#i don't think i've done this for hunter because the idea of growing up without luz would fucking horrify him

[crimeronan]

one recurring thing that i love doing way too much to ever stop in this AU is having characters come up with elaborate fantasies that are just the actual canon timeline. i keep doing this for like every narrator it just tickles me so much. truly it does. the dramatic irony is a gift that never stops giving.

camila imagining what it would be like to actually be the mom of a seventeen-year-old luz in human high school. amity scoffing at the idea that she and luz could fall in love in a timeline where luz is a normal human and amity isn't a soldier. luz herself trying to picture being a "normal" human and not being able to conceptualize what it would be like bc she's such a bizarre little freak. right now i'm editing a scene where eda is musing on how impossible it would be for there to ever be a timeline where both she and raine could be luz's parents because it's impossible for her to be a decent mother OR a decent life partner while i'm just sitting here like. sickos.png

[mytragedyperson]

Ok so I've been thinking and... I'm pretty sure Nico always leaves Camp halfblood after book 3. Like, even if Bianca lived, he'd still leave. Because Bianca isn't there, she's with the Hunters of Artemis. She comes beack sometimes but he doesn't know when that will be/ But Nico is always going to find out he's a son of Hades, then look around and realise there's no cabin for Hades, there's no cabin for him, he has no place here, he's not wanted here. And do you realy think they'd build a cabin for Hades at this point? No, they'd just kill Nico and be done with it. Bianca has a place there, she's wanted because she's a hunter of Artemis. But Nico doesn't/ He leaves. If Biance lives maybe he tries to find her to be like "i don't know what to do, there's no cabin for me". If others at camp find out he's Hades' son at this point he's even more likely to leave. Maybe he still runs into Minos and goes through the Labyrinth, this time beacuse there's information about his mum there. He wouldn't be mad at Percy or scared of him because Bianca's alive so he kept his word. he willingly goes with Percy and he still becomes the ghost king. Maybe eventually Bianca finds out he hasn't been staying at camp and gets worried. after all, he's still her brother, she left thinking he'd be safe. also yes Nico is still slightly resentful to the hunters of Artemis for taking his sister at first (because he's 10 in book 3 and his sister is all he has but he doesn't want to admit or doesn't understand that she chose to leave with them) but they eventually have a decision when he's older and he forgives her for choosing to join the hunters and stops being as angry at the hunters. Then he finds Camp Jupiter and brings Hazel back, and then Bianca finds out they have a half sister. IDK do you guys ever wonder if Bianca would've grown to regret joining the hunters? she was 12 with a younger brother who she had to be a parent with and when you're 12 or whatever the idea of being young forever might sound pretty good. but then it's 2 years later and your younger brother is the same age as you and has just brought Hades, Persephone and Demeter to the fight with Kronos and he's not the same as he was. He's been surviving on his own for two years. You've been surviving too but you had people there to help and support you. a year leter your youger brother is older than you, you have a new half sister who's part of a prophecy, your younger brother isn't part of the prophecy but he's involved anyway. your younger brother ends up in Tartarus, trapped in a jar by two titans and you can't do anything to help, you're a hunter of Artemis. Honestly the idea that Biance could live and Nico's character could more or less be the same just lightly kess sad and angry because he hasn't lost quite as much. The idea that we and Biance would watch Nico grow older than her and grow up. They'd barely see each other so when they do it's all the more noticeable that he's getting older. He gets with Will, he has a whole life, one Biance only really sees glimpses of because of achoice she made when she was 12. That's without getting into the whole what if she falls in love with someone. Not even just a man, anyone who's not a Hunter, because they'll continue to grow older and she'll be like 12 for the rest of her life. I'll be honest 12 is not an age I'd want to be stuck at forever

[novelmonger]

After a long delay (brought on by distractions as well as scurrying around with moving preparations), I finally got around to watching The Two Towers with the Design Team audio commentary, with Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger, Grant Major, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, and Chris Hennah.

Here are some new tidbits of information I've gleaned from it:

Richard Taylor's least favorite prosthetic work of the trilogy is that opening shot in TTT when Frodo starts awake and you can see his ear. Richard doesn't think the color-matching was done very well - but in their defense, I literally never noticed it in all the dozens of times I've watched this movie XD

When filming on location up in the mountains for Emyn Muil, people would go to lunch on ski lifts because there were ski resorts in the valleys XD

I never picked up on this (oops!), but the idea was that, though the Uruk-Hai were bred to be hardier and stronger than regular Orcs, the unnatural process of creating them meant that they age and deteriorate faster than regular Orcs. So when they're in the sunlight, their skin gets blotchy, their eyes get cataracts, and their hair starts turning grey.

When they burned the village in Rohan, they accidentally burnt one of their fake dead horses, which cost $2,000 to make. Also, there was one shot (which didn't get used) where the fire from one of the buildings suddenly shot out towards the camera, and the cameramen had to flee for their lives!

They specifically called for extras who actually knew how to chop down trees for the scene where the Orcs are cutting firewood at the edge of Fangorn. They ended up with a couple guys who were champion woodcutters - which I didn't know was a thing!

Richard Taylor said that if he could go back and redo one thing for TTT, it would be to redo the contact lenses for Snaga, because they ran out of time to make any themselves and had to just use commercial ones, and he didn't think they looked subtle enough. It's okay, Richard, I don't think anybody's noticed!

The way they made the inside of the Orcs' mouths black (because Orc blood is supposed to be black, so the reasoning is that no part of their bodies would be reddish or pinkish) was that they had a licorice-based mouthwash they would make every Orc actor swish around in their mouth before each take to blacken the inside of the mouth. And they would have to be careful not to get too much of it on their teeth, or the teeth would all get black too @_@

In the scene where the Three Hunters meet Eomer for the first time, they didn't want Karl Urban to wear the metal hero's helmet they'd made, since he had to dismount a horse. So the helmet he's wearing is made of urethane, but is designed and painted so well it looks like metal. The same goes for the horses' armor, because even leather will irritate a horse's skin when it's not accustomed to wearing anything on its face.

Richard Taylor points out that Gollum's hair is actually one of the most important elements of his design, because without it, he would just look like an alien. The straggles of hair humanizes him and helps us believe that he was once not so different from a Hobbit.

Weta hung a maquette of the fell beast from the sprinkler system, until one time the building was getting an inspection and they had to take it down ^^'

There were 350 sets planned for the whole shoot, though in practice, of course, they ended up doing a lot more work than that, what with rearranging certain sets like the Fangorn ones to make the locations seem bigger than the space they were actually filmed in.

A year before they started shooting anything at the Edoras location, they contacted local farmers and asked them to grow wheat for them, so they would have enough to thatch all the buildings. Because some of the wheat still had seeds, some of them started sprouting during the shooting. I haven't seen it, but apparently there's one shot where you can see a bit of green growing on one of the roofs - unintentional, but it adds an extra element of authenticity to the scene.

They built the indoor stable set close to the mountain where they built Edoras, thinking that surely there would be at least a day or two where the weather wouldn't permit them to shoot at Edoras. But there was no inclement weather the whole time they were shooting there, so they didn't end up needing the stables after all. So they had to break down the stable set and take it all back to Wellington to use later.

To make the rabbits that Gollum hunts, they got rabbit skins and stuffed them with something like gelatin or Turkish delight, so Andy Serkis could get at it with his teeth through a hole in the skin and pull it out like he's eating the guts. I don't think I ever really thought about it before, but I guess I always sort of assumed Andy Serkis was just miming it and they filled it in with CG or something.

They hired a traditional saddle-maker to originally make about 25 saddles for the main actors, thinking they would only need him for that and then let him go. But he ended up working for them full-time to make all the saddles, work on repairs, etc.!

Helm's Deep was the first drawing Alan Lee worked on for the movies, and it was also the first miniature they made.

For Treebeard's leaves, they had to outsource leaves from China to get the right look and shape, but then they weren't the right color, and they couldn't afford to have the factory in China paint them. So there was one guy who spent months hand-painting all the leaves that would go onto Treebeard's body @_@ This is the kind of above-and-beyond work that makes LotR so incredible, I think.

The Forbidden Pool wasn't supposed to be so murky; they designed the bottom of the pool with all of these rocks painted to make it look deeper than it actually was. They had trouble with the water foaming, because there are detergents in paint, so whenever you have water running over a painted surface, you run the risk of the water foaming up. But they ran out of time to figure out how to get the water to flow clean so you could actually see into the bottom :'(

Richard Taylor's least favorite piece of armor was the extra shoulder guards they gave Legolas for Helm's Deep. They wanted to show him also adding some extra armor like the others, but also wanted him to be immediately recognizable in wide shots. Richard Taylor thinks they compromised too much - they should have committed to either more or less. Personally? I never even noticed it was any different ^^'

They were struggling to get the Elf extras to march in time with each other, but what they discovered was that if they told them all to hold their bows exactly upright, the concentration it took to keep the bows in position actually helped them all march in sync with each other! Funny how little things like that work with our brains.

If I understood correctly, that one Uruk at Helm's Deep who screams with a really wide mouth in a close-up is actually an animatronic?! It was the first thing they built and shot for the demo they showed New Line to convince them they could make this project, but actually the last thing they shot for the final version of the movie.

The Uruk crossbows were made from timber that was leftover from some repairs in the workshop XD

Okay, here's a bit of lore that never really comes out in the movie: The berserkers, the Uruks who are first off the ladders (or like the suicide bomber guy carrying the torch to the wall), were designed with the thought that their helmets are filled with human blood before being forced onto their heads, so they'll be filled with bloodlust and be fiercer when they fight.

The greens department was too good at their job! Sometimes, they would dress the set with all the rocks and bits of grass and other things like that to be ready for the shoot, and it would look so natural that when other crewmembers would come in to set up, they would park their trucks and equipment on a part of the set that had been painstakingly dressed for filming!

There was a Gore and Injury team that was responsible for all of the makeup for blood and that kind of thing, and they were all very proud of their jobs. The truck they used to cart all of their buckets of fake blood and slime used to be a fruit and vegetable truck, and it still had the logo on the side that said "Fruity" XD

"We ended up making blood in huge quantities." - excellent out-of-context quote XD

(I feel like I've heard parts of this, but not all of it.) The first battering ram they made for Helm's Deep was way too heavy for stunt guys wearing full armor and also trying to act. But the second battering ram they made was too light! So with the third attempt, they made it lighter with a hollow middle where they could put sandbags to adjust the weight to get it just right. But the sandbags would move around as the ram was lifted, so they had to put barriers ("bulkheads" I think was the word used) inside to keep the sandbags from all bunching up at one end or the other.

Richard Taylor observed that actors and stunt people are actually more dangerous with the rubbery stunt weapons than they are with the real, "hero" weapons. With the sword made out of real metal with a sharp edge, they're cognizant of how dangerous it is, so they're more careful with it. But if you give someone a rubber sword, they'll whack the living daylights out of everybody XD

One of the challenges of using a miniature for the flooding of Isengard is that water doesn't scale very well. Because of water's surface tension and other physics factors, if you shoot water flooding a miniature, it will be immediately obvious that the water is too "big" for the objects it's flooding. So, ironically, they had to put a digital layer of water over the real water they filmed to make it look more realistic.

I can't remember if this was mentioned in the Director/Writer commentary or not, but back when LotR was originally envisioned as two movies, Peter Jackson wanted a dramatic moment with Frodo to end the first movie, and so for a time they floated the idea of one of the Nazgul on a fell beast coming to Amon Hen when Frodo puts the Ring on. John Howe talks about this, and how it's actually not as far from the book as you might originally think, since in the book, Frodo puts on the Ring on the Seat of Seeing and catches a glimpse of some flying creature heading his way. In the book, he takes the Ring off in time so the creature doesn't actually find him, but the idea was to have the Nazgul arrive in the movie. Thankfully, that didn't end up being necessary because they were able to make three movies.

The scene after the battle of Helm's Deep where Legolas and Gimli meet up and figure out who won the competition was John Rhys-Davies' first day on set??? He wasn't used to the prosthetics on his face yet, so he'd sweated a lot and it had become detached and left a weird wrinkle in his forehead. So they had Gino Acevedo, one of the prosthetics people, lying hidden amongst the orc corpses, holding onto a string or something attached to the prosthetic, pulling on it to try to keep it taut against John's forehead. I watch the scene, and I can't even imagine that happening off-screen @_@

In the Flotsam and Jetsam scene, the props guy came up to Dan Hennah before shooting was supposed to start, frantic because the apples weren't floating. Dan was like, "What? No, apples float!" but the guy tossed an apple into the water and it sank. So they hastily tried to come up with a solution, thinking they'd have to core a bunch of apples and stuff them with polyurethane to get them to float. But Dan was still positive that apples floated. So then he grabbed an apple and tossed it into the water...and it floated. And so did the next one, and the next. Eventually, they figured out what the problem was: There were some wax apples among the props that were so lifelike that the prop guy thought they were real apples, but the wax ones were heavy enough that they sank. So they could just use real apples in the scene. But they did have to stuff the turkey with polyurethane so it would float.

They ended up making 139 different versions of Frodo and Sam's packs @_@ They had to make different packs for different stages of the journey, because of weathering and eventually them carrying less and less in the packs as they get to Mordor. Then they had to make twice as many, because they also needed scaled-down versions for the scale doubles.

[stellaris-archivum]

a vampire x vampire hunter au with my valorant oc because my brain is rotting over this idea for the longest time

notes:

self insert, original female character

hunter! oc x vampire! chamber

amihan is 32 years old, vincent (chamber) is about a century old

not beta read

a tentative idea, but it could be changed later on. it's 1am, im tired, but i really want to write this down because it has been CONSUMING ME

possible (very briefly mentioned) vampire hunter lore here that will be explored if i do write it down as a series

amihan can be y/n?????

"A pleasant surprise, good to see you made it in time, chèrie." An impish grin greeted her upon her arrival, his gelled, swept-back hair glistened in the moonlight. "I have been waiting for you."

There's the grin she always loathed, the smooth, suavely voice that she always grinded her gears. For the countless encounters they've had, it almost became a routine. For the hunter and solar sorcerer Amihan Mendoza to find one of the most powerful vampires in Quebec in this specific spot is no lucky chance—their connection was of uncanny circumstances. Fighting through patterns, through repetition, they just found themselves within the vicinity of one another; every other night without fail. Amihan stood within the trees, leaves, tree bark and stems underneath her feet. She scoffed, "You know I wouldn't miss the chance to finally killing you, Vincent."

"Vincent? Please, no need for such formalities." His sharp fangs poked out just enough for her to see as he grinned, standing tall atop a red maple tree. Amihan has always found it odd—no, weird to see the vampire in such a... convoluted type of clothing. It is the 21st century, people wore casual clothing and not, well, whatever Victorian era corpse he stole his outfit from. A lot of the vampires that she had hunted and killed lately were dressed within the century in order to blend in with the crowd but for some reason, Vincent the Vampire simply refused to get with the times. She couldn't really say if it was worse or not, but she absolutely disliked the fact that it actually suited him. Like actually looked good on him. For a vampire as old as he was, Amihan could never imagine anything else in his person other than expensive garments and frilly shirts. "Mon chou, it is rude to stare."

"I'll stare whenever I damn want and however long," she spat, folding her arms unamused. "And how do you want this to start, hm? I believe it's about time you make the first move."

"Dear god, mon chasseur," he snorted, "I am your prey! Do you truly expect that I will make the first move? I may be a savage, yes, but I am also a gentleman. Ladies' first."

"A gentleman or a coward?" Her sharp eyes stared up at him with the same old scowl. Was it growing deeper with the distaste she had for him? Maybe, but she was definitely curious to see if she could get him to move first. "I don't see why you shouldn't make the first move—this is a one-time offer, buddy. I reckon don't waste it."

"Is that a taunt? How cute."

"I'm just saying that if you don't move through your entire character then maybe you're not a true gentleman after all." The hunter shrugs rather dismissively. "Ladies' first, sure. But don't you think it's quite rude to have the woman do all the work? I believe for the 5 months I've hunted your elusive ass, I have done most of the initiating. It's about damn time you do so now, don't you think?" Amihan kept her dull, brown eyes on him. She wanted him to get annoyed, slighted. Out of all the vampires he had hunted, he seems to be the most elusive, most intelligent, and the most eerily humane. Upon observation during their past encounters, this vampire seems to be the only one who was thinking rationally. It wouldn't be too bad to try and take that away from him, right? Startle, confuse, overcome—that was the way to go. Would she win against him this time?

The vampire seemed to think about what she had said though, and he seemed to be a little conflicted. She definitely got him there where she wanted him. There was a stir in his mind, he couldn't care less who initiates and who doesn't; he was just trying to survive! Well, there were a lot of similar individuals in a similar situation as he, but they weren't as fortunate as he was (he did think they were imbeciles for being caught and killed like that and like before, that was not his problem). His only concern was to survive, nothing more, but for the past 5 months he did find the hunter's unrelenting resolve as something that was fascinating. As he was quite the annoying vampire to hunt and as well as the most rational, most hunters have died in the belief that he was like his feral brethren—moving solely to quench their thirst for life. Other hunters had escaped, other hunters found him difficult to contain and had given up trying.

But not Amihan.

Every other day without fail? It was only something Amihan could do. The way that she was the only one to have ever figured out his routine and had been continually meeting him here in this exact same spot, it had caught his attention and interest. His curiosity could only grow and eat him in sorry frustration as she would most likely kill him if he ever came close. What would her blood taste like, how would his skin glide to the shape of her nape? Just the mere thought of it made his mouth water but he was immediately dragged away by her voice, taunting, telling him to come closer...

"Come on," Amihan said in boredom, "Move."

For a second, his rationality slipped at the most crucial moment, finding himself right in front of her, nose touching, breaths mingling—the wind howled coldly through the trees and forests of Quebec as the space between them became occupied in a matter of seconds. His eyes were locked in one spot on her body. The nape—his mouth started to water again, his teeth felt itchy, painfully trying and wanting to sink into her flesh, slowly consumed by the thought of it.

Bite. Drink, drink, drink, drink, drink—

The hunter's victorious grin was such an eerie sight that was immediately forgotten by the sudden, overwhelming pain that flared up his body.

"Dimwit," she said, grinning from ear to ear. "I've finally caught you."

[literallyjustanerd]

Could you do Cody or Fox for the music thing? Thank you 💖

Thanks for the ask!! And for the two excellent choices. I ended up doing both :) I'll list the songs first then share some details below the cut:

Cody:

Holy Grail - Hunters and Collectors

Shelter - Porter Robsinson

Way Out There - Lord Huron

Fox:

Typhoons - Royal Blood

Uprising - Muse

Normalisation Blues - AJJ

Anyone else who wants a 3 song playlist on a character of their choice, please feel free to drop a name in my inbox!

My favourite lyrics from each song and some character rambling below:

Cody:

I love Cody so goddamn much okay he's such a good character for the little we see of him. He's strong but gentle and so scarily competent but he doesn't ask for glory. He's absolutely lethal in a fight but he still tries to end conflict with peace and negotiation wherever he can. He falls so easily into the "big brother" role and gives so much of himself to his brothers without hesitation.

He knows the clones' lot in life and instead of fighting against the inevitable, he puts his strength into fighting for his brothers. The songs I chose (it wasn't an easy choice lol) ended up having a common thread of fighting on despite knowing you'll never have a place in history or be remembered like you should. Because I love to make myself sad about Cody.

Holy Grail - Hunters and Collectors

Started out seeking fortune and glory It's a short song, but it's a hell of a story When you spend your lifetime Trying to get your hands on the holy grail ... I followed orders, God knows where I’ve been But I woke up alone, all my wounds were clean I’m still here I’m still a fool for the holy grail

Shelter - Porter Robinson

When I'm older, I'll be silent beside you I know words won't be enough And they won't need to know our names or our faces But they will carry on for us ... And it's a long way forward, so trust in me I'll give them shelter, like you've done for me

Way Out There - Lord Huron

I'm a long way from the land that I left I've been running through life and cruising toward death If you think that I'm scared, you've got me wrong If you don't know my name, you know it now I belong bodily to the earth I’m just wearing old bones from those who came first There are many more flames when mine is gone They will build me no shrines and sing me no songs

Fox:

Okay I've never really been a Fox girlie but the more I think about him the more I do love exploring his whole deal with being closest to the Chancellor during the war.

Typhoons - Royal Blood

These songs ended up being incredibly angsty and mostly about having your own mind turned against you, inspired by the idea that Fox always had his inhibitor chip slightly active to keep him compliant with Palpatine's orders. Especially when Fox's own free will ran explicitly counter to what he was ordered to do - i.e. shooting down his own brother. I still haven't forgiven him for Fives

The last song is actually about the US, it was released in 2020 about Trump's presidency, but oddly enough I think it fits pretty well in this scenario too lol...

Flashbacks, I’m not letting go Tear me up, cast a shadow I got game face, but it’s all for show Can’t give it up, blow my cover ... My thoughts becoming parasites They live to keep me terrified I tell myself I’ll be alright Typhoons keep on raging, and I don’t know why

Uprising - Muse

Paranoia is in bloom The PR transmissions will resume They’ll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed down And hope that we will never see the truth around Another promise, another scene Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed And all the green belts wrapped around our minds And endless red tape to keep the truth confined

Normalisation Blues - AJJ

I can feel my brain a-changin’, acclimating to the madness I can feel my ourrage shifting into a dull, despondent sadness I can feel a crust growing over my eyes like a falcon hood I’ve got the normalisation blues This isn’t normal, this isn’t good I’m detached and I’m distracted, all keyed up but unproductive Vacillating between being all excited and disgusted And then dozing lackadaisically in this bubble where I’ve made my mental home Connection’s more important now than it ever was, but I’d rather be alone

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: I need to sleep better so bad but I can't fix it I need to slam my head against a wall -Danny Words: 2,979 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

XXII: They Had Us in The First Half, Not Gonna Lie

They walk into the courtyard where there are two massive figures inside an empty reflecting pool. Inside one of the spires, Ara sees Porphyrion, and in the other, they see Hera.

Leo's the first to jump. "Hola, Tía. Little bit of trouble?"

"Don't inspect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!"

Ara's the second to jump in. "Lady Hera, I'm honored. Where's my brother?"

The goddess studies her bandages. "What's the matter, child, you can't hold a third of our fronts without help?"

"We tried everything we could think of, guys," Thalia joins them. "But maybe my heart wasn't in it. If it was up to me, I'd just leave her in there."

"Ohh, Thalia Grace! When I get out of here, you'll be sorry you were ever born."

"Save it! You've been nothing but a curse to every child of Zeus for ages. You sent a bunch of intestinally challenged cows after my friend Annabeth—"

"She was disrespectful!"

"You dropped a statue on my legs."

"It was an accident!"

"And you took my brother! Here—on this spot. You ruined our lives. We should leave you to Gaea!"

"What if you set the cage on fire, Leo? That ought to work way one or another," Ara suggests since the poles that assemble the goddess's cage are made of branches.

"Hey," Jason moves closer. "Girls, this isn't the time to yell at Hera. Thalia, you should help your Hunters."

"Fine," she throws one last murderous glare at Hera before standing. "For you, Jason. But if you ask me, she isn't worth it."

When she goes away, Leo looks between Ara and Hera with a raised eyebrow. "Intestinally challenged cows?"

"Focus on the cage, Leo," Hera scowls. "And Jason—you are wiser than your sister. I chose my champion well."

"I'm not your champion, lady. I'm only helping you because you stole my memories and you're better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what's going on with that?"

"That, Jason," Hera says grimly, "is the king of the giants being reborn."

"Gross," Piper mutters.

"Indeed. Porphyrion, the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again—my power. For weeks I've grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form."

"So you're like a heat lamp," Leo muses. "Or fertilizer."

"Joke all you wish," Hera hisses. "But at sundown, it will be too late. The giant will awake. He will offer me a choice: marry him, or be consumed by the earth. And I cannot marry him. We will all be destroyed. And as we die, Gaea will awaken."

"Fun!" Ara leans closer. "So is there any way you can help me heal faster?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Hera huffs.

"And can't we blow it up or something?" Leo points at the giant over his shoulder.

"Without me, you do not have the power," Hera responds. "You might as well try to destroy a mountain."

"Done that once today," Jason shrugs.

"Show off," Ara takes off her cloak and unwraps her bandages.

"Just hurry up and let me out!"

Jason sighs. "Leo, can you do it?"

"I don't know. Besides, if she's a goddess, why hasn't she busted herself out?"

Hera might not be strong enough to release herself but she's got enough energy to scold them. "Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I picked you because you're intelligent. Once trapped, a god's power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg—beg him for my freedom and apologize for throwing him off Olympus."

"Sounds fair."

"I've watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this abomination, it is you."

"But it's not a machine! It's like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and... Hold on. I do have an idea. Piper, I'm going to need your help. And we're going to need time."

"Leave that to me," Ara winks at him and releases her arm, then gets closer to the cage. "Alright, Lady, can you please reboot my arm to its factory settings?"

Hera barely manages to step half an inch closer when the enemy storms into the room. Venti horses, Lycan's wolves, and the Earthborn are all ready to rip them apart limb by limb. A wolf drops a frozen girl at the edge of the pool.

"Thalia!" Jason gasps.

As soon as the statue touches the ground, everything around it freezes as well, so Leo and Piper have to hold Jason back. "Who did this?" He asks in outrage. "I'll kill you myself!"

A girl laughs at the very back of the group. "Bon soir, mes amis. Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have." 

"Oh great, it's the nepobaby..." Ara mutters.

"What've you done?" Jason demands.

"Oh, so many things! Your sister's not dead, if that's what you mean. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we'd defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let them be the prey for once." The creatures growl. 

"Yes, my dears... Your sister almost killed their king, you know. Lycaon's off in a cave somewhere, no doubt licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master. And soon Porphyrion will arise, and we shall rule the world."

"Traitor!" Hera hisses. "You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world."

"Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I've been wanting to shut you up for millennia," With a flick of Khione's wrist, the cage gets covered in ice.

"No!" Ara pokes the ice trying to break through, but it's too thick.

"That's better. Now, demigods, about your death—"

"You're the one who tricked Hera into coming here," Jason interrupts her. "You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus."

Ara tries to break through the frost, but the spaces between the branches are thin and the ice is pure white, which means is dense. "Leo, give me a hammer," she urges him.

He rummages inside his tool belt and hands her a chisel. "That'll work better."

Piper and Leo close in front of her so Khione can't see what she's doing, it's the one time Ara's thankful to be short. As she works, the girl listens to the conversation happening in front of her.

"...The ancient places, that's what Enceladus meant about destroy the roots of the gods. He meant Greece."

As if that's not the craziest statement she's heard this week, Khione adds one of her own. 

"You could join me, son of Hephaestus. I know you find me beautiful. It would be enough for my plan if these other three were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion, instead. Your skills would be quite useful."

Leo bursts out laughing. "Yeah, join you... Right. Until you get bored of me and turn me into a Leosicle? Lady, nobody messes with my dragon and gets away with it. I can't believe I thought you were hot."

"Hot?" The young goddess asks shakily. "You dare insult me? I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold."

She tries to attack but Leo's a second ahead. He creates a wall of fire between them. "See, lady, that's what happens to snow in Texas. It—freaking—melts."

Ara strikes the ice as hard as she can and creates a gap. Hera peers through it. "Get closer, child!"

The girl presses her back against the cage, ripping the remains of her sleeve so Hera can touch her skin. A sharp pain spreads across her back and down her left arm. "It's healing!" She whispers in a strangled voice. "This sucks!"

"Stay still!" Hera orders.

"Enough of this!" Khione's annoyed, but not scared. "Hera is failing. Porphyrion is rising. Kill the demigods. Let them be our king's first meal!"

Ara's arm doesn't stop hurting, but now it's tolerable, like a pulled muscle. The Lichtenberg formations remain on her skin, Hera's not strong enough to heal her fully. "Thanks!" 

The girl picks up her cloak and puts it on, draws her sword out, and charges into battle. Even if it wasn't all of her power, Hera's healing restores Artemis' blessing and Ara in a way no amount of nectar and ambrosia could've achieved.

Jason has tamed a venti horse and is riding through the crowd of monsters. Piper's battling the Earthborn, but they don't put much of a fight, too distracted by how pretty she looks while killing them. Leo's fighting Khione, but if anyone can hold their own against her, that's him. 

Ara charges against the nearly impossible-to-kill wolves. "Hey, Ken!" She calls after Jason. "Hand me a few of those arrows your venti has in its mane!"

Jason picks out three and passes them to her. "But you don't have a—"

"I do!" Ara replies. She's starting to understand the way her compass works.

While Jason beats the wolves with a piece of wood, Ara presses on the alpha of her sword twice. She's now holding a bronze and gold bow, and she uses it to the best of her abilities, more arrows fall from the vanishing venti and she picks them on the go.

Jason and her are a whirlwind of purple and orange, and in no time, their enemies are all slaughtered with the exception of Khione. Ara grabs two arrows and points them at the goddess, normally, she would consider herself lucky to know which end is the pointy one, but Artemis is really coming through with the blessing.

"You're too late," the goddess snarls. "He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work. You'll be at each other's throats before you can ever stop us."

Leo throws flaming hammers at the goddess at the same time Ara shoots, Khione turns to snow before their eyes and Leo clicks his tongue like she's an annoying fly he missed. "Is that Almighty?" He points at her bow.

Ara turns back into a sword. "Had this thing for a whole year, and I just discovered it can do that. Can you believe it?"

Piper approaches Jason and smiles. "Nice horse." The creature stands on its hind legs. Ara steps away from it, not wanting to get hit by lightning a second time.

"Oh, don't mind me!" Hera shatters the ice around her cage. "Just the queen of the heavens, dying over here!"

Ara's no longer glowing, but she's still in good shape, so she smiles. "We're on it, Lady, don't get cranky."

"Uh, Tía Callida, are you getting shorter?" Leo jumps back to the pool and examines the inside of the cage.

"No, you dolt! The earth is claiming me. Hurry! The giant wakes!" Hera urges them. "You only have seconds!"

"On it. Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage."

"What?"

"Talk to it. Use everything you've got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I—" 

"Right! Hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I'm tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?"

While they get to work, Ara approaches the giant and crouches, poking his shoulder with the tip of her sword. 

"Don't taunt him!" Hera scolds her.

"I was just checking—!" Porphyrion busts out of his enclosure, crawling out at an alarming speed. Ara chokes out the rest of her words. "H-He's awake..."

"Get away from him!" Jason shouts.

Ara stumbles back with her sword up, but she doesn't know where to point, he's covered in armor. 

"Alive! Praise to Gaea!" His eyes are milky white, but Ara's certain he can see everything.

"You'll be dead soon, thank the gods!" Ara taunts him.

The giant looks at her. "Bold! And who are you?"

Ara opens her mouth to claim "I'm the daughter of Olympus!", but the only thing that comes out is: "Uhhh..."

"Giant!" Jason stands next to her.

"Excellent, there are two of you!" Porphyrion exclaims. "What an appetizer! Who are you—Hermes? Ares?"

"I'm Jason Grace," the boy announces. "Son of Jupiter. This is Ara Jackson, the child of Olympus."

Porphyrion cackles. "Outstanding!" He looks up. "So, Zeus, you sacrifice your son and an infant godling to me? The gesture is appreciated, but it will not save you."

Ara and Jason share a look, there's only so much they can do, and the more anxious she gets, the more her left shoulder pulses, reminding her she is not as invincible as she feels. 

Jason nods once. We have no choice.

"If you knew who we were," he speaks, "you'd be worried about us, not our parents. I hope you enjoyed your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because we're going to send you right back to Tartarus."

Porphyrion supports one hand on his knee to look at them closer. "So... we'll start by boasting, will we? Just like old times! Very well, demigod. I am Porphryion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tatarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus's queen. Hello, Hera."

"My husband destroyed you once, monster! He'll do it again!"

"But he didn't, my dear! Zeus wasn't powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth—and we will destroy you at the roots."

"You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, yes. The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees—your eldest roots torn out and burned."

"You said a demigod killed you," Jason raises his voice. "How, if we're so puny?"

"Ha! You think I would explain it to you? I was created to be Zeus's replacement, born to destroy the lord of the sky. I shall take his throne. I shall take his wife—or, if she will not have me, I will let the earth consume her life force. What you see before you, child, is only my weakened form. I will grow stronger by the hour, until I am invincible. But I am already quite capable of smashing you to a grease spot!"

"We don't need you to tell us," Ara lifts her sword again. "We're perfectly capable of coming up with a new method."

"Be my guest, little godling," he summons a spear from the ground, slams his foot, and the monsters they had spent the last twenty minutes killing are all brought back to life. 

Ara curses, and then she prays, but instead of reaching out to pros like Ares, or Zeus, she talks to her mother. "I still have love for Olympus, Mother, would be nice if you did something with that..."

"So, child of Zeus!" The giant slams his spear against an already destroyed chimney just to intimidate them further. "I have finished my boasting. Now it's your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?"

"I'm the son of Jupiter!" Jason lifts himself off the ground by a few inches. "I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion—I slew the Trojan sea monster, I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed the Titan Krios with my own hands. And now I'm going to destroy you, Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."

A roar is heard at the entrance of the house and Ara whirls around in shock: The Nemean lion tackles the wolves and tosses them out of the way as he runs to meet her. She goes to him, and the lion drops and rolls on his belly when he sees her. 

"It's you! Get up, baby, I have a new chew toy for you..." She climbs the lion's back and the animal rises, growling at Porphyrion. 

The giant snarls at him, lifting his spear. Jason jumps with no weapon in hand and clings to the giant's enormous arm, reaching for one of the weapons stuck in his dreadlocks, and stabbing his ear with it. "For Rome!"

Ara leans closer to the lion's ear and pats his head. "The more memories he recovers, the more he sounds like a dork, don't you think?"

Lightning hits Porphyrion as Jason jumps and rolls away before he can get stomped. Ara kicks the lion with her heel and he leaps, slashing and biting off the giant's armor. Porphyrion falls, trying to push the animal away.

While the lion attacks like crazy, Ara does a backflip and lands on solid ground. She can almost hear Lily scolding her about the damage done to her ankles and knees. The girl slashes clay monsters one by one as she runs to where Piper and Leo are.

"No!" Porphyrion grabs the lion from the neck like a badly behaved kitten. "You want to play dirty, godling? You want to use lightning, boy? You forget. I am the bane of Zeus. I was created to destroy your father, which means I know exactly what will kill you!"

"You're nothing but a knock-off!" Ara shouts. Her lion comes to the rescue now that the wolves are trying to eat her. "And we know your weakness!"

"Got it!" Leo shouts.

"Sleep!" Piper exclaims, and the cage crumbles down.

"Yes!" Hera gets out of her enclosure, grows in size, and glows brighter. "Now I shall have my revenge!"

Porphyrion slams his spear against the ground and disappears into thin air while the air charges with power. Hera's ready to finish this off. "Cover your eyes, my heroes!"

Ara hugs the lion and closes her eyes. She doesn't know if this will kill him, he's a type of monster after all, but she hopes Hera will spare him. The Nemean lion is a gift from her mother, and Ara intends to keep it.

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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[semi-imaginary-place]

fe3h maddening thoughts on builds and advice

As a Maddening player I think Hard is better balanced, it is the difficulty the game was designed for. In Maddening the disparity between different builds grow so that only a few builds are optimal (which is why I like played suboptimal builds) where as in Hard there's a variety of builds that are similarly good.

Some general tips are that many units will be too weak to 1 round enemies on their own so you will need to gang up on them. First strike from out of range then finish them so they can't counter attack, taking down the enemy without taking damage. In general on maddening just don't get hit aka avoid engagements that will result in your units taking damage, so movement and positioning is key. A common strategy is to bait out enemies 1 or 2 at a time with a dodgetank. Defense tanks dont do as well between the high might and poisonstrike on maddening, they are still useful and can take a hit just not as as invincible as on hard.

In terms of builds think about how abilities work together. Might is the most important thing in maddening as enemy stats are high and you need to break through that so thinks like relics and combat arts become even more important. Might is the reason we joke that maddening is just hunter's volley and wyvern lords because those are 2 of the most useful classes for their might, I advise you to choose builds that are the most fun for you, you don't need optimal to beat maddening. Battations are critical as they can boost might by like 8 or hit by 30 or avoid by 20, absolute game changers and the keystones to builds. Swords and sword classes aren't as good for the same reason, they're just too low might so one some characters you'll do 0 damage. Not saying don't use them but be aware.

I think there's a difference between a good build and a fun one. A good build is confined by notions of efficiency and cost benefit analysis like in investing in this unit what are you sacrificing for other units, while with fun ideas you can just take an idea and run with it even if bad. I talk a lot about optimized gameplay but sometimes optimized isn't fun and you should do what you want and what is fun ultimately. You can totally play maddening with non-optimal units, it's the only way I play these days.

Every unit is viable in any class in maddening, its just a matter of how hard you want things to be for yourself. There's a lot more that is feasible in maddening than most people think. I've done mage Dimitri, he is not the worst mage in the game. Worst might be Petra, 0x0 is still 0 and then she dies in 1 attack (good ol maddening). Dimitri's got enough stats to be not useless I'd be more worried about mage Dedue, who I've also run on maddening and who is very bad. As someone who plays every unit in every class on maddening I can say that every unit is viable in every class, like it is possible to beat maddening with any class combination but uh some will make your life much harder and it sound like you are going down one of the more medium difficulty paths. In the end, do what you want and what sound fun.

That's what I love about fe3h is what while the game give some guidelines to help you out when starting to make builds, ultimately you can make anyone almost anything. I love how sandbox-y this game is, great replay value. For my first 3 routes i did no recruits and didn't use the free recruits, for SS I used only Church units, and for these first 3.5 playthroughs I stayed with more or less the unit's intended class progressions. After that I started recruiting and support collecting and for class choice I started playing around with how that would in narrative have affected the character. And this is why I prefer 3H! Where else am I going to get the mage in the heavy armor and axe class and wielding a bow. Note to anyone wondering if this is a good build, it's not but that's what makes it fun.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Lil Coding hates being confined to a single gender,, and then I rewatched the scene from SAO Abridged,, and I got an idea lol,,

Basic plot of this is that Lil Coding accidentally gets roped into protecting a little girl from bounty hunters because of her magical singing voice!

○●○

"And to top it all off, you play the "tough guy." This invincible warrior, you could never hope to be in the real world." The bounty hunteress smirks at Lil Coding. "Getting stuck in this chase was probably the best thing to ever happen to you. But there's one thing this little game will never let you hide. The one thing that's haunted you your whole life, that you can never escape... you sound like a girl."

"What? No, I don't sound like a girl." Lil Coding laughs, though his pupils quickly shrink to pinpricks. "That's crazy! THAT'S CRAZY!"

Lily took a few steps back, watching as her protector for the last several hours devolved into insane laughter and a manic grin spread on his face.

"Well, it looks like my work here is done. I do so enjoy our chats, but I really must be off." Azura, the bounty huntress, held her hand. "We'll be taking the little girl now, if you don't mind."

"Really? Little old you is going to take her from me?!" Lil Coding cackles, deranged as he tilts his head. "That'd be a neat trick!"

"Indeed. But a magician is nothing without her lovely assistants." Azura smirks as she snaps her fingers, and several thugs working for her stepped out from behind the trees. They all brandished weapons that made Lily flinch.

"Oh no, Mr. Coding. There's so many of them! We should run!" Lily frets, the young girl looking up at him. Though she quickly shrinks back as Lil Coding looks down at her, still maniacally grinning and derangedly laughing.

"Aw, that's adorable. You think they're a threat! Well, you just sit tight. Show's about to start!" Lil Coding pats her head, body shaking from fury. "Careful, though. The first three rows are a ♪ splash zone! ♪"

"What do you mean by that...?" Lily asks, shuffling back a few feet as Lil Coding advances forward towards the bounty huntress and her thugs.

"Um, boss? A... A thought occurs." one of the thugs frowns, watching as Lil Coding summons a spear, all while laughing maniacally. "This kid thought he was going up against the elite of Rosen Stringer, but he still just brought himself and a... small child. We sure we wanna mess with this kid?"

"Please! The boy's all talk! And now that I've broken him, he's not even that anymore!" Azura shakes her head with a smirk. "He's nothing but a gibbering mess, grasping at straws!"

"Ooo, another one of your famous theories!" Lil Coding's grin somehow grows wider. "Tell you what. I'll give you the first shot. See how that goes!"

Everyone stood in stunned silence for a moment before one of the thugs turned to look at Azura. "Boss, I think this might be a trap."

"Enough! You're all grown men, and there's seven of you!" Azura growls and points her sword at Lil Coding. "I think you've got this! Now, kill him!"

The seven thugs rushed at Lil Coding, and it stood there, not moving as they began to assault it with their sharp weapons. Lily gasps as she watches, hiding behind a tree.

Oh no! I knew it! Azura really got inside his head! He's not even fighting back! Lily thought to herself, gripping the bark of the tree. What am I going to-

She blinks in surprise, seeing all of the injuries it had suddenly vanish.

"Wait, what?" Lily gasps, shock taking over her.

"Man, you guys are out of shape. Really oughta do some cardio." Lil Coding taunts, raising its eyebrows.

The seven thugs formed a circle around it, all panting and clutching their weapons. "What are you idiots doing?! Quit screwing around and finish him!" Azura shouts at them, narrowing her eyes.

"I don't understand! We threw everything we had at him! How is he still standing?!" another thug shouts, throwing up a hand as he stares at Lil Coding.

"How? Well, it's quite simple, really. You see, GIRLY, you may think you got me all figured out." Lil Coding shakes their head, still maniacally grinning. "But there's one thing you didn't account for. My power.. is greater than yours!"

It slashes the spear it holds against the air, and chains appear over the weapons of the thugs, rendering them useless. Everyone gasps, eyes going wide.

"Funny thing, really, get to a high enough power level, and you're basically untouchable! My wounds heal faster than you can make them." Lil Coding tilts its head, pinprick pupils shaking. "We could do this all day, and you would not be any closer to beating me. Not that it wouldn't be fun. But I've got good news. You see, there's no need to wonder where your little angel is! 'Cause he's right here... "

"...and he's fresh outta mercy." Lil Coding finishes in a whisper, looking at the seven thugs. It was quiet before one of them started to weep softly, making the Code's tail thrash around.

"W-Well, way to prove my point, kid! Lording your powers over them like some kind of god!" Azura clenches her teeth. "Your strength is nothing but an illusion to cover-"

Lil Coding suddenly shot forward, and they placed the tip of their spear at her throat. She gasps and goes rigid, whilst all the thugs stare in shock, and Lily stares in awe.

"I'm getting really tired of your first-year-psych-student bullshit." Lil Coding whispers, eyes narrowing to a glare. "Here's what's gonna happen. You and your little ragtag band of dipshits are gonna drop all your weapons and leave."

Slowly, they press the spear against her neck, drawing blood. "And you're gonna leave Lily and I alone for the rest of our way home! Unless you want to see what happens when I don't let people go."

Azura is quiet but she slowly backs away, staring at the Code with wide eyes. She does a quick motion towards the thugs and they all begin to retreat.

Lil Coding watches, eyes trained on them the whole time until they're finally out of sight. In a flash, their demeanor changes, and they walk back over to Lily, his spear vanishing.

"Sooooo.. how are you doing?" Lily asks as she slowly steps out from behind the tree.

"Great! Why do you ask?" The Code smiles at her.

"It looked like you just had a mental break.." the young girl points out, frowning.

"Nah, I'm good!" Lil Coding chuckles. "Let's continue onwards, yeah?"

Lily stares before nodding with a smile and a sigh. "Okay!"

[the-firebird69]

Hunter Biden verdict: Biden vows to respect jury's decision - BBC News

I did not rule out pardoning him and I did not say that I accepted the jury decision I said I respected the course but we are going to appeal and if they don't and they convict him I'm going to pardon him and you've wasted this time and expose yourself and really what you're doing down there is evil and violation of all of our laws these guys are ripping you off and it looks like you're letting them you think it's a small ones and they're down below who the f*** are you to make that decision and he says it they're looking for like only a bunch of them and they want to make devices but they don't make bombs out of them that's the max don't make bombs out of them that would be you idiots and they're asking what they make them into and who gives a s*** for telling you you're so stupid. Then again they probably make a few bombs and threaten everybody and you think it's for you. You're stupid my grandson is in trouble you can't even get three shovelfuls of dirt out he knows how to do that all the stuff and he told you and everybody else knows how to do it and you say it's not how and you can't do it it's not stands property he has no choice in the town has to maintain it and they're not and he can sue them if they roll up and so you can't do it as a matter of fact he's not he wouldn't listen to him they get into a fight and they get arrested for doing it he's not worried about that he's going to sit there and watch it and watch you melt away cuz we're going to come down there and kick your ass. And leave Justin alone you stupid f*****. What you've done is criminal you know about it and you can't do anything about it and you all know about it and you're not doing it God damn thing you don't see you watching the train or anything you're f****** stupid Trump wants to blow the world up thinking that he hit the devices he doesn't know where they are they're not going to keep them shower well this makes sense he wants to hit the devices what do you think that is stupid. You idiot swine and you can't hit the things cuz you blow everything up including yourself. So you think it's a threat and you're using it on everyone what he says is I'm going around and taking tons of them all over the world with the worm and there's nothing you can do except force it I'm going to get out of here he's a huge criminal that you let out and you have no f****** idea what you're doing and the max are going to be under arrest no they are I've never seen anybody do what they're doing and you won't shut your f****** mouths cuz you're f****** idiots

Biden

This is not funny this conversation. But yeah we have to make the world safe we've got a whole bunch of clusters in and practically nobody noticed we've got a huge number of clusters in as a matter of fact we have practically all of them this was one of the toughest areas but because of Tommy F we cleared it out pretty good what's the big ones are out you set the small ones off her son will grow and you'll die. Now you have no idea if it's us or not and it might be the cleanse clan people and you go talk to Ken and you have no clue what you're saying and they might have Saturn and they're forcing it but you have no idea if that's true but without you we've been doing it a lot of it is with the worm then you go and try to harness it and use you as a scapegoat or go between because we have to bust in some bunkers they haven't even found where they're keeping some in the Sahara you losers

Now we say that we're doing that and we mean it we can't let you blow your ass off this dumb f****** a****** Trump is going to try and do it cuz he doesn't believe us

Thor Freya

I guess there's a time and a place for it and now's the Time I've been critically injured and I don't know what I'm talking about he said he got a cool off and go to the Betty Ford clinic and I can't at least won't let me they were tied into this idiot session it's gross and it was worse than I ever thought the meeting was terrible most of these idiots can't even speak and I don't want to talk about garth is this little more on Leroy he can't formulate a sentence he's been injured so many times it's gross he really is awful and just a mean son of a b**** and we're mean and stupid I'm going to take that f****** thing out myself won't make a huge difference and he noticed it it happens to do with a weird drains out it's probably four shovels of dirt can you imagine how frustrating that would be if we cared and we're starting to cuz people are so stupid and mean that's what he's been saying you're not doing the job at all and you can't throw something and you can't figure out why if you're in the French Resistance you get someone half a loaf of bread because that's what you can get you don't go around saying I'm getting the whole world and if you get nothing that way that you're not having a resistance you having a little f****** f**** fight. I agree with that too that's what we're doing just running off with all the bread and it goes bad I want to hand some stuff out and I couldn't so I can't find someone else doing something else they're all attacks in the pseudo empires this blows

Trump to my job and take it out we're not we don't care about you Stan in this particular case we can take that whole thing out and it's the town property of city property so you can f*** off

What a little weasel you are stan you're f****** weasel. They're going to die cuz I'm actually going to kill you they have Tommy F take your brain out and you want to sit here and quibble about three shovelfuls of dirt because you're a petty piece of nothing

Zues Hera

Really after you stand really I want that shoveled out cuz I can't stand hearing it and he says wow you are an amazing liar look how you got that one lie out there it's really really not about power at all it's about you being stupid and easily taking advantage of... Yeah starting to see something we got hit and we're really dumb and people are sick of that s*** look how he believes the LIE it is passive aggressive and he secretive and he's stealthy like George used to be and he's killing tons of people piles and piles of us will be outside the city right limits today and my clones are hard to hear hear it all they have a stupid s*** for love under attack by this a****** it won't take three shovelfuls of dirt out cuz he's threatening to get me with it I don't even know it I say cuz I don't

Tommy f

What we have here is a frog pile in a blender and we need to stop these people by getting in here and f****** them up permanently and he was right there's really not much of a solution anymore except a hammer on them

Thor Freya

Olympus

[delusion-of-negation]

cruel people will quite often be able to put you in a bad situation, pressure you, even make you say and do certain things, then further demonise those, and use those as proof that you're the asshole. as much as sometimes i want to just air all the dirty laundry and manipulation and yelling at me and threatening and so forth that led up to me having the audacity to call somebody a cunt and/or just agree to let the person frame a situation their way because it's way too much effort to keep arguing, i generally don't do that, because ultimately you're arguing against the person who had months or years clear-headed and calm to make something up, while aware of the real situation and therefore preemptively able to predict responses you'd have. they do have the upper hand.

it haunts me a little, watching lies and inaccuracies in the stories go unchallenged, only to spiral into far more malicious things, to people telling me to kms, threatening me, various kinds of harassment, etc. it sometimes upsets me how, even if people were one day to grow past what they've done to me, there is always going to be that "actually when i did it to the freak, that was okay, they deserved it", and nobody intends to ever even say "sorry that happened, you shouldn't have had to go through this on top of the crap you already had on your plate" - i'm not really a person who wants your guilt or your self-blame, just understanding and ending the pain you caused, but good-nature doesn't get you very far in this bullshit.

and i've had a realisation, because hunter (who i've spoken to a couple times, he gave me some advice during bad periods) was just nearly killed by his gf's ex in a shooting, and watching people harass him to make fun of him while he's at his lowest has driven home that absolutely no level of pain somebody has experienced will be enough to make people say "i'm being cruel here" to somebody they hate this much. when i heard about what happened, all i could think was "fucking hell, i hope he's okay", but people have constantly been spamming him mocking him, even before the blood dried in the hallway, and he isn't a crappy guy, he hasn't done anything notably bad, in years all he's done is refute the transphobia and all that shit he used to promote, but the right and the groypers hate that so seeing him covered in his gf's blood while their attacker shoots himself in front of them is funny ig (and i mean seeing, there's a video).

so the understandable thought that if one makes a suffering visible enough, eventually the assholes in their life will care about it has come face to face so suddenly with the most extreme possible evidence that that's never ever going to be the case. people sometimes don't want to watch the world burn, but want to watch you specifically burn, and they fully feel justified in that mentality, and the more you do burn the more they laugh and the deeper they go in justifying it because eventually there's no going far back enough without having to face some real dark truths about what you're capable of. the lie, the idea you must deserve it, has to be believed by others at least, but likely by themselves too, and it seemed to be counter-intuitive initially that the more pain you experience the less they'll care, but that's actually a completely unavoidable reality. i spent so long just wanting to be heard out and seen and cared for, but finally i understand that there's no way out of this.

i don't like comparing things, there's stuff i've gone through recently and historically that you could say was better or worse than other stuff, but ultimately what i'm saying isn't "i feel as hurt as the guy who's life nearly just horribly ended", it's "i saw someone i care about go through hell, then get mocked for it, i related to that, and am concerned for both of us". it could be similar - a guy attempted to murder me, it fucked me up, and then people used it to hurt more after. and while i don't know hunter very well, it still sucks seeing someone who helped you lots covered in blood and then made fun of for it. and i can't help relating to the helpless anger he must be feeling. a youtuber criticised him for arguing with them when everything went down, instead of logging off to get time to process, but i get why hunter did that, why naturally you want to believe you can make people care if you just present your case and pain to them.

[captains-simp]

Carol Danvers ~ Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Chapter 1: Audacity

The bounty of a lifetime isn't one you're about to turn down, despite the life threatening challenges and rivals. The most irritating of which is an intergalactic superhero who becomes insistent on aiding you, whether you like it or not

Two

[ masterlist ]

Buy me a coffee ☕

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"For the hundredth time, I don't know where he is! Either buy something or go someplace else."

Fuck, another dead end.

You searched the bartender's irritated eyes for any trace of a lie, already knowing you wouldn't find any but still holding onto a glimmer of hope you would catch a trace of something.

Nothing.

What had hope ever gotten you anyway?

"Just some Asgardian ale." You muttered. You really shouldn't have been buying such an expensive drink. Not to mention wouldn't be able to have much of it due to your plans of not passing out drunk that night. But you were just as frustrated and tired as the bartender.

A break could help. You lied.

You paid the bartender and tried to ignore the harsh feeling of regret already being planted in your gut. At least the alcohol would get rid of that - before it got worse.

Taking the glass, you dragged yourself to the back of the bar towards the corner you thought you wouldn't be disturbed in. That was usually the kind of environment you had your best ideas and tactics planned. The noise stopped your mind from wandering and the low level allowed you to concentrate. Even the slight buzz of the alcohol had its advantages.

But there was no success that night.

The bartender knew nothing. He was your final lead who would corporate with you. The next person you visited would be far less welcoming.

You had known that would happen when you accepted the job. It was going to be the hardest one you ever did, and the most rewarding. You had to keep reminding yourself that.

You're going to make a lot of enemies. You warned yourself for the hundredth time that week. It was true, you would. The number of people you could trust would plummet. You would have your own hit on your head. Was that really something you were prepared for?

I already have. Nothing will change. I've prepared for this. This is the bounty of a lifetime.

You were staring into your glass when she sat down. Her blonde locks were a blur in your peripheral, a momentary distraction from the recognisable colours of her suit.

It was hard to comprehend it for a second. She had arrived so suddenly and caught you unaware. Something you weren't familiar with. It was unnerving.

You sat upright and met her studious gaze. She was watching you carefully, as though trying to get a read on you. You did the same.

You had always wondered, maybe even hoped, that you would meet her. You were in two different lines of business but it wasn't like you hadn't crossed paths with heros before. There was usually some kind of mutual understanding, even some respect. You were quick to learn there wouldn't be any of that from her - not in that bar.

"Y/l/n." Carol stated, as though the pair of you were already acquainted. But it was far from a warm greeting.

Part of you wondered if you had done something illegal in your last job. Usually things like that were never dealt with, no one had the time to be chasing around bounty hunters when they were practically always on the move (and you saved the authorities a lot of trouble).

"Danvers." You replied. Both of you maintaining your stoic expressions.

"Captain Danvers." She corrected. You didn't acknowledge that and made no effort to correct yourself, wondering if it would damage that ego you had heard so much about, so she continued. "I've heard you have some information that could be of interest." She said. You didn't like where that was going. "What do you know about Daexire?" Fuck all. "Working progress." She quipped an eyebrow at that and waited for you to elaborate. You hoped she would be quick to catch on that you weren't much of a talker and that you had no interest in letting her swoop in to take your bounty.

"Do you know where he is?" God, no.

You breathed deeply through your nose before you leant forward onto your arms and flicked the side of your glass. The sound carried between you for a brief moment.

"Do you really think I would be sat here if I did?" Carol's eyes flicked down to the liquid in your glass, took in your outfit then finally returned to your slightly narrowed eyes.

"I wouldn't be surprised." You put a lid on the anger starting to replace the regret in your guts.

You were about to assure her that wasn't what you did, that whoever had told her about you didn't know you at all. She started talking again before you could, not picking up on - or maybe just not acknowledging - the trace of annoyance that may have slipped. You blamed the alcohol for that.

"Do you know anyone who does?" You did. That was a long list you were working through. Daexire was a famous man. But he was also a feared and respected one. Both were hard to overcome.

"I don't." Had it been another bounty and another hero, you would have told them. However a bounty like it wouldn't come up again, it was what you needed to escape that life you had forced yourself into. And Carol's complete disregard of your capabilites was definetly something that was going to encourage you. Maybe your pride was a little fragile.

Carol narrowed her eyes at you for longer than you were comfortable with, because you both knew she didn't believe you. You also both knew that you wouldn't tell her anything different. Yet she persisted.

"Daexire is a powerful man. He abuses that power and will continue to do so until he's stopped." The seriousness of her voice had a small voice in the back of your head urge you to tell her what she needed to know. She was right. Daexire was powerful, and so was Carol. But you knew what you were doing too.

"So I hear." Was all you said as your eyes stayed fixed on hers.

"This is serious, y/l/n." Carol warned.

"So I hear." Her jaw clenched firmly at that. You were glad to see you had gained the upper hand in some way. It certainly encouraged you.

"You're in way over your head with Daexire." It was your turn to clench your jaw. She didn't even give you the benefit of the doubt.

"And what makes you think you're not?"

Without a word, Carol held her arm out at her side and aimed her fist at an area over your shoulder. Swirls of yellow light flowed around her fist with spikes of blue and red among it.

There was no time to admire the lightshow. A blast of energy left her fist and fired across the bar, sending everyone into panic.

Everyone ducked down to avoid the blast and it's damage but you weren't focused on them, or even the photon blast. Sure, it was a little close for comfort, but Carol wouldn't hurt you. That you were certain of.

"You want to distract Daexire with a lightshow?" You quipped, feigning disinterest. Carol was far from pleased with that.

"You're going to get yourself killed trying to capture him." She no longer held herself back, set on saying something to make you second guess your stubborness. "Just tell me who can lead me to him and it will all be over so much quicker." Carol was growing impatient and didn't try to hide it, or perhaps she was unable to. You had been taking the piss more than anyone had in a long time.

"I can handle myself and I can handle Daexire." Your confidence in your knowledge and abilities had never failed you before.

You downed the Asgardian ale in one before Carol could get another word in. Embracing the instant, electrifying burn of the alcohol, you stood up from your seat and left the bar without looking back at Captain Marvel.

* * *

"I don't know anything." He was lying through his teeth, which were currently tainted a light red from the blood in his mouth.

Just as you had guessed, your visit wasn't welcome. The moment he opened the door to you he tried to slam it in your face upon recognition, instantly attempting to flee through the back door. He had put up a fight when you caught him - a surprisingly long one - that had ended with him tired to his own chair while you looked around the house and asked him questions.

You found nothing. You knew Daexire never liked having a paper trail of his work, but you would be kicking yourself if you didn't try.

"What was the last thing you designed for him?" You asked as your eyes wondered across the mantelpiece.

The man, Owen, was renowned for his weapons. They weren't exactly your style, but you had seen enough close up demonstrations of those weapons to know they were efficient to say the least.

They were all overtly large and had a hell of a kick to them (and must be a joy to try out) not to mention the most expensive weapons on the black market. So it was no surprise there had been countless rumours that Owen had designed one or two things special for Daexire. Whether it was a spineless ass-kissing attempt, a try for an alliance or just fear of being on Daexire's bad side, you weren't sure.

"Nothing. I've never had any business with him." You didn't have to turn around to know he was lying. Having him in your peripheral was enough.

"You're not getting out of that chair until I'm satisfied with what you tell me." You said, eyeing the figurine of an old fashioned Earth car.

"I have nothing else to say." Owen scowled.

"Maybe we could have a chat instead?" You spun around at the sound of the cocky voice.

Carol met you with an arrogant smirk at the sight of your confusion, wanting to know how she had snuck up on you without you noticing...again!

You watched her in annoyance as she strolled across the room towards Owen.

"Seems like you do know people who can help, y/l/n."

"Must have slipped my mind." Not bothering to conceal the lie. Carol hummed in response and trailed her focus back to Owen.

"Daexire. Where is he?" Carol demanded in a no-bullshit tone. You watched Owen  carefully, curious to see if he was going to respond differently to the arrogant blonde, that would definetly be irritating.

"I already told that crazy bitch," he nodded in your direction, "I don't know." That wasn't a lie. He really didn't know. That didn't mean there wasn't other things he could share.

Carol clearly hadn't come to the same conclusion. In a second she had her arm raised and fired a photon blast across the room, making a prominent indent in the wall. That's getting annoying really quickly.

"He really doesn't know." You said as you leant back against the wall, your arms crossed as you watched the interaction.

"And how are you so sure?" Carol asked, completly unconvinced.

The corner of your lip twitched into a small smile. You weren't going to let Carol in on your secrets. At least not yet.

"I just do. So leave it."

"No chance." The swirls around her wrist started up again and this time Carol levelled her arm to Owen's chest. She wouldn't...would she?

Owen seemed skeptical too, willing to try his luck. "You're not going to kill me."

"Who said anything about killing? There isn't just one level to this thing, you know? It could just hurt...really badly." Carol left her implications hanging in the air as you both watched Owen fidget in his seat.

"I really don't know where he is-" Carol's fist lit up more and a soft hum emanated from it warningly. "Because no one does." He said in a rush, turning his face away. "He knows about the bounty and he doesn't trust anyone right now." Owen explained as fast as he could.

Carol glanced over at you, much to your surprise, and you nodded. He was telling the truth.

"So he's scared?" Carol asked, still holding her fist close.

"He's preparing."

"For what? Me?" You rolled your eyes and tried to ignore Carol's I'm-the-centre-of-the-universe attitude.

"For anything." That had you wondering just how many people were going after Daexire. You had assumed it would be very few. For most they wouldn't even come close and if they did it would be certain death.

"And that's all you know?" You knew it needed to be asked, but you hated that question because you were already certain of the answer. You looked up to have your thoughts confirmed. Truth.

You walked towards Owen and took a knife from your belt. He leant away for a moment but relaxed when you started cutting the ties.

Another dead end. You pondered if the knowledge that a lot of people were after Daexire would help you at some point. You knew you shouldn't let that optimism distract you.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Carol said in a mocking business woman tone.

Owen made the smart decision of not responding and rubbed his wrists as he watched the pair of you leave with another scowl.

"So where now?" Carol asked as you stepped out the door of the house with the blonde right behind you.

"Were you following me?" You accused as you took a step back to put some space between you.

"Yep." You didn't know if it was that Carol knew you would see through her lie or just that she wanted to declare that with some pride. The smug look on her face told you it was the latter.

It has been a couple days since your meeting in the bar. You would be lying if you said Carol hadn't popped up in your mind since then, wondering if you had made the right decision in brushing her off. But you really hadn't expected her to be following you.

"Well stop. This isn't happening." You motioned between the pair of you and made your way back to your ship to consider your options.

"I helped you out in there!" Carol called out as she jogged to catch up with you.

"You did fuck all." You scoffed. She didn't have a reply for that. You weren't entirely right - she did help - but you would have been fine on your own. Interrogation was something you excelled at. It wouldn't have taken you long to get those answers on your own.

"I can help." She insisted.

"Then help yourself, Danvers." Deliberately not calling her Captain.

You remotely opened the cargo door of your ship from the device around your forearm before you turned around to get another look at Carol.

"And don't follow me." You said as the door closed. She made no objections, but something told you you would be seeing the blonde hero again.

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Star-Crossed: Bound by Blood

Chapter Two

Master List / Read on AO3

Previous Chapter

Pairing: Mando/Din Djarin x OFC Baast’Mal

Warnings: I’m making this up as a go, Canon divergent from the series during chapter 13, mild violence

A/N: I make this stuff up as I go along, if I screw something Star Wars-y up, apologies in advance, I didn’t do it on purpose, but I’m new to this Fandom. I will be cross posting this story between AO3 and Tumblr except the smutty bits. Those chapters will only be available to registered users on AO3. (I’m trying something new for people who want to read here on Tumblr, but to also avoid the smut for minors controversy. We’ll see how it goes.)

*I do not have a tag list* Please follow the story on AO3 if you want email updates, or follow @tilltheendwilliwrite-library where I post the new/latest chapters of all my stories.

***

Baast woke to the scent of cooking meat. It made her stomach rumble and mouth salivate but also confused her. There had been no one in her life for many years. There should be no one to cook. Her eyes snapped open, prepared to fight whoever had found her.

Then her eyes fell on Din playing with Grogu, and it all came flooding back. He spoke softly through the modulator, encouraging the boy to float the small silver ball from Din's hand to Grogu's.

When the child succeeded, Din whispered a pleased, "Dank farrik!"

Baast almost purred, watching him with the child. He made an excellent father, and she was of an age to desire a mate, a home, a pride. But a warrior like him deserved someone better than a broken Zentari. It mattered not that her soul cried out whenever he touched her without the barrier of his gloves.

He'd stripped them off yesterday, and she could smell him—the spicy scent of masculine soap blending seamlessly with the musk of a man warm in his beskar. But the underlying scent of Din Djarin was that of the sandy dunes of her homeworld. He smelled of warm winds and dusky plains, of tall grasses whipped by fragrant breezes. 

He smelled like home. 

The stars were cruel indeed to drop her in the lap of the one made for her.

She watched them for a time as he encouraged Grogu. Their bond was strong, too strong if the Jedi were to be believed. Such attachments bred fear for the one they loved, and fear lent itself to the Darkside. 

The idea of Grogu's pure soul becoming tainted made her ache, and though she said she couldn't help them, Baast knew she must. Grogu deserved a chance to grow up on the side of good. 

She sat up, drawing Din's notice, the man turning toward her across the fire. 

"Morning."

Baast wondered at the voice behind the modulator. Would it be deeper? More robust? Would it be even more pleasing than this one that stroked fingers of violent want through her blood?

"Good morning," she murmured, voice husky still with sleep. 

Before she could ask, the canteen he carried on his belt was in his hand. "Drink?"

She nodded, catching it easily when he tossed it to her. "Thank you. I'm not used to morning conversations anymore. Or any conversations in some years."

"You've done well, evading capture until now. Now, the Tribe will help."

"The Tribe," she whispered. "I've been alone for so long." The idea of being part of something was both appealing and terrifying. "I look forward to meeting your Alor."

"She will be glad to meet you. They all will. Everyone will hope-" He cut himself off, busying himself with the lizard cooking over the fire. 

"Mando, they should not hope for what I do not think I can give," she sighed, lifting Grogu to her lap when he shuffled over.

"You don't know for sure you can't bond, Baast. Give it time."

Time was all she had. Life was a long thing for a Zentari alone in the universe. 

Small green hands gently touched her cheeks, causing her to look down at Grogu. He cooed a sweet noise as she gazed into big, dark eyes. They were expressive in their own right, and she felt herself falling, diving once more into his mind. 

The images came fast and furious. Din running, fighting, killing, but almost always alone. 

Baast closed her eyes as pain washed through her for the Mandalorian. "I cannot," she whispered to the child. "It would not be fair."

Grogu frowned at her before squealing loudly. More images filled her mind, these of a man reckless with his safety, one who had little to nothing to live for. 

She gasped and wrenched her face away from his hands, but it didn't stop the flow of ridiculousness. Kriff! The man had a death wish!

When Grogu disappeared from her lap, only then did he release her from his grasp. 

Baast sent the green menace a glare. "That was entirely rude."

He smiled and blew a raspberry. 

"I'm sorry," Din murmured, holding the child away like Grogu was a danger.

She held up her hand, continuing to glare. "Do not apologize for something he did. It sets a poor president. Invading my mind is bad manners, little one. Disregarding another's desires is a step down a dark path. This will not be allowed."

"Dark path?" Din asked. 

"The Jedi and the Sith. One force believes in peace and passivity. The other wants power and are often corrupted by that passionate desire, both use the Force. He has the potential to be extremely powerful, but with that power comes responsibility. It is a razor's edge to walk, one I am not confident I have the skill to help him navigate."

Din straightened, but his shoulders lowered, relaxing his posture. "You'll help him? I didn't want to bring it up, but I'm running out of options."

"Yes," she sighed. "I know of one who may be able to help him, but I do not know if he will come at my call. Where is your covert?" He said nothing, and Baast tilted her head in apology. "That was an improper question. Forgive me."

"Always," he murmured.

She wondered if that would still be true should he learn what Grogu already suspected. "If I am to make contact, it must be from Tatooine."

"Why Tatooine?"

"Because it is the planet we agreed upon." She turned toward the fire and the spit of roasting meat before looking up at Din. "Have you eaten?" 

The movement was subtle, a single negative action.

Baast hummed and reached for the cloth that tied her pants' to her calf and began to unwrap it. 

"What are you doing?"

She ignored him and continued until her pant leg fluttered free. The cloth was only a couple inches wide, but it was long and thick enough to make an adequate blindfold. 

She lifted it to her eyes, only for his hand to shoot out and grab her wrist. It felt odd for him to touch her with the slightly cracked but soft leather of a glove now that she knew the feel of his skin.

"You don't need to do that."

Baast blinked slowly, gaze drifting to his hand before returning to the visor where his eyes would be. "It is not a need but a want. I will do this, Din Djarin, so that you may eat freely with the child and I. This is the Way."

"It is unnecessary."

She unfolded, rising gracefully to stand before him, wrist yet held in his grasp. "When last did you eat?"

He said nothing.

She tilted her head and held out the cloth. "I have not shared a meal with another in many years. I would share this meal with you and Grogu. Allow me to honour your Creed."

There was no sound, no movement beyond what Grogu contributed to the conversation in small burbles of noise. The Mandalorian was still and silent, a hunter in all things.

Baast waited, quiet, calm. After so many years in a cell, the forest gave her peace, but those years had taught her patience. She could wait for eternity for his decision. She had the time, after all.

What went on behind the helmet, she couldn't know, but eventually, he set Grogu down, released her wrist, and took the blindfold. "Turn around."

She did so, pushing her hair back to uncover her ears. "If possible, try not to cover them. The tips are sensitive, and the fabric will feel abrasive."

The cloth came down over her eyes, hooked behind her ears, and crossed at the back of her head. 

"Again," she murmured. "I can still see."

Twice more, the fabric circled before he tied a knot. 

Her senses heightened, hearing, smell, and the sixth sense that had been with her all her life. The Force resonated in every living thing, glowing and pulsing, connecting all of them. She could see it like an orange glow, thin lines and thick, veining out around them. 

"Good?"

"Yes." The heat of the fire warmed her skin, but before she could move, Din took her hand and elbow. 

"Kneel. I'll get you some food."

Baast followed his direction, aware of the bright light that was Grogu coming to her side. He placed his hand on hers, flooding Baast with a gentle apology. She turned her hand over to hold his little claws.

A quiet hiss filled her ears, causing her to turn toward Din. The beskar blocked some of his energy, the Force somehow muted by it. Then he lifted off his helmet. 

It took every effort to restrain herself from gasping. He glowed white, the shining brightness of a sun. Shock left her mute as she tracked the supernova that was this Mandalorian as he set down his helmet and removed the spit from the fire. He pulled off a piece of meat, maybe a leg, she couldn't quite tell, and brought it to her. 

"Here." The deep baritone was like the softest of silk to her senses. 

Baast held out her hands for the meat. His bare fingers grazed her palm as the hot meal hit her flesh, and grease trickled through her fingers. 

"Thank you," she managed to force from a throat gone tight with emotion. 

"It's hot. Be careful."

She stuffed down the aching need to reach out and feel the lips that produced such a voice and smiled crookedly instead. "Too long have you travelled with only Grogu for company."

He chuckled. "Perhaps."

Another wave of needy desire hit her, but Baast fought it off. She would not doom him to a half-life with an unfinished bond.

She ate and made sure he ate once Grogu was fed, asking questions about the child and how they came to be together simply to keep him talking. His voice was a balm to a soul grown used to silence.

When they finally finished their meal, she waited for him to return his helmet and come to release the blindfold. His hands were deft, skilled, and careful not to pull her hair.

Baast blinked to adjust to the quickly blooming daylight, then retied her pant leg as Din smothered the fire. She reached for Grogu and stood, ready to leave. 

"I can carry him."

She tilted her head, already missing the gentle ebb and flow of the Force from him, now encased in all that beskar. "Do you object to me carrying him because you think I am weak or out of principle because he is your foundling?"

"Uh…"

She arched a brow. "Do not underestimate me, Mando. I live because I am jatnese be te jatnese. The best of the best."

"I know what it means," he huffed.

"Then stop being ori'buyce, kih'kovid," she smirked. "I will care for the child as you have cared for me."

"Atin," he muttered. 

She didn't protest because, yes, she was stubborn.

"Fine." She could almost hear a pout in his modulated voice as he turned and marched out of their temporary camp. "And I'm not all helmet," he grumbled, likely thinking she couldn't hear him.

Baast smirked and gave Grogu a wink. "Come along, ad'ika. We weak ones best keep up with the big strong Mandalorian," she teased.

"I will leave you behind."

She grinned at his back. "No, you will not."

***

By the time they reached the Razor Crest, he was sweating in his beskar again, but with the luxury of the fresher within sight, Din didn't let it bother him.

He disarmed the ground defences and lowered the hatch, heading inside to get them underway. He wanted off the planet before anyone else thought to come looking for Baast'mal. 

Hopefully, the Alor would know who to bribe to falsify a new chain code for her. Either that, or there would be an all-out war to eliminate the threat and bounty on her head. Or, she would spend the rest of her life hunted by the Empire.

He hated that thought. Baast was not a creature who should spend her life hiding. She should be allowed out into the light, a creature of hope and beauty. 

Though he hadn't seen the true colour of her eyes, the rest of her was so mesh'la, when he'd removed his helmet, it had momentarily taken his breath. And without the helmet, her scent had filled his nose like something he'd loved and long forgotten. It was warm, soft, and decadent, all things a Mandalorian put off when he put on the beskar. 

It was getting harder and harder to keep his hands to himself.

She closed the ramp and followed him to the ladder, climbing up with Grogu to slip into the seat back and to his right.

"Once we've left the atmosphere, you're welcome to the fresher, food, whatever you need," he offered, getting them airborne.

"Do I smell?"

He froze. "That wasn't what-"

Her laugher, that throaty purr, cut him off. "It's fine, Mando. An actual fresher after years of lakes and waterfalls will be pleasant."

"Hm. I have to make a stop on Nevarro, then another before we go to Tatooine. Is there anything you need?"

"Clothing. A cloak. And a weapon."

They cleared the planet, and he made the jump into hyperspace before turning around. "What kind?"

"Short sabres or staff will do."

He watched her pet Grogu's ears, gently using those long claws in such a fashion the kid was almost comatose in bliss. She sat with one foot propped on the seat, comfortably leaning on the armrest. He wondered if her skin would begin to lose its sun-kissed nature now that she was off-world.

"How did you learn to fight?" he asked, forcing himself not to think about her skin and how soft it was. 

"Mandalorians are not the only warrior race. Zentari are taught from birth; the rest I learned from the idiots who held me captive. They sought to make me a weapon or a slave, with that came training, but Zentari are not so easily coerced, nor do we forget the slaughter of thousands. I am no weak-minded individual to be controlled by some Sith," she spat.

"Sith?" He knew next to nothing about Force-wielders and felt the lack of knowledge acutely. 

"They oppose all things the Jedi stand for, desiring power over peace or balance. They corrupt what they touch.."

"And how does a Zentari hold out against someone so powerful?" He didn't wish to insult her, but surely a child against a master Sith couldn't win.

She sighed and looked away, watching the lights of hyperspace. "Zentari are neither good nor evil. We are Force neutral. The blood bonds distinguish much of our future. To avoid creating bonds with those that would bring harm was why Zentarus was so well hidden. But someone betrayed us. They used to brag about it, the Imps. How one who we trusted gave us up to the Empire."

"If you are Force neutral, why allow Mandalorians to know of Zentarus? Why let us come seeking mates?"

She shot those vibrant eyes back in his direction. "Because the Way was honourable once. Perhaps, at some point, Mandalore was led astray by their leader, but that was not our doing. Those that came to us knew the Way. They humbled themselves before us, and if they were denied, they left knowing such was not their destiny. Those who came knowing not the Way… did not leave Zentarus alive."

"Then I am glad I knew the Way," he murmured, wondering who would have won between the two of them had she not revealed herself.

"As am I," she nodded, looking as regal as the Sand Panther she claimed in her blood.

"Were the Jedi not part of your Way?"

She scowled. "The Jedi saw us as a threat. Naturally born Force users who required little training to do much of what they could, who lived for generations, and who were neither good nor evil. They feared what would happen if we were corrupted. An attempt was made to wipe us out. It failed, and we Zentari veiled Zentarus from those who knew not where to look."

"And that's why you didn't want to help us," he sighed, realizing the untenable position he'd put her in.

She stood, placing the sleeping Grogu down on her seat before taking the step she needed to stand between his spread knees. Her hands lifted to land lightly on the sides of his helmet, gliding over the metal. "It is no longer a want but a need. I will not watch Grogu fall to the side of the Sith because of my fear of the Jedi. He must be trained."

She leaned down and rested her forehead against his helmet as long lashes veiled her eyes. "This is the Way."

Without his permission, Din's hands found her hips and drew her incrementally closer. "I will protect you, Baast."

"We will protect each other."

He hummed his agreement and wondered at the low ripple of sound vibrating through his chest.

Next chapter

[dsmadmin]

#AmarasReign

Written by @SWinchesterDSM & @DeanisDoomed

SAM - The cities still held many people but resources were running out. Those who would make no deals with the demons were left to starve to death or were taken by force to be sold to the highest bidder. Sam has been to hell and while it was horrific atleast it wasn’t filled with innocent children etc. To him this reality was worse. He got board the old bus that he and several others had reinforced best they could to make the journey into the nearest city and try to find survivors and be on the lockout for anything useful they could find.

Everything was needed and so were people to help attend the corps that were underground grown using hydroponics. Because of the constant darkness vegetation and animals were dying out. It wasn’t even about fighting the demons as much as it was just trying to survive. The temptation to harness power by drinking demon blood made Sam consider it but so far he’d abstained. He knew he’d be a lot more useful juiced up but he was afraid what would come if he couldn’t come back from it. Plus, Dean was wearing the mark of Cain.

He knew he needed to keep himself together if for no other reason but Dean. The bus rolled to a stop the driver reported a few cars needed to be moved. Sam got up and went out with a few more to push the cars clear. Cars moved the bus went on. As they got closer he caught sight of a few people or demons. They had to be careful because demons would reel you in and then jump you. Humans were being traded and sold to the highest bidder. It pissed Sam off to his core. Getting out more people emerged from the shadows begging for food and water. One of the other hunters went through the process of making sure they weren’t demons and convinced them to get onto the bus with a promise of more safety in numbers.

Two male hunters joined Sam as they scavenged for things that could be useful. The grocery store was empty of food but Sam found some paper and pens. He stuffed them into his backpack. The most basic of things were needed. Moving on to a clothing store he grabbed a shopping cart and they carried what clothes they could find. With new arrivals everyday you never knew what all could be needed. No food to be found at all and as Sam looked through what was left of a gun shop all he found was a couple knives.

They hauled their goods back to the bus and waited as more survivors were loaded on. He’d liked to have checked out more but the most important part of this was rescuing /humans/ and they had about ten, the precious cargo needed to get to safety. Taking up his position he watched for any possible problems as they began the trip back out into the country where the old missile cool no housing around one hundred people.-

Dean - Living in the old missile silo wasn't the best living quarters for the few people Sam managed to get in the last adventure into the city looking for suppliers, both sam and I would let the few survivors have the food we had gathered up, to the point, we need to ration out the food to the new people staying with us. The last thing we need is our new guests running out of food. Even Sam hadn't been on a demon blood diet for the last few weeks to keep him strong as there were no demons around to kill to keep Sam alive and to help myself with the curse in my arm. After nightfall, Sam and I would secure the silo so nothing would get inside other than us when we would return the next morning. To the guys staying with us, they would understand we were going to work, which wasn't a lie with us going out for hunts to see who would be roaming the streets.

The streets were becoming quieter each night fewer humans around with their bodies laying down in the streets due to starvation in this world of ours or whatever the few vampires were around and the rats had left of the corpses. Everything was starving now, my concern for Sammy was growing that he hadn't had drank from any demons in such a long time. He had gone to being on Cold turkey over the blood. Sam being him never wanted to drink the blood. I could see him becoming weaker I needed to keep Sammy strong with the lack of food around, “Sammy I know you have to do everything you can to stay you. As I know you would never do anything without thinking ever Theory out with us and you haven't drunk any blood in a while, Will you drank if we hunt for demons tonight? “ Dean wanted to make sure we caught a demon for Sam to allow him to drink a demon if he wanted to. Dean needed Sammy to help with this world he never wanted to ever lose Sammy and he would protect him at any cost. Dean wearing the mark of cain having the urge to kill anything in sight other than his brother. His shakes were coming to tremble he need to kill something soon to stop the urge to kill the humans back home. The events of nightfall would give us some cover if needed. We were never hiding when it was just us, we had a timetable to stick to. Trying to find any demons to set some traps for any demons to come to us. Sometimes with the traps set, we would need to urge them out from their hidden places as we need to take our time with the killing.

Our bullets were running low, to the point we were almost out of bullets and we have limited ourselves to using the guns but only in emergencies cases for Sam. My knife skills were getting better with the target practice with the fights. The fights each night were getting more bloody ripping the demon to shreds, not for sport but to survive. Sam and I knew we needed to find some gunpowder soon to make our bullets back home. patrolling the streets searching for any suppliers we can find like clothing, toiletries or just based food was becoming harder each night as there were no deliveries. Sam wanted to adventure out to the next city to see if they would have any supplies but that would need to be kept for another night with the sun rising on the horizon. Sam and I just looked at each other knowing it was time to travel back out of the city and back home with the few supplies we managed to get with the tin food and packets of dried noodles from the store.

Sam: -To his brother's question there was silence, he didn't want to go that route because one of them had to be clear-headed even if it meant being hungry to do it.- I don't think it's a good idea Dean, these people need us. I've got an idea, I know more a long-term plan but there's a couple of farmers and a journeyman that worked on electricity. We need to hit the country's see vault and rig up enough power to run grow lights. There's enough room in the bunker to get it started. Then we need to find a way into military bases and see what we can salvage for security and transportation. There are at least two guys with military experience in there and have been on a couple of the bases close to us. With your abilities, I think you could just transport us right in now keys needed. The humans didn't really know about demons and things till it was too late so the odds they had defenses against them are very low. And with you being a knight, I don't think we need to worry much.

Dean - I know they need us but this guy right beside you, he needs you too. I'm all ears to try anything out to keep you safe and the others too Sammy. Promise me Sammy you will eat when the next meal is prepared. Right now you are all skin and bones. I will do pretty anything to keep you with me but I can't do it all on my own as you need to eat something even if it's just rice and beans Sammy? That sounds definitely a making of a new plan to give everyone hope, safety and warmth here. Have you been getting to know our guests Sammy and their backgrounds for this idea? you can count on me helping any way I can. When we were last out Sammy I thought I saw the old power plan that could be used too if there is anything left in there too. We might be able to bring it back too. Something needs to be done Sammy I don't think we are going to find anyone else out there to save. Right now it's just us and everyone we have here now.

Sam listened to his brother and he got where he was coming from but he wouldn't give up hope of more survivors.- I'll eat something I promise. Yeah, not much else to do but talk, good to know what kind of skill sets people have could really help come up with the garden. It

won't be super easy but with the power guy, I think we have a real shot. I mean we have to think long term not just right now. We get a system worked out we could become self-sustaining with some effort. The power plant is a good idea. I'm holding out hope there are more people out there. Would be nice if we could find a way to purge the demons large scale back to hell... -As he spoke the words he got a thought.- What if we could get something rigged up for broadcasting like it might only reach a block or so but dude this might work. We use the cities own emergency speakers and broadcast an exorcism. We wouldn't even need anyone truly there, just set up a tape recording. We need to figure out where a radio station is located in the city and how many others there are. And so you'll transport me to seed bank right so we can start getting seeds back here?

Dean - *Dean looked around in the small room that was storing the canned and dried food. He knew something desperately needed to done to keep his brother alive and the others too. Their food supplies were becoming limited with each passing day as he listened to where Sammy was coming from. He has always had the best of ideas. Right now his brain was needed for the long run of this fight of such survival and with the hungry setting in with the few people He had been talking to. “Anything is possible. With the broadcasting, the only thing with that is not just survivors coming after us but demons and that might come down on us. I'm willing to give it go Sammy as I will defend you and the 99 odd souls we have here until my dying breath. Do you think the power guy is ready to work his magic? Maybe it is best if we go for a trial run to see what exactly the power plan has as we don't need to put anyone else in danger. “ *Dean ran his hand over his hairs on his ace knowing right now timing would be everything. Knowing he could transfer his brother to the seed plant safety. * Another option to have more choices of food for everyone here. How long do you think you will need in the plant Sam?

Sam - I don't know depends. I'd say a couple of hours to get a look at things see what's needed to make things run. I agree we should do a trial run on the broadcasting but focus on the food first. The seed vault shouldn't take a long time. I'll only bring back what could be started u p for now. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault vault is located about halfway between the North Pole and the coast of Norway, near the town of Longyearbyen (population 1900), in the remote arctic island archipelago of Svalbard.

[bookio]

Report from a Slaughterhouse (2020) by Lina Gustafsson

It's a journalistic book from the perspective of the author, a veterinarian, and what she witnessed when working at a slaughterhouse for pigs.

Oof, i've never felt so physically sick by reading a book. Many times i felt like puking by the vivid descriptions of intestines and blood and fat and the handling of the pigs, and the pigs panic and anxiety.

She goes into detail of the whole process and how the daily work look like. The psychological manner of the staff (regular people that get stressed just like everyone else), but also the old veterinarian reports covering-up animal abuse to save the slaughterhouse image, how workplace pressure can affect important things like that.

"The workers knock intensely on the walls to make them walk forward, but if they don't notice me standing right next to them, they hit the animals straight on. Bengt also hits them over their back, when they are already moving forward. It feels like bullying at this stage, someone small becoming the punching bag for no reason. These pigs have never done any harm. Their bodies give us all the food on the table, more or less literally. And on the way there they are beaten. The last hour I have to bite down to stop myself from crying. The tears well up when I leave the stable." — page 67

"Pig teaching is based on reality: we work in a system where animals are resources. A sow should either be pregnant or lactating! This is how the lecture begins on in production of sows. These animals have not been put into the world to rest. The piglets are the raw material and the sow the producer, until she herself becomes meat. Between the days of her being taken away from her piglets and she being inseminated again, she is counted as "empty" and only costs money. If the company does not make a profit, neither the pig farmer nor the veterinarian will have a job. It costs to keep sows alive so if they do not become pregnant, it is important to knock them out early, the instruction to the veterinary students continues." — page 96

There's not much to say, she questions the old manners of the slaughterhouse and meat process. Feel honestly i will step away from meat as much as i can after reading this book. 5/5 stars, awful but very important read!

- - - - -

An Old Bourgeois Home (1915) by Jeanna Oterdahl

The story is about two childhood friends, a wealthy kid and a poor kid. The wealthy one grows up to inherit his father's brewery and marries a woman from the same class, who eventually birth him four children.

The poor kid grows up to find comfort in faith and becomes a priest. He marries too, get two daughters but also welcome orphans into their home. The wife dies, and two years later the priest is pushed into a river by the recoil of his hunter's gun, hitting his head and drowns - where our story begins!

Without the priest, the household slowly falls apart. The homeless kids finds shelter elsewhere but the daughters that have no education or allowed to take part of the priest salary (because they are girls?), goes on a scavenger hunt for family members to take them in.

Their mother had no relatives, but through old letters they find out that their father had a sister - so they travels by foot and hitchhike horse wagons to get themselves from Dalarna to Stockholm. When they get there, they learn that the aunt died many years ago.

Meanwhile, the old childhood friend is visited by the priest in his dream. Telling him about the situation, the brewer promises to find and adopt his lost daughters.

Their house is now filled with 8 characters to keep track on (the couple, their 4 kids and the priest's 2 children), it's a mess.

New names with background stories are introduced all the time in this book, to then never be heard of again. I'm naively thinking "ok, how will this built-up character interact with them next?" but nothing never comes out if, why!

The book span from the eldest daughter of the priest coming into the new house at 13, and ending the book by age 18. Her youngest sister is mostly in the background doing nothing really.

Small events happen: One of the brewery daughters wants to get herself a job and become self-sufficiency but gets shut down by her father because she "has enough work to do at home" like housework...

But one of his sons, Tomas, is allowed to leave with a friend to try out a business idea.

The oldest priest's daughter, and the oldest brewery son falls in love with each other. They talk very Shakespeary with each other and are so old timey soft, best bit in the book imo.

The fourth brewery daughter, can see and talk to a male angel that punishes her if she has self-doubt? I honestly wanted to know more about this but there really wasn't anything beside her promising to do better in the future.

The book ends with Tomas returning only to inform that his business idea crashed, and he need help to pay off the 100 000 SEK in debt. The father agrees to give him money for the debt, only to then PROMPTLY DIE right then and there.

The wealthy household learns that the brewery has actually been sold to some smooth-talker, and now with the debt payed off, they only have 75 000 SEK left to live of.

Tomas becomes the head of the household because the oldest son wants to marry his fostersister instead. He eventually creates a fancy wooden clock and everyone is happy because they're gonna make a business out of it and becomes wealthy again. The end.

It was okay, the hecking old writing was interesting. Honestly enjoyed the love language, the death of the priest and sprinkles of supernatural forces. Cover art = superpretty. Overall 2/5 stars.