#Story of Rescue Hope and Triumph

[quotesfromoursharedshelf]

If I cry, I'll cry alone. But if we laugh, we can do it together.

Yusra Mardini, “Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian—My Story of Rescue, Hope and Triumph”  

[pekoehoneyncream]

Ghoaptober # 31

Prompt: Knife

Words: 1500~

TW: Allusions to Torture (sfw)

This version of Ghoaptober was created by @spadesandshovels

This is the last one folks! All good things must come to an end, I suppose. This has been really fun to do! It's been great to stretch my writing skills, I feel like I improved over the course of the month, at least I hope I did, I definitely had to do less grammar and spelling corrections as we progressed, so there's that.

I wanted to thank everyone who's left such kind comments for me, you're feedback really does mean the world to me, Thank You!

If you want me to write more please do drop me an ask, I'd love to hear from you!

And with all of that said, onto the fic

Enjoy!

A shriek echoed out from the microscopic kitchenette crammed into the back of the disused officer’s rec room that the one-four-one had co-opted, Ghost and Price launched off the sagging sofa towards the noise. They charged into the kitchenette, Ghost wielding a knife and Price his hand-gun, ready to end any threat to their Sergeants.

There was no threat, just Soap trying to hide his awkward blush in his mug of coffee while Gaz stared at him with something close to abject horror. 

“Tav, mate, what the fuck is wrong with your tongue.” Gaz demanded, willfully ignoring that he’d just screamed like an arachnophobe confronting Shelob and the fact that his superiors hadn't hesitated in running to his hypothetical rescue. 

Price huffed and reholstered his gun, Ghost putting away his knife much more slowly. “Just what exactly is going on?” He demanded with an edge to his voice that suggested he was already regretting that he’d asked, “Why are you screaming over Soap’s tongue?”

“Well, Cap,” Soap started with a lewd tilt of his eyebrows and a goading grin,

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Gaz cut over him with a biting tone, “but, I didn’t expect to be confronted by the fact that Soap is an actual fuckin’ demon on a casual Thursday afternoon, Price.”

“Garrick, we talked about this,” Price scolded,

“Yeah,” Ghost agreed, “Johnny can’t be a demon, his rosary'd burn him.”

“Wha!” Soap sputtered in sheer disbelief, “Youse thought Ah’m a demon?!”

“No one’s that lucky, Tav.” Gaz said with flat seriousness, “There’s gotta be some kinda something going on.” 

“Would a deal with a demon make you demonic?” Ghost mused in an exaggeratedly ponderous tone, casting his gaze up to the ceiling tiles so that the flabbergasted expression Soap’s face was stretching into couldn't make him laugh.

Gaz perked up, snapping and pointing at Ghost in a eureka-esque motion, “Yes! That’s totally it!” He exclaimed, practically bouncing on his toes with his triumph. 

“Riley-”

“I cannae make a deal wit’ a demon!” Soap cut over Price, slamming his mug down to free up his hands for incensed gesturing, “Mah Grannie would disown me!” 

“Then how do you explain-” Gaz flailed a hand in the direction of Soap’s mouth, lacking the words to describe just what in fuck was going on in there, “-that!”

A look of cartoonish offence slid onto Soap’s face. Ghost watched him brace his hands on his hips and draw himself up to his full height, hamming it up. Trying to make it into an easily deflected joke. Concern kicked at the back of Ghost’s sternum, if Johnny was deflecting it meant the real answer was nothing good. 

Ghost had learned early on that Johnny was one of the most open, shameless, oversharing freaks that walked this earth. He had watched Johnny laugh his way through retelling stories and anecdotes that would have sent consummate exhibitionists blushing through the floor on multiple occasions. Ghost had also been quick to cotton on to the fact that it was for the best to follow up on the topics that Johnny tried to deflect, as they were generally things that would have a therapist crying and Johnny really was better off getting them off his chest. Ghost usually let it go and tried to circle back around to those deflections when they were alone and Johnny was feeling safe, but with Gaz latched onto this like a starved dog with a butcher bone, that wasn’t an option. 

Sure, Ghost could probably distract Gaz and help Johnny wiggle out of this, but debriding old wounds is always a good team bonding experience. 

Gaz and Soap had stagnated into their usual pattern of bandying insults back and forth. Having a grand time of pretending to be sputtering in high dudgeon whenever the other would quip back with something particularly clever. Ghost cut his eyes to Price, and jerked his chin at Johnny upon catching the Captain’s eye. 

Yes, Ghost wanted Johnny to talk about it, but he didn’t want his boyfriend upset with him either. 

“Right,” Price cut in after giving Ghost a roundly rancorous look, “Soap, why is Garrick accusing you of having a demonic tongue. Without!” He hastily amended when Soap turned overblown fuck-me eyes on him, “any chirpsing if you would.”

“Aye, right. Uh-” Soap hesitated, staring down at his feet and rubbing at his nape as he tried to gather the right words to explain this, “Reckon he mean’ this.” He gave up and just stuck his tongue out. 

Soap could admit that he got a bit of a kick out of watching their uncomprehending looks warp into horrified incredulity when his tongue split down the middle. He wiggled the two sides up and down in opposite directions of each other and briefly twined them into a coil to drive the image home, then retracted it back behind the safety of his teeth with as much casual finesse as he could muster. 

There was a beat of silence, then a cavalcade of questions. Soap’s personal favourite was Ghost’s ‘how did I not notice?’ said in the tone of a man on the edge of a revelatory breakdown. A close second was Price’s muttered ‘that can’t be within regs.”, but topping the charts for sheer volume was Gaz.

“What!” He shrieked, “What the fuck! When’d you get that!?” his voice dripped with a queer mix of awe, horror, and morbid fascination. 

Soap hummed uncertainly, casting his mind back, swallowing against the phantom taste of blood creeping up his throat to pool at the back of his mouth, “Mus’ a been aroun' twenty-sixteen? Some’hing like tha’,”

“Twenty-sixteen.” Price muttered, mentally rifling through Soap’s file, there was something about that year that had the klaxons spinning up in Price’s subconscious, “Not October twenty-sixteen?” 

“Aye,” Soap nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground, “Tha’d be the one.”

“Corporal MacTavish was detained by enemy forces eighth October twenty-sixteen and was successfully recovered twelfth October twenty-sixteen. In enemy custody, Corporal MacTavish was subjected to physical maltreatment, most notably manifesting in substantial damage within the oral cavity. Injury permanent but non-disfiguring. Corporal MacTavish states that no intelligence was provided to the adversary while in custody.” Price quotes -impressively word for word- from the truncated after action report that had been the script for far too many of his nightmares, “That October twenty-sixteen?” 

“Got ‘er in one, Cap.” Soap confirms, idly grinding his tongue between his teeth, “Yanno, they did offer tae fix it. The medics.” He spoke on just to break the heavy silence that had conquered the room, “But they’d have had tae open it up again, cause it’d been cauterized, so Ah said no' tae bother.”

They'd told him that as it was a 'non-invasive procedure' only local numbing would be provided and Soap would not be letting anyone else come at his tongue with a knife unless he was unconscious, dead, or dying. 

“Tav," Gaz pressed out slowly, hesitantly, “That’s fucked, mate.”

“Aye,” Soap nodded, staring down at the kitchenette’s cheap linoleum. Blinking to force the floor back into dingy tiles when his brain tried to twist it into stained concrete. He huffed a small flat laugh, more to force the scent of iron and dank stone from his nose than anything else, “Aye, twasn’t mah idea ae fun neither.”

“Johnny,” Ghost drew his name out into a devastated whine and lunged forward to coil around Soap in a protective embrace. Heart splitting at the shakiness he could feel in Johnny’s shallow breaths as he clutched his boyfriend to his chest. 

“Ah’m alrigh’,” Johnny assured, but the tear-fighting sniff he tried to conceal in Ghost’s pecs said something different. 

“You’re alright,” Price agreed, lay a grounding hand on Soap’s shoulder. 

“Yeah,” Gaz poked at Soap’s sensitive sides to force a wet giggle out of him, “Course you’re alright, Tav. You’ve got us and if those fucks aren’t already dead I’m sure Ghost is drafting up like ten different plans for how to track ‘em down and kill ‘em slow.”

Ghost was glad that Gaz’s joking was making Johnny feel better, and gave an intrigued pensive hum into the fluff of his warhawk to play along. 

It was actually fifteen different plans. 

“Okay. Okay.” Soap barked, shaking them off once he was absolutely positive that he wasn’t about to start bawling like a bairn as soon as they let go, “Mah goddamn coffee’s gonnae be fuckin’ cold now ye muckers.” 

“Do you want me to make you a new cup, so you don't have to microwave it?” Ghost offered, love surging within him for the wide blue eyes that swung his way. 

“Would ye, mo chridhe?” Johnny begged prettily. 

Ghost hooked a thumb under his balaclava, lifting it over his mouth just long enough to press an adoring kiss unto Johnny’s lips, then turning away to make him the promised fresh cuppa, fluidly stealing his mug to dump and refill it.

Both men were content to ignore the way Gaz faked a retch over their sappy mush, as he practically stepped on Price’s heels following after the Captain on his tactical retreat back to the sofa.

Thank You For Reading!

Some nice hurt/comfort to round off the month. It didn't make it into the fic but the reason that his captors split Soap's tongue is because he wouldn't stop talking back, just a fun fact for y'all.

Did anyone want me to make a masterlist for all of these? with ratings and short descriptions or something? there's already links to the full series on my masterlist, but that just has the prompts, so I was wondering if a masterlist would be helpful. Let me know!

PekoeHoneynCream's Masterlist

[humusboii2thereturnoftheking]

Al Jazeera's Arabic documentary about the war in Gaza

I just watched a video by The Easy Way breaking down a brand-new Al Jazeera documentary released only five days ago. I’ll link both the documentary and the analysis below.

This documentary is significant for two reasons. First, it highlights the stark contrast between what Al Jazeera presents to Western audiences versus what it feeds its Arab and Muslim viewers. Second, despite being released just days ago, it has already amassed nearly 6 million views.

Let me first summarize what’s in the documentary (based on The Easy Way, whom I find to be a reliable source). If you’re impatient, feel free to skip down to my main point. If you want to watch the documentary and draw your own conclusions then know it has English subtitles

The so-called “documentary” exclusively pushes the Palestinian narrative, starting from October 7th and ending at the ceasefire. Here are some key takeaways:

Jewish communities are only referred to as “settlements,” despite not being located on disputed land.

The community emergency squads (Kitat Konenut, כיתת כוננות) are falsely depicted as “soldiers in civilian clothing” fighting against uniformed Hamas fighters.

The October 7th attack (Al-Aqsa Flood) is framed as a glorious Hamas victory, while Israel’s response is labeled “genocide.” The ceasefire is then framed, again, as another Hamas triumph.

Hamas fighters are glorified as honorable and moral, with most of the footage showing them attacking Israeli soldiers. When civilians are targeted, the footage is carefully edited to remove any actual harm. In the rare clips of Hamas inside Jewish communities, they claim they were “protecting” civilians while fighting the IDF.

The attack on Israel is spun as a preemptive strike, Hamas supposedly knew Israel was about to “destroy Gaza,” and by taking hostages, they miraculously stopped this imaginary plan.

Hostages are never called hostages, only “prisoners.” The film pushes the idea that every Israeli citizen is a permanent soldier because they once served in the IDF.

Al Jazeera uses Hamas footage but clumsily tries to remove the red triangle markers (which signal targets for execution). The triangles are still visible in parts of the video.

One of the most absurd claims? Hamas rescued Jewish civilians from the battlefield and took them to a “safe place” in Gaza.

The documentary portrays Yahya Sinwar as a fearless warrior who fought above ground against the IDF, even though there’s footage of him scurrying in tunnels.

It argues that Israel’s economic initiatives in Gaza were merely a deception to distract Palestinians while secretly plotting to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque and rebuild the Third Temple. Ironically, this implies an acknowledgment that Israel actually helped Gaza’s economy.

Now, here’s why this matters:

I’ve spent the last year and a half debating people about this conflict. Most of the time, the people I argue with know shockingly little yet still parrot the Palestinian narrative they’ve been fed in English. But no one ever talks about how vastly different the Arabic narrative is.

Hamas portrayed as heroes who saved Jews? As masterminds who foresaw an “evil Zionist plot”? As victors at both the beginning and end, despite Gaza’s destruction? If Westerners saw even a third of this documentary, they’d be horrified (or at least that's what I hope. Copium, I know).

How can anyone still claim Palestinians are suffering when their own media frames them as triumphant? How can anyone scream “genocide” while Hamas itself boasts about winning?

It’s mind-blowing. I’ve had so many debates where people justify October 7th with “it didn’t happen in a vacuum” and go on about history and the chicken-and-egg argument. Meanwhile, Hamas is openly admitting: “We did this because the evil Zionists were planning to exterminate us.”

How can Westerners keep defending Hamas when Hamas itself tells an entirely different story in Arabic?

I’m honestly stunned.

Here are the links for the videos, let me know what you think

Al Jazeera's New Gaza Documentary Is Crazy - YouTube - "The Easy Way" commentary

ما خفي أعظم.. الطوفان - YouTube - the Al Jazeera documentary

[bookshelfdreams]

#Op I need u to know I thought this was about his post-coytal bedside manner when I read the first line#was fully expecting you to wax poetic about how Ed's mediocer attempt at making breakfast was actually a heartfelt attempt to make sure#he didn't feel like he was a One And Done type of thing#I was vibrating#and then it was s1 meta 💀 RIP LMAO (@zo1nkss, on this post)

No, absolutely, let's talk about it. Because this?

This is terrible. Comically bad. The worst anyone's ever done it, I'm sorry to say. The toast looks like it's covered in coal dust. The tea (? I hope it's tea, might as well be Ye Olde Cuba Libre) has clearly gone cold. Ed spooned the marmalade directly onto the tablet instead of just leaving it in the jar like a sane person, for fuck's sake!

Of course that's deliberate; they even make sure we know what the platonic ideal of a nice breakfast tablet looks like with the title card.

It's like an Expectation vs Reality meme. There's a flower, there's porcelain, there's even a plate! Ed, I know you've had breakfast before, why are you so bad at this?

Because, of course, this was doomed from the start.

Ed is panicking, because he knows falling into bed together right after everything that happened in 02x06 was a mistake, and he's desperately trying to salvage the situation.

Ed wanted to take things slow, because he wants stability. He wants to pursue happiness. He wants to build a beautiful life with someone he loves! Breakfast in bed every day!

Instead he to watch the love of his life be tortured in front of him, because of him, and then had to watch him intentionally kill a guy for the first time in his life - also because of him! This is the opposite of what he wanted, for himself or for Stede.

He wanted them both to be safe and happy, but instead they had an evening of horrible experiences and then had sex about it. It's all coming crashing down. Aside form the worst breakfast spread in known history, look how the scene is shot and coloured: The slightest green tint, just enough to turn the light harsh and cold, how far apart from each other they are. Tons of empty space in the frame. How they are backlit, so they are in the shadows, their faces barely discernible.

This isn't a happy Morning After. This is them standing at the ruins of what was supposed to be a beautiful moment, but the violence of piracy broke into it and destroyed it.

Ed knows he needs to leave it behind, once and for all. Throws out his Blackbeard kit to make his decision to abandon the pirate life irreversible. Tries to have a soft, domestic moment, shares the lovely story about Merstede coming to rescue him, in an attempt to salvage his dream of retirement with Stede.

But Stede? Oh, Stede is on an entirely different page. He just had his first real taste of the power violence can grant him. While the torture wasn't fun, in the end, he triumphed! Defended his love, defended his crew! And topped it all off with what was probably the first positive sexual experience in all his 40whatever years of life! He's patronizing and kinda bitchy about the whole spread, because he doesn't get what Ed is trying to tell him. All he sees is Ed being terrible at this domestic bullshit, but that's okay because he thinks he's terrible at it too!

They'll just sail the seas, terrorize the various empires and have adventures together, forever and ever! That's the dream, right? Right???

(Wait, what do you mean Last night was a mistake?)

[jedimandalorian]

The Path to Peridea.

Baylan Skoll says that Peridea is from a fairy tale known to Jedi younglings, a children’s story, but in reality Baylan says this to remind us that Star Wars is exactly just that, a fairy tale, a children’s story.

What does “Peridea” mean?

peri: (in Persian mythology) a mythical superhuman being, originally represented as evil but subsequently as a good or graceful genie or fairy.

ASTRONOMY

peri: denoting the point nearest to a specified celestial body.

from Greek peri ‘about, around’.

dea: Latin for “goddess”

The descent into the underworld is one stage of the hero’s and the heroine’s journey.

As @better-call-mau1 pointed out, the Path to Peridea sounds a lot like the “path to perdition.”

perdition: (in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death.

Perhaps this is where Thrawn is, in a kind of hell.

But as in the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a brave lover is willing to descend into Hades to rescue the beloved. This is Sabine Wren’s mission to find Ezra Bridger.

There’s another meaning to “Peridea” though.

It is a genus of moths from the family Notodontidae.

The moth in The Lord of the Rings films brought Gandalf the Grey hope when he was imprisoned in the Tower of Orthanc. When the moth appeared, it was a sign that Gandalf would soon be rescued by the giant eagles, which are used as symbols of divine intervention in Tolkien’s fiction.

Please note that the letters on the star-map to Peridea resemble the Viking runes Tolkien used in The Hobbit. Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are stories of a hero’s journey filled with danger and wonder. The brave protagonists have to go “there and back again” just as Sabine will in the Ahsoka series.

I think that Baylan Skoll reminding us that Star Wars is a children’s story is significant. Consider this quote from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling.

“Of house-elves and children’s tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped.”

In all the great fairy tales, the love and loyalty of the protagonist is the key to the triumph of good over evil.

Although she isn’t strong in the Force, Sabine Wren’s love for and loyalty to Ezra Bridger will strengthen her resolve on her road of trials along the Path to Peridea. With Ahsoka the Grey by her side, Sabine is ready to leave the comfort of Lothal (her Shire) and go to Peridea to save the man she loves.

Update, post Ahsoka Episode 6:

Here’s Huyang reminding us that this is indeed a fairy tale, a children’s story.

And here’s Thrawn, showing us how the villain “knows and understands nothing.”

“You wouldn't understand,” says Sabine.

“Perhaps not,” Thrawn responds.

What he doesn’t understand is love. The love and devotion that Sabine and Ezra have for each other is the power the dark lord knows not, and it will be his undoing.

I have spoken.

[avelera]

Avelera's Dreamling Fic Status Update:

Keeping Sanctuary (subscribe for updates here) - Giving Sanctuary Sequel follows Dream and Hob from the events of the altered meeting in 1689 up to the modern era. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1689 meeting?) Current word count: ~7,000 words across several chapters. Realistic progress update: 1/10 complete total, Ch. 1 is about 1/5 complete.

(The rest are below the cut!)

Come live with me and be my love - Dream and Hob fall in love during the Regency Era when Dream loses a bet to Desire. Shenanigans ensue. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1789 meeting?) Ch. 16 is at 2,500 words, probably about 1/3 done. Current plan is to wrap up Part 1 in the next few chapters then create a part 2 which finishes out their "1 year of marriage" on a month by month basis instead of following them day to day like Part 1 done. Probably won't be a separate fic though, just a change of format.

This Rough Magic - My take on "Hob rescues Dream from Burgess" with a twist that Hob ends up on Burgess's radar himself when he picked up some occult magic skills in the hopes of contacting Dream after 1889 and apologizing. Now he has to pretend to be friends with Burgess in order to get them both out of there, because Burgess thinks Hob can help force Dream to give him immortality. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1889 meeting?) Ch. 9 is about 800 words in. Story is still very much in progress I just have a lot of WIPs, as you can see.

Joke's On You (I'm Into That) - The 1589 meeting goes very different when Hob proposes to Dream, who is so offended that he just can't let the matter go. A very angry, very horny competition kicks off between them. (Aka, what if they hooked up in 1589 when they were both at their absolute worst as people?) I have literally 40,000 words written for the rest of this fic. The problem is, there's big gaps in that first draft I have to fill in and scenes that need to be added. This might be my favorite WIP but it's also the hardest to write with all the smut scenes so it'll arrive whenever I can manage, I'm afraid.

Banana Daiquiris Ch. 2 - Comic-canon compliant (mostly) - Dream fakes his death to go on a vacation with Hob and Destruction. They end up in Tahiti. Destruction plays matchmaker. Hob doesn't know whether to thank Destruction or strangle him. Current word count 6,000 words. I've been playing around with adding on to this fic for ages. One of these days, I'll pull it all together.

Great Triumphs and Tragedies - aka, "Dream Accidentally Cursed Hob with a Normal Life" Fic - Dream learns that from 1689 on, Hob's life has been safe. Too safe. Improbably safe. Nothing bad or extraordinary or even terribly special has happened to him since Dream began to consider Hob his friend. He knows this because during his imprisonment, Hob's life became exciting again and suddenly went back to normal the day Dream was freed. Hob is not convinced that Dream is the reason for this, Dream disagrees. They talk about it. And fight about it. And some things that they've probably needed to talk about for a long time finally get said. (aka, sometimes the author just needs to write their weird headcanon into a 20,000 word fic that's almost entirely dialogue). Current word count: 19,000 words and about 80-90% finished, 3 of 4 chapters written. I'm hoping that posting what I've got will help push me through the final stretch. Real life interrupted for a bit though.

Unraveling Centuries, aka the Hob Amesia Fic - Dream and Hob are dating officially now in the 21st century when Hob gets hit with what seems to be a memory loss curse, shaving off 100 years of his life each day until Dream finds a cure. This effectively grants Dream a walk down memory lane as he is reacquainted with the Hob of each era and, in the process, learns how much longer Hob cared for him than Dream ever realized. Current word count: 40,000 words. Currently writing 1489 (1889-1589 are done) and re-writing the opening. First chapter is posted!

And for fics that haven't been posted anywhere yet (you can subscribe on my Ao3 author page for alerts about them):

"Fairy God Marlowe" - 1589 fixit fic where Hob and Kit Marlowe strike up a conversation while Dream and Shaxberd are talking. Hob and Marlowe talk about plays, and faith, and salvation, and queer love, and what it means to live forever. Hob gets a second chance at a first impression. Current word count: ~5,000 words. Sadly, it's all dialogue in script format. I'd need to convert it into prose to publish which would be a slog. So it's a bit shelved until I find the energy to do so. No, I will not post it in script format, I'm allergic to the thought.

I've got a few other concepts kicking around, but these are the ones that actually have (*does a quick calculation*) over 100,000 words written that I haven't had the chance to post yet?? And it's driving me insane????

Anyway, I should probably pin this post for those curious lol. Feel free to ask me any follow-up questions, I love talking about WIPs even as they ruin my life!

[class1akids]

In the latest chapter, at least Shoto received some admiration and love though. Fan translation says the students called him their "inspiration", that's lovely, I am thinking it is also nice to hear for Shoto in a way (if they were less chill about it that'd be nice). I wonder if the "inspiration" is coming from the students who also rejected their quirks once, having a similar story, (especially after the whole Dabi reveal) or that relating to Shoto because of his past. I am glad to see such thing and don't really see this as a gag only, we have been worrying about the backlash of the public and everything, it is nice to see there are people who still thinks of him highly and appreciate his efforts. He also said he would talk to them if they approached better, that's so nice of him. Though, it is certaintly asking too much if we want to see more of what he feels and thinks apparently and someone is forgetting he was included to the Savior Squad. Is Horikoshi taking what Shoto feels lightly because Touya will survive and he is doing it subconsciously?.. 😄 I have no idea at this point lol.

Having seen the scanlation, I agree that it’s more than just a gag. But my reading of the purpose is quite different from yours.

I think first of all, that it’s not great that Shouto gets called an “inspiration” for the Sport Festival. Arguably, he was at his worst there and people who admire him care about his flashy, cool moves and not his journey or the values he’s come to embody.

Second, I think the scene is there to demonstrate that just like villains, heroes are human too. This is what Iida is explaining to the first year mob; they need to be able to see the human being behind the hero they try to put on a pedestal.

Shouto is a hero, but he’s also a human being who cannot handle this kind of crowd and his friends know this about him, but these fans don’t know.

To me, this is once again about the disconnect between how a hero is perceived through the camera (Todoroki who looked cool at the SF) vs their reality (he was really going through it during that time, struggling with traumatic flashbacks and questioning everything.

The same can be said about Bakugou, whose triumph was live-streamed (but his previous beat down was recorded but not streamed) so he looks like this invincible, larger than life figure, while he’s internally struggling with the fact that he needed rescue that came at heavy cost by people who don’t get the accolades.

And I don’t think that Hori forgot that Shouto is part of the saviour squad. In Ch 424 he was clearly included in the “bright future” narrative. But his plot was handled on a separate track from Izuku and Ochako (who have the crush plot) for better or worse.

I’m hoping for something like 342, where the cliff side talk was followed by the udon talk. I wondered why the Todofam FINAL didn’t show Shouto returning to school and getting the comfort he’s talking about, but maybe it was kept for the end. 🤞

[forestclan-clangen]

ForestClan History: Rootgrove

[Image ID: A picture of a dark brown cat in the foreground, with a cat skull and stretched out roots extending form it in the background. The name "Rootgrove" is overlayed in dark red text. The image looks glitched, as though viewed on an analog television.]

Originally going by the name of Pinegrove, this once-cat was the former secret keeper's apprentice under Birchstar. Now a tangled, shifting mass of roots and gore, Rootgrove's very existence is an abomination. He has lost all semblance to a cat.

But it's alright. Because he's been waiting, for so long, to be heard. And now, you're here. Can you hear him? Please, don't go. StarClan has abandoned him. You're the only one who can hear him. Please, help him. He's begging you. He's still in here.

This history dive will go into Rootgrove's history, and the roles he will serve in ForestClan's ongoing narrative.

HISTORY

Rootgrove was initially born as Pinekit, along with his sister Whitekit. Both cats miraculously survived their kithood and apprentice trials, eventually becoming warriors by the names of Pinegrove and Whiteflower. Pinegrove was a very diligent warrior who focused on protection and defensive measures, frequently helping to build and reinforce dens, and hull and attach anything that he thought would keep out dangers. Eventually, for his hard work and grounding presence, he was asked by Birchstar to be his apprentice after his old one died of greencough.

He was injured by a Gardener during a patrol he was on with Lakeshine. Pinegrove managed to claw one of its legs, causing it to stumble as though an ankle tendon had been ripped. The Gardener frantically retreated, but not before dealing a severe injury to the right side of his face. It resulted in a partial skull fracture near his right eye socket, but thanks to Lakeshine's quick rescue and Chicoryglint's expertise, he lived. Unbeknownst to the Clan, the Gardener's attack left something in Pinegrove's body - a root-like virus that shriveled and stayed dormant thanks to Chicoryglint's surgical precision and quick disinfecting. Pinegrove became blind in his right eye and prone to seizures afterwards. But initially, ForestClan saw that Pinegrove had triumphed and survived against one of the Clan's greatest foes. Birchstar gave Pinegrove an honor title, dubbing him Rootgrove - as a sign that the sturdy roots of a natural forest tree had triumphed over the evil of the deep roots that plagued ForestClan. Rootgrove was pleased by this new name, believing that he had proven to all cats that the creatures of the woods were not invincible. However, over the course of several moons, he started experiencing very disruptive dreams, expressing that he dreamed of "sleek, well-kept Twolegs with no faces".

He was forced by Birchstar to retire as an elder due to his condition. Rootgrove was frustrated when Lakeshine was appointed in his place. When he tried to express his doubts about Lakeshine, Birchstar pointed out that she HAD ultimately saved him and brought him back to camp. Rootgrove reluctantly pushed his suspicions aside due to the Woods benefitting from division in their ranks. During this time, Rootgrove's sister, Whiteflower, had given birth to three kits - one was taken, but Hopechase and Icypaw - then Lightkit and Icykit - survived. He instead spent his time with his niece and nephew, regaling them with stories of hope and courage.

When Lakeshine became Lakestar, he waited for some kind of cruel streak to emerge from Lakestar. Truth was, Lakestar never had it out for him, and never intended for him to be injured by a Gardener. Lakestar also never intended to be a selfish or controlling leader - in fact, at first, she ordered patrols of adventurous cats to try and track down or follow Twolegs and where they went during the winter, believing that if they went outside of Moonlight Acres during the winter, then there WAS a possibility for the Clan to escape the Woods and find territory where they'd be free of Woodcrawlers.

But the dormant virus, slowly stirring, planted Rootgrove with thoughts of betrayal and panic, and he became convinced that Lakestar intended to not only betray her Clan, but all of StarClan to the woods. This did not help when Lakestar and Chicoryglint decided to reinforce the apprentice trials, which had become more relaxed by Birchstar's last life. Rootgrove became convinced that Lakestar was becoming tyrannical and quietly tried to find a way to dethrone her. But Lakestar could tell that Rootgrove had it out for her, and refused to take any shared food or go for casual walks. Rootgrove's condition deteriorated, and eventually, he baselessly convinced himself that he had struck a deal with the "well-groomed Twolegs". If Rootgrove brought the woods all the kits in the Clan, then he would be given the power to stop Lakestar. Believing this was "for the good of the Clan", he did so - among them were 3 moon old Redkit and barely 2 week old Iciclekit - but was stopped at the entrance of camp by newbie warrior Hopechase - then Lightfoot - and then Lakestar not far behind. Panicked, Rootgrove ran into the forest, and when he reached a burrow, he realized that Lakestar was following him, and now was his chance - she could sacrifice herself to the Woods. Unfortunately, from the burrow came a Woodcrawler that took Rootgrove instead, and then in its prey drive attacked Lakestar and took three of her lives before she escaped.

StarClan tried to retrieve Rootgrove, they really have. But to their horror, they're not quite sure if Rootgrove is actually dead. Functionally, he has fed the woods, and the flesh and bone were subsumed into the underground veins. But some - or all - of Rootgrove's physical mind is trapped. The Woodcrawler attack triggered something in the dormant virus that was planted into Rootgrove's body after he was attacked by the Gardener. The virus seemed to have an immediate and exponential effect, corrupting Rootgrove's body into unrecognizable shapes. Despite the horrific transformation, something in the virus ensured that Rootgrove would still persist, leaving the brain untouched and conscious. Rootgrove was not really dead, and hence, could not be retrieved by StarClan. StarClan communicated this to Lakestar during the loss of her third life, and emphasized that they were going to do everything in their power to kill Rootgrove. After her revival, Lakestar successfully escaped from the Woodcrawler's clutches, and this horrific knowledge she received permanently altered Lakestar's behavior from then on out, as she was just told that when you fed the woods, there was a chance that you would be kept alive within the horrifying gardens of the Deep Roots - a fate worse than death. Her leadership was then focused on control, fear, and obedience at any cost.

ROLE IN THE CURRENT NARRATIVE

Rootgrove now takes the shape of a shifting amalgamation, his body stretched into a Nature's Mockery with a skull poking out from the mass. The living disease can manipulate whatever remains of his vocal cords to echo back words it receives, though whether or not the disease actually understands what it's repeating is uncertain. The Woodcrawler that attacked both him and Lakestar is now also a part of him. The Deep Root Disease consumed and expanded Rootgrove so suddenly that the roots and flesh became attached to the Woodcrawler, and he is bound to it indefinitely. It has repurposed Rootgrove into a hide, and is capable of lunging out of a large gap underneath it. The Woodcrawler can still retreat into burrows, with the virus cooperating and molding Rootgrove's shape to fit through tunnels.

The Woodcrawler itself is extremely antagonistic towards the Clan, and will attempt to kill any cat within its reach. The only place it cannot enter is the Half-Moon Dome, due to StarClan's perpetual ward of safety within that space. As an alien lifeform, its sole goal is to feed on humans and cats alike, and create Fake Beings, like other Woodcrawlers.

Rootgrove is fully conscious and aware the entire time. He is powerless to stop any of the Woodcrawler's actions.

Rootgrove's spirit can still communicate - but only in methods unheard of by ForestClan. Just like the cats of StarClan, he can emit electromagnetic waves. This is incredibly dangerous, as the Iris recognizes his screams as something not from StarClan, and is trying to reach out to him. StarClan is repeatedly blocking these waves - but if the hungry eye manages to hear the screams of Rootgrove, it will then have absolute proof that cats are conscious and capable of complex thought, just like human beings. And considering how the Iris treats humanity - ForestClan, nay, all living cats, would suffer horrible fates.

Rootgrove will serve both as an antagonist to ForestClan, and a communication link between the audience (you) and the story, alongside Shiverpaw. He will only be able to interact with the audience through Half-Moon Silver Box segments.

So please. Don't leave him. Don't stop talking to him. He's been screaming for hundreds of seasons, begging for someone, anyone, to hear him. He could cry tears of joy, if his eyes were still there. Please, stay. He doesn't want this to end. Why are you leaving? No, please, don't run from the Woodcrawler. Please. He's begging you. Come back. He said, COME BACK.

DON'T LEAVE HIM HERE YOU BASTARDS.

[bethanydelleman]

A solution to the whole 'let's not let kids watch classical cartoon cz they might emulate 'weakness' from said cartoons' is to put disclaimers before every classic cartoons

"If you find yourself in similar situation, pls seek help. This cartoon/animated movie is set in a classical time thus the characters have more things tying them down unlike us in this century. If you don't, you'll be deemed weak/waiting to be rescued because we can VERY EASILY escape the horrible situations life has thrown us in this 21st century, that's why some people even in this modern world are stuck in abusive situation because ???.".

Praying for a world where we can easily escape the bad situations we're in, no anxiety, no monetary concerns, or housing issues.

The message of Cinderella was to be kind and patient. Basic lessons for kids.

If we get rid of the fairytale aspect in the story, Cinderella doesn't get to go to the ball, her story ends with her crying in the backyard. That's it. Because no one was there to help her. Who's going to help her? Were there any other characters that were introduced in the story? And that's how most people in abusive situations irl are. She's isolated.

But even before all that, she's still a kind-hearted girl, she still had her sense of humor.

With the fairy tale addition, she gets the prince even tho she wasn't looking for the prince or knew that she danced with the prince. That's one of the reasons that makes the story so well-loved.

Or was she supposed to be running off to the seas to become a pirate?yh, let's be realistic and she becomes a pirate because ofc badassery is So So Important in today's media; ig we all add up more stuff like Cinderella was accepted as the Captain or one of the ship's crew etc?

Totally not fairy tale-like. Totally not fictional. Because Cinderella is supposed to be...a documentary.

Reading comprehension, critical thinking skills 0/10. :")

Fairy tales are meant to be about the fundamental hope that good will triumph and evil will be vanquished. People still need that hope.

[marveldcnerdys]

Dr. Doom vs. Doctor Strange: A Battle of Sorcery, Science, and Souls

In the world of Marvel Comics, few battles carry the complexity, gravitas, and sheer mystique of a showdown between Doctor Victor Von Doom and Doctor Stephen Strange. As two of Marvel's most powerful and enigmatic characters, Doom and Strange have often clashed over ideals, ethics, and the balance of magic and science. Their conflict represents an age-old dichotomy: science versus magic, ambition versus humility, and ego versus enlightenment. Their famous encounter in *Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment* captures not just a battle of powers, but also a journey into the soul of two very different men.

Who are Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange?

To understand why a confrontation between Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange is so significant, it’s essential to delve into who they are, their origins, and what they represent.

Doctor Victor Von Doom

Victor Von Doom, better known as *Doctor Doom*, is the despotic ruler of the fictional European nation of Latveria. Doom is a genius inventor and scientist, a master of advanced technology, and a skilled practitioner of dark sorcery. Driven by a deep sense of pride, Doom views himself as a savior destined to bring order to a chaotic world. Beneath this, however, lies a tragic figure scarred both physically and emotionally by a traumatic past.

Doom’s fascination with both science and sorcery started in his early years, as he sought to free his mother’s soul from the clutches of Mephisto, a powerful demon. His ambitions and insecurities have consistently driven him to greatness—and madness. Armed with advanced technology and magical knowledge, Doom is one of the most formidable characters in the Marvel universe.

Doctor Stephen Strange

On the other side is Doctor Strange, Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme. Once a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon, Stephen Strange was forced to abandon his career after a car accident left his hands crippled. Desperate to regain his old life, Strange sought out the mysterious Ancient One, hoping for a cure. Instead, he found himself on a path of enlightenment, becoming the world's foremost defender against mystical threats. Strange's journey taught him humility, selflessness, and a profound respect for the balance between realms.

Strange's power derives from his training in the mystic arts, his connection to powerful artifacts like the Eye of Agamotto, and his deep knowledge of ancient spells and magical lore. While Strange occasionally embraces the trappings of arrogance, his fundamental mission is to protect Earth from supernatural threats, often at great personal cost.

The Conflict: Magic, Ego, and Redemption

The animosity between Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange is rooted in their fundamental differences. Doom, the consummate authoritarian, views power as a means to control and shape reality to his will. Strange, by contrast, respects the delicate balance between realms and sees himself as a guardian of order rather than a ruler.

Their conflicting philosophies came to a head in *Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment*, a graphic novel written by Roger Stern and illustrated by Mike Mignola. This story stands as one of the most memorable explorations of their rivalry, and it delves deeply into their complex motivations.

Triumph and Torment: A Journey into Hell

In *Triumph and Torment*, Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom are compelled to join forces on a journey to the underworld to rescue Doom’s mother, Cynthia Von Doom, whose soul is held captive by Mephisto. Every midsummer’s eve, Doom attempts to rescue his mother’s soul, only to fail repeatedly. Doom’s pride and guilt fuel his determination, but his hubris has always been his downfall. Realizing he needs help, Doom turns to Doctor Strange, who reluctantly agrees, bound by a mystical pact to aid Doom.

This mission places Strange and Doom in an uncomfortable alliance. Doom’s motivations are deeply personal and selfish, rooted in pride and an almost obsessive need for redemption. Strange’s role as the Sorcerer Supreme obliges him to aid anyone in need, though he remains wary of Doom’s true intentions. Their partnership is uneasy, filled with mutual suspicion and philosophical differences that make their journey more than just a rescue mission; it’s a clash of wills.

The Descent into Mephisto's Realm

Their journey into Mephisto’s realm is a terrifying ordeal that tests their skills, endurance, and resolve. Mephisto’s domain is an ever-shifting nightmare where physical and psychological horrors abound, designed to torture and manipulate those who enter. Doom and Strange must navigate this landscape while grappling with their own inner demons.

The battle against Mephisto is brutal, and their combined powers are barely enough to withstand his onslaught. Doom, for all his cunning, finds himself vulnerable in the face of Mephisto's psychological manipulations, while Strange’s sense of duty and compassion drive him to protect Doom, even when it might not be in his best interest. At one point, Strange saves Doom from certain doom—a moment that Doom neither thanks him for nor acknowledges. This is emblematic of Doom’s pride; he views Strange’s assistance as weakness rather than nobility.

Doom’s True Nature Revealed

In the climactic confrontation, Doom is given a choice: sacrifice his own mother’s soul to gain greater power, or relinquish his ambitions and truly rescue her. Ultimately, Doom chooses to prioritize his mother, rejecting Mephisto’s temptations. This act reveals a rare vulnerability in Doom, hinting at a sliver of humanity beneath his iron mask. For Doctor Strange, it’s a moment of vindication; despite Doom’s arrogance, he is capable of genuine selflessness.

Yet even at this moment, Doom’s pride is evident. He does not thank Strange for his help, nor does he admit any weakness. Instead, he returns to Latveria, resolved to continue his quest for power, tempered but unchanged by his experience. Doom’s complexity lies in his duality; he is at once a tyrant and a tragic figure, a man striving for redemption yet bound by his own unyielding ego.

A Philosophical Battle

The battle between Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange transcends physical combat, existing more as a philosophical clash. Where Doom sees magic as a tool to be wielded, Strange views it as a responsibility. Doom believes in dominance over fate, while Strange believes in humility before forces larger than oneself. This difference in perspective defines their relationship.

Doom’s willingness to break boundaries contrasts sharply with Strange’s respect for the natural order. Strange often perceives Doom as a cautionary example of unchecked ambition, while Doom sees Strange’s restraint as weakness. Their clashes are a reflection of the Marvel universe’s broader exploration of power and responsibility, a theme that resonates in the stories of heroes and villains alike.

Legacy and Impact

The legacy of the Doom-Strange conflict has echoed throughout Marvel’s subsequent stories, influencing many other characters and story arcs. The dynamic between Doom and Strange encapsulates the challenges faced by any hero or villain wielding immense power. Can they maintain their humanity, or does power inevitably corrupt?

Doom's journey with Strange reveals that even in his pursuit of absolute power, human frailties haunt him. Strange, on the other hand, demonstrates the importance of empathy and humility, embodying the virtues of restraint and wisdom. Their encounter leaves both men changed—Doom, briefly humbled, and Strange, reminded of the complexities that define human nature.

Beyond the Comic Book Pages

The Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange dynamic has captivated fans and creators alike, spawning countless fan theories, alternate universe narratives, and discussions. In other media adaptations, such as animated series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there are endless possibilities for exploring their complex relationship. With both characters having appeared in the MCU—Doom through teases and Strange prominently—fans continue to speculate about whether a similar showdown might one day grace the big screen.

In a cinematic adaptation, the Doom-Strange relationship could offer a fascinating exploration of morality and the nature of power, with visual opportunities for mystical battles and psychological drama. Given the depth of both characters and the nuances of their story, a Doom-Strange rivalry could serve as a powerful narrative, rich with potential for emotional and philosophical impact.

Conclusion: An Eternal Conflict

The rivalry between Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange is an iconic and deeply symbolic one within Marvel Comics. It is not merely a clash of fists or spells, but a profound exploration of contrasting ideologies and human weaknesses. Doom’s pride and Strange’s humility create a rich narrative that speaks to the dangers of unchecked ambition and the strength of selflessness. The tension between them encapsulates the Marvel tradition of exploring not only physical battles, but also the internal struggles of characters caught between their flaws and virtues.

In a world where heroes and villains often battle for power or survival, the Doctor Doom versus Doctor Strange dynamic stands out as a clash over the soul itself—both the souls of these two powerful men and the souls they seek to save. Their conflict serves as a reminder that true strength lies not in the power to conquer, but in the courage to confront one’s own inner darkness.

The story of Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange remains one of Marvel’s most compelling narratives, a testament to the complexity and enduring appeal of these characters. Whether they stand as allies or enemies, Doom and Strange will forever be linked by their shared journey into the unknown, their unyielding wills, and the battles they wage within themselves.

[dangermousie]

Farscape rewatch: Look at the Princess Part 2, 2x12

I just love this shot of Crichton:

Farscape summed up:

This ep has one of my favorite scenes: Crichton in space, out-crazing Scorpius, and rescuing himself through sheer insanity. He goes full-on unhinged, using the fact that yes, he is willing to die rather than submit, than be tortured and experimented on.

He takes this and runs with it...and it’s probably the most unhinged we’ve seen him so far tho not as unhinged as he’s going to get and just...

The whole scene is miles more unhinged than my few caps can do it justice but also, only Farscape can get away with rotating between dark despair and pure unhinged hilarity at the speed of light - I mean here is John forcing Braca’s gun towards his right hand yelling “kill my sex life!” UMMM god this show!

PS They are literally gonna have this as ep title later.

Also, yet another instance where dark humor is his lifeline and coping/defense  mechanism. He never loses it, this is how he keeps semi-sane.

This is the first time he hears the chip, isn’t it? That scene is amazing, and heroic, and all sorts of heart-breaking. Because it saves him now but also this is a small appetizer of what it will be like for John to have the voice of his torturer control him, to remove volition. Crichton’s will is extreme, can-move-mountains kind of quality and the chip will strip it from him, just as it will force him to go against all his instincts and feelings and it’s going to be a horror.

Of course, what Scorpius, who has notably recognized John as another individual by now, even if that recognition is in shape of wanting to triumph over him, it’s still a step up from ‘lab rat’ view of the rest of the world, what Scorpius isn’t reckoning with, yet, that Crichton would rather die, literally, than surrender himself, so he better find some other lever, because threatening his life would never work. He eventually does, in s4, Aeryn, and I always found it telling that Grayza, overall nowhere near as brilliant as Scorpius, figures that lever out faster because Scorpius is hampered by his considering any genuine emotion as not worthy of consideration.

But yeah, this really does put Crichton through a ringer and I really love that his falling apart does not make him weak, it makes him human and makes any triumph all the more worthy.

I find myself both understanding Aeryn in this ep, and being very frustrated by her. She wants all these things from Crichton, but she won’t give an inch, or a hint, or a hope in return. The only reason this marriage bugs her is because she loves him because from every other vantage point, it’s a good good thing, and it’s not as if she is from species which believes you can’t marry without romantic love. And Crichton can fight even when broken, as he proves over and over, but he needs something to fight for and now he doesn’t have anything and she is not willing to provide it. The scene where he wants something - some hint that she will return his feelings and she can’t give it to him due to her own demons gets me. He is at a low point and he has nothing to cling to and she can’t give him that something because she herself is not sure she can survive giving any piece of her heart away.

I do love her ‘diplomacy’ with Katralla and Jenovia:

And the awesome putdown line to Casanova guy of ‘it’s not you, it’s me. I don’t like you.’ Heh.

But she didn’t even show up at the wedding. Oh Aeryn. So brave in battle, so good at running away emotionally. And D’Argo is being an awesome friend in this one - willing to back up John in whatever,no agendas (unlike Rygel and Aeryn, tho those two have them for different reasons) and his ‘good news/bad news’ cracks is one of my fave things ever but also really does leave John on a happy note going into a crazy situation:

and John bitchslapping Prince Clavor and the story with Zhaan and Moya and Pilot that makes me cry in the sheer defenseless peace and resignation of the ship and pilot and righteous rage of Zhaan.

In conclusion. Yeah, it’s Farscape all right.

[xmissrogersx]

“Love Story” | Din Djarin

tags | din djarin x female reader. Fluff. Commander brown eyes. Rescue grogu.

a note from me | this scene lives in my mind 24/7

My writing is entirely my own. Any adaptation and/or copy is forbidden.

I hope you are enjoying my stories! U help me a lot if you give me a ♡! All the love.

-Taking it off is better.

I closed my eyes mentally counting to 10 and praying Din wouldn't kill Mayfeld.

-Concentrate on the road, will you? —I exclaimed for him to finish at once, he nodded in surprise at my outburst and didn't utter another word.

I felt a caress on my hand from the Mandalorian thanking me for what I had said.

We made it to the base successfully despite the disturbances on the way. We were greeted with applause and praise, which delighted Mayfeld, as Din held me by my waist to help me down.

-I still can't believe you're wearing that. I never imagined I'd say this but I miss the beskar on you, but I'll always prefer what's underneath —I whispered, to which he intensified his grip.

-Don't test me, mesh'la.

I laughed softly and we headed for the terminal.

-There must be one in the mess hall.

The convict headed for the room, only to stop dead in his tracks and come back to us.

-I can't do it —he said, slightly frightened.

-Why not? —Din exclaimed.

-It's Valin Hess, my old boss. I was doing field work, but I won't risk him recognizing me. The operation is cancelled.

-If you don't do it, she and I will lose the child forever...

-I'm sorry, I'm not going to do it.

-Give him to me.

-You can't. The network is enabled with facial recognition. Let's go.

-I'll do it —I exclaimed grabbing the device, to which it was quickly snatched away from me by a pair of gloved hands I knew.

-No, I will do it. I won't let you do this.

-At least let me cover for you —I said, begging him. He nodded unconvinced.

We entered the room at a distance. I kept in the spotlight at the entrance, trying to glimpse possible exits in case I needed them. I just wanted to get out of there and rescue my little Grogu.

But suddenly the sounds of the world had gone silent and I felt myself holding my breath in my chest: I watched as my Mandalorian removed his helmet quickly, to use the facial scan on the terminal.

Of course Din Djarin would have brown curls. I knew from the countless number of times I had felt them, even without seeing him to maintain the safety of his creed, I knew he had beautiful hair.

-Trooper —I heard from the side, making me jump in fear. It was Valin, who was approaching me.-Tell me your designation.

-Transport —said Din in his unmodulated voice.

-And your TK number?

-Number TK-593, sir. It's my commander —said Mayfeld. -You'll have to talk to him a little louder, his ship lost pressure at Taanab.

-What's your name, officer? -he exclaimed, raising his voice.

-We call you Commander Brown Eyes, don't we? -to which the three of us nodded.

He turned to me, and smiled in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

-What's yours, beautiful? -I mentally counted to a million so as not to wipe the smile off his face. I quickly thought of the scent of my favorite perfume, so I took the easy way out.

-Yasmin, sir. I really like the uniforms —I batted my eyelashes, hoping he'd buy it. The idiot smiled again.

-Let's have a drink, brown eyes —he walked to the table next to Mayfeld, to which we followed behind them. I felt Din put his hand on my lower back, reassuring me.

-I'm going to get something real to celebrate his triumph —he walked away from the table.

I looked to my left and crossed eyes with Din, who looked really paralyzed. According to him, the world was watching his face, but especially one of the 2 people that made up his was doing it. I caressed his hand, for even though he was wearing the glove I wanted to convey the love I had.

-You are very beautiful, Din Djarin. I always knew you were, but most of all I admire how brave you are —I said so that only he could hear me.

-You give me that courage, cyar'ika. I'm sorry to put you through this.

-Why do you say that? —I frowned.

-I didn't promise you this, to be on the edge of danger all the time, it's my fault that the child…

-Sh, don't say that —I put my hand on his lips, to which he closed his eyes wanting to absorb my touch.-You saved me, Din. Running away from that hell was the best decision I made so far. Rather, that you will rescue me. My brave and strong Mandalorian.

He laughed softly at the nickname I used to call him. Unfortunately the moment was interrupted by the sound of Valin's footsteps approaching.

-Very well, now tell me, what shall we drink to? to the empire? Cheers, success? I don't want to sound original —he exclaimed, laughing.-Where are you from, brown eyes?

Din looked at him not knowing what to answer.

-How about Operation Ash? -said Mayfeld, returning to Hess' focus.

The next few minutes I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Mayfeld began to cross words with Valin, disturbing the atmosphere.

-It was for the common good, son.

Suddenly, he raised his glass in a toast, to which our colleague shot him with his blaster.

We looked at him speechless. He started shooting at the rest of the people in the room.

-You did what you had to do. I never saw your face —he extended the Trooper helmet to Din, who turned to me to put our foreheads together for a few seconds before covering his face.

Finally, after what was one of the most dangerous escapes we had ever experienced, we were on our way to rescue Grogu. As I watched the vastness of space through the small opening of Boba's ship, I felt arms around my waist, making me turn to face him.

-When this is over, we'll go to Sorgan and take a break. I promise, cyare.

-I go where you go, Din. Grogu,and all of us are my home.

-Us? -he asked confused. Dan Farrik, shit, I didn't measure the words I had said.

I closed my eyes briefly and looked up at his visor again.

-I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you this time, but everything happened so fast...

-Are you pregnant? —he exclaimed almost in a whisper. I nodded with small tears on my face.

Next, Din raised his hands to his helmet to remove it. At the sight of his beautiful face, along with his crystallized brown orbs, my cheeks instantly became soaked.

He rested his gloved hand on my slightly bulging belly, which he had concealed. He knelt down to my knees, placing a kiss on it.

A clan of four.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Barong - Day 25

Race: Avatar

Alignment: Light-Neutral

April 24th, 2024

I'd like to start this daily demon spotlight with an admittance of bias. Barong is my favorite demon in the series, bar none. In celebration of making it to 25 (!!) days of this series, I've decided to let the holy cat out of the bag. Barong is the demon that introduced me to Balinese mythology, has saved my hide several times throughout the series, and has an adorable and unique design to boot. He stands right next to, if not above Black Frost and Chernobog in my book. Past that, though, I would also like to say- thank you all for sticking with me for 25 days! It's been so damn fun, and I plan on continuing this series for months, if not years to come. I know it's a little early for the ivories, but the small community that has been built up over time has given me so much life and energy!

With that sappy stuff out of the way...

Today's demon of the day lies in the form of the great panther, protector of mankind, and host of all things good, Barong. Bali mythology is surprisingly easy to look through, having solid roots and foundations, as well as its origin being in a somewhat small subset of Indonesia, though this isn't to say it's not complex. Balinese mythology takes a unique form, one similar to the worship of Ame-no-Uzume, wherein several of its stories aren't plays nor grand tales, but rather, fascinatingly hypnotic dances. Barong's appearance in these dances is that of a glamorously decorated (and very ambiguous) animal that I would personally say looks somewhat, vaguely similar to a lion?

However, the type of animal it is isn't that important, and admittedly just makes me confused. What is important is Barong's role in Balinese mythology, that being of a protector of humanity itself- in the mythos surrounding Barong and its eternal rival Rangda, Barong represents good health, good fortune, and has reign over all the spirits that inhabit the small province. The most prominent myth featuring the great avatar is recanted in the famous Kris dance, a dance representing Barong battling with Rangda. During the hypnotic trawl, dancers bring swords dangerously close to hurting themselves, though they emerge unscathed, watched over by two dancers in an ornate harness holding up the avatar of Barong who dances furiously behind them.

The dance begins with two monkeys and Barong engaging in dance, though quickly escalates as witches sent by Rangda attack the frolicking group. The dance-drama escalates from there as Barong tries to reign back control over the kingdom, which had found itself under siege by Rangda, eventually leading to the most iconic scene of the play, wherein two palace guards stab themselves with kali daggers in a desperate trance under Rangda's control- though they emerge unscathed as Barong comes to the rescue and engages in battle with the witch, protecting the guards with his holy magic. After a long and fraught dance between Barong and its rival, eventually, the holy avatar emerges victorious, and the kingdom is returned to peace and prosperity.

Barong is not just an artefact of the dance, though- he's an important figure in Balinese tradition, one held in reverence and good spirits, and the dance is simply held to represent the eternal struggle between good and evil, as well as celebrate the triumph of the love and goodness that Barong represents. People equipped in Barong costumes even, on occasion, parade around Balinese towns in order to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. Barong is locked in a never-ending battle against Rangda and the forces of darkness, yet never gives up hope; As a Bali volunteer in the Bali Volunteer Program puts it, "Once the trance is over, Barong and his supporters finally overthrow Rangda. But she does not die. Instead, she reincarnates and Barong must defeat her again. The fight never stops. It is symbolic of light’s eternal strife against darkness."

In the SMT series, Barong is depicted faithfully, though far more blue than red. Decorated in jewels and studded in silver, the Balinese lion dances in combat, easily connecting to the dance-dramas the beast is so frequently depicted in. Interestingly, a common series staple is that of Rangda and Barong's fusion leading to Shiva, and while unconfirmed, I have an idea as to why this may be the case. While Barong and Rangda are from completely different mythologies, they both represent opposing forces of light and dark, something that Shiva, a god of destruction who is not evil, is an inherent blend of- Shiva is both light and dark, good and evil, while Barong is good, light, and Rangda is evil, dark.

All in all, Balinese myth's hypnotic dances and beautiful performances lend to an amazingly designed demon that truly fulfills all it sets out to do, represents an underrepresented mythology, and stands out as my personal favorite demon in the series. Next to Chernobog and Black Frost, of course. And also Parvati. And Mother Harlot. Am I just edgy?

[bloody-wonder]

starting new series (part two)

oops looks like i started ten more new series so here's another super long bookish post🫢

the series that was so good i'm prioritizing it this year is her instruments by mca hogarth (book one: earthrise). set in the same universe as my beloved cozy sci fi about an interspecies qpp, the dreamhealers, earthrise is a story about a down on her luck captain of a trading spaceship who gets roped into Wacky Hijinks after rescuing a space elf nobleman from space pirates. reese eddings has major stressed millenial going through the quarter life crisis energy so i related to her big time. her crew includes: a lion skunk centauroid, a giant bird that communicates in two word phrases and a pair of horny cat twins. yes, that vintage space opera cover doesn't want you to know it's actually a furry book lol. however, it's not about getting sexy with furries - it's about getting unsexy with space elves. speaking of whomst.

hirianthial is a tall blonde aristocratic space elf doctor and you can't touch him bc that would be too hot and inappropriate (and also he'll read your mind). reese hates him on sight bc he's a beautiful fairytale prince and she's a messy 30+yo who may or may not have been drowning her sorrows in binging space elf romance novels by the dozen. major "how dare you come to me now when i am this" scene from the last unicorn vibes. wouldn't it be embarrassing if reese's ulcer burst from anxiety and bad eating habits while they're being chased by the pirates and mr perfect had to operate on her esophagus? what a unique meet cute would that be!

lol to sum it up: i ship it, the furry crew ships it, reese is kicking and screaming refusing to accept that she's the heroine in a romance book, hirianthial manages to maintain his space elf mystique and keep calling her "lady" despite the fact that she's being a horrible little gremlin towards him and taking out all her issues on this poor man. the pacing of the romance is extremely slow, just the way i like it. one could even say this first book doesn't at all contain what an average romance reader would call "romance" - it's more about hirianthial becoming part of the crew during their various misadventures and reese learning to accept that fact. and about the horrors of meeting a very hot guy who is able to know all your deepest insecurities just from touching you. i can't blame reese, i would be cranky too😅

☝️that's me throwing away whatever you were planning to read next and bringing her instruments to your attention

series i'm going to continue next year (or whenever somebody finds time to finish writing his series):

a targaryen history by george rr martin (book one: fire & blood). as you might know, asoiaf is my favorite fantasy series of all time but i was hesitant to read this prequel lore book bc i was afraid i wouldn't like grrm's writing as much now that i've become much more well-read in fantasy and, more importantly, bc i didn't like the first season of hotd. luckily it turns out my appreciation for grrm's writing and worldbuilding is as strong as ever and maaan i just love the targaryens. i just think they're neat. they just want to marry brother to sister, you know🙂 i surprised myself by how much i enjoyed the history book format of fire & blood with its successive generations of kings and queens, multiple unreliable narrators and versions of events, trying to make sense of long gone triumphs and tragedies in hindsight. which i think is also the reason i didn't vibe with the show - it takes away this sweeping epic scope of the book, the weight of the centuries, the unrelenting pendulum of time, with individual fates nothing but blades of grass ground under the wheels of history etc etc and doesn't, in my opinion, manage to compensate for it by fleshing out the protagonists of the dance of the dragons enough for me to be able to get invested in their personal stories. i hope i'll like the second season more but i'm gonna keep my expectations low for now. i mean, it doesn't even have mushroom🍄‍🟫

the neapolitan novels by elena ferrante (book one: my brilliant friend). didn't expect to like this one so much either. most of it is good but not great - a very truthful depiction of girlhood and adolescent female friendships with their camaraderies and rivalries, a good exploration of struggling to access education as a way out of poverty, an atmospheric setting in the 50s naples - but then near the end there's a chapter where the author manages to encapsulate the characters' journeys and throw into relief the themes of the book so masterfully in so few words, using such simple yet impactful visual metaphors, i literally froze while listening to it in the audiobook and then paused whatever i was doing to sit down and reread it with my own eyes. i'm not a prose girlie so i'm rarely so impressed by an isolated piece of writing (the last time it happened was the epilogue of assassin's apprentice, as far as i remember). anyways, i obviously can't discuss it further bc of spoilers but to put it briefly ferrante succeeded in getting to the core of that special bond you shared with your teenage best friend and somehow managed to distill the essence of girlhood friendships into one single scene. chapter 57: if you know - you know🫠

the alexander trilogy by mary renault (book one: fire from heaven). when i finished the lymond chronicles several people recced mary renault's books to me bc they're also queer historical novels written around the same time (so 60-70s) - but having read the charioteer and now this first alexander book i conclude that those are their only similarities. dunnett's writing style couldn't be more different from renault's and, to be completely honest, i find the latter one extremely boring. madeline miller is actually a much better comp for renault (including the questionable depiction of female characters), except the song of achilles could at least be more explicit about the queer love story. not that i'm measuring the quality of these books by how smutty they are - in fact, the only thing i liked in fire from heaven was how renault managed to write around the scenes of gay sex while also making sure we know what's happening. anyways, normally i would just dnf a series where i was so unimpressed with the first book but as far as i understand the persian boy is really the main course here so i'll read that and then, who am i kidding, i will also read the last book in the trilogy bc of completionism. and tbh i'm not yet ready to let go of the image of myself as an elegant dark academia girlie reading classy mary renault books about ancient greece🧐

series i'm maybe going to continue sometime in the future:

london calling by alexis hall (book one: boyfriend material). enjoyed this first book much more than i expected, given that cartoon cover contemporary romance is very much out of my comfort zone and fake dating is one of my most disliked tropes. ig i just like the british humor of it all and that it really felt like those old nostalgic romcoms hall says he was inspired by. i would've liked to see oliver grapple more with how his parents fucked him up but maybe this is explored more in the sequel? which i'm hesitant to read bc it has an abysmal average rating on goodreads😬 i mean it could mean anything: maybe people are correct in that this story didn't need a sequel or maybe we're just unused to there being more to love stories after the characters get together, including more problems. alexis hall is a total discovery for me this year, i think i trust him to make it good, esp given that there really aren't any queer romance series like this out there, focused on a couple going through all the conventional stages of a relationship (dating, marriage, parenthood). but on the other hand i'd really like to hear an opinion from someone i know. so: did any of you read husband material? did you hate it too?👀

chrestomanci by diana wynne jones (book one: charmed life). this was just fine. i like wynne jones' writing and humor but i think this is the kind of book you should've read as a kid. as an adult i can't connect to its themes and characters anymore but what i can do with my adult brain is discern fatphobia🫤 seriously, this is the third time i see fatphobia in wynne jones' books - just small things that upset me and take me out of the story. wtf mam. anyways, i didn't think this book had anything interesting to offer, compared to howl's moving castle with its iconic characters or fire and hemlock with its wtf did i just read, so i was ready to dnf this series but then just the other day i saw a tumblr poll of people voting for their favorite chrestomanci book and the lives of christopher chant won in a landslide. so ig i'll read that just to be sure and then probably move on to the dalemark quartet or smth. i have an inkling i'd like a chrestomanci book focused on a different (cooler) protag more but i'm not going to prioritize it.

the tarot sequence by kd edwards (book one: the last sun). okay this one is a big maybe. like i mentioned before, i just don't like urban fantasy but i decided to try this series nevertheless bc it's so popular on queer booklr and i like to be in the know. and indeed the only thing i'm mildly intrigued by is the slowburn bodyguard romance - so slow in fact that the main guy has a completely different love interest in the first book. will i suffer through chapters upon chapters of boring urban fantasy politics just for the sake of this romance tho? not any time soon.

series i'm not going to continue:

the saint of steel by t kingfisher (book one: paladin's grace). i'm starting to suspect t kingfisher is not our blessed niche tumblr fantasy but in fact their barbarous mainstream award winning fantasy. what in the name of heterosexual lucifer was this?? lol i mean it's not a bad book or anything, ig i just didn't vibe with the religious aspect of the worldbuilding and, more importantly, the romance here is the textbook example of what i dislike in this genre: just two people being horny for each other from the moment they meet. i mean ik this is what it's like for allosexuals irl but when i see this in a book it just seems like lazy writing. the book opens with the most ridiculous meet cute ever (suffice it to say, nobody's esophagus was even involved) and if i were a normal person i would've dnfed right then and there but i forced myself to trudge through pages and pages of these two repressed middle aged people lusting after each other in cursive. which i understand is very relatable content for some readers but ig i could confirm yet again that hetero women's fantasies are not my fantasies. i finally finished it yesterday and picked up her intruments book two right away as a palate cleanser bc, as me and my book bestie like to joke, i don't want any romance in my romance lol. i was somewhat underwhelmed by thornhedge last year so i'm not really interested in kingfisher's novellas either. ig i could try other books from the white rat universe, the ones not focused on horny paladins, but maybe i shoud just accept that this author is not for me🤷‍♀️

the adventures of amina al-sirafi by shannon chakraborty. the city of brass was one of the most disappointing books i read last year but i wanted to give this author another try bc on paper her newest book seemed like the most up my alley story ever: potc are my favorite movies of all time, i completely support the middle aged woman protag agenda and if there is a thing i liked about chakraborty's writing it's that she's not afraid of setting her stories in the real historical periods of our own world and doing the research accordingly instead of just being "inspired" by foreign cultures and time periods. so i was very determined to like this book but unfortunately it didn't work out. you see, in a good fantasy adventure novel characters, plot and worlbuilding work in unison to tell a cohesive story - here on the other hand these three elements felt separate from each other. the characters seemed more like those tumblr posts showing little oc arts and listing their character traits under them than full-fledged dynamic fictional people with a function in the story. their motivation to go on an adventure and to move the plot forward, as it were, never seemed personal and important enough for me to be invested in their success. instead of serving the plot, the worldbuilding and the lore chakraborty researched and constructed so painstakingly derailed the story more often than not. as a result, halfway through the book i'm still waiting for the author to make me care about this team of misfits and the random girl they're searching but instead i'm hit over the head with the bird people island. sigh. but the biggest disappointment was ofc the demon husband😑 you can do so many sexy things with a problematic demon husband but ig chakraborty just has a unique talent for coming up with sexy ideas and bad boy love interests and then making them completely unsexy in her books. well ig i successfully confirmed this author is not for me and i won't try any of her books anymore.

the scholomance by naomi novik (book one: a deadly education). this book was released right around the time i started watching booktube so i vividly remember the controversy surrounding it. at first everybody seemed to hate it but later, when the sequels came out, there was a new wave of readers who liked the series a lot. i'm a big fan of spinning silver and uprooted (not to mention novik's work in otw) and i'm not immune to gritty magic schools by any means so i decided to give it a go. sadly, this turned out to be another dud. i have a sneaking suspicion this story was a much better piece of fiction in its past life as a drarry fanfic, before novik frankensteined it into a perfunctorily diverse, heteronormative, commercialized ya version of hp. i couldn't appreciate the worldbuilding bc it was delivered through a series of the most aggressive exposition dumps ever so the concept of this edgy school that wants to kill you just seemed silly to me. the romance was meh and the fact that i recently read in other lands that does a similar pseudo-hero/pseudo-villain dynamic much better didn't do it any favors either. i liked the abrasive personality of the main character but not so much as to force myself to continue this series in case it gets better. i'll start reading novik's dragon books instead.

2024 reading updates | goodreads

[tagsecretsanta]

From @gumnut-logic

From @gumnut-logic to @gordonthegreatesttracy

Prompts:

Gordon Tracy - living legend, the true story of my Olympic triumph as told by me!

The worst day of Gordon's life.

Stranded on a dessert (not a typo! Bring on the cake) island.

It's not obvious which prompts are making it in because this is just part one of four. Christmas lead up was totally insane so the rest will have to follow after. I hope you enjoy this part in any case ::hugs::

Oh, and language warning. Gordon gets ticked off.

-o-o-o-

Gordon crossed his arms and flipped out of Thunderbird Four, into the dark depths of the Southern Ocean.

The underwater observatory was little more than a shadow at these depths. The South-west Australian continental shelf was a threatening cliff disappearing both above and below.

Gordon might have been miffed at the siting of the habitat, but these were his kind of people - marine scientists delving into multiple lines of enquiry, from pollution through to shark migration in the Leeuwin Marine Ecoregion.

As he swam closer, his headlamps lit up external sensor equipment equivalent to the average aquanaut’s dream. Thunderbird Four was, of course, far superior, but this…this was seriously cool stuff.

Too bad it had no power.

Likely had something to do with the massive boulder sitting on top of half the structure.

“Thunderbird Two, we have containment breach. Looks like a nasty landslide. Poke Johnny and see if there might be any aftershocks? I don’t feel like being pancaked. Check for tsunami threat, too.” He scanned the airlock and found it working and secure. Good. A good, old fashioned wrench with his hands and the lock creaked open.

“FAB, Thunderbird Four. Five is way ahead of you. Quake epicentre has been located and John is monitoring. No tsunami threat at this time.”

“Thank you, Thunderbird Two. I am entering the habitat now.” He sighed with relief when the automatic pumps kicked in and drained the airlock and released the far door. They had emergency power at least. The tension in his shoulders relaxed just a little. At this depth, any power was a sign of hope.

The lack of communication was still a major worry. Johnny had not been happy at all. Worse, he had trouble getting any lifesign readings. Gordon was going in expecting the worst.

He thumbed his external comms as retracted his flippers and he stepped into a deserted, poorly lit hallway. “Seabold, do you read?”

The same silence that Two had received on approach. All Five had was a single shout for help and then nothing.

“Anyone, Seabold Observatory, can anyone hear me? International Rescue, responding to your call.”

Left or right? Dull strip lighting went both ways. He pulled up the base plans on his HUD. Command was to the left.

So he went left.

It was eerie. Windows were few and far between and the darkness, likely broken by strong external lighting on a non-disaster day, was oppressive and unrevealing.

And there was no-one.

“I repeat, anyone aboard Seabold, do you hear me?”

“I hear you! Oh, thank god!” And there was suddenly a guy just there, in Gordon’s face.

The aquanaut yelped and jumped back a step.

“International Rescue? You’re here to save us?” A helmet hid their face and the emergency yellow of their drysuit obscured any identification.

But Gordon was a professional. Yes, yes he was. “Yes, we’re here to help. How many of you are there?”

“Four in total. This way!” The figure turned and ran, leading him down the dark hallway.

Gordon followed at pace. Only four? There were supposed to be almost fifty. Gordon had been following this project in his journals. It was a fantastic venture. He had intended to see if he could visit sometime, maybe take Sam or even Penelope. She would have loved this project.

“Only four?”

“Fortunately, it’s Christmas. Just about everyone is on leave. If it wasn’t for Mary, we would have left with the rest of them.”

They turned a last corner and hurried through an open airlock and into a large room.

There was no doubt this was command. A good-sized window leaked darkness on one side, and on the other…there were three survivors huddled around a console.

“Mary! International Rescue are here to save us!” Two of them looked up, hope in their eyes. None of the three had their helmets on, though they were clearly in their emergency suits. The third was fully focussed on the control panel before her. “Mary!”

“Not until we release Betty.” She punched a few buttons, glaring at the console as if to set it on fire.

“Betty? Who’s Betty?” So five rescuees.

Mary, a dark woman, almost as dark as the ocean outside, glared at him. “I’m not leaving Betty. It’s our fault she is here.” The bulkheads above them creaked as if in warning.

Okay, they needed to start moving. “I repeat, who is Betty?”

The helmeted figure beside him animated. “A great white shark.”

Gordon blinked. “You have a great white shark captive?” Was that even possible?

“Not captive.” Mary was glaring at her instrumentation. “She’s was only supposed to be in the pen for a matter of minutes, enough for a tag and GPS relay. If this damned rock hadn’t…goddamnit!” She thumped the console. “There’s no power!”

Gordon’s lips thinned. “Show me.”

Mary looked up and frowned at him a moment before waving him over. “She’s there. On the far side of the complex. The pens escaped damage, but their power has been cut.” She grabbed his arm. “If we leave her, she will die. She can’t get out.”

Gordon was doing calculations in his head. “Thunderbird Five, I need to know the power requirements for the facility’s pens.” Before John could ask him what the hell he was talking about, he threw him a scan of the details on the console.

Pens weren’t in the original plans for this project.

Moments later Eos returned the numbers he needed. Yes, if he plugged Four in to this port, spliced a few wires to give John access to these systems, they should be able to get the gates open.

“Okay, we’ve got this. We’ll rescue Betty. But first I need you four in Four.”

Four puzzled looks.

“My Thunderbird, we need to get you out of here.”

“I’m not leaving Betty.” Mary’s stance rooted to the floor.

“Mary, you have my word that I will do my upmost best to free Betty.” He put everything into communicating his sincerity. “I promise.”

“If she stops swimming she will drown.”

“I know, there’s a qualified marine biologist under all this rescue equipment. I get it, I do. But you’re first.”

For a moment he feared she might refuse, but… “You can do this?”

“I can, but I need you safe first and we’re wasting time.”

Her eyes closed as if in prayer for the briefest of moments. Under her breath, “Okay.”

“Are you the only four aboard?”

A single nod as she reached for her helmet. “The rest are on Christmas leave. The four of us stayed back to shut the base down. We were supposed to depart tomorrow, but then Betty turned up and it was the perfect opportunity…until the quake.”

He gathered the four of them like ducklings, each fastening helmets as they moved. Mary looked back at the console one more time, but was then all business.  “I’m the leader of the expedition. She gestured as they moved down the dark corridor towards the airlock Gordon had used earlier. “That’s Joseph, Joshua and Ralph…” She pointed to the tall, helmeted man who had initially startled Gordon. “He’s our deep dive specialist.”

Didn’t hurt to know that. Gordon approved. A small smile in her direction before they finally reached the airlock. Fortunately, it was big enough for all of them at once and checking individual equipment at speed, Gordon was grateful to get a comms connection with all of them. The lack of contact prior still sat eerily in the back of his mind, but it would have to wait. In any case, when the outer door was cranked open and they were freed to the sea, Gordon only felt relief.

Four sat not far off, her lights and brilliant yellow glow a beacon in the darkness.

For once, there were no rescuees sporting any injuries, and this was a group of professionals in their element. Definitely his kind of people.

“Thunderbird Two, I have four rescuees. We are returning to Four. There is a fifth rescuee who needs attention before we surface.” Did Virgil need to know he was rescuing a great white shark?

“FAB, Thunderbird Four. Any injuries?”

“None reported.” With all four aboard, he activated the pumps that would drain the airlock. His heart beat to the throb of his ‘bird at work.

As the inner airlock opened, he gestured a little grandly. “Welcome aboard Thunderbird Four, best little sub on the planet. Please keep your helmets on for safety. We will get underway shortly, but first we need to go save Betty.” A smile and he caught Mary staring at him. He gestured again. “Please take a seat and secure yourselves.”

He eyed them as they locked themselves in. Once set, he flipped himself into his cockpit and with a flex of his wrists, launched them off the ledge.

Four’s spots broke up the darkness as he darted nimbly around the partially destroyed habitat. They lit up crumpled living quarters and…his sensors spat static for a moment before clearing again. “What the hell?”

He didn’t have time to think twice as the pens abruptly came into view. It became very clear why the setup was not on the original plans. They were obviously jury-rigged, a collection of giant cages.

In one of them a huge shark was swimming in circles.

Under his breath, he cursed. “Mary, what the hell are you doing out here?” He flicked his comms. “Thunderbird Five, are you getting this?”

“Affirmative, Thunderbird Four. Recording.” The frown in John’s voice was satisfying to hear.

“Keep at it, Five. I need to go save me a shark.”

“Gordon?”

“Got one more rescue. Won’t take a moment.” And it shouldn’t. He brought Four around and activating one of her arms, pulled up her external connector and plugged her into the system. “Five, you should have control.”

“Receiving.” That frown in John’s voice was getting deeper.

“Can you release the hatch?”

“Working.”

It was Gordon’s turn to frown.

“It’s receiving and acknowledging commands but I can’t get a positive response. Give me a moment. Eos, could you please give me a hand?”

Gordon waited, staring up at the trapped shark. Stats on the vulnerabilities of great whites spun through his head. No-one had ever managed to keep one of the huge hunters in captivity, much less in such a confined space for an extended period of time. Getting her out was a major priority. He could understand why Mary was so…determined.

“I’m sorry, Four, response is negative. We can’t get the hatch open.”

He had already done the calculations. Four was too big to fit between the tangle of cables and cages.

“FAB, Thunderbird Five. I’m on it.”

“Gordon, that is a very large shark-“

“Yeah, isn’t she beautiful?”

Virgil cut into the conversation. Gordon had been wondering at which point he would get the predictable mother-henning on the issue. “Gordon, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Saving someone who needs help.” Holding up his arms and leaning forward, he triggered the command for his exo-suit. The robotics unfolded from the cabin walls, fastening the selected kit to his drysuit. A moment later, he crossed his arms and flipped out backwards through his airlock.

As always, the water welcomed him. A swift kick with the ultra-long flippers and he was flying towards the cage.

“Gordon, I don’t like this.”

“Calm down, big bro. Betty’s cool, aren’t you girl?” Floating outside of the cage he was dismayed to discover that he hadn’t been quick enough to prevent injury. Betty’s snout appeared to have borne several impacts with the cage bars. Goddamnit, Mary, what were you thinking?!

“It’s okay, lovely, we’ll get you out.” Balling his right fist, Gordon deployed his laser sword. Well, Brains called it a U-cutter, but ‘laser sword’ was so many kinds of cooler.

The metal bars holding the gate didn’t stand a chance.

Steam boiled off his cutter and he was ever thankful for the exo-suit’s extra protection. A slash or two and the gate fell away. He retracted his sword.

And was faced with the sharp end of a very agitated great white shark.

There was only a split second of realisation before Betty swooped past in a panic, her pectoral fin catching him and throwing him into a spin chaotic enough he couldn’t avoid her tail.

He had one moment of gratitude of being missed by her mouth only to receive a solid whack to his mid-section which sent him flying. Before he could curse himself for being too stupid to move out of the way fast enough, he slammed into another of the cages and something in his back…

…cracked.

Fuck.

His body locked up in pain, the focus radiating out from his lower back, up his spine and around his ribcage.

Oh god.

He couldn’t move. Everything hurt oh so much. A litany of profanity bounced around in his head.

Fortunately, Betty didn’t seem to care. She didn’t even look back as she darted out past Thunderbird Four and into the darkness.

Gordon began to drift in her wake.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

The water pushed him deeper into the mess of pens and all their connecting cables.

Okay, calm. You are fine. You’ve worked through this before.

Just not in the middle of a rescue.

His shoulder brushed up against one of the cages and his back flared. He cried out.

Goddamnit! Now was not the time for tears in his eyes. They blurred his vision and he couldn’t rub his face.

“Gordon?” Virgil’s voice was worried.

“Hey, Virgil.” He did his best to keep the gasp out of his voice. His medic brother had sixth, seventh and eighth sense when it came to injury.

“Thunderbird Four, report your status.”

Shit.

“All good. Just taking a moment.” How much could his brothers read off his suit sensors? Did Virgil have a ‘Gordon has triggered his long-term spinal injury and is in some serious pain’ indicator amongst all those buttons on his dash?

No. His brother had probably just noticed his lack of movement.

Movement.

Movement would be nice.

And a warm bath.

A bucket of medication wouldn’t hurt.

He was still drifting away from Thunderbird Four. Now was not the time to regret not including his propulsion unit with his exo-suit this time. He really hadn’t had to swim very far to reach Betty. Not far at all.

But now Thunderbird Four was so, so far away.

He couldn’t stay here.

“Gordon, what’s wrong?” Virgil’s voice was soft and the ever-caring big brother, despite the mission at hand.

“I’m good. Betty has been released.” And? Virgil didn’t need to ask for Gordon to know the next question. “Heading back to Thunderbird Four now.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Four.”

Was Virgil convinced? Gordon hoped so. If he couldn’t get out of this stupid predicament...

His slow drift brushed him up against another cage, but before he could collide with it proper, his fingers wrapped around a bar and he brought his drift to a halt.

Pain flashed through him. Shit.

Harsh breathing and the pumping blood in his ears.

Four so far away.

Fuck.

-o-o-o-

TBC

[recentamericanews]

Plane Crash Recent News of America

On a serene day in Washington, D.C., tragedy struck as American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, collided mid-air with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA). This catastrophic event unfolded over the Potomac River, turning a routine flight into a heartbreaking disaster.

The collision caused the aircraft to break apart, with debris plunging into the icy waters below. Emergency response teams quickly mobilized, launching a massive rescue operation amidst challenging conditions. The Potomac River, historically a witness to such incidents, became the center of another grim episode, echoing the memories of Air Florida Flight 90’s crash decades ago.

The Incident and Immediate Aftermath

American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, was en route to Reagan National Airport when it collided with the military helicopter. Witnesses described the horrifying moment when the two aircrafts collided mid-air, leading to a deafening explosion and a rain of debris over the river. The Black Hawk helicopter, part of a training exercise, was critically damaged, leading to a devastating crash.

Rescue boats, helicopters, and divers worked tirelessly to recover survivors and victims. Miraculously, a few passengers from the plane survived, clinging to wreckage until they were pulled from the freezing waters. Their stories of survival stand as a testament to human resilience and the swift response of emergency teams.

Remembering the Lives Lost

The crash claimed the lives of 18 individuals, including passengers, crew members, and military personnel aboard the Black Hawk. Each life lost represents a profound personal tragedy and a collective loss for their communities. Families, friends, and colleagues of the victims gathered for vigils and memorial services, sharing memories and honoring their loved ones.

Investigations and Questions

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other aviation authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation into the crash. Preliminary findings suggest possible miscommunication between air traffic controllers and the aircraft crews. The complexities of operating near a major airport like Reagan National, combined with the presence of military exercises, underscore the need for stringent protocols.

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A Call for Improved Safety Measures

This tragic event highlights the importance of continuous improvement in aviation safety. Experts are calling for enhanced coordination between civilian and military aviation operations, improved air traffic control systems, and better training for emergency scenarios. The lessons learned from this incident could pave the way for innovations that prevent future tragedies.

Stories of Heroism and Unity

Amidst the sorrow, stories of heroism emerged. First responders, including firefighters, paramedics, and volunteers, displayed extraordinary courage and determination. Their efforts saved lives and provided comfort to those affected.

Washington, D.C., known for its resilience, has once again shown its ability to unite in the face of adversity. Community members, local organizations, and leaders, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, have rallied to support the survivors and the families of the victims.

Moving Forward

As investigations continue and the aviation community reflects on this tragic event, the hope is to honor the memory of those lost by ensuring such incidents are never repeated. The Potomac River, a symbol of both tragedy and triumph, now holds another chapter in its storied history.

In the aftermath of the collision, Washington, D.C., and the global community stand together, united in grief and determination. Let this tragedy remind us of the value of life, the importance of safety, and the strength of the human spirit in overcoming adversity.

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