#making it so that when the lifeboats become the answer... the people taking them are also more likely to be more interested in

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　０８

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

＊ Puzzle n°001

“Let’s get going. Puzzle n°001: ladies and gentlemen, please take a good look around you, and assemble under the oldest thing you can find.”

The man’s voice had just told us the first puzzle.

“Now, do note that there is a time limit.”

Spotlights were switched on and a long, narrow box-like object was raised up. A music box.

The paper containing the score, rolled around a cylinder, slowly unwrapped and ended up swallowed into a slit. Soon, the machine began to play a tune.

“You have until the music ends… so there is no time to lose.”

The audience had been stunned by the unexpected turn of events; but everyone soon rushed out of the hall. Their one and only goal was simple: to find this ‘oldest thing.’

We could not afford to stay idle. I stood up in a hurry.

“Professor, let’s go find it!”

The professor replied with a calm nod, and slowly walked towards the door.

“I’m coming too,” Janice said as she rushed to catch up with us.

I glanced… sideways at her. Even in normal clothes, without her costume as the Queen of Ambrosia, she was still a very beautiful person. And even though she was now back to being Janice Quatlane… Her lively sparkling eyes and the impression of dignified strength that she radiated had remained exactly the same.

I wanted to protect her. But I was a child, wanting to protect a famous adult opera singer… if anyone could hear this, they would surely laugh at me.

Still, I was very serious. I couldn’t let Janice suffer the same fate as those who had disappeared under the floor earlier. And the only way to do that was to keep winning this game.

I was going to become a gentleman too. It was only natural to help a lady in need.

I decided to focus my thoughts on the puzzle. The Crown Petone was decorated here and there with fossils, rough crystals, and antiques, all looking very old. We had to find the oldest item out of all of these… My eyes would scurry here and there, all around, but I only felt like our limited time was being wasted.

Janice looked very worried. I had to do something… The sound of the music box playing made me feel even more impatient.

“Professor, there are way too many things on board that could be the right answer! Which one could be the oldest?”

The professor did not respond. I stopped asking.

I had soon learned that when he was silent and had this kind of expression on his face, it meant that his mind was moving at full speed. I did not want to disturb his thoughts by talking about unnecessary things.

Suddenly, he looked up with a start. He must have solved it!

“It’s alright, Luke. Now, let’s hurry back to the theatre.”

And there it was. I was glad I hadn’t bothered him.

When we returned back to our starting point, I noticed that quite a few other people were already here.

Suddenly, the professor said:

“The clue was in the puzzle itself.”

“Huh?”

I quickly pulled out my notebook, reading again the mysterious man’s exact words. I had written them down as soon as he had announced the puzzle.

“Try to remember,” the professor continued. “The host said ‘take a look around,’ but at no point did he say ‘look on this ship’…”

I ran my eyes hastily over my notes.

“He certainly didn’t use the words ‘on board.’”

“This is because the ‘oldest thing’ we are supposed to find is not on this ship.”

Janice asked with a surprised look on her face:

“But if it’s not on the ship, then where is it?”

“The oldest thing we are supposed to look for…”

The professor suddenly looked up. Janice and I did the same. Above us was a clear, starry sky.

“…are the stars that have existed for tens of thousands of years,” he soon concluded.

The oldest things were the stars! This was not an answer I had considered. But now that I had heard it, it sounded obvious. All the fossils and other objects that had been placed all over the Crown Petone were simply decoys meant to mislead us.

“You did it again, Professor!”

As I just finished saying this, the music box fell into silence.

“Your time is up. The oldest things were the stars in the sky that still shine in the night to this day… Congratulations to all that stand in this hall. You have earned the right to try your hand at the next puzzle.”

Many contestants around us breathed a sigh of relief. But at that moment, dozens of screams reached my ears from outside.

I was reminded of all the people who had disappeared when the floor collapsed earlier.

If we could not solve the puzzle, then we had to offer our life… This was a terrifying game of life and death. Once again, fear was palpable.

“Let us now move on to Puzzle n°002. Ladies and gentlemen, please gather this time around the place ‘from which you can see the largest crown.’”

The man’s voice sounded to me like a death sentence…

　⇚　　　　　　　⇛

[rpgsandbox]

25 Seafaring Adventure Seeds

by Robb at readytorole.com

Miles from land, out in the sea ahead appears to be a town built upon high stilts. The flag that flies above it belong to pirates, but ships with all flags friend and foe alike are docked there.

Rumors abound about “Runaground Island” or “Ghost Island”- an island that apparently materializes in the ocean and destroys or damages ships that suddenly find themselves inside of the island.

For the past month a patch of sea has turned a deeper blue than the rest, and it seems to be actively pushing ships out with gigantic waves out of nowhere when they enter the patch.

Ship wreckage floats out in the ocean, very likely a merchant vessel based on some of the goods floating about. A small group of lifeboats float among the wreckage, filled with not people but treasure, and the word “choices” carved into the side of one.

An avian humanoid is spotted on the distance and lands on ships offering their services as a messenger. But even with wings how did they fly a few days travel out here?!

A castaway was found on a piece of driftwood and when brought aboard, warns the ship to turn around. According to them, a huge human hand came up from under the water and crushed their ship with ease before pulling most of the ship under.

At first the colorful algae that is common in these waters were fun to look at, but now it is obvious that they are eating through the ship’s hull due to their acidity, and the ship is taking on water!

An entrepreneurial gnome has started a gnomish diving company, salvaging wreckage from ships at the bottom of the ocean. Their latest employer has them investigating the wreckage of a pirate vessel that sunk around a century ago.

A glowing maelstrom appears in the ocean, but repels ships away rather than pulls them in. A ship was witnessed being ejected from the whirlpool intact and the crew is alive, though very confused.

For about a month dim, glowing lights under the water have been making their toward the closest port. However, now under a full moon their true nature is revealed- iridescent skeletons marching on the seafloor, and only a few days from port!

A large island that has been known to float around due to actually being a giant turtle has seen volcanic activity for the first time. The turtle has been approaching ships for help, but none seem to want to step foot onto the living island.

A ship bearing a flag of a parrot skull draws nearer, and from the telescope can be seen parrots turning into large, rideable mounts and pirates riding them towards the ship!

A message in a bottle was pulled up, and included a map to an uncharted island with promises of riches. The next day, en route to said island, a second bottle was found warning whoever found it to avoid the island at all costs.

Lately, whenever ships get into trouble on the open sea, a giant cephalopod has been grabbing them and safely placing them down in front of them before asking a riddle. If the crew of the ship gets it right, they get a random sunken chest from the bottom of the ocean. Answer wrong, and they are simply sent on their way with the aid of the cephalopod.

Merfolk have become uncharacteristically vicious as of late, attacking the bottom of ships so that they fill with water, and dragging anyone who goes down to fix the leaks through the holes they made, never to be seen again.

After reaching their last port of call, the crew has begun feeling ill one by one. Slowly, once the illness sets in they have been turning slimy and jelly-like over the course of a week, but seem to still live as jelly.

An ogre ship- if the pile of driftwood and scavenged wood can be called that- has been the ire of many sailors lately, accidentally ramming into them and causing damage due to the poor construction and control of their own vessel. However, the number of incidents seems a little high to just be an accident.

Apparently, whenever a map is opened up on deck, the edge of the map becomes the edge of the world in a certain spot of ocean. If a map is opened with only 200 feet to spare, either a new map needs to be opened, or all hands on deck to turn around!

A body was picked up out of the water and was still alive! They thanked the crew for saving them, but after 2 days jumped overboard in the middle of the night. Now one of the crew have been following suit every few nights since, leaving a shortage of hands and a bad feeling for those who remain without answers.

Everytime the ship tries to dock, it is turned away due to a strong presence of evil on board. None of the on board priests can sense anything wrong and the ship itself is starting to run out of supplies and options.

Rumor has it that if you find leaves out on the open ocean who just missed The Seagarden; a ship made from living wood than can change shape and grow, crewed entirely by nymphs who live inside the wood itself.

An otherwise reputable merchant vessel approaches offering goods at extremely low prices, likely due to the fact that they are either illegal substances in most lands or appear to be stolen goods. The merchant denies any wrongdoing, but insists no one says they bought anything from him.

After discarding meat that was not properly prepared and has rotten, a slew of giant sharks have begun following the ship. Unless more food is dumped into the ocean, that bite at and ram the ship itself. Between what the crew needs and how much is needed to keep the sharks at bay, there is not enough to find any port of call.

A crew member has fished up a small sea serpent, at first thinking it was an eel. Now they claim they can see a large shadow following the boat, but no one else can see it.

While seemingly friendly at first, a ship full of turtlefolk fire themselves out of cannons, breaching into the lower hulls of ships, grabbing treasure, and then swimming back to their own!

[bluerosesburnblue]

I don't suppose you could explain the ending for khux for me?? i've watched it and i've been following the translated storyline for it and this ending just. does not make a ton of sense to me. i can usually figure out kh endings no problem but this time i'm just lost.

Isn't that just the state of the writing for it, where even people familiar with the series are having trouble understanding it. And, of course, the game dies as it lived: screwing over Global so we can't even compare/contrast with an official English version yet to see if it's more clear

Anyway, sure, I'll try to break it down scene by scene (Note: these aren't the actual scene titles, I just needed a way to delineate them so I made titles up)

Scene 1: The Master and Luxu

The update begins with a continuation of the past flashbacks expanding on the Case of Luxu and the Master of Masters' instructions to him. He explains that he knew that Darkness could only truly be defeated in the future, and so he made sure that Keyblade wielders would exist to fight it by recruiting many Keyblade wielders in Daybreak Town (as per the start of KHx) and then using the Dandelions to stall Darkness's takeover and give them time to make sure that the Keyblade legacy would live on. As Luxu turns to leave, though, the Master stops him with one more bit of information that he feels Luxu needs to know

He explains that back when he was younger, the being known as Darkness tried to gain the advantage in their battle by becoming incorporeal and attacking people's hearts instead of their bodies. There were 13 of these original Darkness beings, and because they lack bodies they aim to win by quantity and so created the Heartless as lesser, but more physical versions of themselves. The original 13 still haven't given up their desire to regain a physical form, however, and so they target those with strong hearts to take their bodies for themselves

The Master of Masters, knowing this and knowing that something without a physical body can't be destroyed, came up with a plan. He took in six children, his apprentices, and raised them to be a prison for Darkness. To foster light so strongly within them that Darkness couldn't possibly taint it, and then seal the strongest 7 of the 13 Darknesses within himself and his students, trapping the Darknesses inside their impenetrable hearts of light. Then, he instigated the Keyblade War. This is only my interpretation of the line, but it sounds to me like the purpose was to get the Foretellers killed in the War and the Darkness sealed inside of them along with them. How this relates to them coming back in KH3 is unclear

When Luxu asks if the War and the idea of a traitor were necessary, the Master goes on to say that the purpose of making the Foretellers believe there was a traitor was to instill negative emotions like fear and doubt in them. Darkness feeds on those emotions, and so by making sure that his students would produce them and yet not have their light tainted, he would attract Darkness into their hearts by giving it something to eat, only for it to realize that it was trapped in light that couldn't be consumed. The infighting amongst the Foretellers was bait to lock Darkness in their hearts the entire time

After that, there's only six left and so the Master chose five individuals, the Union Leaders, to be the uncorruptable lights that would house the weaker Darknesses. The final one, he would simply trap in the Data Daybreak Town

At this, Luxu flies into a rage at his master, angrily shouting that he can't possibly accept a plan that sacrifices so many people, but the Master stands up and starts talking over him. He's made it clear that he doesn't see Darkness as human, and he's seen this inhuman thing take countless lives, including people he's cared about. He doesn't believe them to be heroes, and he doesn't care. The entire purpose is just to ensure that in the end, humanity is what survives the war. He knows it's a tragedy, but for one who believes that tragedy can't be fully avoided, this is a solution that will at least save some

Luxu accepts this answer and leaves, but behind his back the Master muses on what Luxu, the traitor, needs to do. Luxu was the traitor from the lost page the entire time, given a role to take him out of the infighting so that his identity as the traitor wouldn't be discovered (or at least, that's how it seems to me considering that he needed the Foretellers to fear and doubt to attract Darkness to them)

Scene 2: Fleeing Daybreak Town

We now cut to the real Daybreak Town in the present, where Lauriam, Elrena, Ventus, and Brain have just emerged from the Data Daybreak Town into the real-world version of the lifeboat room. Daybreak Town is breaking down around them, about to be fully consumed by the aftermath of the Keyblade War which had been temporarily staved off while the Data simulation was running

Brain is attempting to enact his plan to extract all of the Dandelions from Data Daybreak Town and bring them into the real world, but he's worried that there won't be enough time to actually do it before the simulation shuts down and the real Daybreak Town is destroyed. The only thing he has time to do is get their three remaining friends (Ephemer, Skuld, and Player) out to the real world, and the only way that he can think to do this is to send Lauriam, Elrena, and Ven away to the future and to safety and then send the remaining lifeboats back into the datascape so that there's enough for the three trapped in there to use

Brain is willing to stay behind to man this operation, but he wants to ensure that at least one of the true Union Leaders (Lauriam) manages to live on in case things go wrong and save as many of them as he can, so those going to the future must be sent first. Lauriam, etching his mission to finally find Strelitzia (or even just her data) into his heart, departs with Elrena and Ven. Once they're gone, however, Brain notices someone enter the room and turns to find Luxu approaching him

Scene 3: Those Trapped in Data

We now cut to Player, Ephemer, and Skuld in the data version of the lifeboat room, contemplating how the others are doing. Just as they muse about how quiet the end of this world feels, Player turns to find that four of the remaining six Darknesses have entered the room (presumably the other two are the one sealed in Ven and the one that Luxu was fighting in the real world and who helped Maleficent, who seems to be gone by the time Brain and the others end up back in the real world)

The Darknesses, it seems, have come to politely ask the gang to open up a way out of the Data Daybreak Town for them, so that they can spread to other worlds. They don't want to fight, and obviously even if they did they'd win, so just open a gate for them to escape with already. They could always just take over Ephemer's friends and force him to watch as they rip them away until he complies

Ephemer mocks this and moves in to attack, but before he fully commits he whispers his plan to Player: he and Skuld will hold them off to buy time for Player to get into the last pod and run. To his shock, however, Player begins mimicking Darkness's speaking patterns and then goes to attack their friends. It seems that Darkness has done to Player what they did to Ven, taking them over and forcing them to act out. Player is now their bargaining chip; they'll only give Player back if Ephemer opens the gate. And since Darkness can only be defeated if it has a body, their options are to give in or destroy the possessed Player

This initiates the final boss fight against Ephemer and Skuld, Player's dearest friends who have been with them since before the war

And the duo prove no match for the Darkness-possessed Player, who taunts them about not just leaving when they had the chance. Ephemer begs his friend to stop as Player goes in to finish off Skuld, and in his desperation to protect one friend, he opens up the portal to Game Central Station and forces his fallen friend though. As it closes, Ephemer breaks down in tears, muttering apologies to the friend that he was unable to save

Scene 4: Luxu and Brain

We cut back to where we left off in Scene 2, with Luxu confronting Brain in the real lifeboat room. He introduces himself, and Brain is taken aback that one of the missing masters has finally returned. Luxu asks Brain if he's a Union Leader, and when Brain confirms that he is, Luxu then gestures to the missing pods and asks where the others are. Brain tells him that one escaped, and the other two are still trapped in the data. Luxu's confused; there should be five Union Leaders, but Brain only listed four. He asks what happened to the fifth, and Brain confirms that they were struck down

Luxu assumes that Brain is going to make his escape, but Brain denies this. They have a friend who he calls a Dandelion (even though Player did not consider themself one) who is trapped alongside the other two Union Leaders, and he intends to get all three out no matter what. Furthermore, Brain has no intention of using one of the real lifeboats. Rather, he has resigned himself to staying behind in the past and finding some way to survive the end of the world to eventually extract the rest of the Dandelions from the data as well, and wake them from their data sleep

Luxu, however, has some bad news. While normally that would be true, the Data Daybreak Town was designed to lock Darkness away. Once it's locked up, nothing will ever be able to get out of it again. If anything could get out, then Darkness would as well. It was meant to be a grave for an intangible being

Not only that, but Luxu expresses doubt that Brain has properly prepared for his friends who use the lifeboats to awaken in the future. What does Brain plan to use for mediums? Who are the memories going to come from? Brain doesn't have an answer, but he has to do this and he's willing to put his life on the line for it

This seems to earn Luxu's respect

Scene 5: The Two Who Remain

We now resume with Ephemer and Skuld in the data lifeboat room, having just sealed Player away. The two real pods that weren't used yet are digitized and sent to Ephemer and Skuld to use for their escape. Ephemer picks up the weakened Skuld and places her in a lifeboat, then looks forlornly over to the one on the other side of the room. The one meant for Player. Then he reclines back into his own pod and the two leave the Data Daybreak Town

Scene 6: "You're So Gullible"

We now join Player inside of the familiar tunnel that joined the Data Daybreak Town to Game Central Station

The four Darknesses swarm around Player, commending them for goading Ephemer into being desperate enough to open up a gateway for them, implying that Player was at least partially in control by the end of the fight. In a bizarre way, they seem to be trying to help Player as they warn them they must cast off their body if they don't want to be destroyed by the simulation shutting down

Player laughs

They ask if Darkness is always this easy to trick. After all, it can't go anywhere without a Keyblade and without a body it can't use one, either, which is why it needed one of them to open a path for it. Player turns, and locks the end of the pathway that leads to Game Central Station. And since Ephemer sealed the Data Daybreak Town end when he cast Player and the Darknesses through the portal, all five of them are now trapped in this space between worlds on the cusp of shutting down along with Data Daybreak Town. This was Player's plan all along, opening their heart up just enough for the four Darknesses to try and use them as a host and then provoking their friends into sealing them away and taking Darkness with them

Darkness flies into an anger-fueled frenzy but is unable to do anything to escape. Player collapses, and Chirithy appears. Petting them much like they did during the Keyblade War, Player apologizes for forcing Chirithy to be sealed away with them since their hearts are bound. Chirithy shakes their head, signaling that they don't hold it against Player, and the two go in for a final hug and are bathed in light

Scene 7: The Destruction of Daybreak Town

Back in the real lifeboat room again, Ephemer and Skuld emerge and are met with blaring sirens signaling that the world is at its end. The other are gone, including Brain and Luxu, and the two have no idea what happened to them (or that Luxu was involved). They simply hope that they made it out safely, and decide to check outside just to see what's going on

They're met with the destruction of Daybreak Town. Smoke is everywhere, the sky is red, and pieces of debris are being drawn into a swirling dark orb in the sky not unlike the destruction of Destiny Islands from KH1. Ephemer decides that they need to leave, now, and Skuld muses about how it takes a lot of time and effort to build something, but none at all to destroy. The two retreat back into the lifeboat room to make their exit

Scene 8: The Master's Plans

We now cut to our final continuation of the flashback of Master of Masters' talk with Darkness from before he disappeared

Darkness muses that it truly does not understand the Master of Masters at all. The Master asks if it wants to, and Darkness replies with a very clinical, "Yes, understanding your enemy is important." The Master muses if it means all of the Darknesses or just the one who is speaking, and Darkness states that it's speaking for all of them

The Master muses for a bit about how small worlds are easy to control. If this small world simply expands gradually over time, then eventually there will become parts of it that the light can't reach, but Darkness will have free reign over anywhere it pleases (much like real light can only shine so far, and anywhere it doesn't reach is filled with shadow). This skews everything in Darkness's favor when vying for control and is precisely what would happen if the world of the Age of Fairtytales continued to expand

Darkness simply notes that of course it will always be around, that's what "friends" do, but the Master says that sometimes he'd like to be left alone. And so, to get away from Darkness, he plans to flee to a world that Darkness does not know about. One where neither Darkness nor Light can be controlled. Darkness asks what this world is, and the Master says that humanity, even if their lives end, want to believe in a world that exists for them in the future. For him, this is a world of fiction and imagination. This implies that he plans to flee into the world of Quadratum, the fictional world that we learned about in Melody of Memory that exists on the other side of the "real world"

Darkness is clearly lost as it asks if he's talking about the Data World. The Master simply says that even if it started out as fiction, you can make it real. But he won't explain any more. After all, the point is that this is a world that Darkness doesn't know about. It cannot reach it, even if it tried

Of note is that he mimics what the illusory Xehanort remarks about Sora in Melody of Memory by calling this a place where neither your "eyes nor voice" can reach, much like Sora's voice could not reach Kairi in The Final World from Quadratum. His final description of it is as "a world of [symbol]." It's unclear if this is an actual term that is unpronounceable and unspeakable in-universe, or if this is simply done to censor the word for the players

Scene 9: Goodbye

We once again return to the real lifeboat room amidst the destruction of Daybreak Town. As she gets into her pod, Skuld starts sobbing and thanks Ephemer through her tears for staying with her until the end. Ephemer tells her that she can't give up until it's all over. As he goes into his pod, he flashes back to all of the time that he spent with Player, and mutters their name through his tears as their pods close and the room caves in around them

(AND THIS IS WHERE IT SHOULD'VE ENDED BECAUSE IT WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD UP TO THIS POINT BUT HERE WE GO)

Scene 10: Where Do Dream Eaters Come From?

Player and Chirithy are floating in a white void alongside all of the other Dandelions that were trapped in the Data Daybreak Town and their Chirithies. Some of them are familiar faces, like the "My friends aren't my power" kid and the squad of four kids that Player had befriended and their ex-teammate. As Player awakens, they watch these sleeping Dandelions revert to the forms of hearts that are then eaten by those Chirithies, transforming them into the Spirits seen in Dream Drop Distance

Player's Chirithy explains that because Chirithies are bonded to their Keyblade wielder's heart, they take on a state to match their wielder. If the wielder dies, so do they. And if the wielder falls into a deep sleep, they take on a stronger form to protect it

Contrary to what the fandom is saying, NO, Spirits aren't dead Keykids. Rather, the Chirithies are simply taking their sleeping hearts into their bodies and transforming into a stronger form to keep them safe. This is only my assumption, but I would assume that this is possible since they don't technically have bodies anyway, having been digitized. Therefore, their body-less hearts would otherwise have been sent directly to sleep with no protection, hence the Chirithies moving in

Now, this still doesn't make sense regarding Dream Drop Distance by overriding the lore that all Dream Eaters are simply the form that Darkness takes in Sleeping Worlds, which made sense from a metaphorical perspective of "you sleep at night which is dark, so dreams are darkness and both good and bad dreams are made of the same stuff." And also you can totally craft Spirits and have them explode if they take too much damage, all with zero indication that a keykid heart was involved in the creation process or released on destruction, but whatever, let's just move on

Player asks if this is what will happen to them and their Chirithy, and Chirithy responds that they have a choice. If Player doesn't want to go to sleep, then their heart will be broken down and reconstructed as an entirely new heart to live a new life

Smash cut to an unfamiliar town where a woman in purple with black hair and silver eyes hand over what is obviously a baby Xehanort to a hunched figure in a blue cloak, holding a cane. She sobs. Cut again to the figure in blue holding baby Xehanort standing on Destiny Islands' play island. Cut once more and Xehanort is now his teenage self from Dark Road on the beach of the play island. The figure in blue is standing on the ledge behind him, and as Xehanort stands up to walk to the shoreline, the figure collapses onto the ground. Xehanort does not notice this. Two more cuts, this time to the day that Xehanort found himself in Scala ad Caelum and a chess match with Eraqus

We return to Player, who closes their eyes peacefully and decided to move on to another life. Chirithy is confused, but goes in for a final hug as both of them dissolve into light, Player's heart flying off into the white void

The implication of all of this being that not only did Player reincarnate as Xehanort, introducing reincarnation into a series that it has never been a part of and overcomplicating the lore even worse, but that Xehanort isn't even from Destiny Islands in the first place, invalidating nearly all of his character motivation from the series

This is so bad that it deserves its own post though, so we're moving on

Credits Roll: Scenes From the Game Play Over It

Post Credits: Aftermath

We find our scene in a vast expanse of water, littered with debris. A lone lifeboat floats amongst the rubble. Some houses from Daybreak Town can be seen partially submerged, setting this after its destruction. The lifeboat comes to a stop and opens up, revealing Ephemer's silhouette. He looks around

It's unclear why Ephemer seems to have landed so far back in the past compared to the others, though some people have noted that he also doesn't appear to have lost his body, so it could be that his pod simply didn't activate (note how we only saw it close, not disappear into light like Lauriam and crew's) and that Ephemer didn't time travel at all but simply rode out the destruction of Daybreak Town inside the lifeboat

We see a rendition of the scene from KH2 where Diablo the raven brings Maleficent's cloak to the three fairies and she revives, showing that this scene was, indeed, her coming back from her time travel adventure

Lauriam wakes up in the field of flowers from Dwarf Woodlands, and looks confused and startled as a white butterfly flits about him. The flowers clearly a nod to his element among the Organization

Elrena is shown still unconscious along the cliffs that lead to Maleficent's castle in Enchanted Dominion. Much like Lauriam, her element is represented in the thunderstorm that rages around her

Ventus is shown unconscious in the Keyblade Graveyard, and a silhouette approaches him. Many believe this to be Xehanort finding him, though as of now the figure's identity is unconfirmed

We cut to a scene of Luxu dragging the black box behind him in the Keyblade Graveyard, much like a certain scene from the end of Back Cover. However, this time the scene continues and he removes his hood to reveal Brain's face. The implication here is that after Scene 4 above, Luxu took Brain's body as the first of many that he would steal to prolong his own life. This is why neither of them are seen when Ephemer and Skuld emerge from the datascape; Luxu has already taken Brain's body for his own and made his escape to survive the destruction of the world with the black box

We get a title card, but are treated to one final scene. Brain wakes up (sans hat) in the same town that we saw baby Xehanort being given away in. A hooded figure in strange garb arrives, holding Brain's hat, and asks if he is Brain. At Brain's confirmation, the figure returns the hat and introduces themself as Sigurd (a Norse mythology name much like the other Scala ad Caelum characters so far). They seem to have been waiting for Brain and report that they found him into an earpiece of sorts

Brain is understandably confused, and Sigurd explains that they know of the Brain who escaped Daybreak Town's destruction and that he would appear in this spot on this day. Brain panics, realizing that he doesn't know where any of his seven other friends are and if they made it to safety. Sigurd tells Brain that he's the only one who made it to this spot. Brain, utterly crushed that all of his friends have seemingly perished, listlessly follows Sigurd as Sigurd leads him to their headquarters

On the way there, however, something catches Brain's eye. He sprints to the fountain and looks up at something that's not in the frame in shock. Sigurd explains that this is a statue of this town, Scala ad Caelum’s founder (so Xehanort's actually from Scala...) and the first ever Keyblade Master, Master Ephemer. The camera pans up to show the statue of Ephemer as we know him holding the Master Keeper Keyblade that he got from Brain

Brain is overcome with emotions, and through his tears states that he knows exactly who that is. That's his best friend, and he's so proud of him for rebuilding

This is just my speculation, but what I believe is going on in the final scene with Brain is that when Luxu took his body, he ejected Brain's heart from it. A lifeboat wasn't used up, so Luxu must have either used time travel on his own to send Brain's heart to the future or simply left Brain's heart stranded and waiting in the ruins of Daybreak Town. This would let Luxu have his body, but Brain's stranded heart could make a new one with the proper resources in the future like the other hearts sent via the pods. That's what I think the focus on the hat is about. Luxu is shown without it after he takes Brain's body, and Sigurd has it. So my assumption would be that the hat was the medium used to bring Brain's body back like Maleficent's cloak was for her. It’s possible that Luxu set this up, but I can’t confirm. As for the memories, I couldn't say

I would also speculate that this scene takes place a decent amount of time before Dark Road, since Eraqus has been implied to be a descendant of Brain due to their similar looks. If Brain is in Scala ad Caelum in the past, then he could easily be the grandfather that Eraqus mentioned

My final bit of speculation is that the reason Sigurd and crew know who Brain is is because Ephemer, the founder of Scala ad Caelum and the inheritor of the Book of Prophecies, likely saw when Brain would emerge and set up a system to take care of him, knowing that he wouldn't survive to see him again

Apologies for the length, the ending was 40 minutes long. But, hopefully, I've made it clear which scenes are connected to which and what is actually happening. If it wasn't actually clear, there's two flashback sequences involving the Master of Masters that take place before KHx, the scenes in the data and real lifeboat rooms are running concurrently with each other (Brain and Luxu are having their conversation at the same time as Player is being possessed by the Darknesses, etc.) and everything else is roughly chronological with the exception of the scenes where Maleficent, Lauriam, Elrena, and Ven are revived after time traveling. Lauriam, Elrena, and Ven's scenes all must take place sometime before or around BBS (Lauriam and Elrena for their ages to match up, Ven because he's in BBS). Maleficent's is at the beginning of KH2

[letarasstuff]

Be yourself and that will be enough

(A/N): This is inspired by a) Atypical and b) by my sister who is so done with me and my facts.

Summary: Your Uncle Morgan tells you what true friends mean.

Wordcount: 1.3k

Warnings: One swear word, angst, but it’s gonna end fluffy

✨Masterlist✨

____________________________

“Hey Wonder Baby, don’t you have school today?” Morgan wonders as he sees his best friend’s daughter sitting at his desk.

“I did, but my last period was cancelled. The teacher got the flu apparently. Also I need your help on one of the topics in my health class. Dad knows pretty much nothing about physical education except for the effects of it. But I need to create a whole work-out. Can you help me with this, Uncle Derek?” (Y/N) puts on her best puppy dog face.

“Of course, Wonder Baby. All those doors don’t kick themselves down, you need a lot of strength for it”, Morgan agrees and ruffles her hair.

“Hey!” After fixing her hair, the teenager works on getting her pen and paper out. For that she nearly has to dump her whole back pack out on her godfather’s desk.

“Why do you have so much stuff with you?” Derek snatches one of the knick knacks. Looking at what he has in his hands, (Y/N) seems like she remembers something.

“There it is! I thought I lost it! That’s a fidget cube, my friends got it for me, because I click my pens all the time and it makes them go crazy. I can play with that without making too much noise. Try it, it’s really calming.”

“And what are those?” He sees a little plastic bag with three cards inside. Before the girl can demonstrate he takes them out, reading the description on them out loud.

“Fun Fact/Stats card. You have to give one up, whenever you tell a fun fact/statistic. (Y/N) what is it?”

Ashamed she looks anywhere but his face. “Uh, you know how dad always goes around, pepping facts and useless knowledge in a conversation? I do the same and my friends are annoyed by this. To keep it at a minimum they made me these cards, which are pretty much self explanatory. I’m not allowed to tell more than three per day. Every time I tell them one, I have to give them a card. Maybe you can do the same for dad, it’s pretty effective.”

“Baby girl, this isn’t right. I know we make fun of your dad for his facts, but we do it in a loving way. We just mean to tease him, not hurt him. His facts helped us more often than not. You should be able to tell people your knowledge. You should be proud of it, not everybody does know as much as you do, especially at your age. When your friends are annoyed by something that is part of you and your personality, then they are not your real friends, as hard as this may sound.” This seems to break the dam. (Y/N) breaks down in tears.

Acting quickly, the agent pulls her in for a hug, trying to shush her. His heart hurts seeing his god daughter, a kid he watched growing up becoming a beautiful teenager, in tears hiccuping and struggling to get a proper breath in.

“You-you don’t know how d-difficult it is to find someone who is willing to put up with me. I have to t-take every chance I get of having a friend, even when it means to hold myself back with them. It is worse to be alone, Derek.” He didn’t know until now that words can hurt so much. But here he sits, with a crying girl in his arms, who just desperately tries to fit in.

“Sugar plum, nobody has to put up with anyone. A friend genuinely enjoys your presence, like you enjoy theirs. I don’t know how hard it is for you, but changing your good traits for somebody, who isn’t worth your time, hurts me. I love to hear your fun facts as much as I love you. It is what makes you you. It makes you different, a good different. Just because some people don’t know how to handle real smarts, you shouldn’t feel like a burden. It’s their loss, understood Baby?” While wiping the tears with her sleeve away, she nods.

“Good, now give me these cards, you won’t need them anymore. Either these people learn to love you for being you or they can piss off. You are wonderful just the way you are.”

After Morgan’s well needed pep talk, both of them start working on (Y/N)’s homework. They tease each other, sometimes poking the other ones side with a pen or jokes about something stupid. But also the laughs about little unimportant things are so much needed by the girl.

When Spencer enters the bullpen, the first thing he hears is his daughter’s loud laughing. For him it’s like Bethoven plays the most beautiful melody ever composed in history. A smile graces his features, because to the doctor it feels like an eternity when he last heard these sounds.

Then he spots (Y/N) with Derek, having a lightsaber fight with several into each other stacked pens. They look pretty fragile and it is clear to him that they will fall apart at any second.

“Hey you two, what are you doing here?” Reid asks as he puts his satchel down at his desk.

“Dad! I have to fight Uncle Derek! Else the dark side will win and rule over the universe”, the teenager explains in such a serious manner.

“Well, then I hope you are going to win, my little Skywalker” Spencer encourages her, breaking out the nickname he had for her when she was little.

After the fight has ended (with the good side restoring the universe’s balance), (Y/N) skips happily in her Aunt Penny’s office to get one of her baked goods. Or moreover eating a tin’s contents that is just reserved for her.

Wordlessly Morgan leans against Spencer’s desk, who finishes some paperwork. When he looks up questiongly, Derek throws the little plastic back on top of the papers.

“What is this?” The doctor wonders, but doesn’t get an answer. His friend just motiones to the object. Spencer opens it, takes a card and reads over it several times. Finally all the puzzle pieces in his head click together. (Y/N)’s absent enthusiasm for her and his facts, her bubbly personality missing and her getting shorter with her words every day.

Looking back up at his colleague, Reid thanks him with deep sincerity. Both of them know that the father will do anything to help his daughter.

Later the little family sits at the kitchen table in their small but cozy apartment, talking about their day over the together cooked dinner.

“Did you know that the command ‘Women and children first!’ were interpreted differently on the Titanic? On the one side the man in charge let at first women and children enter the lifeboats and men were allowed to fill in the remaining seats. On the other side were only women and children in them allowed, so over 200 seats were left open when they hit the water”, (Y/N) tells her father with a long missed sparkle in her eyes. Spencer can’t help but smile at it, just being happy to see his favorite girl happy again.

“Oh and Dad? I was thinking about switching schools. You once talked about this school for gifted children? Maybe we can look into this further? I feel like I need a change.”

Relief washes over Spencer. He wanted her for the longest of times to switch schools to have her use her full potential and meet kids who are more like her.

“Of course, Sweetheart. Anything you want.”

[caranfindel]

Ask game: 3 and 6

Thanks for asking, @ambersock !

3. Are Sam and Dean good people?

Short answer: Yes.

Medium answer: Yes, but.

Full answer: There's a nursery rhyme that comes to mind...

There was a little girl

And she had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.

And when she was good

She was very, very good

And when she was bad

She was horrid.

These boys, they are that little girl. When they are good, they are very very good. In big ways (sacrificing normal lives to hunt monsters), in inconceivably huge ways (Sam jumping into Hell to trap Lucifer, Dean becoming a bomb to destroy Amara), and in a million small ways. But when they're bad... hoo boy, they're bad. Except. What makes a good person - do they have to be good all the time? Or does their goodness just have to outweight their badness? And when it comes to the Winchesters, how much of their badness is actually bad, and how much is more grey?

Let's ignore, just for the moment, bad things they've done to each other. Let's look at what they've done to others.

Kill monsters who aren't really a threat to humans? Check. Amy Pond is the classic example, and as much as I disagree with Dean killing her, she was killing humans (and "but they were bad humans" isn't an excuse.) So is that a bad thing or just a morally grey thing?

Kill, or be prepared to kill, humans when needed? Check. But don't they only do that in the name of the greater good? Sam killed and drank the nurse in Lucifer Rising, but he believed that was the only way he could stop the Apocalypse. He was willing to sacrifice Nancy the virgin in Just In Bello, but that was a lifeboat situation, the only way he saw at the time to take out a horde of demons and save all the other people. Dean was prepared to kill Gordon Walker in Hunted, because he thought that was the only way to keep Gordon from murdering Sam (and he wasn't exactly wrong, was he?) They've both stabbed dozens of vessels with angel blades or Ruby's knife, killing the host but only so they can destroy the angel or demon.

Lie, cheat, and steal? Check, check, and check. Pool sharks, fake credit cards, stolen cars, yada yada yada. But, again, in the name of the greater good. Not because they don't want to get honest jobs, but because this is how they support themselves as hunters. So this is still very much a grey area to me, along the lines of stealing bread to feed your starving children.

Start the apocalypse? Obtain the Mark of Cain? Release the Darkness? Nearly destroy the world a handful of times? These were not intentional and will not be admitted as evidence.

Back to the bad things they've done to each other. In my opinion, Gadreel is the absolute worst of these. Just a horrible, horrible violation. Dean knew Sam would choose death over angelic possession and he did it anyway. But some will say that even that terrible act has a teeny tiny kernel of good intent. Dean wasn't trying to punish or hurt Sam, he was just... I don't know, having a hard time separating his brother from himself. And those who disagree, who think there was absolutely no part of the Gadreel situation that wasn't The Worst Thing Ever, can still weigh it against all of Dean's good actions to determine if he is, overall, a good person.

(Was it awful? Yes. Am I glad he did it? Also yes. Do I want to get into an argument about it on Tumblr? No. Shall we carry on? Yes, please.)

(Are you warming up your fingers to type buuUUUUTtt WhaT aBOUt SaM noT LooKing fOr dEAn iN PURgatorY? If so, please just shut up and walk away right now.)

So. Bottom line. They are good people who sometimes do bad things, but most of those bad things are done in the pursuit of the higher good. I'm going to put them on the scales of justice and call it GOOD.

6. Most compelling dynamic (outside of the brothers)?

You know, I would love to write something truly insightful and intelligent about Winchesters vs fate, or Winchesters and God, or hunters and those they hunt, but I'm going to indulge my id and say SAM AND ROWENA. Because, damn, those two. They start as enemies, they become uneasy enemy-of-my-enemy allies and then frenemies, and then they have that beautiful conversation about Lucifer and they feel each other's trauma and terror and just BOOM. SOMETHING CHANGES. Even before then, they were warming up to each other (and unlike other relationships on the show, it actually felt organic), and suddenly we find ourselves at the point where Rowena knows Sam is destined to kill her and still, when he calls for help, she comes. She knows he's going to be her end, but she makes him her heir. SHE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO IS ALLOWED TO CALL HIM SAMUEL. EVEN DEAN DOESN'T GET THAT PRIVILEGE. HOLD ME. I was annoyed when she first showed up, and I never really did care about any scenes she didn't share with the Winchesters, but the dynamic between Rowena and Sam truly became a late-seasons bright spot for me.

(Ask me!)

[mrslackles]

what do you think are gg's biggest flaws?

Ooh, Anon! It’s like you’re in my head. 

I’m busy making a video (that will probably never see the light of day) about this --  my distance from the show has really helped with some super objective clarity -- so I’ll use my notes from that to help me answer. 

I’ll preface this by saying what I was most shocked by after putting down all the points was that Rio isn’t even mentioned until really far down??

Anyway, let's get into it.

These are Good Girls' greatest flaws in my opinion (and relative to season 1 -- while I think it had its flaws too, the list is far smaller and I think that's a separate post)

1. It didn't stick to its guns

What set this show apart from others in the 'Everyday person does crime (poorly)' genre was its comedic lightness, strong friendship element, relatability and emphasis on girl power.

a) By season 2, the lightness was already slowly disappearing to make way for season 3's darkness. (Quite literally; this show said sunlight scenes for WHO.) It also stopped being as fun. Remember how it genuinely used to be fun? I mean let's not forget The Best Scene Ever where Ruby shoots Big Mike by accident and we all laughed our asses off. (Compare and contrast to a similar-in-tone-and-context scene -- or even the whole episode -- like Boomer popping up behind them as Rio's package in season 3.) I think season 3 had some great lines and laughs, but in general, the fun element was completely missing for me.

b) As was the friendship. We already know Annie and Ruby basically became Beth's backup dancers in season 2, but at least then they still seemed to have some type of agency. In season 3, they rarely question Beth's (truly questionable) decisions, don't talk to her about shit like why she's still with her horrible husband and have very few true friendship moments as they did in season 1.

c) Which made it less relatable, but what also contributed was the major plot holes (it's less easy to relate when you're constantly having to remind yourself to suspend your disbelief). And, to be honest, their stupid actions. Just the most common-sense things weren't followed, like not taking your children to a crack den or not putting a hit out on a gang leader. It's frustrating watching a TV show -- where characters are supposed to learn things, have arcs and improve over time -- and feeling like you have more logical sense than all the main characters in every scene. (WHO would think a hitman was going to use a sniper rifle on people in broad daylight on the side of the road???)

d) You don't have to look any further than the title or the stans who shout "THE SHOW IS ABOUT THE GIRLS" -- or, hell, the first 10 seconds of the show where Sara is literally talking about the glass ceiling -- to know that the main characters being women is very important to the show. If not formally feminist, it was at least supposed to be empowering or feel like "girl power" (a term I hate, but we won't get into that now).

And I think it did it pretty well in season 1 -- it actually played on my favourite theme of the show, which is the world's perception of these women being what ultimately allows them to get away with so much. (Rife with opportunities for commentary about white privilege, but also a genius way to upend patriarchal beliefs.) But more and more it seemed like the show was asking you to accept empowerment as simply "these things are being done by women, yay".

And, well.

2. Its marketing

I'll keep this one short because I think we all know how messed up this situation is. Basically they're selling a show (every week!) that they're not making while ignoring all feedback on every social media platform. Which brings us to...

3. The marriage of Death

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times -- Beth's character development starts with getting rid of Dean. Her growth is stunted by him on multiple fronts and it's frustrating to viewers since she's constantly put forth as the main character. Not to mention how the audience, separately from Beth, was originally conditioned to see Dean as the scum of the earth (think of scenes like him crashing his car because he was perving on a woman jogging) so keeping them together is really... a choice. To actively root for this marriage (which seems like what the show wants, at least for the protracted moment) means either thinking Dean is a great person (which, as I said, we've only seen the opposite of) or believing he's all Beth deserves. Which leads me to...

4. Beth's (socio)path(y)

Is sociopath a 'good' word? Probably not. Have I seen dozens upon dozens of posts talking about whether Beth is one? Yes. And I see it from a huge variety of people -- from viewers who just binged the show last weekend to those who've been watching for years, the question keeps coming up. And I entirely blame the writing of the show that, by the way, I don't believe is deliberately creating Beth to get this reaction. I think she's written (and, to an extent, acted) in a way that is much too aloof and I'm not convinced it's meant to come off as cold and unfeeling as it does. Everything else leads me to believe that the audience is supposed to root for Beth, but it's just so difficult.

Beth does a lot of messed up shit that requires dialogue to sympathise with her and the inner workings of her mind, but in the later seasons Beth rarely gets to express herself verbally. And every time she does get to speak about her emotions, the dialogue is a pick-your-own-adventure between "She's in so much denial", "This person feels no emotions" and "I'll go find an analysis/fic later to explain this" (scenes like "Nothing" or "I was just bored"). Compare and contrast with some of the great scenes in season 1 where she emotes, like her paralysing shock after they first rob the store or admitting she enjoys crime, or (one of my favourites!) the one in the park where she's mimicking the other mothers beside her.

5. Brio

I said in the beginning that I was shocked Rio doesn't get mentioned until this point and that's because I've always felt like he was an integral part of the show. When people say the show is about the girls, they're truncating -- the show is about the girls getting into crime. That crime is represented by Rio over and over again -- they never bring in another criminal at his level (which is another one of its flaws, but that's also a different post); Rio is it.

And though I stand by Rio's importance, the truth is that Brio isn't as essential to the show, by which I mean that if all of the above were done well, it wouldn't be as sorely missed. In lieu of riveting plot, a fun friendship, character development and empowerment, most viewers have glommed onto Brio like a lifeboat (or ship, heh).

Unfortunately it's also what the show has most stubbornly refused to develop significantly.

It's honestly a toss-up for why I feel Brio is a flaw: is the flaw that they got together? That they never got together well enough? That the writing keeps bringing in these 'chemistry-filled' scenes that are ultimately filled with air?

I don't know. Maybe all of them; maybe just one, depending on the day.

6. Its criticism falls flat without intersectionality

This is a big one because Good Girls is *trying* to do something very clever. As mentioned previously, my favourite theme of the show is how the women's apparent innocence/vulnerability in the eyes of society is their biggest strength. The show plays with this and other interesting themes with varying levels of success, but ultimately they all fall a little flat when they don't feel intersectional.

When Ruby gets sidelined. When Turner, who sees and all but calls out by name Beth's privilege, is portrayed as the villain. When Rio is told he's gonna "pop a cap" in his young child's "ass". When the racist grandma becomes a sympathetic character whom we must later grieve. (And she really didn't have to be racist, now that I think about it? It was just that one line for laughs and that was it.) When, despite the real-world implications, Dean can loudly announce in a store that he's buying a gun to kill someone with and the show just glides past it. When Ruby has to grovel for forgiveness from Beth for trying to protect her husband and family from the system, with no acknowledgement from Beth about how their realities are different. When Rhea gets booted off the show as soon as she's done serving Beth's plot. When Rio gets treated like a prostitute for absolutely no reason. (Oh, and is accused of raping Beth and is literally spoken of as an animal and starts only existing in zero dim lighting as a one-dimensional stereotype... the list goes on.)

7. PR/The actors

I'll risk my life here to sprinkle this in because I do think it's a massive problem. The Manny/Christina of it all is just the tip of the iceberg (although wtf Good Girls? There's nothing you could do to get these two into an interview together??). The main actors do the bare minimum to promote the show and it's weird. I also think it's the height of unprofessionalism to keep characters on the show against the wishes of the majority of the audience just because you enjoy their actors (Boomer confirmed; Dean highly suspected). While, on the flip side of the coin, limiting a character's screentime because you aren't best buddies with them. Having less and less Rio when he's such a fan favourite is dumb; as is not including him in any series marketing material. It feels personal and that isn't how a TV show should be run.

8. The entire hair and wardrobe department needs a stern talking-to

[bonjour-rainycity]

Hello! May I have a twilight origin story please? I am a female from the Netherlands, 22 summers young, about 5,3 ft in height, THICK and I have long brown hair and quite pale skin. I love musicals, music, singing. And I am a bisexual mess. I am not very shy, I can be very outgoing but I am a introvert at heart. :3

Hi!! Of course :) This one got a lil’ dramatic, whoops. 

The year was 1332. You lived in a fishing village in the northern part of what would one day become the Netherlands. The seas were rough -- many people were lost to them every year -- and you grew up with a healthy respect for the danger. That didn’t keep you from the docks, though. 

No, the docks were your favorite place on Earth! All the bustling, shouting, sea shanties, and the sheer power you could could feel from the ocean. You adored the docks. And, although you technically weren’t supposed to be there, you were a common presence.

Thanks to your outgoing nature, you easily made friends with the fishermen. They frequently brought you stories and gifts from their time traveling, and always looked forward to your enthusiastic welcome when they arrived home. In return, you often entertained them with performances of original and popular songs.

One of your best friends since childhood was a sailor. The two of you often joked about stealing a boat or finding a way to pay your passage to another land and striking out together, exploring the entire sea. 

One day, you accompanied your best friend to the docks -- he was supposed to set sail that day, to be gone for two whole years. The thought of parting from him broke your heart, but you knew it was coming. All of your friends, at one point or another, left you for the sea. 

You said your goodbyes and he promised to visit you when he returned. You waved, he waved, and then he stepped onto the boat, thinking he wouldn’t see you for an incredibly long time. 

But he didn’t know that you had a plan. 

You snuck onto the boat. You hid in a cabinet and stowed away. You figured this was for the best -- you had a large family, and winter would come in its due time. Likely, they wouldn’t be able to afford to adequately feed you all, so you were just lightening the load for them. Besides, you were well-liked on the docks. Though women supposedly weren’t allowed on the boats, surely they would make an exception for you. 

You couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Only five days into the trip, the first mate found you, and he was furious. The captain, the crew, everyone agreed -- you couldn’t stay. There was an old fisherman’s superstition that a woman on board could lead to disaster, so the answer was clear -- you were to be thrown over. 

Your best friend begged them not to. He offered to sacrifice his pay, to do all the jobs no one else wanted to do, to take a lifeboat and row the two of you away, but the sailors wouldn’t listen. They decided to throw you overboard. 

Your friend drew his sword, intending to fight for your life. One of the sailors engaged him, the two exchanging blows, and your friend sliced the other sailor’s arm, drawing a gash of blood. 

The fighting was over, then. 

No one had known that one of the sailors was a vampire. He had intended to use the boat as a means of crossing the ocean, not being a fan of swimming himself. He had planned to hunt when the ship docked for supplies or trade, but this was too much. He’d already been five days without feeding. The minute blood was drawn, he became frenzied, massacring nearly everyone on board. 

When he regained control, there were only three of you left. He decided he’d had enough of being alone and, while forcing the first mate to steer the boat, he changed you and the other who had survived the massacre. You closed your eyes against the pain, hoping desperately that the glimpse of brown hair you saw on the man screaming beside you belonged to your best friend.

By the time your transformation was done, the first mate had docked in a port in Germany (and was subsequently killed by your creator). When you opened your eyes, you had a moment of hope -- the face across from you, you recognized him!

But then you focused in. 

It was not your best friend. 

He had been killed by the vampire. 

For that, you resented your creator with everything in you, but he wouldn’t let you leave until you had passed through the newborn phase. The second you were free, you ran all the way back to the sea and swam to the middle of the ocean. 

For years, you lived that way, swimming through the ocean, exploring all the waters you and your best friend hoped to discover one day. While you swam, you sang -- your voice so haunting and alluring, it could bring sailors to their death. And it did -- sailors that followed your voice would find themselves at the bottom of the ocean, drained of blood.

To this day, sailors are still warned: beware the siren’s call. 

And, though you’ve since moved on from that part of your life, choosing now to explore land and build a coven of your own, it makes you smile every time you hear that phrase. It reminds you that, though time has passed, the legacy of you and your friend lives on. 

Ask me about your Twilight origin story!

[random-ass-fanboy]

My Snape playlist:

Here are 40 songs that remind me of Snape, if anyone is interested :)

Feel free to leave song recommendations for this playlist in the comments!

TW/ depressing lyrics and mentions of suicidal ideation.

-

Paralyzed- NF

"Where are my feelings? I no longer feel things, I know I should. I'm paralyzed. Where is the real me? I'm lost and it kills me inside, I'm paralyzed."

My Immortal- Evanescence

"You used to captivate me, by your resonating light. Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind. Your face it haunts, my once pleasant dreams. Your voice it chased away, all the sanity in me."

Horrible Kids- Set It Off

"Picture this he was just a kid, not knowing where to begin. He wore all the wrong clothes, followed all the wrong trends, persecuted for the things he did."

Lifeboat- Heathers the Musical

"Everyone's pushing! Everyone's fighting Storms are approaching, there's nowhere to hide! If I say the wrong thing, or I wear the wrong outfit, they'll throw me right over the side!"

Panic Room- Au/Ra

"The silence is so loud. The lights spark and flicker, with monsters much bigger, than I can control now. Welcome to the panic room, where all your darkest fears are gonna come for you."

Michael in the Bathroom- Be More Chill

"I am hiding, but he's out there, just ignoring all our history. Memories get erased, and I'll get replaced, with a newer cooler version of me."

Worthless- eli.

"I'm always so alone, even when surrounded, by people that I know. I'm always so astounded, by my ability to ruin everything. Losing friends and starting fires, everyone thinks I'm a liar"

Let Me Down Slowly- Alec Benjamin

"Don't cut me down, throw me out, leave me here to waste. I once was a man with dignity and grace. Now, I'm slipping through the cracks of your cold embrace. So please, please.."

Waving Through a Window- Dear Evan Hansen

"We start with stars in our eyes. We start believing that we belong. But every sun doesn't rise. And no one tells you where you went wrong"

Broken Again- eli.

"No one knows what it's like putting up a fight, for your life every time, now I'm losing sight. Wish that I had a way to make me feel alive. I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die."

Match in the Rain- Alec Benjamin

"Yeah, I can taste it, it's the end, this love's impossible to save. Though you embrace it, I can't face it, so I look the other way. There's trouble in your eyes, but I pretend that we're okay. I wish that we could compromise, but there's just nothin' left to say."

Snail- Cavetown

"I was just born like this. Wish that I could change it. Four peculiar limbs and a head that doesn't fit. Wish that I was still a kid."

Dissappear- eli.

"Carrying the burdens of the world up on my shoulders. Looking for the answers, maybe I'll know once I'm older. Need some time to recollect myself, please don't forget me. When I disappear next week, I hope you can forgive me."

Teenagers- My Chemial Romance

"The boys and girls in the clique, the awful names that they stick. You're never gonna fit in much, kid. But if you're troubled and hurt, what you got under your shirt, will make them pay for the things that they did."

Words Fail- Dear Evan Hansen

"No, I'd rather pretend I'm something better than these broken parts. Pretend I'm something other than this mess that I am! 'Cause then I don't have to look at it, and no one gets to look at it! No, no one can really see!"

Untitled- Mxmtoon

"I tend to forget, that I shouldn't fret. People come and then they go. At this point I should know."

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead- Set it Off

"I'm stuck self-torturing, my meds are failing me, internal clock in smithereens. Can't fix this. I'm hopeless. My eyes are stapled open wide, as I lay down on my side. I am bouncing off these walls."

Outrunning Karma- Alec Benjamin

"He's never gonna make it, all the poor people he's forsaken, karma, is always gonna chase him for his lies. It's just a game of waiting from the church steeple down to Satan karma. There's really no escape until he dies."

One Song Glory- RENT

"Find, one song, one last refrain. Glory. From the pretty boy front man, who wasted opportunity. One song, he had the world at his feet. Glory. In the eyes of a young girl, a young girl."

Good For You- Dear Evan Hansen

"All I need is some time to think! But the boat is about to sink. Can't erase what I wrote in ink. Tell me how could you change the story?

All the words that I can't take back, like a train coming off the track. 'Cause the rails and my bones all crack. I've got to find a way to stop it, stop it! Just let me off!"

Teen Idle- MARINA

"Adolescence didn't make sense. A little loss of innocence. The ugliness of being a fool. Ain't youth meant to be beautiful?"

Dark Paradise- Lana Del Rey

"And there's no remedy for memory. Your face is like a melody, it won't leave my head. Your soul is hunting me and telling me, that everything is fine. But I wish I was dead!"

Trying- Cavetown

"I'm trying to tear the wool from your eyes. But a part of me wants to let you be. 'Cause then you wouldn't see what I've become. I'm trying to shout, but no sound comes out. It's like we're in a dream state. But I should've woken up, woken up by now."

Wake Me Up When September Ends- Green Day

"Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars. Drenched in my pain again, becoming who we are."

21 Guns- Green Day

"When you're at the end of the road, and you lost all sense of control. And your thoughts have taken their toll. When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul."

Give Me Novacaine- Green Day

"Take away the sensation inside. Bitter sweet migraine in my head. It's like a throbbing tooth ache of the mind. I can't take this feeling anymore."

iRobot- Jon Bellion

"I am a robot, thoughtless and empty. Don't know who sent me, don't know who made me. Electric robot, everything's gray now. Numb to the pain now, I knew what love was."

Another One Of Those Days- Cavetown

"Passed that kid from chemistry, who made fun of my name. He didn't look very happy. I guess we all turn out the same."

Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Green Day

"My shadow's the only one that walks beside me. My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me. 'Til then I walk alone."

We Don't Have To Dance- Andy Black

"You're never gonna get it, I'm a hazard to myself. I'll break it to you easy, this is hell, this is hell! You're looking and whispering, you think I'm someone else! This is hell, yes, I am in hell!

Ribcage- Andy Black

"Nothing in the cage of my ribcage! Got no heart to break, like it that way. Nothing in the cage of my ribcage! Emptiness is safe, keep it that way."

The Run and Go- Twenty One Pilots

"I can't take them on my own, my own. Oh, I'm not the one you know, you know. I have killed a man and all I know, is I am on the run and go."

Fall Away- Twenty One Pilots

"I disguise, and I will lie, and I will take my precious time. As the days spent away, as I stand in line, and I die as I wait, as I wait on my crime. And I'll try to delay what you make of my life, but I don't want your way, I want mine. I'm dying and trying, but believe me I'm fine. But I'm lying, I'm so very far from fine!

Trapdoor- Twenty One Pilots

"He wakes up early today, throws on a mask that will alter his face. Nobody knows his real name, but now he just uses one he saw on a grave. And he pretends he's okay, but you should see, oh. Him in bed late at night, he's petrified."

Sad Song- Christina Perri

"I wish I wasn’t always wrong, I wish it wasn’t always my fault. The finger that you’re pointing has knocked me on my knees. And all you need to know is… I'm so sorry, It’s not like me. It’s maturity that I’m lacking."

Escapism- Steven Universe

"I guess I have to face, that in this awful place, I shouldn't show a trace of doubt. But pulled against the grain. I feel a little pain, that I would rather do without."

Semi-Automatic- Twenty One Pilots

"Night falls with gravity, the earth turns from sanity, taking my only friend I know, he leaves a lot, his name is "Hope". I'm never what I like, I'm double-sided, and I just can't hide, I kind of like it when I make you cry, 'cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up inside."

Screen- Twenty One Pilots

"I can't see past my own nose, I'm seeing everything in slo-mo. Look out below crashing down to the ground just like a vertical locomotive. That's a train, am I painting the picture that's in my brain? A train from the sky, locomotive, my motives are insane!"

March To The Sea- Twenty One Pilots

"Then the wages of war will start, inside my head with my counterpart. And the emotionless marchers will chant the phrase, 'This line's the only way.' Then I start down the sand, my eyes are focused on the end of land. But again the voice inside my head, says, 'follow me instead.'"

Migraine- Twenty One Pilots

"Freeze frame, please let me paint a mental picture portrait. Something you won't forget, it's all about my forehead, and how it is a door that hold's back contents, that makes Pandora's box contents look non-violent!"

[apoemaday]

How to Be Perfect

by Ron Padgett

Everything is perfect, dear friend. —KEROUAC

Get some sleep. Don't give advice. Take care of your teeth and gums. Don't be afraid of anything beyond your control. Don't be afraid, for instance, that the building will collapse as you sleep, or that someone you love will suddenly drop dead. Eat an orange every morning. Be friendly. It will help make you happy. Raise your pulse rate to 120 beats per minute for 20 straight minutes four or five times a week doing anything you enjoy. Hope for everything. Expect nothing. Take care of things close to home first. Straighten up your room before you save the world. Then save the world. Know that the desire to be perfect is probably the veiled expression of another desire—to be loved, perhaps, or not to die. Make eye contact with a tree. Be skeptical about all opinions, but try to see some value in each of them. Dress in a way that pleases both you and those around you. Do not speak quickly. Learn something every day. (Dzien dobre!) Be nice to people before they have a chance to behave badly. Don't stay angry about anything for more than a week, but don't forget what made you angry. Hold your anger out at arm's length and look at it, as if it were a glass ball. Then add it to your glass ball collection. Be loyal. Wear comfortable shoes. Design your activities so that they show a pleasing balance and variety. Be kind to old people, even when they are obnoxious. When you become old, be kind to young people. Do not throw your cane at them when they call you Grandpa. They are your grandchildren! Live with an animal. Do not spend too much time with large groups of people. If you need help, ask for it. Cultivate good posture until it becomes natural. If someone murders your child, get a shotgun and blow his head off. Plan your day so you never have to rush. Show your appreciation to people who do things for you, even if you have paid them, even if they do favors you don't want. Do not waste money you could be giving to those who need it. Expect society to be defective. Then weep when you find that it is far more defective than you imagined. When you borrow something, return it in an even better condition. As much as possible, use wooden objects instead of plastic or metal ones. Look at that bird over there. After dinner, wash the dishes. Calm down. Visit foreign countries, except those whose inhabitants have expressed a desire to kill you. Don't expect your children to love you, so they can, if they want to. Meditate on the spiritual. Then go a little further, if you feel like it. What is out (in) there? Sing, every once in a while. Be on time, but if you are late do not give a detailed and lengthy excuse. Don't be too self-critical or too self-congratulatory. Don't think that progress exists. It doesn't. Walk upstairs. Do not practice cannibalism. Imagine what you would like to see happen, and then don't do anything to make it impossible. Take your phone off the hook at least twice a week. Keep your windows clean. Extirpate all traces of personal ambitiousness. Don't use the word extirpate too often. Forgive your country every once in a while. If that is not possible, go to another one. If you feel tired, rest. Grow something. Do not wander through train stations muttering, "We're all going to die!" Count among your true friends people of various stations of life. Appreciate simple pleasures, such as the pleasure of chewing, the pleasure of warm water running down your back, the pleasure of a cool breeze, the pleasure of falling asleep. Do not exclaim, "Isn't technology wonderful!" Learn how to stretch your muscles. Stretch them every day. Don't be depressed about growing older. It will make you feel even older. Which is depressing. Do one thing at a time. If you burn your finger, put it in cold water immediately. If you bang your finger with a hammer, hold your hand in the air for twenty minutes. You will be surprised by the curative powers of coldness and gravity. Learn how to whistle at earsplitting volume. Be calm in a crisis. The more critical the situation, the calmer you should be. Enjoy sex, but don't become obsessed with it. Except for brief periods in your adolescence, youth, middle age, and old age. Contemplate everything's opposite. If you're struck with the fear that you've swum out too far in the ocean, turn around and go back to the lifeboat. Keep your childish self alive. Answer letters promptly. Use attractive stamps, like the one with a tornado on it. Cry every once in a while, but only when alone. Then appreciate how much better you feel. Don't be embarrassed about feeling better. Do not inhale smoke. Take a deep breath. Do not smart off to a policeman. Do not step off the curb until you can walk all the way across the street. From the curb you can study the pedestrians who are trapped in the middle of the crazed and roaring traffic. Be good. Walk down different streets. Backwards. Remember beauty, which exists, and truth, which does not. Notice that the idea of truth is just as powerful as the idea of beauty. Stay out of jail. In later life, become a mystic. Use Colgate toothpaste in the new Tartar Control formula. Visit friends and acquaintances in the hospital. When you feel it is time to leave, do so. Be honest with yourself, diplomatic with others. Do not go crazy a lot. It's a waste of time. Read and reread great books. Dig a hole with a shovel. In winter, before you go to bed, humidify your bedroom. Know that the only perfect things are a 300 game in bowling and a 27-batter, 27-out game in baseball. Drink plenty of water. When asked what you would like to drink, say, "Water, please." Ask "Where is the loo?" but not "Where can I urinate?" Be kind to physical objects. Beginning at age forty, get a complete "physical" every few years from a doctor you trust and feel comfortable with. Don't read the newspaper more than once a year. Learn how to say "hello," "thank you," and "chopsticks" in Mandarin. Belch and fart, but quietly. Be especially cordial to foreigners. See shadow puppet plays and imagine that you are one of the characters. Or all of them. Take out the trash. Love life. Use exact change. When there's shooting in the street, don't go near the window.

[cammotea]

Reasons Why Relationships Should Never Be Your Top Priority

Many of us fixate on love out of fear. Fear of being alone. Fear of missing out. Fear of feeling worthless. We’re so eager to find a lifeboat to cling to. We waste time on mediocre, meaningless relationships instead of cultivating an abundant lifestyle to make ourselves happy.

A dating app isn’t the answer to your stress or helplessness. The sooner you internalize this concept, the quicker you stop relying on someone else to make or break your life. A partner will enhance your world, but they’re not your universe.

Relationships narrow your world

In the three years with my ex, I disconnected from all of my friends. My ambitions faded. The passion for traveling, meet people, and experience new things eventually became nonexistent. 

You probably know a friend you regularly hang out with who goes ghost-mode after meeting a boyfriend/girlfriend. They don’t seem interested in meeting up. They never have time for group activities anymore. All wrapped up with their romantic relationship. They’ve given up on the world to attend to their love life.

The comfort of a relationship leads to laziness, lack of adventure, and minimal curiosity. But a partner is supposed to add to your life, not reduce it. No matter how much you’re in love with someone, you shouldn’t compromise your own life. Set your eyesight higher than dating.

You need self-love more than romantic love

The less self-worth you have, the more you crave a partner. But by now, you have learned how unreliable it is to place our sense of self and happiness in a relationship. Yet, you continue to take the easier route. You swipe, scratch, crawl for someone to comfort you in low moments. How about you just take a step back? Because when you become emotionally sufficient, meaning you don’t need a relationship to feel okay about who you are, you’ll have enough patience to seek quality relationships as opposed to settling for anything you could get your hands on.

Feeling good about yourself is solely your responsibility. Relationships are merely a temporary escape. Sometimes, they benefit you less than the emotional and mental toll it takes on you. Once you figure out how to become emotionally independent, once you build your career/social circle/hobbies, a partner will become a portion of your life, not the top priority.

You have less leverage in a relationship

When your partner comes before all other aspects of your life, they likely aren’t thankful but entitled. You’re more afraid of losing them than they’re of losing you. Your power? Gone.

To keep your partner on their toes and have them appreciate what you offer to their life, let them know that you have plenty of things going on outside of the relationship. If at any moment they mistreat you, you’ll be ready to walk away. You’re playing with house money.

You can be a high-value person who deserves quality relationships. At the same time, understanding that romance is only a part of your life, not your entire life. The people who set relationships as their first priority seem desperate, codependent, and lacking self-esteem. You’re better than that.

[itgetsdarksometimes35]

The Maid

Warnings: Non con, dub con, sex pollen, kidnapping, daddy kink, one wears clothes, one doesn’t, spanking, hair pulling, 18+

Word Count: 4,248

Pairings: Dark!Thor x Reader

Prompts: Pirates and all the warnings. 

Summary: Reader sold herself as a maid on Loki Laufeyson’s ship so she could support her family back home. One night intruders come onto the ship.

~ indicates a time change

- indicates a POV change

A/N: This is a late submission to @sherrybaby14​ mini b-day challenge. Happy late, lovely, I hope you accept and love this late present. I am officially all caught up and I’ll be posting tomorrow. I sadly will not be posting for a bit, though, after that. Finals and life demands suck, but I’ll write when I can. Love you guys, thanks for understanding, and I hope you enjoy! :) 

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Being the only girl on a ship didn’t have many perks. Sure, nobody ever got into a drunken fight with you or expected you to fight in a battle or help in a raid, but you were the mother of about 50 disgusting men. They threw their clothes at you to wash, stained with blood, feces, and urine, and left messes. You cared for them when they were sick. They constantly grabbed at you like the last piece of meat at dinner and were never grateful. Your days consisted of waking up hours before the rest of the crew, making breakfast, which typically woke everyone up, cleaned until it was time to make lunch, went back to cleaning until dinner, and cleaning until you passed out from exhaustion. On days a raid would happen you’d have to work on a docked ship and later give medical care. On the days where you attacked at sea you were to hide in your quarters. Never was there a battle lost or fought on your ship, but you were ordered to stay safe regardless. 

Your leader, Captain Loki Laufeyson, was an evil crook. Sure, all pirates were, but he was extra cruel. He stole, lied, and killed people who trusted him. You were painfully awaiting the day where he would finally sell his own crew out to save his ass. 

You being the only girl was entirely his doing. He purchased you a few years back in your village. Your father had died of infection and your mother had become extremely sick herself and wouldn’t survive much longer and now could no longer work. You had 9 younger siblings who would die during the harsh winters if you weren’t able to find food soon. You could’ve gotten a job locally, but time wasn’t on your side, you needed money fast, and none of the menial work they gave women wouldn’t do. The good paying jobs all asked for hardworking, big men. The eldest boy in your family was 7. Without any other option, you went to town and auction yourself off to pirates who needed a woman, or more, for any reason. You had hoped you wouldn’t be wanted for that. They paid big money and you would give it to your family for food and medicine while the others got local jobs to continue to support themselves. You didn’t expect to see your family again, so you let your brothers know they were now the men of the house and let your sisters know they needed to step up. The goodbye was painful, the youngest clung to your skirts while the older ones held back tears and forced smiles, promising mom would be okay and that they’d find good jobs to help out. Your mother wasn’t aware of any of it while she lay in her bed, looking off. 

“Goodbye, ma.” You said kissing her sweaty forehead, caressing her hair back. 

Soon you were at the docs, on a podium, while strange, dirty, loud men shouted numbers. Some were drunk and stumbled over their words while others were pointed and well spoken. Among the ladder was a man who sat at the very front. He started at you with eyes as blue as the water he sails on, long hair as dark as his thoughts.

 “Five thousand pound silver.” The crowd hushed. They looked around for the maniac that would pay that much for one maid. Your eyes widnes at the mysterious man as a sinister smile graced his God-like features. You turned to the auctioneer who donned the same surprise as you. 

He shook out of the shock and yelled, “Going once, going twice...Sold!” A man in rags helped usher you off the podium while another lead a blonde girl on next as the number calls started again. Your legs moved on their own accord as your mind swam. Why had he paid so much for you? What was his plan? 

You were lead to the pirate and a banker who would handle the money. A few small brown bags sat on the table where the banker sat filing out papers. He grabbed them before turning to you. “Who do I make the remaining money out to?” You told him your family’s name and he scribbled on two pieces of paper. He stamped one before handing it to the man who’d just bought you. “Here you are, Captain Laufeyson, enjoy your new lady.” 

You continued looking forward as your body began to shake from fear. From the corner of your eye you saw him turn to you with the same smile he wore minutes before. “That I will.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You opened your eyes suddenly, looking around the darkness. Your body typically woke you up like clockwork to get the day started, but that’s not why you were currently up. You heard a noise. The wood of the floorboards above you creaked. Who could possibly be up? Every night the men filled their bellies up with food, wine, and beer and passed out; the smell of more food being their only source awakening. You swung your legs out of bed carefully and grabbed the unlit oil lamp on your dresser of items. You reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a lighter and fed the lamp the flame as it illuminated the small room. You slowly crept to the door, praying the wood wouldn’t betray you. 

You pulled the door open and looked out with the lamp lighting your view. Seeing nobody there you crept out more until you were at the stairs. You couldn’t see past them and your heart beat in your chest like a hammer. Maybe you should turn back. Go back to sleep, pretend you heard nothing. The thoughts ran in your head as you debated what to do next when you heard it. Heard them. Voices. You quickly blew out the candle and was thrown into darkness again. You crouched down and leaned on the bottom step, listening. 

“Find what you can and take it. I want this mission to be quick and easy, find the hammer, burn the ship down, and leave. If you find anyone awake, kill them. My brother will pay for what he stole from me.”

Fuck. Footsteps continued walking around upstairs and your mind raced. You were being invaded. But surely by the wrong ship, Loki had no brother. Or maybe he did, he never spoke to you. You didn’t know what he stole from people or who he stole from, you just knew he left behind countless enemies that were bound to come back one day. But they never did, until now. 

You had to think fast, the ship would be up in flames soon and if you’re found awake you’ll be killed. You couldn’t jump overboard, you’d definitely drown. Your only hope was the ship’s one lifeboat, the one Loki kept around for himself and a few men that’d he take with him to help row him to safety if the ship were to ever have an emergency. It was a long shot, the odds weren’t in your favor at all, but if you waited for the flames to wake everyone the lifeboat would be filled and gone. If you acted now, you’d be in the boat ready to sail off the minute the invaders burned the ship and retreated back to their own. 

Rowing couldn’t be that hard and you had to be close to land. You had just finished a raid hours ago, you just needed a map. Maybe a compass and some food to last you. You stood and slowly crept to your room to retrieve a small brown sack with a map and compass in it, you’d stolen it in your first year on the ship, saying you’d run away back to your family; you never found the guts. It was still dark so you felt around blindly until you felt it hidden in your drawer. Then you walked  fast, but carefully, back out and to the stairs where you listened for movement. Upstairs in the kitchen was a basket of fruit the men had gotten while on land. You’d have to be fast. The kitchen was all the way on the other side, and you had no idea what these men looked like or where they were. 

Slowly, while clutching the bag tighter, you made your way up the stairs. You looked around, using the moon as light, before deciding the coast was clear. You stepped onto the deck, the cold night made the wood feel like ice on your bare feet. You were used to the heat of the underdeck, never had you left your room in such immodest conditions, wearing just a thin nightgown and underwear. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment of being found like this as you carried on to the kitchen.

You got into the kitchen and felt for the fruit, using muscle memory to navigate around the room. You stepped very timidly in your search, you were all too aware of the fact that there were plenty of things that made loud noises in here. Then you felt the bowl and took a few fruits before putting it in your bag. You start walking out when a loud clang echoes throughout the kitchen and pain radiated through your foot. You kicked a pot.

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A noise rang in Thor’s ears and stopped his search short. He boarded his brother’s ship with 3 other men in search of the hammer his brother had stolen from him, the object that was worth more than gold that he had found on a journey. He looked up at his crew member, Heimdall, and the both nodded to each other. They both inched closer and closer to the source of the noise, drew their swords, then pushed the door open. The moonlight pushed in and illuminated the room. In the middle of it was a black pot on the floor. 

“It may have fallen by itself. Stranger has happened.” Heimdall commented. 

Thor grunted in an answer, but didn’t leave, moving deeper into the kitchen. He kept his sword at attention before him, ready to swing. As he continued looking, Heimdall stepped outside to keep watch as Stephen Strange walked up to him, yielding the object they were all there to retrieve. 

“I found the hammer,” he said holding it up to Heimdall, the light bouncing off it, “Cocky bastard had it unprotected in his trophy room.” Stephen announced looking into the kitchen and seeing someone crawling. His eyebrows raised as he looked closer into the dark room.

Thor turned the last corner before standing up completely, sighing in defeat. “I guess it did fall by itself.” 

Stephen smiled as the small body continued to crawl slowly backward toward the door, obviously oblivious to the two men that stood behind her. “Not quite, Captain,” the body stiffened at the close voice. “I think we found our culprit.”

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You hadn’t heard them, you were too focused on the man with long blonde hair to notice the two other men that stood behind you. The hair on your body stood to a point and your body was frozen in place. You stared ahead as you felt the heat of the man behind you. 

“What do you mean-” 

The blonde, their captain, stopped short when he saw you. His eyes matched that of your own captain’s but he was much bigger. You could see the muscles work to hold the heavy sword that the captain held onto, his beard was light across his stunned face. He was beautiful. And he was going to kill you. 

The blonde shook his head and looked above you to his men. “Heimdall, go find Holgun and you guys start the fire. We’ve gotten my hammer, now it’s time to finish what my brother started.” He turned to the one holding the hammer. “Hand me my hammer and go with them.” 

The brown haired man walked to the blonde holding out the hammer, never taking his glaring eyes off of you. “What about her?” 

The captain looked to you before responding, “I’ll deal with her.” 

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The next thing you knew, you were on a lifeboat and the ship you had called home for years now was up in flames. The only lifeboat on the ship was set on fire, so there was no way of escape now. The men you were with rowed away from the flames as screams and panic filled your ears. You still clung to the brown bag as you curled up into yourself on the boat floor. Every once in a while the captain, Thor as the men have called him several times, will look at you. 

Stephen looks back at you before looking at Thor, who was still looking at you. “You said to kill anyone who was awake. She was awake; why are we taking her back? She should be dead.” The other men glanced back as well before turning their attention back to rowing. 

“She’ll come in handy.” Thor smiled at you before turning to Stephen. “Don’t question your captain, Stephen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn’t take long before you were back at Thor’s ship. It was like Loki’s only this one looked newer. It was definitely in better condition, he probably had more than one maid. The men got out of the boat and onto the ship, stretching as the morning glow of the sun coming up cascading onto the main deck. Few other crew members were up and moving things along to get the day started. They seemed less barbaric than the men you were used to babysitting, these men looked like they knew how to care for themselves. 

Thor helped you from the lifeboat and lingered even after you were steady on your feet. You looked up at him before looking at the bag in your hands. A gust of wind went by, making you shiver; it was then that you remembered how exposed you were. You wrapped your hands around your body, and Thor must’ve noticed this gesture because he hugged you to him. 

“You’re freezing. Here, follow me.” As Thor led you around more and more eyes looked to you. Hungry eyes took in your scandalous appearance, not once did you see another girl. Something told you these men hadn’t seen a girl in years, especially in this type of attire. 

You were led into a big room, at least double the size of what you were used to. Thor set down his hammer on a dresser before pulling socks and a jacket out. Both items entirely too big for you. 

“I’m sorry, it’s all I have,” Thor said scratching the back of his neck, sounding ashamed, “Not any women who would be able to share clothes with either.” He handed you the items and watched as you timidly pulled the clothes on. 

“T-thank you…” Your voice didn’t sound like yours. 

Thor nodded and looked at your bag. He seemed to just notice it as he took it from you, looking at the contents within. He looked at you before smiling. “You wanted to run?”

You nodded meeting his gaze. 

“Did my brother didn’t treat you right did he? Never did know how to care for a woman properly.”

Oh, he thought…

“No,” You said a little too loud, “I was only his maid. We never...I never…” You trailed off, before looking down at your hands. They were sweaty from holding the bag for so long. 

“But he wanted to. He tried didn’t he?” 

You stayed silent. Thor seemed to know his brother, you didn’t need to answer him. The night Loki took you back to the ship he had tried, but you cried and begged. You thought he wouldn’t let you go, what would you be able to do? You couldn’t run and even though Loki was no match for his brother, he could’ve overpowered you in an instant. And you were on a ship with at least 50 men who wouldn’t mind helping their captain, you shook at the thought. Loki had spared you, though. He just doubled his efforts to make your job as his maid harder, refusing to buy another maid. 

“My brother is anything but merciful, my lady. You held value in his heart, if you hadn’t he would’ve killed you after refusing him. I’m afraid we’re similar in that way.” The way he said that didn’t settle well with you. It felt like a threat. “I don’t blame him though,” Thor stepped closer and touched your cheek, “You are a gorgeous little thing. Something like that can’t just be let go so easily..”

You shrugged away from Thor and he retreated his hand. He smiled at you as you looked up again. “Right well, I’m afraid being on my ship and serving no purpose is prohibited.” His voice dripped venom as he stalked closer to you, backing you into a wall. 

“What d-do you want from me?”

“Mmm, I think you know.” Thor gripped the hem of your nightgown, slowly hiking it up. 

Your hand flew to his hand, trying to stop his efforts. “Captain, please, don’t. I can do anything else, just don’t…” Tears threatened to fall from your eyes as you looked up at Thor, pleading with him. 

He sighed before letting your gown go and stepping back a bit. “Fine.” He turned behind him. “Go into that cabinet. Inside is a cleaning powder, liquid powders mess up the wood on my ship. Use that and scrub the floor in here. Then move on to other rooms.” 

You looked stunned at his relent, waiting for the trick to be revealed. With Loki you had screamed and begged for hours, Thor just gave in. Then again, he did seem more level-headed than his brother.

You walked to the cabinet and found a small jar with powder inside. It was a strange place to keep cleaning supplies, but you weren’t one to judge. You were thankful you were able to keep your innocence. 

“I’m going to go and talk with my crew. I’ll take it you know what your doing?” You nodded again. “Good.” With that Thor was gone leaving you with the sweet smelling powder. It burned your throat but it wasn’t unbearable, you’d had worse done to you. You looked into the cabinet again and found a rag. You dumped some of the powder on the rag and started scrubbing the floor. As you did, more of it wafted to your face and into your lungs and nose. You coughed and looked to the floor. There was no difference. What the heck? You thought. Maybe you need water? 

You stepped into the room connected to the Captain’s room and found a pail of water. You grabbed it and pulled it to the main room where you were sitting. When you made to sit, your thigh brushed your core and you whimpered. It felt good. You had no idea why, but it left a hunger within you. You tried to ignore it, not wanting Thor to think you were useless by not doing the one job you've been doing for years now. You wet the rag before dumping more of the powder on the now damp rag. More powder went to your face and your hunger grew. You scrubbed the floor harder, trying to do anything to ignore it. You looked to the floor and again saw no difference. Maybe Thor would see one and you just didn’t, the floor looked pretty clean before doing this anyway. 

You moved on and the powder continued flying around you. Soon you were sweating, the heat in your core growing all around your body. The more you ignored it the bigger it grew. The powder was soon gone and you tried to stand to go let Thor know you needed more. As you did, your pussy screamed with need as it brushed your thigh again. You moaned out in frustration before wiping the sweat from you. You took painful steps outside the room to find Thor and found the deck even busier than before. As you stepped out more men looked to you, stopping what they were doing and licking their chops like an animal. What you would do to be devoured in that moment…No. This wasn’t you. Whatever was happening you’d figure out later. Right now you needed Thor. 

Almost on cue, Thor stepped in front of you, grabbing your arms and keeping you upright. Your legs felt as if they’d give out as him hands seemed to cool the fire in you for just a moment. “Finished?” Thor looked down at you with beautiful eyes. He was so good looking…

“Y-yeah. I need more, uhm, powder. I ran out. I’m sorry…” You mouth felt dry and you couldn’t seem to focus on your words. 

“No, I think you’ve had enough, my lady.”

“What? But you said-”

“I know but you don’t look like you can continue, not in your state at least…”

His eyes trailed down your body and back up. His eyes darkened as he watched your thighs rub together. You needed a release. 

“Water. I need water, I’m so hot. Why is it so hot?” 

Thor chuckled before reaching at a table beside him. He handed you the goblet that was filled with wine. You gulped it down, but it did nothing for the dying thirst you felt or the unbearable heat you felt. You started gasping as another wave of heat hit you, your core ached and you felt your panties getting wetter by the second. You gripped Thor’s jacket that was on you and fumbled to take it off. That still gave you no release, even the socks’ removal felt like nothing. All the while Thor looked at you with amusement. You narrowed your eyes at him.  “Thor, what did you do to me?”

“Nothing that wouldn’t help you.” He looked around the ship and saw his crew looking on in curiosity. He pulled you closer to him, his carnal and territorial instincts kicking in at the sight of men sizing up his meal. 

“Thor, please, help me.” 

“Don’t worry, baby, we’re getting to that.” 

Thor gripped the collar of your nightgown and pulled. The fabric tore all the way down, exposing your boobs to Thor and his crew. The cool breeze felt amazing on your fiery skin, but there was still a flame that didn’t extinguish all the way. You made to cover yourself but Thor held your wrists in his strong hand. With the other he ripped your panties from you, leaving you completely bare for everyone to see. You moaned as another wave crashed into your body. 

“I know, I know, I’m right here, baby.” Thor shushed you as he turned and bent your body over a table. Your drenched pussy was on full display for him. He rubbed his crotch to yours and you cried out. You needed him inside you. Now. 

“Thor, please..”

“Mmmm, please what?” He grinded harder into you.

“Please, fuck me.”

Thor fake gasped in surprise. “In front of all these people? Tsk, tsk, tsk, I expected more decency from you.”

“Thor, PLEASE!” You begged for him to touch you, do anything. 

He chuckled. “Alright, baby, if you say so.”

With that Thor shoved himself in. You felt a sharp pain as he broke the barrier of your innocence, and you cried out. 

“It’s okay, shhh, that’s right, take daddy’s big cock. He’ll make you feel better, don’t you worry.” Thor continued his hard pace, with each thrust your fire was slowly dying out. But another was forming within you, it had you backing up into Thor, trying to appease it. 

“Nuh uh,” Thor slapped your ass, “You asked me to fuck you, baby, so let me fuck you.” His hand danced along your hip down to where you both were connected. He rubbed tight circles on your clit that had you moaning out louder. Thor continued slapping your ass, loving the way you squeezed his cock when you did. His thrusts and fingers were working you closer and closer to bliss.

Finally your breath hitched and you were crumbling over the edge, eyes shutting in euphoria. Thor grunted above you as he drew his hand away from you clit and up to your hip, crushing into you even faster, chasing his release. He grabbed your hair and pulled you up to him so he could whisper in your ear. 

“Fuck, your sweet little cunt is gonna make me cum baby. Your squeezing me so tight, milking me for everything I’ve got. You want me to cum inside you?”

When you didn’t answer he spanked your ass again. 

“Answer me when I talk to you.” He growled. 

“Yes, I want you to cum in me!” 

“Yes what?”

“Yes, daddy!”

“That a girl.”

A few more thrusts and Thor was cumming deep in your squelching cunt. Your pussy ached from the abuse and your thighs were sticky with both you and Thor’s release that was leaking out of you from around his member. As Thor pulled out, you realized in your daze he was still fully clothed with just his cock hanging out. He looked around at the men who were still watching in awe. 

“Enjoy the show boys?” He looked to you and smiled while stroking his hardening member. “How about round two?”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@jtargaryen18​

[shinobirain24]

Water and Ice- Chapter 12: Klarissa

Cascade woke up on the cool temperature of the sand to stage a rebellion against the Kingdoms of Remnant. The waves are spreading back and fourth like the cycle of tides. The moon is beyond repaired for any reason. Aside from the ocean's waves, he could hear the beautiful humming, the sound of a violin. The area looked calmer, but with the Great War still progressing, it's anything but peaceful. From who he can see from afar is an armored woman with white hair. Eyes that matched the morning sky. Silver armor with shoulder plates each, a white diamond that is the center of the armor chest-plate. Cascade could tell she is a knight, but not like any knight he had seen before. Most of them are male. Cascade has a few scratches from fighting the Grimm in the seas.

It came to the point where Cascade is drawn to her singing. But it came to the point that he never trust outsiders. To her exception, the woman has sing her sorrows of loneliness. Undesirable destinies, fates and unforeseen prophecies. The moon shines in a full light, as if it was responding to her voice. Then he heard her asking herself, or what it seems to be. "Do you wish that there are no such things as war?" She spoke. Cascade isn't sure if he should answer or if she knows that he's standing there. He didn't want to scare her, or to engage in a fight with her. To his shock, she turned and looks at him with a genuine smile. "Well, war is the only thing they know about. What else can they do?" Replied Cascade. She is actually talking to him. "Tell me something. Do you believe in duty and honor, because of lineage?" She asked him with the next question.

"I don't know. All am I doing was fighting for my people. Nothing else. But to me, war is pollution to peace." Replied Cascade again."At least that's one thing we can agree on. How are you feeling?" Asked the woman. It hit him to figure it out that she was the one who tended the wounds. "I saw you drifted from the sea, so I tended your wounds." She explains. Cascade looked down to see himself bandaged from the ribs. "I am, okay. Thank you." He said graciously. "But who are you, why did you help me? You're an outsider." He asked.

"Does it matter? I have a thing for being a medic myself. And...my name...is Avalora." She said staring at him.

Weiss is humming in a bedroom. Where she was locked in, as according to plan for the arranged wedding. Despite not liking to sing, it becomes her passion to keep her hope to escape from the fate that is about to come. Looking from the balcony, where she can see the blue seas. But there are also bodyguards, armed with guns for any intruders trying to break in. Or if Weiss tries to leave. When Neptune promised her to get her out of this miserable scheme at the hands of her own father, and her most hated enemy. She knew there is a risk should anyone be involved. She is a huntress, but there is still the pieces she has to pick up before she is at peace from the past. Her semblance and aura are slowly coming back. But she have to keep it a secret in order for Jacques and Carlos from going any further to secure the perimeters.

So far, the poison is starting to wear off. I'll just need to keep up the act until the ceremony starts. Then Father and Carlos will have the price to paid for. She thought. Winter isn't going to be pleased about this when she finds out. Then a door is knocked, she expected to be either her father, or Carlos about to talk about the wedding. Which she never wants to hear about, reminding her of how her father had bought his way to her mother. "Come in." She sighed. Wanting the conversation to be over. Instead, it was a woman in her late 20s. Wearing a suit and tie. Brown hair and eyes. "Miss Schnee, is everything alright in here? Master Carlos wants me to check up on you." "Yes, thank you." Weiss replies. The woman then looks around the hallway, and it looks like there are cameras attached to the ceilings. Then locks the door and walks over to Weiss. "Is something wrong?" She asked, judging by the suspicious look on her facial expression. "We need to talk. There's something you should know about the Vega family." This is unexpected, a servant of the Vega Household is about to tell her something she didn't know about. Another bombshell secret that could lead to her father's arrest once again. This time, forever. "What is this all about?" "Do you remember my uncle, Klein Sieben?" Weiss went eye-wide, to have remembered her butler and friend. But she didn't know he has any relatives. "Hold on, you're related to him?""My name is Klarissa Sieben. I am a private investigator, working undercover to get the evidence of huntsmen trafficking. Just like The Crown in Vacuo, there was a series of disappearances of huntsmen who're declared dead. But no bodies were found last year. The reasons why any authority figure has shut down the unsolved cases." Klarissa explains. "I was hired as a butler in order to absorb any information about another organization called, the Red Eye. Ever heard of them?" Weiss shook her head in response. "Not that I know of, is this anything new?""Actually, this organization has been running more than your generation have." Klarissa recapped the details she heard. "I was only 10 when I first heard about the group. Since then, I was enrolled to a law school while my uncle was working in your manor at the time. While there, I secretly kept digging into some of the abandoned hideouts, leaving some anonymous tips to any of the police stations. Unfortunately, non of them seemed to get to the bottom of this. What I found out about the organization is that it is a secret society being held by wealthy people, sending any mercenary they can find to hire by kidnapping huntsmen. Also a series of destructions that were claimed to be accidents.""But it wasn't, right?""I don't believe these are accidents. I could tell that some of members left the insignias of the red eye with a black pupil, as a symbol of the organization. Though police disclaims this and declared them as accidents. It all traces back after Uncle Klein was fired from his position when he helped you escaped from the Schnee Manor. Your father was one of the few persons of interests, including Montero Vega. My guess is that my uncle knows something off about him that we did not." Weiss felt bad that Klein had been relieved from his job because he helped her evade her father from locking her in the manor. She still thought it was her fault that this happened."How's your uncle?" She asked. Concerned for how he was doing."He's doing okay. He's living in my home since then."

Klarissa assured her, to Weiss' relief. "I'm sorry that this happened to him. My father is not the kind of person you want to meet." She remarked. Both agreed what kind of a joke Jacques Gele really is. Klarissa then told her side of the story for the reasons for why her uncle was working for the Schnee household in the first place. After her parents died, he took her in to provide her the education she needed for her today's career. And she was thankful for that. There are times Klein have told his niece about Weiss, as thought to be a greedy girl when he has told her another side of her. That's where she learns about getting to know one another before making judgement. After he was fired, Klarissa promised her uncle if she ran into her, she'll give her his regards. "Thank goodness, I just wish I would just said goodbye before he left."

"Don't worry about it. Right now, you need to worry about getting out of this place. But we need to buy ourselves some time before you do. I'll keep searching around this area so that we can put them out for good. The best we can do now is to keep low. Meet me in my dorm tomorrow, and I'll inform you more about the details." Klarissa instructs her. And Weiss agrees. She was glad there was someone inside the Vega Manor to have been on her side. Carlos did not know that one of his employees is an undercover investigator. She then sat on the bed, reopening the letter that Neptune had written to her. She was glad she had already hidden it before her father could take anything else away. It was still the only treasure she will cherish forever.

Neptune is back in Vale rowing in the lifeboat. He was all alone wandering the streets after putting back on the hoodie he left on a hidden spot where no one will find it. It was very dark in Vale City. He was thinking about reporting a kidnapping to the authorities, but if he did. The he'll be caught and nobody will believe him. Cause he's a wanted man. He was a junior detective once, but now those days are over. Then he heard rumors about more kidnappings, it's not just huntsmen that somebody is hunting down. But also those with semblances, whether it was children, teenagers, adults, or elderly. Could any of this connect to his brother? Then loved ones of the abductees said that they tried to call the police, but there was nothing they can do.

Or so they claimed to be. No bodies found, no evidence found. Then some of the huntsmen were arrested for treason. He then remembers from what Flynt and Katt have said when huntsmen have claimed to be wrongfully arrested. There's more to the story that should've been investigated. Or rather, someone was trying to shut them up. Looking back, the pair did seemed too astonished to stay in Atlas. About Winter's behavior. It reminded him of The Crown, an organization that involves twin semblance users who're descendants of the Vacuan King. And tried to bring back the monarchy. But it failed.It came to Neptune that Winter might also have some connections to the kidnappings. Regarding his brother Jupiter, she must've been cornered and got threatened somehow. He didn't want to blame someone who's only doing this for his/her loved one. But at the same time, it's unforgivable. For Weiss' sake. Then he saw something sparkling beneath the sand. He then followed the spark and dug up the item, that is half-buried. It was a red moon stone, the Autumn Moon Stone. It glowed by the moonlight. Then he heard someone moaning. Like someone's in pain. He glanced up to see a familiar figure limping, while holding onto the brick wall. It was Drey. Only this time, he's on his own.

"Drey?"Why was Rick not with him? That was the question he didn't want to find out. But when he looked around. Drey held his abdomen. To Neptune's shock, there was molten metal cooled off mixed with blood. He was breathing heavily. Something was wrong. He was doing fine with Rick, until he was stabbed. He began to question himself, was it Rick who did this? Did he just left him for dead? What did he do to deserve this? All those questions would have to wait as Drey fell to his knees and Neptune caught up to him. "Drey, what happened? Where's Rick? Who did this to you?" He shook his shoulders. But Drey was in so much pain. He fell unconscious.

Neptune wasted no time to search through his pockets to find his scroll. And dialed his sister's number to get him help. He may be his enemy, but he didn't deserve to die after being abandoned by his partner/cousin. "Hey, Sis. It's me, I got someone who needs medical attention." Neptune contacts Ceres to let her know that he is borrowing Drey's scroll. "Just hold on a bit longer, okay?" Neptune assured him, not leaving his side until the ambulance arrives."...You need to run...Rick...he's gonna-he's gonna..." He rasped, coughing out blood, not a good sign for his health. "Don't start explaining yet, you have to get to the hospital first." Neptune told him.

[lunchboxpoems]

HOW TO BE PERFECT

Everything is perfect, dear friend. —KEROUAC

Get some sleep.

Don't give advice.

Take care of your teeth and gums.

Don't be afraid of anything beyond your control. Don't be afraid, for

instance, that the building will collapse as you sleep, or that someone

you love will suddenly drop dead.

Eat an orange every morning.

Be friendly. It will help make you happy.

Raise your pulse rate to 120 beats per minute for 20 straight minutes

four or five times a week doing anything you enjoy.

Hope for everything. Expect nothing.

Take care of things close to home first. Straighten up your room

before you save the world. Then save the world.

Know that the desire to be perfect is probably the veiled expression

of another desire—to be loved, perhaps, or not to die.

Make eye contact with a tree.

Be skeptical about all opinions, but try to see some value in each of

them.

Dress in a way that pleases both you and those around you.

Do not speak quickly.

Learn something every day. (Dzien dobre!)

Be nice to people before they have a chance to behave badly.

Don't stay angry about anything for more than a week, but don't

forget what made you angry. Hold your anger out at arm's length

and look at it, as if it were a glass ball. Then add it to your glass ball

collection.

Be loyal.

Wear comfortable shoes.

Design your activities so that they show a pleasing balance

and variety.

Be kind to old people, even when they are obnoxious. When you

become old, be kind to young people. Do not throw your cane at

them when they call you Grandpa. They are your grandchildren!

Live with an animal.

Do not spend too much time with large groups of people.

If you need help, ask for it.

Cultivate good posture until it becomes natural.

If someone murders your child, get a shotgun and blow his head off.

Plan your day so you never have to rush.

Show your appreciation to people who do things for you, even if you

have paid them, even if they do favors you don't want.

Do not waste money you could be giving to those who need it.

Expect society to be defective. Then weep when you find that it is far

more defective than you imagined.

When you borrow something, return it in an even better condition.

As much as possible, use wooden objects instead of plastic or metal

ones.

Look at that bird over there.

After dinner, wash the dishes.

Calm down.

Visit foreign countries, except those whose inhabitants have

expressed a desire to kill you.

Don't expect your children to love you, so they can, if they want to.

Meditate on the spiritual. Then go a little further, if you feel like it.

What is out (in) there?

Sing, every once in a while.

Be on time, but if you are late do not give a detailed and lengthy

excuse.

Don't be too self-critical or too self-congratulatory.

Don't think that progress exists. It doesn't.

Walk upstairs.

Do not practice cannibalism.

Imagine what you would like to see happen, and then don't do

anything to make it impossible.

Take your phone off the hook at least twice a week.

Keep your windows clean.

Extirpate all traces of personal ambitiousness.

Don't use the word extirpate too often.

Forgive your country every once in a while. If that is not possible, go

to another one.

If you feel tired, rest.

Grow something.

Do not wander through train stations muttering, "We're all going to

die!"

Count among your true friends people of various stations of life.

Appreciate simple pleasures, such as the pleasure of chewing, the

pleasure of warm water running down your back, the pleasure of a

cool breeze, the pleasure of falling asleep.

Do not exclaim, "Isn't technology wonderful!"

Learn how to stretch your muscles. Stretch them every day.

Don't be depressed about growing older. It will make you feel even

older. Which is depressing.

Do one thing at a time.

If you burn your finger, put it in cold water immediately. If you bang

your finger with a hammer, hold your hand in the air for twenty

minutes. You will be surprised by the curative powers of coldness and

gravity.

Learn how to whistle at earsplitting volume.

Be calm in a crisis. The more critical the situation, the calmer you

should be.

Enjoy sex, but don't become obsessed with it. Except for brief periods

in your adolescence, youth, middle age, and old age.

Contemplate everything's opposite.

If you're struck with the fear that you've swum out too far in the

ocean, turn around and go back to the lifeboat.

Keep your childish self alive.

Answer letters promptly. Use attractive stamps, like the one with a

tornado on it.

Cry every once in a while, but only when alone. Then appreciate

how much better you feel. Don't be embarrassed about feeling better.

Do not inhale smoke.

Take a deep breath.

Do not smart off to a policeman.

Do not step off the curb until you can walk all the way across the

street. From the curb you can study the pedestrians who are trapped

in the middle of the crazed and roaring traffic.

Be good.

Walk down different streets.

Backwards.

Remember beauty, which exists, and truth, which does not. Notice

that the idea of truth is just as powerful as the idea of beauty.

Stay out of jail.

In later life, become a mystic.

Use Colgate toothpaste in the new Tartar Control formula.

Visit friends and acquaintances in the hospital. When you feel it is

time to leave, do so.

Be honest with yourself, diplomatic with others.

Do not go crazy a lot. It's a waste of time.

Read and reread great books.

Dig a hole with a shovel.

In winter, before you go to bed, humidify your bedroom.

Know that the only perfect things are a 300 game in bowling and a

27-batter, 27-out game in baseball.

Drink plenty of water. When asked what you would like to drink,

say, "Water, please."

Ask "Where is the loo?" but not "Where can I urinate?"

Be kind to physical objects.

Beginning at age forty, get a complete "physical" every few years

from a doctor you trust and feel comfortable with.

Don't read the newspaper more than once a year.

Learn how to say "hello," "thank you," and "chopsticks"

in Mandarin.

Belch and fart, but quietly.

Be especially cordial to foreigners.

See shadow puppet plays and imagine that you are one of the

characters. Or all of them.

Take out the trash.

Love life.

Use exact change.

When there's shooting in the street, don't go near the window.

RON PADGETT

[i-can-get-extra-with-my-ships]

Only Us

Ok, so more writing for the not bread shrine. (That’s the one-shot tag. The Not Bread Shrine.) The prompt for this one came from anon. I told them that I was writing both, and I am. It’s just that my Prinxietea fiend came out and wanted to write this one first. Also, to that anon, I switched it to songs from various musicals because yeah? (And I’ve only listened to musical theater songs for the past like 3 months. (When I have the choice and my taste in pop music is like earlier 2000s because that was good music that I remember from when I was like 3.) My life aside, serious talk time.

Songs Used: Meant To Be Yours (Heathers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD7x_7tUFNI

Only Us (Dear Evan Hansen) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvO1sZkOx0

(Crap tons of others are mentioned. The words of these two songs are used though)

Parings: Prinxietea (Prinxiety)

Tw: Cursing and the murderous kind of fluff

Word Count: 1985

----

“Hey Ro, how much longer till we get there?” Virgil asked not looking up from his phone.

They’d only been in the car for 2 of the 16 hours it takes to get from Florida to New York. 2 hours. This is going to be a long drive. Roman thought before answering his boyfriend’s question.

“14 more hours, love.”

Virgil set his phone down. “UGH!! THAT LONG!!!” 

Roman laughed a little bit. “May I remind you that we’re driving from Florida to New York?”

“Well, whoever decided to drive is an idiot.”

Roman laughed again. “You decided to drive stormcloud.” Roman would’ve loved to see Virgil’s expression at that, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the road or Virgil would freak out.

Virgil tried to move on from the fact that he’d just called himself an idiot. “Well, if we’re stuck in this car for another 14 hours can we put on something other than this crap?” He gestured to the radio. Virgil was never one for pop music. Roman would much rather listen to musical theater soundtracks, and that’s what he put on.

It was a long playlist that Roman had put on shuffle. The first song that came up was Meant To Be Yours. 

Virgil’s face lit up. Heathers had always been his favorite musical.  Virgil didn’t sing, Roman, however, being the extra bitch he was started singing at the top of his lungs. “You chucked me out like I was trash for that you should be dead. But! But! But! Then it hit me like a flash what if high school went away instead!” Virgil stared in awe at his boyfriend. Questioning how he was such a good singer.

Then came a mix of theater songs. However, the order that the shuffle put the songs in was so random. Virgil, being the conspiracy theorist that he was, kept trying to figure out “WHAT THE HELL IT WANTS FROM US!!” Every time another song would start playing Virgil would add on to the story that he’d come up with. 

Roman was amused with every addition that each new song brought. After  three hous the story went as follows:

(Cautionary Tale (Mean Girls) and Kindergarten Boyfriend (Heathers)) Be careful with love.

(You Will Be Found (DEH)) Even if you're not careful with love, and you get hurt, someone will see you and you'll be found.

(Be More Chill (Part 1.) (BMC)) Once found, be careful what you do and what friends you choose.

(Fight For Me (Heathers)) Also, you will meet someone who's beating the shit out of the people you hate. 

(The Pants Song (BMC)) Also, in that moment please be wearing pants. 

(Revenge Party (Mean Girls)) You then will invoke revenge on the people that were getting the shit beat out of them.

(I Love Play Rehearsal (BMC)) You will find this person to be incredibly adorable.

(Our Love Is God (Heathers)) You’ll then fall in love with this person and go commit murder with them.

(All You Wanna Do (Six)) This person will be sexually attracted to you.

(World Burn (Mean Girls)) This person wants to watch the world burn.

(Two-Player Game (BMC)) This person will become one of your best friends.

(The Squip Enters (BMC)) You will meet another person who will be similar to the Squip.

(Someone Gets Hurt (Mean Girls)) The Squip person will hurt you.

(Heart Of Stone (Six)) The other person will break your heart.

(Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise) (Mean Girls)) You will tell these two people off.

(Lifeboat (Heathers)) Then you will fall into a deep depression.

(Be More Chill (Part 2) (BMC)) Your self-deprecation will get bad and the voices in your head will be very persuasive.

(Sexy (Mean Girls)) Karen Smith will bring you joy during this dark time.

(So Big/So Small (DEH)) You will start to lose more people close to you.

(I’d Rather Be Me (Mean Girls)) But then you will realize you’d rather be yourself then be with those people. 

(To Break In A Glove (DEH)) You will learn that the hard and right way is the way that you should use.

(Do You Wanna Hang? (BMC)) You will be put in an uncomfortable situation and not be able to do anything.

(Ex-Wives (Six)) You will get a chance to start again and rewrite your history.

(Fearless (Mean Girls)) You will become fearless. You will no longer fear death.

(Requiem (DEH)) One of the first 2 people mentioned will die. You will refuse to grieve.

(Me Inside Of Me (Heathers)) You will have killed them. You then need to cover up your mistakes.

(Stop (Mean Girls)) Your conscious will tell you to stop doing murders.

(The Squip Song (BMC)) You will be offered a Squip and be in denial because it’s BMC IRL. (Or you know, just like drugs.)

(Freeze Your Brain (Heathers)) You refuse the drugs and/or Squip and obtain a Slurpee addiction to combat your depression.

(Don’t Lose Ur Head (Six)) You will begin to be “Sorry not sorry for what I said”.

(Apex Predator (Mean Girls)) You will judge the most popular girl in school.

(Voices In My Head (BMC)) You will begin to accept the voices in your head and know that they are normal.

(Where Do You Belong (Mean Girls)) You will find a new home where you are accepted.

(No Way (Six)) You will refuse to be accepted by these people.

(Sincerely Me (DEH)) You will write emails to yourself and an imaginary pen pal.

(Get Down (Six)) You will  be the “Queen” of your “Castle”

(What’s Wrong With Me (Reprise) (Mean Girls)) You will question what’s wrong with you.

Then it was time for a rest stop. A total of 3 hours had passed by that time. Both Roman and Virgil’s sides aked from laughing as much as they did. Once they got out of the car Roman intertwined their fingers and swung their arms as they walked into the rest stop.

There was a McDonalds inside. They ordered and stood by the counter so then they could grab their food and leave. 

While they were waiting, Virgil asked Roman “Hey Ro, how much money do you have?” Roman wasn’t aware of where Virgil was going and said “I dunno. Like 10 bucks? Why?” Virgil was slightly offended by Roman not saying the line. I mean, you should only have to hear “Road work ahead? Uhh yeah. I sure hope it does.” like 10 times to know that this person is going to keep making Vine references.

Anyways, Virgil ignored Roman missing the reference and said “Oh! You know what that means!” Roman sighed before putting on a very dramatic face and said: “I don’t have enough money for chicken nugget.” 

Virgil smiled and intertwined their fingers again. (I like the phrase “intertwined their fingers” idk why. I just do) “I knew you would get it at some point.” Roman smiled fondly at Virgil. “Why are you like this?” 

Virgil leaned on Roman and told him “Oh come on!! You know you love me.” Virgil didn’t intend for it to be a Disney reference, but Roman took it that way.”Do I know that? Yes. Yes, I do.” They both laughed a little bit before they were interrupted by their order being called. They grabbed their food and went back to the car.

After they ate and threw out their trash, they began driving again. Virgil had forgotten the story that he’d come up with so he just moved on. 

The song that came on first after they started driving again was More Than Survive from Be More Chill. Roman sang again (he sang just about every song that came on). Virgil smiled. He had always enjoyed Roman’s singing. This whole time he had wanted to sing, but he didn’t. He knew Roman wouldn’t mind. He’d enjoy having an extra person to sing with. 

Especially for duets.

Virgil smiled even brighter at the thought of the two of them singing something sassy like Apex Predator or just fun like Two-Player Game. But he didn’t. He wasn’t planning on singing either.

Well, I guess the best way to put it is keyword: planning.

The first piano notes that were the opening to Only Us from Dear Evan Hansen began to play. There had been an hour or two’s worth of songs that came on between More Than Survive and Only Us. Roman had been wrapped up in his own world of miscellaneous theater songs. Virgil guessed that he was going to take both Zoe (That’s how it is spelled on the Wiki so that’s how I’m spelling it) and Evan’s parts, but he didn’t care. Once Laura Dreyfuss began singing he did as well. 

However, Virgil was very quiet, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t need you to sell me on reasons to want you.” 

The next line he sang a little louder. But not loud enough for Roman to hear him. “I don’t need you to search for the proof that I should.” 

The next few lines were just barely audible. “You don’t have to convince me. You don’t have to be scared your not enough. ‘Cause what we got going, is good.”

The next set of lines were only slightly more audible. “I don’t need more reminders of all that’s been broken. I don’t need you to fix what I’d rather forget. Clear the slate and start over. Try to quiet the noises in your head. We can’t compete with all that.”

Virgil had a nice crescendo going and he didn’t even realize until he was singing the chorus very loudly. “So what if it’s us? What if it’s us, and only us? And what came before won’t count anymore or matter. Can we try that? What if it’s you? And what if it’s me? And what if that’s all that we need it to be? And the rest of the world falls away. What do you say?” Roman had stopped singing Zoe’s part once he heard Virgil.

He did come in with Evan’s part though.

“I never thought there’d be someone like you, who would want me.” Virgil smiled. “Well.” Roman looked at Virgil using his peripheral vision as to not get lectured for not keeping his eyes on the road and how they could’ve died. “So I give you ten-thousand reasons to not let me go. But if you really see me if you like me for me and nothing else, well that’s all that I’ve wanted for longer than you could possibly know.”

Roman braced himself. He knew what was coming next. He was scared that once he started singing with Virgil that he’d crash the car.

“So it can be us. It can be us, and only us. And what came before won’t count anymore or matter. We can try that.”

Virgil smiled at Roman before coming back in and having the two of them sing together.

“It’s not so impossible.” Roman was starting to get convinced that he was going to crash the car. Virgil’s voice was incredible. “Nobody else but the two of us here.”

Virgil noticed Roman tensing up and intertwined their fingers. “‘Cause you’re saying it’s possible.”

“We can just watch the whole world disappear.”

“Till you’re the only one I still know how to see.”

“It’s just you and me.” 

“It’ll be us. It’ll be us and only us. And what came before won’t count anymore!”

“We can try that! You and me! That’s all that we need it to be! And the rest of the world falls away! And the rest of the world falls away. The world falls away. The world falls away.”

“And it’s only us.”

God. What Roman would’ve given to kiss Virgil in that moment.

However, he’d made up his mind.

Next rest stop…

He’d kiss the fuck out of his Emo Nightmare.

----

Taglist: @winterswishing @thetomorrowshow @an-existing-leah @iixclementine @elatedgiff

@rain-bound I was that anon who asked if you’d like to be tagged like 2 days ago.

@just-some-gt-trash I figured you’d love this.

@stop-it-anxiety I value your opinion greatly and I’d like to know what you think.

[wearevillaneve]

Killing Eve’s New Blood (or “Hi, My Name Is...”)

Typically, you can expect the new season of a TV show to say “Nice to meet ya” to new characters as it says “Smell ya later” to old familiars.  Still, the influx of so many newbies to the cast of Killing Eve looks like the survivors of the Titanic scrambling to climb in the last remaining lifeboat. 

Who ARE all these gals and guys? 

Roll call:  There’s Geraldine, Paul, Jaime, Bear, Dasha, Audrey, Mo, and Helene.  That’s eight, plus all the six new faces Villanelle met in Russia, though only maybe two of them survived her visit.  Did I forget anyone?  All of these newbies come with a smidgen of a backstory, but really we mostly have more questions about all these warm bodies than solid answers.

Is Paul just some touchy-feely asshole who is trying to exploit Carolyn’s distraction with Kenny’s untimely demise, to raise his own standing in MI6?   Is someone at The Bitter Pill may not be whom they are presenting themselves as (Audrey!) and they may be a sleeper agent for The Twelve (Audrey!) who was spying on Kenny’s investigation and was instructed to take him out (I see you, Audrey!)

She hasn’t been given much to do or say, but Geraldine is an enigma.  All we know of her is she’s Kenny’s big sister from the same mister, has never been mentioned before and is a major annoyance to Carolyn,  who has little tolerance and less affection for her flesh and blood. 

Carolyn has proven herself to be more than willing to callously throw anyone to the wolves if that’s what it takes to get the job done, but there’s something slightly off in her “relationship” with Geraldine.  One woman seems overly needy for the other’s attention (and perhaps forgiveness) while the other would be totally cool if she fucked off back to wherever Geraldine has holed up for the past two seasons.

Geraldine is....problematic.  She’s the best friend of The Final Girl in horror movies.  Not conventionally “pretty” and maybe not entirely straight, whom in the final 15 minutes turns out to be the sinister ghoul who masterminded the murder of all the other dead teenagers-on-a-stick to get to the conventionally pretty girl all to herself.   Those of y’all whom have seen High Tension know what I mean.. That’s Geraldine. 

Would Carolyn’s daughter go so far to have Mummy all to herself, that she would kill her own brother?  Can we say with certainty she wouldn’t when we don’t know the first thing about her? Who is Geraldine Stowton?  Where has she been?  What does she do for a living?  What does she really want from Carolyn?   One day as Carolyn comes home early,  Geraldine lies to her face about having no visitors

Why?   What is Geraldine’s deal anyhow?  Could it possibly include murder?  Sibling rivalry is a real thing. 

 While Konstantin, shadier than ever, remains the prime suspect in Kenny’s death, I’ve become much less confident in that belief.   While he is the consummate schemer,  in three seasons, we have yet to see Konstantin commit a murder himself.  Unless he held Kenny at gunpoint, he seems less than the ideal hitman to take him out.  He’s fine at sending Villanelle off to dead someone, but he steers clear from that sort of dirty business himself.

We know less than nothing of the majority of the new S3 characters. 1.  Audrey the Receptionist:  Does she have a thing for bathrooms/restrooms too?  I’d like to know what is going on under that uni-braid ,besides Audrey keeps showing up in places when Eve is there.  If she’s not crying she has to be spying and keeping tabs on Eve for The Twelve.

2.  Paul the officious little prig., who is both patronizing and solicitous to Carolyn.  Oh, and he wears a ring on the same hand and finger Anton did, the replacement handler Villanelle shot in the head within minutes of meeting his obnoxious butt.   I'm sure that's only a coincidence.  Paul is a sneaky so-and-so.  Carolyn, better keep an eye on this dude. 

3.  Jaime:   The hard-bitten, cynical, got-no-effs editor of The Bitter Pill, which may be some sort of version of Wikileaks or an online publication.  It’s hard to tell since you never see anybody actually publish a damn thing.   He also fancies Eve (quelle surprise) and now she’s holed up at his place.  Perhaps Jaime hopes he can chip through Eve’s walls of resistance by massive exposure in a controlled environment to his sparkling personality, devastating sex appeal, and bilious clouds of vape smoke. You are circling an airport you are never going to allowed to land on, brah.  Admire Eve’s hair up close, but it is never going to get personal.  Eve is off the knob. 

4.  Bear:  What we don’t know about this guy is a bottomless pit.  We don’t even know him by anything than his superhero name.  That’s fine.  Nobody is calling for a solo episode exploring How Bear Became Bear.

His only reason to draw breath is to provide Eve some tech support after Kenny’s swan dive to the street.   Might Bear be working for The Twelve?  Sure,  but then so could anyone at The Bitter Pill   Gaslighting Eve is the show’s longest-running gag on her and she keeps falling for it.  

Bear is a nerdy Incel who is afraid of women.  Particularly smelly ones who drop their underwear in his trash basket.   He should be happy as it is the closest he’s been to a woman’s underwear in a  long time.

5. Helene:  We know zip about this extremely intimidating representative of The Twelve except she is clearly so far above the heads of Dasha and Konstantin, they couldn’t breathe in the rarefied air lives in.    Helene looks like someone who hold meetings and totally run them, kick asses both metaphorically and physically while taking  no names and  giving no fucks.  She scares the shit out of Dasha and when she and Villanelle meet, it’s going to be fascinating to behold.   Following the events of “Are You From Pinner?” if Villanelle was manic before, the pendulum may have swung firmly in the opposite direction and she’s in a distracted and depressed funk.   Murdering your mama will do that, even if she was a callous, cold-hearted asshole.  

A Villanelle on her “a” game does not show up for an interview with a powerful member of the secret organization looking like she had bed head.   That blue suit is rocking, but alas, Villanelle still be shook from the events of the last two odd-numbered episodes.   It’s to be expected even the great ones have off-days.

It’s curious Helene declines Dasha’s eager offer to take Eve out.  Theoretically, it should be super easy, barely an inconvenience to knock off a heavy-drinking, bitter, and confused former MI5/6 agent who fucked up as badly as it possible to in Rome, and ended shot low in the back high in the shoulder by a horny Russian assassin. Dasha has shown she does NOT “still got it” and she doesn’t scare me. A strong breeze would blow away a lightweight like her.  Big talk.  Small game.  Dasha is past her prime and doesn’t post much of a threat. Helene does, and appears positioned to become a Big Bad who could stick around and  make things extremely scary for Villaneve. I like Helene and hope we get to see just how bad of a bad girl she really is.

6. Moe.   He’s a handsome devil, but Eve was right when she told him he might not be cut out for this line of work.  Carolyn’s supposed “bodyguard” crapped the bed in the when he froze as Villanelle almost blew away Carolyn while gunning down her true target.  Moe hasn’t been seen since.  We may see him again, but if we don’t it won’t be much of a shock.

7.  Dasha.   The supposed Big Bad Wolf who whacked her own boyfriend when he pissed her off and went on to train Villanelle to be her replacement master assassin of The Twelve.  Alas, she has the same problem as Konstantin and 70′s rock bands; she’s  stayed on the stage too damn long, doesn’t dress age appropriately and is starting to show her age and increasing inefficiency.  The Rolling Stones and Dasha aren’t dead yet, but both are hanging on by their fingertips and need to hang it up because they are really embarrassing themselves .   

8.  Geraldine (again).  When Eve is on the roof to toss the cake,  there are two chairs and one is overturned.  Almost as though Kenny was sitting down and having a conversation with someone before things turned violent and fatal. That doesn't sound like Konstantin to me.  He sends Villanelle to take out targets. but we’ve never seen him kill anyone and why would he chat with Kenny before forcing him off the roof?  Did Geraldine commit fratricide?  Maybe. Did Kenny get taken out by his own sister?  Possibly.  Would she do such a terrible thing to  eliminate their mum’s clear favorite so she can have Carolyn all to herself?  Conceivably. Villanelle told us herself,  “Never trust people on their looks. I can see scary people a mile away - it's the good people you have to worry about” and to presume Geraldine is a good person is a risky proposition.  This is Killing Eve we’re talking about here. There are no innocents.

[timelesshonesttrailer]

Timeless Science FAQ

If you’re writing a story, or are in general unsure of Timeless’ time travel rules, then this FAQ is for you. It covers a lot of the big questions, and if you have something specific you need figuring out, just ask!

Note: This FAQ is not compliant to the movie because the movie broke all of the show’s established rules. 

Is Timeless a Closed Loop?

No. Timeless is a Causal Loop.

What is a Causal Loop?

Short Answer: A time loop where nothing is set or pre-determined.

Long Answer: This post. 

What is the difference between present and current?

Present means the point in time the series (or your story) takes place. Current is the time in which a particular person or item exists as their present.

Example: When Future Lucy goes to 2018, she is in the present, but she is not current. If she took 2018 Lucy with her to 2023, then Future Lucy becomes current, but 2018 Lucy is no longer current or in the present.

What is an overwrite?

When a time traveler returns to their current, they take the place of their previous selves which means they overwrite both the memories and physical body of their self who was current.

When do overwrites happen?

Every time someone returns to their current, no exceptions.

At what point does the timeline change?

The timeline changes the moment the time machine (occupied or not) returns to its current. This is how the Mothership can jump, but the timeline doesn’t change for the Time Team. They have a chance to go back and intercept the other team before the timeline alters. But once they leave, they will return to an altered current.

FAQ continues under the break...

Does the time machine have to return to its current to make the changes, or simply leave the time it has traveled to?

This can be debated either way. I maintain that if the time machine left the time it was in, but did not return to its current, the it would create a "soft change" that can be seen in the timeline by those in the current. Once the time machine returns to the current, then these changes solidify along with any changes their visit to the other timeline might create.

Who is affected by the timeline change?

Anyone who is not outside of their current will be affected by the change.

What happens to people outside of their current when they return?

If someone else changes the timeline via a separate time machine while another person is in a different time in the past, then when the second group returns, they will find a world where both their changes, and the other group's changes, exist.

If the changes of one group affects the changes of the other group, then the second group to return is the one who's changes will take priority and "overwrite" any of the other group's changes.

Example: Emma goes back to kill Mx. Doe. At the same time, Lucy goes back to save Mx. Smith. If Emma returns first, she will see that Doe is dead and this would be a hard change. She will also see that Smith is saved, and this would be a soft change because Lucy hasn’t returned yet. If Emma does nothing, then when Lucy returns, Emma will now believe Smith was always saved, but she will know she killed Doe and changed the timeline.

What if Person A goes back and makes a change that leads themselves to getting killed at some point before their current, do they live?

Yes. They will return to a timeline where they did die. They will be alive much to the surprise of everyone.

What if they change the timeline so they gain a physical wound, like a lost limb?

The physical body will be as healed or as broken as it was in the past when it returns to the current, regardless of what the new timeline says.

Example: If Wyatt changes something in the past where he now losses his thumb in an incident in Afghanistan, then when he returns, he’s going to have a hell of a time explaining to his doctor how he grew his thumb back.

What if Person A goes back and makes changes leading to them never joining the team, and instead Person B does? What happens when they return?

Person A overwrites themselves with memories of being on the team. Their physical body now exists where the time machine is. This will cause confusion to anyone Person A was supposed to be interacting with, but it will not be a blink and they are gone. The timeline change will cause a memory gap where others will have no idea where Person A got off to. Person B will have memories of going on the missions that Person A remembers. Again, there will be a memory gap as Person B should have been on the time machine, but for for reasons they probably can't remember, they stayed behind.

What causes the memory gap?

The fact that the human mind can't comprehend what is happening when the changes are made... so it just, kinda, ignores it. The mind if good at doing things like that.

What if while Person A from 2020 is in the past, Enemy B from 2020 goes to 2019 and kills Person C?

When Person A returns, they will remember a 2019 where Person C existed and all the changes that resulted in. Anyone who wasn't in the past when Enemy B killed Person C will only remember the timeline where Person C died. If Person C was in the past when their 2019 self was killed, then everyone in 2020 is gonna be in for a surprise.

Can someone vanish while in the past?

No. When you are outside of your current, you are safe from being erased. If you make a change that leads to your death before this trip, or your ancestor dies prematurely, then you will return alive and well. But there will be changes to the timeline resulting from you not existing.

Can someone currently dead in the present appear from the future?

No. If you are dead in the present, then you are still dead in the future.

Example: Iris died in 2014, she cannot grow up to return to 2019 to save her father. 

What if that someone is saved and is no longer murdered or erased? Can they travel back in time?

Yes, they could travel from the future into the present. But they would have to be alive in the present. They would not be able to travel onto a timeline where they are dead.

Example: If Flynn believed Iris was dead, but her murder was actually faked, then she could travel back to 2019 to save Flynn. But she would be crossing over her own timeline and would have limited time in 2019 to do what she needs to do.

Why can't someone cross onto their own timeline for more than a few minutes?

Short Answer: The Law of Conservation of Energy.

Long Answer: This post. 

How is it then that the Lifeboat existed for years in San Francisco on its own timeline?

Non-animate objects are not affected by the energy issue. Or if they are, the result is negligible and isn't considered an issue.

How do you get a causal loop inside of a causal loop?

I explain this here. 

How does Jiya see the future?

She doesn't. Jiya is seeing the past. Even if it's hers or Rufus' "future," it still takes place in the past. And as it hasn't solidified yet, each time she looks she will get a different version based on what changes current events might have made.

End of FAQ - I will add more as questions come in.