#Stephan Root

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

The Justice Guild of America 

The heroic Justice Guild were a team of superheroes based in Seaboard City on an alternate Earth. In a dimension parallel to this alternate Earth, the Justice Guild were believed to be fictional characters, having appeared in popular comic books of the middle twentieth century. Evidentially the creators of these comics had somehow subconsciously ‘tuned in’ on the events of the alternate Earth when crafting their stories.  John Stewart of the Justice League was of this earth and he grew up greatly enjoying reading the comic book exploits of the mighty Justice Guild.  

Sadly, the Justice Guild perished in a terrible nuclear war that decimated their planet, leaving it a wasteland inhabited by a small population of survivors.  As a result of the Guild’s deaths, the comic writers were no longer inspired by The Guild and the comics featuring them were eventually cancelled.

Ray Thompson, a young citizen of Seaboard City, survived the nuclear atrocities and developed vast psychic powers from the radioactive fallout. Ray used his newfound powers to recreate the world in which he lived and ‘resurrected’ his heroes. Other survivors of the war were forced to play their parts in Ray's world, becoming witless puppets to his whim.

Decades later, The Flash, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern and J'onn J'onzz found themselves transported to this parallel earth after being caught in a dimensional rift. John Stewart immediately recognized the heroes he had read about in his youth.  Following some initial confusion, The Leaguers were welcomed into the Justice Guild as fellow heroes and together they battled against the dreaded villains of the Injustice Guild.

It was not long, however, before the Leaguers were able to ascertain the truth about this world.  They discovered that young Ray, the adolescent sidekick to the Guild, was manipulating reality with his mental powers and enslaving his fellow survivors.  The imagoes of the Justice Guild he created were true to their original selves.  And when they discovered that they were not real, that they were puppets enforcing a tyrannical rule, they turned against Ray and demanded freedom for the survivors of this world.

Ray used his powers in an effort to destroy both the Guild and the League.  Working together, however, the heroes were able to defeat Ray.  The Justice Guild sacrificed themselves so to free their world and thereafter the Justice Leaguers were able to return to their home dimension.  

The Justice Guild was composed of the Streak (voiced by actor David Naughton); Tom Turbine (voiced by Ted McGinley); Catman (voiced by Stephan Root); The Siren (voiced by Jennifer Hale); and The Green Guardsman (voiced by William Katt). Actor Neil Patrick Harris voiced Ray Thompson.  The tragic team of heroes featured in the sixteenth and seventeenth episodes of the first season of Justice League, ‘Legends Parts I and II.’   

[blackinperiodfilms]

My favorite Black couples in Period Films/Series.

An anon recently asked me about my favorite Black couples in period films/series. I have a few! Some of which come along with trigger warnings and a bit of a heads up on not so happy endings. Some of these couples have happy endings, some have endings that leave you wondering, and some have beautiful relationships that ended tragically.

Happy Endings (To me anyway.)

Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) & Rachel Robinson (Nicole Beharie) in 42 (2013).

Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) & Colonel Jim Johnson (Mahershala Ali) in Hidden Figures (2016). 

Chicken George (Regé-Jean Page) & Matilda (Erica Tazel) in Roots (2016).

Marie Ste. Marie (Nicole Lyn) & Richard Lermontant (Jason Olive) in The Feast of All Saints (2001).  

The characters in this miniseries go through a lot. TW for SA.

Not So Happy Endings (SPOILER-ISH!!)

Rosalee (Jurnee Smollett) &  Noah (Aldis Hodge)  in Underground (2016-2017). 

Canceled on a cliffhanger.

Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne) &  Alonzo 'Fonny' Hunt (Stephan James) in If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).

The ending isn’t definite. I choose to think positively about their story.

Cora William (Thuso Mbedu) & Royal (William Jackson Harper)  in The Underground Railroad (2021). 

This story ends tragically. 

Roots: The Next Generations (1979) has generations of a few sweet relationships that I enjoy watching.

[shining-glowstick]

Stephan waiting for Andi 🥹

[sayruq]

The United Nations said Tuesday it suspended food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity. It also said no aid trucks entered in the past two days via a floating pier set up by the U.S. for sea deliveries. The U.N. has not specified how many people have stayed in Rafah since the Israeli military began its intensified assault there two weeks ago, but apparently several hundred thousand people remain. The World Food Program said it was also running out of food for central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing Rafah have sought shelter in a chaotic exodus, setting up new tent camps or crowding into areas already devastated by previous Israeli offensives. Abeer Etefa, a spokesperson for the U.N’s World Food Program, warned that “humanitarian operations in Gaza are near collapse.” If food and other supplies don’t resume entering Gaza “in massive quantities, famine-like conditions will spread,” she said.

The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court cited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged “use of starvation as a method of warfare,” a charge they and other Israeli officials angrily deny. The prosecutor accused three Hamas leaders of war crimes over killings of civilians in the group’s Oct. 7 attack. The U.N says some 1.1 million people in Gaza – nearly half the population — face catastrophic levels of hunger and that the territory is on the brink of famine. The crisis in humanitarian supplies has spiraled in the two weeks since Israel launched an incursion into Rafah on May 6, vowing to root out Hamas fighters. Troops seized the Rafah crossing into Egypt, which has been closed since. Since May 10, only about three dozen trucks made it into Gaza via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel because fighting makes it difficult for aid workers to reach it, the U.N. says. For months, the U.N. has warned that an Israeli assault on Rafah could wreck the effort to get food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians across Gaza. Throughout the war, Rafah has been filled with scenes of hungry children holding out pots and plastic containers at makeshift soup kitchens, with many families reduced to eating only one meal a day. The city’s population had swelled to some 1.3 million people, most of whom fled fighting elsewhere. Around 810,000 people have streamed out of Rafah, although Israel says it has not launched the full-fledged invasion of the city it had planned. The United States has said Israel did not present a “credible” plan for evacuating the population or keeping it safe. The main agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, announced the suspension of distribution in Rafah in a post on X, without elaborating beyond citing the lack of supplies. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UNRWA distribution center and the WFP’s warehouses in Rafah were “inaccessible due to ongoing military operations.”

An absolute nightmare

[cripplecharacters]

What might be a good way to design a wheelchair in a medieval fantasy setting? The issues being that it seems to generally be a no-no to make a walking chair with legs as a wheelchair replacement, and the fact that terrain in that kinda setting is not all that friendly to wheelchairs, with dirt/mud paths, cobblestones, etc.

Hello, thank you for your ask! Please note I’m not a historian, just someone who’s done a lot of research. If anyone on Tumblr wants to add anything they know about the subject that I didn’t cover, feel free!

I’m going to start with the terrain before I get into the wheelchairs, and to start, a wheelchair can definently get over dirt and cobblestone. Even back before paved roads people needed smooth roads in order to transport carts, and even Rome had very well maintained cobbled roads in 300 A.D. to make transport as efficient as possible. There are, of course, uneaven or poorly maintained cobblestone paths, and those would certainly be an issue. If your story takes place in an area with uneaven stone roads, I’d recommend looking into manual hiking wheelchairs for design inspiration. Dirt paths shouldn’t pose as much of an issue either, unless they’re like covered in roots, plants, mounds, etc, but a well traveled dirt path should be packed well enough to not be an issue. Mud can pose an issue, but even dirt roads with hard-packed dirt from heavy foot traffic should have much more shallow puddles and less loose mud than regular loose dirt would. If your character likes in a particularly wet/rainy area I’d recommend looking into beach wheelchairs and manual all-terrain wheelchairs. Otherwise, your character should be fine on ancient roads! Now, onto ancient chairs.

The medieval ages span quite a long time, from the 5th century A.D. to the 14th century, and wheelchairs have been being created for that entire time. While many other disability aids were also being used during that time, I’m going to focus on wheelchairs and wheeled aids so I don’t make this too long, and because that’s what was asked. A quick note is that the first self propelled wheelchair was made by a watchmaker named Stephan Farffler in 1655 [pictured below], so if you want your character(s) to be able to propel themselves you’re going to have to take some creative liberties. [Note: Stephan’s chair was probably very useful for getting over uneaven terrain, with its three wheels and low center of gravity making it harder to tip.]

Records show that Greece was one of the first countries to develop wheeled-aids. The first instance of the Greeks using something similar can be found on a vase from 530 B.C. depicting a child on a bed with wheels being taken outside. Now there isn’t much surviving evidence of ancient Greek mobility aids, but there have been Greek temples found with both stairs and ramps, which imply people were being wheeled into temples fairly often [source]. There have also been vases imagining Triptolemus on a wheeled chair since 400 B.C., though it seems like imaginative work rather than something accessible to the public considering the chair doesn’t look like it could stand upright? But then again I’m not a historian and it’s possible a wealthy disabled person at the time took inspiration for what their chair would look like, or vise versa.

The first record of a wheelchair in China is found on a stone carving from 525 A.D. showing a wealthy man in a custom chair. For those with less money, records show they had been using wheelbarrows to transport disabled people since 200 A.D., and this form was definently more common for the average person who didn’t have money for a custom chair. [I unfortunately couldn’t find artwork depicting someone being carried in a wheelbarrow during this time, every picture I found was from the 1900’s and sooner, but feel free to look them up for inspiration.]

Wheelbarrows were then brought from China to Europe in the 12th century and were also used to transport people, as well as having the design changed.

In 1595 King Phillip II of Spain received the first clearly recorded wheelchair after becoming bedridden with gout. Unlike the other chairs it had the ability to have a reclining headrest and adjustable footrest. This chair was definently designed more for confort than practicality, as the king probably wouldn't need to travel any unkept roads like a poor person would.

Wheelchairs developed way more during the 18-19th centuries, and you can always look there for ideas if you want your character to be more independent.

I hope this was all helpful!

Mod Rot

[bethanydelleman]

I always feel like, "English is so difficult" is just monolinguals trying to feel special, like their language is as hard as walking to school uphill both ways in a snowstorm. Because firstly, every language is equally difficult/easy for babies to learn as a first language (citation: graduate level language development courses). Secondly, lots of languages have messed up writing/spelling systems. And thirdly, learning a language as an adult depends on your first language and the level of similarity. As in, if you know English, Dutch and German (same root) and French (shared vocabulary) are easier to learn as an adult. They have whole language root maps that show you:

The more you learn about other languages, you'll realize they are just as weird as English. Hard to spell stuff in this language? Well according to my colleague who speaks Farsi, they have 4 "z"s, 3 "s"s, and two "t"s that make no sound differences and have to be memorized for spelling because they came from Arabic (citation needed, but the Google seems to back this up). Japanese has three different alphabets. French, Swedish, Faroese, Tibetan, Mongolian and Hebrew also have "deep orthographies" meaning that the relationship between letters and their sounds is less direct than we wish (which may cause a higher incidence of dyslexia), just like English.

English isn't some special language that's so difficult to learn. If it was, I really doubt there would be 750 million second language speakers worldwide. And this isn't just coming from a random internet person, Stephan Pinker, a linguist, has a whole chapter in one of his books about how English grammar is surprisingly regular and we keep making it more regular (eliminating exceptions like "learnt" for "learned") and it's not as weird as people make it out to be.

And yes, I'm aware most people learn English as a second language for economic reasons/colonization/imperialism, but if it was really that hard people would give up. It's just regular hard. Languages are all hard and they all have weirdnesses and histories and English isn't special it's just another language among thousands.

[renegade-hierophant]

Similarities between Buddhism and Gnosticism

according to Stephan A. Hoeller:

Liberation or salvation can be achieved by a liberating insight, namely gnosis or jñāna

Ignorance, or a lack of insight, called agnosis or avidyā, is the root cause of entrapment in this world

Liberating insight can be achieved by interior revelation, not by external knowledge

Both systems give a hierarchical ordering of spiritual attainment, from blind materialism to complete spiritual attainment

Wisdom, as the feminine principle personified in Sophia and prajñā, plays an important role in both religions

Myth is preferred over historical fact; Christ and Buddha are not mere historical figures, but archetypal primordial beings

Both systems have antinomian tendencies, that is, a disregard for rules and social conventions in higher spiritual attainment

Both systems are intended for spiritual elites, not for the masses, and have hidden meanings and teachings

Both systems are monistic, aiming at a metaphysical oneness beyond the multiplicity of the phenomenal world

[jbaileyfansite]

The Bridge Theatre has announced the full cast for Richard II, opening on 10 February 2025 and running until 10 May.

Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the production will star Jonathan Bailey in the title role, supported by a cast that includes Royce Pierreson as Henry Bolingbroke, Christopher Osikanlu Colquhoun as the Earl of Northumberland, and Olivia Popica as Queen Isabel.

Additional cast members include Amanda Root as Green and the Duchess of York, Phoenix Di Sebastiani as Thomas Mowbray and Groom, and Clive Wood as John of Gaunt. Returning to the Bridge Theatre is Michael Simkins, who will play the Duke of York.

The ensemble is rounded out by Adam Best as Sir John Bagot, Seamus Dillane as Lord Surrey, Vinnie Heaven as Aumerle, Jordan Kouamé as Sir John Bushy and Harry Percy, Gerard Monaco as Sir Stephen Scroop and Keeper, George Taylor as Fitzwater, and Badria Timimi as the Abbess of Carlisle. The understudy cast includes Emma Bown, Martin Carroll, and Stephan Boyce.

Richard II sees Shakespeare delve into themes of political power and authority, foregrounding on the contrast between the impulsive Richard and the practical Bolingbroke.

The production will feature design by Bob Crowley, lighting by Bruno Poet, sound by Carolyn Downing, and an original score by Grant Olding. Robert Sterne is the casting director, with Lily Dyble as associate director.

The creative team includes Jaimie Todd as associate designer, Charlie Smith as associate sound designer, Eleanor Dolan as costume supervisor, and Lily Mollgaard as props supervisor.

You can still buy tickets here and here.

[liistenwellallofyou]

Why Maleficent cursed Aurora?

Actually the answer is quite simple while people will think it's just because she wasn't invited, the root is much deeper.

In every (if not most) version of the fairy tale, the King and Queen held a huge event and made sure to invite everyone of importante and relevance, what included the fairies (12 or 13 in the original if I'm not mistaken). The only one left out was the Evil Fairy and in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, it was the same thing.

For Stephan did the same thing.

And honestly Maleficent TRIED to give an out for both the Queen and King to maybe get out of that situation with some grace.

She offers them a way to appease her and honestly THEY MIGHT HAVE TOOK THAT, saying it was an oversight or that maybe the invitation didn't get to Maleficent in time, if Merryweather hadn't been such a brat and spilled seconds lated the whole YOU WEREN'T WANTED.

Maleficent cursed them out of spite because you honestly cannot invite everyone of relevance and power and leave out one, she had EVERY RIGHT TO BE OFFENDED. And we know how fae are when they are cross about something. Just like it's weird when you invite the whole class but leave one kid out you know?

The curse was not to punish the infant, but the Queen and King for their bad manners.

[simptasia]

LOST reading list

a list of books read by characters in lost for you to enjoy (or not). this isn't every book referenced in lost. for all that and more, see the "literary works" page on lostpedia, where im getting my info

no, my criteria for this list is that it's been read by a lost character. i'll tell you who (you'll see sawyers name a lot), and i'll add if it's somebody's fave book. this list will not include things like the bible or the qur'an or historical texts, as that while that can technically be recreational reading (it seems to be for ben), i'd rather not

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (read by Jack)

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume (read by Sawyer)

A Brief History of Time by Stephan Hawking (read by Ben)

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (read by Ben)

Caravan of Dreams by Idries Shah (read by Ben)

Carrie by Stephen King (Read by Juliet, Ben and various other Others. This is Juliet's favourite book)

The Chosen by Chaim Potok (read by Sawyer)

Dark Horse by Tami Hoag (read by Jack)

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King (read by Ben)

Dirty Work by Stuart Woods (read by Jack)

Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor (read by Jacob)

Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie (read by Sawyer)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (read by Ben)

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (read by Ben)

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (read by Sawyer)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (read by Jack)

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salmon Rushdie (read by Desmond)

Hotel by Arthur Hailey (read by Ben)

The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares (read by Sawyer)

Lancelot by Walker Percy (read by Sawyer)

Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov (read by Hurley)

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (read by Ilana)

The Oath by John Lescroart (read by Ben)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (read by Sawyer. This is Sawyer's favourite book and author)

Roots by Alex Haley (read by Ben)

A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda (read by Ben)

The Sheltering Shy by Paul Bowles (read by Ben)

Ulysses by James Joyce (read by Ben)

Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler (read by Ben and Jack)

VALIS by Philip K. Dick (read by Ben)

Watership Down by Richard Adams (read by Boone and Sawyer)

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle (read by Sawyer)

Every work by Charles Dickens other than Our Mutual Friend (read by Desmond. This is his favourite author)

I encourage you to speculate on the character implications put forth by these reading choices. This can raise such questions as: Jack is a Harry Potter fan? What is Desmond's favourite book by Charles Dickens? Boone can read??

Thank you for your time

[cool-cowboy]

Summary:

In which Father Kennedy comes up with a plan to expel your mutual lust by forcing the both of you to cope with it, and the plan works, for about a minute, then he confesses his undying and eternal love for you and does you on the altar while you stare at Jesus Christ.

This is the second work in this storyline, reading the first one isn't all that necessary, just know you've already indulged once before, during the previous Sunday's confession. If you like your men obsessed this one is definitely for you. Enjoy!

Tags:

Priest Leon S. Kennedy, Alternate universe- Medieval, Church Sex, Catholicism, Guilt, Adultery, Love confessions, Catholic prayers, Altar sex, Naked female clothed male, Body worship, Semi-public sex, Multiple orgasms, Oral sex, Vaginal fingering, Teasing, Vaginal sex, Cum shot, Aftercare

Blurb:

“If we are to abstain, why would we come here alone? Is that not counterproductive?”

“Temptation can only be overcome if it is present, miss. We are in no position to flee, we must face our desires and let God lead us in the way he sees fit. I intend to cure us of our illness in as quick a manner as possible, so we will need to bury ourselves in it, let the wound fester prior to healing."

Text:

“Father? Um- Stephan’s home, you-”

“I wasn’t looking to come inside. Accompany me through town, we have some things to discuss.” I nod, unsure exactly what said discussion will entail, considering it has been only a few days following our indiscretion, and I haven’t seen him once, though the guilt has been heavy, making me sickly to even look at Stephan, who is none the wiser, thankfully, I wouldn’t want to need to sin again by lying to ward off any suspicion regarding my adultery.

“Alright. Let me go and tell Stephan, he doesn’t like for me to leave without notice. Come in, Father.” I pull the door a little further open, allowing him inside and out of the cold, my thoughts already ungodly at the sight of him in his casual clothing, the collared shirt tight over his neck, and his upper body as well, providing an overly enticing view which leaves very little to the imagination.

“Hurry along, miss, we have things to attend to.” I nod, a little feverish, not glad to have been caught ogling, as well as anxious to speak to Stephan about the Father in any regard. I hurry to the study, admittedly delighted at the thought of any manner of time spent with the priest, even if it is sinful.

“Stephan?” He has the door closed, was telling me a few hours prior my cleaning was interrupting his work, so much so he had to close his door to keep me from being bothersome. He utters a soft “Come in” from the other side, so I do, opening the door slowly to keep from disturbing him, wary to rouse his bad mood.

“What could possibly be so damn important you’re interrupting a second time?” I don’t look at him, well aware being too bold is never a smart decision, just keep my gaze down and wring my hands, any attempt to calm the nervousness falling entirely flat.

“I just- I wanted to tell you I’m heading out for a short while.” I glance up, his expression unhappy, though he really should be glad to be rid of me, if I truly am being such a nuisance.

“Where?” A tight leash, that’s what he’s named it, his stipulation of getting to ask his questions before giving his assent for me to do as I please, though he’s usually not all that big of a part of my day, keeps to himself besides mealtimes and when he’s looking to bed me, more often as of late, our marriage barren without me giving him any children, of course I take precaution where I can, lily root has never failed me so far, though if Stephan ever found out about my unwillingness to bear his children I’d be in quite the predicament, I’ve already received more than a few slaps due to my “Infertility”.

“Just through town. The Father has some things he wants to discuss.” I hope it’s sufficient, I would rather be truthful where possible, I never had the chance to become a skillful liar, never had reason to, before now.

“The Father? What business do you have with Mr. Kennedy?” I’m sweating, hands wiped on the front of my dress doing nothing to abate the clamminess on my skin, my guilt plain, thankfully not so plain to my husband, this being one of the few occasions I’m glad he doesn’t pay me much mind.

“I assume it’s something to do with the choir, Meredith’s out of town for now, I assume he expects me to fill her role for the time being.” A convenient story, a truthful one, which happens to work very nicely in my favor.

“Sure. You’ll be back in time to make supper?” I hum an affirmative, and he waves me off, going quickly back to his writing, ignoring me once again, other than a final “Make sure you’re not “too tired” tonight”, the excuse I’ve been giving lately, claiming to be too busy to have the energy to give into being bedded, not that it works majority of the time, he does as he pleases no matter how pleading my asking him not to is. I leave him, not wanting to be a bigger bother than necessary, heading back down the hall to a man who’s more than willing to offer his time, the father waiting patiently just where I’d left him, inspecting a painting of Stephan and I hung just inside the door.

“He agreed?” I nod, making sure not to stare, taking my furs from their hook and shrugging them on, having a look at him when I’m finished, his expression serious, professional, not unusual, though we are closer now, close in a way I would have never guessed, me being the only person on the entirety of earth who has seen him in the throes of pleasure, lost to desire, the thought of his entirely different self rousing goosebumps over my arms, enticed and afraid at once.

“Let’s be off, I’ll need to arrive back with time to prepare Stephan’s supper.” He opens the door, letting me through first before closing it softly behind, the action not of any importance to him, but indescribably touching for me, something Stephan has never once done in the years I’ve known him, even while he was courting me he was selfish, luckily for him so was my father. “So, Father, what is it you… Wanted to discuss?” I’m curious, we’ve never spent time together outside of church hours, never had any reason to, which leads me to believe this has everything to do with Sunday’s confession.

“What is it about me that you enjoy?” I pull my brows together, taking his offered hand to help me down the steps, unsure why he’d ask something so forward, or where he intends to bring this discussion, the warmth of him lingering on my skin when he releases me, our pace lazy, a simple stroll, not entirely normal, but I suppose no one will gossip about Mr. Kennedy, the thought offering relative safety as we trail along, even if I’m not all that glad there are so many others out at this time of day.

“Forgive me, but why- Why do you ask?” I cast a look toward him, wary of having this conversation in public, even in the mostly empty residential block.

“I think I may have found a way to rid the both of us of our yearning… I suppose I should set the example. I find you perfect. You enrapture me with your nature, truly, you consume my mind and body with your presence, my entire being is delighted at any reminder of you, miss. I believe there is reason behind your draw, of course, God has sent you to me, and me to you, as either of our most formidable trials, lust being our greatest weakness-”

“Father, I don’t see how this is- What solution can we have for a trial from God other than to abstain?” He smiles, seeming overly giddy at my words, nodding along with them, his footsteps pausing just in front of the church’s walkway, his body turned to face mine, large in front of me, undeniably masculine, everything I would have wanted if the choice was mine to make.

“You’ve figured it out all on your own, miss. Abstaining is the only way, we must make a habit of it, that’s what I’m suggesting. Come.” He leads the way, the both of us entering the empty church, no service going on at midday on a Wednesday.

“If we are to abstain, why would we come here alone? Is that not counterproductive?” It surely seems that way, the tension settles the moment the door is closed behind us, thick and heavy, the weight of sin on my shoulders, my guilt eating me from inside out, an excruciatingly powerful deterrent, I must say.

“Temptation can only be overcome if it is present, miss. We are in no position to flee, we must face our desires and let God lead us in the way he sees fit. I intend to cure us of our illness in as quick a manner as possible, so we will need to bury ourselves in it, let the wound fester prior to healing. Sit.” I do, take a seat one the frontmost pew, watching him take a seat beside me, a small amount closer than what would be considered appropriate, though I suppose it’s necessary, being close enough to lean in but having the willpower not to. I wonder if he’s looking this well kept on purpose, to be enticing, he looks more put together than usual, and I must admit it is making me a little warm, my face heated only from being alone with him, sat close enough for him to do as he pleases, no confession window keeping me from seeing the entirety of him. “We will need to expel our desires… Have you been praying to the lord daily?” He’s sinning, the evidence is all over him, that same low, lusty quality to his gaze, the roughness of his voice, the pink dusting over his cheeks, the telltale tightness of his breeches. He seems to be trying to distract himself, keep his thoughts from wandering down the more unrighteous path, and I’m doing the same, though my mind has a tendency to wander, especially during time with the Father.

“Yes, of course, for forgiveness and guidance. I haven’t seen a difference- In the-uhm- The… Frequency of the ungodly thoughts, no matter the amount of times I plead for it.” God has been unkind to me in the past weeks, never providing any type of assistance to aid me with my problem, but I suppose that’s how it’s meant to be, it is my choice to be godly, or to give into the need burning through me, the scorching hot, pleasurable want that is nearly worth it.

“The lord works in mysterious ways, miss. We must remember this. We are to choose our own path, be worthy or risk our salvation when judgment comes.” I nod in agreement, though I can’t help but question it, God’s will, his willingness to tempt but not allow humankind to be tempted, the all-knowing man surely already knows what choice we will make, which path we will continue down. “Though it is true all sins are equivalent under the lord… As long as we are forgiven we are cleansed…” He has a hand over the front of his pants, just rested there, his expression lax, only a little pained, the suggestion clear, an offer to call off our abstinence before it’s even had the chance to begin, give into temptation and assume we will be granted forgiveness for our weakness.

“Father? You’re suggesting… We should..?” I’m not so sure, not that I’m strong enough to resist if he was to suggest we indulge again, it does seem much less consequential now that we’ve already done so once before.

“Not suggesting, merely… Well, perhaps I did suggest it. You really have ruined me, miss.” He sighs, closing his eyes and covering his face with one hand, seeming strung up, not all that willing to make either decision. “I’m all too willing to fail, only when it comes to you, all I ask is that we remain discreet, my position is based on the trust of the town, I cannot have them finding out I’m a sinner, they will lose all faith in me, I can’t have that.” I nod, unnerved he’s planning to keep this tryst going for longer than today, though I can’t say I won’t be glad to continue as we have, one sin is equal to many, penance is the only way we will be saved now.

“We cannot be found out. Stephan, he would- I’d-”

“I’m well aware, miss. I wouldn’t allow it, you will not be harmed. We will be sure to keep this under wraps, yes?” I hum, still afraid, a continued offense meaning more instances our sin could be revealed. “Good, well, I suppose reveling in temptation wasn’t the ingenious idea I thought it would be… Truthfully I’m being ungodly right now, thinking of how beautiful you were when you bore yourself to me, allowed me to pleasure you…” He’s touching me, has a hand on my knee over my skirts, his upper body turned toward me, the shift in the conversation bringing forth the familiar warm sensation, a buzzing of want settled over me, heavy and hot and unyielding.

“Father, we… Someone could come in…” He doesn’t seem to mind, his expression hazy, face near to mine, his breathing a little hoarse, excited.

“Don’t be worried, miss, I must admit I had lustful intentions, I turned the lock, in the case we weren’t well equipped to resist… Seems my hunch wasn’t far off, unless you aren’t as fully depraved as me… Tell me, do you wish to indulge?” He speaks softly, kind, his face a breath from mine, his hand pausing its upward travels to await my answer, this man who has no need to be so gentlemanly giving me the kind of choice I’ve yearned for nearly the entirety of my life as if it’s something so common.

“Forgive me father, for I have sinned, and I will do so again.” I sign the cross, praying my repentance will be enough, watching him sign his own, not at all concealing his lustful gaze, the holy signal dampened by his hand running a little further up my leg, my skin already sickly hot, the both of us anticipating it, steeling ourselves with heavy breaths.

“The father is just, he will cleanse and forgive the faithful of their sins…” He presses his lips to mine, soft and slow, the beginning of depravity, the sealing of our shared sin, the sweetest sin I’ve ever committed, the only one I’d give up everything to commit again and again. “This is it… The start of our descent… The most beautiful madness I could ever conceive of… The most evil perfection there is, my all consuming want, you.” He’s not rushed, it’s not in his nature, he’s calm, collected, his lips rough against mine, as well as his palm, cupped gently to my jaw, holding me to him, his skin hot against me, a reminder of sin, the heat a sort of omen of where we’re headed, a prelude to the heat of damnation we’re settling ourselves into. “I wish I could explain… The things I feel for you… The power you have over me… The carnal, painful need simmering inside…” He’s easing me back, slow, laying me back on my elbows, leaning over me to keep our lips connected, his hand trailing down from my jaw, ghosting over the curve of my waist, the gentle touch completely unfamiliar, his softness entirely enrapturing, his honest words spoken into kisses with a passion and fervor I could never begin to explain. “The sweet embrace of sin… Is all too enticing while you’re the one offering it… Miss, I have a confession.” He stops, pulling back to look down on me, his face and lips both flushed, nearly as flushed as mine feel, the both of us breathing heavy as he rests above me, his expression earnest and pained, distraught at his yearning.

“What is it, father?” He doesn’t tell me, rather sits up, pulling me along once he’s stood, lifting me right up out of the pew to rest across his arms, carrying me up the steps before pausing, just looking at me, still distraught, swallowing in a nervous manner as he looks down on me.

“My heart has always been full of God.” He sets me down, right on the altar, smoothing my skirts before sinking down, rested on his knees in front of me, staring up at me with that same expression, utterly terrified of what I’ve done to him, his hand moving to sign the cross before letting it rest over his thigh. “I’ve never had the room for anything further than the lord… Never felt inclined to make any, but you- You’ve shoved your way inside, clawed through a lifetime of God’s will and made your own home in my heart. The thought of- I’m appalled by it, the precedence you’ve assumed… Miss, you’ve consumed me, reached inside and tore my heart and taken it for yourself… Though… I find I don’t mind, and if it makes me ungodly then so be it- because I’m- I won’t apologize for being smitten with someone so utterly perfect- This is a mistake I would make time and time again, because it isn’t- Loving is never a mistake.” Love. I’m not sure I can say I’ve ever loved anyone, surely not Stephan, even if I do tell him so, the closest I’ve ever come to love is probably whatever warmth I have for the man before me, though I couldn’t admit it, loving him would be the worst possible offense, a far more real version of whatever we’re doing here, a crime for which there is no punishment other than the wrath of god.

“Father, we- You-”

“Just let me say it, I will bear my sins to you, you need not return my sentiment, I merely cannot keep the feeling festering inside any longer, feel free to ignore my ramblings, I am nothing but a godless madman, prepared to worship at your altar… Your body is the only temple I need, the only thing important enough to tear me from God, so allow me this, give me the freedom to speak my truth, divulge my sins to both you and the lord.” He’s touching me, staring at me with his head turned to the side, lips pressed to the skin of my inner ankle, lifted with a soft touch, the look in his eyes making me sickly, something so beautiful I can’t stand it, a care I’ve never seen, love. “I relinquish myself to you, completely, miss, from now until forever, I am yours, entirely. I will worship you, offer you all that I can in means of companionship and affection, though you need not do the same, I simply just cannot deny myself the simple pleasure of offering up my love, all of which belongs to you… Solely.” He’s making his way up, smoothly kissing up the inside of my thigh, looking up at me from his place on the floor, entirely enamored, his hand pushing slowly up on my skirts as he moves.

“Father..? I don’t- You can’t- You can’t say these things in God’s place…” He pauses his kissing, turning to look at me straight on, my skirts hiked up over my knee, my skin burning hot and clammy, worried what God will think of us now, two devoted disciples worshiping the other rather than our creator, indulging in an ungodly love.

“What I feel for you is not my doing, miss. I have fought against it long enough, I cannot convince my heart to feel for you any differently than I do. God knows this, knows I truly have tried my absolute hardest to quell my affections but I’m- This isn’t a decision I get to make, I’d continue loving you if I kept quiet. Just- Let me give myself to you, while we’re alone, the only time I can love you without looking your husband in the face… Let me love you before I face my guilt.” He looks near tears, voice soft and pleading, his hands coming palms together before he presses them to the wood between my legs, forehead to his thumbs, face hidden in my skirts. “Please, miss, forgive me, I did not intend to divulge my most gruesome secret, I only saw it fit to not hide it from you any longer- If you do not wish to continue-”

“I would- I mean… You may continue…” He lifts his head, lifts it and smiles, soft and affectionate, sickeningly so, his devotion pouring through his gaze, through his touch, his hands warm and rough on the skin of my opposite leg, fingers easing up on my skirts as he looks at me, his hand bringing my ankle to his lips, his eyes peering at me sideways as he lays slow kisses to my skin, slicking it with sinful saliva, his sin so overwhelming he’s lost in it, looking at me in a way that suggests nothing else on God’s earth matters as long as him and I are here, like this, indulging in something so terrible, but nothing of the sort, something so passionate it could only be god’s will.

“You’ve changed me… Molded me into something new… Laid the me before you to bed… Given me a new purpose… Pleasing you… My lord, you’re so beautiful I could do absolutely nothing other than gaze at you for the remainder of my days…” He’s made it up to my knee, my skirts hiked to my lap, his hands on the outsides of my legs, running up as he stands, pushing up further on my clothes before trailing his fingers up and over them, up from my hips to the lacing at my stomach, his eyes on mine as he pulls the knot, slow, his words quiet, the both of us too hot, too much feeling between us, too much to simply speak, the need burning low, humming beneath my skin. “I’ll say this, miss, you’ve made me human in a way I’ve never been… Shown me with your touch and care that I am to be cared for as I care for others…” He’s working my dress up, gently getting it up and over my head before smoothing my hair, not showing any interest in the skin he’s just exposed, instead continuing to stare into my face, conveying his truth through his gaze, his hands smoothing at the sides of my hair, the softness making me nearly emotional, a kind of fussing I’ve never received nor knew I’d wanted, all until now, until him. “You are my test, not of my willpower, but of how much of my love I can give away. I will not stop loving you, miss, I will love you until the day I die and after, I will claw my way out from beneath my grave and return to you, that is my penance, the one thing I can do to show that this is not a physical want, but an insatiable yearning to be one, a craving to be yours and to have you as mine, make a home for you inside my heart which cannot be sullied by fear or insecurity, a safe haven filled with all the warmth I have for you…” He kisses me, hands on the sides of my face, my body all but bare but without attention, this kind of lust without hurry, not about the physical pleasure as much as indulging in the warmth between us.

“Father… I must be… Off soon…” He hums, leaving one last lingering kiss on my lips before returning to his knees, hands pulling on my undergarments, leaving me fully bare, his clothing still fully intact, the clerical clothing still as crisp as ever, all of him smooth, enticing.

“Soon then, until then… Bless me Lord, and these thy gifts, which I am about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.” He leans in, kissing up the inside of my knee as he eases my legs wider, trailing fingertips up the opposite side, his eyes peering up at me in his affectionate manner, his beauty laid out below me, utter perfection at my disposal. “I will do all that I can to please you, be free to speak any wishes you may have, I’m more than happy to oblige… I would be satisfied only to satisfy you…” He presses a thumb to my hole, or rather the wetness there, slipping it up to press to the pleasurable spot I’m not sure what to call, rubbing up and down, watching my face, seeming pleased at my expression, tightened with the feeling he’s offering, his breath fanning over my privates making me tense against him. “This is God’s will… It must be, otherwise he would never have allowed me this information, the secret to unraveling you until you’re puddled, so well worked you’ll never need anything else… God wishes me happiness, and that happiness lies where I’m able to show you my care… Where I can give you at least a fraction of what you deserve, miss. I’m curious… Let me…” He tastes me, softly, licking up and sending a pleasurable jolt through me. He groans, sounding pleased with his findings, moving to close his lips where his thumb has left, light suction there a whole lot more intense than the pressure beforehand, my light gasp getting him to continue, the image of him between my thighs entirely sinful, beautiful in the way of Lucifer, led astray, an angel who’s done wrong, cast down into my arms, well, between trembling thighs. “Yes… My lord this is… You’re incredible… The most perfect body and soul, truly the image of God…” He moves back to using his thumb, watching me with his pretty blue eyes, his lips skimming over the skin of my thigh, my wetness shining on his lips evidence of our actions. “This must be heaven on earth… Alone with only you… Nothing veiled any longer… Only my love for you laid out for God to see, whether he strike me down or grant me forgiveness I will not regret this, I could never bring myself to regret you.” The pressure is building, my hand mussing his hair, legs closed on either side of him, his thumb moving against me, the tightness making me breathless, unbearably hot, damnation so close it’s pressing into me, making me sick with fever. “You’re nearly there, miss, you’re afraid- Don’t be, worry on judgment day, for now only focus yourself on me, let me worship you, give you pleasure, mark you with my hands and body, leave traces of you all over me, ruin myself with your touch, plunge deeper and deeper into the depravity I’ve fought for so long I can’t remember the first time I sinned in your name.” He pauses his ramblings to watch me, head thrown back as I orgasm, intense pleasure along with the familiar searing heat washing over me, sweet words coaxing me down even as I pull on his hair.

“Father, father- We must hurry, come up.” He listens, standing to his whole height, still towering even as I’m sat up on the altar, his body slotted between my legs as he captures my lips, the taste of me on his lips somehow enticing, a reminder of what he’s done for me, of his depravity, of our willingness to deny God.

“Would you like to continue?” I nod, using a hand to pull him back to my lips, my other hand fumbling with his breeches, his hands taking over in a silent display of care.

“Would you… I’d like to… Please you.” I press a hand to his chest, backing him up enough to sink to the floor between him and the altar, his manhood bare to me, his clothes still mostly in place other than the undone clasp of his breeches.

“You’d really… You’d-” I grip him, softly, his whole body jolting as I run my hand up the length, looking up at him as I close my lips over him, the taste barely familiar, salty. “That’s… Lord help me, I’m hellbound…” He lets me do as I please, just pets the side of my hair as I sink down, gagging before I expect to, pulling back with watery eyes before taking him back in, my hands on clothed thighs, his expression worried, mouth gaping, the flush spread up to his ears and down his chest. “This is… Truly-ah- Lord, forgive me, forgive us, we will-hah- we will sin again and again, accept our-our penance and our pleas for forgiveness and-nnh cleanse us of our wrong doings-” He leans over me, one hand planted on the altar, the other gripped to my hair, leading me along, his head hanging, eyes closed tight, mouth opened in the pleasure I’m offering. “Nearly- I’ll never-Ah- I’ve never- Felt anything like this. So beautiful-hah- Heavenly- Your mouth is just as perfect as-Nnh! Perfect-Miss-!” He pulls me away, reaching out and pulling me up, taking care to wipe away the mess on my lips before easing me back onto the altar, his body against me, the heat terrible, dizzying, my body laid out below god, head over the edge of the altar, jesus christ staring down at me from his place against the wall, his body strung up to make up for me, for my lust, the greed to want more than what I’ve gotten, the sickness inside of me, whatever sickness has led me here, the father’s manhood pressing inside, my eyes on the son, his on me, the guilt making me sick, the distraction of the man above me not able to do anything to abate the burning heat settled over us, marking us as sinners.

“Forgive me, father in- in heaven, I will- I am a child of sin… I pray you will invite me- to paradise, forgive me for the-ah-the wrong I’ve done.” He lets me take care of my prayer, stays seated inside while I do, waiting, my eyes coming to his once I’m finished, both of us too unwilling to give up on whatever disgusting kind of pleasure this is to properly show appreciation to the lord.

“Miss… We really… Are you truly willing to- delve into the depths of depravity, accept and wear this sin as yours-Ours?” I really shouldn’t, I should high tail it out of this forsaken church and never speak to him again, but I truly can’t bring myself to deny him, or myself, something so searing hot, something so correct, perfectly incredible, his skin against mine the only thing I’ve ever truly longed for, enjoyed.

“Yes, I accept my sin and my penance, I need this, father, you.” He swallows, seeming distraught at my confession, at my willingness to be ruined, to sin alongside him.

“Then so be it.” He moves, slowly, drawing himself back and slowly forward, leaning over me and gazing down, one hand beside my ribs, the other gripped to my hip. “My God… I- You’re so-ah- beautiful… So- Tempting-! Miss, this is my love, this- This is the most of me I can-Nnh- Offer-! Being one with you- seated deep inside- this- this is the most-ah- Feels so- so good…” He’s lost, eyes nearly closed, opened for the sole purpose of gazing into me, his hips hitting the backs of my thighs, the sound echoing through the empty pews, his hand pulling me, coaxing me in to meet him, thumb stretched across to rub that spot, the both of us panting like dogs, feverish from our wrongdoing, burning with evil, a lovely sort. “Even if- If everyone found us ungodly- I wouldn’t- I’d kiss ungodly skin, live in an-ah- ungodly home, sink deep into an-hah- an- ungodly woman- Give into depravity, worship the opposite-Hnn- the-ah- of what I’ve sworn to, give myself over to the devil-” He’s laid out over me, head between my breasts as he works against me, both of us sweating, my hands in his hair and gripped to the side of the altar, my head tipped right side down, gaze on the son of God, my legs trembling, all of it too much, the devotion, the sin, the weight of him, the heat passed between us, all of it wretched, painfully precious. “You’ve corrupted me, miss, made me born new, born to-ah- love you, to satisfy this sinful need, to sink into the burning heat and-hah- and make my home there… God- You’re- You-Hnn- This is the only heaven I need, buried inside the- the woman of my dreams, our bodies and souls-ah- as one, two sinners lost in- in the- the- other-! Hah-The- feel of your skin is the most enticing touch I’ve ever-Nnh- The taste of your lips, your warmth, your sacrifice, ours, our shared sin…” He’s speaking into my skin, breath hot between my ribs, the heat of him nearly painful, his hand bouncing me against him, his manhood pressed deep with every thrust of his hips, my thighs tight and shaking around him, the high nearly there, Jesus staring down on us, reminding me of my guilt, the man waiting in my home, a man who could never even come close to making me feel like this, warm and overwhelmed and weightless and satiated all at once. He’s nearly finished, teeth gnashed and eyes screwed shut, forehead pressed to my skin, his thumb moving desperately against me.

“If the lord won’t forgive us for having this- I don’t wish for his- His forgiveness, I’d choose this a-ah- million times over- This- Emotion and pleasure like I’ve never felt, the touch of a woman who-Hnn- Woman who I’ve bared my soul to- Laid my heart out at your feet and you’ve taken it and-My Lord-! And me, placed your sweet lips on mine and given me all I’ve ever longed for. Let me return a- a piece of the pleasure you’ve given me- give you one more unforgettable high, one more today and a million more the following. Yes, God, yes- Miss, let me have it, Let me-Hnnn-!” I do, back arched up off the altar, the feeling entirely too much, wave after wave of heat and haze over me, both his hands on my waist to pull me in, his pace messy and quick, his noises whiny, huffed out against me, a final prayer in hopes of getting away with this. “Holy Mary, Mother of-Oh God, pray for us sinners, now and at- at the- the hour of our-Hah- our death-!” He leaves me empty, the high fading off as he empties, warmth laid all over my stomach, my eyes forward, toward Jesus, the loss of pleasure bringing a grief for who I was, a god loving and pure woman, now ruined, sinful and wretched, undeserving of God’s love, though that was the choice I made, the decision between the lord and my desire. “I love you, miss, purely and ceaselessly and infinitely, I will love you.” I believe I chose correctly, I suppose only time will tell, though I can’t help but find this love much more unconditional, the soft touch following the scene, gentle, rough hands easing me up to seated, a handkerchief cleaning the mess on my stomach, my hair smoothed sweetly, the closing of his prayer whispered against the skin of my forehead following a lingering kiss . “Amen.”

“Amen."

[shining-glowstick]

My sunshine is back 🥹❤️

[escarabaja]

Red sprite is a type of lightning and rarely has it ever been photographed in this detail. Even though sprites have been recorded for over 30 years, their root cause remains unknown. Some thunderstorms have them, but most don't.

These mysterious bursts of light in the upper atmosphere momentarily resemble gigantic jellyfish. In general, red sprites take only a fraction of a second to occur and are best seen when powerful thunderstorms are visible from the side. ⠀

Image Credits & Copyright: stephane vetter

[imagines--galore]

I have another request to ask and idk if I want it to be stephen strange or zuko so you choose your pick lmao

Reader whose sleep deprived and gets super giggly and makes awful jokes/pickup lines but then messes it up badly. Tripping on stuff in their shared bedroom in the dark

Totally not based off of a video I recorded when I was sleep deprived.... i walked into the room like "you awake?" "Unfortunately" and then tried saying that stupid pickup line of someone being a meal but instead it came out as "who (wheezes) who needs a meal. Who-wh- who. Who needs dinner when you got a whole ass meal in your bed" proceeds to trip and faceplant

Pairing: Dr. Stephen Strange x Reader Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. None. A/N: Okay, but I had the perfect idea for this for Dr. Strange and I couldn't help writing this :3

The car lurched to a stop, prompting you to nearly fall forward from where you had been dozing against the window of the cab. Mumbling incoherently under your breath, you quickly fumbled with the cash, paying the driver the required amount before stepping out of the vehicle.

Your feet ached with every step. You had just come off a nearly sixty hour shift at the hospital, during which you had barely had any time to sleep. Whatever caffeine you had ingested had long since worked out of your system and now you could feel your body beginning to crash.

Though it seemed to still effect your system as you stumbled into the Sanctum, the doors locking automatically behind you. Dragging yourself up the stairs, you managed to reach your room and stepped in.

Dropping your bag on a table beside the door, you shoved off your shoes, almost tripping over your own feet. The act prompted you to giggle to yourself, and given that it was dark, you very nearly took down the small table next to you.

"Oh, I'm sorry." You managed to slur to the inanimate object as your phone pinged with a message once it connected to the wifi. "Shh..." You shushed the device. "Not so loud, Stephen's sleeping." You whispered to the phone as you managed to put the device on silent. However your fumbling around in the dark was enough to rouse your fiancée, who slowly sat up, blinking away the sleep in his eyes as he switched on the side lamp.

You blinked at the sudden light, a smile brightening your face as you waved at the half-naked man asleep in the bed. "Hi honey." You managed to work the words out despite the huge yawn that had you muffling them with a hand to your mouth. Stephan glanced at the clock. "You're still awake?" He asked as you walked over to your drawer and began rooting through the jumbled clothes inside to try and find something to wear for the night.

You hummed. "Unfortunately." Finding a shirt, you held it up in a triumphant gesture, prompting Stephen to smile at you as you began to remove your clothes en route to the bathroom, throwing the garments behind you as you went. Normally you would pick them up, but once you stepped out after washing up a little, you merely stepped over the clothes, kicking your shirt out of the way as you went. Stephen was still up, having started to read some sort of book while he waited for you.

Another huge yawn, one you didn't bother covering, echoed in the room as Stephen watched you fumble with the charger for your phone. "You need to stop volunteering yourself for unnecessary shifts." You shook your head. "They needed all the nurses Stephen. Some major car pile up on the highway." You explained as you moved to down an entire glass of water.

You head was still swimming with the combination of sleep deprivation and copious amounts of coffee as you stood there smiling dopely at the Sorcerer Supreme. "I think its best that you get in bed now. I can bring you something to eat if you'd like?" He moved as if he were about to stand, but a quick shake of your head had him stopping.

"Who would want something to eat with you in the bed?" Your words were slurred and almost incoherent as you tried to take a step towards the bed.

Try being the keyword here.

It didn't help that your feet got tangled in the very shirt you had kicked away and you fell to the floor face first. The impact had you groaning in pain as you immediately felt Stephen beside you, helping you up.

"Woops. I fell." You mumbled as he looked over you, making sure you hadn't hurt yourself. Stephen hummed. "Yes, you did. Perhaps its time you sleep then." You pouted. "Nooooo......." You moaned, throwing your head back and allowing yourself to slump against your lover. "No sleep. Want sexy time."

A deep chuckle sounded in the room as the man looked down at your pouting lip and wide pleading eyes with an affectionate smile. "I'll make you a deal. Lie down in bed and start reciting the Hippocratic Oath. If you get through the whole thing, we'll do whatever you want." He was referring to the oath every physician took, and though you would probably recite the short version, he knew you wouldn't be able to get through it.

You giggled. "Ooooooooo bringing a little doctor-nurse roleplay into the bedroom? Didn't know you preferred it that way Stephen." Standing up with his help, you climbed into bed, flopping down on your side with a loud moan. "God bless the person who invented mattresses." You mumbled as you snuggled deeper into the softness.

Stephen climbed in next to you as you turned your head so you could look at him. You shifted to settle against his side as his finger gently stroked through your hair.

Your lips began to mumble the oath, but with each passing word your eyes drooped heavily and sleep beckoned you, until finally, not even half done with the first sentence, you were fast asleep.

Stephen grinned. You would definitely be annoyed at having fallen for his trick to get you to sleep, but he knew you would appreciate him getting you to sleep. You could be a little irrational when sleep-deprived.

But seeing you act like you did a few minutes ago? It would all be worth it.

[burlveneer-music]

Fractal Sextet - Sky Full Of Hope - RareNoise Records is back with an album by guitarist Stephan Thelen and his math rock band

Calling Stephan Thelen’s music an extension of the Swiss Minimalist movement may have once seemed appropriate. However, in the years since his band Sonar and Fractal Guitar projects have come to the fore, that characterization has increasingly become inadequate. Proximity, influence, and linkages exist but Thelen’s copious activities in the last decade show such a deepening of his root concepts coupled with an embrace of the new, the notion is virtually moot. One of the projects that most validates this point is Fractal Sextet, which began after a suggestion was made (to Thelen and frequent collaborator/ guitarist Jon Durant) that an actual band tackle Thelen’s Fractal Guitar vehicles. For the Sextet, Thelen and Durant chose former Porcupine Tree bassist (and Durant collaborator) Colin Edwin, classical pianist and keyboardist Fabio Anile, former Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin percussionist Andi Pupato, and Israeli-born drum phenom Yogev Gabay. Their resulting eponymous debut proved an exciting leap forward for Thelen’s Fractal concept and elicited high hopes for more from this group. Now with their second album, Sky Full of Hope, the Fractal Sextet makes good on the promise of that debut, further solidifying their collective identity. No sophomore curse here. This album is enhanced by a comfort level and group assuredness that heightens the chemistry so previously palpable, allowing the players to stretch out even more. Mike Jacobs, music journalist for All About Jazz  Stephan Thelen : Guitars / E-bow / Additional keyboards / Fractal delays / Effects & programming Jon Durant : Fretted & Fretless Guitars / Cloud Guitar / Acoustic Guitar Fabio Anile : Piano / Electronic Piano / Mini Moog / Synth & Sampled Instruments Colin Edwin : Fretted & Fretless Bass Guitar Andi Pupato : Percussion (including Udu and Azzam Bells) Yogev Gabay : Drums

[adarkrainbow]

BD reviews: The good, the okay and the bad

Today's review - L'origine des contes, by Philippe Bonifay

France has a deep and intimate history with fairytales. My blog mostly focuses on literature, and I already did a few jumps in the domain of cinema - but this French presence of fairytales also expands into the most French of all media... THE BD! La BD! Aka, "bande-dessinée". Yes, it is technically just the French translation of the English term "comic book" - but I do like to keep the original appelation BD because the European BD (especially the Franco-Belgian BD) and the American comic books, while similar by many ways, are also very different by many other aspects - different sale techniques, different formats, different materials, very different histories and rules...

So, I wanted to do a quick dive into a handful of fairytale-related BD (not all because there's a HUGE amount of fairytales BD). I'll cover here four in a row, more or less extensively, and I want to begin with a series I deem to be a bad one. "A l'origine des contes". "At the origin of fairytales". A series written by Philippe Bonifay and released in three volumes in 2013 - each volume with a different artist and focusing on a different fairytale (Pinocchio by Thibaud de Rochebrune ; Snow White by Fabrice Meddour ; and Bluebeard by Stephane Duval)

I have only read two of the volumes - not the Pinocchio one. Everybody keeps saying the Pinocchio tome ("tome" sounds in English like "tome of eldritch lore" or a "grimoire" but in French what English folks call "comic book volume", we call "un tome de bande-dessinée" so I'll use tome for simplification) is the best in terms of art and story, but the other two ones left me such a sour taste I don't know if I will even take a look at it or not.

This series offers and proposes a very simple concept. "What if there was an actual, historical, realistic origin to the fairytales we know today? What if there was a REAL, and darker, story behind these childhood classics?". Each volume has as a narrative frame a fictional version of the ones who wrote the fairytales (Perrault for Bluebeard, the Grimm brothers for Snow White etc...), and proceeds to present us a dark, harsh story between the tragedy and the horror tale, set in a defined country at a defined time period, and that supposedly "inspired" the fairytales. Of course, this is all fictional pretense, as the author clearly wasn't interested in getting the actual folkloric or historical roots of the fairytales, and merely wanted to invent a darker, realistic alternative to the classics and present them through his BD.

In itself, it isn't a bad thing - as in, the series clearly does not pretend to be actual historical document, it is very clearly all fictional, and we had a lot of "realistic and darker, time-period" retelling of fairytales. In concept it basically evoked to me Maguire's "Mirror, Mirror" (I have not read Maguire's book, but based on everything I heard about it, the rough concept seemed to be the same). "A l'origine des contes" keeps popping up when you go searching for "adult BD about fairytales" - and the cover and general presentation already prepares you for a violent, mature and dark story. Just the cover of the Snow-White one depicts an axe-wielding woman with bloody snow surrounding her, and her breasts half-out of her corset. This establishes the "adult" trend. But what I was NOT expecting was for this to be one of those "bad" adult series.

There was a wave of "edgy" adult BDs at the turn of the century, whose entire topic was to present some sort of serious, dark story, preferably of historical inspiration, while adding in it a lot of shocking gore and a lot of nude women and a lot of sex scenes, at the detriment of the actual historic elements. A perfect example of this would be Jodorowsky's "Borgia" BD, a 2000s series centered around the life of the Borgia family - or rather based on their dark legend as a clan of corrupted, murderous, incestuous, proto-mafioso who poisoned everybody, defiled religion and took control of Rome... And it decided to amplify the dark legend even more. Deaths and mutilations and incestuous sex and gratuitous sexual perversity and plague and religious fanaticism all thrown together with as a pseudo-plot the historical political and religious manipulations of Rodrigo Borgia, and the dysfunctions of his broken family. Compared to this, "Game of Thrones" looks tame.

However, despite "Borgia" being basically a "historical snuff movie", it had something that "A l'origine des contes" does not have. It is FUN. As in, weird, perverse, classic slasher-fun. It does everything in such extremes and with such outlandish extent and it amplifies everything so much it becomes almost a gory parody and you just laugh at it all - and while it is clearly all hyper-fictional, it does take inspiration from the actual rumors, legends and claims surrounding the Borgias, it is merely a twisted mirror of their ACTUAL dark myth. But "A l'origine des contes"? Despite being much tamer in terms of sex and gore than "Borgia", and thus being more palatable, it lacks any kind of fun or interest - precisely because it keeps itself "contained" and "grounded", the bad elements pop out more (like the gratuity of nudity, or the lack of need for X violent scene to happen), and by literaly removing all the magic of the fairytales but replacing it with nothing, it produces a dreary and frankly boring thing... But worse crime of all: there's almost no real basis or interesting link or true twisting mirror of the original fairytales!

To give you an example of what I mean by that, I'll talk of the first volume I read: Bluebeard.

The so-called "real" story of Bluebeard is that there were in the Middle-Ages (well it's supposed to be the Middle-Ages but a recurring theme in this series is that clearly no historical research was made and the artist and author just threw whatever they wanted in there) beautiful twins - but one, after surviving the plague, became ugly. They grew up wanting to become great artists - but the ugly and deformed brother ended up drowning in his bitterness at being the "ugly, hidden one" while his lovely brother got all the praise and love. And the deformed twin growing madder and madder, he starts becoming murderous... You start thinking "Oh, I see, so this is what was hidden in that forbidden room, the murderous twin! And the one who killed wives wasn't Bluebeard by his evil double!". The latter is true: here, all of Bluebeard's wives were killed by his envious and mad twin. The first sentence howeve turns out massively wrong because of the final wife, of the blood-stained key, of Bluebeard's house/castle, we have no trace! In fact, the only two elements Bonifay kept from the original story were "A) A guy name Bluebeard B) has lots of wives that end up killed". And that's literaly it - nothing else from the original fairytale is taken, and in fact, if it wasn't for the iconic name of Bluebeard, you wouldn't even KNOW this was supposed to be a Bluebeard adaptation.

Many people pointed out that Bonifay clearly had here an inspiration and influence from Gothic tales or the fantastique genre - he pushed the original story of Perrault towards the grounds of "Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde", and "The Portrait of Dorian Gray"... But he pushed so far it basically ends up being its own story with barely any relationship to the original one. In fact, it feels VERY strongly as if Bonifay had an idea for a different BD, couldn't get published, and recycled it for his Fairytale series. This is just about a guy trying to escape his murderous shadow-twin, who keeps killing all of his wives, no matter how far he goes - because, and I rolled my eyes there and skipped the whole arc because come on ; because he even goes to THE DEEPEST PARTS OF AFRICA and marries there a girl from some random tribe, and I just skipped it all ahead... Oh yes the whole "artist" plot is also involved here, because the murdered wives are used by the mad twin brother for some sort of grandiose sculpture the brothers had planned since teenagehood. And if you want to know the reason why Bluebeard is called Bluebeard, it could have been interesting but it is delivered in such a silly way: the good-looking twin got a knife-wound on his chin that made it so that he had a hairless spot in his beard, and to cover it up he wore a beard-jewel with a sapphire on it, hence the "Bluebeard" nickname.

Overall my main grief was that, despite supposedly telling the "true story of Bluebeard", it offered us... something completely different, an entirely different and un-fairytale like story that seems to have been hastily stitched into the Bluebeard mythos. But I still decided to go on and check another tome of the series...

The Snow-White one. And... again, a disappointment and that's where I decided I wouldn't finish the trilogy.

It is too bad because there, at least the story clearly was a reflecton of "Snow-White", and there were some cool ideas in here. For example - a link formed between the dwarves and the "evil stepmother"! (She isn't queen here, Snow's father being... a count or marquis, or something, i can't recall well). I haven't seen a lot Snow White adaptations that decide to give something personal tying the dwarfs to the evil stepmother. Here, the evil stepmother used to be a scheming, ambitious circus-girl that ended up marrying Snow White's father pretending to be someone else (at least I think...), and ultimately, to get rid of her shameful past, set fire to the barn where her whole circus family was sleeping a few days before her wedding. And the dwarfs, as it turns out, were circus dwarfs who were part of the same team as the evil stepmother, and survived the fire, and still hold a grudge against her for killing their family. That's a neat and cool idea!

Similarly, the ending of the tale was also very interesting - to show how the tale is a "realistic" one that the Grimms "reinvented" into a magical one, in the historical story Snow White ends up actually dying, killed by her evil stepmother, and she only "survives in her glass coffin" because the dwarfs that had sheltered her grieve her and carry on her memory until their own death... That's a very cool and beautiful idea to oppose the sad reality of the death of a beloved young girl with the fairytale logic of "dead princesses come back to life thanks to their prince charming".

But unfortunately this comic still has so many flaws it becomes a dreary, bleak and even boring read. The tale is muddled, there's again gratuitous nudity (such as the evil stepmother getting undressed to "pay" the hunter she hired to kill Snow White) so blatantly un-needed (especially since the whole point of the stepmother's character was that she was tired of being used like a prostitute by the circus she came from), the framing device of the brothers Grimm commenting the tale they are reading is POSITIVELY USELESS (as in, they basically just do "Oh!" or "Ah!" or repeat what we just saw as readers - this felt like so much waste of ink and paper and space)... Oh yes, and there's also the problem of the defective print!

This isn't something exclusive to the copy I read - other reviewers online pointed it out. This tome got a big misprint issue resulting in the text of several speech bubbles being displaced onto other speech bubbles, or the dialogue of one page being interverted with the one of another page, making the story even more confusing and incomprehensible...

In conclusion: I do not recommend these comics, except if you are a fan of the artists who made each issue. But in terms of fairytale adaptations, or even of "dark fairytales", they're just... bad, and unrelated, and very poor. And I am sad THESE got promoted whenever there's talk of "adult fairytale BD".