#can you ever be apart of that community? why do you allow this to continue and not persecute these men for existing?

[corinescorner]

How to be a System Ally

This can be a post for both non-systems and systems! We all should be educated on how to be an ally for the community! It's aimed towards non-systems, though.

Educate yourselves. Before engaging, you should learn about systems and plurality. Different types of systems exist, and come in many, many different ways. Terms llike headmates, switching, co-consciousness, etc. should be learned before interacting!

Read about experiences: Follow blogs, watch videos, or read posts from systems who share their journeys.

Avoid assumptions: Not every system is the same, and their internal experiences and why they even exist can widely vary.

Use correct language! Ask about pronouns, names, or terms that the system may use. They can vary between each system, or even each alter.

Respect system-specific terms: If a system describes themselves as a way that's unfamiliar, instead of calling them fake or lying, take time to understand what it means. Ask questions, do research.

Don't assume every system view their system or plurality as a negative or a problem. Some systems see it as apart of their identity, regardless of how they formed.

Respect boundaries and autonomy. Like anyone else, systems have boundaries, and it's extremely important to respect them. Some systems are more open than others, but don't assume that every system should talk about their inner world.

If you're not sure who's fronting, ask before assuming! Some systems may let you know, but others may prefer to keep it private. Respect both.

Never, ever pressure a system to switch for another alter to interact with. Or in general. Switching isn't a performance, and asking is very invasive.

If a system requests to be treated as individuals between alters, respect that. Don't treat them as a singular identity unless they prefer it. Ask questions.

Validate their experiences. Systems face a ton of invalidation, both from the outside work and even in their own community. As an ally, you should validate every experience.

Believe them. If a system tells you about their experiences being a system, believe them. Don't question their legitimacy or dismiss their reality.

Acknowledge the diversity in systemhood. Whether a system formed due to trauma or not, their experiences are valid as a plural or system. Don't engage in debates that question the validity of "real" systems.

Support how they view their system. Some view it as a disorder, while some view it as their identity. Support how they see themselves without your own judgement.

Many systems, particularly the ones formed from trauma, can be sensitive to certain topics. Ask about what topics they would like to avoid, and respect it. Avoid triggering language; slurs, stereotypes, or graphic descriptions of trauma can be harmful.

Avoid intrusive questions. Questions about how often they switch or what their trauma history is are often invasive. If they want to share, they will.

Amplify system voices. Share content, posts, or messages from systems who are advocating!

Correct misinformation. Gently guide a person to the correct information. Remember, misinformation generally comes from lack of education, so pointing them to the right direction can help.

Offer support, not pity. Systems don't inherently need rescue or pity. Don't be the "hero" of systems. Listen without judgement, listen without trying to "fix" things. Celebrate their strengths instead of focusing on their weaknesses.

Support a system automony. Systems are allowed to make nonconventional choices for their system. Whether it's delaying recovery, purposely splitting, creating alters, etc. They are allowed to make these choices.

Continue to educate yourself. Plurality is a diverse and growing field of discussion. Keep up with new conversations and research.

I hope this is able to help people who are newer to the system community or what to help advocate for their system friends!

[mydr3aminvi0let]

i wear a lot of skirts and pink and whatnot as my style has developed with me & my personality but when one of those age regression girlies latch onto me....i do not like that

[lees-chaotic-brain]

For You (Gojo x Reader)

What if you were sealed instead of Gojo?

CW: Shibuya Incident spoilers, angst, not canonically accurate (just roll with it for the plot it doesn't have to make complete sense), swearing, so much angst

Part Two | JJK Masterlist | Blog Navigation

Gojo knew that you were strong. He wouldn't have fallen in love with you out of fear if he didn't trust completely in your ability to return to him.

But that was before.

Before the shell of someone the two of you once knew and loved appeared.

Before he allowed himself to be distracted for a split second.

Before you noticed what was happening and shoved him out of the way.

Before you stood in front of him, hands bound behind your back, body rendered immobile.

"Well, this is an interesting development."

Not-Suguru clapped his hands together.

"Oh well, this will do too. Actually, we just managed to nab the strongest's only weakness: his love."

"Who are you?"

You snarl, glaring at your former friend.

"Why, I'm Geto Suguru. Don't you remember me? I'm wounded."

"Bull. Shit."

All Gojo can do is stare blankly at you, and pray that this isn't happening. That one of his worst nightmares isn't playing out in front of him.

"I know damn well that Suguru would never go out of his way to hurt us. He may have hated non-sorcerers, but even at the end he held no hostility towards us. So I'll ask you again. Who are you?"

"Satoru."

Gojo jumped a little, but quickly smoothed his expression over as you used one of your techniques to communicate telepathically with him.

"You need to run."

No! He wanted to scream. There has to be another option.

You continue taunting and yelling at the creature inhabiting your friend's body, and Gojo realizes that you are desperately stalling for time.

"Listen, I know you don't want to. But right now, you can't do anything for me without putting yourself in serious danger. I'm expendable."

Not to him, you aren't. For you, he would tear apart the world with his bare hands. For you, there wasn't a risk he wouldn't take. He has to find a way out of this. For you. Because there was no world where you were fucking expendable to him.

"You need to run! Now! I don't know how much time you have, but I know you can make it outside. You are the strongest after all. Run. Regroup with the others."

He knows that what you are saying makes logical sense, but he still can't wrap his mind around it.

Then you spoke again.

"No one should be allowed to take youth away from young people. That's what we agreed, right? So go. Do it for our kids. Protect their youth. For them. For our dream. For me."

Quietly, oh so quietly, he says something.

"I'm scared."

He admits, so quiet you can scarcely hear him.

"I'm not."

Your tone is gentle and loving.

"You aren't abandoning me forever. This is only temporary. I know that no matter what happens, you will get me out of here. Not because you're the strongest or anything. Because you love me, and I love you. And nothing can keep us apart, 'kay?"

Moving as much as your restraints would allow you, you turn your head the tiniest bit so you can look at him.

"Go. Go save our kids. I believe in you. I'll see you soon my love."

Holding back tears, Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer alive did the unthinkable.

Turning away from you and speeding up and out of the train station was the hardest thing he ever did, and will ever do.

But he did it.

For your many (unofficially) adopted children.

For your shared dream.

For you.

Always for you.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

This physically pained me to write, but it was taking up WAY too much of my brain space lol. Let me know what you think, and feel free to send in any requests you have!

[punksocks]

Astrology Observations No.13

-just my opinions, please take them with a grain of salt !

-Libras tend to only give significant attention to people they think are beautiful/pretty. (So if a libra man is messing around in your dms, you at least know you’re pretty! Lol) Subtly I’ve noticed that Taurus placements tend to do this as well? Like, they don’t write off people in the way some Libras do but I haven’t seen someone with Taurus in the big 6 dating someone that isn’t attractive or at least aesthetically pleasing.

-Stellium in 3rd/ mars in 3rd/ Gemini Mars and Stellium in 6th/ mars in 6th/ Virgo Mars: do you find yourself multitasking all the time? I find that multitasking helps me finish tasks faster 9 times out of 10. Like I need to have my attention in a few places at once to be efficient. (I love podcasts and drawing)

-Neptune conjunct moon, Pisces moon, moon in 12th: you have really deep intuition but not much clarity that comes with it. Like I had this like intense instinct go off that i was going to run into something one I cut off last year- and I was right! But only halfway lol, totally different dude than I expected lol. It’s like shaking a magic 8 ball, you’ve got an answer but not the answer lol.

-I agree that your moon sign shows the most of your true personality, especially as you get past like 25. But with sun conjunct moon I’ve had a tricky time spotting this. I think it’s clearest with Aries and Aquarius moons for me. Aries moons have so much energy and they grow into being real leaders as they get older, and Aquarius moons have real stand out opinions and tend to live in their uniqueness more and attempt to conform less as they get older.

-Mercury in 3rd or Gemini or natal retrograde can mean you’re incapable of writing short little text messages lol. You either write a paragraph or send a lot of little texts successively.

-I find that Venus/Libra dominant people can be very charming in public and really judgmental in private/anonymously. They don’t want their opinions to clash with their pleasing persona.

-Scorpio sun + Sagittarius moon/ Sagittarius sun + Scorpio Moon doesn’t mean you have to be wild but oml they’ve been some of the most extreme people I’ve ever met. I feel like these people are always bringing BIG energy into the room and changing things around them with that Jupiter/Pluto double whammy. (I have stories about every person I’ve known with those placements but my go to is an aunt that had a boyfriend that bought her a car and a dog and she crashed the car, abandoned the dog with my grandma, and broke up with the guy. He’s doing better now lol.)

-But on the flip side, Capricorn placements can bring in Saturn type changes and lesson to any environment they come into. I have a stellium so it’s hard for me to separate all the categories where I’ve seen places fall apart (usually work places and bad bosses but it applies to everyone)

But for sun- people get insecure and start acting from a place of ego, moon- emotional tension gets tested and people are more likely to react from petty places, Mercury- communication and technology that was patched together falls through in the weak places and systems get overwhelmed; Jupiter- Luck runs out for those that are flying by the seat of their pants and don’t really know what they’re doing; Neptune- no more delusions are allowed, lies and duplicity are exposed

And after I’ve left those places and their dysfunction behind it seems like the lessons continue on even more. I’m not sure why the effect lingers, except that Saturn will make you learn or punish you.

[valar-did-me-wrong]

Can we please stop this hating/targetting/erasing of a new character/ship every 2-3 business weeks that has become a new hobby of some people ever since S2?!

90% of ROP tags are filled with passive aggressive & out right aggressive posts and comments, most of which are the result of this new hate trend that has emerged these past months.

It is exhausting tbh. 2 years ago this was such a positive welcoming space and many corners of this fandom still are same, but the negativity is spreading fast. I say this because just a few months ago this started with poor Celeborn and now atleast 3 more characters and I don't even wanna know how many ships have fallen victim to this trend.

Fights over headcanon superiority with essay length posts & screenshots. Using provoking passive aggressive posts & Anons to try & poke other people into explaining & defending their muses with long, exhausting responses. Using insanely heavy words as petty insults over a fictional work.

This is no fun, this is continuing to become worse & worse and fandom is supposed to be fun.

I'm not saying everyone is doing this because I make memes on multiple characters & I know for a fact MOST people from every ship/niche like & share stuff about multiple characters & ships in genuine good natured way. But some are spreading this negativity a lot & very loudly and it's starting to drown everything else. That's why I'm not even the first person posting about this complaint recently.

The tag is full of people tired of this negativity & it's just breaking the fandom apart & hurting everyone.. and making those who don't want to shout & fight to defend their opinions over fictional characters feel silenced.

I don't know what the solution is other than use your communities for your ships, characters & niches to interact whenever you feel like you are aching for validation for your headcanons.

Convincing others on main to follow your headcanons will never bring you or anyone joy, it will just perpetuate the cycle of people defending their muses in increasingly harsher ways because everyone is different & is going through different things & finding an escape in different things.. and everyone is allowed that without having to defend it in a court of fandom law with essays.

[numbuh-72]

"Rescued Savior Aftermath" - Fanfiction

A nice little conclusion to our fun little comic with @artsygirl0315

Decided to do a small fic due to inspiration by the lovely @kandykatz

While Phoebe started to count down from 10, Alice could only growl and stare at her with shock and surprised. The fact that Alice's tentacles were sliced through...she could only think of one thing that could've done such....Spirit Steel.

Alice: "Ngggh...Y-you are still weak mentally though! I-I could easily take you down right now and-- Gnh?!"

Before Alice could even think about attacking, she felt some...unusual presence...or...presences. She looks deep into Phoebe's eyes and notices two spirits were giving the lesbian tomboy strength to stand up and defend Gianna. This made Alice even more mad and begins to float up in the air.

Alice: "Grrrr....fine...you win this one. Besides, it'll at the least please me that your leader will throw a fit at you for leaving your post...

Phoebe: "...Yeah...he will...but deep down, I would rather not lose another close friend...and....neither would "They"...

Alice growls and soon disappears into black smoke, leaving the two girls alone. Gianna tries to get up but felt too weak. She could only tear up and even give Phoebe a small smile....feeling the reassurance in person. Phoebe turns around and runs up to Gianna, scared and worried. She carefully puts her weapon down, staring into Gianna's eyes.

Phoebe: "Gianna...I.."

Before she could utter a word, Gianna uses her last strength and hugs Phoebe as tight as she could. It was quiet for a couple moments until....she started to cry? Phoebe hears Gianna crying and...even teared up herself....knowing well why Gianna was letting it out. After a few moments, Phoebe started to speak up.

Phoebe: "....Is this what you've been doing the whole time you went missing? Dealing with this demon girl...?"

Gianna could only nod in silence.

Gianna: "...Yes. I didn't say anything to Numbuh 362 or anyone because I know that...everyone's been having a hard time and...I...felt like...I was alone..."

Phoebe's expression slowly grew into a worried look as she continued to listen to Gianna.

Gianna: "Everyone has just...fell apart....Carol has been feeling guilty.....Aiden has been in denial...Renya is just...completely gone....I...."

Gianna shakes a bit, clutching her fists and all of a sudden yells;

Gianna: "...I JUST WANT THINGS TO GO BACK TO NORMAL!"

That is when Gianna cries again, covering her face. Now she was feeling herself go backwards, thinking she was doing well in accepting "Their" deaths. However....that wasn't the case for the most part.

Gianna: "I...was only trying to be the light at the end of the tunnel for all of our friends....after all...I...promised..."Them"...to..do...suchhh....."

It wasn't long until Gianna fell unconscious in Phoebe's arms from the crying and blood loss. Without a second thought, Phoebe picks up Gianna and contacts Jeremiah to have medical supplies ready and be brought to their location. Not long after, he managed to arrive and becomes shocked at the sight of Gianna's state. He immediately works with Phoebe to bandaged up Gianna. Jeremiah pulls out his communicator, about to contact Moonbase to come and pick up Gianna....but Phoebe stops him from doing such.

Jeremiah: "...But, we need to get her real medical attention! She's really hurt..!"

Phoebe: "I know, but...I fear that if we do....she might be on lockdown and won't be able to leave base...ever. After all....she did break a lot of rules since day one.."

Jeremiah: "Then what do you think we should do? You know Tyler won't be allowing us to bring anyone into our base..."

Phoebe: "...We can do our best to tend to her at her own house."

Jeremiah: "...."

Phoebe: "As far as how...I'm unsure, but for now, she has her robot companion....I think her name is...R.I.T.A. What we can do is send her over medical supplies and packages so that way Gianna can be mended properly....somehow."

Jeremiah: "...Will it work though? What if Tyler finds out?"

Phoebe: "....He won't. He will think that these are just parts we are sending to Moonbase like usual."

Jeremiah: "Well...ok then. If you say so..."

With a new plan in motion, the two tended Gianna and got on the ship to take her back to her house. Once they rested her on the bed, they two exchanged looks and left a care package on Gianna's nightstand. Within a few hours, Gianna wakes up in pain and realizes she was in her room. She looks outside and realized it was night time. It wasn't long until her robot companion R.I.T.A. awoke and approached Gianna with the package. When Gianna opened the package, she first pulls out a small letter from both Jeremiah and Phoebe. After reading their letter, she soon pulls out the medical stuff and some...bonus stuff from the two. She could only smile softly and tears fall from her face. She looks out the window and up at the moon....

Meanwhile back at Sector PHP, Phoebe and Jeremiah were outside of their treehouse, watching the night sky as well. Although....Phoebe was pondering something Gianna had said to her before fainting. Jeremiah notices her and tilts his head.

Jeremiah: "...Phoebe..? What's up?"

Phoebe: "Mm....something was...different about Gianna..and what she said to me before passing out....something about keeping a promise."

Jeremiah: "A promise?"

Phoebe: "...Yeah...but...I'll need to ask her once we are....I guess stable enough to know...."

Jeremiah: "Hmm...well, that time better be soon....before Tyler finds out what we are doing...I mean...we did get a scolding from him earlier..."

Phoebe: "....."

Jeremiah: "I'm...gonna try and go to bed...see you in the morning..."

Jeremiah then leaves Phoebe all alone outside, as she continues to ponder the though of who Gianna was talking about....She looks at the sky one last time before going inside herself. Hopefully when the time comes, she can get answers from Gianna and figure out why she was disobeying orders from the start....

END OF STORY

Carol and Aiden belong to @kandykatz

Renya belongs to @numbuhinfinitys

I wanted to do comic again, but sadly haven't had energy to do such--

So wanted to give fanfic writing a shot! Hopefully this was something good to read! Plus it's like 1 AM here so now Imma rest- lol

[theeeveetamer]

On Loving Thy Neighbor: A long term fan’s perspective

Recent discussion in the tags has gotten me thinking about love, life, and the dynamic of human interaction. And it all brings me back to the same conclusion: fandom, like all things in life, requires a deft touch and an appreciation of nuance.

While it would be easy, even wonderful, if we could all just be kind to each other and have that kindness returned, anyone who has been part of fandom—a part of life in general—knows that it is often not that simple.

Bringing kindness to someone who seeks only to inflict pain on you is not only ineffective, it’s completely masochistic. We understand this when it applies to other areas of life. The solution to queerphobia isn’t “be nicer to the queerphobes” and the solution to sexism isn’t “be nicer to the sexists”. The solution is to tell them to get bent, because they aren’t welcome in the vibrant, beautiful, kind communities we hope to build if they are going to meet us with vitriol and hate. Attempting to placate a queerphobe while building a queer-positive society is like arguing that it’s fine if you just leave just one house in the neighborhood constantly on fire.

Fire does not care about your boundaries. It will spread to the other houses eventually whether you like it or not—whether you intend to let it or not—because that is the nature of fire.

Why, then, do we protect toxic actors in fandom? Why do we wave off a handful of death threats as the same thing as a handful of character or ship opinions? Why do we continue allowing people to wave that kind of behavior off? Why do we think it’s okay to keep the fire?

Simply put, it’s because it takes much less effort to assume "everyone was bad". Figuring out the nuance of a situation is hard; telling everyone to be nicer is easy.

And there the problem lies. There are many situations in which being a little kinder to each other could help. I'm not discounting that. There are also situations where doing so is masochistic and enabling toxicity. Enabled toxicity will never disappear, or quiet. It will only grow. Like fire, there is nothing you can offer it that will stop it from spreading. Pleading with it and offering it sticks to placate it won't stop it from gobbling up your house eventually.

Knowing the difference is where the solution lies. But some people don’t want to do the work to pick apart the nuance of a situation, so they tell you (no matter the context), to just shut up and be nicer. Got death threats against you? Well you said something negative about their favorite character, and you pointing out that they sent you death threats makes them feel bad. See, you both feel bad! So clearly you both must have done something wrong! So maybe you should have just been nicer.

It doesn't matter if your opinions were properly tagged, or if you censored the character's name, or if it was on a blog hidden from searches, or if it was something you sent in a DM one time that got spread around without your knowledge, or if the person who sent you the threats is someone you blocked months ago who shouldn't have been able to see it anyway. You should have anticipated that someone, somewhere in the world, might see it and get mad enough to send you death threats. Take responsibility. Be nicer next time.

If the fire spreads to your house? Well, you shouldn’t have built it so close. You knew the fire was there. It’s your problem. You deal with it.

It rings hollow. “If you were just nicer to your abuser, maybe they wouldn’t have to keep hitting you. Maybe we would all be getting along if you would just shut up about it already.”

No one ever stops to question why the fire is there in the first place, or why people are so desperate to cling to it, or what purpose it could possibly serve when all it ever does is burn down houses.

A harasser, like a fire, is not satisfied with bullying one person, or burning down one house. They will consume everything until nothing is left or they have been put out (sanctioned and excommunicated).

When you claim to take no sides in a situation like this, or you claim both sides are equally bad, you are siding with the toxic actor. You are feeding your fellow fans to the fire in the hopes that you won't be next. You will always be next.

And if there's only a handful of people in your community willing to pick up a bucket and try to fight the fire, while everyone else shrugs and says "just don't build your house too close"? The firefighters will leave, because they know they can't fight it alone, and they know it won't stop, and who wants to live in a house constantly at risk of going up like a tinderbox?

And then, one day, everyone who shrugged and stayed will turn around and wonder why their town is nothing but ashes and cinders. And they will have no one to blame but themselves.

The world only works off of "be kinder" logic if you assume everyone's goal is to get along. The sad truth is, there are always some fires, and their definition of "getting along" includes destruction and pain incompatible with kindness.

I think the only people who truly believe the core of the problem is that everyone "isn't kind enough" are so used to sitting in a burning house that they can no longer smell the smoke.

[mirai-e-jump]

Hero Vision Vol.15 (2004/Summer) ft. Kamen Rider Blade Cast Interviews Ryoji Morimoto x Terunosuke Takezai Segment (translations below)

Publication: August 20, 2004 (between episodes 29-30) Ryoji Morimoto (Hajime Aikawa) x Terunosuke Takezai (Kotaro Shirai)

"Currently, It appears that the two of you are not getting along within the drama."

Takezai: Hajime is reluctant to reach out, while Kotaro is. Kotaro wants to protect Amane-chan and Haruka-san, but can't even protect himself, and Hajime is the one to always protect us, which frustrates Kotaro……So now, he's taking it out on Hajime?

Morimoto: When he sees Kotaro like that, I feel that Hajime finds it very interesting.

Takezai: There's a part of Hajime that Kotaro admires, but he won't allow himself to feel that way. It's a complicated feeling.

Morimoto: Hajime is uncertain too. Being around Amane-chan makes his heart feel at ease and warm inside, but he still doesn't understand what it means "to be loved," and he doesn't even understand why he wants to protect her. As his human side develops, so too will the number of his problems, and I think Hajime is going to have a much harder time from now on.

"So, apart from your roles, what do you like about each other?"

Morimoto: He has good intuition, can immediately grasp the situation, and he's also very tolerant and considerate.

Takezai: I don't have anything to say about his performance, other than that I've learned quite alot from him. Usually, you act pretty silly, don't you? And when everyone's together, the tension really rises. But, when it comes to acting, he changes completely. I think, "Is this really the same guy?" The range of emotions, and the way in which he switches between them is amazing. I'm usually very reserved.

"Kotaro's becoming more and more quiet…or rather, it's more like he's becoming serious."

Takezai: There's alot of emotional ups and downs. Every time we get a new script, it's something new. I'm like, "Ah, so this time it's this emotion." I used to play Kotaro, but the range has become so narrow, that now, I'm pretty much playing the role of Terunosuke Takezai.

"Would you ever consider switching roles?"

Morimoto: I don't get to smile much, do I? Kotaro is a really cute guy, and he has a charming smile, I'd like to be able to laugh too.

Takezai: I'd like to try being Chalice. I rarely get to show my emotions. If you think about it, we're the complete opposite in terms of personality.

Morimoto: Yeah. I think Hajime is jealous of Kotaro because they're complete opposites. Hajime wants to smile, but his smile continues to be rather awkward. I want to hurry up and become human…..

Takezai: Then you'd be a monstrous human (laughs).

"What's the most interesting part about Chalice?"

Morimoto: Because I don't have many lines, the lack of dialogue makes it much more difficult to communicate through my eyes and facial expressions. That's why I'm looking forward to seeing how I'll show the process of becoming human.

"Come to think of it, have you been working out recently?"

Morimoto: When I watched 555's movie, there's a shirtless transformation scene, so I was worried that something like that would be in our movie, so I just thought......I don't want to look like a matchstick if I have to take my clothes off (laughs). I do think Hajime is strong, even in his human body.

"What about Takezai's role in the film?"

Takezai: The movie takes place 4 years after the TV show, and I've become a stuck up guy after selling my books and becoming rich……

Morimoto: Kotaro seems to be much more active in the movie.

"Do you ever have time to go out drinking together or just hang out?"

Takezai: Now that you mention it, we've never gone out drinking together once, have we?!

Morimoto: We all go out to eat together, don't we?

"Do you share any common interests, like soccer or motorcycles?"

Morimoto: We do. We both like comedy.

Takezai: I like to laugh. Although, I'm better at being laughed at than at making people laugh.

Morimoto: I'm more of Tsubaki-kuns type.

Takezai: I think you're right

Morimoto: It's better if no one notices me doing it. So I try to do it secretly.

Takezai: There are times where the audio crew picks up on it, and then they'll suddenly start laughing. It makes me happy when they laugh.

Morimoto: I can't help but sometimes joke in front of everyone! Sometimes I do it too much and get pulled aside.

Takezai: Lately, no one comments on your jokes, so you've been forcing them.

Morimoto: I'm like, "…wha, hey!" (laughs).

Takezai: That's…it's alittle bit funny.

"You share a similar hobby, but do you have any differences?"

Takezai: Yeah, I love soccer, but I'm more of an indoor type of person. I recently had 3 weeks off, but during that time, I stayed inside for a whole week. It was tiring, but I do like to just space out at home.

Morimoto: I'm about ready to get out of here! (*he can't imagine being indoors for that long)

"Well then, finally, for you two complete opposites, please give a yell of support to each other."

Takezai: Yell? Support? Don't want to.

Morimoto: No (firmly).

Takezai: With Ryoji around, I can focus on acting with a sense of ease. I trust him.

Morimoto: I'm at ease too. I feel he gives off alot of confidence.

Takezai: The truth is that I have alot of work to do. And yet, everyone says it doesn't look that way…..

Morimoto: I can see you're nervous. Your tongue tends to do this, right? (he licks his lips)

Takezai: Yeah (laughs).

"Well, we're looking forward to it!"

Takezai: Please look forward to watching Chalice this August!

Morimoto: That's right! From now on, the relationships will continue to be very interesting!

[heretherebedork]

I will never stop talking about how the true theme of La Pluie is that love is a choice. Because that is the entire idea. Love is an active choice you have to make and to act on, to consistently and regularly choose the person you love and to both trust and reassure them, to include them in your life but also to be able to know that they will love you even if you make a mistake.

That is why Tai and Patts had to fall apart last episode and need this time apart. Because they are each one side of this issue, Patts being about the choice and Tai being about the trust. Neither is wrong because you need both. They need to both trust and choose, to allow for silence but also to reassure. Their love so far, though wonderful, has been about the story of soulmates. The story of people who are inherently connected and thus do not communicate or trust because it is implied to already be there.

But now that bond is broken. Now there is nothing inherent or fated between them and so they fall apart because Patts is looking for anything to fill the silence and his own fears and Tai is convinced that any need for anything besides silence proves that their love is not enough. Each in their own way, they are wrong and they are right but they don't have the communication skills.

Because they haven't needed to use them. Because Tai's approach to the relationship is that any questions, any hesitation, any need for reassurance means that the relationship has fallen apart. And he will not do any work after that. Either you accept him and the relationship exactly as it is or the relationship is over. That's also how he approaches his own view of the relationship. Any time he questions anything, he has to find his own way out of it without asking Patts any questions or seeking reassurance. He never questions. He only ever finds his own solutions.

Tai needs to realize that there is more love and more power in understanding and communicating than there is in his dream of this perfect relationship he thought his mother and father had and has never outgrown or rethought because he clings to the idea of what he thought their relationships was and has never faced that what he imagines is not what happened.

And this goes back to Tien's choices and Tien's maturity. His maturity is not often on display, he doesn't act mature. But he is. He truly, absolutely is. Tien is the character with the most maturity in the show and he made his choice. He choose Lomfon and he choose to walk away when he was too hurt to continue going, when he realized that his heart was broken and that he was not chosen.

Tien is the one most hurt by choice because he is not chosen. Everyone else has some form of supposed fate on their side. They have soulmates, they have that first love moment, they all have something special about them and Tien only has himself. He has been the one to comfort and advise Tai this entire time. He's been the one who acts out but also is always there. He makes a lot of noise but Tai provides a lot of silence.

The pinnacle of choice might start with Tien but it ends with Lomfon. Lomfon is the one who had to make a choice. And he made the wrong one. He chose Tai because he was clinging to the idea of first love and soulmates over the idea of choice. This is the moment that the universe gave him a choice and he chose wrong. He chose what so much of the world tells you to chose, the ones who fit what romantic destinies tell us we are supposed to love. The person who pulls you back from being hit by a car and drops their keychain that you meet again two years later and almost recognize even though you didn't see his face and then you realize how much you share and then his voice is in your ear where everyone says soulmates and you don't believe but how much can you really doubt?

Lomfon choose what he thinks the universe is telling him to chose but love isn't about the universe. Love is about you. And your choices.

Tai and Patts might be showing us about reassurance and silence and communication and how much it matters, but Lomfon and Tien are really showing us that fate, destiny, and love have nothing to do with each other if you don't make that choice.

[iriel3000]

When Will You Let Her Go?

Whumptober Day 8: “It’s all for nothing.”

LAURA WHUMP, emotional whump, light whump

DISCLAIMER: I am legally allowed to torment the fictional character of Laura Barton (and Bruce Banner) this month.

AN: You are going to learn a lot about my writing process this month, sorry. Most of the whump fics will be 3rd or 4th round drafts. I normally spend weeks, if not months editing. Many of these pieces will be written days, if not hours, before the prompt is due. please forgive any spelling or grammar errors, or if these don't seem up to my usual standard.

thank you for indulging me tho😘

Summary: Laura calls the kids while they are in New York with Clint and Kate. part 1 of 3

“Hey, is everybody having fun?”

“Hi, mom!” Lila circled around Kate Bishop's penthouse with her phone, making Laura dizzy on the facetime call. “We’re having the best time! Look at Kate’s place!”

Clint was in New York helping Kate get ready for her first round of SWORD training and had taken Cooper, Lila, and Nate with him.

“Summer in New York is sooo much better than the winter.”

“What have you been doing? Where are your brothers?”

“They’re right here.” She turned the phone towards Cooper and Nate.

Laura blinked. She thought she was looking at an arcade. The room was huge with various ping pong, fooseball , and pool tables, along with old, upright video games. Cooper was playing online games on a theater size screen and Nate had VR goggles on, punching and kicking the air.

“Hi Mom!” Cooper shouted, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Hi, sweetie. Hello, Nathan.”

Nate continued playing.

“He can’t hear you.” Lilia swung the phone back around. “Anyway, we swam at Kate’s friend’s house. She has a pool on the roof of her apartment building!”

“Wow, that sounds fun.”

“Way more fun swimming at the Waverly community pool. We also saw Rogers the Musical again and got to meet the entire cast afterwards.” Lila went into the largest bathroom Laura had ever seen and rummaged through some drawers.

“Thought you guys said that play was silly when you saw it at Christmas?”

“Yeah, but we met some of the actors in Central Park a few days ago, it was really cool. The guy that plays dad does not look like him at all.” She laughed and began putting on makeup. “Ms. Nadia gave us box seats.”

“Miss Nadia?”

“She plays Aunt Nat. She's super nice, Mom, and really pretty. She could be Aunt Nat’s twin; they look that much alike.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, and she taught me some ballet moves to take back to my class. Ms. Nadia says I should take jazz classes if I want to be on Broadway like her.”

“But, I thought you were…”

“She’s an amazing dancer, Mom. Dad said she can do all the moves from Swan Lake, like Aunt Nat. She said she would teach me those too.”

“Is your dad there?”

“No, Kate is with us.”

“Why? Where did he go?”

“He had to help Ms. Nadia get some stuff for her Black Widow costume. Guess what?”

“What?” She asked, not thrilled with this new information.

Why would Clint need to help the Black Widow dancer with her costume? The play had been running for almost a year.

“Kate got us Taylor Swift concert tickets!! A suite by all of the celebrities. And we get to take a huge purple, Hummer limousine. I can’t wait!”

“You guys are supposed to come home tomorrow.”

“Dad said we could stay a few more days to go to the concert and to the Hamptons with Kate and her friends. It's summer vacation, Mom.”

“I know.” Laura tried not to sound too disappointed.

This weekend was her and Clint's wedding anniversary. The children were supposed to go to their cousin's house to spend the night so she and Clint could have a romantic evening.

They hadn't had much alone time. Since his retirement, Clint had been keeping busy fixing up the house and visiting New York every couple of months to help Kate.

“Come on, please.” Lila begged.

“Lila! Where are you?” Clint hollered in the background.

“Daddy’s home!”

“Home?” Laura balked, but Lila ignored her.

“Dad! Talk to Mom. Shes using that voice when she doesn’t like something.”

“Why?” Clint came in and gave Lila a hug.

“I told her about staying a few days and she has that tone, as usual.” Lila handed the phone to him.

He covered the screen with his hand.

"I'll take care of it." Laura heard Clint whisper.

“Hey, hon.” Clint removed his hand and she saw him check on the boys.

“You’re staying longer?”

“Is that a problem?”

“When were you going to tell me?”

“When I got back here. Didn’t know the kids were going to call you.” Clint walked down a long hallway to a massive kitchen.

“I called, she emphasized the 'I', “ because you were supposed to call me at noon.”

“Kate, where’d we put the putty?” Clint hollered to his protege somewhere in the penthouse.

“Clint!” Laura yelled.

“What?”

She blew out a breath loudly.

“It’s only our anniversary this weekend.”

“Oh, yeah. Happy anniversary, babe.”

“No, this weekend…”

“I’ll send you some flowers and New York candy. The kids and I went to Dylan’s and went crazy.”

Kate came into the room.

“Tell Cooper to finish his game, we gotta go.” Clint said.

"Is that Nadia? Tell her our matching shirts for the concert came in"

“No, it’s Laura.”

“Oh, hi, Laura!” Kate stuck her face into frame and waved.

“Hi, Kate.” Laura tried to muster some enthusiasm.

“Cooper, get Nate and let's go!” Kate bounded out.

“Clint.”

“Sorry, sorry.” He finally looked into the phone. “What were you saying?”

“So, when are you coming home?”

“I changed the flights to Monday.”

“That’s almost another week.’

“It’s not like the kids have school.”

“I thought we could spend our anniversary together.”

“Seventeen years, it’s not one of the milestones.”

“That’s rude.”

“I mean,” he rolled his eyes, “our daughter has a once in a lifetime opportunity to see her favorite singer at Madison Square Garden in premium seats. For free. We could not afford to do this for her. Do you really want to make her come home so we can go to Applebee’s?”

“I guess not.”

“She’ll think you’re the best mom for letting her stay.”

“Well, let me talk to her one more time.”

“She’s already out the door with Kate and the boys.”

Laura didn’t hide her annoyance.

“I promise she’ll call you tomorrow. We have to go meet Nat and the others. Have a good time with your girls.” He set the phone down.

“What did you say?”

“Have a good time." He picked it back up but all Laura could see was walls. "I’ll tell the kids you miss them. Bye, hon.”

“Wait…”

He hung up.

Laura stared at her phone for a long moment before flinging it on the bed. She gathered up the little, black nightie she’d bought for this weekend and shoved it back in the bag.

find the whole series here....laura whump

[iwanthermidnightz]

On June 1, the indie-pop trio took some time off from festival season and opening for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with a performance at New York City's historic Stonewall Inn for its annual Pride kick-off event presented by Jägermeister.

"What better and more iconic way to ring in the month than by doing this?" member Naomi McPherson tells PEOPLE of performing at Stonewall, where a 1969 police raid caused an uprising that sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

The surreal nature of performing at the location as over 490 bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights are currently being considered by the U.S. government is not at all lost on the "Silk Chiffon" musicians, all of whom identify as queer. In fact, that's exactly why they were booked for the show.

"It's really important for the younger generation to understand what happened here in 1969 at Stonewall. We could have those rights taken away," says the bar's co-owner Stacy Lentz, who's also the CEO of its nonprofit, the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. "That's why it was important to get an up-and-coming, amazing, top-notch young group with so many followers out there that people love to come and perform at this event. We're really raising awareness about this horrific legislation that's happening."

MUNA recently wrapped a nationwide tour in support of their self-titled 2022 album, and many of the band's shows went down in states where LGBTQ+ individuals are being targeted. But according to the group members, audiences haven't been letting current events keep them from enjoying the music.

"It doesn't seem like people are allowing this legislative bullying to affect the way that they're showing up," says member Katie Gavin, before acknowledging the "real, active harm" many queer people are facing outside of concert venues. "I don't know how many people weren't at shows because they were being displaced from their community. I know that there are families in Texas right now that are actively being torn apart and kids being taken away from their parents who are supporting their transitions."

Despite the hardships, McPherson (who uses they/them pronouns) feels strongly that low moments will inspire LGBTQ+ individuals to fight harder to live their authentic lives. "It's inspiring that when more far-right fascism rears its head and starts coming for our community, we don't get deradicalized," says the musician, 30. "They're not scaring us into non-existence. There's more queer people who are out now in 2023 than ever before."

While queer adults who have seen anti-LGBTQ+ rights fluctuate throughout their lifetimes may be prepared to stay true to themselves, however, it's likely that ongoing legislation will lead many young people to fear their identities won't be embraced. Before Gavin, 30, came out as queer, she found a community of accepting individuals that made her feel comfortable to eventually do so — and encourages others to do the same.

"If you're getting a feeling that someone is a safe person, experiment with trusting your instincts and sharing whatever feels unspeakable," she says, noting that sometimes it's also necessary to do the opposite.

"There can be a lot of shame in cutting off support systems that aren't working for you. There's a lot of embedded pressure, I think, to hold onto your relationship with your blood relatives," continues Gavin. "But if you need to distance yourself and set boundaries, whether it's leaving the state that you're in or not talking to your mom anymore, do what you have to do and then ask for the help that you need to do it. I swear to God, you'll be happier."

Echoing their bandmate's statements, McPherson further emphasizes the importance of finding community for queer individuals: "That's how you'll build the systems of care that will be able to get you through the hard s---."

Following the Stonewall performance, MUNA returned to the road with Swift on the Eras Tour for a show in Gavin's Chicago hometown on June 4. The band will continue opening for the Grammy winner in Ohio, Missouri and Colorado later this summer — and they're excited, as the experience has been a blast.

"Watching the Taylor show is a lesson in being the best musician alive," says member Josette Maskin, 29. "She's honestly been nothing but wonderful to us, and we just feel so lucky and privileged to get the chance to even just watch the show, let alone perform. Her fans have been nothing but gracious to receive us on stage. So, it's just been f---ing awesome."

[dykesynthezoid]

Thinking about how converting has changed the way I view most mainstream holidays in general and not even just the overtly religious ones. Holidays like Christmas I no longer feel any sort of personal investment in, but I still celebrate and exchange gifts with my family, which as far as I can tell is pretty normal for a lot of gerim. I read a quote from one Rabbi that said something like “you’re converting, but your family isn’t.” Hence why continuing to celebrate w them makes sense; bc it’s a communal tradition that exists for some of the people you’re closest to and it’s something you’ve always done together in the past.

That being said I’d be unlikely to ever say, put a Christmas tree in my own place, (unless I was dating or married to someone for whom it was important to, but honestly at this point I’d much prefer to date people who also have experience with being a religious minority, which makes that less likely). I could maybe be persuaded to attend some sort of service if it was important to my family, but I wouldn’t be comfortable saying any Christian prayers. And this is all still as someone who isn’t actually a Jew yet.

The reason I’ve been thinking about it lately is actually because of Thanksgiving. Mainly bc every year there are (as there should be) renewed discussions about facing the deeply upsetting myths surrounding it and trying to find some way to reckon with what it means to indigenous people here in the US. And at the same time, it’s a holiday a lot of people, some of whom are indigenous themselves, don’t feel they can just entirely abandon because of what it’s come to mean as a communal experience. And because of how entrenched it still is in American culture, and because our labor systems are so unethical, it’s also one of the few times a year a lot of people will be able to receive the time off to see and gather with family.

I just think that ability to have two minds about a mainstream holiday, to hold two truths in one hand, has felt very similar for me. I think Judaism often has a unique approach to interacting with mainstream culture, for very good reason. I think a lot of Jews have found ways to navigate that that aren’t inherently assimilationist or isolationist, that don’t allow those elements of mainstream culture to exist unanalyzed or undeconstructed, even while participating in them to some degree.

Part of it is that I think it’s very normal within Judaism to still embrace something even when you feel the need to pick it apart. Sometimes the need to deconstruct seems to actually make things more appealing to a Jewish perspective, if anything. A lot of the Jewish holiday services I’ve been to have actually made a point to directly dissect something thorny or uncomfortable about said holiday. That almost feels like a normal aspect of observing any holiday to me now.

Of course some people will never want to celebrate Thanksgiving and for very good reason. And I do think it’s irresponsible to celebrate or even let the holiday pass without some sort of interrogation or learning or uplifting native culture, movements, individuals, etc (this includes things like mutual aid and political action, depending on one’s ability and resources). I myself generally feel emotionally “stepped away from” Thanksgiving, both bc of what it’s represented in the context of American history and also because of my own personal trauma associated with the holiday. But I do still celebrate it with family because that opportunity to be in that space with them remains very precious to me. Idk. There’s something to be said for wrestling with things.

[dindjarindiaries]

Security - Chapter 63: The Investigation

summary: Din, Astra, and Bo-Katan investigate the droid malfunctions on Plazir-15, though old traumas threaten to make it the Djarins’ most difficult mission yet.

warnings: references to trauma, canon-typical violence, angst, hurt/comfort

rating: T

word count: 8.524k

previous ⟸ masterlist ⟹ next

chapter 63: the investigation

Astra adjusts her vambraces as she stands alongside Din and Bo-Katan. The views of Plazir-15 and the palace have since been exchanged with the countless massive monitors within the security room. Astra steadies herself with a breath when she looks at her empty side and confirms that their children’s pod isn’t floating there. Grogu and Zora had been left with the Duchess and the Captain, mostly for both their own safety and comfort. Though Astra knows they’ll be well taken care of, separating herself from them is always difficult, especially given the trials of their most recent journey.

“These droids were all reprogrammed to serve the community from the stockpile of captured Imperial robotics scheduled to be scrapped at Karthon,” says the chief officer when Astra allows herself to tune back into their conversation. “The droids’ reprogramming was a complete success…” the officer pauses, leaving Astra, Din, and Bo-Katan all to exchange a cautious look, “until one day, an isolated event…”

The officer plays a holovid on the comms of a trash droid picking up a receptacle and thrashing it around. It drops the receptacle on its own head and continues ahead as if nothing’s happened. Astra hears the leather of Din’s gloves pull tight at his sides.

“Then others.” The officer plays more holovids, one of a woman whose cargo was carried and ripped apart by a battle droid and another of a droid driving a landspeeder straight into the wall of a docking bay. Astra tightens her lips at the way the discrepancies worsen. “This is just a small collection of malfunctions that our security cameras caught.”

The holovids keep rolling and Astra doesn’t have to look at Din to sense the way he gets more and more tense with each one. She offers him a nervous glance, but before she can speak up, Bo-Katan makes her own voice heard. “Turn them off,” she suggests.

The officer faces her in his chair, bewildered. “What?”

Bo-Katan shakes her head and looks at the officer. “Why not turn them all off?” When the man doesn’t answer, Bo continues. “Who’s in charge of that?”

The officer raises his brow at her. “I am.” He gestures to a large red button on his left. “There’s a failsafe cutoff switch built into the system.” The button sits just in front of where Din stands. Astra watches his gloved hand consider the short distance. “However…”

“What?” Din demands, his voice low. Astra moves closer to his side.

“The citizens voted against any interruption in droid services,” the officer finishes. He chuckles and shrugs. “They can’t live without it.”

Din tilts his helmet. “And why’s that?”

“The citizens are no longer required to work and can spend their days engaging in recreation, the arts, and participating in our direct democracy. If we shut down the droids,” the officer laughs again, “our citizens wouldn’t know how to survive. Our society would collapse.”

“I’d take societal collapse over droids any day,” Din mutters, only loud enough for Astra to hear. She huffs and sets a hand on his armored shoulder.

“Then what do you want from us?” Bo-Katan asks the officer.

“To seek out and decommission any remaining rogue droids, until we can fix the problem.” Din shifts his weight and Astra moves with him. His visor meets her gaze and she doesn’t need to see his eyes to understand what he’s trying to tell her. This is going to be both one of his favorite and most difficult missions they’ve ever embarked on together.

“Give us the list,” Bo tells the officer.

“Well, for that, you’ll have to go to the lower level and speak to the Ugnaughts,” the officer insists.

Din perks up at his words. “Ugnaughts?” he echoes.

The officer nods. “Ugnaughts.”

Astra meets Din’s visor once again and she offers him an encouraging smile. “Ugnaughts,” she says.

“Am I missing something?” Bo-Katan asks, her brow furrowed at the two of them.

“It’s a long story,” Astra answers. She gestures towards the turbolift. “We should get going.”

The group makes their way to the turbolift and remains silent as they step inside and begin their descent to the lower level. Astra watches each level pass them by with her arms crossed over her cuirass. She glances at Din, but his visor remains forward, his gloved hands folded over his belt. Her heart aches for him; He’s not one to deny a friend a favor, but there are many internal wounds of his that this job is threatening to tear back open. Between the battle droids and a visit with Ugnaughts like Kuiil, Astra’s not sure how much he’ll be able to take.

That’s why Astra’s surprised when it’s Din’s voice that splits the silence. “See what happens when you rely on droids?”

Bo-Katan raises her brow. “Are you taking this personally?”

“Well…” Astra starts, exhaling a worried breath.

“Just pointing it out,” Din insists before Astra can go on. He still doesn’t look at either one of them.

“Let’s just finish this so we can be on our way,” Bo says.

“Agreed,” Astra adds. The corners of her lips pull tight as she watches the turbolift settle on the lower level. “The quicker, the better.”

The turbolift stops and Bo-Katan leads the way out. The large workshop is dim, aside from the bright sparks that shower down from where the Ugnaughts are doing their work. Din stiffens at Astra’s side and she doesn’t have to ask why. There’s already two B2-series battle droids facing them, and though they’re clearly powered off, their image alone is haunting enough for someone with trauma like Din’s. Astra looks at him and resists the urge to pull him away from the sight.

“I am Bo-Katan Kryze,” Bo announces to the room of Ugnaughts. “Which one of you is in charge?”

Her words reap no response. The Ugnaughts continue to work, some on their own and some in collaboration. Astra notices Din’s visor remaining on the one who’s currently fixing up one of the battle droids.

“We were sent on behalf of the Duchess and Captain Bombardier to help you with your droid problem,” Bo goes on, despite their silence.

Her words still yield no response, though she’s at least gotten Din to move, his helmet now turned towards the Mandalorian heiress. Astra’s gaze follows his until it’s drawn down to the gloved hand of his that brushes against her own. She’s gentle in taking his hand in her grasp, but once their fingers are entwined, his grip on her tightens.

“Hello?” Bo-Katan barely resists the urge to sigh as she lowers her voice for just Din and Astra to hear. “This is going nowhere.”

Astra and Din share a look while she considers using her own attempt at diplomacy. Instead, he gives her hand a squeeze and drops it as he tries his hand at addressing the room. “I am Mandalorian Din Djarin,” Din introduces himself, “friend of Ugnaught Kuiil.”

Astra’s lips part in surprise at Din’s easy mention of their old fallen friend. The Ugnaughts offer a similar response, their heads rising from their work as they halt it altogether.

“You will answer our questions and help us with our task,” Din continues. “I have spoken.”

The Ugnaughts glance at each other and nod. They remain silent even as they move, stepping down from their ladders and other workspaces to gather at one of the wooden tables. Din leads the way over to them, letting Astra take her place between him and Bo-Katan and across from the Ugnaughts. Astra’s arm brushes against Din’s as she looks up at him and whispers words meant just for him. “Do you think they actually knew Kuiil?”

Din shrugs and returns her glance. “I’m not sure.” He inhales a careful breath and tries to go on. “It’s been years since…” Din trails off. He sets his gloved hand on Astra’s armored thigh and she’s eager to offer more comfort with her hand set over his. She’s brought back to one of those first nights on Sorgan after they were wed, when she woke to him laying beside her with reddened eyes and tear stains on his cheeks. He ended up pouring his heart out to her and now she shares that grief with him, taking whatever burdens she can to make his just a little bit lighter.

Astra wishes more than anything she could remind him of that right now.

“Thank you for your hospitality and for sharing your table with us,” Din begins, his voice genuine and composed despite the way his hand trembles underneath Astra’s own. A droid serves tea to everyone at the table while Din goes on. “We were engaged to hunt down and eliminate the malfunctioning droids.”

“There are no such droids,” one of the Ugnaughts insists.

“You may not have heard the news down here,” Bo-Katan speaks up, her hands wrapped around a cup of tea, “but your droids are wreaking havoc in the world above.”

Astra watches Din tighten the free hand he’s rested on the table into a fist. She tenses her own shoulders at Bo-Katan’s direct words, especially once the Ugnaught responds. “There is not much of which we are not aware. These halls are the central nervous system of the city.” He faces the three of them with a stern raise of his brow. “I assure you, the droids are not malfunctioning.”

“Citizens have been harmed by these malfunctioning machines,” Bo states.

“This is not the case.” The Ugnaught raises a dismissive hand. “I have spoken.” He looks at Din as he speaks the three familiar words.

“We’re not in any way suggesting that your work is to blame,” Din assures them, his voice gentle as his visor scans the table. “The stories of Ugnaughts’ skill with smithing droids are legendary.” Din nods at the Ugnaught who sits closest to him. “We know that Ugnaughts are considered the hardest working species in the galaxy.”

The Ugnaughts glance at each other and nod in appreciation of his words. Astra smiles at Din’s genuine respect and regard for them as he goes on.

“We, like you, have been engaged with a task to perform. We will investigate the dangerous incidents. We would appreciate your help.”

Din’s visor gives the table another careful scan. The Ugnaughts turn to each other and quietly discuss their thoughts. Astra manages to catch Din’s gaze and she widens her smile of pride, giving the hand on her thigh a squeeze. He returns the gesture and leans his helmet closer to her head in silent gratitude.

One of the Ugnaughts hands the one closest to Din a large datapad. The Ugnaught hands it off to Din, causing him to lift his hand from Astra to take the datapad in his full grasp. “Here are the locations of the droids you seek,” the Ugnaught says.

Din shares glances with Astra and Bo and adjusts his grip on the datapad. “Thank you,” he says, every ounce of gratitude dripping into his tone. “We are in your debt. I have spoken.”

The Ugnaughts give him a nod as Din takes the initiative in rising from the table. Astra and Bo-Katan follow suit, though Astra can’t bear to leave without following her husband’s precedent. “Thank you,” she says, extending her hand towards the one who communicated with them. He lifts his brow and slowly offers his hand to her. Astra takes it between both of hers. “With this, we can keep proving your work isn’t to blame.”

The Ugnaught nods in appreciation. Astra drops his hand and continues to follow Din and Bo-Katan back into the turbolift. They wait to resume conversation until they’re in a hyperloop pod and headed to their first destination, passing by the darkened city of Plazir-15. Astra fights back a yawn at the idea of the sleep they’ll be losing this evening.

“What was that?” Bo-Katan asks Din once they’ve settled into their transport.

Astra looks at Din, whose visor remains lowered on the datapad in his hands. “I’ve spent time with Ugnaughts,” Din explains. He gestures to Astra at his side. “We both have. There’s a particular way to communicate with them.” He looks up from the datapad to face Bo. “Accusing their work of malfunctioning is an insult.”

Bo-Katan shakes her head in confusion. Astra steadies herself with a breath and adds on to his words. “Many Ugnaughts were placed into indentured servitude,” she says. “Especially to the Empire. The only way they could free themselves was by the skill of their hands.” Astra’s mind is flooded with memories of Kuiil, from his small hut on Arvala-7 to their desperate run on the blurrg back to the Razor Crest. She swallows hard and senses Din moving himself closer to her. “Their work is very personal for them.”

Bo-Katan nods at her, her gaze flooded with understanding. She remains silent, letting Din fill the space once again. “Now, they’ve indicated that there’s a likelihood that the next event will be at the loading docks.”

“How sure are they?” Bo asks.

“Hard to tell.” Din takes the datapad and sets it aside. “Ugnaughts always seem sure of themselves.”

Bo chuckles at that, watching as Plazir-15 passes them by. “Well, it’s the only lead we’ve got, so we might as well have a look around.”

“Do they know what kind of droid it’ll be?” Astra dares to ask.

The hyperloop pod stops and the doors hiss open. Din lowers his voice when he answers his wife. “No.”

Astra looks out over the loading docks and sees them filled with a few different types of droids, but mostly B2-series battle droids. She tightens her jaw, glancing at Din to see him unaffected by the sight. Astra’s brow wrinkles together in a confusing mixture of pride and concern. Either Din’s dissociated himself enough to face this situation with composure or his rage is so prominent that he’s forced himself to be calm. Astra’s not sure which reality she wants to be true.

The group takes the stairs down to the dock, tense silence filling the air until Bo-Katan breaks it. “I haven’t seen battle droids since the Clone Wars,” she says.

Din’s visor doesn’t leave the view of the battle droids once as he responds in one telling phrase. “I have.”

Astra’s eager to steer the conversation back towards the task at hand. “Do any of them look suspicious?” she questions.

Din offers her an answer. “They all look suspicious.”

Astra holds back a worried sigh, though no words can be spoken anyway when the B1-series foreman starts to address them. “Halt!” They face the group of Mandalorians. “This is a restricted area. You are to vacate immediately.”

“We have a few questions,” Bo-Katan states, standing firm in front of the foreman. Astra joins her at her side while Din passes both of them by to take a closer look at the B2-series battle droids march by with their cargo crates in hand.

“Show me your identification, please,” the foreman insists.

Bo tilts her head, unintimidated. “We’re here on behalf of the Duchess to investigate the droid malfunctions.”

“Yes, I saw the reports,” says the foreman. Astra’s unable to keep her gaze off Din, who’s started to wave his arm in front of each passing droid. She’s torn about staying at Bo’s side or going to Din’s. “Rest assured, I’ve had the entire line of loaders undergo maintenance protocols as a safety measure. The, uh, certification is on file.” The foreman follows Astra’s gaze and watches Din as he waves at the droids. “Uh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Din’s helmet snaps towards the foreman. “Why’s that?”

“As a precaution.” Bo and Astra share a cautious look. “Their base function was warfare.”

Din turns back to the battle droids. “I thought they were just checked out.”

“They were.” Astra’s reaction is nearly the same as the foreman’s when Din suddenly kicks one of them. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“Then this shouldn’t faze them.” Din kicks another one of the droids, making them stumble a few steps. As much as Astra wants to see Din do something so cathartic to help with his trauma, she can’t help worrying about what such a reaction might yield, or how much further Din might take it.

The foreman takes a worried step towards Din. “Uh, sir?”

“Din,” Astra sighs, setting her hands on her hips in disapproval. “Do you really think this’ll accomplish anything?”

Din kicks another droid. “I do.”

“Excuse me!” the foreman’s voice rises in concern. “Excuse me! Sir!”

One of Din’s kicks sends a battle droids to the ground, their cargo crate falling upon the dock in an unceremonious clang. It’s when the droid rises back up that Astra’s heart leaps into her throat. In a motion too fast for anyone to process, the battle droid backhands Din’s helmet, sending him sprawling to the ground. Astra sees nothing but red as she tightens her fists and starts to lunge forward. The droid pushes past her and the foreman, forcing them both to the ground just like Din.

Bo-Katan shoots after the battle droid as it starts to run away while Din and Astra stand to their feet. “Did that thing just push you?” Din questions Astra in a growl. One nod from Astra is all it takes for him to charge after it, running as fast as Astra’s ever seen.

“Oh!” the foreman gasps as Din runs by.

“Re-certified, huh?” Bo scoffs at the foreman before she and Astra chase after Din and the battle droid.

“You should have left them alone!” the foreman calls after them.

Bo turns her head to glance at Astra as they run in sync. “It seems like he might’ve lost his cool there,” she says loud enough for Astra to hear over their panting breaths and the rushing wind, her head gesturing to the direction Din’s just gone.

“That’s an understatement,” Astra remarks. She catches her breath somewhat before she adds on. “Let’s just say he’s got a history with these droids.”

“I figured as much.”

Their conversation stops as they focus on the chase. The droid turns a corner and Astra can hear the clanging of obstacles it’s now set in their path. Din’s tight on the droid’s trail as he leaps over the barrels and crates to clear them. Bo-Katan and Astra use their jetpacks to launch them onto the other side and closer to Din.

By the time they’ve turned the next corner, the three of them are side-by-side running down the city’s sidewalk. The neon signs illuminate the space and cast it in a purple, blue, and pink glow, making it more difficult to see the metallic glow of the battle droid. Innocent bystanders scream in panic as the droid stops and lifts a crate to throw at the group. Din grabs Astra by the arm and takes her to the ground with him while Bo-Katan uses her jetpack to throw herself forward. Astra offers Din a quick nod of reassurance when he helps them both back to their feet before they pursue the droid once again.

The group turns another corner and emerges from an alleyway to see a landspeeder blocking the path ahead. They turn to their right and look just in time to see the droid throwing something at them once again. The three of them lower themselves to the ground fast enough to avoid getting hit, though it shocks Astra when a wave of heat blasts from a small explosion behind them. They get on their feet in unison and charge down the street, urgently but gently pushing past any pedestrians.

Din points to the way ahead and addresses Bo and Astra. “Keep going!” he commands, turning a corner before either one of them can ask him for an explanation. Astra tightens her jaw as she and Bo continue ahead. The last thing she wanted to do during this chaos was split off from Din and the memories that are no doubt haunting him.

It’s not long before Astra hears a loud crashing sound from up ahead. She’s almost horrified to realize it’s Din, who’s jumped through transparisteel to tackle the battle droid to the ground. Astra pushes herself even harder to reach him, though before she or Din can do anything, Bo unholsters both her blasters and delivers the bolts that take the droid out once and for all. It falls to the ground in a steaming heap.

Astra rushes to Din’s side and helps him up from the ground. She keeps a tight hold on his vambraces as she assesses him for wounds. “Are you all right?” she breathes in a panic.

“Given the circumstances,” Din begins, catching his breath as he offers Astra a nod, “yeah.”

Constable droids make their way over and close off the area surrounding them. “This is a crime scene,” they announce in a repetitive spiel to the bystanders. “Thank you for standing back.”

Din and Astra remain standing alongside the droid while Bo-Katan kneels down and assesses it up close. Astra’s all too aware of how Din trembles with both adrenaline and no doubt a million other negative emotions at her side. His visor scans the area in jagged movements and Astra sets a steadying hand on his back.

“I found a spark pad,” Bo informs them, her expression contorted in disbelief.

“What’s it say?” Din asks. His voice is firmer than Astra was expecting.

Bo studies the object in her gloved grasp. “‘The Resistor.’”

“Sounds like a droid bar,” Din observes.

Astra faces him with a raised brow. “How do you know what a droid bar would sound like?” she jokes in an attempt to lighten his mood.

Din huffs a small chuckle, tilting his head at her. “Do you really want to know?”

Bo-Katan lets out a chuckle of her own as she stands and shows them the spark pad. “There’s an address.”

Din nods at her as she starts to lead the way ahead. Astra watches him take one last look at the fallen droid before he and Astra follow Bo. She glances up at her husband and pleads for the truth. “Are you okay?”

Din gives his helmet a quick tilt and subtly takes her hand in his grasp. She’s eager to accept the touch. “I shouldn’t have acted like that.” His visor meets her gaze. “I’m sorry if I worried you.”

Astra offers an encouraging smile. “It’s okay.” She gestures with her head towards the place from which they just came. “I mean, your method worked.”

Din snorts and shakes his helmet, his visor lowering to his boots as they move over the city sidewalk. “I… wasn’t myself. Something consumed me, especially when I realized it had put its hands on you.” Din gives Astra’s hand a squeeze and she moves herself closer to his side. “I was looking at it after I took it down and I just… I wanted to tear it apart, wire-by-wire, until it was nothing but scrap.”

Astra’s heart twists in an agonizing amount of sympathy for him. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“Still.” Din makes himself take a deep breath. “It’s been decades, and that droid was probably nowhere near my old home.” He lifts his helmet to face Astra again. “I never want our children to have to see me like that.”

“I understand.” In the privacy of an alleyway they’ve turned down, Astra wraps her free hand around Din’s arm. “But have grace with yourself. You can’t discredit what those other battle droids put you through, and at such a young age.” She searches his visor. “I can’t imagine how it felt when you saw them try to hurt someone you care about again.”

Din’s visor looks down at her grasp on him as he starts to knead her hand. His voice is a low warning. “I can’t think about it.”

Astra runs her thumb over his arm. “You don’t have to.”

The group returns to the public part of the sidewalk, causing Astra and Din to separate out of an abundance of caution. They remain at each other’s sides as they fall in step with Bo-Katan, who’s still guiding the way to the droid bar. An astromech passes them by and Din’s visor lingers on them as Bo starts to speak. “Let Astra and I do the talking in there,” she says, glancing at Din.

Din starts to tilt his helmet at her. “Why is that?”

“Because I wanna get the information fast and get to the fleet.”

Din gives Astra a quick look and she shrugs at him. “So do I. What’s your point?”

Bo lifts her brow. “You kicking droids is really not helpful.”

Though Din admitted something similar to Astra just moments ago, he remains defensive. “I figured out which one was malfunctioning, didn’t I?”

“You did it your way, now let me do it mine, okay?” Bo-Katan’s gaze finds Astra’s. “Will you help me with that?”

Astra nods. “Of course.” Din swings his helmet to look at her and Astra chuckles at his dramatics. “Sorry, riduur, but she’s right.”

Din sighs and sets a gloved hand on her lower back to guide her ahead of himself. “Fair enough.”

Bo-Katan looks up at the threshold she’s stopped at. “This is the address.”

Din lowers his hand from Astra’s back as he steps forward to open the door. He keeps an eye on the droids that linger in the alleyway while Bo-Katan and Astra step inside. Astra watches him carefully. Even though the conversation they’d just had was productive, an environment this rich with droids will no doubt be triggering for him.

The room is humming with droid chatter, everything from Binary to Basic being spoken between them. It stops as soon as the door slides closed behind the group of Mandalorians. Every beady eye turns to them, and even as someone who doesn’t mind droids, Astra wants to shrink away from the large scope of attention they’re receiving.

Bo-Katan becomes the first one of them to step forward and make their way towards the bar. Astra and Din follow suit, Din’s voice lowering as he speaks to both of them. “I don’t think they get many of our kind here.”

“I mean, it is a droid bar,” Astra says, earning an amused huff from both Din and Bo.

Once their group is closer to the bar, the droid standing there speaks to them. “Can I help you?”

“That depends,” Bo-Katan answers, setting her gloved hands upon the edge of the bar. Din and Astra join her at her side. “Is this The Resistor?”

“This is,” the bartender droid says.

Din leans one elbow upon the bar and uses his other hand to toss the spark pad onto the glossy surface. “That spark pad was found on a rogue battle droid,” Bo informs the droid.

“We give out lots of spark pads.” The bartender droid reveals a tray full of spark pads to them. “What are you getting at?”

“There has been a string of malfunctions that all point to this oil can,” Bo retorts.

“And we want to give you the chance to explain yourself,” Astra adds in an attempt to ease the tension.

“You can check my registry,” the bartender droid says. “We are in full compliance with Planetary Hierarchical…”

Din, unable to hold himself back any longer, snatches up one of the bartender’s tools and points it at his neck. “If you don’t start answering questions,” Din warns, “I’ll yank your memory circuit and dissect it back at the lab.”

Astra takes a hold of Din’s wrist and lowers it, giving him a stern look. “Riduur.”

Still, Din’s attention isn’t on her. He turns his helmet over his shoulder when he hears a droid moving somewhere behind them. “Nobody leaves.”

Bo looks between the two of them with a forced smile. “A word?”

Astra nods. “Yeah, that’d be great.” She gives Din a careful once-over.

But again, his attention isn’t on her. His visor’s studying the bartender as he starts to turn around to face Bo and Astra. “Stay where I can see you.”

The three of them remain a few steps away from the bar as Bo lowers her voice for only them to hear. “What are you doing?” she whispers to Din.

“You’re wasting your time,” Din insists, looking between Bo and Astra. “You can’t reason with droids.”

Astra’s too shocked at Din’s sudden one-eighty to say anything. Bo-Katan continues for her. “Their behavior is programmed. All they do is reason.”

“They’re also programmed not to harm organics.” Din’s unable to remain still as he argues, his visor dancing around the room and his weight shifting between his feet. “How’s that going?”

“And what of IG-11?” Astra forces herself to speak up, crossing her arms as she pleads for Din’s attention and reason to return.

“Kuiil’s exception.” Din tilts his helmet at Astra. “And he recently tried to kill Grogu again, in case you didn’t remember.”

Astra frowns at his sharp words and fights to remind herself that it’s his trauma speaking, not him. “Look, you are not helping,” Bo says with a frustrated sigh. “Just because the malfunctioning droids happen to visit here doesn’t mean this one is in on it.”

Before Din can respond, the bartender droid speaks up from behind them. “I want to help,” he insists.

Din’s helmet snaps towards him. “You want me to pull your hearing sensors too?” He takes a few intimidating steps forward until he’s standing at the bar again.

Astra sets a rough hand on his shoulder. “Din,” she seethes his name quietly enough for only him to hear. He lowers his helmet in shame, but still doesn’t face her. Astra hasn’t felt a wave of sickness like this ever since she found him after he’d left her on the boat.

“We are worried that if these horrible incidents continue,” the bartender droid says, “ we will be…” He trails off.

“You’ll be what?” Din asks, lifting his helmet once again.

“There are concerns among my customers that we will be replaced.”

Bo-Katan raises her brow. “By what?”

“Humans.” The bartender droid gestures to them. “Most of us have been refurbished and reprogrammed. Some droids on Plazir date back to the Separatists. The New Republic would send them to scrap.”

Astra takes a quick glance behind them at the droids who sit in tense silence. She can sense the fear among them that the bartender’s speaking about. Her heart aches for them. Droids had served her, her parents, and their people well back on Arilia.

“But here on Plazir, they are given a second chance.”

Din takes a breath of defeat. “Well, these catastrophes don’t help your argument,” he insists.

“Exactly. That’s why we need your help. We don’t want to be replaced. We still have a lot to contribute.” He looks amongst the group of Mandalorians. “Human life is so short. They don’t ask that much of us.” Din shares a look with Bo-Katan and then Astra. She lifts her brow at him, causing his helmet to lower once again. “Organics created us. It’s the least we can do.”

The rest of the droids in the bar begin to chatter in unison, their own version of cheering to agree with what the bartender’s just said. They lift their arms, whir their heads, do whatever they can to show their full agreement. Astra smiles at the sight and turns back to the bartenders. “Do you have any records we can go over with you?” she asks. “That would be a great place for us to start.” Bo-Katan nods to agree with her, but Din’s visor is still lowered to his hands.

“I can take you to the back,” the bartender droid says. “Follow me.”

The droid invites the three of them around the bar to a back room of the establishment. There’s a table in the center with enough seats to fit them all, but before they take their places there, Astra sets a hand on Bo-Katan’s armored shoulder and gestures with her head to Din. “If you want to get started, I’m just gonna pull him aside for a moment,” she tells their trusted ally.

Bo nods at her with a knowing twinkle in her eye. “Good idea.”

Astra’s gentle yet commanding as she takes Din by the hand and leads them to a private corner of the room. Before she can even get a single word out, Din’s taken a grasp on both her hands and has lowered his voice to an almost heartbreaking whisper. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes, as sincere as Astra’s ever heard him. “I went in there and I did exactly what I’d just told you I didn’t want to do. I embarrassed all of us and my actions could’ve jeopardized the entire investigation.”

Any remaining frustrations flee from Astra as her care for him takes over. “Din…”

“I snapped at you when you were trying to help me. I went back to being a person I haven’t been in many years. I…”

“Din.” Astra says his name more firmly and sets her gloved hands on his cuirass. It stops his guilty rant and encourages him to take a deep breath while she continues. “I didn’t pull you aside to tell you off. People go into fight-or-flight when they face trauma, and you were raised to be a fighter. It’s your natural response.” She searches his visor, wishing more than anything it could be his brown gaze so she could provide him with his favorite kinds of comfort. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Din remains silent for a long moment. He lifts his hands to hold Astra’s arms and exhales a long, trembling breath. “I’m trying.”

Astra softens and brings herself closer to him. “I know you are.” She manages a genuine smile. “I’m proud of you for that.” Astra pauses and considers their next steps. “If you think you’d be more comfortable staying with the kids, I’m sure Bo-Katan and I can finish this.”

“No.” Din doesn’t hesitate to reject the idea. “I gave her and the Duchess my word that I’d help with this.” Din nods at her. “I have to see it through.”

Astra’s smile widens. “So honorable.” She sighs and glances over at Bo-Katan and the bartender droid. “Just try to remember that I’m here to help you, okay? You don’t have to fight this or them—,” she gestures to the droid with her head, “—on your own.”

“I will.” Din gives her arms a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, cyar’ika.”

Astra nods, wishing she could provide a kiss as a firm seal of reassurance for him. But their home is in closer reach than ever, and so her patience for such manages to win out. They separate and join Bo-Katan and the droid at the table, where Bo’s just started to ask more questions. “Do you have a record of what each of the suspects ordered?” she asks.

“That is not how it works here,” the droid answers. “There is no selection of beverages as with organics. Here, droids are served Nepenthé.”

Din shares a quick glance with Bo-Katan. “What’s Nepenthé?”

“It is a viscous lubricant that protects against mechanical wear while delivering program refreshing sub-particles,” the droid explains.

“So Nepenthé reprograms the droids that drink here?” Din asks.

Both Bo-Katan and Astra narrow their eyes in caution as the bartender answers. “It patches the programming as the commands of the mainframe change.” He opens a small container of chits and selects one, scanning it for information. “It seems the malfunctioning droids all imbibed from the same batch of Nepenthé.”

The group shares a look before they rise from their places at the table. “Thank you for your help,” Astra says, smiling in her gratitude. “Hopefully we’ll have an answer for all of this soon.”

“That would be a relief,” the droid agrees. He leads them back to the main part of the bar and the group heads off to the city’s droid morgue.

They’re in their hyperloop pod when Astra’s exhaustion starts to creep up on her. She tries to hide a yawn as her body starts to lean against Din’s own. His helmet looks over at her and tilts with concern. Astra gives her head a quick shake. “I’m fine,” she insists before Din can even say anything. “I’m just not used to all-nighters.”

“You can rest if you need to,” Din insists. His voice is almost a plea for her to do just that.

“No, it’s all right.” Astra takes one of his hands in hers. “Like you said before, I gave everyone my word. I’ve got to see this through.”

Din’s visor observes her before he gives her a nod. “Okay. But as soon as we get the opportunity to…”

“Yes, I know.” Astra smiles and gives his hand a squeeze. “And you too.”

The warmth of their sweet worries for each other carries all the way to the droid morgue, where the three of them stand as the lab tech eases the B2-series droid from before out of one of the compartments. “These are the remains of the latest malfunctioning droid,” she explains.

Another droid, looking almost like a repurposed interrogation droid, floats over and withdraws the Nepenthé from the battle droid. Once the vial’s filled, the lab tech takes it over to her monitor. The three of them gather around the setup. “We’re looking for programming sub-particles,” Bo-Katan informs the lab tech.

“Yes. Let me isolate them.” The lab tech sets the vial inside a compartment and hits a button to begin the inspection process. She looks down at her monitors and shares the results. “The particles are definitely present.”

“What are the chances that they’re still active?” Din asks next.

Sudden beeping from the droid that withdrew the Nepenthé gets everyone’s attention. Their heads turn in unison just in time for them to catch its red warning light and avoid its dangerous attack. Green laser beams flicker all over the room, leaving Astra and Bo-Katan to shield the vulnerable lab tech from the floor while Din flees to the other corner of the room. Everyone draws their blasters and attempts to get a good shot in, but the chaotic pattern of the attack makes it nearly impossible to aim.

Movement from the corner of their eyes causes both Astra and Bo-Katan to look over at Din. Astra’s almost horrified to watch as he makes his own attack, the Darksaber having been drawn from his belt. He lifts the blade and slices it through the droid, bringing the sudden attack to a quick end. Everyone in the room catches their breath while Bo-Katan checks in on the lab tech. Both she and Astra help the tech back on her feet before they face Din with wide-eyed expressions.

“They’re still active,” Bo-Katan answers Din’s earlier question.

Bo helps the shaken lab tech retrieve the vial while Din hangs the Darksaber’s hilt on his belt and approaches Astra. A gloved hand on her back asks the question she can answer with a firm nod. Din exhales in relief and keeps his hand there as the lab tech leads them to her personal office. Once inside the safer space, the group gathers around her monitors once again.

“These are the sub-particles,” the tech says, zooming in on a live diagram. She squints her eyes at what she observes. “Curious…”

Din leans closer. “What?”

“They’re actually nano-droids.”

Bo-Katan nearly scoffs at her words. “How did nano-droids get into the Nepenthé?”

The tech zooms in even closer on the sub-particles. Din points a gloved finger at the monitor. “What’s that?”

“The striations?” The lab tech adjusts their view, rotating the glowing image. “Just an aberration in the metal. Probably malleability limitations at this scale.”

Bo-Katan leans closer, her brow furrowed in curiosity. “No,” she insists. “It’s writing.”

Din and Astra follow Bo’s lead. “Rotate the perspective,” Din suggests.

The lab tech follows his directions, zooming more and rotating the image until Aurebesh letters begin to dance across the monitor. The group shares a look of disbelief. “It’s a chain code,” the tech announces.

“If it has a chain code,” Bo-Katan begins, “then we should be able to determine its point of origin.”

“In theory,” the tech responds. “Let me see what I can find out.”

Astra watches the minds in front of her in amazement. The exhaustion of the long night has created a fog in her brain. It’s clear that Mandalorians like Din and Bo-Katan have an endurance she’ll have to adapt if she wants to continue calling herself one of their kind.

“They were originally manufactured by the Techno Union,” the tech shares. Astra’s fog starts to lift at the mention of the Separatist group. She hasn’t heard of them since she was a child during the Clone Wars, just beginning to grasp the understanding of galactic politics. “Been in cold-storage for ages.” The lab tech sits back the more she reads on. “The chain title says it didn’t arrive on Plazir through Droid Acquisitions. How strange…”

“How did it arrive?” Din asks.

“They were requisitioned by the Security Office,” the lab tech answers.

Astra holds her breath as the threads start to tie together. Bo tilts her head at the tech’s words. “Is that unusual?”

The lab tech looks back at her with her brow raised. “It’s illegal.” She turns back to the monitor. “There’s no record of this transaction on the government registry. These droids were ordered by an individual.”

“Is there a name?” Din asks.

“The head of security,” Astra speaks up, gaining Din’s and Bo’s curious gazes for a quick moment.

“Commissioner Helgait,” the lab tech confirms as the image of the security officer appears on the monitor.

The group shares a look before Bo-Katan taps the lab tech’s shoulder and they make a move for the exit. Thankfully, the lab’s just a few levels away from the security office, and Astra’s eager to get all of this over with—more so for Din’s sake than her own. The turbolift ride is silent as the three of them anticipate the upcoming confrontation. Din glances at Astra and tilts his helmet, another silent question for her to answer. She nods and eases her gloved hand near her holster, just in case something goes sideways.

The group emerges from the turbolift and Bo-Katan becomes the one to speak up without hesitation. “Commissioner, we have some questions for you.”

“Sorry,” Helgait says, lifting a dismissive hand towards them, “I have to check the data farm for anomalies.”

“We know about the Nepenthé,” Din warns him. “And the nano-droids.”

“They didn’t malfunction,” Astra adds. “You programmed them to disrupt and attack.”

Din straightens his helmet and speaks in an intimidating tone. “You’re coming with us.”

Helgait waits a beat before he stands and lifts the cover on the red button he’d shown them before. “Everyone, freeze!” he calls out, hovering his hand over the button. Bo-Katan, Din, and Astra all lift cautious hands, keeping their blasters in close reach. “If I trigger this failsafe, it will convert the planet’s docile workforce back into battle droids and unleash them upon the unsuspecting citizens of Plazir!”

Din and Astra share a panicked look. That would include the droids within the Duchess’ halls, where their children are currently residing.

“Don’t make me do it,” Helgait warns.

“There’s no way out, Commissioner,” Bo-Katan insists in a cautious tone. “Give yourself up.”

“Give up?” Helgait scoffs. “I never give up. I didn’t give up to the corrupt Republic, I didn’t give up to the Empire, and I won’t give up to you.”

Astra and Bo-Katan share a look before they both glare at Helgait. It’s the kind of dialogue she hasn’t heard since she was being mentored in the Senate, especially during the Clone Wars. “You’re a Separatist?” Astra asks the pressing question.

“Separatists is a pejorative term,” Helgait remarks. “I support democracy.”

Astra watches Bo-Katan’s eyes widen at his words. Astra may not have known much about Mandalore before she met Din, but she still remembers the history she was taught of their people growing up, and that included the sudden death of Duchess Satine Kryze—no doubt a result of the Separatist-Republic struggles.

“Count Dooku was a visionary,” Helgait continues. “He was cut short in his prime by the Jedi enforcer—.”

The Commissioner’s cut off by Bo-Katan when she raises her fist and fires a shock dart to his chest. He falls back, unconscious. The entire room seems to take a breath of relief while Din and Astra look at Bo-Katan. She gestures to Helgait’s shocked body. “Politics,” she mutters.

“Trust me,” Astra scoffs, “I know.”

Din just shakes his helmet and steps forward to take care of cuffing Helgait. He gets the Commissioner off the floor and supports him until he can join them in walking with the constable droids to where the Duchess and Captain Bombardier await them. Astra’s more than relieved to have the situation resolved, especially once they step into the grand hall that’s already lit by daylight once again and she catches sight of their children.

The faces of the Duchess and the Captain begin to fall while Zora, who’s been sitting at Grogu’s side, stands and wobbles over with joyful squeals. “Mama!” she calls for Astra, bringing an instant smile to Astra’s lips. Astra kneels down and opens her arms for Zora. “Papa!”

“Hi, my angel!” Astra responds, pulling Zora into her chest and lifting her from the ground. She stands to her full height and joins Din at his side. Astra kisses Zora’s head while Din reaches out to give one of Zora’s tiny hands a gentle squeeze in silent greeting. “We missed you,” Astra mumbles against Zora’s curls. “But we’ve got to stay quiet for a little bit longer, okay?”

Zora coos in a tone that matches Astra’s own. Astra tunes back in when the Captain asks the group a question. “What are you doing with Commissioner Helgait?”

“We found the cause of your ‘malfunctions,’” Din informs them. He lets Helgait step forward.

The Duchess furrows her brow in disbelief. “Is this true?”

The Commissioner keeps his head held high as he responds. “I’m afraid it is, M’Lady.”

Captain Bombardier shakes his head. “Despicable.”

“If that isn’t the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy,” Helgait snaps.

The Captain narrows his eyes at the Commissioner. “I beg your pardon.”

“This planet is unrecognizable since he arrived,” Helgait insists, gesturing to the Captain.

Captain Bombardier takes a deep breath. “I had a feeling you hated me.”

“I’m disappointed in you, Commissioner,” the Duchess speaks up, her voice filled with hurt. “You served my family well. But Captain Bombardier is the love of my life. And I know his heart is true.”

Astra looks up at Din. His visor returns her gaze that no doubt adores him the way he deserves. Din starts to tilt his helmet in his own admiration of her.

“Sure, he’s made some mistakes in the past,” the Duchess continues, “but who here among us has not? Is there no room for a little bit of forgiveness in a galaxy so vast?”

Astra beams at Din, the Duchess’ words resonating with both of them. She pictures Din in the home that awaits them on Nevarro for what must be the millionth time. It’s an image she never wants to forget. I love you, she mouths to him. He sets his hand upon her back.

“I am sorry to have disappointed you, My Lady,” Helgait’s voice brings Astra back to reality. “Perhaps someday I can earn such forgiveness from Your Grace.”

“Perhaps,” the Duchess responds. “As for now, you must live in exile on the moon of Paraquaat.”

The Commissioner squeezes his eyes closed in pain at her words, though he still turns and follows the constable droids to his fate. The Duchess releases a heavy sigh and turns her lips up into a small smile at the group standing in front of her.

“And as for you, Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, Din Djarin of Concordia, and Princess Astra Djarin of Arilia,” the Duchess goes on, encouraging the group to step closer to her, “I grant you audience with our deployment of Mandalorian privateers.” The group nods in gratitude and Astra’s swept with a wave of relief. “I also give to you all our highest honor, the key to Plazir.”

A rabbit droid offers up the large key to the Duchess, who then takes it and turns back to the group. Din and Astra let Bo-Katan step forward to take it in the name of Mandalore, the planet she’ll soon be leading once again.

“You will always be welcome in our domed paradise,” the Duchess finishes.

Bo-Katan nods in respect. “M’Lady.” She turns and does the same to the Captain. “M’Lord.” She steps back to where Din and Astra continue to stand.

The Duchess turns to where Grogu’s still standing by her side. “And to this little one,” she reaches out towards one of the nearby guards, “I grant knighthood.”

Astra’s eyes widen as the Duchess is handed a sword. She looks at Din and sees his shoulders rising and falling in a composed breath as his helmet tilts in pride. She lifts a hand from Zora and sets it on his armored shoulder, the smile that tugs on her lips almost never ending. Grogu coos as the Duchess taps both his shoulders with the long blade.

“You are now a knight of the Ancient Order of Independent Regencies,” the Duchess announces. Grogu takes some of her skirt in his hand and coos in gratitude. The Duchess lifts her head to face the rest of them once again. “Go in peace, brave travelers. Until our paths meet again.”

Din steps forward and nods at both the Captain and the Duchess. “M’Lord. M’Lady.” He bends down to take Grogu in his arms. The children’s empty pod floats back to his side, but he keeps Grogu propped up on his shoulder. Astra watches him as they start to walk away. Grogu returns the Duchess’ wave and Astra can’t help giggling at the sight. The little one always knows how to make a friend wherever he goes.

Reality sets in as the Djarins and Bo-Katan make their way to their hyperloop pod. The conversation ahead will no doubt be difficult for Bo, but Astra also has her own reservations. These Mandalorians were eager to push Bo-Katan away when she returned without the Darksaber. There’s no telling how they’ll react to Din being the one who wields it.

All Astra’s certain of is that she’ll take no disrespect of her husband, Bo-Katan, or the tribe, even if it means putting her armor to use.

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[whattraintracks]

Because it's my self-indulgent fic, I've decided this takes place somewhere in those three months at the end of season 3 when Morgane and Karadec are both single but not dating yet.

Cops & Robbers Pt 3 - First | Prev | Next

Same warning for guns and hostage situations with an added warning for a depiction of overstimulation/panic attack.

[]

They're watching her.

There are a dozen other hostages, and all four robbers are watching her. Like they're just waiting for her to mess up. They won't have to wait long; nobody ever does. Gosh, she can hardly focus with their eyes on her.

The phone starts ringing, startling her mind into overdrive.

Théa squeezes her hand.

There's something caught in her throat.

The robber sets the phone down with a snap.

Too much. Too quiet. Too loud.

théa's grip is too tight

when did she swallow her gum?

what did he say on the phone?

someone is breathing too hard

she's suffocating on a piece of bubblegum

can't think can't breathe they're still watching her

"Mom?" Théa whispers.

Morgane jolts out of her head, pasting a reassuring smile on her face that does little to ease the worry on Théa's. Shaking her hand out of her daughter's, she takes a moment to tighten her ponytail and straighten her clothes. The urge to cry hovers in her periphery, so she allows herself exactly two unsteady breaths. Then continues to ignore it.

She looks around their little circle. "Everyone's okay, right?" Those close enough to hear her nod. "Cool. Stay relaxed, do as they say, and we'll get through this."

Her favorite robber is on the phone again, introducing himself as Dr. Blue. Which is, certainly original. Then again, if all their names match the color of their scrubs, it'll be easy to tell them apart. She's primarily surprised he's still talking, given how quickly he hung up the phone the first time. She could've sworn she heard him say he'd only speak to Karadec.

Oh. She can't hear the other half of the conversation, but it must be him. It's pretty obvious why Dr. Blue wants to communicate via Karadec, and she'd like to make it known that she is very annoyed about being a bargaining chip. Still, she's relieved he's the one handling the negotiations. There's no one else she trusts more with her life.

That relief and trust buoy her through the next round of Dr. Blue's threats. He stalks toward her, and she looks him straight in the eyes as he promises to bump her off first if the cops lie, cheat, or storm the bank. He makes his point, hangs up, and heads to the back of the bank.

He's barely out of sight before a man to her right whispers frantically, "This is your fault, you know?" Turning to the rest of the group he continues, "She called the cops. I saw her. If it wasn't for this chick, the bank robbers would've come and gone, and we'd already be out of here."

A very short and very pregnant woman—Simone, according to her name tag—shakes her head. "The cops were coming anyway. The bank robbers pulled the bottom bills from the cash drawer."

"Which automatically triggers the silent alarm," the bank manager explains. "No one's fault."

Their panicker reluctantly settles down, and Morgane glances gratefully at the other two. She catches Simone rubbing her baby bump and goes to ask how far along she is, only to be interrupted by a short-haired brunette.

"I can't believe they're holding a pregnant woman hostage. They should let you go."

"Lady, they're not letting her go. They're not letting any of us go," wheezes a thin man in cheap glasses. "I've seen this movie before. I know how it ends." He pauses dramatically, then whispers, "All of us dead."

"Oh, quit it. We're not going to die," Morgane cuts through the ripple of distressed murmurs. She jabs a thumb at the front wall of framed glass, with its faint flashes of blue and red. "I work with the police. Trust me, they have a lot more experience than some characters in a cheesy action flick. They'll get us out, and we can all laugh about this tomorrow."

That earns her a variety of incredulous and generally un-reassured looks. Clearly, she needs to find some way to keep herself and all these people busy if she's to avoid mass amounts of panic.

"Okay, maybe not tomorrow, but we'll be fine. Now, M. Bank Manager." He points to himself. "Yes, you."

"It's uh," he glances down, shifting his jacket to reveal his name tag, "Dallaire."

"Sure. What's behind those doors back there?" She nods at the security gates leading to the back. The ones Dr. Blue went through a few minutes ago.

Dallaire glances over his shoulder. "The security room, break rooms, restroom, and the safe deposit boxes."

Dr. Blue reappears suddenly, and they fall silent. His compatriot in red tosses him Dallaire's stolen key and a black duffle bag. He returns to the back, and they fill a few more uneasy moments with silence.

"Okay," she whispers, blinking slowly to picture the shape of the key. "So, the key they took from around your neck was for the safe deposit boxes, right?"

"Yeah, that's my security key."

Théa leans forward. "Why aren't they trying to get into the vault behind the counter? Isn't it full of cash?"

Morgane snaps softly and points at her. "Exactly, Théa! There's something off about all this." She pushes to her feet.

"Mom! Sit. Down," Théa hisses.

"Yoohoo, M. Teal!" Three guns track her intently, but she keeps her eyes on the man in teal scrubs. The one who locked them in. "Oh, pardon me, Dr. Teal."

"You got a death wish?" he asks.

"Not at all, but I do got to go if you know what I mean"—Théa groans into her hands.—"And since it looks like we might be here for a while..."

He glances at the lady robber, Dr. Purple, for approval, then gestures for her to follow. She's escorted to the restroom, which, as she'd hoped, is just past the safe deposit boxes. As luck would have it, Dr. Blue pulls one out as they walk by. She discreetly observes its contents, and—huh. It's not jewelry or confidential documents, just photos and letters. Lots of them, but likely nothing of monetary value.

Dr. Teal shoves her along to a quite lovely but windowless bathroom. She spends several minutes checking for possible exits or an opening of any size to the outside, to no avail. A bang on the door and a shouted warning later, she washes her hands and allows herself to be led back to the others.

The man to her right asks to go next as Théa stares at her askance.

"Shush. Let me think."

Closing her eyes, she lets the sensations of the room fade. The light and warmth streaming in through the upper windows. The robbers' footsteps. The clothes against her skin. She nudges all of it to the back of her mind and imagines every detail she's gathered of this mystery laid out before her like papers scattered across the floor. She grabs a random page.

None of the robbers are trying to access the vault, which is full of cash. So this is about something other than money.

Dr. Blue is spending an awful lot of time in the back, presumably with the safe deposit boxes, but none were broken into, and he only recently came out to get the security key from Dr. Red.

Was this entire bank robbery for a single deposit box? Seems a little below the pay grade of professionals.

Some professionals, though. Simone said they set off the silent alarm.

But Dr. Red disabled the bank cameras, all four hold their guns like military folk, and when the cops arrived, Dr. Blue said they had "trained for this."

So they set off the alarm on purpose. But why waste time with hostage negotiations?

Time. It took the cops less time to get here because she was already on the phone with Karadec. But Gilles likely only called the robbery in a couple minutes before they set off the alarm.

Time. Dr. Blue asked to speak to Karadec only. Was that a bid for time? He couldn't have known how quickly Karadec would respond.

Time. The robbers could have gotten in and out quickly if they had avoided the silent alarm, taken cash from the registers or vault, and left, but they didn't.

Why? Because they needed time!

Safe deposit box keys are a pain to keep track of because they don't have numbers on them. Accessing your safe deposit box is quick if you know which box is yours and the bank manager uses their security key simultaneously. So, the key isn't his, and he needed time to check every lock and find the correct box. Time he bought by creating a hostage situation.

The box is the key.

Her eyes fly open, startling those watching her. "M. Dallaire, how are the safe deposit boxes numbered?"

He explains the ordering system with a raised brow.

Tapping her chin she traces the picture in her mind, "North wall, four columns over, three boxes down. That's box 120."

The jaw of every bank employee drops, and Théa grumbles about mothers who enjoy showing off too much.

"Do not," Morgane snips back. She looks around furtively. "If I can get a message to my partner, he can figure out whose box that is and what these robbers are really up to."

"How? I doubt they'll let you make a call," the brunette whispers.

"Probably not," she agrees. "But I've got a better idea. Théa, give me your bracelet."

Théa whines, "Aw, man."

[helenadurazzo]

I’m gonna throw a few questions for Juleander

How did they get together?

What was the biggest hurdle in their relationship?

What made you want to pair them?

Thanks for the ask!

1. Tbh I am still trying to figure out the timeline and dates but I can give you this: Even though the two are only a year apart (Julius being in the year above the main HPHL characters) due to them being in different houses, they did not cross paths until Crossed Wands which both were members of. After pairing up once for a duel, they started to hang out more, along with their other friend, Hector Fawley, often outside to where they could practice flying and duelling skills. Overtime they started getting closer however both would deny growing feelings for the other due to expectations and their own insecurities that prevented them both from being honest with the other. It was actually Hector who got annoyed by their delay of confessing that managed to get them together finally (right now I think it is going to be when Leander is a sixth year and Julius is a seventh year with me putting Hector in the same year as Julius for variety), although even then they did delay telling others that they were dating with many still assuming they were simply good friends.

2. I feel like a continuous hurdle they face is being true to themselves as both have a habit of masking their insecurities, which does improve over time but still has an impact. As such, even though they have known each other for years, they still tend to hide details from the other not wanting to ruin the other’s perception of them. However since they both understand their mutual feelings of insecurity allows them to help the other when they recognize those feelings coming on again. As stated in the first question, them getting together in the first place was a slow process because due to a lack of communication they did not know what the other would think and did not want to risk their friendship. As such, I feel like they do try to improve their skills at communicating overtime.

3. It started with a similar reason for why I made Ominis x Evangeline a pairing but they are a story for another day. For those who don’t know, Phineas is a very old character of mine who was made when Hogwarts Legacy was announced and there was not much other information to go on (more specifically my first design of him dates to April 2021 with Marie and his siblings getting designs in the following months). And I think part of the reason was the delays that were given to the release of the game. However, to develop him I had already given him a love interest in the form of Marie McKay since I wanted to plan how things would happen for the generations that involve their kids and grandkids. As such, both these pairs come at an interest of exploring OC x Canon relationships in Hogwarts Legacy. Now for those who know me, I tend to enjoy shipping my characters with less popular characters such as my Hogwarts Mystery pairing of Helena and Erika. It also helps if I ever want to write with someone else’s MC since oftentimes they wi have different partners. I ended up selecting Leander since he has similar insecurities to Julius about not measuring up to the expectations set which had some interesting story potential.

[titanicfreija]

Revealed

Freija and Sunny seemed to figure out that Thomas didn't like what he found at all. Mercifully, they didn't ask and instead they left for the crucible as soon as they were settled with Thomas's safety. 

Rex didn't allow Sunny to transfer the data, likely unwilling to share something so intimate but coincidentally sparing Thomas the embarrassment.

While he read and scanned and skimmed, he wondered what kind of attitude he should take about any of it. Freija had been right about how weird it felt to know someone so close and yet never have met them. Him and not. 

He felt sorry for the guy and couldn't help wondering if it counted as self-pity.

And so Thomas, undeniably the warlock he was, wrote a biographical essay on his first life. He might as well let his friends in on the fun. Sunny would love speculating with him. So would Rex.

~

""I wish I was a Titan," says the guy who writes three-page papers for fun," Freija mocked, sitting heavily and studying the paper packet. "Got a short version?"

"No. You'll have to learn this one by osmosis. You do great like that, you'll be fine."

Freija curled up on the couch to let her Ghost perch and read. "Sunny said that whistle blowing was an industry term where someone finds fucky stuff and tells someone important enough to fix it."

"I didn't say it like that."

Thomas couldn't really correct Sunny and he knew Freija probably understood better than it sounded like she did. "Did she tell you that it got people killed?"

"No, but the word "industry", from what I can tell, has pretty much only ever meant getting people killed. Everything driving "industry" mowed people down like I do."

"Yeah, well." He didn't like how close to right she was. "Pretty much. And whistleblowers tend to be the guys that point out the more fucked up things."

The Warlock sat next to Freija, burrowed into the back of the couch, and heaved a long sigh. "How much do you know about the exos?"

She gestured vaguely at Three's wall. "Robot people. Radiolarium fluid. Uhh… I can keep playing word associate in here but it would be better if you just told me what you're getting at."

Thomas nodded and picked up his tea. "The earliest experiments were the stuff of the bad guys in stories, just ridiculously, cartoonishly evil."

Freija nodded slowly, waiting for him to continue. 

"Reflect, if you would, on the fact that the things Braytech did were regarded as miracles."

Freija made a noise, but clearly didn't get it. 

"I failed," he said. "Or if I didn't fail, I didn't stop anything and the perpetrators never saw justice."

"Well. No. He's a head in a basement on a frozen moon," Freija said, but she got it a little better. "So did they kill you? For snitching?"

"Worse." Thomas flipped through the binder he'd made of information. "There's three exposé articles in here about how poor Ambros must be out of his mind, several about investigations turning up nothing. He got fired, but then he got blacklisted. And he tried to tell everyone and that just made him sound crazier. I wouldn't believe this guy, either. Got bullied out of every forum except for conspiracy-based communities."

He looked to Sunny with a curious frown. "What is that server room, anyway? For the data I got, you'd think they were trying to hold memories."

Sunny answered. "Social Media gained and lost popularity a few times after its invention, and most times saw some effort in centralizing somehow. This was one of them. Likely even another Braytech work. Personally, I think Braytech killed you. After several years of one guy still getting attention, even if it was just to roll their eyes, they could have wanted to silence him."

"It's easy to see the despair," Rex countered.

"Wait, what?" Freija said. "Why is it a question? What happened?"

Thomas watched the ceiling  rather than look at any of them. "They found him in his apartment with his brains on the wall. Apparently sitting on his knees with the gun in his mouth when he pulled the trigger. He put up a plastic sheet to make cleanup easier."

"Killed himself?" Freija asked. "Or executed?"

"Everything points to suicide, but that could have been forced on him, too," Thomas said uncomfortably. "I figured you guys would have fun discussing which was more likely. Take the edge off it, hearing you and Sunny talk about it."

"We're gonna have shitty endings," Freija said. "I was massacred and left out, you offed yourself and got a proper funeral. I didn't have to dig myself up. I can't even decide how to feel about that, it just seems like I should be grateful for that luck but it feels like I wasn't mourned, just because no one knew they needed to."

"Yeah, this feels weird," Thomas said. "And here I blamed your thing with your feelings. Figured the discomfort was just that and you were being squirmy about it, but this really does feel weird."

"That's not going to stop," Freija told him. "At least yours doesn't make you feel like you shouldn't exist."

Thomas cocked his head to a side and considered it. "No. I feel like he got a second chance with me. You feel like you shouldn't exist? Like she shouldn't have died?"

"She would be alive right now, probably with a wife and toddler," Freija sighed. 

"She would be in the wilds of Earth, guiding mortals and protecting her sisters," Sunny argued lightly. "She had no guarantee of a long life. It's just that her killers weren't who we expected." She turned pointedly back to Thomas. "You feel like Ambros's second chance for what?"

Thomas laughed and glanced at Rex. "To spend at least some of my life building something good instead of trying to stop the inexorable evil. Let other people, the ones built for it, fight to defend what I'm building." He looked directly at Rex. "Like letting the Titan do her job while I rewire a power adapter."

"I'm moving my vote to autocide," Sunny said softly. "Found a coinciding event that probably hurt him badly enough to do it."

"Oh?" Freija rolled her head back. 

Thomas gestured at his information packet. "He died maybe a few months after the announcement of the Exo program's wider availability, and several articles about the painful progress and loss they persevered through– essentially proving what he said to be true, except they painted it to look like things that happened to Braytech instead of the people they did it to. They vaguely mentioned internal sabotage, and that's the closest they get to mentioning me. There's only a little in the way of ethics discussions, but it looks like, from the sound of everything I found in any archives, the general reaction was that you can't make an omelet without cracking some eggs."

"What?" Freija laughed. "Where do you get these lines?"

"Ambros liked old books." He wagged his datapad. "Apparently. It means that there's only so much you can do without damage, and sometimes that damage is worth the end result. So all the torture and death were worth Exos, as far as the general public was concerned."

"Ah." Freija turned her eyes to the ceiling. "Yeah, that's fucked up. So, going by timing, he probably did?"

"Yeah. Screamed until his voice dried up. Then everyone started singing it. He couldn't take it anymore." Thomas looked skyward and frowned silently. 

Freija waited for him to look back but he didn't. "Did you want me to leave you alone?" 

"Nah. Glad you're here. You don't have to talk." 

She nodded slowly, but clearly didn't understand. Sunny settled into the crook of her neck and shoulder, and she looked to the information packet he'd given them. 

"He had kids?" Freija asked, stealing a look at his face but refusing to meet his eye. She couldn't keep the horror out of her expression.

He didn't mind– inviting her here for sensitivity would make him a fool. "Two sons. They abandoned him after a while. I didn't track the line, I figured that it wouldn't give me anything I wanted, no matter what I found. If they're still alive, they're so many generations down and post-collapse, there's only guessing by names. If they're not, then I find out my bloodline ended. Just better to leave that mystery alone."

"I guess I got lucky," Freija mumbled. "No questions here."

Thomas sipped his tea as he mulled the thoughts. "See, we feel opposite, there. I would have been sad to find out about the end of my bloodline."

"I feel like I'd have been abandoning them, dying and leaving them behind," she said with a single shoulder shrug. 

He nodded and smiled again. "I kind of like how differently we feel about this, it's a fun study."

Freija brushed him off with a low grunt. Flipping through the packet, she found something that made her sneer. "Promising," she quoted scathingly. "Yeah, promising. Talking about your rise and downfall. Same magazine that ran the exposé about how crazy he was. What bullshit." She tossed the packet on the table. "Yeah, this kicks me in the sense of justice. Wanna go shoot Clovis's labs on Europa in front of him?"

Thomas smiled, seeing the affection for what it was, and he stood up. "Normally, I wouldn't, but I think I'll see if helping you satisfy this urge will make me feel better."

Request

Communication

The Database

Something Else

Campfire Stories

Jealousy 

Bickering 

Revealed