#the moon(s) is more important for frontier so I WENT WITH THAT

[windfighter]

Midnight train going anywhere

@strikerofdeath0 I tried! :D

-----

The fire was crackling. Kouichi put an apple on a stick and held it over the fire. Takuya was talking about a football game he’d take part in the next weekend. Kouji filled a pot with water, looked at them. This was so peaceful compared to how it had been in the digital world and he wished Izumi, Junpei and Tomoki could have come along as well. Maybe next time. There would be other weekends and they had only known each others for a month.

It felt like a year with everything that had happened in those 15 minutes they’d been away. Kouji’s grip around the pot tightened. He looked at Kouichi. The twin he hadn’t know, had fought, had almost murdered.

Had lost. Twice.

Kouichi looked at him and gave him an uncertain smile. Kouji sighed. Looked at Takuya instead. Takuya, who was an absolute idiot. Who wouldn’t move out of danger when it came his way. Who had almost gotten killed by Kouichi while he was under Cherubimon’s influence.

Kouji shuddered. The pot almost slid out of his fingers. Duskmon’s blade against his back had been so painful. It had taken him days (seconds?) to recover. He had woken up alone in darkness. Takuya was gone and Ophanimon had let him know the others had been taken.

Kouji’s breath hitched. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. He wasn’t angry. Nor disappointed. He was used to having to take care of everything on his own. Of being alone. It hadn’t hurt him at all that Takuya promised they’d stick together just to leave him.

Kouji was very good at lying to himself.

Takuya looked at him, raised an eyebrow. Laughed. He was such an idiot. Kouji rolled his eyes and stepped up to the fire, hung the pot over it. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to sit on Kouichi’s or Takuya’s side of the fire, so he sat down between them. Takuya moved away ever so slightly. Kouji leaned back, put his hands against the ground and looked towards the sky, at the branches hanging above them. The night would be cold, free of rain. The sky was clear, the moon already crawling towards the horizon. The first bright stars were already appearing.

The regular sky still felt foreign. Kouji missed the three moons constantly hanging over their heads. Constellations he’d never see again and the stories Bokomon told about them that he’d never hear. He should have listened more, asked questions. Shouldn’t have isolated himself as he did. But he hadn’t known how and when he had finally learnt the world was ending and they were too stressed to listen to tales of the past, too busy worrying about the future.

Kouichi took the apple away from the fire and bit it. Fanned himself with his hand.

”Hot”, he complained.

”What did you think? That the fire was cold?” Takuya asked with a laugh.

Kouji smiled, but felt the smile falter just as quickly. Kouichi laughed and threw a handful of dirt across the fire at Takuya.

”Not to burn my mouth off, obviously”, Kouichi said.

Kouji sat up straighter, pulled his knees up and leaned against them instead. Stared into the fire.

”Where did you go?” he asked.

Both stared at him. Kouji didn’t look at them. They hadn’t talked about it. There hadn’t been time, it had been forgiven and forgotten. Takuya left but he came back and he saved them all and everything was forgiven. Forgotten. The pain gone. Hidden.

”After the attack”, Kouji explained, ”where did you go? I’ve been wondering.”

He wondered if the others had wondered as well. If anyone beside him had wanted to ask. Or if they didn’t care because they hadn’t been the one wrapped in Takuya’s warmth one second and on the cold hard ground the next. They hadn’t heard Takuya’s steps as he walked away. They had already been taken. By Duskmon or a hidden Mercurymon Kouji had never figured out, but they had been gone when the darkness cleared.

Takuya frowned. Kouji glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. Kouichi looked between the both of them. How much did Kouichi remember of that? They hadn’t talked much about the digital world, still just trying to get to know each other. Kouji feared Kouichi didn’t remember it at all, but he didn’t dare ask.

How would that sound? If Kouichi actually didn’t remember it, would Kouji sound insane? Would he get locked up, diagnosed with psychosis? He was a little scared of that possibility. So why was he suddenly talking about it here?

With the fire and the stars and the sky and the apples and everything that reminded him so much about those nights? They had been some of the best nights of his life. Maybe now was the only time he could have talked about it.

”What attack?” Takuya asked.

Kouji looked at him. Tilted his head. If Takuya didn’t remember, how could he explain?

”The…” He nodded towards Kouichi. ”The attack.”

”Oh.”

Takuya looked at his hands. Kouji looked at Takuya. At the way his chest rose and fell with his breaths. The nervous twitch of his fingers.

”The attack”, Takuya whispered.

The night suddenly felt colder. Kouji regretted asking. Kouichi still seemed confused. He took another bite of his apple. A shiver ran down Kouji’s back.

”Home”, Takuya whispered.

His voice sounded fragile. Like he didn’t want to admit it, say the words out loud. Kouji’s ears latched on to every sound that left Takuya. The shuffle as he twisted uncomfortable when faced with the memory. His clothes rustling in the wind. His breath picking up every so slightly.

”I went home”, Takuya admitted. ”Back to the human world.”

Home. The word tasted so different after the digital world. One month back and Kouji still didn’t feel quite like he was home. Home wasn’t the same. It wasn’t a place any longer. It was a world and he didn’t have access to it. Takuya probably felt the same from what Kouji could tell. From the way Takuya needed to explain that he meant the human world. This world. Their home.

Kouichi looked at the ground, the apple lowered towards it as well. Takuya’s hands shook. Kouji gripped his sleeves. He really shouldn’t have asked.

”It was… weird”, Takuya said.

His voice was low. Just barely above a whisper. A slight quiver to it. Kouji vowed to never let the others know. Takuya looked at his hands, held them infront of his face before letting them fall onto his lap.

”My memories of it are muddled”, Takuya admitted a little louder. ”Two-fold. Both from me and from… whatever I was when I came back.”

He looked at Kouichi and Kouichi smiled nervously. Takuya looked away again.

”Duskmon was there too. Or a ghostly memory of him.”

Kouichi looked away. Looked at Kouji and looked away again. Kouji wrapped his arms around his legs. Would this break whatever fragile thing they had built up between them?

”Duskmon wasn’t…”, Kouichi started. ”...I wasn’t. I was…”

He looked at his hand, frowned. Takuya’s cry as he held Kouji echoed silently between the three of them, Kouji could see it reflected in their faces and wondered if it was just as clear on his own.

”I had to… refind my resolve”, Kouichi whispered. ”My goals. Clear my mind.”

Takuya took a shaky breath. Kouji hugged his legs tighter.

”Me too”, Takuya whispered. ”I was… it was terrifying. Duskmon… all I could think about was how strong he was, how close I had been to death.”

He hugged his hands. Kouji wanted to be angry. He had been the one to take Duskmon’s attack, had been the one hurt. But the anger didn’t come. It couldn’t. He had felt the same fear after he caught Duskmon’s earlier attack. But his resolve to protect these idiots that had befriended him never faltered.

”I… tried to get myself to stay. Not board the train.”

Kouji’s heart hurt. Skipped a beat. Takuya’s resolve had been weak, and yet he had been the strongest of them. Why? It wasn’t fair. Kouji shook his head. He sounded like a child. The world isn’t fair. Takuya was right to fear for his life, to fear Duskmon. Pain danced across Kouji’s back, ghostly memories of the attack. Takuya laughed. Insecure, unstable, shivering.

”It seems silly now. Who in their right mind would be scared of Kouichi?” he asked.

Kouichi shook his head. Takuya put his head in his hands. His shoulders shook.

”But I was… so scared”, he mumbled into his hands.

As if he was afraid to admit it. Ashamed. Kouji didn’t know what to say, didn’t have any words of support.

”But you returned”, Kouichi said.

He remembered, Kouji realized. Kouichi remembered everything from the digital world. Every single thing he had been through and had seen.

”I went home”, Takuya said.

His voice was more stable, didn’t sound like it was on the verge of breaking.

”To the digital world. To the people that believed in me even when I doubted myself.”

He looked at the fire, hands in his lap.

”Everything had changed and nothing would ever be the same, so I pushed myself towards the train and I went home.”

Kouji felt anger somewhere in the pits of his stomach. Deep down where it would stay. He clenched his hands. Takuya left him, went home. Where he had been safe, hunted only by his own fear, while Kouji had been forced to hunt his fear despite his injuries. Life… wasn’t fair.

”You… went home”, he said.

His back hurt. He clenched his hands harder, tried to hide the way they trembled. Kouichi looked at him.

”Kouji?”

Kouji wanted to stand up. Walk away. Run. He swallowed, forced a smile towards Takuya. He hoped it didn’t look venomous.

”Thanks for telling me. I’m glad you came back.”

He reached towards Kouichi, snatched the apple. The water in the pot started to boil.

”What happened while I was gone?” Takuya asked.

Kouji swallowed. There really wasn’t anything to say on that.

”You already know”, he said.

Kouichi stood up, took the pot off the fire and fetched their cups and some teabags from the tent. Kouji filled his cup up, wrapped his fingers around it and held it against his chest.

”The others got taken and I went to find them. Got my butt kicked.” Again. ”And then you saved the day. We all lived happily ever after. The end.”

He didn’t want to think about how painful every step had been. How his lungs hadn’t been able to fill up with air. The irregular beating of his heart. It wasn’t Takuya’s fault. It wasn’t Takuya’s fault that they were both idiots. Kouichi sat down next to Kouji, filled his own cup with water. Looked at the fire.

”...I’m sorry”, he said. ”I cause you both so much pain.”

”It wasn’t you”, Takuya said.

”It’s not your fault”, Kouji corrected. ”Cherubimon… No, Lucemon screwed us all over. He was probably the one that corrupted Cherubimon and start off the whole war.”

Takuya shrugged and grabbed the pot, made his own cup of tea.

”We’re all fine now. There’s nothing to apologise about.”

Yeah, Kouji thought, no one owes anyone an apology.

He glanced at Takuya before turning to the fire. Sipped on his tea and took a bite out of Kouichi’s apple. Kouichi laughed and stole it back. Kouji let him, looked into his tea. The fire crackled infront of him and the cold of the night started seeping in over the camp site. Kouichi moved closer to Kouji, their shoulders almost touching.

”So… when’s your game?” Kouichi asked Takuya.

His voices wavered, but Takuya accepted the excuse to leave the conversation. Kouji was grateful as well, he hadn’t known how to move on, break it up. Takuya started talking about the game and Kouji looked at the sky. This was home, he realized. Not the digital world, not the human world. Just… whatever this was. He took another sip of his tea. The moon disappeared behind the horizon and the night was well and truly over them.

[mudkirby]

Pebbles In order of appearance.

@druidshollow lore lore lore Dune lore lore

@flickering-nightfall whole reason I draw Pebbles the way I do since first exposure

@toxictoxicities b u f f

@dennis7231 still waiting on them dropwigs >:)

@weepinglilvessel ant snooooot

@mudkirby me :> 🔫

@shkika love your Suns

@northflowerowo Sorry I shoved him so far down lol

Honourable mentions/ shout outs: @trashiiplant Howwow Knight and Wainwowld :D

@kelnexia is lurking.

@daszombes Thank you for explaining lore, giving us peak story telling and characters to simp for in the form of the Iterator Logs. What? No Pebbles? Don't care. You're on here now.

Druid's Hollow, the first time I ever saw your YouTube channel was with the Distant Frontier video after just having gotten into Iterator Logs. One of the most pivotal pieces of media you've made in my life was God- Jake Daniels. That single video alone gave me the push I needed to make my first Rainworld oc Parting Clouds. The stories surrounding your characters (and Dune) are creative beyond my ability to write stories. Keep up your top tier memery.

Flickering Nightfall, I'ma put this in a nutshell. Duckdance. After that I found your blog via Google before I made a Tumblr and became enthralled by your content. From something as obscure to me as Infinity Train to Pebbles ragdolling, you were essentially my gateway into liking Iterators. I love the purple. I need moar.

Vic, b u f f I haven't known your blog long and was introduced to you through the My Goodbye animation. Since I was sort of entirely new to Rainworld at that point, I had no idea what was happening. I just saw a well drawn thing and went "oooooo". I'm all for Suns' antenna twitches and NSH box head. Also, body pillow 💀

Dennis, one of the first blogs I found when I first started Tumblr. I found you through the @iterator-ask-blog and found bullying Pebbles hilarious. I love the way you draw the yellow things on his head and I just appreciate that you do digital in general. I do not, will not and proceeds to die if I must. I've seen quick progress with your art style as well. Keep going.

Vessel, I barely know you. Who da heck are ye? I saw your art style once and knew I needed to follow. The way you draw Pebbles and Moon are so satisfying to stare at for minutes and I had way too much fun replicating that s n o o t. I don't know what you're up to with them aside from chaos. Murky Seas' story and design are fantastic. RIP

Shkika, I only found you through the @ask-looks-to-the-moon blog and love the way you draw the Iterators. It's very stylistic without straying too far. The three fingered hands to the goofy faces Moon expresses makes me smile. B a l l s. My Suns design was more so inspired by the way you make him as you were somehow the first Suns exposure. You're the only reason I can't see him without fluff. How did you make Pebbles cute kavvkatkcfadal

Northflowo, way back in 2022 in my first exposure to Hollow Knight, I found your channel through the Baby Mantis skin video with Nosk along with the lore in a nutshell video. Any other content I saw I forgor. In any case, your channel was there in my search for knowledge on that game. Fast-forward to the near conclusion of 2023 when I was first introduced to Rainworld. In my hunt for memes and more knowledge, I found the other lore in a nutshell video and realized you were the perfect channel for me as you had plenty of other content on that subject. Your art still manages to astound me, especially with the shot you did in the map Pliocene and the Warrior Cats redraws like with the waterfall. I'm trash at drawing backgrounds and might learn something from you.

And of great importance to me, @bornt-urnge/@zigmatism

@kitterjitters /@offended-dragon

Thank you for every moment of drawing from Pokemon to Kirby to Mire (oc) and anything else. You have made some of the largest impacts on my life, drawing, game choices and I've enjoyed every moment. I want to have more ridiculous sessions like that in the future and look forward to it.

Some of you have been around in my life for some time and others I've just found. All the same, every single art piece you've made has inspired me no matter how polished, memed or "trash". All of you have made an impact on me, no matter how miniscule. I look forward to the future with anticipation for all of your art. Have a terrific year, and with my deepest gratitude, thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading this.

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

The Moon Shines Platinum

[Even if the New Moon is lost in darkness, one day it will shine again. Quick Akiruru oneshot, contains spoilers for Arcana Arcadia (Re:LIVE ch 12+).]

Akira looked up from her script as the train eased to a halt.  Tucking it under her arm, she stepped out onto the platform and headed into the city, taking a quick peek at her lines each time she stopped for a traffic signal.

They’ve made some very interesting edits to this iteration.  The play is beginning to come together...heh.  I wonder what changes the next draft will bring?

She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the next Performance Festival meeting.  Just as she was feeling she had come to understand the Stage Girls from the other schools, they surprised her all at once, each one debuting an entirely new side they had yet to display even in the revues.  Rinmeikan showed a fire that burned brighter than anything she had thought them capable of.  Seisho continued to broaden their versatility, as if there was truly no role they could not adapt to.  And Frontier…

Akira frowned.  Though she had tried to ignore it, something had been nagging at her ever since the last meeting: Otsuki Aruru.  The girl, usually an eternal font of passion and energy, had seemed subdued and out-of-sorts during the read-through, only the faintest shadow of her normal self. For some reason, Akira couldn’t quite get her off her mind.

Am I concerned she’ll impact the Festival?  This is hardly the time to be getting involved in the issues of another school. All I need to focus on is my own preparation, maybe keeping the rest of the Edels in line.  I can’t be spending up energy on Frontier’s problems.

Rounding a corner, Akira stopped mid-step.  Just ahead, sitting on a bench next to the street, was Aruru, hugging her knees to her chest while she stared blankly at the sidewalk.  Akira was surprised, then curious.  She reminded herself of what she had just been saying, but despite this, she found herself walking towards the other girl.

“Otsuki?”

Aruru shuddered slightly.  Looking up, she said, “Oh...Akira-chan.  Hi…”

The sullen gaze, the hushed mumble, the sluggish motions...all of it was just so incredibly unnerving to see on Aruru. Akira said, “Something’s very wrong. Have you fallen ill?”

“N-No, I’m fine.”

“You obviously aren’t.  Taking care of oneself is an important part of being a Stage Girl, and we all need to be at our best for the Performance Festival.”

Aruru’s eyes fell to the script Akira carried.  She began to say something, but it devolved into a murmur as she started to tear up.  A pang of guilt went off in Akira’s brain.

“...Perhaps that came out sounding harsh.”

Shaking her head, Aruru said, “No, it’s not that.  I...I don’t know if…”

Waiting as she trailed off, Akira said, “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

Aruru swallowed hard.  “...I...don’t think I want to do the Performance Festival anymore…”

Akira cocked her head.  “...You don’t?  Why’s that?”

“There’s no point,” Aruru said, burying her face in her knees.  “I can’t make the stage I wanted...and, my friends...my family…”

Akira paused a moment.  “I don’t understand.  Did something happen at Frontier?”

So Aruru explained.  She told Akira how everyone at Frontier had gone off on their own, and how her efforts to bring them back together had gone horribly awry.  She talked about how she wanted nothing more than to create a stage where everyone could have fun, but Shizuha, Tsukasa, Lalafin, and even Misora had all shot down the very possibility.  And if she no longer had them on her side, she explained, then there was no point in her even being on the stage at all.  Akira said nothing as she absorbed her tale.

“Akira-chan...do you think they’re right?” she asked when she was done.  “Is it impossible to create a stage where everyone’s happy?”

Akira walked a few steps past the bench.  “Yes, I think so.”

Aruru started to tremble.

“But so what?”

Aruru slowly looked up.  “What?”

“There’s only one question that matters, Otsuki.  Is that still the stage you want?”

“Of course!”  Aruru leaned forward off the bench, clenching her fists.  “I mean...of course I want to do my best.  I still want to see how far I can go, and then grow beyond that, but...I want to do that with everyone else!  I want to lift them up alongside me!  I just…”

Akira nodded.  “Then there’s your answer.”

“...But…”

“But what?” Akira said, shrugging with one shoulder.  “I think it’s impossible? You’re the only one who thinks there’s a way?  Since when have you let something like that be a reason to give up, Otsuki?  You are a Stage Girl—one who excels at transforming the stage to fit your own vision, even when it’s something no one else is able to see.”  Akira half-turned to look at Aruru.  “That’s one of the things I admire about you.  Your passionate determination, a brilliance that cuts through any shroud thrown over it.  It’s mesmerizing.  And I wish to see it again.”

She walked up to where Aruru sat, and extended her hand.

“Even if everyone else sees the Performance Festival as a battlefield...if Otsuki Aruru truly wills it to become a stage of happiness for all, then that is what it shall become.”

Aruru gaped at her for a long moment.  Then, tears began to swell, and she threw herself forward to embrace Akira as the sobs overtook her.  Akira hesitated a moment, but ultimately returned the embrace, patiently waiting until the other girl was ready.

“S-Sorry.”  Aruru finally pulled back a step.  As they separated, she took hold of Akira’s hands, not entirely letting go just yet. “I, um…”

“It’s alright,” Akira said.  “A small price to pay to be able to witness the stage you create.”

Aruru gave a teary smile.  “...Thanks for believing in me, Akira-chan.  I won’t give up.  I may not know how yet, but I’ll find a way to make the stage I want!  And there’ll definitely be a spot on it for you!”

Akira smirked.  “Hmph. I look forward to it, Otsuki.”

“Hehe, you don’t have to keep calling me that, you know!”

“...Aruru, then.”

A moment of stillness passed over them.  Akira wondered if she should say something more, but at the same time it seemed there was no need to.  Then, Aruru let go, and she made her way up the street—not with the usual bounce she had in her step, but at the very least her stride had purpose.  Akira watched until she disappeared from sight.  She looked down at her script, and with a chuckle, slipped it into her bag.

A truly impossible stage...yes.  That’s something I’m confident Otsuki Aruru can create.

[catfishmorales]

☄ + catfish and ☾ + oberyn? 👀 also I loved the food headcannon!

Awh thank you so much! I'll be honest, I've never watched Game of Thrones I've just seen the bits with Pedro in them so...those might not be the best. But we all know I'm Catfish trash so hopefully I can make up for it 😂

I also spent nearly 10 minutes looking for that moon emoji and couldn't find it so I know I didn't use the right one.

☄- Fear Headcanons for Catfish Morales (Triple Frontier)

Buckle up, this ones angsty.

Catfish would have everyone around him believe that he isn't afraid of anything.

He always acts fearless and unaffected by the things he's seen and done but they haunt him every time he's alone.

The nightmares started soon after his third mission as a pilot. Fish had been part of a squad helping to bust a drug factory in the Columbian jungle, the dealers had known they were coming and had taken hostages.

The hostages had been killed the moment Fish landed his chopper too close to the factory and by the time they got there the place was a total blood bath.

Those images haunted his dreams for a long time afterwards and more and more similar scenes started to join them.

As his s/o you see first hand how much his job affected him. You're the one who holds him through the nightmares and soothes him after a particularly bad panic attack and he's extremely grateful for you.

Fireworks had never been a trigger for him until he went to Columbia with Pope and the gang. He wouldn't tell you what happened there but you knew it must have been bad when he was set off on the 4th of July.

The two of you had been standing up on the balcony of your house, the baby tucked up in bed sound asleep when the fireworks started. Fish had panicked and you had to calm him down.

Since then he avoids all events that would involve fireworks or other loud and surprising sounds.

ON A MUCH LIGHTER NOTE

Catfish is afraid of cats which is incredibly ironic considering his nickname.

He's actually allergic to them and his nose gets all runny and his face all blotchy if one comes too close but it's his reaction to them that makes it funny.

He will run away from a cat and be a great big drama queen until someone gets rid of it.

He's a dog person.

☪️ - Sleep Headcanons for Oberyn Martell (Game of Thrones)

Pfft Oberyn Martell doesn't need to sleep, he's entirely fueled by alcohol, confrontation and sex.

On the rare occasion that he does sleep, he is an incredibly heavy sleeper and is difficult to wake up.

He also sleeps in some really questionable positions that couldn't possibly be comfortable or good for his back.

Oberyn's lovers have discovered that the best way to wake him is by kissing him and running hands through his hair because he loves that and can't resist a good kiss.

Either that or throw a pillow firmly against his face and scare him awake.

Both work incredibly well.

Since he has the most messed up sleep schedule in all of Dorne he has a habit of falling asleep at the most random times.

Often in important council meetings or other important Princely meetings.

He just dozes off and his head falls against his chest with his arms folded, people usually instantly notice since Oberyn isn't the type to stay quiet for long.

Oberyn doesn't ever plan on fixing a normal sleep schedule because he enjoys his lifestyle and his trips to the brothel far too much to do something boring like sleep for 6 hours a night.

He's quite happy to stay up all night with his lovers and sleep through important meetings the next day.

That's why he hates early mornings so damn much.

[atopearth]

The Legend of Dragoon Part 4 - Moon and Fate

It's the final chapter!! It's definitely going to be a blast like the others, I'm kinda sad it's going to end😭 Woww, I can't believe Miranda hit Rose, that was so rude. She didn't need to take what Rose said so personally honestly, because it's obvious that Rose is heartbroken, confused and doesn't know what to do right now. I'm sure she's the one that wants to lash out the most yet she's holding it in! What right does Miranda have to hit her? Anyway, Death Frontier is such a nice place to train! I don't even need to run around for monsters because they jump on you instead! Now I can take everyone to Dragoon level 5~🥰 Death Frontier is a pretty annoying place though, I'm glad I just used a map online lol. Anyway, so the Ulara Wingly Forest are the ones who made a choker for Rose that made her time stand still for all these years in order to fulfill her mission.. Honestly though, I think if the Black Monster was someone Dart didn't know, I'm not sure if he would be able to come to terms with it so fast, but I guess it's a good thing that it was Rose because it made him understand her burdens better and how much it hurt her to have to do it for so many years just to protect this world. Ohh, so Charle Frahma who made the choker for Rose is the older sister of Melbu who was the leader of the Winglies. Zieg killed Melbu during the Dragon Campaign, but apparently there is another person named Faust who led the Winglies too. This name was mentioned somewhere else for a side quest I think? Hmm, even though Faust was Melbu's right hand man, he was wary of him due to his enormous magical power and how he was able to make an apparition of himself that had similar powers, so he somehow made(?) a Vanishing Stone that could make the apparition disappear just in case he ever needed it. Faust controlled the Tower of Flanvel that killed other species hmm, but it was shot down by a human contraption, the Spear Shooter, so now it's under the glacier huh? And I assume if they think he was dead after that, it probably either means he's still alive hiding there or his apparition still remains there to this day... So, even though there used to be five towers of Signet Spheres to be broken, now there are only three and that's why Zieg needed three Divine Moon Objects to break them and get access to the Moon That Never Sets. Ohhh, so that weird place in the Crystal Palace at Deningrad was actually a Signet Sphere! It was broken by the Divine Dragon! Guess it was meant to be... But I guess the Divine Moon Objects really are as simple as they are, they really are just items with enough amount of magical power to break the Signets. I see, Melbu and Charle both wanted different things, he wanted to rule and dominate whereas Charle wanted everyone to be free and at peace. She made the Signet Spheres to restrain the power of the Crystal Sphere, but Melbu realised her plan and so made the Divine Moon Objects to counteract them. So, Rose and Dart did resolve their "differences" with a fight at Death Frontier before coming to Ulara. She accepted death, but Dart told her that the Black Monster was dead, and that they were only left with a companion that was going on the same road as them. That was really kind of him to say tbh. I'm happy he told her that she's no longer alone and has companions now. Rose can rely on others now without carrying the weight of everything by herself🥺 I think it's kinda interesting how for a city that makes anything and anyone inside it immortal, there are so less...facilities, but there is a bar. They understand how immortality brings unhappiness and so they have a bar for Winglies to drink away the pain of immortality and yet no one chooses to step outside of this place to live a limited but possibly happier life. It's just... interesting to think about tbh. It was nice to stay the night in Ulara and look for our party. It's been a long time since we got to really interact with them considering how most of it has just been plot stuff, so it was nice to be reminded of all their respective reasons for going on this journey and for continuing it to the end.

After treading through the Home of Gigantos back to the Twin Castle of Fletz, it was nice to just be able to ride the ship to Rouge (Haschel's hometown) haha. On another note, we finally get to know who Princess Lisa has been admiring with her telescope all this time!! I should have known I guess, because just like Princess Lisa, Nello was the first one I talked to and I was so happy for him because he's finally succeeded in growing greens on barren land, so he hopes to be able to make the whole Barrens into a place of green. It's still hilarious that Princess Lisa was stalking Nello with a telescope this whole time though hahaha. It was also nice to take Albert to Princess Emille so he can have a proper farewell with her. I think it was really sweet how he shared his fears with her and she accepted it wholeheartedly and wished for his safety. It was sad that she couldn't find it within her to send him off because she knew she would plead for him to stay if she did, so it's understandable. I hope they get a happy ending later on. Wow, there were so many Wingly cities and they were so organised about everything?! They had the birth city where they only allowed selected babies with strong magical power to live, they had the death city for where all the "deaths" went, the magical city to research magic and the law city to like govern and rule with their justice system in a sense. Lmao at the Mayor of Rouge's description of a random stick in the water, I honestly thought it was a stick but it's literally a tower hahahaha. It's definitely one of the cities with a Signet hahaha. On another note, I see, Martel was gathering stardust to save her daughter and to wish for happiness for her after her coma. I think it was really sweet how the stardust we gathered for her made her daughter wake up, but the daughter told her that having her mum and baby brother with her was happiness already, so she didn't understand why some lady told her she would be granted happiness in her dream hahaha. She's a wonderful daughter. Omg though, to think that the last prize of the stardust would be the Vanishing Stone! Isn't that the thing that will make Faust's apparition disappear? I guess this is important for a side quest then... Ohh wow, it was so cool when the sea split and a path was made to the Magical City of Aglis! I guess someone has been there all these years?? It's kinda amazing how Savan has been here by himself for thousands of years just waiting for Rose. Initially, he researched magic hoping to revive a world where Winglies ruled, but after watching over the world through his mirror, he realised that wasn't needed. But, when Rose appeared, he found a new meaning to his research in saving the world etc by seeing her courage and endurance, he then made the Psychedelic Bomb and Moot, where the former has lots of magical power and the latter can probably seal the Moon That Never Sets? I like the individual challenges of courage each character had to go through in order to activate the Psychedelic Bomb and make it more powerful. Seeing Kongol face head on with Emperor Doel and believe in his friends now was really nice, he isn't estranged by his past where he was alone fighting for the dream of every species being equal through violence, he is now fighting for it with his friends and the people that helped them come here to save the world. I think Albert's one was really fitting. Like, it was obvious that he needed to stay here and prioritise his duties as a Dragoon before a king, but I think it was something hard for him to choose, because as a king, he has to carry the responsibility that he is on this journey and not protecting Serdio. I think it was nice to see how much Bardel's little sister's death actually weighed on Meru, but also how she needed to overcome that to have the courage to continue on this journey to save the world. I also liked Haschel's one where he needed to accept the past that he wasn't able to stop Claire from leaving. It's hard to face, but it's true. I think Rose not needing a choice was perfect for her. She has already come to terms with what she must do to continue her journey and will not waver, so it was unnecessary for her to even hesitate, and I really liked that. And, as expected, Dart's one was related to choosing to save Shana no matter what. Courage to love but also to save the world, from the moment he went on his journey, he already possessed such courage (as expected of the protagonist haha). It's kinda cool how the Psychedelic Bomb is actually an item you can use in battle! It's also repeatable, nice! As expected, Zieg was able to manipulate the Last Kraken (guardian of the Moot) and I guess now our hope of sealing the Moon That Never Sets is gone... I feel so bad that Savan ended up dying alongside the Signet Sphere and Moot... I didn't think the Dragoons could create such a reaction against the Signet Sphere... It was nice that the magical creatures and Savan prepared for Dart and them to be teleported to Zenebatos before they died. They may have perished but at least they did their best for the future they believed in... Anyway, now that we have Coolon, the wings that Savan provided for us to fly back to previous cities, it's a bit easier to access side quests! Still have to run through annoying places midway zzzz but I guess it's a tiny bit more convenient lol.

Time for side quests! It's kinda silly but it took me until we got to Vellweb to realise that Shirley was the White Silver Dragoon from the Dragon Campaign that we saw in Rose's memories. To be fair, Shirley as a ghost doesn't look as radiant as before so it took me a while okay?! Haha, anyway, I'm glad that even though Shirley isn't able to take the other four Dragoons to rest, she at least had the time to ask Rose to help them. I see, the reason why Syuveil (Jade Dragoon) can't rest is because after researching life and death his whole life, he realised the darkness of the world where death lies and fears going there... I guess ignorance really is bliss... Rose's words giving Syuveil hope that life is just a great wheel where you cycle through life and death may give him the hope that he can experience the warmth of life again, and I hope he does. But whatever is awaiting him, he may be able to face it better now. Omgg, Damia (Sea Dragoon) was only 15 when she died!! That's so terrible... I mean, sure she had special powers due to being half human and half mermaid, but in the end, the fact that she stayed here all this time because she didn't want to go to the after world alone really shows how much of a kid she still was and how scared she must have been... I guess it's nice that at least the other Dragoons will join her... Ooh yeah, Belzac (Golden Dragoon) was the one who was trying his best to protect Shirley but they both ended up dying... It's pretty sad though, it's kinda like how Zieg did his best to protect Rose, and at least he succeeded... It was kind of unexpected that Kanzas (Violet Dragoon) was a man that killed many and kinda had memento dolls for every kill, yet somehow Shirley's nobleness was what attracted him into joining the Dragon Campaign and hoping to find a "brighter place" by fighting with them instead of just killing without any other meaning to his life. I guess Shirley really must have been a beautiful soul to attract so many people haha. It's rather saddening to see Rose's memories when she goes to Fort Magrad, because the Zieg there says that even if one of them dies, their affection will last forever. For Rose, it really did, but for Zieg, is that really true? Otherwise, it's nice to see the place where Diaz rallied up the humans and the the Dragoons to win back their freedom from the Winglies. The Polter Armour was much easier than the Dragoons though! You just need a Talisman to keep things less annoying and then just heal as needed lol. The Dragoons did much crazier damage and their skill animations took so long haha. As for the Magician Faust, I'm pretty glad I got the Legend Casque (I spent a lot of time farming those robots for money with Miranda loll) for my team because his magic counters and his amount of turns are pretty dangerous lol, he would have done so much damage if I didn't have them! I would have had to heal every turn I think lol. Otherwise, it's kinda crazy that he's been plotting world domination in this hole for 10,000 years, like, does it take that long to try and mobilise his Flanvel Tower again? 

Anyway, Zenebatos is an interesting place. I found it funny how you can change the law! And lol, I checked out getting arrested and being sent to the prison for fun, and lolll, Kongol saves Dart and them because he was too heavy for them to teleport him straight to the prison hahaha. It was annoying how you had to do the whole process again to go to the Death City Mayfil though😭 The Wingly battle music gets so repetitive btw lolll. Anyway, Mayfil is a very interesting place, because it keeps a lot of the dead and those who haven't "completely died" because of their respective reasons for wanting to stay in this world. It was interesting to see the Dragon Spirits like the Divine Dragon who couldn't die properly because it was so prideful and couldn't accept its death, but at the same time, it was sad to see Lavitz. I didn't expect to see Lavitz, and I didn't expect to see him manipulated in his death, so I'm glad we freed him, because it seems that he wasn't able to die properly because he was so worried about Dart and his journey.. Why is he such a bro?! T_T So, I'm really glad that even if it was in death, he was able to see Dart and Albert one last time and be able to show them where the Signet Sphere was. It was really heartwarming to see them all together again even if it was brief. Dart's right though, Lavitz lives on in their hearts. Anyway, as expected, the last Signet Sphere is broken as well, but nothing deters Dart since he's not going to give up until it's really the end! The Divine Tree is kinda creepy, like just thinking about how species came from these fruits and how if the God of Destruction were to be born, it would be through one of these fruits too. Soa really is playing with them by dictating everything as if all the species are his pawns. 

Omgg the individual battles! I know they're not too hard, but I still remember being so surprised with them as a kid that it's made me paranoid into levelling every character at least a bit now in every game I play lmao. Anyway, it was nice to finally see a bit more background to Miranda's story. As a child, she was so hurt and broken over her mother leaving her, it changed her into becoming a strong and independent person, but as she became strong, she couldn't shake off the loneliness of the abandonment and the lack of love. She always focused on the fact that she was abandoned and never wanted to understand why it was such a difficult decision for her mother to leave her (since the father was terrible and always took her money to drink etc). I'm glad that even if it took a long time, Miranda has finally come to terms with the pain of her childhood and can maybe believe in love and friendship more now. Haschel facing the Claire that couldn't bear the burden of his strict discipline from a young age was quite disheartening to see, but I'm glad that after going on this journey with everyone and having time to think about it himself, he was able to realise that what was important wasn't his ancestral art or the amazing latent potential of Claire, but instead Claire herself. It’s just sad that he’ll never really get to see her again... It was really nice to see Kongol's first meeting with Doel. No wonder why Kongol admired Doel so much, he met him when he was a child after all his clan had perished. He found a new reason to live with Doel. It was cool to see a more wholesome battle this time around. Kongol has always been a good guy, so it was nice that he just needed to overcome his admiration for his brother's strength in order to feel that he's really strong enough to help Dart. It was sad to see that not only did Rose have to kill the Darkness Dragon to get the Dragoon Spirit to fight in the war against the Winglies, but she also ended up having to kill the baby Darkness Dragon she raised because it got out of control. She's killed so many people and creatures because she always prioritised the people and world above all else, and it honestly hurts to see her be hurt by all that. I'm glad that Doel killing Albert's father was addressed again, it was somewhat brief though since you're not really sure whether to believe in Doel or Albert's memories, but Albert is right, even if it was true that Carlo wasn't a great king, Doel didn't have to kill him like that and then reign in the way he did after. His reign was consumed with the idea that power dominates and it definitely killed and hurt a lot of people just as it saved some. But I also think that if Albert didn't go on this journey with Dart, he might not have necessarily been a great king either, so I think this was a good experience for him to learn through Doel that power isn't everything, and that he needs to rely on others and not just himself like Doel did. I really liked Meru's ordeal. Although Meru isn't exactly prideful as a Wingly, I'm sure she was at least a little worried about going to the outside world herself when she's never met humans before, so I think it's nice that she met Dart and them and understood that there wasn't any need at all for Winglies and humans to segregate each other, because everyone is equal and should be the same. Btw I love the wacky room with the static and then the moon showing up, it's such a cool room!

Melbu Frahma possessing Zieg by transmigrating his soul to Zieg's body was something I kinda remembered along the way, but it's kinda saddening to see Rose and Dart have to face this. They solidified their resolve to defeat one of the most important people in their lives and it turns out that he was being controlled all this time... I knew it was about time for Lloyd to appear again, just because he needed to give the Divine Dragoon Spirit to Dart, but I'm so annoyed that he appeared just to be killed for that, it makes me so sad because even though he killed lots of people, he dreamed of a utopia for this world. I hate that he just died like that... Otherwise, I love that Meru never really expected anything from this journey when she first followed Dart, but now that she's experienced how awesome this world is, she wants to protect it and I think that's really cool. I have to admit, after farming the 00parts for my Legend Casque and Armour of Legend, it really makes the last boss battles really easy lol. Not complaining though since the last battle still took so long lmao. The Divine Dragoon Cannon was a pretty cool skill, but yeah wow, Dart looked pretty cool and monstrous as the Divine Dragoon haha. Anyway, I guess it was to be expected, but Rose and Zieg killing Melbu Frahma and sacrificing themselves to make sure of that was understandable, I mean that's where everything started so killing him again should be where everything ends. It's sad that Zieg never got to properly talk to Dart, I mean I had questions too, but seeing Rose and Zieg finally get to be together forever made me happy for them even if it's in death. I guess they can reunite with all their friends now. As for the rest of party, Haschel and Kongol staying in Rouge to teach children was really cute. I'm also really glad to see Princess Lisa get to finally talk with Nello lmao. Meru and Guaraha going around Lohan and just enjoying themselves was hilarious but wholesome. Miranda staying with her sisters and the Queen was expected, but it's nice to see her have a brighter disposition. Albert marrying Princess Emille was a great moment, since he's finally back to being king and taking care of his people haha. Dart and Shana rebuilding their home in Seles was such a heartwarming moment though, he's finally able to prioritise what's most important to him as Lavitz told him to, and is making a happy family. It was so nice to see.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game! I think the last disc was a bit rushed compared to the rest and was a bit too “scripted” for me in some parts, but I still really liked it all. Like, even though it felt really scripted, I really enjoyed how each character had to get past their mental barriers to further strengthen their resolve, it's kinda corny but I really like those haha. I loved the variety of Additions, I feel like Rose could have had more but oh well, I spent the whole game levelling up everyone's Additions at my own pace and only really finished them all when I got to the Moon, which I'm glad of, because once I finished it, I got bored of them hahaha. Anyway, back to the story, I really enjoyed Dart and everyone as characters. I absolutely loved how well Haschel and Meru got along since they were both such big kids, but I also really loved how Dart and Shana developed their relationship. Lavitz was such a bro that I could never forget even though he only appeared in the first disc, but I think his existence really makes you realise how important it is to cherish the people next to you when you can. However, I think what I loved the most was Rose's story. You only get glimpses of it until near the end, but I think Rose as a character really grows on you, and makes you really feel for her circumstances once you realise that she was fighting alone for 10,000 years. So, I'm really glad that she got to be with the real Zieg in the end. Kongol is the wholesome and kind giant that I never knew I needed. He was such a cinnamon roll that I couldn't help but like him. I'm sorry young me called you ugly and never used you!! Young Lily was such a fickle girl lmao. But yeah, I really loved the whole journey because it was really fun to get to know about each character and their motivations alongside the plot, I still kinda wish we got to see more of Lloyd but oh well, I'm okay with it I guess haha. The Divine Dragoon was pretty monstrous looking btw haha, but otherwise 9/10! I loved the game! I'm glad that my childhood memory of loving this game still persists through adult me! Definitely one of my favourite classic JRPGs. Now, I really want to play Thousand Arms again lol.

[ramrodd]

Is America's love with John F. Kennedy justified?

COMMENTARY:

How do you feel about the International Space Station?

Eisenhower was probably the only person over-qualified for the role of POTUS and even he had a 2 year learning curve. 50% of all new businesses fail within the first two years for a number of reasons, but the most important being that the learning curve was too steep and 90% fail within 5 years because they either never overcome the mistakes they made the first two years or they try to step off the learning curve prematurely.

A new president has to experience mid-terms before he can consider himself fully vetted, but even that isn’t a guarantee that the particular person has gotten ahead of the learning curve. George Bush didn’t become President until he fired Rumsfeld because he acted like he acted before he became president and assigned Cheney perogatives over his own authorities, retarding a natural advance through the curve.

Trump has yet to engage any semblence of a presidential learning curve. America is fortunate that the rest of the world is holding its collective breath while we sort this jug fuck out, but Nasty Nancy is going to cut his balls off with a butter knife once impeachment is in the rear view mirror and she gets every Republican Senator who defends treason as the “Art of the Deal” on record in time for the 2020 vote and give him a chance to experience the learning curve associated with RICO indictments after “Sleepy Joe” takes over.

I’m an Army brat and JFk was not popular among the officers around my dad, who reflected the dominant coalition of the military intelligensia at the time, very George Marshall-Eisenhower Republican. A bunch of legacy events, the Bay of Pigs and the Berlin Crises, fell into his lap and he scared a bunch of people, but he was a fast learner and, unlike Barack Obama, could take a deserved spanking from Khruschev in Vienna and swallow his pride and begin a constructive relationship during the Cuban crises.

Nevertheless, the biggest blunder in his presidency was the assassination of the Diem brothers. I remember hearing the news on CBS Evening News in 1963 and knew we had lost the battle for the Republic of Vietnam, but the mythology that he was going to withdraw is purely liberal Romanticism. He couldn’t pull a stunt like Trump and the Kurds because of treaties, like SEATO.

Nobody in the diplomatic-military establishment knew what to do after the godless commie cocksuckers announced their intentions to make war by tossing hand grenades into Saigon theaters in the summer of 1962, but the people who thought the Bay of Pigs was a good idea thought running the war in Vietnam was even better if they could just get that pesky democratically elected politician out of the way. So, they engineered what amounts to a right-wing coup at State and, probably, the CIA, to pre-empt JFK’s options and cause the murder of the Diem brothers. According to data I received from the Ken Burn’s documentary, JFK was not entirely up-to-speed on the finding he signed off on authorizing the coup: the internal debate was still immature, but someone at State Burns names got his signiture and the rest is history.

JFK knew it was a blunder: he admitted it immediately through journalists. His administration was sort of flopping around on the deck totally unsure what to do when he went to Dallas. Whatever came next, he knew he had to get Texas on board and the Space Program was part of that calculus at the time.

He had the Space Program in motion when he was killed, which is one reason why Lady Bird invested in Bell Helicopter. They knew that they had to get as much money into high tech stuff as possible to overcome the learning curve resolved by Apollo 11 and he had LBJ right next door in the OEOB and an election to win in 1964. But with the death of the Diem brothers, an evil enchantment began to spread through Camelot that the Zippo Monk had foretold the summer before the Diem brothers were killed and the murder of Ghaddafi is a cosmic bookend to the era that signals that the spread of the evil enchantment (which I call the Oliver Stone version of Vietnam) is complete and we have Donny the Duckass a consequence.

Which is why the International Space Station is important. Nixon realized that the way forward for mankind, based on Genesis 15:5, is into Space: The Final Frontier. He knew that America needed to create the infrastructure for the next 100 years necessary to sustain and profit from a moon colony and he and Daniel Patrick Moynihan devised a legislative package that would transform the Military Industrial Complex to the Aerospace-Entrepreneurial Matrix needed, globally, to create that infrastructure and, if either Carter or Bush the Elder had been re-elected, the “Affirmative Action” agenda they inherited from the JFK-Nixon-Moynihan-Carter domestic legislative axis would have created a permanent moon colony by 2001, beginning with a NASA-Soyuz lab, just like the movie.

But Reagan got elected and began installing the shit that has created the economic crises for people earning $50,000/ year or less that Steve Bannon talks about to the MAGA hat nation as a pretext for civil war and has Trump’s core constituency.

Mayor Daly may have perverted the Chicago vote in favor of JFK, but Trump was tricked into committing treason to get elected. The irony is that Trump ran on a foreign policy platform that has created an opportunity to end the Korean War and release a Peace Dividend that will drive the S&P to 4000 by catching the wave from Apollo 11, but he is more focused on making sure Rudy can keep the treason going for the 2020 election.

If, as an Eisenhower Republican, I have to choose between JFK and Trump, it pretty well defines the political catagory of “No brainer”.

And, just for the record, because of Vietnam, the Soviet Union is no more. That’s a pretty good justification, historically, in favor of JKF.

[midnight-musings-blog]

Chapter One of my Sebastian LaCroix fan fiction

So, I've had this idea for a while, some parts in the works for a year or so, which over the months have developed into a concept for a multi-chapter fanfiction. This is a Sebastian LaCroix/OC story, although be aware that romantic and possibly smut elements will develop rather slowly. If you like LaCroix as a character and like to see the depth and character development, then this may be for you. Likewise, if you are interested in vampire and human interactions and vampire and ghoul relationships, you may well like this as that is what it’s about.

Here is the first section of chapter one...

Through the long windows of his penthouse office, Sebastian LaCroix looked out on this late evening. The skies were black but obscured with wisps of grey cloud sailing before the stars and bright moon. And sentinel skyscrapers, foreboding in the dark with a blood orange glow of windows dotted upon their dark edifices. Below, perhaps the figures of people - insignificant; how small they seemed from here.

There was always life in a city. Always some tragedy and a reason for order to be maintained.

He liked to be alone with his thoughts. And, there would be much to think about now. The stillness of the night and the sense of remove from the life below was always a good setting for thinking. And it was becoming a habit of his. A familiar sight at his penthouse in the highest tower of Los Angeles. But this was not there.

New York, like most cities of the New World, had always been volatile, in spite of Camarilla and Ventrue presence in the most prominent areas. The Sabbat had been subdued for now and Camarilla power was reinstated. He had played an important role of course. Always the overachiever. And yes, he had achieved much over his long life, and he was not shy in letting those that met him know, out of his pride, ambition and a sense of superiority. And yet, there was a need to prove something. He had a fear of failure. Here this fragile balance was not without dramatic turbulence and losses. The Prince of New York had been destroyed by her diplomatic misjudgment. Power was always uncertain, no matter how assured it seemed.

So this was why he had reason to contemplate power now. It was always a Ventrue concern. It was part of their education; their disposition naturally leaned towards such thought, and many long lecturing discussions of the topic. So, there was nothing unusual in the philosophy of these contemplations. And it was not that he was not unpracticed in the welding of power, having had a position of leadership whilst a soldier; in his business ventures and gradually over time in Kindred concerns since his Embrace. And, as a culmination of that, he would imminently be the Prince of Los Angeles.

He had developed a presence there over the years for business purposes since he was the CEO of a large organisation and so there was a necessity to this. But it was relatively recently that he had thought seriously of being there in person, given that the territory was volatile. He had been in New York a long time. Though he was used to it and would in certain respects prefer to remain here rather than Los Angeles with its arid heat, synthetic allure and powder keg atmosphere and patchwork of factions, so it was to be. He might look forward to the adventure and a challenge. He had always done what was necessary to fulfil his desires and ambitions and was therefore accustomed to moving, whether to learn from Kindred mentors or to carve out new frontiers of influence and wealth. But he had his doubts about whether this was a prize or a sentence.

It would never be a simple rule. There were more prestigious and older Princedoms. Los Angeles was not one. Wild and temperamental. An Anarch haven; lawless and reckless. A drought of leadership. He was determined to do an admirable job there. Surely it would be a boon to him and would, so it seemed, secure his favour when he brought it to heel for the Camarilla. But it would not be easy. He knew that authority never came without the burden of responsibility and hardship, however unappreciated it went. He had been there and he knew the types he would encounter. It was doubtful for him to ever have the respect of those determinedly hostile persons, but such a worthless thing mattered little to him. Such an admirable feat for him to bring that city under control. Who could not praise him then? He did not doubt his own abilities. But what he did doubt was to trust those that backed him. He had enough experience and just enough taste of proximity to the power of the Camarilla to have illusions remaining about it. He knew there to be little real regard for him, but rather just what he could do for them. It mattered little if he survived this, just so long as he paved the way enough for their purposes. He had learned that few, very few, could ever be trusted. But Sebastian LaCroix, for all his faults, was not one to shrink from what seemed insurmountable. He was admirable in that way. Even a bit reckless and crazy in his daring, though on the surface he might have seemed austere. He loved a challenge. And he embraced the challenge of change and difficult odds. Had he not been born to a time of great change when young, before his Embrace?

The Embrace and first taste of undeath were never pleasant. It had shocked him then.

He looked at the dark night now; his reflection thinly visible upon the glass. He could rationalise those feelings of distress now. Look upon it with the clinical remove of time. He still thought as a human then and so it was horrifying to realise what he had become. But he had come to some manner of stability in living this way. And, to settle into ambition for the great possibilities offered to him which was the objective he sought now. Naturally, he was still cautious of the darkness that dwelt in the heart of every Kindred.

He knew what he was. He had grown to have a level of detachment after these many, many decades, and wasn’t discomforted by the fact that the blood of humankind to which he had once belonged, was now his sustenance. But certainly, he did not wish to be a wandering wraith of degenerated spirit, within whom only bloodlust and feral malice remained.

He might have shivered at that thought. He loathed squalor and vulgarity. Whether in the form of Anarch escapades or the disgusting excesses of the Sabbat, such was anathema to him, whatever his own indifference. The night seemed still with sultry darkness. And, it was not yet very late. He had tasks to attend to.

Continue reading at https://archiveofourown.org/works/17571479

I will also cross-post on Fanfiction.net too here - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13191780/1/Fates-Traced-in-Blood

[whatisonthemoonarchive]

http://howwelldoyouknowyourmoon.tumblr.com/post/179115879383/36-couples-many-left-the-unification-church 19. Han Sang-kook   https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Fraserport.pdf The Moon Organization Relations with the Park Government In the late 1950's, Moon's message was favorably received by four young, English-speaking Korean Army officers, all of whom were later to provide important contacts with the post-1961 Korean Government. One was Pak Bo Hi, who had joined the ROK Army in 1950. Han Sang Keuk (aka Bud Han), a follower of Moon's since the late 1950's, became a personal assistant to Kim Jong Pil, the architect of the 1961 coup and founder of the KCIA. Kim Sang In (Steve Kim) retired from the ROK Army in May 1961, joined the KCIA and became an interpreter for Kim Jong Pil. He continued as a close personal aide to Kim Jong Pil until 1966. At that time, Steve Kim returned to his position as KCIA officer, later to become the KCIA's chief of station in Mexico City. He was a close friend of Pak Bo Hi and a supporter of the UC. The fourth, Han Sang Kil, was a military attache at the ROK Embassy in Washington in the late 1960's. Executive branch reports also linked him to the KCIA. On leaving the service of the ROK Government, Han became Moon's personal secretary and tutor to his children. In the period immediately after the coup, Kim Jong Pil founded the KCIA and supervised the building of a political base for the new regime. A February 1963 unevaluated CIA report stated that Kim Jong Pil had "organized" the UC while he was KCIA director and had been using the UC "as a political tool." UC spokesmen claimed that the February 1963 report could not be accurate, since, as noted earlier, Moon started the UC's predecessor, HSAUWC, in 1954, before Kim Jong Pil came to power. The term "organized as used in the report is inaccurate to the extent that it is equivalent to "founded" or suggests that Kim Jong Pil began the Moon movement. However, as described elsewhere, the UC took many forms and names and was constantly undergoing organizational changes. Furthermore, there was a great deal of independent corroboration for the suggestion in this and later intelligence reports that Kim Jong Pil and the Moon Organization carried on a mutually supportive relationship, as well as for the statement that Kim used the UC for political purposes. As the Park regime consolidated its power, Moon found himself with well-placed contacts in the new government. As just noted, two ROK Army officers, Steve Kim (Kim Sang In) and Bud Han (Han Sang Keuk), had been along with Pak Bo Hi, supporters and proselytizers for the UC even before the 1961 coup. Shortly after the coup, these two army officers, both fluent in English, became aides to Kim Jong Pil and, in their capacity as interpreters, became closely associated with other ROK government officials as well. Bud Han, for example, served as translator during Park Chung Hee's meeting with President Kennedy in November 1961. Steve Kim accompanied Kim Jong Pil on a tour of the United States in 1962, which was arranged by the U.S. Government. Pak Bo Hi was a Korean embassy escort officer during part of Kim's tour. The Subcommittee obtained a copy of Kim Jong Pil's itinerary for that 1962 trip, which showed that Steve Kim was part of the entourage which toured the United States, meeting numerous U.S. officials. While in San Francisco, Kim Jong Pil stayed at the St. Francis Hotel. There he met secretly with a small group of UC members, who were among Moon's earliest followers in the United States. The subcommittee staff spoke to a person present at the meeting between the UC members and Kim Jong Pil, who recalled that Kim told UC members he would give their movement political support in Korea, though he could not afford to do so openly. A former U.S. official who accompanied Kim during his stay in San Francisco corroborated the story about the private meeting. Moon Organization and ROK Government use and control of the KCFF Ties to Kim Jong Pil and other ROK officials helped the Moon Organization take control of the KCFF and use it for the mutual benefit of Moon and the Government. From the early 1960's through 1978, KCFF served as an important link between the Moon Organization and the ROK Government. The earliest U.S. Government reports linking the KCFF with the Moon Organization were in late 1964 and early 1965, when Pak Bo Hi was in Korea after resigning from the ROK Army in order to work full-time for the foundation. One report in December 1964 identified Pak Bo Hi as "the real leader" of KCFF and correctly predicted that he would soon return to Washington to work for the foundation. The report noted Bud Han and Pak's efforts to establish the KCFF, which was to be "the first step toward organizing Tong-il in Washington." In January 1965, another report stated that Kim Jong Pil had been using the UC "since 1961." It also stated that Steve Kim (Kim Jong Pil's interpreter) was connected with the UC and that Bud Han had requested help for the UC from a Korean Government official. The three Kim Jong Pil aides who were active in the early days of the KCFF--Bud Han, Steve Kim and Mickey Kim--all went on to assume more prominent roles in the Government. Steve Kim joined the KCIA, where he served for a time as liaison to the U.S. CIA. While KCIA station chief in Mexico City, he made frequent trips to Washington, and there was reason to believe that Steve Kim was Tongsun Park's "control officer" in the KCIA. Pak Bo Hi acknowledged having a close friendship with Steve Kim and said that Kim was an early supporter of the UC. Kim frequently assisted the KCFF. Bud Han was later to become ROK Ambassador to Norway. The relationship between the Moon Organization and the ROK Government is a dynamic one, changing over time. The Organization's close relationship with Kim Jong Pil and the positions held by Steve Kim and Bud Han in the Korean Government provided continuous access to influential officials, access Moon saw as necessary to attain his goals. Favors were granted the Moon Organization by the Korean Government, and, in return, assistance was provided ROK officials for the furtherance of government policies or for the personal benefit of the individuals involved. https://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Talks/Lim/Lim-851200.htm My Testimony to the Work of the Spirit - Byung Sook Lim (Wife of Ambassador Sang Kook Han) - December 1985 In 1956 I married my husband, Ambassador Sang Kook Han, and we had our first child in 1957...Around that time my husband was being witnessed to by Col. Bo Hi Pak and Dr. Young Oon Kim and was attending Principle lectures...my husband, like me, was not a particularly religious person...One morning...three elderly ladies came with Dr. Young Oon Kim...At that time my husband was an aide-de-camp to the commander in chief of the United Nations command...My husband's being an aide to the American general allowed him special relations with General Paik. ...Blessing of the 36 Couples and we were to be included...All the 36 Couples have fully dedicated their lives to the movement in full-time missions. But my husband was told by Father to remain in government service, and he did so until the end of 1983. He was the Korean ambassador to Norway and Iceland for four and a half years and ambassador to Panama for three years. It is my opinion that Father advised him to stay in government service so long in hopes that he could establish a positive relationship with the Korean government. http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/naf/NAF-1962-12-15.pdf New Age Frontiers December 1962 Page 6 Dear Miss Kim, Thanks you so much for your letter. In 1960, we tried to locate you in Oregon but later found you had moved to California. As you no doubt realize, activities of the last months have excluded any letter writing--even my close friends (your three dedicated students) Sang, Bo Hi, and Bud. I hope some day we can meet. Mrs. Butterwick joins in sending all good wishes. Lt. Col. John T. Butterwick 690 Geneva Place Davis Islands, Tampa 6. Fla. My comments: The name "Sang" in the letter above to Young Oon Kim most likely refers to Sang In Kim (from the Fraser Committee excerpts from earlier in this post)...while the names Bud and Bo Hi most surely refer to Bud Han & Bo Hi Pak.

[ethanalter]

'Star Trek: Discovery': Rainn Wilson on playing the mischievous Harry Mudd

Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd in Star Trek: Discovery (Photo: Michael Gibson/CBS)

When he hosted the Star Trek: Discovery panel at San Diego Comic-Con this past summer, Rainn Wilson made it absolutely clear where he stood on the Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate. “Well, Star Trek is just better,” he told the assembled crowd. Granted, the former star of The Office is a bit biased considering the fact that he’s now officially part of the Star Trek universe. But as he tells Yahoo Entertainment, he earned his Trekkie cred well before being cast as a (slightly) younger version of Harry Mudd, the intergalactic rogue that Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew originally encountered in two episodes of The Original Series. “My family would watch all the re-runs all the time in the ’70s, so I was probably 6 or 7 years old when I saw my first episode of Star Trek. And I probably saw Harry Mudd right around that time!”

Flash-forward to 2017 and Wilson is exploring the final frontier as Mudd in a pair of Discovery episodes. He made his debut in the fifth installment, encountering Discovery captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) in a Klingon prison. When Lorca staged a jailbreak, he rescued the mysterious Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif), but pointedly left Harry behind due to the fact that his cellmate was spying on him. On this week’s episode, “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad,” Mudd makes his grand re-entrance… and he’s none too happy about how Lorca treated him. We spoke with Wilson about how he devised his own take on a fan-favorite Star Trek character and when we’ll learn the origin of Harry Mudd’s fabulous mustache.

So this sounds like a dream role for you! Absolutely. Actors are always like, “This is a dream role for me,” and that’s become kind of a cliché. They’re doing some dumb show no one watches and are like, “It’s a dream role for me to play the dishwasher on the new action-adventure show, Chicago Pizza, on NBC.” [Laughs.] But I grew up watching Star Trek, so when they were doing this new Star Trek show, I had my agents call them up and beg for a meeting. They didn’t have anything for me, but I asked them to keep me in mind and months later the phone rang and they talked to me about Harry Mudd. I thought the combination of the dastardly rapscallion and the theatrically comedic was a perfect fit for me. So it really was a dream come true.

How closely did you model your performance after your predecessor, Roger C. Carmel? I had been lucky in that Dwight from The Office had the great Mackenzie Crook doing his version with Gareth, so I got to steal the best bits and make the other stuff my own. It’s the same with Roger Carmel, and his combination of the theatrical, the mischievous, and also the deadly. I wanted to accentuate that, and thought about how much fun I could have and how deadly I could be at the same time. That was really interesting, bumping up against the different colors of a character.

When I spoke with James Frain about playing Sarek, he talked about how he wanted to show how the character ends up becoming the one we remember from The Original Series. What was your mental image of a pre-TOS Mudd? There’s not a whole lot about Harry from The Original Series. I went back and watched his episodes, as well as the episode of The Animated Series. I think the Discovery writers did a great job fleshing out his backstory. The idea that he’s pursuing Stella and purchased a moon for her, and that she’s got a powerful dad he can never please. Also the idea that he’s got resentment for the Federation; he thinks their whole mission is ridiculous, the idea of boldly going where no one has ever gone before. Of course you’re going to end up in war if you do that! You’re going to end up bumping into a species that doesn’t want you on their front lawn. Of course, you don’t know how much of it is true, because he could be making up the whole damn thing!

Did you want to suggest how this experience informs the Mudd we meet later on in “Mudd’s Women”? You can’t link it completely because it doesn’t quite add up. When you look at “Mudd’s Women,” he’s had some interaction with the Federation before, but he’s a very low-level merchant trader. So it doesn’t quite add up exactly chronologically. But that’s OK — it’s the spirit of Mudd that’s the important thing. The Original Series had these really broad comedic episodes, so my larger mission was to be part of the great Star Trek tradition where these larger-than-life characters would be splattered into occasional episodes.

How do you feel about Discovery‘s darker tone in contrast to The Original Series? I think it’s a bold move. In today’s TV environment, you can’t really make a Star Trek show without the action element that J.J. Abrams brought to the movies. You can’t have an episode where they’re like, “Look here’s a planet! I wonder if there are Dilithium Crystals on that planet? Let’s go down and see! Oh, there’s a talking tree and a bunch of children running around by a brook. That seems mysterious, I wonder what’s going on?” You can’t do that kind of Twilight Zone-esque Star Trek episode; it’s not going to sustain for the audience. You have to be true to the original Trek and Gene Roddenberry’s vision, but also modernize it. I think the idea of a war with the Klingons — the darkness of it, and the action sequences it allows — gives the series a propulsion it otherwise wouldn’t have. Personally, I’m a fan of the episodes where the crew lands on a planet and there’s a reading they get from a rock that unravels this whole mystery. But I don’t know if those episodes can work now.

Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd and Shazad Latif as Lieutenant Ash Tyler in Star Trek: Discovery (Photo: Michael Gibson/CBS)

Can you tease how Mudd will make his return on this week’s episode? Well, at the end of the fifth episode, he was abandoned in the Klingon jail by Lorca, which I think was a pretty sh*tty move! Lorca absolutely should have taken Mudd with him; that goes completely against Starfleet protocol. He should’ve taken him with him and put him on trial for abetting an enemy or something like that. So Harry is pretty pissed off and he gets onboard the Discovery and sh*t is about to get cray-cray. I will say that I do get to fire a phaser, use the transporter, and sit in the captain’s chair. So talk about an actor’s dream coming true!

It sounds like we’ll be seeing a more vengeance-minded Harry than we’re accustomed to. Do you still bring some comic notes to it? It’s definitely another color from Mudd than we’ve seen before. Though he was pretty dastardly in “I, Mudd” — wanting to trap the Enterprise crew on the planet with the androids. So we’ve seen him be dastardly, but this is much more of a straight-up revenge episode. I give all the credit to the writers for writing in most of the comedy. I do try to bring extra elements — physicality and other things. But I didn’t improvise so much on this show. It didn’t feel right to improvise on Star Trek!

When are we going to see the origin story of Mudd’s famous mustache? I had the idea for the beard. I told them that if I let the mustache grow and be part of a beard, it would be a little less like Dwight from The Office [in space]. But Discovery has gotten picked up for a second season, so I think that’s what we need for Season 2, episode 7. It’s just called “Mustache” and it shows Harry Mudd shaving off the beard. We’ve gotta do that! It’s the origin story the world has been clamoring for. [Laughs.]

Star Trek: Discovery airs Sundays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS All Access.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Review: ‘Stranger Things’ is better than ever in Season 2 Saturday morning scares: Animation writer Buzz Dixon on the art of creeping out kiddos #TBT: Celebrity Halloween costumes 2016

[whatisonthemoonarchive]

Young Oon Kim and her spiritual son Bud Han - KCIA and Korean Govt Functionary!

http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Talks/Lim/Lim-851200.htm

Byung Sook Lim (Wife of Ambassador Sang Kook Han) December 1985

In 1956 I married my husband, Ambassador Sang Kook Han, and we had our first child in 1957...Around that time my husband was being witnessed to by Col. Bo Hi Pak and Dr. Young Oon Kimand was attending Principle lectures. Of course, I found that out later, but in those days I heard my husband mentioning a Miss Kim from time to time. I was a little suspicious.

One morning...three elderly ladies came with Dr. Young Oon Kim...They said they would continue every day for one week...by the end of the week...I couldn't wait for the time that I could go to their lectures and meetings.

At that time my husband was an aide-de-camp to the commander in chief of the United Nations command...One day...the wife of General Sun Yup Paik, the chief of staff of the Korean Army...wanted to come to visit with me. It is a very unusual and exceptional honor for the wife of a lieutenant colonel, as my husband was, to be visited by the wife of a general. My husband's being an aide to the American general allowed him special relations with General Paik.

About a month later, I was able to attend my first Sunday service... I was inspired by the young preacher's sermon. (I later found out he was Father.) Ever since then, I have been so grateful to Father for saving my life...At that time we had to pass Principle examinations -- first on the regional level and then on the national level.

During the course of those years, an unexpected development took place in my family. My three-year-old son, Chul Hee, all of a sudden opened up to communication with the spirit world...Our son was also able to see what my husband was doing when he was away from the house. One day he told me, "Oh, Daddy is with the Reds (meaning the communists)." At that time in South Korea it was inconceivable for anyone to be with communists, especially a senior army officer. But on that day my husband had actually been in Panmunjom at the 38th parallel, which I did not know...Not long after that he announced the coming of the Blessing of the 36 Couples and we were to be included.

All the 36 Couples have fully dedicated their lives to the movement in full-time missions. But my husband was told by Father to remain in government service, and he did so until the end of 1983. He was the Korean ambassador to Norway and Iceland for four and a half years and ambassador to Panama for three years. It is my opinion that Father advised him to stay in government service so long in hopes that he could establish a positive relationship with the Korean government. Finally Father told him to come back for a full mission in the church.

http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/naf/NAF-1962-12-15.pdf

New Age Frontiers

December 1962

Page 6

Dear Miss Kim (Young Oon Kim),

Thanks you so much for your letter. In 1960, we tried to locate you in Oregon but later found you had moved to California. As you no doubt realize, activities of the last months have excluded any letter writing--even my close friends (your (her) three dedicated students)Sang, Bo Hi, and Bud. I hope some day we can meet. Mrs. Butterwick joins in sending all good wishes.

Lt. Col. John T. Butterwick

690 Geneva Place

Davis Islands, Tampa 6. Fla.

http://old.freedomofmind.com/Info/docs/fraserport.pdf

Investigation of Korean-American Relations (Moonies, aka Unification Church)Relations with the Park Government

Page 24

In the late 1950's, Moon's message was favorably received by four young, English-speaking Korean Army officers, all of whom were later to provide important contacts with the post-1961 Korean Government. One was Pak Bo Hi, who had joined the ROK Army in 1950. Han Sang Keuk (aka Bud Han), a follower of Moon's since the late 1950's, became a personal assistant to Kim Jong Pil, the architect of the 1961 coup and founder of the KCIA. Kim Sang In (Steve Kim) retired from the ROK Army in May 1961, joined the KCIA and became an interpreter for Kim Jong Pil]. He continued as a close personal aide to Kim Jong Pil until 1966. At that time, Steve Kim returned to his position as KCIA officer, later to become the KCIA's chief of station in Mexico City. He was a close friend of Pak Bo Hi and a supporter of the UC.

One report in December 1964 identified Pak Bo Hi as "the real leader" of KCFF and correctly predicted that he would soon return to Washington to work for the foundation. The report noted Bud Han and Pak's efforts to establish the KCFF, which was to be "the first step toward organizing Tong-Il in Washington." In January 1965, another report stated that Kim Jong Pil had been using the UC "since 1961." It also stated that Steve Kim (Kim Jong Pil's interpreter) was connected with the UC and that Bud Han had requested help for the UC from a Korean Government official.

The three Kim Jong Pil aides who were active in the early days of the KCFF--Bud Han, Steve Kim and Mickey Kim--all went on to assume more prominent roles in the Government. Steve Kim joined the KCIA, where he served for a time as liaison to the U.S. CIA. While KCIA station chief in Mexico City, he made frequent trips to Washington, and there was reason to believe that Steve Kim was Tongsun Park's "control officer" in the KCIA. Pak Bo Hi acknowledged having a close friendship with Steve Kim and said that Kim was an early supporter of the UC. Kim frequently assisted the KCFF. Bud Han was later to become ROK Ambassador to Norway.

The relationship between the Moon Organization and the ROK Government is a dynamic one, changing over time. The Organization's close relationship with Kim Jong Pil and the positions held by Steve Kim andBud Han in the Korean Government provided continuous access to influential officials, access Moon saw as necessary to attain his goals. Favors were granted the Moon Organization by the Korean Government, and, in return, assistance was provided ROK officials for the furtherance of government policies or for the personal benefit of the individuals involved.

http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Books/Tims1/Tims1-35.htm

Toward Economic Unity

Bo Hi Pak

June 17, 1986

I also want to recognize a person from my own country, Ambassador Sang Kook Han. Ambassador Han is the executive vice president of

The Washington Times

and someone who works closely with me in all areas of our work, including AULA.