#but seriously it's so funny to me how the empire seems to have decided that the best way to save money for their secret projects

[weregonnabecoolbeans]

The Bad Batch Finale Spoilers Below

You have been warned!

Part 5/? of my The Bad Batch series finale thoughts

Final warning! If you care about spoilers for the series finale of the bad batch...Scroll away!!

The last showdown with hemlock had me on the edge of my seat, holy shit.

I kept thinking about Jennifer's plan 99 tease and I genuinely though Omega might sacrifice herself there.

Hemlock's defeat was wonderful. I cheered.

I teared up a lot when Crosshair made his shot, and bawled when Omega hugged him.

[regarding-stories]

The dark abyss that is Andor

There were several things that led to Andor.

On the one hand, Disney screwed up its Star Wars intellectual property by handing it to complete hacks for Episode VII to IX, leading a potential cash cow to attract less and less viewers over the course of three increasingly bad installments. Seriously, The Last Jedi is one of the worst disappointments I've actually watched, and not only was I thinking "This can't get worse..." every five minutes only to be proven, "Yes, it can!!", it completely killed my appetite to see IX (and I would have left the cinema at that one's sheer stupidity). With VII, I saw it once with some initial excitement in a cinema when it released and a strange feeling afterwards, and I never revisited it. VIII I saw on two separate long-distance flights because I couldn't stomach the thing in one sitting. IX I didn't see at all, but devoured YouTube videos ripping it apart. Clearly, Disney had a Star Wars problem.

The other thing is the reboot that was The Mandalorian, especially season 1. The Mandalorian had a penchant for not very strong logic in its writing that you still accepted because you had so much damn fun and loved the characters. Given the fact that it clearly pulled lots of viewers into Disney+ that were loving its vibe that was true to the core of Star Wars, Disney management saw the fact that theaters and theme parks were closed due to COVID on the one hand and that big Star Wars movies were at risk of actually losing money on the other hand, and they did what executives are wont to do - they decided that if it worked once, it will work again and declared they will pump out TEN Star Wars series in the near future.

Meanwhile they cancelled also their ongoing series of "A Star Wars Story" movies that started with what could be called "Episode III.5" - Rogue One. Rogue One was plagued with production problems, so much so that seeming key scenes from the trailer weren't in the movie. "I rebel!", anyone?? Still, it turned out to be something new - a new kind of Star Wars story. It took the idea of a war movie (or its modern equivalent, Band of Brothers) and put it into the Star Wars cinematic universe. It did without an actual Jedi (kinda-sorta) and it showed a strong performance of Diego Luna as the morally gray Cassian Andor. And... (spoiler alert) ... it killed its whole cast in its finale.

I know people that say Rogue One is their favorite Star Wars movie. (But other people dislike it.) I hold it in high esteem. The way the resistance is portrayed also seemed to be somewhat subversive - both to its previous image on screen and to what is portrayable on screen for mainstream audiences in general. It became clear that unlike in the original three Star Wars movies resisting an empire is, on the ground, a dirty business and not just about big battles or commando raids. (Which then happen anyway. Because Star Wars.)

Then followed the lackluster Solo and the third installment Yoda was never made as Star Wars increasingly lost its ability to draw crowds into seats.

And thus it came to Andor

Now what do you do with a character that (spoiler alert? really?) dies. You make a bloody prequel. Which is funny. Andor is a prequel to Rogue One which is a prequel to A New Hope. Prequels, like sequels, carry the risk of rehashing the original material without adding anything to it (Solo ...) and being trapped by the inevitability of what has to happen next, curtailing its writing (Kenobi ...). But Andor season 1 betrays none of that. (Talk about being addicted to prequels, Disney...) It is a strong piece of cinematic art in its own right.

And yes, I'm saying art. About a Star Wars series. That's how I feel about it. Andor not only has strong execution, it has depth. It was a show that made me pause it and think about what just happened on screen. It's a show that gets deeper if you know about history, unlike most shows that actually reveal their shallowness to the knowing eye. (Looking at you, The Man in the High Castle. Boy, I hated that tripe.)

But even before we get into that, let me say how I impressed I was with its set and costume design. Whereas the Book of Boba Fett gave us cyberpunks on floating scooters, Andor poured a lot of heart into how everybody looked in their various environments, creating a more rich and varied Star Wars society by portraying various strata thereof, from the life of imperial senator Mon Mothma to the middle class living literally in her shade somewhere on the middle levels of planet-city Coruscant to the mining town labor class that we find Cassian in. It flawlessly cuts between different well-thought out locations, including, of all things, a holiday resort.

This is paired with some very strong performances by similarly strong actors. I mean, we all knew Stellan Skarsgard would deliver, sure. But Denise Gough absolutely kills it, acting-wise. Her delivery as a villain is perfect, the way she manages to always look so sour and annoyed already is quite something, how she normalizes evil into a technocrat career. Every flinch of her face conveys books of information to me as the fascinated viewer. She is at the heart of this series, and worth the price of admission alone.

And let's not forget Andy Serkis' heart-rending performance. Really, we're being spoiled. People are seriously acting, not just standing in front of a camera wearing costumes! In Star Wars!!

And yet, if it was only that, it still wouldn't have impacted me as deeply as it had. There's one more layer to this, and it's the massive bottom of the iceberg that is Andor. I haven't forgotten, even though I'm writing this a year after watching it.

(And definitely spoilers from here on onwards.)

Life under fascism

The second half of season 1 however can put deep horror into any thinking person's mind. It radically departs from previous portrayals of the evil Empire. It's not relying on cheap gimmicks like Episode VII where we see a village razed by the First Order. (So evil. So cliche, too. Also murdering Max von Sydow. Tsk, tsk. They had to get him off stage before any good acting happens...) Andor creeps under our skin and then reaps havoc.

(This part of this entry will become increasingly dark. You might not want to read on. Because fiction is one thing, and comparing it to historical reality is another. This is an actual trigger warning. Proceed with care.)

The first half of the season is standard fare, almost. Cassian gets himself in trouble and there is really no redeeming quality about it. He also gets everybody else into trouble. The Empire in its heavy-handed hurry to eradicate resistance actually creates it in the first place. And still... the lack of compunction about torture, about going victim by victim, vanishing people into its torture cells, breaking them... this is merely an overture. No hero is born here, but evil wears its mask imperfectly.

Cassian escapes his small world to eventually live the good life on a resort world, getting laid, pretending to be someone else. Instead of being caught as the fugitive and murderer and partisan he actually is by now, he simply gets caught up in the arrest of somebody else. The way the Empire "perpetrates justice" not only gets him arrested while having done no wrong (in that cover identity), he also gets sentenced by a court that doesn't even pretend to actually care about due process in any way. There's a machine of oppression, and instead of competently catching him, Cassian becomes caught up randomly in one of its many gears.

And while this may seem random, it's brilliant. It's one of the many reasons why resistance exists. Because the Empire's overreach is everywhere, grinding up people just living their lives while trying to perfect its control. The corruption of the desire for power leaks through in its banality.

What follows is Cassian's imprisonment, and this segment is brutal and horrifying on a deep level. The more you know, the worse it gets. Cassian is transported to a prison facility where he's forced into repetitive labor to make equipment for the Empire. There's a set of steps every labor team has to execute, and the team with the lowest quota gets punished with electric shocks. Day after day.

This is "Vernichtung durch Arbeit." ("Destruction through labor.") This is what the Nazis did to their political opponents. Before there was a Holocaust, there were concentration camps. And prisoners were made to work - the cynic motto across the gate of Auschwitz was "Arbeit macht frei." ("Labor sets you free.") People would gradually be ground down until they gave out in one way or another, fell sick, die of exhaustion, broke psychologically. The series never tells us its "inspiration," it just goes through similar motions. With the veneer of a super-clean techno prison over it.

Not only that, the very scene reminded me of what I read in a book about the Holocaust. Towards the end of the war the engines for the new secret weapon jet planes or rockets were manufactured by prison labor. Crews of malnourished prisoners would each execute a few pretrained steps and crank out more jet engines in slave labor than was previously done in the Reich's armament factories. This was the culmination of the Nazi system where all labor-intensive things like the bunkers of the Atlantic Wall or the underground factories of Dora-Mittelbau were erected by and on the back of slaves that were themselves gradually killed in the process.

Without ever breathing a word of what is portraying, Andor portrays the same. Skillfully, horribly so.

The devil is in the details

Some way into this horror, everybody gets their sentence doubled. The counter simply goes up. No explanation. Total helplessness in the face of total control. The deep gut feeling of "No one gets out here alive" or "It will never end" begins to descend. That number was a sort of life line for people to brave another day. And it lies!

As unbelievable as it may seem, people did get released from concentration camps, especially those on "lighter charges" like "antisocial behavior." But nobody really knew how long they had to stay or if they were to be released. Often, initially told they had to do 3 to 6 months depending on their conduct, and yet most people never left alive. A quick read in a book behind me says that 8 million people were sucked into the system, 7 million died, 200,000 left by being released by the system itself. The idea you might be released one day added false hope that in itself could create further psychological torture if it was dashed over and over again.

Then there is the "divide and conquer" approach to prisoner management. Work crews are led by other prisoners, rebellion and resistance is quelled within the ranks. This Andor merely hints at, but the Nazi oppression system skillfully created hierarchies to make sure a comparatively small detachment of guards could handle a large mass of inmates which could overwhelm them if acting together.

But it doesn't stop here, not in Andor, either. Eventually we learn that the Empire starts to eliminate the prison population. Rumors start to spread that an entire floor of the super prison was eliminated by electrocution. Just like the real Nazis the space Nazis start to construct yet another death machine to eliminate opposition.

And this leads to that sub-plots final chapter, the prison revolt. There are a few historical mass escapes, even from Nazi death camps. There's also the heroism of the two uprisings of Warsaw (including the ghetto uprising). Left with nothing to lose, left with nothing but death ahead, the prisoners overwhelm the guards.

And this happened in real life, too. It's probably based on the historical case of the death camp inmates that were forced to run the gas chambers and crematoria themselves. This is part of the Holocaust itself, the Nazis had finally dropped all pretenses and resorting to kill people in an industrial manner. And these people knew that eventually their whole detachment would be killed. They knew too much, were witnesses to this massive crime against them and humanity itself. They were also among those destined for death. Like in an antechamber of hell itself they were merely bidding time. So they managed one of the few mass escapes on record.

While Andor doesn't stray as far down the road as actual history does, it knows how to cite history for those who know. It's not made up of whole cloth. It actually is referencing the real history of the most inhumane version of fascism, but it does not put the fact in your face. But if you know, its chamber of horrors becomes so much deeper.

And that's why

This is what makes Andor an absolute masterpiece. It recreates the conditions without blindly copying the source. It adapts, but you can feel how deeply inhumane the circumstances are that it depicts. It gives you the bloody creeps, and even if you don't know how much it is rooted in darkness, you will still feel it. It shows. It tells. But it never spoils the source material.

This is art. This is the deep craft. The banality of evil, the careless, uncaring attitude of evil towards those it deems unworthy and not human. It's all on display. It switches us into the place of Cassian and of Andy Serkis' character as it draws us in as audience. We don't see what happens on other floors. We don't have the information advantage. We can only imagine. We are subjected to the fact that we can only imagine it. And so we share a bit in the plight of these characters. Sometimes not showing a thing is the highest accomplishment of movie making.

And this is why I'm pissed that a series that was planned for five seasons was already cut to play out in two. Because we need more of this and less of more Jedi doing backflips. Just like Loki plays on a completely different level than the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Andor leaves all of Star Wars in its dust. If Rogue One was the attempt to tell a different kind of story in the same universe, Andor is the attempt at a different level of depth.

And this, more than Rogue One, makes it clear why they fight.

Watch it if you can.

And sorry if I horrified you.

[emeraldspiral]

Top 10 Invader Zim Characters Besides Tak, Skoodge, and Zib Who Should've Made a Comeback in No Particular Order:

#1 Ultra Peepi

There's like a million Godzilla movies + giant robot anime to draw inspiration from for a sequel. We saw at the end of Hamstergeddon that Peepi crash landed back on earth somewhere. So he could be in hiding, burrowed underground, or he could've mutated further and grown gills to hide deep in the ocean. Just invent another monster so there's an excuse to go and awaken Peepi to fight it and make the concept as stupid as you want. The show even already established that a giant Santa monster revisits the planet annually, so the return of Ultra Peepi could double as a sequel to the Most Horrible Xmas Ever. Give me Ultra Peepi King of the Monsters.

#2 Iggins

A big issue with Gaz is that being apathetic and wanting nothing to do with Zim or the paranormal as core facets of her character makes it difficult to create interesting storylines for her. So she mostly ends up just existing to be someone Dib delivers exposition to and to make snide remarks at his expense. GameSlave 2 worked really well for her because there was actually something for her to care about and you got to see how Not So Above It All she is compared to Zim and Dib when it comes to the few things she's passionate about. So it seems like if you want to do more episodes centered around Gaz it'd be a good idea to bring Iggins back as a recurring thorn in her side. Maybe it starts off with her not taking him seriously and beating him without much effort, so she can still see herself as not being like her brother. But then Iggins starts to really get under her skin and she feels like she has to teach him a lesson, but he just never learns. Like Zim, Iggins is too egotistical and overconfident to admit defeat, and it starts to drive Gaz crazy after awhile and eventually she becomes just as obsessed as her brother with trying to beat him and prove once and for all that he sucks.

#3 Service Drone Bob

I would love an episode about him fleeing the empire after they attempted to kill him and joining the Resisty. Actually, what would really be funny is if they did the concept I came up with where they do a Resisty story, but troll the audience by only showing them little slivers of what sounds like a really exciting story as cutaways from a silly, inconsequential no-stakes story completely disconnected from it. But like, in those brief glimpses, you'd get just enough references to what's happened off-screen to form an impression of this whole Zuko-esque character arc that Bob's been through of having his eyes opened and unlearning Irken propaganda and being at war with himself before finally deciding to join the Resisty and then having to win their trust and establishing deep bonds with the rest of the group. And then it all ends with one cutaway indicating that they're about to go into the final all-or-nothing battle and then the last cutaway reveals that everyone died and their actions made no impact on the status quo and will never connect back to Zim in any way.

#4 Chammy Wamboo

I think there was a lot of missed potential with Chammy's first appearance. It's hinted that she has actual supernatural abilities, which makes her vaguely unsettling, but the story didn't really go anywhere with it. I think a good way to bring her back would be if she just appeared with no explanation and started harassing Zim and Dib again but this time it seems like it's actually working and it's freaking them out. Eventually, they figure out that Chammy got back to earth by using her powers to brainwash everyone in her path into being her friends and cooperating to help her get home. Now that she's back she's not going to try to reason with Zim and Dib anymore, she's going to make them be friends whether they like it or not. So it's no longer even a question of whether Chammy's just wrong about their relationship or if Zim and Dib are just being stupid, stubborn idiots who can't see that their lives actually would be better if they became friends. The issue now is that their free will is being violated and she's treating real people like dolls she can mash together and make kissy-noises with.

#5 Invader Tenn

I think a lot of Tenn's popularity is owed to her being one of very few female Irken characters and one whose brief appearance in Megadoomer gave rise to a lot of speculation about what might've happened to her next. The earliest versions of the fake fanon Invader Dib storyline involved an attempt to rescue Tenn from the Meekrob, but I kinda like the idea of her ending up in Moo-Ping 10 and teaming up with Tak to escape. Really though, there's an infinite number of possibilities for whatever happened to Tenn after Megadoomer. Was she left for dead? Did the Tallest blame her for failing her mission even though it wasn't her fault and banish her to a place like Dirt or Foodcourtia as punishment? Did she ever find out Zim blew up her Megadoomer?

#6 Zorphic aka "Madness"

The dog that terrifies Zim turning out to be an alien was such a good twist and I wish we could've seen him make good on his promise to get revenge on Zim for his betrayal. I think he has an interesting personality that sets him apart from a lot of the Zim cast but we never got to see what he's like in retribution mode.

#7 Bill

Outside of Career Day I think we only see Bill once more briefly in Chickenfoot and then again in the Lil Meat Man story, where I don't remember him really doing any of his usual schtick of wasting Dib's time and making his field of expertise look bad, they just kinda drive around together trying to catch Zim but always getting to where he's been after he's already left. I think there could've been some more funny episodes with Bill stepping on Dib's toes. Like Dib needs to follow Zim into a location but Bill is blocking him because he thinks there's a real monster in there and Dib's trying to convince him that it's just a cereal mascot and the real threat is Zim. Or Dib and Bill are investigating the same phenomenon but they disagree about what's causing it. What it actually is is plainly obvious to Dib, but people either believe Bill instead because some poorly timed coincidences make Bill's theory look right, or they just buy into his absurd leaps of logic because they think the complexity of the theory makes it more well thought-out than Dib's simpler, more straightforward explanation. Basically Bill is like a YouTube pop culture theorist making garbage arguments and Dib is the person making debunking videos that unpack all the logical fallacies, glaring omissions, and outright lies used to support his flimsy thesis that ignores what's overtly communicated by the text.

#8 Dwicky

I feel like there's a bit more mileage that could've been gotten out of getting Dib's hopes up and teaching him a harsh lesson by having Dwicky repeatedly promise to help him, only to flake out, until Dib finally realizes that just because he's an adult and he believes him doesn't make him reliable or a worthwhile ally.

#9 Membrane's parents

We only see them briefly in the comics but I really want to know more about Dib and Gaz's grandparents and what relationship they have with them. Are they even still alive? Do they visit ever? Membrane apparently chooses to believe in Santa because he can't bear to think his parents would give him socks for Xmas, so he must otherwise have positive feelings toward them which makes the disappointment of getting socks feel too contradictory to his perception of them to reconcile with. But then again, Dib and Gaz seem to be pretty fond of Membrane, but as outsiders the audience can see that he's a terrible parent and hope that when they get to be teenagers they'll start to realize it. I just feel like if we got to know more about their grandparents we could understand better why Membrane is such a bad father. And who doesn't love a good story about unpacking generational trauma?

#10 Snarl Beast

It's a fucking crime this space cat didn't become a regular cast member. Like I've said before, Snarl could've been like Dib's GIR. An adorable-on-the-outside-but-actually-horrifying little creature who fucks things up for Dib more than he helps, but Dib would never dream of parting with it, and Hot Topic could print money off of it.

[fantasyinvader]

Another thing clicked.

Remember what I said about Hubert's ending? His endings outline that historians know the things he does to support Edelgard, from spying on the people to putting down rebellions from the shadows, as well as the existence of TWSITD despite Edelgard's attempts to keep their existence a secret. The Japanese text uses terms like black-hearted or wicked for his solo ending, implying that those historians view him as a very immoral man who supported Edelgard.

The history the games gives us refer to Edelgard as “The Flame Emperor.” You know, the name Edelgard operated under before the war broke out, who Jeralt seemed to know about as he investigated what was going on during White Clouds with the knights. This is how history remembers Edelgard, whereas the people give Dimitri the title of Savior King and Claude the Unification King.

Edelgard is remembered as her alias.

Byleth in this case is referred to as “Wings of the Hegemon,” indicating that Edelgard was a hegemonic ruler after all and Byleth is remembered for allowing her to come into power. This is in contrast to their Wandering Flame title in Silver Snow... which is another example of Pat being Pat making it sound like Byleth was lost with Edelgard. The Japanese title is a callback to what Sothis called Byleth at the start of the game. King/Queen Byleth is remembered as “The Flame that Seeks Their Destiny” in the Japanese script, same thing Sothis called them whenever she saved their ass. In Moon, they're remembered as “The Guardian of Order,” and Wind “The Ruler of the Dawn” highlighting the dawn of a new Fodlan.

Jertiza is simply remembered as the Bloodstained Demon.

I also noticed a certain line was changed. Remember at the start of the game when the leaders describe their House members? This is what Edelgard starts with when describing herself “Me? I’m exactly how I look. You may feel that I’m arrogant, but still, I’m to be the next Emperor.” Funny, Edelgard wants you to see her at face value. What you see is what you get, no ulterior motives and it's not like she'll be unmasked or something during the story. /s But seriously, the Flame Emperor reveal is meant to be a major twist according to the devs. That the entire time, Edelgard had another side to her, a side that history remembers her as as I mentioned above, and part of that surprise is it's a role a woman hasn't filled before in this franchise. The villainous red emperor seeking conquest. And hell, people know that the things Edelgard does as the Flame Emperor don't make her look good, I've seen her defenders wish that the identity would change based on route and let's not forget the teacher theory in response to her hiring bandits to kill her classmates.

The other thing that stood out is that Edelgard is remembered as THE hegemon. THE. But the thing is, I think this can be a sign that Edelgard's reforms don't fix things and the Empire would repeat it's decline following her rule.

Edelgard's Japanese endings make it out her goal is to reform the class system so that people won't rely on others. While the route's ending makes it out that Edelgard intended to abolish the nobility, the Byleth/Lorenz ending says that their son INHERITED his position from his father. This was an ending that was changed from the other routes for Flower, and it still shows that nobles can merely inherit their parent's position whereas the Constance solo ending makes it out that the noble titles are only supposed to last for a generation and not be passed down. Edelgard consolidated power so that she could reform Fodlan as she saw fit, so that she could decide who gets what position. Yet, by the time Lorenz retires the Emperor doesn't seem to have that power anymore. This could tie back into Hanneman's support with Dorothea, about how the nobility were supposed to be a meritocracy of sorts before the nobles used their power to secure their positions for their families while keeping the commoners down.

Edelgard was THE hegemon, with her successors seemingly not being considered as much likely because they didn't hold the same absolute power that she did.

[liminalpebble]

The Refugee: Chapter 21

Masterlist link 

When Lea opened her eyes, she was in her quarters with Magnus' sweet concerned face leaning over her. He had two fingers on the side of her neck, checking her pulse. Loki stood behind him, looking concerned, arms crossed. It was uncanny, how similar this was to their first day on the ship; the flat circle of time looping back yet again, like Heksejotun cursive. That unexpectedly struck her as amusing, and she let out a groggy little chuckle.

“Hey Lea, lovie, how do you feel?” Magnus asked, with his disarming lop-sided grin.

“Funny...” was all Lea could croak out. Her mouth and lips felt parched. As soon as she had the thought, he lifted a glass of water to her.

“You're a little bit sedated. You fainted and then your pulse shot through the roof. The medics were afraid for your heart. It seemed fit to burst.” He jostled around a moment, looking for something in his medical case. “I'm going to move this around. Try to follow it with your eyes, okay?” Lea nodded. Magnus lifted a small hand-held light scanning it across and around her line of sight. He stopped a moment to gently hold her lid open for closer inspection. On the outer edge of her black-brown irises, there was now a thin but luminous halo of violet. Magnus looked baffled, but Loki explained.

“Lea saved the Vanir today, and Queen Nadia decided that the only appropriate display of gratitude was to give Lea the gift of magic, though I must say, it would have been nice if she'd given me that message before our translator took an impromptu nap,” Loki said, smirking.  

“Magic?” Magnus said. Lea nodded. “Well, that certainly explains some things. Your body is trying to adjust. I've never seen this before, so I don't know what to tell you to expect any more than the medics who saw to you first, but you definitely need to rest. Sorry, I only just arrived. I really should have been the one to see to you first. I had to...”

She squeezed his hand. “Magnus. Relax. It's fine. Thank you for being here. I know you have your hands full.”

Magnus turned then and smiled to Loki. “Loki was kind enough to ask me to come.” She was glad to see their truce was still effect, but she was also eager to address more pressing concerns.

Lea sat up, “I can't stay, Magnus. The linguistic wing has so much to do and...”

“And they can be without you until you recover,” Loki said, strolling forward.

Lea glared down in annoyance, only to realize that Magnus had unhooked the high neck of her uniform to check her pulse, revealing a patch of very bruised and bitten skin. Seeming very uncomfortable, she scrambled to put everything back in place. The king looked to the doctor with a slyly satisfied smile, like the cat who ate the canary. Magnus didn't look amused. Loki leaned down to hold her hand briefly and give her a generous kiss goodbye. “I'll check on you soon, darling. I have to go run the empire. Magnus, can you please stay with her and make sure she actually rests?” The concern and seriousness in Loki's tone impressed Magnus. He really was worried about her, and he was extending an olive branch of peace to his old friend.

“Of course,” said Magnus, smiling to Lea.

As Loki swung out the door in a flourish of green cape, Lea said to Magnus, “You have an entire ward full of refugees, Magnus. You don't have to babysit me.”

“I also have several dozen staff who are perfectly capable of handling it themselves for awhile.” He paused, thoughtfully. “He told me you were magnificent.”

“Well...you know how dramatic he can be. I'd take it with a grain of salt,” she smiled and rolled her eyes.

“ Did um...did he hurt you?” He asked gesturing to her neck and chest.

“Uh...no. No. Not really...or not on purpose...I don't...” she said, as a hot blush rose to her cheeks.

“Lea, it's fine. I just wanted to be sure he hadn't hurt you...like that...again. Because if he had, I might actually try to kill him.” She touched his face and gave him a smile loaded with affection.

“You might have to get in line.”

“So how does it feel,” said Magnus, “being able to use magic like the rest of us now?”

“Too early to say. Right now it feels strange, like I'm buzzing from the inside, and I hope it settles down.”

Magnus shrugged. “I wish I could tell you what to expect, but this is completely unprecedented.”

“I'm beginning to get very tired of being the recipient of unprecedented events.”

Magnus held her hand. “Rest. Just Rest.”

“Can you grab a book for me?”

“Shall we see if you can do it yourself?”

“I'm afraid to try to use this new magic.”

“It's okay to try, and besides, you have a doctor right next to you if anything goes wrong.” She looked uncertain. “If you manage it, I promise to read it to you.”

The reward was too appealing, so she nodded and held out her hand. With the slightest thought of intention, a plume of violet colored magic emanated from her fingertips. It moved like smoke up to the high bookcases and wrapped around a leather-bound volume of Dracula, smoothly dragging it out and down from its high perch. In the last few feet, the volume shook a bit and then dropped to the floor. Lea let out a little grunt of annoyance at her mistake.

“Hey, that was great! You can't expect perfection on your first try.”

“You're such a beam of sunshine, Magnus.” She laughed and tousled his hair. “Can you read to me now?”

He obliged gladly, heart warmed by the sound of her laughter. For hours, he recited in his beautiful lilting accent, and before long Lea found herself drifting off into a deep recuperative sleep. The only interruption came when she whispered, drowsily, “I love the sound of your voice. I could listen to you forever” which made him blush and smile so widely his cheeks hurt. When he was satisfied that she was resting peacefully, he closed the book, set it aside, wished her sweet dreams, and kissed her gently on her cheek and forehead. He turned to leave when he noticed Loki leaning on the door frame in his armor, glaring and clenching his jaw. He flicked a long white finger the way he might flick a lethal dagger, gesturing to go to the deserted reading room next door.

----

When Loki swung into the doorway to Lea's room, he was giddy with his new success...their new success. The king was eager to check on his sweet clever empress and shower her with his gratitude, but what he saw stopped him in his tracks. He watched as Magnus closed the book, realizing Lenora had drifted off to sleep. He saw him carefully sweep her hair out of her face, pull her blanket up around her, kiss her on her cheek and forehead, and say “sweet dreams” with an expression of unimaginably gentle love. It seemed like such a small innocent gesture, so why did it cause his blood to boil more than if he'd seen them naked and rutting?

It was the care, he realized; the gentle selfless care in these small acts, which Loki had to learn for the first time like a clumsy novice because he had never learned it properly before. He felt pathetic, inadequate, and unaccustomed to not being immediately spectacular at whatever skill he set his mind to. It had taken so much slow effort over these months, so much agonizing patience, for the conqueror to learn to stroke her hair that way, touch her face that way, kiss her forehead that way, wish her 'sweet dreams' as she slept in that gentle way, meanwhile it came as naturally to Magnus as breathing. Loki was infuriated with jealousy and ignited with rage.

---

Magnus exhaled a long irritated breath and followed. Loki set his helmet on the table and combed his fingers through his hair, then gave an irritated and dramatic little toss of his head and lick of his lips; a behavior Magnus had come to associate with Loki's more fractious and pouting moods.

“And what the hell was that, Magnus?”

“It was me reading to her, Loki,” he said matter-of-fact-ly.

“Because it looked like you kissing her. And I'm no fool Magnus, I'm sure you've kissed her before. I can't blame you. She's very hard not to kiss. But she's mine now. MINE.”

“Your insecurity is vast and baffling and ugly, Loki. For the last few days I thought things were settling between us and now this childishness again? Because...what? Because I did what you asked me to and looked after her?” said Magnus, shocked and mystified by the sudden and seemingly arbitrary destruction of their truce over such a small gesture.

“She loves me. You had no right to...to be like that with her.” Loki retorted, uncharacteristically ineloquent.  

Magnus felt his temper rise and his skin turn nearly as red as his hair. He always hated that every one of his feelings were always so clearly written on his skin, his face, his eyes and reactions. Meanwhile, Loki could be in a rage and that face would still gleam smooth and light as ivory. It might even be smiling that unnerving smile; the one that never quite reached his eyes.

Even for the incredibly patient doctor, enough was enough. How could Loki be so pettily concerned about this instead of Lea's own state right now, or the war at his doorstep? The incredibly long fuse of Magnus' forbearance with Loki, a fuse which had been smoldering for thousands of years, was about to run out. He knew he was about to tumble off the edge of saying things he might regret, and yet he couldn't stop it.

“Really, Loki? Did she tell you that herself? Or did you force her to say it, on her knees and shackled like an animal?”

Loki seethed. “No, she hasn't said it yet, but she will. I see it in her mind.”

“She's said it to me, Loki. She loves me. She loved me first, without being coerced. I was her first kiss. She told me she wanted me to be her first lover. She told me that she doesn't know if she loves you, she thinks she might, but she also hates you. That part she seemed much more certain of.” Magnus was surprised to hear the unfamiliar venom in his own voice. He immediately hated it. He never wanted to hear it come from him again.

“She is MINE...” Loki bellowed. “I will make her a queen...a goddess...give her everything she could ever want. You have no idea the sweet ecstasy I have coaxed from her, and you will never know the beauty of her in those moments...how her skin feels, how she sounds, how generous she is with her affections. For the rest of your life you will wonder what a miracle it is to have her that way, and you will never ever know.”

“She is your hostage, Loki. She is a prisoner here...or have you already forgotten that.”

“You know what? I'm feeling generous. If she wants to kiss you Magnus, she can kiss you. It's hard for me to deny her that if she wants it. It's getting hard for me to deny her anything. But I swear to you, if you try to take her from me, to bed her or run off with her, you will hang. Do not think our friendship would preclude that.”

They heard a quiet footstep coming toward them from the doorway. It was Lea, eyes and mouth wide in shocked hurt, breathing slowly but forcefully. She had heard everything and felt as if all of her delicate confidences and admissions to both men were laying strewn about the floor before them, disrespectfully and recklessly tossed to the ground. Tendrils of deep purple magic smoked off of her hands, and the violet halos in her eyes began to glow. She shook her head and the violet haze evaporated.

The two men both stared at her with utter embarrassment and regret.

Loki spoke first, “Lea...I...we...”.

“...didn't ask what I would choose. Either of you.” She shook her head, “...just two schoolboys fighting over the same toy” she said quietly, evenly, then turned and strode off down the hallway. Both of them knew better than to follow her, because she was right.

@goblingirlsarah @lokisgoodgirl @gigglingtigger @unlucky-number-13 @sweetsigyn @peaches1958 @thenerdyoldersister @thedistractedagglomeration (Thank you again for following along and all your thoughts and comments! I appreciate it so so much.)

[nereidprinc3ss]

OK FIRST OF ALL THE ASTEROID COMMENT MADE ME GIGGLE I LOVE *YOU*! that was so cute & funny hehe 😚

second of all again i have to say ily Again for getting it LMFAO like IM SO GLSD YOU GET IT. i was a bit nervous about sending that ask but IM SO GLAD U SEE IT & I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID YUMMMM … especially this next paragraph that i’m abt to paste:

and then some of it is just because he likes seeing how desperate she gets for him like….. use your words or ask for what you want or whatever are all said with the same unspoken messages which are you’re a grown up so act like it or remember how smart you were five minutes ago or it’s so cute when i let you talk back to me and we pretend like i can’t fix your attitude the second i decide im sick of it

SCREAMS KICKS FEET AND SCREAMS SOME MORE. LIKE GODDD I LOVE IT I DO LIKE i’m seriously your biggest fan i think cause there’s so many things i pick out that i love like for example relating to the last part of the paragraph i just pasted, it’s not in dybmn but like there’s a couple fics you wrote where it says like “he’s kissed the attitude out of you” SCREAMS AGAIN. and i also love the idea of like- like you said the whole: you were so smart 5 mins ago or you had such an attitude or i thought you didn’t need this OMG THAT JUST REMINDED ME OF RELAX WHEN HE WAS LJKE. it seems like you don’t want it OMFGGG LIKE ITS SO DELICIOUSLY COCKY TO ME I DONT KNOW SORRY SUE ME. or again in ur other fics where like in dead of night omfg where she goes that was embarrassing and he’s all “next time we’ll make sure you don’t come at all to even it out” i am literally kicking my feet right now omg. and then she goes no i take it back and he’s like “i thought you might” ummmmm i think you need me in your life.

i just completely agree with everything in that paragraph & i can’t wait to see it incorporated more! like he doesn’t want to overwhelm her bc she’s very insecure but also loves her and that inexperience and teasing her and he Loves watching her reaction to that teasing too & her getting flustered OMGi. could keep going but this is so SO long i’m sorry lover 😭 your blog is my roman empire i am telling you i really could keep going on this i dissect your works like i’m in class and this is my latest thesis it’s that serious 😭 this is 4am brainrot so sorry if it doesn’t make sense and sorry again this is SO LONG. love u lots cutie thanks again 🩷

go on for as long as you want your mind is so powerful ily so bad

you literally said it all like i can’t even elaborate that’s how much you ate

I LOVE COCKY SPENCER SO MUCH I LOVE CONFIDENT SPENCER SO MUCH i love writing little moments like that because in my mind it’s character growth😭 like he normally in the show doesn’t have a lot of confidence but the right person would actually make him feel so much better about himself in a healthy way and he would just be happier and more assertive and djiefiwow idk idk thank you for blessing me with your thoughts

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

When I Found You (Pt. 19 of 19)

Pairing: Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader

Word count: 1.3 K

Summary: You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you'll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love... But how long until the lie becomes the truth?

Warnings: Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don't worry about graphic descriptions.)

<- Previous part (18)

{The Walking Dead Masterlist}

A/N: I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!

×

How It Begins

Walking around is hard now. You're way too heavy, only a month away from finally meeting your baby. The bets are going wild, and the group is divided fifty-fifty. You think it's a boy, and Daryl thinks it's a girl. And you have a bet of your own.

With a hand on your belly, you approach the house, on the furthest side of Alexandria, taking the keys from your pocket and unlocking the bars. The metal is fixated on the structure of the house, surrounding it completely. It was Rick's idea, and as soon as it was ready, he was moved from his cell. He can't leave, that's the agreement, but at least he has some comfort, even though you're not sure if he deserves it.

“Dad?” You ask before you hear something falling on the kitchen and making your way over there. It doesn't take much until the smell of something burning hits your nose. “What are you doing?”

“Cooking.” He simply says, turning around and looking at you. With a dishcloth over his shoulder and a pan on his hand, Negan smiles.

“More likely trying to set the kitchen on fire.” You complain as you move to sit on the table, a hand on your swollen belly. “Quit trying to recreate mom's recipe. You know you can't.”

“The more you try to stop me, the harder I'll try. My grandchild will eat those cookies.”

Giggling, you roll your eyes. “How is your day going so far?” Visiting Negan is a daily thing. He's imprisoned for life, but he doesn't seem too bothered by it. You do manage to get him out every once in a while to walk around the neighborhood, but always with an armed guard. Rick, Michonne, Jim, or even Daryl. The last option is always fun because he enjoys making Daryl uncomfortable with way too many questions about your life together. But even though this is his prison, Negan seems satisfied, as he said himself. He wants to be around you, and his grandchild. He wants to be part of your lives, even though he's still paying for his crimes.

“Good. Finished another book. Quite mad I'll never have a sequence since the author is probably a walker by now, and even if he isn't I don't think he'd lose his time writing it.” Putting the pan in the sink, he comes to the table and sits next to you. “And this little one? Agitated much?” He places a hand on your belly, making a funny face. “Are you letting mommy sleep? Or are you shooting crossbows in there?”

“He loves crossbowing in the nighttime when I want to sleep.” You giggle, running a hand through your hair. “This kid will be a hurricane.”

“What did you expect by mixing your genes with Dixon's?”

“I'm a Dixon too, you know that, right?” Rolling your eyes, you smile.

“Yeah. I remember something about a marriage nobody told me about.”

“Drop the drama, dad.”

“I–”

“(Y/N)?” You hear him calling at the same time you hear the front door opening. “M’ back.”

“Seriously? You're eight months pregnant and he's still going on runs?” Negan asks as you stand up, quickly helping you.

“I needed some things from Hilltop.” You explain as Daryl comes to the kitchen, eyeing Negan before looking down at you. You don't think they hate each other, but they're certainly not friends.

“I got what ya need.” He tells you. “And I won't be goin’ anywhere else for a long time.”

“You better not,” Negan warns.

“Alright, alright.” Touching your father's shoulder, you sigh. “I'll go now. Why don't you cook something other than coal so we can have dinner together, huh?”

“Carbonara?”

“Carbonara.” You agree, kissing his cheek. “Bye, dad.”

“Take care.”

“I will.” Taking Daryl's hand, you walk out, making sure to lock the house again.

Doing this wasn't easy, but it works. The Saviors still obey Negan, so they left. The workers stood in the Sanctuary, and they're rebuilding it, under Rick's leadership. If anyone rises on Negan's name, the man himself will tell them not to. And if they don't give up their idea, someone will shut them up.

Alexandria is thriving, prospering, alongside the other communities. Hilltop, Oceanside, the Kingdom, and the Sanctuary working together to achieve one goal. Rebuild society. Live, instead of just survive. You're seeing the start of everything, your baby will see it play out, and God only knows what your grandchildren will see. Whatever it is, it'll be great.

“Yer silent,” Daryl says as you walk inside, already back home. “What are ya thinkin’ about?”

“A little bit of everything, I think.” Still pulling him with you, you guide him upstairs, where your sit on the edge of the bed. “Life, us, the baby... What this world will become and who our son will become.”

“Or daughter.”

“Or daughter.” You decide to agree, rolling your eyes. “Are you excited? Only around a month to go. Doc says maybe three weeks.”

“Ya have no idea how much.” He sits beside you, a hand on your belly. As if the baby knows, he kicks, and you fix your eyes on Daryl, admiring his smile. This smile belongs to you alone. To you and your baby, because nothing else can make him smile like this.

“Someone's saying hi.” You sing-song.

“Hi, little ass-kicker. Cozy in there?” He talks to the bump, and you can't help but chuckle. “Is mommy a good house for ya?” The baby kicks again, and you gasp. “I guess that's a yes.”

“I freaking love you, Daryl.” You decide to say, just because you need to let him know that. Every day, over and over again. “So much.”

“Ya gave things I never thought I'd have. Things I don't think I deserve. Love, a family... Yer everything ta’ me, (Y/N). My sunshine.” Leaning closer, he kisses you, slow and sweet, a hand caressing your cheek. “The two of ya are my whole world. Now and forever.”

“You saved me, you know that, right? When I saw you in that cell... I think you saved me as much as I saved you.”

“We saved each other.” He says, kissing your nose. “And because of ya I'm the happiest man alive.”

Biting your lip, you feel yourself blushing. “Than kiss me again, Dixon.” You challenge, blushing a little bit more when he does just that, kissing you with all the love he has.

People say this is how the world ends, but you disagree. This is how your life begins, and you're in love with it. And you will live. For your husband, for your child, your father, and your family. The one you chose, and who chose you. This is not the end, it could never be. This world is still full of life, and you're the proof.

×

@riverscyberwife @spenciepoo338 @beatitlikeabongodrum @amberritonicole @totheonethatloveshernext @the-artistic-animal @shatteredlovesick @cole22ann @thecraziestcrayon @cloud-laufeyson @arthurdeservedbetterrip @greeneyedladysthings @ruinedbythehobbit @large-juice

[senjuushi]

Translation: Ghost Episodes

Ghost... poor, sweet Ghost. XD He's so sad and so, so angry. I love this spiteful little man dearly... He's hilarious, but you can't help but feel bad for how neglected he is.

It's been a while since I translated old game content, but I'm hoping to get through the rest of the Moderns' episode stories soon~

Episode 1: “The spy saw it! ~I’ll curse you...~”

...h, really... ...t’s... That old man, he lost sight of me, and left me behind on the battlefield.

It’s all because of those Resistance guys, sparklin’ so brightly... The hell’s with that? I’m gonna go blind.

It’s seriously obnoxious... I’ll curse them. 

Because a’ their out-of-nowhere attack, the pasta for lunch wound up overcooked...

And when I tried ta’ tell a funny story I’d picked up, the joke fell totally flat.

If you trace it back, it’s all the Resistance’s fault. That’s why I’ve decided... I’ll curse ‘em all ‘til kingdom come...!

And if the Resistance is destroyed, that person’ll be able to sleep soundly too.

Still, that guy’s got strange taste.

Out of all the choices he has, why’d he wanna keep a weak shadow of a gun like me in the World Empire, I wonder?

Somethin’ like me, only produced as a prototype, as unimportant as it gets...

And yet, he still went to the trouble of havin’ bullets produced just for me... All I can say is that he’s got strange taste.

...well, whatever. He’s the one who noticed me, an’ that’s all the reason I need to follow him.

Alright, gotta pull myself together... First of all, I’ll go n’ find that old man.

Episode 2: “The spy saw it! ~The unseen Musketeer~”

Ghost: ...y....hey... ...y... hey, listen. C’mon, you. Pay attention. 

Soldier: Huh... whoah!? Ghost-san, when did you get here!?

Ghost: I’ve been here the whole time. Anyway, it seems like you’ve been searchin’ for me for a while now. What for?

Soldier: Oh, that’s right! As of today, a new wanted person list has been issued, so please keep it with you.

Soldier: This one... I hear that he was in communication with the Resistance, and leaked information about a base’s floor plan. 

Ghost: Hm... another betrayal. I guess he got drawn in by those sparklin’ things too.

Ghost: Feels like a bug tryin’ to get close to a light, if even for an instant. 

Ghost: And with wanted posters goin’ round the Empire like this, he’ll be found in no time.

Ghost: ...although, I guess I’m kinda jealous of being noticed by so many people.

Ghost: If it was me on the wanted list... Even if I was right in front of you, you still wouldn’t notice me, huh?

Soldier: No, of course I would! Or at least, I think...

Ghost: It’s fine, it’s fine. For some reason, I’ve just got zero presence. Damn it...

Ghost: The Resistance, their Musketeers, an’ the guy on the wanted list... I’m cursing every last one of ‘em.

Episode 3: “The spy saw it! ~The one who found him~”

Ghost: ...it, ...who...took... Who was it this time? It was Belga again, wasn’t it... whoah!?

Eins: ...mh! You’re not hurt, are you, Ghost? You need to look ahead when you walk.

Ghost: Eins-oniisan... my apologies. 

Eins: It’s nothing to worry about. I’m glad you’re not hurt.

Ghost: I’m... It’s normal for people to notice somethin’ after they bump into it, but...

Ghost: You’re the only one who notices before you run into me. You’re truly a good person... Bless you.

Eins: Hahaha! It’s alright, really.

Ghost: Yeah, that’s... hm? You’re alone today. Weird.

Ghost: Usually, F or Fal is stickin’ real close to you. 

Ghost: It’s gotta be tough to have those two clingin’ to ya all the time.

Ghost: If it suits ya, so they won’t get close anymore...I’ll curse ‘em.

Eins: What’s the problem, though? Having such brilliant people always by my side is a huge help, you know.

Ghost: ...hmm, really? If you’re okay with it, I won’t interfere.

Eins: That matter aside, though... Earlier, you said that I was the only one to notice you, correct?

Eins: Do you not have anyone you can rely on? Come to me if you’re feeling lonely. I’ll stand by you.

Ghost: Hieee...! This is scary, my heart’s beatin’ like crazy.

Ghost: Sayin’ such nice things to me... I’m moved.

Ghost: ...alright, I’ve decided. If you ever need anythin’, I’ll be there to stand by you too.

Ghost: With my curses, of course... Heheheh...!

[littlemisspascal]

The Last Mandalorian

Chapter One: The Warrior in Carbonite Part 3

Fandom: The Mandalorian / Pedro Pascal

Eventual Pairing: Din x Togruta!Female!Reader

Word Count: 4,320

Rating: G

Summary: A series that is a mixture of Mandalorian, Star Wars, ATLA, and my own imagination. The Imps have seized control of the majority of the galaxy, including your homeworld Shili. You and your sister Ahsoka have developed a daily routine despite the stormtroopers keeping your village imprisoned. One morning you make a startling discovery that will change the course of your lives forever.

Warnings: I don’t know much about starship mechanics so probably nothing in this is accurate but it’s fanfiction people so cut me some slack please, reader gets a nickname 🥳, plot plot plot, discussion of loss of loved ones, worldbuilding, dialogue heavy, this is a slow burn but it’s also ridiculously self-indulgent so I’m including as many cute getting-to-know-you scenes as I can, reader is 17 and Din is 19 so I’m going to warn this as underage even though nothing sexual or even vaguely romantic happens in this chapter.

Author Note: Thank you anyone and everyone who has read even a sentence of this story! Special thanks and love to @dindja for creating this stunning, fantastic, amazing piece of fanart for me 💖💖💖 I still can’t believe how perfect it is. I mean, I’m such a sucker for pinky promises it’s not even funny and this is just beautiful 😍😍😍

Part 2

Cross-posted on AO3

For as grand and wide-reaching as the Galactic Empire has become in its ten years of existence, it had relatively small beginnings. A group of radical Force-wielders banded together under the leadership of an old, beady-eyed man named Sheev Palpatine who believed it was his divine destiny to seize control of the entire galaxy, rewriting the ancient laws to match his own beliefs. His cult, the Sith Order, gained attention by attacking Jedi temples, capital cities, places with large populations until every corner of the galaxy had heard of them. Most regarded them with fear, but over time they began garnering a startling amount of followers who were discontent with the status quo and willingly drafted themselves as soldiers in Palpatine’s fight for control.

At first everyone in your village thought Palpatine and his cult of followers weren’t worth worrying about—after all, Shili was a peaceful planet that never drew much attention to itself. But within the first year of its inception, the Sith Order captured Ryloth and the similar peaceful characteristics between the Twi’lek planet and Shili were too glaring to overlook. A seed of anxiety took root in every Togruta’s mind after that, and continued to grow with every planet seized as the years progressed.

The Decimation of Alderaan didn’t start as a tragedy, believe it or not. The Mandalorians, Jedi, and Alderaanians combined their numbers in an all-out fight against the Sith Order. It was the largest battle ever fought in the history of the galaxy, thousands of souls willing to die to defeat Palpatine’s followers. For the first three days of warfare, the fight seemed to be in favor of the allies with many noteworthy Sith members reportedly killed in the fray, such as Palpatine’s second-in-command Dooku and lethal Zabrak assassin Maul. You remember there was a sense of hope felt within your village as everyone listened to the news reports blaring across the Holonet. A belief that things were finally, finally going to return to normal after so much chaos.

But on the fourth day, the Sith Order brought their own ally onto the battlefield.

At the time there wasn’t a name for the droids that slaughtered every opponent they faced. They were described as indestructible, unharmed by blasters and the intense heat of Mandalorian flamethrowers. Not even lightsabers could damage them. The allies didn’t stand a chance, brutally murdered one by one, their dying screams echoing across the Holonet, forever haunting listeners far and wide.

The Dark Troopers were unleashed upon Mandalore afterwards and out of the ashes rose the Galactic Empire, except, in a twist nobody—not even the Sith Order—saw coming: Palpatine died before taking on the title of emperor, passing away in his sleep. A mediocre ending for the monster who permanently altered the foundations of the universe. One of his loyal followers from the cult’s early beginnings took control in his place, a vile man with a penchant for spilling blood and a deceptively bland name: Gideon.

Only seven years-old then, you didn’t understand the unbalance in the Force your aunt kept referencing. You didn’t understand the meaning of the word genocide either. But you did understand the galaxy would never be the same ever again, and the lesson was only further established as truth when the Imperials seized your village. 

There is no normalcy to return to anymore.

And as long as Emperor Gideon remains in control, there is no future to hope for either.

__

Silence reigns in the aftermath of Maar’s explanation as the long list of tragedies hangs heavy over the four occupants. There is tension in the air as you await the Mandalorian’s response to the extinction of his people, whether that be an outburst of anger or tears, and each passing minute only intensifies the nervous energy thrumming through your veins. Your leg starts to bounce restlessly, a bad habit you have had since childhood.

The Mandalorian stands eerily motionless. Your eyes keep flicking from your lap to his visor though you know it is rude to stare. His helmet hides his expression, but you don’t need to see it to know he is floundering right now, mind scrambling to piece together all the details thrown at him. From personal experience, you know the loss of a loved one hits like a tidal wave, hitting you over and over again until you must decide if you are going to stand up or surrender to drowning. Grieving the loss of your parents is the hardest experience of your lifetime to date.

But this...this is vastly different. The Mandalorian didn’t just lose his loved ones. He has lost his friends, neighbors, comrades, acquaintances, everyone all at once. This loss isn’t a tidal wave. It is a kriffing avalanche, burying him ten feet under in total darkness, and there is no one he can count on to save him. 

Finally, after the longest five minutes of your life, he shifts, resting his hands upon his belt with an unexpected air of seriousness. “I need to go.”

You frown, head tilting. That is his reaction?

“Go?” Ahsoka echoes, sounding as incredulous as you feel. “Go where?”

“To look for survivors,” he answers, blunt and harsh, the words forced through clenched teeth. 

Ahsoka is struck silent, and you feel your heart break on his behalf. Your mother’s stories about the Mandalorians had always included, one way or another, their lifelong bonds with each other. You had felt those ties when you had connected with the Mandalorian, believed for a moment as strongly as he did that his fellow warriors would come search for him, that his absence would be noticed and missed amongst them. And here he is now, still desperately clutching to them, unable—or, perhaps unwilling is more apt—to believe a stranger telling him those bonds have been cruelly severed. 

“What you need is to rest,” Maar says, gentle yet firm, letting her authority as the eldest in the room seep into her tone.

He shakes his head, not backing down. “I’ve been asleep for ten years. I don’t need any more rest.”

“Your ship, it, uh,” your shoulders hike up defensively when his visor snaps in your direction, pinning you with its blank stare. Clearing your throat, you continue with a slight grimace, “It’s going to need some repairs before it can take off. I can help you fix it.”

Ahsoka looks over at you in surprise, and then in worry. You don’t blame her, especially since the offer had slipped out without you consciously meaning it to. Once again, the Force is calling the shots and you are just along for the ride, a passenger in your own body.

He considers you for a long moment, then asks, “What do you know about the mechanics of a gunship?” 

If anyone else had asked you that same exact question, you would have bristled at their condescension and retracted your offer in the next breath. But with the Mandalorian, there isn’t even the slightest hint of patronizing courtesy. It is a serious question prompted from genuine curiosity.

You sit up straighter, smiling at him now. “Enough to confidently say I’m your best shot at getting off the ground.”

__

“What’s your plan, exactly?” Ahsoka asks you, braced against the wall with one eye on you and one on the Mandalorian across the garage, patiently waiting for you to finish assembling your tool kit. 

“Huh?” You reply distractedly, trying to decide if you should bring your carbon chisel or not. 

“You don’t have one, do you?”

Not. There are bigger concerns than a bit of carbon scoring. You move to grab your favorite screwdriver with a tapered socket, only for Ahsoka to snatch it away, holding the tool hostage.

“Hey!”

“Have you thought about what you’re doing?” Ahsoka asks slowly, staring you directly in the eyes. “Once you fix his ship, he’s gone. And he’s taking our best chance at escaping Shili with him.”

A quick glance over your shoulder shows the Mandalorian studying the scattered BB unit parts on your workbench. You are missing a few vital components needed in order to bring the little droid back to life after a stormtrooper shot a plasma bolt through it for accidentally bumping into his leg, and haven’t had any luck convincing the village traders to track them down for you when they went to the capital. 

“We can’t keep him here against his will,” you manage at last, turning back to your sister. “Otherwise we’re no better than the Imps.”

When Ahsoka doesn’t say anything, you shrug a shoulder, adding, “Besides, I think I’m supposed to fix it for him. The Force seems pretty insistent about it.”

She makes a face at that. “I liked you better when you ignored your Force instincts. You didn’t make me worry as much.”

A laugh escapes you, embarrassingly loud in the otherwise quiet space, and your cheeks immediately start burning. Ahsoka’s lip twitches like she wants to smile, but instead she schools her features into a blank expression when the Mandalorian’s head turns at the sound. Only once he diverts his attention elsewhere again does her stare lose some of its intensity, looking less like she wants to dissect him beneath a microscope. You can practically see her protective-older-sister-instincts buzzing, reacting to the warrior’s presence. 

As much as he is a chance at providing an escape, he is also first and foremost a complete and total stranger. Even worse, he is a complete and total stranger who knows how to handle weapons. 

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” You squeeze her arm reassuringly. “Shouldn’t take longer than a couple of hours. You’ll be so busy smoothing the Elders’ ruffled feathers you won’t even notice I’m gone.”

Ahsoka finally relinquishes the tool, exhaling a quiet sigh. “You shouldn’t make promises you don’t know for certain you can keep.”

__

Walking side by side with the Mandalorian in silence isn’t awkward, per se, but it definitely isn’t comfortable either. He is close enough your arm keeps accidentally grazing against his, the cold brush of metal against your skin startling you each time. You would have considered his nearness strange if you hadn’t heard Ahsoka threaten to castrate him if you wound up hurt before she sent him flying at the juni tree branch outside your window with an unnecessarily strong push of Force. 

To his credit, the warrior handled her rough treatment with the same ease he has handled everything else thrown at him. You are beginning to think Mandalorians don’t just wear beskar—they are made of it too. Other than the few glimpses of frustration earlier in Maar’s office, he keeps his cards close to his chest, impossible to read. 

He watches everything though, reacting to the slightest of movements and sounds. Constantly alert. You are certain he is watching you right now, despite the fact his helmet is facing forward, your nerves prickling in response to the sensation of eyes upon you.

To your surprise, he is the one to break the silence first. “You sneak out often.”

It is a statement, not a question. 

You suppose the dots are easy enough to connect to reach that conclusion. Still, the certainty in his voice has your heart skipping a nervous beat. He hasn’t even known you a day and yet he is privy to secrets no one outside your community is aware of. “Yeah,” you nod your head after a brief lapse of silence, “Ahsoka can’t train in the village. Not with the stormtroopers around.”

“Has your village tried to run them out? Fight back?”

It is only because you know he is just trying to understand your village’s predicament with the little bits of information he has that you don’t snap at him for being so insensitive. He has no idea what these past five years have been like for you all. No idea the amount of losses and sacrifices the community has suffered. 

Your grip on your tool kit tightens. “I was twelve when they came. The community is mostly traders and hunters, not trained fighters. The few weapons we had were nothing compared to their blaster rifles, but some of the adults tried to defend the village, including our parents. They...” You swallow, or try to, at least, your throat suddenly dry as sand. “Our aunt looked after us until last year we woke up one morning to find a note she’d left to join the rebellion. We haven’t had any contact with her since.”

The Mandalorian’s gloved hand brushes against your knuckles. This time you think it might have been on purpose.

“I lost my parents as a child, too. There was a riot and they died protecting me,” he offers his own private details with the same reluctance as one volunteering to have their teeth pulled out. “The Mandalorians took me in, raised me as one of their own.”

You say nothing about the way his breath slightly hitches when he says Mandalorians, appreciating his openness as it puts you both on somewhat equal footing with each other. 

“I owe it to them to look for survivors,” he tells you, and your montrals detect the quietest hint of a plea in his voice. 

“I understand,” you answer, keeping your tone light to preserve the fragility of this moment. This kind of situation doesn’t happen often—two strangers on the same wavelength, exposing their vulnerable underbellies, desperate to be heard and yet skittish at the same time—and it is oddly therapeutic. 

A decision is made right then and there in the span of a heartbeat. And even more significantly, it is 100% your own choice without any intervention or manipulation from the Force. 

You stop walking, causing the Mandalorian to halt as well. He scans the area for a threat, then visibly jerks when he turns back to find you have your hand held out towards him, pinky raised high, reacting as if you are pointing a weapon at him.

“I don’t understand,” he says, blunt and almost suspicious sounding. Are you just imagining it or can you actually hear him frowning? “What are you doing?”

“Haven’t you ever made a pinky promise with someone before?”

“...A what?”

You snort, ducking your head to hide your smile, and then reach for his hand. Surprisingly, he doesn’t protest your touch.

“A pinky promise,” you repeat as you make his hand form a fist, curling his fingers towards his palm, and then adjust his pinky so you can wrap yours around it. He watches the whole process wordlessly. “It’s a sacred vow shared between two people. The Elders say once it’s sworn, the promise can never be broken.”

He cocks his head, skeptical. “Never?”

“Never,” you reaffirm with a nod. Licking your lips, you look at his visor, right where you instinctively know his eyes are staring back. “I promise I’m going to help you. No matter the odds.”

And something leaks into your voice then, something resolute and binding and otherworldly. A tremor shoots down your spine, too quick for you to make sense of it.

Your sister’s words echo in the back of your mind, ‘You shouldn’t make promises you don’t know for certain you can keep.’ 

You try to pull away, self-doubt gnawing a hole in your stomach, only for the Mandalorian to wrap his pinky tighter around yours, holding you still. A gasp escapes your lips, muffled by the bleeding sincerity in his voice as he swears:

“I promise I will be there when you need me. No matter the odds.”

And although your sister could undoubtedly provide you with a long list of reasons why you shouldn’t, you believe his promise to be true.

__

The Mandalorian heaves a heavy sigh at the sight of his crashed ship. 

“I can’t do much about the landing gear,” you inform him, believing honesty to be the best policy for cases like this. “And I brought some foam-jet for the cockpit viewport, but it’s not a permanent fix. You’re going to have to find someone offworld to replace them.”

“Right,” he agrees absently without turning his eyes away. It occurs to you then that this ship is the closest thing to a home he has now. One of the few precious relics from his past he can still physically cling to. 

“Does your ship have a name?” you ask.

He looks at you, as if coming back to self-awareness, and answers, “Razor Crest.”

A good name, you think. Strong. A bit mysterious. Just like its owner.

You nod decisively. “I like it.”

His modulator crackles faintly, a quiet noise produced from a sudden exhale of air. You blink at the unexpected sound, surprised to realize you recognize it. A laugh. The Mandalorian just laughed at something you said. What is next in store for you? Are akul going to sprout wings and start flying?

He steps around you, heading for the side entry door still open from yesterday with its ramp laying on the ground, pebbles shifting noisily beneath his boots with each step. You don’t realize you are staring, oddly entranced by the swish of his cape and his purposeful strides, until he calls out your name to ask if you are coming.

You nearly drop your tool kit in your haste to follow after him into the Crest’s interior, ignoring the flaring heat radiating from your cheeks. 

For the next few hours, you and the Mandalorian work in companionable silence, engrossed in rerouting wires and welding damaged components with your trusty hand torch. The gunship is older than you initially assumed, perhaps even as old as yourself, and you idly wonder if the Mandalorian found it in a scrapyard somewhere or maybe inherited it from another Mandalorian. You notice the way he handles each piece with an experienced and respectful touch; the same kind of care someone reserves for their most cherished possessions. Anyone with eyes can see how much he loves the Crest just by watching him.

Once you have finished sealing the numerous cracks dissecting the cockpit’s viewport like a spiderweb with foam, you approach the Mandalorian to see his progress on returning power to the dashboard. He is on his back beneath the steering controls, rearranging a mess of wires, and barely acknowledges your presence when you squeeze yourself into the tight space next to him.

“The red wire goes before the white one,” you point out, noticing the mistake immediately. “Fire hazard.”

He pauses, looks at where you have gestured, and corrects his error without criticizing your intervention. You bite back a smile, pleased to be heard. Within your community, even though you have proven your skills time and time again, some of the villagers, usually men, don’t always adhere to your advice, thinking you are too young and too female to know about technology, until they inevitably make their problems worse for themselves and come back to you with their metaphorical tail between their legs. 

You help him reattach the cover plating once he has finished, screwing the bolts back into their corners, and then watch, fingers crossed, as he attempts the ignition sequence, flipping a series of switches.

None of them light up with even the faintest flicker of life.

“Dank farrik,” he growls under his breath, slamming a fist upon the console.

You take a tiny step forward, hesitant to direct his frustration your way. “Can I try?” 

He tilts his head, probably thinking he knows this ship better than anyone and if it doesn’t work for him then you aren’t going to have any luck either.

Eventually he steps back with a shrug, uttering a simple, “Sure.” 

Although you can’t remember the last time you were on a ship, it doesn’t take long to refamiliarize yourself with the various controls and screens once you take a seat in the pilot chair. When your hobby for fixing broken machines changed into a passion you wanted to pursue as a future career, you started memorizing any reading material you could find on the Holonet, including the flight manuals for different classes of starships. You flip through the stored information in your mind about gunships as you press a few buttons on the panel overhead, trying out different sequences for a response.

When your third attempt fails, you bite your lip, racking your brain for a solution. You think about Huno’s kitchen droid and how you had been on the verge of ripping off one of your head-tails trying to repair it after one of its fuses blew, causing it to malfunction. Your tools and knowledge hadn’t been able to fix it in the end. It had required a special remedy to bring it back to life.

You lay your palms flat on the console, just as you had held onto the droid’s square torso. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice the Mandalorian fidget, as if he wants to come closer but is hesitant to crowd you. You ignore him, pressing your fingertips harder against the metal, visualizing in your mind the unseen gears, cables, and components stiff and powerless. You imagine the parts working properly, a current of electricity running through each wire, life ultimately returning to the entire ship, and whisper under your breath a request to the Force.

“Please work, please work, please work…”

An invisible pulse of energy burns down the length of your arms and discharges through your fingertips, strong enough you jerk backwards against the seat. Every button and screen on the dashboard lights up all at once, beeping with alarm at being so rudely resurrected.

You sit there helplessly, stunned and breathless, hands twitching in your lap. The kitchen droid hadn’t required even half as much energy to restart, barely a pinch. Now your body feels like you have been thrown against the electric fence a dozen times. Wordlessly, the Mandalorian comes to your side to help, punching buttons and turning knobs until the alarms quit blaring. A distant part of your brain thinks the Razor Crest as a whole seems strangely soothed by his presence, not quite as cold and dark, but it is hard to follow that train of thought due to the distracting pain throbbing along your temples.

“That’s quite a spark you’ve got,” he says, not unkindly or accusingly, just a statement of the obvious. He looks down at you, not outright asking for an explanation, but giving you the opportunity to open up if you wanted to.

“Yep, that’s me,” you reply, forcing a cheerful smile, praying it doesn’t resemble a grimace. “Sparks Tano at your service.”

He chuckles again, oblivious to how your heart stutters at its raspiness. “Thank you, Sparks. I appreciate it.”

“Well, we’re not done yet.” You rub at your temples under the guise of adjusting your headband. “I need to take a closer look at the engines before we attempt flying out of here. I—”

“I’ll do it,” he cuts in, already heading for the ladder. “You stay here, see if you can update the navicomputer settings.”

You know he knows that updating the navicomputer is child’s play for you. Clearly you aren’t as great at concealing your pain as you thought you were and this is his way of giving you a break. A small part of you is irritated at being treated like a porcelain doll, but you push those negative feelings aside as quickly as they develop. Your aunt always used to remind you and Ahsoka it was okay to accept help when it was offered, that needing support didn’t in any way make you weak. 

“Hey, wait a second,” you call out as you spin around in your seat, freezing him right before he disappears from view into the hull. He holds onto the ladder, waiting patiently for you to continue.

“Back at Maar’s place you didn’t introduce yourself and it’s weird just calling you Mandalorian in my head,” you say, awkwardly drumming your fingers on top of the armrests. He doesn’t answer, eliciting a sigh from your mouth after a drawn-out beat of silence. “What’s your name? You do have one, right?”

“I do, but I can’t tell you it,” he admits at last. “By Mandalorian Creed, only other Mandalorians or my riduur—my spouse,” he corrects, seeing your confusion, “are allowed to know my name and see my face. This is the Way.”

He doesn’t linger to hear your response, dropping down into the hull with a resounding thud. You slowly turn back around, staring absently out the glass. Every culture is unique, including your own, but you think there is something especially interesting about the Mandalorians’. It sounds like a lonely existence, only able to show your face while in select company. What would have happened if he had been unconscious and you had slipped the helmet off his head? What consequence would he have faced? 

And if there truly aren’t any Mandalorians left besides him, his spouse will be the only one to ever know him completely. It almost sounds like a love story, if not a little bit heart-wrenching. 

Two high-pitched dings from the console jerk you out of your thoughts with a wince. You look for the source, finding the radar lit up and actively scanning the area, and bristle when you see a pair of red dots moving across the screen. 

Not even a minute later you are sprinting out of the cave, ignoring the Mandalorian’s alarmed shout from the roof of the Razor Crest. They’re early, you think with panic, looking towards the sky where two starships with Imperial logos are heading straight for your village. Why have they come back so soon?

You push your legs to run faster, your surroundings a blur beyond the trail in front of you, but the effort is meaningless. You won’t make it back home before they land.

And when your absence is noted, bloodshed is not a possibility. 

It is a guarantee.

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[gwaean]

The Rescuers  

Part One: “Old acquaintances meet again"

 Summary: You are a mandalorian rebel friends with Captain Rex so you are well aware of the entire "clone situation" going on. And of course you want to help as much as you can. You then go to Ryloth trying to help the Syndulla's and maybe find your old friend Cody. 

 Pairing: None. Yet. But will be a Crosshair x Reader.

 Gender: There'll be no mentions of gender or pronouns on this part yet. Though further in the story it might have she/they pronouns used.

 Word count: 1.6k

 Tags: Injury recover, post-clone wars story, rescuing clones/friends, a bit of melancholy?

 Warning: Brief description of injury.

 Notes: So, I literally dreamed most parts of this story (I know, crazy Star Wars obsession here). I filled up some parts as I was writing of course. And it turned out a bit like a beautiful sad tragic. I might even do a playlist for this fanfic actually. Hope u enjoy it :) 

 The war, the republic, the jedi all have ended. Literally on the same day. And what it seemed like a fresh start, finally a moment of peace in the chaos turned into nightmares. You weren’t there when it happened, you just heard the news of Obi-Wan saying the jedi order and the republic had fallen and you also heard the now Emperor Palpatine telling everyone that the clone wars has ended and the jedi were traitor, they’ve tried to assassinate him according to well… himself. And now he’s forming this new galactic empire, giving people numbers like the ones clones used to have and killing off any resistance against this new order. Everyone seemed to believe him, you gotta give him that he was a pretty damn’ good  liar indeed. But you knew better than that. You are mandalorian after all and were friends with no one less than Duchess Satine and Senator Padmé. You helped them countless times in their diplomatics and you even fought with the jedi and the clones at times. They were good people, yes, the order might have messed up at lot but traitors? Murders? They sure didn’t deserve to die like that and I guess… No one does.

  You quickly then joined the rebellion. There you found many of former politics like Senator Organa and even a clone… Captain Rex (or is it Commander now?). You’ve met him once before and he seemed like a good person and looks like he’s really a great man just like you thought. You soon became friends. But sadly, the other clones you knew before like Cody were still with the empire. Though both you and Rex were very determinate to help others like him. And also, obviously, protect your allies against the empire.

  Well, as expected trouble begins. There’s been rumors about what’s going in Ryloth with the Syndulla’s and the empire occupation. Worried about them and their people, you go there to help as you can. And if there’s need, you’d call more rebels to help too though you didn’t want to envolve more people yet because you’re afraid of the reaction it could cause ( and what that would cost for ryloth and its people). You also have a tiny tiny hope that maybe just maybe Cody could be there.

  Arriving in Ryloth, you discover the Syndulla family have indeed oppose agains the empire occupation and they’ve went into a lot of trouble because of that but apparently a group of mercenaries (?) have already rescued them from the prison they were sent to. One less problem for you to fix I guess. You were glad for them but you still want to spy a little on the empire and see what you could find out after all, the trip couldn’t be for nothing.

  You find your way and get to a particular high hill with a great view of one imperial base. You pick up your binoculars and the only person you see in a sort of balcony is a very depressive-looking Crosshair. You remember him from that one time clone force 99 saved your butt from the mess you’ve yourself in. He was… quite unfriendly, let’s say. But he did get the job done and made sure you were okay so you just ignored his behavior. Looking at him now it was looking at a shadow of him. 

   It made you remember what Rex told you once: 

“We clones were all created with this chip thing in our my minds. We were made for the war and the war only but apparently someone thought it would be great if they let us think we've got free will. That we could be anything we wanted to be after the war. So we made friends, some of us found a family with our jedi. They let we hope. Just so we have all of that taken away from us with order 66. The war had ended for everyone except for us. We had our will taken from us, our minds controlled by this chip and we had to follow orders. While we're still there conscious of what we were doing we had to kill the people we fought together the entire war. I remember her face... I'm so glad she didn't see my face. I couldn't bare.” 

 Thinking about what all the clones been through, you can’t just leave him like this. He did save you once and this was your chance to repay that. Rex keeps saying we can’t save everyone (more to himself than to you) but one person is better than nobody, right?  At the time you improvise a plan: neither the empire nor Cross can’t know yet that you’re a rebel. You haven’t done anything yet incriminating (at least not that they were aware of). So you can just jump in there where he was standing and talk to him. Worst case scenario he ignores you. However you sure knew how to annoy him enough that at least he would call you out and when that happens you act. Ok, that you still have to figure out exactly how you would act. Well, half of a plan is better than no plan.

  You just jump in behind his back and of course he points his gun at you as expected. But he apparently recognizes who it’s standing in front of him and put his riffle down. 

   “ Hello there.”  You say.

   “What do you think you’re doing?”  He replies.

   “Oh, please, don’t act like you aren’t happy to see me.” 

     He gives you a faint of a smile. “Don’t flatter yourself.” 

     You smiled back. “But seriously, what you’re doing here all alone? And why- You finally noticed the burn mark on his now bald head. - are you like this? Doesn’t the empire takes care of its soldiers? Nor your squad? The bad batch, right? That’s what you called yourselves?” 

     His face closes again. “You have nothing to do with that. I’m-” 

     “By yourself?” You pause for a moment. “Alright, I get it. You’ve probably been through a lot. We all have. Not sure why you’re like this but it doesn’t matter right now. I just wonder… Don’t you want to get out of all of this?” 

     Cross pauses for a moment. It seems like he's considering the possibility. “I… I can’t.” 

     “But…”  You then think. You remind yourself of how protective he was that one time you were saved by them. Maybe this instinct was still there, you had to try. You saw a pointed rock close to where you were standing and decided that you would accidentally cut yourself. “Ouch!” 

    “What’s up?” 

    “Oh! Nothing! Just might have cut myself here.” You show your hand now with a bit bigger than you expected cut and some blood.

     He almost laughs at it. “What a little clumsy one you are, eh?” 

     His mocking at you, that’s something, right? “Yeah, I guess….” 

     “Well, let’s go?”  He points to the door.

     “Go where?” 

     “Don’t you wanna take care of that, sweetheart?” 

     “Right, medical bay then?” 

     “Obviously.”  Perfect. He would be right where you needed him to be.

  The both of you enter the facility and walk directly to the medical bay. The empire base is pretty much a bland dark and boring military base with some troopers walking around, some commanders (you think) yelling at the soldiers and some droids doing whatever they have to do. You knew only that they were “r - unities” but droids weren’t exactly your area of expertise. However you do notice that the troopers walking around still wear the same clone armor from back the war. And you feel guilty. Because as much as you’d like you won’t be able to help them all. They’ll stay there with their chips on being controlled by the empire…. By the force, that was a hole guilty trip you knew you shouldn’t take. It wasn’t your fault. No, no. They did this. Palpatine and his men were the monsters. Not you. And certainly not these poor clones. One day, yes, one day maybe you could come back and save them?

 “Hmmm…. You wanna me to do this?”  Cross says. You were so distracted in your thoughts you don’t even realized you were already in the medical bay.

 “Oh. You don’t have to.” 

 “It's fine. I’m used to do this anyway.” 

  “Ok. Be my guest then?” 

  “Wow, you’re so funny.” He jokes.

  “Whatever. Just do your thing.” 

  “Give me your hand.”  

 You give him your hand and he takes it. And to your surprise he’s very gentle while taking care of your wound. He applies some alcohol pads to clean the wound. And as he presses the wound to stop the bleeding you reach for your gun and keep looking at his face. His very concentrated. It’s almost like the rest of the galaxy doesn’t matter. He’s only there at the moment focused on helping you. And you’re trying to plan how you’re gonna knock him out to take his chip off.

 “Now I’m gonna get some stuff to make a bandage for ya, ok?” He says and turns his back. Now is you chance. You turn your blaster to stun only and shoots. He falls. 

 “I’m sorry. But there’s no other way.” You whisper as if he’s actually listening. 

 It takes some effort (seriously, Crosshair's heavier than he looks) but you manage to put him on one these surgical stretchers. You also have to learn super quick how to use the pad control to see where the chip’s in and take it off. But it’s done. And you wait and wait… For what it seemed like hours though it was only like 15 minutes.

And he wakes up very confused.

[kingwuko]

Wuko in the Comics: Ruins of the Empire: Book 1, Part 1

Welcome to my second post on Wuko in the comics. In this post I’ll be discussing the first half of Ruins of the Empire: Book 1. Wu is a prominent character in this comic trilogy, and there is lots of character development and exploration for him. There are also a lot of scenes with Wu and Mako together, and what’s more, there are a handful of visual parallels to Korrasami!

Ruins of the Empire

Book 1 of RotE was released in May 2019. The art style is different from Turf Wars- the colors are very vibrant and it almost looks like stills of the animated series. It takes place 3 months after the conclusion of the animated series, and there is lots of continuity following the events of Turf wars. Some major plot points that carry from Turf Wars include: Wu has been governing the Earth Kingdom, Korra and Asami are in a firmly established relationship, and Zhu Li is President of the United Nations.

Plot Summary

The first half of Book 1 of RotE highlights the transition of the Earth Kingdom into a democracy by focusing on the first state to hold its elections, Gaoling. Gaoling’s election is at risk of being disrupted by Earth Empire general, Guan, who didn’t surrender when the rest of the empire did. The Krew decides to accompany King Wu to Gaoling to ensure the election proceeds without interference.

Major plot points in the first half of Book 1

We start out with a flashback that sets the timeline for the rest of the comic. In Gaoling, Commander Guan is running an earth empire “reeducation camp” and has just gotten word that Kuvira surrendered, but isn’t planning to give up so easily. He insists that his “experiments” and the Earth Empire will go on, with or without Kuvira as the Earth Emperor…. Then we jump ahead 3 months to Republic City, City Hall. We start out with an excellent frame, the first of many Wuko Korrasami parallels! Get excited, there are SO many!

Bolin is working for President Zhu Li Moon now, because, why not? He just quit his job working with Mako on the police force, and now he’s Zhu Li’s administrative assistant or something. Zhu Li is going to be introducing King Wu for a “big speech” to the citizens of Republic City. Korra gives Wu a friendly elbow nudge and asks if he’s ready. (the first of many wholesome friendship moments between the two of them)

Wu is not ready, he’s nervous. He asks Mako to read his speech for him, and Mako says no way- but then he reassures Wu that he’ll do great. “Just be yourself” Wu is immediately comforted and says that Mako always knows the right thing to say and that must be why he keeps Mako around! (I can think of a couple other reasons...) Mako’s expressions are very stoic and closed off. He’s got his arms crossed and looks grumpy (I feel like I’m always saying Mako looks grumpy. But that’s the best adjective I can come up with).

Wu begins his speech where he announces that it’s almost time for the Earth Kingdom states to begin holding elections, starting in the state of Gaoling. Grandma Yin and cousin Tu are in the audience and Yin is booing Wu, and also yelling “Long live the monarchy” while holding framed portraits of Wu and Hou-Ting.

Asami, Korra, Mako and Varric are standing behind Wu, applauding along with the crowd (well, the crowd minus Yin). Korra and Mako casually compliment Wu, saying that he's doing great and almost looks like a real leader! Wu says that within a year there will be a peaceful transition to democracy. He gets bombarded by questions and panics and starts singing. He tosses his stylish hat into the crowd, which Yin catches and says “you’ll always be my king!” Mako covers his face with his hands, Korra says ”well you did tell him to be himself” and Mako says “this is NOT what I meant”. Sorry Mako. You know Wu better than anyone so you should have known a song was coming. Zhu Li takes the podium and Wu dramatically faints/collapses into Mako’s arms. I presume on purpose.

We cut to a scene of Kuvira’s trial. Kuvira, after being read the charges against her, pleads not guilty (because every thing she did was for the “greater good”), Suyin confronts her and Kuvira apologizes but Suyin isn’t having it and forcefully tells her that apologies aren’t enough, she has to take responsibility.

We move on to President Moon’s office, where Wu is sitting on a sofa and Bolin welcomes Asami, Mako and Korra in. Mako lampshades Bolin’s many career changes. Bolin makes a comment to Mako that just because Mako has “found” himself it doesn’t mean the rest of them have. I, for the life of me, can’t figure out exactly what Bolin is trying to say here. Is he referring to the fact that Mako has “found” his career as a detective? Or something else, like his true feelings for Wu? Probably the first thing but us Wuko shippers will happily apply it to the other thing.

Once everyone is settled in, Wu asks them to come with him to Gaoling for the upcoming elections! Mako is actually not thrilled, and tells Wu that they aren’t going to be there for him to show off as his entourage. Wu is like No, that’s not it! Well, yes, kinda. He wants their help dealing with the Earth Empire loyalists being led by Guan. The Earth Kingdom army is understaffed and Wu is worried the Guan will try to prevent the elections from happening. The Krew agrees that it could be a problem, especially since it could cause other states to back out of holding elections and allow the earth empire to rise again.

So the Krew plans to come to Gaoling to show support for the elections, hopefully deter Guan from interfering, and Mako says they will keep Wu safe. Zhu Li encourages Bolin to go as well. Wu is very excited to team up with Mako again! After they leave the President's office, Korra suggests going to go speak to Kuvira to try to gather intel on Guan- Asami is not thrilled and doesn’t want to go with her because Kuvira was responsible for her father’s death. Korra is understanding and supportive and they share a lovely little kiss before Korra heads off.

Korra arrives at Kuvira’s prison with Naga. We catch a quick glimpse into Kuvira’s mind as she remembers a moment from her childhood when she ran away from her parents-after her parents accused her of breaking a vase, the take away her toys and lock her in her room “for her own good”, and she uses her earth bending to break the wall and escape. This and other flashbacks attempt to make us more sympathetic to Kuvira so we can accept her redemption arc in the remainder of the comics. After her little flashback, Korra and Kuvira discuss Guan. Kuvira says she didn’t know Guan hadn’t surrendered, and that Korra should consider him a major threat because he is cunning and strategic. Then Kuvira tells Korra if she wants to stop Guan, she should bring Kuvira along to reason with him and convince him to stand down and surrender. Korra is not convinced, but Kuvira tells her to take time to think about it, and she’ll be there to help when Korra asks.

Meanwhile, Guan is rallying his troops. He’s got a sizable regiment of soldiers along with tanks, and is giving them a big speech about taking back the empire and rising from the ruins of defeat. He and his troops head out of their fortress, presumably to do exactly what everyone is worried about and stop Gaoling’s election.

Mako and Wu Scenes

Mako and Wu are featured in many scenes of these comics, together more often than not!

The very first scene with Wu, he is standing right next to Mako, in the same frame as Korra and Asami. I realize “standing next to each other” might not actually be ground breaking evidence for Wuko, but it feels like a parallel to Korrasami, and most importantly creates kind of an establishing shot, planting Wu at the center along with Korra. This is kind of amazing considering he was in only one season of the show and he was largely a comic relief character that I don’t think the writers meant for us to take seriously. There is a pattern of parallels in RotE with Korrasami and Wuko, and we don’t really need to reach for them. They are right there, visually.

We also get to see some lovely moments of Korra’s and Wu’s friendship. She elbows him good-naturedly. She’s kind and supportive. She compliments him. He does seem a little awkward but overall it seems he really fits in with the Krew now, and I find it really sweet. His characterization feels very different from the show. He isn’t obnoxiously flirting with every 'dame' he lays eyes on. He isn’t bratty, or materialistic. He’s still goofy and lands some comic relief joke moments, but overall he is treated like an actual character with substantial development and plot-advancing roles.

During Wu’s speech, Mako is staring like, way too intently at him while casually complementing how he almost looks like a real leader. (Well, up until Wu starts singing, and then his second-hand embarrassment seems more intense than the others, who mostly just seem a little stunned, while Mako has his face buried in his hands). Also, the running gag of Grandma Yin being obsessed with royalty has it’s funny moments during his speech, but I really like it because the fact that Mako’s grandma is reverent, affectionate, AND outspoken with Wu would probably create an interesting in-law dynamic, right? Also, during his song, the tosses his hat out to the crowd which Yin catches like a single lady catching the bridal bouquet, and says “You’ll always be my King!” I like to imagine that she now wears his hat everywhere, along with Mako’s scarf. I know I’m reaching but Yin wearing both their accessories is another Wuko moment in my mind.

Let’s also talk about Wu fainting. After his panic-singing, Zhu Li quickly takes over and Wu steps back and dramatically faints, saying “Wu down”- right into Mako’s arms. Why into Mako’s arms? Did he step back and strategically aim himself at Mako? Technically the closest person to him was Varrick. So he had to stagger back diagonally and fall back toward Mako on purpose. Did Mako catch him with lightning-fast reflexes? Korra was also right there and she’s the Avatar, you’d think she’d react quicker than Mako. Nope. The best explanation is that Wu for sure was intentionally falling into Mako’s arms, and Mako’s ‘protect Wu’ instincts kicked in faster than anyone else's because.. Well. You ship Wuko. You know what I'm saying. <3

During the conversation in Zhu Li’s office, once again, visually Mako and Wu are parallel to Korra and Asami. They are sitting next to each other on a couch opposite Korra and Asami. However, there is this one moment where Mako is NOT HAVING IT with Wu. When Wu asks the Krew to join him, Mako is like, why? For show? No way. He says “We’re not your entourage, Wu.” Honestly that was kinda mean of him to say. I’m not sure what to make of it other than Mako is suddenly grumpy because his brother (who was visibly offended by Mako lamp-shading his career-hopping) snatched away a tray of cupcakes a moment before. Still, Wu is quick to reassure him that it’s not like that at all, and delivers the news of Guan and quickly makes a case that it’s the practical thing to do considering the political climate. Mako immediately agrees after that, and quickly flips his script to “we’ll keep you safe”. And Wu’s triple “yes” response with an excited fist in the air is enough of a Wuko moment for me.

When they leave Zhu Li’s office, yet another visual Korrasami/Wuko parallel. Korra and Asami are in the back holding hands, and Mako and Wu are in the front with Wu’s arm draped around Mako’s shoulders. Wu is very happy that Mako is coming along. Says they should get a smoothie to celebrate, and it’ll be just like old times! I’m sure Wu missed Mako. Mako doesn’t seem quite as thrilled but at this point it's really just Mako’s face. He just always looks like that. Who knows what he’s thinking inside.

What this means for Wuko

So if you are writing some fanfic or just coming up with headcanons with the comics in mind, there is a lot of material to work with right away. They are in close proximity for most of their scenes. Wu is accepted by the Krew, and he is buddy-buddy enough with Korra to presume he’s probably been talking to her outside of the scenes depicted in the comics. So there’s some potential for wingman or matchmaker Korra, or at the very least she will be happy and supportive of them getting together since she has warmed up to Wu a lot. Both Mako and Wu have matured enough that a healthy relationship is within reach. Wu clearly has affection toward Mako, and Mako still has that protective instinct toward Wu, even if he looks like he’s not having a great time (But like I said, he looks like that all the time, so I'm pretty sure he just has resting bitch face).

So that is about the halfway point of book 1. The next post I will talk about the second half of book 1. Some things to look forward to: a sauna scene, Mako, Bolin and Wu giving Kuvira the Bitchiest collective look ever, and Wu casually telling Mako that he loves him.

Wuko in Turf War

Wuko in RotE part 2

[fireemblems24]

AM Chapter 18

Spoilers below for FE:3H Chapter 18.

Pre-Battle:

I checked!! I do have Linhardt recruited!!!! Thank God. I really didn't want to kill him (had to see after realizing he was on the VW map)

I'm excited guys, this is the first time I'll see Dimitri leading the group.

Is AM the only route where it calls Grondor a victory? I know in SS they don't participate, and CF doesn't have it, and even though I just played VW, I can't remember since I did some stat boosting distributing.

AM really just decided to not follow the other routes anymore. Kinda relieved.

Fhirdiad wants Dimitri back (who wouldn't want Cornelia gone). OMG, does this mean I get to kill Cornelia???!!! Finally.

This is so much more hype than the other routes because it's so personal compared to them. Even in SS facing Edelgard is just a giant shrug since the plot doesn't seem to care all that much, but you feel the emotions here after everything.

Fuck Cornelia.

Other routes: we're playing dress up and taking over a fort. AM: Dimitri is returning to his people, who've been suffering under Cornelia's tyranny. That last time he was there, he had to kill his own guards to escape death, believing Dedue died rescuing him from imprisonment and pending execution and sent him even spiraling further into darkness. Like, holy shit, why didn't the other routes get this kind of writing?

They really don't mince here like they do elsewhere. Dimitri talking about stealing weapons from corpses is just . . . time for more Chamomile after all of this.

It's really sad that Dimitri wanting to SURVIVE a battle is an improvement.

It's so nice to see Dimitri leading. I worried he'd just default to Byleth like other routes do, but seeing Dimitri actually get to play his role and Byleth stay in a role that makes sense makes me like her a whole lot more here.

We're really taking back the Kingdom 😭😭😭😭

Fuck Cornelia.

Aw, yeah, the city hates her as much as I do. They know Dimitri's coming.

This fucking jerkass out here killing citizens. Why the fuck did Edelgard give her soldiers?

Not going to lie, hearing Dimitri called "that little princeling" does things to me.

I just love how much Dimitri fucks with her plans though lol.

Battle:

It's nice to actually play a different map and not the same one three times in a row.

Oh, Dimitri's gravely voice is back. And he's calling for smashed heads again. But it's Cornelia's so, who the fuck cares.

This is going to be the best chapter yes. Because I get to kill Cornelia. Tempted to use Dimitri to do it because that's how it should be, but she'd die way too fast almost.

LAMO. So I pulled the lever for the magical items, and Dimitri's like "now we can land a hit on those things!" As if Dedue didn't solo one already.

Dedue is so funny. He punches someone once, and they die. OMG I love having him back and using him.

Cornelia wasn't even worth any real experience points. Seems right though.

Dimitri sounds unhinged talking to her, don't blame him though.

Oh, more Patricia. She caused Duscur and sacrificed Dimitri and everyone else so she could see Edelgard?

It runs in the family. I kid. Slightly.

So did Patricia cause Duscur? Because Cornelia tweaked her?

Poor Dimitri. So his mother figure never really loved him. Can these writers just stop already?

Post-Battle:

Ok, Dimitri sounds all good again.

The Empire really treated Fareghus like shit 😭😭 but their king is back 😭😭😭

We gonna prove Duscur's innocence now 😭😭😭

Dimitri doesn't want to face his people. After Cornelia and the Empire, I'm sure he's (literally) a god-send.

OMG he's King Dimitri now 😭😭😭

And they're all cheering for him 😭😭😭😭😭😭

"Do I really have the right to stand here? Will they accept me as their king?" 😭😭😭😭😭

I got Dimitri to BLUSH - telling him not to cry, that this is a happy time. He's crying, omg. 😭😭😭😭

God this story is so emotional compared to the other ones.

"I am finally home again . . ." 😭😭😭😭😭"Faerghus, how I missed you." They missed either other.

OMG, I'm tearing up right now. They wanted him back so badly.

Dimitri is skipping out on his own party lamo.

Dimitri's afraid of the graveyard 😭 Not because ghosts, but because so many people he loves are there I'll bet.

OMG, lamo, Byleth made a funny. The silly answers she can guess what Dimitri taught him. That was actually some personality from Byleth.

Dimitri's seen VW and SS too lol, knowing he dies there in other routes 😭😭

Dimitri still doesn't think he deserves to be happy 😭😭😭

So Dimitri's bolstering his army AND kicking the Empire to the curb. He's a champ.

Dimitri nailed Edelgard's motivations. Wants to get rid of the church, wants to revolutionize the world, but he thinks the cost is too high (I agree).

"I wish to end this war through acceptance, not annihilation." So . . . is he going to attempt to talk Edelgard out of attacking?

Really curious to see if Dimitri actually attempts to reconcile with Edelgard or not.

Would be really nice if he could talk her down from needing to unite the world and could reach some kind of peace deal (but I seriously doubt they'll let everyone live through a single route, so . . . .)

And what about Claude? He didn't die in Grondor, right?

Ohhhhhh here we go. The Alliance sent someone.

So are we gonna fight Claude now or . . . I hope not. It only barely made sense in Grondor, it would make no sense now.

CLAUDE ASKED FOR OUR HELP!!!!???? ARE WE REALLY GOING TO TEAM UP WITH CLAUDE????!!!

OMG - I didn't think they'd let two lords actually work together, but are we really going to help Claude out? This isn't a trap thing?

OFC the Empire is invading the Alliance. I bet they're freaking out right now with Dimitri taking the Kingdom back under his control and out of theirs.

And Dimitri's not even hesitating to save Claude 😭😭😭

Who's Lord Volkhard von Arunedl?? It's not the Death Knight leading the invasion??

Oh, so he's behind the tragedy too. Is this that dude Dimitri researched in part 1?

LAMO Annette is "devious" for suggesting a "sneak attack."

"far more importantly, they need us. We cannot turn our backs on them." 😭😭😭😭 Just Dimitri things.

[honestgrins]

could you do a continuation of chapter 29/49??

I'm glad you liked Reflection and Retribution, but I think I'm done with that universe. Could I interest you in Private Investigator!Caroline hired to infiltrate a criminal organization instead?

Also, many thanks to @recyclingss for being a kind ear and a supportive voice as I try to find my writing groove again. Thanks for the love, lovely (and sorry it’s not a new chapter of Burned)!!

Wanted || Klaroline

A squeak of hinges was all she had in the way of warning. Hurrying to tuck the files she'd been snooping through back into their respective cabinets, Caroline needed an excuse for her presence in the boss's office - and she needed one fast.

To give herself a bit more time, she slipped into the private bathroom. Her purse was lighter than her usual go-bag for an investigation, but that was the peril of working undercover. She shuffled through it anyway, only to find the makeup she needed to reapply between shifts, her wallet, car keys, and Taser. Fortunately, she had learned to be resourceful, and a plan quickly formed with what she had. 

Unfortunately, the plan could go very wrong. As footsteps sounded through the door, however, her time to improvise had run out. Slathering on a fresh layer of lipstick for luck, Caroline fluffed her hair and made her presence known. "Sorry to intrude, Mr. Mikaelson, I just— Who the hell are you?”

Her winning smile had fallen flat at the stranger making eyes down the line of her mostly bare leg. True, the outfit had been meant to draw attention, but he wasn't her intended target. She'd been expecting the fastidious Elijah Mikaelson, with perfectly tailored suits and a too polite charm that just screamed serial killer underneath. This guy was far messier with untidy curls and the paint-splattered jeans. Cute, though. And that smirk.

"Mr. Mikaelson," he answered cheekily, "but please, call me Klaus." Making himself a drink from the bar cart, he poured a second glass for her. His brow arched when she refused. "Come to ask favors of the boss, but you won't drink his liquor. I assure you, he only buys the good stuff."

"I'm fine, thanks." She narrowed her gaze as he draped himself over one of the armchairs, giving her another appreciative look. "I thought the brother's name was Kol?"

His nose scrunched. "Unfortunately, there are five Mikaelson brothers. A sister, too. Nosy for a dancer, aren't you? Most of those 'Lijah keeps on the roster know to mind their business."

A mild panic took over; she was usually better at playing it cool. Now, she was going to get busted for asking too many questions. If she couldn't handle the unexpected brother, she really had no chance at taking on the mob boss himself. "Not a dancer yet," Caroline answered, aiming for sheepish with her hands tucked into the tight back pockets of her shorts. "I'm just a waitress until a stage shift opens up."

Ideally, she would be long gone before that happened, if only to avoid breaking an ankle in the heels. Not even her most rigorous pageant training could have prepared her for the skill those things took to work. That, and she needed to tidy up this case fast to get Damon Salvatore off her speed dial. And Stefan - she never would have accepted the job had he not played the friend card. Her only solace was the fact they agreed to double her usual rate for a job like this. 

The tips were pretty great, too. Even just waitressing had earned her some nice spending money to splurge on clothes and pampering. Had the high-end strip club not been a front for Elijah Mikaelson to launder his ill-gotten gains, she might seriously consider moonlighting once the gig was over.

With the way the boss’s brother was eyeing her, though, that might happen sooner than she’d like. It wouldn’t do to get found out before she could track down what Damon asked her to find, and she did not relish the idea of handing back the hefty check he’d already given. Bristling, she crossed her arms, hoping to annoy him off the scent of her subterfuge. “Can I help you?”

Klaus, however, seemed unperturbed by her attitude. “If it’s better pay you’re after, I might have an opportunity for you.” When she gave an outraged splutter, he merely waved her off. “Not quite what you’re thinking, love, though I apologize for any offense. I’m in the market for a new model.”

“For your burgeoning porn empire? No, thanks.”

“I’m an artist, I would like to paint you,” he clarified with a wry grin. Leaning forward on his knees, he lowered his voice as though letting her in on a secret. “Any wardrobe choices — or lack thereof — would be entirely up to you.”

Sensing his interest wasn’t entirely aesthetic, Caroline figured she might as well learn what she could from the cad. “Don’t try to play me. The girls at the club talk, you know. I heard a rumor the Mikaelsons were, like, connected. The whole starving artist thing doesn’t really add up, so I’ll pass.”

Again, his gaze focused on her in an assessing way, lips still curled up. He took the bait. This was almost too easy. “I do alright, family connections aside,” he joked. “Perhaps you’d like to see some of my work...” Trailing off, he left her with an expectant look.

She pretends to cover a flattered expression with irritation. “Candy.”

“And if I were to check Elijah’s meticulous hiring paperwork?”

A beat passed. “Candice,” she relented with a sigh, reminding herself to buy Bonnie something gorgeous to thank her for crafting a bulletproof identity, complete with an otherwise authentic Social Security card and active social media accounts. “Candice Moore.”

That smirk of his spread to a full smile, and she was a bit stunned to see the utter delight on his face. “Funny,” he said, standing to move closer. Without meaning to, she swayed toward him in return, only to catch herself when he gave a teasing tug to her tousled braid. All her attention snapped to the mere foot between them, then to the intense blue of his eyes. "You look more like a Caroline to me."

Rearing back, she blindly reached into her bag. But Klaus was calm and collected as he plucked the Taser from her grasp. "Now, no need to panic, Ms. Forbes. I merely want to talk."

"Bullshit," she huffed. "How—”

He sat back in his chair, watching her with obvious amusement. "You're good. The cover might have worked had your application not been flagged by my security team. Don't feel bad, they're very thorough.”

The pieces were falling into place faster than she realized they were even missing. Unfortunately, she couldn't make herself focus past the first big answer. She finally took the drink he'd poured for her and downed it in one gulp. More potent than she thought, her voice was hoarse after a bracing cough. "Your security team."

His smirk was positively evil. "You seemed determined to learn the particulars of my organization, sweetheart, though I'm sorry to disappoint that Elijah's file cabinet wasn't able to satisfy your...professional curiosity. I, however, am more than interested in your questions." 

With a snap of his fingers, the office door squeaked, and Caroline caught only a peek of the guard she hadn't even noticed lurking outside before the lock clicked into place. Alone with an underground kingpin without a weapon, she fell back into the other chair like the sitting duck she was. "I don't suppose I could distract you by accepting the modeling offer," she tried with a weak laugh.

Ever the surprise, he chuckled with her. "Always. But if you tell me what I want to know, I can offer you a far more lucrative employment. Good private eyes are hard to find, and you're the first to get this far without ruffling feathers."

"I ruffled yours, didn't I?"

If his smirk was evil, his bright smile was disarming. "Who hired you? I believe I owe them a nice thank you for this introduction."

Caroline watched him carefully, confused at the game he was playing. "My clients pay for results and discretion," she answered politely. "If you were to secure my services, with a healthy retainer fee—"

"Of course."

"—I would promise you the same. Unfortunately," she sighed with a pout, "I think this little mishap constitutes a conflict of interest. But thank you for your interest in Forbes Investigations. Can I go now?"

He leaned forward on his knees, his hands folded in front of him. "You know, I might be of some help to your current clients. Were I to assist in your investigation, there would be no conflict at all. The opposite, in fact."

Chewing her lip in thought, she shook her head and decided to cut her losses. "It has nothing to do with the business, not really," she promised. "I've been tasked with finding someone, someone I thought your brother might be supporting with some creative accounting. That's all."

"Don't tell me," Klaus groaned. "Katerina conned your clients then clawed her way back into Elijah's good graces to hide from the consequences of her own actions."

She scoffed. "Says the guy who lets the world think his brother is a criminal mastermind while he's pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Smirking, he didn't seem offended in the slightest. "Elijah's better with paperwork, but his decision-making is unreliable. I think Katerina is example enough of that."

"Fair." Caroline only met her once, but everything she had learned since Damon hired her painted quite the picture. That, and the fact she all but disappeared after he gave her an heirloom engagement ring, despite the fact she was openly gunning for Stefan throughout their entire relationship. "But it sounds like this was a surprise to you, too, so you probably can't be of much help to me in finding her."

"Reverse psychology is beneath you," he flirted. "And I've already offered to help. You're the one being stubborn."

With a roll of her eyes, she finally stood to pour herself another drink. "Yeah, I'm the stubborn one. You probably have a hundred investigators already on staff. What do you want with little, old me?"

He just smiled. "You want my secrets, you'll have to earn them, love. Now, do we have a deal?"

Oh, she was going to regret this; if only she wasn't so damn intrigued. Draining her glass, she set it on the table between them with a thunk before stretching out her hand. "Deal."

Klaus shook her hand with a firm grip, the contact distracting to say the least. Then, he just had to open his mouth. "The modeling job is a standing offer, by the way."

"Good to know."

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

ohh i saw your answer about the sequels of star wars. id love to read you tear through the whole trilogy

Well, I’ve avoided this ask long enough. Part of the reason is this is really a huge topic, far too much for one ask, so I’m going to have to do this at a very high level.

In short, the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy is what one gets when you slap together the goal of selling merchandise and making tons of money, being as risk averse as humanly possible, adding a handful of warring directors with incredibly different visions, and having virtually no imagination when it comes to the imagining and writing of characters.

And we get this beautiful, awful, franchise that for reasons beyond me people seem to actually like (though interestingly, no one seems to like all of it, they may actually like one or two of the films, but no one says all three are actually in any realm of good).

With that, let’s begin.

The Force Awakens

For me this is easily the most tolerable of the sequel trilogy: it’s not great, it’s not terrible. It’s thoroughly watchable, you can be taken along for the movie’s journey and not raise your eyebrows too much at the action and leave the theater feeling this maybe wasn’t a complete waste of your time.

There’s a good reason for that. That reason is called the most blatant form of plagiarism I have ever seen in cinema in my life.

“The Force Awakens” is just “A New Hope” wearing a mustache. Only, it’s one of those cheap mustaches you get from a party store that, if you stare at it too long, just looks like the most false and awful thing you’ve ever seen. The mustache actively makes it worse. “The Force Awakens” is “A New Hope”, but worse.

Seriously, every major character, every major plot point, every major scene I can go directly back to “A New Hope”.

Our story begins when the Resistance, at great cost to our valiant heroes including torture at the hands of the Emperor’s second in command, sends a file out into the wilderness to be received by his people. This file contains plans for the Death Star.

The film then focuses on Luke, er Rey, getting involved in the Resistance, boarding the Death Star, and successfully destroying at the same time even at the lost of a beloved mentor that she just met (trading in Obi-Wan for Han Solo). 

Our evil empire is run by an evil emperor who is so evil he sits in a chair, is served by very Moth Tarkin-esque human storm troopers, and has a second in command who revels in the Darth Vader get up (for no other reason that it makes him feel cool but we’ll get into this).

It’s “A New Hope”. Rey is Luke, Han Solo is Obi-Wan, Poe is a kind of Han Solo, Kylo Ren is Vader, Snoke is Palpatine, Hux is Tarkin, BB-8 is R2-D2, etc.

“But that’s not terrible,” you say, “I liked A New Hope?”

First, it is terrible, it gives a very bad sign of where the sequel trilogy is headed and is just lazy writing. It means that those who produced this franchise were so terrified of taking risks, of possibly ending up mocked as the prequels were, that they will deliver exactly what the original trilogy was. And what’s that? Uh, evil empires, scrappy desert kids, AND MORE DEATH STARS!

That brings us to point number two, the world of Star Wars after the events of the original trilogy shouldn’t support such things. And, if it does, my god what a bleak existence this place has turned into.

The First Order being able to rise easily from the Empire’s remains means that Luke accomplished nothing. Anakin sacrificed himself and had his moment of redemption for nothing. There was no happy ending to the Original Trilogy, our heroes failed miserably, and there is no indication that our new band of heroes can possibly succeed in their place. (More on this as the movies progress).

We now are in a galaxy where this new Republic is so pathetic that Leia doesn’t even give it the time of day and builds her own private army to battle the Empire. The First Order is able to not only rebuild a massive army by raiding villages on many different worlds and stealing children and do so successfully for at least ten years but is able to build a Death Star bigger than any we’ve ever seen before. 

And the movie tries to convince us these are completely new problems, that Luke Skywalker is a hero (remember this is TFA, not TLJ yet), and that somehow these things just sprung up out of nowhere. BUT YEAH, RESISTANCE, WOO!

As for Rey, she’s like... a worse version of Luke. Her only motivation through the entire series is her trauma at being abandoned by her parents. That’s it, there’s nothing else to her, nothing else she ever wants or feels conflicted by. She struggles with the dark side because... the dark side? Genetics? Unclear? She’s absurdly, ridiculously, powerful in a way that’s acknowledged but never that acknowledged (we’ll get into this) and the movies just fail to sell me on her in any way.

Honestly, an easy fix for me would have just been making Rey a much younger character. I could believe a fourteen-year-old having stayed in the desert, scrounging for scraps, believing her parents are coming back every day now. As a twenty-something year old... It starts getting hard to believe she never left. (Also, this gets the benefit of getting rid of Reylo, which is always a plus for me).

As for Kylo Ren, I legitimately walked out of TFA thinking he was supposed to be comic relief. He’s what happens when someone desperately wants a likable, redeemable, villain and we get... Well, as a reminder his opening scene is one of genocide: he pillages and destroys a town with no regret and brutally tortures a man for information. We’re told he’s like this “because evil evil Snoke” and that may well be but throughout the film (and the series) it becomes clear that Kylo Ren’s main motivation is he deseprately wants to be cool. He wants to be a badass like Vader, he dresses in Vader cosplay (either ignoring or not knowing that Vader only dressed like that because his body was completely destroyed), he has these huge temper tantrums and nobody respects him because he’s a toddler in a Vader suit. 

He murders his own father, his parents who (at least in the films themselves) show every willingness to take him back and forgive him what he’s done, so that he can fully embrace his own “evilness”. In other words, he commits patricide to feel cool about himself, then it doesn’t work. 

And the movie series really banks on me feeling conflicted about Kylo Ren or at least wanting him to be redeemed. Granted, the wider internet seems to love him, I just can’t.

Oh, before I forget, the other thing I love about Kylo Ren is that the movies insist he’s a) strong in the Force b) is equal to Rey. Rey consistently beats the shit out of him with 0 training. Kylo Ren has been training in the Force for years. Guys, they are not a Dyad, Rey is far far far stronger than he is and for whatever reason the films never want to admit it. Because I guess we like things coming in pairs now.

But yes, “The Force Awakens”, at a distance not great nor terrible, but a rip off of a movie we’ve already seen that left me going “Welp, the next one’s probably The Empire Strikes Back then I guess we’re getting Ewoks”. I was sort of right on that and sort of wrong.

The Last Jedi

So, JJ Abrams clearly had a vision of where he wanted this sequel trilogy to go. He set up these big questions such as what’s up with Finn, who are Rey’s parents and why was she left on this nowhere planet, will Kylo Ren be redeemed and how, who is Snoke, etc.

Now, I’m not saying these aren’t stupid questions. To be frank, they kind of are. Finn being Force Sensitive was the most inconsequential thing I’ve ever heard of, Rey’s parents should not have been used to drive the plot the way it was, as spoken above I’m clearly team gut Kylo Ren, and that Snoke was actually just Palpatine being the world’s largest cockroach is a beautiful but hilarious answer.

That said, what Johnson did was he decided, “You know what, I’m going to take every trope of Star Wars and completely flip it on its head and absolutely doom the sequel to this movie.”

And by god, he did.

We get a weirdly pointless movie in which Poe, SINGLEHANDEDLY, completely obliterates the Resistance. He first obliterates their bombers by failing to follow command, then goes and bitches about how he’s not put in command when he clearly shows no ability to understand how a military works, actively subverts orders which in turn obliterates the entire Resistance fleet until the only survivors can fit on the Millenium Falcon. They have no ships, no weapons, barely any people, and are ultimately doomed doomed doomed.

We have Finn’s weird subplot with a suddenly introduced character Rose in which the pair aid in Poe’s blowing up the resistance (they send sensitive information using the communication equipment of a guy they do not know, who fully admits to being shady and out for his own skin, and are flabergasted when he betrays them). 

Rose herself is this weirdly sweet person who seems forced into the plot to a) provide a love triangle for Finn and Rey b) provide this forced sunny outlook that I didn’t really need in the film.

We get Rey never really being trained, going into the Cave of Wonders for a few seconds, falling in love with Kylo Ren over weird Force Skype calls (where I did not need to see him shirtless, thank you film) and being horrifically betrayed when Kylo Ren turns out not to be a great guy. Never saw that coming, Rey. 

As for Kylo Ren, well... God, we get Emperor Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren, the Emperor. I’m not even that upset about the anticlimactic murder of Snoke (that was kind of funny, especially in the context of Palpatine going, “Bitch, please, you’re in my chair” immediately in the next film) but just Kylo Ren being emperor. And also that the Resistance only escapes at all because he’s so dumb he made their dumb plans seem smart (i.e. concentrates all his firepower on an illusion for ten minutes while Hux goes, “Emperor, sir, we could actually destroy the Resistance right now.”

Now, you’ll notice I didn’t complain about Luke. A lot of people are upset he became a grumpy, miserable, old hermit who sits around waiting for death. Frankly though, in this universe, that’s exactly where he is. He left “Return of the Jedi” thinking he’d saved the world, he’s resurrected the Jedi Order, and all is well. Only a decade later, his students are all murdered by his nephew, the Empire’s back, and he accomplished nothing. He’s an utter failure as a Jedi (though Luke never realizes he knew jack shit about the Jedi Order and was in way over his head but I guess that’s beyond him). Why shouldn’t he go sit on a rock and wait to die? 

Now, did he have to drink that blue dinosaur milk? Well, I guess it was funny, gross but funny so... Sure, I guess he did. But I do like that he gave Rey 0 training, they had one meditation session and then he whined about how Obi-Wan was such a stupid asshole. And then Rey ran off to be with her boyfriend, who then told her that her parents were gutter trash (which again, was funny, but I don’t think that was supposed to be funny).

Of the characters introduced in the movie, the only one I really liked was the hacker, and it was for the actor/the beautiful way in which he gracefully exited stage left with zero shame going, “You all knew I was going to betray you!” You beautiful man, you.

Rise of the Skywalker

First, when something is called “Rise of the Skywalker” you know you’re in for a rough time.

But anyways, TLJ was filled with a controversy Disney didn’t want (half their audience hated it, half loved it, but at least they sold those penguin dolls) so they desperately get Abrams back. Only, what he clearly wanted from his series has been shot to hell, and now he’s left with Emperor Kylo Ren, a completely obliterated Resistance, a dead Luke, a love interest he never planned to introduce for Finn, Rey’s parental crisis being solved with trash people, Snoke just suddenly dead, Hux planning revenge, and then some.

And so, Abrams goes the brave and hilarious route of shouting “PRETEND THAT LAST MOVIE NEVER HAPPENED”

We open to a fully functioning Resistance (their bomber fleet is back, their fleet period is back, they have all their fully trained personnel). We have Rey getting the Jedi training she needed this time from Leia, who is now a Jedi, because yay feminism rammed down my throat to make the audience feel better. Rose says “It’s cool guys, I don’t want to join the adventure this film, I’m going to stay here and work on robots” so that she can gracefully exit the entire plot. Kylo Ren is demoted from Emperor in two seconds when we discover that a) Snoke was apparently Palpatine b) for unexplained reasons Palpatine’s alive (and I am now convinced that man will never die). Kylo Ren tells Rey at the first opportunity that he lied about her trash parents AND REALLY SHE’S A PALPATINE! THIS WHOLE TIME, REY! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. I’M SUPER SERIAL THIS TIME, REY.

Basically, in the course of an overly long movie, Abrams desperately shoves in everything he was trying to get out of the series, while sobbing, and sobbing even harder when things like Finn being Force Sensitive or Lando having a secret daughter get caught. I actually agree with the Producers on this, by the way, the Finn trying to tell Rey something scenes were weird and indicative of a love triangle but him being Force Sensitive instead... It says a lot that the movies did not change when it was removed, at all. And Lando was just this strange cameo who was in the film to make us feel nostalgic.

And this isn’t even getting to the ridiculous 24 hour time limit (which made me think there should have been some video game style clock in the corner letting us know when Dawn of the Third Day is coming), Palpatine’s other secret army on a secret Sith planet that can be easily taken down by taking out one navigation tower, Rey’s hilarious struggle with the dark side in which she has a vision of herself in a cape hissing, Kylo Ren’s hilarious redemption in which the movie in the form of Leia and Han Solo says, “Alright, Ben, it’s time to stop being evil” and he says “okay”, the fight with Palpatine in which I’m supposed to believe he dies for reals because... I have no idea why I’m supposed to believe he’s dead. The Reylo, god the Reylo, and Kylo Ren’s tragic, hilarious, death.

And then, of course, the ending where Rey decides she’s a Skywalker now.

I actually did laugh all the way through “Rise of the Skywalker”, you can’t not, I mean it’s a hilariously awful movie. The only thing that might have made it more hilarious was if we actually did get those Ewoks.

TL;DR

They’re all bad movies, if you want more specifics than this, you’re just going to have to ask me questions.

[that-sw-writer]

p l e a s e write a drunkkylo x reader id love u forever

I am SO GLAD you requested this, thank u for giving me an excuse to write it!

Also I was loving the concept of a Knight of Ren!reader and Kylo so seriously might explore this for a mini-fic in the future.

PART TWO | MASTERLIST

Summary: When a mission to Zeffo requires an overnight stay, the Knights of Ren can only find liquor for dinner.

With you and your leader making eyes at each other, chaos is bound to ensue.

Word count: 2664

Warnings: heavily implied sexual content, drunk sex, alcohol consumption, reader is a Knight of Ren

Intoxicated

It had been a long day.

The Knights of Ren had been on the trail of a Sith artefact, one which Kylo Ren was so desperate to get his hands on that he had actually joined the mission.  It had been a long time since Master Ren had even trained with you all, let alone come on a mission with you.

The mission had led you to a small settlement on the planet Zeffo, but with night falling and everyone losing energy, Kylo had eventually caved and told you all to find somewhere to stay for the night.  Since the Empire had raided the planet years ago, it was largely deserted which meant that there were plenty of abandoned homes.  Most them were small, which meant that you weren't all going to fit into one.  Sure, you had all crammed into tighter spaces, but there was no need to tonight considering just how many empty homes there were.

You all eventually found four homesteads in a row, each enough to house two people.  Between the seven knights and the Supreme Leader you had enough to pair off and stay in twos.  You gathered in the living area of one of the homes, everyone raiding the cupboards for something to eat, but all you could find that wasn't majorly outdated was a lot of unidentifiable liquor.

None of you had any quarrels about who would stay with who.  They were your brothers, and none of you were at all uncomfortable around each other - although all of you silently knew that Master Ren would be the least fun person to bunk with.  Since becoming Supreme Leader he had distanced himself from you all.  Whereas he had once laughed along with you, these days he was much more stoic.  But that wasn't to say that any of you felt awkward around him - you knew how much he cared for you all, even if he didn't outwardly show it.

"Looks like it's a liquid dinner."  Trudgen stated, passing bottles around to everyone.  Kylo momentarily attempted to refuse, but he quickly succumbed to peer pressure from all of you.

Everyone had removed their helmets and outer armour to get more comfortable.  The interior of the homesteads was slightly dusty, but it was far nicer than many of the places you had stayed over the years.

You sat down on the floor between Cardo and Ushar, taking the smallest swig to taste-test the liquor.  It was sweet, with only the slightest burning sensation as it slipped down your throat.  You could hold your drink just as well as your brothers, but you were definitely the worst when it came to suffering from a hangover.  You silently vowed not to get too wasted, otherwise you'd be in a whole lot of trouble in the morning.

As Zeffo's sun set, you all exchanged your usual small talk, exchanging memories of the past.  But eventually the topic turned to pointless drinking games, which you all indulged in.  Except Kylo, who had been all but silent up until now as he took intermittent  sips from his bottle.

It was a stupid game, but one which you always seemed to end up playing when you all drank together.  You went around the circle asking each other admittedly probing questions, and if you didn't want to answer, you would have to drink.  The idea was that the more you refused to answer, the more drunk you would get, which in turn meant that you would definitely become more willing to answer.

"Ap'lek, is it true that you've been eyeing up that medic who's been attending our training sessions?"  You asked, a smirk on your lips.  You were undeniably feeling a bit tipsy, but you were certainly holding it together.

"No."  He immediately scoffed.

"You're such a liar."  Trudgen snorted from beside him, and everyone else agreed.  It was so obvious when one of you wasn't telling the truth, you all simply knew each other too well.

"Fine, Y/N how about you and that Captain who seems to follow you around like a lost puppy?  Don't tell me you haven't got your eye on him."  Ap'lek threw your question back in your face, and you let out an obnoxious laugh, but before you could rightfully deny this, Kylo spoke for the first time.

"Which Captain?"  He snorted, and just judging by his tone you could tell he was starting to feel the effects of the liquor.  His sudden interjection took you all aback, and your brow furrowed momentarily in confusion.

"Captain Buckley," Vicrul jumped in, "everywhere Y/N goes, he also seems to go."

Kylo leaned forward at this, a challenging smirk crossing his lips, "and you like him?"

You knew that the answer was no, but part of you saw this as an opportunity for mischief.  If Master Ren suddenly decided to be invested because a random Captain had a crush on you, it wouldn't hurt to keep him involved in the game.

With a smirk matching his own, you brought your bottle to your lips and took a long drink, not breaking eye contact with Kylo as you did.  He simply slowly sat backwards, his eyes not leaving yours.

Everyone's gazes darted between the two of you, and the rising tension was catching everyone's attention.  Normal people would have avoided this elephant in the room, but not the knights, you all loved to wind each other up - and Master Ren was no exception to that.

"Master Ren..." Cardo was the first to boldly address a question to Kylo in this game.

"Go on."  He prompted, seemingly drunk enough to play along now.

"Given the choice, who would you stay with tonight?"  The answer seemed obvious to everyone in the room, even to you given the way Kylo kept staring at you.

He brought the bottle to his lips seemingly about to avoid the question, but he paused at the last moment and lowered it.  "Y/N.  She pisses me off the least."  There was a playful tone to his comment, but it didn't dampen the fact that he had chosen you.

"I'm honoured to be your choice by default."  You replied with a snarky remark.  

From there the questions only got more and more personal, the knights all questioning each other about people they may or may not have hooked up with recently, and even Kylo got involved in grilling his knights.

The knights were all flirts, you included.  Spending that much time around the boys made their energy rub off on you, although for some reason your beer goggles had decided that tonight that flirtatious energy was going to be directed at Kylo.

"Master Ren, do you ever hook up with people?"  You no-so-innocently asked, taking another sip of your own drink.  So much for not getting too drunk...

Even in their own drunken states, everyone looked a bit shocked at your bold question, but equally they were intrigued about the answer.

Kylo narrowed his eyes at you, he knew the angle you were playing so he indulged it.  Just not in the way anyone expected.  Rather than answering or drinking, he exhaled a long sigh.

"I think it's time we called it a night."  He said, "big day tomorrow."  Without another word he rose to his feet and walked into the bedroom, which was just behind a nearby blast door.

"Um okay, looks like you're staying here Y/N."  Trudgen concluded as they all rose to their feet and began to file out, Cardo clapping you on the shoulder as he walked past.

"What?"  You spluttered, "we never decided on who's bunking with who!"  You protested.

"I think Master Ren made it pretty clear that you're staying with him."  Ushar smirked at you, "the rest of us will work it out as we go along."

"We'll see you in the morning."  With another teasing grin, your fellow knights all left, and you inhaled a deep breath.

Draining the remaining contents of your liquor bottle for liquid courage, you walked through the blast door that Kylo had gone through moments ago.

The room was small, and there was only one large bed.  Usually this wouldn't be an issue, but tonight you could have cut the sexual tension between you and Kylo with a knife... something you had never really experienced.

When Kylo emerged from the refresher, he was shirtless.  Again, usually this wasn't an issue, but tonight you properly looked at him for the first time.  Maker he was built like a brick wall, dotted with cuts and scars, some fresh and some old - similarly to how you were scarred.

"Were you just planning on standing there and staring all night?"  He asked, nonchalantly.  He never normally spoke this openly, hell, any other day he would probably scold you for staring at him and flirting with him.  But alcohol does funny things to people.

Taking the hint you slowly nodded and began to strip yourself of your remaining layers of clothing.  Usually just your undershirt was good enough for sleeping in.

"Yes, by the way.  I used to."  He suddenly spoke, causing you to turn around and face him.

"Used to what?"  You asked, brow furrowed.

"Your question.  You asked if I ever hook up with people."  He reminded you, and you found your heart beginning to race.

"Right... but you don't anymore?"  You raised an eyebrow, slowly walking towards him.

"Being Supreme Leader doesn't leave me much time."  His eyes were clearly swimming a bit, "besides, I just couldn't seem to find the right person."

Through all the years you had known Kylo Ren, you had never heard him be so open.  Perhaps the phrase 'drunk words are sober thoughts' really did apply to him.

"And in the eyes of the mighty Kylo Ren, what makes for the right person?"  You quietly asked, now standing right before him - only the smallest gap between you both.

He didn't reply at first, he just smirked at you, his eyes occasionally flicking down to your lips.  "I'm not sure yet, but you could always try and show me."  He eventually said.

"What a line."  You snorted, teasing him, but rather than telling you to shut up he just closed the gap between you and finally released some of that drunken sexual tension that had been building all evening.

Neither of you did much talking from there, it was more a case of clothes being torn away, you being thrown onto the bed, and Kylo showing you possibly the best night of your life - but you would never tell him that.  It would make him far too smug.

When you eventually did both go to sleep, Kylo had his arm loosely slung over your waist but you barely had any time to rest.  The sun rose only a few mere hours after you had shut your eyes, and the light was only exasperating the headache you woke up with.

It took you a second to adjust to your surroundings, your brain slowly reminding you of what had happened.  You had stayed overnight on Zeffo with the knights, and there had been no food for dinner, so you all just aimlessly drank liquor to pass the hours.  Then Master Ren had started flirting with you, and then... oh.

You slowly turned around, but the other half of your bed was empty.  Perhaps it had all just been a crazy dream?  It would certainly make things less awkward this morning if it had been, although judging by the fact that you had no clothes on beneath the thin covers, that wasn't looking likely.

Slowly getting up, you ignored the dull ache in your head as you searched for some clothes to put on.  You eventually found your underwear and a top to pull over your head - it was large enough for you to wear as a dress, so you figured it must have belonged to Kylo.  But it would do temporarily until you could find him and then you could both locate the rest of your clothes,

When you stepped out of the bedroom, he was the first thing you saw.  Wearing only a pair of trousers - presumably the ones he usually wore with his tunic.  You cleared your throat awkwardly to get his attention, and he looked up at you.

"You're awake."  He pointed out.

"Just about."  You stifled a yawn as you spoke, "where did you get the food?"  You suddenly asked, spotting what was in Kylo's hand - it looked like fruit, and it looked delicious.  Although, considering you hadn't eaten in many hours, anything looked delicious right now.

"Where did you get my shirt?"  He mimicked your words and tone, a small smirk settling on his lips.  Despite now being sober, he was still acting a lot looser around you - and you liked that.

"It was all I could find on the floor."  You shrugged.  You were relieved that this exchange wasn't awkward, if anything you seemed to be talking more casually with him now than you ever had.

"I'll need to wear that later."  He was clearly flirting with you, so you decided to go along with it.

"Then I guess you'll have to take it off me."  You were on your way to boldly make a move on him.  The sex had been amazing, so if there was time you didn't see why you couldn't go for round two, but you stopped dead in your tracks when you heard a throat being cleared from the other side of the room.

Kylo just smirked down at you, "the boys found the food and were nice enough to bring us some."  He simply said, before leaning down to whisper in your ear, "but when this mission is done we can finish that discussion."

Turning around painstakingly slowly you had to awkwardly grin at all of your brothers, who all just stood with smug and mocking smirks plastered across their faces.  You had really hoped to keep this a secret, but secrets between the knights were non-existent for a reason.

"Sleep well?"  Ushar asked, clearly teasing you.

"Actually yes, I did thanks."  You shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.

"We have a lead on the artefact, so maybe you should go and get changed.  Like Master Ren said, he'll need his shirt back."  Trudgen then jumped in to ridicule you a bit, and you admittedly did suddenly feel embarrassed.

"This isn't going away anytime soon."  You grumbled under your breath as you walked back into the bedroom, Kylo just smirking as he watched.

"Nope."  The knights all said in unison, their smugness still evident.

And of course they were right.  After dressing and eating some of that mysterious looking fruit, you all set out, and throughout the day you were subjected to the smallest digs every now and then.  Kylo didn't seem to mind, in fact he seemed to find them so funny that he even made his own jokes at your expense.

"It's freezing in here."  You had grumbled as you all trekked through an icy cavern.

"I'm sure Master Ren wouldn't mind warming you up."  Cardo snorted, causing the others to also snicker.

"So help me Cardo, I will choke you to death."  You said through chattering teeth.

"Careful, she's into that."  Kylo breathed a laugh, everyone else letting out cackles.

"You are such a-" you were about to scold your own leader when he wrapped his cape around your shoulders for extra warmth and gave you a strong pat on the shoulder as he overtook you to lead the group.

Despite the relentless teasing you suffered, and would likely continue to suffer until the day you died, it was all worth it when you were back from your mission and into the warm.  You had 'innocently' gone to return Kylo's cloak to him, and spent the first of many nights there.

Sneaking out in the morning was going to have to become second nature...  Not that you could ever hope to keep it a secret from the rest of the knights.

[tortie-tales]

Friendship Ch. 2

~The Next Day at School~

The classroom was buzzing with life; students had been instructed to get into small groups to study for tomorrow's test, but most groups just used the free time to chat and mess around.

My group consisted of Tristan and Joey, who insisted he could help us.

"Joey.. are you sure that's right? That doesn't seem right," I said, puzzled. Math was never my strong suit, and I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew that wasn't correct.

"Trust me, (y/n), I know what I'm doing." Joey twirled the expo marker and then tapped on the whiteboard. "This is how you do it."

"You say you know what you're doing, but aren't you failing this class?" Tristan asked, amused. I bursted out laughing.

"What was that, you little punk?" Joey threatened, pointing the marker at Tristan. "If you don't want my help, then fine, but you don't have to make fun of me." he crossed his arms and huffed.

I grabbed the whiteboard and looked at it. "Ok, I don't get any of this, but this still doesn't seem right, no matter how I look at it." I looked at the whiteboard upside down and shook my head.

"That's because it's wrong. You have to multiply by 'x' before you divide by 'y'," a voice said, startling me. I jumped, almost dropping the whiteboard. Joey growled.

I looked behind me. "Who said that??"

"I did. Is your sense of direction as bad as your math skills?" a boy standing next to me said, looking rather cocky.

"Back off, Kaiba," Joey growled.

Oh, so this is Kaiba.

Joey had told me tales of the rich boy, mostly bad ones, but Kaiba was our only hope for passing. My only hope for passing.

"Joey, be nice," I snapped at him, before turning my attention back to Kaiba, "and yes, I do have a very bad sense of direction."

Kaiba hummed and walked away.

"WAIT—" I grabbed his arm "—please don't go. We're hopeless, we have no idea what we're doing. Stay and help? Please?" I smiled, hopeful.

"...fine." he sat down and grabbed the white board. His cheeks were slightly flushed, probably from my sudden outburst.

"Uh-uh, there is NO way I am working in the same group as him!" Joey shouted, dramatically pointing at Kaiba. Luckily for me, most of the class was used to Joey's outbursts by now, so all we got was a few eyerolls and a glare from the teacher.

Kaiba glared at him. Tristan sat there, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Joey, sweet, wonderful Joey."—now Tristan looked scared—"I don't know about you, but I would like to know what the hell is going on in class and actually stand a chance at passing the test, and Kaiba over here so graciously decided he would help us! So I suggest you shut up before I make you." I muttered those last words and glared into his fear-filled eyes to make sure I got my point across.

"Okay," I turned my attention to Kaiba, "how do I solve this problem?"

~Time skip to end of class~

"I get it! I actually get it! I can do math now!!!!" I grabbed Tristan's shoulders and shook him.

"Oookay, (y/n), I get it," Tristan laughed slightly, taking my hands off of his shoulders.

I stood up and slammed my hands on the table. "We should get ice cream! I'm buying!" Joey stopped pouting and cheered. "Alright!" he and Tristan yelled.

"Oh wait no I have the thing today—" I looked at them, watched their expressions fall to disappointment, and winced "—sorry guys. Maybe some other time."

I gathered my things and began packing up my stuff.

"Kaiba, thank you. I mean it. I don't know what magic you used, but you actually helped me understand something in this classroom. That has never happened before. I'll see you around." I smiled at him and walked out of the room.

I walked home, happy to have finally understood something, and soon reached my house.

I opened my phone and texted Mokuba.

(y/n): Should I bring my deck?

That's a dumb question, I thought to myself. Why would I need to bring my deck?

Small Child: Yeah! Can we meet up at my house? I have a lot of homework so Seto won't let me leave :(

(y/n): Sure! Send me your address and I'll head over soon!

Apparently being able to play a children's card game is essential in this world.

That's when I remembered that Mokuba had told me that his brother would like my deck, and I felt stupid.

I grabbed my purse and headed towards the door.

Keys, check. Wallet, check. Phone, check. Ah, I forgot my freaking cards!

I smacked my head and ran back into my room, grabbing my deck and cursing.

~yet another timeskip, brought to you by the common hatred of math~

I got off the bus and walked for a few minutes.

Ding! You have arrived at your destination!

I looked up and saw that I was in front of a mansion. No, a castle. No, an empire.

This place is huge!

I opened my phone and texted Mokuba.

(y/n): Ha ha, very funny. Where do you actually live?

Small Child: Wdym? Did you get lost?

I took a picture of the building in front of me and sent it to him.

Small Child: Hold on.

Hold on for what? A butler to check me in? Seriously, Mokuba, enough with the games.

I stared at my phone, irritated, looked up, and saw Mokuba run out of the house and towards me.

Well shit

"You do not live here. Mokuba, weren't you ever taught that breaking into someone else's home was bad?" I put my hands on my hips and shook my head. "I should have known that you were a hoodlum."

"Come on!" he giggled, and started pulling me towards the mansion. "You have to meet Seto!"

Seto.... I know that name.. Is that off of a movie or something?

He opened the door and pushed me in.

"Mo- Mokuba! I am able to walk on my own! Jesus, child, how much sugar have you had today?" I asked, slightly annoyed. I looked around and was shocked to see Kaiba walking around in sweatpants and a black, turtleneck shirt.

"Seto, this is (y/n). (y/n), this is my big brother, Seto."