#manifesting bi bloom

[casually-salad]

drew the grown up versions of my headcannon ship kids... foals... ponies? anyway, i totally forgot to put the info for 2 of them so im gonna ramble in the tags about them. theyre so silly

[shalomelohim]

Yaniv Ben Mashiach - Bore Olam / Creador del Universo / Creator of the Universe / Créateur de l’Univers (Hebrew - Spanish - English subtitles) 

! Quoiqu’on vive, toujours rendre grâce à Dieu comme l’a fait Job 1:21 !

“ L'Eternel a donné, et l'Eternel a repris ; que le nom de l'Eternel soit béni ! “

“ Offre pour sacrifice à Dieu des actions de grâces, Et accomplis tes voeux envers le Très-Haut. Et invoque-moi au jour de la détresse; Je te délivrerai, et tu me glorifieras.  [...] Celui qui offre pour sacrifice des actions de grâces me glorifie, Et à celui qui veille sur sa voie Je ferai voir le salut de Dieu. “ (Psaume 50:14-15 ; 23)

“ Je rends à mon Dieu de continuelles actions de grâces à votre sujet, pour la grâce de Dieu qui vous a été accordée en Jésus-Christ. Car en lui vous avez été comblés de toutes les richesses qui concernent la parole et la connaissance,  le témoignage de Christ ayant été solidement établi parmi vous, de sorte qu'il ne vous manque aucun don, dans l'attente où vous êtes de la manifestation de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ. Il vous affermira aussi jusqu'à la fin, pour que vous soyez irréprochables au jour de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ. Dieu est fidèle, lui qui vous a appelés à la communion de son Fils, Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur. “ (1 Corinthiens 1:4-9)

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Shuv Ole HaYom Vuelve a Pasar El Dia The day goes by again La journée passe à nouveau

Mitgashem Jalom Llueven los Sueños Dreams are pouring down Les rêves affluent

Misaviv Olam, Yafe Poreaj A mi alrededor florece el mundo, maravillosamente The World blooms wonderfully around me Le monde s’épanouit merveilleusement autour de moi

Ahava Gedola Sholeaj Enviando un Inmenso Amor Sending great love Envoyer beaucoup d’amour

Va'Ani Tzojek, V'Libi Shotek Y Yo me sonrió, Y mi corazón se calla And I smile, and my heart is silence Et je souris, et mon cœur est silencieux

Lo Motze Mila Shemetaeret No encuentro palabra que pueda explicar I can't' find words that can explain Je n’arrive pas à trouver les mots qui peuvent expliquer

Et Ha'argasha, hargasha  Haneederet Este sentimiento, sentimiento maravilloso This feeling, wonderful feeling Ce sentiment, ce sentiment merveilleux

Ata Eli, She Yoshev Tamid Lemaala Tu eres mi D-os, que reside siempre en la inmensidad de los cielos You are my Elohay, that resides always in the heavens

Ata Eli, Shemeir Li Et Halayla Tu eres mi D-os, Quien ilumina mi Oscuridad You Are my Elohay that lights my darkness Tu es mon Dieu, qui réside toujours dans les cieux

Bizjutja Shalva Ani Yodea Por Ti sé lo que es La Tranquilidad Because of You I know tranquility Grâce à Toi, je connais la tranquillité

Bizjutja Kol Rega, Ha Osher bi noguea Por Ti, cada momento, La felicidad es la que me guía Because of You, every moment, happiness guides me Grâce à Toi, à chaque instant, le bonheur me guide

Bore Olam, Mode al Hakayam Creador del Universo, Te agradezco por la existencia Creator of the Universe, I thank you for existence Créateur de l’Univers, je te remercie d’exister

Gam im Lifamin Kasha HaDerej También cuando a veces es difícil el camino Also, when the path is difficult Aussi, lorsque le chemin est difficile

Shuv Nafshi Toda Omeret Vuelve mi alma a agradecerte My soul, again gives You thanks Mon âme, Te rend encore des remerciements

Bore Olam, Mode al Hakayam Creador del Universo, Te agradezco por la existencia Creator of the Universe, I thank you for existence Créateur de l’Univers, je te remercie d’exister

Ve im Lifamin Kasha HaDerej Y si a veces es difícil el camino And  if the path is difficult Et si le chemin est difficile

Shuv Nafshi Toda Omeret, Bore Olam Vuelve mi alma a agradecerte, Creador del Universo My soul, again gives You thanks Mon âme, Te rend encore des remerciements

Ma Sheyesh Balev, Gam in ze Koev Lo que hay en el corazón, también si es doloroso What is in the heart, if it is also painful Qu’y a-t-il dans le cœur, si c’est aussi douloureux

Rak Ata Eli, HaTov Yodea Solamente Tu D-os mío, lo bueno conoces Only You my Elohay knows good Seulement toi mon Dieu sait bien

V'Oti Tamid Shomea Y a mí siempre me oyes And You always listen to me Et tu m’écoutes toujours

Ani Adam, Lo Mamash Mushlam Soy un hombre, verdaderamente no integro I am a man, really not wholesome Je suis un homme, vraiment pas sain

V'nafshi Bein Tov, vera nodedet Y mi alma esta solitaria entre el bien y el mal And my soul is lonely between good and bad Et mon âme est seule entre le bien et le mal

Ve'et Hashvilim Leor Lomedet Y los senderos de la luz aprende And the ways of light is learning Et les voies de la lumière apprennent

Ata Eli, She Yoshev Tamid Lemaala Tu eres mi D-os, que reside siempre en la inmensidad de los cielos You are my Elohay, that resides always in the heavens Tu es mon Dieu, qui réside toujours dans les cieux

Ata Eli, Shemeir Li Yom Halayla Tu eres mi D-os, Quien me ilumina en el dia y la noche You Are my Elohay, Who always lit up my day and night Tu es mon Dieu, qui a toujours illuminé mon jour et ma nuit

Bizjutja Shalva Ani Yodea Por Ti sé lo que es La Tranquilidad Because of You I know tranquility Grâce à Toi, je connais la tranquillité

Bizjutja Kol Rega, Ha Osher bi noguea Por Ti, cada momento, La felicidad es la que me guía Because of You, every moment, happiness guides me Grâce à Toi, à chaque instant, le bonheur me guide

Leja Bore Olam Por Ti Creador del Universo Because of You, Creator of the Universe Grâce à toi, Créateur de l’Univers

Mode al Hakayam Te agradezco por la existencia Thank you for the existence Je vous remercie pour l’existence

Gam im Lifamin Kasha HaDerej También si a veces es difícil el camino Also if sometimes the road is difficult Aussi si parfois la route est difficile

Shuv Nafshi Toda Omeret, Bore Olam Vuelve mi alma a agradecerte, Creador del Universo My soul returns to thank you, Creator of the Universe Mon âme revient pour te remercier, Créateur de l’Univers

Bore Olam, Mode al Hakayam Creador del Universo, Te agradezco por la existencia Creator of the Universe, I thank You for existence Créateur de l’Univers, je Te remercie pour l’existence

Ve im Lifamin Kasha HaDerej Y si a veces es difícil el camino And if sometimes the road is difficult Et si parfois la route est difficile

Shuv Nafshi Toda Omeret, Bore Olam Vuelve mi alma a agradecerte, Creador del Universo My soul returns to thank you, Creator of the Universe Mon âme revient pour te remercier, Créateur de l’Univers

Tamid Ze Matjil Veze nigmar Siempre este empieza y termina Always this begins and ends Toujours cela commence et se termine

Bore Olam Creador del Universo Creator of the Universe Créateur de l’Univers

Toda Raba, V'shalom Alejeim Muchas gracias, y la paz sea con ustedes Thanks a lot, and the peace be with you Merci beaucoup, et la paix soit sur vous

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“ Louez l’Eternel ! Louez l’Eternel du haut du ciel ! Louez-le dans les hauteurs ! Louez-le, vous tous ses anges ! Louez-le, vous toutes ses armées ! Louez-le, soleil et lune ! Louez-le, vous toutes étoiles lumineuses ! Louez-le, cieux des cieux et vous, les eaux qui êtes au-dessus du ciel !

Qu’ils louent le nom de l’Eternel car il a donné ses ordres et ils ont été créés ! Il les a établis pour toujours et à perpétuité ; Il a donné des lois et il ne les violera pas.

Louez l’Eternel depuis la terre, vous, Monstres marins et vous tous océans, Foudre et grêle, neige et brouillards, Vents de tempête qui exécutez ses ordres, Montagnes et toutes les collines, arbres fruitiers et tous les cèdres, Animaux sauvages et tout le bétail, reptiles et oiseaux ailés, Rois du monde et tous les peuples, princes et tous les juges de la terre, Jeunes gens et jeunes filles, vieillards et enfants !

Qu’ils louent le nom de l’Eternel car Son Nom seul est élevé, Sa majesté domine la terre et le ciel.

Il a relevé la force de Son Peuple, C’est un sujet de louange pour tous ses fidèles, Pour les israélites, pour le peuple qui est près de lui.

Louez l’Eternel ! “ (Psaume 148 - Louange universelle de la création)

Halleluyah La Olam de Gali Atari and Milk and Honey (Paroles en Hébreu et Anglais)

Ce groupe a gagné l’Eurovision avec cette chanson en 1979.

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Halleluyah

Halleluyah, rêve encore Halleluyah, imagine encore La colombe va se poser Et pour toujours sur l’olivier Où les champs de batailles seront des champs de blé

Halleluyah, des millions D’Halleluyah pour une chanson Halleluyah, donne un peu de toi, toi Alors ce beau jour viendra, Halleluyah

Halleluyah, pour demain Halleluyah, la main dans la main Une ronde va faire le tour Le tour du monde en un seul jour Quand nos voix s’uniront dans un seul mot d’amour

Halleluyah,

Cherche encore Halleluyah, le bonheur d’abord Halleluyah, alors n’oublies pas, toi Chanter, c’est prier deux fois, Halleluyah

Halleluyah, des millions D’Halleluyah pour une chanson Halleluyah, donne une peu de toi, toi Alors ce beau jour viendra, Halleluyah

Halleluyah, souris-moi Halleluyah, et chante avec moi Halleluyah, et chante avec moi, toi Chanter, c’est prier deux fois, Halleluyah

Halleluyah, et chante avec moi, toi Chanter, c’est prier deux fois, Halleluyah

[sasorikigai]

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 || Once ripped apart and gutted, disgusting and vile, Hanzo Hasashi used to be nothing, but charred bones and rotten flesh on scorched earth. Scorpion is convinced that this is all he is and all he will be - fire and brimstone becomes him and he wields the sting of phosphorous and the shades of miasmic, nearly impervious smog beneath the golden mask. A simple death could have never been granted to him; for he was lost in the chasm of wrath and vengeance, and his hellfire was a relentless stream that would even drag the open sea's abyss. He was meant to be entangled in this endless storm, and he could only dare to yearn for a moment of being plain. Sometimes he looks at his skin with disgust and there would creep a deep urge to tear asunder his crimson flesh layer by layer until he finally reaches upon the core. What is his core? A diseased heart yearning for a dream he can never attain; a person he can never be. Even after such good days he cannot help, but feel a deep hatred for the world.

It's as if dandelions bloom on a sunny days, but his heart and soul would wither in an instant without the gleam of his happiness. This heavy feelings he ought to keep, this growing thorns of truth trying to escape become the agonizing constriction that would weaken the fragments of his soul. When can he ever find solace for the discordant echoes of his inner wounds, stubbornly refusing to heal? Time may naturally weave its magic of restoration, stitching together everything that has gone asunder and disarray. Each passing moment may be a subtle remedy, each sunrise a promise of renewal. Now, everburning embers blaze through his arms and send cavalries to his chest. How his heartbeat manifests as a cacophony of lightning and thunderstorms, his head a faucet of running problems and abandoned ideas. All caged into his ribs, bruised like a fallen apple from tree. His soul exists as a gentle whisper before the orchestra and crescendos of drumrolls. His tendrils of fire may wrap around the woman protectively and keeps him calm in the moment, but every time he surrounds himself in the vortex of maelstrom fire, Scorpion is reminded of the healing grace of magnanimous human warmth.

The shimmering pearl of his gaze is a child's heart; burdened, but ready to vocalize. With a heavy heart and soul, he will once again move towards tomorrow with sleeplessness, yet with unsteady consciousness. How it seems to release his pain and viciously clutches onto his sorrow. Ignoring the emptiness that clouds his mind and sadness which attempts to rob his joy in an unwelcomed embrace, the hellspawn specter inhales deeply, raising his head as wisps of embers scatter and dwindle away. "Hanzo, Hanzo Hasashi," as he valiantly scatters the rage that hungers, the anger that excessively burns within him, burning in the dark, waiting, watching, craving, yearning to be released and let loose, Scorpion refuses to release it as it goes unacknowledged with his human voice which has been excavated from deep within him. "I was once Grandmaster of Shirai Ryu, serving as one of the Protectors of Earthrealm devoted to participate in Mortal Kombat, but before it could take place, I was brutally murdered by the Lin Kuei Grandmaster."

How he reveals like he wants to tear flesh, as such need for carnage brews in his heart, as blood would shine dark in the starlight, emitting a potent, metallic tang. If Scorpion could live, and he'd dream again that he dreams, then he would go on to burn the whole bloody world so that he could be surrounded by roaming specters. Silence settles, and the demon watches. Stillness becomes a loud beating silence; shimmering, emotional vibrations intensifying. He broods of Bi-Han's fragile, completely charred mortal flesh collapsing before him, with the scattering stench of death and immolating, unquenchable hellfire. Did enough agony and pain seep through his ivory bones before irreversible death slipped through the cracks of mortality? Scorpion did watch him crumble, as hellfire feasted upon the banquet of karma that his Arcana has spoon-fed him. The pain from his scars continue to drag forth thoughts of anguish, of misery, of woe - through disjointed world of his. Hardly spoken, but screaming as Scorpion thinks too much and feeling too much.

Despite him having seen the Shirai Ryu rebuild on the very grounds he used to tread, Hanzo Hasashi's own world has long decayed, and he internally weeps. How each and every important memory he hold remains its own musical; on repeat for an eternity, the chimes to press forward are always ringing in his ears. But comfort is such a drug, and it drags him down with the tightest grip. He should have been dead and long gone, buried under a feet of dirt, covered in moss, deep in the last primal forest of Japan. His body rotted, already becoming one with the nature surrounding him. He would have been more useful, feeding small creatures and thousands-year-old trees alike; an infinitely modest repair compared to what Lin Kuei did to his people. Scorpion often yearns, soon, there will be nothing left of me, nothing, but my bones, licked clean by animals, and the stories told to whoever may listen. Before the demon dwelling within seethes under his skin, threatening to fibrillate and puncture through his being, Scorpion simply vanishes; his inhumane gaze staring into the three being's eye. The Death's song has long ended, and despite its melody lingering on, he will be unkillable. ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 ||

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 || Losing everything has been something Hanzo Hasashi has never planned, and will forever be the one thing no one cares to understand. Breaking apart piece by piece, yearning desperately for a taste of unapproachable peace. For it is the incomplete, the unfulfilled, and the torn in asunder that haunts his days and nights and keeps him hunger-born. For grief has strong inclination to make everything rotten where his hope used to be. Most of Scorpion's days have become blurred and nights are spent in pan and agony. And the harrowing silence - the silence which has never been so cacophonous and loud - and its vastness would hang over him, threatening him like a storm cloud. He would still tremble in the ruins of his unfulfilled dreams - of Grandmaster Hasashi's, of a father expecting another child in his arms, along with deaths of Harumi, Satoshi, those who confounded in defeating anything in Earthrealm's threat - as he would grow aware of nothing, but the harrowing sounds of his screams.

Perhaps it was the absence of love that makes this all unbearable. Scorpion can almost feel it coming, anticipating every moment of his existence being just that moment. How his heart would move in all sorts of directions - craving and searching for an attraction, a camaraderie so strong. It would make every trial and tribulations worth it, Scorpion muses, even when I teeter on the edge of destruction, clutching the kunai shakily in both hands as the sharpened blades dig through my flesh. They can bleed me dry for all my horrid sins, of helplessness and failure.

The milky white of his irises narrow like the point of the kunai, yet Scorpion is not a fool to disregard the dichotomous nature of his being. He lets out a long sigh, saddened with acknowledgement. "I am both their protector and a haunting, roaming specter, mostly latter," wielding such strong disposition for holding precarious intensions, as Scorpion is known to jump from thought to thought quickly. It's as if the notion of stability is dangerous and unacceptable. As if his happiness is a mere false poison that would drop him dead. He hasn't rested for seemingly eons; since the moment his eyes snapped open in Nether, as gripping hellfire threatened to incinerate him whole, to the moment he was finally be able to breach through the realms' barrier, only to come across the dilapidated ruins of the old Shirai Ryu, while the new villagers inhabited the sacred land.

It is as if a new version of Scorpion is standing erect before the woman. Distancing himself about an arm's length, his gaze follow hers, as if to follow eternal light through darkness; to never get lost, unwavering and iron-willed to challenge every bit of spoken word. "What you do with whatever monetary value was promised in your service matters less to me than the actions you will partake and commit here. However, I will hold you accountable should you cross purpose against what you sworn in the first place."

No insidiousness nor the contrasting bodily gestures are detected in Scorpion's inscrutably piercing gaze, as fathomless as the void, yet as lucid as the swell of the full moon. If his eyes were a void before, there's stirred, perked-up curiosity and intent saturated in effervescence as a familiar native tongue intonates. A voice so mellow and yet, fervent and fueled like smoldering flames. With a curt cant of his head, the hellspawn specter's tall broadness encompasses the women; by the press of a hand, perhaps less tender, but still warm and reassuring, as the swirling pulsation of his hellfire consumes them whole. A change of scenery unfolds; a humble, yet well-maintained hut, nestled by the grove of Japanese maples. ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 ||

[pokesaurio]

I find it hard to believe that New Amsterdam has such little fanfiction. It’s a great show! So I decided to write something for the Leyren ship (which I would usually never do) to fix this! Hope you enjoy :)

Summary: How the Dam Fam finds out about Lauren’s new roommate.

Helen:

“So, naturally, you offered her to live with you” said Helen sarcastically, incredulous at Lauren’s out of character decision.

“Well, yes, she has become my friend after all, and I couldn’t let her alone in the streets”, replied Lauren matter-of-factly.

“Hmm. And how’s it going?” Helen rose an eyebrow suspiciously.

“It’s...” Lauren let out a small sigh, “It’s effortless, really. I feel like she’s always been there”. The “which scares me” was left unsaid.

Helen patiently waited until Lauren disclosed more, knowing her friend usually needed more time to open up.

“Well, except for the massive tree in the middle of the living room. Which I don’t dislike, but...”

“What?!” This got Helen’s attention. Since when was Bloom known to decorate her apartments, let alone let another person do so... with living things?!

“Well, she bought a tree, said it reminded her of home. But apparently it was smaller in the picture, so now I have a full-blown tree in my living room. And I think I like it” that last part she muttered softly.

Helen let out a small, genuine smile, amused but also proud of her friend. “That looks like progress. You haven’t yet snapped her head off for touching your space, so I’d say that’s a point for Lauren’s intimate relationships”.

“Pfft. It’s not very intimate if I still don’t know about her. I have tried to learn what she likes, but she still won’t really tell me about herself. It’s a little frustrating really” Lauren let out an adorable pout.

“Well, give her time. She is living in a stranger’s house after all, in a new country and with probably no other connections or friendships here. I can’t imagine she trusts people easily” said Helen patiently.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mama Bear is at it again. Free advice for all!” Lauren laughed.

Helen snorted. “Well, it’s taken me nowhere with Mina. Still don’t know how this motherly figure thing works, sadly” she stated defeatedly.

“Oh, come on! You’re doing great! She’s slowly respecting her school timetable and your curfews more, right? And she hasn’t put a massive tree in your living room. That has to count for something” said Lauren, pointing her finger at Helen as she walked towards her ED. “You’ve got this!” and she gave Helen her best thumbs up and exaggerated smile.

Casey:

Lauren haphazardly threw her stuff into her backpack and went for the door, ready to call it a day and head back home.

“Lauren, you’re rushing out” Casey said suspiciously as he entered the locker room. “I assume this means you’re gonna continue smuggling your friend here? Cause if it does, you should know you are risking even more than before. If they catch you again...”

“No, Casey, it’s not like that” Lauren stated. “Don’t worry, she won’t be coming back here”.

“So that means... you let her go? Do you know where she is?” said Casey, now concerned about Leyla’s wellbeing.

“She’s actually... living with me?” said Lauren, the last part coming out in a rush and higher pitch.

“What?” asked Casey, wide-eyed. “Lauren, she- what?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t leave her on the streets, and I figured since I’m never home it couldn’t hurt to give her my spare room” justified Lauren to what seemed like Casey and herself.

“Okay, Lauren, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, you are risking a lot for this stranger. Please be careful” said Casey, though not unkindly. He was just worried about his friend.

“But that’s just it, Casey. She’s not a stranger, not anymore, and I would have done the same for any one of you. I protect my people” said Lauren, now sounding much more convinced.

“Well, if you’re happy with your decision, I can only congratulate you. You finally have a friend outside of work!” he added with a smile, teasing Lauren.

Lauren swatted his arm playfully. “I forgot, Mr Popular here knows most of New York. And I might have one friend, but it’s a hard one” she said, giving him the finger.

“Okay, okay!” Casey laughed, raising his arms defensively. “You win. But Lauren” he said softly “I am happy for you. Just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing”.

“Thanks” said Lauren with a smile, squeezing his arm lightly as she left.

Lauren:

She did know what she was doing. Right. Right? It wasn’t like Leyla was a random stranger, not anymore, and she liked her enough that living together had been smooth sailing so far. So why did she find herself overthinking everything when it came to Leyla?

“Get your shit together, Lauren” she chanted to herself. She was driving home, her palms sweating slightly, but still excited to get there. She had been rushing out a lot lately. The memory of Leyla’s soft smile as she held her hand, fingers interlocking and fitting perfectly as they stared at the tree and Lauren’s want, need to be close, oh so close, a compass searching North. She couldn’t wait to get home to Leyla’s sarcasm, Leyla’s dinners, Leyla’s subtle presence in her apartment and life that made it theirs.

Without noticing, Lauren had been smiling like an idiot for at least half an hour, and she had arrived to her portal. She got out of the car and went for the stairs, taking twice at a time. But as she opened the door, a wave of disappointment washed over her. Leyla wasn’t home, had probably had to take a DriverTime client, and suddenly the apartment felt empty and cold again. Lauren couldn’t understand how she had lived like this for so long before.

But then a thought sprung to mind. Leyla had waited for her every day for the past week, staying up and meeting her with a fabulous home-cooked dinner after work. The least she could do was reciprocate, so Lauren got ready to prepare a mindblowing meal or die trying. Cooking had never been her strong suit, but she figured it couldn’t be too hard.

She remembered Leyla mentioning she deeply missed Pakistani cuisine, and how she had been disgusted by Lauren suggesting she try a Pakistani restaurant around the corner. “You Americans think you can serve a random dish and rebrand an entire culture. That place is not Pakistani”, she had stated. So Lauren had asked, and she had learned, how Nihari reminded her of late night dinners at home and Lassi was her all-time favourite beverage. And so she had a single thought in mind; today she was making the best Pakistani dinner for Leyla.

As she set out to spice the assortion of different meets, she re-entered her previous reverie. She knew Leyla would love this, even if Lauren was probably going to ruin the recipe and tarnish the Pakistani name. But Leyla would smile sweetly, as she did every time Lauren remembered a small detail about her and did her best to make her feel like home, and she would be grateful. Lauren could not wait until she came back, excited to see that look on her face that said “no one’s ever cared for me like this, and I’m glad you’re the first one”.

Slow-cooking the meat into a stew proved difficult, and mixing the yoghurt, water, spices and fruit for the Lassi had Lauren seriously questioning her cooking skills. But all in all, after about an hour she decided she had done a pretty good job. She set out to dress the table, going as far as opening a good red wine and placing a candle. She didn’t want to overdo it, but thought Leyla would decidedly not mind and find her efforts cute. Lauren was struck by the inclusion of “cute” into her vocabulary, could not remember when she had cared about someone’s reaction this much, and decided damn Leyla and her faint smiles had softened her. She couldn’t bring herself to care, though.

And just like clockwork, as soon as Lauren set the last plate with the fine-looking Nihari on the table, Leyla entered the apartment.

“Honey, I’m home!” she shouted jokingly in her beautiful accent.

“Hey! How was work? Any frat boys I should beat up?” said Lauren smiling.

“No frat boys, thankfully. Just an old lady telling me about her grandson. I must have seen like 30 photos of him, and let me tell you, no one can convince me babies are cute. They’re bald!” Leyla proclaimed, dignified.

Lauren snorted. “Of course you would befriend a grandma and have her show you her family. It must be your cranky charm” replied Lauren teasingly.

“You would be surprised. I cause sensation amongst octogenarians” said Leyla amusedly. As she caught the smell of cooked meat, she looked at Lauren, surprised. “You cooked? You? Is MY tree burnt down?” she joked.

“I’ll let you know, OUR tree is intact and very much still alive. And don’t you dare take away my custody, I love him like my own son too!” said Lauren in mock dignification. “I did cook, and I hope you like it” she continued, now softly. She met Leyla’s eye, hope and wonder sparkling bilaterally.

Leyla approached the table, repressing a squeel of excitement at the site of her favourite foods. “Lauren! You shouldn’t have! How did you even-?” and as she turned around to look at Lauren, the intensity in her eyes stunned her. The amount of care and adoration was palpable there, and it was enough to overwhelm her.

“Thank you”, she said in a small voice.

“I thought you deserved something special. You know, for cooking horrible meals every day” Leyla approached her slowly, still with eyes locked in an intense duel. “You would think as a doctor my main threat of illness would come from my patients, but you make a hard run for it” another step closer. “And besides, knowing my cooking skills it’s probably very bad. So we’re even” she continued rambling. Leyla finally took the final step towards Lauren, cupping her cheek and forcing her to shut up.

“You talk too much”, she said, resting on her tiptoes slightly to reach for her cheek and place a soft kiss there. “Thank you, truly”.

Lauren stood there, transfixed and unable to utter words. “Y-Yeah. It’s... nothing, really” she managed to muster.

Leyla tried to fight off a smile at Lauren’s awkwardness. During the course of her stay at Lauren’s- their- apatment, she had been quick to discover that she could turn Lauren, the hard-assed doctor and witty friend, into a rambling mess with well placed silences and touches. And naturally, she had immediately taken a liking to doing so as often as possible.

She turned around and sat at the table, staring down at her food and trying not to show her satisfaction at the amount of time it took Lauren to recompose herself and sit with her. She let Lauren pour some wine for herself, seeing as she didn’t look too enthused with the Lassi, and tried the Nihari. And, oh god, it certainly wasn’t like the one she enjoyed back home, but Lauren had undoubtedly achieved something here. Leyla couldn’t stop a moan from escaping her lips.

Lauren sat across from her, lips parted, staring at her like she was the only thing in the world. Her eyes slowly trailed to her lips, and Leyla thought she might burst if she didn’t break the moment soon. “Lauren, it’s- it’s perfect” said Leyla, and she meant it. It might not be like the one back home, but Lauren had managed to capture a new flavour, to redefine the very meaning home. She could get used to this.

Lauren looked back up at her, smile back in place. “Really? That’s new” she said, satisfied and proud of her achievement.

As they ate in silence, Lauren realised two things. One, she was definitely falling in love with Leyla Shinwari. And two, while Leyla had been her roommate for a few weeks already, it was only now that she felt like they were actually _living_ together... building a home.

Iggy:

“Hey, Iggs! I haven’t caught up with you in a while! How’s everything going?” asked Lauren as she entered Iggy’s office, taking the sofa and sprawling out on it.

Iggy stopped flicking through his charts, immediately knowing something was up. He could tell Lauren was properly glowing, but knew he would have to let this play out if he wanted to get any information out of his friend.

“Lauren! It’s great to see you. I’ve been great. I went to see a nutritionist, and I’ve been trying to join some virtual support groups for people with eating disorders. I still have a long road ahead of me, and I have to put in the work, but thanks for calling me out on my bullshit. Truly” he said sincerely.

Lauren perked up even more, rising to her feet and reaching around Iggy’s desk to hug him. “Iggy! That’s great! I’m so glad to hear it, and I’m so proud of you. And hey, you called me out on my bullshit when I was using, so it was only fair I did the same” she smiled.

Iggy returned her smile, glad to see that both of them were making amends and working to improve their lives.

He rose up to start walking to his next consult, not wanting this conversation to end but really needing to get there on time. After Lauren followed him along, curiosity finally got the best of him. “Okay, I have to ask... What’s gotten into you? You look like you just got to perform one of your supper cool surgeries or something. Anything new?” he asked.

“Well, I’m doing well” she said as they strolled down New Amsterdam’s corridors. Iggy waited patiently, letting Lauren open up at her own speed. “And... and I got a roommate!”

Iggy frowned, perplexed. He knew Lauren, knew how much she valued her space and how closed-off she could be, so he couldn’t fathom why getting a roommate would be something she’d want to do, let alone be the cause of her exuberant joy. “Wha... How?” he asked.

“Well, it’s a long story, really. She came in with a patient, and kind of guessed what was wrong with her, but it turned out it wasn’t a guess, cause she’s really a doctor, but obviously I didn’t know that” she started rambling, with Iggy finding it hard to follow along.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down” he said, though he was glad to see Lauren so excited about something.

“Yeah, sorry. Basically, she pulled off a successful needle decompression in my ED, which I now admit was pretty cool, I called security, she had no place to stay, used the hospital closet for a while... And now she’s living with me” finished Lauren, looking way too satisfied by her explanation.

“She... You... What?!” asked Iggy, dumbfounded.

“Yeah... She’s kind of a lot. In the good way” said Lauren, and it was clear to Iggy by now that she was positively smitten. At this new information, he changed tactics.

“Wow, Lauren, that’s a huge step! I’m happy for you, and so proud. I’d love to meet her sometime” he said.

“Yeah! That’d be great! I’m sure you’d love her, once you get past her cranky façade. You two would totally get along” replied Lauren excitedly.

Iggy knew how possessive Lauren was of her space, knew how much it meant for her to have friends meet even if she may not do it consciously. The fact that she was agreeing to let him meet her meant he was right; Lauren was smitten beyond recognition.

“Great! And what’s it like, living with this...” he trailed off, hoping to get a name out of Lauren for once.

“Leyla! It’s great. Yesterday I cooked her some Pakistani dinner, cause she missed it from back home, and then we watched a comedy and watered our big-ass tree. Don’t ask. It’s like she’s lived with me all along” she finished bashfully.

And Iggy had to assume Lauren knew how this sounded, how many lesbian stereotypes she was ticking off. So he replied, amusedly, “Tell me, Lauren, does this Leyla know you two are dating?” he said, a mischiveous twinkle in his eye.

Lauren stopped abruptly in the corridor, a horrified look on her face. Iggy repressed a laugh, was thrilled by Lauren’s new baby-gay side. He turned around to look at her, saw her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish as she searched for a reply, but continued walking backwards. “Wait... do you?” he asked, now enjoying Lauren’s alarmed look. He turned around a corner, leaving a dumbfounded Lauren behind, and shouted, “Good luck!”

[snarky-art]

Musa and Aisha in their enchantix! I still haven’t figured out how I want the wings to look but that’s ok I think.

Info on their relationship in my version of Winx Club below!

So when Aisha arrives at Alfea in season 2, it’s pretty much the same as in the original show. She doesn’t really know what to do. Anne was the only person her age she had ever really interacted with. The rest of the time she was pretty isolated and surrounded by adults. She has trouble figuring out exactly how to act around the winx and is really scared of messing things up.

Musa is also used to feeling like that. She has a lot of separation anxiety and fear of abandonment which she had manifest in the defense mechanism of not letting people get close so she couldn’t get hurt. She’s gotten better at handling it though ever since joining Alfea and getting a super close knit group of friends. As a result though, she can understand best how Aisha is feeling and is able to help in little ways the others can’t.

Musa does the most to make her feel more comfortable and at ease (the others do too but it just hits a little different coming from someone who really gets it, ya know?) and as a result they become much closer much faster. They find themselves talking more openly about their fears and insecurities and experiences when they’re alone and a they just end up having a really strong bond.
In my version of this, Musa and Riven did get together at the end of season 1, but they breakup around ¾ths of the way through season 2. They realize it just isn’t really healthy for either of them and they both bring out the worst in each other. They both have some insecurities from previous relationships and just their family life in general (Riven’s mom abandoned him, Musa’s mom is dead and her relationship with her father is pretty strained although it does start to get better after the concert episode in season 2), so Musa is the one who ultimately takes the initiative to break it off. They both aren’t happy and Riven takes it especially hard, but Timmy talks some sense into him and he starts working to get better around the end of season 2/beginning of season 3.

Another reason Musa breaks it off is along with realizing how much worse she feels with Riven and along with how much worse she is as a person with him, she has a moment of realization where she just goes “oh, but with Aisha, I DO want to be better, and I trust her so much more completley,, oh no.” and she’s basically like “now we don’t have time to unpack ALL of that right now” but along with ending her relationship being better for both Riven and her, she needs to think some stuff about that over.

Musa is in denial about liking Aisha for a while and tries to stifle it and convince herself it’s nothing or that it’ll go away. This isn’t because she’s having a Gay Panic or something though (in my thing she’s bi and has had partners of other genders before). The panic comes from at this point, Aisha is one of the closest people in her life despite them only knowing each other for about a year and she doesn’t want to ruin something good (cue abandonment issues). Musa handles this physically by being more shy and easily flustered and also by eventually talking to the winx about it. Tecna ties but in my thing, Tecna is borderline Aromantic (demi is what I’m thinking of for her, still haven’t figured it all out though) so she’s not very good at giving advice for it, but she’s happy to listen. Flora gives soft advice and a listening ear, ever the romantic, and Stella is too but she’s much more loud (she also feels bad about trying to hook Musa up with so many dates and her and Riven broke up now that she knows Musa was having a crisis the whole time, granted the date with Jared was a good thing since Jared and Musa became good friends so Stella won’t apologize for that one and Musa decides that’s fair), and Bloom is pretty awkward with relationship stuff so she does the “are ya winning, son?” approach to all of this. Musa appreciates that they’re all trying though, despite the various degrees of success.

Aisha doesn’t really talk to anyone about her feelings for Musa, which she realizes she has shortly after gaining her enchantix. During the first attack on Alfea in the their third year of school, when she sees her enchantix for the first time, and how sure of herself she was about doing what she could to save Galatea’s life and save all the ancient texts and tomes, she’s like “yup that pretty much confirms everything for me.”

In my version Aisha is a lesbian and she’s known for a WHILE. Anne was her first crush and she also liked some of the princesses and nobles that she would meet or see at the many fancy diplomatic meetings she would be dragged to. She’s very secure in her sexuality and romantic attraction (homophobia isn’t really a Thing in my version per se, but there are some concerns about lineage in upper circles for royalty and leaders, since not all queer couples can have children biologically and sometimes adoption is hard depending on the circumstances, ESPECIALLY if there is a form of magic that is needed to be transferred from one member of a family to the next member and it isn’t a guarantee or even possible for some magic to latch onto someone and become apart of their core if they aren’t biologically related). Aisha hadn’t mentioned it to her parents though. Her parents and her don’t have the most open relationship due to the very controlling and stifling nature of both the court her parents rule over and just their general demeanor which leads to the next issue: arranged marriage on Andros, which is something her parents still partake in, and that really makes both Musa and Aisha feel like their hearts are being grabbed and twisted. Once they tell her, she’s about to tell them but they leave soon after telling her because they have stuff to do and also they would rather speak to Aisha once she’s “calmed down some.” The next time she has time to tell them, shit with Valtor starts to hit the fan and it gets put on the backburner.

By the time Nabu shows up, it’s pretty rough. Once Aisha realizes who he is she’s mad because of course she is, this is the person she’s expecting to be with. Nabu is understanding of this, and gets it completely, especially since he originally lied about his identity. Aisha does take a breather though and they talk it out some. He wanted to see who he was arranged to marry like in the show, and Aisha says she honestly never wanted to see him, and he laughs and says that’s fair. They do end up having a “best bros” dynamic though eventually. AIsha tells him about Musa, and he says he’s so sorry about this whole thing and eventually they do meet up with their parents like in the show and they talk to them about everything finally and their parents tell them that the arranged marriage isn’t necessary in the end. It works out and Aisha and Nabu do a sickass secret handshake they made and all is well. The relationship between their kingdoms is also really strong regardless of marriage too due to their eventual life long friendship.

Aisha also eventually talks to Flora some about how she should go about asking Musa out and about whether or not she thinks it would be a good idea and Flora and Chatta (ESPECIALLY CHATTA) are doing EVERYTHING they can to not blurt out that Musa hasn’t been able to shut up about liking Aisha for over a year and a half at this point. 

Over the season their relationship continues to get stronger. 

TW: talk of e*ting disorder. Please skip this paragraph if that is triggering to you. I will have the next paragraph start with -paragraph over- so skip to that if you would like

I also have a thing in my version where Musa struggles with an e*ting disorder some just do to anxiety and insecurities and that was one of the ways those things ended up manifesting (that’s how it was for me and I’ve put a little bit of myself into each of these gals and pal (Tecna is nonbinary in my version and although they’re fine with being perceived as a woman and is cool with she/her pronouns and general slang terms like “gal,” “dude,” “bro,” etc., they still prefer overall being acknowledged as a nonbinary person by people who don’t know them very well (all pronouns are cool with them also. This stuff I just mentioned is how I am as a nonbinary person and I thought it fit Tecna too). This is why I have her looking a little thinner in my earlier sketches, since those take place in season 1 and 2. Aisha goes out of her way to help her however she can and Musa feels guilty but eventually Aisha just tells her to accept the help because she cares about her, she knows that Musa wants to get better (she started wanting to really work to stop skipping meals in the middle of season 2 and being less afraid of putting on weight. Her relationship with Riven wasn’t helping her mental state and this was around the point where she realized things probably weren’t going to get better unless she worked really hard on both herself and with setting better boundaries. Aisha was the only one to know about her skipping meals more than was healthy as it ended up coming out on one of their many late night heart to heart convos they like to have) and because it isn’t taking a toll on her mental health, and she promises to let her know if it does (Aisha also learned more about healthy boundaries during her time with the winx way to go, queen). They do meal preps together, get a healthy workout routine that doesn’t involve Musa dropping dead from exhaustion every time, and they get help pamphlets and Musa ends up seeing a counselor on campus to get some help and by the middle of season 3, things are a lot better, and while it’s still something that Musa is going to struggle with off and on during her life because that’s how this stuff tends to work, she has the tools to help herself better and she also has a really good support system and knows therapy is still an option if she needs it after her time at Alfea. The rest of the winx find out eventually too and are, of course, super supportive and proud of her.

-end paragraph-

The main takeaway from that paragraph is that Aisha and Musa are very close and supportive of each other and that I mention Tecna is nonbinary (all pronouns acceptable, although tends to prefer they/them)

Along with that being yet another huge thing that relates to them wanting to help each other grow and become better people, they just end up realizing that if they could choose a day where they could choose anyone to spend time with for the whole time, it would be each other.

By the end of their third year at alfea/the movie (unsure which yet exactly, but it’s in that time frame) they get together and they stay together for the rest of everything:)

[seventeenlovesthree]

I never really thought too much about what sexual orientations the Chosen Children in Adventure 01 and 02 could have, but... Now that I did think about it, I realize that I'm actually pretty set on some headcanons (linked to either personal ship preferencies or general observations. I'm always happy to discuss btw!). Spoiler: The epilogue may have implied a lot of heteronormativity, but in my head, none of them really comes off as "simply straight".

Taichi: Bi-demisexual. Someone pointed out to me once that he never really seemed to big on the "wanting to date" side, but once he cares about someone, he cares a whole lot. He obviously has the protagonist bonus in getting along with several characters well and, upon asking different parts of the fandom, people will confirm that his behaviour towards male and female characters alike can be read as romantic - Yamato, Sora, Koushirou, Meiko, you name it. Even if he's much more lowkey in approaching the person in question. I do see him becoming quite passionate once he got together with whomever he fancies. Kizuna at least implied a somewhat canon interest in women, even if that may be seen as a joke or compensation. (Pan/Poly!Taichi is also a fun angle to look at, by the way!)

Yamato: Repressed bisexual. I'm still not over how Adventure/Tri's subtext basically told me he's suppressing all the feelings he had for Taichi in the most frustrating way. And the way he reacts towards Jyou once opening up to him is very telling too. Him being in love with Sora is a given after all.

Koushirou: 100% demisexual, bi-oriented. I'll be honest, prior to Tri, I wouldn't have seen any indication of him being interested in the female gender at all, but his crush on Mimi there obviously proved me wrong. Personally, I see him as a person who needs to have a connection to another person to be able to develop - and even accept - having feelings and the desire to be close to them. And while one can obviously read his relationship with Taichi as purely platonic as well, it ticks off a lot of boxes in my personal "introvert who gets validated and accepted by person X and opens up naturally and genuinely when being with them, so developping feelings shouldn't be too unlikely" box. I'm biased here and you know it. (I mean, it's easy to put him into the asexual category, but he feels so much like someone who'd just bloom once he has opened up to someone.)

Sora: My gut gravitates towards bi/pansexual, although she would suppress that side of herself for a looooong time and would basically force herself to conform to heteronormative expectations and such the same way she'd (somewhat) conform to "typically female" characteristics - I don't want more suffering for Sora, but she needs time to come to terms with herself. The bearer of the Crest of Love loves warmly and intensely (which manifests in her being the one who confessed to Yamato first), but it'll take a while (and probably the help of Mimi) to get to a place where she is 100% comfortable.

Mimi: This may sound surprising, but I do see her somewhere on the ace spectrum, mainly attracted to women. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember her actively swooning over someone else (like Miyako) or showing an effort to confess to someone (like Sora). She's genuine and kind in her affections to others - especially towards Sora, Miyako and Meiko, but also very apparent towards Jyou. But it's mainly just her friendly self - and despite her knowing that Koushirou seems to like her, she still treats him like everyone else, no reservations, still as kind as always. (Spoiler: Stageplay!Mimi confirms that she doesn't have feelings for anyone, but that she's rather interested in learning who Sora likes.) I could definitely see her ending up with one of the girls eventually.

Jyou: Leans very heavily into classic bisexual as well, officially confirmed to have a girlfriend at least (still mad that we never met her ;A;), I still maintain that he at least used to crush on Mimi - and I simply cannot not think that he had also the biggest crush on Yamato... There's no way he didn't like him like that.

Takeru: Despite his flirtatious side in 02 and onwards, I do see him on the ace spectrum, bi-romantic - sometimes I feel like his ladies-man-persona in Tri was just compensation and he wasn't really... Feeling it. He feels very strongly about the people close and dear to him and while I do see him and Hikari more on a deep, deep bromantic level, I'd just say that, once he's letting someone get close, he'd be big on the physical affection side - without getting too sexual at all. (And just like Mimi, I rather see him interested in the relationships of others than his own.)

Hikari: I have a hard time deciding between "asexual, demi-romantic" and "demisexual, bi-oriented (like a true Yagami)". All I can say is, I feel like once someone gets through to her on a personal level, her feelings may get really intense and she may not always know how to deal with it (as seen when she didn't know how to deal with Miyako's intensity towards her at first - I'd even say that she may have been her very first crush. She does feel a connection to Takeru, obviously, but in my eyes, that took a pretty, pretty long time to manifest. I also wouldn't mind them just being platonic life partners.)

Daisuke: Pansexual, absolutely and thoroughly, probably was in a phase similarly to Sora, but once he's accepted it, it's 100% commitment. The crush on Hikari as well as what he has with Ken are easy indicators (and nobody can convince me that he didn't have the biggest crush on Taichi). He's a kind boy and the love he has to give radiates a lot of warmth.

Miyako: Pansexual as well, 100%. There isn't even much to say here, it's pretty much text that she's getting easily attracted to all kinds of people - from Mimi to Michael to Ken - then there's Hikari, Koushirou, probably... She goes where her heart takes her and I'm living for it.

Iori: He is probably the most difficult to pinpoint besides Takeru, because he was just TOO YOUNG and it'd be too easy/boring to just make him asexual, and even if Kizuna didn't give away too much, too me, he just seems so comfortable with not caring about things like dating, etc.

Ken: 200% bi-demisexual, similarly to how it goes down for Hikari. Him getting married to Miyako is a given - and then I'd still maintain that him and Daisuke are pretty much t e x t...

[themidnightfarmer]

Babes in Mimeland || Nora & Jared

Timing: This past week sometime.

Location: The common.

Tagging: @fearfordinner​

Description: 

Triggers: Mimes?

Jared wasn’t completely comfortable to be away from the farm that day, but he’d given his word, and he wasn’t going to go back on it. Surely everything would be fine for an hour or two while he did this. So there he stood, in a t-shirt that implored passing customers to support the performers behind him. He was holding flyers and smiling as wide as he could whilst flagging down passers-by to take them. A mime he’d started to consider a friend had mimed that he should come and help them out that day, the mime in question part of an air-band as a side hustle for working at Yours, mime, and ours (where Jared was a frequent customer). “Don’t forget to support your local mime performers! They’re good at what they do and they have mouths to feed at home whilst working on their passions!”

A music box was an odd reward Nora decided twisting the box around in her hands. The eyeball, a necklace that she’d taken to wearing frequently, was a much more satisfactory prize. Nora was about to flip open the prize she’d come to winterfest to claim when her eye was caught by the mime band. Oh great! They were performing. Music box forgotten and shoved into her pocket, Nora trudged through the crowd to admire the artists at work. There were no hard feelings on her part that her last encounter with a mime had left her rainbow colored for a week. There were hard feelings to deal with on her part with the idea that her favorite mime had died right in front of her. Ideas that she refused to acknowledge. A shout about helping mimes made her ears perk up. Nora snatched a flyer from a giant, glancing over it. “I want to help.” She announced. “The mimes are great.” 

Most people passing Jared by were trying their very best to ignore him, he watched many fliers find their way into the trash. It was a little disheartening but overall expected, you didn’t have shirts like the one he was wearing unless there was some serious stigma going on. His head tilted down and a more genuine smile bloomed on his face as someone actively approached to take a flier. “They are! One of my friends is in the band, they’re honestly great at what they do and everything helps, people in town aren’t so forgiving for being different…” he trailed off before he could add just how strange he found that considering the variety of species that you could find in all corners. Jared blinked away the thought and returned to focus on the person showing interest. “So-” He was cut off by an obnoxious laugh off to the left towards the gingerbread house. He couldn’t quite hear what was said but the way the group of people mock mimed along with the band rubbed him the wrong way. His face soured. 

Friends? With a mime? Was that legal? Wouldn’t that be like being friends with mythical legends who are way cooler than you? Like the real babadook or maybe the boogyman? Even goatman. They were all famous figures Nora admired but wouldn’t know how to befriend if they were before her. It was a sudden moment of awe as her blank gaze passed between the giant and the band. If she helped could she be friends too? Nora dug in her pocket and pulled out her beaten up old wallet. She was ready to pay a large sum of money before laughter met her ears and she could see a group of adults, probably in their late to mid thirties, making fun of the mimes. A different way to help crossed her mind as she watched them enter the gingerbread house. “What if we scared them?” Nora asked, her monotone making it sound like a serious and reasonable suggestion. “Make a point that people can’t keep mocking mimes because they are quiet.” 

He’d forgotten what he’d planned on saying next to the other when she piped up with an idea. Jared looked after the group as they laughed and joked at the expense of his mime friends before heading into the gingerbread house. He nodded slowly before deciding it was a perfect idea, no amount of money fixed hurt feelings, but a little bit of revenge might. “Yeah, yeah that’s a good idea. People are always doing stuff like that.” Jared frowned and tucked the fliers into his back pocket, ready to so what it took to have those meanies regret their choices. “Let’s do it.” he said only pausing a split second before moving towards the gingerbread house (that had already closed its door on the group, trapping them) to ask “What’s your name anyway? Since you’re leading the charge, what’s the name of the commander? I’m Jared.” he offered preemptively.

Commander? Nora liked being called a commander. She could see it now, a field of dead bodies around her as she stood tall, proud on a rock, wearing a military jacket. There’d be some life in the people somewhere, and they would be full of fear. Life changing fear. The kind of fear that made for a meal instead of just a snack. She’d paint that picture later. “Nora.” Nora answered, her affect betraying nothing of the mental spiral she’d just followed. “Are you good at scaring people?” Nora hadn’t noticed the door close behind the other group. She pushed through the crowd and to the door, pushing it open and holding it for the giant - er - Jared. She wondered if he’d hit his head on the door frame. This Jared, friend of mime, was about to see things. She hoped he’d enjoy them as a fellow lover of mimes. 

“I’m not sure, Usually it’s by accident, but I could try and make something work.” He wondered briefly if he could get away with using his glamour to help spook the group, without his partner in crime noticing. It would be far easier to do some scarring in the name of the mimes if he could make himself look like he had stripes like some sort of angry chameleon. Jared ducked in the door that was held open for him, and it pulled shut behind him. The inside was dark, the windows were as they tended to be on small gingerbread house kits that you could buy at the store, the windows were painted on in icing rather than cut out. It was pitch black aside from the gaps around the edges where the icing hadn’t fully sealed the walls in place. The group were in the next room of the house whispering now that it was dark as humans tended to do, as if the dark was suppressing any noise. Using the quiet he mimicked one of his kids' cries as loud as he could just to start them off. The angry call of a bies sounded from his lungs abruptly and clearly for a singular second before cutting off to return to silence again.

The noise that came out of the giant’s mouth was absolutely brilliant. Loud. Jarring. Inhuman. No animal Nora could recognize. She gave one slight nod of approval. Maybe this stork, now nicknamed for being a giant bird and not just a giant, accidentally scared people more often than naught. Reaching inside herself, Nora lit the string of her magic. Her fingertip traced across the gingerbread walls as she walked. Icing started to coat her finger but she ignored it. Instead she concentrated on making the screeching noise of steel on steel. She’d seen it cause the hairs on people’s neck to rise. She hoped her cover of dragging her finger would be enough to fool new friend Jared. She’d claim it was a party trick or something. Damn, she really hated frosting. 

Jared extended his glamour past his usual skin cover to also alter his clothes just that little bit, the mime shirt was a little too telling after all. Instead he added stripes subtly in the darkness, only really put in place for his own peace of mind rather than for any impact. He hoped it was too dark for anyone to notice, so that he didn’t have to explain to Nora either. The noise she was making sent a chill up his spine as well for a half a second before he settled into it, it was easier knowing where it was coming from...sort of. He had no idea how she was doing it, but he was certain it was Nora doing it at the very least, no other way a gingerbread house could make that noise. The group were muttering to each other, clearly unsettled as they headed into the next room trying to find the backdoor to escape. Jared spotted a runner rug down the hallway, so he stooped to tug on it and send the last straggling person flying into the rest, holding back a snicker as they toppled like bowling pins.

Was the stork looking a little stripy or was it the shadows of the gingerbread house? It wasn’t very well lit. Probably because it was made out of ginger and not wood. Nora found herself wishing she bore the strips of those they came to protect. An illusion manifested itself across small patches of her clothes; black and white alliance patches. The group they’d followed in were becoming less of a snack and more of a meal. Nora took a deep inhalation in, enjoying the rewards of Jared’s carpet tug. They piled to the ground obviously scared of what was going to happen. “Where’s the exit?” One shouted. “I-I don’t know, I don’t see any. How can this place be this big?” Panic made their voice high pitched and frantic as they shouted over Nora’s noise. She let the noise fall, leaving them and their prey in a sudden silence. “Boo.” Her monotone was briefly followed by an illusion monster appearing behind them. Black and white stripes mime meets masked monster with a giant maw and sharp rows of teeth. It gurgled towards the fallen group. Slowly. Leaving a trail of stripes behind it as it went.

Jared was unaware that it was Nora that had created the mime monster, he himself had seen the mimes do some incredible stuff so he wasn’t put off at all. It was a mask of only a slight surprise, thinking that they might have stopped performing to aid in this situation for themselves. This is why when a striped goo seemed to seep in the cracks of the gingerbread house (to form into another more ‘traditional’ looking mime on the ceiling) he didn’t even flinch. This mime turned it’s head like it was an owl to look down at the monster curiously for a split second before scuttling down the wall towards the now scrambling pile of humans. Jared flattened himself against the wall of the gingerbread house and increased his glamor in the moment to look more like the mime that had appeared on the ceiling, although not able to move his head like it had. He didn’t have quite the same energy, but he tried his best. The group screamed and swore and scrambled past Nora and Jared being chased by both Nora's creation as well as the mime who had come to see what was happening, only to be delighted with its findings.

This scene was beautiful. Perfect. Picturesque. The gaggle of bullies trying to run away. The mime manifesting. The illusion chasing, gurgling, gnashing its giant teeth. Nora was almost satisfied with the scene and the meal but it was missing something. A soundtrack maybe? Oh. She had the music box. Maybe that would add some ambiance to the whole shindig. It took a minute to windup the old box. It popped open displaying a couple wrapped in each other's arms dancing an eternal waltz. The music began, gentle, haunting, almost mournfully and her eyes fixated on the waltzing couple. She was met with an absolute need to waltz. Carefully she placed down the music box and held her hand out to Jared’s, the silent question to dance. A question that only had one answer as everyone around them started waltzing together. The gaggle were screaming in terror now, practically drowning out the beautiful music. “Why are we dancing?” Why can’t we stop dancing?” “Why am I dancing with a mime?” 

The screaming had drowned out the ticking of the small music box winding up, so when the tune started Jared almost didn’t notice his body was moving towards music. Taking Nora’s hand they began to dance through no action of free will. The screaming did not die down, it seems the music was taking their movement alone, their voices would remain their own. Spinning around the room he was sort of delighted to have noticed that one of the group of humans had paired with a mime, who had turned its head all the way around again to watch the scene unfold in full rather than focus on it’s partner. “What kind of music box is that?” Jared asked Nora, his voice only faltering when her platform boots came down on his toes, yelling over the screams and panic of the humans with as wide a smile on his face as he could muster. Acting as is if the extra noise was only part of the song. He suspected magic, but he didn’t want to outright ask. 

“I do-” Nora had never been good at dancing, and despite the dance being magically pre-choreographed for them, that didn’t go away. “Oh sorry.” She mumbled. “I don’t know anything about the box.” Nora nodded at the mime as they twirled past the beautiful friend. “It was the reward I got for getting second place.” First place shouldn’t have won. Her art was masterful. Oh well. Beggars couldn’t be winners. But apparently second place could be dancers. “I wonder how long it lasts.” 

The screams and music could be heard by passing townsfolk for a while and they all ignored it, as was usual in white crest.

[wrinkledparchment]

phantom; | [n.s.]

Summary: You had an opportunity to save Nick. You missed it. You will do whatever it takes to make up for it. 

Word Count: 3,204

A/N: MY FIRST FIC of 2020!!! This series has two of my most popular fics and it’s only fitting that I conclude this series in the new year :) Hopefully, you all enjoy this part! I already have the next few parts planned out, ending with part 6, and an epilogue. Enjoy!!

Warnings: Angst, what’s new?

Taglist: @ohmypreciousgavinyeet​ @bi-mama​ @wittysidecharacter​ @iknowrocknroll567​ @serpiente-s​ @janoskiansecondsofdirection​ @helen-of-troi @perseny-blog​ @vannalovesyou​ @coureurs-de-bois9​ @losers-club6​

ghost; - one | specter; two | phantom; three | [coming soon] - four | [coming soon] - five | [coming soon] - six | [coming soon] - epilogue

Your first moments with him--beautiful, blue sky, and two young children bathed in the afternoon glow of the sun; childish grins, naivety, and a blooming relationship. Meeting on a small playground, he’d stopped you from falling off a slide. 

You had offered your signature bubbly giggle, and he, a kind smile, something the other children had withheld from you. In the malleable mind of a child, you saw him as a friend and playmate. You’d hadn’t wondered about the future. 

You hadn’t thought about what it would be like to lose him until much later. You recalled the butterflies in your stomach as you saw him laugh after you’d thrown sand at him. It was a warm day, and you, at eleven-years-old, had made your first friend. 

Nicholas Scratch had offered you a childhood; presenting himself on a warm day where you were playing without supervision, without friends, without care. Within two hours, you had decided you had a crush on him. 

By the time he began school at the Academy of Unseen Arts, you had seen him as the potential for more; handing him a handmade card scribbled in your best cursive, reading: You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. Happy Lupercalia, Nicholas.

You meant it without a doubt--he had stood up for you against the other young witches and warlocks, attending school dances with you if you weren’t asked, and you would celebrate every holiday together; riding your small bikes to stores to buy each other gifts. 

Nicholas Scratch was the first person to care, the first person you’d befriended, the first crush you’d had, and the first person you’d ever loved. He was mischevious, and only a part-time criminal, but you’d never expected him to steal your heart. Most definitely not your entire life. 

Nobody ever made you feel as happy as Nick did, and nobody ever will. 

Memories you shared, delicate snapshots of youth and innocence were playing in your mind, watching him give you a flower each morning, watching him help you cast charms. You began to catch up to more recent times. 

Feeling numb, feeling nothing, you desperately wanted to break free, knowing where it was going. You were limp, barely conscious as you watched it all. Him beginning to slowly slip into Sabrina’s life, and you watched as she began to slip into his heart. 

And suddenly, it was the night before he had sacrificed himself, and you watched his face, contorted in fear, ask you for his forgiveness. Tell you that he was going to do something dangerous, that he knew it would go right, but that he might not come back. 

“I might not come back, [name]. It’s dangerous but-- I have to.”

“You better come back to me, Nick. I don’t know where I would be without you. Promise me. Please.” 

“I can’t promise you anything. You know that.” 

Flashing to you apparating to Nick, after you had almost felt your world crack underneath your feet. And in a flash, you were standing in a ballroom, watching as Nick entrapped the devil inside of himself. 

Your screams echoed in your own mind like you were stuck in a glass cage, replaying the time, watching yourself miss the opportunity over, and over, to save the one thing in this universe that you loved.

You laid limp, on your bedroom floor, fighting a battle in your own mind. Begging yourself for mercy, pleading for yourself to please, please just release you from this hell, from this torture. 

Feeling the weight your own body was carrying, feeling the numbness seep through your veins, you wanted to scream. There was nothing physical about this--everything you saw was tied to your own regrets. 

You had an opportunity to save Nick. You missed it.

And oh god--  it replayed, over and over again. Replayed like a record stuck on a loop, scratching and aching against its holder. 

There was only a sharp reminder of him with you now-- not his words, or his first, kind smile or the bubbly, childish laugh he’d bestowed upon your memory. There was the feeling of him-- warm and enrapturing. 

It had an aura of its own-- covering you like a blanket and of course, you bathed in it. Like a warm bath on a winter’s day, an old friend’s hug after a particularly tiring situation. It felt like clouds and sunshine-- smelled like a fresh summer’s day and tasted--on the tip of your tongue--like childhood innocence.

It left you, along with him, over and over and over again. The same memory, the same words, the same missed opportunity drilling itself into your skull and etching itself into the fabrics of your being. 

Twisting like a serpent through your stomach, the guilt burrowed itself into the pit of your abdomen and waited--sharp and vengeful-- for your wake. It would stay, it would manifest until consciousness was regained to torture you, while in turn, you would be awake to remember it all. To digest, fully this time. 

. . . 

You opened your eyes quickly, ears ringing over every other sound as you struggled to get your body off the ground. You found your lungs aching, gasping for air and you felt even more suffocated than you had the first night he’d disappeared. 

The weight of your regrets, of the opportunity you had missed that cost your best friend his very own freedom, sunk deep into the pits of your stomach. He had offered you everything--saved you--and the one chance you had to save him, you missed it.

Nothing felt worse than how bloodied your hands felt, how all the ichor was stained like it was your fault that he was in hell. 

The dream floated through your head again, flashes of something much more innocent, a time when you felt safe. Giggles echoed in your mind and you yearned to see his smile just one more time. 

When they passed, along with your numbness as blood flew through your veins, pumping through as if high on adrenaline, you felt lighter. The pit in your stomach, the guilt, it was all there, but for the first time, you didn’t feel exhausted.

You didn’t feel like you were powering a whole other spiritual being in your body. You felt . . . light. Your heart was full of wide smiles and the feeling of sun on your skin, and you felt whole again. 

Your stomach was filled with warmth, filled with your much-sought-after youth, blue skies, and lemonade. You felt ready to save someone you loved. 

--

Another tear slipped down his cheek, “I’ve got to go,” he whispered. A moment of reflection, of debate, passed and you knew that if you held on for much longer he’d kill you.

The cold was slowly diminishing, fading, and so was he. He was leaving, you might not ever see him again, you would regret it forever if you didn’t speak up now.

Your hovering hand suddenly moved to cradle his frigid cheek, the temperature crawling and nipping throughout your whole body. You felt frozen, trapped underwater with ice above you, it felt suffocating.

You forced yourself to stay present, to ground yourself in his eyes, in the sorrowful look he gave you and you memorized his face. You could feel him slipping away underneath your fingertips.

“I love you, Nicholas Scratch,” you whispered before fainting, falling onto the ground with a loud thump, your heartbeat erratic but weak.

--

Sabrina’s wooden front porch squeaked underneath your feet, and you rapped your knuckles on her front door. With a few sounds behind the door, Sabrina pulled open the door, giving you a curious look. 

“Are you alright?” You nodded, and she gestured for you to come in. You’d been in her home once before, but before it was impeccably neat. You’d suspected that one of her aunts had done a lot of cleaning beforehand, and it was clear now that it was them who picked up. 

Books were in disarray all over her kitchen table along with a bowl of fruit. The room smelled of old books and dust like she’d gotten all of them from an untouched library. In one pile, she even had a bible, something you’d never see in a witch’s house. “What are you researching?” 

Sabrina’s downcast face shook sideways, and she stayed quiet. Her watery eyes danced everywhere around the room but avoided you, and as the sun peeked through the glass windows of her home, they cast shadows in the hollows of her face. Underneath her eyes were dark, tired circles, and you understood, but this time, you could help too.  

“I came to help you get Nick back,” you stated quickly, and for the first time since you’d entered her house, she looked you in the eye. It had a hint of either curiosity or suspicion--you weren’t sure which--and you knew you’d have to explain. 

“I did have his ghost attached to me, and I nearly died, trying to supply him all that energy. I think-- I think he wanted to apologize for having to leave you so soon. He misses all of us. He misses you.”

The sight of Sabrina’s eyes welled up with tears, flashed through your mind. The only other time you’d seen her like this was when he got carried into hell in the arms of Lilith, but this--it was different this time around. She was gazing at you, a plea in her eyes, begging you, begging anyone to bring her lover back to her.

Her eyes were a watery red, and you wanted so desperately to hug her, to let her sob into your shoulder, but Nick- he’d been the only one you’d ever held like that. Your heart--once full of all the warmth of a sun--felt broken. Like every day apart from Nick had been slowly chipping away at it, slowly whisking away until there would be nothing left. 

“I realized-- at that moment--that I love Nick. Not in the same way you do, of course, but I really do love him. Sabrina, you have my full support. I will do whatever it takes to get him back to us--to you. Just, please, let me help you.”

Sabrina, with a heavy heart and mind, put her palm out to you, face up. Your sight slowly shifted upwards, scanning through her own, teary eyes. Even with your hands violently shaking, you placed them in her own. 

Your skin met hers, soft, warm and comforting--though much smaller than Nick’s were, and less calloused, too. It was tender, like Nick’s old hugs when he would wrap his arms around you ever so tightly. His laughter rung through your ears, and putting all your trust in Sabrina, you gave her hand a squeeze. 

Despite your frequent jealousy, despite you barely trusting her until this very moment--she squeezed back. The gesture felt so similar to something Nick would do that your heart ached, and just like it used to when Nick would hold your hand, the feeling of being cared for, of being loved, washed over you like a wave.

Looking deep into Sabrina’s honey eyes, you smiled. It was meek, and barely there, being too damp with sadness to give warmth. And she-- she smiled back. Without a word, you sat down, and you knew now what she was looking for. 

. . .  

After a half an hour of scanning through various pages of the bible, you’d set your eyes on a familiar name. “Longinus,” you murmured underneath your breath, and Sabrina looked up. 

“What about him?” she asked, and her mind flashed through her previous attempt to actually kill Lucifer. Though in the heat of the moment she’d barely thought twice about his words, but after certain events, she felt like an idiot. 

“Nick--” you paused for a moment, feeling a pang in your heart at the mere mention of his name, “--he had mentioned before all of this that you’d already tried to fight Lucifer. Did he mention anything about Longinus’ lance?”

Sabrina felt her heartbeat against her sternum, feeling the steady thump as blood coursed through her veins, high on adrenaline. Suddenly, everything felt clearer. “Yeah, he said it was the only thing that could kill him. Why- why would that kill him?”

You looked over the bible passage once more, digesting every bit of information that could be useful before you answered. “Longinus is the Roman soldier that pierced Jesus’ side during his crucifixion. And that lance--the Holy Lance to be specific--is what he did it with. It was stained with holy blood.”

“I’m assuming he’s dead,” you concluded very knowledgeably, “do you think anyone knows where it is?” 

Sabrina bit her lip, wondering where in the hell you would find an old spear from the 1st century. She wondered if it would be in a museum, but suddenly and very conveniently, Ambrose wandered into the kitchen. 

“Hello cousin,” Ambrose greeted, pausing for a moment as he found you in the chair beside her, and Sabrina immediately began to ask him for advice. 

“Ambrose, you wouldn’t happen to know where the Spear of Longinus is, would you?” Sabrina leaned forward onto the table, propping herself up with her elbows just a few inches away from the open, dusty book that lay in front of her. 

Her cousin grabbed an apple from a fruit basket on their counter and took a generous bite, and even though most cousins, as far as you were concerned, would have to rewind for a double-take, he just nodded. 

“It’s in some mausoleum in Jerusalem that only high-ranking witches know the location of. They tried to hide it from children of the light so they can’t kill Lucifer or something. Why are you asking?” 

“[Name] and I need it to kill Satan,” Sabrina says nonchalantly, and you sharply turn towards her and furrow your brows, but Ambrose cut her off first. 

“There are so many flaws in that plan--”

And before he could finish, you spoke over him just as fast. “Firstly, you’d have to be--you know--not a witch to touch something called the Holy Lance. Second of all, how are we even going to find Satan? Are we just gonna saunter right into Hell and be like, ‘What’s up y’all, where’s the Dark Lord?’”

Sabrina struggled to hide her smile despite you trying to shoot her plan down, and she found herself understanding very well why Nick had become friends with you. Even in the most stressful, heavy-weighted situations, you still managed to be humorous and light-hearted, still managed to make people smile.

“Firstly,” she started, mimicking your tone, “I’ve been baptized because I’m a half-blood. And secondly, I already discussed where she was keeping them, obviously in the very center of the underworld, Hell’s Palace.”

Ambrose nearly spit out a chunk of his apple, “You do know that wandering through hell, even as a witch but especially as someone who was baptized is incredibly dangerous, yes?” 

“We have to try,” you reasoned, “Nicholas would have done the same for us. He would have gone to the ends of the Earth to save us, and we are going even further for him, even if it kills us.”

-- 

Aunt Zelda was sat at the table, across from the two of you, scouring over a few books she’d inherited from the barely-saved Blackwell Academy. “Why do you want to find this ‘Holy Lance’ anyways?”

Sabrina muttered something under her breath and Aunt Zelda raised an eyebrow, but at this point, she seemed so worn down by her niece’s antics to even try and stop her. 

“Very well,” she muttered, writing down coordinates and a small corner of wrinkled parchment before ripping it off and handing it to you. “Take Ambrose with you, just in case anything goes wrong. Sabrina, do you know any spells to cure burns?” 

Sabrina furrowed her brows, and without missing a beat, you supplied some information. “Touching a holy object would give you a third-degree burn if you’re not baptized or if you’re detected to be a witch. Just in case. Besides, I know a spell. We should be all good, Mrs. Spellman, thank you.”

Guiding you through her house to the top floor, Sabrina began to call out her cousin’s name. Surprisingly, a door opened quickly and her cousin, now not only in pajamas but also a silk robe, rushed back into his space. 

“Are you guys ready?” he asked, pulling out his wand, pointing it at the parchment in between your fingers, and beginning an incantation. You wanted to question exactly why he’d go to a mausoleum covered in dust and bones with a very expensive robe on, but you didn’t have time. 

The world spun underneath your feet, and wind whipped around your hair. You could hear Sabrina groaning, obviously off-put by traveling via teleportation, but this felt like nothing compared to having Nick’s ghost attached to you. 

Nothing compared to the seeking emptiness that swept through your abdomen, or the exhaustion that had seeped under your skin and burrowed itself in your bones. 

You finally landed, somewhere underground which was extremely dark, musty, and dirty. You lit up your wand and began to wander through the catacombs, with the two Spellmans following behind you. 

You could swear that Nick’s voice echoed through the dim, long hallways. Words that were coated with sugar, so soft and so sweet yet so far away. Every word swept a new piece of your heart away, and you just wanted to get out of here. 

Turning back, Sabrina had a similar, heartbroken and tear-struck look to her, as did Ambrose. This hallway, these catacombs, had obviously been tampered with to keep the lighthearted out. 

Nick’s voice, you felt it, planted phantom kisses on your skin. They were warm, and overpowering, the overwhelming feeling of I shouldn’t have this, I shouldn’t have this, I’ll never have this, drilled into your skull. 

But there was something in the core of your being that told you that a world without Nick was worse than your guilty conscience. That this torture of faux love, of being reminded of your scorching jealousy, was better than the emptiness of him being dead. 

And so you turned back around, and when the pelting of words into your ears got harder, you knew you were closer. Sabrina was close behind you, and unknowingly, you reached out and grabbed her hand like it was instinct. 

You finally trusted someone other than Nick. You could finally rely on a person that wasn’t him, and you felt free. Even with the warmth of his touch on your neck, and the prison that was never getting the real thing, you felt light. 

Something began to get lighter, and lighter, and soon, the inky hallways turned to flaxen-lit old brick, and you smiled. You’d found it. So Sabrina reached out her hand and grabbed onto something, and the light began to fade. 

There was no gasp, no scream, only diminished light, and a triumphant smile.

taglist/people who asked for a sequel:  @carostar2020, @wittysidecharacter, @grey-junior, @ohmypreciousgavinyeet, @palepaperfan, @marcelitachiquita, @onl-you, @cassidyiscool, @bi-mama​, @iknowrocknroll567​, @serpiente-s, @janoskiansecondsofdirection,​ @helen-of-troi, @perseny-blog,​@vannalovesyou​, @coureurs-de-bois9,​ @losers-club6​.

[gaphic]

Hi! 💛 Do you have any headcanons for the Specialists in your au?

HELLO YES I DO sorry this post took so long :( 

here we have the specialists + nabu! these designs and backgrounds might change a bit going forward (I’m still not 100% on whether Helia should be a tree or a manlet, for example) but this is the gist 

Obviously the first thing, design-wise, was getting everybody a distinct style lol. I’m still working on their personalities and backgrounds, but my goal in general is just to make them more unique + have more fleshed-out relationships with eachother and the winx girls. long mess under the cut! 

Brandon: Sky’s BFF4LYFE. He’s a prettyboy and he cares a lot about his appearance, which makes him a little bit of an outlier in Eraklyon high society, since it’s a relatively conservative planet. Growing up he often had to act as Sky’s common sense, because 11-year-old princes dont really understand limits or consequences, so now he’s kind of the brain cell of the group. At first that gives him some friction with Stella, but they eventually bond over being a beautiful bi power couple who think they’re not good enough for eachother

(Brandon still switches places with Sky for his protection, and I think it would be really sweet/funny if he thought Stella didn’t know and there was a confession moment where he was like ‘Stella,,,,, I am,,,,,,,,, A Commoner,,,,,,,,,,,,’ and she’s like ‘I know dude Sky’s my cousin,’ but because Sky Is Her Cousin I don’t think I can make the logic work) 

Sky: Coming up as a sheltered, privileged prince in a conservative social space gave Sky a low regard for the rules but also a really weird conception of what ‘the rules’ are. Attending Red Fountain is the first time he’s mingled with people outside his planets nobility in any meaningful capacity, so he spends a lot of time just feeling out what the social norms are and learning that some rules are actually there for a reason and not just cause your parents suck. Bloom gets comfortable with him pretty much immediately because of that shared culture shock

Riven: Also from Eraklyon, but Riven grew up in a poor backwater with a pretty crappy family situation and a lot of internalized self-hatred, among other things. I’m toying with the idea that maybe Riven hasn’t figured out he’s gay, and his rivalry with Sky is the manifestation of the attraction he doesn’t know how to deal with. Also he dresses like someone gave life to a pinterest board of angry Pat!D bisexual fashion 

Helia: This one hails from Magix. He’s still Saladin’s grandson, still an artist, still a prodigy who dropped out of Red Fountain because he’s a pacifist. I’m thinking he kind of romanticizes nature as being this pinnacle of peace and harmony, and he dreams of someday moving to Linphea to become a leaf hermit or something. Flora gently liberates him of the idea that pacifism has any place in a garden, lmao. He’s a total mori boy and his hair is insured for 50 million MXD (magix dollars) 

Timmy: Also from Magix. This version of Timmy is less of a computer guy and more of an engineer. He does get into coding now and then, but his focus is on mechanical stuff, which he finds more elegant. He gets 30 minutes of sleep a night and watches a LOT of trashy tv, and although he usually puts on a good display of level-headedness he has an easily exploitable glitch where he can be made to do literally anything if Tecna calls him a pussy. I’m thinking he was raised by a single mom with not a lot of money or free time, which is the main reason his clothes all look like they come from the dumpster behind walmart

Nabu: Either from Andros or an original planet, I haven’t decided yet. What I have decided is that Nabu is a trans girl who DOES NOT DIE- although there is some angsty magic damage that results in her being out of commission for a while. She’s the heir to a noble family, and I’m thinking she spent a lot of her teen years at a snobby boys-only school, and they’re really pissed a nasty girl is doing unorthodox things with their Top Secret Tricks lol. Either that or she joined a special magical order of some kind of her own volition, perhaps as an act of rebellion because she was angry about her arranged marriage? (she does look so good in monk chic) idk, I really need to put more thought into her. I’m going to keep her meeting Aisha without revealing her identity, because the whole ‘I wanted to meet the horrible girl my parents forced on me, but it turned out she wasn’t so horrible’ thing is SO delicious imo, but I’m dispensing with the sliiightly stalkery undertones of the original. She goes out of her way to MEET Aisha, but not to follow her around or anything. She just teams up with the winx for unrelated reasons 

thanks SO much for this ask!!! it’s so amazing and encouraging to see interest in my au, i really hope i can impress you guys

[angelofthequeers]

Frozer thoughts

Hoo boy, I’m glad we got a two for one because this episode was soooo much more satisfying for me than ‘Malediktator’. Time for out-of-order bullet points and then my longer thoughts!

• We all knew that reveal was just a fantasy of Adrien’s but it was the Marinette fantasy at the end that got me 😂

• PLAGG’S SAD FACE BROKE ME HE DOES CARE ABOUT ADRIEN D:

• UM EXCUSE ME DO NOT THINK I DIDN’T NOTICE HOW YOU SPECIFICALLY SHOWED ROSE AND JULEKA TOGETHER WHEN PANNING AROUND THE COUPLES IN THE SCHOOL

• No but Rose and Juleka are a happy lesbian couple and I refuse to believe otherwise now T H I S I S P R O O F

• And Rose is totally bi because Prince Ali 💗💜💙

• “And I might have a brand new song to write.” AND IT IS HERE THAT I DIED

• The Gorilla is absolutely fantastic. If I had any doubts before that he truly loves Adrien, they’re now gone.

• “You’re supposed to be in love with Ladybug and now you’re ditching Kagami to go after Marinette?” Plagg you troll don’t act like you don’t know

• “She’s just a friend!” NO JOKE I SCREECHED LIKE A PTERODACTYL AND MY FAMILY IGNORED ME NOT LIKE IT’S NOT MY NORMAL PERSONALITY ANYWAY

• Don’t think I didn’t notice your jealousy Adrien even if you don’t know it yet

• “I don’t know a thing about human girls but whenever I meet a beautiful Camembert, I introduce myself! “Hello Camembert, I’m Plagg! So very nice to EAT you!” P L A G G 😂

• The ice costumes were gooorrrgeous

• Marinette having to choose between Luka and Adrien and then having Kagami sweep in and pull her up and whisper to her is a total lesbian power move and I refuse to believe otherwise thank you very much

• I really do love how Marinette’s friend group has expanded to include Rose, Juleka, Mylène and Alix because it feels like a subversion of the trope where the hero only gets one or two friends (“Tell him you’d already promised to hang with your bfs” I love you Alix you are Officially one of Marinette’s bfs)

And now for my long ass speech!

This episode was one of my favourites purely because of the emotional growth in it. We were already TOLD that Kagami and Luka were introduced to push Adrien and Marinette to grow, but being told that and actually seeing it are two very different things. There was a LOT of growth from Marinette, especially when she admitted in a roundabout way that she WAS jealous (which is never an easy thing to admit bby ❤️) and I LOVED it.

“Adrien really needs me and if he wants my advice then why not?”

“I always stumble my words around him. So how could I even manage going out on a date? I think we’re actually just meant to be friends. Whenever I talk to him as a friend, I hardly stammer at all.”

Oh, Marinette ❤️ THIS was the Marinette arc I’ve wanted all season. See what happens when y’all let her grow, writers?

No but seriously, Marinette did a lot of growing up in this episode and I ended up loving her even more. This more than anything cemented that she’s not just an Adrien fangirl, but that she’s legitimately in love with him. If she was just a crushing fangirl, there’s NO way she would’ve even voiced the idea of them just being friends. But Marinette voicing OUT LOUD that the platonic dynamic between her and Adrien works and she genuinely does value him as a friend is, like, exactly the evidence we needed that she really does love him and is willing to try and push her feelings aside to be there for him as his friend. (I said TRY, she still stumbled and slipped and got upset but she IS a 14 y.o. who’s navigating her first crush).

This level of maturity is something I don’t think I’ve seen in most other TV shows or books or any other media. So much of contemporary society is fixated with romantic love and your soulmate and pushing two people together, and seeing Marinette say ‘hey, no, platonic love and my friendship with Adrien is just as important’ is just...y’all have no idea how happy it makes my aromantic heart. I still hugely ship Adrinette and overall I’m glad that they’ll eventually end up together, but seeing someone validate the importance of friendship is utterly invaluable in today’s romance-obsessed age. So I better not see any more ‘stalker Marinette is obsessed with her crush’ because that’s NOT the case. She deeply loves him and she concludes that even if they remain platonic, her love for him isn’t lessened. The closest I’ve come to seeing this is Ginny Weasley choosing not to wait for Harry, but the impact there is lessened because there was barely any interaction between her and Harry until Harry started crushing on her. Here? It’s two main characters and I really do hope the writers don’t go back on this and that they allow the romance to bloom organically, because now I really CAN see Adrinette growing from this established close friendship. They’ve sown the seeds, now they just need to let them grow. Watching Marinette in S1 as opposed to S2 is just an absolute treat and I really hope they top S2 because it can only go up.

PLUS they also kept it real by having Marinette be upset at the ice rink even though she swore to be Adrien’s friend, because it would’ve been completely unrealistic for her to just shrug (“You have to let her fall!” Oh Marinette 😂😂😂). She really felt like a 14 y.o. struggling with jealousy and crushes, but in a completely non-toxic way. See writers I knew you could be amazing if you put your mind to it!

I also really enjoyed Kagami and Luka independent of their intended purposes. So much media these days introduces characters purely for the sake of drama and these characters are never more than cardboard cut-outs with no personality and no purpose outside of the love drama. But Kagami and Luka? I could quite easily grasp their personalities. I could feel Kagami’s ambition and hard sympathy manifesting in the attitude of ‘get your ass up and just do the thing and stop hesitating’. I could feel how emotional Luka was through his music, putting Marinette’s emotions into notes to help her realise them, and how he genuinely DID believe that Marinette deserved the best and he wasn’t just saying that line for drama. And he didn’t say that he was better than Adrien or insult Adrien outside of saying that Marinette deserved better, which I really did appreciate. He was a thoroughly non-toxic representation of what to do when your crush isn’t into you, and I am LIVING for this.

Kagami and Luka really ARE necessary to push Marinette and Adrien to grow. Kagami understands Adrien in a way that no one else can. She’s also the one person who’ll actually speak bluntly to him and call him out on shit, whereas Chloé fawns over him and Marinette stumbles and Adrien’s other friends can’t come at him from the same angle due to their barrier of rich loneliness. Sure, Nino’s his best friend, but Nino’s not rich and doesn’t have those expectations of perfection on him, whereas Kagami does and so she can GET Adrien.

And as for Luka? Marinette struggles with her emotions. She finally put them into words this episode, but it’s taken her THIS long to do so. I strongly believe that Marinette is autistic like me, because we both struggle to properly articulate our feelings in words and it can take legit ages to really sort out how we’re feeling and then process it. Sure, Marinette knew she had a crush, but it’s taken her this long to see the nuance and depth of it and organise how she would feel and react if Adrien rejected her outright, and Luka coming in to help her sort through these feelings without pushing her to talk about them was just...perfect. And the way he put her emotions into music is exactly how I feel a lot of the time - I can’t do words, but I can do more abstract things to get them across. Luka was needed to help Marinette grow into her self-confidence and help her sort out her feelings without being under pressure (like how Alya and the other girls immediately dogpiled her), and I really do hope they stay good friends and plus I kinda ship Lukanette now as well whooooops

So in conclusion? This episode was absolutely amazing and I very much enjoyed picking it apart. This isn’t even everything I could’ve talked about but it’s what stuck out to me most and proved that this show can really be great ❤️

[allofthismatters]

National Coming Out Day

In honor of today…here’s some gay stuff that sums it all up for me.

https://somewherechanging.wordpress.com/

“I’ve asked myself a lot why it took me so long to deal with my sexuality, and if I’d go back and do anything different if I could. In short, the answer to that is no, because I love the timing in which all this happened for me. But it’s definitely worth sorting through everything that made me shove this down for so long.

I was outed by a family friend in 9th grade who went into my bedroom during a visit and read my journals. Once it was public knowledge, I felt like a huge part of me had been raided and left on the front lawn for everyone to see before I was ready. I didn’t know how to recover from that other than to shutter up the offending part of me and send it away indefinitely, so that’s what I did. I treasured my orientation because it was warm and real, and I hated it because it put a target on my back. Somehow, over time I made myself believe that because my feelings had caused me so much trouble, they couldn’t have been real. I must have just been a stupid, confused little girl, and look what it had done to me.

Even if it were real, what did it matter if it was going to make me something besides normal? At home, my introversion and odd interests were huge points of contention, and while growing up, most of my energy went into putting those significant parts of myself aside in order to be more acceptable. My mom hated that I was shy and talked about history and literature and sci fi TV too much, and I could see other kids made uncomfortable by my desire to jump straight past small talk into deep conversation. I stifled those things to fit in, so why should my sexual orientation be any different? Despite having a solid group of wonderful friends, at the time, I felt like I was just barely tolerable to everyone in my life; I wasn’t about to allow ‘gay’ to be part of the equation, and tip the scales all the way against me.

Being normal was what had to matter most, and if I needed to be straight to be normal, then that’s where I’d live. So I pretended the gay journal rumors were all made up (thank god this all happened before phones could take pictures), and I learned how to blend in like someone who moved to a foreign country. I said clunky things at sleepovers like, “I think I would like to…you know…like…I guess kiss Orlando Bloom” that made me cringe both then and now. Whenever a girl gave me goosebumps at dance or school or out in public, I pinched at the back of my arm like my grandmother used to when I misbehaved. In a particularly impressive feat of denial, I told myself that the only reason Jennifer Garner on Alias made me want to levitate out of my body was because I was very patriotic and probably just wanted to work for the CIA, too. I flinched when girls touched me, I gave stiff, terrified hugs so no one would think I was enjoying them too much. I felt constantly embarrassed that I couldn’t just grow up and figure out how to giggle and blush over boys the way I was supposed to. Over time it got easier, like anything does with practice, but not natural.

I’ve always been good at making myself content, so that’s what I did. I decided to just stay where I was for the time being, buy a house in proverbial Straightville and it would be fine.  Of course, I wasn’t consciously deciding any of this at the time—I was just adapting and surviving and rationalizing one day at a time without realizing the damage I was doing to myself.

My mind tried everything: I’m probably just a straight person who is primarily attracted to women, but that must be how everyone feels, right?

Everyone else says they love it here, right? Every friend, family member, classic novel, Hollywood movie and love song can’t stop talking about men. I must just be behind, or defective, or not trying hard enough. I’ve heard the way my parents, friends, family, classmates, films joke about gay women and if I was really a gay woman, then that would apply to me, and that hurts too much. I’m sure if I was really gay or bi or whatever, someone would have told me, the same way I’d been told I was Irish and Hungarian, right? I’d get…a notice in the mail or something, right?

If I was ever going to be free to put myself back together, someone was going to have to come get me. I was, I guess, waiting for my number to be called at the Gay DMV, for a drag queen to dump rainbow confetti on me and hand over a gay license signed by Elton John and Ellen DeGeneres and tell me, “Ok, you’re an approved homosexual now and no one can give you trouble for it.”

I was waiting for someone to tell me that it was safe, and that I was allowed to trust the way I’d felt my whole life.

It took until I was 27 for it to occur to me that—obviously—that person was going to have to be me. I don’t regret it taking that long. I do feel sad simply because I would never ask a 14-year-old to give up a part of herself the way I did at that age in favor of an attempt at ‘normalcy’. The day I found out I’d been outed, I remember going into the locker room and dry-heaving over a toilet as I realized I was going to have to bury everything right then and there because owning it wasn’t an option. No one deserves to have a piece of herself left to rot in a high school bathroom stall, so the past couple of years, I’ve been trying to find a way to tell her to come on out, the coast is clear now.

The hard thing is that coast is, of course, not clear. I don’t know that it will be fully during my lifetime. But I was given a life and I can’t allow myself to disrespect that gift anymore. Feeling love and affection is monumentally human and important. Strangling that basic instinct, just because it manifests in a way that’s not the norm, is unnatural, damaging and exhausting. Please don’t do it to yourself.

I convinced myself that I was wrong about everything, and that there was some future version of me that was bound to show up and be perfectly fine settled down with a man, never acknowledging any of this. She’d take over and I’d finally be able to laugh off all my ‘girl crushes’ and spare my parents the awkwardness of having a daughter who was ‘you know…that way’. However, I’m almost 30 and have to be realistic; I have yet to see any sign of that version of myself. I don’t know that she’s ever going to get here and honestly, I don’t want her. It hurts to think anyone would prefer her over me anyways. I’m proud of who I became and I think, believe it or not, I’m just fine the way I am.”

[sasorikigai]

Major Arcana Ask Meme || @movieactorcage || accepting 

XVI. The Tower — What does your muse consider to be the worst thing that ever happened to them?

The thoughts of Harumi and Satoshi’s death bloom from his mind; the concept of Hasashi family that was once pure and beautiful, but they were mutilated and became diseased cells that would try to kill me as they continue to replicate and fill his brain with vicious visions. They metastasize, fill his body and with every drop of his blood, fills him with dangerous thoughts. The world he precariously resided on was made of dynamite sticks and a fuse for lips; for the wretched series of events had lit, burning all the innocence of love and passion - anything other than desperation and destruction - and before he ever got the chance to burn with them, the dark strand of magic traveled and penetrated into his heart. 

How gloriously he blew up, the biggest bang the universe has ever seen, through a fiery baptism, a declaration of martyrdom, a rebirth and a eulogy to Hanzo Hasashi’s repressed carnage and diabolical temper, alongside the perished humanity and goodness of his heart. With no lack of logical continuity, his molten fury and vengeance towards the universe that had wronged him courses through him more like a relentless wave without break - the persistent, perpetual nature of tsunami roaring, consuming, engulfing everything in its wake - as he would continue to struggle and burn himself away beneath the merciless scald of the Netherrealm’s fire. 

This particular fire is never pristine and halcyon in that it isn’t intimate; it scorches his skin and melts his flesh, down the hardened muscles and sinews, leaving him in gleaming white of skull and skeletal boundaries, devouring all the layers that separated his soul from his body, until all that would be left were his ashes and his fragmented conscience, and they would be buried beneath the flawed aspect of his misguided vengeance - towards Bi-Han, towards Kuai Liang, towards the Lin Kuei, towards the innocents that hadn’t been complicit in his own, his family and the Shirai Ryu’s massacre and extinction - as Scorpion staggered from the wicked bonfire he had become. That everything had slowly stripped all life from him and all his love and empathy and soul had been smoked out until there was nothing flammable left to sacrifice. 

He had coughed up grime and blood before the fire he had ignited years ago finally claimed him whole, as the nonchalant world looked on, thinking maybe he would also be part of the flames forever. The tendrils of his hellfire scattered his ashes in all the places where he used to feel most alone, in the fire and brimstone of his mind as a dark, lifeless mark of his continuance left imprints upon the intangible sand of the time whirling by. With all of his dark and squinty-eyed broodiness, Scorpion would bound his steps towards the atmosphere full of shades of gray, riddled with scorched haunting visualization of charred remain, where once-blossomed love rapidly wilted away. There is solemn sadness in the fact that he could stumble upon his own faded existence and swipe it away as if he was never there in the first place. 

He may be the most powerful wraith in the realm, in the whole world, as the vindictive vicissitudes of his hellfire become the manifestation of tangibility, of his crumbling and bleeding heart, detonating against the acridness of the air and jagged formation of the Netherrealm’s landscape. While from darkness, light may arise if he’d been left alone all too soon; in a stark and cold mourning in the deepest reverie, as he drowned and intoxicated further, he would be bombarded with such onslaught of guilt, remorse and deprecating fault of his capricious rashness and impulsiveness of his past’s actions as Raiden’s guiding light pervade through and saturated his heart. 

Even then, Quan Chi’s decapitation would yet again, sever the chains of his humanity, as the abysmal depth of his hate and vengeance got better of him, as he would cause something irreversible and unparalleled; worsening the state of the mandate of his permanent scars. For all life, Hanzo had been besieged, as he would live with his despair and desperation, as his aimlessly drifting heart sought to be encompassed by the weight of the darkness and his own wrongdoings. He would forever hold the fire within the expanding ribs as he embodies the Sun; the pristine liquid gold that would make him a pioneer of the better future, the better prospect of the Earthrealm as he would atone for his sins. 

The broken glass of his heart becoming priceless diamond beneath the unbearable toil and burdensome Atlas, heavy against his broad, sinewy shoulders. Yet, he would never fall beneath his own torturous anguish and angst as he’d watch his self glow aflame; like white light, into the white night, as Harumi and Satoshi as his life source, setting into silent, black clouds as Hanzo Hasashi chooses to walk upon the broken hourglass of his stretching time. 

The ghostly decay of once-flamboyant and fervent specter resurgent yet again with a human heart and power of the scattering explosion of the stars, alighting the entire universe. Every recollection of his experience serves as his undying obsession, never ceasing his determined steps, as if he had been afflicted by some incurable, terminal disease. Through the breaking of his own self, Hanzo will turn himself into the bright light of the celestial beings, as he would allow himself to plunge into the depths of his raw, visceral emotions and power, utilizing his fire like riptides under his skin and through his veins to strike down any incarnates of evil, with the crystal clarity of his purified hellfire. 

Hanzo would forever squeeze the hurt out of his inaccessible tenderness that used to be his heart and manifest himself to be the perfect description of imperfection. Even when he permeates with the wildspread lake of such stunning red, with ravaging sting of venom coursing through his veins as impure black and unnatural blue, reflecting his inner demons as residual flames wrap themselves around the still-ongoing fervor of his being, in his inevitable death, in splintering, then rejoining. For this has been the entirety of Hanzo’s life, to be decomposed under the explicit pain more than flesh and blood can stand. Beneath his insidious hunger to live and leave legacy, the Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu would live beneath the ever-blinding splendor of sunlight, basking over the whistling leaves of the Fire Gardens, even when his corporeality remains scattered like the ash and dust of the funeral pyre. 

[dem-obscure-imagines]

Wildest Dreams

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Wildest Dreams

Note: Something that came from my huuuuuge crush on Wanda, from before I even knew I was bi lmao.

Warnings: None?

You writhed in pain. You were in a bed in the infirmary at the Facility. The team’s latest mission…hadn’t gone so well, and you weren’t in the best shape, to say the least. You had taken three bullets, one in the stomach, one in the chest, and one in the shoulder. You had undergone a few surgeries, but you were still in rough shape, in so, so much pain.

Wanda looked over you with sad brown eyes. Your eyes were squeezed shut as you squirmed, twitching every once in a while.

“Is she going to be okay?” Wanda asked Bruce, who was pouring over his notes of you. Helen Cho had patched you up pretty well, but it would still take time for you to heal. And it would be very, very painful.

“Yes.” Bruce nodded. He took off his glasses and cleaned them on his lab coat. “She will be, but she’s going to need time. It’s not going to be easy, no matter how many pain meds we put her on.”

“She will be okay,” Pietro assured his sister. “But perhaps you could help her,”

Wanda thought for a second, looking at you. She felt what her brother was thinking. Maybe, just maybe, in the same way she had hurt so many people in the past, she could help you now. But instead of twisting your thoughts into a dark sinister nightmare, she could fill your head with visions of hope and wonder.

She held her hands in the air, a red mist manifesting around them. She focused intensely on creating the perfect image and then flicked her fingers forward, towards your head. The red mist swirled in loose clouds and flowed into your head.

***

It was a sunny day, warm, peaceful. There was a warm breeze sweeping through the garden at your childhood home. Everything was perfect and nice. The flowers were in full bloom, and the grass was an almost unnatural shade of green. You were kneeling beside the garden, planting tulips. And suddenly, Wanda was there, sitting in the swing hanging from the tree branch.

“Wanda,” You smiled and stood, walking to greet her. You wrapped her in a hug.

“Are you feeling well?” she asked. You nodded, still smiling brightly.

“I couldn’t be better.”

“Good,” Wanda sighed in relief, still hugging you tightly. “Good…”

[thedetectiveofinaba]

WHAT’S YOUR OTP FOR YOUR MUSE?:

My OTPs for Naoto would be Naorise, Kannao, Shiromura and Sounao. From the not-so-canon OC section it’d be Naoto x Reo. 

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO RP WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING?:

I'm up to writing fluff, PDA and romantic situations :D Angst to the limits of things being not completely hopeless and/or death is also fancy for it builds up the ship content and I can always add fluff there.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?:

If the age gap is more than 5-7 years or it’s straight out underage-adult ships, it’s not comfortable for me to even consider it.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?: 

In a way yes buut in a way not. I like to start thinking of a ship if our muses have interacted at first, get along without fighting non-stop and have at least some sort of chemistry.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY’RE CONSIDERED NSFW?: 

(I feel like it’s really important to say here that I’m not going to RP anything that goes near NSFW-ish or NSFW due to it making me feel uncomfortable. Unless stated otherwise, I’m not accepting any NSFW things to my blog or RP threads and if by any chance there is anything referring to it, it has to be planned and accepted by both muns and it’s more than likely not going to cross any boundaries. I like my RP threads completely SFW and smut-free.)

What I consider NSFW and NSFW-ish is, well, normal for most people. Strong implications of the muses having sex and going beyond that is enough for me so declare it as such. 

WHO ARE OTHER MUSES YOU SHIP YOUR MUSE WITH?:

I'm listing here all of the progressing and confirmed ships!

@amadeusxiv Ama has a wonderful OC muse who is an introvert movie nerd and soon after he and Naoto interacted we decided to ship them. The reasons were their similar characteristics and experiences in life and how the nerds clicked instantly. It became our OTP right away and the content and ideas we come up for our nerds haven't let me down. Reo's the first muse Naoto has ever fallen for so yeah ^^' ​ 

@cuteyetdeadlymuses​ Liz' OC Luna and the different versions of her were originally not planned to be shipped with Naoto but after we tried a new idea in my P5 AU it became a tradition to do that in all threads - the ship just happened out of nowhere. Their life experiences and in a way opposite character traits collide really often and tbh I cannot unsee them not dating in any verse she's in. :'D

@psycheprincess​ My most recent ship idea with Noot's delinquent OC version of Rise is probably the funniest so far because a) Naoto's at first one of the densest detectives in Persona universe who doesn't realize a crush on her when the said person is acting strangely around her, b) Rise is an awkward bi mess who has no idea on why and when she fell for Naoto and how/if she has guts to actually tell her friend this, c) The dynamic of Rise teasing Naoto earlier 24/7 is now turned upside down. (The match maker OC!Teddie needs to make an intervention asap and talk some sense to their heads before a Shadow manifests again or sth :'D)

@beats-by-yosuke As a shiromura trash I was immediately down with the idea of shipping Yosuke and Naoto when Dante suggested the idea :D It's still building up due to Naoto being not exactly quick in realizing she has romantic feelings but when they do become a thing, it's going to be so great to see.

@kinjiros-quiet-corner​ Pffft the idea of shipping the ever-flirty Kinjiro and Naoto who's trying to crack the enigma of his mind was at first an odd thing to think of but now after the threads we've had I'm liking and the kind-of slow buildish mood. It's currently an one-sided ship since Naoto is all ??? about the events but it'll bloom soon enough if Naoto's chill with the development :P 

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?:

Yes, so I know why your muse is giving mine the hints and that we can plan how it progresses (the love confession etc.). It gives me security in RPing with you. I might also give my ship ideas to you if I feel like it and brainstorm.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIKE TO SHIP?:

Pretty often. When I see a good chance in a ship that could work if executed well, I’ll think of the idea and  if our muses’ chemistry matches well. whether Noot would ever develop romantic feelings towards the other muse.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?:

Hmm... I’m not that ship-obsessed since my expected version of relationship with my muse goes automatically for platonic bonds with people buut if I see a chance for a good ship like Hell I'm saying no to that. :D 

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?:

Yes, it gives me more freedom with my ships and spices up my RPing! 

WHAT IS ( ARE ) YOUR FAVORITE SHIP(S) IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?:

Post-canon Souyo (Souji x Yosuke). The bond between them is simply too precious and I could imagine them dating (in addition to being best bros, as long as they are inseparable I’m not complaining). 

Akihiko x fem!MC from Persona 3. They’re honestly the cutest and fluffiest ship in the whole game series and the are a perfect match for each other. Akimina is love, Akimina is life ♥

Tatsuya x Jun (tatsujun). The star-crossed lovers from P2:IS are one of my first OTPs for Persona series and I started liking it instantly. It’s one of the ships I’d be willing to protect to the end of the world and I sternly believe in post P2 tatsujun since it was never implied they wouldn’t meet again. 

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?:

If you want to ship my muse with yours, just send me an ask or IM about that and we’ll see if we can work something out! 

DO YOU SUDDENLY NEED TO SHIP THEM BECAUSE OF AN INTERACTION?

Nah, not always. It always needs a spark of sorts and some time for the bonds to deepen. My muse’s demi and warms up slowly to people so it takes a lot of time for her to develop romantic emotions in the first place.

ARE THEY YOUR OTP?

So far two of my OTPs are becoming reality: Shiromura and the OC ship of overprotective nerds

tagged by: @dragonknightsworn (thanks fam! ^_^)

tagging: @littlemissidol, @theshadowcollective, @themisfitvestigationclub, @cuteyetdeadlymuses, @amadeusxiv, @goddessofpathos

[hunzabazar]

What Are Tourmaline Gemstones?

Tourmaline can be found in a variety of colors and is a very versatile gemstone. Pink tourmaline and chrome are some of the most popular types of this stone; however, there are many more colors including blue, yellow, black, and multicolored to name just a few. One of the most popular tourmalines is watermelon. This gemstone looks like a sliced watermelon with hues of green, red, and white present. (Read: Uses of Opal) These gemstones can be cut to display striking colors that range from clear to deep greens and blues. Brazil and Africa have some of the largest deposits of tourmaline; however, this gemstone can be found all over the world in one form or another. This gemstone is formed by boron, silicate, and aluminum chemically reacting together. Some of tourmaline’s most beautiful colors are formed by being influenced by manganese and chrome. This produces some of the most sought after stones. Tourmaline is a very hard stone and ranges between 7 and 7.5 on the Mohs scale. This is hard enough to allow the stone to be used in many settings. These gemstones are often very sturdy; however, basic precaution should be taken as with any stone before exposing it to hazards. Clear stones are the less valuable stones, but pink tourmaline can be exposed to heat to produce a clear stone. However, given the value difference it would be unwise to do so. The same type of tourmaline can still be very different from one another. Jewelry makers use tourmaline to showcase fantastically different settings for their jewelry. Like a diamond, tourmaline is judged by its quality and clarity. The higher the quality of the stone the higher the assigned value. Given the beauty of tourmaline, it is still a reasonably priced stone. A premium can be expected for large, high quality carat tourmaline. Even though these gemstones are quite exotic, they are still affordable to the mainstream consumer. (Read: Uses of Garnet) In addition, since tourmaline can be found in a multitude of colors these stones can often be used in place of higher priced stones. Rubellite is a form of pink or red tourmaline. A true rubellite will still appear red under artificial light, while a pink tourmaline will show shades of brown. Rubellite commands a slightly higher price than its pink tourmaline cousin. To the untrained eye, rubellite resembles a ruby and would make for a great stone in place of the more expensive ruby. (Read: Uses of Emerald)

Types of Tourmaline

Tourmaline Stone gets its name from a Singhalese word ‘touramalli’ which means “mixed colored stones”. This gem is 7 – 7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Tourmaline is also of interest to many scientists because when it is heated, it changes its electrical charge. It becomes a polarized crystalline magnet and can attract small light objects. Before science could explain it, this property was noticed long ago and tourmalines were called as “aschentrekkers” in the Netherlands because they attracted ashes and could be used to clean pipes. Tourmaline is available in a wide variety of colors from dark brown, medium brown, yellow, black to bluish black, lime to dark forest green, blue to neon blue, red and reddish purple, pink and colorless. Multicolored and bi-colored tourmalines may be pink at one end and green at the other, watermelon tourmaline is pink on the inside and green on the outside. Some stones are dichroic meaning that when they are viewed from different angles, they will appear in different color. Pink rubellite, green verdelite and blue indicolite are the most expensive tourmalines. (Read: Uses of Aquamarine Stone) Indicolite is a dark bluish black stone. The Rubellite is a deep reddish purple stone and Paraiba is a bright neon-blue. Chrome tourmaline is colored by chromium, it is often confused with tsavorite garnet or the emerald because of its beautiful green color. Cat’s eye tourmaline exhibits “cat’s eye” effect similar to those what you see in tiger’s eye cabochons. Schorl is the name given to black tourmaline (the most commonly found tourmalines). Many “rubies” used in the Russian Crown jewels from 17th Century are in fact tourmalines. The last Empress of the Ch’ing Dynasty loved these gems so much that she bought the stones in enormous quantities when a new mine opened in California. Almost every color of tourmaline can be found in Brazil, in Minas Gerais and Bahia especially. In addition to Brazil, tourmaline is also mined in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mozambique, Namibia, and California and Maine in the United States. American National Association of Jewelers adopted tourmaline gemstone as the official birthstone for October in 1912. It is also the lucky stone for the zodiac sign of Leo and the gem chosen for the 8th wedding anniversary.

The Metaphysical Properties of Tourmaline – One of the True Birthstones of Gemini Astrology

By the end of May spring is in full force in the Northern Hemisphere: flowers and trees are in full bloom, gardens have been planted and are already sprouting, the first brood of baby birds has hatched. There is excitement in the air! This is the excitement and energy of the sign of Gemini. Geminis at their best and worst illustrate the full complexity of the human personality. You will be readily drawn to a Gemini-but getting at their true essence and dealing with their energy may not be easy and you will need to be on your toes! Gemini rules the 3rd House-Communication and Excursions.

Mercurial Geminis:

Gemini’s ruling planet (Mercury) and symbol (twins) sum up the traits of this sign. Mercury (Greek: Hermes or Apollo) was the Roman god of commerce, eloquence, travel, and-beware!-cunning, and theft. With wings on his sandals and helmet, Mercury swiftly communicated messages among the gods. We now use the word mercurial to mean a person who is eloquent, ingenious, unpredictable, changeable, and tending toward a negative sort of cunning-all qualities of Geminis. The planet Mercury, being closest to the sun and having the smallest orbit, appears to move the fastest around the sun-it’s year is just 88 days long. In astrology Mercury is associated with our mind (intellect, curiosity), all forms of communication, information, science, youthfulness, and travel. Geminis are highly intelligent and they apply their intellect and curiosity to all that attracts their interest. They have a huge thirst for knowledge. They excel in speaking and writing. Gemini is a masculine air sign, meaning that people born under this sign are, again, highly intelligent, flexible, versatile, and curious. But like water they are not easily contained-they need to always be moving from place to place and easily become bored and restless unless they have constant stimulation. It is not difficult at all to be drawn to Geminis. They are charming, talkative, lively, funny, and quick witted. But look underneath that likable exterior and you will find another side to consider.

The Two-Sided Gemini Twins:

The dual nature of Gemini derives from the twin stars (Castor and Pollux) of the constellation, representing the twin brothers of Helen of Troy. Gemini people are a complex mix of opposite traits-positives strongly counterbalanced by negatives. For example, their versatile interest in a great many things can become flightiness as they flit like a butterfly from one thing to the next. They may pursue a project with great initial enthusiasm-and then leave it unfinished. They seek the stimulation of new endeavors, but are not fond of the work and discipline needed to achieve goals. It can be hard to get a clear sense of who Geminis are and to know what to expect from them because of their tendency to be “two faced” and changeable. They have difficulty making decisions and committing themselves to a specific course of action, further complicated by their ability to see both sides of any question. The challenge for Geminis is to apply their many strong characteristics, while working to develop deeper internal qualities like self-discipline, sustained focus, a work ethic, empathy, and reliability.

Professional Outlook for Geminis:

Geminis do very well in the communication professions-author, teacher, lawyer, and so on. They need a high degree of stimulation and a minimum of routine in their work. Their keen intellect makes them highly capable in the sciences. They are creative people who do well in the arts. They are good at handling several projects at the same time-but may need for others to finish them. How Gemstones Can Enhance Your Gemini Experience Geminis will be well served by developing a more mindful approach to life. That will help them develop a personal ethical code, focus their energies, and link their actions to greater awareness of their purpose in life and their relation to others. Gemstones are the perfect way to increase mindfulness and balance. They have both physical and metaphysical qualities that can enhance all aspects of your well-being. The perfectly aligned crystal structure of gemstones creates an energy field that interacts with our own when you hold it or wear it on your body. In this way, the gemstone can be used to calm you, bring you mental clarity, increase your energy, enhance your creativity, and much more.

Astrology and Gemstones:

Astrological principles manifest at all levels of creation, from the largest bodies in the cosmos to the tiniest particles of atoms-all are part of the same network of universal energy. Based on the hermetic principle “As above, so below,” those universal principles allow us to read relations among the planets and extrapolate those principles to things here on Earth, to events in our lives, as well as to our natural environment. The universal principles that govern the planets are also seen on the much smaller level of gemstones, crystals, and metals.

The Signature of Gemstones:

Each gemstone is associated with specific planets. You are already aware that each planet has its own personality in astrology. And each gemstone has a personal “signature”-specific metaphysical qualities, different for each stone, that arise from the stone’s association with its planets. How to Make Gemstones Work for You By considering the individual signature of gemstones, you can select the right gems for very specific purposes, according to their astrological qualities. Gemstones can be used in three different ways: 1. They are precious objects of beauty that may hold a special meaning for us. We enjoy their beauty by giving them a special place on a shelf, desk, or altar. 2. They can be used in meditation by tuning into their frequency for the purpose of balancing our energy field. 3. They can be made into jewelry pieces for our pleasure, enhancing our individual expression of beauty and sense of empowerment.

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Review: Silverline Minuet Grand loudspeakers

Silverline Minuet Grand

The Audiophile Weekend Warrior (TAWW)

TAWW Rating: 5.0 / 5

Alan Yun's latest and greatest assault on the $2k price point, and it's a masterpiece.

PROS: Superb midrange resolution and rightness, great dynamics, punchy and accurate bass, does everything else well too.

CONS: Could be slicker-looking, treble could be more refined.

Silverline’s original Minuet speaker debuted with a splash a decade ago, making waves on the show circuit where Silverline proprietor Alan Yun would fool people into thinking larger speakers were playing. It was one fun little speaker, and a huge hit for Silverline that continues to be refined and improved (it’s now the Minuet Supreme Plus, USD $700).

Like its little brother, the Minuet Grand (USD $2,000), or MG for short, also debuted with a splash and aspires to punch way above its price point. But with 3x the budget to play with, Alan Yun has created a different beast, one that exudes true high-end aspirations from the first notes it plays. Read on to see why it’s worthy of your consideration, even if you’re prepared to spend twice as much.

Design

The first thing I noticed is the depth of the enclosure - while the baffle has traditional bookshelf proportions (12″ high by 8″ wide), the cabinet is a hair over 14″ deep. It’s more volume than a typical 5.25″-woofer bookshelf, and it’s vented with a relatively small and short port lined up directly behind the tweeter to aid in relieving its rear-wave pressure. The combo of oversized cabinet and conservative porting make for an interesting bass alignment, something I’ll hit on in the listening notes.

The driver complement includes a 5.25″ treated paper woofer and 1″ titanium dome tweeter, crossed over at 3kHz. The hand-assembled woofer sports a rigid diecast basket and high-excursion motor + surround, and the cone is treated to SIlverline’s spec. The choice of a titanium dome tweeter is interesting considering that the MG’s stablemates, the little Minuet and floorstanding Prelude, have moved from metal to silk domes over the years. Unlike most speaker manufacturers who share common components across many models, in the Minuet/Prelude family Silverline employs 3 different tweeters (titanium, silk and aluminum/magnesium) across 4 models, which shows you just how much Alan is tweaking with and optimizing each design. The minimal crossover has 5 passive parts: 2 air core inductors, 2 wirewound resistors and an SCR metallized propylene capacitor - hooked up to bi-wireable binding posts that thankfully accept both standard 1/4″ and larger spades.

I wouldn’t exactly call the MG a looker - it a boxy affair, and the depth of the cabinet gives it somewhat awkward proportions. I think an all-rosewood treatment like the little Minuets might look better than the satin black baffle of the MG, but like all Silverline speakers the overall fit and finish are superb, with a real sense of craftsman.

Setup

The MGs were propped on my trusty Osiris 26″ stands, heavy dual-column steel affairs loaded with sand. They were unfussy of placement, with good off-axis response and an even tonal balance in most any reasonable position. Surprisingly I could place them as close as 12″ from the back wall without ill effects - trying this with most rear-firing port designs results in bass that’s out of whack. I preferred them toed in slightly, with their centers about 6.5′ apart and my listening position 8′ away.

Primary amplification was the 60wpc Ayre AX-7e integrated, which had no trouble driving the 8 ohm, 89 dB-efficient MGs to plenty loud levels in my 13′ x 19′ living area. The Bryston B60, another 60wpc integrated, also proved to be a good partner, delivering a bit more midrange richness than the Ayre, albeit without the same level of speed and resolution as the Ayre. I wish I had tried a more powerful amp, as the MGs definitely seem like they can handle it, but alas I didn’t have one on hand.

For speaker cables, I found the Cardas Clear Light to be a better match than the Audience Au24 SX (which isn’t the most logical pairing anyway given that it costs much more than the speakers). Though the Audience is a more refined cable, it was a bit too laid back and mellow with the MG; the Cardas wasn’t as silky smooth in the upper registers, but the extra midrange pop and forwardness made for a more engaging sound. Methinks you could get away with a more affordable cable than the Cardas too - e.g. while I didn’t have them on-hand, the DH Labs Silver Sonic T-14 is a reliable wire.

One critical tip: immediately toss the included gold-plated bi-wire jumpers. Most any wire will sound better than the stock metal affair, which imparts a coarse texture to the treble. Just make sure not to interfere with the primary connection between the speaker wire and terminal. E.g. if you have cables terminated in bananas, clamp down some solid core copper in the posts - anywhere from 14 to 18 gauge copper from your local hardware store should work just fine. Alternatively, if you’re using spades or bare wire for your main termination, you’ll probably want to use bananas for one end of the jumper. I used nice Cardas jumpers from my Merlins, which sounded good. Or you can splurge some disproportionate amount of money on specialty jumpers, if you feel so inclined (I wouldn’t be).

Sound

By my measure, the Minuet Grand is an excellent speaker in many important aspects of musical reproduction. But where it really shines is in the all-critical midrange, where it's emotive and communicative in a way that many more expensive speakers struggle to achieve. The term "musical" is thrown around to describe gear that sounds euphonic, but the MG achieves its musicality the hard way - through artfully-balanced fidelity. Designer Alan Yun has carefully played his cards between being fast and warm, forgiving and revealing to create an articulate and dynamic speaker that's easy to live with.

Let's start with what it does well, keeping in mind that my frame of reference is my Merlin TSM-MXe, a nearly $5k speaker in its final iteration a few years ago. Being a ported design, I expected the MG to be fuller but looser in the bass than the ultra-damped, sealed-box Merlins. And it was certainly fuller, with low-end dynamics and extension that the Merlins can’t touch. But it was also incredibly tight and well-defined, with a comparable level of speed and resolution. After a couple hundred hours of break-in, the bass started to really open up and develop both tunefulness and pop. In my room it didn't have a ton of output below 60Hz or so, so I still preferred it with my REL T-9 subwoofer, but it was also quite satisfying on its own. Low string sections of a symphony orchestra had satisfying heft, and bass lines in pop songs were enjoyable. I particularly liked its reproduction of the C string of Colin Carr's cello in his live recordings of the Bach Suites (Tidal) - it had depth and weight without sacrificing clarity or articulation. The lower registers of the piano had similar naturalness, and I really enjoyed any works that involved piano accompaniment, e.g. Debussy songs performed by soprano Susanna Phillips (Tidal). The only thing I could fault was a hint of chestiness in the upper bass, probably from a cabinet resonance, that the Merlin was free from. The MG's cabinet is solid, but not as inert as the fanatically braced and damped Merlin. It's a very slight coloration that tends to manifest at higher output levels, and was barely a concern in my listening. From my quick audition of the Dynaudio Special Forty (USD $2,995), the MG is significantly better balanced through the upper bass and lower midrange, but the Dynaudio has a ridiculous amount of bloom and weight (probably too much). 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I was pleasantly surprised by the naturalness of the treble. I tend to be allergic to metal domes, having heard so many of them sound zingy or artificial in the past. The MG's titanium dome had none of that - if you blindfolded me and told me I was listening to a good silk dome, I wouldn't have doubted you. Compared to good soft domes in speakers like the Merlin or Role Audio Canoe ($1,500), the MG had a bit more speed and tinkle to it, and perhaps a little less inner detail in the lower treble, but overall pretty close in quality. You get a bit more sparkle on triangles and cymbals with a hint more splash on brighter recordings and dynamic climaxes, but nothing untoward. Spending 50% more on the Dynaudio Special Forty (or nearly 4x for Silverline's SR 17 Supreme) will get you an Esotar tweeter which is in a different league, but the MG's tweeter is no slouch and doesn’t commit any major sins to detract from the music. And most importantly, it blends really well with the midrange, but more on that later.

Soundstaging and imaging were also excellent, and the speaker plays much, much bigger than you'd expect. There was plenty width, depth and layering with big symphonic material, e.g. Brahms Symphonies (Berlin Philharmonic/Simon Rattle - Tidal) or Mahler Symphony No. 5 (Philharmonia Orchestra/Benjamin Zander - Telarc) symphonies, and it had a sense of scale that totally belied its form factor - it plays much bigger than the Merlins and similar 2-ways, almost like a floorstander. But I also loved how it could scale things down and sound intimate with chamber and solo works, or get super focused and tight with pop tracks like from Carley Rae Jepsen's Emotion (Tidal). Little blips and sound effects coming from hard left or right were often startling in their clarity and distinctness. Compared to the Merlins, which are razor-sharp in their spatial resolution, the MG's lacked some stage height and air, and weren't as precise with image size and positioning, but they were more than satisfying in their portrayal of a soundscape.

Ah yes, and finally, we get back to the midrange. This is where the MG punches way, way above its weight class, and performs with a degree of polish and conviction that can measure up to some of the big boys in the high-end. It is fast and resolving, revealing layers and layers of detail and expression in the music. My Merlins have remained entrenched for years because they have a uniquely satisfying blend of midrange speed, clarity and naturalness. Based on my experience with the original Minuet, I was expecting the MGs to be musical, bold and fun, but I wasn’t prepared for it to be so refined and incisive that I wouldn’t immediately miss my Merlins. Even my wife, a sharp-eared musician who’s very partial to our speakers, needed no aural adjustment and liked the MG off the bat.

The MG balances this with terrific density, as opposed to overt warmth. Let me explain... generally, when we have a speaker (or any gear) that sounds full and fleshy, we call it "warm." But in my mind, warmth is a coloration - it's a constant deviation from accuracy, whether it be via resonance, frequency response or some other aberration. A warm speaker will never be truly accurate because it will bias all reproduction in a certain tonal direction. And that's ok, because warm speakers can sound wonderful which is what counts, but I want to call it out nevertheless.

On the other hand, density is about reproducing the natural fullness and completeness of a sound when called for, without adding undue coloration when it's not. Density, not warmth, is what the MG has in spades. Listen to the famous Adagietto of Mahler Symphony No. 5, and you'll melt at the lushness of the string sound; but switch to Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1, and all that will be replaced by the robotic austerity of the opening motif. The MG is able to flip a switch and follow these contrasts faithfully with a fundamental rightness to its midrange reproduction. In this respect, it addresses a longstanding grievance with my Merlins - its overriding leanness, particularly with solid state amplification. I would feel comfortable recommending the MG in a wide variety of systems because it is so beautifully balanced in the midrange and perfectly rides the line between warmth and leanness.

Complementing this is a harmonic completeness that reproduces acoustic instruments with great fidelity. My wife found its depiction of wind instruments to be both realistic and lovely, which just the right amount of body and brightness to oboes. I found a similar rightness with strings, e.g. it convincingly captured nuances of Jascha Heieftz's inimitable violin tone and clearly differentiated the timbres of celli, violas and violins when playing in a similar register. And you could clearly make out the changing overtones of a piano as it worked through its range, its lower registers exciting the entire body of the instrument while its upper registers rung brilliantly. All this contributed to a musical realism that drew you into the performance and made it easy to forget all the hi-fi stuff. 

Ok, I've been gushing for a while now - surely there's a catch?? The frequency extremes, as I mentioned, are worthy supporting partners to the exceptional midrange, and the bottom end in particular is impressively dynamic and punchy. That said, they're not at the same level of performance as that glorious midrange - for that, you would need to give up something, and/or pay some big bucks. I suspect there’s a very slight emphasis in the 250-500Hz octave that enhances the midrange magic and subtly highlights vocals. I enjoyed pop songs immensely for this reason, even more so than on its much more expensive big brother the SR 17 Supreme - the MG was a bit more forgiving of suspect production quality and really brought out the catchiness of a lyric, but it's a slight deviation from absolute accuracy. And while the woofer and tweeter blend beautifully, I did sense a slight speed gap between the two drivers, which results in the upper midrange sounding a bit less resolving than the treble immediately above it. Alan seems to have made a couple wise design choices here - crossing over the tweeter at a relatively high 3kHz, and treating the paper woofer to dampen its breakup modes. Methinks this is what keeps both of them clean in that 2kHz to 4kHz range where the ear is so sensitive, with the tradeoff being the woofer is asked to go a little higher where its resolution drops off. It's the right tradeoff IMO, and makes the MG easier to listen to for extended periods than my Merlins which have some peakiness in the same region.

To use an automotive analogy, the MG reminds me of a fine European sports sedan that handles extremely well, but has just a touch of understeer dialed in to make it more forgiving at the limit and keep the driver out of trouble. By this I mean that the MG has terrific speed, detail and neutrality, but at the edges of the performance envelope it errs towards forgiveness to save you from potential disaster. Feed it a bright pop recording, and it’ll give you plenty of insight and energy without letting the inevitable harshness of the track burn your ears off. Crank on a Mahler symphony, and it’ll gently compress the extreme dynamics rather than pushing itself to the limit and breaking to pieces. Pair it with a brighter source component and the tweeter will let you hear the brightness, but it won’t ruthlessly remind you of it every waking moment. It's a skillful balancing act that makes the MG uniquely coherent and flexible, and able to work with a wide variety of musical genres. I listened to Magdalena Kozena in Mozart Concert Arias (Tidal) or Ella Fitzgerald in Ella and Louis (Tidal) time after time, totally captivated with the beauty of their singing, but when the mood struck I could cue up Synchronicity by The Police and feel fulfilled on a totally different level.

Verdict

Silverline has created a masterpiece, one that captures much of the joy of high-end music reproduction at a very reasonable price. $2k is a substantial amount of money for most people, but in a world where some designers seem to make excuses for their $10k “budget” models, Alan Yun delivers an incredible amount of performance, musicality and coherence for the money. If you cherish the beauty of acoustic instruments and vocals, I can’t think of a better speaker near the price - and yet it’s also more than capable of rocking out, with great bass slam, midrange dynamics and overall extension in a compact package. Add ease of placement and system matching and you have the perfect speaker for the apartment dweller or music lover who wants maximum satisfaction with minimal fuss. I immensely enjoyed my time with the Minuet Grands and give it my highest recommendation.

Specs & Info

Description: 2-way, bass-reflex bookshelf loudspeaker. 1" (25mm) titanium dome tweeter, 5.25" (13cm) treated paper woofer, first order crossover. Rated frequency response: 40 Hz to 25 kHz +/- 3dB Dimensions: 11.875” (300 mm) x 7.875” (200 mm) x 14.125”(352 mm) (H X W X D). Shipping weight: 44 lbs (20 kg) per pair. Price: USD $1999/pair

Silverline Audio P.O. Box 30574 Walnut Creek, CA 94598 USA Phone: (925) 825-3682

Correction: I initially stated the Dynaudio Special Forty's price as $4,000, however it is $2,995.