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lostywrites · 2 months

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Summary:

The Hidden Ones encounter a mysterious traveller from Azeroth. Recognising an opportunity to expand their influence and forge new alliances, they appoint Basim Ibn Ishaq, a devoted disciple, as their representative.

In a realm where ancient lore and magic are as tangible as the air he breathes, Basim must rely on his wits, skills, and newfound connections to fulfill his mission and unlock secrets that could change the fate of both worlds.

A Warcraft/Assassin's Creed Mirage crossover fic. Set before the events of Dragonflight and Valhalla.

Pairing: Basim/OC

Chapter 1 I Chapter 2 I Chapter 3 I Chapter 4

Chapter 5 - The White Pawn

"Pardon my curiosity, but what has led a king to forsake his throne and shroud himself in secrecy?" Basim asked as they navigated through the thick underbrush.

The king paused, taking a moment of introspection before replying, "My return from the Shadowlands have left me...in need of solitude. I needed time to reflect, to understand the person I've become, accept what I've done...it's only here, away from everyone else I could truly find the strength to face my own inner demons..." he confessed, his voice tinged with melancholy.

"The Shadowlands?" Basim echoed. The king's eyes however held a story untold, a narrative heavy with trauma.

Choosing to keep his personal story private, especially from someone he'd just met, Anduin simply said, "It's a cautionary tale for another time, one I'm not yet prepared to share." His gaze then drifted to the concealed cave entrance ahead, camouflaged by the wild embrace of vines and moss. With a silent gesture, he invited Basim to follow him further into the depths of his secluded haven.

The cave maintained a moderate temperature, bathed in the serene glow of crystals embedded into its rough-hewn walls, creating a calming ambience within the rugged environment.

Basim's eyes scanned over the king’s humble hideout dotted with an array of books, maps, and rolled up parchments, hinting at ongoing plans and studies. Finding a place at a sturdy wooden table, he settled quietly and watched as Anduin moved about the space.

Moments later, Anduin approached the table, carrying two cups and a jug brimming with something oddly luminescent yet a refreshing sight.

“Shukran,” Basim said with a grateful nod, taking the cup handed to him. The beverage was pure and seemingly blessed with restorative qualities, as though he was drinking from the well of Zamzam, brought an immediate sense of rejuvenation. He felt a wave of relief wash over him, dispelling the lingering fogginess and the oppressive humidity that clung on to him from the island's dense atmosphere. “Aah, it’s been a long time since I’ve tasted water this good.”

Anduin smiled, pleased with Basim's reaction. "The Kal'dorei have a way with nature's gifts," he explained. "It's said to have healing properties, and from what I've seen, I'm inclined to believe it. But each time I take a sip of their sacred water, I can't help but remember the tragedy at Teldrassil, the loss of so many innocent lives..." The king's voice tapered off, the deep-seated sorrows of wars past casting a shadow over his thoughts.

"I have heard about the Burning of Teldrassil," Basim said. "During my time in the Cathedral of Light, I had the honour of meeting the night elven children. Despite everything they've been through, their resilience is extraordinary, unlike anything I've witnessed before."

"Indeed they are," the king replied, his smile returning. And his curiosity was directed towards Basim now. "You know, in my time as an Alliance king, I've had the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life. I pride myself on being able to distinguish an outsider from a native. And you, my mysterious friend, don't strike me as a simple merchant from the 'Far East'.”

Basim’s voice deepened, the mask of Gilgamesh fading, revealing his true self, "You have a sharp eye. It is true that I have disguised myself as a merchant to cover the true purpose of my journey here. A purpose that's greater than myself.”

More on Ao3

#fanfic #basim ibn ishaq #anduin wrynn #wrathion #warcraft #assassin's creed #assassin's creed mirage

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asura22zoro · 1 month

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on Korra awakening air bending at the end of b1

In this episode Korra deals with Fear. In "Spirit of the Competition," Korra deals with Love and Grief. Is she unlocking the chakras with these experiences? So maybe these seemingly filler episodes aren't fillers and all, and Korra is going though a character arc that will allow her to master the spiritual side of bending. Yuans to noodles, that is probably one reason for the Avatar to travel the world to train, so he or she can feel these feelings and then better work on opening the chakras.

The Chakras, my word, the Chakras! This series is playing out the awakening of the chakras as it progresses. Korra has dealt with fear, guilt, shame, grief, lies and probably illusion with each successive episode apart from learning Freedom of spirit since her years at the South Pole. Now she's almost ready to master the spiritual side of being the Avatar. Only one more chakra to go. It makes sense why she couldn't master the spiritual side easily. She was locked up in a cozy, cocooned world and had none of the life changing experiences or the kind of training that Aang received. But now it looks like all that might just be about to change. Especially since the whole point of the Avatar Cycle is giving the planet's spirit a chance to experience life from a mortal perspective. Locking it up in a compound was detrimental to what the Avatar spirit wanted/needed. The final chakra? Unlocked by letting go of worldly attachments. For Aang, it was his fondness for Katara. For Korra? She was so wrapped up in being the Avatar, that she could have very well been contemplating suicide when looking over that cliff. When she decided against it, when she decided to go on living despite being a broken Avatar, BAM, last chakra opened. I disagree. There's absolutely no indication she was opening her last chakra; she hadn't let go of any worldly attachments, nor did she demonstrate any display of spiritual energy until Aang showed up. She was really just opening her Air Chakra. This is shown in multiple ways: She finally airbends purely out of love and concern for Mako, putting any grief she may have felt aside to do it. Later on, as she's grieving about the loss of her bending, Aang appears (another indication of the air chakra) and helps her get over her grief by returning her bending to her. She then sees Mako and demonstrates her love for him. Further, she clearly only unlocked the thought chakra at the end of Book 2, given that we see the same spiritual plane that Aang visited during his attempts at unlocking his own, followed by a massive display of cosmic energy in the form of her spiritual projection.

Korra airbending: Why was Korra able to airbend, even after Amon had taken away her bending? Amon takes his victims bending away by physical means (bloodbending). As air is the most spiritual of all the bending elements, Korra's airbending potential was not affected by Amon's block. Or it was a case where she turned to her spiritual side in another moment of helplessness. While she was not as realized as Aang that she could energybend her connections to all 4 elements, it was still enough to restore her connection to air, which was the most spiritual of the elements and which was spiritually the "nearest" within reach. Had Korra been a fully realized Avatar, she could have undone Amon's bloodbending completely with the Avatar State. The most plausible reason is the chakras. She was able to airbend when Mako was in danger of losing his bending. Which is the chakra that is opened by love? THE AIR CHAKRA, located in the heart. The first 3 chakras deal with Earth, Water and Fire respectively. When this chakra opened, it gave Korra her spiritual connection to the air element, and that did the trick. Her love for Mako opened her chakra and allowed her to overcome any feelings of grief (which blocks the air chakra) she may have been experiencing. How did Aang get the grip of Earthbending? He was forced to hold his ground and force the moose-lion head on to save Sokka, who would have been killed if he had dodged on that run. He overcame his fear (which blocks the earth chakra) with a need for survival (which the earth chakra deals with). Now that he's got the attitude, he has no more issues with it. How did Korra get the grip over Airbending? When Mako was in danger. It really doesn't take that long to get the hang of it. Seeing a loved one in danger is one of the most powerful triggers that removes all physical and psychological limits that the brain imposes on the body for its safety. Or even simpler than that, Amon never took away her airbending in the first place. Why? Because he couldn't! He had never debent an airbender before; He never got the chance to take away Tenzin and his family's. and probably assumed that it was no different from the other elements. He was wrong. Word of God said Amon's debending technique was in fact "Chi-severing". That offers a new, entirely plausible explanation for Korra's Airbending. Amon couldn't sever an "unactivated" chi line. Assuming every bender has 1 chi line corresponding with their element, when their bending abilities manifest, their chi-line is "activated" and strengthened through training. There are 4 different Chi lines within the Avatar allowing them to bend all four elements. Because of emotional turmoil, Korra had never airbent before, therefore, her Air chi-line was not activated. When her other chi lines were severed, most of her energy was forced into the remaining chi line: air.

The Earth Chakra was opened when Korra learnt to face her fear of dealing with Amon. The Water Chakra was opened when she was able to overcome her guilt when she got over the love triangle by forgiveness and got them through into the final, though it might have even happened before that when she got the knack of the airbending movements. The Fire Chakra was opened up when she reconciled with Tenzin over her shame of not being able to airbend or being spiritually weak, and when she finally connected with Aang. The Air Chakra was obviously opened by love, and I mean Mako. The Sound Chakra was opened when she understood Tarrlok and Amon's true identities, and Amon building his whole movement on lying over his backstory. The Hiroshi Sato reveal also definitely had something to do with it. The light Chakra was probably opened somewhere between Korra realizing that she could still airbend and Amon's makeup job and waterbending powers exposed. The air chakra was probably fully open in that moment where Mako was about to lose his bending, which is why she could Airbend. Finally the last chakra was unblocked when she was planning to leave everyone and told Mako to leave her for good, despite the fact that both truly loved each other by this point - probably she was contemplating suicide, now that she could no longer do her job as the Avatar and called Aang, likely with the intention of taking her away to the spirit world, which is when she gave up attachment. That's when all her chakras were open and her spiritual connection became truly complete. While it's difficult to often pinpoint the incident as the cause of opening her chakras, it's clear that following Character Development Korra already very spiritual by the end and had successfully opened all her chakras allowed her to master the Avatar state. All that was now needed was a little help from Aang to energybend her broken connections.

This also makes sense why Korra never went into the Avatar State despite being in danger so often. She had already begun to open her chakras, and until all the chakras were opened, she couldn't enter it. This also suggests that Korra's restrained and cocooned upbringing in that South Pole fortress also caused the spiritual block in her owing to insufficient Character Development. Katara knew this, the White Lotus didn't. Tenzin figured it out after Korra's first pro-bending match that her spirit really needs freedom to grow. Aang's statement that in her lowest moments, she was open to the greatest change, was just summing up the way she had unknowingly more and more spiritual by life experience. Aang's energybending was the last piece of the puzzle. Now Korra having lost her connection to 3 elements is totally helpless to solve things by her usual badassery and so has had to let go of her pride, the reason for her spiritual block. All this time she had been feeling that she never needed the spiritual side because she had been so badass, but now she had been humbled and her spirit was malleable to Aang's energybending. All that was left for Aang to do was to energybend Korra to restore her bending. It makes more Fridge Brilliance. Becoming a fully realized Avatar involves mastering both the physical and spiritual sides of bending. The two of them are related and influence each other. Aang could bend with his chakras closed. He was wounded by lightning, and while he could still bend all the elements, he had lost his spiritual connection to all but 4 of his past lives and the Avatar State. He regained it by a purely physical means of having his blocked chi paths opened up by a sharp rock, which spiritually unblocked him. Throughout the series there has been quite a connection between Energybending and the Avatar State, with Aang using the Avatar State to debend Ozai and Yakone. He was shown to have mastered the Avatar State after he had successfully energybended Ozai. Korra on the other hand, as the opposite of Aang, lost her connection to the physical side of bending, but by that point her chakras were open, she had completely mastered the spiritual side and connected with the spirits of the past Avatars, thus allowing her to master the Avatar State. Aang then uses the Avatar State to energybend Korra at a spiritual level, restoring her physical connection to her elements, making Korra a fully realized Avatar. It's already been noted by a lot of fans before that the plot is symbolic of how the chakras are opened, by dealing with fear, guilt, shame, grief (and love), truth and lies, illusion and attachment. Aang's chakras were blocked by all his experiences and the fact that he had responded in the manner that would lock them up. Korra on the other hand face similar situations but responded in the way that would open them. Maybe the writers know that ATLA fans aren't morons and don't feel the need to spell out the beautiful symbolism behind the plot, which would cheapen the effect. Her last chakra, the Thought Chakra, doesn't actually seem to have been opened at this point, but rather when she meditated in the Tree of Time.

Based on the chakra theories and how Amon missed out taking Korra's airbending, it's likely every element has its own separate network of chi paths connected to its respective Chakra. Genetics would determine which element would be active in a bender, but only the Avatar can use all the chakras. In particular, the chi path connecting all the chakras is what allows the Avatar to use the Avatar state. The bending mechanism could be that cosmic energy from the top chakra comes down to the lower chakras dealing with the elements. Opening the chakras in general allows a person like the Guru to connect with the spiritual side and in particular allows the Avatar to take control over the Avatar state. Aang's statement that Korra becomes open to change when she hits her lowest points pretty much sums up how she got the grip over spirituality and airbending. Korra's very first lines in Season 1 suggests that her ego was far too high above the balance point and it was totally fueled by the fact that she was Avatar. Throughout the series, she's increasingly being brought down to earth and becomes more and more spiritual. What's notable is that when she is helpless and cannot fight her way out does she end up connecting with spirituality and Aang. However, it's only when she hits her absolute low, with her very identity as the Avatar being broken and she realizes that she is truly no different from any other bender is her pride finally shattered, and then she turns spiritual. Doesn't it remind you of a certain Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha after that one moment where he realized that he too was not above death, old age and suffering? Also, it's Truth in Television. A lot of people who went spiritual have a devastating blow in their lives acting as the turning point. Sometimes it really takes just one, powerful Wham moment.

More Fridge Brilliance on the finale: Korra is supposed to be the opposite of Aang, and various elements of the show reflect that, as has already been pointed out. Another thing that makes Aang and Korra opposites? Aang's series ended with him learning to take bending away. Korra's series ended (remember that the first season was created with the intent of being the only season; the creators didn't know if they'd get more) with her learning to give bending back. The Equalists had control of Republic City But then, everything changed when the Fire Nation led the attack. How exactly does Korra learn airbending suddenly? Some have suggested that it's her air chakra, but there's never been any specific connection between chakras and the element to be bent (Aang, for example, doesn't learn firebending because he overcomes the shame of what he did to Katara). So why does Korra learn airbending? Because of the nature of why Korra couldn't airbend and her lack of spirituality. Bending was her life; she took pride in being a powerful bender and the Avatar. Her pride is bound in her bending. For Korra, her spirit and body are one and the same. But an airbender must free their spirit from their body. Air is the the most ephemeral element; it cannot be held within the body for too long or you die. Aang even talked about how great Air Nomad monks detached themselves from the world to achieve freedom. Korra's spirit, her self-worth, was always attached to her body via her bending, so she could never learn airbending. When Amon took her bending, he broke her body and therefore her spirit. But when Korra found the will to keep fighting, she finally separated her now weak body from her strong spirit. And therefore achieved the freedom she needed to airbend.

Aang's statement that Korra becomes open to change when she hits her lowest points pretty much sums up how she got the grip over spirituality and airbending. Korra's very first lines in Season 1 suggests that her ego was far too high above the balance point and it was totally fueled by the fact that she was Avatar. Throughout the series, she's increasingly being brought down to earth and becomes more and more spiritual. What's notable is that when she is helpless and cannot fight her way out does she end up connecting with spirituality and Aang. However, it's only when she hits her absolute low, with her very identity as the Avatar being broken and she realizes that she is truly no different from any other bender is her pride finally shattered, and then she turns spiritual. Doesn't it remind you of a certain Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha after that one moment where he realized that he too was not above death, old age and suffering? Also, it's Truth in Television. A lot of people who went spiritual have a devastating blow in their lives acting as the turning point. Sometimes it really takes just one, powerful Wham moment.

Way back in episode 2 "A Leaf in the Wind" Tenzin told Korra, "Being the Avatar isn't all about fighting." And this is very true. When Korra finally Airbends and knocks Amon back she isn't doing to fight him but protect Mako, the man she loves, from being harmed by Amon. And protecting people is what the Avatar's duty.

and the air chakra is opened by love

#lok meta #korra

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travelingtheusa · 1 year

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NEVADA

2023 May 9 (Tue) – We stayed around the campground for the most part today. We did run out to get fuel for tomorrow’s move. While we were out, we stopped at Fratelli’s Pizza for lunch.

2023 May 8 (Mon) – We drove to Wendover Army Air Base in Wendover, Utah. The base was established in the early 1940s as a training base for the Army Air Force. At the height of its operation. The base had over 600 buildings and 2,200 soldiers assigned there. Project Manhattan was also active here. The bombers learned how to drop the atomic bomb there. Paul Tibbetts flew the Enola Gay from Wendover to Tinian Island then on to Japan where he dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The base was later turned over to the city who then turned it over to the county. They are in the process of restoring several of the buildings. We toured two museums and climbed up five stories to the tower. It was a great view of the area and the salt flats in the distance. They go on for so many miles that you can actually see the curvature of the earth. We will drive over there tomorrow.

After the air base, we drove into town and had lunch at the Copper Kettle. It was rated #2 of 5 restaurants in Wendover, Utah. Needless to say, it wasn’t much of a choice. There are a lot more businesses and restaurants on the Nevada side. I guess because of the fact that they have so many casinos in that one town. Paul says they must get folks from Utah and Idaho to this town. That’s why they have that one huge hotel and several hotel and casino combinations.

The weather was crappy today. It was overcast and we had some rain on and off throughout the day. It was cold, too.

2023 May 7 (Sun) – We packed up and left Ely at 11:15 a.m. It was a short drive (just 2 hours) to West Wendover. There was a time change from Pacific to Mountain Time. Wendover straddles the border of Nevada and Utah. Guess they decided to adopt Utah’s time zone. We are staying at a KOA. The owner called us on the way here and asked what time we would arrive. When we said 1 p.m., she said she would be out but planned to return at 4 p.m. She gave us our site number and advised us to park then come in to pay when she got back.

After set up, we drove into town to mail off Mother’s Day cards and a book to Barbara. She is Joan’s friend who gave me some supplements and a signed book from Dr. Duane Townsend. In turn, I mailed my book to her. Then we went food shopping at Smith’s. When we got back, the owner had returned and we settled our bill.

2023 May 6 (Sat) – We drove into town and had breakfast at Denny’s in the Hotel Nevada. The hotel was very historic and at one time, it was the tallest building in all of Nevada with six stories. Today, it is the tallest building in Ely. There is some kind of motorcycle event going on in town. This may be the same group we watched drive by in Pahrump three days ago. I looked up their logo online and found the group is called P.O.B.O.B. (Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington). They have an interesting history. Started in 1945, most of them now are old men. At any rate, there are hundreds of motorcycles all over town. It’s almost like Sturgis! Denny’s was full of bikers and we snagged one of the last tables. The meal was ok but the service was so slow. I don’t think they were equipped to handle all the bikers.

After breakfast, we drove to Ward Charcoal Ovens up by Ward Mountain. It was about six miles off the main highway. Clouds were hung up on the mountains and as we drove closer, we got rain, sleet and snow. There were six large ovens in a row that had been used to melt ore from the nearby mines. When the mines closed, the ovens were simply abandoned. Miraculously, they survived over 140 years without vandalism or graffiti. And they seems to be in excellent condition. Our tour of the area was brief as it was cold and sleeting.

We left the ovens and drove through the desert on a graded dirt road. We came across a campground and drove through it to take a look. It really started to snow then. We drove back to the highway and the snow stopped. Then we stopped at the KMGH Robinson Mine. The nearby town of Ruth was being revived and we wandered through there marveling at the huge piles of overburden from the mines. There are several active mines in the are that are mining gold, silver and copper

We then drove to the Nevada Northern Railway and took a ride on the #40 steam train. There were two passenger cars, about half filled. The ride was seven miles up and back (14 miles total). The train rode back up to Robinson Canyon where we were this morning when we drove to the charcoal ovens. When the train ride was over, we toured the engine house. It is a fully functional engine house servicing a steam engine. Paul says there aren’t many of them left. Then we looked through the small museum.

By this time, I was famished (we didn’t have any lunch). We went to Racks Bar & Grill for an early dinner. I had tavern cod and Paul had a pastrami sandwich. It was good. Finally, we returned to the camper where Sheba greeted with a great hunger. She got dinner before I even got my coat off!

We prepare to move tomorrow.

2023 May 5 (Fri) – We packed up and left Goldfield at 8:50 a.m. We had 200 miles to go and wanted to get an early start. What a long, deserted drive it was. For over 150 miles, we didn’t see 5 cars pass us headed back where we came from and only 2 cars passed us going our way. We drove past desert scenery, several valleys, and through the mountains with no developed areas. No businesses. Not even any houses. The mountains were beautiful. The larger mountains still had snow on their peaks. We were surprised that snow still sits up there at this point in the year. You’d think it would all be melted by now.

We arrived at the Valley View RV Park in Ely (pronounced Ee-ly). It is a large campground in a good sized town. There are only 20 transient sites and the rest are taken by permanent/seasonal campers. After set up, we drove into town to have margaritas at La Fiestas. It is, after all, Cinco de Mayo. 😊 After lunch, we drove to White Pine Public Museum. It was a collection of old stuff from around the area. Outside, they had trucks, trains, and old buildings to include a log cabin, on display. The town seems to be prosperous enough. We drove around a little and didn’t see any abandoned or falling down buildings.

2023 May 4 (Thu) – We left Pahrump at 11:15 a.m. We had to stop and get the key to the dump station so we could empty the tanks. The secretary did not have the key. The person who could get it had left 5 minutes ago. She called him on the phone and he gave instructions to her assistant as to how to get into the bar to get the dump station key.

The drive was about 2 hours to Goldfield. This used to be the largest gold mine camp in the world. Sadly, today it is mostly abandoned with lots of equipment and many buildings dilapidated and deteriorating. The campground is a real desert campground. Clarks Custom Camp has a few sites sitting on a small hill with no paving or stones. The surface area is simply packed dirt. We have full hookups for $30 a night. We did laundry as soon as we were set up. They only had one washer and dryer so we had to walk back and forth several times to get everything done. But we got it done.

2023 May 3 (Wed) – We went out to dinner with Joan & Peter and Barbara & Preston at Milano in Town Square. The meal was outstanding. The two restaurant owners came to the table to talk with Joan and Peter. They told us that Kevin Costner had been in the restaurant this past Saturday. One of them even showed us a picture on her cell phone of the two of them standing with Costner. How exciting!

Barbara, who works for a company called 4Life, gave me some supplements along with brochures about them. She contends that she and Preston have not been sick in the last 25 years because they take these supplements. She practically guaranteed that I will lose weight with these. Barbara also gave me “Maverick Medicine” by Duane Townsend. I had just gotten this book but haven’t read it yet. I have to send her my book since the one she gave me is marked with special passages for me to read.

2023 May 2 (Tue) – We went out for lunch to O Happy Bread, a French cuisine bakery and café. The sandwiches were absolutely scrumptious! Why haven’t we found this place sooner? After that we went to the Pahrump Museum. We were there many years ago but stopped by again. They have enlarged the building. The outer buildings were all closed. Paul said they had a flood here two years ago and all the buildings were damaged. The additional space included details about a radioactive waste storage facility they built to store nuclear waste but it never opened. We also found out that there were large cotton farms in this area. They grew a special kind of cotton with long fibers , like Egyptian cotton, but when the government wanted to keep the price high, they started demanding the farmers harvest less cotton. This was to make the supply smaller, driving the price up with higher demand. The program eventually put the farmers out of business.

We pulled up to a traffic light only to have it blocked by the Sheriff’s deputies. Soon, a couple of sheriff’s cars drove by with flashing lights followed by over 100 motorcycles. Then came about six chase cars. I guess it was some kind of club move. I thought maybe it was the group that goes to Washington, D.C. every year for Memorial Day but Paul didn’t agree. He doesn’t know what they were but they aren’t going to D.C. Hmmmmm.

There was a model home dealer that we stopped to look over. There were only two units we could look at. One was a triple wide and one was a double wide. Weird layout in both of them. Then we stopped at Albertsons to pick up a few groceries.

2023 May 1 (Mon) – We went to breakfast at Mom’s Diner this morning. The special was creamed chipped beef on toast. It was pretty tasty. We then ran some errands. Dropped off the license plate for the RV at the post office to mail back to New York. We now have South Dakota license plates on both the truck and RV. We stopped by Tractor Supply looking for batteries and fasteners but they didn’t have any. We got propane then drove to Home Depot where Paul found the batteries and fasteners he wanted.

I began calling and emailing places for the Alaska caravan. It is now less than 2 months to go and I am starting to place deposits and confirmations. I mailed off a check for $3,700 to a campground in Skagway for 3 nights camping for 20 rigs. Things are starting to get close now!

It was time to empty our onboard tanks. We brought in the sides and slowly rolled forward to the dump station. Paul dumped our tanks and we slowly rolled backward into our campsite. It was the shortest ride Sheba has ever taken. 😊

2023 Apr 30 (Sun) – We went to dinner with Joan & Peter to the Italian-American Club in Las Vegas. The small dining room was crowded and there was a live performer playing a keyboard and singing at the front of the room. We had appetizers, a main course, and tiramisu for dessert. We had drinks for each course – cocktail before dinner, wine with dinner, and cappuccinos with dessert. It was a lovely evening.

2023 Apr 29 (Sat) – We drove to Joan & Peter’s for a swim in the pool. The hot tub really helped my back, which has been pretty sore after bowling yesterday.

We went over Preston & Barbara’s condo tonight with Joan & Peter. Barbara made a delicious meal and then we all played 31. We got into a spirited discussion about guns in America. Barbara is German and claims they have no violence in their country. The Internet proves them wrong but living in America, they just don’t hear about it in Germany.

2023 Apr 28 (Fri) – We drove 65 miles to the Santa Fe Station Casino to go bowling with Adam, Diane & Devin, and Joan & Peter. Unfortunately, when we arrived they told us they had no open lanes. So we all climbed into our cars and drove 12 miles to Red Rock Casino bowling lanes. Joan sat out and Diane quit after one game. The rest of us played two games. After years of not playing, we were happy with the results.

Adam, Diane & Devin had to return home to relieve Diane’s dad. Her mother is sick and living with them. Her father comes in Monday through Friday to sit with his wife until Adam & Diane come home from work. We stayed to gamble. The casino was giving away a serving bowl with 300 points earned from gambling. So we all played the machines. I couldn’t get the points – the machine didn’t work right. But Paul got a bowl so that’s OK.

At 4:30 p.m. we left the casino and drove to Adam & Diane’s house. We visited with them and Nit, Diane’s mom, for a while, then went to the Camino Real Mexican restaurant for dinner. Everything was delicious.

2023 Apr 27 (Thu) – Joan and I went to the Skin & Beauty Institute for facials this afternoon. We went into a room together, each of us with a beauty consultant. They spent over an hour with us, applying lotions and masks. They did some massage but I found it a little too harsh.

After getting our beauty treatments, we met the guys and all went to dinner at the Village Pub. The food and company were very good.

2023 Apr 26 (Wed) – We drove up to Mt. Charleston today. It was over an hour drive there. There is still quite a bit of snow up on the peaks and around the slopes in and around the trees. It always amazes me to see how the topography changes as the altitude increases. We started out in the desert with scrubby plants among the sand and rocks. Then lots of Joshua trees appear. Apparently they like the cooler temperatures. After them comes some kind of trees (I don’t know their name). Then there are lodgepole pine trees. These are tall, straight trees that were used to built lodges for the Native Americans. That’s how they got their names. There are quite a few houses built into the mountainside and whole communities with signs telling everyone to stay out. They don’t like visitors.

We stopped at the visitor center and looked over the display they had there about the Mountain Springs Recreation Area. Then we stopped at the Lodge for lunch. We both had chili and wings. The chili had some heat to it. I couldn’t finish the bowl.

We got a letter from our mortgage company. It is the fourth change in mortgage companies in 7 years. We took the original loan out with USAA. Then two years ago, the mortgage went to Nationstar. Then last year, it was handed off to Mr. Cooper. Today, it is now the purview of Lakeview Loan. Crazy.

2023 Apr 25 (Tue) – We stayed around the campground today. Paul and I worked on Alaska “stuff.” The wind blew hard most of the day. You didn’t want to go out.

Almost every morning I wake up, I see a balloon floating by. There is a winery nearby that gives balloon rides. I guess they have to go up at 6 in the morning. Sometimes, I also see a green balloon float by, too. That one always seems to go low right into the town. The Elks Lodge is up on a hill overlooking the town of Pahrump so I can see the town below.

2023 Apr 24 (Mon) – We were stuck in the campground today waiting for a UPS delivery. I had to reorder my medication and the tracking note said it would be delivered sometime today before 7 p.m. It arrived at 2:30 p.m.

At 3 p.m. we ran into town to mail off the latest Milepost to Johnny. He is the Tail Gunner on the Alaska caravan and is handling the route and group movements. We also stopped at WalMart to pick up batteries and a few other items (always, a few other items).

2023 Apr 23 (Sun) – Joan & Peter drove here to meet us then we all piled into the truck and drove to Death Valley. It was about an hour to get to the park. It was hot (108 degrees) and beautiful. It’s funny that you think of Death Valley as a big, empty desert but it is actually mountains. Beautiful rock in all kinds of colors and configurations. We stopped at the visitor center and looked through their small museum. Then we drove to Furnace Creek where they have a small mall like setting with cabins, shops, saloon and restaurant. We had lunch then walked to the ice cream parlor for dessert.

We returned to the campground. Peter & Joan got in their car and we got in our truck and we drove to “The Hump” where the World Famous Mountain Springs Saloon is located. We ordered ribs and fries at an outdoor shack and enjoyed cocktails in the bar. It was a fun day.

2023 Apr 22 (Sat) – We drove over to Joan & Peter’s this morning. Peter had some windows that needed painting and Paul was going to help. When we arrived, he said it was too windy to paint as seeds from a nearby tree would be blown onto the paint and stick. So we visited for a couple of hours. At 4 p.m. we changed into our bathing suits and went to the pool in their community. Several of their friends also joined us. We swam, drank margaritas, and ate snacks. When we returned to their condo, we sent out for Chinese food for dinner. It was a long day.

2023 Apr 21 (Fri) – Texting back and forth with the new secretary at the Islip Elks Lodge, I was able to get a copy of my new card for this year. The secretary made up a new card for me trusting that I would send the dues in immediately. I am a trusted member of the lodge for 10 years already. So we went in and paid for 13 more nights.

We drove into town to mail off my membership dues and to return the sample jacket we got from the jacket company for the Alaska Caravan. Also sent off postcards for the grandsons. Then we stopped at Mom’s Diner for lunch. It was rated #1 of 50 restaurants in Pahrump. It was a small place that reminded you of an old time diner but looking more modern. The food was good.

At 5:15 p.m. we left to drive to Blue Diamond where we met Paul’s sister and brother-in-law, Joan & Peter, for dinner. We ate at Locale Italian Kitchen. Everything was excellent. We caught up with everything that’s been going with us and made plans for tomorrow.

2023 Apr 20 (Thu) – We packed up and left Barstow, CA at 9:40 a.m. It was a long drive over miles and miles of empty desert. Only one car passed us during the 120 mile drive and I don’t think five cars passed us headed the other way. It was a long, lonely drive. The superbloom is in effect. There are so many yellow, gold, and purple flowers spread out across the landscape. I never thought there would be color in the desert like this. It’s so beautiful.

We pulled in the Elks Lodge in Pahrump, NV, around 12:30 p.m. After set up, we went inside to pay. Weren’t we surprised when we discovered my membership card expired on April 1. The lodge secretary tried to help us get hold of someone back at the lodge in Islip to sort out my membership status. It appears that I did not pay my dues. The secretary, James Kardouchian, died last year and I guess I didn’t get a reminder and the dues lapsed. This lodge let us stay the night but if we can’t get it straightened out, we will have to leave.

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rentalservice · 1 year

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5 Ways to Save Money When Buying a MacBook

MacBooks are great laptops, but they can be expensive. If you’re looking to save money when buying a MacBook, there are a few ways to do it. In this post, we will explore 5 ways to save money when buying a MacBook. Read on to learn more about how you can save money on your next MacBook purchase.

1. Research MacBooks before purchasing

One of the best ways to save money when buying a MacBook is to do your research ahead of time. By taking the time to compare prices and features, you can make sure you’re getting the best possible deal on your new laptop. There are a few different ways to research MacBooks. One way is to use an online comparison site. This allows you to compare prices quickly and easily from a variety of different retailers. Another way to research MacBooks is to read online reviews. This can help you get an idea of which models are most popular and what other users think about them. Finally, it’s also worth checking out Apple’s website directly. Here you can find information on the latest MacBook models as well as special deals and offers that might be available. By taking the time to do your research, you can be sure you’re getting the best possible deal on your new MacBook.

2. Get a MacBook on rent

We recommend renting, instead of buying a new laptop or tablet, for anyone who doesn't want to spend thousands of dollars. Renting is fast and easy, and it'll always give you access to the latest technology. Renting is a great way to save money when you know that your needs are temporary. It's just as simple as renting a car, or even easier! You'll get access to the latest and greatest technology without having to spend thousands of dollars up front. You can also either stop renting once you've made up your mind or purchase the computer at a discounted rate.

Indianrenters offer laptops and desktops on rental, which can be a great solution for students who don't have the need or budget for a long-term commitment. It's also perfect for those who want to try out Apple before they invest in one of their own. Mac Book Pro and MacBook Air is the go-to laptop for designers, business professionals, and other creative projects. It's lightweight, powerful, and perfect for professionals across a range of industries. Get your MacBook Pro on rent with a 13" or 15" screen size and the newest M1 or M2 chipset. We have a wide selection available for short-term and long-term rentals to meet all your needs. Along with its powerful performance, a MacBook Pro has the impressive battery life you need for the day-to-day reliability of event rentals. Along with its powerful performance, a MacBook Pro has the impressive battery life you need for the day-to-day reliability of event rentals. MacBook Pro on rent feature multiple screen sizes and retina display options. They're perfect for your creative video projects.

3. Buy a used or certified pre-owned MacBook

There are a few different ways that you can save money when buying a MacBook. One option is to buy a used or certified pre-owned MacBook. This can be a great way to save money, as you can often find good deals on used or certified pre-owned laptops. Another option is to wait for a sale. If you can wait a few months, you may be able to take advantage of end-of-season sales or other special promotions. This can be a great way to get a new MacBook at a significantly lower price. Finally, you can also consider buying a refurbished MacBook. These are laptops that have been returned by customers and then professionally restored to like-new condition. They typically come with a warranty, so you can be confident that you’re getting a quality product.

4. Compare prices of different retailers

When you're ready to buy a new MacBook, it's important to compare prices from different retailers to ensure you're getting the best deal. Here are a few tips:

· Check online retailers: Many online retailers offer significant discounts on MacBooks. Make sure to check different websites to compare prices and find the best deal.

· Compare in-store and online prices: Sometimes, brick-and-mortar stores will match the price of an item if you find it cheaper online. It's always worth checking both options before making your purchase.

· Look for sales and promotions: Retailers often offer sales and promotions on laptops, so it's worth checking their websites or visiting their stores in person to see if there are any deals on MacBooks.

5. Check for student discounts

If you're a student, you may be eligible for discounts on a MacBook purchase. To take advantage of these discounts, you'll need to provide proof of enrollment in an eligible educational institution. Once you have your proof of enrollment, you can typically get a discount by visiting the Apple Education pricing website or by contacting Apple directly. To get started, gather your proof of enrollment and then visit Apple's Education pricing page. On this page, you'll be able to browse through the various education discounts that are currently available. Once you find a discount that applies to you, simply click on the "Buy Now" button to add the discounted item to your cart. If you don't see any education discounts that apply to you on Apple's website, don't worry - there may still be some available. You can contact Apple directly to inquire about additional education discounts. They should be able to provide you with more information and help you take advantage of any available discounts.

Conclusion

There are a few different ways to save money when buying a MacBook, including doing your research ahead of time, renting instead of buying, buying a used or certified pre-owned MacBook, waiting for a sale, or buying a refurbished MacBook. You can also save money by comparing prices from different retailers or by taking advantage of student discounts.

#macbook #macbook pro #macbook pro on rent

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abdullahmamun1988 · 2 years

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#BFA#BangladeshFilmArchive#bd_film_archive নতুন রুপে 'বাংলাদেশ ফিল্ম আর্কাইভ'।Bangladesh Film Archive Auditorium, Address & Info 2022, Agargaon Bangladesh Film Archive is an important national institution for the preservation of film-centric history, heritage and culture through the collection, preservation and research of films and film-related materials. The journey of the organization under the name 'Film Institute and Archive' under the Ministry of Information began on May 17, 1978. In 1984 it was named 'Bangladesh Film Archive'. Since its inception, the activities of Bangladesh Film Archive were conducted in a rented house, it had no address of its own.With the personal interest of the Honorable Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, a world-class modern and spectacular film archive building has been built in Agargaon, Dhaka at a cost of about Tk 86 crore. Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the building on 27 February 2013 and inaugurated the newly constructed Bangladesh Film Archive Building on 01 November 2018.Also, digital equipment has been set up in the film archive through the implementation of the project entitled 'Improvement of film preservation system' at a cost of about 22 crore rupees. As a result, Bangladesh Film Archive has got the capability of modern technology in conversion of analog film to digital format, restoration and preservation system. Bangladesh Film Archive is the proud archive of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic speech of March 7 and other state-important celluloid documents.Celluloid documents are stored in 06 state-of-the-art vaults with temperatures of -8, -4, 0, +8, +4 and +12 degrees Celsius. At present the collector of 2994 films including 1136 full length films, 116 short films, 1254 films and 488 newsreels. The number of books and various materials collected in the extensive duplex library of Bangladesh Film Archive is 69175. Bangladesh Film Archive's digital lab has so far converted a total of 624 films, documentaries and documentaries into digital format. Also, the new building of Bangladesh Film Archive houses an air-conditioned multipurpose hall with 500 seats, a projection hall with 300 seats and a seminar hall with 120 seats, the country's only film museum. Bangladesh Film Archive was founded in 1980 by the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), an international organization of archives worldwide. Received membership of the International Association of Audio Visual Archives (IASA) in 2019. The site provides details on the establishment of Bangladesh Film Archive, its aims and objectives, functions, digitization, management policy, citizen charter, research and publication, film vault and film preservation and film exhibition, innovation and ongoing activities. Bangladesh Films to meet the needs of film buffs and our new generation of film related information and data. Related tags: bangladesh film archive, bangladesh film archive auditorium, bangladesh film archive job circular 2022, bangladesh film archive agargaon, bangladesh film archive address, bangladesh film archive journal, bangladesh film archive notice board, bangladesh film archive tender, bangladesh film archives, bangladesh fim archives, bd film archive,bangladesh film, bd film archives, bangladesh film archive circular 2022, film archive, bangla film, bangladesh news, bangladeshi news, bangladesh, top bangladesh news, top bangladeshi news, ap archive, latest bangladesh news, latest bangladeshi news, bangla cinema, bangla news, archive, top bangla news, latest somoy tv news, latest somoy news, bangladesh film archive and, national film archive, bangladesh film archive bfa job circular 2022, bangladesh film archive job, bangladesh film archive bfa, archive, bd film archive, national film archive of bangladesh, bangladesh film archive circular 2020, film archive, bangladesh film archive job circular 2021, বাংলাদেশ ফিল্ম আর্কাইভ, #bangladesh_film_archive_auditorium#বাংলাদেশ_ফিল্ম_আর্কাইভ#film#archive

#IFTTT #YouTube

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prying-pandora666 · 13 days

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Avatar Name Meanings!

Just for fun! Let’s take a look at the most cited meanings for ATLA names.

Aang - When his name is shown in written form, it is composed of the Chinese characters 安 (ān) meaning "peace, quiet" and 昂 (áng)meaning "raise, lift". A fitting name for an airbender who will save the world!

Katara - Taken from the Arabic word قطرة (qatra) meaning "raindrop, droplet". A gentle and poetic name for waterbender who is starting out.

Sokka - Derived from the Japanese phrase “sou ka”, meaning "I understand" or "Is that so?". A reference to both his skeptical and analytical nature, as well as his comic relief.

Toph - Toph was written as 北方拓芙, giving her name the meaning "expanding lotus". The name itself is not a genuine Chinese name, and may have been intended as a pun on the English word "tough". When combined with her last name Beifong, you get “lotus flower expanding northward”, a reference to Toph opening up and making friends, but also because she is from the Southern city of Gaoling and literally travels north with the Gaang.

Zuko - Fictional name written with different meanings in the show. His wanted poster uses 祖 (zǔ) from Chinese meaning "ancestor, forefather" combined with 寇 (kòu) meaning "bandit, robber". Likely meant to portray Zuko as a traitor to his family and people. However, it’s also written as 蘇 (sū) meaning "to regain consciousness" combined with 科 (kē) meaning "sort, class", which is probably the true meaning to his name referring to how Zuko will redeem the Fire Nation and royal family by redeeming himself.

Azula - Fictional name derived from Portuguese, Galician, and Spanish azul meaning "blue" (of Persian origin). A reference to her blue flames.

Want me to cover other ATLA names? Just ask!

(Psst want more ATLA? Check this out!)

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar #book 4 air restoration project #Aang #Katara #Sokka #Toph #Zuko #Azula

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publicprocessingbemethang-blog · 2 years

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AYEEEE

I was a glorious cute scorpio that ppl talk about before I arrive and it’s all love! Let me say mashallah and it’s that way when I am confident and actively listen and show people the sunshine with them. It’s not really about me but it’s about me. You know?

I’m cute, and smart, and says choking things with pretty words. And I try to put my trickery out there with bravery. So folks can be themselves. I love being a resistor and troll for joy in the name of being our weird inner child’s before we were taught to deckhand guess ourselves. When we were all artists, engineers, scientists, and lovers. Not without weird ticks/mental illness or generational trauma, but without the taught capitalism and white supremacy.

I just want to be highly intellectual in the sandbox, at a dress up tea party, on the swings, on a walk. Like I want our higher selves and inner children in a comfy and sexy and intelligent space, container, hug for them to thrive.

Where our shadows can cuddle and just fucking relax.

And I’m building in my desires! Seeing how they tap in to my daily habits. Being mindful of how smoking cigs and centering myself with my insecurities is not the wave. And often not true.

I got to kiss two lovely ppl tonight. Both Tauruses! Names both start with T. Both beautifully melaninated! And where they heart on they sleeve.

Mx. I met this summer and was my intro to this season’s crush obsession. Non-binary and goth and weird and sexy and smart and got white ppl trauma and with a dash of hood. We met a trap night with the howl being a bonfire and then connected at other bonfires. They don’t drive though and our lives are both very chaotic and I think mental health vibes makes me want to be like a Neptune in their solar system? Friends with benefits when the moon is right?

And then Ms. Scales-Mountains-Molten is so beautiful fashion model, singer, so pretty folks don’t hear her when she speaks to her anxieties. Ah! She knew me when I was just turning 21.

I slept with her and Dom Daddy the same night, the day we all three really connected. One if the top highlights of my life. Formative and fun and magical. Tonight she retold the story about how are paths had crossed way before then even.

Today I remembered that she is human AND A GODDESS. I pray she makes it home safe tonight. She is divinely protect and seasoned. Anyway we come in and out of each other’s lives. Lowkey I’m adventure vibes, we outside, lit, making moves. Yea that’s where we linking. On Mars. And mercury, akways both. Always the same night.

Anyway today was a TRAP DAY! Grand to East to Ivy to Rave. I’m high and this might not make sense later. But my friends and I were just Black and Brown QT fairies. Linking with others. On like what the fairies in MidSummer Nights Dream must feel like in chill, fuck the humans vibes.

So many cool things happened. Got a whole new fit that’s to my honorary roommates Daisy and an Airbender, and liberated things. And got tea leaves, hung out with me sibling, I was gonna get jealous of their individual connections but at the end of the day it was so beautiful and creative and goofy and restorative. We walked, got free shit from a garage sale (books for collaging andframes)

Loved in and with Gaia. Air bender putting us in about the trees we were speed dating and flirting with whole me sibling was climbing them.

Then we went into the Ivy. That’s we’re I kissed Mx. while dancing, Cuzzo and Mx. ambassador of love 😊 were there, Cuzzo on management and coordination and dreaming. And so was 🔥 💧… an ex whose story is for another day.

Highlights from previous season. (Not reel of previous seasons, just last’s). 1.We reconnected. 2. I was hella insecure and depressed and anxious and glued to the bed and not listening to my body at all. Like not even a lil. 3. I was too raw for touch. 4. We recycled into insecure projections and competition and jealousy. 5. We got into a big fight in June. I was insecure and gatekeepy which totally only spectrum child vibes. And they were centering their hurt and excusing their own toxicity and way of taking up space. 7. We traveled to different solar systems that were really just one. Just not sharing space much by choice and divine intervention. And we both grew! 8. 🔥 💧 took on more than I did sooner and is crafting more in areas I chose to work on first. But not really. We are very similar and are often going through similar tests. 9. I’m gaining confidence and tryna be more consistent and productive and moving and grooving. 10. They were begging to hang out all summer. Really but not really. And I wasn’t ready. 11. I was living for me but not really. 12. I was actively and inactively working on my insecurities and intrusive thoughts.

Okay! So tonight right? I kissed Mx. in front of them and they got mad. We had had a great date in Thursday. And it really wasn’t a date but a romantic check in making longtime friends/lovers/queers. And we haven’t talked all summer. By choice and chance. And Im kinda remembering why.

I do this too but they got so jealous when I kissed Mx. like fair… but also they don’t have the right to me. And we do have traumatic patterns. And can get jealous of each other in all the ways. But like, how they acted and texted me… and centered them selves. And I shouldn’t have been as vulnerable with them as I was.

Fuck. Now im thinking if all the weak points I exposed to them. And how rn they feel justified to hit me there cause they are sad. Cause I kissed someone at a queer dance event that wasn’t them? When last time we were trying to be in each other’s lives it was low vibrations? And we haven’t talked this summer!

And then they were sending me the evil eye at the BBQ on Mercury. Like it was all love. Ran into Ms. Scales-Mountains-Molten and so many other lovers and potential new ones! And felt and gave so much love. They came with Cuzzo and Mx. ambassador. And it was weird and I was tripping and falling as soon as they came. Just anxious and like I could tell it was their jealous energy egging my insecurities on. And my horoscope predicted that and it’s mercury Rx. Still was cute and sunshine and trickster and made great new connections.

I went to go hit that trio when I was leaving and Cuzzo showed me mad nigga love and asked me for advice and I was happy I got to give it, really just give them the hype and insight they give me. And Mx. ambassador kissed my cheeks and my hands. And offered me their third eye insight on my eyes on the back of my hands.

I got so much love today. Had a kind busted adventure tryna go to a rave. But divine timing, I ran into the people I needed to, avoided the ones I needed too, dancing with La Luna, still in my head at times but even just grateful for that present.

Their were some hiccups with me sibling. But they really kinda rolled off of my back. Like I’m tryna practice true no expectations or attachment in love and life. And me sibling rejected my question of cuddling. And tbh, I might be a sad baby later. But right now, im actively tryna resist what I see in myself through 🔥 💧 and not center my insecurities.

Cause yes im fat and crazy and weird and can be awkward. Im also beautiful and loving and can be wholistic in my approach and attention I give. My love joy aura is intoxicating and addictive. I’ll be a sunlight conduit and wrap around you! I make it cool to be fat and physically and mentally chronically ill. Fuck you mean I’m great and got a lot of weak spots that can be shamed and demonized and repelled from.

Idk though I’m taking all these fears and letting them course through me like water. Cause when I really tap into my pisces moon… I know I’m talented and smart and loving. Chaotic and weird and headass? For fucking sure! I am dramatic and contradictory as fuck. And I’m radically honest.

No weapon against me shall prosper. People that don’t like me, are jealous of me, don’t interrogate their criticism of me for what I do… if they hate the parts of themselves that are things I can not change about me? I just gotta keep it pushing. Accept it, cry it out, give gratitude to Gaia. That’s all I can do.

I’m worried Sign will complain about me to everyone who will listen and twist my actions, my vulnerability and the narrative so I look like the unsympathetic villain. But I know even if that does happen, my character is strong and proves itself. The myths, truths, and legends.

Come with the territory. And people have heard, witnessed, experienced my flaws and insecurities and harm. And many many many still rock with and love me. This person/ex still fucks with me lowkey.

Plus they got jealousy and insecurities outside of me. I didn’t mean to cause harm. What I told them was true. Intimacy is hard for me. The closer I am to someone the more I fear rejection. Me sibling rejecting me cuddle request tonight struck accord. All day I had just been tryna practice talking kind to myself and soothing my instructive thoughts rather than resist them. Or hold onto them and take them as the absolute truth.

And I wasn’t 100% good at it tonight. And it was hard and I’m just biking down the block with training wheels on. And life is good. There is love and joy and hard work that feeds the soul in this world.

Am I scared I’m gonna fuck it up? Yes! Will I? Well there will be side steps, of course! Imma actively try to remind myself to lean in by way of thoughts, words, and actions.

So many other amazing things happened. So many insecurities came up. So many sidesteps occurred. So much love was shared. So many connections were made… of all the flavors.

My heart is sore and I’m tryna just acknowledge and hold it. Not shame nor romanticize it.

#diary #journal #full moon vibes #pisces

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book4air · 7 months

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Welcome to the Tumblr page of the Book 4 Restoration Project! Click the linktree for an episode playlist and various other social media. Share around and help us make the project.

#AvatarTheLastAirbender #ATLA

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kohanayaki · 3 years

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.:Time and Time Again:. (Marauders Era x Reader) Ch 4

Snape looks back on your days at Hogwarts, how your friendship came to be, and how it came to end.

LINKS: CH 1 CH 2 CH 3 CH 4 CH 5 CH 6 CH 7 CH 8

___________________________________________________________

Ch 4 .:Budding Feelings and the Beginning of the End:.

Severus Snape had made a lot of mistakes in his life, and seeing you again after all these years was forcing him to relive every single one of them.

He stared blankly at the wall in front of him, shrouded in the darkness and grim silence of his empty house. He never thought he'd see you again, and certainly not under these circumstances. When he'd laid his eyes on you in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld place he couldn't believe it. He, much like the rest of the Order (except for Molly, apparently) assumed you wouldn't be at these meetings any longer. After James and Lily were murdered and Sirius was thrown into Azkaban, you'd left London and headed to New York under the Ministry's alliance with MACUSA, hoping to help bridge the gap between muggle-borns and purebloods in America. He knew you had been back to meet Harry a handful of times, but he also knew that being in this city brought up painful memories for you, so he was as stunned as anyone else to see you standing there in the doorway, greeting them as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

He could see that traveling had been good for you. He'd heard through the Hogwarts circuit that you were back on auror duty across the world, taking special assignments from Dumbledore and the Minister for Magic himself. You seemed like you were doing better, but when you turned to smile at him he could see the hesitation and the sadness that brewed behind your eyes, likely his doing.

He desperately wanted things to go back to what they were before—

Before he'd ruined it. . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1974 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright students,” Professor Slughorn said as everyone finished filing inside the room, “today we're going to be pairing off into new partners for the upcoming project.”

Groans and nervous chatter flooded the sound space immediately, no one very thrilled with having to work with someone new out of their control. You cast a glance over to Lily who looked equally displeased. You liked being her partner, you both excelled at the subject and worked really well together.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Slughorn said, waving the complaints off, “However, I am going to be giving you the luxury of choosing your own partners this time, but everyone—”

The energy in the room instantly shifted, everyone shoving around people to get to their friends.

“—keep in mind, if I see any slacking off or trouble brewing in these new partnerships I will not hesitate to rearrange them!”

Slughorns's words were completely lost among the commotion as people paired off before you could even get your bearings. Snape stalled as he stared at you from across the room; Lily had already been dragged away by Mary, and his brain was trying to work out how to ask you to be his partner.

Suddenly an arm was slung over your shoulder and you turned towards the new presence in surprise. You looked up to see Evan Rosier, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows and his Slytherin tie loose around his neck.

Oh, sod it, Snape cursed internally. He was too late.

“Wanna partner up?” Rosier asked, a crooked grin gracing his chiseled features, “It'd be my honor to have the smartest Potions partner in class, not to mention the most attractive.”

You rolled your eyes at the praise. Evan was your friend, and he was nice to look at, but if he thought that you would be willing to do all the work for the both of you in exchange for some cheap compliments, then he had another thing coming. You locked eyes with Snape from across the room

“It would be your honor,” you smirked up at Rosier, “but I already have a partner, sorry.”

It took Snape a few seconds to realize what you were doing, but once he snapped out of it he made his way towards you. You almost chuckled at how robotic he looked as he did, clearly shocked.

Rosier looked between the two of you and rolled his eyes.

“Suit yourself, sweetheart,” he said, letting you go and pushing you lightly in Snape's direction, “but if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” He sent a wink your way that left Snape's blood inexplicably boiling,

“Thanks for that,” you grinned, “and just so you know, I would have chosen you even if he didn't come up to me, so don't get all pouty about it, okay?”

Severus just looked at you blankly. Even after four years it was frightening how well you were able to read him; for a moment he was scared that he'd accidentally projected his thoughts to you, but he wasn't anywhere near that level of legillemency yet. He wanted to say something that had some semblance of gratitude but settled on:

“Whatever.”

To which you just laughed and dragged him to your now shared desk.

You really were something else.

“Now then,” Professor Slughorn addressed the room, “today we will be beginning the new unit on toxic concoctions, starting with the Draught of Living Death. If you would all turn to page ten of your books, we will get started presently.”

You turned open your book and Severus did the same. As he did, you noticed that nearly every page was covered in small notes littering the margins, with some of the instructions circled, crossed out, or modified. You were hardly surprised, Snape had been pouring over this book since last year when he'd stolen it from a fifth year Slytherin who'd been speaking poorly of you (that last part you were unaware of).

You turned your attention to the directions, reaching over to preheat the burner so your cauldron would be hot enough by the time you began. However, as soon as you lit the flame with the tip of your wand, your cauldron shot up into the air, hitting the ceiling with a loud BANG! before crashing down back onto your table, breaking several of the glass instruments that were settled there.

Your face burned embarrassment as everyone in the room turned to look at you in shock.

“Snape, (L/n),” Slughorn said, surprised, “whatever happened?”

“I. . .” you began, not knowing what to say, “I don't know, I'm sorry, Professor.”

“Quite all right,” he said uncertainly, restoring your table and equipment with a wave of his wand, “just be sure whatever that was doesn't happen again.”

“Of course,” you mumbled, trying to ignore the snickering around you. If you noticed the way that it stopped as soon as Snape sent a deathly glare at the culprits, you didn't show it. You reached down to grab your cauldron, noticing that the bottom was dusted in some sort of orange powder. As you turned it over, a note fell out of it.

You're welcome, (L/n). Sorry I couldn't be there for the fireworks~

J.P.

“That sneaky little, ugh,” you crumpled the note, growling in frustration.

“What is it?” Severus asked, peering over your shoulder to glance at the paper. However, as soon as you tried to show it to him it vanished in your hands in a wisp of glowing embers. You turned to look at Severus who was still staring at you expectantly.

“It was Potter,” you rolled your eyes.

Anger flashed in Severus' eyes before confusion replaced it momentarily.

“But that was your cauldron, not mine. Why would Potter want to mess with you?”

And now the anger was back again. Snape was used to Potter’s crew targeting him; bullying and suffering through minor hexes had become an everyday occurrence, but when he imagined them doing anything to you it was enough to make him see red.

“Ah, well. . .” you trailed off, deciding that telling him you'd yelled at the group of Gryffindors: 'if you jerks want to have a go at Severus you're gonna have to get through me first!' was a bad idea.

“I sort of, maybe, kind of. . . started it?” you said. Severus raised a brow at you. “Look, Potter was asking for it, okay? It was about time someone messed with him for a change. And besides, it was hilarious, even Lily got a kick out of watching that broom hit him in the head.”

Severus chuckled at that, a hint of pride welling in his chest at yours and Lily's shared distaste for the Potter boy.

“But that was the last straw,” you declared, grabbing a Sopophorus bean from the bowl in front of you and a knife to cut it as per the instructions, “I'm sick and tired of him acting like he's better than everyone else,” you said, stabbing down with your knife for emphasis. The Sopophorus bean jumped as you did, sliding out from under your blade and skidding across your cutting board. You huffed as you grabbed it again, placing it back down and holding it in place. “And he walks around with that little posse of his like he runs this school!” You brought your knife down again, moving your fingers at the last second, but the bean still managed to slip away, trying to bounce back into the bowl.

“This means war!” you seethed, grabbing the runaway legume again, now at your wit's end, and crushing it in your fist. It stopped jumping as the beet-red juice of the plant dripped down your arm, and Severus looked at you with a small smirk on his face.

“Well, that's one way to do it,” he said.

“Shove off,” you said playfully, throwing the bean in his direction. He dodged it easily, his smile growing.

“No, really,” he said, almost more to himself than you as he scribbled out the word 'cut' and replaced it with 'crush' in his notebook, “you might be better at this than you let on.”

You blushed at the unexpected compliment, backhanded as it was.

“Excuse you, I happen to be fantastic at Potions,” you said, grabbing another bean and avoiding his gaze.

“Right, that's why your cauldron exploded.”

“That was sabotage,” you shot back.

“I was talking about last week,” Severus said cheekily, taking in your flustered expression.

You both went back to your ingredients, eventually discovering that crushing the beans with the flat of a knife was the best way to extract the juice without them jumping. You watched Severus out of the corner of your eye as he measured out the African Sea water, adding it gradually as he stirred the mixture counter-clockwise. The elixir turned a bright blue color, shimmering as if light were being reflected off of it. He continued on with the formula, snapping off a few fluxweed sprigs before adding them and lowering the heat with his wand, hardly looking at the instructions at all.

You wondered where this newfound confidence had come from. Severus was usually so rigid and withdrawn, but right now he looked more at ease than you had ever seen him. A spark was present in his eyes as he worked that you rarely ever saw, and it made you smile despite yourself.

The rest of your potion making process went on without a hitch, and you silently applauded yourself as you watched the other students around you struggle to get their concoctions together. Even Lily seemed to be having trouble, though Mary wasn't really helping other than offering moral support.

You turned back to focus on your own potion, stirring it with the ladle and mesmerized by the way it began to turn a deep plum color. Meanwhile, Severus was cleaning up your shared station, looking over at the brew. His brows furrowed as he examined it.

“Just stir it a bit more,” he said, coming up behind you and placing his hand on top of yours, “the color is still off.”

Your face burned at the unexpected contact; Snape certainly wasn't a touchy person, so the act caught you completely off guard, though you'd be lying if you said you didn't like it. Severus nearly jumped backwards, absolutely mortified when he realized what he was doing. It was him micromanaging more than anything; he was so focused on getting the potion right he didn't even notice he was moving his own body as he gave you the instruction.

“Sorry,” he said, feeling quite possibly the lamest he'd ever felt in his life.

“It's okay,” you said, biting the inside of your lip nervously and continuing to stir like he said. Your light response allowed Snape to relax, his shoulders lowering a full three inches. He'd been certain you would have reacted to his mistake with disgust or repulsion, but you didn't. What did that mean? You were utterly confusing. Despite how well you could read him, Severus was unable to get a read on you at all. If he had been, he would have noticed the tiny smile on your face as you stirred, silently wishing his hand were back on yours.

You and Snape stood at attention as Slughorn peered down at your potion, looking mildly impressed. He reached into his robes, procuring an oak leaf from who knows where, and dropped it into your cauldron. The leaf floated on top of the liquid for just a moment before its edges began to burn. It furled from the unseen heat, folding in on itself and disappearing into the inky depths of the liquid. Slughorn's expression lit up, his impression no longer mild.

“Merlin's beard, it's perfect!” he exclaimed, “in all my years I've never seen a pair recreate this potion exactly as you two have done today.”

You beamed at the praise, your smile only widening as you saw your emotions mirrored in Severus' face, albeit more subtly.

Over the course of your fourth year, you and Snape continued to excel in Potions, receiving much praise from Professor Slughorn and a lot of glares from your fellow students. However, there was something else that continued that year, and that was your increasing interactions with James Potter.

“I just don't get why you even bother with him,” Snape had said to you one day while you were in Potions. Your prank war with James was at its peak, and you were sidetracked that day in class coming up with new ideas to get back at him.

“It's a full on battle now, Sev,” you said, “I can't back down! Now, for my next one I was thinking something along the lines of a callback to one of his earlier stunts. Maybe get him back for tampering with my cauldron at the beginning the year.”

“(Y/n)—”

“I've got a few friends in Gryffindor, and apparently he talks about his prank plans way too loudly in the common room, so I have a head start on this one. They mentioned something about my shampoo—“

“(Y/n),” Severus stressed, finally catching your attention. You looked up at him, embarrassed at you rambling. “Why do you keep doing this?” he asked, “he's just baiting you. You know that.”

“It keeps them from doing anything that targets you, right?” you questioned back.

Severus didn't know what to say at that. It was true, ever since you had declared war on James, he and his stupid friends hadn't really bothered with him at all. Were you doing this for him? He didn't know what to do with the thought.

You were, of course, but you thought it better not to mention that in the last few months this had been going on, you'd also begun to find the rivalry and banter between you and James fun.

“Gather 'round students, gather 'round!” Slughorn beckoned the class over, disrupting your train of thought and putting an end to your conversation, “now, would anyone like to identify the potion in this cauldron here?” He gestured to a shockingly pink liquid that seemed to swirl on its own. Plum and periwinkle smoke wafted through the air above it in delicate spirals.

“That's Amortentia,” Lily said, “it's a love potion that's supposed to smell different to everyone depending on what scents attract them.”

“Right you are, Miss Evans,” Slughorn said proudly, “would you like to tell us what you smell?”

“Cinnamon,” she started slowly, “warm spices, butterbeer, sandalwood. . .” her cheeks reddened significantly, as if she'd made some sort of realization. “Th-that's all.” You stared at her quizzically but she just shook her head. You'd have to ask her about this later. . .

“(L/n),” Slughorn said, “would you be so kind as to do the same?”

“Sure,” you said, stepping up to the cauldron. It was captivating, almost drawing you in physically. “Wild lavender,” you said, smiling, your mother had a garden full of them when you were growing up, “rain when it hits the pavement, and old leather books.” Scents you wouldn't realize until much later all correlated with a certain person.

“Very different scents for very different people,” Professor Slughorn said, “thank you for demonstrating, you two. Now, we will not be brewing this potion today for obvious reasons. It is incredibly dangerous, capable of creating not true love, but unhinged obsession. What we will be doing, however, is studying its effects. . .”

“Strongest love potion in the world, huh?” Evan suddenly appeared at your side, “funny, I could have sworn it smelled just like you, although you wouldn't need a potion to reign me in~”

“Put a sock in it, Rosier,” you said, shoving him away playfully.

“Aw, come on, just one date wouldn't hurt,” he said, “I'm pulling out all my best lines here!”

“That's the best you've got?”

“Ouch.”

Snape couldn't help but glare at the Slytherin boy, not liking how close he was to you. Nice as he seemed, Snape knew how he could really be. He didn't think you'd be such good friends with Rosier if you knew he was knee deep in the dark arts as soon as the sun set on the castle. Then again, Severus wasn't one to talk.

Over the course of the year he noticed that you only grew closer to James, something that bothered him immensely. He was grateful that you had gotten his bullying to stop, but he hated that the way you had gone about it was to turn Potter into a friend. . .

“Merlin, he keeps looking over at you, Lils,” you said.

Lily and Severus looked over to where James sat with Sirius, Remus, and Peter in their corner table as usual. Somehow they always managed to be at The Three Broomsticks at the exact same time as your trio, almost as if they knew you were there. James Potter was, in fact, looking towards your table, until your friends not-so-discreetly turned to look at him and he diverted his gaze elsewhere.

“Idiot,” you rolled your eyes as you took another sip of your butterbeer.

Lily looked between you and James' table for a moment before turning back to you.

“Actually, (Y/n), he's staring at you.”

You looked at her like she'd grown a second head but then began to laugh.

“Is he? Jeeze, what a creep,” you said, but with affection in your voice that wasn't missed by Severus, “it's probably because I saved his ass the other day and he's still reeling from it.”

“Oh,” she said, a hint of what you swore was relief in her tone until she realized what you said, “Wait, you what?”

“Sirius and I were talking in the forest and we got ambushed by Malfoy's motley crew,” you said, “and Potter showed up because of course he did. It was just a little duel, no big deal.”

“What?!” Lily said, concern written all over her face, “they fancy the dark arts, (Y/n), you could have been hurt!”

Severus stared into his drink, unable to look at either of you.

“I'm fine, Lils,” you insisted, “and trust me, I don't think Malfoy's going to be bothering anyone anymore. Just show him a picture of a squid and he'll probably screech like a banshee.”

Lily laughed along with you, partially in confusion, until the first part of your statement hit her with a slight delay.

“Hold on, you were in the forest with Black? And did you just call him Sirius?” she asked, her teasing making your face flush.

“We just. . . figured some stuff out. . . It was nothing like what you're thinking, so drop it,” you grumbled, taking another drink to hide your embarrassed face.

“Whatever you say, (Y/n),” Lily sang, taking a sip of her own drink.

Severus felt jealousy bubble up in him like a disease. He cast his gaze upwards, his eyes locking momentarily with James'. His arch rival rose a cocky brow at him, his gaze unmistakably shifting to you and Lily before staring Snape down again. Severus took a sharp breath to steel himself, that feeling in the pit of his stomach never really going away.

That was the beginning of the end.

Read chapter 5 here!

Taglist: @sleep-i-ness, @blackpinkdolan, @parker-natasha, @ornella0910 @undertaker1827 @thatwierdo-koemi @nxstalgicnxbxdy

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revengeisourlullaby · 3 years

Text

If I Never Knew You Pt.2

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt.3 Pt.4 Pt.5 Pt.6

Warnings: 18+, eventual smut, arranged marriage plot, kinda royal au, some fighting, secret relationship, angst.

a/n: Here is part 2! I might upload part three tonight. I’m so excited to see where this goes. It seems that the first part is doing pretty good so I might upload them faster. As always requests/asks are open! Just give me little time to get to them. Enjoy!

Word count: 1.8K

Walking through the town, you felt an inordinate wave of liberation flow through not only you but also through Loki. It felt as if the weight of the world released itself from your shoulders. Confidence and strength soaring through the air. Loki lost his stiffness, his typical carefree nature restored once you became more grounded.

“See, not so bad, right?”

Shaking your head, a cynical chuckle escaped your throat

“For you maybe. All these eyes on us is kinda gross.”

“It’s only because the most attractive prince has finally decided to show his face.”

You looked at Loki, amusement absent from your face. He laughed, a belly laugh almost. It was a free sound you had yet to hear from him and when you did your face painted your emotions before you had the chance to process them yourself.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Yes, but you, my dear, tolerate it. So who's really at a loss in this situation?”

“Well, it’s not me.”

“It couldn’t be me Y/N.”

“Looks like we’re both losers then Loki.”

You were approaching the main entrance of the palace and began to wonder if Loki was considering bringing you inside.

“We lost when we fell in love with each other Y/N. Listening to the heart is the most foolish thing one can do and yet here we are. Charging full speed with our eyes closed hoping we don’t trip over anything.”

Guiding you up the steps of the massive golden structure Loki called ‘home’ your nerves struck up again.

“Seems to make sense that if we’re going full speed, might as well exploit our courtship in the place where you will eventually be spending all your time in. And with all things considered, sneaking you in is...counterproductive, to say the least.”

Exhaling, you brought yourself together and walked in front of Loki. His hand rested on your lower back escorting you inside. Grabbing fabric in your fists, you hiked your dress up a bit making sure you didn’t step on it. Walking through the main threshold, you realized you were worrying for nothing. The halls were massive, the ceiling stretching higher than you ever imagined.

It would be a miracle if you were to run across someone you knew in a place so vast.

You looked around in shock at everything you were being hidden from. The thought of it hopefully being yours to share with Loki in freedom and not in constraint was illuminating. One day to not only be openly in love with him but to call him your husband. Your partner for life was the solace you needed. Everything looked new to you because you had only ever seen the hallways in the dead of night to share evening visits with Loki, being as slick as one could, and it always working in your favor.

“Wow, it looks so different here with the sun shining through. Always felt like a runaway sneaking through the backways and balconies to get to your quarters.”

“And now you get to walk there like every other person in this place. Quite fancy isn’t it.”

“Okay, I didn’t ask for the smart mouth, you ass.”

“Comfortable, are we?”

“With you? Always.”

Finally, you two had walked up to Loki’s quarters. Opening the doors he welcomed you in and you welcomed yourself to his bed. Flopping down on the edge of it, the edge of your dress flying up and you went down. Hearing the door shut, you lifted your head up to face Loki at the door, only thing was he wasn’t there. Furrowing your brow you sat up on your elbows and by the time you looked behind you, it was too late.

“Boo.”

Your body reacted before you could control your response. Your stomach fell to your ass, eyes widening and a sharp inhale all followed one another before you finally shook off the anxiety and realized that Loki had popped up behind you.

“You asshole! What if I screamed, huh?”

Loki laughed falling over on the bed, your reaction to him obviously something of hilarity to him. You rolled your eyes and pushed his shoulder in and began to pout. He caught his breath and calmed down enough so he could respond back to you.

“You’re only screaming for one thing and unfortunately, darling, the sun’s still out. So, someone will have to wait, considering they’re so concerned about being caught.”

Loki raised his eyebrow and your mouth was agape. You squinted your eyes and an idea popped in your head. Rolling over on your knee you placed yourself on top of Loki's lap, resting your hands on his chest stealing his smirk for this moment in time.

“I can control myself...you on the other hand, once you start you can't stop.”

To emphasize your point, you rolled your hips into his and brought your body down to level his. Reaching his ear you whispered

“If you can find containment within yourself, a prize will await you this evening.”

You moved from his ear and hovered in front of his face, your lips ghosting one another. You pulled back a little bit to stare into his eyes. They were hypnotic no matter how many times you saw them. Loki’s hand trailed up your backside squeezing the mound of your ass before continuing up your back. His hand finding refuge at the nape of your neck. He pulled you back to his face, a gentleness about the entire interaction, and kissed you.

There was a different kind of spark in this kiss, it felt electric, coursing through your veins and settling in your brain as a memory you’d never forget. Losing yourself in the thrill of it all, your hips began moving against his. Your building arousal creating a fog between you. The more you ground into the god below you, the more apparent his bulge was. Flipping you on your back Loki now held the reins of the situation.

“Now, don’t tempt me Y/N. You have a habit of teasing and where does it always leave you?”

“At your mercy.”

“Clever girl. So if you like to save this accolade you mentioned for later, mind your manners, my love.”

He leaned down to kiss you as to punctuate his words, ending the discussion with the pull of your lips between his teeth. Hissing through the pleasure you couldn’t help but roll your hips up towards him, now being the one desperately craving friction. Testing the waters, you wanted to see how far you could push Loki to his limits. Your hand found the scruff of his neck and scrunched his hair. Sucking a breath in between his teeth, he pulled back a light laugh following.

“I’m aware of what you’re attempting to do Y/N, and I think it would be fair for you to know that it’s a feeble attempt. Reason being, now you’re the one left in ardor.”

Loki pulled off of you but made sure to drive his point home by sliding down your body and resting between your thighs before fully standing up. You lied on the bed in slight agony of your current predicament. You sighed and brought yourself up on your elbows. Looking ahead of you, you saw Loki sitting in the massive throne chair that was in his room. It was gothic in nature yet still regal with the back of the chair rising well up behind him and the arms of it embellished with Asgardian design.

His position in the chair was more than purposeful. His legs were spread wide, his arm resting on the arm of the throne and his hand propping up his head to look not only at you but out on the balcony. The late evening sun illuminating his eyes, bringing a whole new meaning to golden hour. He looked breathtaking and it was as if you were falling in love with him all over again.

The lust you were previously feeling was now amplified but also accompanied with adoration for your lover. You raised yourself from up off the bed and waltzed over to him. A fire behind your eyes and in your presence but you had yet to act on it. Coming in front of him, you kneeled in front of him and looked up. Two could play at this game. Your hands slid up his legs, paying special attention to his thighs and feather lightly rubbed on this. His eyes were boring through yours and you felt small under his gaze.

The silence between you was telling, that if you were to continue with your actions there would be no waiting until later. You wanted to enjoy the silence between the two of you, so you turned your back to him now sitting on your behind, and crossed your legs. You leaned your head back so it fell in between his legs, but before fully getting settled you reached for the two books resting on the side table in front of the chair and placed them in your lap. You wiggled your hips and settled into a comfortable position.

Resting your head back, you craned it further attempting to look at Loki. He rolled his eyes knowing exactly what you were asking for.

“You know, if I knew how often you’d beg for these I would have never indulged in your initial request.”

“You and I both know this is enjoyable for both parties.”

Loki huffed, a silent agreement without saying explicitly that you were right. Loki began to rub your temples. You closed your eyes enjoying the sensation and the loving intent of his actions. You finally felt calm and safe compared to the rest of the day which was riddled with anxiety and panic and the nagging fear of all the ‘what ifs’ you came up with. You had exhausted yourself and this simple action put you at ease. You opened your eyes for a moment and glanced down at the books in your lap trying to decipher which one was Loki’s.

Catching a glimpse on the side you realized the one on the bottom was Loki’s current project at hand. Grabbing it, you twisted your arm behind you and slid the book into Loki’s lap knowing that sooner or later you would end up dozing off and you figured that getting this out the way would make it easier for both of you.

“You are truly something else.”

“And you love me for it Loki.”

“Can’t argue that one.”

A small smile painted your face before it fell back into its relaxed state and you began to drift off. Every little thing that had happened today made you feel that you were a few steps closer to getting what you so desired with Loki.

#loki #Loki Laufeyson #loki x reader #loki laufeyson x reader #loki imagine #loki laufeyson imagine #loki fanfic #marvel fanfic #marvel x reader #marvel imagine

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saby-chan · 3 years

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Why the ATLA comics fail when it comes to Zuko and his family

To whom ever took their time to actually stop and read this post, thank you in advance for not skipping my post and willing to stay and read my humble opinion! I hope I won’t disappoint you!

As a relatively newcomer to the ATLA fanbase since 2020, I’ve come across a lot of interesting debates, comments and rants about the show, characters and fandom in general, but nothing has captivated me as much as the dumpster-on-fire that are the ATLA comics, more specifically: The Promise and The Search.

On one hand we have the hardcore fans who want them to be animated or serialized into the Netflix live action, praising the comics for the new views and subject matters they’ve brought into the show’s lore, while on the other hand we have the furious Azula fandom who is really angry for the fact that best girl didn’t get the redemption arc she rightfully deserved so much after the painful event that was the Last Agni Kai and the even more angry fans of the Urzai ship (yeah, the people who actually ship Zuko’s parents unironically) who hated the retconning of the show’s cannon since the comics basically took a huge fat dump on what was previously established as official cannon, when the Search entered the scene, but between these two sides, who has the more valid point? In the end, are the comics good cannon or bad written fanfiction?

Well... Here are my two cents on this matter since I myself happen to be an Azula and Zuko fan and had huge expectations from these comics (since I wanted more from my fave hot-headed fiery siblings duo) but ended up disappointed: the comics are indeed a huge mess and actually bad written fanfiction when it comes to Zuko and his family! Don’t click off yet, because I actually documented the reasons why exactly the comics fail in this area:

1. The author of these comics is not part of the BryKe duo

Yes, I would like to start with the fact that if you actually take a second to look up who in the heck took the time to write these two books, you won’t find Bryan, nor Mike, but a fellow man named Gene Yang. This is important because while the wiki of both The Promise and The Search state BryKe as the creators, that doesn’t mean that they were the actual minds behind these comics, but rather because ATLA is their “baby” and these comics involve their characters, over which they have copyright. Mr. Yang here is the actual brain behind the plot, as the main writer, which explains why we find huuuuge inconsistencies between the show lore and the comics, especially Zuko wise.

My main issue with Mr. Yang isn’t that he isn’t BryKe specifically, but because he did an unforgivable mistake in his writing process: He projected himself into Zuko’s character, based on the relationship Zuko had with his father. This is a documented fact from an interview in which he explains that he sees himself and his dad’s relationship into Zuko and Ozai and used that when writing their interactions and built Zuko’s character in the comics. And this is wrong because when you have an already very developed and complex character such as Zuko, you can’t just come in and be like “Oh, I was an angsty teen just like him in my teenage years, fighting with my dad and whatnot, so he must have the same thought process as me!”. NO! This is bad fanfiction writer behavior! Zuko has his own personality and philosophy, which he developed over the course of 3 seasons and is not defined by only 1 unfortunate aspect of his past, so you can’t just base his whole mindset and actions off of your own personal experience just because you had the same daddy issues he had!

2. The whole “Promise that you will kill me if I turn out like my dad!” nonsense in The Promise

Reason number 2 why these comics fail and go under the category of “bad fanfiction” is because they fail to convey the core essence of the source material. The whole point of Zuko’s redemption was that he realized the wrongdoings of his ancestors and his own mistakes. He outgrew his desire of gaining his father’s acknowledgement in favor of choosing his own destiny. Having him worry that he’ll turn into his father is utter nonsense and feels like poor angsty drama material for the sake of angst. At this point in time, Zuko has overcame that obstacle in his life a long time ago and should be at the level where he himself is the “Uncle Iroh” for other people and in no way someone concerned of becoming their own worst enemy!

Not only that, but the whole point of Aang’s journey and the story of the show as a whole was to teach us, the viewers, the importance of forgiveness, empathy and love in life. Aang didn’t spare Ozai, aka “the ultimate evil” just to flex in front of his pals or because he is a “ 12 y/o vegan pacifist monk kid”, but because he knew that killing someone, no matter of what they did or wanted to do, wouldn’t restore balance into the Universe, on the contrary, him killing the villain would have meant perpetuating the “endless cycle of hate” that plagued the world. So having Aang promise to kill his best friend in case “they turned into an evil maniac like their dad” contradicts Aang’s whole character and it’s a nonsense that throws into the trash what we’ve learnt throughout the entire TV series.

3. Azula deserved (and was supposed) to have a redemption ark

This might still be pure speculation, but I count it as a documented reason because I’ve heard quite a few people saying that there should’ve been a book 4 in the show, aka “Book 4: Air”, and no, it wasn’t The Search, but actually Zuko and Azula’s journey as Zuko helps his younger sister heal her broken mind by being her very own “Uncle Iroh”. Sure, they prolly were going to end up looking for Ursa, but the journey should’ve ended with them actually being happy and a family again and not the bs we got in The Search where a still very unstable Azula runs away and becomes the “Next Joker”! The only problem is that M. Night had to pop up and curse the world with his movie, which forced BryKe to delay the project (and eventually abandoned it in favor of Korra).

All in all, either if BryKe had this preplanned or not, it made sense for Azula to get a redemption ark, she deserved it because she was just a broken 14 y/o child! If Katara’s mom’s murderer deserved to be forgiven, so did this poor child who had no fault for what happened to her since she had a dysfunctional family! What Gene Yang did in his poorly written fanfiction was to just antagonize a broken child, turning her into a monster for the sake of friggin angst!

4. The Search is the worst of the two, being flat af character wise

And finally, getting to the point that I personally find the most annoying about these comics: The Search. This one... This one is a mess on a hella lot many levels, and just to list a few: characters are flat as fudge, being either black as vanta black (like Ozai and Azula) or pure white like Gene’s Gary Stue OC, Mr Ikem (or how I like to call him, IKEA man) and his ‘victim’ rendition of Ursa, Azula gets to suffer more for no reason (see reason number 3 to why I find this as a no no), Ursa’s whole character sucks ass (man, I could write a whole thesis on why Yang’s version of her is terrible and doesn’t match the strong woman we got in the show) and Zuko does morally wrong stuff (my man literally used his unstable sister to bribe their dad into spitting info about Ursa... Show Zuko would never do that!;-;)

Oh boy, as a person who’s seen a ton of anime and other media and read many books, I can’t begin on how much I despise this type of writing: flat characters are the worst!

ATLA characters in the show are nothing close to being flat! What I mean by that is that none of them fall perfectly into pure white (aka goodest of good characters with no imperfections) or vanta black (aka lowest and darkest twisted monsters out there), each of them are various shades of grey (like Aang who is a very light grey because despite being a very kind and nice character, he still isn’t a “perfect hero” since he ran away from his duties, practiced tax fraud with Toph, had insecurities and even threatened to kill people on ocassions like with the sand benders who took Appa) and this is a good choice because that prevents them from becoming what’s globally known as Mary Sues and Gary Stues (aka those either “perfect” characters with no flaws and/or unlimited power, or the twisted monsters full of flaws).

And the other reason why many other people hate The Search: it literally negates previously established cannon. And here comes my short essay on why this comic fails Zuko’s family (since we’ve already talked enough about Zuko himself).

In cannon and even interviews with BryKe, it was clearly stated that Zuko’s family was “once happy”. Where is this “once happy” family in The Search? All I see is pain, deception, lies and betrayal, nothing close to anything that resembles happiness. Okay, some of you might come in and say that “It’s because it was never the case! It was only lies and Zuko trying to convince himself that he didn’t live in hell forever!” and here is WHERE YOU WERE ALL WRONG! And why? Because, my dear fella, where were depicted the flashbacks of Zuko’s “happy family” in The Beach? Ember Island. And what do we know and had been even quoted in the show? "Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate. Ember Island reveals the true you." (direct quote from the show). Exactly, no matter who you are or how hard you try, you can’t hide your true self when you are on the Ember Island, best example being Azula, who’s impenetrable though shell cracked and revealed the true vulnerable child that was underneath. If Azula couldn’t resist the “spell of the island”, no one can. So this means that Zuko’s family was indeed happy once and yes, Ozai wasn’t always the douchebag we got to know in Season 3 (I have a whole nother essay on my theories regarding what could be his real past story and why he’s actually the “Zuko” of his generation, based on stuff I gathered from old wiki entries and character analyses I made, but that’s for another time, lemme know if ya’ll are interested).

And what I guess is the biggest proof why The Search did this family’s past trash is comics Ursa herself. My dude, if this woman were indeed the victim of years of endless abuse and never loved her husband, I guarantee you that she would’ve been closer to what we saw in Todoroki’s mom from BNHA and Zuko would’ve gotten that scar or even worse long before the Agni Kai, not from his “daddy dearest”, but from “mommy dearest” herself, because no sane woman would be soo affectionate and attached to a child that’s the perfect copy of their abuser, sepecially appearance wise (again see Todoroki’s mom’s case from BNHA because the stories are really similar) and in no way would’ve she been willing to sacrifice her life for said child’s sake. With this ocassion, I remind ya’ll folks that according to the ancient ATLA cannon wikis on Nick’s site, Ozai was designed with Zuko’s appearance in mind, being meant to be like a “grown up scarless version” of Zuko. So yeah, remember this with a grain of salt that whenever you simp over grown up Zuko, you involuntary simp for Ozai too.

So yeah, I guess this kinda concludes my “not so short” rant about why the comics fail and are bad fanfiction. Lemme hear your thoughts in the comments and if you agree, feel free to leave a like and even reblog.

Bye bye and remember that Momo is the true strongest character of the show!

Saby out.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla comics #zuko #azula #ozai #ursa #fire siblings #the promise #the search #atla rant

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skyfire85 · 3 years

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- Convair XF2Y-1 Sea Dart (BuNo 137634) landing on shore. | Photo: US Navy

FLIGHTLINE: 128 - CONVAIR F2Y-1 SEA DART

Designed after WWII, the Sea Dart was the US Navy's first and only supersonic seaplane fighter, though it never saw production.

In the wake of WWII, the US Navy sought a supersonic interceptor aircraft, but doubts about operating jet aircraft, especially supersonic jets, from carriers led to the request for a seaplane interceptor. Convair's design team under Ernest Stout proposed a plane based on the F-102 Delta Dagger, modified with retractable skis.

-Orthograph of the Sea Dart. | Illustration: Convair

In order to reduce the chances of water ingestion, the intakes were moved behind the cockpit, high on the fuselage. The aircraft would sit level in the water, with the wingtips providing floatation for some measure of stability. At 10mph, the skis would extend to an intermediate position, pushing the fuselage out of the water. Between forty-five and fifty-five mph the skis would be fully extended; take off speed would be 145mph. Production aircraft were expected to be fitted with a pair of Westinghouse J46 turbojets, though the prototypes were equipped with J34s instead, as the former were not available. The prototypes were unarmed, but operational F2Ys were to be fitted with four Colt Mk12 20mm cannon and an unspecified number of folding fin aerial rockets; a similar weapons loadout was carried by the F-89 Scorpion and F-94 Starfire.

-Line drawing of the XF2Y-1 prototype with its single ski. | Illustration: blueprints.com

During construction of the XF2Y-1, the contract was altered, eliminating the second prototype and adding 4 service test aircraft (YF2Y) and eight production F2Y models. The prototype was also fitted with a single larger ski compared to the test types. In December 1952 the XF2Y was transported from Convair's San Diego factory to San Diego Bay for testing. On 14 January 1953 it achieved a short flight during taxi testing, with the first official flight occurring on 9 April.

-The XF2Y with a trailer and access ladder. | Photo: US Navy

-The XF2Y in flight over San Diego. The yellow markings against the dark blue provided a reference of the aircraft's attitude for engineers. | Photo: US Navy

Flight testing on the XF2Y showed that the plane was (as expected) underpowered with the J34 engines, and was unable to exceed Mach 1. The design, based on the pre-area rulled F-102 fuselage, generated excessive drag, which only exacerbated the issue. In addition, the hydroskis proved to be less effective than hoped, and even with the shock-absorbing oleo legs the aircraft experienced jarring vibrations during takeoffs and landings. Engineers attempted to correct the flaws by refining the ski design, switching to two skis, removing the beaching wheels, and changing the oleo legs, but the vibration issue was never fully solved.

With the cancellation of the second XF2Y, the first two YF2Y test types were fitted with J46s engines and began their test program in 1954. Unfortunately, the J46 proved to also be underpowered, and the Sea Dart was still unable to exceed Mach 1 in level flight. That said, the aircraft did go supersonic on several flights by executing a shallow dive, making it the sole seaplane to break the sound barrier. Tragedy struck on 4 November 1954, when Convair test pilot Charles Richbourg was killed during a demonstration flight. YF2Y-1 BuNo 135762 broke apart in mid-air when the aircraft's structural limitations were exceeded. This accident, combined with lingering issues with the hydroski design and advancing technology allowing supersonic jets to fly from carriers saw the Sea Dart project relegated to experimental status, with the eight production aircraft cancelled and the last two test aircraft completed without engines.

-One of the last photos of Convair pilot Charles Richbourg and the F2Y prior to their ill-fated flight. Photo: US Navy

Flights of the remaining Sea Darts continued, at a reduced tempo, until 1957 after which the aircraft were placed into storage. For this reason, the aircraft were still technically "on the books" in 1962 and were thus redesignated the YF-7A under the Tri-Service scheme, even though they had not flown for some 5 years. One XF2Y prototype and three YF2Y test aircraft survive, on display across the US:

-XF2Y-1 Sea Dart, Bureau Number 137634, is in bad shape due to a mistake with a crane and is awaiting restoration for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C..

-YF2Y-1 Sea Dart, Bureau Number 135763, is on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park.

-YF2Y-1 Sea Dart, Bureau Number 135764, is on display at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum at NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

-YF2Y-1 Sea Dart, Bureau Number 135765, is on display at the Florida Air Museum

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