#the party and betrayal and exile

[allari-ammayi]

Butta Bomma

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

A. Bahubali x Reader x B. Deva

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬➜

When bookworm Y/n reluctantly succumbs to her friends' movie night and watches "Bahubali," she discovers a newfound empathy for the much-despised Bhallaladeva, igniting an unexpected connection between their souls. Following the loss of her grandmother, Y/n inherits a mysterious red amulet that transports her to an unimaginable world. Her assigned mission: to alter the destinies of her beloved character. In the heart of Mahismati, Y/n's undercover adventures bring her closer to the royal brothers, determined to reshape their fates for the better. As bonds deepen, romance blooms and Y/n faces a dilemma: will their feelings jeopardize her mission? Will it even matter in the end?

𝐓.𝐖➜

This story contains themes of death and bereavement, violence, toxic relationships, emotional turmoil, travelling worlds, ¿isekai?, romantic conflicts, identity crisis, moral dilemmas, possible sexual content in later chapters, themes of betrayal, political intrigue, power struggles, intense emotional situations, and complex moral decisions, exploration of familial and romantic relationships, warfare, injury, and graphic violence. Let me know if I missed any!

𝐀𝐫𝐜 ⌗𝟏

𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞➜

The Interesting Perspective

The New World

The Angel Lady

The Harsh Interrogation

The Monkey Woman

The Snarky Prince

The Etiquette Lessons

The Language Barrier

The Political Genius

The Culinary Adventurer

The Mahismati Festival

𝐀𝐫𝐜 ⌗𝟐

𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 ⌗𝟏➜

The Scripted Starting

The Dancing Beauty

The Affectionate Prince

The Gruesome Battle

The Vitory Horror

𝐀𝐫𝐜 ⌗𝟑

𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 ⌗𝟐➜

The Dangerous Thoughts

The Kuntala Quest

The Royal Gardens

The Deciding Day

𝐀𝐫𝐜 ⌗𝟒

𝐁𝐚𝐡𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐢'𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞➜

The Kuntala Journey

The Charming Princess

The Kuntala Palace

The Dreamer Boy

The Hunting Party

The Krishna Pooja

The Marriage Proposal

The Silent Attack

The Lady’s Choice

𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠➜

The Rejoiced Couple

The Wedding Night

The Jealous Banishment

The Back-Stabber

The Final Sob

The Honoured Dead

𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠➜

The Stubborn Prince

The Jealous Husband

The Painful Coronation

The Run-Away Wife

The Reunited Lovers

The Old Beginnings

𝐀𝐫𝐜 ⌗𝟓

𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐚'𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞➜

The Library Roaming

The Compensating Gifts

The Hidden Portrait

The Risky Plan

The Portrait Showing

The Insistent Girl

The False Confession

The Impulsive Promise

The King’s Confession

𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠➜

The Defeated King

The Heart Problems

The Exiled Duo

The Discontent Girl

The Confidential News

The Sweet Embrace

𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠➜

The Impressive Queen

The Romantic King

The Revealed Secret

The Destroyed Amulet

The Two-Faced Liar

The Tragic End

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭➜ @vellipo-mellaga, @cleaningfairylevi, @bhalare-vichitram, @ghal-ghal, @bitchy-bi-trash, @vijayasena, @sakhiiiii, @celestesinsight《If you wish to be part of the taglist, please let me know in the replies!》

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞➜

This story contains elements of fantasy, adventure, and emotional depth, but be aware of potential triggers, including violence, grief, and complex relationships. Reader discretion is advised.

Does anyone want an OC version if they're not interested in y/n?

[90-ghost]

here is a poem by polish poet Zbigniew Herbert

Report From The Besieged City

Too old to carry arms and fight like the others - they graciously gave me the inferior role of chronicler I record - I don't know for whom - the history of the siege I am supposed to be exact but I don't know when the invasion began two hundred years ago in December in September perhaps yesterday at dawn  everyone here suffers from a loss of the sense of time all we have left is the place the attachment to the place we still rule over the ruins of temples spectres of gardens and houses if we lose the ruins nothing will be left I write as I can in the rhythm of interminable weeks monday: empty storehouses a rat became the unit of currency tuesday: the mayor murdered by unknown assailants wednesday: negotiations for a cease-fire the enemy has imprisoned our messengers  we don't know where they are held that is the place of torture  thursday: after a stormy meeting a majority of voices rejected  the motion of the spice merchants for unconditional surrender  friday: the beginning of the plague saturday: our invincible defender N.N. committed suicide sunday: no more water we drove back an attack at the eastern gate called the Gate of the Alliance all of this is monotonous I know it can't move anyone I avoid any commentary I keep a tight hold on my emotions I write about the facts  only they it seems are appreciated in foreign markets  yet with a certain pride I would like to inform the world that thanks to the war we have raised a new species of children our children don’t like fairy tales they play at killing awake and asleep they dream of soup of bread and bones just like dogs and cats in the evening I like to wander near the outposts of the city along the frontier of our uncertain freedom. I look at the swarms of soldiers below their lights I listen to the noise of drums barbarian shrieks truly it is inconceivable the City is still defending itself the siege has lasted a long time the enemies must take turns nothing unites them except the desire for our extermination Goths the Tartars Swedes troops of the Emperor regiments of the Transfiguration  who can count them  the colours of their banners change like the forest on the horizon from delicate bird's yellow in spring through green through red to winter's black and so in the evening released from facts I can think  about distant ancient matters for example our friends beyond the sea I know they sincerely sympathize they send us flour lard sacks of comfort and good advice they don’t even know their fathers betrayed us our former allies at the time of the second Apocalypse their sons are blameless they deserve our gratitude therefore we are grateful they have not experienced a siege as long as eternity those struck by misfortune are always alone the defenders of the Dalai Lama the Kurds the Afghan mountaineers  now as I write these words the advocates of conciliation have won the upper hand over the party of inflexibles a normal hesitation of moods fate still hangs in the balance cemeteries grow larger the number of defenders is smaller yet the defence continues it will continue to the end and if the City falls but a single man escapes he will carry the City within himself on the roads of exile he will be the City we look in the face of hunger the face of fire face of death worst of all - the face of betrayal and only our dreams have not been humiliated

❤️❤️

[mswyrr]

moiraine and siuan are dealing with tremendous stressors that would test any marriage

1 moiraine was recently assaulted in a very personal way and now has what is basically a serious, life-threatening medical condition (a physical and mental illness that almost inevitably leads to suicide)

2. she's been hiding all of the above ^ from her wife as she keeps secrets and lies-by-omission. this is both an interpersonal betrayal and a threat to their shared life's goal of preventing the literal apocalypse

3. the fate not just of the world but of existence itself is on the line and there is no clear answer to how one should proceed

4. they alone have carried the burden of this knowledge for 20 years now and it has worn on them

5. they've spent decades mostly apart, pursuing their respective agendas. they're both used to being 'the one in charge' in their separate lives.

6. due to Tower politics, siuan had to exile moiraine and they went through a traumatic separation

it's a miracle things only went as badly as they did! it's a testament to their love for each other and personal strength of character that they both tried so hard to do right by each other - and that the wrong siuan did came from a place of truly believing it was necessary

i'm really frustrated by the way tumblr demands that a lesbian marriage be immune to stress, that queer women be denied a human depiction of what it looks like when people truly love each other but are under tremendous pressure and fuck up

it feels like a compliment that isn't a compliment at all. it feels like demanding inhuman perfection from women and, when there's two women, twice as much inhuman perfection isn't just ideal, it's expected and mandatory, even though that isn't how any real human beings work.

no union lasts decades without both parties learning how to apologize and how to forgive. none. not even between the sweetest people irl. fucking up is inevitable and choosing someone anew--and asking to be forgiven and chosen--is a healthy part of life. i don't want their love story stripped of that humanity.

[stawdynchill]

Thoughts on the lore

After reading some of the Touchstarved fandom’s headcanons and in-depth analysis( y’all make really good points ngl) I wanted to dump these long thoughts out:

The founding of Senobium and Kuras:

I think shortly after Kuras was being exiled from the heavens and came to Eridia. He met a few scholarly mortals that initially shared the same ideals and beliefs with himself. With that being said, Kuras opened up and  has shared lots of things about himself / the forbidden knowledge and all of them decided to establish the Senobium together.

But the characteristics of human nature runs deep among mortals, which caused a difference between Kuras’ and those co-founders of Senobium, resulting in a severe conflict and lead to their betrayal to Kuras. Yet, since they hold so much information, they have the advantage of using them to (sort of-) threaten/ blackmail Kuras for something ( and that potentially explains why Kuras became less open to others in the game) so he would still have to work for the senobium. 

The origin of word Senobium:

I did some research and found out there’s a similar word to Senobium, which is Cenobium ( source from google):

cenobium

/səˈnəʊbɪəm/

noun

noun: cenobium; plural noun: cenobia; noun: coenobium; plural noun: coenobia

a monastery."many pilgrims flocked to the cenobium in search of the monk"

in the game, Senobium is known by MC for people flocking there to in search of knowledge, hence there should be a correlation between the background of senobium and Cenobium’s word meaning - where the place Senobium is derived and inspired by the word "Cenobium".

Extension from previous thoughts:

I recall reading a post from a Tumblr user that briefly mentioned the Abbess from Vere’s route, suggesting that it could be linked to the senobium. The word abbess (from google again) means:

a woman who is the head of an abbey of nuns."she's the abbess of the Abbey, the Mother Superior to twenty-three nuns"

Based on the original word meaning of Cenobium - a monastery, and the Abbess meaning the head nun that oversees the rest of the party. Could she be linked to Kuras or authoritative figures that founded the senobium, did she do something that makes Eridia the place it is now? Bc to me, I believe the words and their meaning behind are chosen accordingly to the lore.

[hellframe]

Macaulay twins & Thackeray

A nod to Vanity Fair in chpt. 2 makes not much sense at first, though for Richard it must’ve been rather alarming — Rawdon Crawley played cards to fleece his comrades.

However, this association may be a clue to understanding what is happening around the Macaulay twins in Book 2.

The parallel between Charles and Rawdon becomes more clear in retrospect, closer to end of the novel.

Both from respectable families but empty-headed, moneyless and dependent on relatives, they spend time drinking, gambling and screwing around. Both have debts — tend to be overly jealous — get arrested — get involved in love scandal with a rich rival — are ruined but ready to fight — end up in exile.

Yet, the only important thing here is Rawdon's relationship with his wife.

At her brother's elbow Camilla played the role of Becky Sharp in marriage with Rawdon: an attractive young couple that works in tandem, using their charm and wit to take advantage of wealthy friends, and exploiting affections of others to live a better life.

Francis gave some insights into this symbiotic relationship, describing it as 'they like to present a unified front but I don't even know how much they care about each other' (chpt. 8).

When Camilla abandoned this unified front, for Charles it was a betrayal as if she used to be his business partner, not just a lover or family member.

The most notable link to Becky is the role of Clytemnestra, performed by Camilla as well, and the symbolic meaning of it in both novels.

Like Clytemnestra, Becky Sharp is an archetype of a predatory female in disguise of false innocence. Strong-willed, cunning and bold, she’s a skilled actress and manipulator, still unable to predict the consequences of some of her actions.

At some point Camilla makes it clear to Richard that drunk Charles abused her, but Richard is surprisingly angry with her. He questions how Camilla got her injuries, because he feels that something's wrong (chpt. 8).

This situation looks quite peculiar in view of the analogy to Vanity Fair.

Camilla's counterpart, Becky Sharp, complained to her patron Lord Steyne that she experienced all sorts of injustice from Rawdon Crawley (VF chpt. 52). It sounds false, because Rawdon could’ve been a bully with other men, but with Becky he was a meek, submissive husband. All her complaints had only one purpose: to be pitied for her own benefit.

It's unclear to what extent this analogy works, but it may explain why Camilla wanted to put a distance between Richard and Charles. If she lied to Henry, or rather manipulated him, she wouldn't be glad to be exposed: just like in case with Bunny, Richard still was an alarm bell, the first person to whom the one can confide.

Thus she had to neutralise him. And thus she was unable to reconcile Charles and Henry later.

I dare say, Henry had seen what was going on, but he was glad to get rid of the third party in their love triangle anyway. Even Richard doubted his 'good' intentions.

Rawdon Crawley said about his wife: "if she's not guilty, ... she's as bad as guilty" (VF chpt. 55). It might illustrate Charles's point of view as well. Like Becky, his sister didn't want to bet on a losing dog. But even if Camilla had no evil intentions, the consequences of her actions were awful — she opened a Pandora's box.

According to Thackeray, “it is the unwritten part of books that would be most interesting”. And Donna Tartt used this principle full on, leaving all crucial events in shadows, but giving some hints to lead and mislead her reader through carefully constructed cultural references.

Which also can be just some Metahemeralism.

[kalevalakryze]

Ara’novor

Pairings: Shin Hati/Sabine Wren, Shin Hati & Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati & Sabine Wren & Ezra Bridger & Ahsoka Tano Characters: Shin Hati, Sabine Wren, Baylan Skoll, Ezra Bridger, Ahsoka Tano, Huyang Tags: Major Character Death, Blood and Injury, Non-Explicit Nudity, Grief/Mourning, Spoilers Notes: I seriously do think the series might wind up turning out this way after ep 6… Summary: Orange clashed against orange; their arms were on fire with the exertion it took to not buckle under the strength of the fatal swing. Shin’s gaze was determined as they forced themselves to look their Master in the eye for the first time since the traitorous thoughts had begun. Yellow and fury tinted normally kind eyes, his face drawn unrestrained anger and a heart wrenching disappointment as he regarded his Apprentice’s betrayal. Shin stood over Sabine Wren, both hands clasped firmly around the hilt of the saber he had guided her through building, their breathing was fast, nearing hyperventilation as they made their choice. “This isn’t right, Master,” She called, reaching out for him in the force, as they had done hundreds of times before. AO3 Link: here!

"But he shall. Sabine Wren will have the opportunity of finding Ezra Bridger, just as promised. And if she does, you and your Master will destroy them both."

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Baylan’s voice dripped with venom, Shin could feel the anger simmering off of him in waves, their eyes turning towards him to catch the whitening of his knuckles, grip tight around the hilt of his saber as he took in the sight before them.

Sabine did find Ezra Bridger, it seemed, and her Master, Ahsoka Tano somehow crawled back from the dead and followed them to Peridea as well; finding her Apprentice and the long-lost Rebel, and apparently, the band of Noti ‘Rebels’ that Bridger had acquired in his exile.

“And you’re supposed to be a Jedi, guess we’re both failures,” Ahsoka snipped back at him, placing herself in front of Mandalorian and Jedi Knight, willing to take on the two Gray Jedi swathed in dark alone, if it meant protecting them.

“Master,” Shin’s voice was quiet, silver-blue eyes not once leaving the way his tendons flexed in his hand.

“Quiet,” He commanded, taking Shin aback with a tone they had never heard directed anywhere near them. “It must be fate, then; The Purgills come here to die, and so have you,”

The ozone burned as white and blood orange ignited, Shin stayed stagnant beside her Master, even as his saber thrummed to life within her reach. Green ignited seconds white, Sabine Wren shouldering her way to Ahsoka’s side, golden eyes pierced through Shin’s; they could feel it, the betrayal, even if it was expected, Sabine was still hurt by Shin and Baylan’s betrayal.

Their Master’s eyes pierced into the side of her head. “Shin,” He urged, not as kindly as they remembered. It was distorted, it was wrong. This was not the Master that had saved them from Balosar’s overcrowded streets, this was not the Master who had taught her everything they’ve known. But Shin could not deny that while he was wrong, their Master was in there somewhere… he had to be.

Late to the party, Shin removed her saber and ignited it, blood orange thrumming to life in their hand in a way that felt just as wrong as their Master; their Kyber was full of contradiction, mirroring the Apprentice who wielded it.

Anger flashed on the other side of the battlefield, Shin watched the man, Ezra, reach for the painted armor of Sabine, fingertips brushing beskar as the Mandalorian suddenly charged. “Sabine!” He shouted in tandem with Ahsoka.

“You!” Baylan growled, his hand extending menacingly towards the failed Apprentice. Shin’s body jolted forward, though they did nothing to stop the shove of the force from her Master that threw the purple haired woman backwards.

She hit the ground hard, armor clanging against the ground as she skidded against the dirt.

Get up… Move, you must get up, Wren!

Shin’s jaw clenched, muscles in her throat moving, barely cognitive enough to take a step back as the feral Togruta leaped at their Master and clashed orange and white together once more. Shin did not take her eyes off the Mandalorian’s prone form, even as their saber deactivated, and Ezra knelt close his fallen sister.

Get up!

Sabine’s arm twitched, shoulder visibly spasming before the relief of forced breathing, sputtering, and coughing filled their ears like a harmony, blocking out the way Baylan and Ahsoka fought against each other.

Startling blue eyes rose to meet her own as the Jedi grabbed Sabine’s saber, he rose defensively in front of her, not taking his eyes off Shin, even though they made no move to advance.

Baylan wheezed as the Togruta slammed her boot into his abdomen, forcing him to lower his blade and stagger back. Shaking their head, blinking away their own contradictions, Shin managed to kick it in gear, blade reigniting in time to catch the white saber leveled for her Master’s head, glancing white off orange and placing themselves between the two relics of the Jedi order.

There was fear, copious amounts off it that settled in the bottom of their stomach and had their throat bobbing with each breath as the predatory gaze focused on them, still, Shin held their ground.

Ahsoka was fast, unnaturally so, Shin was struggling to keep up with glancing blows; when the second saber ignited and nearly sliced through their chest like she had done to Marrok, Shin could have sworn their heart stopped.

Their armor was strong enough to catch the blows that hit her shoulders and legs where they could not catch both blades in time, exertion had sweat beading on their brow, blurring their vision where it mixed with the dark cosmetic on its way down her face. The muscles in her arms and legs shook with each repeated hit as Ahsoka beat them back. Baylan was no where to be found as Ahsoka forced Shin up the crest of a nearby dune.

Green and orange clashing caught her attention in a dangerous moment, pulling their attention enough that when Ahsoka’s sabers slashed to the side, they had to drop back on their ass to avoid the fatal blow. Saber deactivating with the woman of her nightmares towering over her, the blonde could only focus on the way Baylan was forcing Ezra Bridger back, the Jedi clearly rusty in his saber skills against the brute power of her Master.

The saber was knocked from Ezra’s hands, Baylan’s armored shoulder slamming into an unprotected chest as the ex-Jedi bowled the young man over, sending him sprawling flat on his back and unresponsive.

There was yellow in his eyes when he looked towards Sabine once more, Shin felt the rush of Adrenaline in their veins like fire. “No,” Shoving themselves up, dodging the twin white blades that had been levelled to keep her on the ground, their feet moved, legs burning with each step as they raced across the battlefield.

Orange glinted off of the gold in Sabine’s eyes, her arm raising weakly over her face, not nearly enough to stop the heavy handed, downwards strike of Baylan’s blade. “No!” Shin shouted again as they crested the danger zone, as the darkness radiating off her Master threatened to suffocate them both; this wasn’t right! He made a promise!

Orange clashed against orange; their arms were on fire with the exertion it took to not buckle under the strength of the fatal swing. Shin’s gaze was determined as they forced themselves to look their Master in the eye for the first time since the traitorous thoughts had begun.

Yellow and fury tinted normally kind eyes, his face drawn unrestrained anger and a heart wrenching disappointment as he regarded his Apprentice’s betrayal. Shin stood over Sabine Wren, both hands clasped firmly around the hilt of the saber he had guided her through building, their breathing was fast, nearing hyperventilation as they made their choice. “This isn’t right, Master,” She called, reaching out for him in the force, as they had done hundreds of times before.

“None of this has been right,” They breathed, eyes narrowing and fingers flexing around their saber as they pushed away the anger and pain radiating off her Master.

“All of this has been for you, for us; You keep refusing to see it, Shin,” Baylan attempted to reason, though Shin knew, could feel the Definity in the force; This was the end for them, one way or another.

“Master, there is no world in which this continues, we are in a graveyard… this is the end, and we have accomplished nothing like you have told me we would!” The Mandalorian at their feet shifted; Shin’s bodyweight adjusted to protect Sabine as she struggled to sit up.

“If you are not with me, then you are against me,” His lips pressed into a thin line as he spoke, Shin could hear the echo of a continuation, somewhere in the force, echoing in the footsteps of the Togruta that moved behind them to check on her apprentice. “Only a Sith deals in absolutes, I will do what I must.”

“I understand my decisions, and the consequences that come with it,”

“Then you will die.”

‘Breathe’

Voices they did not know, a thrum in the force they had never experienced before, and the feeling of the three rebels at their back urged the shaking in their hands to still as Baylan’s blade came arching down against their own. This was not their Master, this was the culmination of what this mission, this graveyard had done to him, but… he was not coming back- They did not have a beginning to be found on this planet, at least, not at his side, as he had believed.

‘The Light… Find the Light’

He was trying to flip their positions, to force Shin to duck under his arm and put Sabine to his back, and Shin couldn’t let that happen, not when they couldn’t feel his intentions. When he moved in to make them duck, Shin lowered their body and plowed forward. They were too small to truly knock the hulking man off balance or to throw him entirely, but he did stumble back a few feet before his fingers wrapped in their tunic.

The shove was hard, but the hilt of his saber connecting with the side of their head to force her back was harder. Vision swimming with black spots dancing in their eyes, Shin dropped to their knees, keeping their saber at the ready, not unlike the Mandalorian when Shin had stabbed her on Lothal.

Shin had been running around the Imperial ship for hours as white clad stormtroopers searched for her. Their stolen valuable was clutched close to their chest, some shiny officer insignia that they didn’t know what to do with; she’d only taken it on instinct upon seeing it on the table, but the troopers that saw the child with it hadn’t known what to do about a thieving kid that they couldn’t shoot on sight. So, Shin ran.

On Balosar, something like this could feed her for an entire week! With the shining metal and the little blue and red boxes, maybe even ghri’ka would buy it from her and give her a new oxygen tank! Except, this wasn’t Balosar, they’d been in the recycled environment of the Imperial Light Cruiser for weeks now, leaving that part of their life far behind.

There were footsteps echoing in the hall, only one pair, steps light and nonthreatening, unlike the squads of stormtroopers that had been sweeping for her.

Still, their fear was tangent, heart beating fast in a small chest as they tried to stifle heavy breaths and choked back sobs, still clutching the insignia plate close, like their life depended on keeping it. The closet was small and empty, offering nowhere for her to hide if someone opened the door-

“Little one,” Baylan’s voice was calm through the door, warm and kind and safe. “May I come in?”

Their head nodded even though Baylan could not see, not trusting the way they knew their voice would squeak in that way the Supervisors on Balorsar hated. Still, the door opened, revealing the calm stoniness of the man she was to call ‘Master’.

He was doing his best to make himself seem smaller and less imposing as he stepped into the closet and lowered himself to a knee in front of the child, his hands resting on one knee, facing the ceiling. There were cool patterns etched into the print of his gloves, like a star map.

“Are you alright?” He questioned; concern written on strong features as he took in the cowering of the small force sensitive.

“I-“ They finally pulled the rank plate away from their chest, thrusting it out at him. It wasn’t worth their survival, not worth any amount of food or sparse credits that they could get from its trade.

Confused, Baylan took the small piece of metal and turned it over in his hands, a small smile pulled at his lips as he set it away. “So that’s what this is all about?” Shin’s head nodded quickly as their hands moved to pick at the bands around the braid Baylan had tied into her hair. “Shin, it’s alright. We should not take things that do not belong to us, this is true; but know this, my young apprentice… I would never let anyone hurt you.”

“Let it lift you”

“We stand behind you.”

“Rise.”

Silver-blue eyes met the yellow of their Master’s when their eyes opened, orange blade burning through the air as it arched towards them. Their lips pressed into a thin line as they moved, marking their spot against his chest even as his saber raced towards her.

There was an explosion of burning pain across their collarbone, the smell of singed hair and fabric filling their nose just as easily as the sound of Baylan choking on air filled her ears. Orange burned through his chest, true to their mark; their blade went clean through their Master’s front, through his heart, and out his back. The irony smell of his blood burning to cauterize the fatal wound soon became all they could focus on as his grip loosened on his saber and sent it to the ground.

Hands clung at their back as his body teetered forward hazardously, crimson trickling into the white of his beard and staining the course hair as he stared down at the woman he had raised. The orange disappeared from his middle, their saber falling into the dirt with his own as he finally fell. Shin had just enough time to grab his head to stop it from smacking off a nearby rock.

“Shin,” Sabine’s voice was hoarse, struggling against Ahsoka’s hands on her shoulders keeping her back as she watched the Master and Apprentice in horror. Ahsoka’s gaze stayed on the two as well, though everything about her was unreadable.

“What just happened?” Ezra questioned, rubbing his head as he finally sat up, nose crinkling at the burning fabric and iron in the air.

Ahsoka’s montrals itched as a bird circled overhead; Morai swooping in to land on the young Jedi’s mop of a head as the only response. In the echo of her call, Ahsoka could hear the fight from lifetimes ago… “And now, the student will kill the Master!”

Shaking her head to clear the thought, Ahsoka held her hand out towards Ezra, both urging him to still and keep quiet as she watched the vulnerable Apprentice.

Shin was silent as they held Baylan’s head in their lap, his hand reached for the wound in his chest, blood tainting his gloves before he reached for Shin. They allowed his hand to press against the side of their face, blood smearing across angular cheekbones as he tilted their head to get a better look at them.

“This was not how I imagined I would remove your braid,” He admitted weakly, reaching next for the darkened section of burnt hair. Their chest ached from the burn on their collarbone, and from the ache of knowing what would come next for the man she owed everything to.

“Master,” Her voice wavered, crackling with emotion they did not want to share with the… not entirely enemies gathered just feet behind them.

He quieted them with a shake of his head. “Even so-“ A rasping, churning cough, pain flickering across his face as his heart still tried to pump blood to the rest of his body. “I am proud,” There was no yellow in his eyes, no darkness tainting his words- This was their Master; Baylan Skoll, their father, the man that had raised them, and they had effectively killed him, they could not understand his pride, not yet, at least. “It seems I was wrong. Your beginning is here and will move away from here as well. It seems I was the Purgill.”

The man’s eyes slid shut calmly once he had taken in his daughter’s face for the last time. His chest did not rise again as his muscles went lax, his weight fully in their lap as she reached, hesitantly placing her hand on his cheek. “Master,” She called again, though they knew it would be futile, that he was gone; from this realm at least.

Dusk was announced in the crunching of boots in the dirt, though the movement of the three at their back did not rouse them from their state. He looked calm, at least; calmer than she’d seen him since the Witch approached him with this job. Like the man they’d known when he had finally ended their working relationship with the Empire.

Sabine’s hand rested on their shoulder, just over the silver metal of their pauldron. The Mandalorian’s fingers brushed against the burn on their collarbone, sending them reeling back into their own body in a rush. “Shin,” Sabine called again as the blonde blinked, their hand raising to wipe the crustiness of old and new tears off their cheeks.

When they turned their head, they were met with Sabine kneeling at their side, Ahsoka Tano standing just behind her, though she did not look away from the old Knight’s corpse, and Ezra Bridger, kneeling in the dirt, trying to shake the pebbles and dirt from the two dropped sabers.

“You made the hard choice,” Ezra picked up at Sabine’s loss of words, a knowing sympathy in his eyes as he rose, passing both sabers to the blonde. “They don’t tell you that the hardest part is walking away after it, though.”

▬▬ι═══════>

The T-6 was silent as everyone loaded inside. Shin and Huyang were the last to step inside, both droid and Apprentice needing the time and space to offer a true goodbye to the man they had known, be it as a Jedi Knight, or as a father and a mentor.

There was no talk about Thrawn or Morgan, no words passed between the recently united family, and no words spoken between the Light and the Grey gathered in the ship. Shin had stood numbly in the doorway for a time, seeing through the bustle of movement around them, their Master’s pyre on their mind as the small crew put themselves, and each other, back together.

“Hey,” Sabine was the first to speak, voice rough as she appeared in the blonde’s swimming vision. “Come on, you’re hurt,” The Mandalorian guided Shin past Ezra, who chose the worst place to kneel and tie his boots just in front of the door, leading them to the decent sized ‘fresher added on to the ship.

A bench spanned out against the wall in the hallway sized room, a real shower taking up one end, with a nice counter full of different products for the human’s hair care, and formulas designed specifically for any species with Lekku and Montrals. Cabinets were opened in silence once Sabine managed to get Shin to settle on the bench, their shoulders hunched and back slouched into themselves, the smallest they’d felt since their Master’s biggest promise to them.

“I would never let anyone hurt you.”

Sabine’s hands were warm, hesitant, and gentle on their tunic, an exact opposite of Shin’s own when they’d pulled her armor off just weeks ago. The fabric had burned to their skin, causing Sabine’s face to twist up as she imagined the pain that Shin had long since learned to internalize.

“Can I take this off, all the way?” She asked, kneeling between Shin’s legs as her fingers searched for the clasps holding the thick outer layer in place. The nod of their head was subtle, but clear enough for Sabine to continue her path to pulling away the pauldrons and vambraces on their arms and shoulders.

The wool of her tunic pulling away from the burn was agony, ripping the dried blood and scabbing burn open slow enough to count as torture; Still, Shin remained still and stony, the only visible reaction to the pain was the quiet, sharp intake of breath and the narrowing of their pupils.

Their gloves were pulled away next to give them a moment to ease their silent pain, exposing the chipped blue paint of their nails to the world. The Mandalorian seemed to pause in surprise at the splash of color, but she stayed blissfully silent. The armor at their hips and legs were removed with care, as was the thin leather belt that rested above at their hips, all set aside on the bench in a neat pile then.

When Sabine straightened up, Shin’s hands moved immediately to the backs of her knees, a silent plea not to leave, one they would never voice. “I’m not going anywhere, Kurs’kaded,” She promised, guiding the rest of the tunic back and easing it off of their shoulders, careful on their right side, where the burn brought a stiffness and lack of ability to move. “ ‘m right here,” Her voice dropped as she set the tunic aside.

Their undershirt was still damp with sweat and crusty with both dried and new blood. It would hurt too much to try and pull it up over their head, and as much as Sabine would have wanted that three weeks ago in hyperspace, she could take no joy in those thoughts now.

Reaching for her boot, Sabine pulled a small blade from it, holding it in the palm of her hand, she waited until they saw the light glinting off the metal before proceeding. “I’m going to cut this off so it doesn’t hurt as bad,” She made sure her movements were expressed clearly as she brought the blade to the side of Shin’s throat, her fingers pressing between the fabric to create space so she didn’t nick the delicate porcelain skin concealed by fabric.

Their chest rose and fell slowly, eyes unseeing as Sabine sliced the blade through the fabric, exposing their chest painted in blood, and the purple-green bruises all around their abdomen. With a few tugs, the end of the shirt was pulled away from their skirt and pants, allowing Sabine to finish the cut and begin peeling away black dyed fabric from their torso.

Again, the singed fabric being torn away from their chest caused more rivulets of blood to race down pale skin, disappearing under the dark fabric of their chest bindings. “Sorry!” Sabine hissed for them, trying her best to be gentle as she worked the fabric down their arms.

Shin did not move or react once, even when Sabine went through the much faster process of pulling away their boots, skirt, and pants, leaving them in their underclothes with a sizable pile stacked up on the bench.

“Do you want to shower? ‘soka doesn’t fly anything with a sonic on it,” She jabbed her head to the far wall, where the small shower waited like a safe haven. Still, Shin shook their head in the negatory, they didn’t have the energy; barely had the energy to draw air into their lungs knowing that Baylan would never do the same again.

“Yeah… I get it,” Sabine sympathized quietly, head hanging as she recalled the first few weeks aboard the Eye of Sion, when she believed her own Master to be dead. “Can I clean the blood off of you at least, or do you want to, or…” The artist trailed off, unsure if the blonde would be comfortable with Sabine’s continued aid.

When Shin’s head nodded in the affirmative, Sabine’s shoulders relaxed. “Alright, thank you,” Their hands dropped away from the backs of her knees to drop bonelessly against the bench as Sabine went back to the cabinets for a rag and the alcohol to properly clean the wound.

“Can I take this off?” There was a mild flash of annoyance as the question came up again, arms tried moving to pull her bra off themselves, though a flash of pain from the stiff shoulder had them succumbing to the need of another person. When they finally nodded, Sabine apologetically moved in to undo the clasp and pull the fabric away.

Sabine did her best to keep her gaze as respectful as possible as she started wiping away the blood that had carved rivers into their pale skin, though her cheeks flushed as she followed a trail of crimson over their hardening nipple, cool air bringing goosebumps to their exposed chest and arms. “Sorry-“ She whispered in advance before dragged the cloth over sensitive skin, jumping in expected surprise when Shin’s knee jerked and a soft gasp had their lips parting. “Just a little more-“ She promised, apologetic as she continued to wipe away blood and sweat from the underside of her breast.

When Sabine was satisfied that she’d cleaned all the red away from their skin, she moved on to the medkit on the counter, looking for packets of Bacta to help ease the burn. Before she could tear the packet open, Shin’s hand shot out and wrapped around her wrists, skin cool where it touched her. Sabine’s eyebrow rose at the sudden fiery determination in their eyes. “It’ll scar…” She pointed out, a frown pulling to her lips before understanding settled in. “You want it to.”

They did not deny her assumption, nor did they confirm it, but they did not release Sabine’s hand until she tossed the packet back into the kit. “Alright, alright. Can I cover it?”

More silence and another minuscule nod of their head later and Sabine was carefully taping clean gauze across the burn. Shin would up leaning back against the cold durasteel of the wall at some point, leaving Sabine’s knees pressing into the bench as she leaned over them to patch her up. “Well, spoiler alert, I’m no doctor, but it should be alright. I’ll check on it in the morning.. if you’re hanging around that long?”

“I don’t know,” Their voice was hoarse, exhaustion dripping in each syllable as they stared at the silver of Sabine’s belt. Where would they go? Baylan was dead, Thrawn and Morgan would have them killed; not that they would ever choose to go back there.

“Well… There’s an extra bunk, you know…” There was a hint of something more, an offering that went unsaid or I can make room in mine. “I’m sure ‘soka can look past the attempted murder thing, she has before… You know, if you want to, for a while.”

Shin’s head dipped in an uncharacteristic way, their spaced-out gaze finding their hands and the chipped paint along their nails. “If I can stay, I will.”

This earned a beaming smile from the Mandalorian that almost had them regretting the decision. “Hang on, I’ll get you some clothes-“ The purple haired woman popped out of the ‘fresher. “Ezra!” She shouted into the cabin, smirking at the groan that filtered through to Shin’s ears. “Hey, can you grab a spare change of clothes from the bunks?”

“I have literally never been on this ship in my life, ‘bine.”

“It’s through that door, di’kut. Grab..” A hum from the artist as she thought of what would fit best. “the blues, I think there’s stuff in that middle drawer under the bunk that’ll work. Just absolutely don’t open the one on the right,”

A few moments of silence before there was a rustling a fabric being passed between the chosen family. “Sabine, why do you keep dicks with your stuff?” He complained, whining in the way only a vod’ika could.

“I literally told you not to look there,” She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. The door slid shut in Ezra’s face as she took the small bundle of clothes.

“You can’t tell me not to look somewhere, and expect me to listen!” He called from the other side of the door. “Can you believe this, Huyang?”

“For Lady Wren? Yes, it is very plausible,” She heard the droid agree as she set the clothes back on the counter.

“If anything, those two will drive you nuts first,” She informed them, though there was a warm smile on her lips as she unfolded the sleep shorts and sweatshirt. “This is all I have that has a chance at fitting, pretty sure leather pants aren’t the best for sleeping in,”

“Thank you-“ Without waiting and skipping the preamble, Sabine carefully helped Shin into each article. Once the blonde’s head was popped through the neck hole of the sweatshirt, Sabine idly reached out to brush their hair back in place with her fingers.

“I’m sure we can stop somewhere and grab something that’ll fit while I fix this stuff up,” Sabine promised, patting the stack of blood soiled clothes.

The Mandalorian helped Shin up once more, again taking the lead with a gentle hand on their wrist as they rejoined everyone in the main room. Ahsoka was deep in thought at the table, a ceramic mug of tea clasped in her hands, while Ezra packed away at least three days-worth of rations across from her. “Hey, we’re gonna go lay down… long day,” She called to everyone at the table. Huyang popped his head out of his service quarters at her voice.

“Lady Hati, may I take yours and Lord Baylan’s sabers? Ezra mentioned they may have suffered damage from the environment.”

Shin’s hands tapped at their waist where the sabers should have been, though… she did not know where they could have gone, they’d been spaced out too far since Baylan’s last breath that she hadn’t kept track of them.

“Oh! Right here!” Sabine removed both sabers from the back of her belt, passing them off to Shin so they could make the final decision to pass them both to the waiting droid.

“Thank you,”

Sabine and Shin were able to retreat to the crew quarters with no further interruptions. While Sabine was preparing the bunk across from her own, Shin settled down to sit against Sabine’s own decorated bed. By the time the purple haired woman had finished, the wolf was already curled up at the foot of the thin mattress, eyes shut and face burrowed into the tooka plush Kanan had gotten her ages ago for her birthday.

“Yeah, me too,” Sabine agreed in a quiet whisper. Instead of settling into the other bunk, she dropped into the open space of her own without taking off her armor, the exhaustion of the last few weeks finally catching up from the hyperspace lane and sending the Mandalorian off to sleep.

▬▬ι═══════>

Shin’s rest was anything but restful through the night, keeping them tossing and turning, agitating the bandages on their chest until Ahsoka had finally had enough, dropping from the bed above Sabine’s almost silently, only to reach out and shake the blonde’s leg until awareness came flooding back in.

The blonde’s eyes snapped open, recoiling in near immediate fear as they processed the glow of Togrutan eyes and the distinct markings of Ahsoka Tano’s face. “Easy,” She whispered as they scrambled back on the mattress, nearly waking Sabine. She had to wonder what Baylan had been telling them about her.

She could hear the quickened thumping of their heart and the rapid rise and fall of their chest, even as they schooled their features to mask the terror. “I’m not going to hurt you,” She tried to ease, though it seemed to be the wrong move. Sabine and Ezra both shifted, beginning to stir at the commotion and the fear bleeding out into the force.

Exasperated, Ahsoka slipped out of the room to find Huyang, tinkering away at the oddest hours to pull the sediment from Baylan and Shin’s sabers. “Hey, you up for telling the kids one of your old stories?”

“They are all far from children,” He commented as he settled Baylan’s hilt onto a clean rag. “But of course, I will.” He agreed, stepping around Ahsoka and to the room.

Shin was still backed up into the corner of the bunk, her hand resting on Sabine’s wrist, over the trigger for the small rockets loaded into the vambrace , laying in wait should they need to use Sabine’s arsenal to protect themselves.

“Lady Hati,” He greeted, blinking up at Ezra when the man’s hand dropped down to smack against his head.

“ ‘bine, turn your alarm off,” He grumbled, hand limp against the droids head.

“Eat my shorts,” Sabine grumbled tiredly, shifting against the mattress with her eyes still closed, curling instinctively closer to the blonde in her bed.

“Huyang, please,” Ahsoka spoke from the doorway, the light filling in keeping er eyes dull, and only slightly less horrifying to the younger blonde.

“Of course,” He settled himself in the open bunk that Sabine had prepared hours before. “Lady Hati, your Master’s lightsaber was constructed in a style that the Jedi Order had not seen in hundreds of years…”

Huyang talked long into the night about the old Republic and the ways of the Jedi from that era, delving into a plot that had all three young adults sleeping once more, before he could even get to the interesting part. Even with Ahsoka as his only audience, Huyang continued his tale about Baylan Skoll, and the day he came in as an excited youngling and built his very first saber, and the vivid yellow-orange blade he had produced on the trip back to Coruscant.

[biblicallyaccuratechicken]

@toytanks I had to ok

Have a list of every MCR song (that I've heard of) and how it relates to Billford, which I definitely do not ship and if you've ever seen any proof to the contrary noo you didn't

I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love

(fuckk even the album name is Billford-coded)

Romance -- no lyrics, but I do think that the fact that they only played the part in minor and not the major one does feel like Billford

Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough for the Two of Us -- post-betrayal Billford. There are two distinct parts to this song; the one that comes first is Bill, and the other is Ford.

Vampires Will Never Hurt You -- honestly this kinda feels like the opposite of Billford to me, it's more like Ford x Jheselbraum.

Drowning Lessons -- One Of Us AU? It still doesn't feel quite right to me though

Our Lady of Sorrows -- it definitely feels like Billford, particularly from Bill's perspective, but some of the lyrics make me think more of Fiddauthor (kill me right now)

Headfirst For Halos -- it feels like Bill starting to catch feelings for Ford and partying trying to forget but still gushing about him lmao

Skylines and Turnstiles -- it just kinda feels like Billford, I can't explain it.

Early Sunsets Over Monroeville -- to me it kinda feels like around the time Ford found out about the betrayal. Like, the narrative of being really close and sharing happy memories and dreams, and then suddenly your lover is a monster you have to destroy

This Is The Best Day Ever -- perhaps, if Ford was a shape like Bill, and Bill destroyed his dimension for Ford's sake.

Cubicles -- lmao I can see Bill sulking about Ford to this song

Demolition Lovers -- this song was definitely on the soundtrack of the most toxic relationship I've ever been in, so I know for a FACT that this is 100% a Billford song.

Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

Helena -- I could see this being from Ford's point of view, during Wierdmageddon. Some of it feels like One Of Us AU.

Give 'Em Hell, Kid -- on the other hand, this one is definitely Bill during Ford's exile

To The End -- the level of toxicity is definitely there, but since it's a pretty clear narrative, I'll call it vibes-only-Billford

You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison -- it is, again, mostly vibes-only, but I can also see post-betrayal Ford feeling this way if they happened to hook up during that time

I'm Not Okay (I Promise) -- I really don't think this fits them at all, but the one clip of Frankie going "you have something on your face" and then violently taking a fallen eyelash from the cheerleader's face before absolutely booking it is something I could see happening between them and it cracks me up

The Ghost of You -- this feels like either post-betrayal Bill or if they became a couple and Ford died of old age

The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You -- This is just Billford. I. What do you want from me.

Interlude -- not really Billford. I'll say it. Yeah, it's melancholy, but again it feels more like Ford x Jheselbraum or Fiddauthor.

Thank You For The Venom -- Billford, either perspective. It feels very reminiscent of the exile era (or even during Weirdmageddon?)

Hang 'Em High -- This also feels very much like Billford. Not sure when I'd place it to, but the vibes are there, especially One of Us AU imo.

It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's A Fucking Deathwish -- Billford. That's it that's the commentary.

Cemetery Drive -- definitely post-betrayal Billford, particularly Ford's perspective ("Is this what you always want me for?" I'm going FERAL)

I Never Told You What I Do For A Living -- Bill. Bill. Bill. Bill. Bill. You Cannot Change My Mind It Is Imbued With His Essence And The One He Is Singing To And About Is Fordsy.

Welcome To The Black Parade

The End. -- nothing obviously Billford sticks out to me, but some of the lyrics could be applied to either of their perspectives, precisely because it's so neutral

Dead! -- post-season 2 Ford about Bill (though the last lyrics are definitely something Bill would vibe with)

This Is How I Disappear -- post-betrayal, pre-season 2 Billford. Could also fit pre-betrayal, but not as much due to its “laughing at a bad thing to hide the pain I lie awake over” vibes

The Sharpest Lives -- Bill. 100%. Maybe Ford during exile. Idk I know he made some decisions he regretted later back then.

Welcome To The Black Parade -- Ford post-season 2, maybe? It doesn't scream it to me, but it could be made to fit ("your weary widow marches on etc etc)

I Don't Love You -- post-betrayal, from Bill's perspective

House of Wolves -- it's just Billford. Idk what you want me to say.

Cancer -- if Bill reincarnated as a human and couldn't be with Ford

Mama -- this one fits Bill as a character really well, as well as One Of Us AU Billford

Sleep -- post-betrayal Billford

Teenagers -- yeah I don't really see it. Some of the lyrics do have that paranoid feeling Ford has pre-exile though

Disenchanted -- definitely feels like Billford from Bill's perspective. Some of the lyrics also feel like Bill reflecting on his life as he's dying, and the bridge in particular feels like post-exile Bill

Famous Last Words -- So. Much. Billford. I can't speak.

Blood -- doesn't really strike me as Billford. I do see elements of the two of them separately though

The Black Parade: The B-Sides

My Way Home Is Through You -- heavy Billford vibes, though some of the lyrics also make me think of Ford x Jheselbraum. That's neither here nor there though, as this is a Billford-driven list of reviews.

Kill All Your Friends -- Billford. It feels like both of their perspectives, but some of the verses feel like Weirdmageddon-era Bill.

Heaven Help Us --definitely a Billford song. Again, it could be from either of their perspectives, but I'm feelin a lot of Bill from a few of the lyrics. Ford has his moments in the sun too, though

Danger Days: The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys

(listen a lot of these are about love so ofc they're gonna be Billford that's just how my idealistic brain works ok I mean who said that I don't ship Billford hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha)

I am counting Look Alive Sunshine as part of Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) because it's true ok -- it kinda feels like the two of them coping with their separation during the exile era and it cracks me up to hell and back

Bulletproof Heart -- Bill trying to convince Ford to join him during Weirdmageddon and it's working

SING -- this is definitely how Bill sees himself. In a Billford context, I can see this also as him trying to convince Ford

Planetary (Go!) -- wow, our first 100% pre-betrayal Billford song! It tastes like candy and battery acid and stardust

The Only Hope For Me Is You -- this could easily apply, with its galactic imagery and love-song-esque feeling. I could see this being Ford, having been by Bill's side after Weirdamageddon for many years, telling him "This isn't the answer, we only need each other"

Party Poison -- HHHHHHHHH it feels like Billford in that it feels like the two of them interacting. Lyrically, it mostly makes me think of Ford during Weirdmageddon trying to stop the party, but MCR are musical geniuses so it also feels like the party itself. This one turned me into a little geek ngl it's one of their songs that gets the biggest primal reaction out of me.

Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back -- gonna be honest, this one, more than anything else, reminded me of Dipper and Wendy's time together during Weirdmageddon. It does feel very much like Bill though in the sense that it bleeds anarchy and lasers

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W -- again, this was part of the soundtrack of my toxic relationship, so I really want it to be Billford but if I'm being honest it's just hard to see.

Summertime -- This does feel like Billford, in a more fluffy way than any of the others. "Terrified of what I'd be [...] Could you stop the noise" feels a lot like Ford as he met Bill. Really, this whole song is more Ford-sung than Bill, but I could also see most of the lyrics being sung by Bill (it just depends on his back story, which as of now we can only speculate)

DESTROYA -- I definitely would put this on a Billford playlist, but imo this is another vibes-only one. Like, the denial of God and the "we're in this together" and stuff is there, but lyrically it just doesn't quiiite hit the mark for me

The Kids From Yesterday -- much like Planetary (Go!), this one feels like pre-betrayal, stardust and citric acid, Billford

Vampire Money -- this seems like Bill's initial ideal of how Billford would turn out lol. Also, Bill partying and pretending he's okay without Ford during the exile. Also, Ford partying and pretending he's okay without Bill during the exile. Also, Ford being mad at Bill during the exile. Also-

We Don't Need Another Song About California -- this does feel like Ford talking to Bill, and it also has Billford vibes

(i know there are others but i haven't heard them that often so i wouldn't be a good judge so! moving on...)

Conventional Weapons

(I hope to God these are all Billford cause they're some of my favorites)

Boy Division -- I can very easily see this as Billford, and like Bill is bein dramatic to Ford about what happened at Weirdmageddon cause you know he's not letting that little "murder" go even though it was incredibly justified and Ford has way more reason to be mad but he's just patiently sitting through it and waiting for Bill to let him talk

Tomorrow's Money -- despite the actual point of this song, it also feels like Bill talking to Ford post-season 2 at some points

AMBULANCE -- oh this is very Billford. Yessiree, this is the good shit, especially One Of Us AU

Gun. -- This is definitely from Ford's perspective. What are you obsessing over a gun for? To kill this dream demon? Why are you so worried about having a son? Hm? So in other words, you're obsessing over this dream demon and sad you can't have a family with him? Is that it? Pretty gay tbh

The World Is Ugly -- This is an us-vs-them love song. This was made for them.

The Light Behind Your Eyes -- Bill sad about losing/leaving Ford cause he's just one more in a string of people dear to him but especially Ford because it's been so long since someone was that close and he wishes now that he could've done things differently but alas

Kiss the Ring -- I'm sorry, it's mostly just Weirdamageddon-era Bill. Some of it is like Ford replying to him, but otherwise there's not really all that much Billford in it

Make Room!!!! -- yeah again, it's mostly just Weirdmageddon Bill, though in this one he is doing a lot of ogling Ford I think

Surrender The Night -- oh Billford 100%. Dreams, secrets, surrender, everything. It's just Them, and you can't change my mind

Burn Bright -- this feels like the idealized version of Billford we you all have in our your heads, y'know? Like, we you want them to go on these adventures together and be steamy about it a good amount of the time, and that's what this is. This is them being anarchist murder hoboes together and I love that for them <3 and that's that ig

[dailyadventureprompts]

If you'd be so kind, may I request a sword and sorcery styled romp? Ancient forbidden magics, treasure, evil cults, etc~ I plan on trying this out for a potential upcoming session

Mini Campaign: The Bastard's Wish

Whether it ends in triumph or ruin, it’s of no doubt the bards will sing of this tale till the end of their days.

Our story begins in a wholesome and peaceful kingdom, entertaining an embassy from a neighboring land to discuss terms of trade and potential alliance. The party play as significant figures (champions, courtiers head knights, children of ruling monarchs) who have been enlisted in recent years by a knindly wizard known as Edarth the Enduring to use their influence to mend the rift between these two quarreling nations.  These are fine days full of promise for a brighter future, at least until a shadow comes creeping in: an army of marauders led by Malzaat Felhand, a warlord of the forsaken lands who has decided today of all days to lay siege to the party’s home.

The warlord has taken the kingdom’s defenders unaware by opening a hellmouth on the outskirts of a nearby village, marching his soldiers through this living portal of fire and fangs to march on the fortress where the embassy was taking place. Malzaat’s goal? the Wizard Edarth and the staff of ancient power he has guarded since the fall of the previous age, which he hopes to turn to some foul and disastrous purpose.  The party rallies, but with innocents and nobles to protect and only a small garrison to support them they are stretched too thin to prevent the warlord from cutting down the wizard and retrieving his prize.

A horn sounds and the marauders retreat carrying off what valuables and hostages they can, tired and blooded the party creep through the wreckage to find a number of their friends and loved ones slain, and their mentor soon to join them. In his dying moments, Edarth entrusts the party to seek out Malzaat and retrieve his staff, break it if need be, for the power it commands could lay waste to kingdoms or let the warlord set himself up as a tyrant. With this last request and a few whispered words of goodbye, the wizard sets the party to their quest, and leaves the fate of their homeland in their hands.

Adventure Hooks:

To travel to the forsaken lands, the party must venture out past the outskirts of their kingdom, over a haunted mountainside, and through a swamp of ancient magics, all the while overcoming the hazards of the wilderness and the supernatural dangers lurking in their path.

The closer they get to Malzaat’s home the more they must contend with his spies and agents: desperate souls who would seek a reward from the warlord, or beasts bewitched by him to serve as his eyes. Being discovered in their task means having Malzaat throw more obstacles at them through more hellmouths, just marauders at first but later various monsters dredged up from the depths of the swamp or raised from the pits of hell. 

Throughout their travels the heroes begin to receive visions of a youth beset by phantasmal demons, thrashing as one would in a nightmare and calling out for aid. Through dreams and vision pools, the youth calls out to the heroes, giving them advice on where they must go, and cryptic hints to overcome the challenges they must face.  This youth must be one of the captives taken by the marauders, using some psychic gift to reach out to the heroes for aid. 

Setup: Malzaat’s mother was once the general of a great kingdom, exiled to the forsaken lands along with her loyalists after committing unspeakable cruelties in an attempt to win the war she’d been tasked with fighting. Filled with wrath and regret over her apparent “betrayal”, her darkening soul attracted the attention of a demon of the wastes, who offered the fallen general power enough to carve out her own little kingdom, if only she would do so in his name. 

Neither expected this compact to eventually become a dalliance, or the birth of a half-fiendish child to follow, but between them the two had a cruel, villainous sort of love that seemed suited for the forsaken lands they made their home in.

Their child however did not have such a happy existence, brought up by his mother to glorify strength and hate weakness, the young Malzaat grew to detest his mortal half, wishing he could be a full fiend like his immortal and oft-absent father. It took decades for him to gather power, first serving as his mother’s right hand as the captain of the marauders her loyalists had become, then leading them himself after her death. With a small army at his beck and call, Malzaat roved far and wide, gathering more and more power but always searching for a means to overcome his mortality.

His attempts were less than successful, culminating in a ritual bastardized from blood-stained scrolls he’d stolen while looting a temple. Malzaat did manage to cleave his mortal essence from himself but the end result left him as a half-there thing, wraithlike form and malicious intent. Diminished but unwilling to return to mortality, Malzaat set about looking for a means of true transcendence, which eventually led him to a marvelous palace where dreams becomes take physical form, at least within its illusion choked grounds. Using  Edarth’s staff, the warlord hopes to turn these phantasms tangeable, to make his idealized, all powerful fiendish body a reality even if he has to break a part of the world to do it.

Should Malzaat’s plan succeed, it’s not only an incarnated greater demon the realms will need to worry about. With staff in hand and possessing the ability to bring his imaginings to life, the warlord would create ever more dangerous weapons and warriors until he ruled all the realms or shattered reality under his feet. This is a scenario the heroes must avert at all cost.

Challenges & Complications

If they anger him enough, Malzaat will ride out to challenge the party himself, potentially opening a hellmouth and stranding them in some desolate realm buying himself time as he forces them to fight their way back to the mortal world. The tide may turn however and as heroes manage to cut the villain down, only to see his wraithlike form begin to recorperate over a matter of minutes, angrier than before, seemingly unkillable. This turns any confrontation with the half-fiend into a game of keepaway, putting as many barriers and as much distance as possible between them and the murderous shade as possible before they manage to tire.

Malzaat’s mortal essence didn’t just disappear, as the ritual he used was originally intended as a means of excorissm fiendish influence from a person’s body. And so there is a boy, perhaps thirteen years old, the embodiment of all Malzaat’s weakness, frailty, innocence, and anything else the warlord hated about himself. The half-fiend would have long disposed of him, save for the fact that any harm done to the youth is felt by his wraithlike form, leading him to fear that should the boy die, his blackened soul would depart right along with him.  The boy, Taz, sleeps, not having strength to wake save for small periods, but as he does so his mind blends with the dreaming essence of the palace that is his prison, allowing him to reach out into the unconscious minds of others, growing clearer as they near the palace itself. He tries to warn the heroes of Malzaat’s seeming immortality, and tells them of a secret weapon hidden within the warlord’s fortress that they can use do permanently defeat him. ...... It turns out selflessness is one of those qualities Malzaat left with his better half, as Taz is aware that his death might be the only means of stopping his other-self’s wicked plans. He’ll keep the party in the dark for as long as possible until they manage to fight or sneak their way to his chamber, at which point he’ll explain the grim necessity that will allow them to save all the realms without having to fight Malzaat directly.

Far older than he seemed, the wizard Edarth was once a student of a titan named Tourmal, from whom he inherited his staff after the giant was slain by another. Tourmal’s other students took a far darker path, becoming a coven of blood-mad oracles that the party will doubtlessly stumble over the course of their quest.  Should the coven learn of their mission ( and why wouldn’t they, they’re oracles after all), they’ll offer to provide insight to the party provided they swear a binding oath to give the staff over to them once they’ve retrieved it. They’ll also warn them about a bit of subterfuge on the old wizard’s part: Breaking the staff will unleash its power, annihilating the one who did it as well as anyone standing nearby.  Wouldn’t such a dangerous object be better out of the hands of the ignorant, and in the hands of those who’s only goal is to look further and further into the future?

Art

[atlanticum]

A rundown of my favorite “The Wicked King” moments<33333

• ‘It was good to be hugged. Even by a monster’.

• "I have heard that for mortals, the feeling of falling in love is very like the feeling of fear. Your heart beats fast. Your senses are heightened. You grow light-headed, maybe even dizzy”.

• “Watching my back is the perfect opportunity to stick a knife in it” I remind him.

• ‘I think of his horror at his own desire when I brought my mouth to his, the dagger in my hand, edge against his skin. The toe-curling corrosive pleasure of that kiss. It felt as though I was punishing him—punishing him and myself at the same time.’

• “You?” I shout “You shot Cardan” We love protective Jude;)

• “He could have died. You idiot, he could have died” AAAHAAHAH

• “Someone you trust has already betrayed you”.

• “And what made you decide it wasn’t?” (her) He grins up at me “They missed”.

• “Kiss me again” he says, drunk and foolish. “Kiss me until I am sick of it.” I DIEEEEEEED

• “If you’re the sickness, I suppose you can’t also be the cure”.

• Jude staring at Cardan while he sleeps<333

• “Is this really what you wanted? Him?” YES BITCH! THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTED. FUCKING STUPID MADOC.

• “The High King is very bad at romance” Well, Jude, you know better than any of us;) (OOOOHAAAAOOOH CAUGHT IN A BAD ROMANCE—“)

• The Bomb admitting to Jude she likes The Roach is so cute!!! They’re such besties<3

• Just Jude wanting to find a place Cardan be safer in<3333

• “I see you staring at him” Nicasia says. “Surely it’s not the High King himself you were gazing at”.

• When Taryn smiles after seeing Cardan’s clothes scattered on Jude’s room floor.

• Jude saying “No, no, absolutely not, do not do that” when Cardan suggests that he can seduce Taryn away from Locke.

• The way Jude randomly remembers how warmth of Cardan’s fingers against her skin felt good and thinking there’s something wrong with her, cause SHE WANTS WHAT SHE HATES.

• “I hate you” “Say it again”

• “Will you dance with me? For I find you every bit as beautiful as you find me” <3333

• Jude imagines her mouth on Cardan’s—

• The Bomb tells Jude about Cardan’s mother!

• CHAPTER 15

• “Should I touch her like this?” OH MY GOD

• But like the whole CHAPTER 15

• Jude threatening Locke:)

• Just the whole thing with Jude and Oak, how they see each other again, he tells her he missed her and she calls him “sweets” they’re so cute<333.

• When Heather asks Jude why she lives in Faerie if it’s how she described and Jude just replies “It’s home” I kind of immediately thought about Cardan at her words.

• “I did it for the same reason that you did. To get it out of my system.” "And is it?" he asks. "Out of your system?" “Yes” LIAR!

• When Jude’s spies tell her that Cardan spent the night alone without parties and stuff and she’s confused.

• “Yes, I shot myself with an arrow” :))

• ‘All I want to do is walk into his arms.’ Oh juuude.

• “Nice dress”.

• Kill him before he makes you love him.

• “Jude, are you afraid of me?” *screaming internally*

• Jude realising that it was Locke who attacked her.

• “Why?” “I served Prince Dain. Not you” THE BETRAYAL.

• “But you shot at him with a crossbow bolt. Of course he likes me better” GO OFF JUDE.

• ‘I hope Cardan misses me.’ CRYING.

• When Jude wonders what would have happened if she’d admitted he wasn’t out of her system.

• THE HIGH KING HAS MADE A BARGAIN TO GET HER BACK BITCHES.

• When Cardan tries to fight Jude off of him in bed, but realises it’s her and stops. Then his hand goes to her waist and instead of pushing her off, he pulls her into the bed with him;).

• “Crawl to me” JESUS CRIST CARDAN.

• Cardan sends someone for tea and food seeing Jude pale. So caring.

• “Yes, my sweet villain, my darling god.” AND THEN HE KISSES HER IN FRONT OF EVERYONE.

• “Marry me” he says “Become the Queen of Elfhame”. GOT ME MELTING.

• “Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll marry you”

• THE WHOLE VOW PART.

• ‘He kisses the scar of my palm.’ *dies from cuteness overload*

• They trade kisses in the darkness;)

• Cardan exiles Jude…

[dyinginlava]

c!Tommy, Exile, and Loneliness: an Analysis

By someone who watched every stream live and is not a fan of the fanon interpretation — redtaxproject analysis

Exile, for all its importance to the story of the Dream SMP, is often misunderstood and misrepresented by the fandom — exaggerated into a far darker storyline than you would expect from an arc that included the main villain stripping on a log for Twitch subscriptions. Much of this ultimately comes down to the focus on c!Dream as the villain, seeing him as the cause of all c!Tommy’s suffering — meanwhile ignoring both c!Tommy’s arc up until that point, and the various contributions of other characters that make the arc what it was.

To understand how exile affected c!Tommy’s, we first need to understand how the events leading up to exile affected him — he did not go into exile as a blank slate. Beginning with the events of November 16th 2020, there’s the perceived betrayal of both c!Technoblade (turning on the Pogtopians after realising he’d been lied to) and c!Wilbur (setting off the explosives after saying he wouldn’t). This is followed only a few weeks later with the situation that led to his exile — a seemingly inconsequential bit of griefing escalated by politics, with people he thought were his friends turning on him (with c!Quackity and c!Fundy specifically showing a willingness to only side with him when he was likely to win and/or it benefited them).

After losing two of his closest friends, c!Tommy then had to face the fact that c!Tubbo, as president of New L’Manburg, now had split responsibilities and had to prioritise the country over his best friend. Both of these factors together influenced c!Tommy’s mental state going into exile, making him feel abandoned by his friends. This was only amplified by the presence of Ghostbur through most of his exile, constantly reminding him of c!Wilbur’s death.

Now that we have established how the events leading up to exile affected c!Tommy, we can discuss the exile itself. While a common complaint about the arc is that, despite claiming to be alone, c!Tommy is visited regularly, this claim misunderstands why c!Tommy felt alone during exile. For the duration of exile, c!Tommy could only be visited by others — he couldn’t choose to visit someone. This is highlighted when he is unable to go to see the community Christmas tree — while someone builds a Christmas tree for him at Logstedshire, it wasn’t the same as going to see one himself. There’s also the fact that c!Tubbo never visited him.

C!Tommy also comes to view others visiting him as a form of pity, which explains one of the more controversial parts of the arc — c!Tommy dropping c!Jack Manifold in lava when he comes to visit him, lashing out and killing him. Both of these factors are shown with his attempt to hold a beach party (inviting others rather than waiting for them to come) and his response to no-one showing up, which is to deny.

All of this, however, is not to discredit c!Dream’s actions during this arc. The main mistake fanon makes when considering c!Dream is in the belief that he is good at manipulating people — in fact he is quite terrible with it, usually failing in most cases when he tries to persuade someone to do something with words (as shown during the El Rapids conflict and the dethronement of c!George). Instead, where c!Dream excels is in the manipulation of events — taking advantage of things that have happened for his own goals (such as using c!Tommy’s griefing against him), and setting up situations by predicting how others will act (such as staging the disc confrontation).

While his overall plan is still unknown, during the exile arc, c!Dream’s main goal appears to be driving c!Tommy and c!Tubbo apart, separating them physically and mentally, in order to create a situation where he would be in possession of both discs. In order to achieve this he spent his time hindering c!Tommy’s progress, highlighting the fact that others had turned on him, and constantly reminding him of the consequences of returning to the main SMP area. Even when c!Tommy left Logstedshire and hid from c!Dream, his goal was still achieved as c!Tommy teamed up with c!Technoblade — which may have been part of his plan all along.

Finally, we can discuss the events leading up to c!Tommy escaping exile. As a result of everything discussed above, c!Tommy begins to spiral, resulting in suicidal thoughts and apathy towards harm (such as letting mobs attack him). After c!Dream discovers his hidden stash of items, and destroys the progress he’s made, c!Tommy appears to be contemplating suicide — until he realises that the limitations of his exile are, effectively, all in his mind, created by fear. He could always leave at any time.

So he does.

[horizon-verizon]

This is one opinion of Alysanne and Saera:

Firstly, I agree that Jaehaerys ignored Saera, but Alysanne was actually the more engaged parent and the one who constantly observed several things about their children while Jaehaerys did jack. She was left with the childcare and nurturing domestics (when the children's maids and nannies weren't, she is still a noble/royal woman who is it expected to raise her kids as a common-born woman would).

I have a myriad of examples peppered throughout the analysis about Jaehaerys I, the Targs' dynastic history, and Alicent HERE, so I won’t mention them here. Enough that a pattern and truth emerges.

Secondly, Jaehaerys was never willing to marry Saera off to any of the three men she slept with. He only gave two options to Connington: the Night’s Watch or a ten-year exile, and the later chose exile only to die before it ended. He dueled with Beesbury and killed him. And he married Mooton to Perianne Moore. In no way was he ever willing to marry any of them to Saera, and actually outright refused to do so after she said that she was willing to marry any or all three (QUOTE). Alysanne never, ever said no to a marriage between her daughter and any of the three boys.

Thirdly, while Alysanne did say that Saera should be punished for the sleeping around, can we really exclude the pressure of Jaehaerys having punished Saera even worse if Alysanne had not been a mediating party? and as I already stated, Jaehaerys had all the ability to engage with all his kids and actually understand them -- that’s not on Alysanne. But Jaehaerys already assigned his daughters specific personalities before ever actually knowing the ones that came with them. Again, he had made sure that the family and their roles were shaped around his political needs more than finding that balance between love and security. He is the king. He determines the shape of the domestic realm in his own castle through those familial connections that he is responsible -- at the end of the day -- of arranging and controlling. Just to repeat myself.

Fourthly, Jaehaerys has always shown a force of will that even butted against Alysanne: Daenerys being named heir, Rhaenys (before GC of 101), Saera. Against his sister Rhaena and her relationships with all three Farmans and the deal with the lost dragon eggs. He was ready to fly to Essos or wherever those eggs ended up and threaten whoever had them with war and dragonfire if they refused to give them back, considering them stolen goods of the Targs. 

We see that Alysanne struggled still with feeling in control and having power or being recognized enough through her interactions with the maesters at Oldtown:

[...] Queen Alysanne remained in Oldtown. The silent sisters hosted her in their motherhouse for a day of prayer and contemplation. Another day she spent with the septas who cared for the city’s sick and destitute. Amongst the novices she met was her niece Rhaella, whom Her Grace pronounced a learned and devout young woman “though much given to stammers and blushes.” For three days she lost herself in the Citadel’s great library, emerging only to attend lectures on the Valyrian dragon wars, leechcraft, and the gods of the Summer Isles.

Afterward she feasted the assembled archmaesters in their own dining hall, and even presumed to lecture them. “If I had not become queen, I might have liked to be a maester,” she told the Conclave. “I read, I write, I think, I am not afraid of ravens...or a bit of blood. There are other highborn girls who feel the same. Why not admit them to your Citadel? If they cannot keep up, send them home, the way you send home boys who are not clever enough. If you would give the girls a chance, you might be surprised by how many forge a chain.” The archmaesters, loath to gainsay the queen, smiled at her words and bobbed their heads and assured Her Grace that they would consider her proposal.

(Birth, Death, and Betrayal Under King Jaehaerys I)

“Presumed”. “Loath to gainsay”. “Consider”. “Why not admit them...?” the question never addressed. All to say this was a moment where Alysanne tried to assert herself and had no effect without Jaehaerys attached.

AND this:

And Alysanne was unwillingly separated from her TWICE and tried many times to get Jaehaerys to be gentler even before Saera fled.

Her Grace’s words were soft and gentle, and Jaehaerys was moved by them, Septon Barth tells us. Alysanne was stubborn and persistent and she had a way of bringing the king around to her own point of view, no matter how far apart they had been at the start. Given time, she might have softened his stance on Saera as well.

She would not have that time. That very night, Princess Saera sealed her fate. Instead of remaining in her rooms as she had been instructed, she slipped away whilst visiting the privy, donned a washerwoman’s robes, stole a horse from the stables, and escaped the castle. She got halfway across the city, to the Hill of Rhaenys, but as she tried to enter the Dragonpit, she was found and taken by the Dragonkeepers and returned to the Red Keep.

Alysanne wept when she heard, for she knew her cause was hopeless. Jaehaerys was hard as stone. “Saera with a dragon,” was all he had to say. “Would she have taken Balerion as well, I wonder?” This time the princess was not allowed to return to her own chambers. She was confined to a tower cell instead, with Jonquil Darke guarding her day and night, even in the privy. (Jaehaerys and Alysanne; Policy, Progeny, and Pain)

So I ask...how does Alysanne truly have enough recognition to override Jaehaerys’s stubbornness and will as Visenya did to Aegon I enough to gainsay him against his intentions against Beesbury? Especially with how angry and humiliated Jaehaerys felt, how determined he was to eliminate the perceived threat to his authority and power?

Fifthly, it is after Saera escapes from her imprisonment the first time and tries to go to tthe Dragonpit AND Jaehaerys kills Beesbury that he, not Alysanne, sends his daughter into the Faith:

A fortnight later, Jaehaerys and Alysanne gave another of their daughters over to the Faith. Princess Saera, who was not quite seventeen, departed King’s Landing for Oldtown, where her sister Septa Maegelle was to take charge of her instruction. She would be a novice, it was announced, with the silent sisters. Septon Barth, who knew the king’s mind better than most, would later maintain the sentence was meant to be a lesson. No one could mistake Saera for her sister Maegelle, least of all her father. She would never be a septa, much less a silent sister, but she required punishment, and it was thought that a few years of silent prayer, harsh discipline, and contemplation would be good for her, that it would set her on the path to redemption.

(Fire and Blood; Jaehaerys and Alysanne; Policy, Progeny, and Pain)

This emphasis on “king’s mind” lets us know that Jaehaerys was the one who made the decision or was the one pushing for and made the final choice to make Saera go to the septas.

And Barth makes it clear: to “re-educate” her to make her more amenable towards Jaehaerys’ desires.

Even if Alysanne was the one to suggest slow “redemption”, at that point she was doing all she could make keep Saera there, which involved placating Jaehaerys....you know, the actual KING.

[nerosdayinanime]

Lampshades on Fire

Well the lampshade's on fire when the lights go out- This is what i really call a party now- Well, fear makes us really really run around- A-this one's done so where to now? Our eyes light up, we have no shame at all- Well, you all know what i'm talking about- The room lights up, but we're still dancin' around- We're havin' fun, havin' some fun now- Pack up again, head to the next place- Where we'll make the same mistakes- Open one up and let it fall to the ground- Pile out the door when it all runs out

made me think of the aftermath of one offshoot where giyuu gets exiled, something something mother killed & replaced by a spy nin and giyuu found out and killed said nin- tsutako only saw giyuu killing their mother & she chased him out of the clan for treason in a fit of despair/broken heart/trust. Giyuu fled to the Urokodakis for comfort from his pack (Sabito & Makomo), they ended up fleeing the southern valley entirely for saftey & then its adventure time :)

they kinda just do their best to distract themselves from the pain of leaving their home the only place theyve really known (& giyuu from the despair & feeling of betrayal abt his mother & sister- their culture is super close so being outcast is VERY serious). really just exploring their wider world outside the word of visiting merchants and learning about the realities people live, avoiding getting killed as rogue nin, finding other rogue groups, meeting new allies-

tomioka to urokodaki & past sends them to the east side of the mountains in the land of Rain, smthn like the kamados get whiped out and im thinking either they meet the whole kamaboko quartet later & adopt em all at once or they rescue tanjiro & nezuko in the middle of a raid & end up also taking in zenitsu & inosuke, loop back north to the bigger Northern valley in land of Volcanoes and meet kyojuro senjuro mitsuri & obanai, group heads west along the northern shore of the great lake into land if Wind and get muichiro & yuichiro, around this time learning of an odd group searching for a way to harness power from the sun based on an ancient myth of the continent's early history(nod to the hq!! msby team, on their own little quest to chase the sun), head around the great lake and meet gyomei at the middle mountain, head south and meet kanae shinobu & kanao at the flowering edge of the swaths of forest and swaths of grassy plains either way, heading into the plains southeast-ward and meeting sanemi genya & masachika, swinging back southwest-ward to avoid the southern valley and heading into land of Forest where theyre caught in the middle of a war between the uzui and another clan, quickly heading back north with a new quartet to the group at their warning the wars only get worse further south around the borders to land of the Dead & land of Ice

its the widest-reaching branch so far, just a massive adventure around the ramshack continent i stuffed several different anime series into and pieced together with ducttape & spit- land of the Dead & land of Ice have vampires, bloodbenders, shadowbenders, demons, an assassin bloodline, ...gojo, its not very fun down there<3 and i didnt even mention land of Water or land of Sand to the west & north respectively- i imagine their journey already would take a few years though, especially between keeping a bunch of kids in line, happy & healthy, and teaching them how to fight & defend themselves while they dont know where they are

map #28363610 ive made for this au.. i fucked up on the bottom mountains, left 'claw' is supposed to be bigger and the middle one's supposed to like. seperate the bottom so Koori's split into 'west' 'east' and 'coast'- also the southern valley's thinner and higher up in the mountains than the north valley (i.e. Very Dangerous, tomioka & urokodaki got it set UP in there getting paid to guide merchants through) and i couldnt add it, but theres a massive frozen lake at the top of the mountains betweeb the southern valley & Koori

[lasnevadaslaborunion]

I started to type up some super poetic and eloquent post about L'manberg The Community vs. L'Manberg The Institution, but then I couldn't finish it because I realized that it's just not possible to fully separate them.

Do you think the war for independence would have panned out the way it did if the members didn't mean so much to each other - from the lowest betrayals to the highest sacrifices? Do you think c!Wilbur would have tried to run a single-party election if he weren't an insecure wreck, desperate for validation? Do you think c!Quackity would have challenged him if he didn't crave and envy the home they built for each other? Do you think c!Fundy would have campaigned and become a spy if he didn't want his father to acknowledge him? Do you think c!Schlatt would have died in disgrace if he hadn't pushed away everyone closest to him? Do you think c!Tubbo would have exiled c!Tommy if he weren't frightened for the future of every other citizen, for what he and c!Tommy both sacrificed so much for? Do you think the Butcher Army would have hunted c!Techno if they were not terrified for each other's safety? Do you think they would have stayed and fought on Doomsday if they weren't ready to take on an explosion for each other? Do you think c!Niki would have burned that tree if she didn't feel alone and abandoned by everything she truly loved? Do you think that all these people's loneliness and disconnection and downward spirals now are all merely from the loss of a system or a symbol, and not the loss of friendship and support?

These were a bunch of idiotic kids who never meant any harm at the start, but ended up way in over their heads. They built a pillow fort to hide their toys and share their snacks in, but had to frantically build over it with stone when the first cannons were fired. The community became the institution, they hardened their shells to protect themselves, and once their home became rigid, it became brittle - and so did they. The cracks in one were cracks in the other. They loved each other, but that love wasn't enough.

L'manberg - the community, the institution, the physical home, or the abstract ideology - whatever you want to call it. It wasn't good. It wasn't evil. It was a fucking tragedy.

[bruisedlikeviolet]

Interpreting You’re Losing Me (from the vault)

~Taylor Swift

as the title suggests, it’s about a dying relationship, losing love and realising that they are not fighting to save it as much as you are. The fear of your partner falling out of love, you questioning your own worth and then eventually realising that it’s time to end it.

The sharp exhale in the beginning, for me, captures the emotional exhaustion that comes with being in an unfulfilling, one-sided relationship, where you’re the only one trying to make it work and putting in efforts while your partner doesn’t do the same for you.

•Verse 1: it starts with showing the communication problems between her and her partner. This contrasts to what she wrote earlier, “give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other”. she knows that something is wrong in the relationship but there seems no remedy available. “the room” could mean the relationship. they loved it bc of the light symbolising joy and happiness, but now she is sitting in the dark, symbolising sadness, thinking if it’s time to end the relationship because it no longer makes them happy.

•Pre-chorus 1: she’s wondering if she should hold onto the good parts of the relationship. she calls herself a phoenix, suggesting her ability to stay strong despite the problems. ‘final blow’ could mean that her resilience won’t last long.

•Chorus: she’s asking her partner to stop his actions that are making her fall out of love with him, resulting in him losing her. she also says that she doesn’t feel the same way for him like she used to before.

•Verse 2: she talks about the constant problems in the relationship. her partner is unbothered by the situation despite her trying to communicate her emotions through subtle hints. this reminds me of “exile” which joe and taylor wrote together.

•Pre-chorus 2: the lines suggest a problematic relationship filled with lies, betrayal and indecision. ‘you’re running down the hallway’ indicates that he doesn’t want to save it or work on it. she knows that her partner is overlooking her value and he’ll regret after she’s gone.

•Bridge: she wonders how long can the relationship survive in sadness before it’s too late to revive it. she says that despite giving her best, her empathy and fighting for him, she is left bleeding suggesting an emotionally draining relationship. she says that she’s the best thing at this party, suggesting he wouldn’t find anyone better than her. she then contradicts herself by saying that she wouldn’t marry herself either because she’s a “people pleaser who only wants you to see her” hinting to mirrorball. this is one of the saddest bridges she has written. it suggests that she was ready for marriage but he wasn’t. She asks her partner to say or do something just to show her that he still wants her. she can’t keep telling herself otherwise if he won’t choose her.

•Outro: ‘my heart won’t start anymore’ indicates that she knows it won’t go back to how it was, she’s in despair and letting go. this is her breaking point and she’s expressing her pain that they have to end it.

Production: maturity shines through in the song paired with sorrowful yet mature, dark production. The heartbeat in the beginning, instruments and lyrics everything come together to give us the most gut wrenching experience.

[officialspec]

gutwrenching u say?? top 5 anime betrayals ??? top 10 movie deaths !?!?!???? torn to shreds, u say??? (im silly goofy pls tell me ur fave moments !!)

ooooh one of my fav moments is from the end of arc 2. so tybalt is an exiled prince from a hidden catfolk kingdom called veronya (lol) which has been victim to a centuries long feud between the montemews and catulets (lmao) and tybalt has been accused of killing his forbidden girlfriend juliet. he leaves and weeks later discovers from a group of cats sent to kidnap him that his father king solomon has declared all out war and killed most of juliets family as well as tybalts mother. he goes back to stop the war and joins his friend benji's resistance movement, who are organising a rescue mission for a group of war prisoners taken by solomon.

while in the prison tybalt gets caught in a trap set for him, and when the rest of the party tries to follow theyre quickly overwhelmed and 2 of the party just straight up die (ezran and amelia). when we wake up solomon is waiting for us, raising the dead party members as undead thralls as well as benji who was captured earlier, and juliet. he then conducts a ritual to channel the cats ancestral god through his second in command lark, and starts throwing everything at us

we manage to pull our allies out of their thralls one by one, and when it seems like we have him on the run he pulls out one last card - tybalts 8 year old brother ren, also as an undead thrall. hes a kitten and only about a foot tall, still wearing his pjs, and it was absolutely heartbreaking. we manage to break his thrall as well and exile solomon to end the war, and there are some happy reunions between tybalt benji and juliet, ending the arc on a wedding between juliet and tybs who then retires from the party to right his fathers wrongs (the end of this arc is what this is about btw) but that scene still gets me

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Anasdaughter

There were no women in Govabard, by order of the king. Such had been the law for many years: at any age, by any name, in any form, they were forbidden. It had not been a popular policy, and King Yorn's reign was wilting underneath its unconscionable weight - the women of the realm had not taken their removal gladly, and nor had the remaining men - but he was still the king, at least for now, and his word had become their command.

The first decree had been passed some time ago, following his pilgrimage to the mountain temple of Arrabond. King Yorn had always been a paranoid man, and he had travelled for days with his retinue to consult with the famed oracle, concerned with the manner of his death. There had been unrest in corners of his realm, and he wished to know the identity of any would-be assassin.

"Who will bring about my death?" he had asked with trembling hands, for once made humble in his desperation for the truth. The oracle had offered him a single woman's name in response.

"Maya Anasdaughter."

It was a name he'd never heard before. King Yorn couldn't say why, but that surprised him: for one reason or another, he had expected to recognise the face of death when it was finally unveiled. One of the lords and ladies who had grown disaffected under his rule; one of the cousins he had bested to the throne; even one of the guards who shadowed him night and day, susceptible to threats or bribes or other kinds of leverage.

But this was... something else. An unknown. A peasant girl, most likely: someone he wouldn't recognise, even if his party passed her on the streets back to the palace. In a way, that was worse. Not a betrayal, but an anonymous assassin. The knife in the darkness. A threat he couldn't see coming, unless he kept on looking everywhere at once. The sort of threat to drive a paranoid man over the brink of madness.

Upon his return, King Yorn ordered a full inspection of the women of the realm. It began with his guards, and the palace staff, and emanated outwards with their help: papers were shown, identities vouched for, family trees drawn out on dirty tablecloths. One by one, households were marked as safe. One by one, until they all were. The search turned up empty. There was no Maya Anasdaughter in his kingdom.

There was some Anas, and so he saw to it that there weren't: no blood was spilt, but they were banished, together with their whole families. Daughters who might later change their name. Sons who might later change their sex. Yorn was well aware that he was giving them a motive to return for his head - his actions to prevent that outcome turning back into its cause, as is so often the way with prophecies - but it was the cost of denying them the opportunity.

Besides, there was no question of them coming back. King Yorn ordered the borders closed for all women, girls, and unborn babies coming in. It was a necessary precaution, as far as he could see. That soothed his fears, for a while - but then he began to worry again. A prophecy was not so easily escaped, after all.

The next time, he came for the Mayas: those without mothers, those who might discover a new biological parentage, those that might find themselves adopted as an Anasstepdaughter. Again, that brought a few years of peace, and the realm settled back into its normal level of unrest. A small number of families were parted, hearts broken, friendships severed, but a people could heal from this number of wounds.

Not so the next attack. Eventually, King Yorn's madness reached its inevitable conclusion: he announced the exile of all his female subjects, all of Govabard's women and girls, fearing they could easily have given an assumed name, or take a new one before planning his demise. In doing so, he secured it. Such is the nature of prophecy, like the strands of a spider's web: the more one struggles, the tighter it binds.

The unrest had been building further and further with every act, and this latest intervention was the final straw: half of Govabard's menfolk left, and all of those who stayed had lost something, someone, irreplaceable. More practically, all of the realm's industries were on the verge of collapse, and King Yorn faced a populace in open revolt: holed up in his castle, now more prison than protection, and left with only one way out.

Even then, the dam wouldn't hold. There were no women in Govabard, by order of the king - but still they came. They slipped through the net, smuggled over the border, a contraband that no guard was independent from. All wanted to see their own mothers, their own lovers, their own friends. King Yorn found himself defied by every child born a daughter. He could not prevent the tide.

All that was left was to secure the other end of the chain. To at least take his death into his own hands. Driven to madness by his paranoia, King Yorn ended his life with one final victory amongst the ashes of this overwhelming defeat: as the hunting knife ran through his skin, he found some small satisfaction in having taken mastery of his fate, and thus proving the oracle wrong.

It was only then, in the last few seconds before death, that he realised he had never asked her for her name.