#enoch who has not been introduced but is still there:

[mercuriart]

ALSO

I had an idea of copia blowing up a person in front of enoch with super awesome anti christ powers and Enoch just being like

ok that last reply was a lie. i read THIS during class first and used the other ask to try not to laugh.

this reads exactly like something that would happen in one of the chapters

[thetruthwilloutsworld]

If anyone knows a thing or two about sex scenes, it’s Sam Heughan. Over the past decade, the 43-year-old Scottish star of Outlander, the cult-hit historical drama, has filmed hours of notoriously raunchy footage in his role as Jamie Fraser, the dashing 18th-­century Highland rebel, with his wife, Claire – a time-traveller from the 20th century, played by ­Caitríona Balfe.

Yet two years ago, Heughan, as one of the executive producers (with Balfe), introduced an intimacy co-ordinator to choreograph such scenes, which had been criticised by many as excessively violent.

“The industry’s completely changed since Outlander started,” Heughan says, sitting in a Soho bar on a visit to London from his home outside Glasgow. “Not just our show but also shows like Game of Thrones were very graphic, with no room for the imagination, in a way that’s quite jarring now. As young, keen actors, we were just expected to get naked and go at it. Caitríona and I formed a bond and trusted each other, but there were times when we were pushed too far.” He was especially troubled by a scene involving full-frontal nudity in ­season one, when Jamie was tortured and raped by his rival, Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies). “That really didn’t sit well.”

Everything changed following the MeToo scandal, leading ­Heughan to employ Vanessa Coffey to choreograph the sex scenes. “So now everyone knows what the boundaries are, like in a football or rugby match. It’s been so helpful and freeing, and it was because I didn’t want younger actors to go through what we’d gone through. Now, the scenes are sexually charged, but not gratuitous.”

Despite his heartthrob status, Heughan – who’s 6ft 2in, with the strapping physique his role necess­i­tates – is modest and thoughtful company. He also had Coffey enlisted to co-ordinate his latest pro­ject, Channel 4’s erotic thriller The Couple Next Door, filmed during the short break between Outlander’s seasons nine and 10, in which he plays Danny, a policeman living in a Leeds suburb in an open marriage with Becka (Jessica De Gouw).

“We didn’t want to make a salacious or seedy show about swingers,” Heughan says. “It’s about the psychology behind it – what is it to be in an open relationship where two characters love each other so much that they can invite people into that relationship? I think it’s possibly the greatest form of romance to allow your partner this, if it’s the itch they need to scratch. My character struggles with it.

The couple’s (initially) strait-laced neighbours are played by Alfred Enoch and Eleanor Tom­linson, who in 2019 finished five seasons as Demelza in Poldark. With Outlander about to start ­filming its final season, she and Heughan compared notes on moving on from a huge, long-running costume drama.

“It’s emotional. For me, the prospect’s hugely bittersweet. It feels like getting out of an institution. Outlander’s like a family, it literally defines who I am.” After all, Heughan has created an empire of Outlander spin-offs, including books, television travelogues and his spirits brand, The Sassenach – named after Jamie’s nickname for the English Claire – not to mention his charity, My Peak Challenge, which has raised nearly £5 million to fund a variety of causes, including ­hunger relief and blood-cancer research. “I’m ready for new challenges, but also nervous about what it’s like in the real world,” he says.

Still, he felt now was the right time to wrap. “Outlander could have finished after the ninth season, but, personally, I felt we hadn’t quite got there. So now we have the problem of pushing the writers to do something that’s hopefully satisfying for the audience, but also exciting.” So Heughan doesn’t yet know how Outlander ends? “No idea, and it’s really tough because Diana [Gabaldon, the author on whose novels the series is based] has written so many books.”

The show has a vast international fanbase; VisitScotland has cited a 67 per cent rise in visits to the show’s locations, such as Culloden and Inverness. “I do feel like I’m an unofficial ambassador for Scotland, and sometimes I don’t think the show is given enough credit for what it’s done for Scottish tourism,” Heughan says. “I think the numbers are even bigger than they say, because reams of Americans are just making their own itineraries. Doune Castle’s numbers are up 800 per cent, it’s been completely renovated as a result.”

The show has also transformed the local film industry. “For 10 years, we’ve been employing ­people at over 200 Scottish locations, we’ve started an intern scheme, we’ve built a studio with five sound stages where there was nothing before. So it’s going to leave a legacy.”

The son of an artist single mother (his father walked out when he was a baby), Heughan spent his early childhood in the Borders, his teens in Edinburgh, before studying at Glasgow’s Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where his mentor was third-year student James McAvoy.

Having worked in London and Los Angeles, Heughan fell back in love with Scotland when he was cast in Outlander. Initially against independence, filming the first ­season in the run-up to the 2016 ­referendum transformed him into a vocal advocate. “Scottish politics right now is a bit of a mess, which is a shame, but maybe they’ll find a new rallying cry. We’re a great wee country with amazing resources, most of which are controlled by the British. Similar small European countries have great identities.”

Initially, Heughan is hesitant to discuss the issue, aware taking either side will provoke a social-media backlash, but then he decides: “Why can’t actors have opi­n­ions? The problem is you have to come down on one side, there is no room for deb­ate. Everything has be­come so aggressive and then social-media algo­rithms mean you only get to see one side of the argument.”

He had his fingers burnt when last month he signed an open letter from Artists for Palestine UK, alongside the likes of Tilda Swinton and Steve Coogan, which accused the Government of “aiding and abetting” Israeli war crimes, but failed to condemn Hamas’s terrorism. The following day, Heughan rescinded, saying he hadn’t “fully understood” what he was signing.

“I was maybe naively calling for peace, which is what we all want, but, unfortunately, that situation is so complex, I can’t understand it all,” he says now. “As an actor, you have a platform, but if you put your thoughts out there, you upset ­people, but you’re also damned if you don’t say anything.”

Heughan’s taking time to navigate a potential post-Outlander career path. “I’m a workaholic, but I have to be discerning. Whatever I do next, I have to feel really passionate about.” Possible plans include directing and exploring a different side to Scotland than misty heather and bagpipes. “I think that underbelly you see in [Ian Rankin’s] Rebus and Irvine Welsh is very interesting, there are still pockets that are very hard and gritty.”

Back in 2005, he auditioned for James Bond in Casino Royale – the role that eventually went to Daniel Craig. Now, there’s a new vacancy. “I’ll throw my hat in the ring,” he says, grinning. “I’d be a brilliant Bond, I’m good at action and I’d bring a lot of ­emotional intelligence.”

There might even be space for a personal life. Heughan’s mystified by “facts” he reads about his private life online. “There’s so much ­nonsense that’s completely false – apparently, I have a daughter. News to me!” he says, flushing. The truth, he says, is that Outlander leaves no time for relationships.

“It’s insane hours and takes over everything. Caitríona’s carved out a beautiful family for herself that she protects very well, but I’ve seen how hard it is for her to do that. I want a cat, but I’m too scared even for that, how would I look after it? One day, maybe,” Heughan says, dreamily.

Posting again as some people had difficulty opening the previous link.

[sgiandubh]

OK, I got it : Telegraph shitshow, anyone?

Oh, what the hell. I had no patience and couldn't picture myself fidgeting in a dull supermarket and ending up by forgetting half of the things on my list.

So, here it is, all of it.

Proof of buying:

Yeah, "between Outlander's seasons nine and 10'. See how accurate the girl who wrote it is? How about a cobbled something to address the real issues at stake, of which there are three (more on this, in my next post)?

LOL? LOL.

Anyway, there goes. Passages in bold are marked by me:

If anyone knows a thing or two about sex scenes, it’s Sam Heughan. Over the past decade, the 43-year-old Scottish star of Outlander, the cult-hit historical drama, has filmed hours of notoriously raunchy footage in his role as Jamie Fraser, the dashing 18th-­century Highland rebel, with his wife, Claire – a time-traveller from the 20th century, played by ­Caitríona Balfe.

Yet two years ago, Heughan, as one of the executive producers (with Balfe), introduced an intimacy co-ordinator to choreograph such scenes, which had been criticised by many as excessively violent.

“The industry’s completely changed since Outlander started,” Heughan says, sitting in a Soho bar on a visit to London from his home outside Glasgow. “Not just our show but also shows like Game of Thrones were very graphic, with no room for the imagination, in a way that’s quite jarring now. As young, keen actors, we were just expected to get naked and go at it. Caitríona and I formed a bond and trusted each other, but there were times when we were pushed too far.” He was especially troubled by a scene involving full-frontal nudity in ­season one, when Jamie was tortured and raped by his rival, Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies). “That really didn’t sit well.”

Everything changed following the MeToo scandal, leading ­Heughan to employ Vanessa Coffey to choreograph the sex scenes. “So now everyone knows what the boundaries are, like in a football or rugby match. It’s been so helpful and freeing, and it was because I didn’t want younger actors to go through what we’d gone through. Now, the scenes are sexually charged, but not gratuitous.”

Despite his heartthrob status, Heughan – who’s 6ft 2in, with the strapping physique his role necess­i­tates – is modest and thoughtful company. He also had Coffey enlisted to co-ordinate his latest pro­ject, Channel 4’s erotic thriller The Couple Next Door, filmed during the short break between Outlander’s seasons nine and 10, in which he plays Danny, a policeman living in a Leeds suburb in an open marriage with Becka (Jessica De Gouw).

“We didn’t want to make a salacious or seedy show about swingers,” Heughan says. “It’s about the psychology behind it – what is it to be in an open relationship where two characters love each other so much that they can invite people into that relationship? I think it’s possibly the greatest form of romance to allow your partner this, if it’s the itch they need to scratch. My character struggles with it.”

The couple’s (initially) strait-laced neighbours are played by Alfred Enoch and Eleanor Tom­linson, who in 2019 finished five seasons as Demelza in Poldark. With Outlander about to start ­filming its final season, she and Heughan compared notes on moving on from a huge, long-running costume drama.

“It’s emotional. For me, the prospect’s hugely bittersweet. It feels like getting out of an institution. Outlander’s like a family, it literally defines who I am.” After all, Heughan has created an empire of Outlander spin-offs, including books, television travelogues and his spirits brand, The Sassenach – named after Jamie’s nickname for the English Claire – not to mention his charity, My Peak Challenge, which has raised nearly £5 million to fund a variety of causes, including ­hunger relief and blood-cancer research. “I’m ready for new challenges, but also nervous about what it’s like in the real world,” he says.

Still, he felt now was the right time to wrap. “Outlander could have finished after the ninth season, but, personally, I felt we hadn’t quite got there. So now we have the problem of pushing the writers to do something that’s hopefully satisfying for the audience, but also exciting.” So Heughan doesn’t yet know how Outlander ends? “No idea, and it’s really tough because Diana [Gabaldon, the author on whose novels the series is based] has written so many books.”

The show has a vast international fanbase; VisitScotland has cited a 67 per cent rise in visits to the show’s locations, such as Culloden and Inverness. “I do feel like I’m an unofficial ambassador for Scotland, and sometimes I don’t think the show is given enough credit for what it’s done for Scottish tourism,” Heughan says. “I think the numbers are even bigger than they say, because reams of Americans are just making their own itineraries. Doune Castle’s numbers are up 800 per cent, it’s been completely renovated as a result.”

The show has also transformed the local film industry. “For 10 years, we’ve been employing ­people at over 200 Scottish locations, we’ve started an intern scheme, we’ve built a studio with five sound stages where there was nothing before. So it’s going to leave a legacy.”

The son of an artist single mother (his father walked out when he was a baby), Heughan spent his early childhood in the Borders, his teens in Edinburgh, before studying at Glasgow’s Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where his mentor was third-year student James McAvoy.

Having worked in London and Los Angeles, Heughan fell back in love with Scotland when he was cast in Outlander. Initially against independence, filming the first ­season in the run-up to the 2016 ­referendum transformed him into a vocal advocate. “Scottish politics right now is a bit of a mess, which is a shame, but maybe they’ll find a new rallying cry. We’re a great wee country with amazing resources, most of which are controlled by the British. Similar small European countries have great identities.”

Initially, Heughan is hesitant to discuss the issue, aware taking either side will provoke a social-media backlash, but then he decides: “Why can’t actors have opi­n­ions? The problem is you have to come down on one side, there is no room for deb­ate. Everything has be­come so aggressive and then social-media algo­rithms mean you only get to see one side of the argument.”

He had his fingers burnt when last month he signed an open letter from Artists for Palestine UK, alongside the likes of Tilda Swinton and Steve Coogan, which accused the Government of “aiding and abetting” Israeli war crimes, but failed to condemn Hamas’s terrorism. The following day, Heughan rescinded, saying he hadn’t “fully understood” what he was signing.

“I was maybe naively calling for peace, which is what we all want, but, unfortunately, that situation is so complex, I can’t understand it all,” he says now. “As an actor, you have a platform, but if you put your thoughts out there, you upset ­people, but you’re also damned if you don’t say anything.”

Heughan’s taking time to navigate a potential post-Outlander career path. “I’m a workaholic, but I have to be discerning. Whatever I do next, I have to feel really passionate about.” Possible plans include directing and exploring a different side to Scotland than misty heather and bagpipes. “I think that underbelly you see in [Ian Rankin’s] Rebus and Irvine Welsh is very interesting, there are still pockets that are very hard and gritty.”

Back in 2005, he auditioned for James Bond in Casino Royale – the role that eventually went to Daniel Craig. Now, there’s a new vacancy. “I’ll throw my hat in the ring,” he says, grinning. “I’d be a brilliant Bond, I’m good at action and I’d bring a lot of ­emotional intelligence.”

There might even be space for a personal life. Heughan’s mystified by “facts” he reads about his private life online. “There’s so much ­nonsense that’s completely false – apparently, I have a daughter. News to me!” he says, flushing. The truth, he says, is that Outlander leaves no time for relationships.

“It’s insane hours and takes over everything. Caitríona’s carved out a beautiful family for herself that she protects very well, but I’ve seen how hard it is for her to do that. I want a cat, but I’m too scared even for that, how would I look after it? One day, maybe,” Heughan says, dreamily.

The Couple Next Door begins on Channel 4 on Monday 27 November at 9pm; stream all episodes from this date

[thesherrinfordfacility]

Absolute crack notes from the Book of Enoch (Metatron) but the 'Aziraphale was meant to fall' theory and how AWCW might tie into that invokes it for me. With all the discussions about scapegoats and how Aziraphale is responsible for introducing War to humans. Christianity normally holds that the Fall happened long before humans were created, but Enoch presents a different origin for fallen angels and the sins of man: the "fallen angel" Azazel (a name you might recognize from the two goats story in Leviticus) is said to be blamed for all evil in the world, because he teaches mankind how to make weapons and instructs them in the arts of warfare and magic. Man wasn't capable of sinning before Azazel and his cohorts taught them wickedness. As punishment for this, God sends the Archangel Raphael to bind Azazel and imprison him until the Day of Judgement, upon which he'll be cast into a "lake of fire". This definitely means nothing but also it's really funny to me.

on the contrary i think it means a heck of a lot, anon!!!✨ the scapegoat story is literally like a chicken on a spinning rotisserie in my brain 24/7, im so sure that it is going to play some kind of part in explaining aziraphale and crowley's background.

i have read leviticus 16 so many times and still no clearer on azazel, because i think (?) it has been interpreted in so many ways, but the main ones ive gleaned are either:

meaning the literal place where the scapegoat was sent to wander, which is more in-keeping with the original passage from leviticus itself, or

meaning it was for the fallen angel azazel, as seen in book of enoch?

so if we look to the second option in apochrypha, book of daniel makes reference to the watchers as a particular type of angel. enoch goes on to describe that there were good and bad watchers. azazel as a fallen angel taught warfare to the humans, and enoch includes them as one of the 20 bad watcher leaders (along with kokabiel and baraqiel, interestingly), and also according to enoch, as you say, bound azazel and cast him into the desert:

10:4: And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azâzêl hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dûdâêl, and cast him therein.

5: And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light.

6: And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire.

7: And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons.

8: And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azâzêl: to him ascribe all sin.

and here we cycle back round to the scapegoat again. now, whether or not this literally happens in GO is up for speculation, but i personally think it's unlikely. that being said, i think something similar could happen. let's somewhat hc this:

aziraphale tells AWCW about the plans for the stars, makes crowley start asking questions

aziraphale cautions against it, but AWCW plows on anyway the moron (affectionate) - but symbolically protects aziraphale from repercussions as shown by him shielding him from the shooting stars (thanks again to 🌙anon for this!!!)

AWCW is spurred on by lucifer et al., and is implicated in the more nefarious rhetoric being spouted by satan

aziraphale is similarly brought into this, insomuch that perhaps AWCW refuses to say who started to make him ask questions and thus protects aziraphale OR aziraphale is in fact implicated for his own part but not as harshly - instead, AWCW is punished heavily and can't quite protect aziraphale despite best efforts

(this would also echo two things - the potential "aziraphale was/is/will be raphael" theory, and the verse in enoch 10:4 that he was the one to 'cast AWCW out')

the fall, and potential memory wipe of it?

aziraphale is 'punished' for his own part by being assigned to eden, cast out somewhat from heaven, but not made to suffer the fall (harking back, for me, to aziraphale being the goat that is cast into the wilderness as described in leviticus - not AWCW who was offered up as the goat for god; both goats forming the complete sacrificial offering although only one is killed)

aziraphale inadvertently introduces the concept of war and destruction to humanity in giving away the sword, which crowley seems to applaud/be impressed by

yada yada GO narrative, right up until aziraphale returning to heaven (which then would echo the islamic call that azazel in fact repented, and was returned to heaven - 🌙anon may correct me?)

and when the day of judgement finally happens presumably in s3... aziraphale is given the ultimatum to cast crowley "into fire", in order to rid humanity of all the sin on earth (looking to enoch 10:7-8 here)?

lastly, going back to the whole aziraphale-and-crowley-were-meant-to-be-the-same-person-originally thing... what if they symbolically were in fact just that? both azazel and raphael, and neither of them also, maybe not literally the same angel split in two, but literally mirrors of each other in their narrative?

there are so many loopholes and missing detail in this, i know - and it probably doesn't make a lick of sense, to boot - but this possibility is so exciting for me!!!✨

[doomedandstoned]

TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH Unleash Magnum Opus, ‘Apotheosis’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

We introduced you to TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH in our compilation Doomed & Stoned in Detroit and the band subsequently played Ohio Doomed & Stoned Festival in 2019.

Now past the pandemic years, the band's sound has matured and evolved to encompass frightening black metal textures, in addition to the stalwart doom sound they forged in the beginning. On their third LP 'Apotheosis' (2024), Temple of the Fuzz Witch execution is nothing short of tight, demonstrating an uncanny penchant for conjuring apocalyptic atmospheres. Every member of the team is on point and collaborate to create something dark and powerful.

While not pitched as a concept album, savvy listeners will pick up on the subtext of fallen angels, drawing from Biblical, Zoroastrian, mystical, and traditional lore to create a singular work of terror that could well be a sequel to Dante's Inferno.

Apotheosis is the process of becoming deity (an idea long held by Egyptian, Greek, Buddhist and Christian beliefs), so perhaps this album concerns the rise of those angels who fell like lightning to our planet after a failed coup against The Almighty in heaven. Now is their time to rise again and terrorize mankind, as foretold in St. John's Revelation, The Books of Enoch, Kabbalah, and Milton's Paradise Lost.

Joe Peet's blistering bass welcomes us to "A Call To Prey," with bravura drumming from Taylor Christian and Noah Bruner's grungy guitars following not far behind. We prey upon your fear sings frontman Noah with windswept ire. One could imagine hearing this voice echo in the dead of night over moonlit hills and forests.

"Wight" is a foreboding doomer with elements of black metal. Noah teeters between jaded vocals with menacing growls. Wight is a reference to a ghostly creature, and there's sinister, foggy element to the song, as evil spirits vow:

We’ll break you Damned You’ll never be free We’ll break you For all eternity

"Nephilim" made me recall how damningly heavy Temple of the Fuzz Witch was at Ohio Doomed and Stoned Fest. You can get a sense of it with a pair of good speakers, but seeing them live punches even harder. Vocals vary in character between forlorn cries, as depressed hushes declare, "You will see, I will feed." Fiery yells and guttural rumbling join ravaging drumwork and hailing tremeloes as the song progresses.

"Bow Down" lives in familiar stoner-doom territory, with southern sludge riffing suggesting a revelrous lot dedicated to the worship of their master. Here the singing here is clear, clean, and resonant, intersected by harsh vocals that shout defiantly: Bow down and worship the sky, we pass beyond the glowing light.

"Sanguine" has become one of my favorite words, lately, though I've struggled for an appropriate reason to include it in my writing. It basically means making the best of a bad situation, remaining confident despite the odds, optimistic even when faced with nihilistic uncertainty. Lyrics allude to "Yahweh's condemned," "diabolic souls" who were "cast into swine" by God's Son, and now look to overtake Earth when Satan is loosed from the Bottomless Pit. Bittersweet riffs and damning low end remind me of Purple Hill Witch, and there are some badass chord progressions here. This one has been lingering in my head for days.

"Cursed" gives us little clue as to who the Cursed are, other than they have "sought the watchers in the blacks" and that their "moment has now passed" and now "there's no return." The Watchers are most likely fallen angels from the Book of Enoch, the Nephilim referenced in the book of Genesis. Maybe the cursed ones were acolytes of the Nephilim, but we're given only scraps, hints, fragments to piece together the mystery.

"Raze" opens with muted drums and a swarm of distorted guitar noise that almost seems like a portent of the great horde, here to "end all humans." It takes the perspective of the Fallen, who are still loyal to Lucifer. I have carried his black mark, all the way from the very start.

Strumming arpeggios suggest the clock is ticking in "Apostate," one of my favorite tracks of the record for its sheer dread. Downtuned, dissonant guitar chords make the ire of Noah's roaring vocals all the more convincing, as four lines are repeated thrice:

Await the hallows Swallow the earth The apostates Filled with dread and woe

"Ashes" brings the album to a head with another highlight of the record, a slow headbanger if there ever was one. Vocals are terrifying, referencing "vows of the damned" and Ahriman the evil spirit of early Iranian religions -- the very embodiment of destruction.

It's good to see Ripple Music continue to expand its portfolio into doom territory. Look for Apotheosis by Temple of the Fuzz Witch, dropping this Friday, April 5th (get it here).. Stick it on a playlist with Electric Wizard, Saturnalia Temple, Cough, Coffins, and Moon Coven.

Give ear...

LISTEN: Temple of the Fuzz Witch - Apotheosis

SOME BUZZ

With riffs and lyrics as bleak and crushing as a Michigan winter, blackened doom outfit Temple of the Fuzz Witch brings a unique take on the doom genre, their unwaveringly nightmarish sonic processions being raised to another level with frontman Noah Bruner's jaw-dropping balance of crypt-worthy growls and astoundingly grunge-styled clean vocals. Never the darkness has felt so magnificent and compelling, and their aptly-titled third album "Apotheosis" has everything to put the mighty trio on every black and doom metal fan's radar for years to come.

Launched in 2017 with a 3-track EP, the Detroit three-piece has successively released two albums: "Temple of the Fuzz Witch" (2019) and "Red Tide" (2020). Temple of the Fuzz Witch is now set to unleash the beauty of its unique occult-driven nihilism with "Apotheosis". The album was recorded and mixed by Pete Grossman at Bricktop Recording, and mastered by Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studio. Its artwork was created by Sarah Fazriah and Zoro (Mysteriousfour).

Apotheosis by Temple of the Fuzz Witch

About the album, the band says: “The lyrics and concept as an album are more overt and less cryptic than the previous Temple releases. Everything is bigger, heavier, and darker. Rather than making just another doom record, we wanted to do something that stepped outside of the box a little bit. Established fans will still find catchy riffs that are staples of doom but will be surprised with some new twists on the genre with the introduction of blackened vocals and some more up-tempo tracks.

Lyrically the album is deeply rooted in the esoteric and spiritual. We came at the album with a very introspective mindset, and each of us was able to add a little bit of our own soul to it. I think when people hear the lyrics and music together they'll find something fresh, but dark, to connect with.”

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[ferallair]

Contemplating Crowley

I've been looking up angels and demons because everyone's like "what's Crowley's real demon name, what angel were they" and I love that stuff!

Here are a few interesting things I found:

Astaroth, or as we night know her, Nanny Astoreth. "Astaroth is a great and a strong duke, coming forth in the shape of a foul angel, sitting upon an infernal dragon, and carrying on his left hand a viper." Maybe it's too obvious that Crowley would use his real demon name while undercover as a human nanny. Or maybe Crowley figures "no one remembers that name anyway and why complicate things?" Interestingly, the name some from Astarte an ancient goddess associated with the planet Venus, which made me look at:

Haniel an archangel associated with the planet Venus. Archangel would explain the power of Crowley, but an obscure archangel so no one would think of them. There is also Kokabiel is an angel of the stars and a fallen angel, but something about both of these options feels unsatisfying. And finally:

Goat meta is on my mind a lot today, and "the name [Azazel] represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the sins of the Jews during Yom Kippur was sent. During the end of the Second Temple period, his association as a fallen angel responsible for introducing humans to forbidden knowledge emerged due to Hellenization, Christian narrative, and interpretation exemplified in the Book of Enoch. His role as a fallen angel partly remains in Christian and Islamic traditions." There is a lot here, and I'm still reading through it all, but I like this one personally. The book of Enoch stuff has Azazel teaching men war (or maybe he just knew an angel who gave men a flaming sword and took credit for it?), and teaching women how to do their makeup. I love that for them. Anyway, everything I know about Angels and Demons comes from Wikipedia and Supernatural, so if there are any posts or resources that are more "authoritative" (but not to complex cause I don't know much about religious stuff), please let me know!

[notbythemoonrp]

Swear not by the inconstant moon, Enoch. You are the Forgotten Child in Aura. At your advanced age, you are quite the daunting demon, especially with that shadow, water, and soul magic.

Can you find your way out of the darkness?

OOC:

Name/Alias: Krys

Pronouns: she/they

Age: 26+

Timezone: CST

IC:

Biography Information:

Skeleton/OC Role: the forgotten child

Character Name: Enoch

FC: choi wooshik

Species: demon [immortal]

Status: aware

Gender: cisman

Pronouns: he/him

Age: appears 31

Abilities: Shadow magic, water magic and soul magic

Original Fate: unknown

Biography:

Imagine you’re the sole heir of the demon king. An heir that would never be needed. It wasn’t as if the king was going to die. Why would one need to be named? Despite not being an heir, you are still, his soul son. there is only one of you.  So, you find your purpose. Something to assist your father. Something to make him proud. Despite you not being the heir, there is no point to living in immortality without a purpose. Perhaps, that is where the trouble begins….

Enoch was the eldest son of the demon king. One that had not been spoken of as a son to the public since he was young, ages before. A son that had been with him for some time before the dark enchantress fell upon their doorstep. The same son who helped orchestrate the events that forced her and her little heir in their direction. All it took was a head tilt from his father, a smile and he knew what was needed. As one of his father’s most gifted assassins, infiltration was easy. A few well-placed deaths carefully crafted and executed had her moving exactly where his father wanted her. Who was he to tell his father no? it had been some time since his own mother had been around or alive. If his father wished to have someone sit upon the throne with him, then Enoch intended to make sure it happened.

Of course, that isn’t the end of the story. More time would pass. he would continue to do what was expected of him and allow the family dynamic to blossom. More often a shadow than a person, he didn’t even take the time to introduce himself as his only blood son… It wasn’t as if the elder wished to bond with a child or even the women his father clearly coveted. Perhaps he should have. Enoch may have seen the signs if he went more out of his way to speak to them, rather than only his father.

An accident, they said. How terrible. An accident had claimed the demon king’s life. An accident. Enoch put little trust in that investigation. His father had spent centuries living. Centuries of watching out for betrayal. But as far as his eldest son was concerned, in the end, he wasn’t watching well enough. Not being close to the dark enchantress made it easy for him to suspect her.

The distrust evolved, began to fester. Even as he introduced himself as simply, Enoch, a trusted assassin. He watched, he waited and eventually a time came where he could exact vengeance. The ghosts that hunted her in that maze, he called upon. Allowing them to taunt and bare down on her for eternity.

But things change and refresh. What matters is Enoch remains. The same soul, the same body. His hate festering into something much stronger over time. It grew from sibling punishing the dark enchantress, to wanting to tear her apart, piece by piece. but first, he would start with people she loved. Her son, and those he loved. Each of them torn to shreds while he bathed in their blood.

These ministrations would take time, and he has been biding it. To kill a strategist, one had to be willing to also be one. Patient. A watcher that had been watching for a very long time. One of the more important parts of Enoch’s plan was to obtain the solar and lunar magics. Rip them away if he had to. But in truth, previous enemies, old stories…. Most of them meant nothing to him. Only her. Only her treachery and her pain.

There is very little left within the forgotten demon prince. A child that turned into nothing within the entirety of the story. A fountain of anger and hate. But the forgotten becomes the unknown. The unknown can’t truly be planned for. Time had passed and Enoch had been waiting been waiting for. so. long….

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

Harry Potter, the books and the movies, are a huge part of my life as a teenager. I am true and blue Potterhead as a huge chunk of my generation. Being virtually the same age as the three leads, I kind of grew up with the books and the movies so those stories were very close to me. I know JK Rowling is a very controversial figure and I disagree with her POV, but I can still appreciate her creation and how much it got me into reading and movies because Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, both the movie and the book, increased my enthusiasm for that medium multifold. I remember watching the first move, mesmerized at what cinema can do and it certainly introduced me to the fantasy genre which led me to things like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. So obviously I was very excited for this reunion, partly also because I loved the Friends reunion. And while this is absolutely a nostalgia cash grab, it works gangbusters for me because its just so nice to see so many of these actors and directors back.

The thing that always hit me during the special, and continues to hit me every time I rewatch these movies, is how the casting department got either ridiculously lucky or they were just geniuses at their jobs. Firstly all the kids. I mean, Daniel, Rupert, and Emma are obviously the key and its great to see how well they have grown. Dan is still as excitable and keen as ever, Emma is still eloquent and graceful as ever, and Rupert is still calm and reserved as ever. They all seem to have a good head on their shoulders. But while we have seen these three grow, it is just as extraordinary that the series managed to keep all the side child actors, who didn't always have big roles, throughout the series. I mean, it was lovely to see Tom Felton, the Phelps brothers, Bonnie Wright, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, and Alfred Enoch. Every one of them has grown from young kids to adults throughout the course of the movie and it is lovely to see that all of them have grown up so well. Hearing stories about them growing up on set was wonderful. Like how Chris Columbus allowed them to just have fun on set as kids so it didn't feel like work for them. And then how Cuaron treated them as teenagers, giving them homework. And then how Yates then started treating them as adults. It seems like all the directors and creators went through a lot of care to make sure that the set was a good environment where the kids could grow up. There has honestly never been something quite like that in any franchise where children have gone from being kids to adults, going through their teen years, puberty, hormones etc... basically on screen. There are lots of cute stories. I think most people are aware of Emma's crush on Tom when they were kids, but it is still really cute to see them talk about it. Its clear she and Tom have a very special bond even now. Its also fun to hear things like how Mike Newell cracked his ribs while demonstrating the Weasley twin scruffle scene, or how Rupert talked about how the Phelps brothers were basically older brothers to him. In general, I loved them talking about the various directors and how they brought something unique to the table. I certainly got a renewed appreciation of what Columbus was able to set up, but also how Mike Newell really upped the spectacle of the series.

Just as wonderful it was to see the adult actors. Seeing people like Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Isaacs, Mark Williams, Ralph Fiennes, Toby Jones, Ian Hart etc... was wonderful to see. You can tell that these are genuine thespians who seemed to have loved their time on Harry Potter. While this is know, I loved seeing Gary Oldman and Daniel Radcliffe talk about their dynamic and how Dan was really in awe of Oldman and how their relationship mirrored that older brother/fatherly dynamic that Sirius and Harry had in the books. Helena Bonham Carter is just such a sweetheart and its clear she just loved being Bellatrix. Her and Dan talking about his crush on her and the note he wrote to her is absolutely adorable. There was a cool tidbit that I didn't know about that Gary and Helena apparently shot a long fight scene before Sirius' death scene which was cut out of the film. Another highlight was Robbie Coltrane for me. The conversation about how he was always joking around, trying to make the kids laugh. His emotion genuinely makes it feel like he genuinely cared for this character and the story and it was lovely to see because I don't recall having seeing much from Coltrane in past interviews. The Weasley family gathering at the Burrow was a delight. I wish they had gotten Julie Walters there but it was great the to see Mark Williams, who was an underrated actor in an underrated character. Arthur Weasley was a character who I loved as a father figure in the series. Hearing Jason Isaacs talk about how he basically became Lucius by accident after actually auditioning first for Lockhart, and hearing Fiennes talk about how his sister's children basically convinced him to take the part of Voldemort and him facing off with scenes with Alan Rickman is lovely.

There is also a lovely tribute to some of the departed legends like Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, and Helen McCrory. It seems Richard Harris was basically Dumbledore in real life, with the same twinkly and mischievous demeanor as in the first few films. There are some cute tidbits about how Harris didn't realize that Fawkes was not a real bird and how Tom didn't even knew who Richard Harris was as a kid and thought he was a tour guide. It was lovely to see Jason and Tom talk about Helen McCrory because they were obviously the two that interacted with her the most. I actually felt they could have talked more about Alan Rickman who is one of the legends of the series. It was great to see Rupert and Emma reminisce, Dan and Gary talk about how Rickman was the only one who knew the endgame of his character when even the directors didn't know, and Fiennes and Rickman facing off in Snape's death scene, but I would have liked to see more.

The heart of the special is obviously Dan, Rupert, and Emma in the same room. I loved them talking about each other and the sibling bond that they had. How they would basically fall asleep on each other's shoulders when they were exhausted. The entire section talking about Ron and Hermione's kiss and how mortified they were. It isn't anything new but its still hilarious to relive it. They even show a clip of Yates telling Emma and Rupert that the kiss scene is about to happen this week and you see Emma's mortified reaction. I can totally understand that scene being incredibly awkward when you grow up basically almost as siblings and are put into that circumstance. Also their conversation about the Harry and Ginny romance and the Harry and Hermione dance scene. Rupert and Emma talking about how they will always be bonded and be family for life and that they love each other. Also the conversation about Fame and how it affected them all and how Emma came close to quitting around OOTP. You can feel true emotion on their faces and on Dan's face as they talk about their time on set with each other and the other cast and crew. It just feels heartfelt and sincere and it gave me what I needed as a Potterhead.

There are a few things missing in the special. Rowling's absence is conspicuous but I read on EW that they did invite her and she declined, and it had apparently nothing to do with her controversy in recent years. I also missed a few key actors like Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Julie Walters, Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson etc... who were such an important part of the franchise. I get that getting such an sprawling cast to participate in the midst of covid is impossible but I still missed them. I wished they had talked about a few of them a bit more, like about Smith, Gambon etc... who were barely mentioned. Also, and I'm sure this is again about availability and covid restrictions, there aren't as many interactions between the cast as I would have liked. I mean, it was great to see Dan, Rupert, and Emma in one room, Rupert and Emma together, but apart from Dan, I don't think any of them interacted substantially with any of the others. We see Emma reunite with Tom and a few others at the beginning and she has a conversation with Coltrane but I don't think she interacted with anyone else. Rupert didn't interact directly with anyone other than Dan and Emma. I heard he was in Canada for part of the shoot. I don't know how true it is but it might make sense if his individual interview portions were shot elsewhere. Dan met with Columbus, Oldman, and Helena, and it was cool to see Tom, Alfred, and Matthew. But it would have been nice to have Rupert at the Weasley gathering, or have Dan and Tom interact, or have Evanna to interact with any of the others. But I get that they had to work with the availability and safety of all these different actors. The fact that they got as many as they did to be a part of this is impressive.

If you are a Potterhead like me, this special was just hitting the feels in just the right way. And that is the audience it is aiming at. Did we find out all that much new stuff? Not really. But it was just fun to relive it all and to know that these actors and creators still hold these stories and characters very near and dear to their heart. When the special started, Rupert mentioned that it didn't feel like enough time had passed for it to feel they earned this special, and that is true because the Harry Potter films play on tv so often, especially during the holidays, that they still seem like they just ended even though it has been a decade since the last film and almost 15 years since the last book. I am happy that the world has lived on with the Fantastic Beasts movies and Cursed Child. I am not necessarily a huge fan of the story of Cursed Child and the second Fantastic Beasts movie, but its nice to know that this world is still there to go back to. As a kid who moved from country to country and felt like a misfit wherever he went, it was just nice to have this fictional world about a bunch of misfits and growing up with them.

[scotianostra]

Today marks 125 years since the Glasgow Subway opened, the third oldest in the world.

On December 14th 1896 the first carriage of the new Glasgow District Subway, as it was originally named, departed Govan Cross at 5am. The first cars were cable-hauled and would remain so until electrification was introduced in 1935.

The brainchild of civil engineer Alexander Simpson, it had been built to serve a rapidly-expanding industrial city with a population fast approaching 1 million people.

As dawn broke it seemed the whole city was out in force and directors and officials were soon congratulating themselves on the success of their new system. However, any fist-pumping or back-slapping was to prove premature.

At around 3pm a complete breakdown occurred on the outer circle, causing momentary chaos. Stranded passengers were forced to walk along the lines back to the nearest station.

A few hours later, as normal service resumed, one man suffered a horrific foot injury as the huge swell of people forced him between the carriage and. As if that wasn’t bad enough for day one, worse followed at just before 11pm when a stationary carriage awaiting the signal to approach St Enoch Station from Bridge Street was hit by another car running at near full speed. The two carriages were carrying roughly 50 passengers each at the time of the collision and 18 were reported as seriously injured. platform. 

One 14-year-old boy was rendered unconscious and taken to the Royal Infirmary, having suffered a severe cut to his left temple.

The accident made headlines up and down the UK, forcing the closure of the Subway until January the following year.

An enquiry into the collision concluded that defective electrical connections between the signals had been the cause, although private trials in the weeks leading up to the opening had failed to flag up any major issues.

The driver of the approaching car claimed that he had spotted the stationary carriage but had been unable to stop in time to prevent the collision.

Despite the accident, the vibe was mostly positive - one of the main complaints being that the number of cars available on day one had been “hopelessly inadequate”. Subway directors countered this by stating that the extreme “rush of traffic” had exceeded all expectations.

They weren’t wrong - over 9 million passengers travelled on the Glasgow Subway in its first full year of operation.

When the Subway opened, a fixed fare price of one penny allowed passengers to travel around the six and a half mile long subway as many times as they wished. Many passengers had taken full advantage of this on the inaugural day - including the 14-year-old boy who suffered the severe head injury at 11pm, who, it’s said, had been travelling round and round the system for 8 or 9 hours prior to the collision. The fixed rate was soon abolished in favour of a fare stage system to avoid future congestion.

The railway ran with little further change until 1977 when the new operators, Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive, closed it for major modernisation investment. The railway in its present form reopened for operation on 16 April 1980.

Now part of SPT, the railway is one of the few in the UK remaining in public ownership. The subway has been undergoing a £288 million modernisation project.  They have completed all 15 of our stations including their two city centre flagship stations. The project will include 17 new trains, as well as the new trains, the Subway’s signalling equipment, control systems and control centre will all be replaced bringing improved availability and reliability to passengers.

The system will include new platform screen doors, which will be ‘half height’ to preserve as much space and openness within the stations as possible while still maintaining passenger safety and security.

Once the new full system is in place – trains, signalling, operational control centre, platform screen doors – and it has been fully tested, the Subway will move from its current partially automatic trains to Unattended Train Operations 

[decennia]

i give u free reign to infodump ab all of the knights and the og army bc i am vv intrigued agjgssgsh

THERE IS SO MUCH HERE OMFG MORAL OF THIS STORY NEVER ASK ME TO INFO DUMP BECAUSE I WILL TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT—

I've separated it into sections:

The Knights of Walpurgis, and the motivations for their assigned sins.

Dumbledore's First Resistance, and the motivations for their assigned virtues.

The dynamics between the opposing contenders.

Given the sheer volume of information, I've included a cut. Please enjoy this manip that I am still very proud of.

THE KNIGHTS OF WALPURGIS (later known as Death Eaters) Tom Riddle (Pride)

Pride and arrogance were very large contributing factors to Tom Riddle's downfall in the end, and honestly, the whole idea for the gifset came from Florence + The Machines' Seven Devils playing while casually thinking of Dagrim and Tom, and then about how perfectly Tom would fit as Lucifer.

Dagrim Patil (Avarice)

When questioned about what she wants, and what Riddle promised her in exchange for her unwavering loyalty, her response is, quite simply: everything. Dagrim grew up starved not for affection, but recognition. And what she was denied in childhood, she would take in adulthood by force. Her philosophy is that if something is worth wanting, it is worth taking.

Cantankerous Nott IV (Lust)

We know so little about Theodore Nott's father from the source material, other than he was elderly, and he raised Theo himself. And that he was a Death Eater, of course. His name is an ode to his ancestor, the Cantankerous Nott who created the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood directory. I assigned him "lust" purely for the events leading to the conception of his son (sis, it gets messy).

Abraxas Malfoy (Envy)

Abraxas Malfoy envied Tom Riddle to the point of a half attempted mutiny. He was quickly put in his place, his co-conspirators made examples of, and spared only for his close friendship with Dagrim, who pleaded for his life. Riddle, who trusted Dagrim to a fault for all she'd done to earn it, conceded. Abraxas would later prove himself to Riddle again, regaining his seat among Riddle's favoured generals. He was the one who taught Lucius to never disobey the Dark Lord, and he was not a kind teacher.

Ulysses Mulciber (Gluttony)

Indulgence and excess, spoiled rotten and filthy rich. The Mulcibers were the richest of the Sacred at one point in their lives, rivalled only by the Malfoys. Ulysses never knew the meaning of "enough," and was a glutton not only in all manners of vice, but also for cruelty, dealing it out carelessly with little to no regard for the repercussions he was well protected from by his noble standing and wealth. He was one of Riddle's greatest allies and sponsors, and instrumental in his rise to power.

Carmilla Avery (Wrath)

Carmilla was in the year above Riddle, and was quick to anger and slow to calm. Her temper was legendary, and even her younger brothers – also admitted into the Death Eater ranks – feared her. She had an untempered fury, a rage at the world for no reason at all. She developed an unhealthy codependency with Abraxas Malfoy, who served to have a soothing presence over her. People seldom survive crossing her, as her reputation dictates.

Serafine Lestrange (Sloth)

Serafine is not lazy (as the sin "sloth" would suggest), she just lacks the motivations to pursue the goals that are expected of her. A particularly bright witch, and a wealthy one too, she never applied herself at school for she didn't see the need. Instead, she fell into a fascination of the Dark Arts, where she met Riddle, perusing the Restricted Section. She is rather discontented with life, disillusioned from already such a young age. She initially joins Riddle's gang for the excitement of it all.

DUMBLEDORE'S FIRST RESISTANCE (later known as the Order of the Phoenix in its official conception in 1970)

Albus Dumbledore (Patience)

Name a man more patient than Dumbledore, I'll wait. Better yet, he'll wait, because he's patient as hell. So patient, in fact, he waited until after Harry's supposed death to come to him as a hallucination and tell him about how he was a Horcrux.

Rathin Patil (Temperance)

Temperance is abstinence, and I wanted to explore the kind of toll having his sister so far gone into the dark would have on any man, let alone one who really cared for her and wanted to do right by her. Rathin is not a perfect man, he is still fallible, and unfortunately, he develops a dependent comfort in inebriation when Dagrim disappears with Riddle. He pulls himself back together, especially when he becomes Isaiah Moody's partner at the Ministry, and he begins to pursue Miraya.

Miraya Varma (Diligence)

Methodical and persistent, Miraya Varma earned herself a position at the Ministry immediately out of Hogwarts where she would later go on to form her own task force within the Ministry specifically designed for the interrogation and recommended sentencing of dark wizards and witches. She has been known to put her duty first, up until the birth of her son, Divyansh Patil, father to Padma and Parvati.

Isaiah Moody (Humility)

For a very long time, people seldom knew the Moody name, and that was the way Isaiah liked it. He believed that his line of work would endanger his loved ones (in spite of his wife being in the same profession) and so he never took credit for the numerous arrests he made. It was Isaiah who suspected something was strange about Morfin Gaunt's arrest while investigating the Riddle Massacre, and consulted Dumbledore about it. Once his identity was discovered and he was viewed as a threat by Riddle, an attack was made on his heavily pregnant wife, jeopardizing her and his unborn boy's (Alastor) life.

Minerva McGonagall (Chastity)

Mini Minnie is seventeen, my dudes. But not only that, Minerva grew up with a religious father (he was canonically a reverend), who probably taught her his values. Also given the fact that Minerva was the first of the younger generation to participate and involve herself in the war (she sought out Dumbledore and enlisted herself into his Resistance, fearing her family would be made into another statistic if she didn't at least do something to intervene), she really didn't have much time to think about something as arbitrary as the concept of virginity. Also, it's the 1950s.

Corinne Scamander (Kindness)

Corrine is honestly the greatest. She has all of the tenacity of Tina, and the best qualities of Newt. It was Dumbledore's previous bond with Newt that encouraged him to recruit her, and she willingly accepted, because of course she would. She'd always been the soft spoken girl with a tender touch and a love for life, and she was often the advocate for hope in the resistance. She was adept in a few healing charms she'd learned from her father, and was something of a specialist in magical beings, proving herself to be highly valuable while Riddle was expanding his ranks with all manner of dark creatures.

Declan Diggory (Charity)

Sacrifice is in the Diggory blood, and Cedric's grandfather, Declan, was not the first to prove it. He also, unfortunately, wasn't the last, but he sure was one of the best. Selfless to a fault, Declan would willingly get hypothermia if it meant someone else would have warmth. Diggory's contributions to the war effort consisted of offering sanctuary and shelter to muggleborns who received death threats, and orchestrating the evacuations of targeted muggle residences. He was the leader of a small faction of the resistance, including, but not limited to: Fleamont Potter, Enoch Longbottom, Wilhelm Shacklebolt, and Ramona McKinnon.

DYNAMICS (just the contenders for now because this is hella long)

Albus Dumbledore vs. Tom Riddle

Adversaries, a fair deal of mistrust and guilt from Dumbledore's side (upon reflection, he'd been the one to introduce Tom to the wizarding world; even though he knows that if Riddle had been left unchecked, the risk of him becoming an Obscurus would've resulted in catastrophe all the same). Riddle sees Dumbledore as nothing more than a foolish old man, a pest, and an obstacle to overcome at first, but learns to begrudgingly respect Dumbledore's strength and mastery of magic (after all, Riddle only knew him as the Transfiguration teacher before, and thought the accounts of Dumbledore's victory over Grindelwald had been exaggerated to great effect). Riddle's hubris was believing he could defeat Dumbledore on his own, thinking himself already stronger than Grindelwald ever hoped to be.

Rathin Patil vs. Dagrim Patil

Rathin had always been very protective of Dagrim, and loved her dearly, although his acts of affection were often misinterpreted as pity and condescension. This only served to push them further apart. When Dagrim turned to the Dark Arts and found solace in Riddle, it revolted Rathin, as he was hugely against the corruption the Dark Arts has on the performing witch or wizard, and wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. He still very much loves her, and it hurts him to fight her. Dagrim, on the other hand, finds catharsis in duelling her brother, believing it to be justice for the way her parents treated her and the little he did to dissuade them.

Miraya Varma vs. Cantankerous Nott

A mutual respect and an academic rivalry, Cantankerous and Miraya were not friends by any means, but not enemies, either. Cantankerous even went as far as to warn Miraya of an impending attack, allowing her to evacuate the building. But although he knows she's clever, he also knows that she's incredibly stubborn, and displayed little surprise to find her awaiting him in the now vacant building. They are equally matched, and their unique relationship spans several decades, even into Cantankerous' failed run at Minister for Magic, and Theodore and the Patil twins' time at Hogwarts. She was present at his trial following the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and watched as he was sentenced to life in Azkaban for his crimes as a Death Eater.

Isaiah Moody vs. Abraxas Malfoy

Given his profession, Isaiah has a lot of enemies on the Sacred Twenty-Eight who are loyal to the Dark Lord. One such enemy is Abraxas Malfoy. When Tom gets word of Moody's involvement in solving the Riddle Massacre, he sends Malfoy and a newer Death Eater, Evangeline Rosier, to hinder the investigation. Abraxas and Evangeline were responsible for the attack on Isaiah's heavily pregnant wife, who, if she hadn't been an Auror herself, would've never survived. Alastor Moody was prematurely born at St. Mungo's following the attack, and all of Isaiah's efforts were turned on exacting vengeance on those responsible. Malfoy went into hiding, but Isaiah, ruthless, managed to hunt down Rosier. She died under questioning, setting in motion a vicious cycle of vengeance between the Moodys and Rosiers. Once Isaiah had been killed by Evangeline's brother (Evan [who was named after her] Rosier's father), Abraxas deemed it safe to rejoin society.

Minerva McGonagall vs. Ulysses Mulciber

On the list of things Ulysses loathes, he would put half-bloods above muggleborns (although he turns a blind eye to his Dark Lord's blood status when it conveniences him). Half-bloods only serve as a reminder of the lowest and weakest of his kind; the unworthy muggleborns, the lecherous blood traitors, the vermin muggles. Mulciber prides himself as something of a "purifier," and finds great enjoyment in pruning family trees that have been poisoned by muggle blood into purity once more. He takes a great interest in Minerva McGonagall, given that she is an incredibly powerful witch at such a young age, and he wonders how glorious she would've been had she been a pureblood (a twisted and untrue belief among the Sacred Twenty-Eight during that time). Minerva, the threat of Mulciber weighing heavily on her, places her family under Dumbledore's protection. She vows to stop Mulciber and his perverse idea of justice.

Corinne Scamander vs. Carmilla Avery

It didn't take much to enrage Carmilla Avery, and Corinne had been caught in the tempest Carmilla's fury since the day they'd met. Carmilla, who took great pleasure in picking on people she deemed lesser, made a target out of Corinne, perceiving her kindness for weakness. During their time at Hogwarts, Corinne had gained the attention of Avery for being a blood traitor and a muggle sympathizer, which only strengthened Carmilla's vindication. Corinne, who had been friends with Rubeus Hagrid prior to his expulsion, and who had almost fallen prey to the basilisk when she had heard Myrtle Warren's cries from the bathroom, never lowered herself to Carmilla's level nor did she rise to any of the challenges. This hurt Avery's ego, as she thought this was Corinne's way of claiming herself better than her. It wasn't until after Hogwarts that Carmilla's growing resentment came to a head, and, without the protection the school offered Corinne, Carmilla was looking to finally put an end to the blood traitor line of Scamander.

Declan Diggory vs. Serafine Lestrange

Declan and Serafine were childhood friends who drifted apart during their time at Hogwarts, particularly when she fell in with Riddle's crowd. She is viewed by Dumbledore as having the power to sway the entire outcome of the war, for if Serafine could be persuaded into leaving Riddle, her cousins (one of whom is the father of Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange) would surely comply, and the families who held the Lestranges in high regard would be inclined to follow. This makes Declan and Serafine key pieces in Dumbledore's game of strategy. However, Serafine was disowned long before she defected from the Death Eaters, leaving the Lestranges firmly in Riddle's grasp. Although Serafine claimed to feel nothing for Diggory, she still refused to deal any real harm to him when they duel, in spite of having ample opportunity to do so; something which Riddle picked up on. She was later forced to torture Declan in front of him to prove her loyalty to the Dark Lord, something which Declan permitted her to do, knowing she had very little choice in the matter. He was left for dead, but Serafine would later secretly return with Corinne to get him medical attention. She gives her son, Francis, "Declan" as a middle name.

[darkesthourrpg]

LOGAN HASTINGS (Rebecca Rittenhouse) is looking for the OLDER HALF BROTHER connection. Please message KOURTNEY for more information regarding this connection and make sure they approve your bio before applying. The connection is OPEN.

Name of requested character:

As long as the first name starts with L go wild. The last name has to be Hastings though!

Age Range:

With my character being 32, I would like yours to be 33-37 range. If you need to go over the range we can discuss it!

Species:

Witch

Wanted Faceclaims:

This is completely up to player! As long as they fit the age range and are half white I’m down with whoever!

Freddie Stroma, Richard Madden, Aaron Tveit, Dennis Oh, Jesse Williams, Alexander Koch, Alfred Enoch, Remy Hii, Steven R. McQueen, Theo James, Elliot Knight, or UTP.

Connection:

Older Half Brother

Background:

The sibling order goes:

- Your character (the outcast) - Logan Hastings (the free spirit) & Leonardo Hastings (the golden boy) - TBD HASTINGS (the perfectionist) - Livia Hastings (the fallen angel/outsider)

* When they were children Richard (their dad) tried to murder them for power. He got close, but the supreme intervened and Richard was captured. Which your character would have been awake during this all.

* Richard took off before he could be tried for attempted murder by the council, but on his way out of town he took Livia.

* The Coven/Supreme covered up Livia’s disappearance and the fact Richard kidnapped them. After that the children were heavily potioned to forget and watched by their mothers.

*Since yours was awake and older they would require a heaver dose of potions to forget. Which has probably cause his memories and everything to be messy and traumatic.

* Probably suffers from pretty vivid night terrors, anxiety, depression, anger issues and is just pretty unstable all around. Which I always pictured him like a season 1 Lizzie Saltzman where he’s always known his brain works different, but still he’s trying and working on his issues. He would probably have a therapist in the coven when growing up, rather he goes or not anymore is up to you.

* This is up to you, but I do see him struggling with some type of addiction rather it be a substance or just even magic itself.

* He probably would be the least controlled when it comes to magic out of the siblings, but also it comes from his emotions not being in check.

* Probably has a lot of issues with any kind of authority due to again the one person he loved and trusted doing the most horrible thing to him.  

* More than likely they’re the one always in the middle of the sisters and trying to break up the arguments, they probably get dragged into them more often than not.

* Probably is the closest to all the siblings since he is the oldest and the most laid back in the group

* While the others got rid of the their watchers when they were 18 because they were deemed not a threat/the mothers didn’t report on them anymore The Firm 100% just enlisted someone new to watch him. Whoever it is will be completely up to you, but he would be the one who is constantly still reported on. (THIS PLOT HAS ENDED BUT I’M DOWN IF YOU WANT TO DO STUFF WITH HIS OLD WATCHER)

* I’ve always picked him and The Perfectionist splitting the dad’s powers, which we can 100% decide together, but I just think it would be a little funny if they’re so worried about him/her because they have similar powers.

* Leo did ‘kill’ Richard during Halloween 2021 after he tried to get power from Logan. While they thought he was dead Richard will be returning as a vampire later on.

* Livia was also introduced to the siblings on Halloween 2021 as their half sister.

[burnmyloveaway]

what is your favorite dgs case and why?

Hi anon! 

Well, I usually like last cases so obviously I loved how The Resolve of Naruhodou Ryuunosuke wrapped everything up, I consider it the big final boss case of the duology with Twisted Karma and His Last Bow but a honorable mention goes to The Return of the Departed Soul, imo.

I think it’s the real turning point of the game because it is from there that the frantic pursuit of the Truth really begins, it’s from this case that the player and the characters start to slowly untangle the string of a fate that has brought all these people in the game together. 

I loved that it started almost as a random, filler case. At first I had a hard time following it because of the whole trick thing and I admit it was kinda boring me at first but the twists! Oh, the twists!

Not only it wasn't a totally random case but it kept building up layers upon layers of mysteries, secrets and conspiracies and I enjoyed every single moment of it (I love the whole "secrets coming out" thing).

I like that it started with having to defend an old friend of Barok's, I love how one of the chapter purposes was to bring out Barok's real nature, to show what was hidden beneath him and how he has been on our side the entire time.

Not only for the building up, the twists and the work it did on Barok's character but I loved this particular chapter for another couple of reasons as well:

1 - the characters involved: I think Enoch Drebber and Madame Tusspells are among the most memorable culprit and witness of the entire series. They're both so phenomenal and so interesting there could be an entire spin-off about the two of them, they had very important roles and their impact on The Professor's case was huge.

I mean, I've seen more lore about them than not about Caidin and Vigil among the fandom, and I think this fact speaks volumes.

Enoch's character is so flawed yet so human, his story was very compelling for me and it made me feel so much for him. Maybe I'm the only one but I think that even if making fun of Harebraybe may have been uncalled for, I was on his side. What he did was wrong, sure, but I don't think Harebrayne being an idiot was his fault. That's just how the world works.

[And yes, the way Barok defended his friend was noble and he was right when he said that working hard to pursue a dream of your own is laudable and not laughable but Harebrayne in my opinion still made a fool of himself... but maybe it's just me, Idk, while I like his relationship with Barok I can't say I like him that much, F.]

And Madame Tusspells my beloved... For once we had a witness that wasn't cringy. Yes, cringy witnesses are one of the series' main features but she was such a nice change: composed, polite, cunning, sharp, capable, cool, mysterious... She simply told the truth as she was asked to, she managed to be so transparent yet so secretive at the same time, she was amazing to watch, really. I enjoyed her scenes with Sherlock at the museum too, lmao

Dr. Sithe and Maria, too. Maria became a fave of mine even though she was only introduced in this chapter and I liked how mild Sithe’s breakdown was despite everything, despite all the things she must have been through, she’s still a queen. A divorced (?) woman working as a coroner and being the head of the police (Scotland Yard, even!) forensics team in the Victorian period? That’s metal as fuck.

Oh and don’t get me started on the mad aesthetics of these characters, simply sublime. Who doesn’t like goth characters, after all?

2 - it was very emotional overall: I could tell how much Barok had been suffering because of it all, it was heartbreaking to see how he struggled to solve the case and not lose his composure, at times it almost seemed as if he was on the verge of crying... 

Oh, and the final twist? It was simply horrific. 

As the cherry on top you end up finding out that this scary guy who was seen at that tomb is actually (supposedly) Kazuma’s dead father? And that poor Kazuma had suffered because of it for all those years? That that was his drive to travel across the world for the entire time? But then he breaks the wax figure and he escaped who knows where?

So yeah, this chapter was magnificent and it really did it for me, on every aspect, it was surprising, entertaining, exciting and horrendous all together, it made me keep repeating “and now? And now? AND NOOWW???”, truly a masterpiece.

[shadow-cooper]

A Map of Days facts from Ransom's recent Insta livestream (facts with * are from previous ones)

Part 1:

----

*Even though there’s maps of the more capitalistic loops in America, they don’t get attacked by Wights or Hollows. That’s possibly due to some “arrangement.”

*Pocket loops could be used for unscrupulous reasons, like gambling, but Ymbrynes don’t use them like that.

•America used to function like Europe, with order and Ymbrynes. However, the Wights killed most of them off. They were much more successful at disrupting the order of Peculiardom in America than in Europe.

•What replaced that order were Demi-Ymbrynes and mafia-style, gang-like factions of peculiars competing for territory and influence (*and un-contacted peculiars like Noor)

•The Melodee was a real restaurant in Sarasota, but it’s permanently shut down. It had singing waitresses and blue-plate specials, like liver and onions (*which was Abe’s favorite).

•Jacob’s house was based off the house of one of Ransom’s friend’s. He remixed that friend’s last name to create Golan (*Which is apparently pronounced Go-LAN???).

•The little voices in Jacob’s head are not always from Caul.

•Abe’s associates F and P are still alive! (*Thank you for asking this, @finn-nito 😂)

•H’s real name is Harold Fraker King

•Leo accuses Abe of kidnapping Agatha, his Goddaughter. What actually happened was the Wights posed as some Hollow Hunters, (*Abe specifically, it seems, since Leo says he was seen when it happened), and kidnapped the girl to create a rift between the Hollow Hunters and Americans, which couldn’t be repaired.

•Jacob didn’t talk to Abe on the phone when he and the children were in the 1960’s loop because the thought didn’t occur to him. Part of him didn’t want to talk to past-Abe. Plus, Emma goes behind Jacob’s back and calls him and doesn’t say anything about it until later. •Ransom almost had Jacob talk to past Abe in every book, but he didn’t because “it’s unnecessary and distracting.” He’s been dreaming of that scene for years, but it hasn’t happened yet. •Ransom wrote about another phone call in an early draft of the book. Jacob was supposed to enter a loop from 1997, where he’d be a year old. He calls and says “I’m Jacob. I’m your grandson”, but Abe replies, “My son has no children.” •Ransom never wrote it, but he had the idea that Jacob was adopted, and not his parent’s real biological son. A peculiar who Abe, in the course of his work as a hollow hunter, found as a toddler. He saved, adopted, and brought home Jacob to give to his child-less son and daughter-in-law. Recognizing some power in Jacob that he shared. That didn’t fit the narrative that Ransom needed so he abandoned that idea. (*Still, it’s one hell of an idea that would have been interesting to discover)!! •The story starts in 2011, and the events of the entire series takes place within 6-7 months. The Desolations of Devil’s Acre takes place in 2012. •Noor was introduced as another love interest because the whole “Emma and Jacob” relationship had problems from the start. Jacob was always gonna be living in Abe’s shadow in Emma’s eyes, and it started to get weird. Ransom wanted Jacob to fall for a peculiar his own age, who was also from the present, and whose experiences were much like his own. Jacob will always love Emma, but it’s morphing into a friendship now. •The Ymbrynes get money from their bank accounts to care for their yards. "Successful stock market investing is not difficult when you have the ability to manipulate time." •Abe did not bully Enoch. He had a thing for Emma, but it was unrequited. When she fell for Abe, Enoch couldn’t help but be jealous and act out and be a dick. That’s the cause of the tension between them (*and probably Jacob, initially).

[intoanothermind]

Idyllic - Enoch O’Connor

Word Count: 11.3k words

– Enoch O’Connor x reader

Synopsis: Is it possible to fall in love through stories? Well, it happened to me. I fell in love with the stories that my grandmother told me.

Masterlist

(Okay, maybe I got a bit too excited writing this. But it was worth it, I liked the result, even if first I was going to make a whole fanfic out of this idea. And I based it off the movie as I still haven’t read the books. AU where Jacob was never followed by Barron.)

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I analysed the sepia photograph that almost shattered in my hands. It was old and worn out - from the time and the number of times it has been handled. The photo represented a small cave that seemed to be forgotten by everyone. The passage to the time that permeated most of my grandmother's teenage stories. I lowered the photo, seeing that I was directly in front of that same cave, on the small Welsh island of Cairnholm. I put the photograph in the pocket of my torn jeans and took a deep breath, trying to ignore how shaky my hands were. This was the moment I had been waiting for years, since my grandmother started telling me stories about this loop and I fell in love. I took a deep breath, knowing that this moment would change my life and I would not go back to my time again. I was prepared to leave everything I knew behind, with the proper farewells already made.

I squeezed the strap of the backpack that held some of my belongings and entered the cave. I could tell when I entered 1943. The air changed around me, becoming more dense before quieting. The sounds became calmer and my breathing heavier despite being in less polluted air - but I could blame the emotions. When I returned to the beach, the sky was no longer terribly cloudy. Instead, blue was prevalent, with only a few clouds. I smiled, because that meant I had done it. I followed the beach along the path I had taken the day before, when I visited the wreckage of the orphanage. It hadn’t been a pleasant visit. Even knowing the loops existed and how all the children were saved, seeing the place in pieces was heartbreaking. No wonder Grandma never returned to that place. But as I retraced my journey - familiar and at the same time unsettlingly different - I was trying to control my emotions. I didn't know how everyone would react to my presence. Grandma was still in correspondence with Miss Peregrine, but I didn't know the extent of their knowledge about me. Much less if they knew I was coming and whether they would be receptive to my arrival or not.

I started to hyperventilate when imagining the possibility of not being accepted, by everyone and by a peculiar one in particular. I stopped where I was, a few feet from crossing the small stream before the trees that hid the orphanage, and tried to take a deep breath. Even though there was a chance I wouldn’t be accepted, I had no other choice. Grandma was already getting old to protect me alone from the Hollows and I had no choice but to head to one of the loops around the world marked on the map Grandma gave me - and of course my obvious choice would be the one where my grandmother spent almost a decade living. When I felt calmer, I continued my walk. Seeing the big house - with reddish bricks and flowers growing through the structure - that housed Grandma's best childhood friends, I couldn't help the smile forming on my lips. The first to see me was a small, blond little girl in a pink dress that swayed around her body as she ran towards me.

“Eloise! You came back!”

My heart sank and the smile was gone.

“I ... I'm not Eloise. I'm her granddaughter, Y/N.” I replied. She stopped in front of me, studying my face.

She looked a little sad, but soon opened a big smile. “You look a lot like her. I'm Claire. Come, you have to meet everyone! They will be very happy!”

She started pulling me by the arm and, as much as I was eager to get to know everyone - even though I already knew from the stories I heard all my life - there was something I needed to do before.

“I would really love to, but I think I need to speak to Miss Peregrine first. Can you take me to her? Then you can introduce me to everyone.”

“Of course! Let's go!

Claire took me to the door. Every few meters that we walked, some new child turned to see who Claire was guiding so excitingly. Whispers and murmurs after a few seconds of silence. My arrival left the other children in an uproar. Wide eyes and surprised faces, they started whispering to each other, but none approached as Claire led me to the door. Perhaps because of my resemblance to my grandmother or the current clothes I wore. I looked among the children who were watching me, but the face I was looking for, however, was not among them.

“Miss Peregrine!” exclaimed Claire, entering the house with me.

As soon as we passed the bluish door, I looked around in wonder. Everything was so clear and clean. The staircase in front of me was complete, as were the side doors and the corridor hidden under the stairs on the right. So different from the orphanage that I visited back in 2019, the day before. That orphanage was destroyed, the wreckage left by the German bombing more than half a century before, still lying there.

“Y/N!

I looked at the person who called me and instantly recognized Alma Peregrine from the pictures Grandma showed me. Thin face and short hair with bluish threads. Blue eyes wide with a gleam of insanity, anxiety and wisdom. I smiled when I saw her approaching me with two cups in hand.

“Just in time, dear.” She said, handing me one of the cups. The smell that rose made me realize it was mint tea. “Claire, you can go play with the others. I'll take Y/N to meet everyone in a moment.” she told the blonde girl who still held my hand.

“But, Miss Peregrine...” Claire started to mumble, but the woman gave her a steady look that made her release my hand and jump happily back out.

“My name is Alma Peregrine, but I imagine I already knew that information.”

I smiled, nodding and accepting the handshake. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Peregrine.”

“The pleasure is mine, dear. Eloise talked a lot about you and warned us of your arrival.” She put a hand on my shoulder and guided me down the hall under the stairs, but stopped before we entered. “Leave your bag by the stairs, you can take it to your room later.”

I did as she asked and we headed down the hall, then into the kitchen and finally out into the courtyard. It was large, with grass, trees and shrubs pruned in various shapes - I could recognize an elephant, a centaur with a bow and arrow stretched out and a dinosaur farther down, near a football goalpost, where two boys played. One had bees around him and the other, well, I could just make out the clothes. Hugh and Millard. A blond boy was sitting under the dinosaur-shaped bush, shouting penalties at both of them while sharing his attention with a book. Beside him was a girl with brown braided hair and a few freckles watching the two boys play. Horace and Fiona.

Before we approached the presentations, however, I remembered something important.

“Oh, Miss Peregrine.” I said after taking another sip of tea. I reached for my jeans pocket by the folded letter and handed it to him under a curious look. “Grandma asked me to give it to you as soon as I arrived. You’ll have her new address, some new information before she forgot and… let's say attempts to keep in touch while you can.”

Alma Peregrine looked up at my face and I immediately recognized the look of pity and anguish that I so wanted to avoid.

“I'm sorry for your family, Y/N. And for Eloise too.”

I broke into a forced smile.

“It's all right. My parents' death happened many years ago, it isn’t something that bothers me very much.” I said and, on the one hand, I wasn’t lying. I was only eight when the Hollows killed them trying to get to me and my grandmother. Since then, Grandma and I haven't settled in one place for a long time and she was always with me, taking care of me. Until she thought it was appropriate for me to go on a loop because Alzheimer was advancing little by little. “And about Grandma... Well... We both knew that day was coming and she prepared me for it.”

“Still” Peregrine said, putting the letter in her dress pocket and hugging my shoulders “, I'm sorry.”

I nodded. “Only you and I have her new address. She wanted me to correspond with her while the disease is not yet very advanced and she can still remember.”

“Of course!” Peregrine stated. I sighed, relieved. I knew that someone other than her corresponding to the outside of the loop could be dangerous and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to have contact with Grandma. “As long as possible, you can send letters to her and I will help you with that.”

“Thank you, Miss Peregrine.”

She smiled warmly at me, before being distracted by someone calling her name. I followed his gaze and saw Claire approaching again, this time with a girl about her size, with brown curls dangling around her face. I smiled as I recognized Bronwyn and right behind them the twins dressed in white clothes from head to toe.

“Y/N, you already knew Claire” Peregrine started the presentations. “and this is Bronwyn and the twins.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I said, smiling at the children in front of me.

The twins jumped a little, looking excited, but Bronwyn stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my legs. She lifted me up and I had to hold on to her shoulders to keep from falling when she lifted me off the floor.

“I'm very happy to meet Eloise's granddaughter, she was always sending photos of you.”

“Bronwyn, put her on the floor!” Miss Peregrine hurried to say, but I could only laugh.

“It's quite alright.” I assured. “It's really nice to meet Grandma's friends too, Bronwyn, she talked a lot about you.”

She giggled as she put me back on the floor and let out a “it'll be great to have you live with us” before running with Claire and the twins into the house. I looked at Peregrine, a little confused.

“The children knew that when you came it was to stay, Eloise always warned us of this, although not everyone believed that you would really come.” she paused and I wondered if she knew I could guess who she was referring to. “Claire must have spread it to everyone that you were here.”

We went further into the courtyard, approaching Horace and Fiona, who soon got up when they saw us.

“These are Horace and Fiona.” said Miss Peregrine. “Fiona, it's almost time.”

Fiona smiled broadly and waved at me before running towards the front of the house, to the garden there, while Horace watched my clothes curiously.

“This is an interesting attire.”

I lowered my head, examining my clothes. Half-worn jeans, a white T-shirt and a denim jacket on top, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. On my feet I had a pair of black mid-high all stars. Ordinary clothing, at least for the year I came from. I opened my eyes wide when I realized that I would have to adapt to the 1943 dress. Which meant I couldn't wear pants, let alone jeans.

“Miss Peregrine, will I not be able to wear my clothes?” I asked, almost getting desperate. I wasn’t at all comfortable in skirts and dresses.

Peregrine sighed, half defeated. I was sure Grandma must have had some discussions about it with her in the letters.

“It wouldn’t be ideal, but if you only use them inside the house, where no one but us would see it... I think we can work out a deal.” She said, taking me farther in the yard, passing the boys playing. “These are Hugh and Millard.” they waved at me, but continued the game. Well, Hugh waved and Millard must have touched his hat, which moved a little in the air. “And this is Jacob and Emma.”

I turned my head at the sound of the strange name. Emma was easy to recognize from Grandma's photographs. Blonde and very beautiful. She was barefoot and tied to a rope, floating back to the floor. On the other side of the rope was a tall, thin boy with black hair and blue eyes. Beside him were Emma's heavy shoes. But as I looked more closely, I realized that the boy was familiar to me. Not from Grandma's pictures, because I never heard a story that included any Jacob, but I recognized him. I had to hold the cup with both hands in order not to drop it on the floor due to the fright.

“Jake?!”

He turned so fast and startled that if Emma hadn't already been putting herself back in her shoes she would have flown away.

“Y/N?!” He seemed as surprised to recognize me as I was.

“Do you know each other?” asked Peregrine, frowning.

I blinked a few times to dispel the astonishment.

“Yes, we... We studied together in Florida for a few months before Grandma moved us.” I answered.

“My God, Y/N, it's you!” Jake hugged me quickly, before returning to Emma's side. “You look so different, older!”

“Well, it is 2019 on the outside, Jake, I think I aged a little bit more than you.” we laugh, including Emma.

“You must be Y/N, Eloise's granddaughter. I'm Emma, nice to meet you.” She said sympathetically, shaking my hand with a smile.

“Wait, is Eloise your grandmother? Eloise who left with my grandfather from the loop?”

I looked sideways at Emma when I heard Jacob's words, but she looked fine, smiling with Jacob's hand clasped in hers. I think there were some updates from the peculiar kids that Grandma didn't let me in on.

“So Abe is your grandfather.” I said, finally understanding why Jacob was there. “I don't think we found out before because I never saw your grandfather with you.”

“So you met him?” He frowned, confused.

I nodded. “Yes, Grandma took me a couple of times to see him, but when he was alone. He said he didn't want his grandson to know about the peculiars before he was 18. I'm really sorry for your grandfather.”

Jacob nodded, a little ruefully.

“Well, I see that you have a lot to talk about.” said Miss Peregrine. “I'll leave them then while I prepare dinner. Emma, take Y/N to her room later and lend some dress while we don't fix her wardrobe.”

“Has she met everyone?” she asked.

Miss Peregrine gave me a look that I couldn’t decipher and, by her next words, I wondered how much she knew me from the letters exchanged with Grandma.

“Y/N can meet Olive and Enoch at dinner.”

She took my cup of tea, which by now was cold, and went back into the house alone, leaving me with Emma and Jacob.

“So this means I'm now older than you?” I asked, hoping to break the silence.

And it worked, for Emma's laugh and Jacob's eyes roll.

“Only in appearance, Y/N, only in appearance.”

“Still, I'm 19 and you are 16.” I laughed with Emma when I saw Jacob's exasperated expression. “What is your peculiarity? It shouldn't be too obvious, since I didn't realize it when we were at school.”

Jacob scratched the back of his neck, a little uncomfortably.

“It's the same as my grandfather's, I can see the Hollows.”

After a few seconds of tense silence, I finally said something.

“Wow, that would have been so useful and easier than binoculars.”

“ Binoculars?” asked Emma.

I nodded. “A few years ago, Grandma, Abe and I created out of Grandma's peculiarity a type of binoculars to make visible what is invisible. So you can see the Hollows and even Millard if you want. We tried to recreate it to send another one to Miss Peregrine, but we couldn't.”

“And where is it now?” Jacob asked.

I swallowed hard and tried to respond as naturally as possible.

“With grandma. She would need it out there more than I do in here.”

Their faces became a little sad, but Emma soon changed the subject.

“And do you have the same peculiarity as Eloise? Artistic reality?”

“Yes and no.” I broke into a small smile when I saw their confused faces. “Grandma could give life to her paintings, but she was limited to canvas and paint. I just need a place to draw and a pen or pencil.”

“This is so cool, I would love for you to demonstrate!” Emma exclaimed, looking cheerful. “But dinner starts in a few minutes and we need to get you a dress.”

I think it was easy to see how I felt about dresses in my horrified expression, because Jacob started to laugh. Emma barely cared, holding my hand and leading me back to the house. Jacob came after us both, still laughing at my reluctance. But I knew there was no escape. We entered through the back door and passed the kitchen, where Peregrine was already busy with dinner. Jacob stayed behind to help her place the table in the dining room. When we returned to the foyer, I only had time to grab the strap of my backpack quickly before being pulled by Emma toward the marble stairs, covered in a dark red carpet.

After we passed the two flights of stairs, I found myself facing a half-dark corridor full of doors and a window at one end. Emma guided me to one of the doors to the left of the stairs. But I froze before following her into the room. I heard two voices coming from one of the rooms on the right side of the stairs, along with some strange noises, like scissors and clicks. I widened my eyes when I remembered that in the destroyed orphanage I saw in 2019, that room was the one with the bookcase full of broken jars. Enoch?

“Y/N?”

I turned to Emma, eyes wide and cheeks burning.

“Yes?” My voice came out squeaky and I was sure Emma noticed.

She raised her eyebrow, a little cynically, but said nothing. She just entered the room again, and this time, I followed.

“This is my room.” She said, going to the old wardrobe. Well, old for me. “Your room will be at the end of the hall, I'll take you there to change. But first, let's find a dress for you.”

I mumbled a little "okay" to her and watched as she went through her things. Emma took a small look at my shoes and pulled out a simple light blue dress, cut similar to the baby pink she was wearing, from inside the wardrobe.

“I think this dress here will look better on you with your... modern shoes.”

I giggled at her hesitation, but accepted the dress. Emma smiled and led me back into the hall. We passed the stairs and through the room that I had heard the voices before. We stopped in front of a room two doors down from that. After she said it would be my room from now on, she left me alone to change and get down in ten minutes. I looked around me. A simple single bed, an old wardrobe, a medium size mirror hanging next to the door and a simple table with a chair and a lamp under the window that faced the orphanage and the vegetable garden. The room was simple, but it looked cozy and I smiled. That would be my room for the next few decades and I wish I could make it my own corner. I left my backpack by the bed, knowing I could unpack later. I didn't bring much more than clothes and personal items in it, I knew that no electronic device would work there. Although I brought at least my cell phone and my polaroid camera. I knew I could design some kind of adapter for the plug and more paper for the photos.

I changed my clothes quickly, leaving my shirt and jeans folded on the bed. When I put on the dress, a little reluctantly, I went to the mirror. I was surprised to find that I was beautiful with it, despite some discomfort when using it. And Emma was right, it didn't look so bad with my black all star. I didn't want to be too late, so I just fixed my short curls and left the room towards the stairs. When I got to the hall, I realized that I had no idea where the dining room was. I heard the chirping voices of the children and followed one of the doors on the sides of the hall. The dining room was well lit and decorated. There was a large table in the middle, full of food and where everyone was already seated, except Miss Peregrine, who was standing at one end. There was an empty seat on his right side and soon after Emma, Jake, Bronwyn, Horace and Fiona, with Claire, Millard, Hugh, Olive and the twins on their other side. I looked at the other end of the table, at the boy I had been looking forward to meeting since I knew I was coming to the orphanage.

They must have heard it when I opened the door, because everyone turned to me. I smiled, a little embarrassed by the attention, but it widened when Enoch's dark eyes met mine.

“Eloise?!”

My smile closed slightly when he stood up abruptly, looking at me with a kind of horrified expression. I knew I wouldn't have a very good reception from him, but I think I was still hopeful that it would be different.

“Now, Enoch, of course not! It's Y/N!” exclaimed Millard, looking delighted that I joined them.

“Of course, you and Olive haven't been introduced to her yet.” said Miss Peregrine, holding out her arm for me to approach. “This is Y/N, Eloise's granddaughter. We've talked about it, kids, Y/N will be joining the orphanage from now on.”

I smiled when I realized that Olive and the others seemed to give me warm, welcoming smiles when I sat down next to Peregrine. But not Enoch. He was still looking at me with a dark and unreadable expression. He wasn't happy that I was there, but I couldn't figure out what else my arrival was doing to him. I didn't have much time to find out, as he soon turned and ran out of the dining room, with the children screaming for him.

“Okay, kids, we can have dinner today without him.” said Miss Peregrine.

Some children looked surprised. I don't think it was very common to have a meal with someone missing. But it seemed that everyone knew the reason behind it, from the effort they made to not mention it during the entire dinner. Other than that, however, the dinner was very lively. I avoided saying anything unless a question was addressed directly to me. Which means that I talked almost all the time that I wasn't chewing. Where were you born? How's Eloise? Why did you come? What do you think about meeting your grandmother's friends? Where have you two travelled before? Is it true that you already knew Jake?

It wasn’t so uncomfortable to answer the questions. Everyone there already seemed to know about Grandma's situation and why I would come here at some point. So even with the heaviest responses, the mood was not tense. When everyone was done, a phone rang in the background and everyone fell silent. I was a little confused, since I didn't remember Grandma talking about a phone call they received that September 3, 1943 in whatever story she told.

“Well, we will have to answer it.” said Miss Peregrine. “Emma, why don't you go ahead and answer it? Children, go with her and soon I will go. Y/N, wait a minute, please.”

As everyone went out into the hall, Peregrine took the empty plate that was in Enoch's place and began to fill it with the leftover food in the middle of the table, while I waited standing beside the chair. When she looked satisfied, she wrapped the cutlery in a napkin and placed it in my hands along with the plate.

“Can you take this to Enoch, dear?” she said, with a twinkle in her eyes that I dare say is a little suspicious. “His room is the first door to the right of the stairs.”

Of course it was.

“Are you sure it isn’t better for you to take it?” I asked in a low voice, a little afraid. “I don't think he'll want to see me.”

“He needs to get used to you sometime, Y/N.” She stated in a sweet voice. “Now go and come down again before reset.”

I nodded and headed for the hall. I could hear the children's tumult in the hallway leading to the kitchen, but I ignored them and went up the stairs, trying to prepare my heart to face the boy who had stolen my attention in all the stories Grandma told. I took a deep breath when I stopped in front of the door indicated by Miss Peregrine. I was nervous and afraid to drop the plate from my shaking hands. I knocked on the door and waited, but got no answer.

“Enoch?” this time I called when I knocked again.” Enoch, I brought your dinner.”

When I didn't get an answer again, I decided to test the knob. The door opened and I went inside. The room was as I imagined it from Grandma's descriptions and from what I could see from the wreckage of the orphanage in 2019. It had another door facing the entrance and a lamp in the middle of two large shelves full of pots. Some empty and others with dark water and shapes inside. I didn't need to look any closer to know that they were animal hearts. On the other side of the bookcase was the room itself. The single bed beside the door and a table directly in front of it, full of the most diverse objects, tools and doll parts. On the other side of the table was a large window with a closed blue partition. On one side of it was a sink and a half-dirty mirror and, on the other, a hammock hanging from the beam with more pieces of dolls. Despite the big window and the lamps and lamps scattered throughout the room, the atmosphere was still dark and impression of being somewhat morbid.

Enoch was facing the window, one hand in his pants pocket and the other arm resting on the frame. His expression was somber and, although he seems to be too absorbed in watching the sun almost set outside, I knew he was aware of my presence by his tense posture. I took a deep breath, preparing to formally introduce myself and leave him his food, but he spoke before I could open my mouth.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was low and anguished and at no time did he turn towards me.

“Miss Peregrine asked me to bring you dinner.”

“I didn't mean up here, I meant what you are doing here in the loop.” He turned abruptly, with clenched fists. His gaze met mine and I had to control myself not to back down. I came knowing that my presence would bring painful memories to him and that he would be rude to me, but I didn't imagine that I would see so much hatred and contempt in his eyes. “If you are to leave just like Eloise did, you can go now. We don't need you here.”

I took a deep breath and tried to keep the pieces of my heart from becoming tears. I knew it would happen, I was prepared - it was what I kept repeating in my mind. Even so, it still hurt.

“I came to stay.” I replied and realized when he gasped with my firm tone and not intimidated. I left the plate and cutlery on the table, in a part free of dolls and tools. “I know that my presence is not pleasant at this moment, Enoch, but I am not leaving. I don't have the desire that she had to know the world outside because I already knew him. Since I was a child and heard stories about this place, I knew that this was where I would come when Grandma couldn't take care of me anymore. I imagine that like the others you must also know her situation. She was everything I had out there, so I have no reason to leave.

He opened his mouth to say something and I just raised my hand so he wouldn't interrupt me.

“No matter how much you want me to leave, I won’t. I came to 1943 to stay. You may have been the person I most wanted to meet. Yes, I know about your story and how much she hurt you, but she told me the amazing person you could be when you’re not in a bad mood around the corner and she always said that one of the biggest regrets in her life was leaving it. Before crossing the ocean, she asked me to take good care of you, because she knew you could be someone special to me and I intend to keep that promise, whether you want to or not. So you can treat me as badly as you want, I will not give up and I will not leave!”

I turned abruptly and left, without looking at him one last time. I was surprised at myself, for having said more than I intended, but at least I felt a weight coming out of my chest. And I wasn’t lying. Grandma said that one of her biggest regrets was having left him to go live in the world outside, but that at least it had led her to have mother and me. And the promise was real. I would take care of him in one way or another and I did intend to get him out of that armour.

“Oh, Y/N.” Peregrine looked at me with a warm and pitiful expression when I went down the stairs and that's when I realized that some tears were streaming down my cheek. I dried them quickly, hoping that it wouldn't be too apparent when I joined the other kids. “He just needs time, my dear, you just need to be patient.”

I swallowed hard when I realized that Grandma had talked more about me than I felt comfortable with. How embarrassing is your new headmistress to know about you liking the same boy your grandmother was romantically involved with? Is this just because of the stories told by the mentioned grandmother? I could almost feel my face exploding with shame.

“C'mon C'mon.” she rushed me, putting a gas mask in my hands and guiding me to the patio. “It's almost time to reset.”

I noticed that the children were all outside in the rain, with their masks on their faces and behind a small wooden table, where they had a gramophone and an open umbrella. Miss Peregrine hurried to put a clock on the table and turn on the gramophone. Typical '40s music started playing and I smiled as I put on the mask and joined the kids. It was a little nostalgic to hear it, as I always listened to it with Grandma. Olive, who was at my side, put her thick-gloved hand around me in a brief hug.

That's when I saw the flashes between the clouds. They looked like thunder, but they were orange. The first plane flew over the orphanage and I gasped, shocked to see a German plane live, even after I had prepared for it. It seemed too unbelievable that I was there, in the middle of World War II. Two more planes flew overhead and Miss Peregrine looked again at the pocket watch in her hand. Eight more planes passed over the house. A final plane flew over, and when it was near the orphanage, it opened the cargo hold and a bomb fell. I could see the swastika painted in white from my place on the floor. I winced. Not just because of the cold rain that ran down my clothes or because I knew what would happen if Miss Peregrine didn't return the last 24 hours - because I knew she would do it precisely. But because I knew everything that that symbol painted on the bomb meant. These kids living in a loop unaware of what happens in the future seem like a gift that Jacob and I wouldn’t share. Our knowledge of history seems to be a burden.

Seconds before the bomb hit the house, time stopped. The bomb stopped and so did the rain droplets. I saw Miss Peregrine turning the clock and everything moved in reverse. The bomb returned to the cargo compartment of the plane, which flew backwards in the sky, as did the other planes that had already passed and now returned. The raindrops returned to the sky, as did those that had already fallen. Time came back and it was day again. He came back more and it was night, but not like the one I had seen seconds before. It was a clear night with a starry sky. The clock read 2 September 1943.

I took a deep breath and sighed when I took off the mask. I was impacted by the reset. Despite everything Grandma had said and as she described it, seeing it in person was another experience. I was here, finally. My dream came true and I was here, in Cairnholm, Wales, living in Miss Peregrine's orphanage with other peculiar children, just like me. I would live my life frozen at the age of 19 and reliving September 3, 1943 every day.

And I couldn't be happier, despite all the circumstances that have brought me here.

“Y/N, Y/N!” Claire's voice took me out of my thoughts. She was already pulling me by the hand towards the house and the others laughed a little behind us. “Today I want Y/N to tell me a story!”

I laughed too. “But of course, princess. You just don't have to rip my arm off.”

The others continued to laugh and I smiled.

Before Claire pulled me through the door, however, I looked up. In one of the windows on the second floor I could see a figure watching us. Despite knowing that Enoch probably had a closed expression when he watched me, I put the mask under my arm and used my free hand to wave at him. I made sure to keep my smile on my face.

                         ~*~  

                  The months went by and when I realized it had been a year since I arrived. I was able to adapt easily to the life in the loop. Everyone there was very receptive to me - well, almost everyone - and the daily tasks weren’t so difficult, since they were distributed among all thirteen children. Many times when I stayed to prepare breakfast or lunch, Enoch was responsible for helping me. And I was sure I had been Miss Peregrine's idea. She seemed to want to help me interact with him. Not that it helps much, since he doesn't speak to me more than strictly necessary. But at least it was progress from the first many months, when he was just rude all the time. Olive also tried to help. She was closest to Enoch and, after a girl’s night in my room with her and Emma - when they not only tried on my 21st century clothes with a lot of laughter but also forced some secrets out of me - Olive tried to make him open up a little and not just plainly ignore me. Still, I treated him as I treated everyone: with a smile on my face and always willing to approach.

I became part of the routine there. Between the letters I exchanged with Grandma and the daily chores, I quickly became friends with everyone. Most of the morning I spent with Bronwyn, Claire and the twins, whether playing with dolls or playing tag. During the afternoon I played football with the boys or chess with Emma or Jacob. At least once a week I would join Emma and Olive for a girl’s night. When I didn't feel very well, either because I missed Grandma or because Enoch was extremely rude to me, I would sit in the library and spend all day there reading. Horace used to join me these days. Sometimes he managed to get some conversation going, sometimes we just kept each other company while we read. It was comforting.

When I first took my camera out of my room, everyone was curious. Miss Peregrine had a strict rule about talking about the future or having things from the future, but I think that since Jacob arrived three years before me, she didn't care so much about a few slips. Especially if it wasn't something that could cause too much impact. Even Enoch seemed interested, even though he tried not to show it in front of me. I made sure to take pictures of everyone and leave a copy for each peculiar. I even taught Emma how to use the camera and she loved taking it with her when she was out walking with Jake.

As for my peculiarity, I never practiced it as much as there in that loop. The younger children were always asking me to make them a new doll or toy for them, Hugh always asked me for a new ball when the old one burst and I managed to avoid some trips outside the loop by doing some things that Miss Peregrine needed. I always carried a pen I had in 2019 in my dress pocket. It was easier to be prepared, since there was always someone asking for something. And I didn't complain, it was always good to be able to see the smile on their faces afterwards and to be able to practice. Each new order was a new challenge. I had even started a new project to make binoculars that allow Miss Peregrine to see invisible things. It still hadn't had the same effect as I did with Grandma and Abe, but I was on the way.

Enoch, however, had never asked me for anything. Not that it stopped me from taking my pen and using several pieces of paper to draw hearts of all sizes. At least once a week I filled pots with hearts and left them in front of his room. At first he seemed upset by this and even told me to stop, but of course I ignored him - especially after I heard him saying to Miss Peregrine that their efficiency was equal to that of animal hearts. One of the times that I left the pots for him, I hid behind my bedroom door and waited for Enoch to leave his room. I could have sworn I saw a small smile on his lips before he slammed the door.

I was happy that Enoch seemed to open up to the other kids at least. A few weeks ago, after talking to Bronwyn about Victor on a day that she was particularly sad, I left the house looking for Claire, as I knew that maybe she was a little disoriented without her usual company. When I approached a tree furthest from the garden, I was surprised to find Enoch sitting in the shadows with Claire, giving life to several dolls in order to distract her. I stayed away, watching as he made her laugh with a small smile on his lips. I turned around and joined Bronwyn in her room again, my heart warming from the scene I witnessed, but not wanting to disturb them.

But even after the progress I made with Enoch, perhaps today it was the trigger for everything to go down. My emotions have never been so close to exploding.

Tonight was a movie night. Horace had announced that morning that he had dreamed of more than just clothes and Miss Peregrine decided that we would see after dinner. Everyone spent all day anxious, as it’s been many days since Horace hadn’t dreamed of anything interesting to be shown. Several times throughout the day I caught him looking at me like he was having an inside joke that I didn't understand. When everyone had finished dinner, we spread out in the living room. Claire sat on my lap, like almost every time we watched Horace's dreams, and I started braiding her hair, being careful to keep my fingers out of her backmouth. The twins sat on the floor, leaning against my legs, and Bronwyn sat down with Enoch on the couch directly across from us.

“Everyone ready, dears?” asked Miss Peregrine when she arrived in the room after taking the call.

“Horace said he had a very interesting dream! What do you think is it about?” Claire asked me, looking excited.

“We’ll find out soon enough, princess.” I replied, finishing braiding the blond hair.

When Miss Peregrine turned off the lights and Horace projected the images on the wall, I almost immediately regretted being there in that room. The first image was a girl with short curls and a tear-stained face. It was me. I couldn't see much beyond my face and my hand moving a pen over a piece of paper. I didn't seem to be doing my drawings, I was writing. I sniffed, with more tears streaming down my face, and ran my hand over my cheek to dry some of them, before leaning over the paper. Something moved behind me and it was then that I realized it was a door opening. A figure came in and the dream me turned around in fear. I felt the eyes of the other children on me and I swallowed, hoping the images would soon change. And they changed. The next image was of a beach, with calm waves. It stayed in that image for a few seconds before changing again. Horace was trying on a suit and looking at himself in the mirror.

The image changed again and I almost felt my face explode with shame. The dream showed me sitting in the shadow of a half-hidden tree, probably at the back of the orphanage courtyard. But I was not alone. Enoch was with me, his back against the tree and hugging me around the waist. I was leaning against his chest, between his legs. I had a book in my hands and read it aloud. We both laughed at something and he kissed my face several times until I turned and kissed his lips.

I just wanted a hole to open in the floor and swallow me. Some kids started giggling and Claire nudged my arm, laughing softly too. I heard a whistle from one of the boys and Jacob, who was sitting next to me, raised his eyebrow at me with a mocking smile on his lips. I gathered courage and looked up to see Enoch's reaction. I wish I hadn't done it. He didn't look at me, but he had an expression of pure disgust on his face. And it hurt more than I expected.

“I think it's fine for today, Horace, thank you.” said Miss Peregrine, turning on the lights while the others made noises of indignation. “Come on, come on, kids, it's almost time for reset.”

Everyone got up quickly. I wasn't in such a hurry, I was feeling a little dizzy with everything. When I finally got up from my seat on the sofa, the children had already gone after Miss Peregrine and only Enoch remained in the room. I avoided looking him in the eye when I passed him to leave too. But I was stopped abruptly when he grabbed my arm in an iron grip. I turned to him, confused, and the question stuck in my throat when I saw his black eyes shining with pure contempt.

“If you think that will happen, you are extremely wrong.” he said with so much venom in his tone that I almost choked on tears that were threatening to rise. “Now that Horace has shown us the dream, I will stop it.”

I didn't want to hear anymore. My emotions, which had been choking me for the past few days, seemed to bubble. I yanked my arm out of his grip and barely felt the sting that his fingers left on my skin. I practically flew out of the room and into the kitchen, ignoring the curious looks of those still in the hall. I needed to calm down. I took some water and took a sip. I took a deep breath, trying to contain the tightness in my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. I stayed there for a few minutes and, when I heard the rain starting to fall, I decided that I would go to the room instead of watching the reset. All I wanted at that moment was to write a letter to grandma. She would know the right words to say to me so I wouldn't let my emotions take over my decisions and end up leaving for another loop. I finished drinking my water and left the kitchen. When I was heading for the stairs, however, I heard voices coming from the living room. It seemed to be an argument.

“… right to say that to her, Enoch!”

Emma.

“Doesn’t matter.” he said in a voice so low that I almost couldn't hear. He didn't seem as angry as he used to. He seemed almost… sad.

“Of course it matter!” Emma did look annoyed. “Y/N was nothing but kind and sweet to everyone here, especially you! You cannot treat her that way when she has given you no reason to do so.”

“You don't know that! She can decide to simply take her things and leave just like Eloise did! And what will prevent it? And what will become of me when I have to go through this pain all over again?”

“Enoch, put this in your head: Y/N is not leaving! She came here knowing that she will live here forever.”

I appreciated the fact that Emma was defending me, but I needed to act on my own. I opened the door and they both looked surprised to see me there.

“Emma is right, Enoch.” I said in a voice so calm that it surprised even myself, because I felt the complete opposite of calm. “Yes, there have been times when you treated me so badly in the last few months that I got to the point of almost taking the map I have with the loops and leaving. But do you know why I didn't and won't do it? First, because you wouldn't be the one I would leave behind. I made friends here, I made a family. I wouldn’t be able to abandon them because of you. And how many times do I need to repeat that I don't need to go back to 2019 because I have no reason to remain there besides my grandmother who is no longer able to live with me without attracting Hollows. In addition, I made a promise that I intend to keep.”

Emma tried to leave the room quietly, but I raised my hand and motioned for her not to go. My head was spinning so much that I needed her there with me in case I passed out in front of Enoch. He, in turn, just watched me while I vented everything. His shoulders fell and his eyes shone with an emotion that I didn't recognize when they strolled across my face. It was then that I felt tears streaming down my cheeks, but I didn't even bother to dry them.

“I promised grandma that I would take care of you, Enoch. And it's not just because you were an important person to her, but because, with all the stories I heard from this place, I managed to fall in love with yours. I know this is weird. To I fall in love with someone just hearing about that person? Well, it happened. And then I get here and I can only fall more in love with you. You have become an important person to me and I feel completely pathetic for being in love with someone who has treated me badly since the moment you saw me. But I made a choice, I chose to come to this loop and I will stay true to that choice. Maybe I’ll regret it in the future? I might, but I will remain here because you are here and, even if you spend the next few centuries hating me, I will spend the next few centuries here enduring it, because I am pathetic. I'm pathetically in love with you.”

I finished talking and I was almost in tears. My breathing was heavy and my vision blurred. Emma looked at me biting her lip, as if holding a smile, but Enoch looked at me with wide eyes and completely bewildered. It was then that I realised everything I said and after a few seconds paralysed, I ran out of the room. I only stopped when I was back in my room, just in time to see through the window the night turning into day and night again. The children would soon begin to return to their rooms for bed. But I couldn't sleep after everything that happened that day. I just needed Grandma there with me, to give me a hug and make her special hot chocolate.

I took a deep breath, my back still against the closed door, and tried to control my tears, but I couldn't. The memory of the dream of the two of us under the tree and the way he treated me were still stuck like iron to my eyelids. I looked at the table under the window and ran to it. I turned on the lamp and took a piece of paper from the corner. I took my pen out of my dress pocket while I sat down and started writing a letter. I just hoped the handwriting was minimally readable, since I couldn't see very well between my tears.

                 Hello Grandma,

How are you? How is the nursing home treating you? I hope you haven't had any problems and that no Hollow has found it. I know it hasn't been more than a week or two since the last letter I wrote to you, but I think maybe I’ve reached my emotional limit. I know what you're going to say "but Y/N, it's only been a few months!" I know, grandma, I know. But I think I let everything accumulate and I couldn't take it after today's events.

I think the progress I reported to you was not so positive. I am quite sure that Enoch hates me perhaps more than he hates you. I'm sorry if I failed the promise to take care of him. In my defence, I did and continue to do whatever I can to let him at least know that I am being truthful about my intentions here. But after today I know he will hardly want to be in the same place as me, let alone open up again and stop being so… lonely.

Tonight was a movie night, Grandma. Do you remember how delighted I was every time you told me about them? And that, the first time I saw it, I wrote a whole letter about it? I am still fascinated by how Horace manages to project his dreams, but today all I wanted was for him to have kept that dream to himself. Maybe then my heart wouldn't be so broken. Horace dreamed of us, Grandma, me and Enoch. Together. Sitting under a tree and being kind to each other. Enoch even smiled in the dream. And while my heart was filled with a warm and euphoric feeling at the sight of it, Enoch later shattered it into thousands of pieces. He made it very clear that it would never happen, as he would do his best to avoid it.

Grandma... Is there something wrong with me? You were the only one who was present with me in my whole life, my only constant, my only friend and family. So I ask you to be completely honest with me and I trust you to be. Is something wrong with me? To prevent people from getting closer, to prevent me from being happy in the only place I have felt at home in my entire life? Is it my fault that I am unable to find the peace I have always sought here?

I feel so small, Grandma, so small and pathetic. Maybe it's my fault for not being able to be happy here. While everyone is so warm and welcoming to me... I feel like I blew it with Enoch, who was the biggest reason I chose 1943 in Cairnholm to stay. I told him, Grandma. I know you said that I should have told him before and in a way that I wouldn't scare him, but I practically screamed at his face that I was in love with him. I never felt so stupid and never really wanted so badly to go back in time and avoid my mistake. He will never want to look at me again...

I should have kept that secret with me forever. And it was the first time that I felt that maybe it was a mistake to come to this loop. What if he was better before I arrived? I don't think we ever got to talk about that possibility, but I admit that it just crossed my mind today. What if he was already better and I just made it worse? Should I go? Should I ask him if he wants me out? I'm sorry, Grandma, but I think I would have to break our promise and go. My heart sinks at the thought of leaving the others, but I would do anything to make Enoch happy.

                                       I had to stop writing the letter for a moment when more tears started to flow. I ran my hand over my cheek in a futile attempt to dry them and leaned over the paper again, trying to organize my confused thoughts into coherent sentences. But I didn't get to write, because the sound of the door opening caught my attention. I turned around scared, because I didn't expect anyone to come here after the curfew. I widened my eyes even more when I realized it was Enoch at the door and stood up, surprised.

“Enoch?!”

Enoch said nothing as he closed the door behind him. I rested my hands on the table behind me, embarrassed and nervous. When Enoch took the necessary steps to approach me, I had to support myself with my hands and waist on the table, as my legs no longer supported me. When his scent - a mixture of earth, soap and formaldehyde - hit me hard, I looked up and looked at his face. I was even more surprised when I saw anguish and sadness in his dark eyes. He raised a callused hand to my face, but hesitated only for a second when I tensed. I gasped and closed my eyes when his fingers touched my cheeks and dried my tears.

“Y/N...” Enoch said, his voice low and choppy. “I'm so sorry.”

I opened my eyes wide. An apology from him was the last thing I expected.

“I didn't want you to feel that way. Okay, I wanted to, but not for the reasons you think.” He added when he saw my raised eyebrow. He wiped away more tears that had just fallen and continued to hold my face in his hands. “I don't hate you, Y/N. At least not anymore. I wanted to hate you, I wanted you to hate me, but I can't. Even when I was rude to you, even when all I did was give you reasons to be rude to me too. But I feel different with you, when you open that smile even when I do my best to ignore you. When you put hearts on my door, when you share all your free time with others, giving them your attention and never complaining.”

My breathing became heavier as I began to understand the words he spoke as a small smile opened on his lips. His eyes shone a little brighter with each sentence and his gaze roamed my face with an emotion that I couldn't identify. When he spoke the next sentence, however, I felt like I could pass out right there.

“I fell in love with you, Y/N, and I'm sorry for everything I did with you. I just didn't want to get hurt again.”

I couldn't formulate any sentences. I felt like my brain had stopped working properly. I could only look at Enoch's face, opening and closing my mouth, trying to say something but without succeeding. After a few minutes of looking at us, Enoch's expression fell and he started to walk away from me. That's when I started to panic because I needed to give him an answer. I grabbed his wrist before he could walk to the door and put my other hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer to me. Our lips touched and I felt like my heart was going to explode when he didn't pull away. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and my entire body relaxed against his. His kiss was magical and I couldn't concentrate on anything other than Enoch - his scent, his arms around me, his chest against mine, his curls wrapped around my fingers, his lips forming a smile against mine.

We broke the kiss, but we didn't move away. I felt my cheeks burning when I saw his eyes watching me with a fondness I wasn’t used to. I hid my face against his shoulder, embarrassed, and he hugged me against his chest. The feeling of being in his arms was wonderful.

“Y/N?” he called and I leaned away minimally. I followed his gaze to where I had left the letter I wrote to Grandma and hurried to hide the letter behind my body. Enoch looked up at my face with a determined expression. “Y/N, I don't want you to leave. Please don’t leave me.”

The pain in your voice broke my heart.

“I won’t.” I guaranteed, placing my hand on his face and caressing his cheek. He leaned closer to my touch, seeming to relax. “I won’t leave. This is my home now. With Miss Peregrine, with the children and with you.”

Enoch took me by surprise when he kissed me again when I had barely finished my sentence. His kiss this time was stronger, more passionate. He pulled me even closer and I felt immersed in his perfume and his touch. One kiss became two, three, four and neither of us wanted to let the other go. Enoch lifted me up and my feet left the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist to keep from falling and he held my thighs. His touch on my skin, his hair under my fingers, his lips against mine. I could only think of that moment, right now and how happy I was. Enoch guided us to my bed and leaned over me when my back touched the mattress. He looked into my eyes, searching for confirmation, and I pulled him to kiss him again.

I don't need to say what happened that night.

            ~*~

        The next day I woke up with something soft against my cheeks. Despite the sleep, I managed to open my eyes and see the smile that Enoch was giving me. It was such a rare smile that I couldn't help but smile as well. Enoch leaned over again and placed a kiss on my lips. When he pulled away, I couldn't help but try to go after him to prolong our kiss. He laughed.

“I need to go back to my room, Y/N.” He said and I frowned. “Miss Peregrine will wake up in a few minutes and it won't be good if she finds me here and in the situation we are in.”

Last night's memories flooded my mind and I realised I was out of my pyjamas under the covers while he was already dressed again. I blushed, but I couldn't help smiling.

“Yeah, I don't think it would be a good idea.” That was all I managed to answer, still feeling the euphoria of happiness in my chest.

Enoch laughed again and placed another kiss on my lips, this time taking longer.

“Get changed and go downstairs, I'll meet you at breakfast. After that I want to take you on a walk.”

“Alright.”

He pulled away to leave, but I grabbed his arm and kissed him again, a little resistant to let him go. He smiled against my lips and dodged my arms. I laughed when he winked at me before closing the door. I laid down again and sighed. The smile didn't leave my lips and I started to doubt that it would fade at some point. I just wanted to stay in that bed, going over the memories. But following the logic that the faster I got up, the faster I would meet him, I got out of bed and put on one of the dresses Horace had made for me.

Before leaving, however, I decided that I would finish the letter I wrote to Grandma. Maybe I would even write another one. When I sat down at the table, however, I noticed something interesting. The letter was already finished, in a letter that wasn’t mine.

          Dear Eloise,

I heard about your situation and I hope you are well as far as possible. I know that I cannot erase the past as I so often found myself imagining. I also know that the hole you left in my chest when you left may never close properly again. But I found someone who makes me ignore it and makes me concentrate on the happy moments here in the loop instead of drowning in sad memories. For a long time I hated you for the way you broke my heart when I left, but I won't be sinking into that feeling anymore, because if you hadn't left, if you hadn't left me, I wouldn't have known the reason for my smile. If you hadn't gone, I never would have met Y/N.

I don't say that as if the time we both spent together was in vain, as if nothing had meant anything to me. But looking at Y/N now, sleeping in her bed with such a serene expression on her face, as I complete her letter, I realise that maybe I was wrong about the intensity of the love I felt back then. Y/N makes me happy, truly happy. She makes me light and euphoric, as if there is nothing in the world to worry about while she is beside me. I know I made her suffer during the year that she was here and seeing how she didn't give up for a moment made me fall in love with her even more. And it also made me realise that I couldn’t deprive myself (or even deprive her) of that happiness just because of my fear that she would also leave me.

So I end this letter (heartbroken after reading the first half) by making you a promise just as she had done: I promise that I will take care of Y/N. I promise that I will spend the rest of our lives making up for the pain I caused her in her first few months here. I love her and all I want is for her to be happy here, beside me.

Thank you for having a wonderful granddaughter and I thank you most of all for the opportunity to have her in my life.

Affectionately,

Enoch O'Connor

              I couldn't help the lonely tear that ran down my face when I read the letter, just as I couldn't help my lips parting in a smile. I felt like I was falling in love again and even more when reading Enoch's words. I folded the paper and placed it in an envelope that was next to the lamp. I checked that I was properly dressed and left the room with the envelope in hand. I would like to ask Miss Peregrine to send it as soon as possible.

During breakfast the children looked confused and skeptical with the looks that Enoch and I exchanged, while Miss Peregrine had a small smirk on her lips and Emma was barely trying to hide her smug expression. I didn’t care. I was too anxious to take the walk with Enoch and to spend the next few centuries with him.

Needless to say, Horace's vision of the two of us in the shadow of the tree happened just a few weeks later, right?

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

Whumptober 2021

Prompt #6: Touch and go

It all happened too fast.

The discussion with the Keh-Rhans tipped into drama within seconds. One minute they were politely arguing about the delivery fee for the six containers of Vallulah seeds Rios and Agnes had just unloaded, and the next, without warning, phaser beams were lighting up the cargo dock.

Rios was caught by surprise, and Agnes? He’d just pulled his own phaser and returned fire when, to his horror, he saw her getting hit. She’d been standing by La Sirena’s loading ramp, going through a checklist on her PADD. The tablet clattered to the ground when she fell, not even making a sound.

“Agnes!”

Rios, heart lurching, laid a carpet of cover fire in the three Keh-Rhans’ direction and ran to her, already shouting into his comm.

“Activate all emergency holograms! We’re under attack! Emmett! Enoch! Close the loading ramp! Emil to the transporter pad!”

He threw himself across Agnes, still firing. A scorched, bloody gash ran across the left side of her chest where the phaser had burnt through her clothes. Rios had no idea if she was even still alive.

“Two for transport!” He yelled into his comm, a phaser beam shooting past his head. “Get us out of here! NOW!”

Agnes was in his arms when they materialized inside La Sirena. Rios’ shirt was already sticky with her blood and molten fabric.

“What is- DOCTOR JURATI!”

The EMH skipped the usual prelude and stepped onto the transporter pad to pry his patient out of Rios’ arms.

“Trauma kit!” he ordered, and a large silver case materialized beside him.

Below them, they heard a clunk and hiss as Sirena’s loading ramp closed and sealed. Behind them, the ship’s engine powered up.

Rios had stepped aside to let the hologram work. He was trembling.

“Is she…?”

“She’s alive,” the EMH answered, running his tricorder over the wound. “Barely. We need to get her to med bay.”

They both knew that the in-ship transporter was deactivated during takeoff, so Rios scooped Agnes up into his arms and carried her down the stairs and through the mess hall, his heart hammering.

She was so limp in his arms, so small.

Arriving in sickbay, he gently put her down on the biobed where Emil was already pulling up scans and initializing trauma protocols. Alarms started blaring as soon as Agnes’ body touched the biobed. The outline of her body was blinking on the monitor on the cubicle wall, her chest area filled with red, a column of numbers flashing urgently beside it.

“What’s going on?” Rios demanded. “How bad is it?”

The EMH was tapping buttons on a holographic screen and an orange matrix flickered to life over Agnes’ prone body. A ventilator unit materialized beside the bed.

“She’s not breathing. I have to intubate.”

Fast and calmly, the medical hologram maneuvered a tube down Agnes’ throat and connected her to the machine. Rios swallowed. La Sirena was a freighter, not equipped with the high-end medical equipment Starfleet ships had at their disposal. He wished Sirena’s med bay had a holographic respirator, sparing Agnes from the invasive procedure she was just going through. He vowed he’d start saving up for an upgrade as soon as this was over.

“She’s sedated, Captain”, Emil said in his direction, treating Agnes’ wound with a device he’d never seen before. “Doctor Jurati isn’t feeling any of this.”

Not long ago, Rios would have been surprised at the hologram’s empathy and wondered if the EMH could tap into his thoughts. But he’d learned that Emil was just reacting to his biosensors flagging a spike of … something in Rios’ system and combining it with logical deduction. Nevertheless, Emil’s reassurance felt good.

Rios also knew better than to distract the hologram with further questions. Emil wouldn’t have answered them anyway, all of his focus on his patient. He worked incredibly fast, administering hyposprays, starting what looked to Rios like a micro-repair sequence and cleaning Agnes’ wound with some sort of nebulizer before sealing it with something that looked like transparent tape.

At last, the alarms stopped sounding, and the EMH turned to Rios.

“Doctor Jurati has a level four phaser burn that has penetrated her chest wall and left lung,” he reported with his usual, encyclopedic detachment, but Rios felt a wave of horror: the phaser beam had practically sliced right through Agnes.

“For now, I’ve stabilized her, but her condition remains critical. We have a problem: Keh-Rhanian phasers work differently from ours. They use thermal heat as well as a chemical compound that stalls physical regenerative processes in most species by affecting cellular reproduction in the affected areas.”

Rios put up a hand and glowered at Emil: “English, please?”

The EMH switched gears. “It means these weapons are designed to stop the victim’s wounds from healing.”

Mind racing, Rios looked at Agnes’ pale face half-covered by the ventilator’s mouthpiece and tubing.

“So what do we do? There is something you can do, right?”

Hands back in his pockets, the EMH was rocking back and forth on his toes, a quirk Rios had learned to identify as piquing professional interest - on some level, the hologram was enjoying the challenge.

“I am working on it. I’ve set up an algorithm that will modify the tissue and dermal regenerator software to hopefully override the inhibiting agent introduced into Doctor Jurati’s system. In the meantime, I’ve dosed her with a hypothermic compound that will stabilize cellular deconstruction and-“

He stopped when another glare from Rios hit him.

“In simpler words: It’s touch-and-go at the moment, but I’m figuring it out,” the EMH summed up his speech.

Cris ran a hand through his hair. A knot was pulling tighter in his stomach.

“When will you know if it works?”

“In a few hours.”

Rios looked into the hologram’s- ... his own dark eyes.

“What if it doesn’t work?”

“I will do everything I can to see that it does.”

We will do everything we can.

Cris had heard that phrase before, in a hospital waiting room, many years ago, and instead of instilling hope it filled him with old, hollowing dread. He approached the bed and took Agnes’ hand. It was terribly cold.

Cariña, he told her, softly, in his head since the EMH was hovering. Don’t you dare leave me alone out here again.

Overhead, the ship’s comms system crackled.

“Captain?” That cheerful Irish brogue could only belong to the ENH.

“What?”

“I’m afraid we need you on the bridge,” the ENH said, not sounding afraid at all.

“Can’t it wait?”

Agnes’ hand refused to warm up in his.

“Uhm… we’ve been hailed by a very unfriendly sounding gentleman from Keh-Rhan port authority who claims that you were responsible for the death of two people in the loading docks.”

Rios growled.

Unbelievable! He was attacked, and now they were blaming him?!

But he would have to go and sort out this mess if he ever wanted to set foot near Keh-Rha again.

He looked at Agnes, then at the medical hologram.

“You will keep an eye on her?”

Emil straightened. “Both, Captain.”

Rios gently tucked Agnes’ hand under the medical blanket the EMH had spread over her and trudged back to La Sirena’s bridge.

(You can also read and comment on this story on AO3:)

[starside-selfships]

Replication (Star-4 x Atraks-1)

Crypt AI: Clarity Control breached. A single unregistered Exo and a single life form of unknown biology detected in the Crypt Laboratory. Status: Disastrous. Notice: Vacate the premises immediately. This will be your only warning.

Star-4: Not today. We have a mission to finish.

Featuring cameos from the fireteams of @nevermore-selfship, @cozyships, and yours truly! Small spoilers from the DSC raid!

Our fireteam has just triggered Atraks-1's encounter within the Deep Stone Crypt and half of the Guardians were already on their way upstairs to the space station, known as Morning Star, to eliminated the Servitors blocking from using our terminals, as that was the only way we were to be able to beat Atraks and her replications upstairs and downstairs. Calling it upstairs and downstairs was easier for our fireteam and we rolled with it. As Xerna killed the specific Vandal, she became the Operator and hopped into the pod, ascending towards the Morning Star, the game was to begin. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but I was certain that I was the only Guardian on the fireteam who knew Atraks, but also knew her personally. I've introduced myself to the House of Salvation previously and have grown to love the Kell and her commanders, due to my fixation on the Eliksni that grew on me after the Red War. Unfortunately, it couldn't be all that safe and I sometimes regret fighting Eramis, seeing her become frozen in Stasis after our encounter. Maybe, in another timeline, we could've been associates. In another, I join the House. For now, a job was needed to be done. Me, Rabbit, and Xerna were on "base team" while Angel, Finn, and Enoch were on "space team". Enoch and I were the dedicated "Scanners" on space and base respectively while Xerna was "Operator" for space team. Minutes into the encounter, base team and I eliminate our set of Servitors and inform space team that we've done so, and therefore, it triggers a new voice through my comms. "Ah, the Guardian. Star-4." It was the voice of Atraks. She recognized me. She's familiar of my time spent with House Salvation. The death threats that the Kell sent my way, but fortunately, they always went into one ear and out the other. With me being one of the dedicated Scanners, I had a set task and I didn't want to be the reason that we failed to journey further into the crypt. Switching quickly to a private communication channel temporarily to speak with the Eliksni Exo, and to not mix the comms with my teammates, I continued to act relaxed, waiting by the terminal for Atraks' Extinction Protocol to begin. "Hey, Atraks. Lovely seeing you again." I replied, focusing on the Shanks and Vandals trying to fire at me. "Eramis informed me about you. Told me much about you. I won't harm you. But the others..." She said with a chitter. At first, I was relieved, but then that content feeling subsided and was replaced with fear.

After many rounds of endurance, lots of switching back and forth of communicating with my fireteam and the Eliksni Exo we were combataning, who was attempting to flirt with me and distract me from my goal, we were doing damage towards Atraks, despite my inner request to not do so, but my fireteam needed me and I didn't plan on letting them down anytime soon. "I will be seeing you soon, Star-4," she replied, activating her final Extinction Protocol, therefore, requiring everyone from base team to rush towards the pods and head towards the Morning Star as fast as possible. I passed Scanner upstairs for Enoch and yelled at Rabbit and Xerna to get to the pods ASAP. "Or should I say...Elijah?" Atraks finished with a chuckle, her replicants disappearing from downstairs. Technology after the Golden Age was definitely something else. Fear struck my body as she said my name, the title of the individual I was in my past life. The past life I knew nothing about. How did she know my name? Rushing towards Morning Star by getting into the pod, I concentrated on finishing the encounter, following my Guardian teammates and waiting for Enoch to pinpoint the correct replication of Atraks. Whipping out the Lament and impatiently waiting for him to choose the right one. There was very little time as Atraks was halfway through her protocol and upon completion, wiping the team. "On me, on me!" The five Guardians pushed onto Enoch's position and began shooting and slashing the replication, successfully eliminating Atraks, or so I thought. "Multiple hostile intruders detected within the orbital platform. Orbital confinement protocol initiating. Status: Pathway to nuclear cores obscured. You have no warnings left. Nuclear descent protocol: Initiated." The doors were open and our next job was to prevent the destruction of Europa. A fireteam of six trying to stop Europa from, simply, blowing the hell up. What could go wrong?

Me, however, I wasn't done with this room just yet. "This way!" Xerna called out, everyone following suit to the open door while I remained, watching Europa behind glass, looking down out at Europa, miles away. "How high are we?" I thought to myself, seeing how beautiful space was, the stars dancing along the sky and around Europa, followed by a Fallen Ketch or two. "Eli, you coming?" My Hunter friend, Angel, questioned, the rest of the team heading towards the next encounter, most likely to take care of Taniks. "Y'all go ahead without me, I'll catch up. Just...just give me a sec, yeah?" After convincing the rest of the fireteam to move forward, I remained and waited until the rest of the Guardians were out of the room, standing in place for a few seconds and admiring the view before finally hearing the familiar sound of Atraks-1's replication. Fear struck me once again and I turned around, spotting it, sitting in the corner of the room, a heavy feeling surging in my circuits. Making my way towards the back of the room, eyeing the replication, I began reaching towards it and hearing Atraks' voice emit from it as well. In case shit went sideways, I had ricochet bullets to hit the replication off of my head if need be. Fortunately for me, that wasn't the case. Touching the replication spawned Atraks and in front of me was the Baron of House Salvation herself, standing at an incredible 12 feet. Maybe Kells and Barons were always this tall as I recall a long time ago that Skolas, Wolf Kell, or self-proclaimed Kell of the House of Wolves, was around the same height, but to be honest, seeing one right in front of you, standing inches away from your face, not attacking but instead watching and examining you, it made my circuits' temperature rise, causing my Exo self to feel warm. I may have been Exo, just like Atraks, but I still had Human attributes. I informed my Ghost, Comet, to keep quiet as much as possible and to ignore the current interaction I was to have with Atraks because if I was trusting my instincts, I knew where this would be leading. "Elijah. We finally meet again." She greeted me, her bright pink eyes shining down on me, a soft chitter filling my ears. Weapons away, I raised my hands in an act of non-hostility, showing that I meant no harm towards the Exo Eliksni in any way, shape, or fashion. "Yeah, didn't think I would be seeing you again honestly," I replied the nervousness slowly fading away, replaced with confidence. "Your team isn't with you?" She questioned and therefore, I informed her that I would join them, needing to take care of this first. "This won't take long, right?" Atraks' chitters clouded my head. No answer. My confidence disappeared.