#8th successor

[imanalligator55]

Super Robot Wars A Portable

[venusbyline]

Prince ࿐ྂ Kinktober. 08, oct.

— pairing: Aemond Targaryen x aunt!reader

— type: smut, dark, Kinktober (House of the Dragon Edition)

— kink: somnophilia

— summary: Aemond needs an heir if Aegon finally dies. Gwayne Hightower's wife is too drunk to notice his manipulation.

— word count: 1.7k

— tags/warnings: kinktober 8th day, Targcest (aunt/nephew), female!reader, Gwayne Hightower's wife!reader, dark!Aemond, somnophilia, dubcon/non-con, age gap (older woman/younger man), breeding kink, drunk sex, creampie, sexism, manipulation, fingering, infidelity & mistaken infidelity, curse words, marriage issues, dom!Aemond, sub!reader, baby fever, Aegon II Targaryen mentioned, Helaena Targaryen mentioned, Alicent Hightower mentioned, mentioned Jaehaera Targaryen, minor Gwayne Hightower x reader, porn with plot. no use of y/n. english is not my first language.

— tagging list: @baybaybear1 @blessedbymoon @p45510n4f4shi0n @lina-lovebug @moonnicole

— crossposting: AO3

At the moment, Aemond Targaryen possessed everything he desires. All the power he had envied his entire childhood was now no longer just a pure stupid illusion and becoming reality. With each passing hour, he became more powerful and also more ambitious.

The hunger for power was consuming him from head to toe.

As the Prince Regent, he practically had the throne to himself. He commanded and dismantled whoever he wanted. He made the main decisions. He could demand anything, and no matter how much the Small Council questioned and irritated him, it was Aemond who had the last word. He was running the war now.

Aemond had the commoners and Lords at his feet and was also and the fear that his family felt of him. Nothing was missing in his life for now. But his brilliant mind thought far ahead of the present time. Aemond Targaryen was not just cunning and greedy. He had an incredible sense of strategy and an incredible ability to manipulate all situations.

Now that part of his revenge against Aegon was already done, he needed to focus on the present and the future, leaving the outrages of his childhood aside for a few moments.

He was the Prince Regent, perhaps the future Lord of the Seven Kingdoms if Aegon's body finally decided to give in to suffering after the severe burns.

Aemond could be the new successor to the Iron Throne very soon. And a King was nothing without an heir.

Aemond had not known you for a long time. When his uncle, Gwayne Hightower, came to King's Landing to join Aegon's army in battle, you came along with him. Aemond did not like the idea of having another noble Lady in the castle. Alicent was already a pain in the ass since he kicked her out of the Council, Helaena was being useless since Jaehaerys' murder and little Jaehaera was just a silly child. He was afraid that you would irritate his patience just like his family's women did.

However, you were too focused on worrying about your husband's safety and praying for him in the Sept along with Alicent. Aemond often found himself thinking about you more than he wanted to. The way you sighed by frustration every time Gwayne left to solve some problem with the Royal Guard... Aemond could barely hide his smirk when he realized how neglected you felt.

If it was about someone else, Aemond would say that you were just spoiled needy whore and that his uncle was right to put the safety of his family first. If it was about anyone else, Aemond would never consider giving you what you seemed to want so much when you looked at Helaena playing with Jaehaera.

He needed an heir and you wanted a child to distract yourself from the neglected marriage. There would be no better deal than that.

That night, when Ser Gwayne Hightower left your chambers early because of a random emergency, the Prince Regent could not miss the opportunity to offer you a glass of wine to drown your suffering. At first, he started a brief and respectful conversation with you, noticing how your cheeks flushed as you drank the wine.

You were not used to drinking with any man other than Gwayne, much less your own nephew. Making criticisms about Gwayne to Aemond seemed too bitter and cruel. Gwayne did not deserve all that. He was a good husband, even if the focus of his life was not on your marriage.

When Aemond brought up the conversation about the absence of children in your lives, you immediately tried to change the subject, just saying that Gwayne did not want to have babies.

Aemond noticed how the subject bothered you. He noticed the way you curled up on the edge of the bed and tightened your grip on the glass. Before you could think of something less uncomfortable to talk about, Aemond took control of the situation, lying about Gwayne meeting a prostitute in one of the brothels on Street of Silk.

At first, you thought he was just joking. Afterwards, you thought the Prince was lying to mock you. But when Aemond kept coming up with false explanations, you finally gave in and believed what he was saying.

He served you another five glasses of wine, putting up with your crying and drunken outbursts. Until your body finally gives up and you fall asleep.

Aemond checked more than three times to see if your chamber's door was indeed locked. When he was sure that no one would come to interrupt anytime soon, Aemond moved to the edge of his bed, kneeling down and observing your drunk and sleepy figure. He looked at your rosy face from so much wine, as well as your reddish burgundy-stained lips.

He smirked as he ran his thumb over your cheek, the soft texture of your skin being one of the most delicious things his calloused fingers had the pleasure of touching. It was so different from the brothels prostitutes. It felt innocent and pure, even though you were married and no longer a maiden.

You still had enough innocence to be worthy of carrying the possible heir to the Iron Throne.

Aemond lifted your nightgown, hearing your confused and sleepy whimper as the soft satin fabric came off and exposed your skin to the light night breeze that came through the windows.

Your face moved to the side, your sleep becoming disturbed when Aemond ripped off your underwear. The sight of your bare thighs made him growl lowly, placing his large palms around your legs, spreading them apart so he could get a better look at your cunt, already so wet that it made your pubic hairs gleam even in the dark room, lit only by the candle flames.

The prince ran his thumb between your folds to collect your essence that was leaking from the little hole, moving his hand up so he could rub your bud. You contorted your body, your drunken state preventing you from waking up for now, but your legs still shook as Aemond's finger increased the pressure applied to your clit.

When your cunt was prepared enough to at least avoid so much pain, Aemond allowed himself to waste considerable time so he could take off all the pieces of clothing he was wearing, his cock already well marked in his braies. He swallowed hard for a moment, undoing the tie and lowering the fabric. After throwing it in any corner of the room, Aemond brought his hand to his mouth to spit on the palm and rub it on his own cock, sighing at the sensation and paying special attention to the pink glans.

He rubbed himself a few times until he was hard enough, then used his free hand to spread your legs even wider. His thumb made gentle circles on your clit again, as he slowly leaned in, entering your tight cunt and letting out a growl at the overwhelming sensation.

"Fuck..." He bit his lip, arching his head up and with his eye closed, resting one hand on your waist and the other remaining caressing your bud.

It took his thick cock a few seconds to fully enter your tight walls, blood dripping from his bottom lip as he bit down to avoid too many sounds, even though your confused whimpers were starting to fill the chambers. “A-Aemond…” You opened your eyes, your vision blurred when you tried to sit up, but too weak to do anything as he thrust into you.

"Shhh, dear aunt..." He opened his one eye, giving you a breathless smirk, rubbing your pearl roughly enough to make you moan with a mixture of fear and pleasure. Gwayne had not given you enough attention during the past months, your body was desperate for any good feeling now. "Am I not making you feel good?"

You fell silent, pathetic whimpers escaping your mouth. You wanted to lie that it was not good, that you were hating it and feeling violated. That he should not do these things. That you loved your husband more than anything in the world. But what would be the point? Aemond had given you absolute certainty that Gwayne was having affairs with random women. That would explain a lot of things, including the lack of sex in your marriage since then.

Your brain was too drunk to reason what made sense and what did not, so you just nodded, affirming the pleasure he was giving you.

"Good girl... Tightening my cock with that pretty tight cunt of yours." The prince smiled with an almost sweet and affectionate way and you blushed innocently, vulnerable from the alcohol. "Do you want to continue, darling?"

You should say no. You should scream with panic for the guards to come and save you, even if no one would go against the Prince Regent's wishes. However, you should try anything to get him out of you, try anything to stop him from contaminating you. You should try to say no, but you don't want to.

"Please, nephew. Keep going..." You whimpered, your hands shaking from the drink going to his muscular shoulders and bringing him closer to you, the head of his cock hitting you deep.

Aemond chuckled at how easily you gave in, every glass of wine being worth it. You moaned beneath him like a dirty whore, but you were still as beautiful and pure like a Goddess, your cheeks flushed, your eyes rolling back in pleasure, your legs shaking... "Oh, my dear... It looks like you really want to keep going." He scoffed and you nodded silently, closing your eyes as the rhythm of his hips began to become more violent. "How about if I give you a little baby? Did you want that, aunt? To carry my heir? To finally be a mother?"

Watching you nodding with confusion and moaning his name was all Aemond needed to fill you with his seed, his cum staining your thighs as he continued fucking you even after his orgasm. He would deal with Gwayne Hightower's fate later. He was the Prince Regent, he could fake an accidental death for his uncle and marry his wife before your belly started to get big and swollen with his baby. Aemond had time to think about what to do. At the moment, all he needed was to make sure your cunt did not waste a single drop of his seed. All he needed was to make sure you were pregnant that night.

HOTD Edition - Masterlist

Criminal Minds Edition - Masterlist

Venusbyline's Kinktober 2024 - Masterlist

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 423 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

tagline 1 ねじ込んだ一撃ーー‼︎ ねじこんだいちげきーー‼︎ nejikonda ichigeki--!! A single, exacting blow--!!

tagline 2 No.423　OFA vs AFO　堀越耕平 ナンバー423　ワン・フォー・オールバーサスオール・フォー・ワン　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 423  WAN FOO OORU vs OORU FOO WAN  Horikoshi Kouhei No. 423 One for All vs All for One Kouhei Horikoshi

1 何故気付けなかった なぜきづけなかった naze kidzukenakatta Why didn't I notice?

2 この窶れた"身体"に「超再生」が適用されない違和感 このやつれた"からだ"に「ちょうさいせい」がてきようされないいわかん kono yatsureta "karada" ni 「chousaisei」 ga tekiyou sarenai iwakan [This] sense of discomfort that Super Regeneration no longer applies to this worn-out body.

3 こいつだ…いやーーー koitsu da...iya--- It's this guy...no---

4 こいつらがーー‼︎ koitsura ga--!! All of these [people]--!!

5 謀ったのだ はかったのだ hakatta no da They conspired.

1 それ単体では それたんたいでは sore tantai de wa By itself

2 あまりに脆弱な"敵意" あまりにぜいじゃくな"てきい" amari ni zeijaku na "tekii" [each one's] enmity was too frail,

3 しかし撚り集まって しかしよりあつまって shikashi yori atsumatte but when they gathered together,

4 いつしか僕を覆い感受を鈍らせていたのだ いつしかぼくをおおいかんじゅをにぶらせていたのだ itsu shika boku wo ooi kanju wo niburasete ita no da before I knew it, they enshrouded me and dulled my sensitivity. (Note: He means his ability to sense one person via Danger Sense became dulled because there were too many people with enmity gathered together in one place.)

5 与一と継承者どもを打ち込まれたあの時にもう精神のみならず よいちとけいしょうしゃどもをうちこまれたあのときにもうせいしんのみならず Yoichi to keishousha-domo wo uchikomareta ano toki ni mou seishin no minarazu Yoichi and all the successors were cast [into me]. At that time, not only my spirit but

6 身体も…‼︎ からだも…‼︎ karada mo...!! my body, too...!!

7 生半可な"身体"では なまはんかな"からだ"では namahanka na "karada" de wa (literal) A half-baked body (official) Your limp-noodle body isn't ready for it.

8 受け取り切れず四肢が爆散してしまうんだ！ うけとりきれずししがばくさんしてしまうんだ！ uketori kirezu shishi ga bakusan shite shimaunda! (literal) can't receive it. Your limbs would explode! (official) Your limbs would pop right off!! (Note: This frame is from chapter 2.)

9 たった2年…！8代目より少し上乗せされた… たった2ねん…！8だいめよりすこしうわのせされた… tatta 2nen...! 8daime yori sukoshi uwanosesareta... "Only 2 years...! I only added a little more to [what it was with] 8th..." (Note: He means he only added 2 years' worth of power to OFA, a tiny amount after what it was when All Might passed it off.)

10 9人分の力の結晶だ 9にんぶんのちからのけっしょうだ 9ninbun no chikara no kesshou da "It's the crystallization of power in proportion to nine people."

1 既に"身体"も すでに"からだ"も sude ni karada mo This body also has already

2 砕かれていた事に くだかれていたことに kudakarete ita koto ni been broken, unfortunately.

3 "個性"が崩れてく… "こせい"がくずれてく… "kosei" ga kuzureteku... "His quirks are crumbling..." (Note: This is a word often used to describe the effects of Tomura's Decay.)

4 やったのか緑谷…！ やったのかみどりや…！ yatta no ka Midoriya...! "Did you do it, Midoriya...!"

1 まだだ‼︎ mada da!! Not yet!!

2 "個性"で無理矢理 "こせい"でむりやり "kosei" de muriyari With his quirks, he forcibly

3 つなぎ止めた！ つなぎとめた！ tsunagitometa! tied himself together! (Note: This word also means "to save someone's life." In this case AFO is forcibly preserving his own life by using his quirks to keep himself from falling apart.)

4 まだ何も為していない まだなにもなしていない mada nani mo nashite inai "I haven't achieved anything yet."

5 誰にも奪わせはしない…‼︎ だれにもうばわせはしない…‼︎ dare ni mo ubawase wa shinai...!! "I won't let anyone steal it away...!!"

6 僕だけが夢を為す ぼくだけがゆめをなす boku dake ga yume wo nasu "Only I will achieve my dream."

7 誰にも…！継がぬ…紡がぬ‼︎ だれにも…！つがぬ…つむがぬ‼︎ dare ni mo...! tsuganu...tsumuganu!! "No one...! [They] won't inherit it... [They] won't spin the tale*!!" (*Note: The word used here means "to spin (thread), to make up a story, to assemble, to put together.")

8 魔王は常に唯一‼��� まおうはつねにゆいいつ‼︎ maou wa tsune ni yuiitsu!! "The Demon King is always the only one!!"

9 そうだとも繰り返せばいい… そうだともくりかえせばいい… sou da tomo kurikaeseba ii... Even if that's true, I can just do it over again...

10 愚かな弔にそうしたように‼︎ おろかなとむらにそうしたように‼︎ oroka na Tomura ni sou shita you ni!! Just like how I did to foolish Tomura!!

11 OFA無き今緑谷でも…！誰でも‼︎ ワン・フォー・オールなきいまみどりやでも…！だれでも‼︎ WAN FOO OORU naki ima Midoriya demo...! dare demo!! Even Midoriya, now that he doesn't have One For All...! Anyone!!

12 "個性"を「与え」奪えばいい‼︎ "ぼく自身"を「あたえ」うばえばいい‼︎ "boku jishin (kanji: kosei)" wo 「atae」 ubaeba ii!! I can give and take away "myself" (read as: my quirk)!!

1 器を!!! うつわを!!! utsuwa wo!!! "[I'll make] a vessel!!!"

2 もうやめろAFO もうやめろオール・フォー・ワン mou yamero OORU FOO WAN "Give it a rest, All For One."

3 緑谷‼︎ みどりや‼︎ Midoriya!! "Midoriya!!"

4 白雲…⁉︎ しらくも…⁉︎ Shirakumo...!? "Shirakumo...!?"

5 消…太 しょう…た Shou...ta "Shou...ta"

6 山…田… やま…だ… Yama...da... "Yama...da..."

7 ゴメン…ナ…… GOMEN...NA...... "I'm...sorry......"

8 行かなくては…私はーーーーー いかなくては…わたしはーーーーー ikanakute wa...watashi wa----- Have to go...I-----

1 死柄木弔を守らなくては しがらきとむらをまもらなくては Shigaraki Tomura wo mamoranakute wa I have to protect Tomura Shigaraki

2 Xあ‼︎X生‼︎ Xあ‼︎Xしょう‼︎ XA!! Xshou!! (Note: This speech bubble is partially cut off.)

3 やっぱり…‼︎どこまでも… yappari...!! doko made mo... "As expected...!! No matter what..."

4 手ぇ差し伸べちまうんだよあいつは‼︎ てぇさしのべちまうんだよあいつは‼︎ tee sashinobechimaunda yo aitsu wa!! "he's that guy who'll hold out his hand [for someone]!!"

5 A…FO… オール…フォー・ワン… OORU...FOO WAN... "All...For One..."

6 死柄…木弔を…オ返シ…下サイ しがら…きとむらを…オかえシ…くだサイ Shigara...ki Tomura wo...OkaSHI...kudaSAI "Tomura Shigara...ki...Please give...him back."

7 オッおォッ OoO "Ooo"

1 オ友達が待っテイルんデす オともだちがまっテイルんデす Otomodachi ga matTE IRUnDEsu "His friends are waiting."

1 爆豪⁉︎ ばくごう⁉︎ Bakugou!? "Bakugou!?"

2 病院にって…‼︎うっそだろあいつ！ びょう��んにって…‼︎うっそだろあいつ！ byouin ni tte...!! usso daro aitsu! "They said [you were heading to] the hospital...!! That guy's unbelievable!"

3 「爆破」で一人で来やがった‼︎ 「ばくは」でひとりできやがった‼︎ 「bakuha」 de hitori de kiyagatta!! "He went and came over alone using Explosion!!"

4 轟の"ジャンプ台"貸りたけどよォ〜〜〜〜〜 とどろきの"ジャンプだい"かりたけどよォ〜〜〜〜〜 Todoroki no "JANPU dai" karita kedo yoO~~~~~ "I borrowed Todoroki's jump platform, but~~~~~"

5 俺に追い越されてンなよ出久‼︎ おれにおいこされてンなよいずく‼︎ ore ni oikosareteN na yo Izuku!! "don't let me overtake you, Izuku!!"

6 AFO…‼︎おまえを許しはしない オール・フォー・ワン…‼︎おまえをゆるしはしない OORU FOO WAN...!! omae wo yurushi wa shinai "All For One...!! I won't forgive you."

1 けれど理解できない化物だとも思わない けれどりかいできないばけものだともおもわない keredo rikai dekinai bakemono da to mo omowanai "But I don't think you're an incomprehensible monster."

2 …やめろ ...yamero "...Stop."

3 おまえは魔王なんかじゃない おまえはまおうなんかじゃない omae wa maou nanka ja nai "You are not actually a Demon King."

4 見るな みるな miruna "Don't look [at me]."

5 おまえはただの omae wa tada no "You're just"

6 寂しがりな人間だ‼︎ さみしがりなにんげんだ‼︎ samishigari na ningen da!! "a lonely person!!"

1 与一…⁉︎ よいち…⁉︎ Yoichi...!? "Yoichi...!?"

2 緑谷くんは みどりやくんは Midoriya-kun wa "Midoriya-kun"

3 限り限りのラインでカケラが残るよう ぎりぎりのラインでカケラがのこるよう girigiri no RAIN de KAKERA ga nokoru you "seems to have a fragment remain for as long as possible."

4 ぶつける力を調整したんだね…… ぶつけるちからをちょうせいしたんだね…… butsukeru chikara wo chousei shitanda ne...... "I guess he adjusted the force of his hit......"

5 そして　残り火による"感応"で叩き起こしたんだ そして　のこりびによる"かんのう"でたたきおこしたんだ soshite nokoribi ni yoru "kannou" de tataki okoshitanda Then, I was roused awake in response to his embers.

6 僅かな残滓となった僕を わずかなざんしとなったぼくを wazuka na zanshi to natta boku wo I, who became mere dregs,

7 ワン・フォー・オールを WAN FOO OORU wo One For All.

8 正しく完遂させる為に ただしくかんすいさせるために tadashiku kansui saseru tame ni In order to properly follow [things] through. (Note: The order of the lines here makes this confusing. He's saying that, in response to Izuku's final attack with his embers, the barest dregs of Yoichi's vestige was roused. This one last piece of his vestige remained likely because Izuku held back on his attack using Yoichi's vestige. Now that he, the base One For All quirk, has awoken, he will carry out the mission of One For All.)

9 どうでもいい‼︎ dou demo ii!! "I don't care!!"

10 どうでもいい‼︎ dou demo ii!! "I don't care!!"

11 消えるな‼︎顔を見せろ！ きえるな‼︎かおをみせろ！ kieruna!! kao wo misero! "Don't disappear!! Show your face!"

12 無理だよ むりだよ muri da yo "That's impossible."

13 消える きえる kieru "I'll disappear."

14 駄目だ だめだ dame da "You can't!"

15 僕のモノだ‼︎僕を見ていろ‼︎目を見せろ‼︎ ぼくのモノだ‼︎ぼくをみていろ‼︎めをみせろ‼︎ boku no MONO da!! boku wo mite iro!! me wo misero!! "You're mine!! Look at me!! Show [me] your eyes!!"

16 兄さん にいさん niisan "[Older] Brother,"

17 貴方を導けなかった あなたをみちびけなかった anata wo michibikenakatta "I couldn't guide you."

18 これは緑谷くんが見出してくれた これはみどりやくんがみいだしてくれた kore wa Midoriya-kun ga miidashite kureta "Midoriya-kun discovered this for me."

19 僕らへの最期の救済だ ぼくらへのさいごのきゅうさいだ bokura e no saigo no kyuusai da "It's our final* salvation." (*Note: The word used for "final" here means "one's last moment at their time of death.")

1 駄目だ‼︎許可しない‼︎大好きだ！ だめだ‼︎きょかしない‼︎だいすきだ！ dame da!! kyoka shinai!! daisuki da! "You can't!! I won't allow it!! I love you!"

2 大好きなんだ!!!おまえがいないと僕は駄目なんだ!!! だいすきなんだ!!!おまえがいないとぼくはだめなんだ!!! daisuki nanda!!! omae ga inai to boku wa dame nanda!!! "I love you!!! If you're gone I have no purpose*!!!" (*Note: The word used here, dame, means many things depending on context. It means "bad, no good, useless, broken, hopeless, wasted, in vain, purposeless.")

3 そうやって sou yatte "In that way,"

4 全てを己が為に利用してきた代償を払う時だ すべてをおのがためにりようしてきたツケをはらうときだ subete wo ono ga tame ni riyou shite kita TSUKE (kanji: daishou) wo harau toki da "it's time to pay reparations for taking advantage of everything for your own sake."

5-6 彼が起こしたのは僕だけじゃない かれがおこしたのはぼくだけじゃない kare ga okoshita no wa boku dake ja nai "I was not the only one he awoke."

1 先生に喰われて消滅したと思ったんだけどな… せんせいにくわれてしょうめつしたとおもったんだけどな… sensei ni kuwarete shoumetsu shita to omottanda kedo na... I thought I had been devoured by Master and disappeared, but...

2 あんたが俺を あんたがおれを anta ga ore wo were you

3 消えないように繋ぎ止めてたのか きえないようにつなぎとめてたのか kienai you ni tsunagi tometeta no ka tying* me down so I wouldn't disappear? (*Note: Again, this word also means "to save someone's life.")

4 おばあちゃん obaachan Grandma,

5 黒霧…………… くろぎり…………… Kurogiri............... Kurogiri...............

6 先生から身体を奪い返しただけで せんせいからからだをうばいかえしただけで sensei kara karada wo ubai kaeshita dake de I only stole my body back from Master, and

7 何も壊せやしなかった なにもこわせやしなかった nani mo kowase ya shinakatta I didn't destroy anything.

8 結局俺はおまえの言った通り…泣いてるガ��だったって事か けっきょくおれはおまえのいったとおり…ないてるガキだったってことか kekkyoku ore wa omae no itta toori...naiteru GAKI datta tte koto ka "In the end, I was just as you said... A crying kid, huh?"

9 この手をX壊せなかったX このてをXこわせなかったX kono te wo X kowasenakatta X "This hand X couldn't break X"." (Note: Some of this speech bubble is cut off. It could say something like "I couldn't break these hands of yours.")

10 …やった事を許せはしないだから戦った …やったことをゆるせはしないだからたたかった ...yatta koto wo yuruse wa shinai da kara tatakatta "...I can't forgive the things you've done; that's why I fought."

1 止めたかったし…止まってほしかったんだ とめたかったし…とまってほしかったんだ tometakatta shi...tomatte hoshikattanda "I wanted to stop [you]... I wanted [you] to stop,"

2 悲しみが紡がれないように かなしみがつむがれないように kanashimi ga tsumugarenai you ni "so that the sadness wouldn't [keep] spin[ning]*." (*Note: This is back to that word that means "to spin yarn, to spin tales, etc." Izuku is saying he didn't want the sadness to beget more sadness. He wants the chain of sadness to stop.)

3 ハッ HA "Ha." (Note: This is an exhalation that could mean any number of things, like shock, laughter, realization, etc.)

4 緑谷出久 みどりやいずく Midoriya Izuku "Izuku Midoriya,"

5 スピナーが生きてたら伝えてくれよ スピナーがいきてたらつたえてくれよ SUPINAA ga ikitetara tsutaete kure yo "if Spinner is alive, please tell him [something]."

6 "死柄木弔"は最期まで壊す為に戦ったって "しがらきとむら"はさいごまでこわすためにたたかったって "Shigaraki Tomura" wa saigo made kowasu tame ni tatakatta tte "Tomura Shigaraki fought until the very end* in order to destroy." (*Note: Again, this is that "finale" word that means "one's last moment at their time of death.")

7 もう…壊したよ もう…こわしたよ mou...kowashita yo "You already...destroyed [it]."

tagline 決着‼︎永きにわたる因縁が晴れ上がるーー‼︎ けっちゃく‼︎ながきにわたるいんねんがはれあがるーー‼︎ kecchaku!! nagaki ni wataru innen ga hareagaru--!! Settled!! The chain of cause and effect that spans a long time is cleared up--!!

[doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou]

Protecting French Fry

Oiled Paintings (1)

> melissa schemmenti x fem!reader

> requested? maybe?

> content/warnings: mentions of violence

> a/n: this got me staring at the wall for 4 hours 😭 i rlly don't know if this can compete with the first part

Contrary to popular belief that French people were extremely rude; Mr. Morton thinks that the lone French in their school have been nothing but nice and cheerful. Unfortunately, Mrs. Microft and most of the 7th to 8th grade teachers did not share the same sentiment. Thus, leaving them to tolerate the rude welcome and treatment of the senior teacher towards you, and that went on for the whole five years you’ve been in Abbott.

“Good morning, Mrs. Microft!” You greeted the senior teacher with a smile. And although she paid no attention to your presence and your greeting, you maintained your composure and left your lunch inside the fridge, then went on with your day.

Yet, when you came back to the lounge for lunch, you found no remnants of your lunch; even the container was gone. Deciding to let this slide, like the other mistreatment you got from the senior teacher, you sighed and took your purse to eat lunch at the coffee shop near the school.

“Damn, Y/N. That is wild; I didn’t think white racism would be prominent here; guess I was wrong.” Ava gave you a pat on the back while sipping her coffee. “This coffee is also wild! Y’all gotta try this new coffee maker I got for the school!”

Barbara and Melissa gave Ava a look before giving you sympathetic glances. This made you roll your eyes at Ava. “Stop looking at me like that; that was about three years ago.”

“If y’all ever want to plot revenge, I got her address somewhere in my office. I ain’t helping you look though,” said Ava, leaving all of you to think for reasons you haven’t reported her to HR yet.

“I’m just glad she left; with no one to torment me now, maybe the other teachers will also treat me like a colleague.” You straightened your posture and gave a clap. The smile on your face was so contagious, it took Melissa turning her back to you and looking at Barb to hide her smile.

“Doubt that.” Mr. Morton always knew when to rain on your parade. His comment made Melissa’s face turn serious.

“And why’s that, huh? Y’know any more teachers that’ll torment French fry here?” Melissa tilted her head towards you while still looking at Mr. Morton. While the protectiveness was appreciated, you couldn’t help but blush at the nickname that the redheaded teacher gave you. Ever since knowing that you were French, the Italian made it her daily routine to criticize your lunch, whether it was homemade or a takeout from the local French restaurant.

Sitting down on the nearest chair, Mr. Morton nodded and opened his lesson plan. “That girl, new hire, Charity Microft.”

The hand supporting your face fell on the table with a bang, making Melissa and Barbara look at you incredulously. With your eyes as wide as saucers, you gave Mr. Morton a horrified look. “What do you mean, Charity Microft? As in, Charity Microft the girl I talked to you about? Or Charity Microft the successor of Mrs. Microft the she-devil?”

“Both.” Letting out a cry, you hid your face from your ‘friends’ if you could call them that and huffed.

Janine, the ever-caring human that she is, caressed your back for a solid second before she saw Melissa giving her a glare, making her pull her hand away from you and whisper something to Jacob. Whatever Janine said, it made Jacob choke in fear when he glanced in Melissa’s direction.

As Barbara was about to say something to Melissa, the bell rang, making the kindergarten teacher sigh and give Melissa a look that said. ‘We’ll talk later’.

Nodding her head, Melissa stood up and pulled your arm. "C'mon, French fry, let’s get you to your classroom. We’ll talk later.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your ‘talk’ didn’t happen. In fact, Melissa left before you and Barb could even catch her. She only saw Ava before leaving with a grin.

“What do you mean she left flexing her arm?”

Sighing, Ava dropped her foot from the table and leaned forward. “Look, I ain’t snitching why she left that way or why she went here before leaving.”

Huffing, you crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow. “And why is that, Ava?”

“She’ll beat my ass,” Ava said before shooing both of you out of her office.

Pursing her lips, Barbara turned to you and gave you a pat on the shoulder. “Now, I need to leave. My Gerald and I have a schedule at that French place you told us about. But after that, I’ll try to get a hold of Melissa, and then I’ll call you to tell you what I gathered.” Then she left, leaving you to contemplate whether to call Melissa on your own or wait until tomorrow. You decided on the latter.

Groaning, you stomped towards your Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250. Your mother harbored great disdain for your choice of vehicle, and your father was extremely happy when you told him you bought a bike rather than a car. He even went all out to message you every detail about riding motorcycles in America and how it differed from riding a motorcycle in France.

As you drove our normal route, you thought you saw Melissa’s car parked on the street a block away from you, but you shook your head and thought there was no way she lived that close to you. Parking your vehicle in front of your house, you jumped repeatedly, a tradition you caught on to because of your father back in France. Your father told you that jumping just outside your home left the awful things that latched onto you that day outside.

Stepping inside your house, you were greeted by your cat purring around your leg and nipping your toes to get your attention. Laughing, you gave your cat a pat on the head. “Okay, okay. Mommy’s going to give you treats once she gets out of these uncomfortable clothes.”

But you didn’t get to change your work clothes. A knock souned through your house walls before you could walk into your room. "Oh, come on!” You stomped towards the door and pulled it open. “What do you want?”

“Hey hon,” said a redheaded woman holding a baseball bat covered in shards of glass and red paint. What you hoped was red paint.

[chthontoya]

Another plunny about post-canon Uraichi. Inspired by Emperor's New Clothes by Jann.

Ichigo: Shun-jii proposed me to head the 8th division.

Urahara: Oh! Congratulations then. You seem too troubled, though~

Ichigo: Yeah, I need to choose an experienced officer as my second in command, because I barely know enough about Soul Society and Seireitei.

Urahara: Do you want me to be yours?

Ichigo: W-What?!

Urahara: Do you want me to be your second in command? Really, Kurosaki-san, are you daydreaming or something~

Ichigo: Ugh, shut up, Getaboshi! Anyways, haven't you been a taichō? Being second in command after that is kinda...

Urahara: Not that prideful.

Ichigo points at Urahara's haori. Urahara shrugs without a real response.

Ichigo: But you *have been* a taichō. Wouldn't it be humiliating to be under Mayuri's command for example?

Urahara: It would. ... Oh, Kurosaki-san, no surprise you were told to find someone more experienced. It's not the same as Japanese army. Every taichō owns a division under their command and everyone in it. Unless direct soutaichō's order, I wouldn't be obligated to obey to anyone but you.

Ichigo is positively red now.

Urahara: If anything, it would be disgraceful for Kurotsuchi to have a rival with lower rank than his.

Ichigo: Still...

Urahara: And if you want me so much to be loyal only to you-

Ichigo: Wha?!

Urahara: -meaning not allowing Hirako or Kurotsuchi to order me around, you can always to talk to soutaichō about it. Joking, of course.

Ichigo: It's an option.

Urahara: Excuse you?

Ichigo: It's Shun-jii who wants me as his successor so might as well give this much.

Urahara: Are you sure you want to start your captaincy with an abuse of power and a request for special treatment.

Ichigo: Don't care. So. Will you be my second in command then?

Urahara: Would be most honoured.

[sicktember]

We, @yes-i-am-happyaspie and @obsessionoftheday , have been discussing making Sicktember 2024 our last year for quite some time. Long enough that we considered making 2023 out last year… Not because we haven’t enjoyed being a part of such a spectacular event. Interacting with all of you has been amazing and coming up with new and exciting prompts has been great fun. However, we have reached a point where we feel we are no longer capable of offering the event the amount of time and attention it requires and deserves. 

The good news is, just because we are stepping back doesn’t mean Sicktember will be coming to an end. After much thought and consideration, we decided it would be in everyone’s best interest to pass the blog over to a new mod. We are certain they are up to the task and we are looking forward to seeing where they take Sicktember in the future. We hope you are too!

Without further ado, we’d like to introduce you to our Sicktember successor. 

Starting October 8th, @itsmechara426 will be running the Sicktember blog!

--

Hi everyone! I’m Alex from @itsmechara426, though I’m better known for my prompts blog, @irondadmadlads

Despite rarely participating in Sicktember as a writer, I love reading all the stories you guys come up with! Everyone is so creative and I’d like to continue inspiring your creativity by running this event!

I’m excited to continue Sicktember and can’t wait to see everyone’s ideas!

[felassan]

(unofficial) BSN BioWare forums on Twitter yesterday: "So @/BSNforums is eight years old (longer lasting than any version of the previous official BSN's?). Would like to pay tribute to all the @/BioWare, #/DragonAge and #/MassEffect fans who stuck with us over the long years and debated 'all the things'. 😊 [link]" [source]

Text in accompanying image reads:

"BioWare Social Network - Unofficial Forums - BSN Forum the successor to BioWare's BSN official forum (long closed) is 8 years old. - Thanks to all its posters discussing BioWare's and other games endlessly. - Circa 20,000 threads and 1.6 million posts - Tired of toxic social media? - Come on home for a good old-fashioned forum for long-form conversation".

Happy 8th birthday to the unofficial BSN 🎂

[greenleaf4stuff]

Of Convenience 8.1

(all previous parts of "Of Convenience")

Adar x Celebrimbor (silverscars) political marriage AU, 8th snippet, part 1. Adar shows Morgoth’s crown to Celebrimbor. The smith has an idea. Adar lets him run with it.

Celebrimbor might not be a natural fighter, but he’ll still find ways to support his allies (especially his husband). It’s so very hard to write anything about this chapter without giving too much away, so I’ll just say – I tried to come up with a plot for this story, got hit with inspiration, and now here we are. I am so curious to see people’s reaction to this one! (And yes, Celebrimbor playing dice is indeed inspired by @plotdesigner’s fic ‚In My Scar Covered Heart‘. :P)

Celebrimbor hadn’t exactly been eager to catch a glimpse of Morgoth’s crown, to be quite honest. Knowing that it somehow still existed in middle earth and was in such close proximity to him was bad enough. If seeing it wouldn’t remind him of the silmaril or his family’s bloody history fighing the original owner of the crown, it surely would remind him of the maiar who had reforged it.

He didn’t have much of a choice however when, during another round of talks, Galadriel had asked – well, goaded – Adar into showing the crown to Elrond. Who, to her credit, had been rather disbelieving of the crown’s continued existence until then.

All three elves had immediately fallen silent and leant away when Adar had walked over to a wooden chest in the corner of the tent, opened it, and used his gauntleted hand to pull out a menacing-looking shape of darkened metal.

He carried the crown as if intending to place it on someone’s head, holding it with both hands and his arms stretched in front of his body as he came back towards them. Only his tight expression revealed that this was not due to reverence. 

It made sense, Celebrimbor thought – especially when Adar told the tale of how he’d been meant to place the crown upon Sauron’s red hair...and had driven it's spikes through the Deceiver’s shoulder and neck instead.

The coronation had been Sauron’s attempt to declare himself Morgoth’s successor; a position that would have placed all the uruk under his yoke. Celebrimbor couldn’t imagine he’d treated the uruk any more kindly than his enemies, so Adar taking the crown to him and ‘killing’ the maiar had likely been an act of desperation. And love.

No wonder Adar regarded the crown with such a complicated mix of emotions.

Adar placed the crown in the middle of the table, then sat back down to continue the conversation. Glancing at his fellow elves, Celebrimbor could tell that it was difficult for them to keep their attention focused on each other’s words instead of the object at first, but after a while, they managed.

The smith, however, found himself staring at it for the rest of the conversation. He registered some of the words – their talk revolved around Gil-Galad and his intention to visit the uruk camp to speak with Adar directly –, but for the most part, Celebrimbor focused on the crown and its design.

It did indeed look pointy enough to puncture flesh with, if handled with that intention. He could almost imagine how it must have gone – Adar holding up the crown, turning it around to thrust it into Sauron’s shoulder.

A dangerous position to strike from, though, as Adar would have had to leave his middle completely unprotected. But then again, Sauron had left himself open to injury as well. It made Celebrimbor question what their prior relationship might have been like, as both of them had served Morgoth...willingly or unwillingly. And Adar made it sound as if he knew Sauron quite well, to the point that he understood how his mind worked. 

Though it had not made him any less prone to the maiar’s scheming than Galadriel and Celebrimbor had been, the latter silently thought to himself.

He felt an urge to ask the uruk about these things; Adar’s past was still largely shrouded in mystery. But the uruk had avoided any clever attempts of Elrond and more direct goading from Galadriel to reveal more of himself so far, and only offered whatever information he deemed neccessary to defeat their common enemy. Nothing more.

And so Celebrimbor bit his tongue, and settled on waiting (hoping) for a time when Adar might be inclined to share more about this part of himself of his own volition.

The smith’s mind was drawn back to the crown then. It looked to be made of iron, though unusually dark. He tried to parse how it had been made, with what tools and in what conditions, whether any traces of the silmaril or Morgoth had seeped into the metal and still remained there.

He was so consumed with his musings that he startled slightly when Galadriel, Elrond and Adar stood up from the table - their current round of talks had come to an end. Or, at least a pause, it seemed. As Celebrimbor slowly got up, Elrond spoke. "We will bring this proposal to High King Gil-Galad," he looked at Galadriel to indicate he meant the both of them. "If he agrees, he will accompany us into your camp when we return."

"Though, be aware that the king will not come here unarmed, or unguarded," the peredhel added. But it wasn’t said as a threat. It actually rather sounded as if Elrond was just relaying a fact that Adar should just take into consideration.

This, too, was a recent change. It seemed that Elrond was slowly opening himself up to the idea that the elves would indeed join forces with Adar’s army and march on Eregion together.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that, for a few days now, Adar had permitted Galadriel to leave the uruk camp and accompany the herald back on his way to the high king. Which she had initially taken as a way for Adar to test whether or not she would leave Celebrimbor unprotected amidst an army of enemies. But it turned out to be a show of trust instead - that she would help Elrond argue his case, and then come back to spend time with her friend again.

An arrangement that had worked out quite well, in fact; Galadriel had been reluctant to leave at first, but after some reassurance from Celebrimbor, she had. Only for a short while at first, and she had barely gone far enough to disappear from the sight of the guards around the camp, after which she had returned in a hurry.

It had taken a second and a third attempt until she left for multiple hours and came back at a leisurely pace, skeptical but ultimately pleased when she found that Celebrimbor where she’d left him, playing a simple game of dice with Glûg and another uruk guard.

After that, she'd been fine with leaving Celebrimbor and Adar for even longer periods of time, and whenever she returned and found them sharing a meal or conversing, a small smirk stole itself onto her face for reasons Celebrimbor could not quite parse yet.

Adar acknowledged the herald’s words with a humm. "Not unreasonable. Be aware, then, that I will not be unarmed or unguarded, either." This, too, was just presented as a simple fact. Celebrimbor couldn’t help but feel proud of how far they all had already come since the negotiations started.

"Not unreasonable, either," Elrond replied and actually quirked up his lips for a moment. While Adar didn’t return the gesture with a smile of his own, he tilted his head at the herald in a show of acknowledgement.

Elrond and Galadriel were quick to depart afterwards; they wanted to talk to their king, and if Ereinion indeed intended to come to Adar’s camp, preparations would have to be made. The two elves made sure to thank Adar for the food and drink they had received, and spent a moment to say their – temporary – goodbyes to Celebrimbor.

Once they had left, the smith sat back in his chair. "That went quite well," he judged as he gave Adar a smile of elation. "I think we might indeed be close to a treaty now, with the high king willing to walk into the camp to negotiate with you directly."

Of course, talks with Gil-Galad would surely pose their own difficulties. He had neither the fiery temper of Galadriel nor the biting sarcasm Elrond employed at times, but he was certainly not shy to state his own objections, would not back down in the face of adversity, and held himself with the grace and self-assured air – well, pride – befitting a king. Qualities that were beneficial for rulership, but which might clash with Adar’s own stubbornness and sense of authority during the coming talks.

Celebrimbor decided he would cross that bridge when they came to it.

"It did," Adar agreed, picked up his goblet and took a sip from it. He notably hadn’t sat down at the table again, despite the fact that there was still a half-unfinished meal on his plate. Perhaps he needed to walk off the tension. Celebrimbor had certainly seen him pace their tent like a wolf after the first few negotiations, agitated even as he refused to elaborate on the reasons why, before he stormed off to meet with his lieutenants.

The smith could usually guess the reasons nonetheless, anyways.

"You have been quite focused on that thing," the uruk stated, apropos of nothing. When Celebrimbor raised his eyebrows in question, Adar’s eyes briefly settled on the crown before the turned back to the smith. "Is it because of the gemstones it once held?"

Celebrimbor quickly shook his head, "No, I- it’s not that," his gaze wandered back to the object in question, as if drawn there by something not of his own will. "I was actually considering what it might be made of. Or how it was made."

A light snort, and Adar emptied his goblet before he went to pour himself another drink. Water, this time, instead of wine. Ever since the negotations had started to go more smoothly, wine had mysteriously disappeared from the table during talks. Now, the uruk only offered it when he and Celebrimbor were eating on their own.

A fact that Celebrimbor had noted with a wry sense of humor – he didn’t believe Adar needed the wine to endure those conversations. It seemed more likely he wanted to savor it now instead of using it to calm his temper. Which was, in fact, a thought that softened something in Celebrimbor’s chest.

"Iron, from what little I know. It was Mairon who was gifted in the craft of smithing, not I," the uruk shrugged.

Celebrimbor acknowledged Adar’s words with a nod and humm, before he turned back to the intimdating shape in the middle of the table. "May I?" he asked as he pointed at it. At Adar’s slow nod, he extended careful fingers and gingerly dragged the object towards himself.

It felt frighteningly similar to any ordinary iron crown as he held it in his hands. Cold to the touch, and heavy – it would have likely been uncomfortable to wear for long on the head of any mortal being. It also seemed unwieldy, as the smith lifted it and turned it about in his hands.

Even if he didn’t have the strength of a warrior, Celebrimbor could tell this would be difficult to handle during combat. Which, come to think of it, could prove to be a disadvantage when facing Sauron, who was quick on his feet and – judging by Galadriel's and Adar's accounts – quite skilled in battle. If only it was a bit lighter, and perhaps, had longer spikes-

He stopped. Frowned. Then lifted his eyebrows as he stared at the opposite side of the tent, then back at the crown, and finally at Adar.

The uruk, who had let Celebrimbor silently consider the iron adornment without comment, wore an expression of intrigue that quickly changed to one of caution.

The smith sprung up from his chair, and held up the crown. "Would you...if it could be done, would you want me to...try and improve this? For the oncoming battle?"

There was a very long moment of silence. The uruk’s face held some surprise, but for the most part, it had turned to stone. The smith cringed at himself – in his enthusiasm, taken with his own rapidly forming idea, he had forgotten that this was Adar’s best chance at killing Sauron.

Of course, he wouldn’t want Celebrimbor to tinker with it, so close to finalizing the alliance with the elves and fighting their shared enemy. The smith didn’t even know if he could. And yet-

"I am not sure even one such as you might be able to do that," Adar said, slowly. His gaze slipped off to the side as he pursed his lips and drew his brows. His gauntleted hand flexed where he’d propped his arm onto the table.

And then, as he turned his eyes back to Celebrimbor, "But, if that is your wish...you may try."

Celebrimbor must have looked as astonished as he felt, he was sure of it. Especially so when, after a while, he could see a very small grin grow on Adar's face. It was just as unexpected as his permission, and caused Celebrimbor to fluster a little.

The uruk's next words were quiet. "Though, be careful as you do. After Morgoth, none other than Mairon has been able to even put a dent in this thing. Believe me, myself and countless of my children have tried."

Celebrimbor nodded, and pressed the crown to his chest. He noted with unease the the metal was not warming to his touch, but ignored that for the moment. "I am not certain I will be able to accomplish anything with it, either, but- I would like to try, at least. Since so much depends on it."

He didn't say it out loud, but he meant the fate of Eregion and Mordor just as much as that the two armies, and the lives of his friends, his own - and that of his husband. Which would be in such a vulnerable, fragile state if he were the one to brandish the crown against Sauron. The thought unsettled the elf, had in fact begun to disturb him the more he talked to Adar, learnt of him, stayed with him.

'I do not wish to lose him in this battle,' the smith thought. Not just because of the alliance, or what would become of Adar's children. No, this was - affection, as strange as it still was to admit to himself. He wasn't sure if the uruk thought of them as friends yet, but Celebrimbor certainly thought of them as more than allies by now.

With a resolute, determined expression, the smith straightened, and then went to wrap the crown in some rough fabric. He had a hunch Adar's children might not appreciate it if he walked through their midst with that thing on display.

"I'll ask Glûg to accompany me to Gurlak's forge. Would you send for me, if you receive any word from my friends?"

The Lord Father of the uruk made a shooing motion, and finally sat back at the table, ready to finish his meal. "I will. Go- I have a feeling this will take some time," he motioned at the bundle in Celebrimbor's arms, "And I need to prepare myself for what is to come."

Celebrimbor threw the uruk a sympathetic glance. "If you want my advice, it might be a good call to serve wine once the high king arrives. He is rather fond of the drink, and yours should be of a taste he enjoys," he further thought on it, briefly. "Also, green foods - vegetables, leafy greens. Pickles might do, but do not serve only those." He drew a face.

Adar pinched his lips lest they quirk into another grin, but then showed his assent - and his thanks - with a tilt of his head.

Celebrimbor was struck with how little Adar used his hands in conversations; he and his fellow elves were quite prone to gesturing, whereas the uruk was still as a stone for much of the time and usually moved at a slow, almost leisurely pace. The elf pondered if this was due to the fact that he was so long-lived, or if it had other reasons.

"I will take that into consideration. Now, go. I am sure Galadriel and Elrond will be back much quicker than we might expect."

With a smile and another fond look in Adar's direction, Celebrimbor did as he was bid, and exited the tent. Luckily, Glûg was right outside - and judging by his very innocent, decidedly desinterested look, had been trying to eavesdrop. Again. Celebrimbor ignored it and said, "Glûg, please, take me to Gurlak at once."

[mysticstronomy]

HOW FAR BACK IN TIME CAN WE SEE me cryIN SPACE??

Blog#469

Wednesday, January 8th, 2025.

Welcome back,

The Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes have observed the most distant star ever seen – Earendel – whose name means morning star. Even though Earendel is 50 times the mass of our sun, and millions of times brighter, we would not normally be able to see it. We can only see it due to an alignment of the star with a large galaxy cluster in front of it whose gravity bends the light from the star to make it brighter and more focused. The galaxy cluster essentially acts as a lens.

Astronomers see into the deep past when we view distant objects. Light travels at a constant speed (3×108 meters per second). So, the farther away an object is, the longer it takes for the light to reach us. By the time the light reaches us from very distant stars, the light we are looking at can be billions of years old. Thus, we are looking at events that happened in the past.

When we observe Earendel’s light, we are looking at light the star emitted 12.9 billion years ago. We call this the lookback time. That’s just 900 million years after the Big Bang. But because the universe has also expanded rapidly in the time it took this light to reach us, Earendel is now 28 billion light-years away from us.

Hubble’s successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, may be able to detect even earlier stars. However, they would have to be nicely aligned to form a gravitational lens so that we can see them.

One of the main goals of Webb is to know what the early universe looked like and when early stars and galaxies formed, thought to be between 100 million and 250 million years after the Big Bang. And, luckily, we can get hints about this by looking even farther back than Hubble or Webb can manage.

We can see light from 13.8 billion years ago, although it is not starlight, because there were no stars then. The farthest light we can see is the cosmic microwave background. The cosmic microwave background is the light left over from the Big Bang, forming at just 380,000 years after our cosmic birth.

The universe before the cosmic microwave background formed contained charged particles of positive protons (which now make up the atomic nucleus along with neutrons) and negative electrons … and light. The charged particles scattered the light, which made the universe a foggy soup. As the universe expanded, it cooled until eventually the electrons combined with the protons to form atoms.

Unlike the soup of particles, the atoms had no charge, so the light didn’t scatter and could move through the universe in a straight line. This light has continued to travel across the universe until it reaches us today. The wavelength of the light got longer as the universe expanded … and we currently see it as microwaves. This light is the cosmic microwave background. We can see it uniformly at all points in the sky. The cosmic microwave background is everywhere in the universe.

Originally published on https://earthsky.org

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, January 11th, 2025)

"IS SPACE DARK OR BRIGHT??"

[thecrowroad]

Trying to work out my Rook de Riva’s family history, and I’ve gotten distracted by Viago and the Antivan royal family. Who could possibly have predicted.

Previous king: King Natale. He was still ruling in 9:28. Natale had a lot of children - at least 11 legitimate enough to be in the direct line of succession, plus who knows how many bastards. Did not appear to cover himself in glory.

Known children of Natale:

Current king: King Fulgeno II. We don’t know many details about him, but he’s Viago’s father, so can be assumed to be at least in his 60s. Has been on the throne since at least 9:41. Does not appear to be covering himself in glory.

Prince Azrin and Princess Ferenna, who joined forces to work Azrin up from 11th in line for the throne to 4th through assassination of their inconvenient siblings/niblings - including possibly arranging/inducing Estefan’s assassination. Zevran was part of the mission to assassinate them both.

Prince Estefan: probably one of the older sons of Natale? Father of Rinna and apparently a lot of other bastards. His assassination for sleeping with married noblewomen was the one that was duplicated for Dante and Viago in 8 Little Talons.

Other descendants:

Rinna: was sent to the Crows, presumably on the same deal as Viago, at around about the same time. She was Zevran’s (and Taliesin’s) lover, and was assassinated by them as part of Crow Politics (ending the Rosso Noche faction that would have tried to put her forward as a legitimate successor to Natale, getting Eoman Arainai the seat of 8th Talon and reminding Zevran of his place in the House - the inciting incident for Zev taking the contract on the HoF. )

Did Viago know Rinna? They’ve got to be a similar age - was she competition? Is the aftermath of the Rosso Noche conspiracy/faction still a hinderance to his dreams of taking the throne? How unpleasant was it for him when his cousin’s ex/murderer came back as The Renegade and how much has it influenced his politics as a reformist Talon?

[whencyclopedia]

The Temples of Pattadakal

The history of Pattadakal goes back to a time when it was called Kisuvolal, a valley of red soil. It even found a mention in Ptolemy's Geography in the 2nd century CE. Presently Pattadakal is located in the district of Bagalkot, state of Karnataka, India. The Chalukyas of Badami (ancient Vatapi) or Early Chalukyas (543-753 CE) built a large complex of temples for royal commemoration and coronation in Pattadakal. This complex is on the left bank of the Malaprabha River which runs further north to meet the river Krishna. It was accorded World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 1987.

Pattadakal literally means 'coronation stone' and bears testimony to the later phase of evolution of the distinctive Early Chalukyan architecture. The gestation phase of this development which took place in Aihole, Badami (the ancient capital), Alampur, and Mahakuta finds its culmination here. It is in the last few decades, during the successive reigns of Vijayaditya (696-733 CE), Vikramaditya II (733-746 CE) and Kirtivarman II (746-753 CE), that several temples were gradually constructed in this fertile valley. A Jain shrine was constructed much later, after the collapse of the empire by their successor Rashtrakuta Dynasty (8th-10th centuries CE) in the 9th century CE.

Temple Architecture

The basic plan of a temple runs thus: the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) opens to an antarala (vestibule) and houses the murti (enshrined image) on a pitha (pedestal). An expansive pillared mandapa (hall) adjoins the antarala. A shikhara (superstructure) rises on top of the garbha griha and contains an amalaka (a ribbed stone) with a kalash (pot with mango leaves and a coconut) at its finial. The vimana then comprises both the garbha griha and shikhara.

Temples built here are all dedicated to Shiva and face east. However, depiction of religious motifs through free-standing sculptures and reliefs is not limited to Shaivism but recruits images generously from the Hindu pantheon. Other than the nine Shaiva temples in the compound, there is one Jain temple located almost a kilometre to the west dedicated to the 23rd Tirthankar, Parsvanatha.

Continue reading...

[thegoldensanctuary]

Part VIII: Louis XV’s Summer Set (N⁰ 2200)

When Louis XV returned to Versailles in 1722 and took possession of his great-grandfather's royal apartments, the Garde-Meuble had to provide a new summer set for the bedchamber cabinet since the previous one had left the palace after the Sun King’s death. Lallie was charged with the task, and on the 8th of May, 1723, he delivered a new set of furniture covered in a purple and crimson background brocade which received the number 2200. The set was created using several brocades from Lyon delivered by Gautier in 1688. The set remained in the bedchamber for the rest of Louis XV’s reign and most of the reign of his successor, who restored it in 1776 [161].

8.1.1 The Tapestry Itself

Described in 1723 as being made of a “brocade from Lyon with purple and crimson background, with compartments, cornucopia, and large flowers woven in silver and gold, with crimson silk used around as contour [nuee de soye cramoisy]” [162], it is said that brocade numbers 48 and 49 were used for that set. The description of these brocades from the 1729 general inventory provides additional details [163]: the compartments are referred to as “large compartments,” and there is mention of rinceaux ornaments woven in gold, which was not noted in 1723. The description also specifies the roles of the purple and crimson: purple was the main background color of the brocade, while crimson was used as the background color within the compartment and as a contour around the woven ornaments. This description allows us to trace the brocade’s origin. Indeed, on the 7th of October, 1688, the Garde-Meuble diary records the entry of a new brocade delivered by Gautier under the numbers 123 [164], 132, 133, and 134, with a description matching that of number 48 from the 1729 general inventory.

In the alcove, five pieces of this brocade were placed alongside six pieces of column brocade similar to those described in Part 7.1, which, by that time, had been renumbered as 52 in the 1729 general inventory [165].

8.1.2 The Bed

As before, the set featured a large state bed containing:

The Headboard: Described as enriched with gold leaf ornaments and gold braid [166].

The Valences: Three outer and four inner valences, described as being “enriched with woven gold leaf ornaments, forming festoons” [167]. The comma in between could suggest that the festoon shape describes only the valences, not the woven details. However, since most valences of the time had woven decorations that followed the valences' shapes, it would be safe to assume that this description applies to both. While no fringes are explicitly mentioned alongside the valences, the presence of woven gold crepines at their bottom may suggest their presence, especially since the bed bases, similar in description, included fringes. Furthermore, the work report by L’Heritier during the 1776 restoration explicitly charged for gold fringes for the valences of the summer bed [168], giving the valences an appearance close to those described in Part 6.2.

The Curtains: Two bonnes grâces, four curtains, and two cantonières made of the purple and crimson brocade with gold braid and fringes, lined with a crimson satin woven with gold and featuring multiple compartments [169].

The Quilt: Made of the same brocade, adorned with gold braids and fringes.

The Case Curtain: Made of crimson gros de Tours, with large and medium-sized gold fringes at the bottom and edges, hanging from a golden rod [170].

The Columns: The four columns were sheathed in crimson satin with gold and silver woven decorations [171].

The Vases/Finials: Four in total (one at each corner), filled with 120 feathers, covered in brocade with added gold leaf patterns and braids [172].

8.1.3 The Armchairs and Stools

Two armchairs and twelve stools were listed for this set. The brocade used for their upholstery differed from that of the bed and the alcove, described as “another narrow brocade with a crimson background, featuring cornucopia and fleurets with gold and silver, with a contour of purple silk to match the bed’s brocade” [173]. This detail reinforces the idea that the bed’s main brocade color was indeed purple. This brocade likely corresponds with brocade number 36 from the 1729 general inventory [174], which is said to have been used for this set at the end of the entry [175]. This brocade came from a delivery in 1686 by the Parisian manufacturer Charlier, initially assigned the number 93 [176].

One detail stands out when comparing descriptions: the contour around the silver and gold decorations is said to have been purple silk when used on the stools and armchairs in 1723, whereas it was originally green silk in 1686. It is likely that this alteration was made by Lallie or one of his suppliers to better match the purple color of the other brocade.

The woods are noted as having been gilded and sculpted “very richly.” This detail is interesting as it may reflect a stylistic shift occurring at that time, with more richly decorated armchairs that, unlike their Louis XIV counterparts, featured backrests framed by a visible, elaborately sculpted wooden border.

The entry also references gold fringes and braids.

8.1.4 The Fire Screen

The screen was covered in the same purple and crimson brocade as used for the bed and the alcove. The wood was sculpted and gilded, and the central motif of the brocade was surrounded by a gold braid [177].

8.1.5 The Table and Tablecloth

The table was made of walnut and described as having a lower cabinet shape (table en bas d’armoire) with a counter on each side, closing with a key. While convertible cabinets were common in the 18th century, this specific design with only a lower part and counters on each side was very unusual. It measured 42 inches long, 29 inches wide, and 31 inches tall [178].

This table is mentioned in the 1751 Versailles inventory as a “lower walnut cabinet opening from both sides” [179] and was present in the winter decor alongside set number 1881 (discussed in Part 4). Although it was omitted from the summer set, we can infer its presence by the mention of the tablecloth and the practice of mentioning items present in both summer and winter only once [180]. Later Versailles inventories omit the table but continue to list the tablecloth used alongside it.

The tablecloth had four bases—three of the purple brocade and the fourth of taffeta—all embellished with gold braids and fringes and lined with taffeta.

8.1.7 The Portiere Tapestries

Set 2200 featured, like the previous sets, four portiere tapestries in front of each of the four doors. Each was made using three pieces of the purple brocade, with gold fringes at the side and bottom, and lined with crimson taffeta [181].

[161] AN O1/3625

[162] AN O1/3309 f⁰ 351 v⁰

[163] AN O1/3338 f⁰ 275 r⁰

[164] AN O1/3306 f⁰ 108 v⁰

[165] AN O1/3338 f⁰ 276 r⁰

[166] AN O1/3309 f⁰ 351 v⁰

[167] AN O1/3309 f⁰ 351 v⁰

[168] AN O1/3625, L’Heritier’s work report

[169] AN O1/3309 f⁰ 351 v⁰

[170] Ibid f⁰ 352 r⁰

[171] Ibid

[172] Ibid

[173] AN O1/3309 f⁰ 352 r⁰

[174] AN O1/3346 f⁰ 273 r⁰

[175] AN O1/3309 f⁰ 354 r⁰

[176] AN O1/3306 f⁰ 14 v⁰

[177] AN O1/3309 f⁰ 352 v⁰

[178] Ibid

[179] AN O1/3454 p. 2

[180] See previous notes

[181] AN O1/3309 f⁰ 352 v⁰

[nightflower-stuff]

❣️The Dragon Prince (New OC + Spoilers)✨

• [TDP Spoilers]: Runaan 🌙

- I drew Runaan (My fav. TDP character) in my art style as well. I want to watch the scene of him. This pose of him was inspired by Winx club pose 🤭

{3rd to 4th slides}:

• Aurora (Runaan's fairy guardian & a friend)✨

- Everyone, I search fandom wiki but there's no fairies in Xadia. So I'm the one who made a Xadian Fairy from The Dragon Prince.🧚‍♀️

- Here's his only his fairy guardian & a friend. Meet Aurora. She's the 1st Xadian Fairy of all Xadia. She's born & was created by stars but some other fairies are not here except her, so she doesn't have any names & also them. She raised by Moonshadow Elf named Runaan since he was young boy of Silvergrove.🙌

- I made my OC in fake scene screenshot & she's with Runaan (Season 1 episode 3).

{5th to 6th slide}:

• Aurora & Loreleia with Rayla & Runaan (S6 - S7)⚔️

- She's helps Lujanne & Allen for carry some letters. She saw Rayla & Loreleia grew up with their friends. Callum free Runaan from the coin & The Katolis was attack. And for S7, They can reunited together & those 4 are so angry & they looked up something 🤔.

{7th to 8th slide}:

• Loreleia's born🌙

- Ethari looked at the pregnancy test, that means he wants a more child. His husband was so happy & Rayla doesn't wanna get a sibling. He's finally happy to see his baby daughter. Runaan named her Loreleia. Aurora became nanny to two girls.😁

{Last slide}:

• Aurora & Runaan's backstory🌌

- Runaan for stay on the house because his brother needs his mission with their father. He can't go out when he was too young for a fight that he should be help. His young fairy guardian got upset Runaan. She looked up in the sky. He search on the bookpage & found the word "Northern Lights" & calls "Aurora". She loves her name by he picked his fairy's name✨. She stays with him✨

• Aurora's Bio introduction:

Name: Aurora

Species: Fairy

Gender: Female

Age: Over both Young-ish & Adult-ish

Sexuality: Bisexual & Aro-Ace (She'll be single)

• Relationship:

Runaan (Successor & Friend)

Father of Runaan (Enemy)

Ethari (Friend)

Rayla & Loreleia (Babysit)

Humans (Neutral/Friends)

Dark Mages & Aaravos (Enemies)

[lavender-tea-dragon]

FremiMay Day 8: Fatui

To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to today’s prompt ^^’ I was having a lot of trouble coming up with a design and concept….but finally, after over 10 sketch drafts, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, it hit me….

What if Lyney died before he was able to take Arlecchino’s place as the next Head of The Hearth? What if….Freminet was chosen as the successor?

I REALLY loved this idea….So, feeling inspired, I dove right in, and I’m SUPER happy with the finished product!! <3

So, here’s Razullo, also known as The Automanton, 8th of the Harbingers! Aka, timeskip Fremi!! ^^ I imagine he’d be seen as quite stern and emotionless by outsiders, but has an extremely soft spot for the kids the Hearth takes care of- he’s very warm and kind towards them, and tries to spend as much time with them as possible with them; making mechanical toys, reading them stories, and taking them to the ocean! He usually doesn’t turn to violence, preferring to use more peaceful means to solve problems, only fighting unless his family is in danger.

ALSO!! HIS HAIR LOOKS LIKE A FISHY!! :D (also, thanks for reading all this! ^^)

[valyrfia]

Excellent essay on Charles and Ferrari as always! Agree every word you said and firmly believe Charles is still Ferrari’s priority.

Wanna share my 2 cents from a commercial POV: why it doesn’t make sense for Ferrari to sideline or sacrifice Charles for Lewis’ 8th WDC

By making Lewis a 8 WDC, the incremental commercial gain for Ferrari actually is not as much as people think. He has already generated massive revenue for Ferrari via sponsorships and merchandise by joining Ferrari as a 7 WDC. His fan base, marketing power and sponsorship are not going to increase substantially because he now has 8 WDC.

Then we consider the cost by screwing Charles over to help Lewis. The most likely outcome will be Lewis will retire on the spot after winning his 8th and Charles will walk (to Redbull). Ferrari will need to explain to sponsors ‘oh the two most marketable F1 drivers are longer with us but we have…Bearman...?’ Even if the sponsor stays, the sponsorship will be much much less.

Lewis is going to retire after this contract. Making Charles his successor is the best way to keep every cent (and sponsors) he brings to stay at Ferrari. Yes Lewis will be the ambassador after retirement but Ferrari still needs an active driver to keep the sponsors happy and attract new fans. There is just no other better candidate than Charles. It makes no sense to piss him off and push him to another team.

This is an excellent take anon I love it. I just have a couple of things to add. I don't think Lewis winning the 8th at Ferrari fair and square would push Charles to another team NECESSARILY, but Charles DOES have that exit clause in his contract at the end of 2026. I have no doubt that if Ferrari show extreme favouritism towards Lewis, despite Charles and Lewis being evenly matched in their cars, Charles will threaten to activate it and walk away at the same time as Lewis retires which would cause an absolute crisis.

Likewise, Charles USP is and always has been that he is Il Predestinato, the chosen one that the prophecy foretells will bring the championship home to Maranello. I think that Ferrari can sell the Il Predestinato narrative better than Lewis Hamilton breaks Schumacher's record in Schumacher's backyard, especially to tifosi.

But, as I mentioned in the essay, Charles has to earn the right to bring the championship home. And I think that this is a fact that Charles and Lewis both more or less accept. If Lewis Hamilton clears Charles in equal machinery, then the eighth is Lewis's fair and square and Lewis gets it and while Charles would understandably be disappointed I think he would accept the outcome. But if home-grown Ferrari golden boy Charles Leclerc can outrace 7x WDC Lewis Hamilton and fulfil the Il Predestinato prophecy, well then the glory is Charles's and I don't see Lewis begrudging him for that.

[useless-catalanfacts]

This is the oldest cooper (barrel maker) shop still going on in the world, founded in 1739!

It's Boteria Torner from Vilafranca del Penedès, Catalonia. This artisan shop was founded in the year 1739 and was transmitted from parents to children until 2023, when Agustí Torner, the 8th generation of coopers from his family, was retiring. Nowadays, it's difficult for traditional jobs like this to find young people who want to continue the business, and Agustí couldn't find a successor. When he announced that the shop would have to close, the news reached a family who owns a winemaking cellar in the area, and they teamed up with other people in the sector to buy the shop and continue running it. High quality barrels are very important in the process of making wine, and the Penedès area has many people who work in making wine, since centuries ago. The shop continues and Agustí has told the news outlets how happy he is that the knowledge of this job doesn't get lost.