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sabraeal · 7 months

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A Fire's Light From Far Away

[Read on AO3]

Obiyukiweek 2023, Day 5: Woo

It was on four legs that Obi had run to Sereg, and it was on four that he left it, the ever-night sky bright with its new constellations. Not the ones his mistress has taught him— the hunter with his shield and sword aloft, the vain queen turned on her head, the two plows that carving Boann’s furrow through the stars. None of those hang in this night, so new that the air still smells of smoke and steel, beeswax and lethe but a fading memory.

But his hound nose scents it still, strong enough that he could follow it around in circles, spiraling closer and closer to where the enemy of his master’s master laid broken on the castle floor, cursing the day that the Wisteria line dropped from its branch. He’ll be taken soon, away from this knowe that only savors faintly of honey and deep into one steeped in it, forced to submit to a punishment fitting his crimes. What His Majesty will see fit to inflict him, only the gods can say; the aes sidhe are hard to kill as a rule, and the daoine harder still, but to revolt against a liege like this, against the high king himself—

Ah, well. It’s a good thing it’s not him who must swing that axe. Or pluck the bough from the rowan tree or whatever else kind of torture these half-gods can devise. No, his only duty is to his mistress, and it is to her that he races beneath this strange sky.

Beneath his fur, the wound itches. A four inch gouge torn into his side, not by iron or steel but by tooth alone. A glancing blow from a grinning mouth, a message writ deep in his skin. A man more mortal than he would not have weathered well, but copper had flooded his mouth and knit it true, and a few weeks care and rest had seen it healed, better than new. Save for the scar, of course, but he had not just been teasing when he told Sir that lasses loved a man with a little character carved into him.

Most did, at least. His mistress…well, she’d like the way it healed more.

What took days on the journey to takes mere hours from. The knowe’s shadows no longer resist his call, folding over his fur like a well-missed blanket. Sereg is no small domain, but with the blessing of his master and the surety of the shadows beneath his feet, Obi crosses it with no more trouble than a sleeping child draws breath.

He only slows when he feels that first tug of the veil on his fur, tendrils of awareness curling itself deep. Miss always shivers at this stage, telling him it’s spiderwebs against her skin, but to him— to him it is a caress, a promise. A seductive song that makes his magic sing, even as his geasa squeeze tight.

It’s then that he shifts, pelt ripping along his spine, ebbing up his legs in great, heaving waves until arms and flesh are bared. There’s no pain, not to return to himself, but iron and copper floods his mouth, so thick he has to spit to dull the taste. Obi rises from his crouch, brushing the last bit of wiry fur from his trousers. There’s miles left to go, ones crossed better with four legs rather than two, but well—

Obi takes his first step and nearly tumbles into the scattering leaves below him. Haah, it’d been a long while since he’d walked the earth in man’s shape. If he was going to see his mistress, better to practice, to look like he’d been a man more often than monster these past few weeks. He’d hate to slip in front of her, to show her just what sort of beast he could become if the right hand tugged on his lead.

She’s take Master to task, for one. It brings a wolfish grin to his lips, imagining the wag of her finger, the flush on her cheeks. What a lark it would be to see his cunning girl stand before an aes sidhe and accuse him of misusing his most versatile tool, his most loyal hound.

Or it would be, before she’d turn all that fire on him, each of her words rattling the chains lashed across his body, delivering their delicious sting. The air may be cold, but oh, a warmth flushes beneath his skin, stirring parts of him best left slumbering.

Haah, and that would be before she saw the scar. Oh, how the skin between her brows would pucker and furrow, the soft touch of her fingers tracing along the straight slash across his abdomen—

His muscles there tense with delicious anticipation, heart fluttering beneath the cage of his ribs. Only a few more miles now, he knows, tucking his hands deep into the pockets of his coat. His chin lifts, eyes tracing the shimmering cowpath across the heavens. Soon, soon.

With the shine of familiar stars washing over him, Obi turns, setting himself on the path he’s always been meant to walk. To the road that will bring him to his miss.

“Ho there!” A squat palm raises in greeting as the gates swing open, a squatter man following behind it, a bulldog made from human parts. “Is that our Good Neighbor’s best hound trotting home?”

“Careful there, Jirou,” Obi warns as the man ambles out to meet him. “There’s no hand holding this lead. You’re liable to get bitten if you play too rough.”

“Aye, aye, I know well enough.” With a fonder smile than a beast like him deserves, one of those broad hands claps his back, warmth burning through even the heft of his jacket. “It’s good to see you, boy. You’ve been well-missed around these parts.”

His tongue tangles around the taunt he’d meant to sling from it. “Ah, me?”

Jirou squeezes his shoulder, falling into step beside him. “Aye, you, lad. Thought Hiro might well pass away from the pining. Be glad the younger lot took the third watch tonight, otherwise you’d have no hope of getting to your bed before morning.”

Ah, but it not not his bed he longs to see, not when the embers smoldering in his chest flare to flames, burning with the same intensity they have since Miss fasted their hands at dawn’s first light and drew his oath from him, since she swore with all the power in her bones, you are mine. She’s here, somewhere, among the market’s press, and he—

“All right then,” Jirou chuckles. “I can see well enough that I won’t be getting a good word from ye until it’s done. Hie ye back to your mistress then, I trust ye remember the way?”

A laugh scrapes up from the depths of his chest, singed by the blaze within. “The hills could take my eyes and ears both, and I could still find my way to her.”

The guardsman may roll his eyes, may sigh like he’s a man lost, but his mouth twitches all the say. “You young men. Of with ye already, and spare me from the embarrassment of ye lovemaking.”

There’s a protest in him, a denial worn to its familiar shape, but there’s no patience left in him to still his feet long enough to give it. Not when that fire in him burns with so singular a purpose, not just a hazy glow at his edges, as it should be, but something that reaches out to him even as he reaches toward it, a different beast entirely—

He has only a moment to ponder it, to wonder at this new shape before it pulls his attention up the road, right to where the path draws to a small crest, and atop it— ah, he would know that color red anywhere, that taste of apples that washes over his tongue, spice making his nose sting. His hand rises with his heart to great her—

“Stay there!” His muscles clamp before his ears catch the command, rooting him to the spot. Oh, how sweet it is to be stung by her in this way, for his blood to rush and bring pleasure rolling over him, head to toe. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to, but haah, with his veins humming like this, he could hardly care.

At least until he realizes how complete the command is, how easily he submitted to it— too much, even for the pleasure of it. As if the compulsion had grown stronger in his absence, as if his body missed having her will hold him. As if something had changed.

It’s not until he sees how she runs, breathless and wild, that he realizes: perhaps it isn’t him who has.

Her hands clasp around his forearms, so hard he’s surprised his bones don’t creak from the pressure. She might even leave a mark, and ah, that’s best not thought about when he can feel her heat burning through his sleeves, when she’s so close that the scent of her magic clogs his nose. It doesn’t so much brush over him as swallow whole, enveloping him as firmly as she once had. Years ago now, back when His Majesty had first sent her to Lyrias, but it seems his body has not forgotten the feel.

And yet the physical distance remains. Already this is too close; copper must flood her mouth to touch him so, a bite so bitter most flinch, but not his miss. No, she just stares at him as if she wishes she could close this space between them, as if she were a woman lost and left to thirst, and he her first glimpse of water.

“You can be at ease, my lady.” It’s too breathless for his liking, but he cannot bear to raise his voice, cannot dare to find the strength. “Your sweet prince is tucked back in his knowe, safe and sound. The Lady Kiki and Sir as well.”

He might have slapped her for how she flinches, jaw slack as her sense comes back to her. “Oh, Zen…? I…ah, good. That’s…good to hear.”

Her grip eases, though it does not remove itself. No, instead her thumbs rub where they lay against his arm’s soft underbelly, tickling the skin at his wrists.

“Miss,” he breathes, confusion turning to mist between them. “It’s late. You should be abed.”

“I couldn’t…” Her lips press together as she looks up at him, just as lost as he. “I couldn’t sleep. Not when you were coming home.”

“How did you know that I would be…?” He shakes his head. “Did Sereg send word?”

“No.” Her brow furrows so sweetly his lips tingle. “I just…knew.”

His ribbon weaves through her hair, his awareness of it throbbing with the beat of his heart. She just knew. The way he’d just known in Tanbarun, her presence so bright and obvious the moment he’d fallen through Umihebi’s knowe.

Miss sits back on her heels, staring up into his eyes with an intensity that commands him as thoroughly as he words ever have. “Welcome home, Obi.”

The warmth that floods him is nothing like her sting. His breath catches, eyes blowing wide.

“Oh!” Her gaze drops to where she holds him, hands slipping from where they rest. “Sorry, I—”

“Miss,” he manages, but there’s no words that can convey the joy that pulses through him, no action that can dispel this lightning in his body save lifting her in his arms. He spins her, giddy, laughter flinging from his lungs with abandon, and—

“Ah!” And, yikes, that’s more than a sting. “That’s a lot of pain.”

“Obi.” She struggles against him until he sets her down, but then she does not flee, oh no, she bends closer, gloves probing at his side. “Did you—?”

“Ah, Miss, just a little flesh wound.” He waves a hand. “Nothing to worry yourself about. Didn’t even tear a stitch.”

“Stitches?” Her mouth pulls into a thin line. “I think I’ll be the judge of that.”

“Now, now.” His head fly up, placating. “There’s no sheep gut still strung through me! I promise I took good care of it. Let them sew it up real nice an everything.”

“Hm.” She’s hardly convinced. “Take off your shirt.”

It’s a concerted force of will to keep his hands off his jacket, but he fights it, if only to tease, “My lady, your wish is ever my command, but surely you don’t mean to ravage me in the marketplace.”

Her gaze rakes up him like nails on flesh, and ah, maybe she does.

“Fine, keep it on until we get to the exam room,” she tells him, a small smile on her lips. “Then we’ll see just how well you’ve behaved.”

“Oh, Miss,” he hums, following after her. “I’m sure you’ll find I’ve only been the best boy.”

#obiyukiweek23 #day 5 #obiyuki #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #fae au #my fic #ans #i debated quite a bit about just which part of this i wanted to do for obiyukiweek #and originally this was supposed to be for bingo and a part right after for this #but i ran out of time and this worked best #it was a nice little break in a week of some very long and taxing fics 🤣

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tothedevilsshowclosed · 2 years

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he knows that she won’t admit that she’s scared even if she is. her back is straight, as if she thought it could add some height to her as she sat there. her face is that composed cool that he’s come to know so well. she hasn’t said anything, not since the baby had fallen asleep. and he hasn’t either. they had tried to kill her. light, he didn’t even know who they were. but they had tried. and of course it’s unspoken there between them but he’s part of the reason why. ever since they had returned here things had slowly changed. for what mat thought was for the better. but the bloody seanchan were not used to change. in fact there wasn’t a flamin’ thing that they hated more than change. except maybe aes sedai. but that well, that was another reason why the change was necessary. mat had never been comfortable with aes sedai or salidar. he had always felt in need of protection from it. but the seanchan way was a brutal practice. when he thinks of it sometimes he can feel the tightening around his own neck. like a familiar feeling. he had done what he could, a change. because it seemed needed. the light had been victorious, why shouldn’t the world slowly follow suit. forget all the awful bloody things that stained it. and be new?

tuon had been teetering on the edge of being convinced. sometimes she was soft and pliable in his hands, falling into him. sometimes she was iron willed and overwhelming, a real empress of the whole bloody seanchan empire. the switch around left him dizzy, fascinated, and maybe at times scared. she could order him dead, couldn’t she? but she hadn’t. not even now after this attempt had been made on her life. but she was cool, her face without much expression. she was thinking. and his mind was bloody rampant. the band could only protect them so far. he knew that. andor, aid from anywhere would prove a disaster. tuon did not want a civil war. he knew that. he didn’t want to bloody lead his men into one either. those types of things got ugly a lot faster than other kinds of wars. brother against brother and all that bloody nonsense. the memories in his head gave him a good enough example about how messy a civil war would get. but now that they had done this, now that they had tried to kill the empress - may she live forever - now that they had tried to kill his bloody wife!

he turns then to look at her completely. trying to decipher the look in those deep dark eyes. he lets out a breath, moving over to her. he lowers himself to his knee to level his gaze with hers. his hands find her small ones. they’re cold. the baby is asleep. his arm still bloody hurts from the knife one of the assassins had had on them. his heart is hammering in his chest. when he parts his lips he’s not sure what’s going to come out. he hadn’t planned on this. but she had almost died. there’s a tender spot that aches a little sore when he looks at her. she had almost died for doing what was - what? right? who said what was bloody right? what would they have done to their daughter if she had died? to him? he swallows. “we can’t stay here. but we can’t go.” he says, a smile edge of an humorless smile on his face. the army will start dividing. and what of those of the blood? everything will be a mess once the morning comes. they have a few hours. but this will spread soon enough. but right now he wants to think they’re still in control. he lifts one if her hands, grazing his lips against the knuckles. before pressing his forehead down to the same spot. “we can’t kill them all.” he says, laughing suddenly. laughing because he can’t seem to react any other way. the last battle was bloody over. and now every seanchan probably wanted them dead. the three of them right in the middle of it all, no way out, he thinks, falling back from her then onto both his knees, resting back on his heels. no bloody way out. and that made him laugh even harder.

@ofimaginarybeings

#ch. mat #ofimaginarybeings ; tuon #ofimaginarybeings #v; we're in exile #this got long ish but ok

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mariya-chan5 · 3 years

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Hello borusara fans This is my first time to made a fanfic so if i make a mistake tell me please. And support me.

Title : Lovers or just a friends?

After years away from their hometown, the Uchiha family returns to Konoha. There, young Sarada, right on her first day, runs into her best childhood friend, Boruto Uzumaki, who is now a handsome seventeen-year-old boy with blond hair and blue eyes, much more beautiful than girl remembered.

The friendship between the two flows as before, with the same tone of zueira and rivalry that has always existed. But this time, there is something more connecting the two hearts. Something the Uchiha is still unaware of.

Accompanied by a mystery involved in the Uchiha family, the young woman will have to deal with the consequences that her return will bring to the lives of her old and new friends, while facing new feelings that will arise and leaving her tormented with a question: After all, she and Boruto, are they friends or something else?

Chapter 1 : I am back!!!

Dear diary, my name is Sarada Uchiha. After 7 years in Otoga, I am returning to my hometown, Konoha. Nostalgia invades me when I think about my old life there. The restaurants, the school, the people ... Everything that I left behind, will come up again.

I'm at the airport waiting for our flight schedule. I confess that I'm a little impatient, I took this from my father hehe. Who is he? Sasuke Uchiha, a policeman who scares people, especially my colleagues. I say that because as a child, the other kids didn't mess with me because of him, except for a certain idiot ...

From my mother I took the temper. I can be - with a clear reason - a little warm. She, Sakura Uchiha, is a doctor and founder of the ‘Psychological Institution for Children’ in Konoha. Do you know a dedicated woman who always gives her all? She is my mother, and I love to be proud of that ”.

Narrator p.o.v

Sarada wrote in his new diary, which was given by a friend before his return to Konoha. While filling the first page of countless to come, wearing headphones, I listened to “Happier - Mashmello”, on Spotify.

- Sarada - Sakura called a second time, with blood in her eyes.

- She won't listen to you while wearing these headphones. - Sasuke warned in an ironic tone.

- Hehe ok ... Sarada! - the mother shouted, pulling the girl's headphones, who closed the diary at the same moment, frightened.

- Who was the ... Ah, hi mom! - the girl turned red as a tomato - note: she hates tomatoes - this when she realized that her mother caught everyone's attention around her. Ah ... mothers. - Hey, mom, you don't have to shout like that! You could have just called me.

- Hi????? - Sakura asked in horror at her daughter's wooden face. - Drop that diary and let's go! Then you go on with it, come on, come on !!

- Okay, Sakura, I understand, don't shout, onegai hehe ...

The girl kept the diary, and went with her parents for boarding.

•••

- I'll stay at the window! - Sarada exclaimed.

- My Kami ... Looks like a seven year old child, do I deserve it? Sakura sighed, her hand on her face. - There's your daughter Sasuke.

- With this way of acting, I think we know who she actually looks like ...

- Dad, don't say such a thing ...

- Hey! What do you mean by that?

- I did not say anything! - the girl replied in a hard face.

Sakura turned away and smiled a satisfied smile. Your relationship with your daughter is like that, the best.

The conversation ended. The girl put the headphones back on and went back to writing in her diary.

“I am so happy to be back in Konoha! The main reason for this is that I’m going to see my friends. Sumire, Inojin, Shikadai, Lee, and Boruto, my favorite.

Since we don't keep in touch, I spend hours wondering if they still remember me, our madness ... Did Boruto grow up? Haha, I remember being bigger than him, which was a perfect reason to make fun of him. He was also irritating and stubborn. My father said that this was taken from Uncle Naruto.

I missed that idiot so much ... ”.

The plane started. Sarada kept the diary, and without realizing it, she fell asleep, shortly after imagining a thousand and one possibilities of what her reunion with her old friends would be like. With a smile and "See You Again" playing, the girl fell asleep.

•••

- Sarada ... We arrived, wake up ... - Sasuke called calmly.

The girl opened her eyes slowly, and when her senses surfaced, she broke into a big smile.

- So we're done ...

- Let's go down, get your things.

- OK.

It was one in the afternoon when they arrived in Konoha. After solving some things, the family left the airport. Sarada breathed in and out of the old - and now new - home, when an idea popped into her head.

- Uh ... Will the taxi take long to arrive?

- I hope not, I'm exhausted. But why are you asking, huh? - the mother asked, suspicious.

- It's just ... I wanted to go for a walk, you know? I don't know ... Just to know the changes in the city ... - he said with a pidona face.

- I think you'll have enough time Sarada. Now we need to get some rest. Besides, we just arrived, you shouldn't go around alone. - Sasuke said.

- It's quick!

- Didn't you hear daughter? Not now. - Sakura declared.

- Ok ... Okay, - he replied.

- Stay calm, the taxi won't take long ... Ah! Look at him over there!

The car arrived.

- Hey, man, can you please help us with our bags? - Sasuke asked the taxi driver.

- Sarada put your things in ... - Sakura turned and sighed when she saw that her daughter was no longer there. - Oh God! Sasuke, where's Sarada?

- Take a walk, maybe? - He smiled discreetly.

- Ah, so stubborn ... He pulled his side of the family!

- She'll be fine, Sakura, don't worry so much ...

- If she gets lost, who will look for her, it will be you!

•••

Somewhere in the City Center

- I think ... I'm lost ha ... ha ... My God, help me!

It was late afternoon. Sarada went around and around the city, and ended up getting lost, he didn't know how to get back to the taxi stand. He stopped in a square, sat on a bench and stayed there. He hates to admit it, but his parents were right, it would have been better to wait. Teens ... They are so stubborn, argh!

- Dude, what do I do now? My cell phone battery is over, I'm lost in this huge city, and hunger is starting to attack. Maybe it is better not to see my parents again, because my mother will want to kill me. Damn ... I'm such an idiot! - he said, throwing a crumpled pamphlet on the floor.

- Just because you're lost doesn't mean you're an idiot!

"Oh no ... There comes a man to fill me," Sarada thought.

- Don't worry, I'm not a fucking pervert or anything. I just want to help a girl who's looking like she's lost.

- I don't need your help. - Sarada didn't even look at the person. His eyes were on the floor.

- It's not what it looks like. Are you new around here?

- What if it is?

- So it's explained ... Look ... If you accept, I can show you the way to the train station, or the taxi rank.

“Shit Sarada, look at the situation you are in now,” she thought.

- Okay. To make things easier, I say my name, can it be?

- Hmm.

- But ... I only say it when you look at me.

"Loose face".

Sarada raised her head and then ...

- My name is Boruto Uzumaki! And who are you?

A shock. It was what the young woman felt when she met those unforgettable eyes. Blue as the ocean, and beautiful as the ... of an angel? Yes, that's how she described them since she was little.

- Bo ... - she whispered.

- It was bad, I didn't understand. Can repeat?

- Boruto ... Is it ... you?

- Ah yes. And you are... ?

- Do not you remember? - the girl asked with a stare, intimidating to the boy, who after some time sinking in that onyx, realized. - I am...

- Impossible ... She can't be here ...

A tear formed in the eyes of the Uchiha, who left for a hug in his friend, who soon could be sure that yes, that was his best childhood friend ... Sarada.

After a few seconds stuck together, they separated, shyly, and the girl started:

- I still can't believe I found you like this, Boruto. I ... I missed you so much ...

The boy couldn't take his eyes off her. He was delighted and made a point of making that clear.

- Sarada are you ...

- What? She asked, confident that her friend would have noticed her changes from a little girl to a woman.

- Too short! Hahahaha, what the fuck? Forgot to grow up?

- YOU FOOL! AFTER SO LONG, HAVE YOU NOT YET LEARNED HOW TO TREAT WOMEN ?!

- There! - the boy shouted when he felt his friend's punch, after a long time. - It's even stronger ...

- Ah ... It was bad hehe! I think I got excited ...

- Relax! I missed that ... Really.

The eyes met for a fraction of a second.

- Ah ... Tell me ... Did you come to visit? What a pity, because I really

- I'm here to stay. She interrupted. - I'm back to Konoha ... Boruto!

- B ... Welcome back ... I ...

- You do not need to say anything! We'll have all the time in the world! Just for us!

At that moment, the boy blushed on a level ...

- Yeah, yeah, you're right! Can I ... give you another hug?

- Idiot ... Why do you ask? - she said pulling the blonde. - I'll tell you everything!

•••

- Then your father completed the task and you could return ...

- That ae! - Sarada replied, while eating ice cream that Uzumaki insisted on buying.

- Wow! I ... I thought you would never ... I thought I wouldn't see you anymore ... - he declared with a weak smile.

- I knew you couldn't take it anymore without me, baby boy!

- Hahahaha! This time, and only this time, I will not disagree. - he joked, and then decided to ask - Are you ... dating?

- Not! I'm really fine ... What about you, sir? Until you are dressed up, I would not be surprised if I said that I found someone to support you.

- Nobody is worthy!

- Hahahaha, I know! I'm sorry for the unfortunate future! - Sarada joked, pushing the blonde slightly.

And with that started a war.

- Hey! - Boruto grunted, pushing her harder.

The two stayed like that for a long time.

- It's great to have you here again! Sarada looked into the boy's eyes after the statement and his face flushed slightly.

- N-don't look at me like that, idiot!

- Because? Can't you resist that beautiful face of Uzumaki?

- Hahahaha! Silly!

They - or at least one of them - would never think about the possibility of the two together.

- Well, the sun is already setting. I'll take you to the station, and then you call your people to come and get you, can you?

- Yes, thank you!

- So let's go?

- Let's go!

Breaking time >>

After a few minutes walking around the city, and learning about it, Sarada and Boruto arrived at the station. Uchiha used his friend's phone to check on his parents, who were worried and furious.

After the call, the girl said goodbye to Boruto.

- Thank you ... Even after so long you were here when I needed it most

- That's what friends are for, isn't it? - he said with a smile, (and what a beautiful smile).

They embraced for a while. This time, a hug full of tenderness and longing, as if all words not said in years, were transmitted through this act.

Sarada looked over the blonde's shoulders and saw his punishment.

- My parents are getting there.

- So I think it's time to say goodbye ... Well, bye.

- Hahaha, bye! Until next time!

- That sentence ... See you!

The two smiled at each other and he was gone. Seconds later, the girl's parents arrived.

- Something to say, stubborn Uchirrazinha? - Sakura asked, arms crossed.

- Err ... I'm sorry. I didn't hear them both and ended up doing shit. Forgive me, please.

- Since when it doesn't happen again. We are not in a very “free and fired” moment to walk through this alone, understand? His mother replied, calmly - or at least, trying.

- Thank you mom ... - the girl looked at her father, who smiled a little, just to make her understand.

- Let's go home. - he said.

•••

After meeting, the Uchiha family returned home - the old house, which is beautiful and perfectly preserved. - When he arrived, Sarada ran to his room, which still had some old things, such as toys and clothes. He sat on the bed, and picked up his diary.

“Dear diary ... I just saw my best childhood friend. This is so surreal and exciting. He's so ... tall and handsome, he doesn't even look like the annoying brat from a few years ago.

He saved me, that idiot ...

What did fate have in store for me? I'm looking forward to finding out! ”.

The girl smiled alone as she remembered the day with her friend. She closed the diary and looked around. The room was a mess, this is like a nightmare for a young Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, so she took advantage of the disposition to give a touch Sarada Young there.

A few hours later, she fell asleep.

Hope you guys enjoy the story. I try my best to write perfect but if i made mistakes so please forgive me. Thanks for reading ❤❤❤❤

#borusara #boruto x sarada #borusara+fanfic #anime #boruto uzumaki #sarada uchiha

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neuxue · 4 years

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Wheel of Time liveblogging: Towers of Midnight ch 4

Perrin goes hunting and we consider the problems with zero-sum solitaire, and Galad... is Galad.

Chapter 4: The Pattern Groans

We’re with Perrin, but it smells like corpses and the grass looks infected and it’s not the first time this has been brought up, so… how sure are we the Blight is staying put?

Oh, the Aes Sedai agree. Is this part of the Pattern fraying and the Dark One reaching out into the world, then? That the Blight sort of crops up in those stretched spaces?

Especially because at this point in the timeline, Rand’s not exactly counteracting it.

Light, Perrin thought, taking the leaf as Nevarin handed it to him. It smelled of decay. What kind of world is it where the Blight is the good alternative?

I don’t know, ask Lan.

“It’s probably not dangerous,” Perrin said.

Presented without further context. Famous last words, Perrin. Right up there with ‘a trap’s not a trap if you know it’s there’ –Rand al’Thor.

Meanwhile Perrin’s still dealing with Office Politics: Epic Fantasy Edition on a constant basis. Well, you and Egwene will have plenty to talk about when you finally meet in Tel’aran’rhiod or maybe for that dance you owe her on Sunday.

(I have absolutely no expectation of the latter happening; I just like to remember it sometimes because it’s the right kind of sad. The former though… please).

If only those clouds would pass so they could get some good sunlight to dry the soil

Given where you seem to be relative to Rand’s timeline, Perrin, you… might be waiting a little while. Might I recommend an umbrella? Or perhaps some fire insurance?

A strange village with an architectural style that seems out of place? Shiota again, perhaps? Either way, You probably do not want to go into that village. You may not ever come out. Well, okay, you’re a protagonist so you’ll probably be fine, but all the same.

Light! How bad were things becoming?

The thing with the timeline misalignment is that it takes away from the effect of this a little bit, for me. Because while I get that the Pattern itself is being strained and the Dark One is drawing closer to the world and all that, and Rand’s revelation on Dragonmount isn’t going to immediately fix everything, some of the tension there is gone. When such a major arc has finally passed its darkest point and reached a kind of catharsis, it’s a little weird to then go back to ‘okay but pretend that hasn’t happened yet’.

So, yes, I think this is probably not specifically related to Rand (inasmuch as anything at this point can be said to be not related to Rand, given his power and his role and his Fisher King-like link to the entire world), and therefore isn’t just a ‘oh don’t worry this will fix once the timelines are caught up’ but I can’t help feeling some of that anyway.

“Burn the village,” he said, turning. “Use the One Power.”

Should’ve invited Rand.

WOLF DREAM WOLF DREAM WOLF DREAM!

Even in Tel’aran’rhiod there’s a storm. But again, I can’t help but feel that some of the impact that should have (‘I am the storm’) is lacking a little, now. It’s not a major criticism and a lot of it is probably just me, but… I don’t know. It just feels ever so slightly off.

The wolves are calling to Perrin and so of course we come back to his central conflict with himself but surely this, too, must be approaching its point of crisis soon. There’s just not that much time left, and he’s been circling this one for so long, and especially after Malden he’s constantly being forced to look at it, just as Rand came closer and closer to that necessary confrontation with himself and the part of him that was Lews Therin and what he’s doing.

The invitations awakened something deep within him, the wolf he tried to keep locked away. But a wolf could not be locked up for long. It either escaped or it died

This touches on a particularly ironic aspect of this conflict: Perrin tries to lock the wolf aspect of himself away, to shut it out and refuse it, because he is afraid of losing himself to it. But it is a part of himself, and so by shutting it away in order to keep from losing who he is, he is in fact trying to kill or lose… a part of who he is.

Again, there’s the obvious parallel to Rand here, and the whole question of how to accept a part of yourself you’re terrified of, a part of yourself you hate or fear or cannot reconcile with the rest of your self-perception. The whole struggle of identity, of acceptance and denial, of answering that age-old question of who are you?

And I like how we get to watch so many different characters take on that struggle, from slightly different directions or with slightly different variations, but at the centre of it all that same question of identity, and what it means to be who you are versus who you must be versus who you choose to be, and how to find that balance. So many characters at war with themselves one way or another, and ultimately they all have to find some way to make peace, and so we just get Identity: Theme and Variation across the series.

(Of course, there are also the characters who aren’t at war with themselves, and whose stories of identity take on a slightly different flavour – Egwene being an obvious example – but I’ll just… save that one for another time or else we’ll be here all day).

“No!” Perrin said, sitting up, holding his head. “I will not lose myself in you.”

(Said Rand to Lews Therin).

Except by denying them, Perrin, you only lose a different part of yourself. And if so much of your energy and self is dedicated to fighting yourself, are you not also then lost? You can’t win a war when you are your own opponent.

He’s looking at this as a zero-sum game: himself against the wolf, and only one can win, and the other must be lost. And so he chooses himself, and tries to suppress or defeat the wolf, but it’s not a zero-sum game, for the very simple reason that there is no other player. He just thinks there is. Much as Rand viewed Lews Therin as an opponent, rather than as a part of himself.

In summary: don’t play prisoner’s dilemma with yourself, because that way lies madness.

You are invited, Young Bull, Hopper sent.

An invitation, not a demand. A gift, an offering, and of course a choice. It’s not something trying to consume him or fight him.

“Hopper, we spoke of this. I’m losing myself. When I go into battle, I become enraged. Like a wolf.”

Like a wolf? Hopper sent. Young Bull, you are a wolf. And a man. Come hunt.

I like the way they talk almost across each other here; Perrin is so set on viewing this as a fight, as a zero-sum game, as an either-or. And Hopper doesn’t understand what he’s on about, because as far as Hopper is concerned, Perrin is a man and a wolf and the two are not mutually exclusive. (Rand and Lews Therin are one and the same).

“I will not let this consume me.” He thought of a young man with golden eyes, locked in a cage, all humanity gone from him.

Except that as he is now, the wolf-aspect of him is effectively encaged, and that’s probably not healthy either. Still, though, so long as he insists on seeing it as something separate to himself, something invasive or antagonistic or other, some part of him will always be trapped.

Which… we’re given Noam as an example, and I do think there’s a path down which Perrin could theoretically end up being ‘consumed’ by the wolf, just as there was a path down which Rand could have ended up, as Moiraine put it, calling himself Lews Therin and Lanfear’s devoted lover. Or, you know, killing his father and the world and himself, and succumbing to the exact fate he pushed Lews Therin away in fear of in the first place.

Because when you’re that committed to framing it as a fight, and suppressing one side or the other, it’s hard to keep it from becoming that, even if that’s not what it ‘should’ be. Not all battles against oneself end in reconciliation. But there’s a bitter kind of irony to it, in that I think the only way Perrin would end up truly ‘losing himself’ to the wolf would be because he framed it as something he could lose to in the first place. (Or, I suppose, if he specifically chose that path and chose to suppress the human side of himself instead).

“I must learn to control this, or I must banish the wolf from me,” Perrin said.

Except that perception, right there, is the entire reason it’s such a struggle in the first place right now. It’s not an either-or. They’re not two separate things, and it’s not something that needs to be leashed.

It's that whole… the more you fight against some part of yourself, the harder it becomes to actually keep it in check, and so we arrive back at something very like ‘surrender to control’. Or, perhaps more accurately, ‘accept in order to control’. Control being also not quite the right word here, because that’s also part of the point.

Basically, throwing up a wall against parts of yourself you’re afraid of rather than understanding them and figuring out how to integrate or improve or work with or channel or grow past or whatever-else them is not a sustainable solution, Perrin. Because those parts of you aren’t just going to go away if you deny them strongly enough; you have to at least understand them, and acknowledge them for what they are, and then you can figure out where you want to go from there. Which, likely, will mean recognising that they’re neither as simple-black-and-white nor as terrifying as you think. It just also means having to do some introspection and maybe realise some things about yourself that challenge your existing self-image. It’s good for you. As Rand could perhaps tell you, once he’s done picking apples.

I do sort of wish this could have been done in the previous book, aligned with Rand’s own last stages of his fight with himself and eventual realisation – sort of the way the cascading ending of characters coming into their power was done in TSR – but also I get that sometimes it’s just not possible to fit everything in exactly the way you want. I promise I’ll stop complaining about having to play timeline catch-up soon.

Anyway, Hopper’s bored of this and wants to go hunting already. Especially because he’s looking at the calendar and realising they have maybe half a term to cram at least a few years’ worth of learning into, so can we get on with it already.

In a previous visit to the wolf dream, Perrin had demanded that Hopper train him to master the place. Very inappropriate for a young wolf – a kind of challenge to the elder’s seniority – but this was a response. Hopper had come to teach, but he would do it as a wolf taught.

Yes. And I think the point there, beyond anything to do with a challenge to seniority, is that if Perrin is going to learn how to walk the wolf dream, he’s going to have to come to terms with the part of him that brings him there in the first place. He can’t learn if he’s holding half of himself back at the same time.

“I will hunt with you – but I must not lose myself.”

But this is you, Perrin. And okay on the whole issue of hunting, I think Perrin sees it as a kind of… succumbing to base instincts, which is part of why he fights it. But I really don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here. I don’t think it’s ‘sure, go for murder breaks whenever you get bored’; I think it’s about… finding a balance in the side of himself that is capable of violence and that thrills in a fight, not by just letting it run wild but just by… understanding that it’s there, because once he does that, he can decide how to direct it.

I mean, we all have parts of ourselves that maybe aren’t always fit for polite company, but pretending they don’t exist isn’t going to make them go away, but understanding them and accepting them sometimes makes it easier to find another way to channel them that’s more… well, I suppose the word Perrin would want here is ‘controlled’. But really, I think it’s more ‘conscious’.

To use his own analogy, it’s the whole ‘the iron in front of him, not dreams of silver’ idea. Work with what you have; understand the components for what they are. That doesn’t mean you can’t work them at all, or reshape them, or hone them, or turn them into something better; it just means seeing those pieces, those starting points, honestly. And understanding what will and won’t work in terms of shaping them. He’s been given these pieces of metal but he insists on not using some of them, or on not even looking at them closely enough to see what metal they are, and I don’t know anything about metalworking so should probably stop this analogy here before I break it.

Anyway Hopper is just enjoying the opportunity to drag Perrin repeatedly, for his own amusement and that of the other wolves.

Meanwhile Perrin’s getting stuck in the long grass, which is absolutely not a metaphor for anything.

I can’t ignore my problems! Perrin thought back.

Yet you often do, Hopper sent.

Well and if that’s not a perfect summary of Perrin’s arc pretty much since the Two Rivers, I don’t know what is. ‘I can’t ignore my problems,’ says Perrin, ignoring at least five problems he doesn’t want to acknowledge in favour of the one or two he can do something about.

Or, as may be more accurately the case, ignoring his own problems in favour of the external ones he can hammer out a solution for.

Credit where it’s due: Perrin knows Hopper’s right.

There, lying on the ground, were the three chunks of metal he’d forged in his earlier dream. The large lump the size of two fists, the flattened rod, the thin rectangle.

Those are oddly specific. Shame there’s not twenty-three of them.

I’d say it sounds like the makings of a hammer except I don’t know what the thin rectangle would be in that case, and he already has a hammer.

Oh hey his prophetic dream-visions are back! It’s been a minute.

Mat stood there. He was fighting against himself, a dozen different men wearing his face, all dressed in different types of fine clothing. Mat spun his spear, and never saw the shadowy figure creeping behind him, bearing a bloody knife.

So the immediate association I have between Mat and a knife is, of course, the ruby dagger currently in the hands of our good friend Padan Fain. Though I suppose we’ve also now introduced the Seanchan Bloodknives to the scene, which would fit with the whole ‘shadowy figure’ as well.

But it’s the rest of this vision that has me intrigued, here. Because my immediate thought – that he’s fighting himself in the sense of all the men whose memories he now holds – doesn’t really make sense at all, because Mat accepted those memories a long time ago; they’ve not felt like a challenge to his identity in nearly the same way as the wolves have been for Perrin or Lews Therin was for Rand.

So then… more figurative? Is it still an identity thing but more about reconciling all the different roles he holds, that pull him in different directions (and some, like his status as Prince of the Ravens, that he has perhaps not quite so fully accepted)?

Or is this some Eelfinn/Aelfinn shit? We know he’s headed there, and it’s another dimension so all bets are off, really.

Or are we going to get into some kind of… decoys strategy? He’s being set up as a general for the Last Battle, so maybe someone or something turning his own strategies or forces against him?

Perrin’s not sure either, and next up we get wolves chasing sheep into the woods full of monsters. That… could honestly be anything. The wolves look wrong, so Darkhounds, maybe? Though in that case I’d expect him to recognise them. As for who he’s chasing… I mean, you can hardly swing a cat in here without hitting a malevolent force these days, so your guess is as good as mine, Perrin.

Hopper doesn’t have time for prophetic movie screenings and would very much like to get on with this hunt now, please, seriously Young Bull it’s been two years, I’m not getting any younger here.

(Hopper, you’re dead; you don’t even age. ‘NO BUT MY PATIENCE DOES’).

Perrin remembered the time; it had been during the early days of Faile’s captivity.

Had he really looked that bad? Light, but he seemed ragged. Almost like a beggar. Or… like Noam.

Oh okay this is a really interesting realisation from Perrin, and a perspective I hadn’t actually considered from this angle. There’s more than one way to lose yourself, and in giving entirely in to the very human side of him (and, perhaps, what Hopper might call a human need for control), and fixating on a single task in that sense, he came close to the same kind of loss of self that he associates with becoming entirely wolf.

And that this version of himself came not as a result of ‘giving in’ to the wolves at all. That maybe, Perrin, the wolves aren’t the source of the problem you’re having with finding a balance within yourself; they’re just a convenient scapegoat, something to project the division within yourself onto.

“Stop trying to confuse me!” Perrin said. “I became that way because I was dedicated to finding Faile, not because I was giving into the wolves!”

Which is… kind of the point, Perrin. There is more than one way to lose yourself. And your dedication to finding Faile was just… another form of focusing only on aspects, and neglecting all the other parts of yourself. But how is neglecting the wolf part of yourself going to solve that? Is that not just another way of fixating on what you think you should be, or on a single task, to the exclusion of what is there?

Hopper’s decided to move on to an object lesson: if you want to keep up, you’ll have to figure out how to run. No more holding back.

I want Hopper and the Wise Ones to meet, sometime. I just think that would be entertaining on all sides.

And so Perrin runs. Finally.

The forest was his. It belonged to him, and he understood it.

His worries began to melt away. He allowed himself to accept things as they were, not as he feared they might become.

Now, the next step: do the same for yourself. Accept yourself as you are, not as you fear you might become. You’re so close, Perrin.

It was exhilarating. Had he ever felt so alive? So much a part of the world around him, yet master of it at the same time?

There’s a surrender/control kind of feeling to this, as well. So much of this is so very, very close to what Perrin needs to learn – or rather, learn to apply to himself. This idea of being part of yet master of at the same time. Master of my fate, captain of my soul, that whole deal. That he can accept and be the wolf, but not be lost in it, just as he is not lost in this world around him that he allows himself to be part of, yet still retains himself and his control.

Whoops caught a whiff of a stag so no more time for existential crisis because that means DINNER.

The stag, I mean. Not the existential crisis. I don’t think they make edible versions of those.

He was the herald, the point, the tip of the attack. The hunt roared behind him. It was as if he led the crashing waves of the ocean itself. But he was also holding them back.

I cannot make them slow for me, Perrin thought.

And then he was on all fours, his bow tossed aside and forgotten, his hands and legs becoming paws. Those behind him howled anew at the glory of it. Young Bull had truly joined them.

ROUND. OF. APPLAUSE.

But actually the main reason I quoted this is because it strikes me that Perrin is, perhaps more so than any of the other major characters, a very Sanderson-esque character in some ways. I’ve compared him to Kaladin before, but even without trying to draw a like-for-like relationship to one of Sanderson’s characters, his character concept feels very much along the lines of what Sanderson would write.

Anyway, I thought of that here because this reads a little like – again not like-for-like but just in the same vein of – some of the other discovery-of-magic or acceptance-of-power or learning-the-scope-of-one’s-abilities scenes Sanderson has written.

I don’t mean it as either criticism or praise; it’s just something that struck me here.

The stag has twenty-six points on its antlers, so that’s not the missing twenty-three from last chapter either.

And we’ve shifted to Young Bull in the narrative now, so Perrin’s actually going along with this wolves-do-guided-meditation class for once.

He needed to be ahead, not follow.

Definitely not a thought applicable outside of this hunt, nope, not at all, nothing to see here, nothing more abstract about needing to act rather than react, or claim the wolf thing and all the aspects of himself he hides from rather than let them drag him along or anything like that.

The stag bolted to the right, and Young Bull leaped, hitting an upright tree trunk with all four paws and pushing himself sideways to change directions.

I am quoting this solely because WOLF PARKOUR.

Sorry.

He howled, and his brothers and sisters replied from just behind. This hunt was all of them. As one.

But Young Bull led.

Leader of men, leader of wolves, LET’S DO THIS.

It’s interesting as well because for all that it’s a hunt, there’s a rather meditative quality to this scene – the simplicity of it once he fins his place, allows himself to be a part of this world around him, acting almost on instinct and leading a perfect chase, not thinking or faltering or hesitating, every movement fluid and precise and beautiful – that actually reminds me of that scene way back in TDR when he worked at the forge in Tear.

Just these few simple moments of Perrin being… himself. A kind of beautiful economy of motion and a meditative sort of rhythm and the absence of doubt or uncertainty.

Which is perfect, of course, because that first scene is for Perrin as he was, for the part of himself he knew and knows and now fears to lose, the part of him that he linked so closely to his identity. It was a reminder of who he was, at a time when he needed it – this whole story just beginning and Perrin away from his home and out of his depth and not sure who he was or what he was becoming. It was a grounding in his foundations.

And now, nearly at the end, we get something with a kind of similar feel to it, but this time it’s the wolf, the part of himself he has yet to accept. There’s almost a bookending here of past and future. One scene to ground him, and one to carry him forward. Once for acknowledgement and once for realisation. Name him true and set his path, I suppose, if I really want to shoehorn another character’s quotes in here.

Anyway.

Perrin – or rather Young Bull – brings down the stag and is looking forward to that sweet sweet venison.

There was nothing else. The forest was gone. The howls faded. There was only the kill. The sweet kill.

A form crashed into him, throwing him back into the brush. Young Bull shook his head, dazed, snarling. Another wolf had stopped him. Hopper! Why?

The stag bounded to its feet, and then bounded off through the forest again. Young Bull howled in fury and rage, preparing to run after it. Again Hopper leaped, throwing his weight at Young bull.

If it dies here, it dies the last death, Hopper sent. This hunt is done, Young Bull. We will hunt another time.

Oh.

Why, Perrin wonders here. And I think the answer here is, because this is how we do not lose ourselves. The hunt is about the joy of it, but it’s not just mindless violence. That’s Perrin’s fear, and Hopper here is teaching him… nuance, I suppose. Control. Restraint.

Because there is a difference between the hunt, between being a wolf, and just succumbing to bloodlust and violence. And I think part of Perrin’s fear comes from conflating the two in his mind, but they’re not the same thing. But without letting himself ever know or be the wolf, without understanding that side of himself, it’s hard to distinguish. And so we come to this, where he sees the wolves acting with this restraint that still does not tarnish their joy, and can perhaps understand it himself and see that ‘joining the wolves in the hunt’ does not mean ‘losing all humanity and becoming a mindless killer’.

“That,” Perrin finally said, “is what I fear.”

No, you do not fear it, Hopper sent.

Thank you, Hopper, for being absurdly wise and also for your patience.

But this is the crux of it all, isn’t it? That Perrin fears – or does not quite fear – what lies at the end of this hunt for him. And hasn’t yet learned to… I suppose trust himself? Or understand that it’s not an all-or-nothing black-or-white kind of thing. To hold on or to let go. But it’s about, as so much of this story is, a more nuanced kind of balance, and an acceptance.

And self-awareness. That too.

Worry, worry, worry. It is all that you do.

“No. I also kill. If you’re going to teach me to master the wolf dream, it’s going to happen like this?”

Yes.

You do kill, Perrin, but it’s not all you do. And I think part of this hunt was also about learning that there’s nuance even in that, maybe. That he can kill and not be monstrous.

But he had been avoiding this issue for too long, making horseshoes in the forge while leaving the most difficult and demanding pieces alone, untouched.

YES! THANK YOU PERRIN AYBARA! YOU’RE GETTING IT.

Man I love when characters finally stop fighting themselves. (I’m me, so I have a slight preference for when that surrender actually takes a much darker ‘so be it’ kind of form but listen, the heroic side is also lovely and this has been such a long time coming).

I also do really like that Perrin comes to these realisations himself. Yes, it’s taken him a long time and yes, Hopper has been pushing him and pushing him to try to get him here (along with Tam, and various others), but ultimately it has to come from him. From an understanding of himself, and an acceptance of that.

Much like Rand’s own realisation, though so many others played into it and guided him along the way or pushed him towards the edge, anchored him or tried to cut him loose, ultimately came down to him, on a mountain, thinking.

Or how Nynaeve breaking her block happened alone at the bottom of a river, in a moment where at last she understood surrender.

These books do self-realisation well, is what I’m getting at. Giving characters those chances to see themselves, and to reach these understandings, and then letting those moments – those quiet, unwitnessed, outwardly unremarkable moments – carry such weight.

He relied on the powers of scent he’d been given, reaching out to wolves when he needed them—but otherwise he’d ignored them.

YES! THIS IS! SO GOOD!

(Like Rand with Lews Therin’s memories, and knowledge of the Power).

But he gets it now. You can’t use this if you’re also trying to fight it. You have to accept it, even when that’s terrifying, even when that means confronting parts of yourself you’d rather pretend weren’t there. Because the reward, ultimately, is that you’ll actually be able to wield them, rather than being at their mercy by virtue of being constantly at war with yourself.

You couldn’t make a thing until you understood its parts. He wouldn’t know how to deal with—or reject—the wolf inside him until he understood the wolf dream.

YES THAT’S EXACTLY IT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS.

“Very well,” Perrin said. “So be it.”

HERE. WE. GO.

And now over to Galad. Fine. If we must.

Those Light-cursed swamps were behind them; now they travelled over open grasslands.

Because they’ve figured out their leadership situation and murdered the corruption from their ranks, get it?! So they’re not mired in the swamp of their own indecision and division now! They’re united and can move forwards in a cleaner direction!

If there was no danger of death, there could be no bravery, but Galad would rather have the Light shine on him while he continued to draw breath.

I mean, fair enough, and same, but that’s almost a surprising thing for Galad to think. Not that I think he’s the type to want martyrdom, but…hm. I don’t know. Maybe it’s the whole bravery thing here, but it just feels a little odd for Galad. Then again I will be the first to admit that there’s a lot about Galad that just Does Not Compute for me, so…sure. Lawful Good Paladin and all that.

He wanted to know what kind of traffic the highway was drawing

Refugees with a chance of wolves, most likely.

He remembered well the words that Gareth Bryne had once said: Most of the time, a general’s most important function was not to make decisions, but to remind men that someone would make decisions.

I just find it weirdly endearing that all three of Galad, Gawyn, and Elayne end up relying on Bryne’s wisdom from time to time, quoting him in their thoughts. Of course, it just as likely leads them in entirely opposite directions because this family is a bit of a mess, but still.

“The letter must be sent,” Galad said.

Okay but if we’re on the topic of shared family traits, evidence suggests letter-writing is not exactly a strong suit. You sure about this, Galad?

Ah, it’s a letter to the Children with the Seanchan giving them the bullet-points version of everything that’s happened. Well, far be it from me to criticise open and honest communication in this series, I suppose.

And he still plans to ally with Aes Sedai, which understandably is going over as well as a pile of Blight-mud with some of his men.

“But the witches are evil!”

Says a member of an organisation perfectly willing to overlook the torture of innocent people in order to wring confessions from ‘Darkfriends’, but…sure. Just, you know, glass houses and all that.

Once, he might have denied that. But listening to the other Children, and considering what those at Tar Valon had done to his sister, was making him think he might be too soft on the Aes Sedai.

Listening to other Children and thinking about his sister but consider this, Galad, have you ever thought of listening to her, maybe? Or, like, actually trusting her judgement when you do? Just a passing thought.

Seriously, what is it with Elayne’s brothers and continually underestimating her, her ability to look after herself, and also her reading of her own damn situation?

“However, Lord Harnesh, if they are evil, they are insignificant when compared to the Dark One.”

Well… alright, sure, at this stage I guess if that’s how you have to look at it to make this work, then fine. We don’t have time to solve everyone’s problems with everyone else before they all need to at least act as allies, so if uneasy ‘enemy of my enemy’ trust is what it takes…

Then, as Bashere said, there’s always another battle. Or as Rand said, they can all go back to killing one another once it’s done. A sad way to look at it, but for all that Rand has come a long way and is no longer looking at this in quite the same way, I think some of those things are still true. The great battle done, but the world not done with battle.

Tarmon Gai’don’s alliances won’t solve all of that, even led by a Dragon Reborn who truly has a purpose now. It may be enough to see them through, but after…?

The Wheel of Time turns.

“We need allies. Look around you, Lord Harnesh. How many Children do we have? Even with recent recruits, we are under twenty thousand. Our fortress has been taken. We are without succour or allegiance, and the great nations of the world revile us.”

Wow, I WONDER WHY.

I mean, good on Galad for taking on the task of redeeming the Whitecloaks but… it sure is going to be a Task.

“The Questioners are at fault,” Harnesh muttered.

“Part of the blame is theirs,” Galad agreed. “But it is also because those who would do evil look with disgust and resentment upon those who stand for what is right.”

Uh.

Sorry, Galad, but you’re leaving out a very large slice of the blame pie, which is: maybe the Questioners were the worst of the lot (or at the very least they make a convenient set of scapegoats), but the rest of you didn’t exactly object, or do anything about it. And plenty of you went right along (Two Rivers, anyone?) – or, sorry, were you Just Following Orders?

I mean morality is a grey area and all that but trying to pass off widespread hatred of your borderline-fanatic organisation with an unfortunate habit of killing innocent people as ‘evil people hate the righteous’ is maybe a bit of a stretch.

“In the past, the boldness – and perhaps overeagerness – of the Children has alienated those who should have been our allies.”

Euphemistic but…not wrong, I suppose. And to be fair to him (if I must), he does have a rather difficult line to walk, as the leader of this organisation. He maybe can’t just denounce them completely, but he also has to get through to them that some thing are going to have to change. And that this isn’t going to be an easy path ahead.

He's trying to enforce what they should be fighting for, underlining their stated principles and trying to get them to shift direction and also preparing them for what they’re going to face, without… undermining their foundations, or challenging them in a way that might break them.

And I suppose he actually believes some of this as well. Which is still just… sure, Galad. Okay.

I do love that he’s quoting Morgase to them. So much of her legacy has been tarnished that it’s nice to see these moments of… recognition, I guess.

“We follow no queen or king.”

“Yes,” Galad said, “and that frightens monarchs. I grew up in the court of Andor. I know how my mother regarded the Children.”

And yet! Look where you ended up! Quoting Morgase’s own thoughts on leadership to the Children, whom she hated.

See, the problem with Galad in this chapter is that he’s neither being a deadly-graceful swordsman nor defiantly enduring torture, which means we’re back to plain old annoyance with him on my part.

“Darkfriends,” Harnesh muttered.

“My mother was no Darkfriend,” Galad said quietly.

Yeah, Harnesh? If you value your life, do not insult Morgase Trakand in front of Galad. He can and will end you.

“You speak like a Questioner,” Galad said. “Suspecting everyone who opposes us of being a Darkfriend. Many of them are influenced by the Shadow, but I doubt that it is conscious.”

Oh, not just them, Galad. As Egwene said, “I think we all are serving the interests of the Shadow, so long as we allow ourselves to remain divided.” Or, for another and more recent example: “I think he almost had me, Egwene.”

But Galad does know his audience here. The Questioners do provide a convenient scapegoat, and a way to sort of… point out all the problems with the Whitecloaks, but slantwise. Deflected just slightly so that they do not sound like accusations, but rather like a very pointed ‘we are better than them, right?’ A kind of oblique warning, and a reminder of all that they must no longer allow themselves to be. A way of criticising indirectly, and allowing them to maintain their pride and convictions and certainty.

Which is also interesting in contrast to Egwene’s approach with the Aes Sedai, of being incredibly direct in her criticism of both the rebels and the Tower Aes Sedai. It’s interesting, because both approaches work. Because these are two very different organisations and situations, despite their occasional parallels.

“We cannot become lapdogs to kings and queens. And yet, think of what we could achieve inside of a nation’s boundaries if we could act without needing an entire legion to intimidate that nation’s ruler.”

Whitecloaks: ‘we’re a paramilitary organisation answerable to no monarch or nation!’

Galad, son of a literal royal house: ‘sounds good’

Then again, I suppose you could say much the same of the Dragonsworn and the Band of the Red Hand (leaving aside the fact that Rand rules or has ruled at least four nations in fact if not always in name), and in terms of facing Tarmon Gai’don as unified forces of the Light, that’s fair enough. But that’s the sort of thing that tends to cause, er, problems domestically.

A group of travellers on the road! I wonder who this could possibly be!

Galad sighed. Nobody could deny Byar’s dedication – he’d ridden with Galad to face Valda when it could have meant the end of his career. And yet there was such a thing as being too zealous.

Let it not be said that Galad doesn’t have his work cut out for him. That much is for sure.

Though Galad calling anyone else too zealous is, of course, mildly entertaining.

“Peace,” Galad said, “you did no wrong, Child Byar.”

Depends on the timeframe…

There was talk of a gigantic stone from the sky having struck the earth far to the north in Andor, destroying an entire city and leaving a crater.

…Shadar Logoth? Not quite a meteorite, no, but I can see how someone might arrive at that explanation. Especially if all the forces at play there were enough to leave traces of stishovite or coesite.

The talk among the men revealed their worries. They should have understood that worry served no useful function. None could know the weaving of the Wheel.

In which Galad Damodred discovers the cure for anxiety. Seriously, Galad, that’s all well and good for you, and I personally see where you’re coming from, but not everyone is going to just logic away their fear; it doesn’t always work like that.

Yeah this sounds like Perrin’s group. Well this should be fun.

Wait a second.

Morgase is with Perrin.

Oh man.

The man in the cart gave a start upon seeing Galad. Ah, Galad thought, so he knows enough to recognise Morgase’s stepson.

The man in the cart is Basel Gill and definitely knows enough to recognise Morgase’s stepson given that he’s currently travelling with Morgase, yes.

Basel Gill also really, really needs to work on his poker face. Though I don’t think even Mat’s ability to tell a lie would get Perrin’s entire caravan past Galad without arousing some kind of suspicion.

So Galad’s giving him the airport security treatment, Gill is trying his best to lie like a rug, and there’s only one way this is going to end.

“Anything else I will sell, but the food I have promised by messenger to someone in Lugard.”

“I will pay more.”

“I made a promise, my good Lord,” the man said. “ could not break it, regardless of the price.”

“I see.”

I have to laugh here because yes, Gill is lying through is teeth and Galad knows it, but he’s also chosen the one lie that Galadedrid ‘do the right thing no matter the cost’ Damodred can’t actually directly challenge.

So instead he’s just going to separate the group and see if they all tell the same story.

“After all, what it seems like to me is that you are the camp followers of a large army. If that is the case, then I would very much like to know whose army it is, not to mention where it is.”

WOULDN’T YOU JUST.

It occurs to me that Perrin is the only one of the ta’veren boys – and, actually, the only one of the original Emond’s Field crew – who Galad hasn’t met.

And while it might be kind of funny if it were Mat’s army and he and Galad had a ‘….you?’ moment, given their last meeting, it’s all kinds of appropriate in terms of actual story and characters that Galad, new leader of the possibly-soon-to-be-reformed Whitecloaks, is the one meeting up with Perrin ‘Whitecloaks were my first kill’ Aybara.

Because Perrin is the one with the most… messy history with the Whitecloaks, and so it is fitting that if there really is to be a shift, and if they really are to move forwards, it would be by turning that, somehow, into alliance.

“We may have a situation here,” Bornhald said. His face was flushed with anger.

Uh oh.

Speaking of Perrin’s history with the Whitecloaks. Bornhald (mistakenly) thinks Perrin killed his father, Perrin (somewhat less mistakenly) thinks Bornhald let his home be ravaged by Trollocs and betrayed him when he had promised to help… you know, just a few disagreements between friends.

“Have you ever heard of a man called Perrin Goldeneyes?”

“No. Should I have?”

“Yes,” Bornhald said. “He killed my father.”

Prepare to die.

Well THIS should be fun!

Next (ToM ch 5) Previous (ToM ch 3)

#FINALLY #wheel of time #neuxue liveblogs WoT #Towers of Midnight

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chalantness · 6 years

Text

fic: Meet Me Under the Spotlight

Rating: PG-13 Word Count: ~6300 Characters: Steve/Natasha and the ensemble Summary: A continuation of that celebrity social media au no one asked for.

A/N: It took a while for inspiration to strike for the next installment in the Marvelous ‘verse but I really wanted to expand upon the “show” itself since all you darlings were really enthusiastic about learning more from the previous chapter. But of course I still made sure to have extra fluffy fun following Steve and Nat’s engagement announcement!

Read On: [ ao3 ]

‘Marvelous’ Season Premiere Recap: “In Somnis Veritas”

December 12, 2017. 6:52 AM PST.

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains plot details from the Marvelous season four premiere, “In Somnis Veritas,” below.

In somnis veritas. “In dreams there is truth.”

And the truth is? We have no idea what these dreams are supposed to mean.

During AE!’s exclusive on-set interviews with the cast of Marvelous last month, Steve Rogers (playing the Captain) shared that the Season 4 premiere would be entirely centered around the concept of dreams. “There are really low points but there are really high points, too,” Rogers had dished, “and it’s just one of those things you know will have that punch and then keep on punching.” But tell us, Captain: when do the punches stop? It’s hard enough to riddle out which dreams and nightmares from last night’s episode are foreshadowing and which ones are just plain teasing! The last thing we need is to know that there are still more hits coming our way.

But we should probably be used to that by now, right?

Another thing we’re used to? Spending the entire week after an episode trying to dissect what the heck we just watched.

In the months between the surprise Season 4 teaser trailer that dropped on The Late Night Show and last night’s premiere, the cast had teased that this season will bring happier days back to our heroes. And while that’s definitely what we thought of during last night’s dream sequences, what does that say about the nightmares?

The Official Twitter of Access Entertainment @accessentertainment -- November 23 Sending confetti, champagne, and a huge congrats for @therussianprincessnat and @stevefrombrooklyn on their engagement!

The Late Night Show with Peter Quill @PeterQuillTonight -- November 23 Can’t say I’m thrilled that the love of my life @stevefrombrooklyn is off the market, but also @therussianprincessnat is too scary to steal him back from...

The Late Night Show with Peter Quill @PeterQuillTonight -- November 23 All jokes aside, sending @stevefrombrooklyn and @therussianprincessnat lots of love on their engagement! (It’s about time)

Marvelous @MarvelousCW -- November 23 We’re still not over it! @therussianprincessnat and @stevefrombrooklyn’s engagement will leave us swooning for months! pic.twitter.com/jR71tMr... [Image Caption: Steve Rogers down on one knee, holding out a diamond ring to Natasha Romanoff, the both of them smiling widely and tearing up as the cast and crew of Marvelous cheer them on.]

Wanda Maximoff @littlewandamaximoff -- November 23 Watching you two fall in love is the stuff fairytales are made of! Congrats to @therussianprincessnat and @stevefrombrooklyn for finally making it official!

James Buchanan Barnes @iambuckybarnes -- November 23 If anyone can keep @stevefrombrooklyn in line for the rest of his life, it’s @therussianprincessnat.. congrats on the engagement :)

Sam Wilson @snapwilson -- November 23 what will @therussianprincessnat and @stevefrombrooklyn be like when they’re married? the same old couple they are now. congrats, you two

Tony Stark @thetonystark -- November 23 You mean @therussianprincessnat and @stevefrombrooklyn haven’t been secretly married this whole time? They sure fooled me. (Congrats kids!)

Maria Hill @aproblemlikemaria -- November 23 Congrats to two of the best people I know! If you thought @therussianprincessnat and @stevefrombrooklyn were sappy before then you were wrong

Nick Fury @nickfurry -- November 23 @therussianprincessnat @stevefrombrooklyn excited to see your childish relationship turn into a childish marriage. congratulations you two

Steve Rogers @stevefrombrooklyn -- November 23 @nickfurry did you just paraphrase Brooklyn 99? Steve Rogers Retweeted: @nickfurry: @therussianprincessnat @stevefrombrooklyn excited to see your childish relationship turn into a childish marriage. congratulations you two

WATCH: Countdown to ‘Marvelous’ Season 4 - Most Heartbreaking Scenes - Captain finds Widow bleeding out (3x22)

Marvelous CW - Published on November 24, 2017 - 917,946 views

[Image Caption: Writer/producer Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Peter Parker sharing hot chocolate and donuts between takes, laughing as Peter attempts to shove an entire donut in his mouth.]

MarvelousOfficial We’re two weeks away from the #Marvelous Season 4 premiere, which means it’s time for more #MarvelousSneakPeeks Behind-the-Scenes Edition!

View all 1,857 comments

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

[Image Caption: Natasha Romanoff and Maria Hill sitting on a bed together in the infirmary set, Natasha in an infirmary gown and Maria in a bloodied catsuit, huddled together and talking animatedly.]

mariahill she may be your fiance now but she’s still my soulmate @nataliaromanov @stevenrogers #MarvelousSneakPeeks

View all 962 comments

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

[Image Caption: T’challa T’chaka, Steve Rogers, and Thor Odinson posing while lifting weights in the training room set.]

thorodinson Working hard or hardly working? @stevenrogers @tchallatchaka #MarvelousSneakPeeks

View all 1,920 comments

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

[Image Caption: Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff sleeping on a couch in the green room, Natasha curled on his lap.]

cbarton Remember that time @nataliaromanov and @stevenrogers held up shooting because they were too busy being adorable? BECAUSE I DO #MarvelousSneakPeeks

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NOVEMBER 27, 2017

‘Marvelous’ Season Premiere Recap: “In Somnis Veritas” (continued)

December 12, 2017. 6:52 AM PST.

Last night’s premiere hits the ground running with its theme around dreams: the episode opens with a beautiful shot of an outdoor wedding, complete with white petals on the ground and everyone decked out in suits and pastel dresses. Everything is bright and ethereal, vaguely eerie version of the wedding march playing as the camera pans over the audience until finally settling on the face of the bride: Black Widow. Big shocker there. Even less of a shocker? Her groom, standing under the floral arch: the Captain.

We all knew this was coming. Did it make us any less emotional as we watched the Captain and Widow hold hands and recite vows in front of the crying faces of their loved ones?

Absolutely not.

But just as the Captain peels back her veil for a kiss, we cut to a very grim version of the same scene: it’s nighttime now, with the chairs empty and strewn across the grass, and Widow’s beautiful wedding dress is now torn and covered in blood. Widow repeats her vows, but this time as she recites, “until death do us part,” the vaguely eerie music comes to a stop - and then the Captain bolts upright in his chair. He’d been in the infirmary the whole time, having fallen asleep at Widow’s bedside. She gives him a sad smile and asks if he’s alright, and, in true Captain fashion, he dodges the question altogether and checks on her vitals. He tries to rush off, but Widow gets up to stop him and asks him to stay, and the Captain hesitates before kissing her forehead and promising that he won’t leave.

Meanwhile, we find Thor beating the crap out of a punching bag in the gym. There are flashes back to the scene of his powers getting stripped from him from last season’s finale, his punches getting progressively harder as he relives the memory... and then it gets worse: Agent Hill comes up behind him, touching his shoulder in an attempt to get his attention, but in a flash, Thor has his hands around her throat. The buzz of electricity can be heard as the lights of the training room flicker, and Agent Hill seems oddly calm considering she’s being choked to death, which seems to clue Thor in: he realizes he’s punched the bag straight off of the chain during his dream (nightmare?) and the real Agent Hill is standing unharmed beside him as she gives him a status update: Widow’s memories are still gone, Hawkeye is still out cold, Scarlet Witch is still missing. But he’s only half-listening. He flexes his fingers (yup, powers still gone) and stares at Agent Hill’s neck, terror written all over his face.

Agent Hill asks what’s wrong, but of course, before he can answer, they’re interrupted by a commotion passing through the hallway: Agent 13 and Quicksilver are back with Iron Man, and he’s looking pretty worse for wear.

(Related: Peggy Carter visits The Late Night Show, talks Christmas plans and directing ‘Marvelous’ mid-season finale)

WATCH: Final ‘Marvelous’ Season 3 Teaser Trailer is the Most Romantic Teaser Yet!

Access Entertainment! - Published on December 2, 2017 - 1,200,918 views

Natasha A. Romanoff @therussianprincessnat -- December 4 hey @stevefrombrooklyn rumor has it we’ve been married this whole time, you owe me three years of anniversary gifts

Steve Rogers @stevefrombrooklyn -- December 4 @therussianprincessnat my apologies ma’am :)

Wanda Maximoff @littlewandamaximoff -- December 4 @stevefrombrooklyn somehow got 50 dozens of flowers in the green room for @therussianprincessnat in less than an hour. How is he real??

James Buchanan Barnes @iambuckybarnes -- December 4 you think she’s exaggerating, she is not.. 50. dozen. flowers!! James Buchanan Barnes Retweeted: @littlewandamaximoff: @stevefrombrooklyn somehow got 50 dozens of flowers in the green room for @therussianprincessnat in less than an hour. How is he real??

Pepper Potts @twopeasinapott -- December 4 there was a teddy bear as big as me waiting for @therussianprincessnat in hair & make-up today! well played @stevefrombrooklyn

Tony Stark @thetonystark -- December 4 Replying to @twopeasinapott yet when i give you giant stuffed animals, it’s creepy

James Rhodes @jamesrhodesisland -- December 4 Replying to @twopeasinapott @thetonystark because we all still have nightmares about that valentine’s day “raccoon”.. give it a rest

Peter B. Parker @pbandparker -- December 4 @stevefrombrooklyn got @therussianprincessnat three dozen cupcakes and SHE WON’T SHARE!!!

Natasha A. Romanoff @therussianprincessnat -- December 4 Replying to @pbandparker when you’re engaged, you can have some :)

Natasha A. Romanoff @therussianprincessnat -- December 4 @stevefrombrooklyn i’ll see your flowers, cupcakes and teddy bear and raise you Stadium Club at Dodgers Stadium

Steve Rogers @stevefrombrooklyn -- December 4 Replying to @therussianprincessnat spoiler alert: i may propose to you on the jumbotron

Natasha A. Romanoff @therussianprincessnat -- December 4 Replying to @stevefrombrooklyn make sure there’s a sky-writer and hot air balloons and i might say yes

Clint Barton @cbarton -- December 4 Replying to @stevefrombrooklyn @therussianprincessnat YOU ALREADY SAID YES

Access Entertainment! Exclusive Preview: The Late Night Show Just Got a Little More Marvelous

December 5, 2017. 2:51 PM PST.

The last time that the stunning Natasha Romanoff was in New York to chat with Peter Quill on The Late Night Show, we expected Quill to give us the scoop on Romanoff’s cozy Hawaiian vacation with her fellow Marvelous co-star, Steve Rogers, which had us all swooning over our screens this summer. But of course, Romanoff dodged the interrogation in true Black Widow fashion: with a charming smile and a downright dirty seduction tactic in the form of a Marvelous teaser trailer, dropping an entire week earlier than scheduled.

Well played, Miss Romanoff. Well played.

Fast-forward two months later, just hours before Romanoff was scheduled to appear to tape her slot in tonight’s show, Quill tweeted about being more determined than ever to squeeze out the juicy details about Romanoff’s and Rogers’ Hawaiian getaway. But Romanoff still had more tricks up her sleeve: the audience cheered as Quill announces her arrival... and then promptly went into hysterics at the sight of her head of blonde hair!

Yes, you read that right: the infamous Black Widow is now blonde, and we’re still not sure how we feel about it. Romanoff looked every bit as stunning as we know her to be, but her fiery hair has been such an iconic feature of hers that we’re a little sad to see that it’s gone.

At least, for now it is. “You’ll see,” Romanoff answered cryptically when Quill bemoaned her new color and asked what brought on the change. “It’s a plot thing. Nick and I agreed a wig didn’t do the trick, so the red had to go. But I promise you, it’ll be back. It’ll definitely be back. I miss it already!”

We do, too, and we’re certain Romanoff’s new fiance must feel the same. Rogers has never been shy to voice how much he loved Romanoff’s bold hair color, having done so on social media on numerous occasions, long before the pair had started dating. A fact that was pretty much known following the intimate photos of the two out and about around Maui this past summer, but something neither outright confirmed until Romanoff’s twenty-ninth birthday just a couple weeks ago, when the couple took to Instagram to announce their engagement. Rogers proposed to Romanoff down on one knee at the birthday party the cast and crew had put together for her, and, in his Tweet congratulating the couple, fellow Marvelous co-star Clint Barton shared that, “it took a while for them to come back up for air.”

(Related: ‘Marvelous’ Tribute Video for Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers’ Engagement Sends the Whole Cast Into Tears)

There’s no doubting that Romanoff could show up in neon pink hair and still look stunning, and Rogers would still be just as head-over-heels for her, a fact that Quill was quick to point it out.

“He better,” Romanoff teased with a bright smile. “And technically he proposed to me twice, so he has to wait for another strike before calling anything off.”

Wait, what?

“He did, he did,” Romanoff laughed when Quill asked if this was true. “He technically proposed to me in Hawaii, except he was really just asking if we wanted to officially ‘date.’ It just didn’t seem like a significant enough term and we kind of joked about it. We were like, ‘is it just dating when we know so much about each other?’ We’ve spent three years together at this point and dating wasn’t going to just wipe us clean of our friendship, so why give it such a vague title? So he went straight to a proposal. And I said yes.”

Want to hear more? We certainly do!

Be sure join us in watching the full interview on The Late Night Show as Natasha Romanoff dishes more about about her Hawaiian vacation, previews the Marvelous cast’s January cover shoot for Infinity magazine, and addresses rumors of being cast in Disney’s latest live-action fairy tale remake.

‘Marvelous’ Cast Shares Their Favorite Scenes from the First Three Seasons

WATCH: Wanda Maximoff and Bucky Barnes Read Outrageous ‘Marvelous’ Fan Theories

WATCH: First Behind-the-Scenes Sneak Peek of ‘Marvelous’ Season 4

Just In: Newly engaged ‘Marvelous’ co-stars Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff address pregnancy rumors: “If it weren’t for a tight filming schedule, we’d have two kids and a dog by now,” Rogers joked via Twitter, to which Romanoff added: “And it wouldn’t be a rumor because he would’ve shouted it from every rooftop he could find.” (December 6, 2017)

[Image Caption: Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, Sharon Carter, Pepper Potts, and Maria Hill laying together across a couch, dressed comfortably in variations of yoga pants and sweats as they pass around bags of chips.]

littlewandamaximoff #TBT to that one time @cbarton dragged all of us to a farm in the middle of nowhere and we accidentally had the best vacation ever

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DECEMBER 7, 2017

[Image Caption: Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, and T’challa T’chaka standing in front of a cabin, holding axes and laughing as they chop wood.]

nataliaromanov #tbt to when @tchallatchaka and @peterbenjiparker thought they would be exempt from hard work because they were the new kids. pffft

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DECEMBER 7, 2017

[Image Caption: Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, Sharon Carter, Pepper Potts, and Maria Hill huddled together on the couch under a blanket with T’challa T’chaka, Peter Parker, Thor Odinson, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson, Pietro Maximoff, Bucky Barnes, and Bruce Banner sitting on the floor on top of blankets and pillows.]

stevenrogers We had so much separation anxiety from filming on location during Season 3 that we spent two weeks over the summer in a cabin being recluses. #TBT

View all 1,963 comments

DECEMBER 7, 2017

[Image Caption: Natasha Romanoff sitting on Steve Rogers’ lap at a kitchen table, holding a mug in her hands and laughing as Steve whispers into her ear.]

iambuckybarnes We didn’t have enough chairs so apparently that was permission for @nataliaromanov to spend the entire vacation on @stevenrogers lap being sickeningly adorable together #tbt

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DECEMBER 7, 2017

‘Marvelous’ Season Premiere Recap: “In Somnis Veritas” (continued)

December 12, 2017. 6:52 AM PST.

As Iron Man gets rushed into medical, Quicksilver explains the fight with Ultron from that ended in Iron Man barely hanging onto consciousness as they rushed to get him back, while Agent Hill shares how Hawkeye ended up in a coma and how Widow nearly bled to death. Then comes the worst part: Scarlet Witch is missing, and there’s been nothing but radio silence from Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Quicksilver - who had been vocal in his protest to let his sister go off without him - shouts at Agent Hill, ranting angrily, only to storm off when Thor steps in. Agent Hill then shares the news about Widow’s memories and Agent 13 snaps, nearly hitting Agent Hill when she hurls Iron Man’s broken at the wall and then storms off. Thor warily asks how Agent Hill is holding up, but she simply shrugs it off and goes after Agent 13 to comfort her, and elsewhere, Captain runs into Quicksilver and quickly does the same.

(Related: The Cast of Marvelous Get Dolled Up and Down & Dirty for Their Infinity Magazine Cover Shoot)

If you think things might’ve magically gotten better for our favorite little witch since the finale, then you were mistaken: the first glimpse we get of Scarlet Witch is her sprawled out on the floor. There are indistinct voices and sounds and sights blurring in and out as she struggles to wake up, but then the Winter Soldier’s suddenly comes into focus at her side as he brushes her hair from her face. She’s confused - just as much as we are - and then the scene shifts into another dream sequence with more ethereal lighting and happy yet eerie instrumentals. Scarlet Witch lays on the floor of a gorgeous bathroom, but this time she’s smiling and holding onto a positive pregnancy test (gasp!) as a clean-cut Winter Soldier hovers over her again. Scarlet Witch tells him that “this changes everything,” to which the Winter Soldier reassures her that she can handle it.

With that sentiment still echoing, we shift back to a battered Scarlet Witch still on the floor, with the hallucination of Winter Soldier encouraging her to get up - and so she does. She takes in her surroundings: she’s in some kind of holding cell in the middle of lab with scientists and armed guards everywhere. When she looks down at her arms, she sees marks all over herself as blurry memories of the experimentation flash. Before she can freak out even more, however, a scientist crouches beside her and, predictably, he launches into a creepy story of how he’s waited to get his hands on her and how she has so much beautiful potential. She doesn’t say a word, but like any evil villain, he shares his plot anyway: he wants to bring the world to their knees, and she’s been the missing piece of his equation.

Outside in the snow, Falcon and the Winter Soldier are still right where we left them on a snowy mountainside, but at least they’ve stopped throwing punches at this point. Falcon is working to get a connection going to call the others for back-up as the Winter Soldier attempts to figure out where the hidden lab might be. It only takes a minute and a half (yes, we counted) for the tense silence to diverge into more arguing, but at least this time it ends in a mutual agreement on what direction they need to head in.

(Related: The Cast of ‘Marvelous’ Try to Price ‘Marvelous’ Collectibles on Ebay)

WATCH: ‘Marvelous’ 4x06 “Widow’s Bite” and 4x07 “Coup de Foudre” Episode Stills

Marvelous CW - Published on December 14, 2017 - 1,103,792 views

Marvelous @MarvelousCW -- December 17 #MarvelousScripttoScreen #Marvelous 401 “In Somnis Veritas” written by @nickfurry featuring @therussianprincessnat @stevefrombrooklyn [Image Caption: Screenshot of a script that reads:

INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE - BLACK WIDOW DREAM - CONTINUOUS

Black Widow blinks, smiling, but not knowing exactly why as she walks down the hallway. She takes her time looking at the pictures on the wall: her and Captain at birthday parties, picnics, restaurants... and the end: her in a wedding dress -- from Captain’s dream sequence. She pauses, noticing that this isn’t a picture but an oil painting. But who painted this...

CAPTAIN (O.S.) Love? You home?

Black Widow follows the sound of rustling bags into the kitchen. Captain manages to set multiple bags of groceries on the counter, albeit struggling a little.

BLACK WIDOW (with a teasing smirk) Didn’t feel like asking for help?

CAPTAIN (returning her teasing) Nah. Didn’t need to bother you when I’ve got it handled.

BLACK WIDOW Or maybe you just don’t need me?

Captain flinches as if slapped, Black Widow’s smile fades a little, not expecting the reaction. Something feels off...

CAPTAIN I always need you. I’ve always needed you.

BLACK WIDOW I know.

CAPTAIN Do you?

Their eyes meet -- Captain’s fill with emotion, overwhelming Black Widow. Maintaining eye contact becomes too much. She rushes to him, pulls him into a hug.

CAPTAIN Sometimes I think you don’t. That I don’t tell you enough.

Black Widow finds this so absurd that she laughs, tearing up, squeezing onto him tighter.

BLACK WIDOW So tell me now.

Captain laughs too, and it sounds like relief. In a flash he’s lifting her up and setting her on the counter, pulling her close again. They gaze into each other’s eyes, not saying anything. It’s enough -- it always is -- but in this moment, they both need more...

INT. FACILITY - INFIRMARY ROOM

Captain slightly stumbles on his way into the room, looking distraught. Black Widow starts to get up from bed but he’s at her side and urging her to stay put.

BLACK WIDOW (looking past Captain at the door) What’s going on? (then, looking at him, growing more concerned at what she sees) Are you alright?

Captain laughs, hallow and almost hysterical.

CAPTAIN No. (he blinks, surprised by his own honesty, then continues on before he can talk himself out of it) The people most important to me are fighting, or missing, or dying. And I can’t do a thing. Not a goddamn thing.

Black Widow puts her hand on his face, making him meet her eyes. She wants to reassure him, but the heartbreak she sees makes her stop short. His stare is intense -- intensely lost -- and she feels connected to his pain. She hurts just like him.

CAPTAIN Thank you.

BLACK WIDOW (blinking, tearing up) For what?

CAPTAIN For not saying it’ll be alright. You never lied to me before. Even when you’re not mine, you still know what to say, or not say.

BLACK WIDOW I was yours?

CAPTAIN (swallowing, visibly fighting to not look away) Yeah, I think so.

BLACK WIDOW (whispering, because she thinks she already knows the answer) Were you mine?

CAPTAIN Yeah. (cracking a half-smile) Still am.

Marvelous @MarvelousCW -- December 17 And now for a #MarvelousSneakPeek #MarvelousScripttoScreen 402 “The Darkest Night” written by @nickfurry featuring @stevefrombrooklyn @corethor [Image Caption: Screenshot of a script that reads:

INT. FACILITY - CONTINUOUS

Thor turns the corner and almost runs right into Captain. They both pause to stare at each other, exchanging a knowing look, then they crack half-smiles and bittersweet laughs. What a predicament they’ve got on their hands.

THOR (nodding at Black Widow’s closed bedroom door) How is she taking everything?

CAPTAIN Better than I am. But that’s nothing new. (he’s half-joking, then shrugs as he genuinely considers) It’s a shock to her. Last thing she clearly remembers is the Red Room. The rest is a blur.

Thor exhales, letting the weight of this settle. Half a decade of memories gone -- he can’t begin to imagine how that affects her, and Captain. He tries to find the right thing to say, but Captain speaks first.

CAPTAIN (nodding in the direction of the communal rooms) And Hill? Is she holding up?

THOR Barely. The whiskey is helping.

CAPTAIN You probably helped more.

THOR (surprised that he agrees) I did. (exchanging a look with Captain, offering each other half-smiles) Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more out of sorts...

‘Marvelous’ Season Premiere Recap: “In Somnis Veritas” (continued)

December 12, 2017. 6:52 AM PST.

Back at the Facility, the Captain, Agent Hill, Agent 13, Thor, and Quicksilver are gathered in the hallway just outside the infirmary wing. Black Widow is sitting in her bed, not at all pretending to be reading rather than eavesdropping as they try to make sense of the turn of events that left the Team in shambles. But they end up with more questions than answers: How could anything drain Thor of his powers, and why? What was so important about the truck Iron Man tracked down that he intercepted it without a plan? What epiphany did Hawkeye have before he chased after Widow and ended up in a coma? Are Widow’s memories gone for good? And where the heck are Scarlet Witch, Falcon, and the Winter Soldier right now?

The conversation (understandably) grows frustrated, but now Black Widow isn’t paying attention. Exhaustion is taking over, and she feels herself drifting out until she finally gets pulled into a daydream: she finds herself in a cookie-cutter suburban house, walking down a hallway lined with frames. She and Captain are in all of the photos being displayed, carefree and happy, and the frame at the end displays an oil painting of Widow in a wedding dress. (The same one from Captain’s dream sequence, to be specific. Coincidence? Not at all.) Then, when someone calls for her, she walks into the kitchen to find Captain carrying a mass of groceries. She teases him about not needing her, but the joke falls flat, and, oh look, there’s that creepy, eerie music again. Captain assures that he does need her and he doesn’t tell her enough, and we get the sense he’s not just talking about groceries. Widow comforts him, and then the dream shifts: same house, same kitchen, but this time Widow and Captain both walk in from the garage carrying groceries. Ah, lovely - positive paralleling. They set the groceries down and Captain hoists her onto the counter, and Widow puts a hand on his face as they gaze adoringly at each other before kissing.

And naturally, this is when Widow is woken up.

Captain looks troubled (obviously) as he walks back into her room, so much so that, rather than brushing it off, he shares with Widow how helpless he feels. Widow doesn’t say anything, but of course it’s enough. It always is with them. Captain thanks her for still being “his” and this catches Widow off-guard. She hadn’t realized that they were this intimate, but it seems like Captain finally has.

(Related: How Marvelous Creates “Chemistry” Through Costume Design)

Elsewhere in the Facility infirmary, Agent Hill and Agent 13 are seated by a still-out-cold Hawkeye‘s bedside, quietly continuing to puzzle everything out. What bothers them the most is figuring out what Iron Man was chasing after, though we know the truth: whatever it is that Hawkeye figured out was what he told Iron Man to investigate while Hakweye went after Widow so he could bring her back home and clear her name. Because of course Hakweye knew the real reason behind her “betrayal”, too. What doesn’t this man know?

As Agent Hill and Agent 13′s voices fade away, we’re brought into yet another dream sequence: Hawkeye finds himself walking through a farm in the middle of nowhere, and it seems like even he doesn’t know what he’s doing there, but it’s oddly peaceful. A young girl and boy come running out of the house, laughing and playing an intense game of tag, and then shortly after a woman follows. Her attention is on the baby boy in her arms, her hair hiding her face, but all of the excited chatter coming from the kids becomes a blur of noise as the woman turns her head and we’re met with the face of the agent who left Iron Man for dead. Not that Hawkeye would know this. She touches his shoulder and leans in to kiss him, and when she pulls away, the kids are gone and they’re no longer on a farm. Instead they’re in the same warehouse where Hawkeye tracked Widow to, and the mystery woman is dressed in a black catsuit. She gives him a sweet smile, which is disturbing considering that the Captain is practically in hysterics over Widow’s body as she bleeds out on the floor.

The laughter of the kids can be heard again, the little girl exclaiming, “tag, you’re it!” just as the mystery woman’s smile takes on a sharp edge - and then Hawkeye wakes up. Agent Hill and Agent 13 are immediately at his side, but before they can begin to fuss over him, he says that he “knows what it is.” A man of few words, as always. Agent Hill tells him to lay back down and take it easy, but he goes on to say that he knows what was in that truck: weapons built with extraterrestrial technology, with the designs that had been stolen from him earlier in Season 3.

Yikes.

Meanwhile, back in the snowy mountains, we see Scarlet Witch struggling to stay upright and conscious on the floor as the red wisps of her energy start to materialize around her. The head evil scientist is still rambling, this time about explaining the grueling experiments he’s putting Scarlet Witch under, and that’s when she sees it in the corner of the room: the cube-shaped energy behind a glass containment unit, hooked up to the machine that the scientist is tinkering with. Her energy flares in alarm, which of course catches everyone’s attention. Guns are at the ready, but the scientist is unconcerned as he comes toward her with a tool Scarlet Witch has never seen before. (One of those weapons Hawkeye thought up, perhaps? Seems like a safe bet.)

The scientist grabs her arm, yanking her to her feet, but as soon as he points the tip of the strange instrument to her skin he’s blown back by a ripple of her energy. She flinches, stares down at her hands in surprise at the pain she feels from her own powers, but she isn’t given the time to ponder this: the guards are gathering around her with their guns aimed, shouting threats at her as she starts to gather her energy in her palms. The scientist stares at her in ominous fascination rather than terror, and the cube of energy starts to spark, seeming to react to her powers. The shouting escalates, until finally someone fires a shot - and in a blink, the cube of energy and Scarlet Witch’s energy explode as if detonated. The shot cuts to the laboratory from the outside as red energy bursts from within it, and from just up the mountain, we see Falcon and Winter Soldier watching as the building collapses. Sparks can be seen as everything is crumbling, and there’s a quick flash of Thor at the Facility, wincing in pain as the sparks grow more violent before fading, being absorbed by Scarlet Witch’s red energy. Thor nearly keels over, but the pain fades, replaced by frustration as he hurls the weight in his hand across the gym. He falls to his knees as he breathes heavily, and Agent Hill can be seen watching him from the door, a worried expression on her face.

Back on the mountain, we find Scarlet Witch completely untouched and laying on the snow, her red energy dissolving into the air after having protected her from the explosion. Falcon and Winter Soldier rush to her side, and after a quick check of her pulse, the two look at each other and look visibly relieved. Scarlet Witch’s eyes fly open the moment Winter Soldier touches her, but she eases all at once when she sees that it’s him, and he lifts her in his arms and tucks her to his chest as her body shakes. Scarlet Witch catches sight of her forearm as she’s being carried and immediately tenses when she notices that the fresh marks from the experiments have already significantly faded. She looks alarmed, and slightly terrified, and she catches a red spark from her fingertip before the screen cuts to black.

What did you think, Marvels? Was the Season 4 premiere everything you thought it would be? Let us know in the comments below!

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Just In: Cast of Marvelous seen via SnapChat leaving Toronto together on private jet, expected to take the first week-long break of the series before the mid-season hiatus to celebrate the holidays (December 21, 2017)

[Image Caption: Natasha Romanoff dressed in a wedding gown and Steve Rogers in a tuxedo, with Natasha sitting on his lap, the two of the holding flutes of champagne as they kiss. The cast and crew of Marvelous can be seen in the background, cheering and throwing confetti.]

stevenrogers The best Christmas will always be the one where you finally became my wife

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DECEMBER 25, 2017

#romanogers #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #chanty writes #marvelous 'verse

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fumpkins · 6 years

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The Leaning Tower of Pisa stays up for the same reason it leans

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Earthquakes, Mussolini, two hundred years of construction misadventures—the Leaning Tower of Pisa has kept standing through it all. New research from a European team of engineers sheds light on why: Though the tower’s signature lean is the result of an interaction between its foundation and the too-soft soil it stands in, that interaction has also kept it up in the most perilous of situations.

A number of earthquakes have struck the Pisa region in the years since construction on the Tower began in 1173. Although historical earthquakes are a bit harder to track than modern ones, historian Romano Camassi writes that earthquake records in Italy goes back as far as the Romans. Because the country is located on multiple fault lines, earthquakes have played an important part in its history. However, none of them—including the four major earthquake events mentioned in a University of Bristol press release about this new research—caused the Leaning Tower to fall.

“Ironically, the very same soil that caused the leaning instability and brought the Tower to the verge of collapse, can be credited for helping it survive these seismic events,” civil engineer George Mylonkanis, who was part of the study, said in the press release. Mylonkanis was one of two non-Italian members of the sixteen-person team. Neither he nor team leader Camillo Nuti of Roma Tre University could be reached for comment by press time.

According to the press release, that team conducted a survey study, concluding that the tower’s height and stiffness and the softness of the ground means that, when an earthquake hits, it doesn’t vibrate the same way everything around it does.

This is just the newest study of Pisa’s famous landmark. In the past 30 years, the Tower has come under renewed scrutiny. It was closed in 1990 because it was leaning too dramatically, and engineering interventions were required to return it to its signature 0.54 degree angle (while ensuring it wouldn’t fall down).

Nuti has been an author on two recent studies of the tower and earthquakes. In 2016, a study published in Advances in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering concluded that monitoring the tower using sensors could provide a model for how to keep tabs on heritage buildings more generally.

The region that includes Pisa features several other leaning towers, and examples can also be found in England. The companion paper concluded that new analysis of the relationship between the tower and the soil that surrounds it was important to keeping the structure standing.

This might all sound like technicalities, but these towers were all built to hold church bells, and as such have heritage value as well as serving as local oddities. Studying the leaniest tower of them all offers insight into how to preserve it—as well as those sweet, sweet tourist dollars.

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New post published on: http://www.livescience.tech/2018/05/10/the-leaning-tower-of-pisa-stays-up-for-the-same-reason-it-leans/

#architecture #italy #landmarks #science #soil

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neuxue · 5 years

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Wheel of Time liveblogging: The Gathering Storm ch 36

It’s all in the nuances

Chapter 36: The Death of Tuon

Somehow I don’t think that title means what it looks like it means.

We’re back with Mat, but Verin is here so hopefully that should make things interesting.

“My goal was to make my way to Tar Valon.” “Then how did you end up here?” Mat asked

That’s an entirely fair question, but the first thing my mind went to, when Verin said that, was that you know who else’s goal was initially to make their way to Tar Valon?

Rand.

And so far, he has yet to even set foot in the city. I just find that kind of fun to think about, because I hadn’t really given it much thought before. But that was his entire goal pretty much all through EotW.

In comparison to that, Verin getting sidetracked for half a book somewhere in the middle of…is Mat in Murandy still?...is small potatoes.

Bloody [bench] must have been designed by insane, cross-eyed Trollocs and built from the bones of the damned. That was the only reasonable explanation.

Somewhat cringing at this because it is so very not Mat, and feels like it’s trying too hard. Meh. Anyway.

“You can Travel. So if you intended to go to the White Tower, then why not just bloody Travel there and be done with it?”

“Good questions,” Verin said. “Indeed. Might I have some tea?”

What, you thought you were going to get answers?

Good luck. I’ve been trying for ten books now and still all I have are suspicions. And one of those suspicions is that Verin is just a massive troll and enjoys fucking with people.

Because of the holes in his memory, Mat’s first meeting with Verin was fuzzy to him. In fact, his memory of her at all was fuzzy.

I’m not actually sure having your memories intact would help much with that, honestly.

Studying her, her mannerisms seemed too exaggerated to him. As if she were leaning on the preconceptions about Browns, using them. Fooling people, like a street performer taking in country boys with a clever game of three-card shuffle.

She eyed him. That smile on the corner of her lips? That was the smile of a jackleg who didn’t care that you were on to her con. Now that you understood, you could both enjoy the game, and perhaps together you could dupe someone else.

One trickster to another.

I like little moments of recognition like this between characters. Neither says anything, but they both know, and each one knows that the other knows, and so the rest of the scene can proceed with this undercurrent of understanding.

Two characters who recognise something similar in each other – or who recognise each other’s talents, at any rate – and who just look at each other across the board and say ‘shall we play a game?’

And as the reader you’re invited in as well, because it’s not so much adversarial as almost-but-not-quite-competitive, a test of skill almost, a game in many ways. So it’s an open invitation to play, because as the reader you also have that little extra bit of insight…but not enough to know everything that’s going on. So, like Mat, we get to try to spot the aforementioned con.

Also, I just love that Verin and Mat are set side by side here because at first glance they’re total opposites, but by positioning them this way we see Verin as being…perhaps not quite trickster but certainly trickster-adjacent, herself. She’s not the roguish yet honourable young man with a jaunty hat and a cool spear; she’s a plump middle-aged woman with probably an inkstain or two on her clothes and an almost grandmotherly manner. And yet here she is.

I mean, not that we didn’t already kind of know that. But I love these moments where Verin is revealed again to be not entirely what she seems, yet in a way that suits her. It’s some good character development for Mat, as well. Everyone wins here, really.

Good luck getting Mat to admit outright to being ta’veren, Verin.

(Good luck getting Verin to say anything at all outright, Mat).

“But you can’t hide your light in [Rand’s] shadow, Matrim Cauthon.”

That sounds like what Melindhra used to say to him.

Also, I don’t know; Tuon described Rand as having a shadow like a mountain last chapter, and it’s all rather dark there these days, so if you’re going to try, now’s the time.

Casual mention of Verin having just been with Rand, which I think is anything but casual.

“How…did he seem?” Mat said. “Is he…you know…”

“Mad?” Verin asked.

Mat nodded.

“I’m afraid so,” Verin said, lips downturning slightly. “I think he’s still in control of himself, however.”

There’s very little…softening of the truth with Verin, either to herself or to others. Obfuscating of it to serve her purposes, sure. But denial or wishful thinking or gentle presentation of facts? Not so much. She deals with the world as she finds it, because wishing it otherwise won’t make it so (unless, perhaps, you’re the Dragon Reborn and a Fisher King analogue, in which case all bets are off). So she’s not going to soft-pedal her perceptions of Rand, even for a friend of his. Whether or not she’s completely correct is another question, but she’s not going to waste time trying to ignore what she sees.

I like Mat’s hesitant concern for Rand, here. He tried to break off their friendship as far back as TGH, but it never quite snapped completely. And I think he cares more about Rand than he might admit.

“I’m not convinced young al’Thor’s problems are completely due to the Power, Matrim. Many would like to blame his temperament on saidin, but to do that is to ignore the incredible stresses that we’ve settled on that poor boy’s shoulders.

There’s something about the way she says this, so matter-of-fact but at the same time so clearly aware and even sympathetic of something that very few characters even begin to acknowledge, much less understand, that lends a great deal of poignancy to this statement.

I think it’s maybe because it’s so matter-of-fact. It’s not sentimental, and Verin knew Rand earlier on but doesn’t have any particular attachment to him the way, say, Min or Nynaeve or even Egwene or Mat do. She’s not saying this out of sympathy or sorrow. And yet that gives it more weight, in a way; it’s a way of showing how clear that is to her, that she sees it as just a statement of fact. His humanity and youth, so easily forgotten by most, are just simple fact to her.

And that means so much, when so few in the world see the Dragon Reborn anymore as anything but a force, a power, a monster, a legend. Rand is a man who can channel. Men who can channel are driven mad by the taint on saidin. Therefore Rand must be mad. Therefore the things Rand does must be madness. The root of this must be the taint. And thus they can ignore everything else involved that might be harder to accept, everything that might cause an uncomfortable conflict of conscience.

Easier to see the Dragon Reborn as a necessary monster on the verge of madness, perhaps, than to see a tortured young man carrying far too heavy a task for a world that fears and even reviles him. Because the first option doesn’t ask you to do anything. It’s terrifying, certainly, but in a distant ‘nothing I can do’ kind of way. Or, for those who want to manipulate him, it gives them a very reasonable basis for doing so.

But Verin…Verin just looks at the situation and sees truth, apparently unclouded by sentiment or self-interest or fear or denial. And thus, perhaps ironically, ends up with a view of Rand that is far more sympathetic than almost any other character aside from those very closest to him.

He is only human. He is young. He is tired and desperate and in pain. And Verin sees that, and understands its effects. Even as she is ostensibly working to keep him alive until it is ‘time for him to die’. She does not allow herself to soften that necessity, to take the easy way out by blaming saidin or by looking at him as anything other than what he is.

Oh and by the way saidin is clean now.

Once again, Verin has this way of getting straight to the heart of things, and making these sorts of statements that are almost uncomfortable in their truth or insightfulness or just in what they force people to think about. But she does it with this mask of being just a typical Brown, lost in her own thoughts, unaware of the full effect of what she’s saying, drifting off on a tangent that just so happens to make everyone else uncomfortable. et there’s nothing vague or accidental or even truly tactless about it. She knows that this is the best way to get her thoughts heard, but in such a way as to not bring any sort of…suspicion? scrutiny? unwanted attention? upon herself.

And also in a way that doesn’t leave people a lot of room to evade the truth, even if just for a few seconds. It’s why her words often result in brief uncomfortable silences. Because she doesn’t leave an easy way out…until she decides herself to provide one, to bring things back to comfortable topics.

“I would argue that the cleansing itself is more like a pebble thrown into a pond. The ripples will take some time to reach the shore.”

“A pebble?” Mat asked. “A pebble?”

“Well, perhaps more of a boulder.”

“A bloody mountain if you ask me”

Again with the mountains. Yes, Mat, a mountain. An almost literally bloody mountain, you could say.

Flaming Aes Sedai. Did they have to be like that? It was probably another oath they took and told nobody about, something to do with acting mysterious.

Hey, that sounded almost like Mat! The ‘it was probably another oath’ part, I mean.

And now back to alien body-snatcher Mat. Ah well.

That’s okay, because it’s storytime with Verin! Who seems to have experienced the fantasy, ta’veren-induced equivalent of the classic and truly infurating ‘this flight has been delayed for approximately thirty minutes’ announcement happening every hour on the hour for eight hours while you remain stuck in the airport waiting area, unable to actually go anywhere, even though you really could have, because every time you consider going a bit further away the announcement promises that you’ll be boarding soon. (It lies).

No I’m not speaking from personal experience what are you talking about.

Except in Verin’s case it involves a truly absurd number of coincidences such as leaks and inn fires to prevent her from ever learning a place well enough to Travel from it.

“So? Mat said. “Still sounds like a coincidence.”

You’d think Matrim ‘I’m leaving now, Rand, for real this ti—oh look a battle!’ Cauthon would have a little more sympathy.

“I soon started to feel a tugging on me. Something pulling me, yanking at me. As if…”

Mat shifted again. “As if somebody’s got a bloody fishhook inside of you?”

As if the Pattern is exasperatedly trying to fix a chessboard that was set up by six-year-olds? “No, that piece goes here…oh just let me do it.”

“I was quite fatigued from my days staying up all hours because of fires, crying babies, and constant moves from one inn room to another.”

Oh the joys of business travel.

“It was then that I kenw for certain that I was being directed. Most wouldn’t have noticed it, I suspect, but I have made a study of the nature of ta’veren.”

Is there anything you haven’tmade a study of, Verin?

“I spoke with Tomas, and we determined to avoid gong where we were being pulled. […] I opened a gateway, but when we reached the end of our journey, we stepped not into Tar Valon, but a small village in northern Murandy!”

I’m laughing at how hard the Pattern has to work to get anyone to go to Murandy, I guess. Maybe it’s not actually ta’veren; it’s just a lot of money spent on a tourism campaign. Part of Roedran’s plans for economic development, no doubt.

“One thing bothers me, however,” Verin said. “Was there no other person who could have happened into your path?”

You’re just that special, Verin.

Now the question is why?

“First, we should negotiate my price for taking you to Andor.”

Okay no, apparently the question now, as far as Verin is concerned, is just the classic ‘how much?’

I can respect that.

Ah, so she wasn’t the one distributing the drawings of him, she just found one.

I’m pretty sure saidarisn’t a verb, but then, Mat used ‘Aes Sedai’ as a verb when he was still being written by Robert Jordan, so…whatever. It’s probably the least out-of-character part of the sentence, which might be saying something.

“I received this paper, Matrim, from a Darkfriend,” she said, “who told me – thinking me a servant of the Shadow – that one of the Forsaken had commanded that the men in these pictures be killed.”

Oh, so it was about that after all.

More importantly though…*squints at Verin* any particular reason he thought you were a servant of the Shadow? That’s some extremely Aes Sedai phrasing right there…

She thinks Mat should go into hiding? That’s…extreme. Though it’s kind of what he’s been doing for the last several books, in a way, if not necessarily always by design.

“I’m always careful,” Mat said.

Presented without further comment.

She slipped a small folded piece of paper out from under the picture. It was sealed with a drop of blood-red wax.

Mat took it hesitantly. “It is?”

“Instructions,” Verin said. “Which you will follow on the tenth day after I leave you in Caemlyn.”

He scratched his neck, fronwing, then moved to break the seal.

“You aren’t to open them until that day,” Verin said.

NOW WHAT DOES THIS REMIND YOU OF?

Mysterious envelopes from an Aes Sedai, that must not be opened just yet, not while she’s here watching…

This has always boded well before. As Mat has every reason to know, having read another of them and seen a third handed over.

Mat wants no part of this agreement, though. Really? You’d rather walk twenty days to Caemlyn than wait ten days there?

Then again, promising to follow mysterious instructions given to you by an Aes Sedai you recognise as being not entirely what she seems, is…well, I suppose I can’t completely fault him for being wary. So here we are, at a question of whether or not to trust an Aes Sedai.

Is this her game, here? Which choice does she actually want him to make? Could it be that she knows he distrusts Aes Sedai and the One Power and also hates being told what to do, and so is presenting this to him in such a way that she knows he won’t open it? Though in that case, why? It reminds me a little, perhaps, of her giving Egwene the dream ter’angreal but not Corianin’s notes. Yet it also seems a little too convoluted; there would have to be some reason why she had no choice but to give him whatever instructions are in that envelope, and yet also not want him to follow them. Occam’s Razor would certainly suggest the simpler answer: she does want him to read them. But…I just don’t know.

“I might not need you to go through with the contents. I hope to be able to return to you and relieve you of the letter and send you on your way. But if I cannot…”

So there is a scenario in which she doesn’t want the instructions followed. Which means it’s possible she doesn’t want them followed at all, but has to give them to him for some reason…and nothing she’s said has narrowed it down even if we trust that she is bound by the first Oath. Which at this point I wouldn’t put any money on. On either side of that bet.

What instructions could she have for him, that are so conditional? And on what? WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING, VERIN?

What might you not be able to return from?

Who are you?

“The compromise, then?” Mat said.

“You may choose not to open the letter,” Verin said. “Burn it. But if you do so, you wait fifty days in Caemlyn”

A choice between knowledge but being bound, and ignorance but freedom. How…perfect a dilemma, really, for one who so embodies Odin and the trickster archetype.

But what does Verin know? What is going to happen in Caemlyn between ten and fifty days after she leaves? She has to know something; otherwise the waiting seems too arbitrary.

“Twenty days,” he said.

“Thirty days,” she said, rising, then raised a finger to cut off his objection.

She had to have known he would try to bargain with her. So, between ten and thirty days after she leaves him…what? What instructions would be relevant after ten days, but irrelevant before ten and after thirty? What is going to happen? All I can think of is something to do with Elayne being crowned as Queen, maybe, because just about everything else from that storyline was more or less wrapped up when we left Caemlyn at the end of the last book. Or something to do with the Borderlanders?

I can’t figure it out, and I also can’t work out what angle Verin is playing here, what she even wants Mat to do, which side of the compromise she wants him to take. So I can’t figure out which one he should take.

Verin’s pretty damn good at this.

Verin eyed him, a hint of worry on her face. He couldn’t let her know how pleased he was.

But we also know, from their brief moment of mutual recognition at the start of this scene, that she might know anyway. Or that she might be letting worry show deliberately. Or…

She folded up the picture of him, then took a small leather-bound satchel from her pocket. She opened it, sliding the picture inside, and as she did, he noticed that she had a small stack of folded, sealed pieces of paper inside just like the one he was holding.

What are you up to, Verin Sedai? Because this feels very like what Moiraine did when she knew she was about to…go away.

A stack full of mysterious letters? Instructions not to open them until after she leaves? A very vaguely worded statement about hoping she’ll be able to return to collect them?

She hasn’t told him ‘you will do well’, but other than that, this sure looks like a…not a farewell so much as a final play of some kind.

Also she can’t have let him see those letters by accident. So does she want him to wonder? Why?

Why was Verin being so cryptic?

GOOD. FUCKING. QUESTION.

Though it’s hardly a remarkable occurrence; she’s been cryptic for ten damn books already.

Tuon was dead. Gone, cast aside, forgotten.

That’s a fun way to start a POV. A statement not of identity, but of nonexistence. Of the relinquishing of an identity, the death of one.

Fortuona was empress.

MY FUCKING GOD

FORTUONA.

Fortune rides like the sun on high, with the fox that makes the ravens fly…

Fortune. Fortuona. She’s Lady Luck.

I can’t decide if that’s brilliant or over the top. Maybe a little bit of both. It does give a rather excellent double meaning to that line of the Prophecies.

Either way, she’s standing in front of the forces she has assembled for, presumably, an attack on Tar Valon. So…we’re doing this.

Fifty sul’dam and damane pairs, including Dali and her sul’dam Malahavana, whom Fortuona had given to the cause. She had felt the need to sacrifice something personal to this most important of missions.

Um, Tuon? Those are people. So yes, you are sacrificing something personalin that you are sacrificing a person. Who herself has no choice in whether or not to be your own personal sacrifice so that you feel like you’re truly invested in this.

Though for some reason Rand’s thought a few chapters ago about Min, that if she died, he would add her name to the list and suffer for it comes to mind. These are people, and their lives have meaning beyond the pain their deaths would cause you.

But of course, to the Seanchan, Malahavana is simply property. So the greatest cost, if she dies, is not to her or her family, but to Tuon. Which is fucked up. Hot take: slavery is bad!

Fortuona looked down at the soldier before her, laying her fingers on his forehead, where she had kissed him. “May your death bring victory,” she said softly, speaking the ritual words. “May your knife draw blood. May your children sing your praises until the final dawn.”

That doesn’t sound like a blessing you give to someone who has any hope of returning. This soldier is one of five, so maybe it’s a special suicide mission? To do…what?

Their assault would begin in darkness

How…appropriate. It was made possible – or made certain – by the darkness surrounding Rand, and such an attack serves the Shadow far better than it serves the Light, by bringing even greater strife and division amongst those that should be united.

They really needed that treaty.

It speaks to why Rand suppressing his ability to feel, deciding there are no limits left to him, losing sight of what he’s fighting for, and pushing only for the Last Battle itself and nothing beyond that, is disastrous on more than just a metaphysical/teleological standpoint. It’s not just an issue because this is a fight between Good and Evil and so the champion of Good must embody that ideal. I do think there’s an element of that, of course – it’s where the Fisher King imagery comes in, and the notion of the land being one with the Dragon and vice versa – but there’s also the practical fact that if you’re terrifying and cold and surrounded by an aura of darkness, people aren’t going to want to make peace treaties with you. Or be motivated to fight for your cause. Or listen to you at all. Or have any hope themselves of what might come after, because the examples and expectations being set are so dark.

It all blurs together at some point, the practical and more philosophical reasons, but there’s definitely a practical aspect there. It’s hard to win a fight you no longer have any reason to want to win. And it’s hard to win a fight when you look more like the thing you’re fighting than the thing you’re fighting for, because other people will see that. People who should be on your side will see that. And they, like Tuon, will draw their own conclusions and act accordingly.

Oh hey one of these special five is a woman. At least one. I like that this is specifically shown, in addition to the more general statement that over half the Fists of Heaven here are women. General statements are a lot easier to make, and are sometimes used as a bit of an excuse, or a halfhearted ‘see, look, we gave you what you wanted’. Specifics help bolster that. Even if in this case the specific in question is a woman being sent on a suicide mission to fight for the enslavement of women who can wield Power. You can’t have everything.

(I should clarify I’m being facetious there; I don’t think the Seanchan staging an assault on the White Tower is specifically gender-coded in that way. And I do genuinely appreciate seeing women amongst the elite forces, because that’s cool, all other issues with the Seanchan aside).

Oh. Bloodknives. They’ve been mentioned before, but only in the most offhand of comments.

The pure black stone ring each one wore was a specialised ter’angrealthat would grant them strength and speed, and would shroud them in darkness

That sounds quite a lot like the benefits of the Warder bond.

The incredible abilities came at a cost, however, for the rings leeched life from their hosts, killing them in a matter of days.

That also sounds a little like the costs of the Warder bond. Of a bond that is broken, anyway.

The whole thing also smells of a secondary purpose, introduced like this so late in the game. Not sure how, precisely, but I’ll be keeping an eye on these ter’angrealthat have now been placed on the mantle.

These five would not return. They would stay behind, whatever the results of the raid, to kill as many marath’damane as they could

Oh.

Was this what Min foresaw, when she visited the Tower in TSR and saw death and blood on so many faces? And knew it would all happen within the same day? The fact that Elaida’s coup took place so soon after made it seem like that was what Min had seen, but what if it was actually a viewing of this attack? If so, that’s truly impressive use of foreshadowing and misdirection. Well played. *slow clap*

Fortuona kissed the last of the five Bloodknives, speaking the words condemning them to death, but also to heroism.

I love this sentence, because the structure of it implies that heroism is also a condemnation. They’re presented as illusory opposites, but the same verb applies to each. Condemned to heroism. It’s a concept and a way of looking at things that I love, and actually it’s not at all out of place in this series. Just look at Rand.

That whole sentence reminds me of Rand, really. Condemned to death and heroism. Destruction and salvation. Condemned to be the saviour of the world, and reaching a point where it’s hard to tell, between death and heroism, which is the cost and which is the reward.

And the soldiers are off. No turning back now. I hope you’re ready, Egwene. It might be your last and best chance to pull the Tower together. A common enemy…

As the final light of the sunset died, they struck northward.

There’s something very appropriate about that. The final death of the light, the vanishing of that last chance for reconciliation as Rand walked away; it felt like a victory for the Shadow, a fracturing of the Light.

Also, even striking northward has something of a double meaning. The Blight lies north, but still they fight each other. They should be heading there, as the Shadow stretches across the land and the last battle comes. As the sunset dies they should look north. But not like this.

It could be the beginning of a bold new tactic. Or it could lead to a disaster.

Travelling, gunpowder, aerial assaults. They’ve changed war, and that isn’t something that they can just…step back from, once the Last Battle has been fought.

“We have changed everything,” Fortuona said softly. “General Galgan is wrong; this will not give the Dragon Reborn a worse bargaining position. It will turn him against us.”

She sees. She understands what that negotiation was, and what its failure has cost them. She does not see any other decision she can make – and given what she saw of Rand, it’s hard to see how she could think otherwise, and hard even to disagree with the underlying thought there, that he is dangerous and cannot be allowed to claim more power, as he is – but Tuon is very good at what she does. She understands nuances of politics and power and strategy, and she knows what this will do. But she also does not see an alternative.

Or should I be calling her Fortuona, now? It’s hard when fictional characters change names mid-story; I like it, as a storytelling device, because it’s such a good way to convey a sense or change of identity, but I never then know how to refer to the character, especially in something like this liveblog. And I’m not at all consistent – I call Moridin by his new name but I’m still referring to Tuon as Tuon rather than Fortuona, and I’m not even sure what I do with Egeanin/Leilwin.

“And was he not against us before?” Selucia asked.

“No,” Fortuona said. “We were against him.”

This is excellent. The subtle but at the same time vast difference between those two. The fact that Tuon can so clearly understand this, and what it means. They were his enemy. Now, because of what they do today, they will make him theirs.

Tuon isn’t always the most sympathetic character, largely because she came to the story late, is from a completely foreign culture to the rest of the narrative, and holds some views that are…difficult to reconcile, for a modern reader. But it’s moments like these that make her work, I think. This ability to see beyond what most do – not to change her mind, necessarily, but to be so perceptive and to understand the way people think and work. To be able to look at and judge her own actions and decisions, and to understand the implications.

She’s not going to war against the Tower – and making an enemy of the Dragon Reborn – just for shits and giggles, or even because of a clash of ideologies. That plays into it, because she believes her view to be the right one, but it goes deeper than that. And she understands consequences and tradeoffs and costs. She can recognise that yes, they were against him. And that this will not fix that, but will instead likely exacerbate it. And also that she has no other choice.

But we can sympathise with her more, because we believe that thought process, even if ours might be different. She doesn’t simply press blindly ahead with a single agenda; she looks at the whole situation and understands what her options are and what the results will likely be of each. And because she’s so perceptive, and so strategically capable, we can then trust her more, in a sense, when she does make a decision that sets her against most of the other sympathetic characters. So instead of being a villain by default, she gains much more depth and a certain level of sympathy.

Anyway, this is of course going to end well. To make an enemy of Rand, as he is now?

Though perhaps the more interesting question is, what will Egwene do in the face of her dream coming true? It seems like she could use this to unite the Tower around her. But I also wonder if maybe, just maybe, she could do here what Rand could not. There would be a certain poetry in that, for her own arc.

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#nothing is as it seems #unless it seems like disaster #Wheel of Time #neuxue liveblogs WoT #The Gathering Storm

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