#we both understand eo so well

[mikimakiboo]

Time Travelers AU - Well, well, well...

I know I said I was gonna get back on track but I failed an exam and my grandpa's sick again so I'm really trying my best here :') I think I have ideas for two chapters after this one ? I'll try to write them faster than one month each lol :'D

I really want to get over Cross's time, I love this boy but I don't have much to say about his time sadly :')

Also everyone go check out @ancha-aus 's drabble because it is amazing !!! It takes place later in the story so I will link it again when we get there but still !! Go read !!

I swear I spend more time looking at dictionaries than actually writing the chapters, why did I gave them all dead languages

First

Prev

Next

The first night in Cross's house had been fairly calm, Horror and him had managed to make a bed for everyone, though Nightmare preferred sleeping on the bench on the kitchen side of the house, Cross couldn't blame him honestly, straw wasn't what someone would call a fancy beding, compared to it anything would be better, even a bench. Killer was very happy with the straws and kept making little braids with it, five in total, and he gave one to everyone afterward. Horror was fine too, Cross never heard the viking complain about anything anyway, so either he was really fine with it or he was just very polite. Dust was strangely excited, Cross didn't think it was possible to be excited about straw beds after having used the amazing couch in his house but here he was, mumbling things to himself as he sat on the bed.

It luckily hadn't rained, so the humidity didn't come in and they were able to keep a certain warmth inside of the small house. Usually peasant houses shared the space with the cattle and the warmth of the animals would heat up the house, but Cross was a knight, he didn't have animals, so he had to rely on fire, but as he didn't have infinite wood he would most of the time keep it to cook and use this heat to warm himself up.

Cross had been the first to wake up and had rapidly been followed by Horror. He saluted him with a smile.

- Dieus vos doinst boinjor.

- Kveðja, ér sofa vel ? Horror answered.

"Vel" meant "well", that Cross was sure, and he remembered Horror using "sofa" to say "sleep", with these two words he guessed he must have either asked if Cross slept well or informed him that he slept well. Cross nodded, both answering the question if it was aimed at him and showing satisfaction if it wasn't.

- Volez avoc moy aler a jart ? Cross asked if Horror wanted to go to the garden with him, pointing at the door.

He needed to pick some vegetables for dinner and the others were still asleep, so he might as well grab them now and not bother his friends later. Horror looked at the door, frowning slightly.

- Ek þurfa vitja úti ? He asked, confused.

Cross was confused too, what did Horror understand ? He looked around for a second before grabbing a basket and showing it to Horror, then going to the door and signing for him to come along as he went outside and around the house towards the small garden. Horror followed, curious, and watched as Cross pointed at the different plants than at the basket. Did Cross want him to pick those plants and put them in the basket ? He slowly picked a carrot and looked at Cross as he put it down, seeing him nod, he smiled, and both of them started picking the vegetables, teaching each other their names. It was nice, and when they went back inside, everybody was up.

Cross put the basket on the table, letting Dust inspect it, he seemed rather curious about the vegetables, surely comparing them to those he had at home. He glanced at his countertop, he had just enough bread for today and maybe tomorrow morning, he would need to go in town tomorrow in the afternoon and buy some more. He could bake some, sure, but it was time consuming so he preferred buying already prepared ones. He also checked his water supply, he needed to go to the well.

- Eo dei a puit aler. Dust, volez moy sivir ? Cross gathered all his courage, asking Dust to follow him.

Dust looked up at him, thinking, his sockets always squinted a bit when he was thinking, and he ended up looking at Nightmare who was staring at the bench, well, not the bench, but the little straw braid Killer made him and that he had put on the bench for the night.

- Nightmare ? What d-

Nightmare flinched and sharply turned to look at him.

- Oop, sorry, didn't mean to startle you, Dust apologized, what does "sivir" mean ?

Nightmare hesitated, his gaze diverting for a second, before he talked, for the first time since the forest, though his voice was low, not as self assured as when he would talk in Dust's time.

- S.. suivre.. ? He stuttered.

Everybody caught that, but nobody commented.

- Suivre ? Dust repeated, like uhh... I know this word, I've seen it on social media... oh ! Follow ! Yeah ! He turned to Cross, smiling, yeah I'll follow you ! I'll uhh.. sivir vos.. ?

Cross smiled, feeling a rush of warmth in his chest, he just invited Dust to the well, he did that, oh god. He quickly nodded and grabbed two empty jars before heading to the door that Dust opened for him.

- Nos anteruns viste !

They will be back soon, he said as he went out with the hoodied skeleton, leaving the three others together.

- So... what's a "puit" ? Dust asked as they walked.

- Por panre l'aigue, li n'en estat gueres à maise.

He explained as simply as he could, telling him it's to take water as he didn't have any at home. Dust just frowned.

- Huh-huh. Well you know what ? "Aigue" sounds like "agua" in Spanish and since you've got jars I'm gonna say it's for water. That or wine. I don't know what people usually drink in the Middle Ages.

He finally answered. Did he understand ? Cross had no doubt he did, Dust was smart, he always figured out stuff.

- Now if we're going to grab some water I guess it's either a river or a well ?

Cross liked hearing Dust talk, he had such a sweet voice, so confident and yet always sounding unsure at the end of his sentences, as if he was expecting to be wrong about every supposition he made when really he was probably the most smart of them all.

- ... Did I say something stupid ? Dust frowned, sounding a bit nervous.

Why would he feel nervous ? Cross didn't see any reason to feel- oh god he had been staring. He quickly shook his head and looked forward, a purple blush on his cheekbones.

- P-pardon. He apologized.

- Okay.. ?

The walk to the well was... awkward, Cross didn't dare look at him, he didn't want to stare again, at least with his arms holding the jars he wasn't tempted to grab Dust's hand.

Once they arrived Dust looked at the stone well with wonder. Was it the first time he saw a well ? He did have water directly in his house, so maybe wells weren't a thing anymore in the future ?

Cross put the jars down, grabbing the bucket attached to the log above the well to make it fall in until it hit the water and slowly filled itself. Dust was watching carefully, bent over the hole, his eyelights were almost sparkling with curiosity and Cross could see the water reflecting on his bones... he would give anything to be allowed to hold him close and-

- It's full, Dust announced, straightening.

- O-oh uh, oil.. ! Cross was brutally shaken out of his thoughts.

The bucket was full, so Cross pulled on the lever until it came back all the way up to grab it and pour the water in the first jar, when he straightened up Dust was looking at him. He made a grabby motion towards the bucket.

- Can I try ? He asked, badly masking his excitement.

Cross couldn't help but blush as he handed him the bucket and watched as he put it back in the well to wait patiently for it to fill. He didn't think such a simple activity would interest Dust so much, and yet here he was, happily filling the jars with water. There was something childish and yet so attractive to it, Cross wanted to protect that, he wanted to protect that amazement for everything that surrounded him.

- Estrez tanz jolif... Cross said without thinking.

He instantly blushed, he really didn't mean to call Dust pretty. Well, Dust was pretty, but he didn't mean to say it to his face !

- Huh ? Dust answered, not having heard as he was putting the bucket back on the edge of the well.

- E-Eo diseie nos devrïens antrer !

He corrected, saying they needed to go back home as he grabbed the two full jars.

- Oh, we're going ? Don't you want me to hold one ? They look heavy, Dust asked him, going to grab a jar but Cross stopped him.

- Eo puys porter, mercit ! He thanked, telling him he could hold them.

- If you say so, Dust didn't insist.

Cross smiled at him, and lead the way back home with two full jars and a soul racing like never before.

He really needed to get his thoughts under control.

[dollesung]

dating the zerobaseone boys . . ?!

☆! ot8 x gn!reader. fluff. not requested.

a/n: i didn’t include yujin bc i’m not comfortable in writing about him in a romantic way, since we have quite an age gap. hope u guys understand.

% . . kim jiwoong

this guy’s the most protective boyfriend to exist ever

is big on physical touch as a love language

always have to have his hands on you

on your waist, holding your hand, even gripping your thigh sometimes??? this man istg

more under the cut.

loves taking you out in dates

is a big restaurant man

i feel like jiwoong likes “traditional” dating

like taking you out for dinner, paying for your meal, walking you back home

i mean you deserve the best treatment so

he’s also big on surprises

if he gave matthew a bouquet on his birthday, imagine what he would give YOU, his s/o

likes to listen to you talk

let’s you ramble about your day for hours

he doesn’t really mind it, even if you think you’re annoying him with your rants

his favorite past time is to listen to you so

can read you like a book as well

takes him 0.1 seconds to know if and when you’re upset

would always try to calm you down by holding you in his arms

hates seeing you cry too

he sees one tear fall from those pretty eyes and he’s already on his way to soothe you

“what’s wrong, are you okay? please don’t cry.”

overall he’s a big softie for ya

% . . zhang hao

zhanghao’s definitely the type of bf that just loves to annoy you

teases you to no end

he just loves to elicit reactions from u, i feel like

but really, he’s incredibly caring

won’t hesitate to pamper you at any given time

he even calls you his prince(ss)

especially when you get sick

boy!! this man is never gonna leave your side when you’re ill

always tries to make time for you as well

even if he’s super busy, he’ll clear his schedule somewhat

even if it’s just for 20 minutes

is big on updating you throughout the day

you’d receive texts from time to time, just zhanghao telling you about his day

“we’re on our way to the company” “gyuvin fell on the stairs and landed on his butt lol” “dw he’s fine”

calls you at the randomest hours of the day to check up on you

likes to make sure you both are aware of eo every day

because he’s afraid of you drifting apart

his favorite dates are the spontaneous ones

like eating in a diner at one random night or going out for a convenience store run at 2 am

will always be there for you

doesn’t matter what you need

a hug? a new bag? 15 million won? someone to help you hide the body?

he’s there to provide

% . . sung hanbin

hanbin is a bf and a mother combined into one

is never not coddling you

always makes sure you’re taking care of yourself

and if you aren’t, he will >:(((

big on words of affirmation!!

but i feel like he’s the type to try and hit all of the love languages as much as he can

but yours (and by proxy, his) favorite is words of affirmation

bc he never fails to praise you and tell you how proud he is of you

the first time he said reassured you, you cried like a baby

and he cradled you like one, too

is there to comfort you at the speed of lightning

whenever you tell him that you aren’t feeling well, his priority is to ensure that you feel better asap

makes sure that you’re prioritizing your health over everything

sends photos at random times of the day

“babe we’re in busan! wish u were with us rn :(“

the two of you aren’t big on going out

so date nights would be spent with just the two of you cuddling on the couch and watching a movie

although you end up falling asleep halfway through

he secretly loves it

takes photos of you when you’re asleep and sets it as his lockscreen

tries his best to make homecooked meals for you

but if not he’ll just end up ordering takeout for you

he just wants to make sure that you are always happy, healthy and fed

% . . seok matthew

now this man is the definition of a golden retriever bf

is the happiest when you guys are together

loves to take you out on dates!!

library and park dates are his favorites

just anything involving the two of you walking around together

is also a clingy baby

is immediately sad when you guys separate

spends most of his days thinking about what the two of you could do together

likes to listen to music with you

makes you lots of playlists to listen to

is also the type to facetime you for a period of time

when you’d be studying and he’d be practicing his vocals

likes to ask you for advice as well

he thinks you’re one of the smartest people he knows so, it makes sense

is fond of sending you photos of things he sees that reminds him of you

“babe look! this goat looks just like u ㅋㅋ“

teases you sometimes, but not as much

is also big on cuddling

boy if you guys sleep together.. good luck

expect this man to cling on to you so much

he’d almost be laying on top of you

likes to bury his face in your neck

this might sound weird, but he loves your scent so much

not your perfume, but your natural scent

it reminds him of home, almost

because at the end of the day, he always comes home to you

% . . kim taerae

another sunshine boyfriend

he’s just always so smiley when you’re around

likes to take buy you flowers and chocolates

you’d put one of the flowers behind your ear and he’d take a photo

later you’d see it as his lockscreen on literally every gadget that he has

likes singing to you

but also likes to hear you sing

even if you think that you aren’t good, he just likes your voice

sends you snippets of him singing whenever he can

is big on quality time and acts of service i think

whenever you go out on dates, expect this man to do everything for you

even if it’s just to tie your shoe or to ask for a napkin in a restaurant

you are a prince(ss) to him. period

likes playing with your fingers whenever you hold hands

he does it a lot, especially whenever he’s nervous

like before a performance

having your hand in his calms him down a lot

can also be a little protective of you

he’s okay with you wearing anything you want when you go out,

but expect him to wrap his arms around your waist whenever he notices someone staring at you outside

incredibly whiny when you won’t give him what he wants

“babyyyy, i need one more kiss, c’mon!”

i mean, who can resist this man???

% . . shen quanrui

make way for our young and rich tall and handsome charisma boss baby

this man is going to SPOIL you rotten

obvi buying you material things isn’t an issue

he’ll get you the most expensive things even when you complain

you need a new bag? he’ll get a louis vuitton. you need some clothes? there’s a chanel store near his place. you want some food? expect some gourmet takeout

he just wants to provide you the things you deserve, even if they are expensive

but ricky doesn’t just spoil you with material objects

he’s big on assurance as well

always making sure that the two of you don’t end up in any disagreements and misunderstandings

the thought of you worrying about him worries him

always asks your opinion on things, too

about his clothes, his singing, dancing, etc.

sometimes he uses that as a way to get you things

he’s send you a photo of a necklace one day and ask,

“baby, what do you think of this necklace?”

you’d say it’s pretty and boom, next day he’s bought it for you

if he’s big on giving you expensive gifts, he’s big on receiving handmade ones from you

he loves everything you make for him

handwritten letters, crotched stuff animals, everything

he keeps all of them in a box in his closet

and if you ever buy him any piece of clothing or jewelry

expect him to always be wearing it

because in a way, it makes him feel like he’s carrying you with him wherever he goes

% . . kim gyuvin

boy.. good luck

you just got yourself a bf and a baby all in one

i’m jk, but we all know gyuvin’s a (literal) giant baby

likes to be coddled by you most especially

acts just like a little kid when he’s with you

but that’s only because he feels comfortable being with you

loves to watch movies with you!

at home or at the cinema, doesn’t matter

buys you lots of snacks. like. tons

it’s his love language; to feed you

likes to go to fun little events with you, like music festivals or fiestas

this boy has a social battery as big as a truck, so prepare yourself

introduces you to his friends a lot

and invites you to their hang outs

you end up being a part of their friend group, almost

and everyone loves you because you take really good care of gyuvin

although you make sure not to mother him too much, sometimes you just can't help it

you end up buying him things he needs or calling him at noon to make sure he's eaten his lunch

in compensation, gyuvin likes to make sure that you are always happy

would be the type to say a random joke or to even embarrass himself in public just to see you smile

"babe, babe, what do you call a fake noodle? an im-pasta!!"

it gives you a headache sometimes but you genuinely love it about gyuvin

how he always prioritizes your happiness,

sometimes even above his own

% . . park gunwook

another giant baby, oh boy

but unlike gyuvin, gunwook doesn't require much care actually

you just give him few hugs and cuddles and he's good to go

requires a lot of attention from you. like. all the time

if you guys are separated expect to receive dozens of messages and facetime requests from this man

always wants to talk to you during his breaks or whenever he isn't busy

and he always has a story to tell you

he's a little clueless when it comes to dating, given how young he is

so most of your dates just end with either the two of you hanging out at home

or just a simple late night walk around town together

however, he does like shopping with you

he's not as "giving" as ricky, but he's definitely one to buy you a few expensive pieces here and there

especially if he sees a pretty bracelet or a nice pair of earrings

loves to surprise you with them

he's big on physical touch as a reward

it's his motivation

"ok so if i finish my chores i can cuddle with you? alright, got it"

boom he's washed the dishes and mopped the floor and cleaned his desk table all in under 20 minutes

physically relaxes whenever he's with you

like he'd be tense whenever he's out in public, always wary of everything he says and does

but when he's with you, it's like all of his worries wash away

he loves you so much

to him, you are his comfort

acehoons © 2023

[mindibindi]

So I rewatched this scene the other day and here is my take on the whole letter debacle. I think we all know that the whole mess was caused by them not actually KNOWING what was in the letter to begin with. Clearly, there was a lack of communication between the two shows' writing teams as well as some awkwardness around how to 1. explain Elliot's long absence, which is SO out of character for him (I don't care what they say, he would NEVER have done that to Olivia in a million years), and 2. reintegrate Elliot back into the narrative after SVU 2.0 spent several years attempting to assassinate his character and rewrite EO's history into something it wasn't (bad for Olivia who for 12 years was the pure cinnamon roll victim to Elliot's mean, neglectful and years-long mistreatment). Part of the role of fandom, however, is to clean up the messes that careless writers make with canon. So this is my in-universe fix re: what that letter was and more importantly, WHY Elliot gave it to Olivia.

So I base this theory mostly on the look above. Look at him. This is as uncertain as Elliot has ever looked. It's like he's asking Olivia a question. And he is. He is handing her Kathy's take on their whole relationship. He is saying: this is what I'm supposed to think about us, this is how I'm supposed to feel about you, this is how I am supposed to view our history. Right? Is this right? Was she right? Am I right? Is this how it was? Is this how you feel too? Cos think about it, Elliot spent years going back and forth between Kathy and Olivia, being swayed by one then the other, then the other then the other. When he was in Kathy's presence, he aligned with her. When he was in Olivia's presence, he aligned with her. It's not like he never disagreed with either but he loved both, shared values with both, respected their opinions and shared their course for many years. They were the most important emotional gauges for him of what was good and right and meant to be. And Elliot desperately wants to be good and right and follow whatever his Creator means for him to be.

Once Olivia was out of his life tho, he lacked the pivotal and improving influence upon which he'd built half of his adult existence and identity. During the time they were together, Olivia helped Elliot mature emotionally, helped him confront certain aspects of his inner life, past patterns and abiding behaviours. She helped him to understand their relationship, his relationship with his kids, his relationship with his wife. She helped him to be truthful, to do the right thing. She influenced his ethics and thinking as much as his heart. But when he re-enters her life, he has spent the last decade viewing his years with Olivia from the vantage point of his marriage with Kathy. I'm not saying that Kathy manipulated his view, deliberately or otherwise. I just think Kathy viewed the situation one way (a way that enabled her to go on, served her sanity/marriage/family/belief system) and Elliot's proximity to Kathy (and Olivia's absence) meant that he naturally came to view his relationship with Olivia through Kathy eyes (almost). His wife's stance on them helped him to come to a convenient understanding, to let Olivia go, to keep his distance, to maintain his marriage. There may have been some therapy or relationship counseling with their local priest involved in this process. But in time, Elliot fell into alignment with Kathy's view that he and Olivia were "never real", they got in each other's way and that, if he really cared about her, he would wish her a happy life with a loving man of her own. If there's one thing we know about Elliot it is that he can maintain an unrealistic and punishing belief beyond what would be reasonable for anyone else. If he had been in Olivia's presence even once during that time, Kathy's take on them would have been instantly debunked by their obvious chemistry and mutual attachment. But he wasn't. And lets also face it, the few times (one time? "Fault"?) that Elliot and Olivia actually directly addressed the state and nature of their relationship, they weren't exactly good at it. Neither were super clear or forthcoming. And that ambiguity, which was never once clarified, allows for Kathy's take, in Olivia's absence, to be the prevailing one, even if something in Elliot knows, deep down, that what he felt for Olivia was very real. Even so, during their partnership, he probably did wonder whether he got in Olivia's way, whether he truly wanted her to find someone with whom to live happily ever after. Whether she knew it or not, Kathy's take on his and Olivia's partnership activated the driving force behind literally everything Elliot does. No, not love. No, not justice. Guilt. Pure, agonising Catholic guilt.

Religions tell you how to act, what to believe, who to value, and yes, even how to feel. So no doubt, Elliot's guilt was compounded when it came time to put his and Kathy's shared belief system into words, onto paper, in ink, to sign his name to them. The honesty, authenticity and bravery Olivia had inspired in him wouldn't allow it. Because as much as he did believe in Kathy's take, some small part of him that remembered Olivia, their partnership, his own heart, still doubted. The part of him that belonged to Olivia, with Olivia, had shrunk and shrunk and shrunk over the years. He no longer had clarity on what she might have said or thought or felt, how she might have looked at him or argued with him or agreed with him. But doubt was a sin and Kathy was his wife. So he signed his name to her words, thinking that they were probably right and he was probably wrong. His doubts? Wrong. His feelings? Wrong. His memories? Wrong. What was right and wrong wasn't determined by him, by what he thought or felt or wanted. It was determined by a better being outside of himself. He was simply the sinful co-signer of their gospel.

So that's what he is presenting to Olivia here. The gospel according to Stabler. The belief Kathy gifted him, that has held him together, them together, that has enabled him to believe that he is good and right and aligned with God. That he's doing the right thing by Kathy, honoring her legacy. That he's doing the right thing by Olivia, letting her get on with the life he so selfishly delayed. He's handing it to her like Kathy handed it to him, to cosign. He's saying: I know it took awhile but this is what we were (weren't we?), this is what I think (do you agree?), this is where I am now (but I'd happily go back, just say the word). He's assuaging his guilt, guilt for staying so long in her life, for leaving it so abruptly, by presenting himself as perfectly as he knows how. At the same time, he's handing it to her knowing that there's some shrunken part of his heart that just had to act as doubting Thomas. There's a stubborn part of her in him that won't die and that it scrawled something far less perfect. Something brave and honest and resilient. In this moment above, I think that 98% of him believes she will read "his" letter and think: yes, that's how it was. What you've laid out here is good and correct and factual and mature and now that it is all behind us, we can be friends who wish only the best for each other and want nothing more than that. However inconvenient and disorienting it may prove for his belief system, his memory of his wife and his guilt-laden sense of self tho, the other 2% of him wants Olivia to say: no, that's not how it was, that's not what we were, none of this is true. You loved me and I loved you and now you're back and I look at you and you look at me and both of us know that, even after a decade, that hasn't changed. We may think it is ridiculous that Elliot thinks this way AND that he thinks that Olivia will agree with him, thank him for his generous words. But it's just the effect of time and absence. She used to take up 50, 60, 75% of his time, his thoughts and heart. But that has been whittled away over the years. He can't quite anticipate her the way he once did and has to assume that she has changed. Maybe, he genuinely thinks, she has come to the same conclusion that Kathy did. Because both of them are better, purer at heart than he is (remember him kneeling and gazing up at Liv when the truth about the letter comes out). He's just lost one of his emotional gauges, his ethical touchstones. But he still has her words so he casts them before the other emotional gauge, the ethical touchstone he lost so many years ago. He presents himself and his adopted, purified belief about their past to be judged by her however she sees fit. And, just like he did with Kathy, he will live by whatever Olivia pronounces to be true. Whether she agrees or disagrees with Kathy, whether she embraces and forgives him or casts him out, Elliot will take Olivia's word as gospel.

[enodia-polymorphous]

The Hesiodic Portrait of Hekate

This was originally posted in the Sanctuary of the Crossroads as a Hekatogia on 14/4/25.

Today we'll be discussing Hekate's earliest literary appearance in Hesiod's Theogony!

If you've been looking into Hekate for a little while, you may notice that she doesn't get mentioned very much in literature. She doesn't have a Homeric Hymn, except for being mentioned in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. She does have an Orphic Hymn though! And she has few, short, mentions in mythology.

You can find them all here: https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html

Interestingly, many of her mentions are from C2nd A.D., much later than a lot of earlier literature about the Greek gods (Theoi). You may notice, as well, how she is charactertised as a goddess who shows grace and mercy to characters transformed into animals, these being the origins of her "familiars" that we hear of today.

Though let’s go back to Hesiod’s Theogony! The Theogony is considered Hekate’s literary origins, and this depiction of her in the epic is even more interesting, for how different she appears compared to the Chthonic, restless dead leading, night-wandering Hekate we often associated the goddess with in modern times (this is due to a variety of reasons that we can get into for another Hekatogia).

You can find Hekate’s mentions in Hesiod’s Theogony here: https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/HekateGoddess.html#Hymns

Hesiod depicts Hekate as a great goddess of immense power and tîmai (honours, esteem, worship). Some scholars theorise that Hekate must have been a primary goddess from Hesiod’s home town for how he wrote about her, though this isn’t confirmed. This is to say that we don’t have strong confirmation of Hekate being worshipped in the way she is depicted in the Theogony. The closest is Hekate at the Temple of Lagina, where she was also seen as a great goddess and was a patron of Stratonikeia.

Deborah Boedeker even writes in “Hecate: A Transfunctional Goddess in the Theogony?” (which will be linked in further reading below) that the way Hekate is depicted with such honour over many functions and honours may make her a paradigm (a pattern, a model) for Zeus, King of the Gods. I suggest reading further into this article to understand what this means!

What are Hekate’s honours?

What is she depicted to have domain over in Hesiod’s Hymn to Hekate? Let’s first go over the quotes from the Theogony, and then I’ll write a list in a way that may be easier to untangle.

“He [Zeus] gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea.”

“…also in starry heaven, and is honoured exceedingly by the deathless gods.”

“whenever any one of men on earth offers rich sacrifices and prays for favour according to custom, he calls upon Hekate”

“Great honour comes full easily to him whose prayers the goddess receives favourably, and she bestows wealth upon him”

“…she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning, privilege both in earth, and in heaven, and in sea.

“Whom she will she greatly aids and advances”

“…she sits by worshipful kings in judgement”

“…and in the assembly whom she will is distinguished among the people”

“And when men arm themselves for the battle that destroys men, then the goddess is at hand to give victory and grant glory readily to whom she will”

“Good is she also when men contend at the games”

“And she is good to stand by horsemen”

“…and to those whose business is in the grey discomfortable sea, and who pray to Hekate and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker [Poseidon], easily the glorious goddess gives great catch, and easily she takes it away as soon as seen, if so she will.”

“She is good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock.”

“The droves of kine and wide herds of goats and flocks of fleecy sheep, if she will, she increases from a few, or makes many to be less.”

“And the son of Kronos made her a nurse of the young who after that day saw with their eyes the light of all-seeing Eos (the Dawn). So from the beginning she is a nurse of the young (kourotrophos)”

Our streamlined list of Hekate’s honours in Hesiod’s Theogony:

The earth

The sea

The sky/heavens (particularly “starry heavens” as well)

High honour among the gods

Ability to grant favour to mortals

Ability to award wealth to mortals

Ability to grant victory, dignity, judgement

Particularly, she honours and grants aid to:

Kings

Those “in the assembly”, perhaps a group of people, though not a particular one. Perhaps of the common people

Warriors

Athletes

Horsemen

Fisherpeople or those who work with the sea

Farmers (of livestock, particularly. Note that agriculture isn’t mentioned)

The young

Wow! Right? When we really look at how Hekate is depicted in the Theogony, she truly is a goddess of high honour and grants many boons across the board from favour, to victory, to wealth, to aid, while having domain over all the realms (note: realms “visible” to mortals - excluding, for example, Olympos and Tartarus).

And where did she get these honours?

“Hekate whom Zeus the son of Kronos honoured above all”

“The son of Kronos did her no wrong nor took anything away of all that was her portion among the former Titan gods”

“Also, because she is an only child, the goddess receives not less honour, but much more still, for Zeus honours her.”

Her honours existed from her origin as a Titan, being a close descendant of Gaia, Ouranos and Pontus (at least in this interpretation. There are a few regarding her family tree). She also received more honour from Zeus, when he became King of the Gods, King of the Olympians. I think this is incredible.

Does this mean anything for us, as modern worshippers?

It could! From my experience, many haven’t read Hesiod's writing on Hekate or other writings that seek to interpret it (I’ve linked two articles in further reading for your exploration. They are some of my favourite articles on Hekate). We do see, occasionally, quotes pulled from this hymn that help explain some of Hekate’s commonly mentioned domains in modern worship, such as this being her origins of having domain over all the realms, and therefore is the key-keeper between them (note: key-keeping isn’t mentioned in this hymn).

Though if we wanted, we could draw on this depiction even more, and perhaps call upon the honours written here. If you wanted, this depiction of her could transform the way you see her and the petitions you may request of her. While we have little confirmation of how this depiction of Hekate was truly worshipped in ancient worship, much of what we know of the gods these days is taken from mentions in mythology, and while cult/worship and mythology aren’t 1:1, we can still be inspired by these writings.

If Hekate is a deity you closely work with, it wouldn’t be remiss to pray to her for aid, or wealth, or for her to grant you favour in a judgement (of many sorts), or success in sports/competitions, or work at sea, or an increase of stock maybe in your pantry or freezer, or protection of your young.

Of course we do acknowledge that there are other hellenic deities who have domain over some of these things, such as Haides for wealth, or Ares, Athena and Hermes for success in sports/competitions, or Poseidon for work at sea -- though it’s not uncommon to first go to the deities you feel closest to. You may find different deities have different interpretations of your prayers! In ancient worship too, the pantheon as it was seen in Attica wasn’t the same as other cities or even in rural places -- the gods were honoured in ways that suited the lifestyles or cultures of different places. Such as how agricultural deities and nymphs were more prominent where farmers lived, though wouldn’t be elsewhere. If Hekate does happen to be a prominent deity for you and one you do feel comfortable approaching for these topics (and you’re open to her interpretation of your prayers), then this is a fine approach.

Does this depiction of her have to change your worship?

Nope! If the aspects of Hekate you resonate with exist only partially in these Hesiodic honours and mostly elsewhere, that’s okay too.

One last note to finish up, I find it so cool how connected Hesiod depicts Hekate to mortals. In an intriguing way, Hekate’s domain over the “earth”, given she isn’t connected to agriculture, and apart from her connection to livestock, (and aside from her connection to the underworld, which isn’t clear in this poem), could be interpreted as domain over the mortals and civilisations of earth with how many roles of society are mentioned in her honours, and how “whenever any one of men on earth offers rich sacrifices and prays for favour according to custom, he calls upon Hekate”. She may be closer to us than we think.

Prayer to Hesiod’s Hekate

Hail to the goddess of high honour, Hekate! The bard Hesiod weaves us a tale of your splendor. Gifts, awarded to you by the King of Gods and the Titans of the old generation. You have a share of the heavens, of the sea, of earth. You sit by mortals and graciously lend us your will and favour. You protect our young and vulnerable, oh merciful goddess. May you see your humble worshippers from the assembly, And distinguish us, in our worship, in our actions, in our honour. May you grant us aid, wealth, and victory! Oh goddess, who finds the games and battles of mortals pleasing, Beloved descendent of Gaia, Ouranos and Pontus, Daughter of Asteria and Perses, She honoured exceedingly by the deathless gods, And Zeus, son of Kronos, King of the Gods, Receive our prayers favourably, And if ever we have offered you rich sacrifices, May we be worthy of being granted your boons.

Further reading

https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html

https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/HekateGoddess.html#Hymns

https://knotmagick101.wordpress.com/2019/07/20/hekate-at-lagina/

A Portrait of Hecate by Patricia A. Marquardt. The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 102, No. 3 (Autumn, 1981), pp. 243-260

Hecate: A Transfunctional Goddess in the Theogony? by Deborah Boedeker. Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-2014) , 1983, Vol. 113 (1983), pp. 79-93

divider credits -> @enchanthings-a and @strangergraphics

[torchwood-99]

Eowyn's Will

"May I not now spend my life as I will?'

'Few may do so with honour.' "

Eowyn's one driving wish in a nutshell, to live her life as she will. To live as a being with a will of her own.

Eowyn having a will of her own is perhaps the crux of her character, her conflict with the patriarchal paternalistic men around her, and the expectations and limitations of her society.

Aragorn gently chides her for wishing to spend her life as she will, stating few have that freedom. And yet while Aragorn may be pressured and pushed by such things as honour and duty and conscience, how these influence his choices is essentially up to him. He can choose, he does have a will of his own. Often he chooses to act against his own inclinations (hide away with Arwen) but he can choose.

Eowyn cannot.

Aragorn; as a noble man in this patriarchal society, has a completely different understanding of what it means to live life as you will to Eowyn. Aragorn sees it as living life selfishly, seeing as his own sense of right and wrong is what causes him to go out and face hardships. Eowyn sees it as simply living as an autonomous being. A right Aragorn has rarely, if ever, been denied.

Both of them have had to act in a way that opposes their will on occasions, but for Aragorn it's because he personally feels a duty towards greater things. For Eowyn, it's because the very existence of her own will has been denied by those around her, and in authority over her.

'Where will wants not, a way opens, so we say,' he whispered; 'and so I have found myself."

The first time we see Eowyn putting her will into action is when she sneaks into battle, and brings Merry with her. This is in defiance of her uncle, and Aragorn himself. Once she looked to Aragorn to set herself free, now she's doing it alone. Back when she was begging to ride with Aragorn, she was still half stuck in the cage, looking to be freed by another, looking for permission from another.

She deserts her post, she fails in her duty, she acts out of bitterness and a longing for death as well as out of courage and a love for her kin and her land, and she's rewarded for it.

When she finally goes to battle, it is by her own will and her own will alone.

That is why I think the narrative awards her a victory (albeit a bitterly won one), that is why it vindicates her decision by having her slay he who wouldn't be killed by hand of Man, and has her win greater renown than she could ever have dreamed of. Because it was an act of freewill, riding to battle, bringing Merry, facing the Witch King, she does all this on no one's orders, but her own.

The narrative rewards this. it rewards freewill.

Now here's this line, from Faramir, after Eowyn reciprocates his love.

" Yet I will wed with the White Lady of Rohan, if it be her will. And if she will, then let us cross the River and in happier days let us dwell in fair Ithilien and there make a garden. All things will grow with joy there, if the White Lady comes."

Compare this to Eowyn's first introduction, when Eowyn is sent away by Theoden and Gandalf, where she waits on her uncle and her brother and their guests, pouring drinks while they sit and speak of weighty things, and even when she is being honoured, she is ordered to go to Dunharrow without consultation. An order that makes her feel as though she's in exile. She is silent, she stays on the side, and she serves. She has great value but no will.

Faramir speaks of Eowyn's will twice.

Eowyn's has been kept in a cage, kept on the side-lines, and denied choices. And here, when Faramir describes a dream of their future, he twice spells out it all depends on Eowyn's will, and he has them dwelling in a land known for its beautiful landscape, and building a garden together.

He speaks of of "us", showing he thinks of himself and Eowyn as a partnership, yet at the same time he also gives importance to Eowyn's personal will, and at the end speaks of Eowyn alone, Eowyn's influence and Eowyn's presence and Eowyn's special title, also showing Eowyn as independent being.

She is his partner but not his adjunct, and her personal will is valued enough to be spoken of twice, and his whole vision depends on her being willing.

She is neither side-lined as she has been in the past, left behind while the men join together to do great things, but her individuality isn't consumed by Faramir either. They're a team.

"Faramir, Steward of Gondor, and Prince of Ithilien, asks that Éowyn Lady of Rohan should be his wife, and she grants it full willing."

When Eomer announces Eowyn and Faramir's betrothal, he also describes Eowyn as agreeing to marry Faramir as being "full willing." This suggests a change to me, a small but significant hint, coming after Gandalf's speech, where Eomer is described as looking over their life together. He doesn't grant Eowyn's hand to Faramir, as might be expected in a patriarchal society. She does.

"May I not now spend my life as I will?'

Yes Eowyn, yes you may.

[yujeong]

Okk. I don't want to compare or anything but I don't get the people who's getting mad on Korn Tonkla scenes saying they had more screen time? Or shit. I mean tbh, I am understanding the plot of the series better because of the two of them because they are somehow related to all of the events. And Tonkla's situation is...... he somehow senses the other timeline which I think is an important role. And also, Korn! Like what you've said he knows Dome is dead, and at the same time he's with his brother who ’saved’ Dome. Both of the characters are pivotal in the series.

Also, I think that they are more talked about because a Bas and Fuaiz couple was not expected in the series, and at the same time their plot line is really good as well as the build up of their characters. And I've seen more & more people are falling in love with Fuaiz & Bas (as an actor) in this series.

But somehow, I get them because the main couple is GreatTyme but why does it feel like they are becoming more of a side couple. Also saw people saying that their ’plot line’ or how they were introduced to eo /wasn't it./

Thank you for giving me the incentive to speak about this issue, anon. I'm going to do it now because the new episode will come out in a few hours and hopefully I won't have to do this ever again - which I honestly doubt but anyway. Since I haven't seen this type of discourse pop up on Tumblr (thank GOD), I'd like to inform everyone that over on Twitter, there have been massive complaints about Tonkla, aka Fuaiz, getting more screentime than the main characters, aka JesBible, to the point of people tagging BOC in posts and demanding they give them more scenes with TymeGreat - as if BOC can just pull footage they haven't filmed out of their ass or something. It got so bad that Sammon herself saw them and AGREED with these people, further explaining how it was important for some plot elements to be explored now, in order for the rest of the series to make sense. Now, with all due respect to her position as a screenwriter: she's factually wrong here. Someone on Twitter actually sat down and counted the minutes each character is on screen and came out with these results:

It's not in English, but I believe the results are clear: Tonkla doesn't even come close to Great's screentime. He's a little closer to Tyme's, but the main character is Great, so he's the one we should be looking at. Also, in case it hasn't been fucking obvious, Tonkla is an essential character in 4 Minutes, which is why we're getting many scenes with him. The reason I mentioned the actors is pretty self-explanatory - people are mad their favourite actors are shown a specific amount of time, giving space to other plot lines and characters, instead of being there for the whole episode, as if the point of 4 Minutes is the romance between Tyme and Great and nothing else. Meanwhile, Bible himself was laughing and clapping and enjoying the flashback scene between Korn and Tonkla when they had their first time, because Bible wanted to be part of a good production, which he is and he recognizes it. But no, God forbid we get more context over KornTonkla, which is one of the most important relationships in the show, which guides Tonkla's actions, which moves the fucking PLOT of the SHOW. I could give the benefit of the doubt to people being upset Tonkla was shown for not even half of episode 4, but I won't, and the reason for that is because I'm sick and fucking tired of people getting their panties in a twist because a character who loves getting fucked is actually getting fucked in almost every episode. Good for him honestly, even if it's making him worse. (I've already ranted about this whole thing here, I'm not going to repeat myself) I don't know how your social media feeds are like anon, but mine are flooded with BibleJes + GreatTyme content and I rarely see anything about KornTonkla or Bas and Fuaiz or anything of the sort, so I can't agree with you that they're more talked about than the main actors/characters. (That's not the case on Tumblr though: I have a very varied feed + my lovely anon asks which give me the chance to talk about my boys and I'm thankful for that.) And I'm sorry, anon, but I'm going to have to disagree with you in the end: Great and Tyme do NOT feel like the side couple at all. They are and they feel very much like the main couple and they've had multiple scenes together in every single episode so far (at the hospital, in Great's garage, at the park, at the university, at the arcade, inside Great's car, at the rooftop of the hospital, at the warehouse, inside the tent etc). We've gotten plenty of fucking content for them AND also BOC has made sure to give Bible and Jes the chance to do a million interviews together + magazine photoshoots, with only half of the show being done, so fans have zero fucking reason to complain about anything. That's all. Rant over.

[mrs-monaghan]

Hi! Sorry if the question sounds weird…but I feel like this is a safe place to ask this.

How do you think Jikook handled their intimacy during The Soop, Bon Voyage etc? Also considering the ramen joke, the analysis going around about Jungkook putting on that jacket in BV and so on. Thank you!

I don't understand the question

But I think I get u. Maybe. I'm not sure. Okay we are gonna start from the beginning and I'm just gonna hope this is what u asked 🤭🤭

Bon Voyage season 1:

Well, we know JK ditches Suga to go sleep with Jimin in the living room. Which awwww 🥺🥺🥺

Tweet

BUT, I dont think the SEVENing took place in there. I'm thinking the laundry room. It would explain why they liked doing laundry so much 🤭🤭🤭

I imagine the boat would have been harder, too many people in one room. But if they wanted I'm sure they found a way 😁

Bon Voyage season 2:

This one is easy. They play for rooms, JK looses and he ain't happy to be sleeping on the couch. So Jimin sees his baby is sad n he naturally offers to switch

But JK chooses to sleep on the floor, turning down the offer. Surprising since he knows Yoonmin are sharing a bed. But maybe he'd rather not sleep with Suga 🤭 I'm kidding... I'm kidding 😂😂😂 This was probably JK's hyung kink at play where he likes to look after Jimin. So he'd rather be uncomfortable than have Jimin be uncomfortable.

Anyway, this is further down into episode 7 but u can see Yoonmin are in bed right before Jimin sneaks out the room.

You know he's not just leaving but sneaking out coz he's checking to see if Suga is asleep.

Justice for Suga. Jikook always be ditching him for eo 😂😂😂 anygays, seeing Jimin sneak out in ep 7 tells me he probably did it for the duration of their stay in that house. Coz in the next house, JK lost on purpose and they ended up sharing this room that we never saw the inside of

All we got was a sus photo of JK with smeared lipstick.

Anyone having flashbacks of Osaka Vlive?? 😂🤭 He he he heee...

Then we have the origin of Jikook doing laundry. Of course this is suspicious off the bat. But even more reason is because their stories weren't matching. According to JK, they stayed up till late doing laundry. So from him, they were doing laundry for most of the night.

But according to Jimin laundry was done in the morning???

Well, which is it Jikook????

Anon, these motherfuckers were SEVENing plenty in Hawaii. 👀

Bon Voyage season 3:

I don't really need to delve into this one, do I? Even the most out of touch person knows Jikook were sharing a room. I mean, Jimin was not only supposed to share a room with Suga and Jin, but he was supposed to share a bed with Jin. Now, why tf would he do that when his boyfriend had a room all to himself??

Anyway, analysis by Mizgator here. Timestamp 7:00

I also believe Jimin continued to sleep in that room even after V showed up. Jikook were on their honeymoon after all 🤭🤭🤭

Real talk though, this is what friends do for eo. Members have excused Jikook when they needed the privacy. That's just what people do. I know its bros before hoes, but who is the ho to V if both are his bros?? 😂

Moving on to Bon Voyage season 4:

I already covered how in the first house the SEVENing took place in the RV. So let's move on to camping. Now this is a bit hard to gauge when/where intimacy would have taken place. It was only 2 nights that they camped anyway, so maybe nothing happened during this time? BUT, like I will say many times during this post; it dont matter. If they wanted to SEVEN, it happened irregardless of location.

(There was however some camping sleeping drama that took place. I talk about that here. It has nothing to do with the topic at hand, I just like to bring it up coz I like drama 🤪)

Now onto the second and final house. First of all, we are going to quickly gloss over JK following Vhopemin into this room with all his luggage.

He has no business being there seeing as his roommate was RM. 🤦🏽‍♀️ Oh how satellite Jeon i do love you. 🤭🤭

So anygays, at some point you hear Jimin calling Jhope's name urgently

And then they start whispering and giggling like little kids.

Now that could just be Jihope well, Jihoping but this was when people were going to their rooms. I wouldn't put it past Jimin to enlist his bestfriend's help on Jikook getting a room to themselves at some point.

Like I've mentioned b4, cameras aren't always filming, and friends do each other these kinds of favors all the time. In any case this was a big ass house if Jikook wanted to get their groove on, they got it done.

I think we are good on the BVs so let's move onto In the Soops.

In The Soop season 1:

Here i talk about how JK used to spend the night in what was supposed to be Vmin's room. So that's that. Also if I was them I would have considered using that boat to SEVEN for sure. I hope they did. I mean, they wouldn't have to do nothing. Just let the waves do all the work

Mosquito net incident i dont think they did anything beyond making out, really. JK lost his hoodie, yeah. But Jimin looked the exact same way coming out like he did going in.

So clearly he didn't shed his clothes.

In The Soop season 2:

First there was Jimin's room. And then JK's and Bam's house... I can see it. Especially when JK asked Jimin if he wanted ramen and Jimin ran towards JK's house. I think he got his ramen 😏😏 Something tells me Jimin didn't actually leave, here.

He pretended to, but i don't think he did. I think he stayed and they either turned off the cams or covered them. But I've always had a feeling he didn't actually leave.

But while that's speculation, this however, I think this is a given---> I talk about the drone incident and them going to the forest/bushes 🤭 here. Why would they need to get rid of the camera unless they went to shout in each other's briefcases? 🤷🏽‍♀️ or even to SEVEN? One can get real creative on that ATV. Just saying... 😌😌😌

I knew it was game over because of the way Jimin looked at the camera here.

Look at his faceeeee

He was NOT a fan of that camera in that moment. It's giving flashbacks to this summer package

And then the way they both look at the camera again before taking off

He he heee.... if you ever watch these reality shows again just pay attention to how many times they glance at cameras. Its so funny. It's not really a surprise they waved away that drone for some privacy.

Thanks for the ask, anon. I believe that about covers it, yes?

[rebs99dream]

Dylan is actually a weirdo and a psychopath and he's ugly and honestly if he was short ppl would hate hime

I wouldn't say all that 😭 I mean he has good pictures and bad pictures just like Eric. He was a little weird/awkward, they both were, that was like the whole reason they got bullied. I do think he has so many fans because he's a tall blue eyed blonde haired white man but also.... he has an abundance of information? He was more liked both living and dead, and he did have a better support system, his mom is also kinda the face of Columbine research so ofc we're going to hear more about him than Eric who was basically the black sheep of the family. Even Eric's friends were mainly there bc of Dylan. My only actual gripe with Dylan is that people treat him like he ALSO didn't walk into the school and shoot people. He was the first to talk about it (which is a fact a lot don't like) and he had a lot of fault in the incident before that as well (the van incident). However, I can acknowledge the only reason he gets such a free pass is because he has been more humanised than Eric. The Harris' did what they always did and ignored Eric while the Klebolds did what they always did and boosted their golden boy. Which at the time compared to their other son, Byron, it is not hard to see why they held him to that standard.

Dylan was a good kid with a lot of issues just like Eric. He was a lanky awkward geek who was extremely introverted (and had a major drinking problem). Just like Eric, he loved animals especially cats. He had a huge friend group and got along well with his family. He had his moments but everyone speaks highly of him. It's not really fair to hate on him and praise Eric when they were 2 sides of the same stone. They had plenty of differences dgmw but they both fueled eo inner fire. He even went to the prom in his last week. He also was a heavy cutter so even in death I won't say it's fair to bully him (either of them) like this.

Ik I get the rep I hate Dylan but I actually don't, so please don't send me asks like this. One of the reasons I started researching columbine in the first place was BC of Dylan. Sue Klebold is one of the nicest women I have ever met and while I have some personal critiques on her and her parenting, I would like to mention it's her first time living and she was a better mother than mine sure was. Neither boy was a psychopath or aspd or whatever bs you wanna say. They definitely had many different levels of problems including mental help but they honestly are just victims of the 1% of Suicidal people that become homicidal. Maybe I'm just feeling sentimental or maybe it's my old age wearing down on me finally but it doesn't do any good to hate Dylan. Besides Eric wouldn't want that, Eric wanted to be just like him. For some reason he really looked up to and admired Dylan. Dylan was really the only person Eric relied on at the time so let's give it a rest.

I feel like when things like this happen we look for someone (or something) to blame and that gets us no where. In fact I think that sets us back, as we lose the compassion to understand these are all human beings. Sue Klebold, Cassie Bernall, Dylan and Eric, they are all just regular everyday people who each went down their own very different paths. Just my 2 cents you never asked for, save this hate for nik cruiser

[scribbles97]

WIP Wednesday

Have some of the Left Behind (Lucy AU), this section of which I was reminded about earlier today by this wonderful post of @arwensarboretum 's

As soon as they had returned to orbit earth, Lucy had put in the call. Sally and Val had both cried, whilst Michael and Kayo had nodded with their own private smiles. Their plan for what came next was already in place, each player knowing their part except for Jeff. 

“Boys, Ridley, stay here.” She directed as Alan confirmed a lock with Thunderbird Five, releasing her own harness, she looked to her husband, “Jeff?”

“I’m good.” He nodded, “Where do you want me?”

She glanced to the airlock, her look enough even after all that time for him to understand. His hands shook as he released his own harness, the jump from deep space having done a number on all of them.

“I want med scans on everyone when you get back dirt-side.” She decided, ignoring the chorus of whines and protests from the boys, “We just tested new technology that sent us to deep space and back in a matter of hours, I think your father will tell you a med scan is better than a full decontamination.”

It felt good to say it, knowing he was there to back her up. 

“Your mother’s right, kids, that week after the first Mars mission…” Jeff shook his head.

She wanted to kiss him. Though perhaps she’d wait until after he’d gotten rid of the beard. 

“So, what are we doing on Five?” He asked as she guided him across the threshold to the space station. 

Eos had already adjusted the microgravity to match the planetoid they had come from, John always one step ahead of the rest of them. She could feel the difference as the sensors in both their boots activated, pulling them down gradually. 

“Honey,” She took a breath, turning back to him as both of their feet made contact with the floor, she focussed on the scrap of material holding the shoulder of his baldric together, running her fingers over the dirtied and frayed material, “we had to change plans after Gaat sent you back out there, your Mom and basically anyone that knows anything about space, said that the time in the bio-pod wouldn’t be enough to fully counter the effects of the overall time spent in Zero-G.”

She hadn’t realised just how worn thin the material of his gloves had gotten until he nudged her chin up with his fingers. Tired blue-grey eyes met amber as wild eyebrows raised in question. 

It was automatic for her to return his touch, to reach up and run her own gloved fingertips along the line of his beard. Old habits from the Air Force had always left him with little more than a five-o’clock shadow, Lucy wasn’t sure she’d ever seen such a full beard on him, and wasn’t sure she wanted him to get rid of it entirely. 

“Tell me?” He prompted softly.

She nodded, allowing herself to smooth her thumb over the visible skin of his cheek, “your best bet long term is to stay aboard Five for a couple of months, we can gradually increase the gravity and give your body a chance to reacclimatise to things before returning dirt-side.”

His features fell and she knew it hadn’t been what he wanted to hear, it wasn’t what she had wanted to tell him either. Their family wouldn’t allow her to stay up on Five with him permanently, not even if she wanted to. 

“I want to be home Luce.”

“I want you home too,” She forced a smile around the lump in her throat, “but I also want you to be well. If we take you down there right now, we have no idea what issues you might run into.” 

She reached to his face with her other hand, cradling him there as one of her most precious things in the universe, “We’ve come this far, Jeff, and I know it’s not the homecoming we all thought about… it’s what your body needs though.”

He closed his eyes as he tilted his forehead to hers, his sigh heavy as his arms wrapped around her waist. She held on in return, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and not letting go. 

“I can stay.” She whispered, “If that’s what you want.”

His arms squeezed her before he pulled away, one hand still holding her hip as he looked around the ship.

“Where will you sleep?”

“Five’s had plenty of refits,” She shrugged, “John and Ridley have taken stints at living up here when the comms need upgrading or extra people needed for dispatch.”

His fingers tangled in hers, holding on tightly as he nodded to himself. 

The man had never been one to ask for help, and she imagined that had only worsened in his time spent alone fending for himself. 

Lucy knew Jeff though, and knew the way he had tangled his fingers with hers meant so much more than just being near to one another. 

“This is pretty overwhelming.” He admitted on a whisper. 

“I know,” She returned just as softly, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” He smiled to her, both hands touching her as if he didn’t quite believe she was real,  “I’m glad to be here.”

Looking back to the airlock, she took a breath, knowing the boys wouldn’t like what came next even though they all knew of the plan. She couldn’t even blame them, it had been their aim for so long to get Jeff home, they had all wanted him back so badly. Finally they had him, living and breathing, to talk to in person and hear in real-time his responses. Of course they all wanted to tell him everything. As Val had needlessly reminded her though, it had been a lot when he had returned home from Mars, when he and his crew had been in touch with Earth and had known of all the most important news. They had both found drip feeding the details much healthier the second time around. 

“I’ll go and send the boys--”

“I’ll go.” Jeff interrupted her.

She knew he was capable, that it would be no problem for him to jump back to Three on his own and speak with the boys before he returned to her. It was hard not to hover though, not when she could see so obviously how paper-thin his skin looked, how his suit hung baggy over his shoulders and at his waist. A small part of her was afraid that she’d turn around and he’d vanish, just like he had when he had sent her to bed all those years before. 

He could see her hesitation, how she pursed her lips to stop herself from saying the wrong thing as she looked back in the direction of Three. She meant well, he knew he wasn’t the man she had last seen leaving home after Alan’s bedtime story. He understood her worry that his body was failing him after so long under the strains of zero-g, and wanted to keep her near to him as much as he could bet she wanted to be. 

He just needed a minute though. 

“I’ll be right back,” He told her, reaching to brush a loose strand of hair away from her face just because he could, “Could you get the shower running?”

Because a shower was something he could finally have. 

“Yeah,” She nodded, taking a breath. He knew her smile was forced as she looked up to him, “Shower, then medscan.”

“Sounds like a plan, darlin’.”

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Hi there! So happy I found your blog! I also love everything Rohan 😄 I'm a linguist and am just wondering about the language of Rohan. Given your extensive knowledge of our beloved kingdom, I was wondering if you'd be able to share what you know about their language? I understand it's supposed to be similar to Old English? Would a modern-day English-speaking person be able to understand them at all? Or at least identify it as a language that is similar to Old English? Did the people of Rohan more commonly speak Rohanese/Rohirric or Westron? Did all of them speak/understand both languages? Thank you so much!

Hello, Anonymous! I’m so glad you’re here and that you enjoy what you’ve found so far! Your question, coming from a linguist, makes me a little nervous because I am very much not. But I have confidence that someone else will pop in to correct me if I screw it up!

Any discussion of Rohirric gets complicated by the framing device Tolkien used. We’re supposed to believe that LOTR is an in-universe history, written by people who were there and who wrote in Westron. So what we see as English in the published book is supposed to be Tolkien’s translation of Westron. He then picked Old English to represent the language of the Rohirrim as a way to demonstrate the relationship between Rohirric and Westron – namely, Rohirric is an older, more archaic language than Westron with some shared historical origins (though the shared origins between Rohirric and Westron are not as direct as the way that English descended from Old English).

That means Old English is just used to make a point, not to show us what the language itself looked or sounded like. For that, we mostly have Legolas’s description (“rich and rolling”, “hard and stern” and “laden with sadness” 😬) and a few individual words that are mostly found in History of Middle Earth. The differences between the actual language and the Old English representation is pretty huge! The Old English-style name Éothéod (“horse people”) is actually Lohtûr. The name Théoden (coming from Old English meaning “king of the people”) is Tûrac in Rohirric. Because we know “loh” means horse in Rohirric and Éomer and Éowyn’s names both have eo- coming from Old English for “horse,” their real names would start with Loh- as well!

So a real Rohirric speaker would be using a language that has no relationship to Old English and wouldn’t be intelligible to a speaker of any form of English. As to whether a speaker of Old or Modern English would be able to understand Tolkien’s Old English-based representation of Rohirric, I’m not sure. He clearly knew a lot about Old English, so I imagine his use of that is probably pretty good (though he definitely made changes, like replacing “þ” with “th”). And I know that sometimes, as a modern English speaker, I can recognize and understand Old English words, but only those that made their way down to us largely unchanged. If I listen to someone reciting a whole bunch of Old English, it still sounds mostly like mush to me.

As for what languages are used on a daily basis in Rohan, I think we’re supposed to consider that Rohirric is the everyday language. Appendix F notes that the Rohirrim “still speak their ancestral tongue” and the guards at Edoras in TT say that using Rohirric is how they recognize their countrymen and friends. But Tolkien also says the “lords” use Westron freely in the manner of Gondor, and even the Rohirric-speaking guards switch easily to Westron when Gandalf asks them to. That suggests to me that Rohirric is for everyone/everyday use, but Westron is widely known, at least for anyone who might be interacting with outsiders.

I hope that was helpful! And thank you for sharing in love and appreciation for my favorite place in Middle Earth! ♥️🐎🗡️👑

[gumnut-logic]

Polly

The Adventures of Chicken Dad by WhatGaviiFormes

This little ficlet was written for @onereyofstarlight with all the permissions from @whatgaviiformes to use her wonderful Chicken Dad AU for my own nefarious purposes - if you haven't read that AU go there now and read it. Lots of Gordon and Virgil and FishTank.

I can only hope to live up to the majesty of that which is Chicken Dad. In this we have some Gords and Johnny and a chicken that @onereyofstarlight gave him and I hijacked. Piccy above is the genuine Johnny and his chicken from her Stardew Valley game :D

Thank you to both of you for allowing me to use your creations :D

I hope you enjoy.

-o-o-o-

“Here, hold her for me.”

John suddenly had his hands full of fluffy white chicken.

“Gordon!”

“Shh, you’ll scare her.” Gordon bent down and made his own version of clucking noises at the wriggling bird. “Isn’t that right, Polly. Don’t let the spaceman scare you. He’s harmless, I promise.”

“Gordon.” But John said his brother’s name a touch quieter.

Polly, for all her agitation, eventually settled in his hold, turning towards him as if to inspect her roost. A single chirp and apparently he had her approval.

Gordon, of course, was grinning at the both of them. “You’re a natural.”

Natural what, was the question. John had come down to talks accounts with Gordon. There had been some good results with several of the new products they introduced this season and John wanted to discuss the options for next season.

Though he had to admit it was just an excuse to drop in on his brother. Between rescues and TI, John hadn’t seen Gordon in a couple of months.

The fact John had arrived unannounced this morning had led to hunting his brother down in the chicken pens. This one apparently only held Polly.

“Why is she by herself?”

Gordon looked up at him. “Polly? Smother-henned. The other girls won’t leave her alone. So we separated her out to give her a break.”

John looked at the chicken. She had a sprinkling of feathers around her head that stuck out at odd angles giving her a touch crazed appearance.

“I can understand that.”

Gordon snorted. “I thought you might.”

John frowned. That sounded pre-meditated. “You knew I was coming today.”

Another snort. “Of course, I did.”

“Eos.”

“God, no. She still hasn’t forgiven me for the Hal joke.”

“I don’t blame her.”

“Ahh, c’mon, I was complimenting her.”

“By comparing her to an insane murdering computer.”

“Eh, family is family.”

“Now, I’m considering taking offence.”

Gordon straightened up and turned back to him. “Aww, c’mon, Johnny, you love me. You know you do.”

“Yeah, well, family is family.”

Gordon gave him a flat stare. “Touche. Anyway, it was Virgil who dobbed you in.”

“Virgil’s in Germany.”

“He has a phone.”

“How did he…?”

“Hey, don’t ask me, I’m not the brother whisperer.”

John grunted and shifted his weight.

Polly clucked at him.

“So you knew I was coming.”

“Yeah. Thought it would be a good time to give you your chicken.”

“My chicken.”

“Polly. She’s been waiting weeks for you.”

“I don’t want a chicken. What would I do with a chicken?”

“Be nice. You’ll hurt her feelings.”

“She’s a chicken, Gordon.”

“Yes, your chicken.”

He stared down and the mostly white chicken with just a splash of dark spots. “I can’t look after a chicken in space.’

“I didn’t say you had to take her into space. She can stay here, but she is yours.”

“Why?”

“There has to be a reason?”

“Of course!”

“Well, Scott has a chicken. Virgil has several, he’s a bit of an addict, apparently. Even Alan has a duck.” Gordon threw up his hands. “What can I say, I wanted to make sure you had your stake here as well.”

There was something in Gordon’s voice.

John swallowed. “I have a lot of stake here, Gordon. You are here.”

Gordon looked away. “I didn’t want you to think I had forgotten you.”

“I didn’t.”

“Good. And now you have a chicken.” Gordon turned back to doing whatever he was doing.

John looked down at Polly.

She was eyeing him again.

He let out a sigh. Gordon was being Gordon, so understanding was optional, but he was his brother and love and support was mandatory.

“Thank you, Gordon.”

His brother still had his back to him, busily doing stuff. “You are welcome, Spaceman.”

Polly clucked in agreement.

“And Polly is short for Polaris.” Gordon finally turned to face him, a soft smile on his lips. “Maybe she can help you find your way here more often.”

A bird squawked in the distance and Polly sat up straighter, fluffing her feathers.

Gordon placed a gentle hand on his arm. “Anytime, John, no pressure. Just know that you are always welcome here.” Bright brown eyes gleamed at him.

There was something tight in John’s throat. “I will. I do.”

“Good.” Gordon smiled again before turning back to sweeping out the pen.

“After all, I have to visit my chicken.”

Gordon eyed him, but John could only smile.

-o-o-o-

[marigarb]

The mess with Venus-Lucifer

You know, with Venus in mythologies, some kind of mess is always happening. Sometimes it is a symbol of light and love, sometimes it is a symbol of war with a rather contradictory character. For the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Morning Star is the son of the goddess of dawn (Greek) Eos - (Roman) Aurora. He is described as an incredible handsome man who can compete in this with the local goddesses of beauty (Venus-Aphrodite). And in principle, he is a rather positive character there, heralding the beginning of the day. He was not among the main gods, no one made temples for him, but in poetry and just in everyday life he was often addressed. Okay, that is, we have a positive, light-bearing near-deity. Why is there also a Hesperus-Noctifer (Evening Star or Nightbringer)? Because Venus is visible well before dawn and at sunset, and the ancients thought that these were two different "stars", and when they realized that this was not the case, it was too late and they decided to simply leave them separately as convenient metaphors for the poetry.

Now let's turn to the biblical "Lucifer", because this is where it gets really interesting. This name appears in the Bible exactly once in the Latin translation, in a passage where the author mocks the Babylonian king who has fallen from grace.

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon."

So, first: in the Hebrew it says "Helel ben Shahar", that is, the Shining son of Shahar. Wait, what Shahar, you ask? And Shahar was the Canaanite-Ugaritic god of the morning. It is unknown whether this god had a son, and whether his name was Helel, I have not found any evidence, but maybe you will be able to figure it out. But there was a god Attar (the male version of the goddess Ishtar), who was also the personification of the planet Venus, and just had a rather ambiguous reputation as almost a god of war. On the one hand, his epithet was the word "terrible", and on the other hand, he was worshiped as a god-protector in some cities.

In general, Ugaritic mythology almost entirely refers to the Old Testament. There was a supreme god El, who created everyone and everything. El gave birth to lesser gods - they were called Elohim, children of El. (Yes, later they started calling angels Elohim). So there were a lot of Elohim, but we are only interested in a couple - Baal, Yahweh and Attar. There are a lot of things to think about, but as far as I understand, Baal was the local analogue of Zeus and ruled the other gods (Elohim), because El himself (the creator of the universe) preferred not to do anything special and dumped everything on his son. So Attar somehow sat on Baal's throne, but Baal returned and threw him down. This is according to one version, according to another - El himself offered him to become the supreme god after Baal's death, but the throne was too big for him, and he eventually went to the underworld himself and began to live there. Doesn't remind you of anyone at all, does it?) By the way, Attar's symbols were a bull and an antelope, so he was depicted with horns.

There is one interesting feature in the ancient Eastern pantheons, all the Elohim were not universal, but were folk gods, they patronized only one chosen nation, and fought against the rest. I mentioned Yahweh earlier, and Yahweh is the biblical god we are familiar with, whose cult appeared before Christianity and at some point he also became part of the Elohim. Over time, his cult became so popular that he absorbed the qualities of both Baal and El, as a result of which he was proclaimed the creator of the universe. But initially, Yahweh was the god of the Jews and only the Jews, and did not patronize other peoples. Remember the line from the Bible, where they said about "Lucifer": "I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon." So, in Ugaritic mythology, Zaphon is the mountain on which the supreme gods lived, that the analogue of Olympus. At first it was Baal's, but then he was replaced by the previously mentioned Yahweh. In the Bible, this mountain seems to be called Sinai (the place where God gave Moses the commandments).

So what happens: the God of the planet Venus tries to get the throne of the supreme god Baal-Yahweh, but in the end he goes into the darkness to rule there. Well, a pure biblical story about Lucifer as a fallen angel.

It is just not clear why these people did not like the planet Venus. Well, it shines and shines, so what? The thing is that ancient people REALLY loved to watch the sky. Really really. And they saw that before dawn a bright "star" appears in the sky, and they were like: damn, what does this mean? Then there was a sunrise, which blocked the glow of Venus and people were like: Hmm… The sun always defeats this star, Venus can only bring light in the darkness. But unlike the Greco-Romans with their positive Lucifer-Phosphorus, the ancient Eastern tradition interpreted this negatively, like: Ha, Venus, how dare you want to become the sun!

Well, here's your "devil". Now you roughly understand where it all comes from. And I look at all this and think: wait, so a huge number of people now live based on a rather chaotic mythological fan fiction of one of the ancient Eastern peoples? In short, I advise you to also check all this, google it, maybe you'll also find something interesting.

[vexic929]

Child in Time

Chapter 7

Warnings: implied child neglect

Chapter 1: link

Previous chapter: link

Next chapter: link

The pediatrician's office was bright and cheerful, colorful characters with vague resemblances to copyrighted ones decorated the walls and soft, kid-friendly toys littered the ground. Even the check-in desk seemed friendly, painted in bright pastel colors with wooden bead mazes embedded into the walls at toddler-height. Barry was anxious anyway.

With babies and toddlers running around it seemed to be more and more painfully obvious how...different Eo was. Sure, there were a few quieter kids but they all still seemed interested in playing with the toys if they weren't crying or sleeping. A little girl with brown ringlets toddled over to show Eo a block and he shied away, squeezing his teddy tighter with both tiny hands.

"Mr. Allen?" The receptionist called, her friendly tone bringing Barry back from his thoughts. He adjusted Eo in his arms and stood, walking through the doors into a hallway painted with cheery animals and floating balloons. The pediatrician, Dr. Rivera, greeted him with a warm smile that made Barry feel a little better.

"And who do we have here?" She asked, her voice as soft as her expression as she knelt to meet Eo's eyes. Eo chewed on the bear's ear, his big blue eyes fixed on Dr. Rivera with an intense stare.

"This is Eo," he said. "He's been staying with me for a bit, just...wanted to make sure he's doing okay."

Dr. Rivera nodded understandingly and gestured for Barry to sit on the examination table with Eo in his lap. As she began her examination, her tone remained soothing, explaining each step slowly and calmly as though Eo could understand her.

"So, Eo," she said with a kind smile, unwrapping her stethoscope from her neck. "Let's see how you're doing, hmm?"

Eo remained silent, his small lips pressed into a line and his chubby hands gripping his bear even tighter as Dr. Rivera continued. He wriggled away from the stethoscope and thermometer and kicked his foot to get the pulse oximeter off the second she put it on. Still, she moved through the examination with practiced ease, checking his eyes, reflexes, and motor functions, pausing occasionally to make notes.

"He's a quiet one, isn't he?" Dr. Rivera remarked, glancing at Barry as she typed in the notes. "No real fussing, even when I checked his ears - his hearing seems fine, by the way."

Barry nodded, his heart sinking. "Yeah, he...doesn't cry, actually...not really."

Dr. Rivera raised her brows in slight surprise. "Interesting." She stepped back, looking thoughtful before speaking again. "I do see you mentioned a few concerns here - developmental delays, like not sitting up or attempting to crawl. Was he in a stressful environment?"

Barry hesitated, his throat tight. He didn't know for sure but he couldn't imagine that the circumstances leading to Eo's arrival could have been anything but. "Yeah, I think so."

Dr. Rivera nodded, a small frown creasing her brow. "In cases like this, sometimes babies respond to stress by shutting down emotions and they avoid crying because they've learned it won't get them the comfort they need."

Hearing it confirmed hit Barry harder than he'd expected. He glanced down at Eo, who was clutching his bear even closer, his wide blue eyes not missing a single movement.

"So...what do I do then?" Barry asked.

Dr. Rivera smiled gently. "Well, the first step is to establish a sense of security for him. It sounds like you're already doing that but it'll take patience and consistency. The goal is to help him feel safe enough to express himself naturally and a big part of that starts with physical milestones. Right now, I'd like to focus on helping Eo consistently sit up on his own. It's foundational, not just physically but also in building confidence, and it will allow him to explore new foods and gain the core strength he needs to start crawling."

Dr. Rivera finished the examination, typing up a few notes on a tablet as she looked back at Barry. "Let's schedule some regular check-ins and I can give you a few exercises to help him start sitting up. Try to do them with him every day, just a few minutes at a time. The more stability he feels with you, the more likely he'll start to take small risks like letting go of that bear for a little while."

Barry thanked her, feeling a renewed sense of purpose as he left the office. He adjusted Eo in his arms, looking down at his tiny face. "We've got this, little guy," he murmured, planting a gentle kiss on Eo's forehead. Eo squeaked and nuzzled into his shoulder in response. Eo's past may have been filled with neglect but his future - at least as long as Barry had him - would be different. He would make sure of it.

Back at Joe's house, Barry set Eo on the living room floor with a few soft toys, staying close by as he lay a blanket down. He gently placed Eo in a sitting position, his hands loosely settled on both his sides to keep him steady. Eo stared up into his face, grabbing Barry's thumb and tugging at his hand as he swayed. Barry's phone buzzed in his pocket and Eo jumped, tipping over in surprise with a tiny 'oof!'

Linda: 'Hey! Just checking if we're still on for tonight?'

Barry glanced down at Eo again who had rolled onto his back and was busy trying to pull his socks off.

Barry: 'Yeah, we are, but I think we need to talk.'

Linda's response came almost immediately.

Linda: 'That's not ominous at all. Everything okay?'

Barry hesitated before typing back.

Barry: 'Yeah just maybe we do the date sooner? Lunch okay?'

Linda: 'Sure. Meet you at the deli by CC Picture News.'

—

Barry took a steadying breath as he wheeled Eo's stroller into the small deli. He spotted Linda near the counter, her expression lighting up when she saw him, though her gaze quickly drifted to the stroller with a look of surprise.

"Hey!" She greeted, leaning in to kiss his cheek before glancing down at Eo, who was clutching his teddy bear with both hands. "So...I guess this is what you wanted to talk about?"

"Uh, yeah," Barry confirmed with a sheepish grin. "This is Eo, he's...staying with me for a while."

Linda picked up her sandwich from the person behind the counter and gestured for them to move out of the way if Barry wasn't going to order immediately. "So, you're fostering him or something?"

Barry let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he searched for the right words. "Something like that." He tried to smile, though it felt strained.

Linda's expression softened and she reached over to take his hand. "That's…really great of you, Barry," she said, squeezing his hand. "It is. But I don't think I'm ready for this...this kind of commitment. I'm sorry but...if this is going to be long term, maybe we should take a break."

Barry nodded in understanding, a flicker of relief crossing his features. He'd hoped Linda would understand and in a way, she did. Her decision made sense, really. They were at the beginning of their relationship and Eo's sudden arrival brought responsibilities neither of them could have foreseen. He smiled a little, not entirely surprised but somehow grateful that Linda had made the choice for them both.

"I get it. Thanks," he said, his voice soft. She gave him a gentle smile, squeezing his hand one last time before turning to go. Barry watched her leave, a mix of emotions swirling in his chest - sadness but also a strange sense of calm. This was the right decision for all of them.

[canarysage]

Basic Adjustment Layers For Dummies <3

— as written by a dummy.

welcome to photopea for dummies, eos’ series on the website we all know and… “love”… photopea! if you don’t know what photopea is, it’s a free alternative to photoshop that can be used in your browser!

in any case, today we’re going to be discussing the average editor’s lifeblood: adjustment layers.

we’re not going to discuss all of the adjustment layers, as there’s about seventeen and some are much more complicated than others. for the sake of time, i’ll just be talking about some of the basic adjustment layers.

brightness/contrast

brightness/contrast is the first of the adjustment layers found in the drop-down menu (layers > new adjustment layer > brightness/contrast) and is fairly easy to use and understand.

as the name implies, brightness/contrast gives you two sliders—one that controls brightness, one for contrast. the contrast slider goes from -100 (low contrast) to 100 (high contrast.) the brightness slider goes from -150 (low brightness) to 150 (high brightness.)

this layer may seem fairly rudimentary, but makes a good foundation for all edits and can help set the tone of your entire psd.

— author’s note: if you need a quick way to make an image very bright, make a brightness/contrast layer and, without touching the sliders, set the blending mode to screen. then adjust the opacity as needed. it works well for a quick lighting fix, when you need one.

vibrance

vibrance is the fifth layer down in the drop-down menu, and marks the beginning of the category i like to call the color adjusters. i have no idea what the actual name is, so don’t ask.

similar to brightness/contrast, vibrance has two sliders: vibrance and saturation. vibrance is a lighter version of saturation—while saturation affects all the pixels of an image, vibrance tends to be much more targeted.

the vibrance and saturation sliders both range from -100 (least colorful) to 100 (most colorful.) it’s important to note that you should only knock saturation down to -100 if you want a grayscale image. i usually only push the saturation slider between the -30 to 30 range, but that’s just personal preference—mess around and see what works for you.

— author’s note: a fun trick to use is to mimic what i did in the image above: set the vibrance very high and the saturation in the negatives. it gives the image a nice pop.

photo filter

one of my personal favorites, photo filter is the eighth layer down in the drop-down menu. photo filter is a good way to collect your colors when they’ve splattered all over the place.

photo filter is a bit different than the layers we’ve looked at so far—it only has one slider, the intensity slider, which goes from 0 to 100, and has a small square above this slider. the square is where you select your color—click it and mess with the slider, or type in a memorized hex code if you’re some kind of color wizard.

most people have a general color palette in mind when making a psd, i’d like to think. photo filter helps to regulate these colors. if your psd is looking warmer than you’d like it to, a low level photo filter in #5b82a7 or #604db5 can help to cool it down. if your psd is looking too green, a low level photo filter in #af65c2 or #4a1a80 can do the trick. forgive me, but you’re going to want your color wheel for this layer. it’s easy to utilize, though!

— author’s note: a cool trick i like to use is to set photo filter’s density at 100 and get a pale grey like #eaeaea. it’s an easy way to desaturate your image without eating all of your colors. you can find this layer—or something very close to it—on virtually all of my psds.

threshold

ah, threshold. the best friend of every tumblr editor. threshold is fourteenth from the top in your drop-down menu, and is fairly simple to use. threshold has one slider, ranging from 1 to 255, and can be a little alarming if you don’t know what you’re looking at.

one of these days i’ll cover blending modes, but for now just know that when you’re trying to get a shadowy effect, it’s best to use darken, multiply, or darker color. threshold is an extreme contrast layer that breaks images into the whites and blacks. it’s commonly used to get a nice shadowy effect—you do this by setting it to multiply or darken.

the slider can be played with at your discretion; i typically have threshold as my first layer, and set it between 40-80, but it depends on the image.

— author’s note: i’ve also seen some people set threshold to soft light for real life images. i don’t typically work with these, and personally i don’t enjoy the look, but remember that nothing is set in stone—feel free to play with blending modes as much as you want!

and there you have it! some of the basic adjustment layers. i hope you have a greater understanding of photopea now, or at the very least a greater understand of my lack of ability to explain things. see you next time!

sincerely, eos

[ccapdis]

One Piece manga spoilers

Every romance stands up a chance //thoughts//

At this point, so close to chapter 1100 (omg), I think there are, clearly, things that can be extracted from the global image that the story and its characters give away.

In the case of Sanji's character, anyone who has kept up with the manga can easily tell that, for whatever the reason is, his role is significantly linked to Nami, and it revolves specially around her.

When it comes to Nami, Sanji is a dog with a bone. She's always his first thought, his first option when it comes to women and romance. He refuses to give up on her, and all his advances will go (mainly) to her.

"Rejection" from Nami doesn't com from despise or exhaustion. It comes with distance.

In fact, to this day, advances and attempts from the sort, when they are not made on Nami but on other women, are still softly declined or ignored.

Still, partially because of the lack of self-confidence, I doubt he genuinely believes that there's really a chance for him.

But partially, too, because none of them takes him seriously. And that comes with the joke: Sanji is the only character interested in women and romance in the crew. Probably the one who has more chances to end up paired EOS. Still, he doesn't get any woman.

It is no surprise that women can't take him seriously, as most of the time he's simping and longing for women/romance, and he barely ever tries to flirt expecting to succeed (as opposed to his initial character description he is no ladykiller (lol), in fact, it really surprises me that cover 1089 has him asking Nami almost directly to go on a date with him, something he has never done before with her or any other woman).

So to understand Sanji's issue with women as a recurrent joke on the manga (not getting any of them as much as he wishes he would), you have to appreciate as well the fact that he, actually, gets them when he is not trying so hard, when he is basically himself, the kind, pure and selfless version of him.

In summary, having Nami in the 1089 cover decline Sanji's invitation is in character and makes sense for both characters. It has no greater meaning. If we ever see something from Nami's part, it is going to go unnoticed to Sanji when he is not trying at all.

But back to the present and regarding chapter 1089, it is worth noticing too that at the end of the chapter Sanji is approaching Nami with his "hearty-eyes" despite Bonney being there too.

Since the Egghead arc began, Sanji's role has almost exclusively orbited around Nami and Oda has worked, from the beginning, to build a common thread between him and Nami, since the first scene of the Mugiwaras facing the Seraphim has Sanji fighting back the S-shark to save Nami and that was, too, the last scene we saw of him, repeating the first scene. I deduce that Oda has bothered to do so surely because it serves a purpose we haven't seen yet.

Last but not least, Oda loves making recurrent jokes and gags with Sanji; be it his bounty posters, and eventually Duval, him meeting for the first time a real mermaid, Kokoro, Hiyori and Hacock being all lovey-dovey with Zoro and Luffy respectively, and finally when the latest bounties came out and he was replaced by Jinbe in the third position with the highest bounty of the crew (implying too his legitimate position in the Monster Trio).

But we all know that Sanji is in the Monster Trio, and that eventually he's going to get back the third highest bounty. And as much as the gag of him with women can go on, eventually things are going to fall into place and Sanji will get his happy ending EOS.

[wowthesewomen]

Enterprise: Crew Starfleet personal Files

La'an Noonien-singh and the Gorn

La'an and the Gorn - Quotes:

101 - Strange new worlds:

L:"Not believing you're gonna to die is what gets you killed"

L:"Sorry, Captain. Just something my father said not long before he...well, you read my file. You know the Gorn captured my family's Colony ship and deposited us on one of their... planetary nurseries . Did not understand what he meant at first. But i had a lot of time to think about it. About why I was the only one to survive.

Do you know what i saw on the faces of so many of the people I loved as they died? Before they were slit open and fed on alive or used as breeding sacks? Do you know the last think they felt?"

P: "Surprise"

L:"yes"

P: "Because right up until the last moment, they...couldn't imagine dying"

L: "Yes"

P:"but not you"

L:"No. Not me"

P:" and that's what kept you....alive"

L: "The Gorn have a ritual. The last one...the one who survives...They send into space on a raft. Like throwing a fish back, i suppose. You're not really supposed to survive. Dumb luck the King Jr. ran into me."

P:" Una was an Ensign on the king"

L:" She helped me find my way back home. She's the reason i joined Starfleet.

104 - Momento Mori

L: "It's the Gorn, Sir. It's them. this was a Trap. The Hologram, the colonist as bait...they waited for us to be vulnerable. We're to damage to stand and fight. It's what they do first, run you down, use up your resources."

P:" Tire us out. Smart Tactic"

L:" and deadly. We have to find cover, regroup, level the playing field. You have to trust me, Captain. Please"

EO:" And the Gorn....really? We're out here fighting the boogeyman? No one has ever seen one. So how are we supposed to take them on?"

L:" I've seen them. They aren't supernatural. But they are monsters. The federation teaches that if we can find a way to empathize with an enemy then they can one day become our friends. They're wrong. Somethings in this universe are just plain evil. Have you ever seen eyes that are both dead and hungry at the same time? To them, humans are just walking feed bags of flesh and bone and jelly. The Gorn trigger a primitive, ancient, terror in warm-blooded species. We are prey. And when they hunt, they're unrelenting. The truth is plenty of people have seen the Gorn. They just don't live long enough to talk about it."

La'an to Pike:" The memories of what Happened are, um... trauma-inhibited the...it's all...it's, it's all fragments. bit....bits and pieces"

La'an to Spock: " I remember some, a lot is just...flashes in the dark, but i know I've seen those lights."

"You can help me. I've heard what Vulcans can do"

Spock:" The mind meld is not a short cut for dealing with mental trauma. resurfacing hidden memories can be painful, even dangerous"

L:" If somewhere in my head is the answer to saving the Enterprise, then that's a risk I have to take. I can't just keep running"

L:" This is a Gorn breeding planet. They brought us here as food for the hatchlings. Hunted us day and night."

L:" ....scared. I don't like this place."

L:"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was trying to be quiet"

Manu:" It's Okay"

L:" I was trying to be quiet"

M:" It's okay, it's okay. look at me La'an, it's okay. Right here, right here, right here, keep looking at me."

L:" They're coming"

M: Take this, It'll help you hide. The lights. I watched them. It's how they talk to each other. It's all in there."

L:" What are you doing?"

M:" You need to run, don't be afraid, don't look back, J...Just run. Keep moving, no matter what, okay?"

L:" come with me"

M: " I can't. Run, La'an run!"

L:"The lights...they're a code. My brother showed me how to read it"

L:" What about next time? The Gorn have never come this far before. They're opening up new hunting grounds"

109 - All those who wonder

Captain of Peregrine: " a week since we've crashed? Peregrine was mapping non-Federation space when we found three castaways on an M Class planet. A human girl, a humanoid of unknown origin, and an Orion named Pasko. We rescued them. Brought them aboard. But we didn't know what we didn't know. Pasko was infected with Gorn eggs. Biofilters didn't detect them. But the Orion knew. He set off a plasma grenade in Engineering, tried to end it. The System send an automatic distress call in response to the explosion. If I could reach Starfleet now, i would say stay away. don't come to Valeo Beta V."

L:" A little late for that, isn't it?"

L:" Reported missing two years ago"

P:" Help me understand. Where do the Gorn fit in?"

L: The girl and the two aliens were probably refugees from a breeding planet. The adult Gorn only harvest their young sporadically, so whatever was born on this ship, they are most likely alone. Don't take comfort in that, captain. They're equally lethal on the ground. It only takes one."

L:" four Gorn hatchlings. I count one dead, that leaves three. They'll mature soon, and then fight for dominance"

CC:"What do we do?"

L:" Scan for bio signatures"

"Still no comms. I've hits on our people, but nothing on the Gorn."

CC:" Does that mean they're gone?"

L:" I doubt it. Somehow they found a way to avoid our sensors"

L:" She's already safe. Gorn hate the cold. It's why you come back here, isn't it? Coldest place in the ship? It's where I'd hide.

"my brother died like your friend. The Gorn got him. I know what it feels like to watch them hurt the people you love. You feel alone. Nobody understands the pain. But look at me know. This people I come with, my job is to keep them safe."

M'B:"Medical officer's analysis."

Spock: "Fascinating. The Gorn biological makeup renders them invisible to all of out sensors"

M'b:"A genetic chameleon. That's how i missed them inside of Buckley"

M'b:" for starters, we don't even know what kind of species he was. And according to the file, the maturity cycle depends on the host. In the Orion, it took weeks. Humans, days..."

Spock:" These ducts in the mouth likely expel venom"

H:" Yes, and it burns quite tremendously"

Sp:" No doubt a toxin meant to blind its victims"

H:" it appears they have a psychic barrier to my abilities. I cannot sense them."

P:" La'an, Tactical analysis"

L:" The hatchlings have began molting, but they aren't fully mature. At this stage, younglings have an intense drive for alpha dominance. The two left will be the strongest, the smartest, and extremely hostile to each other."

" no matter what, we have to kill them now. We'd have no chance even against one adult Gorn"

M'b:" These younglings move to fast for us to hunt. We'll have to create a choke point"

L:"the Gorn are highly intelligent, even at this stage. a simple trap won't work."

Gorn can't Resist Aggressive behavior. They won't back down from a challenge, so...we can use that to draw them out, put them down.

We can use the environment controls. Gorn avoid the cold. We can force them into the areas we want them in"

L:"The spray. It's more than a venom. It's how they reproduce."

210 - Hegemony

La'an" I believe the Gorn might have an interference field, a weapon to deploy during invasions. Renders their enemies blind, unable to communicate or more."

La'an:"I'd like them dead as much, if not more than the rest of you. But that's not enough. We don't know what we're walking into down there. Phasers might not be enough"

Pike: "Ever since the Gorn started massing of the edge of Federation space, Starfllet been working on weapons to counter them. Now all ships carry these, in case."

La'an - "Gorn Protocol. To be distributed upon an encounter in the hostile species."

Sam:" Last time, our tricorders couldn't detect Gorn at all"

Pike:" Now they do"

Uhura: "Nitrogen grenades?"

Spock -"Renders anything in a ten-meter range frozen."

La'an-" Deadly for a col-blooded lizard"

M'Benga - "Deadly for anyone"

La'an- "It's Gorn. There was something similar on the breeding planet. My Brother Manu always thought it was a beacon to trap passers-by"

La'an: "They spread their eggs to soften up a planet for conquering. That tower. That's just them locking the door"

La'an:" It doesn't make sense, they shouldn't be gathering like that, the younglings. They should be fighting for dominance, not working together."

Sam:" With Locusts, environmental factors can trigger a swarming instinct, causing them to consume. What if it's the same with the Gorn? CMEs, in certain frequencies set off a consumption cycle?"

La'an:" Are you suggesting they invaded because of...sunspots?"

Sam:" You showed us how they communicate ship-to-ship through light. What if they evolved with some deep ingrained sensitivity to it?"