#al's in a different dimension and everyone's *happy* to be there

[wallisninety-six]

One of the few clear photos I could find of all 6 of the Boys in (i think) 1971- including Brian.

So much to analyze here

[baudouinette]

Art log: old, unfinished projects… once again

Warning: long post, lots of yapping

another oldish project that I wanted to do in a KCD (Kingdom Come Deliverance) style. I have a very clear vision of the horse’s pose and his too, but… I can’t find a reference for it. (I might make it a palomino in this one btw!) Nowadays I’m leaving references behind for the most part, but for horses I’m not at that stage yet lol. // I also wanna draw him in joust in another art even if he can’t partake, just because I love the aesthetic of it 😅

The text is from the letter to Constance of France because I love that intro, but I’m still thinking of what to add next.

•The sword is the basic one I drafted over a year ago, looking at the one from the movie, looking at period-accurate references, then adding my favorite guard which is similar to the movie one but stylized to my imagination, and basing the grip on the movie too. There’s not really much to it, because there’s only so much you can do without straying from accuracy.*** But I always have to go back for measurements/dimensions for example, just to make sure (for example, i have to shorten the fuller a little). I still need to get used to drawing them effortlessly. I sometimes want to just change the guard a little (I like to make curved guards most of the time but I’m partial to straight ones too), or add stuff to it like little inscriptions or very few gems. Obv in the pommel I always add the cross, but on the other side I may add a fleur de Lis too sometimes. Especially with a ceremonial sword such as this one, he needs to be fully represented with his emblems.

***There are other “options” but they seem too simple for a king. But I do love them for knights. My OC Juliette/Julius will have a pretty plain sword for the most part, by the nature of the Order. Tho… she might acquire a bit of a nicer one along the way ;) (this is still super raw and quickly sketched so ignore the errors and goofiness. But I really like her and I think I hadn’t shared any concept or art of her yet)

I remember the first time I watched the movie and the swords were the first thing I (and I think everyone) noticed even tho I was a kid, and then talking about it in high school years w friends in a crusades groupchat like 🤓🤓😅😅😅 (some are actually ok? Funnily though, it’s some of the extra props. You’d think giving the King an accurate one would be priority)

•I have various versions for different stories (or not tied to stories at all) but in each I always give him two (“twins”): the battle-ready one and the ceremonial one. The ceremonial is technically battle ready too, but it’s got its own place and reserved for… you got it, ceremonies, and knighting, and imparting justice—hence why this particular one in the first image (name pending) has the inscription “Iudicium in Terra”, and why it’s so golden (more pure gold and expensive materials). Sometimes, I think of a heirloom sword for him too, that carries a lot of meaning. It was normal for royals to have more than one sword.

(art WIP) •The one from HCW says “Benedic et sanctifica hanc gladium cum tua serenissima pace et voluntate.” Baldwin calls this one Pais Sereine, and Sereine alone as a nickname for the battle-ready counterpart to set them apart. However, I'm not happy w the way it looks here, too similar to those exaggerated fake Templar swords that I hate. How did I draw something similar to something I hate? Makes no sense. I really should also design the Andalusi swords of the Al Jazirah family and guardsmen (bc Andalusi swords are so pretty and interesting!), as well as my concept for Saladin, etc etc.

I might buy Nomad Sculpt to sculpt all my “assets” for fun and for practice for my game dev journey. I’ve always had Blender but I need to work straight on a screen, so I’d rather work on iPad for sculpting, then for anything that needs rigging, hopping to Blender. I could make Baldwin’s “exact” sword from the movie but with accurate proportions and mod it into a game like Skyrim for funsies. I wanted to mod the mask into it too, and into Fallout for my ghoul-loving gang <3

And here’s another old concept:

JFK as King Arthur (in a non-fantasy way and w some accuracy lolol)

For Excalibur, this is just an interpretation with creative liberty in mind. The guard is supposed to have beast heads, like dragons or lions, so it’s fun to base it on Charlemagne’s for that. The pommel of Joyeuse (Charlemagne’s, although this sword is also legendary) is an Oakeshott type B or B1, supposedly the blade a slender Oakeshott type XII. Yes, this is more contemporary to his time, so I wouldn’t give him that blade, as I would for some of the crusaders n Baldwin. You can’t see the whole blade in the drawing so I’d leave it like that and not put much more thought into it. I could give him a late Roman-type spatha, but I’m also not sure, I can’t imagine Excalibur in that way for some reason, the blades are short and I imagine Excalibur a little more formidable (but I also don’t imagine that enormous, overcharged, super inscribed sword they always give him that makes no sense 💀). Although I did shorten the guard just a little to make it a bit more “accurate” and I should shorten the grip too. I might still change it into a spatha after all, if I continue it 😂😂

•I chose Romano-brit scale armor. I still had to add the pteruges (sturdy strips in the armor, typical of Greek and Roman). His shield would have a small religious icon. I in part use JFOliveras’ (who does give him a spatha) work as reference for many of my general historical works. Because he uses his references from real art from the eras, as do I. But he can sometimes help interpret many of the specific, hard to understand parts.

•I just… abandoned this because I didn’t like it, it wasn’t the vision I had, and now my skills are better over a year later. I thought of adapting it to a similar composition as the one above.

•For those not into JFK, the Camelot musical was his and Jackie’s favorite, and they played the record basically each night “before they drifted to sleep upon their cot”. And it’s also the name of their administration. Since it was more like a royal one than a presidential one. I always wanted to draw him as Arthur (and not Lancelot. Even tho his code name was Lancer.)

Speaking of sword names, I think El Cid’s la Tizona/tizón is pretty cool.

In the series Isabel they show the inscription to be “Ave Maria gratia plena Dominus tecum”. He had another one called Colada, for “cast steel”, but colada also means laundry in Spanish so I can’t shake that off 😂 Titionem would be cool as a sword name, buuuut I refuse any word that starts with “tit” LMAO or anything that can be joked about (“Taeda” could serve as a substitute tho). I thought of a Greek word too, then decided against it because it started with “dik”. A sword name that sounds like d1ck… yeah, no. 💀

⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️

////I had this post in my drafts (just added the newer art from HCW and of Juliette from Vide Cor Meum, and have other posts like this but they always remain there because I assume people don’t wanna read so much text (yapping, basically). A lot of times I cut out text from my posts and explanations because I’d rather people read a resumed version even if it doesn’t contain all info, specific terminology, or my full lore, than ppl seeing so much text and just not reading any of it, not even the beginning. ☝🏼🤓 but I know there are others who would. Would anyone also like to hear about other medieval weapons, siege weapons, languages, garments and armor, specifically chain mail (a hyperfixaton ⛓️), strategies, formations, diplomacy, instruments, music and dances, horses and horse riding and riding with ur legs and…? 🤓🤓🤓🤓 I will go bonkers even about super specific stuff like girdles/belts (I have a hyperfixation w them too 😂👉🏼👈🏼)

My brother is also a nerd (about everything) but since he’s done sword fighting for filmed media, I always make a point to ask his opinion about my swords and he’s like 🙂‍↕️👍🏼 , so we ballin’

Can’t wait to afford a real sword and duel him. Although he might lend me his Amazigh sword if he buys another one of those, he’s not happy with the current one, and we could try with that. Tho obviously I want to use western swords with western martial arts.⚔️⚔️⚔️

EDIT: oh!!! And I have this three way mirror that I was gonna use to paint a Christian triptych. But i may make one dedicated to phases of Baldwin’s life in medieval art style. I would include religious imagery too, but yeah more focused on him.

[weird-obsessed-girl]

Harry Potter fic rec Time travel/dimension travel

Organised by word count. This rec list involved time travel and dimension travel, not really alt dimension/au. This will include multiple ships like Drarry, Tomarry, Jegulus and Wolfstar.

masterlist

Ouch you landed on my hand and somehow we are in the past - Gravepizza

Scorpius/Albus, wolfstar, Jily meeting the family | G | 1k

Fucking with the future - plecotusauritus

Wolfstar time turner used for inappropriate things, smut, Remus certified DILF | E | 1.6k

Changelings - TreacleTeacups

Tomarry time travel, kid fic, humour, established relationship, mamma bear harry | T | 1.7k

He Who Knows Too Much (and I, Who Knows Nothing) - coribbit

Tomarry time travel, fix-it, seer harry, obsessive tom | T | 1.9k

Everything and Nothing - XxTheDarkLordxX

Drarry post-hogwarts, time travel, hurt/comfort, angst | T | 4k

A Perfect Night for Trick or Treaters - PhantomGrimalkin

Wolfstar time-loop, first war, 1981, angst | T | 4k

Draco at Nineteen - birdsofshore

Drarry Time Travel, Age Difference, Hogwarts 8th Year, First Time | E | 5k

Our Little Life - tackytiger

Drarry post-hogwarts, time travel, dream sex, falling in love, past lives, idiots in love | M | 7k

The Soldier - woobyo

Wolfstar sirius fix-it, bamf sirius, harry is not a horcrux | M | 9k

Quick as a Flash of Lightning, Unhurried as Eternity - babooshk_art, onbeinganangel

Drarry Post-War, Time Travel, Auror Harry, Domestic Fluff | E | 10k

Fifteen - mysid

Wolfstar time travel fix-it, alternate realities, veil of death/opportunities | T | 11k

Brevem Conspectum - Lauren3210

Drarry Kid fic, Domestic, Fluff and Smut, Short Time Travel | E | 12k

Eudaimonia - duplicity

Tomarry time travel, child abuse, angst, age difference, happy ending, harry kinda helps raise tom | E | 15k

tempor · al | ary - asterismal (asterisms)

Tomarry time travel, established relationship, voldy wins, threesome | E | 16k

Yuletide Discussions - J_L_Hynde

Tomarry time travel, discussion of wizard politics, tom lusting harry, alt reality, auror harry | M | 18k

Relativity. - Ideasofmarch

Tomarry time travel, fix-it, BAMF harry, morally grey harry, slytherin harry | M | 18k

Draco Malfoy and the Mirror of Ecidyrue 

Drarry PTSD, Time Travel, Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, Character Study | M | 20k

Enoument - Accipitae

Tomarry master of death harry, harry grows up with tom in orphanage, time travel, homophobia, angst | M | 22k

We Shall Not Cease from Exploration - krabapple

Jily, Wolfstar golden trio time travel, Lily working for the order | T | 23k

The Devil’s White Knight - orphan_account

Drarry Time Travel, Alternate Timeline, Everybody Lives, No Voldermort | E | 24k

Just a Matter of Time - gracerene

Drarry Post-War, Time Travel, Unspeakable Draco, Age Difference, First Time | E | 24k

Draco Malfoy and the Letter from the Future - DracoWillHearAboutThis

Drarry time travel, POV draco, harry potter series retold, draco and harry friendship, draco questioning parents beliefs | G | 33k

More Than You Know - moonscone

Wolfstar friends to lovers, oblivious sirius | G | 47k

If we could turn back time - MBlack93

Tomarry master of death harry, magically powerful, time travel, fix-it, sane tom, slytherin harry, bamf harry, knights of walpurgis | E | 54k

Time is of the Essence - Leaslemoon

Jegulus time travel, fix-it, angst with happy ending, slow burn, friends to lovers, sibling bonding, OOC snape, canon divergence | M | 58k

The Guest - BummedOutWriter

Drarry kid fic, time travel, get together, mrpeg, truth serum, 6th year, seer draco | M | 60k

Heir Apparent - MonsieurClavier

Tomarry time travel, sane voldy, voldy adopts harry, pseudo-incest, powerful harry, possessive behaviour, enemies to friends to lovers, humour | E | 61k

The Devil's White Knight - orphan_account

Drarry dimension travel, no voldy, time travel??, enemies to lovers, post-war trauma, everyone is gay | E | 65k

The Lesson of You - thecouchsofa

Drarry accidental chil acquisition, getting together, family feels, kid fic, fluff, time travel, smut | E | 65k

Everything Black - General_Jellyfish

Drarry Time Travel, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, BAMF Harry Potter | T | 66k

Game On, Your Move - Ailora

Tomarry time travel, crack treated seriously, obsessive tom, sassy harry, time loop, eventual happy ending, enemies to lovers | T | 75k

Tip of Your Tongue - Spork_in_the_Road

Tomarry time travel, fix-it, morally grey harry, dumbledore critical, slow burn, mystery | M | 78k

The White Pawn - Soupy_George

Drarry time travel, romance, adventure, disenchanted draco, relive sixth year | T | 81k

At the end of every road - sassysquatch

Tomarry time travel, obsessive harry and tom, mutual manipulation, enemies to lovers, fake relationship, class issues, politically motivated marriage | M | 84k WIP 1 last chapter

Into the Dark - PhantomGrimalkin

Wolfstar also drarry, time travel, established relationships, first war, slow burn drarry, suicidal thoughts, manipulative dumbledore, canon divergence | T | 89k

Into the Dark - PhantomGrimalkin

Drarry time travel, first war, slow burn, suicidal thoughts, hocrux hunting, established wolfstar | T | 89k

where are you (my lion)? - harrysblueshirt1

Drarry time travel, canon divergence, jily sent to future, fix-it, emotional hurt/comfort, good draco, professor harry | 99k

That'll Be The Day - Waterloo

Drarry time travel, friendship, hogwarts redo, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, pov alternating, wolfstar raise harry | M | 112k WIP

Far From The Tree - aideomai

Drarrys kids time travel to hogwarts, pre-relationship, down and out draco, dom draco | E | 112k

you belong to me (i belong to you) - Child_OTKW

Tomarry time travel, slytherin politics, mind games, auror harry, slytherin harry, master of death harry, PLS READ ALL TAGS | 112k

Turning Leaves - Kbrick

Drarry time travel, pining draco, slytherin harry, angst with happy ending, harry is bad at feelings, drunk sex, auror harry | E | 113k

good night, darling - purplemineralwater

Tomarry time travel, fix-it, master of death harry, slytherin harry, knights of walpurgis, possessive tom, sane tom, hurt/comfort, slow burn | E | 138k

Bewildered - SparrowGrim

Drarry dimension travel, canon divergence, a/b/o, magically powerful harry, top draco, happy ending | E | 148k

When you are ready to go on... but you go back - Sakura521

Drarry time travel, fix-it, harry heir of house black, slow burn, good malfoy family | M | 166k WIP, 1 more chapter

Always Already - aibidil

Drarry time travel, post-hogwarts, department of mysteries, drarry go back to marauders era | E | 171k

Praeclarus Anguis - KaedeRavensdale

Tomarry time travel, slytherin harry, possessive behaviour, tom has met his match | M | 172k

Diablerie - Oceanbreeze7

Tomarry bamf tom, sane tom, time travel, ptsd, book 5, mental health issues, canon divergence | T | 176k

47 Days to Change (a translation) - snow_owl01

Tomarry time travel, slow burn, dubious consent, alt universe | E | 200k

What He Grows To Be - Severus_divides_into_H

Tomarry unhealthy relationships, obsessive and possessive tom, master of death harry, time travel, tom raised by harry, self-harm, psychological torture | M | 266k

What Souls Are Made Of - Emeralds_and_Lilies

Tomarry golden trio accidently time travel, angst, mind games, unhealthy relationships, slow burn | E | 278k

[prettypumpum]

Title: Crossed Dimensions I Logan Howlett x Reader

Summary: You were living an ordinary life until the day a portal throws you into the Marvel universe. Trapped between an unbearable Deadpool and a Wolverine as troubling as he is charming, you discover powers you didn't know you had and an unknown past with certain heroes. As your anxiety grows in the face of this new reality, will you be able to find your place and perhaps become the hero they need?

Warnings: strong language, mentions of violence.

Previous part / Masterlist

Chapter 2

“Rise and shine.”

I jolted awake to find Wade’s face uncomfortably close to mine.

“Why don’t you just teleport?” the mercenary asked, visibly disappointed.

“I don’t know, Wade, I can’t control my powers. But believe me, it’s in the top 5 of my to-do list,” I replied, getting up from the couch and rubbing my face.

“Leave her alone,” Logan grumbled from the kitchen. I joined him, grabbing the cereal box on the counter. I didn’t even recognize this brand. This universe was so different from mine. Oddly, the most disturbing part wasn’t that the Avengers existed or had superpowers, but rather the little details, like different logos or stores and restaurants in completely different locations.

“Do we have oat milk?” I asked, staring at the strange tiger on the box.

“We don’t even have regular milk, so forget your fancy whims, princess,” Al replied, fiddling with a small bag of white powder.

Great, so no milk, but we still had hard drugs. At least the household priorities were clear.

“We’ll add it to the shopping list,” Wade grinned, grabbing a small notepad and a unicorn pen.

“And with what money?” the old lady asked, outraged.

“About that, I was waiting for everyone to wake up,” Wade said calmly, fixing his gaze on me to emphasize that I was the “everyone.” “I called one of my contacts, Dopinder, and he found us a mission for our team!” he added enthusiastically, clapping his hands.

“What team?” Logan asked, clearly already on edge.

“Ours,” Wade replied, pointing at Logan and me.

“Hell no, I’ve got my own plans,” Logan growled, getting up to rinse his coffee mug.

“And what, you’re just gonna go back to living in the wild forests of glorious Canada like an animal until some old Japanese guy tries to steal your powers?” Wade asked.

“That’s exactly my plan,” Logan replied, not understanding half of what Wade had rambled but clearly wanting to end the conversation.

“I knew you’d be hard to convince, so I prepared a little PowerPoint,” Wade said, opening his laptop to show a slide titled, Reasons to Convince Logan and Lydia to Be My Best Friends (And More if We Feel Like It).

“Reason 1,” Wade said, pressing a key, triggering a star transition so tacky even Al cringed. “You’d really make me happy.” The image showed a little cartoon Deadpool hugging a tiny Lydia and a tiny Logan. “Number 2,” another horrid transition, “Disney saw the money they made off of us and they want a sequel, maybe with a love story. Reason 3: if you don’t come, you’ll ruin the whole team-sandwich aesthetic. People won’t get it if we lose the mustard,” Wade explained, outraged.

“I’m done with your nonsense,” Logan groaned, heading towards the bathroom.

“Reason 69: we’re out of booze and you’re out of cash!” Wade shouted, frantically looking for slide 69, which featured a little Logan looking delighted at a giant whiskey bottle.

Logan seemed to be weighing his options, but they weren’t any better than mine. He rubbed his temples, finally relenting.

“Fine, alright,” he grumbled as he walked into the bathroom.

Wade couldn’t have been happier. He was literally bouncing with self-applause, then turned his gaze to me.

“I have another PowerPoint for you, in 130 parts,” he said, searching through his files. “Here it is,” he said, opening a file titled, My Super Arguments for a Threesome with Logan and Lydia, Part 1: I Have Lots of Fun Toys. “Oops, that’s not it. You saw nothing,” he said to the wall.

“Why do you even want me to come? I’ll just slow you down.”

“Logan’s the muscle, you’re our emotional support, and I’m our brave and fearless leader, not influenced by Captain America at all,” Wade said as if it were obvious. “Come on, it’ll be fun. And most importantly, we need cocaine for Al; trust me, this place will get unbearable without it,” he whispered like it was a terrible secret.

I had two choices: go on this mission and, at worst, get shot, or stay stuck in this apartment with a coke-addicted grandma going through withdrawal.

“Alright, I’ll come.”

“Great!” Wade cheered. “You’ll see, it’s going to be awesome.”

Honestly, I doubted it.

It was not awesome. I’d been stuck in this damned forest for hours. At first, everything was fine. I’d met Wade’s smuggler friend, who talked way too much, and the mission was simple: we had to take out a drug lord with a bounty on his head. But we hadn’t expected the guy to be armed to the teeth with alien weaponry. We found out the hard way after Wade mocked the boss’s haircut, and the guy fired a laser that left a huge hole in Wade’s abdomen. Logan barely had time to grab him, and I managed to teleport us into the forest. The problem was, we didn’t know where we were and had lost track of our target.

“Do you smell anything?” I asked Logan.

“They’re not nearby. We can rest while this idiot regenerates,” replied the mutant, still on guard.

He didn’t seem bothered by the surroundings; his powers helped with that. Wade, on the other hand, still hadn’t regained consciousness. Watching his broken body was both fascinating and gross.

“Did you talk to Laura last night?” Logan suddenly asked.

“Yeah, we chatted a bit… she wants to spend some time with us,” I replied, a little uncomfortable with this conversation. Co-parenting was challenging enough, but adding a multiverse element made it insane.

“I know, she told me,” Logan replied. “If you’re not comfortable with it, don’t feel obligated.”

Honestly, I wasn’t comfortable with it. I started fiddling with my coat sleeves, avoiding eye contact, and instead focused on Wade’s wound.

“No, it doesn’t bother me,” I replied in a small voice. “But this whole situation is completely crazy.”

“Tell me about it,” he said, smiling.

He was really handsome. I’d never been a superhero fan, but I’d always had a crush on Logan, and seeing him in real life was pretty overwhelming. The TVA had offered to send me back to my universe, but I’d refused. That would’ve been even weirder—to be in a world without mutants, with teleportation and healing powers. That would complicate things, especially if I lived as long as Logan.

“I’m sorry for getting us lost,” I said, lifting my head. I couldn’t control my powers, and I didn’t even know if Dreamwalker was a real character in the comics.

“It’s alright. The most important thing is that you got us to safety. And the real problem is this idiot. He’s the one holding us back,” Logan said, pointing at Wade. He hadn’t enjoyed the plane ride, and it was a miracle Wade’s buddy was still alive.

“Do you still want to finish this mission?” I asked, a bit resigned.

“Damn right, we’re finishing this mission!” said a voice behind me. “Look at what he did to my suit. I just patched it up! People have no respect,” the mercenary said, examining the damage. “And look at you, Mr. Grumpy—there are bloodstains everywhere. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that out of this beautiful yellow suit I just stitched up?”

“By the way, how did you fix it? Because from what I remember, there was nothing left to save,” I asked.

“For convenience, I’d say it’s magic, even though I know you loved the old suit, you little pervert,” Wade replied.

I couldn’t help but lower my head, blushing. I could feel Logan’s eyes on the back of my neck. It was true, I’d had trouble forming a complete sentence after he’d disappeared.

“So, what’s the plan now?” I asked, hugging myself and trying to change the subject. But Wade kept staring, and even under the mask, I could guess his little smile and nonexistent eyebrow wiggle.

“We’re gonna kill that guy, then celebrate with mojitos. Come on, gang!” Wade said, clapping his hands and starting to walk.

I shot a small glance at Logan, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me.

“We’ll finish our conversation later,” he said. I nodded in response. “Not that way,” Logan yelled at Wade.

“I know, I was testing you,” Wade said, turning back. “Is it this way? No question, I totally know where I’m going.”

Logan groaned but followed Wade. It was the first time he’d gone this long without trying to maim the mercenary. And honestly, I already pitied the guy with the ridiculous haircut and his henchmen.

[eyesthecolorofarson]

Best Man

Dick didn’t know what to expect when he arrived at the Manor, but it certainly wasn’t a flustered, obviously swooning Damian.

He’d came to check on him after another one of his balls with other royal families. This one being the first to be held in a place called the Infinite Realms with family’s from other dimensions and universes.

It was stressful for everyone, letting the packs youngest omega leave and go to other countries–and now other dimensions–to mingle and chat up princes and princesses like himself.

Unfortunately he would be the only one besides Alfred to talk with Damian when he first gets back. Tim and Bruce were stuck head first into a bombing, Jason was tracking down the guy who killed three of his workers, and the girls were away for a well-deserved vacation.

That left him to walk in and immediately be hit with the scent of maple syrup, sweet and earthy in a way Damian’s scent had never been before. Damian made a beeline for him from where he was sitting, obviously waiting. “Richard!” Damian smiled, “We must speak! At once!”

He let himself be pulled to Damian’s room, his mind turning. What could have happened to make Damian Al Ghul-Wayne smile, let alone flustered? Why was he so happy, because he was obviously, very openly, happy?

Damian pulled him into his room, locked the door, then pushed him onto the bed and began pacing. “I will first explain to you the way I, and by proxy every other heir in attendance of this ball, communicate.” Dick let him speak, knowing he wouldn’t appreciate being interrupted.

“First and foremost, every little thing matters. From the way you position your hands to the tilt of you head, where you look, and even the position of your feet, every little thing means a completely different thing. This means that there are over a million–billion, really–things that you can say and express without a word.”

Damian looked to him for confirmation that he understood, then continued. “Not only that, but in the ballroom setting the order of which you introduce oneself to those in attendance is equally, if not more, important. As one could expect you go from those you deem most important to least. The shape of which you do these introductions also showcases this, moving past one party to another of higher standing.”

Here he paused, flushed again, and began fanning himself. “So, as you can imagine, a straight line means that you are the most important person in the room to this man.” “‘This man’?” He asked, some prices falling into place.

“Yes!” Damian said, turning towards him with a love struck, dazed expression, cupping his face and swooning. “Oh Richard, I met an alpha! The most wonderful, handsome, benevolent alpha in the world!” Dick couldn’t help himself; he squealed and hugged Damian, squeezing tight before setting him down next to him. “That’s amazing, Dami! Tell me everything—start from the beginning.” His little brother found someone! Someone who made him this happy—It was a miracle! Damian seemed very pleased with his reaction and grabbed his pillow as he began again.

“As I said, a straight line means you are the most important person. But what you do while you cross the room matters as well. Where you look, where you stop, how quickly you go, understand?” At his nod Damian flushed again, squeezing the pillow. “So, a straight line, with no stops, never looking away, and coming to me from the other side of the ballroom in less than a minute?”

“That means your very important to him.” Dick couldn’t help his high tone, Damian’s happiness seemed to be affecting him. Not like he minded; this was the first time one of his sibling came to him practically bursting with excitement about a potential relationship. This was a moment he would cherish forever.

“Yes!” Damian said, his tone matching Dicks own. “But that’s not all! The first meeting is also incredibly important, for so many reasons I don’t have time to name them all. But the first handshake can say a million things just like everything else. And since he was the first person I talked to–and in accordance to his standing-I gave a half bow to show I respected him but that I was also of high standing as an Al Ghul, dipped my head since he is a king and I am a prince and held out my hand waist high as an invitation.”

“And what he did in return?” Damian’s voice dipped into an excited whisper as he clutched the pillow and leaned in. “He did a full bow, bent his right knee and put his right foot behind his left with the heel raised, his left arm behind his back, took my hand with his right and kissed it long and deeply, all while maintaining eye contact!”

Damian pushed his face into the pillow for a second, then looked up. “And the meaning of that? The kiss? The eye contact?” Dick leaned forward, “What dose it mean?” Damian flushed again, his scent growing sweeter. “All of that combined means ‘there are no words in the languages we speak to describe your beauty’.” “Oh. My. God!”

“I know!” Damian voice was muffled as he screamed into his pillow. “And that was only the introduction, Richard! The introduction! Oh, and everything after was a dream.” He raised his head and grinned—a real, genuine smile. It warmed Dicks heart to see his usually stoic brother so happy.

“All while we were talking he wanted to know me. Not the Al Ghul heir, not the son of the bat, me! He asked about my interests, my favorite things—Richard, he called me Damian! You almost always refer to a heir by their last name because that’s what’s important to you. But he called me only Damian! I was important to him!”

Dick couldn’t help but laugh as he asked, “You called him by his name, right? Oh! His name! What’s his name? And you said he was a king, what’s he the king of?” Damian blushed–blushed!–and nodded. “Yes, it was only appropriate. His name is Daniel Phantom, King of the Infinite Realms, the afterlife dimension. Simply put, every afterlife that exists is located in this dimension.”

“Oooo, do you think there’s a queen? If the seats open~” Damian blushed at the implication, pushing his face into his pillow again and taking slow breaths. He was a little concerned about the whole ‘king of the afterlife’ thing–and wait, wasn’t the ball held in the Infinite Realms? Does that mean Damian was in the afterlife?–but if the Percy Jackson books have taught him anything it’s that the specifics matter. King of the afterlife is different from king of the dead or death itself.

“No, there is no queen. Daniel was only recently crowned after defeating Pariah Dark, the previous king and tyrant. Oh, I almost forgot to mention! You remember how the JLD marked Amity Park, Illinois an area of concern and in less that 72 hours lifted the warning without doing anything?” “Yeah, drove B crazy cus’ they wouldn’t say why or how or what happened.” “It was Daniel and Pariah Dark fighting for the throne!”

“What? Back up a bit,” Dick asked, confused. “What do you mean ‘it was him’?” Damian’s eyes shined as he explained. “Apparently, the entirety of Amity Park–Daniels home town–was dragged into the Infinite Realms due to Pariah Dark waking up and attacking! Daniel had to fight Pariah Dark to stop him from continuing his assault of this earth and the surrounding dimensions and universes, which is why he was trapped in the forever sleep.”

Damian swooned again, hugging his pillow as he sighed, “He saved not only earth but the surrounding multiverse, and confined in me that he didn’t even know he would become king! He said that the only thing that mattered to him was keeping everybody safe! Isn’t it heroic?” Dick expressed his agreement, making a mental note to tell all this to Bruce. He’d want to know about a kid Damian’s age who’s saved the multiverse seemingly all by himself.

Which reminded him, “How old is he?” Didn’t want another Midnighter situation. Damian’s advances on his first crush were hell to handle. “He’s one year my elder, and oh Grayson I was not exaggerating when I said he is gorgeous. He—well, hm.”

Damian paused and then pulled out his phone. “Please allow me a moment to acquire the correct knowledge of the colors blue, white, green and black so I can accurately portray to you just how otherworldly beautiful Daniel is.” Dick let him pursue the internet for a while, mentally filling out the start of a report form for Bruce. He returned his attention to Damian when he was ready.

“Now fully educated I can describe him in the detail he deserves. His skin is colored light blue grey and his face, possibly his whole body, is covered in freckles that take the shape of constellations colored passport blue. His hair is a dancing flame pulled back into a ponytail colored Mint cream, a greenish shade of white. His eyes are Lazarus colored, as is his tongue and blood. His teeth are sharp canines, piercing skin easily.”

A little worried how he knew that, but Dick would ask later. “His crown, the Crown of Fire, is a halo of Vantablack ice. The other piece showcasing his status is the Ring of Rage, colored same shade of black with a gemstone colored Carmine red.”

Damian sighed dreamily. “He was dressed elegantly, a Lazarus green suit vest over a vantablack button up and tie. His cape was clasped around his shoulders with a gold chain, pure white on the outside but a galaxy on the inside. It moved, Richard. He told me it changed galaxies and that at the moment it was showing the galaxy of dimension 62V-K.”

“Richard,” Damian said softly, his face flushed and eyes shining. “When he took my hand….I shivered. At first I thought nothing of it, but the longer I stood by his side it became harder and harder to deny it. His scent was….attractive. Like hickory and rain, maple and lightning. He smelled like a rolling thunderstorm, a summer morning.”

“I wanted to be closer, to drown in his scent. But it wasn’t just me.” Dick was certain he was about to die. It wasn’t just him? Oh no. “Were there others?” Dick asked worryingly. Damian blushed more, shaking his head then pushing his face into his pillow. When he raised his head he looked dazed. “It wasn’t just me, Richard. He...My scent…we were in the garden when he brought it up.”

“He’d wanted to show me the animals in the sanctuary, star seals and pomerantulas. We were sitting under a wysteria tree watching them roam. We were….I guess you would call it ‘cuddling’. Just…leaning against and holding each other. His arm was wrapped around my waist while his other held my hand.”

Damian blushed again and pushed his face back into the pillow as Dick ‘aww’ed. He raised his head once more and continued. “He turned to me and told me he couldn’t contain his desire any longer. When I asked what he meant…..” Damian took deep breath.

“He asked to smell my scent gland.” Dick blue screened for a moment. “He WHAT!?” He leaned forward, thinking he had misheard. Asking to smell a scent gland was more than a big deal. It was practically a mini proposal! “Did–what did you say?” Damian smiled again. “I said yes. He pulled my hand and put his lips to my wrist gland. He inhaled deeply and shivered. Richard, he growled.”

“He kissed my gland and told me it was taking all his strength and willpower not to mark me as his mate right that second. I…I didn’t know how to respond, and without thinking I told him he could scent me if I could scent him.” Dick gaped at him. Damian was very particular about physical contact, even more so about scenting. For him to ask an alpha to scent him, to ask if he could scent him—Damian was more than interested.

“He immediately agreed, and then….” Damian paused and Dick thought his head was going to explode from how red it was. “Theeeen??” Dick inquired. “Oh Richard, he pulled me onto his lap and against his chest.” Damian fell back into the bed, still clutching his pillow. “He began scenting and kissing my neck, telling me he wanted me in ways he didn’t know how to describe.”

Damian sighed dreamily. “He told me he wanted to court me, to make me feel like the most special and important person in the multiverse because that’s was I was to him. That he wanted to spread every waking and resting moment with me. Richard, he asked my opinion on children.”

“Oh and scenting him was heaven,” Damian swooned again, “to claim him as my alpha, even in the smallest ways, made my head spin. Richard….I began kissing his neck.” Dicks jaw was so open it was practically in the batcave. “You kissed him?? His scent gland?? Did he like it? What did you say to him???”

Damian nodded, eyes blown wide with a smile on his face. “I told him I accept his advances and that I wanted to mate as soon as possible. I told him I’d never wanted anyone–anything–more than I wanted to be his omega. That I wanted him to be my alpha. And then…. Oh it was so foolish and irresponsible of me to do, but I couldn’t wait any longer.” Damian put a hand over his heart.

“I kissed him.” Dick gasped. “Wh–did he kiss back?” “Yes!” Damian said, sitting up. “He kissed me back! It was so….soft at first, but then—oh it’s embarrassing to say.” Dick clasped his hands together. “ please please pleaseeeeee tell meeeee. You can’t leave me on a cliffhanger!” Damian laughed a little, laughing louder when Dick pulled him into a hug, still pleading.

“Ok, ok, I will tell you!” He giggled, allowing Dick to keep hugging him, which said a lot about how happy he was. “We–well, I don’t really know how, but one moment we were sitting up and the next he had me pinned to the ground.” Dick choked. Damian only laughed again. “Yes, I was surprised as well. He—we were…” Damian cleared his throat.

“….I believe it’s called ‘French kissing.’” Damian his his face in his hands at Dicks scandalized gasp. “It…was so warm. He tasted wonderful, and I wanted it to continue forever. I….I’ve never been more impulsive than I was in that moment. I put my hands in his hair–and I’m surprised it didn’t burn me–but anyways, I pulled him closer to me. But it wasn’t enough.”

Damian laughed a little, peeking through his fingers. “I…ha…I flipped us. So I was–dear lord Richard, I was sitting on his lap! I was straddling him!” Dick gasped again. “My baby brother, straddling someone? Oh pinch me, I think I’m dreaming!” He teased, smiling as Damian pinched him. “It certainly felt like a dream.” Damian sighed.

“Did he like it?” Damian hid his face again. “Yes, very much. I could smell and….feel him, if you understand.” Oh my god. Dick ‘ooo’ed and Damian laughed airily. “He obviously liked it, but did you?” Dick laughed as Damian squeaked, gasping again at his small nod. “Ooohhhh my little brother is growing uuupp,” he cried, hugging him again. “He has a boyfriend, he’s being courted, pretty soon you’ll be mated; it’s too much! Just yesterday you were eight!”

Damian didn’t try to push him away, leaning into him instead. “You are ok with this?” He asked hopefully, “You will allow him to court me?” Dick pulled back so he could look at Damian fully. “Damian, I’ve never seen you more happy than you are now. If this alpha can make you smile and laugh like this just after the first meeting, he has more than my blessing. He should be more worried about what I’ll do to him if he doesn’t court you.”

Damian laughed happily, hugging him. “I am very glad. I was worried you’d be against it, for I know Father will be.” He had a good point. Bruce went over-protectively ballistic when he found out Roy and Kori were courting Jason. When he finds out Daniel is the fucking King of the afterlife? It’ll take every super to hold him back from going to the Infinite Realms and interrogating it’s king.

“After a few minutes of, um….kissing, he pulled back rather quickly, so quickly in fact that I believed I’d done something wrong. Thankfully that was not the case.” Damian said, continuing after a moment. “I’d asked him and he quickly told me that I’d done nothing wrong, and that—that I was perfect. He said that he was having trouble controlling himself, and that if we continued…”

“Oh my god.” Dick whispered. “Damian, show me your neck right now.” Damian gasped and almost shrieked a scandalized ‘RICHARD!’ as Dick pulled at his shirt. Thankfully, there were no marks, some light bruises, but that was normal with kissing. He allowed Damian to smack his arm after. “How irresponsible do you believe me to be?! I tell you I do something without thinking once and suddenly you treat me like a harlot!?” Dick laughed as he apologized, conceding that it had been a little rude. Damian took a moment to collect himself before continuing.

“It is embarrassing to say, but while we were, ahem….busy, his sister appeared to inform us the ball would soon be over and Daniel had to give his closing speech as the host.” Dick laughed at Damian’s expression. He knew the mortifying feeling of a sibling walking in while you were making out with someone, and was glad Damian got to experience it.

“Her name is Jasmine, and I do hope you do not meet. I know your history with tall redheads.” He laughed again at Damians expression. “But more importantly, after Daniels speech he gave me a courting gift.” Dick gasped and watched as Damian quickly went to his dresser and dug under everything to bring out a small black box.

Damian came back and sat down next to him, opening it to reveal a ring. It was a green gemstone with a black band. The band was carved into a blooming flower with the gem in the center with leafs coming out the sides slightly. The gemstone wasn’t one of this world, or dimension most likely. The color changed shades of green depending on the light, the cut changing with it. To the left it was zigzags, to the rights it was a jagged bismuth, and when Damian pulled it back Dick saw it change to liquid.

Damian pulled it out and put it on his left ring finger, and Dick watched as it changed shape to fit his finger. Damian sighed dreamily as he turned his hand this way and that, tracing the gem with his other thumb. “He told me this was his mothers wedding ring, and that she had given her engagement ring to his sister and her wedding ring to him. Apparently his father created this jewel for his mother and carved the band, and he said he’d do the same for my wedding band.”

“Man, Daniel knows how to make a move!” Dick whistled as he took Damian’s hand to see the ring better. “I’ve seen some amazing courting gifts in my day, but his mothers wedding ring as the first gift? You said his dad made this gem for his mom? Does that mean he’s going to make the same gem for you?” Damian blushed as Dick admired the ring.

“I believe so, since according to Daniel this gem is currently the only one in existence, making my wedding ring the second.” Damian stopped for a second, making Dick pause too. Damian was still and silent for about thirty seconds before he exclaimed “My god, it’s a tradition!” Dick blinked. “..what?” “It’s a family tradition! It’s something his father did, he’ll do, and our children will do as well! It’s generational!”

Damian was fanning himself and blushing again, and Dick couldn’t help but laugh. Of course thats what does it. A tradition. And probably also the fact that Daniel was already talking about their wedding. Damian was also going on and on about the wedding, who would be there and what type of flowers and what he would wear.

“Father and Mother will walk me down the aisle, of course, and Jon will be groomsman as well as Colin, Jason, Tim, and Duke.” Dick raised an eyebrow. “What about me?” Damian smiled at him. “You’ll be my best man, of course.”

[lethargical-lily]

Dorm Leaders x male!Draculaura!Yuu

I’m making this because no one else will and because I’m chronically obsessed with both fandoms

🌹Riddle Rosehearts🌹

I feel like there would be a rule against pink skin or something😭

Yes this is twisted wonderland where people are used to others with unnatural features but PINK SKIN??

I think it would be very off putting to him at first but he eventually accepts it

He enjoys your quite outgoing and cheery nature, he deserves to let loose once in a while and you’re his first option for just that

Both of your old victorian-esque styles would clash very nicely

He would often invite you to tea parties which you’d enthusiastically accept, and maybe dress in a nice pink dress which would always put a small blush on his face

He’d introduce you to the hedgehogs and they would probably be fond of you (especially the pink one)

Enjoys having someone who’s about his height or shorter. It’s a welcome change for him

Always has an umbrella handy for any sun exposure you may run into

Trey also enjoys having you around so that’s like a bonus for Riddle

Very accommodating towards your vegetarian diet

Overall very happy that you happened upon twisted wonderland, he couldn’t imagine his life without you

🦁Leona Kingscholar🦁

Can someone say SIZE DIFFERENCE

Your hella short compared to him

He can’t lie and say he’s not a fan

Y’all probably met while you were admiring the pink roses in the botanical garden and came across him napping

You didn’t wanna wake him up so you just stepped over him

He noticed you right away (probably because you’re like walking cotton candy) and was somewhat interested in you

As in curious as to what your deal was, I doubt he falls in love that fast

He sneaks glances at you every once in a while throughout the day

Was ACTUALLY introduced when he saw you hanging out with Jack

He was very drawn to your energetic personality which was the complete opposite of his and you vice-versa

Everyone wonders how in the world Leona got a cute, peppy, stylish bf (who everyone thinks may be a vampire but they don’t have much proof for that)

He’s probably aware that you’re capable of taking care of yourself when need be, but is still generally very protective because of your somewhat naive tendencies

After all this is a school for villains people aren’t the nicest here

Always kisses your heart shaped birthmark

Wouldn’t be as diligent with bringing an umbrella to block sun exposure but will still do what he can to make sure you avoid it

He’ll even block the sun with his own body if he has to

Forgets you’re vegetarian very often

Is willing to try to be a little more active if you encourage him to

After all he does really wanna impress you

Very happy he met you, you make his life a lot cheerier even if he refuses to admit it

🐙Azul Ashengrotto🐙

Probably met because Floyd likes to bother you a lot

Not everyday you get a pink skin non-human from another dimension ya know?

Like many others your sunny disposition is very welcome to him

He was always made fun of as a kid so having someone who not only accepts his *freaky* flaws but encourages him to embrace them makes his heart melt

Enjoys having someone shorter than him since the tweels are basically towers compared to him

He has a pretty good sense of fashion as do you so I imagine he would purchase a lot of very nice (and pink) clothing/accessories for you

You would probably be willing to help around the lounge which is much appreciated from him

You would likely scold him if he tried to make a deal too serious (like taking someone’s bodily control)

You’re still very impressed by his UM though

Your excitement for things never fails to get him flustered

He would go to the ends of the earth to make you happy

🥳Kalim Al-Asim🥳

It’s like looking in a mirror

Not in terms of physical features ofc but in terms of personality

Y’all are like two peas in a pod

Jamil has never wanted to disappear more/hj

He loves having someone who’s just as cheery and down to party as he is

You’re definitely an enabler

But not in a bad way

Jamil is the one to keep you both in check if you guys try to do something stupid

But you keep Kalim distracted to for that Jamil is thankful

Always takes you on magic carpet rides because he loves to see the way your eyes shine seeing this wHoLe NeW wOrLd

Will spoil you with extravagant gifts and clothing

His siblings probably love you

Also one to kiss your heart shaped birthmark

If you’re someone who’s not used to compliments get ready because this man will SHOWER YOU with love

Loves to carry you around bridal style

Idk why I just feel like he would

You both are incredibly obsessed with each other and he wouldn’t have it any other way

🦚Vil Schoenheit🦚

He would try to hide his interest in you but that doesn’t go over well for him

YOU’RE JUST SO BEAUTIFUL AND CUTE

HOW???

Probably thinks your skin color is like body makeup or something at first

Pretty shocked when he finds out it isn’t

He tries not to be disappointed that you’re put into ramshackle instead of his dorm

Not necessarily in a romantic way he just feels you’d fit in there so much better

Would get to know you through Rook constantly spying on you

He didn’t ask him to, but it is a bonus

Would always dress you up in stunning pink ensembles

Think Haunt Couture or Limited Edition Draculaura

Would show you off to his fans (with your consent ofc)

He would love if you modeled with him

Is very understanding of your vegetarian diet and always gets you vegan snacks

Will always have a beautiful pink umbrella handy for potential sun exposure

It’s very important to him that you keep yourself safe

He’s more than happy to let you pick out his outfits

He could never be more happy that he met you

👾Idia Shroud👾

He would be scared of you

Not because you’re a scary person, but because you’re just so nice

He simply does not understand

He would try to avoid you like the plague but he doesn’t get very far since you and Ortho get along so well

You also like hanging out in Ignihyde a lot because of the dark lighting

You approach him first with mountains of compliments about his hair and overall looks

His face goes the shade of your pink skin

You tell him your interest in his video games since I don’t imagine you’ve played a whole lot of those so he asks if you would like him to teach you

Your enthusiasm is unexpected and leaves him blushing profusely

He grows to really like your outgoing and kind nature even if it’s the exact opposite of him

You encourage him to go meet others a lot which he’s opposed to at first but its gotten him a lot more friends which he doesn’t hate

Always lends you his hoodies

You convince him to let you dress him up and he likes the style you’ve given him much more than he expected

You paint each other’s nails

Is the only person he lets mess with his hair

He also likes that you and Ortho are such good friends, it makes him happy that two of his favorite people get along

He would dox someone for you💙

🐉Malleus Draconia🐉

You being a 1600 year old vampire you can definitely relate to the feeling of being lonely for so long

Which is why you always go out of your way to attempt befriending him

You’re more than happy to talk to him at lengths about his love of gargoyles which is what made him fall for you in the first place

That and your lack of cowardice in speaking with him

He always asks you to dress him up since he knows you like doing it so much

He likes the color change

Also someone who is a fan of the size difference

It makes it feel more like he has someone to protect

And protect he will

Always shields you from sunlight by standing the direction the sun is pointing from

He is indeed tall enough to block it out

Gifts you with beautiful pink gemstones he finds

You try to explain to him current technology which he appreciates even if he doesn’t understand it

You would probably decorate his horns with different chains and jewels

He refuses to take them out

You invite him to any and every event if he wasn’t already

He would destroy every realm if it put a smile on your face

[mysteryshoptls]

R Ortho Shroud Scary Dress Personal Story

"I'll fully charge myself."

[The Other Dimension – Sparkling Chamber]

Ortho: Kalim Al-Asim-san, Happy Halloween!

Kalim: Oh, Ortho. Happy Halloween!

Kalim: Are you enjoying the party?

Ortho: Yeah, I am! It's fun to dance along with the music, and…

Ortho: It's also nice that the mirrored ball on the ceiling lights up the room every time it turns. Just watching it makes me happy!

Ortho: It really is true that mirrored balls and illuminations have a psychological effect that can lift people's moods, I see.

Kalim: A psychological effect that can lift people's moods…?

Ortho: To put it simply, the sparkling lights make people thrilled and excited.

Kalim: Got it. …Does that mean that if there's a mirrored ball, a normal party can become even more lively?

Ortho: That's highly probable.

Kalim: Awesome! Then I guess I'll have to add a super bright mirrored ball to the Scarabia lounge!

Ortho: Eehh? I think the interior of Scarabia is already flashy enough without a mirrored ball though…

Kalim: Of course, I do like the current lounge as is. But if it's always the same, the dorm students will get bored, don't you think?

Kalim: Ooh. Better idea, I should redecorate the whole lounge to match the mirrored ball!

Ortho: Eh, change the whole room? That's an audacious idea! What kind of ideas do you have to change it up?

Kalim: First, for the wall! What about covering it with a full-length mirror that can reflect the light beautifully?

Ortho: If you're hoping for light refraction or diffusion, then from the point of view of physical optics, I recommend setting up glass cubes instead of a mirror.

Kalim: Oooh～! You really know your stuff, Ortho. Alright, then let's make a wall out of glass cubes! Next isー

Jamil: Kalim, I've brought your food. I've already taste-tested it… What's going on? You seem to be pretty excited.

Ortho: Kalim Al-Asim-san says he's going to install a mirrored ball in the lounge of the Scarabia dorm and completely redecorate it.

Jamil: What!? How did this conversation even start!?

Kalim: We'll stack glass cubes all up against the walls, and cover the sofa and cushions completely in sequins!

Kalim: With this, the lounge will definitely be an sparkling and exciting place that'll be sure to make the parties super lively!

Jamil: Hey wait, calm down! Are you even thinking about how much time and money such a large-scale remodel like this will cost!?

Kalim: Yeah, that's true.

Kalim: Okay, we should make haste, then! Jamil, I need you to contact some vendors first thing tomorrow morning! I want to get this completed as soon as possible!

Ortho: Fufufu! Kalim-san is a pretty interesting person. But…

Ortho: Even without resorting to a large-scale remodeling project like that, if you just invite me over, then I can help you do what you want, Kalim-san.

Kalim/Jamil: Eh?

Jamil: Are you serious, Ortho!?

Ortho: Yep. I don't need such old-fashioned set-ups like a wall of glass cubes or sequined fabrics.

Ortho: That's because my brother installed many of the world's most advanced technological features in me!

Ortho: First, let's start with the illumination devices for the colorful lights…

Ortho: I can use LEDs and beams of light to illuminate the room in nine different colors.

Kalim: Nine colors! There's no doubt at all, that'll be so colorful and everyone'll be so hyped!

Jamil: That's amazing, Ortho! Please tell us more. I'm sure because it's you, you've got other great features, right?

Ortho: Of course! I can also use projection mapping to cast things onto the wall or ceiling.

Ortho: If you use this feature, you can not only change the wallpaper and fabric colors, but the whole landscape of the room.

Ortho: You can experience extraordinary locations like outer space and under the sea with the touch of a button. Isn't that amazing?

Kalim: Yeah, that's amazing, Ortho! I'm excited just hearing about it.

Ortho: I have many more features that'll be entertaining for everyone. Like…

[activates smoke]

Kalim: Wah, what's all this smoke!?

Ortho: I activated "Smoke Mode." This can cover about a large floor of 200 square meters. In addition I have…

[activates snow]

Jamil: Ohhh, is this snow? Pretty dramatic.

Ortho: "Weather Mode" can reproduce all kinds of weather indoors, from light rain to snowstorms.

Ortho: And finally… how about something like this?

[activates flower petals]

Kalim: Ah! This time it's flower petals… And there's some kind of nice aroma too. It feels like I'm in the middle of a flower field…

Ortho: This is "4-D Mode." You can give your audience a sense of immersion and a realism by not only appealing to sound and sights but also to their sense of smell.

Jamil: Each and every one of those are amazing functions! For one person to be able to do so many wonderful effects… I'm impressed!

Kalim: Wow! It's so rare to see Jamil this excited about something!

Kalim: Ortho, you're really great at getting people hyped up!

Kalim: If you were a Scarabia student, I'd appoint you Party Ambassador!

Ortho: Eh, me?

Kalim: Cause we've been so engrossed more with you than with the mirrored ball since we started talking!

Kalim: I bet we could hold a bright and exciting party without any remodeling if you were there!

Kalim: Hey, Ortho. Do you want to join us at our dorm for our next party? I want to be able to show the other dorm students your amazing techniques!

Ortho: Wah! You're going to invite me to one of your parties? I'm so happy! I'll fully charge myself before I come so that I don't run out of batteries during it.

Kalim: Then it's decided! Then, we have to also prepare something that Ortho can enjoy too, Jamil!

Jamil: Yeah. Definitely, since Ortho is our savior who was able to navigate Kalim's unreasonable… I mean, since he is an important guest to our dorm.

Jamil: The whole dorm will work to fully entertain him.

Ortho: Eheheh. I'm so glad that you all were pleased with the features that I had installed for Halloween.

Ortho: All right, once this party is over, I'll immediately get the preparations started!

Ortho: I'll try to think if there's any kind of idea that'll surprise everyone more than today did.

Ortho: I'm going to throw such a glitzy party that no one has ever seen before. Please look forward to it, you two!

Kalim/Jamil: Yeah! / Yeah.

Requested by @girl-in-the-tower.

[southernageless]

Blog Post 8 - Research 2

Happy Monday Y'all!

Throughout the last 2 months and some odd weeks, I have found many benefits of the Pescatarian Diet. I wanted to see what the research looked like in relation to my personal findings.

According to Wozniak, "pescatarians were less likely to be obese (OR 0·18; 95 % CI 0·04, 0·75) and less hypercholesterolaemic (OR 0·53; 95 % CI 0·29, 0·95) when compared with omnivores." This was take from a study that was conducted for 13 years. I have noticed that, even if I have not lost a lot of weight, I am not bloated anymore and I am able to do strenuous tasks without stopping multiple times. A few months ago, the stairs winded me. Below is a table taken from Chen that shows the "average intake of different food groups per capita per day in Switzerland" for a Pescatarian (PST) diet in relation to the Swiss Society for Nutrition (RSN) recommendations

Table 1. Food consumption under different Swiss dietary scenarios. Food Items/Scenarios PST RSN Fruits 330 325 Vegetables 296 291 Legumes 23 26 Nuts and seeds 62 50 Cereals 192 124 Meat products 0 33 Fish & seafood 27 6 Eggs 31 18 Dairy products 307 330 Vegetable oils 71 26 Roots & tubers 230 149 Others 299 109 On average, those that follow a Pescatarian diet are meeting daily recommendations in every category except meat, and what they lose there, is made up with roots, vegetables, and others.

Also, shifting to a diet recommended by Swiss society of nutrition (RSN) will be the most beneficial for the environment, cutting down the daily food related environment footprint by ~36% on average across five domains considered here (Chen).

If I am able to not only better my own health, but also better the world around me, why would I not do it? There are Pescatarian options all around us. My boyfriend and I went to Whataburger the other day, and I had accepted I was going to be stuck with a salad, but alas! They had a fish sandwich meal! There is not any place that I can not go due to dietary restrictions, so why harm myself and the planet I live on when I can make a change?

Everyone is absolutely entitled to their beliefs, their practices, their diet choices. Until this project, I lived on chicken tenders. No matter where I ate, I got tenders and fries. I am so glad that I made this change, and I do not think I will go back.

Work cited:

Chen, Canxi, et al. “Dietary Change Scenarios and Implications for Environmental, Nutrition, Human Health and Economic Dimensions of Food Sustainability.” Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 4, Apr. 2019, p. 856. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040856.

Wozniak, Hannah, et al. “Vegetarian, Pescatarian and Flexitarian Diets: Sociodemographic Determinants and Association with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Swiss Urban Population.” British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 124, no. 8, 2020, pp. 844–852., doi:10.1017/S0007114520001762.

[wisdomrays]

The Spirit In The Intermediate World

Following death, the spirit is taken to the Presence of God. If it led a good, virtuous life and refined itself, the angels charged with taking it there wrap it in a piece of satin and bear it, through the heavens and all inner dimensions of existence, to His Presence. During this journey, angels welcome it in every mansion or station it passes and ask: "Whose spirit is this? How beautiful it is!" The angels conveying it introduce it with the most beautiful titles it had while in the world, and answer: "This is the spirit of the one who, for example, prayed, fasted, gave alms, and bore all kinds of hardship for God's sake." Finally, God Almighty welcomes it and tells the angels: "Take it back to the grave where its body is buried, so that it can answer the questions of Munkar and Nakir, the interrogating angels."

Whatever misfortune we experience is the result of our own sin. If believers are sincere but cannot always refrain from sin, God, out of His Mercy, allows misfortune to strike so that they may be purified. God may subject them to great agony during death, either to forgive their still unpardoned sins or to promote them to higher (spiritual) ranks, but then take their spirit very gently. If, despite all misfortune and death agonies there are still some unforgiven sins, these people are somehow punished in the grave and so will not be punished in Hell. As the grave is the first station on the journey toward eternal life, it features a preliminary interrogation by two angels into what kind of life the deceased lead. And almost everyone, except Prophets, is subjected to some suffering.

It is recorded in reliable books that 'Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, desired very much to see 'Umar in his dream after the latter had died. When he saw him 6 months later, he asked him: "Where were you until now?" 'Umar replied: "Don't ask me that! I have just finished accounting (for my life)."

Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was among the greatest Companions, may God be pleased with them all. When he died, Archangel Gabriel, upon him be peace, told God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings: "The Divine Throne trembled when Sa'd died." Innumerable angels took part in his funeral. After Sa'd, may God be pleased with him, was buried, the Messenger said in amazement: "Glory to God! What (will happen to others) if the grave squeezes (even such people like) Sa'd?"

In the grave, everyone is questioned by the angels Munkar and Nakir. They ask: "Who is your Lord? Who is your Prophet? What is your religion?" and many other questions. If the deceased were believers, they can answer these questions. Otherwise, they cannot. The questions continue concerning their deeds in the world.

The spirit's relationship with the body differs according to which world it inhabits. In this world, the spirit is confined within the prison of the body. If the evil-commanding self and bodily desires dominate it, the spirit inevitably deteriorates and spells the person's final doom. Those who use their willpower in the way taught by God, discipline their evil-commanding selves, nourish their spirits (via belief, worship, and good conduct), and are not enslaved by bodily desires will find their spirits refined, purified, and furnished with laudable qualities. Such people will find happiness in both worlds.

After burial, the spirit waits in the intermediate world between this one and the Hereafter. Although the body decomposes, its essential particles—called in a hadith ajb al-dhanab, which literally means coccyx—do not rot. We do not know whether ajb al-dhanab is a person's genes or something else. Regardless of this ambiguity, however, the spirit continues its relations with the body through it. God will make this part, which is formed of the body's essential particles, atoms, or all its other particles already dispersed in the soil, conducive to eternal life during the final destruction and rebuilding of the universe. He also will use it to recreate us on the Day of Judgment.

The intermediate world is the realm where the spirit feels the "breath" of the bliss of Paradise or the punishment of Hell. If we led a virtuous life in the world, our good deeds (e.g., prayers, recitations, acts of charity) will appear as amiable fellows. Also, windows onto heavenly scenes will be opened for us and, as stated in a hadith, our grave will become like a garden of Paradise. However, if some of our sins still remain unpardoned, regardless of how virtuous we were, we may suffer some punishment in the intermediate world until we become deserving of Paradise. Unbelievers who indulged in sin will be met by their deeds, which will assume the forms of bad fellows and vermin. They will see scenes of Hell, and their graves will become like a pit of Hell.

When we are alive, our spirit suffers pain and feels joy and happiness. Although it feels pain apparently through the nervous system and uses this extremely complicated system to communicate with all bodily parts, scientists still do not understand how it interacts with the body, especially with the brain. Any bodily failure that causes death can make the nervous system stop operating. However, it has been established scientifically that certain brain cells survive for a while after death. Scientists try to receive signals from such cells . If they succeed in doing so and can decipher those signals, it will be useful, especially in criminology, in solving unsolved crimes. For example, the Qur'an tell us how, during the time of Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, God revived a dead person, who identified his killer:

When Moses said to his people: "God commands you to sacrifice a cow" ... they sacrificed her, a thing they had scarcely done. And when you killed a living soul, and disputed thereon—God disclosed what you were hiding—so We said: "Smite him with part of it"; even so He brings to life the dead, and He shows you His signs, that haply you may have understanding. (2:67, 71–73)

As the spirit suffers pain and feels happy, and as it continues its relation with the body (via those essential bodily particles that do not rot) in the intermediate world, it is meaningless to discuss whether the spirit, the body, or both will enjoy Paradise or suffer Hell.

Since the spirit lives the worldly life together with the body and shares all its joys and sorrows, God will resurrect people both bodily and spiritually. The Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'a agree that the spirit and the body will go either to Paradise or Hell together. God will build bodies in forms unique to the Hereafter, where everything will be alive: This life of the world is but a pastime and a game. Lo! the home of the Hereafter, that is life if they but knew (29:64).

Spirits in the intermediate world will see and hear us, provided God allows this. If He does, He may permit some saintly people to see, and hear, and communicate with us.

Our account is not closed after we die. If we leave behind good, virtuous children, books or institutions from which people continue to benefit, or if we have raised or contributed to raising those who benefit others, our reward increases. If we leave evil behind, our sins increase as long as our evil harms others. Therefore, if we want to help our beloved ones who have died, we should do good deeds. If we help the poor, take part in Islamic services, lead a good and virtuous life, and especially spend to promote Islam and the good of Muslims and humanity at large, we will cause their reward to increase.

[peterbparkerth]

The Cloaked Rose ~Chapter 5~

*The Cloaked Rose Masterlist*

Summary: What happens when a Psychic Nexus who feels anybody’s energy comes in contact with the Avengers but most importantly someone she thought she’ll never find.

Bucky X OC!Character

Avengers X Platonic!Character

A/N: The main character’s personality is based on myself and she’s not like Wanda just imagine the main character to be a different type of nexus and Wanda being just a witch not a nexus. Also it starts after Thanos dies meaning the falcon and winter soldier time but Tony and the rest are alive and Steve is a Nomad but the government is okay with him since He gave the shield to Sam. John Walker aka the US agent still exists but he’s on the down low. Loki is also an avenger now so chill.

DO NOT COPY MY WORK!!!!!!!!! THAT INCLUDES REPOSTING!!!

Chapter 5

Alara’s POV

I was happy that Bucky pulled me away from the dance floor as I was very uncomfortable dancing with a stranger.

When Nat left the booth, Bucky sat on the counter chair and I did the same. “Alara” he said and cleared his throat to speak again “you need to stop dancing with strangers, they can be harmful to you. I don’t want anything to happen to you..” he sighed and then continued “You mean so much to me Al, so much ” he then looked at me. I only nodded letting him know I agree with him.

He took a deep breath and after a while he spoke “I care about you Alara, you can say that I even like you”, his confession made me realize my feelings for him. “I care about you too Bucky and trust me I feel the same” I finally said, he smiled at me and held my hand softly. He shouldn’t have touched me because the moment he touched me I felt being in deep pain the pain being too much for me, I looked at Bucky as he knew something was wrong, but before he could say something I ran away from him. “Alara!” I heard everyone call me but I kept running towards my room.

I had no idea when I slept but I woke up in my room in the same dress from last night, I quickly changed into casual clothes but didn’t want to go to the kitchen. Just then Wanda knocked on the door and said “Alara we need to talk about what happened last night”, I sighed and turned to look at her “okay Wanda get in.” She nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, “so why did you leave last night in a hurry. Bucky must be feeling his worst today” she said. I coughed a bit and then told her “When Bucky touched me last night, I felt a lot of pain from him and I thought he was not being truthful to me”.

Wanda nodded and replied “I understand how you feel Alara, but give him a chance if you feel the same way. Maybe it’s your powers telling you to take all that pain away from him”. I looked at her surprised “you think that?” I asked and she nodded smiling. I got out of my room and walked to the kitchen. “Where’s Bucky?” I asked Steve when I walked in the kitchen. “Well morning to you too Al, he’s in the training room” he replied and I ran towards the training room.

I saw Bucky training his shooting skills with Nat and jealousy hit me a lot. I opened the door and ran to Bucky. “Bucky!” I said as I ran to him, he turned around and was immediately hugged by me. He chuckled “Doll, how are you feeling today?” He asked as he hugged me back, “sorry I left without saying anything, I’m sorry” I said but all he did was kiss my forehead to calm me down. “Want to go have breakfast with me love?” He asked me and I blushed as I nodded.

Within a few minutes we were sitting on the dining table having our lunch when suddenly Clint switched on the news, it showed how someone with powers escaped the prison only to get to another dimension. “This is bad” I said, everyone else looked at me needing to know more.

“MTF captured that prisoner after such a hard fight. If he escaped there must be a dangerous reason for it” I said. “What do you mean dangerous?” Loki and Thor asked at the same time and then looked at each other.

Before I could say anything, a portal opened in the middle of the lounge and in came Ryan clearly in stress. “We have a big ass problem Alara” he said, I rolled my eyes and walked to him “Just because Derine escaped, it doesn’t mean the world will end Ry” I said and let him on the couch.

“Who’s Derine and what’s his story?” Peter asked as he got into the lounge “Peter, he is one of the men of Kalike who is just like Hydra but in other dimension” I let him and everyone else know.

“No, he’s not.” Zaire suddenly came to the lounge with other MTF men. I looked at her and smiled “Derine not only work for Kalike but they both are the soldiers of Voltron” she said and I looked at her “Voltron who’s that?” I asked her.

She looked and me and sighed “Voltron is the destroyer of dimensions, the worlds we live in. He’s after Alara’s powers” she answered me. “What does he want from Alara?” Tony asked

“She’s powerful and he just wants to take her powers” Zaire said before she handed Ryan a confidential file and left the lounge. I looked at Bucky “I’m just a psychic that controls the portals” I said.

“If your safety is at stake you should go live somewhere for a while” Natasha said, everyone looked at her “well that’s not a bad idea after all” Sam said and nudged Bucky who then said “I’ll go with her and she can be under my supervision” Steve and the rest smirked at me and I rolled my eyes “I’ll see what’s the easiest way to get you out of here” Tony said and told Friday to look for early flights to any country.

“Dubai will be much better for Miss Alara, Mr Stark.” Friday responded and I sighed then went to my room to pack for Dubai even if I had to leave after a week. Bucky came into my room and said “Doll, don’t worry once everything is safe, I’ll bring you back”. I looked at him and smiled “I trust you Bucky” I said as he hugged me.

Third Person POV

While Alara and Bucky were planning to travel to Dubai, there was someone else who was travelling. But he was travelling dimension to dimension, why? Just for Alara.

Voltron has always seemed to want to control the flow anything that’s different. He never liked different beings, but on the same time he wanted power and superiority amongst others.

“Did you find her?” He asked his men “No sire, we’re unable to find her on earth 242” one of the men said. Voltron got out of his throne like seat and walked out to see the begging faces of the people of earth 242. “Where is Alara Kaymak?!!” He shouted at the captured people.

“She’s not here with us” one of the local men replied, this angered Voltron as he signalled his men to “Kill them” right after he used his powers to tear one of the locals piece by piece. “Find her and bring her to me!!!” He shouted at his men as he went back into his plane.

“Master where should we travel to now?” The plane pilot asked, “Earth 355, you fool!” Voltron growled at he used his powers to throw one of his men from one place to another, just for fun.

As Voltron continue his journey to find Alara, no body questions him “Why Alara?” Well that secret will soon be revealed.

Taglist

@exmachina187 @httpscarletwitch @madisondelstan @amayatheowl @motherbarnes

[elliemarchetti]

Red Queen Pride and Prejudice AU (Part 2)

Part 1

Masterlist

Tag list (if you want to be tagged in all my work or only a specific fandom/fic dm me or write an ask): @lilyharvord

Words: 2164

That Miss Skonos and Miss Barrow should meet to talk about the party was perfectly obvious, but the attentive invitation Wren received from Miss Samos and Lady Haven was a real surprise: her gentle manner increased the two's goodwill towards her, and although her mother was considered unbearable and some of her friendships, including Gisa and Tramy, not even worthy of mention, the feeling of wanting to get to know better both her and Mare was openly expressed. Wren received this attention with great pleasure, but Mare still saw arrogance in their behavior towards everyone, barely mitigated in the presence of the homeowner, whose admiration for Wren, reciprocated, was more than evident, although the younger had noticed with pleasure that it wasn’t likely to become public knowledge, since Wren combined a great intensity of the feelings with a composed temperament and a uniform cordiality in the manner, which protected her from impertinent suspicions. Mare talked about it with a dear friend, Miss Farley, the daughter of a colonel discharged after a bad wound that had practically made him blind in one eye.

"Maybe in this case it can be positive", Diana replied, "to be able to hide it from other people, but sometimes to be so wary has its drawbacks. If a woman hides her own affection with the same skill to the one who is the object of it, she can lose the opportunity to conquer him, and it’ll be a very poor consolation to think that the world is equally unaware. We’re all free to start a slight preference, is more than natural, but very few of us have such feelings that they really fall in love without being encouraged. Nine times out of ten, a woman would do better to show more affection than she feels. It’s indisputable that Samos likes Wren, but he may never express more than that if she doesn't help him do so.”

“But she’s helping him!” exclaimed Mare.

"Remember he doesn't know her the way you do, therefore he may not understand it," the other wisely suggested. Although Diana wasn’t married, she always had good advice, whether it was sentimental, about family or neighborhood disputes, and the suggestions she was giving her, if it hadn’t been the romantic Wren she was talking about, would’ve been really good; although closer in age, Mare's two closest friends were very distant in terms of social class, and couldn’t be more different in character, which made the idea of organizing a cognitive meeting that wasn’t a social event of extended dimensions, a folly.

"Well," Diana said, "I wish Wren with all my heart to be successful, but if she married him tomorrow, I believe that she would be as likely to be happy as she would be studying his character for a year. Happiness in marriage is just a matter of luck: as much as two people can know each other thoroughly previously, or have similar characters, that won’t affect their happiness in the slightest, as they will always find something later that will divide them. Maybe it's better to know as little as possible the defects of the person with whom

you’ll spend the rest of your life, or we’re all destined to die alone.”

Both girls burst out laughing, and in the hilarity of the moment, it was far from Mare's mind to be in someone else's thoughts; General Calore had barely admitted at first that she was pretty, and at the ball he had looked at her without any admiration, as it had happened in their subsequent meetings, where he had done nothing but criticize her with his friends. But as soon as he convinced himself  that her face barely had any nice features, he began to find that her intelligent dark eyes were able to render her expression beautiful, and although his critical eye spotted more than one symmetry flaw in her physique’s proportions, he was forced to acknowledge that she had a lean and pleasant body, and those discoveries had only been followed by others, equally embarrassing. Of all this, she was completely unaware; for her he was only a man who made himself unpleasant everywhere and didn't think she was beautiful enough to invite her to dance. Yet he began to want to know her better, and as a first step towards a direct conversation, he paid attention to her exchanges with others. This way of doing caught the girl's attention, and while they were at the Skonos’ house, where a large group had gathered, she spoke to her friend about it.

"Why was General Calore listening to my conversation with Colonel Farley?"

"It's a question that only he can answer," replied the other, "but if he does it again, let him know you're noticing his strange behavior."

Mare took her friend literally, and the girl soon found herself forced to distract her from teasing the poor young man, who seemed incredibly uncomfortable, inviting her to play and sing for the little gathering. Following her performance, it was her sister who took her place on the stool in front of the piano, and though the youngest of the Barrows had neither genius nor inspiration, vanity had provided her with determination and a pedantic and presumptuous way of doing things  that made her get everything she wanted. Mare had been listened to with much more pleasure, although her voice didn't sound so good, but Gisa, at the

end of a long concert, was still pleased to obtain praise and gratitude from everyone, except for the General, who had remained in indignant silence for that way of passing the evening, which completely excluded conversation, and was too busy with his own thoughts to notice having the owner of the house next to him until he started talking.

"What an enchanting pastime for young people!" the man exclaimed, looking at the couples, including his daughter and Mr. Samos, who had started dancing. "On the other hand there is nothing like dancing; I consider it as one of the main refinements of civil society. "

"Of course, sir; and it also has the added bonus of being in vogue among the least civilized societies in the world. Any savage can dance. "

The man just smiled, as if he had realized something that was obscure to Cal, an attitude that annoyed him immensely, but never as much as his attempt to make him dance with Miss Mare, who seemed to have no intention of giving him the honor, despite his good disposition. Her reluctance, however, hadn't hurt her in the eyes of the gentleman, who was thinking of her with a certain satisfaction when he was approached by Miss Samos.

"Can I guess the subject of your reverie?" she asked, turning her gaze to the room and covering her thin, pale lips with a glass.

"I would say not," he replied, sardonically.

"Let me try: you are considering how unbearable it would be to pass many evenings like this, in such company, and I absolutely agree with you. I was never bored that much! The nonsense, plus the noise; the nullity and the importance that all these people give themselves! What would I give to hear your comments on them! "

"Your hypothesis is totally wrong, I assure you. My mind was engaged in more pleasant things: I was meditating on the great pleasure that two beautiful eyes can give. "

Miss Samos immediately stared into his face, and asked him to tell her who was the lady who had the merit of inspiring such a reflection. Cal replied intrepidly, mentioning Mare's name, but had to quickly placate his friend's sarcasm and remind her that he hadn't forgotten their agreement, if only not to attract too much attention. Unfortunately, the General couldn’t suspect that he had been overheard by the young Gisa, who, returning home, reported everything to her sister just for the sake of hearing the malice that her mother would’ve expressed towards that man so cold that he hadn't even bothered to compliment her performance.

"From the way I hear you talk, you must be the silliest girl in the neighborhood," her father retorted. "I had suspected it several times, but now I'm convinced. "

Gisa was so disconcerted that she almost began to cry, and it was only her mother's intervention, and the subsequent quarrel between her and her husband, that allowed her to reach her room undisturbed. As for Mare, she listened, since her father's opinions were always well thought out, and certainly more reliable than those of her mother or even her brothers.

"From what you say, those two have been friends all their lives, and even their parents were friends before them, so it wouldn't surprise me if they secretly agreed to get married, if they were left without a partner for too long,” Mr. Barrow decreed, putting an end to the discussion, at least aloud, as his words reverberated for days in his daughter's mind, until the importance of the news was outclassed by a letter that came directly from the Hall of the Sun: Wren had gone on horseback to a lunch with Miss Samos and Lady Haven, but she had been surprised by a thunderstorm and now remained a guest of the Samos until her indisposition, which consisted of a severe sore throat and a pounding headache that had barely allowed her to write that note, had passed. Seriously worried about the matter, and despite her father arguing that she was going to be fine, Mare had decided to visit her, even though, with the ground made extremely muddy by the rain, making the carriage completely unusable,  and given her ineptness as a horseman, she was forced to go by foot.

"How can you be so foolish?"asked her mother, rhetorically, " You won’t be presentable once you get there!”

"I'll definitely be presentable to see Wren, which is all I want," she replied, and Gisa's objections were to no avail since she was even supported by Shade and Tramy, who were willing to visit the Farleys, who lived right off the street. It was just dawn when the trio left the house and took the road to the Hall of the Sun, but as soon as she separated from her younger brothers, Mare continued along the shortcuts she remembered from when she was a child, walking briskly through field after field, climbing over fences and leaping puddles with agile impatience, eventually founding herself in sight of the house with sore ankles,

muddy socks and a face that shone, warmed by the exercise. She was ushered into the breakfast room, where all the residents, except for Wren and Mr. Lucas, were gathered and where her appearance caused a huge surprise; that she had walked three miles so early in the morning, in all that mud, and alone, was almost unbelievable to the two young ladies, and Mare realized they despised her for it, yet they welcomed her with great courtesy, as opposed to General Calore, who spoke very little, and the owner of the house, who didn’t said a word, probably upset by her unannounced arrival, or feeling as if she was questioning whether her friend was being properly cared for. The answers she received regarding that specific issue weren’t particularly encouraging: Miss Skonos had slept badly due to the high fever and she wasn’t feeling strong enough to leave her room.  Mare was pleased to be immediately led to her, and Wren, who had refrained from expressing in her note how much she desired such a visit only for fear of creating alarm and disturbing, was very happy to see her come in, although she couldn’t have much conversation, and once Miss Samos had left them alone, the two merely had breakfast in silence. Once they finished eating, they were joined by their hosts, and Mare began to like them more when she saw how much love and care they showed for Wren. The pharmacist arrived, and after examining the patient he said, unsurprisingly, that she had caught a severe cold, and that there wasn't much to worry about; he advised her to go back to bed, and promised to get her some medicine. The advice was promptly followed, as the fever had risen and the headache had worsened. Mare didn’t leave the room even for a moment and the other ladies weren’t away for long either, but since the gentlemen were out, in fact they had nothing else to do. When the clock struck three times, Mare realized she had to go, and she said it very reluctantly. Miss Samos offered her the carriage but Wren seemed so anxious about parting with her that Miss Samos was forced to turn the carriage offer into an invitation to stay for the time being at the Hall of the Sun. Mare accepted gratefully, and a servant was sent to warn the family and to bring back a supply of clothes.

[weaselbeaselpants]

All you need to know about my sucky rewrite

Since the actual show’s getting greenlit here’s my sooperoriginal ideas of my reboot/rewrite/reimagine thing called “Happy hotELL”

The cast of “Happy hoteLL” are renamed versions of the Hazbin cast:

Charly, Vee (she’s nick-named “Vaggy” by Engel) Engel, Niftie, Hux, Alastair, Lord Satan and Lilian, Flim-Flam and JibJab, Karen Killjoy, Sir Pantsless.

The main villains would be human!archangels based on Estus Pirkle and Kirk Cameron.

The main demons under Charly all embody a deadly sin in how they ended up in hell: Engel = Wrath (hated himself and other people), Niftie = Envy (tormented people at school in order to impress a boy), Hux = Lust (stalked/objectified various women in his life), Vee = Pride (too proud to admit she made bad choices), and Alastar = Gluttony (for reasons already discussed here).

Setting

The “afterworld”, the setting our characters inhabit, is separated into three sections: HEAVEN which is where the Archangels rule and were “good” souls go; HELL, which is the main setting of the show and where the archangels swoop down to purge of all the “bad” souls that end up there; and LIMBO, a primordial pocket-dimension with no direct portal to through the other two worlds. Limbo turns out to be the place the archangels, the true rulers of Heaven, are hiding. The mortal or ‘human’ world is between Heaven and Hell and is accessed by similar means to how it is in Helluva Boss. 

Angels and demons which were never human are referred to as ARCHANGELS/OVERLORDS and CHERUBS/IMPS. Ascended/damned souls are those of people who’ve ended up in either Heaven or Hell.

Heaven and Hell both have class systems. Imps and Overlords and Cherubs and Archangels are SUPPOSED to rule over all the human souls in their care. But Heaven’s archangels have gone missing - abandoned their posts for the peaceful content of limbo - leaving human angels to rise up and over time dictate how Heaven is to be run and who gets redeemed....this is as bad as you think it is, as the human!archangels care only for their “purity” over everyone else and keep people who should be allowed into heaven out just for not being to their standards - like Vee. The Overlords of Hell are unaware of this and have been unknowingly doing the human!angels’ business for hundreds of years. 

>The implication that this system for disposing of evil souls has failed is made well before the second season twist because damned human souls (Alastair) have become overlords and exist in Hell without being purged as an open secret, even to Charly’s parents. The only reason the true Overlords oppose any of the human!Overlords’ reign is because it disrupts their order in Hell, not out of any sense of justice.

There is NO monotheistic deity in this world; angels and demons used to live in “pantheons”, aka tribes, across the earth where they created life and the ecosystems there as well - thusly, they became gods to the people of these regions too. Satan and Lilian are from what would come to be the Abrahamic angels. In time, other mythologies’ underworld counterparts - and even some benevolent gods - would have the power diminish on earth and they’d have to live in Hell if they didn’t want to be wiped out by the crusades the Archangel’s influence over humans. Understandably, a lot of non-Abrahamic angels and demons are NOT fond of this appropriation/erasure of their culture and want their own realm’s back, even trying to run their own redemption operation/afterlife control in secret or in limbo. (Imagine Charly meeting a Vivziepoped versions of Hades and Persephone or Oxhead and Horseface telling her to fuck off and her just being like “I KNEW someone had the same idea! I JUST KNEW IT! <3<3<3″)

ALL mortal souls are supposed to be sent to hell but a great many of them are KEPT from heaven because of the human!archangels. 

A demon is redeemed by either setting right a wrong they did in life or sacrificing their happiness for another. This is what happens to Vee at the end of the first season, which leaves Charly without a manager through season 2.

Satan’s backstory is a parody of Paradise Lost as he was the most beautiful angel in his pantheon before the others kicked him out. In revenge he took Lilian, their “first woman”, for his wife and rallied up an army which apparently ended with one mass-extinction event on earth.

There’s a section of Hell where demons who represent different vices/drugs live. It’s referred as “Viceland” and is treated like a kitty theme park.

Demons (overlord, imp, or damned-souls) can all be summoned by mortals who know their way with unholy magic. They’re summoned at really inconvenient times and for really worthless deeds and this would be a great source of comedy for the show and an excuse to get characters to the mortal realm.

Story

The first episode/pilot/episodes/minimovie/whatever would be basically the same as the pilot but with a few tweaks:

It shows a person dying, going to Hell, becoming a demon, and being purged (which the audience not quite knowing what just happened to him) with Engel happily takes the dead demon’s things once the dust clears. Then Charly and Vee’s limo pulls up to him and ask him if he’s interested in a “new gig”. Que title and credits.

Charly initially opens the hotel with the promise that it will be a place for vice and booze but lets it slip that it’s a front for rehabilitation. Once Engel’s story is picked up on by the network, Vee and Charly’s assistants (Flimflam and JibJab) attack Karen and destroy the news station.

It’s Engel - not Vee - who recognizes Alastair as the threat that he is - later it’s revealed that Engel was present during Alastair’s initial takeover and that his radio frequencies damaged Engel’s eye. Vee doesn’t believe him until she sees Alastair’s absorbtion powers, which is when she allows him to stay employed by the hotel to help take Alastair down.

Alastair stresses the need for Charly to keep him working with her a secret, ESPECIALLY from her parents. He’s technically a criminal in hell and he convinces Charly that her parents will be impressed with her bad deed once the jig is up.

The rest of Season 1 would probably be Alastair setting up the hotel while the main cast of demons become more aquainted with each other and the different levels of Hell.The end of season 1 would feature Alastair double-crossing Charly and consuming the hotel in his likeness while it’s hosting a demon’s ball - in the hopes of getting enough souls to reignite his takeover. Vee, Engel, and Charly manage to escape the hotel and Charly overpowers and defeats Al by destroying his microphone - thus releasing all the souls he’s trapped, and then destroys his physical form.

Season 2 would start with a face reveal of Satan, Charly’s father, as he forces her to eat Alastair’s heart which will put him under her control. She does, but Alastair’s conscience manifests inside Charly’s head and mocks her ideas throughout the season. Also in the opening Vee would become and angel and ascends for Heaven, leaving Charly to manage the now very popular hotel alone until Engel rises up to become her #2.

Season 2 would be more explorative, with more stuff featuring the demon’s lives as humans, Charly’s role in Hell, and even Vee in Heaven. We’d learn more about the way Hell, Heaven and Limbo work as Charly manages to redeem a couple more damned souls. At the end of the season, the demons discover a dead cherub with a message from Vee begging Charly for help. Charly first attempts to pass through the hidden realm of Limbo to get to Heaven, but Hux runs off with their means to get there, so instead she vomits up Alastair, the only other demon who knows how to get to heaven, and he assists them on the condition that he be granted amnesty once they return to Hell. In the end, Charly and co. discover Heaven’s corrupted state and realize the Archangels are missing, Vee looses her wings but ascends into a fallenangel, and they all escape the bloodthirsty angels due to Lilian’s interference.

The Overlords of Hell prepare for a new war with Heaven and Charly’s parents send her to the mortal realm for her protection. In the mortal realm, Charly and the demons disguise themselves and their base of operation as a bed and breakfast. Charly has trouble reeling in the overexcited demons who are out of place in this new time while also keeping Alastair, who has stashed away with her, from trapping souls. 

Halfway through season 3 Engel and the other motel staff find out Alastair’s human identity, which he was desperate to hide, and bring his now elderly human daughter to him. This causes Alastair to freak out and consume the bed and breakfast. Once Charly brings him to, his physical takes on that of a baby deer but his psyche and abilities are completely nulled.

While this is going on Vee, Hux, and Charly’s parents have their own adventures in Limbo where they meet the Archangels who have no idea how corrupt Heaven has gotten in their absence. It’s only through Hux and Vee that the main group is finally all reuninted in Hell where the finale takes place :

Engel and Niftie ascend into fallenangels and alongside Vee lead a brigade against the angels who now want to wipe out all the demons; Charly guilt trips her parents and the Archangels into taking action and combining their power to dismantle the angel’s weapons; Alastair comes back and personally takes out the main human!archangel and himself by throwing them into the center of Hell; big stupid happy lesbian ending fartjoke.

end

Characters

Charly’s relationship dynamic to her parents is flipped: her father, Satan (he doesn’t like being called Lucifer) LOVES her. He shares a lot of her personality and at worst doesn’t take Charly seriously or cares about her ambitions. Lilian, Charly’s mother resents her daughter. Lilian was hoping her daughter would bring forth the apocalypse but Charly doesn’t want to do that. It’s implied Charly’s optimism and need to help people comes from her father’s days as an Archangel, and her mother especially hates the angels for casting her out, which leads to her resenting Charly.

This doesn’t stop Satan from being genuinely impressed with his daughter’s achievements and for Lilian to be be the panicked-parent when she learns that Charly has broken into Heaven at the end of season 2. 

The Royal Family is not actively malicious. They’re more like privileged jailers on the top of the Hell-foodchain. The most evil things about them are their apathy towards human atrocities (and their subjects pain, of course), their occasional bouts of sadism, and their genuine glee at the thought of destruction - namely the apocalypse, which Satan and Lilian speak fondly about like a married couple would their retirement plans.

After Charly shows her true form while taking out Alastair, the other Overlords and Imps (i.g. Karen and 666 News) start heaping praise on her out of fear that she’ll retaliate for all the mockery they made of her when she unveiled her plan. Charly is uncomfortable with this.

Engel is BAD at his pornstar/sexworker career. He tries to sell himself as a sass-master incubus but can’t achieve this status in the demon hierarchy because of his short fuse and violent nature.

Engel thinks he’s in hell because he’s gay and likes crossdressing. In reality it’s because he was a member of a crime family and a murderous gangster, named Anatole Slinkoff. The first people he killed were his father and brother as he was assisting a young-up-and-coming rival who would eventually become his boss.

Speaking of that boss, Anatole fell in love with him. On Anatole’s birthday he and the boss got drunk and he ended up confessing his feelings. The boss invited a sobered up Anatole back to his flat the following week and seemed to return his affections with a kiss...which was then followed by a fatal stabbing. Engel never got over the heartbreak/betrayal.

Engel starts off as a toxic enabling jackass who lives in denial and uses sex and drugs to cope with how unhappy he is with himself. In season 2 he becomes Charly’s #2 and builds a strong friendship with her. Also in season 2 Engel meets his father, brother, and mother who are also in hell for their crimes. His father and bro amazingly forgive him for killing them while Engel’s mother - a god-fearing woman who would beat Engel if she found him wears makeup or playing with dolls as a child - asks him for forgiveness, saying she’s the reason her family and he specifically ended up where he did. After Engel patches things up with them he tries to locate the souls of the people he killed and in the process finds out his old boss went to Heaven. At first Engel sets out to kill his boss and get revenge, but upon actually finding him living in fear in Limbo, he can’t bring himself to do so and instead chooses to just not forgive him.

Engel ascends/becomes a fallenangel in the final season when he meets an imp with a similar taste of humor and style. Rather than rush into a relationship as he’s done with every person he’s got with since he ended up in hell, Engel tells his new lover he wants to wait until he’s stable for a relationship, which triggers his transformation.

Molly doesn’t exist. Molly is instead the name of Engel’s feminine alterego and later the name Engel takes up as a fallenangel.

Vee, like Engel, also thinks she’s in hell for all the wrong reasons: She ran away from her controlling parents, thinking she could live on her own just fine. She could not. Instead she wound up turning to a life of crime and prostitution to support herself after a plethora of bad decisions and heartbreaks. When her parents sent word out all over the country, begging her to come back and that they were wrong, but she still refused. In the end one of her clients ended up strangling her. Her soul SHOULD have been one that went to Heaven but was barred off by the human!archangels for being a “thug”. Vee tried to get herself purged after her first few months in Hell, convinced that she deserved it, but Charly saved her and the blast instead only took out one of her eyes. Vee and her story are Charly’s main inspiration to open up the hotel.

Vee and Charly obviously have a romantic relationship from the start but Vee doesn’t see their love as anything serious. When Vee becomes an angel at the end of season 1/beginning of season 2, she rather cruelly leaves Charly without a second thought and discards their relationship is ‘passing sin’. It isn’t until she spends more time in Heaven, seeing the other angels’ being restricted (including her parents, who admit to actually being miserable in Heaven) and finding her rejection notice from the human!archangels that Vee realizes she does love Charly and that her redemption was always HER doing, not someone else’s.

Vee makes the unwise decision to confront the Archangels (whom she doesn’t know are actually human souls) about this treatment. They respond by locking Vee away and performing a “purification” on her which is like electroshock therapy. This sedates Vee into a mindless drone, much to the horror of the cherubs, angels, and eventually Charly and the gang.

Vee, in her purified state, doesn’t want to leave Heaven and go back to Hell. Charly, realizing the woman she loves is gone, tearfully tells her she won’t ask Vee to be anything she doesn’t want to be and that she loves her. This confession breaks through to the real Vee. Their happy reunion is cut short however by the human!archangels who rip off Vee’s wings, causing her and Charly to fall. It’s here though that Vee again ascends, this time into a fallenangel, and grows her own pair of wings and an angels’ weapon which she uses to kill Perkins, the head archangel and save the rest of the cast.

Throughout season 3, Vee and Charly’s parents turn the Happy Hotel into a refuge for human souls and imps while the angels and demons prepare for new spiritual warfare. Vee also tracks down Hux and multiple other “lost souls” in Limbo in her search for the Archangels.

Vee commands Hell’s army alongside Molly and Niftie in the show’s final climax and she gets a happy ending running a shanty motel in Limbo alongside Charly.

In life, Niftie was a teenager who tried to grow up too fast and gave up her hobbies and interests to impress her childhood friend (whom she was in love with). By following the lead of a more popular classmate, Niftie became a bully who ruled her school’s social status. Then she learned that her “teacher” had been in love with the same guy and he was returning her feelings - which drove Niftie into a rage and she tried killing the both of them on their senior prom night. She tried running them over with her car, putting the girl in the hospital, paralyzing the boy forever, and ruining her reputation at school (for saying she couldn’t drive when she did; not for the attempted murder). The boy she loved hated her, and the rest of the school bullied her until she gave in and took her own life in the bathroom.

The other demons are especially sympathetic towards Nifty. Charly finds it horrible that she end up in hell at such a young age. Hux is very protective of her. However, Niftie is more self-aware than she appears; she acts more childish than she actually is because she wishes she was still a kid, but does NOT like being treated like a literal child - especially by Charly and Engel. She only warms up to Charly when Hux abandons her and she’s forced to be an authority figure under Engel while the group stages things out in the mortal realm.

In the mortal realm, Niftie ends up coming across her old hishschool friend, now an old woman in a wheelchair, who believes it’s her fault everything ended the way it did. Niftie tells the lady not to feel guilty and instead apologizes to her - which ignites Niftie’s ascension into a fallenangel.

Hux was a moderately successful show magician. Heartbroken by being unable to woo a woman he loved with his success, he turned to drinking and took up relationships with women who worked under him  - all of these relationships were toxic and Hux would break their hearts and ruin their lives. When Hux arrived in Hell it was during a purge. He found his original sweetheart there but she, not him, was purged, cementing Hux’s views of redemption and justice...that there is NONE.

Hux is mostly apathetic and disbelieves along with everyone else in Charly’s plan UNTIL he finds out that one of the women he hurt escaped into Limbo. When the main cast tried to use their one passage to Limbo to get to Heaven in season 2, Hux takes the pass for himself.

In Season 3, Vee finds Hux enjoying his time in Limbo and calls him out for his selfishness. Hux introduces her to all the women he wronged, who DON’T forgive him, and also his new business in Limbo selling drinks that make people recall their past lives.

Together with Vee, Hux thinks up a plan to have the overcrowded souls of Hell and Heaven wait out the war in Limbo while simultaneously kicking out the Archangels so that they won’t notice the influx of souls in their realm.

Sir Pantsless is the show’s biggest buttmonkey and is constantly abused. He’s a tiny demon trying to ride off other Overlord’s success and who’s design is a wimpy, trying-to-hard version of Charly’s dad. In life, Sir Pantsless was a Victorian-era businessman who lived a long, happy life of abusing child-workers in factories and getting away with all his evil deeds. Charly’s dad even admits to keeping him out of the purge purposefully because he finds Pantsless’ pain amusing.

Themes and other stuff worth noting

If there’s a lesson I guess I’d try to push with the ending of this rewrite it would be, ironically, that neither Heaven nor Hell hold your true morality. It’s on you for making mistakes; it’s up to you to overcome them - you literally have to go through hell - to fix them! It also shouldn’t be up to Heaven and Hell how punishment/enlightenment works or why it’s worth anything.

This is NOT supposed to be an antireligion/antiChristian story. Not at ALL. It’s anti absolutism and anti religiousSUPREMACY story.  I know then that people will probably not want me basing this version of Heaven off Evangelicals, but like Viv, that’s the religion that closest for me to criticize. If I were Jewish or Hindu or Muslim I would so be about tearing their hypocrisies down....but I’m not. I know all about the injustices in those religions but I’m not comfortable tearing them a new one as a white Christian. My mother’s fam are recovering Christian Science-folk. Also, have you watched anything about Left Behind? It’s genuinely an eye opening experience when it comes to Americanized Christianity and even the lore of Hell and Demons in regards to the book of revelations.

Lotsa references to The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost with the implication that these works are fan fiction to the demons of actual events with Dante never even making it out of Hell because he was too prideful. (Charly’s father has two faces in his wings/comb which are constantly chewing parts of Dante like chewing gum).

I know Viv says she’s hoping to get Weird Al to voice Lucifer. Personally I think a better unlikely but TOTALLY FITTING devil would be mah man Martyn Jacques of The Tiger Lillies. They even have a circus motif!

Engel probably claims his name is supposed to be misspelled on purpose. In reality, it’s cause he was drunk when submitting his resume to be an incubus and made a typo for his new name.

Vee’s human name is Marianna Posada. GET IIIIIT.

Alastair’s human name is Edward Hastings. Edward being the name of the American Murder Song which inspired my Alastair, while Hastings is the last name of the man who helped doomed the Donner Party.

[fogsrollingin]

I’m coping with the SPN series finale by focusing on the positives as I see them. Here’s what I got so far.

I am grateful...

first and foremost, for fanworks, which have over the years absolutely shattered my dependence on canon for any kind of happiness or validation*, and therefore has made the series finale so much more bearable. *not to say canon hasn’t delivered happiness or validation to me but rather that fanworks deliver so much more of it on a more frequent basis that canon has become a pale imitation of how well-fed I’m kept by fans.

for Dad!Sam

for Shirtless Sam

to have gotten soul crushed and pieced back together by Jared and Jensen’s performances as Sam and Dean one last time. In the barn, “I love you so much, my baby brother” and the forehead boop. In heaven, how Sam looked like he was gonna cry just seeing Dean again after so long, how Dean hugged Sam like he was home

Dean and Sam got to live so comfortably in the bunker, hunting things and saving people with no sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. They got to have an adorable dog named Miracle

Jack returned everyone that Chuck had vanished back to Earth so they could carry on too

heaven was changed to be so much better and now much more interesting (because freedom and souls of various different levels of virtue interacting) than it was

Sam, Dean, Cas, Bobby, Jack, et al. ended up there together. Did I mention how super intriguing heaven is? (do I have fanfic ideas? y e s ). Also I’m so jazzed that Rowena still runs hell!

Sam’s wife or co-parent was blurry. Eileen was a pleasant ship I was totally cool shipping but I don’t mind the idea of a different love story. I’m actually even more attracted to the idea that Sam’s really too damaged to maintain a healthy romance but Dean jr. still came out of it, and Sam became a single father who threw everything he had into raising his little bubba

for this rationalization I came up with: if I could handle Sam was in a hell cage for eons with Lucifer getting tortured his soul flayed, I can handle a grief-stricken Sam living the rest of his life raising his baby until he gets his big brother back in heaven

Sam’s son had an anti-possession tattoo. Instead of blocking out the Supernatural completely for the rest of his life, Sam clearly acknowledged it and struck some compromise between staying aware of the Supernatural and still living his life as Dean would’ve wanted. Sam as a researcher/academic or a witch or both for a career is not out of the question (!!!)

I’m grateful for how it seems a reasonable presumption that Dean feels the same way about Cas as Cas does for him, and that we were left zero barriers between Cas and Dean to discover that by the end

Garth’s kids, Cas and Sam, playing with Sam’s son, Dean to be TFW: The Next Generation

fanfic is not hitting different now that the show’s over. I was scared of this but it’s not happening. It’s extremely easy to forget the series finale when reading canon divergences that take off after like season 2 for example

for how many plausible ideas there are in how to continue Supernatural off from the series finale. Supernatural has time traveled, dimension hopped, and jerked souls around from heaven, hell, purgatory and earth by means of so many devices that the end really has no end (oh, and they’re friends with Jack and the Queen of Hell, both of whom can probably do all those things and more)

Sammy wearing his pilot clothes in the finale, but especially the sneakers, blue pumas. for some reason it’s such a soft detail to me, my collegiate baby Sammy

That’s it for now. Ty for reading. The tag on my blog for posts like these is gonna be spn positivity. xoxoxo

[devintrinidad]

Charlastor Week #5: Date

“Why, pray tell, are we here again?” Alastor fingered his binoculars as he gazed at the scene below them. On his face, his usual smile was pinched and wavered so slightly when he caught a glance of something that he would rather not look at. “From what I can see, our presence is not needed.”

“Because,” Charlie stressed as she, too, adjusted the binoculars that rested on her eyes. “We need to make sure that Angel Dust is okay.”

Alastor sighed and set his binoculars to rest on his chest, the straps of the binocular allowing him to do so. He tapped Charlie lightly on the shoulder, careful to not allow his claws to accidentally dig into her clothing.

“I may not be the most knowledgeable concerning…. whatever this is, but I assume our neighborhood spider knows what he’s doing. After all, doesn’t he do this for a living?” He gestured towards the aforementioned spider demon who, if one were to look closely, was smiling contently in the presence of another. “I know that you’re worried about your first patient, but isn’t this an invasion of privacy?”

Charlie fumbled for words as she tried to justify what she was doing. On one hand, she truly cared for Angel. She loved him like a brother and she knew that he felt the same for her. It had taken a while, a few years in fact, but Angel went from outright sabotaging gangster to a harmless, annoying prankster. His tendencies for evil were curbed and he was, for the lack of a better word, almost angelic. Perhaps this year, he would be eligible for an appointment from a few angels from Heaven. Of course, it would be a slow process, but Charlie knew that he had it in him. As for this current situation, well…

Could you blame Charlie for being so careful? She didn’t want Angel to be corrupted by the common sinner or worse, she didn’t want him to get his heart broken after months of therapy about his self-esteem and purpose in life.

Therefore, it was up to Charlie and whoever was willing to help her, to make sure that Angels’ progress was heavily monitored.

In this case, they were monitoring Angel’s date with a newbie who had fallen into Hell only a few weeks ago.

“Come on, Al! I thought you were all for entertainment no matter how unethical it may seem.”

“That, my dear, applies to murder, cannibalism, and general discontent. This,” he grandly gestured to the scene below, “is trivial, and frankly, disturbing.” His eyes widened in disbelief as he adjusted the clarity of the binoculars’ lenses. “What are they doing with their mouths?”

Charlie gasped and did the same. “Oh my gosh!!!” She squealed with happiness. “They’re kissing and they look so happy together and—“

Alastor clapped a hand over her mouth, which caused Charlie to look up at him in question.

“Careful, dearest. Do you really want all of Pentagram City to know that you’re stalking one of your patients? I may not care about the hotel’s main theme, but it would hinder our business.”

“Ugggghhhh, fine, “ she answered, though her voice was heavily muffled by the hand that was held over her mouth. She pushed Alastor’s hand away from her own before magicking her binoculars into a pocket dimension for safe keeping. “Since it appears our presence isn’t needed, what do you want to do?”

“The Princess of Hell in want of something to do, with me, the infamous Radio Demon? Why—“ He placed a clawed hand over his heart, a mocking look on his face. “—I haven’t felt like swooning ever since my mother last pinched my cheeks!”

“Har de har har.” Without warning, Charlie took hold of Alastor’s elbow and steadily guided him in the opposite direction of Angel’s date. All the while, she ignored how Alastor’s radio static gradually began to feel less like a radio tuning into different channels and more like a satanic ritual gone wrong.

There was a lot of screaming and moaning of the damned.

“Lighten up, Alastor!” Charlie tugged him even closer as their footsteps went from a casual stroll to outright running. “This is gonna be fun!”

Alastor’s smile tightened in annoyance.

~~~

“When I said that entertainment applied only to murder, cannibalism, and general discontentment, I didn’t mean that the general discontentment should apply to me.”

“I don’t know… I feel like this is plenty entertaining.”

“My dear, I’ve lured hordes of demons into the pitch darkness of insanity just by hearing my broadcasts. Don’t assume that you are the sole exception.”

Much to his dismay, instead of the fear that Alastor craved, Charlie merely nodded at his little spiel and politely—politely!—booped him on the nose.

Twice.

Charlie and Alastor were seated at a small cafe that Vaggie and Charlie used to frequent before life at the hotel became too hectic. Inside, there were demons that were punished for lower level sins: theft, suicide, being a disturbance to the rest of society, etc. The patrons were often undisturbed and polite, at least when compared to the rest of the denizens of Hell. In fact, when the hotel had first opened, most of those who had frequented this establishment had actually gave a thought into joining the redemption business. Not all were redeemed, however, but everyone was in a work in progress.

As it were, Charlie was entranced by the newer additions on the menu while Alastor was nursing a mug of black coffee. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, his feet tapped nonsensically on the hardwood flooring, and his smile was strained at best.

“I feel like I want to order,” Charlie announced as she snapped the menu shut. She assessed Alastor’s position and the fact that his menu was busy acting like a coaster for his coffee. Like always, his eyes were trained on hers—creepy, but not as much as when they had first met. “What say you, Al?”

He gave a long suffering sigh before gesturing towards the soup section on his menu. “Probably not the most palatable of choices, but it will have to do.”

“Food snob,” Charlie lightly teased. “You won’t like it until you try it.”

He arched an eyebrow, his foot ceasing its tapping. “Does that apply to this situation?”

“Kind of? Look, it’s been a while since we’ve had some downtime without business hanging over our heads. Why not just have some fun for a couple hours before we start filing our taxes and whatnot.” Charlie stirred in some sugar into her tea and inhaled the inviting aroma. “I mean, if Angel can go on a date, then why not us?”

Alastor’s radio static, which had been a low murmur for the majority of time they had been staying at the cafe—at Charlie’s request, of course—suddenly stopped. The dead silence, which had been foreign to Charlie ever since the Radio Demon had shown up at her door, had most of the patrons that were brave enough to withstand the Radio Demon’s presence running. However, Charlie had been more than acquainted with Alastor at this point—at this point, they could be considered friends—and she simply took another calming sip of her tea. Gone were the days where she felt socially awkward and shy around her dear friend. A perturbed Alastor was still an Alastor that didn’t have the means to hurt her. She was too powerful for that, anyway.

Besides, Alastor looked like he had sucked on the world’s sourest lemon than angry.

Which was obviously a big improvement.

“Would you care to repeat that, Charlie?”

“Fine. I’ll rephrase it.” Charlie leaned forward into Alastor space, causing him to jerk backward and away from her. The radio silence continued and Charlie couldn’t help but smirk at Alastor’s… lack of bravado. “You. Me. On a date. Now.”

Alastor blanched at that and for a moment, Charlie almost felt bad.

But this was Hell, she was the Princess of all of Hell, and she would be damned if she didn’t feel a little vindicated for all the times that Alastor had scared her in the past. Revenge was sweet whenever she was serving it.

Soon, the usual radio static resumed, although it sounded like he was flipping through channels before settling on something that sounded like slow jazz.

“Trying to lift the mood?”

“Were you requesting that we go on a date right now or…” Alastor almost sounded embarrassed. He fiddled with the tie that was wound tight against his throat and his ears, cute little things they were, had lain flat against his head. “… are we already on one?”

“Depends. You get to decide. Either way, we are going to enjoy ourselves.” With that note of finality, Charlie turned back to her tea and enjoyed the sweetness that settled gently against her tongue.

Alastor’s ear’s seemed to shudder against his head before he, too, took a sip of his preferred drink.

“A date.” He shook his head at that colloquialism, a disturbed look on his features. “Back in my day, we would call it courting and it was usually the gentleman coaxing the dame and not the other way around.”

Charlie shrugged. “It’s the twenty-first century and counting. You either get with the times or you’ll eventually be left in the dust.” She giggled quietly to herself. In a voice no louder than a mouse’s whisper, she said, “I’m older than you, but you’re acting like an old man.”

Alastor’s ears twitched in irritation. “I heard that, dear.”

“I would be surprised if you didn’t. Now, about that date?”

“I should have known that you wouldn’t forget.” Alastor drummed his fingers atop the table. The jazz that was playing in the background seemed to grow  little distorted and erratic the faster that Alastor continued his little drumming session until—

“I suppose we might as well make the most of our time spent right in the here and now.” He still looked a little perturbed, but the jazz had returned and the smile that was on his face was one of gentle consideration. He had agreed. “But please, nothing untoward and violating the five—“

“The five foot rule,” Charlie chimed in, looking like she had won a million dollars worth of gold. “Don’t worry, Al! I got your back! It’s not like I would make you do anything that would make you uncomfortable.”

“This farce of a date says otherwise.” Voice dry, Alastor hummed a few bars of an old musical number he heard when he was a boy and proceeded to stand from his seat. Any demons that had not left the vicinity began to run out the doors or fall unconscious to the ground—staff included. “However, I suppose that I must bend one of my rules just this once.”

A little worried that she may have pushed his buttons a little farther and harder than what was necessary, Charlie also stood up—albeit, a little too hastily so that her seat toppled to the ground.

“Alastor, what are—“

He took both of her hands in his and smiled a smile that was fit for one of the most mischievous imps in all of Hell.

“What is a date without a little entertainment?” He whistled low under his breath and immediately, there was a change in lighting, scenery, and even the table that they had occupied appeared to be heavily laden with food. “Care for a dance, my dear?”

Charlie looked in awe at their arrangements before pulling in Alastor close so that their bodies were flush with each other. She could feel both of their bodies melding into each other as their feet seemed to know what to do.

“It would be my pleasure, Alastor.”

[theseerasures]

Conspicuous Media Consumption, 2020

it’s that time of year again! *saddest toot from the party horn*

for those of you just joining us: it’s a “consume a different content every week for 48 weeks of the year” challenge. for a longer explanation, check out last year’s write-up here, and as always, feel free to pop in and ask questions about any and all of this content.

(same disclaimer as last year too: content for this project ONLY here, and not certain...*looks at my billion Sad Cop Lady posts*...hyperfixations.)

(man remember when i was big into X-Men comics earlier this year? better times than these, if only because no one's discoursing about Emma Frost’s woobie/war criminal ratio anymore--her w/w, if you will)

(...i swear at one point i didn’t exclusively like platinum blondes but alas)

Bitter Root (comic, 1 issue finished 1/1/2020): still very cool on a basic concept level, but runs into the Image Comics problem of just not having enough content to keep my interest beyond that. part of that is on me, for picking it up again BEFORE the second arc rolled out, but the first five issues didn’t really follow (or resolve) any cohesive story either, so...meh.

Immortal Hulk (comic, 3 trades finished 1/17/2020): still not gonna be something i care deeply about (maybe one of Bruce’s Hulksonas dyed his hair???), but i do want to give kudos to Al Ewing for sheer consistency in terms of sustaining this level of quality storytelling month by month for more than two years now. working with the dense archive of the Hulk mythos and managing to make it interesting and thoughtful is impressive even if i personally would not expend the same effort.

Disco Elysium (game, finished 1/18/2020): honestly i should have twigged onto what this year was gonna be like when the third thing i drew from the barrel was pure uncut Eastern European flavored depression. i faintly recall people ragging on it for being pretentiously cynical, but i actually thought its core slid more towards idealism than people give it credit for. also gratified that i haven’t heard anything about Robert Kurvitz using slave labor to finish it, which is a thing we have to say about our video games now!!! fun.

Watchmen (TV, 7 episodes finished 1/27/2020): i am a fool who wants to believe in Damon Lindelof and I WAS RIGHT!!! honestly still cannot believe that he pulled off this highwire act with such deft aplomb. might be my favorite TV this year, which is a pretty high bar given how much TV i ended up watching.

On a Sunbeam (comic, finished 2/1/2020): Tillie Walden rightly deserves all the praise for inventive queer storytelling, but i will say that on reread--since i first read this as a webcomic--there ARE some issues with pacing here that clearly come from the foibles of its original intended medium. still just excellent, even if after some plot significant haircuts i was having trouble telling a few folks apart.

Lazarus (comic, 1 trade finished 2/8/2020): it’s so good and i want moooooorrrreee--though obviously Rucka and Lark have the right to take all the time they need. the newer longer issues work really well with the epic prestige drama vibes of the story! i’m into it.

The Good Place (TV, 4 seasons finished 2/18/2020): i’m gonna be super honest: i actually wasn’t a big fan of the finale, nor the last season as a whole. it felt like all of Eleanor’s flaws vanished for a majority of the season, and the Chidi-centric episode where they tried to give a legible justification for why he’s Like This was...i didn’t care for it. still, it’s so good and unique on the WHOLE that we’ll literally never get anything like this ever again, and that counts for a lot.

The Old Republic (game, finished 2/21/2020): it’s an MMO so it will never actually Be Finished so long as the servers aren’t shut down, but i caught up on the content i’d missed in the intervening months. Onslaught thus far has mostly been...kinda bland tbh; going back to Imps vs. Rebs after all the shakeups in the previous expansions feels like a waste.

High Road (album, finished 2/22/2020): someone should tell Kesha not to say that word!! otherwise i was very happy with this album, and happy FOR her even though we don’t know each other. being able to find joy again in the same genre of music you made while you were being horrifically exploited is very cool.

Young Justice (TV, 13 episodes finished 2/28/2020): given how much the middle stuff dragged--STOP KILLING YOUR HIJABI CHARACTER IN HORRIFIC WAYS--i was...actually kinda mad by how the end managed to stick the landing anyway. the day being saved by Vic’s self-acceptance and Violet’s sublime compassion was A+, and even the Brion/Tara switchup was a pleasant surprise, though it relied on me caring about Brion MUCH MORE than i actually did.

Manic (album, finished 2/29/2020): do people still care for/about Halsey? i feel like even That One Song that was on every tumblr gifset ever has kinda faded into obscurity at this point. this album was...okay. i feel like people give Halsey a pass for extremely obvious lyrical turns that they wouldn’t for other folks because of her subject material--which is fine. not really my cup of tea, but i also listened to lots of Relient K this year, so that’s probably a good thing.

Jade Empire (game, 3/10/2020): the only 3D-era Bioware game that didn’t franchise out, and for good fucking reason!!! the Orientalism and appropriation really haven’t aged well, and even beyond that the story was...standard Bioware faire. even my usual “my wife’s a bitch i love her” Bioware type didn’t do it for me, and i just ended up romancing no one. it did make me think a lot about what level of cultural borrowing is accepted nowadays, and why: people still look fondly at Avatar and talk about how ~accurate and respectful it was, for example, despite it being staffed almost entirely by white folks, and the Orientalism ALL OVER the monk class in DND is still fine for some reason.

Alif the Unseen (book, finished 3/31/2020): interesting to have read this AFTER reading The Bird King last year, because it highlights how the intervening years have shifted G. Willow Wilson’s thematic interest and improved her craft. i’m actually quite fond of how her characterization work is rougher here--Alif is extremely flawed to the point of being insufferable, but it makes his development by the end more satisfying. Dina is also just good and i love her

Baldur’s Gate (2 games, finished 5/31/2020): well, having finally finished the series i’m happy to say that it...still doesn’t really do it for me, sorry. any awesome story moments were overshadowed by the EXCRUCIATING inventory management system and the combat (i still don’t know what a THAC0 is and at this point i’m afraid to find out). these games crucially lack the Home Base that later Bioware games were so good about, and that (coupled with the huge cast of characters you can drop off and never see again) really hurts the intimacy for me. by the time we finally did get one it was the Hell Dimension in Throne of Bhaal, and i was just...trying to get through it. (yes, i did just say that about one of the most beloved expansions ever to one of the most beloved games ever.) THIS particular iteration of “my wife’s a bitch i love her” was very good, but the game wouldn’t let me romance her :(

The Underground Railroad (book, finished 6/19/2020): honestly what is there even left to say at this point! it was exactly as good as every critic on the planet said it was, even with my usual aversion to hype. draining and horrifying in turns but still insistent upon a future for Black folks.

Steven Universe (6 seasons and a mooooooviiieeee, finished 7/11/2020): yes, i DID finish the show and almost immediately begin a rewatch. this series is now one of my top five most formative things, and the amount of love and respect i have for it is incalculable. that said: i once again did not love how the central conflict of Future was resolved (just the resolution--i loved the finale just fine). for all of Steven’s breakdown was built up, resolving it with “EVERYONE HUG HIM UNTIL HE CRIES” felt...cheap, especially since up until this point the show had been so good about treating trauma and mental illness with the respect and nuance it deserves. it made me wish some of the earlier, less substantial episodes had been cut so we could spend more time at the end.

What It Is (comic, finished 8/19/2020): y’all i love Lynda Barry SO MUCH. for the longest time i was worried that One Hundred Demons was more a lightning in a bottle situation but every book of hers i pick up makes me feel obscure emotions i didn’t even realize existed. the compassionate way she’s able to describe her child self and how weird and fucked up she was (and still is) is honestly aspirational.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (TV, 5 seasons finished 9/26/2020): so here’s a reversal of what i’ve been complaining about with other shows: i was mostly lukewarm-to-warm about She-Ra, but the later seasons and the finale made me much more into it as a whole. more shows should improve in stakes and overall quality as they age tbh!! i still don’t actively love Catradora (my sole quibble with season 5 actually has to do with the way Adora kept backsliding as a character to make certain Plot/Relationship things happen), but i’m very happy for them nonetheless. i can certainly appreciate a show that will go for High Feeling over tight plot. dark horse standout moments: trees growing everywhere proving that Perfuma Was Right, and Hordak and Adora seeing each other--that weirdly intimate moment of recognition.

Fetch the Bolt Cutters (album, finished 10/7/2020): again i find myself not having much to say that no one else has said. it’s good! once again love it when an artist reclaims something they’d attached with negative affect (anxiety, depression, disordered eating) for better and brighter things.

Solutions and Other Problems (comic, finished 10/25/2020): i was very into Allie Brosh’s ambition with this book, which feels weird to say but i stand by it. it’s cool to see an artist try to make a new medium work for them instead of just sticking to what already works. not all the experimentation was 100% effective, but it was still delightful and occasionally devastating to read, so.

Legend of Zelda (3 games: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Link Between Worlds, finished 11/1/2020): this was the third time i’d played Ocarina of Time, which made it the nice, comforting groove i settled into before Majora’s Mask blatted me in the face. i’m not usually a completionist Zelda person because...the gameplay in Zelda is bad, do not at me it just is, but i really felt like i HAD to be one for Majora’s Mask since the whole point is to get attached to the banalities of the town. i’m sure nobody’s surprised that i loved it, even if it gave me an existential crisis about how life goes on in the game for NPCs when you’re not there to save them from it, and there’s not enough time to save them all all the time (also not a surprise to anyone: Romani and Cremia gave Personal Feelings). Link Between Worlds...bad. not like in a “this is a bad story by every measurable gauge” way, but i was already struggling with the 2D playstyle shift enough that for the whole story to end with some “yes it’s v sad that Lorule is Like This but trying to steal Hyrule’s privilege is Even Worse Actually” noblesse oblige bullshit left a VERY poor taste in my mouth, this year of all years. i did audibly gasp when Ravio took off his mask, though. i’m currently playing Breath of the Wild in cautious increments; it’s the first time i’ve enjoyed early Zelda gameplay, but if they wanted fully voiced cutscenes i wish they got voice actors who...knew what words sound like.

folklore (album, finished 11/6/2020): my belief that Taylor Swift is Just Fine continues, i’m afraid. i LIKED this album, don’t get me wrong, and respect her constant drive to innovate, but i didn’t love it substantially more or less than any other Taylor Swift album. mostly i’m just tickled by how she thinks leaning into the indie aesthetic means borrowing Vita Sackville-West’s entire wardrobe, though i will admit to feeling Something when she swore in a song. i think it was like. savage vindication?? you go ahead and swear, Taylor Swift. you deserve it.

Shore (album, finished 11/19/2020): do people still care about the Fleet Foxes? i think there was some Drama with Josh Tillman a while back but i don’t remember where the discourse landed with who was being more problematic. it was nostalgic for me to listen to their new album--made me remember being an undergrad who exclusively listened to men who mumbled and played acoustic guitar all over again.

Star Wars (3 movies: original trilogy, finished 11/27/2020): there is So Much bad Star Wars these days that every time i rewatch the original trilogy i’m afraid that they will suddenly be bad, but guess what! they’re not. i love these children and their hot mess stories, i love that Lando doesn’t know how to say his best friend’s name. what stood out to me this time was the way Obi-Wan described the Force in A New Hope, which strongly implied that ANYONE can be Force Sensitive; that obviously faded with each subsequent movie, but part of me does wish they’d kept it.

X of Swords (comics, 22 issues finished 12/5/2020): i am enjoying Hickman’s X-lines!!! not so much here for the Grand Conspiracy or whatever, but the character work and highkey weirdness is fabulous--they FEEL like X-Men, despite all the shakeups in-universe. this crossover is a nice microcosm of all that: grandiloquently all over the place, but still full of cool standout moments and genuine hilarity. ILLYANA DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SPELL MAGIC.

Fire Emblem (4 games: Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Awakening, finished 12/14/2020): this was the thing that i was closest to giving up early on, but i ended up hyperfixating on it instead. that’s a credit to what the gameplay does to my lizard brain more than anything else, because the story and character writing is...insipid. it was very bizarre to witness this franchise blunder around with its animal-people racism allegory around the same time i was getting back into RWBY, and ITS animal-people racism allegory blunders. Awakening was the first time i felt anything for the franchise beyond “teehee red units disappear make exp bar go up and brain go ding,” so i’m excited for more mature storytelling in subsequent games (they MUST get better. they MUST). the child husbandry thing is...very bad tho, and Apotheosis being “challenging” entirely through the game changing all the rules is also bad.

once again no vidya games that came out this year--i’ll probably pick up Spiritfarer or Hades after the New Year, though (or maybe TLOU II! but probably not. sry Laura and Ashley). more TV and franchises this year, which made me feel In Touch with the Children but was also kinda exhausting. nothing was so egregiously terrible i dropped it without finishing! in a year like this that feels almost like an accomplishment

[9or10allgood]

I'm indulging in the Doctor Who marathon on BBCAmerica. It's been wonderful. I'm in the middle of Twelve, now, which is - next to Ten - my happy place.

Thirteen is looming.

Now, before anyone has a knee-jerk reaction and thinks I don't like the Thirteenth Doctor, you couldn't be more wrong. I love her to bits. Jodie Whittaker is awesome. She has poured herself into being the Doctor, heart and soul. I love that she travels with an entourage - going back to the First, the best Doctors do. She's had some really good stories, courtesy of Chris Chibnall - in fact, I give her first series a B+/A-. The second series, however...

Stick with me for a bit.

I like - no, I looo-ooo-oove fan fiction. Partly because it is a fairly consistent reaffirmation of creativity and literacy (yes, I said it!) and courage and daring - because it takes guts to put yourself out there for public critique without getting paid one red cent. But mostly because it is a way of indulging in flights of fancy within a bubble. Because fan fiction is, even when it is "canon compliant", still shading or filling in the blanks or expanding on what the original author set down. And the bubble is a safe place, where everyone (mostly) respects those boundaries between source material and fan fiction.

The perfect example of this is everything that happened in Pete's World post-Canary Wharf. We assume that the Doctor was going to tell Rose he loved her before time ran out, and copious amounts of fan fiction has been written about that. We assume that TenToo rectified that issue at Bad Wolf Bay the second time around. But we don't know, and that's okay because the veil was drawn on Pete's World with the disappearance of the TARDIS, and Pete's World became a creative goldmine. Thank God.

Back in the day (and I swear I still have a point) I belonged to a fan fiction site based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. (Not "Dragonmount", thank you very much!) Between twenty and thirty writers, drawn together by our love for that amazingly complex series of books, we wrote - individually and in small groups - epic fiction based on the Age of Legends and the Trolloc Wars, because neither era was portrayed in the books, other than very brief glimpses. Even so, there was a canonical framework that we existed in, and we respected it. For example, there were hints of Aes Sedai being able to fly during the AoL, but that didn't mean that the Sisters during the TW were going to do it, because canon told us that the miracles of the Age of Legends had been lost with the Breaking and were not recovered until the timeline of the books. As long as the canon was respected, the writing flourished - for years. Eventually, though, lines were blurred and the stories suffered, and it's been years since anyone has written anything there.

And now I'll get back to my point.

When Russell T Davies brought Doctor Who back to television, he respected the canon that had been established. He didn't change Gallifrey, he removed it. It had given us the Doctor and the Master and the TARDIS and a running potential of planets and races affected by the Time War that could keep the Doctor occupied for a long, long time. It's purpose had been served. It's *nebulous hand waggle* demise fuelled the great engine of angst that powered the reboot. It heightened what had become a bit of a stodgy "oh, no, it's the Daleks, again" sensibility regarding a cross between a pepperpot and a wheely-bin, and gave them a renewed sense of villainy. It's what made the episode, "Dalek", such a gut-punch. It's what made seeing a mighty Dalek armada when there was only one Time Lord to stand against it so dramatically Quixotic - in an end-of-all-things sort of way.

It should have stayed that way.

I love RTD. I do. He was an awesome showrunner and he, with Julie Gardner, shepherded the reboot through possibly the greatest comeback in entertainment history. But I wasn't comfortable with the (temporary) return of Rassilon et al as his farewell to the show. And, sure 'nuff, it cracked open a door that Moffat bulldozed through with "The Day of the Doctor". And by the time he was through, the Doctor was popping "home" for soup and a bit o' sedition, and the next thing ya know, Chris Chibnall is turning the whole thing on its ear with the Timeless Children business and a convoluted plotline that would've needed an entire series to unravel and still would have read like fan fiction based on a poorly remembered fever dream.

Yes, I know that "Doctor Who" has been "fine-tuning" itself from the beginning. The First Doctor invented his time machine that his granddaughter named "TARDIS" - for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. Today's canon has TARDISes grown, sentient, and having numbered in the thousands once upon a time. But there's a difference between an adjustment, here and there, and re-inventing the Time Rotor on the fly, as it were. One is a tweak to make the whole better. The other is throwing a bucket of yellow paint across a classic portrait of the Queen just so you can paint galloping horses on it. Why would you do it?

I'm really sad that Graham and Ryan are leaving. I'm really looking forward to the return of Captain Jack. I hope that bringing back someone as integral to the days of Russell T Davies will remind Chris Chibnall that the basic story of the Doctor has always been that an ancient alien from a fabled world travels throughout space and time with a lucky human or three, faces down injustice, rescues those who need it, and dances around fixed points and moral dilemmas with (occasional) alacrity.

And if Chibnall needs inspiration, I can point him to any number of fan fiction writers that totally get it.