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writing-in-april · 4 years ago

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Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde (1/?)

Part One: The introduction

Spencer Reid x Female Reader

Summary: Reader meets a mysterious stranger at the library during a book club meeting.

Part Two, Part Three

Series Masterlist

A/N: Hey Heyyy! This is my first Dom!Spencer fic in so long!!! My last one was also funnily enough for a fic swap as is this one! I had @aperrywilliams for the fic swap organized by @imagining-in-the-margins. I had so much fun writing this one- it’s based on a prompt that I got from @andiebeaword and @spencers-dria helped me by guiding me with the book club idea- with a little twist! I am considering making this a series, if y’all are interested PLEASE let me know- I really want to because I had so much fun writing this. Thanks to all y’all for reading and requests are open!!

Warnings: 18+, Dom Spencer, Public Sex (is anyone that surprised??), Impact Play, Post Prison Spencer, Use of the nickname Doctor during sex, Spencer is a brat tamer, Spencer is morally ambiguous but doesn’t do anything explicitly immoral

Main Masterlist Word Count: 3.0k

As soon as you walked in through the large wooden doors it felt like history hit you over the head with a book. Even though it was on the small side for a library it still probably held more books than a normal public library, almost every wall was adorned with built-in shelves stacked from bottom to top with old books. They ranged in every subject you could think imaginable, from every point in history imaginable, and from every point of view that was imaginable. When you had first discovered this place it had felt like you had been transported to another world. You were surprised that more people didn’t know about this old library nestled in the corners of D.C, it was just sitting there idly watching as history passed by day by day, while it sat writing down all its secrets.

A meeting of the classics was scrawled on the standing white board you saw right when you walked into the library. A meeting of the classics from 7pm to 11:30 in reading room C were the exact words, you didn’t even really need to read them as you had been looking forward to this event for weeks.

You made your way down to the reading room that was specified, only encountering a few stragglers similar to yourself on the way down. You were somewhat new to the events that this library ran, only coming to the past four months. It was quickly becoming your favorite thing to do every month.

There was always a theme to each of the parties, ranging from different eras of history, specific novels, and including things that were open to interpretation. Tonight’s theme was as stated on the white board, a meeting of the classics, which had been described as “Pick your favorite literary icon from a classic novel and dress up as them.”

You had decided to not pick a character from a classic novel, but rather an author, Mary Shelly. You based your entire look on the iconic writer of Frankenstein (with a twist of course) because it had been your favorite novel as a child, it still was your favorite novel.

Once you had made it into the large reading room you took in the full room like you did every week. People were dressed as many outlandish characters, with some being more difficult to decipher than others. As you walked around the reading room you could feel the eyes of another on you.

You could feel his stare following you intently as you walked around mingling with the others that you had met before. The eyes belonged to a man you hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, a man dressed as someone instantly recognizable, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. What other iconic character would be split down the middle, half innocent doctor and half evil alter ego.

Even behind the costume you could tell how attractive the man was. He was extremely tall and lanky, with deep brown eyes and the fluffiest brown hair you had ever seen.

“Who’s that?” You asked the married lady and gentlemen dressed up as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Maybe it was shameful that you didn’t know their actual names, but you guess that’s what some people want when they come to an event like this

“That’s Dr. Spencer Reid, he hasn’t been here for a while and he sometimes misses things because of work. You didn’t hear it from me, but I heard he got in trouble with the law, that’s why he hasn’t been here for almost six months.” Her gossipy voice was drenched in fake sugar that made you gag on the inside. You still did appreciate her information as it gained you the name of the man who couldn’t stop staring at you like he was trying to figure you out.

“Must not have been that bad if he’s already out now, or maybe he’s innocent.” Ms. Bennet shrugged her shoulders at that. You may have even been naive to not heed her warning, but the idea of getting to know the mysterious fluffy haired man that had been staring at you all night was too intriguing for you to ignore.

“Who are you?” The mysterious man asked when he finally decided to approach you instead of staring at you from across the room.

Trying to maintain the same level of mystery as the man had you dodging his question with a simple redirect, “Who’s asking?”

“I thought it was quite obvious who I was.” He was right it was obvious, but why would you let him know that despite the fact that you knew what character he was you could tell the man underneath was the real mystery of it all.

“You’re the one who is not obvious.” The back and forth you had already picked up with him was thrilling, you sensed the fact that in most conversations you would have with him it would be a kind of battle that you would have to win.

“If you must know, kind sir, I am dressed as Mary Shelly, author of Frankenstein, with a bit of a modern twist.” You made sure to call him sir instead of his earned honorific this time, to see if it would poke any buttons.

“I am not a sir since my name is Dr. Spencer Reid. I can see now who you are dressed as, but I would still argue that it is not what the intentions were when they set this up.” You could tell that he was only teasing you with the way the inflections of his voice sounded, you were glad your teasing had been a moderate success.

You did also provide him your name before deciding to poke his buttons once more,“But, isn’t she a classic, Dr. Reid?”

“But, you have not made her a classic anymore by putting as you say a ‘modern twist on things’ though I must say it does look well made.” You would’ve been offended if you could not tell that it was all in jest, though you still got the sense that you still were not seeing what all this man was about.

“Thank you, Doctor I made it myself. However, you still haven’t answered my question yet, Dr. Reid.” You asked the next question hoping he would get what you were implying, “Who are you?”

“I suspect you may already know, but I am dressed half as Dr. Jekyll and half as Mr. Hyde.” At least he started to somewhat catch on to the hidden meaning in your words, though you still had not dug up the real answer you were looking for. He was too intriguing to persuade you to stop digging, you wanted to find who the doctor really was, not the partial mask he was still using.

“Yes, I suspected as much, but aren’t you breaking the rules by dressing up as technically two characters?”

“Were there rules that said I couldn’t dress up as two characters?” He fell nicely into the small trap you had set for him, retorting quickly without thinking. Which you found odd for a man that was clearly intelligent.

“No, but were there rules that said I couldn’t dress up as a classic author with my own twist?” The look on his face had let you know you had won the debate. You smirked with triumph as you glanced over the man, taking note of each of his handsome features in case you would never see him again.

You decided to pivot the conversation to another question that was on the forefront of your mind,“Do you have a dark side, Dr. Reid?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” He was deflecting, but he didn’t seem agitated by your question, simply amused by your dogged curiosity.

“I am curious though, what are you exactly underneath it all Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?” Your coy smile was most definitely not lost on him, he could see right through your facade. He could see right through Mary Shelly to find the true you underneath. You only wished you could figure him out as well, you wondered how he got so good at being able to read people in an instant.

“I haven’t figured that out yet.” Well, at least you got the answer to what you were looking for, even if the answer wasn’t as straightforward as you may have been expecting. But, you were realizing that Dr. Spencer Reid was probably anything but straightforward.

Your heart was pumping fast, his words had a bigger effect on you than he had probably expected, your panties hidden underneath your long dress were dampening quickly. Though as you saw the smirk on his face grow as you fidgeted in your chair you realized that maybe this was intention all along.

You excused yourself for a moment with a veiled excuse of going to the bathroom. You hoped he’d follow right behind you, to see that you were going to one of the empty reading rooms. If you had read his intentions correctly the heavy doors on each of the rooms should significantly squash any noises he or you would make.

Sure enough after an appropriate amount of time had passed so as to not raise suspicion, the good doctor (that may or may not be good at all) entered the empty room.

He brought you into a dominating kiss that made you want to cower at the same time as be completely defiant. You fought with valor as he tried to consume you entirely with the kiss, not letting his tongue slip into your mouth for as long as you could hold off. In the end you still lost the fight when he lifted you up onto one of the large wooden desks in the room, causing a gasp to fall from your lips that finally gave him full access to your hot wet mouth. He suddenly pulled away to pinch your cheeks together with his hand to make you look at him which made you whimper pathetically at first, but you appreciated his next question immensely.

“Do you want this?” You nodded as vigorously as you could with his hand pinching your cheeks.

He however was not satisfied with my eager nod and prompted you to confirm once more with an even harsher tone, “Speak up when you’re talking.”

“Yes, Doctor.” You replied with his honorific instinctually and you were pleasantly surprised with the eager groan that came from his lips in response. Plus, you were slightly rewarded with being able to feel his lips on your collarbone, sending even more shivers down your spine.

“Let me know immediately if that changes.” The contrast of his sweet meaning words with his hand gripping your jaw was jarring, but you couldn’t deny that you enjoyed it. It just made you want to be as bratty as possible because even if he was harsh there was still the underlying care in everything he did, you felt safe.

“Maybe I should just call you Mister instead, since that’s clearly your dominant side.”He growled into your neck that was quickly getting covered in hickies, next thing you knew he flipped you around to face the desk closest to you with your back to his chest.

“Bend over.” He commanded, to which in response you opened your mouth to retort. Instead of letting you run your mouth as you had done before he wound his hands through your hair and pushed you down to take the position he wanted. He then pulled up your dress to uncover the panties you had soaked through. You thought maybe he was going to give me some relief of the ache in my core, but you were given a harsh slap on your ass instead.

A whimper involuntarily came out from your lips from the harshness of the slap that you assumed was revenge for not following his commands. He then spoke with deadly conviction, “I want you to say thank you, doctor after every time I spank you.”

You only agreed because you were afraid that if you did not comply now he may not give you what you wanted. So, as soon as the next stinging slap came down on the same spot as before the phrase fell from your lips, “Thank you, Doctor!”

He continued his repeated hits onto your ass and you made sure to never miss thanking him with a cry. Once he was satisfied with how much you were punished for your sassy remark he rubbed over the inflamed skin of your ass with his large, unbelieving hands. He moved your panties to the side to dip his deft fingers to run through your folds, collecting some of your wetness. You whined loudly and perhaps pathetically in response to him only lighting touching you instead of obliging the heat you felt everywhere.

“Be patient, you’ll get what you want since you decided to start listening to me.” He snapped which caused your knees to buckle again.

“I can be patient, Doctor.” He definitely appreciated the continued use of his honorific in this scandalous situation as he let out a groan almost every time you said it. Instead of answering you he started to undo the pants of his outfit, a pair of slacks that were also equally as split as the rest of his costume. You didn’t look back to see his cock because you did not want to be punished by him twice in one night. But, you certainly felt it.

You could tell just as he was running the head of his cock through your folds and pulling your panties to the side again that he would be the biggest you had ever been with. What should have worried you slightly only ended up sending a shock through your core instead. He was at least somewhat gentle when he finally started to enter you, letting you get somewhat adjusted before sinking in all the way to the hilt.

As soon as he sensed that you had adjusted he started a rough brutal pace, not that you were complaining as he hit all of your most sensitive spots as his cock dragged through your walls.

He made no effort to stifle the loud moans that were coming from your mouth, maybe he thought the thick wooden doors would stifle the noises. But, there was no way no one would be able to hear the unintelligible wails that were coming from you.

“You like bringing out this side of me don’t you?” He rasped out after he pushed your torso back down to flat on the desk once you started to lift yourself up on your elbows. When you only answered with a noise that was not understandable he prompted you to speak up with another slap on your ass and said, “I said earlier to speak up when you’re trying to talk to someone.”

“Yes, Doctor!” You finally were able to cry out with a few more slaps to your ass from him.

Each time you kept getting close to the edge he’d pull away from you slightly dashing your orgasm away from you cruelly. Each time you decided to whine out loud to voice your displeasure even if it was involuntarily he would just prolong edging you for even longer. You were babbling incoherently when he pulled you by the hair so your back was pressed into his chest and after a few more moments of hearing you beg nonsensically with tears in your eyes he finally gave you the command,

“You can cum.”

“Thank you, Doctor!” You wailed as your orgasm washed over you in devastating waves, you were sure no other man had made you finish so hard in your life. You kept repeating, “Thank you, Doctor!”over and over until you had completely come down from what was arguably the best orgasm of your life. Your own orgasm helped propel his forward, and you made sure to confirm out loud that you were ok with him cumming inside you. The warmth that filled you as he pumped into you a few more times caused one last groan to come from you that was weirdly harmonious with the groan from the doctor.

Normal aftercare wasn’t really applicable in this type of situation, you hardly knew him and the added fact that you were in an old library with a party down the hall didn’t help either. He still cleaned you up with a softness you had yet to see from him during your short encounter. Aloe probably would’ve been the best option to soothe your raw bottom, but he did massage you for a few minutes after he cleaned the rest of you. He had even made sure your clothes that were not period accurate, as he had pointed out earlier, were neat before you both left. There were no cuddles and soft loving words exchanged, but you still felt immensely cared for by a man who claims he might not be a good man. He was a strange case.

“You still never answered my question, Doctor.” You stated as you stood on the steps of the library after you two had slipped out to leave.

“That’s because I still don’t have an answer.” And, with that you parted ways into the cool air of D.C. You hoped he had the same feelings as you when you had both parted ways, you wanted to see him again. There was another meeting next month, maybe then you would get your chance again.

The thrill that ran through your veins whenever you interacted with him, whether he was fucking you or having a rousing conversation about classic literature made you want him no matter whether he was Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. You’d take them both.

Part Two, Part Three| Series Masterlist

———

Tag list (message me if you want to be added):

All works:

@shotarosleftpinky @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar

Spencer Reid/CM:

@calm-and-doctor @destiny-tsukino @safertokiss @slutforthegubes

Dom Spencer (new tag list):

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fanfic #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds #mgg #mgg x reader #matthew gray gubler x reader #matthew gray gubler smut #spencer reid fanfiction #matthew gray gubler

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discoscoob · 4 years ago

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Fires of Pompeii | Loki x Female Reader

Loki (Marvel) x Doctor Who

You and Loki meet each other while you’re both running for your lives through the streets of Pompeii.

Part Two | Chapter Index

Words: 10k +

Warnings: blood and injury

Read on AO3: here

You huddled under the arch of an abandoned doorway just off the high street, it provided you suitable enough shelter from the miserable rain which pathetically drizzled down from the night sky. The light from the street lamps, traffic and shop fronts reflected off the soaked concrete while in the distance you could hear the laughter and chatter of groups of people as they made their way to the pubs and the clubs, the night was still early for them but you intended to be home and curl up in bed within the hour but first, dinner.

You warmed your frozen fingertips around the paper wrapping which contained a piping hot portion of golden chips from your favourite chippy. Just as you were about to pop one of the steaming chips into your mouth using one of those tiny wooden forks you only ever find in chip shops, something caught your attention and you paused.

“You’re not mating with me, sunshine!” A woman gasped in a broad east London accent that you would recognise anywhere, it belonged to your auntie Donna, a fiery redhead with an unmistakable dialect. Reluctantly you dropped your wooden fork, with your chip still attached to it, back onto the pile of chips which sat on the wrapping paper cradled in your palm and you ran out from under the doorway to investigate.

“A mate. I want a mate.” Came a reply and you turned your head in the direction the voice came from to find your auntie, half shielding herself behind the door of an old police box, while a man you didn’t recognise stood before her wearing a pinstripe suit with a pile of luggage gathered around his feet.

“Well just as well because I’m not having any of that nonsense. I mean you’re just a long string of nothing, you know, alien nothing.” She asserted, now standing fully outside the police box.

“Is everything okay?” You approached the pair, completely lost by the conversation or argument you had picked up on midway through. Upon hearing your voice Donna gasped your name suddenly looking like someone caught doing something they shouldn’t.

“Oh chips! I love chips. Can I have one?” The man smiled and pinched a chip from your pile before you could even answer.

“I can explain.” Donna offered and that is where it all began.

Donna’s explanation had consisted of an elaborate story about how the man she was with, known simply as The Doctor, was the last surviving member of an advanced alien species which specialised in space and time travel and that he had offered to take her exploring with him through all of time and space. Naturally your initial response was one of disbelief, you questioned your auntie on how much she had to drink that night, then you quickly switched to concern wondering if this strange man had drugged her.

Donna looked offended that you believed she was anything but sober while the Doctor was startled that you believed he had any ill intent and was quick to sincerely reassure you that he meant your auntie no harm and that he was more than happy to extend his invitation of space and time travel to you, either in order to prove what they were telling you was in fact the truth or to allow you to come along to ensure Donna’s safety.

You were tempted by his offer until you found out that their mode of transportation was the cramped police box the three of you were stood in front of, the Doctor informed you that it was called a TARDIS, an abbreviation for something you were sure you wouldn’t remember, and that it’s appearance as a police box was merely a disguise however the function had stopped working several decades ago meaning it was stuck like that permanently. You questioned how all of you would comfortably fit inside, along with the huge pile of Donna’s luggage. Images of scenes from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure ran through your mind, the two teens faces pushed up against the glass of phone box which they were squashed into like sardines along with several prominent figures from history.

Your concern soon developed into wonder after you were ushered by the pair into the box to find it was much bigger on the inside, and not in a ‘its size is deceiving’ sort of way where they cleverly maximised the limited space inside, it was literally impossibly bigger. You had to immediately step outside and circle the boxes perimeter to make sure it wasn’t attached to any walls but it stood in the middle of the street completely detached from any other structure or building. That is when you first started to believe that maybe what Donna had told you wasn’t so far fetched after all.

Barely 10 minutes later you were rendered speechless as you were stood in the middle of a busy outdoor market, chippy tea long forgotten. Beneath your feet the ground was no longer covered in puddles or reflected the colours of the different city lights, instead you stood on cobble stone covered with dry sand and stray piles of straw. The black night sky was replaced by a flawless blue with not a single white cloud in sight as the heat of the midday sun caressed your skin. You were quick to unwrap your scarf from around your neck and shrug off your bulky winter coat and carelessly throw them back into the TARDIS without a care where they landed.

“Ancient Rome!” The Doctor enthusiastically announced.

Your eyes scanned around the bustling market once again and you took in the sight of all the people dressed in period typical clothing, tunics, sandals and such. The air way filled with the smell of fresh baked goods, scents similar to a barbeque and the faintest smell of horse stables. Some people who walked by were even wearing armour with long red capes draped over their shoulders, you eyed them cautiously as they passed.

“Oh my god!” Donna gasped, grabbing your attention you quickly turned around. “It’s… it’s so Roman! This is fantastic.”

You rolled your eyes at her dramatics as she threw her arms around the Doctors neck to pull him into a hug and he laughed happily with a proud smile on his face. You had to admit, you were impressed, more than impressed, you were astonished. You could hardly believe your eyes as you took in your surroundings, you would have believed you were on a film set were it not for the lack of a technology crew, cameras and director yelling at you to get out the way of the shot.

“Hold on a minute, that sign over there’s in English. Are you having us on?” Donna spotted and you looked in the direction she pointed in to find a sign which read ‘TWO AMPHORAS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE’ and your shoulders sank and the prospect of being lied to this whole time.

“No, no, no,” the Doctor calmly reassured her “that’s the TARDIS translation circuits, it looks like English. It works for speech as well, you’re talking Latin right now.”

That certainly was very clever and convenient, you thought to yourself.

The Doctor lead the way as you continued your stroll through the crowded streets in search of landmarks like the colosseum, the pantheon and the circus maximus. You were excited by the prospect of seeing these ancient landmarks in all their former glory but the Doctor appeared lost as he aimlessly wondered the streets with no sense of direction.

A sudden deep continuous rumbling caused the ground beneath your feet to shake and vibrate, causing tremors to ripple through your entire body, almost knocking you off balance, while the pottery from the market stalls could be heard smashing as they fell to the floor and the scent of smoke in the air intensified. You panicked and grabbed onto Donna’s arm for balance, you caught her staring upwards her eyes transfixed on the sight before her. You followed her line of sight and your face dropped when you saw a mountain top standing tall over the small buildings which surrounded you, as black clouds of ash emerged from the top of it, your heart hammered against your ribcage and your grip on Donna involuntarily tightened.

“Pompeii. We’re in Pompeii and it’s volcano day.” Your throat closed up as you heard the words leave the Doctors lips.

Without another word the Doctor began sprinting back in the direction you previously came, you and Donna quickly followed on his heel. As all three of you dashed through the busy streets as fast as your feet could carry you, in an attempt to make it back to the TARDIS and escape the city before the volcano erupted, you collided into someone’s chest just as they were running in the opposite direction, your foot got caught on their ankle, causing you to trip and before you knew it you were heading straight for the floor with barely enough time to brace for impact.

“Watch where you’re-“ You heard a raised voice behind you and cringed as you prepared to be yelled at on top of the humiliation of already tripping flat on your face, but his voice faltered mid-sentence and you cautiously looked over your shoulder to find a man dressed in modern attire staring back at you with a slack jaw and his brows pulled together as his eyes roamed over you. Obviously your modern clothes caught his attention, just as his caught yours and you could practically see the cogs turning behind his eyes, you were sure your expression mirrored his as you studied each other. You pushed yourself to your feet and glanced over his appearance from head to toe. His shoulder length dark hair was windswept indicating that he must have been running for some time, he wore a brown jacket with its collar pulled up, over a plain white dress shirt paired with a thin dark tie and matching straight leg brown trousers and on his feet he wore a pair of smart polished black shoes. He definitely didn’t belong here, you concluded.

You barely noticed him take a quick glance over your shoulder before he grabbed a firm hold of your wrist and pulled you into a small nook hidden behind one of the market stalls and clamped his hand over your mouth before you could let out a single sound. You glared up at him to try and communicate how aggravated you were, only to find he wasn’t even looking at you as he was too occupied with searching the market with shifty eyes. So you gave up on your glaring in an effort to try and spot what he was looking for, that is when you caught sight of a man who stood out in the crowd, due to the fact that he, too, was dressed in modern attire. You could see he was searching for something, no doubt it was the man who had you pinned against a secluded wall with his hand over your mouth, for your own good you had to ignore the way your stomach flipped ever so slightly by that predicament.

Once the man on the street was out of sight the stranger slowly removed his hand from your jaw and took a step back to give you some space. You were about to open your mouth to ask him what exactly that was all about when another rumble shook the ground beneath your feet and reminded you of how urgently you needed to catch up with Donna and the Doctor before the entire city was destroyed and you along with it. You had no time to stop and interrogate the stranger with all your questions such as where he came from, how he got here, who was that man on the street and why was he hiding from him and why volcano day in Pompeii was such a popular destination for time travellers. Perhaps you could bring it up with the Doctor later as he seemed to have all the answers.

You were about to step foot back onto the street and continue your sprint back to the TARDIS but the stranger had other ideas. He wrapped his large hand around your upper arm and tugged you back against the wall, with no concerns about being gentle and this time he managed to cage you in with both his arms placed on each side of your head.

“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was low and intimidating, as he loomed over you threateningly and stared at you from under his dark eyebrows but with adrenaline already coursing through your veins you were feeling bolder than usual and with your mind occupied by the imminent threat of ash clouds and burning hot magma, it would take a lot more than a deep voice and an intimidating stare to scare you into submission right now.

“I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you have somehow failed to notice that you arrived in Pompeii on the same day the volcano famously erupts and I think it goes without saying that I’m not too fond of the idea of being here when it does. So to answer your question I am trying to get back to the time machine that I came here in so I can get out of here before the city is destroyed. I advise you hurry back to yours and do the same.”

The man looked taken aback by your abrupt tone and you momentarily allowed a fluttering of pride to fill your chest but it didn’t last long before it was once again drowned out by the heavy feeling of anxiety caused by the life threatening natural disaster which lay just around the corner, both literally and figuratively.

“The volcano doesn’t erupt until tomorrow,” the man finally explained once he regained his composure, dismissing your concerns. You blinked, contemplating whether or not to believe him. “But more importantly, I couldn’t help but hear the fact that you mentioned you have a time machine.”

“Of course. How else would I have got here? Don’t you have one?” Despite your positions you were beginning to feel less threatened by the man as your interaction shifted into feeling more like casual conversation.

“It’s a long story.” He vaguely answered.

“What about that man you were hiding from?” You suggested.

“What about him?”

“Does he not have a time machine?”

“It’s a long story.” He repeated and you sighed with the realisation that this conversation was going nowhere fast.

“Right. Well, it was... interesting to meet you but I need to get back to my aunt and the Doctor before I get left behind. Then I would be in trouble.” Donna wouldn’t leave you behind, you hoped, surely she was worrying about you right now, wondering where you were.

“I need safe passage on your time machine away from here.” The stranger rushed to explain before you could duck out of his makeshift trap.

“I mean... technically it’s not mine.” You awkwardly scratched the back of your neck, as you cleared up the misunderstanding.

“You just said you have a time machine.” He narrowed his eyes as his expression grew dangerous.

“I have access to one but it’s not mine. It belongs to the Doctor.” You quickly clarified.

“Then you will take me to this Doctor.” He commanded, leaving no room for negotiations.

“I don’t even know your name.” You hesitated.

At this the man paused and finally took a step back once again granting you your personal space.

“I am Loki of Asgard, God of Mischief and you will answer to my request.” Loki answered as he raised his head with pride and looked down his nose at you.

There was a momentary beat of silence as you stared at one another before you couldn’t hold it any longer and you let out a snort of laughter.

“I’m sorry, does that amuse you?” Loki look mortified and you quickly bit your lip to contain your giggles, realising he looked truly offended.

“Wait, you’re being serious?” You paled.

His quiet glare was enough to tell you he was not messing around and you looked down and awkwardly cleared your throat. Had you met this man yesterday you probably would’ve thought without a shadow of doubt that he was suffering from delusions of grandeur but today you were in Pompeii in 79 AD so your mind was beginning to open up to new possibilities, one of those being, meeting a God. Stranger things have happened.

“Okay, Loki, God of mischief...” you began as you introduced yourself following the same format, telling him your name followed by the country you lived in and jokingly adding ‘mortal of existential crises’ at the end.

“Don’t do that again.” Loki didn’t appear amused.

***

“No, no, no. This can’t be happening.” You panicked when you returned to the exact spot where the Doctor had left the police box only to discover it had vanished, leaving no trace behind.

“What? What can’t be happening?” Loki asked you from where he stood a few steps behind, his eyes were still shifty as he seemed paranoid about that man he was hiding from finding him.

“The TARDIS, the time machine... it’s gone.” You could barely believe the words coming out your mouth, they couldn’t have left without you, Donna wouldn’t have left you behind. Unless the Doctor forced her, but no she would’ve fought him, you would never want to get on the wrong side of your auntie, she was a force to be reckoned with and the Doctor was no match, like she had said he was a long string of alien nothing. There had to be an explanation.

“Are you sure that this is where they left it?” Loki impatiently offered.

“Yes, I’m certain. It’s a big blue police box, you can’t miss it. He parked it right there.” You gestured to the empty corner with both your arms, before you brought one of your hands to your forehead while the other rested on your hip.

“Excuse me.” You jumped when you felt a tap on your shoulder and turned around to find an older man with a head full of curly hair stood behind you. “I couldn’t help but overhear you’re looking for a blue box.”

“Yes, it was stood right there,” you pointed behind you. “Did you see it?”

“I sold it. A young couple came looking for it not too long ago, I sent them to Old Caecilius’ villa on Foss Street, he’s the one who bought it, if you’re quick you might be able to catch them, I think they might try to steal it.”

“Steal it? You can’t steal something that already belongs to you!” You complained.

“Well, it belongs to Caecilius now, don’t it? After all he bought it off me fair and square.” The man haggled and you finally noticed that he was speaking with a rough cockney accent which was very fitting with his sleazy disposition, presumably the work of the TARDIS’ automatic translations, this offered you the peace of mind that it was still here along with Donna and the Doctor.

“It wasn’t yours to sell!” You argued in return.

“It was on my patch, weren’t it?”

You growled, ready to argue back but Loki quickly stepped in.

“If you would be so kind as to point us in the direction of Foss Street and we will be on our way.” Loki charmed the older man with a polite smile and your jaw dropped at the contrast to the abrupt and arrogant attitude he had treated you with since your encounter began.

“Straight up there, big villa, can’t miss it.” He pointed to the street behind Loki.

“Thank you, sir.” Loki slightly nodded his head before before he took a hold of the back of the shirt near the small of your back and began tugging you towards Foss Street, while you stared at him speechless.

“What?” He finally snapped when you didn’t take your eyes off him.

“What was that?” You asked as you shrugged his hold off your shirt.

“What was what?”

“Back there,” you gestured behind you with your hand. “‘If you would be so kind... thank you, sir.’ What possessed you? You’ve been nothing but rude since I met you.”

“You we’re doing nothing but wasting my time by engaging in an argument with him and being polite was the quickest way to get the answer I needed so I could be on my way.” He curtly answered, never once meeting your gaze as he kept a vigilant eye on his surroundings.

“Why is that man looking for you?” You wondered out loud a few moments later, finding his constant surveillance of the surrounding area concerning. If you were going to help this man escape, undoubtedly you had a right to know what you were helping him run from.

“He wants to erase my existence.” He answered so bluntly it stunted to silence for a moment.

“Why?” You finally asked.

“I’m a glitch in the timeline, I’m not supposed to be here.” He admitted but you were lost.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s a-“

“Long story.” You rolled your eyes but you meant no harm, Loki realised, when he fixed you with a hash glare which softened when he saw your teasing smile.

Your eyes quickly snapped away from Loki’s when you heard your name being called and found Donna running towards you, you left Loki to run over to her and she pulled you into a bone crushing hug once she finally reached you.

“I thought you had left without me.” You admitted, as you snuggled into her embrace, all your emotions of the day finally overwhelmed you and you felt moisture building at the rim of your eyes.

“I’d never leave you behind, besides your mother would kill me if I let anything happen to you.” She assured you with a small laugh, she wasn’t exaggerating. “But where did you go? You vanished into thin air.”

You were about to answer her when her eyes fell on Loki who was quietly stood behind you with his hands resting in the pockets of his pants, his modern attire immediately making him standout to Donna as he did to you when you first laid your eyes on him.

“Who’s this?” She asked, her interest clearly peaked.

You invited Loki over by extending your arm and he stepped up beside you.

“Loki, this is my auntie Donna. Donna, this is Loki. I crashed into him while we were running back to the TARDIS, he’s the reason I fell behind.” You glared at him accusingly and he rolled his eyes.

“You found your very own time traveller?” Donna looked at you with genuine excitement, obviously putting two and two together from his outfit.

“I am a God.” Loki narrowed his eyes, frustrated at his status being reduced to ‘someone’s time traveller’

Just like you had, Donna burst into laughter and you awkwardly pulled your lips together while you waited for her to realise he was being serious.

“He’s a bit full of himself but at least he’s easy on the eye.” Donna did a terrible job of trying to subtly whisper in your ear and you massaged your eyebrows in embarrassment.

“I heard that.” Loki sighed exasperatedly, already finding your aunties lack of filter tedious.

“Come on, let’s get you inside. It’s getting dark.” Donna put her arm around you and guided you into the villa, in an effort to run away from Loki’s glare. Loki followed a few paces behind the pair of you and he glanced over his shoulder one last time before he stepped through the entrance to the villa.

***

As soon as you entered the villa you could see how grand it was compared to the other houses on the streets of Pompeii, it was obvious that the family who lived here were well to do. Everywhere you looked all you could see was marble, it covered the walls and floors and the room was decorated with various marble sculptures and other art pieces, Caecilius was clearly a collector. Sculpted pillars ran through the room, supporting the high ceilings and in the very centre of the room there was fountain. You thought it was a shame that it would all be buried under rocks and fire within less than 24 hours, but you tried to let yourself think too much about it as Donna introduced you to Caecilius, the man who bought the Doctors TARDIS, which you noticed was stood in the far right corner of the room, and Metella his wife, she explained that they also had two teenagers, a daughter, Evelina but she was sleeping and a son, Quintus, who was currently out with the Doctor.

“The Doctor isn’t here? But we’re meant to be leaving.” You asked, your voice slightly raised in pitch due to your panic.

“Something came up. Strange things have been happening, he just wants to make sure nothing untoward is going on.” Donna answered.

“This Doctor...” Loki stepped forward. “He will return soon, yes? I am in quite the rush to leave.”

“You’re coming with us?” Donna looked between you and Loki for an answer.

“Yes.” He answered

“I mean, if it’s okay with the Doctor.” You answered at the same time.

Without warning the whole villa began to shake as tremors ran through the floor again, Caecilius and Metella held onto their valuables to stop them from smashing against the ground, it reminded you of the scene from Mary Poppin’s where Mrs Banks and the maids cling onto the furniture when the admiral sets off his cannon. You noticed that this time the tremors felt different, they weren’t continuous, they came one after another mimicking the rhythm of footsteps. Before you could question it, the Doctor came running loudly into the room just in time. A teenage boy, presumably Caecilius’ son, Quintus, followed close behind him.

“Get out! All of you! Get out!”

“Doctor! What is it?” Donna yelled, she and the Doctor were holding onto each other for stability and that’s when you realised you had instinctively held onto Loki after the tremors started and he was holding onto you, the both of you stepped away from each other as soon as you realised.

“I think we’re being followed!” The Doctor explained, before his eyes landed on Loki and he took in his appearance.

“Who are you?”

“Loki of Asgard-“ Loki started.

“The God of Mischief?” The Doctor finished, his pitch raised several octaves as his face scrunched up in confusion.

“Hold on, for real?” Donna looked between Loki and the Doctor, now realising Loki was serious about being a God earlier and in normal circumstances you would have face palmed.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” The Doctor thought out loud and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a device the size of a pen and pointed it at Loki, the tip glowed blue and it emitted a high pitched bleeping sound as he scanned it over his body.

“What is that?” Loki quickly jumped back, dodging the device in the Doctors hand and with a flash of emerald light he was holding a dagger in his hand, that appeared out of nowhere, causing you to gasp and Donna quickly pulled you to her side.

“It is a sonic screwdriver.” The Doctor answered distractedly, not even noticing the weapon in Loki’s hand as he closely inspected the device with furrowed brows and mumbled something about not being able to get clear readings, but before he could allow himself to get too concerned over the matter, you were all reminded of the bigger problem by the sound of a loud clatter which came from inside the room, it was caused by the metal grid flying off one of the square grills.

“Just get out!” The Doctor yelled at you all again, as he flapped his arms towards the doors but you were frozen to the spot, you could hear a sinister growling from beneath the floor, there was definitely something alive down there and from the cracks that were beginning to form around the grill, it was obviously trying to break out.

Gradually a large creature made of magma and stone began to rise out of the ground, until it stood to its full height of about eight foot.

“The Gods are with us.” Evelina, Caecilius’ daughter, cried as she entered the room and her mother wrapped a protective arm around her.

“That is no God! I am the only God present.” Loki seethed in offence.

“Water, we need water. Quintus, Donna, all of you, get water!” The Doctor yelled above the growls which came from the threatening creature.

You were about to follow Quintus and Donna out of the room as they rushed to get buckets of water like the Doctor instructed, but Loki grabbed hold of your wrist and kept you by his side. You looked at him and pulled your brows together confused by his actions, but he offered you no explanation as he closely watched the beast which stood high above all of you.

“Talk to me, that’s all I want! Talk to me! Just tell me who you are.” The Doctor cautiously approached the tempered creature, with his arms held out before him. “Don’t hurt these people.” He continued to try and reason with it, while it just continued to growl and snarl aggressively at him.

Quickly Quintus came rushing into the room with a bucket of water and threw it over the beast. A loud hissing could be heard, as steam evaporated around it, and the Doctor shielded Quintus with his own body as he backed him away from the creature which began to crumble to the floor into a heap of rocks.

“Like I said, not a God.” Loki smugly remarked to no one in particular.

“What was it?” Caecilius shouted at the Doctor, quickly learning that he was usually the one with all the answers.

“Carapace of stone, held together by internal magma, not too difficult to stop but I reckon that was just a foot soldier. Still... If there are aliens at work in Pompeii, it’s a good thing we stayed.” The Doctor pondered aloud.

“Excuse me, aliens?” Loki stepped forward.

“Oh yes, I still haven’t figured out what you’re doing here.” The Doctor drew his focus back to the God, clearly intrigued by his presence.

“It doesn’t matter why I am here, I only wish to leave.” Loki answered with a scowl.

“Why don’t you just leave the same way you got here.” The Doctor challenged with raised brows.

“I cannot.”

“Why not?”

As you observed the exchange you saw Loki falter and his eyes cast downwards.

“It would result in my death.” He answered truthfully.

The Doctor suddenly looked upon Loki with eyes that seemed filled with familiarity and a hint of sympathy.

“You remind me of an old friend of mine, I think you would’ve liked him,” he paused as if imagining it. “Actually, perhaps not… your personalities would’ve probably clashed.” The Doctor digressed. “Since you’re not supposed to be here you’re welcome to join us on the TARDIS.”

Loki’s brows shot up, as he seemed genuinely surprised that the Doctor agreed to let him travel on the TARDIS.

“We should be on our way, it will not be long before,” Loki glanced at Caecilius and his family who were all comforting each other after the ordeal they just witnessed, without wanting to mention the volcano out loud in case they might overhear he resorted to miming an explosion with is hands while adding a “boom” sound effect by blowing air through saliva at the back of his throat.

“Not just yet, I need to- Donna?” The Doctor paused looking around the room in search of Donna and you began looking around for her too but she was nowhere to be found. “When did you last see her?” The Doctor looked at you.

“She ran out when you asked for water, I didn’t realise she hadn’t returned.” You scolded yourself for not focusing, you should have noticed she wasn’t there.

“Donna!” The Doctor shouted at the top of his lungs, as he began to run out into the street but before he could leave Evelina stopped him timidly.

“I saw members of the Sibylline Sisterhood take her while you were confronting the beast.” She quietly confessed.

“The who?” You questioned, completely confused, while the Doctor grumbled under his breath wasting no more time before he dashed out the door and you were quick to follow after him. Behind you, you heard Loki call your name as he followed after, but you didn’t listen, Donna had been taken and she needed your help.

***

When you sneaked into the temple between the Doctor and Loki, who had caught up to you halfway, and saw Donna bound to a slab of stone, surrounded by a group of women dressed in red robes and one of them holding a dagger above her head ready to plunge it into your aunties chest, you were ready to attack, but the Doctor held you back before you could do anything rash and silent put a finger to his own lips to signal for you to keep quiet, his eyes silently assured you he had a plan.

“Let me go!” You heard Donna yell above the voice of the woman who held the dagger. The Doctor quietly made his way across the room, ready to intervene at any moment while you stayed by Loki’s side near the back of the room.

“This prattling voice will cease forever!” The woman yelled as she began to lower the dagger towards Donna.

“Oh, that will be the day.” The Doctor casually commented, causing all the women around Donna to gasp in shock, while your auntie sent the Doctor and you a wide smile when she realised you had all come to save her.

“No man is allowed in the Temple of Sibyl.” The woman who was clearly the leader of the group warned the Doctor, before her eyes also shifted to Loki.

“Well, that’s alright, just us girls.” The Doctor joked as he made his way towards the women, while in the corner of your eye you caught a glimmer of green light only to do a double take when you found Loki had transformed into a woman.

She sent you a proud smirk as you gaped at her with a slack jaw, your face full of confusion and astonishment.

You turned your head back to Donna and the Doctor when you heard the sound of his sonic screwdriver, which he held above her restraints and they immediately fell lose, freeing her bound wrists.

“I have got to get one of those.” Loki commented, her voice sounded more feminine to match her changed appearance, but it still kept that low and slightly intimidating tone.

As soon as Donna was free she came running over to you and you gave each other a hug, when she pulled back her eyes were on Loki.

“You’ve changed.” She stated the obvious as her eyes dragged up and down Loki’s new form.

“I am respecting the sisters temple.” Loki raised her chin and crossed her arms over her chest as she answered.

“Respecting the sisters temple?” Donna sounded exasperated. “They just tried to kill me!”

“I saw.” Loki offered no concern.

“I’m just glad you’re safe now.” You quickly interjected before the argument escalated, you put your hand on Donna’s shoulder and moved yourself between the pair while you sent Loki a disapproving stare.

“Show me this man!” A voice echoed through the temple, startling you and drawing your attention back to the Doctor and the sisters. Immediately they all turned and fell to their knees and bowed their heads.

“They dare kneel before another being whilst in the presence of a God?” Loki seethed as her brows cast a shadow over her eyes.

“And after you respected their temple n all.” Donna poked from beside you, feigning sympathy.

You placed a hand on Loki’s chest to hold her back when you heard her grumble under her breath.

“High Priestess, the stranger would defy us.” The leader spoke, being the only sister left standing.

“Let me see. This one is different. He carries starlight in his wake.” The voice echoed again, coming from behind a set of sheer drapes at the top of the temple.

“Where do these words of wisdom come from?” The Doctor asked as he approached the voice.

“The Gods whisper to me.” It replied.

“If they’re hearing voices, it’s not mine.” Loki raised her hands innocently.

“Might I beg audiences? Look upon the High Priestess?” The Doctor suddenly requested and the sheer drapes slowly pulled back to reveal a woman made of stone sat upon a bed.

You watched closely as the Doctor inspected the Priestess’ condition, and inquired her about it to try and figure out the cause.

“The people of Pompeii are turning to stone before the volcano erupts.” The Doctor observed.

“This word... this volcano... what is that?”

“More to the point, why don’t you know about it? Who are you?”

“High Priestess of the Sibylline!”

“No, I’m talking to the creature inside of you. I demand you tell me who you are!” The Doctor commanded.

“We... are... awakening!” The Priestess spoke, but her voice had suddenly deepened and multiplied, she sounded possessed.

“The voice of the Gods!” The leader of the sisters cried, before those who were on their knees before the Priestess began repeatedly chanting ‘words of wisdom, words of power...’ your eyes widened at the scene before you, Donna’s jaw was slack with shock, while Loki just rolled her eyes and appeared bored.

“We... are... rising!” The possessed voice of the Priestess grew louder as she rose from the bed and stepped toward the Doctor.

“Tell... me... your name!” He yelled back, mirroring her tone.

“Pyrovile!” The voice inside the Priestess roared.

“Pyrovile, pyrovile, pyrovile...” The sisters chanted.

“And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor.” The possessed Priestess threatened.

“I warn you I’m armed!” The Doctor yelled as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket.

“Is that... a water gun?” Loki squinted her eyes at the yellow plastic toy the Doctor held in his fist.

You heard your name yelled by the Doctor as he instructed you and Donna to lift the grid off one of the grills, similar to the one the monster smashed through in Caecilius’ home.

Without hesitation you followed Donna over to the grill and you both hooked your fingers into the holes on each side and attempted to lift it, but it slipped from your fingers since you weren’t expecting it to be so heavy and it crashed back into place. Loki quickly joined you and Donna to offer a helping hand and together the three of you lifted the heavy iron grid, while the Doctor continued to argue with the Priestess behind you.

“Got it!” Donna yelled at the Doctor, once the grid was completed removed.

“Now get down!” The Doctor quickly shouted back, and you looked down into the hole in the ground which hot steam was rising out of.

“What, down there?” You asked, wondering if the Doctor had lost his mind.

“Yes, down there!”

“Sisters, I see into his mind, the weapon is harmless!” The leader of the sisters yelled.

“Yeah, but it’s gotta sting.” The Doctor shrugged before he began squirting water at the Priestess who groaned in pain as steam evaporated from where the squirts of water hit her stone surface and she stumbled backwards.

“Get down there!” He repeated louder when he saw none of you had yet made a move to jump into the hole.

Donna jumped in first.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Loki spoke, her eyes almost looking spooked as she glanced down at the steaming hole.

“It’s either climb in there or stay here and wait for the volcano. Your choice.” The Doctor told Loki as he urged you to climb in next.

Sensing Loki’s anxiety you offered her an assuring nod. “You’ll be okay, look watch me and then follow right after.”

Once you joined Donna you found yourself in an underground cave, you could instantly feel the change in the temperature as the air was thick with heat. You looked back up through the hole to find Loki looking down at you.

“See, perfectly safe.” You assured her.

Hesitantly Loki climbed into the hole and you helped her down, once both her feet were on the ground she swayed and stumbled as if she was about to faint but you caught her with your arm around her waist and helped her regain her balance. She held your shoulders and shook her head and forcibly kept her eyes wide open before she looked back at you, suddenly aware of how close you were.

“Are you okay?” You asked, concerned by her behaviour.

A green light shimmered over her body and he returned to the form you had met him in, you noticed he instantly grew taller and you needed to tilt your head slightly to maintain eye contact, your arm was still wrapped around his waist but it was no longer holding him up as he was supporting his own weight now although you could still feel his body swaying slightly as it was pressed against yours.

“I’m fine.” He answered curtly, before taking a step back to put some distance between the two of you.

“This way!” The Doctor led as soon as he jumped into the cave.

“Where are we going now?” Donna sighed.

“Into the volcano.” The Doctor answered as if it were obvious.

You failed to notice Loki’s face fill with dread beside you.

“No way.” Donna challenged.

“Yes way.” The Doctor smiled as he twirled the water gun around his finger.

“Wait, for once I agree with her. We can’t go into the volcano. It could be dangerous.” Loki argued before quickly adding, “for mortals.”

“It will be fine, it doesn’t erupt for another few hours yet.” The Doctor dismissed. “Now, come on!”

Before anyone else could protest he had already turned on his heel and began leading the way through the cave, Donna followed behind him, you followed behind her and Loki was at the back.

As you followed Donna and the Doctor through the winding path of the cave, you kept taking quick glances over your shoulder to check on Loki and you grew increasingly concerned as his condition appeared to deteriorate each time you looked. The further you walked into the cave, the hotter and thicker the air became, you were surprised to find Loki seemed to be the one who was most affected by the conditions out of all of you. While your breathing had become heavy and a thin layer of sweat coated your skin, sweat literally dripped from Loki’s forehead, he started using the walls of the cave to hold himself up as his legs barely carried him, the skin around his eyes grew darker and you could hear him straining on each breath.

Once you reached inside the volcano Loki rested his back against the wall and began to sink to the floor, his chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to shrug off his jacket, his white shirt clung to his body due to his sweat and he attempted to loosened his tie with trembling hands.

“Doctor!” You called, as you rushed over to Loki who looked as though he was about to pass out. The Doctor quickly joined your side, as did Donna once her eyes fell on Loki’s condition.

“What happened?” He asked you urgently.

“I... I don’t know, he hasn’t been right ever since he entered the cave.” You explained.

“Loki! Loki, can you hear me?” The Doctor tried, he gently tapped Loki’s cheek but his head just lulled to the side and he struggled to keep his eyes open as he mumble some incoherent in a cracked voice.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning it over Loki.

“That’s not possible.” You heard the Doctor whisper to himself as he looked over the readings, he quickly gave Loki another scan and read them again and his face squished up in pure confusion.

“What is it?” You urged him.

“He’s... he’s Jotun?” The Doctor answered while sounding more like he was asking a question.

“What’s a Jotun when it’s at home?” Donna asked.

“He isn’t Asgardian at all, magic is suppressing his true form. He’s from Jotunheim, a frost plant inhabited by Jotuns, they aren’t designed to withstand heat of such temperatures as this. We need to get him out of here.” The Doctor quickly explained as he crouched down to scoop a barely conscious Loki into his arms and held him bridal style, once he knew he was secure he began running further into the volcano, leaving both you and Donna trailing behind after him.

You all stopped in your tracks when you found more of the giant stone beasts roaming around inside the volcano.

“There’s tons of them.” Donna gasped. “You better hurry up and think of something, Rocky 4’s on its way.”

“There’s an escape pod!” The Doctor noticed.

“Maybe... it erupts, and they launch themselves back into space or something?” Donna offered, since obviously the escape pod belonged to the stone creatures which were currently invading Pompeii.

“Oh, it’s worse than that.” The Doctor whispered.

“How could it be worse?” You frowned.

“Heathens!” You heard a man cry. “Defile us! They would desecrate your temple, My Lord Gods!”

“Come on.” The Doctor started running towards the escape pod, which looked like a huge hollow boulder with circuits inside.

“We can’t go in!” Donna shouted after him.

“Well, we can’t go back.”

“Crush them! Burn them!” The man who you now noticed was stood on top of some rocks looking down at you as you tried to escape.

A giant monster blocked your path to the escape pod and growled causing you all to slide to a stop.

“Get the water gun, it’s tucked into the back of my pants!” The Doctor called your name, unable to get it himself as he was still holding an unconscious Loki in his arms. You wasted no time reaching for the water gun and squirted it directly at the creature and it stumbled back with a groan easily allowing you all enough time to rush past and continue your dash towards the escape pod.

“There is nowhere to run!” The man screamed.

“No. But if I might beg the wisdom of the Gods, before we perish, once this new race of creatures is complete, then what?” The Doctor yelled up to the man.

“My masters will follow the example of Rome itself. There is heat enough in this world for a new species to rise.”

“Yeah, I should warn you, it’s 70% water out there.” The Doctor explained, nodding his head to the world which lay beyond the mountain.

“Water can boil, and everything will burn!” The mad man argued.

“Then the whole planet is at stake.” The Doctor concluded to himself. “Thank you. That’s all I needed to know.”

He quickly turned and gently lowered Loki to the floor of the escape pod then ushered both you and Donna inside before he squeezed in as well and used his sonic to seal the door shut.

It was cramped inside of the small escape pod with the four of you squashed inside together, once you got inside you immediately crouched down beside Loki to check on his condition.

“Loki, can you hear me?” You gently nudged his shoulder. His eyes fluttered slightly but he failed to open them and he let out a weak groan, but you were just relieved that he was still conscious.

You were conscious of the fact that inside the cramped space of the escape pod it felt even hotter, even you were starting to feel faint. You were still holding the water pistol in your hand and had an idea. You took a gentle hold of Loki’s chin in your free hand and encouraged his mouth open, in his weak state he didn’t fight you, and you pulled the trigger of the toy gun to spray water into his mouth. Once he felt the cool liquid hit his tongue he gladly accepted it as it provided him a little relief from the heat. Loki offered you a small grunt as thanks.

“See? The energy converter takes the lava, uses the power to create a fusion matrix, which welds the Pyrovile to human. Now it’s complete, they can convert millions.” You heard the Doctor explaining how the Pyrovile planned to take over the human race to Donna, sounding completely horrified.

“Can’t you change it? With these controls?” Donna tried, her voice filled with panic.

“I can invert the system, set off the volcano, and blow them up, yes. But that’s the choice, Donna. It’s Pompeii or the world.” The Doctor revealed the heavy decision you were all faced with.

“Oh my god.” Donna paled.

“If Pompeii is destroyed then it’s not just history, it’s me. It was always meant to be me, I make it happen.” The Doctor realised. “Push this leaver and it’s over. 20,000 people.”

The pod fell silent as the Doctor froze with his hands held over the leaver, Donna watched him with tears building in her eyes and you looked at Loki who was barely unconscious and you made your choice.

You used the wall to push yourself back up to your feet and you stepped between Donna and the Doctor. You placed your trembling hands over the Doctors. You looked to your auntie when she whispered your name and saw the tears brimming out of her eyes your chest felt heavy. At first you thought she was going to talk you out of it but when you felt her hand rest on top of yours you couldn’t control the tears that threatened to fall from your eyes as well. She gave you a final nod and then you knew you could do it, all three of you pushed down the leaver and within seconds the entire pod was shaking, you braced yourself against the wall, careful not to trample over Loki and prepared yourself for whatever fate awaited you.

Your body got flung around as you were pretty sure that the pod you were in was currently flying through the air, you could only pray you would survive the crash landing. A force pushed you to the ground and you landed on top of Loki’s chest, while the Doctor fell down beside you and Donna miraculously remained the only one standing. Your eyes snapped open when you felt the first breeze of fresh air brush your cheek and you saw the Doctor crawling out the pod. You felt hands wrap around your upper arms and you looked up to find Donna helping you to your feet and you both stumbled out the pod on shaking legs, while the Doctor lifted Loki back into his arms and you noticed that he had sustained an injury to his head during the escape.

You didn’t have much time to do anything other than run when you noticed the heavy cloud of ash quickly heading straight for you and all three of you began running as fast as your legs could carry you, hoping you could make it to the city and into the TARDIS before it was too late.

You and Donna held onto each other’s hands as you ran ahead of the Doctor who was slowed down by the extra weight of Loki, but he still managed to run pretty fast. You weren’t far from the city when the thick ash blocked out the light of the sun and plunged the city into darkness, though it was daytime it felt like night as you raced through the streets, trying to remember the direction to Caecilius’ villa.

Ash fell down from the sky like snow as the people of the town scrambled in different directions in attempts to make it out of the city alive, you could hear nothing but their cries and the thunderous sound of the volcano as it felt like the whole world was crumbling around you.

As Caecilius’ villa came into view you pushed yourself to go even faster and you looked over your shoulder to find the Doctor not too far behind with Loki still in his arms, his injured head fell limp over the crook of the Doctors arm, revealing his long neck and prominent adam’s apple and dread struck through you, you had to remind yourself he was only unconscious.

You pushed through the doors of Caecilius’ villa and headed straight towards the TARDIS but the sound of whimpering stopped you in your tracks, you looked to find Caecilius and his family crowded together on the floor, holding on tight to one another as they cried.

“God save us, Doctor!” Caecilius begged the Doctor when he came running in behind you, and he stopped beside you and Donna for a moment as you all looked at the family, you thought the Doctor would encourage them all to get on board his TARDIS but eventually he turned away kept running towards his TARDIS in the corner of the room.

“No! Doctor, you can’t!” Donna called after him, you silently looked between the Doctor and the family, as he kicked the TARDIS door open with his foot and disappeared inside with Loki. You pushed away the feeling of guilt which fell heavy on your chest as you followed after the Doctor into the TARDIS.

“Donna!” You pleaded with her when she remained frozen in place, she couldn’t look away from Caecilius and his family as they looked straight back at her, silently begging her to save them. The sound of one of the windows smashing through snapped Donna back into reality and she looked back at you before she hesitantly made her way towards the TARDIS, leaving the family behind.

When you entered the TARDIS, you saw the Doctor had placed Loki down onto the floor while he operated the console, preparing the TARDIS to leave. You rushed over to Loki and immediately checked his pulse and breathed a heavy sigh of relief when you found it still beating.

“You can’t just leave them!” You heard Donna yell as soon as she entered the TARDIS but you couldn’t lift your eyes from Loki, looking over his pale face and hovering your hand over the injury on his head, drops of blood had ran down the side of his sharp cheek and matted into part of his hair.

“Don’t you think I’ve done enough? History’s back in place and everyone dies.” You heard the Doctor answer, as you checked over Loki for anymore injuries.

“You’ve got to go back. Doctor, I am telling you, take this thing back!” Donna demanded.

The TARDIS shuddered and your whole body jerked letting you know the Doctor had sent it into flight, once the tremors subsided, the ship fell silent.

“It’s not fair.” Donna whispered.

“No, it’s not.” The Doctor agreed.

“But your own planet. It burned.” Donna cried, and you finally looked up, you didn’t know what your auntie was referring to but you looked at the Doctor with sympathy. It suddenly made sense why he froze when it came to pushing the leaver, if he had already watched his own planet suffer a similar fate.

“That’s just it. Don’t you see, Donna? Can’t you understand? If I could go back and save them then I would, but I can’t. I can never go back. I can’t, I just can’t, I can’t.” His voice broke.

“Just someone. Please.” Donna bargained. “Not the whole town. Just save someone.”

“You saved him,” you spoke, as you looked at Loki, who was laid out in front of you. “You can save them too.”

***

The Doctor had returned to Pompeii and saved Caecilius and his family, he and Donna were currently outside bidding them fair well where the Doctor had safely dropped them off just outside of Rome, while you stayed inside the TARDIS by Loki’s side waiting for him to regain consciousness.

You had cradled his head and moved so you could cushion it against your lap, since you imagined his head will already be hurting from the injury it wouldn’t be very comfortable for him to rest it against the hard floor of the TARDIS.

The first sign of Loki regaining consciousness was his eyebrows drawing together as a groan slipped out between his lips, no doubt quickly becoming aware of the pain in his head. His eyelashes fluttered against the top of his ash covered cheeks before his eyes slowly blinked open and the first thing he saw was your face above his.

“Hi,” you began, unsure of what else to say.

You barely leaned back in time to avoid his head colliding with yours as he suddenly shot up, so he was sitting up straight on the floor with his legs still lying out in front of him. This appeared to make his head rush as he moaned and cradled his head in the palms. You slowly shuffled up to him so you were at his side, careful not to startle him, you hesitantly placed your hand on his strong shoulder.

“It’s okay, you’re safe.” You assured him softly.

He lifted his face to look at you, his eyes filled with something you couldn’t quiet put your finger on.

“Where are we?” He asked you, for the first time since you met him his voice sounded gentle.

“The TARDIS.” You answered him, just as gently.

He let his eyes roam over the room, taking in his surroundings, before they finally landed back on you. “Am I severely concussed or is this thing bigger on the inside?”

You laughed softly.

“It’s bigger on the inside.” You confirmed. “Don’t ask me how, I have no idea how it works, if you’d like to know I’d recommend asking the Doctor.”

Loki nodded with a slight smile as his eyes fell to his lap and you both stayed like that for a moment, neither of you saying anything.

“Thank you.” Loki eventually broke the silence.

“What?” Your head shot up, afraid you had misheard him.

Loki avoided your eyes and his dark hair shadowed most of his face, protecting him from your gaze as he continued.

“For what you did in the volcano and for...” he cleared his throat, “for the lack of a better word... saving me, I guess.”

“I mean to be fair the Doctor did most of the heavy lifting.” You humbly joked.

“Where is he anyway?” Loki asked, since he noticed it was only you and him. “Isn’t he the pilot of this thing?”

“He’s just outside with Donna saying goodbye to Caecilius and his family, he dropped them off safely just outside of Rome.” You don’t know why your chest felt heavy as you asked Loki your next question, perhaps it was due to the fact that you had just started warming to his company and he would be leaving soon. “So do you know where you would like the Doctor to drop you off?

Loki seemed stumped by your question, as if he hadn’t gave where he was going much consideration, instead he was more focused on just escaping Pompeii rather than where he was escaping to. When some time passed and had yet to answer, you decided to break the silence.

“I mean, if you’re not sure where you want to go, you could always stay with us.” You offered, it was now your turn to avoid his eyes as he looked at you with as much shock as you had when he thanked you.

“You think the Doctor would be okay with that?” Loki worried.

“Sure, why wouldn’t he?” You now looked up at him with your brows pulled together.

Loki opened his mouth about to answer you when he realised, you didn’t know him, you didn’t know any of his previous actions, on Asgard, on Jotunheim and on your very own planet. Then it crossed his mind, he didn’t know what year you were from, in his time it had been about a week since he attacked New York, he imagined his face would have been all over every media outlet after the attack but you hadn’t even recognised him when you first ran into each other.

“What year are you from?” Loki quickly inquired out of nowhere and you were a bit confused by the random question.

“2008.” You answered him anyway.

4 years before he first stepped foot on midgard, 4 years before he attacked New York under Thanos’ control, 4 years before you would know him as the man who tried to take over your planet and rule the human race. Right now you only knew him as the time travelling God of mischief who you ran into while you were both running for your lives. He had anonymity with you, you offered the perfect opportunity for him to start a fresh. He could join you on the TARDIS for a while, with your auntie and the Doctor plus he imagined it would only make it harder for the TVA to find him if he was constantly moving through time and space.

“I would like that.” Loki confessed.

“To stay?” You asked hopefully, just to make sure you weren’t misinterpreting him.

When Loki nodded you couldn’t hold back the smile that took over your whole face, you we’re excited to spend more time with Loki, learn more about him and explore all of time and space with the God of mischief.

#loki #loki (marvel)#marvel #doctor who #loki imagine #loki x reader #loki x you #tom hiddleston #Tenth Doctor #Donna Noble #fires of pompeii

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allthecanadianpolitics · 4 years ago

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1. Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival – June 1-21

Established in Ottawa in 1996, the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival (SSIF) is a multi-disciplinary arts festival that brings together Indigenous artists, performers, educators, students, and community members to share knowledge and celebrate Canada’s diverse Indigenous cultures. The former 4-day live event takes place in June: coinciding with National Indigenous History Month and closing on National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21). This year’s virtual programming includes The SSIMAs a new national Indigenous music awards program as well as Education Days, streamed performances, interactive family activities, arts and crafts, culinary and cultural workshops including the popular Pow Wow now socially distanced.

Twitter https://twitter.com/ottawasolstice/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/solsticefestivals/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/solsticefestivals/

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYnmJlZdwcGa-6nB6L4mJqA

Website: https://summersolsticefestivals.ca/

2. Stop Insuring Trans Mountain: Week of Action – June 14 – 21

Online and in-person

Join us for a week of action from June 14 – 21 targeting the insurance companies enabling the continued operation and expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻? The Trans Mountain expansion project would transport an additional 590,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Alberta to British Columbia, and lead to a 700% increase in oil tankers in the Salish Sea. Many Indigenous communities have consistently and repeatedly rejected the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project – but the Canadian government continues to plough ahead with construction.𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲? Current insurers of the pipeline are complicit in violating Indigenous rights and driving climate change through providing $500 million USD in coverage. Without insurance, the pipeline cannot keep operating, and its expansion can’t be constructed. That makes un-insuring Trans Mountain a critical way to stop the pipeline once and for all.Last year, Indigenous communities and activists pushed three insurance companies to cut ties with the pipeline: Zurich, Munich Re, and Talanx. We are not letting up the pressure.Trans Mountain is currently seeking insurers to back the project in the year to come, with a deadline of August 31. Right now we have a critical window in which to pressure insurers to rule out coverage for the pipeline and make Trans Mountain uninsurable.𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂��𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻:

Liberty Mutual

Chubb

AIG

W.R. Berkley

Lloyd’s

Starr

Stewart Specialty Risk Underwriting

Marsh

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀! We will turn up the heat on these companies during the Week of Action through protests at office locations, digital actions, and more. Find your local or virtual event below.

Stop TMX Week of Action Supporter Toolkit:

http://bit.ly/TMXToolkit

https://forms.gle/LrrDdu8P62bir7eM7

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 (𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲!): Berlin, Bristol, Charlotte, Denver, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Fremont, Kaneohe, Ottawa, Montreal, Portland, Seattle, Rochester, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria

3. COVID-19, Social Safety Nets, and Sex Work in the Capital Survey – June 5 – June 30

The “COVID-19, Social Safety Nets, and Sex Work in the Capital” survey is a joint research project between University of Ottawa researchers and Prostitutes of Ottawa-Gatineau Work Educate Resist (POWER). This survey of sex workers in the capital region seeks to better understand the economic impact of COVID-19 on sex workers and how they navigated social benefit programs created in its wake. The confidential and remunerated 10-12 minute online survey will remain open thru to June 30, 2021.

For more information about the research or to take the survey, please visit https://www.powerottawa.ca/covid19

4. Protest at Ottawa CBC – Tuesday, June 22, 4:30PM

Rally Point: Sparks St. and O’Connor St.

OTTAWA!

We are calling on you to join us Tuesday June 22 at 4:30 PM at CBC offices to protest CBC’s anti-Palestinian biases and dishonest reporting on Palestine.

CBC has refused to report on the 2021 Human Rights Watch report highlighting Israeli crimes of apartheid: https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution

They have reprimanded their journalists for signing an open letter to newsrooms asking for fairer coverage of Palestine.

And they have banned the use of the word “Palestine” in their broadcasts and digital media.

We demand change!!!

NOTE: Please abide by all COVID19 guidelines and social distancing measures. See you there!

Hosted by: CBC Palestine

5. OCAP Solidarity Speaker Series: Long-Term Care – Thursday, June 24, 11AM-12:30PM

Hosted by: Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

Join us again Thursday June 24th for our Solidarity Speaker Series event. This month’s spotlight is on Long-term Care and will feature speakers from Ontario Health Coalition, the EMPOWER network, and York University. Come learn about how the government has allowed this sector to be woefully neglected with deadly consequences and what we can do to improve legislation and shift away from the for-profit model of senior care.

Who you’ll be hearing from:

Pat Armstrong, Sociology Professor, York University

Cindy Huggins, PSW, EMPOWER network

Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition

The OCAP Solidarity Speaker Series is a recurring event, taking place on the last Thursday of the month, to spotlight rad organizations and individuals and highlight ongoing issues from an anti-capitalist perspective. We aim to educate, spark dialogue, and call folx to action in diverse and meaningful ways.

Hope to see you there!

More info and event link here.

6. Learning from the Movement OGs – Thursday, June 24, 4PM-6PM

Nothing happening in this historic era of protest has come from nowhere. This two hour panel will highlight the wisdom of movement OGs who have been doing the work—and are still doing the work—of Black liberation, Indigenous anti-colonial struggle, and migrant justice struggle, which has laid out the conditions of possibility for this political moment.

Panelists: Bridget Tolley, Lynn Jones, Beverly Bain, Harsha Walia

Facilitators: Robyn Maynard, Pascale Diverlus

Hosted by: Building The World We Want

7. Justice for Workers Outreach at Britannia Beach – Saturday, June 26, 12PM – 2PM

Join us for this community canvass at Britannia Beach where we will be speaking out about the need for paid sick days, fair wages and decent work for all.

This will be the first Ottawa outreach action for the Justice for Workers campaign and we would love it if you came by to help us collect signatures on our new petition!

Look out for our tent and volunteer team. Make sure to dress appropriately for the weather, and don’t forget to bring water and snacks.

Materials and location info at this link.

8. Stories from Insider Spaces: Exploring AGM Intervention as an Activist Tactic – Monday, June 28, 6:30PM – 8:00PM

Hosted by: Mining Injustice Solidarity Network

Registration information below!

Have you ever wished you could look the CEO of a harmful company in the face and say your piece? Want more information about a corporate project that’s impacting your community and wish you could get some answers? Come to this event and explore the strategic possibilities of Annual General Meetings (AGMs) with the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network (MISN)!

All publicly traded companies are legally required to hold Annual General Meetings (AGMs), where shareholders are able to attend, ask questions, and vote on important decisions.

This means that, once a year, companies with significant influence (including mining companies) are compelled to open up a space that is much more accessible to the public than many industry gatherings that happen behind closed doors. AGMs allow shareholders to hold company executives accountable. They can also be an important opportunity for activists and impacted communities.

AGM interventions have been an important part of MISN’s strategic toolbox . We’ve attended AGMs to take notes for impacted communities, asked questions to unmask the misleading information shared by mining companies with their shareholders, hosted rallies outside of AGMs, led disruptions inside the meetings themselves, and more. Here are some examples: https://mininginjustice.org/archive/pastprojects/spring-into-action/

During this event, MISN members and allies will share their experiences attending AGMs, outline some of the different intervention tactics that we’ve used in the past, and provide some practical information on how you can research and buy a share in a company so that you can also attend its AGM.

The format of this event will include multiple speakers, video documentation of AGM interventions, and some opportunities to engage in small group discussion with other participants.

We hope you’ll attend if you are fighting a publicly traded company or are impacted by a company and want to add one more approach to how you organize against it.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!: http://bit.ly/StoriesFromInside

9. Status For All March – Ottawa Rally – July 25, time tbd

In person, place tba

Join the rally in Ottawa on July 25th to welcome the arrival of the historic March for Status for All from Montreal! Across the country migrants have been organizing for full and permanent immigration status for all. Massive wins have been secured, but there is still a crucial final step to win. We will not stop until everyone has full and permanent immigration status, with no exceptions. We will leave no one behind.

From July 18 and to July 25, migrants and their allies will march from Montreal to Ottawa, led by Solidarity Across Borders / Solidarité Sans Frontières, demanding that Justin Trudeau’s government grant full and permanent immigration status for all.

Join us in Ottawa to welcome the march! Time and exact location will be confirmed closer to the date.

RSVP here: https://migrantrights.ca/marchtoottawa/

This rally will be in accordance with COVID safe guidelines: we ask all attendees to wear a mask and respect social distancing guidelines

#Ottawa #june 2021 #submission #cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #canadian

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eruditio-et-doctrina · 3 years ago

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Genghis Khan, a fierce reign, a renowned warrior

Since the dawn of mankind, numerous empires have conquered immense lands, devastated countries and their people, and acquired a name, which was synonymous of carnage and apprehension. However, none of them achieved the level of might and success such as the Mongol Empire. Indeed, during the 13th and 14th century, a ridiculously vast amount of territory was dominated by it, representing the largest contiguous land empire of all time.

Stretching from Eastern Europe, while possessing several Central Europe locations, to the Sea of Japan, one cannot help but gape in awe in front of the manpower capable of such colonization. As impressive as such military force might be, it is also important to consider the fact that the Mongol Empire did not always mean power, prestige and fear. A man, known for his irreplaceable leader qualities and ferocity, managed to start a new, revolutionary era for the Mongols. May it be by bringing together nomadic tribes and appropriating considerably large Asian and European lands, impregnating an impressive amount of women, or again by promoting religious tolerance, Genghis Khan imposed his reign like no one else before or after him. Let’s have an overview of some of the events, phenomenons and lessons that polished this fascinating man’s being and pushed him towards unprecedented success.

Power to who deserves it.

"Meritocracy" is defined by the holding of power by individuals who were chosen on the basis of their ability. In a world in which dirigeants were chosen in function of their bloodline, a Meritocratic way of organizing the government was particularly innovative. By eliminating aristocracy, while conserving hierarchy, Khan was able to develop a terrific advantage, even in comparison to European countries, where such an ideology was out of question. The emperor managed to rule his empire efficiently, by taking advantage of highly skilled people, regardless of their age, their sex, their religion, etc.

Loyalty, bravery and honour were all deemed extremely valuable attributes, and were considered fundamental qualities in the Mongolian hierarchy and politics.

A reign based on terror.

Under Genghis Khan, Mongols deployed vile psychological manipulations, that were primarily meant to force their enemies into obeying them, imposing a frighteningly inhumane way of controlling their victims. Torture was more than often used to make their foes surrender, or even end their lives.

We can notably acknowledge this phenomenon during the Mongol conquests, that happened during the 13th century, and that resulted in the annihilation and the massacre of millions of people, including their cities and villages. These massacres are documented as being the most murderous genocides of human history.

Khan established the following principle, which he was notorious for: “surrender or die". He believed in offering his enemies a chance to surrender, or a death sentence if they persisted. This Mongol tactic was proved extremely efficient, as many chose to give up, and were then guaranteed protection under the Khans.

Psychological warfare was a technique largely employed by the Mongol Empire to assert its dominance, and make itself feared among the other nations and people. Its excellence was proven, as today again, we still remember how strategic the Mongols were in the psychological manipulation of their adversaries.

A religious tolerance.

Genghis Khan offered what is called a "Religious Freedom", in which the people of a conquered nation have the right to keep and practice the religion of their choice, whether it be Buddhism, Islam, or some branches of Christianity.

Mongols, being Tengerians (a form of shamanism), could however practice other religions. Genghis Khan was particularly interested in other religions and beliefs, and as such, he realized that giving his people the liberty to choose them, he notably ensured a more submissive and agreeable Empire. Mongols were generally very tolerant of religions different to theirs, at the point where their leaders invited religions leaders to simply discuss their spiritualities and talk about their points of view concerning the religious aspect. Many of Genghis Khan’s descendants were married to spouses from different religious beliefs.

Strategic mindset.

The military strategies and organizations were known for their remarkable efficiency, as they permitted the Mongol Empire to seize almost the totality of Asia, including some European parts. Genghis Khan, his generals and successors established these tactics that took down even larger armies.

Soldiers fought in units, each unit having a name and a specific number of soldiers in them. In a higher position, we could find the Keshig unit, a group of elite soldiers being members of the imperial guard of the Mongol Empire. Subutai, a powerful general, was a notable member of this squad.

Mongol soldiers were skilled horsemen, archers, on top of being strategic warriors. Their formation was full of discipline, however without being too straining. The Mongols, along with the Chinese, used gunpowder in some of their weapons, primarily as an incendiary compound.

The Pax Mongolica.

The "Pax Mongolica", Latin for "Mongol Peace", is defined as being a period of peace and stability in Eurasia during the 13th and 14th century, under the Mongol Empire.

This period had a significantly positive impact on the Mongolian economy, as it enabled the transport of merchandise and goods between Europeans and Asians, in a pacific environment.

However, this exchange did have negative effects, as it caused a rapid propagation of the bubonic plague.

The Mongols managed to rise and build a forever legendary Empire, by cultivating a clever, insurgent hierarchy based on merit, allowing a religious freedom, establishing a remarkably efficient military organization, on top of taking advantage of psychological manipulation. An ingenious way of handling their economy and peace was another prominent factor that played a role in their immense success.

Despite his heavily controversial character, and the harshness of his ways, Genghis Khan will forever be remembered as an example of leadership.

#genghis khan #mongol empire #mongols #history #knowledge #middle ages #13th century #14th century #history of mankind #writing

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mfb-better-fury · 3 years ago

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Episode 5

Day

In Ryo’s office, Gingka and the others are video chatting – Gingka with Masamune, Kenta with Excalibur, and Madoka with Wang Hu Zhong. Gingka asks to see Striker, but it hasn’t changed at all. Hikaru is abruptly pulled over by him to show Masamune the transformed Aquario. He’s amazed, asking what she’s calling it, but she admits she hasn’t figured that out yet.

In Madoka’s call, though Mei Mei remembers seeing a light at the time mentioned, the others remind her it had been a power surge. Kenta has finished his own explanation, but then voices his confusion over Julian’s absence. Sophie explains they’ve been making him take more days off recently, as the events with Ziggurat and Spiral Force did a number on his head. Wales assures them that they’ll catch him up to speed on everything. Though the team exchanges looks of intrigue, they unfortunately have no information either.

Ryo muses that it seems only Hikaru and Kyoya have awakened and wonders where the other eleven legendary bladers might be. He’s startled out of his thoughts when Masamune loudly declares he will become a legendary blader and surpass Gingka. Ryo encourages them all, saying some of them may well become legendary bladers, which impacts Kenta in particular. He becomes briefly lost in thought on the subject.

They say their farewells and the calls end. Gingka expresses his confusion that neither Masamune nor Dashan were chosen. Madoka adds that they didn’t get any leads in Russia either; Kenta says the same for his calls with Desert Blaze and Chandora. Gingka wonders whether Tsubasa or Yu might be legendary bladers, but Madoka points out that as they went off on a training journey, no one knows where they are. Hikaru confirms this rather worriedly, admitting that though Tsubasa had been contacting them at first, he suddenly went off the grid after the first month. To get their minds off their worry, Ryo changes the subject, asking Yuki how things are going with his part.

Yuki, who had been doing some work on his own, shows the group a video of the moment the star fragment broke. He has calculated the trajectory of one piece to a remote island in Indonesia. The group decides to go there and find it. Ryo reminds them of the urgency of their mission and that they must hurry. Hikaru holds Aquario a bit tighter but says nothing.

Kenta asks about Kyoya and whether he should come, as he is a legendary blader. Gingka comments that he would like that to happen, but Madoka is uncertain after the events of their last battle, especially since he went off on his own instead of joining them here.

At the dock warehouses, Kyoya is training with the new Leone, with Benkei watching excitedly. He muses on its new strength and new fangs, then dubs the evolved bey Fang Leone and declares that once these new fangs are polished, he will rise above the dark power and prove he is more than capable of winning any battle on his own.

Yuki thinks back to that morning when he and Kyoya had met eyes. He hesitantly asks what kind of person Kyoya is, saying he knows his power is high due to watching the World Championships, but he didn’t seem very friendly earlier. Madoka agrees that Kyoya is rather wild and Kenta comments he “doesn’t play well with others”. Gingka tells him that Kyoya is filled with a heated bey spirit, despite his rough exterior.

Ryo tells them to rest up, pack their things, and that he’ll have their transport ready after lunch. Madoka and Kenta run off to prepare, with Yuki following after giving a polite goodbye. Hikaru excuses herself as well, but Ryo stops Gingka before he leaves, asking if they could talk for a moment.

The two stand in silence as Hikaru closes the door behind her. Gingka is a bit tense as he looks at his dad. Ryo sighs and starts gently, telling Gingka that he shouldn’t blame himself for what Kyoya is going through. This isn’t what Gingka expected to hear and he’s caught a bit off guard. Ryo continues, saying that the dark power is something ancient and terrible, and its effects have often left its victims scrambling to find themselves again. Kyoya is strong in his own right and Ryo has certainty that if he has fought it this long with so much success, he will be able to overcome it before too much longer. Gingka must have faith in this as well.

Seeing Gingka’s lack of enthusiastic response, Ryo says he has something for him and asks him to close his eyes. He then opens a drawer in his desk and pulls something out, placing it in Gingka’s hands, and tells him to look. When Gingka opens his eyes, he finds Ryo’s headband in his hands.

Ryo wants Gingka to know how proud he is of overcoming everything that he’s faced so far, even with all of the obstacles and adversaries in his way. Even if the star fragment has not awakened in Pegasus yet, he knows Gingka is powerful without it and wants him to use this time to test himself once more and find his role in this fight for their future. Gingka is silent, but has lost some of his stiffness at his dad’s words, and stares at the headband contemplatively.

Hikaru arrives home again to find her mother waiting for her at the kitchen table with a box. She’s confused as she’s asked to sit, but does so. Her mother says that she’s been hoping for the chance to give this to her for months, and thinks now is the right time for it. Opening the box reveals an outfit, which doesn’t make sense to her at first, but then it occurs to her that it looks a lot like what her mother had worn during her time as a blader.

Her mother tells her that, as Aquario has rebuilt itself, she believes it is time for Hikaru to do the same. This journey involving Nemesis sounds like a difficult one, but one that Hikaru can take. She has always thought Hikaru was strongest when facing a storm that pushed her to her limits, and this looks like a hurricane waiting to bring out the very best in her. Hikaru is teary-eyed as she asks if she really thinks so; her mother reaches over to take her hand and promises she does.

After wiping her eyes, Hikaru takes out Aquario and thinks back to her battle with Kyoya the day before. Before and after the bey’s evolution, she had felt its excitement at being in the field again. She can’t deny that. With the panic of the moment over, she can clearly see the difference between Aquario’s light and the explosions of darkness that Ryuga had once been known for. She internally muses about her mother’s words, wondering if Aquario was trying to tell her the same thing as it circled Kyoya’s tornado.

At last finding the inspiration she’d been searching for to start again, Hikaru finds a name for her transformed bey – Hurricane Aquario. She thanks her mother and takes the clothes with her to another room to change.

Once Hikaru has left the room, Akiko muses about ‘his’ gut feeling being right. She carefully moves to the living room to take a pad of paper and begins writing something: “It looks like the time has come. The star fragment has arrived just like you said it would, and my dear Hikaru has been chosen.”

At the B-Pit, Yuki and Madoka are in an argument about packing, with Yuki thinking his cousin is trying to take too much. He manages to convince her it’s more practical to take a travel bag than a suitcase when they don’t know what kind of places they’ll go and the large suitcase could hinder her. As Madoka reluctantly begins repacking, he tells her he’ll get started on filling her portable repair kit.

While in Madoka’s workshop gathering parts, Yuki notices her bey equipment is tucked away in a drawer. After a brief moment of puzzlement, he removes it and begins inspecting it, stopping as he takes her bey out of its case. He becomes lost in thought as he stares at it.

When Madoka comes out to report she is now ‘properly’ packed, she finds Yuki still holding her bey. He’s startled as she puts her arm around him, but smiles when she reminds him of the promise they made when they were younger.

Yuki: “When the new star fragment arrives…”

Madoka: “...We’ll follow it together.”

At Bey Park, Kenta is all packed up and has just finished explaining their mission to Osamu, Takashi, and Akira. The trio is amazed at his story, with Akira wondering if the star fragment fell into any of their beys, but Takashi highly doubts it, as people like Kyoya and Hikaru are way above their level. Osamu insists it’s possible and they should get back to training.

Akira asks Kenta how long he thinks he’ll be gone, and Kenta admits he isn’t sure, which is why he wanted to tell them he was leaving – so they wouldn’t worry something had happened to him. Takashi questions if Kenta told his mom about everything. Kenta assures them that he called Ryo to help him explain everything to her and to promise her he would stay safe, and he promises them the same.

Takashi comments on how far Kenta has come – from following them around learning the basics, getting involved with the Facehunters and Gingka, and all the crazy adventures he’s gone on since then. “It feels like just yesterday we gave you Sagittario, and now here you are going off to save the world.” Osamu tells him to knock it off before he starts crying; Akira is already trying to scrub away tears, saying how fast their little Kenta’s grown up.

Kenta, both bewildered and embarrassed, frantically tries to reassure them they’ll always be his best friends and he’ll be back before they know it. He then says he’s got to get going or the others will leave without him. As he runs off, the trio tearfully waves goodbye and assures him he’ll be the greatest legendary blader of them all.

When Kenta arrives at the train tracks, he is greeted by the waiting Gingka, Madoka, and Yuki. Madoka explains that Benkei will be there just as soon as he gets confirmation from the computer that Bull’s repairs are complete. Gingka is sure that Kyoya will follow. Kenta declares that he’s along for the ride and wants to become one of the legendary bladers too. Gingka encourages him, hoping for the same. Yuki comments that their bond is strong, which he’s envious of as he’s always been alone. Gingka tells him he’s one of them now. Kenta and Madoka back this up, making Yuki feel touched by their kindness.

As Gingka asks about Hikaru’s decision, the group is startled as she comes up to them, saying that she’s going too. Madoka compliments her new outfit, saying she looks more like herself already. Kenta agrees and admires the brooch pinned to her jacket. Hikaru smiles a little, putting her hand to it as she thinks back to what her mother had said while pinning it on her just before she’d left: “My greatest friends gave this to me as a gift to celebrate the win of a particularly difficult tournament. Now, I pass those feelings on to you, Hikaru. I know you will find your strength again, and you’ll rise above everything that tries to get in your way.”

Kenta runs off to start their journey with the others rushing after him, watched from atop a hill by first one, then five cats. At a corner ahead of them a line of meowing cats blocks the path. Johannes appears from around the corner, startling Yuki, and says he’s been waiting for them. When Gingka asks what he wants, Johannes explains that while yesterday he hadn’t gotten exactly what he wanted out of the day, it seems that because of it he’s been saved the trouble of explaining everything to them – that a new dawn of beyblade will arrive soon, when Nemesis awakens. Yuki tries to duck behind Madoka to hide, looking pale, making Madoka realize this must be his attacker, and he nods with a whimper when she asks him to confirm.

As Johannes asks them to join him and rule with them, Madoka interrupts by stepping forward and declaring that the only way a new era of beyblade will begin is by the bladers of the world moving toward it together in the light of their own bladers’ spirits, not by following cheap promises and dark secrets. Johannes says that she’s been listening to things that don’t concern her, and asks which among them is the legendary blader. Hikaru tenses at this, but tries to shake it off. Before she can make herself step forward, however, she and the others are stunned as Madoka pulls out her launcher and bey, telling Johannes that his first mistake was attacking her family, and his second was being stupid enough to show his face to her after.

Mist Delphis VS Beat Lynx begins

After being launched, Delphis manages a strong hit against Lynx, and Gingka and the others are caught off guard by Madoka’s aggressive style. Even so, Lynx’s hits seem to hit harder. Yuki uses his tablet to scan Lynx with a similar program to Madoka’s laptop and explains that while both beys are balance types, Lynx’s spin track height is letting it deal more damage.

Johannes comments that he doesn’t feel the star fragment within Delphis and decides this battle has no purpose. He demands once more to know who the legendary blader is, but Madoka ignores him to continue her attack. Though Delphis manages to knock Lynx into the air, it lands safely due to its cat-like balance. At her next attack, Lynx’s spin track extends and Delphis passes under. The same thing happens with the next attack as Yuki explains how it’s happening, saying its tallest height is comparable to Flame Byxis.

After lowering its spin track, Lynx launches its own attack, knocking Delphis into the air, then follows to smash it back into the ground. When the smoke and dust clear, Delphis is barely hanging on, much to Madoka’s anger. Johannes asks a third time for the legendary blader. This time, Hikaru starts to open her mouth, but is interrupted as Kyoya’s voice cuts in: “You want a legendary blader? Well, now you’ve got one!” He then launches Leone and Johannes recognizes his new power due to his aura. As he expresses his shock, Leone knocks Lynx back. Delphis, though unsteady, still manages to deliver a blow of its own. Johannes, disadvantaged by the two-on-one attack, catches Lynx midair and flees the scene, still declaring that he will have their star fragment.

With the battle over, Benkei arrives with a bag of his own. Kyoya says that Benkei explained their mission, and a startled Kenta asks if he’s saying he’ll come with them. Kyoya doesn’t answer, instead turning his attention to Madoka as she calls back Delphis. He recognizes the bey as the one she used to stop him from battling in the Survival Battle tournament, which she’s surprised he remembers. Reminded of the tournament, Hikaru admits she’d forgotten Madoka had a bey at all, which confuses Yuki, though he doesn’t voice it. Explaining she doesn’t battle much, Madoka looks at her bey and wonders if that’s something she should change.

While Gingka compliments Madoka’s quick action and assures her he’ll help her train, Kyoya picks up his bag and declares they should stop wasting time and get going, already walking away. Benkei follows him.

Kenta and Hikaru remark on his behavior but know his power will help him. Yuki watches Madoka and Gingka, confusion still clear on his face, but follows when the others hurry to catch up to Kyoya, with Madoka asking if he even knows where they’re going.

#Better Fury #Better Fury episode #BF Brave Legacy #Ryo Hagane #Gingka Hagane #Masamune Kadoya #Kenta Yumiya #MFB Excalibur #Madoka Amano #Wang Hu Zhong #Kyoya Tategami #MFB Osamu #MFB Takashi #MFB Akira #MFB OTA #Johannes

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griffin-wood · 3 years ago

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arms open

pairing: kent zarneki x f!button (maia wiseman)

game: mindblind

summary: a scenario based on this ask. titled based on the song - 'arms open' by the script.

tw: minor mentions of death and gunshots.

Death. People said it was inevitable, they said it can’t be avoided – because, it is true everybody is going to die someday. Yet, the remainder of those who have left before us, somehow gave an unfamiliar ache – as we longed for their presence, as we grieved for the time that was missed, the words that were left unsaid, as the memories in our conscious were the only reminder of how they impact us that has grace upon the earth.

The reminders of death; the sudden heartache. The lingering effects afterward become a topic that has been occupied in the head of Maia Wiseman. It was one of those days she dreaded for him, as she glances upon Kent who’s eyes remain on the road. The drive isn’t too long, apparently, they were taking their time today. His expression remains natural, somehow today was just another normal day as always. Maia nods silently at his expression before her hand found his giving it a squeeze as they arrived at Aeon.

They parted ways, as Maia kisses him lightly on the cheek before they went to their separate ways. Their paths to be crossed seems unlikely, yet his figure can be seen from afar – as he listens intently to what Glitch is saying. His head tilted to the side, meeting her eyes from the other side of the room. She plastered a convincing smile, as it is a reminder that she is there. He nods – returning the smile as they parted ways once again.

The day was long, as he remains calm. He was okay, he is still okay. He reminds himself – it's just another day, everything will be okay, and… he will be okay. The day followed by a peaceful evening; as peaceful as it could be with Maia leaning on his side, eyes focused on the movie they decided to tune, with Annie and Cass seated on their laps, growls escaped from them both as Kent chuckles at the sight of it. Somehow, in a single moment – his chest ache, a painful feeling begins to stir as the unexpected tears began to well up in his eyes. With a deep breath, he pushed it all away – hides it from the audience; hiding it from Maia. It was a talent, he has been an expert on for years.

He excuses himself, “I’ll get us some blankets from the back.” As he noted, the slight shiver from Maia herself – as she nods to him. He leaves the room immediately, as Maia notes his fast pace as worry wells in her stomach, with Annie and Cass following her gaze where Kent was a few moments ago. She shakes her head with an attempt to focus on the movie once again, as both of the dogs snuggle along her side, as the worry in her didn’t subside.

Kent moves away from the room – away from them. He could feel his knees beginning to give out. He mentally scolded himself, giving himself self-affirmations knowing he is not a crier, he was trained to not become one. Once upon a time, he remembers he was quite a crier himself – but, as the years goes by; the tears become numb. It numbs him from the inside, as he kept on repeating to himself;

He is okay, he will be okay – he has always been okay.

The room around him was a medium-sized room – nothing has changed except the contents inside which was very different from the days where his grandparents inherited the home. It was different, a good type of different as Maia’s clothes - a few of her clothes from Nick’s place can be seen hung neatly beside his. He began his search for the blanket, in hopes of keeping his feelings intact – yet, a sight of something familiar made his heart screams – a chill run down his spine.

He never noticed it before, he wasn’t aware of the presence of it – yet, it made so much sense. It was his grandparents house after all, he was bound to bump into the trinkets of his past. The past still gave an ache that he managed to hide for the last few years. His gaze stops at the part of the closet where it's hidden, it was his parent’s trinkets from the past, mostly his mother’s before he stops at a familiar sight. A picture to be exact, particularly of Maria Santos-Zarneki, holding little Kent in her arms with a wide smile on both of their faces. He doesn’t remember the events of that particular day, as the ache in his chest makes its return. Spreading, numbing him slowly – as he held onto the memory. He lets out a curse, as he tries to regain the strength, to peel his eyes away from the picture – meeting a stack of blankets which is his original intention. He pushed away from the emotions once again, he doesn’t want to feel it – Kent Zarneki is not weak, he…

The memory plays in his mind again, he remembered – how wide his smile was once upon a time. He remembered a memory, a smile – her smile, her voice as she sang a lullaby. The one that he sang for Annie and Cass before he hums it slowly. His eyes were shut, as he was transported into the memory, meeting his mother’s eyes – and the voice that assures him; he isn’t weak as he cries, the one who reminds him that she would always be there with him. And, the painful smiles were formed upon the familiarity – as he listens to the voice. It was a distant memory, as it dated more than a decade ago yet it was crystal clear.

He opens his eyes again, somehow a part of him is searching for her; the tip of his nose reddening – as the tears he fought brims at the edge of his eyes. He was in a daze, somehow a part of himself wished the memory came true. He wanted to see her again, as his body began to slide in defeat sinking himself into the wooden floors of the closet, a silent thud follows. He knew he can’t see her again, yet he wanted nothing more than that – his heart began to shatter.

The tears weren’t under his control anymore, as he tried his hardest to stop them. He has been holding it in – yet, the dam breaks. He wasn’t okay anymore, as he cradled his knees close. His breathing becomes shallow as the air was denied from his lungs.

It’s unreal how one’s life could change in a split second, as he remembers the unfaithful day. How his mother was controlled – and that gunshot, which has been haunting him ever since. A part of him was – is angry and filled with rage as he wants nothing more than to avenge the person who did it; yet there was the other half of him – who silently cries himself to sleep, wanting nothing more than to see her again. How much he longed to hug his mother again – and to hear her voice again. He grew up thinking he will be okay, that he will recover from his mother’s death that took a piece of him. However, at this moment - He knew, he is not okay as the sob that escaped him, signaling everything he needs to know.

Moments passed and it did not stop. The tears kept on flowing, sticking on his eyelashes, followed by the tightness in his throat. Nothing works, as the dam keeps on flowing as it keeps ongoing. It did not stop.

Maia counted the moments since he left the room, a worried expression strikes upon her as she stood up from the couch. She carefully steps away from the room – with silent steps, as Annie and Cass are both sound asleep on the couch. She shuts the movie, before turning on the night light as the skies become darker than before.

Her feet dragged her forward, as he heard a muffled sound came from the room. A flash of panic began to fill inside of her, as she leaped into the room. The sobs were heard, as her gray eyes met with him. In a blink of an eye, she rushed her way to him – her arms were wrapped around him, around his body, as she pulled him closer to her chest as more sobs escaped him, it was one of the sounds she never wished to hear. As she held onto him, she knows how much he did not deserve this pain – and with the knowledge in her mind that he is one of the strongest person she ever knows. She recalls the story Nick told her once upon a time along with her attempts of cyberstalking him from before and shivers – he has been very strong; he has been very brave as well.

He tried to hide this part of himself from her, he doesn’t want to make her worry but he can’t do it anymore. He couldn’t keep the façade up anymore. He tries his hardest to forget, yet every memory from his childhood began to reappear, all of it breaking him piece by piece, as he cried louder against her chest. He is a complete mess which is the opposite of what she has seen him every day. He has always been calm, cool, and collected, but life has other plans for this particular day. Maia knows upon this day, there were glances from the day before – he noticed the way she checks on him every hour. A part of him feels ugly, disgusted at himself wishing he could disappear at this very second. He wished to jump into a void to be with his mother, to hug her – and he wanted her to tell him that everything will be alright and leave the ache behind just for that one particular moment. Yet, the feel of her lips on top of his head pulls him back to life. He didn’t want to leave her behind. He didn’t want to leave the people who have been there for her – including her.

Maia kissed the top of his head, as she holds him; the sight of his vulnerability made her heartache. The tears began to well up in her eyes as well on seeing him as fragile as a house of cards. She tried to keep herself together, yet she has lost the battle of tears within seconds.

“It’s okay Kenzie, I’m here for you.” She said as laughter erupts from her mouth with the familiar nickname for him as she rubs his back while her arm is securely holding him. There was a sense of déjà vu in her voice to Kent, the sentence he has heard before – years before. The words that helped him survive his nights away from nightmares ;

‘It’s okay, the monsters aren’t going to catch you Kent. I’m always here for you baby.”

His mother’s voice rang in his ears, which initiates another round of tears for him – as Maia rubs his back, again and again, she didn’t stop. “Let it go Kenzie, it’s okay…I’m here with you.” He leans into the comfort of her words, and her touch, every inch of his body needed the support that she gladly give to him. Every part of him feels guilty as Maia holds him in her arms. She held him with much strength and protection in her embrace.

It reminded him of his mother’s embrace, a strong embrace with a slice of comfort. He pulls away for a moment, as Maia looks at him with a smile on her face with the tears which is also flowing on her face. Her hands wiped the tears on his cheek, as his words escaped his lips.

“Please…don’t leave me.” It was above a whisper, and below a scream. In some way, it's equivalent to a prayer of some sort – a wish that one would make during a shooting star. It tasted bitter on his lips, as he pleads silently to her. He has lost his mother before – he can’t lose her as well.

The request feels overwhelming on his tongue, yet she smiles at the request – as he pleads once again. “Please..” Her nods become resolute, her arms were around him once again; holding him as he cries once more into her shirt. She didn’t mind, as she whispers into his ear and promises. She knows even as the world ends, she never wanted to leave his side. He has been there for her countless times, she recalls all the time he has held her during her darkest moments – and now, it's her turn and nobody could stop her from protecting him.

“I won’t leave you, I promise.” She is known as one who keeps her promises, and she won’t leave. She never will leave him, as she assures him – wiping the tears away in a routine manner.

Maia rubs his back once again, before pulling him up with her as he stands beside her. She guides him out of the room, towards the bed a few inches away. She pulls the blanket over, as he gets himself comfortable. Maia follows suit, as she lays beside him holding him as he buried his head under the crook of her neck. She kisses on top of his forehead, before their hands finding one another in the dark with a hold that is similar to a knot. A fear in him surfaced that when he wakes up – she will disappear from his life forever, as his mother did.

But, she is there…

She will always be there. As he slowly falls into slumber – the sobs began to subside. She whispers the three words into his ears, kissing his head once more, before falling into the deep slumber alongside him. And, when he wakes up tomorrow - he knows…he knows that she will be there with her arms open for him as he did for her.

THE END.

a/n: i got pretty emo writing this, heck - i hope it doesn't seem to be ooc! If I do, I apologize since I haven't wrote anything in a while, plus...its quite.. a personal piece in a way. Credits also goes to@natesquill for this idea and our brainstorming session which often make us sob lol! . enjoy! <3

tags: @takemyopenheart , @wayhavenots , @homeformyheart , @mevnraels , @natesquill , @rosygray

#mind blind #kent x button #kent zarneki #otp: maia x kent #mb: maia wiseman #alya writes #queue #tw: death #tw: mentions of guns #yall i miss writing kaia fluff #this is too angsty and too personl *sobs*

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natromanxoff · 4 years ago

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Queen live at Hyde Park in London, UK - September 18, 1976 (Part-1)

An interesting bit about the Hyde Park gig (thanks to Jane Palm-Gold): "The white boiler suit Fred wore coming onstage was especially chosen by him so that he could be seen from miles away (because white stands out at a distance) and even better (and this is great but you have to know this place really - a London landmark for many years) it was acquired at Lawrence Corner at Euston (!), a tatty second hand clothes /hire place where a lot of clothes /outfits were hired from for band promo shoots - for instance they had a lot of military stuff there."

(x)

After the success of A Night At The Opera (and not to mention how the weekly Sounds readers' poll elected the band #1 in the best album, best single, and best band categories), Queen wanted to pay the British fans back for back their loyalty and support over the last few years. Whilst in Japan earlier in the year, they came up with the idea to stage a massive free concert. With the help of record industry entrepreneur Richard Branson (creator of Virgin Records/megastores) they started making plans for the Hyde Park show, which turned into a mini tour along with the Edinburgh and Cardiff shows. It is estimated that between 150-200 thousand people turned up at Hyde Park, which is still a record for the venue to this day. This show cemented their position in the top bracket of rock bands. The stage used was the same stage that was constructed for the Rolling Stones concert at the Knebworth Fair a few weeks earlier.

Queen's first huge show at home brought certain areas of London to a grinding halt, and space on public transportation was at a premium. The concert took place on the anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death. A banner hung from a tree that read "Hendrix Lives," and at one point in the show Brian May noticed it with much appreciation. The band are seen in the photos above arriving at the venue, where they were joined backstage by Pink Floyd's Roger Waters. Supercharge, Steve Hillage, Rufus, and Kiki Dee (along with a cardboard cut-out of Elton John, who couldn't make it to join her for Don't Go Breaking My Heart) played before Queen (Be-Bop Deluxe and John Miles were supposed to be on the bill as well, but were axed for some reason). A pro-shot video of Steve Hillage's performance exists as well as Queen's. There was a fight in the audience during Hillage's set, during which he played extended trippy versions of It's All Too Much by The Beatles and Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan. Also notable is Supercharge's singer Albie Donnelly parodying Freddie Mercury in a white leotard and a half mic stand. The first half of the A Day At The Races overture is aired publicly for the first time (the upcoming album had been partially recorded by this point). The usual Bohemian Rhapsody opening sequence then commences for the last time. The band make their entrance, and everybody near the stage stands up (the audience had been seated on the grass for the opening acts). This angers many fans who are further back (roughly 90% of the audience now cannot see the stage), so they start lobbing cans, bottles, or whatever else that can be thrown. After a few songs, Freddie asks everyone simply to calm down: "I have been requested by the constabulary for you not to throw little things around, tin cans or whatever. So make this a peaceful event, ok? Sit on your arses and listen." Brian, after his solo spot in Brighton Rock (he stutters a bit, revealing that he's still nervous): “From one piece of nonsense to another, I’ve said it before. This is something we wanted to do with the London Philharmonic but they didn’t show up, so we will do the ethnic version of a song called '39." He is seen in a dazzling new outfit tonight, which he'd wear every night through Japan 1979. It would become the outfit he'd change into during the opera section of Bohemian Rhapsody. "Clap along and stuff," he urges the audience, as he plays the intro of what he'd later describe as the first song about Einstein's general theory of relativity. After '39, Freddie audaciously performs the as-of-yet unreleased You Take My Breath Away alone on the piano, even hitting many of the falsetto notes that he'd excise in 1977 versions. He then gets cheeky and introduces The Prophet's Song as "a little shorter number from our album A Night At The Opera." Perhaps he still had You Take My Breath Away in his head, as he begins the a cappella section with what would become the first line of the A Day At The Races ballad instead of the usual "oh, people can you hear me?" bit. He also references Death On Two Legs, as he had done a few times earlier in the year. After Stone Cold Crazy, the band play Keep Yourself Alive and Liar, having dropped Doing All Right and Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon from the set. The combination of these three heavy numbers would prove to be very effective, and they would stick with it for their following North American tour. Liar is a great version, with many great Mercuryisms throughout. Before the last song, Brian coyly says, "This is In The Lap Of The Gods, or something like that." The band play a similar set to the ones they did in Edinburgh and Cardiff, except they drop Doing All Right, Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon and Tie Your Mother Down. They intended to perform their usual encore of Big Spender and Jailhouse Rock, but the show had run a half hour past its scheduled ending time (a curfew strictly enforced by the authorities). The police threatened to arrest the band if they went back on stage, and Freddie was later quoted saying how he would prefer not to be stuck in a jail cell in his leotard. And so, Bob Harris was left with the unenviable task of announcing to the crowd that the show was over. He later recalled how difficult and nerve-wracking it was to tell an audience of this size who had waited for about ten hours that there would be no encore. Now I'm Here was the first encore every night around this time, making this the one time between 1974 and 1986 where the song is not performed. The liner notes of Live Killers suggest that Now I'm Here was dropped from the set for a while, but that is patently untrue. People in one section of the audience chanted "Why are we waiting," all in good fun, knowing full well the show was over. The police soon turned off the main power feed to the park, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to make their way out in sheer darkness. Their reasoning was that it was the only way to "control" such a large number of people who had been rowdy throughout the day. In a 1977 interview with Capital Radio, Brian recalls the day: "It had a great sunny day for it, and everyone had a good time. There were still altercations on the day, and there was a big thing with the powers that be because they wouldn't let us go on and do the encore, about which we were very upset, having worked up for months and prepared for all that. They got very frightened because there were 150,000 people in Hyde Park in the dark, and they thought they were going to get out of hand. But in fact, there was no possible danger happening at all. Everyone was peaceful and having a good time."

This show is what epitomized their popularity in Britain, and when they felt they "had really made it," as Brian would later recall. On another occasion he said, "I think that Hyde Park was one of the most significant gigs in our career. There was a great affection because we'd kind of made it in a lot of countries by that time, but England was still, you know, we weren't really sure if we were really acceptable here. So it was a wonderful feeling to come back and see that crowd and get that response." Despite the fact that the audience had been there all day watching the various opening acts and waiting, the band delayed the show as long as possible just so it could get dark enough for their lighting and various other effects to make their full impact (as demanded by Freddie). Throughout the show, the band's nervousness and excitement for the occasion are evident. Most of the audience couldn't see a thing during Queen's set, since the stage was barely elevated. "The smell of the dry ice and the sound are the only sensory memories I have of this show," recalls Jane Palm-Gold. Here is an article from the day of the show,

and a review from a week later (both were submitted by Boris Arkhangelsky).

Tonight would be the final performances of Flick Of The Wrist, Son And Daughter, and the (almost) full The Prophet's Song. A snippet of The March Of The Black Queen would be performed only once more in 1978, but a different part of the song.

Here is a Virgin Records flyer.

The second pic is the famous overhead shot that appeared in the October 9, 1976 Melody Maker. Pic 5 was submitted by Janneman, and pics 6 and 7 were submitted by Lukáš Bosík.

Fan Stories

“Well, I was 13 years old and had got into Queen through Night At The Opera and THAT video. I'd never been to a gig before and it took a lot of convincing of a sceptical mother to let me go to Hyde Park on my own. After answering the inevitable "no, I won't talk to strange men mum" questions I was allowed to go. The morning came and I was up at 6am, got my packed lunch together (can you imagine going off to a gig now with your sandwiches and orange juice!) and headed off to Hyde Park. I remember getting there so early that I was right by the crash barriers at the front and determined to try and hold my spot all day. As the day progeressed however I ended upmoving backwards slowly as people pushed in. I can remember savouring the whole build up, the support bands, everything. As dusk started to fall, the stage went dark and the dry ice started up. I broke my mums don't talk to strangers bit and a very nice bloke put me up on his shoulders so I could see them come on. I just remember the crash of light and sound as they came on as if it was yesterday (and not 27 years ago!). The rest of the gig was amazing and that was it, I was hooked on Queen and rock music. I saw Queen on every tour they ever did in England (and a few in Europe) after that but nothing compares to that first gig for me.”

- Andy

Part-2

Part-3

#queen #queen band #roger taylor #freddie mercury #brian may #john deacon #queen concerts

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curioushistorian · 4 years ago

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Contemporary art reflective blog

My name is Helen, I am a mature first year undergraduate History of Art and Museum Studies student. For the contemporary art module, we have been asked to create a blog on how we understand and connect to contemporary art. This is where I have to confess that out of all the modules that we have studied this is the one that I feel I connected to the least.

I am hoping by the end of this blog and through my own research to have deepened my understanding and gained a better insight into contemporary art.

I have grown up in and around Renaissance art having spent a quite a bit of time in Florence with the family I have there, the time spent in art galleries like The Uffizi, The Accademia and the Pitti Palace deepened my love of all things ‘old’ so the modern contemporary art I just do not feel like I understand quite so well.

Medusa with the Head of Perseus

'Medusa with the Head of Perseus', by artist Luciano Garbati. COURTESY OF MWTH PROJECT AND THE ARTIST

Luciano Garbati is an Argentine-Italian artist who grew up in a little village just outside Florence. In the Piazza della Signoria sits the famous Cellini sculpture for all to see. In this sculpture Perseus stands naked atop of Medusa’s corpse, holding her head aloft in victory over the crowds that gather in the square, every child in Florence knows the story.

As Garbati told Quartz’s Annaliese Griffin in 2018, seeing the work as a child led him to imagine a reversal of its dynamic.

“There are lots of depictions of Medusa, and they are always describing the myth at its worst,” the artist said. “… What would it look like, her victory, not his? How should that sculpture look?”

Medusa was a handmaiden of Athena’s sacred temple and one day Poseidon tried to seduce her, she rebuffed his advances as it would jeopardise her position in the temple, not taking no for an answer Poseidon raped Medusa. When Athena found out she, in a fit of rage for defiling her temple, turned Medusa into a Gorgon with deadly snakes for hair and a gaze that would turn anyone she looked at into stone, she banished Medusa from the temple.

A number of years later Perseus was sent on a seemingly imposible task to kill Medusa and cut off her head as a gift. Not being able to look directly at Medusa Perseus used the reflection in his shield to complete the job and take her head.

In Garbati’s sculpture things are a little different, Medusa’s lithe body is naked, she still has the snakes for hair and she is still a beautiful maiden, but in one hand she clutches a sword and in the other the severed head of Perseus (modelled on the artist) but its her gaze that catches the attention of the viewer, head tilted slightly downward, there isn’t a glee to her victory just a quiet resolution that she got the job done and woe betide anyone else who tries to take her life from her, inviting the narrative that she as a rape survivor, she will rise and that victim shaming is both wrong and immoral. This has been highly publicised recently in the media with the #metoo movement.

Photograph Jeenah Moon for the New York Times

Although Garbati created Medusa with the Head of Perseus in 2008 the sculpture was chosen to be erected in 2019 directly opposite the New York County Criminal Court, where Harvey Weinstein stood trial prompting a mixed reaction from the #metoo movement. Medusa has been reinterpreted as being symbolic of the victim-blaming suffered by rape survivors. “How can a triumph be possible if you are defeating a victim,” Garbati said in a statement.

On his Instagram page, Garbati wrote, “The place chosen is not accidental, since there they judge cases for crimes related to violence against women. We are already in the final stage working on the last details of this sculpture that became a symbol of justice for many women.”

Photograph Jeenah Moon for the New York Times

Some women were outraged that a male artist was chosen to represent their voice saying that Medusa’s body was too perfect and Poseidon’s or Athena’s head ought to be at Medusa’s side, not Perseus’s as they were the initial perpetrators.

Regarding Medusa’s model-esque figure, Mr. Garbati suggests that critics consider the literature from a recent exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that chronicles how artistic depictions of Medusa morphed from beastly to beautiful starting in the fifth century B.C. You can find that information here https://issuu.com/metmuseum/docs/dangerous_beauty_winter_2018_bullet

The feminist activist Wagatwe Wanjuki, who has written extensively on violence against women, wrote on Twitter, “#Metoo was started by a Black woman, but a sculpture of a European character by a dude is the commentary that gets centered? Sigh.”

But what if we have the story wrong, what if it’s been interpreted incorrectly all this time? What if Athena was in a fit of rage because her maiden had been raped? What if she was so angry that she turned the beautiful Medusa into a Gorgon to protect her from being a powerless victim? What if she sent her away to safe place where no one would find her? What if, what if, what if….

You can find Luciano Garbati’s web page here https://www.lucianogarbati.com/

Faith Ringgold

I first came across Faith Ringgolds work in a lecture we had about the Harlem Renaissance and the impact of the Windrush generation on art at that time, how black artists were using art, music, dance and other mediums to comment on the political status of the era and the black community’s social standing.

What first caught my eye was the riot of beautiful colour Ringgold uses, also that she uses the traditionally ‘gentle’ medium of quilting to depict such abject horrors such as racism, segregation, riots and street violence.

This led me to find out more about her life as an artist and civil rights activist, she is a mesmerising character and I watched many interviews with her, this one was particularly interesting as she was accompanied by her black feminist author and cultural critic daughter Michelle Faith Wallace. Watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK6G-S33V6w

Faith Ringgold was born in Harlem New York in 1930 at the tail end of the Harlem Renaissance.

Harlem welcomed thousands of African Americans from the southern states of America, they moved to escape the prejudice and persecution that was going on at this time. Many famous people settled in Harlem such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald also authors, artists, musicians and athletes flocked to this area. It was an exciting time in Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance was born.

Faith Ringgold attended City Collage New York where she studied art from the European Masters such as Da Vici, Van Goch and Titian. Although she learned from them, she thought “I am black, I am a woman and I am of African descent” so she started to look at African art that was brought to Harlem by her relatives, she started to make quilts with her own twist on the designs, this led her to making her quilt stories, a series of quilts depicting the plight of African Americans in Harlem at this time, dedicating her career to activism, fighting gender and racial equality and highlighting the horrors of the race riots.

Echoes of Harlem 1980 is the first quilt of the series. This was a collaboration with her mother (who she called Willy) and was made the year before Willy died, this was the only one they collaborated on together. It features all the faces of her neighbours and friends in Harlem and takes the traditional tanka for inspiration. The fabric was quilted on to wadding and then the images were painted directly on to the fabric. This meant she could roll them up and easily transport them to various galleries as she found her paintings too heavy to lift and did not want to wait for her husband to arrive home from work to help her lift her canvases.

Echoes of Harlem 1980 photo Artsynet

Street Story 1985 This a quilt that features her house in Harlem, 222 West 146th Street. It also shows the burned-out houses of her neighbours after the civil rights rioting took place.

Street Story 1985, photo metmuseum.org

Sonny’s Quilt 1986 This quilt depicts her legendary neighbour saxophonist Sonny Rollins who would practice playing his tenor saxophone on the Brooklyn bridge to get away from complaining residents.

Sonny’s Quilt 1986, photo Artsynet

Tar Beach 1988 This quilt depicts the hot summers of Faith Ringgold’s childhood, no one had air conditioning and the families of Harlem could not afford holidays so instead they would use the roofs of the apartment blocks to get away from the stifling heat of the city. This was as a place to spend recreational time. They called it Tar Beach. Families would gather with friends and neighbour’s, children would fall asleep under the stars as the adults played card games, listened to music and told stories passed down for generations. This quilt captures the magic she felt on the roof top, the George Washington bridge in the background, the stars above their heads.

Tar beach1988, photo Artsynet

When Faith was a child, she was sick much of the time with asthma so consequently spent a great deal of her time absent from school, the roof top was where her fashion designer mother Willy taught her to sew. On the days that she was well enough her mother would take her to the theatre to watch Jazz performances, these are portrayed in later story quilts.

Harlem reflects heavily in Ringgold’s work, from the connection and love she felt with friends and family to the outpouring of rage, despair and inequality felt by the Black community at the time. She used her work to depict the political tensions on the streets of New York.

To find out more about Faith Ringgold’s extraordinary life and works of art including paintings, books, and many more quilts please start by taking a look here www.faithringgold.com

Tracey Emin, Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995

Photograph Wordpress

Tracey Emin is a British artist most associated with the art movement of the late 1980’s early 1990’s in London called the Young British Artists or YBA’s, with most of the artists graduating from Goldsmiths or the Royal Collage of Art.

Emin hand stitched and appliqued over 100 names of everyone she had ever slept with up until this point on a tent. The tent filled her small living room floor for six months whilst she worked on it, having to put her television inside it to fit it in the room.

I find this piece fascinating for a number of reasons, firstly the way the media reacted to it. The Tent as it is sometimes known, got such bad press as I think it was just too much information about Emin’s sexuality and private life for most of the general public, jumping to the hasty conclusion that all the names in and on the tent were sexual partners when in fact the literal meaning of the word ‘slept’ in the title was including all the people she had ever fallen asleep in the same place as, names included her Grandmother who she used to fall asleep besides listening to the radio, her teddy bear, two unnamed aborted foetuses and school friends. Of course, Emin had the names of past and present lovers and one-night stands in there also, but the deliberately provocative title of the piece meant that people jumped to their own conclusions without considering that there may be names of people in there with innocent connotations.

Photograph Wordpress

The second reason I like this installation is because it reminds me of Duchamp’s ‘Readymades’. Emin has taken a mass-produced boring plain two-man tent and added something to make it extraordinary, and thought provoking. So, I find myself thinking would it be as striking and controversial if it wasn’t for Tracey Emins brash, eccentric, feisty and at times unpredictable personality? After all it is just a tent with some names sewn on.

The Tent was first shown at Minky Manky at the South London Gallery and the brainchild of Carl Freedman (who Emin was in a relationship with at the time) He was a friend and collaborator of Damien Hirst who also exhibited in the gallery along with YBA’s such as Sarah Lucas and Gilbert and George. This gave Emins work a much-needed boost as she was not as well-known at this point.

Emin tells Widewalls ‘At that time Sarah (Lucas) was quite famous, but I wasn't at all. Carl said to me that I should make some big work as he thought the small-scale stuff I was doing at the time wouldn't stand up well. I was furious. Making that work was my way at getting back at him. One review was really funny, the journalist had written something like 'She's slept with everyone – even the curator'!

Charles Saatchi the well-known art collector, Gallery owner and wealthy patron of Hirst and many of the YBA’s wanted to buy The Tent but Emin wouldn’t sell it to him due to his advertising work for Thatcher administration. Saatchi eventually bought it on the secondary market from another dealer and put it into his storage facility at the East London Momart warehouse where it was destroyed by fire along with many other valuable pieces of art.

In 2008 during her Edinburgh retrospective show, Emin claimed that she was offered £1 million by the Saatchi Gallery to rebuilt The Tent, but that she cannot do it since it was very personally despite the fact she recreated few smaller pieces for that show. (Widewalls 2020)

To find more about Tracey Emin’s tent watch this short clip https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/tracey-emin-everyone-i-have-ever-slept-with

Eve Provost Chartrand

In mid-February we had a guest lecture by the Canadian artist Eve Chartrand, I found her work quite disturbing to look at at first, her organic matter looking creations that incorporate teeth, wax, fabric and living fungi can look like something out of a horror film. But then listening to what motivated her to produce her works really resonated with me.

Chartrand has been observing in her art how ‘she experienced first-hand how disabled and “disgraceful” bodies trigger unease, contempt, and/or indifference, even violence. Living in a culture that equates old age with disease and decline (Calasanti 2005) compelled me to find ways to resist and transgress such discriminative gazes’.

As a woman of 44 I can tell you that I am treated differently now to how I was treated in my 20’s. It is like you become invisible or perhaps treated as a slight inconvenience, like your opinion does not count as you are not young. How the adverts on television are reminding you that you must not age, to stay thin and retain the appearance of a perpetual twenty something with long thick lustrous pigmented hair, wrinkle free and with the perfect figure. And the cruel reality is as you start to feel the most comfortable with yourself that’s when your body starts to age and diminish the youthful lustre it once held. When did it become the norm for the media to tell us that the aging process is not acceptable, beautiful or inevitable? Is the media the new male gaze?

Chartrand’s work challenges the viewer to see beauty in ageing, unconventional bodies, frailty and diversity.

Chartrand’s work entitled ‘Is there anybody home?’ was inspired by losing elderly relatives, witnessing the aging process and using childhood memories to create sculptures that conveyed the smells, tastes, vibrations of previous experiences. This body of work particularly stuck a chord with me as I have elderly parents and recently lost a most beloved Aunt, Chartrands work made me think about what I hold dear and after my loved ones have gone what would I have to remember them by.

Is There Any Body Home? Specimen #5: A Hair Brush. 2018 Eve Provost Chartrand

Chartrand explained in her lecture that she made this after rummaging through a box of mementos and keepsakes of her Grandmother who she was afraid of when she was a child. The poetry is typed on velum to mimic the fragility of aging skin mirroring it with a slightly translucent quality.

The bacteria grown in the petri dish was taken from a swab of Chartrand’s Grandmothers 80 year old hair brush. The idea that you can resurrect a living organism (all be it bacteria) from a relative or loved one’s belongings I find fascinating and macabre at the same time. The thought is comforting to me that even when someone is long gone a part of that person still remain and can bloom into life once more.

Is There Any Body Home? Specimen #2: Dentures. 2018 Eve Provost Chartrand

Find more of Chartrands work here https://www.eveprovostchartrand.com/

Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy is a site-specific artist who works outdoors with natural found materials such as leaves, twigs, rocks, ice and water. He uses these materials to compliment the landscape and documents the breakdown or decay of the installations by photographing them at different stages. His work is none permanent and open to elements which give them a fleeting beauty.

“It's not about art,” It's just about life and the need to understand that a lot of things in life do not last.” He told the Guardian

Photograph by Artsynet

Instead of using canvas, paints, clay, tools and other traditional artist materials Goldsworthy instead opts for what nature provides him. Choosing not to paint landscapes but rather paint on them, in them or around them, incorporating the seasons, the weather and the tides. Nothing he creates is permanent and every component as natural, even down to the thorns he uses to fix leaves in place.

Photograph Artsynet

I think Goldsworthy’s art is particularly poignant at this current time. The global pandemic rendering travel out of the question so people have been able to explore the countryside around them, many of them for the first time. Busy lives, jobs, and schooling have us all on the giant treadmill of life, it has taken a catastrophic advent for all to slow down and enjoy walking in the countryside, local parks, gardens and shorelines of Britain, watching seasons come and go, watching nature in her great cycle realising that to take care of our earth provides a wonder for us all and our future generations.

Goldsworthy states in his book Passage ‘An artist makes things that become a focus for feelings and emotions - some personal, some public, some intended, some not. At best a work of art releases energy that is a shock to both the artist and the viewer – I do not mean shock in the conventional sense but an emotional tremor that articulates a feeling that has been in search of form’ (page 69)

The transience of Goldsworthy’s art can also be likened to the way that contemporary art is fleeting, what is considered to be contemporary at this present moment in time will undoubtedly be not what we would consider it to be in 10, 20 or 50-years’ time. Art that is created today is considered contemporary but all art was created ‘today’ that day and then we will have to find another name to call it, another category to fit it in to.

I have learned in the duration of completing this blog that I very much enjoy some contemporary art, I may need to do some research into the piece that I am looking at to understand the artists meaning behind their work, or that I may have to understand the actual artist and their background before I can fully appreciate what they are communicating, I know now that I will be slowing down in the contemporary art room in the Walker Art Gallery the next time I visit instead of rushing through, I will take time to read the information the galleries provide and continue to learn, who knows, maybe I will find a new passion I did not think possible.

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puppy-the-mask · 4 years ago

Text

Poly? Morph

A Friends to lovers post-dnd-transportation fic focusing on our boys Rant and Rus (debating on adding Edge aswell)

There’s like 4 POV changes so let me know if I should re-write? this was more for fun than anything, It doesn’t get to romance yet but I hope to continue in my free time. Let me know any errors or anything, I’ll put it on AO3 after a bit more editing and input. I’ve just re-read it so much its all bleh to me so i’m getting second opinions/input here

tw/Blood and Death- not graphic but y’know -/(Owo)\-

It’s been 5 years since we began, just a couple of students playing a game of DnD. Mere hours after wrapping up session zero us players arrived home and as a collective felt a foreign wave of exhaustion, falling asleep one by one.

The city's air was damp and the pathways were dim with the light of half dead lanterns. The party was shuffling through the empty streets to the gates bound for our next assignment when a figure appeared out of the shadows, the glint of metal and we found ourselves face to face with a hostage situation.

You had once been the closest we had to a tank, a perk of having been a dragonborn with high strength- even if you were a druid bard- but after being cursed for the upteenth time you’d been separated from your avatar- Blackjack- and rendered a low level support for our high level party.

Without you taking lead your roll was delegated to other, more impulsive members. The next moments are a flurry of movement as a loud burst sends the assailant back along with you- the dagger at your neck drawing blood.

Everything blended together as I flew to the front lines, rage getting the best of me as the look on your face burned itself into my mind. The shock and pain in your eyes drove me forward as the streets were painted red.

The cleric could heal you, I had a life to take.

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

Sans woke up panting, eyelights materializing and analyzing his surroundings. WHAT?

He couldn’t believe it, there was no way… He was back in his room, back in his world- well the one he’d been in before. There was so much to process, his new surroundings aside- their last foe had been someone they’d trusted. And yet she almost killed y/n… had she even known who she was attacking? There were so many questions rattling around his skull as his magic buzzed in his bones. He needed to check on them, he needed to make sure they made it back. Normally he’d shortcut straight to their room but his magic was sluggish and unresponsive. He’d just have to run.

He managed to make it down the stairs without falling and stumble a few more steps before he heard voices. NO NONONO FUCK! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

“AH RANT, YOU’RE AWAKE! RANT?” He had to brace himself on the couch, his center of gravity was much different than his avatar’s “RANT ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Paps knelt to his level and looked him over

“I’m Fine, Let Me Go-!” The hand on his shoulder tightened its grip as he tried to get past to the door “I SAID LET ME GO! I NEED TO CHECK ON THEM!”

“WHO? RANT TELL ME WHAT’S WRONG.” He just kept struggling, but everything was getting fuzzy as his soul was settling back in his proper body. “Can You Tell Me Where You Are?” More people were walking in, having been drawn from the dining room by their voices.

“WHERE!? I'M HERE WITH YOU AT THE HOUSE- NOW LET ME GO!” more voices joined the conversation but they all started to run together.

“rant? dude what’s wrong!?”

“THE HELL IS HIS PROBLEM?”

“huh, so the shortstack does have eyelights”

“bro?” his eyelights sharpened and shrank on his brother and he felt tears prick his sockets.

“Papyrus?” The soft copy let him go as he stumbled into his brother’s arms. Stars he really hoped this wasn’t an illusion, but the comfort of his brother’s magic reassured him. “It’s Really You…”

“sans? sans what happened?” Rant just shook his head, his voice leaving him. Had that all just been a dream? It didn’t feel like it, there was no way a dream could be that real. He could remember with clarity how vivid it all was, the blood- the pain- the party that was just so full of life despite their situation- their bard. His gaze hardened.

He may not be able to do anything in his current state but there was one other person who was close enough to y/n to have a shortcut straight to them. Rant forced his voice to settle and pinned his friend with his stare

“RUS.” The skeleton stiffened “YOU NEED TO GET TO Y/N, THEY SHOULD BE IN THEIR ROOM”

“bro, sans you need to breathe with me you’re friend is fine.” He ignored his brother, not looking away from Rus.

“RUS I CAN’T USE MY MAGIC” The room stilled around him but he persisted, dragging the younger skeleton closer and dropping his volume “You’re All They Have Right Now.

Seeing his hesitance Rant quickly amended his plea. “If I'm Wrong And They’re Fine I’ll Owe You- I Don’t Care- Just please…”

Rus swallowed, settled his frantic magic, and nodded before stepping out of Rant’s slackened grip into nowhere.

“sans i know you like bein dramatic but yer really startin to worry me- what happened, what’s wrong with yer magic.” Rant took a deep breath before looking up at Mutt and muttering into his brother’s hoodie

“I’ll Tell You Tonight” Shifting he let his tears fall and grabbed at the fabric in front of him “ I-I DON’T KNOW I JUST- I WOKE UP BUT WHAT I SAW- IT WAS TOO GRAPHIC TO NOT BE REAL AND I...” Rant took a shuddering breath “ IN IT Y/N- THEY GOT HURT BUT I CAN’T CALM DOWN ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.” He looked away from the crowd to the ground and flinched at the annoyed responses of some of them- mad at him for interrupting dinner over a nightmare and unaware of the satisfaction each rude comment brought him.

He couldn’t help but thank his old reputation as an attention seeking drama queen, this was his easiest coverup yet. Rant wiped his tears and started the process of evening out his breathing

Stars, it felt so good to be back in his own body. He settled into his brother’s embrace, hugging him back. He’d missed him so much.

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

Blackjack hadn’t exactly been thrilled when you had showed up, he was quite the opposite if he was being honest. He didn’t like taking a back seat while a teenager piloted his body, sue him. But unlike you’d think he didn’t despise you, It was obvious that neither you nor your friends had been expecting a body switch to happen by the end of the first day. But then nearly 5 years later you’d made a deal with good old gertrude, accepted yet another experimental curse, and next thing the dragonborn knew he had his body back.

The next few months were interesting to say the least, he stuck with the party and quietly delighted in how your companions turned to him when they meant to talk to you and expected him to do things he’d never do. You were different then him, kinder, a total bard, and frankly he’s just glad that all those curses you’d brought onto the two of you had transferred. He could deal with a few extra scars if that was the trade off.

You did have a couple similarities though, your shared love of gambling, ale, and women.

The two of you were talking about just that, naming your favorite flirtatious endeavors over the years you’d spent as him- of which there were many, including lady victoria. It wasn’t exactly hard for him to pick up where you had left off but something told him there was something more to the parties’ friend in high places. As good of a rogue as you were you were oblivious to the lady’s growing infatuation, one of the many reasons why the other rogue became the king of thieves rather than you… or him??? Regardless the look on Victoria’s face when he’d introduced you stuck with him, he decided to keep you close for now just in case

You were at the back of the group, his steps slowed drastically to match yours, though you still had to fast walk to keep up with his much longer legs. You were going on about a tiefling academic you’d hit it off with a while back, the one who’d inspired and helped you develop a spell of your own. It was cheesy, a healing spell for those with ‘high charisma’ as you put it that utilized the castor’s kiss. It was effective and Blackjack won’t deny using it on his own to woo the occasional maiden.

You went on and on and he could envision the tiefling in question, commenting about other features as you raved about her cute freckles, when he felt a prickle in his scales. Before anyone could react you were in a figure’s hold with a blade to your throat.

Suddenly the air crackled with electricity as the trigger happy sorcerer unleashed a Thunder Wave. Blackjack braced himself for the impact, feeling something wet and warm splatter onto his tunic. He rushed towards your prone body, yelling for help from the cleric only to curse when they had run out of spell slots.

He sighed, his breath appearing a soft glowing yellow in front of him, he never thought he’d have to use your spell in a serious situation- especially not on you. As he pulled away from your cheek the words manifested on your skin, magic runes snaked down to your neck- glowing that same pale yellow. They ran over your wound until there was no more area to cover and slowly faded as your body repaired itself.

That wouldn’t be enough. The cleric took you from his hold and started pumping on your chest, trying to force air into your lungs in practiced motions. Your blood covered the pathway and the two of them as they tried to keep you from choking on it.

Looking back to the fight Blackjack saw the rogue known as Rumor- the one you called Sans- in the very heart of the battle. He sucked in a breath as he heard their foe cry out, Veronica. He was right, but he held no satisfaction in that. She tried to plead, to escape, but that rogue wouldn’t let her. Blow after blow he refused to stop.

Blackjack looked back to you as you spat up blood, finally breathing on your own, and he couldn’t help but pity any fool that tried to come between the two of you. Just friends my ass

Suddenly his attention was pulled from you to the cleric, who was outlined in a fading golden glow along with the rest of the party, who slowly came back to themselves

“Gods above that boy made a mess!” Rumor, the real one he assumed, looked on the body with disgust. Lady Veronica was unrecognizable.

“I assume y’all are back in control then?” Y/n sat up with help. Their voice was raspy, they were still glowing, and when they coughed into their hand their fingertips were fading away. They focused on their now bloody hand and chuckled “Must take bodies longer to transport than souls I guess. For what it’s worth it’s nice to meet you all.”

It couldn’t have taken more than 3 minutes of chatting before they were almost gone.

“It was nice knowin ya player”

“Heh yeah, I’ll miss getting my ass kicked at poker…” You surprised him with a look of sincerity and fondness, trapping his gaze onto you “Thanks for everything Blackjack.”

With one more smile and a farewell wish that we look out for ourselves they vanished back to where they came from. They really were kinder than they had any right to be

Blackjack stood with a sigh and without a word turned around to head back to the tavern they’d stayed in previously. He didn’t know about the others but he could use a drink, and it’d take many many more before he’d ever admit that he alread missed his stupid little protege.

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

Rus wasn’t sure what he was expecting, when Papyrus had gone to get Rant for dinner he figured his friend was just exhausted from participating in your club. The three of you had become fast friends after him and the other ‘undesirable’ skeletons were relocated away from the main house’s relationship issues.

From what he’d been told you didn’t run into Rant despite having had your face in your phone, doing a little twirl to avoid the other skeleton last second - who had noticed your inattention and been gunning for you from down the hall. Which was just like him, always looking to start something. You’d peaked his interest and after a little chat in the halls he’d let you go to your next class until lunch.

Rus remembered you had looked so nervous and anxious when Rant had dragged you over to their seats across the lunchroom,literally, but you’d engaged and chatted with the shorter skeleton regardless. And while it took a little time he’d started chatting with you as well, since- as it turned out- the two of you were in the same graphic design course.

It wasn’t hard to convince the two of them to tag along with you to the DnD club come second semester, Rant had come prepared with a binder full of paper for notes and a separate stack for his character sheet, he’d come up with lots of backstory for his character- meanwhile Rus had a singular almost empty character sheet and took all of the session getting set up while you had multitasked helping him and participating in the pre-game exposition.

That was only a little over 5 hours ago, so when Rant had come down in a panic with a look that had dread coursing through his bones Rus was a little skeptical something had happened to you. But something told him there was more to it, and the desperation on his friend’s face alone was enough to spur him into action. He wouldn’t take any chances, not with someone he cared about

The moment he opened his sockets his gaze was drawn to your bed and he felt any and all composure he’d mustered up leave him.

“Y/n!?” A faint glow dissipated as he rushed to your side, crawling onto the bed to get to you in your confined space as he gathered you into his arms. Fuck there’s so much blood, Why-What-How??? Fuck!

He hesitated to take your pulse, the blood around your neck still wet. He couldn’t tell where it all came from and he nearly screamed when your hand shot up and grabbed his, your other clamping around his teeth. Rus jerked back and the motion sent the both of you tumbling off the bed, but you managed to catch him and brace a hand against the wall just past him- effectively stopping the two of you.

The two of you sat like that for a second before you exhaled, the tension breaking Rus began to fuss over you.

“Y/n what the fuck happened to you- did Rant have something to do with this? are you okay? do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No! Nonono I’m fine-”

“You’re Covered In-!” You shushed him, almost covering his face again before he caught your hands. He turned one of your palms towards you, it was the one you’d previously been coughing into and shook the offending arm for emphasis “See!!!” You looked past the skeleton at the wall, there was a bloody handprint you’d have to clean off and you could spot some on one of Rus’ hands

You shook your head and got back on track, fixing your tall friend with a serious look

“Look Rus, I don’t need a hospital. I just need to get cleaned up and maybe get a bandaid or two. I’m okay, promise.” He only frowned, searching your face before sighing

“you owe me an explanation later.”

“You probably won’t believe me.” You said with a tired chuckle

You scooched off of your bed and slipped off your pack, letting it hit the floor with a thunk and various muted clinks and clangs from your supplies, kits, and other odds and ends.

“can i ask about the wardrobe change now or should i wait?” You snickered as you fiddled with the various buckles attaching your scabbards and pouches to your person before thinking better of it and reaching for the pin clasping the ends of your cloak together and removing the garment. “Is That A Fucking Sword Y/N What The Hell!?!?”

Your laughter only grew louder as you nodded wordlessly with a grin, looking back at your awestruck friend- who had moved to his knees at the end of the bed, leaning closer to get a better look.

“Yeah, It ties in with the explanation but yeah it’s real! All of it is- wanna hold?” You’d explained excitedly as you quickly got the straps undone and off your body, removing your shortsword and it’s scabbard from the ensemble and holding it out towards Rus. He took it tentatively before sitting back to admire it.

You watched on with a proud look on your face, your smile growing when he unsheathed the blade and you caught his eyelights expand before zoning in on the engraving along the blade. It was a simple enough sword but one of your friends had enchanted it for you way back at the beginning when you all were still discovering and learning your class’ skills and you’d kept it close ever since.

Switching gears you started taking off your armor, which thankfully had taken most of the blood as well as your cloak- leaving your tunic nearly spotless this time around. There was a little soaked in around the collar but it was manageable. In a stroke of genius you grabbed a pair of sweatpants, telling Rus to stay where he was you moved to the alcove in your room that didn’t have your bed and quickly changed pants, throwing your boots and pants into the pile of adventuring gear before smearing blood across your face from your nose.

A mischievous grin spread across your face when you turned towards your companion

“How do I look?” when you got a concerned look in response your grin only grew “Great! I’ll be right back!” Rushing down the stairs you covered your nose, raising your voice so the whole room could hear you

“Hey mom?! I don’t know what happened but I got a really bad nosebleed- can I wash some things?”

Your mother turned from the TV to look at you, eyes widening in surprise and concern “Of course, What happened?”

“I don’t know! I woke up and there was blood everywhere. I think It stopped but it got all over my bed.”

“Here, let me strip your sheets- you get cleaned up.”

“Oh no, you don’t gotta do that.! I can get it, just give me a sec.” You tried to wave her off but she insisted, already heading up your stairs. Aaaah fuck Rus isn’t supposed to be here he didn’t use the door!!!

You felt rather than heard the pop of magic in the air and sighed, You’d have to get with him later, but for now you had blood to clean. You absently wondered if rubbing alcohol worked on leather.

Getting back to your room you looked around and found that all your gear- which you had completely forgotten also shouldn’t have been there- was piled up in the same place you had previously changed, hidden from view of your mother. You also found your phone plugged up on your bed with messages on it’s screen

~Rus~

-text me after dinner

-i’ll come over w/ rant and you can explain

Rant? Who’s-OOOOOHHH!!!! Right multiverse shenanigans, Sans is Rant here. As you were going to unlock your phone you got another text from the aforementioned skeleton himself

~Rant~

-RUS SAID YOU WERE ALIVE. I’LL BE TELLING MY BROTHER WHAT HAPPENED TO US IF YOU WOULD…

The message cut off, which concerned you until you remembered that you’d have to enter the app to get the full message since it was so long. Inputting your passcode you re-read the full text

-RUS SAID YOU WERE ALIVE. I’LL BE TELLING MY BROTHER WHAT HAPPENED TO US IF YOU WOULD BE UP TO COMING OVER AND EXPLAINING IT TOGETHER? I’D BE NICE TO NOT LOOK INSANE IN FRONT OF MY ONLY FAMILY

-We’ll see if I can make it after dinner, I owe Rus an explanation too. He actually just texted and said he’d come over with you so /I/ can tell /y'all/ what happened

-You slipped up by the way, you live with your ~cousins~ remember?

-YOU’D BETTER COME OVER…

His bubble appeared and disappeared before he finally responded

- BITE ME PEASANT

-Kinky~

-But also sleep sounds great though

-I HOPE YOUR HANGOVER KILLS YOU

You pocketed your phone with a smirk as you hopped off your bed. Some reheated leftovers sounded amazing right about now, you feel like you could eat a whole feast. You glanced over at your things and considered your unending flask of honey mead before thinking better of it. Sans- fuck RANT- was right. That healing spell would give you a major hangover after you woke up, especially with how much it had to heal. You shivered as you felt your own mortality weigh down on you.

You’d almost died again, and there were no more resurrection scrolls- especially now that you were home. Your eyes drifted back to the flask…

It couldn’t hurt to celebrate a little could it? Not only are you alive but you’re home! Besides you’re already going to hate life in the morning, why not enjoy a few swigs before that cliff?

You took a long drink and closed the flask, burying it under your things before making your way down the stairs to get something to eat. It wasn’t long after that you were in your usual spot on the couch watching TV with your family and laughing together. You’d even gotten a hug from your mom during a sad scene, and if she noticed you crying a bit more than you meant to then she didn’t say anything. It wasn’t totally unheard of for you to shed a few tears for fiction after all.

#Poly? Morph #fanfic #Rant #purpfell!sans #Rus #sf!papyrus #Getting sucked into your DND game sucks but what about after?#next episode- Rant and Reader share screen time in their own fic #but first 'The Talk' tm #I called myself out in the last paragraph but i'm taking ya'll down with me #I hope this all pasted correctly cause I'm too lazy to check #it doesn't feel like 9 docs pages but oh well #thanks for reading! <3

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eallisnwndrlnd · 4 years ago

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A Year Like No Other

Well this year certainly made quite an impact in history where no matter where one lived in the world, there was no way they were not affected by one if not many surprises 2020 decided throw our way.

I, like many, saw 2020 as a fresh start. A reset button for a new decade.

But alas, 2020 had other plans.

To annihilate all ours.

My plan, after a year of finalizing documents after graduation and marking off moving checklists, was to have us moved back to my hometown of Los Angeles, California.

We delayed the flight to May rather than February due to the sudden eruption of the Taal volcano. We were holed up in our house due to air quality and forced to wear masks to protect ourselves as travel was limited and flights were canceled for weeks.

All the while, knowledge of an unknown virus was already impacting China. We knew it was only a matter of time before it would reach us and the rest of the world. Little did we know how much wreckage Covid19 would leave in its wake as it traveled to every country and wreaked havoc across the world. It disturbed our normal lives. The way we lived daily was forever changed. Some more than others as people lost jobs, homes, family and friends to this pandemic.

As Covid19 barely rose to the forefront of a world crisis, my mother and I were packing for our move back stateside by May. I was aware of the seriousness of the virus in January as Taiwan and other Asian countries prepared for a possible repeat of the the last SARs outbreak. As the travel limits that stemmed from Taal died away and the alert level was lowered, we retained our mask wearing as we moved about metro Manila and back to Batangas.

Eventually Philippines began to see its first cases of Covid19 in February. The number of cases slowly increased but not quite as widespread as how it tore through my home country, the U.S. I watched the news, frustrated, horrified and embarrassed at how poorly my country decided to handle the virus.

By March 15, the Philippines was in full lockdown under level ECQ which stood for Enhanced Community Quarantine. Many strict guidelines went into place to mitigate the growing cases and death toll. Travel bans and limits were given for domestic and foreign travel. Travel within provinces and cities were limited to essential workers only. Transportation was completely shuttered from tricycles, jeepneys, buses, ferries, trains, etc, making commute for essential workers a daily nightmare. Nonessential businesses, schools and churches were forced to shut down for the time being. The only businesses allowed to continue were government offices at limited capacity, grocery stores and pharmacies, as well as wet markets but also limited capacity. Only those between the ages of 21 to 61 were allowed to leave their house. (This led to having a very cranky mother for over two months straight)

To enter any place of business people were expected to wear a face mask at all times. A guideline that difficult for some in the beginning only due to a shortage of face masks that stemmed from the Taal eruption and when the Philippines initially sent their supply to China in the beginning of the pandemic. About a few weeks later the masks were expected to be worn as soon as one left their house with a hefty fine of P5,000 ($100) if caught without one or a punishment of 6 months in prison. At entrances every person was checked for their temperature. As cases climbed and hospitals were heavily burdened, the guidelines became stricter by enforcing a quarantine pass that was given to each household where only one member of the household that met the age restrictions, was allowed to go out for only essentials. (This role of course went to me) For about two months we were assigned only one day out of the week we were allowed to go out for shopping for what we needed. (I was assigned Tuesdays.) If anyone was caught without their quarantine pass or going out on a different day they were assigned they risked the same punishment as not wearing a mask. (This meant heavy lifting of groceries and multiple trips in one day whilst walking for 5-13 miles on a given day.) After a while our province along with other provinces met the requirements to downgrade our ECQ to Modified ECQ, then to GCQ (which level we currently are still in since June or July) The quarantine pass was changed to being needed only during the week to not needed at all. (Although I still carry it just in case due to guidelines changing every two weeks or so.) Under GCQ, all businesses were allowed to open but with strict enforcement of guidelines and social distancing with restaurants at 50% capacity. Most businesses and all transportation require wearing full face shields aside from face masks. (This becomes a frustrating addition when my shield starts to fog and I can't freaking see) Schools have remained shuttered and gone remote. Movie theaters have yet to open at least that I'm aware of. Places of worship have opened at very limited capacity but have been shuttered again from time to time. Liquor bans were given during multiple periods of the pandemic.

Eventually our flight was canceled in May. Even if it hadn't been we would have canceled it ourselves since travel between cities and provinces were limited to essential personnel only for around two months and more in other areas. As well as the fact that by that time, U.S. was the most negatively affected with growing cases and deaths with many people becoming difficult tempermental raging toddlers in defying guidelines and refusing to wear a mask. We just did not feel it was safe to go back home any time soon. So here we are still where we were last year with only a non definite plan to move back stateside set in April. I hesitate to say that with any confidence whatsoever.

This year was a year of losses for many. So many of my friends and family have lost someone they knew and were dear to them. My dad's brother, uncle Rick, passed away mid year. I lost my nearly four year old cat, my fur baby, Gandalf "the Grey Whitewalker" only a month ago.

Every time I walk to the backyard to our outhouse, I am constantly reminded of him following me and keeping me company. Every time I look at my window near my bed, I remember him meowing at me to feed him. And every time I look out the front window, I see his little grave marker in our yard. He was my first real pet out of multiple fishes, a hamster, a duck, chickens, a mouse, and a turtle that I had the longest and the only pet I had in my adult years. I didn't realize how hard his loss was going to hit me until it did. The idea of him moving on to furry heaven left me very little to no comfort as I am not a person of faith. I just had to tell myself that it was his time to go and that I was blessed with the time that allowed him to be with me as my furry friend, companion, and confidant who followed my every move and meowed mama (as I taught him) when he wanted something. I will miss Gandalf very much.

With the pandemic holding its place as the suckiest thing to happen this year (...this century), other memorable events happened that held significant importance here and around the world.

Aside from the Taal eruption in January, Philippines was met with natural disasters one after another from multiple earthquakes to an onslaught of disastrous typhoons. Just recently on the morning of Christmas day, my province was hit with a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Thankfully it didn't cause any damages in our immediate area.

Other disasters hitting other countries and multiple wildfires that took a major toll on my homestate. One fire in particular that threatened the home of my dad, step mom and where my sister was living, drew my attention for weeks. Thankfully them, the house and their area remained safe.

As political issues arose here which created tension and conflict, so did it in the U.S. and other countries.

Since I follow multiple global news media outlets, I was kept abreast of the increasing issues in not only my home country but many others. Some mirroring what was occurring in the states like police brutality, riots, authoritarian tendencies among its leaders.

I awaited with bated breath for the U.S. elections results along with much of the world.

At least for that moment, I, like many others, allowed a heavy sigh of relief when the final result was announced.

One silver lining I could find in an otherwise shity year.

Take all that aside, what else did I manage to accomplish with limited movement, limited funds, and limited access...

My freelance work dried up to nada so I put back my energy to the things I could do.

I studied a bit more of Korean.

Started vlogging again.

Submitted more of my photography into contests which garnered a few live digital exhibitions in a few galleries in different countries.

Began drawing and painting after so many years.

Delved into more current events and became more connected and acquainted with other foreign news outlets that far exceeded the quality of many of my country's national news outlets. (This came from my growing disappointment at how my country's news outlets covered the Taal eruption and the pandemic early on)

Got rid of more of my things and organized what will stay here and what I'm taking with me to the states.

Cooked and baked more and added newly learned menus into my forte.

Found joy and comfort in walking for miles in extremely hot weather.

Kdrama and Cdrama binged watched like never before.

There are of course many more things I didn't accomplish that I would have liked to but either couldn't do or couldn't bring myself to bother to do.

Travel. Cuz pandemic guidelines and pera.

Move. Cuz pandemic, and my home city is doing a piss poor job in dealing with it so we're stuck here where I'm not legally allowed to obtain work until my country and the rest of the world minus a few exceptions (I.e. Taiwan, New Zealand, etc) get their shit together.

Get new job. See above.

Lose weight. Cuz I ate through our pandemic food supply like a starved hippo, baked my fat ass to oblivion, and decided to wait until the possible apocalypse happens before I bother to put any effort into excercise. Cuz if the world's gonna end and the choice is between cookies and ab crunches...I'm gonna choose cookies. And ice cream. And cake. And garlic buttered chicken. Might as well go with a BIG FAT BANG and a smile on my face.

Now 2020 is finally coming to an end.

The world with it. A few hours will tell.

But if 2021 manages to happen in two hours and we're all still alive I'm going into the new year with cautious anticipation.

Do I think that everything will suddenly come up roses once the clock strikes 12?

I'm not delusional.

We're still deeply into a dangerous and deadly pandemic now with a mutated version slowly making its rounds across the globe. Millions are still in hospitals with covid. Millions are jobless. Millions are homeless. Millions have lost that and more.

Sure we have a vaccine but with knowing that less than half the world will have access or being willing participants...it most likely will have little effect on the outcome.

Our politicians and governments are inept, corrupt, greedy, insane, just plain stupid to see any real change any time soon. Significant change takes time and a cohesive willingness to make those changes.

Still awaiting for the inauguration of my country's new president or the fall of its democracy once and for all this coming January. Frankly could go either way the way it's been going over there.

As for me and my plans for 2021.

Try to make the plans I made in 2020 happen.

Again I say this with hesitant confidence that I can make it happen. Frankly life has a way of turning those plans into merely contrived goals on a useless resolution.

I meet this new year with hope but prepared for whatever may come be it good or bad.

There's no use to be anxious about not being able to accomplish a list of goals I may have if life has other plans.

I can just call it detours.

Eventually I know whatever goals I want to accomplish, one way or another depending on my willingness to make it happen even if it doesn't meet a set timeline, I'll get it done.

If it takes me as long as it took me to finally graduate college or longer to check off those goals then so be it as long as I manage to find some little moments of happiness and snippets of accomplishments along the way.

Here's to 2021 being an improvement over the last.

May everyone (minus a few people I think of with detestation) have a Happy, healthy, safe, prosperous New Year.

May the world be allowed to heal.

May this pandemic go away.

May the year 2020 go frak itself.

#new year #new years resolution #life goals #life #goals #2020 #fuck 2020 #2021goals

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trad-masculine · 4 years ago

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A Specific Critique of Our Politics

There is growing sentiment that our current political system is broken & needs fundamental change. This to me is both obvious & necessary, but we need to figure out how to navigate the problem of changing fundamental power structures. Here's what I think is the single most elegant & specific critique of both sides, hopefully in a way that provides the eventual clarity necessary to solve our shared problems together.

Both the right & left, individuals, ideologies & political parties are a mess & frankly embarrassing to participate in, hence the record turnout of this year, is still lackluster in any direct analysis. There is much broken to fix, but starting point is important.

The right needs to recognize a deep failure within its moral & psychological framing of people & events. There is a type of 'moral' double bind social dynamic I despise. 'Holier than thou' is one way to describe this double bind game. Another way to phrase it, popularized by Bret Weinstein, is the Personal Responsibility Votex. It works by framing another person such that all their possible decisions appear to be either direct moral failing, or make them powerless. In a large social dynamic this allows the deceptive public figures who use it to blind their audience to the social & moral critiques applied to them by those attempting to constrain their ruthlessness.

This is a common dynamic used by the establishment on the right against their audience, & I believe one of the social forces driving the right into wildly overblown conspiracy theorizing instead of toward the most effective & elegant criticisms of our current social system provided by conscientious objectors on the left, & 'center'. I want to call it something with an egoic sense, beyond the specific tactics used. "I don't need to pay attention to anyone's worldview & ideas except my own because anyone different from me is either weak or a hypocritical liar."

A good concrete & meaningful example is a situation which my own family is in, & a decision tree I have faced myself. I am a staunch environmentalist, although my perspective is far more nuanced than the common tropes of the popular narratives. #solarpunk & others do a good job of popularizing more generally correct ideals closer to my own.

To the point, my family owns oil properties. Oil is clearly a dysfunctional primary energy source going forward, far beyond carbon dioxide, but deeper into how the industry impacts the world in which we all live. Global politics (war & conflict over who profits from oil), finance (who oils & controls society through oil), transportation (asphalt is oil), plastics, farming (fertilizer is oil), pharmaceuticals (organic chemistry can be oil) are all fields of society deeply disturbed by the power structures of oil.

I don't want to participate in that, but I cannot sell my property. If someone else owns it they will build far more pumps & extract far more oil than I do or ever have, or plan to do. I also would be foolish & insane & counter productive to my goals in their pure form if I took a purist stance & went bankrupt via halting all pumping on my property. I would still loose everything to the ruthless oil magnates, but I would also be incapable of doing any good in the world.

Either I am a hypocrite or too weak to do anything useful or meaningful in the world. The situation is systemically broken. Only legislation that stops oil extraction allows the rational approach of my situation to result in an outcome I can accept as good. Until then my moral duty is best served by pumping oil to invest in environmental causes. Which is an absurd situation to find oneself in, but from a sane perspective there is actually no more moral or correct option available to me. I've considered all possibilities at length.

This is a double bind, that traps me in technical hypocricy as the most morally & ethically optimized stable position I can hold. All other positions make those who would harm the earth more powerful at my expense. This is not my failing, but a tragedy of the wise. Understand this, find & respect people who hold positions similar to mine out of moral duty & necessity, despite the tragic self-contribution to the very process which I find necessary & right to end.

The left equally has a grave error.

I find it a laughable failure of the intellectual & media elite of the left do not possess & destribute as common knowledge the game theoretic conclusions ones reaches upon an analysis of our voting system. Plurality Voting or (first past the post) #EndPluralityVoting, is an awful system of selection for solving any democratic problem. You will know it as "Choose One Candidate" on a ballot sheet. This voting method itself, as opposed to any other reason, is the specific direct reason we have a two party system. This is a certain & abject truth, that with depth, is inarguable.

The direct, most elegant & most superb alternative system is called #ApprovalVoting, & it is what you would know on a ballot as "Choose One, Or More, Candidate[s]."

Many social media polling systems have this as an option, always use it, it should be the universal voting process default.

Approval Voting has one challenge that prevents it from being common place across democratic systems, it requires a well crafted Parliamentary system to be used at the political stage above it. The two systems integrate together exceptionally well, for deep, nuanced & powerful technical reasons. Of primary import is that Approval Voting most accurately represents the true values & views of the demos, the people, at the cost of some stability & of having an electoral majority. The Parliamentary system handles greater volitity & also non-majority leadership situations better than other political systems.

This is all clear & obvious to me after analyzing political processes, but because this knowledge does not serve the self interest of collecting power, it is not the well destributed understanding of political systems that it should be.

(I will quickly note the popular alternative voting system of #RCV or ranked choice voting. This is a cludge, I support it as better than plurality voting, because anything is, but the only reason it is the voting method of choice is because it's compatible with our current very broken political system, not because it has any superior qualities to approval Voting. It's complicated and less useful. Approval Voting is superior at every angle of analysis except how easy it is to achieve in our current dysfunctional moment.)

The sources of dysfunction that are most are fault for neuroticizing us on whichever side, I lay foremost at the feet of these two problems in our approaches to addressing problems in the political/intellectual sphere.

It is time to start applying ourselves with astute, well rounded & careful analysis of broad human systems using the tools of Game Theory & of evolutionary process analysis, which some might know as market forces.

I could go fard deeper into more problems, ad infinitum in fact, I think & write at length on these topics elsewhere, but posting some thoughts on the dysfunctional mess that is our ongoing political moment is a necessary duty I feel is apt & appropriate here.

Thanks for reading.

Take care & keep your soul.

🌳♂️ Masculine Way of Life!🧔🥊

#Election #2020 #Voting #Politics #Economics #Solar punk #environment #Environmentalist #solarpunk #Economy #Eco #cottagecore

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holy-mountaineering · 4 years ago

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Here’s the full Qabalistic Tree of Life Spread that I do and here you are. What I’m going to do is go through and briefly explain each card, its position on the Tree, and then I’ll give you a summary/synopsis of the spread as a whole. You know the routine.

Think of this spread as a sort of quantum map, or even the land of a regular map, everything is happening at once, in each place. It’s important to think of yourself as moving “through” the map but you are also simultaneously everywhere at once. For the sake of this specific experiment, think of this as a map. Maybe as a person, the Qabalistic Adam Kadmon.

Where we’re starting the journey from is Kether, the monad, the first sign of creation. We’ll call this your hometown, since it is where you’re from originally. Here we have the 9 of Cups, Happiness.

I call this ‘mutually beneficial relationships’ or expanding influence (Jupiter) going or being pulled both ways (Pisces). Each cup has its own source but everything is flowing into each other down to the base of the 3x3 structure. There is a lot of water and all it represents and it hasn’t reached its peak yet and is still driving upward and outward.

Cultivate relationships and connective feelings that aren’t lopsided or just giving/taking. Keep building, you’re not done yet.

In Chokmah, which is like your freeway getting you out onto the road out of your hometown is the 3 of Wands, Virtue.

This is not a moralistic idea of Virtue, this is the idea of formulating a basic mode of action to build from. Virtue unto yourself and your Will, as in doing what you do because it’s what you do. Astrologically, this is Sol in Aries or springtime. This is the energy of the Sun close to Earth creating new growth from the stagnate winter. You can also read a message of centering on new growth in your life.

Create a basic plan like a farmer might for spring. You’re no sharecropper, this is your land so plant the fields only according to your Will.

In Binah, which is ruled by Saturn and for the sake of this reading we will call the first stop on your roadtrip. You haven’t really arrived anywhere but you’re stopping and getting a chance to repack your car in a more efficient way. Sitting in Binah is the 2 of Disks, Change.

This is the old saying, “The only constant is change.” This is finding stability in the aforementioned changing. In other words, when stuff gets different, strap in and hold on, steady yourself, and get ready to go into the unknown. Look a bit before you leap but understand that position is king, not appearances. You’re building toward the unknown and pretending to know is not the kind of posturing you should bother with. Not looking for the result of the change, being in the motion, and enjoying, embracing the motion toward the unknown is where you should position yourself.

Disks are Earth, matter, the material world, your everyday life and 2s are the suit trying to formulate into something from the rawness of the Aces or the beginning of the idea of Earth. Astrologically, the influential and expanding Jupiter is in the highs and lows of the Goat-Fish Capricorn, think rollercoaster, possibly one that goes underwater. And like rollercoasters, they’re scary but probably not going to be the cause of your death. Unless they go underwater, that sounds dangerous. This is a great time to be aware that you’re moving around and kind of always will be. Enjoy the twists and turns of the ride and don’t stress yourself about how and when it will end.

In Chesed which is ruled by Jupiter and again for the sake of this experiment we’ll say involves your influence and benevolence in your current trip is the 10 of Swords (mental and communicative) Ruin.

Astrologically, this is Sol the Sun or your center being split by the duality of Gemini or duplicity. This is like making a decision by not making one. Your intellect is collapsing in on itself due to building duality or otherness conflicting with how you think of you. This is being “of two minds” but they duo doesn’t seem to work together very well. The good news is that they’re damn near done working together at all. 10s are the highest number card or as intense as it gets.

Try to integrate your splitting and increasingly destructive thinking and/or communicating, make meaning out of this chaos. And hey, don’t worry, it’s peaked and now you have to slide down the mountain of crazy you just climbed.

Across the Tree in Geburah, which is Mars Town, where you find your drive and what you’re trying to accomplish/conquer is the 5 of Swords, (mental/communication) Defeat.

Like all 5s this is the microcosmic or human card, if you don’t believe me stand up and stick out your arms and legs, boom, you’re a pentagram. Swords are mind, thought processes, communication and the like, and this is mental growth limited by its mundane focus or dwelling on the limitations of yourself and other individuals.

Realize your limitations and the limitations of others. You are seriously just a human and so is everyone else. Try to focus your mind on bigger picture things instead of mundane/shitty people, ideas, thoughts, and ways of thinking.

In Tiphareth, the Sun and center of gravity holding all this in place, the heart pumping the blood through this, your heart is the Ace of Disks, the root power of Earth or the material.

This is the foundation which all your solid structures are and will be built on. This is the very root of your real world/material life situation. While this doesn’t mean you must tear everything down or that there is nothing in your material world that you've built, it does mean you must look at the source from which you've built your material and everyday world. If you have no foundation you can have no structure. If you have a shoddy foundation, you'll have a shoddy structure. Look to what things were like before you began building. Is there sand beneath you? Are you in a swamp, building castles of stone that will bind to the mud and be pulled down much sooner than later? Did you account for the raise in elevation when you laid your foundation? Look down to the base of what you've made and what you've made it upon.

This is an engineering job, you’ll need tools to measure and level everything out. The occult might not be the best place to find these tools and it is possible that you have issues much more base than you're willing to cop to. There are many tools you can use to look at your foundation provided in psychology and meditation from other sources. The Universe throws us extreme situations and more often than not, this is the only way people see their basest of instincts and behaviors really act out. If you can, take a look at what connects you and what you’re building to the Earth before an earthquake, tornado, volcano, or other act of G-D forces you to pray everything was fine. Check the strength of your foundations before the strength of your foundations are checked.

Get down to the base fundamentals of what is going on in your material (things, money, living situation, literal stuff) and build from the ground up if you must.

In Netzach, Venus town, where you have the realization about how this is going to change you as a person with a personality is the Queen of Cups, the watery part of Water, total emotion and intuition.

This Queen looks through her reflective eyes at the ripples on a pond at the reflection of the moon which reflects the Sun. She isn’t so much interested in looking directly at a thing as she is looking at the effects. The tides being ruled by the Moon was discovered by observation of the correlation of movements of both Lvna and the comings and going of the tides. Her animal is the Ibis, who on one leg intently stares at the surface of the water. This was perceived as meditation and contemplation by the wise people of Khemet and they attributed the ibis to Djehuti or Thoth the wisest of their pantheon. But like ibis you have to act when the fish swims by or you’ll starve.

Do not look directly at a problem or situation you feel strongly about. Look for effects and not the causation or the point of impact.

In Mercury Town Hod-ville, where all the Universities are and everyone has real intellectual shit going on is IV The Emperor, Tzaddi, Aries.

The Emperor is the activating consort of III The Empress. He is King of Spring, the sign of Aries being his energy. He has the energy of the Sun, who in spring gets closer to the Earth and revitalizes the plant growth. The Emperor is formulated, active energy that causes force and growth.

This is new growth brought about like the spring that Aries heralds. Like the season of Spring, this card is activating the potential growth of the Earth, that is to say, the time is right to spring forth and grow as you can, with what you have.

Get formulated and active. Put things in their place or notice the NATURAL orbits of things. What works is that which grows from your energy.

On the Moon in Yesod, the receptive and reflective place that is alot about the feelings that you’re picking up from all this is the Princess of Cups, the earthy part of Water.

We could consider this the substance in water or water hitting substance head on. This is the idea of the canyon wall being ground down over the millennia by moving water. The nutrients and minerals in the earth are transported down river to the fertile delta. This is the natural, “following your feelings” within your daily life. Try not to fool yourself, follow your intuition, not just passing whims. Feel, don’t necessarily react immediately.

Go with what you feel and intuit, let yourself go with the flow, if you will. Allow your situation to move with your emotions and be patient with your progress.

Down here in Malkuth-istan, the everyday life mundane, waking up pooping, and going to work world is XVIII The Moon, Pieces, Qoph.

This is the ‘Sun at midnight where you stand shines on the other side of the world’. The pull of night and day eventually rising, illuminating what was once dark. As opposed to the old Aeon idea of the Sun dying, this is the cyclic motion of the push and pull of the day and night. The dark gives the light context and vis-a-versa.

See the light in the dark, accept the cyclic push and pull, if you don’t like what “time of day it is” in your life I assure you it will change like the tides.

So, we’re starting from a place of having the emotional resources to set things up in a healthy and beneficial way. A way that creates a path to enacting your Will and being aware of and in the flow of the real world Change you are a piece of.

That’s all fine and dandy for being in your personal world, however you’re going to find that expanding outward from there will be met with the fiercest of resistance, namely that of your own mind. When you begin to build your world outside yourself, you will find that people, even yourself, may have limitations in understand your goals and your way of Working, do not focus on the limitations, focus on the Work. Then and only then will you be able to start from the foundation you wish to lay out and truly build from and on top of!

Your personal growth or how you view that will not be a straight line. If you look at your growth as a linear process, you’ll miss all of the subtleties that are really building your world. And again, even outside of yourself, this is only your world, only take possession of that, and activate or work within that world, let others build their own. And if you feel force pushing against your force, roll with it. Allow your river to flow in its natural direction, do not try to dam the river, or worse yet, redirect the natural flow to meet some preconceived notion from others on how it should wind and turn, that is only for you and nature to decide.

Speaking of flowing, this natural process of growth and movement is, as stated earlier, one of subtle force. The ebb and flow of tides can only be predicted once one understands the effects the Moon has on the material world, This is not direct, it is not a lit path made clear to all. This is a force that is directed from Other and is only showed to those who first understand the subtleties and reflection that is made clear through study and intuition. Remember the Queen of Cups, remember the dowsing rod that while we don’t understand how it works, it will lead you to water, if you allow it to.

Ta Da! Hit me up with any questions!

#tarot spreads #mirronx

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