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saphronethaleph · 6 months ago

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The Force is just done with you

“Long have I waited… for my grandchild to come home,” Palpatine said, with a smile. “I never wanted you dead-”

“Oh, shut up!” Rey snapped. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused?”

Whatever Palpatine had been expecting from her, it apparently wasn’t that, and Rey glowered at the Dark Lord of the Sith.

“Well?” she asked. “Do you?”

“...I have only done what is necessary for my own success,” Palpatine said, with some hesitation. “What do I care what inconvenience I cause?”

“The Force cares!” Rey replied, little flecks of white light dancing around her fingertips for a moment before she shook them off. “I know technically not everything that happened was you, because some of it was Plagueis, but you’ve not exactly been making things better!”

“The Force is a tool!” Palpatine said. “It cannot care! The Dark Side-”

“Out of you and the Force I know which one is the tool,” Rey interrupted. “Just… this is the problem with the Sith, you know. It’s incredibly obvious now I’m able to pay attention.”

Palpatine shook his head.

“You are talking nonsense, girl,” he said. “But you have power. So much power! Take your rightful place as Empress Palpatine, take the throne, and…”

His voice trailed off a little, as he saw that Rey was just glaring at him.

“Let’s recap,” she said. “Your master, Darth Plagueis, worked out how to manipulate the midi-chlorians to create life, in a direct violation of how the Force works. All things have a beginning and all things have an end – it is the cycle that is eternal, not one individual. Darth Plagueis violated that, and to put the galaxy to rights came the Chosen One, to bring balance. That being Anakin Skywalker, who was born of the Force itself.”

Palpatine frowned slightly.

“You seem to consider yourself extremely well informed on topics you know absolutely nothing about,” he said.

“The Force is telling me this,” Rey replied. “Yes, I know, I haven’t got to how that works yet, I’m getting there. Because Anakin Skywalker was the one to bring balance to the Force, and this is where you enter the story because you turned him to the Dark Side, twisted him around over years and years for your own selfish gain. And what do you think happened then?”

The former Emperor glared at her.

“I can assure you, I remember my greatest triumph very well,” he said. “The Jedi were broken, scattered. They had failed.”

“Because of you,” Rey replied. “The Jedi, guardians of peace and justice, stewards of the Force, were broken and destroyed because of you, because you forced them into an impossible situation by hiding who you were and acting in direct defiance of the will of the Force. And the Force responded… by making Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa powerful and strong. Strong in the Force, strong of will, strong of character. The fusion of the best of the old and the new. Luke did what everyone told him was impossible, and his faith in his father did not waver. Not when his master, his sister, his father, and you told him it was impossible, he made the impossible possible.”

She made a gesture with the hand holding Leia’s lightsaber. “And Leia – she was just as strong, just as much of a shining presence in the Force – and she gave up the role of a Jedi to be something else. Leia rejected the Force as the guiding principle of her life, and that was all right as well.”

“I assume that at some point there will be a reason for this nauseating story?” Palpatine asked, somewhat waspishly. “I do not need to hear about the dead.”

“Luke and Leia defeated you,” Rey pointed out. “In different ways, and not alone, but they were the catalyst for your defeat and destruction and death in the exploding remains of your battle station… and the Force was in balance.”

She pointed at him. “Until you came back as a clone and turned Ben Solo to the Dark Side, broke Luke’s faith in himself and Leia’s marriage, destroyed the Jedi Order once more. How do you think the Force reacted to that?”

Palpatine just kind of stared at her.

“...the Force,” he said, slowly, “is not… alive.”

“It’s made of all life,” Rey replied. “It’s an energy field that surrounds and connects all living things. It is the gestalt combination of all life in the galaxy, in the universe. You seem awfully sure that such a thing couldn’t be alive… and besides, that’s how I know all this. Because the Force threw up its metaphorical hands and just plugged me directly into itself. The Force itself has had enough of the Sith.”

“The Sith are eternal!” Palpatine said. “I am eternal! If you have so much power, then you will give it to me!”

Little lightning bolts flickered around his hand, and he reached out towards her. Energy fizzed and crackled, then Palpatine splayed out his fingers to draw power out of her and into himself.

Absolutely nothing happened.

“...what?” Palpatine asked, with a frown. “Why didn’t that work? That’s impossible!”

He clenched his hand into a fist. “Nobody can deny me! Especially no… scavenger girl! There is no way you should be that powerful, it’s completely unjustified!”

Rey tilted her head to the side slightly.

“...you,” she said, patiently. “Came. Back. From. The. Dead. At this point you have no justification to complain.”

The white light that had been glowing faintly around her for the entire conversation lit up, gradually more brightly, until it was seething off her skin like smoke from a grass fire.

“Are you going to kill me, then?” Palpatine asked. “Do you think that will work? If you strike me down, you will inherit all the powers of the Sith!”

“I’m not going to kill you,” Rey replied, as the smoke-light grew brighter. “That would be a mercy. By the will and urging of the Force, I will do to you what was done in ages past to Ulic Quel-Droma and Exar Kun.”

Palpatine’s expression immediately changed.

“You couldn’t,” he said, unable to keep a hint of fear out of his voice.

As Rey promptly demonstrated, she could.

Then there was the sound of running feet at the entrance to the room, and Ben Solo came racing in with all of his former followers stampeding behind him.

“Please tell me you’ve got a lightsaber!” he said, then skidded to a halt as he spotted Palpatine. “Ew. What happened to him?”

Rey wasn’t actually sure, because Palpatine had compressed to roughly the size, shape and texture of a charcoalized raisin.

“...I cut him off from the Force,” she said. “Apparently that’s what happens.”

By the time she’d looked up again, the Knights of Ren had all run away.

#star wars #palpatine #another bad day for palps #rey

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mrschristensen · 3 months ago

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Kinktober Day 17 (10/17): Breeding starring Emperor Anakin

Kinktober Masterlist

WARNINGS: porn w no plot/smut (READ AT YOUR OWN RISK), female s/o, dom Anakin/sub s/o, breeding, piv sex, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it), creampie, boob play, pet names/name calling (goddess of a wife, good girl/my good girl, my mama, my sweet Empress), hc of Anakin + his s/o being immortal (since Darth Plagueis pretty much immortalized the people he loved, Anakin found a way to do such but also for himself), lmk if I missed any!

synopsis: After quite a while of being married and ruling the galaxy together, Anakin couldn’t wait anymore. They talked about it many times and many times over, but he just couldn’t resist the temptation; he had to breed her, for real this time.

WC: 541 words

Anakin gripped her hips tightly as he slammed into her relentlessly, hitting that spot inside her so effortlessly with each thrust. Her noises of pleasure and the sounds of sex around them were the only things that filled his ears, and he absolutely reveled in it. He loved having her whenever he wished, wherever. He was the Emperor; no one could do anything about it.

“Kriff, you’re so beautiful,” he panted lowly as he looked down at her. Face contorted in pleasure, brows downturned slightly, holding onto his shoulders for dear life. He played with her hair a bit, a stark contrast to how roughly he was rearranging her insides. “But I think pregnancy would make you even more beautiful, if that’s even possible.”

She whimpers at his words, moving her head to the side to bury it in the pillows. He chuckles, “Ah ah ah… None of that. I want to see my goddess of a wife.” He says as he moves her face back towards him. “There you go, good girl. My good girl.”

The situation made her forget he was literally ramming her into oblivion, but the sensation of getting close took over her, and she was snapped out of her trancelike state. “I’m close,” she breathed out to warn him.

“I know,” he grunted. Of course he did. “‘M gonna breed this pussy so nice.”

Her breath hitches, “Anakin, please-”

He captures her lips in a bruising kiss, his tongue demanding entrance. When it broke, he growled, “You know you want it. I can see it in your eyes. Don’t deny what we both know. What you truly desire is to be bred, over and over again until you can’t anymore. Though, with how much you’re so horny for me…” He chuckles. “…I doubt that’ll ever happen.”

She whines, hips bucking up involuntarily as she nears orgasm. “C’mon, cum for your Emperor,” he orders, pounding into her even faster. “You’re gonna look so gorgeous. All nice and filled up with my seed, carrying my child… Swollen belly, glowing with pregnancy, and oh Kriff, those tits…”

He gropes one of her mounds, kneading it in his hand to give some extra attention. “All full with milk. Ugh, I won’t be able to resist you… It’s bad enough already, you’re gonna be glued t’me… Makin’ sure my mama’s all taken care of.”

With a cry she came, overwhelmed by all the stimulation and his dirty words. He watched, soaking in her features and how she squeezed his cock perfectly, coating it in her juices as they squirted all over his length. Not too long after he came too, groaning and pumping her full of the hot, sticky ropes that were his cum.

He rested his forehead against hers, the pair panting in unison as they entered a state of euphoria. It was a perfect moment, and he kissed her cheek ever so gently. “I love you so much, my sweet Empress,” he whispers to her, planting gentle kisses all over her face until finally her lips. She knew already she wasn’t going to be let out of bed, and she didn’t mind that at all; judging by how she felt even now, she wouldn’t be able to walk anyways.

#ch: anakin skywalker #anakin skywalker #mrschristensen #anakin skywalker smut #hayden christensen #hayden christensen smut #mrschristensen's kinktober 2024 #kinktober 2024 #kinktober #kinktober prompts #smut

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lyxanislive · 11 days ago

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366/366 - THE END

After a final battle with Haggar, Allura uses her own alchemy to win. But all realities are still collapsing and she has no time to say goodbye, she gets to work trying to fix it. She will die in the process but everyone will die if she doesn't. The paladins are begging her to stop, they can see her deteriorating as she works, but she's also put up a barrier in the fight against Haggar to keep them safe. But Alluras life force is tied to the lions, so the paladins decide to sever their ties to the lions and sacrifice Voltrons quintessence to save Allura. it's not quiet enough. Shiro sacrifices his arm - the one Allura gave him, with her crystal in it and that's just barely enough energy to keep her alive as she finishes rebuilding realities. They limp back to the Atlas. Alive.

Epilogue: -Pidge delves into the sciences under the Voltron Coalition Science department. Making her own version of the teledov. It's very Short range for now. -Pidge and Hunk are also working on making a small ship that can be piloted one handed for Shiro use. This has been funded by Sam Holt, -Admiral Iverson and Keith. Lance test flys it for them. Hunk has been working in the stabilizers and they should be ready to gift to -Shiro by the end of the year. -Lance is on the council for New Altea. He is the head of population and immigration and is the most popular council member by personally greeting every refugee and new individual that moves onto planet. -Lance is constantly tired because he wants to be there for everyone and address their concerns and winds up stretching himself too thin. -Lance lives on New Altea with a large house for his family and friends to visit on planet -Hunk runs 'Yellow Lion Eatery' a restaurant that specializes in combining different alien cuisines -Hunk also has a bunch of cook books, a line of healthy Kid lunches, and a culinary class (whose first students were Keith and Shiro) -Yellow Lion also runs a food bank that stocks New Altea with food for the refugees that show up with nothing. -Keith is in the Blades of Voltron (formerly the Blades of Mamora) that now work directly for the Voltron Coalition. They are usually Intel, recon, and handle any skirmish that arises. -Keith often finds refugees while doing Blade work and brings them to Lance instead of going through proper channels -Keith is high up in the Blades but if very protective of anyone under him, making sure no one dies on his watch -The Galra that are being regrouped by Krolia and Kolivan often ask Keith if he beat Lotor. Keith, not wanting attention claims it was actually Allura. This leads to Allura often being called 'Empress Allura' by the Galra Populus. -Coran is on the Altean Council and uses his years of experience as an aide to the Altean royalty to guide New Altea -Many look at Coran as the Leader of New Altea Council and spends his time teaching old Altean traditions to anyone who wants to learn. -Coran lives in a "Mother in Law" suite in Allura and Shiro's back yard -Coran is training Lance to one day take the lead spot on the council and is protective of him -Allura is the leader of the Voltron Coalition. She gave up her crown and requested New Altea be led by a council voted by its residents. -Allura has many titles now, most of the Alteans call her Queen, the Galaxy Garrison Members (now working for the Coalition) call her Captain or Paladin. Many Galra call her Empress. And Coran and Shiro still call her Princess. -Allura oversees all aspects of the Coalition, the garrisons flight school, the sciences, the Atlas' exploration, the Blade's Peace Keeping and Protection, and also the continuation of Alchemy though education on New Altea. -Her marks have bled slightly after her fight with Haggar and her eyes have dimmed. -Shiro is the Commander of the Atlas. He never replaced his arm after sacrificing it for Allura but doesn't let it slow him down.

-When the Atlas isn't exploring the Galaxy, helping the blades with large scale evacuations, Shiro spends his time teaching piloting for the Garrison and ACTUALLY RELAXING in his house on New Altea. -Shiro's clone body is deteriorating but it seems Allura is using alchemy to keep him going -Romelle works for Hunk taking care of all the donations that the yellow lion does. -Romelle also helps Hunk with Altean recipes and likes coming up with crazy new ones that never make it on the menu. -Sam Holt is the Co Chair of the Voltron Coalition Science Department along with Slav. He is technically Matt's boss but often let's him get away with Things -Colleen Holt is mostly retired but often visits New Altea on the councils request to use her expertise in botony to help their ecosystem. -Matt Holt is SUPPOSED to have duties assigned to him but often blows them off to help Pidge in whatever she's working on. Pidge is allowed to work on whatever she wants under Alluras request and Matt exploits this. -Iverson, now Admiral, often visits New Altea to take lessons on Altea from Coran, he gets a Christmas card from Keith each year that says 'sorry bout the eye' -Krolia and Kolivan while leaders of the Blades of Voltron, they are also the defacto leaders of the Galra, trying to unite them on New Altea -Slav works with Sam in the science department. He still thinks Shiro is his best friend. -the MFE pilots are all working on the Atlas under Veronica. Her and Shiro constantly bitch to each other about their idiot teams of children

#shallura #lyx24 #allura #shiro #shiro x allura #shiro and allura #keith #lance #hunk #pidge #coran

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fanfic-obsessed · 1 year ago

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Empress

This AU really starts when Anakin finds his mother in the Tusken camp, but only truly works if there is a little set up before. It is imperative, for reasons that will become clear, to note that in this Palpatine has been manipulating Anakin with the Force, as opposed to only psychologically, since he was a child. Palpatine has been seeding the darkside, hidden deep so that it was never discovered (even by Anakin), waiting to sprout and spread the darkside like an infection at the appropriate moments.

When Anakin finds his mother as she dies, he loses it, but not to violence. Instead he panics and shoves every bit of Force that he can into his mother’s body to try and bring her back and heal her. Every bit of the Force, including the darkside seeds that Palpatine had been planting. Because healing is primarily a light sided technique, thus somewhat purifying, Shmi does not get the full force of the darkside infection that would have hit her son (so we avoid Vader!Shmi or even Full Sidious!Shmi) however there were a number of long lasting effects to the way Anakin panicked and brought her back (incidentally Anakin has now created two new deities for the Tuskans, which Shmi does note and will make use of later). These include:

A Force bond between her and Anakin that gave her Anakin's memories and feelings for the past decade.

A working knowledge of what Palpatine knew (From Palpatine’s Dark Seeds), though no firsthand memories.

Force Sensitivity that is powerful enough to use the various techniques she just gained the knowledge to use.

A significant hit to the moral centers of her psyche.

A Soul Deep and engrossing ambition to rule the Galaxy.

Now Shmi is not evil in the way that Palpatine is (Palpatine is the kind of evil that not only does whatever he wants to accomplish his goal, but actively goes out of his way to create as much collateral as possible and will in fact even mildly inconvenience himself in order to increase collateral damage) but she does now fall closer to Amoral than not. Like her first option is not to kill kids, but it is never not an option. Shmi does justify her new desire to rule the galaxy, based on the fact that she would be better at it than Palpatine.

By the time Anakin and Shmi have made it back to the Lars homestead, she has her son wrapped around her finger even more than she would have. She had also, through the careful recounting of how one of the men who had seemed so kindly to the slave children had actually been a child murder (couching it it in terms that one of Anakin's childhood friends, who it turned out had been a victim of this man, grave had been found and the man brought to a rather brutal justice), partially broken Anakin’s trust in Palpatine without ever letting on that she knew who Palpatine was.

After they get back to the Homestead, Shmi tells Anakin that she wants him to visit again and to bring Obi Wan (It was after they had talked about what had been happening since he left). Anakin loves Obi Wan as a brother, and as such Shmi loves him too. Padme has also fallen quickly under Shmi’s influence, which is good considering that Shmi intended to make Padme another daughter in law (Both because Anakin had a crush, and she wanted Anakin to have what he wanted, and because Senator and former Queen of Naboo is actually a decently powerful set of titles). Shmi gently shoos her sweet, oblivious son off the planet with her future daughter in law (it is for the best that her Jedi Son be off the planet for what she is about to do next) making them promise to visit soon.

Cliegg and Beru also fall quickly under Shmi’s spell. Owen holds out a bit longer (I am fully convinced that his ability to hold back Skywalker BS comes from growing up with Shmi, not his few interactions with Anakin) but is just as willing to follow Shmi’s lead within a tenday.

While a galaxy wide war is breaking out, Shmi quietly but very firmly takes control of Tatooine. Then, in spite of the fact she had not left the planet in decades, she quickly takes control of the rest of the Hutt Empire. Her identity remains hidden; she does not want to fight her son or his Jedi family because they do not yet understand her vision for the galaxy. They will, of that she is sure, but it will take time.

One of the many things she does is abolish slavery within her new Empire. It is both easier and harder than it would appear. Easier in that she does not care about the power or money of the people who made their living in trafficking of sentient life, so she does not care about the economics of the systems she dismantles. Harder because the Hutt Empire was built on slavery; there are significantly larger portions of every population of the Hutt Planets then anyone realized who had spent most of their lives enslaved, with no training or education and very little idea how to exist without being enslaved (with all the psychological and sociological implications therein). But she does it, quietly absorbing the fledgling Zygerrian Empire as well.

A year and a half into the Clone wars Shmi is finally ready to make her move.

In that time she has become well connected with Padme, who asks for approval to marry Anakin six months into the war (Approval that Shmi grants, on the condition that Padme also get approval from Obi wan, as Anakin’s older brother/father. Padme asks, and to the surprise of both Padme and Anakin immediately gets Obi Wan’s baffled, but pleased, approval. In this one marriage is not forbidden to Jedi, it really isn’t even discouraged. No one seems to want to marry a Jedi, as far as the Jedi are concerned. Date a Jedi, well that seems to be common fantasy. Sleep with a Jedi, all the time. But never marry. This all serves Shimi’s true purpose, to continue to break the trust between her son and Palpatine). They do decide to wait until after the war, when they can have everyone attend; in part because Palpatine is pushing them both in a really creepy way.

She makes her move by going on vacation with Cliegg to a world she knew, from her own spies, was about to be attacked by separatists. A world that it was highly likely the 212th would be deployed to. In the time it takes for the 212th to liberate the planet, it is a relatively minor battle so only takes a few weeks, Shmi and Clieg have connected with the battalion and convinced them to transport them (Shmi and Cliegg) to Coruscant. If asked, even Obi Wan, Cody, or the Natborn officers are not sure how they came to agree to take two civilians to the Core but everyone Shmi meets becomes absolutely convinced that it was a reasonable decision. During this trip Shmi bonds with Obi Wan, as her son’s brother/father/teacher. This was one of her goals, to get a clearer picture of who Obi Wan is, and through him the Jedi Order; Anakin’s memories and feelings are a bit mixed on the Jedi as a whole but she also knows, from Palpatine’s knowledge, that Palpatine had been manipulating those feelings for years. She finds that she does like Obi Wan. Because of this Shmi intends, beyond even what her plan calls for, that she would ensure that Obi Wan found happiness in her Empire.

Upon arriving on Coruscant Shmi sends Cliegg (in disguise) to meet with various criminal underworld leaders who know of her fledgeling Empire, while she meets with members of the Jedi council to plant the seeds of her Galactic Empire.

It is in this that we truly see the difference between Shmi and Sidious. Shmi wants to Rule the galaxy. Sidious wants to Subjugate the galaxy. Now granted the difference between the two is not as much as people who want the former would protest, but is greater than what the people who want the latter would claim. In this case ruling is a small group having a disproportionate amount of power over a larger group. Subjugation is a group or person asserting total control over another group or person. While a ruler can abuse the power they have, in order to subjugate someone, a being MUST abuse them to break them in such a way the subjugator can control them.

In spite of her forced amorality Shmi is actually a good person and wants to be a good Empress for the galaxy. So for her, subjugation is more work (realistically 90% of the galaxy is not going to notice if they are in a republic or an empire, and not just because the Empire had been disguising itself as a republic for a decade. That same 90% have comparatively simple needs and are going to be fine with a ruler who provides them. Whereas requires constant control measures to apply the exact correct amount of pressure to bend the populace to your will, without breaking them into rebelling. Ruling well is actually less costly) for less benefit. Because of that having the super powered warrior monks, who most of the beings that would oppose an Empress on principle are going to look to as a paragon of wisdom, buy into the idea that Shmi should be Empress and that they would be happier in her Empire makes more sense than eradicating them. Also, complicated feelings aside, the Jedi make up part of Anakin’s family and she does not want to hurt Anakin’s family.

Shmi also, at the behest of Anakin, took time to go with him to meet his friend Palpatine. While in the waiting room she speaks with Fox, on guard duty, who she recognizes from her talks with Cody as the person to place a bet with(No one suspects the stern commander of the Coruscant Guard to be the biggest bookie in three systems). After about an hour of chit chat (During which Palpatine has no idea he has met someone with all of his knowledge, who is planning to abscond with the Grand Sith Plan) Anakin and Shmi leave the Senate. Anakin semi anxiously asks her what she thinks of Palpatine, babbling a little bit that Obi Wan doesn't like him, but Obi Wan hates most politicians. Shmi, after letting a long pause stretch, says that Obi Wan has good instincts (Look I really want Palpatine to be faced with his own manipulation tactics) and casually mentions Obi Wan’s time enslaved and how that must have hond those instincts- which he had not told Shmi about but that she could guess. Again without directly accusing Palpatine of anything, Shmi manages to get across to Anakin that as the Chancellor, Palpatine actually currently has all the power and has used it to effectively enslave the clones and the Jedi. Fully breaking Anakin’s trust in Palpatine and tying him closer to the Jedi (where Shmi wants him). During this exchange Anakin asks what she had been talking to Fox about and she answers with ‘placing a bet’. Anakin lights up and guesses it is the ‘CodyWan Bet’, because literally everybody noticed their pining and that neither will admit it (Shmi uses that to drive the point home that both are effectively enslaved and do not feel free to be together if they might be ‘sold’ apart-a concept that Anakin is very familiar with).

I am not sure where it ends, except that Shmi does indeed become Empress and her Force powers work as such that she gains power through being loved, so in being a good ruler she stops aging. The Jedi do buy in and Palpatine does end up dead. Someone in Shmi’s smaller Empire, before she becomes Empress, discovers the chips and their purpose, which leads to the entirety of the Clones transplanting themselves (GAR, Cadets, everyone) to a planet in the former Hutt space (deeply freaked out over what they could have been made to do to their Jedi) and refusing all calls for like a year, while they dechip. The Jedi (all of them) transplanted themselves to the next planet over, waiting semi impatiently to be allowed to visit their men again. Shmi meeting Ahsoka after she becomes Anakin’s Padawan and deciding that, as her oldest grandchild, Ahsoka would have the option to be her heir if she would like (Ahsoka really wants to be a Jedi, but agrees to hold the status until another heir comes along-she gratefully passed the heir status to Leia when Leia was born, as she could not be knighted while still the Empress’s Heir).

Oh and Obi Wan does get to be happy with Cody in the new Empire, with frequent visits from Satine (I like the idea that they were childhood sweethearts/first loves that knew they would not fit well romantically but still loved each other and got to be overprotective of each other-Satine adores Cody, thinks he is perfect for Obi Wan and thy find time every so often to take an evening to drink over whatever ridiculous situation Obi Wan go himself into this time)

#star wars #star wars the clone wars #obi wan kenobi #star wars au #anakin skywalker #codywan #sheev palpatine #anidala #shmi skywalker #anakin and shmi #sw

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soveru · 5 days ago

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SWTOR: Sith Inquisitor OC Headcanons

Hi everyone! This is the third time I've completed the Sith Inquisitor storyline and the first time I've running the DLC KOTFE/KOTET. So, in order to save and maybe share my vision of my character in the game, I have compiled a list of headcanons :Р

Noted: i'm not a native speaker of english and all this headcannons runs only in my mind, so don't take them too seriously pls

Spoiler alert under the cut (and a few screenshots from a game too)

Sith Inqusitor OC Headcanons

Meet Ha'leth Kallig, Darth Nox, Alliance Commander and so go on. The Sith on dark side, but making a bunch of "light" choices just becouse they profitable (and she's reasonable)

Woman sith inquisitor (oh i love so much her voice ❤)

So... i imagine she's much older, than in canon. Like if all story classes starts mid Cold War between Republic and Empire, i think my version have a seat in a dark council in the mid of war (near 3670, 11 years after Sith returns Korriban) Yes, its breaks the timeline, but she is old pretty lady in my head, and i can't change this

I can't create the proper version in game (a lot because its no long flat hairstyles) so i have a few pictures

Fashion lady 💅 Usually wears a long dress with slits, mid-thigh boots, mid-shoulder gloves and a cape. Sometimes changes to something close to a "hakama" (if you've watched the Ahsoka series - Morgan Elsbeth wears something similar). Maybe someday I'll draw all of this

Had a purple sword during acolyte, serving Zash and hunting Thanaton, now she has white (cos of her "balance")

I guess she really cares about her crew, even if she is on a dark side. Alliance included

Continues to search for Force Ghosts, there is no reason why the Sith Lord would not do this after defeating Thanaton "SI to Valkorion: - I always hoped to add your spirit to my collection Valcorion: - I would say the same"

Space stand up comedian, jokes on everything, black humor and sarcastic

DiFfErentLy RaTioNal, "Hippity Hoppity, this ghost is now my property" (c) - during the original storyline

Ice cream lover, of course

Chill guy vibes sometimes

I think it was a long time since she became a member of the Dark Council and before the Eternal Empire attacked. And all this time the pyramid of ancient knowledge was under her control and I think she learned a lot about the philosophy of the Sith, ancient techniques, etc.

Yes, in my story she is the leader of the Alliance, despite the fact that other forse-user characters (Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Sith Warrior) in my headcanons also take part in it

I think she is definitely chaotic but rational in managing the alliance. I haven't reached the end of the story yet, but in my mind she is the perfect candidate for the Eternal Throne.

She is not human anymore. Not after the Rakata machine changed her. I think sometimes she would appeal to this in her dialogues with other characters. In my head - this is another reason why she at 60+ looks at most 30

Did I not say? At the time of the events of KOTFE she should be somewhere around 63))

Definitely likes big machines)) (i'd like to think that exposes for Darth Malgus too 🤣)

Definitely likes ancient stories, artifacts and history.

"Oh dear", "Sweetheart" and any other embarrassing appeal for literally everyone

Flirts with everything that moves (and what doesn't move, she moves and flirts with) (Ah, i can't wait to return of Malgus further on in the plot, because flirting with him is something she would definitely do in every interaction)

Return to Dromund Cass to be shot down in Empress Acina's shuttle and crash into the jungle: "Ah, at least the Sith Empire hasn't changed too much in my absence"

Well, according to canon, all four force-user characters are the most powerful force-users in the galaxy. But considering that Valkorion is sitting in the Commander's head + her additional "ghosts of the Sith Lords on the wire" make her, if not the strongest, then at least the most dangerous of them by the end of the story

As I said before - all headcanons are just part of the story in my head that i want to share cos sith inqusutor is my favorite story) I think I'll definitely post a couple more heads up about her or heads up about other SWTOR characters later (at least when I finish the story) I also plan to sketch a couple of moments, because I really want to

#SWTOR #star wars the old republic #sith inquisitor #sith inquisitor oc #headcanon #star wars #swtor headcanons #kotfe #kotet #star wars oc #sw art #star wars art #swtor oc

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jpitha · 3 months ago

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Between the Black and Grey 63

First / Previous / Next

And Fen Remembered...

"If the Nanites don't come with you when you visit here while linking, then we can use that to our advantage." Ma-ren said nodding firmly.

"But how, Ma? As soon as the link completes, I'm back where I was, with a memory of what I'm doing here. The Nanites will figure it out." Fen looked around. They were outdoors, deep in an ancient forest. Based on the descriptions of her family, this was probably somewhere in ancient K'lax.

"Leave that to me, Fen. In fact, leave it all to me. The best way for you not to be compromised is for you not to know anything!"

"Even this conversation can tip them off!" Fen wailed.

"It's okay, let me try something, I learned it while waiting for you. Another K'laxi told me about it, he was some kind of neurologist." Ma took Fen's head in her small, furred hands and pressed her forehead to hers.

****

"Ma! It's so awful. Every time I have to do things 'like an Empress' I feel myself slipping. It's so easy to just order people around. I barely have to use the Voice, and when I do, everyone jumps like I shocked them. I hate it... but I also like it, and that worries me."

Fen tried to use the wormhole links as often as she dared. Ma wasn't going to tell her the plan, but she had to do her best to not make it obvious. She'd gate around the galaxy almost as much. Her times with Ma weren't nearly enough, yet she knew how lucky she was to be able to see her... dead wife at all.

"It's good that it worries you Fen, hold onto that. I can see how that kind of power is appealing. If it helps, you are always you, and I love you. Remember that, and I think you'll be fine." Once again, Ma pressed her forehead to Fen's.

****

Fen's normal joy was absent this time. "Fen, my love, what's wrong?"

"I... I went back home." Fen sat on the ground heavily. Ma sat next to her carefully and said nothing.

"I went back to our home, and I found the person who shot you, and I ordered them to stop breathing. I watched them suffocate in front of me." Fen wasn't looking at Ma. "Then, I annexed the station from the Gren, and took Tam'itar captive."

"How did that make you feel, my love?"

"I was satisfied. I thought I'd be happy, but there was just this grim satisfaction. Like, a balance of the scales."

"I... can see why you're feel that way, but you know that you didn't have to do that for me, right?" Ma-ren looked out at the forest. "Being dead has given me... perspective. Sometimes, things happen. They are neither good or bad, they just are."

Fen looked at Ma-ren now, her eyes welling. "Are you dead, or is this my imagination?"

Ma leaned her head against Fen's shoulder. "Does it matter?"

****

"Right there, oh yes, that's nice..." Ma-ren rumbled in satisfaction. "I have some K'laxi coming your way."

"What? How?" Fen was sitting on the mossy ground and Ma was in her lap. Fen was stroking the fur between her large ears.

"You're not the only person who does this when they link. I found an ancestor of a K'laxi scientist. They do amazing work with matter and antimatter."

"Huh?" Fen continued to scritch Ma as she grinned wickedly.

"Don't worry about it. If some K'laxi approach you looking for work, give it to them. That's all you need to know." Ma turned around and like every time, pressed her forehead to Fen's.

****

I've met someone, Ma! Her name is Penny. She started out as my assistant but she was so pretty and then she started coming onto me, and I really liked her and..." Fen blushed. "I'm sorry Ma, I think I made a bad choice."

Ma-ren laughed. Fen's blush deepened. "Fen my love, I'm dead. It's not cheating if I'm dead. Honestly, I'm glad you found someone to share intimacy with." She looked at Fen and her ears and tail twitched. "Tell me about her."

****

Northern sacrificed herself Ma! She streaked down towards the palace like she was going to crash into it! I think she was trying to rescue me and Zhe." This time, Fen's head was in Ma's lap, and the K'laxi stroked the side of Fen's head, working her hair behind her ears. "It only took a single of Han'iel's missiles to take her out too." Fen sighed. "I miss her. I'll never see her while linking, and I'll never get to tell her what was going on."

Ma-ren continued to stroke Fen's hair. "I'm sorry Fen, I really am. I wish I got to meet Northern, she sounded like a true friend."

"It was just so... pointless. I couldn't so anything, couldn't say anything. She was coming down, the missile was coming up, then there was a blinding flash, and she was gone." She looked up at Ma. "Han'iel's antimatter worked perfectly."

****

"It's time, my love." Ma stood a long stride away from Fen. Instead of her usual coveralls that she wore nearly all the time they were together on the Gren station, she was dressed in a brown tunic that was tied at her waist, and went down to her knees. Across her right shoulder was a gold sash, and she had silver earrings. A traditional traveling outfit. "Han'iel knows the code phrase to unlock these memories. The fact that you haven't been destroyed by the Nanites means that the mental lock is working, I'm so glad." Fen smiled sadly. "All the pieces are in place, all the players know their roles."

"All the players?"

"Han'iel isn't the only one in on this. It's mostly - though not all - K'laxi, but you'll see why once it starts." Ma-ren crossed the distance to Fen, and embraced her tightly. "Remember, my love. No matter how this goes, we'll be together soon."

****

Ma-ren utemia lak'men. Ma-ren, your eternal love.

Tears ran freely from Fen's eyes as the memories came flooding back. All those times she had linked, she had visited with Ma. They had spoke, touched, laughed, and planned.

What is happening? What did you do?

"You know what?" Fen thought. "I actually have no idea. But, I'm excited to find out."

No! It does not matter. We have already won. We are at the white hole. We have all the energy we need to do anything. All your planning and scheming is futile. Do you think yourself to be the first Empress to try and free yourselves from us?

"No, I do not." Fen breathed carefully through her nose and looked up at Han'iel. He nodded once. "But, with Ma-ren - my wife's - help, I think I will be the first to succeed."

Han'iel looked over his pad and then back at Fen. "It looks like the memory block was released. Good. You'll understand then, why I won't be removing the gag?"

Fen nodded.

"For now, I'm going to leave you strapped down as well. From what I understand from the records, the Nanites took control of your body when you went with Empress Raaden."

Fen nodded again.

"I can make things more comfortable though." Han'iel fussed with a panel out of Fen's line of sight, and the table she was on tipped up until she was almost standing. A panel slid out to support her feet, and pads inflated on her back and rear. If she didn't think about the restraints, it was almost like she was casually leaning against a comfortable wall.

Almost.

As soon as Fen was upright, she heard a booming clang, and a noise like rain on a roof.

"Ah, that will be the beacons." Han'iel said, nodding to himself. "About fifteen thousand of them all told. It took me more than a month to program the yacht to clandestinely print them without alerting anyone.

Fifteen thousand beacons? Why? That doesn't make any sense. You need to work yourself Free Fen. We need to know what's going on.

"No, I don't think I will. I trust Ma and I trust Han'iel. I trust my friends. We're going to see what they have planned."

****

Gord and Chloe hung back watching things unfold on super long range telescopes.

"I don't get it." Gord said. "Fen's yacht got to within one AU of the white hole, deployed the gate, and then... nothing? She's not going through, she's not turning back to the flotilla. She's just... sitting there."

"Maybe there's some kind of Builder rite she has to do. Have you ever seen her deploy a gate before? Melody said that a lot of their stuff was almost like a religion."

"Yeah, but that was those people on the Reach. The Nanites don't strike me as the religious type, they're pragmatic. If pretending to be a religion gets their gates out, they'll do it. If Fen doesn't swing that way, they'll probably just ignore it." Gord took a sip of coffee, hot and black while they watched. Chloe had a cup of chamomile tea, a K'laxi blend.

Suddenly, their ship squealed, and the telescoped zoomed in on the yacht. The image was a few light minutes old at this distance, but they still watched as a... cloud of something came out of the bottom of the yacht, and then there was a sparkle of wormhole links all around her, like fireflies in the summer.

"Beacons! Thousands of them!" Gord shouted. "What the hell does that mean? What the hellfire is she doing?"

"Something has started, clearly. Look over there." Chloe touched the controls, and the view switched to another telescope watching the expeditionary force.

It was under attack.

By K'laxi ships.

"By Bobby Or's stick, what are they doing?" Gord said as Chloe raised an eyebrow at the oath. "They're going at them hammer and tongs!"

The K'laxi warships were flitting around the expeditionary force, chain linking three or four times, then firing missiles, and linking again. They were using a tremendous amount of power. Gord estimated that if they were using human reactors, each ship had to have at least a half dozen to be able to use that much power. He had never heard of K'laxi ever using more than two.

It was working though. The smaller K'laxi ships were too fast for the large, slower expeditionary force. The Imperial ships were designed for long term deployments and exploration. They weren't warships. That's not to say they weren't armed, but the K'laxi frigates were winning the fight. One of the smaller human ships suddenly exploded in a huge white fireball, the edges with black tendrils that reached into space.

"They blew their reactor! The ship must have taken a mortal wound!" Gord said, and looked at Chloe. "Are those ships AI?"

"One moment, Gord." Chloe's eyes flashed blue and she stared into the middle distance while she did research. "No. Those were all middle empire ships, with no provision for AI crew members."

"Thank goodness for small favors at least." Gord leaned back in his chair as the vinyl squeaked and complained. "Let's wait until the K'laxi are done. If they don't capture survivors, we can scoop them up." While the battle was ongoing, the flashes of the thousands of beacons around Fen's yacht dissipated. "Something tells me the Empire is going to be too busy in a few hours to rescue anyone."

#humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #humans are space oddities #jpitha #humans and aliens #writing #sci fi writing #humans are space australians #humans are space capybaras #FlashWarp

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nellasbookplanet · 7 months ago

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Book recs: Queer science fiction, part 2

There is a lot of queer sf out there, and I read a lot of sf. When I started working on this list, I quickly realized it was impossible to include all that I’ve read and enjoyed in one single rec post. Thus, this is my second queer sci-fi book rec post. For queer sci-fi part 1, click here!

A note: queer here does not necessarily mean “guarantee of an f/f or m/m ship with a happy ending”, but rather simply a significant presence of queerness. Some of the books feature no romance but has a same gender attracted/trans/a-spectrum lead, or features an m/f relationship with bisexual, trans or aro/ace characters, or simply features a world-building which is heavily queer inclusive in ways that don’t always compare to our own ideas of sexuality and gender. I have however disqualified works where the only queer presence is along the lines of “gay best friend”, word of god, and a blink and you’ll miss it confirmation that never comes up again.

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone

Vivian Liao is a highly successful innovator, but she may have bitten off more than she can chew and fears the government may be coming for her. As she goes into hiding, she attempts to pull off one last stunt that could fix everything - but something goes wrong, and suddenly Vivian finds herself waking up in the far future, under attack by an army of robots in space. Hoping to find her way back home, Vivian must assemble a crew of dangerous outlaws to help her hunt down the Empress of Forever, the all-powerful entity who pulled her into the future. Lesbian main character.

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

Novella. On the outpost of a human colony by Jupiter, a man has gone missing. On the case to find him - and figure out why he disappeared in the first place - is enigmatic investigator Mossa. Her search leads her to the colony's university, and with it, her ex-girlfriend Pleiti, expert on Earth's pre-collapse ecosystem. Together they come to realize that the case is much larger than just a missing man, and could decide the outcome of humanity's very future. Sapphic.

My Heart is Human by Reese Hogan

Nine years ago, all complex technology was made illegal. This complicates life for Joel, young transgender single father, as a bionic just uploaded itself into his brain without consent. Scared of losing his daughter, Joel tries to keep the bionic secret while using it to fix his life, but things quickly get more complicated as the bionic gains more and more control of his body. A bit simplistic in writing style but makes a lot of cool parallels of bodily autonomy to Joel’s experiences as a transman. M/M romance.

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez*

A strange child lands on an isolated planet, scaring its inhabitants into handing him over into the hands of Nia Amani. As captain of a transport ship, Nia is not only the planet's only contact with the outside world, she is also a woman out of time, years compressing into months as she travels through space at high speeds. Now responsible for a child who doesn't speak and in a galaxy that wishes them ill, she must rethink exactly what she wants to do with her life, and what she's prepared to give up. Features multiple major queer characters.

The Abyss Surrounds Us (The Abyss Surrounds Us duology) by Emily Skrutskie

Young Adult. Tumblr classic back in the day! Cassandra Leung's family are keepers of sea monsters, genetically engineered and trained to protect ships from pirates. On her first solo mission, Cas finds herself kidnapped by pirates seeking to obtain their own monster. Now they need her help to train it. As Cas seeks to regain her freedom, she must also reckon with unfortunate growing feelings for one of the pirates keeping her under guard. Sapphic.

Ancestral Night (White space series) by Elizabeth Bear

Haimey Dz is part of a three-man salvage crew in space (one of the crew being the sentient spaceship himself). When the small crew comes across a derelict ship that proves the scene of a horrible crime, they must go on the run as they seek to uncover a conspiracy that involves both ancient secrets older than humanity itself, and Haimey's own hidden past. On their tail is a dangerous space pirate, convinced that Haimey is the key to it all. Lesbian main character.

Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch) by Ann Leckie*

A space opera in which sentient spaceships can walk the ground in stolen human bodies, so called ancillaries. One of these ancillaries, the sole survivor after the complete destruction of her ship and crew, is one the hunt for revenge against the most powerful woman in the empire. This series does very cool things with gender!

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Five New Yorkers find themselves experiencing strangness as the city itself begins to wake up. They are its soul, its avatars and its protectors, and now they must keep it safe as it wakes as something alien and monstrous attempts to kill it before it's even fully alive. Mix of sci-fi, supernatural, and lovecraftian horror. Multiple pov characters of varying queer identities.

Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb series) by Tamsyn Muir*

Gideon, raised as a swordswoman by unfriendly nuns, would rather run away and make her own life, but her services are needed. The Reverend Daughter, Gideon's childhood nemesis, has been invited to a trial to win a place as an immortal by the Emperor's side, and she's in need of a bodyguard. Listen, if you’re on tumblr I probably don’t need to explain this book to you. Trust me when I say it’s exactly as good as people claim. Humorous and spooky but also absolutely gut wrenching and clever with a lot of political commentary. There are also, indeed, lesbian necromancers in space.

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (Salvagers trilogy) by Alechia Dow

In a universe run on science and magic working hand in hand, Boots Elsworth makes a living selling fake treasure maps and Nilah Brio is a racer. When one of Boots' maps turns out to be more real than expected and Nilah has to go on the run after having been framed for a murder, the two find themselves on the same spaceship, working with Boots' old captain to find the rumored treasure and reveal the conspiracy its hiding before the people hunting them catch up. Features a main f/f relationship.

The Company of Death by Elisa Hansen*

A wild mix of genres, where a zombie apocalypse has struck and vampires gather up humans to keep their food source from going extinct, a robot travels across America with a young man she’s tasked to keep safe, and former-vampire-hunter-recent-zombie Emily teams up with Death himself to stop the apocalypse. Features bi and ace characters! Bonus rec: the author also runs the youtube channel Maven of the Eventide, where she talks about various vampire media. Check it out!

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Shizuka Satomi is a violin master who made a deal with a devil, and who must now save her soul by delivering the souls of her students in place of her own. Lan Tran is a mother and a refugee of an alien war, hiding on Earth with her children in a donut shop. Katrina Nguyen is a trangender runaway and violin player, in the need of a mentor. As their paths cross, their lives change forever. I would categorize this as cozy, however it does also deal with some pretty heavy themes.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson*

Young adult. Young artist June Costa lives in Palmares Tres, a beautiful, matriarchal city relying heavily on tradition, one of which is the Summer King. The most recent Summer King is Enki, a bold boy and fellow artist. With him at her side, June seeks to finally find fame and recognition through her art, breaking through the generational divide of her home. But growing close to Enki is dangerous, because he, like all Summer Kings, is destined to die. While the main relationship is m/f, it features a worldbuilding where bisexuality is the norm, which is portrayed in its major characters.

The Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne

Nix Marr is a soldier and damned good at it, but that doesn't prepare her for her next mission: bodyguard for Subarch Kessandra, beloved royal and Nix's bitter ex, as she ventures into the underwater city of Fall to seek the cause of a bloody murder spree and a possible deadly contagion. But Kessandra has enemies, the answers she seeks marking her as a possible threat for the nation's rulers. On their way in an isolated and enclosed underwater ship toward Fall, the contagion catches up, and Nix will have to put her hurt feelings aside if the two are to arrive alive. Sci-fi with flavors of horror and the supernatural.

Adaptation (Adaptation duology) by Malinda Lo

Young adult. Strangeness is afoot: all over America, birds are hurling themselves against airplanes and causing crashes. As flights are canceled and travelers stranded, Reese and her debate partner and longtime crush David are forced to head home by car. Accident strikes, and the two wake in a military hospital with no memory of the last month. Returning home, strangeness follows the two, especially as Reese encounters the mysterious and beautiful Amber Gray, who may know more than she lets on. Features a bisexual love triangle.

Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz

Young adult. Fifteen-year-old Kivali, abandoned at birth and adopted by the nonconformist artist Sheila, has as a girl in boys clothes never fit in with the other kids. Sheila has always been supportive, until she one day sends Kivali off to CropCamp. While Kivali chafes at the strict rules of the camp, she also finds herself making friends, and maybe more, for the first time. Strange coming of age story, featuring exploration of gender and sexuality in a dystopian setting.

Isle of Broken Years by Jane Fletcher

Young spanish noblewoman Catalina thinks she’s done for when the ship she’s traveling on is attacked by pirates and she’s captured. Things gets worse when the entire crew is stranded on an inhospitable island where time works strangely, dangerous monsters terrorize the woods and something alien stops them from leaving. Strong Lost vibes. Lesbian romance. Admittedly quite indulgent but very fun and creative.

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Marta Wells*

After having hacked its own governor module, SecUnit uses its small amount of new freedom to secretly download and watch as much media as it can between doing its job guarding humans. But when the scientists it’s been charged with keeping safe come under attack, it must make a choice about whether to continue keeping its freedom secret or risk it all to save them. The series features both novellas and full length novels, and balances humor with scathing critique of capitalism. While it can be debated whether SecUnit counts as agender, asexual and aromantic, as it is a robot (I leave this up to individual judgmenet), however the series also has a diverse cast overall.

The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James*

Young adult. After the spread of a global virus causing infertility, teenagers Lowrie and Shen are now the youngest humans alive as the adults around them race to find a cure. As they investigate the ruins of the world, the two come across records from the past, of how grief stricken people turned to raising artificial children in apps and how these 'children’ developed, and through these records the two learn of their history. Bisexual main character.

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah*

In a near future America, inmates on death row or with life sentences in private prisons can choose to participate in death matches for entertainment. If they survive long enough - a rare case indeed - they regain their freedom. Among these prisoners are Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker, partners behind the scenes and close to the deadline of a possible release - if only they can survive for long enough. As the game continues to be stacked against them and protests mount outside, two women fight for love, freedom, and their own humanity. Chain-Gang All-Stars is bleak and unflinching as well as genuinely hopeful in its portrayal of a dark but all to real possible future. Sapphic.

The Disasters by M.K. England

A decade ago, the massive ship House of Wisdom was abandoned in orbit after its entire crew was killed in an outbreak in a matter of hours. Now, Zahra and her people hope to claim the ship as their own by kidnapping the sole survivor to gain access to its systems. But the danger of the House of Wisdom is far from gone. Horror, no major romance but has a major gay character.

Nax Hall may be a hotshot pilot, but that doesn't stop him from being expelled from the prestigious Ellis Station Academy in less than 24 hours. But as he's to be transported back to Earth alongside other failed students, the school is viciously attacked. Nax and the three other students only barely escape, and are left as the only witnesses - and the perfect scapegoats. Now they must go on the run together and find a way to clear their names. Bisexual main character.

Dust (Jacob's Ladder series) by Elizabeth Bear

In a dying spaceship, orbiting an equally dying sun, noblewoman Perceval waits for her own gruesome death. Having been captured by an opposing house, her wings severed and life forfeit, Perceval’s execution is imminent - until a young servant charged with her care proves to be Perceval’s long lost sister. To stop a war between houses likely to doom them all, the two flee together across a crumbling, dangerous spaceship. At its core waits Jacob Dust, god and angel, all that remains of what the ship once was. And he wants Perceval. Sapphic and asexual characters, however be prepared for kinda fucked up relationships.

Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings

Two ships have gotten stuck in a rift in space, isolated outside of time. One of them is the Jonah, a ship dodging a generations long war against an alien species, carrying a small crew of smugglers, an unintended passenger, and a hijacker. The other ship is the Gallion, which arrived from 150 years in the future carrying an alien ambassador - and whose crew is awestruck at meeting the heroes of the Jonah, known to have ended the war. As the two crews struggle to understand each other's timelines, they must also work together to leave the rift before they're stranded forever. Multiple queer characters, however the main romance plotlines are m/f.

One Last Stop by Casey McQiston*

Twenty-three-year-old August has a lot to deal with. She just moved to New York, got new job at a pancake diner, and acquired several slightly chaotic roommates. So what if she likes to flirt with the pretty girl on her subway commute? But Jane turns out to be more than just a charming stranger: she's lost in time, displaced from the 70s, and unable to leave the subway. Romance with a dash of timetravel sci-fi, One Last Stop is a delightful story of love and queer community.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings*

In an alternate version of our present, the witch hunt never ended. Women are constantly watched and expected to marry young so their husbands can keep an eye on them. When she was fourteen, Josephine’s mother disappeared, leveling suspicions at both mother and daughter of possible witchcraft. Now, nearly a decade and a half later, Jo, in trying to finally accept her missing mother as dead, decides to follow up on a set of seemingly nonsensical instructions left in her will. Features a bisexual lead!

Salvation Day by Kali Wallace

A decade ago, the massive ship House of Wisdom was abandoned in orbit after its entire crew was killed in an outbreak in a matter of hours. Now, Zahra and her people hope to claim the ship as their own by kidnapping the sole survivor to gain access. But the danger of the House of Wisdom is far from gone. Horror, no major romance but has a major gay character.

Alien: Echo by Mira Grant

Young adult. Twin sisters Olivia and Viola's parents are both xenobiologists, bringing them all over the galaxy. Most recently they’ve settled on a new colony world to study its life, but it proves more dangerous than they could’ve ever imagined. Under attack from alien monsters, the sisters must keep each pther alive while also coming to terms with a dark family secret. Sapphic horror. Part of the Alien franchise but stands well on its own.

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goodnightmemes · 9 months ago

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DUNE: PART TWO (2024) SENTENCE STARTERS

❛ This world is beyond cruelty. ❜

❛ Never stand with your back towards the open. How many times do I have to tell you that, huh? ❜

❛ Don’t worry. I’m taking you somewhere they will never find us. ❜

❛ You fought well… once you woke up. ❜

❛ He thinks you’re spies. ❜

❛ Your faith is playing tricks on you. ❜

❛ I’m ready to pledge my life for him. ❜

❛ Your father didn’t believe in revenge. ❜

❛ Don’t mock him. He deserves our respect. He’s a good fighter. ❜

❛ Never give your water away, not even for the dead. ❜

❛ It’s an honor, isn’t it? I think you should feel honored. ❜

❛ Well, it was a choice between this or death, so, you know, forgive me if I’m not flattered. ❜

❛ You want to control people, you tell them a messiah will come. Then they’ll wait for centuries. ❜

❛ That was no miracle! ❜

❛ I’m not here to lead. I’m here to learn your ways. Let me fight beside you. That’s all I’m asking. ❜

❛ You will see! The beauty and the horror! ❜

❛ Oh! Don’t ever, ever listen to the jinn. ❜

❛ He’s not like the other strangers. He’s sincere. ❜

❛ You know, I’m the only one who believes you’re gonna make it until summer? Everyone else thinks you won’t make it two weeks. ❜

❛ What? Stop looking at me like that. ❜

❛ We must convert the non-believers one by one. We need to start with the weaker ones. The vulnerable ones. The ones who fear us. ❜

❛ Who taught you to fight like that? ❜

❛ We can stop them together, bury them in the sand where they belong. ❜

❛ Then I’ll die, maybe you will too. But the others will keep going. And they won’t stop. ❜

❛ Where you’re from, does water really fall from the sky? ❜

❛ Your blood comes from Dukes and Great Houses. We don’t have that here. Here, we’re equal, men and women alike. What we do, we do for the benefit of all. ❜

❛ Well, I’d very much like to be equal to you. ❜

❛ It’s been a while since you’ve had one of those nightmares. Tell me, what was it about? ❜

❛ You’ve been exposed to spice for a long time. It can create weird dreams. ❜

❛ Don’t try to impress anyone. You are brave. We all know that. Be simple. Be direct. Nothing fancy. ❜

❛ I won’t shame you. I understand. ❜

❛ The way they look at you. They worship you now. ❜

❛ I’m no messiah. ❜

❛ She says you’re blinded by love, and she reminds you that you must reserve your hand for the most strategic alliance. ❜

❛ Do you not think I also feel the weight of the prophecy? ❜

❛ They deserve to be led by one of their own. ❜

❛ Repression only makes a religion flourish. ❜

❛ You underestimate the power of faith. ❜

❛ Prophets get stronger when they die. ❜

❛ You’d be a formidable empress. ❜

❛ Then what hope is there? ❜

❛ Hope? We don’t hope, we plan. ❜

❛ The question is, can we control him? And I intend to find out. ❜

❛ I won’t die like a fool. Kill me now. ❜

❛ No fear. These fights are all for show. ❜

❛ Show me who you are. ❜

❛ This morning you were a playboy, feared and envied, but tonight you’re a hero. ❜

❛ You’re following me. ❜

❛ You’re not allowed in this section. How did you get past the guards? ❜

❛ I remember now. I dreamed about you last night. ❜

❛ Come to me. Kneel. ❜

❛ I recognized your footsteps, old man. ❜

❛ When our resources are limited…fear is all we have. ❜

❛ Well, what are you waiting for? With thousands of these guys, you could take control of the entire planet. ❜

❛ They used to be friends. Now they’re followers. ❜

❛ You have the power to avenge your father, and you’re afraid to use it? ❜

❛ I can foresee things. If I go South, all my visions lead to horror. ❜

❛ Billions of corpses scattered across the galaxy. All dying because of me. ❜

❛ No need to be a prophet to see what’s ahead. ❜

❛ Your path leads to war. You know that. ❜

❛ So, war is coming. What will you do when you feel its breath upon your neck? ❜

❛ He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it. ❜

❛ You promised me you didn’t want power. ❜

❛ No matter what I do, you still don’t trust me. ❜

❛ My allegiance is to you. I’m doing this for all of us. Do you believe me? ❜

❛ It’s right under everybody’s noses. Not clever. ❜

❛ That’s the idea. Nobody would ever look in there because it’s obvious. ❜

❛ Nothing can live there without faith. ❜

❛ I want to go on the ground. Prepare my troops. ❜

❛ You humiliated our family. You humiliated me. ❜

❛ Embarrass our family one more time… it will be the last. ❜

❛ It is a good time to cross blades with me. I am weak. I am an easy kill. ❜

❛ I don’t care what you believe. I believe. ❜

❛ I’ll stay behind and cover your retreat. ❜

❛ You see only fragments. You cannot see the future without seeing the past. ❜

❛ To unlock your mind, you need to drink the Water of Life… and you will see everything. ❜

❛ A good hunter always climbs the highest dune before his hunt. He needs to see… as far as he can see. ❜

❛ The world has made choices for us. ❜

❛ You will never lose me. Not as long as you stay who you are. ❜

❛ You are not prepared for what is to come. ❜

❛ You’ll now learn the truth about our family. And it will hurt you to the core. ❜

❛ His vital signs are so low, they can’t be detected. But he’s alive. ❜

❛ You might not believe in the prophecy, but you’re a part of it. ❜

❛ You’re the poison. You and your lies. Why would you do this? ❜

❛ The visions are clear now. I see possible futures. All at once. ❜

❛ Our enemies are all around us. And in so many futures, they prevail. But I do see a way. ❜

❛You can stop this. Do you hear me? You have the power to stop this.

❛ This prophecy is how they enslave us! ❜

❛ You think I’m stupid enough to deprive myself of the best of us? Do you smash a knife before battle? ❜

❛ There is no one in this room who can stand against me! ❜

❛ This could be the moment you’ve been praying for all your life. ❜

❛ But there is one way your family can remain in power and, through you, the continuation of our stewardship. One. Way. Are you prepared? ❜

❛ You’ve been preparing me my whole life. ❜

❛ Long live the fighters! ❜

❛ I swear to you, I wasn’t aware of any of this. ❜

❛ You die like an animal. ❜

❛ Look who’s back from the dead. ❜

❛ I want you to know… I will love you as long as I breathe. ❜

❛ They may be curious to hear my side of the story, don’t you think? ❜

❛ Consider what you’re about to do. ❜

❛ You’ll be lucky to keep your head. ❜

❛ I’ll take the hand of your daughter. She will remain safe. And we will rule together over the Empire. ❜

❛ Do you know why I killed him? Because he was a man who believed in the rules of the heart. But the heart is not meant to rule. ❜

❛ Stand or choose your champion. ❜

❛ Do not stain your hands on this animal. Let me deal with him. ❜

❛ Why does he take such risks? ❜

❛ Well, you wouldn’t be the first relative I’ve killed. ❜

❛ May thy knife chip and shatter. ❜

❛ You have fought well. ❜

❛ You should’ve believed. You chose the wrong side.❜

❛ You, of all people, should know. There are no sides. ❜

❛ Spare my father now and I will be your willing bride. The throne will be yours. ❜

❛ They refuse to honor your ascendancy. ❜

❛ Lead them to Paradise. ❜

#rp meme #sentence starters #sentence meme #rp sentence meme #rp prompt #rp prompts #inbox meme #roleplay prompts #roleplay meme #*movie

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phoenixyfriend · 2 years ago

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AU where it's Padme that goes all evil and not Anakin?

send me an au and i’ll give you 5+ headcanons about it

Had some trouble figuring out how to make Anakin not be loyal to Padme here, but hey:

Padme does not think she's evil. This is a Padme who was radicalized by the invasion of Naboo, a Padme who grew up and joined the Senate with poison in her heart, which only got stronger as she saw how little she was able to do. This is a Padme who agrees with Anakin: the galaxy would be much better if one good person was in charge. That good person should be Her.

She doesn't tell him that she agrees with him, because she's still under the radar, but she doesn't... really try to dissuade him. Just talks about how difficult it is to find someone that's really, truly good. Why, even Chancellor Palpatine has made all these questionable policy decisions...

Padme is much faster and more successful about securing Anakin's loyalty as compared to Palpatine. She's also been kind of conditioning Anakin to think about how she'd be a MUCH better dictator than anyone else, and how he should run any kind of political ideas past her first. She conditions him to run everything past her. She's got this perfect in with the Chancellor and the Jedi that isn't just Her, The Senator, but she needs that in to be loyal to only her, and more importantly, dependent on her. She does really, truly love her Ani, but he's much more useful when he asks her to do his thinking for him. What this really means is that when Anakin has dreams about her death, and goes to Palpatine, and gets fed some lines about how only Palpatine can save her if Anakin just swears loyalty to him, Anakin actually asks Padme about what to do before he does it. He goes to Padme before he goes to the Jedi. Padme tells Anakin that Palpatine needs to be removed. If he's a Sith, then who's to say that he isn't the threat to Padme's life? Who's to say he isn't the one feeding Anakin these dreams? Palpatine is evil, Anakin, and he's made it impossible to remove him from power legally.

Padme tells Anakin to kill Palpatine. And he does. And Padme's years and years of manipulating the Senate in shady corners and through applying her wiles and through applying her Jedi and his mind tricks to her coworkers, through collecting blackmail and applying pressure, it all comes together, and Padme becomes the Empress.

Anakin is happy to follow her, until he realizes that she's so focused on her new power that she's neglecting the twins. He tries to dismiss it; after all, he's got much more free time than she does, now, so he can watch them. He's mostly the guy she uses to try to placate the Jedi, which he's not great at, and mostly the Jedi try to convince him that Padme's lost her shit and needs to be quietly removed. Not killed! Just... retire to her fancy lake house and stop ruling the Empire with an iron fist in a fancy silk glove.

Padme doesn't... not love her children. But between the years of selling out her lesser morals in favor of pursuing complete control of the galaxy for the sake of her biggest moral core, which is No Military Actions, and the Sithly Environs of the Chancellery Apartments that she's moved into, which Anakin doesn't know how to purge and the Jedi aren't allowed in to exorcise, she's kind of losing the plot and getting more and more evil. It's mostly her own foibles that are making her go evil, but it's the General Sithly Vibe are pushing her that last little bit to just... ignore her kids. She's got more important things to do, right?

Padme uses the clone army to enact her will on less cooperative planets. She uses the brain chips, when Anakin isn't looking. She's sure that he wouldn't turn his back on her, after all she's done to secure his loyalty, but it's best to not risk it.

Some Jedi try to take her out. She has them killed, by Anakin and the clones alike. She praises Anakin for it, as she tightens restrictions on the Temple. He has a bit more 'what have I done' but not. Quite. Yet. (After all, Padme's not risking death to the Jedi Younglings yet. Not yet. Not yet.)

Ahsoka shows up, with Rex in tow, and tries to convince Anakin to help them peacefully remove Padme from power. He's one of the core reasons that Padme has managed to maintain her power. He can change this. Padme hears about this. He tells Anakin that Ahsoka's a threat. She's going to try to remove Padme, like Anakin removed Palpatine. She tells Anakin that Ahsoka needs to die.

Anakin would rather arrest his wife than kill his sister.

#Anidala #padme amidala #anakin skywalker #star wars #villain au #ahsoka tano #phoenix answers memes #the clone wars #child death mention

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suzannahnatters · 1 year ago

Text

My final Love Like the Galaxy reaccs!!! the tl;dr: I loved it and it's the sort of show that probably demands to be seen twice because TWISTS and HINDSIGHT so IDK, one day maybe! Anyway it's either on Viki or on YouTube for anyone who wants to see what happens when Jane Austen comedy of manners meets The Count of Monte Cristo, but, like, in Ancient China, featuring an epic romance between a naive sledgehammer engineer girl and the terrifying murder general who cannot help looking utterly besotted with her every time she drifts past: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZZZLpfFwcBprNI6msl3NWt3pdX6F-eGs And now: for the reaccs for episodes 43-56, including the famous Murder Party (TM), check under the cut!!!

If Yang Yang ends up with Smug Scholar instead of her sweet little marquis I WILL throw things (thankfully, the sweet little marquis is getting actual screentime with her)

oh I LOVE this: the Empress apologises to Consort Yue for stealing her husband, and Consort Yue points out that if it's anyone's fault it's the Emperor's, and why should the Empress apologise? it's the little things, you know?!

I love that in amongst all this scowly strategising and betrayal and people's families in mortal danger…there's a whole running joke about whether the armour Niao Niao made her beloved makes him look more like a chicken or a mandarin duck

cdramas asking the real questions

wow they really kept like 90% of the action budget for this episode and money well spent say I

once again murder general is rushing off to save our girl, only this time he guesses precisely where she is and what she's doing, and knows she's probably doing a great job of it :')

GASP we are suspicious of Elder Brother Snacks now???

I've got a bad feeling about him and the crown princess turning out to be bad eggs - almost as though we're building up to a BIG BETRAYAL between our babies

Wan QiQi swaggering into prison in a wedding dress is the energy I aspire to

Hmm… Lou Ben feels very very foreshadowy of an obsessive man making a self destructive choice to grab what he wants no matter how it hurts the woman he loves

All the foreshadowing is REALLY mounting up now - Snacks still caring about NN but not wanting to see her after what she's done, NN observing of another couple that they were birds on the same tree but flew apart when trouble came

Anyway we are all headed for a heck of a third act breakup aren't we

is zisheng,,, allergic to almonds

what an absolutely bonkers twist

poor little Wang Ling! how terrible does her family have to be that she is trying to save her murderous traitor of an elderly husband, just because he treated her better than anyone else in her life?

"he even had a flower garden planted in my courtyard to please me, although he has life-threatening asthma! which means that he can't visit me very often! he's the best husband, Niao Niao!" okay Mrs Charlotte Collins

"Cheng Shaoshang, it seems you really don't know anything about Ling Zisheng" OOOOOOHH

Smug Scholar: a voice of reason. a stickler by the rules. an indefatigable drama queen who is quite ready to beg murder general to go right ahead, be his guest, do crime, because then Smug might get to marry Niao Niao instead

torture is always wrong, revenge kids! that said, it's very funny that murder general has been busy with hot iron and boiling oil all night and found out nothing, while NN has put herself fully abreast of the situation armed with nothing more than…a conversation with a female acquaintance

"wait - all that stuff you did in my name was ALSO in pursuit of your revenge plot? who are you really?" this show keeps serving the best stuff

matching bite marks on the arm is a way cooler idea than matching tattoos tbh

why are you not telling her, zisheng, she already knows!!!

she's sworn up and down (with bitten arms!) that she won't mind, it's keeping this from her that she can't forgive, get a clue!!!!!

ooooo - we have been cordially invited to a MURDER PARTY love the gearchange from Jane Austen Romcom to Jacobean Revenge Tragedy

OK LET'S GO, WHERE'S THAT MURDER PARTY I WAS PROMISED

Glad that we were given this scene of Marquis Chengyang being delusional and Chunyu being Justly Terrified that the young man obsessed with revenge has finally agreed to come to his father's birthday party, it doesn't quite explain how nobody realises this is Very Bad News but at least lampshades it

Since filial piety is the norm in this society, I guess it's hard for the elders to realise just how at risk they are from someone unfilial!

I LOVE that Chunyu (sp? the stepmother) gets a whole speech to point out the hypocrisy of HER continually bearing the blame of "climbing into the master's bed" after so many ppl in the show have ridiculed her for it as though it wasn't a decision made by the marquis

oooooooooooohhh this is amazing: Yang Yang is disturbed that NN's farewell before the wedding sounds like she doesn't ever intend to return home. and from NN's response, she KNOWS murder general is about to do something crazy and is fully prepared to suffer the consequences alongside him

it's…really amazing that during the stretch of the cdrama when the male lead traditionally starts Machinating and Scheming and lying to the female lead about it, THIS show keeps the heroine's agency intact, she sees right through his lies, she is still front and centre. Chef's kiss.

she knows where it's happening; she knowns when it's happening; she's sending someone for news. she's amazing and so are these writers.

meanwhile: murder general refusing to enlighten the marquis as to his true identity is Irene of Athens-level pettiness and I love it

the way this show keeps this whole episode focused on the story's main character even though she has little to do with -

oh wait never mind she has decided to involve herself anyway!!! now we get the entire Cheng family charging into battle? with NN at their head on a black horse? EPIC?????

well THAT was the best of Jacobean revenge tragedy

shocked to discover that Zisheng has Always Known who was really behind the fall of the lone city - he's just been quietly, methodically working through the destruction of all the perpetrators, COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO style

I love a protagonist who holds cards so close to his chest that not even the audience knows what's going on

more than that, it really adds nuance to the show's themes about revenge. Sometimes the system is broken, & even in a good system people will sometimes get away with murder. What to do then?

I can't support the vindictiveness of the leads (& I'm not sure I'm meant to) but as revenge plots go, I like the weightiness of the themes - how to fight for yourself in a world where laws and manners tell you you shouldn't? - better than Dumas' more superficial take.

where did these two henchmen come from, because they are NOT being paid enough to be part of this absolute disaster

also WHEE Niao Niao gets to swoop in and save HIM for once! Well done our girl!

oh what an idiot. what an absolute peanut.

I was pulling for you, murder general, but I'm not sure how you'll manage to come back from doing the One Thing (abandoning her) she asked you not to do

she's still calling him by his false name T_T

something something she only ever knew him by his false name and identity not his true one

moment of silence, please, I'm experiencing an emotion

well, duh - of COURSE Third Prince is here to collect NN to go help him plead for murder general, who has obviously been quietly helping him all along. even better: we don't know if NN is just figuring this out now or has known it for months but she understands it perfectly, just like we do, the moment she sees Third Prince's face

!!! murder general has been deceiving everyone in so many other ways too???????

it's not just that he knew all along who was responsible for the lone city's fall and has just been working silently to gather evidence on them: he ALSO has been playing four dimensional speed chess with palace politics, supporting a totally different faction to the one he was supposed to be aligned with?

IT WAS HIM IN THE PAGODA ALL ALONG????

I just love the sort of character who plays certain things SO close to the chest while also being utterly open and vulnerable about certain other things. like, as long as we trust their judgement for hiding the certain things and know it's not for purposes of control. and while NN does interpret his secretiveness as control, due to her upbringing, it's also easy in hindsight to see things from zisheng's POV: he is playing not one but several high stakes political games, treading a tightrope between the prince he is supposed to be supporting versus the prince who would clearly be a better choice, and now suddenly thrown into the middle of all this is a naive and well-meaning sledgehammer fiancee who is an absolute force of nature but who is not yet quite insightful enough to see and understand where the deep waters run; she's simply driven by personal loyalty to protect her empress' son. and she keeps forcing choices on him: protect her, or serve the Third Prince? and he makes tremendous sacrifices, as with the Tiger Tally, to save both of them. so is he going to take the risk and tell her and trust in her, or is he going to keep her in the dark just about this, until the game is over (it's so close to being over) and he can be as candid about these things as he can be about everything else?

but at the same time, he was so frustrated with her for not being candid with him, for not telling him when the mean girls tried to KILL her, for lying to him about choosing to help the crown prince - he should have known better than to reproach her about this when he was doing exactly the same things to her all along.

I love that the show just doesn't support him in this. for two people who both say they want to work as a team, these two both spend an awful lot of time keeping things from each other. and it's only after going away and thinking about it that I start to see his side of the story at all, because she is so totally front-and-centred in the way the story is told.

oh wow - now she gets a whole speech and thesis statement about how just because she's a woman she shouldn't be shut out of her husband's confidence, and ends: "Ling Buyi is my most beloved person in the world. But I am still me."

I love this show so much

It's really wild that murder general, who everyone knows went on a murderous rampage to kill the entire Ling clan, goes from being condemned to death to the apple of the emperor's eye based on his surname changing

no doubt it's historically accurate and murder uncle, at least, deserved it - but for me it's just another sign of how irretrievably this system is broken, that bloodline so clearly outweighs right and wrong.

I'll be chewing over the question of whether this last-minute aversion of filial impiety ("it's ok! he was doing it to avenge his REAL father!") undermines NN's previous point about the right to filial reverence depends on a parent's conduct, or whether it's an author's saving throw to secure a HEA

"but I can never forgive him for abandoning me - he even swore it was for my sake" aha! How To Critique The Break Her Heart To Save Her Trope (Without Actually Using The Trope??????) this show didn't HAVE to hunt down and kill every bad Asian drama romance trope like this but is that stopping it? no

Empress telling NN that whatever decision she makes, she will support her in - hits like a punch because the only person who's told her this till now is murder general. On the other hand it is comforting, and underlines the themes of NN being a whole person without him, bc she still has love and support!

as an aside, I also like how the show has handled NN's terrible parents. by the end of the show, she's fought for, and won, their respect and support, & has come to understand the pressures they are under. but she will never love them the way she loves the Empress, bc they haven't earned that love. I feel this consolidates the filial piety critique.

we finally get to hear murder general's side of the story - and it's fascinating to hear him say that he failed. he did everything to bring ling yi to justice - and couldn't. the murder party was his failure.

I'm finding the murder party less problematic at this point than the Censorate beating

whoah, the empress is sailing in to admit that she spoiled her children until they were useless, so she's not upset about the crown prince being demoted? seems a rather unfortunate theme if children are only ever bad because of bad parenting

NN still taking absolutely no prisoners in the romance, though: "oh, I understand you perfectly. the problem is that you never understood ME" that's quite a burn

The Empress is now requesting to be deposed, and it's a complicated scene - is she blaming herself, or voicing regrets? I think she's regretting not fighting for herself: as she points out, her accepting a menage a trois has not spoiled Consort Yue's life so much as it has spoiled her own chance at love.

while the show has sometimes been finger-wagging, it's saved here bc she also blames the Emperor for going along with the flow, too, and tamely accepting a three-way marriage.

meanwhile at home, everyone's like "Niao Niao is so mature now!" and I'm sitting here like NO SHE'S NOT, SHE'S HAD ALL THE HAPPINESS CRUSHED OUT OF HER and…….along comes Not-Quite-So-Bad-Mum to say that precise thing, and confess to having been wrong all along???? This show just keeps hitting.

Love that NN's 3rd brother is completely on her side at this moment. he understands the assignment ("break up with murder general and send him away with a flea in his ear") and executes it with prejudice.

oh…mum has repented too late. I'm not sorry for her, but I AM sorry for the way NN chooses to spend the next forever - when there were so many things she wanted to see and do!

and now: five years' worth of mutual pining in excruciatingly aesthetic slomo, thank you

meanwhile everyone in the Cheng family is getting married? Yang Yang is getting married? Mum's warrior maid is getting married? Good for you warrior maid!

Smug Scholar, otoh, has remained UNmarried for our girl, and I actually love the choice he's presenting her - NN doesn't much care who she marries if it's a business arrangement; she just won't marry the man she loves knowing he was willing to lie to her and abandon her

is it really weird that I suddenly want to write the story about the coldly pragmatic fake marriage of convenience between NN and Smug Scholar

!!!! she IS going to get engaged to him??? murder general is going to come back from five years of picturesquely scruffy suffering to find her engaged to Smug Scholar??!?!?!!!??!

oh this will be GOOD

"thanks, but I can ride without stirrups these days" I love that this show is allowing the heroine to establish a life of her own apart from the hero - they have to be complete on their own before they can be good for each other.

and now: a break from reality for an absolutely bonkers carriage chase, which, because this is a cdrama, comes complete with one of the parties trying to extort a proposal of marriage from the person chasing them

I swear this is the third time this exact same cliff has cropped up in this show, one would think that people would know better than to gallop madly down the DEAD END CLIFF ROAD

Empress pays her last respects to the emperor: "I know that if it wasn't for Emperor Li's tyranny you would have asked nothing more than to live a simple life" LIESSSS this man requires a constant stream of drama to live, how would he have survived as a gentleman farmer?

"if you are truly filial, don't exchange your life for mine. Live well." while this show has come down in the end in favour of filial piety, I think that for the most part it keeps filial piety where it belongs: subordinate to ethics - and that's something I can get behind.

With NN decided that murder general is not the man for her and murder general determined to accept her decision, I really don't see how this will get believably sorted out in the next…3 eps. Bc she's absolutely right, he had his chance and he blew it. That said, I was really worried the show would blame her for being unreasonable, but only the recent antagonist has done that

even NN's mother is now telling him: we don't need you to perform guilt for us, we also had our chance with NN and blew it, now we can only defer to her conscience AND YOU SHOULD TOO

so, I guess we're headed for an "undeserved grace" ending, and I hope they make it a convincing one and not cheap, bc it's too late to show him doing any work to prove his repentance.

oh I love this scene: she tells him she forgives him but cannot trust him, and he without defending himself, vows to live well and take care of himself (because quietly protecting the people she cares about is the one last thing he can do for her)

and he won't ever tell her that he's been doing this because he knows it would only make her despise him more!!!

time for the bad family to apologise, the grandmother in particular for trying to control her children, and Niao Niao to decide no longer to carry resentment, but to dwell on the people who love her instead

I love that the themes have largely to do with resisting control, even when it's from family members, and fighting for yourself. Even more, I love that the highest expression of this theme comes in the trust there's supposed to be between husband and wife. Sometimes, lack of communication IS an attempt at control - although on thinking it over I'm not sure it always has been that on murder general's side. but if there's one thing the past five years must have taught him, it's that he's going to have to be be particularly open with this particular woman, because her family HAS tried so hard to be controlling in the past, and she can't take even the appearance of it from him.

somehow, yet another of NN's old enemies has an overly complicated plan to kill her sigh

loving how murder general jumps into this trap and promptly becomes useless and it's time for the lil henchmen to save the day

stop shouting his name and figure out how to open the trapdoors Niao Niao, smoke inhalation is no joke

murder general looks amazing for someone who was just blown up

TEARFUL RECONCILIATION SCENE

ahaha Snacks has fallen in love with his wife, we love to see it

Smug Scholar, meanwhile (exact words): are you all done flaunting your love?

EXPLODING PICKLES

flailing I love it NN is deploying her secret weapon….the family Cheng

"you can't be in two places at once, General!"

maybe not, but wifey and he can

"i'd like to see who interferes with my best granddaughter's marriage!"

*smash cut to the emperor having a hissyfit because he can't interfere with the marriage *

it's over? pokes couch cushions for spare episodes

OK I LOVED that murder general's grand gesture in the final ep comes in the form of a dilemma. should he go rescue his beloved as everyone is telling him - or should he stay on task, submit to everyone's ridicule for not protecting his woman, and risk her thinking he's abandoned her again?

his answer shows that at last, he has come to truly understand her (five years after she told him he'd never understood her). it's not physical abandonment she truly fears. what she fears is not being trusted & allowed to act as his equal. So he leaves her to protect Guo village while he stays on HIS task. His grand gesture, after so many rescues, is not to rescue her at all.

SCREAMING at that moment when Third Prince is like, seriously, mate, you'd better not abandon her! she needs help!!! go on I'll be fine!! and Zisheng VISIBLY WAVERS and then pulls himself together and shouts GUO VILLAGE HAS NIAO NIAO! GUO VILLAGE WILL BE FINE!!!

since the root of the contention between them was always him not treating her as an equal, this is probably the best proof of change we could get in the screentime. and the show is very insistent to tell us that if NN bends to take him back, it's because it's what SHE wants, not bc she can't survive without him.

the show does give her that moment of fright during the explosion to rush her past her abandonment issues, but since the real issue was always about control, I can make my peace with it. Similarly, she taught him a 5-year lesson about not consulting her. He knows - & her family makes it explicit - that he can never pull something like this again.

final overall thoughts: I have rarely seen such a well done romance in Asian drama, especially cdrama. The show was long & got repetitive, especially in the 2nd half, even though it had some of my favourite stretches as NN starts fighting for respect & equality within her marriage.

The themes about family, state, and fighting for oneself got fingerwaggy at a lot of points, many side characters were brutally humiliated and many of the numerous female characters became nonsensically villainous just to give NN antagonists. So, I would say the show is quite flawed.

that said, what this show does well, it does SO WELL. I was absolutely invested in this romance to an extent that is very rare for me. I was delighted by the way the show critiques asian romance tropes, there's a wonderful Dumas-level revenge plot, the fight scenes while rare are terrific, the show remains laser focused on its female protagonist all the way to the end, and if you are not delighted by the utterly besotted looks murder general serves up five times per episode, I don't know what to do with you.

#love like the galaxy #lltg #ling buyi #cheng shaoshang #cdrama #asian drama

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galactic-rhea · 3 months ago

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I love your empress padme au, they should be evil and unhinged. I'm misly curious as to what the kiddos are up to, (and some of the other characters, I imagen they're mostly side eyeing anidalla like "wtf is happining over there???") Anyways I kind of love the consept of "evil chaos family fun"

Neither of them are stay at home parents but the imagen of vaderkin in a frilly apron trying SO hard to cook for his family has popped into my head and will not leave

Vader should get a cloak wich has "property of Padme" embrodered on the back

dfkjgnkjngfdjk thank you, Padmé would ask him to cook with an appron and nothing else

About the question, well! Just yesterday someone asked in the comments about the twins too! And well, you see, I'm undecided! This will get long!

See, when I originally envisioned the empress Padmé AU, what I had on mind is that Padmé spent about 5-6-7 years with the rebels, and that's why we have Vader as...as we known him, you know, almost-classic Vader. Unknown to the rebeels that Padmé's goal was sliiiiiightly different as theirs. She would have the twins (or at least, known where they're being hidden, and visint them and everything) and her goal would be to reunite her family, she's a bit obssesed with having her family fully and complete.

But! The idea that, for example, after having the twins she was unconscious for several days or something, and it was decided that hidding the twins was the better choice and told her they died it's so very tasty and angsty! Vader and Padmé would be EVEN MORE codependant and messed up out of the grief (also THE GUILT Vader feels about thinking he caused their kids death as he sees Padmé so distraguth?!!!! He wants to constantly kill himself, he probably wants Padmé to kill him, tasty angst) If she believes her twins to be dead, then she believes she only has her husband, and she's very overprotective of him (and possesive, a lot).

And then you would have the plot following slightly similar to the movies, but now the twins have to redeem BOTH of their parents who are kinda enabling each other so hjhbdgdfsf

(Either Leia wasn't given to Bail and Breha because...come on, or I'll have to invent a super duper and convenient explanation)

Also @squad-724 suggested the idea of Padmé and Vader somehow sort of bringing Ahsoka (inquisitor ahsoka, wahoo!) into this and now I won't stop thinking about it (unconsciously) having Ahsoka as their stand-in-daugther because they lost their twins. Messed up, messed up and all these conflicting feelings guys!!!!

BUT! On the other hand, Imperial twins raised by both EVIL PARENTS is super fun, like, this poor galaxy can't catch a breath. Because my Vader raises the twins AU have them being double agents with Vader trying hard to cover them up so the emperor won't kill them. But here it probably makes them less likely to turn against their parents! However, 5-6 years being raised among rebels, and then being raised in the imperial palace and becoming prince and princess and at the very least knowing your mom kinda betrayed the rebels is probably enough to give you suspicion and "huh,,,this is kinda bad? Maybe"

For Padmé and Vader though, I think it would bring a very devoted and angry protectiveness for both Padmé and Vader; they aren't that invested in the empire and power tbh, they just want to have their Little House On The Prairie fantasy with a family fully complete and safe, at all costs. It would make them even more of a team and less weaknesses. Though, I once kinda as a joke just imagined Padmé getting tired of all of it and going "ah whatevery, let the galaxy burn by itself while we ran a way somewhere" and that's it because seriously Padmé wanted to actually give up on all the work, no big redemption or big epic dramatic moment, the imperial family just disappeared one night and no one knows what happened (surely they were murdered?) when they're just chilling in some super random and secret corner of the galaxy doing, idk, the most boring thing ever, farming. Luke and Leia get bored and become spice smugglers . The end.

For the last question, though, I think half of the people think Padmé is a victim of this terrible situation somehow (oh noooo, she was kidnapped by that monster, who knows what she's enduring, or she's being mind-controlled :( ), that she's some sort of puppet empress while Vader actually makes all the choices because,,,come on, that was the emperor's second hand right there. The other half of the people remember Padmé was a bit of a political apprentice for Palpatine, and they're also both from Naboo, and it was also thanks to her Palpatine became the Chancellor, maybe she did want power from the start, maybe Naboo is fucked up, never let politicans from Naboo have power again.

And then there's the third secret thing, which is only a very limited number of people like Obi-Wan and Bail (and Padmé and Vader's palace staff lol), that are fully side-eyeing her.

There's also the problem that since she actually worked with the rebels, she,,,knows a lot, she probably knows almost all the names of the rebels' leaders, she probably knows there's a underground society helping jedi run and to which planets. She knows so much, and yet she doesn't actively chase them (or more like, she doesn't actively send Vader to chase them), and if she does send her husband, which is rarely since she wants him to stay where she can see him (remember when I said obssesive and possesive and overprotective?), she's probably doesn't tell him that much info because it's entertaining, giant galactic chess game, lmao.

Also, her empire isn't half as awful as Palpatine's, like, it's still very bad but it's leagues better and she does probably finally forces the good charity projects she never could as a senator, and well, complacency it's extremelly dangerous for freedom. So there's that.

#i must remark that this padmé was a little bit more messed up even before like meeting Anakin again in AOTC #so like this padmé probably raised a bit more suspicions since the beginning as a senator than canon padmé #vaderdala #padmé amidala #darth vader #thanks for the ask!#empress padmé #rambling #long post #sorry for the rambling i wasn't expecting that much rambling T-T #user: clairaworlds

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