#and finding fulfilment in you child/apprentice who you care about deeply

[0alix0]

that moment when everyone's hyping show for anakin cameo/thrawn/ezra/etc. and you're here only for an old tired fallen jedi and his little ukrainian chihuahua-looking daughter

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

Well, let's get back into it with Esti, Ena, Keeper Deshanna, and Clan Lavellan:

Clan Lavellan maintains trade relationships with the human settlements they pass by; Keeper Deshanna believes it would be to the clan's detriment to try to fully isolate themselves. She is known to be diplomatic and even-handed, balancing the clan's safety while they interact with the world. She is a traditionalist when it comes to her teachings on magic: she discourages any contact/dealing with spirits, as the Dalish do, and fundamentally distrusts all blood magic. She considers these teachings particularly necessary to keep her clan's mages safe from Templars given that, again, the clan has more frequent contact with humans, and more chances to run afoul of Templars.

Ena is Deshanna's only child. She shadowed her mother from a young age, training and studying with the expectation that she would develop magic - she and Deshanna come from a long line of mages - and succeed her mother as Keeper one day.

However - you can guess where this goes - years and years passed. Enough time to know that Ena was not a mage. She became a proficient hunter and warrior for her clan - albeit one with a deep knowledge of magic and history - but grew distant from her mother. Deshanna's greatest expectation for her was one that was impossible to fulfill.

Esti was abandoned as a baby and found, by Ena, on the outskirts of the Dalish camp, when Ena was about 10. Though the clan sent a messenger to the nearby alienage, searching for whoever had left their child, but they never were able to find Esti's family, and the clan took her in. When she was older, she was found to be a mage, and quickly taken under Deshanna's wing as her apprentice.

Esti is quite shy and lacks confidence in herself; though she loves to learn history and study magic, she struggles with the idea that she will someday lead the clan and cannot shake the feeling that she is always falling short of Deshanna's expectations. She thinks Ena, with her force of personality, would be a better leader - but by accident of birth, Esti feels she has stolen Ena's position.

Ena adores Esti and sees her as a little sister. If Ena holds any resentment, it is directed towards Deshanna, who always gives off the vibe that she is vaguely disappointed in Ena. Ena is also particularly protective of Esti, to the point that Deshanna and others in the clan worry that Ena is coddling her.

Deshanna, for her part, does care deeply for both of them, as she does the whole clan, but she does have very high expectations for them both, and she is better at vocalizing criticism than praise.

When news of the Divine's Conclave reaches the clan, Deshanna intends to send Esti to investigate and bring back word. In one timeline, Deshanna simply sends Esti. In another, Ena learns her mother's intentions and argues until Deshanna relents and sends Ena to the Conclave instead. She does not allow Ena to go with Esti - she thinks that separating the two, even if Esti stays with the rest of the clan, will be good for Esti's independent development.

And then in a version of the timeline where Esti goes to the Conclave, news reaches the clan that one of their own is being held captive by this new Inquisition, and Deshanna, after a loud "I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO" from Ena, sends her off to Haven to find out more and bring Esti home. And, finding that they've raised Esti as a prophet and also she's the only person that can fix the hole in the sky, Ena says well, I'm staying too.

(As an aside, since he's very important to both Ena and Esti: Deshanna would not like Solas. Not even for his condescending "the Dalish don't know their own history but I, some random weirdo, am offering to teach them" thing, but as soon as he starts talking about napping in ruins and befriending spirits in the Fade, she would be like, you are out of your mind. Fortunately for her stress levels, she does not know that both her daughter and apprentice, on hearing him say the same things, both go "hey that's fucking wild, tell me more".)

Sorry for the person I become when I think about my Dragon Age OCs.

[whimsicallyreading]

The Death of Me

Part Two-

Danika stares at the gelatinous pony on her bedside table with empty eyes. It’s lifeless gaze kept a constant vigil that she found strangely comforting, especially after Ruhn Danaan ordered her ass home.

Now she was basically a prisoner in her own room. Sabine and the 33rd had already wrung all the information they could from her. Bryce’s piece-of-shit father hadn’t even bothered to show up at HQ.

She would rake him for that.

To ignore your child in life is one thing. But to ignore your daughters death and allow the CC Media to run wild with the stories as they have been? It was disgusting. It made her ill. He would pay for his negligence.

But first, she had to talk to Ember.

~~~

Lunathion’s Party Princess gets taken down a peg!

Notorious partner in crime, Bryce Quinlan massacred in the up-and-coming Alpha’s mutual residence.

~~~

Danika new it would be a rough phone call. She knew that the woman on the other side of the phone would be grieving. That grief makes people act out and say things they don’t mean.

Still, the guttural cries on the other side of the line shocks her. It evokes the first twinge of emotion she’d felt outside of her own pain in days.

Guilt.

“What happened, Danika?” Her surrogate mother sobs over the speaker. “They won’t tell me how it happened. I don’t even know when they will release my daughter’s body for burial.”

The weeping increases in intensity, as Danika bites back her bitter thoughts. Ember would likely never get to see her daughter’s remains. There was nothing left. No fixing the damage done to Bryce’s frame. She was cracked like a shell and vacated, the autopsies they would need to perform would only further ruin her flesh.

“I can’t tell you anything yet,” Danika consoles. “There’s a lot I don’t know, but I will find out the details. In the mean time...I know this is a lot to ask-“

Danika chokes over the words. Emotions were never her strong suit. On an average day it didn’t matter, people knew it was her nature to be blunt. They took no offense to her crass personality. Even if her words hit a mark, who would say anything to her?

Ember was different. She cared for the woman who’d loved her like she was flesh and blood. Who mothered the person that was her soul friend. Danika didn’t want to cause Ember any more pain than she was already going through, but this request would not land lightly.

“What is it?” Ember’s voice rasps over the phone.

Danika pulls air deeply into her lungs and closes her eyes. “I need you to stay away from the city.”

Silence.

“It’s dangerous right now. I don’t know why Bryce was targeted. If there is any link between you and the killer whatsoever I don’t want you in their line of fire.” Danika knows she rambling, but her composure couldn’t exist in the blanketed quiet.

“I promise I’ll take care of everything. I’ll figure out where Bryce is and make sure she gets home to you. Paperwork, medical issues, I’ll take care of it all, Mama Ember.” The promises she makes are big, she’s not even sure she can fulfill all of them. “Just please, stay back and keep safe.”

More silence. Danika’s stomach is rolling and she’s not sure if Ember is ever going to reply when a new voice sounds from the device.

“Danika, it’s Randall. We understand what you mean. Ember is just- processing right now.”

The loving, vibrant man who mailed them chocolate croissants, and could out shoot every member of the city’s aux units sounds hollow. None of the normal jovial inflections or calming vibrato. Randall sounds like he’s been choking down glass. “We will stay in Nidaros.”

Danika’s shoulders curl in relief. “Thank-“

“On one condition.” Randall cuts her off commandingly. “You bring whatever is left of my babygirl home, Danika. We don’t want her body dumped in that river.”

He wetly sniffles and something shatters in the background.

“I promise,” Danika whispers, feeling like a small child again. “I promise.”

~

Bryce Quinlan’s questionable lineage could be to blame!

Could halfbreed Bryce Quinlan’s vanir parent play a roll in the brutal death she received over this weekend?

“A bastard daughter is never a good look to a powerful vanir,” says councilwoman Sabine Fendyr

~

Connor and Bronson had a grip on either of her arms as she tries to refrain from clawing her mother’s face off.

“You bitch! You had no idea what you were talking about,” Danika spits, and it only makes her blood boil further when it misses the mark.

Sabine was too poised for a woman who’s daughter was actively trying to kill her. She fiddled with the rip that Danika’s claws left in the shoulder of her expensive suit, and raised a manicured brow. “I only spoke the truth. Are not most young demifae deaths due to domestic disputes with the vanir parent?”

“For children, yes!” Danika can feel her wolf pushing under her skin, begging to take control. “Bryce knew her father, he has no interest in her whatsoever. You are distracting from the actual killer.”

“Danika, I know this isn’t what you want to hear,” Sabine steps closer, only to stumble back as Danika’s wolf releases a throaty growl. “It looks like a home invasion. Things are missing from the apartment. Quinlan was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“No,” Danika half growls, half whimpers.

“Someone wanted a token from one of the most powerful alphas in all of Midguard.” Sabine continues. “Bryce, with no magic to her name, no way to defend herself got caught up in the mess. It’s unfortunate.”

“You called her a halfbreed,” Danika can’t force the tears back anymore. They run in rivulets down her cheeks, and Connor leans his face against her shoulder as he cracks too.

Sabine shakes her head, “It’s what she is. I raised you to be more logical than this, Danika. You can leave when you regain some semblance of composure.”

The door clicks behind her. She’d locked them in her room. Danika growls and storms over to the door, grabbing the knob with clawed hands. The wood gouges, and the hinges creek as she shakes the lock.

It doesn’t budge.

Bronson walks up beside her, currently the calmest of the three of them but equally downtrodden. He eyes the door, and with one swift movement, kicks the door and sends it flying off the hinges.

“Screw her,” Bronson mutters under his breath.

Connor is sitting on her bed, head in hands. “They are dragging her name through the mud.”

Danika purses her lips, but she can’t disagree. The headlines were only becoming more inflamed.

Bryce Quinlan’s History of Public Indecency

~

Reed Redner claims that Quinlan attempted to solicit him for a chance to stick her hands in the family fortune!

~

Does Jesiba Roga’s apprentice manage her dark dealings in Lunathion’s Meat Market?

~

Leaked! A photo of Bryce Quinlan with Prince Ruhn Danaan. Secret lovers or vengeful baby daddy?

“She’s going to pull the aux units off the case,” Danika breathes out. “She is already setting up an alternative story to pacify the media and her family.”

Connor shakes his head, “her family will never go for the home invasion shit.”

“They won’t,” Danika agrees. “If she pulls the wolf aux off the beat, that only leaves the Fae or the 33rd looking into this.”

“So we gave to work with the 33rd or the faerie squad? Great.” Bronson rubs his face. “Just great.”

They would have to work with one or the other. When Sabine pulls them, they will lose access to all of the research equipment and aux recourses. Danika would not sit idly while Bryce’s death was swept under the rug.

“Let’s start with the Fae. Ruhn is as invested in this as we are, he may be of some assistance.” Danika pulls out her phone to texts the rest of the pack.

Fury Axtar- Danika. What’s going on? yesterday at 8:07

Fury Axtar- I heard. I’m coming. yesterday at 8:10

“Well, it looks like Fury is on her way. We’ll have more help than we thought,” Danika texts Fury to come to the packhorse, not the apartment.

“Do you think she could do something about these articles?” Connor gritted through his teeth, his phone white-knuckled in his hands. Alerts had been popping up on their news apps all day. They’d tagged everything with Bryce’s name thinking something useful may come up, but it was all gossip and slander.

“That’s not really Fury’s expertise,” Danika thinks out loud. “Declan Emmet may be able to help with that.”

“Anything to get this shit taken down,” Bronson’s wolf flashes in his eyes. “Her family doesn’t deserve to be bombarded with this shit.”

“Bryce wasn’t like this,” Connar rakes his hand over his scalp. He was already looking sallow from lack of rest. There was a hollowness to him, that Danika could feel echo in her own soul. Neither of them would forget what they’d seen

“She wasn’t. We will fix it,” Danika makes another promise. “All of it.”  

Bronson and Connor tip their heads in respect. They trust her as their alpha to lead them. Bryce was honorary pack. All of them are grieving and looking to her for guidance. To avenge the lost member of their family.

All Danika can do is assure them and hope she’s telling the truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@cursebreaker29

@firestarsandseneschals

@julemmaes

@tillyrubes10

@live-the-fangirl-life

@ghostlyrose2

@kingandfireheart

@fredweasleyhasadhd

@vanzetanze

@wordsxstars

@highladyof-erilea

[writing-for-me-at-this-point]

iv. Relationships w/ MC | Obey Me | Actor AU

Request: Hello! I saw that your ask box is open, so I have come bearing a request. I found ur blog thru your OM actor au and I adore it to bits. Your interpretation of the characters was delightful and the gag/bloopers had me laughing so hard! May you please expand on the au by sharing your relationship headcanons of how the cast interacts or feels about MC (platonic/romantic)? I hope this finds you well 💖💖💖

Word Count: 3225 words

Page Count: 9.2 pages

A.N. Hope you guys enjoy this!

Tags: @weebartistinc​

[ M A S T E R L I S T ]

Lucifer / Benjamin

        The relationship between Benjamin [ Lucifer ] and MC would more like master and apprentice. Think of RDJ and Tom Holland. Ben is more lax than his show counterpart for sure. Where Lucifer would be prideful, Ben is humble, where Lucifer is smug, Ben can be self conscious. I'd like to think the MC of the "real world" thinks much more logically, doesn't throw themselves into things head first and is more calculating. Maybe something more like Satan? 

        Between the two of them, they are lax and playful, throwing inside jokes and playfully fighting. Ben [ Lucifer ] is like the "cool dad" that loves to mess around with his kids, which makes sense because he does have his own, they are fairly young and I can see MC babysitting in case it was needed. There's a deep trust between the two that can't really be described. Ben really wants MC to prosper in their career and will guide them- but he doesn't want to baby them either, he wants them to test the waters on their own. If they ever get overwhelmed he's there for them though.

        His dumbass is forgetful to check his sugar as well, so you can catch MC helping to remind him to check it/eat/drink if needed. He didn't have the most welcoming background- he didn't have the support system a child needs, so he strives to be that and forgets to care for himself often.

        "I want to give my kids everything I never had and more, just like how I want it for you too, MC."

Mammon / Avery 

        Avery [ Mammon ] is very business oriented and formal. MC and him would get along well, like their Obey Me counterparts, but just more lax and less chaotic. I see them as the type to go on coffee dates to catch up and get away from it all, seeing as how famous he is, he often likes to find smaller and less well known places to dwell. Enjoys the small and peaceful moments with MC and they can relate with being the most famous of the cast- so they often get treated the same.

        I can see them having a deep platonic and familial connection while also being distant. Avery has trouble opening up due to being frequently used for his money, and though he and MC are on the same playing field, he has his moments where he needs to back away and recuperate. And though he is distant, if MC or himself were to ever need anything, they're at each other's beck and call. Think of the relationship as: MC is the younger sibling that was born like... 10 years after Avery and he is the older brother, they are distant at times, but still love each other deeply and fiercely.

        "MC, what do you think of this new script- who is that on your page? They're liking too many pictures at once... a bit desperate- don't you think?"

Leviathan / Jackson

        This one... is a little complicated. Really- he's a fuck boy and he doesn't care. I can see him as very... objectifying- and not just sexually either. He can see how to use someone to their fullest advantage, but only for his sake, just for to further himself or satisfy any needs he has. MC is a playful flirt, but once Jackson [ Leviathan ] starts to pull the moves, I can see MC pulling back quickly and isolating away from him. Until there is a serious moment where Jackson can prove that he can provide something meaningful to the relationship- it's going to remain cold and formal. MC isn't playing games.

        This can be one of the few relationships that, if managed properly by MC and Jackson [ Leviathan ], can make their relationship to a more friends with benefits type or something romantic. Jackson [ Leviathan ] needs to learn how to stop seeing people as tools and more like... people. MC, in turn, would need to learn boundaries for themselves. They'd probably be so used to accepting people that keeping Jackson at a distance would be weird and almost foreign to them. If they both want things to work out for a proper, and healthy, relationship- it's going to be a lot of work.

        "MC, come here, I need you for something. Hm? No, no- nothing like that. I thought maybe... we could just hang out? Normally?"

Satan / Ross

        Honestly? MC could do better than Jackson [ Leviathan ] and Ross is it, babes. He is definitely the most understanding of MC and takes their own emotions into consideration. Wow kinda like Satan. He still does those live streams and gets smacked on a couple of grams, so MC is there either smoking as well or just getting hot boxed, their tiger dyed cats running everywhere. The live stream then turns into a kitten purring ASMR, then eventually, everyone is asleep on a live stream together. Ross [ Satan ], is a sweetheart as well, remembers the little things about MC and will make them special gifts or gestures for them. Is the type of boyfriend to leave random kisses on them just because.

        Ross [ Satan ], also likes to talk, so he does like to pick MC's mind and see how they think- which in turn touches their heart because WOW. A guy they like isn't using them or being a general ass? He doesn't play around, so if you want a relationship prepare to be in something for the long haul, family affairs are now your business as well. He is super close with his younger brother Dmitri [ Luke ], so you need his approval as well. Ross also can help with building confidence and a stronger self image, but a major downside is that he is lazy, like, he is really fucking lazy. He's tired though, with his job, the animal shelters, watching his brother, and avoiding... them- he wants to just be a homebody. MC does a lot of home dates, but they end up very fulfilling because it's Ross, he knows how make make even the smallest moments feel like everything.

        "Look at ya, MC! Damn, you always have me fallin' for ya all over again."

        "I'm in sweatpants and a tanktop, babe, nothin' special."

        "And you make 'em look fine as hell. Now come 'ere, let's watch a movie, look-! An MC sized space is here, right between my arms, neat right?"

Asmodeus / Micheal

        He's like the best friend who acts like the wine mom. He's the wine mom. He's mom. Always come to him for help, from either something as small as a rant to larger issues like contracts and relationship advice. This a more platonic/familial relationship that MC would develop. They can delve into more personal and private conversations, confident Micheal has the best intentions and advice, and in turn MC helps him out with what their generation is up to these days.

        Pinching MC's cheeks? Yeah, it's a ritual at this point. Likes to joke that MC is actually his illegitimate child. He also invites them to his vlogs, taking MC out at 2 am to Wendy's and talk about the most random stuff. Maybe hint at new things that are upcoming on the show. He writes TSL, not Alex [ Simeon ], so MC will help him with plot and point out any plot holes as well. 

        "MC, hon, take a nap. You're tired and haven't slept well. I got you food too- no, not Wendy's, actual food. Eat that and go sleep, alright?"

Beelzebub / James

        This can be another contender for a romantic relationship! James [ Beelzebub ] is one of the few actors who is pretty similar to their character, so if you love Beelzebub, you love James, sorry I don't make the rules. It's law. He is still new to the acting scene, so unless MC was an actor as a child as well, they'd bounce tips off one another- things they learn from whoever takes them under their wings. In MC's case, Benjamin [ Lucifer ] is their mentor, and in James' case, Alex [ Simeon ] is his mentor.

        He's very thoughtful, understanding, and compassionate. But, he is a bit of an airhead at times, or he often gets lost in his own head. This is due to him trying to think things through, he gets anxious and wants to perform well in every aspect of his life, so he tends to overthink and try to fix his problems in his head. MC will help him with opening up and stilling his mind into calmer waters. He feels the weight of his family, seeing as he now makes the most, he feels like he should be taking care of all of them- even when they tell him to just enjoy his life as it is. MC would realize he's a family man, so this would be another relationship where commitment is expected, James would rather not just have something casual due to how hectic things in his life get. He also is often with Dmitri [ Luke ], watching him and making sure he's okay, because if his younger siblings were in the same situation, he'd want someone to look out for them too. Dmitri is in love with both MC and James, often messing around or just relaxing with them of Ross [ Satan ] isn't around, so their often known as the "Realm Trio" due to their characters each being a different race.

        "I'm fine, really! I was just... thinking, that's all. I'm happy, really I am, and I want everyone else to be as well. That's it."

Belphegor / Conner 

        MC definitely becomes more chaotic with Conner, he's a sweetheart, but damn can he not sit the fuck down. He can be a bit draining for MC if they aren't in the best of moods, and even then, he just holds this light that makes them happy or feel peaceful. Another romantic/platonic relationship that can happen. This is a relationship where no matter how old they get, what is going on in life, how overwhelmed they feel, MC and Conner [ Belphegor ] will always manage to laugh.

        He is clumsy, especially with the tail, so MC will worry over him on and off set. He is very humble, and grateful for every opportunity he gets, so he faces each day with a smile and the classic southern hospitality- where you say thank you after everything, help anyone even if they aren't struggling, all with a southern drawl that makes MC melt. This is the healthiest relationship to exist, due to how easy Conner can communicate with MC and how MC can pick up on things he might not, there isn't any big issues because they both can just talk it out. Even if it doesn't end up romantic- it's still one of the most fulfilling relationships MC and Conner will have due to just being... them.

        "It's so easy, being with you, and I love that. Loving you is never painful, never tough on me, it's always so... light. So perfect, like you."

Barbatos / Thomas

        Oh my god. He is an absolute ass. He is like the uncle you never wanted, always sarcastic, roasting someone, but in the end he means no harm. MC and him definitely have a darker sense of humor together, getting either morbid or just downright weird, and no one else can decipher that the fuck they're saying because there's too many inside jokes and little intricacies. In the end, he is a ride or die, may not be the best to work with- but MC is now family and Thomas [ Barbatos ] will now kill for them. Congratulations on the achievement!

        Will not allow MC to go to openings or any large events alone, and even if they have another cast member with them, he still keeps an eye on them. He gets anxious, and almost paranoid, his younger sister went missing years ago and never got closure. He see's MC not as his missing sister, but as someone who is in need of that older brother figure, and wants to take that role because it feels so natural. He still ends up as that cool asshole uncle, but he likes that too, as long as MC is with him. There are times where MC will need to help him through some issues, just by being a shoulder to lean on, and in turn they get closer. Thomas didn't expect to get close with many people on the cast, other than his old friends, and taking MC into his family was a surprised for all.

        "Come here, ya annoying ass little kid, give me a hug! What! Come here or I'll chase you around his big ass house, MC!"

Diavolo / Roman 

        MC can be the romantic partner for Roman if you'd like, but I just remembered that I made him have triplets, so unless MC is his partner and willing to have kids, Roman would end up as another Uncle/Father figure. If you go the romantic route, Roman is so deeply in love with MC he will sometimes feel empty of he doesn't tell them he loves them everyday. He is attentive, watchful, and optimistic, always bringing fun into the relationship and making MC feel fulfilled and overflowing with love. But, now with the triplets? Love bomb x10, he loves MC with all his soul, he does, but now he realizes the kids come first and appreciates that they do the same. Prefers to be more private though, won't post whatever he does with the kids or anything like that, he doesn't want spotlights on his children when they never asked for it.

        A more platonic/familial relationship though? Best. Man. Ever. Always taking MC out to eat and keeping up with their needs, doesn't baby them, just keeps a watchful and caring eye. Does this with all the younger cast as well. MC will feel loved, safe, and in harmony. He is a wine dad though, so MC will often bring him drinks so he can unwind, even make cocktails time to time just for practice and will make sure to give any tips he can. MC gets a little too tipsy at a party? Well, since he knows where the party is, shoot him a call and he'll pick his 6'5 ass up outta bed to bring MC either to their home or his. 

        "I've got you, always have, always will. I won't ever let you down, because you deserve the world and all the happiness in it, I just hope I can even be a little piece of it. A reason to make you happy."

Luke / Dmitri

        MC is close with Dmitri no matter what, he's always on set, and MC can't seem to let him leave their sight. Kinda like a parent at the park. Won't exactly just stare at their kid, but will always know where they are, and make sure their within a safe distance. Hollywood is full of some sick fucks and MC will be damned if they'd let anything happen to Dmitri. He gets overwhelmed sometimes, will cry and shake, due to holding in stress from the public. MC will teach him how to cook, rather than bake, because food always brings people together and he wants his family to be together in any way he can do it. 

        Spending time with him means spending time with Ross [ Satan ], so MC ends up close with Ross anyway, and will often be filling up Dmitri's Instagram and other social medias. He is the younger brother MC never had and is ready to be another older sibling for him. If the show goes on for multiple seasons, then it will be set in stone, MC and Luke will be a found family along with the rest of the cast.

        "Thank you for everything, MC. I love you, really, and I want you to be as happy as you can be! You're the best and more!"

Simeon / Alex

        Alex [ Simeon ] is another potential love interest/ close friend. This is the only other relationship that can compete with Ross [ Satan ] and Roman [ Diavolo ]. He is known for his temper, but usually plays it up for comedy, and will never actually "blow up" on anyone that isn't deserving of it. He is a sweetheart, but has a tendency to be materialistic, due to his rich upbringing. He knows material things aren't the answer, but it's a habit/mentality he's working on fixing. He prefers to be more affectionate in private, because he wants to enjoy intimacy with MC without the eyes of the public on them, not because he would want to hide their relationship. 

        He is intelligent as fuck, so MC will be filled with the knowledge of the gods, always learning something new and living a student life that isn't more of a student- but someone that has a love for learning. You know Leonardo in Ikevamp? Yeah- that bitch. That's Alex. Even as a friend MC and Alex would always confuse people due to how close they are, which can be annoying if they are with another cast member, but in the end they know the truth.

        "Ah fuck, MC, I'm trying to cook here, ya dork! Don't yank me around the kitchen! Hey! Loving me isn't an excuse to squeeze the life outta me! MC! Don't run now!"

Solomon / Derek

        So, I honestly had Derek [ Solomon ] as the original love interest, going with the childhood friend trope. MC and Derek would be the ultimate set of goals, and living a fantasy life that most people dream of, the thing you'd see if those overly fluffy fan-fictions. Derek is the more caring and nurturing of the two, while MC is more outgoing and aggressive, and manage to find a happy medium between them. Derek has a calming aura around him and yet is the most socially awkward one in the cast- he will put Leviathan's character to shame with some of the things happened in the past. MC is the biggest tease and will have him flushing like a virgin school boy- and it isn't even sexual, he just flusters easily.

        With Lovely and Blue, MC and Derek are known as the babysitters and pet sitters, and are often looking out for the casts pets and children whenever they need it. The couple everyone wants to end up like. You will never see them in scandals, drama, or anything of the sort- even if they become household names, Derek and MC prefer to keep the details of their lives lowkey. I can't see major issues in this relationship, romantic or platonic, because after knowing each other so long, they can communicate in their own ways.

        "Blue, stay stiiiiiiiiill. Fine, leave. MC, come here, I need a pillow and Blue won't love me. Thank you- oh! Now you come, Blue? Jealous much?"

[capricornus-rex]

A Shadow of What You Used to Be (10)

Chapter 10: A Home Away | Cal Kestis x Irele Skywalker

Cal Kestis x Fem! OC

Requested by Anon

Summary: There is another! Years after young Anakin Skywalker departed Tatooine, his mother Shmi delivers a second child—this time, a daughter. Whilst the circumstance of the girl’s birth remains unexplained, Irele Skywalker has yet to choose the true path between those laid out for her.

Tags: Fem! OC, Irele Skywalker, Force-sensitive! OC, Anakin’s Younger Sister, Skywalker! OC, Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice, Long-lost Sibling

Requesting to be tagged: @heavenly1927​

Also in AO3

Chapters: Prelude – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 | Previous: Part 9 | Next: Part 11 | Masterlist

11 of ?

The maintenance droids only needed an hour to prepare a dorm for Irele within the command ship. Not that she would need a personal room in every ship she boards, but it would help if she did in the near future. The human guards did not need to wait for Irele to come to, they barged into the cell, pulled the poor girl by the arm to stand her up and then drag her out of the prison block while she could barely use her own two feet.

Irele’s eyes have not adjusted to the changing tones and gradients of lights of each part of the ship she passes through. She thought she said the question “Where are we going?” when the guards only heard an incoherent groaning at the throat.

The way from the prison block to her new chambers was a ten-minute walk, if one marched faster it would have been lesser. Upon reaching their destination, only one escorted her into her room and sat her down on the bed—to which she immediately fell limp and ended up lying down instead. While she was out cold, a nanny droid entered her bedroom to tend to whatever it can in the quarters; it took its time, in fact, until the girl came to. The droid’s sensors picked up the spike from Irele’s heart rate from slow to normal, it briskly turned around.

“It is fortunate that you’ve come to, milady. The serum from the probe has completely worn off. Should you feel slight nausea, do not be alarmed for it is normal as well. I can administer some painkillers to you with your choice of pill or syrup.”

The droid is programmed to speak in Basic and had a rather lulling, female voice—perhaps the most appropriate if you are to manufacture and program a droid for nursing.

“Milady? What are you talking about? Who are you? What are you?”

“You are here as a ward under the strict order of Master Vader. I am HY-L33, Nanny Droid,” it brought its head into a bow, “At your service, Milady Irele.”

“Why call me Milady when I’m kept hostage here?” she sits up and examines the room.

“Oh, you are mistaken, Milady. You are Lord Vader’s ward,” HY-L33 corrects. “And I have been tasked to take care of your basic needs and whims, if need be.”

“What I need is to go home! I don’t like being holed up in anywhere!”

The nurse droid lowered its head slowly, it stayed like so for a moment; with a rather sympathetic voice, HY-L33 responds, “I’m sorry, but I am incapable of fulfilling that whim, milady. I would suggest that you make yourself comfortable in this new one.”

Irele sighed, knowing that she’s talking to a wall here. She gave herself time to calm down and breathe. She passed her hands across her face and sighed.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be lashing out to you…” Irele inhaled. “What are you called again?”

“HY-L33, madam.”

Irele quietly parroted the name, “That’s a mouthful. How about I call you Haylee, is that alright?”

“If it proves to be more convenient for you, milady. Although personally, I do adore the name you’ve given me.”

Irele hummed as she managed a small smile, she hinted the chirp from the droid’s voice, relieved that she found some company out of the droid in this inorganic, cold room, she walked around to get a better feel of it now that the serum from the interrogation droid has worn off.

“Say, Haylee, do you know where we are?”

“We are aboard the command ship Anathema, the ship is within the Ulgoro system, and we are passing by the orbit of the planet Yelen.”

“How far are we from Tatooine?”

Haylee ran a quick scan from her processors, “We are approximately twenty-five parsecs away from the said Outer Rim planet.”

Irele breathed deeply, her heart sank, “That’s so far away…”

The droid’s photoreceptors picked up Irele’s increased heart rate and temperature. The girl was manifesting signs of anxiety: shivering hands, failing voice, and cold sweat.

“You are suffering from homesickness. Unfortunately, I do not have the appropriate medication for that, milady. Neither can I administer any medication for you. This is absolutely natural as you have been extracted from your real home to your current location.”

Irele took the deepest sigh and made a mantra.

Don’t lash out on the droid, you just screamed at it ten minutes ago.

She told this to herself mentally until she’s calmed herself down.

“Yeah, I am homesick. I left my family behind and…” she trailed off, realizing that the last people she was with were her friends. “My friends. They must be all worried sick about me.”

“You will be well taken care of here, Lady Irele.”

“Heh,” the girl huffed. “No need to be so formal. Just call me Irele.”

“As you wish… Mistress Irele.”

“Droids, gotta love ‘em…” she mumbled very quietly, knowing how acute droids’ hearing could be—depending on the model, that is.

–

Fortunately enough, Irele is indeed being taken care of.

Ever since she was moved to her own chambers in the Star Destroyer Anathema, she was thoroughly pampered—more or less—than anyone else in the ship, aside from Darth Vader. Never has she ever been well-fed in sixteen years! The serving portions were generous and they were quite tasty, but she had her moments where the food somewhat reminded her of home.

A uniformed officer enters Vader’s quarters to report of Irele’s adjustment to the new environment. Most of the officers feared that they’re speaking like a broken record, reporting the same thing to Vader every week—they had probably imagined it vexed him to be hearing the same thing over and over; it did them little comfort when adding their own personal observations of her such as asking for seconds with her food and interacting with the nanny droid, since she’s still shy and cautious from everyone else on board.Additionally, she was not yet allowed to wander off alone beyond her room. So, by all means, she is pretty much a hostage still—a rather pampered one, at the very least.

“Has she stopped her erratic behavior?”

“Fortunately so, Lord Vader, she has. Perhaps about a week and a half since her extraction, she had become somewhat… docile.”

Vader paused. He had presumed it was the effects of the interrogator droid’s syringe, but surely during the time the nanny droid was tending to the girl, the substance has flushed out since. Realizing that he truly knows nothing of what kind of person Irele is—compared from his earliest reference of her—he sighs with a quiet frustration under his mask.

“Very well. We are right on schedule. Carry on, captain.”

“Yes sir,” the captain bowed and dismissed himself militarily. His true posture showed when he rejoined his companion who had been waiting for him by the door. He hissed, “I didn’t conscript myself to the Imperial Fleet to be a babysitter!”

“Be more frustrated when Lord Vader does appoint you the official babysitter of the girl.”

“She’s quite a handful, don’t you think so?”

“Temperamental, to say the least,”

Only Vader and the droid, HY-L33, know what’s in store for Irele. Very soon, the plans for her life under the Empire’s wing—unknowingly under her brother’s care, or the walking shell of him perhaps—will be put into play.

For many weeks, HY-L33 patiently watched over Irele—especially in the medical aspect—and a mandate was programmed into her that once a diagnosis of the teenager would show optimum by the end of three weeks since her extraction from Tatooine, Irele would be considered physically eligible and be subjected to training. Eventually, HY-L33 was the only companion she has ever had in this ship since day one; so in exchange for medical knowledge and advice from HY-L33, Irele repays it with stories from her homeworld of Tatooine, but knowing that the droid is under Imperial property, she was cautious of what she ought to say, and rather told her adventures she had done on her own or with a friend instead of her family life.

“It seems as though your rigorous lifestyle has contributed to your increased stamina throughout your developmental stage.” HYL-33 commented once while listening to Irele recall one job she did where she would deliver goods door-to-door across the town of Mos Espa.

“Yeah well, I had to work. Because if I didn’t work, that just meant, I’ll be sleeping hungry—or if I’m lucky, with a half-full stomach.”

HY-L33, being the medical nanny droid that she is, went on to lecture Irele that it was ill-advised to sleep on an empty stomach for it will cause ulcers. The girl politely listened and heeded the advice, until she calmed down the droid that she had been fine for the rest of the time she was growing up.

She had only been staying for a week and a half. HY-L33’s sensors indicate a lesser trace of homesickness and anxiety within Irele, her body mass index has not changed drastically at all since her food intake was increased rather than imposing an eating strike—a few of HY-L33’s references cite that most human teenagers are more rebellious, especially when it comes to being fed after being thrown into a stressful situation. However, this was not the case with Irele, which made the nurse droid’s circuits cooler.

Eventually, the three weeks were over. Irele noticed HY-L33 seeming to be in full preparation. She did not mind this, but kept a close eye, until she could find the right timing to ask. After lunch, Irele went to the bath by rote, and quickly dressed herself in a dark gray shirt, black pants, and low boots.

Irele could truly sense something different in their routine.

“Haylee?”

“Yes, Miss Irele?”

“Is there something new added into the routine?”

“Yes, Miss Irele, we are about to perform a full health assessment on you. Please follow me and I will escort you to the medical ward.”

This was the first time Irele had been outside of her bedroom. For three weeks, she had been holed up in that metal room with no one and nothing else but HY-L33—to which she had grown fond of anyway—and then she finally comes out for a medical check-up.

Along the way, she could not look into the eyes of the crew, although she perfectly blended in with her gray and black clothes. She was nervous and afraid of what they’re thinking of her—because she felt like she knows what they’re saying about her, it’s a feeling that she can’t explain but it still manifests in her. Eager to avoid the stares and attention, Irele walked directly behind HY-L33 until they got to the said medical ward.

When they got there, the interior of the medical ward was a little bit brighter than most of the rooms in the ship. The walls were still metal, of course, but it was a cooler shade of gray which somewhat eased the people who are admitted and confined here—instead of the intimidating dark grays and blacks on other parts of the ship. At the center of operations was a 2-1B surgical droid stationed by a medical bed; it was approached by HY-L33 and Irele, when the droid’s photoreceptors saw the girl’s face, a deep male tone started speaking in a monotonous, continuous fashion.

“Irele Skywalker, human female, age is sixteen standard years, height stands at five feet and three inches…”

“Okay, okay, I think we got enough of my vitals already!” Irele interrupted.

“Were you briefed of your purpose here?”

Irele made a side-eyed glance at HY-L33, who didn’t move at all, “I was only told I was getting a check-up.”

“Correct.”

The surgical droid cleared out what HY-L33 failed to when they were still in the bedroom. It started with the physical examination—taking down her age, height, and weight, until it pored into analyzing the fluid levels and vitals of her organs to see if they were normal. It was all strange for little Irele, but she held up and did as she was told. She wasn’t getting hurt by the droids anyway, save the one pinprick that they had to do in order to conduct a blood test.

From Vader’s chamber, he was receiving real-time transmissions of the medical ward’s database. Whatever diagnosis the droids encode into the database under Irele’s profile, Vader saw it all firsthand—every revision, every new entry, every number.

Midichlorian count: 20,598.

Seeing this number and then recalling his impression on Irele baffled Darth Vader.

This child has lived sixteen years in a backwater planet, with a high midichlorian count… and yet her sensitivity is dormant.

[floraisondiadem]

anya taylor-joy. cis female . she/her . wasn’t that anastazija gaskell walking the palace grounds ? it’s nice to see the apprentice apothecarist out and about on such a fine day as this. I’ve heard from the court spies that they notoriously abstruse, whilst also managing to be quite percipient. the twenty-six year old is eager to find out who exactly is behind the killings from what’s being said at court. I heard that they themselves aren’t vrajiit. it’s funny, whenever I think of them, I think of fingertips sinking into the dirt into the earth with a nurturing hand likewise scrubbing bloody hands raw in the sink; heavy choked feeling of tears as you fulfill your duty unhesitatingly, the scent of hyacinths in the air, and laughter stretching the lips wider than a smile would. great to see the vivus around, isn’t it ? 

⇢ 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍;

full name: anastazija gaskell meaning: ❛ resurrection , valorous ❜ nickname(s) | aliases: anja, tasi, ana | none, though she tends to steal her mentors title occupation; current | former apprentice apothecarist | ( adequate, mainly knowing alteration and repair ) seamstress home: wenchinka martial affiliation: unattached. pansexual. affiliation | alignment: herself, her home | chaotic neutral disposition { positive }; percipient, venturesome, jovial disposition { negative }; abstruse, grasping, impish  notable physical traits: too much usage of experimentation in the greenhouse of her mentor has caused irreparable damage to the veins in hands trailing upwards to the wrist and barely reaching further up arm in a fade, coloring them ink-like and prompting her to wear lace gloves to cover the scaring within. 

tw: mention of child abuse, tw: mention of death

✧ a cherubic faced child with lightened curls and a sharp glint to her eye of a propensity to mischievous intent was anastazija gaskell, brought into this world by the thin bony hands of a midwife as another name and soul to add to the list of children residing on the feral side of life once age molded her. a terror to her parents, only briefly before illness and war had separated them; and then after her transference at the age of five to a destitute caretaker as no family members remained nor desired her and the womans' three cruel, not of mirrored likeness children who stole food from her plate and bit with unhygienic teeth, plagued them with the same treatment despite the beatings, despite the threats of being drowned in a barrel for being wasted flesh. too many mouths to feed the woman would say with eyes clear of guilt as if that justified murder, anastazija would snarl back. as if she was the responsible oldest meant to take care of the family that was not her own.

✧ ana volunteering up the other children as if laying them out on a silver platter with an ingenuous mordacious smile earned her nothing but an empty stomach for days and bruised skin, an ache settling deep in her heart of familial yearning due to the horrid yet strange behavioral protective stance taken towards the other abandoned offspring. took to working for the village seamstress to keep hands and mind busy, to keep the woman’s words from becoming anything but empty—gave way to days upon days with minutes to hours eaten up and fingers punctured by a needle in repeated trial and error. thankfully her attentions were vulturine to detail, marking her valuable. a word that left lips constantly, in repetition, even before little ana knew of it’s entirety; and so she grew sick of stomaching it.

✧ eventually did a cloaked in grey man came to the fraying village where life was not meant to flourish and yet the people remained, prospered. a wise man, an apothecarist, titled asclepius with a boy named eurus, around the age of twelve to her age of thirteen trailing behind then beside with a softened order once the serrated gazes and the mouths eager to feast began as they walked, offered their hands to those that required care. vrajiit blood contained in veins making their visit a quick gust of wind likened to a whisper.

✧ the woman could have become a storyteller, the caretaker, of who’s name anastazija couldn’t quite recall, yet that white hair drawn into a stern bun and onyx eyes that could swallow the stars rooted itself so deeply into her memories she can never escape it’s haunting. she weaved an elaborate tale with hand gestures and sweet as summer wine tone, too much teeth showing in smile. seeding more resentment in the child’s heart that anyone could toss another aside for the clink of coins inside a pouch. comparable to buying ingredients at market. eurus's hand was gentle when it hugged hers, both gazes upon the exchange.

✧ gifted her the task of putting labels on the glass vials, of cleaning and sweeping and becoming the errand girl when it came to gathering ingredients no matter how perilous the trip came to be or delivering to homes. she did this as silently as a mouse though of course with burning complaints in her skull while observing the procedures and tasks her older yet still younger counterpart was privy to. blooming a flower of civil rivalry. 

✧ asclepius taught her the old ways of healing, the ‘primitive’ as he liked to call them ways when it came to the advancement of the abilities he'd worn since childhood that aged him rapidly in response to use—like that worn riddled with holes cloak he'd refused to let her fix—which was sufficiently promising. however she still wonders, questions with a soul of skepticism, why he said yes, why he chose her, picked her, plucked her out of many though he did offer the coin knowing fully well the lies sprouted from the woman's lips, someone with little to no experience when his first apprentice had prior background, was so tethered to the craft he was obviously meant to be heir. yet neither allowed her to dwell on it, her first family in years and she desired to keep them in that bubble of warmth forever.

✧ the world did not leave them alone long, it reached like a child for it’s mothers’ skirt and tugged tugged tugged, reminded her that it was not soft. eurus was taken, valuable, the soldiers had said. there was nothing kind in that stretch of lip either. mentor was not there at the time, gone again on one of his long trips without word, anastazija had been the one to crack open the door when they knocked ever so polite was the girl yet she wishes she had not done so. refused to open the door knowing fully well they would have yanked him from the shop in spite of protests anyway—to this day clutches his letter to herself like a lifeline refusing to accept the worst case scenario.  

✧ currently, although still in the role of assistant, anastazija basically runs the establishment as if she owned it, takes care of the building and makes sure it is in tip top shape despite occasional blunders for when her wanderlusting mentor decides to arrive from a faraway location and tends to those that enter with a well practiced smile. nevertheless with the murders, the mounting death toll, has her concerned with the state of the kingdom’s people. 

[kinokami]

Tobirama-Meta.

send me a topic to write a meta about my muse on

You are all I have.

In Defense of Senju Tobirama! 

So I know this fandom likes to hate Tobirama for all the things he supposedly messed up, and I am one of those meme-loving fucks that jokes about it all the time, but I gotta come clean and speak on behalf of this beautiful boy. Hashirama demands it so.

Tobirama is as important to Hashi as Madara. He is his closest family, the only remaining brother he has left, and he is an anchor that holds Hashirama in this world. He supports him, berates him, guides him. He is the dark side of Hashirama’s sun; the realist to his idealist. He holds Hashirama up, he admires him, he loves him unconditionally as his brother, not as a god. Without Tobirama, Hashirama would never be the man he is. Never forget that.

Tobirama does not hate the Uchiha clan - He is practical!

He is a product of his time, his upbringing and the expectations and prejudices of his father and those that came before him. Tobirama has always been more aware of what it means to be a clan; to be held together by more than ties of blood. He is intensely proud of the Senju, and he sees Konoha as a triumph of his clan, lead by his brother’s strength. Even as a child, Tobirama understood what it would take to make such a project work; he understands the hard work that goes into unity.

And here comes the problem that puts him on edge with the Uchiha clan; they are unstable. No matter how optimistically you want to look at them, they are, at core, all capable of becoming emotional outliers that cannot be reasoned with.

Tobirama is a deeply rational man. He is not spiteful, he is careful. An enemy that cannot be reasoned with is frightening, moreso when they are powerful enough to level a landscape and twist reality.

The Uchiha are cautious, self-absorbed and always put themselves and their clan above anything else. Tobirama understands that better than most, perhaps even because he is quite similar in that aspect. Konoha is a Senju project, to him. The Uchiha had to surrender to Hashirama’s strength. Therefore, they cannot be expected to feel the same investment in the village.

Tobirama does not hate them for this. He simply doesn’t trust their intentions and wants to take precautions. He is a realist; the Uchiha have less reason to cherish Konoha. 

Hashirama’s view of the Uchiha is sharply skewed by his affection for Madara. So is Tobirama’s, but in the opposite direction, because that’s what he’s always needed to do; pull Hashirama towards the middleground, rather than let him fly too high with his dreams. 

So the Uchiha, like anything else, are something that Tobirama has to be realistic about.

He hates Madara. That fact is indisputable. Madara has left a deep, psychological scar on this man. Not only because Madara is so irrationally powerful, but because he influences Hashirama, Tobirama’s pillar of strength in this world, the measure of all things. Madara is nothing like Hashirama. He cannot be at peace if he cannot fulfill his selfish interests for his clan and himself. Tobirama can never trust him.

It gets better once Madara leaves. Tobirama wants to find some kind of reasonable purpose for the Uchiha - he establishes the police force. This gives the Uchiha the authority they crave, a voice in the justice system of the village. Tobirama had the station and prison built on the outskirts of the village because it MAKES SENSE. Criminals and possible escapees should not be kept in the HEART of their settlement, in close proximity to system’s nerve center.

It was simply a rational choice, which brings me back to the underlying truth.

Tobirama is a rational man with realistic priorities who is not dictated by emotion.

The Uchiha notion of being ostracized is irrational to Tobirama. They are an important part of a village with a duty that not only suits their position within Konoha, but their abilities to see through deception. To take it as a personal slight against an entire clan does not make sense to Tobirama - he would never think about it that way.

Moving on to Tobirama’s statements about “a clan possessed by evil”. This is his response to Madara and the decline of the clan. At the point of his resurrection, he is informed that Madara has been revived and thrown the world into another war. He is also faced with another Uchiha who has let his emotions progress him towards nothing but power - Sasuke. Both of them are the worst examples of the Uchiha - they are proof that the clan, the bloodline, they are always inclined to give up on reason and rely on hatred instead. People that cannot be reasoned with, or expect to be rational about the decisions they make.

Tobirama gave the Uchiha chances, in his mind. He gave them purpose, he took on an apprentice, he offered them a way to stabilize away from their emotions.

And they threw it all away. That is his impression and it would be hard to argue against in terms that he would accept. He has NO FAITH in them, and he is not a forgiving man.

Still, Tobirama does not hate all Uchiha for it. In the final battle, he even wishes to help/save Sasuke, because he recognizes that he is a vital part in defeating Madara and Obito. He puts his feelings aside for the rational choice.

Alright, this deviated far from Hashirama’s relationship with Tobirama, but it needed to be said.

Hashirama and Tobirama are a strong team, much in the same way that Hashirama and Madara were a strong team. He is someone to ground Hashirama, and support him where he needs it. He shapes Hashirama’s dreams into reality. He loves his brother and his clan, and he even loves the vision of a settlement and unified shinobi. He just also understands the problems, and as a practical man, he set about fixing those problems.

It is unfortunate that he could not be more empathetic, and instill his pupils with a little more of his brother’s faith - possibly because Hashirama died so early on, leaving Tobirama with a world devoid of sun. He never could step out of the darkness of his own rationality and cynicism, because in all of his life, he never had to; Hashirama was there for that.

Tobirama is not a hateful man - he was a realistic thinker and a practical leader. Including the academy and chunin exams. Konoha was never supposed to be a purely civilian environment. Tobirama knew that children needed a formal education and they were still going to be shinobi - the very nature of which is to fight and kill. Tobirama would never endorse a world where children were unaware of what they were raised to be. It would be cruel to confront them with death only when it became a mission-critical reality. Innocence is not a virtue a shinobi should have, at any age.

[darthsuki]

Send me prompts to answer about my OC/s

You can read Sakajin’s story, “Truth Within”, here!

Since my answers were so lengthy, it’s all under a cut!

9. What about your character’s political beliefs?

Sakajin solidly sits between the two major ‘sides’, at least if we’re talking about Jedi/Sith. I’m not super versed in the politics of Star Wars, but when it comes to dealing with who she sides with more, she’s very neutral for a number of personal and philosophical reasons, many of which are uncovered and explored in her story. She holds some loyalty to the Sith, if only because she was given a chance out of an orphanage on Coruscant from Count Dooku, and there are unknown but very toxic feelings towards the Jedi for their belief system and an underlying mystery with her mother (a woman who was once a Jedi and disappeared late into Sakajin’s childhood for unknown reasons, leaving her orphaned when her father died of a chronic illness).

It’s a theme of her story that will be explored rather extensively, but when it comes down to her morals and personal beliefs, she’s solidly neutral, finding neither the High Council of the Jedi nor the dark power of the Sith to be a path towards a healthy and fulfilling existence.

16. What does your character do for a living? How do they see their profession? What do they like about it? Dislike?

Sakajin officially started ‘working’ technically when she was 12 years old. After leaving her home planet of Ev’ren and going to Coruscant, she was taken in by an orphanage with little-to-no funding for the orphans in their care. Because of this, many of them took to begging, but Sakajin found a skill in mechanics, particularly repairing odds and ends for those kind enough to give her money for a service, or those cheap and cruel enough to take advantage of a young orphan’s budding talent with the spare credits she asked for.

As an adult, Sakajin carried over many of those skills when she was recruited to work as a specialized mechanic by Count Dooku who seemed to be impressed with her skills for being so young, though her career as such lasted only a few years before she was quickly (and rather forcefully) made to be General Grievous’ apprentice.

In all honesty (and in the current events of her story) she would much prefer being a mechanic--much less yelling and far more feeling of productivity and pride in her work.

21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate?

For the most part, Sakajin is very well-mannered. I wouldn’t call her overly polite or shy by any means, but I would definitely say that her childhood and relationship with her parents, Count Dooku and Grievous fueled some level of anxiety in how she acts and holds herself to others, so she may seem soft-spoken for those who don’t know her well. Otherwise, she’s kind, but stubborn and passionate for things she believes in, often getting herself into trouble due to her own naivety.

Her type of hero is someone like her father. Dartri Aditu was a strong man in the face of a new culture, taking a partner from a species who didn’t take kindly to outsiders (the Tarael)--interspecies marriages aren’t looked on very kindly, even years after they opened up to free trade to break out of their isolationism. Dartri cared about his family and worked hard to make sure they were taken care of. Even in his last months before his chronic illness took him, he loved Sakajin dearly, and wanted nothing but happiness in the lives of others despite his own challenges and pain, especially after his wife disappeared.

In short, Sakajin hates those who trample on the rights of others. She hates hypocrites moreso, people who won’t stand up for what they believe in or act kind only in public. Though she may not say so outwardly or even to herself, she also hates people like her mother--those who abandon the ones they love. She is very bitter over that pain and in time may come to learn to accept it.

25. What are their hobbies and interests?

Due to her past and current life, Sakajin doesn’t often have the time or energy to devote to hobbies. Nevertheless, her passion for mechanics are by far the most influential in her life, as it afforded her many of the opportunities she was given. She loves to tinker with things and understand how they work, to see if she too can build something just as wonderful--droids and similar mechanics are what she would consider her ‘specialty’ though she has no formal training in such.

Otherwise, she also has a distinct fondness for astronomy, the beauty and understanding of the planets and other fantastical things in the universe. The Tarael culture as a whole is very connected to astronomy, and many higher-up families are able to have a personal observatories in order to study the stars and planets around them. She took a loving to this as a child--her mother also loved it too, often found in the observatory of her family’s home on Ev’ren. Many memories that Sakajin has of her mother involved the stars above their head, with her mother weaving myths and stories about them to the young girl.

30. Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive?

Yes. Sakajin holds a deep, confused, bittersweet grudge against her mother, Anna Marie Takio, for abandoning her and her father when she was a young child. Though she also loves her mother dearly and doesn’t see her inherently as a bad person, she also deals with confusion and a want to know the WHY that her mother left. She’s riddled with a need to know the answer, an issue that’s plagued her since her father passed away and her extended family (who didn’t much care for half-breeds like Sakajin) shunned her.

Sakajin loves her mother, but she also hates what Anna Marie did, because her abandonment is one of the reasons she isn’t able to have a normal, free life.

43. Does your character have any secrets? If so, are they holding them back?

Sakajin herself doesn’t hold many secrets--she’s a fairly honest, blunt person with little to no skeletons hiding in her closet. Nevertheless, there are a multitude of secrets ABOUT Sakajin that she has little knowledge of; secrets about her mother, her family, her purpose as General Grievous’ apprentice--all secrets that she doesn’t know but are deeply tied to her and will of course be revealed over the course of her story.

[magicaleiko]

How Famo Bordeu became a witch

It began in Kamille’s childhood, during the Curse of the Witch Frog. At the time, witches had just begun to live among humans again, albeit in secret. As for little Kamille, she was foreseen as the next queen, and she was training so hard to fulfill such a destiny. Born from the Queen Rose, she was already blessed with great powers. For witch children, it was forbidden to enter the human’s realm until one came of age.

However, one day, Kamille and a few others her age came across a secret entrance to the world of humankind. Driven by curiosity, they braved the prohibition to discover that world. Finding themselves in a forest near Santiago, Chile, they were at first unafraid.

Until humans appeared.

The young witches fled to avoid becoming frogs, but Kamille tripped and hit her head, and was knocked unconscious. The humans, a pair of police officers having been alerted to suspicious activity in the woods, came across the girl and took her back to town. 

Soon, Kamille found herself among friendly faces in an orphanage. Among those faces was a girl who often visited her friends there, while living with her uncle since the death of her parents.

That girl’s name was Famo Bordeu. When she and Kamille first saw each other, they both knew that they would be good friends.

Everyone thought that Kamille was an abandoned child, but she preferred to stay quiet about her true nature in order to avoid the curse.

During her time in Santiago, Kamille learned something sad about Famo. Her uncle was an awful man, and would beat or threaten her everytime he was furious at her. The young witch felt such pity for her new friend.

One night, some witches came to secretly bring Kamille back. But she was reluctant to remain there until much later in her life.

“You want to go back to that human?” The other witches were shocked. “Don’t even think about it. You’d have bigger things to worry about than the curse.”

“But I’m worried about her.” Kamille replied. “And I’m sure she’s worried about me, too.”

“Whatever,” She was told. “Just get back to your studies. Think about our kingdom instead of yourself.”

But it was already too late. Fate had struck.

Kamille had found a friend in desperate need.

“This is serious, Your Highness!” The other witches said to the Queen. “The heiress to the throne is weakening!”

“This is what happens when one mingles with humans too soon.”

“She grew attached to that human child, and it’s getting worse!”

“What if we erase her memories?”

“I’ll talk to her.” The Queen declared.

So she did.

“Is your desire to save her that strong?” She asked Kamille. “Yet you know of the danger that awaits you. Not just the curse, but the hate that humans vow to us. To them, witches are a serious threat. At best, they will hunt you. At worst...”

“But... That’s unfair...” Kamille said. “Famo would never hurt me...”

“And that’s normal.” The Queen said. “The demon that is her uncle is undeserving of his guardianship of her. Only you hold the key to her happiness. But this relationship is dangerous. One day, you will have to leave her.”

“But I have to help her!” Kamille burst into tears. “If I don’t...”

“I fully understood that, young Kamille.” The Queen consoled her. “Your heart knew well how to raise your words. However, I cannot let you take such risks. If you were to be discovered by a human, you will be condemned to live out the rest of your life as a frog. Nevertheless, there is a way around the curse, yet it’s even more dangerous than the curse itself. Do you want to know?” 

“Yes! Please tell me!” Kamille pleaded.

“It’s a secret known only to the Queens of our world. If you still want to know, meet me at the Sacred Grove tomorrow.”

So, that is what Kamille did.

“There is a legend of a Great Fairy so powerful, she is capable of countering the curse. She is said to live in the depths of the Sacred Grove...”

With hope in her heart, Kamille entered the vast Grove, without knowing where she was headed.

After what seemed like an eternity of searching, she began to suspect that the Great Fairy didn’t exist, that the Queen was testing her to prove her will.

Yet she finally found the Great Fairy’s den.

Thus, she immediately made her wish. 

“It is true that I possess great powers.” The Great Fairy said. “But to counter the curse, there is only one way. Give up your powers.”

Kamille was shocked speechless.

The Great Fairy continued. “A witch is identified as such by the crystal she wears, but if the magic within that crystal is sealed away, she has nothing to fear. Are you willing to give up your magic, little one?”

“...Y-Yes!”

So the Great Fairy sealed Kamille’s magic away. When this was done, she felt weak.

“You made your choice, Kamille.” It was the Queen. “Your heart is strong, and I can only abide by its wishes.”

To the Great Fairy, the Queen said “This child has a crucial fate for the Witch’s Kingdom. To give up her power is a great sacrifice few would do. However, she will necessarily need magic if she is to save the one closest to her. Could you lend her part of your power so that she may accomplish this?”

“You must have high hopes for this child to request such a thing.” The Great Fairy replied. “So be it.”

So Kamille was given an Apprentice Tap of her own.

“Good luck, Kamille.” The Queen and the Great Fairy said.

It was raining on the night of the rescue.

Famo was hiding from her uncle again, this time in the cupboard under the stairs. She held her hand tightly over her mouth, making sure to not make a sound as she listened to his heavy footsteps.

Suddenly, she heard him let out a strangled shout, then silence.

The cupboard door flew open. Famo squealed in fright.

But it wasn’t her uncle. It was Kamille, wearing a strange outfit. She looked like a bruja, a witch.

Kamille held out her hand. “Come with me, Famo.” She said. “Let’s get out of here.”

Famo hesitated. But then, she took her friend’s hand.

And so, the two girls fled from Santiago... and from the realm of humankind, to return to the one place where they would be safe. 

Well, almost.

“THERE’S A HUMAN IN THE WITCH’S KINGDOM!!!”

“I don’t wanna be a frog!”

“Find them! FIND THEM BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!”

Kamille hid Famo in Straytown, where the (deeply unnerved) resident witch frogs took care of her. But the girl was soon discovered by the Queen’s soldiers.

“You violated the law by bringing a human here.” The Queen said to Kamille. “Now you’ve put us all in unimaginable peril.”

“But her uncle!” Kamille protested. “You know I couldn’t leave her with him!”

“But if she stays here, we’re the ones in danger! Don’t you understand that?!” A palace guard exclaimed.

Finally, the Queen came to a decision. “Famo,” She said. “Are you willing to give up your previous life?”

“The only way for a human to remain in our world...”

“...is for that human to become a witch.”

And that is what Famo did.

The Great Fairy unsealed Kamille’s crystal, returning her magic.

Famo came to live with Kamille, until they were fully grown and that terrible uncle had perished in prison for possibly murdering his niece.

When that time came, Kamille had already become the new Queen, and Famo, accompanied by her fairy, returned to the human world to find a place to establish a business of sorts.

During her travels there, she happened to come across a certain town in Japan, where she met a girl named Eiko Kurokawa.

But that’s another story.

[hidturner]

Seven Kinds of Mentors

Having mentors is important, and it's also getting a lot of attention online (particularly on social media). I've been very blessed in the mentors I've had, and I also have the privilege of being a mentor to a group of high school and junior high girls. Here's a list of the different kinds of mentors I've had (and/or been), all of which contribute to a well-rounded life that grows and encourages growth in others. Without further ado...

The Ancestors

These are mentors who are not directly involved in your life. Whether that means that you are reading books they wrote or remembering the lessons they taught you when you were a child sitting on their lap, these mentors have passed away and their wisdom is alive through you and your willingness to seek it out. This kind of mentor is one of the most useful for seeing the weaknesses in your own culture/micro-culture, since Ancestor mentors tend to be from a different time and place. Use them! Love them! Become a reader of old books and glean all you can. Read family diaries. Become an expert in the past that created the present. The future feels more manageable when you understand the trajectory of history. 

Mount Olympus Mentor

At this level, the mentors are still alive, but they are 100% out of reach (or, their accomplishments are). In my case, there are a lot of living authors that fall into this category, as well as artists, musicians, etc. They are almost legendary, can be somewhat problematic, and are still super important to developing as a person because you have to have a target that will always make you stretch. Looking up to those way above your level is good, as long as you remember that all your faves are still actually people. It's okay to have heroes and to really look up to them, to feel like they're out of your league, and work in a hundred little ways to become more like them. For budding actors, this may be a multi-Oscar winner; for scientists, a great mind that's made unimaginable breakthroughs. Seek out the work of someone way out of your league and find the way up the mountain. 

The Jedi Mentor

This is the first mentor level that's directly involved in your life. The idea is that the Jedi Master is trying to create their own replacement because there is a job to be done, and the Jedi Apprentice is trying to be ready for the day they become the Master. While it's normal that the Jedi mentor becomes a close personal friend to the apprentice, that's not where things start. You (the apprentice) are dedicated to a cause or a skill set that the mentor (your master) is great at. The goal in everyone's mind is to have the apprentice someday go beyond the mentor, whether that means becoming a genuinely better _____ than your mentor, or just continuing the fight after they are gone; as mastery is achieved, the lines of mentor and mentee blur and both become equals. The Jedi mentor might be a boss, a thesis mentor, a professor or teacher, (in theatre) a director, or a pastor (I've had Jedi mentors who also held all of these jobs, by the way). I wrote a post at the passing of one of these kinds of mentors, which you can read here. 

Parental Guidance

Whether these are your biological parents or people who you feel you can treat as parental figures, this level of mentorship is really, for the first time, about you. They are invested not in what you will be or how much money you will make or your contributions to the field-- they are invested in you becoming the person you were made to be. They care who you are on the weekends, and about your well-being and personal fulfillment. They're also older, to the point that they will always be ahead in life (usually a gap of 20 years or so). 

The Mentor Next Door

This mentor is above you, but not by much. They are in the next stage of life (in high school/graduating college, student/alumni, entry-level/manager, newlyweds/parents, single/married: the list of possible stages is endless). Whatever you want to be doing next, this mentor is doing. You get to watch the stumbles and the mistakes, and they get to be aware that they are being watched and have a smaller margin for utter stupidity. This role also evaporates as time goes on, because it is very possible to graduate to the point that the Mentor Next Door is just a friend who's a few years older and wiser (this has happened for me with many worship leaders I admire, because the differences in our progress has shrunk over time). Right now, I am currently a Mentor Next Door to some high school students. Someday -- if all goes well -- they won't need me in that role any more.

Sister Mentor

Perhaps my favorite type of mentor to be, and certainly the one I most wish I had when I was younger. This is the person who is both a mentor and able to rely on the mentee, in a way that isn't possible in a Mentor Next Door relationship. While the Mentor Next Door can talk about their weaknesses, the Sister Mentor shows them, in the moment. The mentee is able to grow through the relationship, since the Mentor is calling them up to offer genuine support, and the Mentor practices vulnerability. Two people are growing up; one of them is moving faster. There's a chasing and a catching-up and a level of trust that is hard to come by. This kind of relationship is possible with both relatives and non-relatives, but it is a long-lasting, deeply personal relationship that is worth treasuring, and pursuing, and showing extreme gratitude for. 

(Note: Brother Mentors follow all the same rules, but I am not anyone's brother). 

Baby You

And the closest, most intimate mentor: the child version of yourself. If You from the Past met you today, would they be impressed? Would they be proud? Would they want to grow up to be like you? Would you find yourself someone worth following? Did You From the Past need someone just like You From the Present?  Our child-selves live on in us whether we want them or not. This is where they shine: in reminding us what we wanted to be and who we wanted to be. It's possible You from the Past was immature, selfish, troubled, and vice-ridden (not like You From the Present, I'm sure), but would Past You find your current self convicting? When your younger self speaks fear, do you listen with empathy and respond as though caring for a child you love? If not, find a way to take care of the child inside by becoming the grown-up you needed. This is the mentor that will not let you forget who you were made to be. Listen in. Baby You still has something to say.

 Photo by David Clode on Unsplash