#and save everyone from the destruction of decades past

[sapphoismymuse]

ngl when I first watched The Hobbit, I thought there was gonna be a twist where the dragon-sickness turned them into dragons

imagine Thorin growing up in Erebor, watching the sickness take over his grandfather, then one day, they're attacked by a dragon which hoards all of Erebor's gold

Thorin is terrified of the sickness, but nobody else realizes just how connected the dragon and his grandfather's sickness was

then, decades later when they retake Erebor they learn that it was Thror's dragon-sickness that had brought the dragon---because Thror was the dragon

and the longer they spend in the mountain, surrounded by all that gold, the sickness starts taking over Thorin, and he changes, he protects the gold like a dragon protecting his hoard, and there's a glint of gold in his eyes, and his fury is like fire

[bookishcarmela]

Shadows of Affection

warnings: alcohol abuse

slow burn Coriolanus Snow x reader, slight Felix Ravinstill x reader

Chapter 2: The Zoo

As you made your way to the lunch hall, you spotted Felix and the others enjoying their meal. A few tables down, Sejanus sat alone at a table set for three, likely waiting for Corio and you. It was a routine, his ritual, always saving a spot for you even when Felix whisked you away before you could join them. His persistent attention toward you was evident to everyone, but despite your fondness for Felix, you hadn't quite seen him in that light.

you settled beside Sejanus, exchanging greetings and a small smile. "Congratulations on the reaping today. You got the pick of the litter," you said, trying to uplift his mood. But instead of a cheerful response, Sejanus sighed heavily. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy?" you inquired, to which Sejanus replied hoarsely, "You forget. I'm part of that litter."

His words lingered, echoing the struggles he harbored from his past, despite the decade he'd spent in the Capitol. you considered Sejanus a friend, but his refusal to let go of his past hindered his potential to embrace what the Capitol offered. "Sejanus," you began, your words trailing off as Corio's chair scraped against the floor, announcing his arrival. "Are you okay, Corio?" you asked, concern etching your voice. He looked pale well paler than usual, almost on the verge of sickness. Corio slumped into the seat, his normally composed demeanor crumbling. "I'm fine," he muttered, but the sweat on his brow and the discomfort etched on his face spoke otherwise. "Corio, you don't look fine," you pressed gently, leaning closer to him. Corio shook his head, his stubbornness evident even in his discomfort. "I said leave it, Y/n!" he snapped, his tone cutting through the air. you sat in silence for a few seconds as you absorbed the sting of his words. Anger and frustration surged within you, and Coriolanus let out a sigh. "Y/n, I'm-" he began, only to be abruptly cut off by the end-of-lunch bell.

Without uttering a word, you stood up and left, the weight of his scolding lingering. It wasn't that you werent accustomed to Coriolanus's temper; you had grown up together, and you had learned to navigate it. But you despised being scolded, treated as if you were a child. How dare he speak to you like that?

 The rest of your classes passed in a haze of frustration, and you dreaded the prospect of heading home. Luckily, school let out a little earlier due to the reaping, providing you the chance to head straight to my room without encountering Quincey. 

Quincey Bradford, the man your mother married just two years after your father's death, wasn't the result of true love but rather convenience. After your father's passing, your mother spiraled into a destructive cycle of gambling and drowning her sorrows in alcohol. your mother's gambling and drinking habits consumed everything you had. your dwindling funds vanished into the bottom of a bottle or at the turn of a card until there wasn't a single dollar left.You had nothing left. Even the rich were struggling in the war, but you were left with nothing. Survival became a daily fight in a world where having enough to eat felt like a luxury.

Desperation led her to marry Quincey, a move motivated by the need to ensure your basic sustenance. In the aftermath, she adopted the role of the dutiful housewife, maintaining a facade of normalcy. But as time wore on, Quincey's true nature started to show. His temper flared, and soon, your mother bore the brunt of his anger, suffering bruises and wounds hidden beneath forced smiles. She fell back into the abyss of self-pity and despair, and as you grew older, Quincey's temper extended its reach to you. He'd make spiteful remarks about your father's righteousness, only to fall when rebel's bullet finally found its mark, as if his demise were some poetic justice. 

Inspite of everything your mother stayed with Quincey and bore him two children: Benjamin and Charlotte Bradford. Benjamin, a spitting image of his father, possessed pale skin, black hair, and hazel eyes. On the other hand, Charlotte inherited the features of your mother, with tan skin, light brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Thankfully, at eight years old, they hadn't adopted the traits of either of their parents, and in the midst of our troubled home, Benjamin and Charlotte stood apart, untouched by the darkness around us. Their innocence was a comfort, a hope that they'd be shielded from your harsh reality.

As the car rolled to a stop, you reached home, grateful for the quiet. The silence signaled that Quincey and the children weren't around. Passing through the foyer toward your room, you spotted your mother passed out on the couch, a pricey bottle of wine in her hand. Calling for the maid, Christa, you instructed her to help your mother get cleaned up and into bed before your siblings returned. With that sorted, you retreated to your room, determined to finish some last-minute assignments before bedtime.

The perks of working with Dr. Gual included skipping class to assist in her lab. Currently, you were sorting paperwork while she tinkered with a new “experiment”. As you organized, you absentmindedly turned on the small TV nearby. The broadcast announced the arrival of the new tributes. Instead of the usual horse stables, they were being placed in the Capitol zoo—an intriguing twist for this year's Hunger Games.

Focused on your work, you disregarded the TV until gasps and awe erupted from the screen. You glanced over momentarily, catching a glimpse of the tributes being dropped into their enclosure. One of them bore an uncanny resemblance to Coriolanus. But That couldn't be right.

Your attention snapped back to the screen as you realized it was indeed Coriolanus Snow inside the tribute enclosure, hand in hand with his assigned tribute. Shock coursed through me as I noticed her wearing one of his grandmother's roses in her hair. "What the Fuck" I exclaimed, my voice filled with disbelief. Why was he holding her hand? Why was she adorned with his family's emblem? What the hell was going on?

The thought that the day couldn't get any worse shattered when the camera panned out, revealing Benjamin and Charlotte, escorted by your inebriated mother, approaching the cage where 

Coriolanus and his tribute stood. you felt a chill wash over your body, your face draining of color at the sight. While other children hid behind their parents, Benjamin and Charlotte showed no fear. They boldly approached the cage, even extending their hands to shake with Coriolanus's tribute, the "little songbird" whose name you hadn’t bothered to remeber. Your mother, as usual, appeared intoxicated, hiding her eyes behind dark glasses. She seemed utterly unconcerned, heedless of the potential danger her children faced by being so close to the enclosure. 

The commotion and your surprised outburst drew Dr. Gual's attention, prompting her to join you to observe the screen. Her reaction was more amused than alarmed, and she let out a giggle, taking note of your clenched fist. you tried to calm yourself, but your tension only intensified as Coriolanus was pulled out of the cage by Peacekeepers.

As if on cue, a Peacekeeper entered the lab, saluting Dr. Gual and informing her of an urgent meeting requested by Dean Highbottom. you released a deep breath, preparing to resume your work as Dr. Gual left for her meeting. However, before you could settle back into your routine, she glanced back at you with a mischievous grin."Hippity hoppity, little dove, we have a meeting to attend," she said playfully, striding toward the door. you couldn't help but give her a curious look, following her.

As you entered the high biology lab instead of heading to Dean Highbottom's office, you couldn't shake your confusion. Why were you here? Dean Highbottom's presence only added to your perplexity, his gaze scrutinizing you before addressing Dr. Gual.

"Shouldn't you be in class, Ms. Royce?" he inquired, directing his question at you. you opened your mouth to respond, but Dr. Gual interjected smoothly, "I needed her assistance for an experiment of mine."

Her words held an element of truth—you had been aiding her with paperwork—but her insistence on having your help, specifically, was alittle puzzling but you didnt think to hard about it. Before the dean could press further, a knock interrupted, prompting an annoyed sigh from the dean as he allowed entry. To your surprise, Coriolanus stepped through the door, causing a jolt of shock and uncertainty to course through me. What was happening? You asked yourself 

Coriolanus and I exchanged surprised looks, both seemingly shocked by the presence of the other. 

You stood in silence until Dr. Gual broke it “ Hippity, hoppity.” Dr. Gaul grinned. “How was the zoo?” Then she was laughing. “It’s like a children’s rhyme. Hippity, hoppity, how was the zoo? You fell in a cage and your tribute did, too!” Coriolanus’s lips stretched into a weak smile as his eyes darted over to you for some clue as to how to react. You attempted to signal him subtly, urging him to follow along with her banter. "We did. We fell in a cage," Coriolanus finally replied, uncertain of where this conversation was headed. Dr. Gaul seemed to expect more, raising her eyebrows in anticipation. Your attempts to help Coriolanus seemed futile as he hesitated, prompting Dr. Gaul to coax him further."And?" she prodded, encouraging him to continue. "We... landed onstage?" he added tentatively Dr. Gaul chuckled approvingly. 

"You're good at games. Maybe one day you'll be a Gamemaker just like my little dove here," she remarked, playfully switching her attention between Coriolanus and you.

Then, unexpectedly, she directed a question to Coriolanus, "Do you know her, my little dove?"

Confusion washed over you. Dr. Gaul's antics seemed calculated, but her probing question made little sense. She was aware that you knew eachother, so why this charade?

Coriolanus composed himself and responded, "Yes, I am familiar with Ms. Royce," but Dr. Gaul's displeasure was evident. She frowned slightly before redirecting her attention to the dean.

"Me and my little dove have work to do, so we’ll get out of your hair. When you're done, come see me in my lab, Dean Casca," she declared, heading toward the door. You followed her out, shooting Coriolanus a lingering look.

The word "familiar" echoed in your mind during the return to the lab. Coriolanus's choice of words stung. Familiar, as if your friendship was trivial, as if you were just a foolish girl trailing after him like an idiot. Unbeknownst to you Dr. Gual’s little test for you had gone just as expected.

[arguablysomaya]

please, elaborate on merlin bbc propaganda and stuff

okay basically:

bbc merlin is a show taking place during a genocide

camelot for 20 years has been genociding and ethnically cleansing everyone who can use magic, including magical creatures. They were all either exiled, fled, live in refugee camps or in hiding, and a great many were executed and slaughtered. Generally speaking, life is inhospitable in camelot for magic users.

And the show makes no attempt to hide this fact, either. We see multiple times over the death and destruction this genocide has wraught, and how radicalized most of the remaining magic population is because of it. For the past few decades, camelot has essentially been doing 2 things: persecuting magic users, and defending itself from vengeful/liberationist magic users

the king (uther) believes that magic users are (stop me if you've heard this one) corruptive, shifty, and evil. he's always paranoid that a magic user will take their revenge on him. and in a way, he's right: there are in fact a lot of magic users eager to kill him, but given the whole Great Purge and literally drowning children thing, you'd thing the show would be a bit more sympathetic to their plight. Nope.

in come merlin and gaius, our two main magic users. merlin is the protagonist, and gaius his benevolent mentor, so the audience is primed to be on their side. only one problem: from bascially the beginning of the series, these two are nothing more than agents for the very state carrying out the genocide. they devote their time to wholeheartedly defending camelot, especially from magic users, something they are rightfully called traitors for. they actively intervene to prolong the lives (and therefore regimes) of both arthur and uther, despite neither king showing any real interest in freeing their people. gauis represents the "diversity" of a genocidaire state; as someone uther only keeps around so long as he shuns any involvement with magic except what helps uther carry put his genocide, gaius hides and rejects every marginalized part of himself that threatens his access to power. even as a member of the oppressed class, he aids and abets the oppressors every step of the way. merlin, as an extremely powerful agic user in hiding, follows suit. the thing is, like so many other minority collaborators, this doesn't actually buy them safety, since they are Other, they still have to walk around on eggshells knowing one wrong move could get their heads chopped off. but this action of defending a regime that would kill you without a second's hesitation is presented as noble and heroic in the show, when in reality it's stupid at best and evil at worst. merlin and gaius might save a token kid from being brutally murdered, but they will never let anyone take action, let alone take action themselves, to proactively stop the brutality.

merlin is literally the most powerful sorcerer alive. if he wanted to, he could create a more fair, more just, better world in a blink. instead, he spends his time pretending to be a hapless servent, messing around with his war criminal friends, and killing any freedom fighter who dares to even look at the prince or king. why? well, he believes in the institutions (and a prophecy that never comes true... lol). ultimately, merlin and gauis hold the same prejudices and stereotypes about magic users that uther does: that they're untrustworthy, dangerous, and that it would be better for everyone if all but themselves (the good ones) just died or left.

and all the people they're defending the empire against... are other oppressed magic users. the VAST majority of antagonists are either magicians or magic sympathizers. even in the context of a genocide, the show takes the firm stance that the architects of genocide (the literal kings who order it to happen) are just flawed human beings who still don't deserve to be killed, while when the people they seek to wipe out fight back, our protagonists will happily mow them down. the show has no problem with killing people,and even killing innocents is only worthy of a fingerwag. it's fighting for liberation that the show makes the real problem. even when uther finally dies the show plays it like something sad, as if anyone is supposed to feel anything but joy that this old tyrant genocidaire finally kicked the bucket after having been saved a million times over from getting his comeuppance. Every magic user that has genuinely good reasons to want to tear down the kingdom are all painted with the "crazy evil person" brush.

another thing is that this show likes to get ~quirky~ with their agents of the state. along with arthur and merlin come a colorful cast of characters like the knights that you can laugh and cry with. the only problem is that despite how lovable these people are, they're still actively carrying out and enforcing a genocide. it's a bit like those tiktoks of IDF soldiers dancing or proposing. i can't feel for these people because despite seeming like relatable people, they're still engaging in something horrific. you can't escape the fact that these people can only exist in the relatively easy capacity that they do because the empire they work for is brutally repressing and eliminating entire cultures.

but the thing is, this strategy actually works. the fandom is often so taken in by fun character interactions and shipping moments that you can often witness people literally look past, or even praise their acts of genocide. these characters are so charming with each other that you can look past how awfully they treat oppressed people. yay! the prevalence of merthur brings up too many idf pinkwashing parallels it's actually insufferable. i had hoped we left oppressor/oppressed person ships behind in the 2010s but guess it's still around

by the time he takes over as king, the "great, kind" arthur is essentially an IDF soldier who only realized that Killing Is Bad Actually when he's got crosshairs on a random kid. now Reformed (TM), he takes the brave stance that he should only kill the angry bad magic users who try to exact their revenge for the whole genocide thing on him, and the peaceful (more often than not, harmless) magic users should accept the merciful counterplan of ethnically cleansing themselves from the region, or continuing to live in refugee camps, but this time with less threat of massacre. in this show, the only acceptable answer to being genocided is to either lay down and die, hide forever, or displace yourself hoping the empire doesn't come and kill you anyway. fighting back, getting revenge, defending oneself, trying to change things: these are all reserved only for the genocidal state.

in other words, bbc merlin is the exact type of genocide obfuscation that most modern genocides engage in. the suffering of oppressed peoples, even innocents, is a footnote. when they suffer, sometimes it's presented as sad, and other times it's presented as deserved. meanwhile, the suffering of the oppressors, no matter how justifyable, is always landmark and deserves our full attention and sympathies, because the thing about the oppressors is that it's always their story.

(the last thing is a common fantasy problem, which is that when you create stories where different classes have actual, material, biological distinctions, it can end up justifying the oppression. in the real world, there is a very limited range of innate human abilities, and people from across the world are largely evenly matched. but in merlin, a sorcerer actually does pose an increased threat to those around them. in terms of allegory... kinda not the best thing to so without any real refutation to the idea that magic corrupts)

so yeah. that's why i don't fuck with this show even though it's enjoyable to watch.

[cardverseut]

CLOVER KINGDOM =

• This kingdom was one of the poor and decadent of the 4 kingdoms, because of that it had a large number of thieves, assassins and mercenaries. It was not until the arrival of the new King that the kingdom began to prosper and enrich itself, positioned next to Diamante in wealth.

• There is a rivalry between the Clover and Diamond kingdom that is very strong, although the rivalry only comes from Clover. • They have one of the best armies of the 4 kingdoms.

• It is the only kingdom where its rulers are almost always ex-criminals.

• They have the best gastronomy and trade routes. _________ ♧ __________

• KING OF CLOVER =

Name: Nightmare. (Previous name: Night Joku) Age: 26 years. Spouse: Error G. Crayon. Family: ???.

Weapon / Abilities: His body is surrounded by negativity and liquid hatred that he can use at will and form tentacles that can change his density and become affiliated and hard to pierce his enemies. His staff has a hidden katana. It also has the power to feed on negative feelings that people have, making it stronger.

Personality: At first glance, he usually seems very polite and polite, but in reality he is a being who cannot bear insolence; It is known by everyone in the 4 kingdoms that the King of Clover is extremely cruel when he sets out to do it, there were many people who did not want him as king due to his past, but they disappeared. Although what precedes the King's attitude the most is the continuous hatred and competitiveness against the King of Diamonds, nobody understands those clashes between these two kings, but what is known is that, if the King of Diamonds does something, the King Clover will do the same and better. And no one in the Clover kingdom wants to anger their king.

Life before the coronation: The only thing that is known about King Nightmare for sure is that before he was known as "The Nightmare of the Seas", he was the most feared captain of the 4 kingdoms for many years, along with his second-hand Killer, a Day they described their marks and abandoned piracy to rule the clover kingdom. His past before being known as a pirate captain is unknown, but many can see that he has great hatred and dislike for the King of Diamonds.

Bonus fact: He hates sweet things. He is a reading freak and has a great library just for him.

• QUEEN OF CLOVER =

Name: Error G. (Glicht) Crayon Age: 24 years. Spouse: Nightmare. Family: Geno A. (After) Crayon (Big Brother), Fresh S. Crayon (Little Brother), Piggies Q. Crayon (Mother. States = Deceased).

Weapons / Skills: Summoning and manipulation of its magic threads that come out of the tear marks on its face. You can control people's bodies with their strings by wrapping their souls around them, but it is easy to remove control by cutting the strings. Aside from his threads, he is also extremely good with the Halberd.

Personality: Many describe the Queen of Clubs as a grumpy older cat. Her attitude is quite dry and cutting, with the few people she shows affection for is her royal family and the Queen of Sword. But he is usually quite cut between all that, although with the Queen of Diamonds the worst of Error comes out, he usually has several fights that end with the destruction of his surroundings, only his older brother or the Clover family can calm him in that state .

Life before the coronation: Born in Espada, but raised all his life in Clover. After the departure of his older brother to the kingdom of Espada, he was in charge of taking care of his younger brother Fresh. One night, however, there was a great storm on the island where they lived and their house was destroyed and carried away by the sea; Error managed to survive, but his younger brother was taken by the storm with the remains of the house. Unable to bear the thought of telling his mother and brother about his failure to save Fresh; Erase any clues from him, making believe that he died along with his brother in that storm. He lived on the streets of the Clover kingdom, stealing in order to survive, until one day he was captured by the kingdom's guards and sentenced to death. The day of his execution, being prepared to die; the King of Clover himself interrupted the execution. King Nightmare approached Error and showed the Mark of the Clover Queen that she had under her broken gloves of Error, she was immediately acquitted of all her charges and taken to the castle to fulfill her role. For saving her life, Error is indebted to her King and determined to become the best Queen for Clover.

Bonus: He loves to eat chocolate, likes to knit, and stars. She has eyesight problems, but refuses to wear her glasses in full view of people, as she thinks it makes her look vulnerable.

• JACK OF CLOVER =

Name: Killer Raha. Age: 24 years. Spouse / Lover: None. Family: All dead.

Weapon / Skill: It has a greater handling than close-range blades such as knives or pocket knives. He can summon a giant GB (Gaster Blaster) and sharp bones like stakes. He has a natural ability to hide in the shadows, he is always hidden guarding the backs of his kings.

Personality: He is a very sadistic joker and with a sense of humor that many would call sick. It is usually quite "friendly" in its own way, but make no mistake about it; his devotion to his two kings is very great and he will do everything they tell him without hesitation, one day when you least expect it he can stab you in the back without hesitation. Despite all this, he hardly ever interacts with anyone, he usually remains in the shadows taking care of his kings' backs.

Story before being the Jack: His family died in unknown ways one day (it is rumored that he was the one who killed them) and with their money he bought a ship and began his life as a pirate with some comrades.

One day he met Nightmare and after he covered him from being caught by the guards, Killer gave his boat and his crew to his new "owner" without hesitation, as a sign of gratitude and loyalty. After a few years they became the most feared pirates of the 4 kingdoms, his Jack mark appeared on his left cheek and left the piracy behind after Nightmare ordered. He and his comrades became the personal and undercover assassins of their kings.

Extra: He has a taste for spicy ketchup. He loves stars and sits with his Queen watching them on sleepless nights

[queenamayasimp]

I’m seeing a lot of “Magnifico is clearly a villain because he didn’t destroy the book of forbidden magic”.

Now, I don’t know if you’re new to fairytales but often, books like that cannot be destroyed. Like, it’s magic 101.

“But he could have locked it away” - he literally did. If he put it somewhere that he couldn’t see it, anyone could happen to find it. If he put enchantments up, anyone could have worked at them and broken through. He puts the book somewhere that he doesn’t believe anyone could take it, where it’s protected by the person he trusts most - himself.

Amaya clearly trusts his judgement too, because she doesn’t seem to protest about this wicked book living in her husband’s study. She likely thinks it’s the safest place for it, believing that he’d never use it because, well, he didn’t.

Whether Rosas is 20 years old or decades old (which makes more sense to me), he has never touched that book.

And then something happens that he can’t explain. Magic shows up in his Kingdom, and no one is admitting to using it. His nightmares about his past and his unresolved trauma flare and he gets no answers from any of the hundreds of books in his study. He probably feels powerless, like the kid watching his kingdom burn again (in fact, the junior novel has Amaya remind him that he’s not that powerless boy any more).

Amaya’s reassurance works. He puts the book down. He takes comfort from her, listens to her suggestion and asks his people for help - only for them to demand another wish ceremony. So he’s let down, knowing he’s the only one who can save his kingdom from destruction at the hands of some unknown, clumsy magic that may or may not be hostile, and he resorts back to the one thing he’s not tried. He opens the book, something we know he’s never wanted to do and didn’t want to do because he tells us this.

So did he keep the book, always intending to use it? I personally don’t think so, and considering the world we live in at the minute where everyone is triggered by something, you’d think people would have more empathy towards a traumatised orphan triggered by a potential threat to his home, who built a kingdom in the 13th Century that allowed people to live to be 100.

[ankilona]

Jiang Cheng/Wen Ruohan

Fanfiction promt, if you got inspiration from this promt, please go with your idea, and let it become a story. Nothing would make me happier than reading something like this in the future! ❤️

Jiang Cheng committed suicide in a few years after he discovered how he got back 'his' golder core. He managed to get everything in order, and appointed a heir for Yunmeng-Jiang with the stipulation, that if Jin Ling has a heir they could inherit the sect.

However instead of joining the circle of reincarnation, he travels back in time, and he awakens before they go to Cloud Recess.

He has the advantage of knowing what will happen, and he's determined not just to win, but to prevent the war.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jiang Cheng knew it was a long shot, but he really didn't see any other way out of this. He didn't wanted a repeat of what he and everyone went trough the last time, and for that he needed to prevent the war. In this way he could save not just his sister and senior brother, but he could prevent the whole chain reaction that steamed from the power vacuum wich was left behind after the destruction of the largest and most powerful sect of all. So it was boiled down to two options.

Jiang Cheng either needed to kill Wen Ruohan, wich was a ridiculous idea. The man was a step away from immorality, and some of the older people hazarded he was around a hundred years old. If you disregarded everything else, the difference in experience alone would create a huge gap between them, and the odds wouldn't be in Jiang Cheng's favour. Last time this feat needed three of them to complete, and in that time Wen Ruohan was out of his mind fron the yin iron poisoning, and the one who delivered the lethal blow was Meng Yao, who stabbet the sect leader in the back, quite literally. So the first option was out of question, wich left him with the second one.

And this is why, he was in a forest, deep in Yunmeng-Jiang territory in the middle of the night, and waited for the man, whose sect burned down his, killed his parents, and destroyed him and his senior brother's life. But he was ready to put away his pride and his personal grievance for saving hundreds maybe even thousands of life. Strictly speaking the Wen sect haven't committed the crimes yet, so he really didn't have any basis for his anger. It was hard, to write the letter in wich he invited the sect leader for this get together, but it wasn't the first time he needed to do something personally taxing for the betterment of his sect. He was used to it.

It didn't mean he wasn't nervous, so when he heard a branch snap ok his left side, he flinched, but he didn't reached for his sword. He gulped, and the other man walked in tk the clearing, closely followed by his ever present shadow, the Core melting hand. It took everything in Jiang Cheng not to react. Even if it was almost two decades ago, he could still feel as the life drained from his limbs, as he lost that extra spark that differentiated cultivators from ordinary people. But he needed to suck it up, and be present. Too much depended on this meeting for Jiang Cheng to be too lost in the past to concentrate on the present.

"What do we have here dear Zhuliu. A young foal decided to take a night run in the woods." The sect leader's voice was mocking, but Jiang Cheng was prepared. He had too thick of a face to feel offended by petty games.

"Sect Leader Wen, thank you for attending this unconventional meeting." Jiang Cheng bowed deeply and saluted with perfect posture. Wen Ruohan just lifted a brow, and stepped a bit closer, so they could have a conversation without needing to shout across the clearing.

"It was an interesting letter, wouldn't you say Jiang Wanyin? One of the big secrets heir sent me a letter, where he demands a meeting, in secret. Amd the most shocking detail, he says I need to cease my plans regarding dominating the cultivation world, and to give up the yin iron or else." Jiang Cheng could feel the power radiating from the other man. He hadn't been sure at the time, about how much detail he should reveal in his letter. He needed the sect leader to take him seriously without falling into an insane rage wich wpuld lead to the Jiang clan extinction. He banked on Wen Ruohan's famous curiosity, and made a horrible gamble. He wasn't sure if it will pay off. He didn't have anything else, but hope it will. The only thing he needed to do now is to see it trough, even if it'll coat him his life.

"I'd like to apologise for the tone of the letter, but I didn't see any other way to get your attention." Jiang Cheng felt his throat closing as Wen Ruohan stepped up right beside him. Towering over his fifteen years old body. He needed to suppress a flinch when he saw as the sect leader lifted his hand. Wen Ruohan reached out toward his face, and Jiang Cheng couldn't supress a shiver when the man cradled his chin. With a little nudge, Jiang Cheng looked straight at the other man's eyes, and then he didn't see anything else, but his living nightmares... his memories.

[gerardway-is-my-babygirl]

Renfield Anniversary Week, day 3: Favourite Scene

I struggled a bit with deciding what to do for this prompt, since I love the glowup montage so much and what It represents, but I also have so many thoughts and feelings about the apartment scene and the gym scene.

Heres a little drabble about the last 2, since I can't pick between them.

Renfield had walked out of the apartment -- his apartment -- that morning with a new purpose, a new reason to live. He had repainted and redecorated It, repairing and undoing the damage done to himself In the process, finally freeing himself from the filth and darkness that Dracula had buried him In, finally living again. The bright walls and ugly furniture are the complete opposite of what Dracula likes, and so Renfield likes them. His apartment defies everything Dracula Is and opposes everything he had tried to surround Renfield with, a sensory overload to the vampire, while a home to Renfield. He finally had a home.

Then he walked back Into his apartment that evening with everything he had worked for ripped away from him In an Instant. His hopes and dreams, his purpose, his life, they were all torn to shreds right In front of him by the same creature who had done the same all those decades ago, back when he was In the asylum. The world around him was drained of colour, tarnished by the vampire Invading the only space he finally felt happy, destroying everything Renfield had put together with his own hands. He should have known better, he should have known not to bother trying to live again, but the Idea of It sounded so wonderful that he couldn't resist the apple handed to him, never considering the consequences and only savouring the taste.

That taste of freedom was the best thing he had felt In decades, and It had rotted In his mouth the second he saw the monster In his home. He had tried so hard to defuse the situation and calm Dracula, but he was only burned when he got too close, berated for his acts of heroism, punished for his betrayal and disobedience, mocked for his weakness to Dracula's temptation. The blame was thrown onto him as always, draining every ounce of confidence he had built up over the past day In an attempt to stand up to the vampire, leaving him weak and silent. He tried so hard to follow the advice Mark gave him, tried to fight back, tried to look to the book for guidance, but In the end he was shoved Into the corner once more and forced to cower before his God.

The apartment Isn't his anymore. It's crowded with cruel laughter and yelling that fills the air. The shadows hide the monster who he had tried to escape. Every single area Dracula touched Is ruined, forever marked with Invisible bootprints that force him back Into the corner. The Imaginary stains can't be scrubbed away, no matter how many times Renfield will try to claw at the rug with as many cleaning sprays as he can find. His life Is always going to be haunted by Dracula. His home Is Dracula's now, everything Is.

He raced to the gym to try and save the others from his destruction, to somehow protect them from being ripped from their lives by a monster who was never supposed to be there In the first place. None of them listened. None of them let him save them. Did he even try to save them at all?

He begged for Dracula to spare them, but all he did was watch when the Inevitable happened. He watched.

They all fell Into Dracula's trap, unable to move or run further than a few feet as Renfield was tossed to the side like a broken toy. At that moment he knew he was no longer necessary, and how nothing he can do will stop the vampire from Inflicting pain on anyone Renfield tries to seek help from. Dracula can't let him have anything but him, knowing that even when he destroys whatever Renfield tried to put his effort Into, that he'll still come crawling back to him.

Dracula's display of power and his unnecessary slaughtering of everyone Is nothing but a game to him, amusing him temporarily In his Immortal life as he mercilessly rips at the people Renfield finally opened up to. He thought he was a hero, but he's a monster just like Dracula, a part of his twisted game, fighting on his side no matter what he does. He can't look away from the destruction, with everyone screaming as claws and fangs tear them to bloody pieces, but he couldn't prevent It even If he tried.

He couldn't prevent Mark from bleeding out, staining his useless hands with his blood but doing nothing to stop It. He was made to destroy lives, not save them.

Mark stared Into his eyes In his final agonising moments of life, and Renfield could see his realisation that he was a murderer. It doesn't matter how hard he tries to be a hero, he can't stop killing people. It's In his nature.

He started that day truly believing that he would never spill a drop of blood again, but ended It with his hands stained red.

Even his jumper, the thing that he had worn with pride as he began to rediscover himself, was ruined. Dracula had complimented It when he entered the apartment, praising Renfield for his pathetic attempt at defying him. He had even touched It, marking the fabric with bloody hands and destroying the last shred of hope Renfield had left as Mark died In his arms.

The jumper was supposed to be a fresh start, a chance for him to redeem himself and live again, to be a person and be free. He's literally letting colour and light back Into his life again after being trapped In the darkness for so long and Dracula Is just dragging him down Into the shadows again. Whatever Renfield does, he always ends up back In the darkness, caged In by Dracula's claws and held on an Invisible leash by his rare moments of kindness.

Everything Is ruined.

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

It's happening again. 

The one thing she'd hoped to prevent with her sacrifice, hoping to scrounge up enough time. The relics had all gone silent in past decade. Just as she had intended. She had been certain that she'd have enough time to find the relics, return the Light to its full power, enact her plan, and reunite with her family. 

How foolish. 

Her quest to obtain the Animus Bell was foolhardy at best. Taking a page out of Magnus's book. She knew it was a trap. The envelope appearing out of nowhere, dangling the relic over her head. It was a mistake going in. Now her joints hurt even more than they did when she was regularly running from the apocalypse and she has new nightmares to add to the rotation. Those technicolor freaks taunting her, telling her that someone in her memories, "That pudgy fellow in the blue jeans," personally handed them the relic, so doesn't this feel like he's the one punishing her and not them? 

She'd done her best to wave those thoughts away. Buckle down, redouble her search efforts. Get help creating a floating base she can actually bring people to without frying their brains or broadcasting all her sins. But even that wasn't enough. She needed help, real help. 

And she's getting it. But, even as the anticipation for their arrival makes it feel like she's got bees in her gut, she's haunted by the fact that the surface of the world is marred by another shiny, black pockmark. 

It's happening again. 

All the planning and merriment of the Midsummer Solstice, paired with the knowledge that now, thanks to the boys, she had three of the relics in her possession had put her at ease. Perhaps that was her biggest mistake, believing that somehow, someway, they'd be able to get the jump on the Hunger. But now they officially have a deadline.

Finding the Light in a year with all seven of them was hard enough most cycles. But after severing it in seven different ways, Lup gone, Davenport as good as gone, and Barry at odds with Lucretia, she has little confidence that they can  do it. Half capacity and the boys don't even know what they're looking for. They don't know why. 

Every single day she has to keep herself from fully inoculating them. It would make the process go so much faster. 

It would stop the process because they would hate her. 

It's happening again.

In the months before the redaction, everyone knew something was bothering her. She had reverted to her pre-mission self, holing up in her room for days on end, hardly talking to anyone. She took all her meals in her room,  let dishes pile up. Everyone figured that, like all of them, she was taking the destruction of this plane, their new plane, hard. And she was. And by the time Lup went missing, it was already too late for anyone to try to stop her even if they had figured it out. 

And she's isolating again. She can't hide it from anyone, but she does her best. If everyone is in training five and eight and ten hours a day, no one can notice she's hiding behind stacks and stacks of books in her office. Books that nobody on base could read anyway; the words would go swimming and she'd have to explain that. 

Just one more. 

They can do it. She can save everyone this time.

It's happening again.

She's not too proud to admit just how angry she was when she was out voted. Just because she wasn't dripping with PhDs somehow meant that her knowledge on science wasn't as valuable. The whole ship was at each other's throats for a while after that. 

That's the thing with scientists, they always think they know best. That's what got them all in this mess. Made Lup vanish. Turned Barry against her. Got Maureen Miller killed. Turned Lucas Miller into a death fugitive. If, perhaps, any one of them had listened to her, they could all be fine. But no, nobody wanted to listen to Lucretia so now the apocalypse is on their doorstep once more. 

It finally happened.

If Lucretia is being honest, she never dreamed they'd actually be able to stop the Hunger for good. By the time next Midsummer rolls around, everyone is fairly scattered. But, by some divine act, they all reconvene. 

Perhaps calling Merle personally inviting everyone to his new home is hardly a divine act. It's tenuous. Taako can barely be in the same room as her. Barry doesn't look at her. Lup looks scared of her, but graciously tries to hide it. Davenport radiates disappointment still. Magnus and Merle do their best to lighten the atmosphere. Everyone is tense as the eclipse passes overhead. They all wait for a horrible cacophony and billions of crawling eyes.

None come. The eclipse passes and each one of them exhale a century long breath. 

There's a first time for everything. Lucretia hopes that extends to forgiveness.

[astarionslittlejuicebox]

The Promise of Eternity (Epilogue)

Author: @astarionslittlejuicebox

Imagine: The reader helped Astarion ascend and became his spawn. After saving the world from the Elder brain and it’s destruction, the reader and Astarion set out to take on the world together. While he promised to never forget the gifts the reader has given him, Astarion has seemed to have changed his attitude towards the reader in the last century…. After someone breaks one of  Astarion’s rules, how will this affect the reader’s fate?

Pairing: Astarion x F!Reader

Trigger warnings: potential for minor spoilers, suggestive themes, language, mentions of death, mentions of blood, abusive relationship, mention of slavery, mentions of murder

Word Count: 787

Imagine Series

Side Notes: 

This imagine series takes place 200 years after the events of Baldur’s Gate 3.  Everything you read in here is a story from my mind outside of the original BG3 character Astarion.

In this imagine series, Astarion is a bit more unemotionally unavailable, and this series will follow the decisions and consequences of that change. This is not canonically accepted and it is just an idea I’ve had in my head! (I do believe Astarion might truly care for the reader after Ascension, but that is open to individual interpretation.)

In this series, TAV is mildly based on my first character I played in BG3; she is a drow and I will make references to her in her background and knowledge as well. I do apologize that it is not 100% your own imagine, but the name for TAV is up to you as well as anything else that I can think of leaving to you, the reader, to decide.

I appreciate everyone who reads the imagines and this series, and I hope you enjoy the story!

TAV POV - 20 years later

“Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The new Duke and Duchess of Baldur’s Gate are crowned today at noon!” A newspaper boy shouted as he held up a copy of Baldur’s Mouth in the air. Astarion and I walked hand-in-hand past the newspaper boy, in disguise as a human couple. “Read more about the former Duke’s charges and scandals on page two!” We continued our leisure stroll towards Wyrm’s Crossing, where our crowning would take place in an hour. 

It had been two decades since Ahriman and Hiedra had been dealt with, and Astarion and I were flourishing. About two years ago, after Astarion landed a position on the former Duke’s council, he had implemented and begun a societal change to how the city of Baldur’s Gate operated. Under his advice, the economy and people of Baldur’s Gate began to thrive; however, before the former Duke could claim victory with Astarion’s policies, someone had revealed to a source at Baldur’s Mouth of some…misdeeds the Duke had done over his decade-long rule. (I would say thanks to whomever did such a task, but let’s just say that disguise self is quite the useful spell.) Ultimately, this information caused the citizens of Baldur’s Gate to revolt, and they elected Astarion as their new ruler.

Of course, we had done more than just improve the economy of Baldur’s Gate. I was a prominent figure in the community for funding free public education that was actually teaching the children to thrive in the world. Tutors were provided to help those who struggled, and higher education was provided with no cost to those who sought it. Vocational training for those who wanted to work in construction and other careers was also free to those interested.

Another project of mine in the city was the construction of a community based shelter, where you were provided with the necessary tools to help those in need get on their own. The shelter provided housing and food until you found a stable job and could afford a house. Part of this project entailed building affordable homes that anyone could easily buy. 

These programs, and many others Astarion and I implemented together, enabled the city to expand and thrive. Hence when the former Duke got caught using the city’s taxes to fund his own interests, the citizens decided that the couple who cared about the city deserved to rule it.

An hour later I stood proudly next to Astarion with a crown on my head as he kneeled before the former Duke’s general placed a sword on both of his shoulders.

“By the power invested in me, I name you Duke of Baldur’s Gate.” A roar erupted from the crowd as a crown was placed upon the curly white hair of my beloved vampire. He stood up tall and looked at the crowd who had gathered to see him before he looked at me. He reached a hand out to me, which I happily took and smiled back at him.

“Citizens of Baldur’s Gate,” Astarion’s voice echoed in the hall with authority, and the room fell silent. His eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked at me, and I knew he was enjoying every minute of this moment. “I am beyond proud to be the one you have all voted to be your Duke. But, I would not be where I am today without the help of my gorgeous wife, (TAV’s name), who is now your Duchess.” The crowd erupted into cheers, which were silenced when Astarion raised a hand. “Shall we hear a speech from our Duchess?” He raised an eyebrow at me as the crowd began to chant.

“Speech! Speech! Speech!” I raised a hand and rolled my eyes at Astarion.

“Citizens of Baldur’s Gate, I am deeply honored to bear such a title as Duchess. I vow to each and every one of you that my work here in the city will continue as before: I will continue to improve the education system, provide housing and job opportunities to all, and—most importantly—I will continue to be a humble and gracious leader to you all. Thank you for placing your faith in us.” Astarion and I bowed to the crowd, who erupted in celebration. 

“Now, who is ready to celebrate?” Astarion and I asked as we straightened up. Sharing a knowing smile between us, Astarion led me by the arm into the crowd as we took our first steps as Duke and Duchess of Baldur’s Gate.

There is nothing in this world that we can’t do and no one who can stop us. Astarion’s words echoed in my head as we mingled with the crowd. We are truly the most powerful people in the world.

[the-infamous-coat-of-baron-zemo]

Times Change and We With Time

Part 1 | ? |

First of all let me say, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm going to roll with my crazy plot bunny. Also as a warning, my first foray into writing any kind of Star Trek, though I've watched a majority of all franchises.

This is a Christopher Pike / Reader story.

Lots of set up in this chapter, so bare with me.

----------

Q always drives home the point that time, is in fact, non-linear. So what happens when you realize that maybe a person's future, lies in the past?

'Times change and we change with them' - Latin Proverb

----------

Chapter One: So, That...Happened

Disclaimer | I am taking several liberties with Star Trek lore in order to mold the telling of this story. Mainly, Spock's disappearance when he went on the rescue mission to stop the destruction of Romulus's star system. We're going to negate the Kelvin timeline here and assume Spock surfaced and has been focusing on continued re-settling of the remaining Romulan inhabitants on Vashti.

OOOOO

Stardate: 2402.3

OOOOO

The Enterprise-G was quite a formidable ship. Previously known as the USS Titan, she was rechristened after the events of near Borg annihilation just a few short years ago.

You were walking back to your quarters, smiling and nodding at several familiar faces on the way.

Having served in an unofficial capacity on the Enterprise-E, you knew there was no other feeling in the world than being on a starship.

And for once, you were grateful for the lull in activity. Not racing against all odds to save the galaxy, worrying about the crew and their safety. As thrilling as that may be for some, it's nice to get back to what Star Fleet was all about, exploring.

Technically, you were never enlisted in Star Fleet. But here you were, having spent a majority of your life with them, all whom you've grown to call family. Protecting them fiercely.

With a genius mind that rivaled most all humans, you reveled in problem solving, tackling the most enigmatic challenges.

However, this came at a great personal cost. There have been many long sleepless nights, you just wished you were normal.

They say humanity has bettered themselves over the centuries. And yes, you suppose that may be true, but there are still those out there who wish to do harm. You learned that early on in life. Orphaned at such a young age, your family sacrificed their lives to protect you. Your intelligence sparked interest in parties who would use your mind to create chaos and destruction. You had to run constantly, never staying in one city too long on Earth. Though, you found the state of Montana to be quite lovely. You thought, if ever you were to retire one day, it would be there.

OOOOO

Okay, so when you mentioned you "served" on the USS Enterprise, it may have been an exaggeration. You were 10 and snuck aboard before leaving space port. The only reason you were allowed to stay was because of one, Beverly Crusher. You like to think of her as the adoptive mom you never had.

But like everyone else close in your life, she had disappeared too. That is until she resurface with her son Jack. You weren't even angry she up and poofed out of existence for 20 years. There was only hurt and sadness. You were used to people abandoning you.

So after crying and lots of hugging, of course you understood, but the loss was still palpable over those two decades.

It's funny, during your time on the Enterprise-E, once you were old enough, you essentially became a Consultant to the Captain, which is what Jack's position on this ship currently is.

That kid. What a handful. And a shameless flirt, who does not seem to care that you are nearly a decade and a half older than he is. You mostly roll your eyes at him, but occasionally, he'll get a good laugh out of you.

Over the last 20 years or so since leaving the Enterprise-E in 2379, you had bounced around from ship to ship, consulting on various odd ball requests. Still never commissioned, but Star Fleet also understood why there was a reason to keep a low profile. Those terrorists that hunted you as a child, were still out there searching for you. So, keeping your name off any official databases was pretty handy.

Until - it wasn't.

OOOOO

Your communicator beeped just as you arrived at the front door to your quarters. Entering, you tap the communicator on your jacket.

"Go ahead."

A loud sigh can be heard over the comm line, "You ready to go? We're at the transporter pad, waiting to beam down."

"Hold your horses. I just need to grab my backpack and PADD Commander Musiker."

You may have responded a bit cheekily, but you don't often use your honorary rank.

"Sorry, ma'am."

Shaking your head and laughing, you gather the remaining items stuffing them in your backpack, "Raffi, just head down to the surface with the away team, I'll follow suit in a couple minutes."

"I can wait," a very distinct male voice piped in.

"Commander, I am definitely ordering you to take Ensign Crusher planet side, now."

You could hear the abrupt rounds of laughter floating through the comm system.

"Copy that. We're heading down."

Yeah. Today was going to be a good day.

OOOOO

Away missions aren't generally something you venture out on too often. Just due to the nature of your position in Star Fleet, but you made a special request for this one.

A class M planet in the Beta Quadrant had been producing unusual anomalies since the Romulus sun went supernova. The readings were sparce and intermittent from the probe recently sent. So, to get a better understanding, command sent the Enterprise out to get more concrete findings. The data was so mystifying it even piqued Ambassador Spock's interest as well. He planned to meet you down on the planet near one of the anomalies.

But still, something seemed, off.

You beamed down within a reasonable amount of time from your last communication with Raffi. The team appeared to be setting up camp and already taking readings of the area, though you aren't sure why everyone is peering over the edge of a cliff.

Quietly approaching, you clear your throat from a fair distance behind the team, making your presence known.

Jack spins around.

"There she is. You've got to take a look at this."

He really does act like a happy golden retriever sometimes, and it is ridiculously infectious.

"Hi friends. What have we got?" You wave at everyone before leaning your head over the edge of the barren cliff. The area reminded you of the Grand Canyon. "Oh, uh - now that is trippy," your eyebrows nearly stretch all the way up to your hairline in surprise.

You weren't really sure what you were looking at. A flattened dark swirling mass of....distorting matter? You pull your backpack from around you and grab your tricorder. Giddy with excitement you attempt to get as close to the edge as possible.

"Easy there tiger, let's not fall off. We all know how clumsy you are," Raffi's voice carries nearby.

You huffed annoyed, but bite back any remarks, because - okay, you were a tad clumsy. But mostly it's because you're occupied with your head in a book or data and randomly bump into things as you walk.

Mumbling to yourself, "Seriously, what is this thing?"

"That is a temporal rift."

Your head snaps up, turning towards the newcomer.

"Spock!"

Smiling you, make your way over to greet one of your closest friends. It still shocks the hell out of you, to think you became friends with one of Star Fleet's most highly decorated.

You don't see each other very often in person anymore, but you both have a bi-monthly communication, catching up on what's going on in each other's lives. But honestly, you just enjoy listening to Spock reminisce about serving on the Enterprise. Lately, he had been sharing more and more stories about Captain Christopher Pike. And they were so good.

"You still accept hugs from friends?" Stopping short, you hold out your arms tentatively.

You know hugs aren't always his thing, but you've managed to wrangle one or two out him in the past.

"Perhaps not in front of the away team, Fleet Admiral."

Out of your peripheral, you see the team trying to look inconspicuous, as if they aren't eavesdropping on your conversation.

Sighing you drop your arms and walk closer to Spock. You jut your head over to a grouping of rocks a few meters from your friends.

"Ambassador Spock and I are going to have a quick chat. We won't go far."

You stuff your hands into pockets and gesture for him to follow.

"You know Spock, you don't have to call me Fleet Admiral."

Having fallen in step with you, his hands are steepled in front of him, "It is your rank, is it not?"

"Yes, but - it's just an honorary rank. And we're friends, you can call me by my name, you know?"

You peer up at him, knowingly.

"Indeed I do."

Chuckling to yourself, you hoist yourself onto one of the large boulders nearby.

"Okay. Time for the important questions. Why are you really here? As happy as I am to see you, this doesn't seem like something you would waste your energy on," you watch Spock stand next to you as he peers out over the vast canyon.

"You have always been incredibly perceptive for a human. You also carry with you an innate compassion for others and a will to never give up. So logic dictates, you would likely continue questioning my motives until I bare them to you."

"You would be correct," eyebrow raising in interest.

You heard a soft chuckle from the Vulcan. Spock dipped his head slightly before facing you once more.

"You remind me very much of a Captain I once served under."

Your eyeballs grew comically wide.

"What?" You drag out slowly. Narrowing your eyes, you continue "I'm assuming you aren't referring to James Kirk?"

"I am not. You may be centuries apart, but many of the endearing qualities I see in you are also the same ones reflected in Christopher Pike." Spock paused briefly, sighing quietly before continuing, "Had you have met, I believe you both would have found great value in one another."

Your jaw drops open slightly in shock.

Blinking rapidly, your brain is trying to discern what exactly Spock is implying. Great value in one another?

"Uh - thank you?" You say confusingly. Then a thought comes to mind and you perk up, "Is this why you keep telling me stories about him?"

"It is one reason, but not the only one."

You tilt your head to the side, "I'm not following. What other reason could there be?"

"Today will be the last day I see you, as I am now," Spock answers.

"That isn't exactly the response, I was hoping for. Why is today the last day I see you? Are you not well?" Alarm creeps into your voice, sounding a growing concern for your friend.

"You will understand in due time."

Standing, you rubbed a hand over your face in frustration.

"Could you not be so cryptic in your Vulcan-y ways?"

You were about to start in again, but a communicator went off.

It wasn't yours.

"Spock here," he taps on his badge.

"Ship's ready sir, just let us know when you're ready to beam back aboard," an officer's voice filtered through.

"Momentarily, Spock out."

"So, you aren't here for the mission," you reply, crossing your arms in front.

"No. I am not."

"Then why?"

"I came to say goodbye to an old friend," Spock replies softly.

Looking up at him, you notice now how somber his eyes are.

"I still don't understand."

Bobbing his head, Spock gives a look of contemplation, "I know.”

Suddenly, you're pulled into a hug.

You were grateful for the comfort, but terribly concerned. Spock normally doesn't initiate hugs, and this conversation has been very confounding to say the least.

But you trust Spock. If something were seriously amiss, he would tell you, wouldn't he?

Pulling back, you give him a fond questioning look.

Spock raised his hand to the Vulcan salute, "It has been the one of the greatest privileges of my life to have known you. You shall and always will be my friend."

"I - yes, Spock, same to you, as well," you were stumbling over yourself, stunned by his action and words.

"Live long and prosper," Spock fondly says, a small smile gracing his features.

You see him tap on his comm badge, "One to beam up, energize."

"Wha - ?"

Before you have time to responds, he's gone from your sight.

Why that sneaky Vulcan! How could just up and leave like that? Next communication session you plan on giving him an earful.

OOOOO

You make your way back over to the away team, dusting off your jeans as you walk. Spinning around slowly, you check to make sure you got all the sand off you. You weren't a true field commissioned Star Fleet officer, so you tend to only wear your uniform when you absolutely have to.

"What was all that about?" Jack says, striding up to you.

"Your guess is as good as mine," you reply dazed.

"So, Ambassador Spock is not staying for the readouts, I take it?" Raffi sarcastically chimes in.

You look over and just shake your head exasperated.

"Vulcans, what are ya going to do?" You throw your hands up in the air.

You noticed other members of the crew had separated out in pairs to collect data. The plan was to only spend one day on the planet and then return the findings to Star Fleet command, with a recommendation on what to do about the anomalies and if they posed a danger to inhabitants.

Reaching for your tricorder again, you stopped short when you heard a shuffling from a section of the area North that hadn't been scouted.

"Commander do you hear that?"

Raffi straightened up, looking around. She holds up her hand, "Everyone quiet."

The shuffling noise was becoming more prominent, closer.

"Phasers out," the Commander replied.

Funny thing. You didn't have one on you. You should really be better prepared.

Craning your neck, you try to see if there's any danger, but there are boulders everywhere.

Raffi was starting to run security protocols with the crew when you saw them.

"Commander, left at 2 o'clock," you shout.

A small group of what looks to be raiders are making their way forward to advance on the team.

And they have weapons. Wonderful.

"Take cover," Jack shouted, grabbing you and darting for the nearest section of boulders to crouch down behind.

You hear a phaser go off and shouting from members of the away team, calling out positions.

Well, this turned ugly fast, you think.

You tighten the backpack strap across your chest in a nervous gesture.

Knowing you don't have a weapon to help your team, you hit your comm badge, "Enterprise, status - we are under fire. Repeat, we are under fire. Request immediate beam up."

No response.

You tap your badge again. Nothing.

Enemy fires grazes the top of the rock you're hiding next to. You look around and see the young Crusher, side stepping his way around to the outer rim - firing every so often, but you can hear the weapons discharging from either side at increased rates. It's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured.

Raffi is several feet in front of you around another set of rocks, taking cover and giving orders while keeping her own attackers at bay.

Peering up from over the boulder you're at, you notice a pair of raiders closing in on Jack, who has now isolated himself near the edge of the cliff. You never thought he was extremely reckless, but his mother would be furious if anything happened to him.

Distracted by another raider to his right, you see the ensign focus and hit his target, but he's failed to see the other two closing in on him.

You see one of the two fractioned raiders raise their weapon, ready to fire.

Without hesitation, you sprint from your hiding place and tackle Jack to the ground barely missing the shot fired.

"Are you insane Crusher?" You yell.

"I could say the same thing about you!"

"Can we not do this right now?"

More weapons discharge over the next several minutes. The exchange finally stops after seeing another attacker go down. The Commander is calling out for a perimeter sweep and ordering a Lieutenant to find a way to get in contact with the Enterprise.

Jack stands up and offers you a hand once the all clear is given.

"Thanks for that," he replied bashfully, gesturing to the area where he was saved.

Both of you head start to head over to Commander Musiker, walking along the cliff edge.

"Yeah, well your mother would murder me if something happened -"

Cutting off your snarky reply, you're thrown back by the force of something piercing your shoulder. You cry out in pain, stumbling backwards.

Okay, maybe this wasn't as great a day as you imagined.

Vaguely, you can hear both Raffi and Jack shouting, but your ears are ringing. You reach you towards Crusher with your good arm, but you lose your footing and the next thing you know you're falling in darkness.

OOOOO

[fifteenleads]

Longing for Home

In Dion’s next life, he searches for the next ruler of his kingdom. But his heart yearns for only one person. A Juuni Kokki (Twelve Kingdoms) x Reincarnation AU.

Final Fantasy XVI | Dion Lesage/Terence | 2.5k | Gen | Complete

-

Part 1: Yearning

-

Dion's next life granted him a divine mission and an uncanny abhorrence of bloodshed.

The day his memories fully returned, his guts violently emptied themselves, and he refused to eat anything for days. The sages were all concerned, weeping silently as they entreated him day and night to no avail. Lady Genkun believed his sudden deterioration ominous for the new land he was to call home: the Kingdom of Ryuu was quickly reaching its last stages of destruction.

They couldn't be further from the truth, Dion thought, his now-frail constitution fiercely rejecting all the sins he had committed in his previous life. A kirin is a symbol of all that is pure and good, representing the hope of its kingdom for peace and prosperity for eons. Dion knows—remembers now— that he is anything but, as old blood weighs him down once more and whispers only he can hear drive him to madness.

Kinslayer, they called him. Destroyer of Twinside. Unclean. Unworthy.

Dion was no land's hope bearer. Ryuu's doom was more than certain.

Yet he refused to submit to the darkness that threatened to devour him. Such was the nature of the kirin, a being of light through which Heaven revealed its mandate to the people. So he clung to that same beacon, scattered prayers coalescing like fireflies until he recognized the one his heart yearned for, and the memory of a gentle voice broke the fever that had consumed him for days.

“Would that you were my master, but alas...”

“I will always be your loyal servant.”

Terence, the name left Dion's lips, I will find you again.

-

Calamity after calamity, yet life went on. The people of Ryuu endured, praying for salvation that may or may not come.

Terence was a soldier in this life, as well. He was the only one with memories of a past life, of wars and crystals and extinguished lives. It was all the same in his new reality, in a nation that has been kingless for decades. The Royal Ryuu had strayed from The Way, and the kirin was sacrificed for his lord's greatest folly. And Ryuu continued to pay the price to this day, as monsters ravaged the land in droves, emptying whole cities and driving people from their homes.

Last night, he had managed to let his parents escape on the last ship bound for neighboring En. They would at least be spared the memory of their son's inevitable death in the line of sworn duty to his country—a vow he knows all too well two realities over.

A new kirin inhabits Mout Hou, the hopeful rumors abounded. Ryuu's deliverance was finally at hand, at long last.

How ironic this all was, Terence thought, after they had fought for a world where no gods decided man's fate. Where mankind could live on their own terms.

Yet he'd do it all over again, if only to achieve once more the dream he and his liege shared, that fateful night at Twinside and beyond. Terence blinked back his tears, willing away fond memories of a prince he had loved and served long, long ago.

"Know that I do not ask this lightly."

"And know that I will do it."

Dion, the wind carried Terence's whisper, I will carry our hopes in this new land.

-

Part 2: Searching

-

Everyone in Houro Palace rejoiced the day Dion recovered.

Only barely, but it was as good a start as any if he was to properly seek out the one he yearned for. He was still too weak to leave Mount Hou; staying on his feet for extended hours still sapped him of what little strength his current body had.

It was on days like these that Dion sorely missed the weight of armor on his back, of his trusty lance in his hands. Kirin were forbidden from wielding weapons and engaging in combat, lest they are poisoned by malice and bloodshed. Another nation’s kirin disobeyed this natural instinct in order to save their king, only to nearly die afterward.

Dion was no ordinary kirin, however, and he was only determined to prove it—for himself, if not anyone else. He’d always risen to the challenge, no matter how insurmountable.

Many had come and gone in Dion’s first lifetime, who had served as the wind beneath Bahamut’s wings and brought him far to reach where he stood now. One in particular became a forceful gale near and dear to his own heart, and it pained him so much to have let go, to have forgotten all this time.

Now, that desire to see his beloved again grew stronger day by day, fueling him with the strength he needed to carry on.

Dion bided his time for the next few weeks, conserving his energy for what he anticipated to be a long, harsh journey ahead. He made his preparations with utmost urgency and discretion, all while avoiding the sages’ watchful gazes. He had to leave by the winter solstice, when the Reigon Gate opened for the annual pilgrimage.

In his many years on Mount Hou, Dion had never sensed the next King of Ryuu among the pilgrims. He had not understood the reason for Heaven’s silence back then, even as hundreds sought to ascend the throne and failed. Even as Ryuu fell further into darkness, its people crying in anguish to the gods that had forsaken them.

It only became clear the day he remembered his past, and he knew at once where—to whom—he must go. He could only hope Terence was well, wherever he was.

They will definitely meet again, Dion was certain of that.

-

On the day of the winter solstice, Terence embarked on the pilgrimage to Mount Hou.

Hundreds of caravans still crossed the Yellow Sea after all these years, the rough terrain steeped in dark miasma and teeming with wild beasts even more ferocious than those that crawled Ryuu’s borders. In his years as a soldier of Ryuu, Terence had received many offers to accompany those who wished to ascend the holy mountain, but he’d always refused every time, having no desire for the throne. Many of the pilgrims had made the journey more than once by now, fueled by ambition for honor and glory, among many other things.

Terence only wished salvation for his broken land. Nothing more than that.

It was all far from simple, however.

Would that he could return to his prince's side once more, Terence found himself thinking at times, when his fellow countrymen began to look to him for guidance and inspiration, the way he'd look to his own liege for the same a lifetime ago. He was no stranger to leadership at all, having served as captain of his troops in both of his lives, but the weight of the people’s hopes and expectations slowly wore him from the inside.

It made Terence understand the burden Dion carried a little more—and that it was not enough.

Perhaps this second life was indeed a means to redemption, to carry out a noble legacy that had abruptly ended before being fully realized. This new purpose filled Terence with a sense of pride and responsibility he was only too familiar with, giving him the strength and the will to carry on this uncertain path, and culminating in this journey he took now—for himself, if not anyone else.

Terence looked up to the sky, blue and red meeting gently as day slowly broke. He thought he saw the figure of Bahamut at a distance, as if his prince imparted his blessing from across worlds.

A smile crept up his lips for the first time in a long while. They will meet again someday, no matter how many lifetimes it would take.

-

Part 3: Coming Home

-

Dion ran.

He’d always preferred his real form—a single-horned golden steed—over his human one. Transforming came naturally to him, as did the gracefulness with which he raced away from Mount Hou, above and beyond the Cloud Sea, where there was no pollution, no suffering.

Where he was free.

His thoughts drifted to Terence once more, fondly recalling an afternoon from their youth as knights-in-training. Dion had yet to fully master his control over Bahamut when Terence wondered what it was like to fly.

Bahamut may not have had the capacity to scream, but the sheer exhilaration in Terence’s own voice more than made up for it. Dion reveled in his beloved’s joy, savoring the warm wind that filled his lungs and rushed beneath his wings as he sped up, all while Terence’s firm grip on his back tightened.

The memory filled Dion with renewed vigor that spread from his core down to his legs. He continued to run, galloping through an endless stretch of sky and sea. His heart swelled in anticipation; he was close—so close.

Dion plunged into the Cloud Sea, finally descending upon human land. Several caravans lined the dirt road in the direction from which he’d come. The travelers were no doubt flabbergasted at the sight of him galloping past them from above, but none of them held his interest save for one.

Ah… his eyes are as beautiful as Dion remembered, even as they widened in shock and awe and a myriad of emotions that filled his heart because—

“Terence,” Dion breathed out, “it’s me.” 

-

The group was only halfway across the Yellow Sea when pandemonium almost broke out.

“The Lord of Mount Hou?! There’s no way!”

“It’s the kirin! Ryuuki is here!”

“What if the new king is among us?”

“Finally, after so long! Ryuu is saved!”

Terence could only look to the skyline in the direction of the rising sun, as a magnificent unicorn bathed in pure light came into view. He’d never seen a kirin up close until now; it was indeed as beautiful and radiant as the legends have described.

That presence he’d felt… he didn’t imagine it, after all. Terence’s heart raced at the mere possibility. Could he really be…?

The kirin slowed down as it reached the ground, yet marched on with its head high in a straight path—towards him.

Heavy silence engulfed the entire camp at once. Everyone prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to lay their eyes on such a holy creature. Though many of them embarked on the pilgrimage desiring the throne of Ryuu, they all knew at this very moment that the kirin had finally chosen its master.

“Terence,” it addressed him in Valisthean, “it’s me.”

A plethora of emotions flooded Terence’s heart at once—shock, confusion and awe, among many others—as he fell to his knees, looking into the kindest, warmest eyes that had long filled his memories and dreams from a lifetime ago.

“My prince,” his voice cracked as he greeted his liege, tears welling up in his own eyes. “It has been so long.”

Dion moved in closer, nuzzling against Terence’s neck. He’d always loved to do that when they were alone, their closeness greatly comforting after a long day in the field or in the war room. Dion’s long mane brushed against a sensitive spot beneath Terence’s chin, and he couldn’t resist the tremble that overcame him.

A warm chuckle came over his beloved. “My apologies,” Dion mumbled, the warmth in his voice exactly as Terence remembered it. “You were always ticklish there, weren’t you.”

Dion’s kirin form dissolved in a flood of light, leaving in its place a thin, golden-haired man in white and black robes. The gaunt, weakened form did him no justice at all, but Terence immediately understood: his prince had suffered much in this world.

He immediately caught Dion in his arms. “You should rest, my prince.”

“I will, later.” Determination filled his liege’s eyes, even as he struggled to hold himself upright in Terence’s arms. “But I must say this to you first.”

Dion locks his gaze with Terence’s, his hold on Terence’s shoulders firmer. Let me do this, Dion seemed to say, his eyes filled with the same purpose that earned him the loyalty of so many through the years. Terence nodded and slowly let go.

Terence would remember the next moment for the rest of his life—his prince and commander, and the love of his very life, bowing to him reverently as he recited the sacred oath of the kirin: "I bestow upon thee the crown by the will of the Heavens. I swear never to desert my post before thy throne, I swear never to disobey thy orders. I pledge to thee my loyalty and protection and the promise of the Heavens."

Dion looked up after uttering these words, radiating warmth and joy and hope. Terence remembered his prince’s wistful wish from a lifetime ago. It was not a mere desire to yield or give up, but a deep, earnest longing for someone to stay by his side. For someone to be himself with, to be free to live and love with for the rest of their days.

There could only be one answer: “I accept.”

With that, the pact had been made, and Terence became the new King of Ryuu.

-

The size of Tankei Palace rivaled that of Whitewyrm Castle, but its design reflected a serene simplicity that was vastly different from the conventions of their old world. Dion found that he liked the scenery here, the gentle changing of the seasons calming his heart the way Oriflamme never did.

He had confided as much to Terence, his king, who was currently fussing over him in the privacy of their own pavilion overlooking the Cloud Sea. It had been all too easy for them to fall back into old habits, even after all this time. Way too easy.

Dion stifled a soft laugh at the thought, prompting Terence to look up from his teacup, “Is something wrong, my prince?”

“Only Dion, please,” he reminded his king yet again. “We are no longer in Valisthea. You are my master now in this world.”

Terence’s face immediately flushed at that statement. The effect had been more than what Dion had intended, but he would not content himself with that just yet. “I am serious, Your Majesty. It would be best for you to get used to your new position now before we receive the Divine Mandate. The denizens of this world take hierarchy and protocol more seriously than back in Sanbreque.”

They both knew well how the twelve kingdoms worked, having already lived enough of their lives in this second reality granted them. Even after everything that had happened and all the things they had done, they had found each other, despite all the odds and misfortunes and sins that tore them apart. 

It was more than enough to be grateful for.

Terence had finished considering Dion’s words, huffing in reluctant agreement. “I understand, Dion. I should listen to my Taiho’s counsel from here on out.”

“That you should,” Dion nodded wisely. “And in turn, I will always be by your side to support you.” A tender smile graced his lips. “Like I always have.”

“Like we both always have,” Terence corrected, gently kissing Dion’s forehead.

-

THE END

Overview of The Twelve Kingdoms

Kirin, as depicted in 12K

The pilgrimage (Shouzan)

About the series (Please please please read/watch it! You won't regret it, I promise!

[finitepeace]

september reads: hannigram

Fortune’s Fool by CoraWritesThings | 25k words, WIP last updated 2022 | In Louisiana, a serial killer dubbed “The Grimm Reaper” has murdered three people and left their corpses in twisted versions of fairytales. Jack Crawford sends Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter to follow the case’s leads, and their investigation leads them to the carnival, where an encounter with a mysterious fortune teller leaves Will shaken. Now, it seems as though her predictions for Will are coming true...and that isn’t exactly great news, considering that they include deceit, death, and a deep, soulmate-like connection with Hannibal that holds the potential to be more destructive than everything else combined.

Once More, With Feeling by FourthAxis | 10k words, last updated 2017 | Hannibal sat up, groggy from sleep and confused as he looked around. He was not in a hospital bed, nor the narrow cot of his prison. Or any prison for that matter. The bed was familiar, as was the room, because once they belonged to him before the machine of time and unfortunate events turned it into a walk-in museum for curious tourists. Or -- After taking a tumble off the cliff, Hannibal wakes up to a world several years in the past, his memories intact, and the fateful first meeting with Will just about to happen. This time around his priorities are a bit different.

through a glass by amare | 46k words, M | Will wakes up in a universe where he and Hannibal are dating

les bois du cerf by Breakmybones (CarterReid) | 24k words | Will was different, that was obvious. He dreamed of killers, darkness and flames devouring feathers - things that no normal person would ever think of. But he wasn't normal. And neither was his soul-mark.

He Who Holds the Devil by astramaxima (shotgunsinlace) | 53k Words, WIP | A missing persons case turned homicide sends the FBI overseas, to a grisly scene at the foothills of a medieval castle. A decades old mystery slowly unravels into a complicated web of things best considered unreal, and left untouched. At the center of it, Will Graham bears the burden of madness and suspicion when all roads lead, inexplicably, back to him.

Mischief Nights: A Romantic Comedy for Serial Killers by astramaxima (shotgunsinlace) | 28k words | He’s supposed to be the lure, but somewhere down the line he lost complete control of the situation. It starts with a social worker inside a horse, followed by his psychiatrist driving an hour to the middle of nowhere to bring him homemade pumpkin spice coffee, and ends with an invitation to a dinner party on Halloween. The week can only get so much weirder.

More Myself Than I Am by StratsWrites | 9k words | Everyone has a soulmate. Someone they will connect with on such an intimate level that they are like one mind in two bodies. It comes on the cusp of adulthood, a shared link between two minds. It will start with feelings, emotions shared across the connection. Some people claim senses; smell and sound. Those who are thoroughly, intensely intertwined can claim to send their very thoughts towards each other, although it’s generally considered bad luck to use the connection to find each other sooner than you are meant to. It is a wonderful thing, to know that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, somebody out there will understand you. Or at least, it’s supposed to be.

The Borderland State by nekosmuse | T, 42k words | Three years after Hannibal's arrest, Will Graham stands on the front porch of his Georgian seaside home and watches twin headlights navigate the winding stretch of his lane. There is only one reason Jack Crawford would travel all this way, in the rain: Hannibal Lecter has escaped from prison, and no one knows where he is.

How To Save A Life (The Cannibal-Friendly Handbook) by Kittendiamore | T, 3k words | Will tries to jump off a bridge but ends up offering himself up to a cannibalistic serial killer

radon and its daughters by chaparral_crown | 59k words | Hobbs doesn't go away after he dies. Neither does his daughter, or Will's desire to keep her and any that are like her, or Hannibal's insistence that he must, no matter how ill-suited Will thinks he is to be a parent. Season 1 AU.

The Way A Knife Loves A Heart by Linpatootie | 23k words | Will Graham is unprecedented in Hannibal Lecter’s life and he falls for him with a kind of messy violence. This doesn’t bode too well for our Will, but he may not object to it as much as one might expect.

[oc-aita]

Am I the asshole for saving the life of my evil ex-boyfriend?

Long story on this one, sorry. I (25, NB) am the reincarnation of a member (1000+, NB) of the council that used to rule the world hundreds of years ago, when society was (almost) utopian. Then a terrible apocalypse happened and the best solution anyone (unrelated third party, not me or the council) could find was to split the world into several crappier worlds, which also caused people to have finite lifetimes, susceptible to disease, weaker magic, etc.

Unfortunately, everyone else on the council that my past life (that I have some memories of) was on formed a death cult to destroy the new worlds in order to bring the old one back. (Said death cult members *might* have been mentally influenced, I'm not 100% sure though.) This included my ex-boyfriend (5000+, M), whom my past life broke up with because we disagreed about how to resolve the apocalypse.

For the past several years my friends and I have been fighting against this death cult. Recently we've been trying to save one of the worlds from the brink of total destruction, and the death cult member responsible for the state of that world (who ended up being said ex) kind of just tagged along to watch, to see if we could 'prove' that we deserved to exist. He helped us at some points but was also a needlessly huge asshole who put some of us through some serious emotional hardship. We also realized that at one point he disguised himself as a normal guy and ended up founding + ruling a fascist, conquering, atrocity-comitting empire for several decades as part of his death cult plans.

Long story shorter, he was so deep in the death cult juice/grieving for the past society for hundreds (thousands?) of years that he finally lost it and tried to kill us. So my friends and I fought back and managed to kill him. But, at this point, I realized he was my ex, and I managed to heal him to bring him back from the brink of death (still seriously weakened though; I knew we would be able to safely contain him if he was still hostile.)

Me and him talked it out. We're not the people we used to be, and we're not going to be able to love each other like we used to. But I think I've got him to come around on seeing the value of the people of the new worlds. I'm going to keep him on a short leash and he can use his knowledge and magical prowess to help us stop the rest of the death cult in penance. (He was weakened by the whole mortal-injuries thing so we're confident we can kick his ass again if need be.) Also, he can write down records of the old civilization so its legacy will endure beyond just the death cult.

This seems almost too perfect of a solution, but some of the friend group are pretty clearly not pleased about not having him around (he *was* a dick to them, especially to our youngest member), and I'd be the first to say that there are many others I've failed to save who deserved a second chance more. But I'm not doing this just because of my past life's memories- really, it's pretty heartbreaking to have him around- I really think this is the best option for the bigger picture of protecting the worlds. So, am I the asshole?

[sithskywalkerr]

we cannot save you, enjoy the ride.

Summary: Plans faltered for the Sith after a momentary setback with the Jedi Temple falling back into the Republic’s hands. The Jedi, who were already split up, faced even greater challenges as the future of the Force became increasingly uncertain. Despite the Jedi’s best efforts, however, it seemed that the odds were stacked against them as the Diseased continued to gain ground in the capitol region. Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Padme Amidala, Count Dooku, Palpatine/Sidious Warnings: graphic depictions of violence.... everyone just going through it per usual. Ships: Anidala Word Count: 6.4k A/N: Who-hooo. Managed to get Chapter 2 up and running after publishing the first. Of course, things are dramatic because Palpatine is dramatic for no reason. RIP 2 Ani. Your life about to be super fucked up, and pour one out for Obi. He needs seven drinks. Chapter 3 is going to be fully reworked because of how this chapter came out. So!!!! Follow my Twitter and here for any updates regarding it! Odds are I am posting some sort of updates! Now, it's going to get good and I'm never going to emotionally recover from this. Read here on ao3!

Dark clouds rolled onto the Count’s estate as he waited for his Master to arrive. As brown eyes slowly scanned the expansive gardens in the back of the property, he took in the vibrant beauty of the garden. Sidious had ensured his safety, but looking past the garden fences was a more desolate area than the streets of Coruscant. He had fooled himself that he would be spared from all of this rampage and destruction, and while his property had flourished in the desolation of the Serenno region, now there were the slow claws of doubt grabbing at his throat. Sidious had reassured him that the area would flourish after the Order and the Republic were eradicated. That “true order” would rise with the Empire when they could finally strike after decades of planning. Even then, the Dooku kept his doubts to himself to avoid becoming one of the infected, but they lingered in the edges of his mind. 

Pushing the thought away, he was alerted of his Master’s arrival, with guards leading the Sith Lord into the room. There was no wasted time as the Master’s voice came with a sneer curling at his lips. “Tyranus, you have failed again. The Jedi have gained more control over Coruscant and are back within the Temple.” 

Bowing as he took a knee, Dooku lowered his head. “My Lord, the Jedi have crafted blasters powered by the kyber crystal to be able to kill the Diseased. They have regained nearly twenty percent of the capital.” 

“Then make it back to zero percent,” Sidious went to the balcony to watch the darkened skies with yellow eyes peering through his hood’s shadows. The failure made him more inclined to discard Dooku as soon as he broke the Jedi and separated Anakin from the group. Only then could he make his move. Still… the use of harboring the crystal’s power was a new setback. That could give the Jedi more ground to push against the Diseased and the Separatists. 

The harsh tone of his Master made Dooku let his eyes search over him. There was always a cloud over Sidious through the Force, a bubbling, twisting darkness that could not further indicate motivation or even more pieces of himself. That darkness had only seemed further darkened and tinged with a more profound hatred as Sidious thought things over a moment. 

“I want you to go to Geonosis,” he slowly turned to face his apprentice. “The Jedi must be separated for the plan to work. First, begin with Skywalker’s apprentice. Even if you must make her Diseased, make it so she cannot return to the Order.” Dooku ignored the rumbles of thunder as he bowed his head momentarily,” Yes, My Lord. I’ll use the factory there for the Diseased to overwhelm them.” Making Kenobi and Skywalker suffer was only a bonus if he could separate them. 

“Good, your life depends on this success.” A twisted smile was visible beneath the hood as Dooku straightened,” then I will ensure that it does not fail. Skywalker will be isolated. The ridges and canyons of Geonosis can help with that. Perhaps also infecting one of their beloved Masters to lure them away.” 

“One less Jedi to deal with as well. Good. Ensure it happens.” Moving past Dooku, Sidious made his way out of the doors as he continued to speak. “I must return to the capital. Keep communications at a minimum.” 

The Count watched him vanish from the room before he let his eyes fall to the ornate tile of black and gold beneath his boots. Skywalker would have his fall, even if he personally made sure it happened. Returning to the darkened sky, he watched as heavy rain began falling on the grounds below. 

First, he would have to lure the groups to Geonosis… perhaps with someone needing to be saved. The person he knew that would bring them together was a Senator, but he knew that Padmé should not be underestimated. This would undoubtedly be a difficult test, or he could use the factory to lure them there. He watched the downpour in thought, arms going behind himself as a heavy sigh began to escape his lips. He knew if he didn’t bring success, this would very well be the end of his life. Sidious only had so much patience, and it was nearly depleted with the slow progression of his plans and requests. Then, he was to be sure that he did not fail.

As storms dampened the earth on Serenno, the towering city of Coruscant was nearly empty in a golden haze of destruction. Abandoned streets stayed open from everyday activities, and even the under-city had begun to see the effects of the Diseased through the cantinas and seedy areas. Boots crushed scattered papers into the city’s concrete ground as Anakin used a data pad to log the damage from the most recent wave. Ahsoka looked around, still unable to believe the former neon-lit area was now in ruins. Buildings started to see external damage from the Diseased trying to find survivors they could feast on. “It’s so different now… nothing is open down here.” 

“Safety of life couldn’t be guaranteed even by the most feared criminals. Why stay?” He looked at her, tucking the pad into his bag as he surveyed the area,” I haven’t been down here in awhile. Apart from the obvious, it’s never truly changed. Trafficking, spice deals, and anything else you can think of happened here.”  “And now it’s nothing.” She looked up to him as he shrugged absently,” Eventually, it would have been taken care of by the Republic… but not like this. The Diseased certainly have their own unique way of a clean up.” He moved to a building that was a former shell of trafficking, glove brushing at the marks in the concrete. “Their strength is getting better. Even my cybernetic couldn’t cause this level of damage.”

Ahsoka came over to look it over, that familiar feeling of dread in her chest returning as she briefly glanced up at Anakin to see his expression. He didn’t seem more bothered by it than usual as his brows furrowed while he inspected a mark.

“I’ll call Obi-Wan.” She got her holo-com out, setting it to Obi-Wan’s frequency as she waited for him to answer. It took a moment, but soon, the holo bust of the Jedi was visible as he looked at her,” is everything okay, Ahsoka?” 

“Yes, Master. None of the infected are here, but the damage they’ve caused is worse than our previous waves. Nothing like the medicine woman from Endor.” She briefly looked at the wall’s damage before returning to the holo,” it seems like their fingers can cause damage to exterior walls, but they aren’t able to break through.” 

“I’m sure it will only be time until they can. This is mutating too quickly to have it as a natural occurrence — there must be genetic alterations happening to the virus itself.” 

Anakin came closer, the holo casting him to Obi-Wan,” I agree, Master. Who knows how much strength they’ll have within the subsequent few waves. Then, no one would be safe in any building — Coruscant would have to fully evacuate.” 

Ahsoka nodded, looking back to the Obi-Wan as he thought for a moment as his brows furrowed. Lips pursed as his eyes searched a moment on the console before him as a few clones absently worked on information around him in the communications room. “Genetic alteration is the only explanation for how they have been able to mutate so swiftly, and we can believe that the Confederacy is behind this. There were genetic alterations to Grievous when he was alive, and an operation of this scale would require more materials and wealth than Dooku. Whoever his Master is could be using the Diseased as an army to destroy the Republic and the Senate with help from Separatists. And with the fall, the Sith can rise to power. I’ll update the Council with the data, stay safe and make your way back to the Temple.” 

Ahsoka and Anakin echoed out a ‘yes, Master’ before the holo ended, and Ahsoka tucked it away in on her belt as she looked up to him. “If it is the Sith, it’s worse than we thought.” 

“They could be using the Dark Side to control the changes as well,” he nodded as he tucked away the datapad,” but it will be a better point to go off of an investigation. The more data we retrieve, the better we know how to stop the outbreak and who is causing this.”

“I hope we can slow it down at least,” she softly sighed, looking around,” but at least we aren’t being shoved around in a crowd.”

“I think that’s the only plus in this whole thing,” Anakin laughed as he began to lead them to the speeder. “Every major city is essentially vacant now.” Blue eyes moved to scan around, and equally, he hated the new silence that fell on Coruscant. The once neon-lit streets were now only lit by the sun, and the traffic sounds had become a haunting silence. Only officials and the Jedi had lingered behind, tirelessly working to figure out how to save those infected. Little progress had made some of the officials abandon their region’s representation within the Senate, and the power shift moved to give Palpatine a higher role as Supreme Chancellor. 

Climbing in, he got it set as he glanced at Ahsoka briefly,” We can only hope that we can continue to stay steps ahead rather than behind.” She hopped into the speeder, getting herself buckled in as blue eyes scanned the sighing under-city as cold winds brushed her vitiligo-dotted skin. “I cling to that hope.” 

At least one of them did.

Arriving back at the Temple, Anakin got them into the makeshift docking station, hurriedly getting them in to avoid being detected. It was clear even now in the higher levels of the capital city that the Diseased would do anything to finally get their meals in, even if it meant lingering on loading docks. Luckily, they were in the clear this time as they rushed into the Temple door, latching it shut. Exhaling softly, Anakin handed his bag to her,” Here, a forensic droid might be able to analyze these samples to understand the pressure needed to break them. We can then at least gauge their strength.” 

Grabbing his bag, Ahsoka gave a sharp nod as she listened, getting the strap over her shoulder. “Where will you go?” 

“I’ll talk to the Council, and I’m sure they’ll want me to relay the information to the Chancellor. Have the droid analyze as much of the evidence as possible,” he pointed at her briefly as he backed away, dark brows briefly arching as she smiled a little.  “I will. I’m going now.” She gave a shake of her head before moving through the halls of the Temple. She glanced up at the statues of Jedis from the past, sighing softly.   Maker, give me strength. 

Anakin lingers a moment as he watches her head down the hall before finally turning to get to the higher level of the Temple to the Council chamber, and he let his arms fall to his sides as he walked with lips pursing momentarily. He hoped that it could be easily explained, something more numerical than all the guessing they had to do to get by. Using his long legs to swiftly carry himself up the steps, he got to the platform with the elevators, hitting the up button with a soft sigh. 

It felt like it was one war after another. First, the rise of the clones and trying to fight back, but the fall of Grievous by the hand of Obi-Wan helped that war end. It was against the Diseased, and the Separatists still wanted to use it to their advantage by going after already crippled regions. Though, this war seemed bleaker than the last, and that gnawed at him at night when he couldn’t sleep. It was worse now that Padmé or any other official couldn’t safely be in the city for long, but at least the streets were safer for Senate meetings. 

Pausing at the thought, the doors pinged open, and he slid in, smacking at the level button as he crossed his arms. If the Senate was safe from the Diseased with every crucial meeting, a member of the Senate was betraying the Republic. But who? As Obi-Wan had said, it would be someone with significant wealth or connections to wealth. 

Getting his comlink, he set it to Ahsoka’s frequency,” Hey, Snips. Have the droid go over recordings from the Senate as well.” She was getting to the room, making a soft noise at his voice before she lifted hers,” what should it be looking for?” 

“Anyone with significant absences or always at the meetings, no matter the threat level.” 

That was strange as she paused momentarily after setting the bag on the table.

“Why?” 

“Just following a hunch.” 

“Alright, Skyguy, but that’ll cost extra,” she teased before unpacking the evidence bags and containers. “I’ll let the droid know now and then report to the Council with any immediate findings.” 

“Thanks, Ahsoka.” He let his arm drop again, frowning absently as his eyes scanned the ornate elevator ceiling. Straightening, he squared his shoulders as he exited the elevator when it stopped, moving swiftly down the hall. Approaching the doors, his expression was unreadable as he spoke with the guards. One slipped in to alert the Council of his arrival as he absently leaned against the wall, lips pursing with a slow sigh. He let his head momentarily rest against it, straightening up when the guard returned from inside. 

Once permitted to enter, he slipped in, giving a bow of respect to the Council as he signed while speaking,” Ahsoka and I have just returned from being in the lower levels of Coruscant, and as expected, the Diseased have caused it to be empty. The most concerning is the damage done to the exterior walls.” He took the data pad offered to him by Obi-Wan as he got the photos projected to the Council. “Once again, the Diseased are showing further heightened strength than the last waves have been by reports from Hoth and Tatooine.” 

The members looked at the photos as Anakin slowly went through them, and Windu only felt dread beginning to surface again as he observed the picture of the finger marks in the side of one of the well-known spice spots. “I had Ahsoka take samples to the forensic droids to hopefully understand the material and the pressure needed to break it. I also instructed her to have the droid go through footage of the Senate as I believe there is a connection to wave timing and meetings regarding the outbreak.”  Obi-Wan paused at the mention of the Senate, head slightly tilting as he momentarily frowned,” Anakin, we need more evidence before we can consider the Senate.” Still, the observations made him more wary,” wave timing?” 

Yoda and Mace look back to Anakin as he lets the holo turn off, glancing at Obi-Wan,” Most representatives have opted to do virtual meetings or leave the Senate, but the members that do come in person rarely have an attack on them when they gather. If there is an attack, it’s on those who oppose the Confederacy, and we know that Dooku has dealt with Senate members before. It’s also possible that the Sith could have returned and allied with the Separatists.”  That made Yoda straighten more in thought, brown eyes slightly narrowing as he signed,” Important, this is. Members of the Senate, considered they must be.”  

Nodding, Mace looked at Obi-Wan and Anakin briefly,” It could give us a start to understand who is causing this. A virus like this could not naturally occur, but it could be part of the Dark Side… When Ahsoka scans the recordings, it can help give a clearer picture of who is causing this.” Nodding as he thought about how it made sense, he looked to Anakin,” Thank you, Anakin. Is there anything else?” 

“No, that was all to report.” He tried to hide a hint of a smile as he straightened up, handing the datapad to Yoda when he asked for it.

Obi-Wan glanced at the other members, feeling a swell of pride at his former padawan being praised. If they let the droid observe the recordings, they may have already believed the Senate to be a part of it. Watching Anakin head back out after being instructed to inform the Chancellor, he spoke softly,” If the control is in the Senate already, how would we determine this?” The other members paused, but Windu said first,” Carefully. We need to keep it discreet to use it to our advantage. An antidote could have been created.”

Anakin got to the communications room, asking to be connected to Palpatine as he moved to get a headset on to keep it relatively private. It wasn’t long until the holo showed the familiar face to Anakin as he smiled,” Anakin! Good to see you’ve returned from your small trip. Obi-Wan had said you were studying the under-city?” 

“Unfortunately, the Diseased are getting strong enough to break through exterior walls. If this is true, then we will have to evacuate Coruscant sooner than later.” He debated whether to tell the Chancellor that footage was being reviewed, and it seemed like Palpatine had picked up on the conflict.

“Is something else troubling you, Anakin?” His tone was still kind, eyes softening as he watched the Jedi Knight inhale deeply. “We also believe that the person or group behind this can be part of the Senate. There are usually no attacks when high-priority meetings are happening.” Looking up, he watched as the Chancellor thought about this for a moment,” that is a possibility. Good. It’s good to look at all of the angles.” And now, he needed to speed his plans up.  

Anakin nodded,” that’s all to report about our leave. We’re waiting on any results from the droid.”  “Send the reports to me when possible.” 

He looked up as his guards came in, speaking softly as he nodded.

“I’m needed for something, my boy. I must let you go.” 

“Of course, Chancellor.” 

After the communications were cut off, Anakin paused as he felt a tremble through the building. His eyes moved to the others in the room as they looked back at him worriedly before he ordered them to be patched through to security. Voices were frantic as they confirmed that the Diseased began to break through the lower levels, showing a live feed of them pouring into the bottom building of what the Temple was attached to. Of course, it didn’t seem like it would be long until they entered the Temple itself. Anakin ordered the staff to evacuate, and security set the alarm off as it started to blare through the Temple.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened as she struggled to suddenly help the droid get all of the evidence back in the containers and bags, hearing everyone starting to gather at the loading docks as the alarms blared in her ears. Obi-Wan moved quickly through the Temple, getting to Ahsoka with relief as he explained that Anakin had told him the disease had broken through the lower level. Her eyes widened at that, looking at him briefly as she shoved the last container in, instructing the forensic droid to be ready to move. 

Obi-Wan got his comlink set to speak with Anakin, watching the halls close. “Ahsoka is getting the forensic droid ready for transport. Then we’ll be in the loading bay. We will have to make our way to Naboo or Alderaan.” 

“Naboo is closer,” he responded,” it’s almost going to be nightfall. I can tell Padmé as you two get the evidence.” 

“Good, be safe,” Obi-Wan spoke as he helped Ahsoka prepare for evacuation with the droid. She followed him through the halls, soon in a crowd of others getting ready to evacuate as Obi-Wan instructed everyone to ready the shuttles for Naboo. 

Anakin had grabbed a datapad from the Council room, shoving it into a backpack he retrieved from his room that was ready for evacuation. At the same time, he had alerted Padmé that more refugees were coming. Inside, he had more rations, first aid, and files regarding the Diseased, and he ran through the nearly empty halls before spotting Ahsoka motioning him over. 

“Come on, Anakin! The others have evacuated.” He glanced back to the advancing Diseased, throwing the bag towards her as he ignited his saber,” go!” 

“No, we’re not leaving without you!” She ignited her own, moving to get near him. As they battled back the Diseased, they moved back to the doors, and Ahsoka kicked the bag through before using the Force to push Anakin through. 

“Ahsoka, no!” His eyes widened as he moved to get up, but she had shut the doors by then, starting to battle the Diseased. Anakin proceeded to bang on the doors, fear gripping him as his eyes widened before he let out a frustrated growl and plunged his saber’s beam into the control panel. Unknown to him, Obi-Wan watched from the modest ship as Anakin used the Force to tear the doors open to show a surprised Ahsoka as she finished a decapitation.

“We are not leaving without you either!” He moved back to her side as Obi-Wan only shook his head, moving out of the cockpit. He used the Force to bring the bag to him, placing it into the ship,” enough! Both of you board now!” Anakin glanced back and used the Force to push back the wave before Ahsoka, and he made their way up to the ramp. Obi-Wan moved into the cockpit to get the ship ready to leave immediately. As the both of them made their way in before Anakin hit the button to the ramp. 

Watching it begin to close, his chest heaved from the fight as he shouted as a Diseased sunk her fingers into the metal after jumping to get her way onto the ramp,” Karking dwang!” She tried to claw her way through, inhuman sounds escaping her.

“Language!” Obi-Wan barked back as Anakin used his saber to beat her off before stepping back as the ramp shut. 

Ahsoka only let out a weak laugh at the both of them as she leaned against the wall momentarily,” We nearly got attacked, and he’s yelling at you for swearing.” 

“I wasn’t expecting them to try to continue to get onto the ship,” Anakin frowned, moving past her to get to the cockpit, and he got into the seat beside his Master. 

“You should expect them to be desperate to get food, especially if we’re the closest ones,” Obi-Wan glanced at him, briefly arching a brow.  

Anakin only briefly rolled his eyes, getting Naboo’s familiar region coordinates. “I couldn’t leave her there to die.” He knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he lost her to something so stupid.

“I’m not blaming you for your actions… even if you did make it impossible to close off the dock for a safe landing.” 

“I don’t think we’ll return to the Temple soon, Master. There were too many of them swarming in.”

Obi-Wan knew he was right, glancing at him with a soft sigh. “Hopefully, they do not cause too much damage to the structure or archives…. What did you grab, Anakin?” 

“First aid, more rations, and a datapad since it has all of the information we know of the outbreak on it.” He said simply as he got the craft steadier. Ahsoka finally moved to sit down with a soft exhale. 

“Good, but it would have been fine even if we lost it. The both of you put your lives in danger over keeping a droid and a datapad — items that are not worth that risk.” He shook his head absently as they zoomed through the regions on their path to Naboo, glancing down at the clearly destroyed tracks. “But, Padmé and the Queen are aware of our arrival?” 

“Yes. I was communicating to Padmé as I gathered everything.” She definitely didn’t enjoy actively hearing her husband fight the disease as he tried to get ready. 

Ahsoka looked at the aching point in her arm, brows furrowed before her eyes widened at seeing a graze of a bite on her skin. “How long does it take for the Diseased to be infected and changed?” 

“Seconds,” Anakin said before the question made them both turn their heads to look at her as she raised her eyes to them. “Well, at least it’s already been seconds.” A weak laugh escaped her lips as the two only seemed more alarmed as Obi-Wan moved from the controls while Anakin took over. 

“Let me see it.” She was still tentative before holding her arm to him as he moved to get better light on it,” it did break the skin, but it looks like you haven’t been infected. It must not spread by saliva, but it could spread by blood, air, or prolonged contact.” 

“If it was airborne, then we would be infected,” Anakin said simply as he glanced back again, slowly releasing the tension in his shoulders as he looked back ahead at the elaborate cathedrals of Abednedo stretched out around them. 

“Not necessarily. We’ve set strict protocols in the Temple, and the air has been ventilated more since the outbreak began to help reduce any outbreak possibility inside. It might also be because of midi-chlorians protecting us,” Obi-Wan mused as Anakin glanced back at them, his lips pursed a moment. 

“To a degree. We have lost a few Jedi to it,” the pilot nodded, letting his grip on the steering loosen up. “The infectious state of it doesn’t seem to stay the same. It might change to certain needs.”

Ahsoka only nodded as she watched them, settling back as Obi-Wan moved back into his chair as they approached the Naboo airspace. “It would prevent an outbreak if it wasn’t airborne.” 

“And, it would protect the Senate the most,” Anakin said simply as he got the communications open, requesting permission to land. After a smooth landing (for once), Ahsoka aided the forensic droid out as Anakin grabbed his bag. Still on guard, they were greeted by Padmé and a few guards as they moved from the ramp when they finally exited. 

Padmé smiled brightly, looking between them,” fashionably late, as usual.” 

“Well, Ahsoka decided to try to fight off a few Diseased,” Anakin said with a slight grin as he nudged her. 

Ahsoka shoved him away almost immediately, looking at Padmé as she spoke,” They got too close to us.”

Padmé’s eyes softened as she watched them, though her smile fell with the close call. “You’re here now. That’s what is important.” 

Obi-Wan nods briefly as she speaks, following her as they head inside the large, ornate palace. Anakin couldn’t hide his slight smile as he trailed along with Ahsoka, though it was brief enough that his padawan didn’t notice it. Hopefully, through it all, he could see his wife more. He let his eyes briefly over her, wanting nothing but to pull her close. 

Once inside, they met up with the other council members, and Anakin handed over the datapad before moving closer to the walls as they spoke about the escape. He slipped out when they weren’t looking, roaming through the palace before he saw his wife’s silhouette on a balcony in her room. A pleased sound erupted within his chest as he made his way over, grabbing her waist. She jumped at the unexpected touch, turning while ready to fight back if needed. She seemed to relax at the sight of him, a flush spreading on her cheeks. “Ani. We could get caught.” 

“It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world right now.” 

She straightened up, head tilting as she only gave him a look, and he laughed softly as he moved to lean on the railing with arms crossing over his chest. “I know. I know. Don’t worry  … How have the borders been recently?” 

“They’re secure, but we have been working on it for over a month to keep our region safe. There were a few moments when it was uncertain. What has Coruscant been like?” Anything to keep her mind off of the announcement she had to tell him… Maker, hopefully, he would be happy.

“Too quiet.” His eyes moved along the familiarity of her bedroom, lips pursing a moment before he looked back over to her. “Ahsoka and I went into the under-city earlier. It looked like the Diseased would be close to breaking through walls.” His voice dropped to be audible only to her,” When will you be finished with things tonight?” He faced her more as his arms fell to his sides, head slightly tilting as his gaze bore into her. She was used to his intensity, only softening as she checked her room before brushing her palm to his scarred cheek. 

“Past 2100. Plan on sneaking in?” 

Leaning into the touch, he let his eyes close. “Yes. Leave it unlocked, and I’ll leave before morning.” 

She couldn’t keep it in anymore, not with him softening with her affections. “I have something else to tell you.” 

A slight noise erupted from his throat as he used the Force to shut the balcony doors for better privacy. His eyes opened to look down at her. “What is it, angel?” 

“I’m pregnant, Ani.” She couldn’t help her small smile erupting into a grin as she practically bounced as she spoke, eyes alight.

Pregnant? Oh, Maker, this wasn’t the best world to be pregnant now. Still, joy overruled the bubbling anxiety as his lips spread into a bright smile as he pulled her closer. “How far?” 

“Four months, but I didn’t know until I was tested for the virus.” A shy grin came on her soft pink lips as she looked up at him with brown eyes erupted in excitement,” as soon as I learned, I did take more of a backseat with things. I haven’t put the baby in danger.”

He softened more at her excitement, hands going to her waist as he softly squeezed.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to keep this a secret much longer.” 

“We can worry about that later, Ani,” she softly murmured as she cupped his face in her hands, better pressing into his familiar form. Strong arms go around her as he rests his jaw against her head, eyes closing again with her familiar perfume comforting him. She grasped onto his robes more, hiding a grin as she buried her face into his shoulder as her body relaxed more at his shielding her from the world. With the Diseased, suddenly being public didn’t seem like the worst thing to happen. 

Eventually, he had to leave her for a meeting about what to do next with the information gathered. Their priority was keeping Naboo safe while figuring out what could potentially stop the virus, but it mainly was hypothetical rather than executable solutions. Meeting like these irritated Anakin the most, especially with now knowing that Padmé was pregnant. Naboo’s safety needed a solution, not hypothetical scenarios. 

Looking at the map on the large table, he noted that the most extensive border was to the north with Umgul, a cool and humid region with misty moors hosting the virus. Farstine was to the east, with its ground exposing methane into the atmosphere, was also leveled from the outbreak. However, those were less of a threat than the West, with Malastare decimated by the virus and Sullust mostly ruins except for the few Separatist colonies hidden beneath the toxic ground. They couldn’t discount the other regions, knowing that an attack from all directions was possible either by Separatists or Diseased. The south of Naboo neighbored the ocean, and the rich waters kept Naboo’s economy and agriculture intact. The virus outbreak had only helped refugees flood in and kept Naboo from losing too many of its resources. That seemed to be the only plus out of the whole thing. 

Anakin looked back to Windu as the meeting was dismissed, bowing before heading out to find Ahsoka. He followed her force signature through the palace to find her meditating with some of the younglings, and a proud Yoda was to the side with tea in hand. Moving along the outer edge of the large balcony, he smiled a little as he soon stood beside the Jedi master with arms behind himself. His eyes glanced over as he only felt peace from the younglings at the moment as he let his eyes return to his padawan.

Ahsoka slowly opened her eyes, spotting Anakin as she stood quietly with a bright grin. Her light steps got them beside each other again as he moved inside. Yoda quietly took his spot before the younglings, setting his tea down. 

She waited until they were further away to speak, glancing back before looking back up to Anakin,” how was the meeting?”

“A little disappointing. The borders can potentially be targeted if the Sith is making their move, but no plan has been made yet. I’m sure we’ll think of something soon before anything happens.” Nodding, Ahsoka’s lips pursed momentarily,” We’ll have to see what defenses are available and how we can improve weapons.” 

“They mostly use crafts if needed. We can get the systems modified to hold a kyber crystal to utilize its power,” he shrugged absently as he glanced at her and saw her lighter markings on her brow bone quirk as she looked at him with a soft smile. “When I was younger, I was here on Naboo when the Separatists threatened to overthrow. I saw the pilots in action and helped them a little,” he only grinned more as she shook her head with a slight smile. “Of course, you helped.” She laughed softly, glancing at him,” That’s good they’ve got a solid aerial team. I’m sure incorporating the clones will help as well.” 

Nodding, he absently walked with her,” It will. It’ll just take time. Feel like you’re up for some sparring?” 

“If I spar anymore today, I think I might fall apart,” she groaned softly. Anakin smiled more as he spotted Obi-Wan coming down the hall towards them. “Fine, then I’ll spar Obi-Wan, and you watch.” Obi-Wan arched a brow to both of them as his hands moved to his hips,” a spar?”

Ahsoka grinned, bouncing ahead to get beside Obi-Wan. “This should be fun to see.” Obi-Wan only shook his head,” at least it will be entertaining for one of us. The escape wasn’t tiring enough?”  “Of course not, Master,” he laughed softly as he looked down at him with mischief in his eyes that only made his Master internally sigh. This was going to be an eventful sparring session then. 

It made hours pass by, and Anakin finally stopped near 2130, grinning as sweat made his hair cling to his brow. Obi-Wan was now to the side as he made Ahsoka join about halfway through the session, head absently shaking as he watched her lean against a pillar with a sigh.

“You’re relentless, Skyguy. I’m calling it for the night.” 

“I say the rest of the evening is what we please,” Obi-Wan shook his head while standing before heading inside again, and Ahsoka didn’t waste any time following him in. Anything to let her body finally rest from the day. 

Anakin lingered a moment to look back at the familiar waterfalls as his grin faded to a softened smile as he leaned against the ivy-covered railing. It was so easy to forget the rest of the world when Naboo was such a peaceful place. He ignored the sweat rolling down his sides as he watched the night sky to see the stars gleaming. Eventually, Anakin broke away from the railing, hastily moving through the various turns and corridors to get to Padmé’s door before sliding into the large room. 

She sat on the bed, absently reading on a datapad before looking up when she heard the door. There he is. She watched as he grinned when he saw her in her soft blue nightgown, eyes over her familiar frame. As he came closer, she noticed the sweat clinging to his curls, only laughing softly as he placed a messy kiss on her cheek. She turned her head to give a soft kiss in return before he murmured against her lips he was using her shower. As he vanished, she shook her head absently as she looked back to the datapad only for a moment longer before locking it. These moments made her only soften up more with her love for him as she stood up from her spot finally. Setting the datapad down at her desk beneath the large curtain-covered windows, she heard the water running, and with a small smile, she slipped her way into the ‘fresher.

Maybe he wouldn’t want to be alone. He never minded it after periods of prolonged separation from the war.

[greywoodrpg]

𝕖𝕚𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕨𝕪 𝕛𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕘

appears as though she was born thirty-seven years ago but is actually sixty, she is a faerie who lives in mystic grove as a caretaker of the butterfly house & botanical gardens at lachelle historic house museum, and is in no fantasy. she looks an awful lot like gemma chan.

“Have courage, dear heart, for there is nothing to be afraid of and never has been.”

tw: dysfunctional family, arranged marriage

She was born in peace times, when prosperity was high, and decades of bloodshed were seemingly over. The Monarch Kingdom celebrated for years over the birth of Eilonwy, first pure child of the king and queen of the Spring Lands, eyes as black as night and wings dappled with the fiery orange that told everyone what dynasty she came from. From that moment on, she was raised with poise and decorum, sent to inherit what hundreds before her had built as rightful queen. It seemed nothing would hinder her further ascent to greatness but, there was one thing Eilonwy hadn't banked on - another child born. Her certainly wasn't planned, taking many by surprise but, now their was a male heir, something her father had always wanted. Eilonwy was so quickly sidelined when he came along she barely had time to adjust, the young crown princess suddenly just a princess. Everything that had been promised to her was taken away the older she grew, and instead given to her brother.

Resentment grew in her, darkening her heart, causing her to reject him and often take off on her own. Eilonwy became somewhat ignored by the parents and people who had once adored her, and found her happiness in other places, travelling the fae realms and finding friends in the folk and creatures that lived there.

A long life slowly passed her by until the rot came. Pollution, many claimed, leaking in from the human realm where natural life was nearly all but destroyed. It ate at flowers and trees, drove fae and their kin to madness as it corrupted their wings and caused them to fall of. The Spring Lands were not the first to witness this yet, were the first kingdom to really feel it's affects on such a large scale - when her family realised that it wasn't going away and simply spreading, they questioned what they could do to save themselves.

Eilonwy was the key. A neighbouring kingdom, far enough to allow the butterfly fae to live and escape the destruction the pollution was causing. There was a catch, of course, for the place where they were to move was an old enemy, and the raven king wasn't so keen to have past enemies amongst his people. The peace offering made was Eilonwy's hand in marriage, to be his wife. It wasn't what she wanted but, the woman knew duty came first, always had. Thus, the two strangers were wed.

Her husband was not unkind, didn't seem that way, probably just as scared as she felt. It was him that suggested a honeymoon period in the human realm, a place Eilonwy had always been to afraid to go alone to. The pair spent it in a tranquil forest with a nearby pool, a blissful first night of marriage.

And when she awoke the next morning, she was alone, and unable to return to the fae realm. What Eilonwy didn't know was that fae blood feuds were not so easily solved by marriage, and that the grudge was still heavily bared. Now alone, Eilonwy had to fend for herself in the human world, and eventually found Greywood on her travels somewhere safe, holing up in the public gardens for many years.

“what power did she attain when settling in greywood?”

Eilonwy had always been blessed with a gifted voice, however since entering the world of humans it seems to allow her to talk to all creatures of the land.

penned by... mina

[findopulencerp]

                                              𝖊𝖎𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖜𝖞 𝖏𝖎𝖆𝖓𝖌

appears as though she was born 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 years ago but is actually 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐲, she is a 𝐟𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞 who lives in 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐞𝐧 as a 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 & 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬, and is in 𝐧𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥. she looks an awful lot like 𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧.

“Have courage, dear heart, for there is nothing to be afraid of and never has been.”

She was born in peace times, when prosperity was high, and decades of bloodshed were seemingly over. The Monarch Kingdom celebrated for years over the birth of Eilonwy, first pure child of the king and queen of the Spring Lands, eyes as black as night and wings dappled with the fiery orange that told everyone what dynasty she came from. From that moment on, she was raised with poise and decorum, sent to inherit what hundreds before her had built as rightful queen. It seemed nothing would hinder her further ascent to greatness but, there was one thing Eilonwy hadn't banked on - another child born. Her certainly wasn't planned, taking many by surprise but, now their was a male heir, something her father had always wanted. Eilonwy was so quickly sidelined when he came along she barely had time to adjust, the young crown princess suddenly just a princess. Everything that had been promised to her was taken away the older she grew, and instead given to her brother.

Resentment grew in her, darkening her heart, causing her to reject him and often take off on her own. Eilonwy became somewhat ignored by the parents and people who had once adored her, and found her happiness in other places, travelling the fae realms and finding friends in the folk and creatures that lived there.

A long life slowly passed her by until the rot came. Pollution, many claimed, leaking in from the human realm where natural life was nearly all but destroyed. It ate at flowers and trees, drove fae and their kin to madness as it corrupted their wings and caused them to fall of. The Spring Lands were not the first to witness this yet, were the first kingdom to really feel it's affects on such a large scale - when her family realised that it wasn't going away and simply spreading, they questioned what they could do to save themselves.

Eilonwy was the key. A neighbouring kingdom, far enough to allow the butterfly fae to live and escape the destruction the pollution was causing. There was a catch, of course, for the place where they were to move was an old enemy, and the raven king wasn't so keen to have past enemies amongst his people. The peace offering made was Eilonwy's hand in marriage, to be his wife. It wasn't what she wanted but, the woman knew duty came first, always had. Thus, the two strangers were wed.

Her husband was not unkind, didn't seem that way, probably just as scared as she felt. It was him that suggested a honeymoon period in the human realm, a place Eilonwy had always been to afraid to go alone to. The pair spent it in a tranquil forest with a nearby pool, a blissful first night of marriage.

And when she awoke the next morning, she was alone, and unable to return to the fae realm. What Eilonwy didn't know was that fae blood feuds were not so easily solved by marriage, and that the grudge was still heavily bared. Now alone, Eilonwy had to fend for herself in the human world, and eventually found Opulence on her travels somewhere safe, holing up in the public gardens for many years.

“what power did she attain when settling in opulence?”

Eilonwy had always been blessed with a gifted voice, however since entering the world of humans it seems to allow her to talk to all creatures of the land.

this character is…taken