#Moria is easier to get along with

[ryathenaughtykitsune]

why do these damn Warlords have to piss each other off... *keeping a safe distance from @per-oceanum and @mingos *

[starsofarda]

I have seen that post about Maedhros being found in Moria by the Fellowship after being woken up by the longest unvoluntary nap ever. And yes, I know "Archaeology", anfic on a similar premise.

But today I wouldlike to linger on the comedic aspects of "the Fellowship expected a Balrog to come, but instead First Era Maedhros Feanorian appeared, albeit slightly charred, and now the Fellowship is adding a 10th member to the Fellowship".

For the sake of story I am still gonna say that Gandalf fell down the bridge, because ACTUALLY there was a Balrog.

Anyway the Fellowship minus Gandalf and plus Maedhros waltz in Lothlorien giving Galadriel a whole new range of emotions.

"I WAS EXPECTING GANDALF YOU ALL HAVE BROUGHT BACK A WAR CRIMINAL FROM AN ERA BYGONE AND ALSO MY COUSIN THRICE REMOVED."

Maedhros picking up IMMEDIATELY on the effect that the Ring is having on everyone and having a heart-to-heart with everyone and explaining the whole Silmarillion ordeal.

"Yikes." Everyone nods in agreement to the sentiment epressed by the Hobbits.

As an extra layer Mae asks if they are bound by any oath. "No, Elrond was quite insisting that we would NOT swear ANY oath."

Cue Mae crying.

Somehow Sam clicks immediately with Maedhros and when Frodo leaves the Fellowship Sam is already there all geared up for literal war and with all advice and tips on how to effectively kill orcs.

Somehow Merry and Pippin manage to make Mae smile. Their next mission is to make him laugh.

This reminds him of the Ambarussa. Mae cries again.

Gollum will underestimate that and it will be his doom.

"No Mr.Frodo, Sir Maedhros explained to us very clearly what happens with cursed artifacts, we are leaving Gollum here. Sir Maedhros was so kind, he explained to me everything I need to know."

Boromir lives, because killing Orcs turns out way easier with someone who can instill in them the very fear of the Valar.

Saruman has an incredibly short span.

"Oh? A palantir? My father's invention? Here? Yeah, I am gonna take that."

Somehow everything is a little easier?

Gimli crying because somehow he heard (ancient) Khuzdul from an Elf and now Maedhros has to understand since when Dwarves and Elves do not get along.

The company coming back to Imladris and causing Elrond to break down crying uncontrollably and in a very undignified manner.

"Lindir" hears the cries and when he sees Mae he's crying as well. It is revealed that "Lindir" is actually Maglor.

When the last ship sails for Valinor, the Valar grant M&M to come back due to repentance and various services in aid to destroying the Ring.

Galadriel is still not over the fact that MAEDHROS FEANORIAN was in Lothlorien and she could not even slap him.

At least in Valinor M&M can now hug mama Nerdanel and stay with her. Eventually all brothers will be reimbodied.

Thoughts? Comments? Prayers? Silmarils?

[queer-overwatch]

Omg I love the mentor Ana you wrote could you do a mentor moira with a student intern that works hard but struggles in there studys

Moira as with student!intern reader!

Ofc! Moria the meanest girlie ever, I love her <3 sorry this is a little short </3 -Frisk

☯•-•-•-•⟮ ☯ ⟯•-•-•-• ☯

"Uuugh!"

Slamming your head down on your desk, you groan as you try to read a paragraph about some DNA vs RNA for the millionth time.

No matter how many times you tried to memorize everything you needed to know regarding stupid, stupid genetics you'd forget it as soon as you actually had to apply your knowledge for anything. You had to at least get down a decent chunk of what Moria told you study, otherwise you'd disappoint her and that would absolutely ruin you.

Straightening back up, you stubbornly start reading again, ignoring everything and anything that wasn't directly in front of you as you refuse to even blink for a good minute. Unfortunately, that also meant you couldn't hear Moria calling for you. And by the time you finally noticed her stomping her way over to your work desk, it was too late.

"Care to explain why you've been ignoring me for the last 3 minutes, (y/n)?" Crossing her arms, she stares down at you impatiently. Shit, this is exactly what you wanted to avoid!

"I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to, I just- I was distracted." You close the book in front of you after making sure you'd put a bookmark on the page you were on, spinning your chair to look at her without straining your neck. You could see in the disappointment in her eyes, and god if that didn't hurt worse than chopping your own hand off.

You begged and worked and tried so hard to get the opportunity to work alongside and learn from her, and you were going to blow it all just because you couldn't wrap your head around something she could recite and explain in her sleep!

Too wrapped up in your own head, you don't notice her grabbing the book from your desk and flipping to the page you were just reading and skimming through a few paragraphs.

She scoffs, tossing it back onto your desk and snapping you out of your thoughts. "That's what you're stuck on, really? Pathetic, a five year old could understand what you fail to comprehend."

Holding your breath, you look down to the ground and nod along silently, a million different thoughts running through your head, the majority of which were just calling you stupid.

Looking down at you, she sighs as she rests her hands on her hips and pulls a spare chair over to your desk, sitting down with her legs crossed. "I suppose since you're supposed to be my intern after your studies, I should ensure you understand these types of things so you don't ruin my work. Go on then, tell me what you're struggling with."

Shocked, you snap your head up to look at her. "What-?"

She stares at you as if you're the dumbest person she'd ever talked to, gesturing to the book on your desk. "I said tell me what your feeble mind fails to process, or would you prefer to be left in your own stupidity, that'd certainly be easier for me."

"No-! No, um, thank you!"

"Shut up and read."

"Yes ma'am!"

[rollinouttahere-writes]

An idea for a senario for the thriller bark arc. What would happen if lil lucky is present when Moria puts luffys shadow into oars and how would the giant zombie react when he finally notices her? Will he remember her or just takes her because he wants her to join his crew?

I had to ignore this one for a few days because I hadn't gotten that far yet and had no idea who tf Oars was lmao

But now I've gotten past that so we're good!

Okay, so with the shadows, Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy's shadows all have this looming feeling of having forgotten something. They're all experiencing that kind of panic you feel when you leave the house and question if you remembered to turn the stove off or not, except they have no idea what they're panicking over. Them seeing Lucky would make them feel like they found what they're looking for, though they're still questioning why they're so invested in this kid but oh well.

During this arc lil Lucky is having a grand old time. She made friends and played dress up with Perona, broke some plates with Cindry, and got invited to be a flower girl at a wedding. Everything is great for her up to this point.

Then Perona brings her along to see Moria put Luffy's shadow into Oars god only knows why she thought that was a good idea, and that's where things start to go awry. Now Lucky is realizing that while she was having fun, everyone else was NOT, and she's starting to feel sick.

She doesn't immediately lose hope after Luffy's shadow gets taken. Yeah, she's getting anxious and scared, but she's holding out hope that Luffy will still be okay. His shadow is struggling in Moria's grasp, so there's still a chance. He can escape and get back to his body, right?!

Usopp, Nami, and Chopper keep trying to swipe her into Kumachi while all of this is going down but keep almost getting caught

Then Luffy's shadow gets put into Oars, and now she's lost hope. She doesn't know that there's a way to get his shadow out, and Luffy's body has already been taken away so she thinks he's gone forever. The second Oars roars, the dam breaks and Lucky starts crying hysterically because she's upset and now also terrified.

Her crying instantly sets off Oars. Lucky crying is enough to make Luffy start throwing hands without question, and that applies to his shadow as well. He might not have Luffy's memories, but he feels this all consuming need to protect that little kid and make her stop crying. This is easier said then done, however, because him picking lil Lucky up only makes her cry more and he can't figure out why.

So what does he do about it? He goes on a rampage in hopes that he will eventually get rid of whatever is making her this upset.

Lucky is physically safe with him, but the emotional distress of being abducted by a zombie giant that sounds and acts like her best friend but isn't is unimaginable.

[hannahhook7744]

Danny Darling headcanons;

His full name is Daniel Cooper Stuart-Darling of Darling Coast, but he prefers to go by Danny.

He was born and raised in Darling Coast by his parents—Wendy Darling and Edward Stuart.

He is 19 years old by the time the events of the Pocket Watch/Rise of Red take place.

He has two older siblings—Jane (34) and William (26).

Danny also has 7 first cousins (Jeremiah, Wilma, Diana, Moria, Jamie, Wallace, and Dalton) and 5 second cousins (Millie, Conrad, Chains, Shelly, and Warpaint).

He is quite close to Tinkerbell's youngest son, Tinzen, and Hard-to-Hit's son, Hototo.

Danny is still close to Peter Pan but has lost his hero worship for him.

Danny is also a little shit who loves teasing his cousins, siblings, and friends about their crushes/partners (including Tiger Peony's relationship with Bobby Hood).

He has a vial of fairy dust on a necklace that was gifted to him by Peter when he was younger.

Danny likes climbing trees, fishing, sword-fighting, shooting things (usually with his slingshot), parkour, cartography, and various sports.

He also loves his dog, Nana ||, very much.

He still has his Peter Pan doll hidden somewhere in his room—not that he'll admit it.

Danny is a fun loving, playful, optimistic, somewhat snarky young man who loves messing with people. Though he rarely takes it too far.

Danny considers Red, Maddox, Chloe, and Hadie his bestfriends, even if Hadie drives him nuts sometimes.

He rough houses with Hadie the most out of his friends because of how different they are from one another.

His favorite colors are green and red.

He writes letters to people often, even if most people consider it old fashioned.

Danny can almost always be found wearing his letterman jacket or his jersey.

He can also be found wearing a beanie a good 40% of the time.

He spent a good portion of his childhood vacations in Neverland.

Danny once got in an argument with Peter over him thinking pirates were cool, which resulted in him getting banished for a week. This is part of the reason why he lost his hero worship for him.

Danny, like his brother before him, went to school in Auradon Prep.

His best subjects are P.E, Art, and History of Woodsmen and Pirates.

His worst subjects are cooking, Smiling, and Chemistry.

Danny does not have good impulse control.

He also does not take Hadie's claims of being evil seriously.

He is quite handy with a sword and a slingshot.

Out of the girls, Danny is the closest to Red because of their similar tastes in humor.

Out of the boys, he gets along best with Maddox because he finds him easier to get along with.

Danny is good at flying with pixie dust.

[minesofmoriacosplays-blog]

Goodbye Beach City

Comic Con Masquerade Contest: Moria Magre- Mines of Moria Cosplays

Costume Entry Title: Goodbye Beach City

Inspired by Steven Universe

Costume Description:So, this costume was around 400 hours of work. It was a behemoth of a costume. I genuinely don't know where to start in describing it, but I guess starting from head to toe.

WIG: So the wig is styled by me, the figure in the wig is a small little Malachite figure as in season 1 of Steven Universe Malachite pulled themselves into the sea, so the wig is styled to be like the ocean, much the same as the rest of the dress. Malachite is an old worn out sock of my partners that was stuffed and cut and painted. Wire is in the legs and arms to make them movable. Then every piece of the little figure is hand stitched with embroidery floss. The face itself is actually iron on applique (because I feel the face detail wouldn't have been able to show on such a small figure otherwise) The other side of the wig has seashells and such to stick with the ocean motif.

BODICE: The bodice part of the dress is an old 1960s pattern design I modified from an old pattern my grandma had. I took that pattern and laid it on paper and reworked it and had to do SEVERAL tests with old sheets to make the pieces work for me (her pattern wasn't designed for... plus sized girls). On the upper shoulders are hand woven beaded strings that are in the shape of the diamond authority with 2mm beads which are so dang tiny ;_; On the lower part of the bodice is hand stitched flower motifs. I made the flower appliques themselves out of salt packets (since the dress is based on a beach and beaches are salty, salt made sense! I want to transport you guys to beach city with this dress!!!) Salt packets are cut open, empties, Elmer’s glued together then sewn down together on a fabric sheet, then cut out and attached with iron on interfacing. Along each edge of the flower pieces are again 2mm beads patterned into a 3:1:3 pattern with transparent then opaque then shiny.

SHORT BEACH SKIRT:All the skirts in the piece are all patterned by me, no base pattern at all, I genuinely did trial and error for all the skirts from here on. The belt there is attached to the skirts with heavy duty embroidery floss as the two skirts combined weigh close to 30 lbs. Now the first thing from the white dress to this that you see is white smocking. The smocking was all patterned by me with a bunch of error. The idea is from basic Canadian smocking but finding a lot of patterns for smocking is hard and it’s easier to make your own. For the patterning of the smocking I made a wooden template. I made the squares (for this piece the squares are 1cm wide) on the piece of wood and then put holes where each line meets of the squares then traced the little dots on the fabric with water soluble ink. (its quicker than measuring them all out) There are 64 rows of smoking and they are about each row is 38 cm long. Each 2 rows take about 1.25 hours. (Smocking is so relaxing-- that is until you hit row 40. Then it’s just tiring. GOTTA PULL THROUGH THOUGH) After the smocking you then see the salt packet sheets, I described above. Same technique but this time sewn into larger sheets and used as a base for the beach and locations themselves. The salt packets are almost like interfacing with how much it stiffens everything. The salt is still inside for these pieces unlike the roses pieces above so if I hop around you can hear the salt moving (which is quite rhythmic). After the salt packets is the locations. Now these are where it gets intense. (yeah, I know HERE is where it gets intense-- HA!) But the locations-- the fry shack/fish stew pizza, the Mr. Universe van/Lion and the big donut are first done on bedsheets I stretch over canvas (Almost all of the fabric for this costume are bedsheets and curtains-- I gotta be cheap and economical, costume supplies do add up ;_; ) So then patterns are drawn on the canvas, I paint the designs on doing color blocking so when I stitch the fabric is a matching color. They are then hand stitched on the canvas. ( I actually made 2 more designs, one being the car-wash and the other being Mr. Smileys fun land but couldn't find a place to put them so they got scrapped) After they are sewn, I add double sided interfacing to the back to seal up the extra strings and make sure they are flat. I do iron it on to the salt packets and then hand-stitch them on again. On the back of the skirt is a diamond shape I did with my embroidery machine of the diamond authority with the parts of the giant robot they control (talk about a weird plot twist tbh) Under the locations is the sand which is attached via clear caulk and then sand is smooshed in. The beach water is underneath, so the beach water is actually rubber resin (it is a heavy duty type and isn't sold most places, its sortof uncommon) So, there were 3 trial and errors for the water, I first did it in regular resin but added less hardener and coated it in clear acrylic in order to make it still mildly malleable but not tacky. It was more malleable than normal but not as much as I needed. Moving on- I tried the first batch of rubber resin. If you don't buy the kind without the alumilite it will yellow (and this resin is sorta weird and acts strange because of it) and guess what, blue and yellow make green. And the water looked so YUCKY. Third try. So important clarification- this resin also hardens in oh idk maybe 15 minutes max on a good day. 8 minutes on a bad day. I had both. So, because of the short time I had my partner help me mix up the batches. I had to have light, dark, and white for mixing. I had the fabric shape drawn onto dollar tree clear curtains that were taped to my porch ground. I then poured the dark, then light, then white. With gloves on I mixed it to give that watery affect. (not enough time to treat it like an acrylic pour but man I wish) Once it dries it is then attached to the dress with clear caulk. On the edge of the skirt is a ribbon and then a handwoven bead string that is beaded like a braid. So, you have the main bead

bit in the center and then 3 other bead bits. I had 3 needles and braided it like that.

LONG BEACH SKIRT: So, the second skirt is built very similar to the original. The pieces on the skirt are more symbolic of the show. The villain of the first episode is Centipeedle and then the villain of the last episode (SPOILER SORRY) is Monster Steven then on the back is the giant Obsidian temple. The obsidian temple came first and took the longest racking in a whopping 60 hours. I will say these jumbo designs are a little different from the smaller counterparts because these were the ones I started when the pandemic started and TAKE A GUESS WHAT HOBBY EVERYONE TOOK UP?! Yeah needlepoint, or it seemed like it and every hobby store was SOLD OUT of almost all embroidery floss. So, all the floss is hand dyed and colored because I LITERALLY COULDN'T GET MATERIALS (IMSTILLMADABOUTIT) Which took so many hours to get the colors I needed. Especially the grey. The grey for Obsidian and Monster Steven is yarn and not floss because I could not get any more floss). The mountain underneath Obsidian is a textile manipulation piece, so multiple fabric pieces are roughly sewn down to get the texture and coloring you need. I used mostly denims and cottons to get the rough texture to match a mountainside. The little lighthouse is embroidered on my embroidery machine from a file I made.

UNDERNEATH LONG BEACH SKIRT: Underneath the big skirt is a whole other world to immerse yourself in Steven universe. So once again-Smocking. The white as we call "frosting" smocking technique is 1.25-inch squares compared to the 1 cm ones of before. I made a second wood board with the 1in squares since the smocking underneath is literally like 6 yards of fabric (I know it doesn't look like it but man does smocking go through fabric) On the underside in the photos you can really see the blue braid woven beads I mentioned in "short beach skirt". Along with that bead line you can also see little bubbles hand-sewn to the dress! the bubbles there are literal Christmas ornaments cut in half and alcohol dyed. (I used sharpies, alcohol and a spray bottle) They are then clear coated with clear spray-paint to ensure they stay colored and the color doesn't rub off. Inside the bubbles are clay gems, painted and coated with resin to ensure stability. I sanded the bottoms and used hot glue to attach them as heavy-duty adhesives tend to yellow or bleed through and since the fabric (where there isn't salt) is pretty thin and I didn't want to take the chance. Each gem is one we have seen in the show, so we have our main characters, then we have corrupted gems and then the gems with Lars on homeworld like Rutile and all them! Both sides have between 8-10 gems each. (try and guess the gems! <3)

PINK UNDERSKIRT PANELS: Once again for these pink panels I used smocking, you can see it on the outermost side. I used 1in squares for this one so I made a third board for smocking (3 boards in total- S, M, L) This part of the skirt on both sides kinda represented Stevens Pink Diamond abilities like portal making (is that even what it would be considered???) any who, since these panels are hidden until shown it seemed fitting so I put the inside of Lions's Mane on one side and Lion on the other. For Lion I once again did the textile painting technique like I did with the mountain and textured him with dozens of different pink fabrics, string and paper. (yes, I sewed through paper to get some of the pink textures). I did a bit of paint for the eyes to make them pop a bit better. The other side is an applique I did with spray adhesive for the tree base and branches, then they are hand stitched on top of to make it pop. I also machine stitched on top to ensure all pieces are well attached. For the small parts of the design like the t-shirt, and the treasure chest I used my embroidery machine to make the pieces.

MAIN WHITE SKIRT TRIM: The last part is the center white skirt! So, for starters, I can’t read sheet music. I never took music classes as a kid since I always took art (believe me, I regret it now) So I kinda had to teach myself music stuff in order to read the sheet music. So, the music notes on the bottom are from the Steven Universe intro song "we are the crystal gems!" I sewed down 5 different strings about the same distance apart to be the bars (I think that’s what they are called) then drew on the music notes with water soluble ink and started stitchin! My friend taught me what the notes meant and what parts were important on a sheet music sheet to include (like the pauses and stuff) and I can mostly understand it! (I love the music of SU and it’s such an integral part I HAD to include it) So the whole song wraps around the bottom of the white skirt. If I were to take off the over skirt I could twirl in a circle and you could read the whole thing (theoretically)

THAT WAS SO MANY WORDS AND IF YOU STUCK IT OUT TO READ TILL THE END YOU ARE THE REAL MVP. TBH I AM ALWAYS SHOCKED WHEN I MAKE SOMETHING AT THE END. I'M LIKE WOAH DUDE I MADE THAT NO WAY. SHOCK. I DONT FULLY KNOW WHY I WENT SO HARDCORE ON THIS PIECE BUT IT IS AWESOME SO OH WELL. (Tbh it may have been a coping mechanism for this whole pandemic business but haha that's just the way it is guess)

Bio: So, this dress was made originally for the HER Universe fashion show this year. I got declined before they saw the full piece. (I'm not salty, you're salty!) but I designed the dress because I wanted to say goodbye to beach city, as the show's finale was last year. The dress was going to go to San Diego comic con and be my way of ushering the show out. Showing the whole world how much I loved it. Steven Universe meant a lot in different ways to different people but for me it was a lot about pure friendship. I got to watch the show with my best friends and cosplay with them for years. The original Steven universe was just our show and was for us and I will always love it for that

But Steven Universe future was different, it was for me. I saw myself in Steven in so many heartbreaking ways. As a caretaker I saw how much Steven sacrificed and when he stopped taking care of the world, he felt he had no purpose. And I cried after so many episodes because no one talks about what happens to the hero after they hand up the cape, after they settle down. And I saw it. I saw me and it meant so much to just see myself. I love Steven universe for that reason alone, if not for the 500 amazing reasons too :))

Photo Credit:My husband Victor! :) (Photo location: Lake Hardy, Indiana)

Video Credit:My best man Lucy (she is one of those folks I mentioned above that watched this show with me from the start and I’m happy to have done this little shoot with her and man I just love her ok)

GOODBYE BEACH CITY THANKS FOR BEING MY HOME FOR ALL THESE YEARS!

Country: United States

[maaaddiexo]

The Within Series | Legolas Greenleaf

Book 1: The Devil Within - Part 1.9

Mainlist | Serieslist

Nyx of Tyndall does not know love or kindness. Cursed at a young age by a jealous witch, Nyx has lived a life of solitude and death.

Until Gandalf the Grey requests her presence and uncontrollable skill in assisting a young Hobbit across Middle-Earth with nine others to destroy a ring so powerful all fall victim to its evil.

Not only must Nyx face Orcs, demons, and creatures she’s never seen before, but also the devil inside. Controlling the devil is the key to finding freedom in a spell that can’t be broken. But it will not be so easy for Nyx when every obstacle she faces pushes her to an edge she cannot return from.

Chapter Nine

Nyx slept soundlessly that night, which surprised her. She’d been dwelling on her decision to join the Fellowship the moment she’d agreed. She was tired. She didn’t want to go any further. And yet, looking into Frodo’s eyes and feeling no judgement from Aragorn, how could she possibly say no?

An elf woke Nyx up in the early hours of dawn, helping her into a warm tub and rubbing the stress away with a sponge. Nyx did her best to fight the anger at not being allowed to sleep in but she was aware of the water heating up a few degrees when it should have been cooling. Her anger was stronger than before. Harder to control.

Afterwards, the elf helped Nyx into dark pants – she couldn’t tell if they were brown or black – and a dark blue turtleneck tunic. Overtop, she was given a thick woollen cloak, black as night. Her hair was braided into two inverted braids which were then secured in a bun at the nape of her neck.

“Low maintenance,” the elf explained, standing up. “Will you be joining the others for breakfast?”

Nyx inhaled. Since her arrival she’d avoided eating in the dining hall. Being around so many people made her uncomfortable, which made it easier for the evil within to take control win. But she would be traveling with these people now for who knew how long. She would have to get used to it. But, perhaps, not yet. “Oh, um, no. I need to finish packing.”

The elf nodded and left. Nyx moved to the end of her bed, where Elrond’s gifts from the day before lay.

“You will need weapons, my dear. And not just this old…thing,” he looked at the scythe with disdain. The blade was chipped and dull, and the wooden handle was thinning where she often gripped it. The wood was also stained with blood, but it often was and Nyx had grown tired of washing the wood when she didn’t even see anyone.

“I don’t have any other weapons, Lord Elrond. I’m sure I will be fine.”

“Nonsense. Since your arrival, I have had my people working on some new weapons for you. Including a new scythe. Gandalf tells me you are quite attached.”

“It’s the only way I’m connected to them.” Gandalf had told Nyx that her parents had lived on farm before they had her. And though she didn’t have any memories of them, this made her feel close to them.

Elrond nodded and placed Nyx’s old scythe against the wall. “Then it will be waiting right here for you when you return. But you cannot take that into war. It will splinter on the first strike. Here,” Elrond lifted his arm and two Elves came in. One carried a thick bundle wrapped in cloth while the other carried a scythe made fully of metal, with strips of black wood running with the long handle from top to bottom.

Nyx ran her hand along it in awe. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is strong. It will serve you well. And here.” The second Elf unraveled the bundle of cloth, revealing two daggers with birch hilts and a knife with a red wood hilt. “For extra protection.”

Nyx smiled at Elrond. “Thank you. You owe me nothing and yet you always offer so much.”

Elrond smiled. “You are worth so much more than you think, Nyx of Tyndall. Soon you will see.”

Nyx smiled. “I really am sorry about your gazebo. And your Council Room floor.”

Elrond laughed. “Already forgiven. But don’t expect me to forget anytime soon.”

Nyx sheathed her weapons in the leather holster the Elf had dressed her in underneath her cloak. There were slots for her two daggers and the knife, plus an additional holster that she wore over her cloak. One strap went around her chest while the across her chest like a sash. The holster was on the back. She’d had a similar one before, but it seemed Elrond had replaced that as well.

Nyx knew breakfast would be over by nine, so she was in the courtyard at nine-oh-five, patiently waiting for the rest to arrive. Ever the punctual Elf, Legolas was the first to arrive.

“Good morning, Lady Nyx.”

Nyx grimaced. “Please, just Nyx.”

Legolas inclined his head, hands behind his back. He carried a bow and arrow, the bow made from a material unlike anything Nyx had ever seen. The holster for his quiver was similar to Nyx’s. His hair was braided the same as the day before: a small one going around each ear and a larger one for the hair on the crown of his head. He was dressed differently than when he had first arrived. He wore tall brown boots and grey pants. Arm guards over a grey shirt and a green elven tunic. He touched Nyx’s scythe, which she had in her hand at the moment. His fingers ran over a small inscription in elvish near the hilt of the blade.

“Dilthen lúg. Little Dragon,” Legolas read. “What does that mean?”

Nyx furrowed her brow. “It is what Gandalf used to call me…when I was a little girl. I almost forgot he used to call me that.”

“Why did he call you that?”

Nyx closed her eyes, but the memory was a good one. Those were rare for her. “I had the short temper of a dragon. Plus, my bad habit of catching fire made the nickname an easy choice for Gandalf. I used to find it endearing. Now, people say my name with malice and fear in their voices.”

“Why? You do not look so dangerous. Except, of course, for the large weapon in your hands.”

Nyx looked at the scythe as someone else joined the two of them and spoke. Aragorn. “Do not doubt her, Legolas. She has more fire in her than you think.”

Nyx looked away and took a few steps back, under an old stone arch. The two conversed and she ran her thumb over the inscription Legolas had pointed out. She hadn’t even noticed it until he’d mentioned it. She looked over at the Elf. He was laughing with Aragorn freely and she wondered how two people who’d seen battle and taken so many lives could still be so happy.

She looked at Aragorn. Though she knew he meant nothing ill, his words bothered her still, and she felt the anger inside her swell.

Take control of it.

Nyx leaned her head against the stone wall, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. They didn’t work. It seemed she had less control over the evil inside her since she carried the Ring.

“Nyx!”

Gandalf was standing in front her, waving his hand back and forth in front of her face. The rest of the Fellowship had arrived but, thankfully, no one was paying attention to the two.

“Sorry, Gandalf.”

“What is troubling you, my dear?”

“It’s the Ring. It did something to me. I feel…angrier. The littlest things are making me angry. This morning, I nearly cut off the Elf’s head when she woke me up. And just now, Aragorn.” Nyx shook her head. “Maybe it is best if I do not journey with you.”

“Nonsense, my dear. You are one of us. There is more good in you than you think. Come.”

“The Ring Bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom,” Elrond announced. “On you who travel with him, no oath or bond is laid to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you.”

“The Fellowship awaits the Ring Bearer.”

Frodo turned nervously, taking the time to look at all the people who had chosen to accompany him on quest they may not return from. He walked through the group, leading the way.

The moment they crossed over Rivendell’s border, the air of magic dissipated, and Nyx suddenly felt it hard to breathe. She was at the back of the group with Aragorn who noticed instantly.

“Sacred Elven places suppress other forms of magic that is not their own for the sake of protection,” he explained. “Now outside of Rivendell, you once again feel the full force of the curse.”

“It wasn’t this bad before,” Nyx whispered, mainly to herself. “The Ring did something to me. To the curse.”

“Perhaps when we destroy it, you will go back to normal.”

Nyx didn’t know what normal was. “Do you really think we will destroy it?”

Aragorn was silent.

That afternoon they stopped for lunch and a longer break than usual. While Boromir helped Pippin and Merry work on their swordsmanship and Sam handed out plates of food to everyone, Nyx sat silently beside Gandalf as he smoked his trusty pipe.

Gimli, who was slightly behind Nyx and Gandalf, spoke surely, “If anyone was to ask of my opinion, which I note they are not, I’d say we are taking the long way ‘round. Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome.”

A sour taste filled Nyx’s mouth at the name of Moria, but she wasn’t quite sure why.

“No, Gimli,” Gandalf replied softly. “I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice.”

“Why?” Nyx asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Evil lurks close there in the shadows,” Gandalf replied. “And since we are already walking straight into the fire, it would be best to avoid it when possible.”

Legolas, who had been watching the north, suddenly moved to the other side of the rocky outcropping to watch the south. He stared intently.

“What is it? What do you see?”

Legolas glanced at Nyx, who was squinting to try and see what he saw.

“Nothing, it’s just a whiff of cloud,” Gimli insisted.

“It’s moving fast,” Boromir stood. “Against the wind.”

“Crebain from Dunland!” Legolas shouted.

“Hide!” Aragorn shouted.

Nyx grabbed for Legolas, who remained where he was, quickly searching for the perfect place to hide. She found it nearly instantly, five paces from where they stood now. She dragged him along, tugging him under the curved boulder. Together, they tried to quiet their breathing and still their movements. Nyx heard everybody else scatter, their feet thumping against the ground as they ran for cover. She could feel Legolas’ chest against her shoulder and tried to match his steady breathing. It was hard but she managed to slow her breathing and calm the fire dwelling in the pit of her stomach.

The sky darkened with the birds’ arrival, caws piercing the air. Nyx saw their shadows on the ground in front of her as they flew by, circling the area before leaving in the same way they came. Slowly everybody emerged and watched the birds leave. Legolas looked back at their hiding place. From where he stood, he could barely see where they’d hidden.

“That is an excellent hiding spot,” Legolas admired.

Nyx shrugged and walked away. She was good at hiding. “What are they?”

“Spies of Saruman! The passage South is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras.”

Nyx looked up at the snowy mountain, its peak hidden above the clouds. She grabbed her pack and tightened the laces on her boots. They set out immediately, climbing the steep incline of the mountain range. Nearly to the top, there was a grunt from behind Nyx and she turned to see Frodo tumbling down the hill.

“Frodo!” Gandalf called, unable to do anything but watch him roll down the slope of the mountain. Thankfully, Aragorn stopped him before he could roll too far and immediately Frodo reached for his chest. The Ring was gone. He spotted it just as Boromir did, lifting it up by the chain and holding it closely to his face.

“Boromir,” Aragorn said softly. The man either did not listen to him or did not hear him.

“It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing… Such a little thing.” He reached up to touch it. Aragorn called his name again, this time firmer. The man heard him this time.

“Give the Ring to Frodo.”

Nyx watched from beside Gandalf as he reluctantly returned the Ring to Frodo and ruffled his hair. She turned to the wizard.  “I do not like the way he looks at the Ring. And I especially don’t like the way he looks at Frodo.”

Gandalf clenched his jaw, shifting his weight. “Neither do I, my dear. Neither do I.”

Part 1.10 ➺

[writingfromkitchenator]

Boromir ~ Xenial

Alphabet Challenge Masterlist (700 Followers)

Masterlist

Sequel to Unforeseen Circumstances

Thanks to @zeyien for requesting a follow up!

Words: 1,368

Warnings: Neutral Reader, werewolf AU, awkward tension, smidge of fluff, vague mentions of transformation, canon character death

There’d been an odd sort of tension around camp since you and Boromir had disappeared and returned a few days ago.  It was different to what it had originally been, and while you’d both been a little scratched up, wounds that had already healed, there was nothing else obvious about what was going on between the two of you.

They all knew that the two of you had tried to get along before you turned, and for the most part, and some relief, it seemed to be working.  However, whatever had happened after that night, had clearly changed something.

Aragorn had tried to find out what happened from you, but you refused to talk about, always quickly directing the subject away.  Boromir had done much the same with him, although, at one point, he told him straight out not to ask.

It was not the mood that they all wanted to enter the Mines of Moria with, but as the doors were destroyed behind them, they all had little choice.

The first night watch, Boromir approached you at the edge of camp, watching out into the dark.  The two of you were the best option for this, but he was ignoring the recommendation of taking some rest.

“The air reeks of death in here,” He said quietly as he sits next to you.  “And it is far too quiet.”

You make a noise, but your focus is ahead in the dark.

Boromir gives you a side long look, his gaze unsure, his voice dropping further.  “We need to talk about this.”

“Here is not the place to do it.”  You said, meeting his gaze for a moment.  “There are too many ears here, and not all of reputable company.”

He sighs.  “We have been avoiding this already.  We are only a week away from-”

“I am well aware.”

“Y/N,” Boromir kept his voice calm, gentle.  “You know as well as I do that it will happen again, whether we speak of it or not.”

Your jaw clenches.  “I know.”

“Then why-”

“Why do you think?” You asked flatly.  “This is not exactly part of our day to day Boromir, and frankly, I was never comfortable with what we did in the first place.  The road ahead of us is so uncertain, the problem we are facing so dangerous, that having this on top of it as well just makes me…uncomfortable.”

Boromir takes a moment before he chuckles lightly, finally earning your gaze fully.  “Uncomfortable does just about sum it up, or did you not think I was feeling that as well?  We are in this together now, Y/N, whether we like it or not.”

He smiles and gets up when you still remain silent, giving your shoulder a squeeze as he returns to camp.

The next night, it was you that approached him, although he was far more relaxed than what you had been, the silence sitting around the Fellowship, only you and Boromir hearing the occasional shuffles and drips in the dark.

You sit next to him, but the two of you remain quiet for a long time, both just silently thinking.

“Do you have any suggestions?”  You asked quietly.

Boromir casts you a small smile.  “I think that is going to depend on whether or not we are free of this place.”

You hum, the worry gnawing at you.  “Say we aren’t.”

“Then I suggest we put ourselves in the different direction to which they go the day.  It’s not going to be ideal, especially as we do not know these halls at all, but I believe it is going to be our only option in ensuring their safety.”

“I agree,” You said quietly. “That has been the only option I can think of, and, given last time…we should be distracted enough.”

Boromir watched you, watched how uncomfortable you were.  “I do not expect anything from you Y/N.  I consider us companions, but if that is all you wish, then that is all that it shall be.”

You let out a slow breath. “I…I am honestly not sure what I feel anymore Boromir, which is why I have been avoiding it for as long as I dared. Perhaps we should keep with their initial advise, just keeping talking to each other.  If anything, it may help.”

He nods slowly.  “That is fair enough.”  He smiles softly.  “I guess we are just one surprise after another with each other, aren’t we?”

It surprised you, but you chuckled a little and nod.  “Yes, I suppose that is true.  The ranger and the soldier of Gondor.  What a pair we make.”

Silence sits again between the two of you, but you cast him a slightly nervous look.  “Boromir?”

“Hmmm?”

“I’d be happy to call us friends.”

It takes him a moment before he smiles and nods.  “So would I.”

The rest of the Fellowship had little time to dwell on the eased tension between you and Boromir, the air seeming to grow thick, something approaching, all of them ready for something to happen.  Aragorn was the only one that seemed to make an acknowledgement of the development, casting you a smile one night across camp when you sat next to Boromir.

Only a day later, you were all running for your lives.

The goblins had both you and Boromir instantly on edge, it far too close to when you should’ve leaving the fellowship for your liking.  You both fought furiously, but you had to keep yourselves contained, ensuring you were always close to the other, knowing that if one turned, the other wouldn’t be far to follow.

The running had been easier to keep a hold of yourselves, but as the first steps of the Balrog echoed through the halls of Moria, you both growled, the hair on the back of your necks raising.  Aragorn and Legolas had to physically push both of you to keep moving.

Gandalf falling had only made it worse.

Outside in the evening sun, you stared at the doorway to Moria, clearly hearing the goblins beyond the door, currently hiding away from the dying sun.  Your grief, for the moment, was at the back of your mind. What you were going to do now was of much more of a priority.

“Aragorn,” You said, turning to face him, only to find him watching you.  “Get them out of here.  You all need to move, now.”

“We cannot leave you here,” He said carefully.  “The elves of Lothlorien will help us.”

You shake your head, turning back towards Moria.  “No. It is far too close.  I am more than capable of keeping them at bay,” You smirked, unable to help it.  “Or trapped within those walls.”

“Not alone you’re not,” Boromir said, rather firmly, his expression drawn but you could hear the same struggle going on his voice.  “We will do this together.”

Currently, your other side was in more control than what you normally allowed, so you nodded.  “Good.  The dogs of war have come with howls and roars of thunder.”

“Y/N…” Aragorn was worried, his eyes flicking between the two of you.  “Are you sure?”

“We’ll catch up tomorrow.” Boromir said.  “For now, get them to safety.”

Aragorn went to say something else, but he could see the set in your shoulders.  He knew you well enough to know that things were becoming too dangerous, that it was time to let you go.

“Legolas, Gimli!  Get them up.”  Aragorn said, turning to the others.  “We do not wish to be here when nightfall comes.”

Boromir stood by your side, his eyes locked on the door with yours.  “I hope you are ready for what will come out that door.”

A low growl rumbles through your chest, your body itching and agitated, and your mind on a fine thread that you knew would snap as soon as nightfall came.  “I hope you are ready for the long fight ahead, because it certainly won’t be with shield and sword.”

“You don’t have to worry about me.”  He said firmly.  “I am more than ready for such a fight.”

“Good,” You said, aware that Aragorn was leading the others away.  “Then let’s go have some fun.”

[yukipri]

Hi! Sorry if this has been asked before but how much time is Sabo able to spend with Ace and Luffy in the Mer! AU? Does he hang around a lot for adventures or only visit every few weeks because of his duties with the Revolutionaries? Or does he pretty much work from the Sunny? And what about Ace and his connection to the Whitebeard Pirates after picking up Luffy, now that he is Co-Captain of Luffys crew? ( / in hiding after the war? )

So ah, a lotta questions in this one! Thanks for the interest and sending it in! ^ ^

I try to keep my long answers limited to one central topic per ask response so it’s easier to read for everyone, and you can read a bit about Ace’s relationship with the Whitebeards in this story post, so let me talk a bit about Sabo in this one!

So a very, VERY quick ‘n vague rundown of Sabo’s timeline here:

The way I currently have it now, the Auction House Incident happens shortly before Loguetown, aka while they’re still in East Blue. This is when Sabo and Koala meet the ASL pirates, and when Sabo regains his memories as a result.

Sabo’s conflicted about a lot of things, but especially given the situation he found Luffy in (in an auction house, submerged in a tank, and shackled with seastone that Sabo can still see bruises from), Sabo’s very reluctant to leave. He den dens Dragon to let him know that he’s regained his memories, and Dragon casually drops that oh yeah, Luffy’s his daughter.

Kind of a shocker for everyone.

Anyway, turns out Dragon had wanted to see Luffy off at Loguetown anyway and will be in the area, so Sabo and Koala go to meet up with him when they make landfall at the town of the beginning and the end.

Sabo tells his boss that he doesn’t have any intention of leaving the Revolutionaries...but also thinks he wants more time with Ace and Luffy, and he’s still so disoriented, he’s not sure he can immediately go back to his duties. Likewise, Koala’s just found out about Arlong, and even though she’s sure she could have moved on if it was just a report, she’s seen how hurt Nami is. And she wants to stay a little while longer too, if possible.

Dragon thinks the two have done enough work and deserve some time off, and orders them to remain with the ASL pirates at least until they’re in the New World, at which point they can decide whether they want to return to Baltigo or not. He’s sure they’ll find ways to help the cause along the way as well. And while Dragon has full faith in Luffy, he sees no demerit in having two of his most trusted officers on her ship until she can at least get her fins under her, so to speak.

(Then they hear a ruckus outside, Sabo and Koala rush to check, and lo and behold Luffy’s about to get beheaded. That was fast)

And so Sabo and Koala temporarily join the crew, and their positions are kind of like Thatch’s; treated as fully part of the crew, but also without giving up their more official and permanent roles as Revolutionaries. And while not as much as Thatch, they’re also Grand Line veterans, and more often than not step back to let the true rookies shine, providing backup when needed (but also disappearing once in a while to check in on local agents they pass by).

Sabo, as the third brother who sleeps in the Captains’ quarters and has his initial included in the crew name, sorta gets treated as a pseudo-Captain. Less in that he gives orders directly, but more in that Ace and Luffy automatically turn to him for his opinion, since he’s always been the brains of the trio, and he was their missing piece. But when the other two are unavailable, leadership does fall into Sabo’s hands more often than not; as Chief of Staff, he’s used to the leadership position, and functions exceptionally well at times of crisis, while also knowing exactly what Ace and Luffy would have done.

Sabo and Koala remain with the ASL pirates for their entire trip through Paradise, periodically checking in with Dragon. And well, Dragon was right--they do get quite a bit of Revolutionary Work done. If anything, they do more than usual--which is slightly embarrassing, but Luffy doesn’t hesitate to cause trouble, and Ace is right there backing her up and doubling the damage, so perhaps it isn’t so much a surprise.

And so they help the Drum Kingdom, and help Princess Vivi save Alabasta, and then go to Skypeia, and then go head to head with CP9 and Luffy declares war on the freakin’ World Government. Sabo knows it’s risky for him to be there, the Revolutionary Army isn’t quite ready to be out in the open like that yet--but in his defense, he was wearing a mask (no, he wasn’t copying Sogeking he swears).

They free shadows and defeat Moria in the Florian Triangle, and gain a skeleton as a crew member.

And then they get to Saboady. Where things go to shit.

(aaand I’ll leave off here for now, but yeah Sabo’s with them post time-skip too, this time as a slightly more formal member of the crew, and he also spent a little time at Rusukaina during the time skip. But that’s not for this post ^ ^;)

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

~This ask has been added to the Mermaid AU Text Headcanons Compilation post~

[makeste]

Hi, long time follower, first time asker! When you say that Shigaraki will be 'redeemed', what exactly does that mean? While I do believe that he might have a change of heart, I don't think he will or even deserves to leave freely after what he's done. Having a sad backstory doesn't make his crimes stop being crimes. The same goes for all of the LoVs. I love them but they can't get away with what they do.

hey there! well, when I say “redeemed”, I basically mean exactly what you said – him having a change of heart. realizing that he doesn’t have to follow a path of destruction. that maybe it’s too late for him to become the hero he once wanted to be, but that doesn’t mean he has to continue being the monster, either.

with Tomura, I don’t expect him to just do a 180 and become a total nice guy and start helping people out, although god that would be great. it wouldn’t kill you to be nice, Tomura. really! he’s not inherently bad, he just has no idea how not to be completely fucked up. that has just never been an option for him before. but it doesn’t mean he can’t learn. he’s already come leaps and bounds from where he was at the start of the series. just look at how he gets along with the other members of the League now. he trusts them. they have this whole mutual support thing going on. contrast that with the Shigaraki Tomura from chapter 68 who pretty much tried to kill Dabi and Toga on sight just cuz. it’s crazy how much he’s already grown as a character. I see no reason why he can’t continue to do so.

and as far as his crimes go, yeah, that is true. he’s killed people. other bad guys, mostly, but also some police officers in chapter 160 at the very least. and probably some other people I’m forgetting too. and he can’t just undo that. none of them can undo what they’ve done. and they’ll probably do other things too.

but, as far as redemption goes, it’s not a process of undoing so much as it is a process of changing. what’s done is done. what’s more, unlike with some of the other characters, I have a hard time picturing Tomura actually ever feeling a lot of remorse for most of his past crimes. and that does make it difficult if not impossible for him to do a Full Redemption Thing, because it’s very tricky to do if the person doesn’t even want to try and atone. a lot of redemption is about personal choice and taking responsibility and such and such. I’ve written a few essays about this before in regards to Bakugou and Endeavor. and I can’t picture Tomura ever getting the same type of redemption those two are striving toward, because for me at least I just can’t picture him really caring about it to that extent.

but what he can do is make the shift from chaotic evil to chaotic neutral. and maybe even, eventually, to just plain old neutral. why not? it’s a story. for that matter, I honestly can’t say I agree with “they can’t get away with what they did”, either. because I kind of want them to. I admit it. I’m not cool with the whole destroy-the-world thing, or the probably-going-to-murder-All-Might bit, or Dabi demanding the heads of pro heroes like he’s ordering from fucking Uber Eats, etc. but I am cool with them just being a bunch of bad dudes who ride off into the sunset together. I’m sure it won’t actually be that simple, anyway. these guys all have a lot of pain ahead of them still. and while being run through the gauntlet doesn’t automatically earn one redemption any more than having a sad backstory does, going through lots of painful stuff in a shounen manga does have a tendency to, more often than not, build one’s character more effectively than just about any other method. the same logic doesn’t always apply to real life, sadly (I wish), but in a manga more often than not it does the trick well enough.

and as for whether or not he “deserves” it, I’ll be fully honest here and say that I don’t really care whether or not that’s the case. well, firstly, I think Gandalf said this best, when he was talking to Frodo while they were holed up in the Mines of Moria: “many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. can you give it to them? then do not be too quick to deal out death in judgement. for even the very wise cannot see all ends.” this is a very poetic and diplomatic way of saying that even people who’ve done bad things may still have good things they can do as well, and that ultimately no one can change the past. but the future, now that we can change. so yeah. there’s that.

but also. if I’m really being honest. I frankly think that what Tomura deserves is to give AFO a taste of that Decay quirk magic, and then get another dog, and try and find some of the peace that he’s never, ever had before in his life. it’s admittedly easier for me to be all carelessly forgiving like that because Tomura isn’t a real person, and the people he’s killed aren’t actually real people. so yeah, maybe I’m letting him slide when I shouldn’t. letting him get away with simply saying a few hail Marys and having that be the end of it. because I love him now. because Horikoshi fucking played me like a fiddle. so yeah. maybe that is what I mean by “redeemed” too. and if that’s the case, it is what it is. it’s weird, but sometimes the options that are more morally grey are oddly enough the ones that sit better with your conscience, though.

anyways, so yeah. I guess this is all just a very long-winded way of saying that yeah maybe he’s a fucked up guy but I still want to pat his head (carefully) and give him cookies, and I don’t feel any guilt over that because at the end of the day it’s fiction and it doesn’t mean I’m gonna go start a murderer’s rights club irl or anything lol. anyways. those are my feelings on it.

[lovemesomerafael]

Destroying The Planet To Save It Chapter 24:  Call If You Find Moria

                      Chapters 1-20   Chapter 21   Chapter 22   

                                  Chapter 23   Read It On AO3

Arias turned the course of the battle when he activated the pulse that shut down all the power. But he turned it in the wrong direction.

Everybody was surprised when the lights went out, but the Avengers and their S.H.I.E.L.D. team were prepared. After all, the possibility of sudden darkness wasn’t that hard to foresee when they were fighting underground. The gunfire had stopped, of course, since no one could see to aim, which gave the team time to put on night vision goggles. After that, it was shooting fish in a barrel for the Avengers, because they could see, and the bad guys couldn’t. Sam ran up on the fight in time to catch two of Arias’s men trying to escape by feeling their way along the wall. He saw that his teammates were subduing the guards and sitting them down against a wall with their fingers laced behind their heads, until S.H.I.E.L.D. agents could escort them two by two to the makeshift conference room / holding cell.

Fuck that. Anita was in trouble. Sam knocked his guys both unconscious and kept on going.

He had to punch and shove his way through the throng of idiots still blindly trying to fight, which he probably shouldn’t have enjoyed as much as he did. Eventually, though, he got to the other side and could finally run flat-out down the corridor toward the machine room. The first thing President Burke asked for was an earpiece so he could hear the chatter on the comms. Joss treated him with the bare minimum of first aid, because that was all he would allow. Even then, he grumbled impatiently the whole time, whenever they weren’t listening to the team communicate. Joss found that first aid was actually a little easier using the night vision goggles, because blood showed up darker in the green glow. When she was done, she helped Burke to stand, then watched as he stretched, rolling his shoulders and his neck stiffly.

“All right,” he said. “Let’s get this done.”

In the complete darkness, Joss took his wrist and lifted his hand to place a pair of goggles into it. “Huh,” he grunted appreciatively. “Thought I was gonna have to let you lead me out.”

He winced when he pulled the straps over the now-dressed wound on his temple, and they were clearly uncomfortable over his swollen eye, but he didn’t make a noise.  

“Hey. These are nice. Way lighter and more compact than the ones we had.”

“Stark tech, Sir.”

Once President Burke finished adjusting his goggles, Joss handed him the sidearm that had been strapped to her thigh and turned toward the door.

“C’mon, Joss.  You can’t be better armed than me.”

She turned back, a slight smirk on her face. “It is literally my job to be better armed than you.”

“I want another gun and at least two knives. And don’t tell me you don’t have them, because I can see four right now. Which, from what I hear, means you have at least eight on you.”

Joss blew out her breath in only partially mock irritation, reaching to the small of her back to hand him the Skorpion she wore there.

“Now we’re talkin’,” Burke smiled, testing the heft of the weapon and nodding in appreciation. “But I know that’s not regulation.”

“Maybe not for the Secret Service, Sir, but I’m on assignment to S.H.I.E.L.D. right now. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a very cool weapons policy on missions.”

“Which is?”

“Pack ‘em if you got ‘em.” Joss unbuckled the holster that had held the Skorpion and handed it to the President, albeit a little reluctantly. She saw him appreciate the Gerber Yari that fit into a slot in back of the gun.

“Oh, yeah,” the President chuckled. There was a little bit of an awkward moment when he handed her back the weapons so that he could strap on the holster. He took the sidearm back and said, “One more knife and I’ll be good to go.”

The one and only reason Joss handed over her Benchmade Autocrat, against the resistance of every molecule in her body, was that President Burke was the Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces. He nodded and tucked the knife, blade retracted for the moment, into his pants pocket.

Joss touched the transmit button on her comms. “I have AK. Bringing him out now.”

As Steve acknowledged her, she turned toward the door, swung her weapon around to the ready position, and flipped the safety.

“Stay close behind me,” she said as they reached the door.    

“Not today,” Burke growled, pushing past her and beginning to stalk up the hallway. It was a swagger she’d never seen him use before, but she recognized it immediately.

“Oh, no.  Sir, please no-“

“I got a score to settle with this prick.”

All Joss could do for the moment was follow him up the corridor, muttering under her breath about damn brainless Navy squids. She did, however, go into full “Oh no you don’t” mode when Burke flattened himself against the wall outside the dooway to the machine room.

He held up a hand and she instantly bit down on her whisper-screamed pleas to let her get him to safety.

“Airman, follow orders,” he barked, which was a feat considering he did it so quietly no one but the woman beside him could have heard it. Clint simply knelt hunched over Natasha to protect her from being harmed, intentionally or accidentally, during the rigged game of Blind Man’s Buff the team was playing with Arias’s men outside the Armory. The other Avengers quickly cleaned up the rest of them. When they were all subdued and disarmed, they led the men in a line, hand in hand, like school kids on a field trip, as they shuffled blindly to the holding cell.

“Bruce, Catherine, you can start making your way down here,” Steve said into the comms once all their captives were secure. “You’ll need a S.H.I.E.L.D. escort, though. The facility’s not entirely secure yet.”

When Bruce acknowledged that, Steve turned to Tony. “Glad to see your suit didn’t get knocked out by that pulse.”

“Shielded,” Tony shrugged. “I think of everything.”

Those Avengers who were present, as well as some other team members, gathered around Steve outside the conference room door.

“Arias?” Steve asked Bucky and Marcus.

“Disappeared into some kinda trap door or something in the machine room. We’ll go after him,” Bucky answered.

Marcus added, “I gotta get Anita out of that thing.”

“I think Falcon’s way ahead of you on that,” Steve told him. “So we will need somebody in the machine room, but I want you two with me. We need to be waiting for Arias when he reaches wherever that trap door goes. I’m betting it’s an escape route. No point in him staying down here, now that he’s knocked out the power.”

Steve looked over at Tony. “Vision’s out, but Friday’s working through the possibilities, and Coulson’s got agents crawling all over the areas where a tunnel might emerge.”

At that moment, Joss’s harsh whisper came through the comms. “Captain, change of plans.”

“What is it, Agent?”

“AK insists on going after Arias personally. He’s about to enter the machine room.”

“Arias isn’t there,” Steve snapped irritably. “He escaped through some kind of trap door. Stick to the plan. Get AK out of here.”

There’s a short silence before the President’s voice says, “We’re going through that trap door after him.”

“Sir, that is not advisable-“

“Burke out.”

Steve swore vehemently.

“Look at it this way. Now you have someone in the machine room. We can concentrate on securing this place and finding Arias’s exit, if there is one,” Bucky offered, shrugging and grinning a little at what he knew Joss must be feeling right now. He could sympathize. He knew exactly what it was like trying to protect a reckless dumbass who insisted on running toward whatever it was you were trying to protect him from.

Clint laid Natasha gently down on a cot. In fact, it was the same cot they’d put the guards into together when he and Natasha had infiltrated this bunker before, although he was too worried about her at the moment to be amused by that. He pulled a light block from his vest and activated it, casting a surprisingly bright glow from where he set it on a nearby metal chest of drawers. Natasha moaned groggily. He sat down next to her and ran his hand over her hair, pushing a few stray strands away from her face. When she opened her green eyes, Clint thought that they had never looked so lovely as they did right then.

“Hi, beautiful.”

Natasha groaned. “Ohhhhhh... This is the part where you yell at me for being an idiot.”

“No, this is the part where you would yell at me for being an idiot. I’m just gonna take care of you.   Don’t want to steal your act.”

“Ugh. Shaming me by being nice. You’re diabolical.”

Clint smiled down at her before kissing her softly. When he lifted his face, he stayed very close, looking into her eyes with genuine concern. His hand went to her hair again, stroking it in a way he knew she found soothing. “I understand the impulse to yell, though. Shit, Tasha, it never gets easier, seeing you take a hit.”

“Scumbag just got a lucky shot. I’ll be OK.”

“He was huge. That had to hurt.”

“Actually, it didn’t,” she laughed weakly. “I was knocked out before I had time to feel it.”

Clint lowered his head to rest his forehead on her chest, heaving a sigh that sounded like it came from somewhere deep in his soul. She put a hand to the back of his head, weaving her fingers into his hair. Burke and Joss carefully entered the machine room and swept it thoroughly, just in case Arias might have returned. They’d just finished when they heard someone sprinting down the corridor outside, and ducked for cover behind the machine, weapons aimed at the door. When they heard whoever it was stop outside the door, preparing to swing in with guns blazing, Joss called out.

“You in the hall! Declare yourself!”

There was a hissed curse from the hallway and the sound of weapons being holstered. “It’s the Falcon,” Sam shouted, his voice strained. “I’m coming in.”

“Yeah, OK, Sam,” Joss said, as she and the President took their aim off the door and stood.

Sam streaked in, looking frantically around at the machine. “Where is she?”

“I think it’s this,” Burke said, indicating Bucky’s pry bar lying on the floor and an area of bent metal that indicated where he’d begun to work to free Anita.

While Sam immediately knelt to pick up the pry bar and begin wrenching violently at the front panel of the drawer-like recess, the President turned to where Vision still lay, still and silent.

“The trap door must be right around here someplace,” he said, then shocked Sam and Joss by spraying the wall with several rows of bullets from the Skorpion. When a small section of the wall bent in, displaying cracks around a rectangular panel that would otherwise have remained invisible, he said calmly, “Yeah. There it is.”

Both Joss and Sam gasped in surprise and Burke looked back at them with what she guessed was a scowl behind the goggles.

“What?” Burke asked. “We don’t have time to fuck around.”

Joss whimpered as she shook her head.

It took Burke no time to kick in the panel and tear it away from the wall, revealing a crude tunnel cut into the bedrock. The floor was rough, but easy enough to navigate. Burke did wish he was wearing tac boots, like Joss was, instead of his expensive brogans that didn’t give him either the traction or the protection he’d have liked on the rough surface. Still, he started up the fairly steep slope toward a turn several yards ahead.

When they reached it, Joss tried to make Burke let her take the corner first, but wasn’t surprised when he gruffly dismissed the idea. Just as he was about to whip around it, Joss stopped him.

“Wait! Listen!”

When the President stilled, they could hear, faint but unmistakable, the sound of someone ahead in the tunnel, panting with exertion as they stumbled up it. Burke didn’t hesitate. He actually growled as he rushed around the corner and began to run. Once again, all Joss could do was follow. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team escorting Bruce and Catherine down into Arias’s facility was not the ideal group. Most of the agents on site were helping to clear the bunker or assisting in the search for the exit from Arias’s escape tunnel, so this team of five agents was an ad hoc group that had never worked together before. The only good thing, from Bruce’s perspective, was that Director Coulson had sent Sharon Carter down to the bunker site to led the team. Although Bruce didn’t know Sharon well at all, he recognized competence when he saw it. He appreciated the way she crisply briefed the team and the tone of confident command she used when she did it.

Once she was done, everyone slid on their night vision goggles. The well-armed group surrounded the scientists, readied their weapons, and began to exit the armored vehicle in which they’d driven into the bunker.

Bruce felt kind of stupid. He was surrounded by tough-looking S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in black, squinting down the barrels of intimidating guns as they half-marched their way across the garage cavern and into a corridor. He, on the other hand, was wearing a sage green button-down shirt and Dockers under the bulletproof vest they’d given him, carrying a computer satchel and just trying not to step on the heels of the agent in front of him. He was reduced to being grateful that it was dark, and that Catherine was with him, holding his hand, so the agents would at least know he had a girlfriend and wasn’t a total loser.  

Catherine seemed much more on edge than he was, but then, Bruce got attacked and shot at a lot more than she did. She clutched at his hand and pressed up against his side, her head on a swivel as she tried to look in every direction at once.

For much of the distance down the long corridor to the machine room, nothing happened. Bruce’s mind was split between hoping none of Arias’s goons was left to surprise them, and planning how to deal with the machine once they reached it. Which is why, when the overloud crack of a gunshot sounded and the agent to his left went down, it took a moment for Bruce to understand what was happening.

It was the worst possible location, for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the scientists. For whoever was shooting, it was ideal. They were in a long stretch between doorways and intersecting corridors, meaning there was absolutely no cover. Sharon threw Catherine to the floor and laid on top of her, protecting Catherine with her body as she returned fire. Another agent had done the same to Bruce, and Bruce could only hope that Catherine could breathe more easily than he could, because the guy weighed a ton.

The agent who had been on point was hit directly in the face. Catherine screamed as blood sprayed back onto her. When another agent was hit in his gun arm, letting loose a torrent of foul curses, Catherine made a small, terrified noise that somehow brought home to Bruce just how hopeless their situation was. The very real possibility that the woman he loved was about to die hit him much more forcefully than the sonic weapon had.

Olviedo, Arias’s top lieutenant, had known that Arias had what he called the Pulse, which could shut down the power. It’s why he had stashed night vision goggles in several places throughout the facility, including in the machine room. He was proud of his forethought, and also proud that he had timed his attack so well. The invaders blocking the corridor were completely pinned down and helpless, and he had plenty of ammunition to keep firing for as long as it took. He was under no illusion that he could reason with these people or threaten his way past them. He had to kill them, so that’s what he would do.

He hadn’t planned on a Hulk. When Friday narrowed down the possible locations and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the ground found what had to be the entrance to Arias’s secret escape tunnel, Steve and Bucky were way ahead of the rest of the team getting there. As they ran, Steve cursed himself for sending Scott to help with scouring the bunker for any of Arias’s men who might still be hiding down there. It would have been nice to have him for recon of the tunnel.

The building looked like any other dingy, rundown shop in this industrial area. It was so nondescript, in fact, that S.H.I.E.L.D. had basically found it by accident. Friday’s analysis of the underground tunnels, sewers and utilities, as well as the geologic structure underneath Washington, had pointed to this area as a possibility, but the two-person S.H.I.E.L.D. team had noticed this particular building only because of the unusual cleanliness around its entrance. A quick look inside with a fiberoptic camera had revealed the edge of yet another of those thick metal doors, poorly hidden behind some crates hastily dragged only partway in front of it.

Bucky simply pulled the lock off the door with his metal hand as though it was made of cotton candy and, on entering, strode rapidly to the stack of crates and shoved them out of the way. It took him very little time to ascertain that there were no booby traps, at least on this side of the door. Just to be safe, however, everyone else took cover as Ironman burned through the door.

When nothing exploded, Bucky cracked a relieved grin and pulled his SIG Sauer P220, going into a wary crouch as he moved toward the tunnel entrance.

“Hang on, Buck, let’s think about this. If the President’s chasin’ him from that end, all we gotta do is wait,” Steve suggested, even as he moved up next to Bucky.

“Uh-uh,” Bucky shook his head once. “We don’t know what Arias might do, and Joss is down there with a politician for a partner.”

“He was a SEAL.”

“Was. You comin’, or what?”

Bucky felt a glow of comfortable familiarity as Steve gave him the expected dirty look.

“That rock is gonna block our comms,” Steve said to Tony. “Stay up here, handle anything that needs handling.”

“Yeah. Go. Have fun. Call if you find Moria.”

Steve stared blankly for a few seconds, then simply turned around toward the tunnel entrance again, Tony’s laugh following him.  Now was not the time for Tony’s favorite game of “Let’s make references Cap won’t get.”

Steve took the lead, shield out in front, with Bucky right behind, covering them. The two headed down the tunnel, amazingly silent for big men moving so fast. By the time Sam got the cover dismantled enough to be able to unlatch the mechanism to release Anita, it looked like he’d chewed through it. He pulled as hard as he could, sliding the receptacle out against the resistance of an unpowered motor. He let out a noise that might have been a sob when he saw that she was breathing. She was deathly pale, eyes open and staring, not moving except for irregular, distressed gasps, as though she only remembered to breathe when her body became starved for oxygen. Her face was frozen in horror.

“Baby, baby talk to me,” Sam coaxed as he reached in and lifted her out. She remained silent as he cradled her to him, closing his eyes in gratitude and kissing her forehead. “OK. It’s OK, you’re safe. I got you. It’s all over now. I’m here. I’mma get you out, you just relax. I got you.”

He wished fervently that the wings of the EXO-7 weren’t too wide for the corridors down in this hellhole. He’d have loved to just whisk her up and fly her out as fast as his wings could carry them. He needed to get her out of here. He had no idea what the machine had done to her, but he could see she needed medical help.

He pulled one of his Steyrs, then stood, shifting Anita in his arms so that her head rested on his shoulder. With her legs over his other arm, he could hold the weapon in the hand behind her back just in case anyone was fool enough to get in his way. Sam began to run.

Burke’s shoes made too much noise on the floor of the tunnel for them to move very fast if they hoped to take Arias by surprise. He’d considered taking them off, but had to acknowledge that the stone was too rough and his feet too soft these days to make it workable. That pissed him off in a way he couldn’t have explained to anyone but another SEAL.

So he and Joss crept up the tunnel as fast as they could, ensuring at each turn that they remained out of sight of Arias. Fortunately, Arias wasn’t trying to be quiet. Either he was simply unable - which was a possibility given the wheezing he was doing on the climb – or he thought he was alone in the tunnel.

That changed when the sound of screeching metal came echoing down the stone passageway. Burke and Joss instantly guessed that someone had found the upper end of the tunnel, although they couldn’t be sure, because their comms had ceased to have reception once they entered. They knew, too, that Arias guessed the same thing, because he let out a short, high shriek and the sound of his footsteps stopped.

Burke held up a forearm, fist clenched, as though Joss needed to be told to stop. He started to move slowly forward, but Joss put a hand on his arm and pointed toward his shoes. He shook his head once, but she gave him a look she would later be shocked she’d used on a superior officer, and moved silently around him. When she reached the next turn, she flattened against the wall and risked the briefest peek possible down the next section of tunnel.

No Arias. She signaled to Burke and he moved slowly to her, trying not to let his shoes make a sound. They crept up the next section of tunnel. When they reached the turn, they could both hear clearly that Arias was in the section beyond. He was breathing heavily, but making no other sounds. He seemed to be trying to stay quiet to hear any further sounds from the head of the tunnel. At least they hoped that’s what he was listening to, rather to them.

They didn’t have to wait long. A deep, metallic sound, much closer to a thud than a clang, sounded in the section beyond Burke and Joss, and they saw Captain America’s shield ricochet off the tunnel wall with a few sparks and return the way it had come. From the sound, it didn’t hit Arias, but it had done its job, nonetheless.

Arias began to run back down the tunnel, right toward Burke and Joss.

Natasha would not allow Clint to keep her from sitting up. He finally decided that struggling against his efforts to keep her lying down would be worse for her than sitting up, and helped her to sit up on the cot, leaning against the wall.

“You’re stubborn, you know that?”

“I’m Russian.”

Clint took the opportunity to try to examine her which, of course, she resisted.  “I’m fine, Barton, stop it.”

“I need to see how badly hurt you are.”

“No, you don’t. You need to get back out there and do your damn job.”

“They got it covered, they don’t need me.”

“You know, this is exactly the problem. You’re sitting in here with me instead of out there getting it done. We can’t both be out of the fight, just because I get hurt.”

“I agree. And if I thought they needed me, I’d still be there. Not to mention that if they thought they needed me, they’d be calling. Cap ordered me to get you out of there and make sure you’re OK, so that’s what I’m doing.”

“Fine. I’m OK. You’ve completed your mission. Now-“

“Tasha.”

“Seriously, Barton, there’s work to do! I am not-“

“Tasha.”

“Well, I’d for damn sure be leaving your ass right now! I’d trust you to –“

“Tasha.”

“What, damn it?”

Clint touched his comms. “Hey, Cap, you read?”

Tony’s voice answered. “He’s spelunking right now, what do you need?”

“Just checkin’ in. Nat says she’s fine. Where do you need me?”

“We’re covered, and Natasha lies, as you well know. Bunker’s still not secure. Stay with her. Once we get the all clear, get her out.”

“I don’t need-“  Natasha tried.

“And Hawkeye?”

“Yeah, boss.”

“Get her to S.H.I.E.L.D. so she can complain about how she doesn’t need to be seen by a doctor and they can find major injuries that absolutely need to be seen by a doctor. Out.”

“Copy,” Clint said, and conveyed “I told you so” to Natasha in every way but verbally.

To his surprise, tears welled in her eyes.

“Hey, I’m sorry… Nobody’s suggesting you’re weak, or can’t take care of yourself…” He reached for her and she let him pull her into his arms.

“It’s not that.”

“OK.” He turned his face into her hair and kissed her. “Then what? What can I do?”

“I just… I feel… I don’t know, like I’m wrapped in tissue paper or something. It feels too soft! I can’t be like this.” She began to shuffle her legs, trying to move to get up from the cot.

“You’re good, Tasha. Just stop. Relax, hmmmm?”

She stopped struggling, but didn’t move back to her resting position. “It’s nice, though, right? Letting me love you? Letting me take care of you?”

“No! It’s… I don’t…”

“It’s nice. You like it. It feels good.” Clint was murmuring into her hair, rubbing her back as he spoke. “And you’re afraid you’re going to get used to it. Which, if I have anything to say about it, you will. And you will still be just as badass, just as ruthless and dangerous as you’ve always been. You’ll just also know that you don’t have to be like that every minute. You can allow this. You can even like it.”

Natasha sniffled, fighting her emotions as always. “Shit.”

“You know what? I think it’ll make you tougher. Know why? Because you’ll know you don’t have to hold back, save energy for the recovery. When you’ve kicked whoever’s ass needs kicking, you’ll know I’ll be there to take care of you. To be strong for you.”

Natasha didn’t respond, just clung to him and slowly, gradually allowed her head to rest against his shoulder.

“Yeah, Clint whispered. “Tougher. I think a whole lotta bad guys just got a serious pucker, and they don’t know why.”

Natasha chuckled softly. “You’re so full of shit.”

“I’m full of love for you. And shit.”

“Ugh, Barton, you suck at sweet talk.”

“Good at other things. Wanna fuck in an evil villain’s underground lair while the fight’s still going on?”

“Yes.”

“Well, tough. You’re hurt.”

Clint’s shout when she punched him could be heard echoing far down the corridor outside the room. Once Bruce began to transform, his S.H.I.E.L.D. protector couldn’t get away fast enough. Catherine and Sharon, on the other hand, just backed into the corridor wall, out of his way. The shooter wasted no time targeting the massive figure, and couldn’t miss, given that it filled the space from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, even on all fours.

Olviedo had been shooting from the doorway of a storage room. He was just throwing down his weapon to find a place to hide when the Hulk reached him. He didn’t have time to wonder how the creature could find him in the dark, without goggles, before a massive hand clamped around him and there was a wet crunching noise that cut off the beginnings of a scream.

Sharon and Catherine watched the Hulk’s crouching form, one arm stuck through the doorway from which the shots had come. It was much too small for him to fit through. The gunshots stopped once he reached the door, and then there was no more noise once he stuck his arm in. They could see nothing except a slight movement of the bunched muscles of the Hulk’s upper arm and back suggesting that he was moving his forearm inside the room.

Then he stopped moving and hesitated a moment before turning back to look at the women sitting together next to the wall. That’s when the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who’d protected Bruce shrieked and went running back up the corridor toward the exit. Sharon and Catherine glanced briefly at him, then back to the Hulk.

Catherine stood, slowly. She didn’t move toward the Hulk as she said, softly and calmly, “Do you know me? I’m Catherine.”

There was a slight grunt as the Hulk regarded her.

“We need to get to the machine room. At the end of this corridor. We could use your help to clear the way.”

Both of the women were surprised at how quickly he made a decision, turned, and began making his way down the corridor

“Holy shit,” Sharon whispered. “I never get used to him. How are you so calm right now?”

“That’s the man I love. He won’t hurt us.”

Sharon tilted her head. “Uh-huh.”

“Right, then. I’m faking it.” She reached down to pick up the satchel with Bruce’s computer in it and, together, they followed the Hulk down the dark corridor with Sharon in the lead, checking every doorway with her pistol before they passed it.

[quentaleardanomion]

Amazon LotR Map Analysis

Unfortunately the LotR fandom, Silmarillion fandom, and general Tolkien fandom on Tumblr has seemed either entirely uninterested in this show, or openly hostile to it ever since its announcement. This, to me, is a shame, since the involvement of the Tolkien Estate, together with the learning experiences of the critically panned Hobbit trilogy and the immense budget given to this show all point to a series of good quality and impressive visuals. At the very worst case, we will get to see more Middle-earth on screen, and I for one am thrilled at that prospect.

Anyway, today marked the end of the long and emotionally fraught series of maps released by the “Lord of the Rings on Prime” account on their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Through the whole process, many theories have been going around as to the meanings of the various maps, speculations on the inclusions of certain names, and so forth. Now that we have reached the apparent end of the map releases (since the Ring verse they’ve been accompanied by has been completed), it seems a good time for me to analyze the map in its final form, as well as any pertinent details from the previous incarnations that might appear striking. I’ll break the map down into sections to make it easier to go through all the details.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

First thing I noticed was the addition of the Western Isles, Tol Morwen, Tol Fuin, and Tol Himling. Some brief lore discussion:

Tol Morwen: This island marks the grave of Túrin Turambar, Niënor Níniel, and Morwen Edhelwen. The Stone of the Hapless, or the Talbor (in Taliska) was the grave marker made for them by the people of Haleth, and was prophesied by Glirhuin the bard to remain standing even if the waves drowned the land, as indeed after befell.

Tol Fuin: This island is the remains of the pine clad heights of Dorthonion, where the people of Bëor dwelt in their land of Ladros. The most interesting facet of its inclusion on this map is that it only appears in The Unfinished Tales, and is not part of any map published along with Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit. This has some interesting implications, as we will discuss later.

Tol Himling: This island is the height where Maedhros had his city and fortress of Himring in the First Age, which was destroyed by Morgoth during their long war. It remains above the sea after the flooding caused by the War of Wrath.

The rest of this section is nothing too new, but there is one minor feature that caught my eye. The hills next to the names Forlindon and Harlindon were not present on any previous version of the map, nor are they present in any published Tolkien map. As we will see later when we examine the land where Gondor will come to be, he coastline is changed there. Both of these are connected, I think, to the fact that this map is in the Second Age, before the Downfall of Númenor. In this time the world was flat, but after the Cataclysm, the flooding caused by the destruction of the island led to great changes in the coastlines of Middle-earth, and I think these hills reflect the prior state of the coast.

Nenuil is included, which may indicate the possible presence of the native men of Eriador, who first met the Númenóreans in the hills to the north of the lake.

The inclusion of the names Lindon, Harlindon, Forlindon, and Mithlond all point to the inclusion of Gil-galad’s kingdom of Lindon in the series, which was the last and largest High-Elven kingdom in the Second Age.

The Ered Luin, Lhûn and Baranduin (Brandywine) are also named, but this is most likely just an indicator that the general region of Eriador will be a setting for the show.

This is a very exciting portion of the map! A lot of information is conveyed by the names here, so let’s break it down.

Eregion was the Noldorin realm founded by Galadriel and Celebrimbor, where the Rings of Power were eventually forged. Ost-in-Edhil was the capital city. Curiously, on this map, Ost-in-Edhil is moved from it’s canon location and placed where the city of Tharbad is meant to be. This may simply be a choice on the part of the showrunners to give Ost-in-Edhil a more interesting location by placing it next to the marshes of Nîn-in-Eilph, the Swanfleet, but at this point we can’t know for sure. Regardless, the inclusion of these names, including the Glanduin and Gwathló rivers, points very strongly to the setting of the show being during or before the forging of the Rings of Power in SA 1600, as Eregion was destroyed soon afterwards.

The Bruinen and the Mitheithel are named, but pointedly Imladris is absent from the location where it was on the previous iterations of the map. This indicates also that the show takes place during or before the forging of the Rings of Power, since Imladris was founded in the following war.

Khazad-dûm is also named, as well as the three mountains Fanhuidhol, Celebdil, and Caradhras which rise above it. Together with the Celebrant river and the valley of Nanduhirion (Azanulbizar in Khûzdul), these names suggest the inclusion of the Dwarves of Moria, or Hadhodhrond as it was called by the Elves in those days. The name Lórinand is also given, which was the name of the kingdom of Silvan Elves ruled by the Sindarin King Amdír. There are excellent meta-analyses of the source texts in existence that show his friendship with the Dwarves of Hadhodhrond was quite strong, which is strange for a Sindarin Elf.

Ninglor and the Hithaeglir and the Anduin are named, but I cannot see any hints there beyond the simple fact that they were around at that time, although the inclusion of the Ninglor (Gladden) is odd.

The North-South road later called the Greenway is present on this map, which is odd to me. I had always thought the road was built to connect Gondor and Arnor together, but since this is before they were founded, I am unsure why it is included. It ends where Fornost will be one day, but currently it is blank. Will we see a new settlement of Men in this place? Perhaps the center of the native Eriador civilization encountered by the Númenóreans?

Lond Daer is included on this map, which lets us know that the show must take place after SA 750/800 when that haven was created by Aldarion the crown prince of  Númenor as a source of lumber and supplies for the fleets.

Speaking of lumber, this brings us to the last feature in the section we can comment on: the forests!! The entirety of Minhiriath (Land Between the Rivers) and Enedwaith (Middle-Folk) is covered in trees, and we learn from The Unfinished Tales that many Men dwelt there at this time, some of whom were wary of the Númenóreans due to their logging of the forest. In fact, in later years, the logging grew so bad that the Men were driven out of the lands and took refuge in the last remnants of the forests, most prominent of which was Eryn Vorn, the Dark Forest, which is also included on this map. Perhaps we will see a settlement of these Men here in the show?

This section was sadly left very unnamed, but there are still plenty of tidbits here!

Gundabad is named, which functioned as the Awakening Place of Durin I, and was considered a sacred place to the Long-beard Dwarves. However, after the War of Wrath, Orcs came fleeing into the northern mountains, and they took it to the Dwarves dismay. Could we see this in the show?

The Men-i-Naugrim, the Old Dwarf Road, is also marked on its way through Mirkwood. However, they add an extension of the road leading all the way to the Iron Hills, which has never been included on any Tolkien map to date. The Long-beards founded their settlement in the Iron Hills in either the First or Second Ages, so I am unsure why it is not labeled here.

Amon Lanc is named on the map, which implies the inclusion of the Silvan Realm of Mirkwood. In the early Second Age, the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood lived across the river from their kin in Lórinand, dwelling about the slopes of Amon Lanc, the Bald Hill, later site of Dol Guldur. Their king was Oropher the father of Thranduil, a Sindarin Elf, who later died in the Last Alliance.

The terrain in this region is interesting in several respects. Firstly, the East Bight in Mirkwood has been filled in, since it was in fact not in existence until the Third Age when it was felled by the Northmen who lived there. Celduin and Carnen are named, but the significance of this is unclear. The most interesting feature of the terrain, however, is the inclusion of a series of forested hills across the Anduin from Fangorn. These occupy the later area of the Brown Lands, and in we learn from Treebeard that this land was once the Gardens of the Entwives, until the war of the Last Alliance when Sauron burned them brown. He says that Men lived near the Entwives and learned agriculture from them. It is unclear if we will see Entwives in the show, or if they are simply presenting a more accurate terrain map for the Second Age.

This is another relatively empty map section. However, there are some definite points of interest. Ethir Anduin, Belfalas, Tolfalas, Morthond, Ringló,  and Ras Morthil are all geographical areas and features of Gondor, but I am unsure if they have any significance. Ras Morthil is particularly odd, since it is a very obscure place about which we know next to nothing. Drúedain were said to live there, so perhaps we will see them? There is a later unfinished story Tolkien wrote called Tal-Elmar, where the Númenóreans are seen from the perspective of native people living near the mouths of a river in Gondor. Perhaps we will see such a story?

Of particular note is the shape of the coastline. The Anduin does not have a delta, and the coastline is much smaller here than it is on Third Age maps. This is consistent with the lore for the effects of the flooding post-Cataclysm.

Mordor is devoid of names, suggesting that Barad-dûr is not yet built.

The last interesting thing here is the name Côf Belfalas (Bay of Belfalas) which is a name that only occurs in the very very obscure essay by Tolkien titled The Rivers and Beacon Hills of Gondor. It was never published by Christopher Tolkien, and appeared only in the linguistic journal the Vinyar Tengwar. The fact that this name is included here suggests that the rights the show has are far greater than we had previously thought.

This section is the most new, as well as the least informative. Much terrain has been added, but it is faded quite a lot compared to the rest of the map, and I am unsure what this signifies. Khand is still included, which is very interesting to me. Perhaps we will see these empty areas filled out in a later promotion? So far there have been no new names or made-up named locations, so perhaps they are simply saving them for a later date? Regardless, the possibilities here are virtually endless.

Umbar is interesting in that the city is not marked on the map. We do not have a precise canon date for its founding, but it is odd that it would not be in existence at this time. Even more odd, however, is the fact that a heretofore unknown road is shown leading to its very site, and then off east towards Khand. Perhaps this whole area will be expanded upon at a later date?

This part of the map is only worth commenting on because it is entirely new in terms of the established maps for the Second and Third Ages. In some hasty maps of the First Age, Tolkien shows an eastern range, the Orocarni (Red Mountains) in the east, but it seems that they were further east than these. The identity of these mountains remains a mystery, as we have no new names to speculate with. Perhaps they will also gain some depth.

For the East and South there is the possibility that we will see the Blue Wizards. In Tolkien’s latest notes on the Istari, he said that the Blue Wizards came with Glorfindel in the Second Age around the year 1600, and were instrumental in disrupting Sauron’s plans in the East and South. Perhaps we will see this in the show?

And finally, we have arrived at the most exciting portion of the map: Númenor itself! The island is filled in with all the major names from the Unfinished Tales map, and features all the terrain details we expect. However, its inclusion, along with Tol Fuin from earlier, proves that the show has the rights to The Unfinished Tales, and if the elvish for the Bay of Belfalas is to be believed, it means they have the rights to even more.

So what does all of this mean? Well, based on the dates, there is only one significant global event during the time from SA800-SA1600: the forging of the Rings of Power. All the names for all the places we’d expect to see are present, and many different arenas are included on the map for a truly global showcase of the time. This could include the forging itself, the leadup to it including the political tensions between Galadriel and Celebrimbor and the arrival of Sauron disguised as Annatar, and the War of the Elves and Sauron following after. This war saw the death of Celebrimbor, the creation of Imladris, and the full might of the Númenórean navy. 

This will, in my opinion, make for a fun, diverse, and complex show with many different perspectives and characters and races all competing together, as well as the familiar faces and ties to LotR that the show needs to gain popularity with movie fans. Then there’s this: 

The second-to last map the account released. The inclusion of Arnorian cities like Annuminas and Fornost, as well as Gondorian places like Osgiliath and Minas Anor and Minas Ithil, suggest that the map is teasing the Last Alliance. Perhaps, as has been rumored, the show will be an anthology series, spanning the Forging of the Rings to the Last Alliance. If so, that will be an ambitious project, and one I look forward to with excitement and hope.

[paperdoe]

Daerhovan - History

A VERY LONG history of Daerhovan. For a page in his main bio.

Arc 1: The Call

Age: 1- 300

Born to Gaelwen and Losdirith of Lothlorien. The youngest and last in a brood of four, who included: his twin sisters Lossenduin and Lossenth, another elder sister, Heledirnien, and elder brother, Haldor. Both parents SIlvan elves, though Gaelwen has a trace of prominent Sindar in her bloodline, hence why her daughters and youngest son have silverish hair. His father and brother perished in an ambush from Goblins while they scouted for threats in the Dimril Dale. A devastated Gaelwen was terrified of losing her only surviving son, prompting her to keep Daerhovan shut inside Caras Galadhon for many years. He being a naturally curious and adventurous child, felt hemmed in and suffered severe restlessness and wanderlust. Had mixed feelings of resentment and understanding pity for his mother. Didn’t suffer the same grief, as he hadn’t known his father and brother for very long.

Often got into trouble, and his twin sisters (Heled lived in Eryn Lasgalen) and family friends managed to convince Gaelwen to let her son see more of the world. Or at least the rest of Lothlorien. Her only condition was to have her, or someone else constantly watch over him. Managed to sneak out of their flet one night by himself. Got as far as the vineyards before meeting the Wood Lord. (immense white stag). The stag seemed to want him to follow him to Thinglad, the southern border of Lothlorien. Was found and scolded by Lossenduin, grounded by Gaelwen for at least a week. Went out and about within Lothlorien a lot, and was trusted enough in time to go out on his own. His favorite places were Cerin Amroth and the banks of the Anduin. Desired to explore the more wilder corners of the region.

As he approached his teens (for an elf), was pressed into finding an occupation by his family. Opted to become a vine tender for five years, but the work become mundane and repetitive after awhile.  Began to have an interest in botany and wildlife. Orthir, the scholar of the trees, offered to take Daerhovan under his wing as an apprentice of sorts. Taught him much about these subjects. Daerhovan’s brother in law taught him about herb lore alongside Orthir. Love for the natural world grew. Learns about how to hear and feel the thoughts of trees by the whisper of their leaves and the creaking of their branches. Mallorns are easy to understand and speak freely, as they have a symbiotic relationship with the elves here. Others who live on the borders are quieter. Daerhovan wonders what species of plant life dwell in other corners of the world.

Orthir and Arasdil take him into the Great River region through Limlight Gorge, the the edge of Fangorn Forest, to an area where elves have historically been known to converse with the ents there. Strangely, no ents show themselves. Meets the Wood lord again one night, who bids him to follow again. Makes it to the borders of The Great River region, where signs of strife from Easterlings and the Eotheod stain the land. Despite the stag seemingly calling him to continue from within, he turns back. Becomes more proficient at herb/plant lore over the years. Learns the art of healing, the elven magic associated with those who become sole healers growing within him.

Arc 2: Forests of Secrets

Age: 300 - 310

Daerhovan wishes to move out of Lothlorien entirely and see the rest of Middle Earth on his own. Gaelwen absolutely forbids this. Remembering what happened the last time her family went outside the borders. It takes almost a year of convincing and coaxing, and promises of visits, to persuade her to let her son go.

Searches for the Wood Lord again throughout Thinglad, but he hasn’t made an appearance in years, and Daerhovan fears he was hunted down by poachers. Nonetheless, he wanders through the Great River region, into the Limlight Gorge, and approaches the edge of Fangorn. Instead of finding an ent, encounters a maddened Huorn. His attempts to calm it go badly as one of it’s branches slices his belly open, but it doesn’t stay to finish him. Near death until Radagast finds him. Radagast brings him to Rhosgobel, and works tirelessly to heal the elf. His efforts work, and Daerhovan begins to mend. Radagast observes him attempting to speak to the wildlife that often visit the wizard’s hut, and sees how he delights in their company. Radagast offers to teach the young elf about animal lore, to which Daerhovan agrees.

For four years,  Daerhovan learns much about the nature of wild animals, though his skills in communication and understanding are yet to be perfected. He wishes to find the huorn that attacked him. Radagast disagrees, teaching him that beings in a maddened state are often unreachable. They figure that past territorial upheavals between the Easterlings, Eotheod, and Gondor in this region are to blame.

Daerhovan takes his leave of Radagast, the two having become good friends. He heads towards the new kingdom of Rohan.

Develops his plant and animal speaking/understanding skills more. Finds that birds are easier to talk to than most mammals, and delights in their songs. Understanding reptiles, fish, and insects seems to require deeper knowledge, if they choose to communicate at all. He hesitates to call it a pet, but he befriends a robin who follows him around and keeps him company most times.

Arc 3: Pilgrim

Age: 310 - 600

Returns to Rohan to explore the region of Wildermore during a return visit to Lothlorien. He gets wind of a monstrous bear that’s been stalking the village of Dunfast for months. Wanting to help, he encounters the bear, and commands the creature to find new hunting grounds, though not without some trouble. When the village learns of this,  they hail him as a hero, and invite him to stay with them for a time. Grows especially close with a young widow. Daerhovan stays for a few days before returning to his homeland, but returns to Wildermore afterwards. For two years he stays in the region, visiting Dunfast, and the woman. Grows more proficient at speaking Westron.. The woman begins to have feelings for him, and while Daerhovan doesn’t share her level of infatuation, he grows curious about the closeness of another. They steal away one night into the woods, exploring one another through kisses and caresses, though it never escalates beyond that. The widow desires that he stays, but he knows he must move on from the region.

Quietly observes the new kingdom of Rohan build their places of cities and farms, and keeps out of sight. The only time people see him is in the shadows, before he’s gone in a whisper. Admires their respect and love for horses. Wanders northwards towards Dunland and Enedwaith.

The Long Winter slams most of the northern and central parts of Middle Earth. His family pleads with him to return, but Daerhovan can’t bear to leave those who may need his help. Aids animal and person alike, establishes his own little sanctuary in a remote corner of Dunland. Sends courier ravens to his family to reassure them he’s safe. Hears rumours about the strife going on between the Rohirrim and Dunlendings, but doesn’t pay any mind to it. Once the Winter lessens it’s grip, swiftly leaves the region, heading into Eriador.

During his wanderings in the north, often keeps to himself. The only company he keeps are with animals. Observes the going ons of towns, but from a good distance. His love for the natural world and his deeds in maintaining it and exploring keep him isolated from people for decades. Because of this he becomes almost starved for interaction, though he doesn’t know how to go about it.

Arc 4: War of the Ring

Age: 600 - 660

Begins to notice that the wilderness seems hostile more than usual, and blights begin to appear in some corners of the wild. Ancient feuds that lay dormant begin to re-emerge. Aids the elves of Edhelion in confirming the rumors that an evil dwarf called Skorgrim who ravaged the area 3000 years ago has gained the means to return. When the rumors are confirmed to be true, along with reports of Sauron stirring in the East, sets out to help elf, dwarf, man, and hobbit alike rid Middle Earth of his presence. Becomes embroiled in the finding of the One Ring at the same time. Stays put in Eriador for a long time. Becomes more involved in events pertaining to the finding of the One Ring and the war following it. Feels privileged to help and see the Fellowship of the Ring off from Rivendell. Stays true to his promise to Aragorn to rid Eriador of evil, becomes involved with the events surrounding Carn Dum and the false King Mordorith. Helps to weaken and eventually bring him down.

Allies himself with the Dwarves of the Iron Garrison to help reclaim Moria. Is almost killed by a matron of the Nameless when he kills several of its young, but escapes.

At the capture of Mazog, volunteers to go with the Golden Host of Lothlorien and travel to Mirkwood to trade Mazog for dwarven prisoners and to keep the forces of Dol Guldur at bay. During a skirmish, finds and heals a dwarrowdam named Badari who also became involved. Immensely curious about her, though they parted ways quickly after the campaign ended. Encounters Badari again, aiding her in a fight against bandits. assimilates himself into her kinship of mostly other dwarrowdams, and finds some of his most beloved and cherished friends. Including Mallovorel, who becomes like a sister to him, her husband Maeglir, and many others, though the encounters are awkward at first as he attempts to re-learn how to socialize. Many people find him strange because of this.

Becomes close to certain animals who would follow him to Mordor and back at his call. On his way back across the Misty Mountains, befriends a mountain lynx whom he considers his most special of animal companions, and calls her Verya.

Travels with the Grey Company for a time to aid in their efforts, Upon returning to Enedwaith, finds that the land has greatly changed, for reasons that both excite and sadden him. Becomes drawn to a forest called the Mournshaws, and aids the spirits of the forest who dwell there. One of which is a maia of Orome the Vala. Begins to gradually lose the magic associated with elven healers as his sword is bloodied by the many enemies he slays.

Begins to have feelings for Badari during all these events. Is both confused,relieved, and ecstatic when she returns them. These emotions come to a head the eve after the Battle of Pelennor Fields, where they make love to one another inside a hidden storeroom. He, along with his love and kinship, march with The Host of the West to confront Sauron to help buy Frodo time and safe passage across Gorgoroth. Rejoices along with the rest of the army and his friends as Frodo succeeds in his quest. He heads into Mordor with orders from the Lords of the West to clean up after Sauron and his enemies, but the task proves to be full of trials.

During once such foray into the diseased swamps of Arganaith, where the Great Plague of the early third age originated from, he becomes sick of mind and heart from all the death, decay, and corruption of the land. Fearing for him, his friends get him out of Mordor. Retreats to a small cabin in Nen Harn, the northernmost border of Bree-Land, to recuperate. Feels guilty for abandoning his charge and friends, but everyone reassures him it was for his own good.

Recovers sufficiently enough to travel to the Dale Lands, The Ironfold, and Ered Mithrin, under Gandalfs suggestion that he and his friends help to stop the lingering evil in the north. (continuing story..)

Besides helping Gandalf with his troubles, meets and befriends another dwarrowdam who is burdened with her sisters brutal death, and the maddened horse she left behind. Works with the dwarf and an old, rohirric friend to calm and tame the horse.

Helps the dwarves of reclaimed Moria to find a deep, massive cavern full of gems of every color and large veins of mithril with Badari during this time as well.

Arc 5: Warden of the Wild .

Age: 660 - 800

What remains of his family sails into the Uttermost West as the fourth age begins. His heart burdened by grief at their leaving. Desires to be by himself for awhile in Lothlorien after the parting. Galadriel follows suit after awhile, and while The Golden Wood is still beautiful, the light provided by Galadriel’s ring, Nenya has started to dim. Cannot bear to stay as the woods grow darker.

Years go by. Daerhovan, along with his wife, help to rid the echoes of Sauron’s influence and blight across Middle Earth. As kingdoms are rebuilt and people return to their cities, Daerhovan himself desires to settle down in a forest he was attracted to from the early days of the War, the Mournshaws of Enedwaith. Is chosen by Rhi Helvarch (the maia) to become what the local dunlendings call a Derudh to commune with the Forest Lords and be shown their secrets. For many years he takes to his role quite seriously, becoming a local legend among the mortal locals. He still wanders to other lands and settlements of friends, but mostly sticks to Enedwaith.

      It happens slowly, but over time he notices the forest beginning to decay unnaturally.. First in specific corners of the region, then throughout. The rivers and ponds dry up and a strange fungus that chokes the life out of the plant life emerges. Dismayed and distraught, Daerhovan works tirelessly to find the source of the blight. He travels to The Greenwood to enlist help from Mallovorel and Maeglir. During an investigation, meets the nameless matron he thought had been defeated back in Moria. Enraged by vengeance, the monster makes it it’s personal mission to eliminate Daerhovan. By this time the spirits of the woods haven't been seen or heard from in years, and are assumed to have returned to their masters in Valinor. Except for one, who takes on the form of a white raven. The spirit allies itself with Daerhovan to rid the forest of this evil.

One by one, they restore the waters and work to heal and free the plants from the fungus. Until they must meet the creature face to face. They track the source of the blight, into a series of underground caverns, and discover the creature has been reproducing again. They quickly burn the eggs, and incite the wrath of the nameless even further. A terrible battle ensues where all members of the party are seriously injured, As the nameless goes in for the killing blow, Verya clamps jer jaws around it’s throat, killing it, but is fatally wounded in the process. Sacrificing herself to save Daerhovan.

          Though the Mournshaws are safe and begin to heal from the ordeal, Daerhovan becomes heavily grieved at the death of one he considered his best friend. Buries her within a special place in the woods, and visits often. The raven spirit vanishes, and is assumed to have returned to it’s masters in the Uttermost West.

Arc 6: To the Ends of the Earth

Age: 800 - 1000

More years pass. And Daerhovan spends his days meditating and tending to the wilds, visiting his friends, and spending time with his wife. Mallovorel and Maeglir have a son, whom they call Amruchil. Becomes the kid’s adopted uncle, and grows to love the child as if he really was his uncle. Teaches Amruchil all there is to know about plant and animal life, and the deeper meaning of the balance of the natural world around them.

As Amruchil matures, more fellow elven friends leave for Valinor. He knows Mallovorel will sail soon with her husband, but would never persuade them to stay. Cherishes what time they have left together. It’s all he can do to hold in his emotions when the day of their leaving comes. Embraces Mallovorel, one who he considers a sister, tightly and for awhile. Is pleasantly surprised when Amruchil desires to stay in Middle Earth.

Many more years go by. Daerhovan works and travels constantly. Visits the two kings of Rohan and Gondor occasionally, along with other members of the Fellowship, glad that some old friends from the war still remain. Helps out Legolas and Celeborn with the healing of North Ithilien and The Greenwood. Takes in no more animal companions since Verya’s death, but still communicates and seeks out company of wildlife. The only people he’s constantly with are Badari and Amruchil.

As more years go by, Badari grows old, for dwarves at least, and leaves this world to the halls of Aule. Is utterly devastated and inconsolable for a long time, the heartbreak from her death nearly becoming his demise, but with the help of his adopted nephew and a deep, hidden reserve of strength, escapes this fate and continues to live on. Personally buries Badari in the stone of the Lonely Mountain itself, alongside her own family and ancestors.

     Wanders almost aimlessly for a long time, not caring where his feet take him. Is conflicted with desires to stay in places he’s grown fond of, and to wander somewhere far, far away from old haunts. Makes it a point to visit Badari’s grave bi-yearly.

    Even more years go by. More old friends and family either becomes victims of their own mortality or sail west. Re-visits Lothlorien after decades. Isn't as sad as he thought he’d be upon returning, but is warmed by fond nostalgia for the past.

Returns after nearly a couple centuries to what was known as Mordor, back to the swamps of Arganaith. Even after many years the swamplands still bear the scars of Sauron’s reign. Is determined this time to help the land make a full recovery. Works tirelessly with Amruchil to help more plants grow, for clean water to be restored, and for wildlife to move in. It takes a while, but Arganaith grows beautiful under their efforts. As they travel across the rocky plains of Dor Amarth, a violent earthquake separates Daerhovan from Amruchil. Fissures are created and earth is thrust up from the force of it. Searches frantically for Amruchil in the aftermath, but he is never found by Daerhovan in this life ever again. His demise is a mystery. Though Daerhovan suspects he was swallowed by a fissure in the earth. Though the cracks in his heart from his wife’s death never fully healed, they widen further from this new tragedy. His only solace is that he’s been reunited, or will be with his parents.

But strange signs and stories of an elf being seen convince him that Amruchil possibly escaped alive. Searches in vain for him for a long time, but his adopted nephew is never found.

Arc 7: In The Wind

Age: 1000 - 7000

Centuries pass Daerhovan by. The elf still keeps up his self proclaimed duty of maintaining the balance of the natural world, but the years start to take a toll on him. His heart, already scarred from the passing of friends and family, becomes even more burdened by the weariness of immortality. Begins to resent being an unchanging being in a temporal world . Hardly visits settlements and cities of men anymore. The other two races of the free peoples either gone or wandering the world in very few numbers. Yet hope and moments of light still manage to crack through. The birth of new life and the recovery of ecosystems once scarred by ancient wars and sorceries. And the beauty of natural wonders.

Gondor and Rohan become fragmented and transform into other kingdoms and civilizations. Elves and dwarves are all but gone. Claims of adult men the size of children are turned into tall tales and stories. More centuries pass by. Daerhovan often becomes dormant. Resting unmoving for days at a time, before resuming his wanderings. Local legends begin to spring up whenever he encounters people.

Begins to revisit old, ancient places and haunts. Many places like, like Lothlorien and Mordor are almost unrecognizable. Other places have had entire towns built upon them, and places that were once entire towns have been reclaimed by nature. Despite drastic changes to places he once knew like the back of his hand, the graves of Verya and Badari somehow endure. During once such visit to the latter, has grown so weary of life and the trials it threw at him that he no longer feels the will to go on. As he falls to his knees near the grave of his wife, a cloudburst bathes him with light. The world seems to grow more vivid in color as flowers of every hue sway in the gentle breeze, butterflies flitting in the air. And in the distance, the visage of a white stag watches him from a backdrop of mighty pine forests and snowcapped mountains. The sight fills him with peace, and a reassurance that life will go on and thrive, despite the passage of time.

Daerhovan smiles once last time as the sun rises over the east, and his fae leaves his body, somehow findings it’s way to the Halls of Mandos. Spends a little time in the place of the dead to reminisce about his life, before being reunited with friends and family.

But it’s not enough. Through a little bit of rebellion on both their parts, amid pleas of desperation, Badari and Daerhovan share a joyous and passionate reunion. Verya is also found and allowed to join in. And thus he spends the rest of eternity with those he loves.

[diannaphantomfiction]

Karivarry LifeSwap AU Writing Prompts. Prompt 9/15: These Are My Partners

THERE IS NOW A LIST OF CHARACTERS: HERE

Prompt requested by an anonymous @mewwitch. Here’s the Prompt:

If you are still taking prompts for the lifeswapAU, how about their first meetings with each other? Or maybe the first time they introduced each other as romantic partners?

Barry hopped off the couch with a skip in his step. Lazy nights in were a rare occurrence and lazy night in with both his partners were even rarer. Had they had to call the Chinese place again because Kara had severely underestimate how much food Oliver would eat today? Yes. Did they scare the poor family that runs the restaurant by just how much they ordered? Probably. But they were cuddled up together on their couch, eating, and watching Star Trek (made hilarious by Oliver whispering ‘gay’ whenever Spock and Kirk were on screen together) with their phones turned off.

So, when Barry opened the door, he was expecting food.

“Diana?”

Diana Prince, better known as Wonder Woman was standing at his door, looking as frazzled as she got. She easily towered over Barry at 6’5”, and her muscles made it clear that she was nearly as strong as Clark. She was wearing a pair of leggings, a plain t-shirt, and her long black hair was wrangled into a bun instead of it’s usual low ponytail. Diana was leaning against a suitcase and holding a large purse.

She smiled at him. “Hello, Bar-El. I hope I’m not intruding, but you didn’t pick up your phone.”

“Of course not,” Barry stepped forward and gave her a quick hug. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes. My flight to Gotham was late so I missed my layover and I’m stuck until tomorrow and I was hoping you’d let me borrow your couch?”

Barry smiles. “Of course! But, I’m not alone tonight…”

Diana’s smile widened. “Your famous partners?”

Barry blushed. “Yeah. Would you like to meet them?”

“I would love to.”

Barry stepped aside to let her in and walked with her to the living area. “Guys, this is Diana, she’s an old family friend. Diana, this is my boyfriend, Oliver, and my girlfriend, Kara.”

Diana shook both their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you from Barry.”

“Good things I hope,” Kara said with a smile.

Diana gave Barry a very familiar, very smug, and very calculating. “Oh, it’s rarely anything but.”

Barry blinked. Well, he did not like the look of this. At all.

Kara was on edge, Oliver was sure that if he wasn’t holding her hand, she would have attacked someone and jumped out a window by now. She didn’t like locks. Or bars. Or pat downs. Or people that had a largely group us vs them mentality. Basically, prisons in general. They made her twitchy and when Kara got twitchy, she got violent. Barry was doing better at least, even if he kept looking at the guards nervously. Barry, who was bulletproof.

“You guys really don’t have to be nervous.” Oliver smiled and squeezed Kara’s hand. “Everyone here knows me. As long as you don’t do anything stupid no one is going to say or do anything.”

“I don’t like it here,” Kara mumbled, looking very seriously at the window of the waiting room.

“Kara…” Oliver said with clear warning in his voice.

“Queen, West, Danvers-Grant!”

Oliver tugged Kara up and they went through the regular pat down procedure before being led to the women’s visiting room. It was...easier to deal with then the men’s where you had to speak to the person you were visiting through glass and a recording phone. There was no touching. On the women’s side, the visiting room was as dull and drab as you could imagine, with metal tables and benches bolted to the floor. Oliver could hug her when at the beginning and end of the visit, but quickly and if a guard didn’t like the look of something, he could end the visit early.

Getting Barry and Kara on his mother’s visiting list was an experience. Oh, Barry was easy enough. He was a good kid, stellar record, adopted out of foster care, successful in therapy, no criminal record, he’d easily passed all the checks. Kara was more difficult. She’d never actually been convicted or sent to trial over anything, but it was pretty well known that she had “fits of instability,” a term that Oliver hated. Kara was perfectly stable, but the rule had changed for her. Everything “unstable” about Kara made perfect sense if you understood her. For instance, she was currently stressed out because she’d been chained and caged in makeshift prisons before where guards had abused her to the extreme. They almost denied her entry, until Oliver promised he’d take responsibility for anything that happened. He hadn’t told Kara that bit.  

“You’re doing great, Kara.” He whispered as they sat down. She was currently glaring at the guard that had yelled something about ‘Little Ollie getting a girl’ and ignoring both him and Barry.

Then, the door opened and the prisoners started to file in. Oliver watched as the women’s faces lit up as they saw their families and walked over to tables as fast as they could without getting yelled at. His mother entered about halfway through the group and Oliver immediately let go of Kara’s hand and rose to his feet.  He took a few steps forward to meet her halfway and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“Hey Mom.”

Moria smiled and cling back just as tightly. “Hello Oliver.”

Oliver pulled back, going to sit between Barry and Kara as Moria sat down across from them. “Mom, this is Barry and Kara, my romantic partners.”

Moria rose her eyebrows sky high, “When you said you wanted to introduce me to your partners, I figured it would have more to do with...your work.”

“Oh! That’s how we met.” Barry spoke up, “Through work.”

Realization dawned on her face. “Well. I apparently owe Brianna a Snickers bar.”

Kara leaned forward and for the first time, didn’t look nervous by the very nature of the building they were in. “Ms. Queen. I understand this relationship seems abnormal, even strange perhaps, but Barry and I love Oliver very much. We would give anything to see him happy and what we’ve discovered is that the three of us are happiest together.”

Moria stared down Kara for a couple seconds before her face softened. “Well, what sort of mother would I be if I denied my son that sort of happiness? Now, why don’t you two tell me about yourselves?”

Kara patted Mike on the shoulder as she headed off the mat. “That’s enough for today. You’re doing really well, Mike. Ted would be proud.”

Mike smiled. “Thanks.”

Kara nodded and started her her cool down stretches. Mike really was doing well, he still had a long way until he was even on the same level as Lena, but he was getting along with the team (mostly) and learning his limits and how to push them safely. Who knows? soon, she may let him go out on real missions.

She turned back to Mike, who was getting water, “Don’t forget to stretch. And don’t spend to much time lifting weights. Remember…”

“I know, I know.” Mike rolled his eyes. “Balance.”

“Good man.” Kara smiled and headed out to the main area. Winn, loud as ever, was talking to someone, though Kara couldn’t see who yet. Lena was leaning up against one o the desks, laughing happily along with Winn and…

“Barry! Oliver! What are you doing here? Is everything alright?” Kara’s mind was reeling, thinking up everything that could go wrong in her brain. The list wasn’t exactly short either. There were speedsters and various aliens, not to mention all the other trouble these two got into.

“We just had some free time and wanted to surprise you.” Oliver said, moving to her side to kiss her cheek.

Barry waved from his cross-legged perch on one of the desks. “We brought pie!”

“How many pieces did you eat?”

“...We brought three pies!”

Kara let a smile tug at the corners of her lips. “That sounds more realistic.”

Winn spoke around a mouthful of pie. “It is awesome pie!”

Barry sits up a little straighter. “It’s Ma Kent’s recipe! She taught me how to make it when I first came to Earth. I already make a pie for Team Flash once a month, I can make one for you guys too.”

“That is the greatest gift you could ever give us.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “No it’s not. Don’t listen to him.”

Winn nodded furiously as soon as Lena turned in another direction, causing Barry and Oliver to stifle laughs and Kara to smirk.

“Sure, Winn. I’ll make you guys a pie.”

“YES!”

“Did you guys forget to introduce me to team members?”

Everyone turned to see Mike walking up, a towel wrapped around his neck and a water bottle in his hand. Kara had forgotten about Mike. She had been trying not to overwhelm him, Barry and Oliver were overwhelming. Their lives were overwhelming. Their villains were overwhelming. Kara loved them, but sometimes one of them would say something and she would just stare because it was that unbelievable.

“Uh no. Barry and Oliver have their own teams. Barry, Oliver, this is Mike, he’s the new Wildcat. In training.”

Barry smiled and waved from his perch as Mike looked them over.

“Uh, wait… Superboy… and the Flash? We knew Superboy and the Flash?”

Barry and Winn start to snicker and Oliver smiled.

Lena covered her mouth to hold back a laugh. “Oh, Mike… we more more than know them…”

“...What?”

Kara sighed and ran a hand down down her face. “They’re my boyfriends. I am dating Oliver and Barry. Yes, both of them. Yes, they are also dating each other. No, it is not confusing. We loved each other very much and I know about seventy ways to kill you without weapons.”

Mike blinked. “...What?”

Everyone burst out laughing. Oliver took Kara’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Great mentee you’ve got their.”

“He’s not usually this speechless.”

[yunasightx]

Names and Puzzle Pieces( aka , give me the Mcmercy fam fluff!))

(Behold this monster that has literally been sitting on my flash drive for a over a year and a half. I have no excuse for this fic besides the fact that I’m a sucker for wholesome expecting family fluff— and that goes double for this pair. Literally.)

Disclaimer:

As I stated before, this fic has been sitting around for a while .. so I really did not go through it with an ultra fine tooth comb (( and is also the reason why there are some characters, like Moria, who are not mentioned even though they have a strong relation to members of the original Overwatch---  especially in regards to Mercy and Mccree’s past. They simply were not around at the time when I wrote the bulk of this. I added Brigitte in last minute though , because it was a bit easier to mention her....and i may also ship her with a certain rocket-jump gal ))I did try my best, but I really just wanted to get it over with. So, apologies for Iand grammar issues. I may go back to edit later if I see anything insanely obvious.

In the meantime, happy reading and enjoy! ))

Tornborjn,

I just looked over the schematics you sent me. So far, the upgrade looks promising – but I’m a little concerned about stress the additional weight and momentum might put on the joints in Fig 4.  Reinhart is not  as young as he use to be  ( despite what he might boast about) , and while an extra booster might help the Crusader Suit have a little bit more of the “OOMPH” the two of you are looking for …. Osteoporosis is not just something that is exclusive to women.   Which reminds me…. I believe you are overdue for your yearly physical as well, Bärchen  <3.

Angela

Ps. I highlighted the issues I think need a second glance.  Maybe we can get lunch next Tuesday to look them over?  I have been craving grilled fish and sriracha something terrible lately.

Angela read over the email one last time, checking for the usual typos and general grammatical errors, before hitting the send button.  The email blipped out of existence from her computer screen leaving only the  default Overwatch logo quietly staring back at her.

The doctor leaned back in her chair with a content sigh, “Well, one thing down…. Several more to go.” She had spent the whole morning cleaning out her (what always appeared to be) constantly full inbox; replying to and sending out correspondences to anyone and everyone who had questions and concerns for the Head Doctor of the reinstated global peacekeeping organization. Angela supposed she could have been fielding most of them off to an intern, or even asked Athena for assistance, but she liked being proactive in things ---- and truth was… she needed SOMETHING to do for the next couple of months.

Angela glanced over to her Valkyrie Suit which stood like marble statue between the two pristine white and glass shelves behind her desk  while her hand came up to rest on her still- rounding  stomach.   The lighting of the room gave the enameled white coating a soft iridescent glow and illuminated  rest of the black, orange and gold details.  The sight of it rising over the back of her chair, even with the wings powered off, as someone walked into her pristine office was something  that she knew bordered on spiritual

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the adrenaline, the rush, and energy of being on the field ,or being actively involved in something ; but while the she would always be incredibly proud of her first child ---- at the moment she now had other lives she had to care for first.

And she knew the others were in good hands; Lucio and Zenyatta were newer to the life style of being a Overwatch Field medic , but so far they had shown enough promise that most of Mercy’s fears had been eased.  And dear darling Brigitte had taken the helm of that group in stride after dealing with patching up Reinhardt for years. They often came to her for advice, and she was very happy with how far all of them had come since joining Overwatch.

Angela actually had the sneaking suppression that donning the Valkyrie suit for so long was the reason why her pregnancy had been going so smoothly —for the most part— in the first place . The results weren’t completely definitive, but it seems wearing and handling experimental bio- nanotechnology over a long period of time had had some unforeseen side effects.  One of which  being what basically boiled down to slowing down the aging of Angela’s cells. It wasn’t much, just a under a decade in difference to her chronological age—-she would still age, she just wouldn’t have to worry about things like grey hair , wrinkles , mammograms, and arthritis as soon as everyone else.

Ana had joked the she should retire and just sell her product to  a home-shopping network  as the newest “anti-aging skin care line” --- then buy a nice little vacation home in Hawaii for her , McCree and the little ones ( with an extra guest house  for their favorite “Nana”, of course).

But, Mercy knew that at nearly Thirty-Nine years of age she should have expected a myriad of complications with getting pregnant, at least naturally ---- especially with both her and McCree starting to push forty. So, when it had happened after their first try… it had come as a bit of shock.  She and Jesse had talked about the possibility of children, the idea of growing their family just a little, but they had still had gone into the whole thing with a mindset of “if it happens, it happens”.

And when they discovered it they would be having twins….

Well, Mercy made a note to add gynecology and fertility research to her ever growing list.  After she had to pick McCree off the floor that is.

But, aside from three and a half months of nightmarish morning sickness and the never ending whiplash of weird cravings, everything had been progressing surprisingly well.

Well… almost everything.  

Angela’s thoughts broke off when she felt what was quickly becoming familiar fluttering of movement pushing against the palm of her hand.  She laughed and lightly rubbed her fingers over the spot, “I guess nap time is over , hmm?” She hummed. She felt another little persistent nudge and sighed, “Right..... back to work!”  

Angela braced her hands against the armrests and pushed away from her desk, before awkwardly hauling herself back to her feet; grunting as her center of gravity and new constantly-changing weight shifted back to her pelvis as her very round stomach curved out in front of her and her lower back arched in.

Angela knew she was surprising large, even with twins.  She looked more like she was nearing the tail end of her third trimester with one child, rather than twenty weeks with two.

She had given up trying to button her lab coat and pants weeks ago, and forgot the last time she had been actually able to see her feet (were her toes still painted sky blue?  Or was it lilac? Rustic orange ? The world will never know. )  Now, she just opted for breathable tunic dresses and a nice pair of stretchy leggings with her favorite pair of flats  ——and when she was home, she all put lived in Jesse’s flannel shirts ( but, she had the feeling even they wouldn’t fit for much longer either at this rate..)    

She thought about the closet of cute, but sensible new maternity wear Ana , Lena, Brigitte and Pharah had eagerly  helped her shop for  just a few weeks ago (with the former captain letting Mercy know she should be very thankful she didn’t have to be stuck with horrible fashion styles that were around when she was having Pharah… or the lack there of).  She felt a bit guilty that she was growing out of them so quickly.

Then again….. technically the twins were farther along than twenty weeks.  At least, from a gestational stand point.

That was other thing . The other unforeseen side effect of donning her Valkyrie suite for so long and so often.  Besides slowing down her ownaging, somehow the twins were growing at a slightly accelerated rate.  Not insanely or supernaturally fast, but every test her and Winston had run had proven they were consistently three weeks ahead of any  normal development.

Mercy had gone back and doubled, even tripled checked her math, but it was hard to mistake the night that led to all of this.  It was enough of an oddity that even though there had been no other complications, both of them agreed to err on the side of caution and treat her as a usual High-risk case and closely monitor her and the babies’ progress.  

Angela huffed and braced one hand against her lower back as the other started rubbing circles along her upper right side, hoping to dislodge whoever decided to jam themselves between her spleen and ribcage. She waddled over to her stainless steel work station by the large glass wall that ran the length of the room and looked out into the hallway between her and the panoramic windows that viewed  the deep shimmering blue waters of the Alboran Sea.  She picked up the tablet she had left there and pulled up her own medical file, along with half- a- screen’s worth of notifications of upcoming appointments and tests.  The lab results from her latest round of blood tests had just come in; most of her levels were fine, except her iron levels which were a tad little low (Angela rolled her eyes at that. Of course, Jesse’s spawn would be as obsessed with red meat as their father.)

She quickly scrolled through the rest of the results, then sent them and the reminded of her next ultrasound away with a flick of her fingers before pulling up several medical files and the list of Overwatch agents who she still had to hound down for the yearly physical.  Thankfully, a majority of the list was already highlighted in bright blue, but there were still a handful of names in red ---and most of those she didn’t even need to look at to know who was dragging their feet to the medical wing.

Let’s see…..Genji came in for his exam Monday, so he’s done. Hanzo was on time, as always.  Lena is tomorrow—I’ll need to remind Winston about that.   Mercy tapped Tracer’s name and informed Athena to let her fellow scientist know about his needed assistance.

“Shall I also remind Winston that it is time for his exam as well, Dr. Ziegler?” The AI suggested helpfully.

Mercy laughed, “No, I don’t think that will be necessary.  I’ll just recruit Lena to help me hold him down, you know how he can be.”

The AI let out a slightly computerized sigh, “Unfortunately, all too well I’m afraid.”

I will  probably have to drag Torbjorn here myself after lunch next week …And I will probably have to ask Ana , Pharah, and Brigette to help with Reinhart, The doctor sighed as she turned back to her list, her fingers  briefly hovering over the names that were blocked out in black---- the white lettering spelling out the identities as sharp and finite as a row of marble headstones on a dark lawn.  The files had been pulled over with the rest when Athena had backed up the old medical records from the original Overwatch.

Gerard Lacroix --- Deceased

Jack Morrison --- Deceased

Gabriel Reyes --- Deceased

Ana’s name had also recently been shrouded in the mournful color, but she had given her blessing to correct the outdated file. Her active status was now in the same bright cobalt blue as her daughter’s name near the top --- although, she had objected to also having her “Captain” title receiving the same treatment.

“I’m retired now, malak. These old bones aren’t fit to keep babysitting you brats all the time. Just leave me in the back with the rest of the old timers, and we’ll bail you kids out when you’ve finished having your fun.”

“76” on the other hand refused to go by any other name---- no matter how hard Angela or the others tried to convince him to reconsider, the old solider stubbornly refused to budge.

“The commander of Overwatch died at the Swiss base.  If you want him, you can find him six feet under his tombstone in Arlington.”

As for the last two names….. well… despite their best advancements and research even science couldn’t truly bring back the dead.

And even then……….. Angela was not sure she would ever cross that line.  She had toed it with Genji, even the very reasoning behind her own nanotechnology research flirted with that perilous edge …

But sometimes, the line between Man and God was drawn for a reason, and the price that asked was just too much to handle. You could make life, mend it, repair it if need be ----but you could not return light to a candle that no longer had a wick to burn.

Enough of that, Ziegler. Angela shook her head to clear her thoughts, and leave the past where it was supposed to be.  She scrolled through the rest of the names until she came to one very familiar name that she wasn’t surprised was still in red.  

“What am I going to do with him?” Angela sighed and tapped opened the file, so focused that she missed the metallic jingle of spurs and confident clomp cowboy boots sneaking up behind her.

“Boo.”

Angela jumped in surprise when two arms grabbed her from behind and that mischievous, honey-whiskey -warm voice smirked against the back of  her ear.  She shot a pointed look over her shoulder ( which lacked any real bite), but Jesse just greeted her with one of his charming smiles---- completely unapologetic as he leaned down and placed a kiss on the back of her shoulder as both of his hands drifted down to the sides of her stomach.  

“How’re y’all doin’?”  

Angela could feel his warm chuckle and smile against her skin when he felt one of the twins jab at the underside of his human palm,  “Well, that one definitely takes after me. Not even out yet, and already tryin’ to start a fight.”

Angela rolled her eyes, but there was smile on her face as she turned her head and kissed his cheek. He had trimmed his beard a little bit from the wild bush he had during his vigilante days, and his hair was back to the style he had it during the prime of his days in Blackwatch .  It was still unkempt and disheveled as ever, but Angela has always liked that length on him. And Jesse said he finally got sick having it stick to the back of his neck in the blistering heat and finding beard hairs in his whiskey.

“Did you just get back?” She could still smell the salt, sea spray, and limestone of Ilios on him, along with a bit of gunpowder and a little bit of nicotine.   Jesse had reluctantly agreed to cut back on the smoking when they decided to try to start a family (only because she had  threatened that he would have to bunk with Genji , Hanzo and Zenyatta  for the next  eighteen  years  if he so much as thought about lighting up around her or the children) , but when he was out on assignment he still smoked at a cigar or two. Mercy was at least grateful he wasn’t smoking a pack a day anymore.

He had cut back on drinking too. Genji had mostly been the one to thank for that----he and Zenyatta had been helping Jesse slowly deal with his demons over the last year and a half.  For the youngest Shamada, it was the least he could do for his former Blackwatch brother and very dear friend, and the two now had a bond that went deeper than just former coworkers.

It was nice to see both of them smile so easily again.

Eventually, the two of them ganged up on her;  and while she originally dug in her heels and refused to acknowledge the parts of  her that she shoved and locked away in deep  into the shadows, far away from anyone else (her failures, her regrets , guilt and blame and what ifs)  ……it didn’t take a neuro scientist to know that something besides her work or adjustments to her suit was keeping her awake all night. And her heart was so much lighter for it.

“Just docked”,Jesse pressed another kiss against her shoulder before lifting his head a bit and resting his chin there with a deep content hum, “Figured I’d hide out here for a bit before having to face the paperwork.” He wrapped his arms under her stomach to pull her into his warmth, “Don’t think I’ll be able to keep doing this for much longer. What are ya feedin’ these kids ,Angie?”

Angela smacked his arm ,”Burgers and sriracha. And I wonder who I can thank for that.”

“Hey, don’t pick on me. I remember those paper bags you tried hiding under your desk,’ Miss McDonalds’.”

“It was Wendy’s.” Angela said automatically, not even phased about Jesse calling her out on her old guilty pleasure.

“Yeaaaaaaaahh,” Jesse drawled out with a lazy smirk that she could feel curl against her neck , “ but you’re gonna be stuck with a bunch ol McCrees so I figured it was more fitting.”

“Who said they were going to be “McCrees”?”

Angela had to bite down on her tongue from laughing as the charming “I’m winning this round” smirk slipped right off the gunslinger’s face.

“That ain’t very nice, Angel. Don’t be mean.”

“I am not being mean,” Angela had to try very to keep her voice clinical and matter-of-fact , instead of breaking out into the giggles that tickled in her throat. She knew it wasn’t nice to tease him like this, but it was cute when he pouted. “Technically, we are not married so—“

“And you told me you didn’t want that right now,” Jesse pulled away, and Angela knew instantly that she went too far.   Frustration mixed with the jet lag and three sleepless nights of clearing out stubborn Talon agents from Greek ruins that lined the cowboy’s shoulders, giving him a wounded look that was worse than any bullet to her heart.

She knew without asking what his plan had been the moment he stepped on to the helipad---- a nice cold drink, kick off those dumb boots, and to spend the rest of a quite afternoon with the woman and mother of his children who had basically stolen his heart almost twenty-two years ago.  

“ I offered it to you, but you said it wasn’t necessary. That is just a dumb piece of pa----“

Angela swallowed the rest of his argument by reaching out and pulling his head down to kiss him sweetly, putting a cooling balm on his temper.  He seemed to have gotten the message because his shoulders instantly relaxed under her hands as his went to her widened hips and he shook his head with a gravely sigh, “I really don’t like how easily you can get under my skin like that sometimes, woman.”

She shook her head and gave him another kiss before pulling back and reaching up to apologetically smooth back his hair, pushing back a laugh when he tried to puller closer but her stomach got in the way, “ No, that was a terrible attempt of a joke. I shouldn’t have said it.”

Jesse had always been the more emotional one between them; the sentimental, passionate, and sweet parts of their relationship --- a simmering slow southern day outside of Sante Fe. Even after all these years, she still had trouble accepting that when Jesse McCree loved you  he did it absolutely, openly,  and without holding anything back----it was all or nothing for him.

When she thought back on it, Angela realized she never stood a chance.

For Jesse, a ring and wedding was more than just a tradition.  It wasn’t a claim on her, or a way “to keep her an honorable woman” and their children from being born under questionable circumstances or the hundreds of other reasons people have married for over the thousands and thousands of years of human history.

It was a promise. One of the most important ones he could ever give, besides his oath to Reyes and Amari when they offered him a rank in Overwatch ----a chance to do something worthwhile and good.

Angela just didn’t know if she was worthy of that promise just yet.  

She still had moments where she worried if she could do this.  If they could really could do this. That whisp of doubt that had spread and thrived in the shadow of the ruins and rubble of the old Overwatch.  In the shadow of her every regret and helplessness and weakness when everything she held dear crumbled right through her fingers. The one thing she could never heal and fix.  

Those names flickered in her mind again.

....The names of those she failed to support.

But, she was more than willing to try.

As silly, confounding, confusing, reckless, and dramatic as her cowboy was ----she never really thought the idea of spending the rest of her life question her sanity around him sounded bad. Even back before the old Swiss base had been nothing but a pile of bitter-sweet memories, secrets, and rubble. Before they had answered Winston’s recall……and then decided to try to pick up the pieces each of them had been carefully tucking away during the years in between.

They weren’t puzzle pieces that fit together, but------

“ I think McCree is a lovely name,” Angela hummed as she pressed her lips to his cheek, just along the curve of the dark circles under his right eye, “ I also think you should have gotten more sleep. No offense, Jesse, but you look dead on your feet. And I am the doctor who is pregnant with twins.”

The cowboy gave a resigned sigh and sank down into a nearby chair, pulling her with him and across his lap since his arms had tried to find their way around her waist again. She placed her tablet down on the counter and shifted to make herself more comfortable, placing her hands over his as they followed the faint movements of the twins hands, knees, elbows, and etc  pressing against her sides.  “Just give this old cowboy a few minutes, Ange.  I missed you somethin’ fierce out there,” He muttered against her skin as he rested his forehead against her shoulder again.

“You really should be taking better care of yourself.”

The gunslinger gave a soft chuckle at the old scolding that had lost its intentional bite years ago, “Acknowledged”.

Angela knew Jesse had a terrible time sleeping when he was away on assignment these days;  which was more than unusual because she couldn’t think of a place at the Swiss base where someone had not seen him napping with his hat over his face and his boots probed up on a random surface. It would not have  be long before said hat was slapped off, and he was dragged off by his ear  for laps by a very grumbly Gabriel Reyes to burn off all that extra energy he had obviously been storing up.

“And just what are you smiling about?”

Mercy came out of the past, and shook her head at Jesse who was watching her with an amused smile before she settled against his him with her head on his shoulder, “ Nothing, just some silly memories. I can prescribe  you some minor sleep aids if you think that would help.”

The main reason for Jesse restlessness out on the field was because when his mind didn’t have to be focused on a gunfight, it was right back here with her and the twins.  It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but as her pregnancy progressed the little fear of something happening when he might be several time zones away kept knawing itself a nice little home at the back of his mind---- like a mouse chewing its way through a baseboard.

Nightly phone calls and face -time sessions helped reassure him that Talon had not attacked the base,  Hana had not accidentally shut down the entire power grid by rigging up a super computer for gaming, and Winston did not turn her or the children into a tubs of peanut butter ( “………have you been drinking with Winhelm and Torbjorn again?”  “……No, but I did have some kind of weird Japanese fish dish Genji made.” )

Even then ,Hanzo had taken up  Mercy’s position of McCree’s common sense out on the field --- taking away the gunslinger’s phone so the bright LED screen didn’t give away their position when he kept checking in every five minutes as bullets whizzed by their heads.

Jesse gave a tired sigh as he raised his head and rest his chin on the crown of her head as he drew in closer, “I’ll be fine. I just need you and our bed , and maybe a hot toddy to dull the edge. I’m home now, that’s all that matters.”

Home.  After how many years that word did hurt to think about anymore.  

The two of them stayed like that for a while. Forgetting about emails and exams and desks full of paperwork, and just trying to enjoy this moment of absolute suspended moment of peace like a sip of Angela’s homemade hot chocolate or Jesses favorite aged whiskey.

If she closed her eyes she could almost smell the air of the Swiss alpines again, feel concrete lightly bite the backs of her thighs and the warm weight of a young gunslinger’s arm and serape around her shoulders as her knees dangled over the side of roof while  she and Jesse watched the sun rise over the base.  Watching as the light and sky started out deep and rich and slowly turned golden, blinding and bright.

Almost….. if it weren’t the constant movement jostling her insides.

“They don’t like keeping still, do they?”, Jesse grinned, his hands were tracking them across her stomach again,  eagerly moving from her sides and resting just below her navel now. He looked down at her, eyes lined with jet lagged and some residual signs of his drinking and smoking lifestyle--- but still the same soft and lively molten brown she first seen at seventeen.  

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Angela tilted her head up and teasingly nipped the tip of his nose.  

“ Hmmm….. How long are you goin’ to be cooped up in here? I was thinking you, me, some nice seared steak and pasta, and ---“

“If you even think about mentioning another one of your western movies again, Jesse, I am just going stay here and sleep in one of the med bay beds tonight.”

“…….Well, now who’s jumping the gun? I was goin’ to suggest that one old timey pirate movie Ana use to play all the time during break nights.”

“…….I’m sure you were, cowboy.”

Jesse held his hands up in surrender, “Alright, alright. You get to pick the movie tonight. Just don’t make it one of those boring educational flicks again. I’d like to be able stay awake with you tonight.”

“You liked the last few I’ve selected,” Angela pointed out, rubbing at her side to calm down whichever twin was unhappy bout suddenly being ignored.

“Yeah, well one of those was about those murders in Victorian London.  Of course that’s going to keep my interest.  But seriously Angie, as much as I want to know about what’s going on with you  and the kids, “ The Gestational Process and Bonding  of the Human Species  ; From Conception to Birth And Beyond”  isn’t exactly what I would call a “date night movie”.”

“……That is a fair point,” Angela relented, “ I just thought you would like it since you have pretty much checked out every single book we have about pregnancy in the library, and have  hounded Ana,Torbjorn, Winston and I with questions.  You even had Hanzo buy them for you in town.”

She watched as her cowboy turned a nice shade of pink under his beard, “ ….You weren’t supposed to know about that.”

“Jesse….” Angela chucked endearingly as she brushed his hair out of his eyes, “ Libeling, it’s been kind of hard not to.  But, it is sweet ----- a bit annoying sometimes, but it’s been a pleasant surprise.”

Jesse looked down at his hands, which had gone back to her middle, gently circling his thumb over the back of her hands. His voice was soft, almost unsure, like he was slowly trying to figure out an new language and did not want to mince up the words “ …..I’m just a fish out of water with all of this. I never thought I would ever have a shot at something like this. That it wasn’t in the cards for me with the shit show our lives became after everything.   But, God, did I want …… I don’t deserve an inch of you ,Ange. I  sure didn’t back then and I’m not sure I do----“

Angela kissed him before the raw emotion leaking into his voice broke both of them in two.  It was safe to say this was uncharted territory for both of them; two orphans who only had faded fragments of their own parents and a mismatch patchwork quilt they called family that had been made, ripped and repaired over the years as a reference.

There were a thousand things she wanted to tell him right then, but she would save that for when they were not surrounded by the cold, sterile, and professional environment of the med bay and her office.  She wanted to be wrapped up in one of his flannel shirts and his arms first.

“I do have something for you,”  She reached for her tablet and pulled up the file she had been saving for when he got back.

Jesse groaned the second end moved her arm, “ Angel…look, I know I’m due for that blasted checkup, but do you really—“

“You can relax, it’s not your physical. ..Yet.  I will be getting you for that later,” Angela handed him the tablet and watched as one of his eye brows raised at the sight of her name and date of birth at the top of the page. She offered him a sheepish smile, “ I know you wanted to be there, but I’m afraid Winston got the dates mixed up.  No one else knows about it yet…..but I thought it would be a nice surprise for you when you got back.”

She could barely hide her excitement  as his eyes flitted down past all the medical information and jargon the he did not understand, and landed on the one part of the report that was impossible to mistake.  She had to bite down on the corner of her lip to keep from beaming at him when his brown eyes went wide and looked between her, the tablet and back again. It was one of the few time she had seen the bombastic cowboy struck speechless,  “ …Both?”

Angela nodded, finally letting herself smile,“ Both. One of each. I guess that means we’re done after this.”

But,Jesse seemed to have missed her joke as he quickly set the tablet back down and demanded to know which twin was where. Angela laughed as she guided the one hand to where their son was trying to cozy up to her ribs again, and the other to where their daughter has kicked his hand earlier.  “ They do move , but I think that’s where they are for the most part, “ Angela titled her head as she took in the suddenly  serious look crossing on Jesse’s face that he only got when he was trying to whip a strategy during a mission , “Is something the matter, Libeling?”

“….. Figuring out how much I’m gonna have to stock up on ammo for when they get older. Maybe finally talk Torb into installing that finger gu-”

“Jesse Leon McCree!” Angela’s glare cut through his thought faster than one of her laser- guided scalpels, “For the last time, I am not installing finger guns into your prosthetic!”

“I didn’t say you, now did I?”

“ Torbjorn won’t do it either. I already warned him I would revoke his honorary grandfather card if I ever caught him with schematics.”

“ Awwwww, come on! That ain’t fair, Angel!” Jesse whined. “ How else am I supposed to scare idots away from little Annie when she gets older?”

“Are you thrity-nine or nine…? And I am sure you will come up with something. Also, we are not naming out children after wild- west outlaws.”

“…Dam.. I was sittin’ on that one for a while,” Jesse looked at her again, “ What about-“

“No.”

Jesse jutted out his lower lip and looked at her with those big puppy gold-brown eyes that had been bane of her existence for the last twenty- something years.  ….But, she would be lying to herself if said she wasn’t at least a little bit happy that genetics promised that there was a very good chance at their children would have his eyes as well.

“Fineeeeeeeee,” Jesse sighed when he realized he wasn’t going to win their  little stalemate, although there is more than a hint of a whine to it, “What about “Fenrir” for the boy then?  That’s something you’ve always liked.”

“Oh mein got!” Angela rolled her eyes, “Out of all the Norse myths I have told you, of course that’s the one you remember.”

“What? We could call him “Fen”,” Jesse pointed out innocently.  

“You do remember that Loki is the one who gave birth to him, don’t you?”, Angela pointed out with a sigh, “ Only you would want to name your son after the eater of the world and killer of Odin? How about “Tyr”?” She tapped  her finger nail against the scared- up skull engraved into the metal plating of his bionic arm. “The god of Justice. That seems a bit more fitting. “

Jesse watched her hand with a little smirk as he leaned his head against her shoulder again. They might have been playfully arguing about names, but she had never seen him look so content.  The look in his expression said it all… ….he held his entire world in his arms.  “Eh, it’s not as cool. Any kid of ours is going to be hell –in- a- hand basket and an angel all-in-one, they need a name goes with it.”

“I think it’s just in your nature to -- how do you Americans say it----“  Go Big or Go Home”?” Angela laughed as Jesse gently, but playfully pulled her closer against his chest, his hands resting on her hip as his lips grinned against her forehead and his beard tickling between her eyes

“Yep ,sounds like me. I’ve always dreamed big---- how else could I have gotten as lucky to end up with someone like you? You don’t get chosen by an angel just by waiting around and twiddling your thumbs.”

Angela rolled her eyes as she shifted in the cowboy’s lap as their daughter let her know she didn’t like being squished between them by trying to kick elbow her pancreas. Jesse’s hands instantly went to the spot and circled his fingers to apologize.

They were going to be fine.

“Well…..I do have one name in mind… ,”Angela hesitated.  She wasn’t quite sure how Jesse would react to her suggestion. She still didn’t know how she completely felt about it.  

It had started as a little idea that had just popped up in the back of her mind the moment the blood tests had confirmed everything, like one of the single little cells their children had started out as.  At first, she just shook it off as an impossible notion, just the increasing hormones her body being annoying ; but like Jesse, it just hunkered down and refused to budged until she begrudgingly paid attention to it.

It was name that had weight to it, memories and heartbreak. But, she knew it was a name that meant a lot to Jesse… and even herself and many others in their little rag tag family.  And the more she had thought about it, each week the name just sounded a little more right.  Her mind went back to the list of names of those she had failed to save.  

You could not return life to can candle that no longer had a wick , but the scent of the wax would always linger.

“Gabriel.”

She carefully watched his face as her stomach squirmed in a way that had nothing to do with her tumbling twins or morning sickness.  It only took a few moments, but it felt life time as she watched the confusion on his face melt into surprise then something so soft and speechless that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to smile or cry herself.

For now she would blame it on the hormones.

“I like it, Darlin’,” His voice was soft, like a warm camp-fire on a cool night as he reached up and tucked her side swept bang behind her ear. “ … Thank you.”  

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand as his callused and tanned finger s trailed over her cheek, still the same as they had always been despite all the years.  They still felt like home.

“There is nothing to thank me for, Liebling. “

“…. I still want Fen as a first name though.”

Angela gave a heavy sigh, Andddddddd there went the moment,“ Do not make me kick you out of my office .“

Jesse just gave her another smug and charming smirk that made his right eye twinkle, “Gotta come up with a better bluff than that, Sugarbee. I’m your favorite pillow.”

“Well, since you are here ,Darlin..” She drawled a little too innocently , “ I do have a long list of overdue shots with your name on it.”

The cowboy blanched and Angela just gave him his smirk right back before breaking down into a smile and leaning forward to kiss him as he huffed against her mouth and pulled her as close as her stomach would allow. “ Woman, I swear there is devil in those angel eyes sometimes.”

No, they were not puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together ---  there were too many broken edges that had been worn and dented over the years.  They were more like pieces of a shattered glass that had been put together into a mosaic.  Something that was a little old and new at the same time , fractured and whole…  and made something  wonderful and beautiful when the light shone through.

[kurt-wagner-official]

Post #14: UXM issues 129-131

The Dark Phoenix Saga begins by wrapping up some loose ends from the Proteus arc. The first is Sean's exit from the team. He's been circling this moment since losing his powers, but he can't bring himself to do it until he's found a new purpose in helping Moria move past the trauma she's endured. Sean’s been increasingly sidelined in the stories, especially since Cockrum was replaced by Byrne, who clearly likes the character a lot less than his predecessor. Before the world tour, he was mostly explored through his relationship with Moira, and then he was just kinda there until losing his powers. That could have been an interesting story, with Sean redefining his place on the team and exploring heroism without power, but they don’t do much with it other than Sean talking about how helpless and frustrated he is. It’s a little disappointing, but I would rather see characters written out of the story than just hang around out of habit. Claremont will eventually revisit the idea of a depowered X-Man in Lifedeath, one of his best stories, so in the long run there’s not much lost. After leaving Muir Island, Scott and Jean finally talk to each other, and Scott realizes what's been hinted at for a while; thinking he lost Jean caused him to shut off his emotions more than ever before. After so much loss, it was easier for him to tell himself he had already lost Jean months before, but now that they're reunited his walls break down and he realizes he's loved her all along. Losing each other has brought them closer together than ever before, which makes the end of this story even more tragic. Alex and Lorna were able to get out of the X-Men life before it tore them apart. But unlike Alex, Scott has never found a way to define himself outside of the professor and the X-Men. And unlike Lorna, Jean has an addiction to her own power that she can't resist. So they barrel towards tragedy holding hands with their eyes closed, both of them ready for their own death but not prepared to lose each other. When they do reach the mansion, they find Xavier waiting for them, having returned to check on Jean and her uncontrollable power. He also takes back over the team and refuses to recognize the progress they've made in his absence, treating them like children and expecting total obedience. Scott tells him what it took him a while to figure out; the new team is not the old one. They're not children who can be molded together, they're adults that are already fully formed. Treating them like the former only caused problems, but the latter approach has begun to form them into an even better team. Xavier, unwilling to let go for fear he'll become obsolete, tells Scott that he's failed as a leader. His asshole father rant is interrupted by a Cerebro alert of two new emerging mutants. The team splits up to go after them, but the Hellfire Club is on its way too. The first team, Xavier, Ororo, Logan, and Peter, goes to Chicago to find Kitty Pryde, my second favorite fictional character of all time (second only to Kurt Wagner). Kitty is a normal girl with normal problems, mainly the impending divorce of her parents. But she also has another problem; her phasing ability is emerging. Xavier and Emma Frost, White Queen of the Hellfire Club, are both looking to recruit her to their respective mutant schools. Ororo takes Kitty for ice cream, where they start to bond. Ororo sees in Kitty a version of herself that avoided the tragedy of Ororo's youth. Kitty as a character poses the question of whether the X-Men are truly making a difference; she's so far untouched by the horrors of the mutant world, and it's now up to the X-Men, who live at the center of those horrors, whether they can protect her from the damage that they've endured. They're not doing great so far, as the Hellfire Club kidnaps the X-Men. Their only hope lies in Kitty, who sneaks after them.

In New York, Scott, Jean, and Kurt are looking for the second mutant when Jason Wyngarde shows up. He's been continually tormenting Jean with visions of the two of them living together in the 18th century, and she's beginning to question which reality is the true one. It all culminates with her waking up kissing Wyngarde in the middle of a club, with Scot watching confused and shocked from the sides. Meanwhile, Kitty tried and failed to rescue the other X-Men, but Ororo did give her the phone number for the other team. As Kurt is waiting on the street for Scott and Jean, he reflects on an important part of his arc that's been hinted at but not discussed in deep; his giving up the image inducer. Finding a family that accepts him has given Kurt the strength to accept his own appearance, although he still sticks to the shadows. This has pissed off Xavier, because he's a dick. It's actually a very important X-Men plot point that hasn't really been discussed before now. Although Xavier's dream is admirable, his method of achieving it is very flawed. He wants to make the X-Men into a "model minority," making them better than all those other bad mutants. It's a common real world argument from bigots trying to deny it- "black people can protest as long as they're peaceful." "I support the gays as long as they aren't too obvious about it." "Women can have equal rights, but not if they say bad things about men." For mutants as well as real world minority groups, some members of the community accept these terms, but for others it's not possible. And even if it was, this shouldn't ever be a solution; freedom and respect offered conditionally is only there to divided the community so it's easier to take away that freedom and respect altogether. Magneto, for all his flaws, understands this, because as a Holocaust survivor he's seen the consequences of this way of thinking. Xavier has lived a life mostly free of oppression, and doesn't have the perspective to understand what other, less fortunate mutants are going through. If Kurt wore his image inducer all the time, things would be easier for Xavier. But it's Kurt's decision, and until the world is safe for someone like Kurt, Xavier has no right to demand shortcuts. Kurt's peace is interrupted by a phone call from Kitty, which is interrupted by a Hellfire attack. The Hellfire Club has weapons based on Danger Room technology, which they've hacked ever since Warhawk broke into the mansion a while ago. Our heroes are saved by the mutant they came to recruit, Alison Blaire, the Dazzler. Alison is kind of a weird character. She was created to be a multimedia experience, debuting in the comics while at the same time getting her own cartoon and a real world album. Most of that fell through, but we were left with a character who'll go on to be an important part of the X-Men mythos. They all rush off to save their fallen comrades. Jean asks Scott to let her explain the Wyngarde situation, and he says he'll hear her out once they're out of danger. This is a really refreshing change of pace from the misogyny that was prevalent in most Marvel comics at the time. Even when Scott did nothing wrong and was hurt by (what appears to be) Jean's mistake, he's willing to listen to her and talk through it. It's things like this that make Scott and Jean a couple you actually want to root for.

Issue 131 opens with a showcase of the huge contrast in Jean's character; as Phoenix, she obliterates the car that Kitty's pursuers are driving, and as Jean, she hugs and comforts a sobbing Kitty. We also get some insight into Kitty’s first impressions of the X-Men; she already considers Ororo a friend, but Wolverine and Colossus are still only known by their code names. She’s a little scared of the former and a little enamored by the latter. Kurt is still just creepy to her. Kitty is actually more prone to snap judgements and grudges than most of her teammates, which is a good twist on the normal tropes with children in comics. The first impressions color the direction of her relationships with the others for quite a while, and she’s the last X-Man to accept Emma when she eventually turns over a new leaf in a few decades. Scott is starting to be terrified of the Phoenix, while still in love with her. As Emma tortures Ororo, Kitty sneaks in and frees Logan, who eviscerates some guards who hurt Kitty. The team meets up and goes after Jean, who's gone to save Ororo from Emma. Jean unleashes the Phoenix on her enemy, seemingly killing her and enjoying the power. Her power trip continues when she wipes all memory of the incident from the minds of Kitty's parents. They still part ways, but on good terms, with the hope that Kitty may be coming to the school soon. I’m still a little confused on the school side of Xavier’s school. The rest of the student body is made of people who are for the most part in their 20s, and they don’t study anything except superheroing. Even if they don’t know about any of that, it seems weird that Kitty’s parents would send her to a boarding school where she’s the only student. Not that I’m complaining of course, but from an in universe perspective it would make more a lot more sense if the New Mutants were already a thing. As the issue ends, Scott and Ororo discuss their mutual fear as the shadow of Wyngarde looms in the background; the Phoenix has a dark side, and something has been feeding that darkness which now threatens to consume Jean.

Like the first Phoenix Saga, the Dark Phoenix Saga is a multistage story with a series of villains and climaxes. Unlike it's predecessor, the first stage of this story could stand in its own as a great arc. Several major characters were introduced, and the focus of the book starts to shift focus to the X-Men being more proactive in their quest for equality as they seek out mutants to help, not just enemies to fight. Jean continues her descent into corruption as she starts to shed her inhibitions and morals. Part of this is Wyngarde's doing, but he's really just accelerating Jean down the path she was already on. Jean has evolved over the years from damsel in distress to universally powerful being, and noone could go through all that without acquiring a taste for power. And Scott, loyal to a fault, is too in love to try to stop her. While all of this is going on, we're also introduced to the Hellfire Club, who's members are a new kind of evil. Although Xavier's habit of using other mutants to fight his battles is ethically dubious, his goals are altruistic. But Emma, Wyngarde, and their boss Sebastian Shaw use and manipulate other mutants for completely selfish reasons. It's an interesting concept with complicated implications for the mutant metaphor, which will be explored in great detail in the next of the three mini-arcs of the Dark Phoenix Saga.