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Entry tags:

week #497-500: "century" and/or "theory"

Weeks #497-500: "century" and/or "theory" is open!

In celebration of the community being around for 500 weeks, we're gonna lean into it. This means that for the next four weeks, we're going to ask you to think about the prompts "century" and/or "theory" and get a story written about one or both of the prompts, some artwork created, or a podfic with data that qualifies.

Century can be just about anything - literal or figurative. Like maybe an SGA team goes to a planet that Athosians have said they have not been to in over a century. Or maybe it's Rodney McKay coming up with a theoretical Ancient-influenced device that the SGA says will not be released for a hundred years. Or maybe it's just someone waiting for a radio callback, and it feels like it's been 100 years since the team has checked in.

Then we have theory - and you know who has opinions about theory? McKay, Katie Brown, David Parrish, Zelenka, and the rest of the scientific community on Atlantis. Hell, maybe it's a rumor about some of the Marines that one of the scientists turns into a theory - that they need to prove themselves.

Whatever the case may be - If it's about "century" and/or "theory", you've got four weeks to get it created and posted to the community.

And....GO!

Entry tags:

FIC: Bottled Poetry

Title: Bottled Poetry
Author:

brumeier
Challenge(s): horse/wine
Fandom(s): Stargate Atlantis
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Jeannie Miller/Kaleb Miller
Wordcount: 8,937
Warning(s): mostly some fluff with mentions of past family dysfunction

Summary: Rodney didn’t know why he kept letting Jeannie talk him into these things - a blind date that spans several days and two countries, in a location without wifi or cell service, seems doomed to fail. But maybe the location, the unusual amount of downtime, and a handsome winemaker will turn things around.

Current Music: "One More Night" - Phil Collins

Entry tags:

recs

Various Links 6/2 - 6/8

13 links today

The Old Guard 2 Trailer

Rodimus Prime cross-stitch

Epistolary Avatar: the Last Airbender fic

Leverage Filk

Cat Dad update - mentions the passing of the mother cat, but the babies are thriving. 7 years of wholesome Cat Dad.

Very WOW but very dangerous standing swing stunt - if any of the more dangerous Cirque de Soleil stunts give you anxiety, skip this.

Seattle Mariners Pride vid

The Great Escape (performed by a cat)

Oslo Pride video

Skeletor and He-Man UK commercials for something - link opens on first vid, scroll down for second.

See Snoopy flying on his dog house

Great vid of a dust devil sans dust

Egyptian Blue pigment re-discovered? - caveat is that I did not research to see if this is a "Discovery" where the locals never lost it.

Entry tags:

weeks #492-496: "horse" and/or "wine" is coming to a close!

Yes, I'm a day later than normal. But in my defense, I'm a bit tired, have an ear infection, and am possibly hosting a hangover. Or at least I think that's why my brain feels funny. Anyway, thank you to our two amazing authors for providing us with these fills!

brumeier gave us Bottled Poetry

goddess47 gave us Planning for the Winter Solstice Celebration

melagan gave us Hold Onto Your Horses

If you are still working on something for "horse" and/or "wine", you've got until tonight to get it posted here to the collection. Otherwise, it'll have to wait for amnesty at the end of the year. Meanwhile, a new prompt is coming soon!

Current Music: "Virtual Insanity" - Jamiroquai

Entry tags:

PRIDE 4: Hardison/Eliot/Parker

Marking Dates (531 words) by Sharpest_Asp
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Leverage
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Eliot Spencer/Alec Hardison/Parker
Characters: Alec Hardison, Eliot Spencer, Parker [Leverage]
Additional Tags: Origami, Fluff
Summary:

Hardison and Eliot mark the date in a way that Parker will enjoy.

Marking Dates

The saying that money can't buy happiness had to have been thought up by a rich person, Hardison decided. He kept folding the non-sequential bills, setting up a menagerie of wild animals. After he had twenty-six of them, he put them in the box, closed it, and left it on his desk, just where the box had been for several days.

Parker had noticed it on the first day it was there, asked about it two days after that, then forgot it existed as it became part of her surroundings. It was the perfect place to hide something in plain sight — though he'd taken the precaution of spritzing it with his aftershave, to hide the money smell.

Parker was funny enough about money that she might have smelled it otherwise.

When Eliot came in that evening, Hardison caught his eyes, looked at the box, got the slow blink of agreement, and that was that.

Two days later, the box was gone, and Parker studied that space, making the cute frowny face she did while cataloguing where everything was supposed to be.

"Where'd the box go?" she asked.

"Have to find it," Eliot answered, before he and Hardison exchanged a grin. Her eyes lit up, so Hardison continued. "Scavenger hunt, in our building, out of the way spots… with things to find on the way to the box."

"What kind of things?" she asked, even as she was getting excited.

"The kind of things you like," Eliot said, and she did a tiny little clap and bounce before vanishing.

"And that, my friend, is how we say 'happy anniversary' to her," Hardison crooned, amused, and going to watch the spy-eyes through the building. Eliot joined him, putting him in a brief headlock playfully.

"Figuring out her love language wasn't so hard," Eliot said, but he was smiling when she found the first animal, right where he'd thought she would, an alligator. "How in the hell did you find an origami A to Z?"

"Man, everything is on the internet now," Hardison told him, still thrilled they'd found a gift that worked.

Parker found the last animal, cunningly folded so it appeared striped, making it a zebra, and the box was just ahead. She opened it, seeing cash — multiple currencies even! — and the note that said 'happy change together day'. Her chin wibbled, for just a moment, before she put all of her finds in the box. She'd had to back track for the otter and the shrew when she realized they were in alphabetical order, but now she had a full menagerie of money.

Her men — both of them were hers and theirs and ours — made fusses on days that weren't Christmas, but not in the way she saw other people do it. That, among many things, kept her falling in love with them every day, knowing neither one would ever push her in a path she couldn't handle.

She'd have to make a run on a store before she went back up to them; junk food for Hardison that had some pretzels in it, and she'd pick up that smelly cheese Eliot had insisted would make great brioche grilled cheese sandwiches.

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: Taylor Swift - champagne problems

Entry tags:

books,
social media

Booksta, Canva, and Cozy Chaos

(or: how I stopped trying to be a serious reviewer and started having a good time)

So… I’ve accidentally fallen back into Bookstagram.

Not in a strategy kind of way. Not with spreadsheets or goals or carefully timed posts. Just in a “I was messing around with Canva one evening and made a cute graphic, and then another, and then suddenly it had been six weeks and I’d somehow rejoined booksta?” kind of way.

It’s been weirdly lovely.

I didn’t start with a plan. I still don’t have one. But somewhere between experimenting with templates, playing with fonts, and figuring out what felt like me, I started noticing a little style creeping in. A colour palette here. A favourite font combo there. A vibe. It’s still evolving (and I love that), but it’s been surprisingly grounding to watch it slowly take shape.

And the biggest shift? I’ve stopped worrying about reading the “right” books. No more pressure to keep up with the latest releases or write reviews that sound a certain way. I’m just reading what I actually want to read. Posting when I actually have something to say. Ditching the mental checklist and leaning into the messier, softer side of bookish life.

It’s not perfect. It’s not polished. But it’s fun. And that’s something I didn’t realise I’d been missing.

Booksta, but make it cozy chaos. Honestly? I’m kind of into it.

Entry tags:

Fandom50: #15

Almost the end of a decade in 1989. Revolutions, crackdowns, changes in power ... look, 1989 left a mark on my psyche. Evidently I was escaping into the cinema as much as I was to the roller rink, judging from me opening 20 tabs even with me being picky. Going to narrow that down some. Okay, 11 in the final cut.

( kinda grouped in genre broadly )

Current Music: "True Colors" - Cyndi Lauper

Entry tags:

PRIDE 3: Jareth/Nick Knight

Stranger to the Ball (498 words) by Sharpest_Asp
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forever Knight, Labyrinth
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Nicholas "Nick" Knight, Jareth [Labyrinth]
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Attempted Seduction
Summary:

Jareth spots new prey

Stranger to the Ball

Jareth smiles as he sees the stranger. It's not often that one of them wanders into the spaces between worlds. Still, they can be interesting in their own ways, if they are not too lost in the ennui of living so long.

Living, for certain values thereof, Jareth amends in his mind.

He maneuvers his way in that direction, watching the stranger take in all of the oddities of the ball's participants. Masks that are cunningly crafted to deliver only a facet of the wearer's personality are works of art, some reeking of the arcane energies invested in them. Others do little to hide the person behind it, much as his own registers as regal and capricious.

A flick of his hand, and Jareth sees to the man's garb, turning it from passable nobility to proper formality and frivolity, the crimson threads shot through the dark cloth with sinister flair.

His guest doesn't notice at first, and Jareth is annoyed, wondering which of his court lured the man in. Yet then the change is appreciated, seen in the mirrored column betwixt dancers. His lovely red-headed courtier seems intent on interception, and he snaps a small stinging swat at her with his magic, forcing her to move on.

"And what, my lonesome wolf, brings such as you to my demesnes?" he asks as he steps into the man's field of vision, setting the mask on its baton to one side, smiling at his most charming.

"I… do not know. I followed a girl…" Already the effect of the court is pressing on the stranger, and Jareth feels a surge of giddy pleasure in the idea of keeping this one for a time.

"There are plenty of women present, but surely, having been led astray by the fairer sex, some time in more masculine company might be preferred?" Jareth invites. "Call me Jareth," he says easily, enjoying the way the man licks at his lips unconsciously.

"Nicki," the stranger gives. "Nicolas de Brabant."

Jareth felt the compulsion of his court pull the full name forth, sees the small frown for having given it, and he reaches with his free hand to stroke the cheek of his interesting distraction.

"This place is unlike any you have seen, and you may enjoy yourself… even to you nature, darling Nikki," Jareth croons at him, before vanishing his mask away, freeing his hands. "A night of dance among those who are not as the mortals you dally among, hmm? Perhaps… with more private dances after?"

His temptations linger, darkening the eyes, before the man tries to deny himself, to find a way out.

For now, Jareth lets him go, but he saw the desire, for that moment, and knows he will find his prey in time.

Perhaps he will deign to dally among mortals to find this Nicki, watching the vampire be caught in several dancers' hands on his way to finding the exit.

"Your hungers could match mine, if you freed them fully."

Current Music: "Better Be Good To Me" - Tina Turner

Entry tags:

rl: health

Daily Check In

*\o/*	Word Count	Step Count	Headache?
Daily	1,059	9,485	no
Monthly	5,218	38,017	1 days

Entry tags:

rl: health

Daily Check In

*\o/*	Word Count	Step Count	Headache?
Daily	1,101	7,191	no
Monthly	4,159	28,532	1 days

Entry tags:

PRIDE 2: Tai/F'lessan

Outside the Flight (350 words) by Sharpest_Asp
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragonriders of Pern
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: F'lessan/Tai [Dragonriders of Pern]
Characters: F'lessan [Dragonriders of Pern], Tai [Dragonriders of Pern]
Additional Tags: Established Relationships, Asexuality
Summary:

F'lessan and Tai talk about it.

Outside the Flight

F'lessan reached, and at the flinch, drew his hand back.

"Tai?"

She rolled over, eyes full of sorrow.

"Shh," he immediately said to the look, hating that she looked upset. "Can I just hold you?"

At that, she scooted over on the bed, and he settled on his back, to keep stress off his bad leg.

"I know Zaranth and Golanth are… involved," she said softly. "I… don't feel it. Like when she rises, and eventually it does break through to me."

He nodded, then kissed her hair. "I love you. Not your body. And… sometimes I think even if those other riders had been careful, it would be like that for you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Your passion, it's in the books, the stars, in doing all we can to be ready for what the skies throw at us," he continued. "I don't want you afraid to share our bed. I don't want you to think that just because our dragons are doing things, that we have to."

She pushed up on her elbow to look at his face seriously. "You enjoy it."

"But I enjoy you feeling safe and comfortable more," he said, not denying it. There was a reason he had at least three kids scattered across Pern already. "I love you, Tai. Just as you are."

"I feel unnatural, to not want to be like that," she admitted softly. "It was easier, blaming it on how the flights made those riders. But … I know it's not like that, and yet I still don't… want to."

He pushed up enough to brush a kiss across her cheek. "Cuddling is fine? Little kisses? Just sitting or lying near?"

"Yes?"

"Then that's what you have my promise to share with you," he said, coaxing her to lay back against his shoulder.

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, and then let it out slowly. "I'm not a freak?"

"No. You just have more in common with my best friend's dragon than anyone else on this planet."

She giggled, to be compared to Ruth, as fabulous as he was. "I love you too."

Entry tags:

links,
poll

end-of-May check-in

It's been a slightly quieter month since the last check-in, but still busy:
( May posts )

Thanks to everyone who posted. Here's a check-in poll to tell us what you've been doing:

Poll #33196

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 20

View Respondents

In the last month, I

View Answers

called one of my senators
10 (50.0%)

called my other senator
10 (50.0%)

called my congressmember
6 (30.0%)

called my governor
0 (0.0%)

called my mayor, state rep, or other local official
2 (10.0%)

did get-out-the-vote work, such as postcarding or phone banking
0 (0.0%)

voted
1 (5.0%)

sent a postcard/email/letter/fax to a government official or agency
9 (45.0%)

went to a protest
3 (15.0%)

attended an in-person activist group
2 (10.0%)

went to a town hall
0 (0.0%)

participated in phone or online training
0 (0.0%)

donated money to a cause
13 (65.0%)

worked for a campaign
1 (5.0%)

did textbanking/phonebanking
0 (0.0%)

took care of myself
12 (60.0%)

not a US citizen, but worked in solidarity in my community
1 (5.0%)

did something else (tell us about it in comments)
2 (10.0%)

committed to action in the coming month
5 (25.0%)

As always, everyone is free to make posts about any issues and actions they think the comm should know about. You can also drop some information into a comment to our sticky post if you'd like the mods to do it.

If you're looking for information on anything else, you can use our tags to check for any ongoing actions or resources relevant to the issues you care about. I try to keep the tag list up-to-date. If you need a tag added, you can DM me.

Entry tags:

rl: correspondence

Mail Call!

sweettartheart, that card is a delight. Thank you.

Current Music: "Shiny Happy People" - REM and the B-52s

Entry tags:

rl: health

Daily Check In

*\o/*	Word Count	Step Count	Headache?
Daily	1,279	10,210	no
Monthly	3,058	21,341	1 days

Entry tags:

Fannish options & enthusiasms | June 2025

Here are some recent fannish things I've happened to see and would like to share!

Spotlight: With strict scrutiny and nervous caution, wary that perhaps it was only nostalgia and rose-tinted goggles after all, Overly Sarcastic Productions brilliantly examined "The Lost Art of Marvel's Phase 1." ( Spoiler: Phase 1 really is as good as we thought it was! Yes, even that one! )

Ficathons, fests & communities

Create & engage
- fkficfest, the Forever Knight challenge, is in progress revealing its stories (one per day).
- justmarriedexchange is an exchange for marriage tropes. Nominations through June 10; sign-ups through June 22; due August 17.
- epidemfic is an exchange for illness themes and depictions. Sign-ups through June 8; due July 6.
- beauty-beast-week is a week-long open celebration of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Posting is August 18-24.
- trope_of_the_month's June theme is "time loops."
- pinchhits is a forum for pinch-hits in exchanges. For example, whumpex is seeking pinch hitters.
- whenisitdue tracks many more events than I note here!
Enjoy & share
- fancake (themed fanfic recs); June theme: "female relationships"
- gensplosion (gen fanfic recs)
- het_reccers (m/f fanfic recs)
- fanart_recs (fanart recs)
- recthething (fanwork recs)

Sidelight: This spring, I posted one recommendation in recthething (for "the gears of time turn on" by LadyHoneydee (TLOZ:BOTW)). I used to have a recommendation-of-the-month project for FK fanfiction, long, long ago. I've been thinking of getting back into recommendations, via such communities, perhaps with mirroring in my AO3 account, definitely no longer limited by fandom. I'm wondering whether and how people really use recs these days. Would it be a good use of my time for others?

Current Music: "Take Me to Church" - Hozier

Entry tags:

rl: health

Daily Check In

*\o/*	Word Count	Step Count	Headache?
Daily	1,779	10,699	yes
Monthly	1,779	10,669	1 days

Current Music: "Shake It Out" - Florence & the Machine

Entry tags:

recs

Various Links 5/26 - 6/1

I seem to have been collecting more links than usual this week. In my defense, between headache, potential ulcer, and sheer stress, I have had little writing inspiration.

( 20 links )

Entry tags:

Preparing for the Winter Solstice Celebration - Stargate Atlantis (PG)

Title: Planning for the Winter Solstice Celebration
Author:

goddess47
Character(s): John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagen
Pairing(s): John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: PG
Length: 1007 words
Warnings: none

Notes:

For

mcsheplets prompt #113 - festival

For

sga_saturday prompt 492-496 - wine

Summary:

Atlantis was still adapting to having refugees from Earth.

Planning for the Winter Solstice Celebration on AO3

Entry tags:

ncis

Greetings!

Name: JacieLeigh
Age group: Legal in all 50 States! I have online friends everywhere from 20s to 70s. As long as you're of age wherever you're from, you're okay with me. No minors, please.
Country: USA
Subscription/Access Policy: I probably average 18-36 posts per month. I post some unlocked things, but I have two locked filters as well (one for everyone friended to my journal, and the other tends to be locked to people I've known for years who actively converse with me, i.e. people I trust with private info), somethings I post privately, mostly recipes that I'm not sure will interest other people.
What I chat about: I am very chatty (seriously - just look at this post as an example)! I enjoy dialogue. Mostly, I chat about writing, and cats would be my guess. I also chat about whatever is on my mind at the moment. So, yeah, you never know. It could be fitness, stores, items, a show I've watched, or current events (Poli-chat is rare and tends to be LOCKED). I will say, although I am an Independent, I am NOT a fan of what's going on in my country at this time. Anyone who supports the felon need not apply. Seriously, just no.
I'm looking to connect with people who: Enjoy chatting, seriously, I'm very chatty and love good dialogue. Also, people who love cats, NCIS, and other common interests. I tend to mirror people. I'm generally pretty engaged with those who engage with me. I'm okay with lurkers, but I'm less likely to comment to people who never comment on my journal. Just being honest. It doesn't mean I'm not reading or don't care, but I've had a lot of negative experiences with one-sided relationships in my life. But yeah, if you want to innocently lurk, then lurk, it's fine. If you want to chit-chat, then feel free to comment. I started on LJ in 2004, and have online friends I've known for years, who are from several different countries. I enjoy learning about history, other countries, and cultures. Unfortunately, so many people have left LJ over the years, and not all of them have found their way to DW.

Main Fandom: NCIS
Other Fandoms: I have written crossovers with Criminal Minds, Ghosts, and SEAL Team
OTP: Gibbs/DiNozzo will always be my OTP, however, I've been known to write Gen or other pairings here and there
What I create for Fandom: Stories and banners, mostly for NCIS challenges these days
Communities that I run: I have several fandom communities, including NCIS Big Bang, NCIS Reverse Bang, NCIS Discuss, NCIS Challenge, NCIS SeSa, and an NCIS newsletter that posts every week or two.
Where I post my fanfic stories: Mostly AO3

Favourite Movies: Hmmm, there are so many! So, a few favorites in no particular order - A Fish Called Wanda, Hidden Figures, Sneakers, The Sting, Victor/Victoria, A Few Good Men, Men of Honor, The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, Generations, Hair, This is Spinal Tap, Point Break (original), My Cousin Vinny, Apollo 13, The Rutles, The Yellow Submarine, Frozen I & II, The Aristocats, Minions, Ice Age movies. Sometimes, I'm a kid at heart.
TV Shows: NCIS (original), NCIS: Origins, Ghosts (US), Fraiser (original and reboot), Friends, SEAL Team, Criminal Minds, School Spirits, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Hell's Kitchen (Gordon Ramsay), Next Level Chef (Gordon Ramsay), RuPaul's Drag Race, Picard, Fire Country, NCIS: New Orleans, Heartland. I also like to watch documentaries on history and nature. There is also a list of other older shows I also enjoy when I can find them on my sticky post at my journal.
Books: The Chronicles of Narnia, also a fan of Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc) and Thich Nhat Hanh (Peace is Every Step, etc)
Music: BEATLES!!! Also Simon & Garfunkel, The Doors, Styx, Led Zepplin, Abba, Blondie, *NSync, Allman Brothers, and others
Hobbies: Writing, hiking, chatting, photography, history - I'd like to get back to playing the bass guitar, and I'm also trying to learn a bit of Spanish and German via Duolingo.
Volunteer work: I volunteer with a cat rescue

Entry tags:

PRIDE 1: Moreta/Nerilka

Last Fall (Future Promises) (545 words) by Sharpest_Asp
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragonriders of Pern
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Moreta/Nerilka [Dragonriders of Pern]
Characters: Moreta [Dragonriders of Pern], Nerilka [Dragonriders of Pern]
Additional Tags: Background Polyamory, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Pride
Summary:

Last Fall is over Ruatha, so Moreta brings the official word to the Lady who has slipped into her heart.

Last Fall (Future Promises)

Orlith back-winged delicately on the courtyard, followed by Hannath and Nabeth. Their draconic jubilation was shining in blue-green faceted eyes as all three riders started unbuckling their riding straps to get down and greet the Lady of the Hold and those that were waiting with supplies to aid the end of flight.

"Lord Alessan is still out with crews?" B'lerion asked.

"Of course!" Nerilka called back, before pushing klah into Moreta's hands, having reached her swiftly.

"I am pleased to report, Lady Nerilka," the Fort Weyrwoman began, "that the lands are clear, and this should be the final Fall of the Pass."

A ringing cheer went up from the drudges and other staff that had followed their beloved Lady out to tend the trio.

Nerilka's hands were still around Moreta's gloved ones. "We are grateful for the reassurance," she said warmly, looking up with adoration at the older woman. "And extend our invitation to come visit, once the Weyr is certain."

"I'll pass that on to all parties," she said, her own eyes locked on Nerilka's face. She could hear Oklina and B'lerion briefing Tuero on which areas might have injured crews coming back — far fewer than some Falls, by the egg! — even as she was looking forward to a true Rest Day spent here.

"Though I am sure K'lon will spend more time at Igen," Nerilka said with a smile. "We don't want to keep you; I know you usually tend the wounded with my sister over there."

"So we do, but the weyr-healer has been handling what is needed today; Orlith listens for me," Moreta promised, sipping the klah gratefully. "Sh'gall was handling personally informing your Holder at Ruatha River Hold; the clumping is always worse near rivers and seas."

The words were a necessary courtesy, but Sh'gall did not come to Ruatha if he had reason to be elsewhere, even if he had mellowed with Moreta choosing to let him Lead through the end of Pass. He was even more uncomfortable with her choices for companionship than with his blue and green mated pairs.

"I'll have your rooms aired soon," Nerilka said far more quietly as Moreta finished the klah. Orlith's croon still made Nerilka blush a little, even so many years after coming to the startling awareness that they suited one another.

"I'll pass word before I come; I have invitations from all the major and minor holds, some not even beholden to Fort!" Moreta's laughter was contagious, and Nerilka was so glad of that.

How far they all had come since their trials eight Turns prior.

"Save the best for last," Nerilka had the temerity to say, taking the mug back so Moreta could mount again.

"Duty, so pleasure can linger."

That heightened the blush, and Tuero bit his tongue as he joined her, so that he didn't tease her too hard.

It was known, in Ruatha's main hold, that the Weyrwoman visited often, and why, but not a breath was whispered elsewhere. This was theirs, much as it was their Lady's, to have the heroine of all Pern so tied to them.

In minutes, all three riders were strapped in, their dragons leaping for the Thread-cleared skies and winking out, their final duty to Pern done for this generation.