#And the contrast of that to his closest companions who are so overjoyed to know that he lived

[weatheredfailnot]

I also got blindsided by a line of dialogue from a Mamool side quest that perfectly encapsulates A’loq post-EW

[cienie-isengardu]

The development of Law’s relationship with Zoro - Part 3: Punk Hazard, The Alliance (B)

<<Part I: Before Meeting>> <<Part II: Sabaody Archipelago, The First Meeting>> <<Part III: Punk Hazard, The Alliance (A)>> <<Part III: Punk Hazard, The Alliance (B)>>   <<Part IV: Dressrosa, The Breaking Point (The Plan Failed)__  (Saving Law)__(Protecting Law)__ (Birdcage, Pica and Doflamingo)__  (Aftermath)>>

Law and Zoro, sadly again did not interact much through the course of the story. Roronoa literally talked three times directly to other Supernova, yet comparing his behaviour to other crew members still gives a lot to work with for Law, while Zoro’s opinion about Heart captain relies mainly on mere observation and on stories told by people who at some point interacted with Law, in good or bad way.

That said, here comes obvious differences between Zoro and his companions that Law could easily notice and appreciate:

Straw Hats reaction to pirate alliance and its goal.

In general, the reaction of Straw Hats fell in three categories: terror, cool acceptance and happy satisfaction.

And so, we have panicked and totally scared Nami, Usopp and Chopper

whose main concern was that taking down Yonko is too dangerous and how, as Usopp nicely said, they are supposed to trust that suspicious guy… who just stands like, a few meters away. And even though Luffy gave the lifting morale talk that placate the weakling trio for a time being, once Doflamingo is mentioned, they turn back into nope Nope NOPE mood, trying to vote against the alliance.

Ironically, even with Brook wondering if their protest would change anything (with I’m not sure if that means he too, don’t like the plan of pissing off Kaido by taking down one of Seven Warlords), it still makes only 4 of 9 people against. Which means a majority of Straw Hats vote for yes.

The cool acceptance comes from Sanji (seen above) noting that Luffy already decided, so there is no point in arguing now about that. He does not display overjoy at the prospect of dangerous battle(s) ahead but does not sound worry either. He simply accepts Luffy’s decision and will do what he always does - kick enemy ass & protect the crew.

Another example is Robin, who, despite warning captain about common betrayals between pirates, agreed to follow Luffy’s decision:

Franky (seen above, in Chopper’s body)… well, his main reaction was just ���Super” but how conscious he was at that moment is a matter of dispute. Anyway, once the plan was talked in more details, Franky didn’t show any worry and even took part in a discussion about the secret factory on Dressrosa. So, he was all for the alliance.

Then we have Zoro:

The Emperors, huh! That’s great. Said with a wide smile. Because of course Zoro loves  the idea of fighting against the biggest and most dangerous powers controlling the sea of the New World. Which literally makes him closest to Luffy’s reaction:

What, on one hand, is helpful for Law. On another, just speaks how Zoro’s insanity is dangerously similar to that of Monkey D. Luffy.

Another thing setting Zoro aside from the rest of the crew is something I think Law appreciated very much.

Zoro is the only one of Straw Hats that did not piss off, bother or confuse Law through the Punk Hazard arc.

I mean, Luffy probably gave him headache of the year with his stubborn, selfish and idiotic behaviour that constantly was threatening the plan

And along with Nami, Chopper, Ussop, Franky and Robin traumatized and laughed at him

and in general, confused the hell of him with their emotional switching (from screaming at Luffy and not wanting an alliance with Heart Pirates to blushing and being supportive).

Let’s not forget the pushing Law into doing things he didn’t have time or interest in but was forced to agree

or Nami screaming at him twice to give back her body

while also calling him “Torao” instead of his true name - looking at Law’s face, he wasn’t happy about that

or how he was accused of murdering or harming sick kids by Straw Hat doctor

or was told by Luffy that he understood why there is no time for party only to ignore the danger and partying with marines of all people

or making Law angry with all the lack of care for his plan due to emotional response to samurai’s story

or the perverted trio making unnecessary ruckus when A) Law already had a lot to worry and having some quiet moment was much better than seeing grown up men ganging up against kid and B) Amazon Lily proved that Law in general is not taken by female beauty which leads back to point A. and Sanji, Brook and Kinemon noisy stupidity. The manga frames did not show Law’s reaction but it was hard to miss the commotion on the deck  where he spent the whole night (at least until the trio went to confront kid and Robin after their bath, what I believe happened inside the ship).

Like, literally, half of the Punk Hazard arc is Law fighting to stay alive and secure his scheme against Doflamingo and the other half being confused, irritated and traumatized and screamed at by his new allies and occasionally, losing composure with no grace.

Zoro? Not so much, what I imagine makes Roronoa the safest Straw Hats in terms of Law’s mental health. Not that Zoro is not a hazard to someone’s mentality with all the crazy stuff he pulls during fights and general rude behaviour but Law did not have a chance to see the more goofy or softer or more idiotic side of the other Supernova yet. Anyway, the three times Zoro directly interacted with Law were always focused on the job which truly must have been refreshing after hours of Luffy’s selfish and overwhelming nature or shenanigans of the rest of the crew. In contrast to noise Straw Hats, Zoro is cool headed and calm - one could even say, Roronoa is a quiet person. Through the chaotic events, he did not pick at Law for fun, did not scream at him nor accused of cruelty or medical “crimes”, did not judge him in any noticeable way. And it was not only the matter with Trafalgar. When Kinemon attacked Rorona for “stealing Wano’s national treasure”, despite previously display of love for fighting, Zoro retained composure and limited himself to dodging while trying to convince the enraged samurai to reason.

What is even more important, he demanded from Monkey D. Luffy - the epitome of uncontrollable chaos - to act seriously. Not in the comical (panicked) way Nami, Usopp or Chopper did over the course of the story. The effect was lost on Luffy soon, true, but Zoro did not turn a blind eye to his captain’s mishaps. In a sense, Zoro is a very grounding character to the energetic and chaotic Luffy and brings some self-control and sober thinking into the relationship between two Straw Hats Supernovas. Something that is much closer to Law’s own nature, something familiar enough to know how to work around the other swordsman without migraine. In contrast to Luffy.

Of course, the impression of Zoro as the stoic, mature and not-confusing person made on Punk Hazard will be soon verified by Dressrosa arc. But so will be the impression of collected, cold-blooded and scheming Law.

Next part: Dressrosa, The Breaking Point.

[adhd-wifi]

MDZS and the Legends of Hou Yi

So just for fun, I wanted to talk about how much the tales of Hou Yi, a famous figure in Chinese legends, is referrenced in the story of MDZS. I’m pretty confident that MXTX is quite the fan of this particular story. (Note: There are multiple versions of this tale, and I went with the one that had most ties with MDZS, which, coincidentally, happened to be the version I personally grew up with, with one or two minor differences.)

This post took me 6 hours.

The Legend:

Back when the world was still new, there were ten brilliant suns in the sky, children of the Heavenly Sun Emperor Di Jun. They took turns illuminating the sky, bringing light and warmth to the mortal world below. However, the ten suns were still children, and despite their father’s strict instructions of only allowing one of them into the skies at a time, they all went out together one day to play together. 

The mortal world suffered from their game, the blinding light and unbearable heat killing crops and livestock and causing the people immense suffering. Seeing this suffering, the great immortal archer Hou Yi climbed to the top of a great mountain, armed with exactly ten arrows in his quiver, and spoke one final warning to the suns, asking that they return home peacefully. But when they did not heed his warning, Hou Yi drew his divine bow, letting loose nine arrows made of dragon bone towards the heavens. One by one, nine suns were struck, each of them falling dead to the Earth as blood red crows bearing three legs. With one arrow left in his quiver, however, Hou Yi chose to spare the last sun so the world would not fall into icy darkness. The last sun promised to behave, fearful of the archer who shot down his brothers. The mortal world declared Hou Yi a hero and their saviour.

Di Jun, however, was furious at the deaths of nine of his children, and so he cast Hou Yi and his wife, Chang'E, from the heavens, stripping them of their immortality. 

Seeking a way to return them to the heavens and relieve the feelings of grief felt by his dear wife, Hou Yi sought out the help of Xi Wang Mu, Mother Queen of the West, who was known for having created the Elixir of Immortality. Xi Wang Mu took pity on Hou Yi, and also recognized his heroic deeds in shooting down the suns despite knowing there were consequences, and thus, she gave him her last bottle of Elixir. She warned him, however, that the elixir was too strong for any single mortal, and it must be shared between him and his wife. 

Overjoyed, Hou Yi returned home, hiding the elixir in hopes of surprising his wife with it. He told her that the 15th day of the Eight Lunar Month would be a special day, for he planned to share the elixir with her on that day, and ascend back to the heavens together under the light of the beautiful full moon. 

However, others had heard of the elixir the famous fallen hero had managed to obtain. Greedy with the thought of ascending to immortality themselves, they stalked Hou Yi home and overheard what he told his wife. So they planned an ambush on the promised night, when Hou Yi left to go hunting for a special feast. They attacked Hou Yi under the moonlight, killing him and then raiding their home. They tried to force Chang’E to give them what they wanted, but Chang’E refused to give it up to her husband’s killers. To ensure they never got their hands on it, Chang’E drank the entire elixir. True to Xi Wang Mu’s words, it was too strong for one person, and she was immediately cast into the skies, forced to leave her husband behind without even saying goodbye. She then decided to live on the moon, the closest she could to the Earth, where her husband was, her only companion the Jade Rabbit of the Moon. 

References to the Legend in Mo Dao Zu Shi:

The Wen Sect & the Ten Suns

The Wen Sect represent the Ten Suns, who enjoyed their lives and did what they wanted at the expense of others

Though we don’t meet all of them, there are exactly ten named (sort of) characters bearing the name Wen

Wen Mao

Wen RuoHan

Wen Chao

Wen Xu

Wen ZhuLiu

Wen Qing

Wen Ning

Granny Wen

Uncle Four

Wen Yuan

Note: While not explicitly stated, Granny Wen & Uncle Four were only ever considered part of the sect, so it’s fair to assume that they were in fact surnamed Wen

Out of those ten Wen Sect members, only one was alive by the end of the story, Wen Yuan (Wen Ning was technically dead)

The Wen Sect as a whole is said to be bad at archery, and they were furious upon losing an archery competition where missing a shot disqualifies them (Hou Yi only had ten arrows, at first planning to shoot them all down, and couldn't afford to miss a shot or the world could've been left with more than one sun)

The indoctrination can be seen as a metaphor for the suns playing and exerting their power harmfully over the mortal world

The Wen Sect primarily resorted to burning and fire, the element most associated with the sun

The name of QiShan Wen’s residence is 不夜天城 (bù yè tiān chéng), (overly) literally translated, “No Night Sky Palace”, AKA Nightless City. With the Ten Suns in the sky, night could not fall

Wang LingJiao took the shooting of a sun-like kite as justification for her accusations of the Jiang Sect going against the Wen Sect 

It was specifically the child of the Wen Sect Leader, Wen Chao, that led the attack on Lotus Pier, like how the Ten Suns were the children of the actual Sun Emperor

Also on a narrative note, both the Ten Suns and Wen Chao had larger roles in the overall story compared to their fathers, despite their fathers playing key roles as well

The first Wen Sect member to take Wei WuXian’s side, which ultimately led to Wei WuXian & Jiang Cheng surviving the massacre of Jiang Sect, was Wen Ning, the only notably skilled archer of the Wen Sect

On a similar note, Wei WuXian, who was the considered a hero and major player in the fall of the Wen Sect, was also the winner of the archery competition

This means two skilled archers were heavily responsible for the Wens losing the war in the long run, albeit somewhat indirectly

The Sunshot Campaign is literally named the Sunshot Campaign and was in fact directly and explicitly referencing the legend of a great hero shooting down the sun in canon (meaning the story of Hou Yi exists as a legend or fairytale in MDZS canon, nice!)

Wei WuXian, who is the Hou Yi of MDZS and a hero in the war against the Wens, is represented by a crow in official promos for the animation, and when the suns were shot down, they turned into red crows with three legs (this one could be pure coincidence since crows are also just seen as symbols of death in general and he controls the dead)

The Golden Core, The Yin Tiger Seal, and the Elixir of Immortality

Since golden cores are seen as necessary to cultivate, and cultivation leads to immortality, they are what represent the elixir in MDZS

Wen ZhuLiu, a Wen Sect member, having the ability to destroy golden cores could be seen as referencing how Di Jun took away Hou Yi and Chang’E’s immortality in retaliation for shooting down the suns

Jiang Cheng into going up a mountain to meet BaoShan Sanren to restore his golden core is similar to how Hou Yi sought out Xi Wang Mu to restore their immortality

On a related note, MDZS’s version of Xi Wang Mu is both BaoShan Sanren and Wen Qing combined, BaoShan Sanren playing the role of the immortal figure to give the golden core, and Wen Qing taking on her identity while being the one to actually give it through the experimental surgery

After getting the elixir however, it became more similar to the Yin Tiger Seal instead, being sought after by hostile people who were willing to kill Wei WuXian for it, all for personal reasons (Fuck you Jin Sect)

Wei WuXian hiding the golden core transfer from Jiang Cheng can be seen as similar to how Hou Yi initially hid the elixir from Chang’E, though Hou Yi always planned to tell her about it unlike Wei WuXian

In an alternate version of the tale, Chang’E was suspicious of Hou Yi’s secrecy with the elixir after subconsciously blaming him for their immortality taken away (Hou Yi may or may not have told her about his task, depending on what version of this alternate version you read), thus peeking inside the hidden box while he was away on a hunt. When he returned, she panicked over betraying his trust and drank the whole thing. This alternate version can be seen as similar to how Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure whether to trust Wei WuXian or not after the events of the Sunshot Campaign, and his inability to trust his “former” brother heavily contributed to their separation. I mean if Wei WuXian & Hou Yi had just talked to their loved ones in these versions of their stories they would’ve had a little less problems but what’s an ancient Chinese dramatic tale without miscommunication am I right?

WangXian and Hou Yi & Chang’E

Both Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi share aspects of Hou Yi and Chang’E’s individual sides of their stories in MDZS

Lan WangJi, like Chang’E, wasn’t present during his loved one’s confrontation with the Wen Sect (”the Suns”) 

Lan WangJi is also associated with the moon in some official art and his robes are always white and resemble “mourning robes”. This ties into Chang’E being the goddess of the moon and being known to wear white, some believing she does so in mourning the loss of her husband who remained on Earth

In contrast, Wei WuXian is more associated with the sun narratively, having fought the Wen Sect during a major turning point in his life, then lived as family with the Wen Remnants and always having something red in his otherwise dark outfits (his ribbon). This ties in with Hou Yi’s involvement with the Ten Suns in general

Side note: Lan WangJi wore clothing that was more typical of a non-combatant (long, flowy hanfu-looking robes), like Chang’E, who was a dancer never saw the battlefield. Wei WuXian tended to wear clothes more typical of an active combatant (pre-Yiling Patriarch at least) with narrow sleeves and trousers, similar to the portrayals of traditional archers such as Hou Yi. He no longer wears such attire in Mo XuanYu’s body. (CQL not counted for this point)

 WangXian’s representative animal is the rabbit, specifically the two rabbits Wei WuXian gifted Lan WangJi. Chang’E’s main (sometimes only) companion on the moon is the Jade Rabbit

On a related note, the Lan Sect is the one that keeps the rabbits, and the Lan Sect happens to be the Sect most associated with jade ornaments, even though the other sects have them as well

Like Chang’E, Wei WuXian was unwilling to give his assailants the Yin Tiger Seal, choosing instead to ensure they could never have it, but by destroying the seal (”drinking the elixir”) he ended up being separated from his loved ones in the mortal world, in his case by dying

Also, part of his decision to do this was driven by the grief of losing someone he loved, though in his case it was Jiang YanLi instead of his future husband

In an alternate version of the tale where Hou Yi survived the ambush, or the version where Chang’E betrays his trust, Hou Yi becomes violent and cruel, going from a worshipped hero to a hated tyrant. This alternate version can relate to both Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi. Wei WuXian was a hero of the Sunshot Campaign, but became hated after the war was over (though he did so by sticking to his personal morals). Lan WangJi turned against his sect and the cultivation world despite his reputation as a righteous man because he feared losing the man he loved, then upon losing Wei WuXian he lost himself in his grief, especially notable in his drunken rampage where he branded himself with the Wen branding iron

Also related to the alternate versions in which Hou Yi lived, like Hou Yi, Lan WangJi was left on the mortal surface without his love, who had gone to a non-mortal plane of existence and was unable to even communicate with him

Hou Yi and Chang’E, post-separation, are sometimes associated with the concept of Yin-Yang, representing the “opposites” of Earth and Heaven respectively, connected by love. WangXian is similar, having started as opposing personality types with shared ideals, then their relationship became that of love by the end of the story. (WangXian is also more visually representative of Yin-Yang, with their black and white clothing respectively)

Welp this got so long LMAO. Anyways this was still really fun to do, especially since I personally really like this story, since it was one of the stories I was told growing up (it’s not my favourite exactly, tiny-baby-me got mad at the Jade Emperor a lot, but one of them). Hope this was just as fun to read lol. 

[marcusmettalus]

Dawning/Winterveil/Yuletide.

Christmas/Yule with a few of my characters. Thought this would be a nice long write in different verses with similar themes.

Enjoy it all below the cut!~

The Tower, Last City, Earth.

Amanda Holiday was working on a jumpship's turbo arc-injector, it had been her latest project the last few days and it was going nowhere. Grumbling, she tosses her spanner into the nearby toolbox, muttering some manner of obscenities as she stormed off to her alcove.

Her assistant-frame clinks over to reorganize the contents of the tipped over toolbox, as Amanda drinks from her water flask, still muttering and trying to solve this latest conundrum, when a gentle voice spoke.

"I do hope I am not disturbing you Miss Holiday." Amanda turned round to see an Awoken Warlock, with that sharp styled hair and dimly glowing golden hues.

"Nah, you're fine Tez. Just this ship got my springs all wound up and it ain't giving way for me. Sigh,," the blonde human combs ran her stained gloves through her messy hair, leaning against the steel frame of her little shack.

"Maybe you need to take your mind off of the,, springs, and look at something else for a bit. Clear your mind, see things in a new light." Tez'sara chuckles quietly before pulling out a parcel for Amanda, bound in emerald green paper and silver ribbons.

"Happy Dawning Miss Holiday." Tez'sara grins broadly while Amanda laughs softly, taking the gift and plopping herself down onto her workstool.

"Aaaw, Tez you shouldn't have. This is adorable, thank you baby. I got nothing for you tho-"

"I think you have given me a lot over the years Miss Holiday, and you've helped me more than just fixing up my ship. You've lent your ear and your thoughts to me."

Amanda smiles tenderly, what weight on her shoulders slipping away as she opened up the gift, to reveal a set of new tools of curious design. "What in tarnation,,?"

"They adjust their heads to wrap about what you are working on, so I call them 'Morph-keys'!" Tez'sara bounces a little excitedly while Amanda looks over the tools, holding up one the keys, before having a light bulb moment.

"Wait wait a hot second,, maybe,, yes! I think you helped with my problem!" Amanda rushes back over to the jumpship and a few second later, the drive roars into life, the turbo arc-charger purring happily.

"Ha ha! It worked! Tez, I swear I could," Amanda whirls around to look for Tez'sara but found that the Warlock has gone, her smile dropping slowly, "kiss you.."

Tyran sat at the edge of the cliff, overlooking festivities below in Stormwind. The humans, the elves, the dwarves and gnomes have decorated the city with lights and baubles, great pines from Dun Morogh set up in the squares and plazas.

Winterveil was in full swing below, yet Tyran sat alone at the top of the cliff, alone. It has been months now since the war between the Alliance and Horde started in earnest, and Tyran had now left the adoptive home of the Horde. The aging dragon, in his Orc form, sighed deeply, a dense cloud of hot air billowing away.

"There you are, I was wondering where I would find you,, you always had a sweet spot for this city."

Tyran tensed up as he heard that melodious voice, and did not need to turn to see who it was approaching. The armored heels cut through the snow with ease, the flowing red shawl and cape floating behind, as the Queen of the Red Dragonflight approached Tyran from behind.

“My Queen,, I thought you did not wish to see me,,” Tyran spoke slowly, turning his head slightly away as Alexstrasza stood next to the cliff edge.

“Tyranastrasz, I required time to process my emotions and mind. I mourned your passing, I saw your blood stain those tiles and the claws of Deathwing, your corpse dragged away to be burned or butchered or worse. Decades pass, and we all mourned.Then, my beautiful daughter Elestrasza, comes home with you in tow, not truly realizing who you truly were. I,” Alexstrasza falters, having started so strong but now those emotions she thought sorted come welling up again,”I saw right away. It was you, alive, changed and scarred, but alive. I was shocked, overjoyed, furious, lost and found,,”

Tyran closes his eyes, his chin dipping to touch his chestplate, sighing deeply. Alex clenched her fists, her clawed fingers digging into her palms before she relaxed. “You came back from the dead, I had just come to accept your loss, I had found a new consort and started a new clutch,,”

“Twas not my plan to disrupt the peace you had created, My Queen.” Tyran spoke quietly, but Alex heard clearly.

“I am not your Queen, Tyranastrasz,,”

Tyran flinches, his eyes squeezing tightly as he waited for whatever was to follow those words. He expected a blow, a vicious blow of words, something. But, all he felt was those warm hands gingerly caress and trace over his jaw and cheek, contrasting to the biting chill winds whipping the mountain.

“, you are my husband, my King, my closest companion I had ever had for millennia. Always by my side, the soundest of mind, and the fiercest of warriors. There can be no true comparison for such a man as you. Queen is not sufficient enough of a word to used.”

Tyran opened his eyes, looking into the glimmering hues of the Lifebinder, and smiled wholeheartedly. As the sun begins to dip behind the mountain, lovers once separated, are reunited.

30km off the coast of New York State, United States of America, Earth.

The massive vessel slowly drifted over the soft waves of the North Atlantic, its heavy engines and drives idle. The deep red and blackened armored hull almost indistinguishable from the night sea spray, salt and ice staining the void hardened metal.

Galaxus slumbered, the great carrier resting in these short hours of the early morning on Earth. The waves on this great ocean, he had found soothing to him, and would often land here when he felt weary from the conflicts and travelling. On board, many of the gang were either resting or tinkering with their hobbies. but some could not dictract themselves.

Cometstrike tapped her talons lightly against the bulkhead door, a door that led outside onto the outer hull of Galaxus. She wanted to fly for a bit, but knew it would reveal the position of not only herself, but also of Galaxus and the gang. Given the humans latest activites and organizations,,

A blast of chilled wind hits her visor as she exits onto the outer hull, icy water getting kicked up by the crashing waves against the hull. Acitivating her mag locks in her feet, the female Autobot walked along the top of the carrier till she was half way down. As she looked up into the night sky, she could see the myriad of stars and constellations softly glowing in the vastness of space.

She hesitates again, the call for flight is strong here, the whipping winds, the clear dark skies, the thrill of evading detection. But the sight of the night stars distract her.

The golden dermis and neon azure lights glint against the dark waves and armor. Lost for the moment.

“You cannot rest, but you cannot attain excitement for risk of bringing danger to your companions.” Cometstrike whirls around with her blades drawn, the visor locking onto the source of the voice, only to see no one around. Comet looks around again, before looking down to spy an opened service duct, revealing what looks to be a speaker of sorts. Sighing softly she retracts her blades.

“Aye, do not blame yourself Galaxus, I enjoy your hospitality but I do feel sometimes confined within your hold and walkways. I want to feel some openness and freedom, to feel myself soar again, breaking the sound barrier.”

“Nothing to apologize for sister. I know these emotions deeply. Even as we speak, I wish to feel the chilled embrace of the Void, the rumble of my drives as I traverse the stars, to find new realms to explore and to feel the silent roar of combat in space.” 

“,, I recognized you, you know? When you and Earthquake offered to save Starlight. I did not say anything at the time, but I knew whom you were. You were at the Battle of Cretus Tertius, it was the first time any of the Autobots saw your kind. You and your siblings d-”

“They were not my brothers and sisters. I was awake, they were machines, forced into a war not of their own. They saw and killed, but could not get rid of Megatron’s leash. I resisted, I yanked on the chains they tried to bind me with. But the damage was done, and it would take me many years before I got the shackles removed.” Galaxus rumbled softly, the hull shuddering slightly underneath Comet’s feet, but they soon went away.

“Since then, I have fought against the shackle and chain, the rule of tyrants, and that anyone should follow their Spark in their inter-celestial flight across the sea of stars. Like you once did, long ago.” Comet snaps to look back down at the speaker system, squinting behind the visor before she feels something soft beginning to fall on her dermis.

Soft petals of snow had begun to fall down over the Atlantic, and starting to dust over the large carrier and Comet.

“,, remind me what day it is Sister?”

“On Earth, it is the 25th of their twelfth month. Why?”

“Then in the traditions of Earth, may I wish you a Merry Yuletide. It is a time to look to one’s family, think of the future, and what bright goals you set to better yourself, and to aide those you call friends and family.”