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aimeedaisies · 4 months

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HRH THE PRINCESS ROYAL CONCLUDES HER VISIT TO SRI LANKA

Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal and her spouse Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence concluded a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka on Friday, 12 January 2024. The visit marked a momentous occasion celebrating the 75th Anniversary of bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom and was characterized by a series of engagements that reinforced the deep ties between the two countries.

Upon their arrival on 10th January, a vibrant ceremony with a multi-cultural performance welcomed them, with Foreign Minister Ali Sabry extending warm greetings.

Visiting at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka, the official engagement kicked off with a welcome dinner hosted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, reflecting the warm and cordial relations shared by the two countries during which Princess Royal delivered a message from His Majesty the King to the President and the people of Sri Lanka.

Addressing a gathering at the concluding reception hosted by the British High Commissioner, The Princess Royal remarked on the warm and friendly bilateral relations between the two countries and was committed to fostering cultural, economic and social connections. Foreign Minister Ali Sabry who delivered a short speech during this reception, remarked that the visit held profound significance and is a watershed moment in the 75 years of our bilateral relations with the United Kingdom. He also drew attention to the significant transformation Sri Lanka has undergone since The Princess Royal’s last visit in 1995. The Minister thanked the UK for its steadfast support for the pursuit of development and prosperity in Sri Lanka.

In Colombo, as the patron of the Save the Children Foundation, Her Royal Highness visited its office and unveiled a plaque commemorating the 50th Anniversary of ‘Save the Children’ working in Sri Lanka, and undertook a visit to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, showcasing the commitment to social causes.

Additionally, The Princess Royal toured the ‘MAS Holdings’ facility in Katunayake, a leading apparel tech company in South Asia as identified by the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), of which The Princess Royal is the President. During the tour she witnessed the state of the art technology and capabilities of the Sri Lankan apparel sector, reinforcing its role in Sri Lanka – UK trade relations.

The itinerary extended to Hatch Works, Colombo, an ICT innovation hub supporting start-ups, further highlighting the collaborative efforts in technological advancements and the promotion of entrepreneurial culture through facilitating access to essential infrastructure, knowledge, and capital. At the British Council, HRH was briefed on the ongoing work to build cultural and educational relationships between Sri Lanka and the UK and was privy to ‘The Arches of Awe exhibition’, featuring images of 21 arches built to welcome Queen Elizabeth II to Sri Lanka in 1954. As the President of the ‘Commonwealth War Graves Commission’ Princess Royal also visited the Commonwealth War Graves at Liverament Cemetery and laid a wreath to commemorate the dead in the aftermath of both World Wars I and II, symbolizing shared history and values.

Moving to Kandy, the royal guests were welcomed by the Central Province Governor Lalith U Gamage, and were escorted to the sacred temple of the ‘Tooth Relic’, where she paid her respects.

HRH The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy's visit to Jaffna marked a historic occasion, as the first-ever visit by members of the British Royal Family, where they were received by Northern Governor P. S. M. Charles. In Jaffna, the focus shifted to important aspects of post-conflict recovery visiting the Muhamalai Demining site and meeting communities resettled in mine–cleared areas in Muhamalai, signifying and reiterating the valuable contribution of donor partners, including the UK in creating a mine - free Sri Lanka. The Royals were also taken on a tour of the Jaffna Public Library recognized as a center for knowledge and cultural preservation, and met members of the local community.

During their visit, the Royal Guests also toured the Vajira Pillayar Kovil, and took part in a special pooja blessing conducted by the chief priest. Princes Royal visited the ‘Mission to Seafarers’ as the President of this movement and had an engaging conversation with its Colombo staff reiterating the importance of seafaring to Sri Lanka as a maritime nation.

The Princess Royal first visited Sri Lanka in 1995 and this year marked her second to the Island. Sri Lanka has received members of the Royal family on seven previous occasions since 1948, including , Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who visited the island just five months after her Coronation, and that of His Majesty the King, as the Prince of Wales on three occasions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked in close coordination with the British High Commission in Colombo, which played a pivotol role in the execution of the programme assisted by the Sri Lanka High Commission in London and all other local government agencies. This historic visit by HRH The Princess Royal led to a comprehensive exploration of the diverse facets of the relationship between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

Posted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo on 13th January 2024

#princess anne #princess royal #tim laurence #timothy laurence #sri lAnneka

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yamayuandadu · 4 months

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Do you know why Amaterasu was seen as a male in medieval times by some scholars?

This is something I’ve hoped to properly figure out myself while working on the recent Amaterasu two-parter, but sadly I’m incapable of providing a single comprehensive answer.

More under the cut.

The most direct treatment of this matter I found is Allan G. Grapard’s Of Emperors and Foxy Ladies - I have some issues with this article in general, but here is the relevant section:

Bernhard Scheid in an article published on his website in 2001 argues male Amaterasu was the most common sort of depiction through the middle ages (though he does note actual pictorial depictions are rare), and speculates the perception of her as a female figure in general was in decline. He cites the example of Amaterasu as a youth - presumably the phenomenon of depicting Amaterasu in the guide of Uho Dōji, discussed here. However, this is a much more complex matter than just “male Amaterasu”, and the identification in fact caused controversies at Ise, to put it lightly. Also, the two were initially perceived as entirely separate, as seen here. While there are cases which match Scheid’s general idea (ex. Tenshō Daijin Giki), as I pointed out in the two-parter in some cases Amaterasu’s usual gender was reaffirmed in sources explicitly identifying her with pretty firmly male figures like Brahma, for instance in the Watarai books. It seems there is no universal answer, tbh.

While there are cases which match Scheid’s general idea (ex. Tenshō Daijin Giki), as I pointed out in the two-parter, in some cases Amaterasu’s usual gender was reaffirmed in sources explicitly identifying her with pretty firmly male figures like Brahma, for instance in the Watarai books. It seems there is no universal answer, tbh. Mark Teeuwen in A Social history of the Ise Shrines: Divine Capital notes that while there are sources where Amaterasu is clearly male, gender in this context needs to be seen through the lens of esoteric Buddhist literature of the middle ages, where opposites can be presented as an unity - whether it’s genders, enlightenment and ignorance, or even Buddha and Mara.

The matter is obviously complicated by the existence of a theory that Amaterasu was originally perceived as male, and it was female Amaterasu who constituted an innovation. Teeuwen himself suggests that initially Amaterasu might have been seen as a male kami similar to Onamuchi, based on analogous descriptions of their activity in early sources. The fact that the sun corresponds to yang and thus is “masculine coded” is also frequently brought up as an argument; yin-yang principles were obviously well known in early Japan, so in theory Amaterasu’s gender does seem somewhat unusual. How did the change originally occur if we were to accept these arguments? Teeuwen points out there is a well established theory that the myths focused on Amaterasu and Ninigi and the unusual transition of authority from grandmother to grandson reflect a unique political event, the reign of empress Jitō. She had a son of another of Tenmu’s wives eliminated to secure the throne for her own son, but he unexpectedly passed away, so she had to be succeeded by a grandson. Since these events coincided with the compilation of Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Teeuwen suggests female Amaterasu first developed as a mirror of Jitō to justify this unusual maneuver.

Anna Andreeva in Assembling Shinto. Buddhist Approaches to Kami Worship in Medieval Japan cites a similar theory - “originally a male sun deity (...) worshipped by local fishermen at Ise” - but doesn’t go into detail. The source is Atsumu Wada’s article The Origins of Ise Shrine published in Acta Asiatica in 1995; sadly I cannot access it to compare how it differs from Teeuwen’s proposal.

Since the familiarity with Amaterasu outside the imperial family was limited prior to the middle ages I do not think there is a case to be made for medieval male Amaterasu constituting some pre-Jitō relic, though. Ultimately, as I said I can’t really give you a single coherent answer. I think there is a need for a full academic synthesis of all this information, perhaps covering the matter of Toyouke’s gender and how the different views on the connection between them might have shaped this aspect of their respective characters.

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pwlanier · 9 days

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'ZEMKE'S WOLF PACK' JACKET PATCH

Very rare leather patch worn by a pilot member of the famed 'Zemke's Wolf Pack', the 56th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force which accumulated over 1,000 kills in the skies of Europe in the latter part of World War II. The 5.5 in. dia. heavy leather patch bears a painted image of the group's insignia, a growling bulldog sporting a pair of battle-ready boxing gloves emblazoned with lightning bolts. At some point, the name of the group was added to the patch, possibly during the war years. The patch bears the name of its owner 'Woodward' on the reverse in black pencil. This relic originates from the estate of 56th Pursuit Squadron veteran pilot JOHN ARTHUR 'WOODY' WOODWARD (1919-1995). Woodward enlisted in the A.A.F. in 1943 and received his training at Mitchel Field and Sother Field before being transferred to the 56th in the U.K.

Alexander Historical

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galateanletters · 6 months

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Two Dead in Hit and Run

Harvmont 13th, 1995

Alanna Najani, age 35, and her daughter Sienna, age 12, were struck while crossing the street by a mid-sized truck last night at 10:11 pm. The mother was pronounced dead on the scene and while Sienna was brought to the St. Ainsley Memorial Hospital, doctors were unable to stabilize her and she was declared dead at 11:59pm. They are survived by father and husband, Vaso Najani, a local scholar of antiquities and collector of ancient relics.

Miss Najani, we are pleased to...

...inform you that your application to attend Sandalwood Institute for Higher Learning has been accepted. We expect your attendance for the orientation on Sunmont the 6th, 2003 at the main campus. Registration will be running from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Please have your payment information available as well as your selection of classes.

Pertaining toward the irregularity of your medical records. Please also provide the necessary paperwork to prove your identity and living status.

Dean of Admissions - Wissa Caritan

#I've been a bit inspired by Dracula of late #we'll see how long this blog lasts #figure I can get at least a couple hundred words of writing a day #urban fantasy #found footage

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definitelynotalpharius · 6 months

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Master of None

The list for this Saturday's tournament has been assembled:

Masters of None (1995 points)

Space Marines - Blood Angels

Strike Force (2000 points) - Vanguard Spearhead

CHARACTERS

Bladeguard Ancient (45 points)

• 1x Close combat weapon

1x Heavy bolt pistol

Captain (80 points)

• 1x Heavy bolt pistol

1x Master-crafted power weapon

1x Relic Shield

Commander Dante (120 points)

• Warlord

• 1x Perdition

1x The Axe Mortalis

Librarian in Phobos Armour (100 points)

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Force weapon

1x Smite

• Enhancement: Shadow War Veteran

BATTLELINE

Heavy Intercessor Squad (105 points)

• 1x Heavy Intercessor Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Heavy bolt rifle

• 4x Heavy Intercessor

• 4x Bolt pistol

4x Close combat weapon

4x Heavy bolt rifle

Heavy Intercessor Squad (105 points)

• 1x Heavy Intercessor Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Heavy bolt rifle

• 4x Heavy Intercessor

• 4x Bolt pistol

4x Close combat weapon

4x Heavy bolt rifle

OTHER DATASHEETS

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (85 points)

• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack

• 1x Plasma pistol

1x Power weapon

• 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs

• 4x Astartes chainsword

4x Heavy bolt pistol

Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (85 points)

• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack

• 1x Plasma pistol

1x Power weapon

• 4x Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs

• 4x Astartes chainsword

4x Heavy bolt pistol

Bladeguard Veteran Squad (180 points)

• 1x Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant

• 1x Master-crafted power weapon

1x Plasma pistol

• 5x Bladeguard Veteran

• 5x Heavy bolt pistol

5x Master-crafted power weapon

Eliminator Squad (75 points)

• 1x Eliminator Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Instigator bolt carbine

• 2x Eliminator

• 2x Bolt pistol

2x Close combat weapon

2x Las fusil

Eradicator Squad (95 points)

• 1x Eradicator Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Melta rifle

• 2x Eradicator

• 2x Bolt pistol

2x Close combat weapon

2x Melta rifle

Infiltrator Squad (100 points)

• 1x Infiltrator Sergeant

• 1x Bolt pistol

1x Close combat weapon

1x Marksman bolt carbine

• 4x Infiltrator

• 4x Bolt pistol

4x Close combat weapon

1x Helix Gauntlet

1x Infiltrator Comms Array

4x Marksman bolt carbine

Redemptor Dreadnought (200 points)

• 1x Icarus rocket pod

1x Macro plasma incinerator

1x Onslaught gatling cannon

1x Redemptor fist

1x Twin fragstorm grenade launcher

Repulsor (190 points)

• 1x Armoured hull

1x Hunter-slayer missile

1x Las-talon

1x Repulsor defensive array

1x Twin lascannon

Sanguinary Guard (350 points)

• 10x Sanguinary Guard

• 10x Encarmine blade

10x Inferno pistol

1x Sanguinary Banner

ALLIED UNITS

Vindicare Assassin (80 points)

• 1x Exitus pistol

1x Exitus rifle

1x Vindicare combat knife

The list is surprisingly Ultramarine-esque, as melee still sucks major ass in 40k, hence the build to try to do everything, rather than min-maxing the assault doctrine. From the testing I did, the list works really well in the mid game (around round 2-3) but suffers otherwise. In whole honesty, the only unit that does consistently well is Dante with his Sanguinaries, but that has proven often enough, to be more than enough.

In any case, expect a battle report of the tournament around Sunday. See, y'all around.

#warhammer 40k #warhammer #warhammer 40000 #40k #imperium #wh 40k #space marines #40kart #adeptus astartes #blood angels sucessor #blood angels #heralds of the chalice #warhammer tournament #40k army list

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orthodoxydaily · 13 days

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Saints&Reading: Sunday, April 28, 2024

april 15_april 24

The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.

THE HOLY WOMEN MARTYRS BASILISSA AND ANASTASIA DISCIPLE OF THE HOLY APOSTLES ST PETER AND PAUL (1st C.)

The Holy Women Martyrs Basilissa (Vasilissa) and Anastasia lived in Rome and were converted to Christianity by the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. They devoted themselves to the service of the Lord.

When the emperor Nero (54-68) persecuted Christians and gave them over to torture and execution, Saints Basilissa and Anastasia took the bodies of the holy martyrs and gave them reverent burial. Rumors of this reached Nero, so Saints Basilissa and Anastasia were imprisoned. They subjected them to cruel tortures: they scourged them with whips, scraped their skin with hooks, and burned them with fire. However, the holy martyrs remained unyielding and bravely confessed their faith in Christ the Savior. By Nero’s command, they were beheaded with the sword (+ ca. 68).

HOLY NOBLEBORN GREAT PRINCE MSTISLAV VLADIMIROVICH OF KIEV (1132)

Holy Nobleborn GreatPrince Mstislav Vladimirovich (in Holy Baptism Theodore, or Feodor) was born on 1 June 1076. When he was 12 years old, his grandfather, the Kiev Great Prince Vsevolod (1078-1093), sent his grandson to be prince of Novgorod. The Novgorod people loved the young prince. In 1995, they expelled Prince David, who withdrew to Smolensk, and they went to Rostov specifically to seek Prince Mstislav.

After his grandfather’s death, Saint Mstislav occupied his appanage-land, the Rostov throne. At 19 years of age the young prince gained a brilliant victory over his uncle, the Chernigov prince Oleg. Prince Oleg had killed his brother Izyaslav and attacked Rostov and Suzdal', which belonged to Prince Mstislav.

The saint did not want to shed innocent blood. He wanted to make peace with his uncle and besought him to be satisfied with the rights to the city of Ryazan'. But Oleg had already gathered forces on a campaign against Novgorod. Prince Mstislav thereupon defeated him in a battle (1096), and Oleg, having lost out at Suzdal' and Rostov, barely managed to hold on at Murom.

Saint Mstislav again offered peace and asked only for the return of captives. Oleg agreed under a ruse, so Prince Mstislav dispersed his army. On the feast day of the GreatMartyr Theodore of Tyre, on Saturday of the 1st Week of Great Lent, he was quietly sitting down at Suzdal’ to eat when messengers brought him a word that Prince Oleg stood at the Klyaz'ma with an army.

In one mere day, Prince Mstislav regathered his army, and when his brother arrived 4 days later, he gave a new battle. Oleg, in fear, fled to Ryazan’, and Saint Mstislav set free the captives, went through the Murom lands, and he then reconciled Oleg with GreatPrince Svyatopolk (1093-1114) and with his own father, Vladimir Monomakh.

Thankful for the mercy of God, the saint in 1099 pledged to build a temple in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God at Gorodischa near Novgorod. And especially just for this church was written the reknown Mstislavovo Gospel, the precious adornments of which were wrought at Constantinople.

In 1114, the saint pledged at Novgorod, a church in the name of Saint Nicholas. This temple was in gratitude to Saint Nicholas for his healing. During a grievous illness, the prince called out for help to Saint Nicholas, whose relics had been transferred to Bari shortly before this in Italy (1087, Comm. 9 May). Saint Nicholas, in a vision, gave orders to send to Kiev for his icon, indicating its form and measure. The people sent to bring back the icon were detained on the Island of Lipna by a storm raging there on Lake Il'men.

But on the 4th day, they found that same circular icon in the water, as indicated in the vision. The sick prince gave a kiss to the icon and received healing. And afterward, at the place of the icon’s appearance, on the Island of Lipna, a monastery with a stone church was built in the name of Saint Nicholas.

In 1116, the holy prince again campaigned against the Chud people. After a victory, he restored Novgorod the fortress – "he made a guarantee of Novgorod the Great" – and extensively built out the lodgings for the Novgorod principality. Then at his orders, the posadnik-mayor Pavel situated a fortress at Lake Ladoga, where a stone church was built in honor of the great martyr George.

In 1117, Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh (1114-1125) summoned his son to him as an assistant and transferred him to Belgorod. In 1123, holy Prince Mstislav confronted the Volynian prince Yaroslav, who was attempting to seize the Kyiv principality by leading against Rus’s Polish and Hungarian army.

In 1125, Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh died, and holy Prince Mstislav occupied the Kiev throne. During this time he gained a brilliant victory over the old enemies of Rus' – the Polovetsians, driving them beyond the Volga. Those of the Polovetsian princes, who refused to ally with Mstislav, were dispatched to Greece.

In 1127, Saint Mstislav swore to defend the Chernigov prince Yaroslav, who was banished by a nephew. The clergy and all the people besought him not to spill Christian blood. The holy prince obeyed, but until the end of his life, he bewailed that he had violated his kissing of the cross in this oath.

In 1128, GreatPrince Mstislav set the foundations of a stone church in the name of the GreatMartyr Theodore of Tyre (his patron saint) in memory of a victory gained over the Chernihiv prince Oleg. And in 1131, after a successful campaign against Lithuania, Saint Mstislav laid the foundations of a temple in honour of the Pirogoschsk Icon of the Mother of God. Holy Prince Mstislav died on 14 April 1132 during the Paschal Week, and he was buried in the temple of the Great Martyr Theodore, which he had built.

The holy prince was venerated even during his earthly life. The copyist of the Mstislavovo Gospel called him noble and a lover of Christ. The preparer of the settings of the Mstislavovo Gospel, Naslav, wrote about him: "Much toil and tribulation I experienced. But God did comfort me through the prayer of the good prince... God grant his prayer for all Christians". The vita-life of the holy prince was set under 15 April in the Serbian Divine-service Prologue of the XIII-XIV Centuries.

This Prologue was transcribed from the much earlier Bulgarian, the source for which was the Russian original. Likewise, under 15 April, Prince Mstislav’s vita-life appears in the Bulgarian Synaxarion of 1340. (Investigations have shown that the source of this synaxarion was likewise Russian).

In these Prologues, the memory of holy Prince Mstislav was placed alongside such reknown Russian commemorations as that of holy Equal-to-the-Apostles GreatPrincess Ol'ga (Comm. 11 July), and the holy Passion-Bearer Princes Boris and Gleb (Comm. 24 July). These facts testify to the wide veneration of holy Prince Mstislav in the Slavic lands.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. 9 The things you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

JOHN 12:1-18

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, 5 Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always. 9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. 12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt." 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #gospel #bible #wisdom #faith #saints

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solibrie · 6 months

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ask game: 🤡 + 🤲

i'll give you TWO bits from unposted 22c stuff B)

🤡 - what's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

“There’s a thought in my brain,” Luke begins. “That’s new,” Alex quips. Reggie offers him a fist pump, which the drummer returns easily. Luke throws his pencil at Alex, pulling a second one from a different pocket. The pencil hits Alex right in the forehead, so Reggie offers Luke a fist pump, too.

🤲 - would you please share a snippet of a wip?

It was easy to pretend, sometimes, that time didn’t pass their families by. Beyond warping to their old family homes, Alex and Reggie haven’t tried looking. The Peters house was torn down in favor of a bike shack, and Alex tried to visit the Mercer house but panicked when a family he didn’t recognize and definitely wasn’t his were the people living there. But Luke’s parents are the same, just… older. The house is exactly the same, just with more pictures on the walls, a relic lost in time. Sure, Bobby looks like a substitute teacher now, but everything familiar is gone or changed. It makes it easy, then, to pretend they live in a bubble where Julie is their only door to the outside world. That they’re just in a different part of the city where their broke asses could never have hung out in 1995. Their only stake in the present. The only accessible “proof” that anything’s really changed. But… Mandy had a daughter. Mandy grew up. Mandy… Mandy is, what, forty? Last Luke remembers, she was fifteen. Oh, Luke’s gonna hurl. Twenty-five fucking years.

my range... ♡

#messages #anonymous #ask game

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justforbooks · 1 year

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The path from successful character actor to becoming a star is difficult. It’s even harder when you’re self-destructive. Tom Sizemore, who has died aged 61 after a brain aneurysm, will be best remembered for his roles in Saving Private Ryan, as Tom Hanks’s wise sergeant, and in Heat, as the muscle in Robert De Niro’s bank-robbing crew.

His characters were often informed by their volatility: affable nihilism could explode into violence, which made him a natural player of bent cops and detectives, as believable in straight roles as in over-the-top variations, such as Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers. But his own personality bore many of those same traits. His career was sidelined repeatedly by addictions to heroin and methamphetamines, and his peripatetic drug-fuelled sex life led to repeated cases of domestic violence.

In 1998, after starring as the criminal gangster boss John Gotti in the television film Witness to the Mob, Sizemore received a visit from De Niro and his mother, who forced him into rehab. Steven Spielberg then hired him for Private Ryan, provided Sizemore be drug-tested regularly, and threatening to reshoot all his scenes if he failed a single test.

Five years later, on the verge of television success as the lead in Robbery Homicide Division, he was kicked off the set of a movie, Piggy Banks, accused of molesting an 11-year-old female actor, and convicted of domestic violence against his then girlfriend, “Hollywood madam” Heidi Fleiss. The double scandal contributed to the TV show’s cancellation.

The two sides of Sizemore’s talent could be traced back to childhood. Born in Detroit, he was the son of Thomas Sr, a lawyer and philosophy professor, and Judith (nee Schannault), who worked in the city ombudsman’s office. A self-described “wayward, angry teen”, he was drawn to acting after watching Montgomery Clift, James Dean and Marlon Brando playing such roles, and by De Niro in Taxi Driver.

He was also influenced by his father’s two brothers. His sober father won a scholarship to Harvard; his uncles were exuberant denizens of a world of drugs and crime. Sizemore tried for years to produce a script about them, An Honest Thief, written by his lawyer brother Aaron, which nearly got made in 2014, starring Sizemore and Danny Trejo. It fell through; a much different version, Good Thief, eventually appeared, without Sizemore, in 2021.

He studied theatre at Wayne State University, Detroit, taking a master’s at Temple, in Philadelphia. He began in off-Broadway theatre in New York; his friends included James Gandolfini, John McGinley and Edie Falco, with whom he had a relationship.

His first film role was in Lock Up (1989), and among his other three roles that year was a part in Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July. He did Blue Steel (1990) and Point Break (1991) for Kathryn Bigelow, the Wesley Snipes vehicle Passenger 57 (1992), and the Quentin Tarantino-scripted True Romance (1993), directed by Tony Scott, where he turned down the part originally offered him because he did not want to beat up Patricia Arquette on screen, and suggested Gandolfini, in his first Hollywood movie, for the role.

During the filming of Natural Born Killers (1994) he and Juliette Lewis began an affair; for four months they stayed in her mansion, doing drugs and having sex. “Temptation is impossible for me to resist,” he said. “Come on, this is Hollywood … it’s in the job description.”

From there he played Bat Masterson opposite Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp (1994) and was excellent in Bigelow’s overlooked Strange Days (1995). He had earned a lead role, which came in Peter Hyams’s The Relic (1997), but another small though telling part in Enemy of The State (1998), along with Private Ryan, seemed to lock him into supporting roles.

In his memoir By Some Miracle I Made it Out of There (2013), Sizemore detailed a long affair with the actor Elizabeth Hurley. In 1996 he married Maeve Quinlan, who had also been in Natural Born Killers; they divorced three years later amid accusations of drug use and physical abuse.

He had leads in three TV movies before Robbery Homicide Division, based on the original Michael Mann script that eventually became Heat. When he was not charged with molestation Sizemore returned to Piggy Banks (retitled Born Killers, to capitalise on his notoriety). Fifteen years later, the child actor, now 26, sued him for $3m, but a Utah court dismissed the lawsuit; Sizemore dismissed the allegations as “misconstrued”. His 2003 conviction in the Fleiss case resulted in seven months in jail after he failed drug tests during his probation.

At the same time he began a relationship with Janelle McIntire. In 2005 the couple had twin boys, named Jaden and Jagger. Yet at that point he made a video film called Triple X Tom, with Jersey Jaxin and three other porn actors, in which he claimed to have slept with Paris Hilton. When the celebrity denied it, he said he had made it up to impress the other actors . He did receive an XRCO award nomination as “Best New Stud”. When McIntire divorced him in 2006, he began an affair with Maxine Entwistle, the former wife of the Who bassist John.

Arrests for drug possession and spousal battery followed. He appeared on two Celebrity Rehab shows in 2010 and reunited with Fleiss on Dr Phil (2013). He ping-ponged between scandals and small parts in as many as 16 films in a year, yet still held recurring parts in series such as Hawaii Five-O and Shooter. He was dropped from Shooter when, after accidentally running over a stunt man, he was convicted in 2017 of two charges of domestic abuse against a girlfriend. He was allowed to finish his probation sentence despite a 2019 arrest for heroin possession. His last big film was playing Liam Neeson’s FBI rival William Sullivan in Felt (2017).

Sizemore wrote in his memoir: “There are so many guys who had good lives, great lives, and blew it … I think there are some guys who think they don’t deserve to have good lives.”

He is survived by his sons.

🔔 Tom (Thomas Edward) Sizemore, actor, born 29 November 1961; died 3 March 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

#JUST FOR BOOKS #Tom Sizemore #in memoriam

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khianat · 1 month

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new characters drop ;

Born in 1992; a once-idealistic youth, dex becomes a hardened detective, disillusioned by the endless cycle of crime. his dedication to his job consumes his personal life, embodying the clichés of law enforcement while struggling to maintain relationships. despite his flaws, dex remains committed, but is grappling with the question of whether his sacrifices are worth the cause.

Born in 1997, emiko makes helping others disappear and start over without a single trace to her profession after having gone through the very same as a child, after her father decided to protect her in that way from her abusive mother. somehow, she also turned into a master of document forgery, now running a successful double business. if you want to get away no matter why, she'll likely help you if you can pay for it.

Born in 1995, tiki has grown up as one of two children of a family of witches with origins from across the world and their own magical traditions. drawn to curses and cursed objects, he found himself a mentor who allowed him to excel in this field, leading to him opening an antique shop later on where he sells historical objects to humans and accepts cursed magical relics of those who really want to get rid of their dooms.

#« emiko; »#« dex; »#« tiki; »#« character drop; »

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becausegoodbye · 1 year

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(This is a really incredible essay by the recently-passed author and trans legend Rachel Pollack, first published in issue #9 of TransSisters: The Journal of Transsexual Feminism. I wanted to reproduce it here in full because it's a goddamn banger, because archived PDFs can be a bit hard to read, and because every trans person should get the opportunity to read it at least once.)

***

Archetypal Transsexuality

By Rachel Pollack, 1995

The San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad, Colorado has become a kind of shrine for transsexual people in America. Even for those who did not get surgery from Dr. Stanley Biber, his clinic in San Rafael has become synonymous with "sex reassignment surgery" in the same way that the entire nation of Denmark came to symbolize "sex changes" in the 1950s and 1960s, after Christine Jorgensen stepped out of Copenhagen and into the world.

A small hill rises behind the hospital, and on top of it, surrounded by trees and flowers stands a genuine shrine, a small structure dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Behind a conventional statue of Mary, with room for candies and other offerings, the building houses a more precious sculpture of the Christian Goddess. According to the plaque at the front of the shrine, a Trinidad man was caught in a blizzard and in danger of being blown away when be came upon the statue of Mary and clung to it until the fury of nature broke open and he could find his way to help and recovery. The sanctuary he created looks over Dr. Biber's clinic, gently blessing all the trans-formed women and men who pass through its doors.

Now, Mary occupies an interesting place in the history of mythology. Many people know that while the Christian Church attempted to portray God as entirely male, the ordinary people clung to Mother Mary as giver of hope, mercy, and nurturance. Less known is fact that the early Church consciously adapted aspects of various Pagan Goddesses to create Mary's image and place her in the hearts of the people. Two Goddesses in particular contributed to Mary: Aphrodite, who rose from the sea, and Cybele, a Goddess from Asia Minor who earlier had made a triumphant entry into Rome as the Great Mother of the Gods.

I have written elsewhere of Aphrodite as a transsexual Goddess. Her story tells us how the Sky God, Ouranos, was oppressing Gaia, the Earth, until Gaia gave a sickle (a women's harvest tool shaped like the crescent Moon) to her son Kronos. Kronos cut off his father's genitals and threw them into the sea. Ouranos does not die in the story, but withdraws into the shadows, the same way the male persona of many transsexual women will withdraw once the female reality has given itself permission to emerge. The severed genitals, however, do not sink out of sight. Instead. they stir up a great foam on the waters. Out of this foam, golden Aphrodite. the embodiment of femininity in all its grace and power, emerges into the world.

And Cybele -- when the Great Mother came to Rome she brought with her her Gallae. The Gallae were anatomical males who, in the midst of ecstatic group frenzy, used stone sickles to sever their own genitals, which they then flung through open doorways. The families who received the bloody relics considered them a blessing. In return for Cybele's grace, a family would tend to the bleeding Galla and nurse her back to health, at which time she ceremoniously received women's clothing and entered into the service of her Goddess.

The presence of Mary overlooking the San Rafael clinic, and in particular her mysterious emergence out of a storm, forms part of a great web of images and history. The web includes all the mythological figures who change sex or cross genders. It includes the real life Gallae and Hijras and others who alter their bodies as well as the tribal shamans who move into the roles of the "opposite" sex, usually not as a matter of conscious choice, but because the spirits demand it of them. It includes the Stone Age evidence of androgynous Goddesses and cross- sexed priests and priestesses alongside the increasing numbers of contemporary transsexuals who have begun to understand that, as Davina Anne Gabriel puts it, we cannot comprehend transsexuality without some notion of "transcendence," or, as Dallas Denny says, more bluntly, "Transsexuality is a religious experience."

To recognize our place in that web means, paradoxically, to step out of a trap. This is the trap in which we experience transsexuality as a sickness, or even just a psychological condition. For transsexual people, such an ideology (and that is what it is) has become more and more of a dead end - literally, with so many people losing their lives to depression, suicide, bad drugs, unsafe sex and all the other miseries that allow the purveyors of pathology to say "There? You see? If it wasn't a sickness, wouldn't they all be happy?"

Even those of us who insist that transsexual people are not "sick" will still talk about "healing," whether we think we need to heal from shame, or society's oppression, or unhappy childhoods. But as long as we speak of healing we stay within the world of sickness. In the United States we consider happiness the basic human condition, and any suffering as some sort of aberration. I would argue that transsexuality arises from a passion so powerful that it transcends issues of happiness. The word passion originally meant suffering, not pleasure. The suffering of transsexuality, however, is like that of religious ecstasy, or even orgasm -- overwhelming, intense, and ultimately joyous when we surrender to it and let it carry us into the power of the experience.

Think where transsexual desire leads us. We give up our positions in society (I am not talking here about the slide downwards in status for male-to-females, but much more basically of our very places in the world, a loss that applies to transsexual men as well as to women, even if the men eventually go up in status). We risk losing our family and friends. We face ridicule and sometimes extreme violence, even death. We take powerful and dangerous drugs to alter the very shape of our bodies. And finally, we undergo -- we seek out, even demand -- surgery on our genitals. No logical decision, or confusion, or social conditioning, or even mental illness, can account for such an overwhelming need.

Recently, a number of transsexual and transgender people have suggested that people seek surgery because of pressure from the medical profession, which convinces them that surgery will allow them to become normal members of society. I cannot believe this. I have met too many transsexuals who know very clearly that surgery is exactly and precisely what they want, and that the doctors are not their masters but their instruments.

To describe transsexual people as dupes of the medical profession, or slaves to social conditioning, or trapped in rigid ideas about gender roles, is precisely to take away our power, a power so intense that it terrifies people. Sometimes we can see the question in their faces. "What would make someone do -- or want to do -- such a thing?" And because the dual acts of changing gender and altering the body frighten them they try to think of an explanation. "He must hate himself so much." "She can't accept the role society has given her." "Her parents must have abused her." Each of these statements, and all the others, assume that the transsexual man or woman doesn't really know what he or she is doing. And more, they shift the focus from transsexuality itself to some external concept or ideology. All explanations, even friendly ones, drain away the passion of the experience.

It is time to realize that changing gender and altering the body are not the same thing. While many people cannot imagine a gender change without surgery, many others find surgery totally unnecessary. And many people who have surgery will say clearly that it is not the surgeon's knife that makes them men or women, that surgery only changes the outer form to match their inner feelings. The confusion of surgery with gender identity leads many people to think of postoperative transsexual people as superior to preops or to people who change gender without caring about surgery at all. This hierarchy is unfortunate , because it sets people against each other when them is no need for that. At the same time, it also takes away the mystery of surgery itself. Once again, it "explains" surgery as a way just to prove something, or to join an elite. But genital surgery is too strong an experience to dismiss in this way.

Gender identity is a matter of self-knowledge, but also of social functioning. We inhabit our gender and exhibit it to the world. Genital surgery is not really a social experience at all. Obviously, it becomes important in intimate sexual relationships. It may also give us more confidence, as well as legal status. Ultimately, however, surgery is private. It forms a mystery of the body. It may have more in common with religious body altering, such as ritual scarring, than with changing gender. (It is important to remember, however, that transsexual people not only desire surgery but go to great lengths to get it. This makes the experience radically different from any body altering imposed unwillingly on people, such as clitoridectomy performed on pre-adolescent girls, or even the surgery done on intersex babies.)

There is a verse in the Tao Te Ching, the ancient Chinese teaching on "the Way", that speaks directly to some of these issues. In the translation of Gia-fu Feng by Jane English it reads as follows:

"Knowing ignorance is strength. Ignoring knowledge is sickness. If one is sick of sickness, then one is not sick. The sage is not sick because he is sick of sickness. Therefore he is not sick."

Whenever we try to find the cause of our transsexuality we become weak. This is because we deny its reality within our selves and try to find some explanation outside of us. Some sickness or conditioning. If we know and accept that we are ignorant of what makes us transsexual, and that we should not waste our energy trying to pinpoint some external cause, then "knowing ignorance" will indeed become a source of strength.

But if we cannot know what causes transsexuality, we can know a great deal about it. We can acknowledge its power and its reality, we can learn about other transsexual people and their experiences, and we can discover its ancient worldwide history. To ignore all this knowledge only weakens us and makes us sick.

To overcome the pathology that our culture attaches to transsexuality, we need, above all, to want to overcome it. To finally and utterly reject it. To be sick of sickness. At the moment that we do this, that we become sick of sickness, we begin to escape it, and the deeper we go in that direction, the greater our liberation.

Carl Jung once remarked that the ancients had gods, we have complexes. The Gallae may have experienced feelings and desires similar to those of modem transsexual women. After all, since no one chose them to be Gallae, they must have felt the same overwhelming push to present themselves. But instead of seeing themselves as compelled by a sickness, they believed their Goddess had called them into Her service. Both viewpoints require a surrender, but when we surrender to a Goddess we join ourselves to her power and her beauty. When we surrender to a sickness we get nothing but shame.

Here are two more aspects of that web of images. In Greece, the main God who ruled over transgendered activities was Dionysus. His male followers would dress as women, his female followers would strap on large phalluses. He himself was depicted as a stick with a dress and a beard. Some of the more patriarchal Greek writers described him as "effeminate" or "womanly." Indeed, his myth tells us that he was raised as a girl, and even when he came into his Godhood he often wore feminine clothes and kept his hair long and flowing, something only women were supposed to do.

The psychologist Ginette Paris tells us an interesting story about Dionysus. Raised as a girl, he went mad in adolescence. Paris tells us that we do not know the cause of his madness. Certainly some of the readers of this magazine might make a guess. Insane, Dionysus wanders the world until he comes to Phrygia. the home not only of Cybele and the Gallae, but according to some accounts, Aphrodite. Cybele initiates him, Paris tells us, and restores his sanity. Paris says we do not know how Cybele heals him. Did she initiate him back into his femaleness? Did she lead the God to embrace the doubleness of gender? After he returned from his wanderings, Dionysus became the God of ecstasy, leading men but especially women out of the traps laid for them by a rigid polarized society.

The second myth does not invoke transgendered or transsexual issues quite so directly. However, it involves someone clinging to a statue for deliverance from an emotional storm, and thus it returns us to the presence of Mary overlooking and blessing Dr. Biber's clinic. The Greek Orestes went mad -- madness again -- after Apollo ordered him to kill his mother as punishment for her crime of murdering her husband. Though the Goddess Athena absolved him he still had to pay a penance to the Goddess Artemis (Orestes' mother had killed her husband because he had sacrificed their daughter to Artemis in the hope of gaining the Goddess's favor -- the story of Orestes involves generations of murder and abuse). Thus Orestes wandered the world carrying a statue of Artemis. Finally, he felt the insanity leave him, and he dared to put it down. He set it in a riverbed and walked away. Two Spartans passed by. When they saw the statue staring at them, horribly, from the water, they went mad.

Now, Spartans were known for being ultra-masculine, while Orestes, despite his defense of his father, was considered -- like Dionysus -- effeminate. Thus, the rigidly male Spartans cannot believe the sudden emergence of the dark feminine. But there are more direct connections to our own stories. Artemis was often linked with Cybele. The most famous statue of Artemis stood not in Greece but in Ephesus, a town in Asia Minor, the home territory of Cybele. The Phrygians themselves described Artemis as another name for Cybele.

The Ephesus statue showed the Goddess's torso covered in small globes. Most modern writers assume these are extra breasts, showing her power as the Great Mother. Recently, however, a British archaeologist pointed out that the globes have no nipples. The archaeologist suggested they might have represented the testicles sacrificed by Artemis/Cybele's gallae worshippers.

Classical Greek Artemis was not a mother Goddess but a virgin. We might describe her as forming a link between transsexual women and lesbians (or between the two sides of a transsexual lesbian). Goddess of the Moon, Artemis lived in the mountains apart from the male dominated civilization. She refused all contact with men, spending her time with her band of nymphs. A lover, as well as hunter, of animals, she also watched over women in childbirth. In short, she is almost the model of a back to the land radical lesbian. And yet, as Cybele. she also is the Goddess who accepts the Gallae into her service.

And a final link -- the early Christian council which established Mary as officially the Mother of God took place in Ephesus, the site of that famous statue, once considered one of the seven wonders of the world. And so we come full circle, to Mary, and to Cybele/Artemis, and to statues.

Writing about the story of Orestes, the statue of Artemis, and the two Spartans, Roberto Calasso states: "Such is the power of the image; it heals only those who know what it is. For all others, it is an illness." Transsexuality comes to us with all the power of a divine force who will not be denied. If we recognize it and accept it as a true vision of the self from the deepest part of the psyche, if we carry the Goddess with us until we find ourselves strong enough to set her down, then we may find it opens us to a life of spirituality and joy. If we try to deny it, or belittle it, or explain it away, it can destroy us. Knowing ignorance is strength. Ignoring knowledge is sickness.

If one is sick of sickness, then one is not sick.

***

#WHENEVER WE TRY TO FIND THE CAUSE OF OUR TRANSSEXUALITY WE BECOME WEAK #IF ONE IS SICK OF SICKNESS THEN ONE IS NOT SICK #I'm normally pretty allergic to invocations of spirituality #but this is a perfectly-notched arrow that goes straight through my heart #RIP Rachel Pollack #1945-2023

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odk-2 · 1 year

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Elmore James - Make My Dreams Come (Stereo) (1963) from: "Elmore James: The Last Sessions - February 13th & 21st, 1963" (1995 Relic Records 2Disc Vinyl Compilation) "Elmore James: The Final Sessions - New York February, 1963" (2006 Charly Records Compilation CD)

Blues | Chicago Blues | Slide Guitar

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Elmore James: Vocals / Slide Guitar Johnny "Big Moose" Walker: Piano Bass: Unknown Drums: Unknown

Produced by Bobby Robinson

Recorded: @ The A-1 Studios in New York City, New York, USA on February 21, 1963

Released: 1995 Vinyl: Relic Records 2006 CD: Charly Records

#Elmore James #Blues #Slide Guitar #Charly Records #Relic Records #Enjoy Records #1960's #Bobby Robinson #Make My Dreams Come #Elmore James: The Last Sessions #Elmore James: The Final Sessions #Elmore James Riff #Electric Blues

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sharkchunks · 1 year

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Selected Tom Sizemore roles of the 1990s:

Heart and Souls (1993, Ron Underwood)

True Romance (1993, Tony Scott)

Natural Born Killers (1994, Oliver Stone)

Strange Days (1995, Kathryn Bigelow)

Heat (1995, Michael Mann)

The Relic (1997, Peter Hyams)

Saving Private Ryan (1998, Steven Spielberg)

Enemy of the State (1998, Tony Scott)

Bringing Out The Dead (1999, Martin Scorsese)

#tom sizemore #rip #cinema #movies #film

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abyssal-ali · 6 months

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time, curious time/cutting me open then healing me fine

Rating: T

Pairing: implied Draco Malfoy x Harry Potter but can be read as platonic Drarry

TW: Minor character death at the beginning but the time travel fixes it; I never claimed to understand time turners; many things are probably not as canon, but considering it’s a crossover and time travel fix-it, assume anything not-happening-as-canon is because of the time travel shenanigansery :D. oh and some Avada'ing but it's just Death Eaters so it's fine:)

WC: 3k ao3 Masterlist

A/N: Happy Birthday, Ella!<3 I created this crack time travel fix-it just to write you a fic that explains the Cedric/Edward doppelganger-ism. I hope you like it! Many thanks to @sarcasticbambi for her usual wonderful betaing job<3

Yes, you read this right. It's a crack Harry Potter x Twilight fic. I have no explanation or excuse.

May 2, 1998

Dust and cold grey wisps of cloud swirled around the ruins of Hogwarts, the wind blowing the young man’s hair into his face. The pale blond strands had come loose from all the dueling and drama earlier that day. Taking the opportunity to subtly rub his eyes as he fixed his hair, Draco Malfoy erased any trace of sorrow over the fallen, both friends and enemies.

He crossed the courtyard, sidestepping piles of rubble and crumbled statues, past a wall, a pale hand sticking out from under it. By the broken-down stairs, a body curled up, seeming asleep or grieving, perhaps. Ignoring the faint shouts and spells being cast by the winners scattered around the remains of the school, he carefully laid a hand on their shoulder.

The curls gave away who it was, but Hermione didn’t react at all. Draco hadn’t expected her to; the entire Trio had fallen in action. The Weasel lay a little further beyond the Mudblood, and Draco knew that the Boy-Who-Lived was now the Boy-Who-Died, lying with his fallen compatriots.

He refused to go near them.

His lips curling into a sneer, he apparated back to Malfoy Manor. Lucius and Narcissa were with the Dark Lord, no doubt setting up as the new ruler of the Wizarding World’s right-hand family.

The vault was easy enough to get into – he’d been in it more than enough times as he was laden down with items to be a showcase for the Malfoy family’s wealth and prosperity.

This time, he left the vault, seemingly with nothing to show for his two-minute excursion.

With one last look around his old home, he activated what he had found.

~~~

November 20, 1994

The fuss about Potter being selected as a second Hogwarts Champion by the Goblet of Fire was ridiculous. Clearly, Potter hadn’t wanted to be chosen, and the judges all knew that it was difficult for someone to tamper with the relic.

Draco huffed as he passed yet another hallway full of students whispering about the uncommon results. Why they continued to whisper about something strange happening around someone whose very existence should have been impossible was beyond him.

The flutter of wings sounded just before the weight of his eagle owl, Ulixes, landed on his shoulder. A paper wrapped around its leg caught his eye, and he untied the string holding the missive to his owl.

Unfurling the paper, a smirk took over his features as he read.

Excellent.

Things should proceed much more smoothly now.

~~~

June 18, 1995

The days coming up to the Third Task weren’t any less nerve-wracking for Draco than the Trio, with his own machinations to plot. Thankfully, the Trio was too busy preparing for the final test to pay much attention to him, although he did miss his daily verbal spars with Potter and occasionally Granger.

Nothing could go wrong. He was ruined if they were even a minute late.

Checking the time, he cast a series of spells and slipped out of his room in the Slytherin dungeons.

The Forbidden Forest was quite dark, only a tiny speck of light from the giant’s hut visible through the screen of thick trees and cloudy mist. Draco huffed as he rubbed his hands together, a thin stream of breath spiraling up to the moon.

A branch cracked behind him, and he turned.

Several cloaked individuals emerged from the shadows.

“Malfoy?”

His lips curved in a smirk. Oh yes, it was all coming together.

~~~

June 24, 1995

The crowd cheered as Cedric walked out in his Hufflepuff yellow and black, escorted by his father, Amos; the happy blaring of the band provided an upbeat mood to the third task.

Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco sat in the midst of the crowd, a bold red “Krum” painted on Crabbe’s forehead as they cheered for the competitors entering the arena.

Diggory nodded back at Potter as they entered the maze. The third task had begun.

It was rather boring to be watching an empty arena, the only visible things being tall walls of plants. Draco climbed down the bleachers, leaving his cronies behind, muttering about knowing a better spot for a more exciting view.

Once he was safely away from the crowd, who were mindlessly fascinated by the entrance of the maze – for Merlin’s sake, it wasn’t even the exit – he apparated to the spot where his acquaintances were waiting.

The cloaked figures emerged from the shadows at his appearance.

“Are you ready?” he asked one final time. They nodded.

A flash of blue light filled the space as the Cup port-keyed the Hogwarts champions to the Little Hangleton graveyard.

Draco sneered as he watched Potter realize where he ended up. Of course, the bloody git had shared the victory with Diggory.

“Cedric! We need to leave! I’ve seen this place in my dreams!” Potter frantically tried to get his teammate’s attention, but he was captivated by the discovery of the Cup being a Portkey.

“Cedric!”

Pettigrew slithered out from the dark, his wand glowing green as he cast the Killing Curse.

“No!” Potter yelled, seeing Diggory’s pale face lying still against a grave.

Draco had to admit to himself that it was a fitting place to die – you could be buried right there and save a lot of hassle for the living.

Outwardly, he sighed and dusted off his robes, his wand tip glowing green. What was another?

“Avada Kedavra!”

Potter’s face remained frozen in shock and horror as Pettigrew collapsed.

The weak, wheezing chuckles of the incorporeal being in Pettigrew’s arms annoyed Draco.

“Well done, just like your father. I suppose you will have to take Pettigrew’s place as my servant for this part. Get some of Harry Potter’s blood and put it in that cauldron.”

“This is for you, my lord.” Draco bowed low mockingly. “Avada Kedavra.”

A sound like the wind rushed through the air as the green light hit the pale head of the once-Dark Lord.

Grimacing, Draco wiped his hand down his pants as he realized his wand was uncomfortably sweaty. Apparently, facing your worst nightmare and killing the one who killed your lo- your rival was a stressful situation.

The black-cloaked figures behind him fanned out, two darting over to the Hufflepuff’s body while he turned to Potter.

“You’re welcome.”

“W-what did you do?” asked Potter, thoughtlessly taking the hand Draco extended to help him up.

Honestly, did he have no self-preservation at all? How had he survived until the end of the Second Wizarding War at all?

He’d just killed two people!

Draco tsked.

“I just rid you of your archnemesis, and you ask what I did?”

“But- why? Your family-”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Did no one ever tell you not to look too hard at someone who casts a Protego for you?”

Potter sputtered, and Draco shook his head.

“But Cedric-”

“Potter, I need you to trust me.” Draco stared into Potter’s blue eyes. “Do you trust me?”

Potter paused.

“Yes.”

Draco sighed, relieved. “Then just follow my lead and do what I say, and I’ll explain everything later.”

“Okay,” Potter nodded obediently.

Draco fished a vial from the depths of his robe’s pockets and popped the cork on the Polyjuice Potion. Downing it with a grimace, he waited to take the form of a fully revived Voldemort.

“Protego. Fianto Duri.”

With Potter sufficiently shielded, he turned his wand to the dark, heavily clouded sky. “Morsmordre.”

Draco turned his back on Potter and awaited the apparating of the Death Eaters, including his father.

“Ah, my loyal soldiers,” he began, channeling his best Voldemort, figuring that having been raised around and served under him for years would help him impersonate the dark wizard long enough to fool the Death Eaters, who hadn’t seen the Dark Lord in quite a while.

The obnoxious wizards and witches paid their respects, and Draco couldn’t help wondering if Voldemort ever got tired of the insincerity and fear surrounding his servants or if it was something he relished.

On Draco’s part, it was repulsive, and he couldn’t wait for his self-inflicted farce to end.

“I see that some of you have not come to my aid despite my symbol in the sky,” he intoned, stalling for time.

“To prove your loyalty, I wish for you all to give me your wands for this moment. Fear not; if you have been loyal, you will be rewarded beyond your vastest imagination,” he breathed. “For we will take over Hogwarts, and then – the entire Wizarding World will be unable to stop us! Potter,” he spat, “is already under my command now that I am in my form. Wands!”

The Death Eaters exchanged worried-yet-attempted-nonchalant glances, handing their wands over to him.

“Excellent.” The high, breathy voice of the Dark Lord was irritating to copy and made him inwardly cringe, but Draco carried through.

“Stupefy!”

The lot of the Death Eaters were momentarily stunned and knocked unconscious. Draco took advantage of that time to cast a Petrificus Totalus and Mimblewimble and ensure they couldn’t wake up and cause mischief.

“Potter, I’m taking the Death Eaters to Hogwarts. I cast an Anti-Disapparition jinx here, so you can’t apparate. Take this bottle; it’s a port-key to Hogwarts.” Draco nodded at a bottle standing on a grave a row away, undoing the protective spells around Potter.

With a nod at the cloaked figures that Potter had mostly ignored, he grabbed the bottle when Potter did, flashing back to Hogwarts.

Draco looked around, noting that they’d ended up outside McGonagall’s office.

“Potter, get Dumbledore and McGonagall and the Ministry of Magic members that are here.”

With a nod, Potter ran off.

The sheer chaos that surrounded the group approaching him let him know that that was definitely the people in charge. They were always making a big fuss about everything. Draco shook his head.

The group paused when they turned the corner and saw Draco, still appearing as Voldemort, wondering if Harry had been Imperio’d, and if this was a trap.

“It’s Draco,” Potter reiterated and approached him.

Stupid, fearless Gryffindors.

“Look, he brought the Death Eaters for you.”

Draco dropped his wand with the pile of Death Eaters’, holding his hands up defensively. “It’s me, Draco Lucius Malfoy. I’m using a Polyjuice Potion.”

A quick Revelio from McGonagall confirmed his identity.

“I believe that we can pause our questions for Mr Malfoy while we take care of the more pressing matter at hand?” she raised an eyebrow, daring the Ministers to argue.

Draco knew he wasn’t that brave and wasn’t surprised when no one spoke up.

“Then I believe that Mr. Potter here can wait with Mr. Malfoy in my office while we deal with this…gift he has left us.”

With a short smile, McGonagall opened the door to her office for him and Potter to enter while the rest of the crowd took charge of the Death Eaters.

“You’re even turning your dad over?” Potter’s large eyes stared at him from the chair opposite him in front of McGonagall’s desk.

Draco shrugged. “He’s a Death Eater. Good riddance. He’d never be proud of me, no matter what.” Shifting uncomfortably at what he’d said and the remembrance of the things he’d done before he used his Time Turner, he turned away from Potter’s curious gaze.

“Thank you for everything you did, Draco.”

Shrugging, he closed his eyes.

His rest was promptly interrupted by the door opening and Cedric Diggory running inside. “Did it work?”

Potter gasped. “Cedric! You’re alive!” He hugged the Hufflepuff, looking him over for any damage.

“Potter, Diggory is fine. You’re acting like a house elf. Sit back down.”

Ignoring the little twinge of jealousy poking his blood-pumping organ, Draco wandlessly and wordlessly summoned a chair over to the other two.

Potter made a noise that Draco also ignored, pleased that Potter had sat in the chair by Draco’s side and not the one he’d initially been seated in.

Diggory took a seat and opened his mouth, but Draco tutted.

“I’d prefer to explain this as few times as possible. Can you wait until the Ministers come back before you interrogate me?”

Diggory nodded and grinned at Potter. “I’m alright, mate. Draco will explain later, but I’m perfectly fine. You don’t need to worry.” Potter sighed in relief and settled deeper into his chair that Draco may have subtly cast a Spongify on.

The Ministers and Professors arrived surprisingly quickly from where they had been dealing with the Death Eaters, and McGonagall quickly enlarged and soundproofed her office before the interrogation officially started.

Extra chairs were summoned, a recording charm cast and they began.

“I’m Draco Lucius Malfoy. I used a Time Turner to come back here last autumn, and I’ve been disguising myself as my younger self since then. I came from three years in the future, when the Second Wizarding War was over. Voldemort won, and most of you were dead.

“I used a Time Turner from the Malfoy vault to come here and prevent that from happening again. I didn’t want to go too far back and mess up the timeline. I had one chance since the Ministry’s stash of Time-Turners was destroyed, and if I went back too far, I could cause a worse outcome.

Fourth year was the furthest I dared.

“Using my knowledge of future events, I created a plan to stop the Second Wizarding War from ever starting – which it would have, tonight, had I not stepped in.

“I recalled scraps of information I had gathered on fellow Hogwarts students and especially information I found out when I dug through Ministry official’s families to contact some people I thought would be willing to help.

“Amos Diggory, your aunt married an American and moved to the United States with her husband, Edward Masen. They had a son, Edward, Jr. Interestingly, their family line dropped off there, yet I was still able to trace their descendant across America.”

Draco paused, relishing in the impressed and happily surprised faces surrounding him (particularly Potter’s).

“I found Edward Masen, Jr., now Edward Cullen, and his adoptive family – or should I say coven. The Cullen coven of vampires was eager to help one of their own’s old family, and so they came to Hogwarts at my behest.

“I was surprised to discover that Edward Cullen looks identical to his first cousin once removed, Cedric Diggory, but it made my plan much more simple. I was forced to corner Diggory and explain some things to him, but he agreed to my plan.” Draco nodded shortly at Diggory, who nodded back with a slight smug smile.

“Edward replaced Cedric in the Third Task. I was able to teach him and his family some basic spells they would need for tonight. In the original timeline, Cedric was killed by Peter Pettigrew, who then revived Voldemort to his corporeal body and dueled Potter. Neither won, as their wands were brothers and thus began the SWW. It continued until May 1998, when the side against the Dark Lord was defeated, and I returned to November 1994.”

Draco paused, unsure of how what he was about to say would be received. “Tonight, I waited with the Cullens at the graveyard for Cullen-as-Diggory and Potter to port-key via the Cup. Pettigrew cast the Killing Curse at Cullen, which, as a Living Dead, caused him to be knocked unconscious.

“I cast the Killing Curse at Pettigrew, who had the Dark Lord, then at Voldemort. I used a Polyjuice Potion I brewed myself in the future to take Voldemort’s appearance and then summoned the Death Eaters. I pretended I was testing their loyalty and had them give me their wands. Once they were disarmed, I stunned and petrified them to prevent any wandless spells, then used a port-key I created and placed there ahead of time to bring us to Hogwarts, where I sent Potter to fetch you.”

A knock sounded on the door, and Draco let in the Cullens with a now-awake Edward by their side.

Amos Diggory stared between his son and his cousin, stunned by their identical appearance.

The rest of the Ministry gathered there ignored the interruption, working through the information Draco had just dumped on them.

~~~

June 25, 1995

Potter lingered awkwardly around the corner from the group of Slytherin students, all overlooking the courtyard.

Draco sighed at the sight of Potter’s messy brown hair ducking in and out of the alcove.

He sent Crabbe and Goyle away, hoping that if he was alone, Potter would pluck up that famous Gryffindor courage and approach him.

It seemed to work, as a couple of minutes later, Potter was at his elbow as he bit into an apple.

“Draco?”

“Potter.”

“Can you tell me more about the future you came from?”

“Really, Potter?” Draco scoffed, idly watching Granger be kidnapped by two identical redheads to help with some mischief below them. “You haven’t been traumatized enough?”

Potter scratched the back of his neck. “I just think it would be nice to know what happened in case any events repeat themselves. You’ll be going back to the future soon, right? How did you even stay as long as you did?”

“Wizarding secret, Potter, and I’m staying here.”

“But- two Dracos in the same timeline will create a par-”

“I know what I’m doing,” he interrupted. “Relax; the timeline won’t collapse, and you won’t be called upon to fix it. Voldemort is dead now; we’ve made sure. Go back to just studying and playing Quidditch.”

Potter snorted. “Malfoy, I’ve never ‘just’ studied and played Quidditch. Ever since I learned about this world, I’ve been fighting for my life or tackling plots from Slytherins with daddy issues while I wait for the guy who wants me dead to attack so I can defeat him and his attempt to take over the wizarding world.”

Draco fell silent, and Potter’s perspective of the past four years.

“I’m sorry for everything, Potter.”

Potter shifted his weight from foot to foot before extending his hand. “Thanks. You said Voldemort’s gone…Think we can start again?”

Draco’s mouth twitched in a genuine smile as he shook Potter’s hand. “Hello, I’m Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Fourth-Year.”

“Harry Potter, Gryffindor Fourth-year. Nice to meet you, Draco.”

“Likewise, Harry.”

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