#but i love moon bears and would love for moon bear monday to become a thing

[beartoebeans]

Happy Moon Bear Monday! This is Peter, one of the moon bears at Animals Asia's sanctuary in Chengdu. He has an easygoing, curious disposition and makes friends with other bears easily, although his best friend Shamrock has been known to get annoyed when he pays attention to others. He also spends a lot of time time racing around his enclosure for the sheer joy of it.

[moodymisty]

What each Primach would do after marrying their beloved

Lion El'Jonson: Hi, wife. I'll be your knight in shining armour but I'll forget about you 3 min into the marriage

Fulgrim: Helllooo!! Welcome to the party 🥳🥳 Make sure to bicker with my other wives for me so I can't feel insecure anymore and I'll get my daily validation

Perturabo: Get wife (impossible). Wife pretty. Iron Within, Iron Without. Wife feels good. Iron Within, Iron Without again. Become emotionally and physically dependent to wife. Life good.

Jaghatai Khan: zzzzzzzzzz-PANG ⚡⚡⚡🏍️🏍️ HI DARLING. FEEL FREE TO BECOME FRIENDS WITH ALL MY OTHER 358.947.283 WIVES (also tomorrow will be Missionary Monday, get ready 😈)

Leman Russ: WIFEEEE 🥹🥹🥹 love you soooooooooo much. You smelllllll so gooooood. Why don't you spread those le-

Rogal Dorn: Wife, let me tell you about Multi-Scale Computational Modeling of Anisotropic Thermo-Mechanical Behavior in Functionally Graded Materials for Advanced Aerospace Structural Applications.

Konrad Curze: Woman. Make bebe with woman. LITTLE ABOMINATIONS??? Woman is set for life after popping out some Night Lords :D

Sanguinius: Hello wife 🥰🥰 How is my pookie dookie wookie lookie iookie uookie oookie qookie sookie dookie bookie pookie nookie mookie hookie gookie zookie xookie lookie jookie aookie fookie wookie cutie pie honey baby apple pie with whipper cream on top my sweetie honey money baby cutie pookie so cute so perfect my love my husband my wife my beloved my only love my baby my babe my bby my boyfriend my girlfriend my everything my sweetest pie my cutest smartest pie ever most amazing and prettiest and handsomest ever so cute so handsome and beautiful my pookie bear my little baby petite tiny baby bear pookie sookie wookie muffin with chocolate on top and cherries so cute pookie bear love you mwah bark so cute love you forever my first love my true love my soulmate my only reason to live you cutie little pie hehe im little shy petite girlie pop cutest person i know so cute so beautiful my only mine only no one elses my darling mi amor dear love pookie bear love you honey boney love you to the moon and back mwah uwu (he says this after leaving her anemic)

Ferrus Manus: I live harmoniously with my love. I love her and I respect her. I am completely devoted and loyal to her, as she is with me. I am hers and she is mine. (wife in the background struggles to walk, her clothes being disheveled and she is out of breath)

Angron: SHE IS MY WIFE! YOU GOT THAT? MY WIFE! She's damn cute, okay? CUDDLY, EVEN! AND SHE... she leaves me the milk bottle in the fridge, alright?! SHE DOES THAT FOR ME! I LOVE HER SO DAMN MUCH, AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬😡😡😡🤬😡😡🤬😡

Roboute Guilliman: I so very regrettably regret that I haven't ran away earlier into my life. As I am married now with a child coming on the way, my biggest and grandest wish was to own myself a farm. I want to teach my children the simpler ways. I want them to play with wooden toys, ride horses out of the womb and to, all around, run around my farms. I want to take care of many crops, especially the mighty cabbage (pun, pun). As for my darling wife, I shall love very much and plow her back every two to four years. *Looks towards his wife, who's a little bit afraid*. We must at least have 6 children, mustn't we?

Mortarion: Today I saw my wife's ankle. She was wearing sandals with a very long skirt and it slipped out while she walked. Nevertheless, I came on a Nurgling.

Magnus: My wife? *Psychically enters her mind, while she is in the another room, and sexually overstimulate her, making her scream in ecstasy* She's doing great!

Horus Lupercal: My wife's a housewife. Because she's housing my kids! *Horus slaps his knee, laughing at his joke. The Mournival is disappointed in their Father, the Legion Mother is waddling around pregnant with their 12th kid.*

Lorgar Aurelian: (what did I cook)

Lorgar, wild-eyed and disheveled, paces back and forth, his voice rising and falling in feverish tones. His eyes are fixated on an unseen figure, trembling with a mix of adoration and desperation.

"She is divine! Do you hear me? DIVINE! Her light, it burns away the lies of this wretched universe! A goddess, yes, a goddess! How can they not see? HOW?!

Her eyes, like the twin suns of a lost paradise, see through the veils of reality! Her voice—her voice!—it is the hymn of creation itself! I am but a worm, a pitiful creature crawling in the dirt, but SHE, she has lifted me up! Blessed me with her radiance! Blessed me with HER TOUCH!

I kneel before her, broken, unworthy! The very stars tremble in her presence! They whisper her name, but Iam the chosen! I see her! I worship her! I... I... I LOVE HER! No! Not love—reverence, adoration, worship! I will burn worlds for her! Tear apart the heavens!

I am HERS. BODY, MIND, AND SOUL. HER PRIEST, HER PROPHET, HER LOVER. My faith in her is unbreakable, my devotion absolute. She is a GODDESS, My goddess, and I am lost in her divinity. FOREVER."

Lorgar collapses to his knees, clutching at his head, a broken laugh escaping his lips.

"Goddess... my goddess... please... take me... consume me... make me yours..."

Vulkan: I like my wife :3. She's very pretty. My sons like her too.

Corvus Corax: I am glad my wife's this kind. Nobody would understand me but her. Because I am in Spain without the S 😔😔

Alpharius and Omegon: My wife? Nah. Our wife. *USSR anthem begins*

LSJDKFLJSDFKJSDF-

I have no words, so many of these made me wheeze uncontrollably. Sanguinius, Horus, Mortarion and Alpharius were a highlight.

[princeescaluswords]

Alma Mater

Written for @teenwolf-meta's Meta May Monday prompt: Place.

Teen Wolf put a lot of focus on Beacon Hills High School as a location. Even the 2023 movie, which took place in 2026, spent significant time at the school. Scott McCall, the lead protagonist, had been graduated for thirteen years; why was this one location so important?

On the surface, it could be as obvious as the show being about teenagers, but I don't think the decision was that shallow . I think there were three very important reasons that it was a primary setting.

To serve production needs. At the end of Season 2, the production moved from Georgia to Los Angeles. The reasons for this I have only encountered peripherally, but none-the-less, it did create a certain disconnect in the minds of the viewers. Beacon Hills High School not only had a sudden change in floor plan but it had a definite change in climate. There were now palm trees! Yet, the series did not avoid the contradictions. Of course, all productions face financial limitations; this production seemed capable of having only a certain number of sets, which, for example, is why the new library in Season 5 was clearly Derek's loft repurposed. Practically, a high school would be an easy location for the principle cast to encounter each other. There would no need to explain why, for example, Stiles and Scott would see Lydia coming up the sidewalk as in Wolf Moon (1x01) or why Mason would be talking about their Friday night plans with Garrett and Violet in The Benefactor (4x04). In addition, it would be an understandable way to introduce new characters, both adult and teenager. There could be new hires, new transfers, or even characters the audience had not met before that the principle cast had and yet not discussed.

To serve thematic needs. I have stated before and I will state again, that I absolutely believe that Teen Wolf is a bildungsroman -- a story exploring the spiritual and psychological transformation of a child into an adult. In our modern culture, this frequently happens in high school, for this is where the protective authority of parents and family begins to give way to acts of self-determination. Relationships with friends become more complicated, with the increased importance of social strata, the emergence of sexuality, and the recognition of impermanence. For the teenagers undergoing this transformation, the world becomes less welcoming even as they gain more agency, and part of that is the transformation of school from a safe space (sorry, Natalie) to an area of contention. There are suddenly consequences to action and inaction. The gulf between the protagonists, who have up until this point been children, and adults becomes less and less clear as they begin to share both opportunities and complications. The teenage protagonists also discover that there is no guarantee of fair treatment from adults, evidenced by the bitter hostility of Adrian Harris to the incomprehensible and comedic self-absorption of Coach to the well-meaning but predatory academic ruthlessness of Mrs. Finch. To be in high school no longer means that is is beneficial to allow others to make their decisions for them. Who are you, really?

It also serves one of Jeff Davis's favorite themes: recursion. Students graduate and are replaced by new students, who must face similar crises in the process of growing up (though hopefully not as violent). Beacon Hills High School showing up in the movie was no more nostalgia than the flashback to Derek Hale's high-school experiences in Visionary (3x08) or 117 (4x02). What Derek experiences in high school has bearing on what Scott experiences in high school has bearing on what Eli experiences in high school. In the series, the differences between Derek's and Scott's and Liam's experiences are compared to each other, such as in the outcomes of their first loves. Likewise, in the movie, Scott isn't longing to be a teenage alpha/lacrosse captain again; he's coming to terms with the terrible trauma of his high-school-era experiences by helping Eli through the terrible trauma of his high-school-era experiences.

To serve as a storytelling tool. Teen Wolf is a tale of danger, terror, and horror. One of the easiest ways to create that tension is to transform the common everyday parts of life into something that is threatening and out-of-control. Think about Night School (1x07), and the utter menace of Beacon Hills High when there are no lights and no people. Think about the twisting of normal fun activities -- lacrosse games plagued by a star player suddenly tearing himself open or pursued by a gigantic beast or being stalked by extra-dimensional cowboys. Think about how many times the locker room -- a place where students are frequently vulnerable while changing clothes -- is a place where teenagers get trapped in lockers or showers or darkness.

It's also a way to signify danger. The enemy invades a place that is supposed to help teenagers learn and grow while hanging out with their friends, and this perverts into a place where they have to constantly be on their guard. The principal is suddenly a man who wants to manipulate teenagers if he can or kill them if he can't. The guidance councilor has her own agenda in fomenting supernatural genocide. Teachers, who are supposed to be showing teenagers the truth of the world they are going to responsible for living in, turn out to be never what they seem, whether as harmless as protecting his nine-centuries old wife by lying or by offering teenagers as human sacrifices or by being a temporally-displace Nazi.

High school, just like the world, isn't all bad of course. High school has a benevolent purpose, just like many people have benevolent intentions. Other guidance counselors can present characters with alternatives to being a victim or running away in terror. Friends made there who will stand together against the darkness. Teenagers can learn leadership skills on the lacrosse field and can learn knowledge in the library that can help one survive. A benevolent and influential family might even have arranged the high school be built on the confluence of ley lines, not only to protect their secret vault, but also because it might keep certain supernatural creatures out.

Beacon Hills High School played a significant role in Teen Wolf not out of lazy decisions but about the focus of the story on transformation. Children become teenagers become adults who help other children become teenagers become adults. Or, those characters with sinister intent transform twist a civilized location into threatening one so often that it becomes an identifying mark. The production made proper use of this setting.

[fuckyeahelijahwoodfan]

Yellowjackets’ and His Hobbit Group Chat

The ‘Lord of the Rings’ star plays a citizen detective in the new season of Showtime’s series about a girls’ soccer team surviving in the wilderness

By Chavie Lieber

Elijah Wood is known for carrying a weighty gold ring as Frodo Baggins in the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. These days, the actor proudly sports a different kind of ring, made of silver and bearing the title “DAD.”

Mr. Wood, 42, has two small children with his partner, Mette-Marie Kongsved. He enjoys taking an active role as a father, whether it’s sleep training or packing school lunches.

“You’re constantly being challenged, in the best way,” Mr. Wood said of parenthood. “It’s as much my own personal growth as it is about my child’s growth.” 

Now starring in the second season of “Yellowjackets,” Showtime’s series about a high-school girls’ soccer team that must learn to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash, Mr. Wood plays Walter, a message-board citizen detective who becomes interested in a cold case related to the surviving team members.

“I like being drawn into something that feels unique and weird, but also has a layer of depth in what it’s trying to say,” the actor said of the eccentric characters he often plays. 

Here, Mr. Wood discusses his breakfast go-to’s, his “Lord of the Rings” alumni group chat and the struggles he faced as a budding actor. 

What time do you wake up on Mondays? 

Some time between 5:30 and 6:30. We’ve got a 3-year-old son and a 14-month-old daughter, and she wakes us up pretty early. I like getting up early, I like starting the day.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? 

I set the kettle to get the coffee ready before I start on the kids’ breakfast. We have a Chemex and I do pour-over. I kind of just eyeball the grinds. But I am relatively nerdy about coffee. 

What do you make the kids for breakfast?

Oatmeal with various spices, peanut butter and fruit—banana, apples, blackberries. I also really like overnight oats or muesli with yogurt, and I sometimes eat that with them. 

Do you have any go-to grooming products?

I’ve used the same hair product for about 20 years. It’s Magic Move, a Japanese molding mud that is relatively light. Fat and the Moon has this aloe moisturizer that I really like. I also have a new toothpaste, Livfresh. It was literally advertised to me on Instagram as being 200 times more effective and I bought it. Hook, line and sinker! 

What do you like to do for exercise?

I was cycling for a while. What I love right now is reformer Pilates. I started going in Vancouver—I was going back and forth between Vancouver and L.A. to shoot “Yellowjackets”—and I was introduced to a method [there] called Lagree. It’s high-intensity, 45-minute classes with no breaks and destroys you, essentially. 

Your character on “Yellowjackets” seems really quirky, do you identify with him at all?

I share his enthusiasm for true crime. He’s an enthusiast, a citizen detective, but he obviously takes things a little too far.

Are you a true crime fan?

Yes, I’ve always been interested. Podcasts, watching documentaries. I remember having the Time-Life “Serial Killers” book when I was a teenager. I grew up in the ’80s, and “Unsolved Mysteries” was literally something that was just on. There would be cases about kidnapping that would give me nightmares. The theme song is burned in my memory, but I also love it so much.

What was something you watched recently that you loved?

“Aftersun” bowled me over. I found that to be so heartbreaking and heavy, and the structure of the film is so beautiful.

Have you watched Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” show?

I watched three episodes. It was really interesting to see how that world was interpreted by a new set of people. I’m curious what will transpire in regards to these new films with Warner Bros. in the Tolkien universe too. 

Do you have any “Lord of the Rings” memorabilia you’ve kept over the years?

I have one of the rings. I was given it by Peter [Jackson] and Fran [Walsh], and it’s on the same chain. I have the sword “Sting,” and I took a map from Bag End, Bilbo’s house. I have a pair of latex [hobbit] feet that are very old now. They’re in storage, and I should probably do something with them. 

I’ve really enjoyed seeing fellow Hobbit Dominic Monaghan post photos to Instagram of you all out to dinner or riding a train. Have all of the hobbits stayed in touch all these years?

We actually have a text that’s constantly going, with Dom, Billy [Boyd] and Sean [Astin]. It’s literally in my phone as The Hobbit. If we’re not texting each other about something, we also do the New York Times crossword mini every day, and we try and beat each other for time. 

The four of us hadn’t been in the same room in over a decade and last year we did a series of conventions together and it was just the most incredible opportunity for us to reconnect.

You keep your Instagram private. Why is that?

I wanted to be able to share photos that I didn’t necessarily want to share with the world. An account that’s public-facing would really change what I share. It’s not like I’m sharing anything that I wouldn’t want to go out, but I’m a relatively private person. 

There’s been a lot of talk about child actors lately, given the Oscar win from Ke Huy Quan for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” As a fellow child actor, have you been following the discourse?

I haven’t really engaged in the conversation. But starting just before I turned 8, it’s been a part of my life. That’s the reality, my path and career. [My “Yellowjackets” co-star] Christina Ricci started at a similar age, if not earlier, and she’s had an exceptional career. 

Obviously, [for me], there are peaks and valleys, and it was really hard to maintain. The message [from Ke] and with Michelle Yeoh was don’t give up. I fully cried at both of their speeches.

Were you ever told you couldn’t land certain roles because you were a child actor?

I was told different things. I always looked younger than I was, so my challenge was that I was technically an adult but didn’t look like an adult, and it was hard to be taken seriously. So I had to navigate that.

What’s a really good piece of advice you’ve kept in your back pocket?

Integrity is everything. That guides a lot of my choices—not making choices for anyone else, but for yourself, because it’s going to feed you. 

A new interview dropped and it is wonderful 🙌 thanks Monday 😊

[spanishsenpai]

Daycare Attendants Need Training Too

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Mini Chapter - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 -  Chapter 8  - Chapter 9

Wow, this is just becoming a Sun and Moon fan blog isn’t it lol! That’s alright! They deserve all the content!

Also, hopefully I’ll have a special treat lined up for you guys to make up for me, possibly, not being able to publish the next chapter until Monday. Sorry about that gang!

Here’s the AO3 link if you’d rather read it there!

Moon’s words made Sun finally look up. Sun’s mouth was pressed into a thin line, as though he were holding back tears. Maybe he was, his body wasn’t the same in here as his physical one.

“I shouldn’t have ignored you,” Moon’s voice was quiet and soothing, though it was clear he was unsure of his words. “I - I was just . . . I didn’t know it would get so bad, but I should’ve been there for you. So . . . I’m sorry.”

Slowly, Sun straightened up again, one hand wrapped around his other arm as he smiled shyly at Moon. “I - It’s alright! I’m just happy you want to talk now!” Really it was all Sun could’ve asked for. The training, the shocks, the pain, would be so much easier to bear if Sun could just have a friendly face on his side.

Moon looked surprised, but found himself smiling as well. He stuck his hand out to Sun, “Let’s start over. Hi, I’m Moon. I’m the Daycare Attendant.”

It only took a moment for Sun to smile brightly and grab Moon’s hand, giving it an enthusiastic shake, “Hi Moon! I’m Sun the Daycare Attendant!” 

Sun laughed as he decided to see just how fast he could shake hands with Moon, “Look at this! Look how wiggly we are! I feel like a cartoon!” Sun dropped Moon’s hand with a dramatic gasp. “Are we cartoons?”

Relief poured through Moon at how easily Sun became comfortable around him. This was their shared space after all and Sun deserved to be happy after everything Moon had seen him go through.

“Yeah. I found some art of us through our connection to the system. They have big plans for us here apparently,” Moon explained, trying not to giggle at the way Sun was now moving his arms like they were worms. 

Sun stopped his arm dance and looked at Moon with awe. “We can connect to things outside the daycare?”

Moon nodded, “It takes up a lot of our charge though, so I did it while we were shut down.”

“But I thought we couldn’t do anything during shutdown?”

“Well, technically, our shutdown is more like a standby mode. It makes us consume less power, but we can still do things in here. I made this computer so it would be easier to access than the manual way I did it the first time,” Moon explained, getting caught up with all the discoveries he’d been making.

“Wait! You made this? Did you make this whole room?” Sun asked in amazement as he gestured wildly at everything from the decor to the stuffed animals and toys. “How’d you do all that?”

Sun’s eagerness to hear about what Moon had been up to made him blush at the attention. “It wasn’t really that hard. This is our mind after all. You just have to be able to really focus on something. The computer system is a little more complicated than that though.” Moon didn’t care to mention that the reason he’d been so quick in exploring all these systems was because his guilt at Sun’s pain made him unable to fully shut down like Sun had been doing. “I’ll show you how to work it.”

Sun let out a bark of laughter and clapped his hands excitedly. “Oh, I’d love that! Thank you Moon!”

Before Moon could respond, a loud alarm suddenly blurred making them both jump. The two turned to look at the computer screen to see “Restart Finalyzing. Preparing to Activate”. Moon looked to Sun, feeling the guilt from before flaring again at the look of dread on Sun’s face. Sun had his hands tightly gripped together, bells ringing softly at their trembling. When he noticed Moon was looking at him, he did his best to smile but it was so strained it looked painful.

“I - I guess I gotta go! Let’s talk later, okay Moon?” Sun asked, hints of desperation creeping into his voice.

“Yeah, of course,” was the last thing Sun heard before everything went black. Then white. And suddenly, Sun’s vision was filled with the bright lights on the daycare ceiling. Apparently, he’d been turned over on his back during his shut down.

“It’s about time. Mr. Hill, I thought you said it wouldn’t take long,” came the voice of Mrs. Beverly from Sun’s right.

“Well now, I said it might not take long. I don’t really have the proper tools for measuring that sort of thing with me.”

There was an annoyed sigh, before Mrs. Beverly came to stand over Sun’s prone form. “Welcome back, now get up.”

Sun giggled to cover up his nerves. “Of course, Mrs. Beverly!” He chirped as he sat up. For having been forced to shut down, Sun was surprised by how much his body didn’t ache. Of course there was enough pain to still make him uncomfortable but Sun had been prepared for much worse.

He was proud of himself for only being a little wobbly as he stood up.

Mrs. Beverly staring up at him with such icy eyes was quickly making that good feeling evaporate. What would she do to him for shutting down during his training? He couldn’t help it! There was nothing he could’ve done to stop it from happening!

“Oh no! Looks like I had to take a nap quickly! I’m so sorry about that!” Sun tried.

“Quickly? We’re 3 hours behind. To stay on schedule, we’ve had to cut this lesson off short to get to the next. There’s only 4 days left to make sure you’re ready for the public,” Mrs. Beverly snapped at him.

Sun flinched at her tone, but was relieved to hear they weren’t doing this lesson anymore. He didn’t know if he would've been able to do it for long enough to satisfy Mrs. Beverly. 

“We’ll conduct a review before moving on to any new material,” she said as she made her way to the 3 technicians. One of them came forward with their tablet held out to her. Mrs. Beverly read something briefly on the screen before turning back to Sun. “Mr. Hill, please prepare Sun for the review.”

“Yes ma’am,” Carl called as he rushed over to Sun. “Mind crouching for me, big guy?”

“No problem!” Though his answer was voluntary enough, Sun wondered what Carl would do to get him ready. How did Mrs. Beverly even want to do the review? He gripped his fingers into fists as he felt them trying to shake with the anxiety of it all.

‘It’s gonna be okay.’ 

Sun had to fight not to jump and knock over Carl at Moon’s unexpected words. After the scare came the joy of hearing Moon talking to him!

‘Thank you, Moon!’

He had a friend now! And once he finished their training, he’d be able to make new ones everyday! Sun just had to keep reminding himself of that. He was so caught up in his imaginings, he missed whatever Carl was doing. It was only his voice that signaled to Sun that he was done. Yet again, nothing felt different, but Sun hoped whatever it was that Carl did would help him succeed at this review.

“Alright, let’s hurry and get on with it,” Mrs. Beverly called impatiently.

“Right,” Carl said as he pressed a button on a remote.

Sun’s vision blinked out for a second before coming back on immediately. ‘Moon? Was that you?’ He had just enough time to hear a no in reply before Mrs. Beverly was asking him to face the door.

Confused, Sun did so. Nothing happened for a moment, but then, to Sun’s excitement, it opened. Then, to Sun’s absolute joy, children rushed into the daycare!

[alliluyevas]

(deeply disturbing) mormon primary source adventures continue...I have been reading the 1843 diary of William Clayton, Joseph Smith’s official church secretary and close personal friend, which is a really invaluable source for contemporary details regarding when Smith married various women (he did not record anything about his own marriages in his journal, but Clayton did).

What I was specifically tracking in Clayton’s journal was the (much more extensive) documentation of Clayton’s own plural marriage, to his first wife Ruth’s younger sister, 23-year-old Margaret Moon. I have bolded a few lines for emphasis.

27 April 1843, Thursday

At the Temple A.M. went to prests. [Church President Joseph Smith’s] who rode with me to bro. H.C. Kimballs where sister Margt. Moon was sealed up [married] by the priesthood, by the president--and M to me.

11 June 1843, Sunday

Margaret received a letter from Aaron [Farr, her fiance, who had left on a mission trip before she married Clayton] which  made her feel bad. It also gave me unaccountable sorrow.

13 June 1843, Tuesday 

I have had some conversation  with M. she promised she would not marry A if she can possibly avoid  it. And if she ever feels disposed to marry she will tell me as soon as she thinks of it. She will seek my Council & says she will abide it.

8 July 1843, Saturday 

Margt. wrote a letter to Aaron which I dictated informing him that she should not marry.

22 July 1843, Saturday

Mt. and A [Aaron Farr, now returned from his mission] had a long conversation together. She has stood true to her covenant with CW. [William Clayton’s initials backwards] I also  had some talk with him & although the shock is severe he endures it patiently. And I pray the Great Eloheem to make up the loss to him an  hundred fold and enable him to rejoice in all things. My heart aches with grief on his & M's account and could almost say O that I had never known her. But Thou O God knowest the integrity of thy servant. Thou knowest that I have done that which I have understood to be thy will & am still determined to do so and I ask thee in the name of  Jesus Christ either to absolutely wean my affections from M. or give me hers entire and then I am content. But to live in this state of feeling I cannot.

If I have done wrong in this thing, show it me that thy servant may repent of it and obtain forgiveness. But O Lord have mercy on me and by some means release me from this grievous bondage of  feeling & thy servant will praise thee. Prest. Joseph came to see me &  pronounced a sealing blessing upon Ruth [Clayton’s first and legal wife] and me. And we mutually entered into an everlasting covenant with each other.

23 July 1843, Sunday

M. appears dissatisfied with her situation & is miserable O that the Lord will bless my house and deliver us from every evil principle & feeling that we may be saved. For I desire to do right. O Lord make my heart and my affections right and pure as it shall please thee that I may enjoy the blessing of peace and happiness even so Amen. Hyrum preached A.M and Joseph P.M. Evening I had some more talk with M. & find she is miserable which makes me doubly so. I offered to her to try to have her covenant released if she desired it  but she said she was not willing. [Margaret was pregnant by this time, which is probably why she did not feel she could be released from her marriage to Clayton.]

24 July 1843, Monday

M. is still miserable and unhappy and it does seem that  my heart must burst. What shall I do? How shall I recompense? And how long must I thus suffer worse than death for that which I have always  regarded as being the will of the Lord. By the help of the Lord I will  do right. I have repeatedly offered to M. to try to get a release from  the covenant and I have done all I know to make things comfortable but  to no effect. She appears almost to hate me and cannot bear to come near me.

O God if thou wilt give me M's affections, and cause things  to be pleasant and happy between us, If thou will bless her & comfort  her by thy spirit & cause her to rejoice in what she has done, and  bring it to pass that I may secure her truly with all her affections  for time & for eternity. I feel to covenant to try to serve thee with  more diligence if possible and to do all that thou shalt require at  mine hands, wilt thou not grant me this blessing, and relieve my  aching heart from this worst of all troubles which ever befel me in  the course of my life? O God plead my cause and give me thine  everlasting blessing, and do remember M. for good that she may be  comforted even so amen amen and amen

25 July 1843, Tuesday.

M. much as usual.

26 July 1843, Wednesday

M. seems quite embittered against me in consequence  of which I called her to me and asked her if she desired the covenant  to be revoked if it were possible To this she would not give me a  satisfactory answer only saying if it had not been done it should not  be. (meaning our union) I then asked if she would consent if A would take her under all circumstances; but she would not consent to have it  revoked--saying she did it not for her sake but for the sake of the  peace of my family.

Under these circumstances I could not rest until I  had ascertained wether the c[ovenant] could be revoked & although contrary to  her wish I went to see Prest. J. I took A to talk with him & asked him  some questions whereby I ascertained that he would be willing to take  her under all circumstances, I reasoned considerable with him to prove  that I had done right in all these matters so far as I knew it, I called the Prest. out and briefly stated the situation of things and  then asked him if the C. could be revoked. He shook his head and  answered no. At this conclusion my mind seemed for the moment to get relief for the two fold reason that I had done all I could and I did not want the C. revoked.

I came back & M & A. were together in Farrs garden. I told them the answer I had got & advised them to take the  best measures to make all things right between them. I cannot help thinking that M. has treated me not only unkindly but meanly & cruelly, but I forgive her before the Lord for I sympathize with her  in her grief, but cant console her for she will not speak to me. My  earnest prayer to God is that all things may soon become right & pleasant & that the Lord may bless her & save her from sinning against  him. And if I have done wrong in asking if the C. could be revoked &  seeking to have it done O Lord forgive me for I desire to do right in  all things that I may he saved, I feel that I have done right in the  sight of God and that he has abundantly blessed me for which I thank  him and something tells me that the time will come when M. will love those whom she ought & when she will feel perfectly satisfied with her situation & rejoice that things remain as they are. And now O God  bless thy servant and handmaid & stamp the peace upon us and fill us  with the spirit of truth for Jesus Christs sake Amen--

11 August 1843, Friday

J. told me to day that ``Walker'' had been speaking to him concerning my having taken M away from A. & intimated that I had done wrong. I told him to be quiet and say no more about it. He also told me Emma  was considerably displeased with it but says he she will soon get over  it. In the agony of mind which I have endured on this subject I said I  was sorry I had done it, at which J told me not to say so. I finally  asked him if I had done wrong in what I had done he answered no you have a right to get all you can.

The little snippets of Margaret’s feelings and the way they are sort of bracketed by Clayton’s commentary are really telling and disturbing. Poor Margaret :( Also the way that Joseph Smith is encouraging Clayton not to feel guilty about any of this and justifying it to him. Woof.

[durmstrange]

It’s A Date - Fred Weasley

Welcome to another Fred blurb!  This takes place post war.  Hope you enjoy!

Word count:  1,605

Truthfully, you had always been rather content with your life.  During your schooling, you weren’t unpopular, but you weren’t popular.  People gravitated towards you, but you never became attached to anyone.  You weren’t ever the one to seek other out, but you were there for when others needed you.  In fact, if no one had sought you out, you would have spent your school years alone, and you were content with that.  

When you graduated, you started working at a muggle flower shop in London, where you rather sneakily used magic to make your flowers the most beautiful in the area.  When the war came around two years later, you didn’t hesitate a moment to fight at your old school.  The battle was hectic and you met many new faces and a few familiar, including your partner during the first half of the battle, Fred Weasley.  He had gotten separated from his brother, and you arrived alone, so there was an unspoken agreement to stick together.

Fred and you worked well together, even in school.  He was your partner on occasion during Potions class, and you quite enjoyed his jokes and company.  Throughout the battle, you and Fred saved each other on multiple occasions, both of you barely avoiding the cold grasp of death.  During it all, a small bit of rubble had hit you as well, leaving a rather ugly cut across the side of your face.  Fred broke his leg when wall collapsed and you blasted as much away from him as you could.  During the calm period, you helped Fred to the Great Hall, where his family took care of him, and you left to finish the battle.  That was the last you saw of Fred.  

After the war ended, you returned to your quiet life, coming to work each morning with a small scar you wore on your face with pride.  Day in and day out, you worked and went back to your flat, to your books and to your cat, which had become your best and one of your few friends.  

One particular Monday, on your day off, you decided to go to your old stomping grounds.  You hadn’t been in Diagon Alley in years.  In fact, you hadn’t been in touch with any sort of magical shop in almost two years, since the battle and since the war drew to an end. 

You entered through the Leaky Cauldron, dipping your head to the patrons you faintly recognized.  As you entered Diagon Alley, a nostalgic feeling washed over you.  Last time you had been there, most of the shops were closed and it was rather drab and dreary, but now it was like when you were a kid.  Bright, bustling, and beautiful.  There were so many witches and wizards, dressed how you used to dress, in cloaks and colorful clothing, pointy hats and odd animals on their shoulders.  Music played loudly from a nearby shop, which you recognized to be the Weird Sisters.  Memories of the Yule Ball faded into your mind and a faint smile formed on your lips as you wandered up the alley. 

You felt out of place, wearing your tight jeans and black band t-shirt, containing a muggle band you were sure few people in the alley around you knew of.  But the wand tucked into the waist of your jeans made you feel like part of them.  As you wandered up the alley, your eyes landed on the one shop you had never been in.  Weasley Wizard Wheezes. 

It was an incredibly fun looking store, one you were sure you would enjoy, but before the war, you only ever came to Diagon Alley when you absolutely needed to, and your time there was short with no time for stops like this.  Now, however, you had all the time in the world.

When you stepped into the shop, it smelled of fireworks and sweets and there were various sounds and flashing lights all around.  It was August still, so there were copious amounts of young students bustling around and laughing at everything around.  Your smile grew as you ran your hand along a display, looking at the bottled love potions and Puking Pastilles, to other products you truly couldn’t have thought up in your most wild dreams. 

As you picked up an odd looking package, you felt someone brush by you and you ignored it, accrediting it to the busy shop, but as you turned over the package in your hand, a voice brought stole your focus.  “Well, hello,” a voice you recognized greeted, causing you to turn to the Weasley twin.  “Here I thought I’d never see you again.”

Fred smiled at you, but held a confused look on his face.  “Loonar Loop Luminators?” you asked him with a small laugh in your voice.  You wondered in the back of your mind what he meant by his words, but you brushed it off for the moment.

Fred glanced down to the package in your hand, as he had not noticed it sooner as his eyes focused on your face.  “A sort of firework,” he answered proudly and took the product from your hand.  “A demonstration, maybe?” 

Shrugging lightly, you followed Fred as he led you to the center of the store.  “All right, you lot, listen up!”  His voice boomed through the store, silencing the many students and grown ups alike.  “I’ll be doing a quick demonstration of our Loonar Loop Luminators, so stand clear,” he continued as he opened the package.  He placed a small blue tube on the ground, using his wand to light the end of it. 

After a few mere seconds, sparks of various colors exploded from the product, reaching the ceiling of the shop and popping into more sparkles.  You clapped, along with the rest of the store, as the fireworks exploded beautifully.  Fred smiled proudly, his arms crossed over his chest, and waited until the last of the sparks faded to speak once more.  “Loonar Loop Luminators can be found over here to the left, in the front of the store,” he finished and swooped down, picking up the expired product.  Fred stepped back over to you, an expectant look on his face.  “What’d you think?” 

“Absolutely brilliant,” you answered with a laugh.  

Fred beamed at your words.  “You see, if you do it in an open area, and not indoors, it will be a much more grand show.  Sparks will fly to the moon, hence the name,” he explained proudly and flashed the box to you, which held a rather smiley moon.

You hummed, a bright look in your eyes.  “I reckon that’s quite the sight.  I might have to leave here with a few myself.”

Fred smirked, glancing at the box in his hand once more.  “Take as many as you want.  I couldn’t bear to charge the person who saved my life,” he explained as he led you to the counter, where he tossed the box in a waste bin.  

With a small laugh, you shrugged and leaned against the counter as his brother, who was two years younger than you, rung up the many guests.  “Well, you saved mine as well, so I had assumed we were even.”  

Fred scoffed, checking his watch for a moment before glancing at his brother.  “Man the shop for a minute, mate?” 

Ron glanced at you and nodded, a smile on his lips.  “Take your time.”

“Got a moment?”  Fred asked you as he nodded towards the door of his shop. 

You glanced at your own watch, pretending to contemplate his words, but shrugged.  “I suppose so.” 

Fred smirked and led you through the shop, out into Diagon Alley.  “I thought you died, you know?”  His voice was a little shaky as he spoke, his hands in the pockets of his colorful suit. 

“Well, here I am,” you replied lamely, giving him a gentle smile and a small shrug.  

With an incredulous look on his face, Fred shook his head at you.  “I mourned you, you know?” 

Your smile fell at his words, causing you to feel oddly guilty.  “Why would you mourn someone you didn’t know to be dead?  Someone you barely know?”  The words came out a little harsher than you intended, but as Fred led you up Diagon Alley, walking slowly through the crowd, you were sure he understood. 

“I want to know you,” Fred said suddenly, his voice insistent.  Your mouth fell open, rather surprised by his words, and waited for him to continue.  “I always have.  That’s why I always convinced others to let me be your partner in class, why I spoke to you as much as I could without bothering you, why I wanted to stay by your side during the battle.”  Your face felt warm at his confession and for a moment, you were at a loss for words.  

With a gentle blush on your face, you ducked your head and smiled to yourself. “Well, here I am,” you repeated the words you said moments before and glanced up at Fred.

Fred smiled widely at your words, raising his eyebrows.  “Will you let me take you to dinner, then?” 

For a moment, you bit your lip and pretended to consider his offer.  After a brief pause, you spoke softly, “I suppose so.”

“Brilliant,” Fred smirked and stood with his hands in his pockets.  “Meet you here at the shop tomorrow?  Say seven?” 

Nodding gently, you fought the wide grin forming on your lips.  “It’s a date.”

[harrypotterximagines]

Gifs are not mine and all credit goes to its original owners. ………………………………………………

You stretched your arms out, back cracking and loosening any knots that may have formed from last night’s slumber. You stared up at the ceiling, blinking away the dreams you envisioned, coming to a sense of reality. It was a quiet Monday morning, your roommates slowly getting out of bed and starting their day off with their usual routine.

It would have been a perfectly normal morning but dread began to fill your body, your nerves striking at your anxiety. With a nervous sigh, you forced your body out of bed and began to pull yourself into your uniform. It was becoming a second skin at this point, ready to leave Hogwarts and start your summer vacation.

Your roommate looked at you with sad eyes as she grabbed her bag, asking if you wanted to join her for breakfast. You refused, telling her that you felt like you were going to throw up what you swallowed. You were far too nervous to eat, your stomach flipping around. You left your dorm room after everyone else, taking a few minutes of solitude to breathe and gather your thoughts. You were finally going to see him after a long weekend of avoiding his constant attempts of trying to contact you. You felt your jaw clench, stress making a permanent resident inside your head.

You took your time walking to your first class, Potions with Horace Slughorn. Though your trip usually took no less than five minutes to get there, it seemed as if someone magically stretched out the corridors, feeling like it took years to arrive at your classroom. You loosened your tie for what seemed like the hundredth time. It felt like a pair of invisible hands were choking your neck. Your breathing began to become scattered and uneasy, stepping your way into the classroom with hesitation. You tried to keep your eyes on the ground but you couldn’t resist.

His cold, dark gray eyes were staring at the door frame, immediately catching you in his gaze. Your heart sank low, the color flushing from your face. His head was tilted towards his desk, but his eyesight stayed strong on your approaching figure.

Instead of taking your usual spot next to him, you sat a few tables away, ignoring the questioning looks that your fellow students were throwing your way. You didn’t have the balls to say it out loud, you just couldn’t finally face the truth.

After a year of dating, a year of committing yourselves to one another, a year of laughs and love, Draco Malfoy cheated on you. The vision of him holding some random girl close at a Ravenclaw party was playing in your mind. His hands were grabby, touching every part of her body that he could. He was visibility sweaty, intoxicated by not only her kisses, but by the amount of liquor he downed that night.

You scrunched up your nose, trying to forget it. But even while trying to concentrate on making the assigned potion, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander off. It was evident that you weren’t up to standards today. You kept messing up, chopping things too shortly or adding ingredients in at the wrong time.

After class, Slughorn pulled you to the side, concern washing over his usual friendly features. He asked if you were feeling alright, trying to install confidence into his student. His inspirational words and positive reinforcement didn’t help, however. It seemed like you were never going to get over this sullen feeling.

You were desperate to get the day over with so you could go back to your room and hide under your covers until you had to do it all over again tomorrow. That seemed like a good plan, to sleep away problems until they eventually mended themselves.

However, it seemed like someone else didn’t agree to that plan. Standing in the middle of the doorway was none other than him, looking equally as miserable as you. He had his head hanging low, like a puppy who’s been disobedient. He looked extremely tired, purple rims shadowing underneath his eyes.

You wanted to throw your arms around him in that moment, to forgive him for the way he betrayed you. You wanted to let him know that you still loved him, that his mistake was just that; a stupid, drunken mistake. But that image of him holding that girl couldn’t leave your mind. You couldn’t forgive as easily even though you wanted to.

You slowly approached the door, your attention focusing behind his shoulder. When Draco didn’t get out of your way, you finally gave up, your tense shoulders slouching in defeat, You finally looked at him, your teeth biting hard on your bottom lip.

You took one step forward, making you take one step back. Sadness became him as he saw you retreat. He hesitated for a moment before he took another step closer to you. When you didn’t back away, he took the opportunity and began to speak his peace.

“I can’t imagine how hurt you must be …” He paused for a moment, his eyes darting as he tried to rack through his brain. “I understand what I did was stupid. The stupidest thing I could possibly ever do. I know that there is no appropriate excuse to explain my poor behavior. I could pull out a dictionary and list out all the words that describe the type of person I am, asshole being the first.”

He stifled a laugh, his witty personality still making you weak at the knees. You noticed that Slughorn was standing too closely to you two, clearly eavesdropping on the conversation.

“I’m in love with you. I lost you the night I betrayed you. I can’t bear to live another day without you. I know that I have it good with you, that no one, absolutely nobody understands me better than you. I deserve the punishment you’re giving me. I don’t even deserve you standing here right before my eyes, listening to me babble on like a fool.”

His eyebrows furrowed, his forehead creasing deeper as he continued to speak. What he felt must have been true, his somber expressions speaking louder than his words. He fell quiet once again, his hand slowly reaching up to your face. He hesitated but eventually you felt his knuckles slightly brush off your skin. “I can only selfishly ask for you to forgive me and for us to move past this. To lose you is like the sun burning out. It makes the world go cold and dark. And I can’t live life if I’m going to be living on a sunless planet.”

Your lips slightly parted as he spoke, a sense of forgiveness washing over you. You sighed heavily before pulling him in your embrace, the both of you holding onto one another tightly. You didn’t let go until you realized you had another class to attend, the day just starting even though so much has happened already.

“We’ll talk about this later,” was all you said before giving him a small smile and heading off for your next class of the day. You knew that eventually the both for you were going to move on from this incident, but it was up to you to decide whether you wanted to do it together or separately. Even though he hurted you, it was impossible to give him up. You weren’t ready to lose him so easily. You knew that relationships had ups and downs but you never expected to come to such a low.

It was going to take a lot of hard work building that trust again, but you were ready to commit to that promise of working things out. If you were his sun, then he was your moon. Because even on the coldest and darkest nights, the soft glow of the moon high in the sky still gave hope for a better tomorrow.

[brokenstrangetown]

Reflections

This is less emotional than the decision to cease play in Drama Acres or to abandon the Genderswapped Uberhood after completing the Conquering Nose, but I wouldn’t have been playing and documenting had I not been attached to this neighborhood. So what will I miss most?

I have some couples I’m exceedingly fond of, which are unlikely to repeat in later iterations and even if they did, wouldn’t be the same. Vidcund/Monica and Lola/Gunnar in particular are huge ships that were so serendipitous that I can’t see attempting them again. Vidcund and Monica were a perfect storm of prickly responsibility takers and as for Lola and Gunnar - ! Gunnar all tenderness and repeatedly choosing to interact with her over her triple-bolt sister, obsessively work-driven, self-effacing Lola relaxing into pillowfights and talking about books - I heard them talking to each other as clearly as I ever used to hear Ernest and Sage Ann, and that’s the gold standard.

The two up-and-coming relationships I mourn the most are Anthea/Euclid and Kriemhild/Tycho. I love it when they pair themselves up. Quite apart from Euclid and Tycho being the children of my favorite, Vidcund, both these relationships had a lot of spontaneity and the self-propelling energy of couples made up of equally strong personalities that complement each other. Kriemhild would dominate most partners to the point of annihilation; but not Tycho, who was all set to be the guy who didn’t see all the girls hurling themselves at his head because his eyes were already full of the one for him. Anthea and Euclid have a more domestic potential, the domesticity of hard work and shared goals. He had a City Planner LTW; she was yet another Hand of Poseidon wannabe - what would Research Beach have ultimately become under their influence?

Good lord, Research Beach! It was a great idea and I really wanted to see it grow past the single apartment and two community lots, but such is life.

I had been looking forward to moving everyone into their new homes. Delilah was supposed to propose to Buck during the Singles round and then he would have moved into the smallest trailer in the Manufactured Homes and married her into it on Monday. Jill and Sharla wouldn’t have had many rounds to be roommates in before Gallagher and Gabriella graduated and moved in, but then they’d be waiting for Juan to graduate, at which time Sharla would abruptly be one person too many - but Isaiah would be graduated by then. Ripp, Ophelia, and Creon would move into the third trailer and start the second kid there. It would’ve been nice to see how that little community played out. I had some really cute houses set up for Kristen and Lyla (no General, no military housing!), David and Tank and Isherwood, Gavin and Tina and Gary, and the Love family to move into, but I’ll never play them now.

Kelly was supposed to move into the fourth apartment in Tech Center Flats; but would she and Meredith really have married, and would it have worked, with Kendall so  fixated on Meredith? I’ll never know, now. And would Elroy Holloway and Emily’s baby (Thomasina? Emil? Lee?) have had time to interact enough to be friends before they finally moved into single-family residences?

Would Will Wrightley, Creon Nigmos, and Pippin Williamson have made a posse? Would I have been able to play Creon and Pippin as nonbinary, as they were shaping up in my head? Would Mitchie and Edward have worked out? Would Jared ever have gotten that first kiss? What would Gary Newson and Moon Williamson and Elroy Holloway have looked like? What would Mary Gavigan’s third child and Eric and Marla’s and Emily’s firsts have been? Would I have really gone through with Nathan/Zoe and how would that have worked out? Would there ever have been fallout from Eve’s true parentage? How would the new teen cliques have formed up? Would Matthew ever have gotten his act together? Would Isaiah and Juan ever forgive each other for existing? Would the Non-Sleazy Game Shack ever have reached Level 1?

But there is no place to stop playing a sims neighborhood at which such questions do not remain. That’s the beauty of the game, isn’t it? Always some new thing to try, some storyline to resolve and three others to set up, births and deaths and birthdays and graduations and weddings counting down toward. Sooner or later, the player has to stop playing, but - like the best books - we can see how the story would proceed, how life goes on without us in some nebulous plane where the boy and his bear are still playing.

The End

[sxvxrxssnape]

minerva mcgonagall’s personal mission to make severus love christmas part 5

aka snolidays/snapemas day 11 and 12 (hot chocolate, baking) // pre-PS/the years between. minerva and severus friendship // content warning: panic attack and mentions of lily potter. i feel like this should be considered a snapetober entry oops. word count: 4287  @blog4snape

The night ended with more hot chocolate as the five stood together and watched a choreography of lights move above the pond, creating elves loading a sack full of gifts onto the outline of a waiting sleigh, watched it become glowing reindeer pulling it off the ground, rising in height and getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared and the light show began again. 

It felt like magic and he refused to believe none was involved. 

He fell asleep fully clothed that night, contentment and milk chocolate running through his veins as he begrudgingly made another mark on the imaginary scorecard. 

Minerva was definitely winning.

Saturday was spent finishing the potions for the infirmary, bottling and stoppering the dozens of phials, and methodically scrubbing the cauldrons clean as he read from a book hovering above the wash basin, the pages turning with a flick of his head. 

He dropped the potions off at the hospital wing, secretly pleased that Poppy was far too busy with a floo call to a student’s parents to bother giving him more than a thankful nod and a wave of her hand. He didn’t mind their conversations, but when three students were laid up sick on starched cots, Severus preferred to be as far away from the infestation as possible. 

He spent the night reading, a cup of tea in hand, the soft glow of candlelight nearby to illuminate the words of one of the books he had picked up from Diagon Alley. 

Sunday morning found him sprawled out on the couch in his living quarters, fully dressed once again, with the candles snuffed and the book astray, the teacup still nestled between a cushion and his thigh. 

He spent the day holed up in his office with a correcting quill, the stack of essays he kept putting off, and no less than four packets of crisps. It was dinnertime by the time he finished reading all the scrolls of parchment, his fingers cramping and eyes bleary. He had the beginning of a headache forming, but the grading was nearly caught up on. 

The remainder were short-answer questions, at least.

He wasn’t sure he could sit through another stack of eighteen inch essays for at least another month.

Perhaps two. 

The crisps had made him nauseous, so rather than attending dinner in the Great Hall, he flooed into the staff lounge and helped himself to his precious french press that had been left behind. As the coffee grounds soaked, he glanced around the room and took in the stockings.

There were some new additions.

There were his and Minerva’s - white, cable-knitted with fur trim, bearing their names embroidered in black thread - but also a bright blue with Filius’ initials, a pastel-pink made from crushed velvet with Pomona’s name spelled out in tiny yellow flowers, a black with silver snowflakes bearing Aurora’s family crest, and a neon orange war crime that could only belong to the headmaster. 

All of them had candy canes peeking out. 

There was a tree in the corner now - a tall, proud-looking noble fir - looking like an oversized houseplant when it was devoid of lights and decorations. He finished making his coffee and sat down at the round table, eyeing it carefully.

The rest of the castle was still surprisingly devoid of holiday decorations, but if this tree had already arrived, it was only a matter of time before the rest of it started creeping in. Soon enough, the place would look like a tinsel factory had exploded inside of it and the number of trees within the castle walls would put the Forbidden Forest to shame. 

He scowled at the thought. 

Later, he realized he had spoken too soon. 

Monday morning brought a fresh shower of snowflakes, a drop in temperature, and about thirty-six douglas firs into the Great Hall. These were already decked out with lights, ribbon, and colorful baubles. Some of the trees had clearly chosen sides, cheerily standing tall with the weight of red and gold ornaments, while others were laden with green and silver, blue and bronze, or gold and black. 

Garland clung to the old brick, neatly tied with red ribbon and perfect pinecones, spaced out above the portraits and high, arched windows. 

He didn’t want to think about the rest of the castle. 

There was white chocolate peppermint tea waiting for him at the staff table, so he conceded that not everything that morning was absolutely terrible. 

Tuesday was a bad potions day.

Not for him as a brewer, of course, but as a professor. 

By the time both his classes ended, eight different cauldrons had either melted, exploded, or absolutely disintegrated without a trace. He lost a full jar of moonstones because one student had decided to bring the entire fucking container to her table rather than count them out beforehand like he had advised, and it had taken all his self-control to stop himself from breaking down right in front of the class of sixth years. 

He had collected those moonstones himself, wandering the Forbidden Forest all fucking night, with only a lantern to light the way. They were supposed to last him at least another two months before he would need to venture out again - and the last time he had gone out, he’d nearly sprained his ankle on an upturned root and gotten a tree branch to the fucking face. 

Tuesday evening found him four drinks in, asking the house elves to please bring him some hot, salty chips from a local shop, and when the darling little elf returned with the newspaper cone, he babbled stupidly for two solid minutes from gratitude alone. 

Wednesday was a headache, a blur of back-to-back classes, a lot of frustrated yelling at completely inept students, a full pot of that wonderful white chocolate peppermint tea, and a sudden decision to not assign any more homework for the rest of the year.

Not because the awful little slimeballs deserved a break, but because he did. 

The elves made mushroom and wild rice soup for dinner, alongside everything else they always made, and Severus took more comfort than usual in the hot meal. 

Wednesday night was his turn to patrol the castle, so he stayed up half the night wandering the empty corridors. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he entered the Astronomy Tower, groaning as he realized Aurora was still there, carefully packing away her supplies post-lesson. 

“Oh, don’t act like you aren’t glad to see me.”

“Believe me when I say I’m not.” Severus returned, stepping to the edge and looking over the grounds. Most of it was cloaked by shadows, but the silver light from the moon was still enough to softly make out the silhouettes of the greenhouses and Hagrid’s little hut. “What, no comment on how I’m out past my bedtime?”

Aurora laughed, putting a bronze telescope back into its case and fiddling with the straps. “Not this time, no.” She glanced up at him and warned: “But don’t you ever make me miss out on family dinner again or you will regret it.” 

Thursday morning he slept in. 

He barely had enough time to pull on his teaching robes and run fingers through his hair before he had to hightail it to his classroom, frazzled and out of breath. He hadn’t had time to prepare the chalkboard the day before, and was quickly writing out the recipe in his messy scrawl, when the seventh years started filtering in.

“Alright, you’re going to need number three pewter cauldrons today,” he called out over his shoulder, finishing the last line of script. “Fill them with two liters of room temperature water and put your burners on low. Today we’re going to be brewing a more complex -”

“Professor?” 

He scowled at the interruption. “What is it, Mr. Greenwood.” 

“I think your robe might be inside out.”

He blinked and tried not to let his face flush with embarrassment. “Thank you, now as I was saying -” he continued awkwardly, shrugging out of his robe and flipping the sleeves inside out. 

“Your shirt buttons are fucked up too.” 

“Language!” he scolded, swallowing down the sharp coil of emotion building at the back of his throat. “And do not speak to me like that.”

“Hey, you’re the one walking in here, unprepared, with your clothes all fucked.” Greenwood muttered. “Just what were you up to before class, sir?” he grinned, his comment eliciting a few chuckles.

“Detention, Greenwood.”

“Now, wait a second!” the boy faltered.

“Do you wish to make it two?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave as he raised an eyebrow in questioning contempt. “Because we can surely arrange that.”

“No, sir.”

“Good.”

He finished the lesson on autopilot, quickly fixing the buttons on his shirt in the supply closet, fingers shaking nervously as he muttered angrily to himself. He shrugged back into his robes, double-checking they weren’t inside out again, and downed a calming draught on a whim - the shiny light blue bottle catching his eye from its place on the shelf - before returning to his desk. 

He made sure to scowl at each of them in turn and surprisingly enough, not another student made an unwarranted comment about his appearance, his teaching, or even each other. It kept him from reaching for another calming draught when he felt its effects lifting. 

Friday found him having a panic attack.

Then again, if no one opened the door to the broom closet he had squandered in, if no one came face-to-face with his crouched down, fingers tangled in his hair, not-quite-yet-out-of-breath, full body trembling self, could anyone really prove he was having an anxiety attack?

He’d barely made it through his second class and had dismissed the second years twenty minutes early, sans homework - and oh, Merlin, they were going to think he'd gone soft - before attempting to return to his personal quarters.

It didn’t quite work out as planned. 

His knees had felt shaky and he’d felt as if something were gripping at his throat, pressing down on his lungs, and he had to sit down and ground himself before he had a full-on breakdown in the middle of the corridor. He’d found himself stumbling, as he hid behind the closest doorway, the tidal wave of unchecked emotions too much.

His resolve was breaking.

He tried to focus on his Occlumency shields, tried to push back the unfiltered pain and fear he refused to think about - could not think about - because if he did, he was afraid he would never be able to function again. He was afraid he would break.

The dam was already broken though and now, now the rest of it felt inevitable. 

Now he was simply gasping for breath, tears welling in his eyes that he refused to let fall, sitting on the floor of a dusty broom closet, bathed in the dull yellow light that flared whenever it sensed movement, like some sort of spotlight - a beacon honing in on him, existing solely to put his downfall on display. 

Far too many thoughts were flitting around his head, crashing into each other and making it difficult to tell them apart, to pinpoint just what had been the trigger, the reason behind his weakness - because surely, that’s what this was right now: weakness.

Footsteps sounded in the corridor and he tried his best to muffle his ragged gasps, hand curled into a fist and pressed into his mouth, teeth sinking into the pale flesh, threatening to break through from the force he was using, so desperate he was to not make a sound. 

It didn’t work.

The footsteps paused, their owner faltering. 

Voices were speaking from the other side, hushed and mumbled, and with another stroke of panic, Severus realized they belonged to more than one. Students, most likely, and he curled tighter into himself, vehemently wishing for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. 

“Are you okay?” a hesitant voice traveled through the aged wood. 

He didn’t answer, but he figured his breaths were answer enough.

“Are you having a panic attack?” a different voice called out, sounding just as unsure as the first. “It sounds like you’re really struggling.”

“Do you need help?”

“They probably can’t answer, dummy.” a third voice spoke up, but this one wasn’t addressing him. They were all familiar, but his brain wasn’t letting him process anything to fruition. “Hey, if you can hear us knock on the door.”

He considered ignoring them, but in the end he knocked.

“Good!” the first voice praised. “Alright, knock if we were right about the panic attack.”

Again, he knocked. 

“Do you want help?” the second student asked. “I’ve helped my share of students through these.” He suddenly recognized Casper Jenkin’s voice, one of his seventh year Slytherin prefects. 

He groaned; as if this situation could get any worse. 

“I’m gonna take that as a no.” Oliver Greenwood’s voice muttered, so apparently yes, it could get worse. He was stumbled upon by his own snakes - and his disrespecting seventh years, at that. 

“Do you want us to get someone?” Allison Bone, the original speaker, questioned. “Madam Pomfrey or your Head of House? If you’re all the way down here, you’re probably a Slytherin, huh?”

He choked out a laugh at that. 

“Laughing!” Bone approved. “Laughing is good! That means you’re getting control of your breathing. The worst part of it is over now.” 

“I’m going to open the door, okay?” Jenkin told him, and the doorknob started turning. “It’s probably pretty cramped in there - definitely won’t help.”

“Don’t!” he let out, just as the door opened and he found himself blinking up at his snakes, the three of them blinking down at him, equally dumbfounded, and he wanted to scream at whatever joke of a higher being had shifted the cards enough to lead him here. 

“Oh!”

“Professor Snape?!”

He lifted a shaky hand to his face, brushing back disheveled locks of hair. “Get out.” he whispered, low and angry, not caring about the semantics that it technically didn’t apply. 

“Are you sure you don’t need -” Bone started, then faltered at the growing expression on his face. “Right, we’re leaving.” 

Greenwood eyed him a second longer than his companions, but rather than the teasing glint he usually held whenever addressing him in class, he wore something softer. “Sorry.” he mouthed, genuine concern flickering for a brief moment before he also left. 

He put his head in his hands and started laughing, softly at first, but when it became an ugly sob, he fought to regain his composure, nails digging into his scalp. 

He managed a deep breath, wiped his face on the sleeve of his robe, and hurried to his personal quarters. He was moving on autopilot now, slipping out of his teaching robes and into a jumper, grabbing a bit of floo powder and calling out a quiet, “may I come through?” when the flames turned a brilliant green. 

He stepped into Minerva’s quarters, bypassing her concerned look and collapsed onto the old couch, pointedly ignoring her as he stared at the vaulted ceiling. 

“Severus?”

“Panic attack.” he mumbled.

He remained silent after that, listening to the rustling of parchment and paper, the soft scribbling of a quill nib making its way across the page. For a few minutes, that was the only sound, until suddenly Minerva stood up and opened up the floo. Hushed voices followed, then silence, and he finally sat up when he heard the distinct pop of a house elf apparating into the room. 

Dorset, one of the school elves most identifiable by his height, was balancing a tray on one hand and a heavy-looking box on the other. He placed both on the kitchen table, nodded at the two, and apparated away.

“What’s this?” Severus asked, his voice gravelly and tired, as he stood up and approached the table. 

The box was filled with an assortment of items - butter, eggs, icing sugar, flour, and the like. He could see a bag full of dirigible plums sitting right on top and he smiled despite himself. The tray was holding two ceramic mugs, their contents hidden by the mountain of whipped cream and cinnamon they were topped with. 

“Sit down with me.” Minerva said simply, picking up the tray and bringing it to the couch. She sat down at one end, placing the cups on the coffee table, and waited. When he sat down, facing her, she handed him a warm mug. “I asked for hot chocolate.” she told him, eyeing him carefully. “Specifically the gingerbread one we had last week.”

“I liked that one.” Severus mumbled, staring down at his cup.

“I know.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, sipping on their hot chocolate, and Severus could feel his anxiety slowly ebb away as it was replaced by warm comfort. 

“You look awful.” she finally spoke up.

He smiled ruefully, but it felt more like a grimace. “I appreciate the honesty.”

“Have you noticed, how every time you experience feelings of distress, someone always tends to interrupt before we can talk?” she asked, watching him. “I think we’ve been putting it off long enough, don’t you think?”

“No.”

“We never got to talk about Yaxley.”

“We didn’t need to.”

“We also never finished our conversation about how you ask for my company whenever you venture out of the castle.”

Severus gripped his mug tightly. “You said enough.”

“You still flinch when people touch you.”

“Can you blame me?”

Minerva paused, studying him in a way that left him feeling exposed. “They’re all connected.”

He kept silent.

Her next words were unexpected. “What about Lily?”

“What about her?” he growled out, anger taking hold and manifesting into shaking hands. He swallowed down the bile he could feel rising, the taste of milk and chocolate suddenly acrid on his tongue.

“You never talk about her.”

“That’s because I don’t have anything to say about her!” Severus finally yelled, nearly dropping his mug. He set it on the coffee table and balled his hands into fists, refusing to break eye contact with the professor before him. “Lily died four years ago, but she stopped being my friend long before that! Do you want to talk about the guilt I carry, knowing it was my fault she died? Because no amount of talking, nothing I do will ever be enough to make up for the fact that I killed my best friend! And I hate myself for that, but Merlin, do I hate her too.”

“Do you?”

“Yes!” he burst out, the words he could never dare himself to say aloud now slipping off his tongue without trouble. “She was my best friend and then she sided with them, with him, after what he did to me! And that’s when I knew she was never really my friend! She saw what he - what he did,” he was starting to gasp for air again, “and she still, she - he -” 

He focused on steadying his breathing, arms wrapped around his torso. 

“I don’t.” Severus finally amended, in such a soft voice he wasn’t sure it even carried. “I want to hate her so much - and I am so angry at her, angrier than I’ve ever been at anyone - but I don’t hate her. I can’t. Maybe I wasn’t her friend, in the end, but I know she was mine. I lost so many people in the war, but she’s the one who hurts the most, so no, I don’t want to talk about Lily.”

Minerva hummed. “You sort of already did.”

He scowled.

“Drink your hot chocolate before it gets cold.”

Some of his anger fizzled out as he finished the drink. When they were done, Minerva stood up and started pulling out the contents of the box, lining them up on the counter. He joined her, watching as she leafed through a cookbook he hadn’t noticed. 

“We’re going to do some holiday baking now.”

“Are we?”

“If you’re not going to talk to me about what led to all this,” she gestured in his general direction, “then we’re going to bake some things for the staff party tomorrow.”

He nodded, sighing. “Where do you want me?”

They spent a few minutes in stilted silence, as he washed the bag of dirigible plums and cooked them down into a sauce, stirring in ground cardamom and honey. Meanwhile, Minerva whisked double cream and cornstarch with vanilla sugar and salt, the pot resting over low flames. He added the plum sauce and smiled as it came together and turned into the warm orange color he remembered. 

“What next?” he inquired, after the thickened mix had been poured into a mold and tucked away in the cold cupboard. 

“Biscuits?”

The sugar dough came together easily enough, pale yellow and perfectly smooth, and as they sprinkled flour over the table to roll it out, Severus started fiddling with the holiday cutters. 

“I can hear you thinking.” Minerva spoke up a few minutes later, dusting her hands off on a clean towel. She reached for a tree-shaped cutter and started pressing it into the dough. “Are you ready to talk now?”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Sure you don’t.”

They finished cutting out all their shapes, moved their biscuits into the oven, and cleaned off the kitchen table. Minerva was opening small jars of sprinkles while Severus whisked together icing sugar and egg whites. He focused on dividing the royal icing into small bowls, adding droplets of colored dye and stirring carefully as if they were a temperamental potion, when he finally broached the earlier subject: “They are all connected.”

“Pardon?”

He didn’t look up, merely repeated himself. “They’re all connected.”

Minerva pulled the baking tray out of the oven and cast a cooling charm before bringing the perfectly baked biscuits to the table. Severus picked one up and absentmindedly broke it into pieces. He shared it with Min and picked up another biscuit, carefully dipping this one into the bowl of red icing and shaking off the excess. 

He reached for the star sprinkles. “I try not to think about any of it.”

“You’ll have to, eventually.”

He thought about the broom closet. “I know.”

Minerva dipped a star biscuit into the bowl of yellow icing and handed it over to Severus, who immediately covered it with three different colors of sprinkles. They worked in tandem for a few minutes, dipping and sprinkling all their biscuits, and eventually a spoon was introduced to their project and Severus found himself drizzling thin stripes across some of them.

“I’m giving this one a Dreadful.” Minerva decided, picking up what was supposed to be an ornament, originally dipped in white icing, but then covered with uneven globs of blue. 

“Fair enough.” Severus shrugged, levitating the dirty dishes and moving them to the wash basin, spelling the water on. He picked up a candy cane-shape that had been rolled in yellow and violet sprinkles and then drizzled with green. “This one, however, is deserving of a Troll.”

Minerva spelled the dishes to wash themselves and then raised an eyebrow at him. “Severus, you decorated that one.”

“I’m aware.”

The yule log cake was a little more time consuming to make. He sat down at the table and watched Minerva separate eggs and whisk the whites with sugar until it foamed.

“It would be faster if you spelled the whisk.” Severus offered.

“We tried that once.” Minerva laughed, not slowing down. “It worked great at first, but all of a sudden, the whisk was flinging meringue all over the room.”

“How delightful.”

Meringue was light and shiny and the brightest white he could imagine. Min filled a piping bag with the foam and showed him how to pipe little mushroom tops on the baking paper. When he took the bag from her, he was surprised to find it bore no weight.

“Do you not know how to hold a piping bag?”

“Evidently not.” he grumbled, looking at his hand and the fluff of meringue that had spilled out of the bag and over his hand. 

“You’re supposed to hold the end closed, you numpty.”

“Numpty?” Severus muttered under his breath.

“Elphinstone always did the same thing.” Minerva shook her head, fixing the bag and finishing the job. “No matter how many times I corrected him, that man couldn’t hold it right. Always went off about how he’s the ministry liaison for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Min, I don’t need piping meringue mushrooms in my skill set.” She took in a shaky breath and set down the bag. “See? Perfect.”

“Min-”

“Don’t just stand there, Severus.” she scolded, thrusting the cookbook in his hands. “Get to work measuring the dry ingredients. You can make the cake while I make the frostings.” 

He started sifting flour and cocoa powder. “It’s okay to miss him, you know.”

“Of course I know that.” she humphed, putting the tray in the oven and spelling the dishes clean. She unwrapped a stick of butter and stared at him. “Do you know that?”

“Minerva, I only met your husband twice.” he deadpanned.

She flicked a bit of icing sugar at him. “Don’t be smart with me. I’m not the one repressing all my emotions and pretending they don’t exist until I can’t stave off the impending panic attack and end up crashing in my colleague's quarters because of it.” 

“Fine, you win this one.” he muttered. “You are the pinnacle of mental health, professor.” 

“Excellent.” Minerva grinned, but her smile seemed a little bitter. “Does this mean you’re going to talk to me now?”

“No.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Numpty.” she repeated. 

---- a/n: i was in the mood for angst tm also the ending feels a little rushed but it is 3am rip. im not gonna finish this series by christmas but my goal is new years. time exists in a vacuum anyway and is not real. ps. let me know what you think pls!! it gives me all the seratonin

[panlight]

How would the story have been effected if vampires were given more human-like characteristics? Like if vampires could cry (whether they're real tears or just venom), or if they could sleep for a short period of time every now and again? Bella was so caught up in the mysticism and fantasy aspect, so would she still want that "forever after" if the only difference between being human and being a vampire was the immortality?

I think the immortality was the major draw for her. She really had a problem with the idea of aging more than dying.  She’s willing to put herself in potentially deadly positions quite often, usually in a self-sacrificing way, to help someone else (even when uh there might be a better way to do it than sacrificing yourself but it’s the thought that counts??). So it doesn’t seem like she necessarily afraid of death but she repeatedly worries about getting old. “Am I the only one who has to get old?! Where’s the justice?” Being frozen forever at 18/19 seems to really appeal to her, and I think it would still even if she had to still do human things like sleep and cry, and even if she wasn’t made supernaturally beautiful. Eternal youth is the main draw (other than eternal Edward) imo. 

Maybe vampires would be, as a group, more emotionally healthy if they could sleep and cry? The idea of being in a bad mental place and not even being able to shut it off for a few hours to sleep or take a nap is pretty horrific to me. Edward in New Moon can’t just curl up into a ball and cry himself to sleep. Newborn Carlisle had to face his predicament without respite and try to starve himself by being entirely conscious and alert the whole time. Esme couldn’t cry over her baby.  No sleep sounds awful to me but I’ve seen SM refer to it as one of the perks she would personally like, because she could get so much more done. I guess it comes from “mom of three boys trying to write YA novels after they go to bed” but still, yikes, I want my sleep!! And crying can be healing and cathartic, so I can sort of understand how vampires are driven to extreme acts of grief and/or revenge since they are denied that outlet. 

This is going to be a long tangent, but for me the blood-drinking was always a big deal. That’s the #1 reason I’d balk at becoming a vampire. I mean I suppose as a vampire you’d get used to it, but Bella just . . . didn’t seem bothered by that requirement at all and for me it’s so . . . gross, but in a sort of deliciously grotesque and horrible way? Like imagining perky little Alice or gracious Esme drinking blood is horrific but also kind of sad? For all the pristine perfection the Cullens try to put on with their designer clothes and fancy cars and giant mansions at the end of the day they’re forced by their nature to go out in the woods and kill things with their teeth and guzzle blood. 

And aside from the horror aspect the idea of only being able to eat/drink one thing forever sounds super boring! There are foods I STILL avoid because I had them too often as a kid and got sick of them (one summer I swear all my mom made us for lunch was tuna sandwiches. And growing up we’d usually have like, spaghetti on Monday, and then use the leftovers for meatball subs on Tuesday, and any remaining sauce for some other pasta + marinara dish on Wednesday). So the idea of drinking only blood forever is like, tuna every day or spaghetti every day. It’s not that I didn’t/don’t like those foods, I just got tired of them. But there are no other options for vampires? I mean I guess there is some distinction between types of blood if Emmett prefers bears and Edward prefers mountain lions but how big of a difference is it? Is the difference between having Italian food or Thai food, or is the degree of difference like Coke vs Pepsi vs store-brand cola? Logically to me it seems more like the “it’s all cola but you have your favorite brand” and I love cola but I’d get sick of it fast if it’s all I could ever eat/drink. 

[worldwidebt7]

Hell(L)ing || 01

§ — Pairing: Chimera!Taehyung x Empath!Reader (with mentions of Reader x Other Members)

§ — Genre: SciFi AU, fluff, angst, smut, horror

§ — Wordcount: 3,160

§ — Rating: M

§ — Warnings: Seokjin’s ego...? This chapter is as clean as Jungkookie’s vocals.

§ — A/N: So, this was originally supposed to be for @bang-tan-bitches​ “Monster Mash Challenge,” but I’ve clearly failed to make deadline for that… There’s just so much more to this story than I had originally anticipated, I even decided to make it multi-chapter! I’ve been in such a writing mood the last couple of weeks. I got like this last year too around this time, which is how this blog even got started. I know you guys are waiting on the next chapter of “Black or White,” but I’ve got a couple commissions I need to get out and I really need to get some of this writing itch out of my system. I know I’m not the best writer, but I hope you enjoy it none-the-less! The first couple of chapters are kind of slow, but I’m trying to build suspense, so bear with me!

Summary: You moved out into the wilderness to live a calm, peaceful life. Your abilities made it impossible to live in crowded places, so even if you wanted to you couldn’t return. But when something happens outside the realm of even your normalcy, you start to think that maybe having everyone else’s emotions bearing down on you isn’t such a bad alternative to being trapped with your own.

The lake house was your sanctuary.

The little house stood within walking distance of the largest lake near your city, and while it was a man-made lake, nothing about the surrounding woodlands was artificial in anyway. Tall trees and greenery stretched as far as the eye could see to the south, east, and west of your home. The north, however, was reserved for the brilliant view of the lake.

From the large wall of windows in your modest A-frame style cottage, each morning you watched the sun flood light over the waters from the east, warming you as you sat in your plush, circular lounge chair with your morning coffee. Each night, the moon sprinkled diamonds across its surface, sending you to sleep with stars in your dreams. Yes, this place was ideal for you in every way— quiet, surrounded by the calm of nature, and, most importantly, secluded. You couldn’t be near people, not because you particularly disliked others of your species, but because it physically hurt you to be among them in large throngs. Some would ask why; why push others away, why live by yourself in the middle of the woods?

It was because you were an empath; a decidedly difficult thing to live with from your experience.

It hadn’t always been as unbearable as it has in your recent years— when you were younger you embraced your gift, loved it even. You enjoyed how special it made you feel and you wanted to share it with others. So much so, that you graduated college and opened up what some would call a ‘spiritual business.’ And, at first, it was wonderful. You were able to help and entertain people with something that came so naturally to you, and many sought you out almost like a therapist. Of course, you were far more successful giving them insights to themselves, as you could read their emotions as clearly as watching television.

Well, of course it wasn’t as simple as that— it was more like feeling an electrical current through your body that was connected to a person’s emotions, and each emotion was laced with a color that would flash across your eyes like pulse. It was honing in on other’s emotions that caused you to shut yourself away as you did. The more you did it, the stronger your gift had become and the more in tune you became with others’ emotional states. When you first began, you would have to hug a person or hold their hand in order to access your ability. Soon, anyone within close vicinity of you was enough to get a read on them.

Now, it was anyone within nearly a 500-foot radius of you would bombard you with their happiness, sorrow, anger, and affection. You had tried your best to manage it— only taking a handful of appointments a day and heading straight home when they were complete. You no longer visited your favorite cafes, went to see a film in theaters, and it had become impossible for you to even go grocery shopping. It was at this revelation, and one too many nights suffering through the spikes of passion during your neighbors’ love-making sessions, that you were forced to move out of the city and into the wilderness.

And, finally, with some peace, you were able to live semi-normally. You missed people, more often than not as it seemed, but you have come to terms with your life. You were no longer using your abilities to do readings or holding technically unlicensed therapy sessions, and instead had somehow picked up writing. You were told that the way you described human emotion was ‘far beyond what a singular-introspect should be able to accomplish’ and you supposed it was because of your once adored gift. And while you were content living in solitude, you relished in the days when you had visitors.

It may not be frequent, but you still had friends that came to visit with you, as well as your editor and a cute delivery guy who brings you your groceries every two weeks. The grocery boy, Jungkook, who’s name you finally managed to pull out of him after three months of seeing his round nervous eyes in awkward silence, was the person you saw most often. At first, you thought it was sad, seeing as he didn’t talk to you at all besides a quick “thank you, have a good day” at the end of his visits before scurrying away, making the only person you saw on a regular basis someone you didn’t even talk to, not that you didn’t try. You could tell he was nervous, uncomfortable around strangers, but there was something else more pungent beneath that kept him wary— fear.

Once he had become comfortable enough to talk to you, he had confided that there were quite a few rumors spreading around about you— the most prominent being that you were a witch. You laughed, though it was not totally far from the truth. He seemed a bit unnerved by your laughter, so you smiled at him and told him that you had once owned a spiritual business and, for the first time in months, offered to give him a reading. He accepted, suddenly less afraid and more curious of you, and the two of you have been friends ever since.

You weren’t supposed to see Jungkook for another week or so, his deliveries come on every first and third Friday of the month, and you normally impatiently wait for his company until then, however, this coming Monday, you were to see your editor, Kim Namjoon, who works for Big Hit Publishing. He was an excellent writer himself, but that never caused any imposition of his own style onto his clients’, which you appreciated greatly.

Now, as you had said before, you were supposed to be getting a visit from Namjoon on Monday, and today was currently Wednesday, so imagine your surprise when a series of emotions enter your senses just after midday, signaling the approach of another human being approaching your door. Brows furrowed, you pluck yourself out of your plush chair and set down the book you were currently engrossed in. You were expecting to have a relaxing, empty day today, but the universe seems to have other plans for you.

The first waves you pick up are timid and non-threatening, so you assumed they were a friendly stranger in need of something. You stood by the door and waited your guest to knock, as you had learned that it was quite abnormal to open the door for someone before they announced themselves. When the rapping at the door finally came, you still postponed opening the door for a beat to make it appear as if you had walked away from whatever you were doing.

Taking a deep breath to steel yourself, you opened the door, coming face-to-face with a tall stranger with plush lips and broad shoulders. You blinked, giving him a once-over. Long legs, toned, from what you could see. A slim, yet sturdy middle that branched out to his wide shoulders which were the perfect podium for the long neck that lead to his perfect face. Dark eyes, straight nose, and, oddly, appealing purple hair. Why purple? You wonder to yourself, but before you can delve any further into that thought a charming smile spreads across his lips.

“Hello!” He chirps in a light tone. You return the greeting, finally broken from the stupor the attractive man had put you in. “I’m Kim Seokjin! I just moved into a house just a-ways up the lake.” He introduced himself as he held out his hand for you to shake. You looked at it warily for a moment before taking it lightly. You have to stop yourself from flinching as another wave of electric emotions filled your senses. Nervousness— from meeting someone new? Fear— perhaps he has heard the rumors about you. And something else… something you don’t have much experience with, so you can’t pinpoint what it is. Over all, nothing too peculiar about this man besides his hair color.

“Y/N,” you managed after you pushed through his sensation of your powers. Seokjin nodded at you as if confirming that he’s learned your name and released your hand, slipping his own into the pocket of his trousers. You shifted a bit, your own discomfort becoming apparent. You weren’t used to dealing with people anymore, let alone strangers. It’s been just over a year since you separated yourself from society, so your social skills were rather impaired now.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” He said cheerfully, and you felt his nervousness fade fractionally. “I just wanted to come meet the only neighbor I have for miles and offer my services!” You gave him an incredulous look, but his enthusiasm didn’t waiver.

“Your services?” You couldn’t help the playful hint that leaked its way into your voice. The man was rather… boisterous, to put it kindly, and he had an air of confidence around him that made you believe he knew how good-looking he was.

“Yes!” He chirped, pulling his hand out of his pocket and holding a small business card out to you. “If you ever need anything, just give me a call!” He grinned down at you and you returned with a pleasant smile, taking the card from him carefully to avoid brushing his fingers with yours. “After all, it’s not often you’ll get a neighbor as attractive as me!” At that, your smile fell and you blinked at him once more with wide eyes. His laughter filled your ears, obviously amused with himself and your reaction, and you couldn’t help the awkward chuckle that escaped you too. How were you supposed to respond to that?

“Uh, yes, well… thank you, Mr. Kim.” You held up his card, forcing a smile his way. You had no idea how to deal with such a man— he wasn’t like anyone you’ve met before. Your friends were confident, yes, but this guys just set a new standard.

“Seokjin, or Jin, please,” he corrected. “Mr. Kim is my father. Or that crazy old guy who’s constantly yelling at youths about laziness and too much PDA. Ah, no, that’s still my father….” At that you gave a sincere chuckle. Giant Narcissistic complex aside, he seemed like a relatively good guy, and with your constant loneliness perhaps it was time you became friendly with one neighbor. It doesn’t hurt that he is, unfortunately, as good looking as he implies. You fiddled with the card in your fingers.

“Seokjin, then,” You looked at the floor shyly. “Thank you.” His grin widens and he nods, putting his hand back in his pocket.

“Of course!” He tilted his head to look around your form and into your home and gave a low whistle. “Nice place! You should invite me over to dinner sometime!” Ah, that ego again. Of course, you could only be so ‘honored’ to have someone as good-looking as him come to your place for dinner. Seokjin’s personality has seemed to break through your walls as you snort at his comment.

“It’s rather impolite to invite yourself to dinner. Maybe I’ll just show up at your place next time,” you joked, giggling a bit, when the air around you turned sour. Panic— panic— panic— he was panicking. Why? It was so strong; why was he panicked? Oh, god it was everywhere, it was suffocating. But as you looked at his face, it was as calm and charming as ever, a kind smile still gracing his pillow-y lips.

“Spare me the embarrassment, please— you wouldn’t believe it with how put-together and beautiful I am, but my home is an absolute disaster!” He laughed, and it was such a stark difference from the emotions radiating off of him that it made your head spin. You schooled your expression though, making it seem as if nothing was off.

“A-ah, I see,” You cleared your throat, trying to extinguish the panic he was pouring into you. “Well, then, if I ever make too much food…” You trailed off slightly, causing him to hum.

“Give me a call! I’ll be happy to eat whatever you have extra!” He took that moment to smoothly end the conversation. “Well, I should head home! Maybe try to get my house into presentable condition.” Seokjin gave a light chuckle before stepped back away from your door and began backtracking. “It was nice to meet you Miss Y/N!” He waved, and you strained a smile before returning the gesture with a small wave of your own.

“You as well, Seokjin,” And with that, he turned on his heel and headed down your driveway to where you finally noticed his sporty little white Hyundai is parked. You watched him get into his vehicle and begin backing out of your dirt driveway before you closed your front door and leaned against it, breathing in your first lungful of unencumbered air now that Seokjin is driving away and taking his heavy emotions with him.

What was that? The moment you suggested visiting his home he put off wave after wave of terror. Was he uncomfortable with people entering his home? No, even if it were a mess, there’s no reason to get that worked up about visitors. Especially since it didn’t seem like he had anxiety. No, it seemed more like… like he had something to hide?

Ah.

You pushed away from your door and made your way back to your chair overlooking the lake, more focused now with your clarity. That ‘something else’ that you hadn’t been able to identify earlier when you first saw him standing in front of your house.

It was deception.

The next two days pass without incident. Seokjin had not stopped by again, nor did you attempt to contact him. After your first meeting, you figured rushing to get to know him may not be in your best interests considering the electric negative emotions he had bombarded you with. Panic, fear, anxiety— all leading to the revelation that he was hiding something from you. Still, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

This was one of the rare times where you were getting two very different readings and felt as if you couldn’t completely rely on your gift. Usually you were able to weed people out easily— both a blessing and a curse— which is why you only have a handful of people you actually trusted. This one, however, was quite confusing…

“Kim Seokjin…” You muttered to yourself, tapping your pen against your notepad. You had been trying to jot down notes for the next book you were planning, but all you could think about was Kim-fucking-Seokjin.

You groaned and tossed your pen onto the kitchen table. You had decided to work there today since you couldn’t seem to get anything done in your office yesterday, but as it turns out it wasn’t the setting that was bothering you, but your mind. Of all the times to have writers block, it had to be now— the weekend before your meeting with Namjoon to discuss the proposal for your next book. You had just about everything you needed, except how to start it. Endings were always your strength; your novels always started with the ending and you worked your story backwards. Beginnings were always slow and uneventful; they were so tedious to get through with character introductions and setting descriptions. Ugh. Torture.

With a huff, you gave up, pushing away from the table and standing up. Your gaze drifted over to the lake; maybe some time out of the house would help clear your head. Taking your socks off before you can have second thoughts, you tread to the glass door leading out to your backyard. You quickly make your way across your patio and on to the lush green lawn, the blades of grass tickling your feet as you strolled down, down, further down until the grass ended and sand began. Your stride didn’t stop until your toes touched the cool water and you bend over to roll the sweatpants you’re wearing up to your knees in order to take a further step into the lake.

A relieved sigh slipped through your lips as you tilted your face towards the sky and let the warm breeze caress your troubled body while you thought. You hadn’t had an issue with reading someone like you were having with Seokjin in quite some time, and it was bothering you more than a little bit. Your instincts were telling you that he was good: kind, silly, and a little [read: a fuckton] egotistical. But your readings… they were throwing you off entirely. Your gut or your abilities— which one do you rely on in this situation?

Splashing in the water to your right breaks through your thoughts and you whip your head around to see what it is. At first, you didn’t see anything; the splashing sounded a bit further away from your current location, but the serene quiet that lays over the lake like a delicate shroud allows sound to travel. You focused, straining your eyes to try and pick out any detail that doesn’t belong to the scenery, until a small figure appears in the distance.

‘It’s… a boy?’ Curious. Seokjin said he moved in just up the lake, but, to you, this doesn’t look like your new neighbor. To start, this man had dark hair, and while Seokjin’s purple hair wasn’t particularly bright, you’d still be able to differentiate the splash of color against the natural scenery. Another thing was he was staring right at you, and yet made no move to greet you in any way. You shifted under his stare— it was unnerving to say the least, and it didn’t help that he was far enough away that your empath capabilities couldn’t pick up on his intentions.

So, deciding to end the uncomfortable stare-down, you lifted a hand to wave at him silently. The boy did nothing in return; in fact, if you had to guess, he hadn’t even blinked either. You slowly retracted your hand and began chewing on your bottom lip as another revelation hit you. Seokjin didn’t mention anything about a roommate, and everything on this stretch of lakeside property was private property. You certainly hadn’t seen him before, and so begs the question: who is this man and where did he come from?

Suddenly, the man’s attention was caught by something else, his head snapping towards the trees. For a moment, he did nothing else as you continued to scrutinize his every move. However, he only looked at you once more before turning fully to the trees and striding quickly into them with purpose. You stared in unrestricted wonder at the spot he had just been standing, before turning and walking back inside your house, locking all of your doors for safe measure.

[harmonytre]

Comic Plans

Current Projects:

Prismtale (Mondays): An Undertale AU involving NPCs and multiverse travelling. Multi-chapter comic and ongoing.

Mistbreak (Tuesdays): A Steven Universe AU with about 5 pages left of the comic. Then it will become an ask/drabble/design blog.

Flicker of a Neon Soul (Wednesdays): An Undertale AU where monsters have colored soul traits and humans have white soul traits. 10+ chaptered comic with many plans and plot.

Taffy and Steven (Thursdays): A Steven Universe where Steven and his gem are split into different people and Taffy is a wholesome boyo. One page left of the comic, then will become an ask/edit blog with occasional comics.

Future Fandom Projects:

Pokemon Nuzlocke Comics: Multiple regions and an overarching plot. I need to finish playing and writing the first arc before starting the comic. (long term)

Who I Am: A Pokemon comic where James from Team Rocket is a were-pokemon. I need to rewrite it first. About 7 to 8 chapters. (medium length)

Other Undertale AUs: Certain AUs will be revealed in Prismtale and turn into side blogs, and others will be one time comics. (varies)

Future Original Projects:

(One of these I want to make extremely interactive. Like the audience makes choices for the characters.)

Phantulfurs: A comic about teens with powers to see creatures no one else can. I’ve rewritten the first chapter multiple times, but I need to really write it out before starting the comic. About ten arcs. (long term)

Skryculars: A sequel to the above story. (medium length)

The Journeyers: A multi-book series with my cousin. About ten books. Involves animals, powers, and romance. Won’t give information beyond that. (long term)

Unnamed Animated Series: Still need to design the two main characters, but they’ll travel through many worlds from my dream world. (long term youtube series)

Unnamed Wings Story: Decided many many characters for a high school story with wings. Lots of diversity and LGBTQ. Problem is I don’t like writing high school stories and have no plot. ;^; (medium? short?)

Unnamed Long Term Comic: A story about a space girl with wings, a nonbinary person that can shapeshift and communicate with animals, twins with water and plant powers, and an angsty wholesome skeleton bean. No plot yet. (long term)

Short Term (below the cut, any catch your interest?)

(keep in mind many of these I wrote the descriptions for years ago or based off of dreams.)

“Orphan Dog” and “Martha’s Pack” An orphan finds out she can talk to dogs and realizes they are the key to finding her missing parents. (Wrote when I was 8, rewrote partially when I was 13. So very cheezy. Would be even cheezier if I didn’t rewrite it, but still drew quality serious art XD.)

“The Agency” A girl named Jill has secrets. Major secrets. For one, she can turn into any animal at will including extinct, Fantasy, or hybrids. Don’t forget that she can also turn invisible and do telepathy. (Not to mention she runs an entire secret animal spy community…) When her best friend and spy ally, Izabella the opossum, goes missing, she must find what it means to be a true friend and showing that it’s what’s inside that counts. (Actually liked this one too. Even if it’s also cheezy.)

1. “Moos” A boy is adopted by cows and is granted the power to understand animals and turn into a cow.

2. “Moos: Vile Meat” Hoover is back and he must defeat the evil Haystack, a human entrapping calfs in little domes for eternity.

3. “Moos: Cold Cuts” Hoover finds a new ally, one who creates...snow?

4. “Moos: Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bakey” Haystack is back and Hoover and his friends must defeat him before he turns all pigs into stone. (Cheezy series?)

“Extraordinaries” Emma, her friend, Millie, her brother, Clark, and her dog, Charlie, have to travel to a faraway land to save Emma’s mother, who has been poisoned. Along the way Emma and the team must find how to deal with their newfound powers of Imagination. (This one was also pretty good! A story from Nanowrimo a few years ago.)

“The Hummingbird Did It” A hummingbird turns a lazy boy into a dog. The boy must venture across country to find the cure. (Was kinda boring and just me having fun with google maps lol.)

“Sunshine and Rainbows” A girl is taken to another world by rainbow dust and must find her way back to Earth. (Can’t actually remember this one.)

“Nature’s Lifeforce” A boy and girl are given the power to turn into any woodland creature and talk to trees. (Also can’t remember, but sounds cool.)

“Ravens” A girl named Hannah, a boy named Billy, a boy named Cameron, a girl named Lyla, and a boy named Clark, among other students, have their wishes come true. This creates a problem as Cameron becomes a dog, Lyla becomes a cat and Hannah and Billy become ravens. They fix the problem for everyone except Hannah and Billy, but embark on an adventure to find the scientist who can help them. (Based on a dream, I think.)

“Dragon wings” Hiccup and Toothless accidentally sit down someplace weird. They switch bodies and Toothless claims to have heard someone press a button. (ASDFGHJKL WHAT?! HTTYD short story)

“Melody Dreambubble” A weird new pony arrives in Ponyville. Twilight is curious to find that she has no Cutie Mark, was raised by wolves, and bears mysterious powers. (My Little Pony, kinda self insert, short story)

“Eyes of Gold/The Tower” A Fan Fiction based on The Ever Afters series and two stories rolled into one. Rory finds that her two best friends have been poisoned by a new dragon species/As Rory is about to enter a tower to save Chase a random girl shows up out of nowhere and has a weird habit of annoying Adelaide. (Was my first ever self insert? And based on a book series unlike the rest? Cool! Oh I even wrote ten whole pages! Neat. Featuring a girl chasing a dragon with a bedpan!)

“Roadkill” A man purposely runs over a deer on a freeway. The deer’s best friend curses the man, later to regret it because he has to undo the curse himself. (Lol, this was interesting.)

“Melissa and Steven Started a Food Fight” A completely random book that takes the characters through an adventure of explosions, unicorns, and talking squirrels. (Used a random prompt generator. Very random. And funny.)

“Before it’s Gone” A snooty teen crashes in her car and finds a surprise when she wakes up. (Oh yeah, another old story. She turned into a dog and none of the other dogs believed her.)

“The Unicorn Killer” A short story about poachers and Julia. (Yep. Short story.)

1. “Feathers of Gold” A logical young bird griffin, Gabriel, wants to find a way to stop to war between bird and lion in his land, Genetica.

2. “Scales of Emerald” A shy young dragon, Emmie, tries to keep her land, Reptilia, from destruction.

3. “Hair of Crystal” A brave young unicorn, Crystal, tries to find a way to join together the leaders of the land of Equinsta.

4. “Flames of Ruby” A vain young phoenix, Flaxter, tries to capture the eyes of girls. Taken place in the land of Flamia.

5. “Gems Unite” Gabriel, Emmie, Crystal, and Flaxter find out they are The Gems, the only ones who can save their world, Animagicia, from the beings, called Humurns, that are trying to destroy it. They must come together and find who they truly are. (Might have fun with this series. I’ve always loved mythical animals.)

“The Distance from Sam” An 8 year-old St. Bernard named Barry, a 3 year-old Golden Retriever named Mick, and a 1 year-old Sheltie named Sandy set off to return to their owner Sam, after being kidnapped and sent across country. (Kinda like Homeward Bound. Came in mind when I saw these three dogs alone by a street, no humans around.)

“The Skilled” Andy and Ashley(both fifteen) and their eight year-old siblings, twins Alex and Alexa, gain powers from the sewers. All: understand animals and fly, Andy: talk to toys, Ashley: speak to plants, Alex and Alexa: psychic powers. “I used to think my toys would come to life when I was gone. I guess I was right.”-Andy. Based on a dream. (Too many “A” names, oof. Also, toy Story much?)

“The Moon’s Eye” A teenage girl named April gets trapped under a snow drift and wakes up to be a wolf. A nearby wolf pack needs her aid and calls her The Mooneye, a changeling. (Cool. Cool.)

“Unusual Forces of Omnipotence” A woman and her horse are supposedly crushed by a U.F.O. When Tanaya wakes up she finds out she has super strong senses and can run as fast as her horse. Pluto the alien knows he’s going to be in trouble if his planet finds out he crash landed and accidentally gave a human the powers of her horse. He tries to fix it. Told from Tanaya, Sunray (the horse), and Pluto’s point of view. Based on a dream. (Sounds interesting! Title came from before I knew UFO was an acronym lol.)

“The Lawn” Unknown to humans, a yard full of statues come alive at night. There is an elk, two bears, four buffalo, a wolf, an eagle, three horses, a small boy, a moose, a bighorn sheep, and a rabbit. (Based on a real lawn I’d see on the way to school.)

“Dragon Eyes” Max has an ordinary life, until his family, him, and his three friends, Alice, Peter, and Samuel, are transported to another world. His parents are then kidnapped and they have to fight against an evil Mother Nature. Based on a dream. (Interesting. The dream was freaky.)

“Sweet Treat” Emily’s dad works at a candy factory, and one day she visits him and realizes his work is not all it seems… Based on a dream. (What? I don’t remember what was different about his work???)

“The Flight of the Supernatural” Randy thinks he is mostly a normal kid. Sure, he and his dad live inside a mountain, and sure, some flying species of human killed his mother, that doesn’t mean he can’t live normal life homeschooling and watching TV. But unfortunately, Randy’s life turns around when he finds out he can fly. Is his father telling the truth? Did his own species kill his mother? Based on a dream. (Actually REALLY loved this story.)

“Whispering Willow” A girl named Willow helps 20 wolf cubs escape a pet store and then is recruited by a zoo. Pretty soon all of the animals know her as Whisper. Based on a dream. (Cool. another animal whisperer.)

“The Invasion of Our Minds” Little black aliens invade Earth and only one person can stop them: Julia. Based on a dream. (Oh RIGHT! Yeah I remember that.)

“The Marble Island(Possibly a short story?)” Julia goes on a trip to a new marble island only to find the owner turns people into stone figurines. Based on a dream. (Links to the previous story, I think.)

“Have some candy!” Violet, an expert on strange occurrences, needs to help a group of people who mysteriously turned into animals after attempting to grab candy bars from a bin in a local store. Based on a dream. (More animal transformation.)

“The Guide to Mythical Creatures I Made Up” A guide to everything from the Mystic Melody to the Gollan. (I don’t remember either of their designs! :P )

“Trying to Get Back to Mom” Michael and Annabelle meet new friends, while they frantically try to reunite with their mother. (Don’t remember.)

“Surprise of the Future” Pearl travels to the future and has to fight her now-evil brother in his stone mansion. (Not Pearl from SU. Based on a dream.)

“All for You” A man has to overcome many obstacles, such as mermaids, yellow smoke wolves, and magic maps, to save the world and his girl. (Oh yeah, this was a cool one. Based on a song, but I can’t remember which one.)

“The Stranger at the Door” Keith and Amber have lived with their grandmother for many years, but now they live alone and nobody knows. Then a strange girl arrives at the door. She claims they will have to leave town within 2 hours or risk being stuck in a quarantine zone. There will be traffic jams and other hindrances, so it's best to leave right now without taking anything with you. Unsure about everything, including this strange girl, the teenage boy disagrees to the proposal, if all this turns out to be true, this choice will seem foolish. His younger sister does agree. But what if this strange girl can't be trusted. Or what if all this is an elaborate trap. How could an ordinary teenage girl and boy end up in a situation like this. Time to find out. (Oh, a quarantine story? How long ago was this? 2017 I think.)

“The Beginning of the Hybrid Brothers” A backstory that shines a light on how Ralph the Rat-Man and Dr. Discord came to be evil. (YES, MY TWO VILLAINS NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT BUT ARE STILL DEAR TO MY HEART HNNNNNNNG.)

“Unnamed but same as the blank” A girl named, _____, lives in a family of nine. She and her mother are the only ones who aren’t “Morhumals”, or people who can turn into one animal. After the twins mess-up and send a “Morhumals” hunter after them, it is up to ___ and her sister, ____ to rescue them.

“Song of the Siren” ____ is back after her fourteenth birthday. She finally has received her animal and must follow her family to the mythed Siren hideout.

[acahope311]

Congratulations on 100 followers!! For the normal asks #2 and 17! For the weird asks #5, 12, and 17! And for the OC asks (for Amari) 🎭 🌋 🧸

~ shethereadinghobbit

Hi hun! Thank you so much for participating in my sleepover! It means alot to me and I hope you had fun with it! 😊😊🥰

So I’ll answer all these in like 1 post! Let’s do this! 🥳

Normal ask: 

2. What’s your top 5 songs at the moment and why?

So all these songs help me focus on myself both physically (cuz I am trying to keep myself motivated for working out: Run This Town by Rihanna ft. JAY Z ), emotionally (like knowing its ok to be will be ok and that I am not alone: Somebody Loves you by Jeremy Zucker, Put your records on by Corinne Bailey Rae or the cover by Ritt Momney, and Real Love by Jess Glynn) and mentally, (like driven to reach my goals: Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi ) 

17. What’s your favourite city and why?

OOOOH HARD QUESTION… I would say I have 2, one domestically and one internationally (I know I’m cheating but these are long answer prompts so I shall do that lol!) Domestically it is Chicago. I was raised here so I have pride for my city. Internationally, Barcelona, Spain. I’d worked there for a bit and I made a lot of friends that are like family to me, and I learned a lot about sustainability there.

Weird ask:

5. Do you like being barefoot?

I’d answered this before but! It’s a question I like answering lol. It depends; if I’m walking on carpet or I’m at the beach, I like walking barefoot because it feels easier to walk- almost like if you’re swimming it's better and easier than if you had water shoes. But if it's on marble or hardwood, I don’t like going barefoot cuz it’s so cold! Especially on winter mornings! Also, I don’t like the sound (I know, it’s weird. But this is a weird ask lol!)

12. Favourite day of the week?

I’d also answered these previously but my favorite day of the week is MONDAAAAY! (the epitome of what makes me weird lol!) It’s a very forgiving day in terms or work; like there’s a learning curve when you come back to work and you get to see your work friends again! 

17. Thoughts on the moon?

Hmmm… not much except when I do think of the moon, the first thing that comes to mind is Bruno Mars’ song Talking to the Moon. So I guess, unintentionally, I get a sad nostalgia from it. But literally, I think the moon is a cool asset to the earth and is fascinating because of how much lore and meaning it has to cultures, but also how much it affects the tides.

OC ask (Amari):

🎭 Does your OC show different sides of themselves to different people?

Yes, when she’s working or ruling, she’s stoic but fair and kind. She tries to be a sort of ego conscious to Thorin when his advisors (super ego) and subjects (id) are becoming too overbearing to him. With friends, she’s very lax and lets go a lot (i.e she will tiny burp if shes with Dwalin but will still say “excuse me”). With family, she is vulnerable and honest; in front of Thorin and her children she will put her guard down and will cry if things get too much (except in front of her kids- she is trying to be super mom after all)

🌋 What’s your OCs temper like? Are they a slow boil, or an instant explosion?

I’d answered this earlier but I love talking about Amari that I will answer it again!

So Amari has a slow boil temper. Due to her sense of duty and fear of letting people down, she will let it build, fester, and boil. But instead of blowing up like her hot-headed husband, she has a cold anger- sharp, unforgiving, and wet. Wet because someone will cry, and it won’t be her. This coldness can even envelop her and a silent treatment can happen- passive aggressiveness, ignoring, etc

🧸 On a scale of 1 - 10, how ‘soft’ is your OC? 1 being the edgiest of edges and 10 being a literal teddy bear that cries at everything? (Bonus questions, where on the scale would your OC place themselves, and where would they like to be on the scale?)

Amari is about a 4. Because of her hard and difficult beginnings, she has a thick skin that is impenetrable. She isn’t cruel, but she is wary and can be distrustful- which leads her to be prickly with new people. However, when you get through that tough outer shell, its complete fluff. Before marrying Thorin, she would have liked to be seen as being a 3 but now, with a family of her own, she wants to try and reach a 7- she is trying so let’s hope she reaches there one day.

Thank you again for sending these asks in! O also got your request and am gonna take on the fic requests by Monday 😊

[thedaemonn]

Demonic Taxonomy

As I have mentioned previously, just as there is a construct of angelic hierarchy, there is a model of demonic hierarchy, this is most familiar is terms of the writings of Johann Weyer's Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, Dictionnaire Infernal by  Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy, and the Ars Goatia of the Lesser Key of Solomon, (an ancient and infamous occult piece) just to name a few. But these works only entertain the ideas of the larger encompassing domain of demonic powers, and does not touch much on the sub-placements of the devils. To explain this I will first bring up the known structure of the heavens, and the angels who preside over specific concepts and matters.

Per example the heavenly spirit Gabriel is the archangel (depending upon which texts you read) governing January, the responsibilities of the Moon, the day of the week Monday, and even events such as Childbirth, to name but a few. Not only Is Gabriel an archangel, so bearing an equivalence and resemblance to the demon Samael of the hellish beasts. Samael is a fallen angel of particular interest, both an archangel before his descent and an angel of death in both positions (as an angel of death is not an attribute to solely the demonic). Samael's position is in many places, yet remains an overall arching demon in the hierarchies, and a specifically evil and dangerous demon at that.

These examples are of notorious entities governing specific and well known factors (such as planets and elements), yet for every item of creation, there are demons and angels then under that rule. Another example of this are the devils under Beelzebub, the prince of all winged creatures and the element they travel therein. Yet under him is structured another hierarchy, modeled with kings, princes, presidents, etc, that then rule over one another in a Legion-like formation. (From what I have studied, the demons of this category outnumber the demons in the other major groupings, the oceans, and walking creatures), and under their rule the list continues down to legionaries (only preform bidding, and do not govern anything beneath themselves), and servants, directionless demons who hold no desire to preform greater duties.

Even to these specific servants, there is a placement in each major category, just as in the Taxonomic Ranks of the modern world, such as: Moon > water> winter> white > etc, at the bottom of this list there are still devils preforming deeds of the demons above them, but these devils are not seen under any classification of the sun (under Paimon), or of the planet Venus, or it's governing (love, lust), yet an entire other set of demos and their legions serve these positions.

This sheds some light of both the angelic and demonic and their titles. And to tie this back towards the Daemon N, He originated under Gabriel before His fall, maintaining His service under these natural affiliations (moon, water, winter, etc) and is the demon of a more intricate subject: human emotion, in which His title therein is The Daemon of Misery, and where Misery is bred, N is to be found.

It is important to note (and I will write on this further later on, as it is a very important subject) that the hierarchical structures shift constantly, and writings such as the Ar Goatia, though accurate at the time, have long since altered and positions change. Albeit several of the mightiest demons such as Asmodeus and Lucifer (who doesn't necessarily hold a title or affiliate with the hierarchy...I will explain this later as well) have maintained their preferred positions and titles of power.

As you can then imagine there are more demons, devils, and angels than the blades of grass upon this earth, and therefore it would be impossible to catalog them all, especially as a servant can then climb in ranking until lastly becoming a King of hell (which has yet to happen). In this I maintain discovering your own familiar demon, and not just picking a name out of an old grimoire that best fits your momentary interests.

Art by: Éliphas Lévi

[keyofjetwolf]

Bonus Question Answers! (live action final)

I asked a silly question! You gave me incredible answers. SO VERY MANY INCREDIBLE ANSWERS. If yours is listed below, you’ve earned an entry in a random draw to win a GIFTENING liveblog OF YOUR CHOICE

—

Q: There's a new Big Bad in town: JET WOLF. What am I after? What is my power? How will I, hypothetically, be defeated?

*  Agents, we have a problem.  There is a new player in town, goes by the name of Jet Wolf.  She seems harmless, but don't let that fool you.  From the information we were able to gather, she accidentally triggered her own power by completing an unknown ritual called the Giftening (we're still researching to see what that is in her world). She can review a situation and instantly analyze all angles of motivation and character.  She can see what drives any person to behave in any way.  However, she does have a weakness for understanding homosexual motivations.  We may have to bring in the Butch squad to assist on this one.  The biggest trouble is that a Chaos God insists that she belongs to Them, so now there are chaos acolytes following her everywhere she goes. When she is upset, she can manifest multiple demonic plush multi-colored cats to throw at people.  Luckily, her aim is not the best, but even a glancing blow from a single cat can disorient you for hours. We've seen references to a previous companion named Holligay, but no knowledge of their status or whereabouts at this time.  Her overarching goal is to get back to her own world, and we MUST assist as soon as possible.  Our world may not survive continued long-term exposure to the myriad chaotic forces she brings everywhere she goes.  If you have any ideas for strategy, please bring them forward.  We'll meet again this afternoon.  Dismissed.  -- @amberlilly  [AGAIN WITH YOU AND YOUR PERFECTION. The “weakness for understanding homosexual motivations” and calling out The Butch Squad made this TRANSCEND.]

~~

*  The smoke poured over Tokyo in slips of purple and black, twisting around the buildings, as Usagi Tsukino pulled herself up from between the fallen stones. In the clearing, there was...a woman. Nothing like a youma, or some fallen queen, just a woman, laying waste to Tokyo, brown peppered hair shining the fires of all she had brought to bear. "What do you want??" Cried out Usagi, tears of fear and rage cluttering her vision. "The reboot.." The woman turned toward her slowly, dark storms in her eyes, "No. More. Classic." "BUt--But--" Usagi stood on shaky legs, "The Dark Kingdom has--" "OH MY GOD FUCK THE DARK KINGDOM!" Lightning and thunder clashed into the skies, bringing down a ray of destruction to what was once a giant Sega arcade. In the background, a man howled. "I want," she bared her teeth, "Fresh. Senshi. Adventures." "The new merchandise..." "How many times are you going to release the same figuarts in new colors? How many goddamn fucking heart compacts are you and bandai going to shove down my throat!? Another moon stick--well I do want the moon stick. BUT STILL!!" USagi's lip trembled. "My name is Usagi Tsukino, I'm 14 years old, and--" "Bitch you're over forty!" "What is this?!" The buildings glowed brighter as the flames in them grew, kindled, "Who the hell do you think you are??" The adversary turned. Rei Hino stood behind her, hands on hips, glowering. She advanced, slowly, and the woman who had destroyed a very particular subsection of Tokyo was forced to take a step back. "You think you can come here--and TELL ME??" Rei had a certain way of ignoring that anyone else might have been troubled or bothered by events, for she personally was affronted, "What the new anime is going to be like?? What story *I* can tell?? YOU DARE TO TELL ME--" "No, of course not!" the woman fell to her knees, "Of course not, esteemed fire maiden!! I love you!" IN the rubble, a small redhead crawled out of a hole in the wall, grasping plates of conveyor-belt sushi in her arms, an eel roll hanging out of her mouth. "Gotta say this trip to Tokyo was different than I thought it'd be."  -- DOC DOC [You were here when I read it and so heard for yourself, but I laughed SO HARD at this. BITCH YOU’RE OVER FORTY]

~~

*  Jet is after potatoes and her power is her army of clever black creatures. Namely her murder of crows always quick to summon and her shoulder void cat man who is helpful up until the vault of potatoes are found whereupon, one fears he might suddenly become Jet's rival   -- Furi  [OH MAN I WOULD WANT THE POTATOES GOOD CALL GOOD CALL]

~~

*  Jet Wolf did not start out evil. No, once she was a mild-mannered blogger, commenting on various properties with enthusiasm and passion. But then came The Erasure. Jet Wolf was halfway through a particularly interesting episode of PGSM. Rei was doing something particularly Rei-like. Jet was pontificating on the Rei-ness of Rei. When the power flickered, there was a surge of electricity up Jet's arms, and when the power returned, her screen was free of any sign of Rei. The episode was still there, but Rei was not. No Sailor Mars at all. Jet checked the previous episodes; no Rei there, either. She checked her copies of the anime: No Rei. Jet was frantic. "Hey, Doc," she called across the room, "What happened to Rei?" "What?" Said Doc. "You mean that character from the manga that they thankfully left out of all the other versions? Why do you care? She sucked." "But I love her!" Replied Jet Wolf. "No you don't; you've always loved Seiya best," was the response. And this is why Jet Wolf now haunts the internet, spoiling any media she can, exposing plot holes and character inconsistencies, pointing out exactly why your fave is not awesome, until she is able to get her precious Rei Hino back. Be careful. You never know when she will jump out from behind a comment and attack. -- @incorrecttact  [All of this is amazing, but I so very much want the backstory on Who Erased Rei Hino. WHO WOULD HATE THE WORLD THAT MUCH]

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*  You're just here to stomp the village. You have no power, just size 23 heels. You will not be defeated  -- Isa  [The purity in this is unparalleled.]

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*  You are strong and powerful, capable of sending your void man minions and excessively loving underdogs to attack others. Babies cry as you steal their candy. Lesbians moan as you punch their toilets. Doc screams in horror as you take not 1 but 2 desserts. Your goal is to take over the town, nay, the world. All shall tremble and cower before your feet, all shall--wait, is that a Rei&Usagi cell? Is that SOCKS? You let the void man take over while you immediately go investigate. That's fine, though. that's exactly how the void man had planned it.  -- @kumeko  [HOT POCKET HOW COULD YOU BETRA-- oooo, socks!]

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*  TOWERING GODZILLA STOMP. The mighty Jet Wolf careens through the town like a drunken tornado, causing furniture to spontaneously explode just from being nearby, on a quest to find the PERFECT CHEESE. the mighty jet wolf is eventually defeated by a small tortoiseshell kitten whose adorable mew causes the jet wolf to freeze in place to avoid upsetting it further.  -- nerdy-flutterings  [Every word of this sounds like it was pulled from my dearest dreams. DO I GET TO KEEP THE KITTEN I NEED TO KNOW]

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*  The answer to all three: ~*~INSIDIOUS~*~MISANDRY~*~  @rasiqra-revulva  [MY TRUEST NEMESIS]  (I’d somehow forgotten INSIDIOUS MISANDRY thank you for reminding me that the world can always be just a little bit sillier.)

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I’ll be drawing for the bonus liveblog around the start of THE GIFTENING 2020 (which will be Monday, 11 January 2021). Each bonus question is another chance to earn an entry! AS WE SEE I CAN ABSOLUTELY AND SHAMELESSLY BE BOUGHT.