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autumn evenings aesthetic

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alice in wonderland aesthetic

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elements personnified: carbon

symbol: C atomic mass: 12.0107 u ± 0.0008 u atomic number: 6 electron configuration: 1s22s22p2 electronegativity: 2.55

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MAXDOWNFALL --> WITHGRAVITYANDTIME

[withgravityandtime-blog]

Well, at least Max knew how to deal with mildly homoerotic advances. What was it about him that drew guys that wanted to shag him out of the woodwork. “Clever, sure,” he agreed, taking a step back. “And careful. Especially considering,” he gestured in the creature’s direction. “Whatever the hell it was you just did. Don’t suppose you’re going to explain that?”

It’s not like he expected him — had he even gotten a name? — to say anything helpful. Just didn’t catch Downfall as the type. He’d probably string the vigilante along for as long as he good, just for the hell of it.

Catch Me If You Can || Open

maxdownfall

Downfall sighed, shut his eyes for a second, trying to think if there was anything even remotely iron on him. There wasn’t, but the last thing he needed was an old creature, whatever that meant, to want to kill him. And he got the feeling that saying much wasn’t going to help. Still he reached under his leather jacket for his belt, undid it and slid it from the belt loops. “Aluminum,” he noted, holding up the belt for the creature to see. “And leather, but that part is evident. Um…” He reached down, took off his boots. “Copper-toed.” He tossed them to the side, relieved it was the middle of summer so just having socks on wasn’t too bad, if not a little embarrassing. Did he have on any bracelets? No, those were cumbersome.

So, he felt around in the pockets of his jacket. Ah, convenient. Pocket knife. “And titanium.” He tossed that at his own feet. “That’s all the metal I have on me. Don’t know what else I can do for you.” The leather of his jacket squeaked a bit as he shrugged. The idea of ‘making it up to’ this creature without knowing their abilities made him nervous. And he didn’t dare try to point out that throwing Max off a building would be almost completely ineffective.

Puck watched Downfall strip all metal from his person, watching him with the intensity of a cat waiting for food. Instead of responding to him once the metal was gone, he carefully toed around it as if he expected it to bite him. When that failed, he gently toed the metal. When it didn’t send Puck screaming in agony, he looked at Downfall.

He grinned, the expression washing away the fear and anger from before. “You learn fast. I have to say,” he purred, “I like that.” He stepped closer to Downfall. And just when it seemed he couldn’t get any closer than that, he took one more tiny step until he was flush with Downfall’s chest. “You’re a clever man, aren’t you?” He breathed out, looking up at Max through his eyelashes.

[withgravityandtime-blog]

Wiped wiped his hands down his face. “Of course you do,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “Well, in that case,” he stepped to the side, noted the nearby door to the hallway. “The door’s that way.” Then, when the logic hit him: “but you don’t have your key, do you?”

The older man slumped a bit, sighed heavily. “All right, sir down.” He motioned to his couch. “If you gotta wait, might as well be somewhere comfortable.”

Do I Live Here? [Max + Aiden]

maxdownfall

Max had been sitting in his couch, watching Singing In the Rain for the umpteenth time, when he heard his window crack open. A window, he very suddenly remembered, that was supposed to be locked.

Immediately, he got up, found the nearest sharp thing – a cooking knife – and pointed it at the body that tumbled in. It was only when he managed to turn on the light that he recognized a mop of dark curls. Hadn’t this been the guy that accidentally spilled coffee all over him? And had gotten kidnapped at the hotel? Why was it he was always doing something vaguely dangerous when Max was around?

Sighing, acutely annoyed, Max put the knife down on the kitchen counter. “Jesus fucking Christ, kid,” he swore, wiping a hand down his face. “What the hell are you doing breaking into my apartment?” It wasn’t exactly that he was mad, per se. No, more so he was coming down from a surprise adrenaline spike and now was irritated for having to feel that sort of fear towards someone seemingly harmless.

He really didn’t register the knife until after it had been put down, and Aiden let out a small sigh of relief that Max was not the type to see and stab without a second thought. He managed to get to his feet, shaking his head to get rid of the rest of the dizziness and looked around.

“Wait, your apartment?” he asked, taking in the interior. He definitely knew that it wasn’t his own apartment, but he had no idea that this was Max’s. “I didn’t know you lived here.”

Aiden let out a considering hum, rubbing the back of his head, before refocusing on the actual question that he’d been asked. “I swear, I’m not actually breaking in,” he explained. “I live in this building too, and I got locked out? So I decided to try and get in through the window. Must have miscounted though, because I thought this was mine.”

[withgravityandtime-blog]

The Harrison Manifesto

To the Citizens of Newhaven:

Below you shall find an outline through which I plan to guide Newhaven if you all grant me the honor of the Mayoral position.

Any and all points listed below are, of course, within your right as an active citizen of this great city to inquire about and input insight. I am here to be your Mayor, first and foremost.

Here’s to a better tomorrow.

———

Vigilante Presence

Surely, one of the most controversial and talked about issues arising with this new election is the reaction towards Vigilantes within this great city. Now, I understand the fear and concern in regards to strangers jumping from rooftop to rooftop with their own agendas. I understand that with this presence comes a level of insecurity: if there are so many individuals working outside of the law to protect this city, then how can organized law inforcement be deemed respected? Where does the line start and stop?

Within my time as Mayor, I shall not bend to this fear. I disagree with Mr. Winsor I’m calling these Vigilantes urban enemies. Instead, I view them as necessary tools in keeping our wonderful city safe. As such, I move to encorporate the brave men and women at NCPD with these off-the-grid heroes. It is no surprise to anyone that the police cannot be everywhere at once, nor that those on the force should nor could stay up at all hours waiting for crime to strike. What, then, is the harm of voluntarily reaching out to those who are already taking it upon themselves to keep a watchful eye on their fellow citizens and asking if they would choose to work towards a common goal? Instead of instilling fear within and around those identifying as vigilantes, I move initiate understanding and cooperation. Making these Vigilantes public enemies only insights more violence, more destruction, and a culture in which people are afraid of doing the right thing if they feel it is not what those in power would want them to do.

Under my mayoral guidance, and this initiative to intergrate instead of segregate, Newhaven will move to be safer than ever.

Gentrification and Development

For the entirety of my professional career up until now, I have worked as an architect for this great city. I, more than anyone, understand the appeal and seeming necessity to constantly move towards improving Newhaven within every district. Safety and a better quality of life should be one of the main concerns of any man, woman, or non-binary individual in power.

What I think the current mayor forgets on this journey towards bettering Newhaven, however, is the people within the very districts he wants to revamp. Through the gentrification of corners of our city like the Basement, we are of course moving for building safer structures, introducing business to lower-income communities, and ensuring the streets here are just as safe as those within a more prosperous area of he city. But Mayor Winsor seemingly purposefully forgets that, to a certain capacity, full-on gentrification can isolate the lower class to an even lower economic standing. Coming into communities and replacing a beloved mom-and-pop shop with a corporate juice bar may, theoretically, pique the interest of those living outside of the Basement, but in doing so strips away Newhaven pride, our culture, and the livelihood of the very citizens for which we are bettering this city.

I move that, in the process of renovating our streets, we finally give those who live within those communities a voice. Polling processes, community meetings, and streamlined communication will, under my time as Mayor, connect higher-ups with the people on the ground in a truly democratic way. At last, Newhaven citizens will get a say before places they love are theoretically stripped away from them. We will hear their voice when they cry out for higher security in lower-income public schools, or for an influx in medical clinics focused around addiction and mental health. I will not scoff at desired for higher-quality shelters for our homeless and downtrodden.

In short, I want to be a mayor of the people first, and profit second.

Environmental Impact

As previously stated, I often see our great city through an architectural lens. As such, I cannot help but find issue in the sheer level of waste Newhaven unnecessarily produces. Under my leadership, I will do my best to enact initiatives to (forgive the joke) Make Newhaven Green Again. Solar paneling, where applicable, should be installed to replace typical electric consumption, as well as insolation that keeps buildings warm or breathable, depending on the season, in an environmentally friendly manner. Mayor Winsor has plans for Newhaven’s Harbor, I understand. Why not also take advantage of hydroelectricity in nearby buildings? Incorporation of green-topped buildings would not only lead to an influx in local agriculture, but will also boost the local economy and bring a new level of natural aesthetic to Newhaven’s skyline.

This is a city in which I — we — want future generations to thrive. One of the first steps is making sure Newhaven isn’t a city of smog and pollution, and thereby inhabitable when that time comes.

Movements for Equality

Somehow, I feel as though the following notions should fall under common sense. But, for the sake of covering bases, I shall state them anyway.

Within Newhaven, those who menstruate should not worry about breaking the bank in order to supply themselves with necessary protection. On the contrary, I move to impose a Free Period Act, making products like pads and tampons free of charge to those who need them. If we can afford to hand out condoms for free — which I still say we should, for the record — we can absolutely afford to do so regarding materials for a nonvoluntary, completely natural and normal phenomena.

On a professional front, I will make sure no woman, person of color, or disabled individual gets paid any less than their male, white, and/or able-bodied counterpart for the same job. Sure, this is a national law in place already, but to say that such discrimination does not happen regardless would be naive and careless. From and corporate to local level, I move to crack down on payment equality. It is what a great city like Newhaven deserves.

Institutions like Planned Parenthood will not fear the closing of their doors under my watch. Safe sexual education and safe, legal pregnancy options are imperative to a healthy and happy city. Thinking otherwise only damages a community as a whole.

And of course, the rights and safety of those in the LGBTQAI+ community (I have heard also the GSM community, standing for gender and sexuality minority? Please inform me if I am misspelling) will never come into question with me as Mayor. Love is love is love and all that, and nobody within Newhaven should have to worry about being looked down upon for expressing the gender in which they identify, both in a social and professional setting. Discrimination of any kind based on who someone is or who they love will not stand.

Of course, I am a white man. I will never, fully, understand everything that those with less privlege than I go through. Therefore, if there is anything that I have missed within this category, please feel free to contact me and enlighten me. I am here for you, always.

Conclusion

If it hadn’t been made clear already: I plan to be a mayor of the people. I would, if you will let me, like to lead the citizens of Newhaven with open channels of communication and with input from all. I want nothing more than for our beloved city to be safe, happy, and prosperous.

Hopefully, when the time to vote comes, you all will allow me to serve you. For any critiques or questions, feel free to contact me. You will not get a representative on the other line; you will hear my voice, as I will hear yours.

Once again, here is to a better tomorrow.

Sincerely Yours,

Maxwell Harrison

[withgravityandtime-blog]

To the Beloved Citizens of Newhaven:

As many of you have become acutely aware, we of Newhaven now live in a trying time. Not only do we walk our hallowed streets with a constant fear of invasion, of destruction, and of crime, but we also find ourselves trekking amongst a closeted oligarchy. For years, our local government has ran, unopposed, with inefficient leadership stringing along nearly-negligent reinforcement. Now, I am not a man of confrontational background. Quite the contrary, in fact. But I have sat by and let tragedy linger in this city for too long. Today, I put my foot down.

In the year 2018, I was but a fellow citizen, like all of you. I went to work, building the buildings many of you reside in and work inside of. This all changed when the super villians terrorizing our city came barging in: Mainframe, to be specific. WIth his unchecked technology and NCPD’s negligence, my wife and daughter were taken from me. I had to watch them die in front of me because the systems set in place to protect them failed.

I am not saying I’ve taken justice into my own hands; as I’ve said, I am usually very non-confrontational. But I also know that those who have, these Vigilantes Mayor Winsor chooses to villainize, have made it so fewer Newhaven residence have to brace themselves for the tragedy I once faced. They are doing what must be done for this city. Now it is my turn.

With your absolute permission, I put my hat in the ring, announcing my candidacy for Mayor in this upcoming election. I know many of you do not know me. Perhaps that is for the better, for I am just that: one of you. I will not stand by as rights are taken away so that I may live more comfortably. I will not allow our authorities to slack off and point their fingers and guns at those who, too, are trying to keep us all safe. Instead, I shall move to stoke an alliance between Vigilante and Policeman alike. I will further the cleaning of this city without compromising the wellfare of those of lower economic class.

Newhaven is a city in dire need of taking a breath, of stepping away from our tragic past and into the sun. If you’ll have me, I’d gladly be the man to help us all along.

Here’s to a better tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Maxwell Harrison

[withgravityandtime-blog]

Max had been sitting in his couch, watching Singing In the Rain for the umpteenth time, when he heard his window crack open. A window, he very suddenly remembered, that was supposed to be locked.

Immediately, he got up, found the nearest sharp thing -- a cooking knife -- and pointed it at the body that tumbled in. It was only when he managed to turn on the light that he recognized a mop of dark curls. Hadn’t this been the guy that accidentally spilled coffee all over him? And had gotten kidnapped at the hotel? Why was it he was always doing something vaguely dangerous when Max was around?

Sighing, acutely annoyed, Max put the knife down on the kitchen counter. “Jesus fucking Christ, kid,” he swore, wiping a hand down his face. “What the hell are you doing breaking into my apartment?” It wasn’t exactly that he was mad, per se. No, more so he was coming down from a surprise adrenaline spike and now was irritated for having to feel that sort of fear towards someone seemingly harmless.

Do I Live Here? [Max + Aiden]

@maxdownfall

There were days that Aiden really, really wished that he wasn’t so distracted. He’d been planning on waiting for Jaimie to come home from his shift, but after remembering that his roommate had told him he’d be home late, Aiden had decided that it would be a great idea to just scale the apartment building and climb in through the window.

He’d forgotten his keys, a mistake that he was deeply regretting as he struggled to open the window from the outside. He could have sworn that he kept the window unlocked. It was hard enough finding the right window at night. No need to make it more difficult for himself.

Eventually, he managed to slide the window open, tumbling into the apartment with absolutely zero grace or flair, sitting up to look at his surroundings.

It was then that he realized that this was not his apartment. It was either that, or Jaimie suddenly decided to renovate in the three hours that Aiden had gone out. As his brain settled down from the confusion, he realized that he was not alone in the room, and he grinned at the semi-familiar face.

“Well I have to say,” he greeted, waving from the ground. “This might be even worse than our last meeting.”

[withgravityandtime-blog]

🌕 🍩 📘

Does your muse remember their dreams?

“Not the nice ones, unfortunately.” He chuckled to try to keep the mood light; last thing he needed was to depress the young man. “Maybe I should try dream journaling. Is that something people still do?”

Does your muse have a sweet tooth?

“Sometimes.” Thank God Bo wasn’t too much of the prying-into-deep-questions type. “Mostly late at night is when I crave ice cream. Otherwise, I’m more of a salty snack person.” He shrugged, settling back into his chair. “Why? Trying to bribe me with sweets, Mr. Abrams?”

Does your muse like to read? If so, what’s their favorite genre of literature?

“Yes, I do. Reading keeps the brain young, you know.” He reached into his messenger bag, pulled out his Kindle as if he were showing evidence. “Recently, I’ve been getting into memoirs. I’m in the midst of one called Beautiful Boy and...” For a second, words caught in his throat. This particular memoir was about a father grappling with his son’s addiction, the fear of losing him. The need to protect his child at all costs. “Sometimes it’s good to know that people have felt the same things you have...”

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🌑🌈🗣️

Does your muse have nightmares? If so, how often?

Max was doing the jaw-clenching thing again, his whole body going tense. “Yes,” he started, trying to be as curt as humanly possible. “Almost every night, if you absolutely must know.” Not that he thought this man did. “Can we please discuss something else?

What’s your muse’s hopes and dreams?

“I...” Why was this man suddenly trying to get to the core of him? “A sense of normalcy would be nice.” Says the guy who goes out at night and hunts down criminals, but hey. “Anything else would be... Too much to hope for, I think.”

((Other question already answered!))

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🛀🗣️

What does your muse do to relax?

Max wanted to laugh at that. Relax?? When was the last time he relaxed? He tried to think. What made it so he didn’t clench his jaw hard enough to practically break his teeth? “Sometimes, if it’s late, I’ll put on an old movie and get takeout,” he mused, not really looking at the woman asking the question. She was a nurse, after all. Was he showing that many signs of stress? “Otherwise... I’m not sure, Nurse Winsor. Perhaps longer showers than usual? Reading?” Jesus, what was he, sixty?

Does your muse find it easy to talk to new people?

His first instinct was a resounding hell no, but being that brash didn’t seem fair. “I can if I have to,” he explained, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “But I’d rather prefer it if I didn’t, well, have to.” Funny enough, he was quite the introvert, despite doing seminars and having to talk constantly with builders and others involved in making building blueprints a reality. But work had a script. Socializing did not.

[withgravityandtime-blog]

((This thread is now CLOSED.))

Barmate ;; (Open Starter)

Max never really went out much, at least not for social reasons. Maybe he’d gotten used to secluded nights, hunched over his work desk drawing plans. Perhaps the more introverted side of him was starting to win over his ambiversion as he got older. Most conceivably though, and Max felt fully aware of this, he was letting his more inconspicuous activities get to him. It was weighing him down, as much as he hated the accurate pun. So, damn it all, he deserved a drink.

His feet lead him to the Beacon; it was already getting rather late, and the last thing he wanted was to catch a scrap in Oldhaven. Frankly, Max felt too damn tired for that tonight. So he made himself comfortable on the bar stool, ordered a whisky: straight, light on the rocks. Simple.

Maybe he was turning into a bit of a curmudgeon, but Max nearly relished in the momentary solitude in a crowded place, liked his ability to just sit and sulk. That was, of course, until someone decided to sit directly next to him at the bar.

He bristled, took a deep breath so that he didn’t push the bar stool he was sitting on into the floor. This was a stranger. Annoyingly, he had to be at least a little polite. “Mind giving a guy some room?” He asked, trying his damnedest to keep his voice even. “Unless you get off talking to strangers,” he tacked on, sotto voce.

[withgravityandtime-blog]

Max, despite himself, chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm and his... Thorough condiment-bringing. “Thank you, Mr. Abrams. I usually take my coffee black, so you were right. Good observation.” He lifted the caffeinated beverage at the boy almost like a salute before blowing on it and taking a sip. “Whether or not I have seminars is up to the school board, not me, unfortunately. If there are more students like you that are interested, however, I’m sure they’ll work something out.”

He checked his watch, furrowed his brow. “Don’t you have class soon, Bo?” He raised one of said eyebrows, almost a playful poke in the side. “Last thing you need is a written tardy.”

maxdownfall·:

Max could feel the oncoming headache from a mile away. Okay, it was going to be one of these technicalities. He pulled a left into the building and towards the coffee shop. “I appreciate your passion for this topic,” he mused, finding a two-person table at which to sit. He tried to ignore the pang in his chest at the notion of ‘general damage’.

“You nearly answered your own question, Mr. Abrams. Circles are stronger than triangles, yes, but not necessarily semi-circles. The tension that comes from a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree structure gets negated when cut in half. Furthermore, it is much cheaper to invest in straight metal than it is to pay someone to curve it perfectly.” Was he dumbing this down? Yes, a little. But layman’s terms always seemed to work better than when he went into architectural jargon. “Not to mention it’s less time consuming, and time is money, as they say. That said, if there were a time and cost effective way to produce circular material at any conceivable scale, I’m sure we would be implementing that all across Newhaven.”

Finally, Max sighed, fully settled into his chair. “And around now is the time I need that caffeine.”

Bo had only barely gotten his notebook out by the time Professor Harrison was talking. He hummed in understanding as the various drawbacks of circles in practice were outline. He wondered if having people from the Guild or even those outside it who were powered could shift the trends of construction and made a small note in the margin. “That does make sense,” he mused as he sighed.

“Of course, I’ll be right back,” he shot up with a grin and made his way to the front of the line. He didn’t actually know what kind of coffee the Professor liked, but it never hurt to go with black and bring both milk and sugar, right? He stumbled a bit on the way back to the table when his foot caught on the strap of someone’s bag. A quick apology later and he was bundling back into his seat.

“This is yours,” he mumbled as he slid the cup over. “And so are these!” he finished brightly, dumping the sugar and cream packets in a pile. “I forgot to ask what you wanted first, sorry.” The grin stayed in place even as he apologized. He pursed his lips as he glanced over his notes again. “Well that actually covers most of the other questions indirectly… Do you think you’ll do another seminar like that? I can’t really take a focused course on the subject right now, but I find it interesting since it has so many practical uses. It’s so much better than the math I’m stuck in right now.”

[withgravityandtime-blog]

“Maybe they would have been, but quite frankly, I’m relieved you weren’t there. I can handle getting hurt myself. But if you were with me and you had gotten injured, I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself.”

The What-Ifs || Box

@maxdownfall

“I can’t stop thinking about you, not matter how hard I try not to.”

Max sighed, wiping a hand down his face. “Mr. Abrams, I assure you, you’ve done nothing wrong. My getting stuck in the elevator was because of nothing you did. It’s all right.”

“Well, in the literal sense of course not, but you know… I just feel like, maybe things would have gone differently if you hadn’t been alone? You were injured and I wasn’t even there to see how it happened!”

[withgravityandtime-blog]

Max could feel the oncoming headache from a mile away. Okay, it was going to be one of these technicalities. He pulled a left into the building and towards the coffee shop. “I appreciate your passion for this topic,” he mused, finding a two-person table at which to sit. He tried to ignore the pang in his chest at the notion of ‘general damage’.

“You nearly answered your own question, Mr. Abrams. Circles are stronger than triangles, yes, but not necessarily semi-circles. The tension that comes from a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree structure gets negated when cut in half. Furthermore, it is much cheaper to invest in straight metal than it is to pay someone to curve it perfectly.” Was he dumbing this down? Yes, a little. But layman’s terms always seemed to work better than when he went into architectural jargon. “Not to mention it’s less time consuming, and time is money, as they say. That said, if there were a time and cost effective way to produce circular material at any conceivable scale, I’m sure we would be implementing that all across Newhaven.”

Finally, Max sighed, fully settled into his chair. “And around now is the time I need that caffeine.”