#do rebels count or not ... maybe more of a slave rebellion ... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

breitzbachbea · 3 years ago

Note

🌻

Give me your purest crack and I shall consume

Well, I can't give you crack but I can give you the cracks in the ... entire building and foundation of the Late Roman Republic!

Send me a 🌻 and I'll tell you whatever the fuck I want

One of my favourite pasttimes is coming up with AUs, but I never write them, because I know how much of an effort it would be. I don't want to deliver anything half-baked for the sake of it existing and I especially don't want to take time away from writing my main projects that establish the characters in the first place.

There is one exception, however. My little pet project of the Res publica AU. One of my all-time favourite bookseries is the Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris, which is a fictionalized retelling of Cicero's political career. The politicking. The drama. The intricate machinations. I love it all so much. Which is why I came up with an AU set somewhere non-specific in the Late Roman Republic (133 BCE to 27 BCE), although it's set either before the civil war between Marius and Sulla in the 80s BCE or the civil war between Caesar and Pompeius in the 40s BCE. I am tending towards the latter.

The basic gist of the AU is that two men gave each other backhanded insults at a party and then that grew into a whole thing. Francesco Belfari is a Roman citizen living in the bay of Naples, whereas Michele hails from Syracuse on Sicily, though he is no less Roman by law. They meet at a dinner party and their longstanding, low-simmering enmity manifests itself in a banter about how the other should go and try be a politician in Rome, they have all the snake oil salesman qualities for it. During the next years, however, both Michele and Francesco have the idea grow of them independently - and when they find themselves both in Rome at the same time to run for the senate, an unspoken bet is made: Whoever gets further in the cursus honorum, wins. A game of political rivalry and maneuvering thusly begins ...

By now, I'm also striving that each drabble I upload into the collection would teach the reader something. Not anything grand, not any moral point, but that each drabble would concern itself with an aspect or more of daily Roman political life during that time. You can check out the drabbles already uploaded in the link I provided. I now want to talk about the drabbles I still have planned and might add in the future:

(Content warning for sensitive topics such as ancient slavery)

Summary: Francesco comes home from a dinner party, utterly frustrated, and comes onto his lover & slave Dolcetto. Pillow talk turns to a discussion about free choice and living life without it. Topic: Slavery and its nature on a very personal level. I already have this drabble all typed up, but I am hesitant to post it just yet. The topic is an important one to discuss and explore in a setting like this, I think. I wanted to highlight how dehumanizing the entire state of being a slave is, no matter how you're treated. It's inherently a form of violence to confine any person's freedom of action. To keep it unadressed when many of the characters in this setting are enslaved people wasn't right. It's a nuanced take on the situation.

Summary: Michele returns from the senate in tatters and with much ruckus following him. Turns out that he had gotten into a brawl in the senate due to a rather defamatory speech by Francesco about his alleged origins. Topic: How Roman xenophobia worked & was weaponized in a political setting. Since in Rome, you didn't really run with a political platform, but with your integrity as a person, campaigning got deeply personal. I still haven't come around to read Punica Fides by Herbert Heftner (which any of my germanspeaking clutuals can access with an account on academia.edu!), but that would be the basis. Both Francesco and Michele suffer already from allegations of being 'greek-y', since both of them come from areas of Greek colonization, but with Michele's father from Panormus and Syracuse's general history, the allegaton of being 'punic' aka phoenician aka carthaginian, and thusly untrustworthy and unrealiable is an even harder hammer. I am still unsure about writing this one, however, for I think a brawl in the senate isn't unprecedented, but would wreak a lot of damage for their careers. Michele and Francesco simply do not have the same political standing and allies as the heavy hitters of their time to allow themselves such an undignified display of affect. They're not tribunes sponsored by Pompey or heirs to one of Rome's very old aristocratic families that consistently renewed its political capital over the years. They're two homines novī who achieve their political victories by the skin of their teeth.

Summary: Right before their move from the bay of Naples to Rome, Francesco gets cold feet in his study when he realizes he lacks skills, connections and money to garner clients and has to be talked back into the project by his household members. Topic: The client system of Ancient Roman society. People garnered social standing and an effective network of voters and other supporters by playing patron to clients. This would mean that in exchange for natural produce or services and their political loyality, the patron would be obliged to help his clients with finding work, some financial assisstance or representing them in court.

Summary: Antonio has returned from fighting rebels in Hispania and Francesco visits him during a visit to the Vargas to talk about their political future. After Francesco's visit, Antonio would like to rekindle old passions with Lovino though ... Topic: The importance of military success in Roman society. (An as of yet undrafted story about the Spamano morning after is for the whole nuanced situation about same-sex relations in ancient Rome.) Military success was something that could not only garner his achiever everlasting glory, but of course also immediate political capital. Even though Antonio may not have achieved the conditions for a military parade, whether a triumph or ovatio, since he wouldn't be able to enter the city before either of these had been granted to him by the senate, he'd still be lauded by the senate and be able to donate loot to the temples.

That's all the ideas I have notes for now, though by far not all that have crossed my mind yet. Thank you for listening!

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thesunshinebunny · 4 years ago

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When the world falls apart, the only thing we can hold onto is ourselves (Part III)

Series Master list

pairing: canon Eren Jaeger x reader

content: Angst, unstable relationship, breakup, smut/nswf+18, major character death, violence, blood (obviously), war (pretty obvious)

Summary: War and hate. It’s what defined the world at this exact moment. You failed your comrades, and by failing them, you failed yourself. Your relationship is hanging by a thread and your enemies will not only be found on the other side of the sea, but also in the mind of the person you love the most. How will you take the reins in the face of so much destruction?

Chapter summary: It will take more than a betrayal and blood blath for the reader to stop protecting those who really need it.

Words count: 4.7k

I knew things were going to go from bad to worse when we returned to Paradis; but I never imagined that I would have a letter from the Supreme Commander on my desk. Days had passed since my fiasco conversation with Eren, spreading the word of my insubordination towards the lack of notification to the respective authorities. Sure, the guards had let me into the cell just because they knew me, but I never had the decency to tell Hange-san or even ask for a meeting with the Supreme Commander.

And here I was. Wrapped up in a much bigger shit roll since I decided to enlist in the Survey Corps, with a simple letter demanding my presence in his office for a little "talk."

The medical center where I could do my practices with ease was quite far from the justice’s court where the Supreme Commander was, having to go out to ride through the beautifully paved streets. A street I crossed, a street I saw citizens read the newspapers that had brought so much catastrophe to peace within the walls. People were revolting against the militancy, demanding Eren's immediate release, praising he was the only one who could lead Eldia to its ultimate glory.

If they could heard themself right now. They spoke as if Paradis itself had become an empire, a power on the verge of attacking and taking every country under its feet. It was as if they wanted to turn the game around, to be us the empire and our enemies the war slaves.

I was still far from my destination, but the crowd could be seen cowering above the barred court doors. Men and women with posters screaming without sense or unity, an angry mob demanding explanations, ready to use violence to make their way into the hierarchy.

I got off my horse when I faced the crowd, needing to get up front and through the secured gate and with my loyal traveling companion I wasn't going to make it. I left him tied up outside a local, asking the owner to take care of him, if necessary, I would give him a monetary compensation on my returned.

I tried to get through the mob, asking permission, even nudging some people, but no matter how hard I tried to take a step forward, there was always a bastard blocking my way or pulling me back; They even had the decency to grab my coat and throw me off.

"Excuse me, but I need to pass"

Empty words at this situation. If they didn’t listen to the specialized people of the militancy, it was obvious that they wouldn’t listen to me, a simple doctor in practice for the legion.

"Free the leader of the Eldian empire"

"Free Eren Jaeger"

"Give us some damn answer"

"Fuck off you cheap bitch"

The day wasn’t even beginning and I was already receiving hateful comments, typical of closed minds.

I looked around for a solution, I was wasting valuable time and starting to get irritated. If I was late for my meeting with the Supreme Commander, who knows what punishment he would give me apart from my insubordination.

Besides of the mob there wasn’t much more than a few elegant houses and shops, no other entrance except the one in the backyard, but to get there, I would have to go all the way around the building and it would take much longer. The walls were too high to jump alone and too smooth to climb, otherwise enough people would have sneaked in by now.

I turned my head towards my horse, which was still in the same position where I left him, patiently awaiting my return. Surely what I was about to do wasn’t going to please him one bit.

I ran as fast as I could and unhooked him from the wooden post, ignoring the comments of the owner of the premises who was indisputably claiming for his pay. Without turning my head to such scum, I motioned for the horse to turn around and run down the avenue, against the crowd. Being at a considered distance, I again instructed him to turn around and go as fast as he could.

"I'm sorry Phillip, you're going to have to forgive me for what I'm going to do"

We were a few meters from the mob, mentally preparing myself for the feat that was about to be accomplished. Almost arriving, about to impact, I gave him a little jerk to the right, guiding us towards the wall, and raised my legs towards his back, squatting against him, waiting for the right moment and the impulse he would give when braking hard.

When he was about to slam his trunk against the wall, Phillip stopped his galloping, propelling me forward and flying toward one of the door columns. I grabbed the stone as best I could, avoiding falling on my backside, and raised my legs towards the top, finally reaching my goal. Being already on top and looking at the terrified faces of the rebels, I went down to the other side of the door, slightly hurting my feet and hands in the fall.

"That was quite a show"

Hitch was already in front of me, malicious and proud on her face. She was giving a few applause to the air, trying to lift the spirits of the people of the military squad, even if her acting was a bit cocky.

"Desperate situations call for desperate measures." I waved my hands over the coat, looking at her with the same smug visage she was giving me.

I didn't like Hitch per se, but we weren't friends either. The way she acted and talked gave me bad vibes and I planned to stay as neutral as possible in her presence. Even her gazes seemed to want to pierce the soul of whoever she was speaking to, as if she wanted to undress you internally and seek your darkest and most shameful secrets. I would stick my hands in the fire by assuming that in her younger years she had been a bully or a blackmailer.

But it was better to keep those thoughts for yourself, before generating greater repercussions in the times that hugged us.

"Did you come to see Armin and Mikasa?"

Any thoughts I had of her dissipated.

"They ... are they here?"

I was fuzzy. Not because of the fact that I was uninformed about their actions when they left the legion barracks in the morning, which I was getting used to since last year, but because they were in the same place as me. What a coincidence.

To be honest, the two of them never owed me anything and it wasn't their duty to tell me where they were going every minute of the day, just like Hange. Each one of us had their own will to go where we were sung; But if the three of us were in court, and if they gave me the chance to guess, I would say that to see the Supreme Commander, it made me a bit suspicious.

"Yes, they are talking to the Supreme Commander to try to go talk to Eren"

I must have hit my head at some point in the battle of Marley, because lately every occurrence was quite impossible to believe. They were the ones who asked me to go talk to him a few days ago, they were the ones who questioned me when I returned to the waiting room where the few survivors of 104° Squad were;it was them who gave me a compassionate look as they saw I hadn’t accomplished much and I had ended any relationship that bound me with Eren.

And now here they were, demanding an audience with their childhood friend, while I would have to be judged for the same action. Something wasn’t fitting. I looked around trying to find them, or maybe to find an answer to the thousands of questions that were forming in my head, and finding no help, I turned to Hitch.

"What is going on? Why-"

Before I could finish my question, an explosion rumbled across the cobblestone floor, hurting our ears and knocking us to the ground. Fire and debris couldn’t only be seen in the air but also smelled, flooding our nostrils, causing us to cough and cover our eyes with debris.

I looked up to find a flare coming from one of the court offices and a heavy body falling in our direction. I couldn't make it out until it fell to the ground, leaving a stain of blood and ash around it, apart from leaving a trail of smoke from where it flew off. My eyes were opened with shock and amazement, since the person in front of me was nothing more and nothing less than the same militant leader, half of the body lost and burned by the explosion.

"Well ... that's new"

In all my years of service I have seen every horror inside and outside the walls. True, even the Survey Corps had acted against the law, but it was for the greater good, to expose the bastards who lived on the wall farthest from the sea. I had seen people hit and kick another for a piece of food when the wall Maria fell. I had seen how we were massacred one by one with bullets to the head as we tried to go beyond the walls.

But never in those years I had seen a rebellion like the one taking place, being willing to eliminate such an authoritarian figure as Darius Zackly.

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The chaos went unnoticed by a large part of the population, only those who were present at the time of the explosion and the military police were aware. Faced with such an atrocious event of treason, a small meeting was convened involving the most important heads of each faction; unfortunately I couldn’t be there, my presence had been required in a clinic a few meters from the court. There were quite a few injured.

Some had mild and harmless burns, others had large parts of the body with third degree burns. Some had splinters stuck in their arms and faces, some had a piece of wood stuck in their stomach.

A couple of hours had passed which seemed like weeks to me. I had been assigned the milder cases, but as I pulled the splinters out of a patient's eyes, I had the countless howls of people echoing in my head, listening as they took their last painful breaths. People who asked to die on purpose to ease the pain.

Hours passed and welcomed the next day. I had terrible black circles under my tired eyes, hands stained with dried blood and splintered; they’re fucked up and I needed to heal them as quickly as possible before they got infected. I grabbed the cutting tools and placed them on a metal tray, the cold of the surface soothing the pain in my hands, and although it wasn’t too heavy I felt like it trembled on my grip.

I heard the door open wide at the other side of my last patient's room, the front door, letting in multiple heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor. Apparently, the soldier who had entered was in a hurry or was about to deliver terrible news...I wish I had been wrong in the second option.

"Bad news, Eren Jaeger has escaped from the underground cell"

I dropped the metal tray on my feet, making the sound of metal and utensils rumble across the room. My hands were shaking even more and surely if I saw myself in a mirror I would see my face completely pale.

"If you want to free yourself from this cell, go ahead"

My words invaded my mind like a bucket of cold water, as if they wanted to make me see that I was to blame for his escape. I knew that sooner or later he’s going to free himself, his eyes showed it and by not getting an answer that contrasted with mine, it was perfect evidence of his plans. But even knowing it, even Hange knowing it, I didn't expect him to do it in a moment of such betrayal.

I cleaned my hands as best I could with a towel hanging over the room sink and grabbed my coat, rushing out of the clinic.

"I’m sorry, I need to go"

But where to go was the question. I had no idea where Eren might be, and even if I knew what he was going to win, surely he was with his followers and with the simple image of me approaching from the horizon, I would be dead in a matter of seconds ... or imprisoned, whatever happen first.

At the exit of the clinic, there were two soldiers of the military police standing guard and watching the justice’s court from the distance. I approached them with the intention of asking them about the whereabouts of the Survey Corps, but they looked at me like I had the plague and pushed me aside hostilely, almost knocking me to the ground. I kept my composure as best I could and looked for someone else to ask; I didn’t have to wait long, since a woman of my age with mahogany hair, extremely black and matted, pointed the way where my comareds had gone. According to her words, they’re heading towards a large and luxurious building in the middle of one of the main avenues, recognizing the word restaurant from the conversation between the riders.

The only place that matched that description was the restaurant where Nicolo worked.

I hurried out with Phillip galloping through people, avoiding stepping on them and apologizing on my back. If there was something clear to me in all this mess, it was that Hange would go to find answers among the working Marleyans of that place. Maybe something could be solved.

I was very wrong.

I rushed into the building, finding only a long entrance hall and a corridor that led to god knows where. No one was even around to see me panic and I didn't see a soul nearby either, the only thing if I could hear a heated discussion far away and heavy footsteps on the floor. I let myself be guided by the sound, running back to its origins and finding a bizarre and meaningless scene in front of my eyes.

The room that seemed to be the main one hosted the orphaned children of the Blouse farm as well as Sasha's parents, sad and anguished parents if I paid better attention. The children were just as sad, with tears in their eyes, especially Kaya; they were crying the same way as on the day Sasha's death was reported. They were cornered under a window all together, hugging each other and letting the rays of the sun streaming through the window illuminate their figures, as if those rays could replace the heat that Sasha had left behind.

That scene broke my still fragile heart. I would have liked to reach out to them and try to help them move on, as I would have liked to stay on the farm with them when we came back from Marley to help them get by; obviously I could never have replaced Sasha and they could never have replaced my family, but in these times of battle, what mattered most was healing the wounds between all of us.

I would have liked to talk to them, but my eyes shifted from the Blouse family to the figure of Hange carefully placing a child on the floor. The blond boy was very badly injured on the side of his head, he was bleeding and his clothes had stuck to his body due to the large amount of liquid that had flowed down his torso.

"Hange-san, Wha-" As I stared at the blond boy on the floor, I could see that he was one of the children who had sneaked into our war balloon.

��Isn't that one of the Marleyan children? Why is he here and why is he bleeding?"

Unconsciously my body leaned forward, resting on one knee on the ground and reaching out to the boy. My instincts as a doctor were screaming for me to tend to the poor injured boy regardless of his race and I was willing to do so.

"We will take care of him, go to the room continue with Mikasa and Armin"

I got up without hesitation, taking one last look at the room I was in and it was just at that moment that I recognized Nicolo and Jean in a corner away from everyone else. They both looked very distressed, but I didn't have the opportunity to ask why, they had given me an order and I had to carry it out. I would have to wait until got back to base to understand this terrible situation.

The room they sent me to was at the end of the corridor, the door was closed but every step I took I could hear the soft voices of Mikasa and Armin, apparently talking to someone else. Well, that conversation must have to get a pause because I was about to slam the door in and leave the doors wide open.

“What the hell is going on? Why is a Marleyan child unconscious in the kitchen?"

Upon entering, all excited, my eyes only saw the figures of Armin and Mikasa around a table. They both looked up at me in disbelief when they saw me standing on the threshold. For the second time that day, I looked back across the stage in front of me and spotted a small brown-haired figure sitting at the same table. With a little more attention, I saw that the small figure was trembling, perhaps from fear or from adrenaline, at the same time that its face was bruised and full of blood; and putting all my attention on that bloody face I realized that I recognized those eyes, those same eyes that I had looked at with contempt and had looked back at me with the same feeling the night of the invasion.

The missing girl from the Marleyan duo was sitting across from me staring with sheep's eyes.

All exaltation I had in my body dissipated, my gaze fell, leaving nothing more than a neutral countenance. But ... anyone who could see through my eyes, would know they reflected the fatigue and sadness of several accumulated days. Seeing the girl was perhaps a way of attaching all the harmful feelings in a single part of my body.

I let out a long sigh and closed the door slowly behind me. I walked slowly towards where the girl was, running Mikasa to the side and looked at her with the best possible adult countenance. She had a red nose, it looked like it had been hit right on her septum causing her to bleed and stain her dress, which I assumed was courtesy of the Blouse family. Her cheek was scratched and red too, traces of broken and inflamed skin could be seen around her wound, but without any bleeding. This girl would have a swollen face the next day if we don't give her some ice.

“You’re hurt. Care to explain me what happened?"

I reached my hand out to her, but was greeted with a flinch from her. I could tell she was scared and she had every right to be.Either way, way I brought my hand to her face, placing my index finger and thumb on her jaw to move her head and look for other injuries.

Her face was the one that received the most impact, nothing in her eyes which was a very good sign, and I didn’t notice any kind of fracture in the bones of her cheek or septum. Good. I looked around the room for something I could use, but I only found empty tables adorned with a classic tablecloth and a very well elaborated and cared wine cellar, apart from showing off one of the best wine collections in recent years.

"Armin, can you go get some alcohol to disinfect the wounds? Surely they have something in the kitchen "

The blonde gave me a slight nod and left the room, leaving me alone with Mikasa, who was absolved of the situation, but still maintaining an imposing posture. The girl was still shaking on my hand, so I pushed her away and inspected her body for more injuries.

The palms of her hands were stained with blood, I guessed from the bleeding from her nose, but they also had some slight scratches, perhaps she had fallen to the floor. Her dress didn’t seem torn in the area of the knees, so I assumed that they weren’t injured or it was a very slight scratch, almost no bleeding. Her arms seemed intact as did her torso. I turned to the back of her head, running her hair gently trying to find any trace of blow that could generate a contusion. I didn’t find anything that could be fatal or serious, but I did see something that caught my attention.

“You have marks on your head, diffuse, but they are there. What happened?"

"... A horse bit me"

Of all the situations that could have led to those brands, I didn't expect to hear this one. I didn’t expect it, not at all. It caught me off guard and I let out a giggle which I covered with the back of my hand.

"Sorry, shouldn't laugh… you deserve it thou" I gave her a little pat on the top of her head before ruffling it a bit and bending down to look into her eyes.

Armin returned to the room, alcohol in hand and a clean cloth. Thank God something was clean in this whole city, I was beginning to lose my faith in the cleanliness of this people. I reached for the items and I proceeded to apply a large amount of alcohol to the cloth and apply it first to the frightened girl's cheek.

"Why are you so good to me? I killed a one of your friends"

That comment made me stop for a second, just like I stopped looking at her wound. My gaze fell to the floor in search of an answer; I searched, searched and searched for answers to questions that didn’t have one or weren’t as simple as they seemed...or simply looked in the wrong places and the answers were always in my mind, only that my heart wasn’t prepared to face them.

"The girl you killed the night of the invasion was called Sasha Blouse and she was the best archer and sniper of the legion"

I turned my gaze to her, continuing to heal her wound on her cheek. When I saw that there was only a small pink stain left on the surface, I moistened the cloth further with alcohol and ran it under her nose, removing any trace of blood. The girl pulled back a bit when she felt it’s smell her nostrils and I had the opportunity to cover her nose for a few seconds to stop the bleeding.

"You know ... you remind me of a boy exactly like you"

When I saw that the bleeding stopped and the girl stopped moving due to the burning and itching that the alcohol was surely causing, I grabbed her hands and began to clean them with small touches avoiding tearing her skin.

“Just as intense and ready to fight for what he thinks is fair. You are just a little girl who was taught that we were the bad guys. It’s the way you were raised, the way you see the world. They taught us something else, but at the end of the day, apart from everything... we are the same"

It hurt. Yes, it hurt to see the one guilty of the death of my best friend, but it hurt more to see in her eyes the hatred and contempt they had taught her towards our race. The hate cycle we were getting into wasn't going to get us anywhere and it was better to nip it in the bud, even with baby steps.

When I finished cleaning all her wounds, I put the cloth on the table and looked at my performance with deep pride. It wasn't much, but it was enough; Not only had I cleaned a few simple wounds, but perhaps, I wished that perhaps, it would begin to heal her mind ... and mine as well.

I got up heavily, noticing how my knees creaked when squatting for a long time and I stretched my body generating more crunches, but noting at the same time how the heaviness of my back left and leave behind a much lighter load.

“Very good, you’ve been a good patient. Surely there is something sweet in the kitchen that I can give you” I patted her head again and gave her a sincere smile, one that I hadn't given anyone for quite a while. I headed to the door unconcerned about the situation I assumed was still going on in the main room.

"What's going to happen to Eren Jaeger?"

What will happen to him? And why does she ask me that?

"Don't worry, I'm not letting him put a finger on you" A sincere answer to a question asked out of fear. I reached the door and in the middle of the sentence I turned the knob wanting to make my way into the hall, but a tall figure blocked my way.

Eren was right on the threshold with the intention of opening it.

Well mark me impress

My body jerked back instinctively, avoiding taking my eyes off his. I moved to the right side, avoiding the figure of the Marleyan girl from being in Eren's point of view. I didn't know why he was here or if the others knew about it, but whatever the reason, he surely wasn’t alone and this wasn’t going to lead to anything good.

"Sit down"

He took a few steps forward, closing the door with his foot, not even paying attention to his surroundings, or maybe yes, now everything was a confusion when it came to the brunette in front of us.

"You can't tell me what to do" I planted myself in front of him, without taking a step back. We were both facing each other, him carrying me several inches tall, several dominating inches that made my legs shake and my heart race.

If it had been in any other situation, that trembling, that acceleration would have been very well received. It was impossible not to feel small next to Eren, the damn bastard had hit a big stretch and there was a great difference around the body between the two, a difference that I always loved to admire.

But not now. Not at this moment when everything was going to shit and I had to stand up to the figure of a little girl who was internally dying of fear thanks to him.

"Sit. Down"

Few centimeters separated us from each other, his chest too close to mine, I could feel how it swelled with each breath. He raised his hand to my face, letting me see his cut palm and dripping blood. Fear took hold of me, making me stand even more in my position, but I wasn’t going to give in so easily.

"You wouldn't" I looked him in the eye, defiant, longed for and everything in between.

"Try me"

It was all he said before grabbing onto my shoulders and pulling me back. My body collided with the table and instinctively I placed my hands on it. I heard how Armin and Mikasa tried to get closer to where we were, but a single glance from Eren made them stay still, submissive, as they lost in their positions. His gaze returned to mine. My breath hitched and I had to avoid with all my might thinking about the position we were entwined.

It wasn’t the time to think about how my hips were slightly elevated, just my butt up on the table and one leg dangling, his knee between my legs, preventing me from closing them and keeping the leg that was hanging in the air. His gaze wandered between our bodies and he returned to my eyes. He tightened his grip on my shoulders and pushed me to the side of the table, dropping me onto the chair next to the girl.

"I said. Sit. Down"

He took his hands off my shoulders, took the seat next to me and Armin and Mikasa sat with him, leaving an air of discomfort and tension in the environment.

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#aot #snk #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot x reader #snk x reader #attack on titan x reader #shingeki no kyojin x reader #eren jaeger #eren yeager #eren x reader #eren jeager x reader #eren smut #when the world falls apart

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mandoalorian · 4 years ago

Text

Borrowed Time [Din Djarin x F!Reader]

ੈ♡˳‧₊*: • Chapter 3: The Escape ✩࿐ ˚.✧

Summary: You are the princess of Mandalore, held hostage on your own planet by Moff Gideon and his army of Imperial troopers. Left with no choice, you send out a distress signal; a plea for protection— and who comes? None other than Din Djarin, a foundling of The Death Watch. He, by creed, is your sworn enemy. And where you have asked for his protection, he has been told by his mentor that he must marry you and gain the ability to restore Mandalore to its former glory.

Word Count: 2600>

Warnings: female masturbation

Series Masterlist

Din Djarin was the first Mandalorian warrior to set foot on Mandalore wearing full armour in decades. It wasn't an act of bravery or rebellion, although it would have certainly been interpreted that way. Din didn't know any different. In fact, apart from the odd glare, he hadn't even assumed he'd caused any trouble upon his approach to the palace.

He was so, very wrong.

"Moff Gideon, sir— a Mandalorian was spotted walking through the princess' palace back on Mandalore. He was seen with a child. We are led to believe that his entry to the palace was not authorized by an Imperial, but by the princess herself." one trooper informed, standing as straight and still as could be. Moff Gideon blinked momentarily and turned to face the bay window of the Imperial light cruiser. He looked amongst the stars as he contemplated the trooper's revelation.

You'd granted palace entry to a Mandalalorian in secret? That was the first sign of trouble. You, despite the front you upheld, were no longer the Manda'lor, but a captive of the Empire. You knew fine well that all entry to Mandalore must be granted by Moff Gideon himself… and this was the first time he'd heard of this. Nevertheless, Gideon was not one to panic. He remained calm and collected, although his blood boiled at your audacity to go against his commands.

"A child, you say?" Moff Gideon hummed casually, adjusting his black leather glove. Of course there was a specific child on his mind, but Moff Gideon knew better than to let himself worry over that. If a Mandalorian warrior had returned to Mandalore, it could be the first sign of mutiny. The first sign of your wishes to regain power and solitude to Mandalore the Great. "Do we know anything about the Mandalorian?" Moff Gideon questioned, deciding that the Mandalorian was his main concern.

"He was dressed in full beskar armour. Helmet included. According to ISB records, the child is an Imperial bounty. It seems he has been in possession by the Mandalorian for quite some time." The trooper informed, his entire body stiff.

That was when Moff Gideon knew for sure— it was the child he'd sought after for the past six months. The child who possessed the bloodstream of a force-sensitive, a Jedi even.

And now it just so happened that the Child was on Mandalore, the planet Moff Gideon held power over. It was perfect. Everything was falling into place for the Imperial reign. If the Moff could just get his hands on the child…

"Prepare my ship," Moff Gideon instructed, raising a finger. "Set course to Mandalore."

—-—-—

There wasn't a single room in the palace that Din wasn't in awe of. Now that he and Grogu had found comfort in your quarters, he checked out onto the balcony trying to find a good view of the Razor Crest. Upon inspection, it seemed like Imperial troopers were checking out Din's ship, which could never be a good thing. He turned back to you and watched as you fiddled with Grogu's ears.

You were beautiful; with the softest and most delicate features he'd ever had the opportunity to look at. Your voice was as sweet as honey and your eyes sparkled like the brightest star in the whole galaxy. Din was trying to work out when exactly would be the best time for him to explain the little marriage situation the Armorer had proposed to him before he left. It was clear as day that you already didn't like his creed; which meant he couldn't exactly be honest with you about his intentions.

He couldn't say 'Oh, my cut of the deal is that I marry you. And once we are united, I help you regain power over Mandalore, but we do it my way. We do it the traditional way. The way of the Watch'. You'd simply never allow it. No… Din had to be more cunning. He had to form a plan.

He wasn't happy to lie to you. You seemed nice enough, and your heart was in the right place. Already Grogu had taken a liking to you which was certainly a rarity.

Din slowly searched around your bedroom. It was like a library, shelves upon shelves filled with romance novels. You were clearly a hopeless romantic, and perhaps that could serve in Din's favour. And you'd already formed an attachment with his son. That's when a cord struck Din.

He could always just… make you fall in love with him. Make you want to marry him.

Din Djarin never had the strongest moral compass. He did what he had to do to support his Creed and this was simply just one of those occasions. The Armorer had said so herself, the way of his creed was the right way. It was the only way he has ever known. His gaze flicked back over to you, and his heart melted. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad making you his wife after all.

There was a slight problem. Din had never had a long term romantic relationship in his life. He didn't know how to flirt and he was afraid over how long it might take him to successfully seduce you. He had to get in your good books someway or another.

After a prolonged silence, you were the first to speak.

"I think we're in trouble already," you swallowed, looking up at Din. "I never expected a Child of the Watch to come rescue me… but you showing up on Mandalore dressed like a Mandalorian was a bad idea." Din blinked momentarily, but didn't say a word. His silence only urged you to continue your explanation. "No Mandalorian has been brave enough to return to Mandalore wearing full beskar and a helmet. I predict the Imps have already sent word to the Moff."

"You're the Manda'lor though," Din pointed out. "Surely you have some say in the matter?"

You practically cringed. You weren't really the Manda'lor— but that wasn't important right now. Sure, you'd tell him eventually that Moff Gideon had overthrown your position of power. You'd tell him once you regained control of Mandalore. You took Din's hands and sighed. "Swear that I can put my faith in you to protect me."

"I swear," Din promised, running his thumb over your knuckles. You swore that your heart skipped a beat at the menial yet intimate touch. "So princess. What's the plan?"

"We have to leave the palace. Go into hiding. I have no doubt Moff Gideon and his men are already on their way to investigate."

"Wait—," Din paused, his suspicion already rising. "I know Mandalore is under Imperial rule but who is this Moff and why is he so important?"

You scrunched up your nose, not prepared to provide him with the truth. As it turned out, you and Din were both ready to lie to each other. You expected him to trust you, and he expected you to trust him, but neither of you realised that you both had questionable intentions.

"He governs the planet. He's kind of the boss man," you said quietly. That wasn't exactly false. You were just… sugar coating the truth. "Where do you hail from, Din?"

"Uh- complicated question… I uh…" Din pondered. He didn't even remember the name of the planet where he was born. He was taken away by the Watch when he was just a four year old orphan. He went through his training all around the galaxy, never staying still for one moment, until eventually his tribe went into hiding on Nevarro. He sighed. "Nevarro." Assuming that was the easy answer.

You'd never heard of such a place. "Do you have friends on Nevarro?"

He wasn't sure if friends was the right word. He knew people, sure. Many of the citizens over there were in debt to Din. "I guess."

"People who can help us? We could… form an alliance," you smiled as you gathered your information. "To rebel against the Empire."

"You're sounding more like a politician for the New Republic than a Mandalorian warrior." Din scoffed, and you supposed he had a point. You didn't want Mandalore to overrule the galaxy. You were fine with the New Republican reign. From your own awareness, General Leia Organa of the New Republic was actually the daughter of your mother's old friend— Senator Padmé Amidala. But what were the chances that some random child of the Watch had any connection to the New Republic? Still, there was no harm in asking.

"Do you know any New Republic fighters?" you pondered, holding Grogu tight into your chest. You were cradling him in your arms as he had fallen asleep during your conversation, his gentle snores filling your bedroom.

It just so happened that Din did know a New Republic fighter and she just so happened to reside on Nevarro. Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan. Din nodded his head in affirmation and your grin only grew wider. "This might actually work." you confessed with a shaky exhale.

"No offence princess, but the New Republic already has too much on their plate to help you regain control of Mandalore, they're already still fighting the remnants of the Empire." Din huffed.

Din had a point— but what he didn't know was that the great Manda'lor was an Imperial ISB officer. If you could just get to Leia Organa and explain your situation, as the daughter of an old family friend… maybe then you'd gain the support of the New Republic. You were a slave of the Empire but you were desperate to break free of their hold.

"Take me to your friend… the New Republic fighter." you told the Mandalorian, beaming so brightly that your eyes twinkled with delight. Din wasn't one to catch feelings, but he swore his heart stopped every time he caught a glimpse of your lips curling into a smile.

"Now?" Din asked, shuffling around awkwardly.

"Yes," you confirmed. "I'm afraid we're already running on borrowed time."

—-—-—

Din was a good pilot and he knew how to sneak around when necessary, which meant, yourself, the Mandalorian, and his son, were able to leave Mandalore in one piece without the authority noticing. Din promised you he'd make the jump to hyperspace as soon as it was safe to do so, your anxiety already bubbling away as you considered the probability of Moff Gideon and his troopers already raiding your palace in search of you. No doubt that the moment they realised you were missing, they'd send out a whole search party for you.

Your nerves weren't lost on Din. In fact, he made his bed — something he never did — and encouraged you to lay in it. "May as well get some rest princess, we'll be in the air for a while." he grumbled, trying to resist the thought of you sleeping in the same place he slept every night. He wasn't prepared to give up his bed for anyone but you were the princess of Mandalore and potentially his future wife. And he'd known you for the best part of an hour. He still hadn't entirely wrapped his head around it all.

You were uncertain at first, but you decided he had a point. His bed was so much smaller than the one back home. Everytime you moved the slightest, it croaked and screeched. You could feel every indent and wire underneath the thin excuse of a mattress and you couldn't help but wonder how he could possibly sleep at night. Unless he slept in his full Beskar… it must've been so uncomfortable for him.

Din nursed Grogu while you caught a couple hours of sleep, but he couldn't stop thinking about you. Not once did he expect to be returning back to Nevarro so fast, but he decided it would be a good thing. He could report back to the Armorer whilst you and Cara spoke.

He was tired too. This whole day so far had been exhausting, but rather than scooching next to you in his bed, he opted to get cozy in the cockpit. Throwing a blanket over himself and Grogu, Din managed to close his eyes.

As you had imagined, your sleep on the Razor Crest wasn't very satisfying and you woke up every few minutes. Staring up at the ceiling, you couldn't help but think about the Mandalorian. He was serving his duty to protect you, believing that you are the rightful ruler of Mandalore. And for the first time, you felt guilty for being so dishonest to him. He'd shown you nothing but care and compassion from the moment he met you, even going as far to comfort you on the grand staircase. He wasn't offended when you expressed your disdain towards his creed— at least, he didn't show it. Din Djarin seemed like a good, genuine person. And you deserve someone good and genuine… Cursing yourself, you snapped yourself out of those thoughts. There was no time to initiate relationships, and you could not let yourself fall into the trap of caring about him. That would only screw up your plan even more. You just had to focus on regaining control of Mandalore.

But he was a masked warrior who had the caring nature of a prince and the body of a God. He was a father. You knew there was so much more to him than what meets the eye and so… maybe it wouldn't be too bad to find out more about the mysterious Mandalorian, in some way or another. Yes, gaining power of Mandalore was your first priority but would it really be so bad to let yourself get close to Din in the process?

You'd been isolated your whole life and to say that you craved love and romance was an understatement. You looked into the hull of the ship where it was dark and quiet, and just about made out the sleeping silhouette of Din who was laying in his pilot chair. Just the gleam of his shiny beskar and his broad shoulders.

Kriff— he was hot.

And the sexual tension between you both was undeniable.

You bit your lower lip and let your hand wander down your tunic, your fingers nervously gracing the waistband of your underwear. Touching yourself in his bed would be so wrong… and yet you couldn't resist it. Your eyes felt heavy as you watched him, his chest rising up and down as he slept peacefully. Your finger dipped into your panties and you bit down onto the thin blanket in order to suppress a moan as you began to rub yourself to the thought of him.

He'd touched you plenty of times...his big, strong, gloved fingers grabbing you and holding you… it was so easy to get lost in the thoughts. Your eyes fluttered shut as you continued to play with yourself, secretly hoping that the Mandalorian would find you making a mess in his bed and punish you in some way or another.

You wondered if he'd be rough and heavy handed… or if he'd be sweet and compassionate. Either way, you were completely riled up and on the verge of hitting your climax when a loud flurry of beeping came from the cockpit. You gasped, your eyes snapping open and you shuffled to sit upright in the bed.

"Grogu," Din grumbled tiredly, and for the first time, you heard his voice raw and unmodulated. He'd taken off his helmet. "Go back to sleep. Told you not to press buttons when I'm not watching. You'll get us in trouble."

And your heart done a loop-de-loop.

You had just met the Mandalorian and already he had you wrapped around his finger.

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rise-above-the-grave · 4 years ago

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[smashes down door] who is Bail and why do you like him? I could look it up but I'd rather you gush over him

OH BOY.

So first off, a quick (canon) history lesson: Bail Organa was the Senator and Viceroy (aka Prince Consort) of Alderaan. If you don't know what that means (because old titles are Weird - I'm not judging the only reason I know this is because of this very character), it means that Breha, Bail's wife, is ruling Queen of Alderaan and was the heir to the throne. She married Bail, making him a ruler by marriage, though technically she still held the crown. He, at some point, was also elected Senator of Alderaan, and was Senator leading up to and during The Clone Wars (and after, but we're getting to that).

So Bail, we come to find out, became (best) friends with Padmé Amidala. We see him in a couple of scenes in Attack of the Clones with Padmé, just kinda vibing and making the occasional commentary. We know he stood with her on the Opposition bill (the bill Padmé was nearly killed over at the beginning of AOTC, which was against the formation of a Republic military), though we don't learn much about the rest of his politics until later.

So he's kinda...there, but obvs isn't the focus of the story, and is really just a minor background character. The first real insight we get into Bail is, actually, a really tiny character moment right at the end of AOTC, when Palpatine and some of the Senators are looking down at the Clone troops loading up onto the ship, watching their new military gear up for war.

Bail looks away. While everyone else is staring down at the (slave) army, some of them smiling (like Sheev), some of them just serious, Bail looks away from them and makes this tiny little hand gesture: a simple, closed fist knocking against the banister of the balcony.

It's this, I think, that first piqued my interest in this character. He was the only one not triumphant in that situation. He was the only one who saw things for what they were: a tragedy, and a horror, and that this wasn't something to celebrate but to mourn.

Then we come to Revenge of the Sith, and boy howdy. The man may have like 10 minutes of screen time, but does he make those 10 minutes count!

A quick bullet point of the Important Things Bail Does in ROTS:

When the Jedi Temple is burning, what does Bail do? He flies to it to figure out what's going on and see if he can save anyone. He then watches as a youngling is shot and killed by Clone Troopers, and manages to escape because he's a fucking badass.

Please note, to our knowledge, Bail is the only one who actually goes to check on the Jedi Temple.

As soon as he escapes the Temple, Bail immediately - like immediately - takes his ship and goes to find any surviving Jedi. He is almost certainly the reason both Yoda and Obi-Wan don't walk into the trap that is the Jedi Temple, or are captured - and even if that's not true, he most definitely is the reason they manage to sneak safely onto Coruscant and figure out what happened.

He's the one who rescues Yoda (again) after Yoda's failed duel with Palpatine in the Senate. Which, let me rant about the SYMBOLISM of that for a second please. Because holy shit, the entire duel between Yoda and Palpatine takes place in the Senate, with the Senate building and pods. Here Palpatine proves to Yoda that yes, he is the Senate, he controls it, the new Empire is under his control and no one can stop him. But then - but then - Yoda escapes, and who saves him? Bail. Bail sneaks in with a speeder, saves Yoda, and gets him back to safety. Which is such a huge fucking metaphor for the fact that Bail will be the one who, ultimately, is responsible for Palpatine's defeat. But, more on that later.

Bail is there when Padmé (remember, his best friend) gives birth to Luke and Leia. Bail is literally one of 3 sentients in the galaxy who canonically knows about both Luke and Leia.

Bail instantly offers to adopt one of the children, saying "She will be loved with us." (And then she absolutely is.)

And he does all of that in line 10 minutes of screen time.

He shows up again briefly in Star Wars Rebels, and again in Rogue One, but I'm going to take a trip down a side alley here into a territory that is grossly unused in the SW EU: the founding of the Rebellion.

So we don't actually know much about how the Rebellion got started. What we do know is that Bail was one of the (if not the main) Founders. Bail was the mastermind behind the Rebellion, by all accounts knowing...everything about it: who was who, who did what, where they were located, etc. He knows (and controls) Fulcrum in Rebels, as just one example, and Fulcrum is considered by that text to be one of the most powerful Rebel operatives at the time. In Rogue One (regardless of whether you liked what they did with the Rebellion which, side note, I did not), we see he certainly has a position of great authority and power. People respect him, and listen to him, and he's on an even footing with Mon Mothma (or Mom Mothma as my autocorrect tried to say) who is canonically one of the most powerful people in the Rebellion, according to ROTJ.

More than what he did, though, we can look to his character as a reason I love him. He is a good, kind, honorable man who does (or at least tries) his best. We see again and again, throughout all of SW media he's in, that he consistently chooses the right path, regardless of whether or not it's the easy one. He fights corruption, fights for justice, fights for freedom, fights against tyranny.

He is also, canonically, an amazing father and (according to EU content, since Breha literally doesn't have a spoken line in any media content) an incredible husband. We know he's well-loved by his people, and by the Rebellion, by the extraneous texts and mentions about him in the wake of his death on Alderaan. He's also respected by many Senators during his time in the Clone Wars (Padmé makes a comment in a TCW episode about how he's the best and most respected speaker and Senator she knows), and regardless of how people felt about him after the Rise of the Empire (which is, unfortunately - or fortunately maybe, because I don't trust Disney to do it right - up to headcanon), the fact remains that Bail played an incredibly tricky position as an Imperial Senator, having to balance fighting for his people, the people of the galaxy, and setting up the Rebellion, with not making himself too much of a nuisance, or too much of a traitor, that Palpatine straight up had him executed.

Which, speaking of that, can we also take a moment to appreciate the fact that Bail knew almost every single secret that Palpatine and Vader wanted??? He knew where Obi-Wan was, and possibly where Yoda was. He knew where both of Anakin and Padmé's children were. He knew everything about the fledgling Rebellion. Like...that man, had he been captured and interrogated (and had he broken) would have damned the entire galaxy. Yet he never was. He played his cards perfectly, and was either never suspected, or was able to somehow hide all of the information they wanted to know from being found. Personally, I suspect a mixture of the two.

Furthermore, Bail Organa is a great father and husband. He is directly responsible for Leia being the amazing woman we know and love. The one shot we get of Breha, you can practically see and feel the love and adoration Bail has for her radiating off of him through the screen. Literally the most unproblematic ship in Star Wars. I have never seen a single person say they aren't amazing (unless they just want to break them up to make Bail gay? Which, come on, bisexual and polyamorous people exist, y'all. But that's a talk for another time).

If you're still not convinced, the only thing left that I can say is: I'm a raging lesbian and like, while I definitely wouldn't fuck him, Bail/Jimmy Smits (his actor) is handsome. Have some pictures that I have saved on my phone for when I'm feeling sad.

Tl;dr: Bail Organa is singlehandedly responsible for putting into motion the events that secure the galaxy's freedom, not only by being one of the founding fathers of the Rebellion, but also by reaching Yoda and Obi-Wan before the new Empire can, and getting them safely to Coruscant. He is a good, kind, and noble man who does his best in shitty times, and even if he has to make hard choices, he always makes them for the right reasons. He is a loving father, husband, and ruler, who does right by his people and his family. He fights for what's right, even when that fight is nearly impossible. He's a badass, and arguably a literal genius (you'd have to be, to do the kinds of things he does in canon).

Anyway, Bail Organa is great and I love him - and you should too.

#bail organa #breha organa #leia organa #obi wan kenobi #yoda #padme amidala #sheev palpatine #anyway i love him lots #also for any lotr peeps who read this (or at least are reading the tags)#he's basically elrond in space

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swan-of-sunrise · 4 years ago

Text

Taking Care of Business (Chapter Five)

Summary: (Y/N) and Mando join forces with Cobb Vanth to kill a krayt dragon, and they attempt to get the townsfolk and the Tuskens to peacefully work together. What could possibly go wrong?

Pairing: Din Djarin X Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Five The Dragon (Previous Chapter)

When she made the decision to join the Mandalorian’s crew and help him fulfill his quest, (Y/N) knew that they’d frequently be encountering dangerous situations. However, she didn’t foresee one of them involving her and Mando having to help kill a krayt dragon to protect a settlement in the middle of the Dune Sea. Cobb Vanth, the Marshal of Mos Pelgo, had offered Mando a deal: if they helped him kill the krayt dragon, he’d give them the Mandalorian armor he’d been using for years to protect his people.

“Deal. (Y/N) can ride back to the ship and blow it out of the sand from the sky; we’ll stay and use the bantha as bait.”

Cobb looked away from Mando to shoot her an astounded smirk, to which she responded by raising a brow, daring him to challenge her piloting skills. Silently conceding, the marshal looked back at Mando with a grimace. “Not so simple. The ship passes above, it senses the vibrations and stays underground. But I know where it lives.”

“How far?”

“Not far.”

So, she and Mando had wrangled up the child before getting onto the speeder bike and following Cobb further into the desert. Sensing that the Mandalorian was still agitated about the marshal’s blatant disrespect of his people’s Creed, (Y/N) had allowed him to drive and resigned herself to sitting behind him on the bike. I suppose there’s worse ways to travel, she thought to herself with a faint blush as her arms tightened slightly around her partner’s waist, like on the back of a bantha or dewback.

“You two don’t understand what it was like,” Cobb interjected after about a half an hour of driving. “The town was on its last legs; it started after we got news of the Death Star blowin’ up…the second one, that is.” (Y/N) smiled to herself, a little pleased that someone else had realized just how idiotic the Empire had been to build two of those things, then turned her attention back to the marshal’s tale. “The Empire was blown out of Tatooine and there was blaster fire over Mos Eisley; the occupation was over. We didn’t even have time to celebrate. That very night, the mining collective moved in; power hates a vacuum and Mos Pelgo became a slave camp overnight…”

(Y/N) listened as the marshal detailed his escape from Mos Pelgo, how he’d stolen a camtono of silicax crystals and wandered the desert for days until being rescued by the Jawas. She felt Mando’s body stiffen as Cobb explained that he’d traded the crystals for the Mandalorian armor and returned to the town, ridding it of its enslavers and establishing himself as its marshal. Based on what he’d told them, (Y/N) decided that he was an honorable man just doing everything to keep his people safe; however, she knew that the silent Mandalorian sitting in front of her would take more time to win over.

That’s what Cobb Vanth must’ve thought as well; once he’d finished his story, he turned his attention to her instead of Mando. “So, what’s your story? How’d a smuggler end up workin’ with a Mandalorian?”

“How’d you know-?”

“Livin’ on Tatooine, I’ve met my fair share of hot-shot pilots.” His mouth stretched into a lopsided grin. “None as pretty as you, though.”

Feeling her face warm at his flirtatious tone, (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile back. “Well, Mando here asked me to join his crew after seeing my piloting skills firsthand. And I’m actually a former smuggler; I worked for the Rebellion but I retired from that life just after the New Republic was established.”

The two speeder bikes had just reached a rocky canyon and they reduced their speed in the narrowing ravine. It was then that Cobb glanced over at her with a raised brow. “I didn’t know they had smugglers workin’ in the Rebellion. What’d you smuggle for ‘em?”

(Y/N) hesitated for a moment, acutely aware that there was more than one person waiting to hear her reply. “I, um-”

Cobb signaled for them to halt right when a loud growling noise began echoing through the canyon; both speeder bikes came to a stop and all three took cover behind them as they drew their weapons. Not knowing what to expect, (Y/N) pulled the plaster rifle off her back and propped it up alongside Mando’s pulse rifle on the top of their speeder, furrowing her brow when the howling grew louder. Moments later, a massiff emerged from behind an outcropping of rock and was soon joined by several others. Instead of firing, Mando lowered his pulse rifle and let out a familiar-sounding growl of his own before walking around the bike and towards the creatures.

“What the hell’s he doin’?” Cobb whispered loudly, his look of surprise growing when (Y/N) got up from her crouch and slung her rifle back onto her shoulders. “What the-?”

She and Mando both raised a hand to calm the marshal down, and (Y/N) watched with an impressed smile as her partner knelt down and began petting the now-happy massiff. I guess Mando’s got a way with pets, she thought to herself, her smile widening when she noticed several Tuskens emerge from behind the rocks. (Y/N) had enjoyed sharing camp with the Tuskens the night before; they’d been pleasant hosts, and she’d truly loved learning more about their culture while teaching them a little of her own.

(Y/N) glanced over at Cobb while Mando conversed with the Tuskens, her smile faltering a little as she took in his hardened expression; and when Mando informed them that the Tuskens also wanted to kill the krayt dragon, a feeling of foreboding settled in the pit of her stomach.

As night was beginning to fall, the Tuskens led the three of them to their settlement and allowed them to stay in two of their tents. (Y/N) thanked them for their hospitality using the hand gestures she’d picked up from Mando, pleased that she was still able to remember them but before she could make her way over to the Tusken’s campfire, Mando stopped her.

“Word travels fast on the Dune Sea; they already know about your peaceful encounter with the other clan of Tuskens yesterday. It’s Vanth who needs to earn their trust tonight.” Mando explained, his voice becoming a little gruffer when he mentioned the marshal’s name before quietly continuing. “Why don’t you and the child get some rest, alor’ad? I know it’s early but we’ll be traveling to the lair at first light and you’ll need your strength if you’re gonna help us kill a krayt dragon…”

(Y/N) relented, taking the child from Mando and crouching into their tent as she stifled tired yawns behind her hand; settling down in her bedroll, she drifted in and out of sleep, glancing over where the child was soundly sleeping every once in a while to see if he was all right. The little guy must be growing on you, she thought with a small smile, closing her eyes and rolling over to face the tent entrance.

A sudden sound caused (Y/N)’s eyes to snap open and in an instant, her blaster was in her hand and pointed directly at the Mandalorian’s head; realizing it was only her partner, she lowered her blaster with widened eyes. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Mando, I thought that-!”

“It’s okay, you shouldn’t apologize for having a quick reflex.” Mando replied, entering the tent and sitting down on top of his bedroll. “It’s good that you’re up; the Tuskens are going to take us to the lair tomorrow, but they’re insisting we travel in a small number and only scout the area. Will you be all right staying here with the kid while we go?”

She smiled, tucking her blaster back under her pillow. “Sure, that sounds okay. I guess that means you’ll be traveling with Vanth by yourself, huh?”

Nodding, Mando glanced over at the sleeping child before looking back at her. “I don’t trust him. He picked a fight with the Tuskens earlier, and he was asking a lot of questions about your Rebellion days.”

“Well, he was born and raised on Tatooine; he’s probably been told all his life that the Tuskens are the monsters. And as for the questions…well, most people don’t know that the Rebels recruited smugglers to their cause and then once they learn, they always assume that I was only working with the Alliance for monetary reasons. But I don’t mind.” Shrugging, (Y/N) laid back down on her bedroll, resting her hands on her stomach as she stared up at the ceiling of the tent. “Better to let them assume than to re-open any old wounds by explaining. Does that make any sense?”

The Mandalorian was silent for a moment and when he answered, his voice sounded softer than usual. “Yeah…yeah, it does.”

“So, um, what’s the story with the little guy?” (Y/N) asked, eager to change the subject but also curious about the child’s background. “When you say we’re returning him to his kind, do you mean his species or maybe his family…?”

She heard Mando lay down on his own bedroll. “The child is…special. He has many abilities, and he belongs with a race of sorcerers called Jedi.”

“Jedi?” (Y/N)’s sleepy eyes widened and she rolled over to look at the Mandalorian. “I thought that they were just myths!”

“You’ve heard of the Jedi before?”

“My mother used to tell me stories about them when I was a child on Naboo, but I didn’t…” She trailed off, feeling his gaze from behind the visor of his helmet. “I always thought they were fairytales.”

Mando nodded eagerly. “Do you remember anything about your mother’s stories? Anything at all?”

“All I remember is that the Jedi were supposed to have been the guardians of the peace but if that were true, then the Empire never would’ve happened.” (Y/N) snorted, laying back down and frowning a little as she sensed her partner’s disappointment. “That doesn’t really help us, though.”

“Well, it’s one thing I didn’t know before, so I’d say it was a little helpful.” The Mandalorian offered. “We should get some rest; we’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, it quickly became apparent that they were in for more than what they’d originally bargained for. (Y/N) stayed at the Tusken settlement with the child while Mando, Cobb and a handful of Tuskens traveled by bantha the short distance to the krayt dragon’s lair. To pass the time, she’d mended some of their clothing and cleaned her borrowed blaster rifle, knowing that she would soon be needing it.

When the others returned, Mando explained their plan to recruit the villagers of Mos Pelgo to aid in the attack against the creature before they headed back to the town. (Y/N) hadn’t said anything out loud, but she was wary of their new plan; it essentially hinged on the ability of two warring peoples to set aside their differences in order to defeat a common enemy, and while (Y/N) had no problem working alongside the Tuskens, she knew that the villagers would have a very different opinion than her. Now I definitely have a bad feeling about all this, she thought as she parked the speeder alongside Cobb’s in front of the cantina.

“They attacked us less than a year ago, killed half a dozen of us by the mining camp. I’d say I took down about twice as many Tuskens.” Cobb got up from his speeder, a fresh look of guilt on his face.

“The town respects you.” Mando pointed out as (Y/N) hopped off their speeder and dusted off her clothes. “My guess is they’ll listen to reason.”

(Y/N) nodded and offered the marshal a brief smile. “If the Tuskens are willing to put the past aside, then I don’t see why your people can’t find it within themselves to do the same.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

A doubtful-looking Cobb quickly gathered the town into the cantina and it went about as well as she’d feared it would; after explaining the entire situation to the villagers they reluctantly agreed to the deal the Tuskens had offered, that in exchange for their help and the carcass of the creature, they would unite with them in battle and never attack Mos Pelgo until a villager breaks the peace. Tension filled the air as the Tuskens arrived to help with the preparations and it went fairly quickly, save for one brief moment of unrest between a Tusken and a villager. But in no time, they were slowly on their way to the krayt dragon’s lair with the villagers and explosives in tow.

With the suns high in the sky, (Y/N) stood between Mando and Cobb as they carefully watched a lone Tusken make his way to the large cave entrance and place his hands on the ground before it; after several terse moments, the Tusken straightened and signed a message with his hands.

“What did he say?” (Y/N) quietly asked, the hand holding the blaster rifle’s strap tightening with anticipation.

“He says it’s sleeping. If we listen carefully, we can hear it breathing.”

(Y/N) glanced over at Cobb beside her, shrugging and watching as another Tusken offered him a familiar-looking green object; she gave the marshal an expectant smile that widened when he lifted the object and drank the sour liquid, finally accepting the Tusken’s gesture of peace and good faith.

After receiving their instructions from the Mandalorian, they got to work as quietly as they could. (Y/N) removed her cowl before grabbing a shovel and helping the others dig the shallow hole that they’d bury the explosives in; the muscles in her arms were aching in protest by the time the hole was finished, but she hid her pain as she walked up to Mando and Cobb with a smile.

“Ready when you are, fellas.”

Mando nodded and moved forward to watch the Tuskens approach the mouth of the cave, leaving Cobb to walk alongside her as he flashed her a lopsided grin. “How ‘bout a kiss for luck from a pretty lady?”

(Y/N) only rolled her eyes and raised a brow in amusement at his flirting attempt. “How about we focus on killing a krayt dragon and not dying instead, Marshal?”

“Worth a shot.” Cobb shrugged as they stood alongside Mando on the rocky ridge overlooking the villagers and Tuskens. They watched as three Tuskens slowly made their way to the cave and stopped, hesitating a brief moment before loudly calling out; their grunts and growls echoed throughout the rocky canyon and just as they had begun to fade, the growling of a large creature called back. All three Tuskens turned and ran, and the krayt dragon burst out of the cave in an explosion of sand; its roar shook the ground, and (Y/N)’s jaw nearly dropped when she realized just how massive the creature was.

Beside her, Mando pulled out his scope and all three of them watched the Tuskens and the villagers enact their plan; they fired the harpoons they’d built to pull the creature from its cave, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t working when the krayt dragon reared its head back and tried tugging itself loose from its captors. “Dank farrik, it’s going back in; it’s retreating.”

Cobb gripped the detonator in his hand, his thumb hovering over the button. “I’m gonna hit it.”

“No, wait. We only have one shot; we’ve gotta get it out.”

Following the others lead, (Y/N) slung the blaster rifle off her shoulder and quickly aimed before firing at the creature, her precise shots joining the blaster bolts and small explosives hitting its thick hide. Their actions enraged the krayt dragon, which charged forward and forced the others to run for cover.

“Now?” Cobb asked, his jaw tightening as he watched his village continue its assault on the creature.

Mando shook his head. “Not yet. It’s gotta come out further.”

But as he spoke, the krayt dragon finally pulled itself free of the harpoons with a deafening roar, throwing Tuskens high into the air before opening its mouth and spewing acid onto a group of retreating Tuskens and villagers.

Both Mando and Cobb stiffened at the sight, and (Y/N) heard herself breathe out, “Oh, Maker.”

The creature continued forward after its attackers, and Mando held up a tense hand. “Almost, almost…now!”

The marshal’s thumb smashed down on the button and the explosives went off, sending a massive cloud of dust up with a blast of air as the creature roared and vanished from view. (Y/N) lowered her blaster to shield her face from the sand-filled wind, looking up as the dust began to settle and frowning when she noticed the empty patch of ground.

“I don’t think it’s dead.”

“Me either.”

(Y/N) merely bit her lip and watched as the Tuskens and villagers looked around in confusion, an unsettling feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, the krayt dragon exploded out of the rocky ridge high above the entrance of the cave with an ear-splitting growl and began spewing more acid onto the panicked crowd below.

Cobb’s face twisted in fury. “It’s pickin’ us off like womp rats.” He suddenly turned and grabbed his blaster rifle off his speeder. “Let’s get after it!”

Mando turned to look at her and she nodded, already knowing exactly what the two of them had in mind; he hurried over and grabbed his pulse rifle, rushing back to her and wrapping his free arm tightly around her waist. He barely gave her enough time to latch onto him before activating his jetpack and shooting up into the air, flying fast towards where the creature was emerging from the rocks. Yeah, I think I prefer flying in an actual ship, (Y/N) barely had time to think, landing roughly beside Mando and Cobb on the side of the ridge and immediately joining them as they fired their weapons at the side of the creature’s head.

“This ain’t doin’ a thing!”

“Yeah, I have to agree with the marshal on this one!” (Y/N) yelled, watching as their shots bounced off its thick hide.

Reloading his pulse rifle, Mando loudly replied, “Just keep shooting!”

The three of them continued firing their weapons and after a few moments, the krayt dragon seemed to finally notice their presence; it let out another roar and moved its head towards them, but the Mandalorian grabbed her around the waist again and they flew out of the way just as it bit down on the rocky ridge. They flew down to the ground in front of the cave entrance and spun around, their weapons at the ready, but the creature had disappeared once again.

“Dank farrik…” (Y/N) murmured under her breath, her grip on her blaster rifle tightening as she waited for the krayt dragon to re-emerge; she didn’t have very long to wait. They quickly turned as the creature appeared from the sand dunes behind them and lunged forward, narrowly missing a cluster of escaping Tuskens and villagers.

“There he is.” Mando spoke under his breath, his modulated voice steady despite the dire situation. He glanced past (Y/N) to Cobb with a nod. “I’ve got an idea. Get it’s attention.”

Without hesitation, the marshal leaned forward and activated the missile strapped to his back; it hit the creature with a fiery explosion, causing it to shriek in anger and change its course, charging through the sand in their direction. “I got its attention! Now what?”

“You still have that detonator?”

Cobb unclipped it from his belt and reached past (Y/N) to hand it over. “Take it!”

“Wait, what’s the plan, Mando?” (Y/N) frowned, trying in vain to piece together what her partner was planning on doing.

Mando turned his head to look at her. “You’re gonna take care of the child.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know but wish me luck!” Before (Y/N) could realize what was happening, Mando pushed her into Cobb’s arms and as she instinctively brought her arms up around the marshal’s shoulders, he slammed the butt of his pulse rifle into his jetpack and they shot high up into the air. Clutching tightly to Cobb as they zigzagged through the sky, (Y/N) had just enough time to glance over and see the krayt dragon swallow Mando and a bantha whole before they landed hard on the ground.

Quickly sitting up, (Y/N) stared at the spot the Mandalorian had been with her jaw dropped in horror. She couldn’t move or speak and beside her, Cobb ripped off his helmet to reveal an equally-stunned face; before either of them could say anything, the ground began to rumble beneath them once again. (Y/N) grabbed her blaster rifle just as the krayt dragon re-emerged from the ground, its jaw widening to release a mighty roar, but just as she was preparing to fire on it, a familiar beskar-clad figure flew out of its mouth and was followed by the electric-blue shockwaves of a pulse rifle.

“That son of a mud-scuffer…” (Y/N) breathed out, watching through her rifle’s scope in amazement as the Mandalorian pressed down on the detonator and set off the explosives within the creature. With one last ear-splitting scream, the krayt dragon collapsed to the ground in a cloud of sand and dust, finally defeated.

She and Cobb shielded their faces as a strong gust of wind blasted them, looking up in time to watch Mando land on the ground in front of the creature’s carcass. (Y/N) glanced over at the marshal and they shared a disbelieving grin, clambering to their feet while the cheers of Tuskens and villagers filled the air.

(Y/N)’s leg twinged in protest when she stood but she ignored the pain as she and Cobb hurried over to where Mando stood; his armor was dripping with the creature’s green stomach acid and his chest was heaving with labored breaths, but to her he looked incredible.

“You’ve gotta be the craziest kriffing man I’ve ever met!” (Y/N) exclaimed, looking over her partner for any serious signs of injury and grinning when he merely shrugged his shoulders. “Keep pulling stunts like that and you might just change my low opinion of ex-bounty hunters.”

Mando chuckled between breaths, the sound causing her heart to warm in her chest. “I’ll keep that in mind, alor’ad.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading!

Mando'a Translations: Alor'ad-Captain

Chapter Six

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

Tagging: @remmysbounty @sinon36 @seninjakitey @thatonedindjarinfan @ginger-swag-rapunzel @mostclevermiss @momc95 @welcometothepedroverse @sarahjkl82-blog @zukoyonce @itsnottilly

#din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin #the mandalorian #din x reader #mando x reader #grogu #the child #baby yoda #cobb vanth

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write4tomorrow · 5 years ago

Text

Master and Slave (Pt. 3)

Word Count: 2349

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader

Genre: Adventure / Angst / Fluff

Summary: About a year after The Rise of Skywalker, the Knights of Ren have once more gathered against the Rebellion. You were once an apprentice to Kylo Ren but after the events on Exegol, you were forced into hiding. With some of the remaining Knights of Ren, you work to rebuild what Kylo Ren was fighting to build. Yet, what happens when you are taken by the Rebellion and interrogated by the Best Pilot in the Galaxy turned General?

Tag List: @fanboyswhereare-you @pandacookieowo @pinkisokay

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 4

The few days after your arrival at the Rebel base were smoother than you had imagined. You were never left alone but you were given a small bedroom and some basic clothing. There was a guard outside of your room almost every moment of the day. Usually, it was a familiar face. You often found Finn or Poe waiting to escort you wherever you needed to go.

“Finn told me a secret,” Poe said on one of your walks together. There was something about him today that made you a little uneasy. He had something he wanted to tell you, but you couldn’t tell what. You thought about using the force to see what his thoughts were, but you stopped yourself from being invasive. He had become friendly during your days together. You liked this new friendship with Poe, but you could tell he was keeping you at an arm’s distance. Still, you couldn’t help but smile when you were around Poe.

“Oh?” you pretended to think about what it could be. “Did Finn tell you that I eat children for breakfast and I’m secretly starving here?”

“Nope,” Poe smiled, enjoying this game between you.

“He must have told you about how I sleep then,” you pressed your hands into your pockets and gave Poe a sideways glance, “upside down, hanging from the ceiling by my claws.”

“That’s not even a secret,” Poe laughed and you loved how the sound filled the hallway with something hopeful. It was nearly infectious.

“Oh I know,” you crossed your arms over your chest, “he told you that if I couldn’t find any children to eat, I would happily settle for grown men. I hear generals taste magnificent. Maybe a little tough, though.” Poe was laughing as you continued your charade.

“You’re looking for a general? I mean, y/n, all you had to do was say something. Let me tell you, I taste great,” Poe stopped and gave you a wink that made you blush from toes to your cheeks, “Finn told me that you’ve never been trained for combat.”

“Give me my lightsabers and I’ll show you how untrained I am, Mr. Dameron.” You gave him a small smile but you knew he wouldn’t give your sabers back. After the first interrogation, Poe explained that you were not allowed near any weapons - including your sabers.

“I’m sure you’re well equipped to handle any sword play,” again, Poe gave you a knowing look that made you roll your eyes, “but I meant hand to hand combat. That day on Geonosis when we found you-”

“Kidnapped,” you corrected. Poe rolled his own eyes.

“You had almost no defensive skills,” Poe continued, “without your sabers, you were pretty pathetic.” You scoffed at the insult. A small storm of rage bubbled up within you but you held your tongue. Instead, you noticed that Poe had stopped outside of a room you didn’t recognize.

“C’mon,” Poe led the way in, “If we’re going to be under cover together, I need to know you can defend yourself.” You walked in behind Poe, shocked by the large open space. There were mats along the ground and a wall of practice weapons and gear to the side. You almost didn’t notice what Poe had said.

“You’re going undercover?” You stopped in your tracks. Poe turned back to you, no sign of a joke anywhere on his face. You could sense he was nervous.

“We’re going undercover,” Poe watched you for a reaction before continuing, “We think we found a contact that knows where your friends are hiding. We have a meeting on Coruscant in three days. In the meantime, you should learn some defensive maneuvers just in case.”

The next few days were brutal. You enjoyed fighting, sure. It gave you an outlet to expel some of your frustration but Poe was so much better than you were. Again and again, Poe would pin you against the ground.

“You’re not trying,” Poe told you on the third day. You could tell he was becoming frustrated too. Your own frustration wanted to spill over into rage every time Poe bested you. You knew you should use the aggressive tactics that Kylo Ren had taught you. You needed to weaponize your anger and frustration.

No, you told yourself, Not here, not to Poe.

“What are you holding back?” Poe pulled you to your feet only to shove your shoulders. It wasn’t hard, but the force of his blow was enough to make you stagger back.

“You can take him, y/n!” Finn shouted from the edge of the mats. Over the past few days, Finn and Calrissian had begun to coach and watch your training sessions with Poe. It only made you more frustrated because it meant that there was an audience to watch you fail.

“Poe,” you began but he was not going to let you talk your way out of this.

“You’re not even trying!” Poe shoved you again and aggressively began walking towards you. “Do you think this is a joke? I’m putting my neck on the line. I’m putting your neck on the line and I don’t know if I can save both of us. I don’t need a burden, I need a partner! I need to know you can take care of yourself but you aren’t! You won’t defend yourself and you won’t last two seconds on this mission. You’re holding back!” Poe was practically yelling at you now. He pushed you to the ground, this time hard enough for you to fall back. Your head hit the mats and you heard laughter from someone else in the training room. Something inside of you snapped and came alive.

From the ground, you swept Poe’s feet out from under him. He landed on the mats next to you. You got to your knees and aimed a punch for his gut but he rolled away. Your fist hit the mat hard enough to make you yell. You could feel your anger consuming you and you let it.

Without waiting for Poe to get to his feet, you scrambled to catch his foot. Using the force, You dragged him back to you and dropped your elbow between his shoulder blades.

“Is this what you want?” You rose to your feet, and watched as Poe pushed himself to his hands and knees. You kicked his abdomen and tried to do it again, but Poe caught your foot and twisted your ankle. You collapsed to the ground, but recovered before Poe could land another blow. He was on his feet now, looking down at you. You used the force to lift him a foot off the ground. Suddenly, you dropped him hard enough to make him stagger back.

“How does it feel,” you dodged his kick and delivered a crushing blow to his knee. He knelt in pain. You stood and grabbed a fistful of his hair. You threw him back against the mats.

“You think I am small and useless and will burden you?” You wiped sweat from your eyes and were surprised to see how much came away. Were you crying?

“You think I don’t know how to use my strengths. You think I don’t know my own weakness?” You kicked Poe as he looked up at you. He was bleeding from his nose and lip. Something inside of you made you realize he wasn’t fighting back anymore but you didn’t care.

“I can take care of myself!” Your voice echoed throughout the room. You were yelling through tears and choking on your own words. Something in you felt relieved. This anger inside of you was always there. Always ready to come out. The good general might as well see it now. You go to deliver another punch but a voice stops you.

“y/n!” Finn called to you across the mats. He and Calrissian stood still as statues. Everyone else in the training area had stopped to watch you. You looked back at Finn, not sure what to say. Before you can get anything out, something tackles you from behind.

You realized Poe is holding you. He’s not holding you down or pinning your arms, he’s just… holding you against him. You try to fight him a little more, your anger still in control. He only wraps his arms around you even tighter. As he begins to rock from side to side, you cry in earnest.

“I’ve got you.” Poe rested his head against yours and hugged you until you stopped crying.

You didn’t speak the rest of the day. Instead, you allowed Poe to lead you back to your rooms and then to the briefing in silence. He didn’t try to talk to you and you were grateful for the silence. You wanted to see what his thoughts were about you, though. You wanted to know if you had hurt him, really hurt him, earlier.

Instead, you took notes on the undercover mission quietly. You and Poe were going to be negotiating trade routes with people mildly associated with the Knights of Ren. Poe would do most of the talking while you would use your mind tricks to see what they knew. Poe would be your master and you would be his slave.

The outfit given to you was humiliating. It was incredibly tight and revealing, leaving your legs and most of your arms bare. You wanted to protest, but you kept quiet. You wouldn’t have to wear the costume until you were on the ship to Coruscant.

Still, that moment arrived too quickly. After Poe said goodbye to Connix, Calrissian and Finn, the two of you boarded a small vessel that Poe would captain. Finn gave you a small hug and wished you luck before you stepped onto the ship. You were thankful for his kindness. Yet, after an hour aboard the ship with Poe, you decided you might as well get this over with. You’d be landing soon and you couldn't’ afford to wait any longer. You stepped away from the co-pilot’s seat and changed into your slave outfit.

When you came back into the cockpit with Poe, you avoided his eye and took a seat next to him. You could feel his eyes on you, on your clothes and skin. There were bruises along your arms and legs from training with him. You wondered if he had similar ones.

“Are you cold?” Poe asked, eyeing the thin fabric around your chest. You crossed your arms.

“Enjoy this while you can, Mr. Dameron,” You crossed your legs and turned in your seat so he could see your ridiculous outfit in its entirety. He was already wearing his slaver’s clothes and you hated how well he looked in them. He wore your sabers at the hilt of his belt. If things became hectic, you’d be allowed to fight with your sabers. You weren’t sure why Poe trusted you with them, or even why he trusted you to come on this mission. Still, being close to your sabers brought some comfort. You knew you couldn’t have them on your own hips. No slave girl would be allowed to carry lightsabers.

Poe reached under his seat and pulled out a dark, heavy fabric. With one last glance at you, he tossed the bundle into your lap.

“I hate it when you call me ‘Mr. Dameron’, you know. I definitely prefer Poe. I also thought you may want something a little warmer than that… ,” Poe motioned towards your outfit. You nodded and he watched as you wrapped the cloak around yourself. You looked back at Poe, unsure of what to say.

“It’s okay to be angry,” Poe spoke softly. It looked like he wanted to say more, but nothing came. You wrapped the cloak around yourself just a little tighter. Poe didn’t speak as he landed the ship in a small landing garage. You were close to the lower realms of Coruscant where the criminals usually met. You had been there before, but never without one of the Knights of Ren.

Poe stuck out his arm and led you out of the ship. The hangar had low ceilings and was incredibly dark. There were a few speeders and a couple of larger ships like the one you arrived in. However, there was more empty space in the hangar than you expected.

“Where are we meeting them?” You asked. You didn’t know the names of the people you were meeting, but Poe gave you a reassuring look.

“They’re meeting us in the hangar. They know we’re here.” Poe nodded towards a couple of men walking towards you. Your blood froze in your veins. Poe must have felt you suddenly tense up. He stopped walking and looked at you.

“Give me my lightsabers,” Your eyes never left the men walking towards you.

“Do you know them?” Poe began trying to unhook the sabers from his belt but he was distracted. You could sense the adrenaline spike within him. It was too late though. The men walking towards you began running, their pistols leveled at you and Poe.

Before you could speak, a blast hit Poe. He crumpled into your arms and you staggered under his weight. You prayed that it was only set to stun, but you needed your sabers. You laid Poe’s body down on the cold hangar floor and knelt next to him. You tried to get your weapons, but you were too late.

This was a trap.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, Princess.” The voice was one you recognized. You turned to see two of the old Knights of Ren: Cardo and Ushar. The last time you saw their faces was when they decided to leave Vicrul on Geonosis. Cardo hauled you to your feet, one hand wrapped around your upper arm. His sneer was vicious, almost as sharp as Vicrul’s.

“Don’t worry,” Cardo whispered in your ear, “we promised the boss man we wouldn’t hurt you.”

The last thing you heard was the sound of a gun behind you as you lost consciousness in Cardo’s arms.

Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry, that’s a lot for one chapter, but the next couple of chapters will definitely be pretty fast paced. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think! :)

#poe dameron #poe DAMNeron #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x oc #Poe Damn son #poe dameron x you #poe dameron fanfiction #poe dameron fic #reader insert #star wars x you #star wars #oscar isaac

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cabalrive · 4 years ago

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Varosh’ati’ruon: Backstory

The halls of the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera were brightly lit, the harsh white lights embedded in the walls gleaming off the polished black floors. Varosh’ati’roun, otherwise known as Shatir, walked at a brisk pace, jackbooted feet moving lightly across the deck as he left the hanger bay where his shuttle was docked. His brilliant white uniform jacket was a stark contrast to his blue skin and mildly tousled black hair, which was only mostly contained by his black cap. He had plenty of time. In fact, he’d likely be waiting around for a while when he arrived but much safer to be early. Reflecting on this, he almost barreled into the figure stepping out from an adjoining hallway.

“Excuse me,” Shatir said, barely glancing back.

“One might consider that gross insubordination, Lieutenant” intoned a voice behind him. Shatir stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around.

“Taeg’edor’enokai?” Shatir exclaimed, staring at the black-clad individual. “What are you doing here?” Taeg’edor’enokai, usually going by Gedore, smiled. He wore the uniform of the Imperial Special Forces, his plaque declaring him a Captain.

“Is it so astounding to run into another Chiss here, of all places?”

“It is good to see you. Are you available later?” inquired Shatir “I’m afraid I have a meeting to get to at the moment.”

“Do you really? What a coincidence. So do I.”

“He wants to see both of us?”

“Apparently.”

“I don’t think there have been more than two of us together at any given time since we got off the ship from Csilla…” Shatir wondered aloud. Gedore broke in, speaking quietly in Cheunh.

“Maybe it’s time for us to overthrow our false leaders and once more rejoin our illustrious Ascendency.” Shatir glared at Gedore and replied in the same language.

“That’s hardly a joking matter. If it were anyone but me you would be reported and executed.”

“Luckily I am quite certain that it is, in point of fact, you to whom I made this particularly egregious jest.”

“Perhaps I won’t turn you in. This time.” Shatir shot back.

“My thanks” replied Gedore in Basic, briefly bowing his head to his oldest friend.

They strode off together, an imposing duo in the lightly trafficked corridors. The few personnel they did encounter quickly stood aside to let them pass, poorly hiding their efforts to stare at the two Chiss officers. Most had only ever seen the one, from a distance at that. Now there were three of them on one ship.

Six Chiss had arrived from Csilla as part of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s program to study the suitability of incorporating the Chiss in other branches of the Imperial Military. Each recruit had gone into different departments. Shatir was placed in Naval Intelligence, Gedore the Special Forces and the others in the Army, Department of Military Research, Imperial Intelligence, and ISB. The position in the Navy proper was, of course, already filled. They were fully immersed in Imperial culture, each working their way through the Academy, rarely seeing one another. They all suspected they were deliberately kept apart, but logically could not see fault in such a course of action. To both be summoned by the Grand Admiral was hitherto unheard of.

They arrived at the entrance to the Grand Admiral’s command suite. Shatir nodded and Gedore punched the call controls. A moment later the door slid silently open and they stepped through. Both had been independently summoned before and knew what to expect. The arrangements of sculptures and artwork, both real and holographic, claimed much of the space in the office. At the moment though the Grand Admiral was studying a datapad. Shatir and Gedore stood stiffly at attention, saying nothing.

“At ease, gentlemen.” Thrawn said, putting down the datapad and fixing his gaze upon them. “Congratulations on your promotion, Taeg’edor’enokai. Your commanding officer speaks highly of your skills.”

“Thank you, sir.” replied Gedore.

“And you, Varosh’ati’roun. It has been some time since you were last aboard. Your mission was a success?”

“Yes, sir. I have successfully traced the targets.”

“Excellent. Then you have your next destination.” Shatir and Gedore exchanged the briefest of glances. Thrawn continued. “Lieutenant Shatir has been tracing several Rebel sympathizers. The hope is to insinuate him into their company, and then, once contact with the Rebellion has been established, he will become a double-agent.

Your role in this, Gedore, is extraction. In the event that Shatir secures a valuable asset, or is captured, you will retrieve him. You may assemble a team if you so choose. I need not remind either of you that the level of duplicity required for such an assignment is extreme and I trust you will use the full breadth of your abilities to maintain cover. Gedore, until such time as your services are required you will be assigned as Special Forces Liaison to the Chimaera.

Shatir, you may brief him further with any information you believe to be relevant, and proceed with your preparations. Dismissed.” Shatir and Gedore saluted, turned smartly on their heels and left the Grand Admiral to his studies.

They did not speak again until they had reached an open conference room. Shatir shut the door, engaged his personal comm jammer and pulled up his files on the holo-display.

“Rebel activity on Kashyyyk is quite common,” began Shatir, gesturing to a log of decrypted comms records, “a predictable side effect of the Empire favouring the Wookies as slave labour. Therefore it is a good starting point to find a sympathetic group. There is a slave auction in three days, and based on the communications I intercepted and data from the garrison, there is likely to be a rescue attempt. I hope to assist with that attempt and go with the group to a Rebel base. After that I’ll be on my own.”

Gedore nodded, scanning the text.

“Do you require assistance on Kashyyyk?” he inquired.

“Perhaps you could run interference on the local stormtrooper garrison? I would prefer to reduce Imperial casualties without arousing suspicion.”

“Of course”

“That’s about it. I have the advantage that most people have never encountered a Chiss before. We are one of the only races in the Galaxy who are more known to the Empire than anyone else, but even then it’s mostly restricted to the Navy and the Intelligence branches.”

“You can always say you’re a Pantoran with an eye condition.” joked Gedore, smiling slightly at the old adage.

“Indeed.” Shatir replied, distracted. “I suppose I must leave immediately. At maximum speed it will take at least two days to get to Kashyyyk from here. I need to assemble my kit.”

“I will fly you there. It will be easier to distract the garrison from local orbit rather than blasting orders across the galaxy from a not particularly inconspicuous Star Destroyer. If Rebel activity is so common I should be able to send them off on a raid with relatively little information. Of course, my holo transmitter will be malfunctioning and audio only. Does Captain Kovars sound like a convincing pseudonym to you?”

“As good as any. Increased Imperial activity should mask my activities nicely.” mused Shatir, rolling the plan over in his mind. “I’m sure the garrison will be thrilled to have a mystery officer hijacking their operations.”

“What can I say, Special Forces are special.” Gedore smirked. “No authorization required.”

A few hours later they were aboard a requisitioned Lambda class T-4a shuttle, discussing the upcoming mission, stories from the academy, any missions they could share without breaching security clearances and their lives in general. Both enjoyed the chance to talk as friends rather than as professionals. While there was now mutual respect between many Imperials and their Chiss colleagues, friendship was a difficult thing to come by. The Chiss officers had the advantage of full exposure to Imperial and human culture, but there was no reciprocation whatsoever. The Grand Admiral didn’t count, of course. Both Human and Chiss alike held him in awe, and his rank held him above all

The two day hyperspace flight went by in a flash, the two comrades finding themselves saying farewell once more. Shatir had changed out of his uniform into civilian clothing appropriate to the weather. He rolled his sleeves up in anticipation of the muggy jungle climate, and shrugged on a vest over the shoulder-holsters for his vibroknives.

“I have two gifts for you, before you leave. The first I had originally planned to leave on the Chimaera for you, but events have made this much more convenient.” Gedore pulled a chrono out of his pocket and presented it to Shatir.

“My thanks, Gedore. Had I but known I would be seeing you…” he trailed off, inspecting the chrono.

“Never mind that. It has one excellent feature, besides being waterproof up to 100m,” he reached over and grasped a tiny tab, pulling out a length of carbon nanofiber wire. “May your enemies never see you coming.”

“Charming, and incredibly useful. I thank you.” Shatir said, inclining his head graciously, and proceeding to fasten the chrono to his wrist.

“Anything for my oldest, most duplicitous friend,” grinned Gedore, slapping his shoulder. “The second gift, I fear you will enjoy less.” he said, grabbing Shatir’s forearm and stabbing an injector into his flesh. Gedore pushed the button with his thumb to activate it. Shatir hissed at the unexpected pain and looked quizzically at his friend, red eyes flashing.

“This implant has two uses,” explained Gedore. “First off, it carries your Imperial credentials. It is undetectable until activated. In the event you need to prove you are, in fact, a commissioned Imperial operative, tap your arm near the implant twice. It will read on most ident-chip scanners. You can deactivate it again the same way. The second use is as an SOS tracking chip. It will piggyback an SOS on any local Imperial channels directly to the Chimaera, and to me. To call for aid, break the shielding capsule by pressing down on it. It takes a bit of force as it is designed not to break under normal combat conditions. If you are successful you should feel it burn slightly as it draws power from your body’s natural electrical currents. Then you just have to wait for the cavalry to arrive.”

“Unless, of course, I am not near any Imperial outposts.” commented Shatir drily, massaging his arm.

“That is true, but the options for undetectable beacons are rather limited, I’m afraid.” Gedore said cheerfully. “Now away with you. I must return to orbit and practice my lounging skills so I fit in with you Navy types once I return to the Chimaera.”

“Could be worse, could be assigned to the ISB,” smirked Shatir, and, with a small Chiss salute, departed.

#shatir #gedore #thrawn #swrpg #star wars #chiss

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nellie-elizabeth · 5 years ago

Text

The Handmaid's Tale: Bear Witness (3x10)

Okay, that was kind of a good episode.

Cons:

I can't totally forgive this show for the sins of its past, just because of a stand-alone solid installment. June's newfound determination to smuggle kids out of Gilead is great or whatever, but there's this sort of "savior" vibe to June this season that I'm not really digging. There's this awesome moment that I really did enjoy, where June discovers that there are tons of people on board with getting kids out of Gilead, and she's going to have the support she needs. What bothers me about this is the larger implication, that they all needed June to come along and kick their asses into gear. It doesn't really track with the world building of the show as a whole, because we know there's a whole resistance network in place, that June is only tangentially connected to. So why do all of these brave rebels need June to come along and kick-start this new endeavor? Maybe I'm nitpicking, I don't know.

Speaking of world building, I was reading another review that pointed out how inconsistent this show is about power structures. I hadn't quite noticed it, but when I think about it, it's sort of confusing to me that Fred can yo-yo back and forth from persona non grata to extremely influential in the space of a few episodes. Same with Commander Lawrence. I thought he was allowed to be eccentric because he was an untouchable founder of Gilead, but I guess not? It just seems like the balances of power are not shifting organically, but rather shifting to serve the plot in any given moment.

Pros:

But as I said, this was a good episode, and I do need to give credit where credit is due.

The centerpiece of this episode is that the Lawrences are forced to go through the Ceremony, something that they've been able to avoid this whole time. They have witnesses in the home, and a doctor who will examine June right afterwards, for proof that it really happened. So... this episode contains the buildup to a rape that is non-consensual on both sides. Three sides, if you count Mrs. Lawrence, who is forced to participate as well. I'm really glad that they chose not to show the Ceremony. We all had to see it back in Season One, and the memory of that is enough to impart the horror here. I actually really respect the way that this show speaks about sexual violence without feeling the need to show it onscreen. You can do a story about rape without being gratuitous for shock value. The knowledge of what's happening off-screen is more than enough to demonstrate how awful the whole thing is.

Commander and Mrs. Lawrence have been interesting characters all season, but they haven't really had that much to do in the story. I really, really liked what we saw of them here. In many ways, Joseph reminds me of Serena, in that both of them are facing horrific consequences for a system that they helped to create. It puts the audience in this uncomfortable situation of feeling empathy for monsters who have hurt so many people. Commander Lawrence is pretty clearly responsible for so many Handmaids being raped, so many people being put into so many difficult and dangerous and monstrous situations. But how can you not feel for him as he cradles his wife, whispering words of devotion as he's about to be forced to have sex with another woman right in front of her? It's devastating. It truly is. And it doesn't erase the evil of what he's done, either. These two truths can exist at once, and I feel like this episode did a good job of showing that.

I admire, in a sick sort of way, how this show keeps finding new ways to impart the horror of Gilead. June has been through the Ceremony before. She knows the drill. And so now she's in the position of having to encourage and coax Joseph through the Ceremony. She has to guide this man through the steps of raping her. It's sickening. There are so many little moments that help to mount the tension of what's going on here. One of my favorites is early on, when June is kneeling to begin her prayer. She tells the Marthas where to stand, because they too, like the rest of the household, are not familiar or practiced with what to do. Later, June patiently explains to the increasingly desperate Lawrences that the Ceremony has to take place - that even if they themselves were willing to take the punishment for disobedience, the Marthas and June herself would also be punished for not reporting the Lawrences. In this moment, Joseph and Eleanor are forced to do something truly awful, to protect not only themselves, but the women they keep as slaves in their home. Talk about twisted.

We haven't checked in with Fred and Serena's relationship in a while, and we see here that Fred has predictably gone a bit power hungry, and Serena, who has been biding her time because she wants Fred's help in getting Nichole back, is starting to lose patience. I love that Serena has introduced the idea of working outside the system to get Nichole back, because it represents such a fundamental rift in the viewpoints of this married couple. Serena is focused on Nichole, and nothing else. Fred, while probably totally willing and eager to have a child as a status symbol, is focused much more on how Nichole can work for him politically. Whether that means keeping her in Canada or bringing her to Gilead, he's willing to do whatever it takes to advance his own interests. Serena's not stupid - she probably knows that. And now she's introducing an idea definitely not in Fred's best interests. It's a test - if Fred refuses her here, there will be no getting around the fact that he's putting himself above Nichole. We didn't get to see the conclusion of this conversation, but I'm very excited to see where it's going.

I mentioned a slight amount of irritation with the idea that June is the spark that lights the flame of rebellion here, because it feels unrealistic. But that said, the Jaws reference at the end of this episode, as June looks at all the baskets of muffins, was really something to behold. We've been here so many times before, on the brink of an explosion, and every time, we've been pulled back from the brink. I'm hoping that this time, things really take off. I want to see June get that truck, and get Eleanor Lawrence out of Gilead. I want to see her get Hannah, get a bunch of other kids, and actually escape. There's so much story that can still be told. I want to break free of the cycle!

8.5/10

#review #the handmaids tale #the handmaids tale review #the handmaid's tale #the handmaid's tale review #handmaids tale #handmaids tale review #handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale review

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padawanlost · 6 years ago

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In light of Palpatine’s retirement plan of burning down the entire galaxy via Project Cinder, as featured in new canon. What are the chances that this crazy old Sith would have a contingency plan to take everyone else with him in ROTS? A Worst case scenario for those “Anakin kills Sidious” AU’s. Say a pre-recorded msg to commence Order 66 anyway? Maybe throw in a senate massacre too? I’m so sorry for these worst case scenarios. What do you think? Possible? Probable? Would it be doable for him?

I don’tbother with the new canon so i can’t really talk about it. I know aboutPalpatine’s plans to destroy the Naboo and, honestly, he so f-ing petty I cantotally see him doing something like that. however, that kind of foresightnegates his more defining trait: arrogance. Palpatine never believed he couldbe defeated, that why he was planning on ruling forever, that’s why he underestimatedthe rebellion, Luke and Anakin and was eventually defeated by them. picturing ascenario where Anakin or anyone else is more cunning, intelligent and powerfulthan him would require a degree o humility Palpatine did not possess.

Palpatinewas great at planning and using people. He look at people as if they werepieces on a board only he could control. I don’t see him taking one of the piecesdefeating him as a serious possibility. If Palpatine had been that prepared forthe possibly of being defeated by a “lesser being” than why didn’t he had thatsame concern when he was forcing Anakin to kill Luke? Palpatine died in ROTSbecause he NEVER saw it coming, he never thought possible that his little slaveVader would ever turn on him. so why would he have all these elaborate plans incase these same lesser beings defeat him. Personally, I see it as acontraction.

Don’t getme wrong, Palpatine is petty AF and he would totally want to destroy whoeverdestroyed him. but at the same time, he was just TOO arrogant to accept hewould be destroyed by the rebellion or any Jedi. I mean, the guy defeated Yodaand could kill vader with the tip of his fingers, he wasn’t going to spend alot of time worrying about what would happen if some rebel killed him.

I’m notagainst the idea of Palpatine making such plans but I do believe it undermineshis character’s arc the same way the whole cloning thing did in Legends. We sawhis rise and fall in the movies. His arc was complete. To me, it sounds more a wayfor the writers (both Legends and Canon) to keep him around as threat instead ofcreating their own new menacing figure (which is pretty hard to do).

So, no, I don’tsee him making such plans in ROTS. I think he had plans for every possibility(Anakin not cutting Mace’s arm, Anakin not going to his office, etc) but I can’tpicture him baiting Anakin with the Darth Plagueis story at the same he wasthinking “uhn maybe this dumb kid will kill me, better make some plans in casehe does”, you know? that’s not Palpatine at all. He is the kind of guy that killsyou the moment he doubts you will act as he wants you to.

“It’s not asecret I could have hidden, not an operation that big, but I didn’t need to. Beings believe what you tell them. Theynever check, they never ask, they never think. Tell them the state ismenaced by quadrillions of battle droids, and they will not count. Tell them you can save them, and they willnever ask—from what, from whom? Just say tyranny, oppression, vaguebogeymen that require no analysis. Never specify. Then they look the other way when reality is right in front of them.It’s a conjuring trick. The key is distraction, getting them to watch yourother hand. Only single-minded beings don’t join in the shared illusion, andkeep watching you too closely. Single-minded beings are dangerous. And theyeither work for me, or they don’t work at all.” Palpatine in Order 66 by KarenTraviss.

#ask #praetor-canis #palpatine #sw meta #AU #meta: palpatine #what if #txt

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meggannn · 6 years ago

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i'm curious from a writer perspective of DA, is the world set up similar to that of D&D (Humans, Elves, etc co-exist but who's king?). I've never played the game and was trying to figure out what the worldscope was like in terms of who's in charge, the history, etc but it's kind of complicated and hard to pin down. Would you mind giving a little insight into the premise of DA on a larger scale?

i’m sorry this took so long to get back to you! what a neat question – I haven’t played D&D or actually really read too many classic fantasies aside from some Tamora Pierce novels, so I can’t speak about what’s usual, but yeah Dragon Age is a pretty “standard” high fantasy I guess in the sense that it’s got dwarves and elves and magic and it’s set in a middle age analogue.

i also need to apologize in advance for how long this got. the short answer is, Thedas is a hot mess, everyone hates each other, and nobody knows what’s going on.

RACES

okay, so, there are four main races:

human – most populous and influential. known for causing a lot of wars.

elves – in most parts of the continent they’re second-class citizens. many are servants; in Tevinter elves are mostly enslaved. if they live in cities, they probably live in an alienage, which is akin to a ghetto. there are large groups of elves called the Dalish, which are nomadic groups that live in the forests and try to keep their ancient culture alive.

dwaves – mostly live underground, but there are several surface dwaves that, as the name implies, live aboveground. they’re the only race that cannot be mages due to their high resistance to magic, which is based on their history of mining lyrium (basically like a magic rock that helps mages and mage hunters focus their power). dwaves have a sort of resistance to it so they’re the only ones who can mine it safely and therefore built their economy and major cities underground.

qunari – technically a religion, not a race, but they’re known for their stringent religion and for having large horns on their head.

CONTINENT

DA is set in a world called Thedas (which literally stands for The Dragon Age Setting, don’t ever let anyone tell you your ideas are stupid). here’s the map, so, pretty big (click here for a bigger version):

unfortunately bioware is lazy and they never gave us firm borders, so we have to make due with whatever this is

POLITICAL NATIONS (skip if you don’t care)

I’m not an expert and don’t have the energy right now to go super in depth about each of these nations’ conflicts with each other. there are roughly 9 countries in the above map (bottom - up): Ferelden, Orlais, Free Marches, Nevarra, Tevinter, Antiva, Rivain, Anderfels, Seheron/Par Vollen. not pictured: Orzammar/the Dwarven Kingdom

Ferelden and Orlais are the countries we know the most about because two games take place there (Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age Inquisition). They both have monarchies. Ferelden has a king/queen, and Orlais has an emperor/empress. Orlais is also where the Divine lives, and the Divine (always a she) is the leader of the Chantry, the major religion (p much like magic Catholicism).

The Free Marches are a bunch of city-states, each of them ruled by a Viscount that’s elected by the nobles. Dragon Age 2 takes place in one of these cities, Kirkwall. one of the endings involves the playable character, Hawke, become the Viscount/Viscountess if they make certain choices. Post-Inquisition, one of the game’s companions ends up becoming Viscount.

Nevarra we don’t know much about. I believe they have royal dynasties. most monarchs are related/entwined with the military. one companion, Cassandra Pentaghast, is distantly in line for the throne.

The Anderfels are a bit of a wasteland. it’s called a kingdom but I gotta be honest, we know like a total of five characters from there so not much else info is available. It used to be part of the Tenvinter Imperium before the rebellion, but now it’s mostly known as being home to the Grey Wardens (see below).

Antiva is a plutocracy, so it’s ruled by the wealthy. there is technically a monarchy that’s been around for a couple thousand years, but it’s weak. the country is mostly ruled by “merchant princes” (not literal princes, just like bank owners and heads of trading companies, each have their own army, etc). they mostly resolve political disputes with bribes and assassins.

Rivain – tbh I don’t think I know enough about Rivain’s government. we know certain characters from Rivain, but according to the wiki they emphasize community welfare and I know they treat their mages better than the rest of the continent, where (apart from Tevinter) mages are largely locked up in towers for their entire lives.

the Tevinter Imperium is the only nation in the continent that’s a magocracy, or ruled by mages, and its economy is largely based off of slave labor (the majority of whom are elves, though I think they enslave some humans if I’m not mistaken). Tevinter’s leaders are called Magisters, and they are all part of the Magisterium. they are led by the Imperial Archon, which is usually inherited; otherwise known as the Black Divine, who is always male (more on that below).

Seheron belonged to the Tevinter Imperium for a long time, but it’s land that I think is still being fought over by a group called the Qunari. they currently maintain it, though it’s mostly native rebels that live there.

Par Vollen is the land of the Qunari. they’re really a religion, not a race, but most Qunari that you’ll see are horned giants. we know a lot about their culture from certain characters, but we’ve never seen it in person. in broad sense, the Qunari believe that every person has a certain role (you call people by their titles, eg “Sten”). they’re led by an Arishok which is like their highest ranking general and de facto spiritual leader.

(not pictured) Orzammar – underground, located in the Frostback Mountains (bottom of the pic, left of Ferelden. the last standing dwarven city. it’s like an underground metropolis based on a caste system.

HISTORY

so I don’t know if you’re asking for a long and detailed history, because if so I could be here all day, but in very broad strokes, here’s what’s going down

Elves: long ago they were the dominant race aboveground. they had their own empire in modern-day south Orlais (west of Ferelden), but now they’re treated like second-class citizens after their biggest city fell and they were plundered by Tevinter. then the Chantry came along and that took over.

Dwaves: they also had a massive kingdom underground that spanned most of the continent. these tunnels are known as the Deep Roads, and they still exist today, but they’re mostly collapsing and very dangerous.

Humans: Are kind of running the show now across all major nations. (they apparently aren’t even native to Thedas but arrived millennia ago on boats or something then took over. typical.)

THE BLIGHTS

the driving force of a major recurring conflict in this land is called a Blight, and the first Blight was responsible for the collapse of the dwarven empire. there’s a lot we don’t know about what exactly happened in the first Blight, we only have the Chantry version, and a lot of ppl in the world disagree about how they really got started, or what they even are. but here’s what “the story” behind them roughly is:

the Chantry says that Blights are punishments that the Maker (God) sends because the old Tevinter Magisters, once upon a time, used magic to enter the Golden City (Heaven, sort of). mages can enter a place called the Fade, which is like the magical space between fiction and reality that most people only access through dreaming. the old Magisters basically wanted to enter the Golden City and claim the Maker’s throne and become all-powerful gods and whatnot.

however! this was a bad idea, and so for punishment (or maybe just as a consequence of contaminating the sacred heart of the fade with their dirty human germs), the Maker turned all of those Magisters into monstrous things known as “darkspawn.”

darkspawn are like mindless zombies, sort of, except their primary objective is killing, not eating. what makes them darkspawn is the infection and spread of their tainted blood.

so after those magisters became darkspawn, they spread anything they came into contact with. any species can become tainted I think.

darkspawn are scattered and disorganized for the most part but you still see them here and then. most of the time, darkspawn stay underground in the Deep Roads wrecking mayhem (this is what caused the fall of the dwarven empire).

what a Blight is, though, is a massive swarm of darkspawn arriving to the surface and basically doing what they do, amped up to level 11. what causes a blight is when darkspawn find an Old God underground. the “Old Gods” are really just sleeping high dragons. (Tevinter used to worship these dragons.) there are seven old gods, so when the darkspawn find another of them underground, they infect it, it awakens and turns nasty and evil, and becomes an Archdemon, which leads the call for darkspawn to attack the surface. Archdemons are the sort of Big Boss that needs to be defeated to end each Blight, after which the darkspawn simmer down for a while until they find the next one.

the plot of Dragon Age Origins is the story of the Fifth Blight, which takes place in 9:30 Dragon (read that exactly like you would without colons, so “Year 930″)

TIMEKEEPING

timelines are currently measured by Chantry ages. the years before 1:1 are called “Ancient,” count backwards, and are basically like our BC. there’s no Year 0. the Ancient Age had the arrival of humans, the fall of the elves and the dwarven empire, and the first blight.

according to the wiki: “In the 99th year of each Age, the Divine looks for an event or portent in order to determine the name of the new Age. the last portent was a dragon awakening and going on a rampage, which suggested an age full of violence and destruction”

so dragons are a Big Deal because until this century, people thought they were extinct. except no…. there’s a blight, and an archdemon showed up. and oh look, dragons are appearing in Kirkwall too, and around Orlais. dragons are a symbol of chaos, basically, so the fact that this era is known as the Dragon Age signifies a lot of fighting/turmoil basically.

THE GAMES

Dragon Age Origins – the story of the Fifth Blight. you gather a bunch of companions and join the Grey Wardens (soldiers from all races who dedicate their lives specifically to fighting darkspawn) and become Big Damn Heroes.

Dragon Age II – the story of origin of the Mage Rebellion. you play as Hawke, a refugee who escaped the Blight looking for safe haven in a city in the Free Marches. you befriend several misfits and influence the political landscape that ultimately leads to mages across Southern Thedas rebelling against their captors.

Dragon Age Inquisition – the Mage Rebellions are wrecking havoc, Grey Wardens are disappearing, and at a would-be peace summit between the mages and their captors, the Divine gets blown up and now there’s a giant hole in the sky with demons falling out. you play as a random joe who wakes up one day with the power to seal up that hole, and together with a bunch of other well-meaning randos, you form the Inquisition to bring peace (I hope) back to the continent.

Dragon Age 4 – fuck it, but I hope we go to Tevinter. I’m tired of looking at Ferelden for two games. it’s far past time for an elven slave uprising, an old elven god is now trying to commit mass genocide and Thedas is still on fire, but no, Bioware’s focusing on fucking Anthem. we are suffering.

#Anonymous #askbox #megan talks about bw

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cha0ticmimzy · 6 years ago

Text

Understanding

Author’s Note: Sylthana is an Ice Queen that Cullen may or may not have a small thing for.

Characters: Cassandra Pentaghast, Cullen Rutherford, Sylthana Lavellan

Word Count: 1174

Rating: T

Warnings: Mentions of sexual and physical assault

"Don't touch me." Sylthana all but hissed as she shoved past Cullen, who took a hasty step back. Cassandra frowned, watching the Inquisitor storm off. They had just wanted to check in on her- especially after the fall she'd taken during the fight. Sighing, Cassandra shook her head, arms crossing over her chest.

"Why will she not allow us to help?" She asked, and Cullen rubbed the back of his neck. He had a feeling- a very good feeling. Or, bad. He understood how she felt.

"Let me talk to her," he suddenly spoke, making the Seeker's eyes widen as he pulled his weapons belt off, leaving it upon the table. "Stay here." Leaving no room for arguments, he quickly left the camp, following the path that the Inquisitor took. He could see her, given how bright the moon was that night, sitting at the edge of the river.

"I want to be left alone." Sylthana called, not bothering to even look to see who it was approaching. Then again, with her skills, she probably already knew exactly who he was. "Is that so hard to get through your curly blond head?" Yes, she knew.

Remaining silent, he walked to the edge of the river and stood, arms crossed over his chest. The water was smooth on the surface, hiding how dangerous the current was beneath. "I'm terrified of mages," he began, listening to the shifting of fabric as Sylthana looked up at him. "I was at the Circle, watching as the Wardens did their ritual. And I was there when the Circle fell. There was a woman, Amirta- she was a mage. Elf. The Hero of Fereldan... She was terrifying, but kind. Beautiful."

"It sounds like you were in love with her..." Sylthana interrupted, brows furrowed over eyes that rivaled the blue of the river before them.

"I was, in a way. I was there when my brothers in arms were slaughtered. I was... Tricked. My mind was tortured with images of her, and of false images of what she did- what I was made to think was happening.

I was in Kirkwall, as well, when the mage rebellion began. I saw what mages were capable of, I watched them kill without mercy. I had innocent blood on my hands- Meredith made us all believe that all mages were dangerous, that they all needed to become Tranquil.

I knew Hawke- he was a blood mage. But he saved them- saved us. But the mages still rebelled. And truth be told, they still scare me. I know what Templars are capable of- I was a Templar. But mages..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Why are you telling me this?" Sylthana demanded, rising to her feet. "Are you trying to gain sympathy from me? Because I can promise you this- you won't. You're all the same." She hissed, lip curling in anger.

"No," Cullen replied, turning to face her, "I'm not doing this for sympathy. I'm doing this to let you know that I understand. I understand the fear."

A silence spread out between them as Sylthana let his words sink in. Her jaw worked in irritation, gaze settled on the tree line across from them. Breathing in slowly, she closed her eyes. "When I was eight, I was in a market. A man took me, a hand over my mouth, and tried to cut off my ears. Elf ears go for a big price on the Underground Market- blood magic and whatnot. A city elf found us, and he stopped him by calling on some guards. But I have a scar on my left ear from it." She paused, taking in a shaky breath. Cullen's brows furrowed as he studied her face, the way her lips has paled, her gaze distant.

"When I was fourteen, I was on a hunt with a few others from my clan. We stopped for the night, and when they were asleep, we were attacked by rogue Templars... I won't tell you what they did to me, but my thighs still have the scars to remind me of the horror of that night." A tear slid down her cheek, her hands clenched into fists. Anger.

Cullen felt sick just thinking about what happened to her.

"When I was eighteen, I started hunting on my own, collecting fees and other things from the clans around us. I was g o o d at hunting- I could track any animal, could follow any trail. I was quick with the job- not just animals, mind you." A wicked smile curled her lips as she glanced up at the Commander, and it suddenly occurred to him that this was the longest they'd spoken.

"You were a bounty hunter?" He asked curiously.

"Of sorts. But I got sloppy, once. And I paid the price." Turning to face him fully, she tilted her head back, revealing the scar that crossed half of her throat. "It didn't go deep, but it bled enough. The human hunter was lucky he got to keep his head. But his hands, well... He doesn't hunt anymore." Her voice took on a sinister tone that made a chill dance over his skin.

"What you need to realize is that I don't want to be scared of you. But humans aren't kind to us. We're kept as servants in Orlais, kept as slaves in Tevinter. We were Exalted Marched on and forced off our land- by humans. I've been taught not to trust you, and the interactions I have haven't been pleasant." She explained, and as Cullen looked down, he noticed that her hands were shaking. "I don't w a n t to be scared. But I have yet to be shown a reason n o t to be."

"Then let me be the reason." He blurted out before he could stop himself. Eyes widening, he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Maker, forgive me. I mean- allow Cassandra, and Blackwall, and Vivienne, and Dorian, and myself- let us show you that we aren't all bad." He tried again, gauging her reaction. The color had started to return to her cheeks, making the markings on her face- vala-something- not stand out as much.

Lips pursing, she took a step closer, placing her palm upon his breastplate. "... Don't fuck it up, or I will make sure you don't get another chance. Prove to me that I can trust you- that I can trust h u m a n s. Then, we can talk." With that, she let her hand fall and turned on her heel, beginning to make her way back to camp. Though, she paused, glancing over her shoulder. "Also, let your hair go curly more often. Makes you look less severe." With that, she jogged the rest of the way back up the trail, leaving the Commander standing at the edge of the river with a dumb smile curling his lips.

Maybe the Inquisitor wasn't as much of an Ice Queen as they all thought she was.

#my writing #dragon age inqusition #dragon age #cullen rutherford #cassandra pentaghast #inquisitor lavellan #cullen x inquisitor #cullen x lavellan #sylthana lavellan #cullenmance #the ice queen inquisitor

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frasier-crane-style · 7 years ago

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Star Wars: Battlefront 2

This actually reminded me of the last movie I saw, Justice League. Workable, competent, but not anything special or even particularly ambitious. Definitely less than the sum of its parts. And when you’re spending millions upon millions of dollars, and calling on some of the most popular stories imaginable, shouldn’t you be able to show something for it?

As I said, half the campaign ditches our ostensible protagonists and their journey to focus on OT heroes like Luke, Leia, Han, and Lando. They have next to nothing to do with the plot and generally just seem to be there to sell the player on the multiplayer and add to the shared universe stuff. One chapter is focused entirely on Luke Skywalker finding a compass, and I’m sure there’s going to be a scene in The Last Jedi where he has a compass, so I guess everyone in the audience will be going “where’d he get a compass?” and only the chosen few will be like “oh, I know.”

(More likely, everyone will go “okay, he has a compass.”)

There’s actually the germ of a good idea here, because the Luke chapter has him as something of a pacifist, having a philosophical conversation with a member of Inferno Squad that leads to their turn later on. But it’s like, after coming up with that one good idea for a non-Inferno chapter, EA just stopped bothering and had you play as, say, Han Solo getting intelligence to free Kashyyyk. Do you actually go to Kashyyyk and free the Wookies? No. Is Inferno Squad involved? No, unless you count Iden being one of the Starfighter pilots at the end. That’s right—the hero cameos in her own game.

And you know what? I actually wouldn’t mind a Star Wars game along the lines of Battlefront 1 or Modern Warfare, where you play through a campaign that has you seeing the battle to free some space sector from multiple sets of eyes. You could play as Luke fighting darksiders, or as Wedge piloting an X-wing, Han flying the Millennium Falcon. Something like a full game of “Han, Leia, and Luke have to blow up the shield generator on Endor so Lando can get the Death Star.” But you can’t really do that, and at the same time have one ‘lead’ character going through their own personal journey and character arc, at least not without totally short-changing them.

And that’s the game you get. This whole Inferno Squad thing is just totally half-assed. Everything about it the least imaginative, most generic choice possible. So our villain—he’s something who doesn’t go over to the Rebellion with Iden, he stays with the Empire, and she becomes determined to both defeat him and redeem him. Oh, how about her father (who is white, natch)? Yeah, in Star Wars, the series with the most famous evil dad redemption arc in existence, we’re going to do the exact same thing. Maybe it could be Iden’s husband? Or maybe a brother or sister? It could be just a best friend. Or even her child, if we age her up some. That could be an interesting twist on the ‘tell your sister you were right’ plot. Or no, we could just—do that again.

Oh, and Iden has two male compatriots in Inferno Squad. What’s their dynamic like? Maybe they’re in a love triangle and one of them defects with her and she falls in love with him and the other stays with the Empire and becomes a villain? Yeah, that’ll work. What if she’s in love with the guy who stays with the Empire and just doesn’t have feelings for the Rebel and it’s kind of an unrequired love thing and it’s all a little complicated and messy? No? She falls in love with the good guy and hates the bad guy. Okay. I just thought we could do something different.

Well, okay, now we’ve spent a few chapters playing as the Empire, which was the entire selling point of this game—now it’s time for our heroes to defect to the Rebellion. What would cause them to do that? Maybe seeing the Empire commit an atrocity? Yeah, sure, let’s go with that.

Wait… don’t they know about the Death Star blowing up Alderaan? They’re pretty high-ranking Imperials. It seems like they would have some idea. Hell, in the first level they’re fighting to protect the Death Star II. Do they not know what it’s for? Seems like they would be okay, at least on some level, with the Empire blowing up planets, which is about as atrocity as it gets. What, does the Empire come out with the Rape Star and that’s just too much for them?

Well, maybe we could have them slowly start to have misgivings about the Empire and question it in different ways? Kind of a story arc? No? Just a thought.

Okay, here’s where the game truly loses me. We’re told about Operation Cinder, which is Emperor Palpatine’s plan for the Empire after he dies. That sounds pretty cool, right? It makes sense that Palpatine would have a contingency plan for that. In the Legends continuity, he transferred his mind into a cloned body and he put a psychic compulsion in Mara Jade to kill Luke Skywalker, so if this is the new continuity’s version of that, it must be something pretty good.

Or it could be just using weather satellites to destroy his own planets.

Let’s break this down:

1. Weather satellites that cause massive storms seems a little prosaic for the Star Wars universe. I mean, that’s something your average Bond villain comes up with. In the realm of Imperial superweapons, couldn’t we come up with something a little more fantastical? Even Starkiller Base had good presentation. These are just satellites that shoot beams down and you have to blow ‘em up.

2. Why would you blow up a loyal Imperial world? Those are the guys you’re getting Stormtroopers from, the guys building TIE fighters, the guys paying for your war. Newsflash, dumbass: you’re destroying your own power base! You’re doing the Rebels’ own job for them!

3. Especially when you could blow up a ‘purple state’ like Kashyyyk or Dac, which would be full of people ready to join the Rebellion (y’know, seeing as they’re slaves). Just evacuate your own Imperials and fry the rest. It’s evil, but at least it makes sense.

4. I mean, I’ll even grant you that Palpatine would be pure dag nasty evil enough to want to take the universe with him if he went down, but this is such a stupid way to go about it. I thought Palpatine was a master manipulator who enacted a decades… if not centuries… long plan to raise to power. If he really wants to screw over the galaxy, couldn’t there be some subtle, insidious way to go about it? It seems like the ‘blowing up your own planets’ plan would just drive people to the Rebellion and give them an easier time of it. Maybe he could give Inferno Squad posthumous orders to stir up regional conflicts and sabotage agriculture to create famines and just salt the earth in the wake of the Empire? No? That sounds too hard? Fine, he wants to blow up his own planets.

5. Besides being a power-hungry dictator, it seemed like Palpatine’s other big note was being a Sith. So if nothing else, he’d want to see the Sith ascendant and screw over the Jedi. So maybe he has another Sith that he brings out of cryo-freeze or some ancient Sith spirit that can possess people and now that he’s gone, he lets it cause trouble, that could be interesting. No? Blowing up his own planets? Okay.

Most disappointing of all, that’s really it for Operation Cinder. You could hang a whole game around enacting or stopping the Emperor’s revenge from beyond the grave, but no, the very next level, it’s stopped. The entire threat is introduced and resolved as quickly as Starkiller Base was in TFA, but even they knew enough to put that at the end of the story. Here you stop the Empire’s last-ditch superweapon at the midpoint of the game, so afterward you’re just… going to Cloud City and Jakku, mopping up Star Destroyers and shutting down factories.

But anyway, now this whole Operation Cinder thing has caused Inferno Squad to turn away from the Empire. What now? Do they become mercenaries? Maybe they join one faction of the splintering Empire that’s fighting against a different faction and we can see the seeds for the First Order being laid? Or they could become bounty hunters, or smugglers, or pirates. Maybe they could just try to stop Cinder on their own, because they don’t trust either the Empire or the Rebellion? I mean, just because they’ve fallen out with the Empire, does that mean they’ve stopped hating the Rebel Alliance? Apparently so, because they just join up and immediately get put into uniforms and assigned Starfighters.

Hell, why not just start with them as Rebels, if you’re that uncomfortable with them being Imperials? At least it wouldn’t be so disappointing.

#star wars #star wars battlefront 2 #battlefront ii

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captaincthrust · 7 years ago

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Secrets

In the last week worth of episodes that we got, I, like most other theorists, saw Pearls covering her mouth after telling Steven that she wants to tell him everything and that the further she goes, the more difficult it becomes to resist, coming to the point that she literally has to fight her own hand.

Although this has already been theorised upon, today I’m going to make my take on the current theory and, quite possibly, leave a few of my own:

When I first saw this seen, I had to re-watch it. The way Pearl covers her mouth led me to believe that she is fiscally incapable of revealing certain aspects of her past. And that me led to think, why?

The first think that came to mind was that Pearl’s previous owner, who I believe is White Diamond, had her programmed to not revel her secrets, after seeing that a Diamond’s Pearl is in charge of things like the Diamond communicator and that a Pearls always follows her master, we can conclude that a Diamonds Pearl has enough info on their Diamond to completely destroy their reputation. If White Diamond is as cold and Calculating as generally believed, then it would make sense that she would take in count the faint possibility that her Pearl would dare to rebel and make sure that none of her secrets were ever spread. And that could end there, just a precaution, but what if White Diamond did more, what if she also made it impossible for her to disobey a direct order from her. Just imagine Steven yelling for Pearl to come back, and Pearl just stands next to White Diamond because she told her to.

Or even worse, imagine that, during the rebellion, White Diamond had told Pearl to give her information about the Crystal Gems, severing as an unwilling spy and that eventually she’ll betray the Crystal Gems and give Steven to the Diamonds.

Of course, I also have another, less dramatic yet sadder hypothesis, maybe Pearl can’t talk about the past because she suffers from a PTSD like problem? Having in count how Pearl acts during the show, it’s easy to see the parallels: Her mood swings, her clinging on to one person in a less than healthy way, blaming everybody but herself and then blaming only herself. Soldiers who fought in wars tend to have such conditions and so do ex-slaves, Pearl is both. Maybe she can’t talk, because the memories are just to traumatic. This show interprets so many things in a way that no other show, animated or otherwise, has ever been able to do, this would just be another step. Imagine Steven and the rest of the gang helping Pearl overcome her fears and ,slowly, uncovering her mouth to talk, wouldn’t that be beautiful?

But that’s just my opinion, love to see yours. See you next time.

#steven universe #steven universe theory #steven universe thoughts #su theory #su thoughts #cartoon #cartoon theory #cartoon thought #check my blog #give me a chance #check me out

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jurakan · 7 years ago

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On Stupid Evil

So several times I’ve considered adapting the Notes I release every Saturday on Facebook for Tumblr. Here’s another Saturday Note, from this week, that I thought I’d post here.

I imagine absolutely no one will read it/care, but if that’s the case I’ll just go back to playing Fable III and move on with my life.

---

On Stupid Evil

You’ve heard of Character Alignments? Chaotic Evil? And Lawful Evil? And Neutral Evil? And I did a Note about Lawful Good? Well now we’re talking about Stupid Evil. This describes a character who isn’t just evil, they’re stupid about it. And it’s all too common.

The example that struck me most recently was the recently released Star Wars: Battlefront II. No, I’m not referring to the whole scandal with paid content (though sure, that could also count), but in the story mode, we are introduced to the Empire’s Inferno Squadron, led by Iden Versio. She serves the Empire faithfully even after the Battle of Endor, but leaves to join the Rebellion after seeing the horrors of Operation Cinder. What is Operation Cinder? Well it’s this plan that the Emperor had in place in case he died, which called for having these satellite superweapons go around to planets and raze everything on the surface. First on the list were highly-populated Imperial planets. Because if the Emperor can’t have them, no one can.

And yeah, people went along with it.

Alright, what actual benefit does this serve? Other than to convince our heroes that the Empire is irredeemably evil. These aren’t planets that hold Rebel bases, they’re Imperially-aligned planets. But they’re being destroyed for...reasons.

Star Wars has this problem, especially of late, in that it cannot seem to understand why anyone would join the villains. I’m not saying that villains have to be sympathetic, but they have to be understandable to a degree (unless we’re talking like, alien god monster things that don’t work on human ideas of morality, but even then you have to do something other than just ‘they don’t think like us’). The Empire, and the later First Order, is Evil with a capital ‘E’ and that’s it. People join up because they’re forced, I guess, and it’s not clear how or why the whole thing falls apart.

George Lucas’s Prequel Trilogy and Star Wars: Rebels tries to rectify this by showing that the public support of the Jedi was waning, that people wanted a strong leadership in their government to fight the inaction of the rotting Republic, and that most everyday people in the galaxy don’t really understand the whole Jedi/Sith thing going on. But then we have Rebels, which has only one sympathetic Imperial character who turns traitor and joins the Rebellion (Kallus), one Imperial officer who isn’t needlessly cruel for its own sake (Grand Admiral Thrawn), but the rest are glory hounds, violent nutjobs, and raging douchebags.

The Sequel Trilogy takes this even further by introducing the First Order, the “remnants of the Empire” that popped right the flip out of nowhere, have the resources to keep an entire fleet full of warships ready and troops to occupy several systems. Oh, and also have the engineering know-how to make an entire planet into a superweapon. It’s never explained how, but they just do. Nor do we know why anyone supports them. There is some sort of fanatical loyalty to the Supreme Leader, Snoke, but since no one has told us what his deal is, we don’t know why. All we know is they serve him and revere him for...reasons. It’s not even brainwashing, as Finn breaks away from it.

It’s just...Stupid Evil. There’s no reason behind their fanaticism, they just are evil and that’s their thing. There are pretty shallow allusions to the Third Reich, North Korea and the Islamic State, but nothing that really develops the antagonists other than Kylo Ren.

That’s...pretty inexcusable, considering how far into the saga we are.

And it’s becoming more and more common to paint villains this way. Gone are the days of the Assassin’s Creed franchise when the Templar villains have sympathetic motivations and understandable backstories. The main villain of Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Flavius, loudly brags about how happy he is that he killed a child and how racist he is against Egyptians. Compare this to Governor Torres, the villain of Black Flag that actively rallies against the slave trade and talks about uniting all people regardless of nationality or religion. At no point is it even clear what the heck the Order of the Ancients actually wants; after they find the ancient treasure they’re been after the entire game, the audience never finds out what they were planning to do with it other than vaguely “take over Egypt,” and the heroes aren’t particularly worried about getting it back out of their hands.

Fallout 4 has the Institute, who at least have the motivation of wanting to make the world a better place with their science. But they’re so stupid that they can’t work out that sending a bunch of androids to the surface impersonating people and killing anyone who gets in their way might actually make people see them as the bad guys. This is handwaved as ‘they’re a bunch of hard science types who don’t understand the need for PR’ but, like...there are people throughout the Commonwealth screaming about how synths (androids) could be anywhere, impersonating anyone, shooting anyone suspected of being a synth, and they don’t think that maybe they need to rethink their strategy? That’s just stupid.

And there are ways around this! It’s so easy to not make stupid villains.

Like I mentioned above, I played a lot of Fable III this week, and in it the main plot is to overthrow your character’s brother, the king of Albion, who is a tyrant taxing the people to death, executing people who protest against him, and giving industry over to a sadist who makes a ton of coin regardless of the unsafe working conditions. But you find out after deposing him that the reason he did so was because he had witnessed an evil slime monster thing from beyond our reality attacking his people, and had been informed that this unspeakable evil was coming back to Albion. He was a horrible tyrant, yes, but he was doing so because he was driven mad trying to raise funds and resources to defend his homeland an evil that he knows he won’t be able to beat. His decisions are bad, but he’s not in a right state of mind, and it makes sense given what he’s been through.

There’s also Reaver, who’s evil and a jerk about it for no reason though, so I guess we shouldn’t give the game that much credit when it comes to villains.

Remember Thrawn, I mentioned earlier? The Grand Admiral in Star Wars: Rebels that is actually competent and not needlessly cruel. Oh, he’s cruel, and he doesn’t care one whit about the average person. But he also realizes that it’s much more useful to get people to work with you than against you, and to extract information from every action, even a defeat. He quickly deduces Hera’s identity as a Rebel officer the first time he meets her in disguise by the context of where she is and what she’s doing. He frequently lets spies live when he knows about them, because he knows he can extract more information out of them if he lets them think they’re undetected. He always runs his battles so that he learns something about the enemy, whether he wins or loses. It’s about the long game, not the momentary victory. He’s a really good villain that way. Too bad the Empire decides that the Death Star should get more funding than his own schemes.

Lord, I really hope that he doesn’t get killed on this show.

I know that it might be difficult to gift every character with a well-rounded personality, especially when it comes to villains. And that’s fine! But there’s a difference between not being able to develop a villainous character, and making them just stupidly evil for no reason. Especially don’t make me sit and question why anyone would go along with these villains.

#Adventures of Jurakan #Jurakan Writes #Saturday Notes #Stupid Evil #essays

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things2mustdo · 5 years ago

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JAMES BLOODWORTH

@J_Bloodworth

5 MINS

18 SEPTEMBER 2018

Albert Camus is one of the great 20th-century critics of totalitarian thought. Along with writers such as Hannah Arendt and George Orwell, Camus identified the human longing for unity – and the impulse to escape the irrational absurdity of life – as one of the foundations for totalitarian political rule.

As such, his works offer something to the 21st-century reader in a complex, insecure world where the urge to embrace any “ism” that purports to explain everything is ever-present.

Born into poverty in a remote area of French Algeria, Camus began his political life as a man of the Left. He was active in the French Resistance to the German occupation during the Second World War and, from 1943 to 1947, edited the movement’s newspaper Combat in Paris. Camus would later oppose General Franco’s dictatorship in Spain and resigned in principle from his work with Unesco over the UN’s acceptance of Spain as a member.

Yet Camus’ most important contribution to 20th-century thought derived – like Orwell’s – from his attacks on the fashionable theories of the mainstream (French) Left. His suspicion of grand historical narratives – which viewed the individual as disposable – is worth holding on to when the complexity of contemporary life increases the temptation to throw one’s lot in with revelatory, all-encompassing explanations and solutions.

Camus fell out with his fellow Leftist intellectual Jean-Paul Sartre in 1952 over the latter’s acceptance of state terror as an acceptable price to pay in the name of the Communist ideal. In his 1947 novel The Plague, Camus mocked those who, like Sartre, justified the concept of the ‘necessary murder’ for political ends.

“But I was told that these few deaths were inevitable for the building up of a new world in which murder would cease to be. That was true up to a point, and maybe I’m not capable of standing fast where that order of truths is concerned,” Camus wrote sarcastically. By contrast, Sartre likened anti-Communists – with their delicate humanist scruples about the sanctity of human life – to “dogs” .

Aristotle's answer to identity politics