#unburnable book

[travelingviabooks]

Unburnable by Marie-Elena John (DNF)

Genre: Fiction, historical

Country: Antigua

Review:

Overall, the pace and writing style of this novel just weren’t for me. I’m sure that it’d be a great read for someone else though.

[xzaddyzanakinx]

| Not Yet | part one

An Anakin Skywalker X FemReader Oneshot

18+ MDNI

Warnings: Eventual Somnophilia, Cockwarming, oral, fingering, unprotected vaginal sex, etc. (More warnings to come in part two)

Aggression, anger, biting, pinching,

Info: Unburned Anakin, Darth Vader Anakin - No Mask, Established Relationship, Anakin is broody but he adores you. He destroys something of yours he’s not sorry. NOT proofread❤️

Anakin Skywalker, leader of the Empire. A powerful Sith, a harsh and unforgiving presence looming over the galaxy. Known for his anger, his hatred, his ruthlessness.

No one would suspect that behind the mask, underneath the intimidating vocoder, is a soft smile. All boyish charm, beautiful sky blue eyes with just a hint of yellow. A scar across his right eye, a token of his past that he wears well.

The dark web of his blighted path is littered with holes of light shining through with the memories of his younger years. You see him for what he truly is. A master weaver.

And weave he did, straight into the missing piece of your soul.

Anakin, The Lord Darth Vader, would be seen as a weakened man if any one were to discover how he acts behind closed doors. The web of lies stretches far and wide, but never into the confines of your shared quarters. When the mask is removed, your Anakin emerges. Your sweet boy, loving, caring, considerate, everything that Vader is not.

The vastness of space always seemed to calm you, it was peaceful. The stars seemed close enough to touch as you pass the planets hanging in the surrounding darkness, watching them slowly shrink as the Death Star made its way to the next destination.

The long curved window of your living room was your favorite spot to sit and read, Anakin had a large oval shaped lounge chair designed specifically for you just for this very purpose. He couldn’t understand why you’d remove the couch cushions and place them on the floor just to be near the window, so he’d surprised you with the beautifully made black velvet seat. If you could call it that, really it was more of a day bed.

As you lay there, book in hand, the door opened abruptly causing you to jump.

“Ani?”

There was no response from behind you, just the hissing of the release of his helmet followed by the soft thump of hard plastic against the plush carpet. It was rare that he returned in a foul mood, and clearly this was one of those days. You knew better than to ask questions, he hated talking war and politics with you, work was work and home was home. He kept them entirely separate, no one dared to bother him with questions or updates once he’d stepped foot into your quarters.

You heard him huff in annoyance as he stomped off to the bedroom. You sighed and placed your book aside, making your way to the kitchen. A nice little glass of whiskey worked wonders on him on days like this. You poured a generous amount, grimacing when the smell hit your nostrils. You sat the glass aside, sliding the whiskey bottle back into its place.

You prepared his favorite snack, peanut butter and bananas, a strange pairing for whiskey… but he liked it so who were you to judge? You left the plate and glass on the counter for him and made your way to the bathroom.

You drew a steaming bath, complete with bubbles and fragrant oils, placing two fluffy towels and his robe beside the sink. He never asked you to do these things for him, but you knew he enjoyed it. It was a habit you’d started and followed religiously after the first time he’d returned home in a sour mood like this.

You undressed allowing the fabric of your dress pool at your feet. Slowly sinking into the hot water, you closed your eyes and waited for him.

Soft footsteps alerted you to his presence, a small smile upturned your lips as you opened your eyes to see him standing above you already nude. Whiskey glass in hand, he stepped into the tub in silence.

He settled in, taking a sip from the glass before setting it aside, letting his head tip back against the high wall of the porcelain tub. His hand felt for your ankle, pulling it to rest on his thigh, he rubbed his thumb gently back and forth against your skin.

He tugged at your ankle slightly, trying to get your attention after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

“M’ sorry I’ve been grumpy.” Anakin whispered, watching you with a pout as you opened your eyes.

“Had a rough day?” You asked him, earning a groan and a nod as confirmation.

He shifted, trying to crawl into your lap. His cheek rested on your chest, nestled between your water slicked breasts. His left hand came up to lazily circle your nipple, watching in fascination as it hardens under his touch. With your legs on either side of his torso you took the opportunity to trap him there with your thighs. Smirking at the low rumbling you felt his chest make against your abdomen.

“How can I make it better?” You asked, twirling a strand of his damp hair around your pointer finger.

“Neck.” He grumbled shrugging his shoulders to encourage you.

“Mhm,” you grinned, placing your hands on his shoulders but not moving. You were waiting for a ‘please’.

“C’mon, you asked how to help and this is how.” He picked up his hand and flicked water at your face.

You let your fingertips ghost across his skin, hearing him sigh, you guessed it was a mixture of gratitude and impatience. You pressed a little harder watching his skin dimple beneath your touch. A small strangled moan left his lips from the sensation, just like you’d hoped. A smirk crawled up the corner of your mouth as you stilled your movements.

“Fucking stop doing that!” Anakin pinched the skin on your ribs harshly.

“Ow!” Before you could think you had smacked the back of his head. “Oh shit oh Ani I’m sorry!”

He slowly raised his head and you couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the golden flecks in his eyes that so intensely burned into yours. Ani had a temper, that you knew, you rarely fought and it was never caused by something as small as this. A little teasing was just part of your love language but occasionally you’d find yourself stepping over the fine line of ‘cute annoyance’ and straight into ‘Jesus FUCK! Where’s my fucking stun gun!’, followed by laughter from the both of you.

Though this time, he wasn’t laughing.

He lifted himself up with his hands firmly planted on either side of your hips, a glare in his eyes that could’ve burned through beskar as he dropped his line of vision to your chest. Before you could think of a good apology for bothering him, your brain short circuited from an intense sharp pain.

It took longer than expected for your mind to catch up with what you were seeing. Anakin had bitten you right on the softest most sensitive part of your breast. He was merciless with it, sinking his teeth in and leaving a perfect impression on your skin. It was already bruising as you ran your finger over it gently. You looked up to see Anakin watching you with a glazed look in his eyes, no emotion on his face.

“What the hell Anakin?!” You shrieked.

He stood sharply, making sure to completely douse your face and hair in water as he kicked his legs up and over the edge of the bathtub. He snatched his robe from the counter and stomped off, leaving puddles as he went.

“Fine. Whatever.” You mumbled, knowing it was not fine and it was not whatever.

You drained the tub, taking extra time to pamper yourself once you got out since someone had decided that you were enemy numero uno. You wrapped your hair around a soft silk strip to create waves once it dried. Lotion and oils applied to your legs and arms gave your skin a delicious scent and a shine that almost glowed in the dim lighting. The bite mark was throbbing and warm as you rubbed bacta-gel over it with a wince.

Normally you wouldn’t mind sporting a bitemark like this. But right now, looking at it didn’t give you a shiver as you remembered an intimate moment, it brought a red blush of anger to your cheeks.

You exit the bathroom in your towel, peering cautiously into the bedroom. Anakin was no where to be found so you went in, throwing on the first nightgown and panties you could find. Your mind whirled with reasons for his anger, but there were none. This wasn’t something you’d caused. But it was something you’d fix.

Anakin POV

Everything was so constricting. My robes, my shoes, my gloves, the stupid fucking mask. My hands flexed into fists over and over as I walked.

“I can’t wait to get home to her.” I thought.

That breifing was shit. Absolute shit.

That moron Tarkin had gotten eight, eight Imperial Cruisers, damaged and one completely destroyed beyond repair. How did this happen?

“My apologies Lord Vader”

“Those fighter pilots came out of no where!”

“You don’t understand Lord Vader! It was just a routine visitation to the Outer Rim, we weren’t aware there were Rebels gathered there!”

If he wasn’t someone who’d never made a mistake in the entirety of his career under my supervision I would’ve crushed his windpipe while he dangled above the conference table. What a way to achieve your first mistake.

The moment I walked through the doors of my quarters I dropped my helmet, shedding my outer robes as I trudged to the bedroom.

“Ani?”

I sighed when I heard her sweet voice, smiled when I heard her set aside what she was doing just too brighten up my terrible day with my favorite guilty pleasure. I dropped my clothes to the floor, kicking them out of the way before walking out the door, not caring that I was stark naked.

We must’ve just missed each other in the hall because she wasn’t in the kitchen when I got there, and the sound of water running hit my ears a moment later.

I didn’t deserve such a woman. Someone so gentle and caring. But here I am, graced with her presence every day.

I chuckled when I saw she’d made a smiley face with the banana slices.

Her body.

Her gorgeous body lay before me in the bath, she looked so serene with her head resting tilted back, her slender neck exposed. Her gentle breathing lifting her chest from the bubbly water, exposing her naked breasts with each inhale.

The water was so warm that it drew an involuntary groan from me as I slipped into my spot across from her. Soon finding her ankle, rubbing my thumb across her soft skin, doing this to sooth myself more than her to be honest.

“M’ sorry I’ve been grumpy.” I mumbled, knowing my attitude was horrible since the moment I returned.

“Have a rough day?” She furrowed her eyebrows, always concerned for me, always worried.

I nodded, it was a rough day. Horrendous actually. I groaned and lifted my head hit the porcelain behind me to make my way over to her open arms. Melting into her body as I rested my head against her chest, centered between her soft, supple breasts. I couldn’t help but reach out and tease one, just to watch it rise from the simple touch.

She squeezed my sides a bit, gentle enough but much to hard for me after the day I had. I bit back my complaint, by bruised ribs not worth ruining the sweet moment between us.

“How can I make it better?” She ran her fingers through my hair, gently massaging my scalp.

“Neck.” I replied, a bit more gruff than I intended. I wiggled my shoulders hoping she’d take the hint.

Her fingers slithered across my skin, palms resting on my shoulder blades.

“C’mon you asked how you could help, this is how.” I flexed my hand, bringing above the water to throw little droplets at her face.

That seemed to do the trick, I relaxed against her under the light pressure of her fingers. Letting my hands travel up her waist to rest my thumbs in the crease created under her breasts.

Though I love her massages, sometimes she takes too long to begin to really work out the knots. She kept lifting her fingers, removing them completely, bringing them back for soft pressure only to take it away again. Finally she really dug in, hitting the spot that ached the most, it was almost satisfying. It would’ve been if she hadn’t ripped her hand off me again.

“Fucking stop doing that!” I growled, pinching the tender skin on her ribs a bit harder than intended.

“Ow!” She shrieked in pain.

I went to immediately apologize but before I could make a sound her palm delivered a swift ‘whump’ to the back of my skull. Something deep inside me snapped. My breathing stopped as I felt an intense streak of rage run through my spine.

“Oh shit, oh Ani I’m so sorry!” She yelped out, she clearly did it from reflex. But the apology fell on deaf ears.

I lifted myself above her, steeling my gaze into her eyes. Normally I wouldn’t mind being smacked around by her, I encouraged it actually. But this wasn’t the bedroom, and today wasn’t a normal day. Before I could stop myself my impulses controlled my movements.

My mouth clamped down into her breast, digging my teeth in harshly. Coming to my senses I quickly released her, feeling immediate shame as I looked in her eyes again. She was hurt, physically, emotionally… it only intensified when she inspected the wound.

Her eyes snapped up at me, fire burning in her irises.

“What the hell Anakin?!”

She sounded as hurt as she looked, I couldn’t bare it. But I also couldn’t force my mouth open to speak. So I did what I do best, avoided it. I left the tub in a hurry, not caring that I’d left a lake of water in the floor as it splashed over the edge.

“Fine. Whatever.” She whispered under her breath. It wasn’t fine, and it wasn’t whatever. It was wrong of me… but I couldn’t say that right now.

I grabbed my robe and headed to grab some pajamas, hoping to hide myself away so I could contemplate which way I’d prefer to grieve the loss of my marriage when she served me with divorce papers tomorrow morning.

You had searched every corner of your shared quarters, and Anakin wasn’t sulking in any of them.

“Anakin!” You yelled and waited but got no response.

You threw on your slippers and grabbed a throw blanket to wrap around yourself as you left the warmth of your quarters to search for him in the cold corridors.

Once you’d made your way to the end of the hall, you turned left in the direction of his office. You passed a few troopers on your way who gave you a wide berth as they passed, not daring to make eye contact.

“Hey!” You said, trying to get their attention.

You startled them so badly that they collided into each other before they quickly turned to face you.

“Y-yes ma’- sorry.” One cleared his throat and started over, “Yes Empress?

“Where is Vader, I need to speak to him please?” You asked your polite tone never ceased to shock the subordinates and it shows.

“Oh-uh he…” one started, and another cut him off.

“Last I know he was headed in the direction of your quarters Empress. Shall we escort you?”

“No that’s not necessary. Thank you boys, carry on.”

You turned on your heels, padding down the hall back in the direction of your quarters. Leaving the stunned troopers behind you.

Soon after arriving home again you searched the apartments. Finally giving up when you realized his helmet was missing from the spot it landed on the floor. You resigned to crawling into bed alone, for the first time in years.

Tag List:

@tsugumiholic

@kingdomhate

@burnthecheshirewitch

Let me know if you wanna be added/removed!

Thanks for being so understanding. I’m truly devastated that I lost part of this post. I’ll do my best to re-write it better than the original😭

[ashleyfilm]

Seeing Clearly - Chapter 4. The Wolf

Please leave comments, I'd love to know your thoughts. And if you feel inclined to reblog, that would be so nice.

Chapter Warnings: cursing, smut (masterbation) - Minors - DNI

Characters: Jackson!Joel Miller x F!Reader Plus Size. F!OC was recommended to me since there's a lot of description of her but I'm writing her as You (Reader) so hopefully you can still imagine yourself. Black hair, glasses, tattoos, big body, wears dark clothes, won't stop talking. Joel is tv show Jackson Joel.

Story Summary: Joel just saved your life, begrudgingly. He doesn't know exactly why but he brings you back to Jackson and you ingratiate yourself into his very small circle and his life. This takes place after season 1 of TLOU and season 2 doesn't exist in my brain because no.

Chapter Summary: You are Joel talk a bit more and you figure out what your job is going to be. 1.3K

Thank you to @saradika-graphics for the book line divider. :)

Chapter 1 Here Chapter 2 Here Chapter 3 Here

Chapter 4. The Wolf

It’s been three days since you got to Jackson, and it’s starting to finally feel real. No longer like a fever dream at the end of your life. Tonight is movie night, Jurassic Park, one of your favorite movies, and you’re going with Joel. You wake up on that Friday like a kid on Christmas morning, bouncing down the stairs to the kitchen, but Joel and Ellie are nowhere to be seen. You notice a plate covered in a cloth napkin the color of the sky on a spring day, under it, eggs, bacon and even toast, still relatively warm. You smile to yourself thinking maybe Joel did this, but you think better of yourself and decide it must have been Ellie, it still warms your heart. You’ve only known these people three days and they’ve woven into your soul already. Then, by the coffee pot, you see a mug with a wolf painted on it, one with an owl is washed and sat to dry by the sink. This gesture, you know, is Joels.

One of the few times you two have spoken since you arrived was the other night when you couldn’t sleep. You find Joel downstairs by the fireplace carving another animal for his wooden menagerie, you suppose. You pick up the carving of the light-colored wolf you noticed your first time in the house and say, “Wolves have always been my favorite.” Joel grunts and you take that as a sign to keep going. “They have a pack, they take care of each other, and they howl at the fucking moon, they’re cool.” You put the sculpture back on the mantle and when your eyes find Joel’s he’s looking right at you, no longer cutting into the wood in his hands. The light from the fire dances in his eyes and it feels like a spark igniting something in the quiet. After what feels like an eternity, you say, “Well, I guess I’ll try and get some sleep. Night, Joel.” And you scurry up the steps, while Joel watches the fire, never again to resume his carving that night.

But as you return to your room, you still can’t sleep. Every time you close your eyes you see his face, his eyes, his mouth, his hands. Before you can stop yourself, your unburned hand finds its way into your sleep shorts, grazing the wet material of your underwear. Causing you to moan out loud. Shit. You have to be quiet! You bite your lip to keep your whimpering contained as you push your underwear to the side and truly feel the slick between your legs. You haven’t felt this way in so long. Actually, turned on. Maybe a constant fear of death messes with your libido. You bet there are studies on that from before. But now, oh you are so wet, and it feels so good. You use two fingers to bring your wetness up to your clit and swirl it around. Your head and shoulders lurch forward as the pressure to your nub almost makes you cry out. You bring your other hand up to your mouth and bite into the back of it to keep from making noise as you slip those same two fingers down to your entrance. You’re so soaked that your fingers just slip right into your tight hole. Fuck, did this always feel so good? You close your eyes again and with two fingers deep inside and your thumb rubbing against your clit, you picture him. You picture him pushing you against a wall. Hovering over you. Standing over you while you’re on your knees. You imagine what his thick fingers could do instead of your small ones. And then you imagine his voice, telling you to come for him and that’s all it takes. Your sex squeezes down on your fingers and you bite so hard into the back of your hand you taste blood. As you start to come down and regulate your breathing you hear the door of Joel’s bedroom close loudly. Even though you’re terrified he heard all your whimpers and moans, you’re so relaxed you end up falling asleep with a smile on your face. You almost kind of hope he listened.  

You come back to yourself in the kitchen holding the wolf mug thinking about the night before and what it could mean moving forward. If he heard you, maybe he liked it, maybe he’ll want more? You know it’s probably wishful thinking, but you let your mind go there anyway. Today is your first day of work at the library. Joel suggested that since you like books and movies so much, that might be the place best suited for you. Except for the quiet part, since you have such a, quote, “Loud Mouth”. But Jackson’s library didn’t really follow the old rules, you’d come to find out. You get dressed in the clothes Maria gave you and look at yourself in the mirror. A disgusted look on your face as you take in the bright pink polo collared shirt you’re wearing.

There’s a knock on the door and after you answer, Joel opens it but stays standing in the doorway. He gives you a once over in your new clothes and then takes in the look on your face. “You gotta get to work soon, I walked Ellie to school and thought I’d come back for you. What’s with the face?” He asks, his hands on his hips, one knee jutted out. “It’s nothing, it’s fine. Let’s go.” You turn to face him, and he rolls his eyes, what is his deal, ugh. He stops you by putting a hand up, palm facing you, “No, none of that, what is it? Spit it out.” You look down at your shoes knowing this is going to end in you getting told you’re a spoiled brat, but he asked so you explain, “Look, I am really thankful for the clothes, mine were gross and falling apart and it’s really no big deal but,” you pause, “I don’t wear pink. Okay, I wear like black if I can find it or other dark colors, this just makes me feel weird and off. I know it’s stupid and it doesn’t matter in the scheme of things but, yeah so, that’s what’s wrong.”

You’re still looking at your shoes when you hear a snort. Looking up at Joel who’s smiling and trying to keep from laughing. “You asshole, don’t laugh at me,” you pout. Trying to regain his composure Joel says with a chuckle, “I’m sorry, Ash, ha, it’s just, oh god, now that you say it, you do look a little outta place in that pink.” You can’t help it; you start laughing too. And you swat at his arms and chest, and he puts his hands up in defense. “Well, don’t just laugh at me, help me, old man,” you say. Joel, still laughing slightly, responds, “Oh, not you too with the old man thing.” You smile, “Ah, you’re not that old, you’re what 50? I’m 40 so I guess I’m old too.” He finally starts to calm his laughter and catch his breath. “40, huh? I wouldn’t have thought that. I woulda thought 60 maybe,” he says completely deadpan. You squint angrily at him and start to brush past him when he huffs another laugh and grabs your upper arm to stop you next to him in the door frame. You’re so close, and he’s towering over you and his hand on your arm feels like fire. “Stop, there’s a place in town, we’ll go see what we can find for you to wear that isn’t,” he grabs at the hem of your hot pink shirt touching the skin of your belly with his calloused fingers and you think you might melt into a puddle on the floor right in front of him, “this.” His eyes trace from where his finger touches you up your chest to your lips that just happen to be parted and then to your eyes that are wild. He looks at you like he might think you’re beautiful. Before you can think to move or say something or breathe, he’s walking down the stairs and yelling back at you, “Let’s go, you’re gonna be late!”

[nothoughsheadempty]

Posting a pov character from asoiaf until winds of winter drops ✨ shitty doodle edition ✨:

Daenerys "Stormborn" Targaryen. (And baby dragons).

I finally did another one! Speaking of when things are finally done, hoping that in the new book she can start making some sort of comeback after that whole oopsie daisy bouquet at Mereen. 

(Ps: In my mind painted vest equals the dothraki have a hobby besides pillaging, and they paint little drawings and patterns in their stuff).

(Another headcanon: Daenerys get's super sunburned easily on acount of the Targaryen being albino adjacent.

Because the irony of being the unburned, and looking red as a crab if the sun so much as grazes her is strong).

[carlos-in-glasses]

Thank you so much for the tag @ironheartwriter @heartstringsduet

@whatsintheboxmh @bonheur-cafe @nisbanisba @reyesstrand

@strandnreyes @lemonlyman-dotcom @thisbuildinghasfeelings 🧡

In the upcoming chapter of Rhythms, Carlos is having a lot of feelings at once. But then, when isn't he?:

He clicks the end of his ballpoint pen, the nib springing out like a hidden dagger.

With the dagger, he writes. 

“La Tormenta

There was a battle to fight.

In the end, I didn't win.

In the end – in the ruins –

I found my unburned finger bones

scrambled within the ashes.

With these, I could still write.”

He writes it in Spanish, too. It’s important to him to take both his languages and do the same thing with them, yet create something different with the translation. This is where words stop being words and start being tools with which to bridge worlds. In English and in Spanish, he is defiant. He is in love. He is gay. He is terrified. He is braver than he’s ever been. He’s exhausted. He keeps going. Keeps pushing. The poem ends up twenty-six lines – he reads through it and cuts eight of those, then re-writes the whole thing on the next page, omitting surplus, giving it a polish. This feels like the start of something. He imagines a whole book of poems. He doesn’t know yet that he will write them. He can’t imagine the joy of it, the pain that will topple onto pages, the ones he will burn, the ones he will cherish even in his adulthood. So many secrets that nobody will see. Nobody, until he has a husband, a man he doesn’t dare to dream of, but who is real.

Open tag and tags below!:

@paperstorm @goodways @liminalmemories21 @alrightbuckaroo

@lightningboltreader @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @ladytessa74

@welcometololaland @rmd-writes @irispurpurea @pimento-playing-hopscotch

@eclectic-sassycoweyes @herefortarlos @carlos-tk

@chicgeekgirl89 @freneticfloetry @theghostofashton @honeybee-taskforce

@tellmegoodbye @orchidscript @three-drink-amy

@literateowl @butchreyes @captain-gillian @nancys-braids

@fifthrideroftheapocalypse @emsprovisions @sapphic--kiwi

@corsage @the-126-family - if you want to share/ haven't already! No pressure ever! ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜

[eri-pl]

Silm reread 22: Earendil (and very vague Elwing)

Earendil rules the people in the area. Elwing, despite being the heiress of the crown of one of the two groups who joined in there, is simply his wife. Huh.

Also, he's got sea-longing and wants fo find his parents (not a good reason to leave your wife and kids) and find Valinor and ask the Valar for mercy (ok, this is a better reason). So, Círdan makes Vingilot (from birch tree) and Earendil sails off. Elwing is sad.

But… his sailing is still a good thing, because he wants to ask the Valar for help? I guess? I have a hard time with Earendil, I'm not a fan of absent husbands. But I guess his mission is important.

And also, maybe they did discuss it with Elwing before they got married ("I dream of sailing far and for long periods of time." "ok, I may be sad with it but I still want this marriage.")…. You know what? I am going to HC that they did have this talk. It makes him 20x more sympathetic to me.

Meanwhile, among the Feanorians… Maedhros is restraining himself (again!) because he is remorseful for Doriath. But. the oath tornments them all (ok, so it is a compel, but not absolute. Not "dominate person", but it does give them mental damage for not following it. Unless it is just honor and stuff, but it doesn't sound like it.)

The Feanorians gather. (Which is a bad sign). They send messangers to Elwing, demanding "politely but clearly", the Silmaril. Well, you should have tried "politely" with Thingol, now, after Doriath, your politeness feels a bit empty.

[Also, Maedhoros' life would be much, much easier if he had the ability to just throw C&C under the bus and blame everything on them. It was even mostly true! And might have worked. But he is loyal to his brothers. And this is a good thing. This is tragic: he has one good trait, but can't manage another (not murdering people), and so he fails both morally, and fails at his chosen goal.]

Elwing, and the people of Sirion didn't want to give him the Silmaril. Because:

people have died and suffered for it (the usual argument, which I feel is increased by the nature of the Silmaril)

their ruler was not home, and they didn't want to make the decision without him (this is stupid, on a very mundane level. Earendil should have chosen someone to make important decisions when he's away. Also, Elwing seems either very indecisive / shy, or not respected by the people. My bet would be on "shy", or eldritch/shy, somewhat Varda-style)

it seemed to them that the Silmaril was the reason of their health and prosperity (this is a new idea)

So: it is not Elwing's decision. And it is not based mostly on "we hate them, they killed our people", but on survival needs (and a misconception). And again, there is no textual evidence that the people of Sirion know about the Oath.

Yes, there are people from Gondolin there, but who exactly? Turgon died. Idril was a child when the Oath happenned. They may not know, or they may not share the knowledge (but the later would be unwise).

Based on what the people of Sirion know and assume, their reply makes complete sense to me.

(Also, it seems like it was less a clear "nope" and more of a "umm, let's wait till Earendil returns, but we can't give you an ETA for that".)

The remaining soF suddenly attack the poor people of Sirion and the book is pretty clear that this is bad. It's so bad that some of their followers change sides and die trying to protect Elwing (because of course they do die, we can't have any characters getting any sort of redemption… yea, I understand, it makes sense realism-wise that they all die. But still, non-lethal wounds causing unconciousnes are a thing and I think it was a thing among the Elves? I can't remember an example)

Anyway, A&A die (because this is the unburned version).

Oh, and also Gil-Galad comes to the (too late) rescue (with Círdan). Which means that the mainstream Noldor are (for the first time) willing to fight the Feanorians. They just miss the party. Hmmm, this one detail makes me more fond of G-G son of Fingon. Because: think of the angst. (Or even better: G-G son of one of the Feanorians. But this has other problems)

There are a few survivors who join G-G.

It is told that E&E were captured. It is told that Elwing jumped to the sea with the Silmaril.

For the capture we later get a confirmation. But not for how exactly Elwing landed in the sea.

No info on how much she knew about her sons (already captured? assumed dead? hidden? whatever?). No info on whether she panicked and run blindly, or tried to distract M&M from killing other people, or wanted to maneuvre them into falling into the sea too, or one of myriads of possible scenarios. Or just even fell by a lucky "accident".

You want a perfect, flawless Elwing? The text doesn't contradict it (though she is at least a bit indecisive or not in such a position of power that would make sense given her parentage).

You want a stupid, indecisive Elwing who does a random thing? The text doesn't contradict it.

You want a young, lost, completely panicked Elwing? The text doesn't contradict it.

You want Elwing putting the prosperity of her people (which is assumed to be based on the Silaril) and them not dying of hunger above her own children? The text doesn't contradict it.

(No, we can't have a canon-compliant terrible mom Elwing, we'll get a counter for this.)

She joins Earendil and they are really terrified about their captured sons. So yes, they do care about their sons. they fear that M&M will kill them.

Kidnap fam mentioned, Maglor is sad and tired because Oath. :,(

Earendil wears the Silmaril on his forehead. So… what happenned to the necklace? Did Ulmo take it when he shapeshifted Elwing? The text very much sounds like the necklace is now gone, it's just the gem.

It is said among the gnomes wise, that the Silamril was what guided them to Valinor and let them pass all the magic barriers/traps.

Elwing has Lúthien vibes of "No, I am your wife, you aren't going to do the deadly risky thing alone!"

Earendil comes during a celebration and we are reminded that it's just like Morgoth and Ungoliant did (but he does it by accident). Nice bracketing, I guess? He is scared that even if Valinor something bad happenned. I like this scene.

Eonwe gives him a really cool (however very formal) greeting. "the looked for that cometh at unawares, the longed for that cometh beyond hope." I love this line. Yes, a lot of Tolkien's good lines give the vibe of "wrote it as part of a prayer, rewrote it to fit in his fantasy book". It's not a flaw. But I do find it a peculiar kind of funny.

Anyway, stuff is happenning. The Valar summon even Ulmo for a conversation. They talk. Námo plays the bad cop, which peronally I don't like but ok. I guess somebody has to, it is his job.

Manwë goes "we won't punish them, because they took this risk out of love" which is a solid argument. Earendil&Elwing (and by mention their sons) get the choice.

Also, interesting wording (or translation): they will be judged according to the laws of the species they chose. Huh. Interesting phrasing, I'm not sure what to think of it.

I totally forgot Elwing chilling out with the Teleri in the meantime.

Anyway, Vingilot gets an upgrade, the three sailors get a new ship. Also, doors of Night mentioned. Also, Earendil comes back to Valinor at sunrise and sunset. And it does seem like he does land, he is banned from the mortal lands, but not from Aman? So I guess he does spend some time home with Elwing. When she flies to him it's just to meet him earlier.

But I may be wrong.

Estel / "High Hope" mentioned.

M&M notice a new star. Confirmation that they saw the Silmaril sinking in the sea. Mae is like "Sure it's the silmaril." Maglor is like "we are supposed to rejoice." Anyway they do, at least they are no longer despairing.

And Morgoth is freaked out. :D But he doesn't expect the war (as they say), because the Valar were upset at the Noldor, and he doesn't get what pity is.

The army has white banners, the Vanyar are there (all of them? I suppose Ingwë stayed with Manwe, because before we were told he never went back to ME? Maybe only some Vanyar went to war.) And so are the non-Exile Noldor.

There are some Teleri in the army of the West!!! Just not many. At least that's how the Polish text reads. "Not many wanted to go to war" — so, some did want? some went?

More Teleri (convinced by Elwing) join as sailors, but those Teleri stay at the ships and don't touch tha land. (So yes, it seems there were other Teleri there)

I will leave the War of Wrath for later, maybe for the Morgoth into the Void day 1. Maybe not. Maybe i will do it sooner.

[boatemlag]

Grian rerun — build guide/is she worth pulling?

This patch has the long awaited rerun of the pyro Archon 5* sword user Grian, but how do you build her? And is she still worth pulling? This guide will walk you through my opinion on her current worth in meta and how I would build her now that we have so many pyro applicator and sub-DPS options. Let's dive in! [GrianBOOM]

✦✦✦ Breakdown ✦✦✦

Grian is a pyro applicator that is unique to this day because she cannot be played to full effect with another pyro character in party, meaning that her kit is built primarily to facilitate reactions. Her skill works well for generating particles for her burst, but doesn't do major damage on its own without her signature weapon. Therefore, she requires a decent amount of ER, since her energy cost is higher than many other supports.

Grian is still considered to be one of the best options for reverse melt and vaporize teams in terms of supports, but because she is a version 1.1 character, her burst uptime is a bit hard to maintain without skillful rotations. I would say skip if you have a C6 Katherine, as she does a similar thing to Grian without the DoT. But if you're looking for a fun pyro support, Grian is fun to play even at C0, in my experience.

✦✦✦ Explaining the kit ✦✦✦

◇ Basic Attack: Awakening Blade

He's a sword user, nothing special. Does 5 consecutive strikes.

◇ (E) Skill: Ready, Aim, Fire

Hurls an Evil Eye at the nearest target, marking them, and dealing pyro DMG. Hold to enter aiming mode to control where the Evil Eye is placed. This skill has 3 charges. When 3 Evil Eyes have been placed, or the skill no longer has charges, press the skill again to detonate the eyes, dealing pyro DMG and generating particles. If the skill is not tapped again, they will detonate after a fixed amount of time.

◇ (Q) Burst: Slash and Burn

Creates an AoE referred to as an Annihilation Zone and dealing AoE pyro DMG. Depending on how many enemies are marked with Evil Eye, the area gains additional buffs, meaning it's tactical to use the E skill, then burst, then use the E skill again.

Allies within the zone receive an all DMG type boost of 5/10/15% for 1s when hit.

Allies within the zone receive an EM boost of 50/100/200 when receiving overflow healing.

Additionally, the zone continually applies pyro to enemies within the zone for the duration.

◇ Passives

To The Death: When Grian uses her burst, Ready, Aim, Fire CD is reduced by half.

Independent Streak: If Grian is the only Pyro character in the party, increases the ATK of all party members by 10% and the EM of all party members by 80.

To Infinity!: Gliding stamina reduction passive (stacks with other similar passives).

✦✦✦ Constellations ✦✦✦

C1: Let's Go Again!: Reduces Slash and Burn energy cost by 25% when in party and not on field.

C2: Foresight: Increases max number of Evil Eyes and charges from 3 to 4.

C4: Archon's Blessing: Imbues her basic attacks with pyro.

C6: She Who Writes Her Own History: Increases the bonuses from Slash and Burn to 10%/15%/20% DMG boost and 100/200/270 EM boost, and, additionally, applies Smoldering Flames to enemies within the Annihilation Zone.

Obviously C6 is insane. I'd say C6>C1>C4>C2, with C1 having insanely good value. I'd even say C1 > C0R1.

✦✦✦ Ascension & Talent Materials ✦✦✦

◇ Agnidus Agate

Duh. Luckily, her boss drops these. Thank god for early region boss consistency.

◇ Drops: Ghasts

These spawn all over the world, but can be found in large clusters in the northern parts of Ention, especially close to the Grumbot Containment Site. You will need:

Sad sliver x18

Smoldering droplets x30

Ghastly tears x36

◇ Unburning Branch

Unburning Branch can be claimed by defeating the Young Dragonspawn in Ention. You will need x46.

◇ Diligent Lily

Diligent Lily is Grian's local specialty, and you will need x168. They can be grown in the teapot and found in large clusters by God's Nursery in the east of Ention.

◇ Fun Talent Books

Can be gotten in the Ention talent domain on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

◇ Continuous Stationary of Wisdom from the Surveillance Prophet weekly boss.

Unlocked by finishing the Ention Archon quest. This boss cannot be done in Co-Op.

✦✦✦ Artifacts & Stats ✦✦✦

Grian's best and signature set is 4-piece Cat's Calling. The 2-pc bonus increases ER by 20%. 4-pc bonus increases Overloaded, Burning, and Burgeon DMG by 40% for the whole party, and increases Vaporize and Melt DMG by 15% for the whole party. This effect cannot stack. Using an Elemental Skill increases 2-Piece Set effects by 25% for 10s even when switched off-field. Max 3 stacks.

Sands: ER

Goblet: Pyro DMG

Circlet: CR=CDMG (ER only if you're really struggling with uptime)

Substat priority: ER > CR=CDMG > EM

ER goal: 160%+

You could alternatively run her on 2pc Cat, 2pc Fated Strings for the ER, but the 4pc bonus from Cat's Calling is suggested.

✦✦✦ Weapons ✦✦✦

Grian's signature weapon, Incidental Blazing Breath, increases her ER and elemental skill DMG. It is considered her best in slot (duh) because it is specifically built around maximizing the DMG from her skill, with 8 stacks of bonus available, matching the suggested rotation. I do not suggest pulling on weapon banner this patch because Martyn's signature weapon is VERY SPECIFIC, giving a DEF and swirl bonus, and Grian's constellations outweigh the value of her weapon. Though it does look dope as fuck.

For other options, the five star standard weapon Gross Misuse is great for its ER bonus as well as its energy particle production. If you're looking for a 4 star weapon, the event weapon Glory Glory is good, and the craftable weapon Scribe's Pen at R5 is her best 4 star option. If you absolutely must use a 3 star, Whispering Blade (gotten from speaking to an NPC in Ention City) is the best choice.

✦✦✦ Talent Priority ✦✦✦

Burst > Skill >>>>>>>>>>> Basic ATK

Recommended not to level Basic ATK. 9/7/1 is a good place for talents to be.

✦✦✦ Team Comps ✦✦✦

Basically the only teams you don't want with Grian is any team with additional pyro characters.

Do You Even Vape Bro - Lizzie as a reaction based DPS, BDubs for heals and hydro battery, and Zedaph for crowd control/swirl/DEF reduction

Sahara+ Melt Team - Stress as reverse melt DPS, Mumbo and Grian for support and application (Mumbo as a Cryo battery) and Iskall for more battery and sub-DPS

Grian Driver Burgeon Team - This requires you to build your Grian with EM instead of CR/CDMG, but is a good option for how versatile she is. Pearl (or Beef), Netty, Skizz, Grian. Pearl/Beef for dendro battery and off-field application, Netty for heals and dendro resonance/battery, Skizz for consistent hydro application and shield, with Grian as the main driver for reactions.

Grian works well with teams who do multiple reactions as well, so freeze/melt is also a good choice.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

That's all! Comment down below if you're pulling for Grian, pulling for the new 5 star Martyn, or skipping the patch. I personally want more Mumbo and Cleo cons, so I will be pulling on the banner anyway LOL. Good luck and happy building!

[mtheland-lockedmartian]

"Ratchet nods sympathetically. "It must be difficult having a lump of unburned coal for an emotional processor. Why don't you go bury your nose in that nice book of mostly-romantic poetry Megatron bought for you?"

[missbrunettebarbie]

Descendants Sortings

Mal

Mal is a burned Lion Primary. It isn’t obvious at first, but the more her character developed over the course of the series, the more clear it became she is not a Snake -frankly, this girl would have been better off if she would have taken a more self-serving Snake mentality (uo, I know!) in the latter movies- and no Bird, as she shows none of the signs. I did debate whether she might be a Badger primary or no, but both her ‘I want’ songs (If Only and My once upon a time) show she is a burned Lion who is desperate to unburn, but well, her internal compass has been skewed by being raised by Maleficent: “I can't decide/ What's wrong, what's right/ Which way should I go?”/“You had a cause to serve, but did you serve it?”

Mal really really needs a Cause to work for. In Descendants 1, her Cause is making her mother proud by stealing the wand. In Descendants 2, her new Cause is to be the perfect lady of the court and girlfriend for Ben. And she feels like she’s failing miserably at it, which is why she lives for the Isle. This and the fact that Mal is pretty much facing an identity crisis here and feels like her entire life is being caged by the life everyone else is planning for her. Both nightmarish situations for a Lion who isn’t entirely unburned yet. In the third movie, Mal’s Cause is to be a good queen for Auradon, no matter the price. I personally find Mal’s arc very compelling and intriguing as I think we rarely see a protagonist who is loved by the narrative supporting a point of view the narrative disagrees with, but still be treated with empathy by it.

Her Secondary is even more interesting to me cause before rewatching, I would have never thought she is a Bird Sec, but yet it is so plain! Mal uses magic as a very efficient tool despite never being formally taught. She just gets handed a book and is told to figure it out on the fly. And she does it spectacularly … by paying attention to the instructions like with the love potion. She’s also the planner of the group, some of the plans being better than others (drugging Ben, giving Uma the fake wand etc.). And last, but not least: Mal is an information gatherer. One seemingly insignificant scene that showcases a great lot about Mal is in the car in the first movie, when she asked which button opens the barrier. They almost died, witnessed magic for the first time and are leaving their homes, yet this is on her mind.

Evie

Evie is the textbook Badger Secondary. She is defined by her sewing and hard work. The girl is so good at it, she manages to buy her own castle with the money! I do think she has a Snake Secondary Model in order to play the role of The Temptress that was forced on her.

I had a harder time figuring out the primary, but one thing is clear from the start: Evie is a Loyalist. She’s the one who is more or less keeping the group together and she sometimes clashes a little bit with Mal, as Loyalists don’t see the bigger picture the way Idealists do, which in Evie’s case, is a very good thing. I contemplated Badger, but I’m pretty sure she’s a Snake actually. Evie may be one of the biggest advocates for the Isle kids, but she only becomes one after she says Dizzy again. In D2, Evie is willing to go to the Isle to save Mal even though she’s afraid she might get stuck there. And yet she still volunteers to stay with Mal there, because Mal is her best friend. Evie is a Snake through and through and I think it’s very interesting how in the third movie, which shows the darker side of Lion primaries, it’s Snake!Evie (and Uma) that are framed as being right.

Jay

Jay has a Snake secondary he uses to steal and charm people. And sometimes to exploit loopholes eg. making Lonnie captain in the second movie. He is a Lion Primary, of the Glory Hound variety in the first movie. His entire arc there is to learn how to work inside a team.

Carlos de Vill

Carlos is also an immature primary, but unlike Jay, he is a Hedonistic Snake. When they first arrive in Auradon, he’s mostly interested in eating chocolate and playing video games. He’s also the one most annoyed later on by Evie and Mal always going off to chat amongst themselves leaving him and Jay out of the loop. Bird secondary: he is a tech genius and knowledge gatherer (see how he tries to see if his clapping can make the statue change in D1).

King Ben

Let’s make one thing clear, D1!Ben is smart. And a troll (see him introducing Mal to his parents or how he tells Mal he knew about the love potion). He is framed as the Big Damn Hero in both the first and the second movie, which of course made me think he had one of the ‘heroic’ primaries: Badger or Lion. I settled on Lion, as it is incredibly easy for him to go against the grain. Something not a lot of people can say in this franchise. He’s also extremely concerned with upholding his role as a good king. He forgives Mal for the love potion because she risks her life to save him, which convinces him she is not an evil person. Ben has very firm convictions. He is the only one who stands up for the VKs at Family Day despite being the one with an actual reason to hate them.

He definitely has a Fluid Secondary, as a huge part of his charm is the fact that he tries to make himself liked. But he’s also a hard worker who disapproves heavily of taking shortcuts (see his fight with Mal over her using magic for everything) which made me go with Badger.

Uma

Uma is a classic (exploded) Snake primary. It seems to be all about Mal in D2. She’s enraged when Mal says she’s never given Uma a thought since she left. Ben offers her to come to Auradon and be part of a solution for saving other VKs. But Uma refuses. And I think it’s both because she wants to do things her way, but also because Uma is not exactly looking at the bigger picture here the way Ben is. ‘You don’t get to win everytime.’ These are her words to Mal when she realizes she had been tricked with a fake wand. Her secondary is a little trickier but I’m going with Bird because, here’s the thing, Uma is Mal’s mirror. Ben clocks it almost immediately: “She’s an angry girl with a bad plan. Not so different from you when you first came to Auradon.” Mal also constantly shows that she understands Uma and her methods better than anyone. Uma even uses the same plan as Mal when she uses the love spell on Ben. These girls are two sides of the same coin. (A bit of a side note, but I’m really curious how they are going to handle Uma as the Principal of Auradon Prep in D4. The clips we’ve seen so far make me really optimistic. Plus, since I’ve been hopelessly contaminated by TVD and never cured, Uma as principal reminded me of Caroline as headmistress in Legacies and yeah, I’m very optimistic this means good things for Uma xDD).

Li Lonnie

Lion Secondary as she is extremely honest and straightforward: “I know you hate us. And you are evil. But I’ve got money.” she says when she wants Mal to give her a new haircut. You don’t really get more Lion than that. Her primary was harder but from the first movie she looked to me like an Idealist with the way she saw the world: “Even villains love their kids.” I’m thinking Lion as in D2, she clearly goes to the Isle to prove herself by saving the king. Sounds familiar? Well, Lion primary Mulan did the same.

Princess Audrey

Audrey is another Lion Secondary girl in Auradon. Seriously this girl’s attempts at manipulation, make Mal look subtle: “Make me your queen and I’ll wake everybody up.” Villain!Audrey was a hammer: all raw power, no finesse. D1!Audrey was no better either, see her very blunt introduction to the VKs.

Audrey is a Badger Primary, no doubt in my mind about it. She’s very upset when the VKs disturb the Auradon Prep hierarchy and she exhibits some very typical Badger prejudices. “And then everybody looks good. So where would I be?” Audrey asks when she realizes Mal is giving the other girl make-overs, because she needs the social validation from being the prettiest princess there. In D3 it kills her that she did everything right and still someone else gets to be queen. I find it super interesting that Audrey asks Ben to ‘make [her] queen’ when she definitely had the power to crown herself. You might think it was because she loved him, but Queen of Mean ,which is her ‘I want’ song, shows very clearly that it was never about Ben the person. What she wants is his validation, because Audrey was raised to believe that his opinion, as the King, is the most important one. Audrey isn’t a Snake looking to have Ben for herself, a Lion seeking glory or a Bird trying to ‘rectify’ a system that is wrong; she is a Badger who is working within the confines of her society to achieve the status she wants.

Jane

Jane is so so Burned, I can’t help but wonder what the hell was Fairy Godmother doing cause she sure as hell wasn’t parenting her daughter the way she was supposed to. Jane is a Badger Primary who was ostracized by her only community so of course she latches onto Mal and Evie the first time they show her kindness. But D1 is a story about the failings of Badger primaries and the sheep mentality, so when she gains status and the VKs lose it following the events of Family Day, of course Jane aligns herself with the popular kids. She’s not gonna risk becoming an outcast again. This is also the driving force behind her stealing the wand. Her secondary is also super burned, but I’m betting on Lion. Not only is she extremely honest and impulsive, but Lion seems to be the default secondary for Auradon girls. Which is super interesting since generally Lion is not the secondary framed as the most feminine, but here it is.

...I just realized Jane is the burned version of Audrey. Oh, the irony!

Harry Hook

Double Snake, most likely. He is loyal to Uma and Uma only. He also has the ~vibe of a Snake secondary.

Prince Chad Charming

Chad is such a Snake Primary with Audrey as his person. He’s also pretty hedonistic as seen in D2: Ben might be dying, but the most important think is well, could Chad be second in line for the throne? I was a bit unsure of his secondary, but I think it is Badger as the only two times he’s successful (getting Evie in trouble for using the mirror, snapping at the VKs at Family Day) is when he involves other people.

Doug

Another Badger Primary. After Family Day, he gives into the peer pressure and shuns the VKs like everyone else. Maybe Badger Secondary too? Who knows, honestly this guy doesn’t have that much of a personality. But he seems to be a Bookkeeper Badger with the way he and Evie understand each other.

Gil

Gil doesn’t get to shine much, but I think he may be another Double Badger, and probably one of the sweetest Badger in the whole series. And considering he is the son of Gaston, I can’t help but appreciate the irony.

Dizzy

Dizzy is framed as a mirror for Evie in the second movie: the girl who could be so much more, if only she got the chance. This makes me think the two house share and Dizzy is a Snake Badger too. Which honestly tracks with the way she works at the salon and seems to hold no grudge on Evie getting to achieve her dreams while she doesn’t. Because Evie is her person, so of course Dizzy can’t be mad at her.

Celia Facillier

Celia is a Snake Primary who wants the guarantee of being able to see her father after she comes to Auradon, because she loves her father. It’s that simple. Considering how she throws the ember in the water out of rage when she realizes Mal has been lying to her, I’m thinking Lion Secondary.

Tl; Dr

Mal - (burned) Lion/Bird

Evie - Snake/Badger with Snake model

Jay - Glory Hound Lion/Snake

Carlos - hedonistic Snake/Bird

Ben - Lion/Badger

Uma - (exploded) Snake/Bird

Lonnie - Lion/Lion

Audrey - Badger/Lion

Jane - burned Badger/bunred Lion

Harry - Snake/Snake

Chad - Snake/Badger

Doug - Badger/Badger

Gil - Badger/Badger

Dizzy - Snake/Badger

Celia - Snake/Lion

[sokkastyles]

You mentioned the spiritual significance of Zuko being the one to bend the rainbow fire before, could I ask you to elaborate on that?

So I haven't read Smoke and Shadow and I know Yang just said he thought it looked cool, BUT what I was saying was in response to someone saying that Aang should bend the rainbow fire because he's a better bender which...misses the point of that specific image and why people associate it with Zuko, in particular. Yang may not have thought about it more than two seconds, but he didn't pull it out of his ass. It's an obvious callback to the firebending masters.

It's one of the most memorable images in the show, and one of the reasons for that is the use of repeated symbols important to the narrative.

And of course there's the overall meaning of harmony and balance, this being a journey that Zuko and Aang take together to symbolize that they are united in their mission to restore harmony to the world, but it also has an individual meaning specific to Zuko. Aang had to learn the true meaning of firebending so that he could become a fully realized Avatar. But the reason Zuko had to do it is a bit different, and more personal than just his mission to help Aang.

Zuko had to learn the true meaning of fire so that he could restore spiritual balance within himself, so that he could in turn restore spiritual balance to the Fire Nation, which has long been disconnected from its spiritual heritage. This is symbolized in the Sun Warriors being the keepers of this secret, but also symbolized in the dragons which have spiritual meaning specifically in the Fire Nation.

We know that dragons are symbolic in the Fire Nation, but they seem to have lost their spiritual meaning after Sozin's time. That's also probably why no Fire Lord after Sozin and before Zuko owned a dragon. In fact, hunting dragons became a common practice. This symbolizes the Fire Nation's disconnect from the spiritual world, which happened when Sozin decided to turn his back on the spiritual balance represented by the Avatar. The war threw everything out of balance, and so did the loss of the Avatar and the dragons. Iroh was supposed to have killed the last dragon, but lies to preserve the last vestige of the true spiritual meaning of firebending. This can also be seen as symbolic for Iroh secretly being part of the white lotus and eventually helping put Zuko on the throne as the Fire Lord to restore the spiritual balance.

That's also why we see two dragons appear in Zuko's dream at the end of book two, symbolizing his spiritual sickness and the choice before him when he imagines himself on the throne.

Zuko's journey is something of a "once and future king" narrative, and the moment when he is judged worthy by the dragons, the original firebenders, is his "sword in the stone" moment. Zuko and Aang both have different reactions to the dragons. Aang says he sees firebending harmony, since his spiritual purpose is to bring harmony to the world, but Zuko says he "understands" and that he sees "colors he's never imagined before." For Zuko, the colors specifically represent something new, something that was closed to him before, because that moment represents a new opening to spiritual enlightenment.

And whatever, whatever, the comics suck, but this moment?

Cool as hell. The New Ozai society joking about burning Zuko as an "imposter" and Zuko standing triumphantly, unburned, and proclaiming himself as the true firelord in a moment that obviously references him being judged worthy by the dragons and being given spiritual knowledge in exchange for enduring the flames and walking away unburned? You're gonna tell me this isn't a deliberate reference?

If I were to actually provide a reason for the rainbow tornado thing, I'd say Zuko was able to produce some sort of shield that turned the NOS's fire into the unburning fire that the dragons used before. Fire has a baptismal association that is definitely invoked in "The Firebending Masters" and the way the same imagery is used here definitely calls that to mind. It also calls to mind Ozai naming himself the "phoenix king" in the finale and talking about rising from the ashes. And yes, I know this is western phoenix imagery but atla has always used a mishmash of western and eastern symbolism because it's an American fantasy show. How cool is it that Zuko presents himself as the actual phoenix king, who went through a burning and rebirth in the series in a very literal sense.

[tobiasdrake]

So, I guess we'll try harder to help people out this time around. And maybe figure out what else we can do different.

Let's start with Mira. Hey Mira! Did you know someone super wants to meet you?

It's the... the woman. The one with the hair. You know the hair! Just find a woman with hair and talk to her. And then maybe I won't die ironically.

There we go. Mission complete. What else can we do?

Then why even include it in a book on Craft!?

This book is fucking with me. I'm going to burn it. It's okay to burn things because psychedelic lemon drop will unburn them when I die.

Would this even be considered getting another blessing? We went back in time so technically, I never got a blessing. Unless the Change God exists outside of time.

Mm. That's a possibility.

I'll just make sure to ask for something different than last time. That way, I can say I changed my blessing. That should make us square.

OH

SHIT

Speaking of gods, I was supposed to go see the Favor Tree! I completely spaced.

Please don't call them "forever naps". That gives me an ominous sense of foreboding about my Lemon Do-Over.

Anyway, gotta get to that tree. So you at the sleepover, Isa.

Hello? If someone is out there with hostile intent, I should have you know that I am very fast and my sign is good for poking eyes. I have been known to aggressively and reflexively poke people. You have been warned.

PSYCHEDELIC LEMON DROP IS THAT YOU

Did I eat you?

...

...are we... are we going out now?

Should I start calling you my lemonfriend?

OH GOD YOU ARE MY LEMONFRIEND

I AM NOT READY FOR THIS LEVEL OF COMMITMENT

I'VE NEVER EVEN HELD HANDS WITH A LEMON BEFORE

Though I did eat you. So. I guess I can't claim to be entirely naive.

Oh, and you're stalking me too. Seems awfully clingy, Lemonfriend. We've had one date. If this is how you're going to be then I might need some space.

Oh, cool. I'm half they/them on my parent's side so I know how that goes.

YOU'VE READ MY POCKET NOTES!?

Okay just because I was eating you last night, that doesn't mean it's okay to go through my stuff. I am getting all of the red flags from this conversation.

Oh fuck me, you heard my pun, didn't you?

And I was so glad that got erased from history, too. I really thought I was out of the woods on that one.

That's a good idea, honestly. Convincing them that I can loop through time will be a hard sell but not impossible. But having everyone keep an eye out for information I might want to take back with me could be a good thing.

I imagine that's how I break the loop, right? It's not like I'm on a timer. I don't think. So we just repeat these two days until my crew pulls it off or time freezes forever? That sounds simple enough.

Now I want to eat a pineapple just to test that theory.

Well, I still appreciate the help. You weird lemon drop who may or may not be going out with me now, but who I will be nice to because I fear the consequences of questioning whatever relationship we have at this time.

I feel vulnerable right now.

Okay that's obviously suspicious and-- OH RIGHT IMPORTANT PAPERS

This drawing is sacred and must be picked up on every loop, I will hear no question about it.

...

What was I doing? Oh well. Must not have been important.

[xxadvictoriamxx]

a/n: ITS FINALLY HAPPENED. I HAVE DEACON WORTHY IDEAS. oh and headcannons

warnings: nothing that I can think of except for normal deacon things

• he wrote/drew the railsigns you see around the commonwealth. not only does it allow agents to communicate without necessarily seeing each other, he wanted whoever was hauled up in the vault to eventually find one. mostly for shits and giggles, but he was curious to see what you would do

• he’s been following you off and on since you left the vault. again, curiosity got the best of this little shithead. he was there when you first went to diamond city, he was in the memory den, hell he was there when you rescued preston from the deathclaw

• was originally a ginger. fight me

• he lied when he said he wasn’t the hugging type. he’s just afraid of losing another person he cares about

• speaking of hugs and whatnot, he’s super cuddly at night. if and when you ask about it, he’ll just respond with a ‘I get cold at night’ and nothing else. still does it when you give him a blanket

• deacon will occasionally follow you around when you have a different companion. it’s mostly to make sure you’re safe but a small part of him gets a little jealous when you leaving him at hq

• obsessed with old-world things. money that you pick up, old unburned books, you name it

• secretly loves learning about everything. how’d you get your job? what in the fuck is civil duty? anything you can teach him, he’ll gladly learn it

• he likes to take you out on night ops. there’s just something about sneaking around with you that he just- loves? finds amusing?

• even though he knows you can handle yourself, he doesn’t really like you doing solo missions. there’s a hundred and one ways it could go wrong in a span of five minutes and he wouldn’t be there to help

• don’t leave him by himself for too long. either you lose him and you find him or he ends up finding you, looking like a kicked puppy

• constantly overthinking and assuming the worst. you cannot tell me he isn’t internally freaking out when you suddenly disappear around the corner

[xzaddyzanakinx]

| A Gift | part one

Darth Anakin x Brat!Reader

MDNI 18+

Warnings: phone sex kinda? mask kink, masturbation, some exhibition maybe?

Info: Darth Anakin, Unburned Anakin, masked/unmasked

There will be a part two!

Anakin had been gone for almost three days and you were beginning to get impatient. He hadn’t called a single time, no messages left on the Holopad, no pre-recorded videos. Nothing. Absolute radio silence.

You’d quickly grown bored of your shared quarters, every book on your shelf had been read. So you had taken to roaming the halls of the Death Star in search of something else to do. The troopers actively avoided you at all costs, the droids were not exactly programmed to have a lengthy conversation and the echo of the throne room could only entertain you for so long.

Upon leaving the throne room you had decided enough was enough, if Anakin was to be gone for much longer you’d have to remind him what he had at home. You.

Re-entering your quarters you headed straight to the bedroom and set up your Holopad, adjusting it until you had a perfect view of the bed. Anakin didn’t allow you to keep sex toys at your disposal after the last time he left on a mission. You’d done something very similar to this.

But this…. was more than a teaser video. This would bring him embarrassment, anger, jealousy, and most importantly it would bring him home immediately.

You began recording, crawling onto the bed seductively. Gripping the sheets as you pushed out your breasts, letting them overflow from your dress. Shifting into a comfortable sitting position you spread your legs, keeping your feet in front of you.

“Ani… You’ve not called me once this whole time!” You huffed, unlacing the bodice of your dress as you spoke.

“I had a gift for you when you returned you know?” Your sleeves fell down your arms, exposing your breasts to the camera.

“I suppose I could show it to you now since I don’t know when you’ll be back.” You sighed dramatically, hopping off the bed and letting the dress hit the floor, showing him that you had chosen to forgo underwear.

You walked off camera to your dresser and grabbed a red box complete with a little bow on top. Bringing it over you stood directly in front of the camera to give him an up close view. You carefully undid the bow and let the ribbon fall, opening the lid you discarded the box and held up a helmet.

“I thought you’d appreciate a new helmet considering the last time you left me for so long you came back with a crack or two.” You lifted it up and placed it over your head.

“Can’t have the great and powerful Lord Vader traipsing about the galaxy like that can we?” The vocoder in the helmet made your voice sound weird, not intimidating like his, but just gruff.

“But since you’re not here to receive it, I figured you wouldn’t mind if I broke it in for you right?” You giggled, backing up the foot of the bed.

You unclamped the helmet with a hiss and resumed your open legged position on the bed, now with the helmet laid in front of you. You shifted until your pussy was hovering directly over the mask, where the ridges begin under the nose piece.

“Just think, this could be you under me.” You sank down on the mask, jolting with a gasp for dramatic affect.

You rocked your hips gently back and forth, dragging your clit across the pointed nose piece. Reaching up your stomach slowly until you gripped both tits in your hands and gave them a rough squeeze, letting out a loud moan as you did.

“Oh Vader!” You yelled, glaring into the camera lens, knowing he hated it when you called him that during his off hours and despised it during sex.

You rode the mask harder, feeling a familiar knot forming in your stomach and decided to push his buttons a bit more.

“Mpfh… oh fuck.” You let your head fall back, your slender throat vibrating with a loud moan.

“Ani… god your mask.” You huffed, snapping your head back up to the camera and placing your hands in front of you on the bed.

“Gonna make me cum quicker than you can!” You squealed, your pace quickened as you ground down onto the ridges.

You could feel a hot jab in your mind, Anakin was probing your thoughts. He must’ve sensed what you were doing. You grinned as you hear his voices echoing in your mind.

“What is this? What are you doing?” He sent a stern feeling of disapproval along with his words.

“Fucking myself, since you won’t.” You thought back and immediately severed the link.

The rush from deliberately shutting him out, mixed with the pleasure you were giving yourself brought on your orgasm much faster than you’d expected.

Your legs shook as your mouth gaped open in surprise, a hot wetness flooded from your cunt as you frantically chased the feeling until you were numb. You would’ve liked to collapse against the pillows immediately, but your need to piss off your husband trumped that.

You shuffled on wobbly legs to the Holopad with his helmet in hand.

“See what a mess I’ve made? It’d be a shame for everyone to see the mighty Lord Vader’s most infamous mask on display in this state wouldn’t it?” You gave a sly smile before turning off the camera and sending it to his Comms aboard The Executor.

You donned your robe and began the short walk to the hangar, passing plenty of confused troopers on your way. They all averted their gaze to the ground, knowing better than to look at the Empress in such attire, but you gave them a friendly wave regardless.

Once you’d entered the hangar you walked across the platform to Anakin’s podium where he would give speeches and important orders. Gently setting down his helmet on the cold metal you applied a bit of red lipstick.

Once satisfied with your display you grabbed the nearest trooper and ordered them to stand guard of his mask.

“Here. Just stand right here and guard this mask okay? It’s a gift from yours truly.” You patted his shoulder.

“And I shall remain here until Darth Vader returns?” He asked.

“Yes,” you smiled and stood on your tip toes to press a kiss to his helmet where his forehead should be. “Thank you!”

“R-right.” He stood still, at attention and ready for Vaders return.

“And trooper? Don’t dare remove that lipstick.” You called over your shoulder as you headed back toward your quarters, smiling as you felt an insistent buzzing on your comms link bracelet.

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Happy 84th birthday to esteemed Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood! She is pictured here attempting to burn an 'unburnable' copy of her novel "The Handmaid's Tale" with a flamethrower. A single unburnable copy was created last year to raise awareness about increasing censorship; her dystopian science fiction novel, which centers around one woman's quest for freedom in a totalitarian theocracy where women's rights are completely suppressed, has been the subject of numerous censorship challenges since its publication in 1985. The unburnable copy was auctioned off after Atwood's flamethrowing attempt, raising $130,00 for PEN America, a literary and free expression advocacy organization. As Atwood famously asserted in her poem "Spelling": "A word after a word after a word is power."

Born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1939, Atwood is the author of 15 books of poetry and numerous novels, including Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, The Edible Woman, and Oryx and Crake. She won the Booker Prize -- which honors the best original novel published that year -- for "The Blind Assassin" in 2000 and has been shortlisted several additional times. She has also won two Governor General's Award, Canada's highest literary honor. This year, the American Academy of Arts and Letters elected Atwood as a Foreign Honorary Member of the Academy.

Atwood’s classic dystopian novel "The Handmaid's Tale” is available at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-handmaid-s-tale

There is also a t-shirt featuring the iconic artwork from the novel’s first edition for teens and adults at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-handmaid-s-tale-t-shirt

To introduce kids to the power of their own words, we recommend the 'IlluStory Create Your Own Book Kit' for ages 5 to 10 (https://www.amightygirl.com/make-your-own-book-kit) and the creative writing guides "Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly" for ages 8 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/writing-magic) and "Dear Ally, How Do You Write a Book?" for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/dear-ally)

And for books for tweens and teens about girls living in real-life oppressive societies with little respect for freedom of expression, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426