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[arc-77]

@bloodsoakedblade from [here]:

"I wielded them, yes. Won them in battle. They were the Darksaber, heirloom blade of the Mandalorian Death Watch, forged by their Jedi ancestor Tarre Vizsla." He makes a disinterested looping gesture with two fingers as if to say and so on. "Like you, they yearned for blood, but they were not content with the rivers I provided, no. They belonged in the hands of Mand'alor, and I would never be of sufficient heritage or clout to earn that title."

The veteran trooper pauses to dip the combat straw sprouting from below his helmeted chin into his cup and drink. It is a mildly silly sight.

"As if I did not know Mandalorians inside and out. I had carved up more Mando'ade than anyone in recent memory. My deeds haunt their culture in poem and song, they frighten their children with stories of my arrival."

He heaves a big sigh, resting his head on his left gauntlet and examining his right hand, which was painted in an intimidating deep red gradient as if dipped in blood up to the elbow. At this point in time, it was his armor's defining feature.

"At any rate, our partnership was untenable. I allowed her to be won in battle by a worthy foe, and that was that." He wiggles the jug of Klingon bloodwine again in offering. True to the name, it has blood in it. Humor me. "Enough about me. So, you weren't always a talking sword. How'd this come to be?"

[arc-77]

"No—."

Fordo interjects firmly, though there's a hint of something else in the urgency of his voice, something uncommon, that Talon has now known him long enough to notice. Uncertainty? Fear? He reaches for her hand to help pull himself up from his seat, and he places his hand on her shoulder, the edge of his palm resting on her neck. Thank you for being here.

"We're sticking together."

Picking up his rifle, he slings it across his back, then draws his dual blaster pistols. The WESTAR-M5 may be have been more compact and maneuverable than a full length DC-15A, but within the knife-fighting range the droid commandos liked to rush into, even it struggled. He wasn't going to get caught like that again, not by himself, and certainly not with Talon by his side. Fordo indicated for her to lead the way and opened the tent flap, letting a gust of cold, snowy air in.

"Visibility is getting bad. Don't stray too far ahead."

His gentle touch made her sigh contently, her eyelids fluttering. If only they had the time to simply remain here. Fordo had a way of touching her lekku that made her pleasantly sleepy. Alas they were in a warzone and those BX units certainly knew how to use those vibroblades. It was unsettling to see them cutting through Fordo's armor like butter.

She looked up at him, seeing the determination to continue in his handsome face. "Shame, I would like to gaze upon your glorious abs whenever I like." She then let her gaze wander along the tent. Spotting something promising, Talon got up and went over to open a few crates until she found a woolen blanket. It wasn't much to look at, a neutral brown, but it would do.

She tried to be as gentle as possible when she began to wrap the wool around his waist and managed to secure it with a safety pin that was also found in the crate. "Not too tight?" He was going to be cold eventually, but they may be able to reach another shelter before that. "Let me scout ahead. If there are any more of those droids around I can fry them before they even realise they've blown a fuse."

[arc-77]

"I can only imagine. Must have been a rough couple of decades." The blaster in his left hand returns to its holster, and he flicks the manual safety on the remaining blaster with his thumb before offering it to the Jedi. "You may. Kept 'em in storage for a long while. It's been nice bringing them out again. SE-14r's don't feel quite as solid, no matter what I do to them."

“Indeed, they look like they could not belong anywhere else but together.”  Cirz’s attention is drawn to the blasters (always a good idea, no matter who stands near) but perhaps especially because they are DC blasters, much more familiar to the Jedi than whatever the empire produced in the last years of its existence. His free hand raises to one of the grips, lingers, and Cirz glances at the weapon’s owner. Helmeted. “May I? Well, I admit I tend to stand on the other side of blasters, usually.”

[arc-77]

"I don’t really know."

His hand retracts at the Senator's initial touch. In spite of the vulnerability of the present topic, it was difficult at times for him to think of Amidala as a friend and not as the public official. Fordo had further reservations about having his hands touched in general, unless offered or intimate. Still, there's a pang of guilt at the refusal of her soothing gesture, and he offers his hand for her to hold, wrapping his thumb around her fingers with his knuckles in her palm. It feels to him more befitting of her status.

"It’s easier not to think about. Spend too much time planning the future, the scarier death becomes. Getting attached gives you something to lose. Better to take things one day at a time, stay focused on the current battle."

Fordo follows her gaze to the stars. He knew that the career possibilities available to him were nearly endless, thanks to the eclectic training and ardent resolve instilled within him as a cadet. No matter where he went, no matter what he did, he would be able to find a way not just forward, but upward. And yet, he could not shake the fear that so many of these ex-military futures would require him to abandon an intrinsic part of himself, his defining feature thus far.

"But — even though it was decided for me, being a soldier... suits me. I'm good at it. In spite of my disagreements over the way things are run—and the aforementioned issue of rights—I've found a sense of fulfillment on the battlefield that is impossible to deny."

a soft and silent heartbeat passed, then another, making the space beneath her chest feel a little heavier with emotion by every beat that followed the two. padmé wished that she could truly understand what being in his position included and how strong, 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 effects the rough and twisted path of underappreciated service could possibly have on him or any other who'd drawn their first breaths while already being robbed of the freedom to choose. instead of being able to reach a hand towards a device or a tool that'd stirred interest and inspiration, the war and its leaders had placed a weapon in that hand to hold, telling him to fight on their behalves. the senator's gentle eyes studied fordo's hunched figure sitting next to her, the weight of bittersweet, pre-written fate hanging above their heads as invisible yet very much existing clouds. the galaxy needed him and his brothers desperately and yet they earned little to no respect while washing off the blood and sweat of the war they had never wanted. disposed of when it's finished; this particular fragment seemed to find a new home in her mind, lingering there with a sorrowful echo.

little did she know that later in life she would quote fordo in her speech, tirelessly campaigning for recovery- and rehabilitation programs for those who'd spent their entire lives serving the armies of the republic. the moment she got to spend by learning more about fordo's inner world was meaningful when it was happening, and it'd remain an influential memory in the future as well. only the dark canvas of endless stars surrounding them knew how much she would've wanted to speak words of encouragement or find the kind of promises to make which she undoubtedly would be able 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩. pretending to know how he felt would've served neither of them, so she decided to reply in a way that was most human and natural.

padmé shifted in her seat slightly to face him better, reaching out to place her palm on the back of his left hand. he couldn't feel the warmth of her touch, of course, but it was a 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 gesture nonetheless. her lips parted, ❝ what would you want to be ? ❞

[arc-77]

There's no real pause to consider before he lowers the launcher and looks over to the Commander. It's a fairly straightforward plan, embodying just the right amount of patience that the Captain can abide when he's got an anti-tank weapon on his shoulder.

"Deal."

After slinging the large weapon across his back, he turns to the rest of his poncho-donning squad, performing a series of hand gestures that orders them to stand down and get ready to move. Group up, one line. The trooper at the rear drags a broom-like piece of equipment that alters their trail just enough to obfuscate their numbers.

"We'll give it another minute to gain some lead then walk in its tracks." Once everyone is in line, they get moving, with Fordo behind the point-man and Cheppi after him. "Have you had your training with detpacks yet, kid?"

" MY plan is— " gritting her teeth, cheppi mashes her goggles against the GAR-issue electrobinoculars, cursing the awkward fit.

" my plan was nice and quiet-like, " she grumbles, watching the tank's repulsors churn the frosty earth below as it lumbers across the tundra. " missiles aren't really nice and quiet, now are they? "

despite her sharp words, her unfamiliarity with command shows in the tightness of her high-pitched voice, her grip on the binocs making the plasteel creak beneath her fingers.

" let's keep it for when we follow that tin can home. then you can blow them all up. " she lowers the device, glancing sideways at the captain with twitching whiskers. not even her nerves can stop the slightly-manic grin flashing across her face at the prospect of sending a bunch of droids flying.

" deal? "

[arc-77]

@gloomfaithed [original post]

[arc-77]

@alootus

Spotify Wrapped Top Songs 2024, Shuffled, Track #71 Object of Affection by Jaime Paige (No longer accepting!)

"Denied a sense of agency, to further aims of loyalty. [...] Perfеct little packages, disposed of when it's finished."

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@iconaclysm

Spotify Wrapped Top Songs 2024, Track #47 Plainsong by The Cure

"Sometimes you make me feel like I'm living at the edge of the world."

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@spokewar

Spotify Wrapped Tops Songs 2024 2023, Track #19 I'm Full by Wallows

"Who's it gonna be—you or me—when we're done?"

"If you get to know me at all, will you run?"

[arc-77]

@hexsreality

Spotify Wrapped Top Songs 2024 Meme, Shuffled 🎁 Elephant by bôa

"We're gonna find the gold that illuminates our lives."

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@guidefaithed

Spotify Top 100 Songs 2024 Meme, Track #88 #78 (bespoke) Disorder by Joy Division

"I've been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand."

[arc-77]

@gloomfaithed

Spotify Top 100 Songs 2024 2023 Meme, Track #69 (nice) Intro (An Awesome Wave) by Alt-J

"It's just a nod to the canon."

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@lightfaithed

Spotify Top 100 Songs 2024 Meme, Track #3 Golden and Green by The Builders and The Butchers

"Because everything dies given time, and I know that this world could be mine."

[arc-77]

spotify wrapped has arrived. send me a number from 1-100 for a starter based on that song, or a lyric from it, or send a 🎁 for me to shuffle.

[arc-77]

@gloomfaithed from [here]:

Fordo grit his teeth as her hand passed over his wound. The searing pain that emanated from Talon's fingertips felt like a fusion cutter, welding his gash shut. His own fingers lightly traced the resulting beaded scar — somewhat crude, but closed. He glanced over at the remnants of his abdominal armor plating, discarded in the corner, and frowned. He'd made a mistake allowing that BX Droid Commando close the distance, and now he had a permanent souvenir to remember it by.

"Thank you." Fordo grunted. This was not the first time she had sewn him up in such a fashion, nor would it be the last, he imagined. His eyes fell to Talon's head on his lap, his hand finding its place brushing her forehead affectionately, then trailing down her lekku and wrapping the tip around his forefinger. As much as he'd like to stay there in that position, he knew they had to get moving soon. It was no good to be this far from base, injured.

Leaning over with a wince, Fordo grabbed a medical pouch from the floor and began to dig through it for a bacta patch. "Plating's done for. See anything around here we can wrap around my waist? Want some insulation before we go back out into the cold." Personally, he was not one for crop-tops.

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@spokewar

[text] Lightsaber? [text] Do you have one of my sabers [text] Cody doesn't have it. [text] I know you have it. [Incoming call.]

[Text] Don't know what you're talking about, Sir. [Text] You've always preferred single blade Soresu over Jar'Kai. [Text] Quite famously. [Text] Going back to sleep now. Picked out a comfy trench. [Text] Best of luck. Tell Cody sector two needs another mortar team.

[Fordo is now on Do Not Disturb.]

[arc-77]

@sandcrwls

" do not fire without my command! "

"If you've got a plan, share it now." His thumb hovers over the Gravity Activated Mode button on his PLX-1 missile launcher. Through the weapon's scope he visually tracks a Separatist hovertank two kilometers downrange. If he pressed the button, the launcher's smart warhead would begin to lock on to the tank's repulsorlift signature, a process the tank would be able to detect. The window of opportunity he had to fire on the fast-moving target was shrinking by the second. "Otherwise, I need you to trust in my judgement."