alsuzumura

[george-wexford-smythe-iii]

hi!! first post here!!

made this blog because i recently rewatched the bruno and boots movies and started reading the books, and it's safe to say i haven't stopped thinking about them <3

my favorite characters: bruno, george, chris, wilbur, sturgeon, cathy (though i love everybody else too!! these r just my faves)

my ships: wilbur x chris, george x bruno (bruno x boots is kinda meh for me), and cathy x diane

expect art, fics, screenshots, and other things relating to these characters/ships^^

[electronickingdomfox]

Excerpts from “Shatner: where no man...”

I recently read this book (Marshak & Culbreath, 1979) and wanted to share some excerpts (the book can be borrowed for free at archive.org, by the way). 

To be honest, there’s a LOT of filler and hero-worship in this book (to very annoying levels), and it’s not a biography in the common sense of the word. But it also includes personal interviews with Shatner, Roddenberry and Nimoy, which I found the most interesting parts (chapters 7 and 8 above all). So here’s some of the stuff, chosen because it relates with Star Trek or it’s just funny/curious. With special attention to the K/S parts. Because I’m making the selection and say so.

From an interview with Shatner and Nimoy (1977)

Nimoy comments on the scenes he thinks define Kirk and Spock’s relationship:

Nimoy is asked about a particular blooper he’s never seen:

Gotta love his last line. In relation to Devil in the Dark:

Nimoy then explains that he wasn’t always conscious of his reactions in front of the camera, some of them may have come naturally to him while playing the scene (like the swallowing here described). On the other hand, Shatner said in other parts of the book that he himself was very aware of his expressions and why he used them. Interesting to know when analyzing certain scenes.

About the problems with Turnabout Intruder (Roddenberry also addresses these issues in another section):

Elsewhere in the book (not part of the same interview), Shatner had also talked about this same episode:

Really, Janice Lester never struck me as the classical femme fatale who seduces men for her advantage, but Kirk... would turn himself into one? Oh, well. I can see that.

From an interview with Roddenberry and Shatner (1977)

Gene comments on Kirk and Spock’s relationship:

For this well-known passage, I’d just like to address some common criticism from those who grasp at straws to discredit what Gene said here. I’ve often seen this interview described as the authors “manoeuvring” Gene into talking about physical love between Kirk and Spock. As if Roddenberry had said that at gun-point, and thus wasn’t valid. Well, NO. The interviewers only bring the subject of Alexander and Hephaistion because Gene had previously talked about the Alexander/Kirk parallel. And they never speak of them as anything more than friends. The whole “physical love” thing was brought entirely by Roddenberry (as a little later after this interview, he’d do with the t’hyla-lover stuff in the TMP novel).  The authors DO have an obvious agenda in this book, not gonna lie. But their fantasy revolves around alpha-male Kirk getting into relationships with strong women, not around K/S (at least not in this book). Believe me; I’ve read the whole thing, and it’s pervasive. To the point of trying to push Kirk/Uhura or Spock/Leila as love stories, despite Nimoy being much in disagreement with the latter, and both being forced to it. Not to mention, the authors barely brush on the “physical love” thing, and move back to the Alexander/Kirk parallels.

In fact, the authors ask Gene again about Kirk and Spock’s friendship, and again, it’s him who makes the connection between their relationship and sexual relationships in general:

Confront this with the passage in the TMP novel: 

But it still felt painful to be reminded so powerfully and unexpectedly of his friendship and affection for Spock—theirs had been the touching of two minds which the old poets of Spock’s home planet had proclaimed as superior even to the wild physical love which affected Vulcans every seventh year during pon farr.

But enough with the seriousness:

I can’t believe they were discussing Kirk’s ass in front of its owner...  There are other raunchy things in this interview (it’s Roddenberry after all), but I won’t put them in here.

From an interview with Theodore Sturgeon

So the legendary “In a pig’s eye!” line was DeForest Kelley’s improvisation? He’s the boss.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Eternal Dream (1924), William Shackleton :: [Guillaume Gris]

* * * *

“A billion and a half human souls, who had been given the techniques of music and the graphic arts, and the theory of technology, now had the others: philosophy and logic and love; sympathy, empathy, forbearance, unity, in the idea of their species rather than in their obedience; membership in harmony with all life everywhere.

A people with such feelings and their derived skills cannot be slaves. As the light burst upon them, there was only one concentration possible to each of them—to be free, and the accomplished feeling of being free. As each found it, he was an expert in freedom, and expert succeeded expert, transcended expert, until (in a moment) a billion and a half human souls had no greater skill than the talent of freedom.”

― Theodore Sturgeon, The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, Volume IX: And Now the News...

[therealmrpositive]

Macabre Month 6 Part IV: Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman (2021)

In today's review, I find that the bicentennial is the perfect place to start retelling a serial killer's story. As I attempt a #positive review of the 2021 Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman #PeytonList #TobinBell #LydiaHearst

What drives someone to kill? The pursuit of Wealth? Power? Some twisted logic or belief that only makes sense in their head? Or just mere circumstances coupled with a rash, impulsive decision. Many will have their theories, but the end motivations may be unknowable, even for the big cases. In 2021, controversial director, Daniel Farrands hemmed another alternative look at the legacy of another…

[televisionenjoyer]

Allow me to set the scene: it's 2026. Star Trek 4 (written by steve yockey) is finally out. There's a Shatner cameo as Kirk Prime. Against all odds, this is the movie where Spirk finally becomes canon. This is your dash on release week:

🤠destpirking follow

of course destiel is trending. steve yockey your impact.

🐶tonysopranosmallnaturals follow

ok let me see if i get this straight. In 1967 Theodore Sturgeon writes the Star Trek episode Amok Time, which introduces both the concept of Fuck or Die and of a humanoid species experiencing violent heat into the masses. Battle Angel Alita happens. Dark Angel happens. Jensen Ackles is in it. Supernatural happens. Some fan creates the omegaverse so that Jensen Ackles can experience misogyny. Supernatural keeps happening. Steve Yockey writes some notable Destiel episodes. Cas gay confesses to Dean and goes to superhell. Steve Yockey writes some other gay shit for dead boy detectives idk i havent watched that. Now in 2026 Steve Yockey has the honor to write the Star Trek that finally makes spirk canon and he somehow manages to invent a weird alien society in which there's misogyny for male vulcans also?? are we closing the portal?? is this what full circle looks like?? should we call kendall roy??

🧔jensenanklesofficial follow

ok so i've been watching the shatner interviews he's been doing lately regarding this movie and honestly it's time we cut him some slack. he shows sincere remorse for his previous actions and has shown clear support for the spirk ending and honestly how hard can we blame him for what he said as a guy who was brought up culturally homophobic and hit the prime of his fame in the sixties?? its enough that he's changed his mind at his age. what i'm saying essentially is i think it's time we forgive william shatner.

🐍ouroborosgaysex follow

OK WAS ANYONE GOING TO TELL ME THAT THEY SENT SPOCK TO THE NEXUS ON THE CHINESE RELEASE BECAUSE OF THE CENSORSHIP??? OR WAS I SUPPOSED TO FIND OUT FROM REDDIT??

👀spockstiels follow

say what you want about the admittedly shitty and predictable klingon genocide plot but i think i speak for all of us when i say 'billy shatner cameos as kirk prime to set up spirk in an attempt to redeem himself to the lgbt community' was on NO ONE'S 2026 bingo card

👨🏼startrekgaysex

no it was literally on my bingo card for years. i've made several posts about it in fact.

🌌thenexus follow

i DID NOT just read a post saying we have to forgive william shatner???😭😭😭😭 god i hate tumblr

📼deancasgenesis follow

"this was my nov 5th" shut up NOTHING will ever be like november fifth. you don't understand the impact of destiel.

🌟bisexualjimmykirk follow

you're joking right.

🖖🏼supersimplefeeling follow

congratulations jim kirk on becoming star trek's last first gay character.

[owodnia]

Amok Time (Star Trek: The Original Series S2E1), Theodore Sturgeon, 1967

Orestēs, Euripides, 408 BCE (translation: William Arrowsmith, 1958)

[itsalwaysteatimeinwonderland]

Finding Peace pt.13: Wanting (Spike x y/n)

Requested: Nope. Just part 13.

Summary: Destiny or free will?

TW: none

Word Count: 2.7k

Previous | Next

__________________________________________________

Lazy mornings with you were Spike’s new favorite thing. Since the kissing incident it feels like you two are connected. On the same page. He feels immersed in you, finally. He may not have your body, but he definitely had your mind; and steadily, your heart. He laid awake staring at you while you slept. He took in your figure, your soft breath. He felt like he could write a million poems just at this moment. He felt like William when he was around you, not Spike. And sometimes he hated it. For you to have so much power over him was unbelievable. However, when you look at him, brush your hand against his, he doesn’t care who he is as long as he’s with you.

You stir awake and catch Spike staring at you.

“Didn’t we have a conversation about this?”

He simply smiles. “I can’t help myself.”

You cover your face in the hopes of hiding your blushing cheeks. You move to get out of bed but Spike snakes his arms around you, pulling you closer.

“Stay.” He whispers in your ear.

You a shiver runs down your spine. You sigh. Having this unspoken contract of intimacy was going to be your death. You enjoyed every hug, touch, whisper but you couldn’t shake out of your head what the oracle said. Time with Spike did not seem real. It did not seem yours.

You lay in his arms comfortably. This was a daily occurrence, and you pretended to not like it.

After several minutes of breathing together, your heartbeat beating a soft rhythm for him to hear, he lets you go. You’re quick to get ready to leave the house, which confuses Spike.

“Where’s the fire?” He asks.

“I have to get down to The Magic shop. I have to read the cure of the spell again. I feel like I missed something.”

Spike nods and you’re off. It seemed urgent that you get to the book, so you sprint down to the shop. What the oracle said has been swirling in your mind for days, especially after the kissing incident. Your soulmate. What an unacceptable answer you got. It was not what you wanted, but it was what you needed.

As soon as you enter the shop you demand to see the book. You thumb through the pages until you reach the page you were looking for.

“To release the curse of a love-stricken witch you must consult an oracle about your soulmate.” You sigh in frustration as you scan through all the unnecessary jargon. “On the sturgeon full moon you must sacrifice your soulmate and write the rune of protection over your heart with their blood.” Your eyes bulge at the instructions.

Sacrifice. That’s what it takes to break the curse. Murder. Reading it for a second time did not make you feel better. You slump back in your chair, defeated. There were two problems. The Sturgeon moon was in 10 days; and you couldn’t kill your soulmate.

Your rub your hands against your face, holding back tears. It was all so unfair. To gain your mortality you would have to take away the one person that meant something to you. Never mind that you wanted to get to know them, connect with them, maybe have a future. Sacrifice. The word rung in your brain like a painful echo.

You leave the shop defeated. You will never be mortal. You will never be free of this curse. Maybe someone can do it for you? You shake your head. How could you even entertain the idea. The book specified that it had to be you. And you would never take the life of an innocent for your own gain. More than that, you physically couldn’t do it. No matter how hard you tried.

You find yourself back home. Spike is watching tv in the living room. He looks up and sees your downcast demeanor. He quickly jumps from the sofa and makes his way to you. He holds you close.

“What’s wrong?”

It takes you a minute to decide if you want to tell Spike. But who else were you going to tell?

“For the curse to be broken I have to sacrifice my soulmate.” You say in a low voice.

Spike is surprised. He reaches for words but finds none. He holds you closer. Now he was anxious. What if it was him? Would you sacrifice him? He remembers that you can’t kill vampires and he breathes a breath of relief.

“What are you going to do?” He matches the tone of your voice.

“I can’t do it. I can’t kill my soulmate.”

You both stand there. The air is heavy. The tension is strong. You finally break away from Spike and sit on the couch, crushed. You made up your mind, you won’t go through with it. You will stay cursed for ever and that will have to do.

Spike sits next to you, worried. You choosing to not sacrifice your soulmate meant that you would be forever unreachable. Desolate and distant. The curse was what kept you from others, and now you were choosing a life of loneliness. He worried for your budding relationship.

“Who’s your soulmate?” Spike musters the courage to ask you.

You look at him, tears in your eyes. You open your mouth, but nothing comes out. You simply shake your head and put it in between your hands while you sob.

Spike rubs your back, whispering encouraging words. He didn’t get the answer he wanted. He wondered if he should continue to push the matter.

That night there was no patrolling. You went to bed early, quiet and small. Spike went to bed much later than you. He walked down to the cemetery to clear his head. The whole event had him frustrated. How could he reach you now if your main companion was always that damned curse. Was all his work for nothing?

He sat by a tombstone, pensive. He felt selfish and bad for having his own motives for her to break the curse, and yet he didn’t want you to break the curse. Breaking the curse would make you mortal but free to be his. Staying with the curse will keep you distant but immortal like him. Time with you would be infinite. He groaned in frustration as he got up and walked back to the house.

The next morning Spike woke up alone in your bed. You had snuck out earlier in the morning. He felt abandoned and alone. He didn’t know where you went but he believed it was best if he didn’t follow you.

You walked up the hill, down the cave through the perilous path all the way back to the oracle. You enter without fear and demand to know who your soulmate is.

The godly figure gives you the same answer and you scream in frustration. You demand a different answer. However, the oracle has removed you from their realm. You’re back at the path, angry and sad.

You slowly make your way back home. All the while pondering if you should tell Spike who your soulmate is. It’s not fair to him to not know. Not that it will change anything between you two. You were still holding strong at taking it slow. You wanted him so bad that it hurt. But you had to take his feelings into consideration. He may devote to you but he doesn’t know all that it entails to have a cursed life. He may want to leave once he sees that you’re nothing but a shell of a slayer.

You reach your house and as you open the door you catch a glimpse of Spike’s unclothed torso. You’re reminded of the night’s you guys share together. Intimate without physical intimacy. Sensual without sexual. You’re forever lost in who he is. And you hoped that after today, he will feel the same about you.

You call Spike to the living room. He doesn’t bother to get fully dressed. You remind yourself to breathe. No matter how many times you see his naked torso it will always make your breath labored and your muscles clench.

“What is it love?” He decides to stand, too anxious to sit. He covers it well.

“You asked. My soulmate.” You struggle to make coherent sentences. You were afraid. This was the moment of truth.

“Yes?” He bites his lip. Too keyed up to stay still. If he had a heart, it would be beating fast.

“It’s…William Pratt.” You say his government name.

Spike is shocked, elated, confused, excited. He is frozen in time. He didn’t know how to react. This is all he wanted but now that he has it he is afraid.

You sit there, waiting for a response. “Well…” You get up to face him.

He looks at you, dumbfounded. Deep down he knew it was him but it was not enough to be destined to be with her; he wanted her to choose him. All of him.  

Without a word he grabs you by the waist and kisses you. He is passionate and deliberate. You’re surprised but involved. You kiss him back wanting this to be his only reaction to being tied down to you. You want him to want to be with you.

Spike was overwhelmed with emotion. Too many to name or to process. He wanted to show you how happy and accepting he was of these news the only way he knew how.

“I want you. Now.” He growls against your lips.

“What happened to taking it slow?” you’re lost in the moment. You want to hit the breaks but your accelerator was in high gear.

“Oh, I’ll take it slow.” He grabs you and picks you up bridal style. He walks you to the room and gently lays you down.

He climbs on top of you and claims your mouth again. You want this. Only this. Always this. He takes his time in undressing you and himself. He wants each contact of skin to skin to be new and exhilarating. Once you’re fully unclothed he sits back on his heels to take you in. His. Only His. All the while his erection is standing up and proud, ready to take you.

You reach out to touch his penis, but he bats your hand away.

“Slow.” He says in a low sensual voice.

He pulls your body closer to the edge of the bed. He kisses your inner thighs and he places your legs on either side of his head. He makes sure to leave love bites on your inner thighs, reminders for the next day. He wastes no time lapping at your folds begging for entrance. He is drunk on your scent. Desperate to be one with you. He finds your clit and gives it slow lazy licks. He makes sure to make your body arch with every contact. He chooses a circle motion as he swirls his tongue on your clit. His hands find your entrance and he lets himself in. You gasp as you feel full. Two fingers.

He pumps his fingers slowly, deliberately into you while he swirls his tongue on your sensitive bud. You’re insane with pleasure. White hot electricity courses through your veins. Endorphins drown your brain. You want more. Spike picks up the pace as if reading what you want. Your breath is labored. Your thoughts are scrambled. He feels you shaking, you’re close. He is relentless in his assault of your folds, bud and entrance.

Your body stops, desire shoots through you and you convulse in pure pleasure. You writhe as you work your high. All the while, Spike hasn’t stopped. He wants to taste all of you. This is what he wanted, and he’ll be damned if he’ll cheat himself out of this.

Once your body comes down from the high, you’re left gasping for air. Spike smiles and traces his name against your clit. Intentionally marking you as his.

“Mine.” He says as he comes up. He grabs his shirt from the floor and wipes his face.

You’re a sight to see. Naked, sultry, glistening with sweat. His dreams could never match the real thing. He climbs up to you to capture your lips. You taste yourself on his lips and tongue. He takes it slow, letting you enjoys the moment. You can feel his erection press against your belly.  

“I want you.” You whisper against his lips. It was all you had to say to get his blood boiling with desire. It was all he ever wanted to hear you say to him.

He makes sure you’re set and comfortable before he aligns himself with your entrance. He wants to make sure that it’s right the first time. He wants you to remember this forever.

He spread your legs, looking down at the little love marks he left. He inches closer but stops. He looks up to you, wavering in his resolve. What if this was just a spurt of the moment thing. What if you weren’t ready.

“What’s wrong?” You ask.

“Do you want this. Do you want me?” He meant if she wanted not his body but him as he was. Him as the vampire. Him as a flawed soul.

You sit up and move closer to him. You take his hands into yours.

“Spike. I want you, all of you. I have wanted you since the first time we met. Fuck what the oracle says, I was always meant for you.”

Spike Is overtake with passion and emotions. He captures your mouth again. Rough and wanting. As he lowers you down, he aligns himself with your entrance. He slowly enters you. He stays still, letting you get used to his size. He wants this to be as pleasurable to you as it will be for him. He lays on top of you, his forearms at each side of your head. He thrusts into you with love and intention. He makes sure to keep as much eye contact as possible. He wants to remember this forever. He wasn’t to remember every move, every scent, every word.

He picks up the speed. Thrusting with more force, making you gasp and moan. He is sure to angle himself to hit the spot that he knew would make you sees stars. He continues to thrust into you, harder, with more precision. You’re climbing and getting higher in your pleasure. He is relentless and consistent. You’re begging him for release. Repeating his name like a chat. He debates on stopping, teasing you but he’s too involved to stop now. He is too far gone. He hits that one spot one last time and you’re flying. Your body arching from the bed, your words incoherent and broken. You’re seeing stars.

All the while Spike is still thrusting into you, chasing his own high. He debates if to cum inside of you. As you regain control you whisper in his ear to fill you up. You reiterate your nasty confession as you beg him to make you his. It doesn’t take long for Spike to find his own release after hearing your dirty words. He is grunting, moaning, almost writhing from the pleasure. Lovemaking had more power than just making sex.

You’re both spent and panting. Spike lays his forehead against yours. You share a knowing look of what this means. You both laugh in relief. Spike rolls off you and pulls you close to him. You lay your head on his chest content and spent.

Neither of you speaks for the rest of the night. You’re both relishing the intimacy you shared. Enjoying the aftermath of your lovemaking. After all that, there was nothing to say.

Spike was awestruck that he finally claimed you as his. Not just parts of you but the whole you. He was a tornado of emotions. To be your soulmate carried a heavy burden. A burden that he was willing to shoulder. He didn’t know what the future held for the two of you. However, he knew that he was one. He was whole. For the first time ever, he was wanted.

[hoeforseungcho]

Mass Shooters and Data Breaches

Anderson Aldrich – 39

naleeeee@hotmail.com – 39

Chris Harper-Mercer – 23

ironcross45@gmail.com - 23

William Atchison – 15

phantommastah@gmail.com - 14

themagicmania@gmail.com – 1

Adam Lanza – 12

kaynbred@gmail.com – 5

njlanza1918@aol.com - 5

genericregistryemail@gmail.com - 2

Vladislav Rosylakov – 7

bom.zh.2015@mail.ru - 3

dablvanish@gmail.com – 2

roslyaovv@mail.ru – 2

Anthony Polito – 6

tonypolito@gmail.com

Steven Kaczmierzak – 7

skazmierczak@gmail.com - 6

skazmie2@express.cites.uiuc.edu - 1

Robert Bowers - 4

onedingo@bellatlantic.net - 2

soundguy@globalcyran.com – 1

warroom@onedingo.com – 1

Seung Hui-Cho – 3

Blazers5505@hotmail.com – 3

Brenton Tarrant – 2

btarrant333@hotmail.com

James Holmes – 2

dsherlockb@gmail.com – 2

Jeff Weise – 2

decemberofthesoul@hotmail.com – 2

Connor Sturgeon – 1

connor.sturgeon@oldnational.com – 1

Elliot Rodger – 1

blackfridayrevolution@gmail.com -1

Juraj Krajcik - 1

jkrajcik@1sg.sk – 1

----------

Emails not found in data breaches were not included

[littlemuoi]

Prince Philip: 'A capacity for unbridled kindness but intolerant of faff' - my memories of the duke by Alastair Bruce (April 12th 2021)

ARCHIVE LINK

The Duke of Edinburgh was a motivator, an impatient moderniser, but he could be abrupt.

Prince Philip had a directness of manner that seemed to alarm many people and even horrified some. But he was capable of unbridled kindness, with the capacity for huge affirmation, support and encouragement.

People of his generation who knew him well said his character was forged from the rather challenging circumstances of his upbringing. Yes, he was royal: a grandson of the King of the Hellenes but, in truth, not really Greek.

The duke's blond good looks came from his Danish ancestry

The throne of Greece was given to a Danish prince in 1863 and this accounted for his blonde Viking good looks. But Greece was never entirely at ease under its monarchy and this put many pressures on Prince Philip's family; added to which, his parents did not enjoy an easy marriage.

Whatever the circumstances of his childhood, Prince Philip was conditioned to be independent, capable, determined and pretty intolerant of faff.

Learning about his rather unconventional start in life, from the vantage of today's social understanding perhaps it's easy to grasp why.

But I want to underscore the frequent kindness he showed to me and invested in many people I know.

Letters about mallard ducks and sturgeon pie

In what has been a remarkable life, he occasionally found time to contact me, often out of the blue, to tell me about things he thought might be of interest.

For instance, in my constant quest to find out the provenance behind strange British customs, he would often share things he had discovered while travelling the country with the Queen. After all, most of his life had been spent living among, colliding with or regulated by the oddities of British life.

The Queen and the duke in July 1947 in Edinburgh, four months before they wed

One letter he wrote to me concerned mallard ducks with gilded beaks.

It had amused him when the Queen, as Duke of Normandy, was presented with two of them on arrival in the Channel Islands, in order to fulfil a feudal due.

Another told me about a pie that had arrived at Balmoral, cooked from a sturgeon, which tradition stipulates must be offered up to the monarch. Both are full of facts, a smattering of humour, but no reference to the weather, how I might be or any other tittle-tattle.

When Prince Philip became the Queen's consort, the change in his life was seismic

It is difficult to understand why he bothered to do this. But I think he was amused to find someone genuinely engrossed in surprising or esoteric interests.

In fact, he was like this with everyone. Or maybe it was his own fascination and passion to fully understand the obscure and how things worked that, seeing it in another, added to his avuncular intrigue.

"This is Alastair... Bungy's grandson"

Not everyone's life had Prince Philip in it. So, perhaps it's worth explaining how he came to overlap with mine.

In 1950, the Duke of Edinburgh took command of HMS Magpie in Malta GC.

For any officer in the Armed Forces, unit command is the tops! It is where your leadership qualities are fully tested and it's where the possibilities for the rest of your career can be broadly set.

Prince Philip (in sunglasses) relinquishes control of HMS Magpie in Malta in July 1951. Pic: AP

It just so happened that HMS Magpie was part of the Destroyer squadron in the Mediterranean Fleet, which was then commanded by my grandfather, Admiral Sir Peveril William-Powlett.

Grandpa was better known as "Bungy", because, as fly-half for the English rugby team in 1922, he had seemed entirely elastic. Every time he was tackled, while at full pelt towards the try line, he seemed to bounce straight up again and run on.

He was also a keen polo player and, here again, the Royal Navy polo team brought Admiral William-Powlett and Prince Philip together.

One of my favourite photographs of them both shows their exhaustion after a fiery chukka under the Mediterranean sun: the youthful and handsome prince beside his balding boss with cups in hand. Their faces convey the joy and satisfaction of a win - probably against the Army.

The Royal Navy polo team brought Philip and Admiral William-Powlett together

Maybe this professional bond between the spirited and able naval destroyer captain and his Admiral made the Duke of Edinburgh, a generation later, hold his avuncular eye out for me.

It certainly meant a great deal to me that, when the duke introduced me to people of his own naval generation, he would say: "This is Alastair... Bungy's grandson."

"Well, get on with it!" - One of the most influential retorts of my life

When I wrote a book about the United Kingdom's coronation ritual, aged 28, I mentioned to Prince Philip that one day I hoped to make a television documentary about the role of ceremony in national life.

In what possibly proved to be one of the most influential retorts of my life, in that it was probably the catalyst to my career heading where it has, he eyeballed me and said: "Well, get on with it!"

With this, he got up and went. And so did I. To do what he suggested.

The day of the coronation - the duke's words spurred Alastair to make his programme. Pic: AP

In fact, within a few months and a great deal of work, I found someone willing to produce the film and it was commissioned by ITV.

Hearing about this, Prince Philip called me into Buckingham Palace for dinner to hear how the project was going. He also invited the film producer, Lord Brabourne; they were cousins by marriage, through the prince's uncle, Lord Mountbatten.

They bookended me at a heavily polished table in a small dining room overlooking the central quadrangle and listened as I explained the litany of refusals and hesitations our production faced from organisations that viewed cameras as invasive, back in 1992.

One by one, they suggested ways that might help me out. But, make no mistake, it was for me to do the legwork, not them.

When one of the solutions these two champions had plotted for me went horribly wrong (I mean, horribly!) Prince Philip tenaciously engaged with the matter, until a solution was found.

The duke maintained close links with the military all his life. Pic: AP

During this spat, there was a big parade for my regiment, the Scots Guards, at Holyrood in Scotland.

The duke, who was for many years the Senior Colonel of the Household Division, attended this and, afterwards, he spotted me across the throng. Striding over, he delved straight into the precise details on what had happened.

His escorting officers, all of whom were much senior to me, listened while the prince and I forensically unpicked what might solve the problem.

The trick was to bite the cat back - respectfully

The duke also had the measure of my often unbridled tenacity too and, when I made an office call to discuss something or other, he greeted me with: "So who have you infuriated today?"

His staff often berated me, probably with good reason, but I never felt this was at the direction of the prince. Actually, I sensed he rather appreciated a "why not" attitude, wherever he found it.

In fact, he loved to hear about the conflicts I had with organisations, which deemed my requests for filming access inappropriate. Perhaps this was because it reminded him of the challenges he faced, as the young consort of a new monarch inheriting a world of fixed attitudes in 1952 set by his late father-in-law's courtiers.

But Prince Philip was no rabble-rouser and, if he judged the defeat I faced as justified, he freely added his reproach, or added criticism.

Prince Philip could be blunt in his criticism but admired a robust response

To get the best from Prince Philip it was vital you girded yourself for his directness of speech, some blunt criticism and refreshingly ruthless cross-examination.

For some, this cat-plays-with-mouse treatment was daunting. But I learnt quite fast that the trick was to bite the cat back, respectfully, of course. Prince Philip admired a robust response.

Occasionally, he would ask for an absolutely truthful view. You knew this moment in his eyes. When it came to this moment, I would like to think the prince knew I gave it straight. And, assuming you could prove a point that countered his, he accepted with implicit respect.

The duke's extraordinary 'Chamber of Horrors'

On one occasion, the prince took me into a room at Buckingham Palace that I think he called his "Chamber of Horrors".

Here he had gathered an extraordinary array of the presents he had been given during a lifetime of public service, openings and anniversaries.

"What do you think that is?", he asked, while handing me a rough lump of worn and rusted metal mounted on a wooden base. My fingers felt the dedication label and instinctively, I was moving it towards my eyes. "No, don't read the inscription - think! Guess?"

Well, my suggestion was way off the mark. "It's one of the teeth from the machine that dug out the Channel Tunnel," he revealed

It was clear he was interested in the object, what it had done, but I could see why it had not been put on display.

A forgotten meeting and remarkable patience

The duke was a masterful and timely letter writer, never wordy and always to the point. He typed most of them himself, adding his splendid, powerful but minimal signature "Philip" by hand.

While his staff used paper embossed with his heraldic badge in black, the prince himself had it printed in his chosen livery of green. If you sent him a letter, you could be certain that the postman would be back at your door within three days, with a special delivery reply. He dealt with everything with the discipline and efficiency of a wartime naval officer.

A painting of Prince Philip in 2017, the year he retired, by artist Ralph Heimans

On one occasion, I can't think why or how, I completely forgot an office call I had booked with Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace. But then, I am and have always been horrifyingly forgetful.

I remembered with a jolt when the prince's military equerry rang to ask where I was. I admitted that I was in Hampshire. In a voice that sounded barely muffled by a hand, I could hear: "He's in Hampshire, Sir."

There was a short pause, the sound of the telephone being grasped and then: "You're a bloody idiot!" from the prince. Then, with probably as much surprise that I had achieved this particular forgetfulness, he added by way of instant forgiveness: "You had better sort out a new time. I'm here a lot next week."

Indeed, the prince was remarkably tolerant of my inefficiency considering he was the personification of the efficient. One story fully bears this patience out - particularly, as I did not deserve it.

The duke (at Trooping the Colour in 2017) pulled some strings to secure a last-minute message. Pic: AP

I have already referred to the Duke of Edinburgh being Senior Colonel of the Household Division, which included my regiment. When I wrote a book with the photographer Julian Calder on the Queen's Birthday Parade, Trooping the Colour, we wanted a foreword from the senior colonel.

His private secretary asked when the book was to be published. Next week, I replied.

"Next week?!"

Sure enough, within seven days a message of eloquence was ours to print and it made all the difference.

"You're a bloody idiot! Nobody will be interested!"

Within the last few years, we were at someone's house for dinner and, afterwards, while coffee circulated, Prince Philip came and sat beside me on a sofa. He told me how he had been flicking through the TV channels, probably looking for a documentary on nature. "And there you were talking a lot of nonsense about me!"

Well, inevitably, he thought the programme was "jibberish" but, as if, in fact, affirming what I had been saying in the programme, he took up the points I had been making and explained precisely what had been his view of the situation.

Prince Philip broke a heart-shaped chocolate in half and gave it to Alastair's newly-engaged parents

In this way, Prince Philip was endlessly robust, consistently gave zero quarter but would readily square up and be open about facts he knew, if faced by genuine interest.

I think my favourite story about him is not even a memory of mine but one that my mother and father told me once.

The night they announced their engagement, in Malta in 1950, Prince Philip shared a taxi home with them to the road where the two families, my mother's and the Edinburghs', lived.

On the way, a box of chocolates was passed along the line and the prince picked the strawberry-flavoured heart, broke it and gave them each a half.

He came to their wedding, where everyone was in white because this was the naval uniform at the time. This adds a magic to the black and white photographs, some of which include the dashingly Viking chisel-cheeked duke enthralled in conversation.

I still have the clock on my mantelpiece that he and Princess Elizabeth gave as their present, complete with the message of goodwill inside, handwritten and signed by them both.

Within a year, she was our Queen and he her loyal, robust and supporting consort.

A clock presented to Alastair Bruce's family by the Queen and Prince Philip

This change in the duke's life was seismic.

He must always have known it was coming but the suddenness was stark, especially for a capable naval commander whose upwards career was now set by the annual reports he earned from my grandfather's judgement.

From even the small knowledge I have of this titan in British public life, who took such a generous interest from time to time in what I was up to, I can be fairly certain of what he would say to me, after reading this.

"You're a bloody idiot! What a lot of nonsense. Nobody will be interested in this!"

[spockanalia-archive]

Spockanalia #1: Off the Top

By Devra Michele Langsam and Sherna Comerford

A Bulletin and Editorial by Yeds

THE BULLETIN—MORE FUN COMING: In June, we learned from Star Trek's Associate Producer, Robert H. Justman, that the tentatively scheduled season opener (September 15th) will take place, in part, on the planet Vulcan. We have since learned that the show, "Amok Time," was written by no less an author than Theodore Sturgeon. In the course of the program, Spock will meet his assigned wife, for the purpose of satisfying the Vulcan septennial mating drive. Vulcans—or at least Vulcan males (at the moment. we're not quite sure which)—must experience sex every seven years, or die.

We have been told that the story is handled with the same care and skill that made Star Trek our favorite program in its first season. Look out, September 15th—here we come!

AND NOW A WORD OR TEN FROM OUR SPONSOR: We are eternally grateful to the people who pick up the check for our favorite program. However, it has come to our attention that small but important segments of action are cut from the broadcast received in some cities, especially those in the parts of the country that get their master broadcasts from New York City. The time gained is used for additional commercials. The most blatant example discovered thus far is in "Dagger of the Mind." Only a fraction of the audience saw the approximately thirty seconds that showed Spock become entrapped in Van Jager's mind, to such a degree that Dr. McCoy was forced to tear him free physically.

This scene was not vital to the action of the plot, but it was quite important in the development of the characters of Spock and McCoy. It also was an extremely dramatic moment.

If you would like to protest this commercial padding, write to WNBC-TV, [Address Redacted].

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: In "Court Martial," Mr. Spock's rank was given as Lieutenant-Commander. In the third revision of The Star Trek Guide, it is given as Commander. Congratulations on your promotion, sir.

SPEAKING ABOUT RANK: Lest our interest in Mr. Spock make us appear to neglect his companions, it behooves us to say a few words about that other hero. Captain James T. Kirk is a strong, efficient, extremely vital man. He is a very special person, and his command of the Enterprise makes it the ship it is. In his absence, neither the character of Mr. Spock, nor the program itself, could exist. Many thanks to William Shatner for his skillful portrayal of a highly complex character.

IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD: Leonard Nimoy has one record album, entitled "Leonard Nimoy presents Mr. Spock's Music from Outer Space," Dot # 3794, and one 45 rpm record from Dot, "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins/Cotton Candy." At last word, a second album was being considered.

Mr. Nimoy also has a starring role in the movie version of Genet's Deathwatch, which he co-produced. Deathwatch is a strong, bitter story, powerfully done and emotionally devastating. It proves, for those who had any doubts, that Leonard Nimoy is a very fine actor.

TREK TROUBLES: According to Bjo Trimble (via Dorothy Jones) Star Trek still has renewal problems. If we want the show to continue (if we want…!) we must continue the campaign. Letters should be addressed to: Mort Werner, Programming, NBCTV, [Address Redacted]. Write soon and often. Good continuing public response is a sine que non for any TV series, especially one in prime-time. If we appear to lose interest, so will NBC.

A LAST WORD: Yeds are aware that when the new season begins, two weeks after our anticipated publication date, many (all?) of our lovely theories will be blown to pieces. On the other hand, we console ourselves with thoughts of all the new material we'll have to play with. Anyone for a Spockanalia #2?

Note: With the help and guidance of Open Doors, we digitized the first volume of Spockanalia and imported it to AO3, which you can view here. In order to meet AO3's terms of service, some of the content was edited or removed. The full version of the zine is preserved on this blog. The masterpost is here.

[scotianostra]

On March 8th 1936 Oor Wullie and The Broons made their first appearance in the Sunday Post.

Jings , Crivven’s, and Help ma boab!! All words synonymous with oor we dungaree wearing hero.

Wullie and his gang have been keeping boredom at bay for decades in the typical Scottish town of Auchenshoogle.

The rascal has become an icon sitting on an upturned bucket in his famous dungarees as he plans the latest pranks and japes.

Fat Bob, Soapy Soutar, Wee Eck, Primrose (and don’t forget Jeemy the mouse) all join in the fun, with Wullie’s Ma, Pa and poor old PC Murdoch also playing starring roles.

Some famous faces have appeared in the strip over the years including Nicola Sturgeon, Ewan McGregor, Andy Murray and Amy Macdonald.

A 2004 survey voted Wullie ��Scotland’s Favourite Son’, beating William Wallace, Sean Connery and Rabbie Burns in the top four

Everyone knows the Broons. Hen is still the tallest beanpole in Scotland, Joe’s still flexing his muscles, Maggie’s still as gorgeous as ever, Daphne’s still trying to get a man, Horace is constantly swotting and the never-named Twins are always up to mischief. And that’s not forgetting the brainiest Bairn in Scotland, the ever youthful Granpaw and heads of the whole clan - matriarch Maw and put-upon Paw.

Although they’ve only ever appeared in the pages of the Dundee-based Sunday newspaper, the annuals - which alternate year about between Oor Wullie and The Broons - are still flying off the shelves faster than Granpaw’s false teeth during a toffee apple eating contest.

The annuals are always in the top ten Christmas bestsellers at booksellers Waterstone’s.

While the two strips adhere to the traditional format there have been some changes over the years, not all go down well, like when hen they tried printing the comics strips in colour the 90s, Michty me! There were shoals of complaints from readers and they had to go back to black and white In the most recent annuals, Horace gets a makeover and is mistaken for Harry Potter, while other characters are seen clutching mobile phones, checking e-mails on laptops, singing on karaoke machines and watching satellite TV.

[thislovintime]

Photo 4 by Henry Diltz.

A look at some specific books mentioned by Peter over the years...

- How To Play the Five-String Banjo: "Pete Seeger’s book was very, very good. He’s a lively writer as well as a very good musician, a good teacher, good, very enthusiastic kind of all around person. So it was very good to learn from his book. And I recommend the book highly if anybody ever wanted to learn how to play folk-style five-string banjo, his is the book to learn from.” - Peter, Headquarters radio, 1989 (x)

- Naked Lunch: “In Melbourne last night Peter Tork said that Sydney airport Customs officers had seized from his bag the banned book ‘The Naked Lunch,’ by William Burroughs. A Customs officer had taken one look at the book and said, ‘I’ll have that. It’s banned here.’ […] ‘It is a good book,’ Tork said. 'I was just getting interested it. It’s sold out everywhere back home. I didn’t know it was banned here.’” - The Sydney Morning Herald, September 17, 1968 (x)

- Letters to a Young Poet: One question posed to Peter for the Ask Peter Tork column in 2008 was, “Do you think [becoming a writer is] worth a try, or do you suggest I 'keep my day job'?” From Peter's reply: “What writers I know of say is, if you want to be a writer, you’re probably not going to do very well. If you must write, then write! Do you see the difference? Rainer Marie Rilke wrote 'Letters to a Young Poet,' which I recommend on this point. (It’s a small book, and cheap at the bookstore, and free at your library.)”

 -Why Do I Say Yes When I Need To Say No?: Escaping The Trap Of Temptation by Michelle McKinney Hammond: “Some years ago there was a movement afoot to separate assertiveness from aggressiveness, which I heartily endorse to this day. 'Why Do I Say Yes When I Mean No,' is, I believe the name of one book that tackles this subject.” - Peter, Ask Peter Tork, 2008

- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: “I recommend sitting in Zen meditation. The best book I know for that is Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki. It’s all about watching your own mind rather than obeying it as tho’ it were the infallible voice of the truth.” - Peter, Ask Peter Tork, 2008

- The Sayings of Buddha: “The Sayings of Buddha (a small, inexpensive book you can find in almost any book store) always rests on the night-table beside my bed. I find that ancient wisdom, meditation and contemplation puts my mind in order and brings me great serenity. These things also broaden my scope of understanding.” - Peter, 16, September 1968

- Stranger in a Strange Land: “One of my favorite books now is Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. It’s about the orphan child of the first Martian explorers. He grows to twenty-one years of age before he’s discovered by the second expedition to Mars which rescues him. He comes back to Earth, having been raised by the Martians — really fascinating!" - Peter, Fave, March 1968

- More Than Human: “Another writer I dig is Theodore Sturgeon, one of the greatest science fiction writers alive today. He visited our set one day and we were all very thrilled. He’s a visionary and a mystic, really one of the giant talents of the day. I hope everybody reads him. He wrote a book called More Than Human and a lot of other novels and short stories.” - Peter, Fave, March 1968

Q: "You read a book a day. Of all the books you have read, which three are your favorites and why?" A: "No, I don’t read a book a day. I sometimes spend weeks on a book. Of all the books I’ve read, my favorites are 'The Book Of [Tao],' 'Stranger In A Strange Land' and oh, I don’t know, a whole mess of other books, because they turn me on—they get to me." - Monkee Spectacular, January 1968

- The Book of Tao: “Peter also reads The Book of the Tao… all about an ancient Chinese nature philosophy with some simple, beautiful and meaningful messages in it. He studies all kinds of different religions, too. Peter has now figured out his own religion, what seems closest to Truth for him. It’s the result of much studying, thinking and sorting out. Peter was also influenced by the Oriental philosophies Zen. ‘Zen Buddhism believes in the theory of sudden enlightenment or sudden awakening. This idea is Japanese. I believe that Truth can just come to you in a sudden flash and you’ll know where it’s all at, if you prepare yourself to receive it. ‘Zen also teaches that you should just go along and live your life as best you can from minute to minute, always living in the present. You’re already there and there’s nothing else. If you can make the most of each day, accomplish and learn all you can now, you’ll get so much more done in your lifetime than if you sit around waiting for tomorrow to come. Because when tomorrow gets here it’s just another today. You end up just waiting and putting things off and nothing ever gets done. So, try to make each minute count!’” - Fave, March 1968

- Upanishads: "[Peter] starts clowning around [on set], but after a bit he settles down and starts reading a book. He sees you looking and explains, ‘This is a book of some of the excerpts of the Upanishads. Actually, these are excerpts from ancient Hindu writings. I guess you could say that in a sense they are like the Bible, only they were written many centuries before the old testament.’ Peter stops speaking for a moment. ‘Am I boring you?’ he asks gently. After you assure him that he is not boring anyone, he continues, ‘Well, the Upanishads are simply but beautifully written. I mean, they are quite easy to understand. You can buy the Mentor pocket edition for about 50 cents —′ Just about that time, Peter becomes aware of 16’s camera focusing on him. He promptly becomes a clown again, laughing and joking and holding his book myopically up to his eyes. You realize that you have just had a glimpse of the real Peter Tork — the sensitive, sincere young man who hides behind the veneer of a silly-funny Monkee. And it makes you feel very warm that for a brief moment you have glimpsed Peter Tork’s secret self." - 16, February 1968

- Autobiography of a Yogi: As Henry Diltz recalled (in Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time), “I remember giving one to Peter on The Monkees set. I did a group shot of them sitting on a couch and he was reading the Yogananda book. I always felt so good about that.”

[ladythatsmyskull]

Astounding Science Fiction (November 1944). Killdozer! by Theodore Sturgeon. Cover by William Timmins. Illustrations by Paul Orban.

Trivia: Killdozer's real name is Daisy Etta.

[bookmaven]

THE STARS LIKE DUST [aka Tyrann; aka Rebellious Stars] by Isaac Asimov (Garden City: Doubleday, 1951). Cover by Whitney Bender.

A science fiction mystery. The book is part of Asimov's Galactic Empire series and takes place before the actual founding of the Galactic Empire, before even Trantor becomes important.

The story was first serialized in the January, February, and March issues of Galaxy Magazine.

Galaxy Magazine January, 1951. H.L. Gold editor. Cover by John Bunch.

Tyrann [Part 1 of 3] by Isaac Asimov. Illustrated by Bunch.

“Dark Interlude” by Mack Reynolds & Fredric Brown. Illustrated by Maus.

“Rule of Three” by Theodore Sturgeon. Illustrated by Karl Rogers.

“Made to Measure by William Campbell Gault. Illustrated by Lawrence Woromay.

“Susceptibility · John D. MacDonald. Illustrated by Vincent.

“The Reluctant Heroes” by Frank M. Robinson. Illustrated by Sibley.

read [pb edition]

[cypherscript]

The King in White

So my idea of DPxPNAT has been bouncing around in my empty noggin until this pretty much wrote itself so here's part 1/chapter 1. Let's see if chapter 2 writes itself as easily. The chapter's aren't going to be coherently connected; jumping around from piece to piece kinda like Paranatural does sometimes. Enjoy.

Max steps into Mr. Garcia’s class, apparently Mr. Spender had a mission for the Club after school so he just had to make it through the day and~ that’s not Mr. Garcia. A black haired man wearing a space themed button up shirt with blue jeans was at the front of the class, setting up a large track of something around the room from a massive cart. He turns at the sound of the door opening, “Ah, good morning. You’re… Maxwell, correct? You can call me Mr. Fenton, Jean informed me that the class has a sit wherever rule so take a free seat.”

“It’s Max and sure, where’s Mr. Garcia,” Max asks as he takes his normal seat by Cody and Jeff, giving Jeff a fist bump when he offers it.

“Sorry about that, Max,” Mr. Fenton corrects himself, “Mr. Garcia is currently having health issues and has been put under house rest for the foreseeable future and has asked me to fill in while I’m in town visiting some friends. So,” Mr. Fenton claps his hands loudly as he finishes setting up the strip, “I’m here to science the crap out of your little minds while Jean rests. Today’s lesson is about magnetism.”

Max perks up at that, thinking about Scrapdragon and his bat, “Magnets, sir?” Jeff and Cody share a laugh when Jeff asks how they work, classic meme. 

“Yessir~, I’m more of a hands-on type of teacher so today we’re experimenting with magnets after a little lesson.” Mr. Fenton goes up the blackboard as the bell rings and begins quickly jotting down his lesson plans for magnets, “As some of you may know, Magnets have two poles; being the north and south poles. Both are repelled by themselves yet attracted to one another through an invisible magnetic field.But first what are magnets, anyone want to guess what they’re made of?” Cody raises their hand, “Yes, Cody?”

“They’re made of iron right?”

“Indeed they are, usually most magnets are made of ferro-magnetic iron but any piece of metal can become a magnet under the right conditions; hence the electromagnet was born in 1824 by William Sturgeon by using a horseshoe and copper wire and running a current through the wire.Like permanent magnets, temporary electromagnets come in different sizes and strengths.  You can make an electromagnet powerful enough to pick up paperclips with a single 1.5-volt battery or use a much bigger voltage to make a bigger electric current and you can build an electromagnet powerful enough to pick up a car. That's how scrapyard magnets work. The strength of an electromagnet depends on two main things: the size of the electric current you use and the number of times you coil the wire. Increase either or both of these and you get a more powerful electromagnet.”

Max thinks on that for a second, wondering if that’s what Scrapdragon does; channeling various electrical energies for its magnet powers. He’s snapped out of his thoughts when Mr. Fenton drops a large box onto the front desk, “But did you know magnets can produce electrical currents? It is one of the ways your parent’s cars run, a series of magnets on a rotating rod surrounded by copper wires induce electron movements in the copper wire generating electricity which can be fed back into the car’s battery to keep it charged as the car is running. This is called an Alternator. I have a very rudimentary Alternator here connected to a lightbulb and a hand crank. Who thinks they can spin the magnets fast enough to keep the light bulb lit?”

Everyone in the class starts raising their hands trying to get him to pick them, he then spends the rest of the class letting everyone try and see who can keep it lit the longest without flickering, chuckling at everyone’s hype to win. In the end Ed’s hyperactivity wins him the contest by causing it to burn out the bulb by dipping into his spirit trance and speed winding the little motor.

Mr. Fenton gives a long look at Ed, causing him to sweat before smiling, “Well done Ed, I’ve not had a student pop the bulb in quite a while. My daughter can but that little gremlin lives off sugar and chaos. I heard a bunch of stories from the teachers that the students go crazy for stickers so here you go.” 

“We can get Starchman Stars from you,” The class unanimously shouts in shock.

Mr. Fenton reaches into his bag and pulls out a sticker of a small green ghost with red eyes waving at you, “What are Starchman stars? I’ve just got ghost themed stickers,” He wilts as the class reacts in disappointment, “They uh, they glow in the dark?”

“Awesome,” Ed shouts as he snatches it from Mr. Fenton, sticking it under his shirt trying to see it glow.

“Sorry to disappoint you guys but before you leave for the day, I have one last demonstration for you. We talked about how magnets can affect metal objects such as iron or copper but what if I told you I could make it so an item is neither attracted or repulsed by the magnet? That I can make it just float in place?” He pulls a palm sized puck of black material from his box on the desk, “This is ceramic composite, that means combination, made from yttrium, barium, and copper. This is what is called a superconductor and they interact very interestingly when cooled far below natural temperatures.” He sets a track of magnets and a styrofoam tray over it and puts the puck in it, pouring something from a metal container into the tray. He waits a few seconds before taking it out and sliding it into an electrical tape wrapped box. “Here comes the fun part,” he sets the small styrofoam car on the magnet track and it hovers in place before giving it a hard tap, causing it to speed down the strip around the room without losing speed.

The bell rings shortly after that much to the disappointment of the students as they shout questions to Mr. Fenton as they leave. “If you think that was great, wait until tomorrow. I’ve got something better planned for next week. For tonight, read pages twenty-four through twenty-eight and we’ll be having a small quiz tomorrow on the properties of magnets.”

Max heads down the hallway, catching up with Ed who’s still messing with the sticker on the stairs, “Hey man, have you noticed there’s a surprising lack of spirits around here? Other than the weird deer princess at the front door?”

“Yeah,” Ed slides the sticker into his pocket as Max sits down, “It was a very quiet patrol this morning, Mr. Spender will handle it if it’s a problem.”

“You mean like he handled that bat spirit this morning?”

“Ha, yeah…”

They sit in silence until Isabel climbs past them, “Sup dorks.”

“Wondering why I’m here,” Max said as he looked into the now empty hallway.

“Max asks the deep questions,” Ed nods as he strokes his freshly painted beard, smearing it slightly.

“I mean why am I here, I’m supposed to be in Study Hall right now.”

“Normal study hall is for dweebs and geekaboos. Welcome to real study hall,” Isabel says as she lights her fist in a red mist. “First lesson is manipulating spectral energy for a specshot!”

Richard Spender was walking down the hallway to the science class, students trailing around going to lunch. He swings open the door and steps in, “Hey Jean, want to go get some lunch- You’re not Jean.”

Danny Fenton looks up, chinese food hanging from his mouth that he then slurps up, “Hello Dickie, no I’m not Jean. You really don’t pay attention to staff email do you? Jean’s taken some personal time, I’m the sub until he comes back.”

“It’s Richard, not even that it’s Spender to you. Where the hell have you been? How did you get into Mayview,” Mr. Spender angrily asks, catching the ear of Isaac as he’s walking down and stepping back behind the door frame to listen.

Mr. Spender’s worldview is slowed incredibly as his spirit pulls him into a spirit trance, the small yellow bird in a cage tries to drag him back, “You foolish man, do you have no manners? Can you not feel him? He’s changed much in the thirteen years he’s been gone.”

Spender whirls around on Lucifer, “I don’t care how powerful he is now, he left us to deal with that monster! Then we had to pick up after King Catnine without him and now Isaac is blacklisted.”

“You should really listen to the bird, Dickie.” Danny Fenton’s voice causes much confusion as Spender turns around to find him not slowed down right behind him.

“How are you- That’s not possible.” Spender backing up next to the door. 

“A lot can change in thirteen years, Dickie–.”

“Stop calling me that, you lost that right when you left!”

“Bite your tongue you fool,” Lucifer shouts, trying to cover Spender’s mouth with poor results.

“It’s fine Lucifer. I don’t think he can feel it. As for how and why I’m here; I walked in and I’m here because your solution for your spirit problem is causing more problems than it’s worth. This place is a petri dish eating itself from the inside out.” Danny’s form flashes in a bright white light, standing in place of the space shirt and jeans there was now a white haired man clothed in pristine white furs and speckled black hide.”Everyone who dies here is stuck here to be food for the Neverweres and Outside is just as bad! Drawn in from miles to either get in and be trapped or eat anything that comes here just like they were, I felt this place from Illinois, Richard.”

“Everything is under control–”

“”No it’s not,”” Danny and Lucifer say at the same time but Danny continues, “Abigail may be content to let you sit on your hands but while I’m here I’m going to fix what I can.”

“Abigail?”

“Boss Leader,” Danny tilts his head at Spender’s confusion, “You don’t even know your boss’s name?! Ancient’s sake, Richard…” Danny flashes back to his normal self, exasperated with Spender’s lack of knowledge.

“For one she’s  not content with my actions. They’re sending an Agent to assess the town and the Cousinhood of Man’s recent inquiry to the Consortium.”

“Well that’s not my problem for the time being, I’m here to do my job so just keep your club on their path and when you see mina tell her I have words for her.” Danny grabs his food and sits back at the desk, eating and losing color as he drops out of Richard’s trance.

 Isaac has just enough time to get behind the door to see the two teacher’s eyes glow and begin speeding around the room at high speed. There’s a flash of light and Isaac hears King Catnine’s voice, “Run boy, if you’re ever going to listen to me do so right now and flee. Do not let him catch you.”

“Not so hot now are you, I thought the great King Catnine bowed to no one? What’s got you shaking in your dog paws from Mr. Spender?”

“Not the glowlight you wretched worm, the other one. Get out of here before they exit the trance, NOW!” Isaac hears a clap of thunder and he’s gone from his spot, running down the hall hearing Spender give a curt goodbye to whoever that other teacher was. 

[impuxart]

Prompt: Mythology

Russian Sturgeon This fish, also known as diamond sturgeon is found in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Ukraine and other countries. They reproduce slowly and are therefore vulnerable to fishing. As this fish is used as a source for caviar, it became critically endangered.

I also used the painting "A Mermaid" by John William Waterhouse as a reference in this one since it captures the essence of the mermaids mythology perfectly