#Where's the third transitive plane hidden

[kassil]

Planescape and the Great Wheel

I've seen some people (understandably) complaining about the Great Wheel cosmology of D&D, and how the default design of things implies a wackified version of christian theology, with Heavens that are Nice Places and Hells that are Nasty Places and some weird stuff sprinkled in elsewhere. It's extremely unpleasant in a lot of ways (and I won't defend the setting at all when it comes to Orientalism - Planescape was arguably worse about it than other settings, since they happily tried shoehorning any pantheon they could find into the planes somewhere.)

(If you want to complain about there being planes of evil and planes of good, take it up with the people who insist that alignment is a thing that has to be in the system. As it stands, it is baked into the rules and changing that requires a lot of homebrew work, but that's a topic for a different day.)

But while Planescape as a setting was what popularized the Great Wheel cosmology the most, I want to be clear that while newer editions paint it as some inherent cosmological megastructure, in Planescape the fundamental concept is that the only cosmological truths are the rule of threes, the unity of rings, and the center of all. That Great Wheel is just a ring imposed by the current Powers of the multiverse, organized in patterns of three, with the Spire and Sigil as an artificial centerpoint. Asking what lies beyond it, what came before it, and what's really inside it are all absolutely valid questions that the setting itself wants you to ask and answer.

There's nothing writ about it officially, but there are plenty of hints and winks - that the fiends of the hells aren't the first to live there, and might be as wardens of the prior occupants or vermin infesting an abandoned home, depending on where and when and how you look. The same goes for the celestials, and the exaggerated alignment aspects of their home planes, combined with the many, many problems both implied and plainly depicted in the material make it pretty clear that the planes are both a battleground and a construction. Planes lose fragments of themselves to other planes all the time; the more-lawful-than-good Arcadia lost an entire layer to the entirely-lawful Mechanus, and while the people who caused it would very much like to get it back, it's clear that none of the planes are immutable - just mostly under divine control.

And then there's the fact that magic - including divine magic and the very powers and essence of the gods - fades as you get closer to the immense spire at the heart of the Great Wheel. Get a god close enough and they're no tougher than a barbarian with an axe. It strongly implies that things aren't what they seem at first glance, even if it's treated as a natural law; to say nothing of Sigil and the Lady of Pain, who can forbid gods from the city and apparently killed one who tried to claim portals as his domain. The City of Doors, which has portals that defy all the understood laws of planar travel, linking everywhere with everywhere without a need to pass through the transitive planes.

Planescape outlines a massive, complex, and self-contradictory Great Wheel cosmology, one that was plainly meant to make you ask "So what if I use Plane Shift to try to teleport to the far side of Mount Celestia?" Because what's past the embodiment plane of Lawful Good? It's either conceptually rarefied to the point that you'll never come back after dissolving into it... Or it's whatever the current Powers really don't want you seeing and learning about. An Astral Sea, a plane of Dreams, a plane of Time, entire other cosmological systems built around other designs, the homes of things older than existence, or any number of other things. All tidily hidden behind "oh yeah that doesn't exist/it's the Far Realm where reality just sort of dissolves we don't try going there/nothing to worry your pretty mortal head about, leave those questions to the gods."

(Which any Athar worth their membership will absolutely begin poking at immediately, while the Bleaker will tell you that it doesn't matter what the gods say, if you help them get the soup finished for the public kitchen they'll introduce you to a guy in the Gatehouse who says she's seen some things, and the other factions all do their own thing and pay the gods and their agents no mind.)

This is all just a long way of saying "The Great Wheel is there as a narrative tool, and breaking the Wheel and finding out what it was built to hide is a narrative that can be told."

[rthwrms]

LORE DUMP LORE DUMP LORE DUMP

oh yes!!! where to start...

I'll start at the very beginning, I think. Where it all began. With this world's story of creation:

A long time ago, or perhaps even today, there was Nothing. And from this vast Nothing came Ori, literally translating to “Seed” or “Potential” (depending on which school of Yuwenic thought you get your translation from). And from Ori sprouted into the Great Tree Oris, meaning “to Garden” or “to Tend.”

Oris’ roots reached down Below to drink of the Deepest Waters, creating the first Element: Water. And Oris’ branches reached up Above to absorb the Heat of the Cosmic Pool, bringing forth the second Element: Heat.

The interaction between Water and Heat create the third and fourth Elements: Wind (which wished to move freely) and Stone (which wished to stay still in the space Wind left behind). Finally, Wind and Stone interact to create the fifth and final of the Basal Elements: Soil.

And with the Five Basal Elements of the Universe absorbed into him, Oris formed the Planar system in the gaps between his Roots and Branches.

Now here we narrow our focus and move into Yuwen, a single island on the Material Plane- for now nothing but bare Lava rock surrounded by ocean; soon to be a thriving nation. For from a great distance, Wind blows and ruffles the leaves of Oris noisily, and from this spring two Child-Gods:

From the noise came Mirae, goddess of the AUR, of manifest, of abundance and fullness, of breadth/breath.

And from the silence broken by sound came her brother, Liminus, god of the AYN, the endless abyss, of the void, of silence.

Of course they couldn’t get along, such opposites they were- and siblings, too. Both of the Child-Gods saw the other as antithetical to themselves and hated each other for it. Their constant fighting physically shaped the land of Yuwen beneath them, creating the Spine Mountain range to the east, and the Galmere Delta Basin to the west. Trede Plains had supposedly been mountains once, before the Child-God’s fighting sliced it into the flat plateau it is today.

To remedy his children’s bickering, Oris created another, who was named Wren, the goddess of balance and transitions. And for a while, Wren successfully balanced her brother and sister’s energies. And peace fell over the land of Yuwen for 200 years.

But Liminus was unhappy. He felt he was made less powerful than his sisters, as the emptiness inside drove him to madness with wanting. And he blamed Oris for making him this way, hated him for it- wanted him dead. So Liminus devised a plan and began to poison Oris’ roots. He was found out, of course. Mirae caught him, but by then it was already too late. The damage he’d done in that time was nigh impossible to reverse.

War broke out between the Child-Gods. Thousands were killed, civilizations destroyed in seconds, and those that did not flee to the mountains were never heard from again. And in his weakened state, Oris could not take the pain of his children fighting so brutally, and his trunk split in two with a thunderous cracking.

This is what is known as the Rending; an event that so violently changed the world Oris created it began an entirely new era of time.

Now there was a Before, and there was everything After.

The force of the Rending put Mirae and Liminus into a deep slumber from which they could not wake. And Wren took their sleeping forms and hid them, so that no one else might wake them either.

They say that the Child-Gods slumber still, hidden deep beneath the Soil and Stone, waiting to be awoken once again. But that was a long time ago- or perhaps even today.

[fluffbyday-smutbynight]

Way Too Deep (TAB rewatch)

Going back to The Abominable Bride? What is this madness?

Do not fear, I won't even dwell on the hidden meanings of the whole parallel reality set in 1895. Instead, this will be the beginning of my modest attempt (read: slightly disfunctional coping method) at making some sort of sense out of S4. I could read all the meta, and agree with it even, but at the end of the day I just have to take the raw data and digest it on my own.

Why start from TAB? If I recall correctly, it wasn't originally conceived as a bridge between the two seasons – and yet, it has such a peculiar structure that I can't justify it being just a coincidence. If you will, I'll look at the frame rather than the picture.

TL; DR: what if Sherlock overdosed on the tarmac plane... and never came back?

So, let's begin well into the third act (1 hour or so into the episode):

MORIARTY: Because it’s not the fall that kills you, Sherlock. Of all people, you should know that. It’s not the fall. It’s never the fall...It’s the landing.

Sherlock wakes up on the plane and the narrative trick gets exposed: the Victorian adventures were a creation of Sherlock's drug-fueled mind.

Sherlock's usage is not exactly news to us - hello, heartbroken Shezza in a crack den - but this time it feels different. It's not just escapism or the siren's call of addiction; he doesn't look high, not even to John Watson MD, which by the way has already seen him under the effect. This is the very intentional treading the fine line between sanity and delirium, between life and death:

JOHN: For God’s sake! This could kill you! You could die!

SHERLOCK: Controlled usage is not usually fatal, and abstinence is not immortality.

...all for the sake of "solving a case" or, should we put it in plain words, going deep and deeper into his own mind.

Strap yourselves in, 'cause we're going for a ride. From this moment on, we'll bounce back and forth between reality and hallucination, the two separated by a boundary so unstable that we won't even see it.

Notice how heavily drugged-Sherlock sounds fairly coherent so far – and yet, when Mycroft speaks:

MYCROFT: A week in a prison cell. I should have realised [...] that in your case, solitary confinement is locking you up with your worst enemy.

...his mind palace fabrication unexpectedly bleeds into reality:

JOHN (offscreen): Morphine or cocaine?

SHERLOCK: What did you say?

JOHN: I didn’t say anything.

SHERLOCK: No, you did. You said ...

(As he says the next sentence, it’s Sherlock’s lips moving but we hear John’s voice.)

SHERLOCK/JOHN: Which is it today – morphine or cocaine?

What did spur this abrupt transition? What is Sherlock's worst enemy? Himself, his addiction or... Moriarty, though a figment of his imagination, trapped in his mind palace?

Victorian Sherlock goes on with his investigation, which ends with the crypt scene. Sudden plot twist: under the bride's veil there's not Mrs. Carmichael, but... Moriarty again.

MORIARTY: Is this silly enough for you yet? Gothic enough? Mad enough, even for you? It doesn’t make sense, Sherlock, because it’s not real. None of it. [...] This is all in your mind. [...] You’re dreaming.

Cue another transition to a hospital room, which looks just a bit surreal. What's up with the red blanket and the carpeted floor? Why is Sherlock just lying there in his suit?

Doesn't look very much like an overdose intervention... because it isn't. This is not reality.

In fact, Sherlock goes on all jolly to unbury Emelia's corpse (let me be pedant: just like a recent overdose patient should do), and we're given a couple lines that reinforce how much of a pressing matter all this is to him:

SHERLOCK: It’s why we came here! I need to know.

JOHN (turning away): Spoken like an addict.

SHERLOCK (straightening up to look at him): This is important to me!

Sherlock and Lestrade dig, Mycroft supervises (lazy sod, eheh), until the casket is unearthed – pay attention to what Mycroft says here:

MYCROFT: We do have slightly more pressing matters to hand, little brother. Moriarty, back from the dead?

And yes, immediately after Moriarty is mentioned, another turn into surreality takes place; the skeleton moves on its own, a spectral voice calls, and Sherlock is back to his mind palace.

VOICE (rhythmically, as if reciting lyrics to a song): Do not forget me.

... and Holmes starts violently and wakes up to find himself lying on his side on a narrow rocky ledge. Water is pouring over him as if it is raining heavily.

HOLMES : Oh, I see. Still not awake, am I?

"Still not awake" - what a peculiar choice of words. The line between reality and hallucination is feeble because it's not there; the plane, the hospital, the cemetery? All fabrications of his own mind.

Look, even Moriarty must be tired of beating around the bush, 'cause he doesn't talk in riddles anymore. He just lays it out:

MORIARTY: Too deep, Sherlock. Way too deep. Congratulations. You’ll be the first man in history to be buried in his own Mind Palace.

MORIARTY: I am your WEAKNESS!

MORIARTY: I keep you DOWN!

MORIARTY: Every time you STUMBLE, every time you FAIL, when you’re WEAK...

MORIARTY: I... AM... THERE!

MORIARTY: No. Don’t try to fight it. LIE BACK AND LOSE!

So, not only Sherlock has gone deep into his mind palace, he never got out of it and he literally can't.

John coming to the rescue must represent Sherlock finally waking up... or does it?

WATSON: So, how do you plan to wake up?

HOLMES: Between you and me, John, I always survive a fall.

In fact, Sherlock jumps and falls deeper down and while we're told he always survives the fall, we're never told about the landing. We're circling back to what Moriarty said.

At this point, is Sherlock waking up on the plane again even real? Do overdosed people just wake up like that, and go on with their day like nothing's happened?

Furthermore, if Sherlock really woke up on the plane, this should be where the episode ends.

Why, instead, go back again to 1895?

HOLMES: It was simply my conjecture of what a future world might look like, and how you and I might fit inside it.

HOLMES: From a drop of water, a logician should be able to infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara.

Where is this happening? What's the "Atlantic" (or Niagara, or Reichenbach) we should be able to infer?

The structure of TAB – the back and forth between past and present, fiction and reality - reminded me of this zen koan:

"Once upon a time, I, Zhuangzi, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhuangzi. Soon I awakened, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called the transformation of material things."

As you may know, a koan is a paradox: for instance, you can't be both man and butterfly, but at the same time you can't be definitively sure about one or the other. This is where we're left at the end of the episode – hanging on the doubt that what we've seen so far has been imagination disguised as reality: Sherlock can't be both in present time (having woken up on the plane) and in the Victorian setting we've just seen.

So we should infer that he is still stuck in his mind palace, and his hallucination is not only about the 1895 timeline, but comprises all the scenes set in present time, too -"It was simply my conjecture of what a future world might look like"; also, he might have overindulged with his drugs, to the point of never coming back to consciousness.

WATSON: As for your own tale, are you sure it’s still just a seven percent solution that you take? I think you may have increased the dosage.

Notice how the overdosing incident will never be mentioned again, which makes sense if we assume that it's a point stuck in time with no foreseeable resolution – an idea which is supported by Mycroft's notebook, in the form of the Minkowski Metric we can see there:

a formula referring to special relativity, more specifically "the spacetime interval between any two events is independent of the inertial frame of reference in which they are recorded" (x)

All this, in the perspective of interpreting S4, makes for an interesting premise... but we'll look into it another time.

_____

Dialogue transcript source: Ariane DeVere

[littleredwritinghoodxx]

Views from the Loft

Original Publication Date: August 19th, 2019

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Humor

Summary: Zelda, in that second, realized she wanted to remember that moment forever. A thought occurred to her, and she quickly took out the Sheikah Slate and snapped a photo from the loft. Link still didn't remember much from before the Great Calamity, but perhaps they could create new memories: memories of him, her, and their little Hateno home. A look into a year with Link and Zelda.

Word Count: 5,333

--

Summer

--

The grass was soft under her fingertips, the small flowerbed alive with insects and fauna. The sun was high above her in the sky, beating down on that little Hateno Village in East Necluda. Zelda relished in the way the sun felt upon her skin, how the breeze swayed in the afternoon, its tendrils tickling her face. It had been months since she and Link had defeated Calamity Ganon on that fateful day in the Hyrule Fields, and since then, Zelda took no small thing for granted.

She supposed she hadn’t known what to expect following one hundred years of constant battle against the Calamity. She had plenty of time to mull it over, plenty of time to imagine and dream of what she would do once the battle was over. Yet, she never did expect that Link would practically throw her onto Epona's back and whisk her away to one of the far corners of Hyrule, to a small little quiet village, with no agenda, and no expectations.

Zelda adored it.

She had no obligations, no commitments, no duty. She could argue that after one hundred years of sealing Calamity Ganon in the sanctum of Hyrule Castle that she was well due for a break: and so break she did. She found herself falling into a lazy sort of schedule: she would wake late by mid-morning to the smells of Link cooking breakfast in his – their – kitchen, and would quietly observe him from over the railing until he noticed her. He always got this big, goofy grin on his face every time he saw her for the first time in the morning. It was a look she wanted to permanently etch into her memory. After breakfast, she would change into a smock, and would go to the market for groceries, or make a trip up the hill to see Purah, or lay in the yard doing absolutely nothing, and she found the peacefulness and the slowness from Hateno Village to be absolutely delectable.

Some days, on days much like today, Link would join her in the yard, either tilling in the garden, fishing in the pond, or with her, rolling around with her in the grass like two idiots in love: for that they were. Despite their relationship prior to the Great Calamity, things between them came naturally – easily. It had started as a practicality: Link had not connected the dots that by bringing Zelda to his Hateno home, he would need to contract Bolson to bust out the wall under the loft to construct a second bedroom with furnishings. When he had admitted this to Zelda, he looked almost sheepish, claiming that with everything going on and storming Hyrule Castle, he just forgot. Of course, this was completely understandable to Zelda. She had always been a practical woman, and seeing as his bed was large enough for two, she merely suggested that they share his bed from the loft.

You should have seen how red the tips of his ears got at that.

But he agreed – and as the proper gentleman he was, he made sure to give her plenty of space in the bed, making sure not to touch her, as he slept on the very edge of the bed.

As you can imagine, that didn't last long.

The next morning had found him migrated towards the center of the bed, with a warm and very real Zelda tucked under his chin, her hands fisted in his tunic, their legs tangled together. His arms were wrapped around her, feeling her gentle inhalations in the dewy Hateno morning.

It was heavenly.

So began a nightly ritual between the two where, try as they might, they were both doomed to migrate towards each other in the night. After one hundred years separated from each other, it was surprising that they could even resist at all.

So then it should come as no surprise to you all to hear of the day Link, Farore's Champion, somehow mustered up his courage and kissed her.

They were walking back down the hill from the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab; Zelda made frequent visits up the hill to visit Purah and to let her tinker with the Sheikah Slate, and from time to time, Link would make that trip with her. This was one of those trips, and it was a trip that ended up bearing fruitful results: Purah had made a breakthrough with the runes, and she had learned of a way to upgrade the camera rune to include moving pictures, with sound qualities as well. She was still programming the Guidance Stone with the right information, so she gave the two of them explicit instructions to come back next week with the slate to download the camera rune update, which found them shoved outside the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab with a slammed door in their face, both trying hard to keep their cackling down lest Purah hear them.

A heavenly glow was cast upon Hyrule in the evening dusk, casting shades of magenta and orange and cerulean blues. Much of Hateno and Necluda was hidden in the shadow of the Dueling Peaks and Mount Lanayru, and thus most of Hyrule was hidden from view. It was their own little slice of heaven, a world without the constant reminders of their loss and struggles. Despite this, as she looked across Hyrule – her Hyrule – a blossom of pride and joy bubbled up from within her: this was what she was fighting for. This land of hers, glowing softly in the sunset, finally at rest, was what made one hundred years of fighting worth it.

That, and having the man next to her made it worth it, as well.

She had paused under an apple tree, gazing over the land, and only realized just then at some point in their trek down the hill, Link's hand had ended up placed in hers, their fingers intertwined: a perfect fit.

She sighed, gazing over the land, rubbing her thumb across Link's hand, "Beautiful, don't you think?"

"I do."

But Link wasn't looking out over Hyrule. He was looking at her, his eyes intense, yet soft, never wavering. Zelda looked towards him, realizing this. Gently, he cupped her face with his free hand, moving closer, his hand holding hers coming across the small of her back. She wasn't breathing, her lips slightly parted, as she looked into his eyes with the same sort of intensity, waiting for the next moment.

"Zelda," he breathed, "What would you say if I told you, right now, that I love you?"

He could be so oblivious sometimes.

"I would say that I love you, too," she nodded fiercely, fisting his tunic in her hands. He leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to hers, melting into her.

They shared that first kiss in the perfect sunset glow overlooking Hateno Village, hands soft and learning, tender and sensitive. They shared their second kiss with Zelda pressed up against the outside of their front door, Link fumbling with his key as Zelda's hands were frantic, stroking over every plane and crevice of his arms, his torso, his back. They shared their third kiss tangled in the sheets of their bed atop the loft, clothes being tossed and strong arms pining her down, their kisses messy and passionate, just the two of them in the moonlight.

That was a few weeks back, nearing the end of that spring and transitioning into summer. Zelda sighed, amidst the flowers and the wildlife, placing a hand on her lower stomach. She was in love with Link, and him to her. She couldn't think of a more blissful way to live her life. And thus their routine continued: Zelda found herself the next morning right where she always was, quietly observing Link from the loft, waiting until he noticed she was awake. He stood with his bare back to her, quietly cooking breakfast in the kitchen below, the smells making their way up to the loft and filling Zelda with a sense of home.

Zelda, in that second, realized she wanted to remember that moment forever. A thought occurred to her, and she quickly grabbed the Sheikah Slate from the desk nearby and snapped a photo from the loft. It was a simple picture, just their quaint little kitchen with Link standing over the stove, the profile of his face showing slightly, a small content smile adorning his features. Upon hearing the snap of the Sheikah Slate, Link perked up, turning around and facing her, with that goofy grin he always had on his face every morning when he saw her.

She snapped a photo of that too.

Link still didn't remember much from before the Great Calamity, not that it mattered much anymore, but perhaps they could create new memories; memories of him, her, and their little Hateno home.

--

Autumn

--

Link had, indeed, ended up contracting Bolson earlier that summer to bust out the wall beneath the loft to make a room for Zelda. Bolson had just finished construction on the room itself as the hot summer winds transitioned into the cool winds of autumn, the leaves around their Hateno home turning a vibrant mix of orange, red, and yellow. Although it was clear that Zelda would not have need of the room – she was quite content to share the loft with Link – it came not a moment too soon.

One autumn morning found the two of them tangled in each others arms, their kisses lazy – skin hot against each other in the cool Hateno morning – with Link gently caressing the small, but telling, swell of Zelda's stomach.

The new room downstairs would be made into a nursery for the little one on the way. Link had suggested that he gather some wood to build a crib for the baby. However, Zelda protested, asking if he had ever built anything in his life. Link said yes, and Zelda suggested he go to Bolson to construct them a new crib. Link then asked her if she thought he would do a poor job at building one.

Link was good at everything he did; of course she knew he would make a fine crib.

So the two of them compromised and Link left the home to go to Bolson to contract him on building a crib.

And thus began a new pattern of 'compromises', and more time for Zelda to have Link all to herself.

The days were getting colder and shorter, and Zelda was enjoying her afternoons spent under a tree, either reading a book, or cataloguing different species of plants, or testing the new 'video' rune on the Sheikah Slate that Purah had upgraded.

It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was already incredible that the Sheikah Slate could create real to life still images that were more accurate than Hyrule's finest painter, but now, she could record moving pictures complete with sound. It was almost like she was really there, reliving that memory.

Her first video that she recorded with the Sheikah Slate was up at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, just moments after Purah had handed her the slate and asked her to test it out.

She had pressed a little red button on the screen of the slate, and then it flashed in red letters 'recording' on the screen of the slate.

What do I do now? She had asked, moving the slate around. The camera on the slate moved side-to-side, capturing views of the upper walls of the tech lab.

Point it towards Link, Purah said, off screen, Have him say something into the camera.

The camera moved towards Link, capturing him in its lens. Even from the camera, it was clear that Link's cheeks were red, and he was almost embarrassed.

Link, say something! She heard her own voice say off camera.

Well, I don't know what you want me to say, Link said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Say anything! Anything that comes to mind! She heard Purah's voice say off camera.

Link stared into the camera lens for a moment, a contemplative look in his eyes, before in a flash, he reached out, and the camera shook.

Hey, what are –! The camera stilled and it was facing Zelda, an appalled look on her face. Though the smock she was wearing did well to hide it, if you were looking for it, you could see the small baby bump rising from her dress. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright. She was glowing.

I want to have it documented, recorded, transcribed, whatever it is that this does, Link's voice was off behind the camera now, though you could hear the smile in his voice, that this woman right here is the most beautiful, most stunning, most radiant, and the strongest person I know… and she's mine.

You are such the romantic, Zelda admonished, a smile on her face, as she reached forward to grab the slate back from him. The camera angle turned, and was now face down, showing an aerial shot.

Link was laughing. Hey, give that back! Zelda was jumping beneath the camera, trying to grab it from Link's outstretched hand.

Not unless you kiss me first, Link said, grabbing her around the waist with his other hand. Zelda's cheeks and ears went bright red.

Link, turn off the camera, that would be indecent, Zelda said, squirming.

You know what would be indecent? Link said, his voice dark and rough, a naughty look in his eyes, as he leaned down and whispered something into Zelda's ear. You wouldn't be able to hear in the video what he said, but she squeaked, turning the rest of the way red as she squirmed out of his grasp and grabbed the slate from his hand. The camera shook, the sounds of Link laughing maniacally in the background before the camera stilled completely, the end of the recording.

She found herself replaying that video over and over again; not for the things he whispered in her ear, she was still blushing over that, but for all of the things he said about her. He said she was beautiful, stunning, radiant… and the strongest person he knew.

And he called her 'mine'. It evoked a very possessive side of him, and she had come to realize that she didn't mind that so much.

Because she was just as possessive of him as he was of her. She found herself craving his touch, and wanting to be near him always; and he found, too, that he didn't mind that so much. They found themselves less just Zelda and less just Link: they were a pair, a couple, a team.

And that team had to somehow work together to make a cake for Link's birthday.

It was a cool autumn day, and though it was too cold to comfortably be outside, it wasn't yet cold enough to start a fire in the fireplace. Which meant Link and Zelda wore layers upon layers inside the little Hateno home. Link would have gone about his day as normal, had it not been for Zelda grinning like an idiot at him since they woke up.

"Zelda, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, because today is a very special day!"

"…why is today a special day?"

"It's the Autumnal Equinox, Link!"

"…Okay…?"

"And you know what that means, right?"

"We're halfway to winter?"

"Link, today is your birthday!"

Though Link couldn't remember when his birthday was, Zelda remembered.

Though Link couldn't remember how old he was turning, Zelda remembered.

So naturally, she was going to light the cake ablaze with one hundred and twenty candles.

She had asked Link what kind of cake he would want, knowing that one hundred years ago, his favorite cake was a vanilla cake. It came as a surprise to her, then, that he responded with a chocolate cake. A little part within her was hoping that he would respond with wanting a fruitcake, which was her favorite kind. It had been over one hundred years since she had last had the dessert, and she would have committed atrocities to have that sweet dessert grace her palate again.

So she went out to the market to gather the ingredients for the cake, only to walk in and stop frozen in her tracks.

She hadn't the faintest idea on how to bake a cake.

Thus, you can see how Link got dragged into baking his own birthday cake.

He went back down with her to the market, explaining all of the things she would need to bake a cake: Tabantha flour, milk, eggs, sugar, goat butter, and chocolate.

Zelda at least got the chocolate part right.

They headed back up the hill towards their little house, and laid out all of the ingredients onto the table. Link explained that first, they had to measure out the flour into a bowl and then mix the eggs and milk into it. She went ahead opening the flour while Link put the chocolate into a pot, placing it over the fireplace to melt.

She poured the flour into the bowl, a little too quickly at that, and as it landed, a cloud of flour puffed out from the bowl, coating her face in a thin white layer. She coughed, a small white puff emerging from her lips. She squinted her eyes, the flour coating her eyelashes.

"So once you get the flour into the bowl…" Link turned around from the fireplace, facing Zelda and noticing her face.

In his defense, he at least tried to hold himself together.

That lasted about two seconds until he was doubled over, laughing.

"Zelda," he managed between laughs, "How in Hylia's name did you manage to get flour everywhere?

In response, Zelda flicked a chunk of flour in his direction, landing on his neck and tunic.

"Like that," she responded.

Thus began the first of many 'food fights' in their little Hateno home, and soon, their little kitchen was covered in a fine dusty layer of flour, and it would be months before either one of them could truly admit that their kitchen was clean. There was flour on the floor, on the table, the counters, in their hair, their clothes, their faces.

And the two were laughing like idiots in love, holding each other up as they both doubled over on themselves.

Zelda stood up, wiping a tear from her eye, "Hold on, I want to take a picture of the mess you made."

"The mess I made?" Link started, dusting himself off, "You're the one that couldn't get the flour into the bowl."

Zelda was laughing as she was running up the stairs, two at a time, leaving dusty footprints in her wake. She grabbed the Sheikah Slate from off the desk and leaned over the railing with it, opening the camera, "Smile, Link!"

In response, Link placed his hands on his hips, staring at the camera, an exasperated, but amused look on his face. She snapped the photo of that, smiling softly as the picture generated in front of her.

She placed the Sheikah Slate down, and headed back down the stairs. Link was dusting himself off, and had a peculiar expression on his face, "Okay, what next?" Zelda asked, turning back towards the bowl of flour. Or perhaps what had once been flour: hardly any remained.

"Well," Link smirked, "We will need to get more flour, all of what we had is currently on the floor and in our hair. Speaking of which…" He leaned in close, a dark look now in his eyes, "We should probably get cleaned up."

Zelda met his gaze, and her cheeks flushed, "Well, what did you have in mind?"

He grinned, leaning close to her ear, "If I told you, you would think it was positively indecent."

Zelda squeaked as Link scooped her up in his arms, laughing as he carried her out into the cool Hateno air, his long strides taking them towards the bathroom around the corner of the house, practically tossing her in and joining her, closing it shut with a firm click.

--

Winter

--

Zelda never remembered winter being this cold. She sat, bundled as she may be in layers and blankets, next to their roaring fire in a rocking chair, shivering, as Link stoked the fire, willing the room to warm up. She had a cup of hot chocolate on the side table next to her, steaming and cooling down. They were lucky that they had gone to get firewood when they did, or they would have been stuck inside during the blizzard with no firewood, no heat, and scarcely any light.

A blizzard stormed outside their little Hateno home, the winds whistling and deafening against the windows and the walls. It felt like it had been storming for days, and Zelda briefly wondered just how much longer the storm could hold up for.

A few weeks prior had found the two of them in the bitter cold, one week until the winter solstice. The temperature was dreadful, biting to any exposed skin, and somehow between the two of them, they had failed to realize that they were out of firewood.

With that, Link had donned his Snowquill tunic, a woodcutter's axe strapped to his back, and was about to head out when:

"I'm coming with you."

Link did a double take, as Zelda was just finishing lacing her snow boots, a red ruby circlet tied around her head, and winter coat strapped around her growing belly.

"What? Zelda, no," Link protested, "You can't come with, not in your condition."

"Link, I'm pregnant, not dying of the influenza," Zelda rolled her eyes, "Besides, I can help you carry back firewood. We'll be able to bring back double what we could if you just went alone."

"Zelda, it's below freezing outside. I don't want for you to get sick."

"That's why I'm wearing this," Zelda pointed to her circlet, "and why I'm wearing a jacket and boots. Besides," she crossed over to the door, opening it, and a strong gust of wind burst into the Hateno home, "you know as well as I do that it's dangerous to go alone."

Zelda led the way outside, with Link following behind, grumbling under his breath. As she stepped outside, she very nearly regretted her decision, the bitter air penetrating through her layers, making it seem like the circlet was doing nothing.

She stepped behind and allowed Link to lead, following him across the bridge and into the center of town. The wind here was ruthless, billowing in from between buildings, coming from the north at Mount Lanayru. The wind took a slight turn, and suddenly, she saw little white flecks dancing across the air in front of her, landing on the ground and in her eyelashes.

It was the first snow of the season, and her first snow in one hundred years.

Zelda smiled.

They took a left and made their way down the hill towards the Ginner Woods, both of them visibly holding their hoods closer to their face. Looking back, Hateno Village glowed softly in the snowfall, its little houses on the hill glowing with small fires burning in each fireplace. A steady stream of smoke billowed from each chimney in soft, frothy waves.

You have to really see it to understand the splendor that is Hateno Village at dusk in the wintertime.

They reached the woods and Link took the axe from off his back, and without any preamble, he swung it at the nearest tree, powerful muscles moving as he downed the tree in one swing.

How he managed to do that was beyond Zelda's comprehension. She was constantly in awe of this man.

Very quickly, Link had created a substantial pile of firewood near the road. Clearly, he was creating a stockpile to last for all, if not most, of winter. There was something about the way that the air nipped at Zelda's red nose and cheeks that told her that this winter was going to be one of the coldest in the books.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Link sheathed the axe back onto his back, and bent down to grab a small pile of wood. Gingerly, he transferred that pile of wood back to Zelda, and he took the rest off the ground into his arms.

The snow was beginning to come down harder as they made their trek back up the hill into Hateno Village. The skies were dark, a promise of a heavy snowfall. Zelda noticed off handedly that the little houses glowing on the hill were harder to see in the snowfall, seemingly dimmer and softer.

It made Hateno Village all the more beautiful.

They made their way to the little bridge in front of their home, and Zelda got excited for warmth as she saw their house glowing from across the way. She couldn't wait to get inside to warm up, as she wiped at her nose running from the cold.

They took the wood and placed it under a small shed on the left hand side of the house, Link setting his down first and then grabbing Zelda's load from her, before setting that down as well. From there, it didn't seem that they could get inside the house fast enough. The snow was falling at an alarming rate, and there was already a pile of it formed at the front door. The two of them barreled inside, Link shutting the door behind them, the sounds from outside dulling at that.

Zelda practically threw her jacket and hood off, now wet from the melted snow, and chucked it into the storage room. She heard Link laugh softly at that, as she nearly ran to the fireplace, sitting directly in front of it, warming her red fingertips.

"I told you, you shouldn't have come with," Link laughed, grabbing her jacket and hood from the storage room and climbing up the stairs to the loft. He hung the wet garments from the railing upstairs.

"Aren't you freezing?" Zelda chose to reply, jaw clenched as she willed her shivering away.

"You forget," Link said, coming next to her now, placing a blanket over her shoulders, "that my Snowquill tunic comes from Rito Village, where their clothing can withstand temperatures that rival the Hebra Mountains. Your coat and snow boots from Sophie's down the street ain't got nothing on it."

"Well then, the two of us will just have to make a trip to Rito Village before next winter, won't we?"

"Not quite," Link said, a soft smile on his face, "This time next year, the two of us will be the three of us," he said, placing a hand gently on her stomach.

Zelda placed her hand over his, and slowly, Link leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.

She sat in the rocking chair, thinking back on that memory, one hand absentmindedly going to her belly where Link had placed his, the other to her lips. He stood up in front of her, the fire now roaring in the fireplace, and sat across from her, smiling at her.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, a contemplative look on his face.

"You."

"Me too."

He grabbed his book from off the side table and donned his reading glasses; something about seeing him in glasses stirred something deep inside her. She smiled, curling up further in her blankets and reached out, grabbing her hot chocolate. Everything about this winter evening was perfect. It was pure bliss.

She set down her hot chocolate and grabbed her Sheikah Slate from the side table, opening up the camera rune and snapping a picture of Link sitting in his chair by the fire, his glasses slipping down his nose as he read his book, his brow slightly furrowed.

He looked up a quizzical look in his eyes, "Must you always take pictures of me when I'm not looking."

"Not always," Zelda said, and snapped again.

--

Spring

--

There was nothing more perfect, Zelda realized, than seeing Link holding their beautiful baby girl.

She was born on the first day that spring that the snow had completely melted, small flowers beginning to bud and animals coming out of hibernation. It seemed fitting that she was born in the spring. It was the beginning of a new generation, a generation that would never be born into a world where Calamity Ganon held its malicious reign.

Link sat at the little stool next to their bed, Zelda being propped up by pillows as he held his little girl. Time seemed to stand still for them.

It was crazy to think that this time last year, Link was still freeing the Divine Beasts, and she was still locked in her one hundred year battle with Calamity Ganon. So much had happened in a year. Their lives were so different now. All of Hyrule was at peace, seeing an era of wealth and prosperity that only the oldest generation remembered from prior to the events of the Calamity. And Link…

Zelda had never seen Link so gentle before.

The way he held their baby girl was seemingly not with the same hands that wielded the Master Sword, not with the same strength that destroyed enemies, not with the same command that she had seen enemies quiver under his gaze. He held her as though she were a delicate flower, with a tender adoration in his eyes that could only be described as unconditional love.

Zelda realized she loved him even more than she had before.

"She has your eyes," Link murmured softly, looking up at her with an almost boyish glee, "She's beautiful," He breathed, bringing his gaze back towards their daughter.

Nothing in her one hundred and seventeen years of life could have prepared her for this day. Nothing could have prepared her for how perfect this moment was. Her life was absolutely brimming with joy, she and Link finally getting the peace they deserved. All was right in her little land of Hyrule.

She looked down at her baby girl, the soft coos coming from her lips bringing bubbles up from Zelda's stomach. Her breath hitched; they did it, and in that moment, Zelda finally felt like she had won.

She didn't realize she had been crying until a rough hand cupped her face, a calloused thumb wiping the tears away. She looked up at Link and saw that he was crying too. Gently, he captured her lips with his, a chaste, tender kiss on a beautiful spring day.

She knew she would never forget this day, but found herself opening the Sheikah Slate to the camera rune, setting it to self-portrait mode. It was their first family portrait, and though both their faces were covered in tear streaks, the two had never looked happier.

She snapped a photo of them, and reflecting back was a beautiful portrait of Link, Zelda, and their beautiful daughter from the loft in their little Hateno home.

Zelda took their daughter back in her arms, smiling as their baby girl's face scrunched into a tiny yawn, her big green eyes gazing back up at her mother.

Not much could make this moment better.

Not much, except one thing.

"Zelda," Link breathed, a small sparkle in his eye. He almost looked nervous, but his eyes were bright. He licked his lips.

"Yes?" Zelda asked, turning her head towards him, only to have the breath taken from her lungs as she saw Link on one knee beside the bed, a small sapphire and diamond ring in his hand. He gently placed it over her left ring finger, shining softly in the cool Hateno sunlight.

"Marry me."

And as you can see, that moment did get better for our princess and our hero.

--

fin

[sergeant-donny-donowitz]

Questions and Answers Part 2/2 (DonnyxReader)

@owba-chan @war-obsessed @inglourious-jules

Let me know if you want to be tagged in these! :)

The adrenaline of it all started to die down. The world around you became a swirl as blood continued to seep from your wounds. Donny's face became a blur of confusion and worry as he called your name, and reached for you.

You woke up, wrapped in a jacket that was not yours, guarded by Donny's arms instead of enemy guns for once.

He was just about to set you down in a cot in the basterds' hideout.

You mumbled, "Donny?"

He pulled some covers over you, "Just sleep..." "But..." "It's ok. Wicki's kind of like our medic. Says you'll be fine. He wrapped up your ribs already. You got a few broken ones."

He started walking away.  "Donny."

He sighed... he stepped away from the door, but he didn't face you."Yeah, kid?"

"What happened?"

He half turned to you, "You tell me. Nazis said they shot you down. What happened after that?"

You knew what happened after that. But you couldn't bring yourself to think about it. Not now...

You didn't know how long you had with Donny. There were some things you needed do know. "I meant what happened to us."

"You know what happened."

"No. I don't."

Donny sighed, and nodded. It was time for him to face his past... He looked at you. He owed it to you. "No...you don't..."

You managed to say, "You were my best pal..."

"I wasn't Sam."

"That's not what happened." You coughed and winced a little, instinctively clutching your ribs. Donny's heart broke. It broke every time he thought of you, and how he left you. He had a chance to see you again. He had a chance to explain himself... It wasn't much of an explanation, but he also didn't want to leave you alone when you were hurting. He knew it wasn't just your ribs. You'd lost your team. He didn't want you to feel alone. But he knew it didn't mean he could step in right where you left off in 1936...

Donny tried to force a smile. If someone else made you happy, then he wanted you to know you could still count on him, even if it hurt. "How is he, anyway?"

You looked straight up at the ceiling, "I wouldn't know..." You broke up with him soon after the war started. He wanted you to stay home. War wasn't a place for you, according to Sam.

You'd worked too hard on your degree to 'go home'.

"What?" Donny was confused. The last thing he heard  before he left home was that Sam had proposed to you.

He didn't hear what Sam said to you... If Donny had, he would have laughed, because he knew you too well. Then he would've broken one of Sam's bones for disrespecting you like that.

You shook your head, still unable to believe you somehow found your way back to Donny. "It's been so long, Donny....such a long time."

He looked at you, half-smiling. He was still worried about you. He wanted to know that you were ok. But he also wanted you to rest.  "Get some sleep, y/n."

"No..not till I talk to you."

Donny shook his head, "You don't know what you're saying. You need to rest."

He sighed, couldn't avoid you forever. It was a wakeup call. It was his second chance. What were the odds that he came across you?

Besides, he knew that look in your eyes. No matter how tired, weak, and wounded you were. He knew you.

There was no getting in your way if you wanted something. You were liable to get up, and stumble after him. He didn't want anything to happen to you, so he stayed. 

He stayed, and listened, like he should have seven years before.

"Alright, kid. So what happened?"

"He wasn't you."

Donny held his breath for a moment. He didn't expect you to say that...

He wasn't ready to hear it either. He tried to deny it for so long, anad convince himself you deserved someone better than him for years. Donny shook his head, "You're a smart kid. You know better."

"Donny..."

"You deserve so much better than me. That's why everyone was so happy when you and him got together. Everyone kept saying he was," he imitated the people they grew up with "such a good boy, such a smart girl," He couldn't help but chuckle a little, "You know I never heard the end of it."

You glanced at Donny, hoping he'd listen for once. "I did."

Of course he looked at you in the same puzzled way he had all those  years ago.

You sighed as you looked up at the ceiling, "No one deserves anyone, Donny. Love isn't merited or deserved. It's not a prize that you can earn. It just...happens."

He smiled a little. "That's why you're the smart one."

You rolled your eyes... in many ways some things hadn't changed. "Donny."

He sighed, and looked away.

Then he felt your hand on his.

You had an answer to your newest question: 'why'...

Why did you smile when you saw him? Why did his arms feel as safe as they always had? Why didn't you mind the past and the mistakes?

You had your answer.

You still loved him.

You always had and always would.

And he took one good look at you, smiled the moment he realized it...

Once you were up and around, you had a seamless transition into the basterds... It was almost as if you belonged. They had orders from the general to keep you ‘hidden’ from the nazis until they could get you back to allied lines safely. It took half a year. Somehow, you and Donny were able to pick up right where you left off.

You eventually told him about why you broke up with Sam. Donny laughed it off, but you caught a devilish smirk in his eyes as he gripped his baseball bat.

No one, not a single person, not a basterd, and not a nazi could ever disrespect you and get away with it.

Donny would rather throw himself in front of a tank for you than to lose you again. Things were so perfect, he swore only death could separate you. It was war, after all...

He didn't realize death wasn't the only thing standing between you two. It was the OSS. They needed you. No one could ever need you more than Donny did, but that wouldn't change anything. There came a day where orders were sent: The basterds had to escort you to a base outside of enemy lines, and say their goodbyes to you.

Even if you were as much of a basterd as them, and even if you loved Donny, you still had a place outside of nazi-occupied France.

Your place was in the bases and the skies.

Your place was in Donny's heart, and you knew it when you smiled at each other, when he held your hand...and when he kissed you for the first time in a long time.

You said goodbye to your lieutenant. You said goodbye to your corporal. You said goodbye to the privates that found and saved you.

They left you and Donny alone so you could say your goodbyes, though at the last second you saw a smirking glance from Aldo.

You knew he didn't want you to go.

His hand remained wrapped around yours for a few moments longer than it should've. He looked into your eyes silently.

He was anxious about letting you go. This had been his second chance, so it seemed. He didn't want to lose you.

He knew war, losing you meant one of you wasn't coming home

It scared him.

"I enlisted. Just like you." You held his hands again, "You know there's more to this than whether or not we make it home. This is war. There's so much we're fighting for."

You walked away, toward a new plane, and a crew waiting for you.

You stopped when you heard Donny's voice, "There's one other thing I should've fought for, and didn't."

You smiled softly, turned your hear a little, and saw he hadn't moved. He just stood there helplessly, hoping desparately for a third chance in the future.

He knew that smile on your face.

It was the one you had when you told him your plans, your secrets, when you told him you loved him way back in high school, and the smile you had when you told him you were going to MIT. You had the same look in your eyes as the one you made when you wandered away from him seven years ago, and said you'd 'see him around.'

You never lied to him, you just had a way with reassuring him,

"Friday, after the war. Eight o clock at the Townsend Tavern by the docks. Don't be late."

Donny smiled. That was a club you always used to sneak into together. Back then you were the girl he walked in with, and the girl he wished to dance with again.

Once the war was over, he'd get that chance again.

He watched you as you got into the plane with the same defiance and power that you carried all your life.  

He was proud of you.

And he trusted you. He had wondered if he'd get the chance to start over with you. He'd asked himself that for years, hoping for another chance. Seeing that smile on your face, and the look in your eyes calmed him. He smiled, knowing he finally he had an answer...

Something told him he'd get that third chance.

[lovemesomerafael]

Others Like Me                                Chapter 6:  The Compound

Chapters 1-5   Read it on AO3

Bucky has a hard time adjusting to calling Marya by her name, but he’s determined never to call her “Eight” again.  That was never a name.  It was a dehumanizing designation and he’s not going to use it even one more time, if he can stop himself.  Everyone else seems to make the transition easily, and Bucky thinks that’s a combination of not having known her as long as he has, and not wanting to call her “Eight” any more than he does.

Steve’s being careful.  He’s entirely confident now that Marya is who she says she is, because Natasha is satisfied of that, and that’s good enough for Steve.  But in the Compound, he’s not letting Marya have any weapons, or access to anything sensitive, until further notice.  She’s unhappy about being unarmed, given her discomfort with being in a new and potentially extremely hostile environment, but she’s also been a soldier from childhood, with obedience literally beaten into her.  

Bucky’s trying to keep Steve at arm’s length after what’s happened between them, which is insanely difficult for about a million reasons.  No one else probably notices anything out of the ordinary – they’ve been struggling for a long time – but Steve’s longing stares have a renewed intensity matched only by Bucky’s determination to return to the easy brotherhood they once had, before they admitted their love for one another.

Bruce wants Marya to be wheeled into the Compound on the gurney but, when she complains, she gets support from everyone else on the plane.

“Quit bein’ such a mother hen,” Sam tells Bruce affectionately.  

“Even mother hens let their chicks walk by themselves,” Natasha adds, then says in an aside to Marya in Russian, “He’s a man.  He thinks we’d need as much time to recover as these boys would.”

“Isn’t he a doctor?”  Marya asks her.  “Doesn’t he know how much tougher women are than men?”

“Some of us speak Russian, you know,” Bucky mutters, trying to seem offended.  

It’s the last light moment for a while, because Marya’s back to being afraid. Bucky expected that, and plans to stick close to her until she feels comfortable.  He knows how terrifying new places and situations are for people like them when they’re unprepared, and he remembers his own introduction to the Compound. He finds himself charmed and gratified at the way Marya glues herself to his side, walking and standing just behind him but so close that he can feel her.  

As soon as they arrive, everyone scatters to their own areas of the Compound. Steve tells Bucky to put Marya in rooms near his, which Bucky knows will sound to Marya as though he’s trying to make her comfortable by letting her be near Bucky.  But Bucky knows better.  The truth is, Steve’s own rooms are adjacent to Bucky’s, which means Steve will be in a good position to keep a close eye on Marya himself.  

Bucky points out features of the place on their way: the kitchen, the common areas, the training building.  Marya’s on extreme alert, but she unconsciously shows her trust in him by holding his hand, which he finds he really likes, in a protective if slightly egotistical way.  When they reach the area where his and Steve’s rooms are, Bucky shows her which doors are theirs, before opening the door to the rooms where she’ll be staying.  She’s interested in everything, and her expression says she likes the rooms, but the first thing she says is, “I’ll be so far away from you.  From everyone.”  

“I know, and I know you won’t like that at first.  But maybe you’ll find that you like privacy.”

“Maybe.  I’ll try.”

There’s a commotion in the hallway outside.  He turns toward the sound and hears, “Barnes, I’m gonna kill you for-“

There’s a flash of movement past him and a thud in the hallway.  Bucky sighs, knowing what he’s going to find as he takes the several steps to the door and looks out.

Marya’s straddling Tony Stark, her forearm hard across his throat and a knife held in her hand with the point about two inches from his left eye. Tony, being Tony, has an eyebrow raised and an otherwise bland expression on his face.  

“Nice to meet you, Marya.”

“Let him up,” Bucky says sharply.

She keeps her eyes bored into Tony’s, and doesn’t move except to tilt her head slightly toward Bucky.  “Why?”

“Because that’s Tony Stark.”

She still doesn’t move.  “He said he was going to kill you.”

“He says that a lot.”

“He’s got weapons on him.  They’re… weird, but they’re weapons.”

Bucky can see that Tony’s good humor is quickly evaporating, which he kind of can’t blame him for, knifepoint at his eye and all.  He doesn’t want things to get any worse.  If she’s going to work with The Avengers, she’s going to need to be on good terms with Tony.

“Soblyuday, Soldat,” he growls.  He feels a little guilty about using such a loaded command, but he’s relieved to see it has the intended effect.  

She immediately flicks the knife back into the sheath in her sleeve where it had been hidden and stands, gracefully using her momentum to pull Tony up with her. But she’s not happy about it.  She keeps Tony fully in her sight as she turns a glare on Bucky.

“You’re not supposed to have a knife,” Bucky says to her with disapproval.

“THAT’S the problem you see here?”  Tony shrieks.

“Relax, Tony.  She’s just nervous.”

“Then let her fidget or talk nonsense, like the rest of us.”

There’s a tense silence as Tony glowers at Bucky and Bucky tries to think of something to say to defuse the situation.  To both of their surprise, Marya gets there first.  

“I owe you an apology, Mr. Stark,” she says, in an oddly stilted way as if she’s reciting lines.  “I overreacted, and I’m sorry.  I hope I haven’t hurt you.  It won’t happen again.”

Tony looks from Marya to Bucky.  

“In her defense,” Bucky tells him, “She only tackles people when she first meets them. Once she knows you, she’s very polite.”

“I often regret not killing you,” Tony says to Bucky in an offhand tone that’s almost fond.  He then turns to Marya.

“Apology accepted.  I like a girl with spirit.  I am going to have to ask you for that knife, though.”

She quickly, though reluctantly, takes it out and hands it to him, handle first.

“A few house rules,” Tony says, in his usual rapid-fire style.  “First, no attacking the host.  That’d be me.  Defend me, by all means.  And you’re welcome to attack this one at will.”  He motions toward Bucky.  “Second, if Cap gives you an order, you follow it.  He says no weapons, that means no weapons.  You with me so far?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Tony looks toward Bucky.  “You hear that?  ’Yes, Sir’. I already like her better than you.”

Bucky smirks.

“Third, if anyone catches you anywhere you’re not supposed to be, they have orders to kill you on sight.  That might strike you as a little rude, and I suppose it is, but no one’s ever accused me of being socially acceptable, and you did just knock me down and stick a knife in my face, so I think we’re even.  Are we clear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Oh, I could so get used to that,” Tony gushes to Bucky, then turns around and begins to walk away.  “One more thing,” he says, holding up a finger and turning back toward Marya.  “I understand you have a couple of Hydra’s toys, and that you understand how they work.”

“Yes.”

“We’ll talk.”  With that, Tony spins back around and strides rapidly back down the hallway.

 The next week is hard on both Bucky and Marya.  One of the reasons is their rapidly escalating impatience.  Nothing seems to be happening.  Marya thinks constantly of her ‘brothers and sisters’ in the bunker, and can’t stand the idea that they might think she isn’t coming back for them.  Bucky, too, is thinking of them.  He doesn’t know them, so he can’t care about them personally the way that she does. But he knows enough.  He knows what he endured.  He knows that he cannot and will not leave them there.  

Bucky’s also having nightmares like he hasn’t had since he first escaped Hydra and went to ground in Bucharest.  He’s hollow-eyed and haggard, and he dreads the nights.  Sometimes he wakes up soaked in cold sweat, tangled in his sheets.  Those are the good nights.  It’s the nights he wakes up screaming, stabbing at nothing and terrified almost to madness, that have him wondering whether it’s all worth it.  

Sam tells him it’s a good thing.  Miserable, agonizing, but a sign of progress.  A sign that meeting Marya has helped him to be able to approach a well of memories and emotions he wasn’t ready to even acknowledge before.  Bucky hopes so, because he feels like he’s drowning.

One night, he dreams he’s back in captivity, looking at a circle of flunkies aiming weapons at him while shithead Pierce spews megalomaniacal vitriole disguised as patriotism at him.  He sees Rumlow, drooling and sprouting wood at the idea of what’s about to happen to him. Bucky’s aching for Pierce to shut up, but at the same time desperate for him to continue so that what’s coming next won’t happen.  But it does. He feels the clamps, then the unbearable torment, like every nerve in his brain is being torn out separately and at the same time, and he wakes up, screaming and clawing at his head, bolt upright in his bed dripping with sweat.  

He sees his shadowy room, and knows he’s safe in the Compound.  He knows he’s going to blow that fucking bunker to kingdom come if it’s the last thing he does.  He’s with The Avengers now.  He’s not alone.  He’s Bucky again.  He’s not The Asset or whatever the fuck he was back then.  But he also knows that he was that person.  He did those things.  That was real, and it happened, and it’s never going away.  For the first time in a very long time, Bucky covers his face with his hands and cries.  

That’s when he hears the soft rustle of fabric, and a whisper from the corner of his bedroom.  

“Sergeant?”

He startles, but recognizes her voice.  “Marya?  What the hell?”

She steps away from the wall where she’s been standing and crosses silently to sit next to him.  

“I’m here.  Can I touch you?”

“Why are you… I…”  

His surprise quickly drains away and, as it does, his despair returns.  He hiccups and she reaches out, tentatively, to touch his metal shoulder.  Bucky realizes that he wants nothing more than to let go.  To give way, just this once, to the wretched tide of pain and grief and guilt and shame that will engulf him if he lets it.  He knows how strong Marya is.  As she turns to put a knee on the bed and shift herself so she’s kneeling next to him, he knows that the arms she wraps him with are sculpted with well-defined, hard muscle, and that she’s pulling him to her because she can take his weight, and the weight of his anguish.  So he leans into her and lets his arms fall weakly to her waist.  He lets her pull his head to her shoulder and starts to sob as she strokes his hair.

Once he starts, he can’t stop.  He’s afraid sometimes that he’ll never catch his breath as he’s overtaken with wracking, shuddering cries that tear themselves from his throat.  But he doesn’t fight it.  He lets it have him.  He leans on her with his whole weight, letting her keep him upright.  He soaks the soft cotton nightshirt she’s wearing with his tears and probably snot and spit, too.  He doesn’t care and she doesn’t even appear to notice.  She just holds him, rocking him sometimes, stroking his back and arms and hair, kissing his head, his forehead, his cheeks and lips, murmuring soft endearments and comforting words in Russian and English.

It’s got to be an hour before his wails and sobs even begin to slow down into weeping.  And he weeps for at least another hour.  She’s crying, too, sometimes as hard as he is, but the whole time, she’s supporting and sustaining him, keeping him safe as he falls entirely apart and stays that way for hours.  

Finally, Bucky’s completely worn out, drained of every bit of energy and strength he had.  All of the filth and suffering inside him has, for the moment, been exorcised.  She lays him down, covering him with the sheet and cradling his head to her chest.  She wraps both arms and legs around him and he falls asleep clinging to her.

 In the morning, he wakes up alone.  He knows it happened, because his eyes are swollen and sore, and he can catch the faintest scent of her hair on his pillows.  He doesn’t know quite how to feel about that.  He’s grateful to her for allowing him the privacy to figure it out, before he sees her.  

But it doesn’t take long.  In the shower, he thinks through his dream, and the fact that she was there in his room, and her unflinching acceptance in the presence of his staggering, overpowering grief and rage, and he knows exactly how he feels.  He feels grateful.  He feels honored.  He feels loved.  And he feels love.

He’s disappointed when he finds that she’s not in her rooms.  He was hoping to have the opportunity to see her alone, to talk about what happened.  He needs to try to thank her, although he knows he’ll never be able to find the words to tell her how grateful he is.  

He thinks about Steve, and Bucky’s already-raw emotions register instantly a sense of guilt that he’s shared with Marya, a woman he barely knows, all the things that he hasn’t been able to let his lifelong best friend see.  The things that Steve’s been begging Bucky to trust him with.  Bucky knows why it happened that way: Marya is who Bucky is.  If Steve lives for another hundred years, he still won’t be able to understand what’s been inside of Bucky the way that she can.  But Bucky also knows that he will have to take that knowledge to his grave.  Steve would be destroyed to know that Marya could give Bucky something he couldn’t, and Bucky’s not going to do that to him.

 In the large kitchen, everyone’s just finishing breakfast, sipping coffee and enjoying some camaraderie before going on to whatever they have planned for their days.  Bucky sees Marya, sitting at a table with Clint and listening to him explain something about his bow.  He grins, because he knows Clint must be ecstatic.  No one else wants to hear him go on and on about what it can do, but Marya seems enthralled.  She looks up at Bucky, and they share a small smile and a nod.

Steve’s sitting with Tony, just watching Bucky like a lion watching a particularly tasty-looking gazelle, when Tony sees him.

“Good morning.  Catching up on our beauty sleep, are we?”

Bucky grunts a greeting and pours a cup of coffee.

“Bad news, Barnes,” Natasha says from the other side of the table where she’s reading some sort of printouts.  “Not only didn’t it work, but we ate all the bacon.”

“Assholes,” Bucky mutters, and begins to take inventory of his breakfast options. It’s not long before Marya crosses the room to do something at the oven behind Bucky, then steps up beside him.  She holds out a plate heaped with food, including a respectable amount of bacon.  Bucky takes the plate automatically, and feels that it’s warm. He smiles wide, not only because of the gesture, but also because she looks adorably pleased with herself.

Clint’s offended shout cuts through the moment.  “Hey!  You said there was no more bacon!”

“I’m sorry,” Marya says apologetically to him as she returns to join him at the table.  “I guess I don’t know the rules about bacon.”

When Clint looks away, Marya gives Bucky a secret wink.  He’s delighted.  

“Unpredictable and overly violent, but loyal,” Tony mutters to Natasha. “Shit.  Now there are two of them.”  Natasha smirks at her papers.

Steve crushes the coffee cup he’s holding in his hand, and there’s minor commotion as people scramble out of the way of the spill and try to outdo each other making fun of him.

After a while, people start to excuse themselves to start their days.  Clint’s gone to the training building, leaving Bucky and Marya sitting together, a bit apart from the others.  On the way out of the room, Tony says to Marya, “Come to my lab later.”

She goes instantly from relaxed and cheerful to rigid and bristling with fear.

“Gizmos,” Bucky says quickly, putting a hand on her arm.  “Remember?  It’s not that kind of lab.  He makes electronic gadgets.”  

Bucky looks daggers at Tony, who shrugs and says nonchalantly, “Yeah.  I only experiment on myself.  We’re just gonna take a look at that Hydra technology.” He looks at Bucky then.  “You come, too, to make sure she doesn’t do anything.”

“Jeez, Tony, she’s sitting right here.”

“You know I have no manners, right, Marya?”

“Yes, Sir,” she says in a small voice, not looking at him.

It takes a while for Marya’s terror to bleed off, and Bucky’s aggravation with Tony lasts even longer.  

Steve leaves the kitchen then, not having said a word to Bucky, and he and Marya find themselves alone in the room.

“Thank you,” Bucky says, hoping she can hear the weight he’s putting into the words.

“You’re welcome.  I don’t know whether you’re talking about last night or this morning, but the answer’s the same.”

“I was talking about last night, but I gotta say, saving me some breakfast is pretty great, too.”

He likes her pleased smile.  

“I don’t really want to make a joke about it, though.  You bein’ there, letting me… vent, I guess, that was…” He’s been practicing how to say it, and still he gets tangled up in the words.  “It helped me so much, and I just want you to know how much it means to me.”

“I’m glad if I could help.  I’ve hated seeing you in such pain.”

“It’s been that obvious, huh?”

It’s been a while since Bucky’s seen Marya’s perplexed look, but she’s wearing it now.  “Yes. You’ve been thrashing, and shouting, and…”

“What are you…  When?”

“Every night since we’ve been here.”

“Are you telling me you’ve been in my room every night?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you sleep?”

“Not very well.  It’s too quiet, and-“

Bucky grins a little.  “You’re cold.”

“Yes. The first night, I thought I heard you, and it didn’t sound good, so I went to make sure you were all right.  When I saw that you were having bad dreams, I worried about you.  So I started coming in, so I’d be there if you needed me.”

“Wasn’t my door locked?”

“Yes.”

Bucky would laugh at that if he wasn’t such a wreck.  “So you just watched me sleep?”

“No. I slept, too.”

“Standing in the corner of my room?”

“Sitting.”

Bucky realizes he isn’t really very surprised by this.   He takes Marya’s hand and kisses it.  “That isn’t necessary.  But thank you.”

“It feels necessary,” she says.  “I love you.”

It’s a straight, simple declaration, just like the time she told him in Lucerne that she wanted to have sex with him, and Bucky’s thunderstruck.  Not knowing what to say or do, he squeezes her hand and kisses it again, longer this time.  

“We should go to Mr. Stark’s lab,” Marya says softly.

 The seeming chaos in Tony’s lab has always been incomprehensible and vaguely threatening to Bucky.  Marya, on the other hand, is wearing an impossibly wide grin, and takes it all in with hungry, enchanted eyes.  Tony’s asked them to give him a second, he’s having trouble with something and he thinks he’s just about there.  Apparently, he’s not, because he keeps swearing.  

After five minutes of slowly circling the huge room, eyes wide with wonder and interest, Marya steps behind Tony to see what he’s looking at through the powerful magnifier.  It’s some kind of microcircuitry in a machine whose purpose Bucky can’t even guess at, but she’s intrigued.

Tony swears again and Bucky sees a tiny puff of smoke stream lazily out from where Tony’s working.  

“That connector’s backward,” Marya murmurs.

Tony turns on her angrily.  “What?”

She steps quickly away, reflexively taking a defensive stance and looking afraid. She doesn’t repeat what she’s said, just watches every movement Tony makes as he scowls at her and shoos her away. She hastens to Bucky’s side, standing just behind him and leaning just the tiniest bit into him.  

Tony works for a while longer while they just watchfully wait for him to acknowledge them again.  He pulls the tools he’s using away from the machine and it starts to do… something. He swears again and gives Marya another dirty look.  

“Connector was backward.”  

Bucky’s relieved to note that Marya wisely doesn’t respond.  

The conversation that follows is wide-ranging and mostly incomprehensible to Bucky, but he’s always liked futuristic gadgets and gizmos, and it’s entertaining.  The part that really catches his attention, though, is when they begin to talk about Bucky’s arm, and the fact that it was Marya who disabled it on the plane when they’d first abducted him.

“How did you know how to do that?”  Tony asks, half fascinated and half seriously annoyed.  

“I didn’t.  But I looked, and it seemed like if I disconnected those two components, it wouldn’t work anymore.”

“Hmm. And how’d you fix it?”

“I didn’t fix it.  I made a patch that would stick on the outside to draw the components back together again.  It was the best I could do, and I guess I forgot to go back and repair it.”

“Well, let’s do that now, shall we?”

It doesn’t escape Bucky’s attention that Marya was terrified to come into this lab for fear she’d be experimented on, and he’d reassured her that wouldn’t happen.  Now he’s the one sitting obediently while they mess around with his arm and talk in one of the few languages Bucky doesn’t speak.  It’s a long morning.

That night, Bucky again finds himself dreading the prospect of going to sleep. He finds things to do, including having a fairly heated discussion with Steve about why they’re still not planning a raid on the Hydra bunker in Siberia.  Eventually, though, he’s the only one still up, and he decides it’s time to quit procrastinating.

In the hallway outside his door, he makes a decision.  He goes to Marya’s door, instead, and knocks.  She’s wearing soft, grey leggings and a tank top made of the same material, which do nothing but accentuate the shape of her strong, graceful body and the obvious fact that she’s not wearing a bra.

“Are you all right, Sergeant?”  She waves him in, but he stays where he is.

“I just wanted to tell you to stay here.  Get some real sleep.  I appreciate everything you’ve been doing, but you don’t need to.  I’ll feel better knowing you’re here, comfortable, and not just hanging out in the corner waiting for me to have a nightmare.”

Marya looks hurt and a little confused.  “I’m sorry if I did the wrong thing.  You said people like privacy, so I shouldn’t have-“

“No. It’s not that at all.  I understand what you did, and I appreciate it. More than you know.  The thing is, I want you to be comfortable.  You can’t just be watching over me all the time.”

“I understand.”

The look on her face is tearing at Bucky.  “No, you don’t.  I’m not mad…” He can’t not take her into his arms when she’s looking down with her shoulders slumped like that.  

She hugs him back, but he can feel her uncertainty.  After what she did for him, after all she’s done for him, and what they’ve been through together…  “Marya, I’m sorry.  I’m a chump when it comes to words.  I’m trying to be nice to you.  Maybe we could…”

Suddenly, the way forward is clear and easy.  “What if you sleep with me?  That way you can be comfortable, and you’ll probably sleep better than in here, anyway. And if – when – I have a nightmare, you’ll be there.”

She looks a little happier, but still uncertain.  “But Natasha said it’s too intimate.”

Bucky kisses her.  Intimately. “She was right.  I know you don’t really associate sex and sleeping with eachother, but…  we could do both.  If you want.”

That gets the look Bucky was aiming for.  He takes his arms from around her but keeps hold of her hand as he leads her out of her door and to his.  

When they’re lying together on his bed, mouths tasting and exploring, this seems to Bucky like the best idea he’s had in a long time.  The almost-shy, vaguely hesitant way she’s touching him, though, raises a question that he’s been wanting to ask since he first noticed how beautiful she is.  

Bucky lifts up from Marya’s lips and slides a hand down to cover her breast as he looks into her eyes.  “Do you… know what comes next?”

She arches up when he begins to tease her nipple with the tips of his fingers, but doesn’t break eye contact.  “I think so.”

Bucky tilts his head in inquiry.

“We were children.  No one told us anything.  But then we got older and we… figured things out.  I don’t know whether we guessed right, though.”

Bucky chuckles at that.  “I’d bet a lot of money that you got it right.  It’s pretty instinctive.”

“Show me,” she breathes.  “I’ll tell you if we got it right.”

Bucky smiles and goes back to kissing her, enjoying the way she seems to respond to his tongue, and then try to repeat what he does.  It’s bliss to finally get his hands on her bare breasts, and he yanks her tank top over her head at the first opportunity.  The moan she makes at that goes straight to his cock, which she’s fondling gently.  Too gently. He takes her hand and presses it into him, thrusting against it.  He feels her smile.

She makes a tiny, frustrated noise when he pulls out of her reach to scoot down further in the bed, but she seems to feel better about things when he takes one of her breasts into his mouth.  Bucky’s a sucker for sounds of pleasure, and Marya doesn’t hold back. He’s very surprised that, rather than find it funny when she calls him “Sergeant” as she’s exclaiming at how much she likes what he’s doing, he finds it ridiculously erotic.  Just another of the endless variety of ways he’s fucked up, Bucky guesses.  This one doesn’t bother him too much.

She cooperates enthusiastically as he pulls her leggings and panties from her, and gasps – actually gasps – when he touches her.  “You all right?”  He asks around a mouthful of her nipple.

“Yes, that’s just…  feels so good…”  

Bucky gets a little worried when he slides a finger inside her and she stops breathing.  He lifts his head.  “Marya?”

“Yes?”

“Everything OK?”

“Oh, yes!”  She’s breathing now.  Panting actually.

“You just… I thought you were holding your breath there for a second.”

“I was concentrating.”

Bucky laughs.  He really likes that answer.  

“But…”

He doesn’t like the “but”.  

“What’s wrong?”

“You have all your clothes on.  I want to take them off.”

Whew. Bucky crawls back up so they’re lying face to face again.  “Be my guest.”

With a happy sigh, Marya takes hold of Bucky’s layered shirts and pulls. When the shirts are lying on the floor, she spends a long moment just breathing hard and marveling at his chest. “You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen,” she whispers, touching him in reverent strokes with the tips of her fingers, as though not sure she’s allowed to.  It’s mesmerizing.  Bucky just lets her admire him, watching her face and doing his own appreciative gazing at her chest.  

Eventually, one of her awed caresses ends at the button of his jeans.  She looks at his face.  “Can I…?”

“Yes. I want you to.”

Once she gets his jeans off, Marya spends another mini-eternity admiring Bucky’s lower half.  He has to grit his teeth to maintain control as she touches his cock like it’s a religious artifact.  In the part of his mind that’s still thinking, Bucky realizes how conceited it is that he’s getting off so much on her naked appreciation of his body, and knows that Steve would be howling with sardonic mirth.  

Nope, Bucky thinks, shutting that down in a hurry.  Not gonna think of Steve right now.

Bucky surrenders himself to Marya, letting her touch him everywhere and plant open-mouthed kisses wherever she wants, which is pretty much everywhere, too. He’s too aroused to endure the way she starts to use her tongue on his dick, though.  When he comes, he wants it to be inside of her.  

“Marya, come here…”  He groans.

“Am I doing that wrong?”

“Fuck, no.  You’re doing it too right.  I want you. I want my cock in you.”

Apparently, Marya’s very on board with that plan, and she moves with him when he turns them over so that he’s lying on top of her.  “I want to make you come first, though.”

“’Come?’  Is that when that… explosion happens?”

“That’s what it is, all right.”  Bucky rubs his cock against her, feeling her lips slide to accommodate him, and she uses her feet against the mattress to rock her pelvis against him.  She reaches down to take his cock in her hand, using the head to rub exactly where she needs it, and it’s mere moments before she’s coming with a spectacular series of shudders and inarticulate cries.  One might’ve been “Sergeant,” and Bucky kind of hopes it was.

He plans to wait, rubbing against her until she’s completely finished, but she moves her hips until the head of his cock is against her entrance, then wraps her legs around him.  He doesn’t need any encouragement.  He thrusts into her, both of them gasping with the sensation, and immediately begins to fuck her with a determined rhythm.  When he feels her start to buck against him with her second orgasm, he feels the rush of pleasure roar through him and they’re both shouting as they come.

They both sleep soundly through the rest of the night, once they’ve agreed that Marya and the rest of the Hydra captives did, indeed, get it right.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Ninety: Across the River ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: River Runs Deep ] [ AO3 Link ]

(This is a sequel to days 60, 77, 140, 165, and 189!)

For what is now the third time - and what may very well be the last - Uchiha Sasuke makes his way out of the fog and jagged peaks of the northern mountains. Beside him is his father, expression taut with thought and worry. They have come from the strange god-village hidden within the range, and have news to bear to their clan.

For weeks now, the Uchiha - whose line has long produced warriors and samurai to project their lord - have been on the run, with a new enemy on their heels. With their lord and master defeated, they were declared criminals under the new ruler, and were forced to flee their homes or face extermination.

They made it through the imposing mountains that lie along the northern edge of their old lands, hoping the terrain would slow or even stop their pursuers. It was then that - in the mist - Sasuke found himself lost...and stumbled upon a strange, almost ethereal valley. There, he met a miko who claimed to speak to a god. He was released and found his way to his people, only to be forced back into the peaks to chase down a traitor. Sasuke did so...and found himself face to face with the valley’s protector. She warned him of his trespass, but was held at bay by her miko, who suggested that it was his fate to find them.

And now, after bartering with the dragon god, Sasuke has been granted passage of his clan into the valley, to fall under the spirit’s protection. Itachi, who accompanied them, has stayed behind to be tended to for his persistent illness. The only question that remains is how to convince the others not only of the truth of their travel...but that their best chance for peace and survival is to join the other lost humans - abandoned by both men and gods alike - in the strange valley between the planes.

Fugaku, Sasuke is sure, is already trying to form the argument in his mind. Though Japan was long a land of kami and faith, the bonds between man and god have faded. Not many carry the old ways with them...and convincing some of their kin may be easier said than done.

But he knows that this is their best chance. The respite they’ve gotten past the mountains cannot be guaranteed to last. There may yet be hunters on their tail, seeking them past the border. And though they have mighty warriors among them, they are few, and weary. If they are to be safe...they must hide in a place where no one will ever find them.

“Your mother is going to have my hide when she realizes we left your brother there,” Fugaku eventually mutters, breaking the silence long held between them.

“She’ll soon know why. And I think of all of us...she’s the most faith left in her heart.”

“Even so...she’ll know no peace until she sees him again.”

“I’ll keep her calm.”

“The others may think us mad.”

“It’s a risk we have to take. You know the safety we’ve found is only temporary. But this...this will be forever.”

“...I hope you are right.”

They eventually find the camp among the bluffs, and any nearby eyes lift to behold them. Questions then flood as Uchiha surround them, eager to know where the patriarch and his sons have been.

But most demanding of all is the matriarch.

“Gods, I’ve had no rest with you gone!” she declares, parting the crowds to behold them. “Shisui would tell me nothing! Only that you’d granted him rank while you went back into those accursed mountains! Fugaku, what -?” Her eyes flicker to Sasuke. “...where is Itachi?”

“...Mikoto, I -”

“Where is my son?!”

“He’s safe,” Sasuke cuts in, gently taking his mother by the shoulders. “He was too weary, and is waiting for us.”

“Waiting? Waiting where? What is going on?”

“A moment’s peace, and I will explain,” Fugaku replies, tone tinged with exasperation. “...please.”

She quiets, jaw still firm.

“...when he was separated from us during our flight over the mountains, Sasuke stumbled upon a village within a large valley. A hidden, remote place. One I believe will house us, and hide us. The...matriarch of the village has granted us passage to join them, if we wish. But on one condition. Once we settle there...we cannot leave, and take its secret with us. I realize that some of you may not be...at ease with such an idea. And I understand. Therefore...I will take those of you who wish to go with me. The rest...I will release to forge your own paths. Renounce your name if you wish, to find peace.”

“You really trust a tiny mountain village to house us?” a man asks, brow furrowed.

“The valley is large, there is room for expansion. We will have to make our own way...but it would be so wherever we go. It’s a plentiful place - Sasuke has seen much of it with his own eyes.”

“What makes it so safe? If your boy found it without intending to, what’s to stop other marauders from doing the same?”

It’s then Fugaku hesitates, looking to his son for help. It’s now or never.

Stepping forward, Sasuke draws the eyes of his kin. “...this valley is not just a place where humans dwell. Within it is a mighty river...and in that river, protecting the people, is a mizuchi. A mighty dragon spirit named O-Suigin-sama. It was she who gave me protection, and allowed me to return.”

Murmurs immediately break out. “You claim you saw a god?” “Impossible! The gods have abandoned us!” “The boy’s lost his mind!”

“I, too, saw this divine beast,” Fugaku cuts in, begetting silence. “...as did Itachi. It is with she he remains to be cured of his illness. She is a spirit of health, and life. She takes those abandoned by the world, and shelters them. Cares for them. Sasuke has persuaded her that we, too, need her protection: abandoned by our lord and left for dead. If you choose not to believe...I cannot force you. Nor will I drag you there against your will. But I believe Sasuke is right. The mountains have bought us time...but not enough. Sooner or later, our enemies will find us. And they will outnumber us. But if we make our homes in this valley, with the protection of a god...we may at last find peace, and safety. And that...is what I want for my people. For my family. For my sons.”

“...we have been given time to make a decision,” Sasuke murmurs in the pervading silence. “And I ask you use it. Don’t jump to conclusions, or act on a whim. This is our future we’re debating. You may think us mad. You’ve every right to. But I give you my word, I know what I saw. And this place...it’s everything we need. Everything we could ever want. And I wish only for my people to be safe. To no longer have to run, or fear for our lives. Our home was lost to us...but we have a chance to forge a new one. Grander, and safer than ever before. When we are ready...the god’s messengers will guide us through the peaks.”

“We barely survived making it over the first time! We’ll surely perish if we go back!” a woman speaks up, anxiously clutching her infant.

“When we were running through these mountains, we were blind and afraid, in a foreign land. But this time we will be guided, with a god’s fortune. We will not be led astray.”

Glancing to his son, Fugaku murmurs, “...take time to think. Such decisions cannot be made lightly. When a consensus is reached...those who wish to accompany us will part from those who wish to leave. And a new path will begin.”

After an uncertain pause, the clan disperses, mutterings and mumblings loud in the air. Expression almost gaunt with worry, Mikoto asks, “...is this truly the right decision?”

“We can’t run forever,” her husband rumbles lowly. “Any other village may hold a threat. But here...I believe we will be safe.”

“Sasuke, you truly saw it? This village, and the god that guards it?”

“I did.” With his tongue no longer bound by secrecy, he tells her what he saw the day he returned: the houses, the shops, the bridges across the river...the clear air, the tall trees, and the beautiful shrine on the mountaintop.

“The dragon was the most fearsome and yet...graceful creature I’ve ever beheld. And her miko is a woman with eyes that can see into the plane of the gods. An all-seeing white eye, she called it.”

“...she claimed to be a Hyūga,” Fugaku offers quietly.

At that, Mikoto’s eyes widen. “...you’re sure?”

“Who are the Hyūga?” Sasuke interjects.

“They were another samurai clan, you could call them a rival of ours. But they were scattered as we were when another lord conquered their lands several decades ago. That there are still some about is...curious,” Mikoto replies. “And yet, in a way...I can understand why they would end up in such a place.”

“There was another, a man who looked near our age. He had the same eyes…”

“They were a very spiritually-devoted family. Perhaps they really could see gods…”

“Well...you can meet her when we return,” Fugaku offers.

“...then we will really go?”

“If you agree,” he replies.

“...I want my sons to be safe,” she whispers. “For that, I will do anything, go anywhere.”

“...then we shall go. But until the others are firm in their minds, we must wait.”

“The god is really attending to Itachi?”

Sasuke nods. “The miko claimed her talents lie in healing. The camphor trees that grow all over the mountains are medicinal.”

“The kami’s influence, maybe?”

“He’s in good hands. I’ll wager he’ll be fit when we see him again,” Fugaku offers gently. “But Sasuke and I should rest - the hike is tiring.”

“Will it be safe?”

“You need to be cautious, but it’s sound enough.” With that, Sasuke’s parents head toward their tent, speaking lowly to one another.

Watching them go, Sasuke startles a hair when a weight settles on his shoulder. One of the owls gives a soft screech of greeting.

“Here to keep watch?” he asks, receiving a gentle nibble on his ear in response. “I beg your patience. This is a big decision for them...we’ve already been so uprooted. How is my brother?”

Another nibble.

“...good. I think I’ll rest. Do as you will - until we have an answer...we’ll just have to wait.”

                                                         .oOo.

     More kami verse! And more sort of...transitional stuff, my bad ^^; I thought I'd get a bit farther and have more HInata, but between some life stuff, it being late, and just...not wanting it to drag on too long, I thought I better stop where I did. NEXT TIME! lol      Trying to convince your clan that you really DID see a dragon and you're NOT crazy and that you have to go BACK into the big scary mountains iiisn't easy. Hopefully between Sasuke and his dad, they'll get at least most of their people to take their word for it and head to the valley and live happily ever after*. But at least MIkoto is on board. The rest...we'll have to see.      But yes, it's...very late, and I really need to sleep, so! Thanks for reading~

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014)

The Austin-born Zellner brothers have apparently been circling my radar for a while.  The Austin connection aside, I remember finding a score for a film by The Octopus Project on vinyl for cheap one day, and nabbed it.  Years later, after a screening of Damsel, I put two and two together that the soundtrack was for the Zellner brothers film Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, and every since that moment of realization, I’ve had it on my radar to watch this film.

Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi) is a 29-year old OL living and working in Tokyo.  She lives in solitude, accompanied only by her pet rabbit Bunzo and the treasures she collects on her adventures in isolation.  During an excursion into a cave, she finds a VHS copy of Fargo, and the only scene she is able to view is the scene where Steve Buscemi’s character buries a bag of money in Minnesota.  Convinced that the events she is watching are real, Kumiko takes on a conquistador mentality in hopes of discovering the treasure.  She attempts to steal a map of Minnesota from a library, and after a confrontation with her boss, Kumiko decides to move forward with the search for her ultimate treasure she discovered in Fargo.  With her former boss Sakagami’s (Nobuyuki Katsube) corporate card in hand, Kumiko leaves Bunzo on a train and boards a plane to Minneapolis, Minnesota in hopes of reaching Fargo to discover the hidden treasure.

The fact that Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is a recount of a story based on true events that were inspired by a recount of a story based on true events creates one of the oddest (yet subtle) meta-narrative structures I’ve ever encountered.  Setting the story in Tokyo adds the dissociative aspect that forces the viewer to search for connection (in this case, it’s the cultural gap played against the shared interest in Fargo), which further enriches the viewing experience.  A third layer of experience is added when the film fully kicks into the adventure portion of the film, going in on the conquistador and new world aspects, as well as the shared stories leading to the possibilities of true treasure aspect.

Having the inciting incident for the narrative of this film be based on a key aspect to another film is a very intriguing element to build your story around.  It’s impossible not to connect the films once Fargo is introduced, so when mirroring story elements present themselves, it evokes a unique emotional reaction based on our knowledge of how the events in Fargo played out.  In turn, the adventure becomes a roller-coaster of emotions as Kumiko navigates her way through a strange new world in hopes of discovering hidden riches.  The film provides one of the best meditations on the state of being that is loneliness, landing in the same company as films like Her or Jeremiah Johnson. 

The Zellner brothers utilize an extremely playful camera considering the sullen nature of the solitude it captures, often times punctuating a visual joke by stopping and allowing the character to return to the frame for the button of the joke.  The score provided by The Octopus Project punctuates each moment brilliantly, heightening the emotion connected to Kumiko’s mental state from scene to scene.  The vivid reds and oranges that emit from frames that involve Kumiko doing something for herself keep our spirits up as we partake in her adventure alongside her.

Rinko Kikuchi embraces both the reserved nature of person who chooses solitude with the bold determination of a conquistador, resulting in a strong, silent protagonist being pulled by emotional hopes.  Nobuyuki Katsube and his stern adherence to Japanese tradition stand in stark contrast to Kumiko’s uniqueness.  David Zellner’s kind-hearted police officer portrayal is an example of the kindness of strangers, and allows for an awkwardly funny cultural and gender gap experience.  Yumiko Hioki provides a brilliant voice-only portrayal of an overbearing mother whose ‘good’ intentions turn into the element that drives her own daughter further and further away.  Most of the additional characters play small, transitional roles, peppering in different shades of outgoing nature to further drive home Kumiko’s choice to remain alone.

Damsel is one of my favorites of 2018, and having now seen Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, I think it’s safe to say I’m a huge fan of the Zellner camp.  I can’t wait to see what the brothers have in store for the future.

[architectnews]

Songzhuang Micro Community Park, Beijing

Songzhuang Micro Community Park, Beijing Commercial Architecture Development, Chinese Retail Complex Images

Songzhuang Micro Community Park in Beijing

6 Sep 2021

Design: Crossboundaries

Location: Tongzhou, Beijing, Northern China

Songzhuang Micro Community Park

Songzhuang Micro Community Park: Urban Rooms for Social Encounter

Location dynamics of art clusters in the Chinese capital Beijing’s rapid economic transition, unique political atmosphere, and immense urban growth have shaped a trajectory of prominence of art villages in its metropolitan region dating back to the 1900s.

Its origins can be traced back to Yuanmingyuan, the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in the north-east of Beijing, where artists settled from all over China to celebrate a creative community and period of intense artistic exploration. After this movement ended in 1994, many collective groups began to replicate around this urban fringe outside of the third ring, namely Factory 798, Caochandi, and the Songzhuang Art District.

The latter has seen the largest development in recent years, with more than 5,000 artists living within its grounds, and 35 large and medium-sized fine arts galleries, making it one of the largest gatherings of contemporary artists in China, if not in the world. Centered in the village around Xiaopu, in the town of Songzhuang, in the Tongzhou District, major factors influencing the development of this location included escaping the fast-paced city life and the pressures of modern society, while affording the opportunity to live side-by-side with the local population; this odd combination of art visitors and an aging population created an interesting dynamic, with each group having its own unique needs for public spaces.

Appointment for the pilot project of Songzhuang’s new urban planning Understanding the challenge of offering versatile and inclusive communal facilities, a masterplan competition with international participation to reaffirm the importance of the new “Art City” model was organized in 2018. Within this framework, Crossboundaries was commissioned to regenerate a linear streetscape adjacent to a parking lot close to the Xiaopu Cultural Plaza into a lively outdoor community park. This project is the first realized vibrant design project of many to follow in the footsteps of this new communal spirit.

The park is suited to the site environment through a proper choice of materials and vegetation, combined with carefully designed spatial configuration, sequence, and atmosphere. The main component of the structure is a perforated grey brick wall with integrated seating in designated areas, alternating with a double lower layer of perforated Corten steel. Behind it lies a green zone filled with Southern Chinese pine trees and low bushes, forming a natural buffer to the parking area that can be accessed through various hidden pathways.

On the street side, long planters framed with Corten steel edges contain Persian Silk trees, forming a natural separation from the busier road to the public area, and acknowledging the new addition to the site combined with the existing and preserved more mature trees (Chinese Locust trees) embedded within the re-used pavement stones.

The L-shaped plot features a series of outdoor ‘rooms’ that provide unrestricted usage and trigger a variety of activities along a linear loop track, serving as a connecting element that meanders between the street side pavement and the park at a pocket of the site. The yellow track connects the rooms physically with each other, while also forming a visual link between the different public areas. The path extends into and through the small park area, which depicts a more natural landscape, with London plane and Ginkgo trees, in contrast to the organized promenade in the front. Linked by the yellow track, these rooms offer different levels of enclosure and boundary along a sequence: from completely open, forming a prelude-like plaza, to a slightly more defined area with a semitransparent grey backing wall, and an enclosed space that opens to the sky. The final space is less strictly defined within the new park zone, with only the ground surface marking its expanse.

A day in the life of the different spaces Transforming the initial street corner into a small plaza, the first room opens up a semicircular space defined by angular brick walls and large mirror surfaces. In the morning, it serves as a gathering place for tai chi and fan dance, while in the evening it attracts groups of rhythmic dancers. Dog owners can also be seen strolling with their beloved pets along the bright yellow asphalt loop that connects the rooms.

The second room is a place for tranquil interactions: long benches along the stepping profiles of interspersed brick walls invite Chinese chess players and their audience; groups of elderly ladies chat in the shadow of the trees; grandparents tenderly interact with their grandchildren. On the weekends, younger people pose for selfies in front of the grey brick and Corten steel backdrop, many consuming beverages from the café across the road.

On the corner of the extending park, the third room is dedicated to child’s play: a bright yellow room inside a room; layered brick walls with differently sized openings for peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek; connecting speaking tubes through which shouting and singing can be heard. In front of it, grandparents, parents, and other caretakers can observe the children at play from a distance.

Inside the rectangle of the park, the yellow loop track itself spans up to the fourth room, increasing in size to become an open-air gym, an exercise space in the middle of green meadows. Between the sports equipment and the circular seating, community members comfortably find their own spaces.

“The community park project has proven to be a great success in bringing the district government agenda and investment plans together, presenting a way of living that strengthens its own authentic heritage as a place for collective art and influence,” – says Dong Hao, Crossboundaries’ co-founder.

The streetscape responds to different people’s needs: the inclusive nature of the design, with its variety of inviting, bright spaces, colorfully accented, was instantly embraced as a true model of integration that encourages interaction for all age groups.

Furthermore, Songzhuang Micro Community Park is helping to nurture the largest gathering place for artists in China, in a symbiotic relationship with the community.

“It is an important milestone in the Songzhuang Xiaopu Art Zone Urban Design development, says Binke Lenhardt, co-founder of Crossboundaries. “It is the first executed project of the masterplan, and a valuable example of quality public space for the purpose of well-being and social interaction.”

Songzhuang Micro Community Park in Beijing – Building Information

Project name: Songzhuang Micro Community Park Location: Xiaopu Village, Songzhuang, Tongzhou, Beijing, China

Client: Beijing Songzhuang Investment Development Co., Ltd Size: 5900 sqm Design period: May to October 2020 Construction period: October 2020 to June 2021 Completion date: June 2021 Architect: Crossboundaries, Beijing, China Partners in charge: Binke Lenhardt, DONG Hao Design team: GAO Yang, Silvia Campi, CHEN Pengyu, Marijana Simic, Sean Yu, YU Hongyu, Elena Gamez Miguelez Construction Company: Beijing Songzhuang Xinjing Landscape Engineering Co., Ltd

Collaborator: CSR Awards

About Crossboundaries Organized as an international partnership, the staff of Crossboundaries originate from and have been trained in different parts of the world. Its flagship office was founded in Beijing, China in 2005 by Binke Lenhardt and DONG Hao. In 2012, a partner office was established in Frankfurt, Germany by Binke Lenhardt and Antje Voigt.

From urban scale architecture, to graphic design, teaching, and event creation, Crossboundaries practices by name, crossing boundaries into activities and dialogues in the broad field of design and architecture. Continually thinking and doing, the studio is engaging, evolving, and adapting.

Crossboundaries has completed a wide range of small scale interior designs, as well as architectural projects of larger sizes, urban designs, and recent landscaping projects. The portfolio includes many educational projects, as well as a number of refurbishments repurposing the existing building stock in urban contexts.

The practice has received multiple international accolades, most recently the 2021 Architizer A+Awards and the 2021 Design Educates Awards (Honorable Mention), followed by the 2020 Iconic Award, the German Design Award, Masterprize, Plan Award. and AD China top 100, and many more in previous years. The studio was also recognized numerous times for their social engagement, and was shortlisted for several CSR Awards in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Photographers: YANG Chaoying, BAI Yu

Songzhuang Micro Community Park in Beijing, China information / text received 210920

Location: Tongzhou, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

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Office Environmental Design of Shiyue Media, Lang Park Vintage, Chaoyang District Architects: CUN Design photographers : Wang Ting, Wang Jin Office Environmental Design of Shiyue Media

MS-II Restaurant Architects: WAY Studio photographer : Zeng Hao, Fernie Lai MS-II Restaurant in Beijing

Hualong Private Terminal Space, Capital Airport Design: Shishang Architecture photographer : An Li Hualong Private Terminal Space

Comments / photos for the Songzhuang Micro Community Park, Beijing page welcome

Website: Beijing

The post Songzhuang Micro Community Park, Beijing appeared first on e-architect.

[orbemnews]

Help! I’m Vaccinated, But What Do I Need to Know to Protect Others? Dear Tripped Up, I’ve had my first vaccination shot and plan to book a flight to California two weeks after my second one. Like so many others, I have not seen my grandchildren for more than 15 months, during which time the baby became a toddler and the preschooler became a young boy. Now that some of us are getting successfully vaccinated and are planning on flying to see our families, I have a few questions that I’m hoping you can clear up. Margot Dear Margot, 1. Is it safe to travel by subway, train, bus or plane after I have been vaccinated? What are the proper protocols for protecting others? Even before the vaccines arrived, mass transit was rarely labeled by health officials with blanket terms like “safe” or “unsafe.” Studies conducted over the summer suggested that when certain criteria are met, subways are safer, from a viral-transmission standpoint, than one might assume. A trove of new research indicates that the chance of contracting the coronavirus while flying is low. For trains and planes alike, the focus is — and will continue to be — concrete, actionable measures that mitigate risk, like high-efficiency air filtration, enhanced disinfection, mask requirements, social distancing and capacity limits. With that in mind, let’s rephrase your first question: “It is safer for her, as the individual, to travel that way, and not herself get sick,” said Keri N. Althoff, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, deliberately emphasizing those italicized words. “We know that vaccines protect the person who has been vaccinated from getting really, really sick to the point of hospitalization or death,” Dr. Althoff said. “But we don’t know whether or not a vaccinated person can still become infected and transmit either asymptomatic infection or very mild unnoticed infection. We’re still waiting for the data.” Only about 8 percent of the United States population has gotten at least one shot, according to the latest numbers, which means you’re in the minority right now; if you’re in line to board a plane, there’s a good chance the person behind you won’t have been jabbed yet. That’s why the second part of your question is so important, and why the basic protocols for protecting others (masks, distancing, hand-washing) haven’t changed. It’s also why airlines and other transportation companies are nowhere close to getting rid of them. In fact, those protocols have only been strengthened in recent weeks by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has issued a mask mandate for all domestic transportation. “I know it’s frustrating, especially for grandparents, because it almost feels like the goal posts have been moved again,” Dr. Althoff said. “But we’ve always said that you cannot just rip your mask off and run around like it’s 2019 once you’re vaccinated. We’ve all learned not only how important our individual health is, but also how interconnected we are.” 2. Do I need a negative virus test to fly if I have a vaccination card? For the time being, vaccination cards don’t supersede — well, much of anything. Last week, the C.D.C. enacted an order requiring a negative coronavirus test (or documentation of recovery) for all incoming international travelers (ages 2 and older), including United States citizens. The test must be completed within three days of departure and submitted to the airline before boarding, and there are no exceptions for antibody or vaccination status. “It’s directly related to the fact that we don’t know if people who are vaccinated are also protected from infection and cannot transmit,” Dr. Althoff said. “So those guidelines are going to stay in place until the science says differently.” There is currently no federal testing mandate for domestic flights like the one you’re hoping to take, but C.D.C. officials have said they’re “actively looking at it.” (On earnings calls last week, executives from several domestic airlines expressed the concern that such a requirement would further stymie the faltering industry.) Covid-19 Vaccines › Answers to Your Vaccine Questions Am I eligible for the Covid vaccine in my state? Currently more than 150 million people — almost half the population — are eligible to be vaccinated. But each state makes the final decision about who goes first. The nation’s 21 million health care workers and three million residents of long-term care facilities were the first to qualify. In mid-January, federal officials urged all states to open up eligibility to everyone 65 and older and to adults of any age with medical conditions that put them at high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19. Adults in the general population are at the back of the line. If federal and state health officials can clear up bottlenecks in vaccine distribution, everyone 16 and older will become eligible as early as this spring or early summer. The vaccine hasn’t been approved in children, although studies are underway. It may be months before a vaccine is available for anyone under the age of 16. Go to your state health website for up-to-date information on vaccination policies in your area Is the vaccine free? You should not have to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine, although you will be asked for insurance information. If you don’t have insurance, you should still be given the vaccine at no charge. Congress passed legislation this spring that bars insurers from applying any cost sharing, such as a co-payment or deductible. It layered on additional protections barring pharmacies, doctors and hospitals from billing patients, including those who are uninsured. Even so, health experts do worry that patients might stumble into loopholes that leave them vulnerable to surprise bills. This could happen to those who are charged a doctor visit fee along with their vaccine, or Americans who have certain types of health coverage that do not fall under the new rules. If you get your vaccine from a doctor’s office or urgent care clinic, talk to them about potential hidden charges. To be sure you won’t get a surprise bill, the best bet is to get your vaccine at a health department vaccination site or a local pharmacy once the shots become more widely available. Can I choose which vaccine I get? How long will the vaccine last? Will I need another one next year? That is to be determined. It’s possible that Covid-19 vaccinations will become an annual event, just like the flu shot. Or it may be that the benefits of the vaccine last longer than a year. We have to wait to see how durable the protection from the vaccines is. To determine this, researchers are going to be tracking vaccinated people to look for “breakthrough cases” — those people who get sick with Covid-19 despite vaccination. That is a sign of weakening protection and will give researchers clues about how long the vaccine lasts. They will also be monitoring levels of antibodies and T cells in the blood of vaccinated people to determine whether and when a booster shot might be needed. It’s conceivable that people may need boosters every few months, once a year or only every few years. It’s just a matter of waiting for the data. Will my employer require vaccinations? Where can I find out more? As for what those vaccination cards might mean in the future, experts are predicting a surge in third-party “health passports” that store test results, vaccination records and travel guidelines. Some, like CommonPass and the IATA Travel Pass, have already been tested on different routes and airlines and will be further assessed, to eventually be rolled out to the public in the coming months. But for now these apps are information guardians only: Travelers shouldn’t expect them to override testing mandates and other guidelines. 3. Do I need to follow each specific state’s quarantine regulations if I have been fully vaccinated? Such a requirement would make it very difficult to travel. With the exception of New Hampshire, which now allows people who are 14 days past their second shot to skip quarantine, most states are still requiring fully vaccinated people to adhere to quarantine requirements. “States are being conservative and waiting for that data,” Dr. Althoff said. “That’s why the C.D.C. and most public health leaders are not recommending any travel until things calm down. Vaccine or not, there are no silver bullets here.” Sarah Firshein is a Brooklyn-based writer. If you need advice about a best-laid travel plan that went awry, send an email to travel@nytimes.com. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Source link Orbem News #protect #vaccinated

[gwgamesterm1]

Researching and Implementing Wall-running

Games that use Wall-running:

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order:

It was playing Jedi: Fallen Order that I actually had the idea to implement wall-running into my game. I feel like moving from place to place in many games, especially exploration games, can become rather stale since it doesn’t take much player engagement to wander around. Adding a wall-running mechanic creates more opportunities for the player to interact with the game, it also raises the skill ceiling with less skilled players being able to engage with the mechanic while more skilled players can perfect their technique and make traversal more efficient.

In the game wall-running acts as a skill that you earn after the tutorial planet and is used constantly throughout the game. Besides the obvious use of level traversal, the mechanic is used with different player abilities to find hidden areas and collectibles, yet another way to keep the player engaged and paying attention to the world around them.

Function wise the mechanic sticks the player to the wall and propels them forward for around two seconds before the player eventually starts to give into gravity.

Despite the game being in the third person, I'm fairly sure it functions in a similar manner to the other games in this list and could easily be implemented into a first person game.

Mirror’s Edge:

Mirror's Edge is a game entirely based around parkour and finishing levels as quickly as possible by finding more efficient paths. Due to it's approach to gameplay and its focus on traversal, Mirror's Edge's movement system is refined to practical perfection.

Compared to many other First Person games that incorporate parkour mechanics, the movement in Mirror's Edge feels very weighty and realistic; where other games would give you perfect control in the air and allow you to jump 15 feet vertically, in Mirror's Edge you bairly get off the ground from a standing jump and all your moment is carried over from before you jump. It's a very physics heavy system. All this makes the game's movement rather clunky in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they're doing, and extremely fluid in the hands of a skilled player.

While I really like the game's movement system and find it rather enjoyable, I want my own game's movement to be a lot more fluid and user friendly, as well as being a lot faster.

Titanfall:

While Jedi: Fallen Order inspired me to add a wall-running mechanic into my game, it is Titanfall that I derived the mechanic's function from. Titanfall's movement is similar to Mirror Edge's, but throws the realism out of the window.

You play a pilot with a jump jet that allows the player to jump relatively high as well as granting them a double jump. The movement feels like its built to be accessible, where players are able to pick up the controller and easily move across the map with just a few minutes of practice.

Since the game is a First Person Shooter, it makes sense that the wall running wouldn’t be the main source of challenge and difficulty for the player, it’s mostly a means for traversing the map which means the movement itself doesn’t have a particularly high skill ceiling. The progression in skill actually comes from combining other actions with the wall running, like shooting; it’s surprisingly difficult to have good aim whilst running on a wall and is immensely satisfying when you’re first able to get your first kill while quickly zipping across a wall.

Titanfall actually have an interesting feature that I haven’t seen in other games that use wall running and that is actually the ability to reverse direction. In most game’s once you start to run on a wall, you’re locked in and can’t change your direction without first getting off that wall, but in Titanfall, all you have to do is look behind you and your direction is changed with only a minor decrease in speed. I really like this part of Ttianfall’s movement system, it gives the player just bit more control that other game’s just don’t, though it wouldn’t exactly mack sense to be able to do this sort of redirect in Mirror’s Edge for example because you’re not some super soldier with a jet pack holding them to the wall.

Coding Wall-Running:

The wall-running mechanic that I added to my game works by constraining the player’s movement along the Z axis and adding a forward force whenever the “Wall Detection” collision detects an overlap with a tagged wall.

First of all, a capsule collision needs to be added to the player’s blueprint and with it’s collision preset set to OverlapAllDynamic, this will be used to actually detect when the player is touching the wall, so the scale of this detector collision needs to be slightly bigger than the player’s block collision.

Next we actually need to enable the ability to constrain the player’s movement to a specific plane and this needs to be enabled from the beginning, so we need an event BeginPlay to trigger the Set Plane Constraint Enable.

This first section of the code is used to detect whether the overlap collision of the capsule is interacting with a wall that is tagged for wall running and if the player is in the air, together these two conditions make it so the player can only run on specific walls when they jump at it, instead of accidentally triggering the wall running condition whenever they walk past a wall. This part of the code also sets a vector that will be used to propel the character forwards when they start running on the wall. A boolean that indicates that the player is alos on the wall is set to true, this is used in branches later in the blueprint to check if the player is still running on the wall.

A timeline is used to determine how long the player can run on the wall, the duration of such varies across video games that use the mechanic, for example in titanfall 2 you can run on the wall for around 5 seconds, while you can only run on the wall for 3 seconds in mirrors edge.

After the timeline I created a branch to make sure the player was still running on the wall, there is another branch which was originally used to make sure the player was holding down a button, but i decided to remove that condition since I found it to be too finicky. Next I used a gravity scale node to set the player’s gravity to zero, this maybe a little redundant since I’m constraining the player’s movement along the Z axis, but it’s nice to have just in case. After setting the gravity, I used a Set Plane Constraint Normal node with a Z value of one, this meant that it was impossible for the player to move up or down whilst attached to the wall. Finally, I used an Add Force node, using the player direction multiplied by a float as the force input, this propels the player forwards when they interact with the wall.

The last thing that needed to be done in order to make the wall running to be fully functional was to give the player the ability to get off of the wall. The part of the code that allows the player to disembark is essentially the mirror opposite of the code that allows the player to jump onto the wall.

Rotating the Player During Wall Run:

I needed a way to visually signal to the player that they were running on the wall, most games do this by tilting the camera to the side and since this works pretty well, so I thought I’d follow suit.

The beginning of the rotation script is very similar to the beginning of the actual wall running script, using a collision to check whether the player is in contact with a tagged wall while also being in the air. The difference in the rotation is that it uses two small box collisions, one on each side of the player.

A timeline is used to determine how long it takes for the camera to rotate and the timeline’s track is used for the lerp’s alpha, this is part of the code because it was rather jarring for the player when the camera suddenly snapped to an angle, so the lerp is there to give it a transition. 

Now we need values to actually lerp between, I encountered a problem with the original method that I used that caused the camera to snap to a Y value of 0 whenever the player would run on the wall; this happened because I was using the actor’s rotation values, but since the actor’s rotation always stayed at zero, the camera’s Y would use that value. To get around this I set the Camera’s Y rotation as a value with an event tick so it was constantly being updated.

Since I was only using the camera’s Y value and the X and Z of the Actor, I needed to break the lerp’s A input into separate values, which can be done by righting clicking the input and clicking Slit Struct Pin. To get the lerp’s B input as well as the rest of the Z value for the A input, I got the actor’s rotation and used a break rotator to split up the values, then got the actor’s Z rotation and combined it with the camera’s Y rotation with a Make Rotator node, I then changed the X value of the Make Rotator and these values then became the Lerps B input. Finally I used the the Lerp as a rotational value of a Set Control Rotation

Encountered Issues:

Most of the issues I encountered were with the rotation part of the script, like I mentioned before I had a problem where the camera would snap forwards whenever the player engaged the wall running mechanic. Thankfully I found a work around for this with the help of Sam, considering it was the most noticeable and jarring issue.

Another annoying problem that I encountered was the fact that whenever the player character experienced an overlap event that wasn’t related to a wall the player could run on, like a box trigger for instance, it would reset the character’s rotation and the player wouldn’t rotated when they next ran on a wall after the overlap. I found that this was caused by the rotation timelines using the start from beginning and reverse from end, so I just switched it to the regular start and reverse.

This one maybe less of an issue and more me not noticing that I selected the wrong option, but I noticed that you run on walls for as long you wanted, when in fact you were meant to fall off after a certain duration of time. I realised this was because I’d accidentally set the timeline that controls the wall run duration to loop.

Another issue I encountered, yet again caused by the player’s rotation, is that sometimes the rotation wouldn't reverse and I’m still unsure as to what is causing it or how to fix it. I’ll have to take another look at the blueprint to see if I can determine the root cause of the issue.

Comparing the Wall Running:

[pixieandthebull]

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[visariga-blog]

Neighborhood #14: Beberbeķi

Name: Beberbeķi Meaning: Named after an old German manor Area: 1.2 km2 (55th) 2014 Population: 411 (50th) 2008 Population density: 321 people/km2 (43rd) Distance from Riga Central Station by public transit: 31 minutes (bus) Public transit lines: #32 and #43 busses Places of interest: Beberbeķu Nature Park, RĪGA sign Where to eat: Grilbārs "Šašliki" at Beberbeķu iela 58 Date of Visit: May 5, 2017

The last time you sped down Kārļa Ulmaņa gatve on your way to Jūrmala, Ventspils, Liepāja, or virtually any point west of Rīga, you briefly passed through Beberbeki just before exiting the city into Babītes novads. You might not have known this neighborhood by name, but you'll remember passing under a cool pedestrian bridge and seeing the “RĪGA” sign on the opposite side of the road. In fact, if you came back the same way and drove by the iconic sign, you passed through this small and sleepy neighborhood a second time. Heres the proof:

Of all the neighborhoods we've visited so far, Beberbeķi's boundaries most logically line up with geographic visual cues (aside from Rītabuļļi which is an island). The southern two thirds of the neighborhood are nearly completely surrounded by forest, while the northern third is bordered by forest to the northeast, the Rīga-Tukums railroad to the northwest, and K. Ulmaņa gatve to the south. I zoomed out a bit on this map to illustrate how close the neighborhood is to Rīga International Airport in nearby Mārupes novads; as you can imagine, planes were nearly constantly taking off or landing. You can also see two clover interchanges; the one on the top right connects the road to Jūrmala and Ventspils (Latvia's 5th and 6th largest cities respectively) with the road to Liepāja (the 3rd largest city), whereas the one in the bottom right corner connects K. Ulmaņa gatve with the road to the airport. It goes without saying that the stretch of road that snakes through the picture below is one of the busiest in all of Latvia.

We took the #32 bus from central station to the neighborhood's lone public transportation stop, “Beberbeķu iela.” The stop is named after the neighborhood's main street which runs along the entire northeast border of the neighborhood along the forest as you can see in the maps above. That cool-looking pedestrian bridge in the picture below was built by the city government after years of complains by residents who previously had to play real-life frogger in order to get across the highway after its completion in 1981. 

Unfortunately, this nice crossing isn't of much use to the wide majority of locals who seem to get around by car. While someone with a stronger arm than me could conceivably throw a baseball from one side of the highway to the other, it takes around five minutes to drive from the end of the northern section of Beberbeķu iela to the beginning of the southern section.

If you think that's bad, the way back is almost twice as long.

I had been excited to visit Beberbeķi for a while because I finally had an excuse to visit the two restaurants on the opposite sides of the bridge across the highway that I had passed by countless times on the way out of Rīga. We decided that we would visit one for lunch at the beginning of our visit and the other for dinner just before we went back. The first was called Grilbārs "Šašliki," named after the traditional style of skewered and grilled meat popular all throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia similar to what Americans know as shish kebab. According to Google street view from 2014, the restaurant has recently been painted yellow with a mural of a grilling man and cask of ale. On the day we went it was just a touch too cold to take advantage of the outdoor seating, although we were curious to see the inside anyway. 

The interior was designed like a pretty typical North American roadhouse, with wooden benches and wall siding. Although some of the wall decorations weren't quite “authentic,” I think they did a pretty nice job of emulating the feel of the real deal. Our hostess told me that the place has been around for roughly twenty-five years (virtually the entire time since Latvia regained independence), and in that time the place had gained a lot of personality.

I can't say that the food was very cheap, but compared to other destination restaurants located on the sides of major highways, the prices weren't THAT bad. €3.00 is on the higher side of what I would pay for soļanka (the traditional soup that I get when we go to most neighborhood restaurants and use as my baseline for food prices), but I wouldn't call it unreasonable. Līga elected for the soļanka, but I wanted to try their main advertised dish so I went for some chicken šašliks with a side of veggies and fries which cost a bit more than €8.00 if I remember correctly. My concerns about the price vanished the second the friendly waitress brought out the American-sized portions.

It's hard to appreciate from the picture just how much of a mountain of food was on my plate. I'm an absolute pig and will eat more than most when at dinner events, but even with considerable help from Līga I was only barely able to finish everything. The food was quite tasty, and the staff were delightful. Between the decor, massive portions, and warm atmosphere, I rate their recreation of the American roadhouse an “A.” If you want to know what it's like to eat out along the highways of the rural US or Canada without leaving the comfort of Rīga, I'd recommend giving this a place a try sometime. Do it on your next trip west!

Although I could barely move after that feast, we left the restaurant and began our brief walk through the northern section of Beberbeķi. The restaurant shares a building with a pyrotechnics company called “Svētku aģentūra” (Latvian for “festival agency”), and they are responsible for the fireworks at many of the country's major yearly festivals as well as outdoor concerts and other large events. Across the large parking lot was a nursery called “Liepas” (the Latvian word for “lime trees”), which specializes in fruit trees and rose bushes. Although they started out in the small southern city of Dobele, they now have locations all throughout the country.

Now we started down Beberbeķu iela proper. As we were walking down the road, I had the uncanny feeling that I had been here before. Everything looked so familiar: a hilly forest on the left side of the road and various styles of private houses on the right. After a few minutes, I realized that it reminded me of the last road we had walked down during our journey through Imanta... also called Beberbeķu iela. The reason it seemed so similar in terms of terrain and architecture was because it was the same road, although car traffic is cut off from the Imanta portion by the train tracks. 

If you thought it was bad getting driving between the two halves of the road in Beberbeķi itself, enjoy the 7.6 lm required of the fastest route to the Imanta section. The moral of all this is that if you're visiting a friend who lives on Beberbeķu iela, triple check the address number in order to avoid making your life miserable.

The forest on the right side of the road is part of the Beberbeķu dabas parks (nature park) which was established in 1977 a few years before it was sliced up by the highway just like the neighborhood itself. Despite its name, the park is almost entirely located in Babītes novads just outside the city limits, which meant that it was unfortunately off limits for this particular journey.

We continued along the train tracks via Čuguna iela (the Latvian word for cast iron). This road was the “other side” of the Rīga-Jūrmala bike path that we had walked down during our trip to Imanta, but the difference in weather was night and day. There wasn't a second when at least one cyclist wasn't in sight, probably thanks to the good weather and the fact that this was a free day for most people due to the peculiarities of the Latvian national holiday system. The houses here seemed mostly fairly recently built.

Right before the edge of neighborhood, we took a turn down a short road back to K. Ulmaņa gatve. We weren't sure if we were allowed to walk along such a big highway (this would be completely illegal in the states), but luckily no police passed by on either side to answer this question for us the hard way. Regardless of the legality, I wouldn't suggest trying it due to the cars and trucks that speed by and made this a somewhat terrifying experience. From where we started walking along the road you could see the tall Soviet-era buildings of Zolitude peeking above the just recently blossoming tree line. Spring was in full swing with flowers blooming everywhere the eye could see. We also got a good look at some of the houses that we hadn't been able to see earlier since they had been hidden by trees, although technically they have addresses on Beberbeķu or Čugana iela.

And after a few slightly terrifying minutes, we were back right where we had started at the restaurant. Here's the trapezoidal route that we had travelled so far:

Now it was time to cross the pedestrian bridge so that we could explore the southern part of the neighborhood. Although Latvia historically hasn't been a handicap-friendly country by any stretch of the imagination, it's nice to see the situation improving little by little with things like the wheelchair/bike ramp in addition to the stylistic spiral staircase. From halfway up the ramp we could see the border of Rīga and Babīte.

Although the highway passing under this footbridge might not inspire the same kind of romantic feelings that the Daugava or the canal normally do, the guardrails hadn't been spared from the wedding lock craze that's been sweeping the world throughout the last few years. In Latvian tradition the bride and groom are required to cross seven different bridges on the day of the wedding, and what this one lacks in vista is made up for in convenience of location, as driving to nearly all points west of Rīga requires passing under here. Plus, with all of the forest on both sides and the the back of the RĪGA sign visible, the view isn't that bad after all.

The world needs more spiral staircases.

One more view of this beautiful bridge:

We decided walk to the end of Beberbeķu iela and make a loop through the southern part of the neighborhood before getting dinner, although at this point I was still so stuffed from the place across the road that I wasn't sure I'd be able to eat at all for the rest of the day. The road passed right by the back side of the iconic RĪGA sign which can be found at all of the major entrances to the city. At this point the sun wasn't in the best place for taking obligatory cheesy pictures, so we decided to try on the way back instead. Just to the left of the sign was an awesome house on the top a hill overlooking the sign and the highway that seemed to be abandoned despite its fairly fresh coat of paint.

This section of Beberbeķu iela wasn't radically different from the others, with forest to the west and houses to the east. The majority of the houses were quite modern, and there were few traces of the Soviet Union to be found aside from a large fenced-off area that used to be one the city's largest greenhouse complexes and grew a wide variety of flowers. The area is currently for sale.

The forest on the other side of the road was gorgeous, and it was very tempting to continue through and abandon the neighborhood proper altogether. According to the city's forestry service's webpage about the park, there are nearly 2 1/2 km2 of land with a beautiful network of trails leading to an old mill pond at the southern end near the village of Brīvkalni. We couldn't help but cheat just a little bit and cross into the Babīte side and take some pictures of the wooded surroundings.

We continued on down Beberbeķu iela, passing more houses, a sign warning for ticks, and a sign for Beberbeķu 9. linija commissioned by a firm called “Mulkomolka” with an unusual “.ru” web address. We were quite curious to figure out what this firm did, but before we went down that road we decided to follow Beberbeķu iela all the way to its end which was also the city limits.

Just before the border, there was a sign indicating the turnoff towards a village called Dzērves (the Latvian word for “cranes”). I spend lots of time studying maps of greater Rīga, but I had never once heard of a place called Dzērves. I assumed that it was part of Babītes novads, although the border of Mārupes novads wasn't far from here so I wasn't quite sure.

Later on I did a bit of research and found out that Dzērves is indeed part of Babītes novads and has a grand total of 36 residents. At first glance the boundaries of this village seem completely inexplicable; not only is the tiny territory completely indistinguishable from Beberbeķi's, it's impossible to drive from the rest of Babīte to Dzērves without going through Beberbeķi to get there. If any of you know how this geographic situation arose, please let me know. 

In the meantime I have one wild theory; Most of the forests you see here (and many elsewhere in Latvia) were farmland before the Soviet Union forcibly annexed Latvia, and due to the Communist Party's agricultural policies, most of these independent family farms were abandoned and new wild forests grew in this land. Dzērves was at one time almost certainly connected with the rest of Babīte by farmland, as all of the territory down to the lake used to be part of the historic Beberbeķi manor dating all the way back to the 1200s. Although the village should by all conceivable logic now be the outer edge of Beberbeķi, it's possible that Babīte has held on to these 36 residents for their taxes. Again this is pure speculation, so if you have the true answer please let us know.

A few woodland scenes from the edge of the city:

I did say that there were a few traces of the Soviet Union to be found...

The walk down Beberbeķu 9. linija was sublime thanks to the nearly perfect weather. It would have been easy to imagine that we were far out in the countryside if it hadn't been for the steady hum of K. Ulmaņa gatve to the north. We found “Mukomolka” at 7a, and unfortunately the premises seemed to be gated off and not open to visitors despite the friendly and inviting sign. I have absolutely no Russian language ability to speak of, but from what I gather from their website they seem to be an internet-based store for wheat milling and baking supplies.

Spring was everywhere...

As I mentioned earlier, planes were almost incessantly taking off or landing, flying quite low over the neighborhood. Although we couldn't help but notice this every time it happened, I wouldn't be surprised if the people who live here have learned to tune it out the way I learned to tune out the sound of ambulances when I lived in Boston next to three major hospitals.

The reason that most of the houses look modern and newly built is that, as I previously mentioned, this entire area used to be farmland up until the beginning of Soviet times. These houses have been recently built on top of the former farmland just as many American suburbs have been built since the end of WWII on former famland, although I'm not sure why this specific area did not grow into forest like the rest of the former manor's territory as the Soviets did not seem to have a specific use for this area. Again, if you know more please fill us in.

The final traces of Soviet times were found at the end of Beberbeķu 6. linija just as we were turning back onto Beberbeķu iela.

As we were balking back to K. Ulmaņa gatve, I insisted on trying out a rope swing that I had seen some teenagers swing around on earlier (a lot more gracefully than I managed to do). I felt like Tarzan, but I'm sure I looked a lot more like George of the Jungle.

The light still wasn't perfect at the RĪGA sign when we returned to it, but that didn't stop me from forcing Līga to take a cheesy picture of me sitting on the white metal sign.

In 2014, Rīga declared itself “European Wi-Fi Capital” since by its own calculus there were 750 people per free wifi point in the city and three free wifi points per square kilometer, supposedly more than any other European city. Unsurprisingly, there was no free wifi way out where this sign was, since a majority of these wifi points are concentrated in the center and usually in or around major shopping centers. Still, I guess it was worth a mayoral photo-op.

We passed a large bike shop called ZZK and went into Vērdiņš kafe, named after an old fashioned type of money from Latvian folklore. This place was the polar opposite of the roadhouse on the opposite side of the highway: modern, ornate, and quite pricy. Although I was still completely stuffed from earlier, even if I had been hungry €4.90 for soļanka would have been hard to swallow. Instead, Līga and I chose to get some drinks to pass the time before the #43 bus came to take us home. I didn’t feel comfortable asking to take pictures of the interior since we weren’t really ordering much, but you can take a look at some pictures on their website. The food looked quite good and the place is highly rated on Google reviews, but tonight just wasn’t the night for us.

Although at face value Beberbeķi is just another mainly residential neighborhood on the edge of town, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and the pleasant surprises we encountered such as Grilbars šašliki, the cool house on the hill, and the rope swing. While the neighborhood is full of mostly new houses, it has a certain personality of its own that has developed due to its unique history and location relative to the rest of the city. I would love to return to visit the nature park in earnest, especially since I hear that the lake at the other end is a popular swimming spot in the summer. Next time you're heading west out of the city, it might be worth your while to stop and visit.

Random Observations:

According to what I could find, the name for the neighborhood comes from the word or phrase “Beberbekke“ which apparently in an older form of German means “beavers below” and referred to the ridge of dunes at the bottom of which a river used to flow called the “beaver river.” I can't find much to back this explanation that comes from apkaimes.lv, but that's the nest I've got for you.

This is the last neighborhood in the first column on the “Neighborhoods” page! Although that doesn't mean that we're officially 1/4 done with all the neighborhoods (that will be after Bieriņi), this still feels kind of significant.

May 4th is a national holiday that observes the restoration of Latvian independence in 1990. When holidays such as these fall on a Thursday, the government usually officially declares that a. Friday will count as a holiday as well and b. the following Saturday will count as a “working day” with the same schedule as the lost Friday. While my students are invariably happy to enjoy the long weekend that part a. allows for, many seem to conveniently “forget” about part b.

Because Atgāzene is so small and rectangularly shaped (and because it's easy to visualize), it's become somewhat our unit of measurement to describe other neighborhoods. In case you're wondering, Beberbeķi is a bit less than two Atgāzenes.

Winter briefly returned with a vengeance just five days later. Winter's my second favorite season after fall and I hate hot weather, but that was too much even for me. What you want to see outside when you wake up on May 10th this ain't:

And that's it for now! Our post about Bieriņi is on the way, and we'll have posts about both Baznīcu nakts (Church night) and Rīga's city elections which are taking place at the end of the week. If you've got exams to take or correct this week I wish you the best of luck in hanging in there, and for the rest of you I hope you're enjoying the beginning of summer that seems to have finally come for real this time. 

Nākamā Pietura: Bieriņi!

[phynxrizng]

INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS SERIES, GLOSSARY OF TERMS COMMONLY USED IN WICCA

Glossary Of Terms Commonly Used In Wicca By, Rowan Moonstone And Durwydd Mactara AKASHA- the spiritual ether (or Aether); the omnipresent fifth occult element which embraces the other four- earth, air, fire, and water; and from which they stem. This is the realm of "pattern" or causality, from which the realm the normally thought of "five senses manifests. Some define it is the "other" of the "two worlds" that the witch or magician walks between. ARADIA- Daughter of the Goddess Diana, and a name for the Goddess used by Italian Witches or Strega, commonly used in many Wiccan traditions today. ASPECTING- Any advanced magickal activity in which a practitioner manifests a particular aspect of the Goddess or God, in thought, feelings, behavior, appearance, etc.; Often as a direct result of a "Drawing Down". Often a minor variation of this phenomena occurs with the selection of a "Magical Name", of Craft Name. ASPECTS- Forms, facets, or personas of Deity: for example, Brighid, Iseult,Eos, and Kore are all aspects of the Maiden, and the Maiden is an aspect of the Goddess. ATHAME- black handled, double edged dagger. Principally used to cast and dissolve the circle, for which purposes it is interchangeable with the magic sword. A tool of the "Element" of Fire in the Georgian Tradition and some others. BELTANE- May Eve festival. One of the Ancient Celtic "Fire Festivals." on this night, the cattle were driven between two bonfires to protect them from disease. Couples wishing for fertility would " jump the fires" on Beltane night. Also the traditional Sabbath where the rule of the "Wheel of the Year" is returned to the Goddess. This Festival also marks the transition point of the threefold Goddess energies from those of Maiden to Mother. BOOK OF SHADOWS- Traditionally hand copied book of rituals, recipes, training techniques, guidelines, and other materials deemed important to a Witch or a coven. Each tradition has it's own standard version of the Book and each Witch's book will be different as he or she adds to it with time from many different sources. Only another Witch can see your book of shadows. Also, traditionally, it may never leave your hands or possession until death, when it should be destroyed, or (in some traditions) returned to the coven to be disposed of. BURNING TIMES- a term used by some Witches for the period of persecution in the Middle Ages and later. It is in fact a misnomer in some places, as Witches were only burned in Scotland, and on the continent of Europe. In England and the U.S., they were hanged. CANDLEMAS- Festival held on Feb. 1. One of the 4 Celtic "Fire Festivals. Commemorates the changing of the Goddess from the Crone to the Maiden. Celebrates the first signs of Spring. Also called "Imbolc" (the old Celtic name). This is the seasonal change where the first signs of spring and the return of the sun are noted, i.e. the first sprouting of leaves, the sprouting of the Crocus flowers etc. In other words, it is the festival commemorating the successful passing of winter and the beginning of the agricultural year.This Festival also marks the transition point of the threefold Goddess energies from those of Crone to Maiden. CARDINAL POINTS- North, South, East, and West, marked in the Georgian Tradition by candles of green, red, yellow, and blue, respectively. The Circle is drawn to connect these four points. CHALICE- one of the tools of the Witch. Placed on the altar to represent the element of Water. CHARGE OF THE GODDESS- The Traditional words of the Goddess to her followers, or "hidden children". Normally declaimed by the HPS at every coven Circle. CIRCLE- the area in which the magickal worship and spells takes place. Can also be used to designate a particular group of Witches or Pagans such as "Silver Acorn Circle". CONE OF POWER- power raised in the circle by the Witches assembled, and sent out into the world to work magick, is usually visualized as being retained and built in the form of a "cone" prior to release. COVEN- an organized group of Witches, led by a High priestess and/or a High Priest who meet regularly for worship and fellowship. The traditional membership is 13, but in fact most covens number considerably less. 3 is the minimum in the Georgian Tradition. In Middle English, "Covin" a group of confederates; In Old French "Covine" a band or group with a single purpose; Latin "Com"-together, "Venire"-to come or move. COVENSTEAD- regular meeting place for a coven. Usually the home of the High Priestess or High Priest. COWAN- a non-Witch. Formerly used in a very derogatory manner. Still used in Masonic Ritual to indicate the non initiate and/or pretender to "real craft". Not often used today among most Witches. COYOTE ENERGY- trickster energies. Named for the American Indian Trickster, Coyote, who tricks man into learning what he needs to learn. Applies to one who constantly jokes and clowns. Also applies to the concept of "Holy Fool" in many traditions. CROSS QUARTER DAYS- The modern name for the Celtic Fire Festivals of Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lammas. DEOSIL- clockwise, or sunwise. Traditional direction for working "building" magick. DRAWING DOWN THE MOON- Ritual invocation of the spirit of the Goddess into the body of the High Priestess by the High Priest. DIVINATION- magical method of exploration or inquiry into a situation via such methods as Tarot cards, runestones, I- Ching, etc. ELEMENTS- Earth, air, fire, and water, plus spirit, which includes them all. These are regarded as realms or categories of nature (both material and non-material) and are not to be confused with the physicists table of elements, which the modern witch, of course, accepts. ESBAT- weekly or biweekly meeting of a coven. Traditionally held either on the full moon or the new moon. FAMILIARS- Either a Witch's pet animal which has been trained to be a magickal helper, or an artificially created "elemental" which performs the same functions as the animal friend. FIVEFOLD KISS, FIVEFOLD SALUTE- The Witches' ritual salute, with kisses; (1) on each foot, (2) on each knee, (3) above the pubic hair, (4) on each breast, and (5) on the lips- really 8 kisses in all. It is only used within the Circle, but the words that go with it are the origin of "Blessed Be." GARDNERIANS- Tradition of Witchcraft descended from the teachings of Gerald Gardner. GNOMES- an "entity" or "elemental" that dwells in the plane of Earth or is associated with the EARTH Element. GREAT RITE- The rite which is the main feature of the third degree initiation, and which is also laid down for certain festivals. It is sexual in nature, but may be `actual' (and private to the couples concerned) or symbolic, as the participants wish. HALLOWS- name used by some traditions for Samhain, or Halloween HANDFASTING- Wiccan equivalent of a wedding. It can be made legal if the Priestess and/or Priest are registered as clergy with the local authorities, or it may only be considered binding within the coven. HIGH PRIEST/ESS- Technically speaking, a Witch who has received the 3rd. degree initiation. More usually, the male and female leaders of a coven. IMBOLC- Celtic name for Candlemas. INVOCATION- The ritual "calling-in" of an entity (or energies) higher than human, either for communication with the caller through a medium or by visible manifestation or else to enter into a human body as in the Drawing Down the Moon. In some traditions, a Prayer. LAMMAS- August 1st. Witch Festival. The Old Celtic name for this festival is Lughnassadh. It is the Festival of the First Fruits, and is the first of the 3 harvests. This festival also marks the change of the Threefold Goddess energies from that of Mother to Crone. MAIDEN- An appointment held by one of the women of the coven. She is virtually the assistant High Priestess. This term is also the descriptive term used to describe the first of the aspects of the Threefold Goddess Energies (Maiden, Mother, and Crone). It is traditionally associated with the Waxing Moon, and the period from Imbolc (Candlemas) to Beltane (May eve) where the energies are those of initiating, beginning, and creation. OLD RELIGION- another name for the Craft. PAGANING- Presentation of an infant to the Circle and to the Gods. PENTACLE- a disc shaped talisman; in particular, the metal disc which represents the earth element among the witch's working tools. PENTAGRAM- The five-pointed star. With a single point uppermost, it represents the human being. Inverted, with two points uppermost, it can have Satanist associations; but not necessarily. Some traditions of Wicca use the inverted pentagram to signify an initiate of the second degree. QUARTERS- The North, East, South, and West parts of a magickal circle or other ritual area. (See also "Watchtowers") REDE- rule or law. SABBAT- one of the Eight festivals or high holy days of Wicca. SALAMANDER- an entity that dwells in the realm of Fire. SAMHAIN- The festival of remembrance for the dead, held on the eve of Nov. 1st. It is the last of the three harvests. This festival also marks the transition of rulership of the "Wheel of the Year from that of the Goddess to that of the God. SCRYING- divination, usually using such methods as crystal gazing, or divination via incense smoke, or water as opposed to tarot or other manipulative means. SPELL- a prayer, or verbal direction of magickal energies toward the accomplishment of some goal. SUMMONER- The male officer of the coven who corresponds to the Maiden. He is the assistant High Priest. SYLPH- an "entity" or "elemental" that dwells in the plane of Air or is associated with the AIR Element. TRADITIONS- any of the various "sects" of Wicca such as Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Georgian, Seax, etc. UNDINE- an "entity" or "elemental" that dwells in the plane of Water or is associated with the WATER Element. WAND- A rod or staff that is prepared so that it may be used for magickal or psychic purposes, usually to project some form of power. WARLOCK- a term coined in the Burning Times. It was used to denote a traitor to the Craft, or one who had betrayed the followers of the Old Religion. It's origin is Scottish. Because of the negative connotations, it is not used by most Wiccans today. WATCH TOWERS- Originally from the Enochian branch of Ceremonial Magick, now incorporated into many "Traditions" of Wicca, these are the four elemental "directions" or "quarters" (corresponding to the appropriate points on the compass) called to protect the Circle during its establishment. Each of them have a correspondence between the compass point, an element, and (varying amongst different traditions) color associated with them. WICCA- the name most modern day Witches use for the Craft. It comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Wicce, meaning to bend or to shape. This is the root word from which we get wicker. WIDDERSHINS- counter clock wise. Used for "tearing down" OR BANISHING magick. WHITE HANDLED KNIFE- the working knife of a Witch. It is used to carve candles, and for fashioning the other tools. Traditionally, it can only be used in a Circle. Copyright 1991 by Rowan Moonstone and Durwydd MacTara. Permission to reprint for educational purposes at no cost is hereby granted to all and sundry, provided the text is not altered in any way. SOURCE, the pagan library.COM POSTED by, PHYNXRIZNG

[goodvibesatpeace]

How To Astral Travel: The Science of Astral Projection and OBE (Out of Body Experience)

How to Astral Travel? All about Astral Projection... Out of Body Experiences. I made a post yesterday about Lucid Dreaming and I like diving deep into these kinds of topics... I talk a lot about becoming your greatest version and I give a lot of practical information that can help with your daily life. And a lot of people might ask ‘How can Astral Projection help you out? 

I went to see Lucy... a fascinating movie because.. watch it to learn more about Astral Travel and Astral Projection, it is all throughout the film. 

When we talk about Astral Projection, I am talking about the ability to project yourself outside of yourself, outside of your physical body. And thats the big difference between that and Lucid Dreaming. Lucid Dreaming is when you are dreaming, you are building up the dream construct. Astral Projection, for example, I have had experiences where you can be in your room and you can start viewing other places, you can start picturing yourself in exotic locations... going into peoples minds.. thats what the film ‘Inception’ was all about.

Astral Travel is where your whole consciousness leaves your body and some people they have experienced flying... but it is real. It is the Astral Plane we refer to as ‘The Fourth Dimension’. We see that we are human beings having a spiritual experience and this body is just a vehicle... I say when you say you are a spiritual being having a human experience, thats where it is a game changer. 

And what I have seen along my journey is that I remember realising that this is not that special because everyone is going to sleep and they are Astral traveling however a lot of us can’t remember it... thats the secret because as your consciousness rises, as your awareness rises... now everything becomes more Lucid.

And that is why it is so essential to look at our lifestyle to see that we are aware, we are conscious, we are not becoming so distracted by the external world.

Why do you think there are so much distractions out there? Because the moment you start going within (this only happens without any distractions), now you have access to all of this information. 

Thats what Lucy was all about... accessing the Akashic Records. And there we start seeing the hidden mysteries of life and creation... thats why, in the film Lucy was traveling throughout time but what we saw was the past, present and the future are all happening simultaneously.

I say that there are so many benefits for Astral Travel... I remember, a couple of weeks ago... I was Astral traveling and, everyone does this as soon as you go to sleep with no distractions... I was talking to someone I know in the physical realm in the astral realm and we haven’t talked for a long time but we resolved our personal issues in the astral realm, the Fourth Dimension. So it is wonderful when we see that.. it is real, thats what I have seen.

We can use it for learning more about who we are and its simple, its not that difficult but, at the same time, it takes a clam mind, no distractions.

When we talk of how to do it, what’s helped me along my journey is using deep relaxation, breathing from the base of my spine, mindfulness meditation  and realising it is all about frequency because most of us, we are in the Beta brainwave state... thats the standard. As we start to relax, we drop to the Alpha but I have seen, Astral Travel becomes possible in the Theta and Delta brainwave states.... thats what children and babies are in.

Pure relaxation where, in essence, there is no separation between this dimension and the next... their are infinite dimensions and the more you start taking those trips... you start questioning ‘What is Reality?’... Thats what I love about Astral traveling becuase you say to yourself ‘Wait a minute..Wait a minute’.

The majority of what we have been told has been a lie about society and the more you see it for yourself... you start to free yourself and ask questions like ‘What truly is Freedom?’ And you can only know that by diving deep into the deep resources that lie within us all.

They have been hidden from us because we are always looking on the outside... I say you have to start living from the inside out...... not the outside in like most people are doing. And, yes, there are many entities that are crawling about in the Astral Realm... many people call them ‘Shadow Beings’ but I say there is nothing to be afraid of.

I embrace the darkness like I embrace the light and thats how to free yourself, the Ancient Kemets and Egyptians talked of Astral traveling... the Ka and Ba, the Ba leaving the body as one transitions from this dimension to the next.

These are not new concepts but its all about knowing it for yourself thats why a lot of this might say ‘Woooo!’ but I have spoken to so many different people and I know for myself, personally that we are only seeing a very small amount of what actually exists.

To see the rest of it, we have to surrender to this fake persona we have created because all of that prevents us from traveling. A lot of us we can’t even get a good nights rest, we are tossing, turning, twisting, screaming and we are always caught up in time. 

I have seen along my journey, we are in the Third Dimension and as you move up to the Fourth Dimension, time begins to fade away. The higher you go up in dimension, time ceases to exist and also polarity ceases to exist. We see that in this 3D dimension it is wonderful because you learn all about polarity.. good and bad but as you rise in consciousness, you see they are two sides of the same coin.

I say to Astral travel, which is allowing your consciousness to roam freely because all is mental... we are energy having a human experience. We have to be OK with who we are, we have to accept ourselves 100%... I resisted it for long time, I said ‘No, I don’t want to accept this’. 

And a simple way is perfection... we always want to get everything right and that stops a lot of us in becoming our greatest version because we are only using a small amount of our true Brain capacity. And, what I have seen is that once we begin to become aware, that we are the super heroes we go to see, when you are eating popcorn, just staring... that is you.

What has happened is that we have fallen into a state of Amnesia, you have to ask yourself ‘Who is controlling your thoughts?’. Are you thinking your thoughts or are your thoughts thinking you. Terance McKenna... ‘Culture is not your friend’ because the moment you are Astral traveling, you are beginning to delete these programs... just like in the film Lucy, 1 +1 is not 2, there are no numbers, there are no letters... Yes we have them in this 3D dimension because it is a human construct. But in other dimensions, it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t need to because we are the source and anything becomes possible. 

That’s what I love about Astral traveling... anything becomes possible and a great way to do it is just by creating more harmony within yourself... through not being so hard on yourself, letting go off negative energy, letting go of anything that no longer serves you.

Surround yourself with people that accept you fro who you are and people who are open to this kind of information... thats what I have seen along my journey and I am not afraid to talk about it thats why I can keep doing it... and keep going into the Akashic Records, pulling out new information... everyday I get a new insight because the human being is the highest from of technology on the planet.

All of this technology is modeled after us... thats what I learnt through Astral traveling and the reason why we can Astral Project, if you raise you frequency high enough, is because there is only one mind, all is energy and a lot of people can feel... a lot like Lucy in the movie she said ‘I feel everything’, she was projecting herself into everything because she was part of everything in her immediate environment... she allowed that possibility to take place.

Some people say ‘I need plants to Astral travel’ and, we have to see that many of these herbs were placed in nature for us. The Ancient Egyptians used the Lotus, in the murky waters the Lotus grew... giving them heightened states of consciousness.

For me, Astral traveling... how I have done it is by the frequencies I listen to... Binaural Beats are fantastic, the 432 hertz does wonders but it is all about changing your focus, seeing what you are taking in and embracing and knowing you are willing to have to most fulfilling experience here on planet earth. 

Its all within us and everything is possible!

Have a Wonderful day!

Much Love to all… There are many deep waters out there!!.. go in peace my friends :)

[spirit-science-blog]

I know what you might be thinking… The hidden spirituality of the matrix is an oxymoron - because it’s not hidden! And trust me - I get it. Even writing this script was hard, because how do we make this episode without basically just describing every scene in the movie… We could probably write an hour-long dissertation on the spiritual allusions in The Matrix and still not run out of things to talk about…

But listen - it’s important to remember that what might be more obvious aspects of spirituality to some, maybe hidden to others. After all, this is one of the essential points of the movie. So let us get into it and see what we find!

Now, as far as I can tell, The Matrix is a documentary about real-life disguised as a sci-fi action movie! Well, okay, maybe not COMPLETELY, but like… 90%… give or take...

To me, The Matrix feels like an encoded message for humanity about the awakening process, and about what we personally go through internally as we discover the truth, and step into a greater understanding of life. The film elegantly weaves together a narrative of biblical references, genius literary devices, symbolism, fantastic storytelling, and meaningful character moments, giving us a movie that actually becomes something so much more than just a movie… It becomes an idea that stands for something very personal to all of those who connect with it.

Wake up Neo - the screen reads on his computer when Neo is first introduced. Certainly, he’s asleep and needs to wake up, but this is an innuendo, as this very act sets him on the path of awakening to a greater truth of what’s going on.

As the experience of the film occurs within the electrical impulses in our minds as we watch it, we bear witness to this man, Neo, discover that the reality he has been living within is an illusion, as he frees himself from the artificial reality and moves into the real world, a place where humanity is grown in tubes as an energy source for artificially intelligent robot overlords… Although, we have to say Matpat and the film theorists did a pretty good job of demonstrating that the real world that we are shown in the movie, is just another layer of encoded reality within the matrix. It’s completely brilliant, and I recommend watching that after this.

Anyway, Neo - a name which is an anagram of One, is set upon this path of self-discovery, learning that he is in fact - the One - the prophesied individual who can liberate humanity from the control of the machines. His story, which ends with his death, rebirth, and ascension - largely draws upon the stories of Christ. Like Jesus, Neo was prophesied to arrive, performs miraculous feats, dies and resurrects… but like, in a more modern kind of way. In fact, if this wasn’t made clear by the end of the film, we are told it outright right at the beginning, when the guy at Neos door says “You’re my savior man, My own personal Jesus Christ ''. Although - it might be worth mentioning that Neo is more of a Gnostic Christ, than straight-up Jesus, in that much of his own liberation happens through the breaking of illusions, a common idea within Gnosticism.

Speaking of spiritual and religious allegories, we also see the matrix speak on Samsara, a Buddhist concept of the cyclical nature of the world, and even sometimes taken to mean “"a cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence". Much of Buddhist philosophy speaks of freeing yourself from the cycles of Samsara - and this is demonstrated as Neo frees himself from Matrix, the world where he is Thomas Anderson, a boring old programmer for some big company... but then this process continues, for Morpheus continually guides him after that to “free his mind”.

The idea of freeing yourself from one reality and birthing into a new one is a concept that spans far back into history in other ways too. Diving into the ancient mystery schools, we see spiritual death and rebirth being something that initiates actively strived to experience. This was an ego death, the death of the old illusion, the old self, and birthing into a new reality, something that Neo does twice in the film, first in his transition between the matrix and the real world, and second when he is killed by Agent Smith and is reborn moments later by the power of love. Yet, all of this comes about as a result of something very significant in the earlier part of the movie… News choice.

As we know, Neo is brought to a meeting with Trinity, who is named after the holy trinity. We see several trinities in the movie, including the partnership between Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity, but also with Agents Smith, Brown, and Jones. The film even begins and ends with room 303, and on that note, Neo's room is 101, he is the one after all.

When Neo and Morpheus meet face to face, Morpheus explains that nobody can be told what the Matrix is, you have to be shown, and offers him the decision between the red pill, or the blue pill. Now, there are several layers to this, but for now, let’s focus on this.

For Neo, it all boils down to this choice - the truth, or living whatever life, whatever fantasyland he wants to live out. Sometimes we make our choices for granted, but the hidden lesson here is that we are regularly invited to make this choice every day of our lives. By our very actions, what we do on a day to day basis, what we spend our time doing, in doing all these things we are choosing if we want to create and live a life of discovery, of experiencing greater truths or just enjoying the illusion of the world that is put in front of our eyes. Of course in the film, Neo picks the red pill and undergoes an experience of his consciousness reconnecting with his true self in the real world, and waking up there.

This describes the discovery of truth, and it completely shatters his understanding of everything, but further illustrating an important aspect of the awakening process. We could relate this with a plant medicine experience, sometimes the plant medicine will show you something very difficult to experience, it might even make you purge, but once you’ve come to terms with it, you begin to grow exponentially as a person, which happens as Neo learns to fight, rapidly downloading all of these fighting methods over the course of the day.

But the concept here of shattering illusion is really something that happens to all of us in life, with or without plant medicine. For example, growing up in the world we are often taught or shown specific ideas, ideologies, along with tons of media programming that gives us this particular image of the world, but then later you realize something greater, maybe it’s that those advertisements were showing you really fun or exciting images to sell you something unhealthy…. candy and soda industries, I’m looking at you!

But the matrix takes us way deeper down the rabbit hole than just this and speaking of rabbit holes, it very openly gives us several references to Alice in Wonderland - an age-old story about a girl who breaks free of her everyday reality into a strange and different world. And where the matrix goes is that it invites us to ask, what if this entire reality is an illusion, a construct within our minds, an illusion we’re collectively living out?

What’s especially amazing about this is that it’s actually completely true, in three different ways. One is that everything that you ever experience is all information that is relayed within the brain. When you stub your toe, it's your brain that identifies the pain, and Morpheus explains this by asking neo “what is real? How do you define real? If real is what you can feel, smell, taste, and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” Giving rise to the deeper understanding, that ALL is WITHIN.

The second way the matrix describes that all of reality is an illusion is that we are now seeing today that everything we think of as the physical universe, on a quantum level, is almost entirely empty space, and little bits of quantum data flying around giving us the perception that reality is tangible and solid. The matrix describes this by the idea that reality entirely exists within a really big VR MMORPG simulation of 1999, and reminding us that there is no spoon, it’s not the spoon that bends, it’s you! Everything is an energetic reflection of you!

And third, perhaps one of the most direct revelations about reality being an illusion, is that the film gives us this indicates that we have become so saturated with digital media, advertisements, and programming, that we have lost all sense of what is really real. A lot of our deeper, more intimate personal connections with each other are lost because we have become glued to our technology instead, and the matrix subtly illustrates this by the contrast of reality inside the matrix, versus the outside.

The film essentially illustrates the concept of collective consciousness, a collective dream, and this is another bridge to the world today. See, Morpheus is named after the Greek God of Dreams - whose name literally means “one who forms” - giving us this idea of Morpheus as a bit of a guider of dreams -almost akin to the Greek Psychopomp, helping Neo navigate the various planes of reality that he walks in. Further, the Greek Morpheus used these two Gates - the gates of horn and ivory, to distinguish dreams that were real, and those that were illusions. This is another layer that is implied by the two pills earlier on. We also see Morpheus’s ship, the Nebuchadnezzar, which is a biblical reference of a king who was haunted by his dreams, and as evidenced by the story - the living world does seem to be a bit like a nightmare.

Astro-mythologically, we can gain even more insight here by learning about Neptune, which tells us that we are dreaming our reality into being, but that we must be mindful that some things are seductive illusions, but there are a greater truth and reality to be discovered. But in that, we are invited to draw upon our creative imaginations to dream a world into being that is in harmony with the rest of the natural world. In the matrix, the people who live in it don’t know about their octopus spider bot overlords, and they don’t really care, because they are concerned with other days to day things. So… what reality are they collectively dreaming? Well, one where they go to work and live their lives, and nothing out of the ordinary ever happened…

Cypher illustrates this very well with his betrayal, mirroring the betrayal of Judas in the bible a little bit. See, cipher turns over Morpheus to agent smith, and as he’s monologuing (giving Tank some time to get his gun), he explains his thinking, mirroring one particular mindset that is not uncommon in today's world. You call this free? He asks, alluding that the reality in the matrix is so much more diverse, with more possibilities for freedom than the “real world”. Cypher wants to return to that old way of life, to the world before he was awoken, but this is a fool's errand, once you know the truth about something, there’s very little forgetting, except in cipher's case, where he was going to have his mind erased.

Now, speaking of villains, we also must talk about Agent Smith. During the scenes where he’s got Morpheus, trying to extract the codes, he says some very interesting things… He begins by reflecting upon the collective unconscious, the same thing we just looked at, and then recounts the history of the matrix, explaining how people define their reality through misery and suffering, a perfect world was not meant to work, they tried it, but to no avail.

Logically - he’s not wrong, because, at this stage of human history, we are in a stage of suffering, though as many wisdom teachings would describe, we are simply passing through between two golden ages of light. This is evident even today, there’s so much suffering because we haven’t yet learned how to live in harmony with each other and the planet, and so the machines actively encoded the matrix to be based around the average level of consciousness of the people, whose minds populated the matrix.

Hmmm… What the robots didn’t try though - was starting their simulation in the 1999 world and then creating an evolutionary program to help humanity learn and heal and become harmonious beings… But then again, maybe they wouldn’t do that, because this particular AI consciousness didn’t have a heart, as we learn in the sequel film, they have wiped the matrix several times, and have become exceedingly efficient at it.

But in addition to that, he also says this very interesting thing… Humans are not actually mammals…. mammals create an equilibrium with the surrounding environment. You move to an area and multiply and use all of the resources, and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area… There is another organism on this planet that follows this pattern… it is a virus.”

A very deep and heavy-hitting line, especially right now, given our current situation. We are invited to see that our behavioral patterns and the way that we live our lives are not in harmony with the world, but it could be - if we would all wake up, just as Neo is doing throughout the movie.

Agent smith describes that he doesn’t like the smell of people, he can’t stand it, and he wants to get out, he wants to be free of this prison, this zoo, whatever you want to call it. Now, I know his intentions are not very good, but him explaining his feelings like this actually might give us a little bit of compassion for Agent Smith, who really wants to live a higher life himself, exist in a higher reality, but he can’t because he’s programmed to have to wrangle all of the humans together, and as long as Zion exists - a biblical reference to Israel - he cannot ascend in his own right…

At any rate, throughout the entire Morpheus rescue, and then fighting Smith afterward, Neo continually believes in himself more and more, until he comes to be the embodiment of a fully ascended being. When he returns to life and takes out Agent Smith, we see him take a moment to do some full-body breathing, and he breathes life through the walls around him as well, showing his interconnection with the energy and computer code that makes up all things.

I wonder when he died if his consciousness entered the space between his physical body and his matrix body, and when he returned back to life, he brought with him some deep wisdom about the workings of the universe, and that’s why he could see the code. This is no different than what many people report after having a near-death experience!

And we’re still just scratching the surface here. One aspect of the film we haven’t discussed was the visit to the Oracle, this all-knowing wise woman who guides all awakening souls through the matrix. The plaque above her door says “Know thyself” - something that Neo does by the end, but a rather significant line of hers was “Don’t worry about the vase”, and then he does it. She follows this with “what’s really gonna bake your noodle… is would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything?” The reason this is significant is that the oracle leaves him with some wisdom and advice ‘you’re not the one kiddo’ - advice that ultimately leads Neo to believe in himself to save Morpheus, to putting others in front of himself. But if she hadn’t told him that, would he have gone to save Morpheus?

Much like a few of the other movies we’ve covered, the matrix carries a multitude of layers of spiritual depth - some which are laid bare for all to see, and others that require a little bit deeper exploration. So please, take a moment to let us know in the comments, do you think the matrix is about our world or is it just a sci-fi action film for entertainment purposes only?