#(This is a test to see if it can actually work proper on page)

[aph-japan]

Doro Suna Mizu Wara Hayaku! Doro Mochiagero Suna Hike-!! Mizu Hikiagero... Wara "Hayakushiro!!"

Muchi wa unari hada o utsu Ase wa nagare ochiru... Tennō, {KAMI YO} Todoku desho ka?

TAMI no...

Sakebi ga....

SUKUI O!

"Wasurenaide haha no uta o... Yume de aeru itsumo."

[ashtavula]

Can I place an order for Azul, Trey and Lilia with a s/o like Luffy from One Piece? :)

I admit that I've never actually seen One Piece, so I wrote this based entirely off of skimming his wiki page ^^;

Azul, Trey, and Lilia with a Luffy s/o

Azul:

-Azul runs a cafe, and you're a foodie. It's a match made in heaven. You always get to taste test Azul's latest ideas for menu items, and you can even give him some ideas of your own. Though, this does also lead to you having to try far too many of Jade's mushroom based creations.

-Azul does tend to hole himself up in his office, and he initially didn't like the fact that you'd drag him out for seemingly no reason. However, he quickly grows to love these impromptu dates. Azul admires your curiosity and eagerness to explore, since he tends to be the opposite. And at the end of the day, once you've worn yourself out, Azul is more than happy to snuggle with you while you sleepily plan another adventure.

Trey:

-Trey would never admit this, but his favorite thing about you is how cute you look when you eat the sweets he's made. You just look so happy, and he loves being the source of your joy. And when you accidentally get a bit of frosting on the corner of your mouth, Trey is more than happy to wipe it off for you.

-You have a strong sense of justice, and while Trey appreciates your morals, he does wish you'd stop arguing with Riddle. Yes, the rules are nonsensical, but you can't yell at Riddle for collaring Ace for the second time that week. If it's any consolation, Trey is an excellent listener, and he's content to let you lean against his chest while you grumble about the latest injustice you've faced.

Lilia:

-You love food, but even Lilia's cooking is a bit much for you to stomach. Still, you always choke it down, because you know that he cooks for you because he loves you. Unfortunately, Lilia simply sees this as a reason to head into the kitchen more often. You might want to find a way to distract him so he doesn't whip up more culinary works of horror.

-Lilia enjoys how adventurous you are. It reminds him of when he went traveling around the world when he was younger. He sometimes daydreams about taking you to other countries, and it makes him smile to imagine how happy you'd be immersed in a foreign bazaar or eating a dish you've never heard of before. Maybe Silver could come too, and make it a proper family vacation.

[eemamminy-art]

not obligated to answer this but if you have anymore thoughts about alex sdv (or stardew valley at all) please share. i am obsessed with alex

Oh hell yeah anon you've activated my current hyperfixation 😁 I have a google doc where I'm dropping my headcanons and a bulleted timeline for a Alex/m!farmer longfic I've been writing in my head that's up to about 13 pages now ahaha so here's a few things!!

When he first moved to Pelican Town he was actually really quiet and reserved because he was still grieving heavily, so he never really got close to the other kids. He talks about how he played gridball with his mom so I think once he got the chance to play that in school (in another town no doubt) I think he came out of his shell then and made some friends, but all those friends lived far enough away that after graduating high school he's been pretty lonely and never could connect with the other people his own age in town.

He never goes into the saloon to my knowledge prior to the 10-heart event dinner scene, so I headcanon that it's because he doesn't drink alcohol and doesn't want the temptation to try it. I don't remember if it's said explicitly but I got the impression his dad's abuse stemmed from being drunk so I imagine Alex refuses to touch the stuff out of both principle and fear of becoming like his father one day.

I said it in another post but I headcanon him as gay and suffering comphet. He's built himself up as this cool popular guy, so he tries to emulate the sexist straight guys he's seen in movies but there's absolutely nothing behind it. He says something rude to a girl and then is like uhhh (shit what now) bye! 😅 I want to think that in getting to know the farmer he not only does away with that facade but also gets more comfortable in his sexuality!!

and on a sidenote to the above: I hc most of the town as gay or bi and I am toying with the idea of Abby being transfem! Sam/Seb is a given, and maaaybe they're in a poly relationship with Abby but I'm still undecided!! I like Maru/Penny as a concept but need to marinate on that a bit more, I see them always sitting together and it makes me happy but I need to think more on how they met and what their relationship would be like. I don't have anything solid yet in terms of other characters' gender or sexuality headcanons exactly, other than Caroline and Jodi being bi and desperately yearning to run away together 🥰

But back to Alex!! With how his storyline goes of trying to impress others with his jock persona, then trying to switch gears and be super booksmart, I headcanon that he gets close to the farmer via the farmer tutoring him so he can take a community college placement test. :3 My thought for why he's in the rut he's in is that he wanted to play college gridball but his grades in high school were so bad he has done nothing with himself since graduation and has just been stagnating and becoming more and more bitter (which only amps up his shitty attitude when the player first meets him). So trying to get educated is doubly good for him because he can work toward his sports dream (in a way) and try to impress the farmer. Though of course, the thing that brings them closer is Alex learning to be true to himself 😊

This is getting long, so last thing: he's actually a really well-rounded homemaker but does not even think about it really. George has been disabled for a long time, so all of the handy work around the house has to be handled by Alex, and he's so eager to help out his grands. :3 They put a roof over his head so of course he'll climb up onto it to fix the leaks when it rains! Evelyn is always cooking and baking and Alex is so soft for his granny he has been in the kitchen helping her for as long as he's lived with them, so he's actually got a real talent for cooking and baking too! One of the first things he learned after moving in with them was the proper way to set a table, and the best way to wash dishes efficiently. He's spent enough time at Haley's house having no chemistry with the poor girl, but found Emily's whole sewing setup really fascinating and she taught him to mend the holes in his letterman jacket when he asked so he knows how to hand sew! These are all skills that he has but doesn't recognize as skills, he just inherently has this desire to help the people in his life so he picks up this and that to make it easier!

Anyway! Thank you for letting me ramble 😄 Alex is really sweet and soft underneath the mask he wears, and he's been rotating in my head for the last few months hehe

I had bought sdv when it came out but barely touched it, and started it up again on a whim earlier this year and I'm so glad I did!! I really adore the game and it's bringing me a lot of joy currently 🥺

[7-wonders]

(Michael's Version)

Michael Langdon x Reader (Mad Love Act II, Chapter XVII)

Summary: What it says on the tin: Michael's version.

Word Count: 5.6k

A note from the author: Certain phrases and sections may sound familiar, and that's because they are! We're back in the past, baby! This is it—our penultimate chapter. I have so many emotions about coming to the end of this journey, but I'll save them for the final chapter. Until then, enjoy, and as always, likes, comments, and reblogs make my world go round.

Mad Love Masterlist

When Michael Langdon opens his eyes and finds himself surrounded by white, he believes that he’s died.

In his mind, it’s a logical conclusion to come to. He and Mallory had tried a very risky, obscure spell, after all, one with no real precedent for safety. If it ended up failing, it certainly wouldn’t be a shock. And don’t people see a white light when they die? It’s then that Michael remembers that when he dies, he is most certainly going to Hell, and actually takes a proper look at his surroundings.

While he is looking at the color white, it’s because he’s lying on the floor and staring up at a white ceiling. Around him are bookshelves packed to the brim with a variety of both old and new books—books whose pages are imbued with magic that Michael can sense. There’s a large, mahogany desk covered with more books and spare pages sitting under a picture window to his left, the chair pulled back and waiting for its occupant. Waiting for him, because he knows now beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s in the library at Miss Robichaux’s, which can only mean one thing: the spell worked.

Michael scrambles to his feet, his hand going to rest on the desk so that he can feel the wood beneath his palm and confirm that this isn’t some mere dream or hallucination. His nails scrape along the grain, the wood firm and sturdy and real. An opulent, gilded mirror on the opposite wall garners his attention, and he hesitantly makes his way over to peek in the glass.

Gone is the red, velvet dinner jacket and the dramatic eyeshadow. No longer does his hair tumble past his shoulders, and his eyes are devoid of the cold, disinterested glint that he had trained himself to carry at all times. Now, Michael stares at himself as he was, all those months ago. He’s fresh-faced, though a little exhausted, and he can see only worry and excitement in his eyes. His hair is curly and falls to just past his chin, the ends barely brushing his shoulders if he shrugs. The black bomber jacket slung over the back of the chair is obviously meant to complete his ensemble of a black t-shirt, black jeans, and Docs. 

For the first time in a long time, he recognizes the person in the mirror.

Now that it’s obvious that he’s back to a time before the apocalypse, his mind is already three floors down to where you surely sit. Logically, Michael knows that he should take a moment to assess the situation, perhaps test the parameters of the spell, and see if there are any limits on time or what he can and cannot do. He couldn’t care less about that though, not when he’s back in a world where you’re alive and well.

He throws open the door, so eager to reach you that he rushes out into the hallway without looking and runs right into somebody else. Both parties begin to fall backward, but Michael wraps his hands around his accidental victim’s upper arms and pulls them both upright.

“Whoa!” Zoe Benson exclaims, on the way to the library to return the book in her hands.

“Sorry.” The apology comes easily to him; surprising, considering how long it’s been since he’s had to apologize for anything.

“You’re good!” Zoe assures him, without any of the hate or malice that a witch who just faced off against him in a battle to reverse the apocalypse would be expected to have. “Are you looking for Y/n and Mallory?”

Michael knows exactly where you are, but he nods anyway, if only because you’re being referred to in the present tense.

“They’re hammocking in the backyard, which is a relief. Mallory needs someone to tell her to relax, and none of us can convince her.”

“I’ll make sure to convey the coven’s thanks, then.”

Zoe smiles. “You do that. I’ll see you around.”

Michael nods, waiting until Zoe actually makes it into the library to nearly run (more cautiously, now) down the stairs and towards the backyard. He pauses at the large French doors, taking in the scene before him. You and Mallory share a hammock under a canopy of wisteria trees that are trying their hardest to hold onto their blooms. Where before, Michael had been the one to rouse you from your nap, you’re now sitting up and embracing Mallory. The Supreme catches his eyes over your shoulder, and she smiles in tearful relief.

His feet carry him to the hammock almost unconsciously. Were it not for that, he would still be standing in one spot, stuck in the wonder of this moment and basking in you being alive once more. Now, Michael puts a shaking, hesitant hand on your shoulder, unable to wait a moment longer before touching you, yet wary of ruining this moment. Your skin is warm under his grip, and he can feel your muscles flex as you turn to look at him. When you smile at him, easy and free and nothing at all like the small, pained ones he had had to force out of you for eighteen months, he lets out a breathless, disbelieving laugh.

“Hi, my love.” He almost can’t get the words out, so choked up with emotion that they nearly become lodged in his throat.

“Hey,” you greet happily, completely and blissfully unaware of the nearly two years of literal hell he’d put you through. “How’d it go?”

Michael doesn’t respond at first, instead sitting on your other side on the hammock so that he can bring you into his arms and enjoy the feeling of you alive once more.

“Everybody’s in such a hugging mood today!” You wink at both him and Mallory and grin. “Not that I’m complaining, of course.” 

Michael hums, but otherwise remains silent. After a moment, you speak again. 

“Geez, was it really that bad?”

Yes, he wants to say. I had the worst nightmare, one in which I was a terrible friend and husband, in which I betrayed everyone I’ve ever known and ruined your trust, trust that I had worked so hard to gain. I dreamed that I destroyed our lives, everybody’s lives, and became a monster. I thought that I lost you, only now I know that I didn’t, because you’re here and happy and alive. I’ve woken up, back into the dream that I didn’t know I was living in until I lost it.

Instead, he says, “No, it was only mildly frustrating. Just…feels like I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Co-dependency isn’t healthy, sweetheart.” Tears spring at the pet name, and he has to shut his eyes to keep them from falling.

“Indulge me for just a bit. We are on vacation, after all.”

You laugh. “I’m on vacation. You’re on a research trip.”

“Since my research hasn’t really yielded anything, how about we make the next few hours before we have to meet Dinah a vacation for both of us?”

“Are you asking me out on a date, Michael?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

You radiate joy, and Michael is so happy to be basking in it once more. “Then I happily accept.”

“I have a couple of things to give you for your protection, Michael, in case Dinah tries to cross you,” Mallory says. “Will you come with me while I grab them?”

He’d much prefer to never leave your side again, but he knows that there are matters that need to be discussed in private, so he begrudgingly nods and disentangles himself from you.

“We’ll be right back,” Mallory assures you.

“Don’t worry, I’m just fine out here!” To demonstrate this, you kick your feet up and lay back down on the hammock, smiling at the heat of the sun on your face once more. 

It’s one of the most beautiful sights that Michael’s ever seen in his life, and it makes it all the more difficult for him to leave. Mallory ends up having to tug him to her, transmuting them both so they’re in her bedroom.

“This was a really good time for you to pick,” Mallory admits as she pulls a key from her pocket and walks into her closet.

“I can’t believe it actually worked!” Michael exclaims, running a hand through his hair as he tries to take a moment to process everything that’s just happened.

“I wish I could say that I had faith in us, but it was really 50/50 on what I thought was going to happen.”

“What now? Do we have a limited amount of time here? Are there things that I can or can’t say and do?”

“When I first started practicing this spell, it was difficult for me to stay in the past for very long. It got better the more I attempted it, but the longest I managed to stay was two hours.” Mallory reappears, holding three familiar items. “Even then, the entire time it felt like there was a rope tied around me, constantly trying to tug me back to my time. I don’t feel that at all now.”

“I don’t, either.”

“I think it’s because we cast the spell together. After all, who on Earth is more powerful than the Supreme and the Antichrist?”

The answer? Nobody, unless one of the divine forces decided to step foot on the mortal coil.

“So you don’t think there’s any danger of us being pulled back to our present before I’m able to meet with Papa Legba tonight?” Michael asks.

“I don’t. As for your second question, there are no ‘rules’ as to how you need to act. At least, I don’t think there are. Just…remember that we’re in a very crucial time right now, and that everything you do tonight that differentiates from the original timeline will have an effect on the outcome we’re trying to achieve.”

Michael nods. “Try not to fuck up too badly, got it.”

“Hey, things can’t go as terribly as they did the last time we were here,” Mallory points out cheekily, laughing at Michael’s scowl. “C’mon, you kind of deserve it.”

“I do,” Michael concedes with a sigh.

Mallory hands Michael a box of Cuban cigars and a pouch of mandrake with her right hand, her left holding the lethal-to-Michael charm away from Michael to prevent any accidents. Before he can take them, she grabs his wrist and waits until he looks at her again. “You’ve got this, alright? I have faith in you.”

“Thank you. None of this would be happening without you—you’re the reason I have a second chance.”

“You can thank me after tonight.”

This time, it’s Michael who uses his powers to transmute them back to the backyard. You’re still in the hammock and idly scrolling your phone, only looking up when you hear the air near you shift.

“Back so soon?” you ask.

“Try to sound a bit less excited, yeah?” Mallory teases, holding the charm out for you to take. “Here, this is for you to hold on to tonight. Papa Legba shouldn’t try anything; he’s an honorable being who typically doesn’t take what has not been explicitly given to him. Still, it never hurts to have a little extra protection.”

“It’s pretty,” you note, holding it out to show Michael.

Mallory puts her hand out to stop you. “It’s a charm to protect you against beings that are not of this plane, as well as those descended from said beings. I think you’d prefer not to zap Michael to Hell.”

You pretend to think for a moment. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. He’s too cute to get rid of.”

Michael can’t help himself from blushing at the compliment. He’s always been easily flattered, especially when you’re the one doing the flattering. Before anything else can be said, a younger girl appears at the back door. “Miss Mallory? Miss Zoe’s looking for you, somethin’ ‘bout a book you have.”

“Thank you, Abby, I’ll be in shortly.” When the girl runs back through the house, Mallory sighs and runs a hand through her hair. “Duty calls, I guess. Try not to have too much fun tonight.”

“No promises,” you say cheerfully.

Before she goes, Mallory pulls you into a hug. “I love you. Be safe, alright?”

“I will. I love you too, Mal.”

Mallory looks at Michael just before she ducks inside, her expression reiterating everything she previously said—that tonight is crucial, that every move he makes now matters, and that she has faith in him. Then she’s gone, and Michael’s turning back to you.

“I was thinking hotel first so that we could freshen up. Does that sound good to you?” Michael asks.

“Sounds perfect. I wouldn’t mind a shower right now.” Your nose wrinkles. “I smell like airplane.”

“I don’t think that’s a thing you can smell like,” Michael says, holding his hand out for you to take so that he can transmute to the hotel.

“Says you.” You grab Michael’s hand, and he squeezes just for the small joy of feeling you squeeze back.

The curious thing about going back in time, specifically to an event that he’s already lived through, is that it feels a lot like being an actor in a play. The motions and words are familiar, and Michael has to put in a bit of effort if he wants to say or do something different than what he already said or did. The deja vu here is strong and recurring, and it takes him a second to get over the feeling time and time again—deja vu about the deja vu; who else can say they’ve experienced such phenomena?

Still, there are more positives in repeating this time than just the obvious one of, y’know, being able to change his major mistake. He’s also able to remember to take everything in, to simply watch and not miss what he once believed to be mundane. 

He’s able to fully enjoy the delight that you display upon finding out what his surprise is, as well as feel proud that he knows you so well. He’s happy to follow you around while you indulge your curiosities, watching you as you stop at each stand and peruse the offerings. He admires how much thought you put into what gift you’ll be buying for Kate as thanks for watching your cat.

(He’s pleased on your and Mallory’s behalf that you’ll have the third member of your trio back, even though you’ll never know that you were missing her.)

It’s thrilling to be walking hand in hand with you once more, to enjoy your closeness and being in love. Michael’s perfectly content to be pulled along by you, to answer your questions about what he thinks about this or that item, to allow you to feed him a beignet. This time, he doesn’t waste a moment of opportunity and kisses the powdered sugar off of your lips while feeling your smile. 

This trip truly was perfect before that fateful meeting, and to get to relive it is a gift. He falls easily into his “role,” parroting those familiar lines about the beauty of New Orleans and your potential grad school options while basking in long-forgotten normalcy. When you stand up, Michael has to hide a smile, knowing what’s coming next. You turn back to him with your hands cupped around something.

“Here, hold out your hands,” you instruct.

Michael does as asked, dutifully waiting for you to deposit your prize into his waiting hands. A fat firefly lazily buzzes around, and he smiles at the sight as it bumps into his hands over and over again. He glances up to see you looking down, not at the firefly, but at him, with a grin on your face. After a few moments, the firefly finds its way out of his hands and back to the others in the grass.

“You should try and catch one!” you suggest.

Where before, Michael allowed the buzzing of his phone alarm to stop the fun, now, he simply silences it and gets up to join you. He’s not very good at it, and he misses more times than he’d care to admit, but it’s worth it for your laughter and encouragement. Plus, it is pretty satisfying to finally catch one and hold it up for you to see.

You and Michael leave the open-air market ten minutes later than he was originally planning on, but it was more than worth it. The walk to Dinah’s studio is short, made even more pleasant by the sky lighting up as the sun sets and the warm, slightly muggy air.

“Did you have fun?” you ask.

“I think I’m supposed to be asking you that, since I’m the one who planned the date. But yes, I did.”

“Good. I did too.”

“Then I call this date a success.” 

You’re happy with that answer, satisfied to walk in companionable silence. Michael, on the other hand, is wracked with guilt now that there’s a moment of quiet amidst all the chaos that he’s found himself thrown into since the moment he opened his eyes in the past.

“I’m sorry,” he blurts out.

“For what?” In this time, you believe that there’s nothing for him to apologize for. For Michael to be able to live with himself though, he needs to apologize.

“I know I’ve been…off since we saw Cordelia. And I know that you were really shaken up by the Cooperative meeting that I took you to.” You look at him in surprise, and he shrugs. “What? I notice things.”

“I was shaken up,” you admit. “It was scary hearing that you want to end the world so soon, and that there are concrete plans for you to do so. Scarier still knowing that your father’s watching your progress.”

“I know, which is why I’m sorry.” 

I’m sorry that I hurt you in so many different ways, he thinks, mentally apologizing for the things he truly wants to say sorry for. I’m sorry that I killed everybody you ever loved, and that I became someone you would have hated were you not forced to love me. I’m sorry that I got you killed, and that I couldn’t save you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

“Things are going to be different from now on.”

There’s a hope in your eyes that Michael doesn’t feel like he deserves to have directed towards him. “Really?”

He nods, wanting so badly to reveal his hand, but being unable to do so. Instead, he hopes that you know how sincere he is when he says, “I promise.”

You’ve reached Dinah’s studio, the Voodoo Queen throwing open the door impatiently before Michael can get his hand on the handle.

“You’re late.” Dinah levels Michael with a glare. She’s not that upset, he knows, not when she’s got an extra hundred thousand currently sitting in her bank account.

“Sorry, we got lost,” he lies. You turn your face into his shoulder, coughing to hide your laugh.

“Mhm. Let’s go, I got places to be after this.” She walks towards the back. “And lock the door behind you!”

Through Dinah’s dressing room is another, smaller room—where she conducts her real business. There are candles on various surfaces throughout the room, and the main table, ringed with four chairs, is covered with a red cloth.

Michael pulls out a chair for you to sit in and makes sure that you’re comfortable before pushing you toward the table and taking his seat next to you. You watch Dinah move around the room in a whirl of colors, gathering the last items needed for tonight’s ritual. Your head tilts curiously when she pulls out a match and strikes it into a flame, and he braces himself against yet another bout of deja vu.

“It’s a part of the ritual,” he whispers in your ear, feeling you nod.

Once all of the candles are lit by Dinah’s own hand, the voodoo queen sits down in the chair on his other side. She studies you harshly for a moment, making you squirm under her scrutiny, before looking at Michael. “You sure that you want your honey in here to meet Papa? After all, she’s nothing but a pretty little mortal.”

He smirks. If there’s one lesson he can take away from those eighteen long months, it’s that you’re so much more than that. You’re determined, unflinching in your morals, and willing to face down any of your fears to do what’s right.

“I assure you, she can more than handle herself.”

You smile nervously at Michael, and he winks at you in what he hopes is a comforting way. His eyes are drawn down to your lap, where your hands are shaking. While Dinah grabs one of his hands to start the ritual, he uses his free one to hold one of yours. Your smile softens, and you mouth, “Thank you.”

She turns his hand so it’s facing palm-up, and takes a deep breath in before beginning to knock on his wrist. After she does so, she places her wrist against his briefly before swiping up a bottle of liquor from the table. The amber liquid is poured into a copper mug, and Dinah brings it up above her head in order to pray to it.

“Papa Legba,” she begins. “Ouvrier barrier pour moi agoe.”

This chant is repeated twice more, but it only takes her invoking him the second time for the shadow of a tall figure wearing what looks to be a top hat to rise against the blank canvas of the wall. As Dinah chants for the third and final time, a cold wind sweeps through the room and brings with it an echoing, deep laugh and the sound of bones clinking together.

Michael hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Papa Legba before this night. He heard plenty of stories, of course, but Papa Legba was notoriously hard to get an audience with, even when one was the Antichrist. 

Like many demons, Papa Legba looks like a normal man at first glance. He appears carrying a cane and wearing a fine suit, a top hat decorated with tiny skulls and feathers atop his head. A necklace made of beads and claws rests around his neck, and his long cloak sweeps along the floor. That’s where the human similarities end. White paint covers the top half of his face, and his blood-red eyes look upon the trio assembled before him with delight as he grabs the cup from Dinah and drains it.

“Dinah Stevens! Calling upon me so soon after our last…chat, eh?” He looks down at a couple of cigars sitting on top of a decorative silver plate and hums. “Mm, lucky for you that I cannot resist Cuban cigars, Mambo.”

The empty cup is discarded for one of the cigars, which he holds to his nose in order to properly enjoy it before scratching one of his nails against the end and lighting it. The cherry glows red as he takes a couple of deep puffs, the air growing hot around you as the shadows surrounding him morph in that distinct, sentient way—the shadows of souls now belonging to Papa.

Papa Legba takes a seat in the chair next to you, stretching out languidly. You scooch your chair closer to Michael, and he fights the urge to wrap his arm around you.

“The Antichrist – and his little wife!” Papa Legba greets, his voice echoing and layering on top of itself. 

Michael nods in a show of deference, and you do the same. “Papa Legba,” he says. You jump slightly, his “otherworldly” voice surprising you.

“I am sorry that I could not attend the wedding festivities, mes chers.” He grins at both of you, his gold tooth glinting in the candlelight. “A little drama with your papa, you see. But the entire Underworld was very much abuzz at news of the nuptials, I assure you.”

“We appreciate your well wishes.” You remain silent, choosing instead to smile and nod in agreement. “I assume you know why I asked Dinah to facilitate this meeting?”

Papa Legba shakes his head, but the smirk on his face gives off the feeling that he knows exactly why he’s here. “I haven’t the faintest idea.”

“You’ve abandoned your post,” Michael reminds him before deciding to go off-script. “And I’m guessing you have ulterior motives beyond becoming bored with your function.”

Papa laughs. “Ah, you’re a smart little Antichrist! Correct, this is the outcome I was hoping to achieve as a result of my actions.”

“Well, you certainly got my attention. Why go to all this trouble?” Michael already knows the answer, of course. But everybody in this room has a part to play in his plan, even though they don’t know it.

“The lords of Hell are not too pleased with the current plans. Ending the world?” He tuts and shakes his head. “Now, that just takes all of the fun out of everything. Who will barter with me when the only souls left on Earth are devoted followers of Satan or half-dead?”

“So you’re the messenger.”

“I’ll confess, I have been sent by my fellow demons to attempt to sway you. For some reason, they think that I am the best public speaker.” He puts a hand to his chest as if he’s touched by the sentiment.

“And how are you attempting to sway me?”

“My dear boy, I am here to convince you not to start an apocalypse.”

This is the moment where it all went wrong. Michael let his anger get the best of him, his need to please his father ruling his emotions and actions. Briefly, he thinks of the butterfly effect, which you taught him while learning it in a class last semester. The belief is that every choice, and every action, no matter how big or small, can set a person on a hundred different courses. He’s seen the course that was taken when he lashed out. Now, he’s choosing rationality, and he’s excited to see what course that leads everybody down.

“You’ll be happy to learn that it will take far less convincing than you originally thought,” Michael says. Next to him, you gasp.

Papa Legba looks simultaneously surprised and pleased. “Really?”

“Recently, I’ve been made aware of some new developments regarding my father and the nuclear annihilation course that we’ve been working on. Now, I’m interested in exploring other avenues.”

Papa Legba’s red eyes are so focused on Michael that it’s even beginning to make him feel a little uncomfortable. “So I may tell my friends that they will get to play with their food for the foreseeable future?”

“Yes, I would say that’s a pretty accurate statement,” Michael says with a nod.

“You have just made many of the legions of Hell very pleased, young master.” His gold tooth glints in the candlelight as he grins, pulling a card out of thin air and presenting it to Michael between his long fingers. “You may call upon me whenever you need so that my friends and I may help you achieve your goal; we are at your disposal.”

Michael takes it gratefully. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you.” Papa Legba stands and takes the last cigar off of the table with him, sliding it up the sleeve of his coat until it disappears. “Until next time.”

With a gust of wind that blows out all of the candles and the clinking of bones, he turns and melts into his shadows. Shortly after, the lights overhead flicker on, bathing the room in reality once more. Dinah rolls her neck with a groan, taking a moment to collect herself after the strain of the summoning.

“Well, I guess you do have some sort of a spine,” she declares, standing and smudging the symbols she had made at the doorway. 

“A backhanded compliment, but one that I’ll take.”

“Are we done here? I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve got places to be.”

Michael rolls his eyes. She truly is just a terrible person, apocalypse or not. “Yes, we’re done.” 

You’ve been silent since Michael revealed that he wasn’t keen on ending the world, and you remain that way now. Michael gently pulls you from your chair, and you follow him dazedly, letting him handle the goodbyes as you digest everything that’s just happened. Michael can’t blame you in the slightest; he knows that it seems like a jarring and sudden change, especially when the plans to bomb the world are so concrete and detailed.

About halfway down the block from Dinah’s studio—Michael thought that a walk in the cooler night air might do you more good than transmuting—you finally find something to say. “What the hell was that?”

“I told you that things were going to be different.”

“I assumed you meant, like, that you were going to try and push off zero hour a little bit more!” You finally look at him, cautiously and hopefully. “What about your plan? You’ve wanted to end the world for a while now. This is what you and the Cooperative have been working towards since before we even got married.”

“No, that’s not what I want. What I want is a life with you. I want us to actually travel the world together. I want us to experience new things. I want to watch you chase your dreams. I want to develop dreams of my own.”

It’s the first time Michael’s admitted that last sentence to anybody beyond his thoughts in the middle of the night. Even before the end of the world, he watched with envy as you and your friends and fellow students went about your lives, excited for futures and possibilities that seemed endless. Somewhere along the way, he realized that he wanted that for himself, that he wanted to be more than just the Antichrist. While the original meeting with Papa Legba forced him to put that want to the side in favor of accomplishing what he believed to be his destiny, this do-over has afforded him another chance to discover his own dreams.

“Did you know that my father isn’t even the one who picked out the current apocalypse plan?” he asks.

“He’s not?”

Michael shakes his head. “I recently found out that it was the two idiots at Kineros who built the new Ms. Mead. They hacked into Ms. Mead and planted the idea, convincing a vulnerable, naive Antichrist that fire and blood were the only ways to end the world and make Satan proud. All because they were pissed at minor inconveniences and wanted to ‘wipe the slate clean’.”

As Michael says this, he makes a mental note to kill those two. What? He’s still the Antichrist, after all.

“All Satan wants is to win this millennia-long, metaphysical chess game that he’s playing with God. He doesn’t care what I do, so long as I get him some ‘wins’. And Papa Legba was right. If I were to end the world, Satan would win…for a time. But then the rules would be changed, the board reset, and where would that leave me? I’d have done all this, ruined our, and everybody’s, lives for nothing.”

“So this is real? You’re not ending the world anymore?” you check.

“Not ending the world anymore,” Michael confirms. “We’ll find some other way to sow chaos, I’m sure. In due time. For now, I’m happy to wait and—”

He’s cut off when you throw yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling his lips to yours. In the eighteen months he’s just lived through, he can’t remember the last time you initiated a kiss. Now, he eagerly reciprocates, kissing back and hoping that you can feel all of his apologies and promises through his actions. He hopes that, from now on, he’ll never have to go more than a day without kissing you again.

When you pull away from Michael, there are tears running down your face. His heart twists at the sight. How had he not known that you were in so much fear about what was going to happen, that you and Mallory were working behind the scenes to try and find a way to change his mind? 

“Thank you,” you say, lifting your hands up to wipe your face clean; a futile task, since you keep crying from relief. “Thank you so much.”

“I love you.” Michael’s earnest in his declaration, never wanting you to forget this fact…or to give you a reason to. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to scare you in this way, to cause you this anguish.”

“I know. You were just doing what you thought you were supposed to do. But you’ve changed, and I’m so proud of you for that.” You always know just the right thing to say, the right way to encourage him. He’s so thankful to have that back.

“I love you,” Michael says again. He’ll say it every hour for the rest of his life, if it means you’ll smile at him the way that you currently are.

“I love you, too.” He kisses you again, there under the streetlights on a beautiful, fall night in New Orleans, and is reminded that there are so many things to love and appreciate about humanity.

Michael may not make it to Heaven when he dies. But right now, in your arms, he’s found the closest thing to it. And nothing will ever make him give it up again.

•••

@ajokeformur-ray @iamavailablesstuff @narwhal-swimmingintheocean @nsainmoonchild @redroses07 @xo-angel-ox @littleangel4996 @iamlivingforturner @thatonehumanbeing05 @codycrazy @love-on-the-murder-scene

[mezzy-1]

VALORANT UNIVERSITY HEADCANONS

@eviethelesbian once again thank you for the Headcanon List. Also shoutout to @darthladyofillusions because I included ur OC :)

Harbor is a history professor dating Astra, the archeology professor.  Both of them met on a trip to a site in India

Both of them reached for the same the brush at one point and they laughed it off later

Both of them are excellent teachers in their own way.  Varun has a habit of going on tangents about stories and is super nerdy about his subject.  Efia’s classes are fun and her energy is infectious

Cypher has a family and does cyber security for the University.  Nobody knows his actual name.

Nobody knows him that well but when he comes out of his office he’ll say hello to anyone nearby.  He goes home quickly though and usually avoids working late.

Cypher’s office is full of pictures of his family, drawings from his daughter, screens, and the scent of imported Moroccan teas

He and his wife and kid see the students off when they graduate, and all of the students are amazed to realize that this guy has such a good family life.  (They thought he was a no-life kinda guy)

Liam ‘Brimstone’ Byrne is the university’s Dean and basically runs everything as much as possible for the good of the students.  Tariq and him are the brains and guiding hand of the university

He retired from the military after he was given an educator’s license and became a professor of tactics at a military academy.  He then took his skills elsewhere and turned the college into what it is now

Liam keeps the students at the forefront of any policy changes and takes an interest in professors that are considered brilliant but difficult to work with.  He’s an expert of recruitment and reining in the right people

Has snacks in his office for students but they can only get them if they complete a pull-up on an pull-up bar he has in his office.  One arm only.

Sabine worked at R&D at a pesticide company but is the only Organic Chem teacher that the Valorant U could get.  Somehow is a good professor despite hating students and no general teaching

She doesn’t really hate them but it isn’t a good idea to get on her bad side.  It’s rumored she poisons the students she hates.  

Stared daggers into the first person (Jamie), to make a Breaking Bad reference and since then nobody brings it up

Classes with her are pretty tense but if a student actually tries and gives their all, she’ll notice and be kinder to them.  Especially students who study chemistry.  Double for O-Chem.

Sabine’s style of teaching could use work, but when she tries to explain complex ideas she’s genuinely in her element.  She once explained how tetrodotoxin and nerve ion channels worked to Zyanya’s little sister 

Zyanya is a professor for sure, probably the best Spanish teacher ever.  Beyond terrifying to new students

She will not let students forget proper accents and grammar, and god help the people that do.  Somebody once forgot their homework and Zyanna was literally this close to killing them

Her Spanish is specifically Mexican, and that extends to the class through some of the words she teaches.  Especially bits in culture and authenticity

Zyanya’s idea of testing people is borderline an interrogation.  10 minutes of extensive and stern conversations and multiple pages of writing.  People say it feels like their souls have literally been drained

Students come out of the classes fluent or scarred for life

Ling is a professor of medicine and completed her PHD around the same time Viper completed hers.  They were amazed to see each other teaching

She does Tai Chi for relaxation but did at one point learn Kung Fu while living abroad in a monastery for a couple of years.  She once broke a board in front of her class just to prove it

Hosts meditation hours during finals week and her office hours are always super useful for all of the medical and nursing students.  Calming as hell to anxious people

Tala got a scholarship via cross country and another from basketball, and wants to major in physical therapy.  She also got a job doing late night shifts at the library as security.

Hazal is in a band called Nightmare.  Her and several other introverts got together and started one.  Only perform in the most obscure venue.  She can play bass REALLY WELL

Tala found out and now shows up to every performance the band has.  If it weren’t for the lights flashing red and blue, you could see Hazal blushing when she spots Tala in the crowd

That’s how she met Hazal.  Tala was approached by her because Hazal wanted to study late and the two became acquainted

Both of them love the late nights that they share and Hazal is always at one of Tala’s games.  Tala picks her out of the crowd every time, and at the end Hazal always kisses her 

Mateo is a veterinary student and is everyone’s friend.  Except Iselin because some of his patients got into her office once and trashed her latest project model

He keeps fish, dogs, lizards, cats, and nearly everything else.  At one point he was in charge of a project that kept some monkeys around at one point 

The animal counterparts are a chameleon (Dizzy), a Chinese High Banded Shark (Thrash), a bullfrog tadpole (Mosh), and an Axolotl named Wingman

He has a crochet version of his (radivore) crew, courtesy of Omen being bored one day

Mateo is a Gen Z kid, and his vocabulary beyond salvaging

Jamie is an English major, I mean, obviously

Everyone likes Jamie, he brings a certain energy to everything he does and it resonates well with people.  His writing has a level of power and rhythm that makes it both easy to listen and layered

He is a songwriter, and poet, and even has a collection of published short stories.  His mums are proud.  His scripts are also incredible and his goal is to get his own musical to Broadway 

When Jamie is in a play, it’s usually as the protagonist or the main antagonist.  It is wonderful to see him on stage, especially because he’s trained as a Shakespearean actor

Tayane is THE art student and the reason most of the faculty drinks.  And also the reason why most of the students drink too

Absolute ragers getting thrown anytime Tayane is involved.  This woman does not stop until the sun is up

Her graffiti portraits are inspired, colorful, and almost always on government property or university property.  Brim started commissioning her in order to stop her from painting everything

The commissioned murals are a lot better for her, and gave her legal access to make huge projects on some of the older buildings

One of the walls is a silhouette of a woman with big circular glasses, geometric pink and yellow patterns around her, and surrounded by flowers

Vincent Fabron is the art teacher and Viper HATES him.  He’s also that one teacher an unreasonable amount of people of have a crush on

He was a tattoo artist while taking art lessons in France, then moved into high class art.  His gallery pieces gained a lot of attention and he gained a lot of money from them.

Now he teaches art, and has done graphic design for many upscale companies.  His own business card has won awards from design and art societies though

Omen is a guy in a scarf and hoodie that is somehow in everyone’s classes.  He crochets in the back sometimes.

Texts notes at 4am to anyone who needs it and is incredibly nocturnal.  He doesn’t need sleep he needs friends

Students never remembered or learned his name, so they just started calling him Omen after the laptop brand he uses

Erik ‘Breach’ Torsten is a coach they brought in and actually manages a paralympic team.  May have criminal past according to some of the athletes he manages

He will scream at people in Swedish during games, practice, going over strategies, and if he sees them in public.  Friendly but so loud

His prosthetic arms were a courtesy of the university’s science program.  They were partially a gift and partially a test to see what they could do.  Erik made sure that he could flip people off with the arms

Iselin the professor of Industrial Design, and she is the most stern professor ever.  At times she works for a wilderness recreation company and does product design for them.  

She is very organized, and her lecture presentations are always available, she lists the pages to read, dates for every assignment are posted a month in advance

Iselin’s a professional and rarely eases up, but the few times she’s been out with the other faculty she’s been surprisingly fun.  Especially with Ling for some reason

Kirra is a Biology professor that has so many plants in her room.  Has a parakeet, dog, and fish tank at home too.  Does wildlife photography on the side.  

Kirra protested in college and was arrested once for sabotage.  So she is totally chill with people missing class for stuff, and gives extra credit for students involved in causes

Goes on wilderness expeditions with some students for a class and memorized several survival books worth of information and knows every plant, animal, and fungus she comes across

Klara is an engineering major and Tayane just comes to those classes because she can.  It usually results in the equipment being plastered in stickers and paint.

They met when Tayane decided to tag the garage that Klara was keeping her final project in.  Both of them sort of caught feelings as soon as they saw each other

Klara fell so damn hard, and realized this while Tayane was doing a kegstand.  Klara whispered ‘she’s perfect’ mindlessly and then realized Sunwoo was right next to her

Sunwoo finished what was in her cup, patted Klara on the back, and said ‘good luck’ before walking away and pretending she didn’t hear

Her final project has been her ‘Lockdown’ which is basically an EMP crossed with a massive DDOS hack.  It went off once and downed the college’s internet for a week.

She’s going to switch it to something a little less destructive at this point, and Tayane is helping her brainstorm.  Currently it’s a robot but she’s trying to figure out what to make it do

KAY/O is Tariq’s gamertag.  The man is a CS:GO fiend and has crazy flashes due to muscle memory

Liam and him are MARRIED.  I’m not budging on this one and you will find me dead in the ground before I let this go

Tariq’s good at a lot of random stuff and doesn’t help out too much at the college but is well-known as the ‘guy who Brim allows to help grill things’ because nobody else is allowed

Helps Liam plan out things for the students and assists in any sort of set up that he can do

Ryo is studying Japanese History and works as a mechanic at a chop shop.  It is shady as hell over there but Yoru will hook people up if needed.  They definitely steal parts though

He takes business classes and there’s a real chance he might double major.  His business acumen and aggressive nature would make him the ultimate CEO

Sasha is the professor that most students simp for, and he teaches Russian Language classes.  Throws things at students that don’t pay attention and rarely misses

He has an owl nesting outside of the window to his classroom, he named it Matrioshka after the nesting dolls.  It had owlets so it seemed fitting.

His babushka lives out of the country but gets a continuous stream of gifts from him

Sasha is that one professor that has a weird story for everything in his room.  The bow he has? killed a grizzly bear with it.  Glass eye on display?  It was a gift from a glassmaker that was caught with illegal firearms.  Weird rock?  It was at the sight of a historic battle and has a bootprint in it

Has SO MANY books from Russian writers he reads in his off time.  Also does archery at a cabin he has in the woods.

Nobody could handle Novikov at the cabin, the sheer hotness of him splitting firewood, bow hunting, and chopping trees would send people into a simp coma

At the end of the year, he writes each student a short note in Russian telling them something worthwhile.

Sunwoo is an amazing sprinter and also amazing at darts.  Loves adding photos to the corkboard she has in her dorm

She isn’t really sure what she wants to study at the moment or even if she wanted to go to college.  Gotta love families pressuring college on their kids right?

It isn’t as depressing though, she shows real talent and enjoyment in studying Business but surprisingly is leaning towards learning Journalism as well

She writes stuff for the school paper, a blog, and even has a (somewhat inspired by people around her) science fiction story.  She hasn’t thought of a name yet.

It’s about secret agents that fight against an alternate dimension that tries to steal a powerful crystal from them.  It’s quite popular with the people who she let read it and people are constantly asking for updates

Sunwoo is trying, and hopefully she’ll manage to find somewhere she can feel comfortable

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kayra is studying botany, and started a garden in one of the common areas.  At first it was small but cute, then after a few weeks the flowers and bushes spread outside of the garden and overtook the common area.

It's now her favorite place to get away from people because trellises were added in and nobody can see through the vines.  There’s a chance she keeps patio furniture in the garden too

Has been living in an apartment with Hazal.  Tala has been the only one in there and says its overrun with houseplants and hanging lamps.

(@darthladyofillusions I hope this is accurate to some extent)

[solarmagickstar]

I've been hearing a lot of "gen alpha can't read cause they're iPad kids."

But like are we asking them what they *can* do?

Or how *they're* feeling even?

I distinctly remember adults when I was a kid saying we'd all be "brain dead" because of tv or texting or the Internet or some shit. And we couldn't defend ourselves cause we were literally children.

It's like this every time.

And every time each generation has to prove they're worthy of adulthood.

And this gen isn't even all in middle school yet and y'all are calling them failures right in front of their faces. It's not ganna help. If anything it'll make this much much worse.

I'm a Gen Z (well I'm in the transitional area between millennial and Z but most millennials tell me I'm gen z so fine.) I have gen alpha kids. And a lot of them (classmates and the like) are anxious asf about the world.

I wonder if they're putting up a tough front to keep the only control they have in the world as children.

Or living free before they have to become the overworked adults they see in their lives.

Or ya know death by school shootings if they're in America.

Or idk die from a once in a century plague cause their parents won't let them get vaccinated.

Or maybe it's something we could never describe or understand since we're not in that position.

Honestly every commentator I've seen on this topic hasn't asked a child how they literally feel. Like you don't have to put them on camera obviously (maybe don't actually for their safety) but like just ask? Or find ways to ask, kids can be shy about their true feelings sometimes. Especially if we keep pretending like we know them.

Teachers are over worked, parents are over worked. But haven't they always been? (Maybe we should actually do something about that? Like a lot have already been saying, but like actually do it? Maybe baby sit your friend's kid or go to the grocery store with them to help chaperone them? And try and do it for them for free, I get it if you can't but those who can should. I'm also not saying your should steal baby supplies, I'd never say that, I'd also never say to just steal food and hand them out, or to steal teaching and school supplies and just give em away or anything of course not! And I wish I could put the proper tone marks on this but for legal purposes I am being sarcastic.)

And doesn't each generation come with more problems or perceived problems because that's life? We're always going to find something wrong with the younger generation, we're constantly evolving and we're constantly looking for ways how.

Last thing.

What is intelligence?

Is it *really* being able to read?

Is it *really* scoring high on tests for studies?

Didn't we *just* talk about how standardised tests are wild and are often not very good at displaying what kids can actually do? Or are often hard to grade because of lack of staffing? Something something Pearson? Something something my history text book was older than me something something "Bill Clinton the president everyone is looking forward to!" Written on the back page Something something coming home to see late night TV making jokes about his shitty behaviour but making it more about the person who was literally harmed by this and making fun of her well into the 2000s..... (Oh has our education system and environment for kids always been kinda shitty? No way almost like it's a never ending battle.)

Have we truly figured out if the kids are alright?

Have they ever been?

Do we even know what that fucking means????

[the-heart-of-a-monster]

Once again, I’m typing this out just minutes after seeing the new pages. Because I saw this singular sliver of pink on Sonic’s chest behind the text bubble and now I’m going g full Game Theory Mode.

(Don’t know how messy this is gonna be so bear with me please)

ALSO HAPPY NEW YEAR HOPE 2024 IS GOING WELL FOR YOU SO FAR!!!!

So! It’s uh… It’s been a while since Sonic last slept. I think the last time we saw him get any proper rest was before him and Shadow left for Holoska. We don’t know exactly how much time had past for them when they were in the cavern, but we can safely assume it was more than just 2 or 3 hours. They were most likely there for nearly ten, given the villager’s reaction to them returning. And then they immediately had to go fight Omega, or at least Sonic did, and that was a whole battle full of adrenaline and anger fueled by the previous fight between Sonic and Shadow. So by this point, I’m not surprised to see Sonic knocked out cold.

What I am shocked to see however, is that little teeny-tiny sliver of pink that I mentioned on Sonic’s chest… What’s even more intriguing is the fact that Sonic’s entire face is obscured by either the panel borders, or the text bubbles. This obviously and unfortunately means that Dark Gaia’s influence on Sonic is getting stronger and stronger by the day, and the hedgehog’s recent fights have had a huge impact. This also means Sonic can’t hide from his friends anymore, and he’ll likely be avoidant towards them altogether if he can.

Obviously though, this will only make things worse for him and Shadow since Sonic’s negative emotions are what is making the influence stronger. In this sense, Sonic is making himself dangerous, he’s turning himself into a weapon. This is actually making me think: What if Omega being influenced by Dark Gaia was just a test? Just a warning by Dark Gaia that showed Sonic what would happen if he fell too deep, if he succumbed too much. Omega lost his autonomy to the God of Sadness himself, so why can’t Sonic…?

ALSO OMEGA ISN’T DEAD YET LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YEEEEEAHHAHHAHAHHHHH THIS IS WORTH CELEBRATING I THINK 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

Oki ignoring that terrible yet seamless transition, let’s talk about Team Dark because they deserve some love right now in these trying times. (Istg you and 2 whole other people are keeping the Team Dark fans afloat) First up, Shadow because he’s been in more panels than I can count lmao

Shadow, as someone who can relate to Sonic to some extent, feels this giant weight whenever something bad happens to him. He feels all the pressure build up into one giant boulder that he’s struggling to carry, and if he doesn’t get help soon, that boulder will crush him. Of course, the Ultimate Lifeform doesn’t care about that, doesn’t care about anything but Sonic right now, because he’s going through something similar and it’s just too much for Shadow to see a reflection of himself in the very person he sought to destroy just a couple years prior-

But then the weight gets lifted. Just a little bit, just so much to make it only a little lighter. But it’s lifted regardless, and when Shadow turns he sees Rouge. The brains of the group. The one who brought Team Dark together in the first place. The one who only knew a fraction about Shadow’s past and yet stuck by his side anyway.

The only one who hasn’t been directly affected by Dark Gaia until now. (Except for Tails and Knuckles but we don’t care about them right now)

Sonic is not gonna be the same when he wakes up. He’s gonna look and feel completely different and he’s gonna be so confused and hurt and scared. But Shadow and Rouge and all his other friends are gonna be there for him when he needs them most, and that will be enough.

I wish I could say more on these pages because OMG THREE PAGES IN ONE UPDATE HUH EMERALD ARE YOU TRYING TO SPOIL US ARE YOU TRYING TO BUTTER UP TO US BECAUSE IT IS FRIGGIN WORKING. But with the new year comes a bunch of other thoughts that cloud your brain and there’s suddenly no more room for the really important things. Like anthropomorphic little animals that turn into bigger furries somehow and then harness the power of life itself to defeat villainy and then eat chili dogs for their every meal. Totally important, 100%.

Hope 2024 treats you well, and I personally cannot wAIT TO SEE SONIC IN HIS NEW GAIA FORM OMG OMG HE GONNA LOOK SO SPOOPY AND AWESOME AND HE’S GONNA BE SO INSECURE OOOOOOOOOOOOOO IM SO EXITED

YEEHAW wait until u see the other 3 new pages lol

[whump-card]

Okay, I did a little investigating of how blocked and the new semi-blocked tags seem to work now(Jan 2024), particularly in relation to #lady whump. Bear with me, it's a long post (but it's half pictures!)

(I actually did a whole write-up of how they used to work but I never got around to posting it and now... things are different!)

DESKTOP FIRST: I tested the following with "Hide additional potentially mature content" both ON and OFF - it's the same on desktop wither way, because that setting has to do with the mobile app. All my community labels are set to "show."

First, there's the classically blocked tag, like #restraints:

Clicking on this tag used to take you to tumblr.com/TAGGED/restraints, and show the above with no content, but now it takes you to tumblr.com/SEARCH/restraints, and shows the above with no content. Manually typing in 'tagged' redirects you to 'search.'

Additionally, posts tagged with a tag like this do not show up in the feed of any other tags. If you tag your post with a fully blocked tag, you're throwing it into the void - you may as well have not tagged it with anything at all, only your followers and people directly reading your blog will see it.

But now there seems to be another level: clicking on a tag such as #nsfw takes you to tumblr.com/SEARCH/nsfw, but it shows content now! Additionally, posts tagged with #nsfw DO show up in the feed of other tags, as long as they have the Mature Community Label.

But WAIT! There's a third level! clicking on #lady whump takes you to a search instead of a tag, like #nsfw, but there's no warning, and posts without community labels appear. These posts are still able to appear in other tag feeds.

What's the big deal? You can't follow these tags. Take a look at what happens when you click on #whump, a 'safe' tag:

You are taken to tumblr.com/TAGGED/whump, and you also get this sidebar, which appeared on none of the previous pages:

You can follow #whump, and see posts from it on your dashboard if you wish. You can also explore related tags. You are unable to do this with tags that redirect to 'search.'

NOW (iOS) MOBILE:

If you have "Hide additional potentially mature content" OFF, searching #lady whump shows this:

And if you've got it turned ON, it shows this:

And posts tagged with #lady whump won't show up in the feeds of other tags for someone with this setting on, though it still appears on your dashboard if you follow the person, and on their blog if you go directly to it.

To sum up: on desktop, the limitation of #lady whump isn't as bad as it could be - but the "Hide additional potentially mature content" is ON by default, and many people aren't even aware of it, causing some real kneecapping on mobile.

I'm not about to make any sweeping declarations about how to handle this. The way #nsfw works now, allowing posts with the proper community label, is honestly kind of nice (even though it's only on desktop) - but limiting #lady whump as "mature content" is really unfortunate.

I guess: friendly reminder, especially to those newer among us, to check your settings and make sure that you're able to see all the stuff you want to be able to see. If you post content, check the tags you use to make sure you're not accidentally condemning your post to the void.

This is all investigation with no conclusion. I'd love to hear what other people think.

[relaxxattack]

Hi! In the video said you’d be willing to explain how you bound it? I’m VERY interested !! It looks gorgeous! Can we see more detailed pictures of the cover, btw? I cant see ran clearly.

hi! i am very willing! sorry it took me so long to write up this little tutorial, i've been somewhat busy!

first of all, the incredibly gorgeous cover art was made by @lamina-tsrif and you can view it in better quality here!

for the book creation itself, i was going to use createmybooks but by coincidence the site kept glitching on me so i ended up searching for alternatives and finding lulu, which i would highly reccomend for book printing-- they let you do very pretty hardcovers as well (though i haven't tested that myself just yet).

to make the pdf for the inside pages, aka formatting all the words together and in the proper size, font, area, tabs, and with the right details, i was planning to follow along some microsoft word tutorials but they were very frustrating and i discovered atticus, a fairly new writing and publishing software combination. it's quite pricy but actually much less expensive than other formatting software out there, and way easier to use as well, so if you're frequently binding books it's well worth it.

after i spent a bit making and tweaking the pdf for the inside pages to my liking, i made the outside cover-- lulu actually lets you put in your page count + book size then calculates your cover dimensions for you and gives you a template! so i would definitely recommend that in order to get the proper size for your book cover once you design it.

after all the design and format work the publishing was very easy, i just filled out the form on lulu and uploaded my two pdfs (one for the inside and one for the outside) and then they sent me my book a few weeks later!

anyway that is the end of this little explanation -- would you guys maybe be interested in a download to the pdfs i formatted? let me know if you would, and i can put them up somwhere for other people to skip all the hard parts if they wanted to print knifetrick specifically :]

have a nice day!

[homegrownkel]

GERMINATION: greeting the world

Introductions are the worst part of meeting new people. Having to think about making a good impression - reading whether or not you gauged correctly, not realizing when you've missed the mark. It's the culmination of the worst part of being of a social species. Trying to move from the other to becoming part of the group. It means Kel knows from the first moment of consciousness that today will be Rough. Luckily the crockpot did its job and there's fresh minestrone for his thermos. Less luckily, half the soup spills on the way to the car.

It's just another blemish on an already rough morning. Kel hasn't had a reaction to any sort of mental influence like this in so many years that they're not the only one caught off guard. Someone will figure out how to mitigate the fog - they can already hear chatter about it in the group, which is much more attention-grabbing than poor Kato. Nice guy, but maybe there will be a better second impression. One that sticks.

And then every thing that needs to go wrong will - apparently the camera used to take the first ID photo wasn't the proper model, or was missing whatever coating the Foundation used in the past to take his ID photos. But the security department needs a new one. Kel can't blame them - if they were a guard and someone handed over a picture of a flower arrangement as a security card, he wouldn't let them in either.

The one in charge seems just the type the commission would pick, observant, experienced, just friendly enough to inspire some level of loyalty. Small flashes of the man in action - usually from a distance, add depth and color to his form, old memories overlaid on a fresh face. They fall into place for some of the others in the room as well, though at least one face is so familiar there's nothing new to learn at a glance.

"Good morning," Kel bobs a nod at their new boss in an attempt to be less... ominously looming, and gives him a perfectly average handshake before moving towards a seat in the back. Then it's time for the parade. And what a show it is. The team is clearly hand picked for something, but even Kel can tell that more than a few people have history of some sort and still others won't mesh well despite the rigid hold an MTF's commander usually has. For at least one that might actually be the problem.

There is something to be said about going in the middle of a set though. Avoiding the nerves of being the first, but also knowing you aren't the last first impression somehow relieves some of the pressure. Or at least it does for Kel. It's easiest to see everything from the metaphorical middle of the pack anyways.

"My turn then?" They smile quickly and straighten up before swallowing down the worst of the brogue they'd never gotten rid of. "Some of you may already know me as Kel or Engineer Trebond, but I guess I'm going by Garden Variety here. Bit of a nod to my hometown, I think. Small place, big on uh... agriculture. I've been working in the foundation research divisions almost 3 decades now. My work's mostly in the actual building of things, more practical application and testing than the theoretical stuff, so I'm a bit excited to see how these things actually run in the field. Fun fact, um..." He sits back in his chair, smile turning nervous. "I'm 209 centimeters tall. Yes, really. Oh I think that's six foot.... ten inches? Math might be a bit off, but I'm past the threshold where people try to say it makes a difference. Anyways - if you need me, send me a page. I like to wander and this campus seems a bit large, so it's better to not pass each other while searching."

And with that, the worst was over. The members of the team grow more and more interesting as they go down the list, but maybe that's just the relaxed nerves speaking.

[in-collection]

hi! so i have a standard pdf on my hands right now (yknow one thats one page per "paper" and you scroll through) but i want to print it out and bind it. i was wondering how i would format it or what options i should press on the printer for it to be like a standard a4 print and able to be signatured. or if theyre not options i can simply press: how would i change the layout and format? thank you in advance!!

Hi! I love me some asks. So, just to make sure I understood the situation, you have a page-per-page PDF (single page per single page) you want to print and bind in signatures. And it is not a double spread PDF. (and, because I wondered at first, it is also not a PDF from this here collection (I got scared at first thinking I gave page per page pdfs somewhere lol).) Let's see if I can help you with that.

So as it turns out I don't actually know much about this because I've always worked with my own InDesign files, meaning when I printed signatures I'd just export a double spread PDF, and so I've never had to make signatures from a page per page. But after some research I can give you 3 options:

The booklet function and how to make it your bff

Cannibalize your PDF to make a double spread PDF

Give up (on the signatures, and bind it another way)

1. The booklet function

Most PDF viewer have one. For example I opened one of my PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Reader: the function is there, and it looks like it should work with a page per page PDF to make proper signatures out of it, but since I've never had to use it, I can't tell you precisely what to do with it. I can advise this much: TEST PRINTS!!! Make that thing your best friend by test printing with it a thousand times over until you're sure. You can use a PDF splitter to get just the first 4 pages of your PDF and make those go through the booklet function until you've figured out all the right parameters, etc. There are probably online tutorials, too. Accessorily, you can also split your PDF into the different signatures, it might make it easier as a whole when you make the final print.

2. Cannibalism

Honestly, this solution is for barbarians, but I'm including it because it sure would work and, well, if I was in your position, it's what I would have done (if the PDF was under 100 pages). The big idea here is to turn the page per page PDF into a double spread PDF by opening it in any software that lets you move it around like a jpeg, manually sticking each page next to the right one, and exporting it into a new PDF. And you can even make the signatures manually while you're at it (but you should also probably do that in InDesign, and it has an inbuilt booklet function, so no need for the recipe for disaster that is making the signatures manually). Not recommended unless you're a purist, a maniac, or a masochist. Do not do that. Go back to #1. Help yourself.

3. Give up

...on the signatures. I don't think the booklet function is that hard to master, but just to give you more options, there absolutely are ways to print and bind a page per page PDF without signatures. Here are a few:

Japanese binding: with thread, beautiful, will work no matter how many pages you have, however it does not open flat (at ALL) and if you have text/images close to the inside margin the binding will eat it all up.

Perfect binding: with glue, very common binding. You'll see it on most paperbacks, everywhere. When it's clean, it's really nice, however, while it's easy to make a perfect binding, it's hard to make a clean one yourself. Also can't be done if you have less than? 20? pages, doesn't open flat, eats the inside margin (but way less than a japanese binding).

Whatever this is called: with thread, can be nice… on very specific occasions. Opens flat and looks cool, NOT recommended if you have thin paper and/or a lot of pages.

So many things. Thread. Tape. Side staples. Spirals. Screws and bolts, if you're going for in industrial look. Don't let any loser tell you that staples or spirals or any of those can't be sexy in the right conditions.

[thecheshirerat]

Dear Aubrey

(danbrey fic for @tazsapphicweek ! this has been so fun. I'll put it on AO3 if anyone wants, but idk how collections work. also the prompt was technically "home" but I've done like three based on that prompt so...)

Dear Aubrey, 

Do you know how many casserole dishes I’ve washed for the privilege of control over the TV? Jake said that if I keep putting on Supernatural I’ll owe him three bags of the fancy squid chips he likes just for his suffering. 

That’s not it. 

Dear Aubrey, 

I’ve been watching Supernatural. You were right, it’s pretty good. 

Dammit. 

No. 

Dear Aubrey, 

They didn’t have TV shows in Sylvain. You know that. You’ve been there. But of the three that I’ve encountered so far, Supernatural seems pretty good. Definitely better than streaming old episodes of America's Test Kitchen, which is all Barclay wants to watch.

FUCK.

Dear Aubrey, 

Do you know how many perfectly good sketchbook pages I’ve spent, trying to draft a proper letter to you? 

I know you’re not, like. Living far away. You’re going to be back in a few hours, actually, probably, unless you’re killed, but I don’t think you will be, and then you’ll eat something terrible for you and pass out like, two floors above me. 

Maybe I could pass this to you through the vents. 

Did you know that passing notes between bunk beds is common to both our worlds? Sometimes I imagine you’re in the bunk above me, and we could just, talk. In the darkness. About everything. 

The truth is, I’ve got a lot to say. But you’re not here, so I’m writing it down. In my sketchbook. I really should buy a notebook or something. 

Goddamnit. 

I could’ve sketched so many cedar branches on this. 

Dear Aubrey, 

This is going to sound insane, but you smell like home. A little smoky, a little like flash-paper, but there’s also this strong ginger smell. That part is familiar. It’s orange and spicy and makes my teeth flinch in their illusion. 

When you walked by the other day it felt like every spark of heat in my body rushed towards you, like there’s a current between us. What do you guys call it, bird bumps?

For a moment, I was just, frozen. And then you looked over my shoulder at the vase of flowers I was drawing and said something like, “Oh my gosh, that’s so cool!” And you joked that I could make hundreds of dollars online if I drew Deacon Winchester. Your hand brushed my shoulder, and all the warmth came back, just like that. 

I’ve never felt anything like it.

Well, I have. You know about the crystal, right? It felt kind of like touching that. 

God, Dani. Don’t bring that into this. 

Dear Aubrey,

I’ve spent so long trying not to stand out.

I can have my identity, so long as it's quiet enough that no one looks too closely. 

I can doodle on the cover of my sketchbook. I can be the quirky alt girl who doesn’t have her license at the age of… what age do I tell people. I don’t even remember. I can stare into the mirror, smiling at the freckles that show up on my nose, and people will forgive me for not wearing makeup, but they can’t see my skin when it glows, they can’t see my teeth. They must never see my teeth. 

You, on the other hand. Your flashy gestures, your vibrant hair, your jacket that you can barely see under all the pins. When you walk, they clink, alerting people (people whose skin didn’t tingle the moment you arrived, people who are not me) that you’re here. You’ve got an identity strong and colorful enough to be armor. You wear your teeth on the outside. 

I want to know what’s under all that. Not to be- nevermind. 

I want to know what it’s all protecting.

Or maybe, it’s protecting us. 

Dear Aubrey, 

I miss Sylvain a lot. 

It’s hard to describe the feeling of missing your former planet. It’s like an ache, but sharper. It’s hard, and scratchy, and it eats a cavern inside of me. It’s empty in here. It tingles. My pain chimes, and the chimes echo. 

It chafes at you, when the world you’re in is not yours. I don’t belong here, and Earth has no qualms about reminding me. Alien customs. Alien holidays. Alien people, but… not so much you. 

It went away, the other day, when you touched me. Just for a second, I was full. 

In that second, I felt so free. I felt so untethered. I felt like I could go and be anywhere as long as it was with you. So, not untethered. Re-tethered. 

Sometimes I imagine there’s a string between us, and when I see you fidgeting with your fingers, it’s being pulled, looped and tied. I want you to make me into jewelry, to set me around your neck. I want to swing there, next to that gemstone you always wear. I want your heartbeat to warm my skin.

To be a vampire is to know that you are empty, and that other people fill you up. 

Here you are, with all this vitality. If I soaked myself in it, if I tucked myself like a bunny rabbit into your arms, if I bottled up vials of flame to warm my bath and make my tea, would you even notice? I don’t want to hurt anyone. Sometimes I feel like I’m scraping away at the walls of a cave inside me, and one day my willpower will collapse. I keep shoring up my inhibitions. 

Why does it feel like I’ve awoken from the most restful sleep of my life after talking to you? Why do I feel relieved when you brush my arm? I just want to close my eyes. I want to take off this disguise. I want to follow you. 

God, I barely even know you. 

This is so weird. I’m sorry. 

Dear Aubrey, 

I have one episode left of season five of Supernatural. I thought I’d take your advice about stopping there. And now I get the joke you made about chevy impalas! 

Do you want to watch the last episode together? 

Love, 

Sincerely, 

Yours,

Dani <3

PS: See on the back my drawing of Dr. Harris Bonkers :)

[possumsinpeoplesuits]

Oh god please forgive my floor and my gross-ass feet.

So! In continuing my work on the ULTIMATE PASH COSPLAY, I decided to get a set of actual machetes for when I'm going to Ren Faires and the like. Well, that and another reason, but I'll get to that.

The first thing I needed was length. The prop machetes are a total of 27 inches long, so I needed the proper steel pair to match. There were a few options, but I'm a fuckin' weirdo, and wanted something that could double as home defense, so I went with a fucking two handed Latin machete from Cold Steel. Because I gotta be extra (and also because they were only like... ten bucks more expensive than a shittier machete?)

The measurement SAYS 21 inches, though. But I estimated the handle to be roughly six inches, and lo and behold, it all fits!

Unfortunately, like the back page of a math test, there was another problem.

See, each of the sheaths weren't symmetrical, and could only really function right on the same side of my hip. So, with the knowledge that a replacement sheath would be a whopping 14 dollars if I fucked up, I decided to remove the strap (they were meant to be holstered on the back, but Two-Thigh-Machetes don't play that way.), hack off the upper portion of each sheath, and cut little slits to fit the straps through.

I held them up to my thighs to double check the right locations, then once the slits were cut, (I used a little pocket knife with a guthook. Cut one little hole, then hook in, and boom. Nice, straight slits. Love me a good slit.) I lifted the new little belt loop up with the knife, and used a lighter to melt the edges so they wouldn't fray as easily.

I also needed to compensate for the extra weight, so rather than having two straps directly on my thigh (which led to me having to constantly readjust them, even without any weight on them), or threading them through the belt itself (which prevents me from moving my hips and sitting down), I used one of my bike straps to thread through the belt, meaning I now had a firmer support, and the free movement to sit and stand. The sheath also keeps the lower strap more evenly placed, which was unintended, but a welcomed change.

All in all, I feel pretty confident the machetes will be much more prominent in the costume, and also that I have now spent entirely too much money dressing like my favorite blorbo.

You can see the rest of the cosplay here.

[noonmutter]

Breakdown

DWC August 2023 Day 1/2: Beginnings/Endings, Enchanted/Horror

"You know you'd be wonderful onstage!" "I would not." "You're doing that thing again, where you're modest for no reason." "I know fer a fact I would not, cuz ev'rytime I'm in front o' crowds, I 'ave a desp'rate need t' throw up."

---

"Just one teensy little whip routine." "Absolutely not." "I'd happily be your target so you're not alone and everything! Like the good, charitable elf I am!" "If y'wanna be whipped so bad I kin tie y' up in th' workshop in ten minutes." "Why are you so miserly with your myriad talents?" "Are we gonna actually test out some stuff t'day or not?"

---

"I heard someone humming in the shower…" "Don't." "It's almost like you do have a sense of melody in there somewhere!" "Tha' was a hallucination. You're hallucinatin'."

---

"I saw that." "Wot?" "That little flourish you just did on the backswing." "I did not flourish it--" "You do show off!"

---

"I know yer doin' it on purpose." "I'm sure I don't know what you could possibly be talking about. I'm over here doing my lashes." "Ev'ry single Tart I know 'as been tryna get me onstage at least once. Yer not special." "Well now you're just spreading falsehoods, but I'll forgive you this once."

---

"You know, I couldn't help but notice how insightful you were." "Hmn?" "In the gallery. Once you opened up, I thought it was going to be impossible to stop you speaking your mind, not that I'd ever want to!" "Well… y' did prod me. Kind of a lot." "And I'm very glad you took that prodding! It's always a treat to listen to you dive deep into that lyrical well of yours." "Um…" "Almost like you're absolutely brimful of creativity, just waiting for an excuse." "… Celedyn." "Or perhaps the right audience?" "Ohhh my godddd--"

---

"You even do it at your booth sometimes! Especially the big ones, you were doing it constantly at the Tournament of Ages!" "I am not an actor!" "Then what would you call that whole absurd persona you were putting on for your… shoe… thing?" "It was a bit!" "Leon, sweetheart, darling. Actors do bits. That's acting. You acted." "I was 'avin' fun!" "Acting can be fun." "DAGH!!"

---

"So you've gone and enriched yourself for another year or two. What's next?" "Not sure. I was thinkin' maybe it's time t' start lookin' fer a proper shop. Y'know, like a storefront?" "What, no other big events to work yourself into a stupor over? I'm shocked." "Nah. I think I wanna see wot restin' on my laurels feels like, yeah? We kin uh… kinda afford to, heh." "Marvelous! See, it just so happens that this year is a very important year for the Tarts--" "Are you kiddin' me--" "But it's our anniversary, kitten! You're a friend of the troupe, don't you think you could just--" "Y'know wot? Fine. Fine." "--one little--wait, what?" "Once, an' only once, if it'll make you stop, I will do a thin' onstage. Once." "Oh, Leon, fantastic! I've got so many--" "But." "Mmn?" "I get t' pick th' song." "Oh, well." Celedyn gave an exaggeratedly put-upon sigh, undercutting what little sincerity it had with the big shit-eating grin on his face. "I suppose I can make one little sacrifice for you, kitten." "Mm-hmm. I'll let y' know."

A week later, Celedyn received a letter with the Catty Crow seal on it. He was all smiles when he opened it, finding a few written pages and a recording crystal labelled 'play me.'

Ten minutes after that, he was leaving hysterical, shrieking messages on Leon's commstone. Leon chose not to answer, instead putting up his feet and watching the device dance across the coffee table while he drank his tea.

( @celedyn @daily-writing-challenge )

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

Alchemy of Souls: Theories and Analysis for Eps 15-16

Hello readers and plagiarists,

I am done being nice. People have truly tested my patience.

Let's take a look at some examples of people who have been stealing my ideas/theories from this blog and reposting it as their own.

Exhibit #1

Huh...interesting....I wonder who uses the line "thinking caps on"........oh right....ME. Apparently this person loves wearing my thinking cap! Illusions and memories...so thought provoking.....would they have arrived at the same conclusions if they hadn't read my blog? Nope.

Exhibit #2

Wow.....the whole never seeing the King and Jang Gang swap back and only knowing based on the conversation they had after the swap back.......AMAZING!!! ASTONISHING!!! Too bad I was the only one who pointed these things out. Naksu being able to heal her eyes because she had gathered energy after learning many spells/skills in her previous body.....WOW...wonder where they got this from? They even used the word "data" hahahahaha. You know who else uses the word "data"? People in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)....... aka me...the scientist. In a recent dm with this person on Tumblr, I described to them how my thinking process worked (basically an adaptation of the scientific method). I told them I researched things I did not know, collected/gathered data (i.e things from the show), formed a hypothesis, analyzed data, reexamine my hypothesis if needed. So, if you see stuff about AOS endgames from this person, just know they didn't come up with those things. I was the one who told them mostly everything during a private message. It was my mistake for trusting such a despicable human being. The nerve for this person to say they had the "same thoughts" as me....same thoughts my ass.

Actually... good luck to all the plagiarists....I will not be here to explain everything that happens in Part 2!

Stupid people taking smart people's ideas just so they can receive praise. All they wanted was to feel good about themselves at my expense. They did not stop for a second to consider that this blogger right here had sacrificed time to eat and sleep just to come up with all of these ideas in the first place. All of my theories were a result of spending countless hours researching, rewatching episodes, and thinking about everything. Not to mention the many hours I spent writing and editing all these posts. These plagiarists also did not have to endure all the personal attacks I had received for all of my theories either. They received all the good things and none of the bad.

From Reddit to Facebook to Twitter, I am sick and tired of seeing so many people steal from me. I have had enough. I am trying to find the proper words to express how I feel right now, but I cannot. I am at a loss for words. I have never experienced this amount of plagiarism until now. Not when I wrote posts for TKEM, TOTNT, or DAYS. I cannot even think straight at this point.

For those who have done nothing wrong and have always given me credit for my ideas/theories, I want to thank you from the deepest parts of my heart. I am incredibly sorry for how things turned out.

To those who have come here to take more of my ideas/theories...

This will be my last T&A post for Part 1. I had written 11 pages and 5370 words, but thanks to all these plagiarists, I deleted nearly everything. What is left are some skeleton theories. I won't be including stuff about Part 2 and I will not be answering any more questions. For Part 2, I will be creating a separate password protected blog.

I do not even feel like saying "thinking caps on" anymore...

Shaman Choi and Jin Mu's Evil Plan

Past..Present..same but different.

Who's Jin Bu Yeon's Daddy?

Jang Gang.

Knowledge is Liberation

Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon-Jang Uk -Seo Yul

Jang Uk successfully gets Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon the Ice Stone.

Final Endgames

Jang Uk x Heo Yun Ok

Seo Yul x Jin Bu Yeon

Park Dang Gu x Jin Cho Yeon

Part 1 Ending

Takes place back on the icy lake from Ep1. Trapping of souls. Bad guys die. Bigger fish to fry at the western borders of Daeho.

Part 2

See ya in Seoho Fortress!

[radioactive-earthshine]

what exactly did the anomaly do? I've re-read the issues involving it many times but could never find a proper explanation. I know it changed some of the legionnaires that encountered it, but what exactly was it?

This is sort of a convoluted explanation so bear with me. I think it's a good opportunity to give a rundown of what this arc even was because there are layers.

Basically, The Anomaly is "The Fires of Creation" where an insurmountable and inconceivable amount of matter and energy was being released. It is also referred to as 'an entire cosmos in miniature' by Querl.

If you wanted to find a real approximation to it you could consider it (with comic logic added because these are comics) to be a new initial singularity.

An initial singularity is the state of the universe prior the quantum fluctuations which contributed to the sudden universe expanding (The Big Bang Theory). Just a dense point of... everything...

This is also why I feel Querl quoting Edward Tryon "Sometimes a universe just happens" was not an accident considering this physicist's research on quantum fluctuations while in the state of a vacuum.

Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #100

Legionnaires #58

Again, confirming that it is a source of infinite matter and energy. This is a comic book so this is possible.

Legionnaires #59

The Anomaly also distorts time and its perception, particularly for Mon El at this time who is particularly resistant to its creation energy.

Legionnaires #60

As the Legionnaires study the Anomaly they also get consumed by it, and when this happens they are "upgraded" in varying ways due to its massive amount of energy and creation 'ability'.

This voice on these pages are unknown at the time of reading, but there is a clue as to who is speaking which is none other than Time Trapper who often has pentagons for speech bubbles. Also, the reference to time is also a hint.

Legionnaires #61

Time Trapper states that their realm is very much like the Anomaly in that it is a plane that has total mastery over space, time and reality.

Time Trapper essentially is God to the Legionnaires in the 31st century and they have been everything from an ally to a villain to them - they really are a neutral force with an agenda that fluctuates all the time.

They see and know (almost) everything that will happen to them and depending their mood or alignment will either foil them, help them, or do nothing. In this run they decided to not tamper with their destinies and they were trying to aid them in their own way by forcing them to experience all those time shifts in the first place.

They did this to test them, to 'train' them, for this encounter with the Anomaly and all events associated with it - as they likely foresaw all of it.

I promise this is important.

Legionnaires #64

Where things got extremely bad and really confusing with The Anomaly was when Leland McCauley, Bezos of the 30th century, exploited it for personal gain as a power generator for instantaneous travel which Evolvo invented. He meant it as a competition to Brande's Stargates which unified the entire galaxy with fast travel. Leland hoped his teleportation device would make the Stargates obsolete and he, already a rich man, would be more rich.

The AP "Affiliated Planets", which was actually a front created by The Dark Circle being led by Querl's mother, jumped on this new technology and convinced Leland to work for them transporting their own forces in the galaxy. Due to Leland's greed, he agreed, and when they tried to teleport an entire fleet at once to wage war over Durla the Anomaly ruptured, trapping Time Trapper within it and thus stopping all time.

Legionnaires #64

So the Anomaly is not an infallible source of energy but it CAN trap Time Trapper which is a danger to all of reality. Up until this point, it was a neutral/positive entity whose potential depended entirely on how sentients used it.

Another recap can be read below for all of the events involving the specifics on the war and The Anomaly below.

Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #108

So The Anomaly was exploited by The Dark Circle (Querl's mother) and Leland, it ruptures, traps Time Trapper, the Legionnaires all band together, save it with a Stargate Drive as it links time/space without distortion and then poof... it's gone.

Time Trapper is free and time is restored, and at the end...

We never find out really WHAT the Anomaly is 100%, it's like gravity - we can explain how it behaves and what it does but we're not sure what it is, precisely. 🤷‍♀️

It's can distort space/time so what happened with the Legionnaires who got 'trapped' in it likely were exposed to its "Fires of Creation" and were just changed because it is a cosmic force and it just can do this.

Does it have a conscious? We don't know. Was it God? Maybe. Was it Time Trapper all along but a future version of them or an ancient version? Possibly. We don't know. It is a cosmic wad of fantasy energy that changes people.