#Seal of the Martyrs

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (November 26)

Local commemorations of the fourth-century martyr Saint Peter of Alexandria will take place on November 25 and 26.

Although his feast day in the Western tradition is no longer part of the Roman Catholic Church’s universal calendar, he remains especially beloved among Catholic and Orthodox Christians of the Egyptian Coptic tradition.

Tradition attests that the Egyptian bishop was the last believer to suffer death at the hands of Roman imperial authorities for his faith in Christ.

For this reason, St. Peter of Alexandria is known as the “Seal of the Martyrs.”

He is said to have undertaken severe penances for the sake of the suffering Church during his lifetime and written letters of encouragement to those in prison, before going to his death at the close of the “era of the martyrs.”

Both the date of Peter’s birth and his ordination as a priest are unknown. It is clear, however, that he was chosen to lead Egypt’s main Catholic community in the year 300 after the death of Saint Theonas of Alexandria.

He may have previously been in charge of Alexandria’s well-known catechetical school, an important center of religious instruction in the early Church.

Peter’s own theological writings were cited in a later fifth-century dispute over Christ’s divinity and humanity.

In 302, the Emperor Diocletian and his subordinate Maximian attempted to wipe out the Church in the territories of the Roman Empire.

They used their authority to destroy Church properties, imprison and torture believers, and eventually kill those who refused to take part in pagan ceremonies.

As the Bishop of Alexandria, Peter offered spiritual support to those who faced these penalties, encouraging them to hold to their faith without compromise. 

One acute problem for the Church during this period was the situation of the “lapsed.”

These were Catholics who had violated their faith by participating in pagan rites under coercion, but who later repented and sought to be reconciled to the Church.

Peter issued canonical directions for addressing their various situations, and these guidelines became an important part of the Eastern Christian tradition for centuries afterward.

Around the year 306, Peter led a council that deposed Bishop Meletius of Lycopolis, a member of the Catholic hierarchy who had allegedly offered sacrifice to a pagan idol.

Peter left his diocese for reasons of safety during some portions of the persecution, giving Meletius an opening to set himself up as his rival and lead a schismatic church in the area.

The “Meletian schism” would continue to trouble the Church for years after the death of Alexandria’s legitimate bishop.

Saint Athanasius, who led the Alexandrian Church during a later period in the fourth century, claimed that Meletius personally betrayed Peter of Alexandria to the state authorities during the Diocletian persecution.

Although Diocletian himself chose to resign his rule in in 305, persecution continued under Maximinus Daia, who assumed leadership of the Roman Empire’s eastern half in 310.

The early Church historian Eusebius attests that Maximinus, during an imperial visit to Alexandria, unexpectedly ordered its bishop to be seized and killed without imprisonment or trial in 311.

Three priests – Faustus, Dio and Ammonius – were reportedly beheaded along with him.

Saint Peter of Alexandria’s entry in the “History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria” (a volume first compiled by a Coptic Orthodox bishop in the 10th century) concludes with a description of the aftermath of his death. 

“And the city was in confusion and was greatly disturbed, when the people beheld this martyr of the Lord Christ.

Then the chief men of the city came and wrapped his body in the leathern mat on which he used to sleep; and they took him to the church …

And, when the liturgy had been performed, they buried him with the fathers. May his prayers be with us and all those that are baptized!”

#Saint of the Day #Saint Peter of Alexandria #Seal of the Martyrs

[gemglyph]

This is kind of freaky if it’s in any way acknowledged but I had an interesting thought. Sun is Hylia reborn as a mortal. She unlocked her memories as Hylia through the course of her journey in Skyward Sword. It also came with awakening her powers.

But what if there were some of her gifts that she had used previously, unintentionally of course, when she was much younger or in extreme distress.

I was thinking about a couple different authors who have Sky’s biological parents range from simply neglectful to downright hellish. And thinking about what a baby Hylia could do if she found out her best friend suffered so much in silence and the adults didn’t know.

And then those parents disappear. Sky is taken in by the entirety of Skyloft. The academy instructors are kind to him, her father is kind to him, anyone not those two who were supposed to be his parents…

NOW THIS! THIS IS SOMETHING TO WAKE UP TO *excited bouncing*

I have thoughts. (I have thoughts often….)

Loftwings are Divine Beings blessed to people from Hylia. They are also referred to as “Guardian Birds”. I personally think they are the Other Half of Skyloftians’ Souls.

In reference to Martyr specifically, Sky’s Mom saw him as a blessing, and his Father saw him as a curse. It’s directly stated like that in story.

Sky’s Mom died when he was young and after that his Father made sure that he truly felt like the curse his Father believed him to be. That is.. Until Sky’s Father’s Loftwing handled the situation.

(I promise this is all relevant to what I’m about to say… and this got very long sooooo… more under the cut!)

Hylia and Sun… I don’t quite see them as the same person. I have a few reasons for this. One of which is… personality. Which is SHOWN to us in Skyward Sword during That Scene. Where Sun is leaning into Hylia and how DISTANT she was from everything. Not uncaring, not unloving, but I felt like she was… a little cold…

My thoughts on Hylia is that her behavior is like Fi. Not too cold, certainly not uncaring, and very straight to the point. Very literal. Analytical. We must remember that Goddesses and the Divine are not always able to be fully comprehended by people… and we must remember that even when something bad happens.. that it might have been the lesser of two evils.

Hylia is known as the Goddess of Time, and I personally like to also equate her to being the Goddess of the Sun. Which is how people, mortals, tell the time of day. She has the ability to literally reverse time. As well as Seal- (crying as I just now realized I never made the Hylia and Demise post)-

BRIEF CUT-

IF WE GO TO JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY, one of the Goddess interpretations that Hylia is based off of was not originally a Goddess, she was tempered into a Goddess. Thus limiting her abilities. The being Demise is based off of is described as Other. Originally Hylia was also like that. Hylia was also Other. With the potential to become more powerful than the Gods and Goddesses the Golden Goddesses are based off of. In an interpretation of the story, the Omnipotent Goddesses didn’t want to potentially be overpowered by the Light Other, and thus tempered her growth into becoming the Sun Goddess. (I do not know if the Golden Goddesses in the Legend of Zelda are like that or not, just interesting historical facts and other tales. I also remember NONE of the names of anyone and I’d find the story if I had the chance but I currently do not)

(Does anyone want to talk about the fact that the primordial forms of the Goddesses are Dragons——)

ANYWAY- THAT SPIEL IS RELEVANT

Hylia is everything that the Light touches, she is Light itself, and Demise is everything else. Two sides of the same coin. Light against Darkness. Time against an omnipresent being.

NOW- Her mortal reincarnation. Sun… Sunlight

Sun is very stubborn! Stubborn and outwardly protective. Willing to throw hands with anyone and anything. Promise you. Promise you she’d be ready to throw hands with ANYONE for Sky. (Sky would do the same for her). She’s almost, if not outright, impatient. And I’m like 85% certain she might have a little bit of a temper. She has the capacity for jealousy (as seen with her wishing she had that same connection with her loftwing that Sky has). As well as extremely impulsive behaviors.

Sun is the mortal reincarnation of Hylia, the Goddess of Time (The Sun Goddess), who has Sight Beyond and has LAYER after LAYER of failsafes specifically to make sure Demise ends up Sealed away. Hylia, who was kind enough to make sure that her Chosen Hero was not without company. Hylia granted Fi. A friend for a journey who would be able to answer all of her Hero’s questions. The questions of someone who has not been on the Surface ever before. Who has never been in this kind of Danger before.

Failsafes.

Sun can absolutely cast low levels magic or something. Hylia would not be able to RISK something like that. Not after such meticulous planning.

However… What you certainly don’t want is a Baby with the ability for Divine Smite and/or to Seal. Which is why her powers were not fully unlocked until the events of Skyward Sword

That does not stop a baby from having a smile that almost lights up an entire room (metaphorically or literally is up to you). Or an otherworldly presence. It doesn’t stop her from dreaming of things that Babies, children, MORTALS should not know. It doesn’t stop her from having a connection with Loftwings- who are Divine Beings/Divine Guardians/Protectors that HYLIA blessed the Skyloftians with. Hylia left her people with blessings… And then her mortal self. Who has a heart who longs for Love, Justice, and Fairness.

The Loftwings listen to Sun. She has the Soul of their Goddess. Everyone on Skyloft knows her. Who wouldn’t recognize Divinity?

Who doesn’t want to bathe in Sunlight?

#out of the apple box #lil anon friends!! #lu martyr #So what I’m saying is- I’m saying that there’s potential that Sky didn’t kill a God. I’m SAYING SKY DEFEATED AND SEALED AWAY A BEING MORE #POWERFUL THAN HYLIA. POTENTIALLY MORE POWERFUL THAN HYLIA. TO THE POINT SHE GAVE UP HER GODDESS FORM TO BE MORTAL #AND I THINK SHE WANTED TO BE MORTAL SO *SHE* COULD USE *THE TRIFORCE* #Sorry this is probably not what you were expecting I just #I have… Thoughts. #ANYWAY HAHA THIS DOESN’T EVEN TOUCH THE FACT THAT SKY DEFEATING DEMISE WAS A FAILSAFE-

[lialox]

"I began to search for a way for a human to wield the Eternal Sword."

"So you can unite the worlds?"

"Yes."

I saw this scene again and was like--wait, doesn't that kind of imply that Kratos himself could use the Eternal Sword, without needing to release Origin's seal?

Makes me wonder why he was searching for a way for a human specifically to wield the Eternal Sword even before Lloyd was born. Assuming he needed to die release Origin's seal no matter what, which human had he planned to entrust this to?

#Why was it never explained WHY he became a seal #It doesn't seem like Origin and him are on bad terms either #In fact #Origin only gives them a second chance to make a pact AFTER Kratos steps in to ask him to listen to Lloyd #Could be a mistranslation #But this conversation implies that Kratos was searching for a way to unite both worlds himself #I wouldn't put it past him to conveniently leave out a method in which he doesn't become a martyr #Pushing responsibilities to Lloyd until the end #Unless #The human he wanted to entrust the Eternal Sword to was Anna #Because they were travelling together while he was searching for a way right #TLDR #Either Kratos can use the Eternal Sword himself with the eternal ring equipped OR #the Eternal Ring was made with the intent to pass on the Eternal Sword to a capable and trustworthy human #As far as we know the only human Kratos works with at that point in the timeline is his wife so its gotta be Anna #Kratos apparently successfully made it prior to Anna's death #its a personal headcanon that he made that ring to propose #cause why else would he destroy it because Anna died #till death do us part #“everything felt meaningless” - Kratos #kratos aurion #anna irving #tales of symphonia

[karryalane]

#God #Christ #Jesus #Salvation through Christ #Revelation #rapture #tribulation #end of the age #seven seals #fifth seal #martyrs of Christianity

[graceandpeacejoanne]

Revelation 6: The Fifth Seal

The martyrs were invited to refresh themselves during this intermission between their deaths and the coming of the end of time, when all will be judged and justice will be brought forth. #Revelation6 #FifthSeal #Martyrs

The Fifth Seal Then, when he opened the fifth seal, I beheld beneath the altar the souls of the ones having been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony they were holding. And they cried out in a great voice, saying, “Until how long, Lord, the Holy and Trustworthy, True One, are you not judging and avenging our blood out of the ones living upon the earth?” And it was…

View On WordPress

#blood of the martyrs #fifth seal #martyrs #Revelation 6 #revelation 6:9-11 #white robes

[katabay]

A SPY FOR A SPY

an informal AmRev sketch dump type of thing circling around some thoughts: Benjamin Tallmadge and the corpse of Nathan Hale (they never did recover Hale's corpse, so this is like. you know. symbolism. it's why Tallmadge isn't looking directly at the body, but oh something in you has changed. loss defines the outline, the shape. that body is going to be inside you forever), bad dreams with John Andre and something that looks like Nathan Hale, and the finally Tallmadge and Andre. they turned your friend into a martyr, Tallmadge, but before that, he was your friend, and that makes this personal.

there's a. triangle. happening between these three. a kind of ritual substitution. the absence of Hale's body demands a body in it's place, John Andre's fate was sealed the minute Nathan Hale died.

also, in the first one, Hale's feet are bound because that's my favorite awful detail from both the MacMonnies statue and the Pratt statue.

(MacMonnies)

(Pratt)

on the topic of Hale statues, what really fucks me up is that the MacMonnies rendition of Nathan Hale is. it's a hot statue. the posing suggests something almost provocative (in combination with the open collar of the shirt), but only because his arms have been tied behind him in a way that forces the position, so it turns vulnerable and voyeuristic. horrifying and delightful. I'm obsessed with it.

bsky ⭐ pixiv ⭐ pillowfort ⭐ cohost ⭐ cara ⭐ ko-fi

#amrev tag #god all i did when i lived in greater boston was go to historical reenactment sites on the weekends #if i hadn't moved because the cost of living was batshit i was planning on taking history classes to qualify #to apply for one of those reenactment societies lmao #benjamin tallmadge #john andre #nathan hale

[agirlwithimaan]

To the little boy who sat with the Quran in the middle of the rubble of his destroyed home.

To the father who raised his hands and praised Allah when he heard of his little son being martyred.

To the little boy who recited Quran while getting his wounds sealed.

To the women who sleep with their hijab on, incase they are killed in the middle of the night.

To the thousands of believers who show up to taraweeh prayer every single night.

Thank you for showing us what true imaan looks like.🇵🇸

[museofthepyre]

This is making me lose my mind, I need to dig into it. Forgive me if I’m not spot on with this, I’m no biblical scholar, I’m not even religious. I’m just autistic and had a hyperfixation on the Bible. So gather around, we’re having Bible study (CHNT spoilers… sort of).

I’m sure I don’t need to explain the significance of Jesus as a character in the Bible. Son of god, saviour of man, a martyr. What I’m interested in here is Elijah as Peter, and Jedidiah as Judas.

Elijah as Peter… has many implications of what may be to come? If we are to assume this metaphorical connection follows through the rest of the series. Because Peter in the Bible… he was one of the 12 apostles, he was also leader of the first Christian church. But before that, his story was… well, he betrayed Jesus. When Jesus was being arrested by the Romans, accused of being a traitor… Peter disowned Jesus. He said he did not know the traitor (“How could you!? You—you traitor! The ceremony, the congregants… how… I…”). He affirmed that three times. Upon the third time, he looked at Jesus and saw the hurt in his eyes- also a rooster crowed, which was prophesied to mark this betrayal. The look in Jesus’s eyes broke Peter’s heart, he realized what he’d done, ran away, and cried. Bitterly. Remorse and regret and realization of what he did. After the resurrection, he repented, and earned Jesus’s full forgiveness. He went on to lead the first church, and that became his life. His death came in the form of an upside-down crucifiction. His church was blamed for a fire which broke out in Rome, and he was executed- he insisted on being crucified upside down, as he felt unworthy of resembling Jesus in death. Remember this character is ELIJAH VOLKOV in this metaphor. Assuming the betrayal might be… the pyre? Then what comes next? Remorse arc, forgiveness arc? Ohshdhdhgs WHAT DO I MAKE OF THIS???

AND THEN JEDIDIAH AS JUDAS. MY FFFFUCKING GODDDDDD. Judas is another apostle, but he’s mostly known for his betrayal of Jesus- which ultimately lead to Jesus’s death. Judas disclosed his whereabouts to the people who would later crucify him (ordered by Pontius Pilate, at the time Roman governor) for 30 pieces of silver. He identified Jesus and sealed both their fates with a kiss. After the crucifixion- again, realizing what he’d done- Judas was overcome with so much remorse and regret that he hung himself. Thing is, all of this was prophesied/ predestined to be. There are varying opinions on what degree of choice Judas had- if all of this was fate, if it was all predestined, if he was a necessary part of this larger divine plan. The betrayal… I mean I think it’s obvious what that is in this Jedidiah metaphor. But what comes afterwards… ohhhh. Ohhh. My god. I have so many questions. ALSO IN ANOTHER STATEMENT MAYFIELD SAID JEDIDIAH IS MORESO GOD IN A WAY??? AND SYDNEYS STILL JESUS???? I thought Lucille would for sure parallel Pontius Pilate but then HE SAID MOTHER MARY and I’m. What

Adam as Satan requires little analysis… unless. I mean Lucifer was the most beautiful angel in God’s eyes… before he fell from grace.. Something something “Adam looks like Jedidiah but only sometimes” something something “once the most beautiful angel” something something.

Anyways. Thus concludes today’s episode of me rambling I have no clue what to make of any of this. I usually have more concluding thoughts, this time I’m just staring and shaking uncontrolably.

#camp here and there #chnt #camp here & there #ch&t #sydney sargent #sydney o sargent #elijah volkov #jedidiah a a martin #jedidiah martin #tem chnt

[dragonzzilla]

Tears of the Kingdom's underwhelming narrative had rich potential

I'll preface this with a confession: I have not played Tears of the Kingdom. As a matter of fact, I haven't played any Legend of Zelda. I simply never had the opportunity while growing up, so my interest in the series has always been satellite. As such, I do not have the perspective of someone who has. My opinions are formulated entirely in what little I have seen or sought out. I'm coming at this with the perspective of an outsider looking in. But I'm not looking for a fight. My aim isn't to bash the new hotness out of jealous spite, or to convince people to feel bad about liking this game that, I've otherwise heard, is really fun. The reason I care, even though I'm not a part of the fandom, is that we all deserved better.

This is a much anticipated sequel to a smash hit from one of the biggest names in the industry, sold at a whopping $70—and having watched for free a YouTube compilation of all the cutscenes pertaining to Ganondorf, the much advertised central antagonist of TOTK, I felt robbed. This was my legitimate reaction:

Disregarding all my other feelings for a moment, I was dumbstruck to see a Nintendo game—released in our year of 2023—use what is essentially the same cutscene four times while explaining the backstory. I recognize TOTK has modular progression, allowing you to reach the Sages in whatever order you please. But once you've seen the first one, the other three will offer you no more valuable information. I'm willing to stretch my suspension of disbelief pretty far, yet even I recognized on first viewing how formulaic the Sage cutscenes are. It wrenched me out of the story.* Hearing different perspectives about the same events can and should be interesting, but the Sages relating these events barely qualify as characters—possessing neither names nor even faces, thanks to their uniform masks of Zonai design...

* I'll acknowledge: Within universe, there is reason enough for the Sages to repeat what is essentially the same story to their respective successors to apprise them of the situation. I can certainly see Link having to sit through the same spiel several times so everyone is on the same page. But it felt really unnecessary as a member of the audience. And unlike their BOTW counterparts, the Four Champions, the Sages don't stick around long enough to endear themselves any further, instead passing their abilities and function onto their successors.

… Which, I feel, represents the Ancient Past Storyline as a whole. Despite the number of bodies involved, no one felt alive. Queen Sonia—this continuity's founding mother of Hyrule, where divine power is explicitly matrilineal—amounts to nothing more than meat for the fridge to motivate the real star of the show, Rauru. Everyone else, including Zelda and the other Sages, are merely bit players in the conflict between him and Ganondorf. But it's a conflict without teeth. Ganondorf displays nothing but a mad, naked lust for power. Opposing him is Rauru, the quintessential Good King and benevolent god figure who would never abuse his power, but would sacrifice it all to seal away the evil invader who killed his beloved martyr-wife. There is no interrogation of the 'gentle' imperialism Rauru represents. His way is textually presented as the only righteous way. The world of this continuity revolves around his legacy and its preservation; anything else is not merely deviant, but indicative of evil. Only someone with the blackest of hearts would oppose this order. The narrative requires Ganondorf to be nothing less than the epitome of evil.

Which is… really disappointing, to say the least. Because I happen to like Ganondorf. His character and his place in the mythos have always been the forefront of my interest in the series; forget Link or Zelda. Naturally, I was drawn in by TOTK's marketing about Ganondorf's return as a human antagonist after a 17 year long hiatus. Given how much of a reinvention BOTW was for the series as a whole, I was disappointed back in 2017 to learn that Ganondorf existed only as a mindless force of primordial evil. "How lame," I thought, "but I guess it's not really Ganondorf." Calamity Ganon was just that: Ganon. And Ganon's always a full-blown monster, divorced from any nuance possessed by his OOT, WW, and TP selves. Then the first teaser for TOTK dropped, placing Ganondorf the man (if a little worse for wear) front and center. Intrigued, I enjoyed the explosion of enthusiastic fan art that followed, as well as the speculation regarding the role he would play. Surely, he would be more than a one-note villain! My expectations rose as Nintendo revealed more about him. His new design didn't immediately scream Dark Lord; and in his first speaking role, he draws attention to the fact that he has returned (within universe and meta-wise) and he has a vision for the world. I couldn't want to see the final product! Yet here we are.

It's a strange thing to fixate upon, when I don't have any skin in this game. But I'm passionate about storytelling. I enjoy rich narratives with nuanced characters, and I respect those that fully commit to the ideas they present... whereas stories that try to have their cake and eat it too, well, those pique my interest as well. Whenever I see untapped potential, my writer's mind cannot help but ponder the age-old question of "What if?" And I intend to do just that, in the cut below (this rant is long enough as it is).

Of course, no amount of brainstorming can change the reality of a product. A ship's structural flaws only become apparent once it's left port, but there's no recalling it then. Nonetheless, there is value in the discussion. We should always critically analyze what corporations give us, desiccating their products to discern the messages (whether intentional or not) contained within—especially when the product is aimed toward a young audience that might not have the cognitive tools to decipher those messages for themselves. Even if we cannot affect change in a monolithic company like Nintendo, we can still draw lessons from their missteps to improve our own writing.

If I have such grievances with TOTK's story, why bother with a rewrite? Because:

Playing within the limits of another's sandbox can help to build creative muscle.

I believe TOTK has all the right ingredients for a compelling story, if this new series wasn't so afraid to challenge its narrative roots the way it has its gameplay.

A few more things to note: I am not a professional writer, nor am I a veteran of the series. I'm working strictly with what TOTK brings to the table. I'll make no efforts to reconcile the continuity errors between BOTW and TOTK (though it deserves mentioning), or even attempt to fit this in a single cohesive timeline with the rest of the franchise. I am not that brave lol. What I propose below is simply how I would use these toys; YMMV. I hope this inspires discussion more so than congratulation or wordless agreement (though my ego will accept compliments all the same, especially since it took no small amount of spoons to organize my thoughts like this). As Ganondorf says:

A Modest Rewrite of TOTK's Ancient Past Storyline

Zelda is still flung to the past, but she awakens not to a picturesque golden age under the magnanimous rule of an infallible demigod. Instead, sadly reminiscent of her own age, the land lays in ruin, in the immediate aftermath of its own calamity. But this isn't the fault of Ganon. The blame lies solely with the Zonai.

The Zonai were understandably viewed as gods. A people who live up in the sky on floating islands, in possession of miraculous technology (including killer robots to protect their interests!), and magical artifacts that in the wrong hands can unleash cataclysmic power? A civilization as powerful as theirs doesn't suddenly end without a very good reason. Yet as far as I know, no explanation is provided as to why Rauru and Mineru are seemingly the last of the Zonai. No mention is made of a rival power that could've taken them down; certainly none of the terrestrial races. Remember, the Zonai were seen as gods. If you were to ask me? A civilization with that great of a power at their disposal, and apparently so much of it that Rauru has four more Stones (not including his own, Sonia's, or Mineru's) to pass out as he sees fit... can only destroy itself.*

* I know the Zonai are depicted in text as a purely enlightened and benevolent race... but as far back in the franchise as OOT (which TOTK draws a lot from), not even Hyrule—the standard by which all civilization in LOZ is judged—was above a civil war, orphaning Link. War Within LOZ clearly isn't waged solely against primal forces of evil that can, must, and should be destroyed. And that's good! A story is made richer when even the Designated Good Guys can fuck things up, when characters are allowed to contain multitudes—good and bad qualities!

Power does not defuse conflict. It only escalates the scope of destruction once it's unleashed. So, for whatever reasons the Zonai gave themselves then clung to, they started fighting each other. Using their flying machines and automatons, battles were fought upon and between their sky islands, the detritus of war raining down on the lands below—the inhabitants of which can do nothing but watch as a war rages in heaven—until finally the full power of the Stones is unleashed in an exchange that guarantees mutual destruction. The sky islands all plummet to the earth, wreaking mass destruction. This is the world Zelda finds herself in—where the land has been cracked wide open, the skies are choked with dust, and no one gets along... so unlike the world she knows.

Zelda still comes into the care of Rauru and Sonia, but Rauru is merely Sonia's consort—he holds no power as king. It's evident from the start that Sonia is steering the direction of Hyrule—a humble territory in this age—in this tumultuous time, although Rauru is backing her. It's thanks to Sonia that Rauru and Mineru survived the fall of their sky island, brought back from the brink of death. It was during this time that Rauru fell in love with her; and to repay her, Rauru revealed that, between himself and Mineru, they have three intact Stones (a small homage to the Triforce since it doesn't matter in this continuity) with which they can secure Hyrule's place in this brave new world. Importantly, this isn't portrayed as any more righteous than a nation acquiring a clear advantage over its rivals. Indeed, Zelda's thrown for a loop to learn that in this era, the other races like the Gorons and the Zora aren't merely independent from Hyrule but have a history of conflict—something she never learned in her history books. And tensions are only rising, as these rival nations find Stones of their own after much scavenging, shifting an already fraught balance of power. The gods are dead, their empire shattered—yet slivers of their strength remain, for those daring enough to claim them. By using one of these Stones, a tribe could secure its borders, reclaim ancestral land... or conquer new territory. This is where Ganondorf enters the picture.

This Ganondorf is still a villain, but there's room for nuance. He's ruthless and prideful, and certainly antagonistic toward Hyrule; but the narrative respects him as much as his fellow monarchs. He cares about the success of his people, because his entire identity is shaped around being their king. Remember that a male is born to the Gerudo only once in a hundred years. Ganondorf is but the latest in a lineage of kings, with the heavy burden of expectation that carries—he has a legacy to uphold or surpass if he can help it. And ever since he was a boy, he envied the easy lives and green lands of Hyrule, so as a man he has made it his personal ambition to conquer it... but at every turn, he has met his match in Sonia, who is every bit as skilled of a commander and a magician. The two of them have clashed so many times that they've become the most intimate of enemies, hard pressed to hate each other because they both know what's at stake. For years, they've been evenly matched... but the downfall of the Zonai changed everything. In spite of the Gerudo's best efforts, they haven't been able to find a single Stone to make up for the fact that the crash of their local sky islands kicked up terrible sandstorms and drove monsters from their usual habitats. The Gerudo are more desperate than ever. Then Ganondorf learns that his oldest enemy is housing two living Zonai underneath her roof, and has a total of four Stones at her disposal. He cannot battle Hyrule as before, lest he risk annihilation—if not by Sonia's hands, then another tribe that is more willing to coup de grâce a decimated competitor, or they might perish to monsters, or the desert might finally claim them, the dunes swallowing up their bones and burying their accomplishments. He could bend the knee—throw himself at Sonia's feet and hope for the best, sacrificing Gerudo independence to share in Hyrule's bounty. But his pride will never allow that.

He grew up in the shadow of detached gods, was raised on tales of how they were the ultimate arbiters of truth and value—almighty in their judgment and unassailable—and he saw for himself that they would only ever come down to earth to indulge their curiosity about the quaint groundfolk or harvest what their sky islands could not provide, most notably Zonaite (of course they named it after themselves...) to fuel their miraculous machines, the secrets of which they refused to share with anyone 'because they weren't ready' and would in fact use those same machines to keep the groundfolk from overreaching. Ganondorf is the first king in generations to glimpse a sky—and a future—uncontrolled by the Zonai. Though he was raised to be a king, the very definition of absolute power and privilege, only now is he truly beholden to no one. Finally, he is free to shape his own destiny. And he's not about to relinquish that freedom on account of his dearest enemy getting in bed with a fallen demigod—no, not a god... the Zonai's civil war proved they are not infallible. Without their technology, without their precious Stones, they're flesh and blood, the same as anyone else. Mortal. And what is a man to a king?

Despite the bad blood between them, and the generations of strife between their peoples, Ganondorf is able to convince Sonia that he is willing to bury the hatchet for the sake of his people, that his desire to enter the protective embrace of her kingdom, given the dangerous new world they find themselves in, is genuine. His true intentions are not so painfully transparent, but still Zelda does not trust him. She can't stop wondering how this man becomes the source of the Gloom in her era, even if the hateful creature she encountered in the depths below Hyrule Castle hardly seemed human at all. But she cannot act on a suspicion of duplicity due to future events. So for Ganondorf's entire stint in Sonia's court, Zelda tries to weasel out the truth—and in so doing, builds a relationship with the future Demon King. Once Ganondorf catches on to the fact that Zelda sees right through him, it becomes a game of 4D chess. Who is this girl, a member of Sonia's court that he has never heard before yet is trusted enough to bear a Stone, and why is she so certain of his true motives? He's smart enough to suss out that it isn't simple bigotry. It's a fine line Zelda must walk, because she has a secret of her own—she hasn't told anyone that she's from the future, out of a rational fear of disrupting the past and changing history (but at the same time, she can't abide doing nothing, and these interests war within her).

Despite Zelda's best efforts, Ganondorf succeeds in his plot. In a single stroke, he eliminates an old enemy, deprives her nation of its leader and a Stone, and finally secures a Stone for the Gerudo. But claiming the Stone doesn't immediately transform him into an Almighty Demon King. The surge of power is great, but not so much that he's willing to engage three other Stone bearers—two of which are Zonai who of course have experience using them—so he wisely retreats, though not before telling Rauru: "No point in crying over this one. She's not the first victim of your arrogance. And we both know she won't be the last." He's made powerful enemies, but it's a battle he can fight on another day, and at least now he's on equal footing with the other factions and can take their Stones until he can finally conquer Hyrule. But Ganondorf severely underestimates the lengths Rauru will go for revenge. In killing Sonia, before Rauru's very eyes no less, he has made another enemy for life (and beyond).

Understand that Rauru survived the destruction of his people and their way of life. That's traumatic enough. But now, the person who saved his life, and gave it new meaning, is dead. Murdered. By someone he had come to trust. Because he put a target around her neck. He should have seen this coming, he should have listened to Zelda, perhaps then he could have stopped this. But it's far too late now. Before, he was content to merely support and serve—a just penance, he believed, for his small part in breaking the world. Now, he has a new purpose: To secure Sonia's legacy by any means necessary. He binds his fate to Hyrule, which will never be safe so long as Ganondorf lives. This isn't a wise and beneficent King of Light opposing a terrible darkness, but a grieving widower—who's also a skyborn demigod that just lost his one earthly tie.

After taking command as regent, Rauru does not invite the other races to a grand alliance; he brings them to heel through force. It's not enough for Rauru to immediately counterattack Ganondorf. He wants to destroy him, and what better way than to turn the whole world against him? Additionally, by consolidating the power of the Stones onto his side, he denies Ganondorf the opportunity to pick them off one by one. Zelda is witnessing history, the birth of Hyrule as she knows it, but there's nothing noble about it. It's simple imperialism, and she has to grapple with the fact that she's a beneficiary of it. If the peoples of Hyrule were united through bloodshed, does this invalidate the friendships she's made among those peoples in her present? She's confronted with deep questions which possess no easy answers.

Meanwhile, Ganondorf hasn't been sitting on his laurels. He sees Rauru is stacking the deck against him, such that even the Stone's power won't be enough to win the coming war. The Gerudo are outnumbered and outgunned. So Ganondorf turns to darker magics, begins to press monsters into service, etc. His search for ever greater power takes him into the Depths, where he finds a dangerous substance called Gloom. According to legend, it is the ichor of a demon god who was struck down long ago and sealed away in the bowels of the earth. It drains the life-force of whoever touches it, that much is certain... but Ganondorf reckons it is possible to access this stolen vitality to perform feats of magic hitherto thought impossible. Through his mastery of dark magic, amplified by the Stone, he is able to harness the Gloom. First he tests it upon monsters... then dissidents, those reluctant to oppose Rauru's growing army. He makes examples of them, siphoning away their life-force to show those who will not fight will still serve their king. But this barbarous act only creates more dissent among the Gerudo. Tradition appointed Ganondorf as king, but that doesn't mean they have to stomach his tyranny. Even if he manages to win this war, this new power could allow him to reign forever, and he just demonstrated how little their individual lives mean to him. Worried for the future of their people, Ganondorf's second-in-command, Nabooru, sells him out in exchange for clemency, enabling Rauru and his Sages to capture him. Instead of slaying him on the spot, Rauru declares his intention to haul him back to Hyrule for a public execution in Sonia's name. Nabooru insists on coming along; if the King of the Gerudo is to die on foreign soil, then one of his own should observe his passing.

Ganondorf doesn't respond well to this betrayal. After everything he sacrificed, they would still rather roll over and show their bellies—surrender their freedom and pride—to a foreign lord. Who are these people, to abandon the courage of their ancestors? These are not his Gerudo. Ganondorf disowns them, swearing vengeance upon these cowards even as he is taken away in chains. The journey back to Hyrule gives him time to brood on his destiny. He was born to be a king, yet the place of his birth has forsaken him while the rest of the world wants him dead. Most people would crumble, succumb to despair. But his pride will never allow that. He will keep fighting, like he always has. He will crush any opposition, even if it's the people who gave him birth. He will rule, even if he must reign as king of the undesired. There's a saying: 'The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.' And Rauru has blazed oh so fiercely. To oppose him, Ganondorf must become nothing less than the King of Shadow.

At the moment of his execution, he draws upon the Gloom to transcend his mortal limits, finally becoming the Demon King. In this form, he's able to battle all seven of the Sages, but he's still not almighty. In theory, Rauru is able to slay him... but he chooses not to. Imprisoning Ganondorf isn't done as a last resort; Rauru wants him to suffer. "Killing you would be far too kind. I will make you wish you could die. You won't. I will hold you here. We will build our kingdom over the lands you tried to burn and pillage. And you will rot here, trapped in this moment, long after you have faded from its memory." And he sincerely believes that he'll be able to contain Ganondorf for all time—because he was able to ascertain that Zelda is from the future, after examining her Stone (his Stone, as it turns out) and piecing together her strange accent and unusual notions, even though she has the pointed ears of a Hylian. He doesn't understand the power, but he does take it as proof positive that his victory is guaranteed and Hyrule exists well into the future... without ever learning the whole truth of it. Rauru is directly responsible for the cycle of Calamity Ganon, as Ganondorf's resent and hatred transformed the Gloom into Malice.

Rauru's pride is an actual flaw, one that is fully explored in the modern day. Just like Ganondorf says, thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye; Rauru hasn't had any time to process his rage. He only saves Link to make him a vehicle for his revenge; sticking around past the tutorial as Link's spectral companion, constantly pushing him to ignore all distractions to destroy Ganondorf ASAP, yet unable to control him directly. In staying with Link, Rauru learns of his legacy; that he created a lasting kingdom, but harmed future generations by inadvertently creating Calamity Ganon—Ganondorf's disembodied anguish and hate, nursed over thousands of years. His selfish decisions created more harm than Ganondorf could have in a single lifetime. Just as the Zonai destroyed the world once before, Rauru managed to destroy it again and again. Hyrule no longer even exists as a kingdom, destroyed by Calamity Ganon 100 years prior. Yet Link continues to fight—not for himself, but to protect and help those he cares about as well as perfect strangers. Rauru gives a touch of the divine to Link, and in return Link reintroduces Rauru to humanity.

In contrast: Ganondorf broods in the Depths, alone. Although he still has a corporeal form, he's just as much of a ghost as Rauru is. He's more isolated than ever, having awakened to a strange world where nothing is as he remembers it. The geography is different, the flora and fauna is different, the people are different. Especially the Gerudo. They don't remember him as ever having been a person at all, believing the monster of their legends merely adopted the form of a Gerudo. But that doesn't sting as much as how tame they've become in his absence. These Gerudo have no fangs; they're fully in bed with Hyrule in every sense of the word, and it disgusts him. Nothing in this world is right. Everyone has forgotten their pride and their history; no one remembers a time when Hyrule wasn't be-all and end-all. Unable to accept this future, he terraforms Hyrule in the image of what it used to be, so it might become a crucible once more. The strong will adapt and survive, while the weak rightfully perish. He will create a world that rewards might and daring above all else.

Ganondorf is none too pleased to learn Link is running around with the arm of the man who sealed him for millennia, and assumes that he has become Rauru's puppet (even more hand symbolism)... but that's a key difference between Ganondorf and Rauru. Link essentially drags Rauru through character development, rekindling a sense of humanity within him. Ganondorf has no one to break him out of his rut. His only company down in the Depths are monsters and the Yiga Clan, who revere him as the source of Calamity Ganon—for his power and opposition of Hyrulian supremacy—but do not see him as person, a king in need of counsel. Ganondorf is more alone than ever, but he refuses to address this. To despair is to admit that the world has power over you, and he is the single strongest being in the world. Gods do not weep. And in that final confrontation, Rauru addresses Ganondorf: They're both ghosts of the past, stubbornly trying to shape the future to their liking; but the present belongs to the living. They both need to let go. But Ganondorf's pride will never allow that. To admit defeat is to admit someone has power over him, and he cannot allow it. It becomes clear to him that the only option left to him is to not play at all.

He swallows his Stone and becomes a dragon, but this doesn't lead to another boss fight (to compensate, the third phase would be a more classical Ganon fight; a friend suggested the name of "Scourge of Hyrule—Apocalypse Ganon"). Instead, in line with what was established earlier—that to become a dragon is to lose yourself to the process—Ganondorf ascends to the sky... and bears no more malice toward Link or Hyrule. He becomes the ultimate in power—immortal and at last truly divine—at the cost of his ego. He's still dangerous since he radiates Gloom, but he doesn't attack, just like the other dragons: an idiot god. He returns to the Depths out of instinctual comfort, but will occasionally surface and usher in a Blood Moon. And like the other dragons, you can harvest rare materials from him to make the best Gloom weapons or whatever. + Leaving Ganondorf in this state leaves a door open for fanatics to try and restore him in a sequel.

So, that's all I got

There's a lot of things I didn't address. Like whether the line of succession was broken with Sonia's death (so is Zelda descended from a relative of hers?), what sort of characters the Sages should be, or what Zelda does after Ganondorf is sealed away by Rauru (I'm personally not comfortable with her waltzing up to the Sages and in a stable time loop binding all the races to Hyrule), how weird the Draconification plot point is (and how Zelda is restored to her human form by Good Ending ghost magic), how Zelda is restored in this version (sequel hook same with Ganon?), how disconnected I feel Link is to the Ancient Past storyline as a whole, whether my version of Ganondorf actually ever learned about him, I didn't really dive into the aforementioned imperialist message in TOTK (others have already done so better than I), etc. Thing is, I'm not a professional writer. I do it for the love of it, and that's what this is. A messy labor of misplaced love for a franchise I've never played, all because I was upset they didn't treat my blorbo the way I like. You know how it goes. My brain didn't know when to let go, but at least now it's out there and not rattling around solely in my noggin, making an awful racket. Maybe now I can work on other things. If you've made it this far, cheers.

#legend of zelda #my writing #tears of the kingdom #tears of the kindom spoilers #rewrite #posting this now even if it could use another pass or two #kinda exhausted with the whole thing at this point #it's taken a lot of spoons over many days #ganondorf #rauru #zelda

[melrosing]

how do you see an AU where Joanna survives and her relationships with her children?

been thinking about this ask whilst eating spaghetti

I think it's a mess with all three. first of all, supposing Joanna survives Tyrion's birth, she also survives to seal the deal with the Princess of Dorne in sending one of the twins off to Sunspear to be betrothed.

and whilst I kind of like 'jam growing up in Dorne' aus, I do think it would most likely be Cersei who gets shipped off. that's namely because in taking Cersei, the PoD reserves Elia for marriage to Rhaegar (I'm sure she was biding her time for that), and in the same fell swoop removes Cersei as her competition (Cers would probably have ranked quite highly before Tywin and Aerys' falling out).

obvs Joanna would be conscious of that calculation on the PoD's part, but 1) she may not necessarily have had the same ambitions for Cersei as Tywin did, and 2) at this particular point Joanna probably needs the betrothal of one of her children to a Martell more than PoD does; she wants the twins separated, but they're still very young at this stage so she would want them in safe hands - and she was once close to the PoD, possibly saw her as an elder sister/mentor figure of her own. so a Martell betrothal is the safest way she can do this, and Cersei would be the one the PoD would offer to take I reckon

so Cersei is forced out of her home at a young age, and I think that could be pretty interesting in terms of Tywin and Joanna's marriage for one thing. like, I assume Tywin would resent two women going behind his back to betrothe his daughter when he expressly had plans to give her to Rhaegar. is he able to put a stop to it?? I think Joanna would insist on it, but that would cause a bit of a rift because Joanna isn't explaining WHY and maybe it's the first time he feels she's crossed a line in her role as his wife.

I ALSO think that if Joanna were to survive Tyrion's birth, some part of Tywin would blame his son's disability on Joanna. in killing Jo, Tyrion martyrs her, but if she survived then it's like she's somehow responsible in Tywin's fucked up mind. bc I don't think he could fathom having had anything to do with his son's conception himself if the son wasn't what he'd wanted. so generally yes I see their relationship being worse and probably more distant with fewer visits from KL.

ANYWAY I digress but thinking about where this situ leaves Joanna and her relationship w her kids!!

JAIME starting with Jaime cos I think this would, relatively speaking, be the most straightforward. I think of the Lannister siblings, all the key Lannisters generally find Jaime the easiest to love and I don't think Joanna would be an exception. I think she's absolutely the kind of mother who would love her sons better, because as a woman she doesn't take such a complicated and visceral view of them as she does her daughter.

HOWEVER she would of course recall what happened between Jaime and Cersei. and I think she would low-key blame Cersei. I think Cersei, whilst charming in her own way, was no doubt a kid who could be angry and sour and difficult to handle, whilst Jaime sounds comparably quite affable and easygoing. so the first fucked up thing Cersei and Joanna's relationship is that Jo decides Cersei is the one who came up with the 'game' so that she can mentally forgive Jaime, because it's easier than reckoning with her son being less than perfect.

and I think the result with Jaime is that he resents Joanna deeply for sending Cersei away, and he dislikes that she keeps trying to acquit him of what they were both doing, and consequently distances himself from her. I imagine them as close before that, so this hits Joanna hard and she turns that resentment on Cers, again making their relationship worse.

possibly the relationship between them heals a little as Jaime grows matures and maybe realises how upset Joanna must have been at the time, but I think he is always angry for what she did to Cersei and doesn't forgive her that.

CERSEI I imagine Cersei stays in Dorne till she's maybe 12-13, and then maybe is made lady in waiting to Elia in King's Landing. and I think she spends the whole time hating Joanna. like I kind of doubt that Oberyn and Cersei would like each other much, and Cersei would always remember she was supposed to be Rhaegar's Queen, and Dorne sucks etc and where's Jaime, and also just like imagine how traumatic to be seven and sent away to some strange place for doing something you didn't even really understand was wrong. of course she'd hate Joanna

I think she only comes home to the Rock intermittently from Dorne, and Joanna is subtly antagonistic to her every time in case Cersei 'corrupts' her son again + Cersei is probably antagonistic in return because Joanna is the one who ruined everything, so it's all fucked. Joanna probably still tries to temper her daughter into the lady she thinks she should be, and Cersei is just not having it. it's awful

TYRION I feel like there's two Schools of Thought (lmao) on how Joanna and Tyrion's relationship would be: one where Joanna dislikes her son but is just more tactful about it than Tywin, and one where they're actually close and Joanna fancies him a bit of a mini-me.

I think it could be BOTH. I think Joanna, who no doubt cares a great deal about her public image and is still v much a Lannister who somehow had it in her to love a man like Tywin (to whatever degree she did), would be disturbed at having birthed a disabled child and would never quite shake that. it would haunt her forever.

BUT Tyrion is smart and funny and desperately wants to love her and be loved by her, and I think she would respond to that with a love of her own. I think she'd try to raise him up beyond what everyone else thought of him, and there'd be a lot of whispering in one another's ears. but she can't raise him up beyond what she, deep down, thinks of him, and that's a bitter truth in their relationship all Tyrion's life. I think she punishes him more harshly than she would Jaime, and is less willing to tolerate any shortcoming in Tyrion - he has to be better in every sense he can be. so there are darker periods in their relationship with Joanna is crueler to Tyrion, and it utterly fucks with his head because he knows how warm she can be when she chooses to be and he doesn't know how to win her love back, it's just like one day she warms again and things are nice once more but he always fears her turning cold again

and I think a big part of this is Tywin blaming Joanna for Tyrion - I think she'd find that hideously unfair, but perhaps also believe it a little.

ANYWAY long post and this is a huge amount of conjecture but long story short I think Joanna is fucked too

#ask #asoiaf #joanna lannister #cersei lannister #jaime lannister #tyrion lannister #long post

[poisonoyous]

The way that Lottie wanted so bad to be the martyr but it was always going to be Nat. Both their fates were sealed a long time ago and it didn’t matter how badly Lottie wished otherwise. The woods chose Lottie to be the saint, and it didn’t matter how much she wanted to die. The woods chose Nat as a martyr, and it didn’t matter how well she provided.

#Yellowjackets #lottienat #it was going to be Nat it was always going to be Nat #I’m unwell

[charismat1c-megafauna]

Crying screaming going insane over the fact that even if you THINK Hickey deserves the thirty lashes (or the twenty-three that he actually receives), it's still a difficult order to justify (even though Hickey was objectively in the wrong, although unfortunately it's not a massive leap in logic for your average white British sailor in the 1840s) because it's fundamentally part of Crozier's arc regarding alcoholism bringing out the worst in him. Sure, he comes to Silna's aid, but in the next episode, he wants to throw her out and abandon her, and even punishes his good friend for rightfully standing against him! It's a careless act of anger and cruelty that costs Blanky his leg, and ultimately his life (or at least, what might have remained had he not gotten gangrene). Ultimately, its the catalyst for Crozier's sobriety, his moment of "oh god I REALLY fucked up," and he's a better man for it, but it comes at the cost of his friend's life and Silna's safety.

Back to Hickey. I think we tend to let this moment slide because we know Hickey is a terrible person who does terrible things and we want to see him suffer, but Crozier continuing to up the ante as Hickey keeps talking is downright petty. The addition that Hickey be lashed as a boy is pretty needlessly cruel. And it leads to the moment where Hickey goes from a reactive nuiscance to an active threat. His homoerotic joker origin story. It's a moment where, like the Blanky situation, Crozier creates a future problem for himself.

It's a hard scene to watch (and the performances are incredible), and in that scene, it's kind of easy to see how mistrust of Crozier could breed in this environment. Flogging for an offense is terrible, but it's also expected. Hickey's flogging kind of pushes a lot of boundaries as to what is acceptable punishment or senseless cruelty, and we see different characters struggle with this. Crozier didn't just make an enemy of someone who previously wanted to be on his good side, he also created a martyr. It's just one of those things where nobody could have forseen the consequences down the road.

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love this scene and the way it furthers Crozier and Hickey's respective arcs and their dynamics with each other, but I think we can safely say Crozier acted from a place of malice, and it's just one of a few pretty fucked up things he's done, but we want to brush it off because Hickey is an acceptable target even though what happens to him is objectively pretty terrible.

I heard it said that flogging makes good men bad and bad men worse. There was no way Hickey was gonna come out of this normal, and in that instant, it's like fate was sealed. Crozier would never be able to be anything but a mortal enemy in Hickey's mind after that.

I love that this is a moment when Crozier crosses the line. I love that it seems to be more about taking out his feelings than serving a just punishment. I love the constant glances from Hickey and Fitzjames. And I love that this behavior escalates to Crozier going past the point of no return, leaving Blanky to the mercy of the elements and the Tuunbaq and abandoning Silna, and it's a huge moment of reckoning for him! He doubles back! He realizes he fucked up and he tries to change, and in some ways it's too late, but he still commits himself to changing for the better even if it kills him. Which. The DTs could have very easily killed him. It's just as much of a transformation for Crozier as the flogging was for Hickey.

It's so neat. These two men having these massive transformations involving deep personal suffering, and in Crozier's case, Hickey is a footnote, and in Hickey's case, Crozier is the cruel hand of God.

Or somwthing idk I'm like really sick and the nyquil hit.

Anyway I'm not going to bat for Hickey and saying he was right but I think we need to bear in mind that he's a sewer in the sense that he is the sum total of the society he came from and everything that was put into him- love and hate and betrayal and cruelty and everhrhjngi- and in the end, he is colonialism taken to its logical extreme. He's gonna fight God and then become God because he is Special (and Britain is going to conquer the passage and thus control the world because they have the power of God and anime- I mean uhhh they're doing it for queen and country so they are totally right and correct for trying to exploit a sea route for spice, right 🙄). Except he gets torn apart because nature doesn't give a shit.

Idk. Hickey gradually becomes warped into everything Wrong with the Franklin Expedition from the outset, and Crozier isn't a perfect saint who is right all the time and that's why I love this show. I'm gonna go to sleep now.

#terrorposting #amc the terror #the terror amc #cornelius hickey #francis crozier #somebody insert that iasip meme of charlie in front of the corkboard #i love hickey because he has limitless ambition but is also a huge dumbass and the fact that #his only redeeming quality is that hes in love with a guy who divorced him and he wants to be someones pet so bad #adam nagaitis i am cupping your face begging for your notes #the mans takes are chefs kiss and i like that hickey isnt senselessly evil from the outset hes just a scrapper who #got fucked over too many times and decided to make some bad decisions #and i love crozier because he is flawed!!! hes complicated and messy and hurtful and raw!!! #and his transformation is incredible!!! goddamn!!!

[dystopicjumpsuit]

Stars Beyond Number - Chapter 8

In the Wind's Singing

Rating: M - Minors DNI

Pairings: Echo x Riyo Chuchi; Gregor x OFC Cerra Kilian

Wordcount: 2.6k

Warnings and tags: fluff; bonding; discussions of autopsy/corpses; Coca-Cola is canon in Star Wars; no, I'm not joking; SMUT; masturbation

Suggested Listening:

Summary: The strike team returns from scouting Balmorra.

A/N: This story shares continuity with Martyrs and Kings and "Do It Again," but all three fics can be read as stand-alones.

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Voices are in the wind's singing

More distant and more solemn than a fading star.

—T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”

The hologram flickered off, and Rex stared thoughtfully at the empty space where it had projected. Slowly, he said, “I want you to start looking into the clone assassin’s identifying code. Find out how it was wiped, and see if you can replicate the process.”

Cerra  wrinkled her nose. “Does that mean I’m going to have to dissect his arm?”

“That’s for you to find out. I know you’ll do whatever it takes,” Rex said. “In the meantime, I’m grounding you for a few days. No sparring, no supply runs, no missions until your hand is healed.”

She felt a surge of impatience, but his tone brooked no argument, so she simply nodded. Some battles were simply not worth fighting, and she knew Rex would win this one anyway. 

“I need to leave this afternoon to meet with a contact,” Rex continued. “Will you be all right alone?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Hand isn’t that bad.”

“Good,” he said. “Then you can get started on that ID code today.”

“Aye, aye, Cap,” she said with a mock salute.

Once Rex was gone, Cerra opened the stasis pod and examined the dead clone assassin’s forearm. Unlike the inhibitor chips, the identifying codes were not an implant; instead, the data was coded directly into the clones’ wrists. Nothing on the surface indicated how the ID data had been wiped. There was no scar, no wound—nothing except cold, smooth, brown skin. When she scanned it, a hologram appeared, but the contents were empty. She had a sinking feeling that she was going to need to remove the skin and examine it under a microscope to learn more.

Mechanical repairs were no problem for Cerra, but she was wildly unqualified to undertake any kind of medical examination, let alone an autopsy. For the thousandth time, she wished Kix were there. She worried that she would compromise the evidence, and the longer she had the stasis pod open, the more the clone assassin’s body would degrade. With that in mind, she sealed the pod again and began researching autopsy techniques on the Holonet. She watched autopsy vids for what felt like hours with a kind of gruesome fascination, barely noticing when the proximity sensor alerted her that the freighter had returned.

Echo, Fireball, and Gregor entered the garage to find Cerra sitting cross-legged on the couch, utterly engrossed by a vid projected from the holotable as she ate from a promising-looking container. Echo’s stomach rumbled.

“Boys,” she greeted them without looking up.

“Something smells good,” Echo said.

“I got takeout from Dex’s,” she said. “There’s more in the kitchen.”

“Is that brualki brisket?” Gregor asked.

“Yeah, I got extra for you,” she said. “There’s also brakkenback stew, nerfburgers, and two orders of each kind of protato on the menu.”

A woman of taste, Echo thought, heading to the kitchen to examine the options.

“Ugh, what are you watching?” Fireball demanded.

“Autopsy vids,” she mumbled around a bite of brisket.

“While you’re eating? Gross,” Fireball said.

“Gotta figure out what to do with our friend over there,” Cerra said, pointing at the stasis pod. “Besides, it’s not like I’m eating directly off a corpse.”

Echo pulled a face. Gregor went to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets until he found a small medkit. Then he swiped the remaining container of brisket and a bag of fried protato wedges and flopped down next to Cerra on the sofa. 

“Next time, you can buy dinner, and then you get to pick the holovid, Fireball,” Gregor said. “Cerra, did you take your antibiotics?”

“What antibiotics?” she asked distractedly.

“That’s what I thought,” Gregor said drily. He extracted a couple of pills from the medkit and handed them to her. “Take these.”

Cerra automatically took the pills and swallowed them, then handed Gregor a tub of glockaw sauce without taking her eyes off the holovid. “Ooh, look, they’re about to peel off the skin!”

Fireball gagged. Gregor dipped a protato wedge into the sauce and popped it into his mouth, chewing happily. Echo looked down at the container of stew he’d selected, and his stomach lurched, cheeks going even grayer than usual.

“I, uh, think I’ll hit the shower,” he said, setting the stew back on the countertop.

Cerra and Gregor didn’t respond, too immersed in the holovid. Despite himself, Fireball drifted closer, leaning over the back of the sofa with his eyes glued to the vid. He absentmindedly reached for a protato wedge, and Gregor slapped his hand away. Cerra wordlessly handed her half-empty bag of shoestring fries to Fireball. 

Echo shrugged and headed to the refresher. He took his time in the shower, knowing that the rest of the group was likely to be distracted. The hot water relaxed the muscles in his back and soothed his aching limbs where his prosthetics connected. His mind drifted to Senator Chuchi—Riyo, as she’d insisted he call her. He couldn’t imagine the beautiful, gentle Pantoran watching holovids of corpse dissections. When Rex had opened the stasis pod to show Echo and the Batch the clone assassin, Riyo had carefully avoided looking at the man’s face. She hadn’t become desensitized to death and violence the way Cerra and his fellow clones had, but she was fearless, even in the face of Rampart’s attempts on her life.

She was so lovely. Sweet, but strong. As he pictured her smooth, cerulean skin, her soft lilac hair, and the subtle curves of her body, he felt his cock stiffen. Seizing the rare moment of privacy, Echo soaped up his hand and began to stroke himself, careful to keep silent. He braced himself against the shower stall with his scomp arm, tilting his head back to let the warm water flow over his neck and chest. 

He envisioned Riyo around him—her mouth, her body, her sighs of passion and her enveloping warmth, her wide golden eyes glazed with need. His breath became ragged. It had been months since he’d been with a woman, he was acutely conscious that any of the team could walk in at any moment. Gritting his teeth to hold back his groans, he squeezed harder and increased the speed of his hand. Before long, the surging pleasure overwhelmed his control, and he spilled hot, white jets of cum onto the shower floor.

All his breath left him in a rush, and his head sagged to rest on the arm that braced against the shower wall. The water started to run cold, so he finished washing and toweled off, dressing quickly and returning to join the others.

Echo suppressed a laugh when he saw Fireball sprawled on the sofa with the other two. The two clones had removed their armor and now wore only their black body gloves. The holotable was cluttered with empty wrappers and takeout containers, and somebody had filled a bucket with ice and several bottles of ale, two of which Gregor and Fireball were already drinking. Echo noticed that the bulky bandage on Cerra’s hand had been replaced with a neat bacta patch, and the medkit had been put away. The group had turned raucous, and Fireball kept up a running commentary on the vid.

“You call that a primary incision?” he jeered. “I could do better blindfolded, with a vibrosword!”

“If you’re so confident, maybe you should do the autopsy,” Cerra said.

“No thanks,” Fireball said. “It’s one thing to watch a holovid. It’s something else when it’s a brother.”

“I know,” Cerra said. “That’s why I’m not drinking. Gotta keep my head clear so I can focus on the techniques.”

Echo grunted as he heated up a bowl of stew. “I can’t believe you’re still watching that. Why not put on something like the Great Galactic Bake Off instead?”

Cerra twisted around to look at him. “You’re a Bake Off fan? Have you seen this week’s episode yet?”

“No. I usually watch it with Omega,” Echo replied.

“Hmph, Charo Intan was robbed last week,” Gregor grumbled.

“You’re just saying that because the Sullustan got Galaxy Baker,” Cerra teased.

“His technical bake was a disaster!” Gregor exclaimed. “The judges are out of their minds.”

Fireball listened to the exchange with a look of utter bewilderment. “What are you even talking about?”

Three heads swiveled to stare at Fireball.

“You haven’t heard of the Bake Off?” Gregor asked incredulously. “Do you live under an asteroid?”

Fireball shrugged.

“Oh, my sweet summer child,” Cerra said, punching the control panel of the holotable. “Prepare to lose your sanity and any hope of a social life.”

Echo was surprised at how nonchalant Cerra seemed, especially after the previous night’s disaster. He took his bowl of stew to the sofa and nudged Fireball out of the way as he sat down. It was a tight squeeze with the four of them, so Cerra scooted onto Gregor’s lap to make room. Fireball picked up her legs to drape across his thighs.

Echo couldn’t quite figure out what was going on between Cerra and Gregor. He had assumed they were a couple when he’d first arrived, but he had second-guessed himself when their obvious affection for each other never seemed to go beyond platonic demonstrations. But Gregor’s reaction to Cerra’s distress the previous night; the tender, intimate words he’d whispered as he comforted her; and in particular his anomalous hostility toward Rex made Echo reevaluate his assumptions yet again. But now the commando seemed utterly unfazed as Fireball joined their little snuggle pile, even as the younger clone settled in cozily beneath Cerra’s calves.

Fireball rolled up one of Cerra’s pant legs and began to doodle on her skin with a marker, drawing complex, abstract swirls in black ink. The familiar opening jingle of the Bake Off started to play, and Echo gave up on trying to unravel the complexities of—kriff—whatever was going on at the other end of the sofa, turning his attention instead to the holovid.

Once again, it seemed Echo was the odd man out. It seemed strange and wrong to watch the show without Omega, and he missed his brothers’ familiar camaraderie. He didn’t think Cerra was intentionally excluding him, but he couldn’t help feeling a little stab of envy at how easily she and Gregor had allowed Fireball into their little circle. The younger clone hadn’t needed to work for it at all; they’d simply absorbed him. Echo frowned as he wondered if he had done something to make Cerra hold him at a distance.

As if on cue, she rummaged through the bucket of ice, retrieving two bottles of ale and cracking them open. To Echo’s surprise, though, she held one out to him, and when he took it with a silent nod of thanks, she clinked her bottle against his and took a sip. Echo reflexively drank his as well, watching out of the corner of his eye as Cerra settled back against Gregor. The commando shifted to wrap his arm around her, tugging her closer to him and easing her head onto his shoulder.

“This is the week that useless Garr Tevv goes home,” Gregor declared. “I can feel it.”

“I don’t know, buddy,” Cerra said. “The judges don’t seem to share your opinion of Sullustans. I think he’ll make it to the finale.”

“What’s wrong with Sullustans?” Fireball asked.

“Heh, it’s a long story,” Gregor chuckled.

“You can’t judge all Sullustans by what Borkus did,” Echo said.

“Oh, can’t I?” Gregor asked. “How do you feel about Skakoans?”

“Fair point,” Echo conceded. 

“Why are there so many contestants from Separatist worlds?” Fireball asked.

“Something about bringing the galaxy together after the turmoil of war,” Gregor said. 

“By making them compete against each other?” Fireball sounded confused.

“Friendly competition,” Echo clarified. “Although it hardly seemed friendly when Timi Riniath stole Runa Mone’s conservator and left her custard out to curdle.”

“Ugh, I can’t believe they let Timi stay in after that,” Cerra complained. “Such a cheater.”

“I still think it was an honest mistake,” Gregor said.

“No way,” Echo and Cerra retorted in unison.

“Jinx, you owe me a Coke,” Cerra said automatically.

Echo inhaled sharply, and Cerra’s face went rigid as they both realized what she’d said. How many times had Fives repeated that sentence? He and Echo spoke jointly so often that it was practically their catchphrase. Fives and Cerra must have shared the same tendency for her to have picked up the habit.

“Kriff,” she whispered. “Sorry, Echo. I wasn’t thinking. It just slipped out.”

“That’s all right,” Echo said uncomfortably. “It was bound to happen sometime.”

Gregor rubbed a soothing hand on Cerra’s back. Fireball looked more confused than ever, but he wisely didn’t ask questions and went back to his drawing. 

“Good to know you shared the same brain cell with Fives as I did,” Echo said to diffuse the tension. “Feels like there’s still part of him with us.”

For once, it seemed he’d said the right thing, because Cerra visibly relaxed, and a small smile crept over her face. “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?”

The recap segment of the show ended, and they all turned to the holovid. Fireball occasionally asked questions about how the competition worked, which Gregor answered enthusiastically, and soon the group became fully captivated. They cheered for their favorites and booed the contestants they disliked. At some point, a second round of beers was passed around, and by the end of the show, Fireball had already downloaded the old episodes onto his datapad so he could watch them next time he was on a long hyperspace jump.

Cerra looked haggard and was probably feeling the lingering effects of the sedative Gregor had administered as well as the aftermath of everything else that had happened the previous night. She didn’t manage to stay awake through the whole episode, lulled to sleep by the way Gregor absentmindedly rubbed her shoulders and the soft drag of Fireball’s marker against her leg. 

“I’ll take first watch,” Fireball said quietly.

Gregor nodded, standing cautiously with Cerra in his arms and staggering a little under their combined weight. Cerra jostled awake with a startled grunt.

“Shh, go back to sleep,” Gregor said. “I’ve got you.”

She blinked owlishly at him and looked around.

“Good night, Cerra,” Fireball said.

“G’night, Tup,” she murmured as she burrowed her face into Gregor’s shoulder.

Fireball and Echo exchanged confused looks with Gregor, who just shrugged and turned away to carry Cerra to the barracks. Echo and Fireball cleaned up the detritus of their impromptu watch party, and then Echo headed for the barracks as well. 

“I’ll take the second watch,” Echo told Fireball. “I don’t think Gregor has slept at all in the last two days.”

Inside the barracks, Gregor had already tucked Cerra into her bunk and was changing out of his body glove into a pair of sweatpants. Echo eased down onto his bunk and detached his leg prosthetics with a sigh of relief. Gregor climbed into his own bunk, and the barracks descended into silence.

By some miracle of fate or the Force, Echo slept. When Fireball shook him awake to stand watch, Echo flinched away, his heart racing. Fireball held up his hands placatingly and returned to the main room. Echo dressed quickly and reattached his legs, then went to join him.

“All quiet?” Echo asked.

“So far,” Fireball said. “But I got a comm from my brother Nemec. He wants out. Do you think Rex will help?”

“I know he will,” Echo said firmly. “We’ll start planning the extraction as soon as Rex gets back.”

The anxiety in the younger clone’s face eased, and he nodded gratefully when Echo told him to get some rest. Before he returned to the barracks, though, Fireball had one more question.

“Echo?” he asked hesitantly. “Who’s Tup?”

“No idea,” Echo said.

---

Next chapter

#echo tbb #riyo chuchi #captain gregor #captain rex #oc: cerra kilian #gregor x oc #echo x riyo chuchi #star wars #bad batch #star wars fanfiction #bad batch fanfic #stars beyond number #dystopicjumpsuit writes #Spotify

[narutodivorcearcreal]

Marla told me that when she died she wanted to have her body embalmed.

She told me she wanted to be like one of those Catholic saints whose corpses they have on display in European cathedrals. The nuns dunk them in acid and pour a thin layer of wax over their skin, then put them in an airtight glass coffin and call them incorruptible. Eventually their fat breaks down and beads up on top of the wax so the nuns have to wipe it off with a rag.

By that point, she couldn’t get up from the stale mattresses they had at the clinic. I could count the bones in her hand without Tyler’s kiss. There was a third lump in her breast. The doctors said there was little that could be done at that point.

If only she’d come in before there was a third lump in her breast.

If only she’d noticed when her skin started to turn yellow.

If only she’d reported to the clinic that she’d been coughing up blood.

If only.

They still recommended chemotherapy, but Marla didn’t have health insurance and she said she couldn’t stomach being bald when she already looked like a shrink-wrapped skeleton.

She said that maybe if I hadn’t used her collagen trust fund for soap, it could have been used to give her a touch up before her funeral.

.

Evacuate soul.

.

The day after she died, I was the one making the arrangements since her mother could only afford to fly in for one day and Marla would rather have her be at her funeral than see her like this, and she didn’t want her mother to plan her daughter’s funeral. Embalming a body to last for more than a year would cost two months of rent for Marla’s crummy apartment. The mortician asked me if I had a wedding ring for Marla to wear during the service, and whether I’d like her to be with or without makeup.

Two days after she died, Marla was given an open-casket funeral with her mother and I attending. The mortician dressed her up in a frilly blue dress and kitten heels. Afterwards, Marla’s mother took her to be cremated and gave me a dainty little egg-cup full of Marla. The rest of her she took. I put the cup on the shelf next to her mattress still covered in slippery plastic. I don’t know why she kept it sealed when I didn’t see her bring anyone home during the last months. She told me that since Tyler, other men felt mediocre by comparison.

Oh Tyler, even now I’m thinking of you.

Three days after Marla died, I went to a gun shop where a man with a split lip and bent nose called me sir. He asked, “What is Tyler Durden planning?

“What’s next?

“What’s happening?”

I told him that the first rule of project mayhem is to not ask questions and he gave me a handgun without registration and three boxes of ammunition. Tyler’s been dead for years and he’s still getting me free stuff. Marla would’ve loved this.

.

The tub in Marla’s bathroom has a clog and her hair sticks to the porcelain like black cursive so I sit on the toilet lid instead. The corners of my mouth rip a little as I stretch my jaw around the gun. My demon smile never healed right since I kept biting the stitches open in the mental hospital. It tastes like rust and the barrel knocks against my teeth that didn’t get blown out the first time. This brings me back.

I think about how all the melanomas, brain parasites, bowel cancers, all the people on the roof that night are dead by now. I think about Marla in the little egg cup and Bob with his brains blown out and Tyler gone.

Tyler, is this what you wanted?

Tyler, I miss you.

I click the safety off.

After they’re done scraping my brain matter off the tile, my father will probably be the one to identify my body. I wonder whether I’ll join Bob as one of Project Mayhem’s martyrs, or if that title doesn’t include suicides. They wouldn’t be saying my name either way.

His name is Tyler Durden. His name is Tyler Durden. His name is Tyler Durden.

I tongue at the gnarled scar tissue of my cheek. Second time’s the charm. Was it you who missed, or me?

Tyler, Tyler, Tyler. You should have aimed straight and saved me all this trouble. Few more years and I’m right back where I was. Ground zero. I think this is bottom plenty.

I think of the New Zealand on my foot. I think of my father. I think of my boss and the mayor’s special envoy on recycling and my job. In a few seconds I’ll look like one of the car crash victims whose rear differential locked up and sent them careening into an 18-wheeler.

Oh Tyler, deliver me.

Pull the trigger.

Evacuate soul.

#tw sui #my first time writing feedback welcome #i was delivered some devastating news jn the middle kf this which helped me get into that mindset #fight club #tyler durden #narrator fight club #soapshipping #marla singer

[speakviolence]

And the Lamb broke the fifth seal, and I saw under the altar the souls of the Martyrs, slain because of the Word of God…

#gamingedit #videogameedit #farcryedit #fc5edit #gameedit #far cry 5 #far cry #** #mine: *edit #when i was working on this i realized the middle graphic looks out of place....but i started with it and refuse to not use it for anything #this actually was going to be based around family tree (intro) by ethel cain but i could not put what i envisioned in my head into #a tangible format. #i do eventually plan to work on a set of graphics centered around songs from preacher's daughter tho...one day when i have the skills lol #mine: *fcedit

[aqimilhujjah]

For The Wife Of A Martyr

“Glad tidings to you, oh wife of the sh-heed! Oh you who has been crowned with the honor of being the wife of a knight who has been slain in the Cause of Allah, the one left the delights of this wordly life and sought the highest levels of Paradise for both of you! So may the birds sing with the most beautiful melodies and may the sun warm the earth around you, the morning you rise upon such a noble status.

Though this is an accomplishment and great victory for your muj husband, it is nevertheless a sad separation that releases the river of hot tears of longing and hurts the aching heart of a bereaved wife, friend and soul mate. For every memory stings the open wound, every familiar scent brings back a day and a time in which he was still around and every time you have something to tell him, it becomes another draft in the notes of your mind, unable to send. The plans you imagined with him in this world cease to be and every season that passes is a reminder of that. The mourning period consists of 4 months and ten days but there will always be a piece of you, eulogizing him within the forests of your heart that set ablaze every time you remember, he's gone.

He has exited this dunya, he's departed and he has set off to the next destination, without you. His passing is not the burden upon you for he has achieved death in the best of ways and sealed his life with the best of stamps, m-rtyrdom in the Cause of Allah. Death is a matter of certainty and it will definitely reach everyone, our souls will not pass through this lifetime except that it will be taken in death to enter the next realm. But the sorrows in your heart that sprout out like mushrooms in the spring are due to the bitter feelings of being left behind in this world without your partner. The one who you walked beside through the thick and thin, the ease and hardships, the fierce storms and the peaceful meadows of your lives, together.

Allow me to console you, oh honorable sister, with the glad tidings Allah gave you and every beloved one striving for sh-hada, left behind a sh-heed. The martyrs are {Rejoicing in what Allāh has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.) Ibn Kathir in his tafsir says: 'They are also awaiting their brethren, who will die in Allah's Cause after them, for they will be meeting them soon.'

Look forward, oh sister, to the Day in which the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness. The Day in which there will be no injustice, the martyrs will intercede for their families and the gates of Paradise will be opened wide for those who attain it. {Indeed the companions of Paradise, that Day, will be amused in [joyfull occupation - they and their spouses - in shade, reclining on adorned couches. For them therein is fruit, and for them is whatever they request [or wish).}

{Gardens of perpetual residence; they will enter them with whoever were righteous among their forefathers, their spouses and their descendants. And the angels will enter upon them from every gate, [saying], "Peace lie., security] be upon you for what you patiently endured." And excellent is the final home.}? Ibn Kathir states in his tafsir that 'Allah will gather them with their loved ones, from among their fathers, family members and offspring, those who are righteous and deserve to enter Paradise, so that their eyes are comforted by seeing them. He will also elevate the grade of those who are lower, to the grades of those who are higher, a favor from Him out of His kindness, without decreasing the grade of those who are higher up (in Paradise).'

Be pleased with the Decree of Allah for you and your husband, acknowledge the Bounty of Allah upon you for bestowing upon you the privilege of once serving a muj who sought m-rtyrdom in His Cause. Though this time of being apart may make you walk through what it seems like the alleyways of loneliness, take comfort in the last third of the night in prayer to Allah, seeking His Help and asking Him to reunite you with your husband in Jannah. Read the Quran and contemplate with a conscious mind. Turn to your Creator, for He is the Only One Able to mend your broken heart! This loss is temporary, in sha Allah, and perhaps soon your time will also arrive to return back to Allah. So look at yourself and look well, what have you prepared for the meeting with your Lord?

Allow this transition in your life to elevate you to the high ranks in Jannah by increasing in good deeds and much tawbah (repentance), istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah) and inaabah (turning back to Allah in obedience.) If you have children, raise them upon the haqq and remind them of the J-had of their father. Narrate to them the bravery and righteousness of their rolemodel after the Prophet ﷺ and teach them the traits of a sh-heed. And remember, your husband has achieved his goal of m-rtyrdom, so now it's time for you to work on achieving yours.”

#tawheed #tawhid #muwahideen #green bird #shaheed