#give clones agency

[raleighrador]

This comes from the old Battlefront 2 campaign and - if I remember correctly - pre dates the chips being total over rides being canon.

The implication being that the clones chose to follow Order 66, rather than being compelled.

I personally love that, narratively, I think it is in many ways more interesting than “Sidious had an instant win button the whole time”.

Let the clones choose to kill the Jedi, explore why they might have made that choice, and then explore what it means when they realise they killed their generals for nothing.

It also fits with some of the older (very light touch) canon (like the original Thrawn trilogy) which implied the clones were unstable and untrustworthy. Frighteningly effective but difficult to control. Prone to insanity.

We could have had a canon which explores how the clones were dehumanised systematically and culturally rather than technically.

Don’t get me wrong - modern clone canon is rich and interesting but it is structurally reliant on a literal deus ex macchina. “And then the bad guy pressed a button that made them all bad”.

What we could have had was “Slick was only one of many”.

a retired 501st trooper remembering the march into the Jedi temple

[booberrybawls]

finished the Kadavo/Slaves of the Republic arc and I. Uh. I cannot believe that there is so little fic addressing the fact that Anakin was sexually harassed by the captain from treasure planet of all people

[crowhoonter]

The Star Wars prequels are fascinating movies, especially when looking at them from the perspective of the story they tell. They are a commentary on contemporary American politics, and show the fragility of the idea of democracy. The Republic has been primed to collapse for a while even by the first movie, being incapable of stopping the Trade Federation from blockading Naboo. You see throughout the films everyone come to realize the position the Republic is in, and everyone comes to a different conclusion on what to do.

Palpatine notices first, and arranges its downfall to fulfill his ambitions. The Jedi notice it, but would rather keep to the Status Quo than make any meaningful change. As Mace Windu says, they're keepers of the peace, they don't get involved until absolutely necessary and indeed, too late. Anakin sees it and decides that the system is broken and needs a strong authority to rule over the masses. Padme tries to enact change through the system, an endeavor doomed to fail from the beginning. Dooku decides the system can only be changed by uprooting it entirely, leading to his fall to the dark side and authoritarianism.

We see everyone become more and more accepting of these extremes as well. Ideas and concepts that would once be scarcely entertained become frighteningly close to reality, such as the Jedi suggesting that they forcibly remove Palpatine from office and set up their own provisional government effectively. Of course this culminates in the establishment of The Empire, and as Padme says, democracy dies with thunderous applause.

The best part is that by the end of the second film, the Republic and Jedi have lost. The moment the Clones are accepted as the army of the Republic and the Jedi lead them, its over. An army of faceless drones, indoctrinated from birth, built solely to betray. The Clones only know loyalty to their nation and its commander, and will follow the will of said commander even if it goes against the ideals they are supposed to represent. Good soldiers follow orders after all.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the prequels is that they are terrible. These are not good films, the dialogue is atrocious, the quality of acting is all over the place, the pacing is strange, and the CGI is hideous. Revenge of the Sith comes close many times to being a good movie, but always just misses the mark. Somehow, these movies made a captivating story of a nation's and young man's slow fall to fascism, and managed to bury it under a mediocre romantic subplot and strange storytelling choices.

All that said, I love the prequels for what they try to say and what they could have been. These could have been generation defining films, easily surpassing the originals, but ended up a joke. They have a litany of problems (not even gonna touch on the... interesting accents) but under all that, there is an incredibly compelling story that is ever more relevant as time goes on.

[starry-bi-sky]

Oh bonus Ali and Danny drawing

im having more fem Danyal thoughts. But specifically I've been thinking about Dani in this au. Now, Fem Danyal is just the alt. version of Danny to my other DAG au, which means she follows that lore. that being said. Danyal and Dani already had a pretty rocky introduction in the first place, ANd if we follow canon's setup, Dani in fem!Danyal's world would be a boy rather than a girl. I'm gonna call him Ali for easier difference (my train of thought was Daniel -> Eli -> Ali). While Danny may resemble Talia more than Bruce, Danny and Damian still look very similar to each other. Their blood relation is unquestionable.

You can imagine how fem Danyal might feel, walking into her room one day after school, and finding a little boy on her bed who looks, at first glance, like the little brother she loves to death. If meeting Ellie triggered Kill Bill Sirens in Danny's head, meeting Ali bass boosted them. For a terrifying, fleeting moment, Danny thinks Damian is right there. That somehow, her clever, intelligent little brother found out she was alive and tracked her down.

She slams the door shut, completely at a loss for words. Her heart has nearly stopped a second time. Then she realizes: this boy's eyes are blue. Not green. He looks too old to be her brother. His jawline too narrow, his hair too messy. As he talks, his voice is not the same as the sparse few videos on the internet showing Damian speaking. This is not the child she helped take his first steps with, nor the child she watched utter his first words. This is not the boy whom she taught to pick up a sword; this is not her brother.

Safe to say, Ali gets a knife pulled on him much, much faster than his female counterpart did. He lives, fortunately, but their relationship is unsteady and rocky even after Ali betrays Vlad and joins Danny.

Danny is unsettled by him, not for being her clone -- although that plays a minor part -- but because every time he drifts into her peripherals, she keeps thinking it's Damian. And it spooks her half out of her mind. She gets her hopes up at the same time her heart drops, then she turns her head, and it's not Damian; it's Dani.

It's also why she won't call him 'Dani', it's one letter too close to 'Dami' and she's afraid she'll call him that if she's not careful. So when he brings it up jokingly, she immediately shoots it down; "I'll call you Eli." instead. (Ali thinks she's boring -- he thought 'danny with a y' and 'dani with an i' was funny. Frankly, so did Danny, but she's too uncomfortable with the idea of calling him Dani.)

When he asks her why, she lies and says it's to prevent confusion. When their relationship is better, "Eli" eventually becomes "Ali".

("Why Ali?" he'll ask her, with an ear pressed against her ribs while Danny coils one of his curls around her finger. She's steadily become more and more affectionate; Danny has the impeccable ability of making it seem so forced and stiff and natural at the same time.)

("Do you not like it?" She'll ask him, voice stilted and unsure. She's got her heart in her throat, but she's starting to stop seeing Damian whenever she looks down. "We can keep it Eli if you'd like.")

("No, no. I like it. Just... why Ali? Does it mean anything?")

(Danny will smooth her palm over Ali's forehead, scratching his hairline with her nails, and feel embarrassed. She'll be silent until he looks up at her, and then she clears her throat. "It means eminent; exalted; noble.")

(Ali stares at her in dead silence, long enough that she starts to grow worried. Then tears bubble up in his eyes, and for a moment Danny thinks she said something wrong. "I lied;" he croaks, "I love it.")

(She will hesitate, and then wipe the tears off with her thumbs. "Ali al Ghul," she'll mutter, "but that name is for you and I only. To the world, you're Ali Fenton." Perhaps she shouldn't be giving him her mother's last name, but he is of her blood now too.)

[maidenvault]

A really underrated part of how the inhibitor chips are handled in canon is the fact that they can't be removed without an invasive procedure that has some risk. Whenever a character has his taken out it’s never necessarily an easy choice, a symbolic reminder that it takes bravery to choose not to be controlled by a system, and it gives these moments a lot more emotionality and impact because it’s not just a convenient plot device to restore or preserve their agency.

The most heroic moment Fives has is when learns he has this thing in him and he doesn't even hesitate to tell AZI to get it out, even if trying might kill him, because it so brazenly defies the way all clones have been positioned as powerless pawns whose individuality and choices ultimately won't matter in the big plan. When Rex has been activated and manages to get out just enough words to tell Ahsoka what to do to help him, it's a pretty powerful way of showing how much he trusts her at the end of their journey together throughout the war. Wrecker is the most hesitant to have his removed because he's scared of surgery but sees it's what is safest for everyone.

And thinking about it this way makes me appreciate why Rex's resistance has generally only been acting to help clones that have already willingly turned on the Empire, even though they always try not to hurt the others who may still on some level not be in control of themselves and, some could say, also need help. It makes me understand why the Batch couldn't just try to capture Crosshair at some point in season 1 and make him get his chip removed, something he'd never agree to while still under its influence.

It's implied that the Kaminoans subjected the Batch and Omega to a lot of scary and probably painful tests and procedures as they grew up - so much that Omega understands Echo being triggered by waking up hooked up to monitors and she dreads going back to being used in a lab. Fandom plays this up for angst in fanworks and rightfully calls the Kaminoans horrible for denying them agency over their own bodies in this and many other ways. Even if for a much better reason, the clone troopers who've left the Empire don't really have the right to treat their brothers that way and risk their safety when they're not in a state of being able to consent to it.

Just as none of the clones can reasonably hold themselves accountable for things they've done because of the inhibitor chips, they also can't be considered responsible for saving each other from being controlled by them. It's the Emperor and the Kaminoans that did this to all of them.

[magicalqueennightmare]

Always Us

(Always having to use a Takeshi gif cause they're ain't enough Rick ones)

Rick Flag X Reader

You and Rick have been best friends through so much but will an undercover mission change everything?

Warnings: normal suicide squad level of violence, cursing, NSFW happenings

It was a rare occasion that the suicide squad was called in to answer to anyone other than Waller on a mission. She was a greedy bitch and hated sharing her toys and loved everyone knowing that the squad was her attack dogs and hers only. The only exception was when she wanted to look good, make bigger connections so here you and Rick stood in a room filled with FBI agents, DEA agents and numerous other agencies from other countries and every single one of them had their eyes on the two of you.

There was a big time smuggler by the name of Ezekiel Morrison. Drugs, people...didn't matter. He was in the business for them. No one had managed to get close enough so far. Everyone who'd gotten close had ended up dead. That was where the idea to use the squad had come into the play, have a task that seems like a suicide mission? Who better to use? Besides the moment they mentioned that the last "shipment" of his that had been intercepted had been teenaged girls you and Rick hadn't hesitated to say you were in.

You listened as the agent in charge went over the floor plan for Morrison's club where the meet would go down. The working plan was Rick would go in as a buyer and Floyd as his business partner, you and Harley unfortunately had to play arm candy. All you had to really do was get close enough to the asshole long enough that the handy little device laying in the center of the table could clone his phone.

That would give you access to every account, password, location of his warehouses and holding units. "Lucky for us, he has a type" Waller spoke from her spot to your right and you raised an eyebrow "Underaged girls?" she shook her head "He sells them but doesn't touch that product. No he has a particular taste" the way her eyes were trailing over you made a pit form in the base of your stomach. She'd looked at Rick and June the same way when she'd figured out that the two of them had developed feelings for each other. You'd wanted to kill her for the pain that had caused Rick when he and June split even if that was years ago now.

"Let me guess..my hair color, body type and build?" she smiled brightly which was beyond creepy considering "and smart to boot, look at that" She opened a folder and laid out a stack of photos on the table. Every woman could've been your sister or at the very least a cousin given the similarities in looks. You felt a shiver run down your spine when you realized there were three photos of each woman. One was a driver's license or I.D. of some sort, one was a photo of them with Morrison and the last was a crime scene photo of their deaths.

"Rick is the lead agent on this but you're running point on getting his phone cloned. The device will be planted on you. It's up to you to get it done" you could feel so many eyes in the room on you and became acutely aware of how few women were in the room. You couldn't back down for a magnitude of reasons. One set of eyes in particular drew your gaze to them, the hazel hue of your best friend from where he stood with his arms crossed, listening to Waller and from the way the crease between his eyebrows was deepening, not liking a single word she was saying.

He started to open his mouth, no doubt to protest but you gave a subtle shake of your head. If he said something..Waller wouldn't let it go unpunished, not to mention there was no other agent here that matched the description of his type and you hated the idea of some rookie getting plucked to get sent into the lion's den and this benefited Floyd, Harley and the usual suspects of the squad along with you and Rick if it went well not to mention the potential victims you were saving.

You knew with Rick, Harley and Floyd at your back you'd be safe enough. "Then let's get on with it ma'am" You spoke, meeting her eyes with a smile that was nowhere near friendly. She nodded then turned to face the room "Colonel Flag and his second in command will get this done. They're the best there is" you cut your eyes at Rick and knew he was thinking the same thing you were just from the look you shared. Normally she talked about the two of you like you were well trained junkyard dogs at best. He tilted his head with the barest hint of a smile before turning his attention back to the room.

The plan would be set for when and where along with personas for everyone being laid in place then all that would be left would be to play the part and rip the asshole to shreds. You knew Harley would enjoy the undercover part, Floyd was a smooth talker and Rick was trained for this shit. You could handle your part. The facts at hand left you no choice but to handle it.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Rick asked as he sat down next to you where you were currently curled up on his couch going over the files on Morrison again. The two of you along with Harley and Floyd would be flying out bright and early to meet up with the other agents working this joint op. That meant you'd spent the better part of the day with Harley and Floyd going over their personas. You cut your eyes up at him and you knew from the way his smile dropped you'd unintentionally glared at him "I'm not doubting your abilities sweetheart. I know you can handle this but Waller is waving you around like bait on a fucking hook. I goddamn hate it, I hated this guy before seeing those photos. After that? It's gonna take a lot for me to be civil"

You grabbed over your heart playfully "Oh Rick I didn't know you cared!" and fell over against his shoulder with a laugh. He shook his head and wrapped an arm around your shoulders "Bullshit on you not knowing I cared. You're my best friend, have been since before any of this shit ever fell into our laps" you laughed again "But damn isn't life so much more interesting than when you were just a grunt and me training to be a medic?"

He shook his head and reached for the file still in your hand before tossing it onto his coffee table "Enough of this asshole. Let's finish this movie we've been watching for the last two weeks so we can get some sleep" You had a habit of staying at each other's place the night before missions, especially ones like this. That was why Rick had picked out your couch and you his. Had to make sure your beds were comfortable.You turned to lean into the pile of pillows you had on the arm rest of the couch and Rick watched you with a raised eyebrow "What are you doing you fuckin gremlin?"

You shrugged "Getting comfortable. I always fall asleep before you and end up getting tossed around like a sack of potatoes so you can go to bed but.." you put your feet in his lap and tossed a blanket over your legs and his lap before continuing "this way maybe I don't end up feeling like a ragdoll when you want to go to bed you fuckin giant" he shrugged "Ain't my fault you're short. You never let that stop you on a mission. Hell you and Harley get twice the kill count of most of the guys" you winked at him "Never underestimate feminine rage"

This was the definition of your relationship with Rick. The two of you had met way back when and had hit it off, he needed chaos and you needed grounding and that's what you bought to each other. You met in the middle most days and when you did argue it normally never lasted long because you needed each other too much to stay mad. He was the one person you always counted on to be in your corner. You trusted him with your life and he trusted you with his.

---------------

When you'd started seeing GQ it had been a little bit of a blow up. Something along the lines of "You can't seriously date one of my men!" but when Waller had launched the idea of the squad and drew your card for their combat medic he couldn't say too much considering you were both then "his men" he'd just given his blessing when he met June. The speed at which he'd fallen for her had made your head spin but if that was what made him happy you'd been happy for him but Midway city had blown a hole in your life in more than one way.

After losing GQ and the squad becoming a concrete thing you threw yourself into work while Rick threw himself into the relationship with June. There was one thing while you were with GQ you'd never done and that was ignore Rick. Hell you'd had more than one relationship implode due to the six foot two man sitting next to you, because you refused to lose him. He'd been there for you during some of the worst years of your life. Unfortunately it had seemed he hadn't felt the same.

For weeks the only time you'd seen or spoke to Rick was over briefings. You hadn't pushed. He'd said he loved June. You'd seen it in how hard he fought for her so you concentrated on training the squad, on training yourself more,traveled with Katana a while, even going back and forth between D.C. and Louisiana on errands for Waller. Anything to not sit still.

The startling realization that your feelings had somehow sank so much deeper than you'd ever intended snuck up on you. You'd been in D.C. when he texted you asking where you were. A part of you wanted to ignore it but it was Rick. Your heart could only take so much distance from him. Waller was making you want to smash your head against a wall, Katana was depressing at best most times and the squad...well Croc was the best behaved currently. When you'd told him you were in D.C. He'd asked when you'd be back in Louisiana so you'd told him and he asked if the two of you could have a movie night "like old times"

You hadn't meant to be snarky but before you thought about it you'd typed out "Are you sure June would be cool with you coming to my place?" "No but we're not together anymore" your heart broke for him in that moment. No matter how you'd felt about June or the entire situation you hated knowing Rick was hurting. You texted back to tell him you'd see him when you got home.

That night when he'd come over it was like any other night in a lot of ways but he'd been quiet until you pushed. "Rick, not that I'm not happy to see you outside of Belle Reeve or D.C. but you haven't said anything outside of hey and asking how I've been. Are you ok?" you'd turned on your couch to face him, drawing a leg up underneath you. He stared down at his hands as he spoke "I've been a really shitty best friend to you. I don't think you loved G not yet anyways but I know you cared about him and goddamn deadshot comforted you more than I did. Midway City was hard as hell and I left you high and fuckin dry after it. You've been running errands for Waller, been traveling with Katana and training the squad" "So just a recap of the last few months?" you teased before he raised his eyes and you saw the actual pain there "Oh Rick, I'm kidding"

You moved to pull him into a hug and he wrapped his larger frame around you, burying his face in your shoulder. "I know June isn't used to any of the crazy shit we are. She was possessed by an ancient meta.Thats huge and hard as hell! I was just trying to help so you had more time to help her adjust" "I fuckin left you" it was muffled but you caught his words. You had to put most of your strength into it to push him back to look him in the face as you said "I'm a big girl Rick. I can handle a few weeks. You don't have to put your life on hold to still be my best friend"

You couldn't stand seeing him in any pain, especially mental. You couldn't even attempt to fix that. He raised a hand and brushed your hair back "It's always been us" you felt your heart flip at his words but knew he meant it platonically which was fine, you loved Rick in every way there was to love a man. The recent distance from him had forced you to realize that. You covered his hand with yours "Nothing will change that Rick. You loved June. It's normal to bury yourself in a new relationship, especially when your girl has trauma like she did. Now what happened"

He ducked his eyes before laughing lightly "She wanted me to quit the army, get a job in North Carolina where she's from" your heart crumbled at the idea of losing him but if that's what made him happy "Do you love the army or her more?" he shrugged "Doesn't matter because she also told me I had to cut ties with you. That was the deal breaker. You're my best friend. I'm not losing you"

-------------------

You were drawn back to the present by Rick's hand squeezing your ankle lightly. When you flicked your eyes to him he smirked "Dozing off on me already?" you grinned "Maybe? Tomorrow is a whole new type of fucked up, even for us" he nodded then lifted your legs long enough to stand up before gently placing them back on the couch "Get some sleep. I'll wake you up when my alarm goes off then we'll head to meet transport"

You watched him walk across the floor to his bedroom, he was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and nothing else but you couldn't exactly say anything considering you were wearing one of his old shirts and a pair of his boxers because you'd forgotten to pack something to sleep in from your apartment. The ink on his biceps drew your eyes when he turned to look back at you and grinned when he saw you were already looking at him "We'll get it done like we always do. Those photos just threw me off a little" you laughed lightly "They didn't look like you" he nodded "True. Goodnight Y/N" "Night Rick"

The bedroom door closed so you rolled over to face the back of the couch and hoped sleep would come soon.

You were glad you never got roped into undercover work,wrangling a team of maniacs from Belle Reeve was easy compared to this. Wardrobe had been insane to say the least. The guys had the easy part, nice tailored suits and a shave for Floyd and they were good to go. You and Harley on the other hand, the two of you had to go through literal hair and makeup. After that you'd tried on several different outfits, damn near growling at a few of the choices because the vest you normally wore on missions would've covered more. You'd even been forced to wear a different style of bra and panties than you'd packed.

Eventually the choice was made with Harley deciding on a spaghetti strap dress that was gold with a plunging neckline and heels that hurt your feet just from looking at them. Your dress for the evening was black with sleeves that skimmed your arms, hiding the scar on your shoulder from a bullet a few years back. Where the sleeves should've cut down on the sexy factor the neckline made up for it considering it dipped down to mid sternum and hugged your body in all the right places. Harley, bless her for feeding into your comfort zone as much as possible, found a pair of knee high, heeled boots that went along with the dress beautifully.

You did a little spin for her and the two agents that had been helping the two of you get prepared. "Ya look delicious babe. No way is he not taking the bait" Agent O'Rourke who was probably a year or two older than you gave you a smile before leaning down to your left boot. You were about to question what she was doing until you felt a sheath slip into your boot and hook into the side of it. When she straightened up she winked at you before saying "It's a ceramic blade, even if they wand you it won't go off" An understanding look passed between the two of you before you nodded slowly "Thank you"

She tapped the com in her ear, listening to one of the other agents before looking back to you and Harley "Let's get you two mic'd up then we'll go meet the men of your team. A driver will take you to Morrison's club for the meet"

--------------

You followed Harley and Agent O'Rourke out into the hall. Rick and Floyd were just waiting for the two of you. Your nerves were through the roof but that was normal for a mission, right? Besides, you'd feel better once Rick was at your side. You always did.

You were trying to not pick at your outfit, you stopped short when you heard the unmistakable sound of Floyd whistle. You cut your eyes up to see him and Rick standing with a few agents. He gave you and Harley both an appreciative once over before raising an eyebrow "You two out here looking like full course meals and I don't get a single damn taste...really gonna do me like that?"

You laughed, feeling the nerves fade a bit. Leave it up to your squad to cut jokes before undertaking something like this. "Easy deadshot, Harley is your girl for the night" Rick warned and for just a second you could've sworn he sounded jealous but he was probably just feeding into the personas set out. You turned your eyes towards him, trying and failing to not let your eyes linger on just how perfectly that suit hugged his shoulders. You felt a blush warm your face when he gave you a once over, his eyes following the neckline of your dress before he swallowed thickly and muttered "I fuckin hate Waller" you couldn't help the small laugh that escaped you.

He held a hand out so you took it and he pulled you into his side "Ready to do this Allison?" That was the name of your persona, the long term girlfriend to Rick's persona Jonathan Kenzie. When Waller had told you that you wouldn't just be playing arm candy but someone Rick's persona was actually supposed to be committed to you'd nearly flipped the damn table on her but it was too late to back out. "Ready as ever Jon" You replied, brushing a stray piece of hair back from his forehead.

Floyd's persona was Anthony Colton, Jon's business partner. Harley was Alexia Long, Anthony's most recent fling. You turned your attention from Rick to Harley and held your hand out "C'mon Alexia" She smiled and grabbed your hand. Rick held your gaze as he addressed the room "We get in, we get what we need then we get the hell out. Everyone goes home in one piece after we tear this mother fucker's entire enterprise down around him" Floyd slapped Rick on the shoulder and laughed "I'll be damned! You finally learned how to give a fuckin pep talk"

The heat from the club hit you the moment you stepped inside, whether it was from the heat of the lights or the amount of bodies shoved into the small space you weren't sure. You swallowed hard, without thinking your hand shot out for Rick's. He laced his fingers into yours and gently rubbed his thumb across the back of your hand. You felt the tension in your shoulders loosen at the touch. You could handle this. You'd handled a lot worse than one psycho.

Rick led your small group through the club, avoiding the overcrowded dance floor and heading for the V.I.P. section where a booth was reserved. Morrison had told "Jon" he wanted to meet in public to get a feel for each other before moving the meeting to his office. You knew the play was probably to get surveillance photos of all of you and run them to ensure you were who you said you were but considering the agencies behind you on this you were confident on that end.

---------------------

Rick's hand never left yours, even as he took a seat at the booth before pulling you down into his lap. Floyd sat across from Rick, pulling Harley down into his lap as well. The four of you were supposed to look like couples so you had to play the part because you knew from the moment you stepped into the club Morrison already had eyes on you. Harley and Floyd had no issue with falling right into flirting and even suggestively touching each other. To anyone else it looked like they were completely oblivious but you knew if you asked, Floyd could tell you what color the third person to the right of the Dj booth's shirt was and Harley could probably psychoanalyze someone from their body language where she sat with her face in the bend of Floyd's neck whispering something to him.

Rick's hand slid up into the hair at the base of your neck,nails lightly scraping your scalp and it took every ounce of self control you had to not let a soft moan escape you at the feelings that small touch evoked.He pulled you back against his chest, careful of how short your dress was before pressing his mouth to the shell of your ear and speaking barely above a whisper so the coms wouldn't pick it up "Sweetheart you've got to loosen up and act like you want me. We're supposed to have been together for eight years" You couldn't even attempt to hide the shiver that ran down your spine and he chuckled lightly. Nothing on earth would have prepared you though for Rick to gently graze his teeth across your neck right over the pulse point. "Oh fuck" you gasped, feeling heat roll through you as he shifted under you "Atta girl"

What the fuck was he doing? More importantly how the fuck was he making you fall apart with so little actions? Damn you were in the middle of a mission and those nerves you were feeling just moments before were long forgotten, replaced by the feeling of Rick's lips on your skin as he kissed the spot right behind your ear that made your legs tremble. You felt your body react to his touch even more and had to bite down on the inside of your cheek to keep from leaning into him even further.

You turned to look over your shoulder at him and he gave you the slightest of smiles before mouthing the word "Relax" about the time the feeling of eyes on you grew stronger and you had to fight the urge to not clock the bodyguard standing about four feet from where all of you sat. There were a few more posted around the club and if you were right from their formation it meant Morrison's office was behind the stage, near the very back of the building but at least it was on the base floor. You didn't feel like going out of a window wearing those boots.

You sucked in a breath of air, smoke and an abundance of different colognes and perfumes assaulted your senses but it still managed to ground you. Rick was playing a part. He was a trained soldier. This was nothing more than another mission, a different type of firefight.

---------------------

You cut your eyes over at Harley and Floyd as Floyd struck up a conversation with Rick about their "Most recent trades" Harley was comfortably wrapped around Floyd, her eyes lazily flickering around the club. When her gaze met yours they shifted to Rick then back to you before she raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"How long is the damn background on us gonna take?" You spoke low enough only they could hear you and O'Rourke's voice in your ear nearly made you jump off Rick's lap when she responded "Few more minutes. He's gone through Floyd and Harley. He's currently working on you and Rick"

A bodyguard near the stage looked toward your group so Rick slipped an arm around your waist, effectively locking you in place against him as his fingers trailed down your side "Always so damn impatient Allie. Enjoy a night out" Floyd waved a waitress down and ordered drinks when Rick gave him a nod.

"That one has always been a live wire Jon" Floyd spoke with a look towards Rick that felt a lot more loaded than it should've been. You shook your head and let a laugh fall from your lips "Easy Anthony. I've known you for how long now? I could tell Alexia some stories"

Harley perked up at the chance to play her part and honest to God giggled "Oh please do!" She looked past you to Rick "If I can manage to get you out of Jon's grasp I may have to drag you onto the dance floor with me so we get a little one on one time"

Rick looked up at you from where he was propped back against the seat with an arm up like he owned the entire place "Allie, you wanna go dance baby?" You looked towards Harley then pulled your bottom lip between your teeth for a second before nodding "Yeah" he smiled and leaned up to place a kiss on your neck, right along your jawline before saying "Go have fun baby. Just stay where I can see if any asshole tries to put his hands on you is all I ask"

That was Rick reminding you and Harley to stay where him and Floyd could back you up if need be. You nodded and placed a kiss on his neck, feeling his pulse under your lips and felt a little thrill at how much faster it was than normal "I promise love"

---------------------

Rick and Floyd watched you and Harley head to the dance floor. Rick's eyes never leave you even as the music started and Harley eased you into dancing, a broad grin on her face.

"She has you wrapped around her little finger doesn't she?" Floyd asked him and Rick was thrown off for a second because he wasn't sure if it was Floyd asking him or Anthony asking Jon or Floyd using the excuse of Anthony to be nosy and not get his head knocked off.

Rick turned his eyes back to you and couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face when you winked at him. That reaction was all Rick, no Jon required. "More than she knows" he answered without thinking and Floyd chuckled lightly.

---------------------

You were enjoying yourself actually. Harley was her usual wildness but you were used to it and her mood helped yours. The two of you had probably danced for two songs when you felt someone touch your back.

You knew Rick's touch well enough to know it wasn't him. You turned around to be face to face with Ezekiel Morrison. "Showtime" O'Rourke spoke over the coms and you could feel Rick's gaze even before you cut your eyes over at him and Floyd.

You'd seen Rick ecstatic, horrified, downright depressed and if someone had asked you before that moment you would've said you'd seen him angry but the look in his eyes made a shiver run down your spine of an entirely different kind and you knew for a fact he'd never hurt you. He looked enraged at the fact that Morrison had touched you even if that was the plan. You gave him a small smile, hoping that would calm him before turning your attention to the man in front of you.

"Excuse me?" You asked, making your voice sound as innocent as possible. Ezekiel would've been a decent looking man had you not known what he'd done. He was about an inch or two shorter than Rick, nice build and light brown hair with straight, extremely white teeth. "I'm sorry to interrupt you and your friend but I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't ask for a dance"

You forced a bashful laugh "Oh my. Well um I'm here with my boyfriend" you pointed towards Rick who had to school his features when Morrison smiled even broader "You're Mr Kenzie's significant other? My my he does have fine taste indeed. I'm sure he wouldn't mind one dance"

Yeah, you'd need four showers after this. You looked from him over to Rick, making sure to pull the whole doe eye act before nodding "You're right. One dance won't hurt"

Harley smiled "I'm gonna head over to Anthony" Morrison didn't take his eyes off you to acknowledge her. Yeah he was basically a serial killer on top of everything else and Waller had laid you on a silver platter.

You took Morrison's hand and allowed him to pull you back out onto the dance floor, focusing your mind on how Rick's touch had felt, on the teenaged girls this mother fucker trafficked, on anything but how oily his hand felt and how his eyes were glued to the flesh your dress showed "So miss..." "Allison..Allison Gore" he nodded "Allison. How did you meet Jon?"

You fed him the backstory that had been laid into place, all the while listening to O'Rourke's voice encouraging you to keep him talking. He nodded as if he was enthralled but you knew he hadn't heard a single word you said.

You felt his hand that had been on your lower back begin to slip lower as the two of you danced. You knew this was a possibility and could handle it gracefully or would've had you not heard "Goddammit Flag" over the coms right before you felt that familiar touch pulling you back against that toned chest you'd know anywhere "Mr Morrison! I see you've met my Allie"

Ezekiel winked at you "I did indeed. She's extraordinary" "stay within two feet of him Y/N. We just need three more minutes" you leaned up from Rick's embrace to lay a hand on Morrison's arm "This club is wonderful but I understand Jon and Anthony as here on business. Let's move this somewhere more private"

Morrison nodded "Mr Kenzie do you want to grab your partner and his girl. I'll gladly escort Ms Gore" you looked up into Rick's eyes and the look made your heart flip. "Jon, go get Tony and Alexia" he nodded stiffly then leaned down close to you. To anyone else, including Morrison it would look like he was kissing your neck but he whispered into your ear "If you say stop. This shit stops. Nothing matters more than you"

When he pulled back you knew your eyes were wide but you recovered fast enough "Love you too babe" then turned to Morrison and took his offered arm "Lead the way"

You swallowed hard and heard O'Rourke's voice "Two more minutes" as Morrion led you towards a darkened hallway at the far back of the club. You shifted your foot to feel the sheath in it as a comfort as you heard Rick growl across the com "Hurry the fuck up"

--------------------

Ezekiel was purposely invading your space, leaning in too close. You could smell his God awful cologne and the cigars he smoked. Rick, Floyd and Harley had yet to make it to the office but you imagined that was on purpose.

"Tell me miss Gore, are you happy with Mr Kenzie?" You nodded "Very. Jon's a good man to me" the bastard shrugged "Does he treat you like a queen? Because I could give you an empire" he put one hand on your hip and was leaning closer when you finally heard O'Rourke say "It's cloned. Teams are moving into position. When they hit the warehouses and holding units we have the all clear to take down Morrison and any guards. Hold positions. Ten minutes tops"

Where was Rick? You stepped back from Morrison "Where is Jon and Anthony?" You asked and he smirked "I wanted some alone time, ya know. Get to know each other better. They'll be here soon" "Find her now or I'll blow this whole damn op sideways" Rick's voice across the coms hit you square in the chest. He was pissed, worry evident in his tone laced with an underlying fear you'd seen in his eyes when he'd looked too close at those photos. You just hoped O'Rourke knew he meant every damn word.

"Where are they?" You asked and he smiled "Don't worry. I want their business. I'll be gentle" he brushed your hair back and spoke close enough to your neck you could feel his breath "Unless you want me to be rough"

O'Rourke and Rick's voices both drifted into your ear "Nine" "WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?"

Adrenaline flooded your system mixed with a little bit of relief. He hadn't figured out they were undercover, he still thought this was just a buyer who happened to have a girl who matched his fetish. That, you could handle"Yeah, No"

---------------------

You made a move to go around him and he tried to grab for you so you side stepped and slammed your knee into his crotch "No means no" "Fuckin bitch" he growled, hitting the floor. You stood over him and repeated yourself "Now do you want to act like a gentleman or continue to act like a neanderthal?"

He cupped his balls as he glared at you "I'll fucking kill you" "Wrong answer" you smiled, drawing back your foot and kicking him where you'd previously caught him with your knee. Harley's voice finally graced your ear "North end of the club Flag. I'll get the guards' attention. You go get our girl"

O'Rourke's voice followed "Colonel Flag, Harley we just need five minutes" "Better be a fast five minutes" Floyd's voice was clipped, he was pissed.

Morrison was beginning to recover so you backed up, crouching to slip the knife out of your boot because you had no idea what he was doing "You either give me what I want or I'll kill your man, his friend and your little whore friend while you watch"

"Those three can handle themselves," you replied with a shrug. "Three" O'Rourke's voice rang through your ears as Morrion moved to grab you again. You flipped the knife up and drove it into his left arm. You weren't trying to kill him. Not yet anyways.

He roared in pain and called you a few choice words before the door slammed open, barely hanging onto the hinges from the force and there stood Rick, anger rolling off him in waves. Morrison fell back from you "Your whore attacked me Kenzie"

Rick strode into the office and didn't say a word as he closed the space between himself and Morrison with few steps. He wrapped a hand around the other man's throat before looking over at you. You saw a few marks gracing his face that was evidence of a fight of some sort but he didn't look too injured.

Rick looked back at Morrison before snatching your blade free of his arm and putting it at his throat, the tip of the blade digging in enough you saw blood begin to trickle down Morrison's neck. "No, you're just a sorry excuse for a man that likes to put his hands places they don't belong"

The blade drove in further and you heard O'Rourke's voice "We're coming in. I repeat we're coming in. Start taking down who you can" "Rick!" You grabbed his arm and when he looked down at you his eyes trailed over your face "Did he touch you?" You shook your head "No. He tried but no"

He nodded slowly before smashing Morrison's head roughly into the wall. You watched the slimy mother fucker crumple before you heard gunfire break out and you both looked at each other "Got me a gun?" you asked with a hopeful grin.

He lifted the back of his jacket and you smiled when you realized he'd placed one where he'd have no chance of drawing it but it was the perfect position for you. "I knew you loved me" "More than you know" he muttered so low you barely heard him before pulling his own gun. You didn't have time to ask what he meant, the two of you taking one final look at each other before joining the mayhem in the remainder of the club.

Both yours and Harley's dresses had somehow gotten ripped in the fighting. The material wasn't exactly made to hold up to the two of you so the plane ride home consisted of the two of you wearing FBI sweatpants and the guys' suit jackets. You laughed from where you sat across from Floyd and he raised an eyebrow at you "Y/N? You finally flip your shit? I knew hanging out with Flag was gonna get to you"

You looked towards the front of the plane where Rick had been on the line with Waller since all of you had stepped on board "Naw, he's not that bad once you get past that wall he puts up" Floyd shook his head "You two and your puppy eyes are kinda sickening" Harley slapped his shoulder "Shut up! I think it's cute"

You looked from one to the other "What?" They exchanged a glance before Floyd said "Dollface, you nearly melted into a puddle in that man's lap from him doing very little" "Plus he looks at you like you hung the fuckin moon" Harley added. Floyd nodded then shrugged "Not to mention the entire reason they sent everyone in early is because he told em that was their only option if they wanted Morrison alive"

You looked back towards Rick, he had his back turned to you. You could tell from the set of his shoulders he was arguing with Waller. He glanced over his shoulder after a second as if he could feel your gaze and when he did his entire body seemed to relax when he looked at you. You smiled at him and he smiled in return before turning back to whatever Waller was saying "See?" Harley and Floyd spoke in unison.

You shook your head "Get some sleep. You two earned your walking papers with this one, I hope this is the last mission I work with either of you" they both grinned at you "You'll miss us" Floyd teased so you nodded "Yeah but I'll be glad to see you go home to your little girl" then looked at Harley "and you better stay out of trouble" She winked at you "I'll try"

You followed Rick out of Belle Reeve into the parking lot where both your car and his pickup were parked. He'd been silent the ride back and during the group debrief besides when asked a direct question but then Waller had asked to speak to him alone. You'd gone to the warden's office to finish up Harley and Floyd's paperwork while you waited on him. You'd changed into one of his extra shirts he kept in his office so it was a bit more comfortable than the suit jacket considering you were still wearing the boots. Hell you were considering seeing if Rick had any extra shoes stored anywhere even if they'd be too big.

He stopped when you got to your car and dug his truck keys out of his pocket before looking at you "Um..can I come over?" "Movie night?" you asked and he started to nod then stopped "No, not movie night. I want to talk to you but not here when I know every damn thing is gonna run back to that bitch" your eyes widened at his words but you nodded nonetheless "Ok"

--------------------------

You stepped out of the shower and heard your front door open. It had to be Rick because outside of him only your brother had a key and he was currently states away. You'd ended up pulling one of his old shirts he'd left at your place out to sleep in and considering how long it was on you, nothing else but panties. He'd seen you in less when you'd been hurt.

You walked out of your bedroom into the living room and he was sitting on the couch with his head back and looked half asleep, from the looks of it he'd showered at his place when he'd grabbed his forgotten overnight bag. He was now wearing black sweatpants and a white t-shirt, his shoes were by the front door where he'd kicked them off time he walked in. You smiled when you realized he had locked all three locks behind himself. "Well that was insane" you spoke and his head shot up at your voice, a lazy smile slipping onto his face "Yeah, thats a word for it"

He patted the cushion next to him "C'mere" any time he was tired his accent slipped out so much thicker. You loved it. You walked over and sat down next to him, curling your feet underneath you so you could lean your head over on his shoulder "How pissed was Waller?" he shrugged "You and the team are in the clear. I think a part of her enjoys being right about having something to hold over my head" He slipped his arm around your shoulders as he spoke, head dipping down so he could place a kiss on top of your head "What does she have?" you asked, praying you were right but refusing to say it outloud.

He laughed lightly "You're gonna make me throw every damn card I got on the table, ain't ya?" You leaned up off his shoulder so you could look into his eyes "Yeah. I want to know what's going on in that head of yours. You know it's always been us and always will be but I need to know just what you mean" he leaned forward until his forehead was touching yours and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before saying "She knows I'm in love with my best friend and that I have been for a very long time" you gently cupped his jaw and waited until he slowly opened his eyes. He looked so damn uncertain. Where was that man that had you falling apart in Morrison's club just hours before? Was it that much easier when it was under the facade of a mission?

"Please say something," he nearly begged. you let your hand caress down his jaw, trying to collect your nerve before finally leaning in to let your lips connect to his. The kiss was gentle, hell chaste even but it lit a fire in you as you pulled back to look at him. a smile slipped onto his face "Please do that again" a laugh fell from you "Rick Flag, you had me squirming in the middle of a club! I think you're more than capable of taking control of a situation" "Do you want this? Want me?" he asked, reaching for your hand and placing it over his heart where you could feel it thundering even through his shirt. You rolled the soft material through your fingertips before nodding "For a very long time"

"C'mere" he repeated, pulling you across the couch. You gladly let him pick you up and put you in his lap, slipping your legs down on either side of his hips to be effectively straddling him "First time you've not complained about me picking you up" You shrugged "I like how big you are when I'm the one getting to take advantage of it" he smirked at your words "Darlin, I just ask two things of you" he dipped his head down to let his teeth tease across your pulse like he'd done earlier and you tried to muffle the moan that it caused by biting your lip but he moved one hand up, cupping the side of your head and using his thumb to gently coax your lip out from between your teeth "Tell me if you don't like something and don't try to be quiet baby. Please let me have every little sound I can pull from you because I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure you forget any man that was in your bed before me"

You nodded, unable to form words at the moment but he shook his head "Use your words sweetheart" "I will Rick, please just fuckin touch me" he raised an eyebrow and looked down to where his hands were touching your hips "I am touching you baby" "Rick!" you pratically whined and was rewarded with the rumble of his laughter when you tugged at his shirt. "Ok ok" he teased before pulling his shirt off and tossing it next to him on the couch "That what you wanted?" he asked and you answered him by letting your hands and lips trace the familiar scars that decorated his chest, the muscles shifting under your touch as little groans escaped him.

When your lips moved from his chest up to his neck his head fell back against the couch "Damn sweetheart that feels good" you moved across his neck, kissing and biting the smooth skin there. His hips jutted up against yours when you hit a certain spot and you gasped feeling how hard he was, fuck you'd always figured Rick was well endowed. Boxers and sweatpants didn't hide much but feeling it rubbing against your core with only thin layers of material separating it was an entirely different feeling.

Your lips found that spot again, rolling your hips against his as you sucked a dark mark over it. His grip on your hips tightened as he swore under his breath "That's it darlin. Mark me. Let everyone know I'm yours" you whimpered into his skin at his words. He slipped a hand between your body and you broke away from his skin to gasp when his fingers made the first swipe across your clothed center, the material not offering much of a barrier given that they were soaked.

"Fuck, you're soaking wet honey..that for me?" he teased, pushing your panties to the side and allowing one thick finger to tease past your folds before finally pushing it inside of you, grunting when he felt how your pussy squeezed just one of his fingers "Oh sweetheart" he curled his finger up, finding that spot inside of you that had you gripping his shoulders. "It's ok, I got ya" he kissed the side of your head as he added a second finger. "Fuck..Rick" he used his thumb to work your clit as his lips found your neck attacking the spots that had you shaking in his touch as he worked you towards an orgasm.

You felt that pressure building a half second before that wave crashed over you "Oh god" you moaned, burying your face in his neck as he used his fingers to work you through the orgasm. When your walls stopped tremoring around his fingers, he slowly pulled them out of you. When you lifted your head he winked at you before sucking his fingers into his mouth, humming in contentment at your taste "I need more than a tease of a taste" he spoke before moving you off his lap to lay you back across the couch.His hands went to the shirt you wore, eyes flickering to yours "Can I take this off?" you nodded then remembered he wanted more "Please"

He grinned, slipping the shirt off of you then tossed it "Fuck, look at you" he started at your panty line and left a trail of open mouthed kisses up your body until he got to your breasts. He rolled one nipple into his mouth and your back arched up when he let his teeth just barely graze the sensitive bud. "Fuck, just like that..feels so good" you praised and felt him grin against your flesh.

He moved to the other side giving it the same attention before moving up to catch your lips in a wet kiss that had you both gasping for air when you pulled away. "So damn gorgeous" he praised before moving back down your body leaving wet kisses everywhere he could reach. When he got to the top of your panties he looked up to meet your eyes, the request silent. "Please" you whispered and god the look he gave you in that moment damn near made you come undone "I fucking love you"

He slipped your panties down off your legs and tossed them before tapping your hips "Spread your legs for me beautiful. Let me love ya" you did as he asked and felt the first tentative flick of his tongue which had your eyes rolling back in your head. Your fingers buried themselves in his hair as he dove in like a starved man offered a four course meal. Your hips rocked against his face as he worked you closer and closer to that edge and when he slipped two fingers in to tease at that spot deep inside of you while barely letting his teeth graze against your clit your back arched off the couch and you came with a scream of his name on your lips.

Once you weakly pushed at his head from being oversensitive he started to kiss his way up your body, marking every inch of skin he could with his mouth along the way. When he got to your mouth he pulled you into a passionate kiss, rolling his tongue against yours, allowing you to taste yourself on him. Your hands were locked around his neck, holding him to you "Rick, I want to return the favor, I want to do so much but right now I need you inside me" you begged.

He kissed the tip of your nose before saying "It's ok baby" he leaned up far enough to slip his sweatpants off and kick them away. You felt the head of his cock teasing at your entrance and you felt yourself clench even before he started slowly easing in. When a loud gasp ripped from you he froze "Did I hurt you?" you shook your head "You feel so fucking amazing Rick, never been filled up so much"

He leaned his head over against your chest, kissing the few scars you also had before sliding the rest of the way into you until his hips rested against yours "So fuckin warm and tight and fuckin perfect" he groaned as he gave a tentaive thrust and when you responded by hooking your legs around his waist he lifted his head up to look at you "You're gonna be the death of me..but what a way to go"

---------------------

Your fingers dug into Rick's shoulders as his dug into your hips. Both of you desperate to pull each other closer as both of your highs drew near. He moved to kiss you but you could barely get your mouth to meet his from how fuckin amazing he had you feelin which resulted in you gasping into his mouth "So damn close Rick...fuck I love you" his hips faltered slightly at your words before regaining his pace, pushing you both towards as orgasm.

When he moved his fingers down to rub tight circles onto your clit your eyes tried to close but he spoke with his mouth right next to your ear "Open those eyes darlin. I wanna see you come apart" you opened your eyes and his hazel ones were inches from yours. You pulled him into a kiss just as your orgasm washed over you and when your walls clenched down hard around him it pulled him over the edge with you, he groaned loudly as you felt him coat your insides.

"Fuck that was amazing" you cursed and he looked down at you and smirked "Just what I was thinking" before placing a gentle kiss on your lips. When he pulled out of you,a small gasp left you so he apologized before asking "Wanna get another shower?" you raised an eyebrow "You carryin me Flag? Cause my legs are kinda jello after that" he couldn't have looked more proud of himself if he tried in that moment.

You laid across Rick's chest, one leg throw over his waist as his fingers traced imaginary patterns on your bare thigh "Did you mean what you said or was it an in the moment thing?" he asked and you were confused for a second then realized what he meant and shook your head "Rick, I've been in love with you for longer than I care to admit but I wasn't losing my best friend because of it"

He nodded slowly before using his other hand to tilt your head up to him "You'd never lose me and now you damn sure won't" you felt a blush warm your face. "Rick Flag, I'm yours. You don't have to keep being such a sweet talker" he laughed before shaking his head "Damn right you're mine and I'm yours but I will sweet talk you until the day they put me in the ground darlin" you laughed lightly "Lets get some sleep" he somehow managed to pull you closer before saying "I think I like sleeping in your bed even better than the couch" you grinned up at him "Good, cause tomorrow night we need to break in your place" "Yes ma'am"

@spaghettificationandpretzels

[starlightshore]

i want to get into the winning hats au, but i guess im wondering if like... the consequences of siffrin being dead will ever be properly addressed. i feel so bad for him :( its really tragic but id be able to muster the tragedy if there was some form of eventual closure on that front

Oh, yeah, they're heavily involved in the narrative as a ghost. They act as the Deuteragonist and co-narrator (as they speak in these parenthesis). They're dead, they don't get to live out their happy ending, BUT they're an observer and (to a yet unknown degree) a participant.

Siffrin's feelings as a ghost have changed throughout the narrative, just as Loop's guilt has. Initially Loop had to rationalize the guilt with "actually Siffrin SUCKED and I WON so it's fine, actually" but that relatively quickly changed to "never mind, I suck ass too, this isn't working, let's pretend this never happened ^^ 🔪" except they can't undo this killing, they're both stuck in this reality.

Siffrin gives the blessing for Loop to live on, even though they still have major mixed feelings on everything. They're mostly supportive, but when upset, they can jump to strangling Loop at the drop of a hat. It seems Siffrin wants Loop to replace them because, hey, someone has to be "Siffrin" for the party. Siffrin forfeit the 2hats fight because they didn't want to kill Loop. They sincerely want both of them to live, and if that's impossible, they want Loop to be the victor. (Likely viewing themselves inferior because they're the "clone" and because they're the one of the two who blew up at the party in the last loop.)

It's a complicated mess between the two, but while Siffrin lost their agency and body, they still haunt the Loop figuratively and literally. The most recent development is that both of them (briefly) managed to cohabitate the body as one person. The largest question of the story now is "will the two become one person?" or will it be "is Loop going to self-destruct and bring them both down in the end?"

I want the upcoming conflict between them is to explore Siffrin's loss and how they feel about it. As Loop finally reaches the Happy Ending properly (they've been looping and waiting so far) this will be when it hits Siffrin what they've lost. That resentment has been buried under concern for Loop, but now that they're ""happy"" that won't matter anymore.

[omegas-reincarnation]

Okay its time for ya'll to hear my "Anakin/Vader is unintentionally giving droids souls" theory.

From watching the main star wars movies alone - if you just watched the prequels, rogue one, ot and sequels - you would 100% think that this is supposed to depict a society that has developed true AI, and C3P0, R2D2, K2SO and BB8 are fully concious beings with genuine agency over the decisons they make. But then you get more into the expanded universe stuff and clone wars and you find people believe droids aren't fundamentally different to our own AI, ie they are more advanced but they are still just mimicking conciousness and aren't really aware, sentient beings.

So what's going on? Well, the droids that seem to defy that rule are all ones either canonically worked on by Anakin, or ex-imperial droids like K2SO or BB8 that its entirely plausible he had a hand in building.

So here's my theory. Most droids in the star wars universe are just unusually smart, peripatetic computers. But Anakin Skywalker/Vader, the literal incarnation of the creative life force of the universe, is unintentionally, subconsciously imbuing souls into the droids he creates or repairs.

So in the clone wars ep where Ahsoka is like "Anakin why are you getting so worked up about losing R2D2, it's just a computer on wheels" and he replies "what are you talking about that's a whole ass person and I'm going to rescue him" (dialogue paraphrased), she wouldn't usually be wrong, but in this case, Anakin is completely correct. That tin can is sassing you because space Jesus created life on accident.

[looptroupe]

Sometimes I think about how Zenigata gave up his entire life for Lupin and I feel so full of every nameless emotion. Like… that is such pure love to me.

Imagine living a life where you’re respected by your peers and good at your job and every day when you go to the store the man at the counter knows you not because you’re on tv but because you’re a stand-up guy and a pillar in your local community, and then one day you realise you could have everything and nothing every day forever INSTEAD of a guaranteed regular adequacy all the time and you go, “that works,” because it means that you get to lay eyes on someone you hate to your core and love to your core and feeling everything is better to you than feeling just a little.

I wonder if Zeni lost himself a little in that transition, and how much he ‘found’ once it evened out. I wonder if he’s closer to two selves than one, now. The person he was before Lupin is so disconnected from who he is with Lupin to me. I’m not sure I could pinpoint which one is his ‘true’ self tbh. Also like.

Do you think in the same way Zenigata lost himself— his old self— when he found Lupin, Lupin found himself when he found Zenigata? Because I figure that kind of thing must click into place when, as someone who has spent their entire life feeling like a clone of those before you, suddenly you have a driving force that is all your own. You have a person who never went after your father or your grandfather, you have someone who hears your name and thinks of you and not them and it’s like. Wow I finally have the agency I’ve been craving.

Is that love? I think this is love. Maybe this is what they mean when they talk about how a relationship requires give and take. Sigh.

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 1D, MATCH 1 OUT OF 16!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Dimension 20:

Knight in invisible glass armor who turned the heel of her slipper into a spear and impaled the Fairy Grandmother with it to escape her false happy ending. Part of a team of princesses who want to destroy the entire fairy tale world to spare themselves and everyone else from eternally suffering. Gives weirdly good life advice.

A badass warrior in glass armor who stabs her fairy godmother with the heel of her glass slipper

Neverafter sweep!!!! Also, she is cool. Wears glass armor, tried to kill her fairy godmother with a spear, also tried to kill her stepmother.

She wears armour of glass and fights against a prewritten destiny

This Cinderella's story takes place in a world where all the fairytale characters exist but their stories have all gone wrong. It's a horror Dnd campaign, and there's also a multivariate concept where if people die, they're basically just reborn in a worse version of the story. Cinderella here is an NPC and is part of a faction called the Daughters of the Crown, which is a group of rebel nialaistic princesses who want to destroy the Neverafter to be free. She stabbed her fairy godmother in the chest with a glass shard from her shoe and she's a crazy powerful fighter. She wears full plate armor made of reflective glass so that she's essentially invisible when standing still. She's super badass but still is caring and funny. In the final battle when the PCs are fighting the Daughters of the Crown and other bad guys, she turns to their side after the other princesses are defeated and other giant villains come in, including her step mother, who became an eldritch horror. She stabs her stepmother through the heart with a shard of glass after dismissing the stepmother statement that she hurt her because it was destiny, saying that it doesn't matter if it was free will or destiny, she didn't like it. TLDR: She's a badass black woman/princess/knight

This woman has been through so much Shit. She has to go through the usual suffering of Cinderella (dead parents, abusive step-family) and then find out her entire life is a lie, just a story where she has no agency over her life? Her suffering is for someone else's amusement? So she's doing bad. Her stepmother also tries to destroy the ENTIRE universe after snapping. And okay. Maybeeee Cinderella tried to kill some people (mainly the campaign's party) but after she lost everything I can't help but feel a little bad for her. Thank you for your time.

shes ANGRY shes a WARRIOR she has GLASS ARMOR THAT SHE NEVER TAKES OFF she’s trying to END THE WORLD AND KILL EVERYONE she’s EVERYTHING to me

Once Upon a Time (in Space):

She spent decades searching every moon and planet trying to find her wife (Rose), who was kidnapped on their wedding day. Eventually, she found Rose, and they embraced, only for Rose to die in Cinder's arms. And so Cinder killed the king who had kidnapped Rose by punching through his chest and into his heart.

And then Cinder got a somewhat happy ending, in which she met Rose's clone who had Rose's memories.

What if Cinderella was a Sci-Fi lesbian? Well here she is. She has a whole love song about searching the stars for her girlfriend after their wedding was interrupted and she was taken away. She spends years searching only to when she finally finds and embraces her watch her be shot. Cinders is so devastated by this that she plunges her wedding ring into the heart of the man who shot her love killing him.

Lesbian space princess who elopes with the terrifying soldier who was previously conquering her planet and spends decades searching for her when they're separated. Listen to her song https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6w9V-gMgBF4

I think the way she punches the evil king through the heart as revenge for her wife is pretty neat.

She’s a revolutionary married to a woman, what’s not to love? From Cinders’ Song: “ When I was a little girl, my mother always told me / "Someday your prince will come, my love" / But as I grew, I knew it was a princess who would hold me”.

her girlfriend got cloned and most of said clones were brutally slaughtered in war and she searched for her girlfriend all throughout the galaxy and when they were finally reunited on the battlefield her girlfriend died. and a clone of her girlfriend who due to technical errors retained her memories, so does that count as the same girlfriend? theseus's girlfriend? anyway vote for cinders she's been through hell

Lesbian!! Has to search for her lost love Rose with her glass wedding ring that changes color when its near its partner!! Gets to embrace Rose once again for one final moment before the villain kills Rose right in front of her!! So Cinders kills him in return!! And she's left as (almost) the only surviving main character from her own album but!! She is eventually reunited with a clone of Rose, and while they cannot have a truly 'happy ever after' together they are the ones graced with the closest thing to it

SPACE LESBIANS (she's in love with Rose Red, who gets kidnapped on their wedding day and Cinders searches the galaxy to find her, waiting for her white ring to turn crimson, indicating that its twin was near) She took her name from the ashes of her burning planet <3 She also killed Old King Cole >:)

shes a tragic lesbian and killed a violent dictator shes literally the best

shes gay shes traumatized she dates both rose red and sleeping beauty. badass space wanderer looking for her wife

Her wife Rose gets kidnapped on their wedding day and Cinders spend the next thirty years looking for her. She finds her (:D) and then Rose dies (D:) and then Cinders kills the guy who killed Rose (girlboss).

shes a lesbian. she lost her wife, Rose (yes, as in sleeping beauty) the day they got married bc she was kidnapped. she spent 20 YEARS looking for her. as soon as she found her wife, Rose DIED IN HER ARMS. Cinders has gone through Too Much to lose this poll

(Her info from the wiki) the Princess of a planet burnt by King Cole's army, after it is ceded by her stepmother. She is imprisoned, meets Rose and plans to marry her. She is released by her godmother for the wedding, then flees when the attack happens, spending thirty years looking for Rose. Her half of the wedding ring will light up when she finds Rose.

"When I was a little girl, my mother always told me 'Someday your prince will come, my love' But as I grew, I knew it was a princess who would hold me I looked to the stars for you, my love" She's lesbian Cinderella IN SPACE. She fell in love with her wife in prison and they ran away to have a secret marriage but the empire kidnapped Rose on their wedding night and Cinders had to leave her behind. She searches for Rose for decades with the glass ring that guides her to its twin on her wife's finger. She finally reunites with her love after Rose rips three supersoldiers to pieces with her bare hands (hot) but then then the evil king kills Rose so Cinders fucking punches through his heart. And then a clone of Rose (who is also lesbian Sleeping Beauty IN SPACE) finds her cradling her wife's body and they have a happy reunion(?) and maybe they didn't have a happy ending BUT WHAT IF THEY HAD EACH OTHER? HUH? AAAAAH

she’s everything. she’s a princess from a long since conquered planet. she was imprisoned to make a statement of the brutal reign of old king cole. she met her wife while she was in prison, a beautiful brutal soldier covered in scars from battles. cinders and rose fell in love, so cinders’ godmother in white broke her out of jail so rose and cinders could be together. they were going to be married, except that OLD KING COLE intervened and kidnapped rose to make her the genetic base of his unholy army. so cinders spends THIRTY YEARS searching the galaxies for her love (and sings a really cool song about it called “Cinders’ Song”) until finally she arrives during the final battle just in time to see old king cole SHOOT ROSE DEAD. so cinders punches the king so hard (with her wedding ring) that he just Crumples Into Dust. the end! (no we do not talk about the fiction.)

lesbian, for one, and for two i don't really care i just think it'd be cool if she got in/if she made it past the first round

[hoyotournament]

FINALS!!! Furina vs Kiana Kaslana

(Propaganda under the cut)

Furina:

the girl who saved fontaine. condemned herself to a life of silent pain and suffering without any warning or preparation. she could confide in no one, seek out help from no one, all while bearing the weight of her entire nation on her shoulders. not only did her willpower save everyone in fontaine, but after the prophecy was averted, she was finally allowed to live a normal life.

Kiana Kaslana:

TLDR: she's kiana kaslana what do you MEAN!!!! kiana is a beautifully written character who fully encapsulates what hi3 is about and she's so full of love and guilt and (most importantly) hope. she's a clone who struggles with her own identity/inhumanity and traumas extending from when she was a young child and her guilt but is so so resilient and so so so so compassionate which ultimately reinforces her humanity :)

kiana's character IS the honkai impact thesis statement. i don't even mean it as in she's the literal main character and face of honkai i genuinely mean it when i say she just IS honkai impact. she reflects every single theme that they portray [hope over nihilism (chapter 25 || the flame chasers and just. the previous era in general), having agency over your identity and your own story (himeko, her being k423 and being so linked to sirin, everlasting flames || the kaslana household name honestly, bronya, fu hua, mei, sirin), believing in the humanity's inherent worth (chapter 25, arc city || elysia <- important since as a current era herrscher, she is a successor to elysia AND as kiana kaslana, she is a narrative parallel of elysia), having faith in the youth (himeko, kevin || the other flame chasers! notably su), etc.] her character being so reflective is also sooooo OUGH to think about when you view it as a reflection of honkai's 50,000 year samsara because kiana is a representation of these themes coming full circle (especially since many of these stretch back to the previous era and elysia).

SHE FEELS SO MUCH. she's so full of love and guilt. she clearly prioritizes others over herself and part of her arc is her learning to value and love herself as well!!! she would give herself for the world ten times over because she holds so much affection for humanity!! (WHILE FEELING DEHUMANIZED BECAUSE OF HER IDENTITY AS BOTH A HERRSCHER AND K423) and it's actively apart of her character's growth :'')

dear god her growth… okok. so i think first you have to understand that a lot of kiana's growth obviously coincides w general maturity as she grows from a teenager to a young adult. but aside from that i think people often forget that younger kiana is incredibly self sufficient since her father literally left her with little to no explanation when she was like. what 8? the insecurity she feels at that! the anger she has to navigate while also balancing it with her own feelings of missing and loving him. basically: kiana has struggled a lot w instability and is thus kinda good at navigating it. ex: she isnt shaken by nagazora and literally tries again and again and again to save mei and convince mei to let her help. the thing is this fucks w her a bit though because a big thing that she does as a means to cope w instability is avoiding them (not reflective of real life of course, but in the fictional hi3 this is partially represented in kiana's repressed memories about her actual origins as k423). she can not stand the realization that she killed himeko that she's so deep in denial and doesnt truly realize it until more than 10 chapters after himeko dies! she's so horrified with her being a herrscher she actively tries to not use her powers out of fear, even when it puts her in harms way (the chapter XI-EX CG!!!!!! her literally trying to kill herself!!) she literally runs away from her friends and loved ones because she's so scared of hurting them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! which is why her promise to himeko to not run away is so important!! because it addresses one of kiana's biggest flaws!!!!! this is especially important bc her refusal to continue her avoidance feeds into her arc during the herrscher of dominion chapters where she both faces her own guilt/identity and deliberately chooses perseverance and hope over nihilism!! she is hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rottenpumpkin13]

Rufus gives the Turks his credit card for the day (despite them being the most well paid out of all the Shinra employees), what are they buying?

Reno: Should not be trusted with infinite gil, nor does he know what to do with it, so he buys a horse.

Tseng: Buys himself a three-month stay at a resort and rents a "replacement Tseng" for Rufus while he's away. The replacement is just a guy from a rent-a-boyfriend agency that Tseng pays to wear a suit, but shhh Rufus doesn't need to know that.

Rude: Takes out 20 billion gil and flees the continent. He has to be tracked down by the entire investigation sector.

Elena: Buys a diamond-encrusted gun and pays Reno to be silent for week.

Nunchaku: Rents out the theater in sector 8 and puts on an entire stage production about his life.

Cissnei: Clones the credit card so that she may continue to enjoy it after the day is over.

Reno, after he realizes that buying a horse was a mistake: Pays for the damages the horse caused to the building.

[transhawks]

Top Ten Hawks Moments of 2023

For Keigo's Birthday and for the end of this year, I have decided to make my top ten Hawks moments for all the chapters published this year.

10. "Hawks" gets torn into shreds by AFO

we had a lot of near-deaths for Hawks this year, but I think this was the most memorable as it happened, giving a very needed burst of humor to the AFO vs Hawks and the Heroes fight. Tokoyami's reaction was particularity heartbreaking.

9. Whatever Level of Gay was Achieved Here

This entire chapter was framed in a way that constantly put Hawks and AFO contrasting and melding and there are panels where their thoughts connect. I thought it was a very good way for Hori to make their dynamic fighting each other stand out. Also, the fight was ridiculously homoerotic.

8. Hawks Reminds Us It's About Connections, Stupid.

A theme for the post-Jaku part of this manga has always been heroes needing to bridge that gap and see if they can connect with the villains. It's interesting that Hawks has been the canon mouthpiece among the adults for that view when he so utterly failed his own narrative-assigned connection. I know there was so much pushback in this moment because Keigo again thought of Endeavor, but it stood out to me in repeating this allegory of OFA linking everyone as the solution to the conflict in the first place.

7. Realizing They All Have the Power to Make Their Own Narrative

Against a villain like One For All who wants to believe he's in his own light-novel, Keigo's own issues distinguishing reality and fantasies managed to settle down. He's always resigned himself to being a caged bird and a martyr, so being pitted against a villain so into life being a foregone conclusion helped Keigo remember they all have more agency than they give them credit for.

6. I think all of Keigo's Rizz was in Fierce Wings

Seriously, this is his normal fake hero persona on STEROIDS? It's fascinating how naturally this stuff comes to him. Like damn, he even has his tongue out, mocking All For One as he gets hoisted by his own petard, and has an arm around a vestige lady who looks suspiciously like All For One's mom, which I am accepting as canon until told otherwise. Say what you want about Hawks, for all his failures and paradoxes, the dude has serious BDE. I'd rate this higher but he had a lot of good moments.

5. Nothing beside remains, round the decay

Probably one of the most striking panels this year, seeing a defeated, quirkless Keigo struggle to get up and meet the horde of encroaching Toga-Twice clones, holding the last remaining feather in a landscape of complete destruction made me think heavily of the Ozymandias poem. Keigo, who has always represented the hero system with his whole diamond-insignia carrying chest, seeing all the consequences of his actions and the futility of his actions in stopping the very future he'd allowed himself to commit murder to prevent. I wonder if it struck him how little it all meant as he faced his "presumed" doom.

4. Farewell, Fierce Wings!

we bid goodbye to the quirk that continued to fight even as it was stolen into the eldritchian amalgamation that is All For One! The look in the vestige's face is so resigned and bitter-sweet as he decays away. Keigo isn't his quirk, but it's remarkable how willing to face death both of them are.

3. What he really wants

The interesting thing is the narration implies that either Keigo was telling Naomasa that the aging made AFO stronger as the battle happened, or still had enough control over his emotional state after being left in the dirt to tell him what he observed. The latter is, well, not that surprising when it comes to Keigo, who won't let being quirkless or maimed or delimbed get in the way of being at his job, but that's not what Hori shows us.

No, Hori doesn't show us Keigo standing up or sitting up, no he shows us a Keigo clinging to Tokoyami, a complete break in the many masks he wears to show actual devastation and need for comfort.

There's no Keigo pretending he's okay. There's just one panel showing us a young man embracing his unconscious student after probably one of the most horrific experiences in his life. Keigo, who has been mentioned to be a person who puts so much distance himself and other people, is the one the one clinging to Fumikage.

2. He really was, wasn't he?

As the Twice clones disappear, we see a melting Toga-Twice on the brink of killing Keigo, who makes no move to stop her as she slices him open. No, he seems almost penitent as he accepts death, only pausing to tell her he knows why she's killing him. Make no mistake, the moment he saw Twice back, he knew what this was all about; killing Jin. In this moment, he doesn't hold himself back with saying killing Jin was necessary - the future Jin's murder was meant to prevent came about anyway, no, this is just Keigo being honest that he really liked Jin, anyway. This panel might show the first real regret we've gotten from him, which is likely why he was so open about not fighting back. Because Keigo knows that he does "deserve" this.

1. Haven’t you already done your best, Hawks?

Chapter 185, this panel introduces us to Hawks.

Two hundred chapters later and we finally see Hawks, for all intents and purposes, resoundingly defeated. His quirk is gone. The army he had as back up, defeated. His student lying defenseless beside him. His hero-partner having left to fight his own battles.

And yet, despite it all, despite losing his quirk, despite every sign of failure around him, especially as he now has to reckon with his own moral event horizon, Keigo's capable of saying one thing:

[ziggyyyystardust]

I’m sorry but I hate the way people completely disregard the fact that Luke is a Jedi, like he’s literally the og Jedi?? I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how much “better” his new Jedi order would’ve been because he would’ve removed the attachment rules or whatever, and I think that that type of characterisation really disregards the essence of Luke’s character and what he stood for. People seem to cite him bringing his father back from the dark and being close with Leia but that doesn’t mean he’s attached to them in the way Jedi view attachment, he cared about his father because Luke is a caring person and wanted to help him, acting as if it’s only because Vaders his dad really disregards a lot of the character development Luke went through from a new hope till return of the Jedi.

Also it seems really odd to ignore it as he 1: shows a genuine want to become a Jedi and all that being a Jedi involves 2: (mainly rotj) cares what Yoda and Obi-Wan have to say and the advice they give him 3: says word for word “I am a Jedi” sure he may not have the training of a Jedi but it’s pretty clear that he really does care.

On a similar note - I’ve seen people talk about it but people also tend to disregard the fact that Luke was part of the rebellion?? It’s treated like “oh silly sunshine boy just wants to fly ships he doesn’t know what politics are🥰🥰” it completely infantilises his entire character, his beliefs and what he cares about. We see in ANH that he has interest in the rebellion, knows of the clone wars and vaguely of the Jedi, and in the deleted scene with Biggs they both talk about defecting to the rebellion and fighting against the empire. These scenes clearly show his political beliefs and how he was against the empire even before they killed his Aunt and Uncle. It does him a disservice to ignore who he is as a person and to treat him as if he’s just a child who likes ships, it removes any sense of agency or conviction when he’s treated that way

Point is I wish more people would treat him like a mature adult who is capable of making his own choices and is an actual Jedi who follows the code.

[dianaburnwood]

THE SPLITTER

SPOILERS AHEAD -

Is this the best elusive target we've ever had???? The LORE on this one? Also very interested in the timeline as 47 and Diana are still working for the ICA in this contract, they're not freelance.

I feel like I have been awakened from Hitman hibernation to freak out over the implications of Valiant and Hei's work on the Romanian programme.

First of all, we have Max Valiant - Jean-Claude Van Damme helloooo - who is a disgruntled ex-ICA agent. The best they had, before 47. Assassinated by his own agency for playing both sides, but Valiant lived, and now has a major bone to pick with the ICA. His master plan is pretty brilliant - giving him the opportunity to take over from his old employer or become their greatest competition - all by creating his own version of Ort-Meyer's work.

This is where my jaw DROPPED.

Valiant has created his own clones. However, they aren't clones like 47, who was born as a baby and raised to adulthood. Valiant, like Ort-Meyer, wanted a way to accelerate the process and have clones who were completely obedient. His clones are grown in tanks to accelerated adulthood - just like Ort-Meyer's 48 series. But in them we see the same flaws. While these clones are excellent, they are inexperienced. Everything they do is mechanically perfect, but it lacks the critical thought that an actual adult has.

Due to this, Valiant's clones are like children. They ask if they've done well, they seek his praise. It's kind of heart-breaking. He pushes them to their physical limits and they do it without question. They are "perfect" and yet lack everything that makes 47 so calculating. They are, in all honesty, innocent.

And so 47 has to take them out. And oh. my. God.

Dressed as a guard he takes over from the one supervising the shooting range. The guard happily tells him he can have the freaks, to which 47 responds with venom: "Think you're the freak."

Because of course. Watching people create clones could not be closer to home for 47. He hates this in as much as he has the emotional capacity for hatred. This makes him as uncomfortable as he can get.

We also get a glimpse of when things go wrong on his project. We have one of the clones in a padded cell, dancing to himself. He is unaware of everything around him. He is childlike in his happiness. And 47 kills him.

The researchers thank 47 for taking him out, saying they couldn't bring themselves to do it. They ask him how he did it with such ease. And 47 responds: "You get numb after a while."

Oh my God????? We rarely get to explore how 47 feels about what he does, because even though there are so many hints throughout the series, he doesn't actually talk about it himself all that much. And numb is such an interesting word choice. Because numb is not indifferent. When you're numb to something, the feelings are still there, but you can't access them. You know they are there, but you are removed from it. Either through shock, or desensitisation, or your brain is protecting you or whatever - you are deprived from the feeling. We've heard from Diana before that 47 knows he is broken and tries to be whole. Here we are getting this from himself, he is numb to what he does. And "after a while" - ahhhhhh???? Now that he has his memory back after Grey, he remembers what it was like to feel and to care. He remembers how he was. He is numb now, but he knows he was not always this way. I'm crying????

Walking into the room with the tanks reminded me so much of Hitman: Contracts when we get that replay of the asylum. All these new clones, grown in tanks instead of raised. I felt sorry for them then, but Valiant's clones have given me an even greater perspective on how these men are essentially children. It's so sad.

Pritchard's open disgust for the whole thing - but also his admitted awe - is another interesting angle for the ICA. I didn't realise before that Pritchard is the ICA's CFO. The board was not aware of what Travis was doing with Victoria in Absolution, and it seems to still be the case that they wish to be "ethical" with their assassination business. But given the cost and the time, I can't imagine that someone on the ICA board wouldn't see the value in what Valiant was doing. And we never find out what the board's answer would have been to Pritchard as he sat on the phone with them during this mission.

Also interesting to me that Hei was not a target. Why did the board authorise the death of Valiant and his clones, and not take out the researcher who made it all possible? Imo, there's material for a whole new game here. I can't imagine that the ICA would not reach out to Hei and have her work for them instead going forward.

My real question is - does Hei know how to restart the program that made 47? Or does she only know about Ort-Meyer's later program that accelerated the growth of the 48 series? Because if she knows how to create new clones the way that 47 was made, and the ICA board sees the value in investing in that rather than in the 48 model, I could see a really interesting future where they start their own child soldier program with Hei. Especially now since Diana and 47 have left the ICA and are essentially their competitors.

[dracoroma]

I think it's safe to say now that Vax is completely fine with the situation he finds himself in. He has all but said those exact words to Vox Machina.

"I would rather not have [The Raven Queen] gone"

"Death is a part of life"

And this should put Keyleth blaming The Matron for "taking Vax from her", and Pike "not giving up on Vax" into perspective.

I don't get why we are blaming The Matron time and time again when Vecna is the one who killed Vax. He would not be in this situation if not for Vecna. Meanwhile, The Matron has to look over all life and death.

Matt said it well in the wrap party for TLoVM S3. She's a neutral entity, she's persuing her own goals,regardless of what society, or even her, deems moral and just. She has to protect the sanctity of death. In fact, she's basically said why to Bell's Hells, she needs to prevent stagnation.

If not for The Matron, how could we ever truly stop people like Lorenzo, the Chroma Conclave, Ripley, the Briarwoods, Avantika? And how do you think people would feel if their loved ones were disrespected and brought back as zombies?

How about we look at the materials for spells that defy the matron, things like clone and resurrection spells. Spells that when tied together can gove one functional immortality. But these are also expensive and powerful spells, that require a ton of resources. This can create a world where the rich and powerful, through magic, are immortal, unable to die. While the common folk do not have that luxury. And this is a world that many a cyberpunk story depicts.

Even on a smaller level, it becomes a world where some people have to wonder why their family member, their sibling, their lover, their friend, was not brought back when someone else was. And that is an incredibly unfair world

But, there's also a spiritual component here. To Vax, this is his choice. It was mentioned before that he would not be willing to come back through true resurrection. It was his choice to accept his death, his fate. To take that choice away from him feels wrong on many levels, from a level of personal agency to that of denying someone their faith. The desire to bring him back to life is incredibly selfish on Keyleth's, and the rest of Vox Machina's, part.

And, I think there's a final component here. Vax is not just dead. While none of the books explicitly say as much, his role as a psychopomp means something. To me, as a polytheist, Vax achieved apotheosis, he is a minor god now, like Heraclese and Psyche in greek myth. It is a metamorphosis for him into something else.

One of my friends has been talking a lot about how "people rebel against the gods" is not a compelling reason to say that the system is irreprably broken. And that's because they, frankly, have a raw deal. Erathis and Pelor and Bahamut, as entities of law, are going to constantly piss off the punk types like Ashton by representing law. Corellon and Avandra, as entities of freedom and change, are going to constantly piss off people who see law as a virtue. And while Melora and Kord can be channeled to do good things, nature and storms and war are forces that do not care about good and evil. They will cause blights and disasters because that is what they are.

And the center of this issue is The Raven Queen. The protector of the dead. The one who stands against necromancy. Because it is important that oir rest, when we die, not be disturbed. And because of that, she cannot make exceptions