#And the moment she flings the symbol of her rule aside

[fedonciadale]

If unsullied were not treated cruelly by their masters and it was shown to Dany, do you think she would still buy the army the way she did in books? I think Dany was more appalled by slave treatment than slavery. She herself was sold to Drogo and while she is still traumatized by what happened to her, she still think marrying lamb women to Dothraki is solution for their rape.

Hi there!

this is an interesting question. The thing is that Dany had no money to buy the Unsullied in the first place and I think she never intended to part with one of her dragons.

She thinks she has to get an army if she wants to conquer Westeros and it never crosses her mind that the solution could be not to try to conquer Westeros.

In ASOS Daenerys II it is clear that while Dany is appalled at the treatment of the Unsullied the questions she wonders about is whether the Unsullied will serve her purpose. Barristan Selmy does not want her to buy them because he doesn't want to use slaves and he fears what it would do for her repuation. Jorah Mormont gives her the advice to use the Usullied though. He explicitly tells her that the moral high ground will gain her nothing:

“My queen,” the big man said slowly, “all you say is true. But Rhaegar lost on the Trident. He lost the battle, he lost the war, he lost the kingdom, and he lost his life. His blood swirled downriver with the rubies from his breastplate, and Robert the Usurper rode over his corpse to steal the Iron Throne. Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.”

In the next chapter Dany buys the Unsullied and it is interesting that her freeing that she throws away the symbol of her rule over them only after she gave the order to kill the slavers (and everyone who wears a tokar).

She takes Jorah's advice not to listen to her qualms but to fight "dirty" instead of valiant,y nobly, and honorably. She pretends to buy the Unsullied for a dragon (and Illyrio's goods that do not even belong to her) and then she does not pay but instigates the Unsullied to rebel or rather she commands them to slay their former masters. Thus she didn't pay, and she's yet in possession of the Unsullied.

I think that the only effect the gruesome training of the Unsullied has on her decisions is that she can feel as a freedom fighter.

"Unsullied!" Dany galloped before them, her silver-gold braid flying behind her, her bell chiming with every stride. "Slay the Good Masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who wears a tokar or holds a whip, but harm no child under twelve, and strike the chains off every slave you see." She raised the harpy's fingers in the air . . . and then she flung the scourge aside. "Freedom!" she sang out. "Dracarys! Dracarys!"

She completely forgets what she has been told:

"The Good Master has said that these eunuchs cannot be tempted with coin or flesh," Dany told the girl, "but if some enemy of mine should offer them freedom for betraying me . . ."

"They would kill him out of hand and bring her his head, tell her that," the slaver answered. "Other slaves may steal and hoard up silver in hopes of buying freedom, but an Unsullied would not take it if the little mare offered it as a gift. They have no life outside their duty. They are soldiers, and that is all."

From that moment onward Dany's men are called freedmen, but if you look at it it is almost always her freedmen. It is interesting how GRRM does it. The contradiction is right there, in the text. They are freed and yet they are hers. Just look at how often the word freedmen is used in connection with a possessive pronoun!

So, yes, all in all, I think the treatment of the Unsullied made no difference as to the how Dany purchased them. She never intended to pay a price. Jorah Mormont gave her the advice to have no qualms about purchasing slaves and to fight dirty. And she did exactly that. She conned the Astapori and killed them and in the end she had money and slaves and the good feeling that she had given them their freedom.

I mean the whole chapter and how Kraznys treats Dany really is laid on rather thick if you think about it. The Astapori are certainly the worst, Kraznys is a sexist and classist asshole, a slaver directly copied from archetypes of villains. And this veils the fact that the Unsullied just change their master.

Thanks for the ask!

[fandomrewrites]

Season 2; Episode 8: Raving

Hello all! Sorry I’m updating a day late! But after last chapter you now know who (Y/N) is starting to like; Isaac! I love Isaac and as I was writing season 2 I knew I wanted them to either have a really good friendship or develop some romantic feelings for each other. I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always constructive criticism is appreciated. 

Season 2; Episode 8: Raving

Pairings: Scott McCall x Twin Sister, Lydia Martin x Best Friend, Isaac Lahey x Reader

Warnings: mention of sex

Word Count: 2,598

Season 2 Masterlist

I was with Scott in the animal clinic waiting for Derek to arrive. Finally, after what felt like hours, though it was probably only about ten minutes, Scott opened the front door. He stepped aside to let Derek and Isaac in.

“What’s he doing here?” Scott questioned the Alpha.

“I need him.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“He doesn’t trust you either.” Isaac replies, sending a glare to my twin before looking back at me with a smirk covering his lips.

“And Derek doesn’t care.” Derek quickly says, stopping any arguing. “Now where’s the vet and is he going to help us or not?”

“That depends.” Dr. Deaton answers, making his presence known to the werewolves. “Your friend Jackson. Are we planning to kill him or save him?”

“Save him.” Scott and I answer together.

At the same time Derek and Isaac say, “Kill him.”

Without missing a beat Scott and I send a glare to the two, Scott once again repeats, “Save him.”

We all move to the exam room after Dr. Deaton gets reassured that we will not be killing Jackson. We watch as the vet unlocks a drawer to reveal dozens of glass jars, different grains and petals inside each.

Derek is drawn to the Celtic symbols on each of the jars: a Triqueta, an Awen, Taranis wheel and others. Isaac reaches out to touch one of the jars but before his hand reaches Derek grabs his wrist, stopping him. “Watch what you touch.” The Alpha scolds his Beta.

Deaton takes out one of the jars with a symbol of a shield knot on it and looks at the contents inside.

“What are you? Some kind of witch?” Isaac asks.

“No, I’m a veterinarian. But I do have experience treating an unusually wide variety of animals.”

I scoff, “You’re telling me.”

Deaton sends me a small smile as he places the jar back down. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure if anything here is going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin.”

“We’re open to suggestions.” Derek says.

“How about an effective offense?” Isaac asks.

“We tried.” Derek answers then turns his head to the vet, “I nearly ripped its head off and Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up. If anything, I think it’s getting stronger.”

“Great, just what we need.” I mumble out, rolling my eyes at the thought of the Kanima getting stronger.

“Has it shown any weaknesses?” Deaton asks.

“One. It’s either afraid of water or can’t swim.” I answer, glancing at Derek as he nods in agreement.

“Does that go for Jackson as well?”

I immediately shake my head, “No. He’s on the swim team.”

Deaton pauses, thinking for a moment. He then removes a new item from the drawer. It’s an old, scratched steel pendant. “Essentially you’re trying to catch two people. A puppet and puppeteer.”

He places the odd piece on the table. “One killed the husband. But the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?”

“I don’t think Jackson could do it.” Scott speaks up, “His mother died pregnant too. She might have been murdered. I think he couldn’t let the same thing happen to someone else.”

“How do you know it’s not part of the rules? The Kanima kills murderers. If Jackson killed the wife, the baby would have died too.” Isaac says.

“Then doesn’t that mean your father was a murderer?” Scott questions, looking at Isaac with confusion evident on his face.

“Wouldn’t surprise me if he was.” Isaac simply answers.

I glance at him biting my lip, I can’t imagine having a parent that horrible. And my dad definitely wasn’t great but I would take him any day compared to what Isaac had to go through.

Isaac raises his eyes, feeling my gaze on him. He lightly smiles and gives me a stiff nod, like he’s telling me he’s alright and better off without him gone.

Derek’s voice breaks me from my thoughts, “But the Bestiary said if the bond’s strong enough, it’ll kill whoever the master wants it too.”

“Hold on.” Deaton replies, “The book says they’re bonded. What if the fear of water isn’t coming from Jackson, but from the person controlling him?”

Deaton pulls another jar from the drawer, this one is filled with gray ash. The symbol on it is for Rown. Deaton unscrews the lid and begins lightly pouring out the contents around the amulet he previously placed on the table.

He then continues to speak, “That could mean the same properties that affect a creature like the Kanima will also affect its human Master.”

“And what does that mean?” Isaac asks.

“It means we can catch them.” Scott answers, “Both of them.”

*_*_*_*_*_*

In school the next day I was talking with Lydia by our lockers, “So you have a date?” She asks with a smirk.

I roll my eyes, “It’s not a date. I told him I’m not ready for that but I’d be happy to go with him as friends.”

“Seriously (Y/N/N), whether you believe it’s a date or not, I’m happy you’re getting back out there. You’re gorgeous and need to get laid.”

I laugh and shake my head. “I a not planning on having sex with him. I don’t even want to kiss him.”

“Oh come on! It’s not like Matt is bad looking. Definitely not my type and you could do better. But for a little fling, it could be fun.”

“Speaking of a little fling...” I trail off, my eyes meeting Isaac’s from across the hall. A small smile falls on to my lips when he starts smirking, clearly hearing what I said.

Lydia turns her head to see who I’m looking at, “You and Isaac?”

I bite my lip and tear my eyes away, turning back to Lydia, “We made out. And I honestly wouldn’t be disappointed if something more happened.”

I glance at him again seeing his smirk grow at my words. “But you’re going out on a date with someone else?” Lydia asks, now confused.

“It’s not a date, Lyds. And I said yes, to hanging out as friends, before Isaac and I kissed.”

Lydia held her hands up, “Hey I’m not judging. I bet if you gave more people the time you would easily see that there are more than just those two interested in you.”

“Hmm.” I hum, “Probably, but you’re one to talk. Miss prettiest girl in school.”

Lydia rolls her eyes, “I think we may tie for that honor.”

I laugh, “Sure, let’s go with that.” I glance back at Isaac who subtly nods his head and starts walking away, “I’ll see you later Lyds.”

She nods as I walk away, moving towards Isaac. I look around with a small frown on my lips. “Where did he go?” I mumble out starting to move once more. I then feel a  hand wrap around my wrist pulling me into an empty classroom. The door closes once I am safety inside. 

“I for one, think you’re the prettiest girl in school.” I instantly roll my eyes and lightly shove Isaac’s chest.

“That was cheesy.” I reply as I wrap my arms around his neck. Before he has the chance to reply I gently bring his head down to attach my lips to his. We only break apart when the bell rings. I let out a groan at the sound, not wanting this moment to end.

Isaac lightly chuckles and nudges his nose against my neck. He then presses feather light kisses on my exposed neck and collar-bone as I hum in content and my eyes flutter closed. “We should get to class.” He finally speaks up, though he doesn’t break apart.

“It’s my free period. And you’re already late, might as well skip.” I smirk.

He lets out another laugh, his head falling back and blue eyes lighting up. It brings a smile to my face as I watch him, “You should laugh more. It sounds nice.”

His eyes meet mine once more, “Well if I spend more time with you then you’ll probably be hearing it more often.” We share a smile before he leans back down and reattaches our lips.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Later that day, I was once again in the vet clinic but this time without Derek and Isaac. In their place was Stiles instead. Deaton holds up a vial of clear liquid. We step forward to get a better look. “Ketamine?” Scott asks.

“Same thing we use on dogs. Just a higher dosage.” Deaton confirms. He then hands Scott the vial and a hypodermic, “If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down enough to buy you some time.”

“Ketamine for the Kanima.” We all throw Scott questioning glances and upon seeing our faces he mutters, “Yeah, that wasn’t funny.”

Deaton then places a glass jar in front of Stiles, it’s filled with the same gray ash from yesterday. “This is a sample of what you’ll use to create the barrier. Now, this part is for you, Stiles and (Y/N).”

My eyes slightly widen, “Does it need to be both of us? I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get away from Matt for that long.”

“No, but it needs to be one of you.”

I turn to Stiles who sighs, “That sounds like a lot of pressure. Could we find a slightly less pressure-filled task for me?”

Deaton pours a little bit of the ash into his hand to allow Stiles to get a closer look. “It’s from a mountain ash tree which is believed by many cultures to protect against the supernatural. This office is lined with mountain ash wood which makes it difficult for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble.”

“So I spread this around the whole building and neither Jackson or whoever’s controlling him won’t be able to cross?” Stiles questions.

Deaton nods, “They’ll be trapped.”

“That doesn’t sound too hard.” Scott says.

“That’s not all there is. Think of it like gunpowder. It’s just powder until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles.” Deaton continues.

“If you mean light myself on fire, I’m not sure I’m up for that.”

I giggle and shake my head at the brunette boy. Dr. Deaton speaks up once more, “Let me try a different analogy. I used to play golf. What’s interesting about the best golfers is they never swing without first imagining where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind. And their mind takes over. It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish.”

“Force of will.” Stiles repeats the words the vet said.

“If this is going to work, Stiles, you have to believe it.’

Stiles nods, keeping his gaze locked on the jar of mountain ash, a determined look on his face.

*_*_*_*_*_*

I picked Matt up, having borrowed my moms car for the night. I pull into a space outside the warehouse. As we step out of the car Matt turns to me, “Sorry I couldn’t drive. My dad usually lends me the car.”

I smile, “No worries. I actually really like driving so...” I shrug as I trail off. There is a brief moment of awkward silence. Matt then holds out his hand to me, I lick my lips as I hesitantly take it, readjusting my tank top with my other hand.

Once inside the building the music blasts and my eyes move around to try and spot Jackson or really anyone else that I know.

Finally my eyes meet Matt’s “Did you want to dance?” I question with an awkward smile.

Though Matt doesn’t seem to notice how awkward I seem as he nods his head and moves with me into the crowd.

We bob along to the music, my eyes still moving throughout the room. Once my attention is back on Matt he opens his mouth to say something, but due to the loud volume of the music I can’t make out the words.

“Do you want a drink?” He asks once more, miming drinking from a cup.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” I nod and watch as he moves to another part of the crowded room.

With Matt now gone, I quickly move to blend in with the crowd more. Still dancing to the music so I don’t stick out like a sore thumb.

I finally spot Isaac carrying a limp Jackson, Erica right behind them. I rush over and step into the door with them, “Where’s Scott? I thought he was going to do this?” I question.

“The Argents are here. He said he needed to talk to them.” Isaac replies. Then he glances at me, “Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”

I groan, “It’s not a date. Though I should probably go find him. You two will be okay here?”

The two werewolves nod in agreement. So I turn to leave the room and try to find Matt.

Finally spotting the photography loving boy I make my way over, “Sorry! I got a call from my dad.”

He gives me a questioning glance as he hands me my drink, “It’s fine. Though I never hear you or Scott mention your dad?”

“Uh yeah. It’s... It’s complicated.” I stutter out.

Matt just nods. Once the drinks are finished he hold out his hand once more, “Let’s dance some more? Try and get closer to the DJ?”

“Yeah, sounds good!” I take his hand once again, letting him pull me through the crowd.

We once again start dancing within the crowd. My eyes are still drifting around looking at the people around us, this time more out of awkwardness than trying to spot someone I know.

“You’re not having a good time.” Matt states.

I turn to look at him with shock evident on my face, “Sorry.” I apologize, grimacing.

“What’s wrong?” He questions.

I shrug, “I just have a lot on my mind.” I pause for a brief moment then continue, “Do you ever feel like you have the best intentions but you’re just making mistake after mistake?”

“No. Unlike the rest of humanity Im perfect.”

I smile at the joke, glad that he’s trying to distract me. But the smile is quickly wiped off my face as Matt leans in for a kiss. I lurch back in surprise, “Oh God. That was the worst mistake ever. I’m so totally sorry.”

I shake my head, “No, it’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay but I...” I take a breath and point behind me, “I’m going to go to the bathroom.”

Instead of going to the bathroom though I quickly make my way back to the storage room that Jackson is locked in. Just as I reach out to open the door, Stiles, Isaac and Erica run through it. Slamming the door shut as soon as everyone, aside from Jackson, is out.

“Find something to block the door.” Stiles says. But before anyone can follow through, the wall next to the door explodes outwards as Jackson crashes through it.

“What the hell just happened?” I question in shock.”

“He’s a lot stronger than we thought.” Stiles simply answers.

We all rush out, the three others trying to figure out what happened to Jackson while I reluctantly try to find Matt once more. Knowing that i can’t hide from him forever, I am his ride home after all.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Giant-Size Avengers #3: Kang War II Conclusion: ... What Time Hath Put Asunder!

February, 1975

That is a pretty decent title. I mean, its no “‘This Hostage Earth!': In Which the Mighty Avengers Battle to Save Their Beloved Planet From a Fate So Deadly That None But the Macabre Mole Man Could Have Devised It!: A Marvel Tale of Most Compelling Excellence!” but few things are.

Also, apparently this comic will feature Thor literally destroying a year. Or maybe its one of those symbolical things.

Also also, wait! One of Thor, Iron Man, or Vision will die in this issue? BUT IRON MAN IS ALREADY DEAD AND VISION IS DYING. That kind of strips away some of the suspense.

But a quick recap: Last time:: Kang kidnapped Celestial Madonna Mantis and some other people, Swordsman died, Kang ended up in Limbo and put some people in imprisonment tubes and summoned a Legion of the Unliving, kidnapped some people again, Iron Man died, Vision had a ghost explode inside him.

This time: Vision is dying. Mantis may not be a robotocist but her Mantis senses tell her so.

Vision is handling death pretty well. He’s not sure if he, as a robot, can actually die but if he can, he might finally feel truly human. Like bicentennial man, kinda. But he calmly tells Mantis what happened to him before confusing her for Wanda.

Apparently his android mind made him relate the details of what happened to him as a warning to others. But with that done, he became more human. Calling out for the woman he loves as he dies. 

To ease his mind, Mantis claims to be Wanda. But then ninja stars.

Midnight found Mantis again. He’s here for a rematch. Also, he got his hat back.

Also also, he busts out some nunchaku. Because Kang’s hold on Midnight is fading and with it, the proscription against harming Mantis.

... Okay but Mantis just reaches into the spinning nunchaku and grabs one end and then I guess flings Midnight across the corridor?

Not going to lie though. It looks like that Daffy Duck Robin Hood quarterstaff thing? You know the thing?

It looks like that happens.

And now I’m imagining Mantis and Midnight having Loony Toons-esque interactions and its pretty great.

Midnight (looking kind of like an earless Black Panther in some of these panels) recovers quickly and FTAP!s Mantis for rubbing her alive status in his dead face but the dude is just outmatched.

She kicks his ass so hard that he doesn’t even get up from it and that’s the whole thing with these dead guys. It probably helps that she choked him?

Anyway, in the two and a half pages of this confrontation, Vision has somehow gone missing.

Apparently, Frankenstein happened across Vision, scooped him up and carried him off. Perhaps recognizing a sort of kinship with the artificial human. But he’s still just wandering aimlessly, except now carrying a robot.

Hawkeye happens to spot this and laments another dead Avenger. He considers attacking Frankenstein but realizes that even if he won, it wouldn’t bring Vision back. There are alive Avengers that need to be assembled. So reluctantly, he continues through the labyrinth.

Meanwhile, Kang. And the dead are getting complain-y. Wonder Man comments that wandering the labyrinth aimlessly hoping to come across Avengers seems useless and Zemo chimes in wondering if Kang reanimated the Legion simply to lead them around in circles.

Like I said. It was a dumb, dumb, dumb plan.

Kang decides that a good strategic move would be to split up and cover more ground, gang. Or maybe he just wants to reduce the number of complainers near him. He sends Wonder Man and the robot Human Torch off to find the Vision.

Zemo tries to offer a proposition to Kang but Kang goes here’s an idea: “Obey me -- or die anew!”

Meanwhile... can you really use that term in Limbo? And haven’t I asked that before? Elsewhere, Thor. Between issues he’s lost track of Frankenstein.

Which I’m going to judge him super hard for. The monster’s natural pace is a shamble. How do you get outpaced by that?

But then Thor comes across Iron Man’s dead, deceased corpse. No breath, no heartbeat. It doesn’t take a Doctor Donald Blake to realize an Avenger has died.

Thor honors Iron Man with a moment of silence and then snarls that it was Kang that did this and Iron Man SHALT BE AVENGED!

It adds to this moment if you remember that Iron Man and Thor are basically the Avenger bffs, having become closer by discovering each others’ secret identities.

Back on Earth, the Celestial Madonna heralding star over Avengers Mansion is causing some consternation among a gathering crowd.

Geez. How long has that star been lit. Its been at least a few days since it lit up. We know that the Avengers waited for Mantis to make any burial arrangements for Swordsman. And that thing is REALLY bright.

Anyway, the police tell the crowd to disperse and then head to the door to give Jarvis a message fort he Avengers.

Libra has escaped!

You remember Libra? Part of Zodiac. Wore short shorts. Betrayed Zodiac to save the Avengers because he’s Mantis’ dad. Went willingly to jail?

Well. He broke out. Just disappeared out of his cell. And the police commissioner wants the Avengers on this because Libra might help the rest of Zodiac break out of jail.

Jarvis goes to inform Wanda but when he knocks on her door a voice both inhuman and unmistakably Wanda’s answers:

Wanda?: “Get away from this door, Jarvis! As you value your wretched life -- get far away!!”

Jarvis is spooked, of course. But more on that later. Not in this post. I meant... later later.

Back in the Labyrinth of Limbo, Wonder Man and (robot) Human Torch. And Wonder Man is a robo-racist. Ranting and complaining about having to treck all over Limbo-land looking for “a thing that isn’t even a man!”

Robot Human Torch is pretty irritated by this. Not that Wonder Man realizes why. He’s a big fan of the Human Torch. Read his comics when he was a kid. And apparently the in-universe Golden Age Human Torch comics did not reveal that he was a robot.

And then the two run into Frankenstein with his Vision cargo. Wonder Man is pretty hype that Vision went and got himself dead without him having to do anything. Although Human Torch feels a loss at seeing the Vision laid low.

Wonder Man tells Frankenstein to lay Vision on a slab and back away. See, he doesn’t like to get too close to things that aren’t even human.

Robo-racist and prejudiced against people made out of reanimated corpses? You’re not making a good showing of yourself, Wonder Man.

One has to wonder (heh) whether Englehart would have gone with this characterization if he knew he was going to bring back Wonder Man in a bit over a year. Although I don’t know that he didn’t already have the idea at this point so whatever.

Wonder Man realizes that Vision is still... breathing? Vision, do you breath? Do you breath just to be like the cool kids? Do you breath just to be like the cool kids even when you’ve been rendered unconscious by an exploding ghost? Dang, that’s commitment.

Anyway, Wonder Man goes to finish off Vision but Frankenstein stops him and rasps out “You -- will not -- hurt him --!”

Wonder Man backs off but wonders (okay that time was an accident) what got into Frankenstein. Human Torch muses that perhaps being a unique form of half-life, Frankenstein is consumed with curiosity over someone who is hovering between life and death.

But Wonder Man isn’t interested in philosophy so runs off to tattle to Kang.

Human Torch asks Frankenstein and then takes a closer look at Vision. And he discovers something beyond belief, which shocks him despite suspecting it all along! This is incredible and amazing and you’re going to have to wait to find out what he is reacting to!

Mweeheehee.

Because we have to check back in on Kang and Zemo, everyone’s least favorite double act.

Apparently Zemo has been complaining the whole time he was off-panel about how he just wishes he could get his hands on Captain America. And Kang has finally had enough and tells Zemo to stfu and gtfo. In fact, go guard Immortus’ throne room and make sure Immortus and Rama-Tut are safely locked up.

And don’t even think about double-crossing Kang or boy howdy, you’ll suffer at the hands of someone who has perfected torment over seventy centuries!

Kang is now regretting this stupid tactic. Maybe he should have summoned his stimuloid instead. Although a true conqueror can work with any tools at hand.

And then Thor shows up.

Right after Kang has dispatched all his minions in various directions with no way to contact them.

Womp womp.

Thor tries to womp womp Kang with Mjolnir but Kang has his portable force-field active. But here is the thing that Thor has realized about that.

Kang’s force-field isn’t anchored. So he’ll just hit Kang’s force-field hard enough that it will send the conqueror flying.

And he bats Kang around for a while, Kang insisting that this cannot be! It can’t go how Rama-Tut predicted! He’s totally going to marry the Celestial Madonna and rule the Earth through her son.

Also, I don’t know why he’s surprised that his worthless minions managed to kill someone. He saw them kill Iron Man. He was right there, micromanaging the process.

Luckily for Kang, Wonder Man shows up and engages Thor in fisticuffs.

And they punch each other a bunch and Thor breaks a boulder off on Wonder Man’s head and the narration clarifies that PHOOM is different from FOOM.

And Wonder Man refuses to step aside and let Thor at Kang. Because Wonder Man likes being alive again and without Kang to operate the controls of Immortus’ gadgets... well...

Kang tells him to stop bantering and block the path.

Which Wonder Man does, ripping down a support so that the stones of the roof fall to block the way between Thor and Kang.

Doesn’t seem to slow him down for long though. Thor smashing the way through with Mjolnir or possibly Mjollner, as a narration box says it can also be spelled.

Elsewhere, Hawkeye wins the maze.

He found his way through the Labyrinth to Immortus’ throne room without being murdered or anything. If there was a prize, he would have just won it.

But there’s not. Not unless you count a face full of glue.

Which I don’t.

Because when Hawkeye comes into the throne room, Rama-Tut tells him to hit the button on the arm of the throne, which will free them of the imprisonment tubes. Lacking anything better to do, Hawkeye decides to do it, despite not really trusting Rama-Tut and not recognizing Immortus at all.

Zemo arrives and interrupts and they have a brief contest of ‘who can shoot faster, a guy with arrows or a guy shooting lasers from his glove.’

Answer: Hawkeye. He can shoot his bow ludicrously fast. Hell, he can string it ludicrously fast.

He blasts the ground out from under Zemo’s feet and then smashes his glove zappy doohickey and goes to hit the throne button.

And then with his back turned, Zemo pulls out an Adhesive X (yay!) gun and spurts glue all over Hawkeye with a PHOOP!

Zemo rants that he’s going to leave Hawkeye glued to the floor until he’s a rotted corpse so that he’ll know the torment that Zemo has felt having a mask glued to his face for two decades. Hawkeye asks for a mercy killing so he doesn’t have to listen to Zemo anymore.

Nobody wants to listen to Zemo talk. Its probably because he’s self-centered, always makes the conversation about him, and is also a Nazi.

But someone was listening to Zemo ranting about his mask problems. Immortus offers to send Zemo back in time before his mask was glued to his skin so he can change his past.

And while Zemo is distracted, Hawkeye grabs his bow with his feet and pulls back an arrow with his teeth! GOD DAMN!

He lines up an amazing bank shot and manages to hit the throne button, freeing Immortus and Rama-Tut.

Zemo protests that Immortus swore he’d make him whole again so Immortus turns Zemo into a shapeless, lifeless whole blob of protoplasm.

Should have gotten the agreement in print.

Meanwhile, we finally get back to our unlikely trio of Frankenstein, Human Torch, and dying Vision.

Human Torch reveals to an uncomprehending but attentively listening Frankenstein that Vision’s body is the Human Torch’s. Somehow. Despite being red now.

And he doesn’t want to watch himself die so he asks Frankenstein for permission to try to save Vision.

Elsewhere, Wonder Man is leading Kang to where he saw the dying Vision.

Kang has grown very, very frustrated with this whole endeavor. Which was his idea, remember.

Kang: “You had better be telling the truth, Simon Williams... for, I begin to doubt my wisdom in reviving you six incompetents. Also, I grow weary of this marching to and fro, thru endless tunnels... weary at the lack of scenery... the mindless monotony...!”

Sounds like schemers remorse.

Anyway, Thor shows up. Again. Here to give Kang a reckoning. Again.

Kang tells Wonder Man to hold Thor off so he can run but then Frankenstein and Human Torch arrive from the other direction.

And Human Torch says that as far as ‘Franky’ and him are concerned, this battle is over.

Kang tries yelling Frankenstein into line but one look at the monster’s grim eyes and Kang clams up.

And then Vision pops up from behind Frankenstein. He’s recovered, somewhat. But the exploding ghost damaged him so severely that his arm is hanging on by a thread.

Vision insists that Kang undo the wrong he’s done but there’s no such thing as sunk cost fallacy in Kang’s mind. He orders Wonder Man to smash Vision.

Wonder Man reluctantly obeys, even though he feels the strangest feeling like fighting Vision is fighting himself. Because they share brain patterns.

Not sure how Wonder Man senses that. That’s weird. This whole situation is so weird.

Anyway, Vision’s damage prevents him from going intangible and Wonder Man gets a good couple hits on him before Vision realizes he can still become diamond-hard.

RIP someone’s knuckles, again again.

Vision has the best powerset for trolling people, I swear. He either lets them break their fists on him or lets them fall through them and his finishing move is to jam his fist into someone’s chest. And if he gets bored he can just walk away through a wall.

But I guess Thor guesses that Vision has this handled because instead of helping Vision, he goes after Kang and smashes him against a wall through his force-field.

The march of technology pales next to Thor’s thews.

And Thor is ready to just up and kill a guy, even if in the process he brings the walls of Limbo down on his own head. Guy is in a berserker rage.

According to a caption box, Kang would have died if he hadn’t run, fleeing back into the time stream with some time machine built into his suit, I guess.

Thor is disappointed.

But Human Torch tells him that its more important that they help Vision. Who I guess beat Wonder Man after all.

Vision vouches for Human Torch and Frankenstein, for he would be dead without them.

Leaving Thor to wonder how these two managed to oppose Kang.

Vision speculates that Kang’s power over Frankenstein was incomplete because he is a special form of life. And that his power over Human Torch faded because the Torch was an android, not a human. And also because Human Torch is Vision.

So weird time nonsense, maybe.

And it does explain Vision’s recent claustrophobia and hydrophobia. The Human Torch was encased in cement or kept underwater to keep oxygen from reaching him because he reacted to oxygen by combusting. Constantly.

Also, Vision looks really bad here. Like, he’s got a robot black eye, a robot lump on his forehead, and robot blood trickling out of his mouth. Good job making him look like he had been put through the wringer.

Thor is baffled. He asks how the Human Torch became the Vision.

They got nuthin’.

But then everyone present in that scene is transported to Immortus’ throne room. By Immortus, natch.

Actually everyone still in the Labyrinth.

Including dead Iron Man, Mantis, and Midnight (still knocked the hell out).

Vision is alarmed by dead Iron Man and by Mantis’ seeming indifference to dead Iron Man.

But Immortus just ups and revives Iron Man. See, in Limbo time is weird. So Iron Man hasn’t drawn a breath or had a heartbeat in a while if we were talking about real time. But in Limbo, the space between heartbeats can be an instant or an hour as Immortus wills.

So only a second has passed since Iron Man was felled and Immortus just... gives him temporal magical CPR or repairs his chestplate pacemaker with zappy hand?

Look, Iron Man is alive. Don’t question it.

And Immortus isn’t done yet. He reverts Vision to the state that he was in before entering the Labyrinth, healing all the damage he took and restoring his arm.

He even restores the Ghost from explode to send him back in time. And reluctantly, with Hawkeye’s prodding, restores Zemo from goo and sends him back in time.

Hawkeye would be more comfortable knowing Zemo was in a grave and not slopping around as goo. He also makes the debatable point that not even a leftover unrepentant Nazi like Zemo deserves ‘I have no mouth and yet I must scream.’

Immortus finds Zemo a particularly distressing individual and only agrees with Hawkeye because it amuses him to put Zemo back in the mask he despised.

Rama-Tut decides his work here is done. Not that he did much after Giant-Size Avengers #2. And I’m not sure where he’s going. Is he just going to go back to Egypt? Wouldn’t that create a time paradox? Is he going to retire to Florida?

Anyway, he leaves Mantis the words of an obscure poet, all but forgotten in Kang’s 40th century: “To thine own self be true!”

She just glares at him until he vanishes.

And Immortus sends the rest of the Legion of the Unliving back to the time they were pulled from. All except Human Torch.

See, he decided that he wants to send Human Torch back in time to learn how his fate and the Vision’s became intertwined.

He can sympathize with being two or even three men.

Plot twist: Immortus is a Kang. He’s the version of Kang that’s even older than the old Rama-Tut version.

Geez. Kang is like a terrible male asshole version of the triple goddess. Maiden: Kang, Mother: Rama-Tut, Crone: Immortus.

Or not. Probably not. It just struck me how silly this whole thing was that it was Kang from different spots on his timestream yelling at and punching himself.

It was ‘I was such an asshole when I was a young man and if I could I would punch myself’ taken to ridiculous levels.

But also: this makes Immortus being surprised what a douche Kang was really stupid. Immortus should remember from two different angles the whole sudden but inevitable betrayal. So either he forgot because he’s super old or he decided to play along because he remembers Kang running away with his tail between his legs from an angry Thor.

Iron Man finds this whole thing way too confusing and Immortus basically says ‘good!’

So Thor once again asks the question: “How did the original Human Torch come to be -- the Vision?” with Vision’s answer this time being that we’re about to find out.

So next time back to Marvel Unlimited to continue this increasingly convoluted Celestial Madonna Saga in Avenger #133!

[argivebeauty]

character development notes, self criticism & etc

This is all a bunch of notes I wrote for myself for character development purposes. They are extensive and kind of messy with some assessments about Helen’s ambivalence as a character and how it reflects on her opinions about the Trojan war and some of the names involved in it. I don’t expect anyone to read this huge ass text lmao but in case someone does, let it be noted that my default views on Helen’s dynamics with other canon characters are up for discussion with other rpers who might have different interpretations. Mentions:��Paris, Aphrodite, Hermione, Andromache, Hector, Deiphobus, Zeus and everyone who was involved in the Oath of Tyndareus.

Helen doesn’t always make sense. Her values as queen of Sparta can sometimes shock with her nature and emotions, already conflicted in themselves from being neither fully human and nor fully deity - a product of two opposite essences. That is why her supposed ‘loyalty’ is ambiguous in the Trojan war, and her perspectives about it often become contradictory among themselves. 

First, about her role in the Trojan war:

(1) She was not the virtuous wife that was raped by the evil Trojan prince, nor the shameless adulteress who just suddenly decided to leave everything behind. Granted, Helen will come to reject Paris’ bed later on, or at least try to (cough cough Aphrodite), but that was something that would happen over the years, and definitely she would never want him again after he ran away from battle (with your shield or on it, Spartan values). At the same time, yes, she would have slept with Paris without Aphrodite’s coercion, in the beginning. I don’t see Helen being faithful in relationships… not sure if it’s impossible but it’s highly unlikely. All the same, Helen would not have traded Sparta for Paris by her own choice, not because of Menelaus or even Hermione (she may even be fond of them, but they are duties), but because of Sparta in itself: loyalty to the state above all else. In her view, Helen is never ‘of Troy’ and does not like to be called such.

 Then, how she views it:

 (2) Helen is not proud of the war and relishing in the carnage like some accounts claim, but that doesn’t make her the eternal gloomy figure lamenting that people were dying “because of her”, either. That’s a crucial point in which her perspectives become unstable. As queen of Sparta, Helen does not see war as an evil, but rather as the natural fate of men. It was not her pride, but it was theirs. For instance, at the same time that she thinks it’s shameful for Paris to run away from battle, Helen would have been outraged at Andromache’s pleas for Hector not to fight. (Note: She would never speak of it, but Helen always felt that she had married the wrong brother. Hector was undoubtedly the person she loved the most, aside from her siblings, because she saw in him the embodiment of what the ideal man should be, and it was all on his own merits. In my interpretation, Helen was secretly in love with him). The human then conflicts with the queen - and the first is always the one she spurns the most - because it kills her to see her loved ones die, and to have in her conscience the weight of being an indirect cause of it (that could sometimes lead to moments of blaming herself, though Helen does not feel responsible for the war), but at the same time, it was an insult to even think about the idea of Hector refusing the fight – the utmost disrespect to someone she respected so deeply.

She’s also ambivalent about her side on the war. As a Spartan, Helen knows that’s where she belongs and it’s where she wants to be, but at the same time she does not want the destruction of Troy, for there are people in there that she cares about, even if they are only a few – with Hector’s death, Helen comes to accept fate without any struggle. That is why she circled the wooden horse and called for the greek’s names while conjuring the voice of their wives, as Menelaus mentions in the Odyssey, because she thought that Troy deserved a fighting chance, even if a hopeless one (same principle behind the story of the 300 spartans), but then she did nothing else to prevent the inevitable once her trick didn’t work, and pragmatically proceeded to ‘betray’ Deiphobus (to whom she never promised any loyalty) to Menelaus. I am in accordance with Deiphobus’ own account of her motives: 

“Care-worn and sunk in slumber, I was then inside our ill-starred bridal chamber, sleep weighing upon me as I lay – sweet and deep, very image of death’s peace. Meanwhile, this peerless wife takes every weapon from the house – even from under my head she had withdrawn my trusty sword; into the house she calls Menelaus and flings wide the door, hoping, I doubt not, that her lover would find this a great boon, and so the fame of old misdeeds might be blotted out.”

However, through the duality of her emotions conflicting with her values – suffering for the war in the first and glorifying it in the second – there is still a third perspective, which is the resentment that comes from her divine heritage. Helen is the only mortal daughter of Zeus. As such, every role she has to play becomes a reductive thing for her: she was meant to be more than a beautiful queen breeding sons while her Mycenaean husband ruled Sparta. As much as she resented that, she resented being reduced into a casus belli who never had a say in anything that happened.  In summon: The Trojan war was painful, but it wasn’t disgraceful. It wasn’t the doom of men but a chance to achieve glory, though the glory wasn’t hers. 

She cared for Troy, she longed for home, all the while she carried old little resentments for many of the Greeks, resentments that were strengthened by the war: for her adoptive father for promoting the Oath of Tyndareus, for Odysseus for coming up with the idea and for every single man who took part in it, for binding her to a promise that she had never made, which Helen always saw as belittling rather than protective. It may come off as unreasonable, because it isn’t against the norm, but Helen is not the norm and she knows it, and takes pride in it. Helen also has a special resentment spot for Aphrodite for using her as a bribe, as well as for Paris for accepting it. Most of her anger comes not from being retained in Troy or urged back to Sparta, but rather from the principle of not being able to make that decision herself.

Finally, I do like the interpretation that the Trojan war happened to serve Zeus’ purpose of bringing an end to the Age of Heroes, and once Helen came to understand this at some point, it would have soothed some of her bitterness, because it ends a cycle of Helen being diminished by men in order to be put in a position of not only being noticed by a figure that was both her father and The Allfather™, but also being made, by him, into a symbol of something far greater that would forever be marked in history.  In that, at last, Helen would have found her place and her purpose.

Self criticism notes: 

(3) I haven’t managed to translate this complexity into her character yet. What I have written so far about her thoughts, actions and views about these events in my replies, is not quite there yet, but I’m trying. That is mostly true about her thoughts and feelings concerning both Paris and Menelaus, when they are mentioned. Helen can be spiteful, and often curse both of them in words and thoughts in more than unflattering ways – while there is a logic behind it, that is not the only truth, and Helen may have reasons to reject the two of them but so far I have portrayed it in a way that makes it seem like her anger is all there is to it, which is unrealistic and lacks depth. Also, I love writing dialogue, but I’ve been adding too much of it to my replies. This is a hard one, because I don’t want Helen to be monosyllabic and leave no room for interaction, but all the same I do feel that she is supposed to be (literally) laconic. I might not get fully there for the sake of leaving room for interaction, but I should probably cut a few words off her speeches.

[ljf613]

Tales from Earthsea and Whisper of the Heart for the Ghibli asks?

🐉  Tales from Earthsea: What is your favorite mythical creature?

Probably phoenixes, although I am also obsessed with dragons.

📖🖋  Whisper of the heart: What is something you’ve always wanted to write? Would you like to share anything you’ve written with us?

Well, there's an original (seven book) series I've been wanting to write since I was eleven years old, tentatively refered to as The Trackers.

The basic premise is that people from a realm of magic sometimes fall through the veil to our world-- losing their memories in the process. It falls to a group of part-human, part-fae people known as the Trackers-- whose unusual bloodline grants them unique abilities-- to locate these lost souls, return them to their home realm, and restore their memories.

I've done some extensive worldbuilding for this story, as well as fleshed out several of my main characters.

The reasons I've never finished it are proably because a) I'm only now getting the hang of writing romance, and the relationship between the main character and her husband is SUPER important to the story, b) there are a few elements of the magic system I've never quite figured out, and I still only have a vague idea of who the main antagonists are and what their motivation is.

Excerpts from various drafts under the cut (bear in mind that I haven't really touched it in nearly three years-- I'd love to get back to it at some point)

Send me another Ghibli Ask!

No. NO. NO! It was Ben. Captain of Green West Junior High’s basketball team. The guy every girl who was any girl was crushing on. Every girl but me. I had no interest in his muscles, or whatever it is the other girls saw in him. I mean, he wasn’t an idiot, but he was a bit self-centered. He was walking over to my locker. I knew what he wanted. This was bad. “Hey, Rose,” he said casually, as if he knew he didn’t have to try very hard to get what he was after, “Want to go to the Spring Fling with me?” “No.” “You must have misheard me. I asked you if-” “I think you misheard me. I said no.” “Why not? You busy that day?” He was giving me an out. I could say yes, and avoid suspicion. But that would just feed his ego, and he didn’t deserve to be let on like that. “Not really.” “Then why won’t you go with me? We’d-” “No means no. I don’t like you.” “Whatever.” He walked off with his friends, and I heard him muttering a few choice words about me. Whatever. Less easy to ignore were the people in the halls who were staring and whispering. No doubt rumors about me and ben would be widespread around the school by the end of the day, and all of them would be about how I was hopelessly in love with him. Why was it so hard to grasp that a girl might not like Ben?

That scene is from one of the earliest drafts of the story-- I was probably about twelve years old. As you can probably tell. It was scrapped in later drafts.

I just stared. Why was there a butterfly in a library? It wasn’t any species I recognized, I could tell as it got closer. It had scarlet wings with parchment-white undersides, and ever-moving black swirls that resembled words on both sides. As it flew even closer, it began to change. The wings remained the same, but got larger, until they were probably only a little shorter than I was. meanwhile, the body changed from black, to a paler but indistinguishable color, the middle legs shrunk to nothing, the bottom legs moved lower on the body, and the four remaining legs grew. By the time it landed on the floor, it was a vaguely humanoid shape, but I couldn't make it out, as it was across the room from us. Rosebelle ran to help the figure up. I figured it was this Gunan guy. Probably some crabby old geezer who’d be deliberately vague and make us leave. “Frank,” said Rosebelle, while I stared in shock, “This is Gunan, the best historian and cartographer this side of Perola. A butterfly animalia.” “Stop it, Rosebelle,” said Gunan, “I’m not all that. You aren’t too bad yourself.” “Gunan, this is Frank. My Lost.” “Hi,” said a high, sweet voice. Gunan was not what I expected. She had pale pinkish-red irises, a long black braid that touched the floor in front of her, wore a red t-shirt made out of another strange fabric, light blue pants, and parchment-white sock-boots with black stripes made of words. I just stared at her, open-mouthed. “Oh, sorry,” she said, “It’s the wings, isn’t it? I like them, but I’ll get rid of those too, if they bother you.” “N-no,” I stuttered, then blinked and shook my head, “They’re fine.” She also looked to be about eight years old. - I almost laughed at the expression on his face. He just couldn’t understand, couldn’t connect the face of the little girl in front of him with the legendary historian I’d spoke of. I probably would’ve had the same reaction the first time I met her, but I’d been five and just wondered if the big girl would be my friend. Then I frowned. I didn’t like to think of those moments, because they reminded me I didn’t have many more left. Never mind.

This scene is kind of clunky, but it introduces one of my favorite characters-- Gunan, the mysterious librarian who never seems to get older and whose true age is a complete enigma.

"Hey, do you have any food?” “Food?” “Yeah,” he said, “That stuff we eat to re-energize ourselves.” “Very funny,” I replied dryly, “We’ll eat when we camp out tonight.” “Camp out?” “You didn’t think the long way wasn’t even a day?” “I haven’t eaten since last night!” “Oh well,” I said unsympathetically, “You’re such a guy.” “What’s that supposed to mean?!” “You’ve got your mind on your stomach.” “Girls.” “Girls? I think you mean boys.” “What do you have against boys?” “What do you have against girls?” “Honestly.” “No kidding.” “Girls.” “Boys.” We didn’t talk for a while after that.

I did mention that these early drafts were written when I was in middle school, right?

Reyne was gone and I was never going to find him. Poor Marc. I hadn’t seen my brother in nearly two years, ever since he went off trying to find his best friend. He’d dropped everything: assignments, Lost, contact with his worried parents and sister… and Marc had been the most promising Tracker in hundreds of years. Everyone had thought that eventually, when he matured and stopped being such a dare daimon, he’d take a seat on the council. I wondered if my brother had died. He couldn’t have. He wasn’t even forty! Calm down! I had to believe that Marc was fine, that he’d find Reyne and come home.

My subtle way of foreshadowing the plot of one of the later books. (Yes, Rosebelle's brother is in his late thirties-early forties-- their average lifespans are around 200-300 years, so he's basically the equivalent of a college kid.)

“You’re a wizard, remember,” I said, still smiling, “Wizards use a lot of rune magic.” “Runes,” he said, curiously, “What are runes?” “Runes are symbols, usually traced with a finger, into the air or against a surface. You can think of them like spells. Most fae can use at least a couple, but it’s hard to get the shape exactly right, or to remember more than two or three. Wizards, aside from the fact that many have eidetic memories, have a natural instinct for them. All wizards naturally know a couple, and more reveal themselves to them as they get older. There are runebooks, of course, but most are on a really high level and I wouldn’t recommend even looking at one until you master your magic a bit better.” “Wow,” he said, “That’s really cool. How many kinds of fae are there, and what are their special magics?” “Well, they say that there are six, which is why the Realm is ruled by the Council of Six. There are Animalia, like Gunan. Animalia can turn into animals, but only one kind. As you saw, Gunan is a butterfly. They can also turn partially, which is where stories of centaurs, werewolves, selkies, angels, and the like come from. Animalia all have eyes in some shade of red. Elves, such as Wiln, are extremely intelligent and secretive. Their magic is related to gravity. Most fae have some, if limited, telekinesis, but theirs is much stronger, among other things. They have eyes in some shade of orange, and ears even more prominently pointed than the rest of us. Trackers like me are really rare, and we specialize in portals, as well as being able to detect magic. Also, we can create and use relics, which let us use a small amount of another race’s ability. We have green eyes. Wizards like you mostly use runes, and tend to be extremely inquisitive. They say that the Seers were all wizards, if they existed at all. You guys all have purple eyes. Elementals use element magic, although most focus on one element and learn only a little bit of magic from the others. It’s a really hard branch of magic. They have yellow eyes. Most Fae can use various spells, and have a ‘trunk’.” “A ‘trunk’?” “A space only you can access. You can put anything you want there, and then summon it at anytime. That’s where the tents came from. Snapping isn’t necessary, but it helps me focus. Anyway, those are the different species. No one is quite sure how someone is born a certain species- if it’s genetic or not, Trackers being the exception.” - “Didn’t you say there were six,” I asked, confused, “That was only five.” “The last one either died out or are in hiding, if they ever existed. No one can remember what they’re called.”

Like I said, I did a lot of worldbuilding. (Yes, the difference races have eyes that are Color-Coded for Your Convenience.)

This was what I’d seen. Rosebelle was slipping. She couldn’t hold on, and she clearly didn’t have the power to transport herself up. She was going to fall. She would slip, and fall into the water, and then she was going to die. I didn’t know how I’d known, but I could guarantee that was what would happen. No. One thing was different from what I’d seen. I was here. I could change it. Before I could think, I reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Oww! Frank, let go!” “No! You’ll die if I do!” “We’ll both die if you don’t! Frank, you have to let me go!” She was right, I knew. The Spark was shocking us, trying to pull us apart. I could tell if I didn’t, it would send such a fierce electrical shock through us, we’d probably both die. But I didn’t care. I would pull her up before that happened. I didn’t have a choice. “Rosebelle, don’t you trust me?” “No! Let go!” “Grab my wrist and I’ll pull you up! Please!” “Why? Why would you do this?” “Because- you saved me! You brought me to a place I belonged, a place I didn’t believe existed! Because you have to find your brother and I want to help you! I want to help you with whatever you need! So please! Just grab my arm and let me pull you up!” I winced. The shocks were getting stronger. We didn’t have much time. Rosebelle grabbed my arm, intensifying the shocks tenfold. I pulled her up, but it was too late. One final shock rippled between us, and then it was so bright I couldn’t see anymore.

I've always had a flair for the dramatics. I also needed a scene where the these two were forced to maintain physical contact for a significant amount of time, preferably in a situation that Rosebelle couldn't reasonably get angry at Frank for-- I figured saving her life would do it.

The wizard hadn’t believed she would ever have a child. Most fae couples couldn’t have more than one or two children- the only reason the population wasn’t rapidly decreasing was because of the fae’s longevity. She hadn’t even bonded until she was nearly 150- far past the normal child-bearing age of most women- so, when she and her mate had found out she was pregnant, they were overjoyed. He’d been worried that childbirth would take a toll on her nearly 180-year-old body, but she promised him she’d be okay, and she was. Once she gave birth, there was an even bigger surprise. “Twins,” she’d exclaimed, in absolute shock, “Are you sure?” But twins she had and twins it was. The wizard (who still didn’t look more than about 100 (35-40 to humans) had gained a lot of fame in her life- she’d thought that would be her legacy. But as she stared down at the cradle her daughters- daughters!- lay in, she knew nothing would make her happier than a legacy of being remembered as their mother. “What should we name them,” asked her mate, from the doorway. She whirled around, as she had not realized he was there. The woman had many incredible skills, but she was not a very exceptional Seer. Being a wizard,though, she did have a drop of seer ability, and newborn children were known to be very easy to read, since they hadn’t yet put up the mental shields fae instinctively put up to protect themselves. She picked up the firstborn, a ginger-haired girl with blue-gray eyes- an animalia. She couldn’t see much, but she could tell what animal the girl would be. “Kitsonia,” she said, and he nodded. Normally, the tradition was for the child’s name to begin with the final syllable in one of the parents’ first names (most often, the father’s for a boy and the mother’s for a girl), but the wizard had long decided that if she ever did have a child, she would not force them to bear her name- she’d let them forge their own path, which is why, as she handed Kitsonia to her mate and reached to pick up the second child, she wondered if it might be prudent to name the this one after him. But them moment she touched the girl, a raven-haired child with eyes such a pale blue they were nearly clear, all such thoughts flew out of her head. With her weak skills, she would not have been surprised if she saw nothing- but it was just the opposite. She saw so much- too much. She couldn’t understand a bit of it, and as she tried to piece it all together, it vanished, and she couldn’t see a thing. The wizard didn’t really understand, but she new that her daughter had a hard fate. However, she knew better than most that destiny was not set in stone. Her name will come from Gu a Non: ‘a change of fate’. She looked at her mate and said, “How about Gunan?”

This excerpt's from a much later volume, when I finally go into Gunan's backstory. (Yes, her eyes are blue here, at some point I changed the color scheme for the different races). You'll notice that her mother considers Seer ability to be a fairly normal wizardly skill, even though Rosebelle considers Seers to be the stuff of myths. Gunan was born in a very different time.

I have more, of course, but I'm not going to subject y'all to this trash.

Someday, I'll come back to this story and write it properly, the way it deserves.

[canvas-of-dreams]

The Hallowed Ground: Chapter Two

By nightfall, I'd eaten, slept and woken up again. After packing up camp I blew my silent whistle for Talu, who had been awake hunting for a while. 'Time to go,' I said, and off we went under the cover of night. It was the moon's turn to guide me, my other friend. Her gaze gleamed pearly beauty on the world below. We walked towards our destination, stopping by a stream to drink, and then pressed on. Talu's eyes scanned, almost like a shimmer, over the landscape around us. She was my greatest help, hearing things before I did, seeing them from a good way off. Without her, travelling wouldn't be half as easy as it was. My hand brushed my dagger fastened to my thigh. Sometimes I'd fasten it around my waist and have it along my lower back, but my thigh was preferred. I could check it was there, to comfort myself. Night wandering was dangerous for other reasons compared to the day. It was halfway to the destination that we encountered one of these reasons.

We heard the voices before was saw them. Men, I think a few women too, said Talu, and I crouched down beside her in the cover of the undergrowth. We could see them at the bottom of a steep slope to a forest path. They couldn't see us from here and wouldn't hear us either. 'What are they doing? What are they saying?'

I need to get closer to know. We have enough cover to go down.

We slid silently down the slope, sticking close to the dirt. Hiding behind ancient trees, we listened. Whatever was happening wasn't good.

The soldiers have captured these women. Nefarious purposes I assume. They are Silver Army men. The women, Adalans. I can tell by the accent. From here we heard a panicked shriek, and I immediately looked to see what was happening. The moon let me see it all. It looked as though they had set up camp along the side of the path in a clearing, and the soldiers weren't being gentlemen.

They are putting up a fight. Nothing terrible has happened yet.

'But we should stop them, help the women go free.'

And how do you suppose we do that? There are too many of them and too many women to get out of here safely. Talu looked ahead, and I sighed. She was right, but I couldn't let this happen. These women were probably from nearby. They were probably captives from some village that refused to submit to the Argyros Order's rules. Asides from that, soldiers are not gentlemen and even gentlemen sin. These women were prizes to them. 'We have to try. I think I have an idea.'

I took us some time to get down the slope and stay out of view of the campers, but we eventually made it round to the back and darker side of the camp. Looking at the sky, dawn was still a good distance away. We had time. Talu waited on one side in the dark, and I on the other. I would go in and tell the women to run to the nearest town or village, not to stop till dawn and to keep going until safety. Talu would distract the soldiers, using her fierce appearance to stir them into action. She would be too quick for them to catch and too large for them to want to mess with. She had dealt with far worse than infantrymen like these.

From what I saw, there were three male soldiers, and five captives, three women and two girls my age or a bit younger, presumably daughters. It wasn't my responsibility to see them home, only to set them free and get them running. I'd have to escape the soldiers later if they caught onto me. Creeping up to the women as the soldiers slept, I revealed myself. They gasped, but I gestured for them to stay silent. 'I'm here to rescue you. Do exactly as I say.' They nodded, clearly glad that sleep hadn't come to them on a night as horrible as this.

'I'm going to untie you now. In a minute, I will blow a whistle to signal my mountain cat to rouse the soldiers. She will attack them and that is when you run. Run, and don't stop until you are at safety, do you understand?'

'Thank you,' said one of the women. I noticed a bruise on her cheek, and my heart pounded harder. These women had done their best to get away. I knew that many women didn't make it out. I smiled at her and looked over to see if Talu was there. When I sensed her, I cut the bounds on the women's wrists and ankles and told them to get ready. I concealed myself, making one of the girls gasp again, and blew the silent whistle. Out of the darkness on the other side of the camp pounced Talu with a bellowing growl, jolting the men awake. 'I thought you were on watch!' yelled one of them to a younger man.

'I was!' he yelled back, shaking in terror at the beast only five feet away from him. Clearly, he wasn't, I thought, and set the women off running. The men were too distracted by Talu to notice that their captives had gone free. Time for the second phase of the plan. I had to get Talu out of there before they might've hurt her. She was doing a good job at swatting them away, their weapons fairly useless. She growled, hissed, nearly striking them at times with her powerful front paws. I knew what I had to do. I began my chant.

'Let dark hearts suffer the pain they give out,

Let the hunter be the hunted,

The snare-setter becomes entrapped,

The abuser will be punished.

Poison of ivy, venom of snake,

What these men give, they shall take.' Then I touched the ground before me and watched the results with a grin.

Out of the ground sprung vines, grabbing hold of the weapons and flinging them out of reach, then coiling around the men's limbs, constricting. The screams of horror rang out through the forest. Talu abandoned her attack and ran into the darkness again. Soon, three vines curled into S's and as they took their form, shifted into dark green snakes with wine-dark eyes, taunting each of the men. I knew what would follow and walked away. No evidence would be left by morning... not even the bodies.

••••••••••••

We reached the letter-hold at daybreak, a concealed crevice in a rockface. No one passing by would even think that anything was there. That was partly to do with enchantment, but also to do with its well-thought location. I left Talu to nap, and climbed up the boulders to the crevice, then slid through the seemingly invisible gap. Inside was a chamber carved by nature, its purpose as ancient as the nomads that lived in Adala thousands of years ago. Carvings they had left were seen on the walls, paintings faded by time. Light poured in through a small hole in the ground above. From up there, it must've seemed like burrow.

How the Society sent letters was a little bit of magic. There would be messengers who would move letters from one location to another at different points in the year. They would do this so that if someone couldn't, for whatever reason, pick up a letter at one hold, they would find it at the next. Of course, the messengers took messages directly if urgent or containing private information, but for the sake of moving letters around in an organised and predictable system, this was functional too. Maybe members of the society were spies and had to be on the move constantly. We all knew when the letters were moved, because in each message the sender would write a code indicating the pattern of movement. I knew that this letter would first arrive here because of when the last one was sent, I also knew that if I missed this one, the next location would be near the city of Adolis due to the code. The code on the front of the letter would tell you and the messenger what box your letter had to go in. This meant that everyone got the right letters. I looked at the code on the last letter. I'd deciphered it when I received it. 'Box 21,' I sighed, and read the symbols on the walls. 21 was the snow monkey. 'Snow monkey, snow monkey...' when I found it, I placed my hand on the rock and tried to find the key slot. It was on the monkey's belly. I took out my dagger and slid it into the key slot. With a click, the rock slid to the side. I told you that how the Society sent letters was a little bit of magic.

My letter was inside, the seal still Cassius's. But as I pulled the letter out, something fell on the ground. In the pale light, I saw a coin. Not just any coin: one for the Circle of Elders, the Society's highest-ranking officials. On the front of the letter was no writing to decipher other than the location of this box. There was no further destination. Something wasn't right about this at all. After opening the seal, I began to read.

Dear Tayn,

We are in trouble. The Society has fallen apart. There is not much I can write in this, but your brother and some old friends, are on my side. People are hunting the members of the Society down, and many believe that you are still alive. Be careful. My location will be where you expect it.

I ask you to join me now, in the fight against the AO, in the fight to reunite the Society. There is corruption everywhere we go, you know it as well as I do. I know you want to do the right thing. I know you want to use your gifts for good.

Remember: I am where you expect me to be.

Cassius.

That thorn in my heart thrust deeper now, and my thoughts raced. Adala was crumbling. The Society had crumbled. Even Cassius, the perfect leader, was in hiding, terrified for first time in his life. As much as I hated him, he was right. I couldn't let the corruption I'd seen in the last four years carry on any longer. I wanted to fight, it's all I'd ever trained to do. These gifts of mine, my instructors used to say, were a responsibility as much as a blessing.

In that moment, a plan planted itself in my head, and there was no turning back.