#Legions of Antares

[tomoleary]

Ken Kelly "Legions of Antares: Challenge of the Slave Empire" by Dray Prescott painted preliminary cover art

Source

Final work changes perspective and a few side creatures are added.

[johanarchy]

Lately I've been having a lot of fun creating some Chaos Marine OCs and I thought I might introduce them here !

So behold ! A very unlikely friend group :

The Iron Warrior is called Cassius Merle, the Death Guard is Mychos Ankou and the Emperor's Child is named Antares Fitz.

I have a whole story for how they met, but the short version is that they all got stranded on a ruined world after the end of the 13th Black Crusade and had to team up to get away.

I have informally named them The Smelly Trio because they all stink. They bicker. They share a braincell. Together they can overcome anything.

Mychos and Antares are in a romantic relationship. No one understands how it happened, least of all the two of them. Cassius is in some kind of queerplatonic partnership with both, though he would rather die than to admit that he actually likes them.

More doodles and yapping under the cut (ft me not being fully set on what their armours look like)

"I really don't care for the Gods. Like everything, they serve a purpose, but I have never needed their help blowing walls up, and I don't see why that should change."

Cassius is the youngest, he was recruited just a few decades before the Black Crusade. As most post-Heresy Chaos Marines, he isn't his Primarch's gene-son; he comes from Imperial Fist geneseed, something he feels extremely angsty about.

He's short of height and of temper, and though he tries very hard to be the hypercompetent brain of the group, he is absolutely not suited for leadership, or for functionning outside of the rigid structure of his legion. That's not his fault, he was just never really taught critical thinking. Or proper social skills.

He likes manual labor, it makes him feel useful and lets him turn his brain off, both things he desperately needs.

"You misunderstand me. I do not wish for the end of humanity. Humanity delights me, like all species of living beings do. But to think that, just because I am part of it, that I should believe it above the laws of nature ? No, this is something that I cannot accept."

Mychos is the oldest, having actually been part of one of the first waves of Death Guards from Barbarus. He used to be, and technically still is, an apothecary, but nowadays his duty is mainly to create more and more elaborate biological weapons for his fellow Plague Marines to use.

He carries himself with the unnerving friendliness and cheerfulness that only nurglites can have, and with a sort of "gentle giant" attitude that makes many people dismiss him as slow and simple minded; but do not be deceived, this is a wisened veteran who knows the world he lives in, he's just very chill about it.

He is a big nature lover, with a soft spot for fungi, which he lets grow over his exposed bones. He tends to start little gardens in every place he stays in for more than a few weeks, something he is exceptionally skilled at. He talks to all living things in his little ecosystems, plants, fungi, insects, even bacteria, and sometimes they actually answer.

"The problem with the Imperium is that it's run by losers and prudes who have never had a single minute of fun in their lives, and they expect everyone else to be as miserable as them or die. I say fuck them. Do whatever you want. If your so-called-God has a plan, you won't live long enough to see it happen anyway."

Antares is also fairly old, being of the original Emperor's Children stock, but he joined the legion at the tail end of the Great Crusade, just before the Heresy, so to him, the influence of Slaanesh has always been an integral part of it.

As such, he became the very picture of selfish hedonism; indulging his impulses and never thinking about consequences. This makes him a pretty bad soldier, as he does not respond well to authority and struggles greatly with delayed gratification. His saving grace is his skill as a fighter, especially on difficult terrain where his satyr-like mutations offer him great mobility. He had to heavily modify his armour to accomodate his legs, but his own vanity was also very much a factor in some of the choices.

Like any good slaaneshi, he loves his drugs and sex and music, but his true passion is food. He is teaching himself to cook, to varrying degrees of success, but mostly he tends to pillage the kitchens of whatever place he is helping raid at the moment. His taste is not refined, he just chases intensity in flavour.

I have more to say but it would take entirely too long to type it all up so I will stop there for now. Thank you for your time !

[protytwo]

LoSH Appreciation Week Day 3 - Proty

I've been using Proty I & II as mascot(s) for my zines ever since I first joined Legion fandom in 1983. The first zine in Interlac was Proty I, followed by II, III,... all the way to Proty XI. Around that same time I also joined Klordny, and published Orbiting Antares. I was out of active zine publishing from 1986 - 1997, but rejoined Interlac with A Tale of Two Proties now up to issue #109. Around 2000 I even briefly joined a non-comics, regular science fiction APA, but named my zine Antares Express after the home solar system of the Protean race. So yeah, how about that Proty?

[5mind]

/* Throwing two of my muses at Antares that he hasn't met before because I couldn't figure out who else to suggest, lol. Added descriptions to all three for that reason.*/

FMK:

Ed Dillinger Jr: Just Some Guy. Computer programmer, specializes in cyber security. Workaholic. Knows Morse Code and has a knack for cracking ciphers. Has a wolfhound for a service dog, a restraining order on a man with the same name as him (read: Daddy Issues), and trust issues (but is as loyal as they come if you can gain his trust). Enjoys a good mystery.

Marcus Brutus: Ghost. Most famous of Caesar's assassins. Demigod son of Pluto. Can become corporeal, summon a skeleton army or precious rocks. Liable to stab you if he thinks it would better society (or may be convinced to stab your enemies if he likes you enough).

Lucius Aurelius: Displaced in time and space. Has a symbiotic species of extraterrestrial "coral" growing on him. Former Roman legionary tribune, demoted for unspecified reasons, medically discharged from the Roman Legions after his legs got blown off in an accident. Cartographer, can hear the landscape around him and can alter it by humming. Ball of anxiety. Curious about modern science and the world he's been thrown into, and enjoys a philosophical debate.

Send my muse "FMK" and three names for them to say which one they'd Fuck, Marry and Kiss.

Another baffling selection of individuals to choose from. Antares lets out an irritated groan.

"Right. Okay, I'll marry Ed. At least I probably know what to expect....compared to the ..uh...other two anyways."

"I'm not sure how fucking a ghost might work...and I'm not sure if I want to find out. I mean..I don't wanna get possessed or cursed or anything. So Brutus gets a kiss."

"Whatever this Aurelius guy has going on sounds like...a lot. But yeah, I'd fuck him. I guess," he shrugged.

[gogopierogi]

Thaemine Raid Final Cutscene

The Thaemine Legion Raid was finally cleared. A video of the ending cutscene is below the cut.

Unfortunately we don't get a full shot of Thaemine's face like I was hoping for. Fans have pieced to together composites from pieces of face we've seen, like this one put together by Twitter user hch990414:

Some fans (including myself) wondered if Kadan and Thaemine looked alike because of the popular fan theory about them being Zosma's chaos shards, but that's not the case. There's similarities, yeah, but Thaemine looks somewhat older and his overall facial structurer is clearly different.

Still, there seems to be some kind of connection between Kadan and Thaemine, though. I've seen speculation that Thaemine and Kadan are brothers, or son/father, or that Thaemine is Antares, the disgraced creator god of the Hal race and fire. But, idk, all these theories ring false to me. I also don't put much stock in the theory about them being shards of Zosma (I personally suspect Kharmine is one of Zosma's shards), though I lend that theory more weight than Thaemine being Kadan's dad or something. Maybe I'll try writing more of thoughts about all this in another post.

Anyway, the most interesting part of these cutscenes is Kharmine's unexpected appearance. Here's a (very) rough translation of his dialogue:

Kharmine: "You look troubled. To push Carmen to this level, I have no choice but to admit it. But now it's time to return to Arkasia. This is not a good place to discuss the end."

Kharmine looks at Kadan.

"I'm sure you haven't forgotten Kurzan, have you, Kadan? Now, hurry up. Because Kamen is waking up."

After everyone else leaves, Kharmine stays to address Thaemine.

"Dark…Bharatron. How pathetic. Barathron is beyond the abyss, a place where greater ideas rule. It won't be long, Thaemine. So I hope it happens quickly. The real you that I have wandered around so often."

Bharatron/Barathron is the giant eyeball fortress thing Thaemine summonded and where the raid takes place. Kharmine's line about about "the real you" to Thaemine is also interesting. Thaemine's true nature is still a mystery, and it seems Kharmine might have clue.

[teletraan-meets-jarvis]

Pieces - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

AO3 Link

Pairing: Commander Wolffe/OC Issa Straun

Warnings: Swearing, drinking.

Word Count - 9.2k

A/N: ALRIGHT NERDS! I'M BACK HAHAHAHA.

After what feels like the world's longest hiatus, my personal life is back on track and this fic is ticking over once again. To apologise for my absence may I present a 9k chapter that I spent far too long agonising over. Biggest of thank yous to @wild-karrde - Karrde my friend, you are the reason this fic continues to live, thank you for all your help, advice, and for battling through my lack of commas <3, one day I will learn 😁.

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Steam clouded Issa’s lenses as she wrapped her thin hands around the mug of tea before her, lifting the red liquid to her lips. The Jedi took a sip and gave a content sigh as the warm drink did its work of fighting off the cool from the ship’s air supply. 

It was her first moment of peace in little over a month she realised. The fighting on Antar 4 had been relentless, and the only reason for the battalion’s sudden respite was the fact that their initial campaign had been a success. They’d managed to push the Separatists out of the main city, and established a secure perimeter to keep them out, which gave Antar 4’s elected government the chance to begin their defence efforts against the local terrorists. There were a few moments where things had been tight and times when casualties had been higher than anticipated, but overall, their success had been noted by the Jedi Council and higher ups in the GAR.

That recognition is what led them to this point, being aboard the Triumphant and heading back to Coruscant. It seemed now that the 104th had proven themselves, Issa, her master and the battalion were being reassigned to a more pressing fight in the war. 

This morning they’d welcomed the 182nd Legion and their general, Master Kolar. They spent a few hours bringing them up to speed on their surroundings before beginning the process of packing up and shipping out. It’d been a long day, but the troops were looking forward to sleeping in their own bunks again on the Venator. 

As was she.

Fighting on the frontlines of a war was something Issa had truly had to experience in order to gain some semblance of understanding of what it would be like. Words and stories didn’t hold a candle to the real thing. It’d been grinding, dirty, and exhausting to the bone. The fear and uncertainty she felt each time she got a chance to close her eyes pushed rest and ease far from her mind. 

It had been an odd feeling, not being able to slow her mind for such an extended period of time. Everything had felt thrown together and reactive, no matter how long they’d spent hunched over a holotable, strategising into the early hours of the morning. The Pantoran also didn't remember a time when she’d been among other people’s company for so long, having spent years in the calm and steady presence of only Master Plo on their extended research missions. She’d always found solace on her own, in her own safe spaces where she could unwind. But out there, she’d had no escape, especially with every sense being pushed to the extremes. It’d been overwhelming to say the least.

But, in spite of it all, she and a majority of their men survived.

We’re still here.

Since they’d returned to the Triumphant, Plo had given her the green light to retreat to her quarters to take stock of herself and what they’d all been through together the past month, while still fulfilling her new command duties but from a distance. It’d been a couple of days since she’d seen anyone really, but it had helped, so she was thankful for her Master’s understanding as always.

Having gotten used to sleeping for short bursts while on the frontlines, Issa was struggling to readjust back to a normal sleeping pattern. She’d spent a good hour that night tossing and turning in her bunk before giving up and hunkering down in the mess hall with a cup of tea and a few datapads. 

Might as well use the time to get some new scenery and do some work.

As another smooth sip of tea warmed her throat, it hit Issa that it’d been nearly a year since the last time she’d had this particular blend, and for a moment she was transported back in time. She was back in Obi-Wan’s quarters at the temple with him and one of her closest friends, Anakin. The Jedi Master was a connoisseur of teas from around the galaxy, always trying to stop off and pick up different recipes while away on missions. He’d been particularly excited about the one he’d finally managed to source from a small village on Karlinus. The three of them sat in his sparse room while the steam of freshly boiled water drifted through the small space, quietly chatting and joking amongst themselves. She remembered Anakin’s face behind his Master’s back as he grimaced at the drink’s sweet taste, sticking his tongue out dramatically in a way he knew would have Issa chuckling. He'd always been one who sought out the more bitter flavours in life, like the ten cups of caf he drank each day. 

With a knowing smile as he turned back around to the pair, Obi-Wan shook his head as he caught the way Anakin tried to hide his reaction from him. “I feel as though your palate might be a lost cause, my Padawan.”

The Pantoran smiled, shaking her head in amusement at the memory of Anakin’s failed antics. Issa couldn’t believe that the young Jedi she’d spent half her life training alongside had recently been promoted to the rank of Knight, making history as one of the youngest in the Order aged just nineteen. She was truly proud of her friend. It seemed he was truly destined for greatness, and Issa could think of no one more deserving. I’ll have to congratulate Obi-Wan on finally being free of his Padawan too. 

As the feeling of nostalgia settled in warmly within her chest, Issa placed down her cup and grabbed her abandoned stylus so she could continue her notes on Antar 4. She’d been studying a battle plan when the door to the mess swished open. Issa noticed someone paused in the doorway for a moment before entering the room with a huff. “What are you doing up?” the new entrant questioned.

“Hello to you too, Wolffe,” Issa replied, not lifting her eyes from the work before her. “I’m going over those strategies we drew up with Book and Master Plo. I want to make sure I know them inside and out for the briefing on Coruscant.”

“Well you’re not going to be of any use to us half dead on your feet. You should get some sleep.”

“Could say the same to you, Commander. What are you doing up?”

Wolffe just grunted at her before making his way over to the caf machine and pouring himself a strong cup. Still maintaining his silence, he leaned back against the counter and stared down into the dark liquid before him. Issa chanced a moment to look her commander over. He was clad in his black body glove he usually wore under his armour, and his eyes were heavy with the beginnings of dark circles blooming beneath them. Her eyes traced up to his hair, which was slightly mussed, and his frown was even more downturned than usual, which was really saying something. 

Wolffe had something on his mind, that much was obvious. Though it was also kyber clear that he didn’t come in here to talk. In fact, he was surprised to have seen her, which meant he’d likely been looking for some solitude.

Do I check on him anyway? Issa asked herself. She knew she would likely be met with a biting response demanding she mind her own business, but as her eyes flitted over to Wolffe once more, his sombre expression gave her the final push of concern she needed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she offered quietly, averting her eyes so that they remained firmly on the datapads before her so as to not put him off with any unwanted attention. Issa and Wolffe weren’t exactly close. The clone commander was rather rough around the edges, and they were still finding their feet with whatever working relationship they were forging, which added a nice layer of uncertainty to many interactions between them. 

“No,” Wolffe grumbled. Though he didn’t say anything else, which was more positive than Issa was expecting. 

“Okay.” 

Maker, this is awkward.

With a small nod, Issa pushed her frames higher up her nose and returned to her work while Wolffe began sipping at his hot caf. A good few minutes went by, and they settled into a rocky silence while Issa lost herself in strategies and plans. She became so engrossed in the data before her that when Wolffe spoke, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“We lost some good men in that last battle.” Wolffe’s voice wasn’t loud. In fact, it could probably be called a whisper, but that didn’t stop it from feeling like he’d shouted into the quiet room. 

Issa knew her eyes had widened in shock, confused and relieved that Wolffe was actually talking about what was bothering him. She peered up at him through her lenses and settled the datapads away from her, giving the commander her full attention. “We did. Wrexler, Vick, Kip, Dino and Zander were all great guys.”

Now it was Wolffe’s turn to look shocked. “You remember all their names?”

“Of course. Master Plo and I said we’d learn everyone’s names that first day we all met. We don’t say things we don’t mean. You’re people Wolffe, not droids. The lives we lose aren’t so easily swept away for us either you know.” Wolffe grunted again and fell silent, staring back into the mug in his hand as if it held the answers to whatever questions he was torturing himself with. 

Feeling brave and maybe stupid, Issa took a steadying breath before choosing her next words carefully. “Do you… blame yourself?”

Wolffe’s eyes shot up to meet hers, his amber irises burning with something she couldn’t pinpoint, making Issa swallow. Shit, okay too far. Feeling her face flush with embarrassment, she held her hands up in an apologetic manner. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep.” Great, that’ll set us back nicely. Smooth Straun.

As Issa mentally kicked herself, she noticed that something in her reaction to his heated gaze had caused Wolffe’s frustration at her to cool. His glare softened, and he averted his eyes to stare at the wall to his side as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the galaxy while bouncing his leg ever so slightly. 

“Yes,” he eventually replied, biting the word out as if it went against everything in him to utter it. It took Issa a moment to realise he was responding to her question. So he does blame himself. Wolffe continued. “I’m their Commander, my choices lead to their deaths. I’m the person who's supposed to protect them.”

“That’s not your job alone, Wolffe. If that’s your logic, Plo and I are equally as to blame as you.”

“It’s different.”

“How so?” she asked. Her question wasn’t fuelled by impatience or frustration at Wolffe’s mindset but by genuine curiosity. Issa wanted to understand exactly the reason why he was putting this responsibility solely on his shoulders.

“Because you’re not one of us,” he snapped, eyes burning brightly once more. His harsh tone appeared to be an accident as a sliver of regret slipped onto his features while he flexed his jaw. 

Issa gave him a soft smile. “It’s okay, I know what you mean. You don’t have to explain yourself. I'm not offended.” Every soldier lost is another member of his family gone, another face identical to his that was taken too soon. “It’s personal for you, I understand.”

Wolffe scoffed and lifted a hand to rub at his jawline, his fingers scraping across the rough, growing stubble there. “I don’t need a lecture on the losses of war, just so you know.”

Issa’s smile grew. “I wasn’t planning on one. I was just going to say that should you ever want to share that burden, Master Plo and I are carrying it as well, maybe in a different way, but we are. We’re here to support you, Wolffe, as much as you are us.” He didn’t have a reply to that, but Issa was happy that she’d been heard. She chanced a look down at the chrono on one of the datapads and realised it was very early in the morning.

“Hey, since we’re both up, fancy a spar? Might help tire you out.”

Wolffe took another sip of his drink with a raised eyebrow. “A spar?”

“What? Don’t think you can handle a Jedi?” Issa teased, which earned her one of Wolffe’s signature eye rolls, slow and exaggerated, and she couldn’t help but chuckle softly at his dramatics.

“Fine. But I'm not explaining to the general why his padawan’s pride is in pieces tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

The pair made their way to the training room. The open space was cast in shadow until the sensors detected their presence and triggered the lights to roll on. In the centre of the hangar was a blue mat, which Issa stepped onto gently. The plastic covering was cool beneath her feet as she stretched her arms above her head, sighing as some of the bones in her back popped. Kriff, I’ve been sitting down for too long. Across from her, Wolffe shook his limbs out and rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet. 

“What sort of spar did you have in mind?” he questioned as he pulled an arm behind his back, stretching the Republic cog in the middle of his shirt even further across his broad chest.

Issa shrugged. “You’re my military teacher. I thought you could decide.”

“Fine. Hand-to-hand it is. You know the rules?” Issa shook her head and he continued. “Mostly anything goes, though no career-ending hits, and if your opponent taps three times you let go and the match is over. Clear?”

“As transparisteel.” At her confirmation, Wolffe locked eyes with her and met her in the middle of the mat. The area they were fighting on was rather large; the hangar the mat sat in was designed to house multiple gunships, and the mat itself was almost the size of one. Issa took a steadying breath as she tracked the strong commander in front of her. 

“Sure you wanna do this Straun?” Waves of confidence rolled off of the clone as he stepped closer.

“I’m not going to break.”

“Alright.” The word had barely left his lips before he darted forward with a swing of his right fist. Issa managed to duck just in time to miss Wolffe’s punch, but her confusion left her open, which Wolffe utilised by delivering a swift kick to her ribs, winding Issa and forcing her back a few paces. 

For someone so bulky, I thought he’d move a hells of a lot slower than that. Unfortunately the universe wasn’t that kind. It seemed the commander had plenty of training on keeping his speed up in a fight. The Pantoran heaved a few ragged breaths before she willed her breathing back under control. 

“Sure you want to carry on?” The question was genuine, but the slight upturn on the corner of his lips made Issa bristle.

“Only just getting started, Wolffe.” 

They traded blows back and forth fairly evenly from then on, Issa decidedly not underestimating her commander any further. She might not have had military training, but the ways of the Force lended well to combat, and her years at the temple hadn’t all been studying and katas. She’d trained on how to fight without her weapon just as much as she had with it. It was just a skill she hadn’t had to call upon in a real world scenario in a while. As she analysed Wolffe’s movements and opportunities for attack, her training slowly came trickling back on how she could lean on the Force to make her movements more swift, her attacks hit harder, her defensive positions more fortified. 

By the time they were bone-tired and sweaty from their fight, Issa had managed to get a few good hits in on the clone commander, including a kick to his cheek that left the skin bright red. Overall, Wolffe had bested her more times and was the clear winner of the fight, but it was progress, both in her training to become a better commander and also in her relationship with Wolffe. This had been the longest the two of them had been left unsupervised, and they were both still talking to each other, which Issa felt was a great victory. 

“Not bad, Straun, though you’re thinking too much. I can tell you were holding back at times. You don’t trust yourself. You’ve got to get more comfortable with your abilities if you want to throw your all into a fight.”

“Right.”

“We’ll try again when we stop off on Coruscant, bring a few of the men in so I can point some things out to you.”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Wolffe.” The commander nodded at her and the room descended into silence until an almighty yawn tore its way through Issa before she could stop herself. She met Wolffe’s gaze, a look of exasperated confusion conveyed through his raised eyebrow as she gave a sheepish chuckle. 

He huffed at her with a shake of his head. “Let’s go back to the barracks.” 

The pair of them walked in silence through the halls of the Triumphant, passing the odd pair of patrols on their way who always stopped to salute their two commanders. Finally they arrived at their neighbouring rooms and bid each other goodnight before Issa collapsed onto her bunk and drifted immediately off to a dreamless sleep.

—

The next day the 104th arrived on Coruscant. Issa, Plo, Wolffe and Admiral Coburn had been holed up in a meeting room for an in-person debrief of the situation on Antar 4. They’d spent hours divulging everything including their findings on the enemy, loss ratios and any future battle plans they had drawn up which could be passed onto the 182nd, who would be taking over the protection of the Republic-aligned moon. 

It’d been a long day, but Issa felt confident that she’d been able to contribute to the meeting where appropriate rather than just listening and learning. They’d also been told that they’d be heading to the Outer Rim to Scariff. Apparently the Separatists were planning to build a factory on the planet and were shipping in large portions of materials for the development. The 104th’s job would be to disrupt the delivery of the materials and take out as many of the enemy forces as they could. 

Since landing on Antar 4, it felt as though everything had been non-stop for the battalion. They’d barely had a moment's respite in the month they’d been fighting, and it was starting to show among the troops. Thankfully, Plo had convinced the council to extend their layover in the Republic’s capital for an extra couple days, giving the full squad some well-earned downtime. 

The news of their first night off had sent shockwaves of celebration through the ranks of the 104th, which warmed Issa’s heart. They’d fought hard in tough terrain and deserved the time to themselves to revel in their victory and remember the brothers they’d lost. What had sweetened the deal even more for the soldiers was that the Republic had created a bar dedicated to the clones right here on Coruscant where they could drink for free and enjoy their downtime in peace amongst their brothers. 

The Wolfpack were truly overjoyed with the news of a night partying and had even kindly extended the invite to their two Jedi to join them. However, Plo and Issa decided that the troopers deserved a real night off, away from their natborn commanding officers, as Issa had learned they’d been called.

At the GAR headquarters, Issa was chatting pleasantly with Admiral Coburn as they exited the meeting room, the pair trailing behind Master Plo and Wolffe. The padawan watched as the two men in front of her talked amongst themselves. It was clear to see in Wolffe’s presence how he respected his general, and while Issa was on the road to earning that respect herself, it warmed her to know that Plo had the same effect on other people as he had on her. From her few conversations with Wolffe over the past couple months, Issa had been gaining snippets on Wolffe’s views and the weight of responsibility for his brother’s safety that he shouldered, and it was clear that his trust was rarely given out. Issa was glad he at least had someone of seniority who he could truly put his faith into beyond the respectful level of courtesy he automatically gave as clone commander.

Admiral Coburn cleared his throat politely, drawing the small group to a stop. “Padawan Straun, Master Plo, Commander Wolffe, I’m afraid I will have to bid you a farewell here. Please enjoy the rest of your shore leave and I look forward to our first mission together in a few days.” 

“Thank you Admiral, we shall see you soon,” Plo replied, nodding in goodbye as the naval officer turned on his heel and down an adjacent hallway, his shiny black boots clacking on the metallic flooring as he walked away. 

“Issa, I believe we should head back to the temple.”

“Yes of cour-'' Issa was cut off by her comm chirping, the light flashing up at her from her vambrace. Her forehead creased as she clicked the button on the device. “This is Commander Straun.”

“Sir, it’s Sinker. We were hoping you could come down to the barracks with Commander Wolffe after your meeting.”

“Do I dare ask why?”

“Probably best you didn’t.” Issa could practically hear Sinker’s smirk on the other end of the line, picturing his silver eyes sparkling in mischief, likely with Boost and TP hanging over his shoulders. 

“Alright, we’re finished now so we’ll head down.”

“Well it appears you have other business,” Plo suggested fondly. “Enjoy your evening Commanders.”

Issa’s eyebrows knitted together. “I’ll be back at the temple after this, Master,” she assured. 

The Kel Dor said nothing as he inclined his head at the both of them and began walking towards the exit, leaving Issa perplexed. She chanced a look at Wolffe to see if he could elaborate on what had just transpired. Unfortunately all she received was a restrained eye roll before he silently led the way to the turbo lift, leaving her to trail after him.

During the battalion’s stay on Coruscant, their troopers were given bunks at the Guard’s sleeping quarters. The lower levels beneath the HQ practically acted as a clone hotel; there were levels upon levels of rooms for any visiting soldiers to use alongside the resident red and white troopers.

As the lift skid to a halt, the pair stepped out and made their way to where the 104th were staying. 

—-------

The slow and deliberate thump of footsteps sounded. Followed by the scrape of something metallic being dragged across the floor.

The man held his breath, hands clamped over his mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping him as the attackers' steps sounded ever closer.

Suddenly all noises came to a halt, and the man could do nothing but wait… Until–

“Booooook, come on it’s going to be morning by the time you put that ‘pad down, vod,” Boost whined as he clipped his now polished vambrace back into place.

The strategist locked his datapad reluctantly and sighed. His perfectly crafted world for his story in his mind had now officially been shattered at the interruption. Can’t get a minute's peace in this place. A heavy weight fell onto the mattress next to him, causing the clone to bounce slightly.

“Yeah Bookworm, we want some attention for a change,” Two-Pint teased, wrapping his arm around his brother’s shoulder and yanking him into his side for a crushing hug.

Book scowled as he fought the stronger man for his freedom, his copper hair ending up more than a little ruffled as he broke away with a half-hearted frown. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

The heavy gunner grinned. “I do.” 

“Come on short-ass, be nice,” Boost challenged with a mischievous smirk, which only widened at Two-Pint’s pout at his own nickname. Serves him right, Book thought smugly.

“Alright alright, reign it in you lot,” Wolffe chided as he made his presence known with a humoured Commander Straun standing at his side.

“Commanders! Perfect timing,” Sinker called out pleasantly as he pulled his gloves on.

With one last ruffle of Book’s hair, TP and Boost moved away to find their boots. The strategist carded a hand through his red curls to try and tame them while his Jedi Commander walked over to take TP’s spot at his side.

The Pantoran bumped his shoulder lightly with her own and gave him a small smile. “Whatcha reading?”

“Ah, it’s nothing, just a thriller novel.” He tried not to sound too deflated, but he couldn’t help it. He loved reading, but moments of jabs with his brothers served to remind him that he was a bit of an outlier in their group. He wasn’t crazy about weapons like TP and Cloud, or strong like Boost and Sinker. Instead he favoured learning and reading as his method of developing his skills as a soldier. Book knew his squad didn’t mean anything by their teasing; it was their way of showing that they cared, but even still, it did a good job of highlighting just how different he was sometimes.

Of course, the Jedi next to him was somehow able to figure all this out without him even having to utter a word. With a gentle look in her eyes behind her lenses, she placed a blue hand at his shoulder bell. “You know, as much as the ‘Pack love to wind you up, your interests are what make you you Book. Your brothers would never want you to change or be ashamed of them. I hope you know that.”

“Yeah… I know.” He gave a small smile of thanks. Because he did know. But it was nice to have the reminder every now and then he supposed. 

Seemingly content that she’d eased his worries, the Jedi looked up at the rest of the group. Their previously battle-worn armour had been cleaned and polished, not the the point of shininess as each scrape and scuff ingrained in the plastoid was a sign of each battle survived, but clean enough to not be caked with the mud and blood of their last campaign.

“So Sinker, you called?” Issa questioned as she caught the sergeant’s eye.

“Yeah, we’re going out sir, and you’re coming with.”

Still sitting next to Book, Issa sighed. “Guys we went over this-”

“Yeah but we’ve decided to overrule you, so there you have it,” Boost explained, leaving no room for argument.

“We want you to come along, Commander. It’ll be fun. You’re one of us anyway. Your insides were christened with TP’s brew,” Cloud added with a soft smile.

Smirking, Issa replied. “Oh so there is a reward for suffering through that.”

The heavy gunner in question somehow managed to pout even harder, which given his intimidating exterior, only served to make the room chuckle. “Hey! Don’t you all come crying to me when you want a night to unwind.”

“We’re kidding ‘Pint.” Sinker huffed as he threw his arm around his shorter brother’s shoulders and pulled him into a loose headlock. 

Eventually the Wolfpack stopped rough housing and were ready to paint the town red, as it were. 

—---

79’s was a beacon of life. Neon boards decorated the walls while the sound of laughter and chatter wove through the notes of the heavy bass music reverberating through the venue. The dance floor was already packed, clones and natborns alike dancing their troubles away, connecting with new souls as their inhibitions faded and bodies moved to the beat. At the bar, a group of pilots were sharing a round of shots while a squad of commandos in their heavy duty armour took quiet sanctuary in a booth in the corner, flirting with the beings who’d captured their attention. 

Issa couldn’t quite believe that the Republic was providing such a normal place for the troopers to unwind. I suppose it’s the least they can do. After all, they are heroes fighting for the civilians across the galaxy, protecting their way of life.

As the Wolfpack made their way towards an empty table, Issa noticed a few of the patrons whispering as they passed. While most of 79’s was full of plain white armour, she supposed a maroon, wolf-stylised commander and Pantoran Jedi were a bit of a giveaway as to which battalion they were. It seemed their success on Antar 4 had been passed through the other ranks. 

Next to her, Boost nudged her with his elbow, smirking. “How’s it feel to be famous, Commander?”

“Famous is a bit of a stretch.” Issa rolled her eyes at the sergeant who chuckled next to her.

“I don’t think that’ll be our last big win, so you best start getting used to it.”

Once the group had settled in their spot, Issa had offered to get the troopers their first round of drinks, allowing them to relax for a moment while she navigated the sea of bodies to reach the bar. After finally clearing a space for herself to lean forwards, the Pantoran drummed her fingers on the neon surface as she waited to be served. She was minding her own business until the being next to her gave her a nudge, knocking the Jedi off balance. Frustrated at the person’s lack of awareness, she spun around to confront them. That was her plan at least, but unfortunately the person she came face to face to made her pause, her fiery words dying on her tongue.

“Quin? What are you doing here?” Issa breathed. 

There he was, Quinlan Vos, Jedi Master and Shadow, back from his extended mission like he hadn’t just disappeared for a year without a word. It’d been a while, but it appeared his flare for the dramatic hadn’t changed.

“Issa! I was supposed to meet Aayla but she got stuck doing General things, so I stayed for the free booze and pleasant scenery. Fancy seeing you here.” His honesty and cheeky smile were so familiar that it nearly made her heart ache. It’d been too long since she’d last had a chance to spend time with her friend and despite all of his bravado, Issa had missed him dearly. He looked well, a few new scars littered his bare upper arms and his dreadlocks had grown, extending to his jawline, but he was in one piece. A weight the Pantoran didn’t know she had been carrying suddenly lightened, and she smiled fondly at the Kiffar’s antics.

“The drinks aren’t free for you, you know,” she chided.

“Ah but surely they’ll have to take pity on a poor religious figure like me. Remember young Padawan, Jedi can have no attachments, which means no material items, which means no credits to buy those items, which means free watered-down Corellian ale,” Vos explained while lifting his drink in the air in a ‘cheers’ motion before taking a satisfied sip.

“That’s not how that works, and you’re incorrigible.”

“Thank you,” Quin replied with a beaming smile of pride.

Without another word, Issa launched herself at the man, locking her arms tightly around his neck and catching him by surprise. “I’m glad you’re home safe.”

Issa felt it as Quinlan relaxed in her hold and wrapped his own glove-clad arms around her middle, smiling into her shoulder. “Missed you too, kid.”

Issa was finally able to place her order and while she waited, she spent the time catching up with the man she’d come to look up to as a brother. His mission had been a success, as they always were, and he managed to take down a critical drug ring in the outskirts of the Mid-Rim. 

Smiling with pride, Issa nudged the man beside her. “Sounds like another job well done.”

“Yeah, it went about as well as the Council would allow.” The end of his sentence was slightly muffled as he lifted his glass to his lips, but Issa heard him all the same.

She took a moment, trying to unpick the meaning hidden in Quin’s words. “The Council? I thought you were heading this as a Shadow?”

“Let’s just say if it was up to me, I’d still be out there.”

“Why?” Issa’s brows were furrowed as she tried to navigate Quinlan’s vague hints.

The Shadow Jedi seemed to have noticed her questioning look and snapped out of his mood with a heavy sigh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring the mood down. Let’s talk about something else. How’s the war going, Commander?”

His sudden change of topics perplexed Issa. Whatever Vos found at the end of his assignment had him on edge, and seemed to be straining his already tenuous relationship with some members of the council. Not wanting to spark a debate about the politics of the Order at that moment, Issa let him off the hook for now and launched into her experiences of leading an army for the past month.

“You’ll have to come meet the Wolfpack. They’ve heard all about you.”

“All flattering things I presume.” Just as Issa went to reply, a light began blinking on Quin’s forearm, pulling his attention. “Ah I better get this, but I’ll see you over there in a bit.”

While Vos trudged through the many bodies to an exit, a striking Mirialan placed a tray of drinks in front of her, which Issa took with a quick ‘thank you’ to the bartender before using all her concentration to avoid spilling the ale as she finally reached the 104th’s table for the evening. 

Now that everyone had a drink in hand, the Pantoran allowed herself the chance to relax, sliding into the spot Sinker had made for her at the edge of the booth, facing Wolffe across the other side of the table. His permanent frown was unsurprisingly still in place, but it was slightly softer than usual which was nice to see. This may be as relaxed as I'll ever see him.

After a round of ‘cheers’ and the first few sips of their drinks, they asked about Quin after having seen the two of them during their reunion.

“Do all Jedi make fashion choices alarmingly unsuitable for battlefields?” Wolffe cut in sarcastically, making Issa bark out a laugh she wasn’t expecting, nearly choking on her drink. 

“Actually if Quin had his way, he would probably rather have a lot more of himself on display, but he needs things like the gloves he wears to prevent accidental use of his Psychometry. It’s a power that lets him see impressions or events tied to an object based on who’s touched or used it previously. As you can imagine, that can get quite invasive quite quickly.”

“Woah, can you do that?”

“Unfortunately not. Jedi all have similar basic skill sets, the standard things we’re taught at the temple, but some of us excel further in some areas or are born with special abilities. Quin was born with Psychometry. It’s a common gift among Kiffars, and it runs in his family. He’s grown incredibly skilled in it, but it can be quite overwhelming at times, hence the gloves. While psychometry is one example, some Jedi have been known to have deep connections with animals, plants, space matter and even technology, making them easier to read or utilise with the Force.”

“Have you got a fancy skill, sir?”

“I’ve always been quite good at illusions. In fact it’ll probably start to come in handy during the war so I’ve been working with Master Plo on pushing my skills a bit quicker than we normally would.”

Wolffe raised a suspicious eyebrow. “What do you mean by illusions?”

“Care to be a volunteer and find out?” At Issa’s challenge and smirk, Wolffe scoffed. 

“Fine.” He was clearly intrigued but trying his damndest not to show it. The Jedi humoured him and took his feigned indifference as consent for her demonstration.

Issa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Using all her concentration, she manipulated the molecules around her using the Force, picturing as each one shifted and changed to mimic the image she set in her mind. As she let the air out of her lungs, she allowed her eyes to flutter open once more and took in the clones surrounding her.

“No way.”

Issa spared a look down at herself, and sure enough, she was clad in white and maroon plastoid, the skin of her hands no longer blue, but a beautiful tan. 

“That’s creepy, two Wolffes is the stuff of nightmares, turn it off!” Two-Pint squealed as he tried to hide behind Book, who rolled his eyes at the heavy gunner.

Vos chose that moment to slide into the Wolfpack’s booth, smirking and elbowing Issa in her side, breaking her concentration and shattering the illusion. “I see you’re doing your-” Quin paused to do a little waggle of his fingers, “-magic show.”

Huffing, Issa shoved the Kiffar back, making him chuckle and throw an arm around her shoulder. “Yeah well we can’t all read emotions like you. Gotta find my ways to be useful somehow.”

Quin then infuriatingly chose that moment to ruffle her hair, making her bristle slightly in annoyance as her troopers chuckled, Wolffe notably was taking great joy in her embarrassment at the hands of the Shadow as he smirked slightly behind his glass. 

“When I tell you guys that your commander got us into some trouble over the years at the temple using those little tricks of hers.”

“Ha! I knew I liked you sir!” Two-Pint exclaimed with a beaming grin.

Soon introductions were made, and the rest of the evening was spent in pleasant comradery with the Wolfpack and Vos. Issa realised now that she’d been worried about nothing. Spending an evening with her troopers hadn’t seemed to have stopped them from being able to enjoy themselves and relax, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy spending her free time hanging out with them. They were a fun group; even Wolffe had gradually loosened up ever so slightly as the night dragged on, matching the boisterous energy of his brothers around him as they joked and wound each other up. 

It’s nice to see.

—----

Much to Book’s dismay, the Wolfpack and two Jedi had eventually gravitated to the dance floor as the alcohol in their system began to do its work. The strategist had cut himself off a few drinks prior to that, not interested in losing control of himself that evening. Subtly, Book had managed to excuse himself from his dancing battalion, giving him the chance to escape to the sanctuary of the bar where he could take a moment to himself. He even managed to snag an empty stool, pulling himself up and trying to catch a glimpse of one of the bartenders so he could place his order. Unfortunately, it was still fairly busy, so he was left to his own devices for a moment. To keep himself occupied, he spent his time eyeing up the liquor on the back shelf of the bar and trying to guess if he could name each luminous bottle. He’d definitely read up on enough world exports by now to be able to identify most of them, so he began cataloguing each spirit quietly to himself as he waited.

For not the first time that day, the peace in his mind was once again shattered, but instead of the cause being his squad, it was the result of a loud crash of a server droid clattering into one of the beer taps. Every being in the vicinity scattered in fear of being drenched as the tap went up in a dramatic fountain display, leaving the now damp Mirialan bartender to deal with the situation.

“Oh shit oh shit oh shit.” The bartender cursed as the battered ale tap continued to spew everywhere despite them attempting to use their hands to stop the spray. Unfortunately, the tactic only served to push the liquid to the floor as opposed to up in the air.

Looking around and noticing that no one was coming to help, Book pushed off of his stool and walked over to the scene.

“Excuse me, do you-”

“Look I’ll serve you in a sec, can’t you see i’m a bit busy?” the Mirialan snapped, huffing a breath to try and move their damp claret fringe from where it had fallen across their face. The sheer look of concentration as they attempted to fix their predicament caused the black geometric facial tattoos trailing down the centre of their forehead to crease between their brows. Book knew it wasn’t the time or place, but he dared to think that the bartender looked rather cute while flustered. 

No, that is not helpful right now. Wise up, Trooper. Book cleared his throat, gearing himself up to try again. “Um, sorry, I was just going to offer some assistance. Your method of stopping the leak isn’t the most efficient. I’m happy to help.”

Those bright green eyes snapped up to his face, and he froze under the sharp gaze. Oh Maker I’ve stuck my foot in it haven’t I?

After a few dragging seconds, they finally relented, nodding behind them towards a cupboard. “Fine, there’s a wrench in there. Once you’re back we can get this sealed off and I’ll start cleaning up this mess.”

Book nodded and set about getting the tool as suggested. He ended up shoulder-to-shoulder with the bartender as he tried to get the pump to seal off while they protected his face from being sprayed with alcohol. 

It seemed they made a rather good team as after a few seconds of fiddling, Book managed to stop the flow, making the Mirialan sag in relief as they were finally free to move once again. “Thank the Maker for that… and you, I guess. What’s your name, Trooper?”

“Oh, uh Book, and you are…”

“Jae, Jae Tevv.” They reached a soaked hand out towards him before realising what they’d done and retracting with a nervous chuckle. “So Book, huh? How’d you manage to end up with a name like that?”

“It’s unfortunately very simple. I always had my head in a book while growing up on Kamino.”

“I suppose I should’ve guessed. What kind of books? I’m always looking for some new things to add to my reading list.” Suddenly, Book found himself engaged in the most wonderful conversation about literature as the two of them fell into the flow of working as a team to fix the mess from the broken tap. Jae was incredibly well-read, enjoying a variety of genres that they spoke about with a deep passion. Book was pretty sure he had a dopey smile on his face, but Jae’s enthusiasm was infectious, so who could blame him? He could listen to them talk for hours, their hands gesturing wildly, eyes alight with excitement as they relieved one of their favourite romance novels, clearly excited to finally be able to discuss the story with another reader.

All too soon, the mess was cleaned and Book found himself running out of machinery behind the bar that he could tinker with to prolong their conversation. With a sigh, he slid the wrench back into the borrowed tool box and extended a hand to Jae to help them back to their feet from where they were scrubbing the floor.

“Thank you, Book. Both for the help and the conversation. I think I've finally met my reading match,” Jae said with a kind smile. “Now that the tap’s working again, can I buy you a drink as a thank you, something a bit more upmarket than that cheap beer the Republic is feeding you boys?”

“Ah there’s no need to thank me. Plus I best stop with the drinks now. Someone has to make sure my battalion gets home in one piece, and something tells me it won’t be my commanders.” Book spared a pointed look at his two superiors. Issa was on the dance floor with General Vos, Two-Pint, Sinker, Cloud and Boost, giggling and dancing without a care in the world, her drink sloshing dangerously close to the edges of her cup. Wolffe was seated a few tables away with one human and one Zabrak woman hanging off each arm as the three of them sank a shot each before he sat back and let the two shower him with attention. Jae followed his eyes and chuckled warmly.

“Well… If not a drink, how about dinner?” Their deep emerald eyes sparkled with the offer, making Book swallow nervously as his stomach fluttered. When did my collar get so tight?

“Uh, dinner?” he choked out. 

“Yeah, dinner. Give you a chance to eat something that isn’t rations maybe. My treat, I can cook us up something.”

Book felt his face flush bright red as he averted his eyes. “Dinner. Right… yes. Dinner is good. Let’s… let’s do that.”

Jae beamed at him before grabbing his datapad out of his hands and tapping something into the notes. “Great, well, here’s my comm frequency. Drop me a message next time you’re planet-side, or if you have any more books you’d like to recommend in the meantime.”

“Yes… I'll definitely do that. Thank you.”

“No, thank you, Book.” And just when Book thought he couldn’t get anymore flustered, Jae leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. That was the moment Book’s brain finally short-circuited. “Stay safe out there, I'm holding you to that dinner.” 

Jae disappeared across the bar, set on a mission to serve the backed-up requests of orders, leaving Book standing there like a tooka in the headlights as his hand lifted up to ghost over his cheek where Jae had kissed him. 

—

It was 0300 by the time Book decided to corral his brothers, Jedi, and apparently General Vos. The Wolfpack and friends collectively stumbled out of the front of 79’s, giggling amongst themselves as TP told another Maker-awful joke.

As the laughter died down, Issa strolled up next to Book and swung an arm over his shoulder. Her dark eyes were sparkling with mischief, and the strategist shook his head in anticipation. “Soooo Book, where did you run off too?”

To his right, Sinker crept up and also threw an arm around him, officially trapping him for their questioning. “Did my eyes decei-” Sinker’s question was abruptly interrupted by a chest-shattering hiccup, “...ow… anyway, did my eyes deceive me, or did I see you talking to that cute bartender?” The silver-haired clone waggled his eyebrows, making the Pantoran to Book’s left cackle loudly in his ear.

“Well actually, I was. And um, I think… I think I’m going on a date?” 

At his admission, the whole group paused and spun around to face him. Book felt his face begin to heat under their teasing gaze, and just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, TP launched himself at him to crush the slighter clone in an almighty hug, knocking his previous two captors aside. 

“Look at my little Bookworm, all grown up, going out on dates. It’s so karking cute it nearly brings a tear to my eye,” TP announced loudly while clutching Book to his side and wiping fake tears from his face, making the strategist flush with embarrassment as he shoved the heavy gunner off.

Everyone extended their congratulations to Book and finally continued on their way back to the barracks. As they walked the lower levels, Book chanced a look up to the sky above, littered with the shimmering lights of speeders flying in all directions, and he couldn’t help the smile that grew across his face until his cheeks hurt. Despite the cheeky comments, Book felt everyone’s genuine excitement and happiness for him which warmed his heart, and for the first time in his life, he felt like he was more than just a soldier bred to die on the battlefield. Because surely no cannon fodder could feel the sheer peace he felt in his chest at that moment.

—--------

Finally they reached the GAR HQ, and Quin cheerily went to bid them all a goodnight. But as he turned to Issa, his demeanour changed slightly. Issa had seen that look before during her years growing up at the temple. He was plotting something, and she had a bad feeling about just what was going on in his head.

“What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”

With an air of nonchalance, Quin shrugged and lifted his hand to examine his finger nails before answering. “Do you remember that time you broke Obi-Wan’s favourite tea pot?”

The question sent a wave of guilt coursing through Issa, bringing the memory alive in her mind as she tried with all her might to push it away. It was years ago. She’d been trying to do something nice for Plo as Master Fisto had let it slip that the Kel Dor’s birthday was coming up. So Issa had decided that she’d try and make her Master his favourite tea as a surprise. She knew Obi-Wan had a full set that he brought out when he had people over, and she would’ve asked his permission but of course the young council member was stuck in the same meetings for the day as Plo. So, she’d made the decision to borrow it and leave a note, thinking Obi-Wan wouldn’t mind. But as she went to leave his quarters, she tripped and couldn’t get her hands out from under the tray quick enough to use the force to catch the fragile items, leaving her to watch as they hit the ground and shattered into a hundred pieces. She’ll never forget the image of Obi-Wan’s sad blue eyes as he cleaned the broken porcelain from his floor later that day.

The Pantoran cringed. “You know I do.”

“Well, you know how I covered for you and got a twenty minute lecture on my lack of appreciation for other people’s property and you said, and I quote,” Quin paused to clear his throat before his voice changed to a higher pitch, attempting to mimic Issa. “Oh Quin, my hero. Thank you, I owe you big time.”

“That’s not verbatim and I do not sound like that,” Issa huffed.

“Well the gist is there. The point is, I’m looking to cash in that favour. I know I said my mission is over and the council is moving me on to another problem, which is great and all, but I don’t think my job on this one is done just yet.”

“Well, did you tell them that?”

“Yeah, but they weren’t exactly happy with me. Apparently because of the war we’re spread thin, and they need me to move on. I’ve gone against their word one too many times now, so they’re watching me like a Blood Eagle this time. Listen there’s a guy on the lower levels here, level 1313. He’s got connections to the Narkabb family and there’s been rumours that the crime lord’s cousin is looking to take over while there’s a power vacuum. I just need you to go down there and find out if that’s true so I can put it back on the council’s radar for someone else to pick up.”

“Maker Quin, that’s a big ask. Plus I don’t exactly want to go around pissing off the council. The same council where my Master, who is freakishly good at telling when I'm lying, is a member.”

“Yeah well, you do have the sabacc face of a Tooka in Plo’s defence,” Quin conceded with a chuckle, before shaking himself and guiding the conversation back on topic. “But seriously Issa, this information could help us save some lives later down the line. The Narkabb family is bad news, and if they’re coming back with a vengeance. People are going to pay and it won’t be me; it’ll be innocent people.”

His words were starting to affect her, wearing down her resolve. “Surely there’s someone better suited for this. Have you not heard back from Desh yet on when he’s coming home?”

Quin sobered for a moment at the mention of his closest friend. “I still can’t get hold of him,” he admitted with a frown that looked far too out of place for the usually easy-going Jedi. The admission that Desh was still out there alone, his status unknown, sat heavily on Issa’s chest.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t ask you for this if I thought I had any other option,” Vos insisted.

Issa gnawed at her bottom lip as she weighed her options. She’d never gone against the council’s wishes before. There’s rules and hierarchy in place for a reason. But the urgency in Vos’s dark eyes was tearing at her logic. This means a lot to him, to save the people this family has hurt. 

I’m so going to regret this in the morning.

“Ugh, fine, I'll do it. But I swear if I go down in front of the council for this Quin-”

“Kid, you won’t, I promise. I’ve got you covered. You're a lifesaver. Thank you.”

Issa crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the man before her. “Are you ever going to stop calling me ‘kid’?”

“When you stop being younger than me maybe.” Quin smirked at her before sweeping her up in a hug, mumbling his thanks again into her shoulder.

The pair bid each other goodbye and Issa jogged to catch up with her troops. The Pantoran just managed to join the clones in the lift before the doors sealed shut. 

She allowed herself a moment to catch her breath as she tilted her head back against the durasteel of the lift and closed her eyes. 

Maker’s sake, Quin. It’s been nearly ten years since the teapot incident, I can’t believe he’s been sitting on that for so long.

Next to her, Issa heard the small clang as one of the troopers copied her stance. Cloud quietly leaned a few centimetres closer before whispering. “Hey, everything okay? You seem tense.” 

The quiet ones are always the most observant, Issa thought fondly.

“Yeah Cloud, I’m good. It’s just been a long day.” She didn’t expand further and he didn’t push, which Issa was beyond thankful for. The two of them stood in companionable silence as they observed the rest of the Wolfpack chatting amongst themselves while the lift continued to plummet down floor after floor to their accommodation.

The troopers had been kind enough to provide her one of their spare bunks for the night to save her having to sneak back through the temple in her inebriated state. Gracelessly, Issa nosed-dived into her bed for the evening, all background noise falling away as she settled into the hard mattress and flat pillow. As the dark bliss of sleep closed in around her, a final thought drifted through her mind, in particular an image of her Master’s amused, all-knowing look earlier that day when Sinker had first called. Issa smirked to herself at the reminder. 

He knows me too well.

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Rpg Anon: I've been a bit relatively moody lately and that's why I haven't done the class 77 Personas research lately. I still intend on doing it but still. Regardless, mod, if you have the time, what Personas do you imagine Makoto's class to have?

We already established Sayaka to have Miss Crane/The Crane Wife and Sakura to have Hercules but any thoughts you have of everyone else? Class 78 so far has the themes of their Personas not particularly being gods but more characters of popular stories and folklore.

P.s. if you want to give Kyoko Sherlock Holmes than you're gonna have to justify it cuz that's a bit too easy and direct.

//Hey, so I'm really sorry I got late to this. I'm sorry you've had some rough days and I apologize for not getting to this sooner.

//And then when I tried to do it last night, my internet provider went down right in the middle of it, so that pissed me off as you might imagine.

//It just took me a while to think about it, but I do think I've got some answers. Note that I'm not completely sure about all of them, I decided a lot of these based on the theme of, as you said, popular stories and characters from folklore.

//I'll try my best to explain each one.

Makoto - Antar: Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Absi, also known as Antar, was a pre-Islamic African-Arab knight and poet, famous for both his poetry and his adventurous life. I'm very wishy-washy on this one, but ultimately I focused on the fact that he started out as a slave before he became a knight, channeling his hopes and dreams to reach where he got to.

Sayaka - The Crane Wife: For reasons we have already established. However, I do wish it had a better, or more official name.

Junko - Nyarlathotep: A fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft. The character is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared universe. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem "Nyarlathotep", he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers. He is also the main antagonist of Persona 1 and 2, and was picked for reasons already established.

Hina - Maximus: Maximus Decimus Meridius was the commander of the Armies of the North and the Felix Legions under the Roman Empire. The greatest general of Rome during the 2nd century AD, he served loyally under Emperor Marcus Aurelius during his Twelve Year Campaign against the Germanic tribes at Vindobona in Germania. I picked this one because he's also the main character of the film Gladiator, a film about warrior sports, which fits Hina's sport related talent, her competitive nature, and her determination to see things through to the end. That said, this is by far the one I am the most unsure of, and wouldn't mind a second opinion.

Chihiro - Mulan: A legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as a man. While I do think there could be alternatives, I ultimate focused on the similarity between Mulan and Chihiro's stories, where they disguise themselves as the opposite gender. Mulan does so to protect others while Chihiro did to protect himself, but ultimate came into his own to embrace his identity.

Sakura - Hercules: For reasons established. The strongest man in history serving as the Persona of the strongest woman in the world.

Toko - Maleficent: In PToH Toko obviously has Barrow, but that's more to fit with Komaru and them being a duo. In an alternative world, this Persona is based on a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, Sleeping Beauty (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" who, after not being invited to a christening, curses the infant Princess Aurora to "prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die" before the sun sets on Aurora's sixteenth birthday. However, more recent iterations of her character, such as her 2014 standalone movie puts the character into a much different light, revealing that she was once a kind-hearted fairy, who is deceived by the love of her life, Stefan; Aurora's father, and she places a curse on her in order to exact revenge. This is similar to how Toko spent a lot of her young childhood being kicked down, manipulated, hurt and betrayed by everyone, which led to the birth of her vengeful and psychotic alter ego, Genocide Jack.

Celeste - Jeanne d'Arc: A patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronation of Charles VII of France during the Hundred Years' War. Claiming to be acting under divine guidance, she became a military leader who transcended gender roles and gained recognition as a savior of France. Celeste (at least in the dub) poses as a French girl for the majority of her time in the game, and has a very similar empowaring, intellectual, yet also spiteful nature to Jeanne d'Arc.

Hifumi - Māui: A great culture hero and trickster in Polynesian mythology. Tales of Māui's exploits and adventures are told throughout most of Polynesia; they can be traced back as far west as islands off New Guinea. Some exploits common to most Polynesian traditions are stealing fire for humans from the underworld, fishing up islands with his magical hook, and capturing the Sun to lengthen the days. He's the kind of hero and righteous person Hifumi aspires to be, though the demigod is also a trickster, which can hint to how he can be sinister when he needs to be. Honestly not totally sure about this one either though, I'm just spitting.

Kyoko - Robin Hood: No, I didn't go for Sherlock, as obvious as it is. A famous English outlaw usually associated with the motto "Steal from the rich, give to the poor". According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. Robin Hood is also the initial Persona of Goro Akechi from Persona 5, who is also a detective. Though Robin Hood is a fake Persona used to mask Akechi's true sinister nature, Kyoko has no such sinister nature, and her sense of justice and nature of finding the truth and exposing the corruption, despair and lies, is genuine, and this Persona makes sense. Plus, I kind of really want to see a female version of Persona's Robin Hood, since I love it's design.

Mondo - Leonidas: a king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the Agiad line, a dynasty which claimed descent from the mythical demigod Heracles. Leonidas entered myth as a hero and the leader of the 300 Spartans. The 300 Spartans and their successes served as my main reason to give this to Mondo, as they're a very similar concept to the Crazy Diamond Biker Gang that he leads.

Taka - Odysseus: In Greek and Roman mythology Odysseus is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. He was also the original creator of the infamous Trojan Horse. I picked this because it relates to Taka's desire to be a leader, a public figure, a hero, and someone people can depend on.

Byakuya - Arthur: Legendary British warlord/king said to have united the Britons against the Germanic invaders, with the support of the Knights of Camelot. He is also the protagonist of a folk tale where he pulls a sword from a stone, which decides his fate to be the newest English king. This is primarily why I picked this, as whether it was through fate or effort, Byakuya views himself as a chosen one, and that he earned the right to stand above everybody.

Leon - Siegfried: The legendary dragon-slaying hero in Nibelungenlied from German mythology. Both characters share the trait of being heroic figures who have accomplished greatness, but died as a result of their own misgivings as opposed to in battle or elsewhere better. Honestly, this one is a stretch though, so I wouldn't mind a second opinion.

Mukuro - Yog-Sothoth: A fictional cosmic entity and Outer God created by H. P. Lovecraft. He, like Nyarlathotep, Junko's Persona, is a core part of the Cthulhu Mythos (which Lovecraft would refer to facetiously as "Yog-Sothothery"). Born of the Nameless Mist, he is the progenitor of Cthulhu, Hastur the Unspeakable, and the ancestor of the Voormi. Though not siblings, both Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth are offsprings of Azathoth, creating a familial connection between Junko and Mukuro's Persona's, but still having Junko be the more superior of the two.

Hiro - Twm Siôn Cati: a figure in Welsh folklore, known for being robber and trickster, nicknamed the Welsh Wizard. The character has many tall tales, and the Welsh Wizard title is in reference to both Hiro's scamming money-grubbing nature, his susceptibility to fall for traps and misadventures, and his talent of a fortune teller, which is mystical in it's own way.

//Again, a lot of these need work, I'm really unsure about most of them, but I am equally as proud of some of them.

-Mod

[my-daydreams-live]

f/o masterlist!

I imagine this list will grow quickly so, I'm creating a seperate post to keep track of all of them and their respective tags, accompanied by some "short" ramblings if anyone's curious abt them + how i feel about them, found them, etc.. :]

❤ Antares/Unknown

#fo / my heart of mystery

This is my main f/o!! I've had him for years and years and he will never leave my head. Through thick and thin he has been a great source of comfort for me and has remained that way even through dozens of other hyperfixations. His name actually isn't yet known, so he's refered to as Unknown a lot, but I've also given him a name myself, Antares. I switch between the two a lot.

He's from an indie game called Don't Take This Risk (as well as a webcomic by the same name) and is genuinely such an awful, terrible, manipulative person. I want to make it really clear I would not even begin to tolerate him if he were real. However he is fictional so I get to kiss this awful terrible man in my own head!! Yippe!!!

Fun fact: I owe this f/o the entire reason I can draw men. I used to really struggle w/ masc anatomy and hated my drawings of any guys but it was because of him that I persevered!!!

💜 Mayoi Ayase

#fo / us phantom couple

OHHHH mayoi... i love him so so much. I find him so endearing and charming and frankly very relatable. I want to give him the world. Also his VAs voice is SOOOOOO GOOD i will listen to his solo song the rest of my life

He's from a mobile idol training/rhythm game called Ensemble Stars!! I only play the music version. Also his tag is a reference to him being the phantom of the ES building. We're both phantoms :]]]]

Fun Fact: we are the same age in years, same height, and he was born only three days before me! What!!!

💙 Silly Billy

#fo / ill stay awake

Silly Billy!!! Although he is mostly made up of my own image for him in my head (since there's little to work with in canon) he is so beloved. He's from a Friday night funkin' mod called hit single real and he's SO real to me

Fun Fact: I was not into FNF or its mod community for almost three years I think, when a video on this mod popped up and would not leave my recommended. Now I am Haunted (but in a silly way) his tag is a reference to the lyrics part of his song - "so stay awake just long enough for you to see my way" - why yes billy i will do that. I love u

🖤 The Outsider

#fo / you fascinate me

OUTSIDERRR. I love him so much. When you really think about it his presence in his game is so strange. He could have just as easily not been present with the way he doesn't alter the overarching narrative at all, but I love that he's there. He, and his origins, and his intentions, are so mysterious and so captivating. I could write an essay about this man and still have words to spare, so I'll stop while I'm ahead.

I remember watching a playthrough of Dishonored when I was really little. Only a year ago from now I remembered the game and decided to play it, and WOW did Outsider absolutely capture my mind and heart!! That entire game is so wonderfully made and is probably one of my favorite games of all time, if not the favorite. His tag is a reference to one of the voicelines from him in the main game, at his last shrine!

Fun fact: I have not played dishonored 2 yet! I am a little fearful of what that game did to the characters, especially Outsider!!

❓[REDACTED]

# fo / wake up call

HEHEHE this is my most recent addition to the f/o list! Staying true to basically all of my other f/os he has little to work with in canon (and what canon there is is very scattered throughout his games) but the mystery and collecting what pieces I can of his lore in my brain is the most alluring part!!

He's from trivia murder party in jackbox party packs 3 and 6! Give us a 3rd one already pleas

💚 Tarhos Kovacs (The Knight)

#fo / nothing but darkness

hehe big scary man in armor....... He's from dead by daylight :)) his tag is a reference to his tome lore

❣ Frank Morrison (The Legion)

#fo / through the heart

ough. Smth about a guy who is so human, except he can and will kill people. Love. Also from dbd!

🎻 Antonio Paganini (Violinist)

big tall scary man with a handsome smile and god just the most wonderful humming ever. Hello. Oh yeah also he's possessed! <3 He is from Identity V

🛡 Oscar of Astora

# fo / hope in my heart

Oscar means everything to me. He has like 8 lines in the game but he's still my favorite. He has a wonderful voice and I love his armor design!! and the fact that he was robbed of a larger storyline will never not make me sad. He's from dark souls! His tag is a reference to one of his lines. "Well, now you know... and I can die with hope in my heart..." except hes not dead cuz i said so

🔫 Boothill

⚙ Screwllum

🤖 Svarog

[I will write more on these laat 3 later eeeeee]

[johanarchy]

Because I cannot be stopped in my madness in any way whatsoever, here is the man, the myth, the legend (and his four boyfriends)

Laurel Doppler and the Bodice Rippers

I am now deeply invested in them and their stories. More yapping under the cut. Questions are welcome

So, the Bodice Rippers ! First of all, they're really not big fighters; they are first and foremost artists and entertainers who happen to do a lot of fighting in the process. This is important because if they had to rely on their skill on the battlefield to earn their fame, they would still be nobodies (or dead bodies tbh). Lucky for them, they serve both a legion and a god that heavily relies on social events and entertainment, so by making it their specialty, they were able to earn a modest amount of recognition.

Story-wise, the four of them were neophytes during the Laer campaign, along with my other EC boy Antares (who rolled with them for a while post Heresy), so they're pretty old but they hardly knew the legion without slaaneshi influence.

They can all play a variety of instruments, but the usual distribution is Hook on the drums, Kronos on the bass, Nicky on the guitar or piano and Vega on the guitar and lead vocals (backup vocals can be done by all).

Vega is the closest thing the band has to a leader. He's a diva, people looking at him is his greatest pleasure in life, making him very motivated to get famous.

Hook probably has a real name, but nobody knows what it is, even pre-Heresy he tended to just go by Hook. He's a masochist, even by slaaneshi standards; he will purposefully dislocate his wrists and knees before every drumming session because being in pain makes him play better.

Nicky was already vain before the corruption took hold, and it has only gotten worse with time. He is obsessed with staying young and pretty and goes to ... appropriate slaaneshi lengths to do so.

Kronos took the idea of the tortured poet and ran with it. He's a self described "heartbroken romantic" who stews in his own sadness until he can make art out of it. He is also obsessed, and I mean OBSESSED with Fulgrim, who he views as the ultimate tragic figure.

Laurel came into the picture fairly recently. He's a post-Heresy Iron Hand, about a thousand years old, and was extremely easy to turn to Chaos, for two major reasons. Number one, his loyalty to the Imperium never ran terribly deep. Number two, this man, and I cannot stress this enough, thinks entirely with his dick. Vega was the first to seduce him into working with the band and now he has four boyfriends and an eternity of drugs, sex and rock'n'roll ahead of him

I'll stop there, but I am already getting ideas on how to make them interact with my other boys so ... more ramblings coming soon

Traitor Iron Hand who does sound engineering for Noise Marines

Is this anything ?

AND THEYRE BOYFRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[seafoam-fey]

 tagged by @knjferat to post 10 different favs from 10 medias! thank youu 🥰💕

Leorio - hxh

Wynne - Dragon age

Regis - The witcher

Legion - Mass effect

Seiya - Tsurune

Kino - Kino no tabi

Inej - soc

Sand - nwn2

Number Five - The umbrella academy

Snufkin - The moomins

I tag @aurinko-inen, @paranoir-antares and @minyardxva if you want to! 🌻

[protytwo]

LoSH Appreciation Week Day 1 - Favorite Character

When I entered organized Legion fandom through the APA Interlac, I named my first fanzine Proty I. This was followed by Proty II, Proty III... through Proty XI. In an excess of fannish enthusiasm I also joined another Legion APA called Klordny where my zine was called Orbiting Antares for the fact that the protean creatures came from a planet in the Antares system.

Flashforward many years later when I rejoined Interlac and began a new zine called A Tale of Two Proties. In addition to many cover appearances the Proties occasionally played the role of zine mascots who would interject criticism of my zine writing skills or the events being discussed. When I ran for election to run the APA, the Proties were seen endorsing my campaign in exchange for a bribe.

So Proty I and Proty II are among my favorite characters, and certainly play a central role in my Legion fanac.

[brevoorthistoryofcomics]

I believe this issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA turned up in my mailbox on the same day as yesterday's issue of FLASH, right at the end of my fourth grade term. It was the beginning of the annual crossover with the Justice Society, a concept that I loved (at least in theory--most of the modern team-ups that I had read up till this point had been a bit underwhelming.) And because too much was never enough, for the past several years a third group of heroes was also thrown into the mix, thus almost insuring that nobody could get much screen time. This year, it was an obvious candidate, the Legion of Super-Heroes from the 30th Century.

The one advantage that this particular meet-up had over its predecessors is that, at this moment, JUSTICE LEAGUE was being published as a regular oversized monthly book, each issue containing twice the number of story pages as a regular issue. It is still rather amazing that artist Dick Dillin could turn out this much work this reliably, while also taking on the occasional short story or one-shot elsewhere in the DC line. 

The story opens up in the JLA’s satellite headquarters, immediately following up on he conclusion to ALL-STAR COMICS #68 a week or so earlier. Wildcat is anxious to get the captured Psycho-Pirate back to Earth-2 and into lock-up, but Green Arrow is enjoying the socializing, enough so that he keeps Wildcat from making the transport with his prisoner and almost getting into a fight. Elsewhere, in a scene that’s slightly too creepy, Power Girl clearly has the hots for Earth-1′s younger version of her cousin, Superman, and pursues him aggressively. But before anybody can violate the tenets of the comics Code, a pair of disembodied hands appear and snatch up a bevy of the crime-fighters present, whisking them away.

The hands belong to Mordru, the Legion’s great nemesis, who isn’t interested in super-heroes. He was fishing back in time for the mystic bell, jar and wheel that can be used to release three demonic entities the League has contended with before from their eternal imprisonment. Disgusted with his catch, Mordru immediately imprisons the League and Society members, but they break free, attacking him. But only momentarily--Mordru is able to once again gain the upper hand. But not before Dr. Fate has succeeded in planting a suggestion within the enemy sorcerer’s mind.

Mordru reveals that he was deposed as the ruler of the sorcerer’s world of Zerox, with half his power stripped from him. In order to regain his position, he needs the bell, the jar and the wheel--and he had previously ambushed the Legion of Super-heroes and forced them to go in search of the objects for him. But when they did not return, Mordru instead attempted to take them from the past. But now he proposes that the League and the Society carry out his retrieval for him--and he imprisons Green Arrow and Black Canary in a giant hourglass as hostages to insure the heroes’ cooperation. The rest of the Legion is held captive in a similar hourglass nearby.

So the League and Society members are split up, retracing the steps of the lost Legionnaires before them. On Antares II, Superman, Dr. Fate and Hawkman locate Sun Boy and Wildfire and are able to liberate the wheel, which the locals worship as a god after it fell from the sky. And on the planet Vaxon, Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Alan Scott as well as Batman join Brainiac 5 and Princess Projectra in the search for the bell. It’s being used by the people of Vaxon to ward off hungry space-dragons, so Batman suggests they use a scarecrow approach instead, and the twin Lanterns carve the surface of the planet into the image of the dragons’ natural predator.

Meanwhile, the Flash and Power Girl go to retrieve the jar, which has been placed in another dimension by the Legion for safe keeping. But the entities who reside in this dimension think the container holding the jar is one of their eggs, and they move to protect it. Ultimately, Power Girl is able to locate a suitable substitute, and the JSA pair get the jar. But rather than handing it over to Mordru, Flash uses it as a bargaining chip to get his fellow heroes released. Mordru complies--but he cheats, shrinking Green Arrow and Black Canary’s hourglass out of sight, and stymieing the heroes when they move to jump him.

So now Mordru has all three objects, and he proceeds to perform the incantation that will release Abnegazar, Rath and Ghast from their eternal prisons. But if course, the freed demons immediately turn on Mordru, striking him down and also seemingly dispatching the imprisoned Leaguers, their old enemies. The three demons now intend to destroy the enchanted objects that had bound them--and only the still-shrunken Green Arrow and Black Canary seem to be around to maybe be able to stop them. To Be Continued!

The 100 Issues Later feature covered JUSTICE LEAGUE #47 from 1966, itself a League/Society pairing from the height of Batmania in 1966--as witnessed by the Caped Crusader’s exaggerated presence on its cover. These glimpses of earlier issues fascinated me as a child--all of the myriad references to stories past were like clues in a huge mystery that I was desperate to solve. I had at one point sent away for a Robert Bell mail order back issue catalog, but I could never bring myself to send funds through the mail for a comic book that I couldn’t see. I’d eventually order stuff from Superhero Merchandise (whose ads were running in these books, and had been for a while) but that seemed more legitimate somehow, more like an actual business.

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Swedish heavy rockers Besvärjelsen are back with a brand new single ‘Digerliden,’ whose runtime is the perfect marriage of driving doom and straightforward rock. "The title 'Digerliden' takes its name from a place in Sweden's Dalecarlian Finnmark which roughly translates as 'the dire suffering', which relates to the hardship that its ancestral people endured while trying to survive and grow crops in its vast forests and mountains," said guitarist and vocalist Andreas Baier. "It is a magical and mysterious please, and its native folk music was a well of inspiration for this song.” “The lyrics deal with people in love who hate themselves. After watching Alice In Chains' MTV Unplugged, I was very inspired by the way their harmonies work and the kind of numb yet powerful melodies," added said vocalist Lea Amling Alazam. "I also felt a bit of a need for an Arabic harmony, so I wanted to find a way to combine grunge and Middle Eastern influences." Besvärjelsen will release their new record Atlas on May 27. [via Metal Injection]

Angel Nation, the melodic metal band founded by the classically trained Finnish singer Elina Siirala (also in Leaves’ Eyes) just released a music video for ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’, the second single from their new album Antares. Antares will be released on CD and digital on April 8 and on limited vinyl on June 3 via Inner Wound Recordings. Elina Siirala of Angel Nation comments on the single: “‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ tells a creepy tale of a dangerous obsession! Sometimes an innocent situation turns into a toxic one, reality gets blurred and one man’s war has started behind the phone screen and in person. Don’t get pulled into the vicious circle and save yourself before it’s too late! Stalking is no joke and can be extremely damaging over time! With this song I wanted to express how turning away and moving on is sometimes the healthiest way, no matter how difficult it is!” [via Metal Goddesses]

Finnish Rioghan is set to release her debut album Different Kinds Of Losses later in 2022 via Inverse Records. The album has been made in collaboration with Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), Einar Solberg (Leprous), Teemu Liekkala (ex-Manufacturer’s Pride, Red Eleven) and Teemu Koskela (ex-Celesty). The first single ‘Breath’ is put now with a music video. Rioghan comments on the single: “This song really speaks to me in a personal level, as I have wrote the original poem in a pretty dark place, and somehow me and Teemu captured the essence of it musically too, a lot of polarity, ups and downs and finally some gruesome beauty in acceptance. We chose this as the first single as I think it represents the former Rioghan a bit more than the rest of the album, so it is also kind of a transition to new things ahead.” [via Metal Goddesses]

Visions of Atlantis are set to release their upcoming studio album, Pirates, on May 13 via Napalm Records. With their latest albums, visionaries Visions of Atlantis have without a doubt proven that they are on top of the scene. Now, the band sets sail on an adventurous new journey and exciting chapter, marking a turning point of their discography with the upcoming album, Pirates. Together with the album announcement, the international band presents the first single off the new album. ‘Legion of the Seas’ shows Visions of Atlantis in an unknown way. The song is heavy, wild and sets a sign for freedom. Michele grows in his position as second frontman, while Clémentine delivers everything from energetic high notes to emotive whispers in a perfect manner – culminating in a gripping duet. Both voices now sound more matured than ever. The official music video, produced by Lichterwald Produktion, lifts Visions of Atlantis’ videos to a new level. It’s a cinematic music film, highlighting the acting skills of all band members and featuring a nasty pirate! Visions of Atlantis state: “’Legion of the Seas’ is a statement song that embodies the mindset we carry throughout the entire record. No matter what we are facing, we remain the masters of ourselves and our lives. We are delighted to welcome the listeners on board of this new age of Visions of Atlantis with this powerful video, for one of the heaviest songs of the record. Acting scenes meet a fiery band performance, all in a very cinematic way, conveying our universe the best way.” [via Metal Goddesses]

Hungarian melodic metallers Esperfall are back with a brand new song as a forerunner of their full-length album Origins In Darkness to be released in April. Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride: this track will immediately get you from the first note to the last! ‘Retreat Into Dreamland’ is about struggling with our inner demons and fear…“The nightmare is alive during the day and this person is seeking some kind of shelter at night in her dreams, because when we are asleep we are not forced to face the pain and the fear of our struggles. Fear is an important element in this song like a conscious entity, and the lyrics mirror the conversation between the person and the fear itself. This song has been chosen as the first single of the album for a specific reason: it contains all the various elements of our signature ways of musical expression within one song, in a compact form. It has clean and harsh female vocals, male growls, fast shredding themes, heavy headbanger stuff, a guitar solo, a keyboard solo, a twin solo, and all of this crowned with a memorable chorus melody. This song is an adrenaline bomb from start to finish and with it’s ferocious pace, it ignites very intense emotions within us and the listeners as well from the first note to the last” – tells the band about ‘Retreat Into Dreamland’. [via Metal Goddesses]

The third single ‘Pierce the Sky (Conflict)’ from Day of Departure’s upcoming proggy narrative is fast and intense, mirroring the part of the story that tells of war and brutality. When setting out to create this album, the band wanted to create their own soundtrack to a storyline that would ring familiar to fans of the sci-fi and apocalyptic genres, but with their own unique twist on the theme. According to the band, ‘Pierce the Sky (Conflict)’ tells of the last remnants of humanity deciding they must do all they can to fight back in order to survive. The song is a driving force throughout and meant to provide a sense that the tides may be turning, only to be crushed in the end. They explain further: “This song is all-out-war! It’s a battle for civilization and the pace and drive of the song hardly let up. We wanted to elicit an unrelenting attack on the senses, as it relates to the carnage that is occurring within the narrative. We also wanted to tease the listener into thinking that there was a hopeful end to the track, but then ultimately crush all of those expectations with the finale.”

Frontiers Music Srl is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of First Bite, the debut album by Serbian melodic hard rock band The Big Deal. Out on  May 13, a second single from it entitled 'Sensational' is available from today. It follows ‘Never Say Never’, which was issued a month ago.

[notpulpcovers]

Legions of Antares - Dray Prescot of Scorpio: book 25 - artist - Clyde Caldwell http://flic.kr/p/Q3DCZV

[inutechy]

Inventory: A Wish, taking the form of a spell scroll. To be honest, it's crudely made by someone that has no idea what they're doing (it was written on the back of a blank lab report in decently legible handwriting with a ballpoint blue pen.) However, the magic imbibed within it was very real, with the lingering feeling of a certain, beloved necromancer. It seems your two datemates combined their strengths to send this to you as best they could... Use it carefully!

My Muse is Trapped in a Dark world filled with Monsters and unnatural horrors. Go on Anon and Send “Inventory Supply” Along with an Item and see what My Muse says about the Item and how they think it will help them..

[Action: Dream]

As you slumber, visions flicker to life behind your eyelids, at first indistinct as though your eyes had returned to their nearsighted state. But as a brown and black shape looms closer, the dream-world snaps into harsh focus, and you find yourself face-to-face with...

A rabbit...person, standing on their hind paws, with coloration similar to your own, albeit black with brown points, as opposed to your white and blue. They have a fog-grey cloak draped over their shoulders, similar to your own, though their cloak clasp is an elaborately carved wooden disc. This is Kaninchen, the patron deity of vagabonds and travelers.

Blinking in confusion, the trickster deity grabs one of your hands and curls it around a flimsy, thin object without any further prompting. They speak, and their voice is a legion, and every voice has a different accent, pitch, tone, and gender.

‘A far-traveling gift, for a far-traveling being, how fitting. I wish you the best of luck.’

There’s power in those last three words, and the dream loses cohesion. But before it does, Kaninchen lays a padded hand between your ears, giving them a good ruffling.

[Permanent Effect Added: Bunny Blessed (Direct)]

[Action: Awaken]

You rub at your head, right between the ears, and because you don’t have a mirror, you cannot see the symbol etched into the fur pattern on your forehead. If you could, however, you’d perceive it to be a sharp, ridged sigil proclaiming you to be directly blessed by the trickster god, a favor shared by few.

What you do perceive, however, is the piece of paper clutched in your free hand. The hand-writing is something you know like the back of your hand. You’re so happy you could almost cry, and you feel an overwhelming sense of distance-- of loneliness. Something inside you finally breaks, and you do begin to cry, audible sobs exiting your throat.

[Item Added: Wishing Scroll]

Ventia peeks into the tent, red eyes filling with concern, his keen hearing apparently having picked up on the sound. Before he can say anything, you blurt out what’s been on your mind.

‘I miss home.’

You miss your datemates, you miss your friends, and it finally hits you how unlikely you are to return. Green, glowing tears stream down your face like an aurora, and you had yet to do more than barely even glance at the paper as you bury your face in your free hand. Why are you even playing at being a warrior? You’re just a hacker, and you weren’t even able to properly defend your follower from almost dying.

Speaking of your follower, he doesn’t quite know what to do, besides make a hasty exit to talk to Lady Seraph. No more adventuring will be done today.

[DAY 4 END]

[Inventory Check]

Cloak of Protection [EQUIPPED]Spike of White Heather [EQUIPPED]Drider’s Bite [EQUIPPED]Antares [EQUIPPED]Butterfly SpectaclesPatchwork ArmorPotion of Thunder Giant’s StrengthScrolls of: Bane Undead, Basic Healing, Coldfire, Antidote, WishNever-Ending Oil TinHalf Loaf of Brown Bread + CheesePouch of SpicesMedium WaterskinMap of Drachenberg [KEY ITEM]Lover’s Trinket [KEY ITEM]Bottomless Bag [KEY ITEM]Bunny Blessed (Direct) [PERMANENT EFFECT]Eyes of Tengantsu [PERMANENT EFFECT]40 Gold, 50 Silver, 30 Copper

[jasposeyblog]

Seasons Greetings! My commission by Chris Batista of Polar Boy and Proty