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monstrousmuse · 2 months

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I am not sure if anyone here has already made this connection or pointed this out (apologies if so), but while doing some research into Flatland/the 11 dimensions the other day, I discovered something pretty interesting…

…

In the ‘Book of Bill’ announcement video, as well as distorted, synthesised background music and the Morse Code (which has already been deciphered), we can also hear several lines of spoken dialogue, the first of which being the line: “some other mystic dimension”.

Timestamp: 0:04

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Now, this line already raises several questions - which ‘dimension’ is being referring to here? And why is it considered to be ‘mystic(al)’? Well, we don’t have a definite answer to either of those questions just yet, but if you will humour me for a moment, I have a few suggestions. Either this ‘other mystic dimension’ could be referring to Bill’s own homeland, the Second Dimension (which would naturally be considered ‘other’, ‘mystic’ and generally unfamiliar to us, the readers), or perhaps, it is referring to the Third Dimension itself, or what is known as Spaceland (Height/Up) in Abbott’s novella. I think the latter to be far more likely, especially with what I am about to show you. This is where my excessive YouTube deep-diving habits came in useful.

…

During my research quest, I stumbled upon this video of the famous astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan (take note of this name) explaining the concept of the Fourth Dimension, as well as other Flatland-adjacent things. And lo and behold, at 4:37, what do we hear?

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“And the poor Square has to say: ‘Well, I was in some other mystic dimension called Up…”

Yes, that’s right. The exact words that were used in the promo video.

To provide you some context, here Sagan is recounting the experience of A Square who, with the guidance and revelations of A Sphere, has just returned from a recent foray into the Third Dimension, and is trying to explain his sudden disappearance and newfound knowledge of Height to his friends. So saying, it is likely that the ‘other mystic dimension’ being referred to in the BoB video is in fact, the Third Dimension, since this is a book that has been written from Bill’s perspective, and it seems that he will be filling in the role of A Square in this narrative, discovering the Secrets Of The Universe and all. Although, I must emphasise that this is still just speculation on my part, based on the assumption that Bill’s backstory will be pretty similar to, if not a direct retelling of Flatland:

“Flat minds in a flat world with flat dreams.”

Who knows, Alex Hirsch may just subvert our expectations entirely.

“I liberated my dimension (…)” / “Saw his own dimension burn. Misses home and can’t return.”

…

Anyway, I have another little piece of the puzzle to share. The line spoken in the announcement video isn’t merely a word-for-word recreation of what Carl Sagan said, It is Carl Sagan. They used a direct clip from an episode of Cosmos. This has me giddy with excitement, because Carl Sagan, a man with much notoriety within the scientific community, and many achievements and accolades to his name, is known to be one of Ford’s scientific idols.

The level of detail in this show, and I guess now in its extended literary canon’s advertisement material, is insane. Do with this information what you will. Perhaps there’s a connection here that will be expounded upon in the book. Perhaps it’s just a cool reference. Even so, it is a very intriguing one nonetheless, especially with the tie-ins to Flatland, theoretical physics and Ford’s hero-worshipping. It’s clearly intentional.

…

(If anyone is interested, here is an excellent meta which provides a very detailed exploration and analysis of Ford’s respective connections to Sagan and Tesla.)

#gravity falls #stanford pines #ford pines #bill cipher #bill cipher analysis #the book of bill #book of bill #carl sagan #flatland #flatland: a romance of many dimensions #edwin abbott abbott #second dimension #third dimension #gravity falls analysis #gravity falls meta

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proxylynn · 8 months

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In Broken Colors universe the city where MC lives would be messed up anyway even if Damon and DG wouldn't exist?

[Damon and DG aren't the problems, them going away doesn't stop bad things from happening. So yes, the city would still be messed up if they were gone. It's the same as with humans. There is no removing a bad seed to fix everything.]

{From BlasticHeart's toyhou.se page that explains the BC world.}

"The characters who live in the universe of Br<3ken Colors are called Huev��ri/ Huevari [pronounced hyoo-vari], a species whose physical attributes can be compared with stickfigures. Over time it became more common to see them with different head shapes and body types too. They're also known to have special powers or abilities and those who don't have any are sometimes looked down upon. Their eyes, tongues and private parts share the same color (any color is possible).

Hueväri tend to have fragile minds, which can result in them becoming quickly unstable and dangerous if left untreated. But that depends on each individual, some are better at handling their urges and emotions than others. This may also indicate that they descended from an originally more aggressive species. Even the most kindhearted person can commit horrific crimes overnight but not everyone will admit it or is aware of it.

The police department recommends not to walk alone at night and to be home at a reasonable time - an advice that is often laughed at by several gangs in the city, who became more violent recently."

#ask op #broken colors #br0ken colors #br<3ken colors

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ofoceansandtombsanew · 1 year

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How TWST Charas Love (As Told By Tarot) | Scarabia + Savanaclaw

tags: gn!reader, headcanons, tarot

a/n: it’s about time i start writing for the dudes in twisted wonderland. i got some ideas swirling in my head, but the easiest and funnest are always doing the tarot headcanons since every reading is so different. there’s too many characters to do this in one post, so this is gonna be spread out across several. anyway, sup twst writing community, happy to join you guys

deck: true black tarot

kalim

the star, the hierophant, nine of cups, nine of pentacles

you want for nothing if you are loved by kalim. whether it’s smothering your faces with kisses when you’re sick or whisking you away for an impromptu ride on a magic carpet anywhere in the isle of the sages, kalim is aware he has a blessed life and he wishes to share that life with you wholly. a family, kalim wants to incorporate you in all of his families and vice versa. while at school, the whole of scarabia is your family. your family is his family. and, of course, kalim’s exceedingly large family is yours for as long as you’ll have him. kalim chooses to believe in the good of the world and trusts that in spite of the bad, the world will give back what it receives. he believes meeting you is no different and returns the world’s generosity in full in how much effort he puts into maintaining your relationship. he’s more than your boyfriend, he’s one of your best friends. someone you can dance with when you’re happy, someone you can lean on when you’re not at your strongest and he knows that he can trust you to be the same for him. in the rare chance he hasn’t thought of marriage, his parents definitely have plans to add you to the family.

jamil

the lovers, four of pentacles, anant, seven of cups

if you were to ask jamil whether or not he believes in the concept of soulmates, he’d probably scoff. “are you seriously asking me that?” that’s a childish concept kalim and najma would believe in, not someone like himー but his actions say otherwise. the man is a romantic, a hopeless one at that. while your relationship might have started with you initially being a pawn in jamil’s game of currying favor among the student body, true feelings developed on his part. romance was the last thing on jamil’s list of priorities and yet him being with you just makes sense, like a law of the universe. the cycle of the universe is one cyclical in nature, what happens once will surely happen again and jamil doesn’t doubt your relationship works the same way. this life into the next. he still wishes to make a name for himself yes, but the thought of a domestic life with you in tandem with those hypothetical accomplishments isn’t far from his mind either. but this aspect of jamil stays strictly between the both of you. he wouldn’t be able to live it down if others knew about this side of himself.

leona

five of pentacles, four of swords, the fool, ace of cups

getting together with leona was needlessly hard in the beginning for the man refused to acknowledge the feelings he had for you. he outright rejected them. wanting things in the past regardless of how hard he worked for them never worked in the past, why would they in the present? it took serious reflection and (unwanted but needed) advice from his friends to take the steps to accept how he felt and move forward. a relationship of this nature is new territory for leona but blind as he might be, he walks forward with confidence. he isn’t the best at words but he shows he loves you in his actions. in how he holds your hand when you’re scared, in the small but warm smile he wears when he sees your victories and in how he drags you out to the botanical garden for a nap if you’re working well-beyond your limits. those moments with you comfort him as much as he hopes they comfort you. despite his gruffness, leona is a thoughtful lover and he pays attention to you more than you initially think. don’t be surprised if you off-handedly mention something you’d like to what you think is an inattentive boyfriend. a week later, leona will present it to you nonchalantly and raise an eyebrow when you look surprised. of course he listens to you when you ramble, dork.

ruggie

page of pentacles, queen of pentacles, the hanged man, justice

looking out for number 1 might come naturally to ruggie, but he is surprisingly mature and knowledgeable with matters of the heart. as such, he surrenders easily to his feelings when he is aware of them and doesn’t hesitate to tell you how he feels. as far as he saw it at the time, he could either come to terms with things and ask you out and know if you feel the same way. or he could fight it and end up losing his chance to be with you because someone else with their shit together asked you out first. it was a pretty clear choice. ruggie prides himself in being dependable as your boyfriend and enjoys doting on you as much as he enjoys teasing. ruggie might poke fun at your room being messy but he is already rolling his arms up to sweep as he speaks. ruggie is well aware that there are plenty of people out there who have him beat in certain areas, but ruggie also knows there are plenty of things that he does excellently. while your own acknowledgement of those things isn’t necessary, it pleases him nonetheless. he might not be able to give you bundles of extravagant gifts, but he is able to get you plenty with his skills at haggling.

jack

queen of swords, knight of wands, the chariot, king of swords

another one who is pretty in-tune with his emotions and doesn’t hesitate to tell you how he feels. what’s the point in lying to you or himself about how he feels? when you look good, he says it. when you look like you’re having a rough time, jack says he might not be able to make your troubles go away but he’ll try. his honesty is endearing most of the time. jack tells it to you straight, good, bad and in between. he wants you to feel this way as well. if there’s a problem with the relationship, how is he supposed to fix it if you don’t tell him anything? jack says things bluntly, but he will find ways to soften his words if he sees that certain levels of bluntness hurt you. surprisingly not against pda; if you’re within an arm’s reach, jack will have an arm around you to hold you close. it’s not so much about letting everyone in a three mile radius know you’re taken ーwell part of it isー he just enjoys feeling you close and smelling your scent. jack wouldn’t call himself prince charming or anything, but he quick to come to your ‘rescue’ even if he knows you can handle yourself. 2 against however many is a lot better than just 1, just know that jack is your backup.

#look she's writing #headcanons #tarot #twst #twst x reader #kalim x reader #jamil x reader #leona x reader #ruggie x reader #jack x reader #twisted wonderland has me in a vice grip rn in terms of some brainrot so y'all get to have this #looks like i gotta update the fandom masterlist again soon lol

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crystal-crax · 10 months

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-Miguel O'Hara Rant

The weight of the world on his shoulders

OH IT'S TIME

Time to share my thoughts that absolutely nobody asked for

So, Miguel Ohara. What's his deal right? Man singlehandendly caused the whole internet to break and thirst for this unhinged man.

But his character is so much more, complex. GOD it's so hard to even describe it, and that's cool but i see some people already theorizing about "his true intentions".

NOT THAT THE THEORIES AREN'T COOL. But people suddenly expecting for a secret twist that ranks him as the "absolute villain" over the spot is well, somewhat weird to me.

Because the thing is, Miguel is no villain, he's more antagonistic if anything (and YES there's a difference and yes I'll write about it later lmao).

We've grown accustomed to twist villains, so we take any complex character and try to pull a card from under the table (like people expecting Lyla to secretly be the one controlling Miguel's actions and is tricking him or something idk - THE CONCEPT IS AMAZING TO READ ABOUT THOUGH, YOU GO GUYS, YOU ARE AMAZING AND I LOVE Y'ALL).

But the conversartion about Miguel's character starts to drift away a little once the theme starts to be more like: "Omg what if Miguel is brain-washing the other spiders into believing he's a good guy by lying about his story so everyone empathizes with him and they ultimately destroy the spiderverse altogether"

And yes THE DARK! MIGUEL CONCEPT IS AMAZING, I LOVE SEEING THAT MAN UNHINGED AND K WORD EVERYONE AND, YOU GUYS WRITE IT SO GOOD????? I LOVE YOU ALL???????

BUT, i don't think think Miguel is lying, at least not intentionally. If anything, he's lying to himself quite hard.

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There's just something... wrong about his canon theory and "the death of the universe" mumbo jumbo.

1st hint: He blankly compares his own actions; literally TAKING THE IDENTITY OF A DEAD MAN TO RAISE HIS OTHER UNIVERSE'S DAUGHTER MAN WTF, QUITE LITERALLY DISRUPTING THE BALANCE OF THE WORLD BC HELLO YOU'RE SUPOSSED TO BE DEAD HERE-, to the spot attacking Pav's universe.

So, something is definately wrong, right? The movie shows us so. We're basically Miles inside the story, we know that the destruction of Mumbattan started before Miles even disrupted the "canon event", we saw the spot leave one of his portal spot thingies behind to destroy Pav's universe from within. And the way it's happening, looks nothing like Miguel's demonstration of a universe dying.

But Miguel wasn't there with us, he just knows someone disrupted a canon event, and the universe is about to collapse.

Sure, one could say "maybe, it's basically happening because the captain didn't die, maybe it was the spot but still the universe it's disappearing because of it anyway so Miguel is essentially right and -"

AND then it clicks, that's how Miguel is exactly thinking.

It doesn't matter if it's not like how it happened to Gabriella's universe, the universe it's collapsing so it's essentially the same thing, right? And that's exactly how a man with severe "universe collapsing" PTSD would think.

Yes, Miguel is deeply traumatized by the consequences of his actions.

For those that are familiar with his base story. This man has gone through it. But he saw himself; in another life, happy, with a family, he wasn't suffering, he wanted that too, so he took comfort on it, because if a version of you can be happy, well you can at least try, right?

But oh no, the fantasy died, he died. Was he not meant to be hapy? Was every version of himself meant to lose everything and become a tragic tale? Was it really all that's to his story?

So, he holds onto the last piece of hope he had and decides to freaking replace his dead self and raise his alternate reality's daughter.

No shit he caused the universe to collapse, right? He stayed too long (and Miguel might be a Genius and all but not even he can just, stop the order of the universe with a fancy watch), he kept the memory of a dead man quite literally alive. And that cost him EVERYTHING.

And what does he do next? Man just latches onto another safe net: "i changed the canon, so the universe died" <- MAN IS TRYING TO MAKE IT A SPIDERMAN THING.

And yes i might be a little to harsh here but well, he's essentially escaping the full pain of the consequences of his actions

"I may have interefered with a natural force but it was essentially the canon being broken so that must've been it"

WHAT CANON DID YOU EXACTLY BREAK MAN? Was Gabriella meant to grow up and become spider-woman? Was this her uncle ben/being an orphan moment? Was Miguel spiderman there too? Was he meant to die so a new spiderman could take the mantle? Was he not spiderman there? Was there another spiderman/woman in that universe? What did Miguel do for him to assume that he broke "the spiderman canon"?

Well, we don't know.

And he's adamant about not even trying to prove or explain his theory further as well. And he's not going to allow anybody to even try to prove him right or wrong.

2nd hint: Why are the universal effects not the same? If Pav's universe is dying bc of the canon, why was the destruction of it faster than Gabriella's universe? Why didn't Gwen's universe didn't die as soon her father resigned from being a captain? Heck, why didn't Gwen's universe die when she left? She left her universe unprotected, there was no spider-woman there.

But Miguel stands his ground, he's right and everyone else is wrong. Because he needs to be right.

Because if he's not, then he killed an entire universe because of his selfish desires of happiness...something that he doesn't even believe himself to deserve to want.

And that's what makes his story so...deeply tragic and enticing. He's a hurt man that pushes any helping hand away, because his mind and heart are not ready to process the whole weight of what he's feeling.

He has taken control over everyone's story because he desperately needs everything in control. He can't allow another mistake that might lead another universe full of innocent people to disappear.

Conclusion: He sees himself in Miles and he absolutely hates it.

He also knows what it is to want your story to be different, to be willing to do anything to be happy and protect something/someone you care about.

And wouldn't it hurt more if Miles gets his happy ending? If Miles is right and nothing happens after he saves his dad, then the canon is basically a useless theory that he made up to find comfort, and he doomed his daughter's reality because he needed to be happy.

He needs to be right, because if he's not, what else does he have?

"We're supposed to be the good guys"

"We are"

#earth 1610 miles #Miguel O'hara #atsv #across the spiderverse #into the spider verse #thanks for coming to my rant #thanks for coming to my ted talk #THIS IS SO LONG AND IT BASICALLY DOESN'T GO ANYWHERE AND IT DOESN'T MATTER BUT I WANTED TO SHARE IT ALRIGHT?#pavitr my beloved #spider gwen

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themattress · 4 months

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I just felt like making an official "mea culpa" post for Kazushige Nojima.

For years, I have been on this man's case for the way that KH2's Scenario turned out: a good story that got placed in the creakiest, wobbliest frame imaginable, which is in stark contrast to how solidly KH1 and CoM's scenarios held together. And let's make this clear: he is not in any way blameless for the flaws in KH2's Scenario; this fact still holds true. But with that said....

He is absolutely the least at fault between him, Masaru Oka and Tetsuya Nomura.

Did he not represent Nomura's Base Story and concept the best he could have, and frequently mischaracterize Sora, Riku and Kairi? Yes. But the bigger fault here lies with Nomura being terrible at communication, something that is consistent whether it be with his own employees, his higher-ups, interviewers, and even the audience. Hell, he's admitted that even he can't keep his own shit straight in his own head! So how could Nojima realistically be expected to turn out a flawless Scenario according to Nomura's desires when Nomura's desires are so convoluted yet vaguely expressed that Nojima reasonably has no idea what the Hell he's even talking about? As I recall once bringing up before, Nomura couldn't even convey how the central threat of Xemnas manifesting Kingdom Hearts worked, so having it be a large moon in the sky ala KH1's cover art was Nojima's idea of how to make it work. Similarly, as an artist by trade who cares the most about aesthetics, Nomura doubtlessly only had Sora, Riku and Kairi described in the most basic of ways with their most surface level traits, leading Nojima to default on writing them like previous characters he's written that share those traits (Tidus, Cloud and Rinoa respectively) rather than as fully organic continuations as to who they were in KH1. And hey, at least they still felt mostly like themselves anyway due to Daisuke Watanabe being on hand to help in the Scenario construction (the part before dialogue is scripted). So I can excuse Nojima on all this.

Then there's the Disney worlds. I'm disappointed Nojima couldn't find a way to link all of the world visits' stories closer to the main plot, but the onus for this still largely lies with Oka, as he could have made all of the world visits' stories linked to the main plot to start with and he didn't. Furthermore, Nojima honestly did the best he could with the several lackluster revisits. His dialogue, character writing and battle staging honestly helped them be far more tolerable than they would have been otherwise based solely on Oka's plotting. There are some great moments in these revisits that only exist thanks to Nojima, and he deserves credit for that.

Even Nojima's three biggest blunders aren't wholly his fault. Yeah, his Cloud/Sephiroth/Tifa story arc sucked and always would have since he was just writing it to promote Advent Children than advance anything in the KH universe, but it might have been better had Nomura not edited it into being vaguer and having less input from Sora, Donald and Goofy.

Yeah, him neglecting to provide a proper reason why the world revisits happen instead of just rushing to Twilight Town to follow up on the clues Riku left behind is stupid, but Nomura clearly caught this error and instead of having it corrected through gameplay in the most obvious way - the Dreadnought fleet blocking Twilight Town off right away with no way to engage it until the Space Paranoids revisit - he put in these dumb sequences of Chip and Dale claiming Sora going around helping people in revisits makes a scan reading of the Organization's base and its connection to Twilight Town more visible even when once the main story resumes this never gets brought up and the heroes act like they're here due to Riku's clues. Nomura is the game's director, so the buck ultimately stops with him here.

And yeah, him giving so many "Telling, Not Showing" scenes, particularly at the midpoint of the game and in a way that shafts certain character arcs like Ansem the Wise's, is bad, but not only could Oka have tried to make these scenes more engaging through his event direction and he simply didn't (a problem he will continue to have across the whole series), but remember that Daisuke Watanabe and Harunori Sakemi were helping construct the rough draft of the Scenario before it became a full-on script. Why couldn't they have done something about it? So then why couldn't they have given Ansem the Wise more scenes where we get to see his change transpire? And again, Nomura is the director. He edited out a lot in the Cloud/Sephiroth/Tifa story arc. Why didn't he make the requisite edits to all the clunkily written expository scenes? Nojima screwed up because everyone allowed him to!

Lastly, the net positives he provided outweigh the negatives. The character dialogue and interactions; the intentional humor, heart and dramatic weight; the game's universe feeling like a cohesive whole; the superbly staged boss battles; and all sorts of little things like the thematic connections he weaves between all the worlds even if they aren't plot-relevant, the small moments that say so much without saying much at all like the scenes with Roxas and Sora involving the Twilight Town train, and the incredibly precise choice of words that will hit hard emotionally like "You're home" being what we close on before the credits....it's fantastic.

Thank you, Nojima-san. You were never the best...but you were never the worst, either.

#Disney #Square Enix #Kingdom Hearts #Kingdom Hearts II #Kazushige Nojima #Opinion #Analysis #Defense #Truthbomb #Anti-Nomura #Anti-Tetsuya Nomura #Anti-Masaru Oka #This has been a PSA

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writerman · 4 months

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Painting Over The Cracks

Hello! This story is for @exceptionally-unobservant who asked for something fluffy, domestic or angsty with Carlisle and Esme, so I kinda did all of that. This is for the @twilight-secret-gift-exchange which I have taken part in several years in a row and will continue to take part in until they either kick me out for requesting the same thing every year or they stop organising it. Anyway, enjoy!

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Painting Over The Cracks

Fandom: Twilight Word count: 1,663 Characters: Carlise, Esme and a cameo from Edward!

Carlisle had barely stepped through the door of his home when he was lovingly accosted by his wife, Esme, beaming as she took his coat from him and hurried him into their front room.

As he entered the room, he could see it was in disarray with dust sheets over the furniture and various colours of paint swatched onto one of the walls. Clearly, Esme had been busy redecorating for the coming year and Carlisle realised immediately he was required to be her decorating assistant for the evening.

He set down his work bag by the door and wandered over to the paint swatches, while he was always asked his opinion of the colours, he knew ultimately his decision was not truly considered. Once Esme had a vision it was hard to steer her onto another course.

“This one, is Pomegranate Seeds and this one,” She pointed at two swatches side by side, “Is Count The Ways, which do you think is better?” Esme turned to him; her dark hair was pulled back into a loose braid her a bandana covering the top of her head. She waited for his response for a moment before pointing at the two of the colours again.

Even with vampiric sight, Carlisle could see there was very little difference between the colours but was smart enough not to point such a detail out to her. Tilting his head to side as though taking time to consider each colour he wondered idly if this what other couples did on an evening?

“Maybe, that one?” The names were already lost to him, and he tried to work out which one he thought Esme liked the best, but she didn’t offer any response to his choice. Instead, she turned to the wall with her hands on her hips, her expression unreadable for a moment before she broke out into a smile and nodded.

“Yes, Pomegranate Seeds is the better colour, you’re right!” Nothing more was said, and Esme busied herself with finding the sample she had set down earlier, she didn’t notice Carlisle’s faint grimace at the colour.

Any variation of red made him feel uncomfortable but who was he to say anything about that when his beloved wife was so happy.

If he voiced such an opinion, it would upset her, she would understand, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to bring up his discomfort even if Esme had always reminded him that he should regardless of how small an issue it might be. It was important enough to him that he was thinking about it he should at least verbalise it.

With an unnecessary deep breath, Carlisle turned to Esme and was surprised to see her already watching him closely. There was concerned etched across her face and she took a seat on one of the armchairs covered in an old dust sheet.

“Something is bothering you; I know.” His ever-observant Esme, of course she had known something bothered him. How long had they been together why would he assume she didn’t know every facet of his personality; she knew him inside and out in such startling detail it felt, at times, that they shared one mind.

Esme, to Carlisle, was the sun, the embodiment of golden rays soaking into green grass, reflecting in cold and clear streams, and bringing the warmth of the universe to those who so desperately sought it out.

To love her was to respect her.

“I admit, I do not like the red, regardless of the shade.” His discomfort spoken into existence, and he watched when Esme’s shoulders drop with unveiled relief. “You don’t like the red?” Carlisle questioned as he moved toward her, then knelt before the armchair to look at her face to face.

“I do, I like the red, but I am reminded why you don’t. I’m sorry, my love.” It had slipped her mind; he could not fault Esme for forgetting. The first and last conversation they’d had about the subject had been such a long time ago.

Even as immortals, we cannot recall every detail of the past.

Esme reached out and smoothed a hand up his arm before gently squeezing his shoulder in silent apology. Even if she had not apologised, Carlisle could not conjure up any sort of vitriol for his wife it would surprise him if he could.

“Then, to remedy the issue we must find another colour, together.” With renewed enthusiasm, though tempered with some embarrassment still, she got to her feet and offered her hand to Carlisle to pull him up from his kneeling position on the floor.

“Perhaps, a more calming colour?” She began, releasing her soft grip from his hand and turning to walk over to the swatches on the wall. With an easy grace, Esme picked up a picture frame leaning against the same wall, that Carlisle had not noticed before, and hooked it back on the wall covering the red and turned back to him looking pleased.

“Just in case I change my mind with decorating at least we won’t see the rejected colours. Blue, blue might be better… grey?” Esme would be through the colour wheel in a matter of minutes if she continued and Carlisle was happy to let her, but he offered his own suggestion.

“Green?” It opened up many possibilities, but so did other colours, and yet Esme lit up at his offering and nodded- without a word she hurried off toward the kitchen. She returned seconds later with her laptop already opened to a page of paint samples.

Truly, he hoped that this was not a way to appease him for upset he did not feel, Esme did not have to do something for him to love her, she simply needed to exist, and it was enough. For her to be there and real and whole was all he needed.

There was part of him that wanted to berate himself for causing Esme to feel the way she did, though it was only assumption and so, once again, he spoke up. All of this over a shade of paint… he couldn’t conceive of it.

“It doesn’t have to be green; you don’t have to accommodate me. If that is what you’re doing, please do not do this for my sake.” His words came out soft, quiet but Esme had still heard him, of course she had.

“It isn’t all for you, but some of it might be. I do feel bad that I forgot something that caused you to hurt but I do genuinely like the colour green as an idea. Even if we don’t end up picking a shade, I think it’s a good place to start.

I love you, and I would never want to hurt you, but I’d never disrespect you by thinking I could just brush over your hurt by letting you pick a paint colour and assuming that would be enough. Would that not be like slapping a band aid on someone’s head when they had a headache? It would come off as an action proving you’re trying to help while not helping the issue at all.” She was right, what were actions if they did not come to a successful conclusion?

There would be no real resolution and Carlisle conceded to her point with a nod. There was no resolution in that moment for his strange anguish that plagued him like a nightmare. There was no logic in his fear triggered by a colour… at least, not to him.

While he understood it, he also really didn’t. Psychological issues were not his forte, and it never would be. The colour red raised such an adverse reaction in him and yet blood produced no feelings at all.

It was as if his brain had compartmentalised what was necessary as safe, and blood was necessary. Certain shades of red, however, were off the table and produced panic and fear where there was no danger.

One day he might understand but until then he would tuck it away and hope for the best. Not very doctor-like behaviour but weren’t people bad at taking their own advice?

In one fluid motion, Carlisle moved toward Esme and slid his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Things would be fine, they always were, until they weren’t, but he wasn’t worried.

They both took up residency on the dust sheet covered sofa and perused the website for colours, but ultimately did not come to a decision.

Such was life, lots of decisions to be made that were left by the wayside for more stimulating conversation, among other things. Carlisle had all the time in the world for mundane human experiences, whether it was picking paint or going to parent teacher meetings. He had surrounded himself with vibrant and interesting people that he had the pleasure to call family, even the mundane wasn’t ever all that boring, not to him.

Just as Esme stood to start removing dust sheets, Edward slouched in and raised his eyes from his boots with an almost bland look of surprise.

“Are we redecorating?” He glanced around the room at the protected furniture before turning his gaze to Esme and Carlisle, who, in unison shook their head before letting out gentle laughter and setting about removing sheets and folding them up without another word to Edward who was left mystified by the door.

The hurt was ever so slowly receding within Carlisle, bit by bit with the help of Esme as her hand softly touched his back guiding him around the room to assist her with rehanging paintings and photographs and essentially putting the room back together. Everything would be ok, that was a certainty for the near future, one day he would open up more about his issue and come to a point wherein he might understand himself, until then he had his sunlight Esme to rush the darkness away.

#Twilight #Carlisle Cullen #esme cullen #Gift exchange

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existentialbogwitch · 1 month

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I just want to make something very clear: I would stay in school forever and get never ending degrees if they would let me.

I love learning. I love analyzing. I love theorizing with people. I miss having opportunities to do that with adults because I work with children.

I think it is absolutely cruel that education is essentially something that is gatekept by those who can afford it.

Yes, I am trying to put my rage at being poor aside to focus on living my life and making the best of things, but it is so difficult.

We live in a society that projects the constant ideal that you are somehow worthless if you don’t have money.

Literally worthless as a human being.

There are people bombing innocent humans because they believe they have rights others don’t?

What?

I’m having an existential crisis every day and reading books to try to understand the nature of god because I cannot comprehend why the war has been allowed to go on for as long as it has.

And if I were to talk about this openly with people I would be silenced because no one wants to talk about it.

Again, I’m a very isolated person and I work with children and have a very conservative family. The people in my circle are not talking about it. I could bring it up with them but it likely wouldn’t be a conversation that would go well.

This isn’t an easy subject for anyone to talk about.

I guess all I’m saying is, if you’re a sensitive person and you’ve been hurting a lot more than usual lately, I see you and I feel you and I’m right there with you.

(This is a pep talk for me and you).

I’m watching Star Trek discovery and realizing how important Tilly is as a character and human being.

I have never seen myself SO MUCH in a character on screen.

I love her a lot and I think if I ever met that actress irl I would immediately cry and hug them.

I want to try to go to a Star Trek con so bad but I have severe anxiety and it will be a few more years before I’m able to handle something like that without assistance. It would be far too overwhelming and overstimulating.

But it’s nice to know that maybe one day I could go to something like that if I wanted to. I’m glad things like megacon etc exist, even if they aren’t environments I would feel very comfortable in necessarily. Not right now anyway.

This post has gotten away from me but my heart wants me to scream it into the void tonight ♥️

Oh! I have something maybe actually helpful to share!! !! !!

(Insert Terry Pratchett quote about the implications of someone’s sanity based upon their overuse of exclamation points.)

!!!!!!!!

(love you though Terry)

I found some journaling prompts about coping with existential depression and it has been somewhat useful!

It is still something I will continue to discuss at length with my therapist but it gives me things to ponder in the meantime.

I have been dealing with existential depression on and off since I was a teenager and I almost went to seminary with an absolute certain idea that I was doing the right thing. I started writing my application letters for why I wanted to apply and (very, very long story short) I ended up realizing that everything I thought I knew about god and the universe was wrong and I needed to think about it a lot more.

And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

I suppress it a lot and pretend I’m not thinking about it all the time, but I am.

It’s a struggle because I don’t know many people in reality who want to talk about that kind of thing.

Metaphors and stories tend to make these topics more palatable, so I’ve tried to find different stories that ask the same questions I’ve been asking myself for years and I’m hoping that this will help me find my own answers.

Star Trek in particular offers a ton of great fodder for these types of discussions and I wish more people would be open to the idea of watching an episode of Star Trek and talking about the ethical and moral issues the characters faced and how they dealt with their challenges and how that applies in our lives in things like relationships and therapy.

My brain knows I don’t have to do anything tomorrow and it’s screaming “FREEEEDOM BITCHES!!!!” At me every time I try to tell myself to stop writing this post and go to bed.

Just, if you were wondering.

(You can have an unhinged rant as a treat)

#might delete later #rant #late night thoughts #personal #star trek #mental illness #existential depression

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thenopequeen · 4 months

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okay I am going to go on the rant, although this might not be 100% what I said eairiler IRL because there are some things that are only able to be communicated via hand gesters and stutters.

Also I am aware I sound very Red String on Cork Board. I am open to taking criticism. um but gentle if possible.

So to start, let's look at the actual role given to Racer (I will be using either Race or Racer as it's a bit easier to type out and are the names used to refer to him in the broadway musical which is what I'm most familiar with.). Oh and when coming to anything specific I will be referring to the recorded 2017 version because that's the one I've got a link to so I can watch it while reading fanfics or drawing (/srs. i do do this)

Race is listed as a background/ensemble character in any source I can find (although I could be missing some). however, his actions/overall role in the story are more comparable to Crutchie, who is listed as a supporting character.

This is heavy evidence for placing him as a supporting character, however what makes it interesting is that Racer almost seems to be favored over the other background characters.

About 50% of his dialogue could be given to another character and it literally would not impact the plot much, unlike the other supporting characters, who are unthinkable to replace in anyway shape or form.

If we're continuing comparing Race to Crutchie, which I will because they share the most similarities role-wise, those two are the ones with the most prominent solo lines. Racer has several from multiple songs (King of New York, Carrying the Banner, and Once and For All include at least one solo line that could technically be given to literally anybody else), and Crutchie has a few solo lines and a song to himself. Actually if you remove the tap section, King of New York could be potentially read as the closest thing we get to a 'side' character having a song. Literally all the other songs are group focused when it comes to singing, or are done by main/supporting/antagonistic characters. Racer carries King of New York, setting a wonderful tone with the conversation just before the song starts, as well as his very over the top energy that is present through out the entire song. Okay I also have a soft spot for the song because it was the first song I ever did a tap dance too last year (nowhere near as impressive as the show but it was cool)

Racer also is in at least TWO scenes where he doesn't technically need to be there. First off, the one where it's easier to explain: the scene just before Once and For All, where the gang is at the printing press. Technically, Race doesn't need to be down there in the first place. While yes, it's probably so he knows the way to direct the others into the room, he doesn't need to be there in the moment. This is also never explained in literally anyway. he's just there. Technicality, he could follow the trail of unlocked doors or somebody could bring him in. While this is technically grasping at straws I will stand by this. The second is a really minor thing that you'll only notice if (like me) you've watched this musical enough that you can quote a good part of it.

So in the scene where Jack is teaching Davey and Les to sell papes that ends with them getting chased to the theater, if you look closely you'll see a familiar face

I have rewatched this scene several times to make sure it's Race. it is. Why is he there. Literally the only other people in this scene are the passbyers who buy a paper, Synder, and the trio. Why is Racer here. He just kinda vibes. I still want an explanation because EVERYBODY ELSE leaves the stage quickly. WHY IS HE THERE???

Now to quickly break into the more IRL universe, in the cast call of this production, which my brother watches so so often (he wants to do musical theater), Racer;s actor is NOT listed with the other newsies. Even Spot, who is listed as support/featured in most sources, is just grouped into the rest of the ensemble. Instead, Racer is grouped in with the Delancey brothers. I still don't understand this.

This is your reminder that Race is listed as ensemble by literally all sources I could be bothered to find.

On top of this, in both the movie and the show, he's one of the most named 'background' newsies. While I've only seen the movie a grand total of once (didn't like the music in the slightest), Racer is a character you see A LOT. Sometimes he's not really doing much, but he's there.

In the musical this is in part because there is so much personality packed into him, but still. Elmer and Albert also have a lot of personality and yet I still find that Racer feels like he has more screentime.

On top of this, Racer is present in literally ever scene with all the newsies. And ALWAYS as Racer.

Anyways this is a slightly unhinged rant. Also if you haven't figured it out Racer is my favorite character.

Yeah idk how that happened.

Anyways agree with your sister that Racer is a supporting character. at least in everything but casting.

The cynical part of me says it's so the producers can get away with paying the actor less. The deranged crossover nerd in me says he's a Watcher

#a rambling nope appears

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ucatty2-blog · 3 months

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Hello sorry to bother you with this all of sudden ,and this might be coming out of nowhere, and I’m not trying to force you or be pushy but I m trying to get more people into this show with great potential. If your not interested it’s fine but Have you heard of or watched moon girl and devil dinosaur? Season 2 premier happened

The main character i love she gives me autistic vibes I’m autistic. The show has interesting characters, action ,great music, and animation ,good themes and representation, Anime references, plenty of Sailor Moon references too it even has an eyecatch season 2 is going to be more story driven if you find that interesting. It also shares the same animation studio as rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles.

It be good if you watch the season 2 episodes when they air so the ratings will be higher.

I think Disney might be trying to sabotage the show with them probably dropping 14 episodes on Disney + on February 3 which has passed. We have a week to binge it.They did similar with season 1 and the ratings where low ,please watch season 2 episodes when they air on. But more importantly also watch it on Disney + in feb and when they air it on YouTube. Unfortunately they are dropping 14 episodes on Disney + so watch them all in one day but also when they air the first time.

I’m not just saying only cable just also. I’m saying please support this show. Despite that it still won 5 Emmys. Also if it’s no trouble could if it alright with you spread the word about this show to others you know like either online or irl. Time is limited!

Oh so I'm not the only one who noticed the 14 episode drop and heard the bells of grief ringing ominously in the background. I only watched the first 2 eps 0f season 2 (yes I watched all of season 1). Honestly, they should have just kept it as 2 episodes out for the public, and then drop the rest 1 ep a week for the rest until a finale.

Spoilers below

I enjoyed beyonder antics, and them getting beaten up by those they wronged. I enjoyed seeing the beyonder learn how to tiptoe to victory. Devil girl would probably have been more than happy to help moon girl under different circumstances. Molecule Man is a bastard for attempting to murder a (I think she's like thirteen) child. Bruh that kid got dragged here by the huy you don't like, why are you trying to murk her? She just wants to go home, man.

He gave Lunella PTSD from that bs he pulled. Episode 2 deals with that. We see OMG's girl crew from her university days: the hot tomatoes. I hate the fungal covered books, thise poor books. Reminds me of the last arc of Clinic of Horrors. Brr.

Anyway, they make several versions of new moon girl suits. Each version becoming the vibranium equivalent of moon girl wearing a bunch of poofy layers to look like one of those marshmallow tots that are stuck in the "A" pose. Mimi asks the mini moon girl if she is okay, Lunella lies. Mimi then tells her granddaughter that she should not underestimate herself, and that her brain is her strongest weapon. Then a scorpion gets supersized into the size of a bus. Moon Girl realizes her suit is over armored to the point of her being incapable of saving others, and goes zero suit Lunella Mode to stop the scorpion with cacti, her goggles, and a well placed kick in the tail.

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boxwinebaddie · 3 months

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hi uncle nina!! i hope you dont mind me bragging in your ask box, but this is the type of thing teachers tend to get excited over and its on my mind right now. i just got into the #1 ranked public university in my state! and its one of the top 5 public universities in the whole country! im not going there, its just not for me, but its very hard to get into so the fact that i did is super exciting! and tomorrow im getting interviewed for a scholarship from a less competitive school, but one that i love very much, so things are going really good right now!!

anyways, sorry again for bragging on myself in your ask box, but i kinda see you as a safe person and you always seem so happy when we tell you about our lives :)

my dear, darling, you are not bragging, you are simply sharing your success!!! you are stunning us with your brilliance!!! gracing us with the presence of a person wHO GOT INTO THE NUMBER ONE PUBLIC RANKED UNIVERSITY IN YOUR STATE!!!!!! YOU GENIUS!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! i am smiling so much my face physically hurts oh my!!!! eeeeee <3 *picks you up and spins you several times*

i am SO!!!! proud of you, sweetheart!!!!! so, So, SOOOO PROUD!!! :'))

this makes my heart feel as full as ur head is full of knowledge, lovie.

if you are the same anon that i got a while ago that excitedly messaged me about school stuff!!! i am so sorry i didn't respond :( when i tell you i was waiting until i had the right words to say and i just couldn't find them...but i bet you could, YOU SCHOLAR!!!!!!!!!!!

jersey literally applied to 9 schools and only got into 1...on the waitlist. and not even on merit, like, he literally bullied the poor kid who had his spot into dropping out...unethically. so you getting into your top choice???? all by yourself??? Smarty Pants????? you are a WONDER.

and you are going to Ace that interview, darling! the janitorial staff will not be needed in that inerview waiting room because you are going to WIPE THE FLOOR WITH THOSE OTHER APPLICANTS!!!! also, yes, i am like those parents that come to your soccer game and get kicked out for yelling and starting fights, lmaooooo. worth it!!!!

mwah, Mwah, MWWWWAAAAAAAAH, my love!!!! AAAAAAAAA!!!!!

i'm so stoked for you, seriously. i am biased, but school is so fun, eee! win or lose, lovely, please know you are always a winner to me.

uncle nina, proud uncle <33333333

p.s. i DO love hearing abt your lives! share anything you want w/ me!!!

#WHEN I TELL YOU THIS MADE ME CRY #IM A BABY #LMAOOOOOO!!!!!!!#AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #IM SO EXCITED #THIS IS SO COOL U ARE SO SMART AND COOL #I AM FLOORED #I AM SOOOOO EXCITED YAYAYAYAYAY

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nedayisonline · 1 year

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Add a random anon to the pile of people who're curious to read your fanfic ideas! Your theories sound very interesting and Big Ape (Apex in general) don't get enough attention.

Prepare for a journey to the days of Enraged Koala, Back then the story was a bit more mysterious, with 3 individuals mentioned several times in codexes in on a grand conspiracy. The original Big Ape was actually just a bigger apex than normal that brute-forced his way into power, the next one was a floran scientist called Greenfinger, which eventually became the name of the floran tribe leaders that can encourage plant growth. And the final one is a bit more mysterious I can't find anything on, Thornwing. An avian I've only seen referenced as a big business guy lmao.

Anyways, in the Extended Universe Story that I've been trying to write for Skybound, I wanted the Apex to play a decent role and I wanted to include those 3 into the story working with a 4th person who at the time of writing this nobody will know about for a while. Big Ape after being confronted and beaten would upload his consciousness into a computer and begin a plan to try and take over the galaxy with robotized apex soldiers that he can control but it ultimately gets shut down when they pull the plug on his power supply on the main Miniknog base planet shutting him offline for good ending the reign of Big Ape.

Anyways, this will lead into the next part with Greenfinger and a mysterious Agaran threat... (yes I mean the mushroom people)

I can make a post about the Agaran threat or the little I can scrape together that's left on the long history of the internet if you would all like to see that. In the complete story I am taking ideas from Frackin Universe, Beta Starbound, the Official release, and Return to Earth because all of them have amazing ideas I'd like to share in some way or another!

This is all also very dumbed down and doesn't go in-depth on a lot of details, it's just a rough summary of what I have planned! I was thinking about making it a tumblr web comic if I could find a way to keep all the pages in one place for people to read lmao. Might make a new account specifically for it

#starbound #starbound story #extended starbound universe #silly stuff

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thatgirlwhokeepsreading · 1 year

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Feel free to disregard if not relevant to you. I'm just a former massage therapist that focused heavily on injury work, so I see things a bit differently than the average doctor.

Random ass thought after coming across your post regarding how dance changed your body. Have you ever tried shifting to wearing "barefoot" shoes? IE, zero arch support and no toe drop?

I have zero experience with dance, but I'm pretty sure all those shoes and whatnot you trained in were, essentially, barefoot shoes. Except maybe the tap shoes; I think those have heels. Anyway.

Your foot spasms *may* be related to you having built up enough musculature to properly support your own feet (vice everyone who started in arch supports via their shoes as kids). Wearing arch support when your body doesn't want it can be very painful, and cause all sorts of issues (speaking from experience here - I transitioned to barefoot shoes back in 2011 and cannot wear regular ones anymore without lots of foot pain).

Just figured I'd throw it out there, since probably no doctor or physio would think to look at it that way (least, not that I've ever experienced). Again, feel free to completely disregard if not relevant, or you've already solved the foot spasm problem another way. I will admit to not taking the time to browse your blog to find the answer.

Wishing you the best, and thank you for sharing that perspective of how dance permanently changed your body and its relevance to folks being idiots regarding trans kids.

Hey! Thank you for your message! It’s always interesting what piques people’s interest to slide into my DMs when that post with my addition starts doing the rounds again, and this is a new (and fascinating) one!

You are correct that the ballet and jazz slippers are functionally being barefoot (and contemporary, which is a style didn’t do, is also actually barefoot or with a little sock over the ball of the foot). I don’t mention in that particular post that I also did hip-hop, which has more structured shoes with cushioning but a flexible middle, and normally look something like these (although I don’t recall mine having quite as severe a heel):

And yes, the outlier would probably be my tap shoes, which were far more rigid and had a heel. The biggest problem I think those posed was I wore ill-fitting ones (too tight) and also the fact that tap involves a lot of stamping and hitting different parts of your foot on things and such.

I was also a swimmer, and while that’s not quite the same as being fully on your feet on land, that did mean for my other big time-consuming physical activity I was walking around the pool barefoot, pushing myself of starting blocks and wall barefoot, and obviously kicking to swim barefoot.

I’m also autistic/have ADHD, so I never liked wearing shoes much anyway, and basically have always taken them off at the first vaguely socially-acceptable chance and had a preference for what in my brain were “form fitting” shoes (canvas and/or thin soles) or thongs (flip-flops). I now have an office at my university, and so in my everyday life I now only wear shoes to and from my car, and if I am leaving my building for food or a meeting. Walking around in my building I will just be in socks. I also tend to drive barefoot, and be barefoot at home and immediately remove my shoes at other people’s houses, rehearsal rooms, church, etc.

By trial and error I’ve learned that the biggest things that helped with reducing the spasming for me were: stretching my legs, particularly calves; magnesium soak (per doctor recommendation); using toe spreaders/tennis ball; accidentally learning how to crack the middle of my foot and my toes while doing massage on myself; and changing/minimising shoes.

So overall I am fascinated by this suggestion of it being about the pain coming from having developed musculature/having too much support because yes, what you’re describing seems to be consistent with my experience! I did a very cursory internet search about heel drop just now and then stared at my most comfortable shoes, and indeed they do seem to be the ones with little to no heel drop. Also looking inside the shoes, there does seem to be a pattern between comfort and lack of arch support, uh oh! So yes, maybe I should look into barefoot shoes.

I will also say that I found out last year that I was experiencing Restless Leg Syndrome (bad enough that it was keeping me awake at night) because I was very iron deficient. I subsequently underwent an iron infusion and the RLS disappeared, and at that same time the spasming also reduced significantly. However, the RLS to me seemed to be an entirely separate thing to the spasming - RLS was basically just paresthesia, the spasming I could visibly see the muscles in my arch moving and was painful. I suspect the causations between the iron and spasms are probably not as direct as between the iron and RLS, because my iron levels are back to normal now but I do still sometimes get the spasms. The correlation possibly comes from the fact I was wearing shoes a lot more when I had the RLS (because wearing shoes reduced that sensation for me), and also not sleeping meant I didn’t want to be physically active + I’m sure it impacted my body’s repair and recovery.

Anyway, fascinating food for thought, thank you again for your message! Also trans rights, trans liberation, and protect trans kids!

[Asker is presumably referencing my addition on this post, for those playing at home.]

#fearecia #ask #it me

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darnedchild · 2 years

Text

Universally Monstrous - The Phantom of the Opera

I had at least one person interact with yesterday’s Universal Monster Sherlolly fic so I’m going to assume that means it was an outstanding success and roll with it. Does that mean anyone wants to see another one? No idea. Am I going to repost the next one anyway? Yes.

Is this fic wildly AU, as in Molly does not work at Barts, she’s a forensic pathologist at NYS and she’s never met Sherlock Holmes kind of AU? Also Yes. Fair warning.

So here’s another one:

On Ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/16401896

and below the ‘Keep Reading’ for the linkphobic

Universally Monstrous - The Phantom of the Opera

It was a well-known secret that New Scotland Yard was haunted.

Or “haunted” if you talked to certain people.

The Phantom—as he had been christened by someone who obviously spent far too much time reading paranormal fiction and not enough doing their job—seemed to favour the basement level of the building.

Whispered tales of a rare disembodied voice offering biting criticism and unwanted advice routinely made the rounds through the locker room.

“He said it was criminal that I was allowed in the lab,” Anderson had groused over a shared bag of crisps during an impromptu gossip session after a departmental meeting.

One of the lab techs rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure the Phantom isn’t the only one who thinks that. Have you talked to Donovan lately or are you two still fighting?”

Anderson ignored the other man. “I’m not kidding, Hooper. When I checked the shadows to find the owner of the voice, they were empty. The Phantom is real.”

Molly might have scoffed if she hadn’t heard the voice herself.

The first time she’d thought it was a prank, one of the other’s playing a joke on the new hire.

She’d been sitting at her desk during her lunchbreak, working on the first draft of the fictional crime novel (with a hint of romance between the feisty pathologist and the gruff cop with a heart of gold and abs of steel) that had been screaming “Write me!” in her brain for the last few years.

Molly had been slogging away at a particularly frustrating scene, one that delved into the mind and motives of the murderer, when the need for something caffeinated and bag of crisps grew too great to ignore. She’d minimized her document and headed toward the cafeteria. When she’d returned twenty minutes later her manuscript was open on the laptop screen, front and centre, and someone had left a long and detailed paragraph of where she’d left off.

“What the hell?” She’d been extremely annoyed that one of her co-workers had invaded her privacy like that and was mentally preparing the bollocksing of the century when the Voice spoke.

“That’s not how he’d think. Your killer.”

Molly had jumped, “Who are you? Where are you?”

“Don’t be dull,” the Voice admonished her as if it—he—was disappointed in her response. “You know who I am, I hear you lot chattering on about me all the time.”

She huffed. “We don’t chatter.” Molly was met with silence for several seconds. “Well, I don’t, at any rate.”

“True. You do tend to hold your tongue when the some of the others begin to wax poetic about the most ridiculous things.” She’d thought the Voice had been coming from the left before, but now it was clearly coming from the right.

Molly turned a full circle to look for someplace an adult (for he definitely had the deep, smooth voice of a man) could hide. She even ducked to look under the desk.

“Your villain’s thoughts are far too chaotic and disjointed for the methodical serial killer you’ve set him up as.”

“How would you know?” Could the stories be true? Was there really a ghost haunting Forensics? “Is this what you did in a past life? Get into the minds of criminals? Did you work down here, or maybe as detective?”

She thought she heard him laugh, and the husky sound caused a sensation like the touch of warm fingers softly brushing up her spine. She shuddered as he spoke again, “Something like that.”

“So, is this one of those ‘unfinished business’ things, or…”

Molly held her breath and waited but silence was her only answer.

Two weeks later she was sitting at her desk, transcribing her notes from the latest autopsy when she heard, “Excellent catch on the Marshall case.”

“Thanks. I thought it was a long shot, but what could it hurt to run an extra test or two so-“ Her body recognized his voice before her brain did. Her skin tingled and something at her core warmed even as she spun in her chair to search the room with her eyes.

Three days after that, she’d been working on her novel during another lunch break—she’d taken the Phantom’s advice and completely reworked the scene with her villain’s inner thoughts—when she realized she wasn’t completely alone. Her hands stilled on the keyboard. “Hello.”

Molly heard him draw in a startled breath somewhere behind her. “How did you know I was here?”

“You’re not as stealthy as you think.” She slowly turned, completely unsurprised to see that the room was empty. Still, she felt that he was nearby. “I noticed a . . . scent after your last two visits.” It had been clean and masculine, not clouded with cologne or the musky bodywashes that were popular amongst the male staff. “And there was a creak, something shifted under your weight this time.”

He was silent for so long she began to worry he might have left again. “Interesting.” She got the feeling he was watching her, studying her.

“You, uh, you’re not a ghost, are you?” Molly almost tripped over her words.

“Of course not. Didn’t you know, ghosts don’t exist.” He seemed amused.

She heard another creak and her eyes darted around the room, hoping to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. “So you just lurk, then. For fun, or . . .”

“I observe.” As if that explained anything. “Some of your co-workers are idiots. Most of them.”

Molly opened her mouth to argue then shrugged. He wasn’t exactly wrong. “Still, I’m pretty sure what you’re doing isn’t exactly legal. For a vast number of reasons.”

He laughed again, and it made her shudder just like the last time. A good shudder. The kind that was going to keep her awake thinking the sort of things she shouldn’t. “I’ve never been worried about legalities.”

“Aren’t you worried I’m going to run upstairs and report you?” she asked.

“Are you?” The Phantom’s seemed to come from directly behind her, which was impossible as her desk was set against a wall. She didn’t bother turning around as he continued to speak. “Would it make you feel better to know at least one Detective Inspector is aware of my secret, and has been for nearly as long as I’ve been ‘haunting’ the halls.”

It did actually. “Do I know them?”

“Possibly. His name is Lestrade.”

“Oh, I’ve worked with him!” He’d come looking for her six months before, requesting her assistance with a particularly brutal double homicide. “Wait, did you-?”

He hummed, a noncommittal answer if she’d ever heard one.

“Am I allowed you know your name? You obviously know mine and I can’t keep calling you the Phantom like some 1920’s horror movie.” She bit her lip.

After a long moment, he answered. “It’s Sherlock.”

“Sherlock,” Molly tested the word, rolled it around on her tongue like a decadent treat. She swallowed hard and lifted her chin. “So now that I know you’re real, are you going to show yourself?”

Silence. He was gone. “Okay. I’ll take that as a no.”

Over the next few months she slowly stopped joining her co-workers in the cafeteria for lunch or the afternoon break, telling herself she was choosing to stay in her office to work on her novel.

That Sherlock had become a semi-regular visitor at those times had nothing to do with it.

Right?

She often found herself verbally working out plot points and dialogue, smiling when the disembodied Voice occasionally replied to offer suggestions or encouraged her to think through the moment with only a bit of gentle prodding and praise. Even better, as far as she was concerned, they’d begun to speak of other things. Her life outside of work, bits and pieces of his (although he still kept a tight lip on most everything), books they’d read (they were both voracious readers), all sorts of little things that had begun to add up.

“So this is going to be one of the really difficult bits for me to write.” Molly leaned back in her chair and pushed away from her desk on the squeaky wheels so she could spin around in a lazy circle. They’d been talking for nearly half an hour. “There’s been this building sexual tension between Brandon and Rachel almost from the moment the first met. Now they’ve just survived a near death experience, emotions are high, the attraction is there.”

Sherlock didn’t say anything and Molly sighed. “I know, it’s a cliché but it just seems right at this point in their relationship. But I’ve never really done that. Well, I mean, I’ve done that; just not the passionate, all consuming kind of . . . that.”

He still remained silent. She couldn’t help but fidget. “It’s just, it’s been a long time and even then it was more of a ‘let’s scratch this itch’ than a ‘take me against the wall right this second’ thing. God, I think my ex Tom would have hurt himself laughing if I even dared to suggest it. If anything it was boring and I just wanted to get it over with so I could see if there was anything good on the telly. And I have absolutely no idea why I’m telling you any of this.”

“I’m not really sure why you’re doing it, either. What is it you want from me, Molly?” He sounded almost as uncomfortable as she felt. Not for the first time, she wished she could see his face to better read his emotions.

“Well, you’re . . . You’ve got that voice. And you’re smart. And you have a wicked sense of humour. I know you hang around here most of the time, but surely you-you’ve . . . I can’t imagine there would be a mad scramble for the remote with you. That is, with you and-and the person you were with. So, I was hoping you could help reel me in if I get a little too . . . unrealistic? With the scene?” That was it. She was going to go home and drown her embarrassment in a carton of cookies and cream ice cream and try to pretend she’d never started this conversation.

He sighed. “Molly, I don’t know what you imagine I do when I’m not here, but I am absolutely positive it isn’t whatever you think it is.”

“What?”

“Fuck it,” Sherlock sighed. The large shelving unit that was bolted to the wall slowly swung inward to reveal a dark doorway. She could just make out a tall figure standing in the shadows.

Molly got to her feet as he stepped into the room and she saw him clearly for the first time. He was tall and fit, dark but impeccably tailored clothes, a mop of soft looking curls, and a strange black mask that covered the left half of his face.

“Is this supposed to be a joke?” she asked. She’d referenced the old Phantom of the Opera movie before, did he take that as a challenge? Was he making fun of her?

“I wish it was.” Sherlock lowered his head and reached up to carefully remove his mask. He took a deep breath before he lifted his face and turned toward her fully.

Whatever had happened to him had ruined half of his face. He was lucky he was still able to see out of his left eye. “How?”

“Acid. I’d barely begun working with Lestrade as a Consulting Detective—you wouldn’t have heard of the term, I invented the position—and the abusive husband of one of my clients decided to get his revenge. It could have been worse. As you noticed, I was able to keep my eye and my mouth and vocal cords were virtually undamaged. Believe it or not, I was even more of a socially inept arsehole and my interest in relationships had been virtually non-existent before the incident. And then this happened.” He gestured to his face. “You can see how off putting this is to another person. It was easier to seclude myself than deal with people every day.”

Molly had questions. A lot of questions. “Okay, I get the wanting to stay away from other people thing, but how in the heck did you get a secret door in the basement of Scotland Yard?”

“Doors, plural. I have a contact in the government and a massive trust fund.” He blinked at her. “Why haven’t you run off or retched on your shoes? Why are you pretending this doesn’t bother you?”

“Last week I had to do a post-mortem on a floater who had been in the Thames for several weeks. A disfiguring facial injury and healed scar tissue is nothing in comparison.” She bit her lip and took a step closer. “Could I-Would it be all right if I-“

“Touch my face?” Sherlock asked at the same time Molly worked up the nerve to say, “Get a tour of your underground supervillain lair after my shift ends?”

They stared at each other for a long moment before he nodded. “I guess that would be acceptable. As long as no one saw you roaming the halls after you were supposed to be gone. As incompetent as most of the idiots upstairs can be, they are trained law enforcement officers.”

Molly smiled. “One more question, and this one is super important. Can you get wi-fi down there?”

#universally monstrous #sherlolly #sherlolly halloween #darnedchild writes #i wrote a thing

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forabeatofadrum · 2 years

Text

aap noot mies (3/14)

Notes: In case it wasn’t very clear, the chapter titles are the words that I made from the scramble letters and I even wrote down how many points I got for each word. I really liked this new challenge!

AO3 | S&C

–

YEAR - 7 points

“So, it all started last year. My dad got ill and it looked like he wasn’t going to make it – no worries, he’s fine now. But yeah, it got scary and my dad asked me and my stepmother to go through his belongings and stuff. After my brother died unexpectedly, we know what it’s like to be left behind with nothing arranged.”

That is a lot of information to take in.

Kurt says it with ease, but Blaine can hear a slight tension. It must’ve been really bad and stressful to have his brother die and then have his father almost die.

“While we went through his stuff, we found out we had some long lost family! My dad has two sisters! That is huge!”

“Let me guess, they’re from the Netherlands,” Blaine fills in.

Kurt nods.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of mystery surrounding my dad’s family. I never knew my grandparents either. Anyway, we contacted them and they were happy to hear from us. Turns out they didn’t really know of my dad either.”

Blaine nods in understanding. Contacting long-lost family feels like the dream. He hasn’t heard much from his family after he moved to this planet.

“People in the Netherlands speak English,” Kurt continues, “But, I don’t know, maybe it’s my ambitious side, but I’d love to learn the language. I originally considered asking them to teach me, but I want to surprise them.”

“Are you planning on visiting?” Blaine asks.

Kurt nods eagerly.

“Yes, we’re currently saving up. Hopefully next summer we’ll go there. We haven’t seen them in person yet.”

Blaine files that away for later. This means he’ll have one year to teach Kurt as much as possible. Of course, if Kurt lets him.

It’s a nice reason to learn a language. Yes, sometimes Blaine laments about how his superpower isn’t super useful, but it has also made Blaine appreciate language. Languages are a form of connection. It’s culture: history, art and community in one. Language, in all of its forms, be it written, spoken, signed (or other, Blaine knows that there are some other forms of language on some planets) is shared by everyone in the whole universe.

Sure, Blaine would love to have a superpower that makes it easier to find things he’s lost, but when he hears Kurt talk about how he’s excited about this prospect of connection, Blaine feels incredibly content.

“Sorry, am I boring you?” Kurt asks after a while. He’s realized that Blaine’s in his own world.

“No, of course not! On the contrary, I was thinking about how lovely this plan is.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, absolutely!” Blaine says excitedly, “I’ve heard several reasons why people learn a language and they’re all completely fine-” Well, apart from this one guy who wanted to speak Italian because he dreamt of joining the mafia “-but this one is definitely one of my favourites. It’s driven by love.”

Those are indeed Blaine’s favourites: people learning a language to welcome a new person, people learning a language to talk to their spouse’s family, people learning a language to impress someone they have a crush on.

Blaine just loves love!

#klaine word scramble #glee #klaine #multichaptered #holy fuck I wrote #2022 #this is the only prompt i changed #it used to be yam #which felt fitting for the original farmers market rival au #but when i scrapped that i had no idea what to do with yam so

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winterlovesong1 · 1 year

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Top 5 entertainment recs from 2022 (could be anything — books, TV, movies, games) ❤️

There's so many more I could list on this but I am proud of myself and kept it to FIVE.

Under the cut cause it's lengthy...

From Scratch (limited series)

Categorizing this as “if you want a full-on body shake kind of cry, this is the show for you” kind of show. It’s so stunning in scenery (and in the food), but then it takes a very sharp emotional turn and even the end, the finale…it’s just so beautiful, take my word for it.

Obi Wan Kenobi and Andor (Star Wars universe limited series/tv series)

I never would have thought characters I loved from years ago would come for a revisit in my life so many years later (that’s a theme I think for this year…) and characters from the Star Wars universe is no exception. From seeing Hayden again as Darth Vader, to Diego reprising his role in Andor, it was familiar while at the same time advanced and forged new paths, new stories in the Star Wars universe that didn’t detour from the original path but enhanced what we already knew. I loved them both in the specific tones they set, and in the performances given in both series. All the applause. I have nothing more to add.

Pod Meets World (podcast) Paired with Boy Meets World (tv show)

If you’ve been following this blog – you know that I’ve recently take a trip down the road of nostalgia, and that road led me to this rewatch podcast of one of my favorite childhood shows. You might also know that I haven’t watched it in years and that rewatching it now as an adult, after having lived through several more experiences than my younger self, while being well aware I’m not an expert on “life” has been a journey…and that’s just from a viewer/fan perspective. Revisiting this show (yes I’m rewatching it along with the podcast) and then listening to the three hosts (cast members, friends, travelers down their own very specific road and journey…) has been a joy I never knew I needed? A revelation that once I started listening and rewatching realized (for the first time?) perhaps how deep an impact this show made on me as a young person. And I know it’s not for everyone but those things we grew up with in our formative years are so essential to us and not everyone shares in that, but this was my own special something growing up and my true find for 2022 and I couldn’t be happier I found the road.

Essex Serpent By Sarah Perry (book)

I have just recently gotten back into reading this year and there’s a lot of reasons for that but the conclusion is that it’s a gift that I know I need to give myself more often than on occasion – it needs to be a regular occurrence – it needs to happen more often. Anyways, I knew this would be made into a miniseries (which is ok…I would necessarily seek it out) but the BOOK – the book was soo good. If you like historical fiction, woman protagonist, woman just trying to figure it – figure life out - I would highly recommend you give it a chance.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (book)

Funny enough a podcast rec (go figure…also another theme for this year…getting more into podcasts…) it was that kind of serendipity I love – the luck when a piece of media finds you at the right age, right time, right place, right moment in your life. This book met me where I was and felt (this will sound odd considering the drama in the book) but like a warm hug? The voice of the main character and the themes and the message just…anyways, I would give it a chance – maybe it might just be the same for you – meeting you at the right age, right place, right time, right moment…

#winter's top five all things #ask answered

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