#Assembly language Solution

[periprose]

Priestess | Sayyadina

Faith is falling in Sietch Tabr. Reverend Mother Ramallo has a solution– marrying Naib Stilgar to one of the Sayyadina, in order to greater connect the people and the spiritual way, and enable Lisan Al Gaib’s journey to freedom, when he appears. This is your story as the chosen priestess.

Genre: arranged marriage to lovers, fluff, smut, (oral, piv, 18+) angst, lots of sci-fi Dune book references

Word count: 9.8k

Fremen Dictionary:

Sayyadina: Lower ranking priestess(es) who have not yet drank the Water of Life

Naib: Leader of a Sietch

Sietch: Cave/place of assembly by the Fremen

Sahar: Reader’s Sietch Name

Biet: Reader’s Fremen Name

Stilgar climbs up the rocky terrain, his fingers adeptly finding well-known grooves in the stone as he lifts himself to the absolute top of the cliff.

He needs some time to think over his conversation with Ramallo, Sietch Tabr’s Reverend Mother, before he heads back to the Sietch. Stilgar is not one to stay away from his people, his community— but for once in his life, it’s too close for comfort.

As Naib, there will be too many people coming to him at once, asking for his advice and input on things he is normally capable of answering. Friends and family will approach him closely, knowing too much about him to tell there’s something on his mind, and expecting him to be transparent as he typically is.

For this moment, though, he needs his head to be clear. He cannot be as jovial as he might’ve been in the past.

What Ramallo offered him is a subject matter he does not take lightly. 

The sun is setting as Stilgar remembers their conversation from the previous hour.

/

“As Sayyadina, as Reverend Mother, my honest recommendation is that the Northern Fremen need to replenish their numbers.” Ramallo speaks in hushed tones of Chakobsa, the native Fremen language.

Stilgar is slightly confused. The concept of child bearing is not one that he has to be concerned with, as he, despite his older age, has not been married yet.

Something he admonishes himself for.

“There are many of us, but we could always expand. I have already suggested to the South that they could send some of their people here, if they would like to be.” Stilgar frowns. “So many Fremen in the south, densely packed, is an easy way to be attacked. We could spread out more.”

“Save your war-speak for later, Stilgar.” Ramallo tuts, and then sighs a long, languid sigh that has Stilgar feeling much younger than he really is. “I don’t mean simply bringing people here.”

He’s never sure what the Reverend Mother wants, but he always gives her his full attention. Something about staying in his faith for so long has kept him here, grounded, seated in front of Ramallo, ready to do what needs to be done. Not just for the Mahdi, as he is often teased about, but so he doesn’t lose himself.   

“Please. Tell me.” He asks, kneeling his head down in a solemn movement, and Ramallo knows he’s ready for this.

“The youth of Sietch Tabr don’t believe in our faith anymore, do they?” Ramallo wraps a gnarled finger around her wrist, feeling a minor form of trepidation she is sure real Bene Gesserit have never felt. “They laugh when we speak of Lisan al Gaib.” 

“They have not read the prophecy.” Stilgar swallows, unsure if he can really speak on this, when he regards himself as a humble follower. “They laugh because they do not believe in the Mahdi to free us.”

Stilgar thinks of his niece, Chani, who suggests that a Fremen could be the Mahdi. He knows this can’t be true, because he believes his people are fed-up— it should have happened by now if one of them was truly possessed with that capability.

“Sietch Tabr is too worldly now. I worry that if we lose our faith, we cannot usher in Lisan al Gaib as he should be, and our promise to freedom.” Ramallo fixes her cold, foggy pupils on Stilgar, the cloudy whites making the typical Fremen-blue appear more teal. He shivers at the idea. 

“I want you, as Naib, our political leader, to take one of the Sayyadina as your wife. One of the lower priestesses.” 

Stilgar nearly protests instantly, feeling embarrassed to even think of desecrating a Sayyadina like this, but the old Reverend Mother knows what he thinks of this. 

“It would be a marriage between our religion and our people, a symbolic union. I believe our spirituality will be renewed.” Ramallo taps his hand. “I’m an old woman now. I cannot make as much as a difference as my younger sisters— and you and I both know it is written that we must keep bearing children.” 

Stilgar swallows. He only vaguely knows of the Bene Gesserit, but he can guess Ramallo was deeply inspired by their way, marrying into families, keeping a physical bloodline going. The only thing that troubles him, is that he’s unsure of what this has to do with having children with a Sayyadina in particular. 

“If you have children, especially with a Sayyadina, they are more likely to be faithful. Perhaps we cannot convert the others,” Ramallo grits her teeth. “But I believe we can start anew.”

/

Stilgar knows he cannot force himself on any of the Sayyadina. It’s bad enough that they cannot say no to the Reverend Mother’s command, especially with that shocking, unnerving Voice she uses, so he would much rather let one of them pick him. Yes, that’s what he’ll do— walk into the temple, and let them approach him.

He just hopes he’s not too old, too ugly, too entwined with his role as Naib. He wonders if that’s why women haven’t necessarily been interested in him— what with his constant vigilance to keep Sietch Tabr safe and with a good allocation of resources, which makes him rather unapproachable, not as dashing as a typical Feydakin.

He knows how Lady Jessica looked at him with reproach when he offered himself to her, to protect her and her son, Paul. Yes, even the name Paul suggests something more to him— he still thinks he could be Lisan al Gaib. But either way, Lady Jessica did not want to be connected to him like that— so Stilgar feels that he must admire how marriage exists in that intrinsic bond between two people, from afar.

On the other hand, he feels the slightest tinge of hope when he remembers that a Sayyadina would surely be impressed with his devotion. In fact, Stilgar feels a slight grin on his face, as he climbs down from his cliff, thinking of a veiled Fremen priestess, eyes of Ibad even bluer than his own, marking her commitment to the faith. Holy, but his, to see like no one else would, and to be devoutly loyal to.

Almost like a personal representation, an extension of their faith together. And suddenly Stilgar feels understanding to what the Reverend Mother said, as he walks through the night, back to his quarters, that there would be power in this.

/

You’re chewing on your bottom lip, knowing that it’s a needless thing to do— a waste of water, now, that a drop of blood has been drawn from where you have accidentally split your lip— and you can’t help yourself.

Reverend Mother Ramallo grasped you and your sisters’ hands during prayer this morning, and told you that Stilgar would choose one of you as his wife.

It’s a bit surprising. As a Sayyadina directly under a Reverend Mother, you simply expected to be on your own, until she died and one of you would have to take her place. Other Sayyadina marry, yes— but you’ve always studied under Ramallo and assumed that you would not have to.

You know the Bene Gesserit— as far away as they are to you— form alliances like this with men, and it’s an honourable thing, typically, to produce a child from a union and continue on a legacy of people. It’s with that line of thinking that you asked Ramallo if this is what you were meant to follow.

“Sahar.” Ramallo used your Sietch name, the one that is only known among your sisters for the most part, as most Sayyadina consider their Sietch name to be their sacred name. “Smarter than I sometimes give you credit for. Yes, like our fellow priestesses, we too can create children for the sacred purpose of replacement.”

You smiled, but Ramallo had a slightly weary look in her eyes.

“I don’t want you girls to forget the sacred duty. Continue the faith. Do not let others forget our long wait for the Lisan al Gaib. Pass this onto your children, if you have them.”

You nodded, and whispered a silent prayer that hopefully soon he would be found, and that in itself would be enough to push people.

/   

So now you wait. You know Stilgar— you’ve conversed with him before, in lunch circles, at the deathstill. He was kind enough— he always bowed when he greeted you, and you liked that, liked that he acknowledged your importance in your role here, however small it may be to you. And he always had a careful, leaning inwards glance, where he would be intently listening to whatever you had to say, even if you simply wished him well and hoped that the Maker would bless him and his passage.

It also significantly helped that he was so handsome to look at, too. You’ve heard women murmur about their surprise on his lack of a wife, and how they’d be grateful to take him, if they got the chance. You don’t disagree– you know you’ve spent many a moment glancing too much at him.

But Stilgar seems intensely busy, and you do not be the one to pull him away from his duties. You have had the privilege of being unaware of fighting, of battles and duels, and now to be potentially married to him, it feels like you’ll simply not fit into his life.

And, on the other hand, as you glumly sit on your bedding, rolling a pebble on the stone floor, you think about how you’ve had little-to-no experience with men.

It’s not that it wasn’t allowed, you’ve always been preoccupied with your faith. With the Reverend Mother.

You know how Fremen men, especially warrior men like Stilgar would be. They have appetites— your fellow Sayyadina sister Nezua tells you about all her crazy endeavours, while you listen somewhat enviously. There’s a reason why Fremen men take so many wives.

Your stomach lurches a little at that. Although multiple wives are common, to continue to reproduce as efficiently as possible, you dislike the notion for some reason— but you feel selfish and wonder if it is because, as a priestess, you’ve had special treatment until now.

Nezua walks into your quarters, and taps your shoulder. 

“Yes?”

“He’s outside.” She takes your hand. “Don’t worry, Sahar. I am sure he will not pick one of us— he will probably pick Ranira. She barely wants to be Sayyadina.”

“But isn’t that against the point?” You squeeze your hands together. “For a union between faith and people—” 

“C’mon, Sahar. Don’t tell me you really believe that.” She rolls her eyes. “Whoever ends up being Stilgar’s wife will probably be in his house most of the time, ‘praying’, but really just dutifully waiting for him.” 

“I suppose…” You don’t want to tell Nezua that she’s wrong. That Stilgar is more devout than she thinks, that he’s not a cheat looking for a free wife to use while pretending to care about the faith. 

Stilgar has always come to the temple to pray, even when it is not necessary for a man of his standing to do so— as he often speaks of needing to continue his worship towards the Maker, the One God, and Ramallo is always pleased to let him in. She wouldn’t do that if he had some sort of ulterior motive, as other less honourable men have in the past.

It’s with a jolt that you realize you already care for him on some level. At the very least, you think highly of him.

Nezua pulls you up off your bedding, and you adjust your veil before going off into the main prayer hall with her.

Upon seeing the arrival of all six Sayyadina sisters— the current number of high priestesses directly under Ramallo— Stilgar pushes himself into a deep, reverent bow, and as he arises again, his gaze seems to linger on you before coming across your sisters.

You feel both excited to potentially be picked, and terrified to leave the temple where you have lived your whole life.

/

Stilgar can’t help but have his eyes drawn towards to you. Not just because you’re beautiful— you are, though, with the eyes of Ibad, deep blue pupils, a wise, judicial expression upon your face— and he wonders why.

Not out of disrespect, but Stilgar often sees the Sayyadina as being sort of withdrawn, within themselves, perhaps solemn in the religious vows they have taken. Even now, your sisters don’t meet his glance as often as you do.

Stilgar thinks you may be defiant. Maybe a troublemaker of sorts. His heart has a sudden thrill at the idea, but his mind knows this isn’t what’s necessary for this arrangement.

“Hello, sisters.” He smiles in a firm, thin line, meant to be placating to those around him. “I believe you know why I’m here. I hope this will not be an uncomfortable process for us all.”

He takes another look at you. No, you’re simply… you’re taking him in. And Stilgar decides that’s overall better than being defiant. Closer to the values of a leader, not even in just a spiritual way as the Reverend Mother had suggested to him. 

You’re gauging his reactions, trying to read if he’s more of a rascal than he lets on— but he meets your previous idea of him, a reverent, kind man trying not to do harm, and your mouth settles into a assured, small smile.

Stilgar feels comforted, pleased even by your expression, and he knows he’s going to pick you.

”Sayyadina—” He points to you so there’s no confusion, and your sisters appear as neutral as they can, while you read micro-expressions of either relief or disappointment. “I would like to speak to you on this matter.”

You shuffle in silence as you leave with him to a different, quieter corridor, and as you turn and fix your veil, Nezua flashes a grin at you.

So your feelings were that obvious, you think.

/

Stilgar is a great deal taller than you. You have to peer upwards to really look at him, and you think he likes that— there’s a slight twinge in his eyes that makes you feel easily drawn to him.

“Why me, Naib?” You ask, and Stilgar stares at you for a moment longer, before tearing his eyes away to stare at the architecture of the temple. 

“You have a knowing look in your eyes, Sayyadina.” He responds in turn to your use of Naib— a term denoting him as Leader of the Sietch. You use it so not to be overly familiar with him, but you understand you both respect each other.

“So you picked the most shrewd of us, is that it?” You wrinkle your nose in a slight laugh, but then actually grin as Stilgar laughs.

“One could call it shrewdness. I simply see that you are not afraid, you look for what you know you must find. Only great leaders make the approach.” He explains this so clearly, you were not even entirely aware that you were doing such a thing. 

“It only makes sense to do so, Naib. I could not just stand there and allow you to do all the decision making.” You admit with tact, so not to drive him away.

He nods. “That is why you will be a great one.”

Stilgar seems comfortable with you already, and yet his expression takes a pained look for a moment. 

“It's for that reason I do not want to force you into this… uh, arrangement.” He admits, and you are taken aback for just a moment, just a slight gasp.

“What makes you think I don’t want to be your wife?” You speak too soon, maybe too boldly but Stilgar likes that. Despite not even being betrothed yet, you are so forward with him, so ready to be claimed by him.

And he's just as willing a participant to be claimed by you, so he smiles, watching you turn a little flustered, but you let your feelings for him stay apparent for a moment.

It's not like there's room for privacy in a marriage, you think.

An arranged marriage, you admonish yourself. He’s here only in the most professional of terms. Don’t complicate this with your idiotic feelings, you still have a job to do.

“I just meant that– it would be an honour to be associated with you, Naib.” You keep your head tilted downwards, trying your best to be the reverent Sayyadina you’re known as.

“Of course.” He swallows, unsure if you’ve suddenly become shy, or that you’ve decided to be more cunning– something he admires anyways. He thinks not many women would actually be attracted to him, what of the mug he calls a face, and so he decides to just be glad that you’re willing to be with him.

“Okay, Sayyadina. If you’ll have me as your husband, then,” He grasps your hands in both of his, and he has the kindest look in his eyes, and you look back up at him, feelings simmering on the inside as you maintain a peaceful facade. “We will have our engagement arranged soon.”

Then, ever so gently, he pushes back a part of your veil, wanting to see your face better.

/

You visit him more often after that. Usually in the hall, where there are other people, and you do this so people don’t think you’re too in love with him already– visiting him secretly would only prove that, suggest some sort of affair of a human connotation.

By being around the others, people feel that things are coming into place– religion and leaders are creating a strong, united front that will lead the Fremen to peace. More believers for the Lisan Al Gaib. And you are glad to already be pushing people along the path that Ramallo set out for you.

Stilgar has a stronger look at you, now. Not just the polite glances of before. With every conversation, he takes you in, drawing more and more conclusions. And with every moment, he learns more about you, and he likes what he learns, too.

He sees that you like your food spicy, as does he. And you especially enjoy tabara– the soft sweet cake made of tabaroot, honey, and spice, rich and sweet in flavour, adorned with fruit. It’s a rarity in Arrakis, since a few of the fruit come from offworld traders– so he gives you his portion and you two argue over this, before Stilgar eventually puts his foot down as Naib.

“You should accept. Extra portions go towards those who need it, not me.” Stilgar says, ever the humble one as you’ve come to know him.

“Except this isn’t an extra portion, is it? Sayyadina aren’t supposed to indulge so much, leaders like you may deserve it as you do such hard work.” You taunt him, knowing that you’re both so similar– you could argue forever with Stilgar because you’re equally as willing to sacrifice things for each other.

Great leaders, indeed.

“Sayyadina, don’t make me remind you how important your creed is.” He tuts, and you find yourself simmering with attraction to him– you are beginning to look forward to these conversations more and more everyday. “Your work is just as important– don’t do a disservice to your life just for me, okay?”

The people around you shift in their spots on the floor, to listen more closely, and you recognize that although you and Stilgar grow closer– the intended effect is taking place. People are supportive either way.

Maybe you don’t have to be distant, overly religious, to win support. Maybe, like what Ramallo said, they need to see how spirituality can touch people, and how you’re just a person as well.

He places the piece of cake in your bowl again. “Accept it as a gift, Sayyadina.”

You smile up at him, squeeze his hand without thinking. “Okay, Naib. Thank you.”

/

Stilgar cannot stop thinking of you, even when he is training Usul to fight in the Fremen way.

He remembers your last meeting, a few weeks after your initial one– and then how you said in two days time, after your faithful prayer that the Shai-Hulud would allow your union to be peaceful, you could begin the engagement ceremony. And Stilgar focused on how serious you were– how holy this approach was, how you seemed to glow from within, with some otherworldly energy, and even now he could tell he was enamoured with you. With that strong gaze, eyebrows tensed and purposeful in their thought.

Usul– Paul, at this moment, with his lack of focus– cannot stop staring at Chani while she practices sparring with her friend.

“Usul. Usul.” Stilgar shakes his shoulder, and Paul finally tears his gaze away. “You’re too distracted, my friend.”

“I’m sorry, Stilgar.” Ever the charming, young lad, Paul smiles placatingly towards Stilgar, and even he is too struck by his charisma to avoid it. “I’m here. I’m ready.”

“Please, tell me what bothers you.” Stilgar knows, already, as Paul stares down at his hands, that the boy has eyes for his overly tenacious niece. “Is it a matter of the heart?”

“Yes.” Paul exhales. “It’s not important right now. How did you know?”

Stilgar smiles reproachfully. “I… I suppose I should tell you honestly, before the others get to know.”

It strikes Paul that the Fremen trust him so readily– even Chani, with her misgivings about the prophecy, seems to be swayed towards him, and he does not know if he enjoys the attention, the privilege this grants him. Again, he is struck with that terrible purpose– that he will use these people for his own benefit.

Stilgar interrupts his line of thought. “Soon, I am to be married to one of the priestesses.”

Paul grins. “Ah, Stilgar, you rogue. You’re distracted, too.”

“Yes.” Stilgar admits, and he thinks of you with your deep blue eyes, your careful-yet-understanding glance, and he longs to see you again. To get to know you better. Yes, Stilgar may not truly know you, but he feels he has been on your side this whole time. Every glance at the temple, every cursory conversation at the deathstill, it has all been building up to something– perhaps not what he had imagined it to be, but he would never consider himself unlucky for this, or that Ramallo could ever be wrong about her plans.

As Naib, though, he still has his duties, and he tuts and tells Paul to get back on it. And Paul, strong young man wanting to prove himself, uses his Bene Gesserit training to imbue a level of focus that no woman could possibly break.

/

The engagement ceremony day is finally here.

You're excited, yet nervous to be known as Stilgar's wife. It feels more real with every approaching moment– it’s not just a silly, girlish fantasy, it’s something that everyone will see and know as a tangible union.

You haven't got any time to see him– Stilgar has been away with other Feydakin, no doubt unleashing hell on Harkonnen troops– and so you wait for his return.

The first of many waiting periods, you know that. You always knew this was going to be more of a political marriage– more in meaning for Sietch Tabr than really having to be around each other.

But you miss him, anyways. You like him, and despite your attempts to focus on praying to the Maker that he will be okay, you search for him on the sandy horizon every minute of this auspicious morning, the sun blearing into your eyes.

“You know he hasn’t come this far without his own talent.” Nezua reminds you, as she watches you peer up, blinking in the sunlight. “He’s not Naib for no reason, Sahar.”

All priestesses– both low and high– and other religious Fremen crowd around the outskirts of Sietch Tabr, hidden under cliffs in order to stay in the shade. Yet you reach outwards to look at the sun, risking your sweat even as you know you’re supposed to reserve it.

Lady Jessica, part of the sacred mother-and-son duo from the outer world, watches you with a gaze you cannot place. You know it is not simple curiosity– there is something new and malicious in her stare that has only heightened after Stilgar had asked to be betrothed to you.

A sudden gust of wind blows sand around you two, and Nezua tightens her veil, firmly jutting her jaw in a way that tells you she must be right, that you worry about nothing. 

Ten minutes later, after praying and hoping, Stilgar returns over the sunrise, victorious in battle, and you feel he looks exhausted– yet his face breaks into a smile when he sees you.

He is greeted by many Fremen, fellow family members, but Stilgar pushes them aside, making his way directly towards you.

And you let yourself be pulled upwards by him, as he grasps your hands.

There’s something sweet and endearing here– almost innocent in how he looks at you, as if he’s been waiting to see you again just as long as you have. But you quickly remind yourself that this moment is not just yours– it would be considered somewhat heartless by other Fremen if Stilgar did not appear to like you, and by extension, the whole marriage’s point would fail.

“Sayyadina–” He holds up the Water Rings, the metallic counters representing the volume of water a Fremen could release into the deathstill. Here, they mean that you will be tied to Stilgar, as you are now betrothed to him. “I ask you to be married to me, by nightfall.”

“So soon?” You ask, wondering why he would want to do it so early.

“It cannot wait much longer. Reverend Mother Ramallo is not well.” He tells you, and your heart sinks, wondering why your dear reverend mother has not told you about this.

You’ve seen the signs– she struggles with fine motor skills and often her cataracts make it difficult to see anything– but you are still surprised.

“Okay.” You swallow, and then smile up at him, and he squeezes your cheek in a fond gesture that makes you feel heat rise there.   

“We will be wed tonight.” He calls out in Chakobsa, and the Fremen around you rally with glee, and you feel that whatever this is, even if Ramallo does not live to watch it play out– it’s working.

/

The unmarried women of the tribe fix your hair with the rings Stilgar presented to you, and you feel ever the part of the blushing bride. You know it’s not wrong to genuinely have feelings in this arrangement– you just hope Stilgar feels the same way.

Chani grins at you. You know her well– you’re around the same age, you’ve grown up somewhat together– and you wonder if she feels odd about her uncle marrying you.

“No, if it means I can call you Auntie, I’m happy.” She jokes, and you shove her as she laughs.

Chani rarely laughs like this as of late. She’s always so hard on herself– she thinks she has to be because of how indoctrinated so many Fremen are to the faith. And despite your life as a Sayyadina, Chani has never let your conflicting beliefs stop her love for you.

You only wish she’d be more careful as a warrior. As a freedom fighter, Chani sometimes lacks restraint– so you’re grateful to see her happy.

“Well, maybe some day you’ll be married, too.” You squeeze her hand. “To a great warrior.”

“I don’t know, Biet.” Chani calls you your Fremen name, not your Sietch one, which will be used tonight at the wedding. “Let us focus on you for now.”

“I just… I don’t know if he feels the way I do.” You suddenly admit, and the fear that you’re still going to be lonely crops up. 

Chani shakes her head, that hard, tough scowl on her face back again. “If there’s one thing I know about my uncle, it’s that he’s not an idiot.” 

She presses her cheek to yours. “Don’t you understand how important you are, Biet? How special you are, not just to me and everyone here, but to him especially. Stilgar has not stopped speaking of you for the last couple of weeks.”

You smile softly at that, thinking of how ardently Stilgar looks at you now, how you’ve gotten to know each other over the last few weeks of basic conversation. More close than ever, and yet just far enough that you keep wondering. Is it admiration, gratitude that you’re willing to serve a greater purpose, or something more? You know it’s selfish, but you want him to like you. To love you. 

“Everybody knows, even Muad’Dib.”

At the mention of Muad’Dib, you can’t ignore the slight tension in your spine. Both you and Stilgar have discussed your belief in his abilities, his potential to be the one– but you know that Chani does not share that.

Still, you hear a slight shift in Chani’s tone as she says his name, and you give her a glance.

“You like him, I think.” You tease, and she tells you to shut up in Chakobsa.

You wonder if Muad’Dib was the one who shared this information to his mother, which would make her dislike of you understandable. You get the sense she’s power-hungry, terrifying– she would’ve been a greater candidate for this marriage, an otherworldly mother that fits the prophecy, representing not just the union of politics and religion, but with the power of the Bene Gesserit– and you find that you resist her, anyways. Resist the idea that everything must be for this one purpose.

You want to keep Stilgar to yourself, and it almost frightens you that you might be going against something that you’ve been taught to believe from a young age.

You’re no Chani.

/

The dark of the night spreads across Arrakis.

Stilgar begins the trek up the dune, where you wait, bathed in the moonlight– you’re wearing a different outfit, a dress with intricate beading marking your place as a bride, and instead of a veil, you are wearing a much thinner, transparent shawl that allows Stilgar to make out your silhouette. Your hair is interwoven with his Water Rings.

Stilgar has always known you are beautiful, but especially now of all times, with your blue eyes reflecting him in the silver moonlight as he meets you at the top of the hill– and it’s not a distraction, because he’s meant to be here with you.

He likes you a lot– there’s a taut feeling in his throat, as he realizes he’s watched countless friends and family members get married, but never thought of himself as one of them– and in the past, Stilgar had always felt there was something wrong with him for not marrying sooner. But now, he’s so thankful he waited, because it’s you. His holy, veiled priestess.

You share his faith, after all– but over the last few weeks he’s seen that you share his judgement, too. He only hopes that his feelings will be returned some day and that he won’t scare you off– Stilgar knows he can sometimes be too much.

Reverend Mother Ramallo approaches you two from the other side of the dune. She speaks in Ancient Chakobsa– old marriage passages from the faith, hymns that are sacred in their meaning– and the unmarried women below, begin their chanting and agreement with the hymns. They dance.

Then, Ramallo asks Stilgar in Chakobsa, if he is willing to take care of you, to entirely claim you in every way as the Fremen faith dictates– to not leave you behind. You know she cares for you so deeply, as she’s watched you grow up from a young girl, and you hear a slight twitch in her voice, giving her away as someone who will miss you.

Stilgar responds without hesitation that yes, he will always be there for you. And you believe him. You don’t hear a hint of irony or lying in his tone.

Maybe this isn’t just a marriage of political nature.

Ramallo yells in Chakobsa, using the Voice: “It is finished!”

/

Celebrations are loud, jovial, necessary after the Fremen endured hardship from the Harkonnen. People are dancing, eating, congratulating you.

You’re happy to receive their blessings, and give them back if they wish to hear it from you. You’re still a Sayyadina, and today of all days, you bring especially good luck to them.

Paul Atreides walks forward after Nezua dips– she’s kissed you on your cheek and solemnly stated she’ll miss you at the temple bedrooms– and you’re intrigued, as you’ve never spoken to him before.

“Muad’dib!” Stilgar is next to you, and he shakes his hands, clapping his shoulder, and Paul hugs him.

“Stilgar, Biet–” Paul’s eyes cross towards you, and you don’t sense the same plotting look his mother has. “Congratulations. It’s so interesting to witness a Fremen marriage. I feel like I’ve learned so much just watching. I did not know Sayyadina could use the Voice, as well. Impressive.”

You think he’s rather compassionate, but there’s no telling if it’s an act. You ignore that– you’re meant to be happy now.

“Thank you.” You gently squeeze his hand. “I don’t use it often– I believe it should necessitate a purpose.”

“As do I.” Paul agrees, and you are blown away by how casually he reveals that he can use it. Another sign, perhaps, that he is who you and Stilgar think he is.

“In coming times, maybe you too will marry in our way.” You make as an offhand comment, so not to overtly reveal your surprise.

Paul is mildly surprised by this, but he doesn’t look displeased with that. “Maybe. I think many women here are quite beautiful, they could probably pick a noble Feydakin than someone like me.”

“In time, Muad’dib, you may be a Feydakin too. You have the strength to be one.” Stilgar corrects him, and you like that your husband is so forthcoming, a true mentor that supports everyone.

“Besides, you’ll need to be one if you want to impress Chani.” You input, and Stilgar looks a little taken aback by this development, while Paul looks more interested.

“Really? You think Chani and I…” Paul swallows down whatever he’s going to say, looking suddenly a bit darker and worried. “I would be lucky if she considered me.”

Paul bids you two goodbye, while Stilgar laughs. “A humble one, isn’t he?”

“Better that than overly boastful.” You hum. “Either way, I hope he is not perpetuating a false image.”

Stilgar agrees. 

As the party dies down, he takes your hand, and together, you walk back to Stilgar’s quarters.

/

He’s rather quiet as he sits on his bedding, cracking his knuckles.

Stilgar is not afraid of you, exactly– he’s afraid of what your relationship should or should not be. He does not know the boundaries in which you two operate, and he’s afraid once he opens that conversation up, of your potential rejection. 

Other men would tell him that as your wife, there should be no confusion– that he should be able to bridge the gap, and you would accept it, no questions asked.

But Stilgar had not come this far by simply guessing at things. He knows as Naib, the general context you two have– and he needs to know if you feel the same way, if you don’t just want this marriage to be symbolic in nature.

“Sayyadina,” He calls you, and you sit next to him on his bedding, staying a short distance away, just for respect.

You laugh at that internally. You’re his wife, and you still call on some level of respect. Maybe because you’re afraid of acting on these feelings you have– a hunger for closeness– and you would rather use the excuse of respect instead of pushing him towards you.

Stilgar says Sayyadina with fondness in his tone, though. A formal, spiritual term has never sounded more husky, more inappropriately close than ever– you let yourself hope.

“I’ll ask you this once, and make your answer clear, so I do not bother you otherwise.” Stilgar pauses, wanting to be sensitive about this subject. He doesn’t know exactly what you’re comfortable with. “I want to know if you want to be more than wife in name, or if your heart is drawn to being within your faith.”

“Who says I can’t be both, Stilgar?” You bite your lip, and Stilgar’s face stiffens. “There’s nothing in our faith that says a priestess can’t have both.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He pauses, grappling with what to say.

“I don’t want to be a burden to you.” He says, and you laugh, for real this time, a louder laugh than he’s heard before, and he grins, liking the twinkling sound of it, but then frowns. “I’m being serious. You should not have to lie with me just for everyone else’s benefit. The marriage has brought people to greater spirits, already.”

“What if it’s for my benefit?” You speak in a hushed tone, but Stilgar listens to every word, inching closer to you. “What if I feel more spiritual when I’m next to you? I feel the Maker’s way flow through me whenever we speak, I feel like I can understand and interpret so much more because I know we are supposed to be with each other, not just metaphorically, but in all ways.”

Stilgar is taken aback by your boldness, and so are you to some degree, but you continue. “I’ve been ignoring this the last few weeks, but I think that’s what love is. What is faith without love? I think I love you, because you make me understand what I’ve been missing…” You smile up at him. “You’re my greater context, Stilgar.”

Ah, He thinks. This woman is too sweet to me. She understands.

“Sayyadina…” He sighs, a deep shuddering sigh revealing so much emotion; relief, really. You’ve never seen Stilgar like this, but it gives you a sense of how much he represses. “You feel like the missing piece I’ve been waiting for. You… you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for a woman that understands me.”

“I never thought I could have the chance to love anyone,” He admits with some reservation. “My appearance tends to ward women away.”

“But you’re beautiful.” You whisper, smiling up at him, and Stilgar feels your hands trace around his face, and he closes his eyes, listening to the sweetness of your voice. “You’re only intimidating because of who you are, Stilgar, but I promise, you’re beautiful. I’m not the only woman who thinks that.”

Before he can respond in turn, that you’re more beautiful than him, the stubbornness that you two share– you let that unspoken urge inside you, the one you’ve never acted on before, overtake you. And you pull his face downwards in a searing kiss, one where he can still taste the spice on your lips after what you ingested at your wedding dinner.

He honestly has not touched a woman in years– not out of some purposeful celibacy, but more because he has been so focused on maintaining Sietch Tabr. And whatever memories he has of that time, right now is easily trumping them.

You part your lips as Stilgar does, kissing him with abandon, again and again as your lips move with his, and he squeezes your waist before pulling you onto his lap.

He groans. There’s a hard bulge in his pants that you’re sitting squarely upon, you know what that is– you’re not entirely uncultured about this.

You experimentally roll your hips over his crotch, finding a sudden pleasure in your lower half as you do so, and he stutters, suddenly, pulling your face away from his, breaking the kiss.

“Sayyadina– wait, slow down.” He holds your wrists in his hands firmly, the heat of the moment causing both of you to sweat. The night air seeps through Stilgar’s window– hot and humid.

You’ve never wanted to be closer to him.

“I’m a little inexperienced. I don’t want to hurt you.” He explains, and you scoff.

“So am I.” You tell him. “Actually, I’ve never…”

“Oh.” Stilgar takes on a very judicial look, one that you’re determined to stop before he rejects you for the “greater good” or something like that. “I would’ve never guessed that. You gave me the impression of expertise.”

“Then let me gain it.” You proclaim, and you cut him off before he says what you know he will. “You’re not forcing me into anything. I want to do this, just like I wanted to marry you.”

He scoffs, now, but Stilgar likes the sound of that and he kisses you again, pulling your shawl off, feeling you wrap around his torso with your legs– he feels you moan and shudder when he squeezes your thighs. He loves this, and when he starts removing your dress– you don’t stop him.

He pulls it down and under you, and you’re bare underneath. Stilgar examines your breasts with admiration– they’re the perfect size, they fit you well– and he immediately takes to one of your nipples with his teeth, causing you to cry out.

As he continues these bites over your chest, squeezing your breasts and your behind, suckling on your neck, feeding off of your sweat, you feel yourself slicken, wetness catching on Stilgar’s pants– so much quicker than you’re used to, when you used to touch yourself in your room at the temple. A waste of water, maybe, but it was worth the relief occasionally.

Stilgar notices, and he wordlessly lays you across his bed, spreading your legs open, looking down at your pussy.

You’re not completely sure what he’s doing, and you feel slightly vulnerable like this– entirely on display for him.

“Let me drink from you, Sayyadina. I would be honoured by this blessing– I thirst, and it would not be a waste.” He says in hushed tones, as he kneels in front of you, and you feel yourself slicken more if that’s possible. The sacred overtones of worship are not lost on you, practically becoming a kink for you as he speaks.

You nod, and he grasps your thighs tightly, practically pushing down on them so you’ll stay with open legs for him– he strokes them a few times, and then dives in with his tongue, lapping and licking slowly upwards to your clitoris, then quickly a few times to taste you faster, which causes you to seize as feelings of warmth and white-hot sensitivity overtake you, and with your fluids, and his saliva, you’re quickly reaching the point of finishing. His beard tickles, and you squirm a little, and start writhing and sweating, moans ebbing out of your throat, but that only makes Stilgar pull you in closer, tighter, pushing his tongue closer, almost inside, refusing your escape.

You don’t want that, anyways. And you finish in his mouth with a flourish as Stilgar laps up what you’ve given him– a drink from a Sayyadina.

You think he’s done, but you lean back with another sigh– a near scream, really– as Stilgar begins to lick at your clitoris, suckling on it, until you’re wet and aching again– and then he uses his fingers to spread your pussy open, and begins to fuck you with his tongue. It’s amazing, wet and writhing and and filthy– it feels nothing like your own fingers and entirely more adept at getting you to another orgasm. The speed at which his tongue languishes inside you should be considered unholy, all things considered– but you feel high, you feel like you’re closer to the Maker than ever– and he suckles at you, his lips closing around your entrance as you moan again and orgasm directly into his mouth.

Stilgar groans. He’s in love with your taste– he thinks he might wake you up every morning like this, if you’ll let him. He’s also painfully hard now– his cock strains against his pants, and he quickly starts undressing.  

“Sorry. I needed a second taste.” Stilgar apologizes, standing up, but he’s not sheepish about anything as he continues to rub you, to stroke your pussy to keep you wet. Up, down, up, down, Stilgar could get addicted to this sensation around his fingers– you’re so warm, soft, wet– he needs to be in you.

You’re beginning to feel overstimulated– you’re covered in sweat, and in between your thighs you’re soaked, practically dripping all over Stilgar’s hand as he continues to work you– and you twitch as you sit up, Stilgar’s fingers prodding inside you.

His cock bobs upwards, shiny with pre-cum, and the tip, hard and redder, while the rest is a flattering tan brown. Although this is your first time viewing the male genitalia, you’re drawn to it. You like how he looks partially naked– vulnerable like you, but warmer, soft and hard in different places– and you reach to take his shirt off, letting his full self be unsheathed.

And you like this– you feel an animalistic draw to his body, his chest hair, the broad muscles under them, and he moans loudly when your finger prods at the tip of his cock. Stilgar lifts you up, wrapping your legs around his waist, and spreads your ass, his cock nudging inside your pussy slowly, groaning as it does, gritting his teeth as every centimetre feels like another added pleasure of wetness, the bounds of which he does not know, but he is excited to be familiar with and do this again and again. 

You sink around him easily– you moan against his neck as you do– and Stilgar bottoms out, feeling you grip and tighten around him.  

After what feels like an eternity– both of you drunk on just being intertwined in such a way– he lifts you up again, thrusting outwards, and then back in, pushing you down on his cock, slamming into you. Stilgar’s warrior strength comes into play here– he fucks you relentlessly, and grips you so tightly you think you might be melting onto him. He begins to pound into you, your ass and thighs jiggling with the force of it all, and a severely perverted squelching and slapping sound builds up over time, over and over, his thighs and balls slapping against your thighs and ass, the sound of which you are sure is extremely loud.

You don’t care. You moan loudly, almost yelling as Stilgar’s cock twitches and catches inside you in a place so deep, you’ve never touched it yourself. 

You shake and twitch, barely holding onto him as you do, feeling an immense pressure build inside you, almost painfully, but with pleasure. Stilgar claims your mouth as he thrusts, kissing you, slipping his tongue inside as he drinks from you there– and he loves feeling you moan against his mouth as he does so.

He presses you against him tightly, rutting upwards, and then together he tips the both of you onto his bed again, him on top of you, this time using his fingers to play with your clitoris as you clench around his thrusting. You cum again, this time your fluids adding to Stilgar’s pleasure, and you moan as Stilgar’s hands tighten around your waist. The slap of his skin against yours is laden with sweat and your cum, but Stilgar is insatiable, and he thrusts harder.

You feel him inhale, moan, bite at your neck, and you feel his cock twitch again as he cums inside you, pulling out in a hazy stream, and you writhe against him, feeling the heat of the moment conjoining with the cooler air of the night.

He sighs, satisfied with what has happened, lying down next to you. “May Shai-Hulud allow us to do this again.”

/

Stilgar has to leave again, the next morning, as more Fremen are involved in fighting Harkonnen harvesters, and he wants to oversee this.

“I’m sorry, Sayyadina…” He swallows. He doesn’t want to leave you behind– if he could take you along on his back, he would. 

“Sahar.” You tell him.

“What was that?” He asks, and you wrap your arms around him and his stillsuit, dressed in your traditional Sayyadina dressings again.

“Sahar is my Sietch name. My sacred name, only for my sisters to know.” You explain, although you’re sure Stilgar knows this. He only knows your Fremen name, after all. “Since we’re married– I thought you should know my true name.”

“Sahar is a wonderful name… meaning morning.” Stilgar looks out the window with a slight smile. “But you outdo any of Arrakis’ sunrises, my dear.”

You laugh at that, as Stilgar knew you would. 

“You will still be Sayyadina to me, no matter what name you have.” He says, and there’s a warm feeling in your heart when you hear this, that he has a special name for you. You take his hands, and press your palm to his forehead.

“Oh Shai-Hulud… keep Stilgar safe from unwarranted danger today.” You whisper in Chakobsa, closing your eyes, and Stilgar closes his eyes too. “Do not risk his life.”

Your harsh, suddenly grating tone from using the Voice has Stilgar opening his eyes again. He has never heard you use it before.

“Thank you.” He pulls you up for a soft, parting kiss– and then after memories of last night echo inside his mind– he gives you a firmer, lingering kiss, laden with love for you.

/

Stilgar finds that despite his obvious devotion in his commitment to you– the women are more interested in him than ever.

And if he was a lesser man, perhaps he would act on this. But Stilgar has not forgotten the plan, and he certainly hasn’t forgotten you, not so soon. He knows you two are two sides of the same coin– meant to be.

This was not meant to be an outcome. He sees Feydakin women smiling at him, maybe a little too much– or maybe he has not noticed until now.

You said he was beautiful, and he had thought maybe that was just according to you. But seeing how Lady Jessica greets him, not impolitely but just with more… vulnerability, especially after her duke was killed, he thinks maybe you’re right. Maybe he has something.

Jessica stares at the deathstill, trembling over what Stilgar has told her. She must drink the Water of Life, she must take the place of a Reverend Mother– and she does not want this. She wants nothing more than to be comforted at this moment, because of what a tribulation this new order shall be on her.

Or at least, that’s the image she’s conveying, she hopes, and she believes she has Stilgar wrapped around her finger, her coying, Bene Gesserit way meant to coax people closer to her, and by extension, her wishes.

And Jessica can tell she’s done it right when Stilgar leans over, wipes away her tear, and licks it. Perhaps she can secure more support through playing the part of a sad widow.

/

It’s Nezua who saw what happened.

She interrupts your prayer, your first prayer after returning to the temple, sanctimonious as it is.

“Sahar, please don’t be upset. Just hear me out.” She pulls you into the main hall, where your sisters and Ramallo are reading ancient texts.

“What is it? What’s happened?” You look around wildly. 

Nezua’s deep blue eyes blink, as she wonders what to tell you, how to say it gracefully.

“I saw him. Naib. Standing close to that woman, to Lady Jessica– she cried about becoming a Reverend Mother– he stroked her face, licking a tear away.” Nezua admits, and you instantly blink back sudden tears.

“But he–”

“Men can be rascals, Sahar.” Nezua reprimands you, and you swallow, knowing you don’t know as much as her.

You do know about Jessica, though.

“She has been eyeing him for a while… I’ve watched it happen. She’s got her Bene Gesserit tactics, we know that. She wants to be a Mother, no matter what farce she applies in this moment to gain approval.” You shake your head. “He wouldn’t do that for no reason– she’s very convincing. And Stilgar supports everyone, why would he doubt her?”

Nezua calms down a bit.

“But if he wanted to marry her?” Ramallo suddenly chimes in, and you and your sisters watch as she speaks, suddenly convinced of something. “Would it not be the ultimate culmination of what we seek? The mother of the Lisan Al Gaib, integrated into our society… nothing could compare to how many Fremen this would convert. How many people would choose our way.”

“Great Mother, you picked me for that purpose.” You speak up, almost immediately, without fear. You don’t care if you’re speaking out of turn– you do not want to share Stilgar, lose him to some other woman– and here it seems everyone else is okay with it.

“Yes, and you’ve done well, but you of all people should want us to do better.” She remarks, not without a bit of bite in her tone. You hate that it has to be this way, that you stand in the way of something you used to wholeheartedly believe.

Just this once, you want to be selfish. You have faith that Paul will be Lisan Al Gaib, anyways, so why can’t it just be you and Stilgar?

“Once Jessica drinks the Water of Life, she will be a powerful Reverend Mother– all of Arrakis may be swayed by her.” Ramallo peers at your expression. “Don’t tell me you feel something as foolish as love, Sahar.”

“And if I do?” You state, blatantly.

“Then you must be loving enough to see that this would improve Stilgar’s life by far. Men may take multiple wives, you know that.” Ramallo tuts. “Perhaps you’re not as clever as I once thought.”

“He won’t do it. He knows that his love helps me, and as long as that’s in his priorities…” Your voice dies down, feeling like everything is falling apart as you speak.

“Yes, and how long will he care for a lower priestess when he can have a Reverend Mother? Especially one as faithful as him.” Ramallo shakes her head at your ignorance.

“Shut up! You’ve never felt love, you unspeakable witch–” You scream in Chakobsa, using the Voice, the full power of which seems to shake the temple.

Ramallo slaps you, hard enough that you fall back against the floor. Your skin hums with the stinging feel of a new bruise, sure to make it’s mark on your cheek– and she hisses at you.

“Insolent child. It was I that brought you here. It was I that even gave you the chance to be with Naib Stilgar. He would have never looked at you otherwise.” She mutters, and you feel your eyes glisten with tears.

She and your sisters leave, and you hold your breath, trying not to cry. Nezua strokes your arm.

“Perhaps, if he marries Jessica, it will only be a marriage in name.” She tries, but you shake your head. “You would be the one he really loves, Sahar.”

“Or I would be like a concubine– there to produce children, nothing more.” You think of how quickly you leapt into Stilgar’s waiting arms yesterday, and wonder if you were wrong. If his only intent was to have someone he could fuck on a ready basis.

You shake your head. “I need to speak to him.”

/

You sit on the ground of his quarters, stating a small prayer to stay calm, and when Stilgar walks in, he sounds pleased to see you.

“Sayyadina, I did not expect you back so soon.” He touches your hand, but based on how you draw yourself back, he knows something is wrong. “What is it?”

“You want Jessica. Right? To be your wife?” You say, and he shakes his head.

“We discussed it once–” and your stomach drops at that. “But it would have only been a marriage of convenience to protect her, long ago. Nothing more.”

“Then what happened today, in the deathstill?” You ask, and Stilgar furrows his brows.

“I only relayed Ramallo’s message to her. And she was a bit sad, so I comforted her, that’s all. She almost wasted some water by crying, so I drank it.” Stilgar sits down on the ground next to you. “I promise you, I do not want her.”

“Even if she’s a reverend mother? Closer to your faith? Easier to perpetuate our–” Here you stutter. “The mission?”

“Whoa, whoa.” He softens visibly. “Sayyadina, if you cannot see now that I love you, tell me how to right that wrong.”

“Tell me why you believe you’ll stick with me–” You tear up again and wipe it away. “Tell me you won’t leave me.” 

“I have no interest in Jessica– she is a conniving one, but whatever she thinks may happen, it will not.” He shrugs. “I don’t believe she loves me or wants me in that way, either– she still mourns her duke.”

Of course, you think. She might have only been staring at me that one time because she remembered when she used to be in love. Maybe she was even jealous… Jessica was a concubine.

You suddenly feel much more at peace. You don’t think you would’ve ever left Stilgar even if he had married Jessica– but you’re suddenly more understanding of her pain, to be the one not known in any collected record despite being loved.

“I only did anything I could to make her feel more comfortable with her new role.” Stilgar grins. “And if she succeeds– the faith will have more people interested in it, and there will be less pressure on us.”

“That’s true.” You finally tear your gaze from the floor to look at him, and he smiles at you before frowning at the bruise on your cheek.

“What’s this?” Stilgar gently touches you, and he gets angry hearing you hiss.

“Nothing, just a silly altercation.” You explain, but he’s not satisfied with that.

“With who?”

“Ah… Ramallo slapped me after I said she would never understand love.” Suddenly you’re ashamed, and you feel as if Stilgar would be disappointed in you. “She said the best thing would be if you married Jessica– and I guess I… I didn’t want to lose you, so I used the Voice on her.” “You did?” Stilgar raises his eyebrows, in surprise that you’d do such a thing, make a rash judgement like that against your elder. “I’m sorry you’re hurt.”

You lean into his touch, feeling better that he’s not angry at you.

“But I am sorry I wasn’t there to see you take ownership of me.” He laughs quietly. “You really love me that much? Then I’m only yours.”

You smile so hard at that– massive relief flowing through your nerves– and Stilgar kisses your bruise, before kissing your lips and making you feel whole again.

[aspiring-writer-hidden-voice]

Omegaverse MHA/BNHA Poll Result: Katuski Bakugo

Implied female reader (specifically female Omega). Mentions of abuse, language, blood, rape, assault, cannibalism and mating.

With the uprising of villains, the Heroes of the world have congregated in a secure and highly secretive location with several country heads and Top Hero Ranking Holders of the World in the room; Japan, US, Persia, China, there are heroes from everywhere within this one room under the same roof. The room is large, considering square footage, but the sheer volume of bodies within those four walls quickly made it feel too small. Males of various body shapes were stuffed within this conference styled gathering space with various tables, chairs, and a podium; large, small, lithe, muscular, thin lean, mutant characteristics, nearly every type was represented within this room from the different countries of the world. Wolves, hyenas, lions, goats, boars…at least one member of every genus group was present. Nowadays those were rare since bloods had mixed or migrated so pure bloods were difficult to come by. However that didn’t dismiss that the power of Alphas was evolving with the times. Deep, guttural instinct lived deep within each male in existence. It was now a choice of just how much those traits were awakened and used. Having so many Alphas within such a small space was a ticking bomb though but the reason they had been summoned was one of great importance.

“The answer is simple: we need more heroes!” The statures Alpha from China barks loudly, his fist impacting the table in front of him; the scent of raw meat coming off of him that made those nearby wrinkle their noses slightly since it wasn’t the freshest. “We cannot keep losing our strongest to the villains without proper replacements or support!”

Another Alpha, a heavier set man wearing Presidential Medals and Honors from the US, snarls beneath his breath with growing anger than manifests within his rising volume as the air around him becomes tainted with fryer grease. “And what do you suggest we do about it, hm? Only Omegas can birth Supers and your country spread the green light to hunt them down to extinction level! Now there are no Omegas for anyone! Way to go, you morons!”

“Enough!”

Silence falls as a single figure moves to stand at the room, looking out across the Alphas who ranged in age and genus pool.

The man is ordinary looking, none were capable to distinguishing of which niche he belonged to, however there was an air about him that exhumed seriousness and a demand for cooperation. He rubs his forehead as silence slowly falls when silence slowly falls. “The reason we have issued a global meeting of this caliber is because there is still hope for a solution.”

In the very back of the room an Alpha hero from Egypt smelling of water lily incense leans over to speak in a whisper to the young blond Alpha from Japan who looked to be bored out of his mind. “How much you want to bet they want to do splicing or DNA transference, friend?” He rumbles with a roll of his eyes, not expecting an answer as he rights himself within his seat.

An unamused expression crosses the blond’s face, features settling into a resting scowl as he glares at the man leading the assembly meeting with narrowed red eyes. ‘Why was he even here?’ he couldn’t help but question internally. All Might had made it seem like a high honor of some sort, a challenge even, but ever since he got here there’s been only yada-yada while sitting around like a bunch of slugs! The tapping of his finger against his thigh conveyed his slow ascent into the upper range of his temper which was beginning to grow with each passing second. The hero known as “Dynamight” is an Alpha of a high temperament, lean yet powerful body, battle IQ on par with some of the older ones present, red eyes blazing from beyond the black mask covering his upper face, blond hair sticking upright in various directions.

Clasping his hands behind his back, the assembly head begins to walk from one side of the room to the other. “I’ve called you specific Alpha Heroes here today because of your genetics and genes would be most valuable in the future. As you may have noticed, all of you are also unpaired or undated up to this point, which was a requirement for what we wish to accomplish.”

The Explosive Hero scoffs beneath his breath. No wonder none of his other acquaintances were here; Midoriya was just beginning a relationship with the Beta Ochaco Uraraka, Todoroki has been offered several marriage interview proposals, don’t even get him started on Kaminari or Sero, then Kirishima recently started seeing a little foreign exchange female hero who was training beneath one of the elder Japanese heroes. Just him had been selected for this…fan-fucking-tastic.

“As the Alpha President from America has reminded us all today, only Omegas can bring Supers into the world with quirks and abilities that could be revolutionary. He has also brought up the subject of how those same Omegas were hunted to extinction.” The assembly head takes a deep inhale before continuing, a screen popping up behind him that has shaky footage of Omega hunts that used to take place all across the globe. Screams filled the air courtesy of the speakers, cries for help and various distress calls intermixing as the Omegas within the footage beg and plead for their lives. And yet not one was spared as each fell by weapon or fang or claw. “From the United States all the way to Russia to the South Pole to Canada, not a single Omega has been seen in well over ten years. They were tortured, beaten, raped then eventually devoured or killed in hunts…we know the horrors though we don’t let the public see the true extent of the truth. They simply think that these attacks were done by outbreaks of villains alone when, in fact, they were conducted then carried out by Alphas and the other niches who joined in the hunts. Alphas of this day and age carry this burden of knowledge most.” A wave of his hand turns off the screen as he fixes the assembly with a stare. “In ten years, I myself have never thought another Omega would ever be seen...but I was wrong.”

Pupils of every person present suddenly shrink as a unified conclusion was drawn before the man finished. And an uproar instantly takes the room, spreading chaos and exclamations from animalistic to manmade noises. Some were positive, a clear want and need to make amends for the crimes of the past, others were enraged or excited as if they were looking forward to partaking in similar events.

He remains calm though, raising his hands and asking for silence. “She was rescued from a villain bunker where they had been hiding her for the last ten years. None of us can fathom what they did to the poor girl and that’s where you all come in.” His spine straightens as the Alphas before him slowly return to their seats. “Omegas respond to their packs or fated mates no matter what state of mental or physical condition they are. And that’s why we have called you all here. She has been unable to speak a word or eaten a single thing since entering my team’s care. Her health is compromised at this point and the world cannot afford to lose the possible last Omega it has. The world needs Supers if the heroes are to have any chance against the villain uprisings.”

An Alpha hero from Madagascar smelling of spiced vanilla and dressed in various leaves stands with a growl, eyes narrowed. “This is an outrage! You’re expecting us to just throw ourselves at this Omega and hope for the best that we are some miraculous cure for her trauma while saving the world at the same time?! This is nothing short of Forced Breeding!”

“Think of the Omega! She deserves more than being thrown into a hole then forced to procreate just for the sake of birthing Supers!” Another Alpha bellows, this one from Argentina who gives off the scent of citrus.

Finally done with sitting back, the blond Alpha hero from Japan raises his hand to unleash an explosion that causes the entire room to shake then fall silent, his red eyes glaring at the man. “Everyone, shut the hell up and let the damn man finish. They would’ve done that by now but look around…she’s not here. Meaning there’s something else. So sit down…shut up…and listen.”

Grateful for the intervention, the man bows his head respectfully then addresses everyone in the room. “We would never suggest such a thing as Forced Breeding.” The man hurries to assure as other Alphas begin to voice their anger. “No mating will be pressured upon anyone and no one will get hurt in the process. If this were to fail, they we would resort to artificial insemination with those who are willing to offer their samples. And the young Alpha from Japan proves a valid point: she is not here. We have to take her fragile health into consideration right now. You and the young female all have a say in this matter. However we cannot simply just introduce her to you all with her current health status. So, we have a way to gauge on how you chosen Alphas will react by using this.”

Murmurs rise when he holds up a vial of clear liquid, the lights within the room catching upon the small container.

“This here is a collection of her pheromones turned into a liquid state. Those who are compatible will react positively and can be allowed to continue to the next step towards meeting her with supervision. Those who react negatively will be excused and required to leave, sworn to secrecy so that none may know of her existence.” He sighs softly when several voice questions and raises his hands. “The most we can ask for is an acceptance or gravitational pull. Simply allow your instincts to guide you; doesn’t matter how. Honesty is what we are looking for.”

Red eyes narrow further when someone asks what would be considered a negative response. He just wanted to get this over with so he could go back home to Japan. Arms crossed, he leans back in his chair so the front legs are in the air as he huffs beneath his breath.

“Any hostile action that can be considered an attack whether of the hunting or feeding kind will not be tolerated or considered for this.” The man grows serious as he stares at each Alpha in turn while raising the vial. “Those who wish to leave, do so now. I’m about to open it.”

Call it curiosity, or boredom, the blond from Japan remains seated. Might as well stick around since he’d gotten a free trip all the way out here. A small smirk raises his lips. Plus, the entertainment he’d get from watching these others would give him an insight to the competition from other nations. So far, he’s been unamused since there had been no fighting or altercations, but this could still be interesting to say the least. He remains sitting as one third of the room empties, his red eyes remaining locked upon the vial that is being showcased.

The man glances around once more as his fingers prepare to remove the stopper. “Ready?”

Everyone present nods or makes a sound of approval.

A faint hiss sounds when the airtight seal is released…and the effect is instantaneous as the pheromones within the vial quickly fill the room. Sweet yet not…spicy yet tame…filling the minds of those who were within the room with images of shifting colors like a kaleidoscope.

The man holding the vial slowly starts to walk around the assembly room, carefully watching each Alpha he passes. First starting the farthest side of the room then gradually getting closer to where a certain blond explosionist hero sat as the chair he was seated within shifts so all four of its legs were upon the floor.

He’s never smelled something like this before. No one he knew of back home had a scent even comparable to this. The tapping finger upon his thigh slows to a stop as every thought process within his mind becomes silent. In then out his breathing remained steady, a few times his red eyes closed for a few seconds then opened once more. Oddly enough the high temperament Alpha from Japan was feeling…calm. Even when the vial went past, he remained passive and dare he say peaceful. No one would recognize him in this state he’d been rendered to as his red gaze closely watched the vial’s liquid that shifted within the light.

Already most of those gathered have been removed when the vial had come close enough for them to exhibit “negative” behavior as the air fills with subtle growls or rumbles from those who remained. There was only a dozen left by the time the man placed the stopper back on the vial, his brows raised as he carefully looks to see who is left. “Alright, Alphas who are left, tell me how you are feeling. I see a handful of you are still here and reacting favorably. Don’t be shy.”

One by one each spoke of how the pheromones had caused them to feel possessive or want to claim the owner of those pheromones; natural responses as well as honest. That’s what the man had asked for. His gaze shifts over to the last who had yet to speak, the blond hero from Japan who wore a near confused expression on his face, waiting patiently for the young Alpha to speak.

“I…I felt calm. Peaceful, even, which is saying a lot for me. I’m not exactly known for being docile or easy to soothe yet smelling that was…I just…it was as if something I’ve been missing had suddenly presented itself to me and I wanted it to come closer if it chose. I wouldn’t have forced it, mind you, I wanted it to come to me… I’ve pursued a lot of things in my life but this was the first time I felt capable of leaving the choice up to…”

The man nods approvingly at this answer, faint surprise within his gaze when the blond suddenly shakes himself then snaps his head to the side. Interesting indeed. None had given an answer quite like that. Taking note of the young Alpha’s reactions, the assembly head speaks once more while addressing who was left. “We have one last test for those of you remaining.” He holds up a small recording device. “I’m about to play you the sound she made when our teams discovered her within the villain bunker. I warn you now, the second you exhibit negative or hostile behavior as we mentioned in the pheromone test…you will be removed immediately.”

A collective nod comes from those remaining, including the blond who huffs softly while closing his eyes.

The air clicks with the sound of the device’s playback button.

Heavy footfalls and familiar military conversation begins to fill the air until silence reigns once more…then…

A sound that could only be considered a ringing call of distress pierces the air that makes the pupils of everyone within the room to become slits. This cry is heartbroken, agony filled, shrill, bird-like in song interwoven with high pitched whines and chirps that are dripping with desperation and fear.

“Don’t fight it!” The man calls over the recording as the sound replays thanks to his fingers pressing the repeat button. “If you have that drive to protect her, show it! The more you fight and hide that instinct the less we understand if you’re a possible candidate!”

It was clear that nearly every man within the room was responding to the cry of distress. A call like this could earn one of two things: a predatory response that would earn ruthless attacks that would surely end the creature’s life…or a protective response to use one’s self to protect said crier.

That’s when the blond Alpha suddenly snaps when he hears those present suddenly give hunting cries in response to the recording. His temper was nowhere near becoming involved, he was deathly calm as he rises to stand and bares his sharp teeth at those present as a call of his own erupts from between his jaws. Red eyes ablaze, the young Japanese hero marches to stand before each of those who had begun to express a want to feed, his cayenne and gunpowder saturated pheromones filling the air as he meets the gaze of every single Alpha. Growls, snarls, rumbles, his voice comes out in a combination of noises between dominating demands of their submission and comforting sounds directed towards the recording whenever his gaze shifts back to the device.

A giant Alpha, a man from Germany decorated with Nordic tattoos and long beard braided with various bones as his being is dressed in furs, steps up to the younger and smaller blond, his bared teeth several sizes bigger that drip with saliva. Large, intimidating, smelling of mountains and the salty ocean along with the tang of leather, this man was not to be trifled with. He was a hunter, a ravager, and once he caught the scent of a prey worth his fangs he would not relinquish easily.

Not to be outdone, the Japanese Hero didn’t waver nor did he even flinch at the challenge. “Back. The fuck. Off. Before I make you.” He snarls lowly, growling deep within his throat enough to make his chest rumble with the vibrations as he squares off against the other Alpha with his own teeth bared. They and his muscles may not be as big however that didn’t mean he didn’t make up for it in other ways. Explosions crackles then popped across the blond Alpha’s being, filling the air with the scents of gunpowder and spicy peppers as his pheromones begin to fill the air when the German lowered his fangs so they were inches from his. “That supposed to scare me, you old sack of shit? You may be bigger but you know what they say: the bigger they are the harder they fall. It’s time for the dusty ass bones like yourself to sit back so the newer age Alphas can show you how the world should be running.”

“You better watch that smart mouth on yours, pup, before I shut it up by stuffing my fist down your throat.” The older Alpha snarls lowly.

“If your arthritis will let you by all means, let’s see you try.” A smirk raises the blond Hero’s mouth.

“Why you insolent, little—” The German breaks off when the recording repeats, obvious that his hunting drive was triggered when more saliva drips down his chin.

However even the elder Alpha suddenly found himself taking a staggering step back when an explosion of energy forced his own to recede, his head slowly bowing to the side as the Japanese Alpha released a warning that promised pain if ignored. “I’ve told you once and I’m not going to repeat myself. Stand. Down.” The blonde rumbles deeply as he steps closer to the other Alpha.

The recording stops with a press of the man’s finger as the other Alphas are escorted out of the room once they concede and bow their head slightly to the younger Alpha from Japan in submission. “I think we have our man…” the assembly leader whispers to himself as he slowly approaches the blond. “Your name is Katuski “Dynamight” Bakugo from Japan, right?”

A nod is all that can be managed as he settles back within his chair with a huff.

“Tell me the truth: did you have any inkling or drive to feed upon flesh or drink blood when you heard her cry?”

Katuski instantly growls, his expression one of anger and offense as explosions crackle along his hands. “What the fuck—No! Of course I didn’t! I’m nothing like that flea-bitten German Alpha! That’s an archaic practice that I would rather eat my own damn leg than participate.”

“Let me be straight with you since you’re the sole Alpha left.” The man’s tone becomes grave. “I asked because the Omega, this poor girl, was used not just for her female body or heats…those villains took turns feasting upon her living flesh and blood. That’s why we had to ask to make sure you don’t share in their tastes so please don’t take offense. When she became of age, they started pairing her off with some of their strongest in hopes she would birth Supers for them to raise into the next SuperVillains. However, they didn’t take into account how their lacking care of her would affect the capability of bearing the offspring they demanded. Her wounds were so severe that her body’s natural functions were sorely upon survival during her captivity that even those with hyperactive sperm couldn’t have been capable of impregnating her. The Omega’s poor heart, body, and mind were far too focused upon living than allowing any sort of opportunity for it to support another. And yet she has miraculously remained Unmarked. Those villains were either smart or stupid to not mark her as theirs but that also means that she is far more vulnerable and fragile. Omega’s are natural homemakers, they are central points of any pack or family. If they don’t establish or find their own by the time they reach a certain age…well, the last Omega who was incapable of doing so lost herself to depression and is currently within a coma at a Persian hospital.”

“Holy— You’re serious?!” Katsuki rises to stand, red eyes wide and a growl in his voice as explosions spark across his being like fireworks. He’s never known anger to this degree. This poor, innocent girl has been through hell for the past decade as a breeding machine for the villains who only treated her worse with every failed attempt to produce an offspring when she was merely trying to survive! Bloodlust unlike he’s ever known rises in the back of his throat but he swallows it down with a growl.

“Calm down, now, she is in good hands currently.” He closely watches the Japanese Alpha as he says the next part. “She’s in a secure location not too far from here. Only I know where it is and I’m prepared to take you to her.”

“Then why the hell are we wasting time here for? Take me to her. Now!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was through the residence door the second the helicopter had come to a stop.

The scenery was like that of a postcard or calendar. Towering mountain peaks capped with snow, towering trees whose canopy branches disappear into the overcast sky above, the air thin but misty from the clouds drifting past. Gorgeous, beautiful of any art form yet none would do justice to the picture before him.

And yet Katsuki paid it no mind as his nostrils flared as he searched for the scent that had been within the vial from the test.

“You won’t be capable of sniffing her out.” The assembly head commends his efforts as he enters the perfectly camouflaged building that blended in with the surrounding landscape; not even aviary types would be capable of spotting this place if they were perched right on top of it. “Relax and take some deep breaths, young Alpha. Listen instead of sniffing.”

With a growl, Katsuki huffs then closes his red eyes as he levels his breathing. Damn altitude and its interference with picking up scent trails. Though that was a smart move on this guy’s part. It would ensure that she couldn’t be discovered. Meaning that for now this could be the safest place for her—

His thoughts freeze when he suddenly hears a soft breath from deep within the residence. Was that her? It had to be. Every cell in his body was starting to vibrate as his chest rumbles softly.

Without wasting another second, keeping his eyes closed so as to focus upon his hearing, the blond Alpha carefully and swiftly makes his way through the multilevel residence while paying no mind to those he passes until he comes to a stop before a door. The sounds had gotten louder, the breaths now faster, were coming from the other side. His hand quickly pressed the panel beside the door and with a soft hiss it unlocks and allows him entry.

And that’s when he saw you…laying curled up within a mountain of pillows and blankets that must have been a hastily put together Nest, your being curled within a fetal position.

You looked so fragile laying there covered in bandages that revealed just how skeletal your frame was. Brittle hair that looked as if it could just snap if the slightest pressure was applied, arms and legs so thin that they might as well be twigs, the simple dress covering your being sorely to preserve your dignity and allow ease of dressing changes or sponge baths for healing purposes revealed the full extent of the trauma you’d suffered at the hands of the villains. It was heartbreaking, seeing you staring listlessly off into space that was the nearby dome of windows that allowed you to gaze out across the scenery outside he’d paid no mind to. Your eyes were so dull, no spark of life to be seen within them as you lay upon the fabric formed Nest that had been put together by others in hope you would find comfort.

The sound of footsteps vaguely registers within your mind as a presence approaches. You’ve never felt something like this before but it was obvious that it belonged to an Alpha, that was obvious, and yet you remained unmoved from your position. Nothing interested you anymore.

Ever so faintly, almost too faint to hear, your ears pick up the faintest of rumbles coming from the figure who slowly moved within your line of sight.

Your oval pupils, which had been unfocused, slowly adjust to bring his being forward from the sea of blurs that claimed your vision. Nothing awoke within you when he lowered himself to one knee, his expression unreadable but body language relaxed as he remains at a respectable distance. But it was as your gaze met his red, finding ruby gemstone irises that shift and dance within the light as he slowly removes the black mask from his face, that your breath hitches when the motion of his hand causes you to become wafted by a small breeze that carried his scent; summertime sunshine, festival firework gunpowder, the faint taste of spicy pepper tantalizes your sinuses as you breathe in the pheromones he gave off.

Slowly, your head rises from the Nest, eyes searching his own as you use both elbows to remain somewhat upright.

His pupils dilate slightly when he sees how much your arms are shaking from supporting your weight and with quick reflexes moves forward with a gentle grasp to catch you before they can give out, a concerned and calming rumble sounding from within his throat as he helps you to sit comfortably by leaning you against the Nest’s barrier. Katuski could feel the barrier of the Nest; natural law ordained and demanded that none could enter an Omega’s private space such as this without facing consequences but you hadn’t made this particular structure so he wouldn’t suffer any major repercussions…and yet he gradually backed off once he was sure you were stable. He wanted you to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible.

The slight tilt of your head to the left makes his breath catch not because you had moved but the fact that you had tilted it in his direction was cause of him to suddenly feel a spike of adrenaline. Or was the anticipation? He didn’t know and frankly didn’t care.

Without using a single word, the gloves upon his hands were removed then tossed off to the side with his gauntlets and mask, then he offered them to you with palms facing upwards.

The choice was yours.

Would you stay…or would you go to the Alpha?

There was no indication that he wanted to hurt you. Not a single growl, nor did he bare his fangs, and this one smelled much different than any you’ve encountered. The features of his face suggested he was slightly older than you, not by much but enough that spoke of many overcome obstacles in battle and personal growth, his ruby red eyes revealing a hungry drive to prove himself but also a deeply rooted loneliness amongst the shifting gemstone shards of fierce protective and loyal flames that spark with golden flakes within his red irises.

A wave of his energy washes over you like a summer breeze, a warm shower upon the thirsty desert longing for rain, as before you realized it…

…your being had moved from the Nest and into his arms that slowly enclose around you.

Katsuki gasps when your form lightly presses against his, a soft whine sounding from him when he feels that you’re more fragile than you look, as if you’d snap if he squeezed too tightly. His cheek rests upon the top of your head as his eyes close, one hand resting upon the nape of your neck where its fingers gently massage as the other hand brings you closer until your seated comfortably within his lap, his legs crossed neatly beneath you so your own legs were draped across one of his toned thighs.

The heart in his chest threatens to break when you nuzzle your face into his neck, feeling your breathing hitching as if you were fighting back sobs. Never in his entire life had he felt this way. As if every fiber of his being was demanding he protect that which lay within his arms. Echoes of what the assembly head had said along with the footage he’d seen replaying within his mind. Your body may be weak but your soul was that of a warrior. It was strong enough to withstand the captivity within the hands of the villain Alphas. That made you admirable, within his eyes, someone more than worthy of his respect and maybe…more.

“You were very brave to survive what you went through. The fact you’re alive today shows that you have a strong will, a fighter’s spirit.” he finally manages to whisper, nuzzling your temple gently with the tip of his nose as his hand that had been at the nape of your neck carefully combs through your tresses. “…you shouldn’t have had to go through any of that and I’m sorry you did…but I want you to listen to what I say to you right here…right now…” The bend of his finger meets the underside of your chin, raising it with gentle pressure so that you were looking up at him instead of hiding within his neck. His gaze is soft, voice tender and warm, expression one of sincerity as he ever so carefully brushes the tip of his tongue along your cheekbone. “…You’ve fought your war. I promise you never have to go through that hell again. Those villains will never lay another hand on you and if one of those bastards ever even try to come near you I will tear them to shreds and pieces so small that no forensic team will find traces of them. You’re safe now…no more pain, no more suffering…not so long as I’m alive.”

Your eyes widen. Why would an Alpha of his caliber make such a promise? Surely he was demanding something in return. They all did. No act of kindness came without a price or ultimatum, that was a painful lesson you’d learned.

That thought must have shown on your face if his soft growl was anything to go by, but it wasn’t a threatening one; more of one of the frustrated nature. “No, I don’t want anything from you. I just… If anyone on this damn earth deserves to live a life of happiness, that person should be you, little one.”

Pressure suddenly takes hold of his heart when he sees a tear slip down your cheek, your eyes so wide they might just pop out of their sockets.

“O-oh, crap, I didn’t mean to make you cry! Damnit, I can’t even comfort someone right?!” One of his hands leaves your being so it can rake through his hair as he grumbles beneath a breath before bringing you even closer so that your ear is pressed against his chest. “Sorry, I’m not the greatest with stuff like this. I’m not Izuku or Kirishima who can just—” His sentence screeches to a halt when feeling you start to tremble and words give way to gentle rumbles as he tightens his hold on you. Now he could smell it…how you were trying not to fall apart, attempting not to shatter into a million pieces. Once again his warm, wet tongue gently brushes against your skin as he begins to rock you back and forth. “It takes as much strength to remain in one piece as it does to cry when the soul needs it. It’s okay…I’ve got you…go ahead…let it out…”

A quiver rises within your lips as your hands rise to cling to the costume fabric covering his chest and back.

One of his hands moves to the back of your head where it keeps you close while the other begins to rub along your spine. “I won’t let go, I swear. Nothing can touch or hurt you so long as you’re within my hold. Forget the damn world and its bullshit, just focus on this right here…you and me…no one else…just us…”

Something within you clicked, as if a bond was trying to form as you take a shuddering breath that fills your lungs with his pheromones and his energy washes over you once more. His words wrapped around you like his body did, surrounding you within warmth and serenity, shielding you from the world’s eye. Within your throat rises a choked sound. It’s been so long since you’ve used your voice that for a moment part of you wondered if you’d forgotten how to use it.

As if sensing your hesitation and sudden fear his tongue gently begins to lap at your throat in encouragement. The touches gentle, tender, sweet even as if he were attempting to help you find your voice once more…

And its when his lips meet your skin that the first of many hoarse, broken cries erupt from your throat as crystalline tears spill down your cheeks.

Unbeknownst to either of you that the assembly head and his team were closely watching the two of you, a pair of medical personnel ready and waiting for the opportune time for them to move forward with their hidden agenda. The trials had successfully found a compatible Alpha for the sole Omega left in the world. Now it was time for them to wait.

~~🪽~~|~~🪽~~|~~🪽~~| ~~🪽~~|~~🪽~~|~~🪽~~|

I do have a secondary part but that is as far as I got for this story. Another is in the works and if you guys like this one enough, I’ll post the second part of this! Take care, loves!

[vintage-tech]

useful information: How to get a USB Blu-Ray player to work on your computer

Not a post about vintage technology, just an explanation of what you think might be simple to do but isn't: There are Blu-Ray players that plug into your computer by USB, and you discover that just plugging it in doesn't make it work* in the same manner that CD-RWs or DVD-RWs are automatically recognised and function. You will see "BR Drive" in My Computer and the name of whatever movie you have inserted, but that's as far as you're able to go.

*There is software you can buy to make a Blu-Ray (internal or external) function, sure, and if an internal came with your computer it's likely already installed -- but if you're like me you don't have that software, you're cheap and won't pay for software, and you want to use what you have installed already or find free solutions.

Looking in the Blu-Ray drive's package, there's not a lot of info about what you're supposed to do. The above no-name Blu-Ray player cost $40 from a popular website; name-brand ones can set you back $120 or so. Looking around online for those instructions, I never saw the whole set of directions in one place, I had to cobble them together from 2 or 3 sites. And so here I share that list. To keep out of trouble, I'm not linking any files -- Google will help you.

Get VLC, the free video player available for pretty much any operating system. Thing is, it doesn't come with the internals to make it work with Blu-Ray even if when you go to the Play Media menu there is a radio button for selecting Blu-Ray.

Get MakeMKV, a decoder for reading Blu-Ray disks. This had been totally free during the beta testing period but it's come out and has a month or two trial period you can work in.

Get Java if you don't already have it. Reason for this is, the menu systems on Blu-Ray disks uses this... technically it's not required, however it does mean you don't have options such as special features, language and sound changes, or scene selection if you don't have Java installed; insert a disk, it can only play the movie.

Get the file libaacs.dll online so you have AACS decoding. I am told it hasn't been updated in awhile so there may be disks produced after 2013 that won't work right, but you won't know until you try.

There's a set of keys you will also want to have so that the player knows how to work with specific disks, and so do a search online for the "FindVUK Online Database". There will be a regularly-updated keydb.cfg archive file on that page to pick up.

Got those three programs installed and the other two files obtained? Okay, here are your instructions for assembly...

In VLC: go to Tools, Prefs, click "show all"… under the Input/Codecs heading is Access Modules then Blu-Ray: Select your region, A through C. You can change this if you need to for foreign disks. Next related action: go to My Computer and C:, click into Program Files and VLC, and this is where you copy the libaacs.dll file to.

In MakeMKV: click View, then Preferences, and under Integration - add VLC.

Confirm that Java is set up to work with VLC by going to the computer's Control Panel, going to System Properties, and into Environment Variables. Click System Variables, and click New to create this key if it doesn't already exist: … Name: Java … Value: [the location of the Java 'jre#.##' folder... use Browse to find it in C:\Program Files\Java]

Let's go back into My Computer and C:, this time go to Program Data, and then do a right-click in the window and select New and Folder. Rename this folder "aacs" (without the quotes), and then you click into it and copy the keydb.cfg file here.

REBOOT.

And now you should be able to recognise Blu-Ray disks in your player and play them. Three troubleshooting notes to offer in VLC:

"Disk corrupt" -- this means MakeMKV has not decoded and parsed the disk yet, or that you don't have the libaacs.dll in place so that it can decode the disk. ...After checking the VLC folder for the DLL to make sure, launch MakeMKV, then go to File, Play Disk, and select the Blu-Ray drive. Now it will grind a bit and figure out the disk's contents.

A note appears when a movie starts saying there will be no menus, but the movie plays fine -- Java isn't running. ...Invoke Java by going to the Java Settings in Start: Programs. You don't have to change anything here, so Exit, then eject the disk and put it back in to see if the movie's menu now appears.

Buffering between chapters, making the movie pause for a few seconds? There is a setting for this but I need to find that info page again for where that is. (If you find it, tell me where it is!)

I don't claim to know a lot but if you have any questions I might have some answers or suggestions. So far I've watched "Office Space" and Disney's "Coco" without any issues beside occasional buffering.

[fipindustries]

the fascinating thing about turing complete is how unlike any other puzzle game i ever played it is.

every solution is not meant to just "solve the puzzle". you dont have to simply "get the right answer". it has to be something that is actually useful.

in most other puzzle games solutions are more like passwords, an arbitrary set of moves and keys that unlocks the specific requirements of that puzzle, that exists for no other purpose than to test your understanding of the mechanics. even in programer like games like those of the zachtronics catalogue, whatever clever program you wrote went no further than the one specific problem you faced on that level.

in turing complete things carry forward, you build on top of what you built before. what you built before doesnt have to just "solve the level" but it has to be something you can use later as a component in a larger problem.

but then there is an even bigger meta level to that, because inevitably, by the conceit of the game, by the nature of what you are creating and the real world meaning of what you built, you dont want to just "create a circuit that satisfies what the game considers a computer". the second level of that is when you discover the game within the game and you start trying to build an actual computer that someone else besides you might conceivable use.

and that is a very tall order! i have diagrams and schematics and notes and lists of annotations that i made so that i can follow the system i have created, plus the fact that i can more or less keep the whole thing straight in my head because i created it. i could theoretically create an incredibly chaotic ad hoc system that works for me because i can follow it. but i dont want that! i want to create an assembly language someone else could step into and have a relatively easy time using! i want to make a circuit someone else could step into and modify or debug if necessary. i want to make my system future proof! i want to create a good user experience. when the reality is that NOONE but me will ever use this computer im building or will write the specific version of assembly im writing.

but the seduction of the idea is so strong, is so compelling, is this own little side objective, this minigame, this extra set of rules that i added for myself

that is the sing of a game that is not simply good but asolutely masterful, when you create your own game within the game because you find the mechanics and the systems so inspiring, so compelling, that it makes you and allows for you to engage with it in your own unique terms

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Jess McAllen

The manicured lawn outside Nassau County’s legislative building in Mineola, NY, is a picture of suburban peace. But back in August, the chambers inside reflected a more contentious reality. On either side of the aisle, two camps arranged themselves: the masked and the unmasked. They were there to plead their case during an hours-long public hearing for the Mask Transparency Act, which would make wearing a facial covering to “hide one’s identity” a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

The first member of the public to address the lawmakers was seventy-seven-year-old Wayne Hall, a former Long Island mayor and kidney transplant recipient. His main concern, echoed by many in the room, was that the bill would morph into another iteration of New York’s notorious stop-and-frisk policy, which violated the rights of hundreds of thousands of residents. “Black and brown individuals already face disproportionate scrutiny from law enforcement,” said Hall, “and will be more likely to be stopped and questioned, simply for wearing a mask.” Proponents of the measure, meanwhile, argued that allowing masks has enabled crime. Republican congressman Anthony D’Esposito, who attended Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally earlier this month, implored the council not to vote “in favor of hate-filled thugs.”

The bill, introduced by Republican representative and former IDF paratrooper Mazi Pilip, ultimately went on to pass the county legislature and went into effect immediately — with all twelve Republicans voting in favor and seven Democrats abstaining. Pilip celebrated the win in an Instagram post by decrying mask advocates as “the thug protestors whose aim was to intimidate, harass, promote violence and spread hate.”

The tense hearing was a snapshot of a debate playing out across the United States, as local politicians attempt to crack down on a fabricated crime wave by banning facial coverings. While lawmakers are promoting concessions for health and religious exemptions, the language of the bills themselves consistently shies away from the reason why masks have become so popular in the first place: Covid-19. The virus continues to mutate, and people are still dying; some seventeen million adults suffer from Long Covid. Meanwhile, traditional respiratory illnesses like flu and RSV continue to circulate. So it’s no wonder that many—especially people who are immunocompromised or living with chronic illness—want to be able to wear a mask in public.

In June, North Carolina passed a similar ban, and several other localities are looking to follow suit, with either proposed laws or talk of potential laws in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New Jersey. In the New York state legislature, two competing bills are already on the table. One, introduced by Republican state senator Steven Rhoads in May is seen as unlikely to pass. The other bill, which establishes the offense of “concealment of identity in a lawful assembly, unlawful assembly or riot,” was introduced by Democratic state senator James Skoufis on June 14. Two weeks later, a campaign called #UnMaskHateNY was officially launched outside Columbia University, the site of pro-Palestine student protests just months earlier, in support of a statewide mask ban.

Two Democratic lawmakers attended the launch: Jeffrey Dinowitz, who introduced a twin version of Skoufis’s bill in the assembly, and Brian Cunningham, who in September coauthored an op-ed for the New York Daily News titled “Unmask the cowards on our campuses,” which is featured on the #UnMaskHateNY website. (Cunningham, however, claims he is not affiliated with the group.) The lawmaker is advocating for specific carve outs in the bill, saying he will only support it if there are health and religious exemptions. “I grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn,” he told me recently, “I grew up in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s in New York City. People wearing ski masks, prior to Covid-19, weren’t greeted with hugs and welcomes from the neighborhood grandma, or anyone else.” When I asked if he would, instead support a simple ski mask ban, he reminded me that it wasn’t his bill. What about his thoughts on police using the law to racially profile constituents? “Am I saying that the bill is bad that’s in? No. Am I saying the bill is good? No. I’m saying that there is a conversation that this bill is provoking.”

For a campaign purportedly against anonymity, it has proven exceptionally difficult to determine who is behind #UnMaskHateNY. The campaign website simply states that it is “led by civil rights leaders, faith leaders and other diverse advocates.” So I reached out to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has publicly supported the campaign and sent representatives to the launch. “We are a member of the coalition that is leading this effort,” a spokesperson replied, “but not the lead. We will have someone leading our effort follow with you directly.” (No one ever followed up.) I emailed the #UnMaskHateNY email, DM’d them on Instagram and Facebook, and even emailed Mercury Public Affairs, which under Facebook’s relatively recent transparency rules is listed as overseeing the campaign’s Facebook page. No one replied. Running out of options, I got in touch with Cunningham’s office to double check who had been in touch with him from the campaign. I was given the email of a man at the ADL, who also never replied.

Regardless of whether they are leading the campaign or not, the ADL isn’t holding back. “Anti-masking laws passed in New York were used to help counter the reign of terror of the Ku Klux Klan,” reads a statement on their website. “Now, it’s time to bring them back to counter masked intimidation.” This language is similar to a proposal by the right-wing Manhattan Institute, titled “Model Legislation to Modernize Anti-KKK Masking Laws for Intimidating Protesters” released in early June, which declares that “just as Ku Klux Klan members used white hoods to conceal their identities and terrorize their targets, modern activists are using keffiyehs, Guy Fawkes masks, balaclavas.” In an #UnMaskHateNY advertisement that has run on both Facebook and Instagram since late September, video of torch-carrying KKK members is cut with pro-Palestine protests: “Today’s hoods are masks,” a solemn narrator intones, “but the hate is the same.” The implication is clear: if you are wearing a mask, you are basically the KKK.

Those in favor of mask bans love connecting their crusade to the role an 1845 New York law—“An Act to prevent persons appearing disguised and armed”—played in stopping the KKK from openly terrorizing New York, but the original reason the law was created had nothing to do with the KKK, which was founded twenty years later in Tennessee. It was, instead, a direct response to a yearslong “anti-rent war” that started in 1839. The movement began when a group of farmers, tired of extortionate leases, went on the nineteenth-century version of a rent strike. They wore “Indian” disguises while disrupting house sales, resisted evictions, and tarred and feathered police officers. In January 1845, the anti-mask law was passed. This didn’t stop things from escalating: only seven months later, undersheriff Osman Steele was shot and killed by masked protesters when he was trying to help sell a property.

“There is no doubt that people can be more apt to act irresponsibly when their conduct cannot be traced back to them,” is one tidbit of wisdom in the paratext of Skoufis’s bill. Just like the Nassau County ban, the language of Skoufis’s legislation appears to grant police—famous for their unbiased and calm judgment—sole discretion to arrest anyone who simply looks shifty, just because they are wearing a mask in a large crowd. It’s unclear how this might play out. In Nassau County, there have been a few reported arrests since the ban went into effect. Among them: an eighteen-year-old who police say was “displaying suspicious behavior” and wearing a ski mask (upon searching him, police found a knife); a twenty-seven-year-old man who attempted to break into a house while wearing a ski mask; and one man who was part of a protest at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst synagogue in Queens and was arrested while wearing a keffiyeh. “Police on the scene asked him if he was wearing the garment for medical or religious purposes, which are the two major exceptions to the new ban,” according to the Nassau County Police Department. When the man said he was wearing it in solidarity with Palestinians, he was placed under arrest. (A federal class action lawsuit was filed against the Nassau County law in August by Disability Rights of New York on behalf of individuals with disabilities but it was dismissed in September.)

For Ngozi, a Nassau County resident who attended the public hearing in August and has an autoimmune disease called scleroderma, the threat of arrest isn’t new. “The reality is that I’m a black, disabled person, wearing a mask in public. I’ve always been marked,” they told me. “I feel like this is maybe the first time that white people are fearful of being criminalized for something.” One of the problems with mask bans—even with concessions—is that it puts an awful lot of trust in those enforcing the bans not to abuse their power. “People are like, ‘Oh well, there is a health exemption, make sure you have your doctor’s note,’ and it’s like, no, we should not be providing the state with ‘proof’ that we are disabled.” On top of this, health issues are not always obvious. “I have disabilities that are not visibly apparent,” Ngozi, who asked to only go by their first name, added. “Do I have to be in a wheelchair for you to believe me? Do I have to have crutches? Do I have to have an oxygen tank? . . . I’m very concerned about the impact of what a legalized stop and frisk looks like for disabled people.”

Sue, a senior who lives with rheumatoid arthritis, says her other chronically ill friends want to know why masks must be the visible disability delineator. “An immunocompromised friend who uses a wheelchair pointed out to me: ‘Mask bans, for me, are like banning my wheelchair. Masks have been part of me, my health care, and my life, for decades.’” Sue’s rheumatoid arthritis attacks her joints, as well as her lungs and other organs. She takes two different immunosuppressant medications, which alter her immune function and increase her risk for viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, so she often wears a mask while in public. “Even a seemingly minor threat, like the common cold, can lead to a serious illness in someone with a compromised immune system,” she said. “These medicines also suppress my immune response to vaccines.” For Sue, who also asked to only go by her first name, a mask ban would only compound the wider discrimination she faces in a society she feels has already left her behind.

As it stands, Skoufis’s bill, which lawmakers are hoping to advance as soon the legislative session begins in January, affects the right of people like Sue to go to protests or large public gatherings when we are not in a declared public health emergency. The proposed law dictates that it will be illegal for people to wear a face covering at a lawful or unlawful assembly or what the police consider to be a riot “unless they are wearing personal protective equipment during a declared public health emergency.” Since this is no longer the case, anyone who wears a mask for health reasons at a protest or large public gathering could be breaking the law. The health exemption language of the Nassau County law, which applies to facial coverings worn anywhere in public, meanwhile, is vague: “This law shall not apply to facial coverings worn to protect the health or safety of the wearer.” This has its own problems, namely that it will be on individual police officers to interpret both the law and the reason why someone is wearing a mask. Back at the public hearing in August, D’Esposito said the law would be “enforced by one of the finest police departments in the country,” but residents were not so sure. “Ultimately this law will be carried out based on one person’s judgment,” noted one resident. “More simply, is this masked person doing something I like or do not like?”

Many activists see the bans as retaliation for pro-Palestine protests that have swept the country in the year since Israel invaded Gaza in the wake of October 7. At protests people often wear masks either to support the health of their community, or to protect their identity from getting doxxed. The health exemptions prompted by lawmakers treat the issue as two dimensional: You are either a protester, or someone with ongoing health issues. Why can’t you be both? It shouldn’t be surprising that a person concerned with preventing the transmission of a potentially debilitating disease might also be concerned about the genocide in Palestine. In their proposal, The Manhattan Institute had already thought of this: “Someone who wears a mask for health reasons probably should not be congregating in large groups of people.” Aside from ignoring the otherwise healthy people who mask to avoid exacerbating underlying conditions or contracting Long Covid, the document makes it clear that anyone who has a chronic illness or disability is expected to stay out of public life.

Among the groups of people who are pushing back against proposed mask bans is Fight for the Future, who have launched a Stop Mask Bans campaign. One of the organizers, Alex, who preferred to go by her first name, said mask bans spotlight cross-movement solidarity. “They carry out the combined violence of public health abandonment, surveillance, censorship, and policing. If we truly want to beat them, we have to address their full intent and impact,” she said. “Otherwise, we’ll be fighting an uphill battle against so-called ‘exemptions’ to these bills that claim to address the needs of just disabled people, religious people, or those concerned about facial recognition.” She added, “Our call is for no mask bans, with no exceptions, because all anti-mask bills violate our fundamental rights to health and privacy.”

Decades ago, radical health activism looked like the Black Panthers screening for sickle cell anemia, or the Young Lords seizing a mobile chest X-ray unit and taking it to an underserved population in East Harlem. Those days are long gone, says Ngozi. “When it comes to public health, yeah, the greatest amount of solidarity was shown with protests against police brutality and specifically responding to George Floyd’s murder, but we haven’t seen that again. We haven’t seen it replicated. You have to consider that people were being supported with stipends from the government, people were on unemployment.”

Beyond the likelihood of discriminatory arrests, mask bans will have wider consequences. According to opponents, the passing of such laws will enable harassment from the public and encourage shop owners to turn away particular customers. “It’s easier for people to pathologize and stigmatize things like, ‘Oh, you’re a weirdo, oh, you must have OCD, you must have anxiety, you must have something wrong with you mentally,’” Ngozi said. Sue recalls former CDC director Rochelle Walensky’s 2022 comments on Good Morning America, in which she referenced a study of 1.2 million fully vaccinated people that found the majority of those who died of Covid had at least four comorbidities. “So really,” Walensky said, “these are people who were unwell to begin with.” People like Sue heard that message “loud and clear.” “The CDC is encouraged that only the vulnerable are dying from Covid now. Maybe that’s why people don’t care — they have received this message from the top down.”

The reality is that cops are unlikely to target a white person in a KN95, and even if a mask ban has a carve out for medical face masks, there will inevitably be unintended consequences that will hurt people. “Under a mask ban,” says Alex, “protesters are essentially given a choice: unmask and face Covid and Long Covid, tear gas, and the life-destroying consequences of public doxxing, or remain masked and face even more police brutality and surveillance.” These bans may be pitched as a solution to crime and discrimination, but they harm everyone by eroding the right to privacy and health.

[lukelxiv]

I've written you thousands of letters. Thousands. Four thousand, five hundred and twenty three, including this one, to be exact. I remember each one of them, and yet none of them say anything new. Not for me. There is no new information in them, no sudden clarity. Not a single one of them contains a revelation or solution. They repeat and repeat and repeat all that you already know.

I miss you.

I loved you. 

I love you still.

And I can't ever get back to you.

If I did, who is to say where I would end up? Time has ever been a fickle thing and I have never been its master. It has allowed me, at times, to glimpse into its infinite nature, to steal a few seconds of sand from the endless beaches that are its kingdom, but I do not control it. 

I am its guest, not its God.

I think about stepping backwards only to find that you are already gone. What if I stepped back too far and you are not even born yet? What if, in the act of stepping back, the fabric of our story changes? 

What if this time you are the monster and you no longer see in me what you once did?

I try not to dwell on these things, I do. I try to acquaint myself with new forests and streams, new people and places and languages and histories. But this is not my home, these are not my woods. The voices that speak are never yours.

I promise I do not dwell on these thoughts for long. I have found people I care for here, and protect and guide to the best of my ability. I have tried to assemble some sort of life for myself. But there are days when I simply cannot stop myself from thinking about you. From tempting myself to just try. To see if there is a path back to you, even for a short while.

I hope that wherever you are at in time, you are safe. I hope that you are dancing and laughing - it is always the way I picture you when I glance back. 

I loved you. I love you still. 

I always will.

Yours Most Sincerely, 

L. Sunshadow, Sha’Auvrea, Sol’ba

@themadamelioness

[polo-drone-084]

The Search for C.C. Part 6- Grayden's Otherworldly Discovery

Grayden continued to explore this mysterious library. Everywhere he moved it felt like the library was shifting realities. Something was definitely off, but at the same time he could tell the knowledge he sought was here somewhere.

Grayden walked down various corridors of the library finding no exits, no leads, and no hope. However something in his mind told him this one was different. He kept walking, with vast shelves of books on each side of him. This corridor felt neverending. Finally Grayden reached an end and looked down. Grayden noticed the area had changed again shifting to a grey motif with a slight futuristic vibe.

A large staircase with spiraling layers stood before him. His mind told him to walk down. Would going deeper really be the solution? He had nothing else to do, so why not? Grayden descended the stairs to the mysterious lower level.

After walking through Grayden discovered something he couldn't easily ignore. A cyan bookshelf. The lone bookshelf felt very out of place. Yet also like this was where his answers lied. Grayden started looking over the books on the shelf, some in languages he had never seen and others clearly not what he was looking for. Eventually he grabbed a large tome. Something about it felt futuristic and alive. Grayden felt like this was the book with his answers.

Grayden walked to a nearby table and noticed yet again more shifts the reality of the library.

Opening it a computerized voice began to speak, an image of a cyan alien was shown before Grayden.

Alien Species #000255255 Cyanus Collectivum.

Cyanus Collectivum is a highly intelligent alien race sharing biology with those of the dominant species on various planets. Despite their high intelligence, C.C. has one flaw in their species. They are all biologically male and cannot reproduce asexually.

The species reproduces through conversion of other species using various methods and brainwashing. While normally addressing such in a peaceful way they have begun to employ clever tactics to convert races they find compatible. While their goals are to convert others they exhibit minimal hostility preferring to use mind games instead of physical violence to achieve their goals.

If approached by a C.C., individuals are advised not to stare into their eyes and be wary of mind tricks. If approached by two or more C.C., individuals are advised to flee if possible.

Additional ability of C.C., this race can shed their skin...

The passage cut off. Grayden knew now more about C.C., potentially. Were these aliens the ones that sent him that suit? Did they abduct him and bring him here?

Grayden ascended the stairs he took before, time in hand. His goal now was to find an exit. Anyway for him to escape.

But he was shocked to find a Cyanus in front of him. The Cyanus began to speak, somehow knowing English.

Greetings earthling Grayden...

You have many questions about our race. I am not here to answer them, but to tell you the Collectivum has grown quite interested in you.

"Why me?" Grayden asked, puzzled.

That answer will be revealed in time. In approximately three weeks time, if not sooner, you will find out more about our plans for your planet. Assemble your strongest team, human.

For now I will return you to your planet. While some may think you have been gone for a week, you will appear in your apartment unphased. We will not harm you or your kind.

Grayden was confused, but followed the alien's lead as it transported him back home.

---------

Meanwhile, Devon and Ace continued their search for Grayden.

"What do you mean you haven't seen Grayden for a week? Don't you think that is suspicious?" Devon stated, annoyed with some of the other bros not seeming to be as worried about the head Mascot being missing for a week.

"Ruff" Ace added.

"We've hit so many dead ends, Ace. Maybe we should give up." Devon said, sounding defeated.

"Ruff." Ace barked before pulling Devon into the stadium.

(Roman, picture provided by Roman)

They found Roman, number 68, a well known trickster on the team. Roman was known to have communication with Grayden, so maybe he would know. How did Devon not think of him?

"Bros, I was just about to start my situps and workout. What's up though, bros?" Roman questioned.

"Have you heard from Grayden?" Devon replied in a worried tone.

... Before Roman could reply a ding could be heard on Devon and Roman's cell phones.

A message appeared from Grayden.

"I'm okay. Sorry for worrying everyone. At my apartment now. See you all soon. Stay Golden, Grayden."

A wave of relief came over Devon. Roman seemed to be smiling also. Devon would return Ace to the kennel and go check on Grayden at his apartment.

------

Mentioned in this story:

@devon-gold-67 @roman-golden-68 and @leander-gold-88 (Ace)

----------

If you're interested in joining the Golden Army contact one of our recruiters. @goldenherc9 , @brodygold , @trevorgold52 , or @polo-drone-001 .

[archivistsunbird]

The UN General Assembly will vote tomorrow on a resolution that may effectively make Palestine a member state of the UN. As you may recall, Biden vetoed a resolution at the UNSC earlier this year that sought to admit Palestine as a member.

Based on a draft of the resolution I have reviewed, I do believe that this resolution may become a big deal. It does three important things. It reiterates that a Palestinian state must be created based on the 1967 borders and, by that, rejects the "facts on the ground" Israel has manufactured through its settlement project to render a Palestinian state impossible.

Second, it expresses "deep regret and concern" over Biden's veto at the UNSC last month on this issue and recommends that the Security Council "reconsider the matter favorably." And thirdly, it appears to grant Palestine the full rights and privileges of a member EVEN if the UNSC fails to admit Palestine. This would be an unprecedented decision designed to circumvent Biden's veto at the UNSC.

The draft that I have seen points out that this is done "on an exceptional basis and without setting a precedent." This language is there in order to alleviate concerns that this could become a new tool that would be used on a regular basis to admit states such as Kosovo or Taiwan.

If it passes, it will further show how isolated the US is on this matter. US law requires that the US defunds global institutions that admit Palestine as a member (remember the US's "commitment" to the two-state solution?) If Biden chooses to defund the UN as a result, it will only further undermine the US's standing.

It is truly inescapable: Biden's support for Israel is coming at a massive cost to the US itself...

[where-your-eyes-dont-go]

Sue, a senior who lives with rheumatoid arthritis, says her other chronically ill friends want to know why masks must be the visible disability delineator. “An immunocompromised friend who uses a wheelchair pointed out to me: ‘Mask bans, for me, are like banning my wheelchair. Masks have been part of me, my health care, and my life, for decades.’” Sue’s rheumatoid arthritis attacks her joints, as well as her lungs and other organs. She takes two different immunosuppressant medications, which alter her immune function and increase her risk for viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, so she often wears a mask while in public. “Even a seemingly minor threat, like the common cold, can lead to a serious illness in someone with a compromised immune system,” she said. “These medicines also suppress my immune response to vaccines.” For Sue, who also asked to only go by her first name, a mask ban would only compound the wider discrimination she faces in a society she feels has already left her behind. As it stands, Skoufis’s bill, which lawmakers are hoping to advance as soon the legislative session begins in January, affects the right of people like Sue to go to protests or large public gatherings when we are not in a declared public health emergency. The proposed law dictates that it will be illegal for people to wear a face covering at a lawful or unlawful assembly or what the police consider to be a riot “unless they are wearing personal protective equipment during a declared public health emergency.” Since this is no longer the case, anyone who wears a mask for health reasons at a protest or large public gathering could be breaking the law. The health exemption language of the Nassau County law, which applies to facial coverings worn anywhere in public, meanwhile, is vague: “This law shall not apply to facial coverings worn to protect the health or safety of the wearer.” This has its own problems, namely that it will be on individual police officers to interpret both the law and the reason why someone is wearing a mask. Back at the public hearing in August, D’Esposito said the law would be “enforced by one of the finest police departments in the country,” but residents were not so sure. “Ultimately this law will be carried out based on one person’s judgment,” noted one resident. “More simply, is this masked person doing something I like or do not like?” Many activists see the bans as retaliation for pro-Palestine protests that have swept the country in the year since Israel invaded Gaza in the wake of October 7. At protests people often wear masks either to support the health of their community, or to protect their identity from getting doxxed. The health exemptions prompted by lawmakers treat the issue as two dimensional: You are either a protester, or someone with ongoing health issues. Why can’t you be both? It shouldn’t be surprising that a person concerned with preventing the transmission of a potentially debilitating disease might also be concerned about the genocide in Palestine. In their proposal, The Manhattan Institute had already thought of this: “Someone who wears a mask for health reasons probably should not be congregating in large groups of people.” Aside from ignoring the otherwise healthy people who mask to avoid exacerbating underlying conditions or contracting Long Covid, the document makes it clear that anyone who has a chronic illness or disability is expected to stay out of public life.

[dr-futbol-blog]

No Man's Land, Pt. 12

The Daedalus had been fired at by the wraith and had been damaged to the extent that they had lost their life support, and were now drifting in the massive void between the two galaxies, the veritable no man's land where no one would be able to reach them in time. According to McKay they had approximately nine hours of air left for the entire crew, and it seems as though the entire ship had now gone into emergency mode, everyone scrambling to think of something that they might do that could make their dire situation better. We join McKay as he is doing a walk-and-talk with Zelenka about their options with the weapons' officer trailing them, probably awaiting orders or instructions from them given that McKay at least knows the ship well enough not to need an escort having worked there previously. For Zelenka, however, the ship is not as familiar given that the first time he had seen it was when they were beamed away from the Orion as it was being destroyed by the wraith.

Zelenka: As long as we don't have to worry about shields and weapons, we may be able to cannibalise parts from some of our other systems in order to create at the very least a CO2 filtration system. McKay: By the time we've got something like that up and running, the CO2 levels will overwhelm any makeshift scrubbers we'd be able to concoct. Zelenka: But it's worth a try.

We have seen that McKay and Zelenka work well together, albeit differently from how Sheppard and McKay work together. McKay has a degree in Mechanical Engineering so Zelenka probably has something that is different from this but complementary so that they at the very least speak the same language. We are never told what Zelenka's doctorate is in but Electrical Engineering is a good candidate. Regardless, he seems to be thinking about how they might be able to rig up a filtration system out of spare parts, and McKay makes it sound as though they might be able to do that but not in time, which is the same problem that McKay had been faced with during Inferno (S02E19). They needed more practical solutions, and as we have noted many times before, McKay is not an ideas person, he is much better at figuring out how to make something go, how to fix something. And as usual, he is able to tell immediately whether some solution is workable or not, and while he appreciates Zelenka trying to come up with ideas, they are not getting any closer to solving this currently.

McKay: Yes. Yeah, but regardless, we need more electricians and welders than are technically certified on this ship's roster. Anyone, and I mean anyone who took Shop needs to report to us. Kleinman: There are teams assembling on every deck. McKay: Good. Good. Ah, now we're talking. How many more of these do we have? Kleinman: Twenty in total. McKay: How many people on board? Kleinman: In and around the two hundred mark. McKay: Oh, so I guess buddy-breathing our way through this one's out of the question. Kleinman: I'm afraid so, sir, yes.

McKay does not shoot Zelenka's idea down but thinks that they need a contingency plan regardless. McKay is clearly taking charge of the operation but we may note that he says "report to us" here, trusting Zelenka as his second in command to know what he is doing. While McKay does not use "us" as often as Sheppard does in reference to the two of them in particular, we may note that he does want to keep Sheppard apprised of what they are doing and to keep him in the loop, so his "us" may well include Sheppard also.

They finally reach their destination, which seems to have been where some of the crew members were unloading oxygen masks, one of them a beautiful woman that McKay pays no attention to. Note that initially McKay rubs his hands together because he is pleased by this turn of events, with this tiny bit of good luck. However, the weapons' officer brings him back down to Earth by pointing out that there is a limited supply of them. Note that McKay's reference to buddy-breathing -- the idea to share the tanks between crew members -- hints at the fact that he is thinking about Sheppard here. He is concerned for himself and for everyone, yes, but he is especially concerned for Sheppard, as is demonstrated shortly. Also, McKay's line here seems to hint at the fact that Sheppard had never taken Shop and that McKay knows this about him. He has to think of another reason to get Sheppard to have more air.

McKay: OK, fine. They're reserved for people working on getting life support systems operational. We need those people as clear-headed as possible. Kleinman: And, by those people... McKay: Yes, I will be one of them. Zelenka: How many levels are inaccessible? Kleinman: Seven.

We may note that in spite of having poor self-esteem, when McKay is talking about science and fixing things he sounds self-assured and in control. It is easy to see how he had become the head of the science corps and the chief science officer of the expedition because he is displaying clear leadership qualities here, taking responsibility and distributing tasks, and we may recall that he had been musing about leadership back in Letters from Pegasus (S01E17), having put actual thought and effort into what kind of a leader he wanted to be.

McKay is called upon to make a tough decision here that may come at a price, may lead to loss of life further down the line, but because he is feeling responsible for all the lives onboard, he has to make it. This scene, McKay telling the captain that yes, he will be one of the people assigned an oxygen tank, is undoubtedly one of the scenes that make people view McKay as arrogant. The way that the weapons' officer says "And by those people [you mean you]...," it seems like he is very much one of the people who might think this about McKay. It is easy to interpret this as him feeling entitled to the tank over other people, like he thinks his own life is more important than the lives of other people, maybe even everyone else. It is easy to see McKay's assertive way of saying this as selfish, and it is also easy to think that he is being a yellow-belly scaredy-cat who makes sure that he gets to have one of the things that might help him survive this in front of the line because he is so afraid of dying, which is not even adjacent to why McKay lays claim to a tank immediately.

McKay mentions that the reason to distribute the tanks to the people doing the fixes -- the people who are working to save everyone else -- is that they need to stay clear-headed. McKay is not just the chief scientist, he is also very likely the most intelligent person on board and he knows that he is the one who is asked and has been tasked saving everyone else. Everyone is looking to him to save them, like they so often are. He needs to be able to think because the lives of everyone else on the ship are depending on him to come up with a solution. McKay making sure that one of the tanks goes to him is not a selfish act but a selfless one, he is thinking about everyone. Beating around the bush about it is not going to help their situation any, especially when they are under a severe time constraint.

Of course McKay could have created some elaborate theatre of how he would reluctantly accept one of the tanks for the greater good -- but that kind of false modesty would only have wasted time. McKay needs to have one of tanks, and he knows it. He knows that Zelenka needs to have one too. He also knows that he cannot come up with any reason or even an excuse for Sheppard to get one, and so he has to think of another way to get him some extra air. He would like to give Sheppard a tank but he knows that it is not justified and they are better spent on people who are trying to help all of them, and it is this that shows us how much McKay is thinking about everyone and not just himself.

Zelenka: OK, we need to find out if there's any pockets of breathable atmosphere in there. We may be able to squeeze another hour or so from the regions that have been sealed off. McKay: We can't exactly transfer the O2 where we need it. Zelenka: Yes, but we could be... McKay: ...be able to access key panels that have been closed off to us. Let's get Sheppard in a 302, he can eyeball it from the outside. I'll take this.

And so we are demonstrated that McKay's mind is not just working on saving everyone, his mind is feverishly working on how to take care of Sheppard. Earlier, when Sheppard had been sitting in the cockpit of the F-302 on the hull of the hive and he had been talking with Michael, he had told him that he had three hours of air left for himself after having spent what had likely been several hours already sitting there, waiting for the hive to emerge from hyperspace. Earlier in The Intruder (S02E02), McKay had asked Sheppard how much air the F-302s had and Sheppard had told him that they had "lots" of air. We know that McKay knows that F-302s have air in them and that he knows that they have lots of air in them.

And so, because McKay is unable to come up with any excuse for Sheppard to et to have one of the tanks he is doing the next best thing -- he is putting Sheppard inside one of the F-302s and because he is giving him a task to do, Sheppard won't even know to feel like he is taking up air that other people could be breathing, which is something that he probably would feel if he was just offered air that others did not get. We had seen how Sheppard snapped his mouth shut just as soon as McKay had told them that they were running out of air earlier, it is clear that he does not want to take up air that other people could be breathing. And it is not just because Sheppard is the love of his life that McKay needs him to keep breathing -- he also needs Sheppard to stay clear-headed because so many times before he has needed Sheppard to come up with ideas for him to implement. He needs Sheppard to work with him

Sheppard: These sections are completely open to space, Rodney. There aren't even pockets you could beam into. What about an EVA? McKay: The spacesuits were stored in those sections. Sheppard: Alright. I'm heading back. McKay: Copy that.

We then get a very important scene. McKay had told Captain Kleinman that he wanted Sheppard to look at possible pockets of atmosphere from the outside, from the cockpit of an F-302 that has lots of air in it, and we now find Sheppard floating outside the ship. He had looked well and truly freaked out the last time we had seen him when the reality of the situation had sunk in, the depleting air and the time running out clearly filling him with dread. But all of that dread seems to be gone now as he is in the cockpit of a fighter-interceptor. Even though he does not have good news to give McKay he looks almost happy here, he looks content and it is likely that this is caused by the feeling that he is able to do something to help McKay, he is able to pitch in somewhere, he is able to make a contribution. We have seen that Sheppard has a need to be included in McKay's work and it is obvious that McKay has noticed the same thing. What is more, it seems like Sheppard had not actually caught on to why McKay had wanted him outside in the cockpit of a vessel that has lots of air in it, and hence harbours no feelings of guilt about it.

But what is important to note here is the tone in which Sheppard is talking to McKay. This is a semi-private moment between them -- McKay is out in the open working where other people are coming and going behind him but Sheppard is out there alone, and where McKay can be overheard, the only one who can hear Sheppard currently is McKay. Sheppard, that is, is speaking to McKay as though it were just the two of them whereas McKay is responding to him as though they were not alone. And Sheppard's tone is soft. He is speaking in a soft and tender voice which we never hear him use with anyone else. Sheppard speaks like this only to McKay, and only when the two of them are alone. It is almost as though Sheppard is whole other person when the two of them are alone and not in danger of being overheard. Sheppard tells McKay that the sections he is looking at are completely open to space but it seems as though Sheppard himself is also being completely open -- to McKay. Sheppard looks almost childlike as he is talking to McKay, all of the sarcasm and jadedness he usually exhibits nowhere to be seen. It is important to get to see Sheppard like this. It is important that we get to see Sheppard the way McKay gets to see him.

Sheppard is trying to workshop the problem with McKay, and even though the idea he offers to McKay is one that he is able to tell would not work immediately, he is still coming up with ideas for McKay to consider. McKay removes his mask as he responds to Sheppard and it is obvious he is trying to conserve air by talking as little as possible -- which is also something that Sheppard had taught him back in The Intruder, even if at the time Sheppard's intention had merely been to annoy McKay enough to make him forget to be anxious, to get on his nerves enough to hold off a panic attack. He is not conserving air by not talking at all now, but he is saying as little as possible. But even so, it is important for them to get to have this moment together because when they had seen each other again, they had not been alone. What is more, we again joined them in medias res here, we catch up to the tail-end of their conversation but what ever had been said before this moment was known only to the two of them. We also do not know how long Sheppard had been out there, but we have every reason to suspect that McKay had wanted to stretch it out, possibly even requesting Sheppard to perform some tasks while he was outside so that he might stay out there in the cockpit for a while longer, breathing his lungs full of air. McKay was taking care of Sheppard but Sheppard was also taking care of McKay, the two of them caring for the other.

McKay is welding while he is speaking with Sheppard, and we have noted before how McKay needs to focus on doing something, needs to focus on the work to keep from falling to pieces. He is holding himself together by keeping busy, keeping himself occupied. While Sheppard sounds soft and tender, McKay's voice breaks slightly as he mentions that the space suits had been lost in the explosion because he is keenly aware of the time running out, and while he may not be the only person who truly comprehends how screwed they are, he is the one who understands it the best. But unlike he had back in 38 Minutes (S01E05), McKay is not reacting to "certain doom in a certain way" here but he is instead doing what Sheppard had told him to do then, which was to keep on trying to fix the problem. But it is likely that Sheppard can still hear it in his voice, and so he decides to head back inside because if these are going to be their final moments together, he wants to spend them by actually being with McKay. And McKay likely feels the same way, not trying to come up with reasons for Sheppard to stay out there. It is possible that later on, he would have come up with another excuse to send him back out, to make sure he kept on breathing.

Zelenka: Have you tried routing the power through the inertial... McKay: Yes. Yes. Yes. We have tried everything. Zelenka: Subspace communications? McKay: We are floating between two galaxies, Radek. Atlantis has no ship to send. Even if we were somehow able to repair the array and get a message back to Earth...

Zelenka walks in to resume some work on the crystals just as McKay and Sheppard are finishing up with their call -- and it is even possible that he had found something for himself to do back when the two of them had started their conversation just to give them some privacy, given how we had seen in the previous episode in Zelenka's conversation with Sheppard that he is well-aware of the two of them being in a relationship with each other. However, there was only so long that he could stall because the work he was doing really did need doing.

We may note that McKay's tone is completely different with Zelenka. If he was trying to keep the desperation from his tone when he was talking to Sheppard -- even if Sheppard might have been able to detect it there anyway -- with Zelenka, he is not bothering to hide that he is looking at the end of the rope. When Sheppard had made a suggestion, he had told him why they could not do it. When Zelenka makes a suggestion, McKay snaps in frustration. With Sheppard, McKay is grateful that he comes up with ideas but with Zelenka in this moment, he feels like he is just wasting his time coming up with things that are not going to work. What is more, McKay is not bothering to sugarcoat their situation to Zelenka. With Sheppard, McKay would like to spare him the anxiety. He does not like to see Sheppard afraid and hopeless, and so while he is not keeping the truth from Sheppard, it is clear that he is trying to be delicate about it, is trying to keep his spirits up. There is clear and obvious pain in McKay's voice as he speaks to Zelenka but nonetheless he keeps on working, he keeps on trying to think of something that might get them out of this.

McKay: ...it would still take them weeks to get a rescue here. Zelenka: I wasn't thinking of rescue. I was thinking simply of telling them that we've stopped the wraith, and perhaps letting someone know the sacrifice that we've done. McKay: Well, a noble sentiment, but I would prefer to dedicate my last breath of air to getting more air. Wait a second.

Zelenka seems to have given up and has started thinking not of ways to rescue them but of making sure that their sacrifice was not for nothing. McKay, however, very much does not want to die. He tells Zelenka that he would rather fight until the last moment to keep all of them alive and in this he is echoing what Michael had told Sheppard earlier: "I doubt I'll be allowed to live much longer, and yet I very much want to continue living." McKay has a reason to live, which has not always been the case for him, and now that he has found his reason for living he does not want to give it up.

What McKay says here "I would prefer to dedicate my last breath of air to getting more air" is again easy to read as him being selfish -- as McKay thinking about his own survival. But he is not actually saying that he would like to use his last breath of air getting more air to himself. McKay is intending to use his last breath of air getting more air to everyone -- but especially Sheppard. He had put Sheppard into the cockpit to breathe, and while he had taken the oxygen tank for himself, the first thing he had thought about had been buddy-breathing with someone. McKay was using up the air currently trying to figure out a way to get more air, and every choice that he has made here tells us that it was Sheppard he was thinking about most of all.

McKay cares about other people and we have seen him willing to sacrifice his life for others many, many times because he does not seem to truly comprehend the value of his own life. But he very much wants to continue living like Michael now that he has found love, has found a home in someone, has someone worth fighting to live for. McKay does not want to dedicate his last breath of air to getting more air for himself, he fully intends for his last breath of air to be spent on saving Sheppard. And just as soon as he formulates the problem in this framework rather than thinking about fixing their life support system, he has a Eureka! moment. The ship that he had sent Sheppard out in is not the only ship around them that has air in it.

Continued in Pt. 13

[asgardianhammer]

conceivable solutions

Heroism--that is the disposition of a man who aspires to a goal compared to which he himself is wholly insignificant. Heroism is the good will to self-destruction. Friedrich Nietzsche

( avengers tower - 2:13 AM - 87th floor - war room ) @snkts

[ ϟ ]—– The Tower is eerily quiet, in a heavy way that is not peace, not exactly, but in the way a long inhale feels before something breaks.

Humming below the city continues its persistent hum, never sleeping, all lights and all loneliness despite the sounds, and in the confines of the metal fortress, behind mildly damaged walls thunderer leans against the table, wrist heavy with a half-emptied bottle of some Midgardian brew that barely burns.

The space is appearing worse for wear, more than it ever had before; half-lit, sparks emitting from several broken displays, yet somehow there is still ghost-blue projections flickering across the high windows. A few of the panels hum with a near tired, almost overworked sound of energy moving, transmitting still, with distressed hissing as if even the technology knew it was conveying disaster, projecting horrors.

A soft, endless rustle of rain trailing down the glass has the tower feel like a cage in the clouds.

An endless loop of imagery is repeated on the largest holo-dsiplay, cold blue schematics, strange insignia. Flashes of dossiers with redacted names.

----static ---- northern Greenland ----- ------------------- red heat signatures ----- (J.A.R.V.I.S. cracking voice ) ------offshoot, or what’s left of it, has unearthed a facility — ------- static -------- Not human built,-----------------static ---- ----- old. The language… older.---------

It has become evident, in the returned imagery and broken sentences from the A.I. that whoever was responsible, whoever had pulled this operation out of the fire did it with full knowledge and intent that no one should be able to come back from it.

Numerous unknowns, many defenses, enhanced-cancelling technology, energy dampers, god-blood weaponry forged from things that were never meant to exist.

Rolling of broad shoulders was performed to stave off some of the tension, the dull ache of a thousand healed-over battles felt in ever tendon. Weight of weapon is not in his hand yet, but she is nearby, calls to him from its resting place by the elevator doors, a low thrum in thunderer's bones, eager, eager, so very eager...

Tingling of nerves had begun, yet it was not the prickle of fear creeping towards the surface. The god does not tremble before war, the sensation the unnerving sense of foreboding he had not experienced in...ages.

Assemble - Await Instructions - Extraction not possible- it flickers on the holo-display in bright red lettering, blinking rapidly, warning with persistent flashes.

Another swig from the bottle coats the god's tongue with the now lukewarm liquid, and even before the elevator dings there is defiance formed, and decision made.

[echos-gal]

Get to know your mutuals!

@orbitalmirror this took one thousand years bc it was sitting in my drafts. i apologize 😔😔😔

What's the origin of your blog title? i think echo is stupid hot. he was my #1 clone crush until he was dethroned in season 2 of the bad batch. by whom? i thought it was obvious 🤓

OTP(s) + Shipname: TECHPHEE. god. Pabu aired, i watched it several times, and i fear i will never ever be normal again. when that novel comes out on august 5th i will be insufferable.

Favorite color: blue! so many nice shades. also many greens, dandelion yellow, light pink, and lavender!!

Favorite game: pokemon sapphire. pokemon leafgreen and animal crossing new horizons are very close behind! i'm a nintendo girl 💕

Song stuck in your head: I Am Ready (from TBB S3) and that's unfortunate bc this song makes me really sad.

Weirdest habit/trait? i think my sister could eviscerate me by answering this question. so i texted her. she says it's the way i eat chips. negative ego boost -10000 HP. on the floor. thousands dead no survivors i will not be eating chips ever again ❌✋😔🚫💔

Hobbies: running, knitting/crocheting, reading, tending to my garden/hydroponic garden!

If you work, what's your profession? i'm the senior research technician at a freshwater science laboratory. a lot of my job is aquatic chemistry 😟

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? botanist/oceanographer/astrobiologist and science writer! i have a lot of interests and they all involve science.

Something you're good at: fixing and building/assembling things! at my job i have a lot of machinery that needs routine maintenance and it's so much fun to work with my hands. it's like high-stakes legos! in a good way.

Something you're bad at: comforting others. i genuinely never know what to say or how to say it.

Something you love: my cat! she is a calico who squeaks instead of meows.

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: well. (gestures at my blog) the bad batch. BUT ALSO SCIENCE! so many areas of science. oceans, space, and botany are the big 3 for me but i love it all.

Something you hate: repetitive noises, and when i am having a conversation but there are one or more conversations i can hear. certain sounds or sound patterns make it really hard for me to focus.

Something you collect: wheat pennies! aka american one cent coins minted between 1909-1958. i think i came across my first WWII penny in high school and i thought it was the coolest shit ever. because it was!!

Something you forget: to put the cadmium coil on the nutrient analyzer when i am supposed to be activating the cadmium coil. that's the whole point. but noooo i go through all the motions and run 2N HCl and then copper solution and then 2N HCl again through the machine and then i realize the coil never got connected and i have to do it all over again. it's akin to going to the grocery story for ingredients to make an elaborate salad and forgetting to buy the fucking lettuce. sometimes i hate my job

What's your love language? i've never really thought about it. probably acts of service. treat me really niceys

Favorite movie/show: must i say it (it's the bad batch)

Favorite food: tofu stir fry or cinnamon rolls! and also really good peaches.

Favorite animal: American toad (Anaxyrus americanus). they are so delightful. i'm sorry Vin... they do commonly eat your beloved earthworms 😔

What were you like as a child? quiet, smart, tomboyish, and curious.

Favorite subject at school? biology!

Least favorite subject: theology (went to catholic school kindergarten through high school)

What's your best character trait? relentless optimism/positivity, which i worked very hard to cultivate over the years!!! also a quick and eager learner

What's your worst character trait? i am a terrible procrastinator. i am also very indecisive/not good with commitment.

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be? i'd like to have my PhD right now thank you. also pick up the lab where i work and move it to my hometown so i can see my family, kind of like when patrick gets everyone to move bikini bottom.

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet? Rachel Carson or Judy Resnik!

[ominousrequiemdrifter]

Text to Video: The Future of Content Creation

The digital landscape is evolving rapidly, and Text to Video technology is at the forefront of this transformation. This innovative tool allows users to convert written content into engaging video formats effortlessly. Whether for marketing, education, or entertainment, Text to Video is revolutionizing how we consume and create media.

In this article, we will explore the capabilities of Text to Video, its applications, benefits, and how it is shaping the future of digital content.

What is Text to Video?

Text to Video refers to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platforms that automatically generate videos from written text. These tools analyze the input text, select relevant visuals, add voiceovers, and synchronize everything into a cohesive video.

How Does Text to Video Work?

Text Analysis – The AI processes the written content to understand context, tone, and key points.

Media Selection – It picks suitable images, video clips, and animations based on the text.

Voice Synthesis – A natural-sounding AI voice reads the text aloud.

Video Assembly – The system combines all elements to produce a polished video.

Popular Text to Video platforms include Synthesia, Lumen5, and Pictory, each offering unique features for different needs.

Applications of Text to Video

The versatility of Text to Video makes it useful across multiple industries.

1. Marketing & Advertising

Businesses use Text to Video to create promotional content, explainer videos, and social media ads without expensive production costs.

2. Education & E-Learning

Educators convert textbooks and articles into engaging video lessons, enhancing student comprehension.

3. News & Journalism

Media outlets quickly turn written news into video summaries, catering to audiences who prefer visual content.

4. Corporate Training

Companies generate training videos from manuals, ensuring consistent onboarding for employees.

5. Social Media Content

Influencers and brands leverage Text to Video to produce daily content for platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Benefits of Using Text to Video

1. Saves Time & Resources

Traditional video production requires scripting, filming, and editing. Text to Video automates this process, reducing production time from days to minutes.

2. Cost-Effective Solution

Hiring videographers, voice actors, and editors is expensive. AI-driven Text to Video eliminates these costs.

3. Enhances Engagement

Videos capture attention better than plain text. Studies show that viewers retain 95% of a message from video compared to 10% from text.

4. Scalability

Businesses can generate hundreds of videos in different languages without additional effort.

5. Accessibility

Adding subtitles and voiceovers makes content accessible to people with hearing or visual impairments.

Challenges & Limitations of Text to Video

Despite its advantages, Text to Video has some limitations:

1. Lack of Human Touch

AI-generated voices and visuals may lack emotional depth compared to human creators.

2. Limited Creativity

While AI can assemble videos, it may not match the creativity of professional video editors.

3. Dependency on Input Quality

Poorly written text can result in incoherent or low-quality videos.

4. Ethical Concerns

Deepfake risks and misinformation are growing concerns as AI-generated videos become more realistic.

The Future of Text to Video

As AI advances, Text to Video will become more sophisticated. Future developments may include:

Hyper-Realistic AI Avatars – Digital presenters indistinguishable from humans.

Interactive Videos – Viewers influencing video outcomes in real-time.

3D & VR Integration – Immersive video experiences generated from text.

With these advancements, Text to Video will further dominate digital content creation.

[eccentric-nucleus]

actually if i'm gonna make a games rec post.

here are some games i have enjoyed recent-ish.

kenshi. an open-world squad-based rpg with base-building elements. get stronger by getting beaten up. lose a fight and get knocked out, have your weapons and food taken by the bandits that mugged you and left you bleeding to death. get rescued by some slavers that capture you and sell you into slavery. free yourself from slavery and limp away until you roll in hours later with a whole squad of overpowered fighters. then head a little bit too far south and get murdered by skin bandits. they take your skin. this is a completely self-directed game; there's no "main plot", although arguably "figure out the history of the world" is kind of the main 'story' mystery. there's also a bunch of unique recruitable characters with custom-written interactions. i usually recruit exclusively from freeing slaves but you can do w/e.

wildmender. a survival gardening game. this one came out recently and the devs are still releasing bugfixes; it's unclear if they'll make large content patches in the future. apparently multiplayer can still be pretty glitchy, and there's a water flow bug that i've been finding very frustrating. the way biomes work is kind of unsatisfying. kind of slim content-wise, but still, i really enjoyed what's there. out of all of the climate change terraforming anxiety games i've seen, this has been the one i've most enjoyed.

hellpoint. a scifi soulslike made by a team of like 12 people. previously i had thought things like "it would be neat if dark souls was less linear". hellpoint is a great example of why that might be a nightmare. the areas are connected in such a complex way, with one-way routes and branching unlock keys and secret paths and hidden doors behind hidden doors that it gets profoundly disorienting. a hint: almost every single hidden door in the game (there are a lot) is the middle panel of the same exact three-paneled-wall geometry. once you notice what it is you will see it everywhere. also, the enemy designs are hot.

crystal project. remember playing fan translations of final fantasy v? remember wandering around in old mmos? crystal project is kind of a... turn-based rpg mmo-influenced platformer. with a job system. you can sequence break the game from the tutorial level and also at basically every other point in the game too, although until you know what to look for it might seem like there's a linear critical path. but there's a lot out there. hint: play on easy mode. the combat gets tough later on and the game absolutely expects you to be finding and exploiting some class combinations.

astlibra: revision. a sidescrolling rpg. it must have been released episodically originally or some of the chapter pacing makes no sense. also it was originally released with a mess of art sourced from all sorts of places; 'revision' is a re-release with a more unified art style. it gets extremely anime all the time. there's a whole obligatory section where you have to ask all the women in a town about what kind of panties they're wearing. it's rough. i enjoyed how chaotic the systems are and how much Stuff there is to pick up and upgrade and unlock. the plot goes some unexpected places though it doesn't quite stick the landing, i still enjoyed what it did. also karon should be the love interest instead.

silicon zeroes. a cpu-building puzzle game. this straddles the line between the tech/code games that are literally just "learn a new language and code in it" and ones that are more structure-themed like, idk, spacechem. connect modules to assemble solutions to problems. it takes too long to get to chapter 3, which is where they start asking you to make entire cpus.

ashen. another souls-like. i just really like the environments in this one. the initial area looks gorgeous and the way it changes through the game is really neat to see happen. the seat of the matriarch is wonderfully awful to traverse and i wish there had been two or three more dungeons like it in the game. you can't level up; you gain stats mostly by progressing sidequests and the name quest. i eventually ran out of things to spend money on AND inventory space to store items. the late-game tuning is a little rough but until then it's great. a hint: there are three weapon types and within that type nearly all the weapons are identical. you get thrown so many weapons that don't matter; don't worry about collecting all of them. see above re: running out of space and things to use money for.

i guess it would be cheating to recommend minecraft regrowth or morrowind but i have also been playing those.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

WhatMatters

Your guide to California policy and politics

By Lynn La

May 27, 2025

Presented by The Nature Conservancy, TURN – The Utility Reform Network, CA Primary Care Association and San Jose Spotlight

 

 

Good morning, California.

CA lawmakers halt hundreds of bills with new spending as deficits loom

Assemblymembers meet during a suspense file hearing at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 23, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

State legislators on Friday halted hundreds of bills with new spending attached from advancing. Why? The Legislature again underwent its relatively opaque process known as the “suspense file.” Hanging over lawmakers’ heads is the expected $12 billion state budget deficit that is projected to worsen due to federal tariffs and increased state health care spending.

The Assembly and Senate’s appropriations committees hold these proceedings twice a year. As CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang and Yue Stella Yu explain, 32% of 1,098 measures were held in the committees on Friday — meaning those proposals are essentially dead or shelved for the year. 

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat and chairperson of the Assembly appropriations committee: “Many good bills are going to fall by the wayside today. We are not in a year where we can be expanding programs, developing new offices, new agencies, new departments and expanding our footprints.”

The Assembly trimmed about the same number of bills compared to last May, while the Senate squashed a slightly higher percentage of bills (29% compared to 25.5% in 2024), according to longtime lobbyist Chris Micheli.

Some notable bills that didn’t advance included ones that would have expanded health care services, such as a proposal to seek federal approval to cover some housing services under Medi-Cal, an insurance program for low-income residents, and another to allow more Medi-Cal patients to receive home-based care.

Two crime bills, both introduced by Republicans, were also spiked. One would have barred some prisoners from being released early through the state’s elderly parole program, and the other would have increased penalties for giving fentanyl to minors.

But the committees did pass 742 other bills, including a proposal by Assemblymember Rick Zbur and backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand tax credits for the state’s film industry. Though language to increase the state’s film tax credit to $750 million annually was struck from the bill, the specific amount is expected to be ironed out during budget negotiations, said Zbur, a Los Angeles Democrat.

The bills that survived on Friday will face another hurdle next week, when they must advance out of the chamber — Assembly or Senate — where they were introduced. 

Read more here.

CalMatters covers the Capitol: We have guides and stories to keep track of bills and your lawmakers; find out how well legislators are representing you; explore the Legislature’s record diversity; and make your voice heard.

Other Stories You Should Know

Big state deficits through 2029

Gov. Newsom unveiling his revised 2025-26 budget proposal at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 14, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office agrees with the Newsom administration that the state is “likely to face persistent future deficits” which are expected to range from $10 billion to $20 billion through the next four years. The latest number-crunching by the analyst’s office dropped Saturday, a typical occurrence that follows the governor’s unveiling earlier this month of his updated state budget plan, which also projected years of operating deficits in the tens of billions.

One of Newsom’s key proposals to help reduce spending and plug the budget hole is to limit new Medi-Cal recipients, particularly freezing enrollment for adult immigrants who do not have permanent legal status. The office recommends that the Legislature should “maintain at least the level of ongoing solutions” as proposed by the governor, but could adopt “additional solutions” in anticipation of future deficits.

Some bit of good news: Because of slightly higher revenue estimates, the analyst’s office projects that this year’s budget condition will improve by nearly $2 billion compared to the administration’s assessment. But uncertain “federal budget changes” are likely to add more financial pressures on the state, according to the office. All this info will shape the discussions between lawmakers and Newsom as they craft a budget deal for the next year by late June. 

 

How federal budget bill could impact Medi-Cal

The U.S. Capitol Building viewed from the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on April 4, 2025. Photo by Samuel Corum, AP

Speaking of “federal budget changes” the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives last week advanced a budget package that could have major effects on millions of low-income Californians enrolled in Medicaid. 

Nationally, the bill guts Medicaid spending by $700 billion, which could lead to California losing as much as $20 billion a year and 217,000 jobs, according to an April analysis by the UC Berkeley Labor Center. 

To reduce costs, the bill proposes cutting funding for states that provide coverage to immigrants without legal status, which would affect California. It would also limit the number of new enrollees by imposing proof of work hours. 

About 15 million Californians are on Medi-Cal, the state’s implementation of Medicaid. But roughly 29% of Medi-Cal recipients are unable to work due to caregiving responsibilities, school, having a disability or other reasons. The new work requirements could jeopardize coverage for as many as 3.5 million Californians according to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis.

The House advanced the bill with all 43 California Democrats voting against it and all nine GOP members — who represent a total of 2.5 million Medi-Cal enrollees — voting for it. At least one right-leaning group in California says the cuts are warranted to curb federal spending.

The U.S. Senate has to approve the bill, but some GOP senators say the bill doesn’t cut enough to address the national debt.

 

And lastly: A fire-resistant neighborhood in CA

A model home in the Dixon Trail neighborhood of Escondido on April 24, 2025. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

A neighborhood in San Diego County is the first purpose-built “wildfire resilient neighborhood” in the country. CalMatters’ Ben Christopher and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on Dixon Trail and the challenges of statewide home hardening as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.

California Voices

Though the state has made strides to distribute more drinking water, it needs to do more to ensure a reliable drinking water infrastructure, writes Mary Benson, a former operator of a small water system at Clear Lake. 

Other things worth your time:

Some stories may require a subscription to read.

CA Republicans would love former VP Harris to run for governor // Politico

Villaraigosa, despite climate credentials, pivots toward oil industry in run for governor // Los Angeles Times

Rep. Liccardo pushes back against Trump cuts after $50M loss threatens efforts to rein in coastal erosion // The Mercury News

US attorney in LA moves to ‘neutralize’ CA’s sanctuary rules // Los Angeles Times

Immigration is the only thing propping up CA’s population // The Wall Street Journal

This Bay Area county says it cut ties with ICE. This program says otherwise // Bolts

CA turns on water to create new wetlands on the shore of the shrinking Salton Sea // Los Angeles Times

Deportation effort escalates, agents make arrests outside San Diego immigration courtrooms // The San Diego Union-Tribune

In CA, there’s one import that nobody wants // The New York Times

 

See you next time!

Tips, insight or feedback? Email whatmatters@calmatters.org. Subscribe to CalMatters newsletters here. Follow CalMatters on Facebook and Twitter.

 

     

 

About Us· How We're Funded· Subscribe· Donate

 

CalMatters 1017 L Street #261 Sacramento, CA 95814 United States

[ranseur]

would love to hear your thoughts on Stargate Atlantis! i actually thought that the show did a good job of having the main characters not always do the Good/Right thing (although it admittedly almost always is the Cool thing) and generally be kind of selfish and complicated

Hiya anon thanks for asking! Sorry if you've been waiting or thought I was ignoring you- I let this message sit in my inbox for a couple days because i needed time to assemble some thoughts and notes i had about the show. But I’m not sure how to keep it brief- I worry that whether I’m too vague or too specific, I’ll be airing my personal griefs over a show that's quite well liked and popular. But I hope that I’m being fair in what I’m saying. So- with the firm disclaimer that I don't expect everyone to agree with me- maybe I can start with vague complaints and then break down a specific episode. Also I want to make clear- I usually get nitpicky when I want to enjoy a show but feel like it doesn't quite win me over. So my griefs are coming from a place of feeling... like I can't let out a sneeze, idk, like I’m disappointed that I’m disappointed. Lastly: the last episode I watched was S02E05, which is still pretty early. It is totally fair if I’m speaking too soon. So I’m mostly going to speak on my thoughts on Season 1. Ahh before you hit 'read more' this got long. Sorry in advance.

My general feelings about the show- I don't really /love/ any of the characters. Compared to SG1, Sheppard's main team doesn't feel as much like single entity of well-oiled parts that synergize with their unique strengths and expertise. For comparison's sake I'll describe what I love about SG1's Jack, Samantha, Daniel, and Teal'C (and Jonas). They all bring their own expertise to the table- they each have skills the other members of the team lacks, and their personalities complement and fill in for each other. Jack is the leader who assesses risk and keeps the team safe and focused, and it's frequently pointed out that he is not book-smart, but he has keen situational awareness on missions. Sam is the science brains, quick as a whip, and can do all the tech-related tasks they need. Daniel is the civilian linguistics and history buff, the team relies on him to interpret ancient text and draw connections between separate threads to complete a picture. Teal'C is an incredible fighter, and has invaluable knowledge of the Jaffa and Goa'uld- their politics, their culture, their language, the Jaffa rebellion. (Jonas was such a good lad. Smart, eager, capable- pretty well rounded across the board. Very 'polite-cat.jpg', I love him.) If someone on the team is gun-forward, another pushes a peaceful solution. If one person is spurred by emotions, another stands back to think things through. But they always feel like they push each other for the best outcome, and they trust each other even as they disagree or bicker. As the series goes, you get a sense that they've become friends who have come to care about each other outside of their work. In SGA, Sheppard usually comes across as the most correct, the most capable, and doesn't feel like he really needs his team unless they're scientists- but even then he can do some science things competently enough for solo missions, like on the Season 1 finale. He is the leader, the pilot, the soldier, the speaker, the chosen one with special genes. He’s often taking the spotlight and doing all the cool stuff that I think that writers could spread out to other members on his team more. I mean, what does Ford do that Sheppard can't do better? And I would love for Weir to take a seat at the table for diplomacy more often- sometimes Sheppard acts without her input at all, knowing she can't do anything about it when he’s off-world.

Teyla's contribution is... sticks. I’m so sorry but what does she DO- i want her to do something important so badly. (I vaguely remember she throws a spear at an alien ship in the season 1 finale, like, come on. writers. please.) I wish she could guide the team more with her knowledge of the galaxy/wraiths, if they could have had her stick-kata fighting skills really come in clutch against the invisible wraith. Maybe show us how her disciplined and honed warrior's mind is more adept at resisting psychic wraith influence. All this to say- fighting the wraiths and besting them physically and mentally should be so meaningful and personal to her. Maybe I just forgot but I don't think I saw that character beat take the spotlight- they skip over it- my girl often feels like an afterthought. And in addition to her training Sheppard at stick fighting, I want to see how seriously she takes training with guns and explosives, so there's an equivalent exchange of skills and respect between these two fighters from different galaxies.

Rodney McKay is unfortunately the character I like the most, and that's not to say exactly that I really like him, because every now and again he will be a real creep to women. But I do find him the most interesting just because he is written to do more. He definitely has skills Sheppard relies on him for, and he's the only (or one of the few characters) defined by his flaws. And those flaws, in turn, means he relies on others in some way to compensate for his shortcomings. He’s arrogant, he's abrasive, he's not always brave/calm, but despite those things- Sheppard’s (and others) belief and trust in him, as well as his own determination to have the last word and not die being proved wrong about something, drags him forwards to success. And we do see that he can be willing to sacrifice himself for others. I think that's all great- there's layers going on with him. But some of the comedy punchlines that are at his expense kind of feel like, he's set up to be unlikable for perceived emasculating characteristics. Especially when the joke is often 'Sheppard is the manlier one', it just comes across as a certain attitude the writers have about masculinity. Like 'McKay is definitely smarter than Sheppard in certain respects, but don't worry he's a sweaty loser nerd and worse than Sheppard at everything important- like being tough'. If I'm making sense. Another general complaint, so many conversations in this show feel unnecessarily combative. There’s often some kind of one-up-man-ship going on, and someone is trying to mic-drop the other person. McKay is just an abrasive guy who insults everyone around him- so this is normal for him- but really so many other characters are so combative for no reason. When they’re brainstorming a solution during a crisis, or trying to come to an agreement, the writers don’t really write dialogue where members have a supportive team dynamic like, ‘Yes! And…’ or ‘We are in this together! You do what you do best and I will have your back.’ Instead a lot of it is, ‘You’re so stupid for suggesting THAT idea. Didn’t you consider THIS THING?’ or ‘I am very correct and I will disregard your reasonable suggestion because you are holding me back from doing what I want.’ Like the tone and the vibe of this dialogue writing style is, I assume, to stir tension and drama. But it does not do much to convince me that these characters even like each other, or have a reason to rely on one other.

(aside: I will add that SG1's most insufferable comp-het-romance-of-the-week tropes are NOT present in SGA, so big thumbs up to SGA for that. As far as i remember, if there is a romance of the week in SGA, it's well paced and sweet and believable. And iirc they don't go for the romance route every time, which is so refreshing) ~~

For Weir's role in this show, I think a lot of my griefs with her character writing culminated in the episode 'Before I Sleep'. We first meet her character in SG1, so I kinda got attached to her and how she acted in those episodes. In SGA she sort of feels like she’s just there to agree with Sheppard or lose every argument against Sheppard (meanwhile I WANT them to be super-loyal-devoted-bros). And I felt that her impact in her own character-centric episode was non-existent by the time the full story was told. I started this episode with high hopes and I felt let down by the end. In this episode, S01E15 Before I Sleep, we learn that the SGA team's arrival at Atlantis was originally a complete disaster. Several beloved characters of the SGA team try and fail keep the power on or find any solution to save the city. iirc, every attempt ends in brutal failures back to back- our friends die valiantly but nothing they did meaningfully affected the outcome of the shuttle escaping. Instead, I really wish they each had some impact. If the brilliant handpicked specialists of this expedition team were able to eke out just a little bit extra power, just a little bit of extra time, just a little bit of hope- so that this catastrophe could be like a relay race, where everyone contributes a part into getting the few people, with the best chance to see their mission through, out in a shuttle. If I rework the episode: >McKay could be the main guy responsible for staying in the command room- learning the systems quickly enough to reroute extra power and succeeds in procuring the extra seconds they need to enter the shuttle, and maybe escape the city

>Sheppard is the best pilot they have. he's got the skills to maneuver around obstacles and danger and the Lantean genes to operate ancients tech

>Zelenka gets into the guts of their escape shuttle to find out if the ship has features that would be useful in their escape or rescuing others. he discovers the ship has tech he's never seen before- he begins to try to get it up in working order same as in the original episode, they activate the thing- because even if they don't know what it does- what could it hurt to try it. the machine zaps them back in time. they were underwater, and now they inexplicably find themselves floating in space looking at strange alien ships which begin to attack them >but with Sheppard's dogfighting experience and airmanship, he recovers quickly from the shock and disorientation of the situation, and reacts quickly to return fire and execute evasive maneuvers >Zelenka hurries to try to reroute power from other ship functions to bolster their shields >in doing so, Zelenka discovers the cloaking mechanism, which Sheppard activates, unfortunately not before the shields are drained and their shuttle is struck >a crash is imminent, but Sheppard makes a heroic effort to pilot the cloaked shuttle down to Atlantis, fighting until the bitter end to stabilize the shuttle to make their landing is as safe/smooth as he can. (maybe there's just enough fuel/power to activate the reverse thrust at the right moment) >Zelenka is elbow deep in the wire panels trying to get shields up- even if they only have shields for a second, it might reduce the force of their impact >Sheppard yells to brace, activate reverse thrust+shields, they crash and we cut to black. we see Sheppard and Zelenka are at the front half of the shuttle- while Weir is strapped in the back

>Weir survives the impact thanks to Sheppard and Zelenka's joint efforts, and her position at the rear of the shuttle >Weir wakes up in Atlantis, she learns she has gone 10,000 years in the past In the original episode, I think Rodney fiddles on an ipad thing desperately before the room floods and he simply dies without succeeding. Zelenka in the shuttle says 'this shuttle is different' and turns on the machine. They go back in time, get zapped, and I think we just cut to black- Sheppard is piloting the shuttle but we only hear afterwards that he died off screen. A very anticlimactic way for an action-hero guy like him to go out IMHO. Dude would never settle for anything less than a glorious death (to keep Weir safe). And even if I acquiesce that we don't have the screen time or budget for the 'epic fight and escape and dying in a blaze of glory' death I want for Sheppard and Zelenka, I still think that it wouldn't have been hard to make some little changes even only to spoken dialogue, so the dying SGA team's efforts contributed to pushing Weir over the finish line. So it matters more that by providence the rest would be up to her, the SGA specialist in diplomacy and political negotiations, to convince the war-weary, resigned Ancients of Atlantis to help her prevent the disaster she just lived through. If I continue to rework the episode: >I think Weir should've been able to use her words to convince the Ancients to help her, instead of stonewall her

>with her knowledge of what had gone wrong in the future, Weir should have majorly contributed to providing ideas on what they would need

>Weir should say herself that they ran out of power and needed more. that their way through the Stargate was a one way trip- they don’t have ZPMs. then the city flooded and killed everyone when the barriers failed- could the city not implode and turn into a death trap please?

>Weir and Janus work as a team to bring those ideas to life. with this information he can provide the extra power, list ZPM locations, and come up with the idea for the failsafe to have the city resurface instead of flood when the barrier is gone.

>and then I would have wanted Weir, who said in her plea with the Lantean Council that she is an explorer, to actually spend time exploring and learning more about Atlantis during her 10,000 years stay. It’s what she came all this way for >lots of power and advanced tech in the city is dedicated to keep her alive and healthy, maybe prolonging her natural life beyond normal human life. so she can do the necessary maintenance to keep the city running and go on exploratory trips

>she can explore for her own curiosity, but also to find information to give her team the best shot they can have for the next time they try >she has a lifetime to think about why the Lanteans failed and how they could avoid the same mistakes they made >she ought to have documented the ZPM locations, notes about interesting rooms and features in the city, interesting gate locations in the galaxy, pour over Lantean libraries to learn their language and learn about the Wraiths, etc.

>I wonder if it would be neat to have her put her findings in writing, which she would’ve kept physically in some journals/diaries or on the Atlantis server/machines, if she can do that (i forget if she has the ability to use them). Maybe these journals/diaries can act as a guide for the team in future episodes. From it, they cross reference her findings with their own, follow new leads, etc.

>they can't initially read all of her diaries because; perhaps over the centuries Weir developed her own shorthand or cipher to keep her knowledge safe from anyone who isn’t the next Weir. possibly she did not record everything in English, as she speaks multiple languages and could have learned more Ancient during this time >maybe the Next Weir holds the key to unlocking the cipher, because the key is something personal to her, and she (and a team) have to spend time translating this big document?

>maybe another reason they can’t access the all the diaries is that certain volumes of the set are physically scattered throughout the city and need to be found. Or, if the diaries were written on the machines, the main compiled diary file was corrupted during the power surges. Different segments of the diary file are backed up locally in distant areas of the city, but SGA has to send teams to physically go find them and upload them back into the server cloud (I confess I just want them to have an excuse to explore the city more just in general ahhh)

 (>in the season finale Seige they find out about a Satellite out in space that comes in handy for the Wraith invasion- i forget how they learn about it in the show- but this could be a good example of helpful information from Old Weir’s Diary that the new team utilizes. if the writers say that a character randomly finds it while they muck around in the database anyway. why not learn about it from the Weir Diary, Di-weir-y.)

>this is getting so self-indulgent but I also would have found it neat if Weir was more conscious of the long length of time, and we see some angst about the burden of being immortal and alone in Atlantis >when the 10,000 years is past, Weir has accepted her time is over and that she's done the best that she can. even though her life is prolonged and her body kept free of disease or illness, she is So Tired

>she hung on to sanity for as long as she did in order to see everyone safe again. she insists on seeing them all- and grieves that she cannot meet the ones who have already died in this timeline. Old Weir asks to hear about how they died. New Weir of course knows their names and deaths by heart, and tells her. >Old Weir dies in peace, knowing her efforts in preparing Atlantis for their arrival was successful, and she leaves behind a gift, a well of information to help them in the future >she has finally repaid the debt she owes her long dead friends from her own timeline, for their sacrifices in getting her this far. now with her duty as a leader fulfilled and the Diary passed onto her Other Self, Old Weir whispers, at long last she can join her team in the truest, longest sleep

Jumping back to summarize the events of the actual episode, the ancient council flat out refuse to help Weir. Janus tells her that the proof that his time machine worked is awesome so he wants to help her, and HE is the one who does all the idea generating and HE puts in all the work to make sure Atlantis is safe. Weir is instructed to do some maintenance stuff every few centuries, so she just wakes up, does the thing, goes back to sleep. She's got a note in her hand with cryptic Stargate locations I think? And the end of the episode reveals that they are ZPM locations. Like, she just took naps with a note in her hand? That's all? This could have been an email, or a better email with more details. They could at least write down 'List of Known ZPM Locations' on the paper so it’s not just, in hindsight, a cheaply manufactured mystery that the writers contrived for suspense. What if she didn't live to see everyone, and could not tell them in person what the note is for? She very nearly died before they found her because McKay unknowingly routed power away from her stasis pod. Also, in my re-imagined version, I do envision Weir having her lifespan extended and being conscious of the experience of being stretched thinly over the millennia. But going by the original episode set-up, I think it could have been neat if we had a story beat, about Weir's POV when she goes to sleep and wakes up from the chamber thing, instantly decades older. Maybe we can draw a parallel to the way Wraiths consume their victims, how they age quickly as their life is drained. The city of Atlantis is sustaining Weir, but her life is being exchanged to keep it alive in turn.

Or, cutting out my admittedly self-indulgent suggestions with the Weir Diaries and Immortality Angst, my main complaint is that we can easily remove Weir from this episode for all that she actually did. The way the writers did it, I think any random person from SGA could have taken the time machine back, fail to convince the Ancients to help them, follow Janus' instructions, hold a piece of paper in their hand, and we would have gotten the same results. I wish that it mattered more it was Weir specifically, that she was the best person who could have gone back, that she stepped up as a leader, and fully lived up to that responsibility. But ... it just felt like the writers made every effort to not allow her to be crucial to the story. She failed her persuasion check, and all the credit to prepare Atlantis was given to Janus. Like why did the writers focus on Weir specifically just to rob her of her moment. So like, thus far, at least where I am in the show, Sheppard feels like he’s the only main character who is allowed to be both super awesome AND heroic when he gets the chance. Say if HE survived the crash and stuck around for 10 000 years, I really don't think the writers would have had him input zero ideas, sleep in a pod, and not be more pro-active. He definitely feels like the writers’ favourite child in that sense. And I wish other characters got that same enthusiasm from the writers to be uplifted and celebrated for their successes, instead of failing as much as they do or having their accomplishment be downplayed by others, compared to Sheppard. Or if he can also share equally in the times he fails and has to rely on his team. ANYWAY. If anyone has read this far- thank you so much for your patience and willingness to hear my thoughts. It is completely fair if there are many points you disagree with me on, so double thank you for reading this far in spite of those disagreements. I would love to hear back about any corrections or misunderstandings I have. (And of course I'd love to hear if anyone thinks I’ve made fair points...?) I hope it came across clearly that I love certain things about this show and it's due to my love of those things that I struggle sometimes when they come together in ways that I don't love. Which again, is just my personal taste- I do acknowledge I got pretty self-indulgent reworking the episode. (Which maybe I'm allowed to do, I wrote those notes as an exercise for myself without the intention to actually share them.) So far be it from me to say that my alternative suggestions are objectively 'better', more like, my intention was to provide examples on what I would have personally enjoyed instead. (P.S. This is probably a minor thing but it lowkey bugs me that the Wraiths look like Dark Elves but act like Orcs. They're always going (snarl) and (hiss) and (grrr) while looking FLY af. Like, writers, you're really telling me there are Wraith tailors that live in cobwebby caves that go (arrr) and (hhhss) while they sew fancy outfits for their boys? Like the villain concept doesn't feel coherent and I can't shake it.)