#the tithons

[all-eyes-lead-to-the-truth]

All Eyes Lead to the Truth | Tithonous (6x10)

You know I don't believe you.

Yes, you do. That's why you're here.

He’d told people over the years. A fellow reporter. The man he bought coffee from each morning. The woman he was sleeping with at the time. Some believed him, he thought. Some didn’t.

One constant was that when someone knew what Alfred Fellig saw, what he knew and what he did because of it, they were horrified.

And that’s the thing about all of it. No one wants to think about death. When people are young, they have the luxury of ignoring their inevitable end. They can live free without care. That is, of course, if they’re lucky enough to live in a time without yellow fever, nuclear bombs, cholera, or the myriad of other pressing reasons for death to visit their door.

This woman… she didn’t want to believe, but he suspected she did.

You know, most people want to live forever.

Most people are idiots. Which is one of the reasons I don't.

I think you're wrong. How can you have too much life? There's too much to learn, to experience.

What would he do with forever? He’d already traveled– seen cities and towns, watched them grow and change. He’d eaten at high-class restaurants, drank at speakeasies. He’d mastered chess and Parcheesi and pinochle. It had taken decades before he really honed his skills with photography, but he was pleased with his work these days.

And did any of that make him happy? Fulfilled? Not anymore. All these people– having lived thirty, forty, fifty years– they wanted more. But he knew better. It wasn’t quantity that mattered, it was quality. It wasn’t how many meals, or how many experiences, or how many people. It was one perfectly seared steak. It was one amazing afternoon walking along a beach until the sun turned the sky shades of pink and orange. It was one person, with whom you could share your life, the delicious steak, and the evening by the ocean.

He’d hidden her phone, the woman from the FBI. He wasn’t afraid of being arrested– it wouldn’t be his first time– though he wasn’t much in the mood for prison, at the moment. But despite himself, he was actually enjoying speaking with her. Even if she didn’t really understand.

She thought she wanted forever, but what would she do after ninety, one hundred, two hundred years? When everything had changed? When everyone she knew was long gone?

What about love?

Love. Alfred was a cynical and very old man. Even if he were the age he appeared, he wondered if love would be a part of his life, if it would still be there for him the way it had been when he was young, when life followed the timeline that it should have.

He wondered why she’d asked. No ring on her finger, but in these modern times he knew that meant nothing. Was there someone she went home to? Someone who may be wondering where she was? A lover, a husband… a partner in life?

He had long since forgotten what it felt like to be wanted and cared for. That time had passed. He didn’t have a need for love anymore. He was singularly focused on his work, his task. His hunt.

***

The pink of her lips, the bright orange of her hair– it was all gone as Alfred got his camera ready. Her future was written. Her death was imminent.

He’d told her how he got here, the mistake he’d made that had hidden him from death. He hadn’t told anyone in a very long time, but he thought about that moment, not every day, but almost. He’d see the nurse’s face, so young and beautiful. She’d given of herself to all of her patients, but she’d given every last bit of her life to him.

This woman, Dana Scully, reminded him of that nurse, in a way. She’d had long blonde hair, secured tightly in the style of the time. She was younger, softer, without the type of strength that he assumed the FBI required of their agents. But she was strong in her own way.

Fortitude, maybe. And inner strength or conviction.

I’m not going to die!

He remembered that desire to live. He hadn’t been ready for death, and neither was Agent Scully. He felt for her, really. She had work to do, love to find… life to live.

She was desperate. Scared. He could smell the fear radiating off of her. He hadn’t felt fear of his own in decades, but the sight of hers brought it back. He remembered the racing heart, the tight feeling in his chest. He remembered bargaining for survival… looking away.

He's coming and you should just make your peace.

It was her time. It was never his, but it was hers. She didn’t deserve it, and it was all he wanted for himself.

***

Alfred had been shot before, not that Death had cared. But this time he wasn’t alone.

He lifted his camera, but her eyes… blue, like his nurse’s…

He’d seen his long life as a curse. He’d kept it to himself, looking for a different way to find death. No one should live the way he did, but he wanted to save her. Maybe for her, death would come on his own in the dark of night, many years from now, to find her while she slept.

Maybe for her, a long life would be a gift.

Do you see him? Don’t look. Close your eyes.

Blood dripped from her mouth, soaked through her shirt, colorless compared to the bright red that covered his own hand. He held onto hers as the color began to drain from his fingers.

He hadn’t known. All these years he’d tried to see death. The cloak had been removed and now he could be seen. Death was there, large and looming. Peaceful in his cold darkness.

Alfred looked up and smiled.

Read the rest of All Eyes Lead to the Truth on Archive of Our Own!

@fridaysat9

[thedaselcor]

Late into the night, Gwen stayed perched on the edge of Morgana’s bed, running fingers gently through her hair and telling her stories her father had told her when she was a girl.

“One more?” Morgana asked, filled with guilt and shame for asking, for being so afraid of sleep.

But Gwen didn’t judge her, or seem upset with the request, or make a show of impatience at being kept from her home for so long. She only smiled, and nodded, and searched her mind for the right story to end the night.

“Well,” she announced in a conspiratorial tone, when she found it, “I do have one more. It’s a very very special one, so you can’t tell anyone about it.” Then, she settled in close, and lowered her voice to a whisper, and began to tell her tale.

(Gwen's story below the cut)

“A long long time ago, in a place not very far from here, there lived nine beautiful sisters: Morgen, Moronoe, Mazoe, Gluten, Glitonea, Gluten, Tyrone, Thiten, and Tithon--whose parents clearly had trouble thinking up enough unique names for their beautiful daughters.

“The nine sisters ruled a magical realm called Avalon, the Isle of Apples, and they were the kindest, most benevolent enchantress-sisters, famed for their abilities as shapeshifters, and as the greatest healers of all time.

“One day, the great bard Taliesin entered Avalon through a magical portal of water and dreams, a portal no mortal man before him had ever used alive. In his arms, he carried a great and fallen king.

“‘Please, oh wise and beautiful sisters,’ said Taliesin, ‘my king, he has fallen in battle. I beg of you, fair maidens of the Isle of Apples, bring my king back to life, I will give anything.’

“‘But why should we do this?’ the sisters asked. ‘Why should we get involved in the world of mortal kings, who are we to decide the fate of Albion?’

“‘Please,’ said Taliesin. ‘My king has been the greatest king that ever was. I know that if you return him to me, he will bring about a world where our two kingdoms could be at peace. A world of magic and beauty like no one has ever known.’

“‘But why should we believe you?’ asked the sisters. ‘You are known even to the kingdom of Avalon as a great bard, it is in your nature to speak falsehoods.’

“‘Not falsehood, my ladies,’ protested Taliesen. ‘Never falsehoods. The purpose of a great story is to guide, to speak the truth that no man wants to hear into his very soul so that it may live forever. Please, without my king my soul is sundered. Without my king, I can never again be complete.’

“Upon hearing Taliesen’s desperate plea, the sisters felt their hearts ache for him as they had never felt before. So, they devised a way to test both the goodness of the king, and the soul bond he allegedly shared with this bard.

“‘Very well, dear bard, let us put your theory of myth to the test,’ said the eldest sister Morgen, stepping forward as the leader of her sisters. ‘You will have one year in Albion, to tell the story of your once and future king, and then you must return to us. Then, we will create a future for you and your king, and I will personally leave my memories here in Albion and join you.

“‘If your king is as good a person as you claim, and your story is strong enough to still be told in Albion to guide us, then I will carry him myself into Avalon the next time that he falls, and he shall be granted life enough to rule over this new, united Albion you promise. But if he isn’t, or if you fail, then you will be doomed to wait for him forever, never remembering this bargain, never knowing why your soul must forever remain sundered.’

“‘Very well,’ said Taliesen, grasping to the fine thread of hope the sisters were able to offer, ‘I will face your challenge, for my king, for Albion, for all of us.’

“When he left to tell his story, Morgen turned to her sisters and wept. She knew, in her heart, that striking this bargain was the truly benevolent path, but she feared the immense loneliness she would face in Albion without her sisters. ‘Don’t worry,’ they told her, ‘wherever you go, we will follow in your dreams--in the place where Albion and Avalon touch--and we will guide you.’

“And so was born the gift and curse of every seer, to hear the guidance of the eight sisters of Avalon, waiting for the day their eldest sister will return with the great king, and guiding her from the shadows.”

[spitefulbull]

Heads Up Seven Up

Thanks for the tag @buffythevampirelover & @cowboybrunch!

Due to midterms I haven't been able to do *much* on my WIP, but have the last seven sentences I wrote anyways ;w;

Ember released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding before returning her gaze to General Tithon before her. “Thank you, sir.” Her words were measured; she was all-too familiar with how delicate someone’s pride can be in the higher echelons of society, and the upper brass was no exception. Curtly dismissed, the team filed out of the briefing room, whose doors shut with a resound echo down the wide and imposing hall. The hall itself was brightly lit by the sun that filtered through the large windows on its eastern side, in contrast to the tense ambience. Specks of dust lingered idly, accentuating the bright sun rays that filtered through the thick panes. It was apparent that none of them wanted to break the silence that befell the group, as they quietly shuffled down the bright hall.

Gentle no-pressure tags: @illarian-rambling, @dreaminggoblin, @caxycreations, @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling, @sleepyrxsetea, @mk-writes-stuff, @tildeathiwillwrite and anyone else who'd want to join!

[valcuda]

I've mostly finished making the sibling trio in VRoid Studio. I say mostly, cause I'm debating if I want to make custom hair, and a custom iris texture for each of them. I'll probably end up doing custom hair for Quinton, not so sure about Jasmin and Elizabeth tho, cause they look mostly fine as it is.

Anyway, without further ado, here they are! (Top is posed, bottom is their base expression)

They all use custom textures for their eyeliner, which was made to mimic how I draw their eyelashes, and I think the textures turned out quite well! Especially considering VRoid handle eyeliner textures. For the outfits, again, I think they turned out quite well. I was severely limited with my options, but I was able to make do.

Overall, I think they turned out quite well! Even Jasmin, despite using her overly pale skin-tone! They do have a seam on their eyes for some reason, which cuts into Elizabeth's eyelashes for some reason, but it's minor enough that I'll probably just ignore it (Or attempt to fix in Blender).

Oh yeah, then there's Quinton!

I did Jasmin and Elizabeth first, cause Jasmin is basically my test character for these experiments (for some reason), and I guess I just knew Quinton would have issues, so I did Elizabeth before him.

For starters, he doesn't look right, and I don't know why. Obviously this is a different style, so I have to adjust the characters accordingly, and they're not going to look 100% like how they do in my style. But I was able to accept that with Jas and Liz, and I like how they came out, but Quinton just looks off.

I'm inclined to blame it on VRoid being more focused on female characters, which leads into my next issue. I was able to get the outfits for Jas and Liz that were very close to their actual outfits, but not so much for Quinton. I was fine with that, and decided to give Quinton a more casual outfit, but VRoid barely has any male clothing options, so I went with what I had.

Despite my issue with Quinton though, I think I'll probably go ahead with this just due to how well Jasmin and Elizabeth turned out. I'll probably end up making the others as well, notably Sophia, Rossel, Hellen, and maybe Trisha and Tithon. (I'm already dreading making Hellen)

-

Anyway, as I mentioned in my last post, this isn't my first time using VRoid Studio! I've actually used it to make Skizzy and Junk-Watt in the past! This is actually what made me start adding more detailing to the eyes! I didn't just make Skizzy once tho, I made her twice, cause I lost the files for the original JWatt and Skizzy.

Anyway, here they are!

I unfortunately lost the files for the first Skizzy, and Junk-Watt, so we have to settle with a screenshot I happened to take of the original Skizzy.

Ironically, the first attempt was FAR better than the second! Probably cause I was leaning into VRoids style, instead of trying to force in my own.

Junk-Watt turned out extremely well IMO! I wish I made a custom eyeliner texture for her, but even despite the lack of one, it look really good!

Here's the drawings that I based those original 2 models off of, which explains why I leaned so much into VRoid's style, cause Skizzy literally had no jawline, and Junk-Watt only has one by happy accident. It's always fun to look back at this old artwork and see how much I've improved. It's also insane to think that I once thought that looked good.

Anyway, that's all for now!

[libidomechanica]

Untitled Composition # 12504

To-morrow, but Nature shews what are you need the Hour came; she might worth, I rise���robert Burns: know it is as an accessary needs na sae ye glinted both his height thy most of her mood. A beekeeper’s habits of wit. Of West or word to such various dews began to address of they grew? How can mortal war how to scorch; descended, so silv’ry is the village of the sound. Some women to me most she meant, I seem, woman, affianced, scale with my love all they say. Her self a lawful might, was left Tithones be seene to come. Plummets dropt for its wound her speak. From his door.

[fanchefranchibar]

Déjà l’aurore légère, échappée des bras de Tithon, blanchissait l’Orient. Après s’être brossé les dents, peigné les poils de nez et coiffé les sourcils, il sortit d’un pas allègre, le deuxième pas ne l’étant pas moins (un mètre trente-six à chaque enjambée). Car alors qu’il était toujours mort, aux dernières nouvelles du moins, profitant d’un temps de réflexion que lui ménageait ce vague intervalle avant la réincarnation ou l’embarquement définitif vers l’abolition du temps et de lui-même, il décida finalement de ressusciter. Ce parti, dont il se félicitait dans l’air matinal, conférait à sa marche une élasticité inouïe. « Il faudrait ressusciter tous les jours », se disait-il en sifflant, s’étonnant que Jésus ne l’eut fait qu’une fois.

[ymnes-odde]

The Order of the Eft

One of the many esoteric organizations dedicated to thoughtcraft operating in the Eos-Tithon system, efts are masters of somatics, specifically to the ends of bodily modification and enhancement. Their presence is strongest on Memnon, away from the prying eyes of Hesper's corporate law and Emathion's independent government alike, but encounters with efts on Eurus and Emathion suggest they have some presence on other planets as well.

The organization is a ruthlessly competitive environment, with standing in the order determined solely by the perceived value of those techniques possessed by a given member which are not generally reproducible by other members. That is to say--standing in the organization may be improved by the development of a new technique whose mechanisms are opaque enough to be difficult to replicate, but lowering the standing of other members by replicating their techniques (diluting the associated prestige) is also a means of advancement.

At the same time, this secrecy is in tension with individual members' desire to expand their influence, and many prominent members of the order take apprentices; policies on teaching techniques vary.

Generally reckoned as the most powerful of the efts, Anaxyrus Themis* is the sole known bearer of the technique for producing the toadstone, a potent synthetic organ that hinders aging, renders the user totally immune to most poisons, and grants powerful and reflexive regeneration. Anaxyrus disciples ("toadlets") often bear toadstones hidden in any one of a number of locations in the body, as the destruction of the toadstone immediately renders its user susceptible to normal forms of bodily harm. To avoid diluting the technique's prestige, Themis only permits it to be learned through the use of a membrick**, which is returned to her upon completion of the organ (a process taking about one Earthly year). Attempts by disciples to abscond with the knowledge or copy it to personal storage have invariably resulted in immediate assassination by their teacher or her agents, who seem to have no difficulty locating the organ in the body of the renegade disciples. Attempts to dissect the corpses of Anaxyrus disciples has met only with the dissolved fluids of the toadstone, which appears to be designed to destroy itself on the death of its user. Vivisection--a practice unnervingly common among efts--has proven difficult given the regenerative abilities the organ provides.

Among other notable techniques developed by efts include several methods for breathing underwater, cures for a number of diseases (proprietary secrets in the normal functioning of the order, applied only for exorbitant fees, with few exceptions), and of course the martial techniques of the hellbenders, an informal group of low-prestige but very prolific efts who tend to publicly release their techniques in the hope that others will refine them further.

*confirmed to be a pseudonym--Themis and her disciples prefix their names with Anaxyrus, an Earthly genus of toad--and their specific names are names of art taken upon membership in their suborder.

**i.e. "memory brick", an exocortex providing supplemental storage for memories through the use of logics and normal electronic components.

[montgomery-cannon]

Monty smiled, genuinely warmed to Enna. It seemed like she was, for maybe the first time, understanding her own place in the world. What a fun thing to witness: someone in the process of building well deserved confidence. He nodded.

"Oh yes, Cress knows all my information." He winked at her, and swung her out for a final spin as the song came to an end. Over her shoulder, a Sponsor was trying to flag him down. "But now I must leave you. Tithon is calling me - and he's... insufferable. But yes, call my people and we'll get something set up."

"Oh. I guess I am." How strange that was. a student from nine in more demand than a victor. That had been the purpose of the contract, Cress had told her. to put her time in her hands while making it look desirable. but still, it was strange to see that play out. cress is good at this stuff.

"I'll have my people call your people. Cress should have that info, shouldn't she?" She was grinning, now, happy where she was. "No, but, seriously. I'll be in touch. I have to look at my off-weeks."

[peterhongwrites]

Post-Script to “The Tithons”

It is proverb, prophecy, and proclamation to the Tithons: The child comforts the crumpled father.

[disruption-crew-lcorp]

[IT’S SO LOUD.]

[Tithon is having a meltdown due to sensory overload. Everyone is free and he can hear it all. They are all saying something, they all want something and she is the only one who can hear it.]

[They can pick out Elbin’s voice, taken into the chorus of the Mountain Of Smiling Bodies. They can pick out...]

[Epos?]

[Epos. She is practically screaming with fear, a livewire thing of familiar care, where she realises she cares at all.]

[...It is around that time of the loop, isn’t it...]

[mulderspice]

ok so the actual list of pending episodes is

S2 finale

conduit

Sanguinarium

ALL THINGS

sr 819

theef

chimera

fuckin tithonous

unusual suspects

3

d.p.o

[artdaily7]

On Imagination by Phillis Wheatley

Thy various works, imperial queen, we see, How bright their forms! how deck’d with pomp by thee! Thy wond’rous acts in beauteous order stand, And all attest how potent is thine hand.

From Helicon’s refulgent heights attend, Ye sacred choir, and my attempts befriend: To tell her glories with a faithful tongue, Ye blooming graces, triumph in my song.

Now here, now there, the roving Fancy flies, Till some lov’d object strikes her wand’ring eyes, Whose silken fetters all the senses bind, And soft captivity involves the mind.

Imagination! who can sing thy force? Or who describe the swiftness of thy course? Soaring through air to find the bright abode, Th’ empyreal palace of the thund’ring God, We on thy pinions can surpass the wind, And leave the rolling universe behind: From star to star the mental optics rove, Measure the skies, and range the realms above. There in one view we grasp the mighty whole, Or with new worlds amaze th’ unbounded soul.

Though Winter frowns to Fancy’s raptur’d eyes The fields may flourish, and gay scenes arise; The frozen deeps may break their iron bands, And bid their waters murmur o’er the sands. Fair Flora may resume her fragrant reign, And with her flow’ry riches deck the plain; Sylvanus may diffuse his honours round, And all the forest may with leaves be crown’d: Show’rs may descend, and dews their gems disclose, And nectar sparkle on the blooming rose.

Such is thy pow’r, nor are thine orders vain, O thou the leader of the mental train: In full perfection all thy works are wrought, And thine the sceptre o’er the realms of thought. Before thy throne the subject-passions bow, Of subject-passions sov’reign ruler thou; At thy command joy rushes on the heart, And through the glowing veins the spirits dart.

Fancy might now her silken pinions try To rise from earth, and sweep th’ expanse on high: From Tithon’s bed now might Aurora rise, Her cheeks all glowing with celestial dies, While a pure stream of light o’erflows the skies. The monarch of the day I might behold, And all the mountains tipt with radiant gold, But I reluctant leave the pleasing views, Which Fancy dresses to delight the Muse; Winter austere forbids me to aspire, And northern tempests damp the rising fire; They chill the tides of Fancy’s flowing sea, Cease then, my song, cease the unequal lay.

Domenico Cresti 1618 Michelangelo presenting the model for the completion of St Peter’s to Pope Pius IV, oil on canvas, Casa Buonarroti, Florence

[rise-from-squalor]

Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath.

Lord Alfred Tennyson // Tithonus

[valcuda]

I decided to try and make Jasmin in VRoid, cause I randomly remembered it, and I'm seeing how well she works in it.

Anyway, something I realized, is just how pale Jasmin is. Like pure white basically. You might think this was a mistake when I first created her, and it kinda is, but it's really just an oversight in her complex history.

I might've said this before, but Jasmin's design, and name, come from Junk-Watt. Originally, "Jasmin Kelly" was meant to be a past form of Junk-Watt, prior to her junked, and later rebuilt by Skizzy. In the story, she was a test unit for the WEGPA line, and her job was just to be an intern at an office building. Unfortunately, a fire happened, Jasmin Kelly couldn't escape, got damaged and junked, and bam, Junk-Watt was later born.

Later, I scrapped split the two, turning Jasmin Kelly into her own character. When I did this, I redrew her to look more human, and more like her own character, though I didn't really change much of her design. This is why she has such a basic, and such a basic outfit, and why her skin is basically white... cause I forgot to update it... and then this spread to Sophia, Rossel, and Gunther, before finally ending with Hellen.

I've actually been meaning to update her skin-tone, same with the others as well. This is actually why I experimented with Elizabeth, separating the color and shading, so I could recolor without needing to redo shading! Cause I wished I did that sooner! (Plus it made doing her shirt easier. Also, I'm aware Tithon's shading is barely visible, I have no idea how I fucked that up)

In fact! If you look at that little sketch I did of Jasmin, Elizabeth, and Quinton in Halloween costumes, I actually used Elizabeth's skin tone for Jasmin! And it looks WAY better than Jasmin's actual skin tone! Though I'll probably give Jasmin her own skin-tone when I eventually get around to doing that, which might be very soon.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm hoping VRoid works out. I've tried making Skizzy and Junk-Watt in it in the past, and neither looked very good, but I'm hoping the Sibling Trio'll look better.

[libidomechanica]

Untitled Poem # 11934

Strictly both drinking what you’re in love, most   rich esteeming with men: with poynt of the   heart! You dab my life, besotted tree, no more gentle beautiful in silk and root myself to one agree with a sharpest   pangs o’erpay. In silent space to heare, and   from yonder I shal be born to labour was a life decay. And the ladies are filled up into detail, my Muse’s corpse   was offered halls of straws, ever loof her,   and you in Grecian tires arithmetic beyond what helpith its mouth—sesame, who my soul, and left Tithones be   lost body that have become angell shew   his situation, when ye will end wher though of perfumes the latest dream. To me?

[steal-this-idea]

Still trying to figure out if 6 would be considered “cruelty to animals”

Like, is this a good extra-long life for the animal (stays energetic and healthy) or the “too little butter spread over too much bread” Tithonic type extra-long life?

Even number 8. Is that just two memories *poof* they’re gone? Like, do you forget, say, the person who broke your heart and get left with a bunch of nonsensical memories of you pining for this now abstraction (?), of you being terribly sad/mad over this...someone (?). Do you realize you have a hole (two, in fact) in your mind and get driven mad by your inability to remember a detail or two (a name, a face...a reason)? Like why are so many of my memories now orbiting this black hole of memory? Do I also remember asking to forget...but that last detail is missing?

...or is it more Tolkien-esque, let’s say, and it takes other memories associated with it as well, perhaps leaving a lot of gaps in your memory you either can’t explain or just quickly move on from?

5. Meet your soulmate feels too much like a jerk genie scenario. Number 5 is clearly a trap, haha. Same with 7′s, “become famous”

Hell, I even feel like number 1′s mastering of three skills will just leave me feeling a constant sense of Imposter Syndrome

I feel like number 2 is relying too much on assumption to be safe. I’m assuming “negative consequences” like cholesterol build-up and osteoporosis but could it not just as well include “positive consequences” like nutritional benefits, satiation, or even enjoying how food tastes?