#I cannot possibly explain what led me to that thought

[saltnsugarbear]

holy water cannot help you now (18+)

summary: after telling Lip you don't get the appeal of sex, he decides to enlighten you

title from: "Seven Devils" by Florence and the Machine

word count: 1.2k

content warnings: MDNI!!! Lip calls reader kid, mention of recreational smoking, innocent-ish reader, Lip is a little freak /pos, afab reader genitalia, vaginal fingering, oral (reader receiving)

side note: found a way to mention my new ghost undies I love them <3

divider by @strangergraphics

It starts when Lip gives you your first joint.

That fire in his belly as he watches you hesitantly wrap your lips around the bud. It gets worse when you cough at your first hit, watching how your eyes water.

At first, he thought it was a sense of pride. Proud you felt comfortable enough to trust him, proud of you for taking that first hit.

When you asked for a hit from his cigarette a week later, he got the same feeling. This feeling of hunger clawing at his throat as he watched your chapstick leave a faint ring of red around the filter.

"That's all you're gettin'," He tells you, taking the cigarette from your hand. "Don't need y'gettin' addicted.."

His words make you roll your eyes, blowing the smoke in his face. In response, he cuffs you around the back of your head, ruffling up your hair.

"You're addicted to 'em.. Don't know why it matters if I am.." You mutter. You don't mean to pout, but you find it a little hypocritical that he's going to warn you about addiction.

"Yeah, well, if I jumped off a bridge, would you follow me?" It's meant to be a tease, a play on if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you? question.

"Maybe.." You mutter, shrugging your shoulders. Lip wasn't expecting you to answer so honestly, getting you a surprised laugh from him. You watched as Lip brought the cigarette to his lips and shook his head.

"You're ridiculous, kid.." He mutters when he exhales.

"I'm older than you, jackass," you tell him, furrowing you brows as you look at him. Your response makes him roll his eyes.

Lip thought the curling feeling he got when he watched you take your first drag would be a one time thing.

However, when you explained to him you were confused about how sex could possibly feel so good, it just sounded so messy and uncomfortable, that the feeling came clawing at his brain again.

It reared its head at him when he asked you if you had ever watched porn, masturbated, anything that might give you any inkling of an idea about why it was so good.

And it's not that Lip got off on you knowing so little and being so innocent and letting him show you - okay, maybe Lip got off a little at the idea of you being this innocent. He had this perverted sense of pride, knowing he would be the one to tell you to show you.

But that also depended on if you wanted him to show you. Something about some stranger teaching you how to fuck made his stomach churn, made him want to tell off this imaginary person. When he asked you if you wanted him to show you how sex could be good, he wasn't expecting you to say yes.

So when you did, he was caught off guard. He didn't get shy, but he felt himself get anxious at the thought. What if you thought he was weird? What if he ruined this experience for you and didn't change your mind at all?

His thoughts were derailed when you sighed his name softly, looking up at him with doe like eyes. All of his worries are forgotten, focusing on just making this experience as good for you as he can. The way he kisses you is different than how he's ever kissed anyone. It's soft and slow and sweet. Everything he pretends to not be.

This is what led to the both of you sitting on the edge of the bed, Lip with one of his hands under your shirt, feeling up your chest. You're breathing heavily against his hair as his mouth kisses down your neck. Lip bites softly at a few different spots, drawing out a whine from low in your chest. He's quick to start slipping off the bed, his mouth kissing the fabric of your shirt over your stomach. His hands are the last to follow, gripping at your skin softly as he moves down until he's grabbing at your waist.

"Gonna let me take these off?" He asks you, pulling at the waistband of your pants.

"Mhm.." You nod, looking down at him. You watch him smirk softly, bringing his hand up to push against your stomach.

"Lay back then, baby.." He says as he starts undoing the buttons and zipper. You're quick to please, laying back almost immediately. Lifting your hips so he can slip your jeans off is easy, and he slips them the rest of the way down your legs and tossing them to the side. He presses a soft kiss to your calf before he's sitting up to really take in the state of you, taking in the panties you're wearing.

"What the-" Lip cuts himself off. The way he speaks is what alarms you, making you push yourself up on your forearms.

"What?" You ask anxiously, brows tugging together as you study him.

"Ghost underwear?" He asks you, blonde brows quirking up when he looks up with a smirk. His question makes your face flush, twisting your mouth to the side.

"They're cute! And fun!" You tell him. You had been excited about the little ghosts on the front of your new panties. Four of the five had little ghosts pasted to the center, the fifth having a whole pattern of the ghosts.

"You're gonna kill me, kid.." Lip sighs, pressing a soft kiss to your stomach as an apology. He listens to you huff as you lay back down, fidgeting as you wait for him to do something.

The feeling of Lips tongue over your underwear makes you inhale sharply. The hum he lets out as he laps at you through the fabric makes your hips buck into his face. Maybe you can start to understand why people love this.

Lip spends what feels like hours in between your thighs. He spends that time lapping softly at your core, slowly working you open with his fingers. The feeling of your first orgasm is overwhelming, walls clenching tightly around his fingers while he sucks in your clit. He spends even longer down there after that, thrusting his fingers in and out of you as he kisses your clit.

Both orgasms have your legs clenching around him, squeezing him between your thighs. The groans he lets out against you overwhelm you, bringing your hands to push his face away from your core. His pupils are blown wide when you look down at him. Lip's chin is shiny with your slick, his face is flushed, and he looks positively smitten.

Your chest rises and falls heavily, blinking hard to clear your head. You watch as Lip uses his thumb to wipe off his chin, popping it in his mouth to clean it off. When he's done, he slips your underwear down your legs before making quick work of his own jeans. Lip is slow to crawl over you, slotting his hips against yours with his cock heavy against your stomach. You can't help but whine softly, lifting your hips to get some sort of relief.

"Look at ya. Already got you begging for it like a slut..." Lip kisses along your collarbone, biting the skin softly.

"Please, Lip," you whine into his ear, rocking your hips up so you can rub against the underside of his cock. Your whining does little to dissuade his words.

"Gonna let me fuck ya? Make y'feel good?" Lip asks as he lines himself up with your entrance. "Gonna let me show y'what you're missin'?"

His words make you feel dizzy, but you're nodding anyway.

"Yeah, gonna fuck ya real good.."

[fieldofheathers-stuff]

Man, the concept of Chiss Navigators "losing" their Force powers is such an underrated and tragic plot point in the Thrawn books.

Disclaimer: I haven't read the Ascendancy books yet, so this is me speculating on a topic on which all the information I possess is based on snippets of the books I've read here and there, Wikipedia pages and A LOT of fanfiction I've consumed over the years.... But bear with me. I have Thoughts™ about this.

I don't think the books ever explicitly explain why the Chiss "sky-walkers" lose their Sight, so this might be headcanon on my part, but from what I understand there's enough evidence sprinkled in about the fact that it might be linked, at least to some degree, to the trauma and stress Force-sensitive children are put under in Chiss society. It is well established in Star Wars lore that Force powers can't just "disappear", so unless Zahn is messing with established Force lore, it cannot be interpreted as a natural occurrence linked to, idk, a quirk of Chiss biology.

I think this speaks loudly about the underlying dysfunctionality of Chiss society. From what I can gather, it seems to me like a system that demands the complete subjugation of the individual to achieve a collective goal... or at least, that's how it's sold to its citizens to keep them compliant. In reality, we readers know it is all in service of a select few (the heads of the Ruling Families). Man, the Chiss are such a dark mirror to the Empire, when you think about it.

Anyway, I think that the fading of Force powers in "sky-walkers" HAS to be linked with the inherent dysfunctionality of Chiss society. It's probably a (subconscious) reaction to the brainwashing and forced compliance to a fundamentally selfish system, which is purely aimed at ensuring the dominance of the Ascendancy over the rest of the Chaos. I think it is deeply symbolic that Vah'nya, the only Sky-walker whose powers don't fade, is one of the few who seems genuinely content in her role among the CEDF. For her, it was a choice to serve, so this attunedness helps her preserve her connection with the Force. I think we are meant to understand that for other Chiss girls it wasn't so, and that this led to a sort of subconscious suppression of their Sight, which man. It's so tragic. I can easily imagine how they would eventually become resentful towards the power that basically ensured their enslavement.

I think it's also possible that, since Chiss culture lacks the mystical tradition that appears to be foundational in order to properly nurture and develop Force powers among Force user communities, this would probably accelerate the suppression process. The navigators really have no support whatsoever.

It's also very interesting how this all relates to Thrawn. I've always thought there's a contradictory quality to his character when it comes to his attitude to the Force: on one hand, his utilitarian and analytical attitude causes him to be... almost in denial of the Force's capabilities. Yet, at the same time, his love and understanding of art means that, on an instinctual level, he's also deeply attuned to things that are impalpable, whimsical, mystical and symbolic. It's almost like there's a deep cognitive dissonance in Thrawn himself, which prevents him from seeing the full picture of what the Force is and how it actually works.

Man, they are all so trapped in a prison of their own making, and they can't even see it due to their own cultural biases. ç_ç I just want to hug them all ç_____ç

[putschki1969]

KALAFINA REUNION 📢IT'S TRUE📢

Why did I even go to bed last night??! Damn it, I lost precious time. Anways, many of you must have seen my post last night about that ominous Nikkan Sports article speculating about a possible comeback of Kalafina. I honestly thought it was fake news since it contained a ton of unconfirmed/uncredited information. However, there was lots of interesting stuff that kept me from dismissing it entirely. I mean, who would go through all the trouble coming up with details such as specific quotes or exact concert details? Turns out they mostly got the dates mixed up but the rest was true. At noon Japanese Standard Time, we got all of our official announcements. Here's the gist of it〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Kalafina Staff Posts 1 & 2 on Twitter

Announcement of "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025" Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Open at 17:30 /Start 18:30 Venue: Tokyo Garden Theater Performers: Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru) Music Director: Takebe Satoshi

To everyone who loves and supports Kalafina We have decided to hold a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". We want to sing together as a trio again, knowing that you all have always cherished Kalafina, even while we are doing solo activities. We look forward to seeing you there! Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru)

Ticket sales are scheduled for the following dates: ■Wakana/KEIKO Fan Club Advanced Lottery October 10, 2024, 11:00 - October 20, 23:59 ■Hikaru X (formerly Twitter) Advanced Lottery October 25, 11:00 - November 4, 23:59 ■General Ticket Lottery November 9, 11:00 - November 11, 23:59

Keiko Posts 1 & 2 on Twitter & Fan Club Site & Tristone & Instagram post

To all our supporters We have decided to hold a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". Through my solo activities and activities with FictionJunction, I have had many new encounters and taken on new challenges, and I am where I am today thanks to the support of many people. This is a personal matter, but the reason I took a break from singing and then decided to sing again was because of Yuki Kajiura's music. And it was the feelings of everyone who has supported us up until now that led to this event. I am grateful for those feelings, and I am simply happy that the three of us can deliver Kalafina's music again. I am truly looking forward to seeing you all next year. KEIKO

Hikaru's Post on Twitter and Instagram

To everyone who always supports us We are happy to announce that we'll be holding a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". Even during my solo activities, I always got a strong sense of everyone's love for Kalafina. I'm grateful we are getting this opportunity to sing together again as a trio and to perform all those treasured songs which Yuki Kajiura has written for us. I hope we can raise a new flag together with all of you. I look forward to seeing you there that day! 2024.10.03 Hikaru

Wakana Posts on Twitter & Botanical Land & Instagram post

(We finally have an official statement from Wakana on her Insta) It has been decided that an "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025" will be held on January 15th next year. From 2018 to the present, we have each pursued our own music, but we have decided to sing together again. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who always think of and love Kalafina. I am very much looking forward to meeting you all.

Satoshi Takebe Tweet 1 & Tweet 2 & Tweet 3 (deleted)

Today I had a meeting with some artists I truly respect and had a beer in the middle of the day 🍺 We had a fun afternoon. I hope there will be lots of fun things to do next year too. I can't say anything yet, but I'm already working on some exciting projects!! (Tweet 1)

I believe that my mission is to support artists. It is never my intention to betray or hurt people. That is the one thing I have always stayed true to, and I will continue to do so. It may sound naive, but I believe that sincerity and passion are what motivate people. (Tweet 2)

Due to confidentiality obligations, I cannot explain the situation. However, Kajiura-san is an artist I respect, she's a wonderful musician, and I am a fan of the music she creates. I would like to support the three members with the utmost respect. (Tweet 3 - deleted)

Tweet by Yuki Kajiura & Tweet 2 & Tweet 3

Regarding Kalafina I've received some inquiries in relation to the most recent announcement of an upcoming Kalafina Live Concert so I'd like to use this opportunity to clarify that I, Yuki Kajiura, will not have no involvement whatsoever in this concert. Furthermore, I have not received any advance notice or explanation from the organisers or any of the group members. Given the situation, I am therefore unable to answer any questions. I apologise, but any future inquiries regarding Kalafina should be directed at the organisers and official agencies of the group members.

I believe the members of Kalafina have decided to step away from me as their producer to go on a new path that is not related to me. I had been searching for a way to work together again in the future to create new Kalafina music but that will no longer be happening. It is very unfortunate but this is the road that each member has chosen. We are all individuals searching for our personal musical path so things like this happen.

As you all know, the three of them are truly wonderful singers so I have no doubt that they will continue to deliver amazing vocals and music to their fans. I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again for the privilege and happiness of having been able to create music together with them for nearly ten years, and I wish Kalafina continued success in the future.

Yuki Kajiura (Tweet 1)

I hope for a great success regarding the upcoming concert, and that's all I can say about this. I hope to continue making music in a cheerful and fun way in the future (^^). (Tweet 2)

This may be an unnecessary remark, but… there's no way that Kalafina will no longer be able to sing their past songs just because one producer has left, and I personally don't wish that upon them.

I'm sure they'll create a wonderful harmony at their live show in January, so I hope you'll give thunderous cheers and applause to Kalafina's singing and to the musicians who support them on stage. Once again, I wish them all the success in the world. (Tweet 3)

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Wow. All of this is wild. I don't even know what to say. I can hardly believe it. On one hand, I am beyond happy and excited. There's no way I will not be there for this concert and everything beyond that. But on the other hand, all the announcements make this feel a little bittersweet. The personal statements by Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru don't necessarily feel disingenuous but they sound a bit flat and forced. Sadly, there's no personal statement from Wakana yet. Obviously, the elephant in the room is Yuki Kajiura's statement and her exclusion from the entire project. The way her statement is written comes off as quite bitter, passive aggressive and honestly a little petty which doesn't bode well for the future (maybe her manager Mori asked her to phrase it in such a way to make the organisers look bad. And I can understand why she would feel frustrated at being excluded like that). Mostly, I interpret her standoffish attitude as a knee-jerk reaction or as a way to strongly distance herself from the whole thing and not so much as an attempt to bash the members (the latter half of the statement would indicate that at least). Also, she already seems to regret posting such a harsh statement and posted a couple of follow-up tweets. I truly do not understand what is going on behind the scenes to cause so much hostility between Yuki Kajiura, her management and whoever is pulling the strings for this Kalafina reunion (presumably Space Craft's management). My best guess is that Space Craft is at least somehow involved in this project since both Wakana and Satoshi Takebe are able to participate (Takebe is not affiliated with Space Craft but he's been in charge of almost all of Wakana's solo work so maybe there are some ties to the agency).It looks like Space Craft are adamant about not working together with YK (same old childish attitude). Then again, Satoshi Takebe has enough influence in the industry to organise a project like this without the help of Space Craft. Maybe Sony is also involved? I have no idea. Hope we are getting more details once the ticket lotteries start. A new Kalafina website (still being developed) has popped up and it's run by Space Craft so that's probably proof enough that they are one of the main players in all of this.

I wonder if this was a spur of the moment thing once they realised how much hype there still exists for Kalafina after that "ring your bell" performance at the FSN event...Overall, the timing is so weird, Why now? I mean, this doesn't sound like it has been in the making for a very long time based on the fact that Yuki Kajiura didn't even know about it. Keiko and Hikaru literally collaborated with her a couple of weeks ago so how did this topic not come up even once???! Wonder how it will affect future collaborations between Yuki, Keiko and Hikaru? They still have the Asia tour dates coming up in November so I can imagine it would be kinda awkward to work together after this bomb has been dropped. Will they still be covering Kalafina songs? Either way, I refuse to believe tha there has been a real falling out between any of them. It comes across like a series of unfortunate events. Maybe some miscommunication and rushed action but nothing that couldn't be cleared up with a proper conversation.

One thing I'm also curious about is whether or not Satoshi Takebe will take on the role as producer for future music (if they are even planning to go down that route?? It does sound like they might have new projects/releases in store for us...I do feel a little conflicted about that since Yuki Kajiura is such an important component of Kalafina. This is basically what I thought would happen back in 2018/2019. With someone else coming in to take charge of the music production. Back then I wasn't completely against the idea since I was convinced the girls could make it work (especially with the help of someone as established and competent as Satoshi Takebe) but it certainly wasn't my preferred option. Ughhh, I will remain open-minded for the time being. My love for Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru goes beyond anything so as of right now, I feel happy and excited. The live in January will be a celebration of Kalafina so there's no way I'm not going. If they continue to hold "tribute" concerts like this, it will mostly be a nostalgic cash-grab but hey, I'm the target group for that. They can have all my money. And I can definitely see myself supporting them in future projects even with Yuki Kajiura out of the picture. Takebe has been engaging in some surprisingly frank one-on-one discussions on Twitter and so far, it looks like certain confidentiality agreements keep him from going into detail in the matter but his involvement as of right now is limited to being a director/producer for the concert on January 15.

It goes without saying that I will not tolerate any hate towards the girls on this blog! If you are bitter that Yuki Kajiura is not involved, that's your prerogative, I'm sure this will antagonise quite a few hardcore YK fans. But please, don't shit on the members for making this decision. I'm sure they put a lot of thought into it and felt like this course of action was in everyone's best interest. They are clearly thinking about the fans, their own passion/love for Kalafina's music and obviously their careers within the industry.

[darkstarofchaos]

Okay. While we're talking about EarthSpark S1 problems that have been made worse by S2. Why is Megatron special?

One of the weakest parts of EarthSpark for me has always been the fact that Megatron is the only Decepticon known to have defected. Later on, Cons like Breakdown, Tarantulas, and even Starscream added some nuance by showing them willing to risk themselves for non-Decepticons, though understandably, none of them were willing to defect at that point. But even though such Cons clearly existed, none of them defected along with Megatron, or at any other point during the war.

And Megatron's own defection was just... It's painfully obvious that he was developed to be a Good Guy and didn't have a lot of thought put into what he was like as a Decepticon. By his own admission and Starscream's assessment, he was a violent leader who ruled with fear, but all it took to make him change sides was... Seeing a human care more about his side than he did? That's it? And if that is why he changed sides, he clearly took the wrong lesson away from that, because he still doesn't care about what used to be his side. Instead of trying to do better by them, he abandons them. And then all he has to do to make Optimus trust him is... Scan an Earth altmode. Really.

It all feels very weak to me, and doesn't adequately explain anything. Did Megatron make any attempt to be a kinder leader, or did he just defect immediately after seeing the Error Of His Ways? How did we get from "damn, I don't care about my guys enough" to "my whole cause is corrupt, I'mma go now"? Did he ever try to use his position as leader of the freaking Decepticons to end the war peacefully or steer them onto a better path, or did he just wash his hands of them the moment he considered himself morally superior to them? If he did try to use his influence before bailing, how did he change so much so fast that none of his officers wanted to follow him anymore? Why did he give up on his entire faction and not bring any of the more open-minded Decepticons with him?

There are so many questions that either aren't answered or only get vague suggestions of what might have happened, and the answers we do get aren't enough for me to buy Megatron's redemption. It all feels too fast and too easy, and I do not understand why he could defect from the faction he led but less committed Decepticons just didn't.

And now all of these issues are worse than ever, because all the nuance the other Decepticons had is gone. Now it's just "Y'know, Decepticons. They're evil." Apparently not all of them, because Megatron is still hanging out with the Autobots, Con insignia and all! I ask again, why is Megatron special? Why does he get to change but all the others have to be flat and evil?

The real-world answer, of course, is that he never changed. He was conceived as a good person and ally to the Autobots, and that's how he's going to stay. But you cannot have a "Cons are just evil" story while the ex-leader of the Cons is walking freely in the Autobot base. Megatron's entire character is only possible with the assumption that Decepticons are capable of changing, and trying to revert to Cons Evil makes his redemption weaker than ever. Because it's so painfully obvious that he was written to be a good person and his dark history doesn't actually matter.

[widebrimmedhatsblog]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the ending!!

I'm soooo sorry nonny. This took 5ever. For some reason, I mentally decided that the completion of this ask would be the end of my Onyx Storm era, and then I didn't want to go near it because I didn't want the book to be done :(. However, I was brave, and I did it. This got insanely obscenely long, so you're getting Xaden's chapter 65 now, and then I'll reblog with Vi's LAST chapter some other time.

Chapter 65: Xaden

Veninism: I think the first thing that comes up in this chapter is the insight into the venin mindset. Xaden's significantly more intense (both than earlier in the book, and in his previous POV chapters). At first, I wasn't a huge fan of the "ice" thing, because I missed the part where he explains it (perks of reading till 5 in the morning) and I thought it was some anachronistic hockey reference. (Fun fact: I wrote this out before Rebecca gave that interview revealing that, yes, it WAS an anachronistic hockey reference. I know that lady WELL.) HOWEVER! The way it's explained here, (essay below the cut)

"Wrath courses like a current under the ice I willingly skate onto, cutting my emotions like the burdens they are so I can be the weapon she needs." (Yarros, 520)

reminds me a lot of a PTSD flashback/trauma event. Not only does this make significantly more sense with the metaphor at hand, but it makes a lot more sense with Rebecca's body of work. I know she's made addiction comparisons, and I can see some lines, but, frankly, I think it's a much more intricate web than a 1-1 metaphor. Especially with the use of the word "triggered" to describe what happens to him when he is "on the ice" as it were, I think (if anything) it's about using an addiction to cope with PTSD-type trauma.

Bond Fuckery: After revealing that Xaden cannot kill the sage himself, he goes on to say,

"I could no more raise a blade to his throat than I could Violet. The bond between Violence and me is the kind of magic that has no explanation." (Yarros, 521)

Which....is weird! Given that we have a precise explanation for said bond in Fourth Wing, maybe something else is going on? #the power of love?? I'm not trying to say they're soul mates in any real tangible way because this is not that kind of story, but I do think it means something. I just don't know what yet.

Further bond fuckery themes are found earlier in the book. There's the entire situation with Andarna leaving, in which Leothan says,

"Bonds are merely magical ties. You are irid. You are magic. Bend it, shape it, break it as you see fit." (Yarros, 443)

I've definitely seem some people floating the idea that perhaps Andarna broke Tairn and Sgaeyl's mating bond, re: Tairn's suspicious period of rest on page 526, (I personally thought he was tired from killing some dragons!) and I definitely think that's a possibility. However, I think it's really interesting that, specifically, Leothan also says bend it and shape it. I know we're supposed to finish the book thinking that Andarna/Leothan severed Violet's bond with Andarna, and then re-forged said bond mid-battle. To me...that doesn't really make sense? There was no real moment where you can say, okay, bond re-forged. It just kind of happens? Which I suppose is also how it happens at threshing, so maybe I'm the problem. Still, I think the idea that perhaps Andarna (or another irid??? given her 1 week of training???) bent or reshaped Tairn and Sgaeyl's mating bond (in order to protect Xaden/Xaden's mission/Violet from the consequences of Xaden's mission) is worth considering.

There's also the entire element of modern AU no magic isles. I know a lot of people thought that entire quest section of the book was filler, but I disagree. I definitely think that insertion was meant to demonstrate that the bonds are not as infallible as we've been led to believe, to show their importance to Xaden and Violet, and to further show just how much Andarna is not like other dragons, and therefore able to do shit with the bond.

Xaden's new brother! Xaden starts off describing the new venin by saying,

"and now that my sage has a new sibling he can use against me...I'm screwed." (Yarros, 521)

Then, he goes on to add:

"...my new brother and the unconscious dragon lying in the valley...how could he do this? Choose this after watching me stumble and fall over the last five months. How could he willingly walk the path I've fought like hell to leave? He's the last person I ever would have expected to turn, and yet here we are." (Yarros, 521)

My money's on Bodhi! There's a lot of "brother" mentions surrounding Bodhi, given the repeated descriptions of how similar he and Xaden look. He's "the closest thing (Xaden) has to a brother since Liam." Garrick even thought Theophanie called Bodhi his brother beforehand! It's Bodhi. Further nuance to Bodhi turning is found, in my opinion, in his frustration with Xaden's over-protection at the end of Onyx Storm. This feeling of impotence combined with something potentially happening to Cuir (re: unconcious dragon lying in the valley/Bodhi puking his guts up wherever that quote is) gives him a reason to turn.

I know @skyfallscotland thinks Xaden's new brother is actually Aaric, which is also super intriguing. Specifically, Amy suggested a scenario where Aaric knows he needs to be venin in order to win the war, and is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the future he sees. I do lean more towards Bodhi than Aaric, if only because of the element of knowing for 5 months (which Aaric does not--even if he finds out about Xaden's veninism from his signet, RY has confirmed Aaric didn't manifest in IF, and therefore it cannot have been five months prior to Battle of Draithus), Xaden really seems to care about this new brother. I know he says he has a "complicated sort of loyalty" to Aaric, but I don't think he and Aaric at the friendship level where Aaric can be used against him in the same way Bodhi can. There's also the whole having to give Vi Tyrrendor ordeal. I know some people think Xaden may have had a change of heart and decided to listen to Bodhi in regards to not forcing him to lead Tyrrendor in his stead, and/or Xaden just felt giving Vi the province directly (what a wedding gift!) was the best possible way to protect her. Who knows, not me. I think of Xaden as someone not particularly inclined to listening to people when he doesn't feel like it, but I also know he'll prioritize Vi regardless, so it could go either way.

Slayer! This is just for the one line mention of Berwyn killing the dragons with the alloy dagger. For one thing, I think this draws parallels between the venin and the dragons (which have been a theme the entire series). For another, I think this is how Xaden, Vi, and co. go about killing the dragons and elders in order to get to the eggs. Seems a lot less messy!

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once: Throughout the text, there's a couple mentions of individuals inability to be everywhere all at once. Theophanie, in chapter 60, for example: (from my Kindle copy, so no page numbers, sorryyyy)

"You're just another lightning wielder, mortally incapable of being everywhere at once."

Or, the slightly different take from Mira in Chapter 23:

"Even if he did, we can't be in two places at once."

I have no idea why this got me so bad, but every time I read it, my spidey-senses tingled. I really feel like it means something. Xaden then wraps things up with saying he IS everywhere at once, on page 522 in regards to the veninism amplifying his shadow powers.

Do I know what this means? No! Of course not! At first, I thought it was a papa sorrengail is venin hint, but I don't actually believe in that. I have been holding out hope that perhaps Vi is somehow venin from Lilith (this is why I think papa sorrengail had her dedicated. it doesn't really make sense to me for Rebecca to write her with a real disability, and then have that real disability be a birth defect when it isn't one in real life. that just seems odd?) and I think this COULD be a hint there. Although, as always, who knows.

What is a soul if not love? Some of you may know, I've been getting a wee bit heated about the implications of the corporeal soul. I get a bit gagged by this because it makes no sense. I ask @maethologies probably once a day, what IS a soul? And to that question, I raise you this: what is a soul if not love?

page 523 has this:

""I love you.' Violet's voice cracks the cold, and a silken thread of warmth wedges itself in the opening before it seals shut, locking it in place. No. Wait. I grab for that thread with desperate hands, clawing to keep her as more of my pieces are blown away, lost to the void. She is warmth and light and air and love."

For starters, I think "she is warmth and light and air and love" is my favorite quote from the entire series. It makes me want to cry!!! There's definitely something to the fact that being venin makes Xaden colder, and Violet only seems to get warmer in this book (her lightning being hot enough to blister, for example). But really, my focus here is that he's so aggressively in love with her. I genuinely do not know how people read this line, or the rest of the novel, and somehow thought Xaden was just going to go join up with the venin. Genuinely! I am REALLY not trying to be mean, it just makes no sense to me.

I'm going to go a bit out of order here to further contextualize, but other Xaden Riorson bangers include:

"What even am I? Hers." (Yarros, 524)

And, far earlier in the text, when Courtlyn asks to whom Xaden swears his fealty:

"Violet. (...) My loyalty is to Violet first above everything, everyone else." (this is a Kindle page number because I don't want to find it in my book, LMAO, but it's 326 in that format!)

Again, he's constantly making it as clear as humanly possible that SHE comes first for him. He is not going to spontaneously gain venin loyalty. Whatever soul-fuckery is going on here, it doesn't make him incapable of love. If anything, the presence of love is what is going to continue to save him. In the chapter 48 epigraph, in which a scenario is described wherein a venin returns to their village, desiccating an entire village except for her husband and two children. Clearly, the theme here is that the feeling of love helps venin gain control of themselves when lost to the thrall of power, if you will.

Frankly, there's a LOT of issues with venin as a concept and how willing the fan base is to accept the characterization of the entire "enemy" as evil, soulless, and incapable of feeling and love. Just on the most basic level, think about the real world implications of that ideology for about ten seconds. If you can't do that, think about it in-universe. The entire point of books one and two were that Navarre's government perpetuated a narrative of dehumanization in regards to the Poromish people so that Navarrians could see them as the enemy. This tactic of dehumanization is then DIRECTLY applied to the venin. The narrative on the surface-level is: These people ARE human, but these other guys are the REAL monsters. Please kill THEM instead. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen people say "Violet's never killed anyone in the series, she only kills venin!" The very fact of saying these people aren't human; therefore they can die...do you see what I see? I know I'm a bit more thematically minded than the average romantasy reader, but it's really VERY in your face here.

The most obvious narrative purpose for Xaden choosing to turn is that it gives Violet and the reader a way to humanize the venin, just like working with the gryphon fliers in part two allowed us all to humanize them. After I finished IF, there was not a doubt in my mind that this was where Rebecca was going.

And she went there...a little bit? She's about halfway there, I'd say. Violet has started to internally reconcile with the fact that Xaden being a venin makes it impossible for her to generalize venin any further, but there's definitely still an undercurrent of "he's not like other venin!!" I think this COULD be a logical progression of the story, and, partially, I think it makes sense for it to take a minute for her thought processes to shift. However, I think it needs to be better layered? And I think that when you have a book like this one with such a low barrier to entry, you need to do a bit more thematic hand-holding if you want people to really get things.

Anyway, this was all to say: Xaden loves her, and so, his soul is fine. HE's fine. He's not evil, he didn't marry her just to leave, he's not "team venin". Etc! I could go on about this further, and I think before book 4 I'll be pushed over the edge and do so. But, for now, I do think the direction Rebecca is pushing for is the "cure" being the power of love et. al.

Mommy Issues: We come back to Sgaeyl! I know some people think Sgaeyl breaks the bond with Xaden as part of his 12 hour plan, and again, I ask: literally how.

Basically, unlike his mother, Sgaeyl isn't leaving Xaden. When he breaks through the pulling from the earth haze, he asks Sgaeyl if she forsakes him, and she says:

"'What is there left of you to forsake?' Sgaeyl lowers her head and steam gusts down the canyon, reminding me of the moment she found me in the forest at threshing. (Yarros, 523)

My direct annotation here is : threshing! Threshing = choice. And I'm right! Threshing does equal choice. She has the option to forsake him, and she doesn't! Case closed. I will say, just as a side note, the idea that she'd leave him for being extra venin is wack as hell when he became extra venin for her. I don't think she was that heated about him being venin in the first place: the focus of her ire at the end of IF was that he "picked" Violet. "You cannot! I chose you!/ But Violet chose me too." She's just a pick me dragon at heart.

Quest Squad (Xaden's Version) I touched on this in response to my other ask about the ending, but now we're gonna go beat by beat.

Xaden starts what I call the quest intro by responding to Sgaeyl's threshing part 2 with:

"'You tell me.' I lower the ice and let her in."

Clearly, this is Xaden showing Sgaeyl whatever plan he's been concocting in his head.

Sgaeyl's response:

"Her next breath is laced with sulfur, and her eyes widen. 'You cannot mean to--'"

Now, this is just needlessly vague to make sure we buy the next book. Like we weren't going to anyway. Thank you for extorting me, Red Tower. However, at the very least, it reveals that his plan is, shall we say, problematic? Controversial? Illegal?

Then, we have (from Xaden)

"'You saw what happened. It is the only way.' She glances over her shoulder. 'And you think she'll help?' 'She loves me.' 'Tairn does not, and you haven't looked in a mirror yet. The red veins branching from your eyes look like her lightning.' 'She'll help.' It comes out with a hell of a lot more certainty than I feel. 'She promised.'"

Line by line time!

"it is the only way" is mad interesting from Xaden "the right way isn't the only way" Riorson. It could just be the influence of being venin on his psyche---everything feels more serious now, and he himself is more intense. But it's such an interesting switch, especially since Violet's assumed his way of thinking from FW.

At first I thought the pronoun fuckery in SHE'll help/SHE loves me was meant to indicate that the she in question was not actually Violet, but I don't think so anymore. I do think it's intentionally misleading! Again, for the money. But, more than that, I think Sgaeyl is glancing over her shoulder AT Violet and Tairn to indicate who they're yapping about.

Now, how will she help? I think this is a separate quandary than the marriage (hence where I broke up the text). Personally, I think this is him saying Vi goes with him to get the eggs/kill the dragons/etc.

The veins branching from his eyes are intriguing. I know he says he's no longer an initiate on this page, but I don't think he's an Asim either? According to Mr. Drake Cordella's venin compendium, Asim's veins distend only when riled, but Sage's veins are perpetually distended. (Iron Flame chapter 47 epigraph). I guess we'll see? I don't know, it would make sense to me if he was a sage, but who knows.

And, finally, what the hell did she promise?

WAY earlier on in the book, Xaden says:

"Swear you'll sound the alarm if I go too far, that you'll keep it safe, even if it's from me." (Yarros, 58)

This is what I think he's referring to! I know @hockeyspiral23 thinks the 'it' in question is actually the sword of Tyrrendor (correct me if I'm wrong!!) and not Tyrrendor itself. I definitely think there's something to that theory.

A few pages later, Xaden says:

"I'll use Tyrrendor to protect you, not you to protect Tyrrendor." (Yarros, 102)

Not to be a broken record, but again: Intentionally! Misleading! Content! I think you're SUPPOSED to interpret the promise as Violet saying she'll protect Tyrrendor from Xaden, and Xaden saying he's "gone too far". But when you actually look at the text, there's no way that's what he's saying. First of all, why would Sgaeyl think THAT plan wouldn't work with Tairn? Tairn does NOT fuck with Xaden right now. And then, why would Xaden Riorson, president and CEO of the Violet Sorrengail fan club, prioritize Tyrrendor over Violet? He cares about Tyrrendor, sure, but in the face of VIOLET? It doesn't compare. It just doesn't! ("I love you more than this city. Do not die defending it.") He's not winning any king of the year awards with those priorities, but that doesn't make it any less true. I basically already have a post ranting about this, (here! If you're curious) so I'm going to cut myself off here. Basically, we have to remember who Xaden actually is when we try to contextualize this vague ass chapter.

And then, wedding bells!

"'Even if she agrees, no one will--'

'Someone owes me a favor.'" (Yarros, 524)

This is the part of the quest that I think is more directly the marriage issue. This has already been covered elsewhere, but the Priestess from Dunne's temple says she owes Xaden a favor earlier on. She goes on to officiate their marriage. I just think the wording makes it clear that this is a multi-step plan. (How can Violet "help" with her own marriage?)

I already quoted the absolute banger "What even am I? Hers." But I'm going to bring it up again! His loyalty, primarily, is to Violet. Whatever quest he's going on, it's FOR HER. He steals the eggs FOR HER. He''s taking them somewhere FOR HER. I don't know how to make that any clearer, but if I keep seeing people misinterpret it, I'll probably try again.

Agency!

The final bit I'm going to pull is Sgaeyl saying:

"And her decision will determine our fate." (Yarros, 524).

I think this just really succinctly makes clear my 573938503 argument above. Violet gets final say on Quest Squad (Xaden's Version) but whatever he does do, he's doing it with Sgaeyl. I know there's some good bits Rebecca's said throughout the tour that support this interpretation, but I don't think I need them quite yet. Maybe next time!

For now, that's all. I'll see y'all back here with Violet's chapter in a bit!

[scientia-rex]

Long ask. I didn't see that you had answered anything similar.

How do I do activism? Yes, I could Google it, but I would rather learn from a stranger with claimed yet unverifiable experience on Tumblr than from a stranger with claimed yet unverifiable experience anywhere else, and I'm here and so are you and we can talk and have a [para]social interaction. I won't bore you with a condensed autobiography, but I have a lot of experience fixing mistakes, not unlike being a physician, but far less noble, what David Graber would call a "duct-taper". It's partly what led me to socialism. I fixed mistakes but could not fix the root causes and, when I investigated those causes, I ran into structure. I couldn't explain the human behavior I witnessed as human nature, because it wasn't my nature and, as far as I know, I'm human, so the only explanation I could come up with was that the structure of the company I worked for created the problems I was trying to solve, and I had no power to change that structure, and no desire to join the psychopaths failing up the corporate ladder. I expanded my thinking outward and saw the problem inherent in capitalism and all the associated -isms and -archies, all the while trying to figure out what I could do that could possibly change any of it. I dove into progressive politics, read theory, consumed all the lefty content I could find, and thought, and keep running into the same problems. But even if the root causes cannot be addressed, the effects still need to be, because the effects are people, hence activism.

How do I talk to congresspeople? I email them about issues, but am frankly afraid to call them. Shall I get voice mail, or does a person pick up? If the latter, I'm assuming it will be a secretary. I don't want to be mean to a person answering phones. I've been one of those people getting yelled at or threatened because of events I did not cause and could not possibly prevent or change and, maybe I'm oversensitive or have PTSD or just a hyperactive amygdala, but I cannot overstate the damage those negative experiences cause. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, the lives that can be saved or improved outweigh a few people's hurt feelings or possible psychological trauma, but I would prefer not to turn this into a trolley problem if at all possible. Maybe it's a stupid question. Maybe I'm overthinking it. I can be charming and I have no lack of empathy; I can politely disagree. Shall I have to argue with anyone? Or is it a thank-you-for-your-participation-I-will-tell-the-congressperson-have-a-nice-day situation?

How do I get a job doing good things for people? This is somewhat pressing as I quit my corporate job five years ago, to have what turned out to be a midlife crisis, and have been living off savings (that are running out) ever since. I want to help and don't want to be ashamed of what I do for a living. I've always been able to do anything I've ever tried to do, but I'm 45 with little formal education or qualifications, and am thinking it's maybe too late to go back to school. Most of the non-profits I see seem like little more than scams. And perhaps the most serious complication: I'm a loner, more out of habit than inclination. I'll spare you the background, but I have no connections and no idea how to make them, and I don't believe I have any particular skills so valuable that should confer an immediate advantage or demand for my labor, but then again I don't know what is in demand.

It's OK if you can't answer some of these things. I simply have no one to talk to about them who can give any actual advice and figured you might. Thanks.

How to do activism: The first thing you need to know is your axe to grind. It was easy for me. I've been out since I was 13, nobody ever believes a girl is bisexual, it's always "you want attention" or "you're secretly a lesbian." That was in 1997. I went through hell and I'm bitter about it. So when I realized I liked medicine, I realized I could turn my life into an extended revenge arc by moving home and telling everybody it's OK to be gay. Two birds, one stone. I work with a woman who didn't get her axe to grind until about three years ago. She realized she was fed up with people abandoning dogs. She's one of the most active volunteers at the local shelter now. She's saved a lot of dogs' lives. She didn't start out knowing anything about it, but she told the shelter she wanted to volunteer, and they've helped her grow through the rest of it. My husband works with the local food bank, because his mom's neighbor (who is a family friend and sweetheart) wrangled him in to serving on the board, so now in addition to board meetings once a month he goes in sometimes to do things like help his mom's friend unload trucks. Sometimes the cause picks you, sometimes you pick the cause, sometimes you are the cause. And no matter what the cause is, someone else is already working on it. Someone else already cares deeply and if you show up ready to be hands on and help out, with humility because you know that you don't know everything, they will help you learn how to be effective. I started out in medicine by volunteering at the emergency room near where I lived. I pushed a linen cart around and restocked gowns in rooms, and when I couldn't fit any more washcloths into drawers I cleaned doorknobs. One of the nurses once told me she really appreciated that I cleaned all the doorknobs, because it wasn't getting regularly done. I am in medicine now because of many, many people I asked for help and who helped me because they wanted to contribute to justice and equity in medicine, whether for queers or rural people or women. This is, and has always been, a combined effort. Alone we beg, together we bargain.

Calling elected representatives: Oh god I know, me too, calling strangers is the LITERAL WORST. I'm 40 and I'd rather pepper-spray myself than argue with a human on the phone. Wait until after hours and you'll get a voicemail. I like to leave voicemails that start with "My name is Dr. Rex, I'm a constituent of yours, and I VOTE, and I'm calling about ____." That's honestly about all it takes--when I was hanging out with the lobbyist she told me they keep lists with tick-marks for how many calls, emails, etc., they get on a topic. Calls count for more. The more effort you have to put in, the more engaged they know you are. So call, but if people scare you (and the people who pick up are almost always nice, if you do get a person, and they will 99/100 times say "thank you for your call, we will pass your concerns along to so-and-so"), call at night.

Going back to school is probably unnecessary. Spin your past experience aggressively and start applying to nonprofits. (You "took time off from the working world in order to sharpen your focus on what matters most to you," which will be whatever this particular group does.) It's OK if you pick a bad one to start with; most of them are shit-shows, and lots of them still accomplish good things. Nonprofits are a bloodbath when it comes to actually being an employee--they know that part of the compensation is the sense of living ethically and they will use your altruism against you--so keep your resume updated and be prepared to bail if grant funding doesn't come through, but most areas have food banks and pet shelters and human shelters and jails and medical clinics and hospitals (for every doctor who works at the local hospital there are at least 10 support staff by the numbers, and they are utterly critical and always under-staffed). Sometimes if you start by volunteering somewhere, once they realize you're dependable, you can get a job there. I am zero percent kidding about working for a hospital, clinic, or jail, by the way. Those are places I know well, and there are always civilian jobs available. You want to make a patient's day better? Be the front desk, front line staff who use the right pronouns and cheer them up.

I think it's completely reasonable to have procedural questions about how all of this works, and I am grateful to you for giving me a chance to talk about it a bit. Please feel free to ask any follow-up questions. And for reference, when I was just starting out in research at a time when the market for research-trained people frankly sucked, I applied well over 300 times and got well over 300 rejections (I was counting) before I ended up with a job that I loved (even though it was hellishly stressful and I made just barely more than minimum wage for working well over my alleged, salaried "hours") and felt like I was making a positive difference for the world with. And from there, I kept making changes as I realized what I wanted and needed. Just keep doing it. You don't have to feel good about every step, you don't have to know what you're doing, just keep putting one foot in front of the other as you try to figure out what will make you happy. Because nothing else is a good proxy for happiness, and happiness, for a whole lot of humans, means finding something meaningful to do in life. Helping others. Be okay with changing, be okay with sacrificing who you are right now for the sake of who you can become. You've survived four decades on this bizarre and cruel planet, and you have inherent, intrinsic worth as a human being. You deserve your own kindness.

[aristaspark]

Do you believe Brooklynn has feelings for Darius?

Hellooo, I really don't think she does! (who's surprised honestly?) No but fr I need to stop writing essays on this topic 😂 Thank god i'm an insomniac.

I know people are convinced she loves him back because she didn't *actually* reject him and instead said "I'm not really ready for..." but if you look closely at the sequence, the way they animated her body language and facial expressions is much more telling than her words (at least to me), and it led to me agreeing with Darius' recollection of this moment (she tried to be nice about it but it was clear she didn't feel the same).

Like, I don't see how anyone can see that and think she's in love 😭 THAT'S the face of love according to this fandom???? She looks horrified at the mere possibility that Darius could feel anything other than friendship towards her.

Also important to note that she started saying "I just don't think..." before changing her choice of words, and to me it's a clear sign she was about to reject him more directly, but couldn't do it, so instead she went for an answer that would spare his feelings.

And when you add the shot of her putting distance btw them by moving her feet away from him as if she suddenly felt uncomfortable with their proximity... Why would you physically recoil as the person you *supposedly* love confesses to you?

To me if the writers had wanted to indicate that deep down she wanted to be with Darius, but couldn't in this moment because it was too soon (as she said)/for Kenji's sake, they would have had her say the same thing, but have her body instinctively move closer to him as a physical manifestation of her "true feelings" (...which it is, but it moved away, you do the math).

Also the fact that right after that she still asks him to meet with her for her investigation. I don't know, I think that if she felt anything towards him she would have been as embarrassed/uncomfortable as him, but here she brushed it off as if it was nothing. She had no problem with the idea that she would see him later that day, as if to her there was nothing more to be said/this "incident"/chapter was closed.

I already talked about the look during the plane scene so I'm not going to do it again.

From a story standpoint, it would be really questionnable writing if she suddenly fell in love with someone a week after her partner of 6 years dumped her.

And I absolutely cannot see them throw the "she was in love with Darius while dating Kenji" excuse at us, like, that's straight up character assassination. I know they made Brook morally grey but you can't come back from that 😂. Also, it would go against what they showed in the two first seasons because she looked really in love with Kenji (how devastated she looked when he broke up, how happy they were on the video on her phone, how physically affectionate she was with him in episode 3, the picture of them in her secret apartment...).

And this.

I didn't think my biggest evidence for Kenlynn would be some scribbles on a notebook, but oh well 😂

Like, one simply cannot explain this away. This was her attempt at telling them she was alive, and she only wrote to Kenji, not Darius. And it's not like she had to censore herself or to, idk, force herself to write to Kenji to keep up the appearances because those are only, as I said, scribbles on a paper, her raw feelings and thoughts, something she was never going to send anyway.

Like, if they want to make dinostar canon, why post that? Why not take this opportunity to add content/substance to the ship they *supposedly* want to make endgame? Having that letter addressed to Kenji only serves the purpose of showing us that Kenji's the one on her mind, because otherwise that was unnecessary. They could have had her write to the whole camp fam, but instead they decided to show us that she wanted to tell Kenji she was alive above everyone else, including Darius, the one who confessed to her right before her "death" and who Brooklynn most likely knew felt incredibly guilty for not showing up/for her death (Ronnie probably told her).

If she was in love with Darius she would have adressed the "letter" to him, I can't see any argument against that. Or maybe it's more that if she wasn't in love with Kenji anymore, she wouldn't have written to him, but to all of them.

Honestly, the most I can see them giving Dinostar as far as Brooklynn's feelings for Darius go is to have her admit that she used to have a little crush on him when they were on Nublar but that it completely disappeared once she started getting coser to Kenji. I have nothing to back up this theory, but I don't know, I thought that much wouldn't be too far fetched.

(oh, and I almost forgot but this goes without saying... pretty sure her getting attacked, alone at night, mauled by a dino and loosing her arm partly because he set her up would have killed any potential blooming feeling in her).

[bitkahuna]

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but it won’t work.” He wanted to be firm, but he wasn’t sure he has the strength he needed. Fighting was hard. Weakness was easy.

Thranduil smiled, a soft curve of his lips that did not reach his eyes but still managed to seem sincere. "Oh, but Master Baggins, I am merely expressing my admiration. There is no artifice here." He leaned closer, the scent of pine and age-old wisdom enveloping Bilbo like a cloak. “You see, Master Baggins, in you, I see what so many of us have lost over the endless years: passion for life. A genuine joy. Appreciation of those little and quiet moments. I find you compelling.”

Bilbo’s breathing picked up. This was a mistake. A horrible mistake. While the dwarves could give him everything he never knew he wanted, there was something horrifyingly familiar in this moment. It was the romance and seduction Bilbo had always read about. Always dreamed of. The tender words and blurry mornings that led to messy beds. Yavanna help him, he didn’t want to say no. More than anything, he wanted to allow himself this. It was so perfect. So real. He could reach out and touch it. It could touch him. But a single touch, he knew, would end him.

“The words you speak to me, I’ve only ever read.” His heart lurched as he fought to keep it within his chest. Would he really choose this? Would he choose impending violence and a cold mountain over the warmth of this bright morning?

He could bargain, no doubt. Offer his body, his mind, his soul, his spirit, one or all to the elf king in exchange for his friends’ release. Tell them the bargain required him to stay behind and wish them well. Forget it all. Stay here. Lay back in the comfy haze and let the king do as he pleased.

“Which is precisely why I cannot let this continue.”

Rather than offense, more than anything, the king was curious.

“This is everything a hobbit could ever dream of. And I do not doubt that I intrigue you in the way you say. But just because I look a young fool does not mean I am one.” He shook his head. “This isn’t real. You want what you’ve lost because you cannot accept what you have. I would never be that for you, because I do not hate you enough to trap you in your past.” Bilbo stood in rejection of the sun.

———

The chambers were silent. Every hobbit in each room was sat before Bilbo, bated breath, as one of their own rejected an elf king.

“How could you?” Someone whispered, horrified.

Bilbo tried to smile, but it was flat. Tears threatened his eyes. His heart swelled. All he could think of was Thorin’s face in the moonlight. “I cannot explain.”

Bilbo would sit there, lost. Wondering. He could have had it all. He could have had so much. Yet that stinking dwarf in the dungeon, with his promise of a dragon's fire and a vague notion of a crown, kept him rooted in the ground in such a way that the sunlight’s haze would never have been able to take him. He was the cool glow of the moon.

Something weighed deep in Bilbo, and he took another sip of alcohol flavored with raspberries.

Was he mourning?

What did he mourn?

Why did he ache to think of Thorin when the man was only down the hall, perfectly safe and happy to be with him?

Or was it the end that never was? The haunting possibility that Bilbo could have made the wrong choice. He could have chosen to stay, and lost the dwarf forever. It was that very thought, he realized, that made him mourn for some version of himself that couldn’t have what he did now.

But the tears didn’t fall from his eyes until they landed on Mirabella Brandybuck. A spry and wise woman of nearly seventy, still appearing as in her late-middle age, as all elder hobbits do. She looked beautiful and radiant. But there was a sadness in her eyes. A knowing.

She lost her dwarf decades ago. Bilbo had his.

In that moment of brief eye contact, they both knew.

He sat by her, and she took his hands in her own.

“You know, Bilbo. I see the way that dwarf king eyes you.” She muttered, wanting to keep this between themselves. “I understand the choices you made.”

His lower lip trembled at the deep sadness within her voice.

“I had my own husband, my own children.” She trailed off as she fought back her shame. “And I did love him. My husband was a dear man, and he will always be in my heart.” She covered her reddening face with one fist, not wanting to show her sadness. Her hate. Her mourning. Was she truly allowed to love another man after her husband passed? They were only gifted ten years together before he passed in Fell Winter, and she was left with a small horde of cold fauntlings. “My children are my truest love.” She nodded firmly, calming herself despite the way her heart sank in its disgrace. “But I fear I’ve fallen in love with a ghost.” She shook her head. “He’s likely passed on as well.”

“Do you regret not chasing him?”

“No. Never.” She didn’t hesitate even a moment. “The children I had with Gorbadoc Brandybuck are the greatest joy I have ever known. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Mirabella let a small smile come about her. “But, that charming dwarf.” Her eyes closed a moment, letting the tears fall so she could quickly wipe them away. “He may always haunt me as the greatest what-if of my life. I only hope I was able to haunt him the same.”

And so it was that they would both mourn for things that never were.

———

It was literally supposed to be a funny chapter about Bilbo telling the other hobbits about how Thranduil had hit on him to get him to admit why the dwarves were passing through Mirkwood but I wrote something else instead.

[ndjournal]

hello i would like to give a little experience. happened a few days ago. keep in mind that i had learned of ND in october 2023 (i was a big hater back then lol crazy how it helped me more than LOA ever did), and only began to take it serious in may.

i managed to “minishift” (in reality shifting terms) to my old dr. this was after plenty of hours doomscrolling and being worried of my supposed life in this world.

i began to experimentally visualize stuff not necessarily from this dr but randomly. and i could literally feel it, sense it which led me to the thought.

a thought that “this world is malleable like a dream..” which im sure helped before i tried this.

all i did was have an indifferent attitude,. if it happens, it happens. who gaf. and so i set an intention.

and immediately i was there. with it looking like my moodboards/what i imagined it to be.

surprisingly i wasn’t excited. all i felt was “i shifted, cool!” it was like peace. like it was just natural.

i came back because it was an old dr.

now the thing about this is i am not fully realized. and i know that the only reason why it worked was due to me simply not being attached to this old dr and its expectations. i have observed this happening with other “manifestations” (like my moms cancer scare, etc) my real goal is my dream life but im too attached and its hard to let go. i want this no attachment type shit forever

right now im trying to stick to the “i am that” book.

my question is how does one investigate like the book states.

Hello and thank you for sharing! Yes I've also found indifference to be key, it allows one to let go and let it be. While still identifying with the character, the level of indifference possible depends on the limitations held in the mind such as attachments/aversions etc which can be deeply subconscious.

Here's something from the book Friendship of God by Neale Walsch that explains why:

Have intentions, but don't have expectations, and certainly don't have requirements. Do not become addicted to a particular result. Do not even prefer one. Elevate your Addictions to Preferences, and your Preferences to Acceptances. That is the way to peace. That is the way to mastery. "You can intend for something to happen without preferring it to. In fact, holding a Preference is an announcement to the universe that alternative outcomes (to what you intended) are possible. God doesn’t imagine such things, so God never has Preferences."

In other words, you can have a goal or desire (intention), but without being attached to the specific outcome (preference). You're open to whatever happens, rather than being stuck on one particular result. When you strongly prefer one outcome, you're actually acknowledging that other outcomes are possible too and that creates resistance. By having a preference, you’re subtly saying, “I want this result, but it might not happen,” which introduces doubt. God doesn’t see limitations or alternative possibilities. God just creates with pure intention, without any doubt or attachment to a specific result, because there’s no awareness of potential failure. So the key message is: not having preferences (just intending without attachment or expectation of outcomes) is more powerful, because it aligns you more with a state of certainty and flow, without the resistance that comes from fearing other possibilities.

Now onto your question of how to investigate. I know you want to stick to the I Am That book but for my own journey, I did not use a lot from his teachings including my practices as they didn't resonate with me (including his way of self-investigation) so my answer is going to come from what I do know.

I'll first briefly summarize what his way is though in case it helps?

What you see as false, dissolves. It is the very nature of illusion to dissolve on investigation. Investigate — that is all. You cannot destroy the false, for you are creating it all the time. Withdraw from it, ignore it, go beyond, and it will cease to be.

Basically from skimming the search results of the keyword 'investigate', his way is to investigate everything that you think is real, then see it as unreal and drop it by ignoring it and refusing to give it attention. This is similar to what 4dbarbie taught and is described in How to let go of Vanessa.

Something I want to add here is to not compare your journey to others, for everything including timing, experiences, progress and practices. What works for others, may not work well for you and vice versa. Part of this journey is finding what resonates for you. Don't try to force something to fit but find what already will fit perfectly. If you listen to your heart, it will tell you because it is your own Self guiding you. Don't be afraid to explore if what you've been doing no longer works for where you are now.

Anyway, part of my own journey was realizing that there were certain limitations/attachments/fears/trauma/conditioning etc that were so deeply ingrained that it didn't matter if it was real or unreal, I couldn't let go of them by simply ignoring them. Ignoring them didn't make them go away because reality was already given on a deeply subconscious level, it just kept them in the back of my subconscious but they were still operating in the background regardless. What resonated more for me was "What you resist, persists. What you look at disappears and ceases to hold its illusory form. You see it for what it Is. And what Is can always be changed. It is only what Is Not that cannot be changed. Therefore, to change the Isness, move into it. Do not resist it. Do not deny it." (this was taken from the Conversations with God books 1-3) This meant diving deeply into myself, directly looking at the causative thoughts of whatever limitations I had and seeing them as untrue or deciding to drop them so they finally dissolved. (Now I don't do this for every single negative or limiting thought that comes up, sometimes ignoring a thought is indeed the way to go, but I just go with the flow and do what feels right depending on the nature of the thought. I don't stick to one practice for absolutely everything)

And so I worked on them individually as Lester taught. It's also self-investigation into the mind but in a different way. I won't dive into it here because this response has already gotten quite long but I've addressed this before in other asks on my main blog and I'll link them here in case it helps your direction (just take whatever resonates for you): 1, 2, 3, 4

If it resonates, you could take a look at Lester's book The Keys to the Ultimate Freedom which discusses more deeply in detail on the how compared to what I covered in my answered asks: Especially Session 9: Mind over Matter, Session 16: Take Full Responsibility and Session 32: Realization by Dropping the Unconscious. You can get the book from Ada's google drive. Link is in the pinned post of @4dbarbie-archive

[thedepressedjuggalette]

Okay I thought my first song lyrics analysis would be for Arcane, but Her Song by Tasha Shaik for Pretty Pretty Please I Don't Wanna Be a Magical Girl won me over upon first listening to it after watching the animatic for the show's pilot.

So here are the lyrics:

She's got it all

All in the stars

It's all in the palm of her hand

She's everything--

I cannot be.

How does she cannot see it?

She's perfect to me.

She doesn't try

No she just exists

All of the stars

In her eyes when they glitz

I never felt for someone like this

I wanna try

I wanna try

I wanna try

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

So what does this song say and mean especially in the context of IDWBAMG?

The context is that in the story of the show is that Aika doesn't want to be a magical girl despite being one, and is a literal perfect student according to the show. She is ecstatic to be at a normal high school, she gets perfect scores. But when it comes to being a magical girl, she'd rather take a blast head on, but will reluctantly do her job and use something mundane like a led pipe to beat her opponent or even something semi-surprising like a rocket launcher.

But her best friend and love interest Zira is a huge magical girl fan and is willing to protect Aika even though they're just a normal kid.

Then there is Hoshi who is just the magical mascot / helper.

So the song is obviously about Aika right?

You see it's about both Aika and Zira.

Let's look at the lyrics and how they apply to both characters.

----

She's got it all

All in the stars

It's all in the palm of her hand.

She's everything--

I cannot be.

-------

The title of the show outright explains Aika as a person. She doesn't want to be a magical girl. She finds something like High School exciting, but being a magical girl is boring and a chore.

To Aika, Zira is someone she wants to be because Zira has the entire world open to her.

Mundanity is a blessing to Aika.

But Zira sees Aika the same way.

School is boring and a chore. But Aika is everything is everything she'd want to be and more.

The excitement, the battles, the magic is exciting and exhilarating and something Zira would want to be part of.

But for the both of them they cannot take part in each other's worlds the way they'd wish they could.

Zira wants to be part of the action and be a magical girl, but can't.

Aika wants to be a normal girl with a normal life.

--

How does she not see it?

She's perfect to me

-------

They view each other as perfect.

To Zira, Aika is crazy for running from her job.

Aika is powerful. Aika is skilled. Aika is smart. She is perfect to Zira.

To Aika, Zira is crazy for wanting to be a magical girl.

Zira has a simple life. Zira has nothing but opportunities. Zira can only go up. Zira is simple and simple is perfect to Aika.

--

She doesn't try

No she just exists.

All of the stars

In her eyes when they glitz.

----

Self explanatory but I'm still gonna explain because I can.

Aika and Zira don't have to try in their respective lives.

Aika doesn't try when she is fighting.

Zira doesn't have to try to be a normal girl.

When Aika talks about normalcy and simplicity she gets excited, and that excitement and passion captivates Zira.

Zira loves magical girls, and she is passionate about the genre and Aika's job and that passion unknowingly captivates Aika.

--

I never felt for someone like this

I wanna try

-----

This is hinting at the fact that they're each other's love interest.

They want to try to be in each other's worlds in the best way possible in the best way they can be. Even though they don't like their own worlds.

Zira doesn't like being normal and simple and wants to be a magical girl.

Aika doesn't want to be a magical girl and will do whatever she can to get out of it and she wants to be a normal girl.

This is a complex idea to have for two separate characters and reminds me a bit of Static Shock's Richie Foley who ended up becoming the hero Gear.

Richie was always simply calling Vergil and helping him with small inventions up until he became a hero himself.

(please give Zira a giant ass hammer please I need to watch this little nerdy girl whack a motherfucker in the nuts with a hammer. PLEASE KIANA KHANSMITH. DO IT. EVEN IF ITS JUST ONE EPISODE.)

However, I don't know if Zira will ever be a magical girl let alone if she can, considering that from what I remember of the creator, there is a chosen one plotline (correct me if I'm wrong).

But would likely still do her best to help Aika, but Aika will likely try to keep Zira out of the combat considering how dangerous it is and could also hinder a fight as a "damsel in distress" unless she is given a weapon.

The song is a love song in a mundane way which is perfect for the two.

A lofi song that allows for relaxation but at the same time reveals the inner most hearts of the characters. Passion that is poured through a humble and soothing tone.

If I'm wrong about the lyrics, it doesn't matter because this song is so good, I couldn't care.

I can't wait to see this animatic fully animated, and I DEMAND this show to be fully funded and posted on everything that can air it. I WANT THIS SHOW MAN.

I NEED IT.

[fandom-imagines-stories]

This is Just the Beginning

Raylan Givens x Reader

Words: 2907

Summary: The reader’s husband finds out she’s been investigating a series of disappearances without telling him after she comes home with a dislocated shoulder and a concussion. 

Notes: I don’t really know where I was going with this one, but you know what, it was fun to write. I couldn't resist writing a good 'who hurt you' story with Raylan. I also might write more to this story, hence the cliffhanger, but I thought that starting off in the middle of the drama would be fun to experiment with. I love me a good in medias res. This man has taken full control of my brain, so be ready for possible other Timothy Olyphant appearances on this blog. 

Other Crime Drama imagines: HERE

-

You took a deep breath, braced yourself, and jerked your arm. Biting your lip, your muffled cry of pain still filled the bedroom as you popped your shoulder back into place. Your vision blurred even more, adding to your already dizzy state. You stumbled your way to the bathroom where the mirror revealed more carnage. 

A large gash on your forehead explained the pounding in your head and a massive mark on your left cheek showed the beginnings of a nasty bruise. As for the rest of you, it felt like you’d been trampled by all of the horses in the Kentucky Derby. 

All to get you to stop looking. To scare you into submission. To forget about all of those girls. 

Instead, it just pissed you off. 

But that would have to wait. For now, you were just grateful your husband would be out of town until tomorrow. It at least gave you some time to figure out how to hide your injuries so he didn’t have a goddamn heart attack. The last thing you needed was to have to explain what you’d been doing that led to you getting jumped in the parking lot of your work. 

What Raylan didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Hoping to distract yourself from all the throbbing and aches throughout your body, you pulled out your computer to get some work done, maybe figure out who it was that attacked you. There were moments, between the swings and the yelling, that you thought you got a good enough look at the bastard. Skinny, white, teeth that hadn’t seen a brush in years, and you were pretty sure he had a tattoo on his hand. You should know from how many times it smacked you around. 

You flexed your jaw, wincing. “Son of a bitch,” you muttered, pulling up your search engine and typing in the Chamberlain Family Movers website. The cover image depicted all of the members of their little clan of criminals. You narrowed your eyes and leaned over your screen to get a better look. 

The front door opened. 

You slammed your laptop shut. 

“Shit,” you said. “Shit shit shit shit shit.” You scrambled to your dresser for your concealer. “Raylan, honey, is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” he called back, sounding tired. “Got the job done early so they sent me home.”

“That right?” In your hurry, your hand swept the tube of makeup you needed and you watched in panic as it rolled behind the dresser. “Goddamnit.” 

“Guess that means we can break open that wine you wanted to, huh?” 

“Yeah, that sounds nice!” 

There had to be something. You had to find something. You tried reaching behind the dresser, but it just made the screaming pain in your shoulder shoot up again and you had to cover your mouth with your hand to keep from making any sound. 

Heavy footsteps echoed up the stairs. 

You kept your back to the door and your arm behind the dresser. 

Raylan opened the door. 

“Whatcha doing?” He asked, clicking the door shut behind him. 

“Looking for my makeup,” you said, your bruised cheek pressed against the wooden surface. 

“In the dark?” He turned on the light. “Do you want some help?”

“No, no, I almost got it.” You stretched your fingers, accidentally bumping it further away. “Shit.” 

“Are you sure?” He chuckled. “Not that I’m complaining about the view here, sweetheart, but that cannot be comfortable.” 

“Almost…” You caught the tube of concealer between your middle finger and pointer. “There.” You stood up straight, careful to not be facing him. “Now I’m gonna go put it on. I want to look pretty if we’re having a date night.” You hurried to close the bathroom door, putting an inch and three-eighths between you and his gaze.

“Hold up,” he said before you could close it. “Everything alright?” 

“Yeah.” You kept your face turned away. “I just want to put on some makeup.” 

You almost had it. Just a few more inches…

Raylan put a foot in the door. “Why won’t you look at me?” He put a hand on your cheek.

“Raylan, wait,” you said. 

He turned your head to face him and, immediately his face changed. His mouth fell open and his hand fell to his side, but it was his eyes that got you. Oh, his eyes. They filled with worry, but with that, there was a fire. A fire that burned all the way through you. 

“What happened?” 

You held up a hand, motioning for him to calm down before that flame in his eyes turned into a wildfire. 

“Raylan,” you said calmly, sweetly. 

“Don’t Raylan me,” he snapped back. “What the hell happened?” He didn’t let you finish. “Somebody mug you? What have I told you, Y/N, you don’t fight ‘em, you give-”

“I know you are not blaming me right now when I’m standing in front of you with a bruise the size of Tennessee on my face,” you scoffed, crossing your arms as best you could. “God, Raylan, you always have to say ‘I told you so.’” Despite the bite in your words, you couldn’t stop the crack in your voice. 

His eyes softened. He brought his hand back to your face, gently grazing your cheek. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I’m sorry.”  

Raylan pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly. But when his embrace hit your shoulder, you cried out against his chest. He pushed back in a panic, eyeing you for the injury. 

“It’s, dis-” you took a sharp breath. “Dislocated. I popped it back just before you got here.” 

“You relocated your own shoulder? Why the hell would you do that?”

“I figured if I went to a hospital, you’d find out about it, or hell, maybe someone would think you did it.” You blinked back tears, looking up at the ceiling. 

Raylan saw marks on your neck. Like someone had put a boot there. 

The fire in his eyes returned. 

“Come here.” He led you to the bed, careful not to hurt your shoulder again. “Now, sweetheart, I need you to tell me what happened.” 

You swallowed. “You’re not gonna like it.” 

“I don’t like coming home to you beat to hell either,” he said. “So you’d better just tell me and I can figure this out.”

“You won’t be doing anything.” 

He tilted his head in warning. “Y/N, honey, just tell me who roughed you up. I’m not going to run off and shoot ‘em if that’s what you're worried about.”

That was exactly what you were worried about. 

That, and dragging him into the mess you’d found yourself in was the last thing you wanted. 

Lie. 

“A guy jumped me when I got to my car after work,” you said. If you kept things vague enough, maybe he wouldn't keep asking. Who were you kidding? You married a Marshal. So you added one more thing to throw him off the scent. “Took my purse.” 

Raylan’s eyes narrowed in confusion, darting between you and something behind you. 

“The mugger took your purse?” 

“Uhuh,” you lied. “And I did exactly what you told me to. I cooperated. I didn’t mouth off. And he still beat the shit out of me. Some people I guess.” 

Raylan leaned forward and pointed. “That purse?” 

You turned. Sure enough, that damn bag hung on the back of your chair. 

Shit. 

“N-no, my other purse.”

“You don’t have another purse, honey,” he sighed. “Unless you have another husband that bought you a different one.” Raylan moved so he was crouched in front of you, taking your hands in his. “Just tell me the truth, baby.” 

You closed your eyes, took a deep breath, and blurted it out. 

“I’ve been looking into some disappearances. I think it might trace back to a crime group outside of Lexington, but I wasn’t sure and I went down there to look around and someone must have seen me-”

Raylan held up a hand. 

“You started investigating organized crime and you didn’t think to tell me?” 

He spoke slowly and quietly. You would have preferred he yelled. 

“I was only looking into it because a friend of mine’s daughter was taken. I wasn’t sure it would lead back to anything big.”

His expression stayed the same. Eerily calm. “You started investigating organized crime and you didn’t think to tell me?” He repeated. 

“They’re taking girls, Raylan,” you exclaimed. “I had to do something.”

He stood up. 

You followed, moving to the chair to grab your purse. 

Raylan spoke from behind you. “Where are you going?”

“I’m not going to sit here and be lectured by you,” you said. “I need to go check on Beth, anyway. If they found me, they might have found her too.” 

“If you are going anywhere, it’s to a goddamn hospital.” There was the yelling you were looking for. “Do you have any idea what kind of shit you are in?” 

“No, Raylan, I really hadn’t thought about the possibility that the Chamberlains might have a problem with me looking into their human trafficking!” You clamped your mouth shut. Shit. You shouldn’t have said that. 

“You went after the Chamberlains alone?” 

“I think we’ve established the alone part, honey. You’ve made it very clear.” 

“Goddamnit, Y/N, this isn’t a joke!” He whirled you around to face him. “I’ve dealt with these people before. And this,” he motioned to your multiple injuries. “This is just the beginning.” He took your face in his hands, thumb running over the mark on your cheek. “It’s just the beginning.” 

Looking into your husband’s dark, worried eyes, you almost broke. 

How hard would it be for them to find him? To make him bleed, to break him. And it would be your fault. 

You had to catch them first. 

“Alright, I won’t go to Beth’s tonight,” you sighed. “But I’m not going to a hospital either.” You stopped him before he could argue. “It’ll draw too much attention.”

“Sweetheart, your head is bleeding, you probably have a concussion, and you relocated your own goddamn shoulder,” he said. 

“Well, it’s a good thing I have you here to keep an eye on me then, hm?” You put on your sweetest smile and pressed your lips against his to keep him from fighting about it. 

When he pulled away, there was a small smile, albeit a reluctant one, on his face. “I’ll go get something to clean that then,” he said, pointing to the gash on your head.

“I’ll surrender to that.” 

He kissed your forehead as he went. 

You waited until you heard his footsteps on the stairs to reopen your computer, peering at the picture until your head hurt. 

There, in the very center, was the sonofabitch who attacked you. 

-

You would have crossed your arms in frustration if your shoulder still didn’t hurt so damn bad. If he was going to treat you like a kid, you were very tempted to start acting like one. 

He led you into the office, pointed at you, then pointed at the chair across from his. 

“You. Sit.” 

“Yes. Sir.” You pronounced with the same agitated tone he presented. Despite your defiant eye, you did as he said and sat down, catching a glimpse of your reflection in the glass of a photograph. An ugly bruise sure enough covered the lower left half of your face and the cut Raylan cleaned the night before. 

“I’ll be right back,” he said. “You think about anything and everything you can tell me about what you found out. And I mean all of it, Y/N.” The sternness and frustration in his voice hid something else that only someone who knew him like you did could see. 

He was scared shitless. 

Art was already out of his office, watching the encounter between the two of you curiously. 

“Raylan, I didn’t know it was bring-your-wife-to-work-day,” he snarked. When you turned your head, revealing your injuries, his teasing smirk fell. “Good Lord, what happened?”

“I gotta talk to you,” Raylan sighed. “Now.” 

Art nodded and led him into his office, closing the door behind them. 

“Hi, Mrs. Givens,” Rachel greeted with a small smile and a questioning gaze. 

“Oh, it’s just Y/N today,” you said. “My husband’s a touch mad at me, so I think it’s best to leave his name out of it.” You watched her eyes widen. “Oh God, no this wasn’t him.” You laughed humorlessly. “This is my own mess, as I’m sure he’d love to point out.” 

“Looks like quite the mess,” she noted, motioning to your cheek. 

“Yeah well, even Marshalls can’t stop the world from happening, right? Despite what Raylan would like me to believe.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Good luck convincing him of that. Sometimes I think he must believe he’s Superman with the shit he gets himself into.” 

“Tell me about it.” 

The two of you laughed. You tried to get a look into Art’s office, but the blinds were drawn shut. You didn’t like being talked about behind closed doors. It made you feel like a kid waiting for your parents outside of the principal's office. And you didn’t even work here. 

Your leg bounced with a mix of impatience and anxiety. You were so high-strung that you nearly jumped out of the chair when your phone rang, your knee hitting the edge of Raylan’s desk. Everyone in the office looked up at you. You pretended like nothing happened as a string of whispered curses left your mouth. When you looked at the number, you sighed. It was just Beth.

“Hey, I can’t really talk right now, but I might have found something.” 

“Do anything to alert the pretty little Marshal next to you and we’ll shoot Mrs. McCaughly,” a voice you didn’t recognize said. 

You froze. 

They continued. “Go outside. There’s a car waiting to pick you up. We just want to talk.” 

“Hold on, I think you’re breaking up. Let me see if I can get a better signal.” You kept your tone as level as possible. Luckily, everyone in the office had returned to their mountains of work, including Rachel. 

“We appreciate your corroboration, Mrs. Givens,” the voice said slyly. “We’d rather not have to bring your husband into this. That wouldn’t end well for anyone.” 

You turned your head.

Raylan was still in Art’s office. 

“We promise to return you to him in one piece,” the man cleared his throat, “so long as you cooperate, of course.” 

“Let me just step outside. I’ll hear you better there.”

You stood up and walked out without causing any alarm. 

“Jesus, Raylan, what the hell was she thinking?” Art sighed, running a hand down his face. 

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Raylan’s leg bounced, fists clenching and unclenching around the arms of the chair. 

He could still see the blood in your hair, and hear your whimpers when you moved your injured shoulder. He wanted to find the sonofabitch who did it more than anything, but right now, he was more worried about what it could lead to. 

What had you gotten yourself into?

“I want to put her in protective custody,” Raylan said. 

Art shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Make it work like that.” Raylan stood up, pacing. “Did you see what they did to her, Art? They could have killed her. Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t. And I know her, she’s going to keep pursuing this and pushing and pushing until someone goes over the edge.”

“I guess you two are perfect for each other then,” Art muttered. 

Raylan closed his eyes. “I need help. I don’t know these people. I don’t know what they’ll do, but I know they’ve already gone after her once. Please, Art. I can’t…” He trailed off. 

The tone of his voice alone showed his supervisor just how afraid Raylan really was. Art hadn’t seen him this way before. The anger and frustration, sure. But never afraid. 

Art sighed. “I can’t do anything officially. We can’t confirm that this was anything more than a mugging.” He shot Raylan a look to keep him from arguing. “But why don’t you take a couple days off? Get Y/N and yourself away for a while. Let us look into it and see if we turn anything up.”

Raylan took a deep breath, nostrils flaring and that same fire in his eyes from the night before. He exhaled slowly and nodded. 

“Alright, fine, but if anything happens, I want to be the first to know.” 

“I’ll look into it,” Art said. “Now go take care of that pretty wife of yours.” 

He dismissed him with a wave of the hand. 

Raylan left the office feeling just as wired as he had when he walked in, but when he looked at his desk, his entire body went cold. 

“Rachel,” he started, “where’s my wife?”

The other Marshal looked up from her paperwork. “She had to take a phone call, why?”

“Did she say where she was going?”

“I think outside- hey, wait! What’s going on?”

Raylan was out the door in seconds. Waiting for the elevator would take too long so he sprinted down the stairs as fast as his legs would carry him. 

But it didn’t matter how fast he ran. By the time he reached the sidewalk, you were gone. 

[elficially-done-with-life]

In Chains And Yet Free

Pairing: Rog x fem!Reader

Summary: After the Fall of Gondolin, you and Rog are captured and brought to Angband.

Warnings: mentiones of the Fall of Gondolin, Injuries, talking about death (it's way more hopeful than this makes it sound, I promise)

♡♡♡♡♡♡

You were the only person Rog recognised. There was of course the possibility that there were others from Gondolin here, but if they were he hadn't been able to find them.

He had never intended to return to this cursed place, he had been ready to end his own life. But then he had seen how you had been dragged along.

He had loved you for a long time. Back then you had sometimes come to his forge and brought him flowers from outside because you found the forge 'too dull' otherwise.

Angband was no place for someone like you. You loved nature and its wonders. You loved the animals and the feel of the sun on your skin. Looking you had always shown him that there was more than the darkness.

On nights when he had had the feeling that the darkness was closing in on him again, he had sought you out. It was enough to see you from afar, because no matter how dark the sky was, you were his light.

He couldn't leave you alone. The painful and draining working conditions in Angband would kill you, and even if you were reembodied, you wouldn't be the same. Not of you died alone in the darkness.

Rog couldn't let that happen.

Luckily, Morgoth didn't really care what happened to his workers as long as the work got done.

So it didn't bother anyone when he sneaked out of his cell one evening to look for you. The labourers' cells were never well secured, because to escape Angband you had to cross a river of lava and a high wall, not to mention several balrogs and thousands of orcs. So it was almost impossible. He had only managed to escape by luck. He and a few others, who later became members of his house in Gondolin, had found a forgotten tunnel that led outside. But Rog was sure that they had filled in the tunnel or let it collapse by now.

The heat cut into his face as his dry eyes searched for you and it wasn't long before he found you. You lay shivering in a corner of your own cell and only moved when he opened the door.

Your eyes grew wide. "Rog?" Your voice trembled and tears escaped your eyes. "Oh no," you shake." You cannot be here again! That- " You let out a quiet sob and stumbled to your feet.

That was so you again. Rog felt a pleasant tingling sensation, which he had always felt when you had brought him flowers. Of course you thought of him first and not that you were in the same situation.

"How are you?" he asked gently, running his eyes carefully over your body.

"I am fine, don't worry. Especially now that you are here," you whispered softly, but Rog had just discovered a burn on your forearm that you had probably sustained while working.

He gently reached for your arm and then pulled out an ointment and rubbed it gently into your burned skin. "Me and a few others made this years ago from the few plants you can find here," he explained in response to your questioning look. "The ointment helps with healing and soothes the pain, but it doesn't prevent scars." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw you swallow and nod.

His eyes rested for a moment longer on the burn on your arm. You'd only been here a day and you were already hurt. Why hadn't he managed to find you sooner?

"I am sorry," he whispered and felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"No Rog," you breathed and put a hand on his cheek. "That you are here shows me that not all is lost."

He didn't say anything but simply leant his head against your shoulder. Because your warmth was different from the heat of Angband. It was gentle, like the first rays of the sun on a spring morning.

-

The days went by and it wasn't often that Rog let you out of his sight. You were always together. Every night you slept arm in arm and even though the smoke in Angband slowly washed the scent of flowers from your hair and body, Rog always noticed that you still smelled like home to him.

It was on one of these nights that you suddenly said: "A month."

"Mmmh?"

"We've been here for a month now. It would be high summer in Gondolin now and the smell of flowers and strawberries would fill the streets." You were lying with your back to Rog. He had one arm wrapped around your waist and his chest was pressed against your back.

Rog didn't know why, but he asked you: "Did you have plans for this summer?" The question was pointless. No matter what your plans had been, you were here now and not in Gondolin. Your plans no longer mattered.

"I would have liked to get married," you said quietly and Rog froze. He hadn't expected that. "Of course, I would have had to confess my feelings to the love of my life first." You laughed softly, but it was a sad laugh. "I always thought I still had so much time."

Rog's arm tightened a little and he inevitably pulled you closer to him. "I am so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" you asked quietly. "It is not your fault, my dear Rog. If you were not here, who knows how I would feel. You are my light in this darkness."

"I love you." he said, because in his head those were the only words that made sense now. The only ones he wanted to say. Who knows what happened in the next few days, but he wanted you to know how he felt and that he was yours for the next few hours.

"Rog." you breathed softly and turned round in his arms until you were lying chest to chest with him and could feel his hot breath on your face. "You are the person I would have loved to marry this summer. I cannot tell you how relieved and scared I am that you are here. Relieved because I know you are still alive, scared because you are suffering now."

"As long as you are by my side, any suffering is bearable." he said softly, leaning closer to you. "When we get out of here, will you marry me?"

"Yes." you said, but your happiness was short-lived, "But what if we never get out of here?"

"One day we will." Rog said and gently kissed your lips. It was only a brief, feather-light touch, but it still showed you that he meant it. "And if it is through death itself. Then we will wait for each other in the halls, and when we are reembodied, I will take you as my wife and make you the happiest elleth in all of Valinor."

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

[nidaime-hokage]

log date 14.05.25 konohagakure no sato laboratory #01

I have been considering the amount of information I can write in this journal, and came to the conclusion that I am safe writing the date and location of my log entries — it's easy enough to transport to any of my hiraishin markers if it ever comes to that. It's a small risk compared to the guilt I would feel if I neglected the last gift Anija gave me before he left us, it's the least I can do.

I cannot write anything too revealing, as a security measure. Even if I redact things. However, I reckon writing about Chakra theory, sealing, or teaching, should be safe enough. If my notes on jutsu help whoever reads them in their learning, I cannot be truly opposed, at least not from a philosophical perspective: I believe knowledge itself should be free, otherwise it would hinder scientific discovery. Of course, sensitive information about some jutsu would consist of an intelligence leak from a military defense standpoint, so I shall refrain from discussing more advanced notes. Some advanced knowledge, though, I feel safe writing about, because just the notes aren't enough to actually execute jutsu, not without the proper technique. Having said all that, I feel like I can now write about what gave me the urge to write in this journal in the first place.

Upon his farewells, Anija gifted this to me in hopes that I would not bottle up the thoughts I usually shared with him, so I could have an outlet for them in his absence. Thinking of it this way, I have reason to believe that the mysterious workings of this journal were not an accident, but actually an intended function planned by Hashirama. I have been studying its functioning in order to possibly replicate this and turn it into an useful tool for our shinobi — I can already think of some potential uses, but I don't want to risk testing them until I understand better exactly how this journal works. Anyway. Anija was one of the only people who could keep up and be interested in my rambling, so there is always the possibility of my writings never even becoming an intelligence leak because most will be too bored or uninterested in what I write about.

This morning, Koharu and Asami came to me with questions about the hiraishin, and I was impressed by their ability to comprehend the theory behind it, even if it was something too advanced for them to actually execute. It made me ponder the possibility of writing instructions for some of my jutsu, in case they — or other Konoha shinobi from the future — reach a level where they can learn them after my death. Of course, those would have to be heavily guarded, but they would guarantee that my techniques won't die with me, and that newer generations can make use of them.

I started the explanation by going over the basics of Chakra theory, so they could understand not just how the jutsu worked, but why it worked.

As any shinobi should probably know, Chakra is a combination of one's spiritual energy (which I refer to as 心 — shin, which more generally would mean mind, but in this instance I intend to evoke one's consciousness and sense of self), and physical energy (体 — tai, body, in this instance meant as one's vital energy that keeps their organism alive). Combining these two is essentially the process of weaving Chakra. Therefore, Chakra control is one's skill of weaving said energies in increasingly complex forms (this is also the basis of Sealing theory, but that is something that would take another log to explain). Using Chakra requires technique ( 技 — gi), which is the process of weaving those two types of energy together.

The understanding of these three concepts is fundamental for the mastering of the hiraishin — something that led me to tattooing the seals in my face, each one standing for one of these aspects of Chakra control: 心・技・体, Shin – gi – tai This is the first step in explaining the hiraishin, and I didn't have enough time to go much further than that when they asked, but we did talk about a possible lesson about this where I can explain further. I don't expect many shinobi to attend, but I want at least the village's jounin to be there. This is an important topic for them to understand, even if they are not all sensors and therefore unable to actually learn the hiraishin.

I will set aside some time to actually plan such an event, but meanwhile I will keep helping my own students, who are already interested despite being only chuunin at the moment. I expect them to become jounin soon, their talents would certainly be a boon to our village, and I would finally be able to delegate some of my workload to others, instead of relying on my kage bunshin to manage everything.

[pretty-little-howtown]

What the casting of Dr Doom has made me realise about 'Deadpool and Wolverine'

Since I first watched 'Deadpool and Wolverine' I have not stopped thinking about the movie. It's hard not to with opinion pieces everywhere; the creators I watch on YouTube making videos about it; and my friends slowly one by one taking to the cinemas to see it. I really enjoyed it. However, over the past couple weeks, I have been doubting its narrative quality. This has in turn led to some pretty disorganised thoughts about the nature of the Marvel movies as well as any comic book or media adaptations. First I will begin by outlining my thoughts on the casting of Dr Doom. Then I will explain how the casting of Dr Doom affected my view of 'Deadpool and Wolverine.' Finally, I'll outline my very disorganised thoughts about the precedent it sets for Marvel movies.

I am one of the people very unhappy about RDJ (Robert Downey Jr.) playing Dr Doom. Originally this is because I believed Marvel would need some way of explaining why Tony Stark and Dr Doom look the same. I thought to do this Marvel would do the same character fuckery they did with Task Master. Then I forgot about the whole ordeal for a while. I mean I don't work at Marvel, it's not like I'm gonna be able to change it.

Having forgotten all about the announcement I was sent a Tumblr post, surprise surprise, by a friend on the topic. The post outlined how RDJ isn't the type of actor to be able to pull off the highs and lows of Dr Doom. Meaning that, in the comics, the character flips between calling himself a God with the utmost gravity and then being a complete and utter fool. Which I do agree with. So much so, that I created a list of actors I think would be better suited to play Dr Doom. But again, I don't work at Marvel. I can't change the casting. So, I forgot about it for a while once again.

Yet the cycle continues. I watched a YouTube video outlining all the easter eggs and references littered throughout the 'Deadpool and Wolverine' movie. One 'easter egg' in particular caught my attention. Chris Evans reprising his old role of Johnny Storm. In the video, the creator speculated this was a deliberate decision on the part of Marvel beyond it being a fun cameo celebrating the Foxverse (20th Century Fox Universe). They speculate Evan's Johnny Storm was deliberately cast to show that different characters can be played by the same actors. In the context of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), different people can look the same. In short, Tony Stark can look like Dr Doom, and Dr Doom can look like Tony Stark.

This should have calmed my original dislike of the casting. It's a simple and easy way to explain why in the Marvel film universe Tony Stark and Dr Doom look the same. Unfortunately, it didn't. This seemed inconceivable to me from an in-universe standpoint. Captain America died in the prime timeline. Johnny Storm was purged and left in the void. To me, this means Johnny Storm was not meant to be in the prime timeline and his existence there was a threat. Meta textually this, to me, would mean the same actor cannot play multiple characters within the MCU. However, I must note, there is no evidence the Johnny Storm we see is from the prime timeline. Despite this, I believe my point still stands, as the cast of the new Fantastic Four movies announced Johnny Storm will be played by Joseph Quinn. At this point in time we have no reason to say this movie won't take place in the prime timeline. As such, a more specific precedent is set by Marvel. One in which, characters can be played by the same actors in the MCU but they cannot be played by the same actors in the same timeline. In short Captain America and Johnny Storm can't look alike in the prime timeline so neither can Tony Stark and Dr Doom. The cycle repeats. I forget about the casting of RDJ as Dr Doom. I forget the possible intentionality with which Chris Evans was asked to reprise his role as Jonny Storm. I go about my daily life.

Until I watch another YouTube video. This one about the concept of Anchor Beings. The creator outlines their worries that anchor beings serve to shrink the multiverse Marvel has created instead of widening it. It goes on to mention disagreement about whether the idea of anchor beings is truly another multiversal concept introduced into the Marvel playbook or a metatextual reflection of the importance of Hugh Jackman and Wolverine to the Fox-men (20th Century Fox's X-Men) franchise. The creator settles on the two ideas being the same as a result of the reveal of RDJ as Dr Doom and the rumours of 'Avengers 5' having an anti-Kang anchor being squad. Those point to the concept of anchor beings sticking around as well as showing how integral RDJ is to the MCU.

Finally, the cycle ends. This time I wasn't able to let my thoughts go. Instead, I came to a conclusion I didn't want to come to. Narratively, 'Deadpool and Wolverine' probably isn't that good of a movie. Don't get me wrong I loved it. I watched the X-Men movies as a kid and loved them. I still love them, and this movie was the perfect Foxverse send-off. But that's the issue. The movie's value comes from the metatextual narrative woven into it. Every character in the Void is from the Foxverse. As far as I can tell, the characters are mostly from movies that have either been forgotten from the 20th Century Fox catalogue. A lot more have been from movies that were considered flops, or characters that were horrifically conceived. Juggernaut comes to mind. Wolverine is burnt out and useless, a mata[hor for the current state of the Fox. Deadpool is alive because since Logan he's been Fox's most bankable property, but he's not content because the Wolverine from the previous movies was the lynchpin of the franchise.

That's where Wolverine being an anchor being comes in. Hugh Jackman's bankablility as Wolverine cannot be denied and the X-Men movies made it clear that their protagonist is Wolverine. Metatextually, this can be seen from the generally bad reception of X-Men movies that did not have him as the protagonist. Of course, with the exception of First Class Last Stand and Origins Wolverine. X-Men follows Logan being introduced to the X-Men as well as taking care of Rouge. X2 focuses much more on Loagn's backstory. I would argue he's still the protagonist in Days of Future Past, not just because he is the one sent back in time but because he is the one who ultimately brings Charles and Erik together. This movie cemented Logan as the emotional anchor of the X-Men movies.

Now where does this leave us in terms of future movies? Well, I have to agree the idea of anchor beings does seem to have been created to allow for more stories with a select few favourites. However, it also sets a dangerous precedent that nostalgia can make for a 'good' movie, you just have to do it right. Many people complained about 'Rise of Skywalker' for leaning too much into nostalgia and dropping it into the movie at random. Scenes seemed to be written around easter eggs and not the other way around. Disney hadn't figured out the formula then, but by 'No Way Home' they had. The easter eggs had become part of the plot. If 'Deadpool and Wolverine' was a send-off to the Foxverse, then 'No Way Home' was the first send-off, this one to the Spider-Man IP. Both came after long and arduous legal battles over the IP. 'No Way Home' began with another uneasy marriage between Sony and Disney where 'No Way Home' could have conceivably been the last MCU Spider-Man movie. 'Deadpool and Wolverine' was the result of Disney taking custody of 20th Century Fox.

'Deadpool and Wolverine' is full of ester eggs and references that are woven into the story. A story that centres the character of Wolverine and makes him a metaphor for the Foxverse. As such the metatextual narrative of the movie cannot be removed from the film. It's hard at times to separate this movie from its context. It was conceived as a celebration of an era that will never come again. Now that Disney has cracked the code, I worry that these sorts of metatextual narratives will be used more liberally, stifling creativity and expansion. I worry this will also set a precedent that you need to do your homework before you go into a Marvel movie. Something that isn't an issue for fans more so casual viewers. A while back a friend said they really enjoyed the movie but didn't understand part because they hadn't watched 'Loki.' I'm sure this isn't an uncommon sentiment and it demonstrates something an admittedly vocal minority have been complaining about. Noel Carroll, in his paper 'Power of Movies,' argues that the reason films are quickly overtaking traditional art and literature as our society's dominant art form is because of their low barrier to entry. by that, he means, it's a lot easier to learn to understand pictures than it is words. It's also a lot quicker. I think an overreliance on nostalgia and overuse of established media (TV shows like 'Loki,' or Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D') will make that barrier of entry higher but instead of encouraging people to dive in and explore they might just steer them away.

Thank you for making it through this whole post. I have linked all the posts and videos in the appropriate places above but I will link them all in an easier-to-view list here as well.

RDJ as Dr Doom Tumblr Post

'I Watched Deadpool & Wolverine in 0.25x Speed and Here's What I Found' -The Cadaidian Lad

'Anchor Being's Suck' - Pillar of Garbage

'Power of Movies' - Noel Caroll

This was a sort of half-essay. I mostly wanted to get some of my thoughts down in some form or another. I would like to stress these are just my opinions, you do not have to agree with them. Furthermore, I enjoyed every movie I mentioned above (except 'Rise of Skywalker'). This post isn't meant to make you hate any of the movies mentioned, nor am I making a concrete judgment as to the quality of any of these movies. You're free to have your own opinions and free to watch and like whatever you want. As I said these are just my opinions and who knows they might change in a couple of years.

[writerbuddha]

Good evening, @writerbuddha. I'm a little confused about Anakin's arc in "The Phantom Menace", especially in the climax. What is Anakin's arc in Episode I about and how is that reflected in the film's climax and ending? What does the character learn or fail to learn at the end of the film?

Hello! :)

George Lucas described The Phantom Menace as basically Act I in an epic, where the characters and the basic themes are introduced. Episode I is actually the beginning of Anakin's arc, arching over the trilogy. We're introduced to him and his flaws as well.

We see that Anakin is a very compassionate, courageous and kind person who "gives without a thought of reward" and "knows nothing of greed," and being a Jedi Knight, a guardian of peace and justice in the known universe, who lives for others, is what he dreams about doing. However, we get to see the crack on his armor: Anakin has a fear of losing is mother, he doesn't want things to change, although Shmi tells him, "you can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting." The Jedi Masters, explaining, there is always fear behind anger, there is always anger behind hate, and these are add up to a state of suffering, and lead to evil behavior. Because he has much fear in him, the fear of losing a coming and passing thing, there's a possibility for that to grow into much suffering, not just on his part, but on the part of others. This is the groundwork upon which Episode II and III is built, the foreshadowing of the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader.

With that said, in The Phantom Menace, Anakin learns some lessons. For example, he has to acknowledge that being clean of fear is not limited to having the courage to die for them - it also includes having the courage to live without them, and in that sense, he is very much fearful. He also has to face with the fact that a Jedi Knight can be killed, which feeds into a larger realization: when the good guys win, sometimes, one of them dies, and you must accept the fact that in life, there is no clean, perfect, absolutely satisfying happy end. There are things that we cannot control, so we will never get it just how we want it. Anakin is accepted into the Order, but he had to leave his mother behind. He saved Naboo, but Qui-Gon died. I think it's important that at the end of the movie, everyone seems content, smiling, but Anakin only smiles at Padmé. So, to me, that shows, he has troubles with emotionally accepting this. Which, again, is the inability to let go of what cannot stay.

The way I see the movie, the character who learns something at the end of the film, whose arc is completed in the movie, reflected in the film's climax, and it's also the central arc of the movie, is Padmé and Naboo as a whole: the peaceful and the warrior-like are frowning upon each other, one lives on the surface, in flowery cities, the other is underwater surrounded by beasts, one is led by a queen the other is by a king. Padmé is despised of the concept of war and insist, negotiation is always the answer, but eventually, she must realize that sometimes fighting is necessary. Instead of waiting for the strong and wise leader to solve her problems (which is how tyrants get power: sit back, people, leave this to me. I will fix it, I will make a safe and secure society… in fact, why don’t you put me in charge of everything? You can get on your life, I will bring your security, safety and prosperity!) she decides to stand up, to not to descend into political passivity and apathy, and save her planet. She reconciles with the Gungans, as well as her own warrior-side, and they mutually accept each other at the end of the movie, in harmony and balance.

I hope this is helpful! :)

[tonythr]

Bretta's previous love interest

Ok ok another quick theory. It doesn't have much proof but hear me out.

We know that Bretta had at least one love interest/partner/crush before she met the Knight.

And we know that this person seemed to have 'left her behind'.

We don't know how much of that is true - it's possible that the mysterious person didn't leave her behind, but her consciousness, being infected by the Light, made her remember it that way.

But we know that when something like that happens, the infected person doesn't completely lose their memories; at least, they still remember some people from their past.

So who is this mysterious person? It's probably someone who was close to Bretta, or at least someone who Bretta had a crush on, since the way she talks about them and the way she instantly falls in love with the Knight just because of a mere thought that the Knight will be someone who will remember her, makes me think that she had a similar experience with that mysterious person.

Well, I think it's this guy:

The reason I believe that is their Dream Nail dialogue. They're apologizing to someone.

The corpse is hidden behind a door in a structure that was built by the Mantis Tribe. This tells us that this bug was probably captured for trespassing and was put in a prison to rot. THAT could also be the reason they're apologizing. Maybe they're asking to be forgiven by the Tribe, regretting their choice and dying with their mind being wrapped around that one last hope of being free again.

And THAT would be a reasonable explanation. However, I think there is another possibility. What if this bug was the one travelling with Bretta, and the one who 'left her behind'? I see it that way: they were travelling together, but then this bug decided to split from her and later was captured by the Mantis Tribe without getting a chance to tell Bretta what happened. This could explain why Bretta was later found deep inside the Fungal Wastes, thinking about someone who (as she thought) left her behind and forgotten about her - maybe she tried to look for them but got lost and infected, which led her to the point where we see her in the game.

If that's the case, it means that Bretta was never actually forgotten, and that her previous partner's (?) dying thought was them trying to apologize to her for making it seem like they left her behind.

Again, I know this theory doesn't have much proof. It's more of a headcanon, really. I just find it very romantic how the whole point of Bretta's story was about finding someone who would give her love (that she totally deserved) or at least a feeling of being remembered, and how it is entirely possible that one of her love interests actually never forgot her.

Also, there is one other bug who always liked Bretta and was very sad when she left Dirtmouth.

Even Elderbug remembered her, which also proves the point that Bretta's fear of being forgotten was always an empty one. It's almost like the game wants us to think about the idea that one cannot be easily forgotten, even if it seems like no one in the world remembers them...

By the way, I get a feeling that Bretta's story might actually not be over. I definitely hope that we'll see some familiar characters in Silksong, and that Bretta will be one of them. Maybe she'll even have a crush on Hornet (jk... unless?)