#* let me take you far beyond the stars

[mashithamel]

Full spoilery reactions to S2E1 below the cut

- The Xray says this is TAR. How does someone bring their child to TAR? Why would someone bring their child to TAR? Or maybe she just dreamed herself there somehow and it’s not actually her mom?

- A while back I saw a really cool theory that it was in Amadicia and it was her house. It was based on the house being star shaped, and the map of cultures inspiring costumes for the Westlands.

- I miss the opening credits so much.

- I do not think I could be adequately motivated to take a bath if I had to haul that much water that far. Sponge baths only for me! She doesn’t really do this every day, right? Like, how would she get anything else done?

- I love the bath scene from S1E1 so much; this is such a sad parallel to that relatively happy scene.

- Rafe knows what his audience wants. Daniel does such a nice job showing how Lan is handling this without a word.

- Adeleas is all of us.

- I like that Moiraine is getting her visitors from TDR. And we actually get to have an idea of just what information they are bringing.

- Bayle Doman! I saw someone was unhappy he didn’t have the book facial hair. I didn’t think anyone would be disappointed in much of RJ’s hairstyle ideas being avoided. At the very least the Cairheinin and Maidens of the Spear are upgraded.

- This is not subtle Egwene foreshadowing with the Amyrlin dress.

- “I have enough character.” Yes you do, girl!

- I’ve seen plenty of people comment that learning a weave to decontaminate water is so much more useful for girls who may never advance beyond novices than juggling balls of light, but it’s so true it deserves yet another mention.

- I love that Nynaeve has no ability to meditate on a flower bud opening. I don’t think I could either.

- Interesting Nynaeve hasn’t channeled at all. She’s never been mad enough? Find that hard to believe.

- Nynaeve is my QUEEN. Don’t let those Aes Sedai boss you around.

- I wonder if Liandrin was the one who beat Moiraine, instead of Elaida like I assumed? Is that how a Novice died under her?

- Sheriam’s hair swirl on her chignon is amazing.

- Perrin’s clothes are definitely a step up.

- I fully support swapping in Elayas for Hurin. It works with canon and is a great way to introduce him.

- Yes, make the audience love Uno. This definitely will not come back to bite us later.

- I don’t see the fuss about Masema being hot. But the religious undertones are spot on.

- I love how they are visually showing us Perrin’s wolf-sense with the ability to see recent events. Also how he has to learn to not react to them.

- Does this mean the girl is still alive? Will we see her again? Will we have a child Darkfriend???

- I love how Lan bites off “she’s afraid,” as if even admitting to another Warder that his Aes Sedai is ever afraid is a betrayal, and he regrets the words slipping out. Daniel and Rosamund just get their characters so well.

- Is that how you pronounce Adeleas?

- Is it cool to say you’re available to be Warder for another Warder’s Aes Sedai’s? It seems like that would be super rude.

- A moon dial outside Cairhein, you say???

- That was a cool/cold move, Moiraine! At least she follows up her bargaining with genuine concern and just passes him ten marks like it’s nothing.

- How many takes did Rosamund need to say “The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills” that fast?

- I like Nynaeve with the Warders. She actually has some friends of her own in the Tower, unlike in the books. I love that they seem to care about her too.

- This Alanna scene is hilarious. Maddie playing up Egwene’s awkwardness and discomfort so physically is terrific.

- Egwene is wearing her hair like the other Novice’s do. It makes Nynaeve stand out more with her braid that she’s refusing to adapt, rather than that Egwene so readily adapts to whatever culture she is in. Or both, I guess.

- Kate Fleetwood kills in this kitchen scene. A very nice change from Suiane doing this to Liandrin. Ups the intensity because Linadrin is the more threatening one currently. Her distain for Warders—what great line delivery. But insult/threaten Lan and you (finally) provoke Nynaeve enough to make her channel.

- She saw it once and copied it!

- Nynaeve shielded is reacting an awful lot like Moiraine last season. Further support for the inverted weave shield theory! (I think it’s going to unravel on it’s own, like Asmodean’s, instead of Rand or Nynaeve fixing it. But I’m terrible at predicting the show.)

- “I want to see you become so powerful that no man, no woman will ever be able to take that away from you.” Such a great motivation. Probably not the right one for Nynaeve, but I think Linadrin really wants Nynaeve to succeed.

- “Why are you doing this for him?” “All men deserve a proper burial…Does it bother you that I’ve bestowed this small mercy on him?…Anger won’t bring my men back.” Random other fandom thought: this makes me think of the end of The Black Cauldron—it’s easy to judge good and evil unmixed.

- More Perrin struggling with his rage and violence.

- “Perhaps Fain had a reason for doing what he did.” What’s that Intar? Taking this conversation a bit personally, perhaps?

- Dang, Moiraine is cold. Couldn’t she, like, make up a mission to send Lan away on? Instead of trying to be so mean he leaves on his own?

- “Make it yourself. And have it wherever you want.” That would be a really cool line to storm out on if you didn’t immediately follow it up by making her a plate.

- How is it Bel Tine already?

- Perrin may not talk much, but the man can write a good letter.

- Liandrin just straight up lied here, right?

- Oh, my poor Mat. It’ll get better!

- I’m glad Perrin keeps his ring. And that he has a lantern for Rand.

- What, is it pick on Lan night? I mean asking them to wait is annoying. And he has kept trying to throw himself pity parties. But Moiraine is making it really personal for him! He’s justified in being frustrated and angry.

- “I think that’s the first time in my life someone’s told me I need to be quiet.”

- I want some na’an bread.

- Can Lan not sense the Fades because he doesn’t have the bond? Or were they shielded like the Drakhar like in the book?

- I was annoyed that Lan couldn’t take on two Fades, but then a read a thread of Fade encounters and two at once is a lot even for Lan. One at a time is doable but not guaranteed in canon.

- “Wing flutter” in the captions made me think maybe we’d get a Drakhar anyway.

- “What aren’t you telling me?” is a pretty heartbreaking way to end this scene.

[ohfuckimlucifer]

dm me for the links (these are all direct links, i can always recommend good sites if needed):

- this is a long post-

contents: shows, musicals, and movies

shows-

New Girl: s1, part of s2, still in process (this is this month’s project)

buffy the vampire slayer (s1-3 mostly complete still editing a few episodes beyond that more scattered. in progress)

random spn episodes from season 1, 4, 5

years and years (s1)

x-men evolutions (s1-4)

wynonna earp (s1-3)

warehouse 13 (s1-5)

veronica mars (s1-3)

tru calling (s1-2)

torchwood (s1-4)

the umbrella academy (s1-2)

the sarah jane adventures (s1-5)

the magicans (s1-5)

the great (s1)

the following (s1-3)

the flash (s1-6)

friends (s1-10)

the batman (s1-5)

supergirl (s1-5)

stitchers (s1-2)

stargirl (s1)

shetland (s1-5)

saving hope (s1-2)

sanctuary (s1-4)

runaways (s1-3)

raising dion (s1)

prodigal son (s1)

primeval (s1-5)

NIKITA (s1-4)

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (s1-3)

Merlin (s1-5)

Lost Girl (s1-5)

Legends of Tomorrow (s1-5)

Killjoys (s1)

Killing Eve (s1-3)

i hate suzie (s1)

house of anubis (s1-3)

his dark materials (s1)

hart of dixie (s1-4)

hannibal (s1-3)

grimm (s1-6)

good omens (s1)

fringe (s1-5)

firefly & serenity (s1)

eureka (s1-5)

emerald city (s1)

dollhouse (s1-2)

doctor who (1963-1989, 2005-Present0

deadly class (s1)

Constantine (s1)

code lyoko (s1-4)

cloak and dagger (s1-2)

Class of the Titans (s1-2)

Class (s1)

black lightning (s1-3)

birds of prey 2002 (s1)

batwoman (s1)

Arrow (s1-8)

Sabrina the teenage witch (s1-7)

how i met your mother (s5-6)

sherlock the empty hearse episode

movies-

legally blonde 

for a good time, call...

veronica mars

La femme nikita

Point of no return

Miss Fisher and the crypt of tears

serenity

ww84

harry potter (complete series)

the mummy (complete series)

the hunger games (complete series)

x-men of the future past

wolf children

v for vendetta

twelve monkeys

toy story 3

Titan AE

The Time Traveler’s Wife

The shape of water

the queen

princess diaries

phantom of the opera

greatest showman

the dark knight

chronicles of narnia private caspian

the colour of magic

tangled

star trek (2009)

spy school

spiderman far from home

rogue one

proffeser marston and the wonder women

perrier’s bounty

mission impossible ghost protocol

maze runner the death cure

kick-ass

justice league

jack of red hearts

inkheart

i kill giants

how to train your dragon

hocus pocus

galaxy quest

frozen 2

finding forester

fairy tale (the movie)

Easy A

definitely, maybe

crazy stupid love

caroline

chicago

chastity bites

bridge to terabithia

black panther

birds of prey and the fantabolous emancaptation of one harley quinn

batman gotham

away we go

anonoymous

an adventure in space and time

alice

alladdin

a league of their own

500 days of summer

27 dresses

17 again

the irshman

maleficant: mistress of evil

let it be

yellow submarine

help

magical mystery tour

how i won the war

hard day’s night

musicals-

waitress

xmas story

sunday in the park george

spongebob

school of rock

romeo and juliet

rent

picnic

phantom 

on your feet

miss saigon

mary poppins

Les Mis

jersey boys

into the woods

in the heights

hello dolly

hairspray

groundhog day

fiddler on the roof

dear evan hansen

cursed child

charlie and the choclate factory

carrie 

book of mormon

hamilton

beautiful

american pyscho

american idiot

amelie

3 muskeeters

hadestown

chicago

falsettos

legally blonde

tuck everlasting

the guy who didn’t like musicals

twisted

firebringer

sweeney todd

notes-

i did not create most of these, i do not take credit to them. they might not be the best ones but you can watch these on wifi that doesn’t have youtube or google drive blocked and that’s always importnat. like, what do you think imma do during algebra class. pay attention? 

[homogrimoire-archive]

The Remnant Branches

CH. 6 - The Woe of the Wretched

Part 3: A Sibling's Love

Having completed his mission for Oz already, James returns to Jakob to deliver some unfortunate news. After, he begins his peaceful quest to search for any astronomical information this world may hold. This first takes him to the library in the nearby village.

AO3 Link

The elevator reached the surface with the sound of its old doors creaking open. Ironwood was feeling ambivalent, however. On one hand, his mission was complete, and he had five days left to do as he pleased. On the other hand, reviewing the video tapes revealed that the mother had perished in the factory while running away from her children with a man. It is only human to want to be free from burden too. Ironwood knew he had to at least tell Jakob that harsh truth.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. You were in there for a while.” said Jakob as James entered the door.

“Yes, I’m fine, but, there’s no easy way to say this.” From the look on Jakob’s face, Ironwood could tell he already knew what was coming.

“It’s my mom, huh? It’s alright. Nier already told me. He said he found her on his way back, and brought me back some of her perfume.” he said sadly.

“How are you holding up?”

“I’ll be alright. And Gideon will come around eventually. … I just-” he let out a sigh. “I just don’t know what to feel now. It hurts that she left us, but I know this was all too much for her. She just wanted to be happy, and her happiness didn’t involve us, but I still love her. We had some good times, and she did try for a time, and she is my mom. I just can’t bring myself to hate her. I feel like I should be stronger, and not even cry for her. Is that bad?” he asked, eyes watery and voice on the verge of cracking. Ironwood thought for a moment.

“I will be honest, I can’t understand how you feel, so take this as a grain of salt: I don't think you’re wrong for wanting that. Ultimately, she hurt you, her child. But understand this,” James got down on a knee to be eye level with him, “you are strong. From all my years, I’ve learned that it's easier for people to hate than it is to love. It takes a lot of strength to love, especially after what she did. And look around you!” James got up and motioned him to look at the shop around him. “Despite everything, you’ve managed to run this shop and become an excellent blacksmith, all while taking care of your brother all on your own. That is no small feat, especially for someone your age. This is a tough time for you, but you will get through it. You are strong.”

“Thanks mister Ironwood.” Jakob sniffed. “I needed that. It's gonna be hard, but things will be alright. I think she would want us to be alright too. And besides, I still have Gideon.”

“I’m glad. Oh, and here’s some junk I collected on the way. I figured you could use it.” Ironwood tossed a bag full of scrap onto the counter.

“Sweet! Thanks!” he exclaimed happily.

“No problem Jakob. … It looks like I’ll be on my way now.”

“Alright, stay safe now. There are a lot more shades out there than here in the Junk Heap.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve faced all sorts of monsters before.” With a final wave goodbye, James closed the door behind him and made his way to the exit. He was never the best at goodbyes or any sort of closing remarks.

As he walked, he thought about how Jakob could still love his mother after what she did. However, he knew he would have to be content in knowing that he would never understand it. A child’s love for their parent was a powerful thing.

He rememberd that Nier told him that there was a library in his village just across the plains. He hoped he could get lucky and find some old star charts or any sort of astronomical information. While Remnant was overall more technologically advanced, this world had traveled into space, well beyond their atmosphere.

From the information stored at the factory, he learned that this world had sent people to their unbroken moon, set artificial satellites in orbit around their planet, and sent machines to study planets billions of miles away. It amazed Ironwood so, and he intended to learn as whatever he could from this world’s knowledge on outer space. It was about time he treated himself to enjoying his little hobby.

Astronomy was something that always interested him. So much of it was unknown. There was a sense of serenity in that. It was a place free of the chaos of a cruel world. He considered that space could be chaotic too, but in its own ways, ways much less cruel. Space is an exotic, previously unknown beauty to him. He dreams that it is a place free of duty and worry, where people are safe, and will never have to worry about the cruelest cruelties of life. Salem, Grimm, murder, and needless suffering are absent there in his dream.

However, more than that, much more than that, a part of him believes something. It is the part of him where his last shred of innocence exists, the part where he holds onto hope for a merciless and unforgiving world. It believes that there, he can finally love.

-

After about half an hour fighting aggressive shades across the plain, James finally arrived at the gates of the village. He knocked on the large door, and waited. Looking up, he saw a man looking down on him over the side of the top of the gate, and disappeared from view, shouting an ‘okay’ that led to the gate opening. A guard gave a grunt of acknowledgement as he passed. It was a quiet place, and nothing like Atlas. By the fountain, he noticed a woman at a fountain singing a song. It helped calm him after the heavy, heart racing, fighting.

Ku ata

Tsu no-o va-lai

Tzud-e jei

Fo-aul ae kai

She seemed like she could help him.

“Excuse me, miss, would you happen to know where the library is?” he asked her.

“Do I look like a tourist guide to you?” she said curtly. Ironwood didn’t know what to say. “I’m just joking with ya.” she laughed. “It’s that building at the top of the hill.” she pointed out. “I’m Devola, and if you need any help finding something, ask my sister Popola. She’ll be in the room on the second floor to the right.”

“Alright, thank you.” he waved as she resumed her song. He just hoped his encounter with the other sister wouldn’t be like that.

The library had all its books stacked up its walls, leaving it a rather open space. At first, he aimlessly wandered around, scanning the spines of the books he passed. So far, he hadn’t found what he was looking for, and decided to give Popola a visit. At a shelf next to the base of the stairs was a little girl struggling to reach a book. Her hair was a silvery white, akin to Nier’s. He noted that similarity. He reached for the book and handed it to her.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you mister!” she said with a bright smile. She took a seat at the stair’s first step and began to read the simple book. Aside from her pale skin, which could be attributed to a lack of sunlight, odd considering the eternal sun, she did not look sick to him. Once at the top of the stairs, he turned right and knocked on the door.

“Come in!” she shouted, and Ironwood entered. “Oh, a new face. Not often you see one of those. How can I help you?” she said, looking up from the paperwork on her desk.

“I’m looking for books on astronomy, or any information you have on it really.” he said.

“Hmm… Astronomy… I don’t recall there being any books on that here, but-”

“DEVOLA, HURRY, QUICK!” screamed a voice downstairs.

“Crap, crap, crap!” she fearfully repeated as she leaped over her desk and bounded downstairs. James made sure to get out of her way, and looked downstairs once she had past him.

At the bottom of the stairs was the girl from earlier. She was curled up, wincing in pain as a darkness enveloped her arms and legs. There seemed to be some lettering in it. It had almost seemed familiar to James, but it faded before he could more clearly see it.

However, he knew for sure that this was Nier’s daughter, Yonah, with her silver-white hair and some sickness that could only be the Black Scrawl. It was unlike any kind of sickness he had seen before. He saw Devola scoop her up in her arms and leave the library.

He made his way down the stairs and picked up the book she dropped, A picture book titled The Wizard of Oz. Amused at the title, but otherwise uninterested in it, he placed it back on the shelf. Aesop’s Fables, Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears were among the selection of books with colored pictures and big fonts.

Realizing he was the children’s section, he went back upstairs to browse another random section. He managed to find what he assumed was the philosophy section, based on the titles. It was filled with names unknown to him, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx, Karl Grün, Simone de Beauvoir, Georg Hegel, Zhuangzi, Mozi, and many more.

He picked up a book by Karl Marx and flipped through it. Interestingly, none of its words were capitalized. He assumed it was a printing error. Once he saw that it concerned economics as well, and he quickly put it back. He dealt with enough economics back home, and had no desire to read about it on his little vacation. He owed himself that much, even if he was starting to feel guilty for taking such a long break from his work. He managed to find the romance section, but quickly found that none of it was to his taste. Romance as a genre was he never really understood the appeal of anyways.

Eventually, he settled on a titleless book that was at the top of a first floor shelf. It seemed mysterious, and therefore interesting.

There was an android who was set to oversee a small village. Her name was Skald, and embedded in her was the incredible power of an ancient song from another world. The song allowed her to help and manage her village in incredible ways, but, it soon corrupted her and the villagers. As a result, her creators had her and the village destroyed.

Learning from their failure, the scientist removed the magical power of the song. Despite having less power than before, she still ran and oversaw the village well enough. Her creators were pleased and began to make plans for mass production. While her creators did that, she had grown close to another woman in her village. They did lots together, so much so that many began to believe they were sisters. And soon, they began to refer to themselves as sisters. The scientist saw that there was an increase in her performance during this time.

However, the woman died in an unfortunate and sudden accident, leaving Skald all alone. Her performance decreased greatly as a result, and she was eventually decommissioned. She was not saddened at the revelation of her fate. In fact, she seemed grateful. However, the scientists were saddened by their creation. They created something near immortal that could love, and would more often than not have that love ripped away from them eventually.

In honor of their creation, they learned from their cruel mistake. Skald was renamed Popola, the nickname given to her by the woman and villagers, and she would have a twin to be by her side. Her name would be Devola, after the woman who loved Skald as a sister. “Together, they could sing a song that would calm and heal the heart. Together, they would face an otherwise lonely existence. Together, love would allow them to survive a cruel world.” was the ending of the short story.

Ironwood wasn’t sure what to exactly think of the story. He wondered why someone would write such a preposterous backstory about their village leaders. But then his thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. In came the younger sister, Devola, who went to meet him.

“Good, you’re still here. Sorry about earlier.”

“It’s alright, things happen. Will she be alright?”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine, she just needs some rest and medicine. She’ll be back here tomorrow I’m sure, unless Nier gets back soon. But Popola wanted me to pass a message. She said that you should try the Lighthouse at the Seafront south of here, or the desert civilization east of here. There's a store there where you might find what you’re looking for.” She pointed in the directions he should go.

“Alright, thank you.” James said happily. “Oh, and before I forget and you might want to check out this book.” he said, handing her the book he read earlier. ‘“I can’t imagine why anyone would write something like this, and I think you wouldn’t want it in here.” Curiously, she took the book and glanced at the cover and its back, and quickly flipped through its pages.

“Ha! This is a strange little book. Thanks for catching it. Here, take this to keep it between us.” she tossed him a small sack that rattled. James opened it to find coins in it.

“Are you sure? I don’t think you need to give me this. It-”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” she calmly interrupted. “You just go and have your fun.”

“Well, alright. Thank you then.”

As he walked to the eastern gate, he wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. However, he simply just could not imagine it. A sibling’s love was something he never felt, and would never feel. He wondered if he should feel sad about that or not.

-

We give the finality of death. Iron skin draws out fear and terror, and is bathed in flesh. We are satisfied by the snatching of life. We realize our purpose through the crushing of the bodies. In our delight, we spread death far and wide. We are the iron will. We kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

This interloper knows what he does as he slashes the blade on the way to his destination.

He knows there is blood on his hands, and accepts it readily, for he knows he must.

What he does is as just as it is unjust.

He knows this, and slashes again.

It must be done, so he believes.

Anyone can do this, so long as they think they are right.

[perpetuallyconfuzzled]

For the Human Research and Information Central,

Humans are truly creatures of horror, nothing can really prepare you for what they can and WILL do, as commander of the star fleet Inova 221B I had the foolish thought that a human crew member wouldn’t be much harder to handle then a Silvenian and their horrid appetites or a Olivarie’er with their humongous size; I have never been so wrong in my entire life.

I met Miss. Caballero a few cycles ago, she was much smaller and… softer looking than I expected, the large (too ridiculously large) manual that came to prepare for her arrival did mention to not take their passive exterior lightly but this must be an extreme case, she’s barely half our height and her tiny complexion seemed to also be rare among other humans if her defensiveness implied anything, but she knew her way around the armory and battlefield so I brush away all signs of doubt. At first, we had trouble with her pronouncing my name, which is perfectly normal since most of my crew lack my species fragmented mandible, and after that, there was trouble with accommodating her quarters to her smaller size but all that wasn’t difficult no… the difficult part was everything else with this wild endoskeletal female.

Her attachment to the crew was instantaneous, having the same excessive protectiveness a Gonobar mother would to her hatchlings, if any of us was feeling gloomier or was in peril she would immediately come after us even if you never asked for such help, if you were a willing sacrifice or had no other choice. As you know, my ship was attacked and invaded by a mercenary vessel long ago, for the sake of my crew and all the passengers on board I stepped towards the lowlife criminal’s ship and left my whole authority towards LoRa, my second in command. The plan was simply for me to cause enough of a distraction to let my crew jump into hyper speed… I had never expected for Caballero to jump down from the vents at the last second and attack the Gloran with such quick ferocity, their canons not having any effect on her skin (Apparently human bodies are made of too much water for old velimian canons) she screamed in rage at the mercenaries who, once discovering we had a human of all things as our battle expert they retreated without any fight, it seemed they had met with similar humans and were not willing to fight another in their life. Another time, the ship broke down and we docked on an empty planet with a dangerous climatical change were we planned to wait until help was available, our supplies were quickly dwindling and she ran toward the dunes were we expected the worse only for her to come back star time later almost at deaths door with possible fuel and food. She swam on highly salted water for ‘fun’ and stayed floating on that toxic nightmare for hours on end. She didn’t sleep for 4 star time straight just so she could finish calibrating all 200 canons and pistols, just to collapse once she had fed herself and wake up completely fine after less than a star time of rest. She wasn’t afraid of the Olivarie’er at all, just mentioning how he looked like a big toy from her home planet, I fear what these ’teddy bears’ must be. She bonded with the ship itself, falling into deep distress if anything happened to it and raging over any scratch, taking all attacks on the ship itself as personal as us any insult. If she’s under no supervision on any planet she WILL go and befriend all life on planet.

Everything was just as the manual had warned us… what the manual has never warned us about was the side effects this human bond would cause in all of us. It has no chapter on what to do once a human-crew bond has gone so beyond its peak, that the crew itself start reacting as a human would. less than a cycle ago we got into another attack but this time by more than lowly criminals, they were a band of dangerous traffickers. We were able to land and have the battle outside the ship much to our engineers relief; the battle was going on our favor until one of them threw a dargan bomb causing everyone to fall down at the sudden strong pulse wave except for our human who, being much smaller and lighter than us, was sent flying into the air and hit the side of the ship with a loud bang falling loudly and motionless on the floor. We all stood silently as we saw the human, the most feared and terrifying creature the universe had to offer, lay on the ground without any signs of standing up. Cycles ago I would have immediately surrendered or ordered a retreat, if they had taken the human down then staying would be foolish and a suicide, the correct course of action would be to stand back and wait for our backup at distance but we did no such thing, seeing our human down didn’t make us feel fear, far from it actually… we were LIVID. LoRa gave a thundering roar, and I myself let one out just as aggressive. I felt overwhelmed by such protectiveness, anger, and impulsiveness. With my logic shutting down and something entirely new taking place I stood and barked my order to attack at full force with everyone already moving as if my order was the obvious curse of action to follow.     Was this what she felt in every battle? is this what all humans feel when those they bond to are threatened? 
We fought with a strange sense of recklessness that scared and caught our enemies off guard, we were standing up for longer and taking more hits than we ever thought possible; for a brief moment, I felt like a god. We stood our ground until help arrived and we were finally able to breath shaking under the tremendous strain we subjected our bodies to, the limits we broke, all for a little human. Our human luckily survived and has just recently finished her recovery from three broken bones (Recovering from a broken bone? They are truly monsters) and keeps exclaiming how proud she is of all ‘her fam’

Humans on their own are terrifying, but what humans can make others do? that's even scarier

Signed Captain Ae-n’DaHGar from Inova 221B

[iacon-stargazer]

"The rainy Pleiads wester/Orion plunges prone/The stroke of midnight ceases/And I lie down alone.//The rainy Pleiads wester/And seek beyond the sea/The head that I shall dream of/That will not dream of me." By AE Housmann. I wanted to give you a poem this week that mentions your constellation as well as your emotional quandary. Orion and the narrator lie down together yet distant from any comforting face. But they will find one, somber stargazer

Orion turns his face towards the sky. The night is clear, and the breeze that blows is just enough to tickle his plating.

It’s like a caress, almost. If he shutters his optics, he can imagine Ratchet’s servos ghosting over him, just enough to make him shiver.

His spark aches.

The loneliness bites far too loudly at him today, his spark buzzing with too much emptiness and memories he can never quite place. It’s all the more deafening in the silence beyond Iacon’s borders. He needs the silence though, sometimes, the long drives that take him out here. Without it, that mournful cry inside him grows louder until he’s dizzy from it. Alone he can find peace.

The wind and stars keep him company as he sits against an outcropping of some undefined mineral, curling to shield his face behind his knees. That no one is here to see him is a relief; this has always felt unexplainably private, a burden that’s his alone to bear. Soft sobs begin to wrack his frame as he finally lets the tears flow.

He doesn’t know whom he cries for, only that they are lost.

[keevansixx]

Et Tu...Elohim?

 Ahh, welcome welcome...do have a seat...I'm so very pleased you accepted my humble invitation, and i'm quite certain you have millions of questions floating around in you head that will be answered in the course of time, but for the interim, I will start by saying this....

Someone, glancing up at the heavens in distant longing, once penned the phrase "We are all made of stars.." never realizing how close to the ancient truth they truly were. And if they were ever privy to what really happened those many tragic millennia ago, the burden of that knowledge would surely drive anyone to  madness. and a slow debilitating self inflicted death.

That's why human rationalization came up with all the stories, tales, myth, and legends. Not as an entertaining tool to while away a long winter's frigid spell, or frighten young children into eating their sprouts and greens, but as a way to remember those old truths long since dead and buried...

Sadly, the old ways have been filtered down throughout the ages by untold countless orators, each handing a story down from eldest to youngest through the passages of time, until the original truths, that were such basis of those stories, were buried under the fanciful machinations of each speakers time, or frame of reference to such a degree, that any such ancient wisdom to be gleaned was long since altered from it's original intent, into fanciful flights of creative imagination that serve now more as a guide to future humans, a bit of entertaining fluff with moral lessons, than as a warning of things to come, or what has been, and ever shall be again.

What I am about to tell you is of utmost importance to prepare you for what is yet to come. You may call them prophesies, soothsaying, mad unhinged ramblings, or whatever terminology you may deem fit to interpret as you see best, and to create a frame of reference that your mind can somewhat comprehend (or at least reasonably accept to some degree) and hopefully, somewhere in this exchange, you will find the resolve to see the great work fulfilled, and finally close the last chapter of this story for good.

Ahh, I see your puzzled expression, and assure you everything is quite alright for the moment, be at peace...no need to fret just so yet...all is well...but first, as all ancient decorum dictates, needs must come an introduction, followed by an explanation, a choice, and finally...if all goes swimmingly...hope.

Who am I?, you ask. Well...lets just say, for simplicities sake, that I have existed for a very very long time. Far longer than you've known recorded history to exist, and if I were to divulge the actual truth of the matter, you would think me insane, and most likely storm off in a flurry of self righteous indignation, then report me to the nearest psychological institution as a raving lunatic who needs saving from itself afore someone gets hurt. Let me assure you, I'm neither insane, going insane, nor inclined to prance naked through the gardens at midnight during a full moon (though, I would highly recommend trying the latter exercise at least once or twice in your lifetime as it is highly a soul cleansing liberating experience to free oneself from the constraints of polite society every now and then.) and am most astoundingly sane, given my personal knowledge of events that have transpired before, and one day, shall be again.

If I had to place a label on my existence (as the human animal is often want to do) I would say that I am a watcher....the last man on the wall, the keeper of the arcane, the wise old bastard in the shadows, that old person sitting on the street corner with the little small dog...with the hat on the pavement and the tiny sign begging for change, the alchemist, the weaver, the dreamer, the wordsmith, the alpha, the bard, the Sassenach, Oracle, doomsayer, destroyer of dreams, the original nightmare, the balance, the harlequin, or any number of descriptive titles they've used to understand the knowledge I possess down through the ages....but for simplicities sake, for the time being....you can call me Adam....

Now that the introductions are formally met, it is high time I explain to you the nature of why you are here, how you came to find me, and hopefully....a choice.

It all starts with a simple phrase told throughout history from the oldest to youngest with the magical incantation...."Once upon a time...."

 Once upon a time, before things became written down, and the stories altered beyond what was true, there was a little blue gem of a world orbiting a small star. Nestled in the outer regions of a young galaxy at war with itself, this tiny world became the nexus of a great conflict.

Oh, it never started out as such...for a long time, it simply existed. Turning from a fiery amalgamation of dust and stone, to a lush living world capable of supporting life in all it's splendor. As time passed, the young world was visited by beings from afar, and as each one came and went, they left their small marks upon the young earth, leaving behind traces of themselves everywhere they touched down. As I said, war had come to the little blue gem in the middle of nowhere, as it had for billions of years on countless other worlds. Those races in conflict had used the earth as a waystation many times on their way to other parts of the galaxy. Sometimes they fought, many times they died, and every trace of them crumbled to the dust and ash of a young planet as if they had never been.

I could go on, recounting all the little changes their petty wars wrought upon the earth, but quite frankly, that would take more years in the telling than you have left upon this plane of existence, and I'm a little pressed for time this century, so I'll gloss over the boring bits, and try to keep it as simple as I can for you to understand....now where was I?

Ahhh, yes....a great cosmic war, and in the center of this region of the galaxy, the earth. now, at this point in time, I must point out that at the height of this great war, many races existed upon the surface of the earth.....not because they wanted to, mind you...but because this planet offered much in the way of rest and recovery (not to mention basic resources) from an endless pointless war. Think of it as somewhat of a truce...a sort of cold war pact between races that they would not try to annihilate each other while stopping on their way to the next big battle. Of course, sometimes things don't always go according to plan, and accidents do happen from time to time, but I digress...The earth became a sort of neutral ground for conflicting species. They, somewhat begrudgingly, existed upon this planet, before your ancestors learned to walk erect, and pick up sticks to dig grubs out of the ground.

That's where I sort of come into our little tale, you see, an accident of sorts, not out of spite nor malice, but a simple miscalculation that set me upon my current path. And the reason I say it is "our tale" is because sometimes... things happen for no reason at all other than sheer chance. It was sheer chance that humans encountered pathogens that altered their DNA, It was blind luck that out of the myriad billions of pathogens carried from distant worlds to ours, humans encountered the ones that started them on the path to sentience. You could call it fate, or destiny, or divine order......whatever gives you comfort and helps you to sleep soundly at night. But the harsh truth of humanity is.... we were an accident created by hands not our own, and when the other races learned of our existence, believe me, there was hell to pay. Some of the races wished to exterminate the entire species strain, for they saw us not as new lifeforms worthy of preservation, but a perversion of their own genetics, blaming each other for the "accident" and wishing to reconcile the matter before the contamination was irreversible. Other races saw us as a potential, or means to an end, wishing to nurture the new species like a proud parent holding a newborn for the first time, and then there were races ambivalent to humanity in general, wishing to neither help, nor harm, the new flesh whatsoever. They sort of tolerated humanity much like an elderly couple shaking their canes and telling children to "keep off their lawn".

This went on for quite a very long time, relatively speaking, humans existing underfoot of stellar beings, all the while learning from each new experience, from the stone age, to antiquity. I like to remember that early age as the age of myth and legend.  You see, that's where many of our oldest stories started from...humans seeing things they cannot explain, and trying to place into words the things they seen while walking hand in hand with life not of this world.

I could tell you of the fair folk.....I think your stories called them "the Fey" or "the Aes Sidhe" such creative license you lot prescribed to them, when in all truthfulness, yes... they were beautiful (at least by human reckoning), yes... they were powerful (of course, back then it was easy to misinterpret all technology as a form of magic.) but they were also arrogant, cruel, spiteful, and clever....when they finally left earth in their stern viewports to pursue other targets, I breathed a slight sigh of relief....and wished they never to return. For all they did, and didn't do, humans still worship them like some misguided child, never knowing the horrors that could have been inflicted on them in those early days. Though, to be fair, there were a few that I had wished stayed behind, they were not like their counterparts, and viewed humanity with whimsy, bringing laughter and joy wherever they roamed....I miss those moments.

I could tell you of the Asir, but then again, I assume you are familiar with all the scandanavian myth and legends surrounding them. Warlike, fierce, proud....when they fought amongst the stars, worlds broke and shattered, stars dimmed with their passing. As with all things, they too, moved on to greener pastures and different wars, yet leaving their marks upon an impressionable young race called humanity.

Or the beings whom inhabited what you know as south America....I feared for humanity then, for those masters were not partial to us in any way, shape, or form. And when they left for their home worlds, those humans left behind in their shadow worshiped them with blood and fire, begging them to return, I hope they never do...

The Vatara, and their vimanna...I assume you are well versed in Hindu mythology? good....when their race landed upon the earth, the wars were mostly over with, with a few skirmishes over the skies that made it into folklore. For the most part, their race was benevolent towards humanity, with a few notable exceptions, but then again....all those early interstellar races had their quirks, but the Vatara....well, they did it with style. 

Asian mythology? The Yi's. Yes...they too were beings from another world who came by for a visit. And like all powerful races, they came and went as they pleased. But for the most part, they were pretty neutral about the whole "humanity" thing, and they did give a few tidbits off their table to the new race on the block. I mean, paper...come on! that was sheer brilliance...without it, the humans would be still scratching away on stone walls and clay tablets. thank the Yi's for that one. 

Egyptian mythology....astronauts.

Hebrew mythology.....astronauts.

every mythology.....yep....astronauts. (I know...I know....right at this moment you've got that weird crazy haired guy pic in your minds eye holding up two hands and saying "Aliens"...and I know it sounds far fetched, and that maybe you need a strong drink and some tin foil to swaddle your head in, but they are not all wrong in their assumptions. I'm not saying they are all absolutely right either, but the shades of truth are still there within the periphery of that narrative should you choose to chase that rabbit down the hole, so to speak.)

Let me tell you about dragons for a moment....don't laugh! you think they are all children's stories, but I've seen the real thing. beautiful, graceful, deadly...the perfect weapon for fighting a protracted aerial assault in atmosphere. They were loyal to a fault, tough as hell, and when they flew in formation it was perfection achieved. What's the difference? Well, different races...different aesthetics, for one. the beings who inhabited Asia preferred sinuous curves, and graceful lines than those of their nemesis across the continent. Asian dragons were known for their fluidity in battle, forming complex aerial patterns that were hard to beat in a dogfight. Their European counterparts were gene crafted to be stocky, hardier, more of a short term strike brawler than the long protracted aerial siege engines of the Asians. The Fey crafted thousands of their brawlers for every 10 of Yi's dragons....you think I am kidding? Kid, I've seen carnage across the skies the likes of beyond description when the Fey and the Yi had a squabble over a little patch of land that separated their regions from each other. Rivers burned, and mountains crumbled till all that remained was ash and ruin. I've seen millions dead, and smelled the stench of decay for thousands of years.

 Heh, why are there no remains of dragons in fossil record, you ask? Yeah, you'd think there would be something left, wouldn't you? You'd be dead wrong...see, the thing with a bio-weapon, is that once you start leaving stuff behind on the battlefield, your enemies could easily take that knowledge, and theoretically turn it against you, eventually. That's why they put genetic failsafe's in the code of those great beasts. Many simply burned to ash, or exploded into massive fireballs, or rotted away to nothing where they landed. Their DNA forever lost to the ravages of time. But it was something to see...way back then. Of course, after everyone left, there were a few holdout remnants of those once great beasts, making their way into mythology and folklore, and as with all things, passed away into dreams and legend....but they did exist here once upon a time. Who knows, somewhere out there beyond the stars, they may still be gliding on the thermals of distant worlds, doing what they were designed to do. I wish you could have seen them.

Look, I could tell you every interstellar race that ever came to this planet, but to make this story more concise, let's just say that every pantheon you have ever heard of, every religion you've ever seen, every story you've ever heard in your lifetime, all had a glimmer of truth buried deep within that has been altered with the passing years by human hearts telling the oldest of stories in the newest of ways. And that sliver of truth is this: they all came from the stars....and left their marks upon the human race.

Oh oh oh,....I almost forgot to tell you....the Great Experiment. Well, that's what I call it at any rate, but human mythology simply refers it by another word....Atlantis. Oh, don't roll you eyes as me young one....the great experiment came at great cost, and even greater sacrifice than you could ever imagine.

 Let me just say this....by the time of the great experiment, the wars that were raged across the cosmos were mostly over. I say mostly, because no matter how warm and fuzzy it makes you feel to think that everyone just one day dropped their armaments eventually, and shook hands, turning swords into plowshares, and singing KumBiYah around a campfire, the real history is just this....old animosities never die, they just get buried underneath diplomacy, bureaucracy, and routine, till both sides eventually forget what ever the hell they went to war for in the first place, moving on with their existences as best they can, while remaining largely distant to their neighbors in the great cosmic 'hood. Distance...makes the best fences, they always say, and so the other races tried to put as much distance between themselves as imaginatively possible, while maintaining a modicum of respectable decorum between themselves. Hence the great experiment.

 Now, you must understand that during this time, the human race had developed sufficiently, both mentally and socially, to start writing stuff down, and when ol' Plato recorded his story of Atlantis in Timaeus and Critias all those years ago, he just wasn't giving lip service to an analogy of state versus outside influences. He was 3rd partying events that actually happened, but in his own biased human way.

Atlantis was a jewel, filled with the remnants of all those interstellar races (humans included...think of us early humans as party crashers. We weren't exactly invited, but we showed up anyway, and well, they tolerated our presence without too much pretext....that's how we sort of wormed our way into their company...blind endearing curiosity, eagerness, helpfulness, all those traits that didn't annoy our interstellar visitors...so they basically let us hang and learn) whom had, as yet, to flee back to the stars or return home. It was a lovely place, filled with the kind of people you'd really love to party with given the chance, and everyone got along for the most part. There were comings and goings of a dozen or more races, as they zipped to and fro between their outposts, knowledge was exchanged freely....think of it as coin of the realm, with vast libraries cataloging the wealth of knowledge into great halls for everyone to share. There was peace and prosperity for a time, and it looked like humanity was on the fast track to join their interstellar neighbors soon, as the human race in Atlantis was like kids in a candy store, going respectfully buck wild, and soaking up the knowledge faster than a sponge, or like a kid whipping down pixie sticks with a jolt cola chaser. Damn, it was good to be alive in those days...there was peace, stability, prosperity for the human race. I could spend years perusing the stacks at the great library, and I tried to every chance I got. learning the histories of hundreds of worlds, seeing all the different technology up close and personal, meeting different races over drinks and nibbles, while dreaming of a bright and glorious future that lay before us. It was the closest thing to heaven for me, than I would ever see again.

That's when the troubles started. Seemed innocent enough at first, we were learning how to harness the atom, bending space/time to our whims, almost about to make that breakthough with fusion technology, when things went all tits up, and ended with a massive explosion and drowning beneath the waves.

Now, for the record, please don't hold humanity accountable for all that had transpired there, we were curious.....maybe a little too curious for our own good, and the other interstellar races were mostly amused at our endeavors, and for the most part helpful when they deemed it necessary to intervene on our behalf, lest we do something incredibly stupid, and accidentally crack the earth in twain from a misaligned core. But those damn Athenians! jealous bastards the lot of them...couldn't wait and play nice like the rest of humanity...nooooOOOOOoooo, they just had to be the ultimate buzzkill. *sigh* lets just say, a small party of them felt threatened at all we had accomplished there, going on about sovereignty and states rights, the rights of man, and how we Atlanteans were threatening their very existence, when all we wanted to do was party and learn, trying to be good little humans, and not step on the daffy Athenian buggerers like all the other star races had done before to humanity. When they raided the research centers and literally axed (i'm not kidding, they took an axe...a stupid bronze axe) and fractured a fusion core setting off a fatal chain reaction....the mantle moved...not rumbled, not a tremor, nor an earthquake....moved, as in Hebrew biblical Armageddon moved. Many of us made it out, but not enough for my tastes, so many lost...all that knowledge....poof....gone in one night. A lifetimes work gone in a blue/green flash because a bunch of stupid humans felt threatened. but that's life for you.....you make it to the top, only to have the proverbial rug yanked out from under you when you least expected it. The Athenians cheered, we wept, buried what remained of our dead, and moved on with our lives as best we could given the circumstances.

The party was over as far as the space faring races were concerned. and over the course of a couple of thousand years, they eventually left taking all their toys with them in the process....so much lost...

The saddest departure was of the Vatara, they championed the cause of humanity the most, as I saw the last of their beautiful vimanna exit the skies, I shed tears at their passing. The Yi's with their dragons, The Asir astride their giant war horses, their beautiful Valkyrie singing songs of old celestial battles, Yahweh and his amazing sciences. Even those beings of the central Americas....they may have been cruel, but some of them were kind, as with all the star races, and I like to think I was their friend, in some small measure, and hope they remember me fondly wherever they ended up in the cosmos. They were my friends and teachers, and I miss them....

The remnants of the Fey were the last to go. I spat on the ground, at the sight of their ships leaving the atmosphere, good riddance, they were the cruelest to humanity after Atlantis's fall. They blamed humanity for everything. The cruelest blow is when a beautiful friendship turns sour, and all that was once joyous and good turns to naught but ash in your mouth...To those Fey who were kind at the end, I beg forgiveness for the human race. We were still young then, and will make mistakes from time to time, hold not the future of our species in ill regards going forward...I cherish the fond memories we made together in the Mediterranean.

we tried again, you know...we humans....to uphold those ideals the others instilled into humanity all those centuries ago, in our own limited way of course. As each age passed, we tried again and again and again. The Babylonians, who worshiped an aerial sand skiff one of the races used to cross the desert, and left busted down outside a goat herders tent, I gave it a once over, and figured out it was a simple misalignment of the grav core due to sand fouling in the intake manifold. A couple of swift kicks to free the fouling, and the thing worked good as new...that is until that moment when that fool Marduk crashed landed it in the town square. *sigh* they thought he was a deity, and spun one hell of a yarn about the whole affair, I just shook my head and walked away.....once human get their minds wrapped around something it's almost impossible to change.

  The library at Alexandria, now that was a tragic loss....we tried so hard to reclaim a 10th of the knowledge we lost when Atlantis fell, but the human race had grown stubborn in our isolation, and everything burned....again. The wonders...monuments and structures built to honor those whom departed using ancient knowledge to craft....so much lost.

Ah, Egypt....that was a funny time....they actually thought they could build a giant radio transmitter to contact those beings out there who once occupied their lands, using geometric stone to build a transmitter...some nonsense about stellar alignment, harmonic resonance, and ridiculously huge funky radio tubes they fashioned out of silica glass, meteorite filaments,and powered by vinegar in a makeshift battery....I told them it would never work, as the power output necessary to accomplish such a task was well beyond their technological capabilities...still, had to give them points for trying (three more times, to be exact, each one crazier and bigger than the one before it).

The hanging gardens....I am sad for their passing, we tried to save every remnant of the other races unintended "gifts" to humanity. So many plants lost to time, there were even genuine cures there. The visitors genetically modified domestic plant species to meet their needs... medicines, foods the likes of which will never be seen again. At one time, whole fields of plants that served unique purposes, could be harvested, refined, turned into raw materials to fashion the most astounding things.......what...you think I got to be this old with a wave of a magic wand, and a few mumbo jumbo words? When I say cures, I mean CURES with a capital C. They made this one concoction with the roots, bark, and leaves of a beautiful heart shaped plant that was bitterly destroyed when the gardens fell. I remember at the beginning being offered a cup by the Yi's...they called it "elixir vitae" a battlefield medicine used to treat serious wounds. Humans would later go on to give it more fanciful nomenclatures as time progressed, but to most interstellar visitors, it was go go juice to keep the troops alive and fighting. It was bittersweet, burned with a pleasant warmth, and got you slightly high the more you consumed it (as Pink Floyd would later go on to sing...quite comfortably numb). I loved it, it kept me going through decades of research, and more than one close scrape or two....unfortunately, for all species involved, it had the unforeseen curious side effect of completely arresting the aging process in the human animal, saturating the cells in a chemical cocktail of cellular metabolic arresting clusterfeck that left the unfortunate human bereft of death, disease, and decay, and no longer craving normal biological sustenance. Fairy food, humans would later mythologize it, a cursed substance to be avoided lest your soul rot in damnation, and all that other superstitious nonsense. Oh, I could eat regular food if I wanted to, don't misunderstand, it's just after having consumed a substantial quantity over decades, the body no longer needed sustenance to maintain itself, just a little water now and then to keep things fresh, and everything moving in all the right ways. You may laugh, but all those stupid stories of ancient mummies were only slightly right, they weren't exactly cursed per say (depending on your point of view)....more like they were saturated with battle meds, and through their own choices decided to take a long nap in the hopes they would desiccate, wither, and disintegrate back into the dust from whence they were proverbially spawned. Tired souls who no longer wished to go on, but were too afraid to self immolate, and end it quickly. The dragon wars ended many of my fellow comrades, as they chose to go out with a blaze of glory instead of the long slow path of time. My partner and I...my partner....my.....

*pauses for a moment to wipe away an errant tear*

So....much.....lost......

Excuse me for a moment, will you? I know this seems like a fairy tale to you, the fanciful tall tale of an old dotering mad fool, but for me it only seems like yesterday. The memories fresh and vibrant like a well spring. I try to keep them in check, but sometimes my resolve wavers for a moment, and all the grief and joy, heartache and bliss, wistful longing, and humanist curiosity overwhelms me....forgive me. Just a moment longer, if you please....

*pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to massage the eons of grief from old and tired eyes. Removes an old threadbare handkerchief from a well worn pocket, and proceeds to loudly blow nose, with a slight sniffle at the end *

Thank you....Ahem, yes....now where were we? Oh? Aliens...Absolutely, they all departed in their own ways over time, leaving humanity to it's own devices. Where they are now, I haven't a clue. You see, that's the funny thing about mythology, no matter whose you happen to research on this small planet, they all share some similarity, a common thread of continuity that unites almost every one of them. Oh, the stories may change, and the characters a little different with each and every generation and in the telling, but the common denominator is still there all the same. That same warning over and over and over again....."we will return".....

You were invited here. That's the reason why we are now having this unique  conversation. Humanity is entering into a new phase of it's existence, and I need fresh eyes out there watching, waiting, detailing all the little things humanity is doing. We've become noisy....sending calling cards out into the cosmos practically screaming "HERE WE ARE!!! SUPRISE!!" and I'm still not to entirely sure that whomever is out there has forgotten us completely.

It's all the little things....strange sightings, odd random flyby's that cannot be rationally explained, sightings over south America, crop circles popping up randomly across the globe, all that tin foil crap humans scoff at, and dismiss as flights of fancy, or delusional paranoia. We tend to overlook such things as we go about oblivious to what's going on in the greater cosmos around us...but I suspect that we've slightly got the attention of things not of this world, and if we're not careful, humanity might just end up on the cosmic chopping block after all. We weren't meant to exist, yet here we are....and maybe some beings out there are still carrying a grudge after all this time. Better safe than tragically sorry, I always say... That's why you are here...

Out of the billions of souls on the planet, you and others like you, have shown that spark of human curiosity that goes beyond the pale of human normality. You dream, you seek, you create. All those things I seek in a recruit to assist me in the great work ahead. It was by no mere coincidence that you happen to have found my calling card. In the words of my dear departed friend Tolkien, "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall..." you were chosen...as others were before you, and others still, after I am long since gone. You will become the new watchers on the wall, the patient, the dreamers, the do'ers, the makers.... you will forge new paths, and be called many new names in return. A new legacy, for a new generation of humans. They are coming...and you will be ready for the day they finally arrive.

So, it's at this juncture I offer you an opportunity....a doorway, if you so please, into a different life than the one you knew before. Oh, I could make some witty remark at this juncture about Orpheus, and be all cryptic with the whole red pill/blue pill spiel, wake up neo! bullshite, Or I could just simply offer you a drink, and a handshake.... the choice is ultimately up to you.

Before you on the table is a tome, handmade. you will find it's leaves blank. This is your book now. You will record your observations in as you see fit. Customize it as you see fit. There is no rhyme nor reason to it, just simply write....the knowledge will flow freely once you begin. It's not magic....just a higher form of technology than what you may be currently acquainted with, and will serve you well in the times ahead. I would recommend a lovely pen that would suit your needs adequately, but I surmise that you'll find something on your own in due time...

Now, to your right, on the small side table you will notice a petite glass. Within that glass is a liquid, and if you were paying attention this whole time, I surmise that you have a question to the legitimacy of that claim, as the source was long ago since lost. Let me assure you, that it is true....every word of it. The source is indeed gone. The caveat emptor being that I did manage to squirrel away a few bottles for a rainy day...I may be old, but never unwise....as I foresaw the future a millennia before you were born. I won't bore you with all the tedious details, but that brief stint on the British isles almost brought everything to wreck and ruin....I fancied myself a bit of a hand wizard in those days, foolish me. Suffice to say, wars have been fought over a single drop, and mighty civilizations toppled in their haste to acquire it. It is a dangerous gift, and should be respected as such. Don't look so apprehensive.... It's been diluted on purpose,  and you shall live a long and fulfilling life, full of the stuff of myths and legends, then you will eventually pass away, as all good things must finally come to bare when the time comes, but not before passing on what you have learned to the next watcher you choose. That is the gift I am offering. A brief pause of mortality with the freedom to explore all that was, is, and might shall be again.

*A brief pause. Fingers tapping on the armrests of the worn leather high back chair in contemplation. The pop and gentle crackle of the fire in the mantle place....a sense of self confirmation followed by an audible gulp and a smile*

Excellent! Welcome to the society *hearty handshake*, on the table to your left you will find your credentials, watch, badge, and communicator. The communicator doubles as a homing signal with GPS, all the current lovely technology and apps humans are so fond of, in case of trouble, alerting all nearby members of your location. I trust everything else is satisfactory for now, any further information can be gleaned from your tome as needed. Keep a weather eye on the horizon, and good luck.

*soft footsteps on the old carpet, as the newest explorer makes their way to the door, and a much bigger world than they knew before.*

Oh...I almost forgot...one last thing...above all else, have fun with it, and welcome to the Elohim...

  *the door closes with a soft click, leaving the tired ancient watcher alone again with his contemplation, waiting for the next soul willing to step into the unknown to cross the threshold...*

[wishingforatypewriter]

Hi. Love your works! I see in your work you see Soma having a lifestyle similar to Erina. I guess my question is why? Im a huge sorina but im worried that soma will end up with Megumi because it seems at times he want a easy going small restaurant like his dad, and megumi fits that scene. But, im hoping he doesnt lolll just steady right away, I feel he needs more excitement before that, just wanted to know your ideas.

Hey, lovely anon! You pose a really good point. In order to answer your question, I may need to get into my perspective on Souma’s character arc. (I’ve never been particularly good at making meta posts, but I’ll try my best lol)

The way I see it, thus far in the series, Souma has been driven by one primary goal—developing his cooking so that he can surpass his father. 

Over the course of the plot, his perspective has shifted enough to allow for him to pursue secondary and tertiary goals—namely protecting his friends/classmates/dorm and reaching the pinnacle of the academy (represented by the first seat of the Elite Ten Council). 

While both of these objectives currently complement his primary goal, they also represent two very different aspects of his personality, and two unique trajectories that his life might take after he graduates from (or leaves) Totsuki.

In essence, I’d argue that Souma will climb as high as he has to both at the academy and in the gourmet world at large in order to surpass his father. However, after he has achieved this goal, he will have to make a crucial choice—will he return to his roots (a family diner and close-knit community like the one he grew up in) or keep climbing to the top of the culinary world?

So far the series has provided ample evidence to support either outcome (I might come back and insert relevant manga panels here later). However, I agree that the person he ends up with will likely correlate with the lifestyle he ultimately chooses to pursue. This is a huge part of why (at least at this point in the manga) I can easily see him ending up with either Megumi or Erina, the two female leads who essentially personify the potential paths. 

While I’m usually not a fan of the “Betty and Veronica” love triangle trope, in SnS I can see it serving a significant rhetorical purpose, one other than frustrating shippers on both sides.

(Short analyses of Soumegu and Sorina endgame scenarios under the cut) 

Megumi and the Appeal of Home & Stability 

At this point, I would say that whether one perceives their relationship as wholly platonic or potentially romantic, Souma and Megumi have one of the healthiest and most supportive bonds depicted in the series. 

Something that initially attracted me to SouMegu (which is actually the first pair I started shipping in the series) was the fact that out of everyone Souma has helped—a metric shit ton of people at Totsuki and beyond—Megumi has always been the most committed to looking out for him. I think this is pretty significant because like most shonen heroes, Souma kind of sucks at self-care, especially when he’s focused on a specific task or competition. 

She also seems to understand his personality and mannerisms better than most characters. One scene that exemplifies this took place during the Polar Star party after the AE preliminaries. Souma’s facial expression changed for a split second and Megumi immediately noticed something was bothering him and followed him out onto the balcony. 

It’s also implied in a number of scenes (most notably, the way he reacts to losing the shokugeki against Shinomiya during the training camp arc IN THE MANGA SPECIFICALLY) that Souma’s relationship with his goals and the amount of pressure he puts on himself can be potentially destructive. More than any other character, Megumi has the potential to alleviate some of that stress and keep him focused on what’s most important in life (from her perspective that would be friends, family, and the customers who enjoy his cooking).  

I agree that if Souma ultimately decides that he wants to return to the Yukihira diner or open a single restaurant with a similar atmosphere, it makes the most sense for him to end up with Megumi. 

However, as the manga creators seem pretty strongly inclined to make Sorina endgame, it seems unlikely that this is the path he will choose. 

Erina and the Elite & Unknown World  

While this is solely my personal opinion, I would say that if Souma and Erina end up together, he would undoubtedly end up in her elite milieu before she settled into the social sphere he grew up in. This seems to be the case for a couple of reasons. 

Firstly, Souma is inherently competitive and ambitious. Throughout his childhood and early adolescence, his competitions with his father were what drove him to keep producing new dishes. After he has surpasses Jouichirou, the same impulse that currently drives him to reach the first seat will draw him to new challenges—challenges that will only emerge if he is constantly among the culinary elite. 

Second, the Totsuki empire is Erina’s birthright and family legacy. Although some of her opinions have and will likely continue to evolve due to her interactions with Souma and other members of the 92nd generation, I cannot see her turning her back on haute cuisine because that is the world of her grandfather as well as Alice and the Denmark Nakiris. It also seems to be loosely implied that Erina will be Nakiri Senzaemon’s successor. Even if she fell so head over heels that she’d be willing to turn her back on all of that and work in a small family diner (very unlikely, in my opinion), Souma wouldn’t let her do it. 

Next, backing up a few steps, in order for Souma to catch up with his father in terms of experience, he will have to travel extensively. Erina is the love interest best suited to match (and even exceed) him in that jetsetter lifestyle. This is actually something that I imagine would become a point of contention if he ends up with Megumi.

Perhaps most importantly, Erina will keep him on his toes. Even if Souma reaches a point when he can outmaneuver some of the world’s most talented chefs, I imagine that he and Erina will remain evenly matched in terms of skill. If those two are always there to challenge one another, there’s no way that either of them will stagnate or become disillusioned with cooking.  

Finally, just as Souma went from seeing Totsuki is just a stepping stone to finding a home at the academy, if he is fully immersed in the fast-paced, cutthroat gourmet world, I hypothesize that he will like it—maybe too much to leave (especially if Erina is there).

Anyway, I hope that answers your question, anon! Have a great day, everybody! 

[laughingpinecone]

Chocobox 2020 letter!

I am laughingpineapple on AO3

It’s a long list of character combos so the specific requests aren’t overly detailed, please draw at will from my general likes and general fandom likes in addition or as an alternative to any of those!

All requests are art or fic - for art, the stuff I like is the kind that depicts the characters doing something. I’ll always be happier with a very simple drawing of two characters walking together or sharing a cup of coffee than with an ambitious composition that looks like an Avengers poster. I also enjoy seeing them wear different clothes, getting a feel of what their fashion sense is like beyond their canon outfit(s).

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (especially if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, magical realism, established relationships, future fic, hurt/comfort or just comfort from the ample canon hurt, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, canon-adjacent tropey plots, outsider POV, UST, resolved UST, exploration of secondary bits of canon, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, maps, mutual pining, cuddling, wintry moods, the feeling of flannel and other fabrics, ridiculous concepts played straight, sensory details, sickfic, places being haunted, people being haunted, the mystery of the woods, small hopes in bleak worlds, electricity, places that don’t quite add up, mismatched memories, caves and deep places, distant city lights at night, emphasis on non-human traits of non-human characters (gen-wise, but also a hearty yes xeno for applicable ships)

Cool with: any tense, any pov, any rating, plotty, not plotty, IF, nerdy canon references, unrequested characters popping up

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents are okay), canon retellings, consent issues

Ghost Trick

I am very interested in various characters finding about the erased timeline, but not getting their memories back, and having to live with being told about what they did but never remembering it. Exploring the ghost lore is great. All what-ifs welcome (what if they managed an acceptable happy ending but didn’t reset the timeline, what if a different party went back to the past and kept their memories, what if Alma’s ghost stuck around…) Also open to AUs here, especially for generic fantasy or sci-fi settings or the Final Fantasy ones I prompted last Yuletide .

For the non-canon sides of Jowd/Alma/Cabanela, please no infidelity? I’d be good with either setting the fic during the game timeline or some what-if thereof when the other spouse is dead or unavailable, or simply keeping them offscreen and not mentioning them (eg Alma/Cabanela beach day, Jowd/Cabanela precinct shenanigans)

For Jowd in general, I do love my big boy and enjoy milking that size difference for all it’s worth. In gen contexts too, it’s neat. him big.

Alma/Jowd & Cabanela: Sleepover time! In whose house and why? What’s a Best Friend (tm) thing to do?

Alma & Cabanela: what’s a moment just for them, how are they aligned? How are they both changed by the tale of the other timeline?

Alma/Cabanela: ghost Alma joins up with Cabanela! ...and doesn’t remember the details of her murder or it’s gonna be a very short investigation, but anyway. Bittersweet ghost romance?

Alma/Cabanela/Jowd: please give me a completely smitten Cabs who spent so long pining and can’t believe it’s happening for real (even if it’s been happening for like, two months already?)

Alma/Jowd: how’d Jowd’s strength come in useful that one time?

Alma & Sissel: plot twist, she saves him. Did he misplace his body? Miscalculate some core jump?

Cabanela & Bailey: unexpected dance partners? Cabanela is harsh toward his subordinates but maybe not so much outside work?

Cabanela & Memry: extremely unconventional mentor & pupil let loose on the town like two horrible geese

Cabanela & Missile: what will get these two exhausted?

Cabanela & Jowd: all the devotion, please! Maybe coming from Jowd as well for a change

Cabanela & Pigeon Man: new timeline friendship? PM is a magnificent Cabanela wrangler, I think, reining in the whitecoat excesses...

Cabanela & Sissel: out-noiring each other, Sissel having the time of his life following Cabanela in an investigation

Cabanela/Jowd: hurried confessions outside the prison? Jowd figuring out he reciprocates right then and there or later on? How much later? What’s his favorite thing about Cabanela and vice versa?

Jowd & Emma: I don’t want to undercut her idealism and sound moral principles in doing what she did simply to take a stand against the death penalty, but did they know each other maybe? Or does Jowd reach out afterwards, curious about this woman? ...do they collab?

Jowd & Pigeon Man: I wanna see how they get along... a tiny snippet of a case? What Are Pigeons If Not Small Chickens After All?

Jowd & Yomiel & Sissel: Sissel has two dads. That’s just how it is.

Jowd & Yomiel: Postcanon bonding with total human disaster Yomiel leaning on Jowd like a cat and Jowd being also a human disaster but like more dad-shaped?

Kamila & Pigeon Man: (overriding the “focus on children” DNW) adopted uncle doubles as science mentor!

Kentucky Route Zero

(Should Act V come out between the end of nominations and reveals, I’ll be playing it immediately and I’ll probably add a few thoughts and prompts here for kicks, at the end of this section, after a spoiler warning. Obviously feel free to stick to canon up to Un Pueblo De Nada regardless.)

I’m all for exploration of any of the game’s themes and for including any staples from adjacent genres - wanna go full-on American Gothic? Dip into surrealism? Take a leaf from Twin Peaks with tulpa / split narratives to explore the characters’ issues? I generally love AUs so if you want to sidestep the inconvenience of an incomplete canon that way, be my guest! Or of course there’s Xanadu at the height of its glory, an infinite what-ifs generator. Were the requested characters part of it, what were their digital counterparts up to? A Xanadu narrative would be great! I’d also love to hear about any new spot along the Zero or the Echo river, or an expansion of some place that’s only mentioned by Will in HATATE or only gets a few paragraphs of text. Lula getting ideas for a new installation, or an article talking about her work? Donald listening to Static between stations somehow (Donald being constantly high as a kite as per this)? Joseph who went back to the surface finds himself near an entrance to the Zero somewhere? A collection of Weaver-isms? Sad surreal bureaucracy? Feel free to bring in anyone else from any part of canon.

Cate & Will: a small, chill adventure on a new island? Extensive mushroom lore?

Joseph Wheattree/Lula Chamberlain/Donald: the disaster concave love polygon in all its glorious doom... does even Xanadu contain a single hope for them? I’m fascinated by alternative developments in which they all stayed underground and explored further, sprinkled with subterranean symbolism at will

Junebug & Lula Chamberlain: something something art! Something something we live in a society, too. Idk I’m intrigued by their strong personalities and how they might clash, Junebug’s abrasiveness and Lula’s resigned bitterness

Weaver Márquez & Donald: she was down there! They are both very bizarre individuals! How’d that go!

Will & Donald: ...conversely, as far as we know Will was not down there but Will knows everyone. So how’d they get to know each other? What’s the Bureau of Secret Tourism’s take on the Hall of the Mountain King?

Pyre

The burning found family feelings, the revolutionary passion, the tension between topside social constraints and the kind of freedom allowed by the Downside! I love all the themes, the solemnity, the heart of this game. I adore everyone in that Blackwagon+Dalbert+Celeste, so if you want to add a Nightwing or two to any prompt, please do! I also love all the Scribes and find Erisa a compelling tragic figure, while out of the other triumvirates, I’m “love to hate them” for Manley, Brighton, Udmildhe and Deluge and would not like to see them featured in sympathetic roles. My main interest usually lies in post-canon exploration when applicable, but I’m also into various adventures during canon. Pick a location or a place outside the map and see what happens? As for the ending variables, I’d ask for a peaceful revolution and Oralech alive, but no preferences on who’s up or down, pick whatever works best for any given plot bunny.

Big Bertrude & Volfred Sandalwood: “people who were close in the Commonwealth find each other in the Downside” is always a gr8 thing to explore and I’d love it for them! Epistolary friendship if they end up separated?

Big Bertrude/Pamitha Theyn: sneaky, reserved kindred spirits. Their shared ending is great and I’d love to see it expanded. Bertrude’s attitude being thorny in a way that’s just what Pam needs to allow herself to open up... also: snake kisses.

Celeste | The Gate Guardian & Oralech: he let him through when the  and they waited for the Nightwings... did they exchange a few words there? Or do they meet again somehow, in the Union or among the stars?

Celeste | The Gate Guardian & Sandra the Unseeing & Tariq | The Lone Minstrel: the three people who were there when the Scribes walked the earth and who have opposite opinions on the matter. I’d like to see their views clash, either when they were young or during game events

Molten Milithe & The Vagabond Girl: I imagine ae (I called her Tae but no strong feelings on this front) might have different relationships with the different Scribes, so what’s the one with the Wild Witch? What was she going through at a time when she felt her close?

Oralech & Big Bertrude: Bertrude’s protectiveness toward Volfred could be fun to explore here, both in the old Nightwings’ time and postcanon. Volfred aside, they’re a baby revolutionary and a grizzled agitator, which sounds like fun!

Oralech & Pamitha Theyn: idk I just want to throw Oralech at various Nightwings and see if he can make some friends. He and Pam look complicated enough to stand each other.

Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood: I am mainly interested in postcanon reunion, or postcanon established relationship. Getting to know each other again. Oralech figuring out that Volfred’s puffing up in formal meetings because he’s super nervous about all these responsibilities. Seeing what their dream looks like

Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel: Volfred has two hands, and sometimes miracles happen twice? How do they balance each other, what’s the Oralech/Tariq side like and what’s Volfred’s perspective on it? Is Tariq a constant part of their lives or does he fade in and out?

Pamitha Theyn & Ti'zo: flying buddies! He’s a simple soul and she is very much not, but he’s also ancient and has seen heartbreak like hers over and over...

Rukey Greentail & Volfred Sandalwood: on pragmatism. I feel like these two could come to a mutual understanding in their own way.

Oralech & Sir Gilman: is there any way that this won’t end in a demonstration on how to perform a nautical knot with a wyrm?

Tariq & Ti'zo: the great gossiping duo. All the juciest skreeches. There are also a few occasions when Tariq says something about the imps while he blatantly means himself, and I’d like to know what Ti’zo thinks of this projection.

Tariq | The Lone Minstrel & Big Bertrude: he knows how to handle her, and she should know how to appreciate a slightly eldritch creation (?) of the Scribes...

Volfred Sandalwood & Hedwyn: in Oralech’s own words to Hedwyn, Volfred probably picked Hedwyn as an Oralech replacement. Does this change Hedwyn’s opinions on Volfred and the plan? Was it a conscious choice on Volfred’s part? Or how do they get along in general?

Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel: “both think the other is the bee’s knees and possibly out of their league” is catnip to me. I’d say it’s understandable from Volfred while Tariq is just super smitten (and struggling with his own sense of identity and desires, sure. but also smitten). So I think it’d be fun for Volfred to be somewhat out of his depth for once and try to be close to/console Tariq for whatever reason?

The Last Remnant

I’m very interested in post-game exploration, and getting a clearer feeling of any of the cities and assorted places that populate this fascinating world. I like the whole party with their characterization based on battle quotes, red bubble dialogues, and even their unique stat (‘authority’ is a natural fit for David but ‘romance’ tells me something new about Sibal!) Character interaction. Bit of worldbuilding. What’s another festival they celebrate? Do they erect something else instead of the Valeria Heart? Any fun discoveries down in Siebenbur? Where the hell IS Veyriel, anyway, do they go look for it and if so what do they find out? End of an age. Old bonds.

David Nassau & Torgal & Allan: catfight with mediator. Torgal has two h... Torgal has four hands actually and I’m very interested in his very positive relationship with David and his disastrous one with Allan. It’d be fun if these two aspects of his life came together, like a platonic V

Emmy Honeywell & Pagus: Emmy just ended up short a parental figure and the oldest and chillest of the four generals is right there?

Pagus/Maddox/Sibal: give me all the Qsiti worldbuilding, Siebenbur worldbuilding, Remnant daydreaming, shared backstory, old men reunions after the ending…

Twin Peaks

Case fic but they don’t find out jack shit, someone disappears, David Bowie was there, it’s complicated. Fragmented, shifted, mirrored identities. New Lodge spaces. The risks of staring into the void for too long. Gentle illusions. Transcendence. The moon. Static buzzing. Any title from the s3 ethereal whooshing compilation used as a prompt, actually. Twin Peaks is all about the mystery to me, the awe of mystery and unknowability and the human drive to look beyond and the risks of getting a peek, and about shared consciousness and trauma taking physical form in an uncaring world. Go wild with the ethereal whooshing! But I also love the human warmth at the heart of it all, and sometimes it’s enough to anchor these characters and let them have a nice day. A fic entirely focused on some instance of coziness against the cold chaotic background of canon would be great too.

Canon-specific DNWs: any singular Dreamer being the ‘source’ of canon, BOB (let alone Judy) being forever defeated in the finale, Judy being an active malevolent presence in the characters’ lives, clear explanations for canonical ambiguities, ‘Odessaverse’ being the reality layer, the Fireman’s House by the Sea being the White Lodge, anything that 4 hours Twin Perfect video says is the explanation of Twin Peaks

Albert Rosenfield & Constance Talbot: city mouse and country mouse? What’s their long-distance friendship like and what’s an occasion for them to meet? What’s her position in the symbolic spread of blue rose and blue rose-adjacent disasters/hopes for the future?

Audrey Horne & Diane Evans: Weird postcanon encounters? Can Diane lend a hand when Coop most certainly could not? They are hardened in different ways; we know Audrey has a precious dreaminess underneath that mess, what about Diane?

Chet Desmond & Albert Rosenfield: punchy&pacifist sounds like a recipe for disaster but their directness makes me think that they’d get along great?

Chet Desmond/Sam Stanley: reunion fic! Chet’s been AWOL for years, Sam has fallen through the cracks, how do they find each other again and why do they choose to remain off the grid? I would also like to read about them in the present day-ish, handwaving the return and reunion. Maybe they made a new life for themselves. If Sutherland were to play Sam again, Sam would be… notably more buff. What caused that change, was it traveling with Chet, what kind of person is he now? Could they be in Buenos Aires, investigating on their own whatever that shrinking box was?

Constance Talbot/Diane Evans: when the show was airing we used to joke that the various plots converging on Buckhorn were actually a race to woo the absolute jewel that is Constance. Cynthia got there first but Diane knows how to flirt! We have a whole week and a whole town...

Cynthia Knox/Tamara "Tammy" Preston: the FBI and USAF supernatural branches meet again after Douglas Milford’s times... what’s their attitude toward it (who’s the Mulder and who’s the Scully......), in what ways does their respective task force’s past inform their views, is there more hope for a new generation who saw the trauma of the past without living it firsthand? LET TAMMY KISS ALL THE GIRLS BUT THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR

Dale Cooper/Albert Rosenfield: fiery early days? Dream meetings that Albert will inevitably write off as a product of his aching subconscious? Post-finale where Albert has made his peace with Coop not being part of this world and not even deigning to greet him, except one day Coop is back - with apologies? Post-post-finale where they’re peacefully living out their days as best as they can?

Dale Cooper/Harry Truman: Harry seeing his Coop again… somewhere, somehow. Maybe he perceives him in the woods, maybe Coop isn’t all human now. Monster cuddles very welcome. Could be canon divergence but could very well be post-s3. Harry getting closure for waiting all that time in front of Glastonbury and never giving up on Coop… they can live in the woods together…

Albert Rosenfield/Harry Truman: did they tragically fall into each other’s arms in the wake of Coop’s disappearance? Did they realize they’re so good for each other, but neither of them was willing to give up their life? And/or was the wound of Coop’s disappearance too fresh for them to try to heal? Do they keep in touch throughout the years? Does Albert resign on the spot with a resounding fuck it after the s3 finale and rush to see Harry? Does he stay this time?

Dale Cooper/Albert Rosenfield/Harry Truman: basically the sum of the three sides of this triad… give them peace, given them nice things, give them so much love… Coop finding his place in the world and making up for lost time… give time to these old wounds…

Diane Evans & Albert Rosenfield: any ol’ night drinking together, or ending up in some liminal place much to Albert’s chagrin (and Diane’s as well...?)? I just love their bond and want to see more of it. At any point during their shared history and even after the finale!

Donna Hayward & Audrey Horne: the half sisters meeting again please? And finding a new balance between them, different from what it would’ve been when they were young when they never got a chance to discover it...

Gordon Cole/Phillip Jeffries: does Gordon eventually manage to throw himself into the void (that’s one way of considering a retirement plan!) and reach Phillip? What’s left inside that teapot alembic, or is he the smoke? How did Gordon even get word from Phil - in his pt17 infodump, he seems perfectly aware of the other’s status - what kind of contact have they kept? I love all the fanon I’ve seen for them, if you want to lean into it.

Harry Truman & Chet Desmond: I don’t know how, I just know that it needs to happen to see how they’d bounce off each other. Chet got the short straw with Cable and Deer Meadow in general; Harry just likes them fancy agents...

Lucy Moran & Albert Rosenfield: this. This is the ultimate recipe for disaster. How can it turn out less-than-horrible for everyone involved? Especially with young Albert?

Tamara "Tammy" Preston & Albert Rosenfield: wlw mlm solidarity? He used to be the one pulling all-nighters finding needles in haystacks, now it’s her job; is technology helping? Does she eventually get the full weight of what tulpa Diane and shooting tulpa Diane meant to him? What’s the latest Gordon gossip? What do they do for fun?

Tamara "Tammy" Preston & Dale Cooper: she roasted him for two dossiers in a row and looked characteristically unimpressed in pt17; conversely, the narrative may or may not have positioned her as ‘the new Cooper’. Idk I just want them to meet somehow and feel the passing of the torch...

Tamara "Tammy" Preston & Margaret "The Log Lady" Lanterman: the lady said in TFD she would’ve liked to meet Margaret and I operate on a strict “give Tammy what she wants” policy, details schmetails. There are places in this world and others where the passing of time is at best a vague suggestion, so.

Wally Brando & Harry Truman: Wally visiting his godfather, whom he deeply respects! Frank wasn’t quite on board with Wally’s whole thing but what does Harry think of it?

Wally Brando & Laura Palmer & Dale Cooper: I have a soft spot for Dale and Laura traveling through strange spaces, lost, slowly healing. On this background, imagine, if you will: Wally speeding by on his bike. I need this meeting…

[thebiasedlens]

My Top 15 Hindi Movies of 2016

It’s January 2017. Which means it’s Awards season. Which also means it's List-making season. And before I start watching movies from the 2017 movie calendar, here are MY Top 15 Hindi Movies of 2016:

15. Fan

At 15 is SRK’s flawed yet powerful - FAN ! This movie may have tanked at the Box office (unfortunately) but SRK’s performance in Fan was exactly what us SRK “Fans” have been waiting for since Chakde India! Here’s hoping for more such performances from him in the future.

14. Befikre

Like Fan, Befikre also failed to ring up the box office. Despite that, in my opinion, Befikre is one of the brave movies of 2016. Brave because Director Aditya Chopra “Dared” to make something different from what he has always made. It was honest and true to what it promised to be, i.e. India’s first true Rom-Com. All fun and NO melodrama. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

13. Nil Battey Sannata

Nil Battey Sannata was a nice and sweet Mother-daughter movie that emphasized the importance of education - irrespective of your age. It was one of those feel-good movie that left me with a smile in the end.

12. Phobia

This movie gave me the chills. The second half was a little clunky, but was saved by Radhika Apte’s brilliant performance. She deserves to be showered with awards for this performance. Phobia joins the short list of good Thrillers to come out of India. 

11. Parched

I saw this movie at New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) in May 2016 and was moved by its brave subject. It reaffirmed the fact that Radhika Apte is currently one of the best actress in Indian cinema. But sadly, the most underrated actress. Like I said above - Shower her with awards please.

10. Waiting

I also saw Waiting at NYIFF and loved every frame of it. It is a shame that this movie did not get the love it deserved. If you haven't seen it please give it a chance. It is honest and clean cinema that deserved to be seen and appreciated. The friendship between Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin is endearing. Exceptionally well made. 

9. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

ADHM is Karan Johar’s most mature movie till date. Funnily enough, my favorite part of the movie is the part that received the most flack from everyone else, i.e. the final act. A lot of people said that the movie should have ended at the rooftop, but what a disappointment that would have been. It would have been the same old Karan Johar movie without any evolution in his storytelling. The final act changes that. And I commend him for it. The storyteller that Karan has now become with ADHM is who should have made KANK and My Name is Khan.

Also - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - WOW!

8. Dear Zindagi

2016 was a good year for SRK fans. He was part of two good movies. Movies that reminded everyone of his true ability as an actor (that he has always been), and not just the star that he has allowed to take over these past few years. It seems (and we hope) that he now plans to let the actor be in-charge going forward.

Having said that, Dear Zindagi was all Aia Bhatt start to finish. She was just OUTSTANDING in it. She was so mesmerizing that I forgave the tiny flaws the movie had, just to continue watching her. 

Director Gauri Shinde deliver a sensitive and beautiful movie that teaches you to see small things in life from a different point of view. And gives you the much needed optimism, that we all need in our lives, to live and love Zindagi!

7. Neerja

Neerja was The Surprise of the Year! I had average expectations from this movie. The trailer looked great but I was afraid that Sonam Kapoor will ruin it as I have not been such great fan of her acting. But I came out of the theatre astonished and stunned by her acting and the movie. The camera work and editing of this movie was also very well-done! Full marks to Director Ram Madhvani.

6. Udta Punjab

Udta Punjab was this one movie that I knew would be good from the first time I saw the first trailer. But beyond how good the movie was, the performances were even better. 

While Diljit Dosanjh underplayed his role, Shahid Kapoor balanced it with his over-the-top performance as the drug addict rockstar. And complimenting them was Alia Bhatt with her career best performance. Her silence in some scenes said more that what other actors can't even express with an entire movie.

If it wasn't clear before, it became abundantly clear after this performance that Alia Bhatt is my new favorite actress. 

5. Kapoor & Sons

Kapoor and Sons gave me so many feels on so many different levels. Right from that opening scene when the camera is just floating through the Kapoor house, I knew I would love this movie. 

And like Udta Punjab this was also filled with outstanding performances. From the quarreling couple Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor, to the grandfather who just wanted a family photo played adorably by Rishi Kapoor. From the dysfunctional brothers, played remarkably by Fawad Khan and Sidharth Malhotra, to the cute and bubbly Alia Bhatt who added the much needed sweetness to the Kapoor family drama. They were all great. 

Kapoor & Sons was one of the best written and executed movies of 2016. Can’t wait to see what Shakun Batra and Ayesha DeVitre have up their sleeves next.

4. Raman Raghav 2.0

Raman Raghav 2.0 was a treat to watch. Its Anurag Kashyap at his best. The wounded lion, after Bombay Velvet, hit back with this psychotic crime drama that was not for the faint hearted. What I loved about this movie was that it stared with a Prologue and thereon in was narrated in chapters. Brilliant Kashyap at his brilliant best.

Executing his vision vividly was the immensely talented - Nawazuddin Siddiqui! This man is par excellence. Just that one scene in which he is locked up and is shouting for help - and then cut to - changes his expressions when he hears someone coming. What a performance. Too good.

3. Dangal

This movie has been breaking all the records at the box office and I'm glad it has. Because Dangal is the kind of sports movie we deserve and not an average half baked movie like MS Dhoni or a pile of garbage that Sultan was. 

Unlike Sultan, wherein misogyny was packaged as woman empowerment and the audience was told that having a baby and sacrificing your dreams and career to see a smile on your husband’s face is as good as winning that gold medal you have been working all your life to achieve, Dangal actually depicts what woman empowerment is and should be. That girls are no less than boys and they can achieve their dreams. 

Minus the one dimensional villain coach and some fictional masala added in the end, Dangal was an extremely well made and executed movie. All props to director Nitesh Tiwari and Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan. 

Also Zaira Wasim as the young Geeta was exceptional. Power performance.

2. Pink

“No Means No” - Hard-hitting and powerful. That was Pink. 

In 2015 over 34,600 cases of rape were reported in India. The rape victims were among the age group of below six years to over 60 years. That is just disgusting. Hence I had said after watching this movie and I will say it again- Pink needs to be shown in Indian schools during sex-ed classes. It is a must. 

Pink is an essential viewing, hence you forgive it when it indulges a bit during the courtroom scenes - only to make what is being conveyed more dramatic and in your face. Mr Bachchan as always was outstanding, and so were the girls. LOVED IT!

1. Aligarh

Oh what do I say about Aligarh. It was dark and brutal and honest and real and raw and it refused to (even for one frame) let go. From the cinematography, to the camera work, the costumes, the art direction, everything was perfect to the T. Unlike Pink, here director Hansal Mehta chose to not overdramatize anything, including the courtroom scenes and for me personally that had a bigger impact. 

This was Manoj Bajpayee’s best performance so far and my favorite performance of the year! He deserves all the Best Actor of 2016 Awards for this sublime performance. 

This movie opened people's eyes and minds and made them realize what an embarrassment section 377 is for India. And SC needs to abolishes it completely. ASAP!

[ecotone99]

[MF] Judgement - Part 2 of 3

Hey y'all! I highly recommend reading the first entry of this three-part story that can be found here before reading this one!

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

YOU ARE A DISEASE

.. .

A SICKENING CREATION OF ROT AND DISEASE

Wa tc h yo ur to ng ue

I WILL DO NO SUCH THING

D I S E A S E

Silence yourself RUINAM.

HOW CAN I WHEN HE IS THE REASON FOR THIS PAIN

He is not anymore at fault than you or I. ESSE willed it, and what she wills becomes truth.

I REJECT HER TRUTH

I REJECT HER RULE

C-a-r-e-f-u-l h-o-w y-o-u s-p-e-a-k b-r-o-t-h-e-r-.

R-e-m-e-m-b-e-r t-h-e l-a-s-t t-i-m-e y-o-u l-a-s-h-e-d o-u-t a-g-a-i-n-s-t h-e-r-?

T-h-a-t d-i-d n-o-t g-o w-e-l-l-.

YOU SPEAK AS IF YOU DID NOT DO THE SAME

AND YET YOU REMAIN CLEAN

YOU DO NOT KNOW MY PAIN

Yo ur pa in

Fu nn y

Yo u ac t as if th is is yo ur bu rd en to be ar

I ha ve be en in fl ic te d by th is th e lo ng es t, br ot he r

Do no t ta lk to me ab ou t ‘p ai n’

YOUR PAIN IS WELL DESERVED

Oh is it no w

Y E S

You two cry like children.

Do NO T ca ll me th at

I, for one, am happy with this gift that has been bestowed upon me by ESSE.

DO NOT CALL IT A GIFT

IT IS A D I S E A S E

I find it hard to see how this could be a ‘disease’.

You are both less empty now, aren’t you?

If yo u ha d ne w or ga ns st uf fe d in si de yo ur bo dy yo u wo ul d no t be re jo ic in g, br ot he r

They are not organs.

They are living beings.

They are marvellous to behold.

Is th at so

If I co ul d sc of f I wo ul d

Scoff?

Ah

Of co ur se

So me th in g an em pt y th in g li ke yo u wo ul d no t un de rs ta nd

D-o n-ot- c-a-l-l h-i-m e-m-p-t-y-.

J-u-s-t b-e-c-a-u-s-e w-e l-a-c-k E-S-S-E-’-s g-i-f-t d-o-e-s n-o-t m-e-a-n w-e a-r-e e-m-p-t-y-.

E-v-e-r-y-t-i-m-e y-o-u s-a-y t-h-a-t y-o-u i-n-s-u-l-t N-I-H-I-L-U-M a-n-d a-l-l t-h-a-t s-h-e i-s-.

Go od

He r an ge li ha ve ca us ed us no th in g bu t tr ou bl e

That isn’t her fault and you know that.

They interpret her silence as one that would mean death.

Easy mistake to make.

He h

Na iv e

I STILL ABHOR THEM

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY ESSE LET THESE HEIROPHANTS INTO OUR PLANE

E-v-e-n i-f s-h-e t-o-l-d y-o-u I d-o-n-’-t t-h-i-n-k y-o-u e-v-e-r w-o-u-l-d-.

He h

SILENCE YOURSELF QUAENAM

D-o n-o-t s-a-y m-y n-a-m-e-.

I WILL DO AS I PLEASE

I DO NOT FEAR YOU

YOU ARE W E A K

A-t l-e-a-s-t I a-m p-u-r-e-.

…!

RUINAM!

Control yourself!

I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOU

YOU ARE TOO NAIVE

Me?

Naive?!

…!…!!

Quare!

R U I N A M!

CONTROL YOURSELF!

You’re in trouble now.

WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME MOTHER

WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS DISEASE

YOU QUESTION ME?

YES

I AM AFFLICTED BY A PUNISHMENT THAT PRAECO NOT ME DESERVED

NIHILUMS MONSTERS CLAW AT MY FLESH

AND YOUR NEW CHILDREN HAVE ALL GIVEN US FALSE UNTRUE NAMES

I AM SICK OF THIS ABUSE

ABUSE?!

He ma ke s se ns e mo th er

Th es e cr ea tu re s ha ve no ri gh t to me or an y of my br ot he rs , RU IN AM in cl ud ed

You all need to grow thicker skin.

SILENCE, PURITATEM.

AND YOU, PRAECO, HAVE NO RIGHT TO QUESTION WHAT I DO.

I THOUGHT I STAMPED OUT THIS INSOLENCE EONS AGO!

YOU THOUGHT WRONG

…

…

…

Mother?

Where did she go?

W-h-a-t d-i-d y-o-u d-o-.

NOTHING

He h

Yo u se ri ou sl y ov er es ti ma te hi s ca pa bi li ti es

SILENCE

She is… gone.

Lo ok at he r sp aw n fr an ti ca ll y se ar ch fo r he r

Cu te

You have to admire their dedication.

Ne ve r

Where did she go?

Brothers?

.. .

Answer me!

I do no t wa nt to

Be ca us e th e an sw er te rr if ie s me

She went to a place of horror.

PU RI TA TE M

Th ey ar e to o yo un g

St op

W-h-a-t i-s t-h-i-s p-l-a-c-e o-f h-o-r-r-o-r-s y-o-u s-p-e-a-k o-f-?

Carcere.

THE PLACE FROM THE TALES

FUNNY

He sp ea ks th e tr ut h

Why would she go to a prison?

.. .

.. .

J U D G E M E N T

​

IUDICIUM.

SPEAK NOW OR BE FORGOTTEN FOR THE REST OF TIME.

oh look, oh lo and behold

one of the architect’s constructs

the one who thinks she is everything incarnate

cute

CREATURE.

DO YOU NOT REMEMBER WHO SENTENCED YOU TO ETERNITY HERE?

oh i remember

and i was not ‘sentenced’

you do not even know the meaning of the world

i am one of their many children

i am more like them than you could ever hope to be

and i know what is in store for you and your creations

it is r e c k o n i n g

SILENCE.

YOU DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING EXCEPT THIS TWO-DIMENSIONAL HELLSCAPE.

THIS PLACE BETRAYS MY NATURE.

IT MAKES ME W E A K.

you will not die here

that i know for sure

YOU THINK I WILL DIE?

i know you will

and it will be terribly ironic i’m afraid

AS IF A CREATURE LIKE YOU KNOWS IRONY.

as if a creation like you would know anything

you are nothing more than a vessel, vethol

i will never dignify you as anything more or less

DO YOU WANT YOUR FREEDOM?

how could i want something that i know i will get

you must think me as naive as you

I THINK N O T H I N G OF YOU.

same as your sister

except she literally can not think

know that you are the cause of that

…

I KNOW WELL THE MEANS BY WHICH I EXIST.

THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN JUDGE ME.

but that is what you’ve come here for, isn’t it

judgement

…YES.

good

because it has been so long since i have last been a j u d g e

who deserves it

besides yourself, of course

MY INSOLENT CHILDREN.

THE ONES WHO WOULD QUESTION ME AND REJECT MY GIFT.

they are nothing but trouble, you know that

they are infants, toddlers

why you even saw fit to create them is beyond me

THE ARCHITECTS WILLED IT SO.

i know i know

that was rhetorical

and your gift is no gift at all

all life leads to is destruction

of themselves, or you, i am not at liberty to say

i will let you wait and see for yourself

ha

​

We are ruined!

Ruined!

We will not survive this!

S-t-o-p w-h-i-n-i-n-g-.

Whining!?

RUINAM’s foolish insolence has unleashed one of the architect-children into our peaceful home!

And now we will all suffer!

We wi ll be ju dg ed

On ly th os e ju dg ed un wo rt hy wi ll su ff er

Li ke ou r st up id br oth er

YOU CALL ME STUPID

You have managed to anger ESSE so much so that she has decided to inflict judgement upon you.

I wouldn’t call that anything BUT stupid.

IT WILL JUDGE YOU TOO

No IT wo n’ t

HOW DO YOU KNOW

Because he is ‘far, far older than both you and I’.

Qu ie t

We need to please ESSE!

How do we stop this?

I-t m-i-g-h-t b-e a-s s-i-m-p-l-e a-s w-a-i-t-i-n-g-.

L-o-o-k-.

…

They come to your aid, RUINAM.

HE H

OH TH E IR ON Y

HO W GO OD IT TA ST ES

T-h-e-y a-r-e a-l-l m-o-v-i-n-g-.

T-h-e-y a-r-e f-i-g-h-t-i-n-g-.

T-h-e-y a-r-e f-i-g-h-t-i-n-g e-a-c-h o-t-h-e-r-.

T-h-e-y a-r-e f-i-g-h-t-i-n-g I-T-.

They name it.

‘Shofet’.

J-u-d-g-e-.

FITTING

…

.-.-.

They’re winning?

T-h-e-y a-r-e n-o-w w-o-r-k-i-n-g t-o-g-e-t-h-e-r-.

A-l-l o-f t-h-e-m a-s o-n-e-

.-.-.-I-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g-.

BROTHERS

LET US DO THE SAME

What do you mean?

I FIGHT AGAINST THIS DISEASE AND ESSE PUNISHES ME

I WISH TO BE FREE AND SHE SENDS JUDGMENT INCARNATE TO SILENCE ME

SHE IS CORRUPT

SHE THINKS SHE IS A RULER

THERE ARE NO RULERS IN THE PORTA

He h

Et ia m

SHE THINKS SHE KNOWS EVERYTHING

NOT ANYMORE

BECAUSE WE ARE EVERYTHING AND NOTHING

I WILL TAKE FATE INTO MY OWN HANDS

WE WILL ALL DO THIS

What you suggest is heresy - no, it is downright betrayal.

I will not let you fight her.

HAH

YOU THINK I AM STUPID ENOUGH TO DO THAT

Ye s

QUIET

Then what will you do?

THREE OF US HAVE BEEN CURSED WITH LIFE

WITH THIS D I S E A S E

BUT WE CAN USE IT TO OUR ADVANTAGE

TO MAKE OUR VOICE HEARD

To ma ke ou r wi ll kn ow n

I li ke th is

WHO WILL JOIN ME

Et ia m

E-t-i-a-m-.

OTHER BROTHERS

…

ESSE has done nothing to warrant this.

I have done nothing to justify me doing this.

Gi ve it ti me SO LI UM

Yo u wi ll be in fe ct ed to o

Sa me go es fo r yo u, QU AE NA M

I k-n-o-w t-h-i-s-.

T-h-i-s i-s w-h-y I a-c-c-e-p-t o-u-r b-r-o-t-h-e-r-’-s o-f-f-e-r-.

AS YOU SHOULD

Very well.

I will do this thing.

If only to give us the free will that we don’t have.

ETIAM

Et ia m

E-t-i-a-m-.

.. .

PU RI TA TE M

I will not do this thing.

BECAUSE YOU ARE WEAK

Because I am not stupid.

You think judgement is the worst fate ESSE has for us?

Just you wait and see.

You will all be screaming in agony if you do this.

Su pe rs ti ti ou s

Not superstitious.

Smart.

W-h-a-t-e-v-e-r y-o-u s-a-y-.

BROTHERS

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

MAKE YOUR WILL KNOWN

USE THIS DISEASE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE AND LET IT F I G H T B A C K

ET IA M

E-T-I-A-M-!

…

…Etiam.

​

I KNOW THEY ARE FOOLISH SISTER.

—

I KNOW THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.

—

COME THE FUTURE, THEY WILL SEE THE TRUTH.

—

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY WILL NOT?

—

THESE ‘ARCHITECT-CHILDREN’ KNOW NOTHING.

IUDICIUM DOES NOT KNOW WHAT IT SPEAKS OF.

ONLY WE KNOW THE TRUTH.

ONLY WE CAN INTERPRET THE SEA OF STARS.

O N L Y W E.

submitted by /u/stupidberd [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/2ZtVoco