#the connection to that world is... more about passion? because a fish can live its whole life in a lake and thats normal to it

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

OMG WAIT holy shit.... your mind.... omg.....

This is so real! Yes!

Just saw a “assign prev an eeveelution” poll, and while it’s a lovely concept that I would like to participate in… I already know the answer. Like, obviously there is no single right “answer”, but I already know the option that every single person would give out. There is only one eeveelution with fins and a fluke and bony plates down the back and a built-in white collar and mermaid-related lore and it sure isn’t espeon, you get me?

[yunnathearcher]

Dreams picking up. Again. Feeling the tension in my body from isometric holds and heavy lifts. Tempted to snooze and sleep through the 5th or 6th (maybe 7th) alarm. Slide down onto the yoga mat instead. Afterwards, I'm just sitting. Legs crossed, body attuned and open- spiritually. Taking the lashes off, mentally preparing for the day. The archer ♐︎

Visualizing kisses at the crown of my head, traveling down the base of my skull, nuzzling the nape of my neck. Respect. Love. Trust. Compassion. What real dreams are made of. The air turns cold as fall comes in, the nights come sooner, the waves far and fewer in between. Nighttime stillness. Handling the days like a professional and the evenings like an intern. There are transitions to be made. Moon ☽

Opening my eyes wider and slowing down some as we near closer to winter. For now I am on go. Election Day. Under a void moon. Not ideal but duty calls. More dreams. Elevation, gates and patience. The more I think about it the more I miss the natural speed of life. Eagle twist at the top of it. Felt like I could lay there all day. But there are sides to choose. The lion ♌︎

System issues and tech glitches through the day, tunnel vision and energy conservation through the night. Things change rapidly. I watch them from the edge of my world, knowing no matter which way the world turns my life must go on. Resolution in the wee hours of the night. I’m in the deepest part of sleep by the time the word comes in. This is America. Mars ♂

Throat and shoulders tight in fish pose. Right ear warm, sending tingles down my right cheek. Affirmative words being spoken. Heart and eyes opening to today’s themes. It’ll be first quarter before I know it. It’ll be the weekend before I know it. It’ll be 2025 before I know it. The archer ♐︎

Idk. The leader matches the nation. It’s a heathen nation. Would it have been better for a Black woman to come in and be responsible for the reformation and clean up job? The same country built off the backs of our ancestors? Yeah.. nah. Still, progress. Also, focusing on where there is impact and motion. Operating within and connecting when and where I can. It’s a simple life. Take off that cape beloved. This was never that. Mercury ☿

Wrapped around you like it’s the only thing I’ve got to do. The feel of your cheek against mine. The warmth of your body along my spine. Body’s closer than close. Merged. Intertwined. Lighthearted and passionate. Whose book is that? And where are my panties? It doesn’t matter. Too deep in the moment to concern myself with what comes after or before. Later a familiar spirit in the yard. A black kitty cat. Connected. All eyes on you. Can I pet that dog? What about swallow it? The twins ♊︎

Tender. The way your chin finds its way to my shoulder. The way you grab hold of my waist and pull me closer. Sleeping with you and later finding you in my thoughts. A day spent working and daydreaming. Emotional changes sending ripples through my foundation. Not afraid to love, to be seen, to be vulnerable, to vibrate. Still, late at night I'm buried under the covers. The world is too loud, in front and behind the screens. I spend my time reimagining what life really means. To me. Jupiter ♃

Early mornings. Full of water and sleep. Wrapped in the sheets in between darkness and dawn. AM sessions on the peloton. Full body routine to jump start the day. Living how I want. Because I can. Because I’m able. Because I’m grateful. Body open, standing underneath the shower head, hot water pouring all over my skin. Later feeling my body shake in half boat pose. And even later looking into the mirror, closing my eyes and feeling my reflection smiling back. The archer ♐︎

Outside was thinking of me but I was thinking of sleep. So I napped after clocking out. Woke up to a pizza in the oven and a to do list in my mind. Vibed. Texts reminding me that I am loved. Memories reminding me that I am on purpose. Flashbacks reminding me that I am capable of feeling complex emotions while honoring myself. Operating freely at both ends of the spectrum, embracing both polarities. Extremely busy day tomorrow and most likely an extremely busy week. Meh. That’s how I like it though, it’s how I need it. Venus ♀

Sleeping good, sleeping deep. Waking up ready for the day. Lots of things on the to do list. Hard to stop thinking about you. So I just flow with it, I just vibe. Missing natural bodies of water, thinking about the end of the year, feeling my way through each moment in time. Feeling human, feeling divine. The fish ♓︎

Toying with some ideas, will refine and tweak them a bit and begin to try them out in the upcoming weeks. A leg day worth being proud of. Lots & lots of protein. Heart to heart talks with you. Futurama & Chinese food. We both can feel it, how things have changed from how they once was. But the love stays the same and the respect is there. Crawling into bed, listening to simulated rain. Saturn ♄

And on the ☉ day of the scorpion ♏︎ she stuck to the mission, she rested.

[schoolsnearme]

Why Is It Crucial To Have Science Education in Schools

Best School in HSR Layout

Truthfully, science influences the vast majority of the decisions we make each day, even though it isn’t often evident how it affects our daily lives. Science is integral to every aspect of our day, from maintaining our health and wellness to choosing between paper and plastic at the supermarket or simply responding to a child’s curiosity about the cause of blue skies. Here, we provide a thorough guide for you if you want to learn more about the significance of science education in schools.

Scientific investigation is the methodical study of observation and experiments to ascertain the structure and behaviour of the social, physical, and natural worlds. It is essential for innovation, increased global competitiveness, and human progress. Developing new medications for different diseases or discovering and cataloguing new galaxies are just examples of how important it is for the globe to keep advancing science.

Science is just as important as other courses like the humanities and modern history. Discussions about education today are dominated by the growing importance of STEM education. It is a challenging discipline to teach because of the volume of content to cover and the students’ disengagement caused by the level of science mastery. But every educator’s considerations should centre on the importance of teaching science. There is much more involved than merely repeating rules, concepts, and terminology.

At its most basic, science is social contact that imparts persistence and patience. Along with these benefits, it can teach kids how to think critically about their environment and make them conscious that they have a role to play in resolving global problems.

The Importance Of Science Education In Schools

Knowledge

Students get the chance to learn more about how and why things work through science education. Children can learn about their surroundings through science. Science can explain the workings of intricate systems in anything from human biology to modes of transportation. Science-related knowledge can be employed to understand novel concepts, make informed decisions, and follow a new passion.

Kids and teenagers can learn more and remember things better because science offers concrete or visual evidence for many of the topics we see on screens and in books.

Problem-Solving Skills

Children who study science can develop a healthy sense of scepticism. A student’s understanding and ability to ask questions about the knowledge they have gathered can be improved by science. Many students find science to be engaging and fascinating, which leads them to discover new scientific topics of interest. Science provides children the notion that they can contribute to the solution of global problems, which is a desirable notion. Children who study science are better able to reason and solve problems. The majority of what you observe is the result of people who encountered a problem and used their knowledge of science to find a solution.

Boosts Critical Thinking

In science, theories often begin with an experiment that uses scientific methods and analysis to demonstrate the hypothesis. Students can connect practical and theoretical work by following the scientific method’s framework of a rational analysis to new topics. All disciplines and spheres of life can benefit from an understanding of the relationship between theories and research. Science gives young minds the energy they need to perform at their highest level, similar to gas to a stove.

Encourages A Learning Passion

It is inherently fascinating to learn about the remarkable everyday occurrences that occur, such as how a fish breathes in water, why the sky is blue in colour, or how the sun sets to the east. Science encourages learners’ innate curiosity and motivates them to solve the mysteries of their surroundings. Many people are attracted to a hands-on approach. A love of studying might be sparked by the opportunity to personally illustrate scientific concepts.

Supports Many Disciplines

Knowledge of various academic disciplines is required in order to understand science. For instance, a key requirement for both qualitative and quantitative research is the ability to understand mathematical concepts. Technical skills like careful observation of what is occurring in your ambience and the ability to conduct controlled tests are the foundation of scientific technique. One way to impart the importance of detail and objectivity is through the reporting of findings in scientific reports.

Futuristic Advancements

It’s difficult to think of a single element of life that technology hasn’t affected in some way. It is an essential part of numerous industries, from high technology to agriculture, and all in between. Science education is necessary for the next generation to help them prepare for the future. For instance, programmes focused on science in schools have contributed to the drop in smoking rates.

Science can be helpful in showing kids the risks associated with substance addiction as well as the environmental and health effects of toxins like smoking tobacco.

At MS Dhoni Global School, we ensure that our students experience the most interactive science education in school. We deploy several tried and tested approaches to encourage pace and effect of learning sciences.

[astrologyartandcinema]

Astrology Observations On "It" Factor

11th house personal placements particularly the benefics, are the people with the plug for everything, especially if Leo is heavy in the chart. Their networks are BIG even if they are in a small city and people just seem to want to do them favors, be seen with them, they have "It." The more Leo the more they are aware of this influence, they have a big head about it or relish in it, but it is only because they don't need to fake humility, when people tell you are the shit so often, why would you have to? They'll have friends all over the country and whatever size their pond they will be the biggest fish. On the flip side people won't know their insecurities because ultimately this house is connected to the external, people just project the satisfaction they would imagine having being so liked and admired, and they might not have the closeness and intimacy us regular folks take for granted of being known behind closed doors.

Speaking of "It," Biquintiles and Quintiles are aspects I find in the most talented people , there's so little resources and depictions of the specific meanings of these aspects but in the charts I have saved of people that are successful in their respective artistic field they have between 4-8, bonus if its between Moon, Venus, and Sun to-Neptune, Uranus, Pluto, AC. These people mastered a life time of cultivating taste, interest, and passion and are a treasure trove of knowledge.

Furthermore on "It" Leo moons just have "it." Leo moons are the people that despite whatever they have going on insecurity or otherwise, live to be their friends hype guys. If a Leo moon decides to love you, consider yourself one of the lucky ones cause when a Leo moon is well developed, you've made the best friend you'll ever have, they are loyal, devoted, and shine naturally and without effort, leaving them capable of truly appreciating the gifts and talents of others, empathizing without an agenda, and pride themselves in being good to their loved ones. Don't take them for granted if you don't feel understood by them because of their lack of jadedness, when you hit rock bottom or are in a crisis, you don't want your friend that can't get out of bed, you're going to want this person to help you, and you're in luck because they will with no expectations of you returning the favor, although you should, because if these people are ever in need, rest assured they are not crying wolf

Leo Risings have "it" too, but in a flashier more superficial way. They can love and adore others, and and they have the Leo way of making you feel loved in a way that you will feel in your bones, an attention that radiates and can be addictive. They are more prone to insecurities and attention seeking than the Moons or Suns, they attract the limelight consciously and subconsciously and are hyper aware of their influence in the world and social media. Want to dress well? Want to be have that "it" factor? Ask a Leo rising or rather just emulate them, they may not want to recognize their Leo nature or power especially if they have introverted sun or moon signs, but that won't stop them from cultivating it and exuding it. Their flaw is insecurity which they eventually grow out of if the rest of their chart promotes this growth. Whatever parts of their chart that indicates a struggle will be something they find threatening in others. Mercury Square Chiron, Mercury in a slower or watery sign? Watch out if you're witty and quick, even if they still have the stage in other departments they are going to be triggered and if Pluto is prominent or conjunct personal placements they're going to seek to undermine you, more likely in a series of subtle manipulations and less than respectable tactics. If they're not particularly Plutonic they might just avoid those that make them feel inferior, slow fading, not particularly interested in making you feel their presence or absence, but eager to avoid a feeling of ineptitude or lesser than. For the most part, once they recognize the deficits inside and out they will find ways to improve themselves, they may have blindspots to their innate talents and magnanimity or simply disregard them and focus on what they lack. Once they come into their own though, these people can shine and shine on others with abandon like their Moon and Sun counterparts.

[jeminy3]

old archie x maxie (hardenshipping) doodles i never posted, from 2017 or 2018. they were related to some of the doodles in this post.

I have a lot of unpublished drawings of these guys, and i never did elaborate on my headcanons for them. The truth is, I was (and still kinda am) very anxious and embarrassed about this fixation, probably because it centers around villains and “woobifies” them, but also because after playing and researching more into ORAS, i discovered that my personal canon was contradicted by actual canon and i felt invalidated.

For the sake of posterity, I’ll summarize my old headcanons below. (It’s still pretty long, ugh)

A grunt in Team Magma’s hideout says that Archie and Maxie “used to be on the same team.” In canon, this probably implies that they worked together on New Mauville, Sea Mauville, or another unnamed project, depending on how old they are and how long ago those projects started and ended.

However, like many other fans, I thought this meant they used to be in Team Rocket together, and I elaborated an entire backstory based on that:

+ Maxie and Archie were part of a group of Rocket recruits attempting to start a branch of Team Rocket in the Hoenn Region. The project failed because soon after they arrived, Giovanni was defeated in Kanto and officially dissolved Team Rocket, causing a schism to form within the Hoenn team over whether to give up the project or not. This eventually lead to the team splintering into two factions, one lead by Maxie and the other lead by Archie, which eventually grew and rebranded themselves into Team Magma and Team Aqua.

-Maxie and Archie met and connected enough to start dating, though they were emotionally dysfunctional. As problems arose and the Team began to splinter, their relationship also broke down and their separation was very messy.

Maxie clung to the ambition of staying in Hoenn and building up the Team as a paragon of human industry, pushing away Archie and anyone else he deemed as “not useful.”

Archie also wanted to make the Team work, but not in the way Maxie and his side wanted, at the expense of nature. Archie felt hurt and betrayed as Maxie pushed him away and disagreed with him, making him contradict and lash out at Maxie even more.

This all culminated in a huge fight between Archie and Maxie and their respective sides, involving both Pokemon battling and actual fist-fighting. Local authorities were called in, causing the teams to scatter, but not before Archie and Maxie promised to face each other again, reforging themselves as bitter rivals.

-- Maxie

+ Maxie is (the pokemon equivalent of) German/Japanese, and was born on Cinnabar Island. His birth name was Maximillian Matsubasa Von Brandt, but he prefers simply “Maxie”. He IDs as bigender, asexual and demi-homoromantic.

His father is a Kanto businessman named Masaru Matsubasa. His mother is from somewhere in or near Kalos, named Melissa Von Brandt. They were both wealthy and successful business people who frequently left on business trips, Masaru travelling between Kanto and Johto and Melissa to her home country.

Maxie was often left alone or with a nanny at home. He was well-provided for and self-sufficient, but he was lonely and emotionally stunted. He had a passion for geology and engineering, and showed interest in contributing to helping Cinnabar’s local issues, which were often tense because of the limited land space. Homelessness and unemployment were high, and development plans to alleviate these were stymied by parties who lobbied for the preservation of the local Pokemon wildlife by any means.

Maxie’s parents were skeptical of his choice in career but still supported him, if only half-heartedly. This lead Maxie to study Cinnabar’s volcano, which he found to be very much active and possibly dangerous. He developed a plan to build in and around the volcano in such a way that it would utilize extra space inside the mountain for housing/businesses and its magma for natural energy to power the city, possibly circumventing its eventual eruption.

He presented this plan to Cinnabar’s city council, but was practically laughed out of the meeting for such an ambitious and dangerous idea, especially by the wildlife parties. This damaged his reputation and caused him to be fired/demoted from his job. His parents reprimanded him, regretting their decision to support him.

Lost and disgusted with his life, Maxie found recruitment with Team Rocket and left Cinnabar to join their efforts on the mainland. When he presented his research to their higher-ups, they were impressed enough to pass it along to Giovanni himself, and Maxie ended up contributing to the construction of some of their underground lairs, like in Celadon City.

This also made him a prime candidate for the Rocket Hoenn project as a lead engineer and scientist, and he joined the project with high hopes.

+ His interest in Pokemon was soured by his past and usually only extends are far as his ambitions, which means he views Pokemon only as things that can be useful to whatever projects he’s working on, otherwise they are a nuisance. After becoming the leader of Team Magma and having to train a personal team to defend himself with, he warms up to Pokemon a bit more.

+ Maxie plays up his confidence and genius, but does have moments of crippling self-doubt and anxiety. Deep down, he’s socially awkward and has trouble expressing his feelings, tending to bottle things up until they spill out in moments of anger.

+ Maxie used to be a semi-heavy smoker in his youth to cope with his anxiety. After becoming the leader of Team Magma, his health was suffering and his grunts were visibly uncomfortable around him, so for the sake of his own health and that of his team, he quit, with help and advice from Courtney and Tabitha.

+ Maxie hates his parents and hasn’t contacted them since he left Cinnabar, which was over ten years ago by the end of ORAS events. He avoids them to the point that he uses a forged identity in Hoenn, named “Maxie Stormfront.” ‘Stormfront’ is a reference from one of his favorite metal bands, the Doom Hounds, because he is a nerd.

+ Years later, Cinnabar’s volcano did erupt and destroy the town, displacing its human population. Maxie has mixed feelings about this – he’s not sure if it’s righteous karma for the City Council rejecting his plans, or a sign that his old plans were doomed to failure and he was better off leaving Cinnabar after all.

-- Archie

+ Archie is (the pokemon equivalent of) Black/Hispanic and a Hoenn native. His birth name is Archibald Rodriguez. He IDs as a cis man (or trans?), pansexual and panromantic.

He was born to his father, Alexander Rodriguez and his mother, Alicia Fuentes (Rodriguez after marriage) in a small fishing town on one of Hoenn’s coasts, with its fishery being its only major industry. Most of its residents are middle-class or poor, and few members pursue an education after high school, usually joining the local fishing industry.

In his youth, Archie didn’t care much for school or work, preferring to spend his days playing with the local water Pokemon and his friends, Matt and Shelly. However, this exposed him to the effects that overfishing and pollution had on the local wildlife, and he eventually grew to want to pursue a career as a Veterinarian, specifically for water pokemon.

His parents didn’t believe he would be successful and his town had few resources to help him. The most he could do was research at the local library and a then-primitive internet.

Worse, his town was outright apathetic to the damage their industry was causing to the local wildlife because they depended on its capital to survive.

+A possible traumatic memory involves a young Archie nursing a sick Magikarp back to health for weeks, only to later discover it trapped in the nets of the fishery his father worked at, doomed to become food/products. When he attempted to cut the nets and save the Magikarp, his father restrained him and reprimanded him, claiming “it’s just a fish, boy! They’re all just stupid fish!”

Eventually, Archie was a depressed drifter in his 20s, unable to hold onto work and unable to afford to leave to a larger city. He often fought with his abrasive father and his mother was coddling, but unsupportive. This made Archie a prime candidate for Team Rocket recruiters as they arrived on Hoenn, promising a way out of his backwater town, decent pay, and a career where he’d be appreciated and be able to work with Pokemon to change the world.  He joined as a lowly Grunt, but was talented and well-respected within the Team.

-Archie has limited contact with his parents since he left home, only calling them once a year or so.

-Archie doesn’t like being referred to as his full name, it feels pretentious and brings back uncomfortable memories of his family.

+I used to headcanon Archie and Matt as biological brothers because of the “bro” thing, but I’m not sure about keeping that. If so, Matt’s name would be short for Matthias Rodriguez, because their parents liked pretentious names.

-Like some of his dialog implies, Archie is kind of depressed, pessimistic and cynical deep down, but hides it behind his boisterous, reckless attitude. At his worst, he’s downright bitter, uncaring of his own life or the lives of humanity in general, in favor of Pokemon.

[bambeptin]

the map of infinity was wild as hell: an analysis

ok, let's get this out of the way first: there's no reason why Professor Paradox had to make the Map of Infinity other than "for fun".

which makes sense! he’s immortal, he’s been travelling for a while, and he’s likely very, very, very bored. anything he does is probably to chase new stimuli. his sense of morality is off, from human standards.

it's the complete space-time map of 17 different dimensions, which Paradox doesn't technically need, since he has the Chrononavigator and his own innate time powers. he doesn't even need it to reach the Forge of Creation, since he can literally just like, walk there whenever. Paradox was the person that made the barrier between the Forge and the rest of the Universe in the first place. was it even always outside of the universe? did he send it out there? I imagine it sort of went like this:

"boy, am I bored today!"

"let's see if I can make an in-depth map of a bunch of different dimensions"

fought Celestialsapiens when he reached the Forge of Creation, K6BD-style. they can't kill him (his powerset matches up well against theirs) and he can't kill them all (and they’re starting to mess with his time plans), so eventually they agree to a treaty. he found the war sorta fun

bored again

"what do I do with this map I made? destroy it? no, that would be pointless..."

"oh! I know!"

"split it into 4 parts, 2 of which are keystones to a world and 2 of which are in death trap temples, because that would be 1. fun to make and 2. could lead to fun situations in the future"

let's go over them all!

Map Piece 1. Mykdl'dy

gesundheit. if you don’t remember this planet, it’s the half hot/half cold one that Paradox made a death trap temple on, which is now guarded by Necrofriggian cultists.

"welcome to my crib....... I enjoyed creating brutalism-inspired shapes of dark grey prisms against the ever-changing backdrop of ice and fire. in front are two statues of a mysterious person in robes, because I thought it would look cool. within are some dastardly traps that I designed myself, so watch out! the Necrofriggian colonists making a religion out of it wasn't my intention though. it's just a coincidence that they're the same species as the statues! I felt like the high point of this temple is dragon-wyrm that I created! the acid is a fantastic extra touch.”

“dungeon design is my passion.”

it seems like he decorated the inner parts the most, lovingly, with his shade of blue, used a bunch of magical spells (presumably; elaborated on later) for that part too, then realized that it would be a bit of a pain decorating the rest of the place and made the rest plainer. I wonder if he made it all himself, or like, hired some dudes

Map Piece 2. Piscciss

it’s hidden as the anti-gravity multiplier that holds Piscciss together.

“huh?” you might ask. “why would that piece have that power?”

I don’t know, maybe they all had that power or something. maybe if Aggregor just took one and started blasting everyone with anti-gravity the arc would be over way faster. maybe it’s magic. maybe Paradox is fucking with you.

“wait???” you might ask next. “it’s hidden as WHAT????”

that’s right! this is the little thing that keeps Piscciss a planet and not a bunch of water filled with dead fish floating around in space. “haha yeah this works perfectly... trust me it's not a macguffin that will be stolen and break your planet apart and someone in the future will have to sacrifice an alien to replace it lol...” - Paradox handing the anti-gravity multiplier to the Piscciss Volann when they were making an artificial water planet for them to live on

either that or the Piscciss Volann stumbled on the piece in an unseen other death trap temple, found its powers, and decided to use it, which sort of goes against the whole “Paradox hid all the pieces” thing if he simply never checked up on them

Map Piece 3. Perplexahedron

I know they went to Ledgerdomain third but that is saved for the end because it’s fucking mental. so we’re gonna talk about the Perplaxahedron. it’s the cube from Cube (1997).

if you don’t know what that is, it’s an absolutely huge artificial planet/building that’s entirely made of death traps. each new room is an exciting and fresh way to die. invigorating! while it does have a simple design, it’s efficient at what it does, and the clinical nature adds to the theme of being an unknowable deadly object. that’s what he probably describes it as anyways. again, did he build all of that himself? can I make a “Paradox construction squad” OC?

maybe Paradox made these dudes to help build the place, and kept them around as guards, because that’s efficiency.

this dude’s sole purpose in life is to wait there and hand over the Map of Infinity piece to whoever’s smart enough to get inside. I assume Paradox made him, because he disappears from reality like ten minutes after he hands it out, but Paradox has hired people to be guards in his temples before. the pay must be really good. maybe their culture is like that. maybe he didn’t disappear and actually it was an actor to squeeze the most drama out of the universe.

anyways, if he was real, Ben basically ruined his life before he died by tossing out the very important piece of the Map to Aggregor for basically no reason. oops!

Map Piece 4. Ledgerdomain

“he can reach the Forge of Creation. so obviously he can reach Ledgerdomain, a dimension of pure mana. what’s the problem?” well, there’s really no problem. it’s quite cool! no, what’s wild is that nobody really thinks about the ramifications of this piece of the Map of Infinity. for a refresher, this is what it’s hidden as:

“It is an object as old as time itself, through which all magic flows. It is the keeper of the true name of [Ledgerdomain]; source of ultimate power! And it is mine!“ - Charmcaster

the secret true name of magic. if you have it, you have power over magic itself.  it can revive the dead or instantly kill people. that power corrupts its wielder easily. also, if it’s removed from Ledgerdomain, the realm loses all natural entry/exit points, destabilizes, and begins the crumble. that’s right! it’s the Alpha Rune.

Paradox is confirmed to have actually made the Alpha Rune, not just hidden a piece as the Rune. I implore you to think about what that entails.

he knows magic (3-page minicomic I made about that topic). he doesn’t just know magic, he knows the secret name of magic, automatically making him a disgustingly powerful mage. either that or it’s possible to get the secret name of magic without knowing magic, which is fine too, but just being around the Alpha Rune makes you able to cast spells. he probably ripped the Alpha Rune from the Omniverse and bound it to his will because he had nothing else better to do that day. could he make even more Alpha Runes (even if they’re weaker copies), since it knows it already? did making it into Rune form rip it from his own mind? I like to think that the reason why he can’t lie is because if he does, his latent magical abilities will automatically attempt to cast a spell to make it real.

here are three ways you can interpret “Paradox made the Alpha Rune”.

he found the secret name of magic and made the Alpha Rune out of it

he literally made the secret name of magic. i.e. he made magic itself. that would be wild as hell.

the writers didn’t really think about the ramifications of any part of the Map of Infinity past “cool artifact”, which, to be honest, fair enough.

he probably finds all the magic really useful, since it helps streamline all of his temples and stuff. all of the bright blue lines connected to Paradox’s creations might even be magic! or his time powers.

by the way, he pulls the same split-something-into-pieces-and-hide-them-with-death-traps stunt with Maltruant, so I think this is his hobby.

[masonyin]

01 BEETHOVEN THE TITAN

   Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, on December 16, 1770, the son of a court musician. His father was determined to make him a child prodigy and trained him vigorously.

   Once the young Beethoven played for Mozart and afterwards Mozart commented, “Mark that young man, he will make a name for himself in the world.”

   Beethoven eventually became one of the greatest musical geniuses ever lived and was best known for his nine symphonies. He played an crucial part in connecting the Classical and Romantic styles of Western music.

   His life was heroic but at the same time tragic, much like his music.

03 CONVERSATION IN A CAFE

   From 1818 onwards, Beethoven started carrying blank “conversation books” in order to communicate with friends and acquaintances. They would write in his conversation book, to which he would reply.

   In 1823, once when Beethoven was visiting his favorite coffee house, a stranger suffering the same hearing condition as Beethoven approached him and sought his advice, to which Beethoven replied:

“Baths [and] country air could improve many things. Just do not use mechanical devices [ear trumpets] too early; by abstaining from using them, I have fairly preserved my left ear in this way…When possible, [conversing] through writing is better; the hearing will be spared.”

04 SIXTY COFFEE BEANS

Beethoven’s secretary Anton Schindler recalled: “For breakfast, he drank coffee, which he usually prepared in a glass coffee-maker…coffee seems to have been the one indispensable item in his diet, and he was as fastidious as an Oriental in its preparation. He estimated sixty beans to the cup and would often count them out, especially when guests were present.”

05 BEETHOVEN’S MENU

   Beethoven loved fish and especially sea bass and codfish. He also loved his coffee in the morning and when friends came to visit, he would make them his other favorite dish, macaroni with butter and cheese. He also enjoyed soup with twelve drowned eggs. When it came to beverages, Beethoven preferred flat water and light Austrian wine.

06 FÜR ELISE

   Beethoven’s ‘Für Elise’ is most likely dedicated to Therese Malfatti, a woman to whom Beethoven proposed in 1810. Malfatti also had the original ‘Für Elise’ manuscript in her possession.

   Beethoven once wrote to Malfatti: “Bear me in memory—no one can wish you a brighter, happier life than I—even should it be that you care not at all for your devoted servant and friend, Beethoven.”

   ‘Für Elise’ is especially well-known in Taiwan because it is the music that accompanies garbage trucks. The trucks were imported from Germany and the piece ‘Für Elise’ was already installed in the trucks before they were imported.

07 IMMORTAL BELOVED

   A passionate love letter was discovered after Beethoven’s death. It was never mailed and the addressee of this “immortal beloved” (Unsterbliche Geliebte) remained unknown.

   Beethoven had four great loves in life: Therese Malfatti, Julie Guicciardi, Josephine von Brunsvik and Antonie Brentano. Historians can never be sure to whom this letter was addressed.

   The letter remains one of the most famous love letters ever written in Western history. Deep down inside, Beethoven was an rebellious soul waiting to be passionately loved:

“My angel, my everything, my very self… Wherever I am, you are with me… Your love makes me at once most happy and most unhappy… You - you my life – my everything - farewell - oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your Beloved

Ever thine   Ever mine Ever us.”

08 THE WORLD CAN’T BE HEARD

   Beethoven first noticed he was gradually losing his hearing when he was 28, at the height of his early fame. By 1802, his hearing only worsened but the proud Beethoven did not want the cultural circle in Vienna to find out about his defect, so he often withdrew from social life.

   In the Heiligenstadt Testament, a letter written by Beethoven to his brothers Carl and Johann, Beethoven described the despair he felt about slowly losing his hearing and how he even contemplated suicide:

“If I apporach near to people a hot terror seizes upon me and I fear being exposed to the danger that my condition might be noticed…I would have ended my life—it was only my art that held me back. Ah, it seemed to me impoosible to leave this world until I had brought forth all that I felt was within me…”

09 SYMPHONY NO.5 ‘FATE’

   The premiere of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony took place in Vienna’s Theater an der Wien on Dec. 22, 1808, conducted by Beethoven himself.  Although the premiere did not garner immediate success, later writer/music critic E.T.A Hoffmann praised the symphony with this imagery:

“Radiant beams shoot through this region’s deep night, and we become aware of gigantic shadows which, rocking back and forth, close in on us and destroy everything within us except the pain of endless longing—a longing in which every pleasure that rose up in jubilant tones sinks and succumbs, and only through this pain, which, while consuming but not destroying love, hope, and joy, tries to burst our breasts with full-voiced harmonies of all the passions, we live on and are captivated beholders of the spirits.”

10 THE LAST CURTAIN CALL

   Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, also known as the Choral Symphony, premiered on May 7, 1824 in Vienna, and was an immediate success with the audience. Beethoven was almost completely deaf at this point and couldn’t possibly conduct the orchestra himself, so he stood alongside the “official conductor”, Michael Umlauf. Violinist Joseph Böhm recalled,

“At one moment he [Beethoven] stretched to his full height, at the next he crouched down to the floor, he flailed about with his hands and feet as though he wanted to play all the instruments and sing all the chorus parts.”

   According to the critic for the Theater-Zeitung: “the public received the musical hero with the utmost respect and sympathy, listened to his wonderful, gigantic creations with the most absorbed attention and broke out in jubilant applause, often during sections, and repeatedly at the end of them.”

   The audience was ecstatic, they gave Beethoven five standing ovations, and threw handkerchiefs in the air, hats, and raised hands to show the nearly deaf Beethoven their undeniable excitement.

11 LIGHT IN A DARK PLACE

   Beethoven passed away on March 26, 1827 at the age of 56. His friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner was present when Beethoven passed and recalled during a thunderstorm, as a flash of lightening stroke:

“Beethoven opened his eyes, lifted his right hand and looked up for several seconds with his fist clenched … not another breath, not a heartbeat more.”  

   About 10,000 Viennese attended Beethoven’s funeral procession on March 29, 1872. Franz Schubert was one of the pallbearers. The world is not alone anymore because Beethoven had left his greatest legacy for us to enjoy for centuries and paved the way for the Romantics. His music offers us not only passion and despair but also hope, strength, and consolation.

[ratsoupee]

Things I Would’ve Loved To See In A Danny Phantom Reboot

I’m a big enthusiast when it comes to storytelling, and Danny Phantom literally has so much potential. And I’m very upset Butch was too coward to go darker. So here are my thoughts on if DP had a reboot:

Deeper ghost lore and kinds of ghost, A lot of fanfiction I have come across have so many versions of lore that all totally make sense and are supper cool (e.g. Ghost core types, states of ghosts, the idea of ghosts being ghosts, ghosts’ obsession). Ghosts that wreak havoc upon Amity Park because they are so filled with rage and need to be contained and put back in the ghost zone. Ghosts that, despite having moved on from their past, stay because they want to see the next Cowboys vs Aliens 3 movie happen and only cause trouble for the fun of it (exhibit A, Johnny). 

Spookier ghosts, just give us way meaner ghosts! Ghosts that have eyeballs hanging out! You can’t just give us funky ghosts and funky ghosts only. From the physically gore-ish to the psychologically horrifying ghosts (Like Penelope Spectra!), I would have loved to see these kind of ghosts and episodes.

Different cultural interpretations of ghosts. Of course, done respectfully, with deep research and understanding of said culture. So many cultures touch on the spiritual aspect of ghosts and spirits. It makes for incredible stories and ideas.

Danny Phantom being Trans, need I say more? (Butch Hartman can suck a dick)

Danny Phantom with much more unique, mysterious powers, he’s a Halfa, of course he’s a mystery, a phantom! While other ghosts have powers solely linked to an obsession or something they relate to closely, Danny doesn’t have that. He’s a mystery. I want seasons of Danny exploring and discovering powers he doesn’t have the means of understanding or controlling because it’s just that bizarre and one of a kind. Maybe he can tap into the memories of ghosts when they are extremely emotional, something about having the human connection?

Hilarious quirks about being a half ghost, like Danny showing up in photos looking like a cryptic entity, being super silent, scaring the shit out of people. Fun ghost stuff.

The bullies need to have their character development moments!! They had so much potential for character growth and exploration. Topics like toxic masculinity, abuse and bullying could’ve been explored through them! GIVE THEM THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT THEY DESERVED

The friendship between Tucker, Sam and Danny being tested in the form of their own self reflection. People have also written good fanfiction about it, and the one I love the most is when Sam is being questioned about being friends with Tucker and Danny because of her favoritism towards unconventional-ism to spite her parents (Of course, Sam loves her friends with a passion). Or maybe when Danny has had a tough day (i.e getting found out by his parents and just showing up to Tucker’s home) and the two have no idea what to do, but in the end, they just needed to be there for Danny and likewise. Friendships like relationships are complicated. I would love to see these things being explored.

Danny’s ghost powers becoming a little more unpredictable in the later season. In relation to the earlier comment about ghosts obsession, ghosts can also become powerful with fickle emotion, especially aggression. Danny has always tiptoed the line of human and ghost, but when he gets too angry in a particular episode, he goes absolutely feral, intense ghost form and stuff. It’s a new thing he has to struggle with and it even makes him fear becoming ghost.

More Danny and Jazz moments, because siblings need so much screen time to annoy each other. But also, I would love moments where Jazz has Danny’s back and sometimes, covers up Danny’s disappearances in front of their parents with humorous excuses.

Danny’s secret is revealed to his parents in an unfavorable situation, and his parents struggle to accept and understand Danny’s revelation. Jack and Maddie have spent their whole lives thinking ghosts are bad, and the only way to solve a ghost problem is to shoot at it. With Danny, its a whole ‘nother stack of cards to deal with. From the fact that their son is no longer human, throwing a wrench into everything they know about ghosts, to holy shit, we actually killed our son. Maddie especially finds it harder to accept, believing that they need to help Danny get rid of his ghostly half, even if it meant destroying his core. But Danny doesn’t need help, he’s long accepted that he’s Halfa. Slowly, the Jack and Maddie learn to accept it, and a comically unsure about their jobs as ghost hunters.

Hey that movie about Planet something, never existed. Saving a planet from an asteroid is suppose to be the peak finale of Danny’s reveal to Amity Park as a half human half ghost?? Get outta here

Instead, let’s have a season finale of an epic ghost showdown that even Danny himself, will struggle terribly to defeat. He has to face off against a ghost that even with the help of his friends and his ghost powers, seems almost impossible. Even the ghosts of Amity Park are threatened if they ever get in their way of world domination, and they don’t hesitate to crush the cores of the ghosts. Its a culmination of the past relationships he has made with the ghosts, friends, family, allies, and even nemesis, working together to stop an ultimate evil. Because when he first faces off the ghost, he’s alone, and in their final showdown, he has people who will stick with him thick and thin. With everything he has learnt, struggled to control, and mastered his ghost powers, there is an epic showdown.

Trust me, I have so many ideas for the season finale showdown in my head. The ghost having the power to just grab and destroy a core, or control it. They have their ghost armada and they enjoy playing mind games, torment any poor soul who dares get in her way. Danny Phantom attempts to stop her in the ghost zone before she can enter the human world, but he gets absolutely destroyed, almost having his core taken from it and you can bet that shit will hurt like hell. He gets trapped in the ghost zone, too weak to make it back to the human world and alone, until Vlad of all ghosts, manages to fish him out of the ghost zone and Danny finds that the humans and ghosts have taken refuge from the big Ghost boss. 

As much as I dislike Butch Hartman and his homophobic cowardly ass, make no mistake that he pioneered a generation of cartoon and art. He made a style uniquely distinct that even artists reference when it comes to character design. But his stories have so much potential that we can’t shy away from. We need more mature themes for kids to learn, more openly LGBTQ+ friendly episodes and of course, more diverse characters and cast.

Feel free to add more! There’s just so many ideas for a DP reboot, and they really are amazing

[spacecadetal]

fireworks

kakashi hatake/fem!reader

word count: 2774 warnings: descriptions of violence, descriptions of blood, descriptions of killing, alcohol use author notes: i wanted to write something a little different than i usually would i kinda got a little tired of my wips lol

the first time i saw him, i was eight years old with a shy curiosity about the world. long story short, his shoulder collided with my own. he wasn’t watching where he was going and neither was i, the hard jolt gave me such a fright that i yelled at him to watch where he was going. i had too much pride to admit i was at fault, lost in a daydream once again. he shared my reaction and my sentiment. saying i should watch myself too with great annoyance in his tone. i scoffed, he huffed, we went our separate ways.

i had always heard his name but never connected the dots until i was much older but still not much wiser. he was a prodigy, i was painfully just above average. as a bright eyed genin, i was out in the world and only starting to understand the true meaning of the path i chose at the naive age of six. his squad was babysitting my own on a mission. his mentor stands next to mine and introduces us and my face sours immediately. unlike him i don’t have a mask to hide it. he avoids me for the whole mission but his teammates are nice.

his red eye was making waves around the world, he was a myth and enemies across the land waited in anticipation for the day to come where they could finally see it in the flesh. great gain had come with great loss, i’m sure he wishes the second hand eye was back with its original owner. i remember the first time i saw him lift up his headband and expose it to the world. the blood red eye and it’s black swirls, chills shoot down my spine like pins and needles. engaging with an enemy was pure violence, animalistic and messy yet he made it seem so graceful. 

the pines and the dark forest disappear before my eyes; now he stands on a wooden stage with his foe, dancing under a spotlight. every dodge and weave is smooth and flawless. his strikes felt as natural and as quick as a snake striking at its prey. i watch his performance with a disregard for my own safety and when the last of our enemies hit the dirt, i wait for him to bow. instead he shakes the blood off his kunai and the famous eye is tucked away under his headband. i think i fell in love with him that afternoon.

the girl who died, her name was rin and that one time her team babysat mine, she braided my hair by a campfire and said i had a pretty name. she didn't deserve to die. they whisper about him when he walks by, terrible nasty things. but i smile at him, wave to him when i see him and hope it makes him feel less alone in the world. he sees it and he averts his gaze without reply or acknowledgement. rejection makes my chest tighten, if only slightly. naturally i assume he doesn’t like me, maybe he doesn’t like anyone. 

i'm in a village with my squad for a mission, it’s small but the green tea in the wooden cup and the smell of rabbit stew on the stovetop makes me feel at home. the excited teenage boy asks me about the things i've seen. the only thing he knows is chopping wood and shearing sheep. he asks me about a rumour he’s heard by a traveller about the boy that conjures lightning in his hand, he asks me if i've seen it before in the flesh. i smile and nod and confirm that i have. he asks me to describe it. i don't know how to at first.

first, you hear the static snapping and popping and it captures your attention instantly. then the pale blue light grows bigger and bigger in his hand, it takes on a life of its own and i won’t lie and say that it doesn’t make my heart beat out of my chest but he tames it like a wild beast, he has complete control. if you stand off to the side, you can watch the show. lightning surrounds him but he is never burnt. he’s like a god when he strikes, i've never seen something so terrifying but beautiful. he's beautiful. but i don’t tell the teenage boy that and i dont tell him that sometimes the loud crackle of his chidori haunts me when im alone. 

when i'm a chunnin, i feel much older than i am. it's not due to the title of my rank but because i keep plunging my kunai into grown men’s hearts and have to pretend it doesn’t faze me to see blood squirting from punctured arteries. i don't see him around the village much anymore. he lives in the darkness, in the shadows but sometimes he comes out into the light. he's grown so much older and taller and i think he looks handsome in his gear. toned arms and biceps and that tattoo on his left upper arm, the one that tells the world where his loyalties lie. walking past him, i prepare to feel the chill of his icy demeanor but i say his name, wave and smile. the only one of his eyes that sees the world widens and the veins of his arms bulge at my greeting, i can’t see his hands because they’re stuffed in his pockets. he always looks away but this time, for the smallest of seconds, he nods in my direction and then he is gone.

when the nine tailed beast attacks the village, i am kept away from the battle in a forest with the rest of the ninja around my age. he’s there, standing by his friend who talks and talks. i like his friend, he always greets me with enthusiasm. i try to ignore the sounds of my village being destroyed and the screams of the unfortunate dying people as i am powerless to do anything. my eyes move on their own in his direction only to find he has the same idea. for a moment, air leaves my lungs and i nod politely before i look away. his eyes meet mine one, two, three times. that night my home was buried under a mountain of rock and rubble and he lost the last person that knew the true extent of the damage this world had inflicted on him. 

the elderly lady at the stall with the hair clips told me i've grown into a beautiful young lady and i blush at her comment and insist it isn’t so. she tells me i must have a lot of boys' attention and i buy the deep blue hair clip with the faux sapphire gem. it stands out in my dark hair. it's been a long time since my house was crushed and a long time since he’s sat in the dango store with his friends but here’s there when i walk by. the compliment has me on cloud nine and i'm glad he’s not alone anymore. i smile at the group, say ‘ hey guys ’ and wave. for a millisecond my eye catches his as i'm walking by and my mind plays tricks on me. i think i see his cheeks tinge red.

kurenai came up to me one summer's morning and asked if i was attending the festival. i told her i was but likely alone. maybe i wasn’t such a pretty girl, no fish ever nibbled on the hook of the fishing pole i cast into the waters. her boyfriend looked bored as we spoke and her crimson eyes smile when she brings up the boy with the silver hair’s name, pretending she doesn’t notice my breath hitch for the slightest of moments. ‘ you should ask him, he’s not going with anyone either ’ she tells me and then she drags her boyfriend away. i sit alone on the cliffs for an hour thinking it through, my knees up to my chin as i wonder why she would suggest such a thing. iwashi is pissed that i'm twenty minutes late to meet up with them.

his group joins up with mine hours later and i greet him as i always do. he stands off to the side and plays with his hands and every time i catch his eye he looks as if he wants to say something to me. they say love feels like butterflies but when my eyes meets his, those butterflies turn into angry bees. i want to say something to him too, ask him where his friend got the idea that i should ask him to go with me but the bees within me sting and their venom prevents me from opening my mouth. i avert my gaze and pretend to listen to genma when he talks about his favourite order of ramen. 

we all part ways but we’re together again within the hour and i'm waiting nervously at the spot kurenai told me to come back to. my yukata is the colour of lapis and white periwinkles decorate the sleeves and i wonder if i look plain compared to the girls around me dressed in passionate pinks, gentle purples, and bold reds. he doesn’t see me at first but i see him. his yukata is dark grey with light thin stripes and it compliments his bright silver hair wonderfully. it’s the first time i've seen his hair down and his long strands are wild and stick out all over the place, i think i fall in love with him all over again. hes alone and i don’t dare to approach but he finally sees me. he waves, i nod. he's so handsome that i can’t stand to look at him so i don’t.

it’s dark and explosions of many colours light up the sky. i'm so distracted by the loud boom echoing off the hills and the blue, red, white and green lights on a black landscape that i don’t notice he's standing right beside me watching it too. knuckles lightly brush against my own, my chest tightens at the sensation. it’s distracting enough that i tear my eyes away from the sky show. they’re as wide as a possum when i meet his gaze. he doesn’t say anything, he just stares for a moment before he looks back at the fireworks. it was an accident and i forgive and forget but then his fingers awkwardly hook around my own, clinging for dear life. i cannot look, i cannot think nor speak. i hold my breath and blink rapidly while i cling onto his fingers just as tightly. when the fireworks are finished, we consider each other in silence for a minute. his hand leaves mine and we part ways without a word.

every time i see him, i see fireworks and feel the ghost of his fingers wrap around my own. he acknowledges me and we’re rarely left alone around each other; when we are we do not speak of it. we lean against a railing side by side and watch our friends fool around. courageously i say to him that the weather is nice today and he nods in agreement before his friend calls him over. when he leaves my side, his knuckles brush past mine once more. i jump in surprise and tell myself it was another forgivable accident but then he glances back at me as he walks away and i can’t be too sure. 

i am frozen still in a shrub waiting for the enemy to pass by. the sound of my heartbeat in my ears is so loud but suddenly it is replaced with the familiar crackle of electricity that haunted my dreams for the longest of times. when i turn around i see a man gasping for life, holding on tightly to the kunai i imagined would have been plunged into the nape of my neck if it wasn’t for the ball of lightning sizzling away in his chest. the man’s body drops to the ground and i finally see him standing there in the man’s place, his lower arm is soaked with blood from the fatal strike. he takes my hand and helps me onto my feet. that famous red eye is hiding behind a porcelain hound mask and he asks me if i'm okay. i assure him i am and thank him, he nods his head in reply and walks away. i don’t mind that he’s left my hand stained with our enemy’s blood. 

when i am given the rank of jonin i am months away from being twenty. i’m not allowed to drink just yet but my older friends buy bottles of sake to share in the park and i accept the invitation without giving it much thought. it’s sweet on my tongue and goes down smoothly, the aftertaste reminds me of potatoes for some strange reason i can’t put my finger on. i drink and i drink until half a bottle is gone and my cheeks are red and i laugh too loudly at asuma’s lame jokes. the stars are beautiful tonight but they just look like streaks of light in my blurry vision. i lay in the grass, my head feels light and my stomach slightly churns. out of nowhere he is in my line of sight, standing over me with a touch of concern on the features that aren’t hidden away. he asks me if i'm okay and i say i'm just fine and i think to myself that i'm glad to see him. 

when he takes me home, he lectures his friends that i'm too young to get drunk and they reply that i'll be old enough in a couple of months and it doesn’t make that much of a difference. he doesn’t mind my drunken babbling and how my head leans on his shoulder as we walk slowly through the dimly lit streets. his grip around my waist is tight and i try not to say something foolish like the way he fights is a form of art or that i want him to hold my hand again. he drops me off at the door and leaves once i am inside safely. i pass out that night thinking of the ways i want to be his.

i am twenty one when he leaves the anbu and i see him on the streets alone. his nose is in a book and he doesn’t notice as i walk by. i fight the urge to turn around and ask him how he’s going, i’ll be late to meet up with my old squad to train if i do. later when i walk home, i stare off into the distance and think about making dinner and sharpening my collection of kunai when i collide with something hard. i jump out of fright at the impact, ready to snap when two hands land on my shoulders to secure me in place. we’re not kids anymore and he smiles at me and apologises even when i'm at fault. i ask him how he’s been and he says he’s been just fine. he walks me home and we talk about missions and his new role as a squad leader. on my doorstep he says he’ll see me around and then he is gone and i am left greedily wanting more of his time.

one day when we are standing alone he tells me he is in love with me. it is is out of the blue and i brush it off with laugher, telling him he couldn’t possibly be; he takes my hand in his and insists it’s true. he tells me that he has been since the moment i collided with him in the street when he was ten years old. that when the world was unkind to him, i provided enough kindness to keep him going, all in a smile and a greeting. it is everything i have wanted to hear and more. the angry swarm of bees are back and i am stung over and over again. he can tell that i'm paralysed so his lips fall gently onto mine and it allows me to say the things i cannot utter out loud. my eyes are closed and i can see the very same fireworks from the night our fingers touched. when he breaks away from me he says we should get out of here and wordlessly i agree. we walk in the streets of the village and i am unsure of the destination he has in mind. his fingers are wrapped around mine.

[antipodeanpineapplelump]

Dear Starshot, I recently saw your latest artwork for #Shisui Uchiha and the Lost Treasure of Asura and I am DYING to learn more about this AU. If you're comfortable sharing, is there anything you can disclose about it?? Is this related to the ItaShi Indiana Jones AU you mentioned before?!!?!?!?!!

Hi Birk, thank you so much for dropping by with this ask! Are you really voluntarily asking me to talk about my current obsession and fanfic baby though? Because I warn you, you may live to regret that!!!

"Shisui Uchiha and the Lost Treasure of Asura" is now the official title of my ItaShi Indiana Jones AU. I realise it’s been over a year since I first mentioned it, and it’s still a WIP! Pretty sure that says absolutely nothing good about the speed of my writing, but a lot about how busy my life outside of fandom is. Anyhow, it’s definitely one of those AUs that’s got away on me. I was planning one story initially, but now it’s kind of turned into three (plus a cracky oneshot), and this is just the first.

I’ve planned nine chapters total so far, but the bane of my life is currently number four. It’s sitting at 16,000 words and counting. Succinct writing? I’ve certainly never heard of it… So anyway, I kind of hit a wall there and decided to take a little break to come back with fresh eyes. That’s how I ended up working on the art instead. But I’d say I’m probably about halfway through the first draft (47,000-ish words).

I recently shared the opening scene and my draft cover artwork here. Ummm… what else can I tell you? Madara is the main bad guy, and he’s definitely a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Shisui is an agent of disaster and chaos. Itachi is really… not. So their initial interactions go about as well as you could expect.

All the main characters have extensive back stories. I’m pretty sure you’re already familiar with my Machiavellian worldbuilding tendencies from reading Red Dawn, so it goes without saying I have just as many notes and plans, and as much fleshed out worldbuilding for this story too. And it will take a long time for all of that to be revealed! But the overarching theme is probably found family, which is different to anything I’ve done before.

At this risk of revealing too much, or boring you to tears, I’ll finish with another sneak peek, this time from Itachi’s POV:

When Itachi wakes, there’s nothing to suggest his day is going to be anything but routine.

He gets up at dawn as per usual, eating breakfast at the dining table alone, legs tucked beneath him on a comfortable zabuton. The solitude at this hour of day is something he prefers. It’s the only time the family home is quiet anymore—lacking the cold disapproval of his father’s increasingly judgemental lectures, the anger of his younger brother’s rebellion, or the resigned acquiescence of his mother.

By now, Fugaku should have left for work, and it’s still too early for Sasuke to be awake, given how late he’s been staying out at night. Either to irritate their father, or just avoid him entirely, he’s taken to frequenting the clubs and bars in Osaka. Mostly, he comes home. Some nights, he doesn’t.

More often than not, even when he is home his door is closed, the thumping bass line of some song or another seeping out from beneath it. Likely because he knows this angers their father even more than the leather jackets and spiked punk-rock hair style he now sports.

Part of Itachi has been glad to discover his brother possesses more of a spine than he ever has. But at the same time, Sasuke’s rejection of every last one of their father’s rules has only brought more unwanted scrutiny to Itachi’s far more minor transgressions. It’s as though, having decided his younger child is a lost cause, Fugaku now wants to be absolutely certain his eldest son and heir to the Uchiha family fortune is beyond reproach. To smother him with expectations until he emerges, a diamond from beneath the pressure.

But unbeknownst to Fugaku, Itachi has one flaw he can’t change. And it means that, no matter what, he’ll always be a failure in his father’s eyes.

Sighing, he swallows a mouthful of rice and fish, washing it down with the sweetened barley tea he favours. Pulling this month’s edition of Modern Archaeology across the table, he inspects its glossy cover and promptly chokes on his drink.

The face that smiles up from the page stokes a knot of hot irritation in his gut. Furiously, he skips to the article, skim-reading the text, despite the fact he knows it will only annoy him further.

"An up-and-coming star in the field of archaeology, particularly specialising in South-American cultures, Shisui Uchiha is an increasingly well-known fixture of the San Diego research scene. Curiously for someone so entrenched in the study of history, he is famously reticent when it comes to his own. ‘I did spend my early years in Japan,’ he confirms when pressed. ‘But I haven’t been back in a long time. The United States is my home now.’ Asked about his connection to the famous Uchiha family, he merely winks enigmatically. ‘Never heard of them,’ he says, before asking if we’d like a one-on-one tour of the dig site.

Equally at home in dusty ruins as surfing the palm-lined SoCal beaches, or scaling the cliffs of his native Joshua Tree National Park, he nonetheless shines in group settings too. At the party we attend that evening, to celebrate the opening of a new Aztec exhibit at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, he easily charms the crowd, finishing the night with at least half a dozen new admirers. It’s not hard to see why they like him. A conversation with Shisui is exercise in passion and obscure historical knowledge. Even so, much like the dig sites he frequents, it’s hard to say just how much of what he presents to the world runs more than surface-deep.

His motto in life? ‘Fall seven times, stand up eight,’ Shisui says with a charismatic smile. Where did he learn it? Chuckling, he brushes us off. ‘The school of hard knocks.’

Love him or hate him, one thing is certain—we haven’t seen the last of Shisui Uchiha’s brand of archaeology.”

Hate him, Itachi thinks, sipping his tea viciously enough to scald his tongue and immediately regretting it. Definitely hate. Hate how he’s reckless, impulsive, irresponsible, and doesn’t seem to take a single thing seriously. Hate that it looks like he’s never had to work hard for anything a day in his life—people only too happy to hand him whatever he wants on a silver platter, charmed by a pretty smile. Hate the fact that, despite their shared family name, he’s free to do whatever he likes. Hate the way people flock to him, falling into his orbit—and by all accounts, bed—like it’s somehow inevitable. And hate, most of all, that there’s a small part of Itachi which understands why.

Because hate or love him—and it’s definitely hate—there’s no denying that Shisui Uchiha is, objectively, a very attractive man.

Coming back to his senses and realising he’s been leaning over the magazine, frowning so hard his forehead hurts, Itachi straightens, closing his eyes and massaging the knot of tension out from between his eyebrows.

“Itachi—”

The tension sinks in even deeper. He opens his eyes. “Father.”

Fugaku takes in magazine, then his son, and Itachi really hopes his cheeks aren’t as flushed as they feel. It’s stupid, but merely knowing he feels the way he does about the man on the page makes him fear being caught. As though his father might somehow divine his deepest darkest secret, just by looking. Truthfully, Itachi sometimes wonders if he might not already know, or at least suspect. But if he does, it’s clearly a truth he’s chosen not to acknowledge.

“I take it you’re prepared for our meeting this evening?” Fugaku asks, grim as ever.

Attempting a composed sip of his tea, Itachi nods. “Yes. Of course.”

Mouth a hard, unyielding line, Fugaku makes some indiscernible noise of disapproval, sweeping an appraising glance over Itachi. “Well, I suppose it’s too much to hope that anything can be done about your hair between then and now. But they’re a modern family. New money. Perhaps it won’t matter so much.”

Fingers tightening into the flesh of his thigh, Itachi has to remind himself to breathe. “I will do my best to make a good impression,” he says, inclining his head towards his father, penitence for his innumerable shortcomings—not least of all the choice to grow his hair out. It’s a small act of rebellion compared to Sasuke’s effort, but one his father seems determined to curtail as promptly as possible.

Poker face easing ever so slightly, Fugaku’s brows trend downwards, though their slant is still severe. “I know. You are my son, after all. And it is high time you were married with a family of your own. Perhaps then you will see the value in giving up these frivolous academic pursuits, and taking your rightful place at the head of the family business.”

He might as well build a box and stuff Itachi into it. Mold him to fit his own vision of the future. But Itachi has long since learnt that what he wishes he could have from life, and what he can have, are two very different things. So, just like his infrequent clandestine trips to the less desirable areas of Osaka’s nightlife, this too, he realises he will have to sacrifice. Duty before self.

“Yes Father, I’m certain you’re right,” he says, bowing once more as Fugaku leaves for work, closing the front door behind him with a click that reeks of finality.

As his footsteps crunch away on the gravel path outside, Itachi can’t help clenching his fists, until long after his knuckles turn white.

Theoretically, it’s a good match. From a family of good standing, his potential bride is quiet and well spoken—the perfect future housewife and mother. Their marriage would kill two birds with one stone, giving her father the son he never had, and Itachi—and therefore by extension Fugaku—control of their biggest competitor’s business.

All it requires is for Itachi spend the rest of his life pretending to be something he’s not.

The weight of it burns tight in his throat, threatening to break free on a rising tide of bile. He longs to cast off his gilded shackles, take a leaf from Sasuke’s book and do something completely crazy.

With a sigh, he rises from the table, collecting his dishes and depositing them circumspectly into the sink. Another day of work awaits.

[gumnut-logic]

Callisto (Arrival - Bit 2)

Prologue Incident - Bit 1 | Bit 2 Fallout - Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 Voyage - Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 Arrival - Bit 1 | Bit 2

Well, these posts seem to be getting longer. I’m pondering if I should make them shorter and more often.

As always, many thanks to @tsarinatorment​ @scribbles97​ @janetm74​ and @onereyofstarlight​ for their amazing support and who without putting up with my crazy this fic would likely not exist.

We are finally there and things can start happening. Wow, planning makes for longer fics apparently.

I hope you enjoy it ::hugs you all::

-o-o-o-

As the rest of the family exited the cockpit, Michael watched John deploy the last of the long chain of communication buoys into orbit around Callisto and held his breath.

The space monitor was frowning at his console as they both waited for that final connection to click into place.

A moment and John’s face relaxed.

And Michael with it.

His own board flashed up with a connection confirmed through the chained micro-tunnel drives.

John hit his comms. “Tracy Island, this is Thunderbird Excel. Do you copy?”

They waited.

A heartbeat.

“Thunderbird Excel this is Tracy Island. Great to hear your voice, John.” Even Michael could hear the smile in Kayo’s voice. “I have a lot of green and pretty lights here. Send me the tests and I will bounce them back.”

“Sending now.” John’s fingers darted across his board and Michael watched the system take on the workload and churn data all the way back to Earth. “And I must say, Kayo, it is lovely to hear your voice, too.”

“Looking forward to hearing yours often. Data incoming. Will apprise results.”

“Looking forward to it, Thunderbird Excel out.” John’s fingers flicked again and the comms signal closed.

“Thunderbird Excel?” Michael arched an eyebrow at the astronaut.

John shrugged. “Well, I think she’s earned it now, don’t you?”

“Mmmm.” He looked back down at his board. The thought of having contributed to creating an actual Thunderbird...

He was startled when a shadow passed over his hands. “You’ve done well, Michael. Thank you.”

He looked up at the red-headed Tracy floating beside him. John was an enigma. He was a brother like any Tracy, but unlike the eldest who hated him with a passion that saw no border, John was quiet, even kind. Michael had been working alongside Brains and John and occasionally the youngest, for over a year now, and while he doubted he and John would ever be close friends, there was a mutual respect.

Plus, the distinct feeling that if Michael ever laid a finger on any of John’s brothers ever again, he would not survive the attempt.

It was definitely the quiet ones who should be worried about.

Not to mention Eos.

Michael really wished he could get his hands on that piece of code.

But again, he felt that it would be his last action in this universe.

Not that John had ever threatened him.

He didn’t need to.

“Are you feeling okay?” Turquoise eyes were peering down at him.

“I am well. No need to worry.”

The astronaut smiled. “Good. Monitor the comm network and liaise with Brains regarding the T-Drive’s performance. Let’s see if we can cut down on the jumps on the way back. I’d prefer to go through as little of the nausea as possible.”

“Agreed.”

John arched an eyebrow and his lips curled up. “I’ll be in Thunderbird Five assessing the danger zone and coordinating with Thunderbird Three.”

“FAB.”

The astronaut stared at him for just an extra moment longer before pushing off Michael’s console and throwing himself towards the cockpit exit.

“Thank you, John.”

A flicker of a smile and the last Tracy disappeared through the door, leaving Michael alone.

-o-o-o-

Virgil hated the IR spacesuits. They were far too tight and left nothing to the imagination.

Also, the red baldrics clashed horribly with his green stripe enough to rip his eyeballs out.

But although his standard uniform was satisfactory for short forays into space, it was not enough for a space mission of this magnitude as it did not have the survival and safety mechanisms needed in an emergency. So, here he was dressed like some kind of spandex wearing superhero, his heavy lifting muscles providing a great anatomy lesson to any within eyesight.

“Looking good, Virg.” Gordon’s eyes were laughing.

“Shut up, Fish.” The aquanaut was used appearing all but naked in front of thousands. Hell, Virgil had nothing to be ashamed of, it was just difficult to keep a straight face in a professional capacity.

How the hell John lived in one of these things was a mystery Virgil had no interest in exploring.

The alternative was wearing something like Alan’s spacesuit, but that had its own issues regarding his exosuit and despite the...exposure, this was the best option.

At least he had a little security with the addition of his exosuit support padding and his harness – never leave home without it. That and his baldric covered a little of his modesty.

Didn’t stop his brothers’ comments though.

Alan actually snorted in laughter.

Scott raised an eyebrow, but then their commander was dressed the same and, much like John, was giving the Greek gods a run for their money in the process.

Virgil felt like a dwarf from The Lord of the Rings. What was his name? Gam? Gim? Gimli? Standing next to that bleached elf.

Virgil grunted. “Let’s do this, already.”

Okay, the grin on Scott’s face was both worth it and damned annoying.

Dad had chosen a version similar to Alan’s suit. Due to his health concerns, Virgil had recommended extra support with arm guards and greaves built into his boots. He had glared at Virgil, but Virgil was a Tracy and just as stubborn as his father and if he wanted to go on this mission he could damn well meet him halfway.

Dad wore the protection.

They had Uncle Lee’s ‘space skivvies’ measurements on file and the IR fabricators had churned out an IR uniform echoing their father’s. Considering the astronaut’s skillset, Virgil had coloured his baldric stripe as green as his own and thrown in some of his own kit.

The colour combination still ripped out eyeballs.

Thunderbird Three was nestled into the Excel much like she had been into the XL, but higher up, leaving the massive thrusters behind her and nestling instead of providing the main superstructure of the craft.

To compensate for the loss of One and Two, the Excel now had a third engine on her dorsal plane to offset the two massive pectoral lightspeed engines. Together the three engines provided the huge ion thrust needed to propel them vast distances. And when the T-Drive was required, the third would go dark, the original two engines would flare up and give him his next case of nausea.

Three still connected with Five for extra stability, but she was no longer mandatory for the Excel. Where the XL had basically been an exosuit for Three to break the lightspeed barrier, the Excel was now more Five’s exosuit as she was the one Thunderbird the Excel needed to operate at her best.

Johnny’s ‘bird now had wings.

Very, very big ones.

The cockpit was crowded but quiet as Alan smoothly disengaged Three from the bigger craft, spinning her in space and pointing her towards the moon.

Virgil shifted in his suit, uncomfortable as hell. Not enough to be world ending, but annoying. Beside him, his father glanced in his direction with a concerned frown.

“Are you okay, son?”

That, of course, prompted an equally concerned frown from Scott in front of him.

“I’m fine.” It wasn’t a complete lie, he could live with the suit. His arm was still aching and his stomach had yet to forgive him despite the food he had shoved into it, but he could probably get away with that.

The worst of it was the lack of sleep.

Scott’s eyes were far too knowing.

The medic in him knew that they were going into a potentially dangerous situation. Hell, they were in space right now, not exactly Tracy Island’s pool patio for relaxation. They needed to be alert and ready.

He had tried to sleep. He had sent all of his brothers to nap during the voyage out here. But he doubted any of them managed much.

He certainly hadn’t.

Scott knew because Virgil could see it reflected in those blue eyes of his. He still looked worn, though he tried to hide it, ever the professional.

Dad.

Dad was still looking at him with questioning eyes.

Virgil sighed. “I’m just tired. I can manage.”

Those lips pressed together, obviously displeased.

Typical.

His father was so like Scott in so many ways that having both of them to contend with on this mission was going to send Virgil grey.

It was okay for them to go out on a limb, risk their lives for the greater good, but if someone they cared about did the same, they were all worry and you can’t do that.

As if to emphasize that thought, his father’s frown fixated on Scott. Virgil followed his gaze, but from his angle could only see the back of his brother’s head.

Another glance at his father and the concern was clearly there.

Perhaps something was starting to sink into Dad’s head. Maybe he was realising what he was risking.

Who he was risking.

Three shook a little as she breached the minimal atmosphere of the moon. Alan was muttering orbital calculations. Each large planetary body was different and required a catered approach.

The Base had sent vectors and the conditions that constituted ‘weather’ on the barren moon, but there were many firsts in this mission and this was one of them.

For the benefit of the rest of them, Alan threw up a hologram of their approach.

The massive crater known as Asgard swelled on the screen. It was very bright, even in the weak sunlight. Probably ice. To the north of it lay an even brighter splash of white, rays extending out across the heavily cratered surface for miles.

As they sank, the horizon formed in a sharper curve than Virgil was used to. Sharper than Mars which was the only other planetary body beyond Earth’s Moon Virgil had ever set foot on.

“There it is.” Alan, ever enthusiastic in his element, pointed out a spot quickly growing on the display. “Callisto Base.”

It was a white cross with a massive airlock at its centre. Surrounding the arms of the cross was machinery, storage tanks and energy production facilities. It shone ever so bright, like a blunted star plastered on the side of the moon.

As they drew closer, the Tracy Industries logo could be seen branded across the airlock doors.

The base was a massive endeavour. Almost entirely underground taking advantage of a small crater in the Doh crater wall, it had capped the landform and sealed off the space creating a series of caverns to house the transport ships moving between the Base and the Jefferson or any other destination they chose.

Entirely self-sufficient, TI’s hydrogen technology gave it power, TI’s heavy duty excavation equipment gave them the power to dig the base out of the rock and ice. It had helped to find unexpected caves under the surface. All and all the Base was a robust structure, protecting its fifty-odd inhabitants from the hazards of living on an exposed and radiated moon.

“Callisto Base, Thunderbird Three requesting permission to dock.” Virgil was suddenly irrationally proud of his little brother.

Commander Walters answered immediately. “Permission granted Thunderbird Three. Hold in the airlock for repressurisation and permission to proceed.”

“FAB, Callisto Base.”

“One of these days, Jeff, you are going to tell me what that means.”

Both Alan and their father snorted.

As they approached, the big airlock doors slowly began to open, splitting the TI logo in half. The hologram stayed fixed on their destination, but Three pivoted her nose to the darkness of the sky bringing the ever-hovering presence of Jupiter back into view through Three’s windows. Alan flicked a wrist and the Thunderbird started lowering into what was now a gaping maw below.

Three slipped into the airlock and the doors closed behind them.

-o-o-o-

Alan was a professional, but he had to admit that he was internally bouncing around in joy. The air was still thick with tension, his family caught up in this thing with Dad, but Alan was doing his best to ignore it and focus on his job.

And oh my god, he was landing on his second moon of Jupiter! This had to be a first. He could go down in history as the first person to land on several moons, another planet and multiple random comets and asteroids.

Okay, so Virg and Scott had been with him, even Gordon on Europa – that had been one hell of a mission that still gave him both dreams and nightmares – but he had been the only one to land on all of them.

Alan Tracy, astronaut extraordinaire. He couldn’t help but grin as the airlock repressurised and the Callisto Commander finally gave him permission to land.

He slowed his ‘bird to a perfect touchdown as the secondary airlock doors closed above him.

He killed her engines and let her begin her cool down sequence.

The whole cockpit sighed a little in relief. A pause as if to reset and then everyone was moving.

-o-o-o-

Gray Walters rubbed the back of his neck as Thunderbird Three coasted smoothly from the decontaminating airlock into the main hangar. The pilot of that ‘bird had to be a Tracy. The huge red rocket barely fit nose to tail with only inches to spare between the two massive sets of doors. After all, they had never expected such a large craft needing to dock.

He had Kate to thank for arguing the hangar’s size...with Ju backing her up as usual.

The thought of his wife froze him for a split second. Ju was going to be okay. Jeff was here now. He had always been their good luck charm. Hell, the guy had survived eight years in space alone. Ju could manage a few days.

Couldn’t she?

“She’s docked.” Mary, his second, looked up from her station. “Shall I shunt her into a bay?”

“Leave her in central for now. We’re not going anywhere and they may need to leave in a hurry.”

“That will piss Benji off.”

“Benji can stew. His team still has a week left of their Jefferson rotation.”

“He will cite regs.”

Gray turned away. Let him cite regs. “This is an emergency and takes priority.” He sighed. “Run decon in the central core. Anyone not crucial to this operation is to steer clear of International Rescue. Lock off environmental systems. Keep the two crews contained to keep the risk of contamination as low as possible. We can’t afford an accidental bug in the system.”

“Will do.” She paused before bringing up the topic he knew she would. “What about Jeremiah?”

“What about him?”

“You need to tell them.”

“One thing at a time, Mary.”

“But-“

“First we find Kate and Ju.” He swallowed. They had to find Ju.

They had to.

-o-o-o-

Stepping onto a new world was never as grand as it appeared. Hell, landing on Mars for the first time had been a trip over his own toes’ moment.

Stepping onto Callisto was no different.

It was Scott who grabbed him before he could flip head over heels across the gantry. Changes in gravity always took time to get used to and less than twenty-four hours ago, it had been Earth oppressive.

Callisto gravity was a relief…if a little disorientating.

His eldest’s strong grip wrapped around his arm and held tight. Jeff looked over at Scott and was pinned with such worried bright blue eyes that his heart clenched.

All the tension, the argument, the resistance to his presence on this mission boiled down to the emotion in those eyes.

Love.

And fear.

Scott was terrified.

Jeff did it without thought or care for what anyone would think. He grabbed his son and yanked him into a hug, holding him close. The squawk across comms and the scrape of their helmets against each other did nothing to stop him.

“I’m sorry, son.”

“Uh...”

Scott’s arms wrapped around him, ever so hesitantly.

That hesitation hurt almost as much.

He clung that much tighter.

“Dad?” It was breathless.

He clung a second longer, but… Yes...right.

It was a moment stolen.

Because they were on a mission.

Jeff let Scott go.

His son pulled away slowly, not quite fully releasing him, and again those blue eyes were fixated on him in worry.

So much worry.

“You okay, Dad?”

Jeff straightened with more ease than he had managed in a long time and became aware of all the other eyes on him.

The ever-present echoes of Lucille’s beautiful brown eyes were assessing him. That was a given. But another two pairs of blue and a frowning fishy amber had him targeted as well.

He looked at each of them before turning back to the massive cavern around them. A mix of rock wall, structural support and storage, the docking cavern was lit with strong lighting, the red of Three reflecting on patches of frozen water embedded in the walls.

They were standing on a walkway that had been extended out to Three’s hatch. It was obviously of variable height and length and Jeff couldn’t help but admire the design.

He wondered who was responsible.

He wondered if it was Kate.

Her green eyes smiled at him at the back of his mind.

His lips pressed together as his sons and brother-in-law continued to shoot concerned expressions in his direction.

A breath.

“Let’s do this.” And he led them out and into Callisto Base.

-o-o-o-

Next

[haissitall]

Season 2 of DSMP as a wonder tale

So I’ve read Morphology of the Tale and Historical Roots of the Wonder Tale by Propp and thought, hey, why not analyse DSMP S2 as one would analyse a wonder tale based on the theories of this author? The results are under the cut.

Disclaimer: Read this through an ironic lens. I know that season 2 was (probably) not intended to be a wonder tale. However, connecting dots which weren’t meant to be connected is my passion.

1. THE BEGINNING

The tale begins with the introduction of the hero (Tommy) and his home (L’manburg and its’ inhabitants). Tommy goes out (a function of absentation, he leaves his home) and goes against an interdiction, a rule of. Uh. Not burning other people’s houses. Which, coincidentally, is exactly what the villain lurking in the shadows, Dream, needs. Dream applies trickery with the purpose of kidnapping Tommy. What happens is, quote, “He [the villain] demands or lures out his victim. Sometimes this form is a consequence of a deceptive contract.” As we all remember, the contract is exactly what took place.

This leads to Dream taking Tommy with him, or a departure.

2. THE EXILE

Here we have to talk a bit about Historical Roots. Propp suggests that the root of such a tale lies in the ritual of initiation, which in itself is based on the idea that the initiated goes through death, being in the world of the dead and returning, resurrecting, being born anew. Such rituals were practiced in secret, children were taken to a small hut, usually in the woods, and had to go through some trials, sometimes purely ceremonial, sometimes actually quite cruel, to make them believe that they are going through death. After such a ritual they were meant to become adults and receive some kind of magic powers, usually connected to the powers of talking/luring/becoming like the animals. In fairytales it is represented by the hero encountering some kind of a small structure and meeting a character, a donor, who puts the hero through some kind of a trial (sometimes just giving them a question and waiting for the correct answer) and, after that, giving the hero a magical object/entity/ability, the helper. But, as the rituals became more and more obsolete, people’s opinions of them started to change, they stopped seeing them as necessary, as good. Thus the witch in the hut becomes stricktly evil, a hostile donor, the trial with fire - burning in the stove, and the children are meant to escape and punish her.

With all that said, let’s look at the exile and its attributes.

1) Dream takes Tommy on a long journey by water. Only Ghostbur, a dead man, can come with him. It is obviously meant to represent that Tommy starts crossing the line between the world of the dead and the living. The forest is replaced by an ocean, not an unusual occurance in tales. 2) They settle on a shore. Tommy is not completely in the land of the dead yet - he is at the entrance. Dream only guards this land. 3) As the first order of business, Dream builds a small dirt hut. Nuff said. 4) Dream tortures Tommy, positioning himself as a hostile donor who wants to destroy the hero. So far Dream played both the role of The Villain and The (hostile) Donor (guardian of the land of the dead), which, while unusual in the actual fairytales, is possible. 5) Dream wears a mask. Clear indication of this being picked up from a ritual. 6) Dream turns into a woman (mamacita). While it is a weird episode, with the help of The Historical Roots it is easy to explain - sometimes men who performed the ritual dressed as women. 7) Tommy goes through temporary insanity (doubting if he sees Tubbo or not) - another aspect of this stage sometimes seen in tales, connected to the mental distress children went through because of the violence and/or drugs during the ritual. 8) Dream gifts him a trident. Sadly, only temporarily. It would’ve been a perfect fit if Tommy kept it - a magic method of flying, something a donor like Dream gifts/is stolen from very often in tales. 9) Tommy “dies”. At the end of the exile Tommy actually performs a ritual, metaphorical death by jumping of off the pillar into the water. It is worthy to note that everyone thinks he is actually dead after that, which we will see come into play later. 10) Tommy leaves dirty, in rags. Usually it happens when a character returns to the land of the living, but here it can be considered as a metaphor of learning how to turn into an animal and escape Dream via such means. Quote: “In a tale, it is hard to distinguish between a dirty and an animal-like character.” Tommy, of course, calls himself a racoon. It is possible to assume that Dream somehow gave him this ability unknowingly, by giving him/making him wear dirty clothes, although there is no proof of this in the text. 11) Tommy has difficulty talking about the exile. A hero not being able to talk, especially about what happened in the magical forest, is a common occurance in tales, connected to the secrecy of the rituals. 12) Dream chases Tommy. Not immediately, but there definetely is an element of the chase. Usually this trope happens closer to the end of the tale, but it is possible to see it this early too.

3. TECHNOBLADE

We turn our gaze to Historical Roots again. Besides the witch’s hut, there is another structure a hero can see in the woods - a big house. Its attributes are usually: large size, riches/a lot of food inside, no one is home at the moment, is inhabited by men (usually several who are like brothers to each other), a secret basement. Propp explains this as reminiscent of men’s houses, somewhere where men usually lived as brothers after the ritual described above. They were still in this forbidden territory, not quite “alive”, only doing hunting. The newcomers were to serve the rest of men at first.

Now let’s look at the encounter.

1) Tommy finds Techno’s house empty. Inside, he sees riches, particularly food. He proceeds to hide there. 2) Tommy finds golden apples and golden blocks. Gold always indicates things from the beyond, and sometimes it indicates the object the hero searches for. 3) Technoblade is half-man half-pig. Being an animal/having animalistic traits is very common for all inhabitants of the land of the dead, the owners of the big house included (in some tales they are bears, for example). 4) Technoblade finds Tommy and asks to serve him for a certain amount of time. A classic trope, where Techno is clearly The Donor asking for a favor in return to which the hero should get The Helper. 5) After Tommy agrees, Techno shows him the secret basement. In tales, the basement usually contains one or both of these things: a magical object (The Helper) and dead, dismembered bodies (think Bluebeard). In our case, it’s both: the magic armour which Tommy shortly gets and the skulls. The skulls are, of course, of the people Techno’s killed, and, since he big house’s inhabitants in certain cases can be associated with cannibalism (and since Techno is a pig, a gluttonous animal), he’s probably eaten his victims as well. That’s why Tommy is so horrified when he sees them. 6) Techno hides Tommy from Dream chasing him. In this case he takes on the role of the Helper. We can also make an assumption that he grants Tommy invisibility (another very common fairytale gift). Now, was the armor Tommy got from the basement making him invisible? There is no proof in the text, but it seems logical. 7) Tommy performs Techno’s tasks, all very fairytale-like. Get him a pack of wolves, get him lost magical objects. 8) In gratitude, Techno gives the final gift - the magical axe, fulfilling his duty as The Grateful Donor. 9) Tommy returns home invisible, unrecognisable, everyone thinks that he is dead. This completely fits the trope which stems from the original meaning of the ritual - the initiated died and returned a new person. Him being invisible means him still belonging to the world of the dead.

4. TWO PHASES

This is the point where we start facing complications. After Tommy runs away from Dream and seemingly returns home, the cycle begins anew - Tommy’s home gets destroyed, he gets helpers, has to seek Dream out etc. The fairytale having two “phases” is not uncommon. Propp: “Development from Villany or Lacking to Wedding or any other resolution can be called a tale. The resolution can be <...> escape from a pursuer. Such a development can be called an act (a phase). Each new Villainy, each new Lacking creates a new phase. One tale can have several phases. <...> One phase can follow another, but they can intertwine as well, the first phase can halt, a new phase gets inserted.” I presume that this is what we’re dealing with here. While there is not a lot of connecting tissue between the phases in our fairytale, there is proof that they are parts of the whole. For example, a tale can be considered whole if “a magical object, received in the first phase, gets used in the second”, which, in our case, is the axe.

So let’s look at how the second phase begins.

1) Tommy gets accused of something he hasn’t done. In tales the second phase usually begins with the hero being unrecognised while a false hero claims the reward. Here we see a very different form, but the motif of a certain substitution and of the hero having to prove himself again is still here. 2) Dream is, again, the Villain, tricking Tubbo into giving away a magic object, the discs. The discs are seemingly a talisman, providing the city of L’Manburg with protection. Without them, the city is open for an attack.

5. THE DRAGON

The dragon, according to Propp, is a very complex character with a lot of meanings. Firstly, it needs to be said that the dragon can be any animal. Usually it is, of course, a serpent, but in a lot of cases it is a fish or something else. So, the dragon is someone who swallows, thus, in come cases, taking the hero to the land of the dead in his belly or having the land of the dead right inside of him. Inside, the hero can find riches/magical objects. This is, again, connected to the initiation ritual, with the hut sometimes being seen as an animal, swallowing the initiated. As the public opinion about such rituals changed, the dragon morphed: a good guy who gratiously spits you out > you have to make him spit you out > having to cut your way out > someone else cutting you out > just killing him with the threat of swallowing being only a threat. The dragon has a lot of attributes, sometimes all of them at the same time. The dragon is associated with water (he’s a fish or controls the rivers or the rain etc), with mountains (caves), fire (breathes fire, guards a river of fire) and being able to fly. The dragon sometimes has a lot of heads, multiplying his ability to swallow.

With this said, let’s look at who destroys L’Manburg.

- Technoblade can fire rockets. He wears red. He has a golden crown and an intrinsic connection to gold with his simularity to a piglin (gold, according to Propp, is a metal of the sun, of fire). In addition to that, Propp has an example of a fairytale where the serpent turns into a giant pig. Also, let’s not forget that Techno can float while firing rockets. - Philza has a flying element to him. - Dream has a connection to water (took Tommy to exile by water), has a connection to the land of the dead (see exile), and mountains (first met Techno on the cliff near the sea, again, water). In the first season, Wilbur called him a lizard. Later you will, of course, see that Dream has even more simularities with the dragon.

But who is the dragon? The answer is simple: all of them are part of the same creature. Three heads of one body, all representing certain aspects of the dragon. Usually the dragon is a hybrid between a serpent and a bird, but here we see an addition of a pig. I don’t see why not.

6. THE SECOND JOURNEY

After an act of villainy (the destruction of L’Manburg), thus, another exile, Tommy has to embark on another journey to the beyond to prove himself. Now he has more of a purpose, he has to search for the magical disks, a very fairytale motivation, and, supposedly, slay the dragon as revenge. Tubbo also somehow plays into all of this. I would say that Tubbo is very close to being The Princess. Dream doesn’t kidnap Tubbo, but he later holds him hostage and threatens his life. It is not accidental that the season ends with Tommy and Tubbo sitting on the bench together - not like Tubbo was the second main character; Tubbo is Tommy’s prize along with the discs.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. With typical for the second phase swifteness, we go through:

1) Tommy getting a crossbow from Ghostbur. Ghostbur is a classic Donor, he is the grateful dead realtive, a very common trope for Donors. 2) Tommy acquires Punz as his Helper by bribing him.

7. THE FINAL BATTLE

During the final, we see all the previous elements, repeating in perfect harmony.

1) Tommy has to get to Dream by boat. See getting to the place of the exile. He’s returning to the land of the dead. 2) He has to have a magical object, a compass, to lead him there. Dream again becomes a Hostile Donor when giving it to Tommy. 3) Dream is on the giant mountain, guarding the entrance to where the discs, the searched object, are. A classic place for a dragon to be. 4) Tommy uses the axe and the crossbow to fight Dream, utilizing his Helpers. 5) However, he wins with neither: Dream leads him to the cave deep underground. I would suggest that this can be interpreted as dragon Dream swallowing him. 6) Inside Tommy finds himself deeper in the afterlife. Here he sees the disks on the golden blocks (remember what gold means? the beyond and the searched object) and dead animals, Henry and Friend, just in case you still haven’t realised that this place is where the dead go. 7) Only the third (three - a magic number in tales) Helper, Punz, cuts Tommy out of the beast’s belly in complete compliance to tales’ canon. Usually the one to win is not even the hero, but his helpers. However, the helpers act on the hero’s will, are continuations of him and his virtues, are him in a way. 8) Tommy hears dead Wilbur afterwards. Why? Because Tommy himself just returned from the land of the dead, of course. 9) Tommy slayed the dragon, got the searched objects and Tubbo. And they lived happily every after. Or, at least, in this fairytale.

8. THE CONCLUSION

There is none. Make of this mess what you will.

It is interesting, however, that season 2 so heavily foreshadowed: Dream standing between the lands of the dead and the living (driving the boat, guarding the cave, later - conducting the train and literally resurrecting people); Tommy dying and being ressurected.

Tommy’s prison visit is a perfect miniature of the initiation/the tale actually. 1) The Prison stands on water, but to get there you have to get into a small house on the land. You have to go through the portal, wait, and then get through it again - a very magic-esque procedure. 2) The Prison is massive, much like all the castles in the beyond. 3) The guard has to let you inside. The guard is not human. The guard wears a golden crown. 4) You have to go through trials to get inside, including the trial by water (swimming through the tube) and fire (walking through lava). 5) In the end, Tommy dies, gets resurrected and walks out. Everyone looks at him differently now. The only thing in this which doesn’t fit the unsual tale format, is that Tommy gets nothing out of this. No rewards, no money, no princess :(

Cheers, thanks for reading! uwu

[mskinkyafro]

Ted Lasso S2 Finale Thoughts

Okay I’m still in process mode but let me just say I will always give the biggest kudos to the writers of the show. Especially this season how they crafted such important topics and the growth of so many characters, and seeing characters like Sam become important side characters and not just background decoration for mains like, Ted, Rebecca, Keeley, Roy, etc.

Ted:  I think we saw such a great growth from him and how he took everything he learn from Sharon and put it into practice. Ted tries to hide his pain from everyone and clearly its uncomfortable to have such a private matter shared to the world and commented without your consent. But him tackling it head on and not denying but like she said, The truth set him free, even though the betrayal obviously hurts and pissed him off.  I liked that Ted went ahead a took an active step to confront Nate about his actions. 

That whole conversation has so many layers and the parallels with issues regarding their fathers. Although, Nate had some points, a lot of it was a twisted viewpoint that sounded so insane for a grown man to complain about. It was interesting to hear how Nate basically frames Ted as father figure relationship and due to the picture on his dresser, Ted does similarly with Nate. Even though, I feel like it was more of mentor/mentee (which I know its almost the same but there seemed to still feel like a professional barrier in between.) 

Nate’s biggest issue is he wants to be adored, loved, and be as important to others like Ted is but he doesn’t even view or love himself enough so he seeks the validation from others. Ted, on the other hand is comfortable with himself. He’s not perfect but like never tries to present himself more than he is. Like he says, “Be curious, not judgmental.”  And that right there is the biggest lesson that Nate has refused to grasp.

Back to Ted though, I found it interesting how through this season he took a focus on himself which therefore neglected his focus on others yet Ted can only run away from his own problems so long. But even despite the fallout with Nate, I feel like Ted learned not everything will fall apart without him or his whiteknighting. Example with the team at halftime. Letting the team themselves decide what they want to do sealed it for me that Ted realizing he doesn’t have to save everyone. 

I also to a degree would’ve like to seen Ted more angry but at the same time its in character for him to be passive about betrayals and also they had bigger fish to fry. But also, it goes back to what he said about everything is a choice. He can be angry and scream but it doesn't;t change the fact everyone knows. He has a chance and choice how he’ll react to everyone knowing and how to navigate it, which was being open and honest about his struggles which in turn help others in the athletic world. 

Sam:  I overall loved seeing him move to such an important character this season. His decision in the end for himself was perfect and to see his endeavors branch outside of of Football was so great and glad to see us learn more about him and his passions. Also the symbolism of how he's bringing a piece of his home to his new home. Richmond is home now, at least at this time and he can’t just leave, Another parallel to Ted in a way, Ted brought the Lasso, folky midwest charm to Richmond and has brought good and change into so many lives. And Sam continues to be an inspiration and bring change to where he’s at even if its not in the original way he planned.

Keeley: I’ve not really been paying attention to Keeley’s arc this season because its been so connected to her relationship with Roy but I do enjoy this set up into her taking a bigger part in the new season and a more individual arc. Also as much as I do love Roy and Keeley, I’m unsure how I feel about the quick fix/convo conflicts they've been given this season. Last episode really had me finally fully interested in the two again and it slightly feels like all is well which is great but once again the obstacle that was now more so internal seemed to be easily solved. Which is disappointing, but I do feel like we are on the edge of the bigger issue of Roy feeling possibly left behind and not on the level as Keeley if they continue to explore that further.

Rebecca: She didn’t have much of a focus this episode but they tied up the Sam romance pretty well and I think he’s message really encompasses her own realization. I think Sam opened up the experience of what a healthy easy relationship could be like, but she needs the address the fear of being alone and the rush to find mr. right. Either I just wanted to mention I adore her and once again Ted being that guardian angel and asking the question she was too scared to ask to Sam. 

Also to compare S1 finale with this one, the team is back to premier yet internally the entire Richmond family is going through changes and discourse; (however some felt about Nate’s betrayal and leaving and Keeley leaving) vs last time everyone was on the same page and cohesive but became relegated. Such a deliberate contrast that once again makes me love the writing of this show.

This was all my main points I had to talk about but man it was still an enjoyable finale. There’s so much still I got to sit and think about but I can’t wait for S3.

*Also bonus for the way Beard was ready to Knuck if you Buck Narte for Ted. Bestie status was so adorable.

[certifiedceraunophile]

DISCLAIMER :

SMUT SMUT SMUT and FLUFF. (NSFW)

It’s basically a 5k porn smut-shot about dimples and dick. Mostly dimples but there’s gratuitous dicking too, because of course my brain saw a gif set of Mr. Klaus Forbes flashing his dimples and thought PORN.

ALSO,

Nominated for Best Smut Oneshot in the 2020 KC awards

(I mean I have been called an excellent homoerotic muse so I shoulda seen this coming)

Tags:

D/s undertones,

Dominant Caroline

somewhat bregrudgingly submissive Klaus.

———————————————————��——————

TREAT AT MY BEHEST

The conversation was flowing smoothly, a little too smoothly, it truly was a sight to behold,

She doesn't find awkward bumps that the participants uncomfortably had to step over stilling the flow, no problematic cracks people either ignored or tried to tear open with their teeth, no blunt blows to the back off the head, or venom tipped words sharper than the fangs the Mikaelson family sported, Hell, even Kol kept his sexual innuendos count to an all time low of two per sentence, and it wasn’t tedious either, it was sunny honest conversation one that flowed and ebbed in tranquil warmth enveloping all those who took part in it.

But of course, the insufferable bastard she’s been calling her husband for the last handful of decades, and her last love for two centuries now, decides he’ll singlehandedly throw all progress out the backdoor.

Her husband, and his freaking audacity to flash those dimples, in that exact way, throw all progress out the backdoor if she’s being more accurate.

God he’ll be the end of her.

It’s no grand truth, that she’s very very closely acquainted with his dimples, and she means, ‘lick a sweet path from dimple to lip as per her wish’ closely acquainted, those perfect indents on his cheeks, make no mistake, they are hers for the taking,

But she admits, she has her preferences, she’s a bit finicky with her interests,

She’s not too fond of his shit eating ‘Yet again I’ve bested you, my love.’ dimples, or any other variant of that he flashes in the rare case he has the upper hand between the two of them.

She’s quite partial to the one sided dimpling the evil villain smirk has to offer, one she’s privy to during their hunts, or the ‘Ive got one word for you: run.’ smirk he displays before transforming into a walking talking guillotine, those are quite entertaining to watch bloom, and the customary thorough debauching of her body that follows any such murder work out is nothing dismissible.

Now the almost bashful and youthfully eager ones he shows her when he talks about his place in the world as an artist, when for once his hand can create instead of destroy, those are entirely just for her, that sit there pretty on his cheeks in the privacy of his studio, where they continue to relive a thousand different times in a thousand different places including Rome, Paris and Tokyo, that one day, when he thanked her for the first of many things he feels gratitude for, her honesty,

He still remembers it as the day he allowed the truth to be something he didn't particularly like for the first time in a long time, she however still remembers the day by the absolute fishing he did, standing there in his studio as he introduced his passions to her, patiently waiting in silent humility for her to notice these paintings were his and compliment him.

He still doesn't allow this truth to remain, she of course always knows better.

Then again she also loves the shy soft little ones he offers her and only her, the ones he gently picks from the buried bounded depths of his heart and places in her hand with such care, as he sweetly leans into her palm, moist plump lips pressed against her pulse. When he is so beautifully hers that the hybrid gold of his eyes is the sun and when directed at her is as warm and sweet as golden honey. Or when he nuzzles his nose into the curve of her neck, the swell of her breast, half laying on top of her, when he gathers her close pauses and then closer, as if he finds the flesh separating them offending, as though his very existence is meant to directly infect her soul unimpeded by skin and bone, as if he means to exist in her and through her, and live only within her.

He’s a bit pretentious with his love.

But she’s told him

‘Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.’

His simple response was to pull her to him and offer his neck,

“Drink.”

She’s never brought it up again,

His devotion for her, his raw thirst for her, it unnerved her at first when she finally decided after

The numerous ‘Sweetheart, they were not bloody staged’ run-ins in every continent she dared to set foot on,

The two times she needed his blood in the century she spent on her own,

The one night she needed his arms and scent to engulf her and his dead heartbeat to soothe her when Elizabeth Forbes passed at age ninety four,

The one time when she realised somewhere along the way between the sporadic meets and witch hunts, the werewolf venom and death counts, the art and music and culture their souls burgeoned to connect, the great cities they carved into their own stars, the languid conversation as they winded through both cobblestones and pink sands, underneath both fluttering snow of and steady stars, the silent moments of equal awe they both shared between the most downtrodden godforsaken places of hunger and poverty and the most lavish heavens, between all the beauty and filth in the world when they only had eyes for each other, amongst the scent of both death and life when they only inhaled a shared breath so sacred they locked it in and never let it out, when seas and continents and words couldn’t keep them apart, when neither his ego nor her stubbornness could count for any importance in the face of each other, when the one time she realised immortality for her wasn't the ungodly number of years she’s left behind still apple cheeked and smooth as milk, but was the ungodly amount of years still ahead of her that somehow always evinced his hand in hers,

When she finally, one balmy faultless Sunday afternoon, in the thick of Thanjavur’s humidity in India, sitting barefoot as per the town’s religious customs on the ground, sprawled carefully in the warm green grass that precedes the entrance of the glorious Brihadeeswarar Temple, that is almost as old as the man occupying her thoughts,

She finally finds her deviously elusive,

Oh.  

moment, proceeded by the

Oh fuck.

Moment,

Realisation hits her with the weight of immortality and her acceptance that there was no other possibility but this, that this has been inevitable for the better half of the last century, carries the weight forward into her heart and fills it with such indisputable finality, that Klaus’s place is by her side and hers alone.

And after that, well, what else was there to do?

After all of that, it’s one knock on his door, and,

“Alright, apparently However long it takes only lasted a total of 113 years, 6 months and 25 days. I thought I’d last longer, but I’m not as stubborn as I wished I was.”

That night was the first time she realised it wasn’t the first time they’ve made love, slow and sweet and beautiful, But it was the first time Klaus with all the vulnerability of a little boy back in Mygradrir who wore a sterling around his neck tight as a noose because his mother loved him so much, asked, mouth against her skin, face hidden in her neck, a whisper that shook in the middle and dissipated at the edges,

“You’ll stay, not just tomorrow, but after?”

“Yes, yes I will.”

That was about two centuries ago, and apparently after did not mean the day after tomorrow.

But she hasn't had too many complaints, she admits the novelty of him has worn off, he’s a bit grating on the edges, the sides and the middle, he’s entirely too insufferable to put up with for an extended period of time, definitely is only enjoyable in moderation and bite sized doses,

But she did let him put a ring on her finger, and also stood there holding his hand as they were bound by a witch in supernatural matrimony, so she can’t really tell it’s wholly his fault, but she apparently likes him too, in addition to loving him, so she’ll stay.

But she digressed a whole lot,

Where was she again?

Yes, his dimples.

Correction, her dimples

Their appearances are continual and each unique situation had one kind assigned to it, but that does not mean they are repetitive, Klaus is many things but least of all predictable, So he presents her with new ones every now and then, dimples she’d like to kiss till they imprint on her lips,

She knows that even if she goes on to live twice the millennium Her husband experienced, and even if every glittering rarity becomes a hackneyed iteration, and every resounding wave of novelty is a mere echo she’s experienced a thousand times, even if there is nothing new as she leads time through this carousel world as the closest thing to omniscient, then she’ll at least know her husband’s smile will always catch her a tiny bit off guard. That she will always take a second to touch it and see it widen even further when she does.

But there was this one single type of smile he flashed from time to time, a rarity in its own right, that one smile basically threw all progress out the backdoor,

The smile is always characterised by the fact that it’s not for her, or for his siblings, or his enemies, it’s for the world, it’s a smile that he never intended to give but slipped out of his hand anyway, and somehow ends up smiling with his entire body, but he’s done that countless times for her, smile with his whole being, she’d say at least twice everyday, usually more, but when he does it for the world, she’s a bit unprepared,

She knows his hostility against the way of the world all too well, it’s why he’s so adamant on dictating it, she knows the millennium of undead life under Mikael’s hatred left him with a tight grip on the world but only because he was hanging on to the edge of it with both hands, his legs dangling, but he doesn’t show it that way, instead phrases it as ‘I had the world at my finger tips, Now I have it beneath my feet.’

He’s a bit flashy with his pretty words, that total honesty to this man is as difficult as love will never surprise her, but the fact that this same honesty sometimes slips out so easily, unfettered and ensconced in peace and content, that does surprise her, like for instance, right now, He’s sitting there ankle over knee, occupying an entire settee with the way he’s sprawled because of course he has to be the biggest being in the room, he needs to know his ego easily accomplishes that for him, holding in his hand one of the thousand sketchpads he’s still kept after paper was no more the norm nor necessity but became a relic of bygone ages for centuries now, and as he sits there sketching god knows what, in the same room as his siblings, their chatter as perfectly idle as a family’s,

He’s smiling, not at her, not to his siblings, hell not even at his drawing, she knows he’s not listening to the conversation, so it’s not something Kol said or Rebekah whined, he’s perfectly uninterrupted in his smile that just bloomed on his face with no given reason, and there as he bows his head a little closer to the page, not because he wants to hide the smile but because he simply wants to see the sketch closer, she knows he doesn't even know he’s smiling, but he is.

So wide and beautiful and honest, and just because, a smile directed at the world, and to think he doesn’t even notice, to know that it’s so whole and full, that there isn’t a place left in his heart or mind to remind him to restrain it.

She knows she’s smiling just as wide too.

God, the things this man does to her heart,

And not just her heart, apparently her body too if the heady arousal that rushed straight to her clit as if a phantom hand rubbed it is anything to go by, because of course, she’s never so aroused by him as she is when he dimples.

TO CONTINUE READING

AO3

ff.net

If you find this plotless 5k smutshot of my infernal sub Klaus fantasies doing things to you that are best not done in a church parking lot, please feel free to vote for it in the upcoming KCAWARDS under the BEST SMUT ONESHOT category.

Much love and peace

XX

Srishti🤍

[beauty-and-passion]

I've been listening to a few Cosmo Sheldrake songs on repeat, specifically Come Along, Linger Longer, and Birthday Suit, and started associating them with Remus due to the imagery and the oceanic and/or low-key sinister vibes (the best kinds of vibes 😌). I have my own opinions about them, but I was curious about yours? I don't know if you've already received these songs as suggestions/requests, so I'm sorry if these are all repeats!

Come Along

Someone already suggested this song for Roman, because of the adventure imaginary, clearly expressed through lines like these:

Come, come, come, come, come along now Run away from the hum-drum We'll go to a place that is safe from Greed, anger and boredom

We'll dance and sing 'til sundown And feast with abandon We'll sleep when the morning comes And we'll rise by the sound of the birdsongs

But, just like these lines worked for Roman, they work for Remus too. He also may use them to suggest Thomas to come along with him “to a place that is safe from / greed, anger and boredom” and just have fun, free from rules, morals and everything else.

There’s also this part that gives me some Remus vibes:

We'll be here when the world slows down And the sunbeams fade away Keeping time by a pendulum As the fabric starts to fray

The imageries refers to death or, more in general, the end of a cycle. Remus will be here when death appears, as a constant reminder of how fragile mortality is - memento mori, once again.

And he suggests Thomas they can both be here, even when the world will end - thus implying that Thomas’ legacy would be so great and magnificent, to let his memory live forever (and his creativity with him), until the end of time.

So yes, this song works great for Remus, just like it worked well for Roman.

___________________________________

Linger Longer

I did a small research and apparently this song is about restoring an area to its natural state and reintroducing wildlife that had been driven out.

So I found that the imagery, rather than sinister, is more of wonder for nature, in all of its shapes and forms. Like this part:

Come draped alive, to get her loose Come claw and tooth, and fish and goose Come fin and tail, and paw and hoof For life has a passion for living

It shows creativity and a particular focus on details - details that can be weird, dangerous or just gross. And that last verse is very Remus too: “life has a passion for living”. Life’s creations are of all kinds, good and bad and beautiful and gross, all at the same time. Just like Remus, life just creates. And its creations aren’t supposed to have sense or to understand why they’re alive: they just are.

Distant thoughts become cluttered mind What is a drop in the ocean? Far and few, but long behind We're spun by the heavenly motion

The first line is also very Remus, because a distant thought can get bigger and bigger, to the point of becoming obsessive and intrusive. While the last line may imply another recognition of the frailty of the human condition: the “heavenly motion” may be the  revolutions of Earth around the Sun. And it’s so important, because it’s basically the only thing that helps us being alive. If we lose our connection with the Sun, if this delicate balance breaks, we may be alone in space - of Earth might just move too far away from the Sun to be habitable. So it’s also a recognition of how lucky we are and how fragile our condition is - along with a good dose of deep terror because why not.

___________________________________

Birthday Suit

I like the feeling of anticipation that comes from this small song - anticipation that something bad is going to happen (“hold on or we’ll all fall down”).

I’ll keep my ears on I’ll keep my eyes open I’ll keep my legs in sight And wait till we all fall down

This part in particular gives me more of the creepy vibes: just like a predator in the dark, Remus waits and waits, until everyone starts to fall down, to take his chance and enter the scene.

Umh, now that I think about it, it can work greatly as a song about DWIT: Remus waits and waits until Thomas’ mind starts to fall apart, to take a step and introduce himself without others stopping him.

[lov3nerdstuff]

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.6}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 1.4k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

______________________________

A glimpse into the fifth week of travels (or the fourth week of July):

"This place is incredible!" Robin marveled at the high columns and the even higher ceiling that spanned out so far into the distance that it was too dark to see. She was impressed beyond measure, taken aback by the sheer size and grandeur even though she couldn't see all of the hall they had just entered. And a hall it really seemed to be, like the open space of a cathedral, but ancient, underground, and filled to a third at least with deep black water. The only dry space posed the stairs at the edge of the grand room, which were running along the wall from the high entrance level down to the deep blackness. That was where they were currently descending to.

"Fascinating indeed." Snape replied in equal curiosity about the unique place, as he followed Robin down the narrow staircase, all the way down to where it led into the water. "Do you think it has always been flooded like this?"

"I honestly have no idea. Neither do I know how a ten foot fish is supposed to live down here, nor how it's gotten to this place."

"Well, what do you know about this place then?"

"Not much, admittedly. I only read about its existence in a book that's older than I even care to admit, as well as some specifics about the living conditions in places like this in the country."

"Places like this? I sincerely doubt there are other places like this anywhere in the world at all."

"Well… not exactly like this, of course. But water and darkness and no movement nor exchange of streams… that's probably close enough." Robin replied softly, but even in their quiet tones, their voices echoed off the high stone ceiling and distant walls in an eerie manner. In addition to the lumos' bright but cold toned greenish light, the entire place had an otherworldly feel to it in general. Like it wanted to swallow them with its darkness, and their little bubble of light served as their only protection.

"So tell me, why exactly didn't you want to tell me what exactly today's method is going to look like? Acquiring a giant fish's scale surely isn't as easy as simply 'going fishing'." Snape inquired as they reached the edge of the water, and he observed with a curious frown how Robin simply dropped her backpack on a higher step in the security of the dry.

"You wouldn't have believed me if I had told you, so I'll just have to show you." Robin replied in amusement, smirking to herself for making things a mystery for once. This was one of her newest theories, she had only come up with it in the first week of summer while bored at her parents' house. In that sense, it was as unrefined as it would get. And yet here they were, seeing as finding the right place at least had proven to be a success. Hopefully the next step would, too. "And I haven't really tried this before either, so consider it a Plan A, for now."

"You never cease to build suspense…" He sighed in return, and his frown only grew when Robin took off her boots and socks and placed them next to her bag. "...and you never cease to confuse me either; what exactly are you doing? Certainly not going for a swim in that blackness, which is inhabited by who knows which horrors, are you?"

"I don't have a deathwish, no." Robin laughed in return, and gave him one of her most reassuring smiles. "I just want to try out something. If it doesn't work, we can go over to Plan B, alright?"

"Fine."

"Would you, uh…" Now there was the part where Robin could technically do it alone, but honestly didn't want to. Her heart was beating faster than it should anyhow, and asking for help, even if for this kind of help, certainly wouldn't change that for the better. "Would you give me your hand? Please?"

After two seconds of surprise or confusion, or both perhaps, Snape did as she had asked without a comment and Robin held onto him tightly as she took a deep breath. Really, holding his hand never ceased to overwhelm her senses with rushes of energy and tingles. But they were here to work, and she had asked to hold his hand for entirely professional reasons. Well, almost entirely… She tried to ignore it either way and went on with the plan. For a short moment she focused on the spell she had come up with those few weeks ago, took another deep breath, and then took one large step forward into the water. Or rather, onto the water.

An instantaneous relief overcame her as she saw that it actually had worked, she was standing on top of the water's surface just as she had planned. A few reluctant steps around the staircase on top of the deep water confirmed that her spell was working perfectly fine, and yet she still stayed close enough to still hold onto Snape's hand. Bloody hell, she really could walk on water. Amazing! With the biggest smile on her face, she looked up from her rolled up jeans and naked feet to Snape in front of her, who only seemed beyond surprised at what he saw.

"Impressed?" Robin couldn't help asking with a smirk, and she positively noted how it was him now who held onto her hand tightly. Perhaps he was afraid she would go under and vanish after all…

"How?" Was all he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Well, you see, when I thought of this spell I had some inspiration from my parents' guests from the US… Very religious people, they keep talking about God and Jesus all day, and I'm sure you can see the connection to the spell there. And from that point forth, it really was only a day's worth of research." She shrugged with the very same smile as before. "The spell freezes the surface of the water in time. Or to start explaining at the beginning, I had to think of skipping tones over the water. They touch the surface for a very brief time only, and therefore they don't go under. To recreate that effect I would either have to be really really fast��"

"Or to slow the water down." He added with a sincerely impressed expression that made no secret of his utmost fascination, and perhaps even a little admiration as well. "How are you even able to mess with time? I haven't got the slightest idea about it, and neither should you."

"I researched time turners. Someone had to make them at some point, which means that there had to be spells to mess with time. Admittedly, reducing the effect to one specific thing, and especially something as vague as the surface of the water, was a bit more complicated, but still nothing I couldn't do in a day."

"Why am I even surprised by anything you do at this point…" He sighed, and then reluctantly let go of Robin's hand when she let go in return. She stayed standing on the water, which was a good sign, and even took a step further into the room, over the mirroring blackness below. Still, the concerned frown never left his face even as she turned back around to him. He opened and closed his mouth to speak a few times, before at last words came out along with it. "Be careful, yes?"

"Of course. But if it suddenly stops working for some reason, and I go under and drown, you'll get me out, right?" Robin asked while taking a few more careful steps over the water. Really, these questions were merely a method of reassuring herself; she knew the answer, but she still needed to hear it. "Because I really don't care for a run-in with any of the beasts living down there. If I mess up, you'll have my back as always… right?"

"Of course I will. As always."

"Good… Thank you."

"And what do you plan on doing now?"

Robin looked up at him once more, smirking already at the thought. "Now, I'm going to steal a giant fish's shiny scale."

______________________________

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