#(we don't acknowledge infinite in this house)

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

I fucking love the Bioshock audio diaries so much. The characters just literally recorded themselves bitching at/about each other and left the recordings around for any passing weirdo to find. It’s like 60s social media with slightly more fish.

[bluerosefox]

Tim in Infinite Realms (Feeling like Alice tbh)

'Note to self' Tim thought as he stared up at the different shades of greens and black shifting sky above him as he ignored the aching his body was in from the rough landing he had to take 'Make sure to give Bart and Kon the slowest and mind-numbing missions for like a week once I get back.'

Tim often forgot his parents used to be accomplished archeologists before they died. (He really didnt, he just really didn't like acknowledging the fact they'd rather dig up buried things from ages ago over being in the same country as him for most of his life)

It wasn't until, as he and his old team ("Yeah! Young Just US together again. Time for a new insane adventure! Hey remember that one time with-" "Shh!!" "Ooohhh right... Forgot. What happens in YJ stays in YJ...") were assigned a new mission that he was reminded of this fact.

The mission was to locate a forgotten relic that apparently could open 'doorways' into different Realms, and one of them was a Realm of powerful undead that if controlled would be unstoppable. They were meant to find it before "insert 'creative name' cult of the week here please" Who planned on subjecting the world to its power.

Now knowing about the relic and finding it was two wholly different things. Tim and the others managed to uncover just enough about the artifact that Tim had manged to narrow down the last city it had been last recorded to be seen in.

And the city's old name was something that Tim thought sounded familiar.

It wasn't until they were digging into the countries archeologist permission records, meaning the people who were given the okay to dig in the historical site, that he found out why it sounded familiar, his parents names were some of the last to have been granted permission before their deaths, and it was then Bart had jokelying said

"Hey what are are the odds Robs parents stored the relic away ages ago! Would be a tiny bit funny if this all powerful item is just collecting dust in some warehouse."

And although it was meant to be a joke. Tim stared at the description of the relic and couldn't help but question perhaps there was some merit to it. Tim, for the first time in years, opened up his parents archeologist records and went to looking.

And low and behold they found out. Still sitting in a warehouse outside of Gotham, as if his parents were going to trust Gotham with important and priceless relics unless it was in their house to study later.

So in short, retrieving the relic should had been easy enough, get in and remove it from storage. Lock it away so the cult looking for the damn thing couldn't use it. Simple.

But trust Bart goofing around with Kon and accidently bumping into Tim when he was inspecting the relic and turning it on.

It apparently opened a glowing green portal... a portal that opened under Tim and dropped him into an entirely new dimension of the Undead... Great, just great.

"Ooo a visitor, we don't get breathing guests here all too often." A voice spoke out behind him, it held an echoing in its tone. He turned around and was meet with glowing eyes and snow white hair. "Although you should probably find a way home or else Walker will find you, knowing him he'll toss you in prison for just breathing, and I'm not joking."

[kckt88]

Scorched Hearts V.

Summary:

'My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep, the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite' - William Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet).

Aemond and Valaena arrive at Storms End and the dragons begin their dance with devestating concequnces for both the Blacks and Greens.

Warning(s): Angst, Drama, Language, Secret Relationship, Funeral, Grief, Mild Threats, Mild Violence, Dragon Battle, Death.

AEMOND x O.C Niece

Word Count: 5079

A.N - Don't hate me, things must be this way for a reason!!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon or Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are very much appreciated, do not copy/post to other sights without my permission.

Tag List - @jasminecosmic99 @kaelatargaryen @yesterdayfeelings-blog @immyowndefender @0eessirk8 @darylandbethfanforever9 @killua2dot0 @msassenach @xcharlottemikaelsonx @moonnicole

Valaena stood next to her brothers, Jace and Luke, her eyes fixed on the pyre where her little sister, Visenya, was being laid to rest.

The crackling flames illuminated Rhaenyra and Daemon as they stood at the head of the pyre, their hands joined in silent farewell to their daughter. All around them, heads were bowed in respect, the weight of grief heavy on the air.

Valaena could feel the cut on her palm sting as she pressed her hand to her stomach.

As she watched her mother and Daemon, Valaena wondered if what she was about to do was too cruel, to subject her mother to yet more pain.

But there really was no other way, Aemond was right there was only one way for them to be together now.

As the final words of mourning were whispered, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the sombre silence. Valaena furrowed her brow and turned, watching as Ser Erryk stepped forward.

He stopped behind Rhaenyra, reaching into his bag and pulling out a gleaming golden crown—that once belonged to King Viserys. He knelt, holding it up with reverence, his voice steady as he swore his loyalty.

“I swear to ward the Queen, with all my strength and give my blood for hers. I shall take no wife hold no lands and father no children.”

Daemon stepped forward, taking the crown from Ser Erryk’s hands. He turned to Rhaenyra, his face filled with fierce devotion.

With a deliberate motion, he placed the crown upon her head, then bent his knee before her, his voice ringing out loud and clear. “My queen.”

The words seemed to resonate through the gathered crowd, and Valaena, Jace, and Luke immediately bent their knees.

Soon, everyone in attendance followed suit, paying homage to Rhaenyra and acknowledging her  as their Queen.

After the funeral, the gathering made their way back inside Dragonstone. The heavy doors of the hall closed behind them, and Daemon stepped forward, announcing Rhaenyra to the assembled lords and knights.

“Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm.”

Rhaenyra, now wearing her father’s crown, approached the painted table with determination. “What is our standing?” she asked, her voice sharp and commanding.

Daemon stood beside her. “We have 30 knights, a hundred crossbowmen, and 300 men-at-arms. Dragonstone is relatively easy to defend, but as an instrument of conquest, our army leaves much to be desired. We have sent word to my loyal men in the City Watch. I’ll have some support there, but I cannot speak to the numbers.”

Valaena stepped forward. “You already have declarations from Celtigar, Staunton, Massey, Darklyn, and Bar Emmon.”

Rhaenyra nodded, acknowledging her daughter’s support. “My lady mother was an Arryn. The Vale will not turn cloak against their own kin.”

Maester Gerardys spoke up. “Riverrun was always a close friend to your father, Your Grace. With Prince Daemon’s acquiescence, I’ve already sent ravens to Lord Grover.”

Rhaenyra’s expression tightened. “Lord Grover is fickle and easily swayed. He will need to be convinced of the strength of our position and that we will support him should it come to war.”

Daemon’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to treat with him myself.”

As the discussions continued, Steffon Darklyn stepped forward. “What about Winterfell and Storm’s End?”

At the mention of Storm’s End, Valaena felt her stomach churn. She tried to steady herself, taking slow, deep breaths to keep from being overtaken by the wave of nausea. But the feeling of unease persisted.

Lord Bartimos stepped forward. “With House Stark, the rest of the North will follow. But perhaps an offer of marriage will convince Lord Stark to declare for the Queen.”

Rhaenyra turned to him, her brow furrowing. “Whose hand do you suggest I offer, my lord?”

Bartimos glanced towards Valaena. “Princess Valaena, Your Grace. She is your heir, and a match between her and Lord Stark would be most beneficial.”

Valaena’s hand instinctively went to the cut on her palm, a reminder of the bond she had forged with Aemond the night before.

She traced the mark lightly with her fingertips, remembering his words, his vow to her. Her heart raced in her chest, but she forced herself to take a deep breath.

"I will agree to the match, mother," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil within.

Rhaenyra studied her daughter, searching her face for any sign of hesitation. “Are you sure?”

Valaena nodded, her eyes flickering to the painted table. “Yes. I will do what I must in order to support my queen.”

Rhaenyra’s expression softened with pride, and she gave a short nod before turning her attention to other matters.

“And our enemies?”

Daemon’s face darkened. “We have no friends among the Lannisters. Tyland has served the Hand too long to turn against him. And Otto Hightower needs the Lannister fleet.”

Valaena, still feeling sick, forced herself to refocus on the discussion. “Without the Lannisters, you are not likely to find any allies west of the Golden Tooth.”

An older lord stepped forward, his voice blunt but respectful. “Pray forgive my bluntness, Your Grace, but talk of men is moot. Your cause owns a power that has not been seen in this world since the days of Old Valyria. Dragons.”

Rhaenyra’s expression tightened. “The Greens have dragons as well.”

Jace added, “Three adults.”

Daemon’s smirk returned. “We have Syrax, Caraxes, and Meleys. Your oldest children have Silverwing, Vermax, and Arrax. Baela has Moondancer.”

Rhaenyra sighed. “Daemon, none of our dragons have been to war.”

“We need a place to gather,” Daemon replied, eyes gleaming with ambition. “A toehold large enough to house a sizable host. Here, at Harrenhal. We cut off the west, surround King’s Landing with the dragons. And we could have every Green head mounted on spikes before the fucking moon turns.”

Just then, Ser Erryk stepped forward, interrupting the conversation. “Your Grace a ship has been sighted offshore: a lone galleon, flying a banner of a three-headed green dragon.”

Daemon charged past Rhaenyra, barking orders. “Alert the watchtowers. Sight the skies.”

Rhaenyra followed him quickly, but Valaena remained behind, standing with Jace, Luke, and the other lords.

A wave of sickness washed over her once more, and she had to take several deep breaths to keep from vomiting.

As she steadied herself, she noticed Rhaenys watching her closely, a curious look on her face.

Valaena quickly turned her attention to Luke, who was fiddling with one of the dragon figurines on the painted table.

A heavy tension filled the room as Daemon and Rhaenyra returned, their expressions grim. Daemon was the first to speak, his voice laced with frustration. “The simple truth is this: we have more dragons than Aegon.”

Rhaenyra, however, looked unsettled as she added, “I do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone.”

Valaena, standing with her brothers and the gathered lords, stepped forward, her brow furrowed. “Were terms delivered?”

Rhaenyra nodded, her face betraying no emotion. “If I acknowledge Aegon as king and swear obeisance before the Iron Throne, in exchange, he will confirm my possession of Dragonstone. It will pass to you, my trueborn daughter, upon my death. Jacaerys will be confirmed as the legitimate heir to Driftmark and all the lands and holdings of House Velaryon. My sons, Lucerys, Aegon, and Viserys, will also be given places of high honour at court. And the King, in his good grace, will pardon any knight or lord who conspired against his ascent.”

Valaena’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. Everything Aemond had told her the night before was true.

The offer was generous, but the underlying manipulation was unmistakable. She glanced briefly at Daemon, whose face darkened with anger.

“It’s a farce,” Daemon scoffed, his voice cutting through the room. “Offering you that which you already possess, and I would rather feed all of our children to the dragons before I bend the knee to that drunken usurper cunt of a king-”

Rhaenyra ignored his biting tone, her gaze unwavering. “As Queen, what is my true duty to the realm, Lord Bartimos? Ensuring peace and unity? Or that I sit the Iron Throne, no matter the cost?”

Before Lord Bartimos could respond, Daemon interjected, his voice sharp. “That’s your father talking.”

Rhaenyra’s expression hardened. “My father is dead. And he chose me as his successor-to defend the realm, not cast it headlong into war.”

Daemon’s eyes flashed with fire. “Well, the enemy has already declared war. What are you going to do about it?”

Before the argument could escalate further, Valaena stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. “That is enough. This back and forth is getting us nowhere. The most important thing now is for you to establish who your allies are.”

Just as the tension in the room seemed ready to boil over, a familiar voice broke through. “Quite right, Princess.”

All eyes turned to see Lord Corlys Velaryon, hobbling into the room, leaning on a wooden cane. His weathered face showed signs of recent illness, but his presence was commanding as ever.

Rhaenyra’s face softened with relief. “Lord Corlys, it brings much relief to see you hale and healthy again.”

Corlys cast a glance at the painted table, surveying the situation. “Your declared allies? Too few to win a war for the throne.”

Rhaenyra remained steadfast. “We would also hope to have the support of Houses Arryn, Baratheon, and Stark.”

Corlys raised a sceptical brow. “Hope is the fool’s ally.”

Rhaenyra’s voice grew resolute. “Both Arryn and Baratheon share blood with my house. But all of them swore oaths to me, and soon terms will be delivered to Cregan Stark, offering him a marriage with Valaena in exchange for his support.”

At the mention of her name, Valaena stiffened, but she kept her expression neutral. She had already agreed to the match, but hearing it spoken aloud brought a fresh wave of dread.

Corlys nodded approvingly. “You have the full support of our fleet and house. But what would be more beneficial is a total blockade of the shipping lanes. If we seal the Gullet, we can cut off all seaborne travel and trade to King’s Landing.”

Lord Bartimos added, “When we drain the Narrow Sea, we can surround King’s Landing, lay siege to the Red Keep, and force the Greens’ surrender.”

Daemon’s eyes gleamed with ambition. “If we are to have enough swords to surround King’s Landing, you must first secure the support of Winterfell, the Eyrie, and Storm’s End.”

Maester Gerardys stepped forward, nodding. “I’ll prepare the ravens, Your Grace.”

Jacaerys, always eager to prove himself, stepped forward. “Send us. We should bear those messages ourselves. Dragons fly faster than ravens.”

Rhaenyra considered her son’s words, then nodded in agreement. “Very well. Prince Jacaerys will fly north, to treat with Lord Cregan Stark for the support of the North. Prince Lucerys will go to the Eyrie to see my mother’s cousin, Lady Jeyne Arryn-”

Valaena remembering Aemond’s words, stepped forward and said “-I will fly south to Storm’s End and treat with Lord Borros Baratheon.”

Rhaenyra smiled and nodded “We must remind these lords of the oaths they swore. And the cost of breaking them.”

Valaena stood before the mirror as she worked through the final braid in her dark hair, each strand meticulously woven to stay in place during the flight.

She dressed herself in her riding leathers, the familiar feel of the well-worn material bringing a small comfort amid the tension.

Fastening the chain that secured her red dragon-scale patterned cloak across her chest, she pulled on her gloves, the last barrier between her and the journey ahead.

With a slow breath, she let her eyes drift to her reflection. Her gaze settled on her stomach, her gloved hand hovering there as she closed her eyes, whispering a silent prayer that what she was about to do was right.

Her heart felt heavy with more than just the weight of her mission; it carried secrets, promises, and a growing sense of duty.

A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts. "It's time, Princess," a maid called softly from the hallway.

"I'm coming," Valaena replied. She took one final look around her chambers, a place of comfort and warmth, but now filled with uncertainty.

With a steadying breath, she turned and walked out, her footsteps echoing as she joined her mother and brothers on the balcony just off the grand hall.

Rhaenyra stood tall, her expression both resolute and weary.

As Valaena approached, her mother began to speak, her voice commanding yet tender. "It’s been said that as Targaryen’s, we are closer to gods than to men. And the Iron Throne puts us a touch closer, perhaps. But if we are to serve the Seven Kingdoms-we must answer to their gods."

Rhaenyra’s gaze swept across her children. "If you take this errand, you go as messengers not as warriors. You must take no part in any fighting. Swear it to me now under the eyes of the Seven."

Two servants stepped forward, carrying an enormous holy book emblazoned with the seven-pointed star. Valaena, Jace, and Luke each placed their hands on the ancient tome.

"I swear it," they said in unison, their voices mingling with the heavy air of responsibility that lingered over them.

Rhaenyra handed Jace a rolled-up piece of parchment. "Cregan Stark is closer to your age than he is to mine. I would hope, that as men, you can find some common interest. But I do hope you get a sense of the man to whom I offer your sister’s hand." Jace accepted the scroll with a nod, replying, "Yes, Your Grace."

Next, Rhaenyra turned to Luke, giving him another scroll. "Lady Jeyne Arryn is our kin. I expect you to receive a warm welcome but be mindful of others seeking her favour."

Luke took the scroll from her, his young face serious. "Yes, mother—Your Grace."

Finally, Rhaenyra faced Valaena. "Storm's End is just a short flight from here. Lord Borros is an eternally proud man. He will be honoured to host a princess of the realm and her dragon."

Valaena accepted her own scroll, bowing her head. "Yes, Your Grace."

"Go to it, then," Rhaenyra said, her voice firm, but there was a softness in her eyes.

Valaena turned to leave, but something pulled her back. She spun around, quickly closing the distance between them, and wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight embrace.

 "Avy jorrāelan, muña," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion (I love you mother).

Rhaenyra chuckled softly, returning the embrace. "You're squeezing me too tightly, sweet girl."

Valaena pulled back, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Sorry," she murmured, trying to compose herself.

Rhaenyra placed a gentle hand on her daughter's cheek, searching her face. "Is everything alright?"

Valaena nodded quickly, though her body betrayed her as her hands trembled. "Everything is fine."

Rhaenyra frowned slightly. "You're shaking. If you do not wish to journey to Storm’s End—"

"I must go," Valaena interrupted, her voice firm. "I will do my duty to my queen."

Rhaenyra pressed a kiss to her daughter’s forehead, lingering for a moment as if to pass on strength through the gesture. Valaena gave a weak smile before stepping back.

She turned to Jace, hugging him tightly. "Naejot se hūra se arlī lēkia," she whispered, their bond unspoken yet ever strong (To the moon and back brother).

Jace squeezed her hand in return, his expression sombre. "And to you, sister."

Next, she approached Luke, pulling him into her arms. She removed one of the beaded bracelets she wore and fastened it around his wrist.

"Naejot gaomagon ao ȳgha," she said softly, her voice full of affection. (To keep you safe).

Luke glanced down at the bracelet, his eyes wide with surprise and gratitude. "Thank you," he whispered.

Valaena gave him one last smile before stepping away, her heart heavy as she looked at her mother one last time, committing her face to memory.

Then without another word, she turned and descended the steps leading to the caverns where Silverwing awaited her.

Her pulse quickened with each step she took, her heart pounding against her chest as the cool air of the caverns greeted her. The sound of Silverwing shifting in her lair echoed in the distance

Valaena approached Silverwing, her dragon’s presence filling the cavern with a sense of calm and strength.

She ran her hand along the familiar, warm silver scales, the ridges rough beneath her fingers. “Zȳha jēda,” she whispered softly (It’s time).

Silverwing responded with a determined trill, her eyes glinting in the dim light of the cavern.

Without hesitation, she lowered her massive shoulder, allowing Valaena to climb up and into the saddle.

The motion was second nature now strapping herself in, she tightened her grip on the reins, her heart steady but her mind swirling.

"Sōves," she commanded, her voice strong, and with that, Silverwing lumbered out of the cavern, the ground shaking slightly beneath the dragon’s weight. (Fly).

The cool sea air hit them as they emerged, Silverwing spreading her great wings wide and pushing off the rocky outcrop with a powerful beat.

The rush of air roared in Valaena’s ears as they ascended, circling high above Dragonstone. The island's jagged cliffs and the roiling seas below looked small from their height.

The dark clouds and distant thunder mirrored the tension she felt in her chest.

Soon, she was joined by Jace on Vermax and Luke on Arrax on either side of her, their dragons majestic as they cut through the skies.

They were soon followed by Rhaenys on Meleys. Together, the four dragons flew in formation, their powerful wings moving in synchronized rhythm, the sound like distant thunder.

Valaena cast a glance at Jace and Luke, their figures resolute upon their dragons. Her heart clenched.

Let them be victorious, let them be safe.

One by one, they began to break off. Rhaenys on Meleys peeled away first, banking sharply to the east to patrol the Gullet.

Then Jace and Luke turned their dragons north. Valaena’s eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, knowing how important his mission was.

Valaena turned in her saddle, watching her brothers until they became distant specks against the horizon.

She whispered another prayer under her breath, hoping they would succeed in their tasks—and return unharmed.

With a deep breath, she refocused her mind. There was still much to do. Her own destination awaited, and Lord Borros Baratheon would not be an easy man to sway.

Aemond’s words from the night before echoed in her mind, his voice a low hum as she remembered the plan.

"You can do this” she whispered to herself.

Silverwing responded, her wings beating faster as they adjusted their course southward.

Valaena leaned forward, her eyes fixed ahead, as Dragonstone disappeared behind her.

The rain fell in sheets as Silverwing descended toward Storm’s End, her massive wings slicing through the storm-laden sky.

Valaena’s heart pounded in her chest as the dragon landed with a heavy thud, the ground trembling beneath her. She dismounted quickly, her boots splashing in the mud.

As her feet touched the ground, she reached out, running her hand along Silverwing’s warm, familiar scales.

The heat radiating from her dragon comforted her, the low, contented rumble from Silverwing reminding her she wasn’t alone.

But then, a deeper, more menacing growl echoed across the courtyard. Valaena froze. Her heart skipped a beat, and she slowly turned, her breath catching in her throat.

Vhagar.

The monstrous dragon loomed behind the castle walls, her hulking form visible even through the sheets of rain. If Vhagar was here, that could only mean one thing—Aemond was here, and everything was going according to his plan.

Valaena swallowed hard, her stomach knotting with anticipation and dread. She steeled herself, pushing away the swirl of emotions clawing at her insides. She could not afford to falter now.

The knights of Storm’s End approached her, their armour clinking softly as they trudged through the rain.

“I am Princess Valaena Velaryon, and I have a message for Lord Borros Baratheon, on behalf of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.”

The knight studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Come. Lord Borros Baratheon waits in the Great Hall."

Valaena cast a final glance back at Silverwing, before following the knights into the castle. The courtyard blurred around her as the rain soaked through her cloak and riding leathers.

The heavy wooden doors of Storm’s End slammed shut behind them with a resounding thud.

Inside, the Great Hall was dimly lit, the flickering torches casting long shadows across the stone walls.

Lord Borros sat on his makeshift throne, his figure round and imposing, his eyes sharp as they landed on the drenched princess before him.

“Princess Valaena of House Velaryon,” a herald announced, and all eyes in the hall turned toward her.

Her gaze shifted toward the side of the hall, where Aemond stood, his posture relaxed, his hands clasped behind his back.

He was speaking with one of Borros’s daughters, a striking young woman with dark hair and sharp eyes, who seemed completely captivated by him.

Valaena’s stomach churned with jealousy and anger—how dare that Baratheon bitch look at Aemond in such a way, he was her husband, and she was carrying his child.

Valaena took a deep breath and ignored the urge to go over there and slit that bitch from ear to ear, for even daring to look at Aemond in such a manner.

 “Lord Borros, I have brought you a message from my mother—the Queen,” she said, her voice steady despite the storm brewing within her.

Borros chuckled, his voice booming through the hall. “Yet earlier today, I received an envoy from the King. Which is it—King or Queen? The House of the Dragon doesn’t seem to know who rules it!” His laughter was coarse, echoing in the dim hall.

Valaena glanced at Aemond, who smirked at her with a tilt of his head, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Borros grew impatient. “Well, then. What’s your mother’s message?”

Valaena handed the scroll to one of the knights, who quickly passed it to Borros. The Lord of Storm’s End squinted at the parchment, frowning. He summoned a Maester to read the letter aloud.

As the Maester relayed Rhaenyra’s message, Valaena could feel Aemond’s eye burning into her, though she refused to look at him.

Her clothes were soaked through, and she stood in a small puddle of rainwater, feeling the weight of every gaze in the hall.

Once the Maester finished, Borros leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. “Remind me of my father’s oath. King Aegon at least came with an offer: my swords and banners for a marriage pact. If I do as your mother bids, which of my daughters will your brothers wed?”

Valaena hesitated before answering. “My lord, I am afraid that only two of my brothers are of age, and neither is free to marry. They are already betrothed.”

Borros frowned, clearly unsatisfied. “And what of you, Princess?”

Her breath caught in her throat. "Me, my lord?"

Borros leaned forward, his interest piqued. “I no longer have a wife. You are of age to marry and, if you are anything like your mother, I am sure you will give me many sons.”

Valaena’s heart hammered in her chest, and she risked a glance at Aemond. His jaw clenched tightly, and his hand now rested on the pommel of his sword, his face a mask of barely contained fury at the Lord audacity.

“My lord, I am not free to marry either,” Valaena said, her voice firm. “My brother flies north to offer my hand in marriage to Lord Cregan Stark of Winterfell.”

The hall fell silent. Aemond’s eye narrowed, his grip on his sword tightening. The Baratheon girl beside him looked perplexed, but Aemond paid her no mind.

His rage was palpable, radiating from him like a storm, his wife had just declared she had been betrothed to that northern dog.

Aemond had to force himself to calm down, they had a plan, and he had to stick to it, he couldn't let his possessiveness over Valaena ruin what they had practised.

Borros scoffed. “Then you come with empty hands. Tell your mother the Lord of Storm’s End is not some dog she can whistle up at need.”

Valaena dipped her head in a polite bow. “I will take your answer to the Queen.”

As she turned to leave, the wind howled outside, and the storm raged even harder. But before she could take a step, Aemond’s voice cut through the hall like a blade. “Wait, my lady Strong.”

Valaena froze, her heart pounding.

“Did you really think you could fly about the realm, stealing my brother’s throne, without paying the cost?”

She turned to face him, her heart pounding. “I will not fight you,” she said. “I came as a messenger, not a warrior.”

Aemond laughed, withdrawing a dagger from his belt and tossing it at her feet. “Fight would be little challenge. No, I want you to put out your eye. As payment for the one your bastard brother carved from my skull.”

Valaena’s voice was cold, unyielding. “It is not my debt to pay, besides I thought your claim of Vhagar was worth the loss of an eye, you yourself declared it was a fair exchange. Or is your hoary old bitch of a dragon no longer worth it?”

Aemond’s smirk faded. His face twisted with faux anger, her words cutting deep. “You dare speak of Vhagar that way?” he hissed. “You know nothing of what it means to command the largest dragon in the world-”

“Oh, I know a thing or two about dragons,” Valaena retorted. “Do you truly believe Vhagar could withstand a combined attack from Silverwing, Caraxes, and Meleys? She may be the largest, but even she is not invincible.”

Aemond simply stared at her, his expression unreadable as he processed her words.

"-You always seem so eager to remind everyone how large Vhagar is," said Vaelyssa, a sly smile playing on her lips. "-One might wonder if you're trying to overcompensate for other-smaller matters-"

Borros Baratheon’s other daughters who were huddled together beside their father clasped their hands to their mouths and let out a melodious giggle that echoed around the hall, the intent behind Valaena’s comment clear for all to understand.

Aemond charged toward her, picking up the dagger. “Give me your eye, or I will take it bastard!”

Before he could close the distance, Lord Borros quickly rose from his throne. “Not in my hall!” he roared.

Aemond came to a sudden halt, breathing heavily, his eye locked on Valaena.

“-The girl came as an envoy. I’ll not have bloodshed beneath my roof. Take Princess Valaena back to her dragon. Now”

Valaena was then surrounded by guards and as she cast Aemond a look and she saw him nod sharply and mouth a single word—go.

She nodded back before she turned and followed the guards out into the storm and back to Silverwing.

Then without a word, Aemond stormed out of the hall, his boots echoing off the stone floor with each purposeful step.

Lord Borros called out after him, his voice reverberating through the chamber, "Prince Aemond, wait!"

Aemond didn’t stop. His jaw clenched as he pushed past the guards and courtiers that crowded the entrance of Storm’s End, his mind singularly focused.

He wasn’t interested in what Borros had to say. His thoughts were consumed by Valaena and their plan.

Valaena rushed through the storm, her boots slipping slightly on the rain-soaked stones as she reached Silverwing.

Her hands found the dragon’s warm, wet scales, and she pressed her palms against them, feeling the steady rhythm of her companion’s breath.

“Dokimarvose, Silverwing,” Valaena murmured urgently, her voice barely audible over the howling wind. “Lykirī se Rȳbās, tāemītsos naejot se kȳvanon.” (Focus, be calm and listen. Stick to the plan).

Silverwing let out a soft trill, her massive body shifting slightly as if to acknowledge the words. Valaena quickly climbed into the saddle, the leather straps slippery beneath her fingers. She fastened herself in, securing the reins tightly in her gloved hands.

With a deep breath, she shouted, “Sōves!” (Fly!)

Silverwing spread her wings and launched into the sky with powerful strokes, the wind and rain battering them as they ascended through the storm.

Valaena clenched her jaw against the force of the gale, her heart pounding in her chest. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the swirling clouds as they climbed higher and higher.

But then, a roar echoed through the storm, deep and earth-shaking. Valaena twisted in her saddle.

Through the thick clouds, she saw the hulking form of Vhagar chasing after them.

Tugging on the reins, she leaned hard to the left and shouted, “Aderī, Silverwing! Elēnās geptot!” (Quickly, bank left!)

Silverwing responded instantly, banking sharply to the left, her wings slicing through the rain. But Vhagar followed with terrifying persistence.

“Embrot!” Valaena shouted next, her voice straining against the wind. (Down!)

Silverwing tucked her wings tight against her body and dove sharply, cutting through the clouds like a blade.

The sudden dive gave them a burst of speed, and Vhagar, being as large as she was, couldn’t move as swiftly. Valaena glanced over her shoulder, relieved to see the growing distance between them.

The time had come to carry out Aemond’s plan, the only way they could be together, she just hoped her mother in time would understand why this had to happen.

Valaena tugged on the reins and commanded, “Pālegon!” (Turn!)

Silverwing arched through the air, twisting around to face Vhagar once more. The massive dragon loomed ahead, her wings spread wide, dark against the stormy sky.

Valaena braced herself, quickly hooking the spare strap from her saddle to her waist, making sure it was secure.

She reached for the chain that held her dragon-scaled cloak in place, tearing it from her shoulders and letting it fly off into the wind, the heavy fabric disappearing into the storm.

“Gīda, Silverwing” Valaena whispered, her voice calm despite the pounding of her heart. (Steady.)

Silverwing steadied her flight as they closed in on Vhagar, the two dragons hovering in the sky, locked in a face-off.

Rain poured down in torrents, streaking across Valaena’s face, but she ignored it, her eyes fixed on Aemond.

He was there, atop Vhagar, as he raised his voice and yelled, “Drakarys!”

The word reverberated through the air, and flames erupted from Vhagar’s massive jaws, a torrent of fire rushing toward them.

But Valaena was ready as she shouted with all her might, “Drakarys!”

Silverwing answered her call, unleashing a blaze of fire in return. The two dragons’ flames met in the air, clashing in a violent explosion of heat and light.

The storm around them was momentarily drowned out by the roar of the fire, illuminating the dark sky as the two mighty beasts faced each other

TBC

[bugsbenefit]

hellfire in s5, and how it's Really not looking good for the members

the hellfire club is, in my opinion, one of the most obvious set ups for s5 and i never see enough people acknowledge how blatant the show actually is with it. because it's a directly addressed ongoing issue that slowly worsens over time and directly threatens three main characters (Dustin, Lucas, and Mike), at Least

there's a clear structured progression of the threat getting worse, with a major part of the s4 Hawkins plot being only Jason and his team chasing Eddie down, and by the last episodes of the show the rest of the town sides with them and joins the objective. however, we never get any consequence of the town agreeing with Jason, aside form the kids parents getting reaction shots looking insanely worried. the only thing even resembling partisan participation is a dogwalker (the same man that agreed with Jason first and then caused every other member in the town hall to also agree) informing Jason and co about there being someone in the Creel house. a single character ratting someone out is not pay off for a scene that rallies the entire town with anger and fear. especially because he was the First one to agree with Jason, arguably the next reaction, in parallel to the town house scene, will have everyone else also involve themselves

and everything Jason actually said in the town hall looks INFINITELY worse by the end of the season because he not only died the same day (how odd that must look), the town was also hit by a severe earthquake. (and hell-gates open in town but we don't know how people will react to that yet, or if it will even be immediately obvious to them)

like. it's a Terrible look. and with Eddie being dead now, the main target that represented the hellfire club in s4 and got the primary share of blame is now officially un-prosecutable

s4 also goes out of it's way to associate Lucas, Dustin and Mike explicitly with the hunt on Hellfire, ages before the whole town gets involved

Lucas is put on edge by the basketball's team hostility towards his friends constantly and has to actively lie his way out of the line of fire multiple times. the basketball team is also looking for Dustin to question him about Eddie's whereabouts, even going to his house where a confrontation only doesn't happen because he's not home. and they even manage to go out of their way to drag Mike into it despite him being out of town, when Jason starts a conversation with Nancy specifically to threaten her and then asks about Mike right after

which leads to the other thing; not only are all the kids already on Jason's radar, he's also getting more and more direct with the fact that he doesn't just want to have a nice chat with them (culminating in actually physically attacking Lucas by the last episode)

and if them setting all of the kid members of hellfire up for a bad time wasn't obvious enough, it's also fascinating to see the posters of hellfire we get over the season also show a clear shift in focus

when we see the hellfire club year book photo for the first time the focus is on Eddie. he's who Jason sees as the main culprit and when we get a close up of the burning poster we see Eddie

but when we see the hellfire club photo again 4 episodes later the focus isn't on Eddie anymore. not in dialogue and not visually

the shot is from the Wheeler's pov (Karen's specifically), and the only part of the picture that's in focus is the far right corner, with Mike and Lucas. (makes sense that's her son that's currently being implicated in satanic murders). Eddie never gets unblurred, he's not who the audience is supposed to look at in this shot. verbally Jason is also explicitly blaming the whole club now. it's not just Eddie who's "crazy" and killed Chrissy, it's the whole club who's responsible (it's also very notable that he's handing out yearbook photos of the whole club, not just Eddie. a really distinct prop choice. everyone in town now not only thinks hellfire is directly responsible for multiple ritualistic murders, they also know Exactly who's in the club)

and looking back at the season in hindsight, there's actually more than enough instances that would make the members of Hellfire look kind of guilty, or shady at best, even if someone were to do some research. there's multiple instances of hellfire members lying to the basketball team about hellfire member's whereabouts which definitely doesn't make them look more innocent in the team's eyes. not only do Eddie's band members try to brush them off, Nancy pretends to not even know about Hellfire when Jason asks about Mike, and Lucas goes out of his way to keep Dustin and Eddie's locations from them by deliberately lying and sending them to wrong locations

and that's on top of the entire montage of Dustin and Mike trying to find a substitute player for a single game on the same day a student with no previous affiliation to Eddie Munson dies at his trailer? that looks Horrible in hindsight. especially with them asking pretty much every other student, from almost every club, while both prominently wearing hellfire shirts. if anyone actually remembers them and thinks about the events post Chrissy's death they could definitely make some assumptions

it's just bad looks all around. and that's not even mentioning how they have the potential to look even worse in s5. if it got out Lucas was with Max when she somehow died and broke all her bones? would look horrible. or Dustin now associating with Eddie's dad? and we don't even know how he'll fulfill Eddie's wish to "look after the little sheep"

and even Mike, who didn't even have the chance to attract suspicion post e1 due to being out of town has a whole thing going on with his image paralleling Eddie, with being the other DM and having his s4 style be directly in reference to Eddie's looks

while there's building hostility towards the hellfire members, and the focus (both visually and vocally) switches more to the members Other than Eddie, by the end of the season there just hasn't been a chance for the townsfolk to respond to Jason's speech yet. they all agreed with him, but everything immediately went to shit the same night. however, even the last few minutes of the show, that always have the most direct foreshadowing for the next season, include a shot focusing on the rise of religion and the fearmongering that started with Jason's speech

which serves as a great reminder that the entire town hall just agreed with Hellfire being a satanist cult they need to stop

s4 ends with the hellfire set up being one of the most explicitly obvious plot threads that are about to be a problem for multiple main characters in s5. like the few other obvious established about-to-be struggles: the gates opening, Vecna still being alive, Max being "gone"; we've gotten a full set up there but no payoff yet

and then there's obviously the question of what the people would even DO in s5? they all agreed that Hellfire needed to be stopped, so... what now?

on one hand there's the interesting concept of the town refusing to help the protagonists but they could also be acting as a hostile force against them

say anyone tried to warn the town about the upside down or it's creatures, the chances of people listening to them talk about actual "demons" and reacting in any positive way is probably near 0. even if you saw a Demogorgon nibble on your neighbour an hour ealier, would you really listen to someone you think intentionally opened the Hellgate that let the creatures through in the first place?

but then there's of course the active antagonistic angle they could also take. Jason was calling for Hellfire to be actively opposed and stopped, not passively. and the show Does go out of it's way to show the overcrowded weapons store in multiple shots post Jason-speech

we're supposed to know these people are armed going forward. whether they're buying them to go hunting, or wanting to go shoot Eddie Munson, the weapons are there now... also ignore the 7 separate hellfire wanted posters in the opening shot of the store alone 💀(it's actually 9, i didn't circle the two that are cut off in the bottom corner. that whole board is just plastered with that one photo)

(the implication of what the guns are for couldn't be more obvious if they tried. again, also the scene where Jason tries to intimidate Nancy and directly asks about where Mike is. also the scene where Erica and co try to hide from the basketball team members in the store. the scene features, guns, hellfire posters everywhere, and characters specifically asking about the whereabouts of a member while other people are actively hiding)

and the weapons could play out in a positive way in s5 too, say the lady from next door gets hands on involved and takes shots at the Demobats in her front yard

but the reactionary, scared, and angry town that blames a specific small group of people for everything that's happening could also lead to MCs having to actively worry about getting shot by someone they've seen at the supermarket for 10+ years on top of the supernatural threat

TLDR: re Hellfire, none of these members will have a good time in s5

Edit (because i forgot to include these images and am silly)

Hellfire even makes it on the local news by the end of the season

and in line with the focus shifting from Eddie to the other hellfire members, the news anchor then goes to say that Eddie Munson is presumed dead after the earthquake but that that isn't enough for the town. the news even mentions the conspiracy theory that the hellfire murders CAUSED the earthquake. so anyone who hasn't heard Jason's speech, now they're getting it from a "reputable" source too. call that high quality journalism, let's throw the local highschoolers under the bus

we're supposed to remember the fear of the "satanic cult killing children" that Jason spread to the town. it's still there. and it's not just in the local town hall anymore, its being broadcast on live television. so just in case you didn't catch wind of who caused a "gate to hell" to open in your suburban neighbourhood the first time, the news anchor thankfully tells you who everybody Says is responsible, it's the 14-18 year old satanist serial killers duh

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Hey, just today I've decided to stop seeing my parents and siblings for an indeterminate amount of time, and to possibly even break off all contact if it has to come to that. They refuse to acknowledge me as the person i really am and I can't keep sacrificing my mental health and me up for that. Will you please pray for me? And if it's not too much to ask, do you perhaps have a bible passage to strengthen me during this time? I still want to stay close to God, because I know the way God created me was correct and good. Thank you

~Micha (they/them)

Hi Micha,

What a difficult, courageous thing you've done. I will absolutely hold you in my prayers; I pray you will find relief in having finally made the hard decision, and continue to live into flourishing.

The Bible story that comes to my mind is a strange one, only told by Mark (3:20-35):

Very early in Jesus's ministry, as he gathers followers and gains attention, his family is apparently very concerned.

Perhaps they know this path puts him in danger; or maybe they just worry about his "lifestyle" reflecting badly on them. Either way, they know they have to "take control of him;" after all, he's clearly "out of his mind" (v. 21).

So his mother and siblings hurry to a house where Jesus is teaching, but it's packed so full they can't get inside. So they send a messenger in and also call for him from outside (vv. 31-32). I can just imagine their calls: "Please honey, this isn't like you! Who influenced you to go this way?" "You're the man of the house, you can't just abandon us to hang out with queer friends and say edgy things!" "What will the neighbors say?"

But when Jesus is told his family is out there calling to him, he answers, “Who is my mother? Who are my siblings?” Looking around at those seated around him in a circle, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister, and mother.”

We know Jesus's love for his mother. I am sure he loved his whole family with the infinite depth of God. Yet he risks losing them, says hard words he know will probably hurt, because if they make him choose between them and living out God's will, he has to choose God's will.

We don't know whether he ever reconciled with his siblings; they don't appear anywhere else in the Gospels. Maybe this was their last encounter, not even face-to-face. Maybe his brothers could not abide his abnormal lifestyle and chose to cut him out of their lives.

But we do know Jesus reconciles with Mary, the mother who proclaimed divine revolution as a newly pregnant teen (Luke 1:46-55) — yet who seems to waver now, either out of fear for her son or failing to understand that what he's doing now is the revolution.

But I like to imagine when Mary hears what Jesus says about family, the implication that she is only mother to him if she continues to help him in living God's will, she immediately corrects course. She will keep supporting him, even when she doesn't fully understand.

Sure enough, Mary supports him all the way to the cross, all the way to the grave. They are present for each other, comforting each other through the worst moment of both their lives.

[Jesus even fuses his biological family and his found family together from the cross. Now that he will no longer be the "man" in Mary's life who offers her legal and social protection; and now that he won't be there to love on his Beloved, he offers John to Mary, Mary to John. "Woman, here is your son. John, here is your mother!" (John 19:25-27)

Is that queer or what?? As his final act on this side of the tomb, Jesus essentially makes his mother and lover mother-in-law and son-in-law! ...I can't not think of the AIDS crisis, where dying partners would pass their beloved's care over to surviving loved ones.]

___

Jesus always prioritized chosen family over biological family. A biological relative can be part of your chosen family, but belonging to that family is no more automatic for them than for anyone else.

Jesus shows us that when family fails to support us in doing God's will — in this case, taking up the invitation to co-create yourself with God, to commit your own small rebellion against the status quo, to prophecy resurrection as embracing your queerness brings you to new life — they cease to be family in the way that matters most.

That rupture can be mended at any point, if and when those who did harm seek to make amends — and receive consent to do so. Whether or not reconciliation ever takes place, we seek out others who will celebrate us and support us in our efforts to glorify God with our lives.

___

God of love, Hold Micha close in this time of loss and and changed relationships. Comfort them in the knowledge that this rupture is no fault of theirs, but caused by parents and siblings refusing to embrace all they are, and failing imagine a fuller Kin(g)dom, a vaster love, a more colorful Image of God.

Spirit of courage and wisdom, guide Micah towards those who will delight in all that they are. Help them build a family founded on love, equity, and mutual support. Wherever their journey takes them, make your unconditional love, your unwavering presence known to them.

Amen.

[bloodgulchblog]

The main thing to know about the Didact is he's patient zero of 343i's we-have-to-have-a-cool-villain disease. This is a misconception that has plagued them since the start. They've tried multiple times to set up a big dramatic cool villain character with an interesting backstory for the Halo universe to have problems hinge around, and abandoned just as many of those attempts. (...Or at least I think they will, because it's kind of a pattern and Halo Infinite was received super poorly so I don't think they'll swerve from swerving.)

The reason this doesn't really work is that Halo has never really been about a single big villain, the kinds of stories it was telling were about war and imperialism and xenophobia, about factions and forces more than individual monsters. The Flood is there, but the Flood is about as personal a villain as the hurricane ripping the roof off your house. It's more of a force of nature.

Halo doesn't need its villains to be detailed guys with tragic backstories because that's not what is needed for the kind of stories it feels set up to tell. ...It's just that military imperialism is way too spooky and divisive a subject to be willingly taken up by the prodigal gamer son of an enormous American tech corporation that has a skittish wallet and no moral spine. They are desperate to do literally anything else, so that is what they've been doing for the last 13ish years. If a big mean villain who is one person with one name and a sick scifi backstory is the bad guy, they don't have to acknowledge the much realer bad guys already in the setting.

[degreedummy]

Intercepted Placements

So, understanding the expressions of each of the axes and minor expressions of their affects on the houses, we have to look at each of these as the environment a planet is existing in. Rather than being lost, it's a child following a lost parent. Intercepted planets themselves find it difficult to find direction, almost to the same effect as a retrograde, in how we're unable to move forward until we step back and acknowledge and, if we can't fix, continue forward with a full understanding of our circumstances.

Of course, when looking at intercepted planets, we have to consider the house it's under, the sign it's ruled by, the aspects to it (+ the degree if you use degrees). These aren't going to be exactly true for everyone, because like I said before, there's infinite possibilities. Someone with an intercepted Gemini 11H Jupiter that may believe they can't make friends is going to have a different experience from a int. Gemini 9H Jupiter that might believe they'll never be as smart and proficient as they want to be.

 

INTERCEPTED SUN_ This is someone who finds it difficult to understand themselves, usually knowing exactly who they want to become, but having no idea where they are now. Being [told] can cause conflict, but sometimes it's that honesty that grounds us.

INTERCEPTED MOON_ This is someone who doesn't like to talk about or really even acknowledge the things they like, or how they find comfort. Their needs and their desires have always been secluded from each other, and in that, they learned to do the same.

INTERCEPTED VENUS_ This is someone who has difficulties with the entire concept of sharing themselves with other people, not understanding how to balance or develop partnerships because they tend to not ever have a specific goal with them.

INTERCEPTED MERCURY_ This is someone who's mind and mouth work at different paces, either not knowing what they want to say, or having to talk their way around a point until they find a road to it. They may feel too "different" to be included, but they just need your patience.

INTERCEPTED MARS_ This person is passionate where it seems to have no place and distant when it seems to matter the most, seeming to others that they only put their energy towards things that matter to them even if that's not true.

INTERCEPTED SATURN_ This is someone who has difficulty with accountability, not understanding the need to implement structure in areas of their lives that they think are operating perfectly fine without it. They're fine the way they are, even if they're not.

INTERCEPTED JUPITER_ This is someone who lacks a belief that they can succeed in the areas of live they're most focused on, accepting that their dreams are unobtainable even while still pushing themselves to the limit trying to reach them. Sometimes the approach matters.

INTERCEPTED NEPTUNE_ This is someone wanting to believe themselves so badly that they'll try to run through a wall before accepting that it is one. This is a need to be direct with ourselves, not consistently relying on the last possible way out to save us when we're wrong.

INTERCEPTED URANUS_ I think most importantly, this is someone who doesn't believe in the powers of manifestation, and that they will receive nothing special because they themselves aren't special. It's a destructive mindset that's constantly passed off as selflessness.

INTERCEPTED PLUTO_ This is someone who struggles with understanding their control in each situation, feeling they can't bring an end to things because they don't know what the [end] means. This is a placement with hesitation and every excuse in the book.

[dunefeather]

Unacceptable

Paul Atreides x F!Trainer!Reader

Content : trainer/student, noncon kiss, angst.

Summary : After a series of training sessions with Paul to teach him how to fight properly, he acts in a way that is going to have serious consequences.

What you heard was right, Paul learned quick. For a young man living in such a protective environment he could adapt almost immediately and had an excellent ability to analyze and process information. After a few hours of training he already seemed infinitely more at ease with melee weapons and the slight awkwardness of the first lessons vanished.

"Strike twice," you instructed.

He obeyed, never questioning your orders. You could tell he was getting tired and that the lesson should get shortened soon but you appreciated how resilient he was. It changed from most of the powerful families you got the opportunity to serve. Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica seemed to be truly deserving your respect on the way they raised him. That fact in particular relaxed your mind about Arrakis. You took the best decision of your life by following this House to this desperate but oh so precious fireball.

"Alright. Stop there." "What ? But I've barely started ?"

You warned him with a quick stern look making shut his mouth before examining your own blade with your back turned to the heir. It definitely needed to get sharpened. What would you look like with such a useless weapon if the Fremens decided to attack Paul ?

"I know. But you sound tired. I need your mind to be as awake and alert as it can be. We stop the practice there and we'll do a little theory for next time."

After wiping the sweat off his forehead he followed you silently to a table surrounded by two chairs face to face. Your confident footsteps brought you to your destination faster, but you had to acknowledge that he still had some decent stamina for somebody debuting the serious phase.

"Fight with bare hands," you stated while showing him his chair. "I do understand its importance," he replied with some hesitation, "but am I going to learn it with you or will Gurney be there as well ?" "Why would you want him to be there and not me ?"

Your dry question made him feel clearly uncomfortable as he shifted on his chair without adverting his eyes.

"I would feel guilty if I had to it with a woman. To punch you or hurt you in any way." "As touching and nice that sounds, that precise point is a massive flaw. Female spies exist. Female assassins exist. Some poison, some stab, some punch, some break necks, some use firearms, some manipulate. I won't get too much into details but for example I got formed to know most of those techniques. The day a Fremen - or any female wanting your death or the one of your family - stabs the Duke, will you politely ask her to stop it ?"

That thought woke something up in Paul, something catching your interest. He seemed suddenly more focused and determined, as if ready to fight right now.

"I will do what is needed," he answered almost aggressively. "Good. But you have to start from somewhere. I want you to be as effective as possible. You need to be aware of your surroundings at all time as we've seen already. No matter if the people surrounding you are men or women. I know we tend not to pay much attention to women in these circumstances - even I sometimes - but don't let them fool you. Get accustomed to this possibility that one day you'll maybe have to do it. And don't feel guilty about it. It can make a serious difference between life and death."

Lessons after lessons, he improved and not only in his fighting skills. Obviously he blocked your attacks more easily after the fifth lesson but his confidence also reached a new peak - even making him involved proactively. Whenever you asked him to give new ideas, to ask questions, he sounded eager to learn. In some way, to please. This was how you managed to get a grip on his attention. Paul needed clear indications and would advance by himself from there. Instead of most of the men and women you had instructed who worked strictly on orders and discipline, this young man also required praises to boost his confidence. You had to explain more, to find an angle that echoed in him. His family constituted a useful tool for this part of your job.

"So, let's imagine me trying to stab you there."

With a sudden motion of your wrist the blade almost reached Paul's neck, the shield protecting him activating right before you could actually injure him. He barely shifted, and you recognized some defiance in his hazel eyes, some disdain even. You liked it, he had the right attitude as long as he didn't let his newly found confidence get on his path.

"What would you do," you asked sternly. "I don't know." He stated. "You don't ?"

What you hadn't anticipated was the sudden kick in your leg that made you flinch. Fortunately you recovered fast enough to block his attack but lost your knife. Your experience on the battlefield soon brought you all the advantage you needed and after a few blows you chuckled at his distressed groan as he landed on his back against the floor. Paul got the reflex to try to get up but was nowhere near as fast as you to stop you from straddling him, your knife back in your hand and close to his throat.

"Interesting choice," you acknowledged as he panted. "Was it good ?" "I admit you got me. Not sure it would work with an actual assassin though. But congratulations."

Despite the obvious discomfort he was in with your weight over him and the thick layer of sweat trapping his curls on his forehead, he flashed a large smile. A second of silence later you got up, cracking your ankles that into some weird angle in your actions unknowingly to you. No need for him to know he almost injured you, he would feel conflicted between pride and guilt for the rest of his days.

"Where have you learned that," the heir asked. "Fight ?"

He shook his head before standing before you, his hand busy getting some damp hair out of his sight as he looked down at you with a respect you finally got used to coming from him.

"I meant… the way you counterattacked before straddling your opponents. I guess it must not work in every cases. Only… only when you don't fight against people that are heavier and stronger than you, or that wear armors." "Well it's something I learned like any other soldier and we keep on training like others even after getting promoted. It's basic really. But you are right when you say it's not always possible. Even if I managed to push Duncan over I doubt I could slit his throat open. He'd deserve it sometimes but don't tell him."

He chuckled as you tapped his chest once in a rare playful gesture. It felt good to release some tension when there was no need for any, only for focus. After all the bound you created with Paul after only a few lessons sounded pretty encouraging.

"Do you think I learn fast enough?" "Paul. What did I say about your insecurities?"

The young Atreides mumbled something, clearly embarrassed by your question.

"I know I partially create that pressure on myself but I can't stop thinking that I should always learn faster. You are an excellent tutor and I would never thank you enough for your help, but what if the problem was me?"

The simplicity of his compliment warmed your heart but you did your best to hide your smile. No need to become his friend, it would break that dynamic between you.

"There is no problem there. You are a great student there. Also I got echoes that you pay more attention to your surroundings now, even during your free time. It's good to know. You are young and you need to learn well before learning quick. And in your case, you do both. You can't demand for more when you can't do more." "Do you really think so?"

A fake slap made him step back, his hand grabbing your wrist firmly and even tugging on you to make you lose your balance. Shocked, he turned himself into a statue with an open mouth as you sent him a mischievous grin.

"See? You trust me and yet you are able to react quick enough to stop an attack. Don't underestimate your skills. Keep on training them. It's like muscles."

The weird atmosphere settling in made your grin drop and for once you were a little slow to anticipate his actions, but the second you felt his nose brushing against yours you opened your eyes wide. You felt the Atreides heir lock his lips to yours, a relieved sigh leaving his before leaving a sloppy kiss. You jolted backwards under his terrified gaze as your wrath found its way out of your body with a moderately restrained punch in his shoulder that almost made him hiccup.

"What were you even thinking idiot?" "I-I'm sorry I don't know what happened," he stuttered with fear and shame written all over his face. "Get out of here, end of the session. No question, no word, nothing. Get out."

In less than ten seconds he was out, grabbing his clothes without changing in the nearby room and a blind hasted bowing in your direction on his way to the door. You couldn't believe it. On the same night you stood in the Duke's office, sitting before his desk as he stared at you with a curious expression.

"But I thought you wanted to confront him about this idea and it was a great argument" he started. "I did. But the thing is… he doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of having to injure a woman badly. I do think that Gurney or Duncan would be better for the next lessons. I managed to create some trust between us but he gets stuck."

The Duke's gaze didn't falter as you could feel his attempt to find out something. Maybe the slight edge in your voice as you did your best not to give the son away to his father. No matter the outcome you doubted it would be beneficial on this planet where everyone and everything wanted their death.

"Are you sure you want it," he asked.

After a short hesitation marked by your eyes lowering for a few seconds, you answered.

"It's necessary for his own good."

Leto narrowed his eyes and sat up, his elbows on the desk as he rested his bearded chin on the back of his hands.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" "Nothing sir." "Have you received any pressure from Fremens?" "No sir. I simply try to do my best to help your son." "Is there something involving the Harkonnens?" "No sir. As I said it's only a question of well-being for your son." "Are you sure of that or are you trying to convince yourself? It doesn't sound like you to repeat your arguments in such a way."

Humiliation made you tear up as you lowered your head. The Duke stood up as somebody knocks gently on his door. Wordlessly, he rested a hand on your shoulder to apply a slight pressure before telling the person to come in.

"Paul? Is everything alright?"

The worried question made you turn your head. It was never good to hear Leto Atreides worried about something and certainly not about his son. He had all the rights to sound like it however as you witnessed the young face turning pale as a ghost when he saw you. The heir straightened his stance.

"Uh… no Father. I'm alright. I wanted to talk to you but I can wait." "Is this about your training?"

The son gulped down audibly before nodding. The Duke couldn't decide who to watch and instead chose to close the door and interrogate the both of you with a stern glare.

"What is going on with you two? I am being serious there, if you received threats you have to tell me."

A quick attempt to open your mouth without letting your nausea win later, you let Paul speak.

"I kissed her without her consent during our last lesson."

It was more a breathless squeal that actual words, but it received the deadliest glare Leto could launch, to the point where you lowered your head and felt your whole body straightening up as you expected a powerful slap.

"What did you say my son," asked the Duke between his gritted teeth. "I kissed her without her consent."

Paul sounded about to get sick, and in a way you couldn't blame him. Feeling his fear was one thing, but having to witness the absolute bitterness in his father's voice felt terrible. Knowing his love for his family it felt like the world crumbled under his feet, even more than for you after the assault.

"What have you done," the father asked with even more disgust. "I kissed her without her consent Father." "By the gods. Is that true?"

Guessing this question asked in disbelief was directed to you, you nodded. Today was the first time you heard Leto swear out loud but the most disturbing was the unruly rage behind it.

"What do you think you are to act like that, Paul," he snarled, "when could you think that there would be no consequences to your actions?" "I don't know Father, I don't know what happened I…" "Please do not tell the same lies that all the ones that have done that and even worse repeat over and over again. Don't play that game with me young man." "I don't know I felt it would… I don't know we were training and I… I don't know how to explain myself there is nothing that can excuse my actions." "Exactly."

You jolted as Paul suddenly appeared before you, standing as you remained sat after his father pushed him unceremoniously towards you. He gestured towards you without adverting his eyes from his son who chose to kneel before you and lower his head.

"I apologize for what I've done to you. I know you won't accept my words, I needed you to hear them. I accept the sanctions that are going to be decided, whether they come from you or my father."

Speechless, you blinked a few times to force yourself to anchor to the real word instead of the weird dizziness that started to put your muscles into a bizarre slumber you didn't expect.

"I…"

You turned to the Duke that softened his face a little once turned towards you. Your dry throat wouldn't let any precise word out.

"I accept your apology but I demand a tutor change as well as a favor: if this happen once more I want you to get sanctioned severely." "It will be done," started the Duke, "you can count on me personally as well as on his mother."

Paul got paler as if this was even possible at this point and right after he dared to look up at his father, the latter nodded as a warning and wide open eyes.

"I do guarantee you that your mother is going to hear about it tonight Paul. And you will be there when this happens, and all the next times as well."

-- - -

Thank you for reading! It's different from what I usually write but I hope you appreciated it in some way. Please comment and reblog if you liked it ! ☺️

[intuitive-revelations]

I need to rewatch that episode at some point to fully digest it, as I was watching with my family, but I have a bit of a theory coming out of it. Granted it might also be wishful thinking, since it's kind-of what I would do if I was in RTD's shoes, but hear me out:

Getting another mention of the Timeless Child arc feels very deliberate, despite (again) the new series obstensibly being a jumping on point for new viewers.

The episode is filled with themes regarding being a 'foundling' (that wording from Davina was a VERY deliberate choice - granted it's already floating around in pop-culture a bit with The Mandalorian, but it's also specifically the wording the Master used to describe the Timeless Child), not to mention fostering from the parent's point of view, and ambiguous family relationships (daughter / foster kid etc.).

There's clearly a coincidence parallel there. Indeed we hear as much from Fifteen himself.

"I'm adopted." "Are you?" "Yeah, yeah. I, uh, only found out recently."

Meanwhile we also get this element of the timeline changing, and it completely changing the life and personality of Carla.

And finally, there's the Doctor watching Ruby's birth mother (?) leave despite seemingly being tempted to confront her vs Ruby immediately running off when she realises the Doctor's a time traveller (RTD clearly influencing himself there, given the similarities with Rose's debut).

My guess (and hope, full disclaimer) is that we might get some development of the Doctor's origins to make them a bit more ambiguous beyond the Timeless Child mystery. Ideally via changing timelines as per Unnatural History IMHO, like I mentioned in a recent post.

We've got some hints of RTD thinking this way already, given his reasoning for sharing Doctor Who and the Time War during lockdown:

More importantly, the idea has come of age. This chapter only died because it became, continuity-wise, incorrect. But now, the Thirteenth Doctor has shown us Doctors galore, with infinite possibilities. All Doctors exist. All stories are true.

Tales of the TARDIS also seems to lean quite hard into this, with each past Doctor having aged beyond their regenerations due to the constantly changing time tracks. (This also feels kinda like what he was getting at with his 'all Doctors bigenerated' comment, even if it actually occuring in-universe as it did with Fourteen woud be a disaster.)

Do I think we will get too focused on timelines shifting? ...no not necessarily. But I do think we might see some key themes regarding having multiple families (biological, adopted, fostered, found etc.) and these might get applied directly to the Doctor, with him acknowledging having multiple pasts and multiple families. Like that line from Lungbarrow:

'Goodbye, Lungbarrovians,' he called. 'Don't worry. I don't ask for your forgiveness. Time runs in circles. I have other families!

Granted, a lot of this is pure speculation, but I do think there's clear setup for Ruby and Fifteen to be foils to each other going forward, which may indicate similar arcs, even if they don't necessarily unfold at the same time.

However there is one big thing that really might just link it together for me..

The way the family changes as the timelines change. The way Carla's relationship with her foster children changes too. The difference in the number of photos.

This last bit is particulary interesting, because it has two possible subtextual meanings in my head. Let's assume the theory is right, everything involving Ruby is meant to foreshadow the Doctor's own multiple pasts and multiple families.

Does the number of photos represent the size of his family (eg. 45 cousins in a House vs a handful of siblings and stepsiblings)?

"You've got the biggest family in the world." "I have. What about you?" "Uh... I've got no one."

(Although it is worth noting that this is also exactly what Sarah Jane said to Ten about the companions in Journeys End. I'm not how, or if, this is meaningful, but I figured I'd note it.)

Or... and this is a stretch of a stretch... could it represent the number of incarnations the Doctor has had in each timetrack?

"All those lives... you fostered thirty-three." "How many? Not me, darling. Don't be so stupid."

There's not that much to go off yet, so a lot of this may be well off what actually happens, but on a thematic level at least, I do very much think Ruby and the Doctor will continue to be foils to eachother regarding their relationships with their families and trying to find their 'true origin'.

[simpsandships]

A Prank gone wrong? [Sasuke x Naruto]

The Hokage's Office

"The war had finally ended and the ending consequences, you two lose an arm each! Well, the chakra from nine-tails made it easier to heal Naruto, but Sasuke's arm is still not fully healed, but with how his injuries are, I'd say he'll be just fine. So, now that Sasuke is getting discharged, it is your responsibility to share your apartment with him, do you hear me Naruto?" said Lady Tsunade, in a serious voice.

"But baa-chan, can't he go back to his own house, to the Uchiha quarters?" Naruto had asked her, not actually hating the idea of Sasuke living with him for a few days.

"You dobe." This time it was Sasuke who cut him off, "First, the villagers don't trust me yet, and the way these elders have acted all these years only ever caring about their own selves, do you actually believe they'd be okay with the idea of a death-row convict like me going back to the Uchiha compound?"

"But why wouldn't they!!?" that really angered Naruto. Sasuke too, was a war hero after all, and without him by his side, he wouldn't have been able to wake those people up from the infinite dream. "Sasuke saved them, he saved all of them, all the villages and all the people!"

"Sadly, that's not how it works. Well, either way, I can ask the elders to drop all the charges against Sasuke but the living-arrangement needs to be taken care of by you. People trust you more than anyone and if you trust Sasuke blindly to let him stay with you, the people will start trusting him too, and then the elders won't have any other option but to acknowledge him and drop all his charges." Lady Tsunade explained.

Naruto finally understood the strategy to make people trust Sasuke again, "What an amazing idea! No wonder you are the hokage!!"

"It's pretty astonishing that a gambler like you managed to come up with a plan like that." Sasuke added, pretty impressed.

"Actually, it was Shikamaru's idea." Shizune interrupted, "that boy sure is a genius!"

"I know right! Shikamaru's awesome!" Naruto giggled, remembering how he always came up with the best of ideas when they were in a pickle.

Something shifted inside Sasuke. His stomach flipped and he felt a small lump in his throat. Somehow, he didn't like it when Naruto was praising someone else. Although he knew that Shikamaru might have had a thing for the blonde from the village of Sand, but still.

"Okay, since we're all clear about everything, Naruto, let's go back."

"Huh? Go where?"

"To your apartment, of course."

"Wait, we're staying in my apartment? Like I get it that we need to stay together, but my apartment is way too small for the two of us."

"We'll manage."

And with that Sasuke pulled on Naruto's collar as he dragged him out of the room.

'Ah, young love ~' both Lady Tsunade and Shizune smiled.

...

"Baa-chan is very nice, you know. Although she can be so serious sometimes, ya know!" Naruto said, as the two boys jumped over the roofs heading towards Naruto's apartment. But then he slowly took a glimpse of Sasuke's face from the corner of his eyes.

Sasuke's expression seemed neutral, just as usual but his hair had gotten longer, hadn't it? And Sasuke's height had also increased, and Naruto definitely couldn't deny that he had surely gotten a lot more handsome than what he was when they were still academy-graduates. But this time, Naruto was also popular among the girls, so, he wasn't actually losing.

But Sasuke might have caught Naruto staring, that he turned to look at Naruto's face and smirked, "What, don't tell me you've fallen for this face too? ~"

A major blush rose to his face as Naruto yelled, "As if teme! Just who do you think you are!? I would never...!!"

Sasuke was definitely enjoying it, he mimicked Naruto in his voice, "Come back Sasuke ~ I'll die with you Sasuke ~ You can't leave me Sasuke ~ These were the things you probably said a billion times till now, and what else was there? Oh yeah, be mine Sasuke, give yourself to me ~~ " he teased.

The little blush that had occupied Naruto's face intensified and now his entire face was red. He was blushing immensely and his pulse rate had probably increased. "H-Hey!! I never said the last part!! Just stop messing around!!"

"Oh, and not to mention, I was your first kiss, oh, and your second too. But honestly, the I'll die with you Sasuke part was really something else ~" Sasuke had no intention to stop his teasing. Plus, he was seeing a different side of Naruto now. Usually, Naruto was this loudmouth who went on talking confidently even about stuff he was wrong about, but this Naruto who was blushing like that, sure was cute. Wait........cute?

Naruto had had enough, his heart hurt because of his fastened heartbeats. He immediately jumped towards Sasuke, trying to grab him and cover his mouth to stop him from saying anything more, but Sasuke got hold of both his hands. "Not that easy."

"Let go of me bastard! I won't let you say any other weird stuff!" Naruto yelled, still flustered. But Sasuke had caught hold of both his arms so there was no way of shutting him off.

"Honestly Naruto, I get that you were obsessed with me, but I thought you saw me as a friend, who would've thought ~"

Okay, that's it. Sasuke definitely had the upper hand and he was saying all that just to rile him up. But Naruto wasn't going to lose either. If he can't use his hands, then there's just one way left to shut him up. Although... that would be... but who cares!? Naruto couldn't lose!

[Author here - Any of you guessed what 'other way' Naruto was thinking about to shut Sasuke up? ^^]

"I mean, I understand I'm quite a looker so, it was justifiable for those fangirls" Sasuke kept continuing, "but you are a totally different story ~ The war hero lusting over the guy who almost destroy - " Sasuke's words faded and his eyes widened as he felt a pair of soft lips crashing into his own.

Naruto had inched closer to him and had pushed his lips onto Sasuke. It wasn't anything like the previous two kisses they had shared. And it was Sasuke's turn to get flustered.

But the kiss did more than that. Sasuke's face had gotten redder that's for sure, but the longer the kiss went on, his knees felt weaker. His heartbeat rose and temperature increased. Just how the hell did he know how to kiss like that!!!? Sasuke could feel Naruto lips licking his own, gently nibbling on his lower lip, waiting for an entrance. Sasuke's mind short-circuited. He could feel the intensity of the kiss and that send shivers down his spine. Was that longing? Whatever it was, Sasuke was completely absorbed in it. Although, he knew all too well that Naruto had only kissed him to shut him off, but as the thought of Naruto doing this just for winning a situation send an excruciating pain through Sasuke's heart. Wait, did he want Naruto to kiss him in real? And as if unable to handle that, Sasuke kissed back.

He parted his lips, just enough for Naruto to slip in his tongue and explore the insides of Sasuke's mouth, as he released Naruto's hand and sending his arms around his neck, pulled him closer. Seeing that as a sign maybe, Naruto too, wrap Their bodies crashing, and their mouths moving in a perfect sync. The innocent-at-heart kiss had slowly turned passionate with 'want' written all over it. Naruto had definitely initiated the kiss to shut him off, but seeing Sasuke actually get into it, sent Naruto into a frenzy. His heart burned and heat travelled to places he hadn't had expected. He was kissing Sasuke and he wanted more.

Sasuke too was getting hard. Their tongues danced in perfect harmony as they grinded against each other, through their cloths until,

"mm ~" Naruto moaned, when Sasuke had accidently rubbed his knee against Naruto's @-@, that they momentarily separated from the kiss.

Their faces flustered and both huffing for air, they had the words, 'need' and 'desire' written all over their faces. What they had experienced now was something they'd never experienced before, never even imagined it. One joke. Just one joke and they were already a mess.

Now, Sasuke had never been one to be in awkward situations or instances where he wasn't in control. And with how the kiss with Naruto had felt, only he knew the extent to which things could go wrong in so many ways. And there was no way he was willing to risk that. Naruto had saved him from an eternity of loneliness and he wasn't going to lose all of that for some stupid prank Naruto pulled, that majorly went wrong.

Although, it didn't look like Naruto hated it. His face was coloured red and his lips parted slightly, it was clearly evident that he wanted more too.

Sasuke was the more mature one, he couldn't have let things go further south, he had to do something. He had to... But the face Naruto was making then was...

"So.. irresistible" Sasuke murmured, and immediately bit his cheeks. And within seconds, before Naruto could even comprehend it, Sasuke activated his rinnegan.

"S-Sorry Naruto... but this, never happened."

"Wha..." Naruto immediately shut his eyes, being affected by whatever Sasuke did and began to lose balance.

But Sasuke caught him and waited for him to stand back up.

Slowly, Naruto gained his composure back and looked up at Sasuke, "teme? What happened?" he asked confused, gaining his balance back. "Feels like I passed out? Are you okay though, huh, your face, it's red!? Are you okay?" he brought his face near Sasuke's once again, genuinely worried.

'Too close, idiot' Sasuke thought and put a palm against Naruto's face. "Nothing usuratonkachi! Let's go to your apartment already. I'm tired."

Naruto pouted, whining, "So mean!!"

But they both resumed their walk towards Naruto's apartment. And they would've made it inside the house as well, if only Shikamaru wasn't standing just outside Naruto's door.

"Well, took you guys a while. Looks like Tsunade-sama gave you the details already. You guys will be living here from now on, right?"

"Ne Shikamaru! How did you know, we would choose this place to stay? We could have refused the offer." Naruto asked, excited.

Shikamaru just looked at Sasuke and smirked, "How I wonder ~"

Sasuke flinched but looked in a completely different direction.

"But that aside, you're coming with me, Naruto! Back to that study, you need to finish 6 more scrolls today!"

"Whoaaaa...... no way!"

"You'll get plenty of time to be with Sasuke but only after you finish your work! Move your ass, Naruto!"

"Uhh fine!" Naruto yelled, obviously not happy to be separated from Sasuke. But he had to do what he had to do, right? "Ne Sasuke, you'll be okay without me here, right?"

"You're 100 years too early to be worrying about me, usuratonkachi." Sasuke said that, but his face had gotten gloomier that Naruto was going.

Naruto smiled at that and waved him a 'bye-bye' "See ya later, teme!"

...

Sasuke had holed up in his room (Naruto's bedroom, since there was only one bedroom in Naruto's apartment) and clenched his fists, "Making you forget that... was the only thing I could do. Honestly Naruto... you're an idiot... " 

[If you liked it, then here's a link to 7 more oneshots]

see ya later - Ciao ^^

[immaterial-pearl]

hii invitation for you to elaborate on what you mean by Gansey and Noah’s deaths haunting td3 too (I agree/have my own thoughts but am curious about yours) if you would like to <33

Okay so- I think one of the major driving forces in td3 is Ronan's grief. His grief for youth, similar to his grief for his childhood that drives him through trc. And his grief for Gansey as well as Noah.

I personally see Ronan as bipolar, as many others do in the fandom. Im bipolar (I actually got diagnosed one day before Ronan's birthday two years ago lol). An important shift in between Call Down The Hawk and Mister Impossible is that he goes from a severe depressive episode into a manic episode (maybe hypomanic, but that's a discussion for another day).

In my experience, depressive episodes are often related to apathy, loss and nostalgia. Basically, falling into depression is easy, when you convince yourself your current state is hopeless, and so comes apathy, a way to dismiss everything in your current life as a worse version of yesterday. Sometimes depressive episodes take a more forward thinking shape- I don't want to get out of bed because I know tomorrow will suck as well, and so forth.

Cause of Ronan's depression in Call Down The Hawk is obvious- Adam left for college, his brothers live in DC, Gansey and Blue left for their trip with Henry and Noah is not there. The specific thinking he falls into is: this place, aka the barns, was a heaven twice, when he was a child and during his "idyllic summer with Adam" (I remember these exact words I always thought it was a nice sentence). There's a single different place he lived at: Monmouth. He can't however return there, because Gansey sold it. And because Monmouth as he knew it doesn't exist anymore.

Noah was a teenager perpetually stuck in his past. Literally. Gansey was a teenager stuck in his teenage years, because he believed he would lose all of it soon. Everyone always points out just how eighteen-year-old their home was (kitchen bathroom). And it really was a teenage heaven wasn't it? Three rich high schoolers, with infinite money, living in an abandon manufacturing centre. Obviously, Ronan was constantly grieving his father and his childhood, basically all of the time he lived there. But as he is in Call Down The Hawk, he idealises this past life once again. He doesn't remember Noah and he doesn't let himself think about Gansey's death, but he lost his two teenage friends. He's no longer eighteen, he's a nineteen year old and he's all alone. If he was back at Monmouth, if high school lasted forever, if Adam was stuck in Henrietta and Blue continued to be a girl in a weird house full of psychics, he believes he would be happy forever. Obviously he wouldn't. He believes that if his father never died, if his brother Declan never became his enemy, if Matthew always stayed a child and Aurora stayed awake, he'd be happy. He wouldn't be.

The manic episode that starts somewhere at the end of Call Down The Hawk, that we see in Mister Impossible, is him rejecting past heavens, in a way (a quite unhealthy way actually lol). He doesn't really acknowledge what he actually misses. He talks about Adam, or his father, or sometimes Blue and Gansey, but his grief is about everything, all the time, actually. He grieves for a life he never had, one where he was free and happy. What he wants to get is a way to be a dreamer and a human, and a fulfilled adult. But he's grieving, forever.

[cosmicjoke]

Okay, chapter 208 of "Vinland Saga". I have to say I'm a little disappointed in this chapter, and it goes back to my main criticism of "Vinland Saga" in general, which is that it tends toward easy, convenient resolution to problems for the sake of the story's themes.

This chapter focuses on Cordelia, mostly through flashbacks with her mother, and at the end of the whole thing, after getting shot with dozens on arrows in the back, she somehow finds the strength to stand up and block the door to Thorfinn and Gurdrid's house and repel the attack by the Lnu through nothing but intimidation. My problem with this whole thing is, not only is it stupidly unrealistic (remember, Thors got shot full of arrows at the beginning of this story and died as a result of his wounds, and we know that Thors was infinitely stronger than Thorkill, Cordelia's father), but it also does away completely with the tension that's been building over the last, several chapters of Thorfinn's family being put in peril by the Lnu attack, and what that might lead to in regards to Thorfinn's ability to stay true to his oath of non-violence, specifically, his vow never to kill again.

It's convenient that Cordelia is able to repel the Lnu's attack without having to resort to violence herself. We're meant to believe that she's so strong, that spears and arrows topped by stone arrowheads can't pierce her flesh, and so all she has to do is stand there to prevent an attack upon Thorfinn's family. I really don't buy this, man. And that's what I mean when I say "Vinland Saga", for as much as I love it (and I do) tends to lose me sometimes because of it's over-reliance on convenient, implausible solutions to mounting tension and predicaments.

Of course, I don't think this is the end of the conflict. Not by a long shot. The Lnu are still in Arnheid's village, and are still seemingly hellbent on acquiring iron weapons. And we know Ivar and the rest of his group are headed their way. A confrontation between the two groups is clearly inevitable, and no doubt people are going to die.

I'm just a little disappointed that it seemed like a situation was being built toward that would truly test Thorfinn's resolve to remain a pacifist, only to have that situation immediately resolved in a way that's simply too convenient and relies too much on suspension of disbelief to be believable. These kinds of moments in "Vinland Saga", in which the theme of resolving conflict through non-violence becomes more important than the story itself, are what keep it from being truly great at times. It wants to push its agenda so hard that sometimes the actual story-telling suffers as a result. It drains it of tension, it drains it of drama and even emotion. And that sucks. Because when "Vinland Saga" DOES hit those emotional beats properly, and presents its themes and story in a more realistic way, it's one of the best manga's I've ever read. It's just, you can feel Yukimura struggling sometimes between telling a truly great, compelling story, but wanting to force that story to fit his theme of pacifism, rather than force the theme to fit the story. You can show that pacifism is better than violence without solving every conflict through non-violence. Violence is always a tragedy, but it can't always be avoided. That's something "Vinland Saga" sometimes refuses to acknowledge in its quest to promote pacifism, and it can pitch the story from the territory of serious drama to cartoonish idealism, which is always incredibly jarring.

I also felt this chapter derailed the latest arc's momentum somewhat by only focusing on Cordelia and not showing us Thorfinn at all. I wanted to see how he's fairing in the woods against the other tribes. It was a short chapter, though, so hopefully we'll get to see that in the next.

I also am still highly anticipatory over what's going to happen between Thorfinn and Einar. I said in my last post, about chapter 207, that it felt to me like a conflict was brewing between the two of them, that they were being set at odds with one another, and that it felt to me like it might come down to a situation in which Einar chooses to side with Ivar and his group against Thorfinn. We know Einar isn't amenable to the idea of leaving Vinland, that he feels them having to leave isn't right or fair, given all the hard work they've put in to building a community, etc... That the choice shouldn't be up to Thorfinn alone. I think it would be brilliant if the outbreak of war were to tear Thorfinn and Einar apart. It's through things like THAT in which the tragedy of violence can be demonstrated. Can you imagine? Thorfinn has already lost so much due to war and violence. If he were to lose his first and closest friend to it, not through Einar being killed (though that could also still happen) but through the simple existence of hostility between groups of people, that would really drive home just how awful war and violence is. That it could tear two people who were once inseparable apart.

Anyway, hopefully the next chapter is more interesting. Yukimura has been on a roll these past, several months with this arc. I'm hoping it doesn't wrap up in a nice, neat bow like some of the previous ones have, where nothing of consequence is really lost. We'll see.

[marciabrady]

Why do you say that Lily James and Kenneth Branagh completely misrepresented 2015's Cinderella and ruined the character? (I apologize if you've already spoken about this in depth, but I'm relatively new to your blog and could only find this subject mentioned in passing a couple of times). Thank you 💙

Hi there! Thank you for the question and no worries at all- just for reference, I have talked about it here and here before, but it has been a while and- as you said, you are new- so I can definitely list some reasons again!

So, to start off with, I think the crux of this issue is two-fold: fire and foremost, Lily and Kenneth both don't like the original animated Cinderella property and set about to "fix" it as opposed to faithfully interpret it, so the foundation that the house of "Cinderella 2015" was built upon is already shaky. And before anyone tries to "educate" me, I'm aware Kenneth has spoken favorably about the fairytale of Cinderella but he's intensely disparaged the original film, as has L*ly James, Cate Blanchet*e and Richard Mad*en at length. Secondly, I think instead of going about in trying to bring Cinderella to life, Kenneth and Lily went about in trying to portray the ideal woman to our 2015 sensibilities and, in doing so, obliterated anything that made Cinderella unique and herself.

On this last point, Lily has said over and over again that her Cinderella won't be so reliant on her Prince and won't be so passive and waiting around and has even gone so far to say that she tried to infuse as much of Belle and Jasmine into her Cinderella as she could...which, why? Belle and Jasmine are Belle and Jasmine- they don't have to be Cinderella. We can acknowledge that there are different types of women and that's okay. We don't have to dilute how women are and make them lose their individuality just to appeal to more people because there's more than one way to be a woman. But every trait they fill their Cinderella with is just what was favored at the time and it never really amounted to anything or was unique to her. We see Lily James' Cinderella with a book to show us that she's intelligent, like Belle, but it's really just for optics and that book/reading never becomes relevant later on, nor is it unique to her since every heroine after Belle has been seen with a book due to have popular it was with Belle. We see her horseback riding her frustrations away so that we could have a "powerful" shot of her, but she doesn't use her horseback riding to any purpose in the plot. She asks the Fairy Godmother to keep a semblance of her old dress so she can feel like she's taking her mother to the ball with her, but when the FGM changes it, she isn't upset at all. We see her have resources through which to leave her home, but then tell her friend she isn't so she can fulfill a promise to her Father in never leaving the home...which she ends up leaving later on. We see her "talk back" to her stepmother and stepsisters in that scene where she speaks French to them (even though this movie was set in France) but, again, that doesn't really mean anything because, if she's meant to be putting them down, they don't understand what she's saying and neither do we? Even the way she yells at the Prince "just because it's done doesn't mean it's what should be done!" just feels so...eh

That's the other thing...the entire production/cast is so hypocritical? They went on an entire press tour bashing the original Cinderella- that made their production possible btw- calling her a doormat and passive and submissive...but then in turn gave us a heroine that was infinitively more of a doormat, passive, and submissive? They tell us that the original Cinderella was reliant on a Prince, when she didn't even go to the ball for the Prince (unlike her Stepsisters) and didn't even discover the man she was dancing with was the Prince until the next morning. Meanwhile, Lily's Cinderella meets the Prince in the woods before the ball and only goes to the ball for him since she's met him prior? That is a HUGE step back by the rubric they were judging the original Cinderella by. And passive? Where the original Cinderella had snark to her and was banging against the attic door to be let out, hollering and screaming, and where she tried everything she could to get out- it was ultimately her idea and quick thinking in getting Bruno to chase off Lucifer that led to her descending upon the stairs toward freedom- Lily James' Cinderella twirls and sings passively in her room like someone who's lost it while the Duke is downstairs. She's literally discovered because a mouse accidentally opens up a window and they hear her singing...like I'm sorry but this is ridiculous to me! And here's the thing- I see people defend this version and say it's okay she's passive or whatever. And it's fine, she can be whatever she wants to be, but my point is they validated criticism that had no merit and signed off on it of the film that their movie was based off of, claiming theirs would be something different, when they ended up giving us a product that was closer to what was criticized in the original!

The cast was also very selective with what they were progressive on. Again, they were happy to throw the animated Cinderella under the bus all day, but this production pushed an unfair dichotomy of beauty. No woman in this production was allowed to be "conventionally unattractive"- every female character was made thinner, with more makeup, and youthful in appearance than their animated counterpart (Lady Tremaine with her fire red hair and bright matte lipstick, Anastasia and Drizella, the bedazzled Fairy Godmother). Again, is it bad that they're conventionally attractive? No, but you can tell the film's direction is intended to turn the original on its head by saying "see, we're not implying ugliness is bad because everyone is beautiful but of a different character" but in doing so they're showing us thin, white women with euro-centric features and they're telling us that is beautiful, with no other look to showcase and...oof. And don't even get me started on the controversy around the waistline...and this is where their selective activism comes into play again. Where they were happy to badmouth the original Cinderella, who was a victim of abuse, and inflict an victim-blaming narrative upon her, they scoffed and said it was anti-feminist to talk about Lily's body and that she was naturally a skinny girl. And she is naturally skinny- but not that naturally skinny and those weren't her proportions. She admitted to being on a liquid diet to fit into that dress and said she couldn't go a few minutes without belching into Richard's face when they were filming from how tightly she was laced into it (how charming). But God forbid anyone talks badly or questions their production! They can use Cinderella 1950's platform to badmouth her and benefit from her success while not doing anything unique, but if anyone earnestly questions anything about their film, they're pulling a reverse uno and calling you misogynistic! Which leads me into the whole values thing. Again, the live action version is becoming favored and many people think Lily's has more depth than the original (even though Ilene's Cinderella was so realistic and nuanced and strong and it makes me so sad) that they've even started to incorporate the designs from the live action into animated Cinderella's world in books:

And have even used live action Cinderella's slogan on animated merch:

Which...I hate this saying lol I don't think it makes any sense or matches the animated Cinderella at all. Animated Cinderella was kind and got along with everyone when she needed to, for survival, and she definitely avoided conflict where she could but she wasn't blindly nice to everyone all the time. She stuck up for herself when she needed to and that didn't always win her friends and she wasn't always agreeable. This message of "be kind" all the time to people who consistently do you wrong is so backwards and makes no sense and honestly is kind of problematic in how we see it leads to Lily enabling the behavior that's shown toward her (how she pretty much offers to sleep in the attic, namely, and even when she thinks the stepfamily is going to give her a dress for the ball...it just made her look dense in a way the animated Cinderella wasn't?) but also just...a deep dive into "have courage and be kind" makes me frustrated because, what they're doing is "rescuing" the perceived weakness/traditional femininity of "kindness" by marrying it to the traditionally masculine "courage." In other words, kindness would have no value if courage wasn't in front of it. Which, in a nutshell, is Lily's Cinderella. Instead of showing us who she is in action, the way the animated Cinderella does, she preaches even when it makes no sense to? (Which I hate being told what a character is- show me!) Animated Cinderella knew when to keep a trick up her sleeve. She didn't reveal the glass slipper until the last minute because she didn't trust her family and she knew there was no point in doing so, as they would never see eye to eye with her. Lily's Cinderella blatantly tells the Stepmother to her face that she doesn't plan on going along with her plan which...eh. And even the whole "love is free, kindness is free" is the perfect example of how sanctimonious she gets for no reason instead of showing us those attributes in action. And, again, it'd be one thing if Lily's Cinderella existed in a vacuum on its own, but this is coming out after all of the "Cinderella ate my Daughter" books where public perception of Cinderella was really bad! And instead of protecting Cinderella, the cast aligned themselves with the Cinderella detractors and then gave us a product that was more indictive of what was being criticized as opposed to what the original Cinderella truly was, and now everyone's favorite Cinderella (2015) is closer to a version of Cinderella that never existed but everyone believes it did...I really could go on forever, but this is my least favorite movie ever lol

[amugoffandoms]

I'm Sorry. I Should've Been Faster.

CW/TW: Suicide (Hanging)

That Sayori and Monika angst no one wanted yet I provided

If you had been faster, you would've saved her.

The mantra rings through my head. It was wrong, I know- And-... and I tried to stop her- I really did. I was too slow-

...

It's been a month since Sayori's suicide.

I remember standing in the club, the realization of what I'd done slowly dawning on me. I- I had to stop Sayori- I had to be quick enough.

The Festival could wait, Sayori, my friend, was going to die and it would be my fault. I- I did this to her-

I ran to her house, somehow knowing exactly where it was despite never being there myself. I rushed through the house, ignoring the always open door for some reason.

There, I stood in front of Sayori's bedroom.

A cold shiver coursed through my body.

"She's... she's just asleep... She always sleeps in." I reminded myself.

...I gently opened the door--

"SAYORI-"

There was Sayori, my best friend, my Vice President... hanging.

Oh, God- OH, GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE-

I stared in horror as her body just... swayed in the breeze.

Her eyes were dark, lifeless.

Oh, God- I've done it. I killed Sayori.

My body began to move on its own as I slowly untied Sayori's body, she was alive before, oh my God. Sayori from the roof.

When her limp body Sayori was finally into my arms - she's cold, she's gone- she's gone, oh God - I stared at what I've done.

I... killed her. Why did I...

My gaze slowly slipped towards her hands. They were bloody.

Her neck was as well- oh my God, she tried to save herself-

She could've- She could've-

As my mind ran through the infinite possibilities, Sayori's cold, dead eyes stared back, and the urge to discard all of my insides grew stronger.

I couldn't take the guilt of killing my best friend and her lifeless eyes staring back, so I had turned away and coughed up my insides into a nearby trashcan.

God- I can't- What do I-

How do I even...?

...

And, there, I stayed there.

...I killed her and I had to acknowledge that.

Eventually, the club caught wind of what happened to Sayori and they... they took some time off as well.

They'd hate me if they knew I killed Sayori.

...And, maybe eventually, I'll have to come clean and be fine with that.

But, not today.

Today is our first day back as a full not full, Sayori is dead. I killed her. club.

Everyone is off, but they still try to make an effort to be "normal."

Yuri is trying to read her book and Natsuki is reading her Manga.

We haven't written poems. I didn't want to.

It's a Sayori thing and it feels wrong to do without her.

...So, instead, I'm at the teacher's desk, in my thoughts about killing my Vice President, my friend, Sayori.

I fiddle with a pen.

"...Yo, Earth to Monika, are you okay?" I look up from my desk and find Natsuki and Yuri looking back at me.

"Yes, yeah. I'm fine, don't even worry about me." That wasn't at all convincing. Yuri and Natsuki exchange a glance.

"Monika, if this is about... Sayori's passing... We understand. You can take time off or you can talk to us."

I can't talk to them. They'll know I killed her and held her dead body in my arms.

"No, it's fine, seriously." I wave it off.

Natsuki slams a hand onto the table. "Monika, you can grieve as well. We all are. You don't have to become closed off from the world because of this. We all lost Sayori. We'll be right here with you."

...I... I can't win, can I?

I stop playing with the pen.

"Monika, I have to agree with Natsuki. Please... this isn't some debate you have to win; this is your... our best friend's passing. We understand. Just take a break, please."

"...okay."

Yuri nods. "We can work through it together, if you'd like...? We're all still struggling in our own ways."

"I think Sayori would like that." A small smile appears on Yuri and Natsuki's face.

"She would," Natsuki nods. "We can go take a walk and pick some flowers for her... or, like, bake something she'd like... I don't know."

"Sure, we can bake something she'd like... maybe after we go pick some flowers...?" I weakly suggest.

"That would be wonderful. We can go now, if you'd like?" I nod.

"That's fine with me, Yuri."

Yuri and Natsuki pack up and begin to leave the room.

"Um... girls...?"

Yuri and Natsuki turn to look at me.

"Is there something wrong, Monika?" Yuri asks.

"...No, no... I just wanted to say..." I take a deep breath as I stand up. "I'm sorry."

[comphetkoncass]

superboy man of tomorrow 2 liveblog lets GOOOOO

obviously spoilers ahead

the cover is exactly how i feel about this guy. yes. squish him. he is pocket-sized. i will pick him up and squeeze him like a stress toy <3

every panel of kon getting hurt tbh (and for fellow kon whumpers. its a fucking FEAST.) <3 but also - that post going around that says ttk cant deflect energy, this is delightful acknowledgement of that. all my homies love when the ttk shatters like an old coke bottle.

obsessed with all the panels about him talking about trying to do this with ~style~, but also getting his ass beat and feeling like this is actually a workout. yes my child. tell me it's difficult. overcome <3

"this is what i wanted. me, on my own, against the scum of the universe" baby no

"no one is coming to save me. not clark, not tim, not cassie, not bart... not even kelex." BABY NO but also. prettiest boy in the galaxy. look at this shit.

the argument about not letting innocent people get hurt. kon you are . such a good person. i love you. u just never falter

intergalactic cloning lore!!! kon finding people who share shocking similarities with him!! i dont often like random characters but i'll admit i'm a fan of these guys. i'm even bothering to remember their names unlike how i treat most side characters (sorry. im a bad comic fan. however. there are so many fucking side characters. do you really expect me to remember everyones name who stays in a comic for less than 3 issues). anyways go pira! these guys are already bonding, i love them and want the best for them. thats right babes you take down that empire. maybe listen to kon about uhhhhhh not letting everyday civilians die in the property damage though. pls.

also there seem to be similarities with some of starfire's backstory? what is it with these alien races who want to clone, splice dna, and/or genetically alter existing races fr. kon and kory should bond over this i think.

kon has sooo much respect for his friends. i love that he keeps mentioning them :') this boy is a bonafide bff. ALSO. HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOUR OWN RESOURCEFULNESS HONEY... YOU GOT THIS!!!

"they think i'm just a weapon? well, if both sides are looking for a fight, they're in luck -- i'm just itching to show them what the house of el has to offer." YEAH BABY YOU ARE A PROUD PART OF THE HOUSE OF EL. YOU HAVE A FAMILY. <3 <3 <3

his dorky awkward little grin. ohhh my goddddddddddd. hes so fucking proud of himself. hes teaching them :') he thinks hes such a good role model. im going to squeeze him to death.

"i start to think about what conner kent would do AND ITS INFINITELY COOLER" YOU GO BABY. im so fucking obsessed with this. im having so much goddamn fun with this issue actually. they saw kon stans and they gave us exactly what we wanted. i feel so seen

whos ready to punch through a space fleet. me. im ready. im ready to watch you have the time of your goddamn life next issue.

overall i REALLY like this issue! i don't usually love the whole, "solo series in space" thing because it seems like an excuse to separate characters from the main cast and isolate them and make any growth happen outside of their friendships on earth, which often ends up pretty meh. however. this is fun and engaging and kon references his friends enough that i'm cautiously optimistic.

i do hope kon runs into other mainline characters at some point in this series though; anything to ground this more into main canon and make sure character development ties back to the main series.

[sadboi-in-a-sweater]

Sadboi's Incredibly Strange Multifandom Adventure - Chapter 18: There Was Once a Dream

The group's next destination was the pixelated world of "Minecraft." Sadboi was very familiar with the game, although her own experiences playing were minimal. The world made Sadboi's cube head look somewhat normal amidst the landscape.

They arrived in a small village, where the villagers looked at them with a mix of curiosity and fear. The French Narrator, ever the charmer, stepped forward with a bow. "Bonjour, mes amis! Nous sommes les Gardiens de la Synthèse, et sommes ici pour aider à protéger votre monde!" His French accent resonated with the villagers, who nodded in understanding despite not fully grasping the language.

Sadboi, SpongeBob, and Patrick looked around, taking in the square houses made of blocks and the greenery that surrounded them. The French Narrator spoke to the villagers, using his vibesense to communicate their peaceful intentions. They explained that they were on a quest to purify corrupted lands and sought information about any recent disturbances.

Sadboi's eyeholes sparkled with infinite possibilities. Her glance darted around from the trees to the skies, the blocky horizon to the villagers' faces, all made up of the same square pixels she had seen so often on her computer screen. "Wow," she breathed, "This place is just like my old games."

The villagers, while initially wary, grew more comfortable with the group as they shared stories of their battles against the corrupted creatures that had plagued their world. They spoke of the endermen, mobs that grew stronger with the spread of the Dark Matter's influence, and of the withered skeletons that patrolled the nights, their bones rattling eerily in the moonlight.

Sadboi's eyeholes widened at the mention of endermen. She knew that, despite their terrifying exterior, they had their own inner worlds. They had their own form of communication that consisted of displacing blocks and distorted English phrases. She had always found the creatures of The End Dimension the most fascinating out of all the mobs.

The group set out into the pixelated wilderness, the French Narrator explaining the game's mechanics as they traveled. "You see," he said, gesturing to a block of grass, "everything here is made of cubes, or 'blocks'. You can mine these for resources, craft tools, and build magnificent structures." Sadboi nodded, having familiarized herself with the game's mechanics long ago. In fact, she was already collecting some wood from a tree.

As they ventured deeper into the world, they stumbled upon a group of endermen, their tall, dark forms looming ominously in the night. The villagers had told them that these creatures had been attacking more frequently since the corruption had spread. The tension grew thick as the endermen's purple eyes locked onto the group.

Sadboi murmured a warning, "Just don't look them straight in the eyes, they really, REALLY, don't like that…"

The endermen's gaze shifted to her, and she felt a shiver down her spine. They were known for their teleportation and block-stealing abilities, but she knew that at their core, they were misunderstood creatures, not inherently malicious. With a deep breath, she stepped forward, her hand outstretched. "We come in peace," she called out, her voice a blend of calm confidence and hope.

To her surprise, one of the endermen took a tentative step towards her, its eyes dimming slightly. The creature reached out a long, spindly arm and gently placed a block of diamond into her hand. The gesture was clear: an offering, a sign of acceptance. The French Narrator translated for the others, "It seems we've made a friend."

Sadboi's heart swelled with joy, and she returned the gesture, placing the diamond block into her inventory. "Thank you," she said, her voice gentle and respectful. The endermen's eyes glowed a soft blue, and they bowed in acknowledgment. It was a moment of understanding, a bridge built between two vastly different species.

The group continued their journey, now accompanied by their newfound allies. They traveled through vast biomes, from the lush forests to the barren deserts, each step bringing them closer to the source of the corruption. As they moved through the pixelated world, they encountered more corrupted mobs, each one a challenge that tested their growing unity and resolve.

One night, as they camped in a clearing, the sky above them suddenly went dark. The stars flickered and died, leaving only the cold, lifeless void of the Dark Matter's influence. The ground trembled, and the air grew thick with tension. The French Narrator looked up, his eyes narrowing in concern. "The final battle approaches," he announced.

Sadboi felt a knot in her stomach. She had faced many dangers in her travels, but this was different. This was the heart of the corruption, the very essence of the evil that threatened to consume everything she loved. She turned to her friends, their faces illuminated by the flickering light of the campfire.

"We're in this together," she said, her voice firm. "We've come so far, and we can't stop now. Let's show this Dark Matter what real friendship is made of!"

Her friends nodded, their expressions determined. They had been through so much together, and they knew that their bond was unbreakable. As they marched towards the final showdown, their spirits high despite the foreboding omens, they knew that they had the power to change the world.

Their path led them to a towering fortress, a monolith of corrupted stone and metal that loomed over the landscape. The Dark Matter's influence was palpable, a suffocating presence that threatened to consume all that was good.

But Sadboi and her friends were not deterred. They had faced darkness before, and they had emerged stronger. With a cry of "For the love of pixels!" they charged into the fray, their hearts beating as one.

The battle was fierce, the air thick with the crackle of energy and the clang of steel. They fought side by side, each using their unique abilities to carve a path through the enemy's defenses. The endermen teleported blocks to form walls and bridges, while SpongeBob's bubbles contained explosive Creepers and Patrick's brute strength toppled the corrupted mobs.

Sadboi, with her vibesense and her love for the games she had played, directed their efforts, coordinating the team like a skilled player in a multiplayer match. Her colors shifted and danced as she felt the emotions of the corrupted mobs, reaching out to them with her light.

In the heart of the fortress, they faced the ultimate challenge: the Dark Matter's avatar, a twisted creature of malice and despair. It towered over them, a writhing mass of black pixels that threatened to swallow them whole. But they were ready.

The French Narrator transformed into his most powerful form, the Kamen Rider Narrator of the Seas. "We are the guardians of synthesis," he declared. "And we will not be stopped!"

The avatar roared, its form pulsing with malevolent intent. But the group stood firm, their lights shining in the face of the abyss. Together, they unleashed a combined attack, a symphony of power and emotion that resonated through the very fabric of the world.

The avatar trembled and shrieked, its form beginning to break apart. The Dark Matter's grip on the world of "Minecraft" was loosening. With a final, desperate lunge, Sadboi drove her blade into the creature's core, and the world was bathed in a blinding light.

When the light faded, the avatar was gone, and in its place was a single, purified block of bedrock, a symbol of the world's rebirth that would stand forever. The corrupted mobs had disappeared, and in their place were the familiar creatures of the "Minecraft" world, blinking in the sudden brightness.

The endermen surrounding the group looked at them with new eyes, the blue of their gaze brighter and more welcoming. They had felt the purification, and they knew that they had found allies in these strange beings. One of them approached Sadboi and offered her a diamond sword, a weapon of peace and protection. She took it with a smile, feeling a new kinship with the creatures she had always admired from a digital distance.

The group rested for the night in the ruins of the fortress, their campfire casting flickering shadows across the now-safe landscape. They shared stories of their worlds and battles, their voices echoing off the stone walls. The French Narrator spoke of his origins in the world of Kamen Rider, while Sponge Bob regaled them with tales of his adventures in the deep sea. Each member of the group had their own unique background, but their shared experiences had brought them together.

As they slept, Sadboi lay awake, the glow of the sword in her hand casting a comforting light across her face. She thought of her past, the pain she had felt, and the friends she had made along the way. Her journey had been fraught with danger, but it had also been filled with joy and discovery. The warmth of the fire and the snores of her companions were a stark contrast to the cold, lonely nights she had spent hiding from the U.S. Supernatural Department.

In the morning, they set out to rebuild the village, their hearts and hands working in tandem with the endermen. The villagers watched in amazement as the corrupted land grew lush and green once more. The world of "Minecraft" had been saved, and the Dark Matter had been pushed back. But they knew that the battle was not over. The corruption was a persistent force, one that required vigilance and unity to keep at bay.

As the sun set on their first night in the reborn world, the friends gathered around the fire, their shadows dancing on the newly-crafted walls of the village. The French Narrator looked at them, his eyes reflecting the flames. "Our quest continues," he said, "but we must not forget the bonds we've forged here. Together, we are more than just a group of misfits. We are a family, a bastion of hope in the face of darkness."

Sadboi looked around at her newfound family, her heart swelling with emotion. She had found a place where she belonged, a place where she could be herself without fear of judgment or rejection. "Yesyes," she murmured, her eyes glistening. "Together, we'll paint the multiverse with our vibes."

The group shared a toast with the villagers, using their newfound friendship as the foundation for their next adventure. They had faced the Dark Matter in "Minecraft," but they knew that there were more worlds to save, more hearts to mend. The journey ahead was long, but they were ready to face whatever challenges the multiverse had in store for them.

The French Narrator raised his glass, a smile playing on his lips. "To the Guardians of Synthesis," he said, "may our lights never dim!" The others echoed the toast, their spirits high. They had proven that love and unity could conquer even the most insidious of foes, and they were determined to spread that message across the infinite expanse of the media they loved.

The next morning, they set out again, their eyes on the horizon. The group grew quiet as they approached the portal leading to the next world, a swirling vortex of colors and shapes that whispered of adventure and danger. Sadboi took a deep breath, her grip tightening on the diamond sword. "Ready?" she asked, looking at her friends.