#And then later down the line she might take on a more active role but that's super-WIP

[bradshawssugarbaby]

High On Lovin' You - Bob Floyd x Reader

a/n: this is an entirely self-indulgent fic inspired by a dream I had the other day, not beta read and may have some errors? I tried y'all. also inspired by h.o.l.y. by florida georgia line

pairing: bob floyd x wife! reader

warnings/content: bob as a dad, mentions of pregnancy, breeding kink, p in v, creampie, smut, fingering.

word count: 2.1k

The Californian breeze was warm and refreshing as it blew in off the coast of Coronado, brushing against your skin. You followed Bob up the brick-laden steps of Rooster’s seaside home, your daughter, Sunday, balancing on Bob’s hip as he jogged up the steps. You couldn’t help but admire the way he managed to make something as mundane as running up a couple of steps holding a baby effortlessly attractive.

His sandy coloured hair had been brushed back slightly, a change from his normal, military-approved style, and his wire framed glasses had been replaced with a pair of prescription aviator sunglasses. His baby blue polo shirt hugged his figure, accentuating his toned chest, his biceps flexing against the sleeve of the shirt as he held Sunday. He’d dressed her this morning, in a baby blue gingham dress that matched the hue of his shirt perfectly, with her curly blonde hair pulled back off her forehead with a coordinating headband, adorned with a bow.

“You ready to go see Uncle Roo, Sunny?” Bob cooed at your daughter, stroking her cheek gently with his index finger as he spoke to her.

Sunday giggled and cooed at her father as the three of you walked around to the side gate of the house. Bob reached around over the gate door to unlatch it, and as you watched him, you couldn’t help but notice that his normally slender build was appearing more and more muscular and toned. You knew that Bob had been spending a lot more time with Rooster lately, and by extension, Hangman, who’d convinced all the guys to start hitting the gym with him before trainings under the guise of “team-building” but you were convinced it was because he didn’t want to work out alone anymore. The gym sessions combined with carrying an almost toddler around were enough to have an impact on Bob’s upper body strength.

Bob looked over to you for a moment, flashing you a smile before walking up to Rooster with a firm handshake and a hug. Bob set Sunday down on the grass to play, watching as she started playing. He’d insisted on giving you a break for the day, feeling guilty for spending the last week and a half working overtime and putting in longer hours as they trained for an upcoming mission. You knew there was no use in arguing with him about it, and the extra time spent with Sunday meant the world to him. Besides that, something about seeing Bob take on the role of doting dad was driving you crazy with arousal, and you were going to make sure you did something about it later tonight.

“Sunday, come here, honey!” Bob called as he chased after your now very active and mobile 11 month old daughter. 

Later that night, you watched as your husband whispered goodnight to your baby daughter over the monitor on your phone, your heart fluttering at the sight of him leaning his tall, slender frame down to kiss his little girl on the forehead, murmuring sweet sayings to her that were barely audible over the noise of the sound machine that was playing.

 “Ok, I think Sunday’s finally gone down for the night. They aren’t kidding when they say that sleep regressions are the worst, are they?” Bob chuckled as he bounded down the stairs, shaking his head as he gently wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you in tightly towards his body. 

“Have I told you yet that you’re the best husband in the world?” 

“You might have mentioned it earlier when she spat up on my shirt right before Rooster’s party for his promotion, but I’d be ok with hearing it again.” 

A cocksure grin appeared on Bob’s face as he nuzzled into your neck, placing soft, gentle kisses against the curvature of your body. A soft, surprised moan fell from your lips as his mouth made contact with your skin, but that was all the encouragement Bob needed to start kissing a trail from the top of your shoulder up to your ear. His movements were playful and light-hearted, but he knew that was what drove you wild. His hands caressed at your waist, sliding down to your hips as he pulled you in closer to him with a gentle yank, the curves of your ass now pressed firmly against his body. You could feel the fabric of his dress pants beginning to tighten against you as he began hiking up the skirt of your dress, giving your ass a firm squeeze.

“Bobby!” You giggled, shaking your head as you felt your heart race as if this was your first time being intimate with him. 

That was the thing you loved about Bob, he made every time feel as great as the first - the passion, love and excitement of when you’d spent your first night together, recaptured as if it was happening all over again. Bob had always been a passionate lover - your first night together he’d sheepishly confessed to you that he’d only ever had one girlfriend before, and he dated her throughout his high school years until he graduated and left for the Naval academy at 18. He’d been worried that his lack of variety in the field had made him inadequate, and he assured you that, if there was anything he was doing that you wanted him to do differently, he’d learn it for you. It’d been nothing short of perfect - you teased him that he must have been reading Cosmopolitan or something to know all the right places to touch you and kiss you, to which he just shrugged, pushing his glasses up on his nose with a grin.

Since that day, it was clear to you that Bob was a people pleaser, and there was no one on earth who he wanted to please more than you.

“You looked so hot in that dress today, babe. You’re stunning, you know that?” He purred into your ear as he continued to run his hands along your body, his breath hot on your neck as he spoke in that low, seductive tone he knew drove you crazy.

“Robert Floyd, you’re pushing it,” you teased, shaking your head.

“Now, now, darlin’, that’s Lieutenant Commander Robert Floyd. If you’re gonna use my full name, better be using that rank too, got it, pretty girl?”

You gave Bob a mock salute, a shit-eating grin on your face as you looked at him. Bob pulled you in closer, holding your hips firmly against him, your dress hiked up to your midsection as he gave your sides a gentle squeeze, his fingers digging into your flesh ever-so-slightly as he held you. Grinding your hips against his, you grinned wickedly as Bob let out a groan. He spun you around quickly to face him, his blonde eyebrows raised quizzically at you. His bright, deep blue eyes were locked on yours and you felt like you might melt right there on the spot.

“Now, a pretty girl like you, she deserves to be treated right by her husband, doesn’t she?” Bob hummed, his fingers toying with your inner thigh. 

“Mhmm, is that so?”

“That’s what I reckon,” Bob smirked, his accent shifting, becoming thicker as he slipped into his natural Kentucky drawl, his fingers brushing against your wet slit.

“Bobby!” You hissed, unable to stop the soft gasp that came out of your mouth with it. 

“I think, since you do such a good job taking care of Sunday and I, I should return the favor, don’t you?” 

Before you could open your mouth to speak, Bob pushed two of his long fingers past your folds, pumping them into your core at a tantalizing slow pace that left you practically aching for more. He smirked as his fingers worked at your core, feeling your body clench at the movement of his hand. 

“Fuck, Bobby,” you mewled, feeling yourself tensing up at his touch, “Feels s’good.”

Bob pulled his fingers out of you, your body aching at the loss of contact. He stood upright, quickly undoing his belt at a break-neck pace. He smirked as he noticed you biting your bottom lip, watching him as he shimmied quickly out of his khaki coloured dress pants and boxer shorts. Reaching into the pocket of the now discarded pants on the floor, he pulled out a shiny foil square of packaging. As he started to open it, you shook your head, whispering in his ear, your voice in a breathy whine as you spoke.

“We don’t need to use that if you don’t want to, baby. I wanna feel you.”

“That so, baby? Thought you wanted at least two years between kids?” He laughed softly, raising an eyebrow quizzically at you.

“I know what I said. That was before I saw you handling Sunday so well at Rooster’s this afternoon. Now I’m thinking 20 months is good enough,” you replied with a shrug, your lips curling into a smirk as you tried to convince your normally level-headed and rational thinking husband to forgo any form of contraception. 

Bob furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before tossing the condom wrapper behind him with a grin.

“What the hell, I’m on board,” He shrugged as he lifted you up, causing you to squeal in surprise as you wrapped your legs around his waist.

Bob carried you effortlessly over to the couch before dropping you gently down on to the leather sectional. He grinned as he hovered down over you, lining himself up with your entrance. He dragged the tip of his cock against you in a teasing manner, causing you to shudder and whine as you felt him make contact with your clit. He gave you a wicked grin as he watched you squirm before gently pushing himself forward. He paused for a moment for you to adjust to his size - something you should be used to by now, but yet, each time your body needed that extra moment or two to stretch around him. 

“That’s it, pretty girl, taking my cock so well,” Bob cooed as he pushed himself further into you, maintaining the slow pace he’d begun with. 

“Bobby,” you whined as he filled you, your fingers gripping his shoulders tightly.

Bob began thrusting into you at a leisurely, slow pace, his voice low and husky as he grunted in your ear, reminding you of how good you feel, how you were all his, and how your body felt like it was practically made for him. You squirmed and shuddered with each thrust becoming harder and sharper, perfectly calculated to hit exactly where you wanted each time, something that was to be expected of a man who’s job entailed precision and skill when it comes to angles. 

“You feel so fucking fantastic, honey. Can’t wait to put another baby in ya. That’s what you want, isn’t it baby? Want me to give you another baby?”

Bob’s hips crashed into yours repeatedly as he thrusted, his sharp, quick movements beginning to grow sloppier as he edged closer to his orgasm. You tossed your head back in ecstasy as he bucked his hips into you, the combination of his words and his movements just about pushing you to your orgasm. 

“C’mon honey, tell me what you want from me,” Bob husked.

“Need you to put a baby in me, please, Bobby,” you cried out, unable to hold back any longer as his latest thrust pushed you to your boiling point.

As if your words flipped a switch inside of him, Bob’s hips bucked forward once more as he grunted, spilling out inside of you as your body clenched around him tightly.

Breathless and panting as you both rode out your orgasms, Bob couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at you, shaking his head.

“So what was it about my parenting that got you worked up?” He smirked, unable to shake the grin off his face as he leaned down to kiss your collarbone.

“Honestly?”

“Honestly, I know something got you worked up today, and I doubt it was the backyard barbecue at Rooster’s.”

“Your biceps have gotten huge from carrying Sunday around everywhere, and with the polo shirt and the aviators today, and you were all proud of yourself for coordinating your outfit with Sunday’s, it was a combination of things, but,” you breathed, shaking your head as you grinned, “imagine how you’ll look balancing two toddlers on your hip.”

[alienpossession]

Mode of Infiltration: Consumables

Eating and drinking are part of daily human activities. You cannot just suddenly decided to not eat. Well....you can, but you cannot do that forever. You have to eat and drink, whether it's home-made, to-go from a quick fast-food chain or some local diner and even fancy restaurant. That's just the reality

So, it is very convenient for these extraterrestrial being to slip itself in between human daily intake.

They simply played the long game, waiting for the unaware human to consume them instead without knowing that something sinister is already hiding inside their carton of milk, crawling inside their salad bowl, mixed in with the pancake batter previously made by infected individuals or tub of protein powder already tainted with extraterrestrial being that can break themselves down into tiny particles that finely integrated itself with the powder.

The possibilities are endless, which means human are very vulnerable from all angles when it comes to this mode of infiltration and the alien tend to be very swift at adapting to their human vessels, even smoothly stepping up to the role the real one left behind

And with these kinds of infiltration, it usually leads to a domino effect of widespread infiltration as the alien merged themselves into a whole batch of cooking or worse, an entire diner, and even worse than that, a whole production line.

For a simple case, Rodney here just prepared himself for a packed day filled with gym sesh and his overtime work session in the office. Clearly he needs breakfast, so his girlfriend for 3 years, Nikki, stepped into the kitchen and prepared something simple.

Several spoonful of omelette with a rather weird taste made by Rodney's lovely girlfriend to fuel his day suddenly choked him to the point of asphyxiation. Turns out, she didn't just made it with love, but also with fine dusting of black speck which already infected her brain when she went out with her girls for some brunch in the up-and-coming yet-infected local joint.

Rodney would be gasping for breath, fighting for his life, but his partner just smiled eerily at him instead of calling 9-1-1, waiting for "her" friend to take control of his body

In other cases, Cal might noticed that something is wrong with his protein powder once he tasted it. But, it's a little too late to reverse anything as instead of opening his mouth to spit out the shake, the alien that blended into the protein powder froze his lips and forced its way into his throat and nose.

Unable to scream for help, he can only endure his fate as he can sense the invading presence crawling to his brain. Mere minutes later, he's excitedly make another batch of protein shakes that he will give to his fellow gym-mate.

The closest mate, Jack, literally waited for Cal in the backyard and supposedly witnessed the whole ordeal. Yet Jack is a little bit distracted with the sultry chat from his girlfriend, his eyes focused to his phone instead to his flailing friend. Needless to say, when Cal offered his shake to Jack while trying to hide his mischievous smirk, the thirsty Jack eagerly accepted the offer and chugged the whole drink, his body instantly convulsed in the process as he managed to slightly opened his mouth to scream for help only for his hand already taken over by the alien to betray him as it dunked out more liquid as more of the infiltrator literally filled his mouth and throat to the brim. When the alien seized full bodily control, Jack smirked back at Cal as both of them eyed to go back to the gym and infect any unlucky attendant that they can take control

As it turns out, the whole batch of the powder is infected because one of the product mixer, a chemist, created the formulation with a whole colony of slimy alien from outer space mixed in to the other ingredients as part of the base formula of the eventual powder. He was taken over during his hiking trip and from then on, his goal is to just simply ensured the readiness of the new settlement for his species. And lucky for it, the young hunk worked for a company that certainly can help his new extraterrestrial friends to blend into human society. After all, not like anyone would expect a surprise from inside their sealed protein powder......

[itsabouttimex2]

not sure if anyone asked about the Monkie Glaive AU yet, but how does it work, exactly? I'm really curious to know about the group and character dynamics considering it's a Monster Hunter crossover! (I was listening to some MH + MHS themes today and it reminded me of this au ! :D)

Monkie Glaive

(I’m really glad you asked this! I was hoping to expand on this AU!)

So, to start- it basically transports the beasts and ecosystem of Monster Hunter into the world of Monkie Kid, which maintains a very high-tech and futuristic world.

It also turns demons and Celestials into monster-hybrids! Here’s five of the characters who are monsters in the AU:

For example, Sun Wukong is a Rajang, which means he can potentially tap into lightning abilities- after consuming a Kirin horn. He can also transform into a full-sized form, and is capable of entering a “Furious” state.

Also, instead of beetles or moths- glaive wielders partner with little FFM monkeys! These monkeys also take the place of Palicos! So, Wukong’s legacy spreads beyond his defeat of the Black Dragon- people to this day emulate his fighting style and actively live with his subjects in day to day life.

No single weapon- he cycles through old glaives and hunting horns as he pleases- after all, he gave the Ruyi Jingu Bang to MK!

Macaque is actually a Nargacuga! Instead of commanding shadows, he can turn invisible and fling spikes from his tail. And, like any Nargacuga, he’s sensitive to sound- especially to Sonic Bombs, and he’ll immediately enter a rage state once he recovers. Macaque wields Leumundslist, and has his own little melanistic monkey partner- she’s the only thing he really cares about. Although, meeting Y/N might just change that…

The Brotherhood is active even to the present day, having never been sealed in the Ink Scroll. They still command Camel Ridge and keep their “subjects” locked up nice and tight, refusing to allow any mortals amongst them to become Hunters or Riders. Instead, they themselves do the defending and fighting, and all their cherished mortals stay perfectly safe inside their walled kingdom- no one leaves.

But, with a little convincing and begging, a stranger may be allowed to come inside for safety and supplies- but only if they’re willing to stay. Expect to sign lots of contracts and papers written by Yellowtusk (who is a Gammoth, giving him the ability to create snow and ice. He wields the Iceshaker.) that were created for the sole purpose of keeping innocent and kind souls trapped inside their smothering protective city. These papers will be cited and show any time you try to leave.

Peng is a Gold Rathian, giving them the ability to both spit fireballs and secrete poison- instead of a tail, though, Peng’s poison is spread by their quills. Those quills also contains a mild paralytic, useful for quieting dissenters or subduing runaways to ferry back “home”. They wield the Gold Chordmaker and maintain a more supportive combat role than their Sworn Brothers. They’re usually first in line to track down any “wayward souls” that leave the loving protection of Camel Ridge.

Azure Lion is obviously a Lunastra, which gives him both a big pair of wings and ability to breath fire- as well as spread flammable dust to ignite later. With the Roilcloud Sword in hand, Azure has sworn to protect all his cherished prisoners subjects from the violent woes of a monster-ridden world- whether they like it or not. There’s not a single resident of Camel Ridge that he doesn’t adore with all his heart, nor even one that he’s forgotten the name of.

And not one is allowed to leave his care.

[actual-changeling]

We need to talk about the Archangel Michael.

No, seriously we NEED to talk about Michael because I think she's going to be way more important than we currently think.

(quick side note: I will be jumping between pronouns for everyone involved because I go by vibes and also bc I'm trans and I like doing it. Hopefully it won't be too confusing, but I'll try to make it clear who I am talking about.)

So! Welcome back to Alex's unhinged meta corner. In accordance with the usual essay rules, let's begin with my hypothesis before we go down a long, probably very unhinged spiral.

I completely underestimated how thorough I was going to be, so to not overwhelm everyone with a miles long post, I will be dividing this meta into parts and will post them as I finish them.

A lot of small details have been fluttering around my mind over the last few weeks, and I think I am finally starting to put all the pieces together—and there are a LOT.

Part 1: Season One and Michael's Rank

We know them as one of the three (four—but that's another post) Archangels next to Gabriel and Uriel. While Gabriel's title was that of the Supreme Archangel, Michael's is explicitly stated in episode one of season two as 'duty officer', which, broadly speaking, makes them the Watcher, the one in charge in the case of Gabriel's absence for whatever reason, taking command where he can't; usually that probably meant him simply being busy and not him being unemployed and naked.

Their position is further signified by their ring, which resembles the Ophanim, the many-eyed angel wheels.

They are the one to keep a literal eye on things—they find pictures of Aziraphale and Crowley in S1 in the Observation Files, they watch over the heavenly hosts, they oversee plans, everything.

Michael even takes it a step further and (presumably created) the grapevine with hell, having direct contact to higher ranking demons such as Ligur, most likely also Dagon, and Beelzebub.

This is where we get to my theory: Michael is actively working with demons against both heaven and hell. It doesn't mean that they care about preserving earth, though they might later on, but that whatever plans heaven currently has are to be stopped.

I'm going to take this one step further and say that Michael also knew about Gabriel and Beelzebub, and helped him escape.

Now to the fun part: the evidence!

In season one, they are interested in stopping Crowley and Aziraphale from preventing the apocalypse, but that does not mean that they agree with the plans heaven has for said event—only that they need it to happen so their own agenda can stay on track. She has information she technically shouldn't, like, well, literally all the details about how, when, and what is going to go down

This is due to heaven and hell's general cooperation, which is its own post, but all of that runs through them.

That 'apparently' is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, it's the basic and plausible deniability that's required for them to not be in trouble. She is also in charge of ORGANIZING the troops, fulfilling her role as a navigator.

On top of that, the way she talks to Ligur highly mirrors the way two covert operatives might talk to one another, using phrases like 'our man' and 'working for you'. The mere assumption Michael makes here, that Aziraphale could be a spy, implies that there ARE already spies and angels working for hell.

Consorting with the enemy is allowed as long as it is done within a very specific framework, so Michael and Ligur are free to do so, while Aziraphale and Crowley are working outside of it, which gives heaven & hell the basis to punish them for it.

I think the phrasing of this sentence is also quite interesting.

Not "time to come back to heaven" or anything along the lines that takes Aziraphale's ethereal status into account, no, she simply says he needs to 'choose sides'—and who is to say that he needs to choose heaven or that heaven and hell are the only sides one can choose? Additionally, Michael is the one to bring the holy water to hell while they send one of the Erics, and while the trial as a whole holds a certain tension, there does not seem to be any open animosity between him and the dukes of hell.

In short, Michael is working with hell behind the scenes, likely pursuing their own goals, and standing in opposition to heaven.

Moving on to season two, and here it gets REALLY fun.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

(hopefully it will just be five. it was supposed to be two. then three. but here we are)

[ninadove]

As a (very niche portion of the) fandom, our collective attention has been captured by how much Felix adores Kagami — which is true and good and beautiful and pure. But we’ve been sleeping on how much she loves him, and today, I want to shine a spotlight on her side of the most beautiful love story ever written.

Before we begin, let me get the obvious out of the way: yes, she did try to crush his skull with a chair in Pretension, and she was iconic for that.

HOWEVER.

This is only how their relationship started. What truly matters is how the story unfolds from then on.

And boy does it unfold fast. By the end of the episode, Felix has shaken Kagami’s worldview so much that she:

Stands up to her own friends and fellow heroes in an effort to not only protect him, but also ensure that he can keep the Peacock Miraculous;

Actively challenges her mother’s teaching that emotions (in this context, romantic love) are a weakness that should be eradicated from the face of the Earth;

Is planning secret dates with Felix, even though as far as she knows Tomoe has her amok (because you can’t tell me this little genius didn’t figure out the entire Sentilore in the sewers);

Trusts Felix with said amok despite his extensive criminal record, as illustrated by how quickly and firmly she takes his hand — with a little sigh if happiness, might I add. This is especially significant compared to previous instances of hand holding between the two, when he had to make all the effort while she remained completely limp.

And then Representation rolls around. And oh, boy.

Kagami instantly calms down from her TV-induced rage upon seeing her boyfriend on her balcony — a major improvement when you consider how big of a role anger and frustration play in her akumatisations.

Tangent 1:

Something similar happened in Ikari Gozen, when Mari protected Kagami from her mother, causing her to narrowly escape Hawkmoth’s influence. More on the Marigami-to-Feligami pipeline in another post, coming to your dash someday in the not-so-distant future.

Not only does Kagami instantly relax in Felix’s presence, but she laughs — something that previously only happened in the context of Adrigaminette, and we all know how that ended. Felix is the one to mend her heart and make her laugh again, for the second time since the dance.

Our two lovebirds proceed to straight up RUN AWAY INTO THE SUNSET. Kagami presumably spent the following 350 km (300 miles) cuddled up in Argos’ arms, admiring how handsome he looks in his glittery cosmic suit which we don’t get to see because budget.

Later on, they casually discuss Ladybug’s identity, while fireworks go off in the background. Let me rephrase this: Kagami trusted the person who stole the Miraculous with her best friend’s most burning secret, not because she wants to defeat Hawkmoth per say, but because Gabriel has been getting in the way of their make out sessions and she can’t have that.

Tangent 2:

Also coming to your dash in the not-so-distant future: an analysis of Kagami’s relationship to the concepts of truth and lies, and how dependent it is on what serves her and her loved ones in the moment.

Then, of course, the core of the episode: Kagami actively participates in the play, helping Felix tell his story in a way he feels comfortable with.

Tangent 3 (lots of ‘em today):

This part is extremely important to me, because I’ve seen So. Many. People. complain that the play could have been boiled down to two lines of conversation.

And like.

No???

Firstly, this is a show, not real life: we as an audience needed the confirmation to be as climactic as possible. If it hadn’t been, I can guarantee the exact same salters would be crying about the story’s “WaStEd PoTeNtIaL”.

But let’s delve into the real life implications of the Sentiplot for a second.

Abuse survivors do not owe you a brief, comfortable explanation of what they went through, neatly wrapped up with a pretty little bow.

The play is a beautiful illustration of how art can be cathartic and therapeutic, and I need you guys to understand that this sequence means something to many, many viewers — most of them children in similarly terrible situations. If I were to bet, I would say it very likely speaks to one or more members of the writing team on a personal level as well.

So you can pry these scenes from my cold, dead hands.

The kisses… All of them… During the firework show. As the sun rises to signify a new beginning. Disguised as Adrien’s parents. For context, this is the same girl who previously found a hand kiss to be too much for her broken heart to bear.

And of course, there’s the way she looks at him like he is her entire world, like she cannot understand how anyone could ever call him monstruous. Because Felix doesn’t get the monopoly of heart eyes.

Finally, in Recreation:

THE LIES CALLBACK. THE MIRACULOUS TEAM TOOK THE TIME AND MADE THE EFFORT TO PUT A LIES CALLBACK IN THE FREAKING FINALE. You guys know I’m insane about this scene already.

So what’s my point.

Because yes, I do have a point, apart from “KSSGDJDKSS Feligami SGDHDKLS 🥰🥰🥰🥰” (which, by the way, is a completely valid meta post in itself).

While we joke that Kagami is so far out of Felix’s league in every aspect — she doesn’t perceive him that way in the slightest. As far as she’s concerned, she has achieved every fourteen year old’s dream: dating the perfect cursed prince, tortured artist, evil-genius-on-a-redemption-arc combo.

She is just as enamoured with him as he is with her, and I think it’s beautiful. 🦚🐉

[whitegownsandflowercrowns]

Do you have any thoughts about Aemond calling Alicent by her name and the way the Green Siblings kind of think of her as an older sister 😭

Many many thoughts. (Below the cut because this turned out longer than I was expecting).

First off I think the age differences between Alicent and her children play a large role in this. These age differences range from 16-20 years, with Daeron being the only child she didn’t have as a teenager (and of course he’s the only one we haven’t seen so far). And then you take that small age gap and add on the fact that whatever age gap each green sibling has with their mom, that’s the exact same age gap they have with their actual older sister Rhaenyra, so it’s no wonder that they might see Alicent as more of an older sister. Putting aside ages, though, I think the way that Alicent has raised her kids and the way that she behaves definitely contribute to this perception.

First you have Aegon, who she treats like a younger brother from pretty much his first non-toddler appearance on screen. He’s the only child she’s (almost) never attempted to comfort, and (almost) every time he could need it, he either gets shot down (“you imbecile”) or she turns away (post Blood & Cheese). In fact, the only time she does actively comfort him is after he gets burned, when he can't respond to her and is probably barely conscious of what's happening. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that he’s the child she has the most complicated relationship with: she was the youngest when she had him, he was her firstborn, he’s the physical representation of everything she’s sacrificed over the past twenty years (I do wonder how her relationship with Helaena would change if she had been born first) he’s a (likely serial) rapist, he’s the reason that there’s a succession conflict. I do think she loves him - I mean, she wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at the thought of giving him up - but I get the sense that she feels like she should love him a lot more than she does. And I don’t think she likes him all that much.

I think one of the first ways in which we can see this sort of older/younger sibling perception is in the fact that she is physically abusive towards him. I can’t imagine her dreaming of laying a hand on Helaena, and the only time she’s remotely rough with Aemond is to get his hands off Helaena. But she is violent towards Aegon in Season 1, slapping him twice and grabbing his face very aggressively in 1x06. If I had to guess, I’d guess those aren’t the only times in his life that she’s hit him (though I don’t think it was especially regular either). I think one of the main reasons behind this separation between “acceptable child to hit” and “unacceptable children to hit” is because Aegon is the child that she mostly sees as not her child, the one she most sees as a younger sibling, for all the reasons I listed above. And anyone who has siblings knows that you can get pretty physically rough with them, but if a parent hits their child, that’s abuse. So, not an excuse, but because I think she has this sort of subconscious mental block of “that’s my brother, not my son,” hitting Aegon isn’t hitting a child to her. Or, at least, it’s not on the same tier of badness as hitting Helaena or Aemond.

And then another part of that I think is the way she speaks to Aegon most of the time. It’s pretty demeaning. The one that stands out the most to me is in 2x04, when she says “What thoughts would you have?” It’s not the words themselves that stand out so much as the fact that Alicent is visibly repressing a giggle as she says it (and she does actually chuckle later in the scene). It’s not just that she’s calling him an idiot ten different ways in that scene, it’s the fact that she seems to be actively mocking him for being an idiot, in a way that seems less like a mother and more like an older sister picking on her younger brother. If the Green/Targaryen as a whole family dynamics weren’t what they are, those lines would feel more at home from Rhaenyra. I know that parents can be bullies, but there's something so juvenile about the way that she does it, as if she's not really aware that what she's saying could actually impact Aegon.

I definitely think Aegon has internalized this attitude of "that's not my mom, that's my older sister," and I feel like both he and Alicent are waiting for his "actual" mom to show up. As if she's a teenage babysitter, but a babysitter who's had to step in for his entire life and was nowhere near prepared. And yet, Aegon still desperately wants her approval, because he wants the approval of every adult in his life, and he can't get any of it. That would also explain what we saw of his approach to raising Jaehaerys: you don't really do the raising yourself, you're not the actual parent, you (the child) and the maids figure it out. This is pure subjective opinion on my part, but I think if the children had lived to adulthood, he would have 100% been a "Disneyland Dad": super fun, nice to them, but does absolutely 0% of the actual child raising and is more of an uncle than anything. I also think it's interesting that when the twins were born, he was the same age that Alicent was when she had him - I can't say "we don't talk about that enough" because I haven't talked about it, but I think it warrants further exploration.

Now on to Helaena. Out of all of the siblings, she's probably the one that has this attitude the least, and I do think her own motherhood informs this. I just mentioned Aegon's age when the twins were born: she was fourteen when she had them, thirteen when she married Aegon. Alicent was fifteen getting married and sixteen having her first child. Both ages are ridiculously young, but fourteen is especially egregious, considering that she wasn't even an adult by Westerosi standards, let alone 2024 standards. I understand that Viserys was decaying and all, but I would really like to know, in both book and show canons, why it was considered so essential by the Greens that this marriage happen so early, and why there were absolutely no protections in place to guarantee that Helaena wouldn't be having kids at fourteen years old.

For obvious reasons, we don't see a whole lot of Helaena's motherhood, so we do have to infer a lot about how she feels about having kids so young. Going purely off of show canon here, it would seem that her feelings are loving but complex - like Alicent, but also complex in a different way. Helaena has known for probably years that Jaehaerys was essentially born to die, and she probably also knows that Jaehaera's life will be short and tragic. I can imagine that that would mess your relationships with your children up at least a little (I mentioned in this post that her words about trying not to be sad about Jaehaerys are almost certainly inspired by her visions). But I can guess that having been so young when she had these children, possibly seeing them more like siblings or a niece and a nephew, would also complicate this relationship.

Ultimately, I think that's why she has this relationship the least with Alicent: because she understands that motherhood is complicated, and that these dynamics can be weird when the gap between you and your children is so small. Overall, their dynamic seems to be the most typical parent/child dynamic of the three: Alicent is concerned for her above all else (reaction to B&C, immediately going to see if she's alright when Vaemond is beheaded, the entire Season 2 finale), and Helaena seems to think of her as a mom. I also suspect that being the only daughter plays into this dynamic, since she doesn't pose any inherent threat to Rhaenyra and therefore Alicent doesn't have to worry about what Rhaenyra might do to her to secure her claim. Basically, she didn't have to grow up as fast (in that sense, she definitely did in other ways).

Finally, Aemond. The one you asked about, who just straight up called her Alicent and spends a lot of Season 2 treating her like his subordinate (every time I remember "domestic pursuits" I feel violent). This one's interesting because, unlike Aegon, I don't think this one is on Alicent as much. That's not to say none of it is on her, I do think the general emotional unavailability contributed to his issues (Exhibit A: everything with Sylvi). But there are other sources, the most obvious of which I think is Driftmark.

Losing his eye was unpleasant, no doubt, but I think the truly scarring part of that night for him was Viserys' reaction. Because, in that moment, he learns that it doesn't matter if he's nine years old with a giant scar where his left eye used to be, not even two hours after it was taken out: because he said the wrong thing, his father will choose Rhaenyra every single time. Since he's the one in the chair, I think this revelation hit him the hardest. Personally, I think this is the moment where the Dance and not just a succession conflict became completely inevitable, and I think the same is true of Aemond. Or, at least, he realized that if Rhaenyra decides that she needs to end all opposition to her throne he's done for. So I think that moment for him is a horrible sort of growing up moment, where he realizes the realities of the adult world around him and has to become an adult to survive it.

I think that's primarily where his "Alicent holds love for our enemy" attitude comes from. He's known since he was nine that when it comes to Rhaenyra it's kill or be killed, and his childhood has been destroyed as a result. So he sees Alicent pursuing peace even after he's killed Luke, and I think it frustrates him to no end because he's thinking I've known how this is going to end for years, why can't you accept that? I'd wager he probably sees himself as the adult in this situation, and Alicent as the idealistic teenager who refuses to accept that sometimes bad things have to happen. So if you take the general Hightower A+++ Parenting and combine it with everything I've just said, you'll get Aemond seeing her as an older sister (who would be a teenager/very young adult) and not his mother (full adult). There's also probably a bit of "I need to be the best and the smartest and the most mature" attitude on Aemond's part that could be delved into.

So those are my thoughts. In conclusion, the Targaryens and Hightowers are messed up, child marriage and neglectful parenting are responsible for pretty much everything wrong, and they would all heavily heavily benefit from getting far, far away from King's Landing and Westeros as a whole.

[apomaro-mellow]

Mafia AU 11

Part 10

“Ciao bella~”

A kiss of the hand and a giggle. That was how it started.

That and a little aside to her friend in Italian, poking fun at this man who had clearly used up all the Italian that he knew. Fortunately for him, he was handsome enough to take pity on and switch to English.

“What a gentleman. What family do you come from?”

“The Harringtons.”

“I’m afraid I’m not familiar with them.”

“You will be.”

At first, her father didn’t say anything outright about associating with him. He was working with the family after all. He only just warned her not to get too attached. But when he announced himself as an official suitor, her father put his foot down.

He wasn’t worthy of her, worthy enough to be the boss. That he, as her father, would find a more suitable match. But she had spoken in defense of her love. He might not be ready now, but he could learn. She could teach him everything he needed to know, make him the sort of boss the other men would respect. And like many fathers, his heart was soft under the intense gaze of his only daughter.

And so the courtship had continued.

To her delight and her father’s surprise, the outsider took to the job like a duck to water. He was ruthless and didn’t shy away from blood. He didn’t follow all of the traditions though, and didn’t hold respect for the old ways and the families that had paved the way as he should. But he got results. He had the approval of the boss and the love of the boss’ daughter. No one could touch him.

The bonding came as a surprise to no one, and the birth of their pup was met with elation. Her new bouncing baby boy was her greatest treasure. The father was happy for an heir, but didn’t appear to share the same wonder at their son. She had heard that it took fathers some time to truly bond with their children and brushed it off. As a wife and now a mother, her role in the family became less active, but no less busy. It was still her duty to support her husband after all.

It was her job to sit in with the other wives from their family and others. To hear what their husbands didn’t know about and to pass that information on to her own. It was what her own mother had done to assist her father. But while her alpha was good at most aspects of the business, he ignored the social part. Even when she came to him with something important, he ignored her.

When it became clear that he would hear nothing from her, she put her all into her son. In time she came to realize how others saw her husband and that she only needed to hold the line until her son could take his place. Just long enough that no one would oust them so that Stefano could do what he had been born for.

The first time she yelled at her husband had been when Stefano was five. The little pup had slipped away from his nanny and found his way to his father’s study in the middle of a meeting. She had been walking by when she heard him curse at their child so viciously he immediately started to cry. She felt a fire blaze inside of her, shouting at her husband and carrying their crying son away.

They fought later that evening, him angry at her for disrespecting him in front of others. 

“You will NOT speak to me that way in front of these people! Isn’t it all about honor?”

“You dishonor yourself! They look at you and think ‘what kind of a man curses at his baby like that’?!”

“He’s not a baby anymore!”

“He’s five years old! And if you keep treating him like that they will think you are afraid of your own child.”

He didn’t soften around Stefano, not the way she wanted him to as a father. But he never yelled at him around others anymore. He got used to expressing his disdain more privately. She realized by the time he was ten that his fatherly love would never come. And any love for her had been buried deep beneath his ambition. Her determination to protect her son and raise him to be a proper boss was strengthened as she saw him grow.

She made sure he knew the right people and how to treat them, brought him up in the right customs. Made sure he knew Italian just as well as he knew English. Her husband’s nose scrunched up whenever they spoke it in front of him, barring him from the conversation. She used to think that little quirk was cute. But nowadays it was a sign that not only did he not know, but that he had no intention of finding out.

Her son had a similar nose scrunch and it was the most adorable thing to her. It was amazing how the same thing could give such different feelings.

They didn’t have a major fight again until Stefano (sometimes called Steve) was twelve. She passed Tonio in the hall and he said she might want to pop in on the gymnasium. She did and found her husband treating their child’s face like a punching bag. There were a few other men who looked on with mixed expressions as Steve remained standing despite the blows to the face. They all parted to let her through and kept quiet as she laid into her husband. Her rage so blinding, that she was sure she was switching between languages but had no control over which one came out and when. But she made one thing very clear.

“If you ever put your hands on my son again, I will make you regret it.”

With that one incident, his reputation began to slip. The old boss made it clear he hadn’t been a hundred percent on giving the family to him. He had lost the love and respect of his wife. His son wasn’t looking too promising either and his only saving grace was that he seemed to take more after his mother.

“Are you trying to end this family?!”, her husband accused one night.

“I’m trying to save this family. I was wrong about you. How could I have been so stupid?”

“Haven’t I been good for you? Haven’t I given you everything we wanted?”

“You’ve only given me one good thing in this life. Everything I do, I do for Stefano.”

Her husband’s entire demeanor changed. Like he had closed himself off. “Well, until I have retired, I still run this family. And that includes the both of you. And my retirement will not be coming for a very long time.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“...What do you mean?”

She was going to answer when she noticed the crack in their door, the flash of an eye, and the whiff of a familiar scent. She let out a sigh and started towards the door.

“I am going to say goodnight to Steve. If I were you, I would take some time to think about what it means to be a part of this family.”

---------------------------

“They fought some more after that. And then, one day, my dad came to my room and told me she was dead”, Steve said. “She’d been out in the city and some random guy shot her while trying to hold up a jewelry store.”

Eddie swallowed. What felt like the first movement in hours but Steve’s story hadn’t been nearly that long. He wanted to reach out to him but the omega looked untouchable right now.

“How old were you?”

“I had just turned fourteen”, Steve answered. “It didn’t feel real. She was always there and she said she’d be back soon and then she just���wasn’t.”

“What was her name?”

Steve smiled. “Francesca Noemi Marini.”

Eddie ventured to reach out and put his hand on top of Steve’s. Steve turned his palm upward to hold his hand but didn’t say anything more for a while. And for once, Eddie was speechless.

“I don’t think it was random though”, Steve spoke up after composing himself. “I’ve had this gut feeling and something about it all seemed odd.”

“Well, targeting the boss’ wife would be a ballsy move”, Eddie said. “How did your dad take the news? Didn’t he ever punish the guy who did it?”

“He told me it had been handled. That he’d taken care of it. Back then, I just took him at his word. But I…”

“But you?”, Eddie urged.

“I just know that if someone killed the love of my life, I wouldn’t handle it quietly. I would make an example out of them. Make it so no one would ever fuck with my family again.”

He tightened his hold on Eddie’s hand and the alpha felt his heart skip a beat. Was he included in that? Was there ever a chance that Steve might rip the world apart if something happened to him? The thought of someone caring so furiously and having the power to back it up was a bit intoxicating.

“Any leads on who the culprit might be?”

Steve put his head on Eddie’s shoulder, shocking him to stiffness but he quickly realized it was just an excuse to whisper in his ear. Even deep in the maze, there could be eavesdroppers. And what Steve said next was completely traitorous.

“I believe my father had her killed.”

Part 12

[scentedstrangercreation]

An Indecent Proposal

Absolutely self-indulgent fluff. Fake proposal trope 🤡

---------------------------------

The wrench slipped from Garrus’ hand, bouncing off the thanix’s compressors and sliding beneath the cannon.

“Dammit.”

He crouched down and sprawled onto his back to slide under the battery. The opening was too narrow for his carapace, so he could only lean against it and stretch out his arm. His talons just barely grazed the tip of the wrench, spinning it hopelessly in place. Garrus sighed, tapping his head against the cannon’s base. His omnitool pinged on the opposite arm. He turned his head and watched the red light blink in its slow, deliberate rhythm. There was no point in checking who it was from. He’d only just spoken to his father yesterday, and the message had been clear: It’s time to stop playing mercenary and come home. There was a position ready for him on Palaven, a good service role. One that would make his family proud. The past few years would be forgotten—the Normandy, his time on Omega, Cerberus. Even the battle at the Citadel was becoming a distant memory everyone wanted buried. The bottom line was that the council wanted to move on—and Shepard was becoming a liability. The light pulsed again. He wasn’t sure why he bothered putting off his response. Turians didn’t make requests. Garrus was being given an order—an opportunity—and there was only one answer. Yes, sir. The door to the battery hissed open. “Garrus?” Shepard entered the room and the door shut behind her. He tried to sit up, forgetting his arm was still jammed beneath the Thanix, and slammed into the steaming pipes, “Spirits,” he grunted, extracting his arm. “Sleeping on the job?” Shepard crouched down beside him. “We didn’t all get a palatial suite.” He squinted up into the light as Shepard came into focus above him. “How’s the face holding up?” she gestured around her jaw. Garrus sat up, touching the bandages around his face. “Don’t worry. I’ll still be pretty.” “Thank god.” She offered her hand and he pulled himself up, “Wouldn't want you scaring the children.” He should have laughed, said something quippy back, but he was out of practice. Instead, he just stared at her for a minute in silence. He still wasn’t used to it—to her. Shepard was here. She was alive. He didn’t like thinking about it too much. Part of him was worried that if he wasn’t careful, he might wake up. Garrus shook the thought from his mind and cleared his throat, “What do you need?” Shepard held up a data pad, “Just wanted to go over—” Garrus’ omnitool pinged three times in quick succession. “You need to take that?” “At some point.” he dismissed the messages without looking. She looked at him curiously, but didn’t say anything. “It’s—nothing. Just…” he’d have to tell her eventually. He just wasn’t sure when…or how. She tapped the data pad against her leg and tilted her head slightly. He could tell she wanted to say more. But at Miranda's request, she had been practicing her…restraint. He smiled. It was like she had to physically restrain each word before they bullied their way out of her mouth. “Actually, we can do this later.” She gestured with the pad, “Want a drink?” He waved her off, “I should probably get back to—” “If you say calibrations, I’ll vent the battery.” “Well, I won’t say it then.” “Come on, don’t make me beg.” She turned around and started walking as if he’d already agreed, “have a drink with me.” “It’s actually been more threatening than begging.” “Oh, good. Then you’ll take it seriously.”

Shepard’s cabin was garishly large. He knew she agreed. The fish tank held nothing but water and the entire back half of the room was left untouched. He suspected she didn’t even use the bed, with its corners pulled taut and undisturbed. The contrast against the couch was almost cartoonish. It was clearly a hive of activity, dwarfed beneath a mountain of clutter. There were signs of small, abandoned projects strewn about: stacks of tablets, an omnitool’s motherboard exposed and connected to a desktop by frayed wires, her sniper disassembled and half-polished. His gaze continued about the room before settling on Shepard, rustling around in a small cabinet. "Look what I’ve got.” She retreated from the cabinet, two glasses and a bottle of something dark in her hands. She tossed it to Garrus. He caught the bottle, twisting it in his hand to see the label and released a low whistle. “Guess working with Cerberus has its perks.” He joked, flaring his mandibles and holding the bottle out to her. “Guess so,” she took it back and filled up a glass, passing it over before filling her own. “To the perks,” she said, gently knocking her glass against his. Not hard enough to spill it, but enough to make a sound. A ‘cheers’ she’d called it before. It always surprised Garus how many casual little rituals humans had. They enjoyed the first sip in silence. She released a groan and sank back into the couch, “Don’t tell Chakwas, but this is so much better than brandy.” “Your secret’s safe with me,” he walked over to the empty tank. Even without fish, it was relaxing to watch the light move through the water. He almost forgot what he’d been trying to ignore when his wrist pinged again. He could feel her watching him. Now or never. “My father reached out yesterday.” She made a noncommittal sound behind another mouthful of wine. “There’s, uh…” he struggled to find the phrasing, “He asked me to come home.” “Is everything okay?” she asked. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” He cleared his throat, “He just thinks…it’s time.” He knew he sounded foolish. He wasn’t sure how to explain it to a human. There was so much context she couldn’t understand. He watched her reflection. Her expression was carefully neutral. She seemed relaxed, but her eyes had a slightly unfocused, calculating bearing. “Is that what you want?” She asked like there was an easy answer, missing all of the complexities that seemed so obvious to him. “My father—,” he turned to face her. “I don’t care about your father.” He laughed, “You two have something in common.” “You know what I mean,” she rebuffed his joke. “What do you want?” “It’s…complicated. It’s not about what I want.” “Why not?” “Because...Turians—,” He paced a few steps away, releasing a frustrated sigh and rubbing his head. He wasn’t going to explain the intricacies of Turian culture to her. He wasn’t sure he even could. “Garrus, this isn’t some teenage rebellion.” He didn’t understand the phrase but he let it go. “This is for the galaxy. Your people should be rallying behind you.” “The way your’s have rallied behind you? Shepard, we're working for a literal terrorist organization.” “With” she corrected, “...But your point isn’t entirely lost.” He could see she wanted to argue more, but had decided on a more tactical route. “So what’s the situation exactly? You go home or you’re what? Banished?” He laughed a little, “Not with quite so much flair.” It was hard to put words to norms he’d always just accepted, “I don’t know how to explain it. To put yourself before the family, before the colony, is…You just don’t.” “This is the opposite of putting yourself first.” He wished he could say that was true. That if it weren’t for her, he’d still be out here fighting the good fight—but he knew better. Sure, he believed in what they were doing, but he was here for her. And they both knew it. “This isn’t Blasto 6, Shepard. I can’t just ask the Turian Hierarchy to just ‘go with it.’ Even you know how crazy it all sounds: ancient machines culling the galaxy?” He paused but she didn’t counter. “As far as they’re concerned, humans have been the biggest threat to the galaxy since the Geth.” “How flattering.” She gulped down the rest of her wine. “And then, after the Citadel, after…you—you know…” he stumbled over his words, refusing to make eye contact. “Well, they gave me time to grieve, and now it’s time to get back to reality.” “Glossing over the fact that this,” she set her glass down and tapped on the table, “is reality. So, what? You don’t go home and it ruffles a few feathers?” He ignored the turn of phrase.

“It’s more than that. We’re a collective, going against the Hierarchy is…egomaniacal. It goes against everything my people stand for.” She still didn't seem convinced.

“It’s not even really about me.” He sighed, “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m...not exactly a model Turian.” 

She raised her brows and tilted her head. He could tell she was fighting a small mirk, but she didn’t say anything. 

“I was a lost cause long before teaming up with the illustrious Commander Shepard—but my family?” Her brows furrowed and he tried to think of an example, “Say a Turian is demoted. It’s not really his fault. The disgrace lies with whoever promoted him in the first place. It’s the same principle in a family. They’re responsible for my actions as much as I’m responsible for theirs.” He thought he spied some semblance of understanding, “and since I’m not married, that means my father and sister would be—,” “Wait,” she held up her hand, “what does marriage have to do with it?” “It’s—,” He exhaled, annoyed by the tangent he’d introduced to the conversation. Shepard’s eyes flickered with a teasing curiosity, and for the umpteenth time since they’d met, he was grateful Turian’s didn’t blush. He rushed through the explanation. “Every Turian is completely tied to their family from birth. Your name, your reputation, your accomplishments and your failures. Everything is shared. That doesn’t change until you’re married. Then it sort of…” he searched for the right word, “transfers to your spouse?” He watched her carefully, trying to gauge her understanding. “Then, when you have kids, they’re tied to you and your partner until they marry—and so on.” 

He caught a flicker in her expression and stopped, “What?” “So you’re saying you’re twenty-seven years old, you’ve no money and no prospects. You’re already a burden to your parents and you’re frightened.” her words sounded strange. It took him a minute to realize she was using a different accent. He wasn’t sure what purpose it served, but he figured she was making a joke he didn't understand. “I guess?” He shrugged. She dropped it. “So if you were married—,” “It was a bad example.”  “No, no, listen. If you were married and your spouse—hypothetically—requested that you fight, I don’t know, the Reapers, you’d have to listen?” “Have you taken a psych eval lately?” She ignored him, “Then, even if the Turian Hierarchy comes knocking, it’s just about you and your partner? No kids, no dad, no sister to worry about.” “How romantic.” “Is that really how it would work?” She pressed. “You’re glossing over a lot of nuance and context—but on a basic level…yes? I guess.” He crossed his arms. How had the conversation gone so off-course? “Regardless, I still need to—” he stopped, “is something wrong with your leg?” Shepard was crouched down onto her knee. “What? No. This is how humans do it.” “Do what?” “Propose.” She said it so matter of factly he almost felt absurd for asking. “Shepard—” “Garrus—” “Shepard, don’t—” “You can just call me Jane now.” “Stop.” He pulled her up, doing his best to ignore the uncomfortable fluttering in his stomach. She wore a calm, level expression that frustrated and excited him. “I’m not joking.” Her eyes left his and began to drift across the room as she seemed to consider her words. “Listen. I…need you.” She let the words hang for a minute, as if testing the waters. Her eyes finally settled on a point just over his shoulder, mercifully avoiding his gaze. “We’ve been in this together since the beginning. I trust you and I can’t imagine doing…any of this without you.” She finally turned her eyes to his. Her expression serious. “You're my best friend, and if I’m going into hell, I want you at my back—If you’ll have me.” She added.

“Now you’re begging.” She grinned but continued to push, “I’m serious. Nothing has to change between us. You just get a Turian hall pass to come save the galaxy with me.” It wasn’t that simple, but there was something there. “I feel like this conversation has gone from zero to 100.” He rubbed a hand over his face. He felt like he was watching himself, standing dumbly in front of her.  “Time’s kind of a luxury these days,” she shrugged. “Shepard, I don’t—this is crazy.” He shook his head. She stepped towards him and took his hand, “Garrus Vakarian, will you marry me?” He sighed and she laughed. He was confused, flattered—a little annoyed—and something else he couldn’t quite put his talon on. “I’m not taking your name.” He said, finally. She laughed again, and this time he smiled.

[sugar-grigri]

Hi there! Hope you are having a nice day! I really love your csm analyses and meta! It's specially great because I don't understand literary symbolism at all, I'm learning a lot. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on my boy Yoshida. What do you think is his role? Is he only an obstacle for the romantic relationship between Denji and Asa? In a world where every detail has a deeper meaning, why an octopus? Hope you have a great day!

The octopus trap 

I think that if I asked every Chainsaw Man reader about Yoshida, most of the time I'd be told either "I have no idea what he's going to do" or, more precisely, "I keep expecting him to do something, but he doesn't end up doing anything".

You mustn't let your hair stand on end when you read remarks like that. Yoshida is my favorite character of Part 2, yet if I were to describe him succinctly it would be in exactly those terms.

When I say not to be annoyed by these remarks, it's because they're not the result of a lack of writing, a lack of development or even a depreciation of the character, these descriptions only underline the originality of Yoshida's writing.

Yes, it's surely worth clarifying what I mean by all this... 

Let's take a look at things chronologically. Yoshida's first appearance comes just after Asa, who has just discovered she's possessed by the war demon, is unable to set foot inside her school, a victim of anxiety, school phobia and, above all, Bucky's death. 

Yoshida suddenly appears during this scene. He is also quickly associated with Asa, as the demon-hunting club puts him in Yuko's and the protagonist's group. We all said to ourselves: great, something's going to happen between these two! She's dying of shame, so Fujimoto is bound to use this to create more interaction between them.

When Asa comes across her bullies, who have attacked her locker and shoes, only Yuko comes to comfort her, and Yoshida simply fades into the background. It's strange, because it was as if he had brutally hidden himself from the progress of the scenario and the reaction he might have had to this kind of situation. Keep this in mind. 

Then Yoshida reappears in chapter 103, as if Fujimoto were accidentally placing an ink blot in the background, Yoshida simply blending into the background until he hits his target. For the reader, this creates a certain "ah yes, where the hell has he been?" situation, and the element of surprise is intensified by the fact that this is Denji's first appearance as a human in Part 2. This time, Yoshida doesn't disappear into the background, as if evaporated, he appears when no one was expecting him.

Put that in the back of your mind too. 

Then, when he tries to put Denji's goal of a girlfriend into action, he introduces him to Asa Mitaka, whom we suspect, subconsciously or consciously, to be Chainsaw Man's love interest. So we're all thinking (myself included at this point), he's surely going to be the magnet between the two! Which turns out to be completely untrue, as Yoshida brutally declares that Asa has no business getting close to Denji.

This point not only shows that Yoshida's narrative function is hard to pin down, it also proves something else: he's not omniscient. He's not, as I've read, this absolutely perfect string-puller, since it's clear that he doesn't grasp until later that Asa may not simply be a young girl obsessed with finding a boyfriend, but a possessed one who might disturb the target he's watching: Chainsaw Man. 

The aquarium was Yoshida's observation ground. Yoshida has no desire to be active, as evidenced by the telephone scene where, after Asa has been humiliated by his failure to call anyone, he shows Denji his phone, arguing that he can't get a signal anyway. Now I'll get to that line : "Do you think CSM would eat it for us ? The Death devil"

Whether it was making you believe that Yoshida is a genius string-puller, this line made you believe that the boy had something to do with the demon of death. Fujimoto wouldn't ruin so many mysteries surrounding one of the most anticipated demons so unskillfully. That's why it's necessary to interpret it differently. A line belongs to a whole, and this scene between Yoshida and Denji is not a scene that escapes its whole, on the contrary, it has consequences.

It serves to show two things: firstly, Yoshida is aware of Chainsaw Man's ability to erase other demons, which was surely reported by Kishibe who learned of it in chapter 84, proving firstly that the public hunters are now aware of this ability. Something that had never been said before. Then we come to the most interesting part. Yoshida makes it clear in this scene that they've been locked up for three days, and the cases illustrate how each of the students is dealing with their own mortality, with Haruka crying, Nobana flips out, another prefers to be physically active to keep himself busy, while Yoshida prepares to die. As for Denji, he's been through worse, and is cooler than the others.

Then Yoshida pointed out, "Do you think Chainsaw Man would eat the demon of death?" This triggers Denji's act of kindness, as he realizes that he can also "suppress", "devour" fears in his human form, by taking action. Denji has noticed that Asa is looking to be active; she's the one who offered her a date, so she's the one who has priority to receive comfort, so Denji comes to devour the fear that paralyzed the protagonist. All the more ironic given that the demon they were all really facing was the demon of famine. 

I know everything I'm saying sounds disjointed at the moment, but hang on, I need to be a bit descriptive before I connect all this.

The same phenomenon of script feinting will occur, not to make it look like Yoshida will be a love rival, a friend of Asa, the magnet between Denji and Asa, or the demon of death.

No, this time, in chapter 133, Fujimoto makes it look like Yoshida will be a great antagonist by proposing Denji's horrible dilemma of either being human and living with his family or being Chainsaw Man without it. But it all falls apart when he realizes that Denji chooses both, leaving Yoshida completely out of his depth. This time Fujimoto erases all the mystique around this character, he's not the player who moves the pieces against Fami, he's just a mediator. 

The same phenomenon occurs when he locks Denji into this normal life that doesn't suit him, placing him in Fumiko's hands, leading to one of the least "normal" chapters, chapter 137. 

I think that with all this, you're beginning to grasp a certain idea: Yoshida's purpose is a narrative feint, he's a character with indecipherable eyes for us to place all our doubts and mysteries in. The questions just pile up, and we project them through Yoshida, who answers none of them. 

So who is Yoshida ? 

The only thing I can say is that he's a mystery. And when I say this, it's not to clear my name, as nothing can be said about him, because he is written as such and should be appreciated as such. I often read that his eyes, fully black like Kishibe's, are not only perhaps a sign of kinship but also a sign of deep despair. I think it's precisely in this way that we can miss the originality of these characters. 

Kishibe is not placed in the deepest despair, what makes him so strong, what makes him still here, being practically the only veteran of the public hunters (did you notice how young the public hunters still were?), is that he has accepted and internalized the madness of the system, bows to it instead of fighting against it, but is not dominated by it as someone unreasonable would be.

Whether it's Yoshida's black eyes or Kishibe's, the latter are simply the eyes of acceptance of the system. That is to say, their pupils are no longer illuminated by that little personal glimmer, seemingly devoid of emotion, since they are simply a reflection of the darkness of the system, of what's going on through them.

Yoshida's eyes are the eyes of a mysterious system that constantly stares at the characters without responding to them. 

And now you're probably wondering, Anon:

What about the octopus ?

This is surely the most interesting answer to Yoshida's question.

When you're looking for meanings for octopuses, your first instinct is to think of mythology, isn't it? Leviathan, Kranken, Akkorokamui, the octopus is the subject of a multitude of legends, whose interpretations are intertwined, creative, healing or destructive, beneficent or maleficent, or even the subject of great divergence from the public, cute? Or monstrous? 

This follows on from the previous statement: the octopus is a being onto which all concepts can be projected, even if they are contradictory. Yoshida's narrative function is the same: we project whatever we can onto him without him acting on it.

What's the one piece of information you could give me with any certainty? The fact that he's a demon hunter, right? In other words, the only thing you could say about the octopus is the environment it lives in? No ? 

Do you know how octopuses are caught ?

Have you heard of the Japanese octopus trap? Specifically, the takotsubo? In fact, they're not really traps at all, but a form of passive fishing in which simple pierced stones or clay pots are placed on the seabed. The octopuses then enter these pots to protect themselves, using them as shelters to protect their fragile bodies. Above all, when the pots are brought to the surface, the octopuses don't even try to escape, pressing themselves against the walls. 

Yoshida acts like these octopuses, not fighting the system, but rather embracing its walls, thinking he's safe when in fact he's trapped.

Hidden within this obscure system, the octopus has no idea that it's not safe, but has headed for its own destruction.

Now the connections make themselves. The only answer those big black eyes can give is a reflection of the system.

Asa is rejected by her classmates, by this micro-society that is school? The system appears.

Fans cheer Chainsaw Man on, as society is increasingly forged around him. The system takes an interest and invites him for coffee.

As Asa is rejected after her second date with Denji, the system will only add to her loneliness.

Chainsaw Man is a being whose function is to eliminate fears? The system will remind him of this.

Is Chainsaw Man an idiot? Will the system still try to control him, even if it means inhibiting him?

What if we were to use the metaphor of the octopus trap to provide the opposite answer ? Yoshida sticks to the walls of the system.

What does the system do? It weaves itself around Chainsaw Man.

Is this such a good idea ?

[n0tamused]

✦Êlinsaer Peredhel. Pt.2

LOTR Universe OC

Pt. 1 - here

╭─────────╮

“A mad man sees what he sees.”

╰─────────╯

3.4. The breaking of the Fellowship

Lady Galadriel had presented the Fellowship with many gifts, and to Êlinsaer she gifted a slim silvery dagger, golden veins running along its hilt in shapes of lilies and leaves.

The Fellowship continued their way towards Parth Galen. Êlinsaer appeared much more energized by the time they came to land, and looked as sturdy as a rock once more. She even took to talking with Legolas as they journeyed down the river and was the first, besides Legolas, to sense the presence following them. 

After Frodo and Boromir’s disappearance beyond her sight, she began to question others about their whereabouts before Saruman’s Uruk-hai fell upon them. As the orcs fell before them, Êlinsaer fought her way through to go after Frodo’s trail to find him. Her stress was evident once she found no trace of not just Frodo, but not one hobbit. After regrouping with the others, Êlinsaer was torn between following either one or the other duo of hobbits, and was knee deep in the waters of the river before she stopped and ultimately decided to follow the others to rescue Merry and Pippin. 

The group travelled with haste towards Rohan. Despite her mixed blood, Êlinsaer proved to have much and more stamina for ‘cross country sports’ as often referred to by Gimli than one might expect. 

After the meeting with Éomer and his éored, Êlinsaer would spot her horse in the Fangorn forest who led them to Gandalf the White. 

╭─────────╮

“Love is the bane of honor, death of duty. That is our 

great glory, and our great tragedy..”

╰─────────╯

Together they travelled back to Edoras, where Gandalf freed Theoden from Saruman’s enchantment.  

At Helm’s deep, Êlinsaer stayed at the back, protecting the way towards women and children, but as the battle progressed she drew her sword and advanced further, yet still not leaving the ones behind her unguarded. 

“A wolf, a lion, a sword, a shield… A dragon. A dragon, she told herself, like in the old stories. Be a dragon that guards the realm. No dragon like that has lived in living history, guarding the dead from the living and living from the dead, she knew, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be one today. Her silvery dagger sat on her left hip, a packed quiver on her right and her black bow in her hands. There is a sword plunged in the cracks between stones some couple of steps from her, should she need it. ‘Armed with claws and teeth, guarding the living.’ "

(Movie difference: Êlinsaer would have a more active role at Helm’s Deep, assisting the other archers and shooting down at the enemy lines. She had attempted to save Haldir by shooting the enemy behind him, but the blow still landed and Haldir perished at the battle. Êlinsaer joined the battle with a sword after running out of arrows and looked heavily impacted by Haldir’s death. Êlinsaer did not rejoice at the feast, and had spent her time outside under the midnight sky, joined by Legolas later in whom she confided about being older than she looked, and how she disliked it as she has seen too many friends and cities fade away.)

Êlinsaer rode with Aragorn and the others towards Isengard, and was quick to go to Merry and Pippin after ‘finding them’. She scolded them for not turning up sooner, but also embraced the hobbits before the others. 

During the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Êlinsaer had spotted two winged beasts circling the skies, one of which was the Witch King of Angmar. The other rider remained unknown to her even when it swooped down and lifted her and her horse from the ground. She shot an arrow into the beast's eye, which made the beast screech and drop her. Unhorsed and inflicted by an odd wave of ire, she’d take out more orcs than in her entire life in Arda. Her focus went back to the beast circling the armies, proving to be able to pick up the members of the Dead Army, brought by Aragorn. Her focus would go solely to the beast; successfully she’d bring the beast to fall onto the orc lines and in its dying moments it would have taken many orcs down with it, but the rider was missing from the saddle and the near vicinity when she came closer.

Inside city walls, after battle she met with Aragorn and the two talked for a short while, sharing what they’ve done and seen. Briefly they touched upon the subject of what was to come before going separate ways to perform their duty and give aid where they could. An elven-song, sung by Legolas, led her to him and Gimli, at whose presence she showed much relief at the sight of them. However she came to struggle with catching up to the actual events that had unfolded so far, still not at terms with her immortality and the quick passage of time.

════════════════════════════

.

╭─────────╮

“I have been mortal, and some part of me is mortal yet. 

I am full of tears and hunger and the fear of death,

although I cannot weep,  and I want nothing,

and I cannot die. I am not like the others”

╰─────────╯

3.5. Battle of Morannon

“The impending doom loomed over all their heads as the battle pressed near, the Black Gates looming over them. Êlinsaer had felt particularly peaceful that day, oddly so, even if she was the most afraid she ever was and ever would be, even as adrenalin made her blood run quick. That day she donned white scale armor under a black short cloak and an elven-made helm she carried from Hornburg. She had embraced the present members of the company before they made their way to the gates. She held them for a long time, each one, and wished them luck and safety, telling them to find each other after the battle is done with.”

As the enemy force surrounded them, Êlinsaer clung close to Merry and Pippin, wielding a sword. She had done all she could to protect them, and for once she felt it was all worth it, a moment of relief intertwined with the burdens of the last 700 years; she nearly felt joyous were it not for the great importance of this battle in defeating Sauron. Êlinsaer charged ahead of Merry and Pippin and carved her way through the orc forces. 

A tall figure emerged from her side, swinging a great two-handed sword at her allies, picking up horse and men from the ground with swiftness and terrifying ease. He was dressed in black, but his armor was silver, a red sash going diagonally across his chest and unfurling in a tattered cloak behind him. 

Êlinsaer charged first, and the two engaged in combat. In one moment as their blades met, she glimpsed the eyes behind the closed helm of her opponent. Teary eyed they stared back at her and a moment of shock had rendered her paralyzed. He was suddenly towering over her, his cloak seemed to glow a burning red and all she wanted to do was run - she only knew how to do that. She ran, through orcs and men and the beast hurled behind her, stepping in her shadow. He was chasing her back to Mordor.

 She did not see the ones around her, only what little clearing she could find to squeeze through. Merry screamed in the distance, she heard, and a great scream of an eagle overhead broke through her like a strong wind through branches and Aragorn fell before her, swallowed by the moving darkness. Terrified she looked on, a knife twisting in her chest. Idly, in a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, her thumb brushed against a ring on her finger. One glimpse back and she saw ‘him’ following, his eyes having landed on Aragorn. He tightened his grip on his great sword.

‘The King must not fall’. She’d then spin back to the looming figure and charge once more, this time with no intention of backing down, even at the cost of her life. For too long she had lived, she might as well make it worth it. 

The ring gleamed on her finger, although she took no notice of it, and her attacks became even more hard hitting, scarcely missing a blow. Their battle continued, and the figure had taken out many of his own soldiers as Êlinsaer pressed him back. Along the way he had picked up a hammer after his greatsword fell from his hold, which he swung around in a spinning haze, cracking the earth under them and bringing more orc down while simultaneously swinging at Êlinsaer who danced around him to take advantage of his aimless offenses. She had pushed him to the edge of battle, where he fell upon her silver dagger in the end, and he fell back against the rocks. 

As Sauron’s ashy hand stretched out towards them, Esgali had reached for her and made her look away. After confirming his identity after taking off his helm, Elinsaer broke down - both from anger and sorrow.

But in his last moments, as his tether to Sauron slipped away and made his mind gain more clarity and power, he lifted the curse from her at the expense of his life and soul. The rings she carried broke and fell to the ground.

4.After the War of the Ring

With the choice of life and death being granted back to her, Êlinsaer once again found herself lost. She could not lie to herself that the elven kind has grown close to her heart. But she was tired, she had lived too long and seen too much - she wasn’t meant to be immortal. For all the trouble it brought her, she felt as if she had fulfilled her purpose and played her part in ridding the world of evil, and by then the elves were already  scarce across the lands and the ones left were slowly leaving Middle-Earth. The age of Men was coming, there’d be no need for elves.

In the end, Êlinsaer chose to live the rest of her life as a mortal woman, embracing the new age and the new meaning of her life. But she wasn’t rejecting the elves. She would go on to live  the rest of her years in the forest of Lothórien. 

Despite choosing mortality, she’d still live on for 303 years before passing away. At the time of her death her hair had gone silvery white. Êlinsaer passed away peacefully and was buried under an intertwined red and white oak tree which she planted upon coming to Lòrien.

════════════════════════════

╭─────────╮

“Old stories are like old friends, you have to

 visit them from time to time.”

╰─────────╯

Trivia

-From many trees that she planted, elven ships were made. Legolas used the planks made from her trees to make his boat to sail to Valinor

-Êlinsaer means One star. It is not her real name, but one she was given after she ventured into the world. Her real name remains hidden and known only to seldom few

-303 symbolizes personal growth, forgiveness, and inner peace

-The curse went both ways - while it kept Êlinsaer alive, it made Esgali’s existence painful and tethered to Sauron as long as he and Êlinsaer lived. Which is why he had always looked for her in order to lift the curse and free them both, but she always evaded him until the Battle at the Black Gates

-The shadow that attacked them before their arrival in Lothórien was a part of Esgali’s spirit

-She carried a golden lily brooch throughout the life up until her death as a small memoir of her past life and her people

-She wrote many books in her life, most consisting of recounts of people she met, their names and families and any deeds they've done (good and bad), but she also published books of old recipes as well as old crafts and even older songs

-She became close with Arwen, whom she welcomed to Lòrien after Aragorn passed away, and she sang at her funeral a year later

-Haldir and Êlinsaer were often seen together, walking the borders of Lòrien and talking, as well as planting trees together. Haldir would go to depart Middle-Earth only after her passing

-She would travel to visit the members of the Fellowship throughout the year

-She took up many crafts in her mortal years, from painting to embroidery

-She had come to see Glorfindel off when he went to sail to Valinor and had given him a cloak, edges embroidered with golden thread in intricate shapes

-Êlinsaer is very fond of animals, and animals of her. Her mare was a gift from a mortal woman that she saw as family, despite her traveling lifestyle. The horse's name is Sana. She ended up surviving the battle at Pelennor Fields, but Êlinsaer would not ride her again and wouldn't allow anyone else to do so either

-The crow that carried her the rings was sent by her father in those scarce moments of clarity of mind. One ring in particular was a magical ring of lesser power. While it poisoned her mind and gave him the ability to sense her whereabouts a bit better, it also served as some form of counter to the One Ring’s influence

-The ring would also assist her in her final battle against Esgali

-While she was immortal, she could still fall ill and could still tire like any other human

-Êlinsaer is very adept at using a bow

The end!

I hope you enjoyed this wiki <3 If you have any thoughts, let me know.

Ⓒ n0tamused/jarttavia_. Do not repost, translate, edit, and/or copy any of my works. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

[dindjarindiaries]

Security - Chapter 58: The Armor

summary: When Din’s called into duty to save a foundling, Astra stays behind to protect their children, though an adventure of her own awaits her.

warnings: insinuations of sex, light angst, canon-typical violence, fluff

rating: M

word count: 8.064k

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chapter 58: the armor

Life with the covert is exactly what you would’ve expected from the greatest warriors in the galaxy. Their days are spent training on the shore, with constant sparring matches and other types of training drills. At night, everyone goes their separate ways for a meal, using the time to prepare for the next day’s activities. Din’s told you that this isn’t much different from the life they used to have in the tunnels of Nevarro, though now, they’re even more focused on survival.

You muse on this as you sit beside Grogu and Zora on the sandy shore. They’ve both taken a fascination with a cluster of rocks. You smile at their innocent curiosity and turn your head to see Din still standing many strides away with his focus on the foundlings’ training.

It hasn’t been long at all since you returned to the covert. You can still feel the lovely ache of your first night, one that lingers as much as the fading lines of art you drew upon your husband’s back and the mark his sweet lips left upon your neck. It’s the first time in a long time that you’ve felt at peace with your entire family together and no other quests or shadows looming over you.

Then, you see the hilt of the Darksaber on Din’s belt catch the light. You grimace and turn back to Zora and Grogu.

You want so badly to believe that this is the home where you’ll stay indefinitely, but you can’t convince yourself of it. The covert isn’t meant to live like this, and with the legendary sword Din possesses, he might just have the power to change things. But that’s not the role Din wants; if anything, it’s exactly what your newest ally had once wanted. All you know is that Din will do whatever it takes to make a better life for his family and his people.

And that means yet another quest could be right around the corner.

You're pulled from your thoughts by the sound of Din’s boots on the sand as he approaches you. You turn and watch him kneel between you and your children. Din tends to you first, one of his gloved hands taking a hold of your chin and easing your forehead to meet his helmet.

“Something on your mind?” Din asks, his modulated voice soft. You don't need to see his gaze to know it’s searching your own.

You offer him a smile. “Not much,” you insist. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Din nods, brushing his thumb over your lip before he turns to your children. “What are you two up to?”

Zora takes a few excited breaths and points to a rock—a moving rock. “Papa, luh!”

“I see it, Zozo!” Din assures her with excitement of his own that he displays just for her. “Did you find a little sea creature?”

“Gogu!” Zora says as she points at her brother.

“You found it, Grogu?” Din asks your son. Grogu coos in the affirmative. You chuckle to yourself as Din pats his head. “Very good.” Din pauses and gestures to one of the little creatures in Grogu’s hand. “You’ve got to leave them alone now, buddy. It’s time you learn with the other foundlings.”

You wrinkle your brow at Din’s words. Before you can say anything, Din’s already picking up Grogu and standing back to his full height.

“Playtime’s over,” Din announces. He nods at Grogu. “I’m gonna need you to focus.”

You reach for your confused daughter and pick her up as you also stand to your feet. “Are you sure he’s ready for that?” You ask Din in a low voice.

Din looks at you as he starts to lead you towards the training. “You’ve seen what he can do,” Din reminds you. “He’s ready.” Din glances down at Grogu. “His size doesn’t matter. He can persevere.”

You take a deep breath and nod, willing yourself to have the same faith in Grogu that your husband does. Zora lets out an anxious coo and you give her forehead a kiss. You can’t be a worried mother forever. Your children are meant to grow and become warriors just like the foundlings who finish a training match in front of you. You just have to trust Din and the way he’ll oversee your children’s training step-by-step, starting with Grogu.

Din stops and sets Grogu on the ground as the foundlings in front of you finish their fight. One of them, his helmet painted blue, manages to throw the other onto the ground just before the judge deems them, “Winner!” You look at Grogu and watch his ears rise and fall.

Your worries start to get the best of you again. Before you can voice them, Bo-Katan makes her approach and asks the same thing. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Bo questions, her voice low as she joins you at your side.

“It was his idea,” you insist, gesturing with your head to Din.

Din huffs and sets a hand on your back. “If he’s ever to rise from foundling to apprentice,” Din explains, “he must learn.” He sets his weight on his lip and waves at the Mandalorian from before. “Judge!” The orange-painted Mandalorian makes his way back over to you. Din gestures to Grogu. “He challenges.”

The judge takes one quick look at Grogu. “He is too small,” he observes.

“I am his ward,” Din insists. “Proceed.”

Grogu coos as he looks upon his opponent. You resist the urge to give Din a dubious look as the judge continues. “What weapon?”

Din nods at the other foundling. “Let the challenged decide.”

You hold Zora close and sigh as you look upon the foundling. He stands there with his arms crossed in determination. “Darts,” the boy answers.

The judge waves to another Mandalorian. “Bring the training darts,” he commands.

You share a look with Bo-Katan. Bo tilts her helmet at you, and you shrug in response. The boy’s voice breaks through your silent exchange. “Why doesn’t he wear a helmet?”

“He is too young to speak the Creed,” Din responds, “and so, too young to wear a helmet.”

The foundling looks between Grogu and Din. “Then he’s too young to fight.”

You raise your brow, surprised by the boy’s bold words. Grogu coos in disbelief and turns around to face Din. “‘One does not speak unless one knows,’” Din quotes. “Is that not the Creed?”

“Well, I know,” the foundling mutters.

Din nods at him. “Perhaps this lesson is for you, then.” You smile to yourself. The man can’t resist acting like a father even to children who aren’t his own.

The Mandalorian returns with the training darts. He hands them off to the judge, who sets the crate down and opens it. “Fighters, arm yourselves,” the judge commands.

The boy takes his own while Bo-Katan sets a hand on your shoulder and takes the initiative for Grogu. You can just barely make out Bo’s words to him as she secures the darts in place. “Don’t worry,” Bo assures him. “My dad was the same way. He’s just proud of you.”

You smile at Bo’s kind words. Grogu can use all the Mandalorian support he can get. When you steal a look at Din, you notice he’s tuned out of your private conversation, his visor instead glancing around as his cuirass rises and falls in a steady breath. You begin to wonder if he’s being brought back to his own childhood amongst the Mandalorians.

Bo-Katan stands back at your side. You thank Bo and she nods in return. Meanwhile, the judge starts to explain the rules. “Each has three darts. You may fire the darts in any order. Each direct hit scores one point. A mark must be visible to score. One round. Highest score wins.”

Grogu turns to look at Din, his lip tucked in uncertainty. Your heart aches for him, though Din’s quick to kneel down to his level. “Squeeze your fist to launch the darts,” Din instructs. Grogu coos and starts to lower his ears. “You’ll be fine.”

Din stands back up to his full level. Bo-Katan gives him an incredulous look. “He doesn’t know how to fire darts?” she questions, her voice hushed.

“He’s got this,” Din insists. “Trust me.”

You sigh and look at Zora. She frowns at her mother and turns to look at Grogu. A smile returns to her lips as she claps her hands together. “Gogu!” Zora cheers. “Go go!”

Grogu’s ears rise on his head at his sister’s cheering. You smile to yourself and take the hint from your daughter. You’ve got this, Grogu.

“Ready,” the judge announces. Both the foundlings nod at him. “Begin!”

Without hesitation, the boy extends his fist and shoots his first dart, hitting Grogu square in the center of his robe.

You hold your breath as the judge gestures towards the boy. “Point!”

Grogu turns to look at Din with a doubtful tilt of his head. He coos at his father, who offers a slight wave of his hand. “Don’t look at me. Look at him.” You glance at Din and he nods at you. He knows what he’s doing, and it’s likely what his Mandalorian mentor once had to make him do. It doesn’t make it any easier to watch from the side.

“Ready,” the judge calls again. “Begin!”

Yet again, the boy launches a dart quickly and gets a hit on Grogu. Your son coos in disbelief.

“Point!”

Din kneels down to Grogu’s level again. “Grogu, I’ve seen what you can do,” he encourages him. “It’s okay. Show them.”

Both Din and Grogu return to their previous places. You hold one of Zora’s tiny hands for comfort. You may still be unfamiliar with Mandalorian customs, but you trust your husband, and you have faith in your son.

“Ready,” the judge calls one more time. “Begin!”

The boy goes to launch his final dart, but Grogu’s faster. The little one leaps and flips over the boy’s head, earning a surprised “Whoa!” from the foundling. Grogu flips back over as soon as he lands, fully catching the boy off guard before he fires all three darts at once to end the fight.

“Three points,” the judge announces. He points at Grogu. “Winner!”

The gathered crowd starts to applaud. “There you go,” Din praises Grogu.

“Gogu!” Zora joins in.

Bo-Katan looks between you and Din. “Did you teach him that?” she asks, impressed.

Din tilts his helmet at her. “Not me.”

“And definitely not me,” you add.

The boy sighs as he walks away from the site of his defeat. Grogu looks at Din with his little chin held high and as you steal a look at your husband, you can imagine the way he beams with pride upon your little warrior. “Great job, kid,” Din says, his modulated voice warm with his praise.

“Goo Gogu!” Zora cheers with a few claps of her hands. Din tilts his helmet in admiration of her as you smile with her. “Gogu go!”

“Grogu did it!” You add, kissing your daughter’s temple. Grogu coos and lifts his ears in joy.

That feeling is short-lived. There’s a loud screeching from behind you that causes the entire group to turn in panic. All they can do is watch as a giant raptor flies low and takes the foundling Grogu had just fought in its talons, causing frantic chatter to spread throughout the shore. You take Zora’s head in your hand and hide her little face in your shoulder while Din looks down and makes sure Grogu’s still close and covered. The raptor flies off as the boy screams for help.

Din unholsters his blaster to shoot it, but he’s stopped by Paz. “No blasters,” Paz commands. “It will kill the child.” Din nods and looks to Paz for further instructions. “Follow it to its lair.”

Din turns to you and holds your face between his hands. “Stay here and protect the kids,” he instructs. His helmet rests against your forehead. “I’ll be back.”

You know better than to argue with him. When it comes to the safety of any child, there’s no way to talk him out of it. You just nod and squeeze one of his wrists. “Ni kar’tayl—.”

“—Gar darasuum.” Din forces himself to step away as he finishes your phrase. He stays in close pursuit of Paz as he activates his jetpack and follows the creatures, with other Mandalorians trailing.

You swallow back your worries for him as you instead focus on your children. Zora’s whimpering against your shoulder and you soothe her with soft coos and a kiss to her head. You kneel down to Grogu’s height and run your fingers along his ear. “It’ll be okay,” you assure both of them. “Your father’s gonna help get him back.”

Bo-Katan has since disappeared from your side, but you’re surprised to find the Armorer kneeling alongside you to help Grogu remove the training darts from his arm. “You did well, Grogu,” the Armorer praises the little one. Grogu coos with delight at her words.

“Thank you for your help,” you say, nodding at the Armorer.

The sound of a ship taking off keeps you from adding more. You lift your head to see the Gauntlet following the raptor’s path. The thought of Bo-Katan bringing her ship puts more of your mind at ease. Din would be much safer within the Gauntlet than he would be with just his jetpack. You can only hope that he’ll come to the same realization.

“All right, Grogu,” you begin with a soft breath. You gesture to the yellow stains on his robe. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” You pause and glance at the Armorer again. “There aren’t more of those creatures, are there?”

The Armorer shakes her helmet. “Not that we have seen.”

You nod, smiling with relief as you stand and urge Grogu to follow you. You walk at his pace to the shore where you sat before. Zora’s already taken a new interest in the rock-like creatures as you set her down and focus on Grogu. You dip your hand into the waters and scrub at Grogu’s robe. “Your father and I are really proud of you,” you tell Grogu with a fond smile. His large eyes sparkle as he listens to you. “You followed through with this challenge and you did it with respect.” You grin and kiss his head. “You’re well on your way to becoming an incredible Mandalorian warrior.”

Grogu coos and reaches for one of your hands. He takes it and hugs your fingers against his cheek, his eyes closing with joyful content. Your chest goes aflame with the warmth of maternal love and lets it last even when Grogu pulls away and joins in his sister’s play.

You let your children distract you while you wait for Din’s return, even playing with them for a while as you toss the sand around and splash in the edge of the water. You only stop when you see a group of Mandalorians returning from where they’d flown, though they’re on foot now rather than in the air. Your heartbeat settles only when the sun reflects off the silver beskar that stands out from the rest of the group.

Din’s quick in approaching you, allowing you to stay near your children as you stand to your feet. You look behind him for a moment to notice that none of them are with the missing child. “How’d it go?” You ask once Din’s standing in front of you.

Din gives his helmet a shake. “Not well,” he answers, his voice low. You set a hand upon his cuirass for comfort. “Our jetpacks ran out of fuel.” He gestures with his helmet to the place from which they arrived. “Bo-Katan’s pursuing them in her ship, though. Hopefully she’ll return with better news.”

You can’t help smiling at Din’s protectiveness over the foundling. “I’m sure she will.” You tap his cuirass and glance towards the entrance to the cave. “It looks like the covert’s headed back inside to regroup.”

Din nods. “They’ll probably want a briefing of what’s happened so far.”

It’s hard for you to hear the worry in his voice. His thoughts are likely plagued by the what-ifs of it being one of your children who was taken instead of this foundling, or a guilt that Din had let the boy walk away on his own after the fight. You bend down and pick up Zora to hand her off to her father. Zora squeals with delight and nestles herself into his cowl.

“Papa,” Zora says, her voice muffled by the material of his cape. “My Papa.”

Din just presses a gloved hand to the back of her head and leans his helmet against it. You take Grogu in your arms as you walk in silence towards the cave, following your fellow Mandalorians to their place of assembly. Most, if not all, of the children are missing from the room, likely being comforted by the caretakers of the covert. It’s only Zora and Grogu who stay with their parents, listening to Paz fill the covert in on their hopeful plan of action.

When the sound of the Gauntlet returns, the Mandalorians rise from their seats. Din keeps you at his side even as he joins Paz at the front of the group, heading outside to receive Bo-Katan’s news. Din keeps Zora, who’s now napping in content, against his shoulder as he, Paz, the Armorer, and you lead the group onto the shore to meet Bo-Katan halfway.

“I kept a high altitude and followed it to its lair,” Bo wastes no time reporting to the group. She nods with reassurance. “I know how to get there. We should muster up a hunting party and go after him.”

All helmets turn to the Armorer. “Very well,” she agrees. Her visor looks between Din and Paz. “Clan Djarin, Paz Vizsla, and I will help you form a plan.”

Bo-Katan nods once more before she leads the way back towards her ship. You look at Din, but his visor’s focused on the way ahead. You twist your lips and sigh to yourself. While you’d be more than happy to help, you’re uncertain that you’ll be of much assistance without the same equipment as the rest of the covert.

You board the Gauntlet and Bo reaches over her controls to pull up schematics. “I scouted where it lives and mapped the location,” she informs the group. She turns and points at a holographic diagram. “There.” She walks between the group and gestures to a high peak on the map that’s flashing green. “The nest.”

Din steps around Bo to get closer to the map. He tilts his helmet, minding Zora’s sleeping head. “It flew a long way.”

Bo turns her helmet to look at him. “I will go get him.”

Paz shakes his head in protest. “The mountains are too high. If we use jetpacks, the beast will hear.”

“It would kill the child,” the Armorer agrees. Din shifts his weight in uneasiness. You free a hand from Grogu to set it upon his back.

“These are no higher than the peaks of Kyrimorut,” Bo-Katan insists. “I used to climb them in basic training. I’ll fly to the foothills, scale the rest of the way on foot.”

You bite your cheek. Just as you’d thought before, it would be impossible for you to join this mission. But Din’s mind has already been made up. “I’ll join you,” he says.

“Paz Vizsla,” the Armorer begins, “enjoin the Shriek-hawk Training team to accompany you. I will pack extended lariats for your launchers. We must avoid explosives and blasters for the safety of the foundling.”

The group nods in agreement before they disband. You look at Din while you head down the boarding ramp and speak to him in a quiet voice. “I’ll stay back with the kids,” you tell him. Din tilts his helmet at you, but you manage a genuine smile for him. “Just don’t do anything too reckless while you’re gone, okay?”

Din huffs and brings himself closer to your side. He hesitates before he responds. “I know you want to help.” He stops you on the shore and lifts a hand to the side of your face. You lean into his touch. “I told you we wouldn’t have to separate.” He exhales a deep, troubled breath. “I’m sorry.”

You shake your head. “Don’t apologize to me for being a good man.” You set a hand on his wrist to lower his hand from your face. You lace your fingers with his own. “We’ll be just fine here.” You gesture to the Mandalorians who still surround you. “We’ve got a lot of backup if we need it.”

Din nods at you, keeping your hand in his as you walk towards the mouth of the cave. Paz has already made quick work in gathering the Shriek-hawk team to get the mission going as fast as they can. Bo-Katan and the Armorer work together to load any other supplies they might need onto the ship. While both you and Din are eager to help, your focus remains on your family for now, especially as you set Grogu on the ground beside you and take Zora from Din. Thankfully, your daughter remains asleep during the exchange.

Din gestures to the comlink bracelet on your wrist, one that’s rarely been in use before. “Comm me if you need me,” Din instructs you. “Okay?”

You smile and nod at him. “Okay.” You set a hand upon his cuirass. “We’re gonna be just fine, though.” You gesture with your head towards the Gauntlet. “You can focus on the foundling.”

Din returns your nods and sighs. He rests his helmet against your forehead and shifts his weight between his feet. He doesn’t have to say anything for you to know that he’s just as reluctant to leave you as you are to be left behind. “I love you.”

You look deep in his visor, much like the way you used to before you knew how kind his eyes were behind it. “I love you, too.” You give his cuirass a gentle tap. “We’ll see you soon.”

Din nods once more and lifts a gloved hand to your elbow. He gives it a soft squeeze before he forces himself to step away and join the others on the Gauntlet. You stay where you are with Zora tucked into your neck and Grogu standing just beside your boot. Your family watches as Din and the others take off in Bo-Katan’s ship, heading off to an adventure that isn’t yours to share.

The Armorer stands just a few steps away, her visor also watching the Gauntlet as it fades from view. She turns to look at Grogu as she breaks your silence. “You are too young to join them,” she informs him. Her visor then lifts up to face you. “And you are not well-equipped.”

Your gaze falls to your feet as you share a look with Grogu. He coos and tilts his head at you, as if you’re both seeking the same comfort.

“All in good time,” the Armorer reassures you. She turns and starts to head back towards the cave. “Come, Clan Djarin. If you wish to continue being Mandalorians, there is much work to attend to.”

You furrow your brow at her words. You and Grogu exchange a shrug before you follow the Armorer inside. The Armorer leads you into her forge, encouraging you to each take a seat on the wooden stools before she begins to attend to her tools and the beskar she has to work with.

“This is the Forge,” the Armorer formally introduces the space. “It is the heart of Mandalorian culture. Just as we shape the Mandalorian steel, we shape ourselves.”

You smile as you rest your head against Zora’s. “Din has told me of such things.” Your fondness for your husband is evident in your tone.

“I’m certain he has,” the Armorer responds. “He has been taught all these same lessons, starting with this one.” She pauses to pour liquid beskar into a mold before she continues. “We all begin as raw ore. We refine ourselves through trials and adversity.”

The Armorer heats the metal before she tends to the controls on the forge. Holographic diagrams appear of various shapes of armor. She stops and turns to face you.

“Astra Djarin,” she begins with a note of pride in her voice. “It is time you earned your own armor.”

Your head lifts from Zora’s as your jaw falls open in surprise. “Is that possible?” The corners of your mouth have already started to rise in an excited grin.

“It is.” The Armorer turns back to her diagrams and begins with a cuirass. “I can craft everything for you aside from a helmet.” She glances at you once more. “That would require you to take the Creed.”

You nod at her. “I understand.” Your stomach flutters at the mere idea of standing alongside Din in your own suit of armor, at long last able to fight alongside him the way you’ve always wanted to. “It would be an honor.”

The Armorer returns your nod. “Din Djarin will train you.” You smile even wider at the thought of it. “Though, I must warn you…” the Armorer pauses and prepares to begin crafting the first piece of armor, “the Forge can reveal weaknesses.”

The Forge begins to come crashing down upon the metal. You tighten your jaw and rest your head against Zora’s again, seeking her comfort. Still, with each crash of the Forge comes a ripple in your memory, each one becoming more and more powerful until you’re overcome with a shadow of darkness you can’t force away.

“My Lady, we must go,” your head guard insists, taking you by the wrist in hopes of pulling you away from the transparisteel.

“I won’t, Lumya!” You respond, trying to tear your hand away from your guard. “I refuse to leave our people behind!”

“They’re being evacuated,” Lumya reminds you. She has to raise her voice above the sounds of palace staff running around you, whispers and exclamations of terror at the chaos. “You know this. We may not have much more time!”

You give Lumya a sharp look. “Then I’ll be the last one to leave.”

Lumya exhales a tight breath and sets her hands upon your shoulders. “Our people have just lost two of their leaders, My Lady.” Your gaze falls at her words. “You have lost even more than that.” Lumya gives your shoulders a gentle squeeze. “They do not wish to lose more.”

Your gaze returns to the Mirialan’s. Her green eyes are full of desperation even before she continues.

“I vowed to your parents that I would keep you safe at all costs.” Lumya nods at you. “Let me do that.” She gestures with her head to the transparisteel that overlooks the snow-covered city. “Do it for your people. They need a leader.”

You compose yourself with a breath, your eyes closing as you consider Lumya’s words. When you reopen them, the sight of Lumya is blurred in front of you, but you clear your throat to keep your grief tucked away. It’s with a decisive nod that you finally follow Lumya’s command, letting your guard lead you to the ship that awaits in the palace’s hangar. You’re already sickened by the horrors of the day, but the idea of you being in luxury while your people flee only worsens it.

“Lumya,” you call for your guard. Lumya stops what she’s doing at the controls to face you. “I need every ship in this fleet to be filled with Arilian people.”

Lumya nods. “Understood, My Lady. I’ll send out a comm—.”

“Including this one.”

Lumya’s eyes widen. “We may not have time.”

You set your jaw in determination. “Then we’d better board them quickly.”

Despite her worries, Lumya obeys your command. She pilots the ship from the hangar to the port on the surface of the Arilian city, opening the hatch for the fleeing citizens to board. You greet each and every one and help them onto the ship. The worried faces of your people start to blur together, and when they take horrified looks into the sky, you can’t bear to follow their gazes. You only redirect the citizens when the ship is filled to the brim, urging them to board the other ships that have fallen alongside your own.

“My Lady, it’s time to go,” Lumya calls to you over the worried murmurs of the Arilian people.

You give her a nod. “Everyone hold on,” you give your people the gentle command. A young girl cries from beside you as the ship starts to take off. You turn to the girl and her mother, your hand reaching for the girl’s small one. “You’ve been very brave,” you tell her with the best smile you can manage. You give her hand a soft squeeze. “You’re going to be alright.”

The young girl sniffles, wiping her eyes with the back of her free hand before she returns your smile. You drop your hand and make your way to the cockpit, watching the atmosphere of Arilia fade from around you for the very last time. Amidst the stars loom the remnants of what once was Alderaan, blazing pieces of civilization that hurl towards the place you call home.

No longer.

“Where are we headed?” You ask Lumya, pushing past the lump in your throat as you view the horrifying destruction.

Lumya offers you a reassuring look. “Somewhere they won’t find us,” she assures you, entering jump coordinates before she pulls on the lever to provide you with the very last view you’ll ever have of your home.

Grogu’s coo pulls you from the memory, his ears lowered in his own concern and distress as his little hand seeks yours. You offer it to him along with a gentle squeeze. “I’m okay, ad’ika,” you assure him. Your brow furrows in worry for him. “Are you?”

Grogu nods, his ears rising more and more as he stays close to you. You give his hand another squeeze, wishing more than anything that you could understand him and talk him through his own difficult memories.

The dive into your haunting past had taken more time than you’d thought as the Armorer soon stops and faces your family. “Your armor is complete,” she announces. “But given the trials you have no doubt faced in the Forge and the late hour, I urge you to seek rest.” She nods at you. “We will help you get suited in the morning.”

You return her nod. “Thank you,” you say, your voice strained in your honest gratitude. “It’s truly nothing short of an honor to be welcomed into your covert in such a way.”

The Armorer gives her helmet a fond tilt. “This is the Way.”

You stand with Grogu hopping down to your side. “This is the Way.” You lead your family out of the Forge and through the constructed tunnels to your quarters. It seems much bigger without Din being there with you, though it’s manageable for just one evening. Hopefully, it won’t take longer than that for Din and the other Mandalorians to return.

Zora’s still asleep when you put her and Grogu to bed. Grogu’s exhaustion from his day spent playing, training, and facing the difficulties of the Forge causes him to fall asleep without much effort required. You smile as you look upon your children, their peace providing you with some of your own. You kiss their heads and rise to leave them for the night, giving them one last look before you pull their curtain closed.

Your own weariness from the day has started to grow heavy as you enter your bedroom. Din’s shirt is still left here for you, making you smile even before you exchange it for your clothes. Sleeping with an empty side of the bed is difficult after all these years of having someone there, but it’s a temporary arrangement, and you can at least rest in the knowledge that Din isn’t alone.

You expect the night to transpire with more vivid and haunting images of your past, but the warmth of Din’s shirt on your figure and the scent of him that lingers on your bed ease you into sleep with peaceful dreams of the love you’ve shared and everything else your future has to offer you.

The next morning, Grogu tries his very best to help you with Zora. The absence of her father upsets her for quite a while, though when you encourage her to reach out and sense that he’s safe, she becomes more content. It’s a joyful flutter Zora sends to your own chest, one that you’re certain Din feels, too. Once the children are ready and fed, you return to the Forge, where you find the Armorer finishing something up near the flames.

“Welcome back, Clan Djarin,” the Armorer greets you. She looks up from her work to face you. “Are you ready to wear your armor?”

You nod, words failing you at the mere idea of getting to earn the sacred Mandalorian metal. Grogu coos from the pod at your side while Zora looks on in both fascination and confusion.

“You will first require a flight suit.” The Armorer leaves her work to pick up a neatly folded pile of dark cloth that she hands over to you. “Return here when you’re settled.”

You accept it and make your way back to your quarters to change. You can’t stop smiling at the prospect of it all, especially upon observing that the colors of the flight suit are just the same as Din’s own. It looks bare without the armor attached, yet familiar. It’s a sight you’ve seen on Din regularly, though it often reminds you of your days spent on the Razor Crest before you exchanged your vows.

When you return to the Forge, the Armorer already has silver pieces of armor set out for you. The Armorer nods in approval before she starts to assist you in putting your suit of beskar together, piece by piece.

“Your set will not be as elaborate as Din Djarin’s,” the Armorer informs you as she works. “We must use the beskar sparingly, and at the time his armor was forged, he had a generous amount to work with.”

“I understand,” you assure her. “I’m grateful to receive any at all.”

“You are set with the most functioning pieces,” the Armorer goes on. “A cuirass, two pauldrons, two cuisses, and two vambraces.” You almost let a soft gasp escape you when you notice that your right pauldron bears the symbol of your clan: the mudhorn. You grin to yourself and let the Armorer continue. “Your vambraces contain a blade, a fibercord whip, and a flamethrower.” She turns and picks up one more hefty item. “They will also give you control over this.”

The Armorer turns and reveals a jetpack. You stare at it with disbelief.

“Din Djarin will train you in the Rising Phoenix,” the Armorer assures you. She walks around you and sets the jetpack upon your back. “He will also teach you how to use the rest of your armor.”

The last thing the Armorer hands you is a pair of gloves to complete your suit. You pull them on and glance down. Silver beskar shines back at you, reminiscent of your husband’s but also unique in its own crafting. Your belt is still as useful as it used to be, holding your blaster and any other supplies you have. The weight of it all will take getting used to, especially that of the jetpack upon your back, but you’re confident you’ll be able to make it all work.

At long last, you feel like the Mandalorian everyone keeps telling you that you are.

“It’s truly my greatest honor to be wearing this,” you tell the Armorer, your voice strained in your sudden emotion. You take another disbelieving glance at your armor and nod at the Armorer. “Thank you.”

The Armorer returns your nod. “This is the Way.” She turns her attention to Grogu. “There is, however, one more piece of armor for your clan.” She walks back to her workstation and picks up a circular piece of beskar. “It is a tradition in our culture for each to donate a small portion of what they earn to the foundlings. It is with these scraps of beskar that I forged your next piece of armor.”

The Armorer kneels down to Grogu’s height and turns the piece of armor around. Just like your pauldron, it bears the symbol of your clan, the mudhorn taking up nearly the entire surface. Grogu coos in awe while you set a gloved hand upon your cuirass to steady your racing heart.

“Mandalorian steel shall keep you safe as you grow stronger,” the Armorer tells him as she places the beskar over his chainmail. “You will grow into this rondel as you grow into your station, foundling Grogu.”

You also kneel down to Grogu’s height and give his ear a brush. “Look at that, Grogu,” you say with amazement. “We match!”

Grogu coos with delight, nodding at the Armorer with his own gratitude. The Armorer returns the gesture and looks as if she’s about to speak when the sound of a ship approaching creeps its way into the cave. The Armorer rises back to her feet. “The hunting party has returned.” Her visor looks at you. “We shall greet them.”

You nod and earn a fluttering feeling in your stomach. You’re unsure of how Din will react to seeing you with your armor. It’s a conversation you’ve had many times before, but neither one of you was sure of what the reality would be. All you focus on is your joy upon being reunited with him, an idea so sweet it triumphs over everything and anything else.

The Armorer leads the way out and you take the pod with you as you follow. You smile when the Gauntlet comes into sight, landing on the shore where other Mandalorians have gathered to await the news of their journey. You steady yourself with a deep breath and continue to follow the Armorer as she leads you closer to the Gauntlet. You’re hidden within the crowd of gathered Mandalorians and you stop only when you’ve reached the boarding ramp.

The group watches as the first Mandalorians emerge. It’s Paz Vizsla who escorts the lost foundling, the boy free of any harm. You smile in relief and join in the celebration of the crowd, hitting your vambraces together in place of applause. You were confident that the group would be able to recover the foundling safely, but to see it confirmed is a consolation.

Your heart launches into your throat when the next person to emerge is Din. You’re even more relieved to see that he’s all right, with no visible new wounds or limps. His visor searches through the crowd and you start to weave yourself and the pod through the Mandalorians who stand in between you. As soon as his visor finds you, Din freezes, his entire body going still even as you continue to make your way to him.

“Hey,” you greet, your voice soft as you step in front of Din. He remains where he is, causing your face to grow warm already. You continue to focus on him as you set a gloved hand upon his cuirass. “Are you okay?”

Din’s visor gives you an obvious once-over. You look at your hand on his chest in sudden shyness. When he moves, it’s only to lift a hand to the pauldron on your right shoulder. You watch as he brushes his thumb over the mudhorn.

“I know it’ll take some getting used to,” you start to ramble, “for both of us. But the Armorer said you can train me, and hopefully I’m still the quick learner I used to be.”

Din’s visor lingers on the mudhorn for a long moment. It’s with a quick motion that Din’s hand reaches for the back of your neck to pull your head against his helmet in absolute adoration. You beam at him and rest your second hand upon his cuirass for stability. He gives his helmet a gentle shake as he speaks in a rasp meant just for you. “I don’t understand.”

Your brow starts to furrow with concern. Before you can speak on your thoughts, Din continues.

“How do you keep making me fall even more in love with you?”

You grin at him, your face now even warmer than before as you shrug. You’re still not given the proper time to respond as someone else speaks up with excitement from the pod at your side.

“Papa!” Zora calls for her father. You turn to look at your daughter and see her hands extended towards him.

Din turns his attention away from you only to care for your daughter. “Hey, baby girl,” he says as he kneels down to the pod’s level, resting his helmet against her tiny forehead. She giggles and presses a hand against his beskar cheek. “Were you good for your mother while I was away?”

“Mama?” Zora looks at you for an answer.

You laugh and nod. “Yes. Other than her missing you.” You press a hand upon Din’s armored shoulder. It sets his attention back on you and his visor gives you another once-over of disbelief. You try to redirect his focus to Grogu. “Someone else got armor today, didn’t you, Grogu?”

Grogu coos and tugs at his robe, showing Din part of the rondel crafted for him. Din gives his helmet a fond tilt and pats Grogu’s head. “Look at that, buddy,” he says, his voice strained much like yours had been. “You earned it. Your mother and I are very proud of you.”

Grogu’s ears rise high on his head at Din’s praise. He babbles a few times, but someone else’s approach draws Din’s focus away from him. One of the Mandalorian caretakers stands beside you and Din. “We’re hosting a storytelling session to ease the foundlings and children after yesterday’s events,” the caretaker informs you. She gestures to the pod. “Would your children like to join us?”

You and Din look at Grogu and Zora, who both coo in shared interest. You smile and look at Din, letting him have the final say. He nods at the caretaker. “Sure.” He sets his hand on the edge of the pod and eases it over to the caretaker’s side. “Thank you. Let us know if they need anything.” He tilts his helmet at your children. “Have fun, you two. Be good.”

Zora and Grogu babble at their father, waving before the caretaker takes the pod and rejoins the group of Mandalorian foundlings and children she’s gathered. You smile as you watch them walk off. “That’s sweet of her to do something for them,” you comment.

“It is.” Din sets his gloved hand upon your pauldron. You look at him and yet again catch his visor looking over you with admiration. He makes a request with a low voice. “May I see you with my own eyes?”

The warmth returns to your face as you nod. He takes your hand in his as you make your way towards the cave, setting off to the privacy of your own quarters. You’re used to feeling the material of his leather glove against your hand, but to feel it against your own leather is somehow even more special. You maintain a thoughtful silence as you walk, each sacred word being saved for when you’re alone.

It’s only when you’re tucked in the safety of your bedroom that Din stops you and lifts his hands to his helmet. His brown gaze glitters at you even in the dim lighting of the room. He takes his time observing you, setting every inch of you ablaze in the sweetest of flames. You’re patient as you wait for him to speak, but he can’t. His eyes meet yours, and you can see everything he wants to say in the depths of his sincere gaze.

Yet he still says even more with his actions.

Din’s lips meet yours just as your beskar chests do the same. It’s somehow easy for Din to remove your jetpack even from where he’s standing in front of you, the equipment being set on the ground before Din gently lays you down. His gloved hands appreciate every new piece of your beskar, though they find their focus on your cuisses as he breathes you in. His lips lavish a thousand praises upon you without him having to say a single word. Your gloved hands find their first mission in mussing his hair, inflicting only the most beautiful kind of pain upon him. Your boots draw him in closer and closer as you indulge in his passionate adoration of you, every piece of you melting at his touch just like the metal that created your suit of armor.

Din only speaks when you’re satisfied, his gloved hands lacing with yours to help you sit up once again. He waits until part of your beskar chest has met his own, though your place upon the edge of the bed has caused your chin to rest upon his cuirass as you stare up at him. “Hopefully that spoke for me,” Din says, his tone laced with slight amusement. He bends down to provide you with a kiss that shares in your love.

Your response comes when you pull away. “It did,” you assure him with a love-dazed smile. “It told me that I should leave you speechless more often.”

Din laughs, his gloved hand resting your head more firmly against him. Your cheek presses against the cool metal that covers him and you close your eyes in contentment at the feeling. He runs his other hand over your back and speaks in a soft and honest voice. “I feel very honored that I get to train you in this armor. I know you’ll pick up everything very quickly.”

You wrap your arms tight around him and keep them there. “Only because I’ll have a great teacher.”

Din clicks his tongue. “That’s if I don’t get distracted.”

You laugh and exhale a gentle breath. Your mind starts to return somewhat to the galaxy around you as you remember why your children are absent from their quarters. “I’d like to hear about your venture to find the foundling. I’m glad he’s all right.”

Din takes a deep breath of his own. “I am, too. And I’ll tell you. I just…” he pauses, bending down to kiss the top of your head, “I’d like to stay in this moment for a little while longer, if that’s okay.”

You beam, your chest fluttering as you nod. “Of course it’s okay.” You pull yourself even closer to him. “I’d like that, too.”

There’s no doubt some heaviness left to unload from Din’s heart at whatever he witnessed on his mission, but for right now, your love can overshadow it. You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect way to break in your armor than with the heavy breaths you spent for him and his sweet adoration. You’ll have a lot of ground to cover in your training, but with Din right at your side through it all, you’re confident that there’s nothing you can’t do. Your right shoulder now bears the symbol of your clan and you’re intent on making them proud.

You’re not sure when your armor will come in use, though you know that day will come eventually. The Darksaber’s hilt on Din’s belt resting just underneath your wrist proves that. At least you’re now fully confident that you’ll be ready for it, with both your new beskar and your husband providing you with a security that knows no bounds.

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[loksthegreat]

what happens to rhaenyra in your story? who's her husband? her children? her role? does viserys remarry after aemma and has the green children? does the dance happen?

Thank you so much for asking!! Alright here’s how I see this going down :

So in my first draft and plot line which is still the one I’m mostly using, cause it’s really well detailed, Alicent still marries Viserys and is as miserable as in canon, however I always thought that the dance was more of a Aegon vs Rhaenyra thing, not the Alicent vs. Rhaenyra conflict that hotd is making it out to be so the main antagonist is really just Aegon, who takes the opportunity to become king, and the great houses of Lannister and Baratheon who are fed up with the crown and don’t want a woman in power, however I recently started questioning why Otto would push Alicent to marry Viserys when he already has four sons by Visenya in 106 AC (which is the year Alicent marries Viserys) soooo I think I will scratch that and just let the dance of dragons be less like the canon dance (so no siblings fighting for the throne) and more of a normal war/rebellion (I’m thinking of doing something with the Targaryen bastards of Daemon/Viserys/etc, because I really have a few of them), but don’t worry I plan to write about the generations of made up Targa following Visenya too, and three kings and one queen later, we have a real Targaryens fighting Targaryens for the iron throne kinda situation around 200 AC.

Okay so back to the actual questions asked; I think Viserys will be less drawn to remarrying, since Alicent isn’t actively trying to seduce him and he probably doesn’t want to risk the claims of his daughters, however I think the Velaryons are still gonna be pushing for him to marry a daughter of theirs, which in my story would be Valaena, (mainly because I really don’t see Laena and Viserys happening ever) and since Viserys is a bit of a pushover, I think there is a strong chance of that happening (even though it might take longer, with Otto pushing against it). I have been playing with the thought of Viserys being the father of Valaenas kids for a while, since I already got them planned out, and it would make sense for me cause I believe in the theory that all riders of Balerion struggle with infertility and since Viserys only rode him once, he got daughters, but all his sons died at birth.

Alright now as for Rhaenyra, I see her having a happier live for sure, without the burden of being heir, and with Viserys not forcing her to live the consequences of his mistakes by making her marry Laenor, if he’s already married to Valaena. I’m not sure whom she will marry yet though, in the current state of writing she’s still very much an eight year old so I haven’t worried about it to much. Either I’ll make up some OC she can marry, or maybe she’ll just be allowed to marry Harwin, since he’s a knight, son of the Hand, and heir to his house he sure isn’t the worst match, and again in this story Rhaenyra has a good few sisters, especially if I make Valaena marry Viserys. I still plan for her to have those three sons and then maybe remarry and have more hypothetical kids, cause I still have reasons to kill Harwin and Lyonel. Who knows maybe she’ll even marry Daemon like in canon.

As for Rhaenyras role I am obviously pushing her to the side a bit, since she’s not the heir (I’m sorry I’m trying not to steal her entire storyline and life too much) she and Visenya spend the first four years of Rhaes life completely separate and while Visenya has a complicated relationship with her father, he dotes on Rhaenyra, so it takes a while for Visenya to warm up to Rhaenyra, they eventually grow close a few years before Aemmas death and stay like that until Rhaenyra eventually realizes Visenyas involvement in Harwins death and well, after that things are a bit frosty. Alicent is also gonna be romantically involved with Rhaenrya after Otto is dismissed as Viserys Hand and he and Visenya leave for Dragonstone. So that is another factor that sort of complicates the whole sisterly dynamic…

Wheww, I hope that wasn’t too much rambling and makes a little sense! Please feel free to asks any more questions you have, I love getting to talk about my fav OC and her family!!!

[sourkitkat73]

I just rewatched both Suicide Squad movies and find it interesting how the themes and I suppose morals (for lack of a better term) changed from movie to movie.

The first movie is somewhat authoritarian. The villains are forced to fight against other meta humans or die. And while obviously our main characters aren’t a fan of that due to their lives being on the line, the movie itself doesn’t really criticize it. We’re shown bad prison conditions and our main characters are being forced to do a job that might kill them to “do good for society”. Waller is seen as someone doing her job to protect America and yeah, maybe some people have to suffer for that, but that’s the price to pay, right? Someone has to be willing to do the bad stuff to keep the country safe.

This parallels with a lot of things that happen in America. A lot of American prisons are full of abuse. They have terrible conditions and inmates are forced to do work for little or no pay. Just like what happened to the Suicide Squad. They were given 10 years off their prison sentences (some of which were multiple life sentences) and Harley also got an espresso machine. Deadshot gets nothing close to what he wanted. And they quite literally saved the world. I think it’s also worth looking at Waller. In a lot of American spy films, there’s someone who’s willing to do bad things to protect their country and as the viewer, we’re usually on their side. The first Suicide Squad doesn’t address that Waller’s actions were bad and that she could’ve done things differently. If she hadn’t been trying to weaponize The Witch in the first place, there wouldn’t have been a big bad to fight. And even if there was a bad guy that only the Suicide Squad could take down, Waller could’ve treated them with more humanity and rewarded them properly.

The Second Suicide Squad is completely different. The premise is the same, but narrative lens is not. Our protagonists discover how terrible the Project Starfish experiments were, and the viewer is filled with horror and sorrow at seeing the human experiments. The film tackles authoritarianism and how wrong it was of the Corto Maltesian government to conduct them and send their political enemies there. Then later in the film, it’s revealed that the American government knew what was happening and played an active role in it. The suicide squad was just sent in to make sure America’s role in it didn’t get out to the press and general population. I really love the fight between Peacemaker and Flag, and how the viewer is shown how wrong Peacemaker’s worldview is. Flag’s last lines are “Peacemaker? What a joke”. I also really love Walller’s staff and how they change with the viewer’s perspective throughout the film. At the beginning of the movie, they bet on which members of the suicide squad will die. But as the film continues they start to question Waller’s actions. “Would you really have done that to his daughter?” And when Waller both admits that she doesnt care what happens to the Corto Maltesian people and tries to kill the suicide squad for trying to fight the giant alien parasite (that has the potential to kill everyone), her staff stops her.

I think the second film is really interesting and instead of being a dark twist on the classic American spy/superhero movie, it’s a movie that actively critiques American culture and encourages the viewer to think.

[strawberrisoulmate]

✍️🌦️💞☕️💘 for your ace attorney insert!! <3

wahhh yay, thank you!!! I've been on an ace attorney kick lately, so I'd be happy to talk more about my insert!! ♡

✍️: Overall, how does the fandom treat you? Are you a beloved character, or hated? Are you popular, or a minor side character? Anything in between?

I feel like my insert would be pretty looked-over in the grand scheme of things, honestly. She wouldn't be a major main character like Phoenix or Maya or Edgeworth, and would only show up as the defendant in one case and a witness in another. Some people might dislike her, for whatever reasons (I can also see her being compared to someone like Maggey a lot), but I think the general consensus would be fairly neutral.

🌦️: Would you be accompanied by mostly fluff or angst fanfics? Both? Explain why.

Hmmm, I suppose that depends. I think there'd be a lot of angst surrounding my insert's relationship with Godot and how she fits into his narrative (initially reminding him of Dahlia/prosecuting her trial despite her being innocent/him later being convicted guilty of his own crime and being imprisoned for it/etc). But I think whatever angst that would come out of our ship would be accompanied by a lot of comfort fics. I think our main genres in the fandom would be "angst with a happy ending" and "hurt/comfort".

💞: Aside from with your f/o, who else would you commonly be shipped with? Why?

I really can't imagine her being shipped with anyone else, tbh. Not necessarily because I'm only interested in Godot, but because I don't think she'd be a major enough character to warrant shipping her with anyone else. There might be a couple rarepairs and crack-ships out there involving slightly-related characters like Mia or Dahlia (or maybe even Larry if you take into consideration his role in Bridge to Turnabout, but that's a stretch imo), but I don't think there'd be anything outside of shipping her with Godot.

☕️: What are the most common plots of shipping fics between you and your f/o?

Post-canon coffee shop AUs, for sure. I have it established in my canon that we do open up a coffee shop together a while after Godot is released from prison and makes a small cameo later down the line (probably in one of the Apollo Justice games tbh), so I can imagine a lot of fics centering around that. Also, I'm sure a lot of fics would probably dive deeper into the time period where Godot is still in prison that would otherwise be offscreen.

💘: Why would people love your ship? Why would people dislike your ship? How might it start debates?

Oh, the Mia vs Hannah debates would be horrendous, I can already tell. There would be a lot of people who would really hate our ship because 1) my self insert is pretty vastly different from Mia and therefore doesn't "suit his type" and 2) because showing Godot actively moving on from his previous relationship and finding someone new after Mia's death would make a ton of people mad.

I do imagine that there would be people who really like our ship, however, because having Godot move forward with his life and find someone new to love is a pretty blatant display of his character growth and shows that he is finally learning to not cling so desperately to a past he can't change and instead start creating a new future for himself. It's what Mia would have wanted for him — to move forward and be happy — and it makes me glad to think that some people would recognize that and want that for him as well.

[survivor-trinidad-and-tobago]

Episode 2: "I want off this tribe right now. Put me somewhere else please god."—Raffy

In this round: Soca wins yet another challenge; Kaylee is medically evacuated (#KayleeWasPushed), leaving her boyfriend Tony behind on the island; four heroes step up to negotiate for a challenge win or an Extra Vote (and in the end, Soca winds up with both); Champ is outvoted when Soca adopts a dog; and some of Zee's lies come to light.

Soca Confessionals

Champ

Haven’t been super active so of course I’m nervous! Feel like I’m definitely lower on the total pole but also chatting enough to be safe a few rounds! I never wanted to seem like a big threatening player right off the bat so at least I’m under the radar! I feel like Zee and Eman are definitely the most well connected! Alex and Steven seem close! I love love love Alex omg I want him to be my number one so bad but I know I’m not his number one. I like everyone so far and feel like if we did go to tribal Nick would most likely be the first one voted off due to his inactivity. Now that I’m home I’ll be able to be much more active and build stronger connections to everyone. I feel good about our tribe keeping our numbers and once swap happens hopefully we have numbers to take out the other tribe

Eman

I was going to be a goat or a GOAT. Instead I'm a mama hen? Here's what's going on and what's on my mind.

1) I am currently closest with Zee and Champ and would die for either of them. Zee reminds me a lot of a young me and I just want to puff her up until she has all the self-confidence I never had at that age and she can fly on her own. Champ is just plain awesome and I trust her - and know her through mutual friends.

2) I am in two alliances - which is very much not anything I expected, but here we are. Which means I have connections with all but three people on the tribe--Lexi, Nick, and Steven. Sadly, I would LIKE to be connected with Lexi, but have gotten nothing from her in the outreach. Steven and I are chatting and I feel good about it - and in fact I feel awkward not being allied with him, but I'm trying (given as I'm doing so much other organizing with the challenges) to let others call the shots on the alliances and since Steven hasn't been suggested, I don't have the social capital to push for it. So if you're reading this later, Steven, it's not hard feelings, it's just the way things played out. And Nick - god only knows. Is he even a tribe member?

3) I don't like that Chris was voted out on the other tribe - of course, who knows what was going on but the first thing I see is age, which makes me feel super nervous about how it's all going down and my own position. And also Zee said it was going to be Tanner, so . . . was she fed misinformation, was she feeding us misinformation, or did things go down differently between the summit and the vote.

4) No seriously, what do we do about Nick - do we put him into a key role and make him an easy sacrifice if we lose, or do we carry him in a sitout position (which would kill me quietly)?

Nick

Sat out the last challenge, all my teammates had my back. Technological difficulties aside, trying to get back into the GAME.

Zee

I am not a primadonna girl, but the primadonna girls think I am, and so I must perform. By this I mean, I woke up at 6:30am and saw that the delegation was locked in, and that apparently, at 3am I have to attend a finish the lyric challenge. I really wanted the TV screenshot, but both Nick and I were offline so at least they didn’t choose to sit me out. I hope we can pull off another win, but a part of me really wants to see where the tribal lines are right now. But then again, I still trust nobody, I don’t think anyone here is loyal to me, and I have no way to know if any info anyone gives me is true. I’m taking everything with so much salt that I’ve got sodium poisoning. I’m keeping a lot of information close to my chest, and we’ve got another excursion coming so my extra vote might come to light, but then again, maybe not. I doubt people would assume that I made up a disadvantage. Also, people are being quiet, almost too quiet. Sure most people are offline for most of my day, but even when they’re not, nobody seems to be talking to me. I’m in two alliances but we’ll see if those hold me through to the merge.

As far as advantages go, I found a DOGGGG. I want to name it Frikki, and I will if he becomes a just me dog. I think he'll become a tribal dog though, I think everyone has to vote. I also don't know what he does but even still he's so cute and I'm glad the callout was for a dog and not for falling off a cliff or something. Right now I've got a Transparency Advantage, and Colin's extra vote, and Frikki(which will forever be his name in my heart.), and I'm putting all my choices into a document so I can remember what was where when the merge comes, so that if it's the same, maybe I'll get lucky and know where to find advantages. Last night I suggested an idol hunt doc to Kaleigh, and she thought it was cool, and this morning I made two idol hunt documents with half fake info. I said that where I got my disadvantage was a Food Vendor Ticket, and I omitted the Nylon Pools bit. Kept the food stand where I found Frikki part though, because everyone knows about the dog anyway. I sent Kaleigh one info doc, and I sent Mother Hen another with some sweet message or another.

MH put some info into the document I sent them, about their hunt, and it seems like they went a route I haven't been, but annoyingly it doesn't tell me much, since they said they got "better bird info" or something along those lines. I'll probably have to do my due diligence along that route at some point in time, but it costs 5TT$ which I can only assume stands for 5 Tribal Tokens or some other fun name, and I don't think I have any tokens yet, so I'm going to stay away from paid options for now. But I'll have to double back that way sometime still. Now that I've got more info on my document, I'm going to go back and take new choices that could earn me tokens and stuff, and maybe I'll get some info from Kaleigh and MH about their hunts too.

Kaleigh just put some info into the document but again, I don’t trust it. It seems awfully incomplete, like it’s hard to imagine she just got NOTHING at all from her hunt, not even any information? At least when MH said they got nothing, they said they got better bird info or something. Tomorrow I think I’ll have to decide where to go after we figure out what happens with the dog, but I’m most interested in taking boat one and talking to people on the beach. That or going back to the food vendors, though I think maybe I’d need to pay for something there, so I should probably figure out how to get money first. Uncle Billy’s Beach necessities makes me think that maybe I can get something better to hike pirate’s bay, but who knows. Not me. Anyway you’ll prolly hear from me more after the challenge ends, so nervoussssss aaa. And Edgic came out? Wtf is ittttt. I must crack it. Like I’m studying the voynich manuscript, how hard could Edgic be? But yeah I kind of want to crack it so I might take a go at seeing who I think fits what vibe and going from there.

Kolby

Lexi

I’ve now mostly talked to everyone on my team. Kolby and I worked together on the Movie Quotes challenge and won, and the tribe as a whole ended up winning the challenge - I’m so relieved because at this point I have no idea how eliminating someone is going to play out!

Kaleigh

okay wow things ARE DEVELOPING! now i think my closest allies are zee still and also steven rly climbed the ranks! we body doubled the other night while we were researching our screenshots INDIVIDUALLY and we got to talking - he’s been doing these games for ELEVEN YEARS SO THAT’S COOL I GUESS.. I WAS LIKE I FIRST HEARD ABOUT IT LAST WEEK!! but we chatted on video which is like obvio0usly a quick way to build trust and now i’m like ok steven and i have talked a lot and we are good. everyone else… god i don’t know. i don’t KNOWWW! steven was actually v helpful bc he pointed out were on day like 3 or 4 or w/e and we have a long way to go and shit is gonna change quick when we gotta go to tribal. so that made me feel good that i don’t necessarily need to be like BUILDING ALLIANCES LEFT AND RIGHT!!! though i wish i was… or i wish other ppl were trying to build alliances w me. istg zee is gonna win this whole thing. i love her and can’t imagine voting her out ever (or even being able to GET the votes) but if we don’t… she’s gonna take home the win i swear. gosh look at me worrying about stuff weeks away! umm anyway i am glad our team won and uhh hopefully we keep winning forever. i swear zee might have the idol.

Steven

Tony

The screenshot challenge PISSED ME OFF only because it took me waaaayyyy too long to guess a Supernatural clip. Eman invited me into an alliance with Alex, Kolby, and Zee! So far it’s going well and I’m feeling very supported by them. I think I made a name for myself in these last two challenges. Hopefully I can keep it up and make it the finale!

Alex

Ahhh I want to get out some pre-challenge thoughts cause I'm all nervous about being on the hero task now. I would have preferred someone else volunteer but given that it was only me and Eman who floated their names, it is what it is. If this is a superhero thing like I suddenly guessed it could be I might be in a little trouble, though. I would have liked to have worked with Champ on the song crew just to build that bond a little more versus already (officially!) being in an alliance with Eman but it didn't seem cool to try and assign a mystery task to Zee or Nick, especially with how sporadic Zee's gaming hours seem to be and how quiet Nick has been in the game so far. Nick is the only person I haven't at least introduced myself to, which I feel like I should do, but also, he hasn't reached out to me, and he feels like an easy potential first boot if it comes down to it.

--

Shit. Well that's certainly a twist. It's kinda hot, though. Like gnarly idea, AJ and Trin, if you came up with it. I guess it's a good thing I'm already working with Eman so we'll hopefully be able to have good talks about what to do. The fact that it's Colin and Tanner def gives me pause though after Zee said Colin made it sound like Tanner was gonna be the first Calypso boot, or at least that Colin was targeting him. So I don't know what changed over there.

--

Well, it pays to be a hero. We'll just see how long I stay one. THAT WAS SO TV SCRIPTED I'M SORRY BUT I DON'T REGRET IT LMAO. WHEN IN T&T. Okay, so I have to recalibrate my entire game so far after that Summit with Eman, Colin, and Tanner. If Colin was telling the truth about him and Zee, and Eman and I think he was, Zee is gaming wayyyy harder than we realized. She's super nice but I fell for her "I'm just here to have fun!" routine hard. I guess I'm glad she's in my corner for now but I definitely have to keep on my toes going forward because if she's playing like this on Day 3 who knows what she'll do come swap or merge. I'm working super well with Eman right now but we both know the other is gaming and I don't know if they've thought about what that means for us down the line but I have. They've admitted they play more heart than head, so maybe I can use that to my advantage if it comes to it. Wow, that does sound villainous. Maybe I am a little more cut-throat than I thought. I've never done an org before, though, but knowing myself I very may well end up playing more heart than head, too. The one question mark I have with them is their relationship with Tony. He's the one member of our five that I haven't really talked to, so I don't know how much they talked for him to feel comfortable becoming a member of our alliance, but that summit I think definitely tied us together pretty strongly for now.

Eman

I'm a facilitator, not a dictator (or so I hope). Which means that I am very glad to have gone to bed and woken up to discover that someone else (someones else) finished the assignments for the pop culture challenge, so I didn't have to be the one organizing everything two games in a row - I just started the process, because I can't stand chaos (I can't stand chaos, WTF am I doing playing the world's most chaotic game??).

Nick is still MIA and I STFG if we lose, I hope he gets the boot. Heck, I'm almost tempted to suggest we throw the challenge so that we can give him the boot, but throwing challenges never ends well, and so I shan't do so.

Meanwhile, Alex and I are here on the hero challenge, and I kinda think we're in a no-lose situation (but that's way too close to a no-win situation).

A) If we give up the point, it's not likely going to cost our team the win . . . but we get an advantage.

B) If we keep the point, we'll look like we did awesome in an incredibly difficult challenge (the heroes challenge, after all). I suggested to him that we make a show of really holding fast to whatever we want and then ultimately letting the other team have it so that we can not only not lose but also earn some good will come merge. He didn't push back, but he didn't exactly jump on the idea either . . .

Also, gotta figure out what to say to the rest of the tribe when it's over. Esp as the other tribe members will be going back to their tribe and we gotta keep stories straight because people WILL compare notes.

Also, can I just say that I really wanted to have the no-y-chromosome alliance going, but I'm actually getting better vibes from the unnamed alliance of five. I think I'm probably oversharing with people I trust, letting them into my thinking and gaming out the options with them . . . but I'm not good at dissembling, and better to win people on my side with honesty then have them KNOW that I'm thinking shit through and wonder what I'm keeping from them, right?

--

welp . . . yeah . . . um . . .

First of all - THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO RUSH INTO ANY ALLIANCES.

Second of all - THIS IS WHAT I MEANT BY I WAS PROBABLY BEING TOO TRUSTING.

Third of all - THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T LIE. Concealing and keeping information is one thing, but out & out lying is only gonna come back to bite you.

**record scratch** You're probably wondering what the fuck I'm talking about. So lemme back up a bit. As we all remember from my previous confession, Alex & I were in the heroes challenge, which was basically a whole thing where we had to negotiate with the other team on who was going to walk away with the point and who was going to walk away with the advantage. Alex and I strategized and decided we didn't care . . . but we were going to make the other team work for it. And in working for us they gave us dirt. And that dirt wound up being that my confession about being too trusting was prescient. Because Zee is not trustworthy - and even though she's been trying to get close to me and really sucking up (actually to a degree that it made me feel a bit awkward, but I thought she was sweet & naiive, so I wasn't going to say anything bad about her), she was always asking just a bit more than she was giving and, I kept trying to hold her off--gently. Welp, turns out she lied! Completely prevaricated. And not even in a good way where you say something in the main chat and then something else to your allies. Nope. The girl not only got a leap on the idol hunt, she got two votes. Girl's playing fucking hard with no self check.

Now, the upside to all of this. I have information. I'm closer to Alex (and pretty sure I can trust him, though there's one element that I need to figure out and that's with some of the coded messages Steven & I have been sharing). Oh, yeah, that's the other update - Steven and I are continuing to mend our fences and rebuild broken trust and I feel good about it. He's come right out and said he wants to work with me, and told him I was working with others, but that I was open to it . . . and he suggested that he was having conversations as well and that it might be with the same people. So where am I now wondering if maybe some of those other people might be Tony and/or Alex. Which I could get behind. Hmmmm . . . (So glad this isn't gonna come out until after the game and I'll probably laugh myself silly with how off base I was)

Zee

Short confessionals are in girls, get with the programmmmmm. Ok so here's the sitch, we won again by some miracle act of god, but the next challenge is three days long. That's infinitely too long for a challenge. Anyway everyone is so quiet and I'm kinda sus but like if I get voted I get voted, I'm still gonna try to play a spectacular game

Alex

Not me talking to Eman and Tony about how things feel quiet like 30 minutes before the tribe swap. This isn't worst case scenario by any means, I've still got my entire alliance, plus Steven who I've been also talking game with, but I finally got to talk to Champ today and I was SO ready to work with her. We had an awesome video call for like an hour plus and talked game and TV and traveling and she was like, "right away when I saw your bio I knew I wanted to work with you!" Like, being her number one and everything. And I was already thinking of her as my number two after Eman. And now she's swapped over with Lexi and Nick who have been suuuper quiet in game so far so I'm just hella nervous for her. I'm hoping that the three of them will be able to stick together but I have no idea... I'm excited to be a winner pick for now, though! That's super rad! And, like, yeah! I have been playing a good game so far!

Eman

8:41 PM, I chat Alex the following "It's too quiet; I feel like something big is going to happen."

9:01 PM, Tribal swap goes down. I'M FUCKIN' PSYCHIC, YA'LL . . . Now maybe I can manifest a win for myself, too. But I'm sad, Champ had just gotten back online and I was REALLY looking forward to playing with her. Also, one more thing . . . how has no one but Steven, Alex, and me (that I'm aware of) figured out that the disadvantage of the read receipts/reveal vote thing that Zee made up from her excursion didn't come to pass?? In fact, quite the contrary--we didn't even get to see the voting confessions! Anyway, I'm keeping that little nugget in my pocket until I need it.

Calypso Confessionals

Astyn

Raffy

I'm in an alliance with Jack, Drea, Colin, and Astyn. We decided to vote Chris based on a coin flip. All is good. Still want Tanner out

--

So it looks like my alliance was the only reason Tanner stayed in the game which sucks. Cause that just tells me that I should have just pushed for Tanner and things would have been fine. Everyone else was voting him anyways. I just hate how inactive my tribe is. I can’t have any real strategic conversations with anyone except Colin because everyone just says like two things every 8 hours. Like, I can’t talk strategy with anyone at all. But apparently there are all these MOR’s and CP’s and I’m like “Where??” Is the other tribe just having more fun? I just wanna sit down and talk to people about what they think but they’re all too busy or too dry. Like come on y’all. We’re playing a social game. You need to socialize!!!! Whatever. I don’t think we’re gonna win this challenge tbh. My tribe don’t seem like the sharpest tools in the shed. Like no one has even brought up that there were only 9 votes at tribal. So I have no hope that they’ll a) have enough free time or b) be knowledgeable enough to get through the challenge. I want off this tribe right now. Put me somewhere else please god.

Colin

WOOO SURVIVED TRIBAL. EVEN WITHOUT A VOTE. i'm so lucky everything works out for me

putting together a majority alliance really put me in a great position, like... my allies can just do all the work for me. they're the only competent ones on the tribe anyway.

I'm really excited to get to do this hero portion of the challenge. Tanner doing it with me is a nonfactor, I'm excited to get to meet two more people of the other tribe and form bonds there for the swap and merge. I'm already thinking late game here.

I don't want the advantage here. I'd much rather take the point and try and win the challenge. I also have leverage in the form of information for Alex and Eman, who are doing the hero portion for Soca. Advantages are great, but sometimes just having information about who has advantages is just as important. I loved meeting with Zee, but at the end of the day, she did steal my vote and two allies are better than one. I'm sure they'd love to know that someone on their tribe has double voting power.

overall my strategy in this game is just to make it to merge and make it to where everyone wants to keep me around for as long as possible.

Jack

--

Drea

Day 4: well well well, calypso lost another challenge. shocked? no. disappointed? no. I had a feeling some of our tribe members weren’t going to deliver. Jack and I ATE the song lyric challenge. Our target person for next tribal is Tanner, because quite frankly we’re sick of the deliverance of nothing from him. Is that mean? Yes, sorry but not sorry because how are you going to confidently message me with a chip on your shoulder only when we lose a challenge expecting me to vote with you? Good bye Tanner. I’ll be spinning in my desk chair like you did last tribal. My closest allies are currently jack #1 Raffy coming close for #1 and my group alliance the power rangers.

Colin

WE LOST AGAIN FUCK

Kathryn

We're only on challenge two and it already feels like it's been a wild ride! I can't believe we lost two challenges in a row! щ（ﾟДﾟщ)

Well, actually I kind of can because I'm probably dragging the team. I didn't really understand how to play for the first challenge (I mean, I understood, it just took some time to adjust, time that was wasted), and for the second, it relied on me having strong points in pop culture trivia. I do not have this. I'm sort of old school, and most of the music, movies, and even tv shows I like are from back in day (like way back). I would've been a weak player in all categories ( ಥـْـِـِـِـْಥ).

I'm quite proud of the fact that I got any points, seeing as I only recognized "1" screenshot (I was timestamping screenshots of tv shows), and the rest I had to heavily guesstimate. It was not an easy challenge for me, so I'm glad I tried my hardest and actually pulled in some points for the team! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

So, at this point I'm pretty sure my biggest enemy is myself. If I can stop tripping over my innate dumbass nature, I think I can turn my play around (into something way more helpful for the team). Everyone's really nice, so I want to help them get as close to winning as possible! (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Raffy

After losing the challenge by a SHOCKING amount (I’m hard side eyeing you Kathryn and Astyn), my alliance wants to go after Tanner this round. They haven’t really been connecting with him and see him as an intense game player person. So they wanna get him out. The other name out there is Kaylee who Tanner threw out for being inactive. I don’t mind either way, but we’ll see how it goes

Tanner

My strongest ally’s are jack and Colin they feel connected to me

Michael

Right now my strongest allies are probably Jack and Raffy, we really haven't had to make a difficult choice yet so we're still kind of coasting. My target is Tanner! And only because he just makes sense for my game. Andrea and Raffy seem to be pretty vocal but idk if they're "threats, threats" you know. So far my strategy is being nice and chill, trying to get people in my corner, so when it's time I can orchestrate a move. Idols ...No clue! Never cared for idols

Jack

Hero Challenge VOD

[haljathefangirlcat]

I'll die on the hill that Wagner's Gibichungs are pretty interesting characters, when you scratch the surface. I mean, yeah, their role boils down to being Hagen's tools and obstacles in Siegfried and Brunnhilde's love story that will eventually, indirectly lead them to their doom. But, while I don't actually know much about opera (and consequently, about how to bring to life a libretto on stage and give its characters additional depth and complexity), I'm 100% sure that they could be made to shine in some kind of retelling, like a novel or a comic... because they're just about as fucked-up as everyone else.

Take Gunther. His very first lines are dedicated to asking Hagen whether the fame he's managed to acquire in the lands on the Rhine is worthy of that once gained by Gibich, the previous ruler and his dad, and establishing that if there's any treasure he still hasn't gotten his hands on, he needs to conquer it and the additional glory it would bring him. His desire for Brunnhilde, too, is initially stirred not by descriptions of her beauty, but of how difficult she would be to win and what renown winning her would bring him. Later on, his decision to consent to the murder of Siegfried, despite all the hesitance and sorrow due to the idea of betraying a friend and a blood-brother and his sister's husband, is couched in all this talk about shame and honor, with even Brunnhilde reproaching by telling him that his cowardice dishonors his bloodline.

As for Gutrune, despite showing her interest in Siegfried as soon as Hagen mentions him, she reacts to her half-brother suggesting Siegfried could actually become her husband by assuming Hagen is mocking her, suggesting Siegfried's likely already found himself a woman far more beautiful than her and assuming it would take a spell to make him fall for Gutrune... which is what allows Hagen to immediately propose just the right potion for the job. Which Gutrune does enthusiastically and unquestioningly agree to use despite being told exactly how it works, including the fact that, yeah, Siegfried might be already in love with someone else and the potion would force him to forget all about that poor other woman. Except that, right after she actually uses the potion on Siegfried, handing it to him with her own hands and actively tricking him into drinking it, there is (at least in the online translation I usually check when I'm afraid of misremembering something about the Ring, lol) this passage:

Siegfried (softly) Are good the runes that there in her eyes I am reading? (He seizes Gutrune's hand ardently.) With thy brother service I have sought: his pride refused my bond; wilt thou like him deny my prayer, if for thy grace I crave! (Gutrune involuntarily meets Hagen's look. She humbly bows her head and, with a gesture expressing her feeling of unworthiness, she leaves the hall with faltering steps.)

What is that "feeling of unworthiness" motivated by? Is she feeling guilty and regretting her actions towards Siegfried? Is she thinking back to that hypothetical other woman? Or does it all go back to her belief that, without the potion, she would never be of any interest to a man and hero like Siegfried? Does she feel inherently undeserving of his love, regardless of her own behavior? Or inherently undeserving of anyone's love...?

Yes. I am indeed woobifying the Gibichungs and casting Daddy Issues, Love-Starved Desperation, and General Awfully Low Self-Esteem upon them. And also a dash of Self-Serving, Questionable Morality of their own, because I don't really buy that Hagen is the only one who's Like That and the other two would be totally innocent if not for his manipulations. (... admittedly, I don't actually know how common that take on them even is. I know I have encountered it. Again, 100% Not An Opera Expert.)

And then, there's also their interactions with Hagen. Because, yeah, Hagen is devious, but his relationship with them sound pretty damn complex even outside of that. For example, let's get back to the Gibichungs' first scene: Gunther is quick to praise Hagen and his intelligence, and also to praise his mother for giving him and Gutrune Hagen as a brother, turning an illegitimate birth into something entirely positive and even something uniting, binding them to each other. But considering how Gunther will reframe his half-brother as the son of the Nibelung, himself and Gutrune as passive victims of Hagen's machinations, and Brunnhilde as his one true love in the conclusion of the final act of the opera, can we really say all of that was genuine? That he honestly admired Hagen and wished for a strong bond with him in the beginning and then he only changed his mind because of his understandable rage and grief, and that he wasn't trying his hand at a bit of manipulation himself in Act One, flattering Hagen to the point of claiming to envy him for his intellectual gifts despite Hagen being just a bastard acting as a vassal or courtier for him and Gunther himself being the king? And that's without even counting how we learn Hagen's true opinion on Grimhild during the night watch scene and, going from that, can only assume Gunther comparing him to her doesn't please him any more than Alberich comparing him to her... Hagen is a convincing liar and Gunther probably wouldn't know about that, all things considered.

Hagen himself says the people he's deceiving think of him as someone lowly and beneath them, and takes pleasure in knowing that for once, even if unwittingly, they are acting as his servants by doing exactly what he wants them to do... and personally, I think he's talking more about his siblings than Siegfried, whom he barely even knows, there.

That's not saying I don't think there's any space for more positive complexity to possibly be there, too, btw! My ideal Ring fic that I'll never write and will probably stay a series of semi-connected daydreams forever is about the Gibichungs being a dysfunctional but deep, deep down loving family with the potential for, like. Getting better through the fantasy, Medieval-ish equivalent of therapy, I guess? XD

Do you think that Gutrune is done a bit dirty in Gotterdammerung? You read about her in The Volsung Cycle and The Nibelungenlied and she's quite the character! And here she just dies of grief.

I'm kind of wishing that there was a production where she pushes Hagen into the Rhine or something like that.

honestly YES…the gibichungs usually get some kind of Concept™ given to them by any director, but it rarely makes them into interesting people as tangible characters. ok, they’re kind of written to be pale, manipulatable people, but even (or especially) gunther’s cowardice can be made an interesting trait. and gutrune’s greatest feat is piecing together that brünnhilde and siegfried were originally married, which…sad. would be nice to see her get more agency of her own.