#anyways yeah that generation of rebels

[weregonnabecoolbeans]

I cannot articulate enough how badly I NEED Omega and Ezra to meet at SOME POINT

[my-name-is-apollo]

Why is Hera so hostile to Leto in a manner that she isn't with the other lovers of Zeus? I can't think of any other woman who was targeted so much by Hera. One could say she didn't want Leto to give birth because her children would be a competition to Hera's children, but why bother her even after she had already given birth? Is it because Leto herself is also a threat to Hera?

Sort of I guess?

I don't think Leto would ever be a threat to Hera's role as the queen of the gods but Hera might see her as a competitor for Zeus' affection, even though I think Zeus would not marry someone else and replace Hera.

The twins are definitely a big reason why Hera begrudged Leto - it is outright stated in the Callimachus Hymn to Delos that the reason Hera especially targeted Leto was because she was told that Apollo would be dearer to Zeus than Ares is. Zeus is very proud of Artemis as well. As he himself puts it, he doesn't mind facing Hera's wrath for children like her.

But the continued hatred even after the birth of the twins (like sending Tityus to rape Leto) could have been for different reasons. This wasn't like one of those affairs Zeus would have with mortal women where he'd leave them behind once the child is conceived. Neither could Hera, despite her many attempts, get rid of Leto like she did with the other lovers. Not only did Leto give Zeus children that he loves dearly, she also stayed on Olympus despite Hera's hatred towards her (which isn't directed to any of Zeus' other divine mistresses, btw). It might have also been because Leto herself is dear to Zeus, if the way she's treated on Olympus is any proof. In the Homeric hymn to Apollo, Leto stands next to Zeus - in the Olympian assembly - to welcome their son. Hera is completely absent from the scene, as if Leto had taken her place even if temporarily. Now you could say this is because Apollo himself is such a powerful and glorious son in a way that no other son of Zeus is, so of course Leto would get such an honor (the hymn itself presents it this way).

But here's another instance - in the Iliad, when Hera goes to seduce Zeus, he is obviously very smitten but before getting into the action, he lists some of his lovers (I believe these were his favorite lovers, as a lot of others are not mentioned):

"for never has such desire for goddess or mortal woman so gripped and overwhelmed my heart, not even when I was seized by love for Ixion’s wife, who gave birth to Peirithous the gods’ rival in wisdom; or for Acrisius’ daughter, slim-ankled Danaë, who bore Perseus, greatest of warriors; or for the far-famed daughter of Phoenix, who gave me Minos and godlike Rhadamanthus; or for Semele mother of Dionysus, who brings men joy; or for Alcmene at Thebes, whose son was lion-hearted Heracles; or for Demeter of the lovely tresses; or for glorious Leto; or even for you yourself, as this love and sweet desire for you grips me now.’ (Book 14, trans. A. T. Murray)

Notice how when talking about most of them, he also mentions the children they bore to him but when Demeter and Leto are mentioned, he doesn't bring up their children at all despite them being some of the most accomplished kids of his. What's more, he takes Leto's name just before Hera's. I mean, this is an interpretation but it looks like not only did Zeus love Leto the most out of all his mistresses - giving her a place second to that of his wife, but also his love for her wasn't necessarily only because she gave him two amazing children.

Nonnus does something similar in the Dionysiaca (but this time Zeus is enamored with Persephone instead of Hera) but more notably, when Typhoeus attacks Olympus and Zeus is discouraged, Nike takes the form of Leto to encourage him and it's pretty telling of what Leto meant to Zeus.

One interesting similarity between Hera and Leto is that they both had a giant try to rape them. Porphyrion tried to violate Hera (Zeus inspired him to do this) and Tityus tried to violate Leto (upon Hera's order). Though both of them were killed, only Tityus got an eternal punishment in Tartarus of having his liver/heart eaten out by vultures so Zeus seems to have taken a greater offense at Tityus trying to assault Leto.

Again, I don't think Zeus would ever take anyone other than Hera as his permanent wife - she is irreplaceable to him. There's an entire myth about Hera leaving him and Zeus winning her back. Their relationship is obviously complex and involves all kinds of emotions including love and hate. But Leto is continually dear to him as well and that's something Hera can't do much about.

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

danny talking about how resentful she became when nobody who she self-sacrificed for cared when she died and then leaving kirsch with laura and carmilla bc "if he stays with me i might lose control again and kill him" kinda confirms my thoughts abt both newly-turnedness and anger making vampires more vampiry

but also makes me think that in more usual circumstances, when the dean turned vampires like carmilla and mattie, that shes really nice at the start to temper any of that unruly anger

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

every time i remember "ingo is an ascian/ancient who literally forgot everything about that" it still kills me. so much staying power in the idea of the protagonists rocking up to ishgard having the worst day of their lives and there's a fucking ASCIAN just chilling waiting for them and they're like fucking dammit now we have to deal with THIS. and then he's not. like he's literally just chilling. he is so very much just some guy. and they're like why the fuck are you dressed like an evil wizard then and he's like they're comfy robes :(

[rockwgooglyeyes]

Taking into consideration Till's history with sexual assault (i will be tw and cw tagging for this), it puts the Ivantill kiss in round 6 in so much more perspective for me. Not only that, but it gives a lot of context and reasoning to the way that Till interacts with other people (as well as his rapid, violent mood swings) into perspective.

I just to preface with this- I have never been the victim of sexual assault or sexual harassment, so my discussion on this purely comes from what I know at a psychological angle, in addition to what I know based on this video from pop culture detective on Youtube and his videos on the male interaction with abuse and generally seedy behavior in media. It's really good, I enjoy his content a lot. Anyways analysis below the cut. Content and trigger warning for discussion of sexual assault, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and pretty much everything else relevant in this fandom (slavery, child abuse, etc)

Out of all of the characters in Alien Stage, Till is the most openly dehumanized. Sua is treated like a doll, Ivan is treated like a trophy horse to parade around, Luka is something of a combination of both- but Till is the lab rat. He's the losing dog that Urak is betting on. They're all dehumanized to a degree but Till is dehumanized so much so that his defining feature is his rebellion. Even amongst the fandom, he's made into Ivan's side piece or the idiot who's hopelessly in love with Mizi and yeah, I do think Till is a dumbass but I say that out of the deepest affection possible, I love this little freak and I want the best for him. I truly do.

He's so smart and talented and yet, he hates himself. He's passionate about music, he uses it to express himself in ways that he can't otherwise, and he's so good at music, too. He's not good with people and he has a temper and he's easily flustered, yes, but he's so complicated. He was hopeful and innocent to the ways of the world but when he was bought by Urak, he was shown how utterly and hopelessly cruel the world could be. Comparatively, even Ivan and Sua got lucky, with their absent and emotionally abusive owners- Till was put through hell, experimented on, forced into a cage and treated like a feral animal that needed to be shown who was boss- even when he was willing to go along with anything at the start. He wanted to be loved. He wanted to be cherished. Children always want so desperately to please their authority figures, I can't imagine that he would have resisted in the beginning, hoping that if he went along with whatever Urak told him to, that he would be rewarded and treated with tenderness and care.

He never was. He was beaten and broken and thrown through the wringer time and time again. They made him miserable because that's what Urak wanted- that's what makes good art, after all. A tortured artist who cuts off their own ear but paints the most beautiful night skies.

Even in Round 2, we see this dehumanization. Till has a tether, keeping him to the stage, because he's "dangerous." He's marketed as this rebel, who needs to be tied down, who needs to gagged and muzzled, we can't let him speak because if he opens his mouth, he'll bite. He's pushed down to the ground, subdued, IN HIS MARKETING. This is how he's presented FROM THE BEGINNING. He is forced into this role of the mad dog who screams and claws and bites because this is the mold he was given, he pushed himself into it because that was all he could do. He's giving Urak what Urak wants and even that isn't enough. Because he might be broken, he might have given in, but he's still a stubborn bastard.

Before Round 6 (but after Round 5), Till refuses to sing Mizi's song in the bar. He gets angry with a member of the audience for implying that Mizi is dead, maybe even saying shitty something about her, and he goes at them with a bottle. As @a-star-that-burns-brightly said, he's the only human we've ever seen to get violent with an alien within the bounds of Alien Stage, which makes Till all the more impressive- which means that they have to bring him down all the more forcefully.

I will admit- I didn't understand the scene to be SA until it was pointed out to me (not that I thought it wasn't, it just went over my head) but it adds so much to Till's character to analyse it through that lens.

They rape Till, punishing him for refusing to sing and punishing him to attacking an audience member. Terry Crews, who some may know from Brooklyn-Nine-Nine or other media, is a survivor of sexual assault, and he talked about it before the United States Senate Judiciary committee. He was assaulted by his manager, who was a man. And you may be wondering why I bring this up, and it's simply because I want to remind people that sexual assault is not about sexuality. It can be connected but correlation is not causation. Sexual assault is about exerting power over an individual to make them feel weak, lesser, and show them who is in control of the situation. It's not dissimilar to bullying (but far, far worse). After all, why would corrective rape be a phenomenon if it wasn't about exerting power over the victim and showing them that they don't have autonomy or agency? Because if they had autonomy or agency, they would be able to consent or conversely, the ability to say no.

Of course they don't have autonomy/agency, though, right? Because they're pets. They're possessions. It's akin to how we treat dogs and cats, we breed them and we don't let them say no, because they don't have an understanding of consent like we do, why would they need to say yes or no? They can just fight someone off if they don't want it, right?

Right?

Something that @k9punkout (Numso) said stood out to me, though, is that this might not even be the first time that this has happened to Till. This breaks my heart. Like, legitimately, it made me nearly cry when I read it, because the idea of sexual abuse being used as a form of regular and routine punishment against someone is horrible- but at the same time, that already happens. In prisons, in war zones, in households, sexual abuse is used as a regular punishment against people and that's horrible. The way that Till's experience specifically reflects that of a child in a toxic and abusive household is immensely interesting because of how people forget about that, how people don't seem to really care. He's a sopping wet kitten, yeah, he's a silly little guy, but he's been abused for his whole fucking life. He has a superiority complex that's teetering on an incredibly thin knife's edge and sometimes it wobbles into self-hatred and an absolute absence of self worth.

It's no wonder that Till clings so fiercely to the idea that Mizi is innocent and pure and hopeful, like he once was, because if she isn't- then does that mean he was stupid to ever hope at all? Was he stupid for expecting love and affection, from the people who were supposed to take care of him? Does that mean he's suffered for no reason, save Urak's amusement? Does that mean he's miserable just because, just because Urak demands that someone be miserable in order for them to be great? Does that mean he's been beaten, broken, made into this wretched, ugly thing simply because he's around? It's not so much that his suffering needs to have a purpose, it's more that if it's pointless and based on whim, then that says something about Till himself. That says that Urak saw something in him, something sturdy enough to be broken again and again and get back up. It says that he deserves this. (He doesn't, no one deserves that and deserving things is horseshit, but I can't imagine Till to be thinking anything else.)

Back, finally, to the whole reason I started writing this fucking thing: the Ivantill kiss in Round 6. I've seen some people call it SA, and while I can see why (and of course, I respect their opinions), I disagree.

Ivan shouldn't have continued to kiss Till after Till pushed him, yes, but at the same time, through the narrative of their kiss- it wasn't really a kiss at all. Not in the sense that it was an expression of sexual intent. And maybe this is because I'm on the acearo spectrum but. I don't believe Ivan wanted to kiss Till, it wasn't a romantic kiss, it was one last attempt to get Till to wake up, before it was too late.

Through the lens of knowing that Till is a survivor of sexual assault, the way that Ivan kissed him and his reaction to Ivan kissing him is all the more impactful because Till pushed Ivan away, yes, but he didn't seem horrified, or hollowed out like he is post assault in the bar scene. It shows his trust in Ivan, and maybe even the fact that he knows that Ivan isn't doing this to hurt him, Ivan is kissing him in a final effort to say "I love you. You're loved. I'm sorry."

Blue (@bluemoonscape) talked through this with me a bit earlier and he said something that stuck out to me as well "The kiss, if anything, shows how much control the aliens assert over them to put them in a position where this would be two friends’ last chance to communicate with one another, hence how desperate it is on Ivan’s part. (...) Ivan wasn’t trying to assert power over Till in any way; that just isn’t in his nature. Over the years, he basically lets Till dictate every aspect of their relationship, hell, he even gives power to Till over Ivan’s own freedom (power that Till didn’t want but nonetheless got)" and he really summed it up beautifully in my opinion. The ivantill kiss WASN'T romantic because it wasn't meant to be- Ivan was just saying that he loved Till period. It was a fucked up way to do it. I wish he hadn't.

But he was just trying to say goodbye.

(@atrophiedemotion because i mentioned this to you! <3)

[millysastroblog]

RANDOM ASTRO NOTES 💋💄

💄Hello, guys I’m back with a simple decent Astro observation. So yeah , noo dragging and arguments over here. If u want drama and tea you probably will have to wait for a while 😅!

Anyways enjoy yourself as always ;)

💋 Uranus in the 5th house is an underrated creative placement , they come up with the wildest creative ideas ever 💡

💋 Moon air sign in the 4th house ppl love to communicate with their family , these are people who constantly need to call and message their loved ones📞

💋7th house stelliums don’t feel comfortable being all on their own.

💋Moon conjunct Saturn , Saturn in the 4th house look like Stone cold , heartless bitches, but they are not. They hide any kind of vulnerable emotions to protect themselves from criticism, abandonment and being misunderstood . It’s an protective shield that they build from young adolescents . they close their hearts , so nobody can enter in it to use their vulnerability against them. # past childhood trauma # pls give them a hug 🤗

💋moon , Venus Aquarius ,11th house love to be around their friends ,they feel emotionally connected to them , sooooo better not fuck with their friends!!!! ( not in a sexual way, you get what I mean right?? Yeah!)

💋Jupiter in the 2nd and 6th tend to have a huge appetites.

💋Sun square moon can make for indecisive individuals.

💋Sun conjunct moon Moon on the other hand can be very decisive and strong headed . Not always in a negative way , but what they feel or say is something they’ll rarely change for anybody.

💋 Neptune is the 11th use technology , phone, social media as escapism.

💋Neptune in the 7th , Venus- Neptune , Venus in Pisces use relationships as escapism,focus is heavily directed to love life. Forgetting anything and everything when In love 😍!

💋Mercury in Sagittarius, Mercury- Jupiter aspects can cut your soul with their bluntness. #Gordon Ramsay

💋 Venus in 4th, Jupiter in the 4th house can come from a pretty, good, wealthy, stable family’s.

💋 Jupiter in the 12th house are spiritualy connected and protected by the divine ,since birth . They naturally love to practice spiritual stuff like meditation, yoga, tarot, etc.

💋Aries , Gemini, Capricorn ,Scorpio are the most disliked zodiac signs in astrology !

💋Moon in the 4th house if good aspected feel a close connection towards their mummy . 😚

💋Sun in the 4th house are very loyal to their mum.

💋Moon in Aquarius/ 11th house are somehow everybody’s bestie 🦋✌🏽.

💋Moon in the 12th house ppl need isolation and distance from ppl more than everything.

💋Aries , Taurus , Scorpios, Sagittarius ppl can not be controlled or told what to do !

💋 Mars in the 10th house if negatively aspected can argue and fight with their parents, bosses people who have power over them , they hate to be controlled and told what to do , troublemaker for rebelling structures and rules.

💋Mars/ Uranus in the 1st are generally chaotic troublemakers, rebelling against everything and anything that comes their way.

💋Pluto in the 3rd /11th , Lilith in the 3rd/11th house could have been, badly bullied when younger have ppl spitting on them ,cutting their hair, just awful things happening to them # protect these babies 😣😢!!

💋 Uranus in the 1st, 4th,7th, 10th,11th tend to feel weird , unique, different from others .

💋Pluto in the 11th have very profound intense close friendships, they love or hate their friends with all their heart, calling and checking up on them, telling dark hidden secrets to each other, being ride or die friends for one another. When I die I’ll take care of ur family type of friendships, strong, deep sexual friendships ( fwb) situations if connected to the 7th house ruler or Venus !!!

💋Pluto in the 6th house are either very organized, punctual, ocd , clean freak or the complet opposite having a chaotic room, chaotic schedule, doing everything or nothing at the moment , extreme daily living to the point of burn out, exhaustion or even sickness.

💋Venus -Jupiter = over shopping, spending, buying.

💋Venus-Saturn= hoarding money, stingy, observing Bank out daily, making plans on how to increase income.

💋Mercury in Capricorn have an interesting tone of voice, when they speak people tend to quietly listen to what they have to say. Good in arguments. They just can demanding respect because of how serious and engaged they are in a conversation. Business minded 🫰🏽💵

💋Pluto in the 3rd / Mercury - Pluto voices are deeeepp, intense,loud just so intriguing and addictive to listen to, especially the men omg they have the most seductive voices. 🥵

💋Chiron, Neptune in the 3rd might have siblings or classmates who make fun of how they speak, not listening to what they have to say, ignoring them or not believing what comes out their moth.

💋Moon in the 3rd house can be very emotionally attached to their siblings, always communicating and spending lots of time with them.

💋Sun conjunct Neptune are kind, empathetic , sensitive and intuitive souls just like Pisces Sun !

💋Chiron in the 1st/ 10th house don’t like pictures taken of them or being filmed, very self conscious about how they are perceive by others.

💋 Capricorn Rising / Saturn in the 1st are waaaayyy grown before their actual time. These ppl can fake their whole existence based on how old they look, entering in clubs at literally the age of 15 , Early bloomers ! #apperance

💋Taurus Rising/Sagittarius/ Libra is a placement that usually indicates having a big ass, wide hips, and strong big things 🍑👀!

Thx for reading 💕

•~Milly~•

[ecklekecle]

HEADCANON i think Regulus was a happy baby compared to Sirius. Like, imagine this, i think Sirius was the type of baby who would cry non-stop, no matter what his parents did, he would cry and whine and do what babies do yk, and was just a difficult baby to take care of in general, but Regulus on the other hand was a happy, giggling, smiling baby. And like, this dynamic would continue into when they were kids. Regulus would find Sirius hilarious, and would follow him around everywhere. Regulus would probably have one of those really contagious laughs that are like, you know when kids laugh? and they're giggling and can't breathe, it's like that. And I feel like Sirius would always be causing trouble, but not because he hates his parents, not yet anyway, but because as an older sibling, he likes to show Regulus that he's cool and he wants Regulus to look up to him.

Now when Sirius goes to Hogwarts, Regulus laughs less cause their no more happiness in the house, but it's back when Sirius comes back of course, and tell's Regulus all the things that happened. But once Regulus goes to hogwarts (and gets sorted into slytherin) they start talking less, even at home. Sirius starts rebelling more, and Regulus starts to keep more to himself, mental health definitely getting worse. Even around his friends he never lets himself go and laugh like he used to, they only get a chuckle or two, and thats on his good days. And during his school years, before getting the dark mark, he would just continue to shield himself from others, creating a cold personaity for himself to keep others away, though his friends knew the "real" him. But as his parents got worse, and Sirius left home for the Potter's, he got worse mentally and physically as he kept himself safe from his parents.

When he gets the dark mark, and he's finally alone and spiralling, he just lets out a hysterical laugh and there's no more of the childhood innocence and no more joy in the laugh, it's just filled with anguish as he as he tries to hold back tears annd sobs by laughing. yeah And then he yk dies

But to add to this imagine all their relatives knowing Regulus and his laugh and like, their cousins loved making little Regulus laugh and while Sirius was the moody one yk But in hogwarts everyone knows Sirius Black. He's charismatic and whatever but everyone questions how he's even related to Regulus. If they didn't look so alike, no one would even guess they were related.

I guess there could be a happier side to this (if ur a jegulus fan), as he and james start to talk adn get moore serious yk. even tho Regulus won't admit it, James makes him laugh. With James, Regulus can relax and laugh like a child again, and it sounds just as it did when he was younger, filled with joy and the childhood innocence he thought he had lost. And then he reconnects with his brother and they all live happily ever after the end :0

someone's probably already talked about this but i thought it would be interesting especially since younger regulus contrasts older regulus, and vice vera with sirius but also sirius and regulus contrasts each other. parallels or whatever i might just be using words to seem smart lol the black brother just make me sick i love them sm this idea just came to my head as i once again procrastinated studying but luckily exams are over now so yippee?

[ohnoitsz1m]

Whatever. Combine Barney AU concepts. But also he's a furry because I just can't be bothered to draw people rn

Not by any means an original idea but I've seen so little of it and what IS around isn't very detailed or isn't finished so. I'll gladly add to the pile of unfinished stuff ^_^ I may not be good at keeping up with my AUs but I try to be thorough with them while I'm working on em

Okay continued rambling below final warning also there's a maskless combine down here so like .. HL:A spoilers and general body horror (?) below ↓

Anyways so. Barney is like. A figurehead. Of sorts. Very much a "hey look the combine is actually really great and basically your best bet at survival. We promise not to take away your humanity completely just let us do a little surgery and genetic modification it's totally okay we promise." Type deal. He exists for propaganda basically.

His mask is separated into different parts because well that's just how the design ended up. It's hard to translate shit to furry bodies T_T. The mask snaps together to make a fairly airtight seal since it is technically a respirator,,, but comes off in two pieces. External ears are lame you don't need em when you have a mask and implants that give you better hearing than any other member of your species. Stuff em in the mask they're not made for your comfort anyways.

He's got kind of a modified version of the Ordinal uniform because 1 I really like the HL:A Combine designs and 2 it was the easiest to make look like his Black Mesa uniform. Just for funzies

He's still "Barney" he just got his brain tampered with. And maybe a liiiittle extra stuff. It's fiine. But uh yeah he's lacking a lot of the visible modifications that the combine soldiers usually have because if this thing started trying to tell you how cool it is to join the combine nobody would listen.

So they had to compromise. A little. They let Barney have most of his personality and a good deal of his memories, juust modified to better suit their needs.

The How and the Why of this AU aren't quite set in stone yet but the basic gist of it is:

Barney initially joined Civil Protection early on as a double agent for the Resistance, buuuuut due to prolonged separation from the resistance, propaganda aaaand tampering with the food and water supply he started turning more to the other side. He was still working as a double agent but he started to get sloppy and became more sympathetic towards the combine. Eventually the Combine figured out what he was doing and fucked with his brain for funzies or whatever. Suddenly not only is the combine cracking down harder on rebel outposts, there's a new guy appearing in between breencasts!

[clonerightsagenda]

How's Uglies holding up to modern rereading for you? I loved it as a kid, but nowadays I see it as an early entry in the YA dystopia boom that other books took formula notes from and refined down the line, making it feel a fair bit clumsier by comparison. Very fond memories, though, and I appreciate seeing the toxic yuri on my dash now that I'm old enough to appreciate it, lol.

It's holding up pretty well for me! I'll be honest - while I read The Hunger Games and Unwind, I never read Divergent or The Maze Runner, so I'm not entirely versed in the YA dystopia boom. I'm aware of the cultural construction of it though - world's specialest teen girl is the only one who can topple the government and lead a revolution. I'm not even sure how many of the actual series align with that stereotype (imo The Hunger Games is deliberately interrogating it) but anyway, some thoughts re: Uglies' position vis a vis dystopia stereotypes and just in general:

The love triangle is annoying, no arguments there, but it also ends more messily than I think the stereotype typically conveys. She 'chooses' one of them and then he dies as a direct result of her behavior, and she's not with-with the other at the end of the main series (and in the sequel series they've gone their separate ways).

Also, Tally is frequently a pretty unlikable person, which is a bold choice! She is not motivated by any pure intentions at the beginning - she's betraying a friend for her own gain - and throughout the series we see her wrecking that friendship over and over because, as Shay accuses her, she thinks she's the center of the universe. Shay hits every big milestone before Tally - Smoky, Pretty, Special - and it almost feels like prodding the limits of a close third POV, reminding us that there's isn't one single world's specialist teen girl. In the stereotypical version, Shay would be the scrappy rebel hero. Tally always needs pushes, and she's always screwing it up.

While it's obviously written for younger readers, the writing is effective. Like I said, Scott challenges himself to write the same POV three times with different levels of brain damage and pulls it off. He integrates made up slang in a way that doesn't feel too distracting (I really enjoy the way the princess sections in Pretties are written). In classic Scott fashion he brings back key ideas and phrases to hit you hard when it counts (informed consent, a special circumstance), and of course the whole final word of each book forming a circle is a fun little bonus. I'm glad this was written before the modern codifying of YA when it would be in first person.

The moral is obvious yeah but it's MG/YA and also props to Scott for predicting influencers in Extras. You also get the protagonist semi-aligning themselves with the antagonists' ideology at the end which is interesting, even if it again fits into a Western environmentalist assumption that humans can't live in peace with nature.

And finally, despite not being sporty at all, I still want a hoverboard.

[ivystoryweaver]

The Only One

Episode 9

prev | Fic Masterlist | My Masterlist

Summary: The Resistance relocates to a new base and you mightily struggle with whether to stay or flee. Poe is as wonderful as always and Leia weighs in. Things take a turn

Word Count: 2.5k

Content: self-worth probs, crying, hurt/comfort

PREVIOUSLY on "The Only One"...

Poe surged forward, sliding his fingers through yours - twisting his fingers around yours - the motion he'd memorized as you fiddled with your straps a thousand times before.

"I've got you." His breath brushed your forehead as he drew your intertwined fingers, pulling you as close as he'd ever dared.

And for the first time, wings and all, you laid your head on his shoulder and pressed your body against his.

Setup and survival kept everyone busy and attention off you...for now.

As always, the Resistance hid out in an old rebel base, so the first priority was triage of the wounded, evaluation of supplies and getting everyone a place to rest, after getting them fed.

Everyone was too busy, at first, to worry about your wings or even your Force-wielding abilities.

Poe found you in a corner, as far away from curious eyes as you could manage with your newfound wings, hovered over a holopad, working your magic as best you could with outdated Rebel equipment.

"Hey there," he greeted, kneeling down beside you.

"Commander," you neutrally returned, keeping your eyes fixed on the task at hand.

"I think it's Captain, actually," he sheepishly replied, scrubbing his hand over the stubble on his chin. "The general demoted me right before..." Clearing his throat with a slight sense of embarrassment, he reached for your hand.

You stopped working, eyes cutting over to him. "I'm not calling you Captain. It's ridiculous."

A tired chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Yeah, maybe. You ready to get some rest?"

"No, I have work to do."

He regarded you for a moment, heart burning for you, with everything you'd been through. "All right, Ells. You stay here if you want. But I've gotta sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open."

He stood, watching as you stopped working, body tensing as your eyes darted around you warily. "W-where will you go?"

"Just to sleep. That's it. I won't be far," he reassured you gently, his eyes warm and sympathetic. "Unless...you can come with me."

You were up on your feet and following him in one second flat.

There wasn't much in the way of privacy at this base - not yet, anyway, but Poe had found a closed door to rest behind, grateful that you reached for his hand, linking your fingers through his. He was so worried about you and so very exhausted.

He stumbled into the tiny room, released your hand, sank down in the corner, back pressed against the wall. "You can take the bed."

You felt your cheeks heat with embarrassment that you would take Poe's bed. "No...I have work to do. Please, just go to sleep. I'm okay."

He shook his head, but you insisted. "I'm not sleepy yet. I have some reprogramming to do. Come on."

In a relatively short amount of time, Poe had been captured, tortured by Kylo Ren, he blew up Starkiller Base, lost dozens of friends on the bombing squad, got demoted, saw Leia get severely wounded, got repeatedly dressed down by Holdo, watched half the Resistance get blown out of the sky, and then Holdo herself...and now you.

You not only had wings but you appeared to be a powerful Force user. It was all catching up to him, and he fell asleep as soon as he laid his head down.

Once you were able to watch him, unguarded, you set down your holopad and let out a long sigh. "Oh, Poe...you're the last one who should have been demoted. Without you, so much of this would fall apart. I would...fall apart." Your lip trembled as your eyes flooded with tears.

Tentatively reaching out, you brushed a stray curl away from his eye. How could someone so wonderful, so good, have been treated so horribly? As soon as the thought skittered across your mind, however, you withdrew your touch, backing away from him. Your eyes flickered all over his handsome face and you winced, noticing the little nicks and cuts you inflicted upon him, when you flung rocks outward with the Force. His hands and arms bore the same scrapes.

You were like them now. Like the evil people who tortured Poe. You belonged to the darkness, you were certain of it. You were born wrong, possibly the last of your species. And the last person you knew who could tell you anything about your past, died warning you of your dark connection.

You had to leave, because you would only hurt the Resistance if you stayed. You would hurt Poe.

It would probably be best to sneak away while he was asleep. Pushing up onto your feet, you winced as your wing knocked against the wall. Hot tears pricked your eyes as shamed filled your chest, squeezing like a vice. You were a freak. An evil, dangerous demon.

But you would do one thing for Poe before you left. Quietly sneaking out of the door, you located the makeshift med bay and braved the stares and inquiries to try to find some bacta ointment or patches for Poe's wounds.

Unfortunately for you, Leia was there and she spotted you right away, summoning you to her bedside where she was getting checked over.

"General Organa," you gasped, face flaming hot with humiliation over your Force tantrum back on Crait. "I...I didn't mean to bother you, I'll go."

"No, stay," she gently instructed with a gentle smile, dark eyes warm and calming. "I've been worried about you."

Your eyes went wide. "About me?" Your lip trembled as you realized she must be ready to call you out on your dark and dangerous abilities. "I'm sorry, I just came to get some bacta for Poe. He's hurt."

"Poe is hurt?" She asked, sitting up in her bed, eyebrows furrowing with concern.

"Just some scrapes... I-I didn't mean to. It was an accident." Your breath grew shallow as you felt familiar panic rising in your chest.

"Elia, I want you to breathe," Leia instructed, reaching for your arm with the softest touch. "Just...breathe."

Whatever she was doing worked as the tightness in your chest released.

"You've had quite a day," she sympathetically smiled.

"Me?" You gasped, shaking your head. "General Organa, I'm so sorry...about Master Luke."

She nodded knowingly. "You felt that, didn't you?"

Noticing the instant your panic returned she shook her head once. "Breathe, Elia."

Your eyes drifted closed as you felt an sense of calm and safety wash over you.

"I'll see that you get the bacta you need, but I want you to come and see me tomorrow. Okay?"

You agreed, if only to quickly get back to Poe and figure out a plan for your escape.

Thankfully, Poe was still sound asleep when you returned - tousled curls splayed carelessly yet somehow beautifully as heavy breaths escaped his parted lips. If only you didn't have to be this creature. If only you could really love him.

As gingerly as you could manage, you opened the vial of bacta and, with a featherlight touch, applied it to the cuts you could see, doing everything in your power to not wake him.

Once you finished, you picked up your holopad and tried to plot an escape route. You had to think of how to get away without drawing unwanted attention to the Resistance. If you were caught by the First Order...

You shuddered to think of what they would do to you to get information. But if you stayed here, the darkness in you would surely corrupt everything around you. Easing down onto the floor, you felt your eyes grow heavy.

Hours later, Poe found you there, asleep, your dark wing covering you like a blanket. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes. he stared at you for an indulgent moment, wondering if he'd ever met anyone as unique as you. He wondered if you'd ever let him in, let him close.

Clearly you had been hiding your wings for a long time, maybe your whole life. No wonder you never took your backpack off. He winced at the thought that it must have physically hurt you to hide them. And the fact that you were a Force user. What else were you hiding?

It took everything in him to refrain from stretching out his fingers to trace the slick texture of your wing.

Soon enough, you shifted and stirred, waking up and struggling to find your way out from under your wing. Your hair still hung loosely around your shoulders. You flinched when you saw Poe staring at you.

"Hey," he breathed, reaching for your arm. "I just woke up. Did you sleep down there all night?"

Straightening up a little, you winced in pain, realizing you must have slept crooked. Your wings seemed to feel awkward and at least a little painful all the time.

"Come up here," Poe coaxed, gently grasping your elbows to pull you onto the bed with him. You eased down beside him, heart thundering inside you as your wing settled over both your shoulder and his.

"I-I'm sorry, I..." You pulled away, not wanting to upset him with this terrifying, demonic part of your body.

"Don't be sorry," he whispered against your cheek.

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't...my wings, I - "

"It's okay," he soothed, smiling tenderly as you pushed your fingers through his in the typical, repetitive motion you always did with your backpack straps.

"Your wings don't hurt me, sweetheart," he went on. "They're beautiful. You're beautiful."

"I'm not," you whimpered, tears spilling over your lashes. "I'm...wrong. The darkness - it's in me. It's part of me."

He nodded, touching his forehead to yours. "Everyone has darkness in them somewhere. And light too. It's balance."

Your eyes drifted closed you finally felt sleepiness dragging you under. Somehow, Poe's presence soothed you, despite the notion that you should try to depart tonight.

Safe in his arms, you slept and slept, more soundly than you could remember. It would be one last memory to take with you as you left the Resistance for good.

You slept so long and so hard that Poe eventually climbed out of bed and got busy helping the Resistance get settled at the new base. Leia met with him, promoted him and put him to work. Poe was all too eager to oblige.

You awoke, sore and confused, but after some breakfast and a quick rinse in the fresher, you felt marginally better. And ready to make a plan for how to get out of here.

As you scurried toward the hangar in search of a ship, you realized how stupid your idea was. You couldn't fly anything, and what Resistance pilot would defect to fly you anywhere? Not only that, but how would you escape Poe's watchful eye?

But it's all you knew to do. You ran when things got too hard. You knew nothing else. With all your heart, however, you wished you weren't made wrong because you wanted to stay. Maybe you should stay and ask for help. General Organa seemed to be understanding with you last night. Perhaps she could help you control your power. Or perhaps she would see you for what you truly were.

"I thought I might find you here."

General Organa's voice stopped you in your tracks.

"General. Good morning," you attempted, your hands fidgeting as you averted your eyes.

"Good afternoon," she pointedly returned, but smiled warmly.

"I-it's good to see you out of the med bay. Are you feeling better?" You politely questioned, unknowingly inching away from her.

Leia reached for your hand in a motion so soothing, you didn't even think to flinch. "I am. Thank you. And what about you, Elia? How are you feeling?"

Unsure of how to answer such a layered question, your head dropped, if only to avoid eye contact.

"Could I ask you a question?" She finally asked, breaking the long moments of silence.

You nodded, so she went on. "Could I ask where you were planning to go?"

Your eyes popped open. She knew? After a few moments, you felt a tears slip down your cheeks. "I don't want to put the Resistance in danger."

Nodding understandingly, she motioned for you to sit down on a crate. You complied and she joined you.

"The way I understand it is - you saved a lot of lives on Crait. A whole transport's worth. Maybe more." She looked at you pointedly. "Isn't that right?"

Fidgeting under her scrutiny, you shrugged. "I don't really understand how it happened. I just didn't want anyone to die."

"Tell me what you did. Or said," she gently coaxed. "It's all right."

"Um, the transport caught fire and...I felt the heat. Then I...I told the fire no. I thought of all the danger and I just said no. I felt it and I concentrated. And I could feel the ship touching down on the planet's surface." You sighed wearily. "Couldn't stop the fire, though, or the explosion."

"And how did you feel?"

"Calm," you answered without really thinking.

"The Force is strong with you. I've told you that before."

"The Force," you slowly repeated. "You mean, the energy flow that you have. And Master Luke. And Rey. The girl who moved the stones. Is she a Jedi? Are you a Jedi? You're not saying I could be a Jedi, are you, because I can't do that - not with my wings, because they hurt me sometimes and because of what I am. So that's not what you mean, is it - "

"Elia," she interrupted your rambling. "If you stay, I'll teach you about the Force. I'll show you how to understand your connection to it."

The ache in your wings and your back matched the ache in your soul. You wanted to be a part of the light more than anything. You wanted to be good like Poe and in control, like Leia.

With nothing left to lose, you decided to try to explain to the general about your past. About how you were the last of your kind, as far as you knew. And how someone ominous explained your species' connection to darkness.

She listened intently, without making you feel uncomfortable. In fact, she had a unique talent for it. You'd never felt more centered around anyone. Poe was like that too, but in a completely different way.

"Do you remember when you were on that mission with Poe, to that swampy planet, and you saved his life?"

Instead of denying it, or rambling or fussing, you slowly nodded.

She smiled softly. "Those are not the actions of someone destructive. You've used what little you understand about the Force to save lives. To heal. You didn't give in to fear, to anger. You're strong."

Shaking your head, you squeezed your eyes closed. "Then why was I born like this? Why did I have to be a demon?"

Leia rose, pacing around behind you to inspect your wings. Your head bowed in shame as you endured one of the moments you had dreaded since you arrived and joined the resistance: the rejection of General Organa.

"How certain are you of your species?" She questioned, moving back around to face you.

No one had ever asked you that, because you had been pretending to be a human your whole life. "I only know what I was told. I don't think there are anymore demons."

"And that's why you hid your wings?" She asked a rhetorical question and then continued. "That's why they hurt you. They didn't grow correctly."

"Please..." you backed away, wishing so badly you could flee and hide, feeling as if you couldn't take any more scrutiny or stares.

"It's all right," she repeated. "Will you meet me here tomorrow? I think I can help you."

"With the Force, you mean?"

"Yes. And I think we can do something about your pain," she added. "I may also have an idea about where you're from."

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[lupiinist]

i haven't been able to write a lot recently (since i'm busy studying for college stuff)

but i had a vision. a mirage. a hallucination if you will

so today i present you:

marauders x ever after high

i'd like to start with lily evans as apple white. yeah. I MEAN JUST THINK ABOUT IT OKAY beautiful slightly nerdy popular girl, everybody knows her, everybody loves her, and i could argue that mary would look AMAZING as apple as well, sure, but then we have:

mary as darling charming. she's absolutely perfect, she's a fighter, a rebel, she likes to do things her way, the stubborn princess she is, AND she's lily's true love kiss

dorcas meadowes as raven queen, i don't even have much to say here, BUT i could also argue regulus black as raven queen (and james as apple white) but i think i'm more for the girlies on this one. anyway, dorcas makes the goth, raven type, chic and slightly off-putting. not everyone loves her, but that's just because they don't really know her

which brings us to: pandora rosier as maddelyn hatter. i can't even stress this one enough, pandora is all mad hatter vibes, really

i think maybe marlene would be briar, but i'm not really sure yet

james is daring charming, period, i don't even need to put say a lot about it (although i don't think he'd fit the narcissist type, it's just the general vibes, y'know?), and regulus would be either lizzie heart or rosabella beauty, just because i like the idea of scary/unhingend regulus and mister sunshine james

i'm not really sure who barty and evan would be, but i'm very inclined to say evan would be duchess swan, and barty would be sparrow hood. evil genius x appealingly dumb sidekick, except they're both really smart-

remus is ashlynn ella (i just find it funny him running a shoe store), and sirius is hunter (pretty little goody two shoes x rebel couple, but they're both rebels, really)

if regulus isn't cerise hood, i'd also say remus, actually. the half-wolf thing just seems like it was made for him

rita skeeter is blondie lockes, that's it

also, alice is alistair wonderland, and narcissa is bunny blanc (i actually have an hc that alice calls narcissa bunny, so it fits her like a glove)

and last but not least (i think), bellatrix as faybelle. i just think i'd be funny

[tartsinarat]

Meet Till Eulenspiegel, or Tilly

They’re a mischievous little palisman who loves spreading chaos but internally they deeply wish for a person who could fill the gap their original owner left so they’re always trying out new owners until that person gets tired of them due to their strong attitude and lack of interest in being used as a staff because they prefer to be flying about in their animal form rather than be used as a tool.

Their original owner was a huge human folklore nut (specifically German folklore) so when they carved them, he made them be a Wolpertinger which is basically the jackolope’s more chaotic looking cousin and even named them after a famous German folklore character/ possibly real person.

But their original owner got killed at some point (not too sure how but because of Tilly’s name being based on a guy who was famous for hating authority it was probably due to rebelling against the empire) and after attempting for many decades to find the perfect owner who doesn’t give up on them or find them hard to deal with and then abandon them, they ended up in the care of the bat queen.

Until Pip came along because he had to run an errand with Luz for Eda because she was too busy with other stuff to go help the bat queen.

Originally Pip wasn’t even going to come along because the bat queen has tried to kill him multiple times for reasons he doesn’t understand as he avoids being around her and palisman like if they were the plague but it’s because the bat queen senses that he’s a threat due to his curse and how there’s a palisman spirit stuck in him so she wants to kill him to avoid more palisman deaths and save the poor guy who’s stuck there but since this episode is during early season two, they really needed the snails and Pip didn’t want to just abandon Luz so he went over anyway to help out.

The bat queen didnt make too much of a fuss about Pip coming along with Luz because she needs all the help she can get. This is because a bunch of palisman that were under her care were found by scouts and were about to be delivered to Belos and she can’t leave her babies or the rest of the palisman behind just in case there’s more scouts so that’s why she needed their help.

One of the palisman who managed to escape being captured was Tilly, so they ended up guiding Luz and Pip to the rest of them but on the way they ended up taking a liking to Pip due to at first thinking he was a fair maiden (Tilly is slightly blind due to a part of her carving process going slightly wrong) because of his longer hair in comparison to Luz but ngl a funnier explanation is that Tilly immediately sensed that Pip is genderfluid before he even knew it lmaoooo.

But yeah anyways after the rescue mission goes successfully, Tilly ends up deciding to stay with Pip much to both the Bat queen’s and Pip’s disappointment because they really liked how he tricked the scouts by dressing up as one but also decided to play a couple of extremely dangerous (but only the scouts) pranks in meantime to distract the guards from noticing Luz speeding away with all of the captured palisman.

Even though Pip is extremely hesitant about the whole having a palisman thing, they still end up getting along swimmingly as Pip doesn’t really like using staffs or magic in general and so tilly is able to roam around as much as they want but they don’t actually mind being used as a staff by Pip after a while because they both end up having such a good friendship but Pip still always asks them first if they’re alright with doing a spell together or if she is comfortable with him using her to fly

Tilly is also sort of co-owned by Luz as Pip at the beginning didn’t trust himself enough to be around Tilly for long periods of time due to the trauma of being forced to munch on a palisman when he was younger so he has Luz look after them when he feels like he can’t cope with the situation at the moment.

Luz loves Tilly and takes care of them as if they were her own child/ palisman whenever she’s on palisman-sitting duty although Pip thinks she spoils Tilly too much (but to be honest Pip probably spoils her even more but doesn’t realise it.)

So Tilly really likes Luz and even occasionally allows her to use them as a staff when owlbert isn’t around.

An example of a Wolpertinger so it shows I’m not making this shit up, this one is a mix of a rabbit, deer, a squirrel and a bird but I’m not sure of what type.

In real life they’re a joke mythological creature that was created for tourism so they have the most funniest lore I’ve ever read for a myth, for example the way to catch one of these bad boys is to have a fair maiden because they have an attraction to them but on the other hand they’re also tricksters who make tourists who explore forests lose their direction and starve to death…so uh yeah there’s more to them than that but those two are my favourite traits.

Tilly is specifically a mix of a rabbit, a deer, an owl and a skunk.

The owl part has a specific reason because the literal translation of “Eulenspiegel” is owl-mirror but is also garbled version of an expression for "wipe-the-arse"… This is because of the nature the character Tilly is named after as he was a legendary German peasant who later had a bunch of folklore created due to being a insane prankster who would defy any and all authority which I think fits into Tilly’s species and personality perfectly.

As well I designed her knowing that she’ll eventually ends up as Pip’s palisman hence why theyre a hybrid (just like him) but also I think by them being part bird it’ll be something that helps him feel more comfortable about having a palisman, especially one that’s part owl who hates authority like Eda who he has a great respect for.

Oh yeah and Rip Muffin, aka the original palisman I had originally planned for Pip to have but couldn’t because Waffles was a thing in season 3 and it felt awkward to have both hunter and Pip with Blue jays, but because I’m not bothered to design another palisman oc ever again due to how much it sucks to figure out their staff forms she’s now the Palisman that Pip got forced to eat by Belos when he was younger.

[sillystappen]

Atta Boy, Atta Boy

A slight crackfic inspired by I Don't Dance from HSM2. Read the slightly better version on AO3 here. Word Count: 2284

Here's the thing, it's not that Daniel inherently dislikes Max. That's not at all true. They just exist in different social spheres. His best friend Lando is dating Max's friend Oscar and generally speaking Max is a pretty decent guy. His brother is annoying, but that's just Charles and what he does. Besides, Charles got Lando and everyone else jobs at this stupid country club in the middle of nowhere with the most annoying pushover of a boss ever. So, really, he can't complain too much.

But recently, Charles has been creating more problems again by tearing Lando away from their friend group. 'All in this together' they said, yet the moment that rich boy comes over offering fancy shoes and playing basketball with college athletes it's as if none of the team or their friends matter.

Max is only guilty by association but that's still guilt. He's not stopping his brother in any of this.

Daniel stands on the baseball pitch, throwing the ball over to Blake, who throws it back and they keep going back and forth until Oscar pulls up with Logan in a golf cart and Max in the back seat. Daniel chucks the ball back before jogging over to Max, immediately weary. He is not having this theatre kid ruin this game and anything else in Daniel's life.

"What? Did Horner send you out here to spy on us?" Daniel accuses.

Max scoffs but smiles, "my brother actually. He thinks you guys are gonna upstage his talent show."

Daniel rolls his eyes. The fucking talent show. Daniel was going to (reluctantly) do the show with Lando but then Lando bailed on them so there's no reason whatsoever for Daniel to practice his jazz hands.

Carlos voices said opinion but Oscar immediately disagrees, saying how much fun it would be to just do it anyway. Psh yeah, right.

"Who are we kidding?" Daniel asks rhetorically. "Besides, do we look like know how to put together a show?"

"No, but I do," Max says stepping forward. Oh, so he's rebelling against his brother, how interesting.

Daniel huffs a laugh, moving closer to Max, "look, if you wanna play ball then grab a mitt. But I don't dance."

"You don't think," Max smirks, folding his arms and leaning forward, "dancing takes some game?"

His eyebrows flick up surprised, before Daniel looks Max up and down, really taking him in, stupid cap included. He's not a bad person to look at, all things considered, and if he knew this side of Max before then this would not be the first time they have a proper conversation. "You got game?" he asks.

Max shrugs, faking humbleness, "a little."

Daniel nods to himself. If Max wants to play, then bring it.

He gestures for Blake to chuck a bat in the air and he catches it with one hand, holding it out in front of him, only for Max to immediately place his hand above his. A chorus of 'ooh's echo around them as Max grins. Daniel can feel the heat from Max's hand on his own, his pale skin so clearly contrasting against his own tanned hand and it sends tingles up his arm and into his chest.

Daniel places his other hand above Max's and Max places his above that. Daniel can easily see how Max's arms are not as strong nor muscle-y as his own, but lean and elegant. Daniel takes the hand at the bottom of the bat and places it on top, subtly flexing his grip to see if Max looks at him in the way he is looking at Max. And he does. But Max catches his eyes, smiles again, and places his hand flat on top of the bat. Max bowls first.

The crowd around them cheers as they split off in to two teams, Daniel's wildcats in Red and whoever Max has left in white. Daniel takes the bat, pointing at Max as a sign of respect before walking off to take position on the pitch.

He watches as Max puts on the glove perfectly, like he has done this before, then take the ball, rolling it in his hand to get a feel for it. He tosses it up in the air and catches it easily. Daniel realises Max may have more than 'a little' game.

"Alright, let's go!" Daniel hypes up his team.

Max stands in the bowlers spot and practices a couple of throws as Daniel stretches, holding the bat over his shoulders before practicing a couple bats.

"Baseball and dancing is the same game, Daniel. Watch me prove it." Max says, finishing up his sentence with a body roll as he steps up on to the plate.

So that's what this is. Fighting talk but also if Daniel loses this game, he's gonna have to dance. "I just wanna play baseball, Max. Ain't no dance that you can show me to convince me," Daniel says back, entertained.

Max fake laughs dramatically, resting his hand over his chest. Cheeky little shit. "You'll never know if you never try."

Daniel stands at the ready, bat poised behind his head indicating for Max to throw the ball. It's a good damn throw but not good enough as it just flies over Daniel's head. He jumps out of the way and gives a motion of 'what was that?' with his arms whilst saying, "I don't dance."

"I know you can," is all Max says as he readies his next throw. It's a better one this time, and Daniel hits it left before he takes off running. He makes it a quatre way around the diamond, but the fielders are good and he doesn't manage to make it further in that stint, which is not inherently a bad thing. It tells Daniel that this game is going to be fun.

They continue playing, bantering back and forth and hardly taking their eye off each other. The score is sitting at a pretty even 3:2. It's still anyone's game and Daniel is back up to bat, "you gonna spin that pitch you're gonna throw me?"

Max smirks again, "I'll show you how I swing." If Daniel didn't know any better, he would say Max is flirting, but that can't be right. Him and Max? Not happening. "You gonna show me how you dance?"

"No way, Maxy. There's always gonna be that one thing that stops me every damn time." Daniel doesn't know where the hell 'Maxy' came from. Thinking about it makes him miss the ball Max throws. Shit, he's slipping. He hits it on the second throw but it's not that good, barely taps the ball. Still, it counts and he takes off running again. He still makes it far enough for his team to score and the next thing he knows he sees Max prancing off to put on his baseball helmet as the teams change sides.

Max stands in the batting square, doing little spins and steps with the bat, "come on, do the dance!"

Daniel grins but rolls his eyes amusedly as he stands in the pitcher's spot, "I'm making a triple, not a curtain call." He does a spin on the spot to prove his point, but sticks the stop a lot better than he thought he would. Heck, one would say that move was smooth, so he does some bullshit bow at the end of it.

Max giggles, raising his eyebrow at Daniel's little demonstration, as if Daniel is proving Max's point: that Daniel can dance.

"If I can bring it to the diamond, there's no reason you can't bring it to the stage!" Max says, taking his stance.

Daniel doesn't want to hear any more because it's starting to look like Max is right. "You're talking to much, just show me what you've got here." Daniel throws the ball. And Max hits it perfectly; the ball goes flying.

He makes it all the way around the diamond in one, even managing to put in a leap as he turns the second corner. When he makes it back to the start he does another little spin and points at Daniel as if to say 'look at me nailing both.'

"You make a good player Maxy, but I don't believe you," Daniel half-lies, something in him telling him that he most certainly could do that.

The game continues on, other players in white batting and running, and Max continues to dance around, trying to coax Daniel into another move. When Daniel gives in just to humour Max, doing a jazz square, Max yells "atta boy" at him, which just makes all the blood rush right in to Daniel's cheeks.

The crowd watching them is roaring, clearly entertained by the unusual game going on. Max ends up pitching again, and he's pretty damn good, spinning the ball more often than not and that botched throw at the start was definitely a fluke. Daniel wouldn't mind playing with him again, because this is the most fun and interesting baseball game he has played in a while.

In the end, Daniel's team wins by 1 point. His teammates rush over to him and start celebrating their victory but Daniel sees Max start to leave, and well that can't happen now.

"Hey, Max!" Max turns his head to look at him over his shoulder. Daniel takes a breath, "I'm not saying I will dance in the show, but if I did... what would you have me do?"

Fine he admits it, Max may have convinced him. He put in one heck of a performance in their game and Daniel has definitely come around to liking Max, with his witty remarks and humour (not to mention how pretty he is when he sweats a little). Plus, he's got to give respect and credit where it's due, and the sportsman in him cannot not give Max that after their game.

Max grins and turns around, "meet me later and find out," he says and walks off pitch.

Daniel finds Max in the washroom after he finishes celebrating with his team. Max looks at him through the mirror above the sinks, "you found me quickly."

"Something in me told me I shouldn't let you go all that quickly," Daniel tries to sound nonchalant but fails.

"So you wanna know what I'd have you do?" Max turns around and leans against the sink, his shirt riding up a little which immediately catches Daniel's attention.

"Yeah..." Daniel admits quietly.

Max hums, then brings Daniel closer to him, placing his hands on Max's waist. "I'd have you dance with me, only me," Max says, voice low yet confident as he brings his arms to rest on Daniel's shoulders. "I'd have you close like this."

Fuck, they are close, really close. Daniel can see the blue and turquoise in Max's eyes, the shape of his nose and the freckle on his lip that he has never noticed before. He stares a bit, licking his own lips once as his thumbs start to gently stroke the skin around Max's hips. Max notices all of this and his mouth curves in to a satisfied smile. "Then what would you have me do?" Daniel asks softly.

"I feel like you may already know this dance," Max whispers before leaning in and kissing Daniel. It feels electric, energised and they pour all the adrenaline left from the game into the kiss, quickly turning it into a make-out session when Daniel pushes his tongue past Max's lips. Max is all too willing, opening his mouth easily for Daniel in a gasp.

God, Max's mouth feels amazing against his own, they should definitely do this again, and Daniel is all the more convinced when Max slips his hands inside Daniels baseball jacket and tugs it off, to then slide his hands under Daniel's undershirt. Daniel knocks that stupid cap off Max's head and threads his fingers into Max's golden hair, and uses the other arm to hoist Max up on to the sink counter. Every touch is burning and every moan is permanently rooted in his brain. Daniel knows he won't walk away the same man.

Suddenly, the bathroom handle moves and the two spring apart, Daniel grabbing Max's cap and putting it on himself and Max picking up Daniel's jacket and shrugs it on, only realising when they look at each other in the mirror that nothing they can do will make them look in any way better. Max's hair is mussed and both of their lips are shiny and red. Their shirts are roughed up and they are literally wearing each other's clothes. The evidence is damning and Daniel can't help but giggle at it. Max snorts and drags him out the bathroom.

"So, would you have me for a repeat performance?" Daniel asks as they walk back to the others by the pitch after sorting themselves out a little.

"I want you for many more," Max replies, squeezing Daniel's hand.

Daniel finds some unoccupied seats at one of the benches near the food carts, ruffles Max's hair then goes to buy some chips for the two of them. Max smiles softly at him and thanks him, both of them ignoring the way their friends look at them.

"You called that a little game, though? Back there?" Daniel has to ask.

Max laughs, tilting his head back. "Little... league, world series, Rhode Island. Champions," Max reveals and Daniel looks at him in wonder and disbelief. 'This little shit,' Daniel can't help but think for the second time, but this time much more fondly.

Still, Daniel gently whacks him around the side of the head, and Max laughs again.

[jessicas-pi]

Y'all said you wanted to know my new idea, so. Hear me out on this. Cracky fun-filled Rebels Superhero AU highkey based on the 1966 Batman show.

*narrator guy voice* At stately Syndulla Manor, home of millionaire Hera Syndulla and her youthful ward Ezra Bridger-

So yeah, Hera is a millionaire who does superhero work under the alias "Spectre." She has an invisible car called the Ghost (but Ezra always calls it the Ghostmobile.) Ezra is her adopted kid and sidekick. I'm thinking his superhero alter ego has a cat theme, just because. Maybe he goes by "Stray" or "Alley Cat" or something.

Now, enter Kanan!

Kanan also does superhero work, calling himself "Phantom." He, too, has a sidekick: Sabine! (I'm not sure if I want Sabine to go by "Nightowl" (referencing her Nite Owl helmet) or "Starbird.") Like Hera, Sabine is also pretty rich, but she tries to escape her life as the daughter of a famous politician by moonlighting as a superhero. She also refuses to be called Kanan's sidekick because she "works alone" (only she keeps showing up whenever he's investigating a crime because She's Lonely and he has Dad Vibes.)

Ahsoka is the "commisioner gordon" character, and she's in contact with all the heroes and often calls them both in for cases, but she also uses an alias (Fulcrum) so that the villains can't trace back to her and use her to get to the heroes. Zeb works at the police department and he's the one most often assigned to go work with the superheroes.

Hera and Ezra know each others' identities, since they're adopted family, but none of them know any other secret identities. Which leads to some pretty crazy shenanigans, because:

Hera and Kanan are engaged.

Spectre and Phantom are amiable coworkers.

Phantom very vocally admires Hera around Spectre.

Ezra is deeply suspicious of Phantom because he thinks Kanan is THE COOLEST and NOBODY ELSE should be acting all interested in Hera, especially if they don't even KNOW HER. SHE'S ENGAGED, BACK OFF BUDDY!

Ezra and Kanan have a great father-son relationship. The only strain is that Ezra will not shut up about how much Phantom annoys him.

Sabine and Ezra go to the same fancy school and they're best friends.

Ezra has the world's biggest crush on Nightowl/Starbird. Naturally, he confides in his best friend about it---minus the part where he's a superhero interacting with her regularly---completely unaware that she is Nightowl/Starbird.

Sabine thinks it's hilarious. (After all, it's just a celebrity crush---Ezra has never even met her as her superhero identity---and by the time he finds out her identity, he'll toooootally be over it! ...won't he?)

The only person to have everything figured out is Hera's butler Okadiah. He Is Amused.

So, yeah. Secret identity shenanigans.

Also, just funny stuff in general. There's lots of hilarious villains-of-the-week, among them such ridiculous characters as Commander Meiloorun. (Yes, Commander Meiloorun is an actual villain-of-the-week character here.) And the ridiculous costumes, too, obviously. I might have to draw them sooner or later.

Anyway, I've kinda expended my thoughts on this so far... yeah soooo that's all i have! (but stay tuned in case i do draw some art for it because i definitely might.)

[hastalavistabyebye]

Every so often I'm thinking about what Coruscant culture (and art) would look like.

Because it's one hell of a melting pot, that's for sure. But it has also been the Capital of the republic for a very long time. People have been there for generations after generations, living on top of each other's. So there would be a Coruscanti culture. But it's also very divided between the elite in the hight levels -very wealthy, very powerful- and the lower levels -very poor, very numerous and diverse. And it's a giganormous metropol which means that it's always changing, always evolving. And since it's the litteral Capital at the center of the Republic, it also most likely has access to the newest inventions and highest tech...

So what would its culture look like ? Would it be defined by contradictions too, like the rest of the planet ?

Maybe the music would be the form of art that unify it the most easily, with its easy way of propagation. Of course there would be lots and lots of different scenes (with various cultural influences, genres...) but it could have something that sounds distinctly "Coruscanti" just like it's easy to know when our music is from the US because this mainstream music sounds "American". Because of course coruscanti music would be wild spread through the republic too.

Fashion and clothes would have the same tendencies too. Very different clothes depending on how hight you are of course. And Coruscant wouldn't be as famous for its fashion trends as Naboo, obviously. But it could still have quite the influence (especially if we think some people copied the Jedi clothes to be trendy or what not, who says it would be the only style copied like that ?)

But what about the other art forms ? There would be an Elite art and a lower levels art ?

The elite art would be like every elite art around the world, very luxurious, good and bad tastes alike (just like I've already thought about with space Palissy and Cellini). I tend to think from what we saw in canon (especially with Thrawn's art collection in Rebels and Luthen's gallery in Andor) that the elite favor sculptures and other tridimensional arts more than pictural art. The only time where we saw pictural art having a major cultural importance was for the Mandalorians and their armor paint really, anyway.

And the Lower levels are completely submerged in urban life. I don't think sculptures would be the favorite medium here, especially with the restrictive spaces they live in, all piled up like that. So maybe graffiti and murals would be commonplace. It would definitely be a more "people art" if I can say it like that, something with a soul and value for the people making it, but without the intellectual, artistical research and such of the elite. Something not simpler necessarily but more organic, living with the people. Made of everything at hand, knick-knacks and such. Maybe holographic? But I don't know how that could be done. Yeah, graffiti for sure (there would be so much surfaces for that too). But I'm sure there would be other mediums too.

Coruscant really is something complex and a bit monstrous. And it's so so hard to gauge its depth, including when thinking about how it even works. So here's some of my thoughts on its culture and art. Do tell me what you think.

[godtier]

random thought but in the context of the mmx universe: what exactly was the benefit of giving reploids any semblance of autonomy or feelings or thoughts or ability to make choices

like I get that it's a trope for media that contains sentient robots. I get it. but like. why.

to use a very obvious comparison, terminator is like "what happens when the robots wanna kill us" but in mmx, that's not even a plot point in any of the games at all. yeah, mavericks are implied to have attacked humans, but most of the damage they cause seems to be infrastructure related or just attacking other reploids... the majority of reploids aren't rebelling against humans at all

so like

again

what the hell was the point in making them sentient? you have this race of robots that are capable of autonomous actions and individuality that are basically, what... glorified appliances?

it's smth that I feel is kinda glossed over purely bc there's a huge lack of human representation in mmx specifically. like classic mm has plenty of instances of humans interacting with the robots etc, but mmx has like... Dr Cain.

like, let's pretend mmz doesn't factor in here bc that came out after the foundation of mmx was created and by a different team (it is also itself an alternate future by virtue of the direction the x series took after x5, anyway)

and then if you just look at mmx on its own, all we know rly is that like... humans had to go underground and such after Eurasia crashed due to the fallout

but we don't rly get much info on how they interact day to day with the reploids? or what their general feelings are about them. and it's just really really bizarre bc narratively, you'd anticipate smth like how mmz rolled out where there's an actual uprising against humans specifically... but mavericks in mmx (aside from sigma and some others) are generally characterized as either "disobedient" or "rogue" or "malfunctioned."

bc remember: sigma was a maverick hunter. mavericks existed before he rebelled and went on his spree about being a superior race. like, that implies that sigma's movement is about reploids being superior to humans, but I'm talkin like... overall. narratively, it's always been an odd thing how it was never really delved into in later games very much.

I feel like maybe it's bc they pigeon-holed sigma too early in the series into being infected by zero (it's implied as early as x2, iirc), which thereby degraded his personality until he basically didn't exist anymore. like his whole movement and motivation, if you think about it, lasted basically one game. the first game. every subsequent entry, sigma is pulling strings in the bg, rapidly declining from "reploids are superior to humans" into purely causing chaos either for the sake of it or to get x and zero to fight him again.

like at its core, it's a very bizarre thing to look at with more scrutiny. most things I have read about mavericks beyond "they're crazy or something" have been from supplemental, non-game canon materials (the manga, the light novel, the Archie comics, etc).

anyway it's just smth I was thinking about randomly when tryna workshop my fic 🥲 a lot of the stuff I come across is basically fanon territory and I just wonder if anyone else noticed how weird the way mavericks are treated from a narrative standpoint or if it's just me being crazy