#in honor of achieving the first official ending

[snk-warriors]

Can't Stay Away

Levi Ackerman x F! Reader

Summary: After the war ended, Levi finds himself at a familiar doorstep.

Warnings: Bittersweet angst, smut, not proofread

A/N: This blog is still officially inactive, but this story is a little gift for my dear friend @antivan-dragon. It was a joy to write it for you! <3

This is wrong.

He shouldn't be here - not after everything that had happened.

How long has it been, ten years? More?

It's hard to tell when you're used to live from moment to moment. Never knowing whether the current day might be your last really messes up one's perception of time.

All Levi's sure of is that the brief time he had allowed himself with you was the happiest he's ever been - than he ever thought to be capable of.

And yet, from his very first breath, his fate was clear: To him, living had always been a fight. Whether it was in the underground for food and safety, or against titans and humans alike under the clear sky mattered very little in the great concept of things.

The only home he's ever known was on the battlefield - until he met you, at least.

And still, Levi went back to the frontlines again and again and again because it's all he's ever known, the power he's born with a burdening duty upon the weak...

...but what place does a soldier have now, in a society without war?

This is what he fought for, right? To achieve peaceful times. Avenge his fallen comrades, honor his commander and protect as many people as possible from the unnecessary suffering this cruel world eventually provided.

Protecting you, first and foremost.

Your wellbeing has always been his greatest priority, and yet at the same time Levi was the one responsible for so much misery. Back then he convinced himself it was for the better, that he was doing you a favor by removing himself from your life.

In the end, all that's left for him now is the bitter feeling of regret.

Levi was aware that you would've waited for him, no matter how long it'd take until his return...

...but he was certain that his death was inevitable - a sacrifice he'd gladly take if it'd meant ensuring you a long and fulfilled life. And even if the impossible case of his survival would occur, he'd be a different man by then.

Ultimatively, he has become exactly this: Unlike you remember him, and definetly nothing close to what you deserved.

Maybe even in different circumstances he could never live up to the expectations he had set in himself - at least when it came to you.

But he felt as if you were like pure sunlight and he was a moth, drawn to it. No, he was the moon - selfishly absorbing and covering your brightness.

So, in order to make things easier for you, he pushed you away despite his soul screaming for him to stay at your side until humanity would reduce itself to ashes.

When no words would dring through to your devoted self, he announced an engagement to Petra, efficiently shattering your heart in the process.

Nothing Levi had ever done was as hard a task.

Given time however you'd find someone worthy to give you the life he longed for so deeply but never could, at least that's what he thought...

...yet when he heard that you never married even after all this time, his rationality stands no chance against the aching of his own loneliness.

Just to look how you've been he told himself on the way, and for an overdue apology.

Your little cottage on the outskirts of Wall Rose still looks as if he never left. It always smelled of lavender and honey, and whatever you were baking at the time.

Levi switched from the wheelchair to his cane, still able to walk by himself at least for a short distance. Only a few stairs separated the two of you, and it was the longest he's ever took - not because of his disability, but rather to gather all of his courage.

Facing his enemies was a piece of cake compared to this right now.

Though it felt wrong to do so he peeked through the window, his face twitching into an almost-smile as he finally laid eyes upon you again. The inside was cleaned spotless as always, neatly yet minimalistic decorated. You on the other hand were currently preparing some pastries, contently humming to yourself.

It felt like he never left.

What about you, he wondered. Had there been others after him? What was your life like these days? He wants to know everything.

That goddamn cat was still alive as it seems, curiously pricking up it's ears as it recognized the familiar - altough mangled - face. You and him had argued a lot about letting feral animals into your home, due to Levi's concern for hygiene and especially that damn fur everywhere in the house.

One glare from the man and it hissed, jumping down from the front porch and bolting into the forrest. Shit.

Living alone and isolated from civilization was dangerous, especially for a single woman. So it was no wonder how hyper-aware you still are, immediately swinging the door open with a clocked rifle.

Oh, how much he missed that side of you. The perfect combination of cute but deadly.

"Levi..." His features immediately softened at the sound of your voice. To him that name had been reduced to a battle cry, something for his enemies to curse and his superiors yelled to wield their human weapon around.

But coming out of your mouth, he could listen to it all day even if it was just to hurl insults at him.

Instead you put your welcoming arms around him before the weapon even dropped to the ground, heartwrenching sobs echoing against the pinewoods. "God, Levi, you-you're back. You're finally back...I-I knew you'd come!"

The former Captain should be relieved, and frankly, he is - nevertheless, things shouldn't be this way.

He had left so you could live...and you simply didn't.

This wasn't fair. And it drove him insane. There was an immense fury at the pit of his stomach at the realization that his withhold was for nothing, that you had wasted both of your lifetimes through your stubbornness.

You should have found yourself a man that could give you a family, a stable life, goddamn it the whole fucking world shall you ask!

However the sheer fact that he was finally able to breathe the same air as you again overshadowed any grudge with pure gratitude.

His whole life Levi had been was a dedicated, dutiful combatant, unquestioning to his orders. Now that the war was over, there was nothing left for him to do, nowhere left to go.

This one time, he'll allow himself to be selfish.

A hand on the back of your neck pulled you to close the remaining distance between the two of you, sealing his mute promises with a longdue kiss.

Levi had kissed you before - always rough and demanding. That's how things were between you, after all: He came to your home solely to get a taste of what normalcry, being human, was like, just to disappear after having realized his mistake.

If it meant he'd stay in your life, if only feebly, that was more than enough for you.

But this kiss...it was different. Tender, savouring, unwilling to pull away even tor so much as breathing air.

When your lips finally parted, you placed another, small peck to the corner of his lips. Your hands reached for his face, cupping it on both sides as if to make sure he's really there.

For a moment he pulls back, doubting his decision.

After all, the man in front of you was a shell of his former self, old and disfigured and broken. Petra was long since dead, you'd heard about the tragic circumstance.

He never wanted to give you the impression that you were just a last resort for when everyone else had forsaken him.

Noticing his internal struggle - an amazing talent only you possessed, since his expression was as still as a statue - you clutch the fabric of his shirt, gently tugging him inside. He has to lean onto you for support, stumbling into the all-too-familiar room.

You feel calloused hands on your body, caressing every inch of your exposed skin and sliding under your clothes. "Tell me to stop" he speaks breathlessly, sternly, "And I will."

Instead you frantically shake your head as you moan into his ear, one leg wrapping around his waist as he pushed you against the wall, busying yourself with rising blood on the skin of your neck. Fuck, he's missed your scent.

"B-Bed" you manage to wring out as his hand slips under your skirt, fingertips tracing the wet spot between your legs. He was eager, intoxicated one might say, but you could clearly feel how his own legs were close to giving in.

The thrill of the moment was briefly overshadowed by the humiliation of his new reality. In the past he would've taken you anywhere in the house, would've been able to lift you up and throw you onto the mattress if you so desired.

Another jab at his conscience that he'll never be good enough for you. If only he knew this was the way you'd always wanted him: Slow, passionate, caring...

"Don't worry about me" he speaks nonchalantly, yet the determination in his glare makes you shiver. Levi dropped to his knees just like that, his hands wandering upwards each of your legs. "Let me worship you."

You half-laugh, half-whine when he sunk his teeth into the flesh of your upper thigh, remembering how much he loved leaving little marks like love-letters on your skin. Old habits die hard, even when trying to be gentle.

Without hesitating, Levi twirls his fingers around the hem of your already dripping panty, pulling it down just enough to put his mouth to work. His teasing made you a whimmering mess, taking his time tracing kisses around the area close enough to feel his breath on your clit.

"Shi-it, Levi!" you let out a scream as his tongue slid along your folds, muffling your own noises by a hand on your mouth until Levi tugs at your arms. "I need to hear you, love. It's been too long."

And so you did, begging and moaning shamelessly as Levi ate you out like a man starving, palming himself through his trousers with eyes never leaving yours.

Hearing you like this made something in him snap, and yet you tugged on his hair, tugging him away just before you'd fall apart in front of him. "Not like this" you pant heavily, head spinning from lust, "I need you. Completely."

He simply nods at the request, unable to keep his hands from you even the short way to your bedroom. Your gown fell to the floor as he watched, a low groan escaping his closed mouth at the sight.

Time sure had taken a toll on both of you, he thinks as his knuckles brushed along your cheek, diving in your features that had slowly faded in his memory over the years...

...but your eyes, those damn beautiful orbs that showcased the love you held for him, they didn't change a bit.

And their effect on him was also still the same.

Before you first met he was sure that all those hardships had turned his heart into stone, but now this yearning had become a dagger he desperately wanted to pull out, make his heart bleed in reverence.

Levi was a man that spoke through actions, however.

Your fingers intertwined when he aligned himself with your entrance, searching your face to which you gave a permissing nod. He entered you carefully, adoring every microexpression, every reaction of yours when he started at a slow pace.

Even in his current state, his skill lacked nothing from his former peak: It was as if you could feel his hands and lips were everywhere at once, hitting all of your weak spots as if your body was a map he had learned by heart.

"I love you."

Your pupils were blown wide at his declaration, those words you had already long since made peace with to never hear coming out of his mouth.

A look that could only be described as pure affection plastered on his face, kissing along your collarbone up to your ear. "I love you, Y/N" he speaks again, more firmly now and smiling sincere as never before now that this self-inflicted weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders. "Always did."

Tears dwelled in your eyes, vocal cords lost their ability to form anything else than sobs and moans as your lips found his again, smiling against his mouth.

Words were never needed when it came to the bond of you and Levi, after all.

As his thrusts became more clumsy, ragged breaths whispering sweet affirmations barely audible to your ear, burying his hips against your pelvis as he rode you through your high. He followed closely after you came undone, stiling above you without any intend to leave this sweet escape he found in your arms.

Your hands rested on his shoulder blades when he felt safe enough to collapse in front of you, his head lying on your chest as your heartbeat soothed him just like back then.

He was alive. And you were his.

"Please" you sniveled, anxiety preventing you to endulge in the afterwaves of your ebbing high, "Never leave again."

You clung to him for dear life, limbs entangled as if he was just a pleasant dream that would disappear as soon as you dared letting go.

That moment Levi made an oath to himself: No matter his insecurities, for the rest of his life he'd dedicate to become the man you see in him.

There was a lot to make up for.

"If you'll have me."

[hypostatic-oath]

I'm so happy you like my ask (this is long overdue).

I bet that the people of Fontaine are very happy because i have been doing nothing but hanging out with the Melusine instead of doing the archon quest(though that will eventually come to an end soon). I also bet that new laws/regulations are being proposed because the amount of wacky stuffs the Traveler and their companions is up to all the time. Imagine you just joined the Traveler's team and your first experience is watching a forest watcher beat up some of Fontaine's local legends lmao (and after your recent post, Childe is seething if he learned of this).

Can i be 🚬 anon?(unless you don't do that here)

Named anons? On my blog? Omg I feel honored - of course you can be 🚬 anon! Welcome :D

New laws being proposed because of the traveler is amazing. It has the same vibe as that gliding law in Mondstadt about taking off using anemo slimes (yes, it works, no, it is not very useful as far as I know. I don't even remember if you get an achievement), because you KNOW there's a story behind it, someone must have tried it and it must've gone very, very wrong, and the wacky circumstances that lead to the creation of new laws would be hilarious to witness.

However, on a more serious note, Wriothesley and Neuvillette would be grappling with the issue of teleportation - how do you arrest someone who can simply just... leave? It doesn't matter how secure a prison is if a bored entity can just take control of one of the prisoners and whisk them away on a whim? Worse yet, since Wriothesley is officially a Vessel, what would happen if an Overseer decided to take control of him and sign official pardons? New rules in the Fortress of Meropide have been implemented - any orders given by the Duke while he is on the team are automatically overruled unless it can be proven that he is acting of his own accord.

I can only imagine how confusing it feels for the newcomers to suddenly join the team and find themselves in the kind of situations the Traveler faces daily... and for the onlookers, of course. "Oh, I wonder who that newcomer is... such a distingushed gentleman, perhaps he's here on business?" "Guys, not to scare you or anything, but that 'distinguished gentleman' dropped a meteor on a crab." "Oh, yes, that huge crab in the-" "No. A regular crab. On the smaller side, even. He just threw a huge meteor at it - didn't even bat an eye. The crab practically disintegrated." "What the hell."

And for those that don't know their teammates - any of the knights of Favonius being placed on a team with Klee know exactly what she's capable of, but someone less familiar with her is about to be shocked. "What in Celestia's name is the Overseer thinking? This is a child, she'll get hu- oh. Oh no."

On the other hand, imagine being a nun-turned-idol, looking to the side to check who your teammates are, and there's the Raiden Shogun standing there as if it's no big deal. A little bird lands on her fingers. She watches it with a wistful expression as it flies away. You look to the other side and see the Dendro Archon chatting with that kind but often drunk bard as if they're old friends. You find yourself in what looks like a domain but soon realise, with no small amount of dread, that you're in the Abyss. At least you have two Archons beside you... Barbatos help you, the challenge has started and there are more monsters than you thought. You're doing your best to keep all your teammates alive - you wouldn't forgive yourself if you were the indirect cause for the fall of a god. So you sing your song and put the hydro circle around your team, but there's just too many enemies, coming from all sides... And then you hear a faint "ehe", and the specters are pulled into a vortex of wind. The Shogun doesn't even need to pull out her signature move, just the swirl reaction the bard has caused is enough. You see him shoot down one of the things with a single Anemo-infused arrow. It dies immediately. He's dealing damage on par with the two Archons on the team. Just what is this bard capable of? Suddenly those rumors about him being Barbatos are starting to seem a little less nonsensical. Surely, it couldn't be true, right? You have half a mind to ask him about it once the four of you exit the Abyss, but as soon as you find yourself outside and able to regain your breath he just gives you a "whoops, gotta go!" and floats away on a wind current you're pretty sure he just created.

Now that I think of it, it'd be fun to imagine how different team dynamics would work - I'll make a separate post for this, but if you've read this far and want to send in asks with your team comps... 👀

[tirralirralirra]

something I love about having read/watched frieren and dungeon meshi concurrently is getting to see that, despite their similar broad genres (fantasy, DND-esque settings, failure op elf girls /lh), they are two very distinct stories that ultimately achieve the same* thematic goal through different narrative means.

like you have frieren's contemplative, almost slice-of-life style storytelling that focuses on how the connections between people make an impact, and how it's beautiful to cherish the memories of those we love, even the small ones (especially the small ones), and that being alive is so, so beautiful because of those things. Then juxtaposing this with the overall narrative of a literal journey to a land beyond in order to meet with the dead, while not losing focus on those that are alive. Frieren as a story takes time to explore the small things that make life beautiful (fields of flowers, the beauty and not the power of magic, stargazing and sunsets with your friends).

and then you have dunmeshi's tight narrative arcs that are built around urgency (saving falin, first from digestion, then from...chimera-ization), but also continually return to the same concept as a core tenet to both the literal narrative structure around meals and the overall story: to eat is a privilege of the living. That there is joy to be found in eating because it means you are alive, that you survived. That taking time to take care of yourself is honoring your life. That death is a part of life through the acts of killing monsters to eat, and that the dungeon's condition where a soul remains tethered to the body is unnatural.

For that last bit, I love how we're just introduced to the concept in the beginning as a bit of world building, something you might just take at face value of, "oh, I guess this is how this works in this story", and over the course of the story the characters start to interrogate that reality, culminating in Marcille's realization at the end that they took death for granted because of the dungeon's condition:

[ID: Manga panel of Marcille looking down in thought and saying "Look, this might sound a little weird, but...I think the entire point of this journey we went on....was learning how to accept death.]

(Panel is from the ehscans version, will update with official eng when the final volume releases)

I also love that the story takes the time to say, look, you can be in a hurry, but you still need to take care of yourself. Eat well, sleep well, What will you achieve in the service of yourself or others if you don't take care of the most basic qualities to survive first? The most recent episode is a good example of that with the focus on shuro vs. laios, and then there's this reinforcement of the idea by the end:

[ID: Dungeon meshi manga page showing Laios, Chilchuck, and Senshi shouting "A balanced diet!!" "R-regulating our daily rhythms!!" "And moderate exercise!!" respectively, followed by the three in various poses in front of the word "VICTORY" and Laios saying "If we watch these three points...we'll naturally work our way to strong bodies!!"]

Anyways this is all very disorganized and I have other things I need to do and I could write a more cohesive, actually organized thought piece on all of this with like, coherent points, but I don't really like to delve into literary analysis on my fandom account. it just lives in my head, rent free. thank you for coming to my ted talk tumblr. don't expect to see more of this, lol.

*I say same goal, which is not to say the only goal. stories can have more than one theme, it's ok if you disagree with me on this, but please bear in mind that I'm speaking very, very broadly.

[winchesterandpie]

Commander Seresin

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x wife!reader

Word Count: 1446

Warnings: sooo self indulgent, insecure reader, feeling inadequate, sweet Jake, lead in to some spiciness at the end, but nothing actually happens

A/N: Do you ever change your tumblr profile pic and then when you're scrolling through your dash, you don't realize it's you? Just me? Ok. Anyways, as you may have guessed from some of my other fics, I have problems with insecurities, so I wrote some Jake being soft and comforting. Enjoy!

You watched Jake glide easily around the pool table, laughing with his fellow aviators. As they’d been kept together at North Island following the uranium mission, he had mellowed out significantly. Now, the snarky comments were more intended in good fun, less sharp. He was still the same man he had always been, just better at sharing pieces of himself, and it had won him solid friendships with the Dagger Squad.

He had gotten a promotion too, one that would be officially presented tomorrow. Lieutenant Commander Seresin. It had a nice ring to it. Though it was also true that you thought your husband’s name generally had a nice ring to it.

Tonight, everyone was celebrating. You had been in an equally celebratory mood mere moments ago, incredibly proud of your husband. Then, when you stepped away to get drink refills for everyone, stepped outside the conversation, it all settled in.

At first, it was fond--an affectionate recollection of everything your husband had accomplished in his career. Then, as the tally of his merits and achievements piled ever higher, you started to wonder what he saw in you. Your own pile of accomplishments felt so small in comparison as to not be worth mentioning.

Even when you had just met, Jake had already flown important missions and graduated from Top Gun. He had only continued to accumulate achievements, while you had… just sort of existed. You were living your life, sure, but you didn’t feel that your life was anything particularly remarkable. Certainly not like his.

You knew Jake saw the slow fall of your smile between knocking stripes into the table’s pockets. To anyone else, it likely would have gone unnoticed, but to Jake, you were an open book. He flashed a wickedly triumphant grin at Javy when he sank the final ball, then excused himself from the tournament. He made his way over to you, pressing a kiss to your forehead in greeting.

“Tired, sweets?” he asked, pulling the smile back to your face. He knew being around so many people, even friends, could be draining for you. Even though that wasn’t the cause of your gloom, it made you feel warm to know he looked out for you. “We can head out for the night if you’re done.”

“Tonight’s about you, sunshine. I can’t very well steal the guest of honor.” You would feel bad if he left the celebration because of you.

“I’ve always been all yours.” The unsaid message there was that he didn’t care about the party. “Ready to go?”

You hesitated for a moment, wavering under his gentle gaze. Finally, you nodded, dropping your head to his shoulder in something akin to defeat. Jake’s arm slid around you, holding you securely to him as he shielded you from view. He gave you as much privacy as he could in the crowded bar. After a moment and a deep breath, you nodded again and pushed yourself off the stool.

He kept you tucked close, waving a quick goodbye to the other pilots as the two of you made your way out of the Hard Deck to his truck. Jake smiled softly at you as he opened the car door and helped you into the seat. After climbing into the driver’s seat and pulling out of the parking lot, he took your hand and he didn’t let go. 

You tried to focus on the feeling of his fingers between yours rather than the thoughts swirling around your head. You didn’t want this night or this promotion to be about you. You knew he loved you. He told you so frequently and showed it even more. You knew, consciously, that he didn’t care about comparing your accomplishments to his, that it didn’t factor even remotely into his love. So, you tried desperately to silence your doubts and push them from your mind.

When you pulled into your driveway, he brought your hand to his lips before letting you go. Often, you would get out of the car yourself and meet him at the front of it, but today, you took the extra time in an attempt to compose yourself. Jake came around to your side, opening the door slowly.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, his green eyes fixed on you. He knew you weren’t, but he also knew that you would come to him in your own time.

And that time was not yet. You just nodded in response to his question, took his offered hand, and let him lead you into the house.

It wasn’t until you were in bed lying on his chest that you finally resigned yourself to telling him. You had been unable to quiet your mind on your own. Ultimately, you knew only he could calm the storm, so you reluctantly spoke up.

“Jake, you…” you started hesitantly, trailing your fingers up his chest. “You are so amazing. You’ve accomplished so many incredible things, and I am so proud of you.” You did mean that, despite everything.

“Thank you,” he replied, kissing your forehead. “I couldn’t do it without you.”

“You’d do just fine,” you snorted a derisive laugh. “You never needed me to be great.”

He let the quiet settle over you for a moment, his fingers trailing up and down along your spine. “What’s this about, pretty girl?” Jake asked at last, deciding that you needed a nudge to open up.

You sighed, your shoulders drooping in his hold. “What do you see in me?”

“I see my wife, the woman I love,” was his easy answer, given with a smile before he watched you more seriously. “What are you asking?”

“You have done so many impressive things, love. The life you lead is so exciting and you’ve accomplished so, so much. I just feel… boring in comparison,” you admitted. “I haven’t done anything particularly cool or noteworthy, and you just keep racking up achievements and commendations.

“And don’t get me wrong,” you continued hurriedly, not wanting him to misinterpret, “I love you so much and I know how hard you work. I am so proud of everything you do. I’m… I’m really sorry this is happening today, I really wanted to just be happy for you. I am happy for you, I promise.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I know,” he reassured softly, his free hand coming up to caress your cheek and tilt your chin up. “I know.” Once he was confident that you didn’t feel like you had to apologize for your feelings, he continued, his gaze never wavering from yours. “You are so not boring. Darlin’, the things you do may not come with the visible rewards and medals, but that doesn’t make them any less worthwhile.”

“But--”

“No buts. Your accomplishments are just as big as mine.” He nudged your nose with his. “Since we met, you have done so much and grown so much. I am so proud of everything you’re becoming. I should tell you that more often.”

The last thing you wanted was for him to feel like he wasn’t doing enough for you. “No, Jake, you don’t--” 

“I should. I will,” he insisted quietly. “I want you to see how amazing you are.”

“You’re always wonderful to me. It’s not your fault my brain is dumb.”

“It’s no one’s fault,” Jake said with a shrug, taking hold of your hand and fiddling with your ring. “I just happen to love you, and I very much enjoy showing you just how much.” His voice roughened at the end, dropping into a familiar low register.

You giggled when he rolled the two of you over, pinning you beneath him as the tension finally seeped out of you. He always seemed to know how to bring you back to yourself. Jake beamed down at you as you laughed, propped up on his elbow. You reached up to trace the side of his face and the smile softened, just a touch.

Then you pushed yourself up so you could kiss him. He kissed you back fiercely, fanning a flame that always burned within you. When he pulled back, it was only for a moment, and then he dipped down to kiss his way down your neck and across your collarbones. Your fingers wound through his hair as your back arched up into him.

“Jake,” you groaned, utterly breathless. No matter how many years you had spent together, he could always take you apart so effortlessly.

He returned to your lips, murmuring your name in the same tone. “Let me love you tonight, baby.”

“Your wish is my command, Commander Seresin.” You winked at him

“Y’know, I’m liking that promotion more and more.”

[drakaripykiros130ac]

“Errors were made in the hours following King Viserys’ death.”

So much said through that line alone in the teaser. It would have been more believable to have Otto’s voice trembling while saying it.

By errors, he should mean the multiple crimes the greens have committed. Kidnapping, seizure, theft and murder for starters. I mean Otto himself hanged Lord Caswell for the simple suspicion that he was leaving to warn Queen Rhaenyra of her father’s death and the usurpation.

But that’s not what Otto meant. He doesn’t give a damn and in no way acknowledges the crimes his faction committed. What he meant was that the murder of Lucerys before a war had even officially begun, would give the Blacks just cause to retaliate. And he knew perfectly well that this is the opportunity Daemon had been waiting for.

Daemon had wanted to gut him for many years, and now that there was no Viserys to stop him, Daemon would come for all the Hightowers. And what’s more, Lucerys’ murder gives the Blacks the right to shed some Hightower blood and be perfectly justified for it.

I have seen posts with people blaming Rhaenyra for Lucerys’ death (the absurdity of it!)

First of all, at the time, no official war had been declared. Rhaenyra was even considering peace terms.

Secondly, Jacaerys and Lucerys were sent as envoys, not soldiers in battle. What certain people fail to understand is that even in war, there is a code of honor to be respected. You warn the enemy in advance that you intend to declare war, for starters. Another important aspect - envoys are not soldiers! Therefore, envoys are not to be harmed. Borros Baratheon understood that, and even he tried to protect Lucerys from Aemond’s wrath.

The boy was sent as an envoy, and as such, especially when war had not yet been declared, should be given safe passage back home.

Aemond went after him on a dragon 50 times the size of Lucerys’ and directly attacked him. Lucerys was murdered in cold blood before he could reach home from his mission.

Rhaenyra did not send her sons to their deaths. They are not babies. They are teens, on dragonback, sent with messages to the great Lords of the Realm. Jacaerys is a perfect example of a successful envoy. He did his job well and secured the support of the Vale and the North (who have the most powerful armies in Westeros).

Lucerys was unlucky to find Aemond at Storm’s End. How was Rhaenyra to know that the psycho would be there or that he would dare break a code of honor, attack and murder a child sent as an envoy?

Alicent clearly didn’t instill any honor and decency in her own sons, regardless how much she preaches those two qualities. Shows what a terrible mother she is.

Did she do as Rhaenyra did before sending Aemond to Storm’s End? Did she tell him that he is to go there as an envoy and not take part in any fighting, because no war has yet been declared? Did she tell him the importance of respecting a code of honor? I doubt it. But even if she had done so, I doubt Aemond would have listened to her now. She should have raised him right when he was a child and told him a few things, like:

1. It’s not ok to hit young girls

2. It’s not ok to insult someone’s recently deceased parents!

3. Throwing the word “bastard” around is dangerous

Oh and…

4. Outright killing an envoy gives the opposing side the right to wage war and spill blood as well!!!

Alicent really is “mother of the year”, isn’t she? Maybe she could have used the time she spent rubbing her feet for Larys’ pleasure to actually educate her children.

So yeah, all the “errors” made will cost the greens greatly. It will cost their entire bloodline.

For all Daemon and Rhaenyra lost themselves, they still won and achieved what they set out to do: they eliminated the greens’ bloodline and ensured the Iron Throne for their own children and descendants for the rest of the Targaryen dynasty.

[gojonish]

ＨＡＬＡＺＩＡ || ˢᵃᵗᵒʳᵘ ᵍᵒʲᵒ

𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨

pairing: satoru gojo x fem!reader

content: suicidal thoughts, deep emotions, angst+fluff, not proofread

note: this is based on the song halazia by ateez. definitely recommend giving a listen cause it's so so good.

People in your clan used to say you were a blessing.

Keywords: used to

You were the ace of your clan, with your incredible smarts and astonishing physical capabilities at such a young age, you were seen to be a promising sorcerer for society. You brought a great deal of honor to your family‘s name and because of this, you were viewed at a higher rank than most girls your age. Your family couldn’t be more proud of you.

Until that night- the night you got cursed.

When you were three months away from attending Tokyo Jujustu High, you had eaten a cursed object in order to gain strength to save a close friend of yours from a powerful curse.

Your friend still ended up dying and you were left with a special grade curse inside of you.

Instead of your family members helping you, they sold you to the Jujutsu World, forgetting all the previous achievements you brought and officially exiling you. You were placed in the hands of the higher-ups, where they locked you in a cramped cell as you awaited to be executed.

Well, supposed to be executed.

It wasn't until a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Yaga Masamichi was his name, convinced the higher-ups that he'll take care of you and the curse inside of you. He proposed that if he didn't get you under control in three months, then he'll allow the execution to proceed.

Spoiler alert: You were allowed to live since he helped you control your curse. It wasn’t easy, but you had worked hard.

However, that still didn't dismiss the fact that you still had a curse inside of you and were seen as abnormal by your family and clan. No, an abnormal to everyone in the Jujutsu World.

You hated it. You hated everyone. You hated yourself.

If you hadn't eaten that special-grade object, if you had been selfish and let your friend die anyway, then you wouldn't be in this predicament. You wouldn’t have to attend Tokyo Jujutsu High being viewed as a ticking time bomb, waiting to be exploded. You wouldn’t be sitting by yourself in the back of the classroom or having to stay after school once a week to get your curse checked.

However, halfway through the year, you were moved to the second-year class, since Yaga was the one teaching that one. It turns out the first-year teacher was too scared to be in the same room as you. It was fine though, you were smart and Yaga didn’t think it was a huge problem to move you.

You knew these kids were going to treat you the same. They were going to detach themselves from you and make you feel worthless. You wanted to die. You should’ve gotten executed. You had nothing to live for anymo-

“Hey there!”

You looked up from your desk to see a boy around your age, looming down from where you were sitting.

He looked kind yet not put together. His white hair had obviously not been brushed and his sunglasses were tilted on his perfect nose.

He was hot.

“Hey, Suguru! We got a new girl in our class and she looks better than Shoko!” The boy spoke to the front of the classroom, where you had just noticed another boy was present there as well.

“I heard that, you asshole!” The voice you guessed was Shoko yelled outside the classroom.

“Don’t mind her, she doesn’t know any better,” The boy took a seat next to you, taking off his round glasses to reveal his bright blue eyes, “How does it feel to be in the same class as ‘The Gojo Satoru.’”

You had heard about him from others. The boy who was born with the power of infinity and his six eyes. He was an enigma to the Jujutsu Would, hell he was someone you had wanted to meet for a long time.

You saw him eyeing you and said, “Hmm, you got a curse inside of you?”

That snapped you out of your train of thought when he asked that so casually.

“Uh, yeah…” You looked down, playing with your fingers nervously.

“Hmm,” He grabbed your face with one hand, smushing your cheeks together, “Interesting.”

You swatted his hands away from your face, “What the-“

“Alright, it’s settled! You’re a part of our group now!”

You stared at the boy, no, no he’s an idiot now.

You stared at the idiot in front of you, his wide smile flashing back at you. You could feel your eye twitching.

“Why me?” You asked.

“Because you seem cool. C’mon, don’t you wanna have a little fun in life?” He winked at you and you could feel your heart skip a beat.

“Uh, I mean-“

“Come on,” He grabbed your arm gently but still hard enough to drag you out of the classroom. “I’ll be back guys, I gotta show the new girl our hangout spot!”

You furrowed your eyebrows, “Don’t we have class soon?”

“Oh, Mr. Yaga can wait a bit,” He stuck his tongue out at you and winked again.

You should probably let go of his hand, and you probably should go back to class before Yaga gives you a scolding. However, you felt entranced by the way Gojo’s fluffy hair would bounce as you two ran through the halls and how his pale skin slightly turned red as you both entered the cold outdoors.

“We’re almost there,” he said, pointing to a tree in the distance, “It’s that way.”

You nodded and after a few minutes, you were in front of the tree you saw earlier. It would obviously die soon, the brown branches holding for its dear life and the absence of flowers on the tree.

“It’s a cherry blossom. It’s cliche, I know,” Gojo stated. “They don’t bloom until March, so sorry you don’t get to see our hideout at its full glory.”

“It’s not really a hideout if it’s fifty feet from the school.” You pointed to a window that was probably your classroom, “They could most likely see us from here.”

“Hey!” He scolded, “Let me have my imagination! It’s an amazing and secret hideout where we chill.”

You only deadpanned at him and glanced at the dead tree in front of you again, noticing the bark slowly chipping away, “It’s not going to bloom this year.”

“Huh? Yes it is.”

“No, it’s not. It’s actually going to die this year.”

"How are you so sure?"

"Do you see the state it's in?"

"And do you not know how trees work?"

You rolled your eyes at this pointless bickering, "The branches are frail, the wood is weakening, and probably in the next storm, it'll fall down. The point is, it's going to die."

Instead of hearing another refute from the boy, he only chuckled. He patted the tree's wood and smiled, "This tree has been around for a while. It always gets like this in the winter." He walked up to you, "However, with the right nutrients and care, this tree grows to be a wonderful sight. It may look crappy now, but it'll look really pretty once the sun comes out more often."

You only blinked at his somewhat inspirational message and thought about what he had said. The sun will make this tree look better, huh? You eyed it nervously and then looked back at Gojo.

"I know what you're thinking," He started, "You're scared to start over in this class. You think we're going to be against you and isolate you."

Your eyes widened as he basically read your mind, "How did you-"

"I may have six eyes but I can also study people pretty well," He winked. "I'll have you know that I'm not scared of the curse inside of you. I'm Gojo Satoru! I'm not scared of anything."

He patted your head and bent down to your level to reach your eyes, "So, don't worry. I don't care if some random underclassmen are scared of you, if the teachers don't like you, or if the higher-ups want to kill you. If the whole world is against you, I'll be the one by your side."

You could feel your face heating up as you processed his words. He was the first student- the first person besides Yaga that actually believed in you. That didn't care you had a curse inside of you. Before you could stop it, tears started falling down your face.

"Whoa! Did I say something wrong?" You could see him panicking and then you laughed.

"No, no, you said the right thing. Thank you," You smiled at him. Your heart hadn't felt this warm in ages.

As you wiped the tears from your eyes, Gojo was still thinking about that smile you flashed him after you thanked him. He talked to you at first cause he thought you were interesting- someone with a curse that he could tease in his free time. However, now that he really looked at you and your gorgeous face, he realized that he wanted to keep you around, as a best friend. He gave you a smile back and rubbed your shoulder.

After you put yourself together, you cleared your throat, "Well, I'll be watching to see if the tree looks as good as you say it will in the spring."

He winked, "Trust me, it'll bloom so beautifully this year that you'll never want to leave. I promise."

And months later, when the weather began to warm up and the animals awoke from their deep slumber, the tree in all its glory, bloomed bright pink flowers. As you stood in front of it and saw the sun beaming down on it, you couldn't help but smile.

"What'd I tell you?" A smirking Satoru teased next to you.

"Yeah, yeah you were right," You rolled your eyes and smiled at the boy next to you. "Thank you, Gojo."

"Pshhh, I barely took care of this tree. It was all nature's doing."

You wanted to tell him that you were thanking him for bringing you out of the darkness, but you decided to keep that to yourself.

Because for once in your life, after receiving your curse, you felt like you had something to live for. Your sun.

[ganseysglasses]

In honor of the X-Men resurrurgance here is a comprehensive list of raven cycle characters favorite mutants and why:

Gansey’s favorite is Angel and I feel very strongly about this for a few reasons. The first being the fact that they both have ridiculously long names (Richard Campbell Gansey III, Warren Worthington III). I feel like Gansey could appreciate that shared struggle. Angel has also died and been resurrected before but came back different™️, just like Gansey did twice. They’re both very dynamic characters that like to hide their true nature/true feelings and Gansey would really love to read about Warren. Gansey would also just think the wings are cool.

Blues favorite is obviously Rogue. Aside from the obvious of neither of them really being able to kiss their love interests, Rogue is just super cool and I feel like Blue would love her. She’s got funky hair, a cool accent, and isn’t afraid to speak her mind and Blue can get behind all of that. I feel like it would also be super reassuring for Blue to see a character with a similar “curse” as hers find a happy ending and still get to live a life full of love and adventure and travel and have fun.

Ronans favorite in my opinion is Jubilee. This was really hard to decide but I have evidence and this feels like the right choice. Obviously Ronan would think that the fireworks and explosions and her powers are super cool. I also feel like she would remind Ronan of Matthew. Jubilee comes from a complicated family that reports her for being a mutant in what they think is the best move for her, and then they’re later killed leaving her officially an orphan. The Lynch brothers were removed from their home and their mother in what their father deemed the best option as per his will, and then they’re also basically orphaned. I think Ronan could really resonate and appreciate all the joy she brings despite all that.

Choosing Adam’s favorite mutant has been insanely hard. I’m still not 100% confident in this at all. I think Adam’s favorite would be Magneto though. Both of them were dealt horrible cards in life and have done what they needed to protect themselves. Adam is no stranger to struggling with power dynamics because of his financial problems and how people view him for that. It somewhat reminds me of Magnetos fight for mutant freedom and how far he’s willing to go to achieve it. I think Adam would appreciate Magneto’s dedication to a cause willingness to bend laws and morals to do so. And once again, just the fact that he has super cool abilities. Using metal like that would be so useful at his job. This one was so hard.

Noah’s favorite is 100% without a doubt Iceman, Bobby Drake. Not only would Noah appreciate the fact that both of them could make jokes about why their hands are always cold, but he would also relate to his role in the plot of every x-men comic/movie/show. Bobby is typically boiled down to a comic relief character and any development that he undergoes or issue he struggles with goes unnoticed in some way by those around him. He does have good friends though, and a support system that he values more than anything when he needs them, which I believe Noah would love.

Final note: Gansey and Blue are sooooo Scott and Jean. Henry is Logan. I don’t take questions about this.

[viaviv124]

Cotl Unity AU

Okay because we all know i will never start, let alone finish, writing this we'll do the same i did with the orphan AU and give a plot summary. I won't go too much into the politcs of shit here, many outside relationships that arent crucial or make time to explain small easter eggs/gags i put in so feel free to ask if you wanna know! I'd love to yap more! Same goes for questions in general!

Alright lets start!

So there's this country/kingdom called Dagas and the royal family, currently consisting of 5 siblings, the oldest taking the crown as the monarch/ruler, are viewed as gods and worshipped by the church. Narinder is the 3rd prince and 23 years old. He's pretty invested in the military and handles a lot of politics having to do with fighting, earning him the title God/Prince of death (allthough this also comes from his ruthlessness and cold demeanor). One day Shamura tells him he's betrothed and that his fiance will arrive in two weeks, that day being a royal ball to publically announce it. Narinder tries to fight this arrangement but fails, much to his dismay. The decision is final. He knows nothing about his fiance, only that they're slightly younger than him, allthough still an adult.

The ball comes, Narinder is not amused and keeps ranting to his siblings, and around an hour or two in a carriage arrives and the guards escort the fiance inside, a lamb in precious, simple white robes and a red camelia in their wool. They bow in front of Narinder, introducing themself as Nanda from Venzor, a rather small village. They're a commoner, Narinder is less than thrilled, allthough for appearances he gives himself as charming and interested, allthough his face is deadpan for the crowd cannot see it. He extends a hand and Nanda kisses it, not recieving the same courtesy back allthough he should've. Narinder tells them to rise and despite eye-ing Narinder for a split moment, Nanda smiles politely and says how much of an honor it is for them to stand in front of him like this, allthough lowkey passive agressively. Narinder takes that personal and decides he doesn't like them even more. They have a dance because, again, appearances, and allthough Nanda cannot dance they manage to keep up impressively well. During dinner with the rest of the royal siblings it is revealed that the reason for this engagement is that Nanda is indirectly from the church. Allthough not officially a priest, they've caused a small, abandoned church in their village to blossom and bloom, causing even a lot of travelers to move to this village in order to devote themselves to faith. Nanda's talent/achievements within the church, which is lowkey controlling the loyalty of the commoners torwards the royals hence why it's so important, combined with their sharp wit it would be a good match with Narinder's military upbringing. Narinder doesn't protest but silently hopes that Nanda will just be an obedient believer who won't get in his way.

And that works, for the first week or so they do as they're told, work wise, and everything seems fine. Until Nanda realized/learned they can be casual around the royals, they cannot get rid of them or harm them unless they commit a respective crime, so they start relaxing and showing it in their attitude. What pushes it over the edge for Narinder is that Nands dared ordering him around. Well actually they just asked him if he could get something for them he was closer to but alas, who is to understand the mind of that prideful cat? (Nandas words) From that day on none of them held back. They bicker and bicker with no end, every so often it'd escalate into a fistfight too. They can barely sit in room together without one deciding to provocate the other for absolutely no reason. And hence their dynamic is born.

Around a month since Nanda arrived Narinder has to leave for a week or two. When he comes back and steps out of the carriage or leaves the ship or something everywhere around them are screams of pain and agony. It is caused by Nandas hand, ss they've killed people that seemed previously hidden. Once the acts are committed Nanda goes blank with this horrifyingly odd look in their eyes, making everone believe they lost it. They didnt hurt anyone else though and they didn't resist arrest. Narinder, accompanied by a guard for safety, decided to interrogate Nands himself. They reveal that these people were plotting to kill Narinder the moment he came back, providing a few letters exchanged in secret by the perpetrators they managed to steal as evidence. They never intended to kill them, but they couldn't help but see red. If they should be executed for their crimes they won't resist. Narinder believes their story and demands Nanda free. When asked for his reasoning he says that these letters were the real deal, for he knows Nandas handwriting enough to say so. Nanda saved his life so they get pardoned. Narinder doesn't understand why this drove Nanda so far they could only see red, this starts changing his view of them ever so slightly positively, allthough this doesnt stop their constant fighting.

Their normal life goes on until 2 months later they have to go to Venzor, Nanda's hometown, for various reasons. There Narinder meets Ratau, Nandas mentor and the one who arranged the engagement together with Shamura, allthough Nanda didn't find out until the day they had to leave. In general Narinder meets a huge culture shock, for as the common folk seem to greatly respect Nanda, calling them leader (which they've only seen Corey do sometimes) and in turn treating Narinder all casually despite being aware of his Status. During their stay he sees a very kind and mature side of Nanda, also seeing their skill in delivering sermons and in general doing work preists usually learn their whole lifes to do. On their trip they also need to clear out a nearby forest of monsters, creatures that greatly plague Dagas' safety and that Narinder frequently goes fight for a hobby. There he learns that Nanda is not only skilled with swords and daggers but also posesses black magic, making him re-evaluate each time they fought and in theory they could've just ended him right there.

In general both of them they realize they make a great team and work greatly together, be it about their actual work or fighting together. Especially after their visit to Venzor they also fight less. (allthough still very frequently, this is just their thing. Most of the malice is gone.)

Narinder learns Nanda is plagued by nightmares around two weeks after they return home. He found that out because he demands small cuddle sessions every now and then (obviously totally not romantic at all or anything, the grumpy kitty just needs his big plushy). Surprisingly the nightterrors become less when Nanda's with him so they end up sharing his bed. Over the span of the next 2 or 3 months the two of them (allthough mainly nanda) open up more in general, telling the other personal things and things that trouble them. For Nanda this includes telling Narinder their nightmares and that their birth family is dead. Over that time the two of them also begin sleeping with eachother on a regular basis.

For the next bit i have a semi-written out scene, with that i mean dialogue, so here you go:

It's late at night. Nanda is prone to overworking themself, especially just working deep into the night, and this day is no other. Narinder enters their office, leaning at the doorframe. "Come to bed." Nanda shakes their head "I need to finish this." Irritation starts filling the prince's voice, allthough with no real heat "I am not repeating myself, lamb." "What, can't sleep without me?" "I've no use for someone sleep deprived." A scoff "I don't need to be useful to you." "As a commoner thats your purpose, even more as a religious figure. You’re supposed to devote yourself to me." "Baah, i never did that. It’s dumb. I just use the scriptures as my own and take from it what i want and need. Now be quiet and follow your own advice and go to bed, prideful cat." "Excuse me?" "You heard me." Despite the bickering Narinder's interest was piqued. After a bit back and forth he gets Nanda to elaborate, who proceeds to tell him their story. Nanda grew up in a small village, not Venzor, with their family. However, that place was pillaged when they were around 12. From their family they are the only survivor and had to flee. In order to survive they had to resort to theft and violence, also getting with some very bad people i won't get into here. This went on for around 3 years when they met Ratau. He took them in and brought them the holy scriptures closer, saying that he himself also doesn't believe in the gods but that the morals and allthat are good to follow if you have nothing else to believe in. Surprisingly this worked for Nanda too and they got a lot better, the traveling with someone trusted who wouldn't hurt them also helped. Eventually they came across Venzor, a small miserable village. Nanda decided to teach the people what Ratau taught them, that even if they don't believe in the gods they could take whenever they need for courage, comfort and guidance from the scriptures. The people found hope in that and the rest is history. As Nanda was talking Narinder moved to the chair himself, keeping the lamb on his lap. They kept talking, telling stories of their travels or telling anecdotes from the villagers etc. As they were talking they finally fell asleep. Carefully Narinder took them to bed, holding them especially close that night.

From then it only took like a month before the two of them finally admit their feelings. They're on the balcony of Naridners (by extension Nandas, they barely use their own room anymore) chambers on a beautiful, moonlit night. Nanda is very deeply in love with Narinder, but still believes Narinder dislikes theme so they keep quiet, the prideful prince however has run out of patience and decides to do it right then and there. He kisses Nanda tenderly, saying "There is no need for me to proclaim my love, as you are already destined to be mine to wed." Nanda tears up and hugs Narinder tightly. They kiss once more, then Nanda sobs in Naridners shoulder, then they kiss again. It was a very happy and tender night for both of them and the first day or two they full on embraced the honeymoon phase, actually going without bickering. However, they very quickly return to the status quo because that's just their thing and how they're the most comfortable.

Around 3 weeks later the two of them go to yet another crusade, that's how they call their monster hunting, and they come across a small, dilapidated village. They're on guard as they look around, allthough no soul is to be seen. Not until a man comes to them with painful cries. His soul is damned and incased in darkness. He begs for help and mercy. Narinder is ready to strike, as this old man is about to turn into a monster sooner or later, but Nanda stops him. They turn to the man and extend a hand, cleansing his soul with their magic. He thanks them very much before quickly leaving this damned place. Not long after a bigger crowd of damned people drag torwards Nanda, begging to be healed to. Selflessly they do so. By the end of it around 200 people are cleansed and went on their way, meanwhile Nanda's own light left their body, leaving their body slowly blackening as they collapse. Alarmed Narinder catches them in time and rushes back to the palace. They won't wake up and each healer, each cleric, declares they cannot be saved. They had sold their soul for black magic, this is the consequence for the magic kept gnawing at Nanda's soul and this overexersion made their fate final. They won't survive this. Narinder is heartbroken and doesnt leave their side. He barely eats, won't talk to anyone, he just stays as Nanda'a side, holding their cold hand or body tightly. On the fourth night Narinder recieves an anonymous letter. The letter talks about how there is a cure, but people using light magic deem it as unethical, as it requires a new soul, be it through sacrifice or a shared one. It requires the soul of someone very close to the afflicted, like family, very close friends or a lover, as a stronger connection will increase the success rate. Unless an entire soul is given no one will die. If Narinder is willing to do this, all he has to do is break the tooth in the envelope. The letter is signed with "the teeth in the darkness". Without much hesitation Narinder breaks the tooth. The next day he wakes up next to Nanda, they still show no sign of waking up but their body feels warmer and the blackening went back. Sorrowfully he whispers “how dare you leave me after i’ve finally made you mine? You promised to stay, yet you’re a liar.”, words he has said multiple times since Nanda fell ill, that now feel even heavier. Around an hour goes by, Narinder lets no one inside as he mourns his lover, when suddenly their breath slowly speeds up again. They move. Slowly they wake up. Narinder embraces them tightly. Both cry. It is a very overwhelming and emotionally raw moment.

Nanda makes a full recovery and the wedding is held a few months after.

And that's pretty much it! Again, in the background is a lot more going on but this is already long enough. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

[mikeywayarchive]

Photo: Jawn Rocha

Mikey Way debuts his Dark Horse Comics series, Christmas 365

Anna Zanes | July 24, 2024

Full article under the cut:

It might still be sunny out, but Mikey Way is stuck on Christmas. Alongside co-writer Jonathan Rivera and illustrator Piotr Kowalski, with Brad Simpson on colors, the My Chem guitarist-cum-graphic novelist (Electric Century, Collapser) has announced Christmas 365, an upcoming series with Dark Horse Comics, also home to Gerard Way’s Paranoid Gardens and The Umbrella Academy. This oddly feel-good story, bizarre and magical as it is loaded with gallows humor, follows the arc of Peter Rockwell and his family as they navigate the treacherous holiday season, aided by some words of wisdom from a strip mall Santa. Way describes the surreal satire astutely: “Like most kids growing up, I would often fantasize, ‘What if [Christmas] never had to end?’ That very thought was what sparked this story.” Though it's got the spirit of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the kooky suburban charm of Better Off Dead — this team has created a series that’s fresh, surprising, a bit spooky, and entirely their own. 

In speaking to their process, AP connected with co-writers Way and Rivera. “Finally being able to tell this story is a real dream come true! The idea came about a decade ago, and there were plenty of starts and stops in the process,” Way shares. “Putting it in comic form felt like the perfect way to tell the story exactly how we envisioned it after so many years of wanting to share it with the world. Let's be honest, I don't think there's a kid alive who hasn't wished Christmas would never end. Haven't we all fantasized about it being something we got to live day after day?” He continues, “I saw this as an opportunity to tell a funny but heartfelt story, in the vein of all of the classic ’80s and ’90s Christmas movies that I loved so much. I remember watching Home Alone and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation back to back one night and wondering, ‘What story is left to tell?’ An hour or two later, the framework for Christmas 365 was born.”

The connection between co-writers has been an ongoing one, though this project sees it come to fruition. “It's been really fulfilling getting to finally write a story with Jonathan Rivera, who is one of my best friends — I think we've known each other over 20 years now,” Way says. As for the rest of the highly experienced team, “Piotr Kowalski and Brad Simpson brought the story to life exactly as we imagined, giving it the feel and imagery of a ’90s Christmas movie through and through. Daniel Chabon has been a terrific editor to work with and really helped us keep the story focused. I am sure this goes without saying, but it has been a real honor to be able to put out a comic under the Dark Horse banner. The folks over there have always been super kind and supportive to me, and have a rich history with my brother. So to be joining the ‘family’ with my own story to tell is pretty surreal!” 

Rivera, also known for Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye, adds, “Mikey and I had been talking about this story for a while, but it really started to come together as a comic during the pandemic. We’re living in stressful times, so it felt so cathartic to work on such a sweet and strange story about forgiveness and spending time with the people we love. It’s also the type of story we rarely see in comics, and that made me really excited as well.” 

For the writer, a goal has been achieved with this project. Dark Horse has long been a northern star in the industry for Rivera, who caps the chat off with, “I’ve been a fan of Dark Horse comics since I picked up their first Aliens vs. Predator miniseries as a kid. I later worked with them when I ran the official Myspace for The Umbrella Academy back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. So it brings me great joy to come home again with a book that means so much to me!”

Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse Comics

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Yandere vs yandere with two different ending

How would Sebek and Silver be when they competing for getting Crewle daughter hand in marriage or courting?

Since they are old fastion they court differently compared to people outside of the Valley of thorns

The Duel for Your hand | Sebek Zigvolt vs Silver Vanrouge

Your right they do court differently

And they have some of the most unreliable people cheering them on

Malleus is giving his earnest outdated opinion

Lilia is just in it for laughs 

To a degree he is seriously cheering them on but he knows in the end it can’t really hold a candle to your opinion

If it weren’t for Silver’s compassion they would have done this in front of you

But they won’t, instead they’ll have Malleus and Lilia bare witness

The two only start to worry when the boys both get a little to into it

I most definitely see them inviting Crewel off-record to watch

Your father isn’t one to just give his approval to the baddest brute 

But he is taking it into account when they officially ask

Silver Vanrouge’s Ending 

He’s agile 

He’s smart 

And he’s the goodest boy

When he wins he immediately is praised by his father

Who might have forgotten by now that this is a really really old way to gain a woman’s affection 

“Go on, you have to tell her!”

He actually falls asleep first 

Leaving him to wake up to you, who had been invited to their battle ground unexpectedly

“Silver what have I said about sleeping in dirt? Didn’t you cherish the peacock plumed pillow, where is it?”

Once he answers and you two start idle chatter

He smile widely as he recalls his achievement

“I won!” 

“Excuse me?”

“I won the duel against Sebek for your hand!”

“...so?”

“So? I mean no disrespect…but it is the way this typically goes, right? Or at least that's what Father said.”

“Sweetheart, it's been over a century since that kind of practice went out of date. The only approval you really need now is mine.”

“Then may I ask for your hand in marriage?”

“You may, after we officially start dating of course.”

“Yes, please!”

Crewel might’ve been secretly rooting for him 

And when he eventually does have Silver asking for approval 

He’ll give it to him

“I was under the impression, your sleepy disposition meant you were an airhead unoccupied but your duel showed me otherwise. I expect you will protect her with that same vigor I watched you fight with.”

“Of course, sir! I plan to protect her with all my might!”

“Good boy.”

Sebek Zigvolt Ending 

Where Silver’s nimble 

Sebek has power

Power that ultimately beats Silver

Now at this point Lilia will try to help him

Keyword: try

“AS SUCH I WOULD PREVAIL! (Y/N)’S HAND IS MINE!” 

He’ll run off the grounds shouting and cheering 

He’s so busy tooting his own horn he’s completely oblivious to the atmosphere 

“Dogs with barking problems need a muzzle.”

While Crewel is groaning under his breath as he retreats to rage in his room fill out some paperwork

Meanwhile Sebek is proudly stomping to where you are completely unaware of the way people are disturbed by his loud presence

“(Y/n)! I HAVE PROPERLY DUELED FOR YOUR HAND AGAINST SILVER AND I HAVE WON! NOW SHALL WE UNITE IN BRIAR VALLEY OR QUEENDOM OF ROSES?”

“Sebek…what are you talking about?”

“THE DUEL FOR YOUR HAND IN MARRIAGE! YOUR FATHER GIVES HIS APPROVAL FOR OUR UNION!”

“Sebek, you do realize that nowadays you don’t have to fight anyone…you can just ask me.”

“But I’ve already pledged! And I beat him!”

“That doesn’t mean anything compared to my words. Are you suggesting that my opinion doesn’t matter?”

“NO! Not in the slightest! I apologize for assuming! It is my own hubris that makes me overstep to think you could ever want to be with me!”

He kneels wanting to kiss your shoe

“I wouldn’t be against it if you were to court me, by modern standards that is.”

“IT’D BE AN HONOR…but I will admit when it comes to modern courting…I am not very familiar.”

“No worries, I can guide you.”

“THAT’S EXACTLY LIKE YOU (Y/N)-SAMA! I’M HONORED TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY!”

Such a worshipper 

You could probably keep him on a leash like this for years

An option Crewel would very much prefer

Expect him to defend your honor in every situation

Like when someone insults you

Or questions why you’ve been dating so long

Or any compliment towards you that makes him insecure which is quite a few

Sebek will eventually grow on Crewel who will still maintain that he doesn’t like him

“I still think you need a muzzle.”

[khaire-traveler]

How To Get Started With Deities - A Beginner's Guide

***GIF depicts Hermes from Destripando la Historia on YouTube.***

***DISCLAIMER: This information is largely based on personal experience. When I use sources, I will include them at the end. If something doesn't sit well with you, you don't have to do it. This is all a suggestion and is just meant to help anyone who may be feeling a bit lost on where to start with deity work or worship (there is a difference between those things).***

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First thing's first... Deity Work vs. Deity Worship

What is Deity Work exactly? Deity work is the process of engaging with a deity to achieve a specific outcome. For example, let's say you're a follower of Dionysus, and you began working with him to cope with something in healthy ways. You are working with Dionysus to achieve something specific, classifying this as deity work.

What is Deity Worship exactly? Deity worship is venerating or praising a deity; you are not working with them to achieve an outcome. For example, let's use you as a follower of Dionysus again. You make offerings to him, for no specific reason, and even consider yourself Hellenic, meaning you subscribe to a particular religion. You are not working with Dionysus to make progress toward a specific goal; you're simply worshipping and honoring him, gifting him offerings, and singing his praises. This would be classified as deity worship.

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So You Feel a Deity Reaching Out...

What are some ways to tell if a deity is trying to contact you? This is a difficult question to answer, honestly speaking, because how a deity contacts you or sends you signs varies from person to person. It rarely looks the same for people. However, there are some common ways a deity will present themselves. They are as follows:

Having dreams that depict them or their symbols

Seeing animals, or animal symbols, associated with them

Feeling inexplicably connected to or pulled toward them

Enjoying the same things they happen to have domain over

Seeing representations or images of them consistently

Getting strong gut feelings about them

Can I reject a deity's offer/can a deity reject my offer? Simply put, yes, absolutely. Deities will respect the boundaries you set with them, and in turn, you should do the same. If you don't wish to work with or worship a deity, you don't have to. Likewise, it's ok if a deity doesn't want to work with you or have you worship them (although I haven't heard of a deity rejecting worship before, honestly). You are never required to accept. If you plan on rejecting a deity's offer, however, I advise giving them proper notice so that they're aware of your choice.

What if a deity isn't reaching out but I want to work with/worship them? This is perfectly normal, and it's important to mention that sometimes, you make the first move which is okay. There is nothing wrong with you taking the first step in a deity relationship (relationship having no particular connotation, in this context).

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How to Get Started...

What should my first steps be? In forming a deity relationship, I think there's a lot of preparation that goes into things before you officially start interacting with them. Of course, you're welcome to just start off with direct interaction right away, but I don't suggest it. Before anything, I suggest doing your research.

What kinds of things should I research? I recommend researching topics such as the deity's mythology, the experiences of their other followers, their associations and common correspondences, and the culture they stem from. This may seem like a lot, but you don't have to dive into serious depth unless you'd like to. I recommend learning at least the basics of each topic, so as not to overwhelm yourself with information. It's also important to note that some deities have more information than others; you may not find a wealth of information on your deity, in which case, I'd focus more on their cultural history and the experiences of their followers.

Cool, now what? Now all you need to do is get ready to make first contact! What you'll need:

An offering (or several; it's your choice)

And that's it, really! You don't need anything else unless you're able to afford it or are open about your practices. If you want, you can also have a candle to light for the deity, crystals you feel they'd like, and an image or figure of them. Overall, though, you really don't need much to contact a deity (later on, you won't likely need to give an offering each time you reach out; I just recommend it for your first time to be polite and respectful).

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Offerings... How do?

How do I give offerings? When you give an offering, all that matters is your intention. If you intend that thing to be an offering for said deity, then all you really need to do is let the deity know you're giving that thing as an offering. That's it, really; it's not a challenging process. If you want, you can have a set place for that offering called an "altar", where you keep images of the deity, leave offerings, and even have a candle to light in honor of them, but despite popular belief, a formal altar is not required to worship or work with a deity if you don't have a space for one or can't be open about your practices. Altars are extremely appreciated but not required.

What counts as an offering? As I mentioned previously, it's your intention that matters the most. Anything can be an offering, as long as you mean to give it to your deity with good intentions. A necklace that has importance to you? That can be an offering! A yummy fruit? Yup, still works! The only thing I don't advise is giving unsanitary offerings, but that's more of a safety concern to me.

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How do I discard perishable offerings? The best way is likely to bury said offering if it's safe for the environment. You can also burn it if it's safe to burn, or simply throw it away. You can also consume offerings (as long as they're safe to eat, of course). If you throw something away, however, I would inform the deity that you mean no disrespect by it and are simply discarding the item safely.

Conclusion

That's all you really need to get started with forming a relationship with a deity! These are, again, suggestions, and you don't have to do or try or even believe anything I've stated above. If something doesn't feel right to you, simply find another way to move forward that is comfortable for you. The nice thing about paganism is how much wiggle room you have, especially when learning what does and doesn't work for you and your beliefs.

Overall, I hope I was able to help someone! If you have any questions, please feel free to DM me or send me an ask. I'm very friendly and happy to help! c:

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-

-

||Sources||

"What do they want?" - hearthfirehandworks on Tumblr

"How to tell if you've received a sign" - localwitchhere on Tumblr

[museofpangolins]

sooo here's my top 10 most Good Omens-coded Hozier songs

10) Jackie and Wilson

this one isn't super deep, I think it just gives off that vibe of fun adventures together that mostly the first season had. also, this line

9) Swan upon Leda

this is a song that through religious metaphors captures the brutality of human nature in a way that's so beautiful and poetic. this one isn't so specific, but in my opinion it conveys some of the feeling of the story as a whole

8) Eat your young

I find it insane how it's possible for someone to sing about the exploitation of the innocent in such an incredible way. in this case it can be read about how the authorities (heaven and hell) are only driven by their personal goals and are using humans as a way to achieve them. it's even more literal in Job's story, with angels having no clue on how much his children mean to him and being completely uninterested on the matter, because they're too busy following God's plan.

7) Work Song

here things are starting to get a bit more specific. Work Song talks about a love that goes beyond the grave, but also a love that's so unconditional it goes beyond every human or religious imposition

6) Francesca

Hozier takes inspiration for this song from the tale told by Dante about two lovers condemned to damnation in hell, but the main aspect he uses for this song is the idea of it being worth it in order to be with the loved one, even at the cost of giving up a place of comfort and security. which is also what I hope will happen in season 3.

5) All Things End

I'm so sorry for this one. I'm really sorry. but I swear it's the only thing that could come to my mind when I saw this scene

I won't elaborate more because otherwise I'm going to cry.

4) Unknown/nth

i can't believe this song isn't officially about the two of them. I mean:

you mean mr Hozier didn't intentionally release it last month in honor of Aziraphale and Crowley?? sounds fake but ok

3) Take me to Church

religious trauma. questioning Christian values at its FINEST. love for humanity and for what being human means. all while discussing love and how religion ties it to the concept of sin.

2) Like Real People Do

absolute season two anthem. I think the whole point of Aziraphale and Crowley's characters is finding humanity in themselves, going beyond their angelic/demonic nature and whatever is expected from it. they're neither heaven nor hell's side, but on a completely different one that allows them to live in their own personal identity while often aligning with the interest of humans. that's why even their love for each other is an expression of how close to real people they've become.

1) From Eden

what can I say? it's just so perfect. just one song to summarize every important aspect of the story.

the familiarity derives from the previous angelic nature of Crowley. the destruction of idealism, chivalry and innocence symbolizes the disillusionment with heaven and hell, and the final line how the only hope can be found in the human world, but also, much like Francesca, the idea of giving up safety to be with the loved one. in this case though this is depicted with the use of religious imagery, specifically the garden of Eden. Therefore my hope is that this could be interpreted even more literally once in season three Aziraphale will give up heaven for Crowley. there are many other things that could be said about this song, and I really really hope it will be included in the soundtrack of the show.

if you read all of this, thank you so much, and please let me know if there are songs I didn't include

[fatehbaz]

The franc CFA (originally denoting Colonies françaises d’Afrique) is the official currency of Senegal and most other former French colonies in Africa, from before national independence through the present-day. This monetary system and its history are the subjects of a new book by Fanny Pigeaud and Ndongo Samba Sylla, Africa’s Last Colonial Currency (2021), translated by Thomas Fazi from a 2018 French edition. The book brings to the attention of Anglophone readers the peculiar institutions through which the French Republic continues to exercise colonial rule over nominally independent African states. France’s recent “counterterrorism” operations across the Sahel region (supported and rivaled in scope by the United States’ Africa Command, AFRICOM) represent only one phase in what the Black Alliance for Peace (2020) has called France’s “active and aggressive military presence in Africa for years.” Aggression has often had monetary motivations, and control has often exceeded aggression. One of Pigeaud and Sylla’s commitments and achievements is to show how “French ‘soft’ monetary power is inseparable from its ‘hard’ military power” (2021: 99). In their telling, the CFA franc has for decades been France’s secret weapon in “Françafrique,” the zone in Africa where France, its representatives, and its monetary system have never really left. [...]

---

The franc CFA was born in Paris on the 25th of December, 1945 [...]. The embattled empire was compelled to “loosen its grip” in Africa [...]. Consequently, argue Pigeaud and Sylla, the creation of the CFA franc was “actually designed to allow France to regain control of its colonies” (13). What Minister Pleven called generosity might better be called a swindle. [...] French goods-for-export, now priced in a devalued currency (made cheaper), would find easy markets in the colonies [...]. African goods - especially important raw materials, from uranium to cocoa, priced too expensively for domestic consumption [...] -- would find buyers more exclusively in France [...]. In effect, the new CFA monetary policies re-consolidated France’s imperial economy even as the monopoly regime of the colonial pact could be formally retired in recognition of demands for change from colonial subjects. [...] [T]he egalitarian parlance of community and cooperation modernized French colonial authority, making it more invisible rather than marking its end. [...]

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Most importantly, France has held up a guarantee of unlimited convertibility between CFA francs and French currency [...]. CFA francs can only ever be converted into France’s currency [...] before being exchanged for other currencies [...]. In 1994, in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund and against the wishes of most African leaders, French authorities adjusted the franc zone exchange rate for the first time, devaluing the CFA franc by half. This blanket devaluation was the shock through which structural adjustment was forced upon Françafrique [...]. And the devaluation proved, to Pigeaud and Sylla, that France’s “‘guarantee of unlimited convertibility’ was an intellectual and political fraud” (74). Nevertheless, French authorities have continually held up - that is, brandished and exploited - this guarantee, without honoring it. [...] Pigeaud and Sylla do not mince words: “France uses its presumed role of ‘guarantor’ as a pretext and as a tool to blackmail its former colonies in order to keep them in its orbit, both economically and politically” (38). [...] In that respect, the CFA franc system has ensured [...] the stabilization of raw material exportation and goods importation, hierarchy and indirect rule, [...] accumulation and mass impoverishment, in short, the colonial order.

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And all along, France has found - or compelled, coerced, and more-or-less directly put in place - useful political partners in Françafrique. [...]

The CFA franc has been central to the French strategy of decolonization-in-name-only. [...]

When and where demands for self-determination and changes to the monetary system (usually more minor than exit or abolition) have been strongest, from charismatic leaders or from below, they have been met with a retaliatory response from France and its African partners, frequently going so far as “destabilisation campaigns and even assassinations and coups d’état” (40). [...]

The first case is exemplary. In 1958, Ahmed Sékou Touré helped lead Guinea to independence [...]. Guinea was alone in voting down De Gaulle’s “Community” proposal [...], and [...] the new state established its own national currency and central bank by 1960. [...] [T]he decision was ultimately made to make Guinea a cautionary tale for the rest of Françafrique. French counter-intelligence officials plotted and hired out a series of mercenary attacks (“with the aim of creating a climate of insecurity and, if possible, overthrowing Sékou Touré,” recalled one such operative), in conjunction with “Operation Persil,” a scheme to flood the Guinean economy with false Guinean bills, successfully bringing about a devastating crash (43). [...] Yet, Sékou Touré was never removed, only ostracized - unlike Sylvanus Olympio in Togo or Modiba Keita in Mali, others whose (initially minor) desired changes to the CFA status quo were refused and rebuffed and who were then deposed in French-linked coups. [...]

So too the Cameroonian economist Joseph Tchundjang Pouemi, an even more overlooked figure since his death at the age of 47 in 1984. Pouemi’s experience working at the IMF [International Monetary Fund] in the 1970s led him to recognize that the leaders of the international monetary system would “repress any government that tries to offer their country a minimum of wellbeing” (60) and could do so especially easily in Françafrique because of the CFA franc.

---

All text above by: Matt Schneider. “Africa’s Last Colonial Currency Review.” Society and Space [Book Reviews section of the online Magazine format]. 29 November 2021. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[pitroig]

About JJK236 (leaks), the future of the franchise, and why I have no interest in following the story from now on.

Yes, it contains spoilers.

First, I tried to wait until the official manga chapter was released because commenting on leaks is quite disrespectful to those who patiently wait for the official sources. I couldn't. Also, I wanted more time to grieve and think about Gojo's fate, but I could only last one evening. It's too much to handle, I guess.

Regarding this, I have three ideas:

What a bluff. It wasn't surprising. I mean, the whole Gojo "Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am honored" has its roots in sacred texts that refer to Buddha, but it also links the figure of Gojo to an old friend of Western mythology: Icarus. The one who tried to fly too close to the sun and got his wings melted. It's a typical Ancient Greek God punishment for hubris. I honestly thought that Gege had thought of a better outcome for such a complex character.

It's fitting, though, the afterlife scene. Most of the adult characters who have a real impact on the plot are living on borrowed time. The loss and tragedies they went through in their formative years kill their expectations and goals, and they enter autopilot mode, waiting for the next negation to take over. So yes, Gojo comes back to his last growing moment. And I think he will be stuck in there forever, not matter if he goes north or south.

He might not be dead, which also shows poor storytelling skills, quite a bummer for someone like Gege. I mean, he already had a miraculous recovery from death. Two is too close to a joke. Tsk, tsk, Mr. Akutami: if you create a character that has the essence and quality to become a deus ex machina, you have to think ahead about a proper demise, or at least a proper closing - and achievement, a sacrifice - for him. If not, you are throwing yourself into the clutches of bad writing.

That’s the reason why I’m done with JJK.

JJK has lost its unique storytelling and my favorite character is also dead, an in consequence I am not going to keep reading it.

And that's fine. 

Authors must deal with this: brave, true-to-yourself decisions might face disagreement from some people. Fans should also be able to move on. 

My problem is not that I have lost interest in the plot - which is, in truth, what happens here. But thankfully, I still have fanfics and the anime. My problem is that I am afraid that from now on, I might predict what happens next, and I couldn't care less.

The future of the franchise.

So, until the end of the year, we are going to face many small, insignificant battles that lead to the one held on December 24th.

And then, here is my prediction.

Most of the characters will perish. My bet on the survivors: Maki, Yuuta, Yuuji, and some random people here and there. They will win, Kenjaku and Sukuna will be sealed or something like that, but after that, there won't be more jujutsu world. No more cursed energy. The survivors will have to deal with some curses-related issues around the globe, but they will be able to live a normal life that will, honestly, suck.

It's going to be hard to read and difficult to accept. After all the exhausting emotional stress that comes with being a fan of this franchise, I think it's time to move on and catch up with it in a few months.

In the meantime, I will enjoy the fandom.

Until the fandom is extinguished.

But that's also fine.

I am happy to have crossed paths with JJK anyway.

[nocturnalazure]

As Far As The World Goes (AFATWG) is a Sims 3 graphic novel and a long-running generational family drama following the overlapping life of several families. It starts as the story of a whole town, with narration coming and going between households, but gradually focusing on the Golzine mobster family. Most storylines are connected to them in some way or another. Golzine heirs all have different styles but are bound by honor and duty (and a tendency to have complicated love stories).

In AFATWG, there is drama a-plenty, with a pinch of comedy, there are heaps of romance, but also action scenes (guns!), a whole cast of supernaturals, and above all, there are morally grey characters struggling with internal conflicts.

The beginning of the story is long-winded and confusing and was not published in graphic novel format, which is why it exists now only in the form of summaries.

Disclaimer: Mature content such as nsfw scenes or trigger warnings (blood or drugs for example) are properly tagged. There is no gore but violence does occur in that world.

Part 1 Summary -> Click

In which you meet a whole variety of families. How can a love story between terrible mob boss Theo Golzine and a teenage daydreamer end well? Will workaholic businessman Thomas Leneuf manage to rise up against his sleazy boss and raise a family? Will Rose Wong manage to fill her father's shoes as a mayor? Why would broody Violette Blake let her high school bully get anywhere near her? Will Jacob Golzine be a famous musician someday? And... can vampires actually have children?

Part 2 Summary -> Click

In which Theo Golzine declares war on the vampires while Yu Wong tries to outsmart him and it may very well turn against her. Thomas Leneuf finds himself facing an old enemy while his children Gabriel and Amelia experience the torments of adolescence. Eve feels responsible for turning Cain into a vampire against his will, but a new protagonist named Tristan will meddle in their already complicated relationship.

Part 3 Summary -> Click

In which Nathaniel Golzine falls in love at first sight with a girl his father Theo does not approve of. Eve gets estranged from Cain and falls right into Tristan's trap. Juvenile delinquent Seth Zay becomes unintentionally involved with the Golzine criminal family. Jacob Golzine achieves stardom, and while Gabriel Leneuf is once again attracted to somebody else than his fiancée, will shy Johan Blake finally be able to confess to his best friend's sister that he loves her before she gets married to another man?

Part 4 Summary -> Click

In which mob heir Nathaniel Golzine, exiled to Lucky Palms with a heavy heart, finds love again. Theo Golzine and Yu Wong go together in search for the last werewolf. Eloise struggles with a dark part of herself. Seth Zay follows his father's footsteps as a criminal. Gabriel Leneuf takes responsibility for his past mistakes.

Part 5 Summary -> Click

In which Nathaniel Golzine meets his first love again just when his relationship with Ivy is deteriorating.  Skirt-chaser Noah Deville dreams of a rags-to-riches story for himself, but also longs after artistic Emily Golzine. Following her predecessor's death, Pippa Crewe takes over the function of local witch. And an evil vampire lord makes his appearance…

When it actually starts: Part 6 and Final Part -> Click

In which Nathaniel and Ivy are finally ready to commit to each other. Risa finds out that she might have special genetic capabilities. Theo meets his father’s ghost and it doesn’t end well. Young witch Pippa erases her past. Baron Gilles de Rais starts calling upon his past followers: to defeat him would require joining forces. But most of all… Sam Golzine makes the acquaintance of Ashley Blake, an encounter that will change their whole life and possibly the course of time.

“To the Edge of Time” (TTEOT) is the continuation of As Far As The World Goes, starting when official heiress Sam Golzine has accidentally been sent through time and space with her half-brother Ashley. And it looks like they both have undergone a few substantial physical changes during their journey through time, further complicating their already complicated relationship. They have left unresolved conflicts behind and need to cope with their new situation.

Will they be able to retrieve their former appearance and go back to their timeline? And what happened to their families in the meantime?

Click to start reading TTEOT

You can also directly catch up with the story of Laurie, the current Golzine heir, if you start reading as from here but please be aware that some parts of the plot may not appear entirely clear if you don't know the background. 

Happy reading!

[darkmaga-retard]

https://www.globalresearch.ca/nato-neo-nazi-junta-nearly-blew-world/5864918

Planned NATO-Kiev Assassination of Putin and Defense Minister Belousov: How NATO and Neo-Nazi Junta Lunatics Nearly Blew Up the World

By Drago Bosnic

Global Research, August 09, 2024

On July 28, Russia was celebrating the Navy Day with a parade in St. Petersburg. Most of the top officials were present, including President Vladimir Putin and the new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. The former has been presiding over Russia’s resurgence to superpower status, achieving unrivaled milestones in the last nearly 25 years.

The latter is the architect of Moscow’s unprecedented economic resilience that resulted in the country zooming past both Germany and Japan, making it the fourth largest economy in the world now. Impressed by Belousov’s results, Putin entrusted him with the Ministry of Defense (MoD), a reshuffling that has been followed by a massive increase in military spending, incomparable to anything seen since the (First) Cold War ended. Thus, it can be argued that Putin and Belousov are now the Eurasian giant’s two most important policymakers.

Expectedly, all this makes both of them prime targets for Russia’s enemies. It’s virtually a given they think that removing such people would be a deadly blow to the Kremlin and it seems that’s precisely what they tried to do.

Namely, according to Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the Neo-Nazi junta and the United States were preparing an assassination attempt on Putin and Belousov precisely during the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg.

Russian intelligence services uncovered the plot and prevented it from going forward.

Obviously, the Kremlin was furious, but unlike Washington DC, it’s run by sane people who don’t want to see the world blown up. Thus, Defense Minister Belousov himself talked to his US counterpart Lloyd Austin and politely explained it would dawn at 3:00 AM if anything like this were to happen again.

For obvious security reasons, Ryabkov couldn’t reveal the details, leaving many to speculate on how the assassination attempt could’ve played out. Some argue that sea or even underwater drones could’ve been used, most likely launched from a neutral merchant ship, while others think it was likely a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle).

To make matters worse, the possible participation of NATO members Poland and Finland was also discussed, meaning that the world’s most aggressive racketeering cartel was directly involved. As soon as Ryabkov revealed that the unprecedented assassination attempt was thwarted, the mainstream propaganda machine resorted to immediate damage control, spewing nonsense about the US allegedly “blocking” the plot, while others claim that Russia supposedly “pleaded” with America to “prevent” the assassination attempt.

However, Pepe Escobar, a colossus of geopolitical analytics, argues that’s not the case and that the Kremlin warned the Pentagon that if US services succeeded in their terrorist tactics, it would be the very last thing anyone from America would ever do, as the world’s most aggressive thalassocracy would simply cease to exist immediately after that. In other words, the warmongering lunatics and war criminals in Washington DC would be willing to not only jeopardize the lives of 330 million Americans, but also over 8 billion other people on the entire planet. I’ve had the honor of participating in a meeting with Pepe Escobar and other experts and analysts from all over the world, where he confirmed that the assassination attempt took place and that Russia indeed warned the US that the consequence of such barbarism would be the total annihilation of every single culprit.