#Dream-Leapers are born

[witchesoz]

Oz... I mean Magic Land lore: More of Volkov

The fourth book of the Magic Land series was published in 1968: “The Fiery God of the Marrans”. If you remember, the Marrans or Leaper are the brutish population of extremely violent and xenophobic people living in the rocky wasteland between the Great River south of Emerald City and the Rose Land over which rules Stella the Good Witch.

This novel returns to the character of Urfin Jus. Ten years have passed since his defeat and he is still living in exile, with only two companions, the two first objects he gave life to: Topotun the gentle Bear-Rug, and Eot Ling, a wicked grimacing Wooden Clown. Despite all the time that passed, Urfin Jus still dreams of becoming the ruler of Magic Land. One day, a giant eagle names Carfax falls in Urfin Jus’ little garden, and Urfin nurses him back to health. Carfax is very thankful and agrees to help Jus as a returning favor. Urfin also ends up in possession of a cigarette lighter that Charlie Black forgot during his last visit. This two elements give Urfin enough material to prepare another wicked plan…

He decided to return to Magic Land despite his banishment, and went straight to the tribe of the Marrans. There, he tricked the simple-minded and primitive people into believing that he was a “fiery god” to be worshipped – for example the lighter is supposed to show that he can produce fire at will, something that greatly amazes the Marrans who don’t have exactly a great mastery of fire. Once Urfin settled himself as their gods, he orders the Leapers/Marrans to attack the rest of the land. They quickly conquer the Violet Land and then focus on conquering the Emerald City (note that this is the exact same strategy Urfin used for his previous attack, where he first conquered the Blue Land then attacked the Emerald City). Oh yes, and the Emerald City is now called the Emerald Island, because they dug a canal all around the city to add another layer of protection.

Hopefully Ellie comes to save the day as usual! Oh wait… no, scratch that, it was established right before that Ellie could never come back. So instead it is Ellie’s little sister, Annie, that goes on the adventure with her friend Tim. They arrive to Magic Land riding a… solar-powered mechanical mule. Okay. And they save the day with an all-seeing magic box (aka the “magic television” of Stella the witch), a magic circlet and… a volleyball. Yep. They defeat Urfin, and the guy ends up so ashamed that he flees to avoid more disgrace.

Some points about the book:

# The narration does not make it clear if it all happens ten or eight years after the previous book.

# Annie was an obvious attempt at creating a replica of Ellie (it is mentioned that Annie was born during the events of the Seven Underground Kings), and… well most of the fans of the books hate her for being a bland copy. She even has her own dog, the grandson of Totoshka, named Arto.

# The trouble Carfax the giant eagle was fleeing from where actually two more giant eagles: you see, the tribe of the giant eagle is limited to a hundred individuals, no more no less. As a result, to have a baby you need to put yourself in a waiting list that has been respected for centuries. And Carfax, the former leader of the tribe, tried to put himself first in the waiting list by modifying it… as a result the entire tribe rebelled against him and chased him away.

# Urfin seems to always have trouble with his armies. His previous army, the Deadwood Oaks, were utterly stupid and thus very hard to control. For the Marrans, it is because they have a hard time staying awake for too long and conquering countries leave them very tired. Urfin ends up using a special kind of nuts that cause insomnia to whoever eats them to keep his army awake… but unknown to him the nuts are a powerful drug, and soon the Marrans become junkies. Ultimately, the heroes cure the Leapers of their addiction by using the Sleeping Water (remember, from the previous book) which can erase all addictions.

# You might be wondering about the mule. Yes. Remember Fred Cunning, the clever young man who would grow up to become an engineer? Well, the mules (in plural, there are two) are actually his invention: he built two mechanical mules named Caesar and Hannibal, that work with solar power (remember, it’s in the 60s). The thing is that, when they arrive in Magic Land, the two mechanical mules become alive, sentient and start speaking. Later, when Annie returns home with the mules, they turn out to be extremely hard workers, so much that the father of Annie and Ellie ends up with a lot of free time since the mules do most of the field work for him, and he ends up selling their services to several neighbors, resulting in the family becoming a bit richer.

In 1970 was released what seemed to be the grand finale of the Magic Land tales. “The Yellow Fog”.

Five thousand years ago, when Hurricap (remember, the giant wizard who created Magic Land) was still living, a dreadful creature came to Magic Land. Name Arachna, she was a wicked witch, as well as a giant like Hurricap. She started attacking the land with all sorts of natural disasters, causing storms, floods and earthquakes. Hurricap decided he would save the land from her misdeeds (and he also just wanted to live peacefully on his own, and Arachna was the equivalent of the loud neighbor who keeps partying to five in the morning). However Hurricap, being a good wizard, refused to kill anything or anyone. So he decided to simply put a sleeping spell on Arachna, hoping that upon waking up she would be wiser and kinder.

Now, five millennia passed by, and Arachna just woke up – just as evil and wicked as before. She immediately asks the people of Magic Land to start worshipping her as their supreme leader, but they refuse to bow down to the giant witch. They already fought several times for their freedom and aren’t ready to give up. As a result, Arachna tries to think of a disaster to inflict upon the land, to force its inhabitants to bow down to her. First she wants to invoke locusts to destroy the crops, but she abandons this idea, realizing that she can’t put heavy taxes on people whose cattle starved to death. She considers using a flooding rain (after all it worked in the Bible – my private joke), but she also abandons the project because it looks too much like a natural disaster and she couldn’t prove that it was her actions. And then, she finds the perfect curse. The Yellow Fog. The Yellow Fog is an irritating, toxic yellow fog, that she puts over the land, to block the sun and the sky, turning the eternal summer of Magic Land into an eternal winter (and also basically making weak and sick anyone who goes too much near it or breathes it too much – yes the parallels with the chemical warfare were conscious). This is Arachna’s ultimatum: either let her rule and she will dispel the fog, either refuse to have her as queen and let your land die.

Interestingly, Arachna has an entire army of Gnomes serving her, the only people she was kind to during her first attempt at invading Magic Land, and who swore a vow of loyalty to her. They made a promise to serve her forever… however they never made a vow to fight her enemies or her battles, and so they flat out refuse to invade Magic Land for her (hence why she needs the Magic Landers to surrender on their own). And when Arachna is defeated (cause of course she will be) they will greatly rejoice, because after all she was still a wicked witch.

Annie and Tim return to Magic Land to help their friends, alongside the dog Artoshka and their uncle Charlie Black. They are joined by Carfax the giant-eagle (who was always a noble creature and realized in the last book he was manipulated by a wicked man), a giant made of iron that the group of heroes created (named Tilly-Willy), and… Urfin Jus.

Indeed, earlier, Arachna visited Urfin Jus. She had heard he conquered the country twice and wanted to enlist his help into conquering Magic Land a third time. However Urfin Jus refused: he recognized that conquering it was an exhausting and impossible task, that only brought misfortune and defeat to those that attempted it, and he even warned Arachna of not making such a foolish mistake. After this visit, Urfin ended up thinking about precisely how being wicked never brought him anything, and resolves to abandon his wickedness and rather become good in order to be more happy and not have as many worries – he joins the heroes as an ally and becomes one of the heroes of Magic Land.

Now I don’t know exactly how the book ends, but what I know is that the people and armies of the Magic Land end up marching against Arachna, and that the giant witch, corned by all these powerful enemies, jumps off the Cliff of Doom, killing herself. Oh yes, and somehow the giant Tilly-Willy, rendered sentient by the land’s magic, creatures a perpetual motion machine. But I lack information on the exact context.

It seemed like a good ending, right?

But no! One more book was left! “The Mystery of the Deserted Castle”. It was written in 1975, but was only published in 1982. Rumors said that some parts of the book were ghost-written since Volkov’s health was failing him at the time, and we would willingly believe it: this book introduces science-fiction to magic land!

A spaceship leaves the distant planet Rameria and approaches Earth, with the intent to conquer and enslave the Earthlings. The group is made of two different species, the Arzaks, a slave-race, and the Menvits, their masters, who have an hypnotic gaze that can turn any living being into slaves. Searching the planet for a safe spot to land on, they decide to land in Magic Land (though they ignore it has any magic). But, as usual, things don’t go as planned: people from the Outer World (the usual group) go to Magic Land and help the locals get rid of the Menvits. The aliens made their headquarters in the ruins of Hurricap’s castle: the heroes build a pipeline linking the Soporific Waters to the old castle, and end up erasing the mind of the Menvits. As for the Arzak, they are actually free from the hypnosis of the Menvits thanks to emeralds, who can disrupt the charm. They return on their home planet with their spaceship filled with emeralds, in the hope of freeing their enslaved race.

(Interestingly, it had been noted that another type of gem, the diamonds, were magic-repelling, more precisely diamonds can protect one against the effects of the Soporific Waters)

Since the sixth book is so different from the previous five, and is strongly implied to have been changed by another author, many of the fans refuse to read it or refuse to acknowledge it as part of the series.

[cosmicallymundane]

Can they find peace in the aftermath?

More importantly will she ever wake up, and take control — will he finally rest?

[forbidden-sorcery]

The Old Norse language contains man specialized terms to describe various aspects of the shapeshifters arts and these afford many insights into the magical processes involved. The Fylgja or fetch is the ‘Follower’ or guardian-spirit and animal soul-double of the sorcerer. Some connect this term to the word Fulga which denotes the caul or placenta, for those born with the caul over their heads are destined to be shape-changers. The word Hugr – ‘Mind, Wish, Foreboding’ can also denote a person’s animal-shape sometimes seen in dreams and states of seership.              Hamingja is the mutable shapeshifting force and personal power of a warlock, again a soul-aspect closely linked with the Fetch. The word Hamr means ‘Skin, Shape’ and refers to the aetheric soul-sheath or wraith which can be manipulated and reformed by the magician into many different forms by a skilled sorcerer. Hamrammr means ‘Shape-Strong’ and is used to describe an accomplished shape-shifter, a Ham-hleypa or ‘Skin-Leaper’. Such a supernaturally endowed individual is Eigi Einhamr, ‘Not of One Shape’ and possesses the ability to send his or her fetch on Hamfarir, ‘Shape-Journeys’.

Nigel Jackson - The Compleat Vampyre: The Vampyre Shaman, Werewolves, Witchery, & the Dark Mythology of the Undead

[gayedmundo]

richie/eddie poems from chasers of the light by tyler knott gregson

What if all we have ever wanted 

isn't hiding in some 

secret and faraway dream 

but inside of us now 

as we breathe one another 

and find home in the way 

our arms always seem to fit 

perfectly around the spaces 

between us? 

What if we are the answer 

and love was the question? 

What if all this time 

it was us you were supposed to find? 

I am filled with wonderings 

questions and doubt 

but of one thing I am certain: 

it will always be you 

that gives flight to the 

butterflies inside me, 

calm to the sea I have become 

and hope to the darkness 

all around us. 

It is you and it has always been you... 

you. 

You that soothes and excites 

and spreads joy like rainfall 

on the already damp earth; 

You that pulled me from the longest 

sleep and kissed my tired eyelids 

awake. 

If life is a question mark, 

then you, my love, 

are the proud and bold period 

that is typed with certainty.

//

I Love You, 

in ways you've never been 

loved, 

for reasons you've never been 

told, 

for longer than you think you 

deserved 

and with more 

than you will ever know existed 

inside me.

//

I'm there, still, waiting, still. There beneath the water's surface, there above the mountain's peak. I'm there, still, hoping, still. There in the colors that bleed through the leaves, there in the blue that comes before black does. I'm there, still, come back to me.

//

with no words spoken, we lay down and made amends for a lack of us.

//

I do not know if I am the roof, worn and rusted and broken in more places than I am whole, and you are the light, shining through and making those gaps seem beautiful... or, if I am the light, and you are the roof that is too scared to toss aside the shingles, cast away the nails, and be bathed in my warmth until you forget you were ever broken at all. I do not know, and I do not know if I ever will.

//

I do not need the photos,

and the taste of envelope glue

does not need to dance atop my tongue.

I will never need the unsaid words,

or the ink stains from unwritten letters,

or the bits of clothing left loose,

crumpled and soundless

beneath the bottom of the sheets.

I will keep you here, always here,

where the nameless things sleep sound.

I will keep you here, hidden here,

as a familiar sensation on the tips

of long untouched fingers,

the abandoned hallways begging

for a ghost, and the smell I cannot place 

but has never forgotten me.

//

When we

are we

and a closet

we share,

I will hang my clothes

in the opposite direction 

as yours,

because after a wait

like this,

I think even they

deserve to always

be walking

directly towards

each other.

//

I promise you

I will try harder

to be better.

I have battled with things

inside me

for longer than you know;

I do not know

what they are

or why they are there,

I only know

that they feel

manageable,

defeatable,

when I

am around

You.

//

Weary hand and heavy hearts be still.

Swollen eyes and stolen breath be still.

Shaking skin and soul-sick sighs be still.

Unheld glances and untouched fingers be still.

Be still.

//

And no matter the room

or the furniture between us,

I will brush your hair

back behind your ears

with my eyes

and I will kiss

the sides of your neck

with a glance.

I will unwind the fabric

and uncover the skin

and decorate it all

with goosebumps.

Then, I will blink,

find your eyes,

and realize I never

even left my chair

for a single

moment.

//

I am so tired

of waking

to the blank canvas

of morning

and realizing

it won’t be

painted

with you.

//

We 

are the lonely remnants

of scattered dreams.

The phantom hands

rubbing forgotten backs

and the flashes

of eyes through the night.

Smiling or laughing

red with tears

hanging from the lids.

Too heavy to stay

too scared to jump.

We

are the missing pieces

of broken pictures.

There is not enough air

and I’ve not enough lungs

to hold the sigh

that relieves.

The absent fingers

tracing invisible lines

around swollen eyes

and stained cheeks.

We 

are the staccato images

of lives not lived.

Swimming through our sleep

like broken slideshows

and skipping records.

The tired glances across

empty rooms

the shared breaths

through the choking silence.

We

are the stolen hope

of diverging paths.

The hair tangled in the hands

the slow closing of soaked eyes

and the burying of our faces.

The distance between our bodies

as it grows wider.

//

Please

grab hold

of my neck

and whisper

sternly

into my ear

that you

did not forget

to remember

me.

You did not forget

the way I warm you up,

the pace

of our love.

The way my heart is tender

or how hard you laugh?

The way I smell

or how my arms

hold you

like they were made

out of the empty space

that surrounds

you?

//

My ear stays pressed

against the ground

in all the places your feet

found rest.

I track the echo of you,

ghost steps on haunted floors,

and I wait forever

for the sound of footsteps

that might never walk back

to me again.

//

We stand shivering at the door,

terrified and panicked

that we have lost the key.

We waste lifetimes

in the waiting

because in the haze,

the painted fog

of our fear,

we forget

to check the handle

and discover

it has never been locked

at all.

//

If I chase

your echoes

down the hallways

long enough,

if I just

get ahold of them

once,

just once,

will it bring you

back

to me

again?

//

I will miss you

always,

even in the moments

when you are right

beside me.

Time apart has planted

longing inside me

and I do not think

it is a weed

that will ever stop

growing.

It will always live there,

but my god

it grows the most

spectacular

flowers.

//

Can’t you see

from where you

sit

that I have scars

to kiss?

Can’t you hear

from where you

rest

that I just may be

crazy?

Can’t you feel

from where you

sleep

that it’s always

You

that I

miss?

//

You were the sound of wandering feet

and rainfall in the trees.

We thought,

god, we always thought

there would be enough

time.

I was the moss

that held the imprint of your shoe,

and I loved my indentions.

I was nothing,

but you found me.

You were everything

and I hold proud

the marks you made.

//

I want us. I want to swim in the way you make me feel; I want to soak my clothes until they become skin, and I want that skin to soak into my bones. I want to become the way it feels in the instant you stare at me from across this crowded place.

//

I overheard the man

whisper,

“I am a lover

not a fighter,”

and to myself

I thought,

I am in fact

both.

For is it love

at all

if it’s not worth

fighting

for?

//

Do you think it possible

that some people

are born to give

more love

than they will ever

get back

in return?

//

Take it all away,

tear it and scatter yourself

into the breeze around me

and haunt me

with the pieces I cannot catch.

Hear me,

as you shred yourself

like confetti

that never found its

celebration,

hear me:

I

would love the scraps

of you.

//

Oh what we

could be if we

stopped carrying

the remains

of who we were.

//

You giggle,

softly,

and the sound of laughter

leaping

from your lungs

slows me to a crawl.

That laugh,

my god, that laugh

refills all that spilled

from me;

it is the

oxygen mask

to the plane crash

I have always

been.

//

I have blisters

on my

feet

from dancing

alone

with your

ghost.

//

I love you

with every

piece of me.

I will love

and love

and love

until I have nothing

left,

and then

I will make more

out of the nothing

that lives

where everything

once did.

I would

dismantle me

to put you

back together

again.

//

I stayed there, alone, waiting for the sound of your legs in the long grass. I waited there, quiet, watching for a glimpse of your hair in the wind. I am there still, tired, believing you will find me.

//

If only I could show you

the stuffing that stretches our seams,

the fluff that fills our empty bits,

and the space between our spaces.

If I could pull it all out

long and connected like magician’s scarves

hidden in magician’s sleeves,

I would show it to you with great fanfare

and with imaginary sweat dripping down

my forehead from the imaginary spotlight,

I would take one long deep and lasting bow,

for the truth would be spilled out in front of you.

Dangling from my hands, but the illusion,

the secret and the style behind the substance

would bring hands together in unison and in

uproarious applause.

All the threads that tied together made us up,

the spools born into us, unwinding, and the extra

we added along the way; carried, saved,

like we were bird beaks and our hearts, a nest.

When held out for you, arms length and decorated

with colored lights from the aging stage,

creaking floors and tattered seats,

here is what you would find, what we are made of

after all this time:

We are the memory keepers and trappers of time; stealers of stolen glances and breathless lungs from all that have been taken away. We are the noticers of subtle signs hidden in plain sight by a benevolent universe bigger than we’d ever believe. We are the thieves of buried fears and the confidence left behind, left like jingling coins under sleeping pillows after first teeth have been carried off. We are the leapers and the builders of wings on the fall towards the ground. We are the wingbeats and the sound of flying. We are the directionless wanderers and the destinationless travelers and we are the crumpled map that never got packed to join us. We are the cinematic lovers and the translucent curtains saturated in light. The soundtrack to the moments without sounds and the swiftness that two bodies can become one in the stillness of a second. We, says the last string pulled out, the final string that kept it all together, balled up tight, filling us after all this time, We, are the chasers of the light.

[lazysublimeengineer]

it was the best of times, the worst of crimes

Title: it was the best of times, the worst of crimes

Summary: Run. Run you clever boy…

…and remember me.

Characters: Hanagaki "Takemitchy" Takemichi & Clara Oswin Oswald

(A/N: This was inspired by getaway car amv of Seph Meadowes. It’s a crossover fanvid between Clara from Doctor Who and Steve Rogers from MCU. But I had this weird thought one day that what if instead Clara meets Takemichi and how would this time leaper and time traveler interact? So, this one-shot fic was born. Also, the lyrics of getaway car from the Reputation album of Taylor Swift is a total bop so it added more inspiration for me. Additionally, since this is in AU, Takemichi and Hina never became a couple for plot purposes. Moreover, apologies in advance if there were inaccuracies in some terms and characterization of Clara from Doctor Who as it’s been a long time since I’ve watched that show in BBC. But I tried my best to keep all of them in character especially Clara. Lastly, I don’t own the franchise nor the song getaway car. Respective rights and ownership belong to Ken Wakui for this wonderful manga and Taylor Swift for this beautiful song).

No, nothing good starts in a getaway car

It was the best of times, the worst of crimes

I struck a match and blew your mind

But I didn't mean it

And you didn't see it

He blinked and scrubbed his eyes furiously.

“…Is that a phone box in my backyard?” Takemichi was stumped. On a bright, Saturday morning where he was supposed to be lounging lazily on his bedroom… and probably meet up with Chifuyu on how they should plan on stopping Hakkai from committing a crime against his older brother, Taiju, that would lead to a dark future.

But…

Never in his wildest dreams that he’d saw a weird looking huge blue box in his property. He kept asking the hows, whys, whens, wheres, and whats in his mind even though this clearly defied the logic and common sense.

It didn’t help as the door swung open and it spiked his nervousness on the stream of light that filtered from the inside and a pair of dainty looking shoes stepped out of the box.

Fuck. He didn’t want to think of the worse. But maybe he should get a bat to defend himself if in case it’s a goddamn alien going out of its UFO.

“Oh, bollocks! We should’ve landed right back at Bromley ages ago! But instead, we’re here in Japan 2005—.”

“Excuse me but who are you?” Takemichi cut off her rant midway, looking at her in half askance and half curiosity. Judging from the twang and inflection of her words and tone, she was most definitely not from here. Also, judging from her look alone she’s a complete foreigner with an ivory skin, shouldered length wavy chestnut locks, button nose, thin but pinkish lips and wide, almond eyes that could bore right through your soul if she focused her whole attention to you.

Takemichi tried not to gape at her ethereal features.

Now’s not the time to get sidetracked. He needed answers.

The young woman finally turned her attention to him with a narrowed yet observing gaze that made Takemichi broke out in a sweat.

“Wait. You can see the TARDIS?” She asked back instead.

“What?” Takemichi was utterly confused. “What TARDIS? And you didn’t answer my question yet! Who are you and why are you trespassing in my backyard with that huge phone box behind you?” Takemichi added anxiously.

Instead of making the woman frightened with his numerous questions and accusations, her face broke out into a cheerful smile and looked at him as if he was the most interesting person that she had seen recently.

“You must be special because you can see the TARDIS! And oh, by the way, I’m the doctor. But you can call me Clara. And you are?” She offered her hand to him excitedly.

Even though Takemichi was still a bit bewildered and suspicious of the woman’s behavior, he found himself accepting her hand and enveloped it against his warm palm to shake it gently.

“Takemichi. Hanagaki Takemichi.” He muttered.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Takemichi.” She beamed at him and that was the start of their intertwined fates and adventures together.

You were drivin’ the getaway car

We were flyin’, but we’d never get far

Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery

Think about the place where you first met me

“What the hell? It’s bigger on the inside!” Takemichi exclaimed incredulously as he stared wide eyed at the gigantic and spacious interior of the TARDIS and the whole array and set of controllers designated in the middle of the place.

“We get that a lot.” Clara laughed softly and watched the genuine shock, yet the look of admiration plastered on his face in amusement and intrigue.

“What even is the TARDIS for? With that kind of controls, it looks like an airplane or a ship kind of thing.” Takemichi went to the control system and inspected the buttons in awe.

“Well, it helps me to travel.” Clara replied simply.

“Travel? To where?” Takemichi blinked at her a few times.

“Through time.”

“What?”

“Yeah. It helps me travel through time because I’m a time traveler. And we’re actually moving, and we could go anywhere!” She replied cheerily.

“You’re a time traveler too?!”

It was the great escape, the prison break

The light of freedom on my face

But you weren't thinking

And I was just drinking

Takashi hadn’t come…yet.

Chifuyu was still goddamn tied at the slope outside and Takemichi was royally fuck inside the church as he was being pummeled to the ground by Taiju.

“Is this the goddamn strength of a first division captain of Toman?!” Taiju laughed maniacally as he kicked Takemichi into the ground and coughed up blood.

“Takemichi…” Hakkai was barely conscious as he watched Takemichi being kicked by his brother from the ground.

Yuzuha was holding the knife shakily into her hands. If she didn’t do something… Takemichi and her brother might end up being dead at Taiju’s hands.

She needed to do this.

She had to.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A cool, feminine voice from behind caught her attention and she spun around, looking wide eyed at the female figure who suddenly appeared beside her.

“W-who are you…? And you shouldn’t get in the way or else he might end up killing you too…!” Yuzuha replied in half nervousness and half confusion.

“Me? I’m just the pretty, little friend of that hero over there. And trust Takemichi’s words. Once you do that there would be no turning back. So, do not stain your hands with a useless murder that would probably destroy your future.” Clara replied lightly as she gently pulled Yuzuha at the side and marched towards Taiju who was busy beating up Takemichi to death.

Clara sighed dramatically before she poked him on the shoulder.

“Who the fuck—.”

Taiju couldn’t finish his sentence when he suddenly fell into the ground like a ragdoll after being zapped by a certain device Clara held and was emitting a green light.

“Seriously? Regardless of time and era tyrannical people like you still exists?” Clara said in disdain as she watched the unconscious figure of Taiju lying on the ground.

“C-clara… W-what’re you doing h-here…?” Takemichi slurred as he watched her standing figure from one of his swollen eyes.

“I’m here to save you my dear lad obviously. And I’ve told you before to let me in your plans Takemichi and this wouldn’t have happened.” Clara smiled ruefully at him as she kneeled on his spot and tried to slung his beaten body into one of her shoulders.

“What did you do to him?!” Inupi exclaimed from behind them as she watched the female casually slung Takemichi’s figure on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry he’s not dead yet. Just put him in a little, bit of a zap that’s all.” Clara smiled sassily at him. “But I’m warning you and your companion over there that if you’re going to do something about it, trust me, meeting me is not going to be pretty for the both of you.” She added in a cheerful yet threatening voice as she assisted Takemichi in standing up on his own and assisted him in going out.

Inupi and Koko couldn’t do a thing except just to gaped at the small yet feisty chick who had just warned them.

“Whoa. That girl is something else entirely.” Koko muttered.

The door opened to reveal Chifuyu and Mitsuya.

“Wait. What happened?”

“Oh, nothing to worry about now. It’s all been taken care off. Just put little, ole Takemichi to me and I’ll take care of him!” Clara waved goodbye and left them, leaving them confused yet amazed at the same time.

“So, we’re late this time?” Mitsuya echoed.

X marks the spot where we fell apart

He poisoned the well, I was lying to myself

I knew it from the first Old Fashioned, we were cursed

We never had a shotgun shot in the dark (oh!)

“When will you tell me about that chick who just barged in the other night at the church to save you huh?” Chifuyu’s teasing words greeted his line of hearing as he was busy eating his lunch at the rooftop.

“You mean Clara?” Takemichi asked casually as he chewed the bento inside his mouth.

“Clara huh? Foreign name for a foreigner chick like her. She’s one ballsy lady though.” Chifuyu sat down beside him and opened his lunch box.

“She really is.” A wistful smile played on Takemichi’s lips as he stared at the horizon beyond them.

Chifuyu watched the expression on his face before a teasing smile hovered on his lips. “Seriously Takemitchy. When will you tell me that Clara is your girlfriend?”

Takemichi choke on his spit and coughed at his blunt question, his face erupting into a multitude shades of red. “She is not my girlfriend!”

“She isn’t? Then what’s with that look on your face partner?” He asked teasingly. “That kind of look is from one of the male leads in my shoujo mangas when they realized that they’re head over heels over the leading lady of their story!”

“I don’t! And I don’t have any crush on her!”

“I didn’t even mention that you got a crush on her! It came from your own mouth! So, you do have a crush on her!” Chifuyu exclaimed playfully.

“No! Stop getting carried away from the mangas you read dumbass!” He tried to lunge at him but Chifuyu easily dodged him and ran away from him laughingly leaving Takemichi red in the face and a sputtering mess.

He doesn’t have any feelings for her.

Right?

It was the great escape, the prison break

The light of freedom on my face

But you weren't thinking

And I was just drinking

Well, he was running after us, I was screaming, "Go, go, go!"

But with three of us, honey, it's a sideshow

And a circus ain't a love story

Clara quickly pulled him aside as they looked around the area.

“Is this even a good idea Clara? I mean we’re at the territory of the rival gang right now and spying on them.” Takemichi whispered anxiously as he looked around.

“Of course, Takemichi. If you want to get to know the secrets of the enemy then we need to you know, be sort of researchers and do a little bit of a research with them.” Clara grinned at him as she continuously watched and observed from the corner about the random gang members loitering around the platform.

Even though Takemichi still felt a bit of nervousness within him, he can’t deny the excitement that crept in him because of the woman’s adventurous spirit and daring attitude. Although she’s sprightly, she’s also resourceful and easily got them out of sticky situations.

And this day would be counted as one.

“Takemichi quick. Press me up against the wall. Someone’s coming! And you have to kiss me now or it’ll blow our cover!” Clara whispered urgently.

“What—.”

Takemichi couldn’t finish his sentence as Clara grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt and pulled him down on her face and crashed her soft lips against his own.

His eyes widened for a brief fraction of seconds; his breath got caught in his throat as the electrifying sensation shot through his veins upon feeling her warm lips slotting against his own. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do and he just let her move her lips against his own until he could feel that his body was moving instinctively on his own after a moment and reciprocated her kiss automatically, his eyes closing briefly as one of his hands had encircled around her waist and pulled her closer against him which earned a slight squeal and moan from the other inside his mouth.

“Oi you fuckers. Stop making out in our territory! Do it in other places!” A random gang member yelled at them angrily before stalking away, muttering about how stupid the horny teenagers these days.

Clara then pulled away and Takemichi resisted the urge to chase her lips once again, remaining still on his spot while his heart thundered loudly inside his chest. His lips still tingling from the electrifying kiss that they shared.

“Thank you for cooperating Takemichi. But is that your first kiss?” Clara asked in a lilting voice.

Takemichi sputtered, his cheeks flaming at her words and playful face. “W-what?! No! It was not my first kiss okay!” Takemichi denied vehemently.

“Okay, okay. Got it. No need to get work up on that you silly goose. But you kiss like something else entirely.” She shot him a playful wink before she gestured for him to leave the place and walked past him.

Takemichi remained rooted on his spot for a few seconds, completely transfixed at the walking beauty away from him.

He was a complete mess.

And so was his heart.

There were sirens in the beat of your heart

Should've known I'd be the first to leave

Think about the place where you first met me

In a getaway car (oh-oh-oh)

No, they never get far (oh-oh-ah)

No, nothing good starts in a getaway car

A lot of things had happened at once.

Takemichi soon found himself embarking on a journey with Clara at the TARDIS while Clara was also helping him out on his mission in fixing the past to prevent the terrible futures from happening to the people he intended to save about.

It was until then that…

…Mikey had gone missing.

He was now in one of the best future possible and yet…

“Clara. I… I… I made my decision. I have to go back to the past.” He uttered with a sad smile on his face.

“Takemichi do you hear yourself? Just look at you!” Clara exclaimed indignantly, her eyes were shining in frustration and concern. “You’re busy finding him when your body is almost dead from being beaten up by those thugs just so you could get information from Bonten and now you want to go back to the past just to save him? You’re going way beyond the law of the universe Takemichi!” She added agitatedly.

“Yeah, I know about that! But I can’t just leave him behind!” Takemichi exclaimed back in frustration before he caught himself and looked away. “S-sorry f-for yelling at—.”

“Stop Takemichi. I got worried for nothing and you’re still going in this reckless, suicide mission. I guess it makes me feel like a bloody idiot.” Her voice cracked and her eyes glistened before she walked past him and ran away.

Takemichi remained frozen on the spot.

His heart constricting on his chest.

He woke up the next morning 10 years from the past all alone in his room with no cheerful smiles and no tender gazes greeted him.

We were jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde (oh, oh)

Until I switched to the other side, to the other si-i-i-i-ide

It's no surprise, I turned you in (oh, oh)

'Cause us traitors never win

I'm in a getaway car

I left you in the motel bar

Put the money in a bag and I stole the keys

That was the last time you ever saw me

Takemichi breathed harshly as he managed to evade one of the incoming punches at him and tried to land a punch on his own despite the purple bruises and blood streaming down his face.

Another fight had suddenly broken out as Chifuyu and the rest of them were heading back home after school.

It seemed that after the war between the three deities they were on a hot spot and some random gangs would ambush them amid their plans on saving Mikey.

His mind would traitorously wander back to the beautiful yet feisty and mysterious time traveler and the ever magnificent TARDIS. If she was here, she would’ve probably whipped out some device to counter their attacks and salvage them from the current situation that they were in since she was quick witted and resourceful like that.

But what did he do?

He hurt her with his decision instead and found out too late on how she was worried sick about him. But he couldn’t let her get involved now in this. They’re both time travelers but they have different goals and responsibilities in life and in this world.

And Takemichi didn’t want to make it harder for her so he had to pull away from her and do it on his own.

Because he was distracted in his own thoughts, a kick to the stomach sent him spiraling to the ground and he closed his eyes for the incoming attacks only that it didn’t came.

He slowly opened his eyes and what greeted his eyes almost teared him up.

“Clara…” He croaked out as he looked at her beatific smile and seraphic features holding a device as she stepped at the stomach of a random gang member who was about to attack him and now lying on the ground unconsciously.

“After all this time I can’t leave you like this Takemichi. You’d be lost without me anyways.” Clara’s eyes held a warm fondness for him even though it was tinged with a resigned sorrow beneath them.

“W-what’re you doing here…?” His voice was faint from exhaustion and from being beaten up, but he couldn’t deny that his heart leapt inside his chest upon seeing her again.

She kneeled into him and cupped his cheek with her soft hand. “I came here to help you. I just realize that you need to do what you need to do…your heart is just full of kindness for everyone and you’re willing to risk your life for them, but I also need to do what I have to do…and I won’t let you and the rest of them suffer any longer.” Clara blinked back her tears and smiled wobbly at him.

“W-wait Clara. What do you mean by that?” Takemichi didn’t like where this was going, and he could feel the fear crept within him.

“Run. Run you clever boy…

…and remember me.”

Takemichi woke up the next morning in his 26-year-old body lying in a king size waterbed inside an air-conditioned apartment but the tears doesn’t stop streaming down his face.

Drivin' the getaway car

We were flyin', but we'd never get far (don't pretend)

Don't pretend it's such a mystery

Think about the place where you first met me

Ridin' in a getaway car

There were sirens in the beat of your heart (should've known)

Should've known I'd be the first to leave

Think about the place where you first met me

“Have you seen Clara?” Takemichi asked frantically at a bewildered Chifuyu beside him in the pet shop.

“Who is Clara?”

Takemichi froze and his mind went blank for a second.

“Chifuyu are you joking? You should know her! She’s the one who had been helping us in the past… and… and…” Takemichi felt a lump on his throat before he dashed outside the pet shop like a madman, ignoring Chifuyu’s yell for his name and attention.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he fell into his knees at the middle of the street and cried his heart out, uncaring if there were civilian people staring at him.

“Aaarrggghhh…! Clara! Where are you! You weren’t supposed to go like that!” He lamented. “That… that… I should be… the one…” He hiccups as the torturous tears flowed from his eyes like a waterfall, the anguish and misery engulfing him upon realizing on what happened to the woman.

“Hey, do you need some help?” A familiar voice broke out from his miserable state and the sight of the offered handkerchief made him looked up. It made his world stop once again and that fatal hope bloom within his heart when that signature smile was thrown over his direction that’s full of promises and hope for the future.

“Hello.”

I was ridin' in a getaway car

I was cryin' in a getaway car

I was dyin' in a getaway car

Said "goodbye" in a getaway car

(A/N: Reviews are amusing so let me hear them from you).

[village-skeptic]

I don't know anything about astrology, but I want to say FP is a Pisces and Alice is a Cancer. (Like Kurt and Courtney.)

Anon, I absolutely adore this ask! I don’t “believe” in astrology, but I find it to be a fun paradigm to discuss a nexus of personality traits. The Kurt and Courtney comparison is !!!!, but I’m going to argue that FP is an Aries and Alice is a Leo. Rationale, with some evocative sun sign personality quotes and relationship discussion, below the cut…

Male Aries: 

Aries men are good at what they do, and they’re not shy about standing in the spotlight. Don’t be surprised, however, when their private persona reveals more vulnerability than you might have expected. Underneath that bombastic bravado, a childlike naiveté can cause them to end up with hurt feelings that are often masked by humor.

You’ll never meet a shy Aries, and though subtlety is not their strong point, they’ll keep you laughing and will always dazzle you with their dynamic energy, creativity, and wild moves on the dance floor. Aries men are mischievous but not devious, sometimes foolhardy but never fools, egotistic but not selfish, seriously sexy, and extremely fun to be around. 

Aries is a sign of extremes – there is no middle of the road here – so get ready to be equally as clear about what you want, and to be sure that you are speaking your own mind. Aries wants a powerful match that he can respect, and doesn’t have a lot of time for passivity, mixed messages, or doublespeak – but once he’s decided he wants you, he’ll put up with a lot if he thinks he can attain the prize. 

This kind of man is often a leaper off of high cliffs, and not always a looker to see what lies down below. There’s a “me first!” mentality that can result in a sense of urgency in regards to ambition and initiative. This can make them natural leaders, ready to head up the vanguard. Impulsive and idealistic, Aries tend to dream big, which means that they can be enterprising entrepreneurs, but many of their endeavors may end up being a flash in the pan.

Female Leo: 

From her royal bearing to her personal style (which tends to be extremely expressive and bold), the Leo woman is strong and comfortable in owning her power. 

It’s best to avoid inciting that Leonine temper if you don’t want to see claws. Should you attempt to mess with her way of being or quality of life (especially anything related to survival: her family, home, or income), she will take you down – hard. 

A Leo is in charge of her own life and does not enjoy someone else telling her what to do! “Born Free!” is this sign’s motto, and they take it extremely seriously – so you may witness a Leo being provocative in public or at a party. 

Their tendency to gain reputations as drama queens can be put to good use, as long as they can find their way to center stage and channel their fierceness into something that has deep meaning for them. 

Aries and Leo in a relationship:

When Aries and Leo come together in a love affair, the sparks will fly! Both are Fire Signs, passionate and dynamic, with a healthy love of sportsmanship and competition. There is a lot of action in this relationship. Both Signs want to be the boss and problems can arise when their equally-large egos get in the way. These partners have genuine admiration and respect for each other, but they need to learn to take turns commanding and giving orders — even when they’re only choosing a movie at the video store! 

This tends to be a very heated and passionate relationship. When it’s good it’s very, very good, but when it’s bad it’s all about loud arguments and damaged egos. In this partnership there’s always competition as to who’s in charge. Since a love relationship shouldn’t be about power, this can become a problem. 

What’s the best aspect of the Aries-Leo relationship? The mutual admiration both Signs share for one another. With Aries as the initiator and Leo as the one who follows through, they both have their integral niche within the partnership. Their mutual energy and passion makes theirs a dynamic relationship. 

[svetlanabelikova]

me, reads ‘the dream-quest of unknown kadath’ to the kids at nap time today: 

Now much of the speech of cats was known to Randolph Carter, and in this far, terrible place he uttered the cry that was suitable. But that he need not have done, for even as his lips opened he heard the chorus wax and draw nearer, and saw swift shadows against the stars as small graceful shapes leaped from hill to hill in gathering legions. The call of the clan had been given, and before the foul procession had time even to be frightened a cloud of smothering fur and a phalanx of murderous claws were tidally and tempestuously upon it. The flutes stopped, and there were shrieks in the night. Dying almost-humans screamed, and cats spit and yowled and roared, but the toad-things made never a sound as their stinking green ichor oozed fatally upon that porous earth with the obscene fungi. It was a stupendous sight while the torches lasted, and Carter had never before seen so many cats. Black, grey, and white; yellow, tiger, and mixed; common, Persian, and Manx; Thibetan, Angora, and Egyptian; all were there in the fury of battle, and there hovered over them some trace of that profound and inviolate sanctity which made their goddess great in the temples of Bubastis. They would leap seven strong at the throat of an almost-human or the pink tentacled snout of a toad-thing and drag it down savagely to the fungous plain, where myriads of their fellows would surge over it and into it with the frenzied claws and teeth of a divine battle-fury. Carter had seized a torch from a stricken slave, but was soon overborne by the surging waves of his loyal defenders. Then he lay in the utter blackness hearing the clangour of war and the shouts of the victors, and feeling the soft paws of his friends as they rushed to and fro over him in the fray. At last awe and exhaustion closed his eyes, and when he opened them again it was upon a strange scene. The great shining disc of the earth, thirteen times greater than that of the moon as we see it, had risen with floods of weird light over the lunar landscape; and across all those leagues of wild plateau and ragged crest there squatted one endless sea of cats in orderly array. Circle on circle they reached, and two or three leaders out of the ranks were licking his face and purring to him consolingly. Of the dead slaves and toad-things there were not many signs, but Carter thought he saw one bone a little way off in the open space between him and the beginning of the solid circles of the warriors. Carter now spoke with the leaders in the soft language of cats, and learned that his ancient friendship with the species was well known and often spoken of in the places where cats congregate. He had not been unmarked in Ulthar when he passed through, and the sleek old cats had remembered how he petted them after they had attended to the hungry zoogs who looked evilly at a small black kitten. And they recalled, too, how he had welcomed the very little kitten who came to see him at the inn, and how he had given it a saucer of rich cream in the morning before he left. The grandfather of that very little kitten was the leader of the army now assembled, for he had seen the evil procession from a far hill and recognised the prisoner as a sworn friend of his kind on earth and in the land of dream. A yowl now came from a farther peak, and the old leader paused abruptly in his conversation. It was one of the army’s outposts, stationed on the highest of the mountains to watch the one foe which earth’s cats fear; the very large and peculiar cats from Saturn, who for some reason have not been oblivious of the charm of our moon’s dark side. They are leagued by treaty with the evil toad-things, and are notoriously hostile to our earthly cats; so that at this juncture a meeting would have been a somewhat grave matter. After a brief consultation of generals, the cats rose and assumed a closer formation, crowding protectingly around Carter and preparing to take the great leap through space back to the housetops of our earth and its dreamland. The old field-marshal advised Carter to let himself be borne along smoothly and passively in the massed ranks of furry leapers, and told him how to spring when the rest sprang and land gracefully when the rest landed. He also offered to deposit him in any spot he desired, and Carter decided on the city of Dylath-Leen whence the black galley had set out; for he wished to sail thence for Oriab and the carven crest of Ngranek, and also to warn the people of the city to have no more traffick with black galleys, if indeed that traffick could be tactfully and judiciously broken off. Then, upon a signal, the cats all leaped gracefully with their friend packed securely in their midst; while in a black cave on a far unhallowed summit of the moon-mountains still vainly waited the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep. The leap of the cats through space was very swift; and being surrounded by his companions, Carter did not see this time the great black shapelessnesses that lurk and caper and flounder in the abyss. Before he fully realised what had happened he was back in his familiar room at the inn at Dylath-Leen, and the stealthy, friendly cats were pouring out of the window in streams. The old leader from Ulthar was the last to leave, and as Carter shook his paw he said he would be able to get home by cockcrow.

tonight, @fearresurrected: *gives me a necklace w/ a pendent that bears a single cat sitting on a crescent moon*

me: nice ok hand emoji