#but during the war hes needed the most for treating the Shadow because hes like one of two people in the world who can properly use athelas

[sesamenom]

Quick hand sketch that turned into elrond with athelas water

I always forget to draw him with it but I headcanon him having pretty bad burn scars on his right arm/side from the kinslaying

#silm #silmarillion #lotr #elrond #also hc that elros burned his left hand pulling elrond out of the fires #which is why elrond became a healer in the first place #even up to the third age he still has to rinse it w athelas water once in a while #bc maedhros' fire-fea may or may not have been making the fire a lot worse than it would have been naturally #hes not /actively/ influencing the fire but him just being there is not exactly helping the situation #elrond only really heals Shadow-wounds by the late TA #bc they have other healers for smaller stuff that dont necessarily need the attention of a part-maiarin legendary healer #and in the war of the ring theres enough people that he needs to focus on tending to the most grievously wounded #kind of like those super specialized surgeons #but hes actually better w burns #the first thing he healed was elros' burnt hand (with some help from maglors song he regained almost full use of it) #later he helped soothe maglor's silmaril burns #but during the war hes needed the most for treating the Shadow because hes like one of two people in the world who can properly use athelas #aragorn taking frodo to rivendell was basically like those cases when a patient gets helicoptered to a specific hospital #to see a specific surgeon about a really rare/difficult/dangerous procedure

[starmanyestherealone]

Lokius acting like husbands in s2

WARNING: Spoilers for episodes 1-3 of Loki season 2

I missed them, the way Loki immediately knows something is wrong and he's so worried for Mobius literally melts me

And of course, it goes both ways:

I also love how Loki's just being Loki, saying that he's fine when he's clearly not, and how Mobius won't have any of his shit

Oh and the time Mobius treated their mission like a date?

"(...) and the balloon park, that sounds like it could be fun"

He literally made Loki go through every attraction that fair had to offer and through a "not-so-brief detour for refreshments" ,as Loki calls it, and for what? Surely not the mission

What amazes me the most though is that Loki knows that it's a total loss of time but he follows Mobius nonetheless, just 'cause his husband wants to do that stuff.

Or are we gonna talk about the fact that Loki, during said """date""" must have been staring at Mobius's face (aka lips) to have noticed the crumbs in the following scene?

And ofc, can't miss Loki patting his husband's shoulder to let him know he is there for him & calm him down when everything is just balls to the walls with the timeline (#everytouchever)

Their adorable bickering/teasing

Mobius: "A little over the top, don't you think, all the shadow play?" Loki: "I thought it was spot on"

Loki: "I thought you said it didn't look that bad" Mobius: "I lied"

(Honestly, the whole series elevator scene was just them being an old married couple)

"I was following you" "No, I was following you" "Mobius, you were clearly ahead of me"

They are so fucking cute together tho

And no matter what you can't deny the fact that they care for each other

Casey: "Hey Mobius? Loki was jut here looking for you" Mobius: "Loki's here?"

I mean, the tone of his voice? Please, he was so worried he almost couldn't believe it.

And by the way, the first thing that they did was just run up to each other.

Mobius wasn't even mad that Loki killed/helped kill He Who Remains and sent the whole timeline to fuck itself, he was just glad to see him. And Loki? I mean, he literally barged into the war room without a care in the world because he needed Mobius to recognize him, like, wtf these two need to bone so bad.

#they are so silly #and in love #and i love it #lokius #loki laufeyson #mobius #loki season 2 #im insane #i love them #lokius are husbands

[narutocharacterpolls]

SEMIFINALS

GAARA vs SENJU TSUNADE

Reasons for submission under the cut

Gaara

he overcame his incredible loneliness and childhood trauma with a lot of grace

he acknowledged the people he may have hurt (rock Lee) and did everything in his power to build up from there

he was always very caring (like when he brought the girl he accidentally hurt an apology gift when he was a child)

he was someone who understood Sasuke and shed tears for him

he motivated an entire army of shinobi that were fighting amongst each other, and he did it purely with love for Naruto, showing how powerful his kindness is

serial killer turned babushka. Quite possibly the sweetest and funniest character transformation [submitter]'s ever seen

he enjoys succulent and cactus gardening, based as always

his gardening outfit is the cutest shit ever seen

he has cat eyes which are very cute

nothing but respect for my goth teenaged president 🫡

he's so polite,,

his character development is amazing, he went from being a crazy murderer, to gaining the trust of his whole village and becoming the Kazekage

despite how drastic his character development was, it still feels understandable due to how badly he was treated as a child, and how deep down he always wanted to love but was simply punished for it

eeeing him recover from his trauma thanks to Naruto is really heartwarming

one of the best redeemed villain characters ever imo

very cool character design

storyline that made [submitter] cry like a baby three different times

he's so full of love

has a cool transformation

enjoyable demeanor once he got the help he needs

nice to see a quiet but social introvert succeed in life, overcome his trauma, and learn his self worth

he was an edgy 12 year old who talked like shadow from shadow the hedgehog (2005) how can u not like that

he's funny

he's pretty cool when he's older, a good leader

his arc is [submitters] favorite in the series

lovely to see how far he came and how hard he worked to overcome his demons

Tsunade

milf….

was the best hokage

the regulation she created to include medics on every team saved so many lives

she's funny and a complex and interesting character

is a bad bitch

probably THE most competently written female character in the entire series

she has a very rich history that plays into her character's actions and motivations

wanting to be the best medic-nin possible in order to save more lives because she lost her love Dan, and also change the way ninja squads operated to always have a medic to save more lives did so much for the better during the war to reduce casualties

after being broken down by so many people she cares about dying, she dips and leaves behind ninja society, which has taken everything from her (including wiping out her clan)

because Tsunade is also one of the most legendary/strongest ninja alive, no one could really stop her or chain her down. It takes the conviction of a child who wants her to save the village and heal his friends to get her back to Konoha, despite the all the trauma she's endured

she's a medic with a fear of blood that overcomes that to fight her own teammate and beat his ass so Orochimaru stops killing and maiming people

she steps up to be a leader because it's what the new generation need and someone has to fix all the stuff broken by her selfish teammates and old teacher

the strongest female character both in physical strength and the strength of her writing. It's like she was written first as a character versus most of the other female characters being written first as Girl and Love Interest

Tsunade is vain and a chronic gambler and drunk, she is really brash and abrasive, she is traumatized. But she's also deeply caring, an incredibly accomplished woman, one of the smartest people/medics in the world, and a great leader

she's multi-layered. She is a woman, but her entire character isn't just Woman

finally finished the job on Jiraiya on previous poll

strong arms

she is strong and smart and quick as a whip but still soft and caring when it comes to her loved ones. Characters with rough exteriors who are mushy inside are very good

#kage vs kage #bestnrtcharapoll #naruto #polls #gaara #sabaku no gaara #senju tsunade #tsunade senju #id in alt text

[onepiece-polls]

One Piece Shipping War - Bonus Poll

Not a single Luffy ship got past the second round, so we still gotta decide which one was the most popular of the 2 that made it to round 2.

LuSan art by @supernaturallyginger. Check out the original post here!

CobyLu art by @aroacejay. Please check out the original post here!

Propaganda under the cut.

Propaganda for Sanji x Luffy:

I don't think anyone is gonna bother denying the fact that WCI is literally just the plot of an otome isekai shoujo manga/manhwa. MC (main character) is treated like trash by family except for the 1 dead mom and 1 nice sympathetic supporter that can't do much of anything to help. MC escapes only to find themselves in an even worse situation somewhat of their own making, only to be swept off their feet by the ML (male lead) and saved, full damsel in distress style. Dramatic love confessions, crying in the rain, betrayal from an arranged marriage, it has it all.

Dude Luffy loves Sanji so so much like WCI is the best example and like you don't even really need to see the love as romantic if that bugs you but dudes. The first words out of the Luffys Shadow Possessed Oars was yelling for Sanji. He just loves Sanji so much and Sanji loves him too

The WCI arc in itself is mega SanLu propaganda. Luffy invaded an emperor’s territory, completely crashed a wedding, went up against Sanji’s evil science family, and got nearly beat to death by Sanji himself all in order to get Sanji back. Sanji offered his life to Kuma at thriller bark so Kuma wouldn’t kill Luffy. He pushed himself for 2 years all in order to get stronger FOR Luffy. Sanji feels sorry when he isn’t useful, the whole reason why he used the raid suit those few times was because he was thinking about getting stronger for Luffy, but realized that he didn’t want to become an emotionless monster like his family. Sanji broke down in tears at WCI when he tried to get Luffy to go away by fighting him. And then broke down in tears again when he ran back to Luffy and told him he wanted to go back home to the Sunny. No matter what Sanji cooks, Luffy always likes it and is proud to have him in his crew. Sanji is also one of Luffy’s “wings”, as stated by Robin! They’re both just so sweet and clearly care very deeply about each other.

Luffy saving Sanji on whole cake island got to me

[Insert everything that happens between them during WCI] how could I see luffy yelling about how he won't eat anything and will starve- LUFFY OF ALL PEOPLE- unless Sanji comes back and not ship them at LEAST a little. "Without you I can't become the pirate king" absolutely devastating cinema. Then Sanji laying out everything, in tears, and Luffy accepting it all and just saying, "well that's who you are" poetic. Final wci thing: luffy hearing judges bs about sanji and going "whyd he start listing all your good point" true love. This seems one sided but Sanji is also just as bad. "Which version of me do you prefer" anyone? They care SO MUCH about each other. Also Luffy loves to eat, Sanji loves to feed people, they're meant to be.

*gestures at the entirety of WCI* I mean that’s Love, they are Ride or Die, Luffy cannot become the pirate king without Sanji, whether that means physically because he needs Sanji’s support or just because being the pirate king means Luffy has everything he wants and what he wants is Sanji or both. And Sanji loves him just as much back! He’s his sun he’s his world…Luffy jump and Sanji’s too busy skywalking to bother asking how high. I just love them sm

Oda himself wrote the propaganda for this, Whole Cake Island just cemented lusan as canon. "I can't become Pirate King without you!" <- that's love baby

Propaganda for Luffy x Coby:

The first characters in the series who ever met and the first characters we as an audience met. Luffy is the whole reason why Koby is the character he is now and was the first to experience the “Luffy Effect”. Luffy is happy whenever he hears about Koby’s accomplishments and fully believes in his dreams even when Koby is a marine. Koby holds a very obvious bias towards Luffy (even if he is a pirate) and is the reason he learned to keep an open mind about pirates and the navy and what the meaning of Justice is. Koby’s admiration and flustered nature towards Luffy can definitely be interpreted as a crush. Koby is very ride or die for Luffy even in the face of people drastically more powerful than him (Akainu).

Coby is beyond gay for Luffy and he was the first person Luffy traveled with.

they are cute

Coby literally gets heart eyes and can't stop himself from piping up every time Luffy comes up in conversation that boy is SMITTEN. I don't know if Luffy understands but he knows Koby is one of his and that's good enough for me.

#one piece #LuSan #CobyLu #KobyLu #SanLu #op shipping war #bonus polls

[acourtofthought]

your last theory post is sooo true and the irony is that Azriel is like, the most angry and violent fae to ever walk the earth... they are so deeply mismatched it hurts that they have so much traction from people who don't understand their characterization.

You message is giving me a platform to bring up something I've been thinking about ever since I saw something in the Elain tag (posted by an E/riel) so thank you for that!

They were making fun of Elucien's and Gwynriels who claim that because Gwyn and Az both sing and are winners of the Rite, because Elain and Lucien are both good at talking to others and enjoy nature it means they're compatible in a way E/riel are not.

Their counter argument was that Rhys does not paint and Rowan does not play an instrument therefore an endgame pairing doesn't need to share in the same hobbies.

Which is valid.

But these are the exact same people who claim Vassa and Lucien are endgame because of the "Lord of Flame and Bird of Fire" line.

That's pretty much the entirety of what the Vassien ship is based on for them. Similar powers somehow equals endgame but not matching interests.

They'll claim it's also because Lucien blushed when Feyre called him an acolyte (though he looked right at his mate during that interaction) but they'll ignore how Az actually blushed at Mor and looked at her with yearning with Elain in the room. Or because Lucien looked relaxed talking to Vassa after the war but please show me what endgame pairing has looked like friends before beginning to fall for one another? I mean, in early days, not the enemies to friends to lovers trope she does during a characters arc. Please show me an SJM endgame pairing where the guy has been living with his supposed endgame love interest for an entire year as friends but still looks at another girl with longing? And not just any girl, his mate!

Similar interests are not the end all for a true match but neither are similar powers.

And when you look at the characters outside of their hobbies (as you pointed out in regards to their characterization), that's where their true compatibility shows.

Az is violent. Like seriously violent. Knows how to torture in a symphony of pain that made Feyre uncomfortable to witness just a bit of it violent.

Elain is bothered by cruelty and Az says she has no idea the things he's done.

Gwyn may not have witnessed Az torture a defenseless person but she has seen him slaughter men in front of her showing no mercy. She was also excited over the thought of the Valkyrie's crushing skulls.

I think it's pretty apparent which female is more compatible with Az.

Elain is very social, loves parties and balls, loves talking to people, loves sunshine.

Az is reserved, likes his space, is not very social, and prefers the shadows (and his are actually afraid of the sun). He says his shadows keep him company meaning they are independent of him, sentient.

Gwyn was training by herself in the cold of night and treated the shadows as if they were their own persons. She finds the most comfort in the library which is inside a mountain.

Elain has never acknowledged his shadows as individuals.

Lucien loves parties and is amazing at talking to others. He is also the heir to the Day Court throne and that means lots of Sun.

The author also said that Elain and Lucien are happiest in nature, something she's never said of Az.

Elain and Az don't need the same hobbies but it wouldn't be a terrible thing if they had some of them, correct?

That's still not the most important thing though, what is, is sharing in the same core values and they are not even close when it comes to those. Az and Elain might find one another attractive but they have nothing beyond looks that would keep them together.

#pro elucien #elucien #gwynriel #pro gwynriel #anti e/riel

[maoam]

So here’s a post defending Sakura and since it makes assumptions about people who think Sakura is a bad character (not badly written exactly, just unlikeable) I’ll respond to it: [link]

“Sakura is toxic because she made fun of Naruto for being an orphan–” She regretted it the second after Sasuke rightfully called her out and even opened a therapy center for war orphans. “

Her opening a clinic is not canon, it’s novel only, Kishimoto didn’t write that, and only Kishimoto’s portrayal is canon. What Kishi portrayed was that Sakura never redeemed herself when it comes to understanding loneliness.

She compared her shallow feelings to the massacre of Sasuke’s entire family and clan. That’s how selfish and ignorant she is. She’s taking her family for granted and rubbing it in Sasuke’s face as she makes this about herself and her hurting because he’s leaving her. She even said Sasuke’s revenge won’t make HER happy. As if it’s about her or Sasuke should care whether it makes her happy or not. Even in chapter 693 after Sasuke had given a speech about how he wants change, Sakura went on a rant on how things can go back to how they were if Sasuke just stays with her. She doesn’t even listen what he says! No matter how much time passes. No matter how many times Sasuke tells her her feelings aren’t relevant when it comes to his goals.

And Kishimoto wrote her to be like this even in the Road to Ninja movie (which’s script he wrote). She has to constantly be told her actions are hurtful. She treats Naruto more like someone she has to tolerate because they’re in the same team rather than a friend. Sometimes she feels guilty when others point out how badly she treats him as a friend/comrade, but she always falls back. It’s hilarious after how awfully she treated him in part 1 she still begged him with tears in her eyes to bring Sasuke back. Lol. And her fake confession was indeed stupid and showed not only she doesn’t know Sasuke, she doesn’t know Naruto either. I hate the “Sakura makes mistakes, she’s human” excuse. I noticed usually when people use the word “human” to defend characters they’re annoying characters. She’s not sympathetic, she’s annoying. And dumb, she left her teammates in the middle of nowhere.

“Sakura is abusive because she constantly punches Naruto–” She only hit him in the manga when he did something perverted or disrespectful, it was heavily exaggerated in the anime. It's called slap stick comedy. If you think it's aBuSiVe, I hope you have the same energy for Jiraiya who peeked at the women's bathroom without consent and gets brushed off as ‘comedic purpose’, double standards much?”

Yes I absolutely have the same energy for Jiraiya. Screw him. And only when Naruto does something stupid? How is punching the shit out of him because he accidentally kissed Sasuke okay? Sasuke isn’t even hers. And what about when he punched both Naruto and Sai because Sai called Ino beautiful?

“Sakura was SEVEN when she announced Ino as her rival. I'm sorry y'all are morally uptight who's never made a single stupid decision as a kid that you feel the need to accuse a child of being a villain for acting like a child. And it has been implied very clearly Sakura wanted to get out of Ino's shadow and only used Sasuke as an excuse to do so. And if Sakura was this horrible bitchy friend you guys think she was then I don't think Ino would immediately jump to protect her during chunin exams. Sasuke did more terrible things to his best friend than Sakura did but once only Sakura gets shit for it. And they never stopped being friends, only their dynamic changed, it included friendly bickering and rivalry. Ino never was mad or bitter with Sakura and even proudly told her she bloomed into a beautiful flower, this doesn't sound like a person who's been unfairly betrayed by a best friend over a crush?”

First of all most little girls don’t dump their friends over a boy. Teenagers maybe. The reason why Ino still cares about Sakura is because Kishimoto portrayed Ino as a good friend who wanted to help Sakura. And still cared about her when her life was in danger. He even used Ino’s dad to stress her care for her friends being what he’s most proud about her during the war arc. He wanted to highlight Sakura’s bad treatment of her friends with Ino. Sakura was always portrayed as catty towards Ino. Their only interaction in part 2 is Sakura wanting Sai to call Ino ugly (why would Kishimoto do this and nothing positive from Sakura towards Ino in part 2?) and in Gaiden she’s nervously laughing when Sarada comes between Ino and Sasuke. Sakura also taped herself over Karin, she sees them both as threats. As she told Ino, she’d never let her near Sasuke. Kishimoto portrayed her consistently like this.

“She has a Stockholm Syndrom--”

I’m not one of those who thinks she has a Stockholm syndrome. She’s just a dumb girl who mistook her hormonal urges and school girl “romance” for true love and acts obnoxious about it, with no regard for Sasuke’s feelings.

“She is shallow, she only liked Sasuke for his looks–” If her feelings for Sasuke truly were shallow, she'd have moved on after he left the village, she'd have moved on after he became a criminal, like Ino did. She saw Sasuke at his worst and still chose him with all his flaws. A ‘shallow crush’ wouldn't last for so many years. If her feelings weren't strong or deep, Sasuke wouldn't choose her in the end.

Her feelings are shallow. What kind of argument is “she didn’t move on, that’s why her feelings are not shallow” is? I guess this is good news for stalkers, their feelings are always true love because they don’t give up! Kishimoto used 自分勝手な 恋な, (jibungattena koina) which means selfish/self centered/egoistic love to describe Sakura’s feelings for Sasuke in the beginning. It’s a negative word. After the manga had ended he used the word 中毒 to describe Sakura’s feelings for Sasuke, which means addiction. And it’s even worse than the first one. It’s very negative, toxic. How do people not realize he’s mocking her? Also, Sakura DID give up on Sasuke and didn’t accept all his flaws. Sasuke even himself acknowledged at the end Naruto is the only one who never tried to cut ties with him and who never gave up on him. Maybe it’s someone else who needs to read the manga properly.

Her feelings never matured or developed. Kishimoto showed it to us very clearly. She’s desperate for any crumb from Sasuke, and mopes when she doesn’t get it. Even during the war arc, when the fate of the world was at stake, what she cared about was Sasuke-kun not fussing over her.

I’ll simply copypaste from my other post: Sakura was portrayed like any other fangirl of Sasuke in the beginning, who liked his looks and how cool he was. She never tried to approach Sasuke as a friend but only kept asking him on dates despite his blatant rejections. She never says why she loves him, or even likes him. According to herself Sasuke never says anything to her. Her first confession showed how little she understood Sasuke. She was the girl with everything, with family, while Sasuke and Naruto had nothing. Yet she had the nerve to say if Sasuke left she would be just as lonely as he was. She’s comparing the massacre of Sasuke’s family to a boy she never talks to leaving her, while disrespecting her own parents in the process. How juvenile that must have sounded like to someone like Sasuke. In Part 1 Sasuke occassionally protects Sakura because she’s too weak to protect herself, and in part 2 Sakura probably wanted to entertain the thought Sasuke would still have this consideration for her. But in Part 2 Sasuke treats Sakura like a fodder ninja. She doesn’t manage to get a proper reaction out of Sasuke who focuses on Naruto everytime he meets up with his former team. Sasuke also leaves Sakura to die couple times while choosing to save Naruto instead. Despite all this, Sakura still thought she’s entitled to Sasuke, and in her second confession she started to yet again scream how much she loves Sasuke and how much she hurts due to it. In both of her confessions she is guilt tripping Sasuke and trying to make him pity her. In both of her confessions she makes everything about herself. She admits to herself she can’t do anything for Sasuke, yet she tries to win him over by pity. But she annoys Sasuke once again, and he puts her in a murder genjutsu. Sasuke then says they have no reason to love each other. And he’s right. What does Sakura know about Sasuke? Clearly nothing, considering she said the worst things she could have said during both of her confessions. She heard Sasuke talk about wanting change, yet she started to scream how if Sasuke stays with her, things can go back to how they were. It’s like the most basic things she doesn’t understand. She’s just an overemotional child who has nothing of worth to say. Kakashi who coddles her tries to talk to Sasuke on her behalf as well, insisting Sakura suffers for loving him. Sasuke then thinks of his family and says perhaps those are ties to a failed past. As in Sakura literally lives in the past. And she does. Despite the fact everything has changed, she thinks about the moment when Sasuke thanked her, and ignores him calling her annoying for her ignorant comments, or the fact someone who wants change obviously doesn’t want to go back to the way things were. This brutal rejection though still won’t slow Sakura down, but after Sasuke is leaving to his atonement trip Sakura blushes like a school girl and asks to come with him. After him mocking her and putting her in a genjutsu, this is what she does. Sasuke didn’t choose her, she simply did not leave him alone. This is his reaction after seeing her first time in 12 years:

Kishimoto also just HAD to drop the information that Sasuke never kissed Sakura. Because he wanted to show to us how loving their marriage is. Hah.

He also had to drop the information Sasuke avoids her like she’s the plague. Just because.

If she didn't love him, she'd not be able to stop his curse mark.

I’m gonna stop you right there. Sasuke didn’t want to worry his teammates, he said so many times. He easily withdrew the cursemark during his match as well by remembering his teammates worry over him. It wasn’t that hard for him to do. It had nothing to do with Sakura’s love being “true” or “pure”.

“Sakura is useless as a main character–” That's not her fault. That's a criticism for the author. None of the female characters in the series have as much complexity, fight scenes or power as the male characters. It's a shonen centric more to the male characters. Sakura IS a main character because she contributes more in the manga than other female characters but she's not going to contribute as much as Sasuke or Naruto because the series revolved around men more than women. “

Wait til you find out the only version of Sakura that exists is the one Kishimoto created. And the issue isn’t her “not contributing as much as Naruto and Sasuke” it’s her being a dumbass who can’t do anything on battlefield unless she’s being held by hand and who prioritizes getting validation from Sasuke over actually acting like a proper shinobi. Let’s look at Sakura’s track record:

Land of Waves: Useless, just stands around.

Chunin exams: She thinks she’s got it during the written exam, but she didn’t realize the true meaning of the test despite acting she’s the smartest in their team. In the forest of death she stands around and screams, when she finally has to fight it’s like 2 minutes and she has to be saved by 4 support characters and Sasuke. She gets mocked for her amateuristic shinobi skills by her opponents. Ino uses shinobi like tactic during their fight, while Sakura only punches and has no strategy.

Konoha crush: She gets one-paneled by Gaara and well needs to be saved as always.

Search for Tsunade: Doesn’t do anything.

Sasuke Retrieval: Doesn’t do anything.

Kazekage Rescue: The only arc where she’s not useless and it’s because she’s literally used as a puppet and someone is directing her moves.

Tenchi Bridge Mission: Useless, gets knocked out and rescued several times.

Akatsuki Suppression: Doesn’t do anything.

Itachi Pursuit arc: Doesn’t do anything.

Pain arc: Cries for Naruto to help. Lmao. Doesn’t even try to buy him time despite acting she’s sooooo strong and wants to protect Naruto and Sasuke.

Kage Summit: Everything she tries to do in this arc she fails.

Oh Sakura, how useless you are. Can’t even land a punch on a regular Kumo ninja. Can’t even lie to Naruto believably. Can’t even lie to Sasuke believably. Have to be rescued from Sasuke more than once. Then end up crying like you always do. Haha.

War arc: Temari saved Shikamaru’s ass in part 1 already. She was also a great leader during the 4th shinobi war, and land a hit on Madara. And what about some others? Tsunade broke down Susanoo and healed her teammates while being broken in half, Karin took down a monster kages couldn’t, and Ino took control of the Ten-tails and stopped its attacks and connected the whole shinobi army. Meanwhile Sakura stans go crazy when she punches some white zetsus once (and IMMEDIATELY needs to be saved after because she was too busy bragging how she’s better than Tsunade and didn’t pay attention to her surroundings). She only started to fight when Sasuke appeared because she wanted to show off to him. And she’s still useless. Charges in with no strategy once again, gets stabbed by Madara and needs to be rescued. Then stand around in awe when Naruto and Sasuke actually know what they’re doing. She can’t even stab an eye to end it all. Kishi shows how in both Kage Summit arc and War arc she trembles with a kunai and doesn’t hit her target. None of the other female characters except Hinata are this bad. They use whatever little screentime they have to be useful, while Sakura is too busy being rescued and whining because Sasuke-kun doesn’t love her back.

Here’s a couple posts to showcase how Kishimoto writes her. He uses the same narrative motifs with Sakura until the end. Open your eyes:

[link], [link], [link]

There’s countless other posts on both of our blogs but those are pretty right to the point. I doubt people want to read a whole thesis right now.

In short, Sakura Haruno is fucking amazing and maybe if y'all didn't hold female characters to such a ridiculous high standard and bothered to understand the manga instead of watching filler episodes, you'd know.

I never watched fillers because they suck. Sakura also sucks even in the manga. It’s not hard to notice Kishimoto meant to portray her as a shallow, weak and boy crazy character. I’m not even gonna go for the comparison of characters who have suffered massive injustice from the system and react realistically and understandably, and Sakura who has had everything handed to her and couldn’t even began to understand the tragedies and suffering of those characters. Who still acts like her life is so hard when a boy she knows nothing about doesn’t like her back. Lol. She never grew up, and I wait for the day when people stop trying to excuse her character and insisting how she’s supposedly so great.

#anti sakura

[khaotunng]

ALCHEMY OF SOULS: LIGHT AND SHADOW'S UK, THE 'BAD NEWS' CHOSEN ONE

(a short analysis on Uk in season 2)

I was talking to a friend here about AoS s2 and how Uk being basically overpowered meant the stakes weren't that high during the action scenes (the opposite of s1, where he was learning and growing and the underdog in every nail biting duel), when I realised why this aspect of s2 didn't bother me that much, if at all. Sure, we saw Uk grow into the mage he is in s1, so we feel a lot of pride and our hearts break seeing him so powerful yet lonely, but it's not only that. The entire season deals with the consequences of Uk being so powerful, continuing the storyline started in s1 of Uk being, basically, a Very Messy Chosen One, weird conception included. We remember how in s1, he was treated like shit because he should not fulfil his destiny and come into his powers, he was a Bad Thing Waiting to Happen. Therefore Uk has always been the trigger, in s2 he is also the nuke.

Season 2 answers the questions: What can you do if you're basically a god? How would people react? Can you really come home if you're not who you were before?

And again, it's a perfect continuation of season 1. I saw posts I loved saying s1 shows a perfect asshole/asshole main pairing, describing Uk as self-centred, and they're kinda right. Episode 1 season 1: we see Uk help a wanted assassin escape her fate at the hands of his friends and adoptive family basically, because he needs her. He was never ready to fight for the world, only for himself AND the few he loves (Naksu, Maidservant Kim, his childhood friends). Take this kind of person... and give him the power to not only be a magical overpowered prodigy and incredible warrior, but also a (technically rightful) king. On top of that, make him heartbroken because the only person he loved and wholly trusted killed him. It's a disaster.

This is how we meet Uk in s2, struggling to and outright avoiding answering these questions. He lives as a husk of himself, separated from society, using his powers in a very limited way. Inaction is the only way, he thinks, to avoid war. He is kinda right: the moment he starts wanting things again, the moment he acts again (the moment Cho Yeong is back in his life), he becomes an enemy. His existence is the reason why Jin Mu manages to turn so many to his cause: if power like this exists and walks among us, why should we settle for anything less?

In the end, Uk has to grimly embody Jin Mu's ideals: someone so powerful can amass even more power and do basically whatever he wants, even burn the representatives of 8 main families alive. He is also, again, the Chosen One of the Bad, Terrible News: the awakening of the fire bird could not be stopped, even if it is one of the main quests of 'normal people' throughout s2.

The shift in Uk in season 1 was spectacular, satisfying, hard won, flashy: from a ridiculed pampered noble to one of the most powerful mages of the country. The shift in season 2 is just as important, but internal. It's Uk choosing to do what's right –killing the soul shifters, even if it's Naksu, even if it means not killing Jin Mu himself–, and choosing to do what's right for the world, even if said world can't accept him in full. Uk giving his golden medallion to the Crown Prince isn't just the culmination of the two finally reaching an understanding, but Uk knowing he, powerful as he is, can decide the shape of the future of the country. Without his approval, the Crown Prince could never have become the king.

Finally, of course, the reason why Uk can grow is the same in both seasons, his bond with Cho Yeong. First she is his master, bringing him to full powers, helping him face his destiny, then she is his true companion, the only person who can stand beside him and help him find his rightful place in the world. Season 2 is very different from season 1, but all the good elements are there, and without it, season 1 would not end properly. I understand why some people say season 2 felt unnecessarily fanservice-y (there are standard moments of badassery on Uk's part and romance tropes abound), but actually season 2 is more profound and thought-out than one may think. Or maybe I just love Uk too much and this is just a long and unnecessary tumblr post.

alternative title of the series: uk and the very bad, terrible prophecies where he becomes a god

#alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls: light and shadow #alchemy of souls season 2 #jang uk #jang uk x naksu #jang uk x cho yeong #naksu #lyde vs kdramas #or: lyde overthinks the writing of a kdrama

[driftwithme]

CHALEIGH REVERSE AU:

*this au changes just a bit their personalities by switching their backstories, but the essence of the characters is the same, okay?

Chuck was 15 years old when the first kaiju emerged from the breach.

Angela had died years prior from cancer, Scott had became an alcoholic and left the family in his grief, abandoning both Herc and Chuck when they needed him.

They were a hot tempered duo a bit too broken on every angle, but oh boy they could their own in a fight, not doubt.

Chuck was also a genius kid. Way too smart for his own good. Talented as his father, for sure.

They joined the jaeger program around 2016 and debuted on 2017.

Their relationship was far from perfect, specially because Chuck started treating his dad more like a brother and Herc did the same with Chuck. Herc was trying to deal with the responsibility and cope with the trauma of losing his brother and his wife. Chuck was trying to feel closer to his dad. Still, messed up but together.

Herc dies ot the end of 2019, during the Manila deployment. The kaiju set a trap and isolated Lucky Seven on the ocean from the other two jaegers. After losing one jaeger arm and calling for backup, Chuck felt his father died on the link as the monster threw the conn-pod open. Still, Chuck was able to kill the thing with some help from the other jaegers.

Herc died screaming that he loves his son and Chuck screamed back and back to an empty drift that he knew, he knew, he knew how his father felt.

Richard and Yancy were there piloting Gipsy Danger. They saw everything.

In the aftermath, Lucky Seven was taken to Oblivion Bay and Chuck went back home, deciding it was best to work on his wounds away from the program.

In the absence of his parents, it took him some time to realize his anger shouldn't be the thing that destroyed him. Instead of letting himself rot in bitterness, Chuck started using it as motivation to recover, work to help the people, keep himself in shape, honor his parents memories. He decided that, eventually, he would get his revenge and end that war once and for all.

At least Chuck still had Max with him.

*He's still a bit of an asshole, by the way. It's more controlled and he learned how to properly apologize, but he's still the hot tempered Australian you knew.

On the other hand, Raleigh Becket was 12 years old when the first kaiju landed on San Francisco.

Yancy was 22 years old and had followed his dad, Richard, to the military. Richard was on service on another country when it all went down. Raleigh had convinced his mom, Domonique, to take him on a trip to San Francisco when it happened. With Raleigh waiting on a relatives home in Sacramento and Dominique arranging everything on San Francisco, Yancy was given a chance by his superiors to try reach and save one of them.

Raleigh never forgave Yancy for saving him when it was his fault Dominique was there. He never forgave his father for not being there when it mattered the most.

Yancy and Richard became jaeger pilots early on 2016. Yancy grew worried. They were almost never there for Raleigh and he didn't like it. Richard argued it was a needed damage. If they wanted to give Raleigh a chance to live, they needed to end the kaijus first. Raleigh'd forgive it later, as he grew up.

Total bullshit. Yancy understood that his dad didn't care at all about his children after the Manila drop, where a hidden memory surfaced. Richard, the psycho, had been hiding another child, maybe a year or two younger than Raleigh. Yancy knew his father disappearances weren't only because he was an alcoholic now, but to see how he treated the girl, to see him screaming and insulting her, to the point the girl wouldn't even ask for help because she thought she deserved it, broke his heart. It wasn't suppose to be like that.

Yancy reported Richard and sent his ass to jail. He told everything to Raleigh and asked him to be his co-pilot. He knew his younger brother more than anyone, even in shadows. Raleigh was beyond angry and hated Richard beyond words and he would never ever forgive Yancy for what he did, that it's following Richard blindly like he was a messiah. BUT he hated the kaiju more and he loved Yancy equally, even if contradictory.

Raleigh decided then he wouldn't trust anyone anymore unless they had passed his standars. He would be the best of the best. He would raise the level of the jaeger program and take the fight to a new level.

He had joined the jaeger program with 16 years old in 2017. Assisted the j-tech team on test performances, given his unique ability to sustain solo piloting and survive it. It was a really safe testing and it helped develop faster Gipsy, making it the best jaeger in terms of pilot security.

Raleigh also worked on j-tech, waiting for a chance to pilot a jaeger. He got his chance in 2019 and took it fully.

You could say he was methodical, but in truth it's his dirty playing combined with Yancy's experience what made Gipsy Danger so lethal in combat.

In all this mess, the Becket boys took their younger sister, Jazmine, with them. Taugh her to fight, taught her anything she wanted to know about jaegers and kaijus and the end of the world. Jazmine took to call Yancy father and Raleigh uncle to annoy them. She joined the jaeger academy as soon as she could and even when she was an excellent pilot, she went to with k-science. After all, her brothers already had the fighting covered.

If you want to know about humans or if you're searching for sexual or romantic love, you go to Yancy. If it's about jaegers or you need a friend, you go to Raleigh. Now, if it's kaijus you're interested about and you want a little sister to annoy you, that's Jazmine for you.

Whenever the Beckets couldn't be there for her, Jazmine stayed with Mako and worked with her. Jazmine could also stay with Newt and Hermann, to the Beckets dismay.

*Raleigh and Jazmine are Mako's best friends. They were there for Mako when she thought she had a crush on both of them and they were there when Mako figured out she was aromantic and they were there as Mako developed upgrade after upgrade for Gipsy, adding them to Striker Eureka until they both became the best safest jaegers in the program.

Five years later, Pentecost went to find Chuck back and offered him to pilot the newest addition yet. Mark-5, designed by Australia and adapted by Mako.

Chuck accepted.

The fun began.

I'll post a part II later, if you guys want it.

#pacific rim #pacrim #pacific rim 2013 #pacrim 2013 #raleigh becket #chuck hansen #mako mori #yancy becket #jazmine becket #becket brothers #chaleigh #chaleigh reverse au

[fountainpenguin]

"Turn your face towards the sun... Let the shadows fall behind you..." (x)

---

Debut of Criminal Experience today! || Short Story

Chapter 1 - “Wanted”

Read on AO3

Basically a series prequel... Li'l bit Hermitcraft, li'l bit Traffic SMP, li'l bit Naked and Scared

---

Mumbo Killsalot Jumbo has never been one to take sides during war. He tends to his llamas, trades freely with his neighbors, and his doors are open to all.

Fellas, is it spoon behavior to not ask more questions when a burned-out phantom hybrid starts hanging around your llama farm? 🤔

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

Criminal Experience ᓵ∷╎ᒲ╎リᔑꖎ ᒷ ̇/!¡ᒷ∷╎ᒷリᓵᒷ 392,861 Minecraft days before Dog's Life

Buzz and Ursula Uno don't know it, but they are (without a doubt) the most pampered llamas in all of Little Sun Valley. Yeah, that's right! He said it: Anywhere in the valley. That even includes the west side of the river, and you best believe he's digging in his heels on that one, mate. His wheat farm's been cranking out results this year… so much so that every time he checks its drops, he's practically up to his armpits in fresh hay. Took ages of iron collecting to craft all the hoppers, but Mumbo earned every bar of that stuff while still adhering to the valley rules of 'no non-essential harm done to passive mobs,' and he counts that as a win.

Double-U and Buzz are spoiled. He'll just say it. They've got the softest, driest straw and he switches it on the daily. He's got glowstone for heat tucked in one corner of every pen and he drops silk touch'd ice blocks in their water to keep it fresh and chilled. Surely even good parents are allowed one or two favorite children, yeah? As long as it's kept under wraps and all that.

I mean, come on… Just look at them. Heh. Even when it's nail trimming day, they can't stand to be apart. They're like two scoops of raw cookie dough, marbled brown and cream fur bundled together in a nest on the dirty floor. Which is… peculiar, actually, seeing as Impulse supposedly swept the barn out while Mumbo took the llamas down for water. Mental note. What's that man been up to?

"Foot," he says, and Double-U plops her pad in his lap. It scatters soil all over his robes, but he can forgive the dirty floor. Impulse went above and beyond this weekend already with the crops. You know, it's not every year a man who'll voluntarily harvest uncraftable blocks for hours just stumbles into your life… Actually, last night Mumbo offered him a few stacks of emeralds for a hard day's labor, but Impulse only laughed, sticking his thumbs in his overall straps.

"What? Can't a guy just want to lend a helping hand?"

And, well… He's a phantom hybrid, so Mumbo let it slide (Phantoms are safe to talk to; it's allay hybrids you don't want to make open-ended deals with). Actually, it's nearly noon. Impulse should be coming up the hill from the farm in just a couple ticks… hopefully with clover and alfalfa in hand. Alfalfa is a massive pain to farm since the rain will wash the redstone dust out sooner than you see it grow, but luckily, he doesn't need much. It's a special treat he'll lightly thread into the feeding trough… because Buzz and Ursula Uno are still the most pampered llamas in all of Little Sun Valley. Possibly the whole Between dimension.

Now, will their glorified loafing shed of a barn win any points for flair? No.

Was his use of maple wood in this build even a little bit unique? Also no. But maple's abundant - maple's efficient - and an entire village of wandering traders can't all be wrong.

Actually, Mumbo thinks, lining the edge of his shears against Double-U's toenails, out of every player hybrid type… I feel like wandering traders must be the MOST knowledgeable people when it comes to block qualities and how well they hold up in certain types of weather. Is that too big of a pat on the back? He's really not that kind of guy. It's just… you know… He and his friends have spent their whole lives swapping stories.

The maple mountain biome is always soaked in rain, but the residents of Little Sun make it work. When the ground's too moist for proper farming, the whole community gets together to lead the animals up the plateau. Everyone pools their harvests and they get by on what farms they still have. Mumbo's spent a solid 600 fresh, clean wet seasons (at least) in the shade of the tweenstone spawn temple, swapping stories and laughing until his stomach hurts. Because even when the rain rinses redstone dust off the farms, everyone in Little Sun still has each other. They have their llamas. They have community.

And when all else fails… they can always go out wandering.

Good fun, that… but some days are meant for sitting on dirty barn floors. Is there any better way to spend a morning than cleaning the toes of the most beautiful llamas in the world, occasionally bouncing ideas for silly redstone ideas off their heads?

"Uh-oh," says a voice at the door. Ah. Mumbo still doesn't have a name for that type of accent, but he definitely knows the man from his volume. Double-U's ears flick up instantly. Mumbo keeps trimming her toenails with gentle brushes of the shears. He doesn't even have to use the F5 cam to know Impulse is hiding behind the barn door, peering around it like a twitchy cat. Mumbo can almost hear the way he hunkers, knees shifting to a crouch. He's got wheat, yeah, because it flutters and whispers when he clutches it to his chest. "Uh… dude? Is that the llama who hates my guts? Or the one who just wants to headbutt me into the void?"

Double-U gets a slithery rumble in the base of her throat. This stirs Buzz into lifting her head and Impulse jolts again.

"No! What? Oh, come on! You really have to have both the llamas who wanna trample me in there?"

Mumbo chuckles. "Double-U's all right with you now, I reckon. I mean, yesterday she let you get within spitting range."

"Yeah! So she could spit." Impulse says the word like it's some sort of ancient curse. Mumbo listens for the scrape of shoes on creaky floorboards, but they never come. Tsk, tsk… Double-U would never hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it. Llamas can sense these things, you know. "My pixels were fritzed for three hours before I got that stuff out."

"Did you really come all the way up here thinking there wouldn't be llamas in the llama barn, mate?"

"Just bringing you wheat," Impulse mumbles back.

[Cnt'd on AO3 - Link at top]

#Hermitcraft #hermitblr #trafficblr #TangoTek #MumboJumbo #impulseSV #Skizzleman #Imp and Skizz #mcyt #ridwriting #apparently art #Wandering Trader #Pixels Imperfect #omg tho Mumbo interview on Imp and Skizz podcast and Decked Out the same weekend?? what. idk what to say the gang's all here #Remember kids be super careful before feeding your only copy of your preview image to the scanner at 5 AM it WILL paper jam and need redraw #Criminal Experience #fic announcement

[red-riding-wood]

OC: Charlotte Griffin

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Summary: Charlotte Griffin, on a quest to emerge from her family's dark shadow, becomes a spy in a gang war that puts her loyalties and desires into question as she grows closer to the man who is meant to be her enemy.

WARNINGS for whole story: eventual explicit sexual content and references, explicit violence and gore, mentions of physical abuse, language, ethnic slurs (mainly because of Alfie)

Disclaimer: story may contain dodgy Italian because I am endlessly confused by the language

I could never escape the red.

The single droplet of blood on the white letter that was meant to mark my freedom marked my brutality. It marked the man’s blood I would have to help spill come the end of winter. It marked, perhaps, who I truly was.

I recalled the blade I had held to my father, the welling of blood it had spurred at the white of his throat, the fall of it against the edge of the letter as he scrawled the last of his name. The way he’d reached for the blade, his voice dipping low like honey as he pleaded with me not to do it. The way I had sheltered it behind my back but had hesitated, because I needed to do it but a few threads of my heart still pulled at what could’ve been.

But it was not the red that Thomas Shelby cared about, for I had allotted it to a nosebleed during my travel to Birmingham. It was the ink black of my father’s writing, the weight his signature held. This was what was most important about the letter; it was what would grant me my freedom.

“I’m not quick to trust these days, Miss Griffin, but your family has treated the Shelbys well, and have never done bad business,” Thomas said as he folded the letter in his hands. “And I may have a job for you, indeed.”

He seemed about to carry on, but I spoke quickly, assuredly, “Please, it’s Charlotte.”

Thomas eyed me for a moment, lips still parted, and then nodded in acceptance. “Very well, Charlotte.” He stood, giving his waistcoat a brush before extending a hand to me. “Now,” he said, once I’d shaken his hand. “You said your father had dealings with the Changrettas once, yes?”

I nodded. “That’s correct, Mr. Shelby.”

“Then I have something for you right away.”

Once Thomas had filled me in on my mission, and he gestured to the door for me to depart, I hesitated, shifting in my chair but not leaving it. Bright blue eyes shot up to me from where they had fixated on some paperwork and dark brows quirked.

“May I see it?” I asked. “The Black Hand?”

Thomas stilled for a moment, and then a key jingled from his pocket, and he unlocked one of the drawers behind his desk. I bit my lip as I waited for him to procure the letter.

“Here.” I could tell he didn’t care to be handling this, perhaps due to the recent death of his brother at the hands of the man who had sent it. But he passed it across the desk, opened to ink-scrawled handwriting. It read:

Merry Christmas to you and your family,

From Luca Changretta & family.

On the right of the card was the imprint of the hand, smudged slightly around the edges of the fingers and outlined with a black, bleeding border. I had never seen one in person.

“He sent you a warning yet attacked before barely giving anyone the chance to read it,” I mused, quietly in thought.

“He wanted to incite chaos, panic,” Thomas said, tone gruff and dismissive, and those piercing aquamarine eyes landed on me again. “Will that be all, Miss Griffin?”

He was tired. Past the rugged looks and the coldfire gaze and the lift of his brow was the darkness of fatigue below his bottom lashes, the prick of sweat at the base of his neck, the plea to be released of his duties behind the veil of one piercing eye.

I forced the corners of my mouth into a polite smile. He didn’t want to discuss this, wanted me out of his office, didn’t even want to pay me the respect of referring to me by the name I had requested.

“Yes, Mr. Shelby. Thank you.”

And as I left his office, I realised that the stories about him were either very wrong or very true, about the Devil and his red right hand.

---     

I shouldn’t have looked into John’s casket. I hadn’t anticipated him to be the spitting image of the brother I had lost, with his ashen lashes and freckled, rounded cheeks and strong jaw. I wondered if his eyes were as ice blue as Alexander’s, wondered if they had filled with the same compassion when he embraced his siblings.

I shouldn’t have been thinking these things, dwelling on the past. I had a job to do now, one that could very well decide my fate.

Thomas had instructed me to make contact with the Italian-Americans. My father had made dealings with the Changrettas in the past, which made me one of the few English contacts they could trust. Which made me one of the few if only viable (and willing) candidates that could give them inside information on the Peaky Blinders.

Thomas wanted to use his brother’s funeral to lure them in, and I was to deliver word to them of its time and whereabouts. I had made contact with a man named Matteo, Luca Changretta’s alleged right-hand man.

The pub was on the other side of town, and didn’t appear to neighbour any hotels or potential residences. They’d been careful with the location. And it was crawling with Italians; on my way onto the second floor, I bumped shoulders with a man in a black coat. His hat was tipped down enough to obscure most of his features save for a sharp jawline, but his New York accent betrayed the faint lilt of Italian. His voice was low but seemed to hiss as he said, “My apologies, signorina.”

“That’s alright, sir,” I replied, but found that he had already whisked his way past me, the ghost of his breath lingering on the side of my neck as he made his way to the bar.

I cast my gaze around me at the crowds that mulled about on the dance floor and among the tables. Gazes seemed to land on me, searing into my flesh, and my skin crawled. I was in the heart of the lion’s den.

Alexander would have been proud of me. I wasn’t dependent on my family anymore; I was writing my own story, and it would not be without its excitement, nor its triumphant end.

I tugged gently at the white bow around my neck, running my finger over the ribbon, as if I could imagine him with me when I did, and then I strode forth, the click of my heels echoing into the throng of voices and the lull of the cellos.

Matteo sat at a table close to the bar; I knew it was him because he nodded to me once his gaze caught mine. I stood out in this place; in a room half-filled with Italian mobsters, I didn’t belong with my locks of pale blonde hair and the white of my lace gloves and the dignified yet almost delicate stride that I had been raised to carry myself with.

I unbuttoned the embroidered black coat from my shoulders as I took my seat, folding it neatly over the back of my chair as Matteo and I exchanged pleasantries. I was seated across from the bar, at which I noticed the back of the man that I had bumped into earlier. He was close enough to listen in. Close enough to kill me if I made a wrong move.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” I said. “As I said over the telephone, I have some rather urgent news.”

The waiter came by and poured a splash of champagne into my glass. The two of us fell silent.

“I understand, Miss Griffin, that you would like to take the side of the Italians in the coming war?” Matteo said, his fingers clasping before him on the table and the candelight casting the shadow of his moustache across a tightened jaw. He radiated tension and an almost impatience.

“My father trusts your people,” I said, ignoring the tinge of bile that rose to my throat at the mention of him. “And I need work. But more than that, I have ambition. So yes.”

Matteo eyed me dubiously, and said, “What is your news, Miss Griffin?”

“Please, it’s Charlotte,” I said, my cordial smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “I met with Thomas Shelby to pay my respects to John. I won’t be invited to the funeral, but I know when it will be, and where it will be. All of the Shelby family will be there.” I paused, noticing the glimmer in Matteo’s eye, and took a sip from my champagne. “Shall I continue?” I asked.

Matteo nodded and gestured me on.

The glass clicked against the hardwood of the table, and I leaned across it, voice lowering to recite the details of the funeral that Thomas had given me.

“Consider this information a gesture of my good will, but in the future, for my services, I would like pay, including a… more personal favour,” I said.

“Thank you… Charlotte,” Matteo said, as we leaned back in our chairs. “Provided this is good information, I think you will be of use to us. And there is plenty of pay to go around. You’ve come to the right place.” A pause, and then, “And what of this favour?”

I resisted the urge to bring my hand to the ribbon around my neck, but the breath I sucked in might’ve been audible as the image of John’s pallid face flashed in my mind’s eye.

“An investigation, in America,” I spoke around a knot in my throat. “Years ago, my brother was murdered there. They never did find his killer.”

“I heard of your family’s loss. I’m sorry, Charlotte,” Matteo said. “An investigation can easily be arranged in the near future. But first, and with all due respect, I have some more questions for you.”

The knot began to unravel in my throat as I forced my brother from my mind, and I nodded graciously. “Please,” I said.

“I would like to know, did Thomas say anything else to you?”

“He offered me work,” I said. “He needs all the allies he can get right now. I think after John, he’s… afraid.”

“Afraid?” Matteo scoffed. “The great Tommy Shelby, afraid?” His scoff turned into a chuckle, one that slowly died as he realized that I wasn’t laughing along. But a wire still lilted the corners of my lips.

“It’s true,” I said. “The Shelbys haven’t faced anything quite like this in years.”

“So what kind of work did he offer?” Matteo asked.

“He wants information, same as you.”

Matteo tensed even more at that, and I chuffed out a laugh.

“Don’t be so skittish. I don’t want the Blinders to win this war. I told him I’d think about it.” I sipped my champagne again, but kept Matteo level with my eyes.

His shoulders sagged if by a slight fraction, his relief barely visible. And he told me, “You’re going to take him up on his offer. And you’re going to report to me. I want to know everything that goes on with the Blinders and the Shelbys. Like I said, you’ve come to the right place. The Changrettas are winning this war, and you would’ve been foolish not to.”

There was a warning in his words. He knew that it was a possibility I was working for Thomas, or would decide to, and he wanted to make that known. But it was laughable, really; how could the Changrettas expect to win a war against the Devil himself?

I’d heard stories of the Peaky Blinders. Tales that would make one shudder and vow to never walk the streets of Small Heath. Even with the Shelby family currently divided, I knew it wouldn’t be long until Thomas gathered his forces and made horror stories out of the Changrettas. Luca had gotten lucky with his ambush on John Shelby; he would not be so lucky again.

And I was going to make sure of that.

“So, if we have a deal, then, when do I get to meet this infamous ‘Luca’?” I asked, a smile still playing at my lips as I sat my champagne down.

Matteo’s gaze dipped to the table, and behind him, the man I had bumped into earlier turned at the bar, long fingers reaching for the felt hat atop his head. Poking from the sleeve of his suit on his wrist, in tattooed ink, was the same hand I had seen on Thomas’ card. His features were revealed to me as he brought the hat from his chest, faintly stirring a few strands of black, slicked-back hair and bringing to the light a scar over his right eye and another slashed vertically across his left cheekbone.

“A pleasure to meet you.” That low voice met my ears once more, spoken around a smirk, and pale green eyes settled on me with a glitter that wasn’t from the chandeliers or the candles. “The name is Luca Changretta.”

Matteo wordlessly rose from the table and disappeared into the crowd, and I was left alone with Luca’s serpentine stare that matched his low hiss of a voice, and his devious smirk that made me wonder if the legends about the Devil were wrong, and his towering stature as he stood to lay claim to Matteo’s seat. He placed his hat on the table, the candlelight glinting off of the onyx gems of his rings – one on his index, one on his pinkie – and folded his coat over the back of Matteo’s chair as I had done with mine. But he didn’t sit.

Instead, still smirking down at me, he extended his ringed hand, and said,

“May we seal the deal in a dance, mia piccola spia?”

NEXT CHAPTER

SERIES MASTERLIST / FULL MASTERLIST

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Taglist:

#luca changretta #luca changretta x oc #peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfiction #adrien brody #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #my writing #alfie solomons #tommy shelby #polly gray #arthur shelby #I don't know yet what other characters will have prominent roles #oc: charlotte #white ribbon

[episodeoftv]

Round 2 of 8, Group 4 of 4

propaganda and summaries are under the cut (May include spoilers)

Sandman: 1.06 The Sound of her Wings

TW death, I guess, but it's treated in a very lovely way

Feeling a bit rudderless, Morpheus shadows his hard-working big sister, who offers him advice and encourages him to reconnect with an old acquaintance.

I've watched this episode like 4 times and the rest only one, that's how good it is. It also has the quality of being pretty independant from the rest of the show, so it's easy to only watch this one without rewatching all of them. It's divided in two parts: the first one is Dream following his sister Death as she collects the souls of dying people, it's a very poetic-looking episode, you can see the people embracing her and Death being really nice to them, it's incredibly lovely. By allowing Dream to follow her around, Death is also trying to show him that they exist thanks to humans, and that humans are their purpose and it's an honor to be there for them when they need it. Dream really needed that, because he was in a quest during the first 5 episodes and had a "and now what?" moment that made him a bit depressed once the quest was over. Anyway, the second part of the episode is the slowest burn you've ever seen. It shows Death giving immortality to a man, Hob Gadling, in 1384 (I think?) and Dream meeting him every 100 years to check if he still wanted to live. It's extremely gay, they keep having sex with their eyes (it's not canon that they're in love, though, but it's nice to imagine). Anyway, if you don't want to watch the whole show, I would advise to just watch this one episode, it's really great

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: 6.04 Orders

Fives believes he's uncovered a major conspiracy regarding the mysterious actions of clone trooper Tup, and finds himself on-the-run after he's falsely accused of attempting to murder the Chancellor.

#the sandman #the sandman netflix #star wars the clone wars #clone wars #the clone wars #poll #polls #round2 #r2g4

[ailani-reillata]

The Acolyte - Chapter Six: The Senator

Oc Centric - Multichapter - 9.2k - Rated T

Summary: The Separatist Crisis has reached its peak. War looms throughout the galaxy, casting a dark, bloody shadow over the thinning ranks of the Jedi Order. The end of civilization has already started. This is the story of Jedi Acolyte Ailani Réillata. Her end has just begun.

Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five,

AO3 Version

(Please see the AO3 version for the full list of tags and warnings BEFORE reading.)

———

"Where there's a will, there's a way."

The Council Room was empty. It was always empty these days.

Yet shadows lingered, even in vacant voids where life once lived, and there, always there, Ailani found herself.

At first, it had been strange, lingering in the empty chambers, listening to the echo of her footsteps against the once lively marble floors, yet now, part of her had grown used to the idea haunting the space. She filled all her time with endless reports and the constant buzz of the holonews, her face silent and unblinking as she approached everything with clinical, quiet exhaustion. 

Even during Council meetings, the vast chambers were mainly sparse, with most members too busy playing General on the front lines. Despite the addition of holo communication, many could no longer pull themselves away from battle to attend. With each session, their numbers dwindled, populated only by the ghosts of flickering blue figures and faded, overtired Masters with bloodshot eyes.

They were spread thin. Much thinner than they had anticipated. The only two members that consistently remained were Master Windu and Master Yoda, though both often kept to themselves. 

It was hard to believe that this echo had been their reality for only four months. Part of it seemed like a hundred years, and part of it seemed newer every day. Ailani felt helpless. Her life had always been beyond her control, but this was something else entirely. This war brought on a hopelessness and despair that was unparalleled. She had no strength, no title, and no control. It was as if she floated on endless waves, tossed about by time and tide, praying the undertow released her soon.

Ailani curled tighter into her chair, or rather, Master Plo’s chair. At least when she worked alone, she could sit wherever she pleased. Not that the Kel-Dor would mind, he had always been kind. Ailani found that she missed that very much–that kindness. In truth, there were a lot of things she missed. Ailani glanced around the room, watching the chairs, marble floors, and endless windows fall into shadow as the sun set and the golden light of dusk melted into shades of gray. Part of Ailani found that she missed them all. How strange.

She had always felt like a pointless secretary, caught between the stage of Padawan and Knight, never quite fitting either, assisting the Council only so they could keep a close eye on her. Their oversight had been suffocating, their need to keep her close and analyze every aspect of her training. Despite always being surrounded, it had left her feeling isolated.

Other.

Before her, the Council raised no other Padawan. No other Padawan was grounded to Coruscant. No other Padawan was treated the way she was. Because she was not like other Padawans. For Mando’a had fallen from her lips, and family had lingered in her heart. Beskar hung at her belt, wrapped perfectly around her kyber crystal. But now Ailani found that the once suffocating oversight of the Council was replaced by an indescribable lack.

Twelve sets of eyes had followed her every move, but now it felt like no one in the galaxy even looked her way. That had always been a part of the job, to fade into shadows, to linger where eyes would never stray. Yet the busy game of warfare had pushed that job to an inescapable reality. She had often longed for freedom, but the space before her now rang closer to desolate isolation. Not that she had ever felt included before. Isolation was a familiar friend. It just felt different now. Everything felt different now. Even her dreams were different. The burning dream appeared often, but so did hazy visions of her Father and glimpses of the battlefield. Even without the aid of the holocron, sleeping had become sparse, and all dreams had become nightmares. 

Ailani sighed deeply, pressing her hands against her face. She sounded ridiculous. There were files to organize reports to memorize, death certificates to sign, and Senate sessions to attend…

And…

In the empty chambers, Ailani suddenly felt so lonely. She missed the Council’s lingering eyes and Plo Koon’s kind hand on her shoulder. She missed the sound of Padawans running through the halls and the endless chatter that once annoyed her. She missed observing training sessions and sitting alone in the cafeteria–just people watching. She missed Senate sessions that weren’t about war.

Ailani missed everything.

Kamino had at first been a bright spot, a chance to finally see the universe and speak with strangers and wander halls she had not memorized, yet just as soon as she had been granted it, it was gone again. Training rooms and war meetings. Numbers for names. 

She had not seen a real sky in so long. She had not seen the stars in so long.

Everything was the same, yet everything was different, and it all echoed in her head and the empty room. She read reports of battles, far-off planets, endless bloodshed, star lines, and hyperspace, and as horrific as it all was, Ailani could not stop herself from longing for something.

She wanted to be useful. Needed.

She had the holocron again, and even as she tried to explain dreams and replayed the prophecy of the nameless, the frustration of it all felt like she had been sent to the beginning again. She had purpose; she had seen prophecy, yet she was still too stupid to understand it. 

Or maybe she just wanted someone to talk to.

How many nights had she fallen asleep to mission reports that ended in a massacre, only to awaken to a quiet world? Hundreds died, and she read the reports, and she did nothing. She could try and dream, try and read or understand, she could pour over reports and try and make ties, but nothing came to her, and nothing stuck. If anything, her dreams had gotten worse. Part of Ailani had begun wondering if she was inherently a sin, a stain on the Order. She must have been the most useless Jedi ever born. Maybe she was just tired. 

The light from Ailani’s datapad flickered in her eyes as the brightness raised itself to match the darkening room. Maybe she just needed to get out more. Not that she had anywhere interesting to go. People didn’t “hang out” with her, and even if they wanted too, there was still a war going on, and association seemed like the least of everyone’s worries. Everyone had important things to do, and no one cared what she thought.

Most of the military officials hadn’t exactly taken to her. They seemed all too happy to ignore her completely and cast her reports aside. Maybe she looked too young to be anyone of importance, or maybe they simply didn’t care about anyone who lacked a title. Still, the constant dismissal was starting to wear on her, and it only intensified the feelings of loneliness.

She sometimes got to oversee a youngling class or host a training session, but that didn’t exactly fill her social hunger, and it was so rare to see anyone. Children were fun to talk with, and she liked playing games, but she wanted certainly. She needed reassurance. She didn’t want to be the leader of the class. She wanted to be led. And she didn’t want to prepare younglings for war.

Sometimes, Ailani got to talk to Barriss via holo, but neither knew what to discuss. They were both overtired. All the Jedi she knew had become exhausted shells.

What Ailani really wanted was more conversations with Wolffe, but those came so rarely now. He allowed her to join the 104th for training drills, but the they returned infrequently and could spend so little time with her. She wanted to feed off of his certainty and absorb some of the knowledge he possessed. Yet all they had time for were quiet laughs, light over training drills, and endless runs around the barracks. 

But it was nice to talk with people who had no investment in her life. The 104th had no expectations of her or any preconceived notions. They just knew Ailani . And she knew them back. Sort of. She didn’t know how to get to know people. She mostly let the 104th talk. She loved to listen to them talk. Sometimes, they even spoke in Mando’a, a language that first-generation clones had apparently been taught under Jango Fett’s intense leadership. Even though it was mostly sharp orders and instructions, Ailani loved to hear the language of her Father. Though she never told them that. She didn’t want things to get complicated. 

Not that any of them seemed to actively practice Mandalorian culture or its traditions. In fact, the language felt more like a training ritual than a connection, but even the mere fragments were enough to make Ailani’s head spin. The only other piece of Mandalorian culture they seemed to hold onto was the armor paint. Wolffe had never explained it formally, but Ailani knew enough about Mandalorian markings to understand the colors that graced the helmets of the GAR.

Aside from the occasional language use and the armor paint, however, Ailani had not seen any other references to Mandalorians. At least the clones she knew seemed content to form their own cultural identity. She had questions about that, too, but the right moment to ask never seemed to arrive. Perhaps it was private . She didn’t want to intrude. 

It was kind of Wolffe to offer an introduction all those months ago, and she was thankful that her greetings had gone well enough for them to invite her back, and yet…

Most days and nights, she spent just like this one, locked away in the Council Chambers, pouring over mission reports and filing death certificates, measuring lives in statistics, and counting the dead even in her sleep. If she even had the chance to sleep. If she even wanted to sleep. She mostly read the holocron instead of sleeping, dreaming of ways to make her nightmares useful. Ailani rubbed at her eyes, harsher this time. They were spread thin. She was spread thin.

A soft beep and a flicker of light drew her attention back to her screen just as a communication request flashed across Ailani’s datapad, pulling her from her thoughts and into much darker musings.

Ailani blinked back to reality one last time before pushing her mind past the darkened Council room and her heavy heart. 

The communication request was from Admiral Dao. She scanned the message summary, pulling memories of Ryloth and rebellions to the front of her mind. If she remembered correctly, Jedi Master Di was supposed to be helping the rebels on Ryloth restore order, and Admiral Dao was supposed to be with him. Though things rarely seemed to work out the way they were supposed to.

Ailani tabbed over to a private channel, entering the comm numbers of the Council members present on Coruscant. Kenobi. Windu. Yoda. So few. So few were here. Her heart twinged again. It would have to be enough.

“Admiral Dao is hailing us.” Ailani said into her comm, her voice thick with lack of use, “High priority. I shall meet you in the communication room.”

The channel buzzed with white noise for a few moments, and in the fading light of the Council chambers, Ailani felt the lingering loneliness return.

How long had she been here? Scanning reports, counting lost lives, memorizing bills, and checking sector records.

Admiral Dao and Master Di were giving their lives on the front lines, drowning themselves in the sound of blaster-fire and bloodshed, and yet here on Coruscant, Ailani listened to the sound of white noise on a faceless comm. Something about it made her feel very strange.

Master Kenobi was the first to respond, calm and collected. “Very well.”

The white noise stopped. The line went dead.

“If help does not arrive soon, the entire Outer Rim Garrison will be wiped out.” The voice of Admiral Dao flickered over the holo, his face caught in harsh blue lines.

The communications room was darkened, lit only by the echo of the holo, and yet Ailani felt hyper-aware of every movement and breath. Something was buzzing in her head. She had definitely been alone too long.

Ailani stood to the side, allowing Master Kenobi, Master Windu, and Master Yoda to center stage in the holo. Not that she would have had anything important to add anyway.

“Surely there must be something you can do….” Master Kenobi began but was interrupted as a clone trooper entered the frame, and though they were light years away, Ailani felt the Force shift with his fear,

“The main reactors have been hit, sir. Systems are shutting down.” The trooper looked around aimlessly for a moment before reality settled into his words. “We are dead in space.”

Ailani tried to swallow the strange weight in her throat and turned to Master Windu, looking for something like certainty, but his face remained still and solemn. Nothing made sense anymore.

“With regret, I report that my fleet will no longer be able to provide protection for the troops on Ryloth.” Admiral Dao said after a moment, his formality trying to cover the grief in his tone, “I repeat my request that help is sent right away.”

The hologram shook violently, and before anyone could respond, the trooper yelled again, this time, desperation overtaking the fear, “The shields are gone! We have no—”

The communication went dead. The room fell into shadow. Ailani’s heart raced so fast she swore everyone else could hear it. 

After a moment, Master Yoda spoke, a furrow forming between his wrinkled brows, “Trapped on Ryloth, Master Di and his men are.”

Ailani felt her soul sink into her heart as the dying star of her chest seemed to consume them both. People were dying. Bleeding and dying. She was sitting in a communications room in the dark. Reading a holocron. Filing reports. She did not know how to feel about it, yet it seemed sickening, lonely, isolated, and sickeningly wrong.

Lavender and orange blossoms. Sweet tarts in the kitchen, and stars painted on her ceiling. A forehead pressed against hers and a kiss on her cheek.

“There are not enough troops to provide extra aid.” Kenobi said, facing Windu and Yoda, “Nor are there enough Jedi to accompany such a conflict.”

Lavender and orange blossoms. Sweet tarts in the kitchen, and stars painted on her ceiling. A forehead pressed against hers and a kiss on her cheek.

Master Windu contemplated for a moment, “We will need a base for an advanced blockade run. A nearby system, perhaps.”

“Toydaria,” Yoda replied almost instantly, “A neutral system it is, close enough to provide aid.”

The Force seemed to flow between the three of them with ease, and for a moment, Ailani remembered Geonosis and how close she had felt to everything then. She missed that feeling, too. She missed everything.

“Yes, but how will we convince them to aid us?” Mace Windu reasoned, raising a brow.

Ailani felt her heart leap as a report settled at the front of her mind, and she spoke before thinking, “Senator Organa is on a mission not far from there.” The three Masters turned to face her, and Ailani quickly lowered her voice from a sudden shout, trailing off her sentence with a tone so low it was almost a soft-spoken whisper, “Perhaps he could provide the diplomatic hand we need.”

They were still looking at her, but Ailani swore there was a kind twinkle in Master Yoda’s eyes. She was probably imagining it. She had been alone too long.

“A clever observation, young one,” Kenobi said, twirling his beard mindlessly; Ailani stopped her heart from skipping at the compliment. She was so overtired. She was losing her collected touch, “Gather what supplies you can, and plan to leave immediately.”

Ailani’s heart caught in her throat.

Leave?

She was going to—

Were they going to let her leave?

“Me?” Ailani said, the word coming out cracked and muffled between half-hearted belief, “But I…I don’t know anything about negotiations.”

“On that, we agree,” Windu said, a slight smile on his face, “You will need to watch over the diplomats.”

“Diplomats?” Ailani felt the strange joy leave her and crash back to the ground. “As in plural?”

Ailani did not mind Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. He was smart and quiet, and sure, she did not know him truly, but his proposals and bills seemed agreeable enough. What Ailani did not like was politicians . She did not like their endless sessions and warmongering. She did not like their fancy robes and aloof air. She did not like that they seemed to enjoy bossing the Jedi Order around.

Master Adi had once tried to train Ailani in the subtleties of diplomacy and information gathering–which often bore close ties to the political process, but it had done very little. Even the appeal of playing spy had not helped her there. Politicians were just so…so… awful.  

“You do not have the clearance to carry the supplies we need.” Master Kenobi interrupted her spiraling, “You shall have to be accompanied by a representative.”

Not having any official military clearance was a sore spot in her life. It was humiliating to be the only Jedi not suited for battle, the only Jedi unworthy of risking her life. Was her life not good enough to be laid down for others? Or was she not good enough to die worthily? 

Wait. Ailani’s thoughts stopped as the final part of Master Kenobi’s words sunk in. Accompanied by a representative? The anger melted into confusion, and Ailani faltered, “So I am babysitting someone who’s babysitting me?”

“Representative Binks, you will ask,” Yoda said, his voice almost a laugh.

Ailani’s jaw dropped. The war faded, the seriousness of the room faded, and for a second, it was like she was a teenager again, fighting the Council on every mindless word. An hour ago, she had been drowning in something that felt like eternal isolation. She had missed the stars, the sun, the hyperspace lines, and now, it seemed like her plea had been answered, and yet there was a catch.

Always a catch.

This was just like R3 all over again. Oh R3. They were going to make her bring R3, weren’t they? The droid was helpful, and the two of them had reached a certain kind of understanding. But he always yelled at her, called her names, and laughed whenever she tripped. Who knew bitterness could be programmed? But she had bigger problems than the droid right now. 

“Jar Jar?” Ailani said, poorly masking the exasperation in her tone. She gave herself to the annoyance, furrowing her brow like a child, “Are you trying to punish me?”

That did get a chuckle out of Master Windu and a friendly eye roll from Master Kenobi, and yet Master Yoda spoke first, pointing his cane at her, “Tell me, Master Plo does, that want to get out more, you do.” There was mischief in his features, and Ailani pouted.

Hanging out with Representative Binks was not her idea of a good time. He was nice and polite and all too friendly . Friendly made Ailani uncomfortable. Besides, he had more energy than she could ever dream of. Always speaking and running about the Senate halls like a madman. Ailani didn’t have patience when it came to extroverted, energetic beings. 

“Well, yes,” Ailani began, unsure how to express her annoyance without sounding like a completely heartless bore, “It’s just that….”

“Prepare to leave within the hour.” Master Kenobi interrupted, smiling faintly.

Ailani looked around the room, unsure what to say. Thank you for letting me get out more, sat on Ailani’s lips, and yet just behind them also sat the words: How dare you make me babysit Representative Binks.

“More to add, have you?” Master Yoda asked, a mischievous smile still on his face.

“No,” Ailani said, biting her tongue, “You know me, good little soldier.”

It was nice to hear them chuckle. It was nice to joke for a moment. It was nice to be helpful even if she was still annoyed.

Locating Representative Binks had not been difficult. Finding a crew had not been difficult. Finding a ship had not been difficult. Loading the supplies had not been difficult. Even wrangling R3-K9 had not been difficult. But listening to Representative Binks talk the entire trip? That was difficult.

Ailani pressed a delicate hand to her temple, rubbing softly at the growing ache. She was an idiot for wanting to get out more. Loneliness be damned. At least isolation was quiet. Give her a hundred more reports to file, a thousand more statistics to fill, just get her out of the endless loop of childhood stories and strange anecdotes that seemed to mean nothing. She did not want to hear about Naboo anymore.

Perhaps that was bothering her, the way he effortlessly spoke of home. He kept calling it their home. It did not feel as comforting as she had always imagined. However, Ailani wished to keep blaming her headache on his ramblings. She could not afford to speak of home right now.

“We’re approaching the landing pad,” The pilot spoke over the speaker, and Ailani almost jumped out of her skin. Finally.

“Making sure you are buckled in.” Jar Jar said, pointing at Ailani. Apparently, she hadn’t masked her excitement that well. She had practically leaped from her seat. 

“Thank you, Jar Jar,” Ailani said, forcing a friendly smile and pulling her buckle tighter.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t kind, he was kinder to her than most people, he just… he could not stop talking. He talked about anything and everything, every word faster than the last. Most of all, he talked about Naboo. Ailani did not want to hear of Naboo right now. She needed to make sure this mission went perfectly. She had failed on Geonosis and had done nothing but get seasick and embarrassed on Kamino. She would get this right. She would earn the freedom to see the galaxy. She wouldn’t have to be alone all the time. Everything would be well.

Right? Ailani fiddled with the ribbons on her sleeve. Ugh. Who was she kidding? Maybe just herself.

The ship descended slowly, and Ailani shifted her gaze to the viewport near her seat. The green planet of Toydaria broke through the clouds, with endless forests and mountains extending from the ground below. Ailani almost gasped but restrained the sound, letting it choke in her throat. How long had it been since she had seen this much green? This much life? The atmosphere remained free of speeders and endless noise, and instead, it seemed like one steady green melted into the next, creating infinite life over and over.

How unlike Coruscant. How much like Naboo.

Jar Jar was saying something about the planet, but Ailani let her mind tune him out. It was just her and the green fields forever. There was a building falling into view, no doubt the home of the King. It was large and silver, standing high above the planet like a stone pillar, steady and even. Beautiful. Even R3 whistled in admiration, though it might have been sarcastic. 

The ship rocked slightly as they descended into the platform, deploying the landing gear and coming to an uneasy stop.

“There’s another ship landing just behind us,” The pilot said, his voice cracking over the speakers. “The Toydarians are asking us to stay put until they can get us both settled.”

“Very well,” Ailani shouted, loud enough for the pilot to hear, “I shall check on the supplies until then.” She unbuckled herself but held a hand as Representative Binks tried to follow. “Oh, it’s okay. I can do it myself.”

R3 whistled out a snarky comment, something like, “Are you sure?” for a moment, Ailani thought about powering the droid off completely but decided against it. 

“Me be helping you.” Jar Jar replied gleefully, and Ailani sighed deeply. At least Jar Jar was kind. He was just being kind.

“Thank you,” Ailani said, putting on her best diplomatic smile. It needed work .

Jar Jar’s gaze shifted out the window as he unbuckled, and his face lit up, hardly noticing her poor attempt at kindess. “Oh! It’s Senator Organa!” He said, pointing out the viewport.

Senator Bail Organa stood at the other end of the landing platform, speaking with a guard. Behind him stood an Alderaanian soldier, his face hidden under a large helmet. The Senator wore deep blue robes with silver embroidery, soft and regal, yet the look on his face commanded attention. His gaze was even, friendly but not kind, diplomatic and likable but not warm. Strange.

“I am sure he’s the other ship the pilot mentioned,” Ailani said absentmindedly, “Let’s just check the cargo and wait to meet up with him.”

Apparently, her request had fallen on deaf ears. “We going to be meeting him.” Jar Jar said, nodding with certainty before stalking off towards the exit and in the direction of the Senator. Ailani felt her heart drop as she watched him open the ramp. This was a delicate situation, and she didn’t need another complexity. 

“Wait, Jar Jar—” Ailani reached for the Representative, but it was too late, for Jar Jar had already skipped down the ramp and made his way across the landing platform.

Ailani gathered herself quickly, her mind racing as she stumbled to keep up. He was faster than he looked.

“Hi-lo!” Jar Jar interrupted with a shout as he approached. Ailani hid her reddening face behind her hand, “Let me through! Me on a diplomatic mission.” He pushed through the crowd further until he was face to face with Bail. Ailani carefully followed, mindful to be quiet and slow, “Senator Organa! It’s a pleasure to be seeing you.”

Bail Organa smiled kindly, something twinkling behind his dark eyes. “And you, Representative Binks.” He caught a look at Ailani, and the brightness of his eyes faded into something she couldn’t read, “And you, Acolyte Réillata. Shall we?”

So he remembered her. Or, he had just remembered her last name.

“Our laws of hospitality demand that we offer assistance, but this planet is closed to offworlders.” The palace guard did not seem pleased with their presence, yet Bail only smiled again.

“We are obliged to deliver our message to your King in person. It won’t take a minute.” With that, Senator Organa pushed past the guards, signaling Ailani and Representative Binks to follow.

Ailani followed quickly, making a special effort to avoid the gaze of the palace guard.

“It is an honor for you to join us,” Senator Organa said, directing his voice to Ailani as they strode away from the mumbling staff.

“Thank you, Senator. I am honored to be here representing the Council.” In truth, there was little honor in being a glorified babysitter, but saying “ I am so glad to be outside and breathe fresh air ” would have made her appear insane. 

“They think negotiations will go poorly?” Organa said, raising a kind yet inquisitive eyebrow.

Ailani almost laughed, if only to release the tension in her chest. “Oh no. I am just here to look after the supplies.” R3 nudged her leg, implying that she also forgot to mention him, but Ailani kept ignoring him. 

“I see.” Bail said, though something in his tone implied that there was much more he wished to understand.

The landing platform led up to the palace entrance, a tall silver door with intricate detailing and large windows. Everything about the palace seemed to be built for endless flight and freedom, and Ailani took a deep breath. The air was warm, but not unpleasant, humid, but not overwhelming. Anything was better than Coruscant.

The Royal Guards flapped their wings beside the group, and almost reluctantly, they opened the door for Senator Organa. The large entrance led them directly into a grand hall shrouded in darkness, with only small lights along the wall to guide their way.

“Hello? Your Majesty?” Representative Bink’s called, his voice shrill as it echoed against the endless ceilings.

Senator Organa spoke before Ailani could scold the Representative harshly, “Let me do the talking, okay?” His words were kind, almost fatherly. In the Senate, Bail wore a mask of experience and strength, calm composure, and kindly logic. Yet this was something else entirely. The gentleness of it made Ailani falter, and R3 had to press her forward. 

The hallway broke into a massive hearing chamber, just as tall as any skyscraper on Coruscant and just as bright as daylight. The King and his Council were seated high above the ground, looking down at them with indifference and apparent irritation. Ailani tried to keep her gaze on the floor. Bail Organa strolled casually. Ailani let herself feed on his certainty. 

Silently, they walked to the center of the room and stood upon an orange tile, which softly clicked with their weight and instantly raised a railing around them as it ascended.

Ailani felt eyes staring into her face the entire journey up. There were no walls to blend into now. How strange. Isn’t that what she had wanted? Ailani wasn’t sure.

“State your business, offworlders.” The King said his tone was steady and strong once the platform stopped moving.

Ailani raised her gaze just slightly and glanced about the room. The King was overlaid in endless gems and gold, and the deep blue of his armor reflected the natural light with a glimmer that Ailani could only describe as regal. The crown upon his head was tall, with wing-like detailing and a blood-red gem directly in the center.

His face was like stone.

“Representative Binks of Naboo.” Jar Jar said, seemingly forgetting Bail’s request to do the negations. Ailani could have winced.

“Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, sire.” Bail said, then he stepped back and gestured to Ailani, signaling her to introduce herself. 

Ailani felt her eyes widen in disbelief. Had she ever introduced herself formally before? She couldn’t remember. Surely she must have, and yet…

“Jedi Acolyte Ailani Réillata, Representative for the High Jedi Council.” She managed, bowing low. Her heart was beating wildly. No one seemed to notice.

Bail’s voice rang just as even as the King’s, and his face remained just as level. “We have come to ask for your help.”

“Perhaps you failed to pay attention to the Senate orientation.” The King replied dismissively, “They should have explained that Toydaria is a neutral system. We are not part of the Republic.”

More and more planets had declared neutrality lately, not that Ailani blamed them. She had seen the reports of bloodshed. Part of her wished the Jedi could also declare neutrality, yet the other part wanted to help on the front lines. Even Mandalore insisted on remaining neutral, though Ailani refused to give that decision any thought. It felt wrong for the New Mandalorians—who had exiled and killed every other clan, to now classify themselves as neutral pacifists. What a joke. 

“Yes, Your Majesty. That is why we have come before you as friends.” Bail said, his face softening yet not weakening, “There is a humanitarian crisis on Ryloth.”

“Millions will be starving and dying without your help.” Jar Jar interrupted again, but Ailani locked her eyes on Bail’s face. He wasn’t technically wrong. There was a humanitarian crisis, yet his words left out the most critical detail: the war itself was causing the crisis. He was being truthful, and yet also telling a lie. Ailani did that often, yet watching someone else do it so easily felt strange. Is that what she looked like? 

Bail returned his attention to the King, “My esteemed colleagues and I humbly beg that you allow us to use Toydaria as a staging ground to supply the planet with relief aid.”

Before anyone could speak again or even consider the half-life of a proposal, a rush of cold air brushed the back of Ailani’s neck and sent a warning chill up her spine. Something was wrong.

“Do not make your decision in haste, Your Majesty.” Ailani spun her head to face the grave and low approaching voice, and soon, her uncertainty melted into a pure, blinding, listless rage . “There are other factors you might wish to consider.”

Trade Federation.

Suddenly, the tattoo on Ailani’s lips burned, almost painfully so, and specs of matching maroon flashed in her vision. Beside her, R3 made a low whirring sound, clearly unhappy. Good. They were finally on the same page. Diplomacy no longer sat at the front of her mind, nor embarrassment, nor uncertainty, nor fear, and Ailani’s hand drifted to the saber at her belt.

Just in case.

The King broke the tension, gesturing to the Federation as they ascended on a platform matching Organa’s, “I believe you know Lott Dod, Senator for the Trade Federation.”

“Yes, we are acquainted. Senator.” Bail Organa replied diplomatically, yet Ailani sensed the slightest frost in his words.

The Federation stood on even ground with them, and Ailani could not rip her eyes from their faces. Both men present had been employed during Naboo's invasion, yet they had evaded any punishment. Just following orders , they said. We didn’t know the full situation , they said. Yet here they stood, doing the same thing again. Hundreds had died on Naboo. Children. Children had died. Starved to death. Now, the Federation wished to do the same to Ryloth. Ailani set her jaw. She would not let them. Diplomacy or no diplomacy. She had a lightsaber. What law was above that? 

“Begging Your Highness, what is he doing here?” Jar Jar said, his tone just as disgusted as Ailani felt, yet the rage eating her heart was absent in his voice. He was too good for rage, it seemed. Ailani was not. Children had died—children of her world. She wasn’t thinking straight but couldn’t bring herself to care. 

“Why shouldn’t he be?” The King replied, raising a slight brow. “Toydaria has an important contract with his Trade Federation.”

That was the trouble of it all. The Trade Federation had a practical monopoly on interplanetary commerce, and not even the Republic was free from its influence. In the back of her mind, Ailani knew that not all members of the Trade Federation were bad, and most of the luxuries she enjoyed back on Coruscant were possible because of their business. She didn’t have to like it, but it was the truth. Yet Senator Lott had bought his spot on the Senate, and he had been present at the invasion of Naboo. 

“The Trade Federation is too chummy with the Separatists for my taste.” Bail said, finally letting the full frost of ice and malice leak into his formal tone.

Good. Good.

“We have nothing to do with the Separatists! Nute Gunray is an extremist.” Lott Dod said, pointing a finger. “His views do not reflect those of the Trade Federation.”

Perhaps one being could not define a company, but repeated instances of malice did. This was just like Naboo. Ailani’s ears would not stop ringing.

“Perhaps not. But you can understand the confusion,” Bail replied casually. Ailani almost laughed, a dry, humorless sound. Confusion. That was one way of putting it. Well, let the King be confused. Ailani was not. This Federation would not take innocent lives again. 

“We are only here to ensure that nothing jeopardizes the agreement between Toydaria and the Trade Federation,” Lott said, addressing the King. His words were too vague for Ailani’s liking, too much like someone withholding their ace. 

“Naboo and Alderaan have a long tradition of providing humanitarian aid.” Senator Organa reasoned, somehow still calm. “I see no reason for conflict.”

Oh. So that was the real reason Ailani had been sent. With her tattoo, her dark eyes, and red ribbons from Naboo. A reminder of charity work and giving. A reminder of what happened on Naboo. A reminder. Her tattoo burned again—a scar of remembrance. Had the Council known about the Trade Federation’s involvement? Had she fallen as a pawn that easily? It seemed too perfect to be a coincidence. Was she being used?

For our sins, we must be sacrificed. Ailani felt the taunting words twitching in her mind, bending her will to go on. Was she being used? Was this a sin?

Lavender and orange blossoms. Sweet tarts in the kitchen, and stars painted on her ceiling. A forehead pressed against hers and a kiss on her cheek.

Some of Ailani’s rage disappeared as her heart faltered. Bail was lying about the full extend of the crisis, and she was being used. Her heart was beating so loud and her faec burned with flush,

Lavender and orange blossoms. Sweet tarts in the kitchen, and stars painted on her ceiling. A forehead pressed against hers and a kiss on her cheek.

“Nor do I.” The King said kindly, “The people of Ryloth are suffering, and compassion is a sacred Toydarians value.” Hope bubbled in Ailani’s chest, overtaking some of the fear.

Then, the dying star ate it alive.

“Honesty is also a Toydarian value, is it not?” Lott Dod interrupted, “I’m sure the Senator mentioned the Separatist blockade around Ryloth.”

Ailani’s heart dropped thousands of meters to the floor below. No. No. No. No. Not again. They couldn’t do this again.

“A blockade? Is this true?” The King asked, his eyes hurt yet accusing, his Council murmuring and whispering.

Ailani’s throat felt dry. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe.

“Yes, Your Majesty, but it changes nothing.” Bail tried, but it was too late, minds had been made up. They had lost .

“It changes everything.” The King spoke accusatively, getting up from his chair, “If the Separatists are blockading the planet and we help the Republic, it will destroy our neutrality. I must convene my ministers; then we shall hear your arguments.” The red in Ailani’s vision returned as Lott Dod sent a cruel look toward them.

Credits. How did it always boil down to credits? How could someone stand there and destroy all their diplomatic efforts for credits? How could he smile?

Ailani paused. Bail had also lied. But lives were on the line. Surely that was okay, right? It suddenly didn’t feel okay. Toydaria had children too. Children that war could maim and kill. The rage turned into something more confusing.

Their platform began to lower, indicating a diplomatic break, and Bail Organa turned to face Ailani and Jar Jar, his face solemn. “I shall prepare my argument then.”

Ailani hummed but said nothing. She wasn’t quite sure what there was to say. 

Senator Organa pulled out his datapad and began to type away at a document, his brows furrowed.

The ministers whispered above them, the inaudible sound echoing through the chambers. It was strange to watch these men debate about them right in front of them. At least the Council had the decency to talk in private.

As soon as the thought entered her mind, Ailani pulled a face. She did not like how much this trip made her head spin from Naboo to blockades to the aid debate. Everything was starting to sound all too familiar. Ailani suddenly felt like she was in the Council room again. Alone and confused.

“I think I should go back to the ship,” Ailani said softly, her words aimed at Bail, but her eyes cast towards The Trade Federation. She couldn’t take much more of this. Her head was spinning. She was not built for politics. She might just start screaming or reach over and push Senator Dodd off the edge of his floating platform. “I should update the Council.” The lie felt like a plausible excuse, and Ailani prayed that it would stick. 

For a moment, she feared that Senator Organa would force her to say, force her to learn, but instead, he merely looked up from his device, his gaze studying her warmly. “I understand this must be a difficult situation,” Senator Organa looked up from his device, his gaze warm, “Feel free to wait until the politics are over.”

Ailani sighed in relief, “Thank you, Senator.” Bail nodded kindly, and Jar Jar gave her a thumbs up. Good enough. “Come on, R3,” Ailani whispered, gesturing to the droid to follow her outside.

The planet grew dark as sunset stretched across the endless sky, catching orange shadows in far-off places. This meant the landing platform was sparse now, with only a few guards littered here and there, their elegant wings flashing in the fading light.

What freedom it must be to fly, to feel the wind in your face whenever you pleased, not to be grounded to such mundane rules as gravity. It’s a shame speeders weren’t allowed here, Ailani mused. What she wouldn’t give to sail across the sky right now. It would clear her head. Probably.

With a deep breath, Ailani returned to the platform where the Naboo cruiser lay, yet instead of deploying the landing ramp, she moved to sit at the end of the platform, her legs dangling into endless air.

The forests below were lush and green. Seemingly untouched by machine or being, just beautiful and peaceful. How many other planets, this beautiful and this peaceful, had been claimed by the weight of helplessness in the face of war? How many more would be claimed before the conflict ended? How long could Ailani keep pretending she could help?

Lavender and orange blossoms. Sweet tarts in the kitchen, and stars painted on her ceiling. A forehead pressed against hers and a kiss on her cheek.

She had wanted to prove herself; instead, she had been unable to cope with mere moments of politics, and she had run away. She always ran away. She just got so confused and overwhelmed and…

Lavender and orange blossoms. Sweet tarts in the kitchen, and stars painted on her ceiling. A forehead pressed against hers and a kiss on her cheek.

She just wanted to help, but she couldn’t stop running.

“Breathe in deep R3,” Ailani said ruefully, “One last look before we’re locked up again.”

Surely, Bail Organa would tell the Council that she was a coward, and they would keep her under close inspection again, forcing her to file endless reports and death records. Forcing her back into a corner. 

The droid chirped, rocking back and forth on his wheels, seemingly in agreement. Apparently, he didn’t like being locked up either. They hadn’t spoken much, but R3 was clearly the droid equivalent of an adrenaline junkie. At least he was brave enough to back up his desire for freedom. Ailani couldn’t even sit in on a diplomatic debate without losing her head. She sighed, rubbing at her face. She needed to think. She didn’t want to think. This trip made her think too much, mostly because Ailani had a creeping feeling that no one in that room was technically wrong.

She had observed endless Senate sessions, infighting, and petty conflict, yet she had never seen anything like this. At least not up close. The King wished to protect his people, for the war was a ravenous beast, and he only wished not to be consumed by the gnashing teeth and flame. He was doing what was right. Senator Organa did what was necessary to save Ryloth, even if that meant lying and deception. He was a humanitarian at any cost. Senator Dodd wished to protect his investment, and yes, he was cruel, and he was starving a planet, but wasn’t it his job to protect The Federation’s money? A cruel job, but a job.

Ailani curled her legs to her chest. Everyone was wrong.

The King would let an entire planet starve, even though the ability to help was within his grasp. Senator Organa was forcing a planet into an impossible situation and dragging it into a senseless war. And Senator Dodd was cruel. Trading money for lives. But Ailani wasn’t sure who she agreed with or what she felt at all.

If the Council had hoped that she would learn more about politics, they would be sorely mistaken when she arrived back at the temple, more confused than ever.

She had seen Senator Organa on the Senate floor endless times, she had seen him vote for bills that imploded, she had seen him argue points that made her stomach sick, and yet part of her did trust his judgment, if only for his kind words and gentle way. Yet she wasn’t sure if she agreed with him. How could he be civil to people who had intentionally starved thousands? Was his civility a flaw or perhaps a strength? Whatever it was, Ailani did not have it. Her head hurt. It always hurt these days.

Lavender and orange blossoms. Sweet tarts in the kitchen, and stars painted on her ceiling. A forehead pressed against hers and a kiss on her cheek.

Just this morning, she dreamed of this freedom, this chance to see the front lines. She had wanted to help in a real way, a meaningful way. Nothing about the war felt meaningful now. Jedi Master Di was suffering and dying. The people of Ryloth were suffering and dying. The people of Toydaria would have to suffer and die to save them. All they were doing was arguing. What was she even providing in that room? Indeed, her presence was unnecessary since they let her go so quickly. She was not skilled in diplomacy or managing Representative Binks. She wasn’t even watching the cargo . Ailani huffed humorlessly.

Maker, she was useless. Useless and confused. Maybe that is what her dream had meant. For your sins, you must be sacrificed. Maybe she wasn’t worthy, even as an offering. Maybe she would die useless.

How had other Jedi adapted to the changes in their roles so quickly? How had these better Jedi evolved into political masters? What was she doing wrong? Why couldn’t she catch up? The beskar on her belt felt heavy again, the weight of her blood and history pulling her down. Was she ever going to be good at this? Every Jedi had to take their path, she had heard the Council say that a million times, but what about a Mandalorian Jedi? What path were they supposed to take? Or even better, what path was a daughter of Naboo supposed to take? How had her Mother mastered politics? How could anyone do this?

Ailani laid back on the ground, staring at the endless clouds. What she would give to fly.

It felt like she and R3 laid there for years, yet seconds, watching the sky fade from light blue to endless gray. She had watched a sunset this morning and was now watching one again. Was she chasing daylight or chasing the dark?

Footsteps fell into line behind her, and a new mind pricked at the corner of her senses. Senator Organa. Could he possibly be done already? It felt like that room would run in circles forever. Ailani pulled herself to her feet, finding a slight tremble in her legs as she turned to face the approaching figure. R3 was quick to stand behind her, supporting her unsteady movements. 

“I believe we have come to an understanding,” Senator Organa said, a mischievous smile pulling gently at his lips. “But I will need your help and your discretion.” His voice lowered to a whisper, and he leaned towards her. “Are you interested?”

Ailani scanned his face, contemplating him for a moment. He seemed mischievous in a boyish way, the gears of his head turning. What did that even mean? They had reached an understanding. Did any of this even matter? An understanding. Master Di was dying; the best anyone could say was that they had reached an understanding.

The Council said that a lot these days. Understanding. How many times would they have to compromise before this war was over? 

Ailani sighed, “I am here to help.” She said, but her voice was flat and dull. That star was back in her chest, burning away at her soul. Everything hurt, and yet she felt nothing. She wanted to help Ryloth, yet it suddenly felt like she was about to use Toydaria as currency. Would she risk the children of this word to save the children of another?

Senator Organa looked at her kindly but slightly apprehensive, “King Katuunko has granted us permission to deliver the supplies we possess, but we must guarantee secrecy for the safety of his people.”

Ailani paused, letting her mind turn the words over. Senator Organa had spent all day in the castle, yet the best he could do was negotiate something they could have done without permission. They were no better than smugglers. They were supposed to be better. Yet, this might have been the only way out. If they could manage secrecy, perhaps no one would suffer. 

Then a thought hit her, “We only have enough supplies for two rotations,” Ailani said, tone strained and strange. 

“It will have to do.” Bail Organa said, the mischief leaving his face and fading into formality again, “It is not ideal, but it will have to do. “

She should have been ecstatic. Isn’t this what she had wanted? To help the citizens of Ryloth. Yet something in this echoed strangely in her head.

It will have to do.

“We need to begin loading the runners. Representative Binks won’t be able to provide a distraction for that long.” Bail spoke again. She had been quiet for too long.

Ailani shook her head, reeling her mind back from wandering thoughts. “Okay.”

They had only brought two runners each, making four ships in total. There was little space in each ship, and as she gazed upon the machines, Ailani knew it was not enough. Not enough room, not enough boxes, not enough supplies. Ailani grabbed another crate, wordlessly loading it into the ship’s tiny cargo bay. All the medical supplies they could manage were firmly planted in her arms. Not enough. 

Nothing she did was ever enough. Even this was pathetically inadequate. How could Ryloth live on the materials she held now? How could Master Di? Despite the night’s clean air, Ailani suddenly found herself unable to take a full breath, her chest too tight with something unknown. something uncomfortable.

“Is this your first diplomatic mission?” Senator Organa asked, interrupting her thoughts and handing her another crate. The question was enough to pull her back to reality and steady her thoughts.

“Was it that obvious?” Ailani replied, her voice almost childishly hurt. She was beyond exhausted, yet Senator Organa seemed lively and determined, as if two rotations were enough to save the galaxy, and casual conversation about diplomacy was not endlessly draining.

“You do not seem like someone with interest in politics.” Bail continued kindly, “I must admit, I am quite surprised to learn that. I had thought you to be some political studies Jedi. If such a thing exists.”

Ailani let herself laugh this time, the stress bubbling over into a breathless chuckle, “Oh no, I am just a glorified secretary. I schedule appointments, listen to Senate sessions, brief the Chancellor, that kind of thing.”

“But you are not a Knight?” He questioned, gently curious. There was something strangely warm about him, something that made her tense and relaxed simultaneously. Such was the complexity of politics.

“Oh no. I am too young for that anyway.” Ailani responded, still packing supplies into the dropper, “The position of Acolyte was invented for me. Padawans do not have the clearance required to assist the Council, and I am not ready for The Trials, so,” She paused, faking an eased smile. “Acolyte it is.”

Through the darkness, Ailani turned to face Senator Organa, grabbing for another box, and instead, she found eyes filled with something almost like sadness staring back at her, “That must be difficult.”

Her breath caught, but only for a moment.

All those months ago, Senator Bail Organa had seen through her in the Chancellor’s office. He had seen her Mother in her. At least, Ailani hoped he had. Now, all that seemed to settle into place as he looked at her with gentle pity. Ailani felt under a spotlight.

“Oh, I don’t know.” She dismissed casually, swallowing the lump in her throat, “I guess it’s better than being in the Service Corps. I am no good at farming.”

She had never actually tried farming, but Ailani was certain she would be terrible. Plants hated her and always wilted and died in her company. Master Depa told her she over-watered everything, but having a plant starve to death always scared Ailani into continually making the same mistake. If she joined the Corps, the planet would probably enter a famine because she killed the harvest with her worries and watering can. 

“I thought Jedi were allowed to go home if they did not pass the Trials?” His voice was gentle and understanding, as if he had endless energy for difficult conversations. 

“Oh, we are,” Ailani said, suddenly very interested in the box in her hands. She wished to stop speaking, but her head was so busy, and the day had been so long, and no one had even asked her before, so the words spilled, “I just…The thing is, we don’t exactly… I don’t exactly know who my parents are.” The night suddenly felt calmer, the stars burning above and the wind whistling across her face. “I couldn’t even request to go home if I wanted to. I don’t even know where that is.”

Bail debated something for a moment, stacking up boxes with ease, “If your Mother was Queen Réillata, surely that is a lead?”

There it was. The casual reference Ailani has been waiting for. Queen Réillata.

Lavender and orange blossoms. Sweet tarts in the kitchen, and stars painted on her ceiling. A forehead pressed against hers and a kiss on her cheek.

“Naboo tradition requires anonymity. Not every Queen obeys it,” Ailani answered. Briefly, her mind flashed to Padmé, who still wore her regal name, but Ailani dismissed the idea before it could take root. She didn’t want to think any longer about that. “But my Mother’s rule was very traditional. I’ve looked into it before. Her identity is sealed in governmental records. Nothing I could access.”

“Nothing the Council could request?”

“Um…I didn’t exactly tell anyone I looked into it.” Ailani placed the final crate within the runner, turning to face Bail with a slightly red face.

“Ah.” The Senator said. He gently tapped his nose as if forming a secret between them. Ailani suddenly remembered that her Father used to do that too, “No worries, Acolyte Réillata, your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you,” Ailani said softly, almost breathlessly. Her Father used to do that. It had made her laugh. Ailani blinked rapidly, shifting the subject entirely. “I think that’s the last of it.”

“I agree.” Bail mercifully took her redirection, “Let’s go retrieve Representative Binks.” He nodded, then walked away, his sense still easy and steady as the tide.

Ailani trailed after him, praying that it was enough for now and yet knowing it would never be.

#ailani réillata #writings #begged and borrowed time

[bloobluebloo]

Ultimately, what frustrates me most about TotK Ganondorf is that they went through the trouble of making him a man but completely stripped him of his humanity. I'm not even talking about the sort of traits that made WW Ganondorf memorable. Anger and hatred that consumes you is a part of humanity. For example, for OoT Ganondorf, when you explore Hyrule you can get a good idea of where his anger and his disdain for Hyrule comes from. His people are viewed as exotic women, as thieves, and antagonistic to the rest of Hyrule. You learn of the Shadow Temple and the horrific crimes that were committed by the Royal Family during the course of the unification war. You learn that the Gerudo were the only tribe not entrusted with an artifact from the Royal Family. You learn of the Twinrova, that these ancient witches versed in the dark arts were the ones who raised Ganondorf. These are things that would warp a man into becoming what Ganondorf becomes. In Wind Waker you have a man who is faced with the consequences of his actions. yet still feeling entitled to the land that he believes is rightfully his. There is desperation to that anger and hatred for all the powers that would not allow him to have what is his right. His people are the only ones who have not survived the Great Flood which could further fuel his anger and entitlement. Even Twilight Princess Ganondorf, who is often cited as the one that felt shoehorned into the game, has a sense of humanity to his maniacal nature. He was depicted as a demonic thief, and then executed for crimes that he never committed. In the throes of death, he was handed the power of the gods. It's not difficult to imagine the rage inside of him for being treated this way when he had yet to enact anything, and then the entitlement he must have subsequently felt when the favor of the gods was suddenly bestowed upon him. When you meet him in the throne room, he sits amongst the statues of decapitated goddesses, his visceral anger apparent in that moment. We never see Ganondorf as a man in Four Sword Adventures, but his case is also interesting. The Gerudo suspected that something was wrong with him since childhood, stating that there was some form of darkness in him. They nonetheless saddled him with the responsibilities of being the Guardian of the Desert, but were always wary of him. As soon as he commits a crime that breaks Gerudo law, they immediately decide that the verdict for him is execution, which prompts him to flee deep into the desert. The fact that the Gerudo hope he dies in the desert is just morbid, as if they never liked him to begin with. And so, he finds his way to the Pyramid of Power and takes the Trident of Power, becoming the darkness he was always said to possess. The Deku Scrubs of the lost woods express love and admiration for Ganondorf because he brought them back to life and expanded their domain (sure it was for his own ends ultimately). Again, it's not difficult to imagine why Ganondorf in this context has anger.

And this brings me back to TotK Ganondorf. I know his motivation is to bathe the world in darkness, that he believes that the struggle for survival, that the strong rule the weak, is his philosophy. However, his desire to destroy Hyrule, to leave no survivors, speaks of something deeper than that. There is anger for Hyrule there; he hates it, he wants to wipe it off the map before establishing his rule. I guess we can say that he was angry that these Zonai thought they could control him, establish their rule and create a country where he would have to bend the knee to another king. I acknowledge that this is fine for the purposes of an antagonist you need to beat at the end of your adventure. It's just that, for me personally, it lacks that visceral anger that stems from having a human heart that his other iterations had. TotK Ganondorf is like a force of destiny, where his motives seem like something beyond human thought, like his entire life's purpose is to uphold an ideology. At his end, he would even sacrifice his sense of self to see his vision realized. This is good in creating a formidable villain, but falls when you think that they could have just replaced him with his pig monster iteration, removed any of his associations with the Gerudo, and the story would remain the same. It's just difficult to tie his motivations with his background like his other iterations, and it makes me wonder why even bother making him a man if he is just a demon anyways.

#ganonthots

[acourtofthought]

Hello!

Did you notice that with Rowan and Lucien?

“Easy,” Lucien said. Cassian snarled. “Easy,” Lucien repeated, and flame sizzled in his russet eye. The flame, the surprising dominance within it, hit Cassian like a stone to the head, knocking him from his need to kill and kill and kill whatever might threatens— (Acosf)

The sheer dominance in that stare was like being hit in the face with a stone. Aedion held it. Like hell he'd back down; like hell he'd yield. And there would be a yielding— somewhere, at some point. Probably when Aedion took that blood oath. Aelin clicked her tongue at Rowan. “Stop doing that alpha-male nonsense. Once was enough.” (Queen of Shadows)

I never noticed that!

It definitely seems to be a phrase SJM likes to use for powerful characters considering Rowan is "the most powerful full-blooded fae male in existence" and she's setting Lucien up to be a High Lord (they're described as being not just powerful, but power itself).

Which I love because Lucien deserves everything.

While she has written some amazing things about Lucien throughout the series, that he's handsome, strong, very intelligent and cunning, loyal, a warrior but prefers words to battle, etc., everything that has happened to him as been one blow after another.

His lover was murdered, his father and brothers wanted to kill him, lost an eye to Amarantha, nearly lost his life with Rhys when he refused to give Feyre's name, was whipped by Tamlin for punishment at calling out to Feyre during the trials and not allowed to heal, was nearly killed again during Feyre's second trial, was SA by Ianthe, was threatened and bullied by Tamlin, was used in Feyre's schemes to trigger Tamlin, was forced to leave Spring which had been his home for who knows how long, found himself having to play nice with those that he had always believed to be his enemy because they were holding his mate over his head and dictating when he could see her, finally realized the IC wasn't his enemy and started to help them because he wanted to only to have them still treat him as somewhat less than, accepted that his mate was not ready to get to know him and in love with someone else, was in his first war (which probably comes along with some PTSD), is probably confused as to who his real father is, was not allowed to return to Spring because the people believed him complicit in what happened because of Feyre's lies, was beaten up by Tamlin, and has Azriel deciding that he's not worthy of Elain for no real good reason except for jealousy.

I don't think there is any character who has been put through the ringer quite like Lucien and that means he is so deserving of the ultimate HEA, deserving of amazing power, deserving of a family who wants him, deserving of a mate who does choose him.

#pro lucien vanserra #pro lucien #lucien vanserra #lucien supremacy #lucien spell cleaver

[fluffykitteninabox]

Sorry If I'm rude.

¿Why do you think the narrative treats endeavor as a good person deep down?

In my opinion If that were true then I don't think hori would made Endeavor go to AFO instead of going with Shouto and Touya,drawing Endeavor as a demonic shadow that destroyed his family and also looks like some sort of demon that's not even human in Dabi's backstory and have both Shouto and AFO saying how Endeavor is fleeing from his responsability.

Hi anon 🌻🌻🌻

Don't worry, you're not being rude at all 😊

Thank you for the ask, have some sparkles ✨✨✨

I half agree with you in a way. I actually think Endeavor's characterisation is really contradictory throughout the manga.

A "complete monster" half the time and "just a flawed human" the other half. I think that's why the fandom is so divided about him. You either love him or hate him, there's no in between.

Warning: me rambling again sorry, possible spelling mistakes, me dunking on Hawks a little bit, excessive use of italics

As you said there's the parts where he's literally drawn to look like a demon which are mostly from Shouto and Touya's perspectives of their backstories.

But there's also parts like

The hospital scene where we see him crying

Him leaving food at Touya's shrine

Even comedic scenes like him constantly texting Shouto who's ignoring him

These are all scenes where we see him in a neutral/positive light.

In those scenes he's more the dad who's trying to reconnect with his children because he was absent during their childhood.

And If it were just that then I would love to see his redemption arc. But being an absent father is the least bad thing he did in this case.

When he's crying and saying he feels bad about what he did it feels hypocritical to me, but my understanding is that the scene is still trying to make us sympathise with him.

To me this reads as "the public is wrong to put that responsibility on Endeavor"

As if it isn't actually his responsibility to make the public feel safe not just as the current number one, but as a hero in general. Something which he failed to do.

The fact that people have lost faith in the hero system is first and foremost society's fault, but it only happened because Endeavor was exposed as the worst of what said hero system had to offer.

He represents the exact opposite of what a number one hero should be, so the public has every right to criticise him. He doesn't deserve his position and in my opinion he should have lost it right after the first war.

But instead we get this random doctor saying he's rooting for him. This line has no purpose. It's not there to show us there's still people willing to support Endeavor, because we're going to see that with actually relevant characters just a couple of chapters later.

Sure we get Natsuo and Rei basically telling him to stop whining because he's not the victim here but that doesn't change the fact that the scene of him crying is there to at the very least get us to pity him.

We get three panels of him apologising and wiping his tears. Plus a close up of him looking even more sad and pathetic and talking about how his heart can't handle the guilt he's feeling, while 4 of his victims are standing in the room listening to him.

Then Best abuse apologist Jeanist and Hawks Keigo victim blamer Takami walk in and declare they're going to provide their full support to Endeavor.

Because obviously that's the person who needs support the most right now am I right?!

The public giving him a chance to prove himself and Hawks immediately assuming that Enji must be different now and deciding to help him don't make sense to me. Because Enji only started changing a few months before this. He was still the "irredeemable monster" right up until Kamino basically. The public and Hawks don't know that either. Why couldn't Hawks just as easily assume the exact opposite? Why does the public give him the benefit of the doubt after what they just learned? Because he gave a speech in a fancy suit and bowed once?? We see one person criticising him heavily during the speech/broadcast but they are focusing on the wrong thing in my opinion.

The public is portrayed as asking Endeavor and the heroes in general to ignore the accusations and even lie and pretend said accusations aren't true, and focus on defeating the villains. That's not holding the heroes accountable for their actions, that's ignoring half of the problem.

So even if we see people being disappointed with Endeavor, it mostly has to do with his performance as a hero, and not the fact that he shouldn't be a hero in the first place. He gets criticised for the wrong reasons. So I don't count that as him getting a taste of karma. Dabi's dance had the potential to bring said karma, but in my opinion it didn't. Basically me being disappointed about how the story went.

And while yes, characters like AFO are calling him out on his hypocrisy (hate that I have to agree with that bastard!) but the way I see it, the narrative is still coddling him.

He is currently supposedly finally facing Touya, but Touya had to go there himself and force him to do that. But it's still framed as a good character development moment for him, even though he didn't actively make any decision.

Endeavor is a reaction type character when instead he should be an active character.

For his redemption to feel earned he needs to actively do things to make that happen. But instead he actually avoids making decisions until he's forced to. He says he wants to change but it looks more like he's waiting for the change to happen automatically somehow. His "redemption arc" starts with him trying to basically insert himself back into the family dynamic as if nothing ever happened and he hasn't been abusing and neglecting them for the past... more than a decade, until Natsuo calls him out on it. All of his development happens internally, we see his thought process in detail. The first active thing he does is making a new house for his family to live separately from him. Which is... fine, but throwing money at his problems isn't really a good solution

And he's currently only half being held accountable. Again he didn't lose his job over this somehow. The narrative focuses on how he's going to make it up to his family which he's not doing a good job at anyway, and there's no talk about how he really shouldn't have a position of power like the number one hero spot.

I'm not saying we shouldn't focus on his relationship with his family. Obviously the whole point of his character is that he focuses too little on his family and too much on heroics. But him still having his position as a hero after all of what happened seems wrong to me. There's two ways to fix this

He gets fired after the first war. The public demanding that a person like Endeavor shouldn't have a job as a hero makes more sense than them demanding he doubles down and focuses on being a hero. This decision is like chaining his character arc and dragging him backwards.

Or he quits being a hero at the end of the manga to focus on his family, which is what I'm hoping will happen. If he stays a hero at the end of the story I will consider this officially the most botched character arc I have ever witnessed ever! And that's saying something because Hawks exist!

The second option would make him a more active character like I said he should be, but at the end of the story that doesn't really matter.

I hope I explained it well

Basically I just think it's inconsistent writing and Horikoshi deciding midway through the story that he wants to redeem him, because with his early characterisation it's obvious that this wasn't planned.

#thank you again for the ask #have some sparkles ✨✨✨ #anti endeavor #tagging this just in case #the hawks slander is with affection #the bastard jeanist slander not so much #cute question mark anon

[madara-fate]

I hate how Boruto has made hospitals so stupidly useless. The other day I was on reddit and I saw a post saying "how would you rate the units of Konoha?" and they were all:

A-Tier: Hokage because he's the boss, advisor because Shikamaru helps Nauto, shadow Hokage because he investigates and Sensory Corps because Ino prevents enemies from coming.

B-Tier: Anbu because it keeps watch

C-Tier: Hospital because it's for some healing, etc

They're so wrong what the hell. The Shadow Hokage is not even a unit and he's actually the one that prevents enemies from coming to Konoha, the Sensory Corps only detect somebody (if they do) when they're already inside, they don't prevent shit they can't even sense right. Anbu on top? There isn't a single Anbu other than Sai and he's just clinging to Shikamaru all the time what is he doing please? They don't need to keep watch on Amado because Naruto lets him do as he pleases.

BUT the Medical Department is what maintains the Hokage, advisors, shadow Hokage, Sensory Corps, Anbu and every single ninja and civilian in top condition to do their job. Who's gonna treat the Hokage? Sakura and the hospital so he can keep doing his job. The hospital is A-Tier after the Hokage, it even says so in the official diagram of Konoha by Kishi.

They made Sakura the convenient healer that only puts her glowing hands to practice with a few characters when ACTUALLY when people invaded Konoha it's always the hospital being full of people, the one that carries the village is the health system in Boruto the movie and Pain arc. Ikemoto has completely destroyed it. They write her like what she does is the easiest thing in the world and she's still not around when the mcs are in hospitals.

The medical is the most important part in Konoha and in the real world people need to open their eyes and Ikemoto needs to stop hating on it.

What is Ikemoto hating on? I really don't know what you're talking about. How exactly is Ikemoto hating on hospitals and medical departments now? Why do some people just constantly need to complain about Ikemoto, saying how he hates this and he hates that, just because something isn't as prominent in the story as they want it to be? I really am tired of these accusations, my goodness.

The importance of the healers and hospitals has always been generally overlooked and underappreciated by the majority of fans in action shounens, that doesn't mean the authors hate these roles.

Tsunade and the medics were instrumental in keeping Choji and Neji alive following the Sasuke Retrieval mission, but did you hear the fans acknowledging this and and praising them for it? No.

During Pain's invasion, Sakura was shown in the hospitals healing an overwhelming number of people, but do the fans care? No. They instead call her useless and accuse her of only crying for Naruto to come and save them during the whole arc. Is it Kishi's fault that they ignore how busy she was in the hospital?

The number of people that Sakura and Tsunade saved during the War, including big names like the Kages, Shikamaru and Naruto and Sasuke themselves - Do the fans give a shit? Of course not, because to the average action shounen fan, a character's worth or importance hinges on their utility in direct combat. Hence, what the fans tend to remember about Sakura during the war, was her "uselessness" by not destroying Madara's Rinnegan, rather than her numerous significant contributions on the medical side.

Please direct your anger and criticisms towards the fans who are actually deserving of it for their continuous dismissal of the contributions made by the medical teams, or at the very least, please don't jump to conclusions and say that Ikemoto hates the medical departments because that's a baseless accusation. People do need to open their eyes, but Ikemoto isn't the one who's shutting them.

#Boruto: Naruto Next Generations #Sakura Haruno #Mikio Ikemoto #Tsunade