#Violet would have a lot of fun with the valkyries

[aprill-99]

Rhys: “So let’s see if I’ve got this; you have immense shadow power, incredible combat skills, height, tattoos, secrets, dead parents, a thirst for vengeance, the weight of the world on your shoulders, a rebellion to lead, and a dragon?”

Xaden: “Yeah? I mean, there’s also my girlfriend who I’m completely in love with and 107 people under my protection but-”

Rhys: *frantically flipping through papers* “this is the hyper-intelligent girlfriend with unprecedented lightning powers? The one you speak to with your mind and call a nickname permanently?”

Xaden: “I do only have the one girlfriend. Kinda offended you’d think otherwise.”

Rhys: *signs a paper* “Adopted. The rebellion thing is handled. Me and your aunts and uncles have got this. Your new mom is going to need some time to add you and your mate to the family portrait gallery. Your bedroom is upstairs, knives are in the training ring, family dinner is every Thursday, your allowance is infinity and your curfew is never.”

Xaden: “I am…. Older than your wife?”

Rhys: “Did I fucking stutter?”

[kingandfireheart]

What is it that you want, Elain?

Summary: This story is about Elain and Azriel talking about the events of the bonus scene and Elain processing her progress in the Night Court. There isn't much resolution, but it was fun to get into Elain's head for a little.

Words: 2,500ish

My money would be on you happens before this - if you're interested in seeing Azriel processing.

Elain walked on to the verdana of the House of Wind. Nesta and Cassian had insisted on hosting their weekly “family dinner” after returning from their honeymoon. She enjoyed the dinner and conversation, relaxed to see her sisters together and safe. For a long time, Elain had mourned her loss of home, her humanness, but in the last year, she had begun to embrace the fact that her sisters were happy.

Feyre had found her place in the Night Court before Elain had even become High Fae. She had Rhysand, she had Mor’s friendship, and she had her role as High Lady. Nesta took considerably longer to warm up to their new home, but she too had a place - she had friends now - the Illyrian female, and one of the priestesses, a role in the court as a Valkyrie and emissary, and love with Cassian. Elain felt a small pang of envy for what her sisters had. She had befriended Nuala and Cerrdiwen, she passed her time gardening throughout Velaris, and she enjoyed being with the odd family that was the Night Court’s inner circle. Still, Elain felt that something was missing, which had brought her onto the verdana, away from the loud conversations in the family room.

She always loved this view of Velaris. So far up from the city, she felt like her problems may just disappear. Elain also enjoyed the cool breeze of a spring night - she hadn’t brought a coat after spending the day in the sun, but the way the wind bit into her was freeing and calming. She sat down on a bench that Nesta must have added recently, and as if the house had anticipated her needs, a cup of tea had appeared next to her. “Thank you,” she said to the House. Nesta had explained that the house is somewhat responsive to commands, and she didn't want to be rude.

When she had excused herself from the dining room, dinner had devolved into discussing the Autumn Court. Cassian had said “Compared to Eris, Lucien is a saint, loveable even.” Adding, “If you’re into courtiers with a stick up their ass, that is” he said. Nesta had elbowed him for that, clearly knowing that Elain was trying to not look uncomfortable.

Feyre was retelling stories about the Spring Court, which strongly featured her mate who wasn’t her mate, Lucien. Elain had slipped out of the room when Feyre started telling the story about how Tamlin had pushed him into a reflecting pool after Lucien had convinced her to eat some berries that caused hallucinations. She'd heard Lucien and Feyre laughing about it one too many times in the year she had spent in Velaris.

Elain heard steps approaching her, bringing her back to the present. Deliberate steps, since everyone had mastered moving silently, without detection. A deep breath in revealed it was Azriel. Night chilled mist and cedar. That too was deliberate - so as not to startle her of his approach. She turned to find Azriel, predictably clad in his leathers with some shadows swirling around him.

While most family dinners were casual in the state of dress, she rarely saw Azriel or Cassian in anything but their leathers. All three of the brothers had a preference for wearing black at all times - and she couldn’t really fault them. While black seemed to drown out Elain’s features, the Illyrians looked exquisite in black, it brought our their coloring, their ridiculously beautiful features, and their hazel (and in Rhys case, violet) eyes.

That being said, she couldn’t remember the last time she saw any of them wearing a different color, aside from Cassian and Azirel’s siphons. Crimson and Cobalt respectively. She had seen a painting in Feyre’s studio of Azriel’s cobalt siphons against his scarred hands. She always thought they were beautiful, told him as much when she first arrived in Velaris. When she was human, she thought they were ornamental - like jewelry, but then she saw them in use. Azriel had explained that they were ways to channel their otherwise lethal power. That Cobalt power had saved her life from kidnapping, had shielded her from the wind while flying, and patched up a very injured Cassian during the war.

The cold of the wind calmed as she saw Azriel’s blue shields pop up around them. “It’s cold out here”, he stated in his midnight voice that was enough to make strangers swoon. She had seen it in action when she gone to watch Nesta, Feyre, and the priestesses train. The priestesses sighed when he had demonstrated how to shoot an Illyrian bow. Even after all of these months, the effect was not lost on her.

She hadn’t been alone with Azriel since Solstice - they had been keeping their distance for months now. There was something there - some kind of tension, or a pull, but Elain couldn’t quite explain it. She thought she understood on Solstice when he nearly kissed her, but then he pulled away, claiming it was a mistake before disappearing into the shadows. Ever since, their friendship had become polite and cordial, but never more than exchanging pleasantries.

She had learned from watching Azriel that every movement was intentional, and fluid, and graceful. He was predictable and consistent, but still she couldn’t keep herself from watching as he closed the distance between them.

“Are you alright? ”, Azriel asked.

She moved to make room for Azriel on the bench. “I just needed some fresh air to clear my head.” she explained.

“Ah. They can be a lot on a good day, much worse when Cassian breaks out the good wine.” He said, sitting as far away as he possibly could, while folding in his wings. A cup had popped between them, but this one was half full. He picked up the cup and chuckled after taking a sip. She was willing to bet that the contents of the cup was a hell of a lot stronger than her tea.

“It’s not that. I just...” She hesitated, not sure if she was willing to change their current no-depth-relationship. “I haven’t seen Nesta this happy in my whole life. I’m happy for them, It’s just strange.” She half- lied, she knew his shadows would pick up on it, as they likely picked up on the exact moment she had left the room. It was strange, watching Nesta brush Cassian’s hair out of his face, or the way that she laughed at his jokes, or leaned into his chest when they sat next to each other. It was strange to see her sister so unguarded, so comfortable in this new life.

“I could say the same for my brothers.” He said before taking a sip from the cup in his hand. Azriel was usually aloof and distant, rarely letting his emotions show. But something shifted in that cool, beautiful mask of his. “That doesn’t explain why you’re out here on a cold night. Cassian would say to leave the lonely brooding bullshit to me, Elain” He chuckled softly. She loved that sound. His laugh, her name on his lips. She felt her cheeks warm, just slightly and she looked away.

Elain took a deep breath, and an ever deeper sip of her tea. She was nervous. She was nervous about how she felt. She was nervous about letting Azriel in, after she had felt so hurt by his rejection on Solstice. Still, she said what she had been refusing to admit to herself for months now. “I know it sounds petty, but I’m a little jealous.”

“Of Cassian?” He asked incredulously. Again that mask slipped, just slightly as a shadow curled around his shoulders.

“Of their… happiness. I guess. Nesta has Cassian, and Feyre has Rhysand, and I’m just…” She stopped herself. She couldn’t say alone, even though she had probably said too much already. “I know, it’s petty.” Azriel leaned just slightly closer, but wouldn’t meet her eyes.

"I don’t think it’s petty. I understand.” He said softly. He did understand, because he had lived with Rhys and Feyre and Cassian and Nesta after they had accepted their bonds. Part of her hoped it was jealousy - that he hadn’t meant what he had said on Solstice night, that him avoiding her wasn’t personal, that the reason he hadn’t met her gaze when flying her to the House, or the fact that he could not get away fast enough the second he had set her down, meant something. Part of her hoped that he was as jealous of his brothers as she was of her sisters. How funny the six of them would be - three Illyrian warriors, and three Made high fae.

“But, you do have a mate.” he added tightly, as if he was forcing the words out. His wings flared just slightly. A sign of unchecked emotion, if her year of observation was right. She just couldn’t decipher which emotion. Azriel's demeanor was a puzzle she hadn't quite figured out, but she did love trying. Azriel had never mentioned Lucien outside of his role in the courts, he had never pushed her to talk about the bond, had never insinuated she was Lucien's in any way.

She couldn’t stop herself. “That’s not - I don’t want that.” Leaving the rest unsaid, I don’t want Lucien. It was instinct now, to fight the bond. She hadn’t outright rejected it because of the look on Feyre’s face whenever Lucien was in the room, hope. The fact that the mating bond had chosen so well for her sisters.

She could feel Azriel’s gaze on her, could feel his wings, just inches from her shoulder. She knew he wouldn’t touch her - knew that Illyrian wings were sacred and intimate, and that even an intentional brush would mean much more than holding hands, or even a kiss on the cheek. Still, she leaned a little closer to him.

“What is it that you want, Elain?” Her heart jumped at that tone, the softness there, the mention of her name. He set down his now empty cup, and looked at her. The shadows had deepened around him, swirling off of his legs and by her skirts. She looked out onto the view of the city to keep herself from saying the first thing that came to mind: You. She took a breath and made herself look into his hazel eyes - the emeralds standing out in the moonlight.

“Love.” she said quietly enough that he may not have heard her if he hadn’t shielded out the wind. He kept looking at her with that intent but soft gaze she had rarely seen before and had come to savor. Her throat bobbed, but she forced out the words, "I want to be able to choose love." As soon as she said it, she expected him to slip into the shadows, or jump of the verdana. It had happened before - Azriel had a habit of slipping away when things got uncomfortable, but he stayed there, staring at her after she had made such a big confession.

Dangerous. This was dangerous, she reminded herself. Still, she couldn't help but embrace a little bit of danger. “What do you want, Azriel?” She heard herself say. It felt odd to say his name. Not Az, or shadowsinger, as the Amren often called him. There was weight in these words - Azriel was the most aloof member of the Inner Circle, and the least likely to open up, but since he hadn't slipped away just yet...

Azriel tensed only slightly. If she hadn't made a habit of watching him so closely, she wouldn't have noticed. A shadow curled around his ear, as if whispering something. She watched him, knowing full well Azriel was capable of not answering, or holding out for much longer than she was.

“The same thing as you.” He finally confessed, or at least it sounded like a confession - like something else was in those words - longing, pain, desire, guilt?

They stared at each other a long moment - it may have been the first time Azriel’s eye’s were completely unguarded. What she saw there - she wasn’t ready for, it was dangerous, and reckless, and tens kinds of stupid to act on. She did have a mate, who was a perfectly fine male - and they had implicitly decided to take time before dealing with whatever the bond meant. Elain straightened her back, trying to put some distance between them, without closing off this conversation, this connection.

Where did you run off too, Feyre said in her head. I’m sorry I brought up Lucien. Azriel seemed to shift too, as if he too was having a mental conversation with one of the daemati.

Coming she said in her head.

"We should head back in.” She said. They both stood, and Azriel’s icy mask returnEd as if he had just remarked on the weather.

“Thank you.” Elain said, allowing her hand to brush against his, just slightly. “For checking in on me. For being my friend.” She wanted the last word here. She needed to define what this was in un-dangerous terms, to keep him from avoiding her next time, from reading into her why she had pulled away, and to keep herself from kissing his cheek, from wanting more than she ever had a right to ask of him.

He gave her a polite but bland smile that did not reach his eyes. “Don't thank me. That’s what friends are for, right?” He raised his hand as if to cup her cheek, but seemed to reconsider, driving his hands into his pockets.

He dropped his shield of blue and walked back toward the house, as silent and graceful as ever. She was stunned, completely stunned. Azriel had always had that effect on her - taking away her capacity for speech and rational thought.

She gathered the tea cups, using the excuse to take a minute to collect herself before returning to the family room. She sniffed at Azriel’s cup - it most certainly wasn’t tea. Laughing to herself, she walked back into the family room, settling on a sofa between Mor and Rhys . Azriel had already joined Nesta and Feyre on the sofa across from them, holding Nyx as he stretched his tiny wings. Elain's heart fluttered at the sight.

Rhys’s gaze seemed to dart between her and Azriel, but before he could say anything, Mor looked at her, with a conspirators smile. “Next time you want to escape the couples, take me with you instead. I’m way more fun! ” Elain just laughed, nudging Mor with her shoulder.

Azriel chuckled softly from his corner and gave her another smile. This time, Elain returned one of her own.

[shadowgeist-stars]

Vitam et Mortem: Divine Pride

A small gift for Pride Month before June ends. I probably should've come up with this earlier, but hey, I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Bridget had wanted to show Emily her new favorite part of June for years since they first began. After all the time they spent together for the last five or six centuries, she found it quite fun to introduce the otherwise reclusive Mother Nature to all the things she otherwise ignored among the mortals.

But this particular celebration wasn't just a joyous occasion for herself. Many lost spirits and even deities from all over the world rejoiced at the celebration of their own way of love and life.

From the gods of ancient Mesopotamia, to the far-flung rainbow serpents of Australia, to the hidden deities in China and Japan, to Bridget's own neighboring Loas and other divine friends in the Americas. The jubilee expressed by the immortals could only be matched, let alone surpassed, by that of the humans. Finally, all of the unfortunate people who lost themselves for the sake of their own hearts wouldn't have died in vain. All of the poor children close to that edge had something to look forward to.

"Come on, Emily, it's this way!" she called, leading her companion by the hand. "I promise you'll love it!"

Mother Nature chuckled, following the winged girl as quickly as she could. "This is the most excited I've seen you in the past few centuries. Have you met another holiday spirit?"

Bridget shrugged. "Not exactly. But I think you'll especially love it. It can't be much further now."

They stopped when they reached a crowd of people down the road.

Marching through the street was a parade of celebration. Flags of many bright color combinations littered the area. Some were blue, purple and pink. Some were pastel pink and blue and white. But a great many of the flags and all-encompassing banners -- and there were so, so many of them -- were all the colors of the rainbow.

"Bridget, my dear… what on Earth is this?"

Before her eyes, the rainbow painted itself over Bridget's otherwise black cloak. Strips of each color encircled her long cloak in luminous, vibrant hues. Shades of deep bright pink and fiery red orange sought out her shoulder cape, imitating one of the proudly-waving flags in the parade with black between each stripe. Emily soon learned exactly what it meant, as many couples in the parade embraced one another without fear or shame.

"It's a celebration of people like us," the redhead explained, no less than sheer jubilee on her face. "You once showed me how many animals are able to love in the same way we do. And according to the older gods, mortals who were the same way never had such a chance to be themselves since before the Dark Ages. Now that they have that chance again… isn't it beautiful?"

Emily did remember showing her all that. From birds of all kinds to various cats and other mammals to even insects and fish, and a whole lot more. The colors around her and the light in Bridget's eyes and all over her cloak… it truly was a sight to behold.

"It's wonderful," she replied simply. "Absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it."

They joined the parade like it was the most natural thing in the world. Following families and children greeted the two, as did many more immortals who began to appear. The children were laughing and dancing together with the other immortals, sporting their own flags.

"Lovely day for a parade, ladies," greeted a man in a multicolored tribal outfit framed with various flowers. "I'm certain I saw someone handing out Sapphic flags. Just watch for the usual, ahem… intruders."

"Thanks so much, Xochipilli," Bridget thanked the stranger. "I'm sure Emily would love that."

He smiled. "Never thought I'd see the day that the infamous Mother Nature would appear here. I'll tell the others; all of your Loa friends are bound to be nearby, and they'll love hearing about this."

Emily was confused by the names. "Who was he talking about?"

"My Voodoo-related associates," Bridget explained. "Many of them like both men and women, so they'll almost definitely be sporting pink-purple-and-blue flags like those over there. Though it takes a trained eye to know who’s who with the outfits they wear.

“Xochipilli is Aztec, and one of the few gods in that group with a decent amount of common sense. Back in his hayday, he was the god of games, the arts, and flowers, as well as the patron of people like a lot of the mortals here. Really nice guy, but I wish I could say the same about some of his friends.”

Emily chuckled. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Are there others like the ones you mentioned?”

The redhead nodded. “Lots of others, all over the world. They’re all probably having a blast at parades on their home turf just like this one. Oh look, there’s the flag Xochi was talking about!”

The flag in question was actually quite darling. It had two pastel pink stripes around one that was white, with a pretty little violet directly in the center. The person beside the girl handing such flags out was handing out flowers of all kinds.

Bridget went for the flower person, taking a violet before flying up to plant it above Emily’s ear, adding on a kiss on the cheek.

The swell of warmth in her chest from the gesture caused the violet to spread into a crown on her head.

The Grim Reaper giggled. “Now it looks even prettier. It suits you!”

Emily sighed at her reaction, but eventually couldn’t help a smile. At least until she noticed the white-robed and white-winged people hovering above a different crowd. They glared at the celebration as they stood guard over the yelling people holding some… rather rude signs.

Her beloved noticed her expression. “What’s wrong?” Bridget followed her gaze, lifting off the ground a little for a better view.

Angels. And a whole lot of their own downline.

“Oh, for the love of vultures…” she muttered under her breath as she pulled her scythe out of her shadow. “Ignore them, Em. They should know by now that they can’t do much of anything without getting people upset.”

“Is that… normal of them?” asked the dark-haired woman.

“Very,” the redhead replied with a sigh, leading Emily away from the protestors. “Their minions love to say that living the way we do isn’t natural and that it’s corrupting their children. All because they like to listen to the one who commands those angels. We just call them the usual intruders. I think I’ve already told you how troublesome they are to my fellow death spirits.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” She noticed how the blade of Bridget’s scythe shined with iridescent colors. “Hm, even your weapon appears to have gotten into the spirit of the celebration.”

“There’s a reason for that, actually.” With a snap of her fingers, Bridget unveiled a slew of visiting wandering souls in the broad daylight. So many of them floated around in groups, like the other immortals in the parade had called them here. Many bore dark scars that only occurred among souls who sought their own destruction in life. “These are all of the people in just this area who lived the same way as all of these mortals, in worlds that didn’t allow them, or hearts that no longer wanted to beat.”

Emily gazed upon each spirit, seeing the joy and peace on each and every spectral face in the procession. “This is far more than the joy of the living... it’s also a comfort for the dead.”

Bridget could see the angels daringly lean towards the ghosts from above their followers, and firmly tapped her scythe against the ground. All of the ghosts turned their attention to the Reaper, and to those she glared at. The protesters faltered, as if perhaps they had seen her standing there. Either way, they knew better than to test an emissary of death with her albeit passive army, so she’d count that much as a win. So did the ghosts, who peacefully returned to their own mingling.

Fingers found their way into soft, owlish feathers. “Where did you learn that trick?”

Bridget’s smile returned with a chuckle. “The Valkyries have shown me how they command their soldiers a few times. Angels are a pretty popular overarching reason as to why the ghosts around here have perished. It's just a matter of setting off the alarm. They know better than to trust what killed them."

A couple of the children seemed more than a bit intimidated by the parade's protesters, regardless of their dropping momentum. "Come with me, Em. Forget the angels and their little friends. This is a time for celebration."

Mother Nature was quite willing to comply, her leaf-bearing winds gently guiding the children away from the scary people like large, caring hands. As they went on with the parade, the two eventually grew more cheerful again. More immortals dropped by to meet them, such as Nibo, one of the Loas Bridget mentioned earlier; Oua Oua, a higher-ranking Loa who led the children, also said hello. Several "Voodoo" figures made appearances, really, and all of them offered nothing but coos and congratulations.

It certainly made it a far more lively experience than Burning Man, where they usually wandered about largely unseen. But oddly enough, it wasn't quite unpleasant. Emily enjoyed meeting so many wonderful divine friends. Seeing Bridget's multicolored stripes grow brighter, and her hair shining in the sun like fire, against eyes so pale silver in the daylight they almost looked pure white, was a simply mesmerizing experience.

Near the end of the parade, Emily had discovered a work of art made entirely from flowers; an entire wall of words shaped with roses of every color. Red, orange, yellow, green, even blue and purple. She used her power to grow out a bouquet of separate lavender roses, with a little help from Xochipilli. After which she gently wove each flower into Bridget's lovely wings and hair, pale and beautiful against her bright red locks and dark gold feathers. Bridget was delighted at the gift; something she knew Emily would most certainly do.

"Now you look even prettier,” she said warmly, parroting the reaper's words. “It suits you.”

The look she got in response was so full of affection… Emily could feel it taking something else from her chest aside from her breath. Bridget floated to her eye level, cupping the taller spirit's face between her hands.

"I think you deserve a thank-you for it."

With that, she leaned in for a kiss.

Emily’s heart filled with a familiar, welcoming fire at the soft and warm touch of Bridget’s lips, yet entirely new and exciting. A wild and joyful tune, yet sung in the tone of a lullaby. Miniature earthquakes rattled through her body, and she felt like she was floating. Her hands started flexing and lifting up on instinct, until they dug into the soft down between the reaper’s shoulders, pulling her closer. The flower-decorated wings swung low, the ends of the joints resting on her sides.

A moment meant to last forever.

“Ah, young love. Truly a beautiful thing.”

“It’s like something straight out of those romantic fairy tales.”

The two voices startled the two from their reverie. Bridget sank to the ground with a face as red as her hair; given the fiery heat that went from her heart to her face, Emily probably wasn’t much better.

“Lundy! Limba! You ruined the moment!” scolded Èrzulie Dantòr, batting the two men away with dark-skinned hands. “Out, out, and away, boys, before you ruin their mood any more! Shoo!”

Bridget giggled at the sight of the Loas. “I take it you enjoyed that, Emily?”

Mother Nature cleared her throat, smiling down at her sheepishly. “I suppose I did. Though I… can’t say I expected to… Will there be other parades like this in the future?”

“Of course!” She took her hand as they prepared to return to the realm they shared. “It’s an entire month out of every year that celebrations just like this will occur. Why? Do you want to go to another one?”

Emily chuckled, mustering the courage to kiss the top of her head. “Perhaps…”

To see such colors like those still lingering on the Grim Reaper’s cloak… To feel such childlike glee she hadn’t experienced in millennia… Mother Nature could hardly wait for the next adventure outside of her fog.

[occasionalfics]

OKAY. ENDGAME THOUGHTS. SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT.

first of all, as a known thor stan and a known fat woman, the russos can fuck off and never touch thor again. i wouldn’t be so bothered by this if he wasn’t so clearly written off as a joke, as if his trauma and coping methods weren’t just there for people to pity or make fun of (except for frigga...i won’t forgive the russos, but at least they did bring back frigga THANK GOD). that’s all i’m saying on that.

ALL HAIL KING VALKYRIE.

YO. BUCKY. LOOKED. FINE. AS. FUCK.

uhhhhh i have some issues with steve kind of obsessing over peggy? there are some interesting think pieces on the fact that steve has lost bucky MULTIPLE times throughout their lives and peggy... look. i love peggy. there is absolutely nothing wrong with peggy carter. but sending steve off by leaving him in the past like that? idk. it’s not entirely satisfying. there are worse ways to send off a character, absolutely, but there are also better ways.

CAROL’S HAIR 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 honestly every queer girl’s dream

did i mention ALL HAIL KING VALKYRIE

everyone on twitter thought hulk was hot and i’m just like...sure, have your fun, live your dreams

I CRIED OVER CASSIE AND SCOTT’S REUNION OKAY. I WAS SO SCARED THEY WERE GONNA MULCH CASSIE AND THEN THEY DIDN’T.

Shuri should’ve had a line

Where the HELL was Nakia? Were Lupita and Winston too busy with Us to just make some quick little appearances? I get that, if that’s the case XD

If there’s one thing this movie’s got me pumped for it’s SAM WILSON AS CAPTAIN AMERICA!!!!!��Disney+ is gonna have to rename their Falcon & Winter Solder series. I mean Bucky really isn’t even the Winter Soldier anymore so...yeah. But I cried SO HARD when old Steve handed Sam the shield. SO. HARD.

Y’all I cried the hardest over Peter Quill dancing to Come and Get Your Love. Idk if I’ve mentioned this before but Peter Quill and I share daddy issues/trauma and I see a lot of myself in his growth, so I hold him really close to my heart. Seeing him again...made me really emotional.

one more time for the people in the back: ALL HAIL KING VALKYRIE

um honestly there was very little about thor i liked in this movie which says...an awful lot. 

OH HOW COULD I MAKE A POST WITHOUT MENTIONING STEVE AND MJOLNIR?! THAT WORTHY ASS MOTHERFUCKER COULD LIFT THAT HAMMER ALL ALONG!!!! Honestly, watching Steve use Mjolnir against Thanos was the hottest scene in the entire movie. Very good.

New favorite marvel character: Mjolnir.

KING. VALKYRIE.

uh yeah so clint and natasha were there and they had some moments. and then natasha was fucking dead.

Steve checking himself out, cursing at himself, being completely jaded by the Whedon-esque verison of himself from, what, 13 years earlier?, completely playing Rumlow and Sitwell with the entirely fake Hail Hydra? GOOD. SHIT. 

I actually cried during Tony’s funeral. I really don’t hate Tony. Actually, this movie made me like him for the first time since...Iron Man 2?

MORGAN H. STARK DID NOT DESERVE TO LOSE HER DADDY, BUT SHE WILL ALWAYS HAVE HER CHEESEBURGERS AND THE KNOWLEDGE THAT HER DADDY WAS A HERO

Um, excuse me, but does Clint think he’s growing the Incredibles out there on his farm? His daughter’s name is Violet. This is a very bad stretch but I’m sticking to it.

I cannot stress this enough: KING VALKYRIE.

I didn’t even mention Nebula. Wow. I’m so proud of Nebula. And you know what? I’m not even mad that she wasn’t the one to kill Thanos because she, ultimately, was the one to save Gamora. That seems way more important to me.

Did y’all know I really genuinely want a King Valkyrie and the Kingdom of New Asgard movie now? Because I definitely do.

There was like...a shocking lack of Carol.... Like she was there just not nearly as much as I expected?

So they kill Thanos the first time and I thought I was gonna have a panic attack because it’s MAYBE 20 minutes into the movie. Like the guy next to me was like, “I almost thought that was the whole movie???”

Is it just me or is the MCU much nicer about Howard Stark than the comics?

Things that Fanfic predicted, whether intentional or not:

New Asgard

It would take the team YEARS to reverse the Snap

Bucky coming back lookin like a damn SNACK AND A HALF

Yeah idk these were just thoughts I had in the middle of everything

Maybe more thoughts to come? Let’s talk.

[karkkidoeswriting]

Character Creation Tag

@thedrowningtsarevna​ tagged me, thank you!!

I’m going with Sváfa from The Shield-Maiden Saga.

1) What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.?)

It has been a long time since I created Sváfa, and I really don’t remember. Though now she is the MC and the narrator, she is not even the first character for the story and the story didn’t involve her, of course when I created her the whole plot changed. My best guess is her backstory? It’s actually not so much as a backstory but the inciting incident at the beginning :D Well the whole story is more like the story of her life (or like the part of her life as a viking/shield-maiden) and spans at least over ten years.

2) Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

Well yes, it’s a historical setting and living in the Ancient Scandinavian society has a lot of impact on her character naturally.

3) How did you choose their name?

Sváfa is the name of a valkyrie and a shield-maiden in the sagas. In the Poetic Edda, she is has adventures with Helgi Hjörvarðsson and eventually marries him. They die eventually, but are reborn as valkyrie Sigrún and Helgi Hundingsbane, who also fall in love and marry. The cycle repeats itself one last time when they are reborn as valkyrie Kára and Helgi Haddingjaskati in Káruljóð Saga and reunited once again. Sváfa loves stories and the sagas, but Sváfa and Helgi’s story is the most important for her and when she was a child she liked to think herself as another reincarnation of Sváfa the Valkyrie.

4) In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Ancient Norse storytelling traditions are really central in her story. She is a storyteller and sagas are her go-to coping mechanism. Of course the viking expeditions are very important, and from them especially the founding of Gardaríki. The whole story happens because of they intend to establish a new kingdom into the Eastern Route. Well not only because of that, also because in their reality there’s magic and elves. So also mythology elements play their part in her backstory.

5) Is there any significance behind their hair colour?

Not really. She has pale blond hair, which I guess would have been pretty common among Scandinavians (still are). Though when she grows older and her hair start to darken she blonds them, like Norse people (men and women) did commonly.

6) Is there any significance behind their eye colour?

Not really. Again they are blue, which would have been (still is) common in the Northern Europe.

7) Is there any significance behind their height?

Well she is pretty long for a girl of her age (at the beginning when she is 14), which is handy when she dresses up as a boy.

8) What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

I relate (as I think a lot of us writeblrs would) strongly to her fascination towards stories and the fact that stories are her coping mechanism and way of expressing herself. A lot of the times she is a daydreamer like I’m too, and can get easily distracted from reality. Also her mother is a Kven (that’s what Norse people called the ancient southern Finnish tribes) and while she has lived in a Scandinavian society and haven’t really interacted with the other side of her heritage, she grows interest to her Finnish roots and I can relate to that.

9) Are they based off of you, in some way?

Yes, though she has very different personality. She has one of my bad habits of telling white lies. I tend to sugar the truth to please people (I’m such a people-pleaser :D), and she does that too. 

10) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

It has been so long time since I created her, so I don’t remember.

11) What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: Writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

Still about a couple of years ago she was pretty bland in every way, but since that I’ve developed her further and she comes pretty naturally to me in every art form.

12) How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

Well I vaguely know her whole life story from birth to death (she lives to be like 70 years old which would have been really old during that time, and that’s not a spoiler because she is about that age when she tells her story), though the actual story covers like 10 or more years.

13) If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

While she is the narrator, she is also a storyteller (so not really reliable that is), and that her worldview is different from my modern one.

14) What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

She is good with words and though she is not a “snarky person” many of her conversations with others are fun.

15) What is something about your OC can make you cry?

She faces a lot of loss and it’s pretty heartbreaking when she (fails to) deals with them.

16) Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

If there was, I would change it. There’s really nothing I can regret before I publish it. (If I will ever do that.)

17) What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

Though she is always fighting with her sister, she is the most important person in her life.

18) What is your favorite fact about your OC?

She believe cats are house elves, who are attached to a house and protect it from harm and if you are respectful towards them and give them sacrifices etc. they will give you good luck in return. But when one of their cat, who she likes a lot (and has named Freya because the cat is just that gorgeous), jumps on board the ship when they are leaving her home island, she is convinced that Freya is actually her own elf (Finnish mythology equivalent of guardian angel). I also just love Freya because she is super fluffy kitty (cats of vikings were predecessors of Norwegian Forest Cats) and very loyal and good.

Tagging  @erinisawriter @pigeonbooks @plaguecraft @midnightstreetwanderings @maxseidel @bluemartlet @teacupwriter @violet-clouds-and-skies @natalierosewrites! As always no pressure to do this! (I usually forgot to say this but I hope it’s obvious to people)

[crystalkleure]

Have you ever wondered how season 2 of Burst would've played out if Valt and Shu's roles had been swapped? I.E. Valt ends up joining the Snake Pit, and Shu is the one scouted by BC Sol.

Honestly? I…I don’t really think I can give a truly good answer for this 🤔 But I can try:

At the Snake Pit: Basically, at the base root of it, Ashram really couldn’t have used Valt in the same way he used Shuu. Valt just wasn’t as emotionally vulnerable like that. Shuu has a tendency to isolate himself from friends, and Valt prefers to surround himself with other people at all times. Shuu has much more pent-up frustration and trauma fallout than Valt does. To believably swap who ended up in the Pit, you’d really have to ALMOST completely swap their character roles, starting from at LEAST the end of s1, but probably even farther back than that.

But, by some miracle of nonsensical slipshod writing, if Valt DID somehow end up in the Pit in his canon state, absolute chaos would happen.

Azul Eye, for one, would have a completely different bey [Spriggan instead of Valkyrie], if Azul Eye himself would even still be there at all. Because the Mask Guys that got sent out to fight off Valt’s little troupe in canon had a theme going on that would be broken by Valt being in the Pit: Colour matchups. Yellow Eye vs. Boss, whose theme colour is yellow. Black Eye vs. Dyna, whose theme colour is black. Grey Eye vs. Cooza, whose theme colour is grey. Violet Eye vs. Wakiya, whose theme colour is purple. I guess Ashram predicted that that particular group of main characters would be the ones invading his operation at some point somehow [??? how could he possibly know that though?], because there’s no way the colour thing is coincidence. And Azul Eye was matched up to Valt, whose theme colour is blue. Writing-wise, it would be weird to have a blue-themed mook bad guy around with no blue-themed good guy to oppose. If Shuu took Valt’s place in the “rescue party” that Wakiya took out to the Snake Pit, there would probably be a different minion called “Red Eye” there as a shadow for Shuu. With no Azul Eye. Just from a writing standpoint that would make sense. [And I love Azul Eye so this thought is burning my fucking soul, ahaha.]

Second, as evidenced by his reaction to Boa in canon, Valt would NOT be okay with all the literal torture going on, Ashram would have to completely hide it all from him in some way to get him to cooperate instead of boycotting everything. Valt just wasn’t as closed-in on himself as Shuu was, he wouldn’t be able to ignore other people the same way, at least, not pre-literal-brainwashing.

If Ashram actually managed to get Valt into the big green Nightmare Machine somehow though, brainwashing is brainwashing. What worked on Shuu could probably work on anyone else with the same general result. The entire process was just easier with someone who was already emotionally compromised.

Still though, so much would have to just be fundamentally changed just to get to that point. Actually, Valt couldn’t have even been allowed to SEE his friends that came to rescue him because he would probably just. Go home with them. Because he just doesn’t adamantly isolate himself like Shuu does. So I don’t know what would’ve happened if the Search and Rescue team got past Violet Eye’s room without Shuu there to interrupt everything and kick them out, rules be damned. Because Valt wouldn’t do that. Something else would’ve had to stop them [because Wakiya could absolutely beat Violet Eye].

TL;DR: Valt would have to be completely oblivious to what’s actually going on; watching him interact with Azul Eye more would’ve been fun because they obviously liked eachother but they can’t logically exist in the Pit together as allies instead of enemies; everyone would always be panicking trying to keep Valt from getting into things they don’t want him to know about; Valt is high-maintenance; wtf would happen to Boa with Valt there instead of Shuu, tbh Boa would probably have literally just died [AHHHHH ;A; ]; and I’m thinking of even more miniscule but endless problems Valt’s presence would cause for the Snake Pit as we know it as I’m writing this so I think I should just cut it off here because this is too much text.

At BC Sol: Well, Shuu would be aggressively picking fights with Free every chance he got. And Free would beat him. Again and again. Which, as we’ve seen in canon, would cause Shuu to completely and utterly melt down. But if Ashram wasn’t actively waiting to snatch him when he has his inevitable crisis, he could probably pull through it much better. If Boss is at BC Sol, and Wakiya and Dyna both end up in Europe eventually as well, Shuu Drama would probably play out season-one-style. If Shuu can’t get away from his friends, like if they’re always nearby instead of on entirely different continents, he’ll be forced to let them help him because they won’t leave him alone. Shuu’s friends were what was keeping him semi-grounded in s1. In s2 canon, when you think about it, the “Red Eye” dilemma could have been nipped in the bud if Shuu hadn’t gone off to America alone. Shuu needs people watching out for his ass, even when he doesn’t want them to, because he closes up and self-destructs otherwise.

I think most of the BC drama would have played out pretty much normally though, because a lot of the problems with the team were not tied to Valt, they were problems that existed before he even got there. [And Valt did not actually play a big part in solving them, either.] Free would still leave for the team tournament, and then come back later. Trad would still leave to try to force Chris to learn how to run the club without him. I can’t think of too much else that would be majorly different with Shuu at BC instead of Valt, at least not right off the top of my head at the moment.

[badbackgroundscience]

Plant Man? Not made of plants. But LAVA Man...probably not really made of lava, either

Richard Wagner’s epic 4-part cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen holds a somewhat special place in my memory. No, I have not listened to all 15-ish hours of it. Not even close. But back at my alma mater, there are certain traditions surrounding playing “Ride of the Valkyries” - most notably, that (unless you play the entire Ring Cycle) you would find yourself soon thrown into the nearest shower. It was also played on campus at a “ear-splitting” volume at the ungodly hour of 7am every day of finals week, in an attempt to awaken students that might accidentally miss a deadline to turn an exam in.* (This tradition wasn’t a thing in my House while I was there, and I don’t know how popular it is five years after my graduating, but a thing it used to be...)

Why do I bring this up? Well, in the 1876 opera, Wagner conflates the fire-god Logi (or Loge**) with Loki.*** Others have since done the same, like the copy of Scholastic’s Book of Lists (2003) still resting in a drawer in my childhood bathroom. Thus, I wonder if the author of this issue of Journey into Mystery had this in mind when Loki decides to “prank” the Earth by causing “a long-dead volcano to erupt” and bring forth the Lava Man:

The questionably-colored Lava Man (Why is he pink?) easily violates the law of conservation of mass by firing giant blobs of lava that spawn from nowhere (and by turning himself into a giant, unbreakable "tower”) while fighting Thor; he’s also somehow capable of transmutation because he can turn humanity’s firearms into ash just by pointing, but let’s set those aside.

Let’s just talk about lava.

The very second post I made on this blog was about volcanos - I briefly mentioned lava there. But I never actually explained what it is. 

It’s molten rock shot out from a volcano.

It’s also molten rock oozed out from a volcano.

“Molten”, of course, just means “melted”. Why are the rocks liquid? The combination of temperature and pressure they’re subjected to underneath the Earth’s surface.**** When it’s extruded, lava’s going to be sitting at temperatures anywhere from roughly 700 to as high as 1,600 °C (1,292 to 2,910 °F). The cooler the temperature, the redder it glows - you’re never going to see pink lava since pink isn’t a color of light at all. But stay tuned - you’re going to see something purple a bit further down...

[Side note: When the molten rock is still underground - as are the rest of “the Lava People” - it’s not called lava. It’s magma. So, Lava Man only became Lava Man after Loki caused the volcanic eruption that spewed him forth, and all the people he’s claiming the surface of the planet for should be “the Magma People”. 

Side side note: Rocks that form from magma are called “intrusive igneous“, and rocks that form from lava are “extrusive igneous”.]

Lava’s not entirely liquid of course - tiny mineral crystals form in the magma. Different crystals form at different temperatures/times, and while the magma’s waiting to be extruded these crystals can/will sink if they’re denser than the surrounding medium, making them less likely to be in the lava when the time comes. 

Thus, the elemental makeup of lava varies, so there are different varieties of volcanic rocks. In general, igneous rocks are sorted by their silica (SiO2) content:

Felsic (> 65% silica), e.g. Rhyolite and Dacite - very viscous and thus tends to fragment a lot as it’s extruded and cools/hardens. Felsic lava extrudes at the lowest temperature range. Rhyolite’s the extrusive version of granite, but has finer crystals because it doesn’t cool as slowly. Mount St. Helen’s summit (pre-1980) was made from a dacite dome. Generally, having a higher silica content makes the rocks lighter in color.

Intermediate (55-65% silica), e.g. Andesite - has less aluminum on average than felsic lava and more magnesium and iron. Also having slightly higher temperatures, this makes the lava less viscous (so it can flow further). The word “andesite” comes from the Andes mountain range.

Mafic (45-55% silica), e.g. Basalt - even more iron/magnesium, hotter, less viscous, etc. Iceland and Hawaii are made of it, among many other bits of the Earth’s crust. Basalt’s the most common volcanic rock on Earth, and has also been found on the Moon (specifically, the dark “maria”), Mars, and other Solar System bodies.

Ultramafic (<45% silica), e.g. Peridotite, which makes up most of the upper level of the Earth’s mantle (You’ll note that that’s still well underneath the Earth’s surface). Generally intrusive. Most of the ultramafic rocks found on the surface are really old, geologically speaking.

Perhaps the best known extrusive igneous rocks are obsidian and pumice. But fun fact: neither is technically a rock! Both are considered volcanic glass, because they both cool down too quickly to be able to form crystals.

Obsidian (which, by appearance, seems to fit the category of “glass” better than pumice) comes from felsic lava, when magma that would otherwise form rhyolite loses too much water (as steam) as it reaches the surface, so the lava becomes even more viscous.

Pumice usually derives from felsic lava, too, but is full of gas bubbles that leave air pockets after the lava blob solidifies. That’s why it’s full of holes and floats on water.

It is, of course, impossible for us to ask what kind of igneous rock Lava Man would form when he cooled down (assuming he was made of lava in the first place). But it does remind us of the fact that he should be cooling down - the outside of him turning not that odd shade of pink, but black-ish. Ya know...like lava does.

As I briefly alluded to before, the chemical makeup of the lava not only determines the type of rock it forms - it also affects how the lava flows (and - as my earlier post discusses - forms different types of volcanoes). The two main types of (above water) lava flow are ʻAʻā (pronounced ”ah ah”) and pāhoehoe (pa ho-ee-ho-ee)

ʻAʻā is generally basaltic - characterized by its loose, broken, and sharp surface. It’s more abundant on Earth than pāhoehoe. Temperature range: 1,000-1,100 °C (1,830-2,010 °F).

Pāhoehoe is basically always basaltic, and has a smooth or ropey-like surface, which comes from the fact that the still molten rock underneath the surface flows more quickly. Temperature range: 1,100 to 1,200 °C (2,010 to 2,190 °F). Can turn into ʻAʻā as it gets further from its source and cools down/becomes thicker.

You can read more about different types of lava flows here, but I should call out “pillow” lava - which comes out underwater and looks like, well, you know...

Lava and volcanic eruptions provide us with some amazing images, but some of my favorite volcano pics are caused by sulfur gas igniting with the air and making violet flame.***** Behold, Kawah Ijen on the island of Java:

Our comic of the week ends with Thor using Mjolnir to generate “a whirlwind strong enough to carry [Lava Man] high into space...[spinning] faster than the speed of sound”. Said whirlwind delivers Lava Man back to the volcano from whence he came, and Thor seals the central vent with the broken-off top of a nearby mountain. Our god of thunder clearly doesn’t know that not all lava has to come out of the “top” of a volcano, but can flow out of fissures along the sides, too...

Our post of the week ends with some more lava gifs, brought to you by the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes on Big Island:

* Most Caltech exams are take-’home’ (Yes, I know that sounds crazy to a lot of people. We take our Honor Code very seriously.) and last 4 hours. So, traditionally, The Ride is played at 7 so a student could wake up, take their entire exam, and turn it in at the very last minute. No, I never procrastinated that much. But I did stream the Royal Wedding live while working on one of my tests...

** Logi once beat Loki in a speed-eating contest (see: the Prose Edda), so we know they’re not the same dude. Rather, Logi is stated to be the personification of wildfire itself and the competition was basically an illusion.

Loge (In Old Norse the word itself means “fire”) is also a tiny moon of Saturn that orbits at a high angle in the direction opposite to that of Saturn’s rotation (this is called “retrograde”), which all suggests it was captured by the ‘gas’ giant at some point in the past. It orbits Saturn once every 1,311 Earth days.

*** Nerdy side note: The fire-breathing dragons of Middle Earth are called Urulóki in Quenya (i.e. High Elvish), but the “loki” bit comes from the word for snake (lókë) - and thus doesn’t borrow from Old Norse.

**** It’s not just temperature - at high enough pressures a liquid will get compressed back into a solid despite being well above what you’d traditionally consider its melting point. 

This even happens to gases, which is why I hesitate to call “gas giants” gas giants. Diving into Jupiter’s atmosphere, the hydrogen/helium will start condensing into liquid about 1,000 km down. By ~15,000 km - basically a fifth of the total radius - there’s no gas. In fact, it’s so hot and there’s so much pressure the liquid hydrogen actually becomes metallic (which gives rise to the planet’s strong magnetic field). Saturn’s got a thicker gaseous envelope, but it’s a similar story. I prefer to refer to them as “fluid giants”. [Astronomers have switched over to calling Uranus and Neptune “ice giants” because we’re 99.9% certain most of their insides are comprised of ices (including water ice) and rock. Said ices are floating around in temperatures of over 2000 K (3140 °F).]

***** It’s not blue/violet lava. It’s combusting sulfur vapor. As NatGeo puts it: 

“Those [sulfur] gases emerge from cracks in the volcano at high pressure and temperature—up to 1,112°F (600°C). When they come in contact with the air, they ignite, sending flames up to 16 feet (5 meters) high. Some of the gases condense into liquid sulfur, "which continues to burn as it flows down the slopes...giving the feeling of lava flowing."...The burning happens day and night, but it's visible only in darkness.”

Did you ever do that flame test in chemistry class where (e.g.) holding a copper compound over a bunsen burner made the flame turn green? Same story here, but different element = different wavelengths of light emitted by that element’s atoms. If you burn a Lithium salt (e.g. LiCl), you get a deep red that looks a bit like pink. But the colors generated by this method are produced by a different area of physics than the colors generated by hot glowing bodies (like lava, or a lightbulb, or a blow torch).

Journey into Mystery #97 - Writer: Stan Lee, Art: Jack Kirby, Ink: Don Heck

Photo Credits:

Lava 1 By J.D. Griggs - Own work, Public Domain, 

Lava 2 By Hawaii Volcano Observatory (DAS), Public Domain, 

Obsidian By Ji-ElleIt - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, 

Pumice By Benjamint444 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, 

pillow lava Public Domain

Kawah Ijen PHOTOGRAPH BY OLIVIER GRUNEWALD

lava gifs from the following videos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (or, rather, 6 of these 7...I’ve lost track of which...)

[nathanielmauger]

Morning Star (2016) Pierce Brown, Book Three of the Red Rising Trilogy

Darrow of Lykos, a Red physically remade into a Gold to infiltrate and destroy the Society, (The Reaper).

Virginia au Augustus, nicknamed “Mustang”, daughter of Nero, the former ArchGovernor of Mars.

Adrius au Augustus, Virginia’s twin brother, the sociopathic ArchGovernor of Mars, also known as “The Jackal”.

Victra au Julii, Darrow’s loyal lieutenant, half sister of Antonia au Severus-Julii.

Sevro au Barca, Darrow’s best friend and second-in-command, acting leader of the Sons of Ares.

Cassius au Bellona, the Sovereign’s Morning Knight, Darrow’s nemesis and former friend.

Roque au Fabii, Imperator of the Sovereign’s Sword Armada, Darrow’s former ally and friend.

Antonia au Severus-Julii, Praetor of the Fifth and Sixth Legions, Victra’s half-sister.

Octavia au Lune, the Sovereign of the Society.

Lysander au Lune, grandson and heir of the Sovereign.

Aja au Grimmus, the Protean Knight and the Sovereign’s bodyguard.

Ragnar Volarus, Darrow’s Obsidian lieutenant.

Sefi the Quiet, Ragnar’s sister and leader of the Valkyries.

Holiday ti Nakamura, a Gray Legionnaire secretly working for the Sons of Ares, and Darrow’s deputy.

Regulus ag Sun, nicknamed “Quicksilver”, a Silver and the richest man in the Society through ownership of thehelium-3 refineries on

Dancer, Darrow’s mentor in the Sons of Ares and later the Sons’ liaison for the Reds.

Mickey, a Violet carver who remade Darrow as a Gold.

Lilath, Gold, captain of The Jackal’s bonerider’s (personal killers)

Morning Star begins with our hero Darrow being tortured in a box. This has been te case for about a year. Victra has been tortured by her half sister Antonia. Everyone in the solar system thinks Darrow is dead because the Sovereign stages a mock execution of some poor slob made up like Darrow. Everyone but Sevro – who never stopped believing. He is possibly the most interesting character in the books. Sevro sends Holiday and Trigg ti Nakamura to rescue Darrow and they get Victra as well but Trigg is lost in the battle – killed by Aja – She is a beast.

Mickey (the carver) is brought back to fix Darrow and Victra. I was disappointed that Mickey’s character was not developed more as he is the key to this whole saga. Oh well. Once they are well they set off to kidnap Quicksilver (a rich gray). They arrive to find Mustang, Antonia, and Cassius in a peace conference with Quicksilver. After a battle, they capture Quicksilver and find out that he was a co-founder (with Fitchner) of the Son’s of Ares. Next up – Sevro and the howlers serve up a distraction on Phobos while Darrow and Ragnar head to Ragnar’s home to try and enlist the Obsidians in their battle. Along the way they are met by Mustang who joins them. Aja and Cassius follow them and both ships crash land. Darrow and Mustang caputure Cassius. Aja kills Ragnar (hard to believe) and then escapes.

Darrow and Mustang then convince Ragnar’s sister Sefi to join their cause. They do this by unmasking the Gold’s in the temple who are pretending to be gods. Sefi beheads her mother, Alia Snowsparrow, when she disagrees with Sefi. There are a lot of themes about parent and child relationships in this series. Mostly bad ones.

Next they convince Romulus au Raa, one of the moon lords of Jupitor, to align with them over a counter offer by Rogue representing the Sovereign. So the big space battle commences. Pierce Brown is no Alistair Reynolds when it comes to space battles but this one is interesting. Darrow suckers Rogue in close thinking he has won and then Darrow and a team of reds take clawdrills across and tear straight to the bridge of Rogues ship (helped by Rogue’s Pink). Antonia escapes leaving Rogues fleet exposed. Rogue sees that all is lost and despite Darrow’s pleas for his to comeback to his side. Rogue commits suicide. Noble and poetic to the end. Victra captures Antonia. Sevro stops an uprising of the obsidians who are hanging every Gold in sight. He does this by first hanging Cassius for killing his father (Fitchner) and then (dramatically) hanging himself for his various murders. Sefi cuts them both down and unites the obsidians (once again) under Darrow. Sevro and Victra are married. Their kids will be demons.

Before the final battle Darrow suggests letting Cassius go as someone is bound to kill him. As he and Sevro and Mustang are doing this Cassius steals Sevro’s gun and kills him. He lets Antonia go and they steal a shuttle and take Darrow, Mustang, and Sevro’s body (why?) to the Sovereign Octavia who is there with her grandson and Adrius (the Jackal). Octavia orders Darrow’s right hand to be cut off. This is done. Octavia orders Aja to kill Antonia because she fled the battle and left Rogue outflanked. Adrius plans to kill Darrow with Sevro’s gun (why?) and discovers that it is full of blanks. Cassius then reveals that he is actually on Darrow’s side after all. They fight Aja until they get in position to awaken Sevro (right Sevro is not really dead – big surprise). Together they are able to defeat Aja and kill the Sovereign.

Then Adrius (that Jackal) has one more curve. There are 100 nukes on Luna and he will set them off one by one unless Darrow commits suicide and Mustang and Cassius let him assume the throne.   Lilath is the button pusher in her space ship. Instead of killing himself Darrow punches Adrius in the throat and rips out is tongue (Sefi is envious) . With the help of the Ash Lord they pummel Lilath and prevent her from setting off all of the Nukes.

Mustang becomes the sovereign and Darrow is her consort? Husband? Cassius takes Lysander off to explore the solar system. Sefi is off to unite all of the obsidians (trouble brewing). Everything tied up very nice if you ask me – but wait. What was Mustang doing during that year that Darrow was being tortured in a box? Having a baby apparently. She introduces Darrow to his son – Pax. Now everything is tied up nice and pretty. I think Eo would be happy – Bear the Chains.

Summary:

A good book along the lines of Hunger Games. A much bigger geography with the whole solar system. While not many space battles there are some terrific moments such as when Darrow and the Reds take the clawdrills into Rogues ship. A lot of vicious politics, which is fun. Some of the situations escape belief but that is nature of these sorts of novels. I liked it a lot and recommend it.

Morning Star (2016) Pierce Brown – Book Three of Red Rising Trilogy Morning Star (2016) Pierce Brown, Book Three of the Red Rising Trilogy Darrow of Lykos, a Red physically remade into a Gold to infiltrate and destroy the Society, (The Reaper).