#whether that be from a close call during battle or rejoicing after a victory or if someone is feeling super down

[lazorbeanz]

SEGA I beg you…

..please make Sonic the “hug-hog” more a thing 🙏

#like prime already served justice on that #also I’m not saying he immediately needs to be hug obsessed #but it would be nice to see him be more open to receiving and even giving hugs #in game canon for instance #whether that be from a close call during battle or rejoicing after a victory or if someone is feeling super down #you get where I’m going? #YOU CAN DO HUGS AND STILL BE COOL OKAY?! #LET HIM HUGS HIS FRIENDS #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sth

[hysterialevi]

Hjarta | Final Chapter

Fanfic summary: In an AU where Eivor was adopted by Randvi’s family instead, he ends up falling in love with the man his sister has been promised to despite the arranged marriage between their clans.

Point of view: third-person

Pairing: Sigurd Styrbjornson x Male Eivor

Author’s note: Holy shit I can’t believe it’s already the last chapter. Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story from the start, and for sending me wonderful comments/messages of support. I really had fun writing this fanfic and interacting with you all, so I hope you’ll enjoy this last part of Hjarta. This story seriously means a lot to me, and it makes my day to know how many of you liked it. Stay awesome :)

This story is also on AO3 | Previous chapter

THRYMR’S TOMB

A WHILE LATER

“Eivor!” Sigurd called out through the storm, forcing his way across the snow. “Are you there?”

The prince shielded his face from the frost with a protective arm and squinted, desperately searching for his lover as he wandered blindly through the fog. The young man had disappeared from the battle not too long ago, and seemingly taken Kjotve’s fate into his own hands. What became of either of them still remained a mystery to Sigurd, and as more time passed by, he found himself feeling increasingly worried for Eivor’s life.

“Eivor!” He repeated a tad louder this time. “Say something! Can you hear me?”

Much to his relief, a faint voice answered from a distance.

“...I’m here, Sigurd...!”

Inching closer towards the voice, the older man ventured deeper into the mist and peered forward, only to spot the outline of a familiar shadow trudging in his direction.

Eivor was sauntering underneath the sun’s blurred rays with a slight hiccup in his step, and fresh blood clinging to his axe. His face seemed to be wiped clean of all the energy that once burned in his eyes, and yet, he appeared to be... at peace.

A calming aura could be seen blossoming from his heart like a single flower in a barren field, and in a strange way, it almost looked as if he had completely forgotten about the war. Not a single hint of dread or terror weathered his blissful expression, and the ribbons of sunlight dancing above him only added to his soothing demeanor.

Sigurd picked up his pace and began jogging, eagerly rushing to rejoin his lover.

“Eivor...!” He said with a sigh of relief, immediately pulling the man into a hug. “There you are.”

Eivor allowed his head to sit on Sigurd’s chest, giving himself some time to breathe.

“...Sigurd,” he whispered out of exhaustion, “...I did it. I actually did it.”

The prince continued cradling the younger man in his embrace, providing him with a sense of warmth amidst all the snow.

“What happened to you, Eivor? Where’s Kjotve? I saw you run off with him earlier. Is he dead? Did you... did you kill him?”

Eivor nodded and closed his eyes, not even bothering to say a word.

“Truly...?” Sigurd asked, staring at the other man in disbelief. 

Could it really be possible that the battle was already finished? It hadn’t been too long ago that the prince was barely evading death’s grasp, and now, the storm had suddenly passed. Part of him found the news too good to be true considering the path they used to get here, and yet, something in Eivor’s tone rang with sincerity.

Sigurd tightened his grip on the smaller warrior and chuckled out of elation, nearly breaking into tears. “Then it’s over. The war... is finally over.”

He brought a hand to Eivor’s chin, lifting it gently so that he could see his face.

“What about you, my love? Are you well?”

The Wolf-Kissed displayed a subtle smile, radiating as if he were the moon itself.

“...I am. For the first time since that night... I’m okay.”

Sigurd returned the smile and cupped the back of Eivor’s head, pulling him close so that he could plant a kiss on his forehead. 

“Good.”

Staying snuggled in each other’s arms, the couple took some time to enjoy the peace as the storm steadily died down around them, allowing more and more of the sun to break through. The crippling mist that had built up during the battle was slowly beginning to fade, and soon enough, nothing but a vast blue sky remained hovering above them.

Unbeknownst to Sigurd however, a third party had already found them and walked in on their brief reunion, but had not yet announced their presence.

In the distance, Arngeir quietly watched the scene in front of him unfold with a sense of shock clouding his mind, causing him to gawk incredulously. Even though he suspected that the prince would be somewhere in the vicinity with his son, he did not expect the two of them to be enwrapped in such a loving embrace.

...How long had they felt like this, he wondered? Was their bond something that had been ignited due to the recent string of battles, or had this been carrying on ever since Styrbjorn first arrived?

The jarl was honestly at a loss. He held no disgust in his heart for the peculiar couple before him, but he couldn’t deny that he was taken aback. Despite his knowledge of Sigurd and Eivor’s friendship in the past, he never would’ve guessed that there was something deeper between them. 

Though, the more Arngeir thought about it, he supposed there really was nothing peculiar about their relationship. The knot that intertwined their fates was made of pure, genuine love delivered straight from the hands of Freya, and to his surprise, he just couldn’t bring himself to interfere.

It was something he hadn’t seen in ages thanks to the horrors of this war, but now that it was over, Arngeir figured he may as well let his doubts die with it.

He had had enough of tragedy. 

Turning on his heel, the jarl decided to leave the couple alone and returned to the other half of the island, ready to inform his clan of their miraculous victory. He still didn’t know whether he’d tell Styrbjorn about his unanticipated discovery or not, but one thing was for certain.

Kjotve’s kingdom had finally fallen. 

In spite of all the obstacles Styrbjorn’s people faced, his entire bloodline had been struck down, and his throne had been left unattended. No one in Norway would ever hear of his clan again, and his fortress would be left to crumble under the weight of the absence that consumed it.

The barbarian king was vanquished. Just like his legacy.

~~~~~~~~~~

THE NEXT DAY

BJORNHEIMR, THE LONGHOUSE

Sigurd placed the last of his belongings in the crate sitting before him, reminiscing as he stood in the middle of his chambers. It felt like a lifetime ago that he was first packing his things in preparation for the journey to Bjornheimr, and now, he was getting ready to leave.

After ages of enduring this war and accepting it as his reality, the prince had suddenly found himself in a world where Kjotve was no longer a problem, and his clan had been reduced to ashes in the wind. 

A new era had been brought about thanks to their victory at Thrymr’s Tomb, and the kingdom now celebrated in harmony to honor the peace that had finally been restored.

Despite the jovial mood of his people however, Sigurd admittedly didn’t know how to process the whole situation himself. Part of him rejoiced due to the fact that he’d never have to deal with Kjotve’s cruelty again, but he would’ve been lying if he said he didn’t have his regrets.

He didn’t come out of this unscathed, after all. The Raven Clan may have emerged victorious from their fight against the barbarian king, but there were still many wounds that needed mending... including Dag’s loss.

Sigurd still remembered his last conversation with the man as if it happened yesterday. Even though Dag proved to be a traitor in his final moments, the prince just couldn’t bring himself to discard the memories they once shared, or the fondness that followed. In his eyes, the fallen warrior would always be that same little boy who kept him company as a child, and pulled him away from the darkness when his mother passed on.

As for the Dag he executed, Sigurd would remember him as no more than a fragment of his childhood friend, and the result of a man who had been crippled by his own jealousy. He would be a reminder for the prince to never fall prey to his demons, lest he lose the soul he had fought so long to preserve. It was what he owed his parents after all these years, and to himself.

Letting out a remorseful sigh, Sigurd shook his head and silenced the thoughts that threatened to encompass his mind, not willing to entertain his grief any further. He would never forget the loved ones he had lost during the events of this war, but for his own sake -- he had to move on.

Lifting up the crate with a soft grunt, Sigurd secured the box in his arms and began striding towards the archway, only to stop in his tracks when he noticed someone waiting for him. 

At the moment, Eivor was standing on the other side of the door with his hands linked together and his head hanging low, clearly disheartened by Sigurd’s upcoming departure. His gaze swept in the floor in an attempt to avoid confronting the absence he would soon have to accept, and even the sight of the prince himself wasn’t able to lift his mood.

“Eivor...!” Sigurd greeted. “You came.”

The Wolf-Kissed stepped tentatively into the room, staring at his lover as if this was the last time they’d ever meet.

“Of course I did. I wanted to see you again before...” his expression sank slightly, “...before you left.”

Sigurd took note of the shift in his lover’s mood and placed the crate down for a moment, gently gripping Eivor’s wrist in a comforting manner.

“Eivor,” he said in a gentler tone, “...you know I have to go.”

“I do. I just wish you could stay longer. We spent so much of our time worrying about the people we lost that... we forgot we still had each other. But now that you’re leaving, it’s all I can think about.”

Sigurd lifted a hand to Eivor’s cheek and brushed away a lock of hair, tucking it neatly behind his ear.

“You can still come with me. You know that, right? I realize we’ve had this conversation before, but if you truly want us to stay together, I can arrange that.”

In spite of his sorrow, the younger man remained staunch in his decision. “I’m sorry, Sigurd, but I must remain here. As much as I wish I could go with you, Bjornheimr needs me. My father needs me. I’m the only family he has left apart from Randvi, and she’ll be gone too.”

Sigurd nodded sympathetically. “Very well. If that’s what you wish.”

Eivor paused briefly, switching to a different concern on his mind. “...You will visit me, right? This won’t be the last time I’ll see you?”

“Of course not,” the prince reassured. “I can’t say when I’ll have the chance to return to Bjornheimr, but -- I promise you -- as soon as the opportunity reveals itself, I’ll be here again.”

The other man didn’t appear any less forlorn, but accepted the promise nonetheless.

“I’ll be waiting. But until then...” Eivor leaned forward, pecking a goodbye kiss on Sigurd’s lips, “...stay safe, my love. I wish nothing but happiness for you.”

The prince pressed his forehead against Eivor’s, cherishing their last few minutes together.

“The same goes for you. My duties may require me to start a new life in preparation for the throne, but I’ll never forget everything you’ve done. Thank you. I mean it.”

Taking a few more moments to bask in each other’s company, the two of them simply cuddled in silence before separating the embrace, and retreating to the shells they so often wore around the rest of the village.

The sun had managed to climb to the top of the sky’s apex by now, and most of the Raven Clan were already gathered at the docks. The longships were fit to set sail after an entire morning’s worth of preparations, and their people were eager to return home. The only thing they needed now... was the presence of their prince himself.

“I suppose it’s time for me to leave.” Sigurd noted somberly, reluctantly taking hold of the crate once again. “Care to join me for the walk to the ship?”

Eivor concealed his pain with a friendly veil and stepped to the side, allowing Sigurd some room to walk through the doorway.

“After you, my friend.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A LITTLE LATER

THE DOCKS

Walking alongside one another as they headed towards the shore, Eivor and Sigurd strolled silently through the village with a bittersweet relief resting in their spirits, clouding their minds like the smoke of a cold pyre.

It brought them both great joy to see Kjotve’s reign finally come to an end, but they couldn’t stop themselves from wondering what waited beyond the horizon now that the war was over.

Was this the start of Sigurd’s life as a future king? Would he and Randvi truly be the rulers of Norway one day? How was he even going to raise a family? The prince had never planned to be a father, and a part of him wanted to scream at the thought of being forced to hide his true emotions once again.

He didn’t want to forget Eivor, or the things they experienced together. These past few weeks had been some of the best and worst moments of his life, and he dreaded the idea of allowing their bond to fade into a distant memory. But for the sake of his kingdom, Sigurd knew he had to leave the man behind if he wanted any chance of becoming a decent leader.

It was his duty, after all. Styrbjorn had managed to keep his end of the promise in regards to battling his addiction, so the prince figured it would only be fair if he upheld his own. Personal thoughts and desires no longer mattered within the realm of royalty. From this day on, Sigurd would be living to serve his people -- not himself. 

“There they are.” He remarked, gesturing towards the end of the pier. Eivor followed Sigurd’s line of sight, only to spot Styrbjorn, Arngeir, and Randvi all waiting by the longship.

“So this is it then,” he said, already missing the prince’s company. “This is where we part ways.”

Sigurd shared his partner’s disappointment, but tried to keep a strong face nonetheless. “For now. You and I will be separated for some time, but I’ll visit you as much as I can. And you’re always welcome in Fornburg too, should you ever wish to come to me instead.”

“Thank you. I’ll consider it.”

Eivor placed a hand on the side of the prince’s arm, saying one last thing while he still had the chance.

“...Wait, Sigurd. Before you go.”

The older man came to a pause, giving Eivor a curious glance. “Yes? What is it?”

The Wolf-Kissed stuttered, admittedly unsure of where he was taking this. He didn’t have anything in particular he wanted Sigurd to hear -- he just hoped to keep him around for a little longer.

“Erm, n-nothing. I just wanted to say I love you.”

Sigurd smiled warmly at the comment despite Eivor’s awkwardness and chuckled lightly, attempting to comfort him.

“I love you too, Eivor. Never forget it.”

Leaving the younger man with those words, Sigurd carried on with the task at hand and sauntered towards the ship, placing the crate down by the boarding plank as one of the oarsmen came to assist him. Meanwhile, Styrbjorn greeted the two men with a cheery temperament, happy to get things going.

“Sigurd, Eivor!” The king exclaimed jovially. “It’s good to see you both in one piece after the battle yesterday. We lost many warriors during the assault at Thrymr’s Tomb, but now, we at least have the luxury of saying that their deaths weren’t in vain...” he turned to the Wolf-Kissed, “...and it’s all thanks to you, my boy.”

Eivor bowed his head in a humble manner. “I only did what was required of me.”

Styrbjorn let out a soft laugh. “Nonsense. Sigurd has told me of the tenacity you displayed on the battlefield. You showed great courage, and you fought with honor. It is thanks to your efforts that Kjotve now lies in a frigid tomb.”

Arngeir joined in. “Indeed. Had it not been for your valor, we would all still be bound by Kjotve’s chains. Varin would be proud of you, Eivor. And Ulfar too.”

“Thank you, father.”

Eivor brought his attention to Styrbjorn, trying his best to hide the sorrow lurking within him. “...So, I imagine you’ll be departing soon?”

To his surprise, the king appeared to have other things in mind. “Actually, there is something else your father and I would like to discuss first. Something that concerns you and my son.”

Sigurd froze at that, already suspicious of where this was leading. “...W-What do you mean?”

Arngeir stepped forward, hesitant to speak any further. “Forgive my being candid, but we are aware of the relationship between you two.”

Eivor instantly felt the color drain from his face, and he could’ve sworn he saw his own soul fleeing from his body.

“You-- what?”

“Do not be alarmed, my son. I am not here to pass judgement. Only to offer a proposal.”

“But... how? How did you find out?”

Arngeir crossed his arms in thought. “Yesterday, during the battle. Sigurd and I left the fort in order to search for you. We noticed you had disappeared at some point, and feared you may be in danger. Though, by the time I stumbled upon you, you had already found your way to the prince.”

“That means... you saw us...”

“...Embracing one another, yes. I apologize, Eivor. I did not mean to intrude.”

The young man exchanged glances with Sigurd, terrified to see the outcome of this discovery. “So, what does this mean for us? Are we to face punishment?”

Arngeir shook his head. “No. Quite the contrary, actually. I realize it isn’t my place to speak about this -- and for that I am sorry -- but I admit I shared this news with Styrbjorn once we returned, for I had an idea in mind that I wished to broach.”

That caught Sigurd’s attention. “An idea? About what?”

Styrbjorn provided the answer. “About this alliance, of course. You see, when we first arranged this marriage between you and Randvi, we did so with the intention of forming an ironclad bond. A bond born out of love. We believed it would be a way to ensure that our clans never fell apart, since our families would be intertwined from that day on. Clearly however, we were mistaken.”

The jarl nodded in agreement. “Indeed. It seems that the bond we were looking for... had been between you two all along.”

Arngeir trailed off into silence for a moment, considering his next words.

“Listen, both of you. Styrbjorn and I had a long conversation yesterday once I revealed my discovery. We discussed many things pertaining to this alliance, and after our talk, we came to the conclusion that... this marriage is no longer necessary.”

Sigurd’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait, are you saying that it’s over?”

“Ultimately, the choice lies with you. If you wish to end this marriage, and if Eivor decides to go in Randvi’s stead, then I have already told Styrbjorn that I have no qualms with it.”

The prince immediately looked at his lover, radiating with a newfound hope.

“Eivor...! Think about it. You could join me, just like we wanted.”

The Wolf-Kissed glanced at Arngeir, double-checking with him first.

“But what about you, father? Are you certain about this? I don’t want to abandon you.”

The jarl gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. “Do not fret, Eivor. You’re not abandoning anybody. If you choose to stay with Sigurd, then Randvi will remain here in your place. Neither of us will be alone.”

Randvi suddenly jumped into the conversation, encouraging her brother to follow his desires.

“Go on, Eivor. It’s okay. Father and I will have each other. We’ll rebuild Bjornheimr, and return this village to what it once was. By the time you come back, this place will be thriving more than it ever did. In the meantime, go with Sigurd. A new life awaits you in Fornburg. Don’t let this opportunity pass.”

“She’s right, Eivor,” Arngeir said. “All I’ve ever wanted for any of you is to be happy. If you believe that being with Sigurd is best for you, then go.”

The young man stumbled over his words, rendered completely speechless by how this scenario had turned out. When he awoke this morning, he never imagined that he’d be given the option to freely roam the kingdom at Sigurd’s side, living with him as if they were family. 

If anything, Eivor fully expected that he would be bidding the prince farewell, and left to wallow in the melancholy that had formed in his heart during this past month. So much anger and regret had taken control of his spirit’s reins ever since the news of Sigurd’s departure, and now... it was all gone. Just like that.

“I... I don’t know what to say,” he replied. “...Thank you, father. You can’t imagine how much this means to me.”

A gleeful expression spread across the jarl’s face. “I’m glad, Eivor.”

Randvi wrapped her arms around her younger brother, pulling the man into one last hug before saying goodbye.

“We’ll miss you, little cub. Take care of yourself, and each other. Alright?”

“We will. I promise.”

The woman gave him a playful shove. “Then get out of here. And make sure to knock plenty of skulls. Let the world know who we are.”

Eivor chuckled at the response, grinning from ear-to-ear. “The Bear Clan’s name will be fluttering from the lips of every bard in Norway when I’m done. I assure you. Until then, farewell, and thank you for all you’ve given me.”

The Wolf-Kissed walked over to Sigurd’s side, openly taking hold of his hand for the first time since they met. The prince’s eyes were twinkling with a vibrant ray of hope at this point, and a familiar sense of contentment had finally returned to his soul.

“Come, my love,” Eivor ushered. “Fornburg awaits.”

~~~~~~~~~~

LATER THAT DAY

Steadily gliding across the ocean’s hills, the longship broke free from the harbor and began heading out towards the vastness of the open sea, prepared to deliver its occupants back home after a long and arduous battle.

Petals of snow could be seen dancing along the surface of the vessel’s billowing sails, and in the distance, the sun’s light shone through the mountains, causing the water below to shimmer with a glittering streak.

Birds soared in harmony with the wind that guided the longship’s course and left a trail of feathers in their wake, accompanying the warriors who sailed beneath their wings.

All the creatures of Midgard seemed to band together in celebration now that the age of war had perished, and the earth cried out in relief due to the lack of blood littering its soil.

As for Eivor, the man simply rested against the longship’s walls and marveled at the view in front of him, listening intently while Sigurd entertained him with tales of Fornburg’s wonders. The prince spoke of his home with a great fondness and constructed vivid images using only the movement of his hands, painting a clear picture for his companion.

Meanwhile, the oarsmen behind them burst into song and began reciting a number of sea shanties, singing heartily as if they were performing for the gods themselves. Their voices rang merrily into the sky like a horn of victory, and the world around them seemed to bloom with revival.

It was the start of a new dawn. After countless years of pointless death and suffering, the clans in Norway had become united under one crown, and Kjotve had paid the ultimate price. His name had been blotted out with the stain of a mad tyrant, and his victims had been released from their ethereal chains in the afterlife.

Most importantly though, Eivor no longer felt the need to hide who he was. The fantasy that once haunted him in his dreams had become a reality, and now, he was free to love Sigurd as any man would love his wife. The times of fear and judgement were over at last, and the alliance between their peoples had been reignited with a different bond.

Their relationship would be the foundation of many things to come, and just like Ingrida once said, they had finally found their way home after decades of straying from their fate.

It was what the Nornir planned all along, and the one thing Varin always wished for his son -- the one thing he could never achieve.

Freedom.

#hjarta #assassin's creed valhalla #ac valhalla #eivor wolfsmal #eivor wolfkissed #eivor varinsson #male eivor #sigurd styrbjornson #sigurd x male eivor #ac valhalla fanfic

[black-streak]

Waiting for the Worms - Nobody Home

Part 7

Warnings less? In effect here? But still be aware of course. Condensing a lot for the sake of timelines matching up and consistency in pacing. (Okay, so maybe I have Mari's entire plotline figured out and am mostly playing Jason's by ear, call me out on it)

Closed list of nice people who I regularly hurt for amusement: @northernbluetongue @thethirdwheelfriend @shizukiryuu @theatreandcomicfreak @michellemagic @karategirl119 @moonlightstar64 @my-name-is-michell @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm @miraculousdisapointment @dorkus-minimus @jardimazul @allthebooksandcrannies @g-arya @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @persephonescat @mycupisbroken @luciferge @18-fandoms-unite-08 @dawnwave16 @alwaysreblogneverpost @kris-pines04 @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @weird-pale-blonde-person @you-will-never-know-how-i-think @kokotaru @naclychilli @slytherinhquinn @clumsy-owl-4178 @ladybug-182 @darkthunder1589 @evil-elf16 @dast218 @lysslovsanime @emilytopaz @naoryllis @iloontjeboontje @thepeacetea @danielslilangel @finallyaniguana @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @vixen-uchiha @yuulxd @bleeding-heart-romantic @magic-inthe-stars @st0rmy-w1th1n

~---~

Jason woke up screaming to the sight of bright glowing green, only to snap back into the bedroom as Sabine burst in through the trapdoor. The petite woman ran up the stairs and collapsed beside him, throwing warm arms around his shoulders, tugging him down into the crook of her neck.

"Shh, shh honey, it's alright. It was just a dream, you're okay, I'm here."

He stiffened at first, only to melt into the embrace, meeting otherworldly blue eyes behind her. Tikki seemed to shake with concern, wanting to come to him, but unable to in the presence of his parental figure. 

Sabine pulled back a touch, stroking his head in gentle motions, meeting his eyes and guiding him through concentrated breaths until hia had evened out.

"Do you want to talk about it, sweetie?"

A wobbly smile broke on his lips at the sweet endearment as he shook his head and fell back into her embrace. He'd never adjust to being so thoroughly cared for and loved and supported, even if she didn't realize it was all directed at the wrong person. God, he hated lying to her. About where he was during akuma attacks. Why he stopped being friends with most of the class. Why in the year after her death, he had stepped down from most of Marinette's class responsibilities. About who he was and what he meant to her. He hated letting this wonderful, loyal, fierce woman think he was her daughter. 

Flashes of the toxic green flashed behind his closed eyes along with flowing red, reminding him why he woke in the first place.

Accepting the kiss on the cheek and reassuring Sabine that everything was okay, he waited until she disappeared down the steps and towards her own room, door firmly closed behind her before turning back towards Tikki.

"Are you okay, Jason?"

"Yeah… might be spending too much time with Plagg. Dreamt I was drowning in his eyes," he joked.

"That's awful, no wonder you were screaming," she tagged on, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Oh yeah, absolute nightmare."

"You're okay though."

"Yeah," he breathed out, turning over and feeling the kwami curl up on his hip and slowly fall back to sleep as he stared at the wall until morning.

…

Occasionally, someone worked up the nerve to ask him out. 

Whether because her physique appealed to them or his personality drew in a rather specific type. Usually, guys who thought they could tame him. Girls who wanted his aggression directed in passion. Saw her body and his anger and guilt displayed in a rather intimidating, distant contenance. Never one to start a fight, but quick to end one with a verbal lashing. Otherwise friendly when approached, but never the one approaching. Some thought him shy, others knew better and saw the fire within. All were turned away.

It made Jason sick to his stomach to think of dating these people with her body. To show affection and know he was using her body in that manner. And moreover, he couldn't stand the idea of ever being with someone who wasn't her. Sure, he knew many people dated around before meeting their soulmate or were only platonic with their other half and sought romance elsewhere, but none of them were in his position. None of them were living inside a dead other half's body, pretending to live their life. Surely if they were, they would feel the same. Not that he planned on sharing.

As it stood, he became a known heartbreaker at school.

…

He dreamt of flashing blades and splattered blood that night. He screamed himself awake once more. He wasn't sure why. It's not like he didn't risk his life everyday since he was ten. Something about the dreams got to him though.

…

Sometimes he forgot he wasn't her. This life he lived, this lie became his truth for just a moment.

Nothing epitomized this as much as the absolute defeat of Hawkmoth.

Jocular came up with the idea with the help of Fievel. The two came up with a strategy of using illusions and prodding mice to draw akumas further and further towards the outskirts of Paris, making stops along the way to toy with the angered victims until they did something reckless. Serval and Ladybug made sure to stay completely out of sight to ensure that Hawkmoth knew that his goal would not be reached with this line of action. Nimbus jumped in if the akuma came too close to any of the others to knock them off their feet and give the others a chance to create distance. If Hawkmoth's signature purple symbol glowed around their face, they knew they were still in range. Once the akuma seemed to go absolutely off the rails with no interference, they ended the battle quickly and marked the spot on a map of Paris. Once they made their first mark, they went slightly to the right of the previous fight, waiting to make the next mark and leading the following battle to the right of that until, like clockwork, they made a complete circle. 

With the circle complete, they took their map and drew a line from one point to the one directly across the map, until eventually they found the exact center.

The Agreste mansion. Oh, the irony.

The battle went surprisingly quick after that. They waited until they defeated an akuma close to the mansion, so that the Moth miraculous would need to recharge before it could activate again. Nathalie, who previously wielded the peacock, stayed out of the altercation, too sick to attempt anything. With Gabriel unable to transform yet and his assistant unable to fight back, they made quick work of apprehending the man, bringing the police into the atrium of butterflies and showing the underground garden that held his list wife. With a few threatened words whispered into his ear by Ladybug and Serval, Gabriel transformed in front of the police, allowing them to take pictures of everything as evidence of his actions. He also admitted his guilt into a tape recorder, to be used in court. Of course, they were all careful not to let any of the kwamis be seen by civilians throughout the arrest.

Finally, with the two adults arrested with their bodyguard and Adrien taken into custody for questioning, the heroes all disappeared into the dark night, the battle over and won.

They met back up in their headquarters, Fu's parlor. Luckily, throughout the years, the old master had never been found out, despite a handful of close calls. Mostly due to the group threatening the man back into hiding every time he considered getting involved. Still, the place became their haven. A place to relax and regroup without the fear of being overheard. That night, the group celebrated their victory, emotions haywire in a swirl of grief and anger and misery and elation and pure relief, letting everything flow out, the release long overdue.

Up until this point, the hunt of Hawkmoth over the last two months had kept Jason so busy that beyond the nightmares, he nearly forgot that they weren't celebrating with him, but with who they thought was Marinette. The constant use of false names and codes had helped further disillusion him. 

Now though, they hollered and sobbed and laughed together in their exuberance and they all congratulated him as their leader, as the one freed of the most responsibility, as the one who had battled from the beginning. He thanked them and rejoiced the end of an era. And then he went to her home.

He slipped in through the balcony and dropped into bed, the transformation sliding off as he went. That wasn't really his battle to win. His enemy to defeat. He knew that. She would've been happy to know that their team protected Paris. Broke it free from Gabriel's reign of terror. That they won. He wished she could've been there to see it. To take down her enemy herself. This was supposed to be her victory. He fell back into depression, knowing she'd never get to witness his defeat.

…

That night, he dreamt of shrouded figures. Of defending himself from multiple enemies. He dreamt of proud jade green eyes watching at a distance. 

…

It hurt so badly to let her dreams slip through his fingers. Muscle memory and basic knowledge from reading her old books on sewing led to an adequacy when mending old clothes, adding buttons, or customizing his own things to fit further to his style. This however, did not translate into her creativity and ability to take a concept and transform it into an original design.

At first, this raised suspicion and worry amongst their friends and family, but as time passed, they accepted that perhaps the inspiration had moved on. Jagged and Clara had shown their acceptance and support and told him if he ever got back into the game, to contact them first. Both protested and fought valiantly at first, but after a long conversation where he revealed that he simply couldn't bring himself to create the way he once had after losing his other half, the two had showered him in affection and backed off. The full truth was tragic, but the half truth was enough for them all.

The team had sensed the change since the beginning and upon finding his dwindling willingness to create, they thought perhaps moonlighting as ladybug drained it from him. Probably explained why he worked better with Plagg nowadays despite his attachment to Tikki. He allowed them to believe what they would as long as it meant not pushing him to design anymore.

He took to studying more, reading on any subjects that caught his attention at the moment, enjoying the freedom of no longer having a villain to fight. He kept up training with the team and her old martial arts classes. He also added in kickboxing for the hell of it. It became a wonderful outlet for his aggression without taking it out on his teammates.

Sometimes, on busy weekends or on breaks, he helped in the bakery. It was during one of these times that Tom brought him in to help develop a new flavor, that he found a love of creation again. Something about working side by side with Tom, discussing how different spices and fruits played off each other reminded him of early afternoons spent with Alfred. When tears sprung to his eyes at the thought of the older butler, Tom immediately drew him into a hug, asking what had made him cry. Jason gave a watery smile and simply said he had missed this.

After that, her parents started using him in the baking process more, allowing him to taste taste and make his own creations with their guidance. He was a decent baker, good enough to keep up with them and offer new takes on old classics, but they soon discovered that he truly came to life with cooking.

It was soon afterwards that he took over making dinner every night, releasing some of the pressure from Tom and Sabine to find time in the midst of shutting down the bakery. It also eased some of his guilt towards the two to have a way to pull his own weight within the family.

…

It had been about eight months since he first dreamt of toxic, luminescent green. It still visited him in his nightmares occasionally, engulfing him in horrific clarity. Sometimes he asked Plagg about it, only to be met with concerned, nervous eyes. Once he teased the little god about corrupting his soul, only to see a flash of fear quickly shroud itself in a huffy, put off demeanor. Plagg hissed at him and gave him the cold shoulder for three days after that. He never teased the kwami about the nightmares again.

Sometimes the dreams still held flashes of silver and red, dripping blood off steel, of shrouded aggressors. Of proud jade green, watching him at all times, assessing him, observing and glinting with a hidden glee.

It was a couple months after the two year anniversary of her death that something changed.

He dreamt of jade green eyes, staring up at him from a much lower height than the last set, coming closer, looking curious and guarded, yet hopeful.

#jasonette #maribat #ml x dc #WFTW #part 7

[thebluewickedmermaid]

Breaking Us Both ~ Kuroo Tetsuro x OC

CHAPTER ONE: Leaving Me Hangin'

PLOT: 

"Yeah, I couldn't get my eyes off her back then..." and my heart till now. He almost blurted out the last part and sighed. 

It's been six years and yet the memories were so fresh like it was yesterday when he first laid eyes on her peculiar dark auburn locks and her steely gray eyes. The way she regarded him with distrust and annoyance... and curiosity. She should have just run instead of facing him head-on. Maybe they could have saved themselves a heartbreak. --- I DO NOT OWN THE ARTS IN MY COVER. ALL CREDITS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS.

Y E A R : 2018

The bar was filled with cheers and laughter as the music reverberated in every corner. It was a Friday night, a night where workers filled their glasses and rejoice for the upcoming weekend after a long day of work, or where couples have their date, or where people reward themselves for their success, or simply just where acquaintances meet up after a long time of not seeing each other. Either way, it was a night to be remembered by most and the others long after a stressful week.

Kuroo on the other hand was on his way to the said bar for one reason only: to meet old acquaintances. 

As he trudged his way inside, the music was already deafening. A lady wearing a sexy black waitress uniform came up to him once he made his way inside. Despite the on and off disco lights, he could clearly see the way her eyes raked his body like a predator to its prey which clearly made him uneasy. If he was his past self, he would have enjoyed every single moment of it. Alas, he was a changed man; more professional and more mature.

"What can I help you, sir?" she asked, or rather purred seductively at him.

Kuroo combed his bed-hair with his fingers and flashed her an uneasy smile. "I'm meeting with somebody who already has a reservation here. The name is Bokuto Koutaro."

The lady's eyes lighted up at the mentioned name. "Right this way," she said and gently grabbed hold of his biceps to guide him towards a booth on the other side of the bar where few people were sitting.

Kuroo could only sighed and let the lady do what she wants. He didn't want to embarass her in public since some eyes were on to them already.

Once they reached the last booth, she knocked twice before opening the door wide.

"One of your acquaintances is here," she announced.

"Thanks," Kuroo said and the waitress winked at him making him chuckle. Once he made his way inside, shouts of greetings welcomed him.

"Kuroo!" a man with spiky, white hair and black streaks boomed once the door closed and barraged him with a tight hug. It was none other than Bokuto Kotaro; a volleyball player for the Black Jackals who just won last week against the Adlers. It was an epic battle that moved everybody in the arena and everybody that they were acquainted with during their volleyball years came to watch.

Kuroo grinned before returning his hug.

"You're late!" he teased and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry. Got stuck with something in the office," he apologized as his eyes scanned the small crowd inside the booth.

Akaashi Keiji, Tsukishima Kei, Daichi Sawamura, Sugawara Koshi, Iwaizumi Hajime, Kageyama Tobio, and of course Hinata Shoyo were huddled up in a round table already eating their fill. Unfortunately, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kozume Kenma, Miya Atsumu, and Sakusa Kiyoomi did not make it for personal reasons.

"Well, well, isn't great to see you lot, again," he greeted with a sneer as he put a hand on his hip regarding each one with his hazel orbs.

"I couldn't say the same thing to you, though," a man with brown hair joked making the others in the room chuckle.

"Oy, Daichi, that's rude, man. You know you missed me," he joked back as he sat between Bokuto and Akaashi and in front of Daichi who offered him a drink which he gladly accepted.

"We all did!" Bokuto joined with rambunctious tone. "You barely hang out with us."

Kuroo rolled his eyes at him as he took a sip from his scotch. "I've been busy with work. We're launching Shrimpy's promotional video with Kodzuken in a few weeks," he explained, his hazel eyes landing on Hinata who gave him a thumbs up.

Despite his age is 22, he still looked like a kid that seeing him holding a glass of alcohol makes Kuroo want to snatch it away.

"Besides, haven't we just celebrated last week after your victory?" He added with a brow raised at Bokuto.

"It's a different story tonight," Akaashi commented before he put the grilled pork in his mouth. "Bokuto-san has an announcement to make."

Bokuto blushed a deep shade of red whether it was from the alcohol or from Akaashi's statement, Kuroo's attention piqued.

"AGAAASHI!!" Bokuto whined and crossed his arms on his chest. "Don't bring it up this early!"

"Oya? What is it?" he asked, turning his attention to his best bro who was suddenly fiddling with his fingers as if he was shy to tell the others his announcement. "Don't tell me you're going all shy all of the sudden? Are you finally realizing your hidden desires for me?"

"Shut up, Kuroo!" he snapped before he cleared his throat. He took a deep breath before a wide grin spread across his face. "She said 'Yes'."

A deafening silence surrounded the group once the news broke. Only the sound of the muffled music from the outside can be heard. An amused smile formed on Akaashi's face as the once loud group became mute.

A few more seconds had passed and when the news had sunk in, a loud gasp and cheers erupted.

"What the hell?!" Iwaizumi exclaimed and clasped hands with his trainee; a wide grin on his face. "Congratulations, man! That was unexpected!"

"Oho, oho, I’m surprised she accepted the proposal," sneered Tsukishima as he put a hand over his lips.

"Tsukki!" Bokuto growled and punched the giant lightly on the shoulder. "At least I have the guts to ask my girlfriend, unlike some other guy I know!" That shut Tsukishima up, Kuroo grinned. Bokuto's getting witty with his comebacks lately. Must be the influence of the soon-to-be-missus.

"You're really okay with this, Akaashi?!" Kuroo countered as he slammed his drinks on the table. "You're letting him marry your cousin?!"

"I already warned Addie-chan with what she's got herself into," Akaashi joked lightly and patted Bokuto's back over Kuroo's shoulders; his eyes turning serious despite the small smile on his face. "Besides, if Bokuto-san ever hurt or as much as make her tear up, he knows the shovel is all set--” 

Bokuto gulped and backed away slowly from the threatening gaze his best friend was giving off.

"—is what I would say normally as the older cousin of your soon-to-be bride, had I not known you, Bokuto-san."

Kuroo sweat-dropped as the others laughed at Bokuto's uneasy expression. 'Well, that kept Bokuto in line,' he thought as he took a sip from his drinks. Nevertheless, he was thrilled for his best friend's future.

"So, when's the wedding?" Iwaizumi piped in. "Hopefully, I could get Trashykawa to attend it, too."

Kuroo's smile faltered slightly at the mention of the former Aoba Josaih captain.

"Oh yeah, where's Oikawa-san, by the way?" Sugawara asked looking over at Iwaizumi, who was Oikawa's best friend.

"He just arrived in the U.S. yesterday to meet with someone," Iwaizumi answered and tipped his drinks in one go but his eyes landed on Kuroo when he mentioned the 'someone' part. "He's set to arrive next week for a vacation."

Kuroo pursed his lips at the face Iwaizumi was sending him his way. His heart skipped a beat slightly when a certain someone entered his thoughts.

"Oh! I met Oikawa-san when I was studying in Brazil once!" Hinata beamed; his face a little red from alcohol. "I think that was two years ago?"

"Pipe down, boke!" Kageyama growled; his face the same shade as Hinata's due to alcohol.

"I think you two had enough already," Sugawara warned and grabbed both of their drinks much to their dismay.

"As I was saying!" Hinata continued and poked Kageyama's head for him to listen. "You'll like this one since I also saw Machi-senpai, your first crush, with Oikawa-san in Brazil!"

Kuroo's stopped mid-drink at the mention of the name he longed and at the same time never wanted to hear. A familiar twinge of pain resurfaced in his chest that he almost dropped his glass had he not recovered quickly and tipped the glass to downed it in one go. The bitter taste of alcohol didn't help with the situations as he cringed slightly.

The others, except Kageyama and Hinata, paused their conversation and glanced warily at him for his reaction but as quick as the pain resurfaced, the quicker he masked it off his face.

"M-Machi-senpai?" Kageyama stuttered and blushed a deeper shade of red this time; after all these years, he still had this little crush with his senpai that he couldn't get rid of. "H-How is she and w-why didn't you send a picture of her? You only send yours and Oikawa-san's selfie like what am I supposed to do with that, boke?!"

"Oh yeah!" Hinata exclaimed and rubbed the back of his head before grinning sheepishly at his best friend. "I totally forgot about that. She arrived on the third day of our beach volleyball match. She just passed by to pay Oikawa-san a visit and she wasn't expecting to see me there. She said she was doing volunteer work in Brazil for a week." Hinata's eyes sparkled and he had the same dreamy look in his eyes as Kageyama.

"Machi-senpai is doing volunteer work?" Kageyama closed his eyes tight and clenched his fist on his chest. "I've always known her to have a big heart! HOW LUCKY OF YOU BOKE?!!!"

"Well, that's Machi. She probably got it from her mother who was a philanthropist before she died," Iwaizumi noted and smiling softly at the memory of his childhood friend. "She have a soft heart for orphans."

Kageyama and Hinata sighed dreamily as if they were on cloud nine. "Do you still get in touch with her, Iwaizumi-san?" the Adlers' setter asked to his former upperclassman.

Iwaizumi shrugged his shoulders. "She'd call sometimes to say hi," he answered and pursed his lips as if what he said was enough information, Kuroo noted. That kind of topic always made Iwaizumi looked reserved about it especially when the rooster-haired captain was around.

Kuroo's grip on his glass tightened as he stared hard at it. It confused him and frustrated him greatly to the point that he wanted to punch the answers out of Iwaizumi. But even he couldn't form a question properly. He didn't even know where to start. Hell! Why was he even feeling like this?

"She looked more divine than she ever was in high school. AGHHH! I should have asked her to join us in playing beach volleyball! I wonder how strong she is, right now?" Hinata pondered before he was elbowed by Sugawara. "Sugawara-san, nani?" he asked but stopped when he saw him pointing at Kuroo who staring hard at his glass. "O-Oh. Oops."

"She quitted," Kuroo snapped; his eyes cold as he stared at his clenched fist on his glass.

For the second time of that night, the deafening silence filled the group once again.

 --

 "Hey, you okay?" Bokuto asked once they were alone, walking down the streets of Tokyo in the dead of the night.

Akaashi and the others already bid them goodbye and went their separate ways. After Kuroo snapped, he apologized quickly to Hinata to which the latter completely waved off. Had it not been for Bokuto, the dinner would have turned into an awkward mess.

Kuroo sighed deeply before his fingers combed his hair. "Yeah," he answered as he put his hands inside his jeans pocket. "I was caught off-guard but I'm fine. Sorry back there."

"Nah, I don't mind. You weren't expecting to hear about Machi-chan, were you? It's been six years after all," Bokuto gushed as he blew his cold hands.

"Six years since she shut me out without explanation; left me in the air hanging," Kuroo lamented as he looked up at the dark sky. "You know that. I even tried to find her in the US when Oikawa refused to tell me her whereabouts."

Bokuto patted Kuroo at the back in sympathy. "Oikawa is very protective of Machi-chan, you know that since she's like a sister to him. He's even protective than Iwaizumi."

"Yet as a friend he could have told me what was wrong or what did I do wrong, right?" Kuroo growled and kicked a can on his way.

"You'll have your chance to ask him why he didn't tell you next week. Oikawa will be attending Iwaizumi's birthday for sure," Bokuto cheered and gave him a hard slap on the back.

Silence descended upon the two as they walked side by side before Bokuto suddenly chuckled. Kuroo glanced at him and raised a brow as if he was going mental.

"I just remembered that time when Machi-chan overheard us at the first away games," Bokuto reminisced earning a small grin from Kuroo over the memory.

"Yeah, I couldn't get my eyes off her back then..." and my heart till now. He almost blurted out the last part before he sighed and rubbed his face. What was wrong with him all of the sudden? It's been six years already!

Bokuto, noticing his best friend's struggle on his face, wondered how he'll cope up if ever Addie left him hanging too without explanation. He'd go insane, for sure. It's a wonder that Kuroo stayed strong through all these years.

--

CHAPTER TWO

#hq kuroo #kuroo #kuroo tetsuro x oc #haikyuu!! #bokuto #hinata shoyo #kageyama tobio #iwaizumi hajime #daichi sawamura #sugawara senpai #oikawa toru #akaashi keiji #kuroo angst #kuroo fluff #fanfiction #haikyuu fanfiction #volleyball #high school #haikyuu timeskip #kenma #timeskip kuroo #haikyuu x oc #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo tetsuro fanfiction

[davidshawnsown]

COMMEMORATIVE  MESSAGE ON THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE JAPANESE DECLARATION OF UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER AND THE END OF COMBAT HOSTILITIES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC THEATERS OF OPERATIONS

Ladies and gentlemen, to all the people of the United States of America and Canada, to all our remaining living veterans of the Second World War of 1939-1945 and of all conflicts past and present and their families, to our veterans, active servicemen and women, reservists and families of the entire United States Armed Forces and Canadian Armed Forces, and to all the uniformed military and civil security services of the Allied combatants of this conflict, to all the immediate families, relatives, children and grandchildren of the deceased veterans, fallen service personnel and wounded personnel of our military services and civil uniformed security and civil defense services, to all our workers, farmers and intellectuals, to our youth and personnel serving in youth uniformed and cadet organizations and all our athletes, coaches, judges, sports trainers and sports officials, and to all our sports fans, to all our workers of culture, music, traditional arts and the theatrical arts, radio, television, digital media and social media, cinema, heavy and light industry, agriculture, business, tourism and the press, and to all our people of the free world:

Our greeting to the millions who today celebrate such an important day in our history.

On this very day in our history, in 1914, the Battle of Cer, the very first Allied victory in the First World War against the Central Powers, began.

On this day in 1920, the Polish Land Forces inflicted a heavy defeat on the Red Army in the outskirts of Warsaw in one of the greatest battles of the Polish-Soviet War, the Battle of Warsaw, more known as the “Miracle on the Vistula River”, today marked as Armed Forces Day in this great country.

On this day 73 years ago, Operation Dragoon, the Allied landing offensive for the liberation of Southern France, began with the landing of a multinational Allied landing force along the Provence coast thus starting the liberation of this part of France, helped by members of the French resistance movement in the region.

On this very day, the world marks the following national independence days:

Indian Independence Day (1948),

Republic of Korea National Day (1948),

And the National Day of the Republic of Congo (1960).

On this day 78 years ago in Liberty Field, Fort Benning, Georgia, just as the flames of war were striking the western half of the European continent, a test airborne platoon made one final jump and therefore, with their qualification achieved, these pioneer paratroopers jump started the formation of the airborne troops of the United States Army which will have their baptism of fire later on in this great conflict.

And today, August 15, as we continue to endure the greatest health crisis of our time, in solidarity with all the millions of medical workers and professionals who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries across the world, and in remembrance of those who have fallen due to this virus and in prayer not just for the recoveries of those who are ill but also for the success of the vaccines against this virus and its effects on the human body, on this day of the Great Christian Feast of the Dormition and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, we today mark from our homes a very important anniversary – the historic diamond jubillee of the historic declaration of unconditional surrender by no less than Emperor Hirohito of Japan formally stating his country’s unbearable acceptance of the terms of unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers by the whole of the country, government, people and the armed forces as proposed during the Postdam Conference in the spring of the victory in Europe and Northern Africa, just days following the twin American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the declaration of war against Japan by the Soviet Union followed on the Soviet military offensive against the Japanese armed forces in northern Korea and Manchuria, bringing to a close all the combat operations in the Pacific and China-Burma-India Theaters of Operations, effectively signalling that after 6 long, painful and bloody years in which millions perished in the battlefields in land, air and sea, and in the concentration and labor camps, in which millions fought the Axis Powers with bravery and courage and millions more in the home front helped with their labor and work towards the goal of victory over the aggressor, the Second World War, which began 81 years ago in Europe, in the midst of the regional war fought in China and Korea, has today, 75 years ago in the Asia-Pacific, been set towards its conclusion. Indeed millions of lives were lost in honor that this day would come at long last, the day that all combat operations finally ceased and hope began to spring up after years of war and tragedy that befell upon the world. Upon hearing this announcement mixed emotions filled the hearts and minds of the Japanese people, Korea rejoiced at the end of 4 decades of Japanese administration that caused a lot of suffering among its people. For the historic address to the nation, pre-recorded by no less than the Emperor just days before, indeed marked the beginning of the formal end to such a tremeous period in human history.

Millions all over the world indeed rejoined on this very day that brought the war to the end of all combat operations in the Asia-Pacific, signifying the end of the long years of sadness and destruction and the beginning of a new era of peace in our planet, while honoring the millions who never lived to see this day come. Indeed today is a day of commemoration and celebration of the end of all combat operaions in this part of the world and the great victory won on this day by the millions of men and women of the armed forces and paramilitary forces of the Allied Powers, who, following the spring victory in Europe, forced the end of years of Japanese rule over parts of the Asia-Pacific, that brought suffering and death to millions of people.

We cannot forget the fact the great heroism and sacrifices of the millions who belonged to the so-called Greatest Generation, whether they be armed forces servicemen and women, policemen and women, border control agents, firefighters and first responders, and personnel of paramilitary formations and police auxillary organizations of the Allied Powers, shown in either the battlefield or in the communities in which they served, together with the patriotism and service shown by home front workers and those in the entertainment industry and in sports, helped pave the way for the victory that today will be celebrated as well as in this coming September 2, the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of this long and bitter global war. The heroism of those heroes of the past are the inspiration behind the huge efforts of our heroes of today who are currently fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in many parts of the world, and whose sacrifices in one of the greatest health crises of our times will be remembed generation upon generation.

The historic announcement marked the formal termination of all military operations fought in the China-Burma-India and Pacific Theaters of Operations by the Allies, formally setting the stage towards the end of this long war and the beginning of years of peace. We cannot think that this day indeed would have not been possible if not for the sacrifices of these millions of servicemen and women of the armed forces and paramilitary organizations of the Allied Powers and the lives of the servicemen and women who perished in the fields of battle. So high was the casualties the Second World War had left with millions of perished civilians, law enforcement, emergency response  and military personnel, as well as huge losses in infastructure, agriculture and fisheries, health, culture and the arts. Today, only just thousands are left of the millions who on this day 75 years ago served with dignity, determination and dedication to their country, knowing that this day would truly come in their lives that the war will soon be over and peace will soon blossom in a world that had been ruined by the fires of conflict. In remembering such an historic moment that led to the conclusion of the Second World War, let us continue to hope that thru our simple acts and actions we can work to honor the legacy left behind by these millions of men and women who won the victory against the Axis Powers and help in building up a better world and just society for our future generations.

With great happiness and respect in our hearts, we remember of such a great day these millions of heroes, who with their lives helped win the war against the Axis Powers and secured the future of this planet and of all the human race, as their sacrifices helped in the all-out effort to win the war against the forces of evil. Without a doubt, they are the principal cause of such a great victory that we honor on thus very day, and promise to forever remain dedicated in upholding the legacy of the victory won by force of arms with the help of the home front for generation after generation.

We will forever never forget and always remember the millions of heroes who helped in the great victory won against the Axis Powers, whose immortal legacy will remain in our hearts as long as we live. For the legacy of these the millions who served in the uniformed services during one of the more tragic periods of our history, we pledge to forever uphold their memory and work towards the victory of peace and democracy all over the world, hoping for the day that the joys of peace will resound in all the countries of the world.

Today, as one united people of the world, with joy and gladness, we mark once more the anniversary the end of a long conflict that forever changed our world, and the beginning of the days of peace in which we enjoy. As one people may we honor this historic day in which all combat operations concluded in the Pacific and China-Burma-India Theaters, it is with great appreciation that we once more honor the memory of the millions who fought and died in their commitment to the Allied cause and for the total victory over the Axis Powers in every corner of the world.

As we also prepare for the upcoming 75th anniversary of the conclusion of this war, may we also today and forever uphold the legacy in which our greatest generation brought into the world and for their efforts to defeat the forces of international fascism. May we forever remember the sacrifices made by these our millions of men and women in the armed forces and paramilitary organizations, national intelligence agencies, businesses, film, radio, television, music, visual and theatrical arts, sports and many other sectors of our society in the victory in which we celebrate today and for generations to come. And may we all who today celebrate the very anniversary of the announcement of the Japanese unconditional surrender always work hard to honor the legacy of this great victory and to fulfill their lasting wishes for us to work hard towards a brighter world of our tomorrow.

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MLLIONS OF THE FALLEN AND THE HEROES AND VETERANS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE PACIFIC FROM 1939-1945, WHOSE LEGACY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN BY ALL THE GENERATIONS TO COME!

ETERNAL GLORY TO ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR THE FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE OF OUR WORLD AGAINST FASCISM, NAZISM AND IMPERIALISM IN THE FIELDS OF BATTLE, THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS, AND IN THE HOME FRONT!

LONG LIVE THE VICTORIOUS MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICE OF THE ALLIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC!

LONG LIVE ALL THE ALLIED MILITARY LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY SERVICES VETERANS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR!

LONG LIVE THE INVINCIBLE AND FOREVER VICTORIOUS PEOPLE OF THE FREE WORLD AND ALL OUR SERVING ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN AND VETERANS OF THE ARMED SERVICES OF ALL THE COMBATANT ALLIED COUNTRIES THAT HELPED WIN THIS GREAT WAR AGAINST FASCISM, NAZISM AND IMPERIALISM, AS WELL AS ALL OUR ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICE PERSONNEL, CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES AND VETERANS OF THE POLICE, FIREFIGHTING, FORESTRY, BORDER CONTROL, CUSTOMS AND RESCUE SERVICES AS WELL AS OUR YOUTH OF TODAY AND THE CHILDREN OF OUR TOMORROW WHO WILL CARRY ON THE LEGACY OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE THEM, ESPECIALLY TO THE MILLIONS OF MEN AND WOMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THIS GREAT WORLD WAR!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS 75TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS AND THE GREAT VICTORY OVER THE FORCES OF THE EMPIRE OF JAPAN AND THE AXIS POWERS!

GLORY TO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND AND FRANCE, TOGETHER WITH THE ARMED SERVICES OF THE OTHER VICTORIOUS COMBATANT COUNTRIES OF THE ALLIED POWERS, GUARDIAN DEFENDERS OF OUR DEMOCRATIC WAY OF LIFE, OUR FREEDOM AND OUR LIBERTY AND GUARANTEE OF A FUTURE WORTHY OF OUR GENERATIONS TO COME!

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA AND TO PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD, A VERY HAPPY 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TERMINATION OF HOSTILTIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC AND VICTORY OVER JAPAN DAY!

And may I repeat the immortal words of the Polish National Anthem:

Poland has not yet perished, so long as we still live!

CURRAHEE! AIR ASSAULT! ARMY STRONG! SEMPER FI!

Ooooooooooooooooooraaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

1900h, August 15, 2020, the 244th year of the United States of America, the 245th year of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 126th of the International Olympic Committee, the 124th of the Olympic Games, the 102nd since the conclusion of the First World War, the 81st of the beginning of the Second World War in Europe, the 79th since the beginning of the Second World War in the Eastern Front and in the Pacific Theater, the 75th since the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the victories in Europe and the Pacific, the 73rd of the modern United States Armed Forces and the 53rd of the modern Canadian Armed Forces.

Semper Fortis JOHN EMMANUEL RAMOS-HENDERSON Makati City, PH

(Requiem for a Soldier) (Honor by Hans Zimmer) (Slavsya from Mikhail Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar) (Victory Day by Lev Leshenko) (Last Post) (Taps) (Rendering Honors)

#hbo war #hbo war fandom #vj day #the pacific #victory over japan day #band of brothers #easy company #masters of the air #den pobedy #vjday #vj day 75 #vjday75

[dfroza]

At the closing of an ancient Letter

Paul gives instruction on our conduct while here in this world, because it all matters.

Today’s Chapter of the Scriptures from the New Testament is chapter 6 of Ephesians

[Love in Our Families and Workplaces]

Children, if you want to be wise, listen to your parents and do what they tell you, and the Lord will help you.

For the commandment, “Honor your father and your mother,” was the first of the Ten Commandments with a promise attached: “You will prosper and live a long, full life if you honor your parents.”

Fathers, don’t exasperate your children, but raise them up with loving discipline and counsel that brings the revelation of our Lord.

Those who are employed should listen to their employers and obey their instructions with great respect and honor. Serve them with humility in your hearts as though you were working for the Master.

Always do what is right and not only when others are watching, so that you may please Christ as his servants by doing his will. Serve your employers wholeheartedly and with love, as though you were serving Christ and not men. Be assured that anything you do that is beautiful and excellent will be repaid by our Lord, whether you are an employee or an employer.

And to the caretakers of the flock I say, do what is right with your people by forgiving them when they offend you, for you know there is a Master in heaven that shows no favoritism.

Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you.

Put on God’s complete set of armor provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser! Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage. Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides so you’re protected as you confront the slanderer, for you are destined for all things and will rise victorious.

Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph. Put on holiness as the protective armor that covers your heart. Stand on your feet alert, then you’ll always be ready to share the blessings of peace.

In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the Evil One! Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken Word of God.

Pray passionately in the Spirit, as you constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times. Pray the blessings of God upon all his believers. And pray also that God’s revelation would be released through me every time I preach the wonderful mystery of the hope-filled gospel. Yes, pray that I may preach the wonderful news of God’s kingdom with bold freedom at every opportunity. Even though I am chained as a prisoner, I am his ambassador.

I am sending you a dear friend, Tychicus. He is a beloved brother and trustworthy minister in our Lord Jesus. He will share with you all the concerns that I have for your welfare and will inform you of how I am getting along. And he will also prophesy over you to encourage your hearts. So may God shower his peace upon you, my beloved friends. And may the blessings of faith and love fill your hearts from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Abundant grace will be with you all as each of you love our Lord Jesus Christ without corruption. Amen!

Love in Christ,

Paul

The Letter of Ephesians, Chapter 6 (The Passion Translation)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the first chapter of the book of 2nd Kings where Elijah was confronted at the command of King Ahaziah:

After Ahab died, Moab grew rebellious and revolted against Israel.

One day, King Ahaziah had an accident in Israel’s capital city, Samaria. He tumbled through the network shading and decorating his upper room and fell ill. While he was bedridden, he called for his messengers and sent them on an errand to Philistia.

Ahaziah: Ask Baal-zebub, Ekron’s god, if my health is going to return after this injury.

Elsewhere, the Eternal One’s messenger spoke to Elijah the Tishbite.

Eternal One’s Messenger: Get up, and intercept Ahaziah’s messengers. When you meet them, ask them, “Why are you going to ask Baal-zebub, Ekron’s god, about the king’s healing? Do you carry this message because you believe Israel has no God of its own?” This is the message of the Eternal to Ahaziah: “You have made your bed, and you will lie in it. You will never leave your bed in your upper room; it will become your grave.”

So Elijah went on his way just as the Lord instructed, and he delivered this message to Ahaziah’s messengers. They turned back without completing their mission.

Ahaziah: Why are you back so soon?

Samaritan Messengers: A strange man met us during our journey and said, “Go back to the king whose message you carry, and give him this message from the Eternal: ‘Why are you going to ask Baal-zebub, Ekron’s god, about healing? Do you ask for this message because you believe Israel has no God of its own? You have made your bed, and you will lie in it. You will never leave your bed in your upper room; it will become your grave.’”

Ahaziah: Tell me more about this strange man who met you and gave you this message. What was he like?

Samaritan Messengers: The man was hairy and wore a leather belt.

Ahaziah: I know who this man is—Elijah the Tishbite!

King Ahaziah then dispatched 50 soldiers and their commander to confront Elijah. The commander approached Elijah, who was resting on a hilltop.

Commander: Hello there, O man of God! The king has a message for you. He says, “Come down from there!”

Elijah: If I truly am a man of God, then I’ll prove it: may a fiery blaze storm down from heaven and devour you and your 50 soldiers.

And as the words were leaving his mouth, fire rained down; and they were all burned up just as Elijah said.

Ahaziah then dispatched another 50 soldiers and their commander to confront Elijah.

Second Commander: O man of God! The king orders you, “Come down from there now!”

Elijah: If I truly am a man of God, then as proof may a fiery blaze storm down from heaven and devour you and your 50 soldiers.

Once again a fiery blaze rained down from heaven and devoured the 50 soldiers and their commander.

Yet again, King Ahaziah dispatched another 50 soldiers and a third commander to confront Elijah. When this third commander approached Elijah, he bowed on his knees, humbled himself before Elijah, and begged for mercy upon their lives.

Third Commander: O man of God, I beg you to cherish my life and the lives of these 50 soldiers. May your eyes perceive something worth treasuring rather than destroying, for we are all at your service. A heavenly fire devoured the first two commanders and their 50 men who confronted you, but please do not invoke the same fate for my life.

Eternal One’s Messenger (to Elijah): Follow this man down the mountain, and do not fear him.

Elijah did as the messenger had instructed, and he followed the commander down the mountain to where the king was waiting.

Elijah (to Ahaziah): This is the message of the Eternal: “You dispatched messengers to appeal to Baal-zebub, Ekron’s god, about your healing. Is it because you believe Israel has no God of its own to whom you can appeal? Because you did this, you will never leave your bed in your upper room; it will become your grave.”

Ahaziah met his death just as Elijah reported in the message from the Eternal. Ahaziah did not have a son, so Jehoram inherited the throne during the second year of the reign of Jehoram (Jehoshaphat’s son) in Judah.

Is not the rest of Ahaziah’s story—his actions and lasting legacy—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings?

The Book of 2nd Kings, Chapter 1 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, december 6 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

December 6, 2020

Eight Revivals

“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psalm 85:6)

The number eight seems commonly to be associated in the Bible with a new beginning, new life, resurrection, or renewal; “seven” being the number of fullness and rest, with the seven-day week used ever since the week of creation. The Lord Jesus Himself was resurrected, never to die again, on the eighth day—that is, the first day—of the week.

It is significant, therefore, that eight great spiritual revivals are described in the Old Testament—one each under Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Asa, Hezekiah, Josiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah. It is even more significant, however, that each revival was centered around the Word of God. The first, for example, was based on the giving of the law at Sinai. “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient” (Exodus 24:7). Then, much later when “Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD....And the word of Samuel came to all Israel,” eventually “all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD” (1 Samuel 3:20; 4:1; 7:2).

Analysis of all of the other revivals will reveal that they also were based on reception and acceptance of God’s Word. The last was under Nehemiah. “And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God” (Nehemiah 9:3).

There were other ingredients in these revivals, but the Word of God was always the foundation, and there can be no true and lasting revival without it. This is why it is so important in our day, when the need for revival is so desperate, that we first get back to a serious study of the Holy Scriptures, believing and obeying as best we can all that is written therein. HMM

[quranreadalong]

THE BAD QURAN, PT 2: SURAH 3

Now look, I think y’all have seen that I have been more than fair and generous in this labeling scheme of mine. It really ain’t my fault that an absurd 69 out of 200 ayat in surah three are simply unavoidably bad.

The surah’s badness is pretty back-heavy, as most of it is found in Mohammed’s desperate ranting about the Battle of Uhud. But a bit of it comes before that. In fact, it’s only four ayat into the surah that we come across our first “disbelievers are doomed blah blah blah” rant in 3:4, which is followed by a longer rant about how disbelievers are fuel for the Fire, “like Pharaoh’s folk”, and will (again) go to hell in 3:10-12. 3:13 says that Allah helped the Muslims win over the Meccan force defending the caravan at Badr.

3:19 is another kuffar are doomed rant, as are 3:21-24, which is a long, demented rant mostly against Jews (who “slew the prophets”), saying that they have failed in this life and the next, that they ignore Allah’s teachings, and that their belief in a temporary hell is wrong (they will be burned in hell forever).

3:28 is the ayah instructing Muslims to not take non-Muslims as “auliya”, meaning friends or helpers or something of that nature, unless they are doing it specifically to trick the non-Muslims for safety purposes. 3:100 (and 3:149) similarly tells Muslims to never obey non-Muslims. 3:118-19 says that Muslims should also not take non-Muslims as “intimates”/close companions in general, and that even if you love one of them, they don’t love you. In fact 3:120 says that the non-Muslim “intimates” secretly rejoice when their Muslim loved ones are suffering. Mohammed’s gaslighting was real.

3:32 again dooms disbelievers, as does 3:56.  

3:60-61 and 3:63 has Mohammed telling his followers to never question him (those who do are corrupters) and denounces those who disagree with his theological beliefs as “liars”.

3:69 tells Muslims that there are Jews who are trying to lead them astray (and again in 3:99) by doing foul things like uh... debating Mohammed, I guess. Mohammed chastises them for not believing his “revelations” and for confounding “the truth with falsehoods” in 3:71. He tells his followers about Jews who falsely pretend to be Muslims (3:72) and generally inspires distrust and paranoia towards non-Muslims.

3:75 repeats anti-Semitic tropes about Jews who are greedy and take monetary advantage of non-Jews. 3:80 instead criticizes Christians and calls them disbelievers who disobey Muslim!Jesus, which 3:82 tells us makes them wrongdoers.

3:85 basically summarizes the Quran, with “Surrender” literally being the word “Islam”:

whoso seeketh as religion other than the Surrender (to Allah) it will not be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the Hereafter.

3:86-88 says that "people who disbelieved after their belief” are wrongdoers, cursed by Allah, and hellbound. Even if they claim to repent, they will not be accepted by Allah unless they genuinely believe again, says 3:90, and when they die they will have painful doom according to 3:91.

Whew. Now we’re entering the second half of the surah. Deep breath.

3:105 is another zzzz disbelievers are doomed zzzz ayah. 3:106, while similar in theme, at least has more interesting imagery, saying Muslims will have their faces whitened and non-Muslims will have theirs blackened on the Day of Judgement. Allah: PROBLEMATIC.

3:110 says that most Jews are bad people. 3:111 says that, in battle, they will run away “and afterward they will not be helped”. 3:112 says that Allah’s wrath is upon them.

3:116-17 says disbelievers are doomed etc (also see 3:131) and have harmed themselves by not believing.  

And now, basically until the end of the surah, we deal with the Battle of Uhud aftermath. As a refresher, Mohammed ordered his people to raid some caravans headed to Mecca. Some poor trader ended up dead. The Meccans got mad because it was during a truce month and began sending armed forces out with their caravans. Mohammed ordered his followers to attack them again at Badr and won, and they continued to raid after that; the Meccans got mad and later marched to deal with these idiots in Medina. Mohammed sent his forces out to meet them in the middle at Uhud. Despite Mohammed promising that the disbelieving army would be defeated by Allah (see above), this was not what happened. Thus the excuses, mostly involving “this was a test!!” or “it’s your fault for not believing enough!!”.

3:127-28 says that in the next battle(s), Allah will “cut off a part of those who disbelieve, or overwhelm them so that they retire, frustrated” because they are “evil-doers”. 3:137 tells Muslims that the disbelieving civilizations of old perished (due to their disbelief), implying that the same will happen to the Meccans (and alas this was correct, thanks to Mo & Crew, but I digress).

3:140-42 says that though it appeared as though the Muslims got their asses kicked, the Meccans somehow received an equal blow, and that Allah will eventually blight the disbelievers--but only after “tests” like Uhud, where Allah determined which Muslims were faithful enough and which were not. Uh... yeah, great excuse, bud.

3:147 praises ancient people who fought and killed alongside “prophets” and prayed for “victory over the disbelieving folk” in battle.

3:151:

We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they ascribe unto Allah partners, for which no warrant hath been revealed. Their habitation is the Fire, and hapless the abode of the wrong-doers.

Welp. (The next ayah in 3:152 blames Muslims and their lack of courage for their failures at Uhud.)

3:154 is insane brainwashing nonsense, with Mohammed chastising his followers who (quite reasonably!) wonder if their friends’ deaths during the battle were truly inevitable; this is repeated in 3:156. 3:155 invokes Satan in explaining the loss, saying that the cowardly Muslims themselves were influenced by him.

3:165-68 again gives the “it was just a test, bro!” excuse. Mohammed also says that those who refused his order to fight were teetering on the edge of disbelief and mocks those who question whether there might have been some way to avoid so many deaths. 3:188 says that those who refuse to join Mohammed’s military expeditions will be punished for it.

3:176 blah blah kuffar doomed blah. 3:177 same. 3:178 same again. Oh Allah, why did you make this surah so long and boring?!

3:181 is another rant about Jews being greedy and evil, and 3:183 invokes the “Jews killed the prophets” thing. 3:184 says that they refuse to follow Mohammed because of this legacy of denying prophets. 3:187 repeats surah two’s accusations of the Jews “hiding” the (non-existent) parts of the Torah that supposedly predict Mohammed’s prophethood; this makes them evil.

Finally, 3:196-97 says that even though disbelievers may have temporary successes, they will burn in helzzzzzzzz.

Okay, that’s it. It’s over. Praise Allah for fucking real, that was ROUGH.

SPECIAL BONUS SECTION: HALL OF SHAME!

The following ayat condemn disbelievers to hell and pinged our kuffar hell counter. They will be copied and pasted word-for-word. Enjoy!

Lo! those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, theirs will be a heavy doom.

(On that Day) neither the riches nor the progeny of those who disbelieve will aught avail them with Allah. They will be fuel for Fire. Like Pharaoh's folk and those who were before them, they disbelieved Our revelations and so Allah seized them for their sins. And Allah is severe in punishment. Say (O Muhammad) unto those who disbelieve: Ye shall be overcome and gathered unto Hell, an evil resting-place.  

Whoso disbelieveth the revelations of Allah (will find that) lo! Allah is swift at reckoning.

Lo! those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, and slay the prophets wrongfully, and slay those of mankind who enjoin equity: promise them a painful doom.

As for those who disbelieve I shall chastise them with a heavy chastisement in the world and the Hereafter; and they will have no helpers.

And whoso seeketh as religion other than the Surrender (to Allah) it will not be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the Hereafter.

How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their belief and (after) they bore witness that the messenger is true and after clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty) had come unto them. And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk. As for such, their guerdon is that on them rests the curse of Allah and of angels and of men combined. They will abide therein. Their doom will not be lightened, neither will they be reprieved

Lo! those who disbelieve, and die in disbelief, the (whole) earth full of gold would not be accepted from such an one if it were offered as a ransom (for his soul). Theirs will be a painful doom and they will have no helpers.

And be ye not as those who separated and disputed after the clear proofs had come unto them. For such there is an awful doom, On the Day when (some) faces will be whitened and (some) faces will be blackened; and as for those whose faces have been blackened, it will be said unto them: Disbelieved ye after your (profession of) belief? Then taste the punishment for that ye disbelieved.

Lo! the riches and the progeny of those who disbelieve will not avail them aught against Allah; and such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein.

And ward off (from yourselves) the Fire prepared for disbelievers.

We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they ascribe unto Allah partners, for which no warrant hath been revealed. Their habitation is the Fire, and hapless the abode of the wrong-doers.

Let not their conduct grieve thee, who run easily to disbelief, for lo! they injure Allah not at all. It is Allah's Will to assign them no portion in the Hereafter, and theirs will be an awful doom. Those who purchase disbelief at the price of faith harm Allah not at all, but theirs will be a painful doom. And let not those who disbelieve imagine that the rein We give them bodeth good unto their souls. We only give them rein that they may grow in sinfulness. And theirs will be a shameful doom.

Let not the vicissitude (of the success) of those who disbelieve, in the land, deceive thee (O Muhammad). It is but a brief comfort. And afterward their habitation will be hell, an ill abode.

The beauty of Islam indeed.

Well, fam, we made it. In less than a month we’ve slogged through 500 ayat and conquered two of the longest surah (plus one short one) After this surah, there are only two more as long or longer than these.

The next one is called “the women”. You already know it’s gonna be a mess. Join us tomorrow for the intro.

⇚ previous day | next day ⇛ 

#badquran #quranreadalong #surah 3 #al imran

[neuxue]

Wheel of Time liveblogging: The Gathering Storm ch 9

In which a plotline is finally closed, Important Questions are addressed, and I love Tam al’Thor. 

Chapter 9: Leaving Malden

Finally.

A cool spring breeze tickled Perrin’s face.

It’s not quite ‘In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an age yet to come, an age long past, a wind rose…’, but it’ll do. Hi Perrin.

Such a breeze should have carried with it the scents of pollen and crisp morning dew, of dirt overturned by sprouts pushing into the light, of new life and an earth reborn.

This breeze carried with it only the scents of blood and death.

Yeah, Perrin? I’m not sure the edgelord look is really for you. Maybe leave the angsty poetry to Asmodean others.

Perrin is inspecting wagons. Because this is Perrin, so of course he’s going to jump at an opportunity to…yeah I was about to write ‘do work while lying on his back in the mud’ and I swear to every listening god that it did not sound nearly as bad in my head as it did when I started writing it.

My point is, Perrin has always been a fan of Good Honest Work, and being a Lord tends to get in the way of that, so here he is inspecting wagons because he can.

Arganda wants to be leaving Malden. *points to chapter title* Patience, Arganda.

Perrin is vaguely panicked at the thought of feeding and caring for a hundred thousand refugees but at least he’s not building walls or issuing travel bans or…sorry. Low-hanging fruit.

The Shaido had left him two things: a scent of blood on the air and a hundred thousand refugees to care for.

So once again Perrin is standing with a tired army, watching the shattered Shaido flee, and feeling the heavy weight of victory. It doesn’t seem to get any easier.

No gateways because the Asha’man are tired. A cynical part of me looks at that and goes ‘well that’s plot-convenient’, but the sometimes creative use (or non-use) of gateways in this series is hardly more egregious than the various plot devices and cheat codes nearly any author will use at some point in nearly every work, so I guess I don’t particularly mind. I’m just a little bit low on patience for this particular plotline. But it seems to be more or less finished, so it’s all good.

There was always a crack or a splintering where wood weakened, and you could feel it near to breaking. Wood was reliable like that.

Unlike men. Unlike himself.

Ah. Yeah. So here we are. I was sort of wondering when we would get to this. When the right hand falters and the left hand strays…Perrin’s been single-minded in his focus on rescuing Faile, and he knew all along that he was leaving much behind – or perhaps to the side – in doing so, and Perrin values duty enough that at some point, it was going to come to this. He has completed this task now, and doesn’t have that driving and all-consuming grief-anger-focus to push these thoughts away any more, and so the time has come to face everything he’s been trying to put aside or ignore.

(Also, completely off-topic, but quoting that line reminded me…how on earth did I never pun on ‘the left hand strays’? Rand’s left hand strayed right off into the fire, after all).

(I’m  not even remotely sorry).

He didn’t want to think about that. He had to keep working, had to keep doing something to distract himself.

He had his moment of reckoning with the axe a book and a half ago, and that was a major moment in his arc and his growth as a character. But he needs this step as well, needs to stop and take stock of where he is and who he is and what his duty demands of him, and what he’s going to do about it. And how he’s going to fit this whole last arc into that.

It’s not that he’s completely abandoned his role – perhaps he’ll see it that way, and perhaps not, but he did still manage to hold his people together, and make an alliance of sorts with the Seanchan, and various other important pieces. It was just a case of where his motivation and focus were directed, and he’s going to need to reassess that, now.

But that’s far easier said than done.

Now Gallenne wants to go attack the Shaido. Do we really need another Dumai’s Wells, Gallenne? Can we maybe just all take a nap instead?

(I hate naps and I love Dumai’s Wells but that’s beside the point).

He wore his old, stained coat. Faile would chastise him for that. He was supposed to present himself as a lord. But would she really expect him to wear a fine coat if he was going to spend an hour lying in the muddy grass, looking at the bottoms of wagons?

Perrin. What are we going to do with you.

Faile wouldn’t want him to be in the muddy grass in the first place.

I almost wish it had been left as a genuine question rather than a rhetorical one, but Perrin’s not actually that oblivious.

She held the sum total of his love. She was everything to him.

Ah, Perrin. This is sort of what I’ve been trying to get at, when he started down his ‘it can all burn, if it keeps her safe’ route. She very nearly literally holds all his love. He lost his entire family in one blow, and she was all he had left and so, shocked and cast adrift and grieving for an entire family’s worth of love, he sort of…attached it all to her.

Which is not to say that’s a healthy reaction, exactly, but. People are people, and he lost everything and she was there and then he almost lost his home as well and then everyone was looking to him and then the world was ending and then he lost her and there hasn’t been a whole lot of time in between battles and duty for, you know, processing. Or coming to terms with things. Or finding healthier coping mechanisms. Everything’s a mess and they all deal with it the best they can, and hold fast to whatever love they can find.

He had succeeded – he’d saved her.

Can I just take a moment here to say that I am very, very glad it ended with Faile alive, rather than Faile being killed to cause further grief or darkest hour or moment of realisation for Perrin? Because for all that I disliked a number of things about this plotline, it could have been so much worse.

So why did he feel as if things were nearly as bad as they had been? He should rejoice, he should be ecstatic, should be relieved. He’d worried so much about her during her captivity. And yet now, with her safety secure, everything still felt wrong. Somehow. In ways he couldn’t explain.

Yep.

It’s a difficult frame-shift to suddenly have that frighteningly single-minded sense of purpose simply…vanish. Not because of defeat, and not for having something pulled out from under him, but because of success. A success that feels far more hollow than it should – even more so because of how much he invested in it, to the exclusion of almost everything else. In large part because he recognises his past exclusion of all those things that are now pushing their way back to the centre of his awareness again, and has to start dealing with the question of whether or not he was right do do what he did. Where he goes from here. What he’s meant to do now. Who he is meant to be and what his duty is meant to be and how to find his way back to a path he may or may not have strayed from.

Faile is free and the Shaido are defeated (again). The task that has utterly consumed his thoughts and his actions for the past several weeks is completed, and now he’s…here. Having to suddenly deal with everything else again. And without that solid and immediate goal driving him, it’s a hell of a lot harder to do anything but look at that ‘everything else’ – which mostly consists of ‘the world is ending and everything is fucked’ – and go ‘nope’.

Sadly, ‘nope’ is not really an option. So here we are, in the mud, looking at wagon wheels.

Perrin focused himself back to the moment. His own foolish problems were irrelevant; right now, he needed to get these wagons moving.

There is something to be said, when everything else is too overwhelming, for focusing on just the next step, and then the next, and then the next. It doesn’t always hold up as a long-term strategy, but to stave off an existential blue screen of death, he could do a whole lot worse. This is Perrin’s way, after all; he likes to think things through, likes to be thorough and methodical and careful in his work. Checking the wagons isn’t quite as calming or peaceful as his blacksmithing scene way back in TDR, but it’s as if he’s trying to find something like that, here, and this is as close as he can get. It’s a way of…grounding himself, when the sudden loss of driving purpose and the pressure of huge questions he’s been trying not to look at threaten to overwhelm him.

Perrin looked at the small group of people who waited in a cluster around the wagon to speak with him. Once, this kind of business had frustrated Perrin. It seemed like pointless work, as many of the supplicants already knew what his answer would be.

But they needed to hear those answers from him, and Perrin had come to understand the importance of that.

He has learned, and he has grown as a character, even if he doesn’t always let himself fully acknowledge it. He knows the importance of his role, and he knows his duty to these people. Even in his quest to rescue Faile, he didn’t forget about those who followed him. It was harder for him to give his full attention to his role, but he did think about it, and try to be who he needed to be. And now, even as he’s dealing with the aftermath of finding Faile – because he never really thought past this part; he couldn’t let himself think beyond what he needed to do to find and rescue her – he knows he cannot let himself fall apart, or abandon his duty to his people. He may be crawling under a wagon in order to seek a certain amout of distance, but he’s trying.

He had wanted to be well out of Malden before sunset.

I haven’t been this excited to leave a city since Ebou Dar.

Well, excluding Iquitos. I haven’t been this excited to leave a fictional city since Ebou Dar. There.

Light, but this was a mess

In which Perrin accurately summarises the entire state of the world and everyone in it. I love epic fantasy.

The Shaido, being Aiel, had preferred to camp outside the city walls, rather than within them. They were a strange people, no denying that. Who would spurn a nice bed, not to mention a better military position, to stay outside in tents?

I seem to recall you deliberately ‘losing’ your bed a few books ago, Perrin.

“Did you have to let the Seanchan take all of the captive Shaido channellers with them?”

Balwer clearly sees a missed opportunity here. Meanwhile I’m trying to remember if the word ‘channeller’ was actually used with any kind of frequency in the books prior to this one. I know I’ve used it, and I think it’s appeared in The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time and maybe in the glossaries, but I can’t actually recall it showing up in the narrative itself. Huh.

(I could be wrong – feel free to fact-check me on this. Not that it’s particularly important, and I suppose it does save a bit on word count…)

“Forsaken,” Perrin said with a shrug

That deserves to be quoted, just becase.

“We already know that the Forsaken oppose us, Balwer. They won’t rightly welcome Rand in with open arms to seal them away again, or whatever it is he’s going to do.”

No doubt that’s a large part of why people look to Perrin here; he’s entirely unfazed by the thought of the Forsaken being very closely involved in matters very close by. The Forsaken are out there, and Perrin and the rest are mixed up in major events, and so that’s just a fact of life at this point. No point panicking about it. Just deal with what can be dealt with.

He stopped, then stooped down to glance at Perrin. “My Lord, this is rather distracting. Couldn’t we find someone else to inspect the wagons?”

Balwer is great. I just enjoy these rather minor characters who turn up and are quietly competent or even quietly awesome in their background understated way, and who periodically call major characters out on their ridiculousness.

“It’s work I can do while people talk to me,” Perrin said. “You don’t need my hands, just my tongue.”

…that’s what she said.

I made it 1.7 million words without saying that, but come on. What am I supposed to do with this?

The truth was, as long as Perrin kept moving, he felt he was doing something, making progress. Not thinking about other issues.

I actually really like how this keeps getting stated and re-stated. It’s a very appropriate and very fitting reaction for him to have; I’d have been disappointed if he didn’t have at least a moment – or rather, a chapter – of trying to figure out what to do now that he’s accomplished the only task he’s let himself think about for weeks. Not just from a practicalities standpoint, but from a more existential one. Of course he’s questioning himself, and of course he’s trying to find something – anything – to occupy his mind, in order to replace that rather terrifying focus that’s been driving him for so long.

I have a feeling there’s going to be some self-realisation involved in really figuring out his sense of purpose and direction again, and I’m looking forward to it.

(And then there’s Rand, who is still caught in the single-minded focus stage, though his focus is get to Tarmon Gai’don. That’s all he can let himself aim for at this point, and nearly everything else not directly related to that, to getting himself and the world to the Last Battle, has fallen by the wayside a bit. I love how, in a series with so many characters, there are all these various sets of parallels and overlaps and similarities. It allows ideas or conflicts or traits to be shown in a variety of contexts and from a variety of angles, while also keeping each character individual and unique).

He’d never been good with people, not like Mat or Rand.

And yet, ‘people’ is pretty much literally his ta’veren superpower. Ah, irony.

But now he couldn’t find the words to say. He worried about what happened to her during her captivity, but the possibilities didn’t bother him. They made him angry, but none of what had happened was her fault. You did what you had to to survive. He respected her for her strength.

And I respect him for that entire mindset. I really do. He doesn’t know exactly what happened, and he doesn’t ask, and he doesn’t hold any of the possibilities against her. Because she survived, and that’s what is important. He trusts her, and he knows she’s been through something terrible – even if he doesn’t know precisely what – and so instead of making things worse by blaming her for what might have happened, he admires her strength and her ability to survive.

In essence, he doesn’t try to make her suffering – or her survival – about him. He doesn’t resent her, doesn’t question her, doesn’t doubt her, doesn’t make her feel guilty for upsetting him, because while her captivity was upsetting for him, that’s not even remotely her fault, and she was the one held captive, and he understands that her pain is not about him. Which is…I really cannot overstate how important that is, or how much I appreciate this being stated so clearly and so honestly.

All too often, authors will co-opt one character’s suffering for another character’s story (see: male character’s wife/girlfriend killed as motivation for undertaking a quest, male character’s wife/girlfriend killed as turning point in male character’s arc, male character’s wife/girlfriend/female relative raped as motivation for male character embarking on revenge quest, need I go on?), and while yes, of course it can be done well, it’s a very, very tired trope, and frequently ends up used as a cheap and lazy way to make plot happen. This plotline veered uncomfortably into that territory at times, and this paragraph doesn’t undo that, but it does help. And it avoids some of the more unfortunate directions such a plotline could then go.

Also, it is just a really important idea to show a character understanding. To show the narrative understanding.

“If I’d seen your face and nothing else, lad,” a hearty voice said, “I’d assume that we’d lost this battle.”

Tam! I fucking love Tam al’Thor. He’s just gone and adopted Perrin and he brings exactly the right sort of levity, here. He’s so good at…bolstering people? Is that the idea I’m looking for here? It’s the same quality Lan has, especially in the early books. Tam isn’t looking to take charge or steal the spotlight; he knows how to fit into a supporting role when that’s what is necessary. And he’s not coming to Perrin like the others with questions or requests or demands, nor does he need Lord Perrin to reassure him. He just knows Perrin needs someone. And maybe needs a bit of gentle slap in the face as well as a solid support.

Perrin’s fingers reached down, touching the hammer at his waist. He’d chosen it over the axe. It had been the right decision, but he’d still lost control of himself in the battle for Malden. Was that what bothered him?

Or was it how much he’d enjoyed the killing?

Yeah, definitely some self-realisation to come. He’s partway there, but he still hasn’t quite accepted this other side of himself. And maybe hasn’t quite accepted that surrender is a form of control, and that his anger and his battle-rage, while they may not fit with the careful, deliberate, gentle blacksmith he wants to be, are not incompatible with who he is, and are not necessarily a fault or a weakness. He can be both.

Of course, the purpose to which he is directing all of this matters as well. And that’s something he’s going to have to think about, and may be part of his issue here.

“What do you need, Tam?” he asked.

No, Perrin, Tam isn’t here because he needs something. He’s here because you need someone.

Tam is blessedly efficient and just tells Perrin everything that’s been done and says they could use a wagon, but otherwise he’s got everything sorted. Tam was Second Captain and it really shows. He sees what needs to be done and he gets on with it.

And then he pulls Perrin aside, because Tam knows there’s a place for formality and image, and a place for honest conversation. Because Tam is good and I am so very glad he did not go the way of many protagonists’ parents way back in book one.

“The lads are wondering, Perrin,” Tam said, a little less formal now that they were alone. “Did you mean what you said about giving up on Manetheren?”

“Aye,” Perrin said. “That banner has been nothing but trouble since it first came out. The Seanchan, and everyone else, might as well know. I’m no king.”

“You have a queen who’s sworn you as her liege.”

And a princess for a wife…

“I think you’re right, in what you did,” Tam said, surprisingly. “Calling the Two Rivers Manetheren would not only have antagonised the Seanchan, but the Queen of Andor herself.”

Where others saw the dream of a resurrected nation, Tam sees reality and practicality. Manetheren is all well and good, but Tam absolutely doesn’t resent Perrin for giving it up, and sees the very real reasons for doing so. And he wouldn’t say that if he didn’t believe it. Tam has that rare quality: tactful bluntness.

He knows Perrin is new to this, and knows Perrin has doubts about who and what he is supposed to be. And so he steps in when he can, unobtrusively but effectively, knowing when to keep up appearances and when to give a word of encouragement or advice.

“I don’t mean to hold what people say I’ve got. The sooner that Elayne takes her throne and sends a proper lord out to the Two Rivers, the better. We can be done with all of this Lord Perrin business and things can go back to normal.”

Sigh.

“And Queen Alliandre?” Tam asked.

Even here, Tam doesn’t directly reprimand him or tell him to suck it up and deal. He just asks the logical and necessary questions, trying to get Perrin to really think about the position he has come to hold, and to see that it’s not just ‘this Lord Perrin business’. He has a queen sworn to him, and an army following him, and there is no simply going back.

Perrin isn’t a placeholder, and Tam’s trying to get him to see that.

“She can swear to Elayne instead,” Perrin said stubbornly. “Or maybe directly to Rand. He seems to like scooping up kingdoms. Like a child playing a game of wobbles.”

Tam smelled concerned. Troubled.

Uh…yeah…Perrin? Maybe…don’t say that to Rand’s dad? Oh, Tam. Last time he saw Rand, two years ago, Rand barely knew how to hold a sword and was afraid to leave his village, and promised Tam he would return soon. Last time he saw Rand, Rand was uncertain and afraid, but hopeful and earnest. Last time Tam saw Rand, Rand had never channelled saidin or killed a man. And now Tam has heard of Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn. Rand al’Thor, king and conqueror and destroyer. The world is ending and his son is in the middle of it, and more or less the entire world is afraid of Rand but Tam is undoubtedly still afraid for him, and yet there’s nothing he can do. He asked Perrin if the rumours were true, but beyond that he’s just…doing what has to be done here. Doing what he can, not letting too much of his concern show, helping others instead.

Please go to Rand, Tam.

“I just thought you were over this,” Tam said.

Well. I mean. That’s fair.

And Perrin probably needed to hear it, and Tam is probably the best person to say it to him.

For the most part, though, I don’t mind that Perrin isn’t entirely ‘over this’ yet. He’s made progress, and I have faith that he will get there, but he’s the sort of character for whom it would be unrealistic if he managed it overnight. “But Lia,” you say, “it’s been two years.” To which I say yeah, okay, it can be frustrating to watch Perrin go from EotW ‘if he was the leader, it was time to start leading,’ to ‘I’m not in charge why are you looking at me can I please just go make a horseshoe now’, but it’s not always going to be a smooth trajectory, and it wouldn’t be true to his character if it were.

It also keeps scaling up on him when he’s not looking, and while he can work with that in an emergency ‘they have caged Shadowkiller’ kind of situation, as soon as he has time to pause and look around and see that oh shit there are several thousand people looking to me for direction when the fuck did that happen hold on I did not sign up for this, it’s a shock. He’s good at what he does when he doesn’t let himself overthink it – because it goes so contrary to what he’s convinced his self-image should be.

Also, Perrin’s turning points – especially the early ones – manifested a bit differently and almost more mutedly than those of the others. He’s ta’veren, of course, and there was the early thing of ‘by the way you can talk to wolves’. But he didn’t have a Callandor-in-the-Stone-of-Tear, or a pile of prophecies dropped on his head, or a pile of memories dumped into his head, or the Aelfinn shouting the future at him and telling him straight up to get his arse to Rhuidean because otherwise everything is fucked forever. Instead, his Beginning Act Two turning point was…going home.

He went home, and found that he had lost everything and yet somehow stood to lose even more if Emond’s Field couldn’t defend itself…and by the time the dust had cleared, he was Lord Perrin. And that kind of thing kept on happening, and kept on scaling up, but each little piece was just Perrin trying to do the right thing for his home and then his people. He didn’t have Destiny up in his face telling him You Will Be A Great Leader. That much has been heavily implied, sure, but from his perspective it really has been more a series of moments of looking around and going ‘when the fuck did you start looking to me as your lord?’ to an ever-growing crowd.

So I think Perrin’s story works in terms of this sense of realism, and gradual character growth. It’s not all that different from the other characters’ arcs; Rand may know he’s the Dragon Reborn, but he still hasn’t fully accepted the entire truth of it, and Mat still tries to deny various parts of who he is. No, where Perrin’s arc sometimes loses out, I think, is in the pacing. Through TSR, it was excellent. After that, though, I feel like sometimes Perrin’s story is a set of puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit where they’re supposed to.

And that’s fine; in a series this long, there are bound to be some things that have to be squeezed or stretched or wedged in a little bit at times. Most of the time, I enjoy and admire the way Jordan has managed to weave everything together. But occasionally a storyline or a character or an arc will feel a little off in comparison to the things around it, and Perrin’s story sometimes suffers from this. Sort of like Mat’s did when he was stuck in Ebou Dar for what felt like two chapters too long. That’s just how it goes, and though I’ve just spent several paragraphs on it, it doesn’t particularly bother me, for the most part. It’s just a thing to observe.

“The men believe in that banner, Perrin, lad,” Tam said quietly. He had a soft way about him, but that made you listen when he spoke. Of course, he also usually spoke sense. “I pulled you aside because I wanted to warn you. If you provide a chance for the lads to return to the Two Rivers, some will go. But not many. I’ve heard most swear that they’ll follow you to Shayol Ghul. They know the Last Battle is coming – who couldn’t know that, with all of the signs lately? They don’t intend to be left behind.” He hesitated. “And neither do I, I reckon.”

Of course Tam doesn’t intend to be left behind; his son is going to be at the very centre of that battle one way or another. Besides, Tam al’Thor is still the man who left the Two Rivers seeking adventure and ended up a Second Captain and a blademaster, even if he has been tempered by the years.

As for the rest…I think Perrin is very close to accepting all of this. But I also think he needed to hear it straight out from someone like Tam.

He hadn’t been a good leader lately. He’d never been a model one, of course, not even when Faile had been there to guide him. But during her absence, he’d been worse. Far worse. He’d ignored his orders from Rand, ignored everything, all to get her back.

Points for self-awareness. He’s thinking about the right things, and it does feel like the…final spiral of questions and soul-searching that comes before a true realisation and acceptance.

Those who follow him believe in him, but not necessarily because they think he alone will solve all their problems. They believe in the banner, and in Perrin, and in what he is fighting for. They gather around a ta’veren and become something more. His job, as much as anything else, is to be that rallying point.

The wind blew past again, carrying that awful stench of death. It also carried memories. The fury of the battle, the passion and thrill of each swing.

And this, too, is something he will need to accept eventually. He’s trying so hard to avoid thinking about it, trying to push it away and focus on other things, but it’s going to catch up with him. He can’t run from who he is any more than Rand can. Doesn’t stop them trying, but even that seems to be coming close to an end, now. Perrin threw away the axe and chose the hammer, and now it’s time for him to understand and accept the full reality of what that means, and of who he is and can be. Even if some of that goes against what he once thought he was or should be.

He was glad to have Faile back. He rejoiced. And yet, now what was there for him?

Well, there’s this thing coming up…Tarmon Gai’don? Ever heard of it? Might be enough to keep you busy for a while.

He still didn’t believe that the wolfhead banner belonged there, flapping insolently above his camp.

But could he take it down? The men did look to it. He could smell pride on them every time they passed it. He couldn’t turn them away. Rand would need their aid – he’d need everyone’s aid – at the Last Battle.

And so here we are. It’s not just about him, and he knows it. It isn’t about whether he wants the banner to fly, or whether he thinks he’s worthy of it. It’s about giving them all something to believe in, and something to fight for.

He needed to seek out Rand. He could feel something tugging at him, pulling him. 

Rand needed him. That had to be his focus now.

YES. GOOD. I LIKE THIS. Time for plotlines to converge again at last! Though I also like it for the realisation here, and the acknowledgement of true purpose. He has found his path again.

Next (TGS ch 10)  Previous (TGS ch 8)

#Tam al'Thor makes every chapter 138% better #this is Science #Wheel of Time #neuxue liveblogs WoT #The Gathering Storm

[affairsintop]

‘Mitt-ism’ vs. ‘Trumpism’: Romney's return to national stage flares GOP divide

New Post has been published on http://www.anblogger.com/mitt-ism-vs-trumpism-romneys-return-to-national-stage-flares-gop-divide/

‘Mitt-ism’ vs. ‘Trumpism’: Romney's return to national stage flares GOP divide

Washington • Mitt Romney’s comeback on the national stage, through the byway of his probable bid for the Senate in Utah, has prompted a sharp debate among Republicans over whether traditional political figures are still welcome as leaders of a party dominated by President Donald Trump.

Those arguments have intensified amid the rush of speculation in recent weeks over Romney’s next steps, with the looming presence of the Republicans’ 2012 presidential nominee on the ballot in this year’s midterm elections seen as a new front in the civil war that has gripped the party.

Many establishment voices, eager for a resurgence in the Trump era, have seized on the prospect of Sen. Romney as a clean-cut Republican counterweight to the unorthodox and chaotic Trump presidency. Trump-aligned conservatives, meanwhile, have recoiled and said the party’s base voters have moved on and would shun the former Massachusetts governor as an elite relic of the sort of conventional politics they rejected by embracing the reality television star-turned-president.

Both sides acknowledge that regardless of whether Romney, 70, runs this year for the seat held by retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Republicans nationally would continue to be consumed by identity debates, fallout from the party’s balkanization and discord over what its voters want from its leaders — insider or outsider, polished or raw, champion of Wall Street or economic populist.

“Romney opens up the discussion, illustrating the fight for the soul of a fractured party,” said Peter Wehner, a veteran of three Republican administrations and a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Wehner, who advised Romney’s 2012 campaign, added: “Trump’s failures have left him without an iron grip on the party, leaving an opening for different faces and people like Romney, an alternative approach.”

On the right, however, activists who have a deep affinity for Trump’s upheaval of the GOP said a Romney revival would represent if anything the gasp of an old order in a party captured by the president — calling the bloc of establishment Republicans united mostly by a loathing of Trump.

“Is Mitt-ism really a thing? There’s conservatism. There’s Rockefeller Republicanism. There’s Trumpism. But I don’t know that Mitt-ism is really a thing,” said Andy Surabian, a political consultant and adviser to former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who has been trying to build support for outsider Republican candidates.

Surabian suggested that Romney and Trump’s Beltway opposition lack a national constituency and that their power comes from inside Washington rather than from a groundswell of voters. Over the past year, Bannon has railed against Romney and questioned his honor, but Bannon’s relationship with the president, and his political standing, unraveled over the publication of journalist Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury,” a book that includes searing comments by Bannon about Trump’s family.

Hatch, 83, announced last week that he would not seek an eighth term. Romney has not made definitive public statements about his plans, but Republicans close to him have said he has been considering a campaign for months and conferred with friends as Hatch finalized his decision.

On Monday, a Romney aide announced that the former governor was treated for prostate cancer last summer. “The cancer was removed surgically and found not to have spread beyond the prostate,” the aide said in a statement. Romney’s prognosis is “very good” and he was “treated successfully,” according to a person close to him.

Romney allies are quick to say he would probably resist serving as a symbol of mainstream Republicanism, should he choose to mount a campaign. Although he has been one of the president’s sharpest critics, they said he is also cautious and would see a Senate perch as a chance to concentrate on policymaking, taking defiant stands on Trump’s conduct only when he deems necessary.

Romney’s associates and advocates have been actively deliberating over how he could frame his candidacy and how to translate his values in a political arena that has changed markedly since he was the party’s presidential nominee.

“Is there a market out there for a new type of leader in the Republican Party who is going to be very issue-focused and who is going to champion substance over flash, and try to serve as a moral center for the party? Is there a marketplace for that? Yes,” said Republican consultant Kevin Madden, a former Romney staffer on his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. “The question is just how big of a marketplace.”

Michael Steel, another former Romney staffer, said he sees Romney being welcomed back not because he is universally beloved but because of a need for balance in the Republican Party, with “both more traditional conservatives like Gov. Romney and the more aggressive nationalistic elements personified by President Trump.”

Romney notably weighed in last month ahead of Alabama’s special U.S. Senate election, in which former state judge and GOP nominee Roy Moore was accused of initiating sexual contact with teenage girls years ago. “Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation,” Romney tweeted. “No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity.”

“He’s an adult. My sense is he’d find areas of agreement with President Trump and when they had disagreements, he’d be respectful,” said Karl Rove, a former senior White House adviser to President George W. Bush and supporter of Romney’s 2012 bid. “He would provide stature in the Senate, and with a demonstrated ability to govern he’d be someone who could forge consensus or unify the caucus.”

Rep. Peter King of New York, a centrist Republican, said Romney has an opening to run without much hassle from Bannon because of Bannon’s messy public clash with Trump.

“Bannon was the force that was going to be a problem, going after Romney in Utah as a power play,” King said. But “Bannon being diminished by Trump diminishes the challenges that would face Mitt. It makes it easier.”

Romney would be the clear front-runner in a Utah campaign. A Salt Lake Tribune poll last fall showed him with 44 percent support in a hypothetical eight-person field with no one else earning double-digit support. The state’s electorate is unique: It’s more conservative than grass-roots populist in its leanings — it gave an anti-Trump independent candidate 21 percent of the vote in the 2016 election — and dominated by followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which counts Romney as one of its most prominent members. Romney also carries extensive good will there from his time running the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

A relatively high-profile Democrat, Salt Lake County Council member Jenny Wilson, is running for the seat and has said the victory of Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., last month would bring attention to her candidacy in a ruby-red state.

Romney’s reliability as a Trump foe is dubious, as even some of his supporters concede. Months after denouncing Trump as a “con man” and “phony” in a high-profile March 2016 speech at the University of Utah during the Republican presidential primary race, Romney seriously considered joining the Trump administration, possibly as secretary of state, during the transition.

“I had a wonderful evening with president-elect Trump,” a smiling Romney declared in late November after a private dinner with Trump at an expensive New York restaurant where frog legs and chocolate cake were served. “We had another discussion about affairs throughout the world, and these discussions I’ve had with him have been enlightening and interesting and engaging.”

Romney’s remarks made the cadre of anti-Trump voices in his orbit cringe and worry that he was being pulled into what they saw as the reality-television-type audition drama as Trump prepared to take office. Romney, who was passed over for the top job at the State Department, returned to the position of Trump critic throughout 2017. When Trump said that counterprotesters at a white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville shared the blame for the mayhem that left a woman dead and many injured, Romney wrote on Facebook that Trump’s comments “caused racists to rejoice.”

Within Trump’s circle, they are not cheering Romney’s consideration — and Trump had urged Hatch to run again, according to people close to the president. But they question whether Romney would be a problem.

“I don’t see him becoming an antagonist,” said Chris Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media and a Trump ally. “You look at Mitt’s history, he came out early against Trump but didn’t push the point after the nomination was secured. It’s not his personality to be way out there.”

Ruddy believes that Romney could be positioning himself for a 2020 presidential bid should Trump choose not to run for re-election, and thinks he would move carefully if he returned to national politics.

“Mitt’s thinking 2020, get the stature,” Ruddy said.

Longtime watchers of the GOP said the tensions about Romney were an iteration of battles that have been part of the Republican Party for decades, with the party at times tilting toward the establishment and at times away from it, and each side constantly trying to tug it in their direction.

“There have been splits between Main Street and Wall Street in the Republican Party since the beginning of the 20th century, going back to the rise of Wall Street corporations and concerns among the farmers and small businesses that their priorities weren’t at the center of things,” said Alvin S. Felzenberg, a historian of American conservatism who has worked in Republican politics. “It keeps going in the 1960s with Barry Goldwater versus Nelson Rockefeller.”

Felzenberg added: “Romney would say he’s not a Rockefeller Republican, a moderate trying to come back. But his father was that sort of Republican culturally and he’s that sort of Republican — and they want back in.”