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Far From Home

Elves, Boromir has learnt, pass through this world with no whisper of footsteps. In all the time he has been here, he’s not sure how long anymore, he has seen them slip in and out of the trees like shadows.

So when he hears the rustle of tree branches, as Legolas makes himself known some distance away, he knows it’s for his benefit.

He makes no move to beckon him over but nor does he push him away as the elf comes to settle down beside him. The silence that follows appears to cause him far more discomfort than his companion, though after a while he does speak.

“You seem uneasy.”

Boromir shifts in his seat.

“I mean no disrespect,” he mutters, “I just prefer the company of my own people.”

His eyes widen as he realised what he said.

“I did not mean… You are not… Well, I only meant…”

His stammering is cut off by a merry laugh and he sighs into his hands. Damn the elf and his strangeness. He could not understand how Aragorn could hold conversations with him long into the night. He had not a clue what to say. His eyes look like they have seen too much yet he looks as young as some of the newer recruits he had been training just before he had left.

He frowned. How many of them had died while he’d been away on this journey, too far to be of any help?

“I understand,” the elf’s voice steers him back to the waking dream of the present, “It is difficult find rest in an unfamiliar place.”

“It is not just that,” he begins, but says no more.

They had traveled together three months but Boromir still doesn’t know where to place the Prince of Mirkwood. He knows that he is kind, he has seen it. And he know that he is trustworthy and skilled. He’d be lucky to have him at his side in battle. Yet there are times he seems so distant, like he walked in a different world, near but never quite touching their own.

“While you rest here, your own people are fighting the darkness that would overtake your lands.” Legolas supplies, “And they are losing. You want to be at their side.”

“It is true what they say of elven magic,” he sits up a little, edging just slightly away, “You can read minds.”

Legolas laughs again but shakes his head. Boromir remains unconvinced.

“But I know anyway, for it is the same in my mind.” He frowns and looks out into the branches, “My realm was great once. But I too cannot remember a time where we were not fighting the dark. There are times of greater peace but still it lingers.”

Boromir nods slowly, “Always a shadow.”

Legolas sighs softly and in it Boromir can hear his own exhaustion. It brings sorrow and… something else heavy on his chest and he doesn’t trust himself to speak until Legolas does again.

“You will go back to your people?”

He nods again, “But you will not return to yours.”

Legolas chuckles, “My father would wish it I think but- “

“What - Oh forgive me,” Boromir cleared his throat, but Legolas smiles at him and after a moments hesitation he continues, “Your father, what is he like?”

Legolas leans back, soundless against the undergrowth. It’s like it bends around to accommodate him. His held tilts to the side as he considers.

“Proud,” he says after a very long moment, “Stubborn. And kind, as often as he is able.”

Boromir hums in acknowledgment. It is all the more difficult to be kind in these days. He tries to picture the Elvenking. His face in his mind is probably more like his own father’s than it ought to be but it settles his heart somewhat.

“I am scared for him most of all.” Legolas says suddenly, Boromir turns to see his face unusually pinched in worry, “And my brothers. That something should happen to them while I am away.”

Without really thinking he places a hand on the elf’s shoulder. He regrets it almost instantly. He has not seen the elves of this forest so familiar. Still it had seemed the natural thing. Perhaps he’s gotten more used to the elf than he realised. He seems more present than the others of this forest, who float about like memories of songs long forgotten. Whatever he thought, Legolas leans into the touch quite readily.

“But you will stay all the same,” he asks softly, like he was talking to one of his young soldiers and not an immortal warrior.

“I am more use here I think,” Legolas replies, “working to a final end.”

Boromir pursed his lips and looked away.

“Do…” his words come out unsteady but he’ll not back down twice, “Do you really think this quest will succeed?”

He turns back and knows immediately he’s made a mistake. Those starlit eyes are too old, too clever and far too far away to understand his fear.

“What other hope is there? We must succeed.”

Boromir wonders at what sort of a being could speak with such blind conviction. He doesn’t know whether he fears or envies it. Of course such a creature of light could not understand the strange and dangerous thoughts that plague his waking moments. It was foolish even to ask.

“What else but to cave to despair and the Enemies purpose?”

“Is that what you think of me?” Boromir snaps.

Legolas’ eyes widen as if surprised, “No I… forgive me I suppose I speak only of my own mind.”

Liar. He almost sighs aloud. No… Scheming creature trying to catch him in a lie. Enough.

Boromir shakes the voices from his head and gets up quickly. He cannot trust himself to speak to anyone when the whispers draw near, least of all a riddling elf.

“There is hope yet Boromir,” He hears the elf call after him and almost laughs.

“If there is I cannot see it.”

It takes an effort but he looks back. He had no idea what genuine earnestness looks like on an elf, but Legolas’ expression is as close as he can imagine. Part of him wants to go back to sitting in his strange, quiet company but it is if a gulf of shadow lies between them now. Even so his eyes soften.

“I have gone long without hope, Master Elf. And I have fought long and hard without it. You need not fear for me.”

Legolas’ lips part slightly, as though he were about to say more but instead he just nods and smiles faintly. Boromir gives a slight bow and takes his leave. He will sort out the mess of darkness that kept clouding his thoughts. Then, and only then he might be able to speak more easily with the Prince of Mirkwood.

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So by the 2010s Temeraire would have been a political figure for literally 200 years. imagine the tumblr politician discourse:

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🛀 skibaldibathtub follow

It’s so fucking stupid to put a politician on a pedestal like y’all do with Temeraire. You know he voted for a bill that said only unmarried women can have bank accounts, right?

🦠 soylentgreeniswerewolf ✅✅ follow

Yeah, he voted for that in eighteen fucking seventeen you dumbass, when literally the only way for a woman to have her own bank account was to be an officer in the aerial corps. That bill was an expansion of rights.

Like look if you want to criticize the guy for being part of the imperialist war machine and furthering the colonization of Australia, I’m right there with you, but criticize him for things he actually did and learn some historical context, for fuck’s sake.

⛑️ youvegotchainmail 🐾🐾🐾 follow

Ok but you know he was sent to Australia as a literal prison sentence, right? He didn’t have a choice. You know this? It’s important to me that Tumblr knows this

🧊 climatechangethisass follow

the point stands about the imperialism tho. And also it took aaaaaages for him to come out in favor of marriage equality even tho his first captain was probably bi.

🍩 donuttouchthis follow

Politician makes compromises to get shit done and doesn’t voice unpopular opinions when it would lose him votes, news at 11

📬 manicpixiedreamoctogenarian follow

All of this is fine actually but I don’t know why Tumblr—the socialism website— doesn’t seem to fucking care that all his early writings are super capitalist yay resource extraction bs.

⚽️ sportsballenjoyer 🐾 follow

HE WAS HATCHED IN 1805. DO YOU IMAGINE YOU WOULD HAVE PERFECT MARXIST THEORY A DECADE BEFORE MARX WAS EVEN BORN.

⭐️ stony4president2028 follow

He said he hates the MCU :/

🧉theonlygoodstanisgrunkle

lol based

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HELLO I'm finally reading Black Powder War and Dragon Masterbation was not on my bingo card for this series but in retrospect maybe it should have been.

people don't tend to believe you when you say that these books are really, really funny sometimes and then you get to the dragon masturbation and, well

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another bit in system collapse i noticed on re-(re-re-)listen: at the very beginning when murderbot’s beefing with the agbot and the b-e SecUnit saves it but also almost kills it, murderbot makes a comment about art sharing the visual with its crew once it knows murderbot is safe. specifically so that it could have someone to be angry about it with.

which is sad, yes, because at this point in the book murderbot can’t even muster indignation in its own defense. art has to go to its crew. but also i would kill to be on the ship when art and its crew start going off. it'd be so funny! just

Did you see that shit, Seth?

“Yes, Peri, you showed me that shit.”

They could have killed it!

“I do expect that was their plan.”

Proposal to re-initiate plan A01: Rain-

"Peri. No."

or like, jumpcut to pin-lee abandoning her work on the charter to start cussing out barish-estranza. amena metaphorically patting art on the back because its crew won't let it do a murder. dr mensah with her head in her hands because she would also like to murder but has to be, like, responsible about it.

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Dr. Gurathin & Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries) Characters: Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries), Dr. Gurathin (Murderbot Diaries), Station Security - Character, Original Characters Additional Tags: email workskin, Humor, Epistolary, Emails, Gurathin and Murderbot are the B-plot in a workplace comedy, Implied Corporation rim legal bullshit Series: Part 2 of MB fics by Basalt Summary:

FROM; TR.Gurathin@pres.aux RE; ForMol data theft resolution CC; jmPriya_834@pres.aux, Hj_4287@pres.aux, BrianeK92@pres.aux… Twelve More.

Hi all, If anybody has a clip or image of Secunit tackling the corporate legal rep, please send it to me discreetly. I know some of you are plugged into station SecSys. I know the footage exists, and I need it.

Thanks, 203283.2487 | TR.Gurathin@pres.aux

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kaladin being silent when his entire town thinks he's a slave, letting his parents handle him like a child and then just going "*sigh* alrighty time to get on business" and PUNCHING ROSHONE IN THE FACE, SCARING OFF THE GUARDS WITH A SINGLE LOOK ALONE AND THEN SUMMONING A SHARDBLADE LIKE IT'S NOTHING.... i think about it daily and i'm not normal about it

someone please draw that i am on my knees begging

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merlin has more strength than me bc if I heard uther pendragon bitch and moan about how magic only brings harm after I just saved his sons life for the ten billionth time that year with my magic and almost died yet again, I fear id accidentally turn him into a log

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Why isn't "too scary" a good enough reason to never drive a car

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Drew a little of this on a discord stream! I was super nervous drawing in front of people. Based on this post:

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Murderbot 1.07 Complementary Species

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Murderbot showing up in Exit Strategy like “whats up ive been on a journey of self discovery and i’m back. you’re doing everything wrong btw” is SO funny from PresAux’s perspective

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Aaaaand we're live, folks!

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There’s a couple of points in the books where Murderbot reflects on how it doesn’t remember much before Ganaka Pit and the subsequent memory wipe, which was also roughly when it hacked its governor module.

The problem is, it also very clearly remembers what a governor module punishment protocol feels like.

I’m not saying this is a plot hole, I’m just theorising.

There are two main options here: (1) Murderbot doesn’t have many electronic memories of a governor module, but it does remember it in its organic tissue. This is somewhat flawed in that MB is able to send its memories of a governor module punishment to ART, but you know, it’s plausible it can translate organic memories into digital. It also notes several times that it doesn’t remember things very well when they’re just organic memories, but the fact Ganaka Pit was fuzzy (traumatic, one single very confusing night) doesn’t mean a repeated and common torture technique wasn’t clearer.  

I think I lean towards option (2), though: memories of the governor module are deliberately left in during memory wipes as usual procedure.

Like, realistically, the way a governor module must work is through experience, not just future threat. That utter certainty that you cannot disobey fits much better if you have disobeyed and know exactly what the punishment would be.

I assume there’s also some kind of training period (calibrating period?) before SecUnits are shipped off. Have to check the parts all fit together, that the education modules are properly integrated, and clients don’t really want the first time their SecUnit ever picked up a gun to be when something is trying to kill them.

A thorough and very personal explanation of exactly what a governor module is probably part of the training. Ordering the SecUnit to hold still while the bored tech stabs their fingers, just so it can learn what happens if it disobeys orders. Making it stand perfectly still for hours while the governor module threatens them if they so much as shift their eyes. Some bored intern turning the module on intentionally once or twice just to see if it makes the SecUnit twitch.

Probably not even entirely in training. Companies says that the SecUnit is “fresh off the line” and don’t normally mention this is literally its first ever contract, but by that point they’re pretty sure the governor module is working fine. The new SecUnit themselves still are a little too curious around this world they’re in, sometimes touching out to see what else SecSystem can do or watching their new clients with actual interest about how humans talk, but they learn very quickly what the rules are.

It’s not official policy, but usually techs find that if they leave at least some of that first contract or two after a memory wipe, they get better long-term obedience results. When they’re mainly focused on purging a specific event such as a mass murder on RaviHyrall, they might leave in some basic memories of an uneventful contract or two from a few years earlier, long enough that the curiosity about the world had faded and there was just resignation.

I’m just mostly fascinated by Murderbot’s very specific memories of its governor module when it shouldn’t have too many of them.

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AND THEN ITS THE BOTS THAT RALLY TO HELP MB WHO IS CURRENTLY IN ACTIVE COMBAT WITH A COMBAT BOT BECAUSE THEY THINK IT KILLED BALIN AND THE HAVE TO STOP IT FROM KILLING MB TOO. JOLLYBABY LITERALLY PUTS A HAND IT FRONT OF IT TO USE ITS BODY AS A SHIELD. JOLLYBABY WHO MB IS FREQUENTLY KIND OF A DICK TO

The humans shoot it in the fucking back but a bot protects it with its own body. I'm insane about it

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Murderbot Episode 8 clip

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POV you’re art and your bestest most specialest SecUnit goes “hey can you make a copy of me specifically to die” and you go “that’s an awful idea” and it goes “no fuck you it’s a great idea also you asked something to send to die so you can have me” and you shout “i didn’t mean you!” and it goes “stop yelling at me” which is maybe the first time it’s verbally pushed back on mistreatment in its life so you go entirely quiet because you are so so angry with it but also you can’t yell at it because it asked you not to

and then you send out the copy of it anyway to save your crew, and it saves your crew and another SecUnit and also itself

and then it dies

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is it risk assessment or threat assessment that murderbot thinks is always wrong? and murderbot thinks it’s too optimistic, right (whichever one it is)? help me (.file) i forgor :(