replied. “I just find myself drawn to the sound of your voice. It's as if the night becomes a little less lonely.”

I hummed in approval at his words and let out a soft chuckle, I couldn't help but feel a rush of affection for the man on the other end of the line.

“I feel the same way," I confessed. "Talking to you makes everything feel a little brighter.”

We talked for a few more minutes, at times we’d pause and the quiet intimacy of our conversation soothed my soul. Eventually, I yawned, unable to suppress the exhaustion any longer. I propped my phone up against my nightstand lamp so he could fully see me and pressed the speaker button. With a few turns, I was now comfortable and ready for bed. I heard noise in the background from his side and soon the view changed from his study to his bedroom. He placed his phone down then seconds later retrieved it and it was clear that he had changed into his nightwear.

“Elijah, I think it's time for me to get some sleep,” I admitted, pulling the cool pillow closer to me.

“Of course, my dear,” he replied. “Rest well, and know that I'll be here, watching, until you fall asleep.”

I felt a sense of warmth and security in his words, and I knew that I could close my eyes with a peaceful heart. I was almost sure that all the peaceful sleep I had gotten in the recent months had been due to him. He had a way of making me feel protected and safe even if we were apart.

“Goodnight Eli,” I whispered softly into the phone, letting the darkness and Elijah’s digital presence lull me to sleep.

“Sweet dreams, my love,” he responded with a smile as he made himself comfortable against the bed’s headboard.

With a contented sigh, I set my phone aside, feeling grateful for the unique connection that bound us. As I drifted into sleep, I could almost hear his voice in my mind, like a soothing melody, promising to be there whenever the night grew too quiet. And so, with the moon as our witness, our late-night conversations and calls would continue to stitch together the tapestry of our love— one text, one call at a time.

🏷️ taglist:

⤷ @mrs-maximoff-kenner @thatfanficstuff @elijahmikaelsontrash @mxacegrey @thatfictionalwh0re @catmikaelson20 @loverswillowed @sweetwrathoflilith @panic-at-the-fiction @iiskittles16ii @original-siphon @onlyfreds @onlyfredslibrary @imgoingtofreakoutnow @slinthoex @i-love-nora @multiversediaries @decoffinated-vamps @hopester08 @aloneatpeace @hopes-wife @dreamingwithrafe @voidcameron @klaustopia @sweetestdesire @cottontears @cottonreads @buckyysdoll

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[big-parma]

The Absolute State of Maths Education rn

Yo so the bigwigs at VCAA (the guys who write the curriculum for all education in Victoria, Australia) have been coming out with new study designs for almost all VCE classes that’ll be implemented at different points over the next 3 years. The VCE is considered relatively prestigious-ish in the sense there’s a fair few people in other countries who send their kids to Victoria to do it (Australia’s biggest export is education after all) so it’s a big deal when major changes happen to how important courses run. Context = understood.

So I’m a maths (…and science) teacher now and the major changes to the three maths streams since I graduated in 2012 can be summed up like this:

Spesh (the highest tier of maths, scales up the most out of any course except stuff like Latin) - Kinematics are less of a thing but they added in Proofs and hypothesis tests(?!) instead

Methods (still high scaling, but more like uni engineering maths instead of theoretical crazy hard stuff) - Stats removed, some more “calculus but if you can’t do calculus to that particular thing” included instead

Further Maths (General maths, scales down(?!) and is the “ya got a mortgage here’s a maths problem” class that a commerce degree at uni usually means by saying you need at least one maths background to get in) - the stats from methods is here now and they call it General Maths to stop the confusion with it and methods

and there’s also now a fourth tier of maths called foundation

I’m assuming foundation is the barebones “pay your bills with x income And do your taxes” class your relatives keep saying they should’ve been taught how to do in school

So that’s all the changes across a decade of education. When they announced “big changes are coming to the way things will work across VCE maths” I think I’m safe to say most of us took it as the usual reordering and in/out for content as described above. Since I’m a good boy (read “I wanted to put on a good front to make sure I got my contract extension��� - I’m permanent now dw) I attended the online seminars (lmao webex) that they presented as information sessions on the changes.

First one was Spesh. No biggie, exactly what you’d expect, some stuff’s swapped again, hang on Pseudocode is in..? But that’s just any code that could do any maths?! And they’re mentioning that it’s in methods too??? The chat at this point’s asking a lot of questions, mostly “how can we know what’s examinable so we can actually teach this??” But thankfully they have an example that should satisfy you:

This is not even a half step above “hello world” and it’s in the hardest maths course? How hard does this get? What do they consider legit? Is there an example exam question that they have as a reference? How will they be able to write textbooks on this if that’s all they have?

No answer. Oh well methods is the next day maybe that will elaborate on it.

Methods opens with the same spiel on things, negligible changes imo on actual content… and he acknowledges some confusion from yesterday on Pseudocode! Has he got an answer? What’s the example this time…

Oh. And it’s definitely examinable and we might elaborate on that later but for now that’s all we got.

That was all 2022. Recently (2023) they did the same thing for “revisions” which was for FurtherGeneral Maths’ course (all of these are being phased in kinda since changing a year 12 course when year 11s are running on the old one makes no sense). Guess what showed up in the General Maths study design!

It’s ya boi 21st century life skills!

I’ll be honest, I was a little suss on this from the Meth/Spesh presentations but I think this confirms what I was thinking: this is some boomers pulling the “kids need to learn how to computer” card isn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, kids do need to learn to computer, but lol as if they’ve got this as their only example to show off across all three variety of maths!

But wait, there’s more!

They’ve got a page about it now! Yay! There’s some more examples - harder ones now - but there’s still no actual information on how this topic can be presented on the actual end of year exams. What do i teach them? What constitutes legit Pseudocode vs nonsense pretend code? Is this basic computer science 101 or are the kids going to be presented with a max level spesh question through the lenses of a guy saying “yeah but make it code”

eh I’ll just teach them excel :)

[radioactive-earthshine]

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From Dark Crisis: Impulse

Scoffing, Bart answered him. “Superboy? You guys met him and made him a Legionnaire! Man, I was so jealous when I found that out, but you know what? He never rubbed it in my face or anything.”  “Bart, we never met anyone named Ko-”  “I know!” Bart snapped. “Because this timeline is all messed up! My father is alive, my mom isn’t trying to overthrow her crazy father, I have no idea what is going on with my grandpa but he’s supposed to be dead in this time, but I guess he’s probably alive! I’m supposed to be in the 21st century!”  “And what do you do in the 21st century, Bart?” asked Imra, the remnants of her headache finally gone but her mind was numb.  The speedster choked then he cracked. “I… nothing, really… We don’t even have a team anymore. Everyone’s gone their own separate ways. I don’t really fit in anymore. Wally has three kids who take up his attention, grandpa keeps to himself a lot, there’s Ace who is always on edge because I think he’s threatened by me because the world rebooted around him and I just… showed up. He’s always wanted to fight me from moment one, stupid. I don’t even care about being Kid Flash! He can have it, forever! Not like it matters anyway, because everyone is too busy to notice what title I might take up. And I don’t know where I’m going, as Bart Allen, or as Impulse. I’m not looking at life through the rearview mirror like Kon is, but I ain’t looking forward either, or even sideways,” he lamented and finished with one final softly spoken truth:  “I’m so sprocking lost.”  The room was very quiet after that for a few shaky breaths until Tenzil put his sunglasses back on. He stood very straight as he looked at Bart. “Gee, Bart. Sounds like that life really sprocking sucks.”  Imra glared at him. “Tenzil!”

“What? It’s true! We would never do that to him! And you heard him, his dad is dead! Weather Wizard is dead!” “It’s still insensitive and not helpful!” Imra persisted.  “N-no,” Bart said shakily as he stood up from his seat, Imra was quick to follow him. “I-I’m fine. He’s right, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you worry.”  “You’re sad, Bart. Very, very, sad,” Imra spoke like she was trying to coax a feral animal down from a tree. “But I do sense that rage. I don’t know why you have these memories, but trust me when I say this, as your friend; we love you. And you will always have a place with us. The Legion will never be the same without Impulse. Understand? We need you.” She reached for him, hands and arms wide open.  Rest.  Bart blinked two large tears from his golden eyes and he reached for Imra. The embrace she enveloped him in was tight and loving, and in the far reaches of his mind Bart was reminded of Cissie and her long golden hair.  “It’s going to be alright, we’ll figure this out together.”

This particular scene was the pinch point for Bart to finally start doubting his own memories, where he started to 'fall' for the reality where he had everything he really, truly wanted all his life. It was a scene that I deliberately wove in some canon placement for Bart, it also ironically mirrors what it's like to enter adulthood where all those friendships you formed as a teen often do just drift apart and changed. Even when you never thought they would. It's grief. Grief of what he knew was perfect having totally changed on him and grief that it might not have ever been real in the first place. And he so desperately wants it all to be real. To be valid.

Note: Tenzil's comment about Don being "Weather Wizard" - Don in this little pocket reality for Bart is the Director for the Weather Control Systems and it is a sort of campy nickname, Don is sort of like a Bill Nye character but for weather and people generally love him.

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